"I'll bury this scroll in an unmarked grave," Honoka said as she unrolled some wire from the roll and clipped it. With the wire in hand, she picked up a rock and tied the scroll tightly with the wire. After sealing away all of her sealing utilities, she took the tied scroll and gave it to her clone that treated Zabuza's wound earlier. The clone took the scroll and went to the center of the bridge and dropped the scroll over the bridge and into the running waters underneath it. The clone dispelled after that.
"And that takes care of those dead thugs," Honoka said.
"Your aptitude in seals is rather impressive," Kakashi complimented.
"I'm an Uzumaki like my dear brother. Creating and mastering seals is in our blood," Honoka grinned.
"Aren't you modest," Sakura snorted.
"Like Sasuke," Naruto mocked. Sakura was about to give a retort when Naruto's kage bunshin from earlier returned, but not with Gatō. He was seen carrying a large briefcase and a small black bag.
"So what happened?" Naruto asked. The kage bunshin explained, "I forced Gatō to return all the sea ports he bought and to return all of the money he stole from Nami No Kuni. I then had Gatō hand over a huge sum of money to give to the people and Tazuna to finance the completion of the bridge. All of the official documents with Gatō's signature and stamp are inside this briefcase along with the money."
"And what became of Gatō himself?" Kakashi questioned. Naruto's clone produced Gatō's sunglasses, suit, and two expensive gold diamond rings from out of the black bag. All four items were drenched and dripping with fresh blood, and a large stab wound was seen through the suit jacket.
"You won't find a body, so don't ask," the clone stated before puffing out, giving Naruto all of the knowledge he needed to understand what happened. After he did, Naruto saw what became of Gatō's body after his clone finished him.
"Shark food," was all Naruto said.
(Later; Back In Konoha)
Hanabi was wiping the beads of sweat off her face with a cold wet wash cloth. She had just finished sparring with Hinata, and much to her surprise, Hinata did much better and lasted much longer than she ever had before. Hanabi didn't beat her like she used to before, but Hinata didn't win either. To the surprise of their father and Kō, the match ended in a draw. Hiashi was pleased that Hinata was showing signs of improvement in their clan's Juuken, as she didn't lose as she used to in the past. Kō congratulated Hinata on her progress, while telling her that Hiashi never gave up on her despite his disappointments from before.
Hanabi, though, was another story.
"Neesan, are you really as weak as everyone says you are?" Hanabi muttered under her breath. While she wasn't angry that she didn't win her match against Hinata, recently she started questioning Hinata's weaknesses and shy character. These thoughts started after Hanabi lost to Naruto in their late night match against each other. Naruto had easily beaten her using Drunken Fist. To make matters more embarrassing for her was how Naruto spanked her twice while feigning drunkenness, and not once was she able to hit him. A blush appeared on her face as she snorted at the memory of her defeat.
"That Naruto-kun," Hanabi muttered. "I wonder when he'll be back."
"Who are you talking to, Hanabi?" Hiashi asked standing behind her. Hanabi yelped slightly from her father's surprise appearance from behind. She turned to face her father while he was looking at her questionably.
"Are you truly well? You seemed to have drifted into your own world while mumbling incoherent words. What was on your mind?" Hiashi inquired.
Thinking fast, Hanabi replied, "I was just thinking about my recent spar session, and how I can improve before next time. I guess I was just thinking out loud to myself, Father."
Hiashi looked at Hanabi suspiciously, his gaze never turning from her. The position they were in made Hanabi recall the prank Naruto pulled on her when he henge'd into Hiashi and tricked her into believing her father caught her stealing sake from the storage chamber.
What's wrong with me? Why am I thinking of Naruto-kun at a time like this? Hanabi wondered to herself.
"Just don't make it a habit, Hanabi," Hiashi advised before he turned and walked off. Hanabi sighed in relief. The young girl turned to see Hiashi making his way over to Hinata.
"Hinata," Hiashi called to her elder daughter.
Hinata turned to her father, stood before him, and answered, "Yes, father?"
"You've come a long way in our clan's treasured style. Through your struggles and much effort, you've succeeded in bettering yourself, and I'm pleased to see how well you've improved," Hiashi praised.
"Thank you, father." Hinata bowed respectfully and then stood back up.
"That's enough practice for today. Both you and your sister can have the rest of the day to yourselves," Hiashi concluded before he departed from the dojo with Kō following close by. Both sisters were left alone in the dojo.
"I didn't win against you, Neesan, though you didn't exactly win against me either. I wonder what your spar sessions at the academy were like for you," Hanabi commented.
Hinata fidgeted with her fingers, "T-they were moderate. A number of…my matches proved d-d-difficult but…I was able to perform some our our clan's style without losing…at times."
"And how was Naruto-kun? How did he perform in his matches?" Hanabi asked.
Hinata blushed and responded, "Naruto-kun would always give it his all…Everyone lacked faith in his ability t-to improve. He was considered the worst in e-everything…even my grades were better than his. Yet, in spite of all of his faults and academic failures, Naruto-kun never a-allowed his handicaps to hold him back. His determination was my greatest strength."
"Aren't you bothered by the fact that he's a pervert?" Hanabi inquired.
Hinata looked at Hanabi and answered, "Are you? Recently, I noticed that…you've loosened up around him a-and you yourself don't mind his company."
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