After hearing Inari's words, anger briefly flashed across Tazuna's face.
But that anger was quickly replaced by sorrow.
In the end, Tazuna only opened his mouth, then let out a long sigh.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Gaara, however, all looked displeased and shouted, "Aren't you the real brat here? We've saved your grandpa several times on the way!"
"Talking so rudely—didn't your father teach you how to speak properly?"
Hearing Naruto's complaint, Inari's eyes instantly turned red. He suddenly rushed forward and shoved Naruto.
Then, without looking back, he ran straight to his room.
Naruto scratched his head, confused.
"Tazuna-san, your grandson was the one picking a fight. Why is he the one crying?"
Tazuna shook his head and said slowly, "Because I insisted on building the bridge… Inari's father was killed by Gato."
As soon as he said that, Naruto, Sasuke, and Gaara exchanged glances.
Thinking back to what he had just said, Naruto suddenly felt a bit guilty.
Seriously… why was I arguing with a kid…
Seeing their expressions, Tazuna composed himself and forced a smile. "Don't think too much about it. In the end, this was still Inari's fault."
"He shouldn't have taken his anger out on you."
Gaara asked, "Uncle, why are you so determined to build this bridge?"
Tazuna's voice turned firm. "It's for all the people of the Land of Waves. Even if it costs me my life, I won't back down."
Hearing this, Naruto, Sasuke, and Gaara all showed looks of admiration.
Naruto even said directly, "Tazuna-san, don't worry! We'll definitely help you finish the bridge and let the people of the Land of Waves live happy lives!"
Just as his words fell, Yuzuru appeared in the room.
Sasuke said happily, "Dad, you're back?"
Yuzuru nodded. "What are you guys talking about?"
Sasuke quickly explained everything that had just happened. Without saying much, Yuzuru stood up and walked straight toward Inari's room.
Bang!
With a loud crash, Yuzuru kicked the door open.
He grabbed Inari like a chick and dragged him out.
Looking at the struggling Inari, Yuzuru said coldly, "Taking your anger out on unrelated people is something only the weak do."
"A true strong person always points their blade at someone stronger!"
Inari glared at him and shouted, "Easy for you to say! If Grandpa hadn't insisted on building the bridge, my dad wouldn't have died!"
"If you think Gato is the one at fault, then go kill him!"
Yuzuru smiled faintly and said calmly, "I already did. Gato is dead."
Clatter—!
A series of noises came from the kitchen as Tsunami, still wearing an apron, hurried out.
"Sir… you killed Gato?"
Yuzuru nodded. "I have no reason to lie to you."
Hearing this, Tsunami covered her mouth and dropped to her knees.
After a while, she choked out, "Inari, kneel with me!"
The rebellious-looking Inari obediently knelt in front of Yuzuru.
"Thank you, sir!"
Yuzuru helped them both up and said in a deep voice, "There won't be anyone like Gato bullying everyone anymore. I'll make sure the people of the Land of Waves can live happy lives."
————
After dinner, it was already close to ten at night.
After hearing that Gato had been killed, Tazuna drank himself into a stupor.
With Yuzuru's permission, Naruto, Sasuke, and Gaara also drank some liquor and soon fell asleep in a daze.
As for Inari, after crying his heart out, he went to bed early as well.
Tsunami refilled Yuzuru's cup and said again, "Yuzuru-sama, thank you so much."
"If it weren't for you, our family might have…"
Even thinking about it now made her feel afraid.
If they hadn't been fortunate enough to meet Yuzuru, with Gato's influence in the Land of Waves, their entire family might have been destroyed.
Yuzuru waved his hand. "Don't worry about it. It was nothing more than a small favor."
After a moment of silence, Tsunami moved closer to him on her own, her eyes filled with tenderness.
"Yuzuru-sama… are you tired?"
"You've helped us so much. I don't have anything to repay you with… please let me do something within my ability."
Looking at the fair skin swaying before his eyes, Yuzuru drained his cup in one gulp.
He stood up and smiled. "Madam, please have some self-respect. I'll be heading back to my room."
With that, he turned and left.
What a joke. Helping them was already kindness enough, and now she was setting her sights on him?
Not happening!
————
Early the next morning, Tazuna eagerly went out to gather the villagers and prepare for building the bridge.
Inari, along with Naruto, Sasuke, and Gaara, followed him.
In the hall, Tsunami lowered her head as she wiped the table, not daring to look at Yuzuru.
Last night, under the influence of alcohol, she had said all sorts of things.
More importantly… she had been rejected.
Now that she was sober, she truly wished she could crawl into a hole and hide.
Yuzuru, on the other hand, didn't care much.
Although Tsunami was fairly attractive, she already had a son.
And he wasn't the type to just have his way once and then toss a woman aside.
After thinking it through, he had no intention of getting involved with her. (T/N: Who else thought he was going to…)
Seeing how uncomfortable she was, Yuzuru took out a scroll from his sleeve.
"This contains the method to refine chakra, along with some basic knowledge about ninja."
"When Inari comes back, give this scroll to him."
Hearing this, Tsunami happily accepted the scroll. The emotions she had just suppressed began to stir once more.
Seeing her expression, Yuzuru couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.
Is my charm… a bit too much?
To avoid doing something impulsive in a moment of weakness, Yuzuru casually made up an excuse and left.
Arriving at a deserted place, Yuzuru performed a Summoning Jutsu and summoned a crow.
He had once made an agreement with Terumi Mei—if there were any orders, they would be delivered through summoned crows.
He then wrote down information about Zabuza on a piece of paper.
After tying it to the crow's leg, he dismissed the summoning.
He had already made up his mind.
Once the matter in the Land of Waves was settled, he would make a trip to the Hidden Mist Village.
With Terumi Mei and Zabuza assisting from within, as long as Yagura was eliminated, taking control of the Hidden Mist Village would be easy.