Koyuki Kazahana couldn't stop laughing.
This wasn't just any laugh—it was raw, bitter amusement. Perhaps it was the first genuine laugh she'd had in a long time, but the sarcasm in her tone was impossible to miss.
"Sure, why not," she finally said, her smile laced with mockery. "If you can really help me reclaim the Land of Snow, I won't just owe you one thing—I'll listen to whatever you say after that. But until then… good luck."
Her words were as cold as the frozen land they stood on. Years of running, hiding, and watching her people suffer had hardened her heart.
"Princess Koyuki!"
San Taifu, her loyal retainer, was beside himself with anxiety. But his attempt to appeal to her was cut short by Naruto Uzumaki, who stepped forward, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade.
"San Taifu, this is all your fault."
His words were blunt, his piercing blue eyes focused on the older man.
"Maybe it would've been better for her to remain a star, at least until Fenghua Nutao came knocking at her door. She could have lived happily, even if it was just ignorance for a little while longer."
San Taifu's face crumpled. Naruto's words were harsh, but they rang true.
"Forcing her to face enemies she can't possibly defeat will only make her suffer more," Naruto added.
Naruto's insight startled Koyuki. She couldn't believe this ninja—this boy—seemed to understand her pain better than anyone else ever had.
His words left a mark, not just on Koyuki but also on Uzumaki Baiming, who had been watching the exchange silently. Baiming felt a twinge of guilt.
He couldn't help but recall the last time he had encouraged someone with unbridled optimism. It was during the Chūnin Exams, when he had cheered for Hinata against Neji. Back then, his confidence had seemed righteous. But now, he wondered if his actions had only burdened others.
In hindsight, he realized how much sacrifice his impulsive demands had caused. Koyuki's father's old supporters had been slaughtered, and San Taifu's insistence on her returning to the Land of Snow had only exposed her to more danger.
Naruto's voice cut through Baiming's thoughts.
"Your Excellency Naruto!" San Taifu exclaimed, his voice trembling.
"You—"
Naruto raised his hand, silencing him.
"Uncle," Naruto said with a knowing smile, "I've told you before. You and Princess Koyuki just need to sit back and watch. I'll handle the rest."
At that moment, Naruto's keen senses picked up a distant chakra signature. His lips curled into a confident smirk.
"They've found us," he muttered.
Nutao's forces had discovered their entry into the Land of Snow and were already closing in on the glacier ahead.
Naruto turned back to Koyuki, his tone shifting to a calm seriousness.
"Princess Koyuki, I've heard from San Taifu that your father spent a fortune building a geothermal generator to bring spring to the Land of Snow," he said.
"And the key to activate it… is with you."
His words caught her off guard. She blinked in confusion.
"Spring? A geothermal generator?"
She had no idea what he was talking about.
"You don't know?" Naruto asked, his brow furrowing.
San Taifu stepped forward with a heavy sigh.
"It's true," he said. "His Highness Kazahana built the generator for Princess Koyuki's dream. But the project was abandoned when Nutao staged his rebellion."
"When His Highness was killed, the key was passed to the princess for safekeeping. But Nutao has no idea what it truly unlocks."
Naruto absorbed the explanation quietly, his expression unreadable.
"Your father went to such lengths to fulfill your dream," he said after a moment, turning back to Koyuki.
Her mind raced, trying to process everything. Memories of her father surfaced—his laughter, his promises, his unwavering belief in her dreams.
"As long as you don't give up and always believe in your dreams, they will come true," he had once told her.
Koyuki's eyes stung with tears. She hadn't understood the depth of those words until now.
Her father's dream was for her to see spring in their frozen land. And now, she realized she wanted to honor that dream.
But doubt crept into her heart.
"I'm powerless," she whispered.
Naruto didn't seem to hear her despair. His gaze was unwavering.
"I despise people who betray their family," he said coldly.
"And those who attack their own kin for the sake of ambition? In my eyes, they're already dead."
Naruto's disdain for Nutao's actions left Koyuki and San Taifu speechless.
"I sensed someone flying over us earlier," Naruto continued. "It's probably Nutao's men. They'll meet us at the shore."
He turned back to Koyuki, holding out his hand.
"Princess, give me the key to the generator," he said. "Let me take care of this. You just need to trust me."
"You want to face Nutao alone?" San Taifu exclaimed.
"That's too dangerous! Let me and the others support you."
Naruto shook his head firmly.
"No offense, but you'd only get in my way."
San Taifu flinched at the bluntness of the remark. But deep down, he knew Naruto was right.
Reluctantly, Koyuki removed the hexagonal crystal from around her neck.
"This is all I have left of my father," she said quietly, handing it to Naruto.
Naruto nodded, his expression softening.
"Stay on the ship," he instructed. "I'll handle this."
With that, he created a Wood-Style clone to guard the boat, then stepped onto the icy waters, heading toward the glacier island ahead.
The glacier loomed before him—a pristine, frozen wasteland.
"Stop hiding," Naruto called out, his voice echoing across the ice. "I know you're there. Your chakra signatures gave you away."
Three figures emerged from the snow, their armored forms glinting in the pale light.
The leader, Langya Xuebeng, regarded Naruto with a smirk.
"Is this all they sent?" he sneered. "One kid?"
Naruto ignored the mockery, his eyes narrowing.
"Are you Nutao?"
Langya Xuebeng blinked, startled.
"Lord Nutao isn't here," he replied hastily. "We're just here to retrieve the hexagonal crystal and the princess."
Naruto sighed in disappointment.
"Not Nutao, huh? That's boring."
One of Xuebeng's subordinates, a burly man named Tuxiong, stepped forward.
"I'll handle this," Tuxiong said confidently, grabbing his skis and launching himself toward Naruto with incredible speed.
Naruto didn't flinch. As Tuxiong reached out to grab the crystal, Naruto's fist shot out.
The impact sent Tuxiong flying back at an impossible speed. He crashed into the glacier with a deafening crack and didn't move again.
Silence fell over the battlefield.
"What just happened?" Koyuki whispered from the boat, her eyes wide with shock.
San Taifu adjusted his glasses, his hands trembling.
"Your Excellency Naruto… punched him. And now he's… not moving."
Langya Xuebeng and the remaining Yukigakure shinobi stared in disbelief.
"How…?" Xuebeng stammered.
Naruto's calm voice cut through the tension.
"He's dead," he stated matter-of-factly.
"What?!" Koyuki and San Taifu exclaimed in unison.
Langya Xuebeng's face paled. The chakra armor was supposed to make them invincible against physical attacks.
Naruto turned to the remaining shinobi.
"I'm giving you a choice," he said. "Go back to Nutao and tell him I'm waiting here. If he wants the crystal, he'll have to come himself."
His words carried an undeniable authority, and for a moment, Xuebeng hesitated. But then, he steeled himself.
"You'll regret this, boy," he snarled before retreating with his remaining subordinate.
Naruto watched them go, his expression unreadable.
Back on the ship, Koyuki clutched the railing, her knuckles white.
"San Taifu," she murmured.
"Yes, Your Highness?"
"Do you think… Naruto can really defeat Nutao?"
San Taifu hesitated, his gaze fixed on the distant figure standing alone on the glacier.
"I don't know," he admitted. "But if anyone can, it's him. After all, even the Hokage of Konoha entrusted this mission to him."
---
To be continued…
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