That guy is a beast

If he took Kakashi's ninja squad along to advance the plot, the Main God would only make things harder for him.

Kazahana Dōtō would never sit around waiting to die. After all, Kakashi's reputation loomed large in the Shinobi World, and the Land of Snow's hidden treasure concerned the Kazahana family's core interests.

If Kazahana Dōtō sensed trouble, he would certainly flee or simply call in stronger reinforcements. Given the Main God's usual tricks, the difficulty would definitely spike.

Although he had mostly recovered, he was still short of his peak condition. For now, he had no way to repair the damage to his gene lock himself.

The safest approach, then, was to sneak over under cover of night and eliminate them one by one.

The sun sank in the west. Deep in the Land of Snow, inside Kazahana Dōtō's castle, the evening sunlight streamed through the windows into the great hall, making the ice walls shimmer beautifully.

When Kazahana Koyuki was brought in under guard, she was still wrapped in the thin costume she had worn for filming. Her lips were purple with cold, but her back remained straight.

She saw Kazahana Dōtō sitting on his raised seat-the uncle who had murdered her father. Fierce hatred rose across her face, and she turned her head away, unwilling even to greet him.

Kazahana Dōtō, however, was in a fine mood. He had coveted the Land of Snow's hidden treasure for years, and now he finally had Kazahana Koyuki in his grasp.

He looked her over with a smile, his tone nostalgic. "It's been a long time, Koyuki. Look how much you've grown."

Kazahana Koyuki ignored him.

"How did it go? Did everything go smoothly this time? Wasn't your opponent that Kakashi?" Seeing that Koyuki would not respond, Kazahana Dōtō turned to the three Snow Ninja beside him.

Naturally, he knew the reputation of Konoha's Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake, and had been somewhat cautious about this operation.

The fact that Nadare Rōga and the other two had brought Kazahana Koyuki back with apparently no losses had already exceeded his expectations.

Nadare Rōga's expression turned strange. After a moment's hesitation, he explained what had happened.

With just a few words, a villager from Konoha had made Kakashi restrain every ninja who wanted to act, forcing the entire Konoha group to watch helplessly as they took her away.

After hearing this, Kazahana Dōtō froze for a moment, then burst out laughing.

He leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers rhythmically against the armrest, his voice full of surprise and wonder.

"The ninja villages of the Five Great Nations often bully small villages like ours, relying on their superior strength. But to think Konoha could produce such a sensible villager. How interesting."

The moment he finished speaking, Kazahana Koyuki whipped her head around, her eyes blazing.

"What are you talking about? That guy is an utter beast!"

She could not bear to hear Kazahana Dōtō approve of someone like that. It infuriated her even more than an insult directed at her.

Kazahana Dōtō smiled, paying her outrage no mind. After all, that man was the reason she had been captured.

"Enough. Give me the Hexagonal Crystal."

Despite her outburst, Kazahana Koyuki knew she could not escape any of this in the end.

Without a word, she took the Hexagonal Crystal necklace from inside her clothes and handed it to Kazahana Dōtō.

Kazahana Dōtō accepted the Hexagonal Crystal with a broad smile, but when he tried channeling chakra into it, nothing happened.

His smile froze instantly. His face darkened, and with a squeeze of his hand, he crushed the fake Hexagonal Crystal to pieces.

He turned toward Nadare Rōga. "Where is the real Hexagonal Crystal? Is this how you do your jobs?"

Nadare Rōga's expression changed, and his voice dropped. "My apologies. We'll go find it immediately."

Still furious, Kazahana Dōtō slammed a hand against the armrest. His face livid, he suddenly raised his voice. "You fed me all that nonsense, and in the end, you brought back a fake?"

"I have failed you." Nadare Rōga dropped to one knee and bowed his head. Fubuki Kakuyoku and Fuyukuma Tōu knelt as well.

Kazahana Dōtō stood and paced back and forth through the hall, his clenched fists cracking.

He forced himself to settle down and think. The more he considered it, the more suspicious it seemed. As he gradually calmed, a sinister gleam flashed in his eyes.

"I see now. Those ninja say one thing and do another. The key must still be in their hands. They even intend to use us to get rid of Kazahana Koyuki, then take the Land of Snow's hidden treasure for themselves."

"Come to think of it, Kakashi came here ten years ago. He must know about this."

Kazahana Dōtō stopped pacing and addressed the three Snow Ninja coldly.

"Don't rush into anything. Kakashi won't be easy to deal with. Here's what you'll do: the three of you will abduct the genin under his command. Then we'll use them to force him to put on a Chakra Restrictor and submit."

Kazahana Dōtō sat back down in his chair and rubbed his temples, calming himself.

Then he beckoned to an attendant nearby. "All right. Take her away for now."

The three Snow Ninja left to carry out their orders, and Kazahana Koyuki was also led away under guard.

Before long, night fell, and the bitter wind swept flurries of snow in every direction.

The castle stood amid the wind and snow, its walls coated in a layer of white, the outlines of its towers hazy against the darkening sky.

The blizzard battered the walls with a howling roar. Vast stretches of snow blanketed the surrounding wilderness. The world was cold and still, save for the clamor of wind and snow.

An attendant entered the hall carrying dinner, his tray laden with silver tableware and steaming food.

His head was lowered, as though he knew Kazahana Dōtō was in a foul mood. He respectfully set dinner on the table and bowed.

Still irritated from his earlier outburst, Kazahana Dōtō waved a hand. "Leave it here."

Preoccupied with the Konoha Ninja's "plot," he completely failed to notice anything strange about the attendant.

The attendant bent down and gently placed the plate on the table.

The instant he straightened, everything changed. A Chakra Restrictor gleaming with cold light slipped from his sleeve and was pressed against Kazahana Dōtō's body with lightning speed.

The metal ring locked shut, its mechanism activated, and a ring of eerie blue light glowed around the restrictor. It passed straight through the Chakra Armor and fastened around his abdomen.

Kazahana Dōtō's pupils contracted sharply. He sprang up and swung a fist at the attendant's face.

The attendant sidestepped the blow, his face flashing briefly in the firelight, a cold smile curling at his lips.

"Don't bother. Without chakra, you're nothing."

Kazahana Dōtō clutched his abdomen where the restrictor had fastened, his face filled with disbelief.

"You... who are you? Are you from Konoha?"

He stared fixedly at that unfamiliar face, frantically running through every possible identity in his mind, but the face before him was entirely absent from his memories.

"Heh. Lord Kazahana Dōtō, a man of your stature certainly has a short memory." The attendant straightened and gave a light tug with his fingers, peeling away his disguise mask to reveal his true face.

He leisurely took out his glasses, looking at the usurper of the Land of Snow by the chair.

He adjusted his glasses. A cold gleam flashed across the lenses, and his eyes held a hint of condescending mockery.

"Didn't expect this, did you? I'm back."

"It's you, Asama Sandayu!"