The Snow God Festival is the most important celebration in the Land of Snow, highly regarded by both officials and the public.
On this day, the usually quiet Land of Snow comes alive. Generally, the most important aspect of the festival is worshiping the Snow God, but this year is a bit different, as bestowing the title of Ice and Snow Hero is also significant.
When the people learned that the enormous ice ball was created by Mutsuki, they were even more eager to see this hero in person, as it seemed like a miracle to them.
The title ceremony was held at Kazahana Castle, specifically at the battlefield of Mutsuki and the Snow Shinobi, which has now been transformed into a flat area due to Mutsuki's intervention, making it unrecognizable from its previous structure.
Although the area was not small, the number of curious onlookers was overwhelming, forcing Sosetsu to dispatch a large number of guards to maintain order and prevent any accidents.
The massive ice ball created by Mutsuki was still present, and to prevent it from crashing into Kazahana Castle, Mutsuki had specially reinforced it with Ninjutsu. "How could such a large ice ball be created? This Ice and Snow Hero must be the reincarnation of the Snow God, sent to save the Land of Snow!" remarked an elderly believer.
Even the Ninjas of the Land of Snow found Mutsuki's Ninjutsu unbelievable, let alone the ordinary citizens who were genuinely astonished.
"If only the hero had blue hair," someone mused, feeling that Mutsuki's warm aura resembled sunlight more than ice and snow. Before the ceremony officially began, the crowd expressed their thoughts, and as the event was about to start, the guards worked to maintain a quieter atmosphere.
After the ceremony began, Sosetsu solemnly approached Mutsuki while holding an exquisite blue cloak. Meanwhile, someone began to read with emotion the account of the coup, highlighting Mutsuki's achievements.
Mutsuki was the first to discover Kazahana Doto's betrayal and gather intelligence. Due to Sosetsu's hesitation, the best opportunity for capture was missed, leading to a critical situation. At the most dangerous moment, Mutsuki stepped up to defeat hundreds of Snow Shinobi and thwarted Doto's plot.
Initially, this part of the story did not include Sosetsu's narrative, focusing instead on Mutsuki's interactions. Although it was true that Sosetsu made a misjudgment, as the Daimyo, officials were concerned about its impact on his reputation. Sosetsu insisted on accurately portraying the facts, acknowledging his mistakes and believing that doing so could serve as a warning for future generations. When he reached Mutsuki, he personally draped the cloak over him and sincerely thanked Mutsuki for his contributions to the Land of Snow.
"Thank you, Mutsuki, for everything you have done for the Land of Snow! You will always be the Ice and Snow Hero of the Land of Snow!" The crowd erupted in applause, celebrating the hero's emergence. Once the hero was acknowledged, they announced the accomplishments of the warriors and presented symbolic rewards.
However, the crowd was surprised by the appearance of the three Ice and Snow Warriors, as Obito and the others looked like mere children. But when they learned that these young warriors had protected the Daimyo's princess and personally defeated Doto, the crowd's expressions changed. They were amazed at their youth and achievements.
"There's such a huge gap between people; at that age, I could only play in the snow," one onlooker couldn't help but say. "They are all promising young boys and girls; perhaps when they grow up, they could become heroes like Mutsuki." Someone applauded and offered their blessings.
Obito felt the lively atmosphere and looked at the smiling faces in the crowd, feeling a surge of ambition. "One day, I will also become a hero in the Land of Fire, in Konoha!" Obito vowed silently to himself.
Although he had reluctantly become a hero of the Land of Snow this time, Obito was aware that it was mainly due to Mutsuki's influence. However, he imagined that as long as he continued on his current path, one day he could become someone like Mutsuki—a true hero.
After the ceremony, the festival activities began as usual, starting with worshiping the Snow God, followed by various events during the festival, including ski racing, snowman building contests, and fishing competitions.
Of course, since Mutsuki and the others were there to complete a mission, they followed Koyuki wherever she went. She was full of energy and wanted to explore every corner, effectively enjoying most of the festival.
However, when it came to competitive events, confrontations were inevitable. Koyuki laughed at Obito for his poor skiing skills, as he kept falling. Unwilling to lose, Obito activated his Sharingan and copied the techniques of a skiing expert in the area, instantly improving his skills, which made Koyuki exclaim that he was cheating.
In the snowman-building contest, Kakashi crafted an exquisite snowman, which Obito claimed was cheating with Earth Release. However, after a test, it turned out that Kakashi had genuinely made it from snow. "Isn't it normal to improve a little at building snowmen after staying in the Land of Snow for so long?" Kakashi replied.
"Some people think others can't do it just because they can't," Koyuki quietly added. Obito awkwardly squatted down, drawing circles in the snow with his finger and mumbling something to himself.
Rin watched the scene and couldn't help but chuckle, capturing the moment with Obito's camera. As they reached an area with thick, pristine snow, Obito couldn't resist bending down to make a snowball and threw it at Kakashi.
But Kakashi, ever cautious, immediately dodged to the side, and the snowball hit Koyuki, who was bouncing along. Koyuki turned around in confusion, scanning the area until she locked eyes with Obito, who had his hands behind his back.
"Seeing such beautiful snow, who wouldn't want to make a snowball? Since I made one, it would be a shame not to throw it," Obito thought he could explain.
"Obito, how rude! You dare to attack the princess—death penalty, death penalty!" Koyuki exclaimed. Following Mutsuki's teachings, she took a deep breath and skillfully molded two snowballs, throwing them at Obito.
Feeling envious of Obito and his friends playing freely in the snow, Koyuki decided to ask Mutsuki for help. Recognizing her cooperation and considering the Chakra ore promised by the Land of Snow Daimyo, Mutsuki modified the basic Breathing Technique to better suit ordinary people and taught it to Koyuki.
This version of the Breathing Technique was designed to enhance physical abilities for regular folks and didn't require frequent training, making it ineffective for Ninjas, but it perfectly met Koyuki's needs.
As Koyuki was an ordinary person, Obito easily dodged the two snowballs. However, he didn't expect Kakashi to take action at that moment, decisively throwing a snowball that hit Obito.
What followed was a snowball fight, with even Rin getting caught up in the chaos. To better hit his opponents and avoid getting hit, Obito focused on his breathing and activated his Sharingan.
Seeing Obito activate his Sharingan, Kakashi didn't hold back either and used Transparent World to enhance himself. Rin, lacking their abilities, relied on the Water Prison technique to block the snowballs.
As the simple snowball fight gradually evolved into a spectacular showdown, Koyuki felt confused, weak, and helpless. However, once Mutsuki was pulled into the fray, everyone started to feel just as pitiful and helpless as Koyuki.
Mutsuki first created snowballs and then unleashed a powerful Wind Release, launching them with an overwhelming force. To consider the feelings of his client, Mutsuki precisely controlled it so that only one snowball flew toward Koyuki, while most were aimed at Kakashi and Obito.
"Yumi-sensei, this is too unfair!" Obito exclaimed, unable to retaliate against Mutsuki's overwhelming barrage.
"But didn't you also use Ninja powers?" Koyuki laughed as she watched Obito's misfortune.
Obito: …
His Ninja abilities couldn't possibly compare to Mutsuki's? After all, Mutsuki was a Sage!
After a long day, Obito and the others felt quite tired, as their task of protecting Koyuki had mostly involved playing with her. Koyuki, who had less stamina than Obito and the others, fell asleep shortly after returning home.
This routine continued for three days. By the fourth day, the Snow God Festival activities came to an end, and Mutsuki and his team's mission was fully completed.
"Yumi-sensei, could you stay a little longer? I can have my father continue sending tasks to Konoha," Koyuki said, feeling reluctant to see Mutsuki go.
Although they hadn't spent much time together, she really liked Mutsuki because he was good-looking, told great stories, complimented her cuteness, and taught her things.
"Of course I can't. Once the mission is over, it's over. But if there's an opportunity, I'll come back to the Land of Snow," Mutsuki replied gently.
This trip to the Land of Snow had been quite fruitful for him; he had obtained a considerable amount of Chakra ore, as well as Chakra armor from the Snow Shinobi and related materials.
"Yumi-sensei, can't you become multiple versions of yourself? Why not leave one here in the Land of Snow?" Koyuki continued to plead.
Before Mutsuki could refuse again, Sosetsu spoke up, "Koyuki, don't make it hard for Mutsuki. He may be needed elsewhere." If a strong person like Mutsuki could stay in the Land of Snow, Sosetsu would wholeheartedly support it, but he knew that was impossible.
"Goodbye! Don't cry just because we're leaving, okay? I hope next time you can act a bit more like a princess," Obito said, still bothered by Koyuki's lack of typical princess behavior.
"if Yumi-sensei leaves, and Rin and Kakashi leave, I'd be sad, but I'd be happy if you left, Obito!" Koyuki shot back as soon as she heard him say she didn't act like a princess.
For Koyuki, who aspired to be a kind and just princess, Obito's words were truly infuriating.
"Tch, I even prepared a farewell gift for you," Obito said, looking displeased.
Hearing this, Kakashi couldn't help but twitch his mouth, thinking that Obito was being unreasonable; his gift could only be described as giving others what he didn't want himself.
"A gift?" Koyuki asked suspiciously, looking at Obito.
"It's real! Everyone prepared something for you," Rin gently replied.
When Rin spoke, Koyuki began to believe that Obito wasn't just talking nonsense.
"Then I take back what I just said. I won't dislike you for now. I'll be very sad when you leave," Koyuki amended her earlier statement.
"Make sure to open the gift only after you get home," Obito advised.
Although she didn't know why, Koyuki suppressed her curiosity and nodded; it did seem inappropriate to open it outside.
"Goodbye, Yumi-sensei! You must come to the Land of Snow to play again sometime!" Koyuki shouted, waving as she watched Mutsuki and the others board the ship.
Mutsuki responded with a warm smile, Rin waved with a smile, Kakashi nodded, while Obito laughed triumphantly after the boat set off.
Once Koyuki returned home, she eagerly opened the gift packaging.
The first gift was from Mutsuki—a calligraphy piece he had specially created for her, followed by a small booklet containing techniques for the Breathing Technique to enhance physical fitness.
Koyuki beamed with satisfaction, deciding to cherish the calligraphy and to train seriously so she could hit Obito and the others more often in future snowball fights.
The second gift was from Kakashi. When Koyuki unwrapped it, she discovered a finely crafted statue that resembled her.
She was also very pleased with this and carefully placed the statue on her shelf.
The third gift was from Rin, a painting depicting their time together at the Snow God Festival.
Koyuki had someone frame the painting and put it beside her bed so she could see it often and never forget those memories.
After unwrapping the last gift, which was from Obito, Koyuki showed a puzzled expression. It was a thick stack of paper filled with a lot of writing.
"Could this be a farewell letter to me?" Koyuki thought seriously as she looked at the contents.
"Who was the first person in the Land of Snow to be awarded the title of Ice and Snow Hero?"
"1. Miyauchi Junpei 2. Tahara Natsu…"
"Please read the above materials and analyze the reasons for the Land of Snow's perpetual cold…"
Koyuki carefully examined the two sheets and realized they were not letters at all, but rather various questions.
Fuming, Koyuki felt her fists clench. She vowed that if she ever became Daimyo, she would specifically assign Obito a task: to complete a thousand exam papers.
"Hmph, I won't do it," Koyuki declared, feeling no obligation to take Obito's exams.
Then she noticed the small handwriting left by Obito.
"This is based on the exam papers Yumi-sensei created. It's essential training to become a qualified princess. If you can complete it, maybe Yumi-sensei will look at you differently when we meet again. Good luck!"
Koyuki hesitated as she looked at the little fist drawn next to the encouraging words.
If becoming a qualified princess could impress Yumi-sensei, then perhaps it was worth a try; Obito's questions shouldn't be too difficult for her.
…
"How unfortunate. I wish I could have captured her expression while unwrapping the gift," Obito said on the boat, feeling a bit regretful.
"Obito, how did you manage to come up with so many knowledge points for the exam? Did you read a lot of books about the Land of Snow?" Rin questioned Obito's ability to create the test.
"I just used Yumi-sensei's exam papers as a template; the specific questions were created by the scholars of the Land of Snow," Obito replied, a proud expression on his face.
Kakashi looked at Obito with exasperation; Obito's brain seemed especially quick only when it came to tricking others.
And so, Mutsuki and the others returned to Konoha without any incidents, bringing the Land of Snow mission to an end.
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