"Where did this brat come from?"
The leading samurai raised his sword and slashed at Shin-chan.
Shin-chan casually clapped his hands together.
"Ice Release: Ice Sheath Technique."
A thick layer of ice instantly wrapped around the blade of the samurai's sword, turning the originally sharp weapon into a heavy ice club.
The samurai swung it with all his strength, only to discover that he couldn't slash with it at all. Instead, the weight of the ice nearly pulled him off balance.
"What the hell is this...?"
Halfway through speaking, the samurai suddenly felt something blocking his mouth.
He looked down and saw an enormous ice lollipop stuffed between his lips, freezing his teeth numb.
He tried to pull it out, only to discover that the ice lollipop had already frozen to his lips.
"Mmm... Mmm..."
Before his companions could understand what had happened, ice lollipops appeared in their mouths at the same instant.
Then black sealing formulas spread upward from beneath their feet. All of them lost their balance at once and fell neatly to the floor.
The storage room became quiet again.
Shin-chan walked over to the cabinet and pulled open the door.
Kazahana Koyuki stared blankly at him, undried tear tracks still visible on her face.
"What? It's just a little kid." Shin-chan scratched his head. "I thought it was the Daimyo."
Koyuki remained frozen for quite a while.
This boy, who looked about the same age as her, had just called her a little kid?
"W-who are you?"
"I'm Nohara Shinnosuke." Shin-chan placed both hands on his hips. "A ninja from Konoha."
Koyuki's eyes widened slightly. She looked at the samurai lying on the floor, hesitated for a few seconds, then slowly crawled out of the cabinet.
Her legs were still weak, and she swayed after standing up.
Shin-chan reached out to steady her. "Do you know where the Daimyo is?"
Koyuki nodded and pointed with a trembling finger. "O-over by the main hall."
Shin-chan nodded, then formed a hand seal.
With a bang, white smoke rose.
A shadow clone identical to Shin-chan appeared beside him.
"This is Nohara Shinjiro." Shin-chan pointed at the shadow clone. "He'll protect you."
Nohara Shinjiro smiled at Kazahana Koyuki. "Do you have any chocolate here? Strawberry milk would work too."
Kazahana Koyuki: "..."
All the fear and sadness she had accumulated suddenly seemed to get stuck at that moment.
Shin-chan patted the shadow clone's shoulder. "Protect her properly. When I come back, I'll take you both out for ice cream."
"Roger." Nohara Shinjiro gave a strange, sloppy salute.
Then, with a whoosh, Shin-chan vanished from where he stood.
Kazahana Koyuki stared at the empty ground, her mind completely shutting down for three full seconds.
Shinjiro had already crouched down and was poking the head of the samurai with the largest ice lollipop stuffed in his mouth. Each time he poked him, the man let out a muffled "Mmm."
"As expected, there's no chocolate flavor." Shinjiro shook his head in disappointment. "The main body's Ice Release has no creativity at all."
He stood up and complained to Koyuki, "Seriously, whenever something fun happens, the main body runs off by himself. He didn't even share a single chocolate stick with me."
Koyuki opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but discovered that she had absolutely no idea how to respond.
This identical-looking clone was complaining about the unfair distribution of snacks?
Just then, footsteps sounded in the corridor again.
Kazahana Koyuki's expression instantly changed. She reflexively stepped backward until her back pressed against the cabinet.
Shinjiro stepped in front of Kazahana Koyuki, raising both hands and preparing to release ninjutsu at any moment.
The storage-room door opened again, and a middle-aged man wearing black samurai clothing rushed inside.
"Your Highness!"
When Asama Sandayū saw the fallen samurai on the floor, his pupils suddenly contracted. He immediately held his katana horizontally before his chest.
"Who are you?" Shinjiro shielded Koyuki behind him. "You're holding a sword, so you don't look like a good person."
"I am Asama Sandayū, a retainer of the Daimyo." Sandayū slowly lowered his katana. "I came to rescue Her Highness."
Kazahana Koyuki's eyes reddened as well. "Sandayū, what happened to Father?"
"The main hall has already been taken over by Kazahana Dotō. His Lordship... His Lordship has been captured."
Koyuki's face instantly turned deathly pale. Tears rolled down her cheeks like pearls from a broken string.
Shinjiro stood nearby and, for once, did not interrupt. Instead, he took half a step back and gave them space by the doorway.
Only after a long while did Asama Sandayū ask, "And this person is...?"
"He is a ninja from Konoha, Lord Shinjiro." Kazahana Koyuki messily wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "He came to rescue Father."
"Konoha?" Asama Sandayū's voice was filled with disbelief.
No matter how he tried, he could not connect the words "Konoha ninja" with the child standing before him, who looked about the same age as Koyuki.
But the samurai lying on the floor clearly told him that this child was no ordinary person.
He bowed deeply to Shinjiro. "Thank you for saving Her Highness."
"Do you have ice cream here? The main body said he'd take us to eat ice cream when he returns, but I think he'll definitely sneakily eat half of it first."
"..." Asama Sandayū faltered for a moment. "We must leave this place immediately. I know of a secret passage leading outside the city."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Shinjiro clapped his hands. "Let's go. I'm best at walking through secret passages."
"Really?"
"No," Shinjiro said frankly. "I even get lost on normal roads."
Asama Sandayū: "..."
He suddenly felt a little worried about their upcoming escape.
The three of them cautiously left the storage room and quickly moved along a secluded corridor.
Several times, they slipped past patrolling samurai with barely any distance between them. Each time, Kazahana Koyuki felt as if her heart was about to leap from her throat.
But Shinjiro remained relaxed the entire time. He even had the leisure to press his hands against the walls along the way.
"What are you doing?" Kazahana Koyuki asked quietly.
"Leaving Flying Thunder God formulas. This way, even if we run into trouble, the main body can fly back at any time."
Although Kazahana Koyuki did not fully understand, those words somehow made her feel a little more at ease.
Just as they were about to reach the entrance to the secret passage, orderly footsteps suddenly came from ahead.
"This is bad!" Asama Sandayū's expression changed. "It's Kazahana Dotō's personal guard."
He tightened his grip on his katana, his eyes becoming incomparably determined.
"Your Highness, take this young ninja and run that way. The entrance to the secret passage is just around the corner."
"But Sandayū..." Koyuki's eyes reddened.
"I'll hold them back here." Asama Sandayū's expression was resolute. "His Lordship entrusted you to me. Even if I must sacrifice my life, I will ensure your safety."
Five fully armed samurai came around the corner.
"It's Asama Sandayū! Kill him!"
Asama Sandayū took a deep breath and prepared to face this battle from which he knew he would not return.
He knew he was no match for five men.
But he had to delay them long enough for Her Highness to escape.