Being a rogue ninja is worse than being Hokage.

Ino suddenly called out Sakura's name.

"Don't bear such pressure alone. Choji and I are from the same village as you, and we will help you."

Noticing Sakura's emotions, Ino spoke up to calm her down.

"Oh! I'll do everything I can to help you, Sakura!"

Choji was also comforting Sakura from the side.

Sakura looked at Ino and Choji, and the emotion in her heart could not be expressed in words.

She nodded silently to the two of them, keeping their friendship firmly in her heart.

Sasuke

Naruto.

I definitely will!

……

Let's move the timeline forward by about a week.

In a remote sea area that requires a long voyage to reach, lies the Snow Country, a secluded corner of the world that is almost invisible to the five great nations.

"The preparations are almost complete."

Naruto Uzumaki spoke up.

Chapter 26 Nine Tails

Three years ago, Kazahana Saya, the orphan of Kazahana Saya who had disappeared for many years, returned to the Land of Snow and defeated Kazahana Nyutō, who had usurped the throne.

The people of the Snow Country were worried that Kazehana Koyuki would become a second Kazehana Naughty, perpetuating the tyranny and oppression of the latter.

To their surprise, they discovered that, like her father, Kazahana Saya, Koyuki loved the people and genuinely wanted to develop the Snow Country.

Not only that, the outnumbered and weak Kazahana Koyuki turned the tables and swiftly wiped out the remnants of Kazahana Nuta, and also purged the Yukigami Village that had participated in the assassination of Kazahana Saya.

With no political enemies to hinder her, the still politically naive Koyuki Fuuka's political talent was able to be displayed more quickly and without worry.

Three years later, the Land of Snow has almost recovered from the pain brought on by the storms and waves.

Everyone in the Snow Country firmly believes that the country's future will be happy and prosperous under the guidance of Fuuka Koyuki.

However, this beloved female lord of the Snow Country was not in her palace at this moment, but had come to the valley where the Rainbow Ice Wall of the Snow Country was originally located, under the protection of a group of guards.

Feng Hua Xiaoxue dismissed the guards outside the valley and entered the valley alone.

She hadn't walked far when people came to greet her in the valley.

Feng Hua Xiaoxue looked at the girl who had appeared in front of her in just three years and was already about the same height as her, wearing glasses.

Long red hair, red eyes.

Despite being in the cold snow, they weren't wearing warm coats, but rather thin, light clothing.

"Every time I see you dress without regard to the season, I think to myself, if only I were a ninja and could use chakra."

Kazeka Koyuki looked at the girl in front of her with a slightly envious tone and called out the girl's name in a rather affectionate manner.

"Karin".

"Lord Xiaoxue!"

Karin also greeted Fuuka Koyuki with respect.

Although Karin and Koyuki's relationship remains the same, Naruto has warned Karin more than once that Koyuki has finally become the ruler of a country, and no matter how close their relationship is, she should still show Koyuki the respect and awe due to her.

Where is Naruto?

Fuuka Koyuki smiled, curious about Naruto's whereabouts since he wasn't with Karin.

"Naruto is making final preparations."

"In that case, let's hurry over there."

After a moment's thought, Feng Hua Xiao Xue made a decision.

"Then please forgive my rudeness."

Urged on by Fuuka Koyuki, Karin stepped forward and hugged her.

Ninjas move much faster than ordinary people.

With Karin's help, Karin and Fuuka Koyuki arrived deep in the valley in just a minute or two.

"I should have told you that you didn't need to come in person."

As soon as Fuuka Koyuki stepped down from Karin's arms, the boy's voice rang in her ear.

Feng Hua Xiaoxue looked at the yellow figure in her line of sight and shook her head: "I came here to tell you that I have restarted the geothermal generator, which should provide some cover for what you are about to do."

After hesitating for a moment, Fuuka Koyuki couldn't help but ask Naruto, "Are you and Karin really planning to leave the Land of Snow?"

Fuuka Koyuki's question was quite clear; she was testing Naruto's attitude. If Naruto's resolve to leave the Land of Snow softened even slightly, she would try to persuade him to stay.

As long as Naruto chooses to stay, Karin will naturally not leave either.

Unfortunately, the expectation of a gentle breeze and light snow was ultimately dashed.

Naruto's determination to leave the Land of Snow was unwavering: "I've already discussed the information about the Akatsuki organization with you, and you should understand that my choice to recuperate in the Land of Snow is not to keep myself in hiding."

Naruto chose to lie low in the Land of Snow three years ago because he realized his own inadequacy.

Naruto's strength is now vastly different from what it used to be.

Not only Naruto, but Karin, with the help of the Shadow Clone Technique and the knowledge she gained from the reanimated Kabuto Yakushi, is also stronger than she was at this time in the original work.

Unlike in the past when he lacked the strength to rely solely on the memories of the original work and patiently waited for the "plot" to unfold before adapting to the situation, Naruto now has the ability to use this information gap from the "original work" to gain an advantage.

“‘Akatsuki’ will come for me one day. Set your sights on the entire Snow Country. You finally managed to heal the wounds of the Snow Country. Are you going to tear those wounds open again with your own hands?”

Naruto's question to Koyuki left her speechless.

Naruto ignored the lost in thought, Kazahana Koyuki, and looked at Karin. He had more important things to do at the moment—

—Using the Adamantine Lock, he completely controlled the Nine-Tails.

Over the past three years, Karin's Kongo Seal has become increasingly adept at controlling the Nine-Tails, but it is still not enough.

Naruto cannot guarantee that Karin will always be by his side. Even if she is, there is a high chance that Karin will be unable to use the Adamantine Sealing Barrier due to various external factors during a real battle.

Naruto must rely on himself to control the Nine-Tails.

Naruto then imitated and improved upon the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze's method of injecting his and Kushina Uzumaki's chakra into the Eight Trigrams Sealing Technique to seal the Nine-Tails.

Now, Naruto is conducting an experiment to finalize this approach.

Once Naruto successfully controls the Nine-Tails, all of his "uncontrollable" factors will be resolved.

After all the preparations were completed, he would not sit idly by and wait for "Akatsuki" to arrive, but would take the initiative to strike.

Like Karin, Naruto was also dressed rather lightly in the cold snow.

Now he's gone even further, taking off his coat and exposing his upper body.

"Karin, keep an eye on my condition from now on. If I'm not feeling well, use the Vajra Lock to suppress me from the outside."

Naruto gave Karin a reminder and walked to the open area in front of him.

The snow on the huge open space had been specially cleared, and the black-lined barrier seals were now circular.

Naruto stood in the center of the barrier, channeling chakra into his abdomen, and the previously hidden Bagua seal pattern instantly appeared.

However, the Bagua seal on Naruto's abdomen now has a third sealing technique compared to three years ago.

It is located on the outermost edge of the Bagua seal, which is formed by the superposition of two Four Symbols seals.

The sealing technique pattern with chain symbols surrounds the Bagua seal in an "○" shape.

Naruto channeled chakra into the fingertips of his right hand and pressed it onto the outermost Four Symbols seal within the Eight Trigrams Seal on his abdomen.

Immediately afterwards, Naruto made a rotating and twisting motion with his right hand towards the outer Four Symbols Seal.

One of the two Four Symbols seals was immediately released, and the power of the Eight Trigrams seal disappeared.

The red Nine-Tails chakra instantly filled Naruto's body, and the chakra emitted by the Nine-Tails melted away the ice and snow.

In the blink of an eye, Naruto's figure had disappeared.

Instead, a gigantic nine-tailed fox appeared within the barrier!

The Nine-Tails stared furiously at Karin outside the barrier, its forearm claws reaching out to take Karin's life.

Just before its claws were about to touch Karin, Kurama used all its strength but couldn't move its claws forward even an inch.

The barrier restricting the Nine-Tails has taken effect!

However, we still need to add another layer of protection to the barrier!

"Lady Xiaoxue, please stay behind me and do not come forward!"

Karin shielded Fuuka Koyuki behind her.

Several thick chakra chains appeared from behind Karin, binding Kurama's neck, four legs, and body.

However, Karin's Vajra Lock was merely a precautionary measure at this moment.

This time, Naruto's experiment to break the seal was to determine whether the sealing technique that surrounded the Bagua seal—the chain pattern—could completely suppress the Nine-Tails and steal a large amount of its chakra, just like Kushina Uzumaki did, allowing Naruto to use it at will.

Karin looked into the eyes of the Nine-Tails, which was being suppressed by her Adamantine Lock.

The Nine-Tails' eyes, which had initially been filled with anger, now looked empty and lifeless.

The experiment seems to be working!

However, Karin did not loosen her grip on the Nine-Tails using the Adamantine Sealing Barrier.

This is the first time Naruto has released all nine tails of the Nine-Tails!

Karin must ensure that the situation remains under her control!

Karin did not push the Adamantine Sealing Chains any further, but instead sealed the Nine-Tails back into Naruto's body.

Karin is waiting, waiting for Naruto to seize the Nine-Tails' chakra with his own will and suppress the Nine-Tails back into his body.