Kazahana Koyuki stood on the frozen snow as the bitter wind swept up fine grains of snow and lashed them against her cheeks.
Dazed and scarcely able to believe her eyes, she stared at the corpse Kakashi had tossed onto the ground-her uncle, Kazahana Dōtō.
In life, he had launched a rebellion, bringing war and destruction to the peaceful Land of Snow and inflicting endless suffering on its people.
Now he lay there lifeless, his armor shattered, exposing blackened scorch marks.
It was... over, just like that?
The thought circled through her mind again and again, carrying an overwhelming sense of unreality.
The demon who had hung over the Land of Snow like a nightmare for ten years, killed her father, driven her into exile, and ruled this land with terror and iron...
The source of countless nightmares that had jolted her awake...
Had he truly become a cold corpse?
An immense, belated sense of relief finally broke through her initial bewilderment and swept through her entire body, leaving her knees weak.
Kazahana Dōtō... that bastard... was finally dead!
"That bastard Kazahana Dōtō-he's finally dead!!!"
A near-manic roar shattered the silence!
It was Asama Sandayu.
For ten years, this loyal old retainer had endured humiliation and hardship while secretly organizing resistance. Now he could no longer contain the tempest raging within him.
Tears and mucus streamed down his wrinkled face, whether from wild joy or grief and fury suppressed for far too long, it was impossible to tell.
He abruptly drew the Samurai Sword at his waist, a symbol of the resistance's resolve, and charged forward like an enraged lion held back for too long, stumbling yet utterly determined.
Reaching Kazahana Dōtō's corpse, he raised the blade without hesitation and brought it down viciously with every ounce of his strength.