The Land of Snow was a country without spring.
At this moment, Neji stood on a vast, frozen sea. Before him, ice floes drifted across the water, carried by the wind and snow. Everything in sight was a blanket of white the distant mainland, faintly visible on the horizon, was also pure and untouched.
Everyone aboard the ship was wrapped tightly in heavy fur coats, trembling from the cold. Even so, they couldn't stop sneezing.
Neji stood beside the girl he had rescued earlier, occasionally glancing at her.
After that older man Santayū had explained the mission to him, Neji had finally understood why the girl had felt so familiar from the moment he saw her.
She was the princess of the Land of Snow, Koyuki Kazahana the rightful heir to the throne, who had survived the coup led by Doto Kazahana ten years ago. Neji's current mission was to protect her.
Though Santayū hadn't explained everything in detail, the mere mention of the Land of Snow was enough. Neji reminded himself not to overanalyze the timeline or the differences from the original events he remembered. Some things were better left unquestioned.
"The most technologically advanced nation, even developing specialized armor to counter shinobi. Taking this place as a personal base would be an excellent move."
That thought had already begun to take root in Neji's mind. To him, this mission posed no real challenge. His only desire now was to finish the job swiftly and bring the Land of Snow under his control, harnessing its advanced technology decades ahead of the rest of the continent for his own purposes.
Beside him, Koyuki Kazahana was shivering, casting a resentful glare his way. She hadn't forgiven him for using genjutsu to bring her here. One moment she was filming, the next she had come to her senses only to find herself bound for the Land of Snow.
Because of that, any goodwill she had felt toward Neji had evaporated. She now wanted nothing to do with him. Neji didn't defend himself after all, she was a princess, raised with privilege. Her temper was expected spoiled, willful, and used to getting her way.
"Look!" someone shouted suddenly, eyes filled with uncertainty and awe.
Neji turned to look as well. Ahead of them stood a towering iceberg one that hadn't been there before. It was as if it had materialized out of nowhere, stunning everyone.
To ordinary people, it was a shock. But Neji's eyes lit up the moment he saw it.
"What a gift from the gods of cinema! This setting is perfect! Hurry, change the script! This is it this is where we film!"
The director, a portly man with gleaming eyes, shouted excitedly, urging the crew to disembark and begin filming at once.
Koyuki shot Neji another angry look and stomped off the ship. Perhaps because they hadn't yet reached the capital, she was still able to keep her composure, not showing much fear.
Neji followed close behind. As her assigned protector, he couldn't afford to stray too far especially not now.
Boom!
Just as filming began, the iceberg suddenly cracked open. In the blink of an eye, a massive ice tiger leapt forth, charging straight at Koyuki.
Its intent was clear it was after her.
Everything happened so fast that no one had time to react. Just as the tiger was about to strike, a palm came swinging in from the side.
Bang!
The beast exploded on impact, shattering into ice fragments that scattered across the snow. Neji stood calmly in front of Koyuki, eyes locked onto a man with pale lavender hair standing atop the iceberg.
"Welcome back, Princess Koyuki," said Rouga Nadare with a slight bow. Though his tone was polite, there was not a trace of respect in his eyes.
On a neighboring peak, a pink-haired woman stood with a haughty grin. "Princess Koyuki, did you bring the hexagonal crystal with you?"
The moment Koyuki laid eyes on them, her body collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably. Memories she had tried so hard to suppress now came flooding back scenes from the rebellion she wished she could forget. The wounds those memories left on her soul ran deeper than the frostbitten winds of this land.
"So, you remember us now?"
From the opposite side, a large man stepped forward, a chilling smile tugging at his lips. "Not that it matters. You won't be going any farther than this."
"They're all here," Neji said flatly, his face as emotionless as ever. He turned slightly to Santayū. "Take everyone back to the ship."
He glanced at Koyuki. She still couldn't face it. Still trying to run.
"No one can resist Doto Kazahana," Koyuki murmured, lifting her head as she reached up to unfasten the necklace around her neck.
"If he wants this… just give it to him. He can have the throne, the title, everything. As long as we don't resist, he won't hurt us."
She stared at the hexagonal crystal in her hand. The idea of handing it over took hold in her mind.
"A wise decision, Your Highness," said Fubuki Kakuyoku with a gentle smile. "As long as you cooperate, we won't have to hurt anyone."
"Yes… if we don't resist Doto Kazahana, no one has to die," Koyuki said sadly.
"But you'll still need to come with us afterward," Rouga added with a mocking smirk. "Lord Doto has missed his dear niece terribly."
"I understand," she replied quietly, and stood, preparing to walk toward them.
"Princess! You mustn't!" Santayū cried out. "That crystal was the last thing left to us by Lord Sōsetsu!"
Koyuki looked stunned that her manager knew about it but even so, she didn't stop.
"If we fight here, nothing will change. As long as we don't resist Doto Kazahana, we can survive."
"Princess Koyuki, we cannot let the Land of Snow fall into Doto Ka argh!"
Santayū suddenly screamed. His expression twisted in agony as several icy projectiles pierced his right leg. Blood poured from the wounds as he clutched his leg and fell to the ground, groaning in pain.
"Civilians should keep their mouths shut," Rouga said coldly, lowering his hand. "Don't waste your breath."
"How foolish. All you had to do was listen, and everything would've been fine."
Koyuki spoke with chilling detachment, as though none of this had anything to do with her. She held the crystal tighter and stepped forward once more.
Rouga and the others watched her approach, their expressions unreadable but clearly pleased.
Just then, a white cloak whipped in the wind. A hand reached out and blocked Koyuki's path.
Neji.
A gentle green glow flowed from his palm to Santayū, instantly sealing the wound and halting the bleeding. Then, without even turning his head, Neji said calmly:
"Who said we were going to play along?"
"You didn't forget I'm a shinobi, did you?"
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