Three days later, the capital of the Land of Snow was enveloped in a festive atmosphere.
The auspicious hour had arrived. Yukikawa Himi, clutching Kazahana Koyuki's hand, stepped onto the ceremonial platform.
Due to the large crowd, the ceremony wasn't held indoors but in a scenic snow-covered valley just outside the capital. The warmer weather in the capital didn't suit the traditional image of the Land of Snow's royal weddings.
"Miss Kazahana Koyuki, do you take Yukikawa Himi as your lawful husband, entering into this union with love, loyalty, and respect, through sickness and health, prosperity or hardship, until death do you part?"
A sharp glint flashed in Koyuki's eyes.
"I do not."
The officiant froze, whispering, "Your Highness, perhaps you're just a bit nervous..."
"I said I do not!" Koyuki's voice rang out clear and defiant. "Yukikawa Himi imprisoned the rightful Daimyō and is attempting to force a royal marriage—an act of treason punishable by death!"
An uproar broke out among the guests.
"Tch." Yukikawa Himi's eyes narrowed in fury, though he forced a strained laugh. "Ungrateful wench. You dare humiliate me in front of the court? It doesn't matter. I have more than enough ways to make you submit. This wedding will proceed."
He turned toward the stunned crowd below. "Lady Koyuki is unwell—she's still recovering from a high fever. For her sake, we'll expedite the ceremony."
Many of the officials present were clearly uneasy, but the heavy presence of Snow Ninja—loyal to Yukikawa—kept them silent. The audience, carefully selected to avoid dissent, merely watched in tense silence.
Suddenly, laughter echoed through the valley.
"Yukikawa Himi! Her Majesty has publicly declared your crimes. Why don't you surrender and accept judgment?"
"Who said that?!"
Floating into view came a masked figure clad in ornate chakra armor, long hair billowing behind them. The armor bore an intricate snowflake insignia—clearly customized, not standard-issue.
"I am the Guardian of Queen Koyuki—call me the Masked Saint!"
Yukikawa Himi blinked. That absurd name—was it a joke?
But he quickly composed himself. This person was no clown—they were here to disrupt his plan.
"So you finally reveal yourself," Yukikawa growled. "I knew that wench was seeking outside help. But I don't care who you are—no one ruins my wedding! Kill him!"
With a single hand gesture, hundreds of Snow Ninja and armed soldiers surrounded the valley. His entire private army had been mobilized.
Kimimaro—disguised beneath the mask—laughed as he floated in the air.
"You think you're the only one with an army?"
At his signal, his own forces appeared from the surrounding cliffs and trees—only a few dozen ninja and a thousand militia, but well-positioned. Asama Sandayū had done well.
"Hold them off," Kimimaro said calmly to his men. "I'll retrieve the Queen myself."
"Sir, this is a rescue, not a kidnapping," one ninja quietly corrected him.
"Haha, same difference."
In a blur, Kimimaro vanished and reappeared on the platform beside Koyuki. But just as he landed, spikes of ice erupted from the ground.
"I was waiting for you," Yukikawa sneered.
"You think a few icicles will stop me?"
Kimimaro clapped his hands together in a hand seal. "So you're a user of Ice Release, huh? Watch closely. This is what Ice Release is really capable of."
The ground shook. The ice spikes halted, then twisted, reversing direction—reforming and launching straight back at Yukikawa.
"What?!" Yukikawa's eyes widened. "He… he controlled my ice?!"
It was impossible. Yukikawa prided himself on his pseudo-Ice Release—created by chakra armor and scientific enhancements, not by true bloodline inheritance. But this intruder had not only resisted his ice—he'd seized control of it.
"He's not using artificial chakra armor. This is real… a genuine Ice Release kekkei genkai?!"
Even Koyuki was stunned. She had some intelligence on Kimimaro—mostly regarding his Shikotsumyaku bloodline and his Water Release ninjutsu. She had never heard of him using Ice Release.
Could he really possess two kekkei genkai?
Just who is he…?
Yukikawa gritted his teeth. The ice spikes didn't kill him—he had designed them and still retained some control—but the fact remained: this mysterious guardian had overpowered his technique.
But that moment of panic gave Kimimaro the opening he needed. Without hesitation, he wrapped an arm around Kazahana Koyuki's waist and leapt back, retreating from the ceremonial platform.
"Koyuki-nee-san, this way. The people from the Land of Snow shouldn't recognize me like this, right?"
Kazahana Koyuki nodded. "Of course. My loyalists won't reveal your identity. From now on, it's better for you to appear in this form when in public."
Kimimaro gently handed her over to the Snow-nin loyal to her cause. "Your mission is simple—protect Koyuki-nee-san with your lives. Leave the rest to me."
"We will protect the Queen to the death!"
The Snow-nin around her glanced at each other. The title "Queen" seemed fitting—and inspiring.
"But, sir," one of them warned, "Yukikawa Himi's men are powerful. Some of them have mastered techniques we've never seen before."
Kimimaro's voice was calm and cold. "That's nothing to worry about. I'll show you what true strength looks like."
He had previously retreated in the face of Sasori, but against these soldiers of the Land of Snow—users of artificial chakra armor and imitation Ice Release—he felt no hesitation. If he couldn't defeat them, he wouldn't deserve the fusion of Kekkei Genkai coursing through him.
No matter how strong Yukikawa Himi was, he couldn't surpass Fūjin Kazahana Dotō—the usurper Koyuki once overthrew. Dotō had wielded synthetic chakra armor and was still defeated by a mid-mission Naruto using a slightly enhanced Rasengan. Even then, Dotō had relied heavily on his armor and wasn't stronger than a typical elite jōnin.
"If Kakashi had been the main force back then, Naruto wouldn't have even needed to step in," Kimimaro thought with a brief sneer.
Yukikawa Himi's forces were many, but they had already tasted defeat at Kimimaro's hands once. Their numbers were thinned, and none could use true Ice Release—only chakra-enhanced tools mimicking it. But Kimimaro, having assimilated a genuine Ice Release bloodline, was their natural predator.
Only Yukikawa Himi himself might prove a worthy opponent—but the small fry had to be dealt with first.
"Ice Release: Dance of the Ice Blade!"
On the frozen field where enemy soldiers and Snow-nin stood, jagged ice erupted from beneath—razor-sharp spikes, sweeping arcs, and blades shot up without warning. Some exploded beneath enemy feet, others lanced up like spears.
In an instant, screams rang out as men fell. The lucky ones were merely injured; the rest bled across the white snow, painting it crimson. Some trained ninja managed to evade the onslaught, but the ordinary soldiers stood no chance.
Kimimaro had precisely controlled the attack's intensity. He didn't aim to kill everyone—live captives were far more useful than corpses.
"Round up the survivors," he ordered. "Don't kill anyone unnecessarily. We need them alive."
He then bent low and launched forward, the snow splintering underfoot.
Across the field, a massive figure was forming—Yukikawa Himi had already begun to channel chakra into a towering ice giant, nearly identical in form to the one Kimimaro had used in their last encounter.
"So he learned," Kimimaro muttered with faint amusement. "He adapts quickly."
Last time, Kimimaro had summoned a giant construct made of water to overwhelm Himi. Now, using the natural terrain and chakra-enhanced armor, Himi had formed his own giant—this time forged from ice.
"But it's just shape without substance."
Kimimaro's eyes narrowed.
He would show him the difference between mimicry and mastery.
T/N: Sorry I keep making mistakes with some names, they're all small fries with little to no importance to the plot😭
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