At the coastal edge facing the Land of Fire.
Over the strait Menma and the others had crossed yesterday stood an unfinished bridge. This was the bridge Tazuna had long dreamed of, the one he had personally overseen in the hope of bringing courage and hope to the people of the Land of Waves.
After more than a year of work, it had now reached its final stage.
As long as this last portion of construction was completed,
the Land of Waves and the Land of Fire could be successfully connected.
That was something Gato would never permit. However, this wealthy merchant truly was not very bright, at least in Menma's eyes. There were plenty of ways to destroy the bridge and plenty of chances to kill Tazuna.
Yet he had chosen the most complicated and most difficult method.
For him to have become such a successful merchant, his luck before this must have been incredibly good. With a brain like that, if his luck had been even slightly worse, he would have been devoured without a trace long ago. Still, that was convenient for Menma. If Gato had truly been a smart man, he would have been troublesome to deal with.
When Menma led Naruto to the entrance of the bridge, he spotted Sasuke and Sakura standing guard at opposite sides from afar. Kakashi, meanwhile, was leaning against the branch of a large tree, leisurely reading the 'Treasure Book' he carried with him.
The moment he noticed Menma and Naruto,
a flicker of surprise passed through Kakashi's eyes.
He gently closed his book, leaped down, and landed before the two of them. He spoke first. "Menma, Naruto, you're back so soon. Did you find something already?"
"Yes, Teacher Kakashi. It's like this..."
After nodding, Menma briefly reported all the