Chapter 19

Koyuki Kazahana had just placed her hand on the edge of the small boat and was about to lower it when a voice suddenly sounded behind her, freezing her in place.

She slowly turned her head. Once she saw that face, she forced out through clenched teeth, "Brat, staying up this late will turn you into a little runt."

"I'm still young. I'm still growing. You, on the other hand, are already so old—staying up late will make you age even faster."

"..."

"Brat, the more I look at you, the more annoying you are."

With a flick of her sleeve, Koyuki Kazahana turned and went back into the cabin.

What she failed to notice was that several corpses were bobbing up and down with the waves in the patch of sea where she had intended to lower the boat. "They moved this quickly? Looks like Doto Kazahana is really desperate."

Uchiha Yi shook his head and vanished back into the night.

The sea voyage had originally only been meant to take five days, but over those five days, more than a dozen groups of assassins had come after them.

Naturally, before anyone else on the ship could react, Uchiha Yi had quietly dealt with every group.

They had now entered the territory of the Land of Snow.

Just like its name suggested, it was winter here all year round.

It had been summer just moments ago, but the instant the ship arrived here, it became a world of ice and snow. "Uchiha Yi-sama, you only need to protect the princess for another three days. Once our people arrive, you can leave."

In the corner, Sandaayu Asama dropped those words and left.

Uchiha Yi muttered to himself, If I really leave in three days, every last one of you will probably be dead.

Whatever. He would deal with it when the time came.

But before long, he realized that never mind three days—even lasting those three days would be a headache.

Koyuki Kazahana had run off again.

In the endless white snowfield, Uchiha Yi blocked her path. "Hey, drunkard lady, can you settle down for once?"

Uchiha Yi looked utterly helpless. "No, I can't stay in the Land of Snow. It's too dangerous here." Koyuki Kazahana shook her head desperately.

Just as he was about to speak, a cold sneer came from behind him. "Oh? I never expected Princess Koyuki Kazahana to understand her own situation so well."

Large snowflakes drifted through the skies of the Land of Snow, while the ground had long since been blanketed in thick white snow.

Uchiha Yi exhaled a cloud of white vapor, feeling rather speechless.

It had been scorching hot just a few days ago. How had they suddenly ended up in this damned place, cold enough to make people shiver?

In the corner, Sandaayu Asama bowed, keeping his voice low. "Uchiha Yi-sama, you only need to protect the princess for another three days. Once our people arrive, you can return."

With that, he turned and left.

Uchiha Yi opened his mouth, nearly shouting after him, If I really leave in three days, will any of you still be alive?

After thinking it over, he decided to leave it for later.

But Uchiha Yi quickly discovered that never mind three days—even one day would be difficult.

Because that drunkard princess had run away again.

In the snow, he blocked the woman wrapped in a thick cloak, her hair a complete mess. "Seriously, can you settle down already?"

Uchiha Yi felt the veins in his forehead throbbing.

Koyuki shook her head desperately, her eyes reddening. "No, I can't stay in the Land of Snow. If I stay here, I'll die."

Just as Uchiha Yi was about to speak, a cold voice suddenly cut in from the side. "Oh? I never thought Princess Koyuki would have such self-awareness."

Swish, swish, swish—three white figures landed on the snow.

Uchiha Yi glanced at them.

Oh, weren't they the three lackeys working for that guy?

He had actually sensed them hiding in the shadows long ago. He simply hadn't felt like dealing with them.

What were their names again?

Uchiha Yi thought for a long while, only to realize he had not remembered any of their names at all.

But Koyuki was different. The moment she saw those three faces, her entire body stiffened. "Nadare Roga... Crane Wing Blizzard... Winter Bear Freezing Rain... Why are you here?"

Even her voice was trembling.

Nadare Roga bared his teeth in an especially ugly smile. "Your Highness, you jest. Naturally, we came looking for you. You still have that Hexagonal Crystal with you, right? Don't tell me you didn't bring it."

Koyuki's face instantly turned as white as the snow beneath her feet.

She gritted her teeth, suddenly turned toward Uchiha Yi, and took a deep breath. "I have the Hexagonal Crystal. I'll go with you, but you have to let him go."

She raised a hand and pointed at Uchiha Yi.

Nadare Roga raised a brow, glanced at the young-looking black-haired boy beside her, and laughed even louder. "Sure, no problem."

"Fine. I'll go with you now."

Koyuki breathed a sigh of relief and lifted her foot to walk toward the three of them.

But someone suddenly grabbed her wrist. "Hey, drunkard woman—"

Uchiha Yi tilted his head at her, his eyes filled with disdain. "You don't seriously think these three little punks can do anything to me, do you?"

"Little punks?"

The fake smile on Nadare Roga's face instantly collapsed, killing intent churning in his eyes. "I was going to let you live a little longer for the princess's sake. But now—Winter Bear Freezing Rain, go twist this brat's head off."

"No problem."

The man, fat as a bear, strode forward with a vicious grin, each step leaving a deep footprint in the snow.

Koyuki's face drained of all color. She shoved desperately at Uchiha Yi's arm. "Run! I know you have some skills, but you really can't beat them! They're powerful!"

"Tch."

Uchiha Yi pushed her behind him and stepped forward.

Looking at the huge fat man opposite him, he formed a hand seal. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique."

"Fire Release?"

Winter Bear Freezing Rain was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Kid, are you brain-damaged? This is the Land of Snow! You're using Fire Release in the Land of Snow?"

His laughter made the fat all over his body tremble.

The next second, his laughter abruptly stopped.

A fireball more than twenty meters in diameter appeared above the snowfield without warning.

A scorching wave rushed toward them. The surrounding snow instantly melted into water, hissing as white steam rose from it.

Winter Bear Freezing Rain's smile froze on his face, and his pupils shrank to pinpoints.

The instant the fireball came crashing down, Nadare Roga's heart sank. "Winter Bear Freezing Rain, dodge!"

But it was already too late.

It was not as though Winter Bear Freezing Rain had not sensed the danger. His body was already moving, and his hands had begun forming seals. "Ice Release—"

Before he could finish the seals, the blazing mass crashed down on him head-on.

Boom!

The ground exploded into a crater. The heat wave sent the snow flying, and vast sheets of white turned into rising vapor.

When the smoke and dust cleared, only a charred silhouette remained, like the mark left behind after someone had been burned to ash.

Winter Bear Freezing Rain had not even left behind any final words.

Nadare Roga's teeth ground together. He turned to glare at Uchiha Yi, his gaze so dark it seemed ready to drip water. "Blizzard, be careful. This kid has some skill."

Though he said that, his hand had already clenched tightly around a kunai.

Crane Wing Blizzard snorted and stepped forward. "What are you so smug about? You killed one of ours. You won't be leaving here alive today."

"Is that so?"

Uchiha Yi's lips curved slightly, his tone light. "Then come and try. Let's see who hits the ground first."

"Courting death!"

Crane Wing Blizzard could not hold back any longer. Her hands flashed through seals. "Ice Release: Swallow Blizzard!"

A dense barrage of ice shuriken flew toward Uchiha Yi, every one of them carrying a biting cold wind.

Uchiha Yi did not dodge. He simply opened his mouth and spat fire. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique."

The flames collided head-on with the ice shuriken, instantly vaporizing them all.

Nadare Roga's expression darkened. He knew he had no choice but to act.

He stomped his foot, and the ground violently shook. "Ice Release: One-Horned White Whale!"

A gigantic translucent whale burst out from beneath the ice, opening its jaws as it charged toward Uchiha Yi and Koyuki.

Koyuki shut her eyes in terror.

The next second, someone grabbed her hand, warmth flowing into her palm.

When she opened her eyes, Uchiha Yi was holding her hand.

Then she saw a sight she would never forget for the rest of her life—

The massive whale crashed into them and passed straight through both of their bodies.

That was right. It passed through them.

She stood inside the white whale's belly, completely unharmed.

Koyuki froze, her mouth opening and closing without a word coming out.

Uchiha Yi did not turn around. He merely curled his lips.

His hands did not stop moving as he formed seals with one hand. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique."

Boom—

A blast of flame twice as large as the previous one shot forth, instantly shattering the white whale into countless shards of ice.

The flames did not slow, charging straight at Nadare Roga and Crane Wing Blizzard.

Nadare Roga reacted quickly and dodged to the side.

But Crane Wing Blizzard was not so lucky. The flames swallowed her whole, and she did not even have time to scream.

After landing, Nadare Roga's face turned livid as he stared fixedly at Uchiha Yi. "Brat, is that the only move you know? I'm telling you, that move won't work on me."

Uchiha Yi raised a brow. "Is that so?"

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Brat, you sure talk big. I'll send you on your way right now!"

Crane Wing Blizzard had already lost her patience. "Ice Release: Swallow Blizzard!"

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

The ice shuriken collided with the flames and instantly turned to steam. "Ice Release: One-Horned White Whale!"

Nadare Roga made his move. The ground suddenly trembled, and an ice-forged white whale soared into the air, charging straight at Qin Shaofeng and Fujiwara Koyuki.

Fujiwara Koyuki shut her eyes in terror, but the next moment, her right hand suddenly tightened as warmth flowed into it.

She opened her eyes to find her hand clasped in Uchiha Yi's.

But what truly made her jaw drop came next—

The white whale crashed into them and passed directly through their bodies.

She was clearly standing inside the whale, yet she was completely unharmed.

This...

Fujiwara Koyuki stared at Uchiha Yi in utter bewilderment.

Uchiha Yi shrugged with a smile, saying nothing as his hands continued moving without pause.

Forming seals with one hand was nothing to him. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Boom!

An even larger fireball erupted. The white whale instantly shattered, and the flames rushed toward Nadare Roga and Crane Wing Blizzard.

Nadare Roga had thought Uchiha Yi was already finished. Only when the flames reached his eyes did he realize something was wrong, hastily dodging aside.

But Crane Wing Blizzard beside him was not so fortunate—just like Winter Bear Ice Rain, she was sent on her way by a single Great Fireball Technique. "Damn brat, is that the only move you know? I'm telling you, that move won't work on me!"

"Oh, really?"

Uchiha Yi curled his lips. "I don't believe that for a second."

His eyes opened, revealing the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.