The Palace corridor was wide and bright, its enormous glass windows letting in all the Land of Snow's crisp sunlight.
Compared with the visit steeped in intrigue and cold that Naruto remembered, the place felt far more lively and warm. Even the air was less chilling.
Kazahana Koyuki walked beside Naruto, her hand lightly tucked around his arm.
This was a rare moment of relaxation for her. Beside her was someone who gave her an absolute sense of security; outside the windows lay the country she had poured her heart into, slowly coming back to life.
She even forgot her bearing as Daimyo for a moment, a hint of lightness entering her steps.
That lightness, however, did not last long.
Just as they were about to pass through the final archway onto the open terrace overlooking the entire Capital, Kazahana Koyuki stopped without warning.
She released Naruto's arm.
Her hand slowly dropped, her fingertips curling slightly, as though gathering some kind of strength.
She turned to face Naruto. Sunlight fell across her face from the side, making her eyes look exceptionally bright and resolute, with even a trace of grim determination.
"Naruto."
When she spoke, her voice no longer held the softness and dependence it had during their earlier embrace.
"I know."
She paused, looking straight into Naruto's fathomless blue eyes, as though trying to pierce that calm exterior and see his true intentions beneath it.
"You came for the Land of Snow, didn't you?"
She said it softly, yet her words struck the warmth between them like a heavy block of ice.
"The Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, the Land of Lightning, the Land of Water...
You've already conquered so many powerful countries."
Kazahana Koyuki had phrased it rather tactfully, but her meaning was clear.
"By comparison,