Kazahana Dōtō's Breakdown

A week of time vanished in the blink of an eye.

The conflict in the Land of Snow completely subsided, Sandayu's rebellion came to an end, and the turbulence finally settled.

Over the past few days, Kazahana Koyuki finally pieced together the full picture of the entire affair from the words of others and the accounts of her guards.

She finally knew that from beginning to end, she was merely a pawn in Sandayu's seizure of power and usurpation of the throne; she had consistently not wanted to return to the Land of Snow, yet Sandayu had guided her back through various means.

If he truly were a loyal subject, then Sandayu's "control" over her over the past decade was excessive to a fault.

Yet even upon knowing the truth, her heart still could not let it go.

Kazahana Dōtō's crime of murdering her father could not be dispelled in a mere few days.

Although Kazahana Dōtō had not committed any faults after becoming the daimyo of the Land of Snow, in her eyes, he remained a sinner who had murdered her father and seized her family's country.

Today, everyone returned once more to that basin iced over with treasure.

Kazahana Dōtō sat in a specially crafted wheelchair, his legs wrapped in thick bandages with the piercing wounds still unhealed, looking haggard and aged.

Nadare Rōga, Fubuki Kakuyoku, and Fubuki Fuyukuma wore solemn expressions as they cautiously pushed the wheelchair, bringing Kazahana Dōtō to the keyhole right in the center of the basin.

The gazes of everyone gathered entirely.

This was the ultimate treasured land secretly preserved by the Kazahana Family for generations, the mystic realm built by Kazahana Sōsetsu exhausting his family fortune, and the most mysterious treasure land circulated in the Land of Snow for a decade.

Kazahana Dōtō took a deep breath, trembling as he reached out his hand to cup the hexagonal crystal that had finally been retrieved after passing through numerous twists and turns.

With his fingertips slightly trembling, he steadily embedded the crystal into the groove of the stone wall.

Click-!

The crisp sound of a mechanical lock releasing echoed!

Hum!!

A vast and gentle surge of energy instantly swept through the entire basin!

A low-frequency rumble of vibration came from deep underground, and the entire mystic realm shook violently.

Around the basin, the towering, smooth, and eternally snow-covered giant stone walls had their surface layer of hard ice crack, peel away, and melt layer by layer!

The pure white ice and snow fell in rustling droves, and a sky full of ice mist rose to obscure the vision.

In the depths of Kazahana Dōtō's eyes, an extreme burning heat and anticipation ignited, his heart pounding wildly.

Ten years of forbearance, ten years of suspicion, ten years of obsession!

He had exhausted half his life pursuing the trump card left behind by his elder brother and guessing the hidden ace of his elder brother.

Was it the ultimate military armament capable of overturning the Shinobi World?

Was it endless wealth capable of rivaling a nation?

Was it heaven-defying technology that could allow the Land of Snow to completely rise and stand shoulder to shoulder with the Five Great Nations?

No matter what it was, he would accept it.

His elder brother had exhausted all of the Kazahana Family's assets and spent half his life's blood to build this place; it was definitely a supreme treasure capable of changing the destiny of a nation!

Yet as the ice completely melted, the sky full of ice mist slowly dissipated.

Everyone widened their eyes, staring blankly below the stone wall and into the basin-

The ice and snow receded, revealing an area of lush green and soft earth.

Aside from that, there was nothing at all.

Tender wild grass broke through the soil to grow, and scattered wildflowers bloomed wantonly. A gentle breeze blew past, carrying a gentle warmth that had never appeared in the Land of Snow.

The primordial ice of the entire basin was thoroughly melted by the giant geothermal device hidden underground.

The vast white snowfield vanished, and a vibrant, spring-like mystic realm quietly spread out before everyone's eyes.

Then...

Then everyone waited for a while longer.

As a result, nothing happened, and that was it-it ended just like that.

The energy dissipated, the mechanism stopped rotating, and everything returned to peace.

The entire place was dead silent.

Kazahana Dōtō froze in the wheelchair, his pupils completely unfocused as his entire mind went blank.

Exhausting his family fortune, draining national strength, keeping it secretly hidden for a decade, and stirring the ultimate treasure that affected the national destiny of the entire Land of Snow...

Where was it?

At this very moment, Kazahana Koyuki, who had been silently standing aside all along, shuddered violently all over!

Fragmented memories sealed away for a decade rushed frantically into her mind like a tide!

The snow from her childhood, the gentle smile, her father's deep and gentle voice, and his tender caresses all surfaced.

Tears instantly filled her eyes, falling in rustling streams down her cheeks.

"I remember... I remember everything..."

Kazahana Koyuki choked out, her voice trembling yet soft, filled with suppressed bitterness and emotion from over the years.

"The Land of Snow is covered in ice and snow year-round, and it has never had spring."

"I grew up in the wind and snow, never seeing grass and trees bloom in my entire life, nor have I ever seen spring."

"When I was little, I used to ask my father what spring was like."

"Every time, my father would make me close my eyes and slowly paint spring breezes, green grass, blooming flowers, and warm sunlight for me..."

"Yet I had never truly seen it."

She raised her reddened eyes, gazing at this unique spring basin before her, and her tears completely breached their banks.

"So... my father exhausted all the savings of the Kazahana Family and spent several years of time."

"He built a giant geothermal array deep underground and constructed this mystic realm."

"This isn't military armament; it's not treasure."

"This is spring... built by my father exclusively for me alone."

"It's a one-of-a-kind gift he prepared for me..."

As her words fell, a gentle yet regretful sentiment instantly enveloped the entire scene.

Sakura's eyes were red-rimmed as she silently lowered her gaze, whispering softly:

"So... this is the ultimate treasure of the Land of Snow."

"It's not military armament, nor is it wealth."

"Just a gift from a father who exhausted everything, solely to let his daughter see spring once?"

Naruto stood blankly to the side, looking at the tearful Kazahana Koyuki with an inexplicable sourness in his heart.

If... if his own parents were still alive.

Would they, too, go all out like this and love him without reservation?

Would he, too, be able to possess such a one-of-a-kind, unregretful, and tender favoritism?

Heartache, envy, regret, and myriad emotions intertwined in his mind.

Sasuke silently lowered his gaze, an obscure glint flashing through his pitch-black eyes.

He knew all too well the taste of losing family members and having obsessions fall through.

Loss was eternal; no matter how much regret there was, it could never be made up for.

Upon the wheelchair, Kazahana Dōtō stared blankly at the flourishing spring scenery before him, looking at the tear-streaked Kazahana Koyuki.

His initial anticipation, obsession, reluctance, and suspicion all transformed into extreme absurdity and rage.

His eye sockets were red, and tears similarly dampened his aged eyes.

It was not touched emotion-it was a breakdown! It was madness!

The next second!

Kazahana Dōtō abruptly lifted his head, letting out a frantic, nearly insane burst of laughter!

"Hahahaha! Hahaha!!"

The laughter was shrill, distorted, and despairing, echoing throughout the entire spring basin!

His entire body shook violently as he struggled fiercely, tumbling straight out of the wheelchair and crashing onto the soft grass. Disregarding the excruciating pain of his severe leg wounds tearing open, his expression twisted hideously as he locked a deadly stare onto Kazahana Koyuki!

"Koyuki, what did you say... Is everything you said true? Sōsetsu, he emptied all the savings of the Kazahana Family just to manufacture this?"

He roared hoarsely, every word dripping with blood, filled with extreme absurdity and fury!

Ten years! A full ten years!

He shouldered the mess, struggled bitterly to sustain it, governed diligently, and walked on thin ice at every step!

Cleaning up the mess left by his elder brother, filling the treasury deficit, and reorganizing military armaments.

He had resented for ten years, hated for ten years, and anticipated for ten years!

He had thought his elder brother was hiding an ace, hiding a trump card, and hiding a treasure that could revitalize a country!

In the end!

Everything of everything!

It was merely a piece of childish romance exchanged by a father who, in order to indulge his daughter, emptied an entire family and emptied an entire country!

Kazahana Koyuki was frightened by his hideous and crazed appearance, her eyes swimming with tears, yet she stubbornly spoke up anyway:

"So what if it is?!"

"My father just wanted me to see spring! He just loved me! What on earth did he do wrong?!"

"What did he do wrong?!"

Kazahana Dōtō laughed out of extreme anger, laughing so hard that his internal organs ached fiercely, pushing him to the brink of madness.

The atmosphere of the entire scene instantly transformed from tender and touching into absurd and suffocating.

Kakashi looked at Kazahana Dōtō, who was completely distorted and broken down, along with the equally shocked Snow Ninja trio, and spoke softly:

"Alright, the farce should come to an end.

Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, let's go."

Miki Yūya, who had been watching the drama from the sidelines the entire time and trembling all over from holding back his laughter, finally could not take it anymore.

He waved his hand, his face filled with disgust as he frantically ranted out loud:

"Let's go, let's go! Hurry up and slip away!"

"If I stay any longer, I'm afraid I'll be assimilated by this family of oddballs and become brainless and a total retard just like Kazahana Koyuki!"

Sakura furrowed her brow tightly, her face filled with incomprehension as she couldn't help but step forward to question him.

"Miki Yūya! How can you say that?!"

"Koyuki didn't do anything wrong!

Her father loved her so much; this familial affection is obviously very touching!"

Naruto also nodded repeatedly with an honest expression:

"Yeah, Yūya!

Koyuki and her father really didn't do anything wrong, right?"

Miki Yūya sneered, his face full of sarcasm. Who the hell can handle this? Good thing Konoha's Hokage is an elective system, otherwise if these retards were allowed to be Hokage, Konoha would've been finished long ago.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, she didn't do anything wrong."

"Koyuki's father truly is the number one good guy in this world."

"Emptying a family's century-old foundation and spending all the money and grain accumulated by the entire nation."

"Disregarding the emptiness of the national treasury and the survival of the country."

"Solely to satisfy a small regret of his own daughter, and solely to present a romantic surprise for his own daughter."

He turned his gaze to Naruto, a wicked smile hanging at the corners of his mouth as he intentionally maxed out the sarcasm:

"Naruto, didn't you shout every day about wanting to be Hokage and wanting to protect the village?"

"Then I'll teach you a new rule."

"When you become Hokage in the future, just hollow out Konoha's public funds."

"Spend every bit of the village's operating budget, military armament funds, orphan subsidies, and livelihood provisions."

"There's no need to care about displaced orphans, villagers who can't get enough to eat, or the safety of the village."

"Take it all to create romance, build surprises, and buy gifts for your future daughter anyway."

"After all, paternal love is priceless, and romance is supreme, right?"

"Hahaha! How great! How affectionate!"

[Ding! Conqueror's Haki +3]

[Ding! Conqueror's Haki +2]

In an instant!

Naruto's face flushed red in a flash!

Ashamed, embarrassed, and wishing he could find a hole to crawl into!

He instantly understood Miki Yūya's meaning, immediately jumping up in reaction to sharply retort:

"I would never do that!!"

"As Hokage, it is absolutely impossible to sacrifice the entire village and other people's interests for one's own selfish motives!"

"This kind of selfish favoritism isn't love at all!

It's extreme stupidity and selfishness!"

Sakura also came to her senses instantly, her cheeks burning hot as she could no longer utter a single touching word.

Right... it's romantic and touching, but what was the price? What on earth was I just saying earlier?

Sasuke to the side silently turned sideways, keeping his mouth shut the entire time while feeling incomparably grateful inside.

Fortunately, he had remained silent a moment ago and hadn't followed along with emotional commentary.

Otherwise, given Miki Yūya's poisonous tongue, the one being publicly mocked as a retard right now would be him, Sasuke Uchiha.

Speaking less truly made one appear smarter.

Not far away, having heard all the words and hearing those remarks from Naruto, Kazahana Koyuki stiffened abruptly all over.

Looking at the crazed, broken-down uncle whose half-life was utterly ruined, looking at the dilapidated and hollowed-out country, and recalling her father's extreme and selfish favoritism once again.

A decade of obsession, a decade of grievance, a decade of being moved-collapsed with a crash!

So... the paternal love she had constantly eulogized, and the father who had always loved her, turned out to be such a person.

Her own happiness and her father's love for her were exchanged at the cost of the suffering of the entire Land of Snow.

So the gift she had treasured all her life was something like this, something... filthy.

Kazahana Koyuki went cold all over. Utterly broken and speechless, she stood rooted to the spot, tears falling silently.

A few days later, aboard a ship sailing back to Konoha.

The sea breeze blew gently, and the waves rolled.

The members of Team 7 stood in separate corners of the deck, an unusual silence hanging over them.

The farce in the Land of Snow had been touching, absurd, tragic, and laughable, leaving them with a jumble of emotions.

Naruto stood behind Miki Yūya, hesitating for a long time before finally working up the courage to approach him as he leaned against the railing, enjoying the breeze.

He scratched his head, his tone serious and sincere:

"Yūya."

"Back on the battlefield, Sandayu used me to threaten you."

"Were you really... not afraid something would happen to me? What exactly were you thinking then?"

Naruto was straightforward, but sensitive.

He could tell that Miki Yūya had a foul mouth, was asking for a beating, had no manners, and mocked everyone.

But the guy had never been truly evil. He simply looked down on everyone equally. Put plainly, Naruto could tell the difference between being ill-mannered and being evil.

Miki Yūya was simply ill-mannered, but why wasn't he evil? Because he wouldn't use people the way Sandayu did, wouldn't treat everyone's lifesaving funds as his own drinking money the way Tazuna did, and wouldn't kill people while making excuses for himself the way Obito and Danzo did.

That was the difference between an ill-mannered person and an evil one.

Hearing Naruto's question, Miki Yūya answered casually, without the slightest change in his tone:

"What else would I be thinking?"

"If he killed you, I'd just kill him to avenge you. Don't worry, I wouldn't let you die for nothing. But since you're an orphan, I'd have to collect your death compensation for you."

It was that simple.

No convoluted reasoning, no complicated motives, no empty pleasantries.

A life for a life.

Nothing more.

Simple, blunt, and direct.

Naruto froze, then broke into a broad grin, his eyes bright as his doubts vanished in an instant:

"I knew it! You're not a bad guy at all, Yūya!"

On the other side of the deck, Sasuke Uchiha had been resting with his eyes closed. His ears twitched slightly, catching every word of that simple, blunt statement.

His dark eyes opened a fraction, a profound shock and sense of relief flickering in their depths.

That's right.

So many things really are that simple.

Why all the emotional turmoil, the self-torment, the endless hesitation and overthinking?

At that moment, the shackles of the obsession Sasuke had carried for years quietly loosened a little. He didn't need to consider how his older brother had treated him in the past, because Itachi had murdered their clansmen. That was a fact.

Then all I have to do is cast aside every feeling from the past and avenge my clansmen.