It didn't take long for Sakiya to spring back to life, jumping to her feet as if nothing had happened, ready to rejoin the battle.
The three girls continued their snowball fight, their attacks growing more creative and chaotic by the second.
Snowballs flew through the air in every direction, and their dramatic battle cries echoed across the field.
It was an intense scene.
Meanwhile, five snow-covered figures lay silently nearby, watching them with undeniable envy in their eyes.
Of course, the occasional stray snowball would land on one of them.
At this point, they didn't even flinch.
They had gotten used to it.
Despite the occasional collateral damage, they simply lay there, watching the girls play.
And honestly…
It felt kind of nice.
"I really want to join in…" one of them suddenly muttered.
The other four immediately turned to look at him.
The boss, who had already suffered countless indignities today, glared at him.
"You seriously have no shame, do you?" he snapped. "Can you at least try to keep some dignity? My reputation is already in shambles!"
But the one who spoke just shrugged, completely unfazed.
He even looked at the boss with a hint of pity.
"Boss, let's be real here. We're buried in snow. We have zero dignity left. What's the point in pretending?"
Then, he looked around at the others, his voice turning mockingly wise.
"You all act like you're above this, pretending to be so mature and serious. But deep down, aren't you all thinking the same thing?"
The group fell silent.
He kept going.
"You say snowball fights are for kids. That it's a childish game, beneath us. But tell me… who doesn't miss the carefree days of childhood?"
He let out an exaggerated sigh.
"But no… once we grow up, we start worrying about what other people think. We pile on responsibilities, act like we have everything figured out… all so we can look like successful adults."
He turned back to the boss.
"But tell me, boss… don't you actually want to join them?"
The boss opened his mouth… then closed it.
Because…
The little guy was right.
No matter how much they pretended otherwise, deep down…
They all wanted to join in.
To throw a snowball.
To laugh without a care.
To be kids again, just for a little while.
A heavy silence fell over the group.
----
The snowball fight between the three girls only grew bigger and wilder.
Snowballs flew in every direction, some growing to ridiculous sizes.
The battlefield expanded further and further until, before long, the girls had run hundreds of meters away.
The five snow-covered figures, still lying on the ground, watched them disappear into the distance.
The boss sighed, staring blankly at the now-empty field.
"...Did they forget about us?"
"It… kinda seems like it."
"Is that a bad thing?"
"Maybe they left us on purpose?"
"Idiot! We're stuck here! Our chakra's gone, and if we don't move soon, we'll freeze to death!"
The others fell silent.
Then one of them spoke up.
"Uh… boss? You're right, but… they're already gone."
"...What?"
The boss's eyes widened as he looked back at where the girls used to be.
Now, there was nothing but an endless stretch of snow.
Not a single trace of them remained.
Panic set in.
"HEY!! YOU FORGOT SOMETHING!!"
"HEY!!!"
His voice echoed through the empty landscape.
But there was no response.
The five of them froze.
Then, all at once—
"HELP!!!"
"HELP US!!!"
---
Meanwhile, on a small ice-covered hill, two figures sat lazily, gazing at the frozen landscape.
Shikamaru let out a long yawn.
"Still nothing. Is the enemy really this slow?"
Beside him, Choji munched on a bag of chips, shaking his head.
"No idea. But it's weird that there's been no movement. The enemy's forces are small, sure, but you'd think they'd send at least one scouting team by now."
Down below, Naruto and the others walked alongside Koyuki and the film crew, engaged in light conversation.
According to reports, the enemy forces were small and scattered.
But even so, their complete lack of response was… unsettling.
Something wasn't right.
---
Inside the Snow Country's royal fortress, a lone figure stood by the frosted window.
Ryouga scowled, his eyes burning with irritation as he gazed at the snow-covered landscape.
His forces were useless.
Most of them were nothing more than expendable grunts.
Normally, that didn't bother him.
He never expected much from them anyway.
But with his top subordinates missing, he had no choice but to rely on the low-level troops.
And that infuriated him.
"...Tch. Are they really making me handle this myself?"
His fingers tightened into a fist.
If he didn't intervene, the enemy might just walk right up to his doorstep.
That was unacceptable.
With a deep scowl, he turned away from the window, heading toward his armor.
As he strapped on his chakra-infused battle gear, his expression turned cold.
"No matter who they are… they're not leaving my Snow Country alive."
---
Naruto walked alongside Koyuki, his hands in his pockets, looking frustrated.
"Where the heck did Sakiya go?"
Sakura, walking nearby, frowned in agreement.
"They ran off so far ahead… We're almost at the Snow Country now, and we still haven't seen them."
Koyuki, holding her necklace tightly, was lost in thought, too preoccupied with thoughts of her impending confrontation with Ryouga to pay attention to their conversation.
Then—
A large snowball came flying from the sky, arcing straight toward Koyuki, who was still deep in thought.
"Look out!"
Naruto reacted instantly, grabbing Koyuki and pulling her aside.
With a swift punch, he shattered the snowball before it could hit them.
Koyuki stared, stunned, at Naruto, her mind still catching up.
Naruto blinked.
"...A snowball?"
He turned to Sakura, confused, but she was already pointing ahead, her face pale.
"Naruto—LOOK OUT!"
Naruto whipped his head around—
Just in time to see an even bigger snowball—one larger than himself—barreling toward them.
"Are you kidding me?!"
In a flash, Naruto activated his Nine-Tails chakra cloak.
Golden-red energy surged around him, forming a massive hand that swiped forward—
Smashing the snowball into pieces, sending slush flying in every direction.
The attack vanished as quickly as it came.
Naruto deactivated his chakra mode, scratching his head in confusion.
"...What the hell is going on?"
Shikamaru landed beside him, arms crossed.
"Relax. It's just Sakiya and the others."
Naruto blinked.
"...Huh?"
Shikamaru sighed, nodding toward the open snowfield ahead.
"They're up there. That ridiculous snowball just now? That was them."
Naruto and Sakura exchanged looks.
"...Sakiya?"
Then, without another word, they took off running.
But before they could get far—
Two figures suddenly appeared, sprinting toward them.
Naruto squinted.
"...Ino? Nanako?"
Ino dragged Nanako as they rushed forward, their faces filled with panic.
The moment they spotted Naruto and the others, Ino shouted frantically:
"RUN! SAKIYA'S LOST IT!"
"...What!?"
Naruto and the group stopped in their tracks, confused.
Before they could react—
A familiar figure soared through the air.
Sakiya.
She hovered above them, her posture unnatural, her eyes wild, and her laughter echoing through the sky.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Her arms stretched out, her blue eyes shimmering with unsettling excitement.
"KNEEL BEFORE MY POWER! BEHOLD—THE SUPREME SNOW BULLET THAT WILL SHATTER THE WORLD!"
In an instant, the snow around them started pulling toward her—
Gathering. Growing.
A massive snowball formed at her command—
Within seconds, it was already several meters wide.
Then ten meters… fifteen… twenty…
The sky darkened under its immense size.
Everyone below stood paralyzed, staring at the monstrous sphere of snow looming over them.
Naruto gulped.
"...Is this… godly power?"
Shikamaru felt a bead of sweat roll down his face.
"We're not even in the same league..."
Nanako trembled.
"This… is the power of the Eye of Death?"
Sakura, however, was done.
"EXCUSE ME?! THIS IS INSANE! A SNOWBALL LIKE THAT COULD ACTUALLY KILL US!"
Amid the chaos, Ino stepped forward, her fists clenched.
She glared up at Sakiya with unwavering determination.
"No way! We are NOT going down like this!"
"We can stop it! Together!"
Naruto and Shikamaru snapped out of their shock.
"She's right!"
"Everyone, we fight back!"
The crew rallied.
Sasuke, seeing the others prepare, activated his Lightning Release and started gathering snow.
Naruto, bursting into his Nine-Tails chakra mode, formed a giant chakra hand to mold a counterattack.
Shikamaru strategized.
The film crew joined in.
Even Sasuke was completely invested.
Sakura blinked at the ridiculous scene.
"Wait. WHY is Sasuke taking this so seriously???"
"...What is WRONG with you people?"
Despite her protests, she begrudgingly joined in—hauling snow with the rest.
Soon, Naruto's giant chakra arm lifted a massive snowball, smaller than Sakiya's—but still enormous.
Sakiya grinned, her left eye glowing dangerously.
"FIGHT ALL YOU WANT, MORTALS! YOU CANNOT ESCAPE MY SUPREME SNOW BULLET!!!"
With a dramatic sweep of her arm—
The colossal snowball descended.
Naruto and the others stood firm.
"EVERYONE PUT EVERYTHING INTO THIS!"
With one last push, Naruto's giant chakra arm flung their own massive snowball upward!
The two gigantic spheres clashed—
BOOM.
A shockwave of snow erupted, blasting through the battlefield.
An avalanche of snow came crashing down—
Sakiya was instantly engulfed.
But so were Naruto and his team.
From a distance—
A group of soldiers watched.
Their commander, leading the patrol, raised his binoculars—
Just in time to witness the explosion of snow.
And the entire group getting buried alive.
He slowly lowered the binoculars.
"...???"
His soldiers looked at him, waiting for orders.
He furrowed his brow.
"...What the hell are they doing?"