Time flew by, and Konoha entered the coldest days of the year. The trees lining the main roads had shed their last leaves, and a thin layer of snow rested on their bare branches.
The outline of Hokage Rock softened beneath the curtain of snow, as though its edges had been covered by a white filter.
Pedestrians on the streets bundled themselves in heavy coats, their white breaths briefly taking shape in the cold air before fading away.
Snow had fallen all night and only stopped at dawn. Konoha's rooftops and roads were blanketed in white, while footprints and wheel tracks along the main roads continued to carve fresh paths.
Deep within the Senju Compound stood a small courtyard surrounded by a low wall and several old trees.
Every so often, the wind blew a small patch of snow from the wall, where it fell onto the stone-paved ground with a faint sound.
The snow in the courtyard had already been swept into several piles in the corners, exposing the stone slabs and soil beneath.
A string of wind chimes hung beneath the eaves, occasionally stirred by the breeze and ringing with a clear, bright sound.
Kaguya sat before a low table beneath the veranda. Several sheets of red paper-cutting paper were spread before her, with a small pair of scissors at her side.
With her head lowered, she slowly cut along the lines sketched on the paper, the tips of the scissors moving steadily and evenly over its surface.
The New Year was almost here, and every household had begun making paper cuttings to stick on windows and doors for good fortune. Kaguya was cutting the outline of a bird, its wings spread wide and its tail slightly raised, simple in shape.
Mikoto Uchiha sat to her right, a