Chapter 21

It was even a bit too much. "Y-You... what are you doing again?"

Koyuki, asleep, was suddenly hit by a wave of scorching heat and jolted awake. "Don't... I can't take it anymore, I really can't."

Her voice was thick with tears.

God knew that just yesterday, she had still been an innocent girl. Surviving that much torment had already been a testament to her toughness.

And now this again—who could bear it?

Yet the way she pitifully begged for mercy only made the fire in Uchiha Yi burn hotter.

Still, Uchiha Yi was not the kind of scumbag who did not care about his own woman.

He had never treated Koyuki as some disposable tool.

Since things had come this far, he had long considered Koyuki one of his own.

But since she could not take it, it was not as if there was no solution. "You can't take it anymore? Then..."

Uchiha Yi leaned close to Koyuki's ear and whispered a few words.

Koyuki's delicate face instantly flushed all the way to her ears. "You little brat, you're really shameless. You're so young, yet you know so many tricks. You're completely indecent."

"Little brat? Are you sure I'm a little brat?"

Uchiha Yi thrust hard, and Koyuki immediately surrendered. "Don't, I admit it. You're not a little brat."

Koyuki had no idea that her yielding appearance only made the fire in Uchiha Yi's heart blaze even hotter.

Still, Uchiha Yi was not the sort of man who did not cherish women.

He had never treated Koyuki as a bargaining chip in some transaction.

Since they had already come this far, he had long regarded Koyuki as one of his own.

But seeing that she truly could not endure any more, he had a solution. "Can't hold on? Then let's try another way—"

Uchiha Yi leaned close to her ear and whispered a few words.

Koyuki's pretty little face immediately turned crimson. "You little brat, you really have no sense of propriety. You're so young, but you know plenty of tricks. You're outrageous."

"Little brat? Are you sure I'm little?"

Uchiha Yi put some force into his waist, and Koyuki immediately wilted. "No, no, no, I give in. You're not a little brat."

After saying that, Koyuki rolled her eyes at him and slowly slid downward.

Before long, a warm sensation enveloped him, and Uchiha Yi could not help drawing in a sharp breath.

(One hundred thousand words omitted here...)

In the days that followed, Uchiha Yi lived quite comfortably, never getting a moment's rest even during the day.

After Sandaayu Asama learned that he had taken the princess of the Land of Snow, not only was he not angry, he was overjoyed.

The reason was simple—Koyuki had already told him that Uchiha Yi had killed Doto.

In the eyes of those old people of the Land of Snow, with a powerful ninja supporting the princess, no one would ever dare act as recklessly as Doto again.

When they rebuilt the Daimyo's Palace, Sandaayu Asama even came to ask Uchiha Yi what kind of room he wanted.

Only after ten days did Koyuki barely adapt to his torment and become able to walk normally again.

The first thing she did was take the Hexagonal Crystal and go to the treasure site Doto had mentioned.

She had always thought it was a treasure her father had left for her.

Although it was not what she had imagined, when she saw the recordings of herself with her father as a child, she felt they were more precious than any treasure.

As for the unfinished modification machine, Uchiha Yi casually finished it.

In truth, he had simply dug up some chakra armor from Doto's stockpile and installed it.

After some time, the Land of Snow finally bid winter farewell completely.

That day was Koyuki's coronation day.

Koyuki had actually asked him before to become the daimyo of the Land of Snow, but Uchiha Yi adamantly refused.

He was not cut out for it.

Yes, that was a perfectly sufficient reason.

He had also told Koyuki that the Land of Snow had been left behind by her father, so she should inherit it.

Koyuki had been deeply moved by his words.

But how could she know what messy thoughts were running through her young man's head?

Daimyo was a title too.

A female daimyo—was that not a queen?

At that thought, Uchiha Yi's mind filled with images—a queen begging for mercy beneath him at night.

The feeling was beyond exhilarating.

Still, seeing Koyuki officially become the daimyo of the Land of Snow, Uchiha Yi was genuinely happy for her. "By the way, if I remember correctly, the third round of the Chunin Exams should be starting about now, right?"

Standing on the bustling streets of the Land of Snow, Uchiha Yi suddenly remembered it.

Counting it out, nearly a month had already passed.

He rubbed his chin somewhat sheepishly.

He had spent all this time indulging in warm, soft company and had completely forgotten about serious matters.

The third-round battles of the Chunin Exams had begun long ago, and Konoha's skies had already been thrown into chaos.

Orochimaru's Konoha Crush Plan had been launched in full. Just as Uchiha Yi sensed something on his end, the Third Hokage had already been trapped inside the Four Violet Flames Formation, locked in a fierce battle.

Orochimaru had long since dragged the First and Second Hokage out of their coffins. "Orochimaru, you bastard! You dare toy with the souls of the dead!"

The Third roared until veins bulged across his forehead. Just like in the original plot, his fury had reached its peak.

But even though the First and Second had not returned to their prime, they were still terrifyingly powerful. The Third's aged body simply could not withstand them, much less with Orochimaru also watching him like a predator.

He had even summoned Enma, yet he still could not turn the tide.

The Third gritted his teeth, intending to stake his life on the Dead Demon Consuming Seal.

Who would have thought that Orochimaru had already been guarding against this move?

Orochimaru knew about what Uchiha Yi had said. So just as the Third began forming hand seals, Orochimaru had the First create a Wood Clone, and Wood Release immediately bound the Third's body tightly. "Trying to use the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, old man? That plan has failed."

The corners of Orochimaru's lips curled up, his eyes cold and sinister.

The Third's pupils contracted. "You even know about the Dead Demon Consuming Seal?"

This was one of the Uzumaki Clan's deepest secrets. Not to mention outsiders—even within the Uzumaki main family, few dared touch that forbidden technique, and even fewer had mastered it.

In all of Konoha, only the Fourth had used it once against the Nine-Tails. No one knew exactly how he had sealed the Nine-Tails away; even the Third himself had only figured it out from the seal on Naruto's stomach.

Yet Orochimaru had directly exposed this trump card. "Heh, I looked into it a little. I'm not entirely unfamiliar with the technique."

Orochimaru spoke lightly, but the Third's face had already darkened like the bottom of a pot.

His chakra was nearly exhausted. The First's attack had interrupted his hand seals just now, while the Second had blown up his Shadow Clone with a single punch.

The situation had completely collapsed.

Wrapped in the branches of Wood Release, the Third could not move. The more he struggled, the weaker he became.

The wood created by Deep Forest Emergence gave people no chance to survive. The instant it touched someone, it began draining chakra; once it had bound them tightly, they could barely break free. "Orochimaru, what exactly are you trying to do? Are you truly going to destroy Konoha?"

With no other choice, the Third Hokage could only invoke the bond between master and disciple.

But it would have been better if he had not mentioned it. The moment he did, a cold gleam flashed through Orochimaru's snake-like eyes. "Destroy Konoha? I think that's quite a good idea."

"Wouldn't it be interesting for someone like me to smash to pieces the very thing you, my teacher, fought so desperately to protect?"

He had long since lost all attachment to Konoha.

Back when he had first conceived the Konoha Crush Plan, his goal had ultimately only been Sasuke.

But the moment he saw the old Third with his own eyes, Orochimaru's killing intent surged forth.

When he had encountered Uchiha Yi before, he had still been able to suppress such thoughts.

But Uchiha Yi had never imagined just how twisted Orochimaru's feelings toward the Third had become.

In his heart, the Third was both his teacher and, in some ways, like a father.

Yet as time passed, those feelings had gradually changed.

Well, how should he put it? He had started wanting to personally kill the Third.

Orochimaru had never been normal to begin with, and he was especially twisted when it came to emotions.

Now, seeing how old the Third had become, he felt that dying on the battlefield would be the best ending for him. "Orochimaru, you—"

"Teacher Sarutobi, stop saying useless things. You were once the teacher I respected and admired most. Today, let me send you on your way."

"This scale, this display, this lavish funeral ceremony—it is my final token of filial respect as your disciple."

The Kusanagi Sword spun in his hand, its tip stabbing straight toward the Third.

But at that very moment—

Boom!

Orochimaru's arm suddenly jerked as black flames erupted, burning until even his bones crackled. "This thing..."

"Damn it!"

The pain pierced to the bone. Without a moment's hesitation, Orochimaru directly severed his own arm.

Then, using the Orochimaru-Style Body Replacement Technique, he emerged with a whole new body.

But once he steadied himself and looked again at the black flames still burning on the ground, his eyes were filled with coldness.

When had that kid tampered with him?

He recognized those black flames—the power of the Mangekyo.

Other than Uchiha Yi, no one else could have done this.

The Third was also somewhat bewildered. He had never seen Amaterasu before and could not make sense of what was happening before his eyes. "Retreat!"

Orochimaru glanced at the Third, said nothing more, and immediately led his people away.

He left the moment he said he would, without the slightest hesitation.

Konoha's ninja were all stunned, and even the Third could not figure out what had happened.

Someone wanted to give chase.

The Third stopped them, not because he had gone soft.

If he had been softhearted, he would not have considered risking his life with the Dead Demon Consuming Seal.

He did not allow pursuit for two reasons. First, Orochimaru's group was not easy to deal with.

Second, Konoha was currently a complete mess.

Sand ninja were everywhere, and he himself was crippled, unable to stand steadily.

Giving chase at a time like this simply was not worth it.

At the same time, in the Land of Snow.

Uchiha Yi had just sat down with the newly crowned Koyuki, contemplating some "serious business."

Then his brows suddenly furrowed.

He sensed it—the Amaterasu he had left on Orochimaru had been triggered.

That flame had been hidden using Vision Resonance and a Transcription Seal.

The condition had been clear: either Orochimaru truly intended to kill the Third, or the Third used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal.

Earlier, when the Third had been ready to risk his life, Orochimaru had stopped him.

There had been nothing he could do about that.

But when Orochimaru had truly been about to kill him, the black flames sealed within had erupted immediately.

If it had been directed at the Third, Amaterasu would only have stopped him from using the Dead Demon Consuming Seal.

But if it was directed at Orochimaru... that was different.

Since he intended to preserve the Third's life, Uchiha Yi naturally had to block off every possible path.

Most importantly, he had to guard against Orochimaru playing dirty.

Sure enough, that bastard was not honest.

A trace of coldness flashed through Uchiha Yi's eyes as he stood up. "What is it?"

Koyuki looked up at him. "Something small came up. I need to head out for a bit."

"You... are leaving?"

"Yeah, I'll be back soon."