At the center of the battlefield, Sandayu stood rigid, gripping his gleaming Samurai Sword for dear life.
Thick Chakra Armor covered his entire body. The supposedly impregnable armor now shook uncontrollably. His knuckles whitened around the hilt, and the web of his hand went numb.
Tap, tap, tap-!
Clear, steady footsteps pressed across the frozen ground. Every step crushed the snow and sent a faint tremor through the ice.
Miki Yūya approached Sandayu one unhurried step at a time.
His overwhelming Conqueror's Haki erupted in full, enveloping the entire battlefield like a collapsing mountain.
At that moment, Sandayu no longer cared about victory, defeat, or political schemes.
To him, the slowly approaching Miki Yūya was no ordinary villager from Konoha, but a peerless lion crouching on the snowy plains, looking down upon all living things!
Arrogant, domineering, utterly unrestrained-he did not spare Sandayu the slightest regard.
And it was not just Sandayu. Every ninja, samurai, and member of the Snow Ninja on this battlefield was beneath Miki Yūya's notice.
Utter terror swept through Sandayu. His legs weakened, and he stumbled backward uncontrollably.
In his panic, his retreating heel suddenly struck a still-warm body.
It was Naruto Uzumaki, whose power had been sealed by the Chakra Net before he crashed into an ice wall and lost consciousness.
Naruto still lay facedown in the snow, his eyes shut tight, completely unconscious.
Normally, Naruto would not have passed out so easily. But his chakra had been restricted at the moment of impact, leaving him weakened.
And so he had remained unconscious until now.
In a flash, a vicious gleam burst into Sandayu's eyes!
A dead end! He had found the one way out of this dead end!
He bent down abruptly, seized Naruto by the back of his collar with one hand, and hauled the weakened, unconscious boy upright, holding him firmly in front of himself as a human shield!
A savage, crazed grin spread across his face as Sandayu screamed hoarsely:
"Miki Yūya! Stop right there!!"
"Let me leave this place! Let me leave the Land of Snow!
Naruto Uzumaki's life is in my hands! If you don't let me go, I'll kill him! He'll die with me!!"
Yet Miki Yūya did not pause for even a moment. He continued his steady approach.
By contrast, Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke, who lay bound on the ground, all turned pale, their expressions instantly growing grave.
Holy shit! If you're going to guilt-trip someone, can't you pick someone with a conscience?!
Since when was Naruto Miki Yūya's comrade?
This guy called him a Fox Demon every other breath and mocked him worse than anyone! No, actually, Naruto wasn't the only one he mocked.
At this critical moment, Kakashi hurriedly tried to stop him, his voice filled with anxiety and helplessness:
"Miki Yūya, that's enough!
Sandayu has nowhere left to turn. He no longer poses any threat. Stop now!"
Miki Yūya did not care whether Naruto lived or died. Kakashi did.
Sakura, lying on her side in the snow, spoke up immediately afterward.
"Miki Yūya!
If you let Naruto get hurt!
I'll report everything that happened today to Lady Hokage Tsunade! You'll be punished when we get back to Konoha!"
Miki Yūya had no intention of listening to Kakashi or Sakura.
"Interesting.
Two worthless ninja, trussed up by the enemy and reduced to prisoners, dare to order me around-a perfectly lawful citizen of Konoha?"
"Remember the rules!
Konoha's villagers have no obligation to pay for the safety of useless ninja!"
"As elite ninja, you can't protect your comrades or your village. Instead, you get captured and used to threaten ordinary villagers. What good are any of you alive?"
Miki Yūya was not wrong in the slightest. People did threaten ninja with villagers' lives, but who the fuck threatened villagers with ninja?
As he spoke, Miki kept walking, passing straight by Sakura.
Thud!
Without mercy, he planted a precise kick in Sakura's chest!
[Ding! Armament Haki +4]
"You think you can threaten me?
Let me tell you, forget about when we get back-even if that old hag Tsunade were standing right here, I wouldn't be afraid."
Excruciating pain exploded through Sakura. She let out a muffled groan and rolled twice across the snow. Her chest hurt so badly she could barely breathe, and her eyes instantly reddened.
But Miki Yūya could not be bothered to strike again. He merely glanced sideways at her, his face full of disdain:
"A ninja threatening a villager? Since when did Konoha's rules become this absurd?"
Beside her, Sasuke's expression was icy. Murderous intent churned in his dark eyes as he gritted his teeth and spoke in a cold voice, enunciating every word:
"If Naruto dies, I, Sasuke Uchiha, will never let you get away with it, Miki Yūya!"
The very next instant after Sasuke finished speaking!
The Conqueror's Haki filling the sky abruptly contracted and condensed, focusing entirely on the bound Sasuke!
Terrifying pressure, vast as mountains and seas, came crashing down!
Miki Yūya stopped and looked down at Sasuke Uchiha, whose whole body had stiffened, leaving him unable to move. His mocking, vicious taunts rang through the wind and snow:
"You?"
"You don't dare take revenge on your real enemy, Uchiha Itachi, so all you can do is threaten an innocent villager like me?"
"Sasuke Uchiha, do you have even a shred of a strong man's spirit?"
"You watched your parents and clansmen die on the night of the massacre. When Itachi swung his blade at you, did you drop to your knees, crying and begging? Is groveling how you saved that pathetic life of yours?"
"Hahaha! A spineless coward like you thinks he deserves to talk about revenge?"
[Ding! Conqueror's Haki +6] [Ding! Conqueror's Haki +6]
Every word struck him where it hurt!
Every sentence pierced the deepest, darkest scars buried in Sasuke's heart!
Even the three Snow Ninja nearby were stunned by what they heard. Were Konoha's villagers really this terrifying?
And Sasuke? He, too, was completely frozen.
The bloody scenes from the night of the massacre flooded his mind: his clansmen's screams, his parents lying in pools of blood, Itachi's icy gaze, and his own wretched figure fleeing, sobbing and begging for mercy...
Sasuke shook violently, unable to control himself. His teeth clenched tight, blood seeped from the corner of his mouth again, and his spirit shattered completely. His eyes were filled with confusion, humiliation, and utter helplessness.
He wanted revenge, yet he did not even have the courage to face Itachi!
Miki Yūya's words brutally tore away his entire facade of genius and pride, leaving only his wretched, cowardly core!
By now, Miki Yūya was only a few steps away from Sandayu.
Sandayu looked at the constrained Konoha ninja, desperate to make peace, then at the utterly inhuman Miki Yūya advancing relentlessly. Overwhelming terror crushed the last of his reason.
He had been wrong, completely wrong. How could a madman like this ever be threatened by him?
Tears and cold sweat poured down his face. This powerful minister, who had schemed for ten years and held sway over the Land of Snow, went completely mad!
He screamed hysterically, like a man possessed:
"You forced me to do this! Miki Yūya! You're the one who won't let me go!!"
"If I can't live, then someone from Konoha will die with me!!"
As his words fell, cold steel flashed!
Shhk-!
The sharp Samurai Sword plunged into Naruto's abdomen!
Warm blood gushed out, staining the pristine snow red!
Searing pain instantly jolted Naruto out of unconsciousness. His eyes flew open, his pupils trembling violently as he looked down at the blade running through his abdomen. His mind went completely blank.
Sandayu's crazed roars rang in Naruto's ears:
"That damned Miki Yūya!
That damned Konoha villager!
You forced me to do this! Naruto's going to die with me! Die with me!!"
Through the agonizing pain, Naruto's mind filled with a thousand questions.
Wait, what... what happened?
No, why... why are you cursing Miki Yūya while stabbing me?
Miki Yūya's the one who forced you!
If you've got the guts, stab him! Why are you stabbing me?!
At that instant, nine-tails chakra began gathering in Naruto's abdomen, and an immense quantity surged out.
But just then!
Vmmm-!
The air suddenly tore apart!
The nine-tails chakra that had just emerged around Naruto's body was forcibly compressed by an invisible force, leaving a pocket of vacuum. The tearing air had already reached him.
Crack!
The nine-tails chakra that had only just appeared around his stomach seemed to meet some kind of suppression, tearing apart and compressing.
An unprecedented shadow of death enveloped him!
Naruto seemed to see his parents, his future, and himself becoming Hokage.
So this was his life flashing before his eyes? It was so bright.
The next instant, Naruto's scalp prickled, and his will to survive surged to its peak. He stamped both feet down hard enough to shatter the ice, then used every last ounce of strength to spin around!
He forcibly swung the crazed Sandayu from behind him to directly in front of him!
Boom-!!
The air exploded completely! Wind and snow raged wildly!
There was no glow of ninjutsu, no circulation of chakra-only pure physical strength taken to its absolute extreme, overwhelming everything!
Miki Yūya unleashed the punch he had been preparing!
Bam!!!
It struck the Chakra Armor on Sandayu's back squarely!
The incredibly tough, specially made armor, capable of withstanding a jonin's ninjutsu, instantly shattered like paper!
The terrifying impact piled on, layer after layer!
Sandayu, now in front of Naruto, had his entire lumbar spine smashed to pieces. The sound of shattering bone was unbearably shrill!
He spewed a great mouthful of blood and flew away like a kite with its string cut, collapsing into the snow. His body convulsed as he drew in more air than he could breathe out, teetering on the brink of death!
Naruto, behind Sandayu, was also hurled away by the terrifying residual force and slammed heavily into the cold, hard ice wall of the raised platform!
His forehead split open, and thin streams of blood slowly trickled down his cheeks.
Clutching his agonizing abdomen, his internal organs aching from the impact, Naruto murmured weakly to himself.
"I... I survived!!!"
Tears glimmered in Naruto's eyes. He had survived. He had actually avoided that attack.
"Teacher Jiraiya... I survived!!!"
Teacher Jiraiya... how on earth had he survived Granny Tsunade's absurd strength?
Naruto was genuinely shaken. As for the stab wound-what a joke. Had anyone seen that shattered Chakra Armor? Compared with that, a stab wound barely counted as an injury.
Meanwhile, Miki Yūya stepped forward and casually hauled the dying, blood-spitting Sandayu out of the snow with one hand.
With only his final breath remaining, Sandayu stared at the boy before him through unfocused eyes. Using the last of his strength, he murmured brokenly:
"Wh... why..."
Why? Miki Yūya had no interest in indulging Sandayu in some deathbed reminiscence.
"Moron."
He could not be bothered to waste words on a dying man. After uttering that single word flatly, he flung Sandayu into a freezing snowdrift like a piece of trash.
Trying to guilt-trip me? What a joke! I'm the one who uses people's morals against them. Since when does some useless old country bumpkin get to manipulate me?
With Sandayu dealt with.
Naruto forced his pain-racked body upright, holding his bleeding abdomen.
He walked over to Kakashi and the others, gritted his teeth, and raised his hands to undo their ropes.
The moment Sakura and Sasuke regained their freedom, they turned to Naruto, their eyes full of concern as they repeatedly asked about his injuries.
Naruto shook his head and forced a smile, saying it was only a flesh wound, nothing serious. The only reason he had walked so slowly was that the residual force of Miki Yūya's punch had struck him.
Meanwhile, Nadare Rōga and his two companions, now freed, rushed onto the raised platform.
They cut the chains and rescued the gravely wounded Kazahana Dōtō, then scrambled to treat their ruler's penetrating wounds and frostbite.
The film crew, whom Miki Yūya had previously beaten black and blue, also gathered around him, showering him with praise and flattery.
"Yūya, you're a total badass!! You destroyed Sandayu with your bare hands! Now that's real strength!"
"Just as we thought, us ordinary civilians are the toughest!
Konoha ninja, Land of Snow jonin-they're all useless posers!"
The group frantically belittled ninja and exalted Miki Yūya, as though they were the ones who had just won the battle.
Looking deeply ashamed, the director hurriedly produced a treasured bottle of liquor and placed it in Miki Yūya's hand, bowing and apologizing over and over:
"Yūya, we're sorry!
We were far too harsh earlier!"
Miki Yūya took the bottle with an air of complete ease.
"As long as you know. Honesty is merely the least remarkable of my countless virtues."
"Sigh!"
"Director, you're getting on in years, so it's understandable that you're not very levelheaded. Once you all reach my age, you'll understand."
But just as everyone was cleaning up the aftermath and peace had settled over the scene!
A hurried, furious female voice suddenly rang out from the edge of the battlefield.
Kazahana Koyuki surveyed the wreckage, then spotted Sandayu lying barely alive in the snow, his fate uncertain. Her eyes widened, and she furiously demanded of everyone present:
"What the hell did you do to Sandayu?!
Why did you have to go so far and try to kill him?!"
The entire scene fell deathly silent!
The film crew, who had been crowding around Miki Yūya and showering him with praise, instantly scattered like startled birds. They all backed away, pushing Miki Yūya to the front.
Team 7 and the three Snow Ninja from the Land of Snow also turned to Miki Yūya.
Holy shit, these bastards. Now that the country's in trouble, they're looking for a good general, huh? Whenever an idiot shows up, they send me in. When there aren't any idiots around, they treat me, Miki Yūya, like the idiot.
Of course, the sight of Kazahana Koyuki confronting everyone sent Miki Yūya's temper shooting straight through the roof.
"Where the hell did this stupid bitch crawl out from?!"
Before his words had even faded!
Miki Yūya charged at Kazahana Koyuki.
He held the bottle of hard liquor he had just been handed.
Bang!!
The bottle shattered!
He smashed it viciously against Kazahana Koyuki's forehead!
Glass burst apart, and liquor splashed everywhere!
Kazahana Koyuki's eyes rolled back. Before she could even scream, she toppled stiffly into the snow again, knocked unconscious on the spot!
[Ding! Armament Haki +0.5]
Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke all remained perfectly calm. They even breathed a sigh of relief.
Nadare Rōga and his two companions all let out long sighs of relief. Thank goodness, the problem was solved. If Miki Yūya hadn't been there, this would have been quite a headache for them to handle.
Fortunately, they had someone here with absolutely no morals.
Before you continue