Kazahana Koyuki nodded nervously.
Her fingers trembled slightly as they clenched the edge of her clothing.
Her gaze lowered, eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings in the wind.
Wen Lan turned to Shisui.
"Shisui, you'll be responsible for protecting Kazahana Koyuki during this period."
"Yes, Third Elder!" Shisui replied respectfully.
"Everyone else—collect and catalog all ninjutsu here, then return to the village with me."
In truth, the techniques of the Land of Snow were not particularly powerful.
They required the unique climate of the region to function effectively.
But they would be very suitable for Haku.
Several days later, the group finally returned to Konoha.
At the same time, Wen Lan's ruthlessness spread throughout the entire ninja world.
Overnight, he had slaughtered both the Snow Ninja Village and the royal palace of the Land of Snow—
leaving absolutely no survivors.
Rumors exaggerated his brutality even further:
They said he would slice worms vertically when he saw them, pour boiling water into anthills, and even slap passing dogs twice for no reason.
When the Raikage, Tsuchikage, Kazekage, and Mizukage heard these reports, all of them fell silent.
Massacres carried out without hesitation—
Even they would think twice before provoking someone like that.
Mizukage Karatachi Yagura felt especially relieved.
He considered himself incredibly fortunate.
If he had offended Wen Lan, the Hidden Mist Village might have suffered the same fate.
Back in Konoha, cold wind carried light snow across the rooftops.
Winter had settled in.
Seeing the snow falling over the village, Wen Lan briefly felt as though he had never left the Land of Snow at all.
He first returned to the Uchiha Clan compound, bringing Kazahana Dotō with him.
They stopped before the family of Uchiha Bi Liang.
The moment Bi Liang's mother and wife saw the murderer—
they went mad.
They threw themselves at Dotō, stabbing him again and again with their weapons.
Blood spread across the snow like a dark red stream.
Dotō's screams were drowned out by the women's hysterical wailing.
Wen Lan stood silently.
Snow and wind brushed across his face.
He neither stopped them nor spoke.
Only when the two women collapsed from exhaustion did he step forward.
He pulled the blood-soaked short blade from Dotō's chest and said coldly:
"You can die now."
Hearing those words, Dotō showed no fear.
Instead, relief washed over him.
During the journey back, Wen Lan had tortured him relentlessly with genjutsu—
replaying his worst memories and endless punishments, over and over.
When his mind neared collapse, Wen Lan would stop—
only to begin physical torture instead.
Dotō had wanted death for a long time.
With a single strike, Wen Lan severed his head.
His body instantly turned to ash.
As for resurrecting Bi Liang—
There was no need.
Wen Lan had no interest in reviving people casually.
If resurrection became commonplace, disaster would inevitably follow.
As long as the people he cared about stayed alive, that was enough.
Besides, only a handful of individuals even knew resurrection techniques.
There would be no resentment within the village over such matters.
After finishing everything, Wen Lan went to the Hokage Tower.
When he pushed open the door, Minato Namikaze and Nara Shikaku were already waiting.
Without wasting time, he explained the situation in the Land of Snow.
He also instructed Shikaku to select several trustworthy members of Konoha to serve as ministers there.
In simple terms—
Wen Lan intended to rule from behind the curtain.
On the surface, the Land of Snow would still belong to the Kazahana family.
In reality, Koyuki would function as a puppet ruler.
Behind the scenes, the nation would become a financial resource for Konoha.
Minato's expression was solemn.
But he said nothing.
He simply nodded.
Shikaku quickly drafted a list of candidates—reliable, steady individuals capable of rebuilding order without harboring ambition.
With that, the affairs of the Land of Snow finally came to an end.
When Wen Lan returned home, Pakura was brewing tea in the courtyard.
Seeing him arrive, she poured a cup and handed it to him.
"I heard you were back, so I started cooking. The miso soup is the only thing left.
Have some tea first."
Wen Lan smiled, accepted the cup, and sat down.
"Pakura, thank you."
She shook her head gently.
"You're always like this—carrying everything on your own shoulders."
"I'm the Hokage's advisor," Wen Lan replied softly after taking a sip.
"The village's affairs are my responsibility."
"Wen Lan! I'm here!"
The courtyard gate burst open.
A dark blur came rolling inside—
It was Akamaru.
He tumbled into the yard, covered in mud and snow, panting heavily.
Apparently, he had run too fast and slammed into the gate, leaving him slightly dazed.
He tried to stand, but his legs wobbled uncontrollably.
Pakura quickly caught him and gently patted his head.
Inuzuka Hana looked at Akamaru helplessly.
"I told you not to run so fast. See what happened?"
Wen Lan stood up and rubbed Akamaru's ears, smiling at Hana.
"You timed your visit perfectly—right at dinner."
"Hehe, we're all family," Hana replied without embarrassment, plopping down beside Pakura and drinking directly from the teapot.
Pakura shook her head in resignation and went back into the kitchen.
"Pakura-sis, I'll help!" Hana quickly followed after her.
Because Wen Lan had learned cooking in his previous life—especially Chinese cuisine—Pakura had picked up many of his techniques as well.
Hana now visited almost every day to freeload meals.
Akamaru lay in the courtyard, panting with his tongue out.
Suddenly, he rolled over and scooted closer to Wen Lan's feet, his tail sweeping snow across the ground.
"You stupid dog," Wen Lan said with a laugh, rubbing his head.
Akamaru wagged his tail even harder, making soft whining noises like he was acting spoiled.
Wen Lan looked down at his mud-covered fur and sighed.
He went inside, returned with a towel, and carefully wiped him clean.
Akamaru closed his eyes in bliss.
Then his ears twitched.
He suddenly sprinted toward the gate and barked twice.
Wen Lan looked up.
Standing there was Kurenai Yuhi, holding a box of sweets, smiling warmly.
"I just finished a mission. I heard you were home, so I stopped by on the way."
"Come in and sit."
Wen Lan set the towel aside—
But Akamaru wasn't done.
He grabbed the towel in his mouth, placed it on Wen Lan's lap, and pressed his clean side against him—
as if saying:
Don't stop. The other side isn't dry yet.
Wen Lan laughed and patted his head, then continued wiping him down.
Kurenai walked in with a smile.
"You're not just popular with people—
even dogs can't stay away from you."
"Is that my fault?" Wen Lan shrugged.
After finishing, he gave Akamaru a playful smack on the rear.
"He's just a dramatic dog."
He hung the damp towel on the clothesline.
Akamaru immediately followed, nudging his hand again, asking for more attention.
Wen Lan bent down and lightly flicked his nose, fingers lingering briefly in his fur.
From inside the house, Pakura peeked out.
She turned to Hana.
"Go prepare a bit more vegetables. Kurenai is here too."
"Oh, got it."
Hana quickly grabbed more ingredients and began preparing them.
Soon, the meal was ready.
Pakura had just placed the first dish on the table—
when Tsunade and Shizune returned.
Tsunade's eyes lit up the moment she smelled the food.
Shizune greeted everyone with a smile.
"Well, arriving early isn't as good as arriving at the right time," Tsunade said, rubbing her hands together as she sat down and immediately picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks.
Wen Lan looked at her helplessly.
"Maybe we should just rename you Akamaru.
You've got the nose of a dog—always showing up right when dinner starts."
Tsunade froze mid-bite.
Then she glared at him fiercely.
"Don't push me to beat you up while I'm in such a good mood."
Her threat triggered a burst of laughter from everyone at the table.
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