The Land of Snow and the Land of Woods were separated by a mountain range called the Yokokuwa Mountains.
While this mountain range blocked all the cold air, it also brought warmth to the Land of Woods.
When Rengoku and the others were in the Land of Woods, the temperature wasn't very cold, around ten degrees Celsius.
But after crossing the mountain range and entering the Land of Snow, the temperature instantly dropped below freezing.
Shisui continued with his mission, so Rengoku's group was now down to five people.
Rengoku, Karin, Sasuke, Kimimaro, and Haku.
They were currently riding in a huge snow vehicle.
The snow vehicle bore both Konoha's leaf emblem and a scorpion insignia.
This was something Sasori had specially designed to sell to these polar regions.
The vehicle used both electricity and chakra as power sources and had a tracked design.
The cabin had two levels. The lower level contained the driver's compartment and a lounge.
The upper level could unfold on all sides into a huge terrace.
Heavy snow was falling from the sky.
Aside from Sasuke, who was downstairs in the driver's compartment driving, everyone else was playing on the terrace.
Among them, Kimimaro and Haku were completely unaffected by the cold.
Kimimaro specialized in taijutsu, so his resistance was already maxed out.
He could also form a membrane of bone beneath his skin, so his body heat simply didn't escape.
Even in a place like this, he was still wearing only a single layer of clothing.
But Haku, who also wasn't afraid of the cold, was wearing a somewhat old cotton coat.
It was clearly an old style, and it had become a little too small.
Yet Haku liked it very much.
Rengoku looked it over.
Before he left, Haku had worn this coat every year, and he was still wearing it now.
Rengoku remembered.
This was the coat Haku had been wearing when they first met.
Kimimaro asked quietly, "Why are you wearing this one again? It's already gotten a little small."
Haku turned to Kimimaro with a smile, "Because it gave me my first warmth."
Kimimaro's gaze seemed to pass through time, returning to the days when he first met Haku and the two of them depended on each other.
He stepped forward and straightened Haku's cotton coat.
"If you like it, we'll have it altered to make it bigger when we get back."
Haku smiled and nodded, "Okay."
Kimimaro turned to Rengoku, "Lord Rengoku, becoming your companions has made us all very happy."
Rengoku smiled and nodded.
He roughly guessed that Kimimaro and Haku were remembering when he had first brought them back to the clan.
Because Kimimaro's strength had improved quickly and because of the mark Orochimaru had placed on him, his Bond Star had reached three stars before Rengoku left.
Now...
Rengoku opened the Bond Star menu and checked on the children from the Uchiha Kindergarten.
Whether it was Kimimaro, Haku, Sasuke, Naruto, or Hotaru, all of them had reached four stars.
However, Shion, Hinata, and Ajisai were still only at three stars.
After looking carefully, Rengoku realized that reaching four stars required not only the relationship itself, but also a transformation in the person's own strength.
Although Hinata had worked hard over the years, her strength did have its limits.
Of course, these weren't the only four-star bonds. Rengoku was only using the children from the Uchiha Kindergarten as examples.
They were all people he had brought back to the clan, so their bonds with him were naturally deeper.
"Shishou, come quick! The grilled cartilage is ready!"
They had already set up a tent on the terrace to block the snow and lit a barbecue grill.
Karin had transformed into a barbecue master, grilling all kinds of meat until they sizzled.
Smiling, Rengoku walked over, picked up a skewer of grilled cartilage, and started eating.
Ever since Rengoku rescued her, Karin's only real hobby had been eating.
While Rengoku himself had been away and only a shadow clone had lain in the hospital bed for five years, Karin had never left the village.
Now that she had finally come out, she wanted to enjoy herself.
Since Rengoku trained with shadow clones, he wasn't in any hurry, so he simply let Karin do as she pleased.
Still, when Karin pulled this snow vehicle out of a storage scroll, it had startled him.
He had never expected Sasori to make something like this.
But after thinking about it, it wasn't strange.
After all, Hiruko was also a tracked puppet.
This snow vehicle was just an enlarged version, nothing particularly advanced.
It was also very easy to operate, practically foolproof.
With his Mangekyo Sharingan, Sasuke learned how to drive it in just two minutes.
He still hadn't lost interest in driving.
So Rengoku simply let him be the driver.
The "treasure" of the Land of Snow was a famous scenic spot called the Rainbow Ice Wall.
It got its name because the ice wall shimmered with seven-colored light in spring.
Of course, Rengoku hadn't forgotten the real reason they were here.
While eating skewers with Karin and the others, he was also sensing changes in the surrounding natural energy.
"Kimimaro, Haku, did you notice it?"
Looking into the distance, Rengoku took a sip of fruit juice and asked leisurely.
Kimimaro and Haku both looked in the direction Rengoku was staring.
"The natural energy has increased," Haku answered softly.
Kimimaro said nothing, but nodded in agreement.
A smile appeared on Rengoku's face, "Looks like we came to the right place."
"Karin, tell Sasuke to speed up. We found the right place."
"Got it!"
Holding several freshly grilled skewers, Karin opened the hatch leading downstairs and jumped down.
"Sasuke, Shishou says we found the right place, so speed up!"
"These are for you."
As she spoke, she set the tray beside Sasuke.
Sasuke skillfully shifted gears and accelerated.
Seeing the grilled skewers beside him, he drove while replying, "Thank you, Mistress. The rest of the route is basically flat, so I'll pick up the speed."
By now, Sasuke had grown used to calling her Shīmu. It no longer felt awkward.
And judging from the expression on his face, he genuinely enjoyed driving.
Karin giggled.
It had been so long since they had come out, and everyone seemed very happy.
———
While Uchiha Rengoku was searching for a place rich in natural energy, Kumogakure first sent a large number of scouts to reinforce reconnaissance along every route between Kumogakure and Konoha.
Meanwhile, its elite forces quietly boarded ships and headed for Ryugyoku Port, one of the three major ports on the northern coast of the Land of Water.
Every day, the port handled large numbers of merchant ships from many different countries.
It was one of the Land of Water's important ports for foreign trade.
Beside the port stood a huge watchtower.
The watchtower had been built for wartime surveillance.
Nowadays, it was generally used to observe the weather and sea conditions to ensure ships could safely enter Ryugyoku Port.
The top floor of the watchtower was the observation deck.
At its center stood a small ornament that looked like a fountain.
The little fountain normally sprayed water only about twenty centimeters high.
But now, as if the water pressure had suddenly increased, the jet began rising higher and higher.
Until it shot into the sky and burst overhead.
The Kirigakure ninja beside it froze for a moment before scrambling to his knees and slamming the nearby button, then roared,
"Enemy attack!!"
"Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo!"
As the piercing warning siren sounded, the enemy had already begun its attack.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two enormous Tailed Beast Balls skimmed across the sea toward Ryugyoku Port.
The port suddenly lit up.
Boom! Boom!
The two explosions erupted almost at the same time!
More than ten merchant ships were destroyed.
A huge amount of cargo was blasted into the air.
More than a hundred people were buried in the sea, hundreds more were injured, and the scene was in complete chaos.
Countless people cried out as they desperately fled Ryugyoku Port.
Against this kind of Tailed Beast Ball bombardment, ordinary people had no way to resist.
If you ran even a little too slowly, you would die on the spot.
But those two Tailed Beast Balls were only the beginning.
Less than half a minute later, more shrill whistles of Tailed Beast Balls flying over came from the sea.
Whoosh... Whoosh...
Then, even greater explosions began...
[🙇🏻 You Can Support the Story Through P@tr3on—AmbitiousTranslator. It also has 40+ Chapters of all the novels and fanfics. Thanks for reading~]