CHAPTER 38

The next day, ten o'clock in the morning.

Standing by the coastline, Carl looked at the group emerging from the forest path, a faint smile creeping onto his face.

"Finally, they're here."

Leading the way was a silver-haired man with a forehead protector slanted over one eye—Kakashi, the elite Jōnin. In front of him was an older man—this must be Tazuna, the bridge builder from the Land of Waves.

Surrounding Tazuna were three young genin, around eleven or twelve years old, with black, blond, and pink hair respectively—Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura—clearly forming a standard ninja guard formation.

"Who's that?! Let me, the great Naruto, handle this guy!"

Upon seeing Carl standing alone, Naruto, who was walking ahead, quickly drew his kunai and dropped into a battle stance, closely followed by Sasuke and Sakura.

After all, they'd recently been ambushed by a pair of rogue ninjas.

"Easy there. I don't think he's an enemy," Kakashi said calmly.

He gave Carl a quick once-over, then grabbed Naruto from behind as the boy prepared to rush in, lifting him back effortlessly.

He hadn't sensed any hostility from Carl, and more importantly, he recognized the symbol on Carl's belt—the insignia unique to the Temple of Fire's ninja monks.

"You're from Konoha Village?"

Carl took a few casual steps forward, glancing at Naruto's forehead protector with feigned surprise.

"That's right. We're on a mission," Kakashi replied, his ever-lazy eye narrowing slightly. "You're a monk from the Temple of Fire?"

"Indeed. I'm a wandering monk from the Temple, just passing through. I hoped to visit the Land of Waves, but found no boats along the shore. Any idea why that is?" Carl sighed with a helpless shrug.

"Temple of Fire? What's that?" Naruto asked, clueless as ever.

Sakura immediately bonked him on the head. "We studied this in class, remember? The Temple of Fire is the only ninja temple in the Land of Fire. It's full of monks trained in ninjutsu, and they're allies of Konoha."

Konoha's ninja academy had a well-rounded curriculum, including history, geography, and ninja culture—but Naruto, as usual, had slept through most of it.

"The Land of Waves' maritime routes have been locked down by Gato. Without his approval, no one's allowed in or out," Tazuna chimed in, stepping forward.

"Gato? As in the shipping tycoon? One of the richest men in the world?" Kakashi asked, eyebrows rising.

Tazuna nodded, letting out a long sigh.

"Since you're already involved, I'll be honest. You wanted to know who sent those rogue ninjas after me, right? Well, it was Gato. He's trying to stop me."

Tazuna then laid it all out.

Gato had seized control of the Land of Waves' shipping industry through sheer violence and intimidation. Through his stronghold on trade, he effectively controlled the country's economy, its politics, and its people.

In a desperate attempt to liberate the Land of Waves, Tazuna began building a bridge to connect them to the outside world—cutting off Gato's grip on the region once and for all.

But when the project was halfway done, Gato sent threats and assassins to stop him. That's why Tazuna had gone to Konoha—to hire protection. Unfortunately, he didn't have enough money to fund a high-ranking mission, so he was forced to lie and lower the request's official rank.

"If you cancel the mission now, I'll be dead before I even make it home. But hey, it's understandable—it's not your fault.

It's just that… my eight-year-old granddaughter will cry her heart out all day, and my daughter will hate the ninjas of Konoha forever. She'll live in sorrow, raising her child alone.

Wouldn't you agree, young monk?"

After his heartfelt appeal, Tazuna deliberately looked toward Carl, who gave off a kind and gentle vibe.

Carl didn't disappoint. He nodded solemnly and declared with righteous anger:

"To think such vile people exist in this world!"

"Mr. Tazuna, do not worry. Even if the Konoha ninja are forced to step back due to the lack of proper payment, though I may not be strong, I am willing to put my life on the line to protect you until this bridge is completed."

Carl and Tazuna had a common purpose, so naturally, Carl stood by him.

Kakashi and Naruto exchanged uncertain glances, momentarily unsure how to respond.

According to protocol, they should cancel the mission due to Tazuna's false report about the threat level. But doing so now would make them feel like villains—and none of them could shake the guilt.

Tazuna hadn't expected Carl to be so generous. He gave him a sincere thank-you, then turned to look at Kakashi with that subtle old-man expression:

"See how kind he is? And what about you?"

Kakashi scratched the back of his head, looked at his team—especially at the hopeful faces of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura—and finally gave in with a sigh:

"Alright, we'll continue to protect you."

He wasn't blind to Tazuna's manipulations, but he also saw the value in using this mission to sharpen his students. Besides, most of Gato's men were just rogue ninjas—not much of a threat to someone like him.

As for the young monk from the Temple of Fire, Kakashi figured Carl was kind-hearted, maybe even a bit too trusting, having fallen for the performance of this sly old bridge builder.

Still, in his heart, he respected Tazuna's willingness to risk everything to finish the bridge. That alone made the decision easier.

"Thank you, really! I'll make sure my daughter cooks you all something amazing for lunch when we get back!"

Tazuna visibly relaxed. Though Carl's help was appreciated, it was Konoha's reputation and power that truly mattered for his safety.

"Hold on a moment."

Tazuna reached into his pocket and pulled out a small whistle. Standing at the shore, he blew into it with force, sending a strange sound echoing across the foggy sea.

Roughly ten minutes later, a small boat emerged cautiously from the mist, guided by a young man.

"Mr. Tazuna, quick! Get on board before the fog lifts. If Gato's people see us, we're in trouble."

Carl boarded alongside Kakashi and his team.

During the foggy crossing, introductions were exchanged between Carl and the Konoha group. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura chatted casually, but Kakashi was different—he subtly probed Carl with questions, testing him under the guise of conversation.

After all, adding a complete stranger to a mission—especially one already compromised—wasn't exactly standard procedure.

But Carl's identity as a traveling ninja monk from the Temple of Fire, combined with his good intentions, gave Kakashi no reason to refuse his help outright.

And as for Carl? He was well aware of Kakashi's subtle probing. But with a clean background and nothing to hide, he calmly responded to every test without worry.