The Snow Ninja who was releasing the Ninja Techniques had long ice-blue hair; it was Roga Nadare, the henchman of Kazahana Doto.
When he saw the strange dark shadow extending from the white giant whale he had created, he realized something was wrong. Without the slightest hesitation, he turned to run.
His intuition told him that if he stayed, he would certainly die.
In fact, his intuition was spot on. Just as he turned and took barely a few steps, the black Shadow Blade silently pierced through the back of his head.
Roga Nadare's consciousness plunged into darkness. He staggered a few more steps forward before collapsing to the ground, twitching twice, and finally lay there motionless, having lost his breath.
The battle ended without any suspense.
For Hakushi, this was merely a battle that couldn't even be considered a warm-up.
The hard Chakra Armor posed no threat in front of the Shadow Blade of the Shadow Dancer.
To Sandayu and Kazahana Koyuki, it might not have seemed that way.
Roga Nadare, the second strongest Snow Ninja in the Land of Snow, with power second only to Kazahana Doto, had always been preeminent among the Snow Ninjas.
Such a powerful figure died calmly before their eyes, to a degree that it felt somewhat unreal.
"Let's go."
Hakushi still spoke those two light words, yet to Koyuki's ears, it felt peculiar.
She seemed to have underestimated this 'father figure' a bit, but it truly gave her a sense of dependable security.
"Truly incredible... Ninjas, they are truly unbelievable beings."
Sandayu also marveled, adjusting the glasses on his nose bridge, and gained a more direct understanding of the existence of Ninjas.
If there were such powerful ninjas protecting the Land of Snow, not everything they brought would be bad.
However, the identity of the other party could not be disclosed, nor could it be leaked, which was Sandayu's greatest regret.
But nothing in the world is perfect.
Many times, to obtain one thing, you have to give up another.
What future Hakushi would bring to the Land of Snow, even Sandayu couldn't predict.
All he could do was follow his new lord, with unwavering loyalty until death.
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"So much time has passed and they can't even deal with a bunch of rats?"
Kazahana Doto was awakened from his sleep, unable to rest peacefully due to the noisy sounds of battle outside, occasionally accompanied by violent explosions.
Feeling in a foul mood, he got out of bed and put on the specially made Chakra Armor next to him. Black as the main color, the joints of the armor were painted blue. Worn on his tall and imposing body, it gave off an aura of oppression without anger.
He then picked up a black coat hanging next to him, draped it over himself, and pushed open the door to walk into the hallway outside.
Originally, he wanted the guard at the door to call Roga Nadare over and question him as to why, after so much time, the little mice that intruded into the castle were still causing trouble, disturbing his rest.
However, to his surprise, the hallway was void of any Snow Ninja, so quiet that he could only hear the sound of his own breathing.
What's going on?
Where has everyone gone?
But for the sounds of fierce battle outside, he would have thought everyone in the castle was already dead, leaving him as the sole survivor.
"It seems the strength of the intruder is not simple; I shall see which fool dares to cause trouble in my castle."
Kazahana Doto sneered coldly.
Recently, he had been dealing with voices opposing him within the Land of Snow. After a series of purges, the voices against him had dwindled, and soon he would have complete control over the country.
The intruders who broke into the castle tonight were most likely dissatisfied rebels trying one last desperate attempt.
So foolish, to think they could bring him down with such a method?
These rebels' understanding of ninja power was too narrow and one-sided.
He wanted these people to understand one thing: that he, Kazahana Doto, was the sole ruler of the Land of Snow.
Walking down the corridor toward the exit of the palace, he had grown tired of the noisy sounds.
Solve the rebels quickly and have a good night's sleep. That was Kazahana Doto's only thought at this moment.
He strolled along the corridor, a thin, elongated black shadow silently emerged from the shadow of a corner and pursued Kazahana Doto's back.
As the distance with Kazahana Doto shortened, the speed of the shadow increased, forming a physical Shadow Blade emerging from the ground.
Suddenly, Kazahana Doto spun and leapt back, crossing his arms clad in Chakra Armor in front of him to block.
The Shadow Blade swept past Kazahana Doto's front.
Kazahana Doto felt a pain in his arms and was surprised to see a neat, thin cut appear on the Chakra Armor covering his arms, blood seeping from the cut.
His mind tensed, having never anticipated that he could get wounded and bleed while wearing Chakra Armor.
What was that just now, a shadow? Kazahana Doto frowned, instinctively looking towards the shadowy corner of the three-forked intersection he just passed.
Four people silently walked out.
The shadow retreated back into Hakushi's body.
"Kazahana Doto, for murdering Princess Sosetsu and usurping the throne, your end has come. Surrender peacefully and perhaps you might yet live."
Sandayu pronounced the crimes of Kazahana Doto with righteous conviction, accusing him of killing his brother and usurping the title of Daimyo of the Land of Snow.