She's My Cousin

He Couldn't Possibly Be Her Father... Could He?

Kakashi's P.O.V.

It was mostly quiet as we sailed across the river into The Land of Waves. Naruto sat at the end of the boat, his back to us as he stared strait ahead, then Sakura off to his left and Sasuke beside Ginko. Tazuna sat behind me with Ginko sitting beside me, seeming to have fallen asleep as her head had fell lazily onto my shoulder not to long ago. I don't blame her, it is quite boring on this boat. I look over at the sleeping ten-year-old, seeing for the first time why Naruto calls her an angle, and felt a tug at my heartstrings as I thought of how much she looks like Anju, especially when she's sleeping.

"You two, father and daughter or something? Tazuna asked quietly, surprising me a bit. "Uh, no. Why do you ask?"

"Because she looks and acts like you," he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, a 'Duh' look on his face.

'The only thing we have in common is the hair color. She doesn't look anything like me.'

"No, we're not related. She is related to Naruto though," I whisper as I look at Naruto. "Uh-hu," Tazuna said disbelievingly. When I turned to look at him, I saw him giving me a 'Are you stupid?' look, making me glare at him slightly.

'Why doesn't he believe me?'

"This fog's so thick, you can't see anything," Sakura whispered to no one in particular. It was quiet for a moment before the man rowing the boat said, "The bridge isn't far now. Our destination's just ahead, The Land of Waves."

It wasn't long after that that the bridge came into view. It was awe-inspiring, and I was tempted to wake Ginko, but...

"Whoa! It's huge!" Naruto shouted, causing Ginko to suddenly stand in a battle stance I've never seen before, a kunai in hand as she looked around, somehow unaffected by the now rocking boat. The boat rower was the first to recover, saying, "What? Quiet! I told you, no noise! Why do you think we're traveling like this, huh? Cutting off the engine and rowing, moving through the dense fog so they don't see us." Ginko relaxed her stance and sighed as she put away her kunai and sat back down. "Gave me a damn heart attack," Ginko muttered and, like always, I slapped the back of her head.

"Ow," she whined as she rubbed the back of her head. "Watch your language young lady," I scolded. She looked up at me, still rubbing her head as she said, "Yes, sir."

It always confused me when she called me sir when I scolded her. I look at Tazuna and said, "Mr. Tazuna... before we reach the pier, I want to ask you something." I paused for a moment, making sure I had his attention before continuing, "The men who are after you, I need to know why. If you don't tell us, I'm afraid I'll have to end this mission when we drop you ashore."

He grunts, and it's quiet as me and the others wait for his response.

"I have no choice but to tell you. No, I want you to know the truth. Like you said, this is beyond the scope of the original mission. The one who seeks my life is a very short man who casts a very long and deadly shadow."

"A deadly shadow?" I ask and he grunts in agreement. "Hmm. Who is it?"

"You know him. At least, I'm sure you've hears his name before. He's one of the wealthiest men in the world. The shipping magnet, Gato."

Ginko gasped in horror, for what reason, I don't know. "Huh? Gato? Of Gato Transport? He's a business leader. Everyone knows him."

"Who? Who? What? What?" Naruto asked.

"Gato is a very powerful tycoon from a famous company, that's true. But below the surface, with the same ruthless methods he uses to take over businesses and nations, he sells drugs and contraband using gangs and ninja. It was one year ago when Gato first set his sight on The Land of Waves. He came to our island and used his vast wealth to take total control of our transport and shipping. Anyone who tried to stand in his way simply disappeared. In an island nation, a man who controls the sea controls everything. Finance, government, our very lives. But there's one thing he fears, the bridge. When it is complete, it will join us to the land, and that will break his control. I am the bridge builder," Tazuna finished, looking up at the bridge.