The morning mist had yet to fully clear when the group passed through a narrow, long tunnel and emerged before a shabby fishing village.
Most of the houses were pieced together from wooden boards, with patches nailed all over their walls.
Tazuna had not been exaggerating. The Land of Waves was poor beyond belief.
Not a single decent house could be found in the entire village.
The group stepped onto an inconspicuous dock, and the boatman looked as though he had seen a ghost. He scrambled to flee.
"We've brought you this far. We're leaving."
With that, he turned and left without looking back.
As he went, he started that engine Naruto found unbearably strange, and the boat roared away like a speedboat.
Once the boatman reached the opposite shore, Kakashi suddenly appeared right in front of him, one eye covered.
"Sorry, sorry. I'm from Konoha too. They left me behind."
Kakashi scratched the back of his head and grinned.
The boatman's mind completely froze as he stared at him.
They could leave someone behind?
Meanwhile, Naruto and the others had left the fishing village and continued straight toward Tazuna's home.
Although Naruto had said their main mission was not to serve as Tazuna's bodyguards, his home was clearly a good base from which to send Sasuke and the other two out to gather intelligence.
"Your life in this village is really miserable."
Remembering how the boatman had fled faster than a rabbit, Sakura could not help but complain.
Tazuna fell silent for a long while before speaking in a hoarse voice.
"Anyone who helped build the bridge was killed by him."
"That can happen?" Sakura's eyes widened. "Is there no one who can do anything about it?"
Naruto snorted from beside them.
"Do something? Who has the time to