Chapter 341: Four Years Later

"I'm fine, you all can leave now!!"

Seeing Kazahana Koyuki suddenly burst in with a group of guards, Yu immediately moved the five Devil Puppets before him into Kaio's alternate space.

Leaving the now molten lava hell residence, Yu was first met by Kazahana Koyuki's tender and affectionate gaze. Although she had become the ruler of the Land of Snow, after more than four years of interaction, it was clear to everyone around her that she still looked at Yu with admiration.

"Let's go, let's check on how Haku and Kimimaro are doing…"

After stepping out from the blazing red hell behind him, Yu's gaze met the beautiful and charming Kazahana Koyuki before him.

Over the years, Kazahana Koyuki had completely transformed from the once headstrong princess into a noble ruler, becoming even more breathtakingly beautiful. Although she was no longer the popular actress Fujikaze Yikie, she had become the queen wielding the highest power in the Land of Snow and continued to attract widespread attention.

"Hmm…"

Upon hearing Yu's words, Kazahana Koyuki gently nodded. After developing an uncontrollable affection for Yu, she had always been completely compliant with his requests.

As she gazed at Yu's increasingly chiseled features, Kazahana Koyuki found herself somewhat entranced. Over the past four years, she noticed that Yu had become a tall and handsome ninja, subtly shedding the youthful naivety of the past.

Wearing a loose-fitting black ninja outfit, his silver-white hair cascaded over his dark attire, making it stand out sharply. His amber eyes seemed to encompass an entire mysterious starry sky, set against his perfect visage.

Of course, Yu was more aware of the changes in himself over these years, which extended beyond just his appearance. His strength had undergone a revolutionary transformation.

In addition to reaching the Super Kage level of Chakra and acquiring a new Devil Puppet, he had fully mastered the powers awakened by the Devil Fruit. While his three-colored Haki had not yet completely advanced to the next stage, they had significantly strengthened compared to the past.

Especially his Observation Haki; Yu had even refined it to the point where he could glimpse brief moments of the future, touching upon a profound and enigmatic realm of divinity.

And the Sage Mode refinement had also made tremendous progress. What used to last only ten seconds in Perfect Sage Mode could now be maintained for at least an hour, greatly enhancing his combat endurance.

"This is bad!!"

"Queen-sama, Yu-sama, there are assassins from enemy nations outside!!"

While the two were conversing, they soon arrived at the main hall of Kazahana Castle. At this moment, a snow ninja rushed in, kneeling on one knee in front of Yu and Kazahana Koyuki.

"Assassins…"

"Could they be remnants of the Land of Woods' Prajna Group?!"

Hearing the news brought by the snow ninja, Kazahana Koyuki bit her lip. Although the Land of Snow had been continuously developing and growing under her rule over the years, it was not immune to the scrutiny of enemy nations.

The Prajna Group from the Land of Woods had once been a notorious assassination organization in the ninja world. Over the years, they had infiltrated Kazahana Castle in the Land of Snow more than once to attempt assassinations, but they had all been repelled by the snow ninjas led by Wolf Fang Avalanche.

"Let's go and check…"

"They're probably running into Haku and Kimimaro, who are currently training…"

Noticing Kazahana Koyuki looking somewhat anxious, Yu gently patted her shoulder. Even from within the main hall, his Observation Haki had already picked up the sounds of fighting from afar.

"Enough of this already! Water Release: Secret Jutsu – Flight of the Obliterating Water!!"

As expected, after Yu and Kazahana Koyuki exited the main hall, they saw that the ground was littered with black-clad ninjas wearing white ghost masks.

Not far off, Haku and Kimimaro were fighting against dozens of these masked ninjas. During the battle, Haku seized the opportunity to transform his hands into phantoms and quickly performed several complex hand signs.

Suddenly, countless dense water spikes appeared out of thin air in the surrounding space, flying towards the black-clad ninjas from all directions with no blind spots.

"Seems like that's just like you, Haku…"

"Even during Ninjutsu, you have to give your enemies a heads-up…"

Seeing Haku take down a large number of black-clad ninjas, Kimimaro, on the other side, coldly commented. His attacks were far more ruthless and severe compared to Haku's.

"Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Seedling Fern!!"

After piercing through one of the masked ninjas with his sharp white bone blade, Kimimaro faced the endless stream of enemies around him. Without hesitation, he unleashed his Kekkei Genkai—Shikotsumyaku.

Slamming his hands onto the ground, countless sharp bones erupted from the expansive surface in an instant, killing all the black-clad ninjas present in one go. The scene was filled with dense, eerie white bones, leaving everyone astonished.

"So… so impressive…"

"Haku and Kimimaro have both grown so much…"

As Kazahana Koyuki stared at the spectacular scene of the white bone forest, her mouth fell open in amazement. The snow ninjas who had rushed over also stopped in their tracks, shocked by the scene before them.

"After all, it's because I've personally trained them for so long…"

Hearing Kazahana Koyuki's astonishment, Yu chuckled lightly. His Observation Haki suddenly glimpsed a future event, and his amber eyes flashed with a sharp glint. "But the battle isn't over yet…"

"You two will join the graves now!!"

Sure enough, as Yu's words fell, from among the numerous bodies of black-clad ninjas pierced through in the white bone forest, one suddenly sprang up and, taking advantage of Kimimaro's hands being pressed to the ground, swung a knife at him!

"Not good…"

Unexpectedly, this Jonin-level black-clad ninja had not yet died. Seeing that the opponent was about to strike Kimimaro, Haku acted swiftly, "Ice Release: Ice Shuriken!!"

Utilizing the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai within him, Haku instantly condensed all the moisture in the surrounding air into sharp, crystalline ice shurikens. He threw them madly, turning the opponent into a pincushion.

"Your movements are too slow, kid!!"

However, with a grim voice coming from behind Haku, the black-clad ghost-mask ninja he had killed with ice shurikens turned into a puff of white smoke and vanished!

It turned out… to be a Shadow Clone!!

Indeed, opponents of Jonin level should not be underestimated. Haku hadn't expected that even in such a dire situation, the enemy could still use Shadow Clone. In his shock, he didn't have time to turn around and defend.

"Hmph, you're the one who's too slow!!"

Just as the long sword in the black-clad ghost-mask ninja's hand was about to stab Haku, a low, cold grunt suddenly came from behind him.

Unbeknownst to him, Kimimaro had already emerged from a huge white bone spike behind Haku. With a spiral-shaped white bone spear in hand, The spear pierced directly through the opponent's heart!

The change happened so quickly that the last black-clad ghost-mask Jonin couldn't believe his eyes even in death. He fell to the ground, kicking up dust, and the scene suddenly fell into silence

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