Wait...
Uchiha Madara vaguely realized what Tōshirō was about to do, but it was already too late.
Tōshirō unleashed the massive amount of chakra he had gathered within him in one go.
A tremendous roar erupted, causing a vortex.
The resulting icy tornado shockwave expanded and spread outwards, engulfing everything it touched.
After a short while, the white cold mist churned up by the shockwave permeated the air. Soon, this cold mist began to dissipate, leaving behind an area frozen over. Looking closely, there were ninjas frozen into ice sculptures, their faces contorted in agony from their dying moments, having failed to escape in time.
Uchiha Madara's face could no longer remain calm. He slightly parted his lips: "This is..."
Tōshirō's chakra had vanished...
He had disappeared along with the explosion just now...
Uchiha Tōshirō was dead...?
No.
This wasn't the outcome he wanted—!
Uchiha Madara was heartbroken. He never expected Tōshirō to choose self-destruction due to being overly stimulated...
If he had acted sooner...
Uchiha Madara shook his head. At this point, thinking about these things was useless.
The person was dead, and his plan had fallen through.
Damn it...
Uchiha Madara clenched his fists, barely maintaining his composure.
He no longer had enough energy to cultivate a replacement for Tōshirō.
And even if he did, he probably wouldn't find a more suitable candidate than Tōshirō...
For a moment, Uchiha Madara's mood became utterly dejected, even lost.
On the other side, Danzo, disguised as one of the members, also looked incredibly shocked.
Dead...
And by self-destruction!
Danzo took a deep breath, steadying his chaotic emotions.
He had originally intended to take Tōshirō's Mangekyo Sharingan after his death.
But with Tōshirō's self-destruction, these Mangekyo Sharingan were also obliterated, making them unobtainable.
However, the thought of Tōshirō finally being dead brought Danzo a slight sense of comfort.
He had finally dealt with this major threat...
Moreover, in this encirclement, the Hidden Mist and Hidden Stone villages suffered extremely heavy losses.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were directly reduced to only three, and while the Hidden Stone Village's Four-Tails Jinchuriki was still alive, he was crippled.
In addition, the Leaf Village acquired the Six-Tails during this transaction.
Considering the gains and losses, overall, Danzo was largely satisfied with this transaction, the only regret being the sacrifice of Tsunade's life.
Danzo sighed softly.
After a brief sigh, the sentimentality faded from Danzo's eyes, replaced by his usual sinister gaze, perhaps even more so than before...
After confirming that there was no possibility of Tōshirō surviving, everyone decided not to stay there any longer and left the scene.
As night fell, a bright full moon hung silently in the sky. The as-yet-unmelted ice and snow on the ground shimmered under its clear light, casting their last rays.
"Your Highness, please wait for me..."
A panting voice broke the quiet night.
Then, another cheerful laugh echoed: "Santaro, your body is too weak. Look at me; I walked the same path as you and don't feel tired at all."
"I can't compare to Your Highness."
"Haha, don't say that. I think it's probably because you usually neglect your training. See, you even wear glasses because of it..."
"I don't think that has anything to do with wearing glasses, besides, aren't you also wearing glasses?"
"Haha, I almost forgot that point..."
Amidst their cheerful chatter, two young men appeared in the night.
Walking in front was a tall man with a gentle face, wearing glasses, and with long hair draped over his shoulders.
Behind him, panting, was a slender young man with a delicate face, a ponytail, and also wearing a pair of glasses, just like the man in front.
However, although both wore glasses, the latter's endurance was noticeably weaker than the former's.
It wasn't that he neglected his training; it was simply that the one in front was exceptionally gifted.
The person walking in front was named Fubuki Sōyuki, of noble birth, the prince of the Land of Snow. He was not like other princes who indulged in pleasure; instead, he was dedicated to good governance, which was truly commendable.
Santaro felt as if he saw a bright future for the Land of Snow under his leadership.
Following behind Fubuki Sōyuki, Santaro caught his breath and asked, "Your Highness, when are we going back? We've been out for so long; your father and mother will be worried."
Prince Sōyuki was good in every aspect, but he was a bit too devoted to his people.
The Land of Snow, as its name suggested, was connected to ice and snow.
This country was perpetually covered in ice and snow, even harsher than the Land of Iron, thus the lives of its people were not very optimistic.
Fubuki Sōyuki, dedicated to good governance, certainly hadn't slipped out for fun. He was looking for ways to change the climate of the Land of Snow and improve the lives of its people.
As a retainer, there was nothing more fortunate than serving such a gentleman.
Overall, it was a happy burden.
Fubuki Sōyuki's steps didn't falter. Just as he was about to reply, he suddenly noticed an ice field ahead.
This surprised him greatly. He pointed forward and said, "Santaro, look what's ahead?"
"Is there a problem?"
Santaro was nonchalant.
Ice and snow might be a rarity in other countries, but living in a country of ice and snow, he had long grown accustomed to it.
He truly didn't understand why His Highness was so surprised.
Santaro was half a beat slow, then realized.
Wait...
The climate here was not like the Land of Snow; how could there suddenly be an ice field?
As he was thinking, Fubuki Sōyuki had already started walking towards the ice field. Santaro snapped back to reality, but Fubuki Sōyuki had already entered the ice field, and he couldn't stop him.
He quickly followed: "Your Highness, this is too dangerous..."
Walking closer, he was stunned. The vicinity was filled with people frozen into ice sculptures, their faces lifelike, almost indistinguishable from real people.
However, the drawback was that many of these ice sculptures were shattered.
These were the people who died after being frozen into ice sculptures during their unfortunate battle with Tōshirō.
Fubuki Sōyuki looked at the ice field and the grim-faced ice sculptures standing on it, sighing: "What a strange sight..."
"Your Highness, we should return soon. You know, it's not peaceful outside. If we unfortunately get caught up in something, it would be troublesome..."
Santaro's concerns reminded Fubuki Sōyuki: "Santaro, do you think these ice sculptures might have been created by someone using ninjutsu?"
"Ninjutsu?"
"Yes, for example, Ice Release."
The ninjas of the Land of Snow were skilled in Ice Release ninjutsu. Combining this with the scene, Fubuki Sōyuki naturally made the connection.
"Ice Release? How is that possible!?"
Santaro's eyes widened instantly.
He was well aware of the capabilities of their country's Ice Release; there was no Ice Release that could directly freeze people into ice.
"No, it is possible, if it's true Ice Release."
Fubuki Sōyuki gave a definitive reply.
Although the Ice Release used by the ninjas of the Land of Snow was also called Ice Release, this "Ice Release" actually differed significantly from true Ice Release.
The Ice Release used by the Land of Snow ninjas was created by utilizing the local natural environment. If they were in a different setting, their so-called "Ice Release" wouldn't even be able to create a single piece of ice.
Santaro acknowledged this statement: "If that's the case, then anything is possible."
After speaking, he paused, surveying the icy environment around them, and genuinely exclaimed: "But then again, even so, a normal Ice Release bloodline limit ninja probably wouldn't be able to use Ice Release ninjutsu of this caliber..." "Uh..." After a brief moment of sentimentality, he suddenly realized, Is this the time for sentimentality?
Given that the ice hadn't melted, this battle must have happened recently. To avoid getting caught up in it, the correct course of action now was to quickly leave this dangerous place.
Santaro quickly conveyed his thoughts to Fubuki Sōyuki, hoping the other party would heed his advice, return to the Land of Snow, and peacefully serve as prince.
Fubuki Sōyuki also knew that staying longer could pose a life threat and no longer insisted: "I understand, let's go back to the Land of Snow."
Santaro breathed a sigh of relief: "No time to waste, let's go quickly, Your Highness."
Fubuki Sōyuki hummed in agreement and began to walk.
Santaro followed closely, wary of any surprises, keeping a watchful eye on his surroundings, thus neglecting his footing.
Suddenly, he seemed to trip over something, losing his balance and almost falling to the ground.
Fubuki Sōyuki turned his face and asked, "What's wrong?"
Santaro shook his head and replied: "It's nothing, I must have tripped over something. Thank you for your concern, Your Highness."
Hearing this, Fubuki Sōyuki instinctively looked down, his gaze fixed on Santaro's feet. Suddenly, he saw something.
"What is it, Your Highness?"
"Could you move aside for a moment?"
Santaro paused, but he listened, stepping back. He watched as Fubuki Sōyuki walked forward, knelt down, and began to examine something.
Santaro followed his gaze and saw a smooth, protruding object on the ground where he had just stood. He figured this was what had tripped him.
"What is this?" His expression was bewildered.
"Santaro, come help me dig this thing out."
"Huh?"
Santaro was still bewildered, but Fubuki Sōyuki was already busy, even urging him on.
Santaro snapped back to reality and began to help.
Not long after, the master and servant began to work.
Fubuki Sōyuki reminded him: "Remember, be careful, don't break this thing."
Santaro responded: "Yes..."
After an unknown amount of time, the master and servant, with great effort, finally dug the object out of the ground.
Its exterior was luminous, about the size of a human head, oval in shape, with blue patterns on its white surface.
In short, it was an egg.
"Finally dug it out..."
Fubuki Sōyuki held the ice egg. The bright moonlight shone on the eggshell's surface, casting a glow.
Santaro, seeing the smile on Fubuki Sōyuki's face, guessed: "Your Highness, you're not planning to hatch this thing, are you?"
Santaro had grown up with Fubuki Sōyuki and knew his master's preferences well.
"Is there a problem?"
Fubuki Sōyuki implicitly admitted it.
"Won't it be dangerous to hatch something of unknown origin?"
As a retainer, Santaro's first concern was his master's safety.
Fubuki Sōyuki waved his hand dismissively: "Santaro, I've noticed you've become much more timid since you grew up."
Santaro sighed: "It's not being timid, it's being cautious."
Fubuki Sōyuki nodded. Santaro had his own considerations, which was understandable: "I'm doing this partly to indulge my hobby, and partly because I vaguely sense some kind of power within this egg."
"Some kind of power?" Santaro looked confused: "What power?"
"I don't know."
"..."
"Just consider it my intuition, or my last little bit of recklessness before returning home."
Santaro sighed: "I understand..."
The other party was a prince; what more could a retainer say? He could only hope that nothing unexpected would happen next.
(End of Chapter)
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