South of the Land of Lightning lay the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Iron.
The sky hung heavy and dark.
Within the Land of Iron, spring was little more than a legend.
Snowflakes drifted down in a white haze, as though intent on freezing travelers in body and soul.
The snow was a full fifty centimeters deep.
Many of the Flying Thunder God Marks Tobirama Senju had placed were buried beneath it.
Holding Tsunade, he used Flying Thunder God to reach the marked coordinates closest to Kumogakure.
The moment Tobirama Senju appeared there-
A blast of summer-hot wind struck his face, and he immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to dart away.
Boom! A massive explosion erupted where Tobirama Senju had just been standing.
Someone had unleashed a ninjutsu that generated intense heat and explosions the instant he appeared.
It was as though the sun had sunk into the surrounding area. The snow on the ground rapidly melted, steam hissed up from the earth, and icicles melted and fell from the black, bare branches.
Holding the unconscious Little Tsunade in one arm, Tobirama Senju gripped the blade he had forged, the Sword of the Thunder God, in his other hand and swiftly deflected the falling icicles. Otherwise, both he and Tsunade might have been impaled.
A group of shinobi in Kumogakure's standard white uniforms emerged from the steaming mist with smug expressions.
With his back against a large tree and his granddaughter in his arms, Tobirama Senju's expression grew grim. He felt icy water trickling down his back, while his fingertips gently sought the hidden compartment in his sword hilt.
Meltwater seeped into the earth. The layer of snow covering the forest vanished at a visible pace, exposing the dark ground beneath.
That meant these Kumogakure shinobi