Haku moved through the forest like a swift swallow, the branches barely trembling beneath his light touch. It was a clear indication that his control over his power had reached a state of near perfection. His natural talent was already impressive, and with consistent training during this period, his strength had far surpassed its previous levels.
After some time traveling, he finally found Naruto waiting for him in a clearing.
It was noon, and sunlight scattered across Naruto's warm, smiling face, adding a touch of gentleness to his appearance.
"Long time no see, Haku." Naruto's eyes, behind his thick black-framed glasses, glinted with a peculiar light. Haku's current chakra and Reiatsu levels had just reached that of a Jonin; Naruto believed he could likely triumph even against a relatively strong Jonin.
"Naruto-sama!" Haku appeared before Naruto, his expression respectful. "It has been a long time."
"How have you been these days?"
"I've been living in seclusion in a small town."
Haku then recounted his life over the recent period. He had adopted two children left homeless by the war and rented a house with some money Naruto had given him. Each day, he would go to the marketplace to sell handmade accessories. Secretly, he also took on missions from underground organizations. Due to his considerable strength, he had earned quite a reputation within the local underworld.
However, he was very principled about the missions he accepted. First, he would not take a life. Second, he would not accept missions that were heinous or morally reprehensible. Because of this, the other ninja had given him a codename: Angel.
Naruto listened with a smile, genuinely happy for Haku. Having experienced homelessness himself, Haku naturally felt compassion for children in similar situations. For a ninja, this could be a fatal flaw.
"I admire your kindness, Haku," Naruto said slowly after Haku finished. "But you must understand, the path we are treading is a cruel one. You must be prepared for what's to come."
Haku understood Naruto's meaning and nodded firmly. "Rest assured, Naruto-sama. If that day truly comes, I will not hesitate!"
Sensing Haku's resolve, Naruto nodded in satisfaction and proceeded to explain the details of the current mission. When Haku learned that Naruto had joined the shadowy Root organization, a flicker of pain crossed his eyes. He understood that for the gentle Naruto to make such a decision, he must have undergone immense internal struggle.
"You'll encounter many rogue ninja in the Land of Snow this time. Perhaps it will also give you new insights into Ice Release."
After a long journey, Naruto and Haku, following behind Sasuke's team, soon reached the territory of the Land of Snow.
At that very moment, Sasuke's team found themselves ambushed by Land of Snow rogue ninja. Several Genin emerged from concealed positions, their hands rapidly forming seals.
"Ice Release: Swallow Snow Storm!" "Ice Release: Ice Spikes!"
The snowy ground trembled as several sharp ice pillars erupted, shooting straight towards Sasuke and the others. Simultaneously, snowflakes in the air coalesced into several shuriken, glinting coldly as they flew forward.
"Child's play," Sasuke snorted. His body erupted in a dazzling display of lightning, and in the next instant, his figure flickered between the Genin. Screams mingled with the crackle of electricity. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air; the Genin had been dealt with instantly.
"S-So strong…" Kazahana Koyuki stared at Sasuke in astonishment, her mouth agape.
"My, Sasuke has improved quite a bit, hasn't he?" Haku, observing from the shadows, covered his mouth and chuckled softly.
"Let's go. For the Land of Snow rogue ninja to take them down, they'll need to deploy their core members at least. We can use this chaos to go pillage their treasure," Naruto said, his expression calm.
"Oh my, I get to be a little thief with Naruto-sama. How exciting," Haku chuckled.
"No, we are robbers," Naruto corrected him sternly.
"Yes, yes, of course," Haku giggled, covering his mouth.
As they were about to leave, Naruto noticed Sasuke's team being surrounded by several Chunin. Sasuke's team hadn't received the true intelligence, so they were unaware that Kazahana Koyuki, the person they were protecting, was actually the princess of the Land of Snow.
Yukigakure, the Hidden Village of Snow, wasn't particularly strong; one might even call it weak. Most of its Snow Ninja wore a peculiar type of chakra armor, which provided a considerable boost to their own chakra, but even so, very few ninja among them reached the Jonin level. However, their mastery of Ice Release was still noteworthy.
Since the Snow Ninja encountered along the way were almost all Genin-level, Naruto and Haku proceeded unimpeded. Considering Haku's kind nature, Naruto didn't directly kill these Genin, instead merely using Kyoka Suigetsu to control their perception. Firstly, these ninja were too weak; there was no need to kill them, and their bodies held little research value. Secondly, he didn't want to expose their presence through unnecessary killing. After all, their targets were the rogue ninja leader and the treasure.
Traveling through this land of ice and snow, Haku, with his Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, felt an unconscious surge of joy. The Land of Snow was perpetually shrouded in ice. For ordinary ninja, the low temperatures would be unbearable, but for Haku, it was comfortable. Beneath the ice and snow, he felt the flow of both his Reiatsu and chakra become smoother.
After some infiltration, they successfully arrived inside the palace. Their target, the rogue ninja leader, was seated on the throne, a wild grin on his face. "The princess actually dares to return, and even brought Konoha ninja with her! How laughable! Capture them alive! I want to thoroughly humiliate the princess and show her who the true king of the Land of Snow is!"
This was the leader of the Land of Snow rogue ninja, Kazahana Doto. According to intelligence, Kazahana Doto's strength was likely around the level of a Tokubetsu Jonin—hardly a match for Naruto.
"A pity that such a beautiful land of ice and snow is occupied by such an unsightly fellow," Naruto's slightly sighing voice echoed through the vast, empty palace.
Hearing this, Kazahana Doto's expression changed abruptly. He shot up from his throne, roaring, "Who is it?! Guards!"
A long moment passed, but none of his men arrived. Kazahana Doto's face instantly turned ugly. He remembered the intelligence his subordinates had brought him earlier: Konoha ninja were escorting Kazahana Koyuki this time. Could the ones who infiltrated the palace be those Konoha ninja? When did the princess get involved with Konoha? How could this be? He clearly had contact with Konoha ninja; they were supposed to be secretly helping him!
Could it be… they had betrayed him? Kazahana Doto's expression was extremely grim. He recalled the mysterious Konoha ninja who had come here over ten days ago. After some negotiation, that ninja, representing Konoha, had stated that they would not interfere in the struggle for the leadership of the Land of Snow and would not accept any mission from Kazahana Koyuki. It seemed they had broken their promise. They actually intended to profit from both sides!
"Then let's fight!" Under Naruto's mocking gaze, Kazahana Doto assumed a battle stance. Clad in the chakra armor he had spent decades researching, and armed with Ice Release ninjutsu like Black Dragon Blizzard, Kazahana Doto was confident he wouldn't lose to an ordinary Konoha Jonin!
"Haku, he's all yours. Let me see how much you've progressed these days," Naruto said to Haku, his smile gentle.
"Understood, Naruto-sama." With a light tap of his fingertips, Haku instantly appeared inside the palace.