AN : Discount of 15% running on everything on my patreon!!!
Check it out!!!
-----------------------
"Where is Koyuki?!"
Doto's roar shook the palace halls.
"The ninja from Konoha got involved unexpectedly," Zetsu replied. "Kumogakure noticed them. After negotiations, the Konoha ninja took the princess away."
Doto didn't bother to conceal his anger. "You had me hire Kumogakure ninja as mercenaries, and this is all I get in return?"
"Please, don't be angry, Lord Doto," Zetsu said, extending his hand. Resting in his palm was a necklace. "We didn't bring back the girl, but we did obtain the Hexagonal Crystal.
"Also, I left a fake necklace in its place. She won't realize what happened."
Zetsu revealed the necklace fully.
Doto stepped forward at once and snatched it from him.
The hexagonal crystal glimmered faintly in his grip.
Without wasting even a heartbeat, he rushed to the site of the secret treasure's seal.
He stepped onto the stone platform and activated the mechanism. Light flared to life around him—but no ultimate weapon appeared. Instead, Doto felt a gentle warmth welling up from below.
The temperature of the land began to rise.
Snow that had piled up for years melted away, exposing dark brown earth, and long-frozen rivers cracked and split as water started to flow again.
"This is... a geothermal generator!?"
Shock flashed across Doto's face, quickly souring into a scowl.
It wasn't a weapon that could overwhelm the Five Great Nations at all. This was exactly the sort of thing his brother, Sosetsu Kazahana, had wished for.
"Truly incredible technology," Zetsu murmured. "To be able to change the climate of an entire region in an instant."
"Are you kidding me!" Doto snarled. "How am I supposed to conquer other countries with something like this?!"
Meanwhile, Nadare Rōga, leader of the Snow Ninja, stared at the land as it rapidly came back to life. His expression was even more severe than Doto's.
Losing their natural environment… would the Ice Release the snow ninja relied on still be as powerful? No wonder Sosetsu had cut ties with the Snow Ninja so early back then, even going so far as to hire Konoha shinobi.
"Lord Doto, this device—"
Before Nadare Rōga could finish, the space behind him warped.
A spiraling vortex opened, and Uchiha Obito stepped out.
The Snow Ninja leader instinctively spun around—only to feel a crushing pull. He didn't even have time to form a single hand seal before his entire body was dragged into Kamui's dimension.
By the time the other two snow ninjas reacted, a massive figure had already flashed past them.
Crack.
The sharp sound of snapping necks rang out almost in unison. Both bodies collapsed to the ground. Shinno shook out his hands and came to stand at Obito's side.
Doto instantly retreated two steps, ripped off his outer cloak, and revealed the Chakra Armor beneath. The glider wings on its back snapped open.
"What are you doing!"
He leveled both palms at Obito.
"There's no need to be nervous." Obito lifted his hand calmly. "In the current situation, these snow ninjas are useless to you."
He pointed up at the sky.
A colossal fortress slid slowly overhead, its shadow swallowing half the valley.
"This is our power. This flying fortress is far stronger than the Snow Ninja—and far better suited to meet your needs."
"And all we want in return is a country willing to take us in."
"There's no longer any place for rogue shinobi like us in the Five Great Nations. But outside the Five Great Nations…"
Obito turned his mask toward Doto.
"We're prepared to help you usher in a new era of hegemony."
——
"Konoha expresses its gratitude to Kumogakure for yielding the mission target this time."
"Compared to our shared interests, this isn't a major issue. Besides, a monarch who seizes the throne by relying on shinobi is not someone Kumogakure wishes to shelter."
"If Princess Koyuki intends to reclaim her nation, Kumogakure is also willing to accept her mission," Samui said. "However, since Konoha has already taken the lead, I presume this matter is already within Konoha's plans."
"Konoha will not act rashly if the client lacks sufficient resolve," Roshi replied. "But if we receive the mission, Konoha is willing to carry it out together with Kumogakure."
Courtesy demanded reciprocity; Kumogakure had given Konoha a great deal of face this year. Even though Roshi knew the Land of Snow held considerable future potential, there was no need for him to monopolize it.
Besides, with the Land of Snow actually closer to the Land of Lightning by sea, trying to exploit an information advantage to hoard all related commissions would be pointless—and would only harm relations between the two villages.
There was no need for that.
Any further schemes could wait for later.
At the end of the year, there were too many matters waiting to be settled. Roshi's original plan was simple: first send an ANBU squad to scout out the current situation in the Land of Snow, then, once things quieted down, dispatch a few teams—or have Kakashi go to smooth things over. If needed, he'd even make the trip himself under the pretense of a vacation to resolve the issue.
But on New Year's Day, an unexpected report arrived.
The snow in the Land of Snow had disappeared.
Was the necklace in Koyuki Kazahana's possession a fake? When had it been switched?
Kumogakure… no. Kumogakure had no reason to pull something like that.
Which meant Doto had prepared two separate plans from the start: hiring Kumogakure while also sending someone to steal the necklace.
Had he made use of Kumogakure's intelligence network…? Before Roshi could think it through, another message followed.
The Land of Snow had deployed airships and begun moving against the neighboring island nations.
"A war, right at the start of the year…"
Roshi set the scroll down and looked out the window at the darkening sky.
"The new year doesn't seem very peaceful either."
The snow vanishing had been dismissed as a ridiculous rumor at first.
It wasn't until the first airship—its streamlined hull cutting through the clouds, a massive gondola slung beneath it that could carry a hundred people—appeared over the northern seas that everyone realized it was real.
Four airships launched at once, and in a short span, seven or eight small island nations scattered across the sea changed hands.
Among the Five Great Nations, the Land of Lightning was the first to feel a chill after the snow melted.
A country they'd always treated as insignificant, only worth visiting for its scenery and tourism, suddenly bared its fangs. A place they'd considered their own backyard had actually started a full-scale war, and given how aggressive it was acting, it was bound to threaten their own position.
So Kumogakure was the first to move against the Land of Snow. While A had someone contact Konoha to assert jurisdiction over the matter, he simultaneously sent elite squads straight into the Land of Snow.
The Land of Snow's chakra armor was decent; it could neutralize ordinary ninjutsu and genjutsu. But against Kumogakure, which specialized in taijutsu and kenjutsu, it was simply a matter of changing where and how they struck.
Yet the operation ended in failure.
Five elite squads vanished without a trace. Even on an open battlefield, that kind of result could only mean one thing: the Land of Snow was no longer just a small nation riding a wave of technological progress.
"In the name of Kumogakure, submit an intervention request to the Bureau."
A hadn't expected that the first and second cases handled by this department he'd helped Konoha establish would both end up involving him. Even so, there was no way he would ignore an agency that could help ease Kumogakure's burden.
"The reason is that the Snow Ninja's encroachment on the surrounding islands has severely threatened the safety and stability of this year's Joint Combat Exercise, which is to be held in the Land of Lightning."
"Request that the Bureau immediately form an investigation and response team to look into the situation in the Land of Snow."
"Mabui, send a letter to Konoha and inform them about the unusual movements in the Land of Snow."
"In the meantime, respond to the territorial defense requests from the nearby islands and probe the strength of those ninjas from the Land of Snow."
Kumogakure's intervention request was quickly approved—faster, in fact, than when Konoha had applied before.
The main reason was the Land of Snow's blatant territorial annexations, which had alarmed the Daimyōs of the Five Great Nations. Even Iwagakure, which normally would have preferred to sit back and watch the chaos, chose not to obstruct the process.
Almost as soon as the application went through, the joint squad led by Kakashi had already departed.
With that, the Land of Snow's outward expansion also came to a stop. After consolidating control over a dozen or so islands, the airships no longer advanced.
—
Doto was quite satisfied with the Land of Snow's conquests so far. These were feats the Kazahana clan had never achieved before.
He stood on the viewing platform of the newly built castle, looking out over the valley below, where the snow had already melted away.
"Kūjin, your plan has worked."
Orochimaru, wearing a different face, spoke with feigned humility. "The Land of Snow is far from the Five Great Nations, and the territories it's taken lie outside their core interests. The Five Great Ninja Villages don't have enough incentive to pour resources into guarding a few small islands in distant seas.
"Even for Kumogakure, which has the closest ties here, its primary interests lie on the mainland."
"It was only a matter of time before they chose to cease hostilities."
"Then, by slowly amassing strength and launching another annexation, you can move toward hegemony over the Five Great Nations."
Doto's expression was full of admiration. "For someone with your talent to become a rogue ninja… the Five Great Nations really are rotten to the core."
"Let this operation announce the existence of the Land of Snow. From now on, the land under my rule will grow wider with every passing year."
Doto gazed into the distance, smug and content.
Four airships were only the beginning. More and more aerial forces would take to the skies, and the islands would become their supply points and forward bases—
Until he ruled this world.
He lifted his wine glass, savoring the rich red liquid, and allowed himself a faint smile.
Orochimaru slowly withdrew into the shadows, leaving Doto alone with his thoughts.
"Sounds like a perfect plan, Orochimaru," Zetsu remarked as he emerged after Orochimaru left the castle.
"It only sounds like it," Orochimaru replied lazily. "Even if everything proceeds smoothly according to the current plan…"
"With continuous expansion, once the homeland is too far away, control over the outlying islands will inevitably slip. Seizing and holding are two very different things, Zetsu."
"When those islands belong to others, every step forward is a conquest. But once those tiny islands are, in theory, part of your national territory, you have to deal with constant harassment from the various ninja villages. Right now there are barely a dozen islands, and the organization's strength is still enough to keep them in hand."
"If it expands further, then even if the organization goes all out, the Land of Snow will just keep bleeding until it's forced to shrink back to its current borders."
He rarely explained this much to Zetsu.
"However, it is still necessary to push a bit farther outward—extend some areas, make the current islands truly valuable land, and leave the outer ring as a buffer zone."
"Land meant to be fought over and destroyed by both sides."
"This is nothing more than a reenactment of the past Ninja World Wars at sea, Zetsu."
"So that Lord Doto has been deceived by you, Orochimaru," Zetsu said. "How pitiful."
"Without grand enough ambitions, his desires can't be stirred up, nor can he perform properly on stage, Zetsu."
What kind of impact would a powerful armed force outside the Five Great Ninja Villages have on those villages, now that they've formed alliances… Orochimaru couldn't help but stick out his tongue, licking his lips.
How thrilling, Roshi-kun. You, who've already set change in motion—how will you move next?
Will you keep applying pressure, probing, searching for an opening, and then crush that clown in one decisive strike, just like you've done for the past two years? But out on the open sea, there's no terrain for Wood Release to truly shine.
—
"Doto actually has this level of strength. Kumogakure's elite squad failed, and even Kakashi's team was forced to retreat," Tsunade said, eyes on the intelligence report.
"A direct assault with our current forces would cost us dearly."
"And what he's shown so far is probably not his full hand."
With this sudden emergence of high-level combat power in the Land of Snow, plus the Mōryō incident last year, Roshi didn't even need to think hard to guess who was behind it.
If it was Obito, then the final target could only be the Five Great Ninja Villages.
But choosing to apply pressure from overseas, and with no recent sightings of those Black Cloaks with Red Clouds… Akatsuki isn't planning to move yet, are they?
Is Nagato still in the Land of Rain? Whatever the case, as long as Obito is still maneuvering in the shadows, it means he still holds the reins of the Eye of the Moon Plan. Dragging things out isn't necessarily a bad thing for the ninja world.
"Let's start with Koyuki Kazahana," Roshi said. "In her name, spread the word throughout the ninja world: Doto is a rebel and not the legitimate ruler of the Land of Snow, and he has now launched an unjust war."
"After that, ban all ships from entering the Land of Snow. This time, I'm sure the daimyo will be more than happy to cooperate."
--------------------------------
AN: Check out my P@treon For +100 extra chapters.
Thank You For your Support!!
[email protected]/noviceauthor777