"...Huff...huff..."
They had made it up. Tenma and Kinryu were both panting. Climbing thousands of meters up a snowy cliff in one go, braving a blizzard strong enough to blow a grown adult away, had left them deeply exhausted despite their ninja physiques.
They had also been unable to use too much chakra along the way, leaving their palms almost frozen stiff and numb.
They sat in the snow, catching their breath and eating Soldier Pills to quickly restore their strength.
"Looks like we should start practicing climbing mountains without chakra, just like ordinary people."
Kinryu cracked a dry joke.
Tenma did not respond. He merely shot him a glare, telling him to quiet down and recover his spent strength as quickly as possible.
The extreme cold, fierce winds, and heavy snow had taken a serious toll on their stamina.
Ten minutes later, they finished resting and rose from the snow.
They were on a tiny platform. Not far ahead stood a white wall a hundred meters high, stretching out of sight in either direction and rising at a right angle from the snow.
Like an impassable natural barrier, it stood before them and blocked their path.
"Judging by the layout, this should be the palace's middle section... Impressive. They actually built such a magnificent palace in a place like this."
Kinryu sighed in admiration.
"Cut the chatter. We don't know whether anyone patrols this place. We need to move quickly."
Tenma walked up to the white wall and stopped without touching it.
He knew a sensory barrier had to be attached to a wall like this.
Without special measures, touching it carelessly would trigger the palace's alarm system.
Konoha had barriers like these too, widely used in many fields.
Footsteps sounded beside him as Kinryu approached.
Tenma turned and