The Land of Snow

At the Konoha Hospital, Naraku returned to Kushina's room after parting ways with Kakashi.

Because he had to head out on a mission tomorrow, he summoned Gamayan once again. After enduring several cold glares from the toad, Naraku finally persuaded him to stay behind and guard Kushina.

Once Gamayan was convinced, Naraku returned to his own room and dispelled the two shadow clones he had left behind earlier.

He then opened the scroll Kakashi had given him, which contained the details of this mission.

"Land of Snow, Fuyubana Koyuki," a look of surprise appeared on Naraku's face.

Just like last time, he destroyed the scroll immediately after memorizing all its contents.

The mission wasn't particularly difficult—Naraku remembered that in the original story, Kakashi had completed it alone—but it wasn't exactly simple either. After all, while the Land of Snow lacked a hidden ninja village, it did possess a group of Snow Ninjas who served as the private forces of the Daimyo.

This mission was commissioned by the current Daimyo of the Land of Snow, Fuyubana Sosetsu, who had sensed his younger brother's intent to rebel and had reached out to Konoha for help.

The purpose of seeking Konoha's aid wasn't to maintain his position as Daimyo, but rather to have Konoha take his daughter, Fuyubana Koyuki, to safety.

Naraku could understand this; the Land of Snow was a sovereign nation, and even the Konoha of the past couldn't directly interfere in the internal succession struggles of other countries, let alone now.

Naraku carefully recalled what he knew about the Land of Snow. It was home to not only the formidable Chakra Armor but also Ice Release ninjutsu.

In the original story, Kakashi had once been defeated in the Land of Snow by a ninja named Rouga Nadare.

It was clear that the military strength of the Land of Snow was not to be underestimated, especially considering that above Rouga Nadare stood the ruthless Fuyubana Dotō, who had murdered his own brother to seize the throne.

"Rouga Nadare," Naraku thought of the ninja who had defeated Kakashi in the original timeline, and a plan quietly began to form in his mind.

Brother Kakashi, don't blame me for this.

The night passed without incident.

After waking up and saying goodbye to Kushina, Naraku left the hospital—though he did leave two shadow clones behind, just in case.

He met up with Kakashi at the village gates, and the two set off toward their destination.

Three days later, two figures appeared at the border of the Land of Snow.

The silver and red hair confirmed that the arrivals were indeed Naraku and Kakashi.

Naraku stood there, looking out at an endless expanse of snow.

Compared to Konoha, the Land of Snow was a small nation, and it was called the Land of Snow precisely because it snowed all year round.

The people here rarely saw the sun or felt its warmth, living their lives amidst biting winds and vast, white snowdrifts.

It's a miracle anything can even develop in an environment like this, Naraku thought to himself.

In his view, even the endless yellow sands of the Land of Wind were better than this place.

The two changed into commoner attire before stepping into the country; since they were operating as Anbu, they naturally couldn't afford to expose their identities.

As they traveled through the Land of Snow, they encountered some locals, and from their behavior, it seemed that the coup had not yet taken place.

Soon, they reached the center of the Land of Snow. To be safe, they didn't head directly to the Daimyo's residence to find Fuyubana Sosetsu, but instead found a nearby inn to stay in.

After several days of long-distance travel, even they, with their Jonin-level strength, felt a bit exhausted—not just physically, but mentally as well.

However, they knew time was of the essence. To complete the mission as quickly as possible, they rested only briefly before sneaking into the Daimyo's residence under the cover of night.

The two split up, and it didn't take long for them to locate the Daimyo, Fuyubana Sosetsu.

Kakashi used a Body Flicker technique to appear directly before Fuyubana Sosetsu, while Naraku remained hidden in the shadows to observe the situation.

"Who are you?" Fuyubana Sosetsu was clearly nervous at the sudden appearance, taking a step back as he spoke.

His tone was filled with wariness.

"I am a ninja from Konoha, here to escort your daughter out of the Land of Snow," Kakashi said coldly.

He wore his white cat-faced mask, revealing no expression.

Upon hearing this, Fuyubana Sosetsu visibly relaxed; he had initially feared that Kakashi was an assassin sent by his brother, Fuyubana Dotō.

After a brief negotiation, Fuyubana Sosetsu led Kakashi to find his daughter.

"Ninja-sama, please take Koyuki to a man named Sandayu in the Land of Artisans. He is an old friend of mine, and he will take care of her."

Kakashi nodded faintly, saying nothing more.

Watching from the shadows, Naraku couldn't help but shake his head slightly. In his eyes, Fuyubana Sosetsu was a failed Daimyo.

Although the Land of Snow was a small country, the fact that a Daimyo had no ninja guards by his side proved that his power had long since been hollowed out, leaving him with nothing but the title.

On the other side, Kakashi and the Daimyo had reached Fuyubana Koyuki's room.

Fuyubana Koyuki was still just a child, even younger than Naraku. After some reassurance from Fuyubana Sosetsu, she agreed to go to the Land of Artisans with Kakashi.

The excuse, of course, was that it was just a vacation.

"Father, I want to stay with you," Fuyubana Koyuki said, her expression dimming as if she sensed something was wrong.

Fuyubana Sosetsu felt a deep sense of helplessness and reluctance. If he hadn't been in such a desperate situation, he never would have let his young daughter leave.

But the situation was dire; his brother, Fuyubana Dotō, had returned to the Land of Snow after years of disappearance, armed with powerful ninjutsu. In just half a year, his loyalists had been killed or wounded one after another.

By now, he had no one left he could rely on. Even a fool could see that Fuyubana Dotō's ultimate goal was the position of Daimyo.

At this point, all he could do was send Fuyubana Sosetsu away; it was his final wish.

As for himself, he had already guessed his own ending.

Regarding the idea of asking Kakashi and his companion to protect him, Fuyubana Sosetsu had never even considered it.

The entire ninja world operated under strict regulations: no nation was permitted to interfere in the political struggles of another.

The conflict between him and Fuyubana Dotō was akin to a succession dispute within a single family.

As his younger brother, Fuyubana Dotō possessed both the capability and the status to ascend to the position of Daimyo of the Land of Snow.

Fuyubana Sosetsu reached out and patted Koyuki on the head twice. "Be a good girl, Koyuki. Daddy will come back to pick you up in a while, okay?"

He then pulled a hexagonal crystal from his robes and placed it into Koyuki's hands.