He Definitely Won't Let You Get Away with This

Nadare Rōga's and Fuyukuma Tōu's eyes reddened at the same time. Kazahana Dōtō's death sent them into an instant rage.

They sprang into action almost simultaneously, chakra erupting beneath their feet and blasting the snow on the floor out to either side.

They lunged at Shuofang Si from the left and right.

Shuofang Si smiled. He had been worried that these two would keep their distance and wear him down with ninjutsu. That would have been a nuisance.

In this frozen landscape, the Snow Ninja's Ice Release ninjutsu enjoyed a natural advantage. A battle of attrition would have been troublesome.

But these two were so blinded by anger that they actually charged in for close combat. Aren't you just throwing your lives away? Do you really think I'm a pushover?

The three collided in an instant. Nadare Rōga's ice blade slashed past Shuofang Si's side, its chill frosting the cuff of his sleeve white.

Fuyukuma Tōu's heavy fist came crashing in, wreathed in snowflakes, the wind from his punch stinging the cheeks.

Shuofang Si twisted sideways between the two attacks, using Serpentine Movement within the cramped space. He always found a gap to slip through before the fists and ice blade could close around him.

He unleashed Nine Yin White Bone Claw and Heart-Destroying Palm in turn. Every strike drew a dull, strained crack from the Snow Ninja's bones.

Inside the cage, Naruto was still in Fubuki Kakuyoku's grip. A kunai was lodged in his right shoulder, and blood had already soaked half his clothes.

Although Naruto's consciousness was rapidly fading, he had not blacked out completely. He could feel the searing agony in his shoulder, and he struggled with all his strength.

He truly lived up to his reputation as the most unpredictable ninja. In the midst of his struggle, he suddenly threw a punch that landed squarely on Fubuki Kakuyoku's jaw.

Fubuki Kakuyoku had no time to react. Her vision went black, and she toppled backward, unconscious.

Naruto sank to one knee, breathing heavily. Blood continued to gush from his shoulder, staining his orange clothes until their original color was barely recognizable.

The Konoha group inside the cage was overjoyed at first, but their expressions changed as soon as they noticed Naruto's condition.

"Naruto!" Sakura's voice trembled with tears. Trapped in a Chakra Restrictor, she could only watch helplessly as Naruto lost more and more blood.

Kakashi gritted his teeth, fighting through the weakness caused by his suppressed chakra, and shouted at Sandayu outside the cage, "Hey, Sandayu! We have no intention of interfering in the Land of Snow's internal affairs! Hurry up and bandage Naruto, then let us out!"

Sandayu was holding the Hexagonal Crystal, his fingers trembling.

With one hand braced on his sword, he raised the Hexagonal Crystal high in the other. Firelight from either side passed through its facets, casting a kaleidoscope of light and shadow across his face.

Kazahana Dōtō was dead, and the key was in his hands.

Kazahana Koyuki? She's just a little girl who knows nothing but acting. As long as I keep her firmly under my control and make her a puppet ruler, I'll stand above everyone.

He was so overwhelmed by this sudden euphoria that only when Kakashi's voice reached his ears did he feel as though he had been dragged out of a beautiful dream.

He froze for a moment, then looked toward Naruto. Naruto was barely holding on, kneeling on one knee, his breathing as faint as a candle flickering in the wind.

Sandayu looked at him, then at the Konoha Ninja inside the cage who had once rejected his humble pleas.

He smiled. A vicious grin, utterly at odds with his kindly old face, spread from the corners of his mouth to his eyes.

"Hey, Sandayu, what are you doing?" Kakashi's pupils abruptly contracted.

Sandayu did not answer. Instead, he walked up to Naruto, lifted one foot, and planted it on the back of his head.

With what little awareness he had left, Naruto struggled, bracing both arms against the floor to push himself up. But the foot on the back of his head pressed down like a mountain, forcing him back to the ground.

His bloodied face was pinned against the freezing stone tiles, making even breathing difficult.

"You Konoha Ninja were so cold when you rejected my request on the ship, weren't you?"

Sandayu's voice was shrill and high, filled with the savage satisfaction of long-repressed feelings finally unleashed. "Now your comrade is about to die. Let's see you keep acting so aloof."

The faces of everyone from Konoha inside the cage turned utterly grim.

Seeing their expressions, Sandayu laughed even more brazenly.

He crouched down, looked at Naruto, and mused aloud, "If you all die here, how should I explain it to the outside world?"

"The Konoha Ninja interfered in the Land of Snow's royal succession, killed its former ruler, Kazahana Dōtō, and were then wiped out by the enraged Snow Ninja. How does that excuse sound?"

He straightened up and roared with laughter. "These Snow Ninja will definitely be hunted down afterward."

"But me? I'm merely a loyal subject of the Land of Snow who doesn't even have chakra. Who would ever suspect me? Hahahahaha!"

"You despicable bastard! Konoha won't let you get away with this!" Tenten gripped the bars, her eyes red, her voice filled with teeth-grinding hatred.

Sandayu paid her no mind. He kept laughing, rocking back and forth, laughing so hard that tears nearly spilled from his eyes.

Ten years of restraint, ten years of bowing and scraping-from now on, he would reclaim it all with interest.

But just as his laughter reached its loudest, Neji, who had remained silent inside the cage, suddenly spoke.

"You think you're in the clear now? Shuofang Si is still out there. Do you really think the Snow Ninja can kill him?"

"You don't know, do you? That night, he killed his mission target, Raiga Kurosuki, with his own hands. That guy had at least Jonin-level combat strength."

Sandayu's laughter stopped dead. His mouth remained open, but the sound caught in his throat.

It took a long while before he found his voice again. "What? But didn't you say that day... that he had no chakra? How could someone without chakra kill a former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?"

"Heh. So you really don't know anything." Sakura cut in, finally unable to hold back her inner self. Her voice carried mockery and satisfaction.

"Hahaha, what a useless idiot! You don't even have your facts straight, and you still dare to make your move?"

"You're nothing compared to Shuofang Si! That guy is the real beast with no limits! You actually dared to drag him into your scheme? He definitely won't let you get away with this!"

Sandayu's pupils began trembling uncontrollably.

He knew Shuofang Si all too well. Throughout the journey from Konoha to the Land of Snow, that man had been overbearing and unreasonable, repaying every slight, utterly unscrupulous and completely unrestrained.

Did I really get so carried away just now that I dragged someone like him into my scheme?

"I was only joking just now! I'll save Naruto right away! Please put in a good word for me afterward!"

The vicious grin on Sandayu's face instantly became a kindly smile. He crouched down and frantically tore strips from his outer robe to bandage Naruto's wound.

The Konoha group stared, dumbfounded. What is this supposed to mean? You aren't even afraid of Konoha, but you're afraid of that bastard Shuofang Si?

Just then, the hall shook with a thunderous crash. A dark figure hurtled over, slammed into the floor, and rolled several times before stopping beside the cage. It was Fuyukuma Tōu.