A Bridge that Connects Us All: Part Three

Morning soon arrived, Iroh and Rock Lee had left a remote village they had been staying for a few days to rest. They were off to find Gato in order to personally deliver the 'captured' general. Well, that was their plan for the moment if everything goes without a hitch.

Rock Lee had sent Gato a messenger bird hours earlier to inform him of his successful capture. Now, he just needed to wait for Gato to respond back to him. It might take a couple of hours or as long as a few days.

Gato was always on the move; he never liked to stay in one spot. He would have his many goons follow him around like a pack of wild dogs; of course he would, many people wanted his head on a stake.

Currently, Iroh was resting his sore legs after a long walk under a tree. Iroh glanced down at his plump belly, squeezing his stomach fat. His body wasn't as strong as it used to be; it was the consequence of old age.

'Perhaps, I should invest in an Ostrich Horse in the future,' Iroh scratched his cheek.

He glanced back up at Rock Lee performing the most insane work out regime he had ever seen in his entire life: five hundred push-ups, five-hundreds sit-ups, five-hundred punches and kicks.

'This boy is a training maniac,' Iroh thought to himself. He looked down, patting his large belly with a frown. 'Maybe, it's the mooncakes I've been eating lately. I better cut down on them.'

"Four hundred ninety-eight!" Rock Lee threw a kick at a tree, causing pieces of bark to break off.

"Four hundred ninety-nine!" Sweat flew from his head with another kick. He was tired, but Rock Lee just needed one more.

"Five hundred!" As he threw the last kick, the tree snapped and crashed onto the ground with a loud boom. Feeling proud of himself, Rock Lee dropped to the ground for a breather. This was a training regiment that Rock Lee had committed himself to do everyday.

If he couldn't bend the elements, then he could work on his body strengthening to gain power and speed. Rock Lee had a set of four hundred pound(181 kg) weights around his ankles that he'd always wear when he was either training or fighting. He couldn't let down Guy-Sensei, so slacking off was out of the question.

"You should rest, Lee," Iroh said. "It's not good to overtrain like that; a strong and healthy body needs its rest."

"Thank you for the input, Iroh," Rock Lee politely said. "But, I cannot do that; this is the only way that I become stronger. To master my own body and overcome my limits is what I strive for."

"Although, I can not stop you, but as a friend, I'll ensure that you do not hurt yourself," Iroh smiled.

"I'll keep that in mind, thank you."

A loud cry of a messenger hawk suddenly caught their attention as a black silhouette slowly grew in size, flying ever so close to them. Its bright red feathers were a stark contrast against the pale blue sky.

On the head of the hawk, its feathers took on the appearance of red horns while a long, golden mustache grew on the side of its sharp beak. Tied to the hawk's back was a small message contained in a canister by a white ribbon.

The hawk descended upon Rock Lee and landed onto his shoulders. It flapped its large wings, letting out yet another cry.

"That was fast," Rock Lee smiled, scratching the underside of its beak. The messenger hawk responded to his touch with a delighted cry. Rock Lee then pulled the tiny scroll out from the canister and read its contents.

"What does it say?" Iroh asked, walking towards him.

Rock Lee rolled up the scroll and placed it in his pocket, "Gato told me to meet him at the Shin Khan Fu region."

"What for?"

"He said he wants me to help him stop the construction of a bridge over there," Rock Lee replied. "I don't really get it, to be honest."

"It is quite odd," Iroh stroked his beard in thought. "From what I heard during my campaigns, the Shin Khan Fu region was said to be barren, and only a few villages were located there along the edges of the Ju Shuilong River. It seems to me that Gato has other motives when it comes to that region."

"Beats me," Rock Lee shrugged his shoulders. "It's not too far away; think we'll be able to make it there by tomorrow if we follow close to the river."

Rock Lee took a blank paper, wrote on it and place the paper inside the canister, sealing the lid shut.

"Alright, buddy, you're free to go," Rock Lee caressed the hawk's head. Letting out one last cry, the hawk leapt off from his shoulders and soared into sky, quickly disappearing into the horizon.

*****

Zabuza crushed the tiny scroll in his hands with a click of tongue before sending the messenger hawk away. That bastard, Gato, wanted those people on the bridge dead by tomorrow, otherwise he would reduce his pay by thirty percent. Oh, he will. And once he gets his payment from Gato, he was going to kill him.

No one orders him around like that.

His body had been mostly healed since the incident thanks to Haku treating him for the past few days. His medical skills were truly the ones to envy for. If it wasn't for him, his wounds wouldn't have healed this rapidly.

Unfortunately, Zabuza won't be able to utilize his full power for the upcoming fight since some of his wounds were still healing. Luckily, Zabuza had Haku by his side to even the odds when the time arises. Moreover, his awaited rematch with Naruto will come, and this time, he won't underestimate that brat again.

Zabuza took hold of his sword that laid against the tree and brought it to his lap. He glanced at his own reflection over the blade with a reminiscent look; he had committed countless bloodshed with it, fought countless battles throughout the country.

Whether it was bandits, shinobis, Earth Kingdom or the Fire Nation, Zabuza did not discriminate. That's how he earned the title, 'Demon of the Hidden Mist'. Did he regret it? Not at all. This was the life he chose to live.

Haku suddenly appeared from the trees and landed quietly onto the ground below. He removed his mask, revealing his subtle smile underneath.

"Well?" Zabuza asked.

"They're currently guarding the bridge," Haku answered. "It seems that they know Gato may be coming soon."

Zabuza nodded. Gato was getting increasingly desperate because this bridge cuts into his so called master plan to take over the Shin Khan Fu region. Whether it was to set up an operation base or create a black market, Zabuza wasn't too sure.

Moreover, Yi Sujin had backed the construction of the bridge which made it more difficult for Gato to make his move in the shadows. Therefore, Gato would probably take it in his own hands to take over the bridge and risk an all out war with the Sujin Family.

"Did any one of them spot you?"

"No, but a few days earlier, I happen to stumble upon Naruto while I was collecting herbs. Fortunately, he didn't know who I was around the time," Haku replied. He still remembered that encounter as clear as day.

"Mmm, you'll just have to surprise him again tomorrow. We'll rest and prepare until then."

*****

Naruto was extremely bored out of his mind, his head rested over his arm on the rail of the stone bridge. He was the only one on guard duty since the girls were on breaks. Its been hours and nothing had happened as of yet. When was this Gato guy supposed to show up?

Suki had gave Naruto the rundown of Tazuna's story in a way he could understand. In short, Naruto needed to kick this Gato's ass and prevent him from sabotaging the construction of the bridge.

He heard about what happened to Inari's stepfather. He could understand the pain the kid was feeling, but he couldn't believe how Inari would give up just like that. Only cowards do that. Naruto could tell that he was a good kid, but he needed to get his mind out of the gutter because he won't solve anything if he continued to sulk like that.

Naruto watched as several earth benders carved large concrete slabs into perfectly cut squares. They guided the slabs carefully and methodically, slowly dropping the gigantic cutouts into their designated places.

Tazuna came by to inspect their work thoroughly; it had to be perfect to ensure there were no possible latent failures in the structure that could collapse the whole bridge later on. They would repeat this process over and over until the bridge was complete.

"Hah..." Naruto sighed out. He wanted something to do. More importantly, he was already starving. It's been eight hours already since he last ate, and he couldn't think about anything else besides eating. "Man, this sucks."

"Hey, Naruto!" Suki shouted from the distance, behind her were Azula and Tenten with wooden containers in hand. "Look what we've got." Suki raised the wooden container high above her head.

Naruto could clearly smell the delicious aroma of food and licked his lips in hunger. The girls set down the food containers over a stripe-patterned blanket. Then, Azula and Tenten opened the lids, revealing various stir-fries, Lo Mien, sushi and dumplings. Naruto rubbed his hands with glee from the heavenly sight and sat down with them.

"Oh, man, you guys don't know how starvin' I am," Naruto happily said, gazing at the eye candy before him. "You guys made all of this?"

"Impressed?" Tenten asked.

"Heck yeah, I am," Naruto nodded. "I can't even make scrambled eggs to save my life!"

"Oh, please, Tenten," Azula rolled her eyes. She had seen through her bullshit. "You barely helped at all."

"I-I did!" She quickly retorted.

"Taste-testing does not count," Azula crossed her arms.

Tenten couldn't argue with Azula on that. Tenten couldn't think of anything else to say, so she quickly stuck her tongue out her and turned her head away. Azula one, Tenten zero.

"Guys, aren't you forgetting who did most of the work?" Suki gave them an all-knowing smirk. She specifically eyed Azula down; as if Azula did all the cooking, herself. If Suki wasn't there, Azula would probably burn the whole place down like a typical firebender. "Since the both of you can barely cook even if your lives depended on it, I had to be the woman to step up and do it."

"W-Whatever," Azula crossed her arms. She wouldn't even be bothered cooking in the first place if it wasn't for Naruto.

"Oi, what're you guys fightin' for?" Naruto laughed at their ridiculous argument. He grabbed a container of stir-fry pork and a pair of chopsticks. "I'm just thankful you guys actually made something for me."

Tenten quickly threw an arm over his shoulders, "Blondie's right; it's the thought that counts. All of us sprinkled our own bit of love in the food."

"That's so cheesy," Azula giggled.

"That's rich coming from the girl who enjoys romantic dramas," Tenten retorted.

Suki smiled as she watched Azula and Tenten go at each other's throats. She enjoyed just being here together, bantering and laughing like normal kids. It made her forget about the ongoing war sometimes; she just wished this stupid war ended already, avatar or not.

Suki shook the thoughts out of her mind, "C'mon, let's just eat already."

"Ya don't have to say that twice," Naruto happily said, shoving food right into his mouth. He moaned in delight as an explosion of flavor swept his tastebuds.

"Well, what do you think, Foxy?" Azula asked. Both Suki and Tenten suddenly locked eyes at him with expectation.

"Hmph?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"The food, numbnuts. What do you think?" Azula rephrased herself. She forgot who she was talking too.

"Mmph!" Naruto quickly understood. "Mmph Ghm Beeshde Rahmen, dish ish rheel gud." His words were incomprehensible with a mouth stuffed with food.

The three girls all looked at each other with confusion, "We'll just take that as a yes." They said simultaneously.