After Naruto rode the Number Five Mech back and forth with Hinata, enjoying the strong wind, they returned to the group.
Naruto also put the Number Five Mech away.
The reason was that if he kept it out, the others could not ride it, and Hinata felt too embarrassed to keep riding.
Since Hinata was no longer riding, there was little point in Naruto sitting on it alone as it moved slowly, so he simply got off too.
"Come on, bro, why didn't you take me for a spin?"
Karin followed behind Naruto, complaining.
"Well, next time for sure."
Naruto rested his hands behind his head and replied to Karin.
"By the way, Mr. Tazuna, what's the Land of Waves like?"
Hearing Naruto's voice, Tazuna instinctively shuddered. Then he recovered and hurriedly explained.
"The Land of Waves is a small island nation. We mostly rely on sea transport to stay connected with the outside world. Life was difficult, but we could still get by at first."
Tazuna recalled what the Land of Waves had once been like.
"Then why did you come hire us to escort you home to build a bridge?"
Naruto asked curiously.
"There really was no need at first, but ever since a merchant named Gato monopolized the Land of Waves' foreign trade, things have been getting worse by the day."
"I want to build a bridge to break his monopoly over the Land of Waves."
Tazuna spoke with determination in his eyes. At that moment, he was not a drunkard, but a master bridge builder working for his homeland.
"But what if they blow up the bridge after our mission ends?"
Naruto raised the crucial question, and hearing it, Tazuna briefly fell silent.
"No, that won't happen."
Tazuna was silent for a while before speaking.
"I'm