Chapter 194 The Princess Came to Do Three Things
After settling matters with the film crew, early the next morning, Naruto used Shadow Clone Jutsu and Transformation Jutsu to disguise himself as the entire film crew and set off for the Snow Capital once again.
This time, the journey was very smooth, and the group quickly arrived at the Snow Capital. It seemed that after suffering a loss once, Fuuka Nyutō would probably not act again until he understood the true strength of the ninjas around Fuuka Koyuki.
Soon after arriving in the Snow Capital, the group quickly began to pretend to film.
The next day, after the entire film crew finished their work for the day, Fujikaze Yukie's manager, while treating the crew to a meal, drank too much and started rambling:
"Did you know? The female lead of our movie is really a princess!" Asama Santayu, his face flushed from drinking, downed his drink in one gulp and burped as he said this.
"Really?" Sasuke, disguised as a production assistant using Transformation Jutsu, refilled the other's drink and asked curiously.
"Hiccup~ Of course it's true! Back then, I was a minister in the Land of Snow. The current daimyo of the Land of Snow only ascended to the position through dirty palace coups. Compared to his predecessor, this guy is far inferior!"
Asama Santayu kept slamming his fist on the table, and everyone in the restaurant hall was attracted by the commotion he was making, turning their attention to him.
"This guest, don't talk about state affairs! Don't talk about state affairs!" The restaurant owner, seeing this, quickly came over to persuade him to stop.
...
After the dinner, Asama Santayu's words quietly spread throughout the Land of Snow, of course, thanks in no small part to Sasuke and Neji's encouragement.
Before long, most of the common people of the Land of Snow knew that their princess had returned.
This news greatly excited the vast majority of the common people of the Land of Snow, mainly because Kazahana Noto's policies over the years had been too insidious, causing the people of the Land of Snow to suffer greatly. Kazahana Koyuki's appearance undoubtedly gave them a glimmer of hope.
Of course, this news made Fuuka Noto in the Imperial Palace quite uneasy. He immediately dispatched one of his Jonin subordinates to assassinate Fuuka Koyuki.
However, against Shisui, this Jonin was no match at all. Fuuka Koyuki didn't even know what had happened before the assassin was silently dealt with by Shisui. The
complete disappearance of his subordinate terrified Fuuka Noto. Last time, the annihilation of three Chunin and twenty-seven Genin could be explained by the opponent's relatively strong strength. But a Jonin, especially one wearing chakra armor and capable of using special ice release techniques, had failed without even making a sound. This Jonin was not weak to begin with; with the chakra armor, he could even hold his own against the Jonin of the Five Great Nations. Even if he wasn't a match, he shouldn't have vanished so silently.
Only the Kage of the Five Great Nations could probably do that.
[Could it be that Fuuka Koyuki invited the Hokage?] However
, a few days later, Fujikaze Yukie, or rather, the princess in the eyes of the people of the Land of Snow, got into an argument with two boys wearing Konoha headbands in front of a hotel in the Snow Capital. Then, Asama Santayu appeared in public and said that the previous information was all fake news they had released to promote the movie "Princess of the Wind and Clouds" and apologized for the trouble caused to everyone.
Now, the Land of Snow became even more lively. Some commoners still believed that Fujikaze Yukie was their princess, while others mocked them, saying that even after being told it was a publicity stunt, they were still foolishly believing in the princess's existence.
Meanwhile, in the imperial palace, Fuuka Noto, upon learning of this news, was also filled with suspicion.
He was certain that Fujikaze Yukie was his niece, Fuuka Koyuki, whom he had rescued during the palace coup; otherwise, he wouldn't have immediately arranged for her assassination upon learning of her arrival in the Land of Snow. But now she was denying it, and coupled with the intelligence he had received about Koyuki's argument with Konoha ninjas...
[Could it be that Koyuki has fallen out with the Konoha ninjas?] Fuuka Noto was somewhat uncertain and wanted to send a few more ninjas to test the waters, but after much deliberation, he decided to observe further.
After all, in just a few days, a third of the ninja power he had painstakingly accumulated using his chakra armor had vanished. What if this was a trap?
However, while he was still hesitating, the next day, Kazahana Koyuki arrived at the heart of the most bustling commercial street in the Snow Capital.
"This… what should I do?" Although it had been agreed that Kazahana Koyuki herself would take this step to build prestige among the common people of the Snow Country, Kazahana Koyuki, who usually faced her fans as a big star, hesitated in front of the Snow Country's citizens. She didn't know how to gain the trust of the people of the Snow Capital.
"You need to make them believe that you are the princess of the Snow Country, and that you can lead them to a better life," Sasuke, disguised as Kazahana Koyuki's assistant, said calmly.
"Isn't it enough to just take out the hexagonal crystal to prove my identity?" Kazahana Koyuki asked, somewhat puzzled.
"The hexagonal crystal, and even the treasure you'll open at Rainbow Glacier later, can only prove your status as a princess. But if you want them to support you in overthrowing Fuuka Naoto, you need to convince them that only by following you will they have a good life," Sasuke said.
"But I don't know how to say it," Fuuka Koyuki hesitated before finally speaking.
"Never mind," Sasuke shook his head, seeing Fuuka Koyuki's expression. This woman was clearly not ready to become a daimyo; her previous actions were mostly due to the circumstances.
[But that's fine too; fools are easier to control.] Sasuke thought to himself, looking at the helpless Fuuka Koyuki.
*Bang!*
A cloud of smoke exploded, and Sasuke transformed into Kazahana Koyuki using his Transformation Jutsu. He then said,
"I'll only teach you once. Watch carefully and learn well." After saying this, Sasuke stretched out his hand in front of Kazahana Koyuki and said, "Hexagonal Crystal."
Kazahana Koyuki looked at the figure in front of her. Although the appearance was exactly the same as hers, there was an undeniable majesty in his eyes. Faced with this gaze, Kazahana Koyuki was stunned for a moment, and then, as if possessed, she took off the necklace around her neck and handed it to Sasuke.
"Sigh..." By the time she realized what was happening, all Sasuke had left her with was his back.
Sasuke, disguised as Kazahana Koyuki, arrived at the center of the shopping street, took out a small flare from his pocket, ignited it, and it exploded in mid-air moments later. The flare's commotion quickly drew the attention of the crowd.
"Hello everyone, I'll take a moment of your time." Sasuke, disguised as Kazahana Koyuki, calmly chose a step and walked to the top.
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Kazahana Koyuki, or perhaps you're more familiar with my other name, Fujikaze Yukie." Sasuke, disguised as Kazahana Koyuki, smiled, exuding confidence and elegance.
"Over the past few days, you've probably all heard my name and know my identity. That's right, I am Kazeka Sayayuki, the only daughter of the late Emperor Kazeka Sayayuki of the Snow Kingdom, who went missing during the palace coup ten years ago—Kazeka Koyuki!"
"You may be wondering why I've only returned now!"
"My father once told me that what he loved most was seeing the happy smiles on the faces of the people of the Snow Kingdom. But my uncle, Kazeka Nutō, cruelly murdered my father, seized the position of Daimyo of the Snow Kingdom, and in just ten years, turned the Snow Kingdom into what it is today, a place of misery and suffering."
"By right, I should be the princess of the Snow Kingdom, and I have returned to the Snow Kingdom only to do three things!"
"Fairness! Fairness! Fairness!"
"I hope to bring this country, which my father poured countless efforts into, back on track! To let the happy smiles of everyone appear on their faces once more."
"Your Highness!" A middle-aged man, seemingly infected by Kazahana Koyuki's emotions, shouted "Your Highness!" Soon, more and more people joined in.
Hidden in the shadows, Kazahana Koyuki was almost dumbfounded. As a big star, she had experienced being surrounded by fans chanting her name before, but the look in the eyes of her fans when they surrounded her and chanted her stage name was completely different from the look in the eyes of those cheering for Sasuke. Her fans only had fervor in their eyes when they surrounded her, but Kazahana Koyuki saw hope in the eyes of these people from the Land of Snow.
They truly hoped that Kazahana Koyuki was the princess who could lead them out of their predicament.
The chaos in the shopping street quickly attracted the samurai responsible for maintaining order. However, faced with the ever-growing number of civilians from the Land of Snow, these samurai could only call for backup.
Not long after, a group of samurai from the Land of Snow hurriedly arrived. At this moment, Sasuke, disguised as Kazahana Koyuki, deliberately walked down the steps towards the samurai who had come to disperse the crowd.
"You are samurai from our Land of Snow, aren't you?" Sasuke asked softly.
However, before they could answer, Sasuke continued, "You've come here on the orders of that usurper, Fuuka Naoto, to suppress the innocent people of the Land of Snow and then offer my head, the princess's head, to the usurper for credit?"
Sasuke's aggressive aura quickly overwhelmed the samurai leader. To bolster his courage, the samurai instinctively placed his hand on his sword hilt. However, upon seeing this, Sasuke straightened his chest and stepped forward.
"Go ahead! Come on! Swing your swords at your princess!" Sasuke, disguised as Fuuka Koyuki, exuded an imposing aura that quickly intimidated the samurai while simultaneously stirring up the emotions of the surrounding crowd. The common people of the Land of Snow spontaneously gathered around, gritting their teeth as they glared at the samurai, ready to fight to the death if they dared to draw their swords.
"You... what makes you think you're Princess?!" The captain of the samurai squad, intimidated by the surrounding civilians, gritted his teeth and questioned them.
"Good question!" Sasuke shouted, picking up the hexagonal crystal pendant, which glittered in the sunlight. Sasuke calmly replied, "This is the most important token of our Snow Country, and also the key to unlocking the treasure buried beneath the Rainbow Glacier! This was given to me by my father, the Emperor. Today, I will go to the Rainbow Glacier and, with everyone as witnesses, unlock the treasure of our Snow Country! This will be the first step in restoring order to our Snow Country!" With
that, Sasuke, disguised as Kazeka Koyuki, strode forward. The samurai in front of him unconsciously split into two ranks. Sasuke walked straight out from the middle without changing his expression, like a king inspecting his army.
"Don't just stand there, follow me. You'll have to open the treasure yourself later." Neji, hidden in the shadows, reminded the stunned Kazahana Koyuki, gesturing for her to follow.
"How...how did he do that?" Kazahana Koyuki, regaining her senses, looked at Sasuke's retreating figure with a complex expression.
"It's not that difficult," Neji explained. "Kazahana's tyranny in the Land of Snow over the years has already incurred the wrath of the people. At this time, as long as someone of sufficient stature can stand up, these commoners will see him as their hope. Even if you, the princess, are not real, in their eyes you are, and you can only be real."
"Sasuke has received the true teachings of his master, so for him, doing this is not a difficult thing. Compared to the situation in the Land of Snow, the situation our master faced was truly hellish." Neji said.
"Neji, you're talking too much." At this moment, Shisui, who was responsible for protecting Kazahana Koyuki, reminded her with a smile.
"Your teacher?" Kazama Koyuki asked curiously, but Shisui quickly pulled her along, secretly following the main group heading to Rainbow Glacier.
...
"What? She's so audacious! Those samurai actually intend to go to Rainbow Glacier with that woman?" In the Snow Country's palace, Kazama Nutō was furious after learning about what had happened in the commercial district.
However, he knew he couldn't hesitate any longer. If Kazama Koyuki truly used the hexagonal crystal to open the Snow Country's treasure in front of everyone, confirming her status as a princess, then, as long as she was willing to offer some conditions, the surrounding great ninja villages, especially the Land of Earth, would definitely be willing to help her resolve the situation.
The only way to prevent this from happening was to kill her before she opened the treasure, suppress those ignorant and rebellious civilians, and then announce to the outside world that someone was trying to instigate a rebellion in the Snow Country.
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(End of Chapter)