Konoha: Gu Master

The Land of Snow, Mineshaft.

Koyuki Kazahana tightened the scarf around her neck.

Despite this, the biting cold still seeped into her bones.

Outside, snow whirled through the air, carried by howling winds.

"I want to leave!"

Koyuki stared at the lively chatter of Sandayū Asama and the others, unable to suppress her frustration any longer.

"Princess, you cannot leave," Sandayū hastily responded.

"Do you want me to stay here and die with you all?" Koyuki asked bluntly, "How are you even planning to overthrow Doto Kazahana?"

Returning to the Land of Snow had stirred her deeply ingrained fear of Doto once more.

"Princess, rest assured!"

Sandayū pounded his chest confidently, "Even if it costs our lives, we'll take him down!"

"And how exactly do you plan to risk your lives?"

Koyuki rolled her eyes, "Doto has a large number of subordinates, not to mention their specialized ninja tools."

In the original timeline, Sandayū had led a futile charge with his group, only to be swiftly and utterly defeated, with every one of them perishing in vain.

"We have the ninja from Konoha!"

Sandayū gestured toward Kakashi Hatake and his team.

"There are only four of them," Koyuki countered.

"Four are more than enough," Sasuke Uchiha said calmly. "Once we've rested, we'll head straight to the palace."

"Straight to the palace? Are you all insane?" Koyuki was stunned. "Do you have no plan at all?"

"There's no need for elaborate plans," Kakashi said matter-of-factly, shifting his gaze back from the train in the mineshaft.

As for Doto Kazahana, Kakashi had no doubt he would be no match for the Mangekyō Sharingan or a Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails.

If Doto truly possessed such strength, he wouldn't be hiding in this frigid northern land as a mere daimyo. He'd have long since made a name for himself on the larger stage of the ninja world.

The Land of Snow, situated in the farthest reaches of the northernmost territories, was among the most remote nations in the ninja world.

"Exactly!" Naruto Uzumaki clenched his fists. "That Doto guy—just watch, I'll take him down with one punch!"

"..."

Koyuki felt like she had boarded a ship helmed by madmen.

She hesitated, wanting to argue further, but Sasuke's gaze remained fixed on her.

It was as if the slightest attempt to flee would result in him subduing her again with the Sharingan.

"Couldn't you at least reconsider?" Koyuki made one last attempt. "Doto truly has many ninja under his command."

"The number of opponents is irrelevant," Kakashi replied, shaking his head.

Koyuki was at a loss for words and fell into silence.

"Princess, just trust us!" Sandayū continued to plead earnestly.

"You'll stay outside the palace and provide backup," Kakashi interrupted, cutting off Sandayū's fervent declaration of loyalty.

"Huh?"

Sandayū was stunned. "We're not going in?"

"..."

Kakashi resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

Do you really not know why you're being kept out of this fight?

In that moment, he almost felt pity for Koyuki.

"We leave in an hour," Kakashi said, unwilling to waste time explaining further.

He was here to complete a mission, one ordered by Shinho.

Koyuki sat by the fire, still pale with fear despite the confident demeanor of Kakashi and his team.

At this point, even if she wanted to run, escape wasn't an option, as Sasuke stood guard at the entrance to the mineshaft.

Time passed quickly.

The group departed from the mineshaft, making their way toward the palace of the Land of Snow.

…

Half an hour later, Koyuki took a deep breath, her complexion pale as if she were ill.

Staring at the familiar yet oppressive palace, memories of that nightmarish day resurfaced in her mind ividly.

At that moment, a sharp whirring sound pierced the air.

Everyone looked up to see an airship hovering in the sky.

Kakashi instinctively activated his Sharingan, only to discover the ship wasn't powered by chakra.

What kind of mechanism is this?

Just like the train they'd seen earlier, it was powered by something beyond his understanding.

"He's here!"

Koyuki trembled as she spoke.

The palace gates creaked open, and Doto Kazahana and his entourage strode out in formation.

Kakashi's eyes swept over the group. There were nearly a hundred ninja.

The Land of Snow didn't have a ninja village, so its ninja served directly under the daimyo or king.

"My dear niece," Doto said with a sinister smile, "welcome home. I've been searching for you for so long, and here you are, delivering yourself to me."

Koyuki remained silent, but the fear etched on her face deepened.

She knew exactly what Doto was after.

Her hand instinctively clutched the hexagonal crystal hanging around her neck. A keepsake from her father, Kazahana Sōsetsu, who had told her it could unlock the treasure of the Land of Snow.

"Hand over the hexagonal crystal, and I might spare your life," Doto said, raising his hand.

At his signal, the ninja around him closed in, surrounding them completely.

Koyuki stumbled back in terror.

This is it—this time, I'm really done for.

"Move," Kakashi ordered nonchalantly, "Karin, protect the client."

Lightning flickered.

Sasuke shot forward like a cannonball.

In the next instant, agonized screams filled the air.

Bolts of lightning radiated outward from Sasuke, felling dozens of ninja in mere seconds.

Koyuki hadn't even registered what was happening.

"Leaf Hurricane!"

Naruto spun, his right leg sweeping across and sending three ninja flying.

He moved with wild abandon, his taijutsu unleashed in full force, fighting with evident enjoyment. It was a very refreshing fight for him.

Among his friends, Sasuke's combination of long-range ninjutsu and genjutsu was the most frustrating for him to deal with.

By contrast, sparring with Shinho was far more enjoyable, as it was just raw hand-to-hand combat.

Kakashi glanced up at the airship.

He could have taken it down with Chidori, but Shinho's orders were clear: the airship had to remain intact, so a more strategic approach was necessary.

Earth Style: Mud Wall!

Kakashi formed hand seals, creating a stone wall in front of him.

He leaped onto it, using it as a springboard to vault toward the airship.

Without a flying jutsu, this was his best option.

"Useless fools!"

Doto, furious at the sight of his forces being decimated, tore off his coat, revealing his chakra-powered armor.

Ice Style: Black Dragon Blizzard!

Chakra surged in massive quantities.

A dragon formed of ice and snow roared to life, surging forward with tremendous force.

Its target was none other than Koyuki.

The overwhelming pressure left her paralyzed with fear, and she collapsed to the ground, feeling the icy dragon of death closing in.

A piercing chirping sound broke through the chaos.

Chidori!

The lightning spear formed by Sasuke Uchiha pierced through the dragon's head, pinning it to the ground.

Adamantine Sealing Chains!

Karin scoffed softly as golden chains shot forth.

"Pathetic little tricks!"

Doto Kazahana sneered arrogantly, standing his ground without attempting to dodge.

His chakra armor wasn't just highly durable, no, it could absorb chakra as well. No ninjutsu could work on him.

However, when the chains coiled around him, he realized with shock that the armor had stopped working.

"What... what kind of jutsu is this?!"

Doto struggled instinctively, but it was futile.

Sasuke rushed forward with swift precision.

His Lightning-Flame Sword arced through the air, cleaving down toward Doto's head.

Blood sprayed forth.

Doto Kazahana fell lifeless to the snowy ground.

"That's it?" Sasuke muttered, feeling scammed.

He glanced at Koyuki, his expression filled with disdain.

Didn't you say he was supposed to be powerful?

"..."

Koyuki sat frozen in the snow, staring blankly at the scene before her.

It had been so absurdly simple that it felt like a dream.

The man she had feared for years had been eliminated in under three minutes.

The sheer disbelief made it hard for her to accept.

Kakashi descended from the sky, landing gracefully on the ground.

He had already subdued the ninja aboard the airship using his Sharingan.

"Well done," Kakashi said as he approached Doto's corpse.

Crouching down, he examined the chakra armor.

After a moment, he raised his eyebrows in mild surprise.

The chakra armor was indeed impressive. Against ordinary ninja, its defense and chakra-absorbing capabilities would give a significant advantage.

But unfortunately for Doto, it was no match for the Adamantine Sealing Chains, which could even bind Tailed Beasts.

"Sandayū," Kakashi said as he stood, "Now we can discuss the specifics of the agreement."

…

Back in Konoha, Shinho and the others had returned.

"Wow!"

Fū marveled at the bustling village, her eyes lighting up. "This is so much livelier than Takigakure!"

"Thank you for your haed work, everyone. I'll have someone write up the mission report. You can all take the rest of the day off," Shinho said, waving his hand dismissively.

Yamato and the others didn't linger, and promptly left.

Hinata, however, hesitated for a moment, reluctant to leave.

But, when Shinho gave her a meaningful glance, she understood and headed toward the Hyūga compound without further delay.

"So, where should I go?"

Fū snapped back to attention, brimming with curiosity.

"You like making friends, right? I know just the place for you," Shinho replied thoughtfully, "The Ninja Academy."

Although he wasn't sure of Fū's exact age, she looked young—about the same as Hanabi.

"The Ninja Academy?"

Fū's eyes sparkled with excitement, "That's perfect! I've always wanted to go to school!"

Though Fū had been treated well in Takigakure, her status as a Jinchūriki meant she had always been heavily guarded and had never experienced something as ordinary as attending school.

"Great," Shinho said with a smile, "I'll introduce you to a friend there."

An idea popped into his head.

With Hanabi about to graduate, pairing her with Fū as a teammate seemed like an excellent plan.

As for Takigakure's leadership, they wouldn't object once Shinho united the ninja world.

…

Hokage's Office.

Shinho pushed open the door.

"You're back?" Shizune immediately stood to greet him.

"Did anything important happen in the past couple of days?" Shinho asked casually, picking up a cup from the desk and taking a sip.

Shizune hesitated—it was her cup.

But remembering their countless verbal sparring matches, she decided not to mind.

"Everything's been normal," Shizune said after a pause, then added, "Konoha Jewelry has completed a batch of samples. Do you want to see them?"

"That fast?" Shinho asked, surprised.

"The Hyūga and Uchiha clans were very proactive," Shizune explained with a smile, "Fire Style and Byakugan saved us a lot of time compared to traditional goldsmithing methods."

"Ah, that makes sense." Shinho waved dismissively, "You can handle it on your own judgement, I don't really need to see them."

He knew nothing about jewelry and saw no need to interfere.

"This is Fū, the Jinchūriki from Takigakure," Shinho introduced.

"Hello!"

Fū extended her hand enthusiastically. "Can we be friends?"

"...?"

Shizune froze for a moment, then shook Fū's hand.

A Jinchūriki with such a bubbly personality?

She found it astonishing.

"Shizune," Shinho said, picking up a document, "help her with enrollment at the Ninja Academy. Put her in the same class as Hanabi."

Shizune was taken aback.

Having a Jinchūriki attend school wasn't really an issue, but Fū was from Takigakure.

"She's a target of the Akatsuki," Shinho said with a smile, "The Akatsuki would never suspect that she's hiding in plain sight at a school."

Shizune paused, then realized it was a actually a clever move.

She glanced at Fū and asked, "Where will she stay?"

"With the Hyūga clan," Shinho replied, "Just inform Hiashi Hyūga, but don't mention that Fū is a Jinchūriki."

"Understood."

Shizune nodded. "Fū, come with me."

After the two left, Shinho let out a yawn.

Work could be so draining.

At that moment, two lines of text suddenly appeared before him:

..

[Achievement Unlocked: Koyuki Kazahana's "Uncle, Your Death Was Tragic" — Reward: Ten-Year Longevity Gu.]

[Ten-Year Longevity Gu: Rank 2 Gu. Consumable. Extends lifespan by a random amount between ten and ninety years.]

..

How bizarre.

Shinho's lips twitched.

The reward was excellent despite being Rank 2. Longevity Gu were incredibly valuable, an it's rarity was even comparable to Rank 5 Gu.

Still, the achievement name was undeniably absurd.

Shinho already had three longevity Gu: one ten-year Gu he'd given to Tsunade, and a hundred-year and thousand-year Gu he kept for himself.

Now that he had another ten-year Gu, he decided it was time to give Tsunade the Hero Water as well.

For the other candidates, Hinata seemed like the best choice.

Ino didn't need it, given her Yin Release powers from Idō and Mōryō.

Naruto Uzumaki, Karin, and Chihori didn't need it either, their Uzumaki lineage ensured near-limitless chakra.

Kakashi Hatake had the Dragon Vein, and Sasuke Uchiha had Satori.

Hinata, though, could benefit.

Although she had the Snow Fairy Gu, her chakra reserves weren't particularly large.

As for Shizune, while she was an option, her role as the Hokage's secretary meant she rarely fought, so it would be a waste.

..

[Achievement Unlocked: Koyuki Kazahana's "From an actor to a Queen" — Reward: Blue Sky Well Gu.]

[Blue Sky Well Gu: Rank 5 Gu. Refined from the Rank 4 Blue Sky Gu and Sky Well Gu. Possesses immense internal space, ideal for storage.]

..

Shinho's thoughts were interrupted by another notification.

The Blue Sky Well Gu was essentially a storage ring, a practical and straightforward tool.

Still, the name was hard to take seriously.

After waiting a bit longer, no additional achievements appeared.

This trip yielded only two achievements, but they were both worthwhile.

Now, all that remained was for Kakashi and Team 7 to bring back the advanced technology from the Land of Snow.

Truthfully, things like trains and airships weren't particularly useful for ninja due to their slow speeds compared to a ninja's sheer sprinting speed.

But for civilians, they were game-changers.

As the saying goes, "If you want to get rich, build roads first."

Improving basic infrastructure was the key to economic development.

Currently, the ninja world relied on horse-drawn carriages.

It took four or five days for the daimyo to travel by carriage from the capital of the Land of Fire to Konoha.

Given this, one could imagine how inconvenient business operations were.