"Now, can we find somewhere to take a proper inventory of our loot?"
After Sen spoke, silence settled over the bridge, broken only by the sea breeze whistling through the ruined Great Bridge.
Kakashi slowly dispelled the surrounding Earth-Style Wall.
He looked at the broken branches and scattered leaves covering the ground, and the corpses of thugs impaled by vines.
Then there was the half of the cross-sea Great Bridge that had been all but destroyed and completely transformed by Advent of a World of Flowering Trees.
Kakashi let out a deep, utterly helpless sigh.
"How am I supposed to write a report to Lord Hokage about this mess when we get back...?"
Kakashi rubbed his throbbing temples, feeling as though he had used up a lifetime's worth of sighs in a single day.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura emerged from behind the earthen wall. Their faces went pale at the hellish scene before them.
The desiccated corpses, drained of life and sprouting green leaves, made their stomachs churn particularly badly.
"B-big bro..." Naruto swallowed, his voice trembling.
"These people... did you kill all of them?"
"What else was I supposed to do? Keep them around for the holidays?"
Sen rolled his eyes as he released the vines binding Zabuza.
Thud.
Zabuza collapsed onto the bridge like a heap of mud, gasping for breath.
The pollen's paralyzing effects had yet to wear off. He did not even have the strength to stand.
Not far away, Haku leaned weakly against the cold bridge railing, violent coughs sounding from beneath his mask.
"You... why didn't you kill us?"
Zabuza stared fixedly at Sen, his eyes full of confusion.
For a ninja, leaving an enemy alive was a cardinal sin.
"Kill you?"
Sen rubbed his chin, as though seriously considering the question.
"Nah. Digging