Chapter 233: The Snow-Nin

 

Shikun, Saiji, and Riku stared at Tonbo.

Ice-aligned natural energy, chakra amplifiers, armor that strengthened ninjutsu—Snow Country suddenly sounded far beyond the mission they imagined.

"Do not panic," Tonbo said. "Snow is a small nation with very little arable land. It cannot feed a shinobi force comparable to Konoha's."

The three released the same breath.

"Dotō probably commands about five hundred Snow-nin. That estimate comes from the geography and the food Snow purchases overseas, so it should be close."

Their eyelids twitched.

Five hundred was not reassuring. Even a single three-person squad could kill them if it held the right advantage, while Fire Country had brought only fifteen Imperial Guards.

The number represented an entire hidden village rather than one field formation, but that distinction gave little comfort. Snow could rotate patrols, defend rail lines, and concentrate selected units around Dotō. Tonbo's team would operate far from Konoha, in weather that strengthened the enemy and punished every injured outsider.

"Does the resistance have the same number?" Saiji asked cautiously.

"About one hundred shinobi, plus many strong civilians. With them, the Imperial Guard, and us, the operation is manageable."

The resistance could not simply be counted as another loyal battalion. Its members were dispersed, some lived under false identities, and others had spent years avoiding Dotō's intelligence service. Gathering them would expose them. Until Koyuki reached their leaders and proved that the promised restoration was real, their hundred names were potential strength rather than a force Tonbo could command.

Riku gave him a wounded look. "Captain, could you give us all the intelligence before reassuring us next time?"

Tonbo smiled. Their anxiety would keep them attentive.

A warning horn sounded from the bow.

"Iceberg ahead!"

Actors and crew abandoned their places and crowded forward. A vast iceberg rose from the sea, blue-white and towering, more like an island than a drifting mass.

No chart placed ice of that size along the current. Its cliffs offered hundreds of concealed positions, while the far side remained invisible from the deck. A ship approaching for scenery would enter weapon range before it learned whether anything waited behind the ridge.

The director's eyes lit up. "Perfect. It is exactly what the scene needs. Take us closer."

"Wait," Tonbo said. "We scout first."

The director accepted the delay. A genuine iceberg was valuable; surviving long enough to film it was more valuable, and he had Konoha shinobi available to inspect the route.

Koyuki moved behind Tonbo as the frozen island filled her view. She said nothing about the memory it stirred. Her attention remained fixed on his back.

"Shikun, Saiji, Riku—reconnaissance."

"Yes, Captain."

As the ship approached, the three leaped over the rail and ran across the water. Crew members exclaimed at the sight.

"They can stand on the sea!"

"If we filmed that, it would look better than any special effect."

"Too bad they are escorts rather than actors."

The director heard them and immediately ordered the cameraman to record. A real shinobi crossing open water was rare footage, and the production could use it without paying for effects.

Tonbo extended his perception past the ship. He was already certain Snow's people had reached the iceberg.

Dotō's agents had probably known Koyuki's location for years. They could not attack her openly inside Fire Country, especially if the same officials who planned this mission had shielded her from their search. Now she had entered Snow's waters. Their restraint no longer served any purpose.

Riku landed on the ice and bit his thumb.

"Summoning Jutsu: Emperor Penguins."

Smoke burst around him. Five penguins appeared, shook themselves, and waited for orders.

"Patrol the island. Find anyone hiding here."

The summons cried in acknowledgment, dropped to their bellies, and shot across the ice. Shikun and Saiji separated to search the ridges while Riku followed the penguins' widening pattern.

Shikun kept a windmill shuriken ready behind his shoulder. Saiji gathered chakra around his hands and feet, preparing Cat Spirit Possession without committing its full form. Riku tracked the summons through their contract while watching the ice directly ahead. They had trained together long enough to spread without breaking mutual support.

Ice shuriken fell from above.

All three moved at once. The first weapons shattered against the ground and released chakra. Pillars erupted from the frozen surface, growing into a dense forest that divided the Konoha team.

Their vigilance saved them from the center of the attack, but one blade cut Riku's arm. Blood brightened his sleeve.

Four Snow-nin appeared on a ridge, pale armor covering their torsos and limbs.

The channels along the armor brightened as soon as they moved. Frost curled around their gauntlets. Tonbo felt ordinary chakra enter the devices and emerge as something larger, reinforced by the frozen terrain beneath them. The enemy had chosen a battlefield built to feed every advantage they possessed.

"Konoha shinobi," their leader said. "You crossed an ocean to interfere. You will remain here."

Riku looked toward his teammates. Pain tightened his face, but his voice remained steady.

"Shikun, Saiji—the enemy is here. Do not hold back. Let the captain see how much we have improved this year."

"Understood."

"We are ready."

On the ship, the crew watched the sudden battle in shock.

"There really were enemies," one actor said. "Good thing the Konoha team came with us."

The director's fear immediately became outrage. "Which competing company sent shinobi to ruin my film? When we return, I will investigate every one of them."

After years in the industry, he had both money and connections. Anyone willing to destroy his art would learn that he could retaliate.

Sandayū knew better. He recognized Dotō's shinobi and understood that the production had ceased to be their true concern.

"My lady," he said quietly to Koyuki, "we should move below. Let the Konoha shinobi handle this."

"No. I feel safer here."

She remained behind Tonbo.

Koyuki watched his teammates fight while he stood with his hands clasped behind his back.

Her manufactured memory made that posture reassuring. The captain who had once appeared between her and invented thieves now seemed utterly certain that the same danger could not reach the ship. She did not know that the first rescue had never happened, or that her confidence itself was one of Tonbo's techniques.

"You are their captain," she said. "Shouldn't you help them?"

"Our objective is to protect the crew. I am remaining here to protect all of you. The three of them can handle that squad."

Tonbo did not look away from the battle. Every impact provided information.

Shikun's windmill shuriken curved toward one Snow-nin and struck a pale field. The weapon rebounded without cutting him. Saiji's chakra paw met an ice spear and felt its force increase beyond the chakra visible in the caster. Riku's penguins drove another opponent backward, only for his armor to deflect the first solid hit.

The technology was already mature. Snow's devices strengthened ninjutsu and rejected attacks in ways that ordinary tactics did not anticipate. Among the Five Great Nations, perhaps only Lightning Country surpassed this level of engineering.

Tonbo also noticed that the fields did not remain equally bright. They flared when an attack approached, then dimmed between exchanges. The armor appeared to require active chakra rather than providing permanent protection. That detail would matter once his team survived long enough to exploit it.

The fight grew harsher on the ice while Tonbo studied every response.