Naruto: The new beginning

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The climate in the shinobi world was weird.

Geographically, the Land of Iron was located at roughly the same latitude as Kumogakure and Iwagakure.

Yet, its weather was more like the Land of Snow cold enough to make a husky act normal.

Temari and Kankuro were still wearing their desert gear light summer clothing with cloaks designed for sun and sand protection.

Unfortunately, those weren't exactly warm.

The two of them shivered violently in the cold. If they weren't shinobi, they probably would've collapsed already.

Gaara, on the other hand, showed no reaction.

Maybe it was because he always wore long sleeves and pants. Or maybe it was thanks to the extra layer of insulation provided by his Sand Armor.

If Temari and Kankuro weren't so opposed to the idea, Gaara wouldn't have minded making some sand armour for them too.

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Meanwhile, Naruto and his group had come prepared.

They had changed into insulated clothing and windproof cloaks, making their journey through the snow much more comfortable.

Since Minato was wearing his Hokage hat, he didn't pull up his hood.

Seeing this, Naruto quietly formed a snowball and shoved it down the back of Minato's shirt.

"Ah—cold!" Minato shivered as the icy surprise hit him. He quickly reached back, pulling out the half-melted snowball.

Naruto barely had time to smirk before—

Poof!

The next second, the same snowball was inside Naruto's shirt.

"Hey! Not fair! You used the Flying Thunder God for that?!" Naruto yelped, shivering as the melting snow sent freezing water trickling down his back.

He hopped around frantically, pulling up his shirt to shake out the snow.

Minato and Shisui laughed at the sight, while the hidden observers Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura smirked from their vantage point.

'If I had been standing next to Naruto, that snowball probably would've ended up in my shirt' thought both Kakashi and Sasuke at the same time.

Naruto scowled, 'Fine. When I get home, I'll pretend to catch a cold and blame Dad for it!'

Minato felt a sudden chill down his spine. He figured it was just the lingering effects of the snowball and brushed it off.

---

The further north they travelled, the heavier the snow became.

Finally, Naruto spotted their destination.

A massive, uniquely shaped mountain came into view.

Three cliffs extended outward in different directions, each one covered in jagged icicles formed from years of snowfall.

From a distance, it resembled the upper jaw of a giant crocodile.

Beneath the cliffs lay a vast cave the location of the Five Kage Summit.

Unlike other dark, damp caves, this one had been carefully structured.

Its walls were intricately carved with detailed engravings.

At the very back of the cave, the space suddenly opened up into a massive open-air plaza.

Snowflakes drifted down from above, settling on the multi-tiered, pyramid-shaped structure at the centre.

A samurai, likely the Land of Iron's equivalent of Izumo and Kotetsu, stepped forward to greet them.

"We have been expecting you."

At the entrance, about a dozen armoured samurai stood guard.

Each one was fully clad in armour, helmets covering their heads.

And for some reason… they were all wearing gas masks.

Naruto squinted. Is this because Mifune got traumatized by Hanzo's poison gas back in the day?

Their heavy armour was caked in snow, and every movement they made caused their metal plates to clink together.

It was like seeing colourless Kamen Riders.

Minato nodded in greeting. "Thank you for your hard work."

The samurai simply responded, "It is our duty. Please, follow me."

As Minato, Naruto, and Shisui entered, Kakashi's group remained outside to maintain security.

Minato handed his cloak to Naruto, then turned to the samurai.

"How many have arrived so far?"

The samurai answered, "The Raikage and Mizukage have both arrived, as well as the leader of Takigakure."

Naruto shook off the snow from both his and Minato's cloaks before folding them up.

"Looks like we're not too late. I wonder who Kumo sent maybe someone I've beaten before?"

Shisui patted Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto, let's not bring that up."

Naruto grinned. "Oh, I get it." Then he smirked. "But the people from Kiri? They might've been beaten by you, Shisui-nii."

Shisui scratched his cheek awkwardly. That… was actually possible.

His moniker—"Shunshin no Shisui"—was earned on the Kiri battlefield, and not every opponent he fought had been killed.

There was a real chance that some of today's attendees had been beaten up by him.

Naruto chuckled. "It's no big deal. I mean, even the Raikage got beaten up by Dad!"

Shisui had no response to that.

Even the samurai leading them started sweating a little.

This kid really has no filter…

Minato turned around. "Naruto, that's enough. Strictly speaking, I never defeated the Raikage or Bee. Our battle was inconclusive. Let's not spread misinformation."

Naruto shrugged. "Alright. So, have you ever met Takigakure's leader?"

Minato shook his head. "No. In some ways, Takigakure is even more secretive than Kiri. But you've met a few of their genin before, haven't you?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I get along with Fū pretty well."

He suddenly remembered something.

Fū had once given him a bag of random items, which he'd left at Hinata's place.

Now that he thought about it… had she ever checked what was inside?

Hopefully, there wasn't anything weird in there…

Naruto continued, "Fū's fine, but her two teammates were shady. They were jonin pretending to be genin during the Chunin Exams! So unfair."

Especially since they were ugly, too.

Naruto made a disgusted face.

And then—

Speak of the devil.

A green-haired figure flew out of the meeting hall and tackled him in mid-air.

"Narutooooo!"

Fū's wings flapped as she clung to his head, wrapping her arms around him literally a flying tackle hug.

Naruto staggered, prying her off his face. "Hey! Get down already!"

His nose stung from the impact.

Damn it, why are all the strong kunoichi in my life like this?

Hinata really was the best.

Fū pouted. "You promised to visit Takigakure, but you never came!"

"Well, I've been… busy." Naruto rubbed the back of his head, eyes shifting.

Okay, fine. I had free time. But I spent it with Hinata, and Taki is a hassle to get to…

As he looked away, his gaze landed on two very familiar faces.

Hōen and Yōrō, Fū's two teammates who had definitely heard everything he just said about them.

The awkwardness in their expressions was palpable.

Naruto gulped.

Yeah. Gotta stop badmouthing people behind their backs…

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