'Well, compared to a sacrificial altar, this place is indeed more like a dungeon.'
'The Land of Whirlpools was renowned for its Sealing Techniques, often used to suppress various Biju and malicious spiritual creatures.'
'The remaining Summoned Beasts today are mostly those that have allied with humans. While there are still some wild spiritual beasts, they generally prefer to avoid human contact.'
'Overall, the people of the Land of Whirlpools would seal anything they encountered. If they didn't like something, even a stray dog barking on the side of the road, they'd seal it without hesitation.'
'Logically speaking, if they have such an amazing Sealing Technique, how could they possibly worship hundreds of gods? Shouldn't it be more like 'I am the greatest under heaven'?'
'Is there a possibility that this is not the altar for gods, but rather a prison for them?'
Naruto's mind was a jumble of thoughts as he glanced at the bottomless crevice ahead and he gave up the idea of going down to explore immediately.
"Let's get out of here first." He suggested.
After some effort, the two of them climbed out of the pit. Sunlight hit Naruto, but it offered no warmth. He turned to see Anko stretching under the sunlight.
She had a slender waist, a perfectly round figure, and was in the prime of her youth. Her figure and appearance are at their peak.
"You should cut back on sweets in the future." Naruto said seriously.
"Why?" Anko frowned slightly, "Why do you care? If I can't have sweets, what's the point of living?"
"Do as you please. I'm just saying. Take it or leave it. But if you end up turning into a barrel one day, don't blame me."
"You're the one turning into a barrel!" Anko retorted, with a hint of insecurity in her voice.
In the next few days, Naruto had explored half of the island. Except for some places that were inaccessible, he had been to all the places on the surface, but found almost nothing.
About eight days later, the travel-worn Kakashi finally arrived.
When he saw his two students standing there with their hands and feet intact, Kakashi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Then, he asked lazily with one of his eyes drooping and one hand half raised, "Yo, you guys doing alright?"
"We're fine." Naruto scratched his face and said, "They're all good too."
"Kakashi-sensei." Sakura waved as well.
"I'm glad you're alright." Kakashi smiled with his eye half-closed, "Still, drifting from the Land of Snow to the western side of the Land of Whirlpools isn't easy."
Anko stood there, feeling slightly awkward. As a Tokubetsu Jonin, encountering such an unexpected situation felt like bad luck. Although she managed to keep both the target and her team alive, she still felt somewhat embarrassed.
Kakashi, however, didn't focus on Anko. He briefly went over the details with her and then used his authority to change the nature of their mission.
"After the Godaime Hokage's consideration, I, Jonin Hatake Kakashi, hereby announce the termination of the Land of Snow's mission, and the Anko's team is to escort the protection target back to Konoha."
"The order is effective immediately."
Kakashi stamped the new mission document with both the Godaime Hokage's seal and his own personal seal. Anko confirmed the order's validity and signed off with her handprint.
Thus, the Land of Snow mission was temporarily canceled.
Anko's team and Koyuki were safely escorted back to Konoha by Kakashi and his group, and all were admitted to the Konoha Hospital for observation.
All three women were injured to varying degrees and would have to stay in the hospital for a while, but Naruto was fine and got discharged the same day.
Tsunade didn't call for him, so he was happy to relax and went straight home.
After a month away from home, his house was still the same. Kurama was lounging on the sofa, the balcony piled high with empty liquor bottles, the windows wide open, and wind chimes softly tinkling.
After washing up, Naruto was blow-drying his hair when Kurama suddenly woke up.
"Oh, you're back?"
"Yeah, I'm back." Naruto finished drying his hair and casually put on his clothes. "You've been home alone for the whole month?"
"Pretty much, but I went out for walks sometimes." Kurama sprawled on the sofa, with a mysterious smile on his face, "Humans really are foolish. No one noticed me even when I walked down the street."
"You're just a dog, what's there to notice?" Naruto replied without mercy.
"Heh, what do you know?" Kurama took out a pair of small glasses with his paws and put them on his nose, looking like a wise dog, "Humans let their guard down around me because I disguise myself well."
"Really? That's amazing." Naruto said perfunctorily.
"That's what the woman said when I paid for the takoyaki." Kurama said, nodding his head.
"What woman?" Naruto turned his head to ask.
"That blonde woman." Kurama rolled over and pulled out a bottle of liquor from beneath him, and said, "That woman came over once when you were away."
"What was she doing here?" Naruto went into the kitchen, poured a glass of water, leaned against the kitchen and asked while drinking.
"Heh, you're all my slaves." Kurama skillfully bit off the bottle cap and spat it into the trash can. "It's the same as what you do every day, cleaning up the place."
"Uh-huh." He didn't say anything else, put down the glass of water and lazily lay down on the sofa.
"Why do you seem so listless?" Kurama asked, taking another swig of liquor, " You've been quieter since you got back."
"Adult stuff, fox, it's none of your business." Naruto glanced at Kurama and then took out the key of the geothermal generator he got from Koyuki from his pocket.
The key was in the shape of a purple crystal, resembling a long necklace. Lying on the sofa, he dangled it in the air, staring at it intently.
The reward for second option is to upgrade his Flying Thunder God Technique, but the mission is now canceled.
Although the client was lost at sea, the target, Kazahana Koyuki, was still alive. Therefore, as long as she is willing to restart the resume the Land of Snow's mission, the canceled mission could restart rather than end outright.
Konoha has already received the remuneration, so both morally and logically, they wouldn't refuse Koyuki's request.
'The question is, how to convince Koyuki, who has survived the disaster, to set out on the journey to the Land of Snow again? Would she be willing?'
After pondering for a while, Naruto sighed and clenched the key in his hand.
'Just take one step at a time.'
Now that something like this has happened, whether it was an accident or some other reason, Koyuki's mental state was already fragile from her ordeal at the sea, so it was best not to push her too soon.
Some things can't be rushed, and there's still plenty of time.
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