Chapter 069: The Final Stage

Boom—crash—
Chakra-infused threads lashed the earth without pause, as invisible acidic mist and corrosive gel whirled through the air.
Although Ao and Chojuro longed to aid Mei Terumi, their opponent’s ninjutsu was too uncanny, her combat methods too all-encompassing, leaving them with no chance to intervene.
Their only option was to shield the weaker Hidden Mist shinobi, keeping them from being swept up in the battle.
Yet even so, at least half the Hidden Mist ninja had already perished, caught in the aftermath of the two titans’ clash.
The skirmish between these two powerful shinobi had reduced the entire surrounding region to dust and ruin.
Mei Terumi broke out in a cold sweat, feeling as though she’d been cast back to the era of the Third Great Ninja War—
A time when geniuses and mighty warriors were endlessly emerging.
The girl facing her was a little inexperienced in battle, but her strength was overwhelming.
She was just like those prodigies of the war, who dominated with a single, unrivaled technique, using pure, unreasonable might to suppress an entire era.
“She cannot be allowed to leave this battlefield alive!”
Such a thought flashed through Mei Terumi’s mind.
If this girl were allowed to return, in time she would surely become a peerless force, capable of subduing her age.
At the very least, she’d reach the level of the Legendary Sannin of the Leaf—or perhaps even the likes of Hanzo the Salamander, who single-handedly supported the Land of Rain against the three great nations.
And it was clear this girl harbored hostility toward the Land of Water and the Hidden Mist!
“Heavenly Prison!”
With a soft cry, the girl summoned countless thin threads that silently appeared around her.
These threads descended from above the Mist shinobi, weaving into a cage like the bars of a birdcage.
Then they rapidly closed in toward the center, slicing the air like invisible blades, aiming straight for Mei Terumi and her companions.
Mei Terumi stared grimly at the threads.
“Vapor Style: Skillful Mist Technique!”
She spat forth a vast acidic mist, corroding the threads anew.
But this time, it took much longer to dissolve them than before.

Only when the threads were almost upon them did Mei Terumi finally carve out a path, escaping with her comrades.
But just as she was preparing to retaliate against Uchiha Seiryu with a devastating jutsu, she realized her foe had already vanished.
“Damn it, we’ve been tricked,” Mei Terumi ground out. “That woman never intended to fight us to the death. Who knows if she was testing our strength, feeding us false information, or simply stalling for time.”
The truth was simpler—she had merely stumbled into them. A-Qing knew well enough that she had no hope of killing Mei Terumi.
When A-Qing arrived at the prearranged rendezvous point to report her progress—a small fishing village at the base of the long ocean bridge—Naruto’s steam-powered mechanical factory was already churning out equipment in abundance.
The steamwork robots brought from the Land of Whirlpools no longer had to work overtime without end; at last, they could be rotated in shifts.
The steel giants produced by the village’s mechanical factory possessed bodies as robust as the originals, with joints equally nimble.
Outfitted with a range of utility modules, they could easily replace humans in heavy labor such as hauling, digging, and construction.
Their medical modules could also treat work injuries at a moment’s notice.
With these worries eliminated and the most menial tasks automated, the construction timeline for the steel ocean bridge was dramatically shortened.
In less than half a month, a steel dragon many times broader than the original was nearing its crucial closure segment.
The former stone bridge of the Land of Waves allowed just two or three vehicles to pass side by side, but the new steel behemoth boasted eight lanes and three levels, accommodating steam trains and heavy machinery alike.
“Naruto, aren’t you being a little excessive?”
Standing on an artificial steel island in the middle of the bridge, Sasuke said to Naruto at his side,
“Did you really need to go to such lengths for Gato? You’ve built such a tightly fortified defense.”
“And that Mei Terumi—last time we fought her and her Mist ninja, they weren’t so formidable either!”
“Your over-the-top defenses feel like using Amaterasu to swat a mosquito.”
Sasuke could hardly be blamed for his complaint; Naruto’s defensive measures for the bridge were extreme.
It might be an exaggeration to say there was a guard every five steps and a sentry every ten, but there were indeed automated steam turrets at regular intervals, and below, steam-powered gunboats patrolled ceaselessly.
These steel gunboats, glinting coldly, plowed through the churning waves and dense mists.
Whenever a gunboat emerged from the fog, even Sasuke felt uneasy.
He couldn’t imagine anyone daring to attack the steel dragon under such vigilant watch.

Not to mention the fully automated steam turrets weren’t just for show—their carrot-sized shells filled the magazines, and once they locked onto a target, they’d unleash a barrage to shred any intruder to pieces.
Even with Sasuke’s current strength, he’d need to fly atop the Sword of Suspended Heaven to avoid the dense web of fire.
“Mei Terumi? Which one was Mei Terumi… Oh, right, she’s the commander of the Mist ninja, isn’t she? I remember she’s one of the more aggressive, attack-minded types.”
Naruto spoke as if only now recalling who Mei Terumi was:
“That woman can use mist-like ninjutsu and is still hiding something up her sleeve.”
“My defenses aren’t just for her—the scale of this project demands protection. And this is only the basic version; when conditions allow, I’ll upgrade to the full version.”
Naruto actually had a contingency plan for different targets and levels of protection.
Given how important the ocean bridge was to him, the defenses really ought to be top-tier.
From the start, Naruto’s focus was never on defending against particular people—he simply wanted to prevent anyone from damaging the bridge.
Basic protection?
Sasuke thought Naruto might be a little mad.
“Is this bridge really worth such a colossal effort to defend?”
Sasuke was baffled. “Besides, the bridge belongs to the Land of Waves. Aren’t you just building it for someone else’s benefit?”
Naruto found this odd. “How is it theirs? It’s ours! We built it, so it’s ours, obviously.”
Sasuke blinked, struggling to follow Naruto’s logic.
“I told you before, didn’t I? The Land of Waves is going to be ours from now on.”
As Sasuke stared in shock, Naruto explained, “This bridge is basically the Land of Waves’ only link to the outside world—it has to be protected! With its strategic importance, no amount of defense is too much.”
“You really mean to take over this country?” Sasuke blurted. “I thought you were joking!”
“I never joke about things like this,” Naruto replied seriously.
“But why do you want a country?” Sasuke was puzzled. “We’re ninja—why would we want to rule a nation directly? Isn’t that just asking for trouble?”