Dawn had fully broken, but the dampness still clung to the bridge.
There was little wind over the lake. Ripples spread in widening circles to the bases of the bridge piers.
Tazuna led the four children onto the bridge.
Five or six workers guarding the bridge had gathered at its entrance. Kakashi had given his approval last night: this shift could follow along the outer edges of the bridge's tiers, keeping a dozen paces away.
Tools clinked in their carrying baskets with every step, more insistently than on any other day.
A young apprentice among the workers opened his mouth, only for an older man to stop him.
Sakura walked at the front, seven or eight paces ahead. Naruto brought up the rear, both hands empty, trailing one along the railing as he went. Kakashi was not in their formation. His figure appeared on the scaffolding to the left, then shifted to the right, never staying in one place.
Kiyoshi walked beside Tazuna.
As he stepped onto the bridge, he pressed a hand against the railing.
The wood was damp and heavy beneath his palm.
The decking had been swept clean, freshly so. Work had stopped for only a day, and someone had already come to sweep the bridge.
Below a pier, a rope end that had still been dangling yesterday had been pulled halfway up. He could not tell whether their own people had drawn it up or whether the shift had changed.
The first half of the night's watch had ended quietly. Nothing had stirred at the bridge entrance all night. The guard booth stood empty; the two men who ate sunflower seeds had not come.
Tazuna led them along the fourth tier. The decking here was still exposed, with half the scaffolding empty, but he did not