Inside the palace, Naruto spotted Koyuki and walked over, yawning.
The kingdom's guards immediately bowed and stepped aside upon seeing him, not daring to meet his gaze.
The Land of Snow was a small nation, and news traveled slowly here. It is precisely because of this that the events of six years ago, when the previous ruler was overthrown, still felt fresh in their minds.
"You're here?" Koyuki stood up and breathed a sigh of relief.
"What happened?" Naruto asked calmly. For the current him, there was almost nothing that could make him anxious.
If there was anything that could make him tense, it would probably be the Otsutsuki's arrival. But the problem was that, the Otsutsuki was probably still 'on their way', so there was no need to worry about them now.
Then, Koyuki recounted the entire incident, including what the Jonin's demand for 'sincerity'.
After hearing this, Naruto didn't react much. In the past, he might have been furious, or he might have controlled his expression and not shown it, while he was definitely angry in his heart.
But now, he had no emotion in his heart. Are the three Jonin from Kusagakure very strong?
To him, they were nothing more than bugs, and even the entire Land of Grass was nothing.
If he really wanted to punish them, he could destroy all the military forces of the Land of Grass and directly take over the control of the Land of Grass. But the problem is, there is no need to do that, as the Land of Grass is practically a garbage dump in the Shinobi World.
They took in every stray and outcast, with the upper echelons ruling over the common folk like livestock. What made it worse was how the elites indulged in debauchery while preaching to the lower classes about 'striving for success'.
Over time, the Land of Grass had become a cesspool, not just politically, but culturally. NTR, **, ***… their depravity knew no bounds.
None of the Five Great Shinobi Nations had any interest in conquering the Land of Grass, partly because of mutual deterrence, mostly because it simply wasn't worth it.
Expanding territory was about gaining greater benefits, not saddling themselves with dead weight.
"They're still here, right?" Naruto nodded and asked another question.
"Yes." Koyuki stepped closer and pulled his clothes with some concern. The scene was almost comical, after all, Naruto looked much younger.
"They… you won't be in any danger, will you?"
"I'll handle it." He hugged her briefly to reassure her, then glanced around, "It's getting dark, let's serve the food first and get someone to lead the way. I'll be back soon."
"Yeah." Koyuki wasn't some naive little girl. She knew when to rely on a man.
More importantly, she understood when to trust him and focus on what she could do. Instead of worrying, it is better to order the servants to prepare a warm meal.
As for asking her to cook herself. It's better to forget it, as the taste is not very good. Sometimes, good intentions weren't enough, and flavor mattered too.
A guard escorted Naruto out of the palace. His expression remained calm as he wondered how these rats had even found their way to the Land of Snow. He felt the Land of Grass was overreaching.
At a stopover in the capital of the Land of Snow, three people from the Land of Grass were preparing to go out. The time promised by Koyuki had come, and they were ready to collect the payment.
The final outcome didn't matter much.
What matters is Koyuki's attitude, whether she would submit or resist. No matter which one the other party chooses, it doesn't matter to the three of them, as the Land of Snow was already within their grasp.
"Are we just going like this?" One of them asked.
"What else?" Takami showed an unbridled smile and turned to look at his companions, "Hey, don't be such a coward."
"In a place like this, what kind of danger could there possibly be…"
Boom!
The next moment, Takami's head exploded. Blood splattered across the faces of the remaining two, freezing them in shock.
It happened too suddenly, like turning a corner and running into love itself.
A Jonin from the Land of Grass had died in such a careless, explosive manner. The accompanying guard from the Land of Snow was stunned, and shuddered violently.
Before coming, the guard had mentally prepared himself. Maybe he'd witness an intense battle. But he never expected to run into the three Jonin right around the corner.
What was even more unexpected was that the man died so tragically, with his head completely exploded.
The guard hadn't even seen Naruto move, let alone any changes in Naruto's expression. In just a blink of an eye, the Land of Grass's Jonin was dead.
Drip. Drip.
The headless corpse stood in place.
The remaining two Jonin were paralyzed with fear, and before one of them could react, there was a cracking sound, and his chest caved in instantly.
Naruto had kicked him in the chest without them knowing when.
The kick was like a sledgehammer, crushing him like an ant. A sickening crunch echoed as the man was sent flying, his chest caved in like flattened paper.
He let out a final, agonized scream before dying on the spot.
The last one was the Jonin wearing glasses, and his lenses were smeared with blood. He didn't dare to move at all. He couldn't see the person in front of him clearly, and his whole body was shaking violently.
Are Jonin strong? Probably. Even if the Jonin in the Land of Grass were not as strong as those in the Five Great Shinobi Villages, they are still Jonin no matter what. In Kusari's opinion, both of his companions are Shinobi with certain strength.
Even against a powerful opponent, they shouldn't have been killed without a chance to fight back. But the result was obvious, as both of them are now dead, instantly killed.
Like squashing bugs, the other party seemed nonchalant and even disappointed. Through his blood-smeared glasses, Kusari saw Naruto approaching with that exact expression.
Naruto was indeed disappointed. He looked down at the two corpses lying on the ground and wondered to himself, 'What kind of crappy place is this Land of Grass? Is the level of the Jonin there so low?'
He'd already killed two, so a third wouldn't make a difference.
When he looked up at the last survivor, the bespectacled Land of Grass's Shinobi's legs instantly gave out and he collapsed to his knees with a thud.
In the face of death, all beings are equal.
Especially in the face of such brutal slaughter… it had completely shattered Kusari's courage. How could he even think of escaping? They were instantly obliterated, so the thought of resistance didn't even cross his mind.
"Spare me! P-please spare me!" Kusari knelt on the ground, crying bitterly with his forehead pressed to the ground.
He was a Shinobi, a jonin at that, and he was not afraid of death even up to this point, but such a violent, horrifying way to die filled him with deep, primal terror.
"How did you find out about the Land of Snow?" Naruto asked coldly.
"Information… a mysterious man delivered the information." Kusari said tremblingly, "He said… the Land of Snow was ripe for the taking."
"A mysterious man?" Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly. In one swift motion, he slammed his foot down, crushing Kusari into the ground.
With a bang, the walls on either side were instantly splattered with crimson. Kusari's head and body were separated, and he lost his life instantly. He staggered for a moment before falling to the ground.
'In the Shinobi World, the only 'mysterious man' who'd pull this kind of stunt was that damn Black Zetsu. It seems like the last verbal warning I gave him hadn't been enough.'
'Instead of confronting me directly, that bastard had started targeting my people. If that was the case, then Kumogakure might be in danger too.'
'Black Zetsu, that damned mothercon.'
He cursed inwardly and added this to the list of debts to settle. Black Zetsu deserved to die. Naruto wasn't some saint who'd turn the other cheek after being slapped. Those who offended him should be severely retaliated.
After all, if you repay malice with kindness, what's left for those who show you kindness?