Naruto: I'm in Konoha, my name is Uzumaki Menma

Chapter 204 Encounter with Snow Ninjas, News from Uzumaki Namen-do [9K Long Chapter]

The pungent smell of blood mixed with the icy scent of snowflakes permeated the clearing in the Ahe Snow Forest, which had just witnessed a fierce battle.

On the snow, several bandits' corpses lay frozen in contorted positions, silently testifying to the ferocity of the battle.

The cold wind howled through the treetops, swirling up fine snowflakes in an attempt to bury the cruel traces.

Summer withdrew her kunai, and drops of blood from its tip splattered onto the snow, leaving tiny red dots.

Her sharp gaze swept quickly across the battlefield. After confirming that there was no longer any threat, she immediately turned around and, in a few leaps, arrived beside Chino Miyagi, who was leaning against a tree trunk with her face as pale as paper.

"Chino!" Natsumi's voice carried a hint of urgency that was barely perceptible. She crouched down and gently but quickly examined the hideous wound on Chino's left leg.

The edges of the deep, bone-revealing cuts were curled up, and blood was still slowly seeping out, staining the torn trouser legs and the snow beneath him.

The intense pain and the immense psychological impact of her first murder caused the nine-year-old girl's body to tremble uncontrollably. Her blood dragon eyes, which had just been radiating an eerie red light, had now returned to their original black, but the lingering fear and confusion deep within them had not yet dissipated.

“Natsu… Natsumi-sensei…” Chino’s voice was weak and barely audible, tinged with sobs and lingering fear.

"Don't speak, just bear with it." Summer gently comforted her, quickly taking out clean bandages and hemostatic powder from her ninja tool bag and swiftly performing emergency treatment.

The powder stung as it touched the wound, and Chino gasped, biting her lower lip hard.

Heavy footsteps approached, and Morishita Toshihito and Murahashi Hazuki also came over.

The arrogance and disdain that Morishita Toshito had shown earlier vanished without a trace. His brows furrowed as he looked at the horrifying wound on Chino's leg, then glanced at the gruesome corpse of a bandit not far away, its chest pierced through. His expression was incredibly complex.

The image of that blood dragon was deeply etched in his mind.

This ninja girl, whom he contemptuously called a "little bean" or a "greenhouse flower," unleashed a power that was both cruel and formidable in the face of life and death.

"Hey...are you...alright?" Morishita Toshito's voice was a little hoarse, with an unprecedented seriousness, and even a hint of barely perceptible respect.

He awkwardly looked away, seemingly unaccustomed to this caring gesture.

"Hmm...it's...it's alright..." Chino sniffed, trying to force a smile, but it looked worse than crying.

Hazuki Murahashi squatted on the other side of Chino, carefully supporting Chino's legs for Natsumi: "Chino-chan, that was amazing! Was that the Blood Dragon Eye? It was like a legendary ninjutsu!"

Her gaze fell on Chino's headband, her delicate face filled with worry and admiration.

After quickly bandaging Chino's wounds, Xia Ri carefully checked her pupils and mental state, confirming that it was just chakra depletion and overstimulation, without any more serious backlash, before she breathed a sigh of relief.

“Well done, Chino.” She patted Chino on the shoulder, her tone affirmative.

"Now, we need to clean up the battlefield, gather intelligence, and confirm whether there are any remaining remnants."

"Yazuru, be on guard. Toshito, you're in charge of searching these bandits for anything of value."

"Understood!" Murahashi Hazuki immediately stood up, formed a perception seal with her hands, and warily scanned the dark forest shrouded in wind and snow.

Morishita Toshito nodded, his expression still not very good, but his actions were without hesitation.

He forced himself to endure the discomfort caused by the smell of blood and walked toward the corpses, beginning to examine them carefully.

He kicked aside a rusty machete, pulled out several crumpled map fragments with hastily drawn routes from one of the bandits, and took a bulging, stained money bag from another bandit's waist, which jingled inside. When he tried to rummage through the bandit killed by Chino's Blood Spear, his eyes fell on the horrific through wound and the congealed, dark red, viscous blood, and his stomach churned.

He took a deep breath of the cold air, forcibly suppressing the nausea, and continued his search.

"Teacher! Someone's approaching!"

Just as Morishita Toshito pulled a small scroll wrapped in oilcloth from a bandit's pocket, Murahashi Hazuki, who had been on high alert, suddenly issued a warning.

Summer suddenly looked up, her gaze instantly piercing a steep mountain peak in the distance, covered in thick ice and snow, towering like the fangs of a giant beast!
“Ooooooooooooo!!!”

Almost at the same instant that summer sun looked up, a long, wild, and penetrating wolf howl suddenly came from the top of that snow-capped peak!
The howling echoed through the empty, cold snow forest, carrying a condescending arrogance and a chilling warning!

The four members of the team instantly felt their hair stand on end!

Morishita Toshito and Murahashi Hazuki immediately dropped what they were doing and flashed to Natsumi and Chino's side as fast as they could, forming a defensive formation back to back, their weapons all aimed at the direction from which the wolf's howl came!

Chino tried to stand up, but Natsumi gently pressed her shoulder down.

The wind and snow seemed to intensify at that moment. On the snow-covered mountainside, atop several protruding black boulders, four figures had silently appeared, seemingly out of nowhere!

They stood high above, like eagles surveying their prey on a snowy plain, their cold gazes piercing through the wind and snow, firmly locking onto the Summer Squad below.

The leader was a tall female ninja.

She had striking short pigtails that resembled burning amethyst, which swayed slightly in the cold wind.

He was wearing a uniquely designed, streamlined, tight-fitting combat suit, with key areas covered by armor plates that shimmered with a ghostly blue metallic sheen.

It was not a traditional metal armor; the surface of the armor plates shimmered with a faint chakra glow, clearly indicating that it was a chakra armor that incorporated ninjutsu technology!

She crossed her arms, her delicate chin slightly raised, her face displaying undisguised arrogance and scrutiny.

The three ninjas behind her were also wearing similar chakra armor, but with slightly different styles and a silver-gray color. Their helmets covered most of their faces, revealing only their indifferent eyes.

They stood like cold sculptures, silently guarding the purple-haired woman in front of them, emanating a chakra aura far more powerful than that of the bandits.

Without any warning, four figures floated down from the hundred-meter-high boulder like weightless snowflakes!
Their movements were swift and graceful; their chakra armor seemed to greatly reduce the effects of gravity, and when their boots landed on a relatively flat, huge snow rock below, they only stirred up a few fine plumes of snow dust.

The purple-haired woman stepped forward and stood on the edge of the snowy cliff. Her cold gaze swept over the wrecked battlefield and the four wary people below, finally settling on Xia Ri, who was in the lead.

Her voice was clear and crisp, yet carried a chill that penetrated to the bone, piercing clearly through the wind and snow:
"Jōnin of the Land of Snow, おなぱお," she announced her name, her tone disdainful. "By order of Lady 風花怒涛, I've come to hunt down these scum roaming the border. It seems you've gotten ahead of us, cleaning up the trash for us?"

Her gaze swept over the corpses, finally landing on Chino, who was being protected by Natsumi. Especially when she saw the bloodstains on Chino's legs and her pale face, a strange light flashed in her purple eyes.

Summer stepped forward, completely shielding the three children behind her. She held a kunai in her right hand, which she held in reverse, in front of her, her chakra quietly circulating within her body, ready to be unleashed.

Her voice was steady, yet tinged with skepticism: "Jonin, Flying Snow Swallow. This group of bandits attacked villages and towns in the northern part of my Star Country and has been lawfully wiped out by my Star Ninja Village squad. This is Star Country territory. Are your ninjas attempting to provoke war by crossing the border without permission?"

His long, reddish-brown hair fluttered in the cold wind, his eyes sharp as an eagle's, and he met the gaze of the summer sun, the flying snowflakes, and the swallows.

Feixue Chuiyan's lips curled into a cold, sharp smile, as if she had heard something laughable: "The Star Kingdom? Ha, it's nothing but a nouveau riche that annexed the Demon Kingdom. These bandits have repeatedly invaded my Snow Kingdom to plunder and commit countless atrocities. Their heads must be brought back to the Snow Kingdom by me as a warning to others!"

She extended a hand clad in chakra-armored gloves, pointing to the corpse on the ground, her tone commanding and brooking no argument: "Now, hand over the body. Considering your hard work, I can let you go."

"Don't even think about it!" Morishita Toshito couldn't help but shout angrily, veins throbbing on his forehead. "We risked our lives to kill them! Why should we give them to you!"

“That’s right! This is the Land of Stars!” Hazuki Murahashi shouted with renewed courage.

Chino leaned against Natsumi's back, her small hands tightly gripping the hem of Natsumi's clothes. Her body trembled slightly from tension and weakness, but her large black eyes were fixed on the arrogant purple-haired woman on the snow rock.

Summer's gaze turned utterly cold: "Flying Snow Swallow Jonin, we cannot grant your request. Please leave the Star Kingdom immediately. Otherwise, it will be considered an invasion!"

"Invasion?" Feixue Chuiyan let out a short, cold laugh, as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world.

"Just you?"

Her eyes flashed with a cold light, and she suddenly opened her arms wide, her hands forming hand seals in front of her chest with dazzling speed!

A chakra surge, far more powerful, purer, and extremely cold than that of the bandits, suddenly erupted!

"Ice Release Yanchuixue!"

As her cold shout rang out, the temperature around them seemed to drop by more than ten degrees in an instant!
The moisture in the air was frantically drawn out and condensed by the violent ice-style chakra!
Countless hexagonal ice crystals, gleaming with deadly cold light and with edges as sharp as knives, appeared out of thin air, densely packed together, instantly forming a rapidly spinning ice crystal storm in front of her, cutting through the air and emitting a sharp, shrill sound!
The storm was extremely large, covering most of the open space. It carried a chilling cold that could freeze souls and a destructive force that could crush everything, and it swept fiercely toward the Summer Squad below!

The wind and snow were swept up by this ice crystal storm, creating a terrifying spectacle!
"Back off!" Xia Ri shouted sharply, advancing instead of retreating!

She shoved Chino violently toward Morishita Toshito behind her, and then bravely stepped forward into the terrifying ice storm!
Hands form a mudra!

"The Peacock's Wonderful Method!"

Om-!
A strange buzzing sound rang out from Xia Ri's body!
A torrent of magnificent, deep purple chakra erupted like a volcanic eruption!

This chakra was not spreading randomly, but was instantly condensed and shaped under her exquisite control!
A lifelike Eastern dragon, composed entirely of condensed purple chakra, has taken shape!

The dragon's body is long and agile, covered with fine purple scales, and its eyes are bright and full of spirit and majesty!

The purple chakra dragon let out a silent roar, its massive body swaying nimbly, and with an unstoppable momentum, it crashed into the sweeping ice crystal storm!
*Sizzle sizzle sizzle—!*
The ear-piercing sounds of cutting and melting instantly echoed through the snow-covered forest!

The purple chakra dragon body collided, rubbed, and annihilated violently with countless sharp ice crystals!
The ice storm tore and sliced ​​through the purple dragon's body, exploding into huge bursts of purple light and ice crystal fragments, like a brief but deadly purple and ice-blue firework blooming in the snowstorm!
The massive body of the purple dragon struggled forward through the storm. With each swing of its tail and each reach of its claws, it generated a large shockwave of chakra, shattering and evaporating large swathes of ice crystals!
However, the ice storm seemed endless, and the chakra armor on Feixue Chuiyan's body shimmered with an eerie light, clearly continuously amplifying the power of her ninjutsu!

Stalemate!

The violent clash of chakra caused the entire open space to tremble slightly, and the snow was swept into the air by the violent airflow!

"Make your move!" Fei Xue Chui Yan commanded coldly while maintaining the Ice Crystal Storm.

The three snow ninjas behind her, like cheetahs receiving a command, instantly swooped down from the snowy rocks!

The chakra armor on their bodies glowed faintly, greatly enhancing their speed and strength, allowing them to leave no trace on the snow and move as swiftly as the wind!

The three of them formed a triangular formation, clearly bypassing the terrifying battle circle between Natsumi and Hiyori, and heading straight for Chino, who was being protected in the middle by Morishita Toshito and Murahashi Hazuki!
"Protect Chino!" Morishita Toshito roared, his burly body standing like a rock in front of Chino as he rapidly formed hand seals: "Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"

Boom!

A thick earthen wall instantly rose from the ground, blocking the path of the Snow Ninja's charge.

However, Xue Ren's speed far exceeded his expectations!

The moment the earthen wall rose, the leading snow ninja pushed off the ground, his chakra armor flashed, and his body leaped into the air with incredible agility, easily clearing the earthen wall!

While in mid-air, his hands had already completed the hand seals like butterflies flitting among flowers: "Ice Release: Ice Rock Hall Without End!"

Three thick, sharp ice spikes materialized out of thin air, shooting towards Morishita Toshihito like icy spears, accompanied by a piercing sound.
Morishita Toshito's pupils contracted, and he roared as he swung his kunai to meet the incoming ice spikes!

Although his Earth Release defense and taijutsu are solid, he is far inferior to the Snow Ninja who has chakra armor in terms of speed and agility!

puff puff!

The first ice spike was smashed by his kunai, the second was deflected, but the third ice spike slid past the outside of his left arm in a tricky manner!

The cold, sharp blade easily tore through his vest and flesh, leaving a trail of blood!
"Handsome man!" Murahashi Hazuki exclaimed. She immediately waved her hands, and kunai and shuriken rained down on the leaping snow ninja, trying to prevent him from landing.

Several shuriken instantly transformed into more than a dozen streaks of cold light, blocking the snow ninja's landing point.

The snow ninja nimbly twisted his body in mid-air, his chakra armor shimmering again, and he made an unconventional sideways movement in mid-air, avoiding most of the shuriken. Only one kunai grazed his shoulder armor, leaving a trail of sparks.

He landed steadily, his eyes cold, and formed hand seals once more.

At the same time, two other snow ninjas bypassed the earth wall from the left and right sides and rushed to the front!

One of them, wielding a short blade covered in ice, thrust it straight at Hazuki Murabashi's ribs!

The other person pressed both hands to the ground: "Ice Release: Ice Prison Technique!"

The icy chakra spread instantly, attempting to freeze the immobile Chino in place!
"Get out of my way!" Despite the excruciating pain in his left arm, Morishita Toshito's eyes were bloodshot as he charged at the snow ninja attacking Hazuki like a raging rhinoceros!

He abandoned defense and adopted a fighting style that traded injuries for injuries!
His heavy shoulder slammed into the other's knife-wielding arm, causing him to stumble and the ice blade aimed at Hazuki to veer off course.

But the opponent reacted extremely quickly, and with a backhand elbow, he slammed Morishita Toshihito’s side waist!

The power boost from the chakra armor made the attack incredibly heavy. Morishita Toshito groaned, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, and staggered backward.

Hazuki Murahashi narrowly avoided the ice blade, but was swept by the edge of the Ice Prison Technique cast by another Snow Ninja. Her movements froze, her foot slipped, and she fell to the ground.

Meanwhile, the snow ninja who attempted to freeze Chino pressed his hands to the ground, and the icy cold air coiled around Chino's feet like a venomous snake!

Chino stared in horror at the rapidly spreading frost; the biting cold made her injured left leg almost numb!
"Chino!" Natsumi caught a glimpse of the children's perilous situation out of the corner of her eye and her heart pounded with anxiety!
The purple chakra dragon she controlled roared angrily, withstanding the crushing force of the ice crystal storm. With a sudden lash of its tail, the massive dragon whipped towards Feixue Chuiyan, attempting to force her back to her aid. "Hmph! You can't even protect yourself!" Feixue Chuiyan sneered, her hand seals shifting, causing the ice crystal storm to abruptly contract, condensing into a massive, thick, rotating ice shield in front of her!
Boom!

The purple dragon's massive tail slammed into the ice shield, shattering it. The purple dragon's body also dimmed slightly, ultimately failing to break through.

At this critical moment of life and death!

Chino, her body stiffened by the cold and frost about to climb up to her knees, felt a deep fear and despair in her eyes, which ignited like dry tinder thrown into a spark, instantly transforming into a primal, reckless rage!
"what--!!!"

A shrill scream, filled with both sobs and extreme anger, burst from her throat!
Those eyes, which had just lost their crimson color, were once again swallowed up by a thick, blood-red hue!

Blood Dragon Eye!

This time, deep within those crimson-encased black pupils, a "one" shape flashed with an even more ferocious light!
Blood flowed from his eyes, and a gaze power far colder, more violent, and filled with the aura of death surged forth like an out-of-control torrent.

The snow ninja who was closest to her and was casting the Ice Prison Technique was the first to be hit!
He felt an irresistible spiritual force, filled with chaos and destructive intent, instantly overwhelm his mental defenses!
His thoughts were like falling into a sea of ​​blood, drowning and suffocating in the thick blood!
His body froze completely, his hands, which were forming a hand seal, were suspended in the air, and his eyes instantly became empty and dull, like a puppet whose soul had been taken away!

"Eye Technique: Blood Binding Puppet!" Chino's childish voice was now filled with a chilling killing intent that sent shivers down one's spine!
Under the control of her Blood Dragon Eye power, the Snow Ninja who was being mentally controlled turned around suddenly in an extremely stiff and bizarre posture, like a puppet on a string!

His blood and remaining chakra were forcibly extracted, ignited, and compressed by the power of the Blood Dragon Eye!
Like a bomb with its fuse lit, he lunged at the two snow ninjas in horrified disbelief!

"What?!" The other two snow ninjas tried to retreat or block in horror.

But it was too late!

boom--! ! !
A deafening and terrifying explosion rang out in the snowy forest!
The controlled snow ninja's body was instantly burst apart by its own violent chakra, turning into a huge crimson fireball mixed with blood, flesh, bone fragments, and violent energy!
The scorching heatwave and terrifying shockwave spread wildly in all directions like a tsunami!
puff!puff!
The two closest snow ninjas were struck as if by a heavy hammer, screaming as they were violently thrown away!
One of them emitted a piercing wail from his chakra armor, a large dent in his breastplate, and blood gushed out from under his mask. He had already lost consciousness in mid-air!
Although the other person's armor blocked most of the impact, he was still shaken so badly that his internal organs churned, blood spilled from his mouth and nose, and he fell heavily onto the snow more than ten meters away, struggling to get up!

This sudden, bloody, and extremely cruel turn of events plunged the entire battlefield into a brief, deathly silence!

Even Xia Ri and Fei Xue Chui Yan, who were fiercely clashing, were momentarily stunned by the terrifying shockwave of the explosion, and separated, each taking a few steps back to steady themselves.

Feixue Chuiyan watched the slowly dissipating crimson blood mist, then looked at her two subordinates lying in the snow in the distance, their fates unknown. Finally, her proud gaze locked onto the small figure in the center of the arena with surprise.

The girl's eyes were blood-red, and she exuded a chilling aura that sent shivers down one's spine, like a young demon crawling out of a pool of blood from hell!
What made her pupils shrink even more was that, as Chino's Blood Dragon Eyes unleashed their full power, the warm blood flowing from the scattered bandit corpses and the snow ninja corpses that had just been blown up seemed to be summoned by some kind of evil ritual!

As if they possessed life, they defied gravity, gushing forth from the snow and from the wounds of broken corpses, transforming into viscous, scarlet streams that rapidly converged and condensed in the air!
In the blink of an eye, a ferocious blood dragon, three meters thick and seven or eight meters long, condensed and took shape above Chino's head!

It is made entirely of viscous blood that exudes a strong, bloody stench, and its form is even wilder and more evil than the chakra purple dragon that condenses in summer!
"Roar—!" The blood dragon roared, its terrifying pressure causing the air to tremble. Its hollow, blood-red eye sockets were fixed on the distant Flying Snow Swallow!
A roar that seemed to come from the abyss exploded in Fei Xue Chui Yan's mind!
The enormous blood dragon, formed from the blood of countless dead, carrying a nauseating stench and an aura of boundless death, pounced towards her like a giant crimson arrow released from a bow!

Wherever they passed, the air seemed to be dyed a dark red!

Feixue Chuiyan's expression changed drastically!

She could feel the terrifying power contained within this blood dragon; it was not just a physical impact, but also an evil eye power that eroded the spirit and soul!

Her chakra armor instantly erupted with a blinding blue light, and her hands rapidly formed hand seals: "Ice Release: Multiple Ice Walls!"

Boom boom boom!

Giant, crystal-clear ice walls, each half a meter thick, instantly solidified in front of her! This was her strongest defensive ninjutsu!

however--

Boom! Crack! Boom! Crack!
The blood dragon, like a battering ram, crashed violently into the first ice wall with overwhelming force!

The hard ice wall shattered like fragile glass!
Then came the second side, the third side... and so on, unstoppable!
The viscous blood contained terrifying impact and corrosiveness, and the shattered ice wall was quickly stained red and melted!
When the Blood Dragon smashed through the fifth ice wall, although its size shrank by nearly half and its speed slowed down, its power was still terrifying!

A hint of horror finally flashed in Feixue Chuiyan's eyes!
She made a decisive move, no longer trying to withstand the attack. Her chakra armor flashed brightly, and her body floated backward as if it were a weightless feather!

At the same time, he formed hand seals again: "Ice Release: Ice Clone!"

Two ice clones identical to her instantly appeared on her left and right, actively facing the still-powerful blood dragon!
puff!puff!
The two ice clones were instantly devoured, shattered, and melted by the blood dragon! But this also bought Fei Xue Chui Yan precious time to escape!

The Blood Dragon crashed heavily into the huge snow rock where Flying Snow Swallow had stood, producing a dull thud!
A huge pit was eroded into the hard rock, and thick blood flowed down like a waterfall, staining the rock a scarlet red, a shocking sight!

Flying Snow Swallow landed on another rock several dozen meters away, its breathing somewhat disordered, and the light of its chakra armor dimmed considerably.

She looked at the terrifying marks left by the blood dragon's corrosion, then glanced at the little girl in the arena who was swaying precariously, her blood-red eyes flickering unpredictably, clearly at her limit.

And beside her, there was the powerful Jonin from the Land of Stars whose gaze was fixed on her, and the two Genin who, though injured, still stood stubbornly...

She gritted her teeth, her face filled with resentment and a hint of fear.

A Jonin whose strength is no less than hers, a child with such a bizarre and terrifying bloodline limit, plus two Genin who are fighting desperately.

One of our side was instantly killed, and of the other two, one was unconscious and the other struggled to get up, clearly having lost most of his fighting ability.

If this fight continues, it won't be good for her; she might even lose here!

"Withdraw!" Fei Xue Chui Yan squeezed out a cold word through gritted teeth.

Without hesitation, she turned around, her chakra armor glowing once more. Her figure transformed into a streak of dark blue light, and she sped off towards the snow-capped mountains without looking back!

The snow ninja who was still able to move felt as if he had been granted a pardon. Despite his injuries, he carried his unconscious companion on his back and, in a disheveled state, followed Feixue Chuiyan and quickly disappeared into the vast snowstorm.

The tension suddenly eased only when the three figures representing the Snow Ninja completely disappeared from sight.

Pfft!
The blood-red color in Chino's eyes faded like the tide, her body went limp, and she collapsed onto the cold snow, completely unconscious.

Forcibly unleashing the Blood Dragon Eye twice, especially the final control of the enormous blood dragon, had already exceeded the limits of her body.

"Chino!" Natsumi immediately rushed over and picked her up.

Morishita Toshito, clutching his bleeding left arm and throbbing side, leaned against a tree trunk, panting heavily. Looking at the unconscious Chino, his eyes were filled with an extremely complex mix of emotions: relief at surviving a disaster, fear of that terrifying power, but even more so, a profound sense of shattered understanding and heartfelt acceptance.

"This brat..." he muttered to himself, finally letting out a bitter laugh.

Hazuki Murahashi struggled to her feet, ignoring her own scrapes, and rushed to Toshito Morishita's side, taking out bandages and medicine from her ninja tool pouch: "Toshito! Quick, let me bandage you!"

Summer quickly checked on Chino's condition and confirmed that her unconsciousness was caused by the overexertion of both chakra and mental energy, and that she was not in immediate danger of death, which put her at ease.

She carefully handed Chino over to Murahashi Hazuki to look after temporarily, while she went to Morishita Toshito's side to help him treat the deep, bone-revealing icicle cut on his arm.

“Natsu… Natsumi-sensei,” Morishita Toshito asked in a slightly hoarse voice, enduring the stinging sensation from the disinfectant powder, “Who… were those people just now? That armor… was so powerful.”

As Xia Ri skillfully bandaged the wound, she explained in a deep voice, her tone solemn: "Those are ninjas from the Land of Snow. The leader is the Jonin, Hiyuki Fubuki. After the Land of Demons merged into our Land of Stars, our northern border directly bordered the Land of Snow."

"The Land of Snow is located in an extremely cold region, and while there aren't many ninjas, their individual strength is not to be underestimated. They are skilled in ice-style ninjutsu and rely heavily on specially made chakra armor, which greatly amplifies the power of their ninjutsu and the ninjas' own abilities... It seems that our new neighbor isn't exactly friendly to us."

Morishita Toshito and Murahashi Hazuki exchanged a glance, both seeing the complexity and heaviness in each other's eyes.

Having just dealt with the bandits, they've now run into the even more troublesome Snow Ninja.

The difficulty of this B-level mission is simply outrageous.

Summer quickly bandaged Morishita Toshito's wounds, then checked on Murahashi Hazuki's condition, confirming that they were all superficial injuries, before standing up and looking at the chaotic battlefield.

She took a deep breath: "Clean up the battlefield. Seal all the corpses, including the remains of that Snow Ninja, into storage scrolls and take them away. Leave no trace here. Hurry, we can't stay here any longer!"

Despite their pain and exhaustion, the three mustered their strength and quickly got to work.

Summer personally handled the bloodiest parts, sealing the remains and important items, such as the shattered chakra armor fragments of the Snow Ninja, the map, money bag, and small scrolls on the bandits, into different storage scrolls.

Toshihito Morishita and Hazuki Murahashi were responsible for cleaning up obvious signs of battle.

After doing all this, Natsumi carried the unconscious Chino on her back, and with the two injured genin, retreated with difficulty but determination towards the Star Capital.

--------

Deep within the military district of Star City, in Shura's private office.

A faint scent of sandalwood filled the air.

Menma was still wearing his signature black robe, his face covered by the white three-eyed fox mask. He sat quietly behind his large desk, leaning against the window. On the desk were some files and maps.

From here, you can have a panoramic view of the entire Star City.

Summer stood opposite, respectfully reporting the complete process of the Aga Snow Forest mission.

Her voice was steady and clear, from clearing out the remnants of the bandits, to Chino awakening her Blood Dragon Eye and killing the enemy when she was in danger, and then encountering the Snow Country Jonin, Hiyuki Fubuki, the two sides clashed, and Chino unleashed her second burst of power to control the Blood Dragon and repel the powerful enemy.

Every detail is meticulously presented without any embellishment.

"My assessment is that the Snow Country's operation, ostensibly to hunt down bandits, was actually a test of the northern border defenses of our Star Country, and may even have been intended to provoke and create friction. Flying Snow Flying Swallow was arrogant, and her chakra armor significantly amplified her ninjutsu and taijutsu; her ice-style ninjutsu was powerful and refined. If Chino hadn't unleashed the power of her Blood Dragon Eye at the critical moment, the consequences would have been unimaginable," Natsumi concluded.

Mianma listened quietly, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the smooth surface of the desk.

The mask concealed his expression, with only his deep eyes gleaming slightly behind the eye openings.

"Chakra armor..." Menma's deep voice echoed in the room, tinged with amusement and inquiry: "To be able to amplify the Ice Release of an ordinary Jonin to that extent... the technology of the Land of Snow is quite interesting."

A thought quietly stirred in his mind.

"Your subordinates have completed the battlefield cleanup, and all corpses and possible intelligence items have been sealed and brought back," Xia Ri added.

Menma nodded slightly: "Thank you for your hard work. How are Chino and the other two children?"

"Chino's chakra and mental energy were severely depleted, and she is currently receiving treatment in the medical department. She is fine for now, but she needs to rest. Morishita Toshito and Murahashi Hazuki suffered some external injuries, which have been treated and they are now resting. Although this mission was dangerous, it greatly trained the team, especially Chino... her bloodline limit potential is amazing."

"Potential needs to be guided and controlled, not overdrawn without restraint." Menma's voice was unreadable.

"This mission was extremely dangerous. I will ask the military to issue an additional rating, and the results will be available within a week."

"Yes! Thank you, sir!" Xia Ri was somewhat delighted. Fighting against ninjas from another country should definitely be upgraded to an A-rank mission. Moreover, the enemy was a team led by a Jonin, and their side had even killed one of the enemy. Considering the unexpected nature of the mission, it should be rated as a medium-rank mission, and the reward of 500,000 is not out of the question.

"Go down and let them rest well. This encounter with the Snow Ninja is classified as top secret." Menma clenched his fist and propped his cheek up with it.

"Yes!" Xia Ri bowed and then withdrew.

Just as Summer left the office and Menma was pondering the characters and plot of the Snow Country movie, there was a gentle knock on the office door.

"Come in." Menma snapped out of his daze and looked up at the door.

The door opened, and Whirlpool Vanilla walked in.

She first bowed respectfully to the man behind the desk, saying, "Lord Shura."

"Vanilla, is something the matter?" Menma asked.

Whirlwind Vanilla stepped forward and presented a leather scroll that looked extremely old and had some damage to the edges.

The scroll is made of neither paper nor cloth, and exudes an aura of time and history.

"My lord, the ruins of the 'Uzumaki Clan's Namen Hall' that you previously ordered us to investigate have been found."

She gently unrolled the scroll, pointing to a slightly blurred map drawn in an ancient style, and several lines of fine vortex clan cryptic script beside it.

"Based on the few tattered texts we found in the core sealed area of ​​the Uzushio Village ruins, we have finally determined that the former site of Namendo is located in the Land of Fire, on the outskirts of Konoha Village... deep in the forest downstream of the Naka River!" Her slender finger precisely pointed to a marker in the Naka River forest on the map.

“Nanka River… Forest…” The eyebrows beneath the white three-eyed fox mask twitched slightly.

Is Minato Namikaze's cheapskate father's soul still sealed inside the Grim Reaper's belly?

It is said that the Grim Reaper is a native deity of this planet. Besides the Grim Reaper, what other evil gods and gods are there?

A deep, mysterious light flashed in his eyes, and he felt a surge of curiosity and a thirst for knowledge about these so-called local deities.

(End of this chapter)