Where are you, Zabuza?

Minato POV

That Hyuga boy is strange.

I had a feeling that I made a bad decision leaving Team Gai in charge of the bridge mission.

The mission was clear: to establish a bridge connecting the Land of Fire with the Land of Waves, a deal that greatly benefits both countries.

Although Tazuna-san couldn't pay for the mission, sooner or later it would have to be accepted. We just had to wait for the moment when desperation was at its peak so that the representative of the Land of Waves would give us a deal more than favorable to the Land of Fire. For example, not establishing a ninja village in any way and only requesting missions from the Land of Fire.

His spies had informed him that the situation in the Land of Waves was already extremely poor and that we could proceed with the next phase of the plan.

"After all, we gave Gato power, a good tool for the peace of Konoha."

I had thought about sending Kakashi along with his future genin team, which would consist of one of his children.

"Maybe Mito, Menma, and Naruto in the same team... but if I put the three jinchurikis in the same team, the elders will complain…"

But anyway, Gai-san is a good candidate, probably only surpassed by Kakashi in skill. The children will be fine; Gai-san has already been explained the reasons for the mission.

And if something happens to them..., well, at least they are not my children.

But still, I had an ominous feeling that the Hyuga knew what he was doing by choosing that mission. Had he deduced the repercussions of the mission? All in a few seconds?

Maybe he's the Itachi of the Hyugas.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Unlike his anime counterpart, Tazuna came to us crying with joy, moved upon learning that Lee and Gai-sensei had given up their salary to help him.

If they hadn't done so, Tazuna would have had to wait another year to make the request, but in this universe, he didn't need to wait.

All thanks to me.

"Thank you, thank you, Konoha ninjas."

"Calm down, we did it for our own good, we need experience."

Yes, we'll have plenty of experience in this mission, don't worry Gai-sensei.

"Oh yes, follow me, I'll take you to the Land of Waves. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Tazuna, a famous bridge builder."

It seems this Tazuna is not as much of a drunk as in the canon, maybe he started drinking later to escape his problems.

"Alright, let's go!" Rock Lee said excitedly.

"This is the first time I'm leaving the village," said Tenten.

"Mn," I said in my emo Neji language until I realized I wasn't emo.

"I'm also happy to see the outside. I hope there's more than just trees in the Waves for a change."

"What is the Land of Waves like?" I asked.

"Mmm, it was beautiful, unfortunately, we've declined lately."

"Alright! The time for talk is over, now is the time for action. Lee, Tenten, Neji, protect our dear client, I'll go ahead."

We left the village.

I wonder what would happen if I deserted right now and went to look for Orochimaru.

Anyway, I spent the whole day looking for puddles, but there weren't any.

My paranoia increased as time went by, so I kept asking Tazuna questions about his country to relax.

"Why doesn't your town have a ninja village?"

"We are a small country, not very open to the outside, we don't need ninjas."

"And so you have to depend on other ninja villages?"

I think they are forced not to have a ninja village, but that's just my opinion.

I continued to observe the surroundings for enemies while engaging in idle chatter with our esteemed client.

But no one came.

"So, it doesn't seem like we're going to have problems," I said while analyzing Tazuna.

"That seems to be the case," he said nervously.

He's nervous, that means he knows they're coming for him.

But it doesn't seem like we're going to encounter enemies. If that were the case, canon Tazuna would have died on his way here.

Still, I didn't relax.

x-x-x-x-x

To my suspicion, there were no enemy ninjas.

We had arrived at the Land of Waves.

Completely surrounded by the ocean, this small country boasts extensive white sandy beaches and steep cliffs that rise majestically above the sea. The salty breeze and the constant roar of the waves create an atmosphere of superficial tranquility, which bitterly contrasts with the daily reality of its inhabitants. 

Small fishing villages are scattered along the coast, their humble houses built with wood aged by salt and time. 

The country's economy is weak, primarily based on fishing and the scarce maritime trade that still persists under adverse conditions. This economic isolation is exacerbated by the lack of adequate infrastructure, making any significant progress difficult. The cobbled streets and dirt roads are in poor condition, reflecting the nation's precarious economic situation.

The country is under the yoke of Gato, a ruthless businessman who monopolizes trade and uses intimidation and violence to maintain his absolute control. Gato and his men terrorize the villagers, collecting high tributes and severely punishing those who dare to challenge his authority. The shadow of his power is omnipresent, and fear and despair have become constant companions for the inhabitants. 

The fishermen, who should be worried only about the tides and daily catches, now have to deal with Gato's thugs, who do not hesitate to destroy boats and nets to maintain their dominance. The construction of a bridge, which could have meant an economic revival, was halted by Gato's intimidation and threats, leaving the nation isolated and with no hope of improvement. 

In short, it wasn't pretty, it was a hellhole. Even some children asked us for food.

Only a group of bandits dared to warn us.

"Hey, you, don't you dare build the bridge. Orders from Gato. If you do, you'll pay the consequences."

But Gai ignored them.

"Alright, students, while our esteemed client builds the bridge, we're going to train," Gai-sensei said.

"Yes, Gai-sensei, what will we do today?"

"We'll climb trees."

Tenten and Lee looked at him strangely.

"I already know how to do that, I learned on my own," I said.

"Huh?"

"But Neji, we all know how to climb trees," Tenten told me.

I shook my head in negation. "He means doing it with chakra."

Then I demonstrated how it's done, giving them the same explanation that Kakashi gave his team, to Gai-sensei's surprise.

"Ah, aha, well, Neji, go protect the bridge master while I teach the others."

Accepting the order, I went with Tazuna, whom I found drinking.

"Aren't you supposed to be training, kid?" he said, drunk.

"Shouldn't the bridge builder be, you know, building a bridge?"

"To work, you have to be happy," he replied.

I would continue talking with Tazuna, but I had a bad feeling, like someone was watching me.

"Byakugan."

And then I found him, but not Zabuza, but another Byakugan user.

We stared at each other for a good while until he got tired and pulled back.

It was Ao, the eye thief according to my clan, a canonical member of Kiri, on the side of the rebels.

He was very hated by my clan, so I liked him.

How he got that eye remains a mystery. He must have gotten it from a member of the main branch.

But what is he doing here? Shouldn't Zabuza be in his place?

I'll inform Gai-sensei.

"Tazuna-san, come with me, you and the builders now."

The people panicked, but Tazuna calmed them down.

"Did you see something with those eyes of yours?"

"Yes," I simply replied.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

I interrupted Gai-sensei in his training; neither Lee nor Tenten had mastered the technique yet.

"You say there are shinobi from the Mist. How many?"

"I only saw one. He had a Byakugan."

"There can only be one guy with a Byakugan in the Mist," said Gai seriously. "You did well to bring everyone here. Alright, training is over, let's go to the bridge."

"But first," Gai pointed to Tazuna, "you owe us an explanation. You said this was a C-rank mission. This is at least a B-rank mission."

"This, I…" Tazuna stiffened. "I guess I haven't been honest. There's a man who wants me dead. His name is Gato, one of the richest men in the world."

"Gato," Gai was surprised.

"I'm very sorry for dragging you into this mess, but please, our families need that bridge."

"This will have to be decided by my students," Gai concluded.

The three of us looked at each other, waiting for one to answer, and that was me.

"Yes, I want to be at the top of the ninja world. I can't back down now," I said to manipulate Lee and make it 2 vs 1.

"I won't run away either," Lee decided.

"If I want to be like Tsunade, I can't run away either," to my surprise, Tenten also took the bait

.

Gai sighed.

"Alright, we'll protect the bridge with our lives."

The civilians thanked us on their knees, and we went to the bridge.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Upon arriving at the site, we saw the bridge destroyed.

The curious thing wasn't that it was destroyed but how it was destroyed.

Magma covered the entire bridge.

Additionally, a dense fog covered part of the bridge.

Blocking visibility.

"Neji, can you see through the fog?"

"No." It was the truth; the fog was covered with chakra, rendering my Byakugan useless.

"This only means one thing."

I nodded. "Ambush by the Mist."

But the worrying thing wasn't the fog but the magma burning the bridge.

Only two characters using magma came to mind, and only one was from the Mist.

Mei Terumi.

What is she doing here?

Maybe they want to communicate with Zabuza.

"Entering the fog is suicide, but if we wait, the bridge will break even more."

"What will we do, Gai-sensei?" Tenten said.

Gai was undecided; he was probably thinking about using the inner gates.

"The bridge is melting from the magma; it doesn't make sense to save it. How about we eliminate the problem at its root?"

"What do you mean?" Gai asked me.

"Let's go for Gato," I said, surprising everyone around me.

"G-Gato, he's the magnate who dominates the country, no, several countries. Are you saying we can kill him?"

"Where is Gato's company?" I asked one of the civilians.

Gai, who was about to activate the eight inner gates, came back to his senses. "You're right, Neji. The enemy wants us to use our resources clearing the fog."

"But the bridge…" one of the builders spoke. "It's taken us months to get here…"

"Don't worry, when all this is over, we'll help you with the bridge. It will be part of our special training," said Gai with a bright smile.

"Yoshhh," Lee said excitedly.

"Yosh…" Tenten said resignedly.

"Alright, I'll search for Gato's residence with my Byakugan."

Guide us to his headquarters.

"He has several."

"Then guide us to the main one or the closest one."

Gato wouldn't expect to taste his own medicine.

Ao and Mei, now I need to know where Zabuza is.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Ao POV

Ummm

A boy with the Byakugan, sadly from the secondary branch.

"I'd have the complete set if he were from the main branch," I whispered to the wind somberly.

I killed a squad of Hyugas in the Third Shinobi War and learned the difference between those who carry the seal and those who don't.

Those who carried the seal died if you removed their eyes, while those from the main branch didn't, but they hid among the ninjas of the secondary branch.

The damn one-eyed Hyuga from whom I ripped the eye killed many in my squad, but the spoils of war were worth it.

And now I couldn't help but think about the coincidence of fate, Kami sending me another Hyuga.

I was in front of Gato, a wretch who couldn't stop looking lustfully at Mei-sama.

"You say they didn't want to fight and now they're looking for me? And what are you doing? What am I paying you for?"

"We will intercept them before they go for your head," Zabuza said.

He was a ninja who killed his entire class; he wasn't reliable. I don't know why Mei-sama trusts him.

But contrary to his expectations, Mei gave him the mission to stay in the Land of Waves and provide services to Gato. The objective was to raise funds for the coup.

But we decided to break the bridge when we learned that Konoha's Green Beast had joined the mission and tried to set a trap for him on the bridge.

I looked at the members of the Mist in the room.

Zabuza.

Zabuza's henchmen: Gozu and Meizu.

Zabuza's apprentice: Haku.

Chojuro, a 17-year-old who already carries one of the seven swords.

And last but most importantly, my leader, Mei Terumi, the hope of Kirigakure.

"Don't worry, dear client, we don't want you to die either," Mei said with a smile.

"Then are you going to let them come here? That puts my security at risk!"

"Zabuza, Ao, give a warm welcome to the corpses-san, I will observe from a distance. Chojuro, protect our dear client."

"Finally, some action," Zabuza exclaimed. "I plan to avenge the honor of the fallen swordsmen today."

I nodded. "Yes, Mei-sama."

Mei changed her tone, shifting from a loving expression to a serious one.

"Your lives are essential for the coup against Yagura. Don't die."

I won't, Mei-sama, all for Kirigakure, I thought to myself.

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What do you think of the story's pace? Too fast or too slow? Too little action?