Frost Slaughter, Arrival at Kirigakure

Bai stood on a giant ice mirror in mid-air, with countless enormous water dragons frozen solid by extreme cold Chakra beneath his feet.

The thick fog dissipated completely under the chill, and the sunlight above the canyon shone down without obstruction.

Bai looked down at the stunned rebels below, his fingers flying across the screen, his Chakra rapidly reforming in the air.

"Thousand Flying Water Needles".

The sound was crisp and cold.

The remaining moisture in the surrounding air quickly condensed, forming countless sharp ice needles.

The tip of each ice needle faintly emitted a golden halo originating from Naruto's Yang Release Chakra.

Press your wrists down and push your hands forward sharply.

A shower of icy needles pierced the cold air and shot towards the rock wall below.

A series of dull thuds of flesh being pierced erupted from within the rebel ranks.

The dozen or so ninjas at the forefront Hand Seals.

The blood had barely burst open when the extremely cold ice spikes sealed the wound shut.

The gushing blood congealed into red ice crystals, clinging to the tattered clothes.

More than a dozen corpses rolled down the ice-covered rock wall, crashing heavily onto the bluestone slabs at the bottom of the valley and sliding several meters away.

The rebel captain's eyes widened, bloodshot eyes covering the whites.

He gripped a heavy, broad-backed sword tightly with both hands, using the protruding rocks on the cliff face as leverage to leap up.

With his leg muscles bulging, his body twisted violently in mid-air, and the greatsword, accompanied by a piercing whistling sound, slashed down at the white figure above the ice mirror.

The blade tore through the cold air, and the air pressure created a white blast of air on the back of the blade.

Bai did not dodge, nor did he change his handprint; his clear eyes remained completely calm.

A visible ripple suddenly appeared in the air.

The hem of a black Hokage Haori fluttered in the wind.

Naruto shifted his stance, his figure positioned directly between the rebel captain and Haku.

He didn't draw any weapon, nor did he refine even a trace of Chakra. His hands remained casually in his pockets, his broad back facing the wide-backed sword that was slashing down from mid-air.

The captain clenched his teeth, the blade less than three inches from Naruto's nape.

Naruto twitched the corner of his mouth, without even turning his head.

"This sword is far inferior to Zabuza's."

The moment the words left his mouth, the cells deep within the Perfect Uzumaki Sage Body began to activate wildly.

A pure, tangible pressure of Yang Release energy erupted outwards from Naruto's center.

This oppressive force ruthlessly pushed aside the surrounding air, creating an absolute zone of Life Field pressure in mid-air.

"Snap--!"

The broadsword struck the invisible barrier of life force, and the blade began to chip and crack from the point of contact, with fine cracks spreading along the blade to the hilt.

A flying piece of steel grazed the captain's cheek, leaving a deep, bloody gash.

The captain's arm bones emitted a sickening cracking sound, and his tiger's mouth was instantly torn apart.

Unable to withstand the terrifying pressure in mid-air, the body lost its balance and plummeted towards the ground.

"Bang!"

The captain's knees slammed heavily into the ice-covered valley floor, two crisp cracking sounds echoing through the canyon.

Bone fragments pierced the skin and stuck to the ice.

His internal organs were shaken by the shock of blood and qi, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, which rose in hot steam.

He struggled to lift his head, but his cervical spine was pressed down firmly by an invisible giant hand.

He lay prone on the ice beneath Naruto's feet in an extremely humiliating posture, his chin slamming against the ice and shattering the surface.

Naruto turned around and looked down at the twitching mass of flesh on the ground.

He raised his right foot, the black sole of his shoe pressing down on the back of the captain's head, applying pressure with his ankle and slowly grinding down.

"The Old Bloody Mist Faction? Is that all the skill they have? They dare to block my path."

Naruto's voice was hoarse.

On both sides of the canyon, the remaining dozens of rebels watched as their strongest captain was rendered incapacitated without even touching a hair on his opponent's head, and their fighting spirit completely collapsed.

Some people threw away their Kunai and, using both hands and feet, desperately fled out of the canyon along the slippery rock face.

Naruto withdrew his foot, disgustedly wiping the bloodstains on the ice with his shoe, and turned his head to look towards the carriage door.

"To save for the New Year?"

At the car door, Tayuya knelt on the edge of the door panel.

She held the wooden magic flute in both hands, the hem of her black and white maid outfit rolled up, and the black lace trim on her thighs left a noticeable mark.

Upon hearing Naruto's voice, she trembled and quickly brought the magic flute to her lips.

"Brother, let me take off my stockings first. These things are so tight around my butt, it's making it hard to breathe."

She muttered something, hooking her fingers around the lace trim at the edge of her thigh and pulling it down an inch.

"Wearing. Blowing."

Naruto coldly uttered a few words.

Tayuya immediately put her fingers back on the hole of the magic flute, puffed out her cheeks, and obediently blew the flute.

A sharp, eerie flute sound exploded through the canyon.

The sound waves pierced through the cold air, precisely reaching the ears of the fleeing rebels.

"Dreamlike Sound Lock"

The rebels, who were scrambling and stumbling, suddenly froze.

Their arms hung limply, their pupils lost focus, and they stood there blankly.

Bai leaped off the ice mirror, his body gliding rapidly along the ice surface.

The Ice Senbon in her hand pierced precisely into the back of the head or throat of each rebel trapped in the Genjutsu.

Pulling out and stabbing in, the movements were seamless.

In less than half a minute, the entire canyon fell silent, with only the howling sound of the cold wind sweeping across the ice.

The ground was littered with shattered ice and mangled corpses.

Haku stopped in front of Naruto, flicked his fingers, and the ice spike shattered into ice powder and dissipated.

Her shoulders, which had been tense due to her inner demons, were now completely relaxed.

She lowered her head slightly, placed her hands clasped over her abdomen, and obediently awaited her orders.

"It's all cleaned up, sir."

Naruto reached out, brushed aside a stray strand of damp hair from her forehead, and slid his warm palm against her cheek.

"Get in the car."

Tayuya put away her magic flute, obediently climbed back into the carriage, picked up the jade plate, and continued peeling purple grapes.

The coachman gripped the reins tightly again.

The northern steed snorted, its hooves crushing the ice shards and blood on the ground, as it pulled the massive, purplish-black carriage along the sea-crossing bridge into the depths of the canyon.

In the canyon behind, dozens of lifeless corpses were completely swallowed by the cold air as the thick fog gathered again.

Three hours later, the carriage passed through the last natural fog barrier and entered the flat interior of the island.

Ahead, a high wall made of dark blue-black boulders stretched across the end of the road.

Patrolling ninjas moved back and forth above the high wall.

The heavy iron gate was half-open, with two rows of Kirigakure ninjas wearing gray vests and Anbu Kirigakure Ninja standing on either side.

Before the carriage even got close, the two rows of Anbu knelt down on one knee in unison, their movements perfectly synchronized, without making a single extra metallic clanging sound.

Standing at the very front was an elderly man with a thin build, wearing an eyepatch over one eye.

He was wearing a dark robe and leaning on a cane.

The carriage came to a stop in front of the gate.

The carriage curtain was lifted by fair fingers.

Bai stepped down from the carriage first and stood respectfully in front of the door.

Then, Naruto, wearing a black Hokage Haori, slowly stepped off the platform.

The gaunt old man stepped forward and bowed slightly.

"I am the Mizukage's direct advisor from Kirigakure, Genji. The Fifth Mizukage has been waiting for me on the top floor of the Mizukage Building for quite some time."

His intact eye lingered on Shiro for a second, keenly catching the residual pure Ice Release Chakra. His pupil contracted rapidly, but he quickly looked away.

Naruto, hands in his pockets, coldly surveyed the Hidden Mist elites kneeling on the ground.

"Lead the way."

The Anbu Ninja rose and lined up on both sides, making way for a wide path.

The carriage, escorted by guards, moved slowly along the main road.

The shops on both sides of the street had their doors tightly shut, and villagers peered out through the cracks in the doors.

Dark red stains remained in the cracks of the stone pavement, and the air was filled with the lingering smell of blood.

The Mizukage Building is a magnificent cylindrical structure situated at the highest point of the village.

As Naruto stepped into the lobby on the ground floor of the building, the Hidden Mist Anbu stopped ten paces away, not daring to cross the line.

Genji walked to the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor.

The elevator doors opened, revealing a huge, well-lit office on the top floor.

Behind the desk, a woman with long, wavy brown hair and an extremely voluptuous figure spun around in her swivel chair.

Her emerald green eyes stared at Naruto as he stepped out of the elevator, her gaze taking in Naruto tall figure and undisguised arrogance.

Terumi Mei parted her red lips slightly, exhaling a thin puff of white smoke, her voice languid yet sharp as a ruler.

"The top-tier combatant sent by Hidden Leaf is actually a twelve-year-old boy."

Terumi Mei stood up, placing her hands on the table. "However, I heard that two squadrons of remnants of the Old Blood Mist were wiped out over in the canyon without even sending out a distress signal."

Naruto walked to the desk, pulled out a chair, sat down with a swagger, and leaned back against the chair.

They're blocking my way.

Naruto stared directly into Terumi Mei's eyes, a predatory smile playing on his lips. "Now, tell me what price you're willing to pay for me to clean up the rest of the mess."

A strange light flashed in Terumi Mei's eyes.

At the same time, the system's mechanical voice suddenly exploded in Naruto's mind.

[High-potential female target of Super S-rank detected: Terumi Mei (Fifth Mizukage).]

[Target's current state: A ruler besieged on all sides.]

[Triggering the core conquest quest: The Water Country's Absolute Submission. Quest Reward:???]

Naruto's smile deepened.

The hunt in the Water Country has officially begun.