When Kazahana Dōtō heard Sandayu's ruthless ambitions, he burst into thunderous laughter!
His laughter was rough and crazed, laden with endless mockery and contempt as it echoed through the warm, spacious hall.
"Hahaha!! Ridiculous! What a complete joke!"
"Sandayu, you really are a shortsighted fool!"
Kazahana Dōtō clenched his teeth. Even with all his strength drained, his gaze remained sharp as frost.
"You want the Hexagonal Crystal? You want the Kazahana Family's treasure?"
"Too bad! I already gave the Hexagonal Crystal to Nadare Rōga to take away!"
Sandayu's expression abruptly darkened, murderous intent surging in his eyes.
Entirely unafraid, Kazahana Dōtō continued coldly.
"Sandayu, I saw through you long ago."
"I knew all along that you were secretly building a private army, gathering your old followers, and amassing samurai."
"I simply never considered you worth worrying about."
"Samurai are just samurai. They have no chakra and know no ninjutsu. Against real ninja, they can't cause the slightest trouble."
At that, Kazahana Dōtō looked at the ninja around Sandayu and sneered, full of self-reproach and regret.
"Unfortunately, I was still too arrogant."
"I thought that after all your years of plotting, you would only use samurai to stage a rebellion."
"I never imagined that your real trump card was never those samurai you sent to die. They were just a diversion. You have ties to these ninja, too!"
"You fooled everyone, including me!"
Thud!
A heavy stomp suddenly rang out!
Sandayu raised his foot and stomped viciously on the side of Kazahana Dōtō's face, grinding his cheek into the cold floor with brutal force.
The gentleness and restraint once in his eyes had given way to sheer malice.
"A diversion?"
"You think far too highly of yourself, Dōtō."
"The disguise I spent ten years maintaining was never meant to guard against you."
"I pretended to be weak and incompetent, to be capable of nothing but using the princess to win Konoha's sympathy, to keep the Five Great Nations from noticing!"
"Only if everyone thought the Land of Snow's internal strife was merely the dying struggle of outdated samurai, a farce unworthy of mention, would the great nations' ninja disdain to intervene or bother paying attention!"
Sandayu lowered his head slightly and whispered coldly into Kazahana Dōtō's ear.
"But even samurai aren't necessarily weaker than ninja."
"The Land of Snow's technology, the Chakra Armor you're wearing, was always one of the ways samurai could counterbalance ninja!"
"For the past ten years, you've poured your heart and soul into researching armaments, perfecting the armor system, and strengthening chakra suppression technology."
"You worked tirelessly to pave the way for a stronger Land of Snow, only to hand me the fruits of all your labor!"
"I really should thank you, my lord. With Chakra Armor, samurai have the power to fight ninja.
"So as far as I'm concerned, cultivating chakra and learning ninjutsu are completely unnecessary. Those things would only attract the ninja's attention."
As he finished speaking, Sandayu pressed down harder with his foot and threatened him harshly.
"Now, give Nadare Rōga and the other two an order!"
"Tell them to turn back immediately and bring the real Hexagonal Crystal here!"
"Obey, and I'll leave your corpse intact!"
Pinned beneath his foot and stripped of all dignity, Kazahana Dōtō showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, he bared his teeth in another wild laugh, his eyes full of resolve and certainty.
"Impossible!"
"Absolutely impossible!"
"For these past ten years, I've trusted only Nadare Rōga, Fubuki Kakuyoku, and Fubuki Fuyukuma!"
"He's utterly loyal. Even if I die, he would never betray me!"
Kazahana Dōtō's eyes bulged as he screamed himself hoarse.
"You want the crystal? Dream on!"
"If you've got the guts, just kill me!"
"After I die, my three loyal subordinates will avenge me at any cost!"
"With the Hexagonal Crystal in their hands, they'll have leverage over the entire Shinobi World!"
"All they have to do is spread the word and put a huge bounty on your head, and ninja from the Five Great Nations will come to assassinate you in an endless stream!"
"Kill me, Sandayu! You won't live much longer. You'll join me in the grave! Hahaha!"
Kazahana Dōtō's words struck Sandayu right where it hurt!
His face instantly twisted into a savage grimace. Furious, he ground his foot down hard and growled through clenched teeth.
"You have a death wish!"
"You think there's nothing I can do?"
"If they're so loyal..."
"Then I'll use you as bait!"
"As long as you're alive, they'll never go far or abandon you!"
"Let's see just how loyal they really are. Which matters more to them, your life or that crystal?"
Dawn came the next day.
At the frozen harbor, bitter winds howled. Waves slapped against the ship's sides, and the spray turned to shards of ice the moment it hit the ground.
The Konoha party and the entire film crew boarded the ship. Its sails unfurled as they prepared to leave the Land of Snow behind for good.
After all, their lead actress had run off. Surely the crew wasn't going to film a finale without its star? They would be better off using that time to sell more of Miki Yūya's photo collections.
Kakashi stood with his hands in his pockets, his eyes lazy above his mask. Naruto and Sakura had finished packing, while Sasuke leaned against the railing, looking indifferent. Everyone was ready for the return journey.
Only Miki Yūya lounged around with the real Hexagonal Crystal tucked in his pocket, cheerfully slacking off. His paid business trip was almost over, and he couldn't be happier. Since he was holding on to this thing, he could even fleece whoever came to claim it for a safekeeping fee.
But just as the ship was about to pull away from shore!
Bzzzz-!
Freezing chakra abruptly swept across the entire sea!
The water beneath the ship froze and spread at a speed visible to the naked eye!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Thick layers of ice piled up, instantly locking the merchant ship's hull and sides in place. The enormous vessel was pinned to the sea, unable to move an inch!
Three figures clad in cold-colored armor stood on the vast, frozen sea, their presence chilling.
They were the three Snow Ninja: Nadare Rōga, Fubuki Kakuyoku, and Fubuki Fuyukuma!
Nadare Rōga slowly stepped forward. His gaze settled on the Konoha group, particularly Kakashi, and he spoke with restraint, a trace of helplessness mingling with firmness.
"Everyone from Konoha, Lord Dōtō has no intention of making enemies of the Five Great Nations or provoking conflict."
"We've come for only one thing."
"The Hexagonal Crystal, the Kazahana Family's ancestral treasure, has fallen into your hands. It concerns the fate of the Land of Snow. We hope you will return it!"
Everyone turned to look at Kakashi.
Kakashi shrugged slightly and answered frankly.
"Sorry, I don't have the crystal."
"I already gave it to Yūya."
"He's the one who decides what to do with it."
As soon as Kakashi finished speaking, every gaze shifted to Miki Yūya.
Miki Yūya raised an eyebrow and stepped forward, his hands in his pockets. Hahaha, speak of the devil! Now I can fleece them for some cash.
"I do have it."
Seeing that Miki Yūya was an ordinary villager with no chakra or ninja abilities whatsoever, Nadare Rōga's eyes flashed with contempt. His tone turned openly threatening.
"If you have it, hand it over right now!"
"While we respect Konoha and have no desire to hurt you, you're merely an ordinary villager. You have no strength and no backing."
"Don't think you can hog the Land of Snow's treasure just because Konoha protects you. Otherwise, don't blame me for getting rough!"
[Ding! Observation Haki +3]
Those words left Miki Yūya utterly dumbfounded.
Holy shit, even Observation Haki popped up. This only happens when someone verbally bullies me.
Then a sudden blaze of anger shot straight to his head!
Goddammit!
This again!
These ninja always look down on everyone!
Some foreign country bumpkin of a ninja actually dared look down on him, a Konoha villager!
His defiance instantly went through the roof!
Miki Yūya immediately switched into foulmouth mode, pointing at the three of them and letting loose a stream of curses that rang across the frozen sea!
"Well, damn! Aren't you three hot shit!"
"Strutting around in your crappy armor-who do you think you're fooling?"
"I might not have ninja abilities, but I'm a genuine, born-and-bred Konoha villager!"
"Where did you three pieces of trash crawl out from? I can tell from your accents that you're third-rate country ninja who've never seen the world!"
"A bunch of foreign country bumpkins dare throw their weight around in front of me and look down on a Konoha villager? Who the hell do you think you are?"
[Ding! Conqueror's Haki +6] [Ding! Conqueror's Haki +5]
The three ninja's faces instantly turned livid, dark enough to drip ink.
Only now did they truly understand what Kazahana Koyuki had meant in her assessment of Miki Yūya yesterday. Even that assessment had been far too gentle and restrained!
This wasn't just some overbearing thug. This was an utterly shameless piece of shit.
Seriously, how did Konoha have something like this? Was he insane?
Fubuki Kakuyoku clenched her fists, gritting her teeth as she held herself back.
"Are you truly determined not to return the crystal?"
Miki Yūya blinked, then waved a hand.
"I never said I wouldn't give it back."
"It isn't mine to begin with. I haven't tried to pocket it or steal it."
"But you expect me to obediently hand it over just because three third-rate ninja threatened me? Dream on!"
He folded his arms and declared arrogantly.
"You can have the crystal."
"Have Kazahana Koyuki come ask me for it herself."
"If she comes here and takes it in person, I'll return it to her immediately."
"As for whose hands it ends up in after she gets it, that's none of my business."
Simply put, Miki Yūya just wanted to make these three snobbish Snow Ninja miserable!
He was specifically out to cure their nasty habit of looking down on Konoha villagers!
These damned Snow Ninja must have had life too easy. Time to put some pressure on them and show them the will of domination of a Konoha troublemaker.
The three exchanged glances, their faces filled with helplessness and anxiety, then spoke urgently.
"That's impossible!"
"Princess Koyuki is under Lord Dōtō's strict supervision and forbidden to leave. She can't possibly come here in person!"
"We can compromise. Come back to the Snow Fortress with us and give the crystal to the princess in person. Would that work?"
Miki Yūya raised an eyebrow and pushed his luck. Pah! Who do you think you are, ordering me around?
"I can go back."
"But you looked down on me and insulted me just now. I feel that my dignity, my youth, my bearing, and my soul have all suffered a blow."
"You want me to cooperate?"
"Apologize first!"
Their faces alternated between livid and pale as they found themselves trapped.
Goddammit, sure, we looked down on you and insulted you. But your dignity and soul suffered a blow? You lunatic, do you even have those things?
But they had a mission, and they had to retrieve the crystal. They had no choice at all.
Nadare Rōga gritted his teeth and lowered his head, utterly humiliated.
"...Sorry."
"Not good enough."
Miki Yūya wasn't someone they could brush off so easily. Only Konoha's ninja knew just how difficult he was to deal with.
"Loudly admit that all three of you are third-rate country ninja!"
[Ding! Conqueror's Haki +7]
All three stiffened, humiliation overwhelming them. They wanted nothing more than to attack him on the spot.
But when they thought of their mission, they could only choke down all that humiliation, nod with difficulty, and speak loudly.
"I... am a third-rate country ninja."
"I... am a third-rate country ninja."
[Ding! Conqueror's Haki +8]
Miki Yūya was absolutely elated. Finally, he felt better.
Being a troublemaker in Konoha was way too much fun!
I could push Konoha Ninja around, and foreign ninja were no different!
I didn't care what country you were from. I treated everyone equally-I'd bully you just as ruthlessly!
He clapped his hands, looking thoroughly satisfied:
"All right, that's a decent attitude."
"Since you're being so sincere, I'll reluctantly agree to go with you country bumpkins. Ah, as a Konoha villager, it's been ages since I last mingled with the common folk."
Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke wore grim expressions the whole time, holding their heads and responding with silence. They were used to Miki Yūya's troublemaking ways: he never let anyone off when he was in the right, and even when he was in the wrong, he'd still kick up a fuss.
The group got off the boat again and headed back the way they had come.
Before you continue