A month later, the bridge in the Land of Waves was finally completed.
Even Zabuza had to admit that Tazuna's skills were impressive. Unfortunately, Tazuna knew nothing about shipbuilding.
During this month, Naruto and the others learned a lot from Zabuza. He didn't hold back—everything he taught them wasn't really a secret anyway.
After all, the only thing Zabuza could teach was five out of the six styles.
Kakashi gained more than the others, mainly because he already had a foundation in swordsmanship. And Zabuza's "Blade-less Style" was, in a way, still a form of swordsmanship.
As for Naruto, he wasn't the type to excel at studying. His talent was in fighting—learning through battle.
But to Zabuza, Naruto was actually the one who had learned the most.
Because Naruto was the one inheriting his ninja way—the way of not cutting down others!
Zabuza had once believed in killing to end killing, but in the end, as an executioner, he realized he had been wrong.
His ninja way had no meaning. Peace never came.
"They're gone."
"They finally left."
Standing at the bridge, Gato let out a sigh of relief.
He wasn't sure why those people had been looking at him so strangely.
Did he say something wrong?
It wasn't just Kakashi and Sasuke who seemed to dislike him. Even Naruto, who originally had no issue with him, started looking at him differently.
All Gato had done was casually compliment Naruto, saying, "With how strong you are, you must have lots of friends in Konohagakure."
Gato didn't think he said anything wrong. After all, these pirates clearly liked Naruto, and the people of the Land of Waves treated him well too.
"Ninjas sure are weird."
Gato didn't get it. Pirates were much easier to deal with. Ninjas were a thing of the past—they should be left behind in the new era.
"Let's go, Gato. We still have important business to take care of."
Haku urged him.
The battle a month ago hadn't affected many people. The ones who truly got caught up in it were the pirates at sea.
Before this, there had been a lot of pirates near the Land of Waves. Some had their eyes on the Land of Waves, while others were targeting the Land of Water but needed the Land of Waves as a safe harbor.
Then, Kisame and Itachi happened to pass through the area and casually sank a few large ships.
That one event sent the pirates into complete chaos.
No one knew who struck first.
Every pirate crew had someone backing them, but those behind-the-scenes figures had no connection to each other.
Because of that, the entire sea around the Land of Waves and the Land of Water had fallen into disorder.
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On the other side, Kakashi and his group crossed the bridge.
Along with Naruto and the others, two more people traveled with Zobei and Kotarou.
They had no intention of staying in the Land of Waves any longer.
Kakashi also brought them along for Naruto and Sasuke's safety.
With these two around, Danzo would still be able to get information about Naruto and Sasuke.
And with Zohyo and Kotaro's weak abilities as low-level ninja, staying in Konohagakure wouldn't be a problem for them.
"Naruto, it's time to go."
Kakashi urged.
Naruto looked down the bridge, his gaze fixed on the Land of Waves.
On the side of the bridge, the words "Naruto Bridge" were written. That was the name of this bridge.
Listening to the sound of waves crashing against the bridge and feeling the sea breeze blowing in from the ocean, the distant Land of Waves seemed to blur.
In Naruto's mind, a figure appeared—a messy head of red hair, a samurai sword strapped to the waist, pants rolled up like a fisherman's, uneven on both sides, and feet in a pair of worn-out sandals.
That man walked on the bridge, step by step...
The sound of his sandals echoed, growing fainter as he walked away.
That lonely figure eventually disappeared at the other end of the bridge. Beyond that point was the Land of Waves—the world of pirates.
Shanks walked toward the New World.
"Kakashi-sensei, I will become the bridge that connects the old era and the New World!"
"Captain Zabuza, I will show Shanks the way of the ninja from the old era!"
That was the meaning of Naruto Bridge—a bridge between the old and the new.
Naruto turned around and caught up with Kakashi and the others. One day, he, Uzumaki Naruto, would make this bridge live up to its name. He would make the pirates of the New World see the ninja way of the old era.
Meanwhile, the one who started all of this—Shanks—had, in fact, done nothing at all. But even so, Danzo still had a message for him.
He really hadn't done anything. He was still lying in a hospital bed in Konohagakure. But just because Shanks said he did nothing, did that mean he couldn't be blamed?
Besides, from start to finish, was there a single part of this that had nothing to do with him?
Yet, Shanks was completely unaware of all this. He had been waiting for a long time, but his ship still hadn't come.
Ever since deciding to set sail, every day felt endless.
"What's with that Oda guy? He's the author of One Piece and I've been stuck here for over a month without a single ship!"
"This island is way too remote."
Shanks really wanted to complain, but he wasn't sure if yelling at Oda from here would even reach him.
Ever since he started thinking about going to sea, even his appetite had dropped.
The food here was nothing but survival rations, completely tasteless. Back when he was focused on training, he didn't mind. But now, it was unbearable.
He just wanted to set sail, have a proper meal, and—better yet—throw a five-day, five-night feast. Not just good food, but the finest drinks too.
"Looks like I need a good cook on my ship. Yeah, a pirate crew without a good cook is no good."
As Shanks thought about this, something suddenly came to mind.
"Wait a minute... Could Mihawk actually be a cook? The world's greatest swordsman... and also a chef?"
He thought about Sanji. That guy was a cook, but his sword skills weren't weak either. If that was the case, then it all made sense.
Mihawk became the world's greatest swordsman because he spent his time cooking for a bunch of baboons. Yep, that checked out.
"If that's how it works, my swordsmanship isn't bad either. Maybe I have some hidden talent I don't know about?"
Shanks started thinking about himself. He had survived alone for so long, which meant his cooking skills must be decent. If he had more spices and let his creativity shine, maybe he could even become the world's greatest chef.
He was about to keep daydreaming to distract himself from his hunger, but just then, within the range of his Haki, a ship appeared.
Then a second.
Then a third.
Shanks immediately pulled himself together and stood up.
His closed eyes opened. His gaze cut through the wind and waves, locking onto the horizon.
Three ships, each bearing a skull emblem, appeared in his sight.
"They're finally here."
A grin spread across Shanks' face as he leaped off the cliff by the sea.
Two hairy legs were stuck upside down in the sand. One foot still had a sandal on, while the other was bare, with the sandal lying nearby.
Shanks' upper body was still buried in the sand.
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