"Failed?"
"Haha… that Konoha ninja is stronger than expected."
Doto Kazahana stood up, a cold smirk twitching on his lips.
He headed to the base's upper level, eyes locked on the steel monster—the Chakra Armored Train, one of the most powerful ninja tools of the Land of Snow.
"It's only a minor setback. Once I seize the Kazahana clan's hidden treasure… with this power, I'll control the Five Great Nations!"
With that, Doto boarded the train. Chakra-powered rails formed beneath it, melting through the ice.
On the other side of the Snow Country, the film crew had resumed shooting.
"What in the world is that?" the old director asked, staring at the strange tracks cutting through the frozen landscape.
Ajisai rushed forward and crouched beside the rails.
"It's chakra."
"They're using chakra to melt the ice and lay the tracks. That means…"
She tensed. "Doto is coming."
Beads of cold sweat gathered on her forehead.
Naruto turned to Nadare Roga. "You recognize this?"
Nadare nodded slowly. "Partially. The engineers in Doto's base built all this."
"Alright. Doto can't return there. Go and take over the base."
"Yes, Naruto-sama."
After saluting, Nadare exchanged looks with his teammates.
Fubuki Kakuyoku hesitated but held his tongue. Orders were orders.
Mizore Fuyukuma was about to speak but suddenly sneezed.
"So cold…"
Without his chakra armor, he seemed like a different person.
"Fuyukuma, stay here. We'll get you a replacement armor."
"Yes!"
With that, Nadare and Fubuki Kakuyoku disappeared into the snow.
Princess Koyuki stepped beside Naruto, her voice low and trembling. "It's him. Doto Kazahana… he's coming."
As she spoke, the distant roar of the armored train echoed across the mountains.
The train burst from the tunnel and screeched to a halt before them.
A man clad in chakra armor stood on the roof of the lead car.
"Long time no see, Koyuki."
Her heart pounded as she instinctively stepped behind Naruto.
"Doto Kazahana…"
He gazed down, his voice eerily calm. "Ten years, huh? Come closer. Let me see your face."
Naruto stepped between them. "Stay back."
Doto's eyes shifted to the leaf headband. "A Konoha shinobi?"
"Heh. Still angry I refused your little peace offering?"
Before he could say more, tree trunks rolled down the mountain slope—Wood Release jutsu.
BOOM BOOM BOOM
But even the might of the jutsu couldn't shake the chakra-armored train.
Atop the cliffs, Snow Country rebels and samurai appeared.
"Everyone, listen!" Ajisai stepped forward, shouting with conviction.
"Princess Koyuki is with us!"
"The goddess of victory is on our side!"
"YEAAAHHH!!!"
Their rallying cries filled the frozen air.
Asama Sandayuu drew his sword.
"Doto Kazahana! You know how long we've waited for this day?!"
"For our comrades… for our late Daimyo, Lord Sosetsu Kazahana… for the betrayal you brought upon our land!"
"I'll repay it all with your blood!"
Koyuki clutched Naruto's arm, panic in her voice. "They're going to die… the train's weapon systems… Naruto, please…"
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
Doto's eyes narrowed, and a cruel smile touched his lips. "Still the same old fools."
"They need a taste of true despair."
"Charge!" Sandayuu was the first to leap down the hill.
With a hiss, the train compartments opened.
Dozens of kunai launchers unfolded from their mechanisms.
CLANK—CLANK—
"Prepare to fire!"
Snow Ninjas pulled the triggers. A barrage of kunai launched into the sky like a rain of death.
"Too many!"
"Ice Release: Wall of Ice Flow!" shouted one of the rebels.
BOOM!
A towering wall of ice shot up, shielding the group just in time.
Kunai rained down, embedding deep into the now darkened ice.
Sandayuu dropped to his knees, stunned. "It… saved us…"
The once-transparent ice wall now looked like obsidian.
Doto frowned, eyes shifting to Naruto, who was calmly forming hand seals.
"Watch out!" Koyuki cried out, still shaken.
Naruto raised his hand.
"Retreat!" Doto shouted urgently.
But Naruto's jutsu was already in motion.
Wood Release: Binding Vines Technique!
Massive vines burst from the ground, coiling around the Snow Ninjas and trapping them.
Panicked, Doto raced into the engine room. With a slash, he severed the rear cars and powered the train forward.
"This train's ours now," Naruto said.
From the black ice wall, the carved dog-shaped crest suddenly opened its mouth.
"This is a victory trophy. Sandayuu, secure it."
The stunned Sandayuu could only nod.
Naruto turned to the others.
"Let's move."
Naruto held out his hand.
Still stunned by his strength, Princess Koyuki Kazahana didn't react at all.
Without a word, Naruto picked up Doto Kazahana like a chicken and started walking toward the train's engine.
By the time they reached it, Doto had already vanished.
Naruto didn't seem surprised. He simply started the engine and drove the locomotive back himself.
The railway system here was impressive—thanks to the fusion of chakra tech and modern engineering, the tracks didn't even require winter maintenance.
It wasn't until the train connected smoothly to the rails that Koyuki finally snapped out of her daze.
"…Can I do that too?" she asked hesitantly.
"You can't," Naruto replied flatly.
"Why not?"
"You don't possess a kekkei genkai," he said. "But if you work hard enough… you can still achieve similar results using other paths."
Koyuki's eyes lit up at the idea.
But just as hope sparked in her gaze—
Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.
A sharp whistling filled the air as kunai rained down from the cliffs above.
Each kunai had a glowing blue orb tied to its handle.
The moment they struck the ground, they exploded—firing ice spikes in every direction like shrapnel.
"What craftsmanship!" Koyuki exclaimed. "With tech like this, we could become the strongest military force in the Land of Snow."
Naruto exhaled and raised a hand.
"Wood Release: Advent of a World of Trees."
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Massive trees erupted from the frozen earth.
In seconds, an entire forest bloomed in front of Naruto and Koyuki. Dozens of thick wooden limbs reached out and caught the incoming kunai mid-air, the blue chakra cores glowing faintly in their grasp.
The Snow Country's scientific ninja tools and airborne weapons were completely neutralized.
A snort echoed from the airship overhead.
Doto Kazahana, watching the battle unfold from above, turned away with a scowl.
"Retreat!" he barked.
But Naruto had already leapt into the air—Koyuki and Dosu in tow—and landed atop the airship.
Doto was sitting on a plush couch inside the control room, sipping a drink. He didn't even flinch when the doors burst open.
He had expected this.
Around him, snow-nin rushed to intercept the intruders, but one glance from Naruto was all it took—his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan spun, and within seconds, they all collapsed into unconsciousness.
Tsukuyomi.
Naruto pulled Koyuki forward and sat her opposite Doto.
Doto pretended to stay calm, but his eyes lingered on Koyuki.
"You've become even more beautiful, Koyuki," he said.
"…Do you still have the Hexagonal Crystal?" he asked, his voice softening. "It's the last thing tying the Kazahana clan together."
"And it's also the key to unlocking the clan's treasure."
Koyuki frowned. "Treasure?"
Doto's eyes closed briefly.
"When I took over from your father, the Kazahana family had nothing left."
"But once the secret treasure hidden behind the Rainbow Ice Wall is unlocked… the Land of Snow will gain the military might to rival even the Five Great Nations."
He slowly opened his eyes and turned to Naruto.
"You must be Uzumaki Naruto, the current Hokage of Konoha."
"I'm willing to uphold our prior agreements. Your mission is complete. By protocol, Konoha shinobi aren't permitted to interfere in internal political affairs."
Naruto raised a brow and turned to Koyuki.
"…Has your uncle always been this naive?"
Pfft—
Koyuki stifled a laugh, covering her mouth with her hands.
Naruto shrugged. "Up to you how you want to deal with him. Just don't disappoint me."
His Mangekyō Sharingan spun again—this time slower—and Doto collapsed to the floor without a word.
When the airship returned to the base, Nadare Roga was already waiting for them, flanked by engineers and chakra tech researchers.
"Naruto-sama, everyone is assembled."
Naruto gave a small nod, then closed his eyes.
"Kurama… can you contact Tsunade? Tell her the mission's finished. Ask her to send Orochimaru and the Second Hokage."
Kurama grumbled. "What about the payment? Or chakra exchange?"
"Why so impatient?" Naruto replied. "Go with them if you're that curious."
"Fine~" Kurama muttered, vanishing from the seal space.
Back in the real world, Naruto led Dosu and Koyuki out of the base.
"…Are you really going to help us make another movie?" Koyuki asked, blinking.
"Why not?"
"The last one… I want to finish it properly."
"Then call the crew."
By the time they reached the ice mirrors at the mountain summit, the sun was already overhead.
Its rays struck the glacial surface, scattering radiant colors across the snow.
A cascade of rainbow light bathed Koyuki and Naruto.
It felt like something out of a dream—or a final scene from a movie.
Then, something miraculous happened.
The mountain began to melt.
The lake thawed.
Snow dissolved into patches of vibrant green grass.
And from beneath it all… a new beginning was waiting.
"It's incredible!"
Everyone in the film crew widened their eyes in disbelief. The scene unfolding before them was just as miraculous—if not more—than everything they had witnessed before.
Even Naruto raised his eyebrows in surprise.
Koyuki stood frozen, just as amazed. A tiny butterfly landed gently on her hair.
"Believe in the future," she murmured, recalling Naruto's words. "Then spring will surely come."
Boom—
Suddenly, a massive projection flickered to life on the central ice mirror. It showed a younger Koyuki standing with her father, Kazahana Sosetsu, in front of the same mirror, years ago.
In that moment, she finally understood what Naruto meant by "spring will come."
"What does Koyuki want to do when spring arrives?" her father's voice asked from the projection.
"Hmm… Koyuki wants to become a real princess!" the child version of her answered with a bright smile.
"And what kind of princess?"
"Let me see… I want to be gentle, strong, and righteous!"
Staring at the projection, Koyuki whispered through trembling lips, "Did I… really say that?"
The moment her father appeared on the screen, Koyuki couldn't hold back her tears.
"Standing here now is a beautiful princess," Naruto said softly, patting her shoulder with a smile.
"The secret treasure your father left behind… it's a geothermal generator."
"With it, the Land of Snow really can become the Land of Spring."
Koyuki turned to him, tears streaming down her face, and nodded, wiping her eyes.
"Naruto… you're the strongest shinobi acknowledged by Princess Fūto."
"I'll behave~"
She hesitated for a moment, her expression suddenly becoming serious.
"But the Land of Snow is still a small nation. In the future, the advanced ninja tools we have… they'll spread. We'll lose our advantage."
"You said before that I don't have a kekkei genkai or any bloodline power... I understand. So…"
She blushed bright red, like a ripe apple.
"I hope... that you can leave your bloodline power to the Land of Snow."
Whoosh—
The air rippled, and Kurama materialized next to Naruto, looking unusually curious.
"Bloodline power? What bloodline power?"
Koyuki gasped and turned away in embarrassment.
Naruto scratched the back of his head and sighed.
"Forget that," he said quickly. "Just hand over the payment first."
"What?!" Kurama's voice boomed. "You used my chakra, and now you're trying to dodge the fee?"
Naruto looked away, whistling innocently.
"I knew it!" Kurama growled. "What bloodline power—she just wants to get it for free!"
...
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