"Originally, I wanted to fight to the death for Kazahana Dotō-sama, but for the lives of the hundreds of comrades behind me, I had no choice but to surrender to that Hokage-sama."
After the battle, the commander of Kazahana Castle—who requested anonymity—spoke these words.
With Kazahana Castle breached, the Land of Snow lost its final stronghold capable of stopping Konoha's advance.
Under Jiraiya's command, Konoha's army marched straight toward the Snow Country's capital.
Their advance was so swift that it far exceeded anything the ninja world could have imagined.
Even Kazahana Dotō himself was left utterly dumbfounded.
Why were Konoha's ninja able to so easily defeat the Snow shinobi, who were equipped with chakra armor?
Why were the artificial humans created by his inner circle so fragile and useless?
Why had his mighty robot army failed to halt the enemy's progress at all?
With these questions swirling in his mind, Kazahana Dotō confronted Takeshi and Jiraiya head-on as the capital's walls finally fell.
...
"You're Kazahana Dotō?"
Seeing the well-dressed man seated on the throne before him, Takeshi tilted his head slightly and asked.
"As you can see, Fifth Hokage, I am Kazahana Dotō." Though filled with questions, Kazahana Dotō answered Takeshi with a cold sneer—his pride refusing to bow.
"Ice Release: Ice Spike Kill."
Once he confirmed the man's identity, Takeshi didn't waste another word. Raising his hand, he unleashed an Ice Release technique.
Kazahana Dotō neither dodged nor flinched. He simply sat upon his throne, watching calmly as the icy spear pierced through the air toward his chest.
But before it could impale him, the ice spike shattered against an invisible barrier.
"I see... another chakra armor, huh?"
Takeshi immediately saw through the mechanism.
"No doubt about it. Just now, when your ice jutsu hit him, that round sphere on his chest flashed," Jiraiya affirmed from the side.
"Hmph. So what? The Fifth Hokage himself, and one of the Legendary Sannin—Jiraiya—both standing before me... yet you two are still worried about a little chakra armor?"
Seeing his Ice Release blocked, Kazahana Dotō's confidence returned. He stood from the throne, spreading his arms arrogantly.
Takeshi couldn't even be bothered to respond to such clownish posturing.
"In that case, it's my turn! Ice Release: Black Dragon Blizzard!"
As Kazahana Dotō finished forming seals, an immense wave of chakra erupted from his body, spreading in all directions.
A massive black dragon roared forth, surging toward Takeshi and Jiraiya.
Both immediately shifted into defensive stances.
Empowered by the chakra armor, the black dragon tore through the entire palace. The supporting pillars shattered, the roof burst outward from the inside, and a towering black beam of light shot into the heavens.
When the explosion subsided, a chaotic swirl of chakra and dust hung in the air before finally settling into silence.
Looking at the devastation before him, Kazahana Dotō burst into triumphant laughter.
"Hahaha! Hahahahaha! I killed the Fifth Hokage! I killed the Fifth Hokage!"
"You old fool—what kind of dream are you having?"
With a crash of falling debris, Takeshi's mocking voice rang out. Through the clearing dust, an icy shield shimmered into view. The "devastating" attack had left only a few thin cracks upon its surface.
"Impossible! You survived that head-on?!" Kazahana Dotō's expression twisted in disbelief, his long hair whipping wildly in anger.
"Hmph! You think such a cheap trick could take down me? You're a hundred years too early!"
Jiraiya's body flickered forward in an instant, his whip-like leg striking directly toward Kazahana Dotō's face.
Kazahana Dotō raised his arm, using the chakra armor to absorb the force, then countered with a powerful punch.
Jiraiya caught the blow, twisted his grip, and slammed Kazahana Dotō to the ground before throwing him aside with great force.
"Ice Release: Black Dragon Breath!"
Thrown into the air, Kazahana Dotō stabilized himself midair and unleashed another Ice Release.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave."
For the first time in a long while, Takeshi used a Water Release—one favored by the Second Hokage.
Because of the Snow Country's cold climate, the water jutsu began to freeze even as it was released.
But once again, when it struck Kazahana Dotō, it was nullified by his armor.
"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"
Jiraiya spat a fireball that collided with the black dragon, triggering a tremendous explosion.
As the shockwave faded, Kazahana Dotō charged forward again, throwing two heavy punches toward Jiraiya.
With his strength enhanced by the armor, the impact was immense. Jiraiya raised his arm to block, but pain shot through him the moment the blows landed.
The force sent him flying backward, his body crashing through the air.
"Hmph," Kazahana Dotō sneered, smugly watching him fall.
But in the next instant, Takeshi appeared behind him.
"Ice Release: Frost Fist Strike."
His punch landed squarely—but Kazahana Dotō didn't even flinch.
"Useless. My armor negates all ninjutsu and physical damage."
Kazahana Dotō's tone was arrogant, almost mocking.
Takeshi, unfazed by the taunt, exhaled a dense mist of icy vapor that quickly engulfed his figure.
Feeling the bone-chilling cold radiating from the fog, Kazahana Dotō's expression darkened. He swung a punch—but hit nothing.
Takeshi's presence had completely vanished.
"Kh—!"
A sharp pain suddenly stabbed through Kazahana Dotō's lungs, making his face contort in agony.
When he saw the blood he coughed up onto the floor, he realized the mist around him harbored a deadly threat he couldn't comprehend.
Chakra erupted violently from his body as two black dragons coiled together, tearing through the fog and surging wildly ahead.
"Just as I thought... your armor only protects the areas it covers. It can't defend your internal organs."
Half-kneeling, Kazahana Dotō heard Takeshi's calm voice from behind him. He wanted to fight back, but the wound in his lungs made it impossible. All he could do was kneel and listen.
"And if I'm not mistaken, that armor's chakra supply is limited... isn't that right, Kazahana Dotō?"
A massive Rasengan formed in Takeshi's hand, and without a trace of emotion, he slammed it down.
"Great Ball Rasengan."
The invisible barrier flared once more, struggling to resist—but as the Rasengan spun faster, cracks spread across the sphere on Kazahana Dotō's chest.
Finally, it shattered completely.
The Great Ball Rasengan crushed him into the ground, his screams and the sound of splitting earth merging into one—the final requiem of a fallen tyrant.
When all went silent, a massive crater lay where the palace had stood.
At its center, Kazahana Dotō's broken body sprawled in a grotesque posture, blood seeping into the earth beneath him.
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