Early the next morning, at the Konoha Gate.
Team 7 assembled once more. Naruto wore an orange tracksuit and brimmed with energy. Sakura Haruno wore a modified qipao designed for ease of movement, her short pink hair neat and her gaze steady. Ling wore his usual dark blue, high-collared clothes, his presence as still as a deep pool. Kakashi leaned against a gatepost, his eyes on Icha Icha Paradise, though he clearly retained a measure of vigilance.
Their client was a haggard, plainly dressed middle-aged woman whose eyes held grief and urgency she could not conceal. A child stood beside her.
"My name is Tsunami." Her voice was slightly hoarse as she bowed to Kakashi. "Mr. Kakashi, thank you for Konoha's willingness to help us again."
"Tsunami, where's old man Tazuna?" Naruto blurted out in surprise. "What happened to him? Wasn't the bridge already finished?"
Tears welled in Tsunami's eyes, and her voice choked. "My father... he passed away... a month ago. He wasn't sick. He... he was murdered! And the bridge... we're about to lose the bridge, too!"
The news stunned them all. Tazuna was dead? That stubborn old man who loved his drink but still had a dream...
"What happened?" Kakashi closed his book, his expression turning serious.
Tsunami steadied herself before continuing. "Life in the Land of Waves did improve for a while after the bridge was completed. But it didn't last. A few months ago, a group of unidentified ninja occupied the country. They seem to be backed by an organization called the Black Tide Trading Company. They seized control of trade and oppressed the people. My father... he led the resistance, so they..." Unable to continue, she hugged Inari tightly.
Inari looked up, tears glistening in his eyes alongside a hatred far beyond his years.