"That's right! This is my ninja way, Uzumaki Naruto's ninja way!!"
Hearing that inner monologue from the light screen—words that had come straight from the depths of his own heart—
Naruto, who had been wallowing in sorrow after learning certain truths, finally pulled himself completely out of his slump and rekindled his fighting spirit.
Seeing that, Kiba Inuzuka, Shikamaru, Chōji, and the others—who had deliberately come over earlier to roughhouse with him and cheer him up after noticing his low mood—finally let out quiet sighs of relief.
As for Sasuke, his gaze went straight to Kakashi, who was standing outside Konoha's meeting hall. His eyes were filled with scrutiny. Clearly, he wanted to ask exactly what was going on with the Sharingan hidden beneath Kakashi's mask.
But before he could step forward and question him, the altered video currently playing on the light screen had already reached the first major climax of its opening act.
[Land of Snow. Cold winds howled across the vast, empty snowfield.
Only a single golden temple, newly completed in recent years, stood out starkly amid the endless white.
Inside the temple, the Snow Hidden Village jōnin Nadare Rōga knelt on one knee and respectfully reported, "According to the latest intelligence, it has now been confirmed that Fujikaze Yukie's true identity is Kazahana Koyuki."
"No wonder we searched without cease for ten years and only found her now. So she'd been hiding in the Land of Fire." Another figure, Fubuki Kakuyoku, also kneeling on one knee, spoke up in response.
"Dealing with a lone little girl is hardly anything difficult."
After hearing his two companions speak, Doto Fuyumaguma added in a calm tone tinged with caution, "What we do need to be wary of is Hatake Kakashi of Konoha. It seems he is currently the one in charge of protecting Kazahana Koyuki."
"Hm?"
At this, Fubuki Kakuyoku turned her head beneath her helmet and looked toward Nadare Rōga beside her. The corners of her mouth curved into a faint smile as she said teasingly, "Interesting. Perhaps this is what people call a destined showdown."
In the face of his companion's teasing, Nadare Rōga remained on one knee, silent ever since finishing his report.
At that moment, the ruler of the Land of Snow, Kazahana Doto, seated upon the throne, finally spoke. His voice, full of regal authority, slowly echoed through the hall, issuing a meaningful reflection on this decade-long search that had spanned ten years.
"Ten years of waiting. At last, the day has come when my long-cherished wish shall bear fruit. Koyuki, now let your uncle take you home."
As he spoke, Kazahana Doto handed the goblet of crimson wine in his hand to a temple attendant waiting at his side. Then, bracing himself on the armrest of his throne, he rose steadily to his feet.
At the same time, the viewpoint of the light screen lifted upward and broadened outward. The frame, once limited to the area around the throne, widened bit by bit until the entire magnificent golden temple was laid out in full view.
Golden floors shimmered beneath the light. Ornate pillars supported the vast vaulted ceiling. Every inch of the temple's decor radiated splendor, yet carried a chilling solemnity beneath that grandeur.
And at the very center of this dignified, classical hall stood an enormous statue cast entirely from gold...
No—upon closer inspection, its head was shaped like that of a bat, every feature rendered with savage sharpness, while traces of demonic skeletal structures could be clearly seen throughout its body.
Every sign pointed to the same truth: this was not a holy idol meant to symbolize divinity or receive worship. Rather, it looked more like a hideous demonic effigy that heralded disaster and destruction.
And as the entire image of this demonic statue was fully revealed on the light screen, Kazahana Doto had already walked silently beneath it. Then he turned slightly sideways, lowering his gaze once more toward the three Snow Hidden Village jōnin still kneeling below.
The next second—
Kazahana Doto's voice rang out again through the vast temple.
But this time, it was utterly different from before. The awe-inspiring majesty of his earlier tone had vanished without a trace, replaced instead by a voice twisted with lunatic madness.
"Now then, let the Emperor of the Phantom Demons bestow this divine power upon you!!"
The instant those words fell, a blinding dark-gold radiance flashed across the eyes of the Phantom Demon Emperor statue behind him. Three bolts of dark-gold lightning shot forth from its eyes and plunged directly into the bodies of the three Snow Hidden jōnin.
As this happened, it was as though some violent power had been injected into them. Beneath their skin, faint dark-gold patterns writhed and moved like living things, crawling across every part of their bodies.
And so, after an unknown length of time, once Nadare Rōga and the others had fully absorbed that divine power and raised their heads again, their appearances had changed drastically. At once, all three bent respectfully and said:
"Many thanks for your gift, my lord!"
"Go. Bring me not only the hexagonal crystal, but also the last pure bloodline of the Kazahana clan. I will melt away every last bit of snow in the Land of Snow and make Paradise Lost descend upon this planet once more!"
"Yes, my lord!!"
The moment their resounding reply ended, the three jōnin led by Nadare Rōga rose at once. Their figures traced three sharp arcs through the golden temple before vanishing swiftly beyond the great doors.
Only Kazahana Doto remained behind, alone in the hall, his crazed laughter echoing endlessly through the empty temple.
And anyone looking carefully at that moment would have noticed something strange: the shadow cast by the temple lights onto the ground looked nothing like Kazahana Doto's own tall, sturdy frame.
Its outline was twisted and grotesque, with sharp protrusions at the shoulders and limbs stretched into proportions no human should possess. It was unmistakably the shadow of a humanoid monster, crouching silently within the light and darkness, its eerie form reflecting his mad laughter in a way that was both bizarre and terrifying.]
When the mysterious statue of the Phantom Demon Emperor appeared on the light screen—and when viewers saw the three jōnin, including Nadare Rōga, undergo such a dramatic surge in power—
the audience, who had only moments ago been smiling at the relatively light, almost playful interactions between Naruto and Fujikaze Yukie, instantly lost those smiles. Their eyes turned grave, and within them rose a faint but genuine fear.
After all, anyone who saw that sinister Phantom Demon Emperor statue, along with the distorted bodies of the jōnin whose strength had exploded, could sense an unspeakable danger lurking there.
And while the people of the ninja world were still immersed in the fear provoked by that statue, behind the scenes, Xuanqing had already finished his breakfast and was leisurely brewing a pot of tea.
He had to admit—using a light screen in place of real-world action had indeed been a wise decision.
In just a little over ten minutes since this altered video had begun airing, Xuanqing had already harvested roughly one hundred thousand emotion points. Not only was it far easier than painstakingly engineering major incidents in the real world, but the returns had actually grown rather than shrunk. It was no exaggeration to call it getting rich while lying down.
Of course, relying solely on fake videos to farm emotion points was by no means a long-term solution.
Within this vast ninja world, there was never any shortage of clever people who could see through hearts—or ambitious schemers who coveted power.
Xuanqing knew very well that while many viewers might be frightened by the grotesque aura of the statue on the screen, there would inevitably be others whose greed was stirred by the promise of enhanced power, prompting them to personally head to the Land of Snow to investigate.
Therefore, if he wanted to keep his deception from being exposed, he would need to arrange matching measures in the real world immediately.
His thoughts settled.
Without hesitation, Xuanqing drained the freshly brewed tea in his cup in one gulp, then熟练地 opened the system marketplace once again, his gaze sweeping quickly across the various options.
This time, he intended to prepare a setup for the Land of Snow that perfectly matched what had appeared in the video.
He would not only cement this false performance as something undeniably real—
he would also use this step to formally begin the very first move in his grand plan to alter the ninja world.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 172)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 116)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter69)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter119)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 60
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 40
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 66
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 50
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 52
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 55
The Way the Umamusume Look at 42
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 40
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 36
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 30
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 26
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 26
My patreon : patreon.com/queen_sin