Land of Snow Daimyo's Mansion.
Outside the window, the wind howled, and the continuous blizzard dyed the entire world a stark white.
"Lord Doto, although the train departure signal from the border transit station was confirmed, we suddenly lost contact with them."
A communications officer reported.
"Furthermore, the patrol units that were supposed to report periodically have not sent any information within the scheduled time."
"Should we raise the alert level?"
Sitting on his throne, Doto Kazahana was playing with a goblet in his hand; hearing this, he merely snorted disdainfully without even lifting an eyelid.
"Alert? Is this your first day as a communications officer?"
He pointed at the blurred white world outside the window.
"Open your eyes and look out there."
"In this hellish weather, signal interference is a common occurrence."
"As for the patrols..."
Doto Kazahana took a sip of red wine, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes.
"It's probably just Sosetsu Kazahana's old subordinates causing trouble again."
"With the scrap metal those few country samurai carry, how could they possibly cause any ripples?"
"The patrol captains are all equipped with the latest Chakra Armor."
"In this country, no one can harm them except for me."
At this point, a shadow of gloom crossed his eyes.
Rather than worrying about a non-existent enemy attack, he was more annoyed that the spies he sent out had yet to find his runaway niece, Princess Koyuki.
"Only by finding that key to open the vault left behind by Sosetsu can I obtain enough funds to expand the Chakra Armor production line and then unify the ninja world..."
As for being invaded by another country?
Doto hadn't even considered it.
In this desolate, freezing northern wasteland, aside from those hard-to-extract minerals, which major nation would even look at this place?
As long as there was no foreign invasion, no one in this country could threaten his rule.
—
Meanwhile, inside the speeding train.
Unlike the howling wind outside, the train car was deathly silent.
Over seventy elite ninjas dressed in gray combat uniforms crowded several cars like ghosts.
Some were wrapping their kunai with cloth strips, some were checking their explosive tags, and others were closing their eyes to regulate their breathing.
No one spoke; even the sound of breathing was suppressed to a minimum.
A thick murderous intent permeated the air.
Naruto sat alone at the front of the train, letting the cold wind lash his face as his trench coat fluttered loudly.
He looked down at the train tracks, which could conduct chakra, and had some startling conjectures in his mind.
If that conjecture proved true, the rewards of conquering the Land of Snow would be unexpectedly high.
"Lord Naruto, we will arrive at Kozuki City in three minutes."
Haku's voice came from the driver's cab below.
The corner of Naruto's mouth curled slightly as he slowly stood up.
He was already somewhat impatient to verify the ideas in his mind.
Kozuki City, Central Station Square.
This was the core area of Kozuki City, responsible for the city's entire logistics and supply flow.
Two guards in thick cotton coats were huddled in a sentry box by a fire.
Through the frost-covered window, they saw a familiar black train approaching.
"Yo, the coal train is here."
One guard yawned and picked up a flag, waving it casually.
By protocol, the train should slow down before entering the station for a routine inspection.
However.
"Hey—why isn't that train slowing down?"
The other guard's eyes suddenly widened in disbelief.
The steel beast not only failed to brake but instead gained speed, hurtling straight toward the checkpoint.
"Stop! Stop right now!"
The guard's terrified screams were instantly drowned out.
BOOM!!
An earth-shattering roar erupted.
The thick wooden inspection barriers and wire fences were instantly smashed to pieces.
The heavy locomotive, carrying immense kinetic energy, forced its way into the Central Square.
It carved two deep gouges into the ground before coming to a halt in the center of the square amidst a piercing screech of metal friction.
The entire area fell into a dead silence.
The surrounding citizens and patrol soldiers were dumbfounded.
Their minds were blank, having completely failed to react to what had just happened.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
All the carriage doors were pulled open simultaneously.
"Kill!"
Seventy fully armed gray-clad ninjas, like hungry wolves released from cages, charged into the defenseless city with ferocious expressions.
"Enemy attack!! It's an enemy attack!!!"
Only then did the alarm belatedly sound.
But it was already too late.
Standing atop the front of the train, Naruto looked down at the chaos below and spoke calmly.
"Proceed according to plan."
"Yes!"
As the command was issued, the invading force instantly split into three torrents.
"Hehe, excuse me for a moment."
Yakushi Kabuto pushed up his glasses and, leading ten of the most elite Hidden Sound ninjas, dashed like a phantom toward the domed building on the east side of the city—the Land of Snow Research Institute.
"Follow me and kill!"
Suigetsu Hozuki shouldered the Kubikiribocho and shouted excitedly.
Behind him followed twenty thugs who had already seen red, heading straight for the military barracks on the outskirts of the city.
Naruto ignored the slaughter below.
His gaze was locked onto the tallest and most magnificent building in the city.
"Haku, Kimimaro."
"Here."
Two figures, one white and one gray, instantly appeared by his side.
"Let's go meet His Excellency the Daimyo."
The three turned into afterimages, completely ignoring the guards along the way, like a sharp dagger stabbing straight into the heart of the country.
Land of Snow Research Institute.
The laboratory was brightly lit, and researchers in white coats were busy with their own tasks.
Suddenly, a faint commotion came from afar.
"What's happening outside?"
"Who knows? Maybe the boiler room exploded."
"Either way, it's none of our business. Let's get back to work."
BOOM!
The heavy door was kicked open without warning.
The steel door panel, twisted and deformed, slammed heavily onto the floor.
Through the smoke, a silver-haired young man wearing round-framed glasses and a gentle smile slowly walked in.
He held a corpse in his hand; it was Fubuki Kakuyoku, the Snow Ninja elite responsible for guarding the research institute.
Thud.
Kabuto casually tossed Fubuki Kakuyoku's corpse aside and wiped the blood off his hands.
"Who are you!"
The director stood up in terror, but before he could press the alarm—
Shing!
In the next second, Kabuto's body instantly appeared before the director.
A cold kunai was already pressed against his carotid artery, leaving a shallow bloody scratch.
"Everyone, excuse me for a moment."
Kabuto smiled and looked around at the shivering scientists.
His tone was polite, yet carried an unquestionable scent of blood.
"I have some good news for everyone: from now on, this place has a new boss."
He pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting a cold light.
"Now, those who don't want to die, gently put down what's in your hands."
"If there's any rash behavior, you will have to bear the consequences..."
Elsewhere, the Land of Snow military barracks.
This was where the most elite regular forces under Doto Kazahana were stationed.
Amidst the piercing alarms, hundreds of armed members of the ordinary security detail were hurriedly pouring out of the barracks.
Their daily job was to maintain the rule of Doto Kazahana; they had no ninja training and were merely stronger-than-average commoners.
The core backbone consisted of armored Snow Ninjas.
"Quick! Fall in! Protect the Daimyo's mansion!"
A tall Snow Ninja captain, Mizore Fuyukuma, who wore a Chakra Armor on his back, roared loudly.
However, before they could even form their ranks, a playful voice rang out from the entrance.
"Yo, where are you all going in such a hurry?"
Suigetsu Hozuki, shouldering the Kubikiribocho, lazily blocked the only exit.
"It's the enemy! Open fire!"
Mizore Fuyukuma's pupils shrank, and he ordered without hesitation.
Thud, thud, thud—
A dense barrage of kunai turned Suigetsu into a sieve.
Splash—
Suigetsu's body instantly turned into a pool of water that splashed onto the ground, and the kunai were all pinned to the wall behind him.
"Physical attacks?"
The puddle on the ground suddenly converged, and Suigetsu reformed in the middle of the crowd, his once-thin arms now bulging with muscle.
"They're—useless against me!"
The massive blade, carrying terrifying, monstrous strength, swept out.
Mizore Fuyukuma subconsciously wanted to rely on his Chakra Armor to withstand the blow.
Crack.
The shield he took such pride in didn't even last a second before shattering.
Before he could even feel fear, a second strike came directly at him.
Squelch.
Blood instantly stained the snow red.
"What! The captain was—"
The remaining grunts, seeing their commander killed in an instant, felt their will to fight collapse, replaced by extreme terror.
Some were so scared their legs gave out and they knelt.
Others tried to flee through the back door but were cut down by the Hidden Sound ninjas guarding it.
The rest were instantly too afraid to move.
"Refreshing!!"
The notches on the Kubikiribocho began to repair themselves automatically after drinking blood.
Suigetsu licked the blood off his face, revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth like a demon.
"Get on your knees and put your hands behind your heads!"
"Surrender and you'll live!"