Kakashi's Defeat

The convoy ahead came to a halt upon a battlefield.

The wind whistled and snowflakes drifted; everyone looked at the corpses on the ground in silence.

The most eye-catching among them was an old man in the front, kneeling on one knee in armor, his body riddled with kunai.

Kazahana Koyuki stood beside the corpse, tears streaming down her face for no apparent reason.

Sandayu, this most loyal old minister, had died right here.

Sometimes, standing in the way of a chariot like a mantis is not entirely meaningless; it is precisely because of such people that the living are encouraged.

"Let's go, go back and reclaim everything that belongs to you. Do not let his death be in vain."

Naruto Uzumaki stepped forward with calm eyes, his voice devoid of any emotion.

Though he respected the man, he did not understand him, nor would he ever do such a thing.

"No, we won't win. We will all die here."

"I don't want to die."

However, to Naruto Uzumaki's surprise, Kazahana Koyuki seemed to have suffered a breakdown.

She clutched her head and ran off into the distance.

Naruto Uzumaki appeared before her in a flash.

"What are you doing?"

Naruto Uzumaki truly did not understand what she was thinking.

Yet at this moment, Kazahana Koyuki held her head in her hands, her eyes shattered and her expression frantic.

"He was right, you won't win."

In the distance, a man clad in armor walked over step by step.

Naruto Uzumaki's gaze sharpened.

"Where is Kakashi? What did you do to him?"

Seeing who had arrived, Sasuke looked worried.

"Naturally, I killed him."

Kazahana Dōtō's expression was cold.

"Don't joke around. How could Kakashi be defeated by a piece of trash like you?"

Sasuke was furious; he did not believe that the man his brother admired would fall to such a person. A Fuma Shuriken appeared in his hand, which he threw directly before charging forward.

Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique

A massive fireball surged toward the opponent.

Ice Style: Prison

Naruto Uzumaki frowned; Kakashi's defeat was within his expectations.

Kakashi at this stage had not yet unlocked his true potential, and with the Sharingan acting as a burden, it was no surprise he would lose, especially in a theatrical film.

As everyone knows, villains in theatrical films are generally very powerful and difficult to defeat, save for the protagonist.

"Keep an eye on him, I'm going to check on Kakashi."

Naruto Uzumaki called out to Hinata, and his body vanished in an instant.

Hinata looked on with concern.

On the surface of the lake nearby, a massive block of ice sat, with Kakashi frozen inside.

Naruto Uzumaki's figure materialized.

"How truly pathetic."

Fortunately, his chakra was still active. Naruto Uzumaki placed his hand on the ice, shattering it instantly.

Kakashi's body slumped forward.

Naruto Uzumaki caught him.

He looked at Kakashi's right eye, his gaze flickering.

Kamui Mangekyo.

At this moment, even Kakashi had not realized the power residing within his own eye.

Naruto Uzumaki felt a stir in his heart.

Should I take it and study it?

Of course, what Naruto Uzumaki meant by "take it" was not to gouge out his eye, but to extract the ocular technique stored within it.

This was the Kamui Mangekyo, which was, in essence, the power to distort space.

At the level of the Mangekyo, it was absolutely formidable; one only had to look at the later stages, where the dual Kamui state could even go toe-to-toe with the boss behind the scenes.

To be honest, it was impossible not to be tempted. Of course, what Naruto Uzumaki cared about was not the ability itself, but the joy of research.

In Naruto Uzumaki's hands, the greatest ability of the Twin Palms was experimentation—the power to alter flesh and soul at will, which was incredibly potent. If placed in an ordinary world, it could only be used for hypnosis or healing, but in a world with such unique bloodlines, the fusion of blood and chakra was a miraculous and unknown experience. Humans are full of curiosity toward the unknown, and Naruto Uzumaki was no exception.

"Forget it, next time."

After hesitating for a long time, Naruto Uzumaki ultimately did not make a move.

Even he himself did not know what he was hesitating about.

With a wave of his hand, Kakashi's body floated up, and carrying him, Naruto Uzumaki rushed toward the battlefield.

At this moment, on Sasuke's side, although he was much stronger than in the original story, he was still no match for his opponent.

He was being beaten miserably.

And because Hinata had to watch over Kazahana Koyuki, she had no way to intervene for the time being.

Without any surprise, Sasuke was defeated.

Kazahana Dōtō's gaze locked onto Kazahana Koyuki once again.

"Heh, you can't escape this time. Hand over that thing."

"Spare them, stop killing the innocent. You want this? I'll give it to you."

Kazahana Koyuki took off the pendant she wore around her neck and threw it directly at him.

Kazahana Dōtō's eyes revealed pleasant surprise as he caught the pendant with both hands and examined it from side to side.

"Hahahaha, the greatest treasure of the Land of Snow is finally mine."

Having achieved a long-cherished wish after many years, Kazahana Dōtō finally could not help but look up and laugh wildly.

He believed the so-called treasure of the Land of Snow was the wealth left behind by successive rulers.

As long as he could obtain this fortune, he could do many things: expand his army and develop even more powerful armor.

When that time came, the Five Great Nations and the entire world would be his.

"What a pity, my lovely niece."

At this moment, Kazahana Dōtō's eyes were filled with nothing but ambition and madness.

Having failed once before, he would not give her another chance.

"Back away quickly!"

Hinata's expression changed; she was very nervous, as this was her first time facing such a powerful enemy.

Her chakra flowed rapidly throughout her body as she struck out with a series of palm seals.

[Air-Splitting Palm]

Suddenly, a dense barrage of palm imprints was launched into the air.

However, facing these, Kazahana Dōtō smiled disdainfully, and a simple Ice Style jutsu resolved everything.

Hinata's expression turned grim.

She had seen the battle clearly; the opponent's Chakra Armor provided protection, making it unsuitable for close-quarters combat.

Yet, the techniques Naruto Uzumaki had taught her all required close-range fighting, and as for long-range attacks like this, the power Hinata could currently muster was fine for dealing with ordinary ninja, but too weak against experts.

Ultimately, her control was too low, and the quality of her chakra was insufficient.

Naruto Uzumaki had mentioned this when he taught her, though he hadn't told her the solution.

[Summoning Jutsu]

Hinata performed the hand seals rapidly, and the Red Wolf King was summoned.

The moment the Red Wolf King appeared, it sensed something, immediately baring its fangs and snarling, its entire body exuding a ferocious aura.

Without waiting for Hinata's command, the Red Wolf King charged forward.

Opening its massive maw, it spat out a terrifying stream of flames.

"Damn it, what kind of beast is this powerful?"

Kazahana Dōtō did not know much about summoned beasts.

[Ice Style: Ice Coffin]

Rising from the ground, a massive coffin trapped the Red Wolf King.

A cold light flashed, and the giant ice coffin shattered instantly, exploding into a sky full of ice crystals.

The Red Wolf King charged again, engaging the opponent in close-quarters combat.

Its sharp wolf claws flashed like divine weapons.

Even if the armor could defend against them, the terrifying force was enough to send a boulder flying.

"Vile beast, die!"

A terrifying burst of cold air erupted, and instantly, an iceberg rose from the ground.

The Red Wolf King had no time to dodge and was instantly frozen inside.

Blood-red eyes turned to look at Hinata and the others.

Hinata gritted her teeth, preparing to charge forward.

A puff of smoke flashed before her, and Naruto Uzumaki appeared.

He glanced at Sasuke lying in the distance, then at the Red Wolf King encased in ice.

A flicker of coldness crossed his eyes.

"Useless trash."

He had created this thing specifically to protect Hinata, yet he hadn't expected it to be so pathetic in its very first battle.