After dealing with Fubuki and Rouga Nadare, Yoruha only felt a sense of boredom.
"I thought you guys would at least put up a fight, but who knew you'd be this weak?"
He looked up at the sky, watching as Fubuki fled into the distance.
But he had no intention of chasing her.
Looking at the sky, he murmured, "Maybe Kazahana Dotou can give me some real pressure. After all, that guy should have the strength of an elite jonin."
Unknowingly, Yoruha had grown so strong that even he wasn't sure of his full capabilities.
Even now, he merely estimated his own strength as elite jonin level—based on his ninjutsu power and battle experience.
If the now-deceased Rouga Nadare and Fubuki could hear this, they would surely be enraged.
They had fought against elite jonin before. Even if they had lost, they had never been defeated this thoroughly, let alone killed outright.
Rouga Nadare had it the worst—he didn't even leave behind a corpse.
Not just a corpse—there wasn't even a speck of ash left. He had been completely vaporized.
Perhaps the only mercy was that he didn't feel any pain before he died.
Meanwhile, Fubuki's body remained impaled on the ice spikes.
In less than a minute, he had been frozen solid.
After brushing off nonexistent dust from his clothes, Yoruha turned to Kazahana Koyuki.
"Princess Koyuki, you can continue your filming now."
Kazahana Koyuki stared at him in a daze.
"You… You were this strong all along?"
After a long pause, she finally spoke.
Yoruha, however, showed no arrogance. He simply replied calmly, "I'm not strong. They were just too weak."
Kazahana Koyuki's lips twitched slightly.
She glanced at the now-frozen Fubuki and the completely vanished Rouga Nadare.
For a moment, she didn't know what to say.
But one thing was certain—Yoruha might actually be able to get her safely to the Land of Snow.
He might even be able to defeat Kazahana Dotou.
At that moment, Kazahana Koyuki completely placed her trust in Yoruha.
And the display of power Yoruha had shown also earned him the absolute trust of the film crew on the ship.
With him around, they no longer worried about their safety.
Onboard, the previously reluctant Kazahana Koyuki no longer resisted the filming process.
Instead, she devoted herself entirely to it.
As for Yoruha, he remained the same as ever—either lounging on the deck enjoying the breeze or sleeping in his cabin.
The director, reassured by Yoruha's presence, did not halt the filming schedule.
In fact, after learning of Kazahana Koyuki's true identity, the director and the upper management of the film crew realized the potential marketing appeal of having a real princess star in the movie.
On the night before they reached the Land of Snow, Kazahana Koyuki knocked on Yoruha's door.
Wrapped in a bathrobe, she entered his cabin.
Yoruha sat in a chair, uncertain why she had come to find him.
Leaning against the table, Kazahana Koyuki held a bottle of sake in her hand.
As she was about to pour Yoruha a drink, he raised a hand to stop her.
"Princess Koyuki, I'm underage. I can't drink."
Kazahana Koyuki was momentarily taken aback.
Then she chuckled softly.
"I almost forgot, Mr. Yoruha, you're only twelve years old. You're not old enough to drink yet."
In truth, Kazahana Koyuki wasn't of legal drinking age either.
But if she wanted to drink, no one could stop her.
And Yoruha certainly had no interest in doing so.
Yoruha could drink if he wanted to—who could stop him? He simply didn't like alcohol. Even in his past life, he never smoked or drank, and coming into this world hadn't changed that.
As Koyuki Kazahana sipped her drink, she casually asked, "Mr. Yoruha, you must be a genius from Konoha, right?"
Yoruha shook his head. "No."
Koyuki was stunned for a moment, then asked curiously, "Are there ninjas in Konoha even stronger than you?"
"There are plenty," Yoruha replied. "For example, the Hokage, the legendary Sannin... there are many ninjas stronger than me."
Koyuki wasn't very familiar with Konoha, but she sighed in admiration. "As expected of one of the Five Great Ninja Villages. The foundation of a major village is nothing a small ninja village can compare to."
The Land of Snow also had its own village—Yukigakure. However, the strongest ninja there was only an elite Jōnin. With the enhancement of chakra armor, they could barely reach the level of a pseudo-Kage.
This was the difference between great nations and small ones. Even the weakest of the Five Great Nations, the Land of Wind, could easily suppress a minor ninja village.
Yoruha, however, didn't feel much about this. With his system, he would be strong no matter where he was. He could even turn a small ninja village into a major one—it was just a matter of time. So Koyuki's words didn't affect him in the slightest.
"Princess Koyuki, is there something you need from me?" Yoruha asked.
Koyuki hesitated for a moment before asking, "Mr. Yoruha, are you really confident in defeating Kazahana Doto?"
Yoruha looked at her calmly and said, "I should have the ability to do so—if he is as Mr. Asama described."
Koyuki nodded and then took off the hexagonal crystal hanging around her neck, placing it in front of Yoruha. "This is what Kazahana Doto has always wanted to take from me."
Yoruha glanced at the crystal. He knew this was the key to the geothermal generator of the Land of Snow, something Doto mistakenly believed to be the great secret treasure of the Kazahana family.
Koyuki looked into Yoruha's eyes seriously. "Legend has it that this is the key to unlocking the great treasure of the Kazahana family."
She carefully observed Yoruha, wanting to see how he would react after learning this information. Would he, like Doto, try to take it for himself? Or would he remain true to his principles?
After all, it was a legendary treasure. If Yoruha desired it, no one could stop him.
But Yoruha only gave the hexagonal crystal a brief glance before replying indifferently, "A great treasure, huh? So that's what Kazahana Doto is after?"
Koyuki nodded.
"In that case, I assume Princess Koyuki will have no problem paying my commission fee," Yoruha said.
Koyuki, who had been closely watching Yoruha's reaction, froze. She stared at him in confusion. "Huh?"
She hadn't expected this response at all.
Even if Yoruha had harbored greedy thoughts and wanted to keep the treasure for himself, she wouldn't have been surprised. But instead, he was talking about his commission?
The hexagonal crystal was said to be the key to a legendary treasure, yet Yoruha showed no interest in it whatsoever.
Not only was he uninterested, but he wasn't someone who disregarded money, either.
After a long pause, Koyuki finally muttered, "Mr. Yoruha, you really are full of surprises…"
"Aren't you even a little tempted?"
"This is the accumulated wealth of the Land of Snow over many years."
Yoruha chuckled. "As you said, it's the wealth of the Land of Snow—not mine."
"As long as I receive the commission that Mr. Asama promised me, I'll be more than satisfied."
After all, when Asama first hired him, he had issued a B-rank mission. If Asama refused to pay extra, Yoruha could have simply chosen not to continue with the task.
But in reality, even if Asama hadn't increased the reward, Yoruha would have still completed the mission.
Since he had already come this far, he wasn't the type to give up halfway.
The payment for a B-rank mission was sufficient in his opinion, especially since he was executing the mission solo. After the village took its share, the rest would belong to him.
The fact that Asama later upgraded the mission to S-rank and offered a higher commission was just an unexpected bonus.
That was why Yoruha had said what he did.
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