"This kid's Earth Release…"
Landing on the snow, Kazahana Doto looked at the terrain completely altered by Yagyu and revealed a shocked expression:
"Not bad at all."
The moment Doto finished speaking.
Whoosh.
A sharp sound of air being cut echoed.
Immediately after, Yagyu's voice sounded right beside his ear:
"Only 'not bad'? Is it really that hard to admit someone is strong?"
Hearing Yagyu's voice,
Doto's expression changed drastically as he turned around:
"When did you—"
Zheng.
Slash.
At the instant Doto turned around, Yagyu had already drawn his chakra blade and slashed toward Doto's chest.
A tearing sound rang out as Doto's noble robes were ripped apart by the strike.
Underneath, his strongest defense was revealed.
A chakra armor blocked Yagyu's blade.
"Another chakra armor?"
Seeing the armor Doto was wearing, Yagyu couldn't help but comment:
"The ninja of the Land of Snow may not be very strong, but your development skills are decent."
At the very least, this chakra armor was quite impressive.
Hearing this,
Doto sneered,
"What's wrong? Lost your confidence? I told you earlier, your arrogance will lead to your mission failing. Now do you understand? No matter how strong you are, you're still just a child!"
Completely ignoring the blade in Yagyu's hand,
Doto spread his arms and laughed arrogantly:
"With this chakra armor, I am invincible. Whether it's your ninjutsu or your swordsmanship, you can't break my defense. How could I possibly lose?"
At this moment,
the surrounding Snow ninja all showed smug smiles, completely unconcerned about Doto's safety.
On the other side,
Kazahana Koyuki, who was watching, collapsed onto the ground in despair.
Too strong.
In their eyes, Doto was simply too powerful.
An existence that could not be defeated.
For a moment, despair and fear completely engulfed her.
Just then.
Zheng.
Slash.
With the sound of the blade humming, a streak of blue sword light flashed past.
In the next instant, Doto's head was sent flying.
Thud.
As it hit the ground, his headless body dropped to its knees before Yagyu.
This scene left everyone present completely stunned.
Then they stared at Yagyu in complete confusion.
All the Snow ninja present were dumbfounded, not knowing what to say.
On the other side, Kazahana Koyuki and the others were the same. Their faces still carried traces of despair, yet their eyes were gradually filling with confusion.
"My, my."
Holding the chakra blade, with a drop of blood sliding down its edge, Yagyu showed a mocking smile:
"The invincible Mr. Kazahana Doto… has fallen to his knees."
After saying that, Yagyu raised his gaze and looked at all the Snow ninja around him, a killing intent filled smile appearing on his face.
"Now then…"
Pressing down slightly on the blade in his hand, Yagyu spoke:
"You're next. Prepare yourselves for death. But don't worry, there won't be any pain… because it will all be over in an instant."
Whoosh.
As his words fell, a dazzling flash of lightning burst from Yagyu's body.
The sudden brilliance made everyone instinctively shut their eyes.
And within that flash
Zheng.
Slash.
All they could hear was the faint hum of the chakra blade moving at extreme speed, along with the soft, almost imperceptible sound of flesh being cut.
Whoosh.
Streaks of lightning flashed across the battlefield.
When Yagyu's figure appeared again,
his blade was already sheathed, and he stood beside the still stunned Koyuki.
"The battle is over."
His calm voice sounded as he looked at her:
"Princess Koyuki, your nightmare and your shadow have been shattered as promised."
After saying that,
Yagyu paused briefly, then continued:
"Next, we head to the capital of the Land of Snow. Until you ascend the throne and are completely safe, I will continue to protect you."
"Also, let me ask… do you want me to completely destroy the rebel base of your country, the Hidden Snow Village?"
The Hidden Snow Village, to Yagyu, was nothing more than a trivial target.
Destroying it would be effortless.
Pulled back from her shock by Yagyu's words,
Koyuki fell silent.
After glancing at the corpses scattered across the ground, memories of the massacre during the rebellion surfaced in her mind. The slaughter in the palace, the death of her father.
Hatred flickered in her eyes.
Clenching her teeth, Koyuki said:
"Destroy it. This country only needs an army and peace, not ninja."
"Anyway… if there's ever a need for ninja in the future, I can just commission Konoha, right, Yagyu Sōsuke?"
Hearing this,
Yagyu paused for a moment, then nodded:
"The Hidden Leaf Village will not refuse any reasonable mission. You can rest assured."
Hearing his reply, Koyuki slowly stood up.
She said nothing more.
She simply walked to Kazahana Doto's corpse, and cried silently.
Yagyu did not disturb her at all.
Next, he still had a battle of his own to handle, one that required him to rest quietly for a while.
In the blink of an eye, a month passed.
Konoha, inside the Hokage Office in the Hokage Tower.
"So, in this mission, not only did you participate in the regime change of the Land of Snow and, according to the client's request, eliminate the Hidden Snow Village…"
Rubbing her temples, Tsunade looked at the calm and composed Yagyu in front of her and asked,
"You also brought the Land of Snow's goodwill back to Konoha?"
Yagyu nodded.
As if it were only natural, he said:
"There was no other choice. After all, Princess Kazahana Koyuki's situation was a leftover problem from a failed mission by Kakashi-senpai back then. If I didn't help her, the village's reputation would've been damaged."
Passing the responsibility like this was something Yagyu was quite good at.
And since Koyuki's situation could indeed be traced back to that mission,
it wasn't entirely shifting the blame.
At most, it was just cleaning up the aftermath for Kakashi Hatake, who was still lying in a hospital bed.
"Mm."
Nodding after recalling Kakashi's old mission records, Tsunade said:
"That's true. I understand."
"But Sōsuke, don't take such risks next time. Even if it was just a small hidden village, it was still a village. Handling what was essentially an S-rank national mission alone is too dangerous."
Hearing this, Yagyu just smiled and said nothing.
Tsunade wasn't blaming him.
She was simply a little shaken thinking about the risk.
After Koyuki agreed, Yagyu had actually gone alone to wipe out the Hidden Snow Village.
Even though he had full confidence in his strength, from Tsunade's perspective and the others in Konoha, it was far too dangerous.
A lecture like this was inevitable.
Still, Yagyu didn't mind it.
"Anyway,"
After finishing her warning, Tsunade's expression softened into a smile:
"Congratulations, Sōsuke. Your ninja record now has its first S-rank mission."
"And not only that, bringing the Land of Snow's goodwill back to Konoha has also brought considerable economic benefits to the village."
Her face showed both happiness and seriousness as she continued,
"On behalf of the village, and on my own behalf, thank you."
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