War, Peace, and Love (Naruto Fan Fiction)

The Ride to the Wave Country!

"Uh... Naruto, it's good that you're trying to get the poison out, but too much could be lethal," Kakashi remarked, clearly taken aback by Naruto's impulsive self-inflicted wound.

"What?! Nooooo! I can't die from something like this!" Naruto exclaimed, dropping his kunai.

Ella sighed, retrieving the kunai and grabbing Naruto's hand with more force than she intended, causing him to yelp in pain. "Naruto, calm down. Let me patch you up," she said, helping him up and gently wrapping his wounded hand. Naruto's anxiety gradually subsided as he watched her skillfully tend to his injury.

"Am... am I going to be okay?" he asked, searching for reassurance.

Ella paused, looking up at him and offering a warm smile. "Yeah! You're gonna be fine, Naru."

After securing her supplies, Ella observed the rest of the team: Kakashi conversing with Tazuna, Sakura attempting, but failing, to engage Sasuke in conversation, and Naruto lost in thought, staring at his newly bandaged hand.

"Alright! We're heading out. There's a boat waiting for us not too far ahead," Kakashi announced.

Team 7, along with Tazuna, soon boarded the boat and embarked on their journey through the mist-covered waters. They sailed for nearly an hour when the mist thickened, reducing visibility.

"What thick mist, I can't see ahead," Naruto commented, leaning over the front of the boat in an attempt to peer through the dense fog.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, adopting his usual nonchalant demeanor. He leaned against the side of the boat with his arms crossed, intentionally distancing himself from the group, particularly Sakura. "Yeah, dobe, that's usually what happens when there's thick mist; you can't see through it," Sasuke stated with a monotone voice, sporting a faint smirk.

"Sasuke-kun, you're so cool..." Sakura sighed dreamily.

Ella couldn't help but gag softly upon hearing Sakura's infatuated declaration. "That... is the most disgusting thing I've seen and heard in my twelve years of living," she remarked, earning a chuckle from Naruto, who nudged her gently before settling beside her.

The group, along with the boat driver, continued to navigate the mist-covered waters for another hour until they reached the part of the bridge that had been completed. Naruto, filled with excitement, leaped up, causing the boat to sway. "Hey! It's huge!"

"Hey, be quiet," the boat driver hissed. "Do you know why we're hiding in the mist and not using the engine? We'll be in deep trouble if Gatou finds us."

Naruto quickly covered his mouth upon hearing this, eliciting a soft giggle from Ella.

"Sensei," Tazuna's voice interrupted the quiet, "I'd like to discuss this mission with you..."

Kakashi gave Tazuna a scrutinizing look, almost as if he had already anticipated what Tazuna was going to say. In his mind, he predicted that Tazuna might express concerns about the mission being too dangerous and suggest turning back. 'This mission is too perilous; you should reconsider. Your genin may not be up to the task of facing the jounin who will most likely be after me now.'

"This job is probably not in your typical line of work. It appears that a highly dangerous individual is targeting my life," Tazuna began.

"Who?" Kakashi inquired, expecting to hear about a ninja.

"You've probably heard his name before. A wealthy shipping magnate named Gatou."

Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise. 'This is not quite what I was expecting... but it might be worse than a jounin after him. Actually, yes, it is.'

"Huh?! Gatou... from the Gatou Company? He's known to be one of the world's few super-wealthy individuals," Kakashi exclaimed in astonishment.

Tazuna nodded somberly. "Yes, officially, he runs a major shipping company, but secretly, he deals in drugs and other illegal goods. He uses ninja and gang members to take over businesses and even entire nations. He's a truly vile man."

"Well, let's take him down. We can do it. Believe it!" Naruto blurted out enthusiastically before quickly muffling his own voice, realizing he had spoken too loudly.

Tazuna sighed and shook his head. "It won't be an easy task... About a year ago, Gatou set his sights on the Wave Country. Through a combination of wealth and violence, he swiftly gained control of the country's shipping industry. Now, Gatou holds a monopoly on all business activities in the country. The only thing he fears is the completion of the bridge."

Ella was about to pose a question but paused when she felt that familiar sensation, allowing Selene to enter her mind.

'Long time no see, Selene. How's your team doing? Any updates?'

Ella could practically sense the smirk in Selene's response. 'Nothing new on the Kiba front... My team did complete their first mission, though. We were tasked with locating a missing ninja. Hinata's Byakugan is quite impressive; she's probably better at finding people than Kiba is with his sense of smell.'

'Looks like you might have a crush, dear Selene,' Ella teased mentally. 'I say go for it.' Ella was pulled out of her thoughts, losing her connection with Selene when the boat began to rock.

She looked around, puzzled, before realizing that her team was disembarking. Ella quickly stood and stepped off the boat, instinctively taking Kakashi's hand and looking up at his lone visible eye, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

"Sorry... I got lost in thought," she muttered quickly, unsure of what else to say.

"Yes, of course," Kakashi replied dryly. "Let's hope you stay more alert now that we're on land. If we encounter another attack, it might come from a more formidable ninja." He pulled her out of the boat, their connection briefly interrupted.

Naruto began striding ahead of the team with a mischievous grin, withdrawing a kunai and throwing it into some bushes, causing everyone to freeze.

"Heh... it was just a rat," Naruto stated, continuing to walk ahead nonchalantly.

"Stop trying to be cool! There was nothing there!" Sakura scolded him.

"Hey, how about we not toss dangerous weapons around like frisbees," Ella remarked, slightly annoyed by Naruto's attempt to show off.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say," Naruto responded before slowing his pace again.

"There!" He flung another kunai when the bush rustled, startling everyone.

"Naruto!!" Sakura screeched and rushed over to smack him on the head. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"But I heard something. I swear there really is someone following us!" Naruto insisted, clutching his head.

Ella raised an eyebrow and walked away with Kakashi to discover a white rabbit trembling beneath the kunai that Naruto had thrown.

"A white rabbit?" Ella said, perplexed, as she looked up at Kakashi.

"It's the middle of summer..." Ella helped the rabbit escape and stood up, immediately on high alert. "That rabbit was bred in captivity. Team, stay vigilant."

"Get down!" Kakashi yelled, shielding Ella as a massive object hurtled toward them.