Three Choices at the Start in Konoha

Rumble! Rumble!

The sound of countless explosions rang out all around them.

The hard ice could not stop the earth from splitting. Spiderweb cracks spread rapidly in every direction!

Dirt and shards of ice burst upward. A powerful shock wave swept through like a storm of destruction.

It carried the dirt outward in surging waves!

The waves blew out the surrounding torches in an instant.

The entire Sand Ninja camp plunged into darkness!

Even the moon seemed unable to bear the sight and hid behind the clouds.

"Damn it! I shot myself in the foot!"

Chiyo stared into the darkness, furious.

With the torches lit, they had known where Liuyun and the others were.

Now that darkness covered everything, their visibility had dropped, making the fight much harder.

Liuyun and the others were hardly going to stand there like pigs waiting to be slaughtered.

"Hahaha! Old hag Chiyo, are you a Konoha spy or what?"

Tsunade's laughter echoed across the Sand Ninja camp.

"Hmph. I have plenty of ways to deal with this. You and your student will never escape our camp today!" Chiyo barked.

"All Fire Release users, light the area with your techniques! Find the torches and relight them. If you have a flint, go straight for the torches!"

"Your job now is to keep this camp brightly lit!"

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Fire Release: Arson!"

One Sand Ninja after another used their best Fire Release Ninjutsu to light the area. The sight was rather ridiculous.

Still, foolish as Chiyo's method was, visibility across the camp improved considerably!

"Kid! Hurry up and go! What are you waiting for?"

In a shadowy corner, Tsunade tugged at Liuyun and spoke urgently.

"We're leaving already? What about revenge?" Liuyun shook his head, a cold glint in his eyes as he looked into the distance.

"You still want revenge? This is our best chance to escape. Once the moon comes out, do you think the two of us can take on all those Sand Ninja?"

Surprise flashed across Tsunade's face before she scolded him without holding back.

After a moment's silence, her expression turned grave, her eyes brimming with hatred.

"We have to stay alive. We must find whoever was behind what happened to us!"

"Then watch me! I told you I'd show you my true strength!"

But first, Liuyun lowered his head and pressed his lips hard against Tsunade's.

Tsunade froze. She had never expected this brat to take advantage of her even now.

A minute later, Liuyun licked his lips, savoring the taste.

He teased, "Now I've finally put my mark on you! From this moment on, you're my woman!"

Before Tsunade could answer, Liuyun wrapped an arm around her waist and leaped upward!

Ice spread beneath him, forming steps that rose in his wake.

A low chant drifted through the air, like a call from ancient times, and rang across the entire camp.

"At the summit of the shinobi, I stand above the world. Where I, Liuyun, stand, there is heaven!"

"I am the Ice Emperor, and I shall crush every enemy in the Shinobi World!"

"What arrogance, you brat! Ice Emperor? What a joke!"

Chiyo trembled with rage. She had never seen anyone show off like this!

He was an Uchiha Clan member through and through, every bit as theatrical as his ancestor Madara Uchiha.

"Well, I want to kill him, but I have to admit, even I got fired up hearing that!" Ebizo sighed. What if he put his own name in that line?

At the summit of the shinobi, I stand above the world. Where I, Ebizo, stand, there is heaven!

Whoa! That gets the blood pumping. Doesn't it sound magnificent?

As if drawn out by Liuyun's words, the moon peeked through the clouds.

The Sand Ninja camp was no longer so dim. Moonlight brightened it once more.

A sharp-eyed Sand Ninja shouted and pointed.

"There!"

Every Sand Ninja looked where he pointed!

Their faces darkened, and some even had their mouths twitching.

"Fuck! He really knows how to put on a show!"

One Sand Ninja could not help cursing.

In the moonlight, a young-looking boy led a woman with a graceful figure.

Step by step, they climbed into the sky. The ice stairs were crystal clear and flawless, like a stairway to the heavens.

At the very top stood a throne carved from ice!

Dragons and phoenixes adorned its sides, and intricate, unknown runes had been etched across it.

Under the moonlight, it shone with a dazzling array of colors.

The throne looked like a work of art too exquisite to exist in this world.

As she walked, Tsunade covered her face with one hand. This is so damn embarrassing. All those people are watching, and I'm letting this brat drag me along...

She muttered through gritted teeth.

"Brat! If you can't get us out of this, I'll beat the shit out of you even after I reach the Pure Land!"

"Don't worry. I don't want our child to lose both parents before it's even born!"

Liuyun smiled calmly, his eyes full of confidence.

"Fuck! I can't take it anymore! How can anyone be this full of himself?"

"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"

A burly Sand Ninja who used Fire Release could stand it no longer and unleashed his strongest technique!

A fire dragon flew from his side, its scorching flames driving back some of the chill.

The dragon roared toward the ice stairs. Just as it drew near, a wave of ice surged up from below.

In an instant, it swallowed the fire dragon whole.

"What are you standing around for? Take this chance!" Chiyo shouted.

She pulled out a scroll and struck it!

Poof!

As smoke billowed, specially made puppets appeared before her.

Secret Technique: Chikamatsu's Ten Puppets!

At Chiyo's shout, the Sand Ninja, who had long been itching to act, unleashed their best Ninjutsu, Kunai, and Shuriken!

Once again, the air around Liuyun became the focus of a massive assault.

Just as the attacks arrived, Liuyun and Tsunade finally reached the top.

With one arm around Tsunade, he sat down on the exquisite throne!

He looked down upon the Sand Ninja below as though they were ants.

An air of noble authority radiated from him without his realizing it.

Though made of ice, the throne did not feel cold. It was even a little warm!

Sitting beside him, Tsunade watched Liuyun's expression change in astonishment.

That authority, that nobility... How could it so vastly surpass a daimyo's, or even the Third Hokage's?

The difference was like heaven and earth. There was no comparison.

What's going on? How can this brat seem so different from a moment ago? Tsunade frowned, unable to make sense of it.

Could it be? Was Liuyun telling the truth earlier? Was he really the Ice Emperor?

"It's coming!" Liuyun smiled faintly.

"What is?" Tsunade asked, confused.

"Nothing. Keep thinking it over!"

He gave a slight flick of his right index finger!

Crash! Crash!

It sounded like waves breaking against a shore.

The ice on the ground surged and raced forward, rising like a pillar that pierced the sky, like a river flowing backward!

It rushed toward Liuyun.

Waves of ice swept together. The Sand Ninja's attacks filled the sky, but as the waves rose,

the attacks vanished from sight without raising so much as a ripple.

The disturbance Liuyun caused was so great that even the residents of the distant Land of Rivers heard it clearly!

They came out of their homes and looked toward its source.

Under the moonlight, silvery-white waves spiraled skyward like a pillar holding up the heavens!

The residents of the Land of Rivers swallowed hard as they stared at the distant sight, fear in their eyes.

"Th-that looks like the Sunagakure camp!"

"Are they fighting again? Come on, let's go!"

On hearing that it was the Sunagakure camp, the residents hurried back inside and stayed there.

Neither the distant spectacle nor the Sand Ninja camp was anything they could afford to get involved with.

All they hoped was that the war would end soon.

That was the sorrow of a small country, and the sorrow of ordinary people like them.

Back at the camp, towering waves of ice swirled around Liuyun, screening him from every Sand Ninja's view.

"Everyone, gather around me!" Chiyo shouted.

Watching the enormous disturbance, she had a terrible feeling.

Moments later, all the Sand Ninja gathered behind Chiyo.

"When the time comes, every one of you will follow my orders!"

Chiyo swept her gaze over the Sand Ninja behind her, and confidence returned to her face.

Just then, the waves of ice before her began to disperse, revealing what lay within.

A giant made of ice, dozens of meters tall, appeared before Chiyo.