Naruto: I, Shikotsumyaku, Byakugan Princess

Chapter 204 Bridge of Heroes
"What did you do to Tsunami and the others?"

While Hui Li was still pondering the whereabouts of the Ice Release technique, Tazuna behind her heard that a funeral was to be held for the people of the Land of Waves. He couldn't contain himself and rushed out of the group, disregarding his fear and clinging to the coffin material to ask questions.

"He will be locked in a coffin, and the funeral will be held three days later."

The man remained expressionless, answering questions blankly.

Hold a funeral!
Dazner felt a wave of dizziness.

The only people in this world who need a funeral are the dead. So his family members are probably already dead. Just by making this deduction, he felt numb all over and weak in the limbs. His wrinkled face showed an unconcealable grief.

"Uncle Tazna, don't panic. He just said that even if your family members are locked in coffins, they shouldn't be dead yet."

Seeing that Tazna's blood pressure was rising, Gray quickly reminded him.

I hope this old man doesn't suddenly collapse from exhaustion. Using medical ninjutsu to treat external injuries is miraculous, capable of bringing the dead back to life and healing bones, but she has no experience treating cerebral hemorrhage or heart disease.

“Yes, if it were a dead person, it wouldn’t be ‘locked up,’ it would be ‘pretended.’ Your family members are definitely still alive.”

"This is the border of the Land of Fire, less than a day's journey from the Land of Waves. The funeral is in three days, we have plenty of time."

Kakashi and Sasuke also offered rational analysis, and with everyone's words of comfort, Tazuna's mood finally calmed down a bit. He returned to Haili's side with a worried expression and stopped interrupting.

After calming the fragile client, Hui Li looked at the rogue ninja named Souya and asked the question that concerned her most:
"Among the ninjas hired by Gato, are there any named Zabuza and Haku? Zabuza is a fierce man carrying a large sword, while the other is a girl with a gentle and beautiful appearance."

Zabuza?
Kimito Momochi Zabuza?
Kakashi's eyes narrowed. He wasn't familiar with the name Haku, but he was much more familiar with Zabuza.

He had spent a considerable amount of time in the Anbu, where he collected intelligence on elite ninjas from various villages, including the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

Raiga Kurosuki was the first wielder of the Raito (Lightning Blade), while Zabuza Momochi was the second wielder of the Kubikiribōchō (Executioner's Blade). Both were members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and both defected from Kirigakure, so they are likely connected. If the Land of Waves were to face both of them at the same time, it would be a real problem.

His eyes were always unfocused, his scarlet eyes rolled upwards as if he were trying to think. After a while, he shook his head and said:
"Without these two, I think I've heard the boss mention the name Zabuza before... but I don't really remember it."

It seems that Zabuza and Haku are not in the Land of Waves.

Hui Li pouted with some regret; she had long coveted Ice Release.

These past few days, the main body and the Yang Release clone have been researching Wood Release and Chakra Seeds at Root, and have discovered that the power of the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai is exceptionally profound.

As mentioned earlier, a ninja's soul and body can influence the nature of chakra, which is why chakra fluctuations and patterns exist. However, the same chakra can also have a reverse effect on the soul and body.

For example, the ninjas of the Yotsuki clan.

They are skilled in lightning ninjutsu, and their descendants have a very high probability of inheriting the lightning release attribute. This attribute also affects their bodies and souls, making them extremely resistant to lightning and even prone to becoming irritable.

Because Hai Li has been immersed in the Lightning Pool for many years to train his Lightning Release chakra mode, his cells have been screened by Lightning Release, which has greatly improved his resistance to lightning.

However, in the few days since she awakened Wood Release, her cells have undergone strange changes under its influence.

The heart's muscle cells are closest to the chakra seed, and their changes are most noticeable.

The cell membrane surface began to grow structures similar to plant cell walls, and she also found tendril-like larvae belonging to the interstitial cells on a very few cells.

That thing looks like the dense white roots that grow from garlic soaked in water; just looking at it makes one feel physically uncomfortable.

She had read the research report on 'Jia'. Although it was from a long time ago, as the only Wood Release test subject, the report was preserved very well by Chihaya Toru. It clearly recorded that his somatic cells had not changed, but were just more energetic and stronger than ordinary people, which was completely different from Hai Ri's situation.

She speculated that this plant-like transformation was the key to Hashirama's cells dividing infinitely, breaking the limits of human cell division. It was a mutation that could only occur after assembling a high-level Sage Body and Wood Release.

So we asked her to bring back the Ice Release bloodline limit to see if Wood Release was special, or if other bloodline limits also had similar abilities to change the nature of the body.

Most importantly, the main body and its numerous clones researched and devised a complete path for the fusion of bloodline limits.

Water and earth combine to form Wood Release; earth and fire combine to form Lava Release; the combination of fire and lightning is currently unknown, but it may be Explosion Release; the combination of lightning and wind should be Magnet Release; and the final combination of wind and water is Ice Release.

By combining these five bloodline limits in sequence to complete the cycle, and then harmonizing them with Yin-Yang Escape Technique, it is highly likely that a bloodline limit net of seven natures can be fused together.

Now that Wood Release has been acquired, Lava Release is not difficult with Old Man and the Four-Tails, Explosion Release has Deidara and Gari, Magnet Release's little tanuki will deliver itself to her mouth, and Ice Release is the key link to complete the cycle.

Haku might be the only remaining member of the Yuki clan. If the Land of Waves doesn't have him, it seems the only option is to look for the Three-Tails. She remembers encountering Ice Release chakra when she devoured the Three-Tails' flesh, but for some reason, she couldn't inherit that power...

While Hui Li was pondering how to obtain Ice Release, she didn't notice the slightly strange expression on Tazuna's face behind her when she asked Zabuza and the other two.

"Hey~ Forget about killing him, as long as we get to the Land of Waves and defeat that Raiga Kurosuki, we can save Uncle's hometown, right!"

Naruto, the reckless man, raised his right fist, flames shooting from his blue eyes. Although he had some unpleasantness with Tazuna before, he had already recognized the other man's determination to sacrifice his arm to protect his family.

It is easy to make summaries about single-celled organisms.

Tazuna and the Land of Waves, good; Gato and Raiga Kurosuki, bad!

"That's right, I support Naruto too!"

Sasuke, unusually, sided with Naruto. Ever since he started practicing swordsmanship, he had paid special attention to the masters among them.

He had naturally heard of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, whose reputation was legendary.

Although I don't know exactly how powerful they are, I've heard that each of those seven ninja swords contains powerful abilities. Kurosuki Raiga is skilled in lightning release, so his sword is likely related to lightning, and he might be able to use it too!
Naruto doesn't know swordsmanship, Kakashi has the Hatake family's heirloom short sword, and Kairi doesn't use ninja tools at all. He plans to use the reward for this mission to exchange for that ninja sword.

"How is Uncle Tazuna's injury?"

Kakashi pulled down his headband to cover his right eye and looked at Tazuna. He'd already used up a tenth of his chakra in such a short time. "Miss Hairi's miraculous healing has brought him back to full health!"

Afraid of being sent back to Konoha, Tazuna quickly waved his right hand and also complimented Kairi. Ever since he witnessed Kairi's ruthless killing, his arrogant demeanor had never returned.

Kakashi nodded, and as the nominal captain of the team, he immediately ordered, "In that case, let's hurry up and set off, and try to arrive in the Land of Waves by tomorrow morning!"

"Yes!"*3
Sasuke, Kaito, and Naruto immediately replied seriously that Kakashi was a very good person, and they were willing to give him some face when outsiders were present.

Rumble!
The earthen coffin fell to the ground, and Hui Li clasped his hands together. The ground was leveled again, and no one knew that a person had been buried upright there. Of course, out of humanitarian concern, they did not choose to bury him alive.

The group of five continued onward, their figures gradually receding into the distance, until even Gray Glass, who was at the very back, completely disappeared.

sough!

The branches swayed in the wind, and the fibrous blood-like threads tangled around the branches, resembling, from a distance, a series of bright red venomous snakes hidden in the canopy.

Before anyone knew it, a fog began to rise.

The snakes and tree branches were all enveloped in a loose mist. The mist was not large in area, but it was extremely dense. In just a short while, the tree branches were completely swallowed up by the mist.

……

The next morning.

Team 7 and Tazuna finally arrived outside the Land of Waves.

Thick fog shrouded the sea, while the morning light diffused across it.

The massive bridge piers were partially visible above the sea, with shadowy figures underwater. Hui Li and the others stood at the edge of the shore and looked ahead. A bridge stretched outwards into the distance, half of it disappearing into the mist as if leading directly to a fairyland.

Smelling the familiar, briny scent of the rolling waves, Hui Li took a deep breath, as if she had returned to the days when she struggled to survive in the blood mist.

"It's really big!"

Naruto jumped onto the railing by the bridge, stretched his neck, and peered out along the bridge, as if trying to see the island where the Land of Waves was located. Unfortunately, the morning fog was thick, and he could only see a white light no matter how hard he tried.

Sasuke and Kakashi also walked onto the giant bridge and looked at the boundless sea on both sides. Having lived inland for a long time, they were also very curious about the sea.

Kakashi, who is often away on missions, is fine; he has a wealth of life experience and is very knowledgeable. Sasuke, who has never seen the ocean, still maintains his aloof demeanor, but his eyes are already glued to the ripples on the water's surface.

"Hehe! This is the cross-sea bridge I built, named the Hero's Bridge!" Tazna walked backwards with his back against the bridge, raising his hands to introduce his work to Haili and the others, his pride overflowing.

"Uncle Tazuna is really shameless. He built a bridge called the Hero's Bridge and calls himself a hero!" Naruto whispered in Gray's ear.

Although he was moved by Tazuna's spirit, perhaps the two were simply incompatible, and they bickered constantly along the way. Since the journey was already boring, the two just bickered without getting really angry, and the three of them, including Haili, were enjoying the entertainment without anyone stopping them.

"Silly boy, the hero of the Bridge of Heroes doesn't refer to this old man!"

Upon hearing Naruto cricket at him right in front of him, Tazuna immediately bristled and glared, then began to explain the origins of the bridge to everyone as he walked.

"The Land of Waves is located on an isolated island, and its transportation relies entirely on sea transport, which is extremely inconvenient. It also suffers from a severe shortage of supplies and personnel."

This place is called a country, but it's more like a small town. The young people in the country who have some ability will choose to go out and make their way in the world. I was one of them back then.

Ten years ago, after years of working hard away from home, I began to miss my hometown and chose to return to the Land of Waves to retire. But I discovered that a shipping company had sprung up there, and its president was none other than Gato!

Tazna's expression turned stern at the mention of Kado's name.

The members of Class 7 knew that this person was the culprit behind all this, but they didn't know the inside story. They all perked up their ears, and even Hui Li, who was familiar with the plot, showed curiosity.

In the story of the Land of Waves, Gato is just a background character; the plot mainly focuses on ninja battles, and she doesn't know much about the history of the Land of Waves and Gato.

Without keeping everyone waiting too long, Tazna cleared his throat and continued:
"At first, that person transported a large amount of goods from outside the country into the country and sold them at very low prices. Kado was a big international businessman with abundant capital and low commodity costs. Domestic shipping companies simply could not compete with him. A large number of shipping companies went bankrupt, resulting in him completely monopolizing the shipping industry!"
Then his true colors were revealed: he began to recklessly inflate prices and amass wealth. His underworld associates used this place as a transit point to smuggle drugs from the land and sea, and he also engaged in piracy, blocking the country's sea routes and making the already weak Land of Waves even poorer!

"How hateful!"

Naruto raised his fist and said indignantly. Kakashi and Sasuke were also secretly gathering their strength. If Konoha were in this situation, they would definitely cut Kado into pieces!
“It’s truly hateful!” Tazuna didn’t contradict Naruto this time, pointing at the bridge and saying:

"To break through Kado's blockade of the sea, and to address the root cause of the poverty in the Land of Waves, I contacted the Land of Waves's nominal ruler and gathered artisans from across the country to design this cross-sea bridge,"

"Then how did you build this bridge? They can block huge shipping routes, don't they know they should block this bridge?" Gray Glass asked the key question.

"Initially, it was indeed blocked. The bridge was only one-third complete when it was stopped by Kado and his men. But things took a turn for the better about five years ago!"

Dazner patted the bridge railing, a smile spreading across his face:
"When my son-in-law Keisha was planning to form a self-defense force to fight against Gado, he unexpectedly encountered a ninja in distress."

"Is it the Water Release ninja you mentioned?" Hui Li immediately thought of the mysterious ninja Tazuna had mentioned.

"it's him!"

Tazuna gazed at the misty haze over the bridge in the distance: "After we treated that man, he said he could do a task for us, so Keisha had him protect the Wave Kingdom construction team to complete this bridge, right here..."

Suddenly, as if he had just thought of something, he excitedly took a few quick steps, then pointed to the bridge surface beneath his feet:
"The ninjas hired by Gato were all killed here in a few moves by that ninja, which scared Gato's company so much that they moved away from the Land of Waves and never dared to invade again."

With his help, the Land of Waves successfully completed the cross-sea bridge, completely thwarting Gato's conspiracy and poverty. To commemorate that heroic ninja's outstanding contribution to the Land of Waves, we named this bridge the Hero's Bridge!

(End of this chapter)