Sakiya worked hard to shape her snowman, and it was finally starting to take form.
Now came the important part—drawing the magic circle!
She just needed a few branches for the arms and legs, and it would be perfect.
Nanako, a little slower, was still carefully carving her own markings onto her snowman's belly.
That's right—she was drawing a magic symbol, her own version of a magic circle.
She wasn't as skilled as Sakiya in creating intricate patterns, but she had picked up the basics. Using circles, triangles, and various symbols she had studied, she carefully etched a design that served as her personal emblem.
This mark represented the power of light and darkness, the force she had sworn to wield to its fullest.
"I won't lose," she muttered to herself, her hands steady as she worked.
Sakiya, much more experienced, had already outlined her magic circle with just a few swift strokes.
Just as she was about to add the finishing touches, five dark figures suddenly dropped down from above, landing right in front of her.
Sakiya and Nanako both froze, turning their eyes toward the unexpected visitors.
The five figures wore matching chakra armor, their expressions unreadable.
Their leader, standing at the front, fixed a cold gaze on Sakiya—before suddenly breaking into a goofy grin.
"Hey there, little girl. What are you doing out here making snowmen? Where's your family?"
Sakiya blinked at them. They didn't seem particularly hostile, so she remained calm.
"I'm just here traveling. And handling a mission along the way," she answered bluntly.
"Travel? A mission?"
Nanako, eyeing their chakra armor, wrinkled her nose.
"Ugh. That armor is seriously ugly."
The Snow Ninja leader hesitated, taken aback.
"Ugly?"
Before he could respond, a shadow streaked across the snow.
Ino landed beside Sakiya in a blur, her speed far surpassing that of the Snow Ninja.
She glanced at the five men, then turned to Sakiya.
"Who are these guys? Their armor looks familiar. Aren't they with the same group as him?"
The Snow Ninja, startled by Ino's sudden arrival, instantly jumped back and took defensive stances.
"You—you—who are you?!"
Sakiya tilted her head, a realization clicking into place.
"Ohhh. I get it. They're Snow Ninja, one of the factions in this country, right?"
She smirked.
"And didn't we promise to help that princess?"
Ino thought for a second, then nodded.
"Yeah, I think so."
The two spoke so casually, as if the five men in front of them weren't even worth their attention.
The Snow Ninja leader broke into a cold sweat.
Had he seriously underestimated them?
No… that was impossible!
Gritting his teeth, he clenched his fists and shouted, "They're enemies! Take them down!"
He charged forward, the other four following right behind him.
But before they could reach their targets, Sakiya's lips curled into a sly smile.
"Perfect timing," she said.
She thrust her hand forward.
"Death Winter Snow Knight! Show them your power!"
At that moment—
The massive snowman behind her moved.
Though it was still incomplete, snow rapidly gathered around its limbs, solidifying into a monstrous shape.
Then, with a deep rumble, it charged at the Snow Ninja.
The five men skidded to a halt, their eyes widening in horror as they watched the snowman come to life.
Then they spotted the eerie symbols carved into its body.
A shiver ran down their spines.
The boss's warning had been right.
This girl… she wasn't just playing around.
The Snow Ninja weren't too worried. Their chakra armor was incredibly durable—capable of absorbing chakra and rendering most techniques useless.
But then, the towering two-meter-tall snowman lifted its foot and stomped down on the Snow Ninja boss.
He dodged easily, scoffing in his mind.
Too slow. This thing is nothing to be afraid of.
The others thought the same—until the snowman's foot slammed into the ground.
Or rather—the snow itself.
BOOM!
A massive shockwave erupted, sending a thick layer of snow exploding outward.
The Snow Ninja barely had time to react before a powerful wave of snow crashed over them.
Before they could even resist, the force buried them under a thick, suffocating layer of ice and snow.
For a few seconds, everything was silent.
Then—
Struggling desperately, they managed to dig their heads out of the snow, gasping for air.
But their bodies?
Completely trapped.
The snow had hardened around them like solid ice. They couldn't even move a finger.
And that's when they saw her.
Sakiya stood in front of them, smiling sweetly.
She stretched out her palm, fingers splayed—then slowly curled them into a fist.
Immediately, they felt the snow around their bodies tighten, pressing down even harder.
A chill—not just from the cold, but from fear—ran down their spines.
They were completely at her mercy.
Sakiya squatted down, tilting her head slightly as she grinned at them.
"Hehe. You guys are really weak."
The Snow Ninja stared at her, their faces pale.
That innocent smile…
It wasn't cute at all.
Seconds passed. A cold sweat formed on the boss's forehead. Finally, unable to bear the tension, he stammered out—
"Y-You… What do you want?"
Sakiya tilted her head, pretending to think.
"Hmm… What was I doing again?" She looked up at the sky, then back at him.
"Oh yeah!" she said cheerfully. "I was in the middle of a snowman-building contest with Nanako."
As if nothing had happened, she stood up and turned toward her friend.
Nanako, still focused on her own snowman, looked back at her with a serious expression.
"That's right! Our duel isn't over yet!"
Sakiya clapped her hands together.
"Then let's keep going!"
She turned back to her own creation—only to realize something.
The two-meter-tall snowman was standing there, looming over the trapped ninja, looking just a little… incomplete.
Sakiya tapped her chin.
"Hmm… It feels like it's still missing something."
Nanako, completely ignoring the terrified Snow Ninja, kept working on her own snowman.
She had finished drawing her markings on the snowman. The next step was shaping it—and then she'd be done!
As Sakiya worked, she noticed Nanako piling up snow to make her own snowman.
Ino, who had just arrived, perked up with excitement.
"Me! I want to join too!"
Sakiya and Nanako nodded immediately.
"Of course! The Dark Emperor wants to participate? You're more than welcome!"
"Great!"
Ino clapped her hands, then immediately got to work, eagerly rolling snow into a large ball.
Meanwhile, Sakiya continued refining the details of her snowman—adding just a few extra "special" markings for good measure.
—
The five Snow Ninja, still half-buried in the snow, watched in stunned silence.
"...Boss, have you thought about what's going to happen to us?"
"...Boss… no way, right?"
"Boss…"
"Boss…"
Each of the subordinates turned to look at their leader.
The Snow Ninja boss sighed heavily.
"Stop talking… We're not escaping this, no matter how much we discuss it."
One of them suddenly had an idea.
"Wait, what if we activate our chakra armor? Maybe we can break free!"
Unfortunately, it seemed Ino had been listening.
She casually picked up a snowball—and threw it right at the boss's face.
Smack!
The snowball exploded against his cheek, cold slush covering his entire face.
The boss twitched.
It didn't really hurt… but damn, was it insulting.
If only he could move—he'd fight them!
But before he could even think about resisting—
More snowballs flew in.
Patter! Patter! Patter!
In an instant, all five Snow Ninja were completely covered in snow.
Sakiya couldn't hold back her laughter anymore.
"Pfft… You guys look so ridiculous!"
The other four Snow Ninja, still buried up to their heads, glanced at their boss—whose entire face was now frozen in a blank, twitching expression.
They bit their lips, trying desperately not to laugh.
The boss clenched his teeth, his face twitching even harder.
I'm a ninja, he told himself. I must endure. I must—
Splat!
Two more snowballs flew straight into his face—one landing perfectly over each of his eyes.
For a second, he was completely still.
Then, Ino burst out laughing.
"Pffft—Hahaha! I can't! That face—!"
She doubled over, clutching her stomach, her laughter echoing through the snowy field.
Sakiya and Nanako weren't far behind—giggling uncontrollably, tears forming at the corners of their eyes.
"This guy—pfft—looks so dumb!"
"How can someone's face be this stupid?!"
And then—
Even the Snow Ninja's own subordinates lost it.
"Hahhahaha!"
Their muffled laughter erupted into full-blown hysterics.
The boss turned red, eyes twitching under the snow still covering his face.
"What the hell are you all laughing at?!"
Before anyone could respond—
More snowballs flew.
And this time, the remaining four Snow Ninja took direct hits to their open mouths.
Their laughter immediately cut off.
Silence.
Then—
Pfft—Hahahaha!
The Snow Ninja boss couldn't take it anymore. He laughed.
But the second his mouth opened—
Smack.
A snowball landed right inside.
His smile froze.
At that moment, Sakiya collapsed into the snow, rolling around in uncontrollable laughter.
"Hahaha—! No way—! This is too good!"
She pounded her fists against the snow, barely able to breathe.
Nanako was right beside her, giggling uncontrollably.
"Sister! They're so funny! I wanna throw more—!"
—
Meanwhile, the five Snow Ninja sat there in stunned, horrified silence.
Their faces were bright red.
Their pride was shattered.
And in that moment, all five of them had the same thought.
We must have done something terrible in a past life to deserve this…
The boss felt tears welling up in his eyes.
Being a ninja was hard enough.
But this—this was humiliating.
I just want to go home…