"Come at me, you rebels!" Asama Sandayū swung his katana forward. "I, Asama Sandayū, will drag you down with me even if I die—"
Just then, Shinjiro's voice came from behind him.
"Hey, mister, you're blocking my way."
Asama Sandayū froze and turned around. At some point, Shinjiro had already appeared beside him.
"Why are you still here?" Sandayū grew anxious. "Didn't I tell you to run?"
Shinjiro stood behind him with a helpless expression. "Mister, what you said was very touching, but I can still take care of these people."
The moment he finished speaking, he casually clapped his hands together.
"Ice Release: Ice Shackles Technique!"
The snow on the ground suddenly surged. Ten ice chains shot up from beneath the ground and precisely wrapped around the five samurai's ankles, firmly pinning them in place.
"What?"
The samurai tried to break free, but the ice shackles were incomparably hard. They could not escape at all.
Shinjiro continued using ninjutsu.
"Ice Release: Extra-Large Ice Lollipop Technique!"
Five ice lollipops, even larger than the previous ones, appeared out of thin air and shot into the five samurai's mouths before they could react.
"Mmm! Mmm..."
The samurai let out muffled cries of despair, their swords falling to the ground with a series of clatters.
Shinjiro walked forward and tapped each of them on the forehead with one finger.
Black sealing formulas rapidly spread outward, and the five samurai all toppled stiffly to the floor at the same time.
The entire process took less than ten seconds.
Asama Sandayū remained frozen in his sword-wielding stance.
The bellyful of final words he had prepared and all the tragic determination he had spent so long building shattered into ice fragments at that moment.
"Th-this..." Asama Sandayū stammered. "Who... who exactly are you?"
"I already told you. I'm Nohara Shinjiro." Shinjiro looked innocent. "Oh, right, mister. Were you serious when you said you would risk your life to protect us?"
Asama Sandayū: "..."
He was beginning to feel that he was the one who needed protection.
Kazahana Koyuki was also stunned. She had originally believed that Uncle Sandayū was the strongest samurai in the world.
Only now did she discover that this little boy called Nohara Shinjiro was a hundred times stronger than Uncle Sandayū.
"Alright, let's hurry and leave." Shinjiro gestured ahead. "I don't want to make any more ice lollipops. There's no creativity in it at all."
Asama Sandayū silently picked up his katana from the floor and followed behind them, his eyes filled with the light of someone questioning his entire life.
He had originally thought this escape would be a tragic journey with almost no chance of survival.
Instead, a brat who made lollipops out of ice had solved everything.
The three continued forward. After turning a corner, they found the entrance to the secret passage behind an artificial hill.
"This is it." Asama Sandayū stepped forward and prepared to open the entrance.
Just then, a burst of chakra suddenly came from behind them.
"Found you."
Several Snow ninja wearing silver-white chakra armor appeared at the end of the corridor.
"It's the Snow ninja unit." Asama Sandayū's expression changed drastically. Once again, he shielded Koyuki and Shinjiro behind him. "Your Highness, enter the secret passage quickly. This time, I really will have to risk my life."
The strength of Snow ninja was far beyond that of ordinary samurai. Even at his peak, he might not have been their match.
Shinjiro poked his head out from behind him. "That armor looks so cool. It looks much better than what those people from earlier were wearing."
The Snow ninja recognized the Konoha forehead protector and burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! This is Konoha's reinforcement? A brat who hasn't even grown all his hair yet?" He waved at his companions behind him. "Looks like Konoha has run out of people if they're sending a child who still plays with mud here to die."
The Snow ninja behind him laughed as well.
Shinjiro did not get angry. Instead, he corrected them very seriously.
"I don't play with mud anymore. Now I play with chocolate."
"Play with chocolate?" The Snow ninja laughed even louder. "Fine. After I cut off your head, how about I pile up a mountain of chocolate on your grave?"
"Really?" Shinjiro's eyes lit up, but he immediately shook his head. "No, no. The main body said I can't accept things from enemies unless they surrender first. So put down your sword and surrender, then you can make me a chocolate mountain."
The Snow ninja's smile froze.
He finally realized that the child in front of him was not bluffing.
There was genuinely something wrong with his brain.
"Enough. I don't have time to play house with a brat." The Snow ninja formed seals with both hands. "Ice Release: Ice Murder Technique!"
Countless icicles shot toward them from every direction, sealing off all three of their escape routes.
Asama Sandayū closed his eyes, preparing himself for death.
However, the expected pain never came.
He opened his eyes and saw an enormous ice wall standing in front of them. Every icicle had crashed against it and shattered into ice crystals that filled the air.
Shinjiro stood before the ice wall, his palms still pressed together.
"Your Ice Release is really weak." Shinjiro shook his head. "It's even worse than the main body's."
The Snow ninja's face instantly turned livid. "You're courting death."
He drew the ice blade from his back and charged at Shinjiro.
Asama Sandayū was just about to rush forward and stop him when Shinjiro's figure suddenly vanished from where he stood.
"Extra-Large Ice Lollipop Technique."
Shinjiro's voice came from behind the Snow ninja.
The Snow ninja hurriedly turned around, only to see an enormous ice lollipop rapidly growing larger before his eyes.
Bang!
The ice lollipop struck him squarely in the face.
The Snow ninja's vision went black, and he fell stiffly to the floor.
Shinjiro clapped his hands and gave the remaining four Snow ninja a "friendly" smile.
"Now it's your turn."
The four Snow ninja exchanged glances, then turned around and fled at the same time.
"Trying to run?" Shinjiro clapped his hands. "Ice Release: Ice Slide Technique!"
A smooth layer of ice instantly formed across the ground. The four Snow ninja lost their footing and fell flat on their backs at the same time.
Shinjiro walked over, stuffed an ice lollipop into each of their mouths, then tied them all up with sealing techniques.
"Done." Shinjiro clapped his hands. "Alright, now we can enter the secret passage."
Asama Sandayū looked at the Snow ninja lying on the ground, then at Shinjiro's smug face, and became completely numb.
He no longer wanted to ask any questions.
He only wanted to leave this cursed place as quickly as possible and find somewhere to calm down.
Konoha's ninja really were all monsters.
Meanwhile, on the roof of the Daimyo's residence's main hall...
Kakashi crouched beneath the eaves, watching the patrolling Snow ninja below while silently complaining to himself.
Where exactly had that guy Shin-chan run off to?
He had already been inside the Daimyo's residence for more than half an hour, yet he had not seen even a shadow of Shin-chan.
Just then, a familiar shout suddenly came from the distance.
"Ice Release: Ice Toilet Technique!"
Kakashi: "..."
He held his forehead and let out a deep sigh.
Found him.
~~~
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