Land of Snow, Daimyo's Mansion main hall.
The traces of battle had completely vanished.
Doto's corpse had been cleared out like trash, and the few dark red bloodstains remaining on the ground had been frozen by Haku's Ice Release and then removed, leaving no residue.
At this moment, the hall was empty and silent.
Naruto sat casually on the throne that symbolized the highest power in the Land of Snow, resting his chin on one hand.
He appeared to be resting with his eyes closed, but in reality, his consciousness had sunk deep into his mind.
The system's notification sound rang out at the right time.
[Ding!]
[Mission: Independent Kingdom, Completed.]
[Mission: Winter is Coming, Completed.]
[Settlement Rewards: Obtained 1 B-Rank treasure chest, obtained 1 C-Rank treasure chest]
"Not bad."
Naruto thought to himself.
This blitzkrieg had not only quickly taken the strategic center of the entire Land of Snow but also conveniently completed two missions, yielding a rich harvest.
"Open the B-Rank treasure chest first."
Following his thought, a treasure chest shimmering with silver light slowly opened in his conscious space.
[Opening successful!]
[Obtained skill: Tenteikūra]
[Description: By releasing high-density spirit and energy, a massive, invisible web is woven in the sky.]
[Effect:]
Wide-range Broadcast: Can directly transmit the caster's voice into the minds of everyone within a specified range; ignores distance and obstacles within the sensing range.
Precise Positioning: Can be transmitted only to specific targets, provided they are within the sensing range.
Location Sharing: The vital signs and general locations of those connected will be automatically fed back to the caster.
"A spiritual network communication? A higher-level sensing ability."
Naruto suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing within them.
With the opening of the Gene Lock, the fusion with the Nine-Tails Chakra, and the daily strengthening of his Conqueror's Haki, Naruto's spiritual power was growing at an alarming rate every moment.
Currently, his spiritual power was massive enough to cover the entire Kozuki City and could even extend to the surrounding areas like tentacles.
"Perfect. The team is getting bigger and bigger, and the previous communication methods were far too outdated."
Naruto closed his eyes again, instantly releasing a massive amount of spiritual power and chakra.
Buzz—!
An invisible spiritual wave centered on Naruto's throne instantly spread throughout the entire capital.
Like a giant net, it enveloped the entire city.
In his current perception, the entire Kozuki City was as if transparent.
All buildings, streets, and even underground pipes became clearly discernible.
He could clearly sense Kimimaro commanding the Hidden Sound ninjas to clean up the battlefield in the square, Haku comforting the terrified citizens, and Yakushi Kabuto rummaging through the research institute to organize data.
Naruto's lips curled slightly, and with a thought, he locked onto these core subordinates.
"Everyone, can you hear me?"
Meanwhile, in various parts of the capital.
Kimimaro, who was moving the bodies of Snow Ninjas, paused and suddenly looked up toward the palace, his eyes full of fanaticism.
Haku, who was gently comforting a frightened child, suddenly trembled and covered his mouth in surprise.
Yakushi Kabuto, who was flipping through classified documents in the research institute, stopped his movements abruptly and looked around alertly.
This voice didn't come through their ears but rang directly in their consciousness.
"Lord Naruto?!"
Everyone instinctively cried out in their hearts or spoke aloud.
"No need to panic."
——
Naruto's voice continued to echo steadily in their minds, carrying a reassuring power.
"This is a new method of communication."
"From now on, no matter where you are, my will shall be with you."
"Report on the situation in various places."
After a brief moment of shock, everyone quickly adapted to this efficient way of communicating.
Kimimaro: "The square has been cleared, hostile forces have been purged, and there are no civilian casualties."
Haku: "The public's mood is stable, supplies are being distributed, and the work of winning over hearts is progressing smoothly."
Yakushi Kabuto: "The research institute has been secured, and core data is being organized."
"I will bring it to you later—the discoveries here might surprise you."
After a simple test, Naruto cut off the spiritual connection and nodded with satisfaction.
"Very good."
"The command issue is solved, saving the time needed to develop communication ninjutsu."
With this technique, his command would be as smooth as moving his own fingers, with no more delays.
Next, Naruto turned his gaze to the item from the C-Rank treasure chest.
[Miscellaneous Blind Box]
[Description: Theoretically, it can contain any item from any plane, from divine weapons to a wicker basket; it all depends on luck.]
"All depends on luck?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow.
He didn't believe in luck; he only believed in ability and choice.
Even if he were to gamble, he wouldn't honestly let it "all depend on luck."
With a flick of his wrist, he pulled out a crystal-clear twenty-four-sided die from his pocket.
This was a special item he had obtained earlier when completing the [Gambling to Riches] mission in Tanzaku Town.
[Loaded Dice of Fate]
[Description: This is a die kissed by the Goddess of Luck, but the process of that kiss might not have been so pleasant.]
[Effect: Usually just an ordinary die, but when you inject energy and throw it, your next action will be forced to receive a 'Great Success' buff.]
[Cost: After use, the die will shatter and disappear.]
"This is the perfect place to use it."
Naruto pinched the die and injected chakra into it.
As it absorbed the energy, the die began to heat up and emit a faint golden glow.
Then, a flash of golden light.
Crack.
The die suddenly shattered completely, turning into countless golden specks of light that vanished into the air.
Simultaneously, that golden glow seemed to empower Naruto, a mysterious sensation enveloping his entire body.
"Open the blind box."
Naruto opened the blind box without hesitation.
Light flickered.
[Ding! You have drawn a special item!]
[Congratulations on obtaining: Captain Jack's Compass]
[Description: It doesn't point north, south, east, or west; it only points to what your heart desires most.]
A tattered, bronze-colored compass with some peeling paint appeared in Naruto's hand.
"Where the heart leads?"
Naruto looked at the compass spinning wildly in his hand and fell into deep thought.
What did he desire most right now?
Money? Power? Or strength?
No, he could obtain those things on his own.
What he needed now was—
A trump card strong enough to overturn the entire ninja world, a tool that could accelerate the realization of his ultimate goal!
As the goal in Naruto's heart took shape, the previously spinning needle stopped instantly.
It pointed firmly toward a distant place.
Naruto put away the compass, stood up, and looked at the wind and snow outside the window.
"Once the matters here are resolved, I'll go see exactly what this tool is that can accelerate my goals."
Just then, the sound of scattered footsteps came from outside the palace.