Beside a brightly burning bonfire, several people sat around it.
"So, you mean you accepted Old Man Kahiko's mission to help him return Nerugui to his homeland?" Naruto asked with surprise after listening to Shikamaru and the others' explanation.
"Then how did you all fall from up there?"
As he spoke, Naruto couldn't help but look up at the towering canyon walls. Luckily, they were ninja; otherwise, from that height…
"We had almost reached the mission destination," Shikamaru sighed, clearly still resentful about the cause of their predicament. "Unexpectedly, we came across a destroyed village."
"Because it was in the Land of Fire, we got curious and went to take a look, and ended up being attacked."
"The same group that destroyed the village?" Naruto asked.
"Should be," Shikamaru nodded. "I don't think any underground organization would be bored enough to go sightseeing in a ruined village."
"Young man, I'm so sorry, but tonight's dinner is off," Kahiko said with a sigh, emerging from a nearby tent.
"It doesn't matter." Naruto tilted his head slightly, observing the pale, long-haired young man resting inside through the gap in the tent flap.
"He alone took care of the three of you?"
This fellow had fallen from above, just like Shikamaru and the others, though his luck seemed a bit worse than theirs.
"How could that be! He was just one of them; there were many other burly, strange men assisting him," Sakura retorted.
"Of course, his strength was the greatest among them."
"The techniques he used were very bizarre; they didn't seem to be ninjutsu released through chakra," Shikamaru added, also looking at the unconscious young man.
"A different energy system?" Naruto's expression flickered.
Ever since witnessing the Dragon Vein energy, he understood that this world definitely had more than just chakra as an energy system.
From what he knew, chakra didn't even seem to be this world's native energy system but rather something that had suddenly appeared around the time of the Sage of Six Paths.
"How does it compare to chakra?" Naruto asked.
"It seems more powerful," Shikamaru said uncertainly. "Of course, it might also be an illusion because we were too weak."
"Possible," Naruto nodded in agreement.
Sakura and Neji: "…"
You might be strong, but aren't you afraid of getting beaten up for talking like that?
For chakra to become the mainstream energy system in this world, it must possess unique advantages compared to other energy systems.
If the energy system that man used was truly more powerful than chakra, there were two possibilities:
One, the power difference between Shikamaru's group and that man was too great, leading to them being crushed and feeling that the opponent's energy was stronger.
Two, the energy system the opponent used was genuinely more powerful than chakra.
Between the two, Naruto still felt the first guess was more reliable.
Human instinct is to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages.
If another energy system were more powerful, perhaps the mainstream energy system today wouldn't be chakra, because people would choose what was more beneficial to them.
"His energy… it seems to be extracted and used from that stone," Neji said uncertainly.
Compared to Sakura and Shikamaru, he, with his Byakugan, could see more.
Following his pointed finger, everyone saw the round green stone on the young man's chest.
"Nerugui, where are you going?" Suddenly, Kahiko, who was beside them, exclaimed in surprise.
The four looked over and saw the ferret, which had been perched on his shoulder, uncharacteristically run into the tent, jump onto the unconscious young man, and sniff at him.
"Grandpa, didn't you say Nerugui is very particular about people?" Kahiko's granddaughter looked at this scene, her expression somewhat dazed.
She had tried for so many years, and Nerugui's attitude towards her had only shifted from previous hostility to current indifference.
She wouldn't even dare to dream of Nerugui perching on her shoulder now.
Her grandfather had also said that if one day she gained Nerugui's approval, that would be the day she inherited his position and became the leader of this merchant caravan.
"This… this… this…" Kahiko was also astonished by the scene.
Nerugui was a pet raised by their ancestors, the royal family. Logically, apart from their clan, Nerugui shouldn't get close to outsiders…
Oh, I almost forgot, there's Naruto, the exception…
Could this guy also be someone like Naruto?
But he doesn't look like it?
Back then, when Nerugui saw Naruto, it had only prompted Kahiko to get closer to Naruto; it hadn't pounced on him like this.
"This isn't fair!" Sakura said indignantly, looking at the scene.
Seeing the scratch marks on her face, Naruto had a sudden realization.
Presumably, some unpleasant incidents occurred while the three of them were escorting Nerugui to Old Man Kahiko's homeland.
"Where are you going?" Shikamaru asked curiously, seeing him stand up.
"An energy system beyond chakra… to be honest, I'm quite intrigued," Naruto said.
Walking over to the young man, Nerugui's two small red eyes looked at him quizzically.
"I mean no harm." Naruto patted its small head, then lightly tapped his left index finger on the green round stone on the young man's chest.
Hmm?
This life force?!
Sensing the life energy within the round stone, Naruto was inwardly shocked.
As his body continued to develop, the amount of chakra he could hold grew larger and larger, and he had already vaguely touched the threshold of Yang Release.
He had developed a hazy perception of his own life energy and that of those around him.
If his life energy was a hundred, then Shikamaru's was two, Neji's was three, and Sakura's was one point five.
And this small stone contained a full five units of life energy.
Although the intensity of life energy didn't necessarily represent a person's strength…
If a person's life energy reached a certain level, their strength would definitely not be too weak.
"What is it?" Shikamaru asked, walking to his side.
"This stone…" Naruto said slowly, "is a treasure."
Shikamaru: "…"
Even if you didn't say it, I could see this thing is a treasure.
As the two conversed, the reclining young man suddenly opened his eyes. Recognizing Shikamaru's face, he used his left hand as a pillar and aimed a sweeping kick at both of them.
"What a reckless waste of a heavenly gift," Naruto couldn't help but say, seeing him simply attach the life energy for use.
"Shadow Imitation Technique!"
The shadow beneath Shikamaru suddenly elongated, connecting their shadows, and the mysterious young man instantly froze in place.
"If we wanted to harm you, we would have done so when you were unconscious," Shikamaru said, then released the Shadow Imitation Technique binding him.
The young man fell back onto the bedding, seemingly aggravating his injuries, his face paling.
Looking at the two of them, he made no further moves, apparently understanding his situation.
"What is the stone on your chest?" Naruto asked, pointing to the green round stone.
The mysterious young man looked at him as if he were an idiot.
"If you tell me the origin of this thing, I can teach you some techniques for using life energy," Naruto said, a faint green energy coalescing in his hand.
Life energy, to put it bluntly, was just a type of Yang Release energy.
He couldn't play around with full-fledged Yang Release yet, but handling a bit of life energy was no problem.
"Who are you people?" The mysterious young man's expression changed upon seeing this; he hadn't sensed the power of the Stone of Gelel from this person.
"Firstly, I asked you first; secondly, you are not in a position to take the initiative right now, only to be subjected to it," Naruto said, wagging a finger.
"I can tell you the origin of the Stone of Gelel, but you must also tell me why you can use the Stone of Gelel's energy," the mysterious young man said.
"Hmm… Alright." Naruto pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly.
"The Stone of Gelel was bestowed upon us by Lord Haido," the mysterious young man finished, then looked intently at Naruto, awaiting his answer.
"No, what I want to know is, where did you people dig up this kind of stone?" Naruto scratched his head slightly.
"Lord Haido gave it to us. I don't know where its source is," the mysterious young man shook his head.
"Where is that Lord Haido?" Naruto asked.
"That's the second question," the mysterious young man stated.
"…" Naruto raised an eyebrow, then lifted his right hand, which was enveloped in life energy. "This is life energy, not the energy of your so-called Stone of Gelel."
"As for why I can use it, you'll understand when your strength reaches a certain level."
"You're very strong?" the mysterious young man asked with surprise.
"Should be quite strong," Naruto said uncertainly.
The waters of the ninja world run too deep. On the surface, the Five Kage are the strongest, but who knows if some old schemer is hiding behind the scenes, manipulating the ninja world.
"My name is Temujin. I can take you to see Lord Haido. The establishment of the Ideal Nation may require your strength," the mysterious young man, Temujin, said.
"Ideal Nation?"
"Simply put, a world without conflict, where no one is bullied," Temujin explained.
Naruto was taken aback. He hadn't expected to run into a fellow traveler on a similar path.
But isn't this fellow traveler's ambition a bit too grand?
This kind of unrealistic dream… it made him sense a whiff of something else… ambition…