Near the borders of the Land of Snow, towering mountain ranges rose one after another—endless high peaks stretching like a natural barrier severing north from south, their summits capped with pristine white snow.
Cross the snow mountains, and you'd reach the Land of Snow.
"What incredibly tall mountains. They're much higher than the ones in the Land of Fire, and look at all that snow piled on top. The Land of Snow really lives up to its name."
Tsunade couldn't help but marvel.
She had a rough idea of what the Land of Snow was like, mostly from hearsay, but this was her first time seeing it with her own eyes—and the impact was completely different.
Her first impression was awe.
Her second—
Life here must be brutal.
She knew how bad things used to be in the Land of Rain—years without sunlight, misery everywhere—until it was transformed under Kyoichi's proposals, becoming something entirely different.
But the Land of Snow?
Even if it didn't snow year-round, she'd heard that the snow here never melted. Just imagining the climate was enough.
A place like this felt utterly devoid of hope.
She sighed inwardly.
"Every country has its own way of surviving," Kyoichi said, taking Tsunade's hand. "This place is no different. Snow restricts them, but it also isolates them from the world—no disputes, no constant conflict."
In the past, Tsunade might have hesitated or pulled away. Now, she accepted it naturally.
After all—
Nothing could be more awkward than what had already happened before.
And besides…
Wasn't this precisely why she'd chosen to travel with Kyoichi in the first place?
She just hadn't dared to say it out loud.
Two people equally awkward, walking together—no one spelling things out, yet both fully aware of the other's feelings.
So for now, this was fine.
The next moment, sheets of paper burst forth from Kyoichi's body, weaving themselves into a pair of wings on his back. More paper followed, forming a smaller pair of wings behind Tsunade.
Tsunade narrowed her eyes.
"Wait a second—this technique… isn't it Konan's?"
"Yeah," Kyoichi replied matter-of-factly. "I stole it."
Tsunade was speechless.
What are you so proud of for stealing it?
Anyone would think you invented this ninjutsu yourself.
She grumbled inwardly.
A powerful force tugged her upward as they took flight.
Unlike Kyoichi's wings, hers were only meant to assist with hovering. They couldn't lift her on their own—she still had to rely on Kyoichi's strength to rise higher.
She glanced at his wings, then at her own, grinding her teeth a little.
Don't tell her he couldn't make them the same.
She didn't buy it for a second.
Whatever. Let him be.
After a brief silence, another thought occurred to her.
"By the way—since you have this technique, is it possible to fly to the moon?"
"How would that be possible?" Kyoichi replied flatly.
Did she think this was something special?
It was just paper.
No matter how tough it was, it was still paper. It couldn't help them break through the barrier between the shinobi world and the moon.
Though…
If he could also master the Light-Weight Rock Technique…
Paper manipulation combined with Ultralight-Weight Rock might allow him to reach extreme altitudes. From there, using Flying Thunder God, there might be a chance to cross the boundary into outer space.
Still—
One problem remained.
Was there air out there?
Well. He'd find out when the time came.
If he could also acquire the method to create chakra armor, that would add another layer of protection.
This only strengthened Kyoichi's resolve to investigate the Land of Snow.
Once they reached higher altitude, the wind howled and the cold bit deep.
But from above, they could see the Land of Snow spread out below—an endless expanse of white, snowfields stretching as far as the eye could see. In the distance, steel rails lay buried beneath heavy snow.
"That's the Land of Snow's railway," Tsunade said immediately.
Kyoichi nodded. "Right. The Land of Snow uses trains more than any other country in the shinobi world. Aside from trains, transportation here is extremely inconvenient."
It was freezing at the mountain peaks, but for shinobi, the temperature was still manageable.
Then—
Kyoichi suddenly cut off the chakra sustaining the wings, leaving only the paper structure as they plunged downward in a gliding dive.
Tsunade's face went pale.
Not from the cold.
From sheer terror.
Even as one of the Sannin, this was her first time plummeting from such a height. Hitting the ground like this—even she wouldn't survive.
"Let's make it more exciting!"
Sheets of paper burst outward, wrapping around both of them.
Tsunade nearly punched Kyoichi on instinct.
Is this idiot trying to get himself killed?!
But then she saw him shifting his posture midair, adjusting their positions until he was facing her directly, extending one hand through the roaring wind.
She grabbed it.
Gradually, they stabilized, falling together through the gale. The snowy ground below grew clearer—they could even make out animals roaming the snowfields.
Terrifying—
But exhilarating.
At a certain height, Kyoichi reinforced the paper wings again, making them larger than before. Their posture shifted from freefall to controlled gliding, skimming forward at low altitude.
Tsunade's heartbeat finally steadied.
She took several deep breaths, then turned her head and snapped, "You trying to get us killed, brat?"
"It's pretty thrilling, right? I stumbled onto this by accident before. Since we had the chance, I figured I'd let you experience it."
"Hah."
Tsunade snorted.
Still—
Once the initial fear passed, she had to admit that during the calmer moments, there was a flicker of excitement.
She'd never experienced a high-speed freefall like that before.
It was…
Actually kind of fun.
She said nothing, riding the airflow with him. They barely lost altitude until the wind died down, after which they descended slowly and landed atop a small mountain.
The Land of Snow was vast.
Among the smaller nations, it was easily the largest in terms of territory.
Unfortunately, it was blanketed in snow—impossible to grow crops—and the surrounding towering mountains cut off overland travel entirely. Reaching the country from outside was incredibly difficult.
Shinobi could climb the mountains, but merchant caravans had no choice but to travel by sea.
From the mountaintop, there was still no sign of habitation. Yet with his sensory abilities, Kyoichi detected faint traces of human presence far in the distance.
"Over there."
They trekked across the snow, encountering a few wild beasts along the way. They caught some, roasted them with Fire Release for a quick meal, then continued onward.
They weren't in any hurry.
If they really wanted to, they could've reached their destination in minutes.
Eventually, they came upon clusters of ice huts. The locals, seeing two figures emerge from the snow dressed so differently, froze in shock—
Then, all at once, they bolted indoors, doors slamming shut with loud bangs.
An awkward silence followed.
"Our clothes really stand out compared to theirs," Tsunade said.
"My mistake."
"No problem. On to the next."
They used Transformation Technique to mimic local attire and moved on.
Once you find one settlement, locating another becomes easy. Soon enough, they reached a small town.
Only then did they truly begin to see the Land of Snow for what it was.