"Alright, show me what you've got!"
After the shadow clone released Yukimi and undid her seal, Naruto signaled her to begin.
Without a second thought, Yukimi transformed into a cloud of smoke and dashed towards the cave entrance at lightning speed.
Clearly, she was trying to escape this nightmarish place while she had the chance.
Stay here and become an informant? Not a chance!
Sure, they were all just kids, but could they really handle this? Besides, there were a hundred of them! Staying meant risking her life.
Naruto, however, sensed everything as he followed her movements closely. The ability she displayed was likely some kind of Yang Release nature transformation—an advanced Bloodline Limit.
In the past, the Iburi clan's smoke form was highly unstable. Even a slight breeze could blow them apart. But after Orochimaru's extensive research, their abilities had been improved.
Instead of fearing a light wind, they now only had to worry about stronger gusts and could even use their powers to infiltrate and destroy the insides of their enemies.
But in the end, any half-decent ninja could whip up a wind strong enough to counter them, which made the Iburi clan's abilities quite underwhelming.
Orochimaru never managed to fix that flaw, but Yukimi's resurrection in the original storyline might indicate that her body had undergone some changes, allowing her to overcome this limitation. Maybe she no longer feared the wind.
That's how she was able to leave the underground world and fulfill her childhood dream of living among humans.
Still, it had been ten years since then, and Yukimi hadn't learned any new jutsu. Other than her smoke transformation, she was just an ordinary person.
How could she possibly escape under Naruto's watchful eyes?
Ten minutes later, four of Naruto's shadow clones set out. It took only a few seconds for them to bring Yukimi back.
Back at the original spot, Yukimi looked utterly defeated, her head hanging in despair.
"From now on, you'll stay with me," Naruto said with a grin.
With a bit of training, she could definitely become a force to be reckoned with in the ninja world.
"Do I have to be an informant?" Yukimi asked, her face full of misery.
Naruto chuckled at her reaction and waved his hand dismissively. "Relax, they're just my clones. I'm the real deal."
"Really? I thought…" Yukimi let out a sigh of relief.
She had been worried she was dealing with another batch of Orochimaru's clones or experimental subjects. After all, how else could so many people look exactly the same?
"But," Naruto added with a mischievous smile, "you still need to stay with me! You'll be my personal informant."
"What?" Yukimi's heart sank once again. Suspiciously, she asked, "How old are you, kid?"
Naruto's expression immediately darkened. Was that an insult?
"You'll find out soon enough," Naruto said, dragging Yukimi further inside. He also shut off Kurama's ability to sense the outside world.
At this moment, Naruto stood at 1.5 meters tall. His rapid growth had been fueled by his increasing strength, and he would soon grow even taller.
Yukimi wasn't particularly tall either, just a bit over 1.7 meters. With her baby face, they actually looked fine together.
"I don't mean to be rude, but we only just met. I don't even know who you are! If you want me to agree to this, shouldn't we take things slow?" Yukimi protested, her resistance weakening.
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki! Kakashi, whom you know, will soon be my teacher. Yamato is like a senior to me," Naruto said openly.
"Really?" Yukimi's eyes lit up. "You know them? How are they doing? It's been ten years since I last saw them."
Naruto knew she was trying to distract him, but he played along. "Of course, I know them. I'm from Konoha too. Their lives have had ups and downs, but to sum it up, they're still alive."
Yukimi, still feeling hopeless, sighed. "Does it really have to be this way?"
"It does. I need to strengthen myself first so that things will be easier in the future." Naruto nodded firmly.
Although Yukimi didn't fully understand what Naruto meant, she could sense his unwavering determination.
"Alright," Yukimi sighed in resignation. "Just promise me you won't abandon me in the future."
Her life had been full of hardship, and she had learned to accept fate easily, which allowed her to stay optimistic.
Since the death of her clan, she had wandered alone for years, longing for a place to belong.
Now, although she had no other choice, at least Naruto wasn't bad-looking. In a way, this was a stroke of luck in her otherwise unfortunate life.
"You'll be my family from now on. I'll take care of you and cherish you," Naruto assured her.
Yukimi fulfilled her part of the deal.
Although a bit clumsy at first, she gave it her all, doing everything she could to please Naruto.
Still, she found herself quietly gritting her teeth—this guy had the energy of a madman, moving like a wind-up toy! She simply couldn't keep up.
"Wait, wait! I can't go on! I'm completely exhausted!" Yukimi finally collapsed, lying on the ground like a cat ready to nap.
"Sigh, really?" Naruto muttered, feeling like there was still something missing.
But one thing was clear—this crazy combination of the Uzumaki clan's ridiculous stamina and Kurama's chakra was beyond belief!
Though a bit irreverent, Naruto couldn't help but wonder: had the previous Nine-Tails Jinchuriki ever felt this way? Especially compared to him, the hot-headed Uzumaki? Did they ever push themselves to the limit?
Kushina might not have known, but Mito? Maybe? After all, her partner was the great Hashirama Senju, a legendary ninja.
No, wait! Hashirama probably focused all his energy on Madara. Who knows if Mito ever felt satisfied?
Hmm… this question was getting awkward. Time to change the subject.
Anyway, back to the story.
After Yukimi fell asleep, Naruto went to a nearby town, bought some pillows and blankets, and returned to sleep beside her until morning.
The next day, after breakfast, Naruto left a shadow clone behind to look after and train Yukimi, while the real Naruto headed back to Konoha.
Not much had happened overnight, and the shadow clone had already attended school in his place.
Naruto decided that it was time to order a custom batch of tools specifically designed for the Flying Thunder God technique.
Ordinary tools weren't strong enough. After using the technique a few times, they'd break. Even rocks couldn't handle it—using the technique repeatedly caused them to crack.
That's why Minato Namikaze always carried his own specially-made Flying Thunder God kunai. The three-pronged design was sharper and could even pierce through rock, providing better mobility.
As for setting up seals on people, the technique would draw chakra from the target, but the impact was minimal.
Naruto didn't plan to copy Minato's kunai design. Everyone had their own style of fighting.
While Minato focused on speed, Naruto preferred brute force.
For Naruto, the Flying Thunder God technique was more of a sneak attack for critical moments, but its primary use was for fast travel.