The palace stood shrouded in pitch-black silence, vast and empty. As Neji and the others stepped inside, a row of torches suddenly ignited in perfect unison, casting flickering light deep into the interior corridor.
"It seems he already knows we're here," Koyuki Kazahana murmured.
"We never planned on hiding it from him anyway," Neji replied, continuing forward without pause.
Soon, they reached the heart of the palace. Waiting there, as expected, was Kazahana Doto. And yet, even faced with their combined arrival, he didn't show a trace of panic.
"Hmph! So you actually dared to betray me," Doto growled, not even sparing a glance at Neji's group. Instead, his fury was directed solely at Rouga, Setsuna, and Nadare.
In the past, a single scolding from Doto would have left the trio trembling. Backed by the latest chakra armor and wielding the icy powers of the Land of Snow, Doto's strength had already surpassed that of most elite jonin.
But now, Rouga and the others simply glanced at Neji and chose to ignore Doto without hesitation.
Elite jonin? So what?
"What...?" Doto's eyes widened. The sight of them brushing off his authority ignited a blazing fury within him. So they dared to disregard him now? It seemed his long silence had led them to doubt his power.
"Very well. If that's how it is, I'll just kill you all and take the treasure for myself!"
With a flurry of hand seals, a whirling gust twisted around Doto's arm and erupted into a black dragon that coiled forward, lunging toward them.
"Ice Style: Black Dragon Blizzard!"
The shadowy dragon howled, transforming into a violent whirlwind that flung them high into the air, only to slam them back down with crushing force.
Before they could recover, Doto unleashed a second barrage of seals. This time, twin black dragons spiraled into the sky, weaving together before crashing down upon Neji's team mid-fall, blasting them once again into the air.
Boom!
They smashed into the ground, their robes torn and bloodied, their bodies bruised and battered. None of them had the strength to stand.
"Hahaha! I am the rightful ruler of this land! The treasure, the power, the wealth everything belongs to me!" Doto howled with manic laughter.
"No... I won't let you," Neji rasped, struggling to his feet. With trembling hands, he pulled a kunai from his sleeve and launched himself toward Doto.
"Hmph." With two fingers, Doto caught the blade and sneered. "Weaklings like you should learn to obey."
A kunai appeared in his other hand. In a swift, merciless motion, he slashed Neji's throat. Blood spilled as Neji collapsed, choking, into a growing pool of red.
"No! Neji!!" Koyuki's scream echoed through the hall, raw with anguish, tears streaming down her face.
"Hahaha! Do you see now? This is the price of defying ugh…"
Doto's victory cry choked off mid-sentence. His hands flew to his throat, eyes wide in confusion and pain.
Before him, the scene shifted.
Neji and the others stood perfectly unharmed.
His own hands stained with blood held a kunai slick with crimson. His neck had been sliced open. Blood poured down his chest.
Everything he'd seen… had been an illusion.
"Why...? How...?" Doto gasped, eyes full of disbelief.
"Heh. Has no one told you?" Neji stepped forward, smiling coldly. "The genin of the Hidden Leaf are the most dangerous force in the ninja world."
And with a final palm strike, Neji ended him.
Doto had gambled everything on his second-rate armor, thinking it could withstand the power of the Byakugan's genjutsu. He had fatally underestimated his enemy.
With Doto's death, the ten-year-long farce of rebellion in the Land of Snow came to a close. Backed by the support of the people, Koyuki quickly took her rightful place as daimyo, her rule accepted by all.
But...
"You're leaving? Neji, are you really leaving?"
In the palace garden, Koyuki stared at Neji, shock written all over her face. Her eyes shimmered with a tender sorrow, as if his departure was something she could never have anticipated.
"The mission is complete. Of course I'm leaving," Neji said, puzzled. He had no idea why she would think otherwise.
"How heartless... Neji, did you forget how we shared our feelings not long ago?" Koyuki bit her lip, eyes full of hurt.
"What?! Feelings?!" Neji's eyes widened. He stared at her, stunned.
Seeing Koyuki's trembling expression, he suddenly had the strange sense that he was being framed as if he were the embodiment of some disloyal husband abandoning his wife for a new lover.
Koyuki quickly turned away, hiding her face with her wide sleeves. Inside them, she discreetly applied a few drops of eye drops. When she turned back, her eyes were misty with tears.
"You really are cruel," she said, her voice quivering. "You caressed the hair of a princess no, a daimyo in front of everyone, comforted my fragile heart… wasn't that love?"
"I... what the-!?" Neji froze. "No, no, no, you're exaggerating. Definitely exaggerating!"
"Neji, stay here in the Land of Snow. You'll be the next daimyo. Endless wealth. Technology decades ahead of the rest of the continent. Isn't that better than risking your life as a ninja?"
Her voice grew softer, more alluring. She gently took his hand in hers, her tone laced with affection. "Stay… won't you?"
'System Message: Host has held hands with Koyuki Kazahana. Reward obtained: [Chakra Armor].'
Chakra Armor: Special armor developed in the Land of Snow. Greatly enhances chakra output and jutsu power. Capable of defending against all ninjutsu and genjutsu within tolerable limits.
"Store it in the system space," Neji said silently.
Truthfully, if Neji hadn't known what the future held, he might've seriously considered bringing Hinata and the others here to live a peaceful life. But that wasn't possible. The Great Ninja War. The Infinite Tsukuyomi. No one would be spared.
After a drawn-out and wildly exaggerated farewell along with a few promises that he'd definitely return someday Neji finally managed to escape the Land of Snow.
"Another trip… another wife." Neji muttered under his breath.
The Land of Snow was far from the mainland. In order to return quickly, Neji activated his intangible form, traversing space itself to reach the Land of Fire as fast as possible.
But things rarely go as planned.
While passing through a realm of mist and waterfalls, something unexpected happened. Just as Neji phased through the space, an anomaly appeared.
"What... is that?"
In the void of an unfamiliar dimension, Neji narrowed his eyes at the dark shape drifting before him.
It wasn't merely a shadow it was something far stranger.
Its form was formless, shifting, twisted neither human nor beast. It writhed like smoke, defying all logic or permanence, and yet radiated a sense of ominous malevolence. If one had to describe it, it was like a soul a dark, violent, blood-soaked soul.
Without a doubt, its very presence felt like a harbinger of catastrophe.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————
Didn't expect you to stick around guess miracles do happen. If you're feeling generous, drop a review and chuck a power stone my way. Motivation doesn't grow on trees! Hungry for more?
The story's already racing ahead on Patreon!
P@treon.com/_tey
Change @ to a.