Back to the Village, White Fang's Legacy!
Hearing the chatter outside, Kaito, who had been preparing to rest inside, realized that sleep was out of the question. With a sigh, he stepped outside.
"You guys are back, Kakashi-sensei!"
Seeing Kaito emerge, Kakashi gave a slight nod before responding, "The mission is complete. We're no longer needed here. It's time to return to Konoha."
Kaito blinked in surprise. "Already? Is the bridge finished so soon?"
Kakashi shook his head. "The construction is complete, but the bridge still needs to be officially named. However, our mission here is done. We should head back."
Kaito scratched his head. He was curious—would the bridge still be called the Great Naruto Bridge like in the original story?
"Why don't we wait until the naming ceremony is over before leaving?" Kaito suggested.
Kakashi didn't object. "Alright. Gather your things first, and we'll leave once it's settled."
Nodding, Kaito returned inside, informing Tsunami of their departure plans before packing up his gear.
Half an hour later, the group was ready to go. As they crossed the newly completed bridge, the name had just been unveiled.
Upon seeing the bold characters etched into the stone—"Kaito Bridge"—Naruto immediately exploded in protest.
"WHAT?! Why is it named after Kaito?! No way! If I hadn't left earlier, they would've named it after me!"
Everyone turned away awkwardly, pretending not to hear Naruto's outburst, while Tazuna scoffed.
"Hah! Like I'd name my masterpiece after a loudmouth brat like you. That'd be an insult to the bridge I built!"
Crossing his arms, the old bridge builder smirked. "Obviously, it had to be named after a true ninja of great skill and dignity—one worthy of this bridge!"
Naruto's face twitched as he clenched his fists. "Who are you calling a shorty?! Just you wait! I'll become Hokage one day, and then you'll regret this!"
Naruto tried to charge at Tazuna, but Sakura grabbed him by the collar, holding him back with a sigh. "Naruto, stop embarrassing yourself."
Kaito watched the whole scene unfold, his lips twitching in amusement. If it weren't for me, that bridge probably would've been named after Naruto anyway…
In the end, under Kakashi's intervention, the conflict finally came to a halt. With the danger passed, Team 7 and their allies stepped onto the newly completed Great Naruto Bridge and resumed their journey.
As they passed by Tazuna, Tsunami turned to her father and said firmly,
"I'm going to Konoha. I won't be coming back here!"
Hearing his daughter's words, Tazuna sighed, rubbing the back of his neck before waving his hand dismissively. He didn't try to stop her.
The journey back to Konoha was uneventful, with no further encounters with enemy shinobi. Upon their return, Kakashi didn't immediately report the mission's completion. Instead, he dismissed his team and made his way home as quickly as possible.
Inside his modest apartment, Kakashi retrieved a preserved strand of his late father's silver hair. He stared at it in silence, emotions flickering in his lone eye. Then, with a deep breath, he clenched his fist and left for the Anbu detention cells.
Once inside the heavily guarded facility, Kakashi scanned the rows of death row inmates before selecting one. Without hesitation, he knocked the prisoner unconscious and carried him away under the cover of night.
"Kakashi-sama… did he just take a prisoner?" one Anbu operative muttered as he watched Kakashi disappear into the darkness.
The squad leader beside him shot him a sharp look. "That's none of our concern. Do your job and keep your mouth shut. How Kakashi-sama handles things isn't for us to question."
Silenced by the warning, the Anbu operative lowered his head and resumed his patrol.
Meanwhile, in a secluded area behind Konoha, Kakashi dropped the unconscious prisoner onto the ground. His hands moved swiftly through a sequence of seals, recalling the forbidden technique buried deep in his memory.
As he completed the final seal, he muttered in a low voice,
"Forbidden Technique: Reanimation Jutsu!"
The ground trembled as a dense cloud of dust rose, shrouding the lifeless body. Slowly, the dirt and ash began to coalesce, shaping into a familiar form from the past…