The mountain breathed cold.
Not the wet, suffocating heat of the lowlands. Not the swampy cling of Degarashi Port. This was a brutal, atmospheric hostility—a sharp, aggressive chill that bit through the dark netting of Naruto's mesh tank top the moment he cleared the treeline. The remaining moisture from the hurricane flash-froze against his skin, pulling the heat from his blood. Every inhale scraped his windpipe, the icy air fighting back against his battered lungs.
His sandals pressed into damp stone as they climbed the final approach, slipping slightly on patches of black ice forming over the crushed volcanic dirt. The wide ceremonial path stretched ahead, pale-grey and slick, reflecting the bruised purple sky in broken fragments. Above it all, the shrine rose.
Todoroki.
It didn't seem like a structure built for humans. The dark timber of the massive gates stood rigid against the gale, refusing to sway. The gold-tipped gables cut through the freezing fog like bared teeth. High above, thick paper streamers snapped violently in the wind with a hollow tak—tak—tak, a relentless, rhythmic percussion echoing off the stone.
Naruto adjusted his grip on Sylvie, shifting his weight to balance her against his hip as his right calf cramped painfully from the ascent.
She was lighter than he anticipated.
The lack of resistance in her frame registered immediately in his shoulders. Her arm hung loosely around his neck, her head lolling against his collarbone. Her thick, black-rimmed polarized glasses were slightly crooked, catching thin flashes of pale sunlight. She was breathing, steady now, but… the absolute stillness of her body sent a sickening jolt through his nervous system.
He frowned, his grip tightening unconsciously.
"She's fine," Idate said from behind him, his voice low but carrying a practiced certainty over the howling wind. "You stabilized her. Whatever that was… it's done for now."
Naruto didn't answer immediately. He gritted his teeth, forcing his screaming quads to push his weight up the next riser.
"…Yeah."
A violent gust of wind ripped down the staircase, tearing at the shrine's heavy canvas banners. Somewhere above, thunder rolled—a low, concussive vibration that rattled the fillings in Naruto's teeth.
Naruto's eyes flicked upward, narrowing against the stinging wind.
Heavy, bruised clouds still lingered, dragging low across the peak. He didn't trust them. The atmospheric pressure pressed heavily against his eardrums, a silent warning.
"…Oi," he muttered, glancing sideways and raising his voice over the gale. "Kakashi-sensei and Anko-sensei already left with Aoi, right?"
"Yeah," Idate yelled back, shivering violently beneath his rain-soaked clothes. "They headed back toward Degarashi Port as soon as we split."
Naruto's brow furrowed, a dull ache forming behind his eyes.
"…So how are we getting back down?"
Idate stopped. Slowly. Then—
"I'M SO GLAD YOU ASKED!"
He bounded forward, his boots skidding dangerously on the ice before he caught his balance, arms flung wide despite the freezing temperature.
"At the top of Todoroki Shrine," he declared dramatically, fighting the wind, "is a zipline that runs all the way back down the mountain to the lower docks—"
Thunder cracked.
A massive, ear-splitting detonation directly overhead.
Both of them flinched instinctively, their muscles locking.
"…Uh," Idate added, his bravado instantly evaporating.
Naruto stared at the churning sky. Then down at the fragile, unmoving weight of Sylvie in his arms. The muscles in his jaw tightened so hard they ached.
"…Shit."
He clamped his teeth together instantly, as if he could physically vacuum the sound back out of the freezing air. His eyes darted down to Sylvie's face.
Still asleep. Still breathing. Still completely unresponsive.
Naruto exhaled a long, shuddering breath, the white fog pluming thick in the cold air. Good. Didn't want her hearing that. He needed to keep his heart rate down; she needed stability, not panic.
"…Yeah," Idate muttered, rubbing his arms vigorously as he stared up at the black clouds. "Not safe to be in the sky right now. A lightning strike on the wire would fry us instantly."
Naruto looked at him. Then at the intimidating timber of the shrine. Then back down the long, exposed, ice-slick path they had just climbed. Then back up at the furious sky.
His eyes sharpened. The exhaustion in his muscles was momentarily overridden by a frantic, high-speed tactical calculation. He processed the weight in his arms, the distance to the gate, and the cover provided by the storm.
Then—
He grinned. Wide. Dangerous.
"I have a plan."
Idate's expression immediately shifted into pure, instinctive dread.
"…Let's," he said carefully, "focus on getting the jewel first."
They reached the outer perimeter without incident.
The low wooden fence creaked violently under the gale. Beyond it, the shrine courtyard opened into a broad, stone-paved expanse framed by massive stone lanterns and outbuildings. The final staircase loomed ahead, a treacherous incline slick with freezing moisture.
And there—
The guards.
Naruto crouched low behind a weathered, ice-cold stone lantern, the rough granite biting through the thin mesh of his shirt. He braced his boots against a crack in the pavement to keep from sliding, Sylvie balanced carefully against his chest. Idate knelt beside him, peering cautiously over the edge.
Three of them.
Big. Really big.
"Well," Naruto whispered, squinting against the stinging wind. "They don't look like pushovers."
"No," Idate murmured, his teeth chattering slightly. "They're not."
Naruto studied them, his eyes tracking their biomechanics, searching for weaknesses in their posture.
The first one—massive. Barrel-chested, wrapped in thick, quilted layers of dark fabric. A heavy scarf snapped violently around his neck in the wind, each crack sharp as a whip, but the man's massive shoulders didn't twitch. He barely moved, his center of gravity rooted deeply into the stone.
The second—broad, grounded. Thick armor plates curved over his torso. He stood with his legs wide, absorbing the brutal gusts without swaying, his posture radiating a stubborn refusal to yield to gravity.
The third—
Naruto blinked.
"…Whoa."
Tall. Precise. Moving in smooth, measured steps that glided over the slick ice without slipping. Her armor caught the weak sunlight in sharp flashes as she paced, each turn exact, controlled, her hands resting near her waist, ready to draw.
They didn't slouch. They didn't shiver. They moved with a terrifying, coordinated discipline.
Naruto's eyes narrowed, his mind racing to calculate the force required to break their formation.
"Alright…" he muttered, his breath fogging the cold stone of the lantern. "We gotta get one of those jewel things off them, right?"
Idate nodded. "They're carrying Ryūmyaku Jewel pieces. We need one more. Then we're done."
Naruto leaned forward slightly, his calf muscles burning as he shifted his weight, focusing on their patrol route—
"…You think we should steep it longer?"
Naruto froze.
"…Huh?"
The massive guard—the one with the scarf—shifted slightly, the heavy fabric of his coat rustling audibly over the wind.
"I'm telling you," he rumbled, his voice slow, heavy, but completely devoid of combat tension. "If you rush it, the bitterness overwhelms the aroma."
The broad guard crossed his arms, his posture relaxing into a casual lean.
"That's because you always rush it. Tea requires patience. Balance."
The woman sighed, stopping her precise pacing to pinch the bridge of her nose.
"We have had this conversation three times this morning."
Naruto blinked again.
They weren't tracking threats. They weren't scanning the perimeter.
They were arguing about tea.
"…Are they serious?" Naruto whispered, glancing at Idate.
Idate squinted through the fog.
"…They're shrine guards in the Land of Tea."
"…Right."
"…This tracks."
Naruto stared at them for another second. The tension in his shoulders suddenly evaporated. The terrifying combat calculation vanished, replaced by a reckless, adrenaline-fueled improvisation.
His grin returned.
"Oh," he whispered. "Oh, this is easy."
Before Idate could respond—
Naruto stood up, his boots slipping slightly on the ice before he caught his balance.
"WAIT—"
Too late.
Naruto sprinted straight out from behind the lantern, directly toward the guards, carrying Sylvie's dead weight against his chest. His sandals skidded wildly on the frozen stone, his lungs burning as he forced a massive intake of freezing air.
Idate's soul briefly left his body.
"HELP!"
Naruto's voice cracked across the courtyard, loud, raw, and desperate.
All three guards snapped to attention instantly, their relaxed postures vanishing as their hands moved instinctively toward their weapons.
"What—?!"
The massive one turned fully, his scarf snapping violently around his face.
Naruto skidded to a halt ten feet in front of them, breathing hard, intentionally letting his legs tremble as he clutched Sylvie tighter against his chest.
"She's—she's hurt!" he gasped, forcing a desperate, terrified tremble into his voice. "We were attacked on the way up—she collapsed—I don't know what to do!"
The guards' entire demeanor shifted. The lethal discipline evaporated, replaced by immediate, startling empathy.
"Oh no—"
The broad one stepped forward, genuine concern etched into his weathered face.
"Lay her down," the woman ordered, already moving toward them, her voice calm but urgent, her hands empty of weapons. "Carefully."
Naruto hesitated just enough to sell the panic, letting a slight, frightened wheeze escape his lips.
"I—I don't know if I should—"
"It's alright," she said, her tone softening immediately. "You're safe here."
Naruto swallowed loudly. Then, very slowly, his muscles burning from the sustained effort, he lowered Sylvie into their reach.
Behind them—
A blur.
Idate moved through the freezing fog like a shadow. Silent. Fast.
His hand flicked out—clean, precise—
Snatch.
He caught Naruto's eye for half a second over the guards' bent shoulders and gave a sharp, subtle nod.
Got it.
Naruto's grin flickered across his face for a single, dangerous microsecond—
Then vanished. Back to pure panic.
"She just—she just stopped responding—!" Naruto cried.
The massive guard leaned down, his massive, calloused hand hovering awkwardly over Sylvie's shoulder.
"Uh… should we… shake her?"
"No," the woman snapped immediately. "Don't shake—"
Naruto pinched the sensitive nerve cluster on the back of Sylvie's arm.
Hard.
Sylvie's eyes snapped open, her pupils dilating wildly.
"WHERE AM I????"
The guards recoiled in shock.
Naruto lit up instantly, his panic vanishing completely.
"Oh! Sylvie-chan!" he beamed, his eyes sparkling with absolute, unapologetic relief. "You're okay! Thank goodness!"
She blinked rapidly, her head jerking as she tried to process the sudden change in environment.
"…Naruto?"
"Yeah!" he said brightly, already grabbing her wrist and hauling her upright, ignoring her obvious disorientation. "You passed out, but you're all good now!"
"…I did?"
"Yep!"
He turned on his heel, already moving.
"Let's go!"
He didn't wait for a response. He just ran. Dragging her with him. Straight past the bewildered guards and toward the shrine interior.
The guards stood there. Frozen.
The bitter wind snapped violently through the empty courtyard.
"…Was she injured?" the broad one asked slowly, blinking at the space Naruto had just vacated.
"…I don't think so," the woman said, her brow furrowing in confusion.
The massive one frowned, patting his pockets slowly.
"…Did we just get—"
A long beat.
They all looked at each other.
"…huh."
Naruto didn't stop running until they were fully inside the shelter of the shrine walls.
Then he slowed, his chest heaving, his sandals finding solid, dry wood.
Then he laughed. Loudly.
"HAHA! Did you see their faces?!"
Sylvie stumbled beside him, rubbing her arm, still half-lost in a post-activation haze.
"…I feel like I missed something important."
Idate appeared from the shadows behind them, holding up the glittering jewel piece with a triumphant, exhausted grin.
"Mission complete."
Naruto pumped a fist in the air.
"Let's GO!"
Outside, the bitter wind howled against the heavy timber walls of the shrine. Above, thunder rolled again, a low, threatening promise.
Naruto's grin sharpened into something far more dangerous.
"…Alright," he said, looking around the cavernous interior. "Now we just gotta get off this mountain."
His eyes flicked upward toward the ceiling, tracing the path toward the roof.
Toward the sky. Still rumbling. Still waiting.
"…And I've got a plan for that too."