The sea fog around the small wooden boat was thick enough that Naruto had to squint just to make out the shape of the coastline ahead. The salty breeze brushed against his cheeks, carrying with it a heavy silence that contrasted sharply with his usual loud energy.
Tazuna suddenly hissed nervously,
"Naruto, keep your voice down! Gato'nun adamları bizi bulursa çok kötü olur!"
Naruto straightened a little, blinking. "Ah… right."
The boat glided between drifting curtains of mist until a gigantic silhouette emerged—a half-completed bridge stretching across the sea like a slumbering titan. It rose proudly from the water, yet abruptly stopped halfway, almost as if someone had sliced its future in half.
Naruto leaned forward in awe.
"Whoa… what a magnificent bridge!"
Tazuna's face softened with a mix of pride and pain.
"Köprücülükte Waveland bir numaradır..." he muttered, though his tone carried more regret than boastfulness.
Hinata, observing quietly, added,
"If it were completed… the Land of Waves would be closely connected to the Land of Fire."
Tazuna gave a small, bitter smile.
"O… tabii tamamlanabilirse."
The group disembarked quietly once Tazuna confirmed the absence of Gato's thugs. Their feet sank into the damp soil of the island nation—a land worn down by poverty and fear. The village streets looked lifeless, full of weary faces and slow, deliberate footsteps.
Naruto frowned. "Why does everyone look so sad?"
Tazuna stopped walking. His shoulders dropped, and for a moment, he looked far older than he was.
"They all lost something."
"What did they lose?" Naruto asked.
"Hope."
Those words lingered heavily in the air. Even Naruto, who rarely stopped to think deeply, felt something clench inside his chest.
---
Tsunami and the Shadow of Loss
Tazuna's house brought a little warmth into the bleak surroundings. A gentle woman stepped out, relief washing over her as she saw her father.
"Dad… thank goodness you returned safely."
"Bu kız Tsunami," Tazuna introduced proudly. "And these are the Konoha ninja who protected me."
Tsunami bowed gratefully.
"Thank you for keeping my father safe. I'm forever in your debt."
Naruto puffed out his chest. "Hehe, it's just our ninja duty!"
But his confidence wavered when he noticed a small figure peering at him from the hallway. As soon as their eyes met, the boy retreated like a startled cat.
"Inari…" Tazuna sighed.
"She's my granddaughter. She's… changed since her father's death."
Naruto remained silent. He remembered the story Tazuna had told along the way—Kaiza, Inari's stepfather, the man who rebuilt the dam, defied Gato, and sacrificed his life in front of the villagers. A hero who represented hope… and whose death shattered it.
Naruto wanted to talk to the kid, try to encourage him, maybe even joke a little.
But he stopped himself.
He wasn't the same Naruto as before.
His system-driven training routines had disciplined him.
His Talk-no-Jutsu had, ironically, been nerfed by self-study.
Instead of chatting, he simply went to train outside for a few minutes before dinner.
---
A Meal of Gratitude (and Chaos)
Despite their poverty, Tazuna's family prepared as much food as they could. They couldn't repay the village's despair, but they could repay kindness.
Naruto appreciated every bite—training had taught him that nutrition mattered.
Sasuke, competitive as ever, met Naruto's eating pace head-on. Bowls piled. Glares were exchanged. A silent battle raged.
"It's good to eat a lot at your age," Kakashi muttered, watching the chaos, "but vomiting would be problematic…"
Naruto talked while chewing, "Ne olursa olsun, biz misafiriz! Tazuna-sensei'nin ailesini aç bırakamayız, değil mi?!"
Kakashi facepalmed.
"Look at Hinata for example—she's eating properly…"
He turned around—
—and froze.
Hinata sat quietly in front of a mountain of empty bowls stacked higher than her head.
Kakashi's visible eye widened.
"Hinata… sen…?"
Hinata blushed deeply.
"Ö-özür dilerim, Kakashi-sensei… biraz fazla yemiş olabilirim…"
Naruto burst into laughter.
"Kakashi-sensei, bilmiyorsun! Hinata gerçek bir büyük yiyici!"
Sasuke stiffened, staring in shock.
"She eats… more than the idiot?"
Tazuna laughed joyfully.
"Güzel! Güzel! Daha çok yiyin, çocuklar! Büyüme çağındasınız!"
After dinner, Kakashi stood, brushing off his clothes.
"All right. Since you're full, it's time to start some real training."
Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata froze mid-slurp.
"Öğret— öğret bize bir şeyler mi?!"
Kakashi nodded solemnly.
---
Tree-Climbing… Again?!
They walked into the nearby forest with Tazuna in tow—Kakashi wanted him close for protection.
"Today's lesson," Kakashi announced, "is tree climbing."
Naruto blinked. "Tree… climbing?"
Then he puffed up proudly.
"Kakashi-sensei, I already learned that from Asuma-sensei!"
"Nani?"
Before Kakashi could doubt him, Naruto sprinted up a tree—DENG DENG DENG—straight to the top branch, balancing effortlessly.
Kakashi stared.
"You really mastered it…"
He then looked to Hinata.
"Ben… ben de eğitim almıştım…" Hinata said softly.
She gracefully climbed—no, glided—up the tree like it was the most natural thing in the world.
No surprise. The Hyūga clan was built on chakra control.
Finally, Kakashi turned toward Sasuke.
Sasuke swallowed, sweat beading across his forehead.
"I… haven't learned it yet…"
Naruto grinned wickedly.
"Hehehe… so you've fallen behind for once, Sasuke!"
Sasuke's killing intent exploded.
Naruto was extremely satisfied.
---
The Water Training Revelation
Kakashi recovered and cleared his throat.
"Very well. Naruto and Hinata can proceed to the next stage."
He paused dramatically.
"Water walking."
Even Naruto blinked for a moment.
Then slowly raised his hand.
"Reporting, Kakashi-sensei… I already mastered that too."
Kakashi's soul briefly left his body.
"NANI?! Yine mi?!"
Naruto ran to a nearby river—stepped onto the surface—and stood there as casually as someone stepping onto a road. Then he ran. Jumped. Spun. Showed off.
Kakashi's eyebrow twitched.
"Did Asuma teach you this too…?"
"Yes!"
Kakashi was officially done.
This was no longer a genin team.
This was a university course accidentally attended by a preschooler who somehow already studied quantum physics.
He turned to Hinata.
She shook her head.
"Su üzerinde yürüme eğitimi almadım… ama Chakra salınımını kontrol edebiliyorum…"
"That's enough," Kakashi nodded.
---
Training Deepens — Sasuke's Resolve, Naruto's Discipline, Hinata's Determination
While Naruto and Hinata practiced much harder chakra release exercises, Kakashi personally supervised Sasuke's first attempts at tree climbing.
Naruto would normally tease him nonstop.
But this time… he watched quietly.
There was something different in Sasuke's eyes—a frustration heavier than pride.
A fear of falling behind.
A desperate hunger for strength.
Naruto recognized it.
He had felt it too, in another life.
Meanwhile, Hinata trained diligently by the riverside. When the water splashed under her feet and she stumbled, she didn't pout or panic. She simply tried again.
That persistence stirred something in Naruto.
Hinata had grown stronger.
Far stronger than the girl he knew from the original timeline.
Maybe… because he was stronger too.
Night slowly blanketed the forest. Mist curled between the trees. Tazuna sat nearby, watching silently as the three young ninja trained with unyielding determination.
For the first time in a long time… he felt hope flicker in his chest.
Maybe… just maybe…
This bridge could be completed after all.
---
Sasuke's Breakthrough
Hours passed.
Sasuke tried again—
and again—
and again.
Falling. Sliding. Losing focus.
But he refused to quit.
Naruto called down from a branch,
"You'll get it eventually, teme. Don't die trying!"
Sasuke glared, but something about Naruto's tone felt… different.
Less mocking.
More honest.
Finally—
His feet stuck to the bark.
He pushed upward.
His chakra stabilized.
He ascended—slowly, shakily—
but successfully.
Hinata clapped softly.
"Harika yaptın, Sasuke-kun…"
Naruto grinned.
"See? Told ya."
Sasuke smirked slightly.
Just slightly.
For them… it was progress.
For Kakashi… it was proof of their potential.
---
A Night of Quiet Resolve
As they walked back to Tazuna's home, the air felt lighter.
The darkness of the Land of Waves didn't feel quite so suffocating.
Naruto looked toward the unfinished bridge in the distance, barely visible through the fog.
In his past life, that bridge had been named the Great Naruto Bridge, symbolizing hope.
Would history repeat itself?
Would this world follow the same fate…
or was everything already changing?
Naruto didn't know.
But looking at Tazuna, Inari, and Tsunami—people burdened by fear yet longing for hope…
He made a silent vow.
He would finish this mission.
He would protect this family.
And he would defeat Gato.
Not for fame.
Not for money.
Not for a new title.
But because people here deserved to believe again.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)