Border

Fortunately for them, they were merely a week away from the north. The village, however, was a different story. It was in the depths of the chilling place, surrounded by uneven terrain and mountains, it would take them a considerable amount of time to cross the obstacles.

"Don't worry, I know a safe path... At least not as dangerous as the other ones"

Jiraiya shouted as they set foot into the first pile of snow, The wind was powerful and cold, more than enough to freeze them if not for their woollen clothes they brought using the money from the Rogue Nin's bounty.

Naruto nodded. Both of them channelled Chakra through their body to resist the cold. A warm sensation suddenly filled Naruto, making him moan with delight.

"Oh, that feels way better"

Less hindered by the icy wind, they pressed through. Even with the woollen clothes and Chakra enhancing the resistance, the coldness was still evident, making them wonder how the Samurai even got supplies from outside.

'Well, that's none of my concern'

Shaking his head, Naruto continued to follow Jiraiya. As they ventured further, the sun slowly went down, until it was dawn.

"Sensei! I see a cave there, Let's set up camp for the night!"

Naruto shouted through the howling wind, his voice barely reaching Jiraiya. The latter nodded and both of them set their way into the cave.

Entering through the hole, both of them fell butt on the ground. Their breaths are rigid and trembling. Quickly, both of them set a bonfire and stayed in its warm embrace, heating their palms and rubbing them.

"Phew... I thought we'd die there"

"Yeah... The blizzard is stronger than the last time I visited this place," Jiraiya responded, making Naruto frown.

'The timing... How worse could it be, fuck!'

Internally cursing at the bad luck, Naruto rubbed his palms. The wind outside was turning thicker, making the image of a fog, however, that was just the thickness of the snow.

Like that, both of them somehow managed to survive for the week, resisting the horrendous blizzard. Naruto squinted his eyes and spotted a glimmer of light in the distance.

He turned his head to look at Jiraiya.

"Is that..."

"Yes," Jiraiya confirmed, making Naruto relax. However, in front was a cliff, so they had to reroute and flank to the right to cross the depthless hole.

Naruto grimaced looking at the shallowness, and gulped.

'Yeah, I am not surviving that fall... Unless'

Jiraiya patted his shoulder, bringing him out of his trance. The blonde nodded, and they both set out again. The harrowing cold grew again, their Chakra layer barely able to resist the winds.

Naruto's breaths were icy and full of smoke, as well as Jiraiya's. It took a whole day for them to flank the cliff and catch a good view of the Samurai's Village.

"Look at that beauty"

Jiraiya commented with trembling hands, Naruto passively nodded and went ahead.

'Fucking finally'

Surviving the weather was no joke, it only made them think how the Samurai were even holding up. But in the end, they put those thoughts in the back of their mind and paced forward.

Not long after, they were close to the outskirts of the village. Jiraiya stopped, and Naruto as well... The blonde looked at his Sensei in confusion, as to why would they stop when they were only a few meters from the village.

Jiraiya pointed at a line before them, and smiled.

"There lies the border"

"Border?" Naruto probbed, uncertain. Without any warning, Jiraiya stepped on the line... And what happened next, was something Naruto did not expect in his wildest imagination.

An ear-piercing howl echoed through the vicinity, making a chill run through his spine. Naruto broke out in cold sweat and glanced at Jiraiya.

His Sensei, however, appeared calm and collected. Removing his woollen jacket and throwing it away, the Sanin cracked his neck and spoke:

"Get ready for battle, kid"