Chapter 236: The Return Journey
The Land of Snow.
"Charge! Kill Doto Kazahana and help the Princess reclaim her throne!"
"Ice Style: Eternal Blizzard!"
Facing the standing army of the Land of Snow, over a hundred ninjas from the resistance released a massive combined ninjutsu. A localized avalanche of ice and snow swept toward the Monarch's Manor.
"Naive. Against absolute power, all resistance is futile," Doto Kazahana sneered as he watched the oncoming storm.
His subordinates simultaneously released their own Ice Style techniques to intercept the "Eternal Blizzard." Augmented by their Chakra Armor and superior numbers, the regular army made short work of the resistance's desperate attack.
"Earth Style: Crushing Stone Array!"
Just as Doto was reveling in his perceived victory, fifteen figures surrounded the Monarch's Manor. The Royal Guard wove signs in unison, forming numerous barrier seals as runes drifted through the air.
As soon as they spoke the incantation, countless jagged rocks manifested out of thin air.
Whiz! Whiz!
The stones rained down like cannonballs into Doto's ranks.
Squelch!
Numerous Snow Ninjas fell in an instant. Even with Chakra Armor, it was useless against a concentrated, high-velocity physical impact of this scale.
"Earth Style: Multi-Pillar Rain!"
Massive stone pillars descended from the sky, targeting Doto's position. This was the result of the intelligence Tonbo Tobitake had gathered.
Roar!
Faced with such a wide-range assault, Doto could no longer remain passive.
"Ice Style: Twin Black Dragon Blizzard!"
Two black dragons manifested, spiraling around Doto and shattering every incoming stone pillar. Beside him, high-ranking ninjas like Nadare Roga also began to show their true strength.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"The Royal Guard is amazing!" Genda watched the spectacle, utterly stunned.
"As expected of the Daimyo's protectors. This level of power would be a suppressive force even on a world war battlefield!" Yuuto Kido remarked.
Tonbo Tobitake nodded. "Mhm. The Taketori clan lives up to its name. This level of strength would make them elites even in Konoha."
Having lived in this world for so long, he was finally seeing the top-tier power of the Land of Fire outside of Konoha. It was indeed formidable. An attack of this magnitude could likely wipe out an average hidden village.
The intensity was also staggering. "Combined Ninjutsu" was a field Tonbo hadn't explored much personally. Though he had memories from Iwagakure ninjas and understood the synchronization keys, he was just one man; group ninjutsu required a team. It was fascinating to observe.
As for the Snow Ninjas, their techniques were indeed infused with Natural Energy. During the casting process, they drew in ambient energy to form the unique Ice Style of the Land of Snow. As Tonbo's perception grew and his research into Cursed Seals deepened, his ability to enter a meditative state allowed him to sense Natural Energy with increasing clarity.
Perhaps with more experimentation, I can develop my own Sage Arts or Sage Mode, he thought. There's still the unknown threat of Urashiki Otsutsuki to consider; I need to speed up the pace!
Tonbo had originally wanted to explore the Land of Snow further, but the thought of Urashiki was like a weight on his chest. Until that threat was neutralized, he couldn't shake the feeling that Konoha was at risk. He didn't care about himself, but his family, his wife, and his children were lines he would never allow to be crossed.
"Genjutsu: Hypnosis."
During his earlier infiltration, Tonbo had already planted seeds of Genjutsu within several Snow Ninjas. Since today was the final battle, it was time to trigger them.
"What are you doing?!"
"Die!"
"Bastard, we're on the same side!"
"Die!"
Clang! Clang!
Squelch!
A portion of the Snow Ninjas fighting the resistance suddenly turned their blades on their own comrades. In an instant, their formation collapsed into bloody chaos. The resistance was overjoyed; though they didn't understand why the enemy was self-destructing, they seized the opportunity.
"Damn you, Land of Fire! Are you not afraid of a joint trial by the other nations?! Interfering in the internal affairs of another country is a death wish!" Doto roared. He knew Yukie didn't have this kind of power; it had to be the Land of Fire's intervention.
Ten-sho Take-tori chuckled. "Don't worry. It will be over quickly. Earth Style: Resonating Abyssal Prison!"
He clenched his hand. The runic seals connected to the ground, linking the chakra of all fifteen guards.
Rumble!
The rocks previously shattered by Doto were suddenly detonated by the surging energy of the earth itself.
BOOM!
The deafening roar echoed across the battlefield. Everyone turned to look toward their monarch's position. He was gone—hidden behind a wall of explosions and dust. When the smoke cleared, there was nothing left; not even scrap meat remained, only faint traces of blood. The Chakra technology the Land of Snow took such pride in was nothing but dust against such an attack.
"Hiss! Truly not to be underestimated. That was a technique that drew upon terrestrial energy—essentially a Sage Art. I didn't expect the Royal Guard to possess such a thing," Tonbo observed.
But it was over. The Land of Snow mission was practically complete.
Several days passed. The new monarch of the Land of Snow, Koyuki Kazahana, took the throne with Sandayu as her advisor. They expressed their deepest gratitude to the Konoha team.
Koyuki even attempted to persuade Tonbo to stay in the Land of Snow by offering him a position as her consort. Faced with such a temptation, Tonbo simply inserted a memory modification to erase those specific romantic notions from her mind, leaving only a deep professional respect for Konoha's contribution.
"I'm a married man. Trying to seduce me? Dream on," Tonbo muttered. He wasn't someone who lived solely for his base instincts. Other traversers might have played along and then wiped her memory before running off, but Tonbo Tobitake considered himself a man of integrity.
That said, even a man of integrity has his schemes. He went and "captured" the scientists responsible for the Chakra Armor and other technologies. Using Genjutsu, he hollowed out their knowledge and copied all their data.
He planned to establish a "Technical Development Bureau" in the future and serve as its first director. It was best to start preparing now. The war-torn Land of Snow didn't even notice the theft.
With this data, Konoha wouldn't have to start from scratch. Additionally, he read the memories of countless fallen Snow Ninjas to acquire their Ice Style techniques. Even if they were regionally dependent, they were invaluable research materials for manipulating Natural Energy.
"Thank you for your support. I hope our cooperation continues in the future," Sandayu said, standing with Koyuki on the pier. The film crew was ready to head back.
By now, Koyuki's feelings for Tonbo had been completely neutralized. Tonbo felt there was no need to control her like Obito controlled Yagura; a simple mental adjustment was enough.
"Goodbye."
The sails unfurled, and the ship began its voyage home.
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