Unmei's small body was curled up in his arms, like a small, exhausted beast, her head resting weakly against his chest, her breathing faint and rapid.
"So—so sleepy—"
"I need to sleep, I'm too tired—"
"Take me to Kotetsu Castle—"
She seemed to be mumbling something unconsciously, her voice as thin as a mosquito's, inaudible, but her tightly furrowed brows and slightly trembling eyelashes spoke of extreme discomfort and pain.
"Looks like she's burned out—"
Naruto looked at Unmei, who was in a semi-comatose state in his arms, his brows slightly furrowed, yet he couldn't help but smile.
"Let's go back to Kotetsu Castle."
"But—before we go back—"
Naruto carefully lifted Unmei into a princess carry, then leaped onto the roof of the boiler room, gazing at the burning Shouxian Metal Station.
"Shadow Clones, don't hold back! Eliminate the Kabane in Shouxian Metal Station as quickly as possible!"
Naruto used the modified Mind Body Switch Technique to make his voice echo in the minds of all his Shadow Clones.
Actually, when he was sparring with Unmei just now, Naruto not only barely made a move, but he also had the nearby Shadow Clones stay away from the area. Otherwise, Unmei wouldn't have even been able to win against Naruto, she might not have even had any Kabane to kill.
Naruto wasn't just going easy; he was practically letting her win by a mile!
Instantly, the Shadow Clones' speed in killing Kabane accelerated.
Each Shadow Clone was like an orange torrent, sweeping through the burning Shouxian Metal Station with overwhelming, unstoppable force.
It was clearly a hellish apocalyptic scene, with the inhuman roars of Kabane echoing everywhere, but after a short while, the sounds of Kabane grew fewer and fainter, leaving only the crackling of flames burning wood and the rumbling of collapsing houses.
Even with Unmei's strength, she could kill seventy or eighty Kabane in an average of 100 seconds, let alone a Shadow Clone whose strength was comparable to a Jonin; killing three in 1 second, or three hundred in 100 seconds, was a piece of cake.
A thousand Shadow Clones, going all out, could kill hundreds of thousands of Kabane in 100 seconds!
How many people were there in Shouxian Metal Station in total?
Not even enough for Naruto's Shadow Clones to kill!
After a short while, Shouxian Metal Station had become eerily quiet.
Naruto retracted the Chakra tendrils of his Sage Cloak, dispelled his Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, and closed his eyes slightly, feeling the life force he had absorbed.
The life force of a single Kabane was negligible, almost imperceptible.
But the life force of one hundred thousand Kabane became extremely astonishing, even majestic and profound!
"Hmm—if I measure life force in units of lifespan, I've probably gained ten thousand years of lifespan. My total lifespan is now forty thousand years."
Naruto opened his eyes, and a light flickered in his azure eyes.
As a perfect life form, he completely controlled all the cells in his body, so he knew how much lifespan he had.
Forty thousand years of lifespan!
That was already four times that of Kibutsuji Muzan.
If Kibutsuji Muzan had forty thousand years of lifespan, even if he was afflicted by Miss Tamayo's terrifying poison, he probably wouldn't have aged and weakened, and the outcome of the final battle in Infinity Castle would likely have been completely rewritten.
[Side Quest "Burning Night" Completed]
[Quest Reward: Gained 20 experience points, gained 3 exchange coupons, gained Steam (Green) * 1]
Naruto, standing on the roof of the boiler room, was slightly stunned when he saw the pop-up window suddenly appear before his eyes.
"This—I remember the 'Burning Night' quest was to survive one night in Shouxian Metal Station, right? Why did it settle early?"
"Oh, right, all the Kabane in Shouxian Metal Station have been killed by me, so surviving one night has no difficulty at all. It just directly counts as completed for me."
"It's just that—20 experience points is truly pitifully small; my experience bar for leveling up barely moved."
Naruto looked at his experience bar, feeling a bit desperate.
20 experience points.
Less than a mosquito's leg.
If it weren't for the fact that Kabane could provide human life force, Naruto wouldn't bother staying in this Black Iron-level Underground City.
"Speaking of which, it's too troublesome to always use the Sage Cloak to connect with the Shadow Clones, making me look like a moving golden octopus.
I need to think of another way to store life force."
"Ultimately, Shadow Clones cannot directly feedback life force after being dispelled. If that's the case, I don't need to dispel the Shadow Clones directly."
"I can have them store the life force within their bodies, then return to me, and after I absorb all the life force, then dispel them!"
Naruto's eyes lit up, and he once again performed the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, summoning a thousand Shadow Clones.
And he instructed them on the relevant matters.
He had them break into smaller groups, radiating out from Shouxian Metal Station in all directions across this Far Eastern island nation.
Of course, the railway tracks along the Kotetsu Castle's route were also a priority for clearing!
Naruto remembered he had a mission to escort the Kotetsu Castle to Kongoukaku.
If all the Kabane along the railway line were eliminated in advance, how could the Kotetsu Castle still encounter danger?
It would be hard to even find danger!
"It's time to go back."
After seeing his Shadow Clones disperse, Naruto, carrying Unmei, quickly weaved through the ruins, rushing towards the direction where the Kotetsu Castle was temporarily docked.
Returning to the brightly lit Kotetsu Castle carriage, filled with the smell of steam and oil, Naruto, carrying the unconscious Unmei, went directly to Ayame, who was directing inspections.
"Miss Ayame, please give me a quiet place to rest; I need a private room." Naruto made his request without hesitation.
On the Kotetsu Castle, there was no doubt that space was scarce and precious, accommodating many survivors and supplies. Everyone slept crammed together; probably only Ayame had a private carriage to sleep in.
But Naruto felt that asking for a private room was not too much.
With his Shadow Clones clearing Kabane along the route, the Kotetsu Castle would be safe all the way, without any casualties.
What was this request compared to that?
Ayame was also greatly startled when she saw Unmei, pale and unconscious, in Naruto's arms: "Miss Unmei?! What happened to her?"
She immediately realized the urgency of the situation, didn't ask further, and quickly called Shizune: "Shizune! Quick! Tidy up that small storage room next to mine and lay out clean bedding! Hurry!"
Shizune was also startled by Unmei's appearance and quickly responded, running off.
Ayame personally led Naruto to a relatively secluded small compartment, which was used to store some supplies but had been temporarily cleared out.
Naruto carefully laid Unmei down on the soft, prepared bedding.
"She—she seems to be suffering from severe exhaustion," Ayame said, looking at Unmei with concern. "Does she need a doctor? Or did she say she needs anything special?"
Ayame had clearly vaguely sensed the special nature of Unmei's identity.
Earlier in the day, her father, the head of the Yotsukawa family, had received her.
Moreover, surviving in Shouxian Metal Station, which was full of Kabane, was inherently very unusual.
Naruto shook his head: "No need for a doctor, she just needs a good rest."