'Princess Koyuki?!'
The familiar address made Koyuki's breath hitch for a moment. Her blue-purple eyes widened in shock and fear.
The warm, gentle energy that had flowed into her body now felt like piercingly cold ice, causing her body to tremble uncontrollably.
A strong sense of dizziness came over her, and washed over her, and Koyuki lost her balance, collapsing onto the cold, snowy ground. Her face turned pale as a sheet, devoid of color.
She raised her head with difficulty and looked in horror in the direction where the voice came from.
She saw a blond boy in a gray coat standing quietly beside her, with a faint smile on his face. Though he was smiling, it sent a chill down her spine.
'Why... had my identity been exposed?'
'Could it be... this guy was sent by Doto?'
Since she was sitting on the ground, she had to look up to see him, making Naruto appear exceptionally tall in her eyes. An invisible sense of oppression suddenly enveloped her, making it almost impossible to breathe. She felt as if she were being tightly gripped by a giant hand, unable to move.
"You... are you... sent by Kazahana Doto?"
Koyuki's lips trembled. The shadows of her childhood made her forget that she was in the Land of Waves, not the Land of Snow. A mere Kazahana Doto couldn't possibly cross so many nations to come after her.
"Princess!"
Before Naruto could explain, a furious shout rang out.
Asama Sandayu, who had come to discuss tomorrow's filming schedule with Koyuki, happened to pass by the balcony door and saw Koyuki sitting on the ground in fear, with Naruto standing over her with a 'cold smile.'
When he saw the horrified expression on Koyuki's face, he instinctively assumed that Doto had sent someone after them. With a roar, he drew a short sword and charged at Naruto.
In his panic, Sandayu even accidentally shouted Koyuki's title.
However, to Naruto, Sandayu's ridiculous attack was like a three-year-old waving a toy knife. The fact that he shouted before attacking only made it more absurd.
Naruto simply took half a step back and hooked his right foot forward, causing Sandayu to faceplant into the snow. A large amount of snowflakes crept into his collar, mouth, and nostrils, bringing with it a bone-chilling cold that also restored his rationality.
After all, given the Land of Snow's national strength, even if they knew their identities, they couldn't possibly come this far to hunt them down.'
However, although Sandayu's sneak attack had been ineffective, his shout had alerted many people. So Naruto casually set up a barrier to conceal the three of them.
"Princess, are you alright?"
After Sandayu regained his senses, his first concern was Koyuki's condition.
However, Koyuki still looked in disbelief, though her gaze had shifted to Sandayu. His appearance blurred and shifted in her eyes until it resembled the image she had seen in her childhood.
"Sandayu... you!"
"I'm sorry, Princess..."
Although Naruto was still watching, Sandayu still knelt down in front of Koyuki and apologized sincerely.
This left Koyuki, who had been ready to get angry, at a loss for words.
After a long silence, Koyuki finally calmed her emotions.
"Let me go, Sandayu..."
Hearing this, Sandayu immediately became anxious, lifting his head to look at Koyuki with pleading eyes.
"Princess, the people of the Land of Snow need you."
Hearing this, Koyuki shook her head with a cold expression and said self-deprecatingly: "Compared to a teenage girl, they need that bastard more."
"But, Princess..."
"Enough, Sandayu. We can't possibly defeat that man."
Perhaps thinking of Doto's terrifying nature, Koyuki's body began to tremble again.
However, their conversation made perfect sense to Naruto.
In his view, as a leader, not only was the current Koyuki unqualified, but even the late Kazahana Sosetsu hadn't been as competent as Doto.
At least Doto was genuinely working on scientific ninja tools to enhance the Land of Snow's overall strength. As for Sosetsu, while his intentions might have been good, they were too idealistic. Given the Land of Snow's environment and national strength, his plan to build a large heating device was just a spur-of-the-moment idea.
Even if it had been built, it was uncertain whether the Land of Snow could have protected it.
The people tightened their belts to make something, but in the end, they became fish on the chopping board.
Doto's approach was more reasonable. After all, it is better to focus on developing Chakra Armor to boost military strength first, then work on people's livelihood.
After all, dignity lies only at the edge of a sword, and truth lies only within the range of Ninjutsu. Without strong national power as support, everything is just a paper tiger.
But what did Doto's plans matter to Naruto? All he needed was someone to take over the Land of Snow and hand over its research data.
Of course, if possible, he also wanted to 'borrow' a group of Snow Ninjas from the Land of Snow.
At this point, Naruto didn't want to watch any longer and spoke up, "Let's end this drama of loyalty and royalty here. It's time to have a proper conversation."
Naruto's voice snapped Koyuki and Sandayu back to reality. They were still in a dangerous situation.
Sandayu quickly stood up, gripping his short sword tightly, and shielded Koyuki behind him. His expression was serious as he asked, "May I ask how we should address you, sir?"
Naruto chuckled lightly, completely unfazed. "There's no need to be so defensive, Asama-san. It's pointless."
"I am the leader of the Land of Waves, Uzumaki Naruto."
"W-what!?"
Both Sandayu and Koyuki were stunned. They hadn't expected that the blond boy in front of them was the very person rumored to have ended the poverty and chaos in the Land of Waves.
He was far too young.
"How... how can you prove your identity?" Sandayu asked suspiciously.
Hearing this, Naruto's smile turned slightly disdainful.
"I don't need to prove anything to you. Whether you believe me or not is your business."
"I'm here to give Princess Koyuki an opportunity, a chance to change her fate."
"But if you can't seize it, it's just a bit more effort for me, nothing more."
"Sir, do you mean to help Princess Koyuki reclaim her position as the Daimyo?"
Sandayu was no fool. As a minister of the Land of Snow, he immediately grasped the underlying meaning in Naruto's words.
Although the condescending tone in Naruto's voice made him depressed, he still lowered his stance.
'If this boy truly was the leader of the Land of Waves, someone who had transformed a nation in such a short time, and with the help of the old loyalists of the Land of Snow, we could surely help Princess Koyuki regain her position as the Daimyo.'
"Of course, I can make it happen. But every gift comes with a price."
"This..."
Sandayu hesitated, glancing at Koyuki, who still seemed dazed. Gritting his teeth, he asked, "What are your conditions, sir?"
Naruto grinned.
"Everything in the Land of Snow!"
"That's impossible!"
Sandayu immediately rejected the idea. After all, if they agreed to such terms, what would be the point of reclaiming the Daimyo's position?
"That's your choice. If you agree, Kazahana Koyuki will become the Daimyo of the Land of Snow as my subordinate. But if you refuse, Kazahana Doto will become my puppet."
"You…!" Sandayu trembled with rage.
The saying 'a lord's humiliation is a retainer's death' rang true in his mind. Seeing Koyuki being humiliated like this, he wished he could take Naruto down with him.
But just as he was about to lunge at Naruto again, his sleeve was tugged by the girl behind him.
Naruto smiled as his gaze shifted to Koyuki, who was now looking up from behind Sandayu.
"I will personally place you on the throne!"