"Once you complete your Senjutsu training at Mount Myōboku, you might be able to reach 100% mastery."
"Only then can you truly say you've mastered this Wind Style dart."
Naruto's injuries healed quickly under Morkel's expert medical ninjutsu, and he was soon bursting with energy again.
The moment he got up, he began showing off. "You all saw my ninjutsu just now! Wasn't it amazing?"
"That's not your ninjutsu! It's obviously mine!" Morkel, who was very protective of his techniques, immediately objected.
"Well, I just used your ninjutsu. Isn't it powerful?" Naruto grinned.
Morkel nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, it's great."
While the two talked, Sai checked the injuries of the fallen armored men.
"Their internal organs and cells were destroyed by the Chakra wind needles. They must have suffered immensely before dying..." Sai muttered, inhaling sharply. "What a terrifying jutsu."
At this point, he abandoned any thoughts of completing the mission assigned by Danzo. He only hoped that Morkel and Naruto would spare his life once they found out his true purpose.
Morkel approached him. "What did you find?"
"These people aren't ninjas. They can't even sense chakra flowing in their bodies," Sai analyzed carefully.
Morkel frowned. He had noticed something odd about them during Naruto's battle.
These warriors had a unique natural energy inside them, but it was definitely not chakra.
"How many mysteries exist in this world?" Morkel's face lit up with excitement.
Ever since he traveled through time, he had believed that chakra and ninjas explained everything. But now, something beyond his understanding had appeared!
As he pondered, strange noises echoed from the forest.
Then, a small armored knight emerged.
This one was noticeably smaller than the previous armored men and wasn't fully covered in armor. His eyes and mouth were visible.
As soon as he appeared, the ferret in Sai's arms twisted as if it had been summoned.
Morkel raised an eyebrow. "Could he be the owner of that ferret? Are we here to find He Yan's ferret?"
The small armored man first looked at Morkel and the others with confusion, then turned to see the corpses of the fallen warriors.
His eyes turned blood-red in an instant.
"Fourteen!"
He didn't bother with words. Instead, he charged forward with his sword drawn.
Morkel frowned.
This one was different. His energy was much stronger than the others, deep and mysterious—something Morkel had never encountered before.
"Strange… Could it be an alternative to chakra developed by a hidden village?" he wondered aloud.
The knight rushed at them, and Naruto met him head-on with a kunai.
Thanks to his recent training, Naruto's taijutsu had improved significantly, allowing him to fight the armored warrior on even ground.
Finally, with the support of multiple shadow clones, Naruto gained the upper hand and prepared to finish the battle with a Rasengan.
But the knight was ready. He swung his small sword—only a foot long—when suddenly it extended multiple times its original length!
"Thor's Thunder!"
With a shout, invisible energy surged from him, and a new force emerged from the tip of his sword.
The energy collided with Naruto's Rasengan.
The clash created an intense balance between their opposing forces.
For two or three seconds, they struggled for dominance.
Then—
Boom!!!
The energy balance shattered, sending a shockwave that obliterated the mountaintop!
Even Sai and Morkel, who were only watching, felt the ground tremble beneath them.
"This place is going to collapse," Sai observed, alarmed.
The next moment—
Crash!
The ground gave way, and they plummeted into the valley below.
As the weightlessness set in, Sai tried to summon his scroll, but he couldn't complete his drawing in time.
Morkel quickly grabbed Sai and, with rapid hand signs, used his Ice Release to form a long, wide slide that stretched to the valley floor.
At the Bottom of the Valley
A caravan was traveling along a narrow road.
On one of the carriages, a girl around fifteen or sixteen years old turned to an old man beside her.
"Grandpa, can Konoha's ninjas really bring Nilugu back?"
The old man shook his head. "I don't know. But Nilugu is too important to us."
"I arranged the mission handover here in my hometown. Let's wait and see."
"Maybe those ninjas will bring Nilugu back... Or he might just fall from the sky."
At that moment, a massive ice slide suddenly appeared before them.
Several figures slid down, landing in front of the caravan.
The old man's eyes widened as he spotted the ferret in Sai's arms.
"Nilugu! Nilugu has really returned!"
Morkel withdrew his Ice Release and walked toward Naruto, who had fallen unconscious during the fight.
As he examined Naruto's condition, an old voice spoke behind him.
"You are Konoha ninjas, correct?"
Morkel turned. "That's right."
"You were sent to retrieve this ferret. But I am the client, and this ferret is my pet," the old man continued.
Morkel studied him.
"You're He Yan?"
The old man nodded.
Sai released his hold, and the ferret leapt from his arms.
Strangely, instead of running to He Yan, it dashed toward the unconscious armored knight.
Surprise flashed in He Yan's eyes. "Nilugu never approaches outsiders. Why is it so close to this young man?"
Later, He Yan invited them to ride with the caravan, and Morkel agreed.
During the journey, He Yan explained the history of their clan.
"Centuries ago, our ancestors discovered a mystical stone and used its power to build a prosperous nation.
"But war broke out among the clans over control of the stone, and our country was eventually destroyed. Some people integrated into other nations, while others sailed across the sea.
"The remaining survivors became traveling merchants, like us."
He Yan stroked the ferret. "Nilugu lived in our ancestors' palace. It's proof that our kingdom once existed."
Morkel raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. He had heard of long-lived creatures, but a ferret surviving for centuries seemed unlikely.
Before he could argue, the ferret suddenly leapt onto the unconscious armored knight in the carriage.
The caravan had removed his armor to treat his wounds, revealing his face.
He looked around sixteen or seventeen years old.
Just as Morkel prepared to question him, He Yan intervened.
"Snow ferrets never get close to strangers. This child may be connected to me."
At that moment, the armored knight stirred.
He looked at Naruto.
"What power do you use?"
Naruto frowned. "Why should I tell you?"
"You should introduce yourself first! Also, why did you and your people attack us?!"
The young man nodded. "My name is Timothy. I come from across the sea. My dream is to build a peaceful nation without war."
"As for the attack... That may have been a misunderstanding."
Then he repeated, "Now, can you tell me what power you use?"
Morkel's eyes widened.
"According to him, they're from another continent... No wonder they don't know about chakra."
"So, is the energy in his body similar to chakra but from another land?"
"It's called chakra," Naruto answered casually.
Timothy's eyes flashed. "Come with me to meet Hyde. To build an ideal country, we need power like yours."
Naruto shook his head. "Not interested."
Timothy sighed and turned back toward his carriage.
Suddenly—
Boom!
The earth trembled.
They looked up—
A colossal, steel-clad fortress loomed in the distance.
Steam hissed from its massive body as it advanced toward them.
Morkel's jaw dropped.
A mobile steel fortress?!
As the Iron Fortress arrived, its hatch slowly opened.
Timothy gestured toward them.
"This is our base. Don't you want to take a look?"
Naruto and Morkel exchanged glances.
"I want to! I want to! I want to!"
No man could resist a giant machine.
So, they stepped inside, unaware of what awaited them.
---