Projection magicians starting from the Uchiha clan

Chapter 154 The Promise with Fuuka Koyuki

Iori's gaze softened as he looked at Fuuka Koyuki and said gently, "That's right, I will be your bodyguard for the next few days."

He noticed the hexagonal crystal hanging around Xiaoxue's neck; the crystal-clear gem shimmered in the sunlight.

It's clear that Feng Hua Zaoxue had already prepared for the worst and placed her hopes on her daughter.

"Please protect her, I beg you," said Feng Hua Zao Xue solemnly.

"Don't worry, now that I'm here, I won't let anything happen to you." Iori smiled and formed hand seals: "Wood Release: Wood Clone Technique".

“They will protect you during this time,” he said, and as Iori spoke, his clones began to move.

The clones formed hand seals and said, "Earth Release: Fish Reflected in the Earth Technique." They then disappeared into the earth, secretly protecting Kazaka Hayate and Asama Santayu.

Meanwhile, the other two clones quickly went to various locations to begin gathering intelligence on the raging storm.

Seeing Iori's actions, Kazahana Sayuki said, "Let Yuki show you around later. I'll leave you in the meantime."

Iori nodded, bid farewell to Kazahana Sayayuki, and then turned and left with Kazahana Koyuki.

"Mr. Ninja, what's your name?" Xiaoxue asked Iori, a faint blush rising on her cheeks like a cherry blossom in its first bloom.

“My name is Uchiha Iori, Your Highness,” Iori said with a smile.

"Father, is something wrong? I've noticed something strange going on in the palace lately; there are suddenly a lot of unfamiliar faces," Xiaoxue said, sounding troubled.

"Really? Where are they probably gathered?" Iori raised an eyebrow slightly, a glint of light flashing in her eyes.

He's currently lacking intelligence, and it seems someone is coming to deliver some.

"Over there," Xiaoxue pointed to the south of Daming Prefecture.

Iori nodded, clapped her hands, and another wooden clone emerged from her body, heading in that direction.

“Let’s go, he’ll help us figure it out.” Iori took her hand and walked outside.

Looking at Iori, Koyuki suddenly asked with some curiosity, "What's the outside world like? What's spring like?"

The Land of Snow is covered in ice and snow all year round, with only a small amount of land suitable for cultivation. Their food mainly depends on fishing, hunting, and imports. The Land of Demons and the Land of Bears are their main trading partners.

Since birth, Xiaoxue has never witnessed the sight of spring.

Iori said gently, "After the spring breeze sweeps across the earth, colorful flowers will bloom in competition, trees will sprout new buds, and all things will exude vitality."

"That's wonderful! Father said he wanted to bring spring to the Land of Snow. I really hope he succeeds. I want to see spring too." Little Snow tilted her head, her eyes sparkling with longing.

"Would you like to see spring?" Iori suddenly asked her mysteriously.

"Of course, do you have a way?" Xiaoxue asked curiously.

"Then hold on tight to me." Iori suddenly picked her up, leaped up, and their bodies soared into the air.

Xiaoxue's heart raced, and she gripped Iori's arm tightly, instinctively screaming, but her voice was quickly drowned out by the wind.

After a while, the screams stopped abruptly, and Xiaoxue realized that she had not fallen.

She slowly opened her eyes and found herself standing on a golden spaceship, surrounded by a clear sky, the spaceship slowly sailing through the heavens.

"How do you feel?" Iori asked gently. Yuki looked around curiously, then walked to the edge of the spaceship and looked out.

From high above, the earth appears so small, as if the whole world is beneath her feet.

"Don't you feel like humans are as insignificant as ants?" Iori asked with a smile.

Xiaoxue nodded excitedly. Flying is one of humanity's dreams. The Snow Kingdom hasn't even developed an airship yet, and this is her first time in the air.

After flying to a place far from the capital, Iori piloted Vimana and slowly landed on the ground.

Xiaoxue asked curiously, "What are you planning to do? Use ninjutsu to summon spring?"

Iori's smile was full of confidence: "Watch closely, this is a miracle presented to you."

"Wood Release: Advent of the World of Trees." The trees broke through the ice layer, revealing the ground, and under the great power of Wood Release, the entire earth was turned upside down.

After turning the ice into earth, Iori formed hand seals again: "Wood Release: Sea of ​​Flowers Technique".

As he spoke, tender green grass and colorful flowers quickly sprouted on the earth, creating a breathtakingly beautiful scene.

"Is this spring?" Xiaoxue squatted down curiously, reached out and picked a flower, and gently sniffed it. The fragrance of the flower was overwhelming and refreshing.

[Hmph, this is a meticulously crafted technique for picking up girls. Although I've only used it twice, both times it was highly praised.]

Iori remained outwardly calm, but seeing Koyuki's expression, she was secretly quite pleased with herself.

"Big brother, do you think Father will succeed? I hope everyone can see the arrival of spring. I wish this scene could appear more often."

Xiaoxue turned to look at Yizhi, secretly changing her form of address, and said expectantly.

Iori extended her hand and said to her, "Let's make a promise. I will help you win and bring spring, and you will lead the Snow Country to join us someday in the future."

"Okay." Xiaoxue agreed without much thought.

Iori wasn't lying to children. Unifying the ninja world was inevitable and wouldn't be made way for certain people. If it could reduce resistance and kill fewer people, that would be good.

-----------------

Not long ago

Having learned of the gathering place of unfamiliar faces, Iori created a wooden clone and headed to the southern part of the palace.

Upon entering the South District, Iori immediately saw through the rather clumsy disguises of these people.

The calluses on their hands, the gait of their walk, and the undisguised bloodlust in their eyes silently revealed their true identities: either bandits or rogue ninjas.

"My lord, what brings you here?" A man approached with a fawning smile.

Iori looked at him coldly, a mocking smile playing on her lips, and said, "Why don't you tell me who you are, and what your purpose is in coming to the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Snow?"

The man's smile froze, then he feigned surprise and said:

"What are you saying? I don't understand. We are all legitimate workers here to help repair the building."

Even without activating his Sharingan, his subtle movements didn't escape Iori's notice. The man secretly put his hands behind his back, giving a warning gesture to the person behind him.

As the two continued their conversation, others gradually gathered around, surrounding Iori from all sides.

Chapter 155 Dealing with Spies (One more chapter coming later)

"Fool, who are you trying to fool with such a clumsy disguise? It seems you're not planning to confess honestly. What a hassle, I was hoping to save some effort."

The wooden clone crossed its arms and said somewhat impatiently.

Suddenly, two people behind him picked up knives and silently stabbed him in the back.

A flash of light appeared, but Iori seemed unaware. The next moment, with a snap, the blade pierced only a little before being blocked by a layer of wooden armor.

Iori smiled slightly, not surprised by the sudden attack.

[Its defensive capabilities seem pretty good. As a C-rank ninjutsu, it can easily withstand a genin-level thrust. Looks like its development is successful; it can be added to the Wood Release beginner's guide.]

Iori could clearly see the strength of the opposing force. Apart from the leader being a Chunin, the others were just Genin. It would be perfect to use them to test the low-level Wood Release techniques he had developed earlier.

"Wood Release: Seed Release Technique." Iori flicked his finger, and several seeds shot towards one of them like meteors.

"What is that? Get out of my way." The man didn't pay attention and was about to casually brush it away with a kunai, but in that instant, the seed exploded and pierced into his body.

"Ah!" the man screamed as he tried to cut the roots with his kunai, but each cut brought a tremendous pulling sensation.

As the roots burrowed deeper into his body, he hardened his heart and forcefully cut them off. With the breakage of the roots, large pieces of his flesh were torn out, and pain and fear intertwined on his face.

Seeing his miserable state, Iori silently made notes: [It seems there's a problem with the positioning after development; the parasitic seed is more effective than expected, and once it takes root, it's difficult to pull it out.]

Witnessing Iori easily deflect the attack and cripple one person, the others felt an overwhelming sense of panic, realizing that their opponent was far beyond their capabilities.

After exchanging glances, they made the decision to run away.

Although they turned and ran, Iori had no intention of letting go of the duck he had caught. He clapped his hands together and shouted, "Wood Release: Flying Leaf Blade".

With his movements, countless sharp, knife-like leaf blades shot out from his hands, rapidly chasing after the fleeing enemy.

Two men, confident in their agility, attempted to dodge the deadly leaf blades, but they underestimated Iori's skill.

The blades traced swirling trajectories in the air, severing their legs with pinpoint accuracy. The two men screamed and collapsed to the ground, their blood staining the earth.

The remaining few attempted to retaliate with ninjutsu: "Water Release: Iron Cannon Bullet." "Water Release: Water Whip."

The water-style ninjutsu collided with the flying leaf blade in mid-air, splashing water everywhere. Although the water-style ninjutsu was broken, the leaf blade also lost its ability to continue moving forward.

The Leaf Blade's power is average, slightly stronger than a typical C-rank ninjutsu, but not quite B-rank.

"Wood Release: Thorn Whip." Iori didn't stop, and formed hand seals again.

The ground suddenly shook, and vines, like lurking snakes, sprang up from under the enemy's feet, quickly wrapping around and binding them.

Iori pulled hard, throwing them in front of her like toys.

The vine whip is actually quite effective; it's a great source of control and can be used to chain attacks.

"Alright, experiment over, time to get down to business." Iori activated his Sharingan and glared, instantly silencing the other party under the control of genjutsu.

"Speak, who sent you to infiltrate the daimyo's residence, and what does he want you to do?"

"We were sent here by Lord Fuka Nutao. We are here to await orders, so that when they break in, we can coordinate an attack from within and completely destroy the daimyo's defenses."

"Just the few of you?"

"Lord Futao has many Snow Ninjas under his command; they are the main force. We are only responsible for disrupting their formation."

"Did no one notice you sneaked in?"

"The captain of the guard is also Lord Fury Wave's man."

Through the question and answer, Iori understood the current situation: the daimyo's defenses had been breached to the point of being sieves, and many of the guards had already defected.

These spies were merely a casual pawn in the midst of a turbulent storm, insignificant victims.

After casually killing the rest of the men, Iori used his Sharingan to hypnotize the leader, preparing to have him identify the traitorous guards.

With the controlled man in tow, Iori returned to the main hall.

Kazakura Hayate and Asama Santayu had not yet left when they watched in surprise as Iori led a man dressed as a servant toward them.

"Your Excellency is here... and where is Xiaoxue?" Fuka Shoyuki asked hesitantly.

“I am an avatar. My main body is with the princess. This is a spy who infiltrated the area. I caught him, and he revealed that there were also traitors among the guards. That’s why I came here.”