Naruto Bridge

The smell of blood, mingled with rust and the rank stench of fear, lingered in the damp fog.

When Tazuna led a group of villagers holding hoes and fish spears onto the bridge with trembling steps, everything had already fallen quiet. Their gazes swept across the bridge deck, where corpses lay everywhere. The heavy reek of blood made some of the younger villagers cover their mouths and retch.

The blond boy standing at the bridgehead with a cold expression and his hands behind his back looked like a demon that had crawled out of hell.

Except that this demon stood on their side.

There were no signs of a fierce battle, no damaged buildings—only bodies that had fallen neatly, stripped of their ability to resist in an instant.

Zabuza knelt on one knee, the massive Kubikiribōchō embedded beside him. Gato's blood still dripped from its blade.

"Th-this..." Tazuna's lips trembled, and he could not even complete a sentence.

Behind him, the villagers' "weapons" clattered to the ground.

Naruto paid no attention to those insignificant disturbances.

He turned to face his team.

"Medic," he said coldly, his wording precise.

"Begin post-battle treatment procedures."

Sakura's body instinctively straightened.

"Treat Sasuke first, then treat Zabuza," Naruto ordered without emotion.

Sakura's mind went blank for a moment. Then an inexplicable feeling overwhelmed her fear.

She did not ask why, nor did she burst into tears. Instead, she quickly opened her ninja tool pouch and took out medical bandages and ointment.

"Yes!" she answered loudly, her movements so crisp that even she was surprised. Without realizing it, she had already grown accustomed to that tone of command.

Kakashi wanted to speak, but stopped himself. He felt that he could no longer see through Naruto's true intentions.

Was that chilling rational indifference merely a protective facade? Or was it his true nature?

If it was only a facade, then Naruto was still Naruto. Everything he did simply served efficiency and results. Though his methods often defied common human sentiment, they were ultimately moving in a better direction.

But what if it was his true nature? Kakashi shook his head. He did not dare think any further.

"I really wish you'd go paint Hokage Rock again, Naruto," Kakashi murmured to himself.

After treating Sasuke, Sakura ran toward Zabuza.

Haku stood in front of him, watching Sakura warily.

"Let her treat me," Zabuza said hoarsely.

He looked at the blond boy's back in the distance. The pride that belonged to a strong man had been utterly crushed and reshaped into something entirely new.

Awe.

And... obedience.

Several days later.

The bridge's celebration was packed with people.

The Land of Waves, a nation that had been shrouded in dark clouds for far too long, had finally welcomed sunlight.

Tazuna stood on a hastily built platform, his face flushed with excitement.

"Fellow countrymen! We have won!"

"We drove out Gato! We now have this bridge that connects us to hope!"

The villagers erupted into thunderous cheers.

Tazuna took a deep breath and looked toward Team 7 below the stage. His expression became incomparably solemn.

"We must not forget the heroes who brought us all this! The ninja of Konoha saved us!"

"Especially that young man..."

Everyone's gaze focused on Naruto.

Their emotions were complicated, a mixture of gratitude, worship, and deep fear.

"To commemorate this order and hope, I have decided to name this bridge—the future of our nation—"

"Naruto Bridge! The great Naruto Bridge!"

The cheers surged like a tsunami, sweeping across the entire coast.

"Naruto Bridge! Naruto Bridge!"

People shouted the name as if it could grant them strength.

Sakura Haruno excitedly grabbed Sasuke's arm, and Sasuke, unusually, did not shake her off.

Kakashi wore a helpless expression that said, "My student seems to be kind of incredible."

Only Naruto, standing at the center of all the cheers, showed no change in expression.

He did not smile, wave, or even look at the frenzied crowd.

To him, this was merely an outcome.

[Regional stability increased.]

[Public support has reached its peak.]

[The personal prestige of "Naruto" has been established, possessing a model effect.]

[Land of Waves pilot plan, evaluation result: perfect.]

Wave after wave of cheers washed over him. People tugged at Naruto's clothes until they finally lifted him up and tossed him into the air again and again.

Looking at the countless cheering, smiling faces, Naruto fell into a brief daze for the first time in a long while. He suddenly recalled a bright, carefree smile from a very long time ago.

"I, Naruto, am going to become Hokage!"

"My ninja way is to never go back on my word!"

That voice had been loud and clear, filled with a fearless spirit, as if it could shake down the ceiling.

Was that me?

After a brief hesitation, he gave a bitter smile, then revealed an identical one.

"A full smile can move people's hearts and leave an approachable impression. Contrasted with my previous cold image, it will create a strong contrast and win even more favor from the masses."

Naruto shouted, "Everyone, I'll be back!"

The night before departure.

Naruto stood alone at the center of Naruto Bridge.

The sea breeze fluttered the hem of his clothes. Haku swiftly appeared before him, dropped to one knee, and bowed his head as he delivered his report.

"Lord Naruto, Lord Zabuza and I have followed your Fire Seed Plan. We have left Konoha's detection range and found a way to return to the Land of Water."

"Good." Naruto spoke to the air. "Remember your mission."

"Phase one: lie low. Gather intelligence on every faction within Kirigakure, especially a list of forces dissatisfied with the current Mizukage."

"Phase two: infiltrate. Use your former identities to approach targets who can be 'won over.'"

"Phase three: wait for my orders. Do not expose yourselves before the final 'purge' begins."

"Understood," Haku answered respectfully. "All for the new order you have envisioned."

Naruto nodded and turned toward the sea. The view was vast, and the sound of waves stirred by the evening wind echoed beside his ears.

He calmly conducted his final review.

This mission had verified the effectiveness of the Thought Seal on specific targets.

Strong people like Zabuza, betrayed by the old order, and "weapons" like Haku, who possessed firm beliefs but lacked proper guidance, were the "resources" with the highest conversion rates.

This model was replicable.

His thoughts drifted from the small island of the Land of Waves toward the broader continent.

"The identity of Konoha's political commissar is the perfect protective facade at this stage. As long as I make it clear that I do not want to become Hokage, the indecisive Third Hokage will not rush to purge me."

A voice within him narrated calmly.

"It can soothe the sentimental heart of the Third Hokage and grant me the greatest freedom of action."

"Hiruzen Sarutobi needs a loyal guardian to inherit his outdated Will of Fire, so I will play that role."

"But he will never understand."

"True protection is not patching up a broken ship riddled with holes."

"It is tearing it apart completely, using the reclaimed timber and brand-new steel to build a fearless battleship capable of weathering any storm."

"A unified, powerful Iron Empire, one that abandons all emotional infighting and is ruled by absolute rationality."

"This is the only path forward for human civilization when facing the erosion of Chaos and heresy."

"The Land of Waves is merely the first cornerstone."

Naruto turned around, his back to the sea and his face toward the Land of Fire.

Within his field of vision, the map of the entire ninja world slowly unfolded.

It was a vast territory waiting to be unified, purified, and brought under a single will.

He took a step and walked down the bridge, leaving behind the monument that bore his name, along with his ridiculous childhood.