"I-I-I'm fine..."
"Thank you so much."
Koyuki Kazahana took the hand Yuzuru offered her and got to her feet, still visibly shaken.
A moment ago, she had truly thought she was dead.
Only then did her manager, Asama, come rushing over in a panic.
He first bowed apologetically to the crowd, then said in a steady voice, "We sincerely apologize. Due to this sudden incident, and for the safety of Ms. Yukie and everyone present, today's signing event will end here."
"We'll review our schedule afterward and see whether we can arrange another one."
"If there are any updates, we'll inform everyone immediately."
"We're deeply sorry for the scare."
After hearing Asama's announcement, the crowd expressed their understanding and quickly left the screening hall.
A rare chance to meet a star was nice and all, but their lives mattered more.
Who knew if there was another attacker hidden in the crowd?
Once everyone had left, Asama walked up to Yuzuru and gave him a deep bow.
"Thank you very much, sir. We're willing to offer you some money as compensation."
Yuzuru waved his hand and declined. "No need. I'm not short on money. My wife is a fan of Yukie Fujikaze."
At that moment, Hanare stepped forward as well, still pale from fright. "That really scared me just now. If Miss Yukie Fujikaze had been killed here, I would've felt guilty for the rest of my life."
Hearing that, both Koyuki and Asama looked puzzled.
Even if she really had been assassinated, saying you'd feel guilty for life seemed a bit much.
Wasn't that laying it on a little too thick?
Sensing the shift in their mood, Hanare quickly explained, "Right, I forgot to introduce myself."
"My name is Hanare, and this is my husband, Uchiha Yuzuru."
At first, when they heard Hanare's name, Koyuki and Asama were only mildly surprised.
After all, they were in the same industry, and before coming to Konoha, they had looked into some of the more famous entertainers there.
They knew a little about Hanare, the rising singer who had recently gained a lot of fame.
But the moment they heard the name Uchiha Yuzuru, both of them froze on the spot.
Uchiha Yuzuru?
The Uchiha Yuzuru?
The one who had practically unified the entire ninja world and stood unmatched under heaven?
Seeing the shock on their faces, Yuzuru dispelled his Transformation Jutsu and said flatly, "I'll investigate this attack thoroughly. I will make sure justice is done for you."
At this point, who in the world didn't know that he intended to become the one calling the shots for the entire ninja world?
And yet someone had actually dared to carry out a terrorist attack right under his nose.
If he didn't uproot the forces behind this down to the last root, then who knew how many others would grow even bolder in the future?
Once they confirmed his identity, Koyuki and Asama immediately dropped to their knees.
"Greetings, Lord Yuzuru!"
Though Koyuki Kazahana and Asama were famous, they were nothing in front of Yuzuru.
A single word from him could make everything they had vanish like smoke.
Someone like that was absolutely not to be offended.
Hanare quickly helped Koyuki to her feet and said gently, "Yuzuru only came here with me this time. Just think of him as an ordinary person."
Koyuki snuck a glance at Yuzuru and couldn't help muttering inwardly.
'Think of Uchiha Yuzuru as an ordinary person?'
'Yeah, no. I don't have that kind of courage.'
Still, seeing how approachable Hanare was, Koyuki could only smile along and say, "Sister Hanare is truly blessed. Lord Yuzuru is so handsome that even in the entertainment industry, hardly anyone could compare to him."
"By the way, I'll sign an autograph for you right now."
Koyuki picked up a pen, signed her name on one of her photos, and handed it to Hanare.
"Sister, would you like to take a picture too?"
Hanare nodded. "Sure."
Asama immediately took out a camera and snapped a photo for them, saying excitedly, "I'll personally deliver the photo to you another day."
"Alright, then we'll be going first."
After Yuzuru's identity was exposed, Koyuki and Asama had unconsciously become much more fawning.
Hanare found it a little uncomfortable to stay any longer, so she simply left with him.
As for Yuzuru, he directly transferred the burly man—who had already been dragged into a genjutsu world—into the Kamui dimension.
Though he already had a rough guess about the man's identity, it still needed to be confirmed.
After the two of them left, Koyuki and Asama let out a long breath.
Standing in front of someone as important as Yuzuru had put far too much pressure on them.
Koyuki gulped down some water before finally feeling a little better.
Fear flickered in her eyes as she muttered, "It has to be him. He must be the one who sent someone to kill me!"
"I've already run this far away, so why still won't he let me go?!"
Hearing her mutter to herself, Asama couldn't help sighing.
"Princess Koyuki, as long as you're alive in this world, that traitor will never be able to rest easy."
"Especially since you still carry the key to the Treasure of the Land of Snow."
"Perhaps..."
"No!" Koyuki suddenly clutched the hexagonal crystal pendant at her chest and said firmly, "This is a keepsake my father left me. No matter what, I will never hand it over."
"At worst, we just won't show ourselves in public anymore."
Asama frowned and thought for a while. Then suddenly, a spark of inspiration flashed through his mind.
"Princess Koyuki, I have an idea!"
Koyuki looked at him in confusion. "What idea?"
"We can ask Lord Yuzuru for help!"
Asama's eyes grew brighter and brighter as he said excitedly, "Didn't Lord Yuzuru say it himself? That he'd give us an explanation."
"As long as we ask him, he'll definitely be able to kill that traitor!"
"In the entire ninja world, only Lord Yuzuru can do something like that."
Hearing that, a bitter smile appeared on Koyuki's face. "Asama, have you lost your mind?"
"What makes you think a ninja as noble and exalted as Lord Yuzuru would help us with something like this?"
But Asama shook his head. "How will we know unless we try? Isn't Lady Hanare your fan?"
"With that connection there, maybe Lord Yuzuru really will help."
After hearing Asama's reasoning, Koyuki couldn't help feeling tempted.
Ever since her father had been killed, she had lived as a fugitive, constantly on the run, hiding from place to place, and for over ten years, she had never once returned to the Land of Snow.
Now that she finally had a chance to avenge her father, how could she possibly remain unmoved?
After thinking for a while, Koyuki finally nodded.
"Then we'll do as you said. We'll go ask Lord Yuzuru for help!"