In the end, Naruto's iron fist didn't land on Yugito's face.
It wasn't just because B came rushing over in a panic to stop the fight afterward.
The more critical reason was that Yugito didn't harbor much malice in her heart.
She had only intended to scout things out.
Under such circumstances, Naruto naturally wouldn't kill recklessly.
On the road to the Land of Earth.
"Ah, so it was just a misunderstanding! I thought it was an enemy ambush, my bad, my bad..."
With the misunderstanding cleared up, Naruto had a carefree, apologetic expression.
This straightforward way of apologizing left Yugito with no outlet for her anger, even if she had any.
To be honest, it was her first time seeing a strong individual like Naruto apologize to others without any hesitation.
In Kumogakure, strength was the only truth.
Even B, who had enjoyed the Raikage's favor since childhood, couldn't avoid being ostracized by others in the village, let alone Yugito, a Jinchuriki with no one to rely on.
"See! Yugito! I told you, Naruto is easy to get along with!"
B beside them was still 'waving his claws', showing off his stage presence.
Unexpectedly, Yugito directly hit him in the abdomen with an elbow strike, causing the rap artist to curl up in pain.
The two had trained together for a long time, their relationship being both mentor and friend, so this kind of affectionate roughhousing was nothing.
Naruto glanced back, just smiled, and didn't say anything.
"Alright, I know, B."
Yugito withdrew her arm, completely ignoring B lying on the ground, and silently followed behind Naruto and the others.
Her deep eyes didn't reveal any emotion.
The order she received from the Raikage was only one: "Stay by Naruto's side and ensure your own safety."
Other than that, there were no other requirements.
B clowned around on the spot for a while. Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he could only silently get up, dust himself off, and then trot over to catch up.
...
The Land of Earth bordered the Land of Rain, with no buffer country between them.
Or rather, the Land of Rain was originally the buffer zone between the three great nations: Earth, Wind, and Fire.
Everyone present was a Ninja, so their traveling speed wasn't slow to begin with.
Coupled with Jiraiya using his ability to create an ink carriage for transportation, traveling day and night further reduced the time needed.
It didn't take long from their departure from Amegakure until they set foot on the Land of Earth's distinctive terrain.
The Land of Earth was mostly mountainous, with rugged terrain unsuitable for the ink carriage.
And Iwagakure was nestled among steep mountains, boasting natural defensive advantages.
Of course, all of this wasn't a problem in front of Garuda.
Although there was a high probability of conflict when going to Iwagakure this time, it was fundamentally different in nature from their previous 'direct assault on the Akatsuki base'.
They didn't have to worry about scaring the people of Iwagakure.
Iwagakure was a large, established village, so it wasn't likely they would pack up and flee because of this.
Naruto was just a bit worried… Karin was, after all, a young girl. Would carrying so many people hurt her self-esteem?
But Karin herself didn't overthink it.
Garuda was covered in feathers anyway, so there was no worry about getting dirty.
As for psychological burden...
This young girl's mental resilience was far stronger than Naruto had imagined.
She didn't develop PTSD towards similar situations just because she had been treated as a 'tool' by the Ninjas of the Land of Grass.
On the contrary, in Karin's view, being able to help Naruto was an affirmation of her own value.
In this aspect, she would probably have a lot in common with a certain Ninja with the Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai.
High in the sky, both B and Yugito, who were seeing this transformation ability for the first time, were shocked.
Even the two Tailed Beasts inside them were very surprised.
This was different from their Tailed Beast Transformations, as the entire transformation process didn't release any Chakra.
In their perception, after the transformation was complete, even Karin's internal organs and bodily structure had changed.
It was completely different from Jinchuriki who don Tailed Beast Cloaks but are still fundamentally human.
It's unprecedented.
"Hmph~"
Matatabi and Gyuki heard a faint, almost imperceptible, proud huff.
It came from their old companion, Kurama.
It was as if the fox was mocking them, 'You ignorant fools.'
Unfortunately, this level of mockery might only work on the One-Tail, Shukaku.
The Two-Tails, Matatabi, was, like her Jinchuriki, an elegant and gentle 'big sister'.
And the Eight-Tails, Gyuki, might have been irritable originally, but after spending so many years with an eccentric like B, his temper had long since mellowed.
The two Tailed Beasts' attitude instead made Kurama a bit unhappy.
He had been somewhat expecting his old companions to ask him about it.
'Hmph, fine if you don't ask-'
...
Garuda was very fast, not just because of its large size, but also due to its ability to 'control the wind'.
No matter if it was an east wind or west wind, they all became tailwinds before Garuda.
In less than a day, the group had reached the outskirts of Iwagakure.
The giant golden-winged bird made no attempt to conceal its form, so they were naturally discovered by Iwagakure's Ninjas.
"You, return to the village and inform the Third Tsuchikage-sama."
A middle-aged Ninja with a headband, a beard, and a calm appearance said to the younger Ninja beside him.
His name was Kitsuchi.
Perhaps it sounds unfamiliar.
But if we say he is the son of the legendary Onoki of the Two Scales, and the father of the [Leg Tsuchikage] Kurotsuchi, you might have some impression.
As the 3.5th Tsuchikage between the Third and Fourth Tsuchikage, this ordinary-looking Ninja was quite powerful.
Without knowing whether the other party was friend or foe, Kitsuchi didn't launch an attack rashly.
But he had already prepared his hand seals, ready to release an Earth Release Ninjutsu at any time.
Fortunately, the large bird didn't seem hostile either.
After circling above Iwagakure for a while, as if spotting Kitsuchi, it descended.
When it reached a lower altitude, Karin, to Kitsuchi's stunned disbelief, transformed back into human form, and the people on her back landed steadily.
"Who are you?!"
Fortunately, being an experienced Ninja, Kitsuchi quickly recovered from his surprise and assumed a combat stance, asking cautiously.
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Is the Tsuchikage here? I have some business with him."
Naruto said this as casually as if he were visiting a neighbor's house, completely ignoring the tacit understandings and interests between the great Ninja Villages.
Karin and Sasuke both had expressions of 'that's how it should be', while Jiraiya held his head in his hands, feeling a headache coming on.
Yugito, who was seeing for the first time someone even more direct (reckless) than her own Raikage, looked incredulous.
'This Uzumaki Naruto... is he always like this?'
B was still out of it, his mind wandering, perhaps thinking of a new song.
It seemed the experience of riding Garuda had provided him with a lot of inspiration.
"Uzumaki Naruto! What business do you have with Tsuchikage-sama?"
Kitsuchi quickly remembered that they had indeed received information about this person earlier.
It was said he was Konoha's Nine-Tails's Jinchuriki, who had now left Konoha's control.
When his gaze fell on the spaced-out B, his pupils constricted further.
Unlike Naruto, whom he had only heard of but never seen, B was quite famous.
During the Third Great Ninja War, as a model [Perfect Jinchuriki], B was listed as a key observation target by the major Ninja Villages.
It was precisely for this reason that Raikage kept B locked up in Unraikyo like a hidden treasure.
His popularity was too high.
Kitsuchi suppressed his shock, trying to delay Naruto's group as much as possible.
He didn't know how strong Naruto was, but B was no pushover.
"Oh, I'm here to take your Jinchuriki. Are they in the village? Why don't you just call them out."
Upon hearing this, Kitsuchi's expression changed dramatically, various possibilities spinning wildly in his mind.
'What did this mean?'
'Had Kumogakure and Konoha teamed up?'
'Was this a declaration of war? Or a surprise attack?'
'But if it's a surprise attack, why be so conspicuous?'
Naruto watched this middle-aged Ninja performing a quick change expression show on the spot and waved his hand in front of the other party's face.
"Hey? Hello?"
"Oi! Are you still awake?"
Startled by Naruto's actions, Kitsuchi instinctively jumped back, rocky arm guards forming on his arms.
[Earth Release: Fist Rock Technique]
"You're here to take the Tailed Beasts?!"
Although aware that he most likely wasn't a match for the people before him, Kitsuchi had no intention of backing down.
He just needed to stall until his father arrived.
He had strong confidence in Onoki's strength.
"Sigh... I told you, we'll have to fight first after all."
Seeing Kitsuchi's stance, Naruto grinned widely, directly rolling up his sleeves.
For strong individuals from the sea, a fight was necessary before discussing cooperation.
Otherwise, how could they determine who would take the lead in the subsequent cooperation?
"Naruto..."
Jiraiya covered his face with his hand, knowing things were about to go wrong.
'This kid, why is he as reliable as Minato in battle, but seems so... unreliable at other times?'