Past Events

Setsuna looked at the resolute face of Uchiha Zhuang and began to recount her past: In the Land of Snow, sub-zero temperatures and blizzards were the norm. Traveling north from the Land of Fire, there were two routes: one was to cross the Land of Iron and sail across the sea, bypassing the Land of Earth to reach the Land of Snow. The other was to traverse the treacherous cliffs and precipices of the Land of Earth. Because of the extremely harsh natural environment and its distance from the political vortex at the center of the continent, the Land of Snow was actually quite peaceful, and its people were relatively happy. However, there were downsides; technology and culture were relatively stagnant, many bloody and ancient customs were preserved, and the economic level, human environment, and population base were not high. These were far inferior to the major or even mid-sized nations at the center of the continent. The Land of Snow still retained an ancient royal regime, and some young people who had traveled to the central continent hoped to change their country's backward state, but the old-school vested interests would never let go. Thus, a domestic turmoil lasting over thirty years began.

Political unrest and separatist fragmentation meant that villages and towns were destroyed and rebuilt, only to be destroyed again, leaving the common people in unbearable misery. The young dragon-slayers of the past eventually turned into dragons themselves. In the constant infighting, the newly ascended authorities were no longer satisfied with revolution for the sake of national prosperity; they were merely slaughtering the former royalty and nobility, hoping to use this to secure their own families' rule over the Land of Snow.

The Snow Ninja Village of the Land of Snow was originally a place for sacrificial witchcraft apprentices to study. Later, it evolved from this, incorporating the secret techniques and moves of domestic samurai, ronin, monks, and outlanders, gradually forming a highly distinctive Snow Ninja Village. For instance, the Snow Release, Ice Release, and ancient blood-manipulation abilities—among which the most characteristic ninjutsu of the Snow Release included: Snow Manipulation Technique, Snow Mist Technique, Snowman Technique, Snow Giant Technique, Avalanche Technique, Snow Clone, Snow Dissolution, Snow Binding, and Snow Rotation Technique, among others.

Such a treasure trove naturally attracted the covetous eyes of many, both externally and internally. At first, the Snow Ninja Village was united, repelling external chaos and even absorbing many civilians to expand the village's scale; the Snow Ninja Village did not perish during the thirty years of war. However, at the final moment of the turmoil, the village elders conspired to rebel, killing the village leader and most of the jonin, and then handed the entire Snow Ninja Village over to the authorities. The elders gained the noble status they had dreamed of, and the authorities gained a powerful source of strength. Even now, the entire Land of Snow is only truly chaotic around the royal capital; in the eyes of the vast prefectures and counties, it still bears the infamy of being ruled by traitors. The situation across the country is festering, the flames of war have only slightly subsided, and one never knows when the next political upheaval that will sweep the nation might break out again.

Uchiha Zhuang listened thoughtfully, then said, "You haven't told your own story yet, Setsuna." Looking at the little girls huddled together nearby and the three women kneeling motionlessly on the ground, a sense of familiarity welled up in Setsuna's heart. She continued, "A few nights before the Snow Ninja Village existed in name only, the leader, Kazahana Ishi, gathered all the genin and students he could find, along with several ninjas willing to die for him. In a dim secret room lit by oil lamps, he instructed me to take a dozen children and escape through a secret passage to find a lord willing to take us in, hoping to one day reclaim the honor of the Snow Ninja Village. But we all knew that the Snow Ninja Village of the past could never return; the leader just wanted to protect us as much as possible and let us live." Speaking to this point, Setsuna's expression was calm, devoid of sorrow or joy.

Uchiha Zhuang knew that such an experience could never be described by such simple language. All the unwillingness, anger, expectation, despair, and blood and tears had ultimately turned into nothingness. The life of a group of people and the courage to die for the sake of protecting what they cherished, now spoken by Setsuna, felt strangely small and trivial to Uchiha Zhuang. "We were escorted by ninjas, passing through the blockades of the Land of Snow's army, sneaking into towns. When we were intercepted at the border of the royal capital, the ninjas were surrounded by cavalry and scouts who kept arriving. We dozen children scattered and fled. Just as we were about to be captured, another group of the lord's army appeared and clashed with the royal capital's troops. The four or five of us remaining children were captured by the lord's army and sent to the castle of Lord Sasaki. Sasaki was a pedophile; the children who entered with me were all tortured to death. I thought I would also die on that blood-stained bed in the basement, but then the royal capital's army attacked Sasaki's castle, beheaded him, and hung his head on the castle walls. I was sold abroad as a slave, crossed the ocean to the Land of Fire, and was finally bought by Hanako."

"So, you know ninjutsu, but I haven't seen you use chakra." After a long silence, Setsuna said, "Lord Kazahana Ishi cast the Snow Binding Technique on me, sealing my chakra." "A miraculous Snow Release ninjutsu! Then why were you, at only five years old, subjected to the Snow Binding? I don't understand, unless you are..." Uchiha Zhuang stopped there, his lips forming the word "royalty." Setsuna's eyes widened. Throughout her journey, she had never met such a sharp-witted young man. The person before her, who seemed to be of a similar age, possessed great strength and a mature mind that could not be underestimated.

Uchiha Zhuang exclaimed admiringly, "Setsuna, I will help you take revenge. Tell me, do you want me to help you wipe out the authorities, the elders, or all the traitors of the Land of Snow?!" He spoke as if he didn't know his own limits. It was the first time Setsuna had seen someone talk about overthrowing a country and leveling a nation as if it were a simple schoolyard brawl. Setsuna said seriously and solemnly, "I want peace for the Land of Snow, for the people to return to happy days. For this, I can give my life. Can you help me achieve this?" Uchiha Zhuang, unsurprised, agreed. "The little girl who manipulates blood isn't your biological sister, is she?" Uchiha Zhuang looked at the exotic little girl with bright yellow hair and emerald green eyes. "I met her in the hands of human traffickers. When Hanako bought me, I said I would take her with me, otherwise, I would have slammed my head against the cage and died." "Then, this little girl is yours to handle. You take this bunch of children and train them; train them in anything you've learned before, anything at all, as long as it's useful. I will give you better treatment in the future, Setsuna." "Hai!" Setsuna replied with a deep bow.

"Hanako, I can let your betrayal slide for now, but I will never forget it. From now on, do not stop what I previously ordered; in fact, increase and accelerate it. Every time I think of so many poor children wandering in war-torn countries, my heart aches. The three of you will train with Setsuna, and you must write a log every day, recording everything, big or small, and store it here in the secret room. I will come back to check. Do not do anything to harm your master again, or you will die." "Hai!" The three of them trembled in fear.

It is time to settle accounts with the old turtle, Tanba.

Tonight is exceptionally long.