89: Chapter 89 Silence! The Cruel RealitySeveral days later, off the coast of the Land of Waves.
Thick, milk-like white fog swallowed everything in the world.
The sea was deathly silent, as if frozen in time.
Visibility was less than ten meters, and even the sound of the waves crashing was swallowed up by the thick fog.
A small wooden boat, like a drifting leaf, glided silently across the fog-shrouded river.
The boat, which clearly had an engine hanging at the stern, was now eerily silent.It was only the old boatman, wearing a straw hat, who was carefully and slowly paddling the water with a long oar to propel the small boat forward.
The sound of the oars cutting through the water was so faint as to be almost negligible.
Class 7 and Dazna were on board.
A heavy atmosphere enveloped everyone, and even the usually carefree Naruto felt an unusual sense of oppression.
Hugging his knees tightly, he crouched at the bow of the boat, curiously and warily observing the blurry, constantly shifting white walls around him.
"The fog around us is so thick."
Sakura crossed her arms, her voice extremely low, as if afraid of disturbing the deathly silence, "I can't see anything."
The old boatman stopped rowing, looked around warily, and then, in a low voice with a hint of warning, said:
"We should be able to see the bridge soon.If we follow the bridge, we'll reach the Land of Waves."
As if to confirm his words, a huge and blurry outline gradually appeared in the thick fog ahead.
That's a cross-sea bridge under construction!
The massive bridge piers, like the skeletons of giants, stand tall on the misty sea; on the unfinished bridge, the outlines of cranes, scaffolding and various building materials are vaguely visible, like a steel behemoth lurking in the fog.
Even just glimpsing a corner of it is enough to feel its grandeur.
Wow.how spectacular!
Naruto couldn't help but gasp softly, his blue eyes filled with shock.
"Sh-!"
The boatman and Tazuna turned their heads at the same time, making a shushing gesture at Naruto, their faces showing fear and sternness!
Naruto was so frightened that he immediately covered his mouth with both hands.
The boatman's face was extremely pale, and his voice was lowered, filled with deep fear:
"Quiet down!You idiot!I only dared to risk coming out to help you row the boat because of this thick fog today!I even turned off the engine and used my hands to row."
He glanced warily around at the swirling mist again."If 'that guy' notices us.we're all doomed!"
Naruto was infected by the fear in the boatman's eyes, and he nodded obediently, not daring to make another sound.
Kakashi had been silently observing everything.At this moment, the ship was approaching the area under the bridge, and the thick fog seemed to be the best cover.
He knew the time had come.
"Mr.Tazner."
Kakashi's calm voice broke the deathly silence, not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears, "Before we reach the dock, there are some things we must clarify beforehand.Otherwise."
His tone turned serious."Our mission will end the moment you step onto the dock."
Tazner's body stiffened abruptly.He lowered his head, his shoulders trembling slightly, and the surrounding air seemed to freeze.
The boatman stopped rowing and looked at him nervously.
The silence felt like it had lasted for a century.
Finally, Tazna slowly raised his head, his face filled with exhaustion, helplessness, and deep fear.
He let out a long, heavy sigh, as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted from his shoulders, or as if he had been driven to the brink of despair.
"Sigh…it seems…I have no choice but to tell the truth…" His voice was hoarse and bitter.
He looked at Kakashi, his eyes filled with guilt:
"You're right… Mr.Kakashi… this mission… has indeed far exceeded the scope of your mission statement…"
Thick fog enveloped the small boat, and the icy seawater seemed to be permeated with cold.
Tazuna's voice trembled uncontrollably: "In fact.there is.a super terrifying person.who is willing to do anything.to take my life!"
"Who is it?" Kakashi's voice pierced the silence like an ice pick, his eyes sharp as an eagle's.
"he..."
Tazner swallowed hard and uttered the fearsome name with difficulty, ".a super-rich tycoon in the shipping industry.named Kado!"
"Kado?"
Kakashi's exposed eye suddenly contracted, his voice filled with shock, "Could it be.the legendary president of the 'Gado Shipping Group,' a company whose wealth is said to be among the best in the ninja world, richer than a country—Gado?"
"Kado?Who's that?Is he some kind of powerful guy?"
Naruto asked in a low voice, completely bewildered, unable to understand why Kakashi was so shocked.
"That's right."
Tazner's voice was filled with hatred and helplessness, "It's him!That Gato!"
He took a deep breath, revealing the terrifying nature beneath Kado's glamorous exterior:
"Gibberish."
He pointed sharply at the silent, unfinished, colossal bridge in the mist: "The only hope to break Kado's shackles and save the Land of Waves from his clutches is this bridge!"
It will connect the continent, freeing the Land of Waves from complete dependence on sea transport and from being at the mercy of Kado!His eyes burned with an indomitable flame.
"I see..."
Sakura suddenly realized, and her gaze towards Tazuna held more understanding and admiration."So, as the key figure in building this bridge, Uncle Tazuna, you've become a thorn in Gato's side that he must get rid of!"
Sasuke calmly analyzed and added, "In that case, the two ninjas who attacked us earlier must have been rogue ninjas from Kirigakure or bounty hunters hired by Gato.Gato has enough money to drive such people around."
Realizing his companions had said everything they wanted to say, Naruto could only continue covering his mouth, blinking his big eyes.He nodded in agreement.
Kakashi's gaze, sharp as a knife, fixed on Tazuna's face once more: "Mr.Tazuna, since you knew from the beginning that the other side would send ninjas to assassinate you, why did you deliberately conceal this fact when submitting the mission request to Konoha?"
Do you know how passive and dangerous this has put us in?
Tazner's body hunched over instantly, his face filled with embarrassment, shame, and a deep sense of powerlessness.
He lowered his head, his voice low and bitter: "Because.the Land of Waves.is just too poor.so poor that even the Daimyo Prefecture is almost starving.How can an old man like me, who builds bridges, afford the huge rewards for B-rank or even higher-rank missions?"
He looked up, his eyes filled with deep helplessness."The money for a C-level mission.is already my limit.In fact.it was barely enough by scraping together what I could from various sources, plus the meager savings of the villagers."
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