"So that's how the internal structure works."
Kiyohara rubbed his chin as he studied the components of the Chakra Armor.
Calling it "armor" wasn't entirely accurate—most of it was actually layered over a special kind of fabric.
Its greatest strength was its automatic response capability.
It could generate a layer of chakra barrier on its own.
That made Kiyohara wonder: if he used chakra to mimic the structure of the Chakra Armor, could he create a similar ninjutsu?
A jutsu that could defend automatically?
In the ninja world, after all, anyone could die if they were ambushed.
Even someone as powerful as Kaguya Otsutsuki would be sealed outright by Six Paths: Chibaku Tensei if caught off guard.
Even Six Paths Naruto and Sasuke would die if they were struck in the wrong vital spot.
I wonder if it would work against Kotoamatsukami or Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Kiyohara was genuinely curious.
The current version of the Chakra Armor wasn't as advanced as it would be more than a decade later, so its resistance to genjutsu wasn't actually that strong.
I really need to prepare counters in advance.
There were plenty of techniques in the ninja world that could tamper with a person's mind. He couldn't afford not to be cautious.
Then Kiyohara looked back at Nadare Rōga.
At this point, Rōga was left wearing only a black undersuit, and snowflakes landing on his wounds made him bare his teeth in pain.
Even so, he didn't dare relax.
"Ice Release: Tearing Dragon Fierce Tiger."
Kiyohara casually used the very same technique Rōga had just used, gathering ice crystals into a ferocious beast and sending it straight at him.
"Ahhh!"
A scream rang out, and blood stained the snow red.
Kiyohara didn't bother looking again.
What Yukigakure had done was no different from an armed coup.
If they chose that path, then they had to be prepared to pay the price.
"Kiyohara can use Ice Release?"
Kurenai's eyes widened. While dealing with Snow shinobi trying to rush her, she kept glancing toward Kiyohara's side of the battlefield.
"No. It's the Land of Snow. Any shinobi who can use Water Release can essentially turn into an Ice Release user here."
Shizune explained.
"I see."
Kurenai nodded. She vaguely remembered Kiyohara saying something like that before.
On the airship above, Kazahana Dotō's expression had turned extremely ugly.
Rōga had been killed by Kiyohara. Fubuki had been subdued. Mizore was dead too.
The remaining Snow shinobi simply couldn't break through.
"A bunch of useless trash…"
Dotō frowned.
Then he leapt down from the airship and landed in the plaza.
The Chakra Armor on his body began to glow.
The newest model of the armor gave a far greater boost than the ones worn by Rōga and the others.
He lifted his head and looked at Kiyohara.
"Don't get too cocky, brat."
His hands formed seals, chakra drawn from his cells and amplified at the moment he released the jutsu.
"Ice Release: Black Dragon Blizzard!"
Two black dragons made of ice and snow roared out from either side of him.
Each dragon was dozens of meters long, its body made of countless ice crystals. Frost spread through the air wherever they passed.
They opened their jaws and lunged at Kiyohara.
The force of this attack was several times greater than Rōga's One-Horned White Whale.
Kiyohara stood where he was and watched the two black dragons roaring toward him.
The three tomoe in his eyes slowly turned.
The Sharingan.
Under the Sharingan's vision, the flow of chakra inside those two black dragons was perfectly clear.
From the hand seals, to the chakra infusion, to the shaping process…
Everything was laid bare before his eyes.
"Here. Take it back."
Kiyohara formed seals with both hands.
"Ice Release: Black Dragon Blizzard!"
Two identical black dragons took shape beside him and roared forward to meet Dotō's dragons.
The four black dragons collided in midair.
Boom!
Ice and snow exploded outward, and violent winds howled.
The entire plaza was swallowed in ice and snow.
Dotō's eyes went wide.
"No… impossible!"
His Ice Release had been copied?
That brat… had copied his technique after seeing it just once with the Sharingan?
"There's nothing impossible about it."
Kiyohara's voice came through the blizzard.
Dotō looked up.
A burst of smoke exploded around Kiyohara.
When it cleared, a giant white serpent was standing in the middle of the plaza.
The enormous snake was covered in pale white scales.
But the most terrifying thing was its heads.
Eight of them.
Eight enormous snake heads rose high into the air, each with jaws spread wide and fangs gleaming white.
It was the Eight-Branches Technique.
Everyone looked up at the giant serpent coiled in front of the palace.
Its body almost occupied the entire plaza, and all eight heads swayed in the sky, looking down on the tiny humans below.
Standing in the distance, Kurenai nearly let Red Moon slip from her hand.
"Kiyohara… he…"
She had seen Kiyohara's Sage Mode. She had seen him in cursed-seal form.
But she had never seen anything like this.
Could that even still be called human?
Shizune's eyes were huge, and her mouth had fallen open wide enough to fit an egg inside.
"So… so huge…"
Tsunade stood at the palace entrance with her arms folded.
Her brows had drawn together slightly.
When had Kiyohara developed this technique?
She had a strong feeling this jutsu had some kind of connection to Orochimaru.
That brat… just how many things was he still hiding?
The daimyo of the Land of Snow's legs were so weak he could barely stay standing.
Were foreign shinobi always this terrifying?
He clung to the doorway, breathing hard.
As for Dotō, he had gone rigid on the spot.
He stared upward at the eight snake heads looming over him.
Those eight golden slit-pupiled eyes were all fixed on him at once.
"W-what kind of technique are you using…?"
Dotō could clearly feel that Kiyohara's aura had grown even stronger.
The effect's pretty good.
Kiyohara watched Dotō's reaction and thought to himself.
The Eight-Branches Technique enhanced both ninjutsu and physical ability across the board.
It was Orochimaru's greatest and strongest S-rank secret art, the embodiment of his lifelong obsession.
Kiyohara felt its biggest weakness was probably that it couldn't stand against the divine weapon, the Totsuka Blade.
Orochimaru had spent his entire life searching for a weapon that could specifically counter him, only to discover in the end that it had been in Uchiha Itachi's possession all along.
Honestly, that whole part was a little vague. Whether the Totsuka Blade was a true chakra weapon of the ninja world, or merely a weapon formed from Itachi's Susanoo chakra, was never made clear.
Seeing that Kiyohara wasn't answering, Dotō glanced at the daimyo and understood that he no longer had any way out.
So he drew out every last bit of chakra he had left and poured everything into his Chakra Armor.
"Ice Release: Twin Dragon Blizzard!"
Under the amplification of the Chakra Armor, it emerged like two dragon-shaped blizzards roaring out from Dotō.
Kiyohara watched the technique once through, then made all eight snake heads open their jaws at once.
Deep in their throats, chakra began to gather.
All eight heads used Ice Release: Twin Dragon Blizzard Kill simultaneously.
Sixteen black dragon cyclones made of ice and snow roared out from their mouths.
They converged and twisted together in midair, forming a vast torrent of ice and snow.
That torrent swept toward Dotō like the sky itself was collapsing.
Compared to it, Dotō's two black dragons looked like nothing more than a pair of worms.
Boom!
The torrent swallowed them.
Swallowed Dotō.
Swallowed the giant airship behind him.
Ice and snow exploded, and violent winds screamed through the air.
The entire palace shook.
When everything finally settled, a deep trench had been carved through the palace square.
It stretched from in front of Kiyohara, tore across the entire plaza, and continued all the way to the distant city wall.
A massive gap had been blasted out of that wall.
And Dotō lay at the far end of the trench.
Everything below his waist was gone.
Only his upper body remained, half-buried in the snow, with blood spreading red through the white around him.
He was still alive.
His eyes were wide as he stared up at the eight snake heads towering above him.
His mouth moved, as if he wanted to say something.
But only bloody foam came out.
All eight heads lowered at once.
Kiyohara's voice echoed from within them.
"Do you have anything left to say?"
Dotō stared at him.
A long moment passed.
Then, suddenly, he laughed.
The smile was twisted and mad, carrying a last trace of stubborn defiance.
"Brat…"
His voice came in broken fragments.
"You… think… this is over…?"
Kiyohara just watched him.
"The Land of Snow's… treasure…"
Dotō coughed up blood.
"You'll… never… find it…"
His eyes began to lose focus.
His body twitched a few times, then went still.
Kiyohara actually felt Dotō in this version was luckier than in the original story.
At least here, he had still died believing the Land of Snow's treasure was real.
In the original story, Dotō spent his entire life scheming for it—even murdering his own brother—only to finally obtain the Land of Snow's "treasure" and discover that it wasn't some divine artifact or a pile of gold at all, but merely a climate-control machine that wasn't even fully completed.
He completely broke down on the spot after chasing something for so long, only to find that that was all it was. Then Naruto defeated him.
The eight snake heads slowly lifted again and turned toward the terrified Snow shinobi sprawled in the distance.
They were so terrified they scrambled away on hands and knees, fleeing as fast as they could.
Kiyohara withdrew his gaze, and the huge serpent body slowly shrank, returning to normal.
The chakra consumption in that state was enormous, but Kiyohara felt it was still acceptable.
It was basically a different sort of Susanoo—a good substitute.
Behind him, Kakuyoku Fubuki stared blankly at Dotō's defeated body.
This was not at all how their plan was supposed to go.
Kiyohara's strength had exceeded every expectation they'd had.
Watching the Snow shinobi scatter and run, Kiyohara made no move to chase.
He raised a hand, and the Chakra Armor on Dotō's upper body immediately disassembled into floating components around him.
Rōga's core had been in his left shoulder.
This version of Dotō's armor had its core in the chest, so Kiyohara had held back on purpose and left Dotō's upper body intact for that reason.
Then he stored it away.
This trip had been fairly rewarding. He had even picked up several new techniques.
Though in Kiyohara's view, Ice Release: Twin Dragon Blizzard Kill would probably have to become Water Release: Twin Dragon Blizzard Kill once he took it outside the Land of Snow.
"He's dead?"
Kurenai walked over and looked at Dotō's lifeless body.
"He's dead."
Kiyohara nodded.
Shizune ran over too, her eyes full of curiosity and admiration.
"Kiyohara-kun, that technique just now… what was it?"
"The Eight-Branches Technique."
Kiyohara said.
"A secret art… that transforms the user into a serpent."
Shizune nodded, only half understanding.
At that moment, the daimyo of the Land of Snow finally came out of the palace.
His legs were still weak, but the color had returned to his face.
When he reached Kiyohara, he bowed deeply.
"Thank you… thank you all for saving our country."
Kiyohara gave a slight nod.
"It's simply part of the mission. No need for formalities."
The daimyo straightened and looked at the corpse in the distance.
Dotō's corpse.
A complicated emotion passed through his eyes.
That had been his younger brother.
The brother he had grown up with, played with, studied with, and learned with as a child how to govern a country.
When had things ended up like this?
He let out a sigh.
"Sandayū."
"Yes, sir."
Asama Sandayū stepped forward.
"Handle the aftermath. Then… announce to the nation that the rebellion has been put down."
"Yes."
Sandayū accepted the order and went off at once.
Then the daimyo turned and looked toward Koyuki, who was standing behind Tsunade.
Because Tsunade couldn't bear the sight of blood, she had stayed near the doorway and hadn't come out fully.
The little girl was peeking her head out from behind the building, secretly looking at Kiyohara.
"Koyuki."
Koyuki looked up.
"Father?"
"Come here."
Koyuki ran over and stood beside him.
The daimyo crouched down and looked at her.
"Are you scared?"
Koyuki thought for a moment, then shook her head.
"No."
Her gaze settled on Kiyohara.
"Big brother is amazing."
Kiyohara looked back at her.
There was no fear in her eyes—only admiration.
She was completely different from the little girl who had shut her eyes in fright just moments ago.
Then she remembered something and took the clay flower out of her arms.
The petals were a little wrinkled from how tightly she had held it, but she still cupped it carefully in both hands.
"Big brother… can this flower still bloom?"
Kiyohara took the clay flower from her.
He poured chakra into it.
The flower slowly bloomed in his palm. The petals unfolded, and the pale pink center trembled lightly.
Koyuki's eyes lit up.
"So pretty…"
She took the flower back and held it carefully.
"Thank you, big brother."
Kiyohara smiled faintly.
"You're welcome."
By evening, the crisis in the Land of Snow had been completely put to rest.
Dotō's loyal followers were eliminated one by one, and the Yukigakure shinobi who had participated in the rebellion were thrown into prison.
The daimyo of the Land of Snow had regained control.
Before they left, he had the reward delivered directly into Tsunade's hands.
It was ten million ryō in cash, packed into several boxes.
"This is my reward to thank you for saving the nation."
Tsunade looked at the stacks of money and practically smiled from ear to ear.
That counted as extra compensation, on top of the A-rank mission reward their team would receive anyway.
"This was already part of the mission you entrusted to us, Your Highness. There's no need to be so generous."
Tsunade said that, but she was already having Shizune haul the boxes away.
In her head, she was calculating how to divide the money, how much of her share could go toward paying off debts, and how long the rest could keep her at the casino.
Meanwhile, Kiyohara didn't even glance at the money. Instead, he asked in an apparently casual tone,
"Your Highness, what exactly is the Land of Snow's treasure?"
The daimyo gave a bitter smile.
"It's a device I've been developing together with the scientists of the Land of Snow."
"The Land of Snow is remote enough that even this Third Great Ninja War never truly reached it. But unfortunately, the climate here is terrible—frozen and harsh—and the people have always lived in hardship. My wish has always been to change the climate of the Land of Snow. That 'treasure' is really just a machine meant to alter the environment. It's only a half-finished prototype, though."
That had always been the daimyo's dream.
"Research takes money, sadly."
the daimyo added apologetically.
Otherwise, how could the reward for saving an entire country have amounted to only ten million ryō?
The Land of Snow might be small, but it was still a country.
"You could turn the Land of Snow into a nation supported by tourism."
Kiyohara suggested.
The scenery there was genuinely beautiful, and in the future, plenty of film crews from the Land of Fire would come there to shoot movies.
"That would attract tourists. Film crews too."
Kiyohara said.
And with that would come money.
The Land of Snow might be remote, but in several areas of technology it was among the best in the entire ninja world.
Snow vehicles, trains, airships—if someone were willing to invest, it wouldn't be hard to develop travel routes suited for visitors.
"But…"
The daimyo hesitated.
"I can invest some money."
Kiyohara said.
That would increase his own influence in the Land of Snow.
At the same time, he wanted to see just how far the Land of Snow could improve both the Chakra Armor and the climate-control machinery if given more time.
The daimyo instantly felt the idea had real promise, and he pulled Kiyohara aside to discuss details.
Kiyohara also left a Flying Thunder God kunai there so that he could return at any time in the future.
Once everything had been settled, Kiyohara's group prepared to leave the Land of Snow.
The daimyo turned and looked at his daughter standing behind him.
"Koyuki, come here."
Koyuki ran over and stood beside her father.
Today she was bundled in heavy winter clothes, her black hair braided into two plaits that hung down in front of her chest, and she still held the clay flower in her hands.
She had taken excellent care of it. The petals were still intact, though the edges had begun to yellow a little.
"Big brother and big sisters are leaving."
the daimyo reminded her.
Koyuki looked up at Kiyohara and the others, understanding that her father was telling her to be polite.
Her eyes were large and bright, but now they were misted over.
"Big brother, big sisters…"
she said softly.
"Will you… come back someday?"
Kiyohara crouched down to meet her gaze.
"We will."
Kiyohara said.
"We'll come again."
Kurenai added.
If the tourism plan really took off, Kurenai thought it wouldn't be bad to come back here as a tourist herself someday.
Koyuki's eyes brightened.
"Really?"
"Really."
Kiyohara reached out and gently ruffled the top of her head.
"When you grow up, you can come find me in Konoha."
Koyuki nodded with all her strength.
"I will!"
She paused, then raised the clay flower in her hands.
"I'll take good care of it. When you come back next time, I'll give it back to you."
Kiyohara smiled faintly.
"You don't need to."
He stood up.
"It's yours now."
Koyuki pressed her lips together, then finally nodded.
"Thank you, big brother."
Kiyohara turned and started walking toward the city gate.
Kurenai walked beside him and glanced back once.
Koyuki was still standing there, holding the flower and watching them leave.
"Kiyohara."
Kurenai suddenly said.
"Yeah?"
"That girl… really likes you."
Kiyohara smiled.
"She's still little."
he said.
~~~
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