Don't! I Surrender, You Are Not a Little Guy!

Kazahana Dōtō startled. Who was this? He raised his eyes and looked, the space in front of him wavering as two people appeared out of thin air.

Looking closely, one of them was actually Kazahana Koyuki! He froze. How had this girl come back?

Uchiha Yi had agreed to Kazahana Koyuki's request, originally intending to make a quick battle of it. He never dragged his feet on things that could be resolved sooner.

He was just about to make a move when Kazahana Koyuki grabbed him, saying she wanted to go along so she could see her father's killer meet his end with her own eyes.

Uchiha Yi agreed without thinking much of it. It was just Kazahana Dōtō; bringing someone along made no difference.

Kazahana Koyuki stared at Kazahana Dōtō, the fire in her eyes practically spitting out. "Kazahana Dōtō, you didn't expect me to come back, did you?"

Seeing that it was her, Kazahana Dōtō immediately found it hilarious. "Ha, I really didn't expect you to walk right into a trap yourself!"

His gaze shifted, sweeping over Uchiha Yi, and he curled his lip. "Hah, my good niece, you're relying on such a little brat to back you up?"

He looked Uchiha Yi up and down, sneering. "Little brat, are you tired of living? You dare come running wild on my territory?"

Kazahana Dōtō hadn't taken him seriously at all. What kind of ability could a teenage brat possibly have?

He waved a hand, his tone carrying the implication of charity. "Fine, seeing as you delivered this girl to me, I'll spare your life. Get lost right now!"

Uchiha Yi shook his head, clicking his tongue twice. "Tsk tsk, truly, what kind of master, what kind of dog."

He stared at Kazahana Dōtō, his tone carrying a trace of disdain. "Kazahana Dōtō, is it? Who can't talk big? In my view, you're no different from those three dead dogs. If you don't have the skills, stop spouting nonsense."

Hearing this, Kazahana Dōtō instantly blew his top. "Nadare Rōga and the others were killed by you?"

He was so angry his teeth itched. "Damned little brat, you're dead!"

Kazahana Dōtō let out a loud shout. "Ice Release: Ice Prison Technique!"

The moment his voice fell, the temperature in the entire room plummeted. An ice cage instantly formed, trapping Uchiha Yi and Kazahana Koyuki inside.

Yet the next second, with a few cracks, the ice prison instantly split open, shattering into pieces.

Kazahana Dōtō froze, a trace of shock flashing in his eyes. Actually, Kazahana Dōtō's own strength was inferior even to Nadare Rōga's; he was just an ordinary Jonin. However, the Chakra Armor he wore was the finest high-end gear in the Land of Snow, providing him with a massive amount of chakra and pushing his strength nearly to the threshold of Kage Level.

This Ice Release: Ice Prison technique, augmented by the armor, could trap ordinary Jonin. Even an elite Jonin shouldn't have been able to break out so easily.

Before Kazahana Dōtō could react, Uchiha Yi exploded first. "Little ghost? Do you know how annoying it is to keep hearing that lately?"

He rolled his eyes internally. If it's not a pretty woman calling me that, fine. Who the hell do you think you are? Do you really take me for a pushover?

Uchiha Yi grew angry and directly unleashed a major move: "Lightning Release: Kirin!"

With a deafening boom, purple light exploded. The ceiling of the Daimyo's Mansion was blown straight off, countless bolts of lightning running wild, and a massive lightning Kirin appeared out of thin air.

Kazahana Dōtō's face turned pale, his eyes filled with terror. "What? How can this little brat use such a fierce ninjutsu?"

Panicking, he hastily pulled out his trump card: "Ice Release: Twin Dragon Blizzard!"

When that flash of lightning cleaved down, the Twin Dragon Blizzard Kazahana Dōtō had spent ages gathering didn't even stir up a ripple.

"Ah-!"

The scream had barely finished when Kazahana Dōtō was completely swallowed by the rampaging lightning.

Kazahana Koyuki froze in place, staring at that patch of lightning still flashing, her brain buzzing. After all, when she was little, Kazahana Dōtō was someone she believed could block an avalanche.

She had originally gambled that if Uchiha Yi couldn't beat him, they could at least run. As it turned out, the guy only used a single move. She had previously guessed at Uchiha Yi's strength, but she had still underestimated him. If not for Uchiha Yi having that ability that let ninjutsu pass right through him without injury, she never would have dared ask for his help. She had figured that even if they lost, running away would be no problem-but what happened instead?

Uchiha Yi was also muttering to himself about the matter. A one-hit kill-should he change his name to Uchiha One-Hit in the future? Jokes aside, however, business still had to be done.

He sidled up to Kazahana Koyuki, raising an eyebrow with a smile. "Hey, woman, the promise you made me earlier-time to cash it in now, isn't it?"

"W-What? Now?" Kazahana Koyuki had just recovered from the shock, her face turning crimson in a flash as she glared at him.

"What else?"

"But how old are you even? This kind of thing... shouldn't you wait until you're an adult?"

"Adult? Wait my ass, how old will I be in six or seven years?"

"Six or seven years? Just how old are you, kid? I-"

"I'm not ready yet!"

At noon the next day, Uchiha Yi finally woke up. The moment he opened his eyes, he felt his right arm exceptionally heavy. Turning his head, he saw Kazahana Koyuki's hair was all scattered.

After all, having tossed and turned from afternoon until the deep hours of the night yesterday, Kazahana Koyuki was also exhausted to the bone. Uchiha Yi stared at her pale face, muttering inwardly that this couldn't strictly be blamed on him since he had bottled it up for too long. But the moment he looked away and saw Kazahana Koyuki's sleeping face, his Adam's apple bobbed and he couldn't help leaning in again.

In her slumber, Kazahana Koyuki suddenly felt a wave of heat rush toward her. She snapped her eyes open, her voice carrying a tearful note. "Y-You... what are you doing? I-I can't take it anymore!"

She had still been an innocent maiden yesterday; surviving being tossed around for that long was a miracle already. If he went again now, how could she possibly endure it? Yet this pleading look of hers only stoked Uchiha Yi's fire even higher.

Still, he was no scoundrel. Since things had reached this point, he viewed Kazahana Koyuki as his own person, so of course he wouldn't force it. He leaned close to Kazahana Koyuki's ear, his voice dropping low. "Can't take it? Then let's try a different way?"

Kazahana Koyuki's face instantly flushed so red it seemed capable of dripping blood, and she reached out to poke his chest. "You little guy, you know these tricks at such a tender age-you're way too improper!"

"Little guy?" Uchiha Yi raised an eyebrow. The moment he leaned forward, Kazahana Koyuki shrank back.

"Don't-don't! I surrender, you're not a little guy!" Kazahana Koyuki shot him a sideways glance, sliding her entire body downward. A moment later, Uchiha Yi let out a sudden low gasp.

Over the next half a month and more, Uchiha Yi lived a life of unrestrained shamelessness. Word of this quickly reached Asama Sandayu's ears, and far from being angry, he was overjoyed.

After all, the matter of Kazahana Dōtō was resolved, and the princess had a powerful ninja like him as her backer, meaning there was no longer any risk of a coup. When rebuilding the Daimyo's Mansion, Asama Sandayu even sought him out specifically to ask what kind of room he wanted to live in.

Ten days later, Kazahana Koyuki was finally barely able to get out of bed and walk. Her very first act was to take the hexagonal crystal Kazahana Dōtō had mentioned and head toward that so-called treasure.

Though the place wasn't filled with gold and silver jewels at all, seeing the projections of her childhood and her father made her feel this was the best treasure of all.

That unfinished modification machine from before-after Uchiha Yi tinkered with it briefly, it became usable right away.

To put it plainly, he had stripped the Chakra Armor from Kazahana Dōtō's stock and fitted it onto the machine.

Within a few days, the Land of Snow completely shook off its perennial dead state of endless winter.

This day happened to be Kazahana Koyuki's coronation. Earlier on, Kazahana Koyuki had brought up letting Uchiha Yi become the Daimyo of the Land of Snow, but he had rejected it flatly.

He had no talent for being the boss! He stated his reason righteously.

He even told Kazahana Koyuki that the Land of Snow was left behind by her father Kazahana Dōtō, so naturally it was hers to inherit. Hearing these words made Kazahana Koyuki feel warm inside.

Yet she had no inkling of the crooked thoughts inside this little man's mind.

Wasn't a Daimyo just a monarch? And wasn't a female Daimyo a queen? Thinking along those lines, the image that popped into Uchiha Yi's head at the time was of a queen pinned beneath him at night. That feeling-needless to say how thrilling it would be!

Still, when he actually watched Kazahana Koyuki formally take charge of the Land of Snow, Uchiha Yi felt a genuine wish for her happiness in his heart.

As he watched the lively scene, Uchiha Yi suddenly slapped his own head. "Oh right, if I remember correctly, the third round of the Chunin Ninja Exams should be starting, shouldn't it?" He counted on his fingers. Nearly a month had slipped by in the meantime.

Having been mired in a nest of tenderness lately, he had even forgotten about this affair, and touching his chin, he felt a bit sheepish.

Uchiha Yi guessed correctly. Not only had the third round of the Chunin Ninja Exams already begun, but Orochimaru's Konoha Crush Plan had also unfolded completely.

At that exact moment over on Konoha's side, Orochimaru and the Third Hokage were already fighting inside the Four Violet Flames Formation, and they had been at it for quite a while. He had even summoned the First and Second Hokage.

"Orochimaru, you bastard, you actually dare to desecrate the souls of the dead!" The Third Hokage shook all over with rage. Yet even if the First and Second were not at their peak states, their strength was still not something he, already aged, could handle-especially with Orochimaru lingering nearby.

Even summoning Enma wouldn't turn the tables. In the end, the Third hardened his heart, intending to use the Reaper Death Seal.

However, Orochimaru had been tipped off by Uchiha Yi and had been guarding against this move all along. Consequently, the moment the Third started forming Hand Seals, he interrupted him.

"Want to use the Reaper Death Seal? Old man, you've got no chance."

"You actually know the Reaper Death Seal?" The Third wore a look of utter disbelief. This was a secret art of the Uzumaki Clan, and even among the Uzumaki Clan very few people knew it, let alone mastered it.

In the past, only the Fourth Hokage had used it to seal the Nine-Tails, but nobody knew the Fourth had used the Reaper Death Seal; he only figured it out later from the seal on Naruto's body. Now Orochimaru actually knew this technique?

"Hah, I checked some records and learned a bit about this Reaper Death Seal," Orochimaru chuckled lightly.

The Third's expression sank. His chakra was nearly exhausted right now, and when the First interrupted him earlier, the Second had blasted his shadow clone to bits.

The situation was wretched to the extreme. He was tightly bound by the First's Wood Release, unable to pull his hands free at all. The trees brought forth by the Nativity of a World of Trees were still sucking away his chakra, and getting tangled in them made breaking free exceedingly difficult.

"Orochimaru, what on earth are you trying to do? Could it be you really want to overthrow Konoha?" In this situation, the Third had no choice but to play the emotional card.

Yet he would have been better off not mentioning it; the moment Konoha was brought up, a murderous intent flashed instantly in Orochimaru's serpentine pupils.

"Overthrow Konoha? I actually do have that thought." Orochimaru smiled chillingly. "As a disciple taught by you, destroying with my own hands the thing you risked your life to protect-isn't that rather interesting?" He had grown utterly disillusioned with Konoha long ago.