At Konoha Hospital, Naraku returned to Kushina's room after parting ways with Kakashi.
Since he was heading out on another mission tomorrow, he summoned Gamayan again. After receiving several icy glares from the toad, Naraku finally persuaded him to stay and protect Kushina.
Once he'd convinced Gamayan, Naraku returned to his room and dispelled the two Shadow Clones he'd left behind.
Then he opened the scroll Kakashi had given him. It contained the details of the mission.
"The Land of Snow. Kazahana Koyuki." A hint of surprise appeared on Naraku's face.
As before, once he'd memorized everything written on the scroll, he destroyed it.
The mission wasn't particularly difficult, but it wasn't simple either. Naraku remembered that Kakashi had completed it alone in the original story. However, although the Land of Snow had no hidden ninja village, it did have Snow Ninja, a private force belonging to the Daimyo.
The mission had been commissioned by the current Daimyo of the Land of Snow, Kazahana Sōsetsu. He'd realized that his younger brother was planning a coup, so he'd asked Konoha for help.
But he wasn't asking Konoha to protect his position as Daimyo. He wanted Konoha to take his daughter, Kazahana Koyuki, out of the country.
Naraku could understand that. The Land of Snow was an independent country, and even in its heyday, Konoha couldn't interfere directly in another country's struggle over who would be Daimyo. It certainly couldn't do so now.
Naraku thought carefully about what he knew of the Land of Snow. It had not only powerful Chakra Armor, but also Ice Shield ninjutsu.
In the original story, Kakashi had once been defeated in the Land of Snow by a ninja named Nadare Rōga.
That showed the Land of Snow's military strength was no joke. What's more, Nadare Rōga answered to Kazahana Dōtō, a ruthless man who had murdered his brother to seize power.
Clearly, the Land of Snow's military strength was no joke.
"Nadare Rōga." Naraku thought of the ninja who'd defeated Kakashi in the original story, and a plan quietly took shape in his mind.
"Kai, don't blame me."
The night passed without incident.
After getting up and saying goodbye to Kushina, Naraku left the hospital. Of course, he left two Shadow Clones behind as well.
The two of them met up with Kakashi at the village entrance and set off for their destination.
Three days later, two figures appeared at the border of the Land of Snow.
One had silver hair, the other red—their hair colors proved that the newcomers were Naraku and Kakashi.
Naraku stood there, gazing out at an endless expanse of snow.
Compared to Konoha, the Land of Snow was a small country. It was also called the Land of Snow because it snowed there all year round.
The people here barely ever saw sunlight or felt the sun's warmth. All year long, they had nothing but bone-chilling winds and endless white snow.
No wonder a place like this can't develop, Naraku thought to himself.
In his opinion, even the Wind Country's sea of yellow sand was a little better than this.
The two of them changed into ordinary clothes before walking into the Land of Snow. They were carrying out the mission as members of the Anbu, after all, and couldn't afford to reveal their identities.
As they traveled through the Land of Snow, they came across a few ordinary people. Judging by their behavior, there hadn't been a coup yet.
Before long, the two of them reached the center of the Land of Snow. To be safe, they didn't go straight to the Daimyo Palace to find Kazahana Sōsetsu. Instead, they found an inn nearby and checked in.
After several days of traveling, even the two of them, both elite jōnin, felt tired—not just physically, but mentally too.
Still, they knew they couldn't afford to waste time. To complete the mission as quickly as possible, they rested briefly, then slipped into the Daimyo Palace under cover of night.
They split up, and before long, they found the Daimyo, Kazahana Sōsetsu.
Kakashi used the Body Flicker Technique to appear in front of Kazahana Sōsetsu, while Naraku watched from the shadows.
"Who are you?" Faced with the sudden appearance, Kazahana Sōsetsu was clearly nervous. He stepped back and asked, his voice full of suspicion.
"I'm a ninja from Konoha. I'm here to escort your daughter out of the Land of Snow," Kakashi said coldly.
He was wearing a white cat-faced mask, so his expression was impossible to read.
Hearing this, Kazahana Sōsetsu visibly relaxed. He'd thought Kakashi was an assassin sent by his younger brother, Kazahana Dōtō.
After a brief exchange, Kazahana Sōsetsu led Kakashi to his daughter.
"Ninja, please take Koyuki to the Land of Artisans, to a man named Sandayu. He's an old friend of mine and will look after her."
Kakashi nodded lightly and said nothing.
Watching from the shadows, Naraku couldn't help shaking his head slightly. In his view, Kazahana Sōsetsu had failed as a Daimyo.
The Land of Snow was a small country, but its Daimyo didn't even have a single ninja guarding him. It was clear his power had long since been stripped away, leaving him with nothing but the title of Daimyo.
Meanwhile, Kakashi and Kazahana Sōsetsu had already reached Kazahana Koyuki's room.
Koyuki was still a child, even younger than Naraku. After Kazahana Sōsetsu spent some time reassuring her, she agreed to go to the Land of Artisans with Kakashi.
Of course, they told her it was just a trip.
"Father, Koyuki wants to stay with you." Kazahana Koyuki seemed to sense something. Her expression darkened as she spoke.
Kazahana Sōsetsu felt helpless, and sad to see her go. If he weren't in danger himself, how could he bear to send away his young daughter?
But things really were dire. His younger brother, Kazahana Dōtō, had returned to the Land of Snow after disappearing for several years, and had mastered some powerful ninjutsu. In just half a year, some of Sōsetsu's most trusted followers had been killed, while others had been injured.
By now, he had no one left he could rely on. Even a fool could see that Kazahana Dōtō's ultimate goal was to take his position as Daimyo.
At this point, all he could do was send Kazahana Koyuki away. It was his last wish.
As for himself, he'd already guessed how things would end.
Kazahana Sōsetsu had never considered asking Kakashi and Naraku to protect him.
The entire Shinobi World had rules: no country was allowed to take part in another country's political struggles.
The conflict between him and Kazahana Dōtō was like a family feud over who would lead the household.
As his younger brother, Kazahana Dōtō had the ability and the standing to become the Daimyo of the Land of Snow.
Kazahana Sōsetsu reached out and gently patted Koyuki's head twice. "Listen to me, Koyuki. I'll come get you after a while, all right?"
Then he took a Hex Crystal from his robes and handed it to Koyuki.