The cold wind rustled the edges of his cloak.
Standing atop the earthen wall was Yoruha.
His gaze was calm as he looked down at the train below—or rather, at Kazahana Doto standing upon it.
Kazahana Doto returned his gaze with equal composure.
"This is the Konoha ninja you spoke of?"
At this moment, Fubuki was already trembling uncontrollably.
The sight of Yoruha instantly brought back the terrifying memory of him effortlessly slaughtering Nadare and Fuyuguma.
No matter how hard she tried to suppress her fear, her body refused to stop shaking.
Kazahana Doto's question snapped her back to reality.
"Y-Yes, it's him," she stammered.
"Leader, please be careful... T-That guy is extremely strong."
Even as she spoke, she didn't dare look directly at Yoruha.
But she didn't know that Yoruha hadn't even spared her a second thought.
To him, Fubuki was not a threat.
His full attention was on Kazahana Doto.
Their eyes locked from afar, each assessing the other in silence.
Meanwhile, in the snow vehicle in the distance, Kazahana Koyuki was frozen in fear.
It had been ten years since she last saw Kazahana Doto, yet the terror he instilled in her remained unchanged.
Kazahana Doto finally broke the silence.
He picked up his radio and spoke while looking toward the snow vehicle—more specifically, at Kazahana Koyuki inside.
"Koyuki… It's been a long time. You've finally come home."
Hearing his voice, Koyuki began to tremble.
Memories from her childhood resurfaced—memories she had desperately tried to bury.
They were things she never wanted to remember.
Yoruha glanced toward the snow vehicle.
The next moment, he disappeared from the earthen wall.
When he reappeared, he was already inside the vehicle.
There, he saw Koyuki sitting on the floor, hugging her knees, shaking uncontrollably.
Yoruha frowned.
"You don't even have the courage to face him?"
Koyuki remained silent, her body still trembling.
Yoruha sighed and shook his head.
"Looks like the trauma he left you runs deep."
He hadn't expected Koyuki to be this terrified of Kazahana Doto.
But thinking about it, he could understand why.
She had witnessed her own uncle slaughter her family with her own eyes.
That kind of pain was no less than what Sasuke had experienced when he saw Itachi wipe out the Uchiha clan.
Yoruha crouched down and placed a reassuring hand on Koyuki's shoulder.
"Don't worry. From now on, you won't have to fear him anymore. I'll take care of him for you."
Koyuki lifted her head.
Her cheeks were streaked with tears.
It was the first time Yoruha had seen her cry so sorrowfully.
He wiped away her tears and smiled.
"If your audience saw you like this, they'd be heartbroken."
Koyuki's body trembled even more as she spoke, her voice weak.
"If you're not certain you can defeat him… then leave me behind. Maybe… I was always meant to die."
Her words made Yoruha freeze.
He could tell she truly meant them.
That was what terrified him the most.
It meant she hadn't overcome her fear of Kazahana Doto.
She had even resigned herself to death.
This was proof of just how deeply Kazahana Doto had scarred her.
No matter how much she had trusted Yoruha before, the moment she saw Kazahana Doto again, all reason left her mind.
She had completely given up on survival.
Yoruha patted Koyuki's shoulder.
"I haven't even started fighting, and you're already thinking about dying?"
"Do you have so little faith in me?" His tone was serious.
Koyuki looked up at him, tears streaming down her face.
"But Kazahana Doto is really strong… If you can still survive, then why—"
Before she could finish, Yoruha cut her off.
"You are the princess of the Land of Snow. The rightful heir to the throne. If your people saw their princess looking so weak and afraid, they would be heartbroken."
"I'll deal with him right away. Get yourself together and be ready to take your rightful place as daimyo."
Yoruha didn't waste any more words.
After one last pat on her shoulder, he vanished from the snow vehicle.
His words shook Koyuki to the core.
Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to stand.
Determined, she rushed to open the door of the snow vehicle.
Stepping out into the snow, she stared at Kazahana Doto in the distance and shouted,
"Kazahana Doto! I am the rightful heir to the Land of Snow! You will be defeated by Yoruha!"
Kazahana Doto, standing atop the train, frowned as he looked at her.
At the same time, Yoruha appeared right in front of him.
Hearing Koyuki's voice from behind, he smirked slightly.
"At least she's not completely hopeless."
If Koyuki hadn't even dared to face Kazahana Doto, Yoruha would have doubted whether she could rule the Land of Snow even if he restored it for her.
Fubuki's body tensed the moment Yoruha suddenly appeared, treating him like an imminent threat.
Even Kazahana Doto could sense a dangerous aura from him, though he forced himself to remain composed.
"So, you're the Konoha ninja Koyuki hired? Just a brat?"
He suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahaha!"
But Yoruha wasn't the least bit provoked.
He stood before Kazahana Doto, his expression as calm as ever.
"My target is only Kazahana Doto."
"If you want to live, don't get involved."
His gaze shifted to Fubuki as he spoke.
She nearly stepped back in fear just from being addressed.
"Y-You're dead! Our leader will definitely defeat you!"
Fubuki didn't run.
She didn't dare.
After all, she didn't know who would win.
If she fled now and Kazahana Doto emerged victorious, she would be doomed.
Yoruha shook his head.
"Why put yourself through this?"
"I won't hold back."
"If you die, don't blame me."
Yoruha didn't enjoy needless killing.
He could tell Fubuki wasn't a real threat to Koyuki.
There was no reason to kill her.
But since she refused to betray Kazahana Doto, there was nothing Yoruha could do.
Seeing Yoruha act as if he didn't exist, Kazahana Doto's face darkened.
"Brat, you're quite arrogant."
"Do you really think you can defeat me?"
"I admit, killing Fuyuguma and Nadare proves you have some skill…"
"But defeating me? You're not even close."
With that, he tore off his cloak, revealing the chakra armor beneath.
"You will pay the price for your arrogance."
"I'll kill you first—then take Koyuki's hexagonal crystal."
Fubuki hesitated but ultimately prepared to fight as well.
She didn't want to go against Yoruha, but under Kazahana Doto's gaze, she had no choice.
Yoruha remained calm as he watched them both.
He debated for a moment.
Should he just end this fight instantly?
"If I finish this too quickly, will Koyuki think it was too easy and dock my payment?"
The thought made him hesitate.
If Koyuki knew what was on his mind at this moment, she would probably be furious.
How could he be thinking about his commission at a time like this?
Kazahana Doto saw Yoruha's composed expression, showing no urgency before the battle.
He mistook it for arrogance.
How dare this brat look down on him?
With a dark expression, he quickly formed hand seals.
"Brat, you're asking for death!"
"Ice Release: Black Dragon Blizzard!"
Kazahana Doto wasted no time unleashing his most powerful technique.
A roaring black ice dragon surged toward Yoruha, its force overwhelming and its speed terrifying.
Read Advanced 200 chapters at:
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