Rōga Nadare looked at the Sakura before him and spoke awkwardly.
"You must be joking, right?"
Sakura tilted her head, looking at this man whose grand entrance was his finest moment, and then extended a single finger to his chest.
Rōga Nadare subconsciously lowered his head to look at the hand placed on his chest.
This pink-haired girl couldn't be thinking of…
The thought was truly absurd. Even having witnessed Han's unparalleled monstrous strength, he didn't believe this seemingly soft and weak pink-haired girl before him could reach that level.
The Chakra Armor he wore was the Land of Snow's latest model! It was on a completely different level than the Chakra Armor worn by the other two!
Rōga Nadare had absolute confidence in this suit of armor!
Tap~~
!!!
An absolutely irresistible, monstrous strength emanated from his chest!
The chakra energy shield generated by the Chakra Armor was like paper-mâché before this pink-haired girl!
With a single finger, she instantly shattered the seemingly invincible chakra shield! The core in his chest shattered instantly from the energy overload caused by the impact!
Rōga Nadare was momentarily stunned, and then his entire body was sent flying backward!
Crash! Rōga Nadare smashed straight through the ice pillar behind him, his entire body buried in the snow.
This scene caused Han to narrow his eyes slightly.
Is this the power that shattered the Three-Tails' defense?
He, too, could shatter Rōga Nadare's chakra shield, but definitely not as effortlessly as Sakura had.
Even though the shield was shattered by Sakura's finger, Rōga Nadare was still alive thanks to the armor's protection.
Meanwhile, Sasuke, who had been observing coldly from the sidelines, deftly tied Rōga Nadare up with steel wire.
This guy wasn't that strong, to begin with.
In the original story, even with his Chakra Armor and a geographical advantage, he couldn't even beat Kakashi before he had access to Kamui. Now that his armor was shattered, he was a Special Jonin at best. He was completely insignificant in front of these groups from Konoha and Iwagakure.
Seeing Rōga Nadare captured, Han turned to Sakura and spoke in a deep voice, "Haruno Sakura of Konohagakure, I believe we need to discuss this mission."
Sakura looked at the tall man before her and raised an eyebrow.
This one is sensible, at least.
Han really had no choice. Even as a Jinchuriki, he felt hopelessly outmatched when facing this pink-haired girl. The Five-Tails within him was telling him that her strength was on a level he absolutely could not match. This would be true even if he used his perfect Tailed Beast Transformation.
He couldn't win.
Nearby, Koyuki Kazahana silently watched everything unfold.
She already understood her situation. She had no choice in the matter. Even if she was the princess of the Land of Snow. The games of the great nations left no room for small countries to interfere.
Koyuki Kazahana was merely a pawn in this game.
In fact, if these two powers wished it, she, the princess, was completely expendable.
In this instance, it was the concept of the nobility that saved Koyuki Kazahana's life. After all, shinobi were tools for the nobility to rule nations. If not for the fear of public outcry, the very concept of a "noble class" would have vanished into the annals of history long ago.
Koyuki Kazahana silently accepted it all.
Sandayū looked at the silent Koyuki Kazahana and sighed internally.
Becoming a pawn of the great nations, the Land of Snow losing its autonomy. Was this important to him?
Yes, it was.
But compared to the debt of gratitude he owed the former Daimyo, Kazahana Sōsetsu, did it matter?
To Sandayū, it did not.
What he needed was to install his lord's daughter into her rightful position, ruling over the people of the Land of Snow.
After sending the "film crew" back to the ship, the Konohagakure contingent and the Iwagakure contingent began negotiations on how to proceed with the mission.
The final decision was to jointly support Koyuki Kazahana's ascension to the revered position of Daimyo of the Land of Snow. Both sides would then station troops in the Land of Snow.
It appeared to be a win-win situation, yet the Land of Earth, which was right next door, would be jointly occupying the Land of Snow with the Land of Fire, which was worlds away.
In this engagement, Iwagakure had both lost and won. A nation bordering the Land of Earth was forced to cooperate with the Land of Fire, which was several countries away. Didn't this indirectly prove that Iwagakure was inferior to Konohagakure?
Konohagakure, too, had both lost and won. They hadn't achieved their ultimate goal of seizing sole control over the Land of Snow, but they had achieved their objective of securing the Land of Snow Daimyo's political support for the Hokage.
As for the Land of Snow, while the current Daimyo, Kazahana Dotō, remained completely oblivious, the "cake" of his nation had already been carved up and devoured.
The Land of Snow was the final and most absolute loser.
The only real winner was Sandayū. He had succeeded in making Koyuki Kazahana the Daimyo of the Land of Snow.
The only real loser was Koyuki Kazahana. Regardless of her own wishes, she was forcibly installed on the throne, becoming a puppet Daimyo for two great nations, destined to be controlled by others for her entire life.
"In that case, it's been a pleasure working with you."
Han extended his hand toward the pink-haired girl, feeling considerably more relaxed. Although they hadn't achieved their primary objective, the mission had at least proceeded smoothly, and they had avoided conflict with Konohagakure.
"Mm."
Sakura gave a faint smile and shook Han's hand.
If the old man hadn't needed this, she never would have bothered coming to such a troublesome place.
"And now, we pay our respects to the Daimyo of the Land of Snow, Her Highness Koyuki Kazahana."
To Sakura's astonishment.
This man before her—one of Iwagakure's strongest assets, one of the nine Jinchuriki, and a perfect Jinchuriki of the Five-Tails—was undoubtedly a Kage-level expert. Even among the Kage, his status as a perfect Jinchuriki made him a powerhouse.
And he was kneeling to Koyuki Kazahana?
Beside him, Kurotsuchi, Akatsuchi, and the others knelt without hesitation.
Even Karin, Sasuke, and Shino beside Sakura looked as if they were about to bend their knees.
Sakura watched everything with cold eyes. Her casual expression from the negotiations moments ago vanished, replaced by cold indifference.
Sakura didn't stop Sasuke or the others, merely watching the scene with frigid eyes.
Daimyo? Nobility?
Forget this puppet Koyuki Kazahana; so what if it were the Daimyo of the Land of Fire himself?
All the shinobi present knelt.
Only Sakura remained standing, unmoved, meeting Koyuki Kazahana's gaze with a cold smirk.
Even though she was just a puppet Daimyo, a man like Han still had to bend his knee.
This is what a shinobi is? This is a Daimyo?
"Sasuke, stand up."
"Did I say you could kneel?"
--
Support me & read more advance & fast update chapter on my patreon:
pat reon .com/yuuwand