"Forget it."
Kimimaro withdrew his gaze, a flash of disappointment passing through his eyes.
He didn't even bother to do it himself, merely waving his hand with a sense of boredom.
"Take them all away!"
A group of security guards quickly stepped forward, arrested Sandayu and the others, and led them out of the tavern.
However, the group had barely taken a few steps outside the door.
"Stop!"
A sharp shout rang out.
Kakashi Hatake had finally finished the entry procedures and rushed back at full speed with New Team 7.
Seeing his client being arrested, Kakashi's figure flickered, and he instantly cut into the center of the battlefield.
He held a kunai in his hand, his dead-fish eyes wide open, and the three-tomoe Sharingan emitted a scarlet glow in the dim light.
"Who are you?"
"Why are you attacking them?"
Kakashi stared fixedly at the white-haired youth in front of him.
His intuition told him that this young man was extremely dangerous.
Although the other party didn't look very old, his white combat uniform was stained with fresh red blood, and a nauseating scent of blood rushed toward him.
"Sensei!"
Sakura, Sai, and Shin Uchiha, who were following close behind, rushed into the encirclement.
They drew their weapons and formed a standoff with the surrounding security guards.
Facing the pressure of a Konoha jonin, Kimimaro didn't even frown.
He merely raised his hand calmly.
A sharp bone spur pierced out from his palm, pointing directly at Kakashi.
"This person is suspected of inciting rebellion and has seriously violated the public security management laws."
"I am carrying out my official duties."
"As for you…"
Kimimaro's eyes turned cold, and his killing intent erupted instantly.
"Illegally intruding into a law enforcement scene while carrying weapons—are you trying to declare war on us?"
Kakashi frowned tightly.
This group of people in front of him was well-disciplined and wore fine armor; they were definitely not ordinary rogue ninjas.
Moreover, the pathetic state of Sandayu filled him with doubts.
But…
"He is the target of our mission protection."
"I cannot let you take him away until he is released from the contract."
Kakashi said in a deep voice.
"Those who obstruct law enforcement are to be executed without mercy."
Kimimaro had no habit of wasting words.
In his logic, aside from Lord Naruto, anyone who obstructed him was an enemy.
Boom!
The ground beneath Kimimaro's feet shattered instantly, and he launched himself toward Kakashi like a cannonball.
"So fast!"
Kakashi's pupils constricted, and he instantly blocked with the kunai in his hand.
Clang!
The bone spur and kunai collided instantly, emitting a metallic ringing sound.
The immense force made Kakashi's hand go numb.
He was surprised to discover that the other party's bones were actually harder than steel!
"This is… Shikotsumyaku?"
"A kekkei genkai from the Hidden Mist?"
Kakashi was forced to retreat, his hands moving with blurred speed to form seals.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Beast Tracking Fang!"
Lightning converged, and a beast made of lightning roared as it charged toward Kimimaro.
Kimimaro did not dodge or evade.
A layer of pale white bone membrane suddenly appeared beneath his skin.
The lightning struck the bone membrane, leaving only a few scorched marks; it was unable to penetrate the defense at all.
"This kind of defensive power…"
Just as the situation was about to spiral out of control and Team 7 was preparing to fight to the death.
"Stop, Kimimaro."
A slightly helpless female voice suddenly rang out.
The bone spear that Kimimaro was about to thrust was forcibly stopped, just a few centimeters from Kakashi's throat.
He didn't look back, merely coldly withdrawing the bone spur, stepping back half a pace, and returning to his usual demeanor.
Kakashi looked vigilantly in the direction the voice came from.
He saw a young girl with glasses and long, bright red hair leaning against the doorframe.
She pushed up her glasses, her gaze lingering on Kakashi and Sakura for a moment.
Her tone was somewhat complex.
"Long time no see, Mr. Kakashi, and… Sakura."
"It's you!?"
Sakura covered her mouth, exclaiming in shock.
"Karin!?"
She would never mistake her.
That girl from Kusagakure who had always followed behind Naruto during the Chunin Exams, acting timid and subservient.
But now, she was wearing a sharp, professional uniform, exuding confidence and composure from head to toe.
She was a completely different person from the pushover image she had before.
"Karin… you are here…"
Sakura's voice trembled slightly.
"Does that mean… the rumor is true?"
"The leader here… is Naruto?"
Karin didn't answer directly.
She walked to the center and cast a disdainful glance at Sandayu on the ground.
"This is the person you want to protect?"
"Are you going to start a war with us for a fool who wants to restore the old regime and has absolutely no brain?"
Kakashi put away his kunai and pulled down his forehead protector to cover his Sharingan.
"We are just carrying out a mission."
"However… since we've run into an acquaintance, I think we need to talk."
"Perfect."
Karin turned around and made a gesture of invitation.
"Lord Naruto has long since sensed your chakra."
"He is waiting for you all at the Daimyo's Mansion."
"Whether it's catching up or negotiating… whatever you have to say, tell him in person."
The snow continued to fall in the Land of Snow.
But for Team 7, who were on their way to the Daimyo's Mansion, their hearts were inevitably complex.
Along the way, they saw factories still in operation, neatly organized security squads, and civilians with light in their eyes.
"Is all of this… Naruto's doing?"
Sakura looked at all of this, feeling that the boy she once knew was becoming more and more unreachable.
"Captain, that guy named Kimimaro…"
Sai lowered his voice, a rare look of gravity on his face.
"In that instant just now, if we had really fought, I wouldn't have been sure I could survive."
Kakashi remained silent.
He recalled the moment they had clashed just now.
That life-or-death fighting style, that impenetrable defense…
Where on earth did Naruto gather so many monsters?
Before long.
A magnificent palace appeared before them.
The former Daimyo's Mansion of Doto Kazahana had now become the center of power for the entire Northern Territory.
Pushing open the main doors, a warm current of air rushed toward them.
The spacious hall had no superfluous decorations, only a huge long table and the throne sitting high above.
Naruto, wearing a black trench coat, was sitting there, one hand supporting his cheek, watching them.
His eyes held only calmness.
"Welcome to the Land of Snow."
Naruto's lips curled into a smile, his voice echoing in the hall.
"Kakashi-sensei, and Sakura."
Sakura looked at that familiar yet strange figure, tears welling up in her eyes uncontrollably.
A thousand words were stuck in her throat.
In the end, they only transformed into a tearful question.
"Naruto, are you really… not planning to come back?"
Naruto did not answer.
He walked down the steps, step by step, finally stopping in front of Kakashi, his eyes playful.
"Go back?"
"Back to that village on the verge of collapse?"
Ever since Naruto had caused such a ruckus, that once-strongest ninja village had long since become weak and dilapidated.
The Third Hokage had intended to abdicate to Tsunade, but Tsunade had been lured away by Naruto, and Jiraiya had disappeared without a trace.
Ultimately, under pressure from the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, power in Konoha was forcibly divided into three.
It was governed by a council consisting of Hiruzen Sarutobi and two former high-level advisors: Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane.
Bloated institutions, low efficiency, and depleted funds were causing Konoha to accelerate its decay in the mire of the old era.
And the culprit behind it all was this smiling blond youth before them.
Naruto spread his arms, displaying everything around him.
"Look at this, Kakashi-sensei."
"This is the future."
"And you…"
Naruto looked at the few people in front of him.
"Are merely remnants of the old era."