allendalepharm Page 132
Page 132
Those eerie white eyes scanned the towering ice walls around them with great interest.
The crystal-clear icicles and the cool moonlight reflected on the ice surface.
A pleased yet dangerous smile curved his lips, and his voice, like icy beads falling onto a jade plate, was crisp yet carried a chilling edge:
"This... must be the Snow Country they were talking about, right?"
He tilted his head back slightly, took a deep breath of the icy air, and a look of rapture appeared on his face: "Hmm... the air is filled with the scent of pure ice and snow, and the energy field is quite unique... it's pretty beautiful!"
His gaze casually swept across the surroundings, as if he were admiring a scenic spot.
However, deep within those eerie blue eyes gleamed a cold light, like a hunter locking onto its prey.
"but……"
He extended his pale, slender fingers, a wisp of extremely fine energy, like a golden arc of electricity, swirling around the fingertips. "What attracts me even more is the 'smell' here..."
The golden arcs of electricity at his fingertips flickered slightly, as if trying to capture an invisible trajectory in the air. Pu Shi's smile grew increasingly sinister, tinged with a greedy, determined air.
"The Nine-Tails' chakra... that scent, full of vitality and rage, can be smelled even from this far away."
He closed his eyes, seemingly savoring the moment: "And... he seems even more...active than the records suggest? Interesting."
His gaze seemed to pierce through thick ice and across vast distances.
He aimed precisely at the northwest direction where the "Snowy Night" was located, his grin widening to reveal his gleaming white teeth:
"I can't wait, Naruto Uzumaki..."
"This time, can you surprise me like you did with 'Future'?"
Chapter 150 The Fear of Wind and Snow
Like a ghost ship, the "Snowy Night" was concealed by the thick darkness and swirling snow.
It quietly anchored in that forgotten, abandoned whaling bay in the northwest corner of the Snow Country.
Far from human habitation, only jagged black reefs, like the fangs of a giant beast, silently pierce the sea surface covered with thin ice.
The cold wind howled through the dilapidated wooden dock and abandoned whaling huts.
It let out a mournful cry, stirring up the snow on the ground like cold dust.
As soon as the ship docked, urged by the staff, the crew disembarked despite the biting wind and heavy snow.
They trudged through the slippery ice and snow, struggling to unload the remaining, barely usable equipment and supplies from the ship.
The atmosphere was oppressive and heavy. No one spoke; only heavy breathing and the crunching of boots on the snow could be heard.
Feng Hua Xiao Xue was still wrapped in a thick blanket, being semi-forcefully supported by two female staff members.
She staggered onto this homeland she had left more than ten years ago, yet it felt completely unfamiliar.
The cold air stung her cheeks, and she instinctively shrank her neck.
His gaze swept across the desolate and dilapidated coastline, but there was not a trace of longing for home in the depths of his grey-blue eyes.
There was only an unyielding chill and... a fear that seeped into one's very bones.
This land covered in ice and snow is not her home.
Instead, it was a huge grave that swallowed up all her beautiful childhood.
"Your Highness, watch your step..." The Third Prince approached cautiously, trying to comfort her.
"Do not touch me!"
As if branded with a hot iron, Feng Hua Xiaoxue jerked away San Taifu's outstretched hand, her voice sharp and cold, filled with undisguised disgust and resistance.
"I've said it before! I won't go! And I certainly won't become a princess! You can do whatever you want with restoring your kingdoms! Don't drag me into this!"
She shoved aside the staff member next to her and staggered as she ran alone toward a cluster of dark, abandoned huts covered in snow.
The figure quickly disappeared into the shadows of the wind, snow, and ruins.
"Your Highness!" the Third Prince called out anxiously, trying to catch up.
"Let her be."
Kakashi's voice rang out, tinged with a weary calm: "She needs to calm down right now. Forcing her will only backfire."
He looked at Santayu, then glanced at Team 7 and the adult Sasuke and the others: "The most urgent thing is to find a place to settle down and set up a temporary base. The snow is heavy, she can't have gone far. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, you split up and go look for her. Be careful and keep in touch."
Naruto immediately responded, his blue eyes gazing in the direction where Kazeka Koyuki had disappeared, filled with the determination of a young man.
"Understood!" Sakura nodded.
Young Sasuke snorted coldly, but his figure had already silently slipped out and disappeared into the wind and snow.
The adult Sasuke still stood silently in the shadows, his black eyes piercing through the wind and snow, staring at the direction where Kazeka Koyuki had disappeared.
It slowly swept across the desolate, abandoned bay, finally stopping in the distance, in the direction leading inland, where the wind and snow were blowing.
His brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, as if he were sensing something.
The search was exceptionally difficult during the blizzard.
Visibility was extremely low, and the cold wind felt like knives slicing across our faces.
Although the abandoned whaling bay area is not large, its complex terrain, collapsed houses, piles of abandoned fishing nets, and huge whale bone remains have become excellent hiding places.
Naruto trudged through knee-deep snow, his breath instantly torn apart by the cold wind.
As he pushed aside the dead branches and frozen fishing nets blocking his way, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Miss Xiaoxue! Miss Xiaoxue! Where are you? Come out! It's too cold outside!"
The sound was faint and powerless amidst the howling wind and snow.
At this moment, Minato, who was inside the sealed space, spoke: "You won't find anyone like this."
"I know!"
Naruto wiped the snow off his face, his eyes resolute: "But we can't just leave her alone! What if she gets frostbite? Or what if those snow ninjas find out?"
Ban sighed: "That's why I don't like women; they're indecisive."
As they were talking, Naruto had just passed a half-collapsed old warehouse built with the ribs of a huge whale and thick wooden planks.
Naruto's keen ears caught a very faint, suppressed sob coming from the crack in the dilapidated door of the warehouse.
"inside!"
Naruto's eyes lit up, and he immediately signaled Boruto to be quiet, while he cautiously approached the crooked wooden door.
Naruto gently pushed open the door, and a smell mixed with musty, fishy, and dusty wafted out.
The warehouse was dark and empty, with only a few faint rays of sunlight filtering through holes in the roof, illuminating the swirling dust.
Deep inside the warehouse, behind a pile of tattered fishing nets and discarded wooden barrels.
A huddled, shivering figure was hugging his knees, burying his face in his arms, his shoulders trembling slightly.
"Miss Xiaoxue?" Naruto called out tentatively.
The figure trembled violently, like a frightened little animal, and raised its head.
It's a time of gentle breezes, blooming flowers, and light snow!
Her face was still wet with tears, and her long black hair was disheveled and covered with dust and grass clippings.
His grey-blue eyes were filled with panic and deep despair.
Upon seeing Naruto, a flicker of panic at being discovered crossed her eyes, quickly replaced by a deeper resistance and coldness.
She growled hoarsely, her voice trembling with tears, "Leave me alone! I told you I'm not going! Why are you forcing me!"
Nobody forced you!
Naruto walked into the warehouse, his boots creaking on the rotten wooden floor.
He stopped a few steps away, his blue eyes staring directly at Feng Hua Xiaoxue: "We just want to help you! Help you get back to your home and take back what's rightfully yours!"
Feng Hua Xiaoxue let out a shrill, cold laugh, her eyes filled with deep-seated hatred and fear: "That place is no longer home! It's hell! It's that devil's lair!"
She jumped to her feet, her body trembling violently from excitement and the cold: "You simply don't understand! You don't understand just how terrifying Feng Hua Nu Tao is! He wields immense power! Countless Snow Ninja risk their lives for him! And those terrifying chakra armors! Even the ninjas of Konoha are no match for him..."
She recalled the ferocity of the three snow ninjas on the iceberg platform, her voice trembling with despair: "No one can stand against him! No one! Going there is just suicide! Give up!"
"Are you so sure we can't beat him?"
Naruto stepped forward, raising his voice: "Just because he looks strong? Just because you think no one can win?"
"What do you know, you're just a kid?!"
Feng Hua Xiaoxue retorted sharply, tears welling up again: "Have you ever experienced watching your loved ones being killed right in front of you?! Do you know that bone-deep fear and helplessness?! You have no idea how terrifying he is! His power... his cruelty..."
Her words were interrupted by a violent sob, as if the memory itself caused her unbearable pain.
Chapter 151 The ending of the story is up to me!
Looking at the princess before him, who was completely overwhelmed by fear and exuded an aura of despair.
Naruto felt no contempt; instead, a strong urge to break free from this despair surged within him.
He thought of his teacher Iruka, his three grandfathers, and the three noisy but always protective "family members" inside him...
Power is never a reason for people to succumb to fear!
He took a deep breath, suppressed his turbulent emotions, slowly raised his right hand, clenched it into a fist, and extended it in front of Feng Hua Xiaoxue.
The boy's eyes were incredibly serious, carrying a light that pierced through despair:
"Then... let's make a promise!"
Kazakura Koyuki froze, tears still clinging to her eyelashes, looking at Naruto's outstretched fist in confusion: "...A promise?"
Naruto nodded vigorously, his voice resolute and filled with unwavering determination: "It's a promise! I, Uzumaki Naruto, will defeat Fuuka Nuta! I will help you reclaim the Land of Snow! I swear by my ninja way!"
Feng Hua Xiaoxue stared blankly at Naruto's young face, which was full of sincerity and stubbornness, and at the light in his eyes that seemed to burn the ice and snow.
After a moment of distraction, a huge sense of absurdity and anger at being belittled surged into my heart.
"Hehe...hehe..."
She let out a cold laugh filled with sarcasm and disdain, as if she had heard the most ridiculous joke in the world: "Defeat the raging waves? You? A little brat? You're just spouting nonsense that shows your ignorance!"