Seeing the two companions in the distance fall at the hands of Naruko and Sako, Nadare ground his teeth and cursed furiously.
"Useless trash… to actually lose to genin!"
"My students are no ordinary shinobi."
Rin walked toward Nadare step by step. There was no overwhelming killing intent surging from her body, yet every footstep sent a chill crawling up his spine.
"Damn it… what am I afraid of? She's just a medical-nin!"
Nadare roared inwardly, forcing his fear down as his hands rapidly formed seals. A vast amount of chakra surged violently.
"Ice Release: One-Horned White Whale!"
The earth split apart as a massive beluga whale—large enough to rival a mountain—burst forth behind Nadare. With terrifying momentum, it crashed toward Rin like a falling meteor.
"Die!!!"
But the moment his roar echoed out, a flash of green light made Nadare's expression change drastically.
The Chakra Scalpel slammed directly into the whale's head.
Boom!
The colossal Ice Release construct shattered instantly. Rin's figure pierced straight through it—from head to tail—emerging unscathed as fragments of ice exploded outward.
"What…?!"
Nadare knew better than anyone how powerful that technique was. It was his ultimate killing move—yet it had been crushed so brutally, so directly.
"Even so…" he gritted his teeth.
"My chakra armor neutralizes ninjutsu! As long as you don't hit my head, your Chakra Scalpel is useless!"
Rin landed before him and struck her palm against his armor.
"Hahaha!" Nadare laughed wildly.
"I told you—your technique has no effect on me!"
He moved to counterattack—
Then his face froze.
"…Why can't I move?!"
Rin's calm voice reached his ears.
"Chakra armor works by regulating chakra flow to enhance strength and disperse attacks."
"The Chakra Scalpel I used earlier disrupted the circulation of chakra within your armor. The fact that you can't move means my chakra has already penetrated your body."
As she spoke, the green light around her palm sharpened, transforming into a blade of chakra.
Slash!
The Chakra Scalpel pierced straight through Nadare's chest without resistance. Blood burst forth, staining the white snow a vivid crimson.
"H-how is this possible…"
His disbelief remained frozen on his face as his legs finally gave out. Nadare collapsed onto the snow, his life extinguished.
Just as the three finished dealing with the enemy, sudden movement erupted from the ship.
A black steel airship appeared overhead. With a sharp whistle, a claw-like mechanism shot out, cutting through the wind and snow.
Sakura rushed forward to intercept it—but she was a step too slow.
"Damn it!"
Before anyone could react, Koyuki Kazahana was snatched up into the airship.
Rin and Sako immediately activated Body Flicker, but the distance was too great. The airship vanished into the storm.
"…Damn it."
Rin clenched her fist. A trace of self-blame surfaced in her heart—she had been careless.
Back inside the ship, Team 7 finally learned Koyuki's true identity and past from the three doctors who served as her guardians.
The assistant director slammed the table angrily.
"So you used our production to smuggle the former Snow Country princess back here?!"
"Yes… we sincerely apologize."
Before he could continue, the director pressed a hand on his shoulder.
"Our goal is to film the greatest Snow Princess ever. Everything else can wait—we must save Koyuki first."
He turned toward Team 7.
"Everyone… may I ask for your help?"
"Leave it to us, Grandpa Director!"
Naruko thumped her chest confidently.
"We'll bring Koyuki back for sure!"
Sako nodded calmly.
Once she accepted a mission, she would see it through to the end.
Rin stepped forward and knocked lightly on the table.
"First, we need to determine where Nadare's people took her. Mr. Tazuna—do you have any idea?"
The three doctors exchanged looks and nodded.
"If we're not mistaken… Doto Kazahana will take her there."
Aboard the airship, Koyuki—her hands bound—was escorted into a lavish room by Snow shinobi.
The moment she raised her head, she saw a familiar face.
The man who destroyed her country.
Doto Kazahana.
For years, unable to take revenge, she had forced herself to bury that hatred.
But now—standing here again, encouraged by Ryoma to return—she realized that the hatred had never faded. It had only grown deeper.
"Koyuki… my dear niece. It's been a long time."
Doto smiled thinly.
"They say women change every eighteen years. You've grown into quite the beauty."
"You haven't changed at all," Koyuki spat coldly.
"Still a heartless beast. All three of your subordinates are dead, yet you seem perfectly pleased."
Doto merely raised an eyebrow.
"So much anger."
"That useless trash failed while wearing my armor. Their deaths mean nothing."
He stepped closer and tore the hexagonal crystal from her neck.
Staring at it with obsession, Doto burst into hysterical laughter.
"Hahahaha! After ten years… I finally have the key to my clan's treasure!"
"Key?" Koyuki frowned.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"That man—your father—never told you?"
Doto carefully tucked the crystal away.
"This isn't just a keepsake. It opens the Kazahana clan's treasury. With the wealth accumulated over generations, I won't have to hide in this frozen wasteland anymore!"
"Even Ryoma will kneel before me!"
"…Did you read some cheap fantasy novel and make this up?"
"Fool!"
Doto sneered.
"Soon enough, you'll witness me seated atop the clan's treasures with your own eyes."
An hour later, the airship descended beside the Rainbow Ice Wall. Following Doto Kazahana's orders, the Yuki-nin and soldiers remained inside to await further instructions.
Doto dragged Koyuki Kazahana toward the pavilion at the center of the ice wall. Her shackled hands were raised awkwardly as she walked.
"Do you really need to be this cautious with me?" she said coldly.
"Oh, right… I forgot."
Doto snorted and waved dismissively.
"A woman like you—no chakra, no combat ability—there's nothing to guard against."
With a casual flick of his wrist, he shattered the chakra-locking shackles. Without sparing her another glance, he strode into the pavilion.
Koyuki rubbed her freed wrists and discreetly checked the specialized kunai hidden inside her sleeve—the one that hadn't been confiscated.
That alone eased her trembling heart.
At the center of the pavilion stood a stone pedestal. A hexagonal groove was carved into it.
"Finally… the secret treasure of the Kazahana clan is about to be mine."
Doto laughed as he inserted the hexagonal crystal into the socket.
Instantly, light surged outward. Strange patterns—huge and snowflake-shaped—blazed across the land surrounding the Snow Country. From above, the entire region would have looked illuminated by multicolored sigils.
The Rainbow Ice Wall shimmered, its smooth surface flooding with brilliant color.
But then… nothing resembling a vault, armory, or weapon cache opened.
Instead, a warm current burst from beneath the earth. The thick snow covering the valley began to melt. Even the frozen lake in the distance started to soften and seep.
"What… what is this?" Koyuki stared in shock at the melting snow.
"Th-this is… the geothermal generator!"
Doto's eyes went wide, his expression collapsing into panic and disbelief.
The crystal wasn't the key to some legendary treasure—it was the activation trigger for a massive geothermal heating system.
"Is that right?" Koyuki whispered, her expression softening. "So this is the 'treasure' Father left behind… Early Snow."
In the past, her father, Kazahana Sosetsu, had developed a large-scale geothermal heater to bring spring back to their people. But before the plan could be activated, he was assassinated by his ambitious brother—Doto.
The irony struck deep:
For years, Doto obsessed over a nonexistent clan treasure—believing it contained weapons, advanced technology, or some power surpassing the current shinobi world.
And after so much effort…
All he unlocked was a device meant to warm the land and help the people he abandoned.
"AAAAAH! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"
Doto roared and smashed the entire pavilion with a single, rage-fueled punch.
He turned toward Koyuki, murderous chakra pouring out of him in waves.
"This is it?!" he screamed.
"This pathetic heater is the treasure that bastard left behind!? Even in death he mocks me!"
"Fine. Very well."
"In that case—I'll destroy the most precious thing he left in this world!"
The killing intent rolling off him was enough to freeze the air around them.
"Don't come any closer!"
Koyuki's hand darted to her sleeve, pulling out the special kunai.
Doto burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha! Koyuki, do you really think you can kill me with that? Even if I stand still and let you stab me—you won't leave a scratch."
"Oh, this really isn't for killing you," she said.
Her grip tightened.
She remembered the instructions Ryoma had given her.
She threw the kunai onto the ground.
A faint distortion rippled outward. Wind and snow curled upward in a vortex.
A black-haired, black-eyed man materialized in front of Koyuki.
"It seems you found the courage to take that step."
Ryoma stood with his back to the swirling storm. In his heart, his evaluation of her quietly rose.
He had planned to kill Doto himself and take his techniques. One of the reasons he had orchestrated this slow confrontation was to see whether Koyuki still possessed the qualities necessary to stand as a leader of this land.
And now—
Not only had she dared to return to the kingdom that haunted her nightmares…
She had stood her ground, confronted Doto, and taken the initiative to fight back.
She was not the helpless, fleeing child he once thought she was.
"Hmph. You underestimate me far too much," Koyuki muttered.
Yet the corners of her lips betrayed a small upward curve.
She still didn't know exactly who the man in front of her was. But simply seeing his back filled her with an indescribable feeling of safety—as if, so long as he was here, even the sky falling would be just a minor inconvenience.
What an unbelievable man…
Even though they had only spoken a few times, and even though she didn't know his identity, something about him invited absolute trust.
On the other hand—
Doto's reaction was the complete opposite.
The moment he saw Ryoma, goosebumps erupted across his skin, and his hair stood on end.
As a ruler and schemer deeply involved in the underground world, he recognized this man instantly.
"You… you're…"
His voice cracked. His tall, imposing frame trembled like a leaf.
"Wh-why… Lord Ryoma—why are you here?!"
The kunai Koyuki had used earlier flashed through his mind, and he suddenly remembered Konoha's most terrifying space–time technique—the Flying Thunder God.
Ryoma had come… for him.
Doto collapsed to his knees, slamming his palms on the ground as he begged.
"Lord Ryoma, I—I am willing to give you everything! Everything in this land! Please spare me!"
Koyuki stared, stunned.
Moments ago he was an unstoppable tyrant—
And now he groveled like a terrified servant.
"Wait…"
Her eyes widened.
"He just called him… 'Lord Ryoma'?"
She looked again at the dark silhouette standing before her.
Realization crashed over her.
This mysterious man wasn't just a wanderer or a mercenary.
He was Ryoma—
The legendary figure whispered of across the shinobi world.
A man whose strength reshaped nations.
A man whose name appeared in the same breath as the strongest in history.
A living myth.
Koyuki felt the world tilt slightly.
Everything suddenly seemed far more miraculous than she ever imagined.