Disclaimer: Dude.

The construction of the bridge continued without incident over the next two days, and the project was completed as planned. With the exception of Tazuna and his escorts, everyone was in high spirits. There were cheers heard all around, and in the night that followed, the village celebrated their newfound freedom with a miniature festival with Team 7 as the guests of honor. There was a small spot in the festivities set aside for a dedication to Naruto, but as the party wore on it was all but forgotten.

The incomplete team spent the evening in a variety of ways. Kakashi, for example, won a drinking contest that he was forced to enter before whipping out his little smut book, warding off conversation for the next two hours. Sasuke had no such weapon of distraction, and had no choice but to pretend he was listening to the stories of a bunch of elderly fishermen who had dragged him to their circle.

Sakura was at the party for twenty minutes before she couldn't take it anymore and bolted back to the bridge-builder's house, where Inari soon followed, bringing his personal dark cloud with him.

"Couldn't stand the party, huh?" the boy muttered as soon as he spotted the girl and sat down in a place that blocked her view out of the window, before snorting, "I suppose our little village doesn't have the sort of foods that heroes like you are used to."

Sakura chose to politely ignore his comment, but Tazuna's grandson wasn't done with his scathe-fest.

"You didn't even do anything." he stated, this time louder. "-the person who did is dead. They don't even know his name."

Fireworks went of in the distance, the sound of the distant celebration a dull roar. Orange light penetrated the night sky and vanished.

"It's late, Inari. You should go to bed," Sakura chided with a strained smile. Inari immediately crossed his arms and pretended he didn't hear.

"Nobody even knew his name. Even now they don't; they just enjoy the effects he brought them, just like that," the child indicated, pointing at another firework that exploded in a fiery display of art. There was a cheer, but it died as soon as the sparks stopped emitting luminance in the horizon.

Sakura watched the fireworks quietly, mulling over the concept of the broken child's words. That was a sad analogy of life, but it made sense. In many ways, life and fireworks were a decent reflection of each other. Like a firework, there was a point of ignition and a time of ending. The amount of time you have may be influenced by a few factors, but in the end, you only have that small window to do what you must to awe the crowd. If your 'performance' was adequate, people will remember the show for a little while, but move on. That, Sakura mused with a smile, and Naruto would be honored to be compared to one of these flashy explosions.

"It's pointless… They'll remember Gato's name but not his. People listen to bad people; they make themselves matter."

Sakura shifted her position to be closer to Inari.

"You say it like corruption's something to admire," she pointed out, causing the kid to look conflicted. A moral battle was obviously being fought in the boy's soul.

"I don't want to be forgotten," Inari whimpered after a time, surprised to feel Sakura's arms surround him with warmth.

"It takes courage to fight for what's right when people are anonymous to you. Naruto knew that. What made him brave was that he fought anyway." she whispered, watching the finale of the pyrotechnics display by the young boy's side. A barrage of blues mingled with the oranges and whites, occasionally dappled with a hint of purple.

"Why would he do that? Why would he DIE for it?" Inari questioned, using the term 'he' in a manner that encompassed both his father and Naruto in a single statement.

Sakura shut her eyes and smiled serenely.

"Love." she replied, finally acknowledging something that had nagged at her mind for a very long time. Inari clenched his teeth and pulled his hat over his eyes.

"That's stupid," he argued, but his heart wasn't in it. Sakura closed her eyes while the last firework died away, her smile still in place as she nodded.

"You're right. It's incredibly stupid."

"…Huh?" Inari asked, once again startled by the girl's unusually profound words.

"I don't think I'd like a world without idiots," she said, taking the child's hat off to mess his hair. "I hope you grow up to be one."

Having said her piece, Sakura walked off to prepare for bed, leaving Inari by himself to look at the stars. For what would be the last time for years, Tazuna's grandson began crying.

The next morning, Team 7 became the first travelers ever to step foot on the completed bridge. A group of the villagers followed to see them off. Tazuna stood at the fore, feeling guilt as he shook Kakashi's hand in thanks. There had to be something he could do, but what?

Kakashi Hatake soon left to lead his students, but before they covered a full ten meters, their former client called out to them.

"Show a little more spirit! You're walking on the great Naruto bridge!"

The three stopped briefly before continuing, during which time Kakashi turned back to the old man with a single phrase, devoid of any emotion whatsoever.

"…Ah. Thanks."

Zabuza Momochi sat contentedly on his branch, Haku hovering over the foreign kid n the riverbank below him. Every now and then, he'd bark some sort of criticism at the blonde, who nearly always startled at the sound. All things put into account, the kid was a fast learner. It had taken a week and a half for Haku to progress to where the kid was in his education of the technique. Actually, the blue-eyed streak of energy had the potential to become quite useful. "Hmmm…"

"Like this?" came the blue-eyed boy's voice, full of drive and determination.

"Close, but more like this, Naruto-kun," Haku corrected him patiently, leaving Zabuza to smirk at how content his companion was.

The missing ninja reclined, predicting that the temporary member of his troupe would have the jutsu mastered within the next two days.

"Oh, like THIS!" Naruto laughed, jerking Zabuza out of his reverie with a shout.

"WATER DRAGON JUTSU!"

The riverbank roared to life, the once-calm current molded by the chakra surrounding it into a screaming raised funnel. Haku watched in awe as the creature nearly reached completion before exploding on all of them, effectively soaking even the man in the tree.

"Watch it!" Zabuza roared, shaking himself off like a wet dog. Naruto let out a nervous chuckle while the water dripped off of him.

"He's all but mastered it, Master Zabuza!" Haku chimed, causing the addressed to snort derisively. Naruto's face brightened considerably. After four days of absence, he could finally go home!

"Teach him something else." Zabuza ordered, causing Naruto's hope to do a swan-dive. Sure, he was happy for the added education, but Sakura really was going to eviscerate him at this rate.

"Can't we just call it even and let me go?" the boy asked, immediately earning a chilling gaze from the infamous rogue ninja present before him.

"No."

"Can I please write a letter?!" Naruto pleaded for what must have been the hundredth time. "Seriously, I appreciate the help, but they're really going to kill me back home!"

"Not if you kill them first," Zabuza pointed out, causing Naruto to fall flat on his face and writhe with the futility of the conflict. Zabuza just didn't get it!

"Why would I want to?!"

"They're unnecessary."

"What the heck is your problem?!"

Haku sighed as the two bickered. He felt bad for Naruto, but he understood why their communications were so strict. It would be incredibly stupid to send a letter to Konoha for several reasons, most of them including being hunted down and apprehended and/or killed. Secretly, though, he was happy to have a friend his age and didn't much like the thought of Naruto departing anytime soon.

Author's note: This one was shorter, but I didn't get sunburnt today. Don't ask me how chapter length and skin damage are related. I couldn't tell you if I tried.