"In short, I'll handle this matter. Just arrange for people to clean up the scene."
"O-okay!"
The guard whose shoulder Aoba was pressing did not think much about it at all. Hearing those words, he hurriedly nodded in agreement.
That was also because he had complete confidence in the other party's strength. Not to mention how he had just dealt with those three intruders in an instant with thunderous force.
Two years ago, when he brought Kazahana Koyuki back to the Land of Snow, the guard was also been present.
This big shot killed without batting an eye. At a time like this, if you did not just go along with what he said, were you supposed to ask him whether his eyes felt dry?
The guard definitely did not dare.
After instructing the guards to clean up the battlefield, Aoba did not pause for even a moment. Following the direction of his sensing, he directly bundled up the remaining Kumogakure ANBU who were waiting outside to provide support, as well as the two Grass Village ninjas who were collecting intelligence, and sealed them all into sealing scrolls.
After finishing all this, Aoba headed back.
Of course, the matter was not completely resolved. Next, it might be time to prepare for war.
And the reason for declaring war had been delivered right to his door by the Land of Grass itself.
When he returned to the Snow Country palace, Kazahana Koyuki was leaning back in her seat. Right now, she had her arms crossed over her chest, staring blankly at the ceiling, lost in thought.
Her cheeks were puffed out again and again. Perhaps she was sulking, but the way she looked like she was blowing bubbles was far too cute.
Seeing her dazed and adorable look, Aoba could not help feeling a bit emotional.
When they first met, she had clearly been cold and distant, a high and aloof girl who kept people at arm's length. Sometimes she even wore an expression like everyone else owed her money.
Yet somehow, without him realizing when, she had turned into how she was now.
Occasionally sulking a little, showing a somewhat pampered and innocent side.
Perhaps it was because she had always borne the identity of a princess on the run in the past, making her wary of everyone. That was why she had armored herself with an attitude that kept people far away.
Now that she had become the Land of Snow's daimyo and shed those burdens, her personality had slowly recovered.
At least, according to the records on the ice walls of the Land of Snow, Kazahana Koyuki had always been this somewhat lively in the past.
Looking at those puffed cheeks, Aoba could not quite resist and reached out to poke them.
"Huff!"
The air she was holding instantly leaked out. Kazahana Koyuki snapped back to her senses, and the blank look on her face turned into delight when she saw Aoba.
"Is everything settled?"
"Mm! More or less."
Aoba could not help poking her a couple more times.
Kazahana Koyuki did not mind at all. She directly wrapped her arms around his, happily saying, "Then we can go on our date now, right?"
"..."
Aoba was a bit speechless, "You're not worried at all about what those Grass Village ninjas actually came here to do?"
Kazahana Koyuki let out a "hee hee" laugh and said in a cutesy tone, "Isn't that because you've already taken care of everything, Aoba?"
"No matter what the problem is, you can definitely solve it easily, right?"
Clinging to Aoba's arm, Kazahana Koyuki tilted her head up slightly to look at him. Her sparkling eyes curved into crescent moons.
To Kazahana Koyuki, Aoba was her only pillar.
Both spiritually and physically, he was her only support.
After all, she had just been an ordinary person before. It was only during this period, with Aoba's help, that she gained enough chakra to train ninjutsu.
Not to mention leading the Land of Snow forward in this ninja world. Without Aoba's help, even becoming the queen of the Land of Snow would have been impossible.
So long ago, she had already seen her future destiny. If nothing changed, she would have hidden her identity forever and obediently been an actress for her whole life.
But in a person's lifetime, there are always a few chances to change one's fate. What the final result will be depends on whether you can seize them.
Fortunately, she seized it in time, and her future changed as a result.
Aoba was a bit scummy, but aside from being scummy, he really did not have any other flaws.
"That's true…"
Seeing Kazahana Koyuki looking up at him from that angle, Aoba could not help swallowing.
That angle really was heart stirring.
"Then that settles it. We can talk about all that stuff slowly while we're on our date."
After saying that, without giving Aoba a chance to refuse, Kazahana Koyuki directly pulled him toward the outside.
Aoba felt a bit helpless, but he still went along with her.
After all, no matter how you looked at it, this matter had involved her because of him. Kumogakure's goal was to use her to threaten him.
During the date, he also explained the entire cause of the matter to Kazahana Koyuki. But after showing a bit of surprise, she quickly immersed herself back into the joy of the date.
If time had allowed, Kazahana Koyuki would have wanted to drag him into a movie theater and relive the fun of their very first date together.
.
.
.
After the morning date ended, the two returned to the palace for lunch.
Kazahana Koyuki had already instructed the chefs to prepare everything before leaving.
So when they returned, a lavish lunch was already laid out on a large table.
Kazahana Koyuki even brought over a pot of wine.
"Still drinking alcohol?", Aoba was a bit surprised. After all, she did not usually drink much.
"Just a little. It's good for driving off the cold."
Kazahana Koyuki's gaze drifted as she poured the wine, while she changed the subject and asked, "What do you plan to do about the aftermath with the Grass Village and Kumogakure? Is there anything I can help with?"
"I have other arrangements for Kumogakure. As for the Land of Grass, I'll need you to declare war on them first in the name of the Land of Snow," Aoba did not pay much attention to her odd behavior.
"Declare war?", Kazahana Koyuki's movements paused slightly.
Aoba immediately explained further, "You can declare war on the Land of Grass on the grounds that they sent Grass Village ninjas to assassinate you. Then Konoha, as the Land of Snow's ally, will step in."
"I see. I understand," Kazahana Koyuki did not ask for reasons and did not worry about the risks. She simply nodded in agreement and handed the filled wine cup to him.
Aoba naturally took the cup and drank a sip. The warm soju slid down his throat, and he immediately felt warmth spreading in his stomach, his whole body heating up.
Only, that heat seemed to be flowing and gathering in some rather strange places.
"What kind of wine is this?"
"It seems to be some kind of medicinal wine for strengthening the body. I'm not too sure either. It was a gift from someone."
Kazahana Koyuki laughed a bit guiltily and hurriedly covered it up, "How is it? Does it taste good?"
"It's okay, I guess."
The corner of Aoba's mouth twitched. It was probably from Shizune.
In just this short moment, he had already analyzed most of the ingredients in the wine.
But he did not pay it much mind. He treated it as a bit of fun between the two of them and drank cup after cup.
Seeing Aoba drink so much yet remain as steady as a mountain, Kazahana Koyuki was also a bit surprised.
'Isn't the effect supposed to be very obvious? With this much, even if it is an elephant, it should have gotten dizzy by now.'
Just as she was about to go get another pot, Aoba grabbed her hand.
"Let's forget it. Otherwise, the one who suffers later will still be you."
"Huh?"
———
Aoba did not linger in the Land of Snow for long.
When the lunch break on Konoha's side ended, he left.
However, no one got up to see him off. He left alone.
In this cold Land of Snow, where the snow never melts all year round.
Yet today, the queen of the Land of Snow, Kazahana Koyuki, had almost melted.
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