Chapter 108: I, Your Father, Protect What's Mine

As Sakura, Kaia, and Fu might become disillusioned if he allowed Sandayu and his men to die, Wu’s clones shielded them from most of the black ice dragon’s attack. Koyuki would also require servants and attendants, so he let the men experience the fear of death and the pain of having their limbs frozen solid before stepping in to ‘erase’ the fearsome dragon with a wave of his staff.

Seeing Wu appear, seemingly out of thin air, Doto, with a frenzied look on his face, shouted, “So, you’ve finally come, Senju Wu…!”

Without the need to form hand seals, Doto swept both of his arms with the intent to produce two more black dragons. Before he could complete the motion, however, Wu’s staff impacted his entire body, pinning him to his throne and leaving spider-web cracks in the wall behind him. He may have had the Chakra reserves of an Elite Jonin, but more than 90% of that came from his Chakra Armor’s core. His reaction speed wasn’t even at the level of a competent Chunin, so he couldn’t even perceive the extension of Wu’s staff before it pinned him to the wall.

While everyone observing the scene had expressions of awe or disbelief, Wu had his usual relaxed smile as he retracted his staff and turned to Fu, Kaia, and Sakura, saying, “This is why foundation training is so important. Ninja tools, weapons, and armor can give you an edge in battle, but they can never replace hard work and talent.”

As Doto slowly pushed himself to his feet in the background, Wu turned to Koyuki and asked, “How do you want to deal with this, Princess? If you’ve nothing in mind, I’d like to give Sakura another opportunity. Things were a little too easy for her last time, and I’m sure she’d enjoy another reward…”

While Sakura’s face turned bright red, Koyuki was ice cold as she said, “If they’re willing to kill him, I don’t mind who does it. If not, I would prefer it if you just wrapped things up as quickly as possible…”

Looking at the trio of girls, Wu’s expression softened slightly as he asked, “Well, what will you do? If you’re against killing, you can just start treating these idiots on the ground. I’ll deal with Doto.”

Though Sakura and Fu were against the idea, Kaia raised her hand and replied, “I’ll do it~!” with a little too much vigor and excitement. She had never killed anyone, but the Inuzuka Clan prepared their members for it from a young age. The prospect of a reward also caused her belly to heat up, so she eagerly stepped forward with a fierce, distinctly cat-like smile on her face.

After nodding his head in approval, Wu reached into his Storage Pouch and pulled out a chainmail vest covered in golden scales resembling a dragon’s hide. Along with his greaves and a strange headpiece that had inordinately long feathers sticking out of it, the golden vest was one of the three armaments that had existed in his Storage Pouch since he first opened it. He didn’t use the headpiece since it made his already powerful senses ‘too sharp.’ As for the golden vest…well, it simply took the fun out of fighting…

Handing the vest to Kaia, Wu explained, “This will keep you safe, but don’t overextend. Every time you receive a direct hit, you’ll forfeit a part of your reward…”

Adopting a ‘very’ serious expression, Kaia accepted the vest and pulled it over her head. To the surprise of everyone but Wu, it immediately phased through her clothes and conformed to her body, filling it with a pleasant warmth that completely nullified the surrounding chill. She also felt ‘much’ lighter than usual despite the ground cracking beneath her feet.

Without explaining the effects of the vest, Wu patted Kaia on the back, saying, “Off you go.” in a supportive tone. In response, the bushy-haired girl took off like a dog chasing a frisbee, surprising herself by how quickly she was moving. The vest hadn’t enhanced her speed or anything, but it had effectively neutralized the effects of wind pressure on her body.

Seeing Kaia fast approaching, Doto unleashed a stream of pressurized Ice Release Chakra from a tiny hole in his gauntlet. It froze everything it came into contact with, creating spiky protrusions in the process, but Kaia was able to change direction, dodge, and then leap over the stream as he tried to aim it at her. She was honestly surprised by how slow Doto’s reactions were, but she attributed it to him being wounded, not the fact he was just a weakling wearing a specialized suit of armor.

“Eat this…!” shouted Kaia as she attempted to swipe Doto with the claws of her left hand. Unfortunately, while she was able to leap over the stream of Ice Release, her attack impacted the spherical barrier that surrounded Doto’s body.

Taking advantage of the moment Kaia’s momentum was arrested, Doto aimed the pressurized stream directly at her, crazed laughter emanating from his throat. Unfortunately, as was often the case these days, things didn’t go as Doto planned. Instead of freezing Kaia on contact, the white vapor dispersed harmlessly around her, seemingly neutralized by a pale golden barrier that covered her entire body.

Though she didn’t understand what was happening, Kaia’s expression became borderline feral at the thought of losing her reward. She wasn’t able to break through Doto’s barrier, but that didn’t stop her from giving him the same treatment as Mizore, moving around him at high speeds and assailing his barrier with heavy punches and kicks. From the perspective of Doto, she seemed to disappear the moment he set eyes on her before reappearing in one of his blind spots. More worryingly, every time Kaia landed a blow against his barrier, the strain on his core would increase ever so slightly until cracks began to form on its surface.

Raising his fists over his head, Doto screamed, “Damn you…!” before slamming both of his gauntlets into the ground, generating a sizeable explosion with his artificially enhanced strength. He intended to force Kaia away, but the attack was so telegraphed that she managed to leap backward at the time of the explosion before immediately pouncing back the moment it began to subside.

Landing a heavy kick against Doto’s barrier, the serious expression on Kaia’s face turned into a full-toothed grin as her foot embedded into the hazy purple surface before fracturing it like glass.

Without any hesitation whatsoever, Kaia slipped through Doto’s legs the moment he began to raise his body, her blade-like nails cutting through the tendons of his ankles. The middle-aged man immediately buckled due to the weight of his armor, landing heavily on his knees as the merciless Inuzuka popped up behind him, whispering, “No one opposes my Aniki…” before slicing through nearly a third of his throat without flinching.

As both his carotid arteries and esophagus had been sliced through, Doto barely had time to clutch his throat before his lungs filled with blood and he lost consciousness, bleeding to death in less than fifteen seconds. As for Kaia, she took a moment to stare at the blood on her claws, an urge to lick it briefly welling up inside her before she flicked her wrist to discard it. The only bodily fluids she needed from a man came from her Aniki…

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Seeing Kaia defeat and kill Doto, Sandayu earned pointed looks from both Wu and Koyuki as he forced himself to his feet with his sword as a crutch, tears pouring down his face as he cried, “We did it, men! We finally rid our country of the tyrant, Doto! Let-”

Before Sandayu could complete his impromptu speech, Sakura flicked a senbon into his neck, causing him to collapse face-first onto the ground, eyes wide and drool leaking from his mouth. The only reason the man was even alive was because Wu had saved him, so she couldn’t help feeling a little peeved hearing him attempting to steal credit.

Fortunately, while many members of the insurgency were borderline delusional(they had to be to oppose Doto), none of them attempted to rise up in Sandayu’s place. While this was doubtlessly a victory for the Land of Snow, they understood it had little to do with them. They also knew the entire event was being recorded, so none of them wanted to embarrass themselves more than they already had.

Shifting his narrow-eyed gaze from Sandayu, Wu looked to Koyuki and asked, “How does it feel? Empty…?”

Furrowing her brows slightly, Koyuki reached up and pressed her hand to her chest, right over her necklace. She hadn’t expected to be happy or anything after witnessing Doto’s death, but after hearing Wu’s words, she ‘did’ feel a little empty. It was strange, almost like she had lost something important…

Placing his hand on the raven-haired Princess’s shoulder, Wu’s expression softened as he revealed, “This is why I talked you out of seeking revenge on Yukigakure. Unless there’s something specific you wish to accomplish in the wake of someone’s death, killing them will leave you feeling nothing but negativity or emptiness. From now on, don’t live for the death of other people. Live for yourself and the things you wish to protect…”

Adopting a faint smile, Koyuki nodded her head, replying, “You’re right. I have wasted enough tears and hatred on the past. From now on, I will do my best to shape the future I—the future we wish to see…”

Nodding his head in approval, Wu’s smile broadened as he was about to offer a few more supportive words. Before he could, his senses alerted him to an impending threat as Kaia came charging over, a golden glow emanating from her body as she shouted, “Did you see me, Aniki~!?” with an excited smile on her face.

Surprising everyone present, Wu gave Koyuki a light shove, one of his clones popping up to catch her as he adopted a ready stance with his feet spaced apart. He could have easily just evaded Kaia’s ‘attack’ by shrinking or dodging to the side, but he was too curious to see what would happen when she leaped into him while wearing the golden vest.

Believing Wu was eager to welcome her, Kaia moved even faster before leaping toward him with spread arms and a massive grin on her face. She expected him to catch her without issue, as he had always done, but the reality was quite different. Instead of standing his ground, unmoving like a mountain, Wu was pushed back, a large part of the ground shattering due to his attempts to adhere to it.

As the most prominent effect of the golden vest was its ability to ‘negate’ most forces acting upon it, Wu was unable to arrest Kaia’s momentum due to his inertia being counteracted. The vest also weighed 9,000kgs despite feeling like a feather when carried or worn, so Wu got to experience what it was like to be on the receiving end of an unstoppable force. It hurt even more than when his flesh was being melted by the Corrosion Release, but he couldn’t help laughing his ass off when Kaia started freaking out…

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With Doto defeated and the Fire Daimyo already aware of the situation, it didn’t take long for Koyuki to be officially recognized as the Daimyo of the Land of Snow. During her coronation, a delegation from Yukigakure came to pay their respects and officially pledge their loyalty. Koyuki didn’t seem too pleased by their appearance, but she accepted their pledge under the conditions that Yukigakure agrees to an alliance with Konoha and permits their oversight for no less than ten years.

Since the ‘terms’ Koyuki listed out were the ‘ultimatum’ given to Nadare and his companions upon their release, they readily accepted. A few of the higher-ranking members of Yukigakure proposed fleeing the country and relocating elsewhere, but Nadare managed to talk them out of it by convincing them that Wu’s influence spanned the Elemental Nations. The only way they could survive as Shinobi in the future was if he permitted it, so all but a few of their most die-hard members acquiesced. Those who fought ended up disappearing overnight, their vanishing attributed to the fact they had banded together to become Missing-nin…

As he had promised Koyuki that no one from Yukigakure would oppose her, Wu made sure to eradicate anyone who showed even an inkling of treacherous intent. He had a lot of plans for the Land of Snow, so there was no way he would permit a bunch of Missing-nin to wander around. He allowed those with children to flee the nation, but anyone who planned to stick around and cause trouble didn’t even know how they died. After all, while he might not be the Daimyo presiding over the Land of Snow, Koyuki had entrusted her ‘everything’ to him…

And Wu protected what was his…

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(A/N: Kaia is a feisty little thing xD…)