"Hey!! You Konoha ninja up ahead, get out of the way! This is the Land of Snow's business. It has nothing to do with Konoha!"
When the pursuing samurai saw Shisui beside Bai Ye wearing a Konoha forehead protector, they immediately realized who they were dealing with and shouted.
They were currently within the Land of Fire's borders, after all.
And they weren't very far from Konoha.
Although this really was a matter involving the Land of Snow, it could easily cause a misunderstanding.
"What should we do?"
Hyuga Hiashi turned to Bai Ye. The woman and old man before them seemed to have reached the end of their rope.
Six men claiming to be samurai from the Land of Snow had surrounded them.
"Lord Hokage, should we intervene?"
Shisui asked.
Seeing the situation, he felt they should stop the samurai first, learn what was happening, and then decide.
These samurai from the Land of Snow had appeared out of nowhere and were arresting people right in front of them.
They claimed it was an internal matter of the Land of Snow.
But they still needed to investigate before they could know whether that was actually true.
What if these men took away citizens of the Land of Fire?
Wouldn't that mean they had failed in their duties?!
Letting someone be arrested right in front of the Hokage would make them a laughingstock.
And the moment Shisui said the word "Hokage," everyone present froze.
"He's the Hokage?!"
The leader of the most powerful ninja village in the world.
The Fifth Hokage, who had just seized power in a coup and dealt with Hiruzen Sarutobi?!
Kazahana Koyuki looked at Bai Ye, a flicker of surprise crossing her eyes as a spark of hope rose within her.
If Bai Ye was willing to help her, she might not merely escape this time.
Perhaps...
Even the situation in the Land of Snow could be resolved?!
She had spent all these years in the Land of Fire. After her uncle usurped the throne, Kakashi had brought her here and helped her settle down.
She had been earning a living as an actress ever since.
She had even made something of a name for herself in the Land of Fire.
But all these years, she had always wanted to return to the Land of Snow.
She simply lacked the strength.
Even now, these few samurai were enough to chase her all over the Land of Fire.
And if she wanted to return, she would inevitably have to face those ninja who haunted her nightmares.
She wasn't the only one affected. The samurai were now hesitating as well.
If the man before them was the Hokage, trying to arrest someone right now probably wasn't a good idea, was it?!
The samurai immediately suppressed their earlier urge to seize their targets outright.
After all, this was the Hokage!
Although he looked somewhat different from the three-headed, six-armed figure of legend.
He was clearly not someone they could handle.
The samurai exchanged glances, then said, "Here are our credentials from the Land of Snow. These two are fugitives from our country, and we have orders to arrest them. Please accommodate us, Lord Hokage.
The Land of Snow will provide an explanation to both you and the Land of Fire afterward."
With those words, the samurai had turned the matter into a diplomatic issue.
After all, he had explicitly stated that this was an internal matter of the Land of Snow.
Intervening would mean meddling in another country's internal affairs.
His argument was reasonable, too. Even the Hokage rarely involved himself in matters concerning another country.
This had now become an issue between nations.
Of course, Shisui and Hyuga Hiashi both knew that while Bai Ye was nominally the Hokage, he had actually taken control of the Land of Fire behind the scenes.
The current Land of Fire Daimyo had already fallen under Bai Ye's genjutsu.
Intervening in affairs between nations would pose no problem whatsoever.
The real question was whether Bai Ye would choose to intervene.
There wasn't a single ninja among the people before them...
"All right, then. Let's go."
Bai Ye nodded and made to leave.
His reaction took Shisui by surprise.
What?!
We're just leaving?!
Seriously...
He genuinely hadn't expected Bai Ye to simply walk away.
And from the looks of things, something was clearly wrong here.
Yet Bai Ye apparently had no intention of getting involved.
"Let's go." Hyuga Hiashi's voice interrupted Shisui's thoughts.
Compared with the youngster Hyuga Hiashi.
An old hand like him actually had some idea of what Bai Ye intended.
Ultimately, the girl had neither asked Bai Ye for help nor revealed her identity.
Bai Ye couldn't just step in and help her.
She at least needed to explain who she was and what she had to offer, didn't she?!
Otherwise, how could he casually interfere?!
That was why Bai Ye had said that and prepared to leave.
Although Shisui very much wanted to intervene, seeing that both Hyuga Hiashi and Bai Ye were leaving, he opened his mouth, then finally nodded and followed them.
He was the Hokage's bodyguard. Even if he had other ideas, he certainly couldn't act on them.
Seeing the three prepare to leave, the samurai exchanged glances and couldn't help feeling relieved.
They had genuinely feared that Bai Ye and his companions would stay and get involved.
But judging by things now, thankfully...
They seemed to have no intention of interfering.
Only Kazahana Koyuki and Sandayu Asama were overcome with despair.
If Bai Ye and his companions left, they would definitely have no way to escape today.
They could have escaped earlier, but running into Bai Ye had forced them to stop, allowing the samurai to surround them.
Watching Bai Ye's retreating back, Kazahana Koyuki's eyes flickered as she clenched her teeth. She was facing a dilemma unlike any she had ever encountered.
Should I tell him what happened to me?!
But even if I do...
Will he help me?!
Setting aside the fact that this involved relations between countries.
Bai Ye's current attitude alone made him seem unwilling to get involved.
Even if I tell him, will he really do anything?!
But if she said nothing, she would clearly be taken back.
Then everything would be over.
Last time, she had only escaped thanks to Kakashi's protection.
Even then, she had barely made it out alive.
Would she have another chance like that this time?!
Once she was taken back, she would probably be executed immediately.
She couldn't accept that!!!
None of this had ever belonged to Kazahana Dōtō. He had stolen everything, murdered her father, and seized the Land of Snow.
At that thought, she mustered every ounce of strength and shouted toward Bai Ye, "I'm the Princess of the Land of Snow, not a fugitive! My uncle killed my father and usurped the throne!"
When she finished, her fingers were clenched so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.
"The Princess of the Land of Snow, huh? That still makes it an internal matter..."
Huh?!
Bai Ye's words left even Shisui dumbfounded.
What?!
Is he really not going to intervene?!
From what she had said, Shisui had more or less realized what had happened.
Even Kazahana Koyuki fell into despair.
So even after she told him everything.
He still wouldn't help her!
"Konoha is a ninja village. We accept all kinds of missions. If you have a mission for us, you can commission Konoha."
The moment Bai Ye finished speaking, Kazahana Koyuki's eyes widened, a trace of delighted surprise breaking through her disbelief.
She wasn't a fool.
Of course she understood what Bai Ye meant.
"I want to hire Konoha to help me!!! Please!!"
As Kazahana Koyuki finished speaking, a faint smile touched Bai Ye's lips, his back still turned to her.
The Land of Snow...
If he found a legitimate reason to intervene, at least it wouldn't provoke too much backlash from the shinobi world.
He had been worrying about which of the Small Nations to target first.
Now that Kazahana Koyuki had taken the initiative.
He had a just cause!
At least he could silence any objections to his actions.
The reason he hadn't acted earlier was that she hadn't said anything. Was he supposed to rush forward and offer his help unasked?!
There were only two possible outcomes anyway.
One was that Kazahana Koyuki said nothing and was taken back to be executed, leaving him to proceed gradually with his plans afterward.
The other was that Kazahana Koyuki told him herself and commissioned him to help reclaim the Land of Snow. That would make all the difference.
He could then take control of the Land of Snow as a natural part of the process.
Although the Land of Snow was one of the Small Nations, if he brought it under his rule.
Surely he would receive at least some rewards?!
"Lord Hokage, this is an internal matter of the Land of Snow. Konoha has no right to..."
Before the samurai finished speaking, they moved to seize Kazahana Koyuki first.
But just as they were about to act, a kunai landed directly between them and her. Bai Ye turned to look at them and said, "Cross that line... and die."
Shisui also caught on and said, "Since she has already commissioned Konoha, this is now Konoha's business!"
As a ninja village, they didn't actually care what the situation truly was.
Ninja simply accepted missions, carried them out, and completed them.
As for whether the truth matched what they had been told, they didn't care at all.
That was what it meant to be a ninja.
When Bai Ye finished speaking, the samurai swallowed.
They exchanged glances, suddenly feeling the urge to retreat.
They certainly didn't think they were a match for the Hokage.
If they fought him, they would definitely die. He was a ninja!
They had absolutely no chance in a fight, so the wisest choice now was to leave.
In any case, they would have an explanation to give when they returned.
The matter would have to be settled through negotiations with the Land of Fire.
With that thought, they exchanged glances and scurried away.
They certainly didn't dare leave any threats behind.
What if they threw out a threat or two and he refused to let them leave?!
Watching them retreat, Kazahana Koyuki and Sandayu Asama couldn't help breathing sighs of relief.
"Let's go. Didn't you say you wanted to commission Konoha?!"
"But... but I don't have any money..."
A trace of embarrassment crossed Kazahana Koyuki's face. Although she had indeed said that earlier and had meant it.
Once she calmed down, she realized that she didn't actually have any money!
How can I commission a mission without money?!
"I'd like to learn about the Land of Snow. Shall we talk?"
Learn about the Land of Snow?!
Kazahana Koyuki froze for a moment, puzzled. She didn't understand why Bai Ye would say that.
But a spark of hope suddenly flared within her.
Perhaps there really is a chance to resolve the Land of Snow's problems?!
"No problem, we can talk!!"
Sandayu Asama spoke excitedly.
Though he had no idea what the other party wanted, at least this offered them hope!
Besides, as far as Sandayu Asama was concerned, the Land of Snow was so impoverished. What could they possibly have that anyone would want?!
If they did have something, they could just hand it over.
Having someone willing to help them was an incredible stroke of luck!
"Then let's go. We'll head back to Konoha and get you settled in first. I'll come talk to you in a while!"
Once he returned to Konoha, there would surely be plenty of matters for him to handle.
So Bai Ye couldn't possibly go see Kazahana Koyuki right away.
Besides, her situation wasn't particularly important.
He would simply take care of it on the side, earning himself a system reward while also expanding the territory under Konoha's actual control.
"Um... I understand. My name is Kazahana Koyuki. Thank you..."
Kazahana Koyuki opened her mouth, but ultimately swallowed the rest of what she wanted to say.
There seemed to be no need to put on the act of a spoiled, overbearing princess in front of Bai Ye.
And he certainly had the strength to help her.
If she wanted to return now, she would have to rely on Bai Ye, so she had no objections to his arrangements.
After following Bai Ye back to Konoha, Kazahana Koyuki and Sandayu Asama were put up at an inn.
"Bai Ye, the Land of Snow doesn't seem to have any resources worth our intervention, does it?! And that princess said she didn't seem to have much money either."
Hyuga Hiashi was rather curious, but only spoke up to ask after the others had left.
He wanted to know why Bai Ye had chosen to help.
After all, Bai Ye was the sort of person who wouldn't lift a finger without something to gain.
"Didn't I tell you? The Shinobi World is only this big, yet it has so many countries. I intend to unify it! The Land of Snow happens to be a perfect opportunity.
I can help her return and become queen, but in exchange, she'll have to become part of my system afterward..."
So he hadn't merely been saying it.
"But that'll probably be difficult, won't it? This is an entire country, after all. Are you planning to control it with genjutsu?!"
"No, I'll just tell her outright. The Small Nations might actually accept my conditions. Ultimately, the great nations have the leverage to choose, but the Small Nations don't. Let's leave him waiting for a few days first!"
A small country like the Land of Snow really had very few options.
In fact, if it joined the system he intended to establish,
that would definitely be better than remaining a separate small country.
At that, the other two said nothing more.
Over the past few days spent with Bai Ye, Hyuga Hiashi had come to understand what kind of person he really was.
Perhaps, in Bai Ye's hands, many longstanding problems could finally be resolved.
After parting ways with Bai Ye, Shisui Uchiha and Hyuga Hiashi each returned to their clans, while Bai Ye headed to the Hokage's Office.
The instant he saw Bai Ye, Shikaku was overwhelmed with emotion. He's back!!! I feel like everything's finally back!!!
My good days are finally coming back.
I can dump everything on Bai Ye to deal with now!!
Bai Ye hadn't actually told the village exactly when he would return, but Shikaku had guessed it would be within the next couple of days.
Bai Ye had also told them not to send anyone to welcome him back. Everyone was to carry on with their own work.
Shikaku even suspected that Bai Ye had told them not to welcome him because he wanted Shikaku to work a little longer and take care of a few more matters.
Now Bai Ye would finally have to handle all those matters himself!
Before you continue