Building the Bridge, Those Who Chose to Give Up

Because of Naruto's nonsense, Sasuke's training progress was held back.

In the end, Kakashi-sensei couldn't stand it anymore and stepped in to punch Naruto.

Meanwhile, in a dense forest elsewhere.

After making sure no one was around, Shinki began training his Wood Release.

Just as he had thought before.

Since Wood Release could build houses, it should theoretically be able to form an intricate arrangement of timber into a bridge.

"Wood Release: Great Bridge!"

Shinki crossed his hands and formed Hand Seals, shouting loudly.

Then countless wooden pillars emerged from the ground and formed a small arched bridge.

Shinki tried stepping onto it. Its load-bearing capacity was decent.

Then he realized that what the Land of Waves needed was a bridge across the sea. A few pieces of wood alone wouldn't be enough; it would also need bridge piers cast from reinforced concrete...

Although Earth Release could create the bridge piers, the steel reinforcement would still have to be put in by hand.

"It's a shame I can't use Ninjutsu that changes metal. Otherwise, if I combined it with Wood Release and Earth Release, I might actually be able to build a bridge."

Shinki muttered.

That evening.

Kakashi-sensei faced Team 7 and announced something important.

"Now that Uncle Tazuna has returned to his country, he's resumed construction on the bridge between the countries. Gato definitely won't let this go, so I've decided Team 7 will stay here another month to protect Uncle Tazuna."

After Kakashi finished speaking, his right eye swept over the three members of Team 7.

Shinki looked deep in thought. There was no telling what he was thinking about.

Naruto and Sasuke clearly wanted to help Tazuna and nodded in agreement.

After dinner, Shinki, eager to learn, pushed open the door to Kakashi's room.

"Sensei, there's something I don't understand," Shinki said.

Kakashi could already guess what Shinki wanted to ask, but he gestured for him to go ahead anyway.

"Uncle Tazuna clearly lied to us, so why are we still protecting him for so long?" Shinki asked.

Hearing Shinki's question, Kakashi answered without hesitation, "The Fourth Hokage once said, 'To see what is right and not do it is a lack of courage.'"

Shinki nodded. "So a ninja should have a chivalrous heart and draw his sword to help when he sees an injustice?"

Kakashi gave Shinki an approving look. "That's more or less what it means. But before you act courageously for a just cause, you have to be able to keep yourself safe."

"Okay, sensei! I understand!"

It suddenly dawned on Shinki.

So ninja didn't just act in the interests of their own villages!

They also had to have their own moral bottom line that they stood by!

The next day.

Naruto and Sasuke continued practicing tree climbing, while Shinki, who had nothing else to do, was put in charge of staying close to protect Uncle Tazuna.

There, he met Tazuna's young grandson Inari, the little boy who had shouted "Heroes are the most ridiculous of all" on the day Team 7 arrived.

Shinki noticed that the boy seemed to have something weighing on his mind.

The previous evening, on his way to bed, he had passed the boy's room and seen him crying while holding a picture frame.

So Shinki, with time on his hands, wandered over to Inari and chatted with him like a friend.

Perhaps the child was lonely, or perhaps Shinki himself was exceptionally approachable.

In any case, he soon learned from the boy what had happened to him.

It turned out that he'd had a stepfather who was a hero on the island.

But because Gato had set his sights on the Land of Waves, he had first aimed his gun at Inari's stepfather and cruelly killed him in front of everyone.

From then on, Inari's outlook had changed, and he came to believe that being a hero was foolish.

After hearing the story, Shinki felt sympathy for Inari's stepfather and thought he deserved better.

"A hero protects what he treasures," Shinki said.

That man had wanted to use his own hands to protect the things he cared about. He was a warrior.

But when he was subjected to a cruel execution, not one of the many people watching had stepped forward.

After his death, no one had dared pick up his torch, either.

Even his son Inari was terribly timid, spending all day crying over a picture frame.

Shinki looked up at Uncle Tazuna, who was sweating profusely as he worked on the bridge.

A towel hung from the older man's shoulder, and he kept wiping away the beads of sweat running down his face as he tirelessly carried all kinds of building materials.

Only a dozen or so people were helping him.

Everyone else had chosen to give up and watch from the sidelines because they feared Gato's power.

The thought that people like that would benefit once the bridge was completed made Shinki feel a tightness in his chest.

Shinki stood up and sighed, sweeping his gaze over the surroundings to check for potential danger.

Suddenly, a worker called out to Shinki and pointed toward a nearby rest shelter. "Kid, the sun's scorching right now. You and Inari should go sit under the sunshade over there."

Shinki's pupils trembled.

He was moved.

Although those who stood by and watched without lifting a finger didn't deserve to set foot on the bridge.

There had never been a shortage of kind, honest people among humanity, and they deserved it.

If the bridge was completed, these kind people could escape Gato's control.

"It's all right, sir. I'm a ninja, after all."

Shinki answered the man with a smile.

Then he formed the seals for the Clone Technique with both hands. "Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

More than a hundred Shinkis appeared on the bridge at once!

The workers repairing the bridge all stared in amazement!

"Is this the power of a ninja? One person is as good as an army!"

"That's incredible! Only a god could have magic like that!"

"A ninja child is already this strong? Then wouldn't the adult ninja staying at Tazuna's house be even stronger?"

"Just doing what little I can."

The hundred-plus Shinki clones spoke at once, hoisted the building materials on the shore, and joined the construction crew.

Uncle Tazuna was so moved he nearly cried.

For the past two days, he had been worried about the shortage of workers.

After all, if they relied on just the dozen or so of them, it would probably take forever to finish the bridge.

But with so many ninja clones, things were different. Their progress sped up dramatically!

Shinki and his clones joined the great undertaking of building the bridge.

In half an hour, they accomplished as much as Tazuna and the others had previously done in a day.

Not far from the bridge.

The short, stout Gato held a pair of binoculars, his face turning ashen with rage as he watched the many ninja clones on the bridge.

"If we let them keep building like this, the bridge will be finished in less than two months."

"Smash!" Enraged, Gato threw down the binoculars in his hand and pointed toward the bridge.

Beside Gato, a samurai bodyguard carrying a long sword said, "Boss, didn't you hire a missing-nin from Kirigakure to assassinate Tazuna?"

Gato knew the young bodyguard was talking about Zabuza, and his face filled with impatience. "Don't even get me started on how useless that guy is. After the two underlings he sent failed to assassinate Tazuna, he actually failed himself and nearly lost his life."

"It's time to hurry him along. He can't just take our deposit and do nothing," another bodyguard said.

Gato nodded, a cruel glint flashing in his small eyes behind his sunglasses. "That arrogant bastard really pisses me off. Once he's dealt with Tazuna, I'll get rid of him too."