Chapter 161: Kurama: Damn! 

The rainbow light broke through its limits, forming a towering rainbow on the ground that connected Naruto with Kazayahana Koyuki.

The immense chakra was held in Naruto's hands as he surged toward Kazayahana Doto at an incomprehensible speed.

Dodge? With what? Kazayahana Doto couldn't even see Naruto's movements! By the time he reacted, the tailed beast ball and Rasengan had already collided with his chakra armor.

The clash of armor and chakra sent a storm of energy, the enormous force crashing directly into the chakra armor.

Block? With what?

Better be ready to give your life to block it.

Kazayahana Doto's eyes widened. Almost as soon as the rainbow chakra collided with his armor, the crystal of the armor shattered completely. With the eruption of power, the entire armor broke apart in an instant, leaving only debris and torn cloth.

He couldn't say a word. By the time he came to his senses, his body had already been blasted away.

Kazayahana Doto's body spun through the air. The immense force shattered his bones and organs, and in his final moments, his gaze remained fixed on Naruto.

He didn't understand, nor did he care to.

But... it didn't matter anymore.

"Boom—"

A massive roar came from the sky, and flames and colorful light enveloped the entire sky, as if the entire horizon was painted in rainbow colors.

Naruto gasped for breath, standing on the ground. Only after the light faded did he fall to one knee, his body uncontrollably sinking. The colorful fox cloak vanished, the golden light disappeared, and Naruto gasped heavily as he knelt in place.

"Kurama, why... does it feel like I just fought Shukaku again, even though all I used was one Tailed Beast Bomb and a Rasengan?" Naruto's eyes were a bit dazed.

Kurama stood silently in the seal space, a rare serious expression on his face.

He didn't answer because he didn't know how to explain. Should he tell Naruto that he had sensed the power of the Sage of the Six Paths just now? Or should he say the colorful chakra was just a mirage caused by sunlight reflecting off the snow?

It was something he couldn't bring himself to say, and there was no need to explain.

Because the very next moment, Naruto collapsed completely, falling into the snow. In front of his chest, two crystals glittered in the sunlight.

"Naruto!" Kazahana Koyuki was the first to rush over.

Sasuke stood there with his mouth open, seemingly questioning whether he had seen something wrong. Jiraiya nodded with a pleased expression, clearly happy about Naruto's growth.

"Amazing!"

 The director, moved, hugged himself and cried tears of joy with the photographer standing next to him. "This is the best shot I've been after!"

Such a beautiful scene would make him the best movie director in the ninja world!

...

Kurama's face was grim as he stood in the seal space, his nine tails flicking restlessly behind him.

He looked slowly inside the seal space and spoke: "Old man, you're here, right? The chakra I felt just now was definitely yours. I knew it, you can't even rest in peace after you die."

No one answered.

"Hmph." Kurama snorted coldly. "Stop pretending, old man. I believe in my senses, and I know they're not wrong. No wonder Naruto's strength skyrockets every time he barely escapes death. It turns out it's you, the old man, pulling the strings."

But now, Naruto was definitely different from the original story. At this point in the original, Naruto wouldn't have had this level of strength.

Could it be that the Sage of the Six Paths knew that Naruto's generation would end the feud between Ashura and Indra, so he intentionally left his chakra to reincarnate, awakening just in time for Naruto's birth?

Hmm, with that old man's personality, it's very possible he did something like that.

But wait, if this old man knew that Ashura and Indra would eventually clash, why would he have passed on the inheritance to Ashura at that time? Or was it possible that this old man couldn't actually predict the future?

"No, I believe the old man can predict the future," Kurama crouched down and looked at the seal, saying, 

"But why are your actions so contradictory? Does prophecy have a part one and a part two? Did you only watch part one and skip part two? So you're a Harry Potter fan too?"

Wait, hold on...

If this old man has been watching over Naruto since his birth, does that mean he also knows everything that happened after Kurama's memories were affected by Earth's memories?

Kurama's face froze.

If Minato knew, it was fine. After all, it was just chakra meant as insurance. Minato's real memories and those of this chakra weren't the same, so when the chakra dissipated, it was like erasing all evidence—no one would know.

But the Sage of the Six Paths was different. This old man was definitely dead, but Kurama was certain that his soul and chakra memories were linked. This meant that even if the chakra dissipated, the Sage of the Six Paths could still see what the chakra had seen.

Kurama: "..."

Damn it, this is a disaster!

Out of anyone who could see it, Kurama definitely didn't want the Sage of the Six Paths to know. This was about his dignity!

...

In the hospital room, Naruto lay quietly on the bed while Kazayahana Koyuki sat beside him, wearing a luxurious dress and quietly watching him.

Land of Snow had stabilized. Due to Kazahana Doto's terrifying rule, Kazayahana Koyuki didn't need much time to take over. After the ninjas in Land of Snow realized Kazahana Doto had died, they swore their allegiance to her.

Sandayu was moved to tears. He worked day and night, reassuring the people of Land of Snow while strengthening Kazayahana Koyuki's rule.

Theoretically, Kazayahana Koyuki should be handling state affairs, but she wasn't. She said she needed to stay with Naruto, and after a moment of silence, Sandayu chose to nod in agreement, taking on all the responsibilities and bringing her here.

Sasuke left to train with Jiraiya. After Naruto's last burst of power, Sasuke once again felt a sense of urgency. He was eager to improve his strength, so Naruto stayed behind alone.

Kazayahana Koyuki watched Naruto for a while and suddenly smiled. It was a gentle smile, like that of a devoted wife and mother.

At one point, she seemed to remember something. She stood up, grabbed a camera from the nearby table, set it up to face the bed, turned it on, and entered the frame.

She looked at the camera, took a deep breath, and then softly spoke, "Princess of the Wind and Snow, final scene, first take, action!"

Her face turned slightly red. Kazayahana Koyuki turned to look at Naruto. Watching his deep breathing, she smiled gently. Then, as if pondering or hesitating, she leaned down and softly kissed his face.

The touch of her lips against his cheek wasn't very strong, but Kazayahana Koyuki was already content. After a few seconds, she lifted her head to look at Naruto, her face still flushed.

"Warrior, you saved me, you saved my country."

She placed her hand on Naruto's chest, her smile gentle and full of affection. "You were right—retreat and weakness always go together. I got used to my weakness, so I also got used to retreating in the face of strength."

"But you told me that because I was weak, I should become strong, and because I was weak, I should keep moving forward."

She looked up at the window, the sunlight shining down and casting a warm glow on both of them.

A soft breeze blew, and her gaze returned to Naruto. "Those who believe in miracles are just as remarkable as miracles themselves. But I believe in you, not in miracles."

So.

"I love you, my warrior."

My Naruto.

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