The crisp, popping sound of the wine bottle shattering echoed through the bar for a long time.
Kazahana Koyuki collapsed stiffly beside the bar counter, completely unconscious.
Naruto stood frozen on the spot, his entire body rigid, his brain completely shutting down as he struggled for a long time without managing to squeeze out a single word.
The bar owner shrank beneath the counter, not daring to draw a full breath, well aware that this number one bully of Konoha was neither to be provoked nor touched. Daring to smash out the lights of a mega star right in the bustling district-throughout all of Konoha, only Miki Yūya stood alone in that category.
He had even heard that this guy frequently fought with Lord Hokage, though admittedly, the fellow was always the one getting beaten up by Lord Hokage.
At that moment, before the atmosphere could ease, the wooden door of the bar was pushed open once more.
Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura, and Sandayu rushed over in a hurry. The moment they stepped into the shop, their gazes swept across the floor, and instantly, everyone froze in place.
Broken glass shards covered the floor, spilled liquor pooled everywhere, and the breathtaking, red-hot female star "Fujikaze Yukie" lay flat on her back, her temple a patch of brilliant red as she remained completely knocked out.
Sandayu's pupils violently constricted, his eyes turning instantly bloodshot. Gazing at the wine bottle in Miki Yūya's hand, the anxiety and terror he had accumulated along the entire journey erupted completely, and he flipped out and went berserk on the spot!
"You, you actually dare to lay a hand on Miss Koyuki!!"
"I'll fight you to the death!!"
He completely cast aside any thoughts of Konoha villagers, rules, or proper etiquette. With reddened eyes and a roar, he charged straight at Miki Yūya, his fists clenched so tight that he longed to tear the person before him to pieces on the spot.
Miki Yūya couldn't even be bothered to lift his eyelids as he watched Sandayu charge over.
Before the other's fist could get close, he raised his foot and delivered a precise, vicious kick!
"Bang!"
A muffled impact rang out, and Sandayu was sent flying directly backward from the kick, crashing heavily into a pile of tables and chairs.
Sandayu was completely dumbfounded. How could this person possibly dare to strike back?
Before he could struggle to his feet, Miki Yūya strode forward, looking down from above as his fists rained down like a storm!
"Old thing, playing the elder to bully others, is it? So you're the one who taught these people to ride horses and ram into others, right?"
Bang, bang, bang!!
Every single punch was packed with force, specifically targeting spots that wouldn't cause severe injuries but inflicted the absolute peak of pain.
"Fight to the death?"
"You're even worthy?"
"You have whatever kind of actor, and you get the exact same kind of trashy manager!"
"Your artist acts as if no one else exists, rides horses to ram people, ambushes passersby, and lacks all manners, yet you don't manage them at all!"
"Indulging your artist to run amok relying on their fame, only knowing how to run away when trouble happens-what I detest the most is causing trouble and fleeing the scene."
"!"
[Ding! Conqueror's Haki +1]
[Ding! Armament Haki +3]
Sandayu was beaten until his entire body ached, his face bruised and swollen, and his bones felt as though they were falling apart. The pain caused his whole body to spasm, and he completely lost the ability to hold out.
Crawling miserably on the ground, he desperately raised a hand to beg for mercy:
"Stop hitting me! I was wrong!!"
"I admit my mistake! I apologize! I beg you to stop!!"
"Apologize?"
Miki Yūya withdrew his fists and paused, his face full of sneers while his tone remained ice-cold and punchable:
"If apologies were useful, what would the Shinobi World need rules and laws for?"
Sandayu was driven to absolute desperation, and choosing any path in his panic, he roared out:
"I'll pay compensation!! I'll pay a heavy indemnity! Any amount is fine!!"
The very instant those words fell.
Miki Yūya, who a second prior had been full of hostility and murderous intent, underwent a hundred-and-eighty-degree shift in expression instantly.
All the brutality faded away, and his face instantly piled up with an amiable and honest smile, his attitude turning as meek as a law-abiding, ordinary villager.
He released Sandayu, stood up, straightened his hair, and spoke in a warm and sincere tone:
"How embarrassing. Just how much money?"
The entire scene fell dead silent.
The corner of Kakashi's mouth twitched frantically, Sasuke's expressionless eyes were filled with speechlessness, and Sakura watched in utter stupefaction.
This speed of changing faces was even faster than the Body Flicker Technique.
Sigh, people like these who don't run a household have no idea how expensive firewood, rice, oil, and salt are.
A night passed in the blink of an eye.
The following day.
The sea breeze brushed past, the water sparkling.
A large merchant ship cut through the waves, having long since left the shores of Konoha far behind as it galloped toward the distant Land of Snow.
Kazahana Koyuki slowly opened her eyes inside the soft cabin.
Her head throbbed with a tearing dull pain, and thick gauze was plastered across her temple as she felt groggy and weak.
She had not yet shaken off her hangover, and her memories were a blur; she simply couldn't recall the scene of being smashed in the head with a wine bottle back at the bar.
She only vaguely remembered drinking herself into a stupor out of sorrow, subconsciously assuming she had lost her composure, fallen over, and bumped her temple.
Supporting her body, she walked out of the cabin. The dazzling sunlight spilled over her, and as she looked around, she was startled to realize she was already aboard a massive ocean-going vessel.
"Miss, you're awake? Are you feeling alright?"
Sandayu's voice arrived right on cue.
Kazahana Koyuki turned her head to look, instantly freezing in place.
She saw that her usually respectable and neat manager was currently bruised and swollen, his eye sockets dark purple and his face covered in injuries, looking as though he had been brutally beaten up by someone.
"What happened to your face?! What went on?"
A trace of humiliation and helplessness flashed across the depths of Sandayu's eyes, forcing him to squeeze out a smile and lie:
"It's nothing, nothing. The road was dark and slippery last night, and I just accidentally took a tumble, nothing to worry about."
Filled with doubt, Kazahana Koyuki didn't press further. Just as she wanted to gaze out at the sea views to clear her mind,
a sweep of her vision caused her pupils to undergo a drastic transformation!
In the center of the deck, Miki Yūya was leaning lazily against the railing, letting the sea breeze blow as he looked absurdly leisurely.
All the fragments of memory from yesterday blasted back into her mind in an instant!
The bar, the mockery, the shattering wine bottle, the grinning youth before her...
Kazahana Koyuki's entire body stiffened, her complexion turning instantly pale as she felt both terrified and enraged:
"You!! That guy, this guy! Why are you here?!"
Miki Yūya turned his head to glance at her, righteous and confident.
"Why can't I be here?"
Pausing for a moment, he continued in a flat tone, leaving the other party completely speechless:
"Forgot to tell you, just like Naruto and the others, I accepted an official Konoha commission to specifically escort the production crew to the Land of Snow to film the ending."
"A person on the verge of unemployment is even worthy of managing me!"
"A mere actress who can't even make her own decisions about her destiny and can only rely on a film crew to scrape by, yet you dare to run over and order Konoha villagers around?"
"I, your humble and legitimate Konoha villager, will go wherever I please. Is that any of your business?"
Kazahana Koyuki was retorted into speechlessness, filled with grievance and melancholy. Her gaze dimmed as she muttered in a low voice:
"You don't understand anything at all..."
Ten years of drifting, fleeing her native land, living under someone else's roof-she might look like a glamorous, dazzling mega star, but she was nothing more than an orphaned princess of a fallen nation with nowhere to call home. The only person she could rely on was the old minister Sandayu.
Others looked at her infinite splendor, but only she knew the bitterness of having no control over her own circumstances. How could someone like her take charge of her own destiny back home?
Yet this pitiable appearance, in the eyes of Miki Yūya, amounted to nothing more than being overly dramatic.
He ranted frantically in his heart: Don't understand? What is there to understand?
Feeling that fate was unfair and that she had no choice?
Why didn't she simply choose to be a helpless orphan back then?
On one hand, clinging to Sandayu to eke out a living and relying on the old minister for protection, while on the other hand acting full of grievances and forced circumstances-it was pure hypocrisy.
I'm an orphan from Konoha, why should I understand you? And you're even acting all aggrieved toward me.
Comparing misery? Aside from Sakura, which one of the people here isn't more miserable than you?
In the time that followed, the large ship sailed far away, and the entire film crew rushed to shoot the remaining scenes aboard the boat.
Miki Yūya spent every day skimming wages while working, blowing in the sea breeze and sunbathing, living an exceptionally cozy life.
Finally, the ship docked, and everyone set foot inside the freezing territory of the Land of Snow.
Billowing snow, towering icebergs, and a bone-chilling wind.
The entire film crew arrived at the designated giant iceberg shooting location, and everyone let out a sigh of relief, assuming the mission had finally reached a successful conclusion.
Miki Yūya stretched his back, feeling utterly comfortable.
He had finally endured the business trip; delightful, the mission was over.
Yet the very next second!
Rumble--!!
Violent explosions suddenly burst out from around the iceberg!
Ice and snow flew everywhere, dust and smoke filling the skies!
Three figures wearing Snow Ninja Forehead Protectors and clad in Cold-Colored Armor appeared before everyone.
A biting murderous intent instantly enveloped every last person.
The three pairs of eyes locked firmly onto Kazahana Koyuki.
"Long time no see, Princess Koyuki."
"Lord Kazahana Dōtō has been waiting for you for a very long time."
As the words fell, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were all profoundly shocked, reacting in an instant.
The mega star Fujikaze Yukie who had taken the Shinobi World by storm was no ordinary person at all!
Her true identity was the daughter of the former ruler of the Land of Snow, the true legitimate princess of the Land of Snow-Kazahana Koyuki!
The three Snow Ninjas didn't waste any breath, directly forming hand seals to launch Ice Release ninjutsu. Cold air raged as they charged straight at Kazahana Koyuki, intending to forcibly abduct her!
"Don't even think about it!"
Kakashi instantly flashed forward, his gaze sharp beneath his mask as he spoke in a deep voice:
"Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura!"
The three of them immediately assumed battle stances, fully charged and ready.
"Sakura! You and Yūya go protect Princess Koyuki, and under no circumstances let her be taken away!"
The moment those words dropped, Miki Yūya directly refused.
"I'm not doing it."
The entire scene instantly quieted down.
Everyone stared at him in astonishment.
Miki Yūya straightened his body, his logic crystal clear and his twisted reasoning fully maxed out as he openly went toe-to-toe with Kakashi:
"The mission to escort the film crew to film ended the moment we landed in the Land of Snow."
"Konoha Mission Regulations are written as plain as day: if unexpected and unknown variables arise during a mission, the mission can be unconditionally terminated, such as the appearance of ninjas right now."
"What you accepted was a filming escort mission, not a mission to help them meddle in another country's internal affairs or participate in another nation's coup d'état!"
Miki Yūya possessed a sense of justice, but he had a brain; he wasn't the brainless-
"As expected of Konoha's top Jonin, Kakashi."
"On the Land of Waves mission, you forcibly dragged your students on an out-of-bounds adventure and meddled in matters that weren't your concern."
"And now it's the exact same routine, endlessly stirring up trouble for Konoha."
Saying this, Miki Yūya's tone abruptly turned cold, every single word piercing to the bone:
"I actually want to ask a question."
"When Orochimaru invaded Konoha and destroyed the village, what did you, this top Jonin, ever do for the ordinary villagers of Konoha?"
"You ninjas go all out, risking life and limb for outsiders and civilians of other countries."
"Yet toward the suffering villagers of your own village, you stand by with cold detachment."
"Paying no attention internally while sucking up to outsiders-someone like you doesn't deserve to be a Konoha Jonin. Calling you a traitor to the village wouldn't be unjust at all."
"No wonder you're fated to live your whole life as an orphan!"
[Ding! Conqueror's Haki +10]
Vicious-far too vicious. Miki Yūya had directly launched a personal attack against Kakashi.
Kakashi's entire body shook, his pupils trembling violently as his mind went blank!
At that moment, his thoughts even drifted back to the time of the Third Shinobi World War, back when he had become a jonin and obtained squad-leading qualifications.
Rin, Obito-all of them had died because of his incompetence, and right now, he was still doing the exact same thing, dragging people into danger.
The three Snow Ninjas on the opposite side who were preparing for battle were completely dumbfounded.
The expected team battle involving Konoha powerhouses hadn't materialized; instead, a super-scale internal conflict had erupted right within the Konoha ranks!
Nadare Rōga, the lead Snow Ninja, stared blankly for a long time before speaking hesitatingly:
"Kakashi, since your internal opinions don't match, then this matter is simply an internal affair of the Land of Snow."
"Konoha had best not interfere."
At the side, Sandayu was dripping with nervous sweat as he immediately stepped forward to shout and explain:
"It's a rebellion! This is treason!"
"Ten years ago, Kazahana Dōtō patricided to usurp the throne, murdering the former ruler and seizing political power!"
"Could it be that Konoha's ninjas are just going to stand by and watch the legitimate princess get abducted?!"
Naruto was stunned for a moment, his sense of justice causing him to clench his fists:
"Even though I don't know what's going on, I absolutely won't allow this kind of thing to happen!"
"If someone needs help, I will definitely not turn a blind eye, whether they're a stranger or you, Yūya, I will step in to help."
"That is my nindō!"
Sakura nodded heavily, her gaze resolute.
"Apathy like that is not at all why I became a ninja!"
Sasuke was silent for two seconds before speaking indifferently:
"I'll help Naruto."
The three of them looked toward Kakashi in unison, waiting for the command to engage.
However, Kakashi remained silent, and Miki Yūya was not silent; Miki Yūya was no longer a child, and he saw things more clearly than anyone.
"Naruto, you guys really have boundless love for all mankind."
"Then let me ask you."
His gaze locked onto Naruto and Sakura, finally resting on Sasuke, every word piercing like a bone:
"Back then when the Uchiha Clan was massacred, who stood up to help Sasuke take revenge?"
"A while ago, Itachi brought a shark into Konoha and beat the crap out of me, yet no one said a word about going after Itachi's trouble either!"
"In addition, I remember that the Land of Whirlpools was Konoha's staunch ally and was completely destroyed, but Konoha played dead and didn't mention half a word about it, leaving no one to ask!"
"Your own ally really was destroyed as a nation, and instead of helping your ally restore their country, you now casually listen to other people's words and think about upholding justice."
"Your justice is truly cheap and full of double standards!"
Those words were like a sharp blade, viciously piercing through the most vulnerable defense line at the bottom of Sasuke's heart!
Despair instantly erupted.
That's right!
The whole village ignored the grievances of the Uchiha, with no one speaking up for him and no one taking revenge for him!
By what right could a bunch of total strangers make them risk their lives to help?
Kazahana Dōtō of the Land of Snow killed his own older brother to take power, but what about Itachi? Itachi killed the entire Uchiha Clan, yet not a single ninja was willing to help him.
By what right were they cold to the extreme internally, while kind and selfless externally?
In the depths of Sasuke's eyes, pitch-black malice instantly surged, his mindset completely shattering, and the fighting intent that had just ignited vanished in an instant.
Naruto, whose hot blood had gone to his head, froze in place, speechless.
Sakura's face turned pale as she looked at Sasuke, her overflowing convictions teetering on the verge of collapse.
Sandayu was even more completely broken, his whole body ice-cold and his eyes filled with despair.
He finally understood that the Miki Yūya before him truly intended to watch with his own eyes as Koyuki was abducted, intentionally sabotaging everything!
Upon seeing this, the three Snow Ninjas instantly dropped all their misgivings, no longer hesitating, and took the opportunity to step forward, directly seizing the dazed Kazahana Koyuki.
The entire process went unobstructed!
Kakashi froze in place, showing no intention of making a move.
Naruto and Sakura lost all fighting intent, and Sasuke completely gave up.
They watched with their own eyes as the Snow Ninjas took Kazahana Koyuki, turned around, and left, disappearing into the depths of the ice mountain.
"Thanks to everyone from Konoha!"
When the three Snow Ninjas left, they even expressed their gratitude.
Everything settled.
Sandayu was physically drained, his red eyes staring fixedly at Miki Yūya, filled with venomous malice:
"Why... I never offended you, why are you targeting us like this and ruining everything?!"
Miki Yūya did not coddle him in the slightest, bluntly retorting:
"Targeting you?"
"It purely stems from garbage like you, who are greedy and hypocritical; whenever you can't take advantage of something, you feel like you're getting the short end of the stick."
"You have no ability to restore the country, no capability to protect your lord, and you only know how to use moral blackmail to force Konoha ninja into dying for you for free?"
"You actually have the nerve to feel wronged?"
Miki Yūya's tone was icy.
"The Land of Whirlpools and Konoha were sworn allies for generations, yet their entire nation was wiped out, and Konoha turned a blind eye, never once mentioning it."
"You turn a blind eye to the destruction of your own ally, so by what right do you expect us to unselfishly help the Land of Snow restore its country?"
"Also, stop trying to use orthodox bloodlines to bind people."
"Kazahana Dōtō is the previous ruler's biological younger brother, and he naturally possesses a legitimate right of succession!"
"As an old, subordinate minister, you keep shouting about the orthodox restoration of the country; put plainly, you just want to use the princess's name to seize power and control politics to satisfy your own ambitions."
[Ding! Conqueror's Haki +5]
These words directly pierced through all of Sandayu's selfish motives and disguise.
Sandayu's face turned as pale as paper, leaving him completely powerless to refute as he collapsed limply into the drifting snow.
Everyone from Konoha was silent, looking at Sandayu with unkind gazes.
This matter was an internal private affair of the Land of Snow, and they in Konoha truly had no way to meddle.
Before you continue