After understanding Yoruha's true thoughts, Koyuki Kazahana finally felt completely at ease. The two of them chatted for a while longer before she returned to rest.
Shortly after Koyuki left, Asama Sandayu knocked on Yoruha's door.
Yoruha sighed in exasperation.
"What do these two even want?"
He already knew the person outside was Asama Sandayu.
As long as he extended his perception, he could sense everything within a ten-kilometer radius.
Asama Sandayu pushed the door open and stepped inside, taking a seat across from Yoruha.
"Mr. Yoruha, please help Princess Koyuki reclaim her kingdom."
As he spoke, Asama Sandayu suddenly knelt before Yoruha, leaving him speechless.
"Mr. Asama, this isn't part of my mission."
Yoruha helped him up before speaking.
"We are willing to cover any expenses necessary for you to assist Princess Koyuki in restoring her kingdom," Asama Sandayu said sincerely.
Yoruha frowned slightly.
"This isn't about money."
"We can offer up to ten million ryō."
Yoruha, who had been unwilling to accept, suddenly fell silent.
Originally, he had only agreed to defeat Kazahana Doto and ensure Koyuki's safety.
That was classified as an S-rank mission.
But restoring a country?
That was beyond S-rank.
Only a nation could issue such a mission—it wasn't something an individual could request.
And there was no way a single person could accomplish it alone.
At the very least, it required a Jōnin to take on missions of that level.
Of course, A-rank and above missions already required Jōnin qualifications.
But Yoruha didn't want to concern himself with such matters.
His plan was simple—defeat Kazahana Doto, complete the mission, and be done with it.
He never intended to make money through missions in the first place.
But the price Asama Sandayu was offering was just too high.
So high that Yoruha was tempted to consider it.
That was the equivalent of ten S-rank missions.
With that amount, he could live a carefree life from then on.
Though he wouldn't actually choose to be idle, the offer was undeniably tempting.
"Wouldn't defeating Kazahana Doto basically mean helping Princess Koyuki reclaim her kingdom?" Yoruha asked in confusion.
Asama Sandayu shook his head.
"The many ninja of Yukigakure support Kazahana Doto. Even if you defeat him, they will not acknowledge Princess Koyuki."
Yoruha furrowed his brows.
"So… you're asking me to wipe out Yukigakure?"
That was not something he was willing to do.
No amount of money would convince him to start a war.
Yoruha had no interest in getting entangled in such messy affairs.
Asama Sandayu quickly waved his hands.
"No, no! We're not asking you to destroy Yukigakure. After all, Yukigakure is an important military force for the Land of Snow."
"We only need you to eliminate the ninja who refuse to acknowledge Princess Koyuki."
Yoruha thought about it for a moment before replying,
"If the number of people isn't too large, I can agree. But if it's too many… I'm not the type of ninja who would do anything for money."
To put it bluntly, the ten million ryō offer had tempted him.
But if it meant annihilating an entire village, slaughtering hundreds of ninja, and killing thousands—maybe even tens of thousands—of innocent people with whom he had no personal grudges…
That was something he simply couldn't do.
Unlike Itachi, Yoruha wasn't so extreme. Besides, neither the Third Hokage, Kakashi, nor even someone like Kihon toichi would ever support him in such an act.
And truthfully, Yoruha himself had no desire to do it.
Asama Sandayu quickly reassured him, "Don't worry, the number of people won't be too many. After all, Yukigakure is extremely important to the Land of Snow—we wouldn't want it to be destroyed either."
The reason he made that clarification was because he genuinely believed that Yoruha had the power to wipe out Yukigakure.
The strength Yoruha had displayed earlier had already convinced Asama Sandayu of his abilities.
In fact, if Yoruha were truly the kind of person who would exterminate an entire village just for ten million ryō, then Sandayu would have to worry about Koyuki's safety instead.
Entrusting her life to someone ruthless and driven purely by money would be even more dangerous.
Yoruha nodded and said, "Honestly, once Kazahana Doto is defeated, even if there are some within Yukigakure who oppose Koyuki, they won't be able to do much."
After all, once Koyuki became the daimyō of the Land of Snow, she could simply cut off Yukigakure's military funding, which would be enough to plunge the village into chaos.
The main reason Kazahana Doto had been able to stage a successful coup in the first place was that he was the blood brother of Koyuki's father.
Their conflict was essentially a family dispute within the ruling Kazahana clan.
Kazahana Doto's victory carried a certain level of legitimacy, and even though some opposed him, they lacked the power to do anything about it.
This was also why Koyuki had been unwilling to return to the Land of Snow for the past ten years.
She knew that while there were people in the country who didn't support Kazahana Doto as daimyō, most of them didn't care who ruled—as long as it was someone from the Kazahana bloodline.
Asama Sandayu understood this reality as well, but he still worried about rogue ninja who might threaten Koyuki's life.
"For Princess Koyuki to successfully take the throne, I must be cautious."
Yoruha could understand his concerns.
In the end, he agreed to Asama Sandayu's request.
To him, defeating Kazahana Doto was practically the same as helping Koyuki reclaim her kingdom.
Eliminating the remaining troublemakers in Yukigakure was just a minor additional task.
After Asama Sandayu left, Yoruha's lips curled into a slight smirk.
"Ten million ryō… that's an unimaginable amount of money."
Though Yoruha wasn't obsessed with wealth, ten million ryō was more than enough to let him live comfortably for the rest of his life.
How could he not be pleased?
Just as their group was about to arrive in the Land of Snow—
Fubuki had already returned and reported the details of the battle to Kazahana Doto.
Sitting atop his throne, Kazahana Doto's expression was grim.
"So Koyuki actually hired such a powerful ninja… Are you certain that Konoha ninja wasn't Kakashi?"
Kneeling on one knee before him, Fubuki shook her head.
"Absolutely not. Kakashi isn't that terrifying."
"You're sure that brat is really just a kid?"
Kazahana Doto found it hard to believe—it was too absurd.
He had never encountered anything before.
Back then, Kakashi alone had been enough to shock him.
The gap between small ninja villages and the great nations was immense.
But now, Fubuki was telling him that a Konoha ninja, about the same age as Kakashi back then, had instantly wiped out Rouga Nadare and Mizore Fuyukuma.
The revelation left him completely stunned.
If anyone else had told him this, he would have assumed it was a trick.
But coming from Fubuki, he had no choice but to believe it.
Just recalling Yoruha's eerily calm expression sent a shiver down Fubuki's spine.
Even now, she still feared him.
Just thinking about his presence made her tremble uncontrollably.
"There's no doubt… That guy is definitely just a kid. He's no older than fifteen."
Kazahana Doto's expression darkened as he stared at Fubuki.
For a long moment, the entire room was deathly silent.
Finally, Kazahana Doto furrowed his brows and muttered,
"So Koyuki really did hire an extraordinary ninja to help her… But no matter how powerful a shinobi is, it doesn't matter. With this Chakra Armor, ninjutsu is useless against me."
Fubuki glanced up at Kazahana Doto before lowering her head again.
Her voice trembled as she spoke.
"But… he killed both Mizore and Rouga Nadare using ninjutsu."