"Sorry! You may have to wait a moment!" Asama Santarou said with a smile. "Miss Yukie just stepped out! We've already sent someone to find her."
"When are you heading to the Land of Snow to start filming?"
"We've already arranged for a ship. As soon as we bring Miss Yukie back, we can set off immediately!"
"I see," Kaito murmured.
With his eyes slightly closed, electromagnetic induction radiated from his body, expanding across all of Konoha.
Whoosh!
In the next instant, Kaito's eyes snapped open—and he vanished on the spot!
When he reappeared, he was already on Yukie Fujikaze's horse.
He stood calmly, his expression unreadable. "You must be Fujikaze Yukie. I'm a shinobi from Konoha, and I've been ordered by Asama Santarou to bring you back."
Before Yukie could even react, Kaito struck her with a swift chop to the back of her neck.
Supporting her unconscious body with one arm, he disappeared again with a flash—horse and all.
Whoosh!
Kaito appeared in front of Asama Santarou, holding the unconscious Yukie in his arms. "Hey! I brought her back. Where should I put her?"
"Inside! That room over there!" Asama pointed to a room with a stunned expression.
He was floored by what he just witnessed. Kaito had left and returned with Yukie in barely 10 seconds!
He had initially assumed Konoha was just going through the motions, but now he realized how wrong he'd been.
Despite several escape attempts from Yukie afterward, Kaito caught her every time before she got far.
"Why won't you let me go? I don't want to go back to the Land of Snow!" Yukie broke down in tears, her voice desperate.
Kaito appeared in front of her again, his gaze sharp. "Are you giving up?"
"Huh?" Yukie looked at him in confusion.
"If you give up now, your dreams, your country—everything in the Land of Snow—will be lost forever," Kaito said.
"I… I don't understand what you're saying…" Yukie looked shocked.
"Maybe you will," Kaito said as he turned. "Let's go."
Behind him, a shaken Yukie slowly followed. She knew that with this man around, escaping would be impossible.
---
The next day
A large ship set sail toward the Land of Snow.
During the voyage, Asama Santarou revealed Yukie's true identity to the director and begged him not to reveal it.
The director, a bit of a maniac himself, was thrilled. Now that he knew Yukie was a real princess, he immediately decided that the final scene of Princess Gale would be filmed in the Land of Snow!
Throughout the journey, Yukie seemed pale and distant. She didn't even try to hide her resentment toward Kaito.
---
Three days later
A snowy landscape unfolded before them.
"This... this is the Land of Snow?" the director gasped in awe as he looked out at the icy expanse. "Get the gear ready! Start filming! This is a once-in-a-lifetime scene!"
The crew quickly began unloading their equipment.
"Wait." Kaito raised his arm, eyes narrowing. "We've got company."
In a blur, he vanished from the ship's deck.
"What? Enemies?" Santarou shielded Yukie and scanned the surroundings nervously.
Yukie trembled beside him, fear etched into her face. It was clear that returning here had stirred painful memories.
High above, Kaito suddenly appeared atop a frozen cliff. His electromagnetic sense had locked onto hostile chakra signatures.
Two more were close by.
"Oh? Already discovered?"
A tall, thin man wearing a Snow ninja forehead protector sneered. This was Langya Avalanche—subordinate of Kazahana Doto, and the man who once pursued Hatake Kakashi ten years ago.
He leapt out from his hiding spot and stood atop another glacier.
"I thought we'd have a challenge, but it's just some brat? What a letdown."
Forming a series of hand seals, he yelled, "Ice Style: Dragon Fang Tiger Strike!"
A massive ice dragon erupted from the snow, roaring toward Kaito with terrifying force.
Zzzt!
The sound of a thousand birds chirping echoed.
Kaito gathered chakra in his right hand, shaping it into a glowing lightning spear—Chidori Spear!
With a single swing, he sliced the ice dragon clean in half. The pieces shattered with a thunderous crash.
Crackling with electricity, Kaito rushed forward.
"Tch. Not bad," Langya muttered. "But you don't know anything about my armor!"
He pointed to the sleek chakra armor he wore. "This armor was developed in the Land of Snow. It amplifies chakra, enhances ninjutsu, and creates a chakra barrier that neutralizes incoming attacks! Your ninjutsu won't work on me."
With a smirk, he formed more seals. "Ice Style: One-Horned White Whale!"
Giant ice whales surged from the frozen sea, barreling toward Kaito.
"You rely too much on that armor," Kaito said coldly.
He raised his hand—another Chidori Spear shot forth, slicing one of the whales clean in half.
Zzzt!
Lightning rang again.
This time, Kaito formed Raikiri, the signature technique of Kakashi, and lunged straight at Langya's chest.
"I told you, your chakra-based attacks can't hurt me!" Langya scoffed.
CRACK!
Suddenly, a fissure appeared in the gem embedded in the man's armor. Then, the gem shattered entirely.
In a blink, Kaito's left hand pierced straight through his chest.
The man froze, eyes wide with disbelief. Within seconds, it was over—less than 30 seconds from start to finish.
Just then, a female voice rang out in the distance.
"Ice Style: Swallow Snowstorm!"
A flurry of ice darts shot toward Kaito, shaped like flying swallows!
---
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