Shikamaru and the others hurried along the mountain road toward the castle at the summit. Along the way, explosions had blackened the snow, while blood and severed limbs lay scattered on both sides of the road. The Land of Snow's former scenery had been completely ruined.
Sandaifu led the remaining fifty members of the old royalist faction up the mountain, trembling all the while. Yet what they saw was not a castle they could rely on, but a massive structure that had nearly been reduced to rubble.
At the castle gates, Naruto sat smoking and yawning.
When he saw Sandaifu and the others appear, he lifted his eyelids, stretched, and said, "You're way too slow."
Kazahana Koyuki stared at the place that had carried her nightmares as it turned to ashes, and tears immediately welled up in her eyes.
Shikamaru walked over to Naruto, rubbed the corner of his eye, and said irritably, "Two thousand four hundred and seventy-five people. Didn't you go a little too far? How many people will the Land of Snow have left to fight wars in the future?"
Naruto did not care in the slightest. Instead, he grinned. With a casual motion, he produced a huge flag bearing the symbol of Akatsuki Village.
"What's there to worry about? From now on, we'll fly Akatsuki Village's flag in the Land of Snow and tell everyone that this is our territory. Whoever dares cause them trouble will have Akatsuki Village to answer to."
He paused, then added, "Of course, the Land of Snow won't get protection for free. They just need to pay a little protection fee every year. Not much—fifty percent of the national treasury's income."
Shikamaru was instantly speechless. He turned to look at Kazahana Koyuki and Sandaifu. This guy had even arranged their future