War, Peace, and Love (Naruto Fan Fiction)

Battle at the Bridge

Ella let out a soft groan as the first rays of morning sunlight streamed through the window. She muttered under her breath, "Shit."

Glancing around the room, she noticed that Sakura was nowhere to be seen, and her clothes and bedding had been meticulously folded. A sense of urgency rushed through her, propelling her into swift action. She hurriedly collected her belongings and dashed into Naruto and Sasuke's room. There, she found Naruto still sound asleep.

She vigorously shook Naruto, her voice laced with urgency. "Naruto, we need to head to the bridge. Our team has already left."

Naruto jolted to attention at the news, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "What happened?" he asked, his grogginess evident. He noticed Sasuke's absence and added, "Where's Sasuke-teme?"

Ella let out an exasperated sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. She swiftly walked over to Naruto's bag, grabbed a set of clothes, and tossed them at him. "They're already at the bridge. We need to go, and please hurry up," she urged, her tone conveying the urgency of the situation.

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto replied, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He quickly got out of bed and started getting dressed.

Ella left Naruto's room and made her way downstairs, where she found Tsunami. "Hey, Naruto is getting ready, and then we're heading to the bridge," she explained.

Tsunami smiled at her and nodded. "Take your time, dear. Breakfast is here if you need it."

Ella returned the smile. "Thank you, Tsunami. I appreciate it." With that, she headed outside to wait for Naruto.

Naruto raced out of the house, a piece of bread in his mouth, and his jacket in hand. "Let's go!" he shouted as he sprinted into the woods in the direction of the bridge.

Ella quickly followed, her longer legs allowing her to catch up with Naruto in no time. "Hey! Wait up!" she called out, closing the gap between them.

Naruto, panting from the run, turned to her with a surprised look. "Whoa, Ella-chan, you're fast now."

Ella and Naruto continued to run deeper into the forest, and after about ten minutes, Ella suddenly halted. She pointed to markings on the trees and several boars that had been chopped up. "Hey, Naruto? You see those markings?"

Naruto examined the knife markings and the boars, puzzled. "Hmm? Yeah, that's weird."

Ella and Naruto leaped down from the trees to get a closer look. Ella realized something concerning. "They're heading back towards Tsunami's house!" She grabbed Naruto's hand and led him in a sprint back in the direction of Tsunami's home.

With determination in her eyes, Ella didn't waste a moment. As soon as she and Naruto returned to Tsunami's home, they found Tsunami being held captive by one of the men. Ella's glare intensified as she nudged Naruto and made a quick plan. "Help Inari; I'll take care of Tsunami. These guys won't be a problem."

Naruto responded with a nod and a confident smirk, immediately jumping down and grabbing Inari just in the nick of time before one of the men could harm him. Ella leaped down right after him, sneaking up behind the other man and swiftly restraining him. With a powerful kick, she sent him sprawling backward, freeing Tsunami from his grasp.

The two men, one brandishing a sword and the other with a stern expression, eyed Ella and Naruto with confusion and annoyance.

"Who are these brats?" the swordsman exclaimed.

"We only want the woman," the other announced.

Ella stepped forward, her arms crossed in a determined stance. "You'll have to go through me to get to her."