บท 49: End of Wave Country
Kakashi looked at Sakura, who was walking ahead, his eyes filled with a complicated expression.
He wanted to say something, but he wasn't sure how to start.
After all, Sakura's actions were entirely from the perspective of the Land of Fire and Konoha.
"What are you thinking, Kakashi-senpai?"
At that moment, with no one else around, Sakura naturally didn't need to refer to Kakashi as "sensei."
Kakashi's black eye, which was visible, slightly lowered his eyelid.
"Tazuna is getting old..."
Sakura looked at the pond by the forest, the calm surface reflecting the bright moon and her own figure.
"So what?"
Sakura raised an eyebrow, her pinkish brows twitching.
"If we let Tazuna set this precedent, do you know what will happen once this gets out?"
"'Not scarcity, but inequality.'"
"Kakashi, you should understand this reasoning."
Kakashi remained silent. He looked at the pink-haired girl in front of him, still trying to find words to save Tazuna's life.
"As long as we make sure he keeps it a secret, this won't happen."
Sakura chuckled, but it wasn't a smile for Kakashi—it was a mocking laugh directed at Tazuna, that fool.
"So?"
"Kakashi, are you suggesting that a drunkard, who would use money collected from everyone to buy alcohol, would be able to keep a secret?"
Sakura's words left Kakashi speechless.
When Sakura and Kakashi returned to Tazuna's house, everyone was already asleep. Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke were assigned to different rooms.
Naruto and Sasuke shared a bed, while Sakura, being a girl, slept alone.
Looking at Sasuke sleeping quietly, and Naruto clinging to him, Sakura couldn't help but grin mischievously.
If she had a camera now, Sakura would definitely take a photo of this moment and frame it. She'd place one frame next to Naruto's bed and one next to Sasuke's, to prove their unbreakable bond~~~
The next morning
When the first ray of sunlight hit the closed eyes of the black-haired boy, Sasuke's eyelids fluttered slightly.
He felt something heavy on him. Sasuke instinctively turned over.
Then, the next moment, his eyes widened in shock as if he had discovered something horrifying!
"Naruto!!!!"
Sasuke's face turned bright red, like a little wife wronged by her husband. He immediately pushed Naruto's hands off his waist and scrambled out of bed, rolling off in haste.
"Huh?"
"Who called me?"
Because Sasuke's shout was so loud, it woke up the groggy blonde-haired boy, who rubbed his eyes and sat up.
"Naruto!!"
"You idiot!!!"
"You were hugging me while sleeping last night!!!"
Sasuke looked at the blonde boy in front of him, his face a mixture of embarrassment and anger.
"Huh?"
Naruto, still half asleep, stared at Sasuke with sleepy eyes, not quite understanding what was going on.
"No, nothing..."
Sasuke clenched his teeth, but ultimately couldn't say the words.
As long as no one else knew, then this incident never happened!
"You two are so noisy..."
Sakura, with her pink hair loose, sat up from her bed and looked at the two in front of her, who were already showing off their bond this early in the morning.
"Hehe, good morning, Sakura..."
"It's all Sasuke's fault for being so restless this early."
When Naruto saw Sakura sit up, his eyes immediately lit up, and he rushed to complain about Sasuke.
Hehehe, Sakura's morning face...
With her hair loose, Sakura looked so beautiful~~~
"You blonde idiot, go find your 'Second Pillar'!"
Sakura squinted and pushed Naruto back down.
Naruto blinked.
Blonde idiot?
Was she talking about him?
On the other side, Sasuke also froze for a moment.
"Second Pillar?"
"Me?"
So who's the 'First Pillar'?
"Gan!"
A couple of days later, the bridge in the Land of Waves was completed, and Team 7's mission was considered a success.
Naruto waved goodbye to the people of the Land of Waves, then immediately caught up with Kakashi and the others, who had already started walking ahead.
Sakura looked back, her green eyes scanning the crowd for Tazuna, before turning her head and stepping onto the path back to Konoha.
Kakashi glanced at the unbothered Sakura, then glanced back at Tazuna, who was smiling and waving them off. He also glanced at Naruto and Sasuke, who were oblivious to everything, and sighed deeply.
At that moment, he thought of his father, the legendary Konoha White Fang.
Sakura's actions were correct.
No matter what, the interests of Konoha couldn't be harmed...
Kakashi unconsciously returned to his lazy demeanor, not wanting to get involved in anything else.
"Hahahaha!"
"Naruto Uzumaki is back!"
Looking at the familiar gates of Konoha, the blonde boy cheered and dashed inside.
The long-time gatekeeper, Ganko, immediately blocked Naruto and held out his hand.
"Huh?"
Looking at the chunin in front of him, Naruto was stunned.
Sakura instinctively reached for her kunai and the pass to throw it at the gate, but she stopped herself before she could even reach into her ninja tool pouch.
She was no longer in the Anbu...
Kakashi noticed Sakura's small movement. After spending ten years in the Anbu, how could he not recognize their proud tradition?
Kakashi walked over with his lazy smile, handing the pass to Ganko.
"Huh? Kakashi-senpai? You guys took so long on this mission."
It was clear that Ganko knew Kakashi. After checking the pass, he chuckled and let them through.
"Geez, so cocky, just like Sasuke."
Naruto made a face at Ganko as he walked past.
"Naruto, don't be rude."
"Ganko is just doing his job."
Kakashi smacked Naruto's head.
"Oh, idiot."
Sasuke rolled his eyes at the blonde idiot. He felt like ever since they had been on the same team, he had rolled his eyes more than ever. At this rate, he'd end up looking like a Hyūga.
Kakashi looked at the Hokage Rock in the distance and pursed his lips.
The mission in the Land of Waves was over, and the Chūnin Exams were coming soon...
This Chūnin Exam would be a joint event with the Hidden Stone Village of the Land of Earth and the Hidden Sand Village of the Land of Wind, marking a historic first in the ninja world.
The Land of Wind was a nominal ally, but the Land of Earth participated for the resources...
This made Kakashi think deeply.
But when he glanced at the pink-haired girl beside him, he felt relieved. With her around, at least Naruto and Sasuke would be safe and sound...
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