An hour can be both fleeting and long.
Thanks to Naruto, Wartortle, and the tireless efforts of countless shadow clones, a towering five-story ice and snow fortress was completed.
The phrase 'strength in numbers' seemed tailor-made for Naruto's clones.
Although the interior of the fortress was bare except for supporting walls, Naruto and Wartortle were thoroughly satisfied with their creation.
Especially impressive was the outer wall encircling the fortress, giving it an authentic and imposing look.
From a distance, one might even mistake it for a wealthy estate.
The only downside was that the entire structure was made of ice and snow, with no durable supports, making it unsuitable for habitation. It was, as the saying goes, a thing to be admired from afar but not meddled with.
Leaving a few shadow clones to guard the fortress, Naruto and Wartortle headed to the triangular meeting point.
By the time they arrived, the other two teams were already waiting.
"Since everyone's here, I assume your snow forts are complete. Without further delay, let's begin the third phase of the game. The rules are simple: if all of a team's snow forts are destroyed, they're eliminated. The last team standing wins."
After thinking for a moment, Naruto added, "Just like the second phase, this part is also limited to one hour. If time runs out and multiple teams still have snow forts standing, the winner will be decided based on the number of remaining forts. Any questions?"
Seeing that everyone shook their heads without saying anything, Naruto waved his hand and said, "Alright then, the game begins now!"
The moment the words left Naruto's mouth, Itachi dashed toward Kakuzu and Hidan's area C.
"Hmph!"
Hidan snorted and charged straight at Itachi without hesitation.
"Itachi, go ahead. Leave this to me!" Kisame called out as he flickered forward, pulling out Samehada to block Hidan's scythe.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Itachi disappeared into the depths of the area C.
"Kakuzu, what are you still standing there for? Hurry up and act according to the plan." Hidan barked, his brows furrowing.
"I didn't expect they'd come up with the same strategy."
Kakuzu muttered, shaking his head.
His plan had been to leave the headstrong Hidan behind to delay Kisame and Itachi while he, the brains of the team, would seek out and destroy their snow forts. To his surprise, Kisame and Itachi had the exact same idea.
Still, Kakuzu was confident in the clever placement of their forts, and he doubted Itachi would find them so easily.
So he moved forward confidently and quickly rushed towards area B!
Whether it was Kisame and Itachi, or Kakuzu and Hidan, they all knew better than to target Naruto. Attacking Naruto was not only asking for trouble, it was simply courting death.
Moreover, in their minds, Naruto's games were merely a test, with the real competition lying in the struggle between the other two teams. Whoever emerged victorious from their fight would likely earn Naruto's approval.
This 'understanding', however, was purely their own assumption.
In fact, Naruto's original intention was just to play a simple game to adjust the atmosphere during this team building trip. But seeing they didn't care about their team at all, it made Naruto feel no sense of participation.
Not only him, even Wartortle, who appeared after a long time, seemed lonely as well.
However, what Naruto didn't realize was that no one dared target Wartortle for one simple reason: Naruto's earlier statement that he treated Wartortle like his own child. So nobody wanted to risk their life by laying a finger on Wartortle.
However, Naruto didn't think of these things for the time being. He only knew that he had no sense of participation. So, the only thing he had to do was to lead Wartortle to participate.
After thinking for a while, he added, "By the way, in this game, not only will the team ranked last face severe punishment, but the team that comes in first will also receive a special reward."
As he said that, Naruto deliberately directed his words toward his Akatsuki ring, which was capable of transmitting messages when infused with Chakra.
The moment he said this, both Kisame and Hidan, who were locked in battle, froze in place and turned to look at Naruto in shock.
As for Kakuzu and Itachi, who had initially run off, although Naruto couldn't see their expressions change, from the way they quickly rushed back, he could tell that they were very interested in this so-called reward.
"What exactly is the reward?" Hidan asked, unable to suppress his curiosity.
"It's a special reward, one that's no less impactful than the punishment."
Naruto replied with a cryptic smile, avoiding a direct answer.
Naruto was a master of suspense. Revealing the reward would diminish its mystique and excitement. Like opening a mystery box, leaving some uncertainty made the game more enticing.
Teams B and C looked exchanged glances, their mutual suspicion evident.
"I admit there's a gamble here, but it's worth a shot!" Kisame said, breaking the silence.
"I agree!" Kakuzu nodded. His logic was clear… they didn't need to confront Naruto head-on. If they could stealthily destroy Naruto's snow fort, they could eliminate his team entirely.
"In that case, no underhanded tricks. Kisame, Hidan, you two handle the distraction while Kakuzu and I focus on destroying the snow fort." Itachi suggested.
The best way is to check and balance each other, and never let any one team take advantage of the situation alone.
For Itachi, the reward didn't matter, as Naruto had already given him more than enough. His participation stemmed from a desire to prove his strength and reassure Naruto that choosing him was the right choice.
Moreover, as a servant, he knew very well that Wartortle was still a child at heart and clearly wanted to play games with everyone. It was likely for this reason that Naruto added the extra incentive.
So, even if Kisame and Kakuzu didn't say anything, Itachi would have steered the team toward engaging with Team A for Wartortle's sake.
Hidan, on the other hand, scoffed, "If you've all decided, then fine. I'll humor you."
It was obvious to everyone that Hidan was just putting on a tough front. After all, if it was in the past, he would've outright refused. However, no one called him out.
"Alright, since no one has any objections, let's act according to Itachi's plan. We don't have much time left, so everyone should act quickly!" Kisame said, and then rushed towards Naruto.
Seeing this, Hidan was slightly startled, "Kisame, what's that supposed to mean? Are you looking down on me? You're leaving me to deal with a turtle?"
"Uh… Good luck." Kisame said, his face stiffening.
He recalled how he, too, had underestimated Wartortle in the past. While he could defeat it, the aftermath of Naruto's fierce retaliation for harming his 'child' was something Kisame hadn't forgotten.
It was clear that Hidan was courting his own death by saying this.
Kisame couldn't help but tremble when he recalled the fear of being dominated by Naruto.
To Kisame's surprise, Naruto didn't lash out at Hidan. Instead, he turned to Wartortle and said, "Wartortle, teach him a lesson for looking down on you. I'll cheer you on!"
Naruto's version of "cheering" wasn't just verbal encouragement… it came with tangible enhancements.
As Naruto waved his arms, a golden light suddenly shone on Wartortle's body...