The moment the small armored man lunged forward, Naruto met him head-on with a kunai.
After all his recent training, Naruto's taijutsu had improved quite a bit. At this point, his exchange with the armored man was evenly matched, blow for blow.
Finally, with the aid of his numerous Shadow Clones, Naruto gained the upper hand and prepared to end the battle with a Rasengan.
But the small armored man wasn't backing down either. He raised his right hand with a sharp motion.
Clang!
The short sword in his hand, barely over a foot long before, suddenly extended to two or three times its original length!
As he swung, he shouted loudly:
"Thunderstrike!"
Fwoooosh!!!
Centered on his body, an invisible wave of energy burst out violently. At the same time, a sharp surge of sword aura exploded from his blade!
That sword aura clashed directly with the Rasengan in Naruto's hand!
Bzzz—
The collision of chakra and energy reached a strange, delicate equilibrium.
The two forces pressed against each other, locked in a dead heat for two or three full seconds.
And then—
BOOOOM!!!
The balance shattered, and the violent explosion tore through the entire mountainside!
Even Sai and Shinju, who were watching from the side, felt the ground tremble beneath their feet.
"It feels like this place is about to collapse," Sai warned, realizing something was wrong.
The next moment—
RUMBLE!
The ground beneath them gave way entirely, collapsing into the depths below!
Shinju and the others plunged into the ravine!
A strong sense of weightlessness hit them instantly.
Sai instinctively tried to pull out his scrolls to summon something for support, but mid-fall, there was no way he could manage a proper drawing.
The sudden situation caught Shinju off guard too—but he recovered quickly.
First, he grabbed Sai nearby to steady him.
Then, forming a rapid series of hand seals, Shinju used Ice Release to create a long, wide slide of solid ice stretching straight to the ravine's bottom!
...
At the bottom of the ravine—
A merchant caravan was making its way along the narrow mountain path.
On one of the carriages, a girl of about fifteen or sixteen asked the old man beside her,
"Grandpa, do you really think the Konoha shinobi can bring Nerugui back?"
The old man shook his head. "I don't know… but Nerugui is very important to us."
"I set the mission handover location near our old home," he continued. "We'll wait here for a few days. Maybe those shinobi will bring Nerugui back to us… who knows, maybe he'll even fall out of the sky."
The words had barely left his lips when, ahead of the caravan, an enormous icy slide suddenly appeared out of nowhere!
Several figures came sliding down from above at great speed!
The old man's gaze instantly locked on the snow ferret cradled in Sai's arms.
"Nerugui! Nerugui has actually come back!"
His voice trembled with excitement.
Shinju descended the ice slide and noticed the large caravan blocking the narrow path.
Realizing his Ice Release was in the way, he gave an apologetic nod before dispelling it with a wave of his hand.
Then, he walked over to Naruto.
During the earlier clash of techniques, both Naruto and the armored man had lost consciousness.
Just then, an old voice sounded behind Shinju.
"You must be the shinobi from Konoha, yes?"
Shinju answered casually, "That's right."
With their forehead protectors on display, it wasn't strange that ordinary people could recognize them.
"Your mission was to find the snow ferret, correct? In fact, I'm the one who issued that request. That snow ferret belongs to me," the old man said.
Shinju finally turned around to take a proper look at the old man.
He was dressed like a merchant, so Shinju asked, "What's your name?"
"Kahiko," the old man replied.
Shinju nodded and gestured to Sai, signaling him to complete the mission handover.
"He's the client for this mission."
Sai released his hold, and the snow ferret leapt from his arms.
Surprisingly, the little creature didn't run to Kahiko but instead darted straight toward the unconscious armored man lying on the ground.
Kahiko's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
"Nerugui has never shown any interest in anyone outside the caravan… why would it approach this boy on its own?"
After that, Kahiko decided to give Shinju's group a ride in the caravan, and Shinju didn't refuse.
Along the way, Kahiko began talking about his clan's history.
"A hundred years ago, our clan once thrived. Our ancestors discovered a mysterious kind of stone… and with its power, they built a nation."
"But as the nation prospered, the branches of the clan began fighting over the stone's power, and war broke out."
"In the end, endless battles destroyed the country. Each branch had to find its own path for survival."
"Some integrated into the major nations. Some sailed across the seas, beyond this continent."
"And those who remained… became what we are now—wandering merchants, living wherever the seasons take us."
As he spoke, Kahiko gently stroked Nerugui's fur.
"Nerugui here," he continued, "once lived in the royal palace of our ancestors. To be honest, he's older than me. He's living proof of the kingdom that once existed."
Shinju chuckled at the old man's claim.
He'd heard of long-lived animals before, sure, but a snow ferret surviving for over a hundred years? That seemed… unlikely.
"Don't doubt me," Kahiko said, catching Shinju's skeptical look. "Everything I've told you is true."
Just as Kahiko finished speaking, Nerugui suddenly leapt out of his arms and darted into one of the rear carriages.
Inside that carriage lay the unconscious armored man.
To treat his injuries, the caravan members had removed his armor, revealing the young face beneath it.
He looked to be sixteen or seventeen, with short blond hair.
Given that this guy had suddenly attacked them earlier, Shinju had originally planned to finish him off while he was down—but Kahiko stopped him.
The old man's reasoning was simple: "Nerugui never gets close to strangers. If it likes this boy, then perhaps he and I share some kind of bloodline connection."
Seeing the snow ferret curl up beside the mysterious youth, Kahiko frowned in confusion.
"Nerugui's been with me for years, yet I've never seen him this close to anyone outside the caravan."
Just then, movement came from the carriage behind them.
Before long, the young man—now stripped of his armor—walked out.
His gaze fell first on Naruto, and he asked directly, "That power you used… what was it?"
Naruto turned to glare at him irritably.
"Why should I tell you anything?! Shouldn't you at least introduce yourself before questioning me? And besides, why the hell did you and your people attack us out of nowhere?! ╰_╯"
"My name is Temujin," the boy said. "I came from across the sea. My dream is to build a perfect nation… one without war."
"As for the earlier attack… that might have been a misunderstanding."
After explaining, Temujin persisted, "So, can you tell me now? What was that power you used?"
Shinju understood immediately.
If this guy came from another continent, it made sense that he didn't know about shinobi or chakra.
Did that mean the energy he used came from some other substance, similar to chakra but unique to his homeland?
"That's chakra," Naruto replied casually.
Temujin nodded, thoughtful for a moment. Then he suddenly looked straight at Naruto.
"Will you come with me? To build a perfect nation… I need power like yours."
Naruto shot him down instantly. "Not happening."
Disappointment flashed across Temujin's face, and he silently retreated back into the carriage.
A few seconds later, faint rustling sounds came from within—it seemed he was putting his armor back on.