Mission Complete

The Red Wolf King inside the iceberg seemed to sense a wave of malice and shuddered all over.

Though it had little intelligence, it possessed instincts. Memories of Naruto experimenting on it surfaced uncontrollably in its mind. Those were far from pleasant memories. The Nine-Tails' chakra was incredibly violent; not every creature could withstand it. One could imagine how much suffering it had endured to survive it.

The Red Wolf King within the iceberg seemed to hear Naruto's voice and shuddered all over as the chakra within its body erupted completely.

Crack! Crack! Crack!!!

The iceberg shattered instantly.

A crimson aura coiled around it, and a terrifying pressure radiated from the Red Wolf King.

"Mutt, if you can't beat him, you're useless to me."

Naruto gave it a cold glance.

The Red Wolf King immediately trembled.

Its fear of Naruto was carved into its very soul.

The Red Wolf King went completely berserk. Its body swelled in an instant, growing from one meter tall to five.

Red chakra poured from its body, its eyes bloodshot as it charged at its opponent.

"Beast, die!"

Fenghua Dotō was somewhat enraged as well and charged forward again.

The two sides clashed in another terrifying battle.

This time, however, the Red Wolf King, fighting at full power, completely suppressed him.

No matter how powerful the chakra armor was, its source of energy was ultimately a person. If Fenghua Dotō himself had truly been strong, he would not have needed to wear armor.

He had already expended a great deal of chakra fighting Kakashi, and after battle after battle, Fenghua Dotō no longer had much chakra left.

He soon fell into a disadvantage. After the time it took to burn an incense stick, the Red Wolf King returned to its original form, while Fenghua Dotō lay utterly defeated on the ground.

Cracks had appeared across his armor. If Naruto had not called a halt, nothing would have remained of him by now.

Naruto drew out a blank card.

[Card Seal]

Chains shot forth in an instant, sealing Fenghua Dotō into the card.

Naruto opened his status panel.

Name: Naruto Uzumaki

Bloodline: Ashura Bloodline

Constitution: Immortality

Eyes: Three-Tomoe Sharingan

Cultivation Technique: Threefold Reversal

Skills: Fire Release, Twin Hands, Adamantine Sealing Chains, Kagura Mind's Eye, Flying Thunder God, Sealing Technique, Cinnabar Devouring, Eightfold Reversal, Three Immortals Return to the Cave

Chakra Amount: 1 Nine-Tails' Power

Restriction: Cinnabar Seal

Draws: 8

"Reclaiming people is more cost-effective than simply reclaiming ninjutsu."

Even after seeing her powerful uncle sealed away by Naruto, Koyuki Kazahana still found it hard to believe.

"What kind of ability is that? It's so amazing."

Koyuki Kazahana stared at the card in Naruto's hand.

"A sealing technique," Naruto explained briefly.

"Alright, let's go."

Naruto did not waste any more words. He led the two injured people toward the Land of Snow.

Everything that followed went exceptionally smoothly. Once the citizens learned that Fenghua Dotō had been defeated, they were overjoyed and readily accepted their new queen. More importantly, they had two generations of kings for comparison.

Kakashi and Sasuke needed three days of bed rest before they recovered.

As for Naruto, he had nothing to do over those days, so he wandered around the Land of Snow with Koyuki Kazahana.

The people of the Land of Snow did not live particularly well, but the wisdom of laborers shone brightly no matter where they were.

The little inventions here truly opened Naruto's eyes. From trucks and trains to communication radios, they had everything.

During that time, Naruto tried reclaiming those items. Sure enough, as long as something was extraordinary, it could be reclaimed. At the same time, the system informed him that the ability had been unlocked. After studying it carefully, he learned that future draws might also yield extraordinary items.

It would no longer be limited to skills alone.

That gave Naruto much to think about. It seemed the system was not so simple.

Skills, items... what else could be exchanged?

Naruto immediately thought of divine weapons, or perhaps special organs.

For example, Hashirama Cells—or the Sharingan.

He quietly committed those things to memory.

Kakashi woke up on the third day.

By then, Koyuki Kazahana had already become the queen of the Land of Snow.

"You did well."

Even Kakashi was surprised by Naruto's strength. Though there had been an element of wearing down the opponent through successive battles, victory was still proof of strength.

With everything over, Naruto and the others prepared to return. Their trip had lasted nearly a month.

They had spent quite a bit of time on the journey here, all of it filming the movie.

Then Naruto and the others prepared to say their farewells and leave.

Koyuki Kazahana was somewhat reluctant to see them go.

"Are you really not considering staying?" Her burning gaze fell on Naruto.

Naruto felt embarrassed under her stare and instinctively looked away.

He sighed inwardly, knowing it was useless.

"I heard you like these little gadgets. This is for you."

A maid behind her brought out a board.

Naruto accepted it curiously. It was a skateboard.

Koyuki Kazahana then explained its abilities.

It was a skateboard made in the Land of Snow that could hover in the air. However, it consumed too much chakra and was more flashy than practical, so it had been left in storage. Koyuki Kazahana had only learned of it while taking inventory after becoming queen.

She knew Naruto had been wandering around outside these past few days, so she had prepared this little gadget as a gift for him.

"Thanks, I like it. Come to Konoha sometime if you have the chance." Naruto was somewhat surprised, but he did not refuse.

At the same time, he gave her a gift in return.

On the journey back, everyone remained silent.

Naruto did not like talking, Kakashi did not know what to say, and Sasuke felt gloomy and jealous.

The journey there had taken more than ten days, but the return trip was over in just three.

It was their first time being away for so long, and they all missed home somewhat. The moment they reached the village gates, they eagerly ran back into Konoha.

"I'm going to report the mission. You're dismissed."

Kakashi vanished after saying that.

"That's the one thing Kakashi-sensei is actually reliable at."

Naruto could not help complaining.

Back in the familiar village, Hinata relaxed considerably.

Sasuke missed his family too. After saying goodbye, he disappeared.

Hinata, on the other hand, did not show much emotion. Compared with being at home, she preferred staying by Naruto's side.

"Come on, let's get something to eat first."

Naruto led Hinata toward Ichiraku Ramen.

The streets were crowded, and there were many unfamiliar faces. From the way they dressed, it was obvious they were not from the Land of Fire.

"Looks like the Chunin Exams are about to begin."

Naruto was surprised.

He just did not know whether Uncle Snake would come this time.

Orochimaru had quite a few good things in his possession, but finding his whereabouts was indeed difficult.

At the same time, on another street, three children walked along.

At the front was a boy carrying a gourd on his back, his entire body emanating a gloomy, violent aura.

The boy and girl walking at his sides looked around curiously.

"Konoha really is peaceful and tranquil." Temari could not help sighing.

People bustled around them with smiles on their faces, showing little wariness even toward strangers.

Over these past few years of development, Tsunade had been generous and forthright, while the various clans had been united and friendly. Danzo, who loved stirring up trouble, no longer had the Third Hokage backing him and only dared act in secret. On one hand, he targeted the Uchiha clan; on the other, he caused trouble throughout the Shinobi World.

Compared to the Third Hokage, Danzo was far more infamous in the Shinobi World—though certainly not in a good way. As the darkness of the Shinobi World, his actions in the Rain Country involving Nagato, as well as Ōnoki's wariness during the Five Kage Summit, made it clear just how detestable this troublemaker was.

Still, when Danzo was used to disgust others, he was exceptionally effective.

Konoha's current environment no longer provided fertile ground for his schemes, so he could only turn outward. That had made him much more restrained.