Naruto: Echoes of a Distant Home

Life in the Land of Iron was harsh, and there were few species, each struggling to survive. The snow bear, a top predator in the food chain, rarely passed up a meal, especially if it happened to be human...

With snow and wind swirling around, everything in the distance was blurred in white, making it hard to distinguish changes far away.

Thanks to his abilities, White Zetsu had spotted the snow bear from a distance, while the bear had also detected potential prey.

Driven by hunger and the bitter cold, the snow bear's instincts flared with excitement. It had spotted humans, it was not much meat, but enough to fill its belly.

Across the snowfield, a massive bear raced on all fours. Though it looked bulky, it moved quickly through the snow without sinking, as if on solid ground.

Urged on by primal need, it charged toward Ye Zi and his companions as fast as it could.

Han had come to the Land of Iron to hunt snow bears, Ye Zi and his team had come to capture the Jinchūriki, and now the snow bear had found its way to Ye Zi's group.

As the snow bear drew closer, White Zetsu's prediction came true. Confirming that they were indeed its target, Ye Zi resigned himself to the fight and drew his sword, Chijin.

As the distance closed, a hint of human-like greed flickered in the bear's eyes. Black claws as long as a sword emerged from its massive paws, glowing faintly with visible chakra.

It seemed that this snow bear had a rudimentary mastery of chakra control. Given time, it might have even qualified as a summonable creature.

But unfortunately, treating Ye Zi and the others as food could only lead to its death.

With a push off his foot, Ye Zi shot forward, leaving a trail of white snow behind him. His body and sword were already surrounded by threads of lightning.

Even though he was facing nothing more than a large bear, weaker than most Jōnin, he had no intention of holding back.

He wouldn't underestimate any opponent with power, regardless of its strength.

The snow bear managed to catch sight of Ye Zi's movements and raised its paw to strike precisely at him.

Slash!

The lightning-wreathed Chijin sliced through the bear's claws in a single swipe.

Staring in stunned disbelief, the bear froze mid-strike, paw still raised.

In that moment, Ye Zi leapt forward, his expression cold as he sliced his blade through the bear's neck. His sword stalled slightly before cutting all the way through.

Ye Zi landed and stood with his back to the bear, a flash of surprise in his eyes.

The snow bear's massive body froze on the snowfield, like a statue. Moments later, its enormous head slid off, hitting the ground as a torrent of steaming blood gushed over the snow, staining it a stark, unnatural red.

The bear's head fell, and its massive body slumped to the ground.

Ye Zi sheathed his sword and turned to observe the snow bear. The slight resistance when he cut through its neck indicated that the bear had decent defensive capabilities. Without the enhancement of Lightning Release, that strike might have only lodged his sword in its neck.

Moreover, slicing through its dark, hardened claws had encountered no resistance—even though they had been imbued with chakra. This suggested the bear's physical durability surpassed that of its claws.

Without Lightning Release, killing the snow bear might not have been so simple.

"Lord Ye Zi, did that bear just use chakra?" Shin asked as he approached the bear's corpse.

He had clearly seen the chakra glowing around its claws.

Kotoe, curious, also examined the snow bear's body. While she was used to seeing summonable creatures with chakra, this was her first time seeing a wild animal wield it.

"Yes, this bear's use of chakra suggests there may be creatures here capable of forming summoning contracts," Ye Zi replied, pulling out a storage scroll and sealing the bear's body inside, revealing his wealthy side.

He had a habit of collecting animal meat, often using expensive storage scrolls to preserve it as food for his journeys.

Ye Zi hadn't tried bear meat before, though he had eaten bear paws and found them quite delicious. Given that this bear could use chakra, its meat was likely of high quality.

Upon hearing Ye Zi's words, Kotoe and Shin's eyes lit up. Neither of them had a summoning animal, but considering their upcoming mission, they suppressed their excitement.

Noticing their interest, Ye Zi said, "If you're interested in a summoning contract, you could sign with the Ryūchi Cave clan, like I did."

He deduced that the Land of Iron might have animals capable of forming summoning contracts based on this bear, but he had no interest in searching for one. If Kotoe and Shin wanted summons, he could arrange for them to sign a contract with Ryūchi Cave.

However, even with contracts, they wouldn't be able to summon Manda; only weaker snakes could be summoned.

Summoning a creature as powerful as Manda required a significant amount of chakra, usually reserved for large-scale battles.

Even Ye Zi only summoned Manda when heavily outnumbered, preferring not to use summons in smaller skirmishes.

"Really?" Kotoe asked, her excitement evident before Shin could say anything.

Ye Zi nodded. "Once this mission is over, I'll arrange for you to sign a contract with the Ryūchi Cave clan. It'll make communication easier."

"That's great!" Kotoe beamed, showing no fear of snakes.

Shin was also pleased, knowing a summon would add to his combat arsenal.

"The target is within range," White Zetsu suddenly announced, having kept his abilities active.

"So, they're here," Ye Zi muttered to himself. His plan had been to set up an ambush in the path of the Five-Tails Jinchūriki. However, given the terrain and his confidence in defeating the Jinchūriki, he decided to abandon that plan.

The frigid conditions here would likely hinder the Five-Tails' abilities, which was why Ye Zi hadn't intercepted them in the Land of Taki.

"Four of them," White Zetsu added calmly.

Ye Zi glanced at Kotoe and Shin. "Those three Iwa-nin are yours."

Kotoe and Shin nodded; three enemies were no problem for them.

"Let's begin," Ye Zi said, drawing his sword as he spotted dark figures on the distant horizon.

With a grin, Kotoe readied several poisoned senbon, while Shin silently unsheathed Eihō, a sword gifted to him by Ye Zi.

"I'll just hide then," White Zetsu chuckled, vanishing into the snow. Not being a combat type, he preferred not to fight when he could avoid it.

Ye Zi nodded to White Zetsu, watching as he disappeared into the snow.

"Let's go," Ye Zi ordered coldly as he moved toward the distant figures.

There was no need to rush; with the distance between them, running would only waste energy. If he weren't eager to engage, he would have waited until they were closer before attacking.

The three moved across the snowfield toward the Iwa-nin squad.

As the distance closed, the Iwa-nin noticed Ye Zi's team.

Uncertain of their intentions, the Iwa-nin didn't assume they were friendly; instead, they immediately deemed Ye Zi and his team as enemies.

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Currently on Chapter 406 - Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation