[Tazuna's House — Guest Room — Afternoon]
Sleep gave way in slow waves.
Naruto's eyes opened to thin shafts of late daylight filtering through the shutters.
The weight of rest had cleared from his limbs.
Quiet returned to his breath — steady, measured.
Outside, distant voices drifted faintly — light footfalls on bark, chakra flaring in uneven bursts.
Team 7. Training.
He sat up smoothly, cloak drawn close once more.
A glance beyond the doorway confirmed what he already sensed — Asuma's team absent.
The others had moved on.
A quick rinse, a plain lunch of rice and fish — eaten alone, methodical — and Naruto stepped out into the clearer light of afternoon.
No wasted time.
The house felt too small now. Too still.
He needed movement. Thought. Action.
[Land of Waves — Path to the Bridge — Afternoon]
The path to the bridge was quieter than before.
No bandits. No jeering drunks. Only the wind threading through damp streets.
But beneath that hush — tension lingered still.
The village watched, wary, beaten down but not yet broken.
Naruto walked on without haste — cloak trailing faintly behind him.
His forehead protector now rested against his bicep of right arm, bound in plain sight.
Seeing the state of the village, his resolve sharpened.
Gatō.
The name rose in his thoughts again — bitter and cold.
A man who strangled this land from the shadows. Who sent thugs to steal, to silence, to bleed the village dry.
Naruto's fists flexed once beneath the cloak.
This was not a war of armies. Not a battlefield where strength alone would end it.
It required patience. Precision.
His gaze flicked briefly toward the treetops.
Haku.
A possible accomplice of Zabuza — too skilled, too measured to be anything else.
The puzzle remained — but not unsolvable.
And Naruto would solve it soon enough.
But first — the bridge.
[Land of Waves — Under-Construction Bridge]
The great bridge rose stark against the gray sea — bones of steel and stone reaching toward unfinished promise.
Teams of weary workers moved in practiced rhythm — laying planks, setting beams, tightening the fragile skeleton of hope that spanned the water.
Among them — shadows moved lighter than the rest.
Team 10.
Shikako stood near the scaffolding — posture loose, gaze sharp beneath half-lidded eyes.
Chōji sat cross-legged nearby, a bag of chips resting beside him as he watched the flow of workers with casual alertness.
Ino moved between them, gaze scanning both workers and the distant shoreline.
Guard duty — subtle but present.
Naruto approached without sound — cloak falling in quiet folds as he reached the edge of the bridge.
Ino noticed him first.
"Finally awake, mysterious one?" she called lightly, one hand resting on her hip.
Naruto gave no reply — only a small nod of acknowledgment.
Shikako's eyes flicked toward him, thoughtful.
"Didn't expect you to show up here. Thought you'd sleep longer."
"I had enough," Naruto answered simply, gaze sweeping the bridge.
Tazuna worked near the center — brow furrowed, voice low as he gave quiet orders.
Naruto watched.
This bridge must stand.
If Gatō wished to break the village's will, this bridge was the keystone.
And protecting it meant understanding the enemy.
Zabuza.
Haku.
And whatever force Gatō might yet send.
Naruto's gaze drifted toward the horizon — steel beneath calm eyes.
He would not allow this place to fall.
And in the wind that swept across the bridge, Naruto stood — a lone figure amid the rising promise of stone and steel.
Watching. Planning.
Waiting for what would come.
[Land of Waves — Bridge Under Construction — Late Afternoon]
The sea wind whispered across unfinished beams.
Naruto stood at the edge of the bridge — cloak brushing faintly behind him, gaze fixed on the restless waves below.
His mind moved deeper than his eyes showed.
Gatō. His men. How will they strike next?
The villagers can't withstand another blow. Nor can the bridge be left unguarded.
He had seen the weakness — the hunger in the streets, the weight in the workers' shoulders.
And beyond that... a shadow in the forest.
A stranger. A possible accomplice.
No word of it left his mouth — not even now.
A flicker of movement drew him from thought.
Shikako Nara approached — hands folded loosely behind her back, eyes thoughtful.
But beneath that practiced calm, a flicker remained — a puzzle unsolved within her own mind.
She had spent the morning unsettled — not by strategy, not by battle.
But by something Smaller. Stranger.Stronger
A sharp glance toward Naruto now only deepened the tangle.
He stood there — unmoving, the sea and sky reflected in his eyes.
And her feet had brought her here regardless.
She spoke first — light, but deliberate:
"You look like you're about to take this bridge apart with your mind alone."
Naruto did not turn at first.
"I'm considering the next move."
A pause.
"And whether there's a way to stop this before any blood is spilled."
Shikako hesitated — fingers brushing against her sleeve.
The words that came next surprised even her:
"If you want help... I'm not useless, you know."
A faint flicker crossed Naruto's gaze.
The old habit rose since academy graduation rose— Refuse.Workalone. The path of blades and shadows was not one shared easily.
But another voice echoed beneath that instinct.
Tobirama's words, inked into worn scrolls:
"In the shadows of war, a lone blade may strike swift — but a web of minds wins the day."
"A Nara mind is one of the most dangerous allies you can trust. Use it well."
Naruto exhaled softly.
The refusal caught in his throat — unspoken.
Instead, he met her gaze at last.
"I don't need every plan spoken aloud," he said quietly. "But a sharp mind beside me... I won't refuse that."
For a moment — just a moment — Shikako blinked.
Not the response she had expected. Not from him.
She cleared her throat lightly — composing herself.
"Good."
Her tone steadied, mind falling into its familiar rhythm.
"First step is learning more. Gatō's too cautious to show his full hand here. He'll have a place — a safe one. Where he keeps the real power, the real men."
Her eyes narrowed.
"If we can find that — or at least learn where his movements come from — we can plan from strength, not guesswork."
Naruto listened — silent, intent.
He said nothing of the stranger in the forest. No mention of Haku, no detail of that quiet meeting. Some truths remained folded tight until the right time.
But her plan — that was sound. Clear.
And the fact that she had offered it despite the weight of her own tangled feelings...
He spoke softly — a rare note of honesty threading his voice:
"You think clearly. Better than most."
A pause.
"I value that."
Shikako's breath caught faintly — just for a heartbeat.
Not because of pride.
But because praise from Naruto — honest, unforced — was rarer than a clear sky in the Mist.
She glanced away — masking the flicker in her chest with practiced calm.
"Well." Her voice was almost too even. "Someone has to think clearly around here."
Naruto's gaze softened — the faintest edge of a knowing look.
But no words followed.
They stood for a moment more — two minds, drawn into quiet alliance.
Not bound by rank. Nor by orders.
But by choice.
And beneath the wind-stirred beams of the half-built bridge, something unspoken wove between them — subtle, steady.
A team. Of their own making.