In Konoha: Three Choices at the Start

"Kill him! It's just one ice dragon. Are you telling me all these Jonin can't bring him down?"

Ebizo's voice was cold, his eyes thick with bloodlust.

As soon as he spoke, the ice dragon opposite him stirred again.

Ice crystallized like a gleaming sapphire in the center of its forehead, shielding Liuyun completely!

"Everyone, it's time to end this!" Liuyun murmured, almost as if he were talking to himself.

The enormous ice dragon beneath the ground shot out like a streak of white light.

A freezing current surged wherever it passed, ice clearing its path. It was like a god of winter descending upon the battlefield.

"So fast!" The Sand Ninja who were slow to react turned into ice sculptures the instant the dragon reached them.

"Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves!" Enormous wind blades, compressed to their limit, tore through the air.

They burst from Ebizo's mouth with razor-sharp force, meant to stop the dragon in its tracks.

The ice dragon pressed on, seemingly indifferent to the incoming blades.

It charged straight toward the Sand Ninja, who were already on the verge of collapse.

Screech! Screech!

The wind blades struck the dragon's forehead, producing a series of piercing scraping sounds.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

With the dragon held back, two Sand Ninja immediately combined wind and fire Ninjutsu!

They tried to melt the ice around them!

To their horror, the surrounding flames had barely flared up before a wave of ice swept in and snuffed them out.

Meanwhile, Ebizo's massive wind blades held against the ice dragon for only a moment before dissipating.

A long, deep scar appeared across the dragon's forehead.

Ebizo stared in shock, hardly able to believe his eyes.

The next instant, his face crumpled.

The scar on the dragon's forehead was healing at astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, it was gone.

"Everyone, use the same Ninjutsu! Aim for the crystal on the dragon's forehead!"

Ebizo shouted, his eyes flashing. He had spotted the dragon's weakness at once.

The ice dragon's defense was formidable, but if so many Jonin struck the same spot—

And that spot was directly above Liuyun. Once they broke through, there was no way he would survive.

The Ice World of Dreams

Unfortunately, carrying out his order would be difficult.

The silver-white ice dragon opened its huge jaws toward the sky. Dense Ice-Style Chakra gathered in its mouth.

Then it spat the Chakra into the air!

A silver-white Ice Ball shot from its mouth and drifted slowly upward.

Ebizo's face changed drastically. "Run!" he roared.

Without waiting for the bewildered Sand Ninja around him, he put every ounce of strength into fleeing.

He could sense an immense destructive force within that Ice Ball.

Crack!

The Ice Ball burst apart, releasing a brilliant white light. For a moment, it seemed to be the only color left in the sky.

Thud! Thud!

Diamond-shaped Ice Arrows, each roughly a meter long, shot out in every direction without distinction.

The dense barrage was like a Gatling gun firing blue light.

The Sand Ninja who could not get away in time were struck and instantly became ice sculptures.

The ground, the trees—wherever an Ice Arrow landed, everything froze in an instant.

One Sand Ninja used Earth Release to cover himself!

All it did was add another elegant structure to the frozen landscape.

The Ice Arrows carried not only tremendous killing power but also an intense freezing current.

That current spread silently through the air like mist.

Perhaps only Madara's Fire Release could withstand Liuyun's Ice Arrows.

The assault from above lasted fifteen minutes. Then everything fell still.

The surroundings, however, had become a world of ice blanketed in white.

Through his Chakra sensing, Liuyun detected only Mikoto and the others nearby—and one person fleeing at top speed.

"Ebizo. As expected of a Sand Ninja elder, he has a few tricks. He even managed to escape this."

Liuyun's murmur held a hint of disdain.

With a thought, he turned the ice dragon before him into shards that scattered across the ground.

"Thank you, Katsuyu."

Liuyun walked over to Katsuyu and thanked her.

"There's no need, Lord Liuyun! It was all your doing!"

Katsuyu's clear voice held unmistakable astonishment.

As she finished speaking, her body rippled, and Mikoto and Nawaki emerged from it, both gasping for breath.

"Lord Liuyun, my work here is done! See you again!"

"Goodbye. Sorry for the trouble this time!"

A cloud of smoke enveloped Katsuyu, and she returned to Shikkotsu Forest.

"Lord Liuyun, we'll be going too!"

Uchiha Jisu and Uchiha Yunda spoke respectfully to Liuyun, their eyes full of awe.

They had watched the entire battle. Liuyun had crushed his opponents!

He had cut through more than a dozen Jonin as easily as chopping vegetables, taking them down one move at a time.

And that final ice dragon had nearly rivaled the Susanoo of a Uchiha Clan member who had awakened the Mangekyo.

"Go on." Liuyun gave them a friendly smile.

Whatever else might be said, the two of them had helped him indirectly.

He showed his enemies no mercy, but he repaid those who helped him a thousandfold.

That was the principle he lived by. Now Liuyun realized the Uchiha Clan was not quite so cold after all.

Why did they suddenly seem just a little bit endearing?

"Pant... pant... I thought we were going to die! Wh-what happened here?"

Still breathing hard, Senju Nawaki came to his senses and stared at the icy world around him in shock.

"Nothing much. Just a little Ninjutsu."

Liuyun shook his head. He could not be bothered explaining it to that fool. Instead, he walked up to Mikoto and asked with concern,

"Mikoto, are you all right? Are you hurt?"

Holding her by the shoulders, Liuyun looked her over carefully.

"I'm fine! I have to thank you again, Liuyun!"

Mikoto patted her chest, lingering fear on her face, then gave him a beautiful smile.

Smack!

A crisp sound rang out.

Liuyun withdrew his hand, savoring that remarkable sensation. Nice. There's a little more there now. Then he pretended to be angry.

"Do we really need to say things like that to each other? I don't want to hear those words from you again, understand?"

"Mm!"

Mikoto answered softly, her cheeks bright red. She rubbed the corner of her clothes between her fingers and lowered her head, too shy to look up.

Beside them, Senju Nawaki stared, dumbfounded, his mouth twitching. Could you two show a little consideration?

We nearly died, and this is what you make me watch? As if you can dish out all this romance for free!

"Hey! This isn't the time for you two to flirt. What do we do now?"

Senju Nawaki's shout was full of resentment. Then he looked at the bodies beneath the ice, and his eyes reddened instantly.

"War is this cruel. Either you die or I do."

Noticing the change in Senju Nawaki's expression, Liuyun spoke without emotion.

"I know! I know! It's just... Youzheng..."

Senju Nawaki could no longer hold back his tears and began to sob.

At that moment, he was no young leader of the Senju Clan. He was only a frail boy who had survived a disaster and was weeping for his comrade.

Liuyun said nothing. He sensed the Mental Energy increasing in his mind.

A question occurred to him.

"System, I don't think I asked those Sand Ninja who was behind this. Did you make a mistake?"

"Ding! This system does not make mistakes. The host already knows who orchestrated this attack!"

Liuyun was delighted. That counts too? Danzo really is a gift that keeps on giving!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Figures raced through the forest.

They wore Jonin vests and Konoha Forehead Protectors.

Tsunade and Jiraiya led the group.

Tsunade's face was pale, her teeth clenched. Her beautiful eyes were filled with anxiety.

Jiraiya said nothing, his expression equally grave.

Just moments ago, they had been discussing how to defend against an attack by the Sand Ninja's Beheading Squad.

Then Katsuyu had appeared.

She had told Tsunade that her two students and her younger brother were under attack by Sand Ninja.

Tsunade and Jiraiya's Shock

The entire supply convoy had been wiped out. Only Liuyun and the other two were still holding on.

Tsunade staggered. It felt as though the sky were falling.

She immediately thought of the elite squad the Sand Ninja had recently formed.

The Beheading Squad!

It was a special unit made up of several Elite Jonin and Jonin, along with a handful of elite Chunin.

Its captain was Ebizo, Chiyo's younger brother. He favored swift strikes, using overwhelming force to eliminate enemies quickly.

The squad was said to have been formed at Chiyo's urging after White Fang's battle with the Third Kazekage.