Chapter 350: Mission Complete
Chapter 350: Mission Complete
The Snow God Festival, as the most important festival in the Land of Snow, was highly valued by both the officials and the people of the country. The usually quiet land was bustling with activity on this special day.
Typically, the most crucial aspect of the Snow God Festival was the worship of the Snow God. However, this year was a little different, as bestowing the title of Ice and Snow Hero was equally significant.
Moreover, when the people of the Land of Snow learned that it was Mu Yue who had created the massive ice ball that day, they were even more eager to catch a glimpse of this Ice and Snow Hero. In their eyes, it was nothing short of a divine miracle.
The ceremony to bestow the title was held in Wind Flower City, specifically at the site where Mu Yue and the Snow Ninjas had fought. Thanks to Mu Yue's intervention, the area had been transformed into almost a flat ground, with no traces of the previous buildings.
Although the venue was spacious, the number of curious onlookers who had come to witness the ceremony was overwhelming. Wind Flower Early Snow had to deploy a large number of guards to maintain order and prevent any accidents.
The gigantic ice ball created by Mu Yue was still there, and she had even reinforced it with ninjutsu to ensure it wouldn't accidentally crush Wind Flower City.
"How could such a huge ice ball be created? Is this Ice and Snow Hero perhaps an incarnation of the Snow God, specially sent to save the Land of Snow?" marveled an elderly man who deeply believed in the Snow God.
Even the ninjas of the Land of Snow found Mu Yue's ninjutsu inconceivable, let alone the ordinary folk. They truly felt that it was extraordinary.
"It would be perfect if the hero had blue hair," someone commented, feeling that Mu Yue's demeanor was too warm and sunny, more akin to sunshine than ice and snow.
Before the ceremony officially began, the citizens voiced their thoughts and speculations.
As the ceremony was about to commence, the guards started to control the crowd, trying to maintain a relatively quiet atmosphere.
The ceremony started with Wind Flower Early Snow, his face solemn as he held a beautifully crafted blue cloak and slowly walked towards Mu Yue. Meanwhile, someone began to read aloud the account of the recent coup attempt, emphasizing Mu Yue's achievements.
They spoke of how Mu Yue had been the first to discover Wind Flower Rage's betrayal and had completed the intelligence gathering. They also mentioned Wind Flower Early Snow's hesitation, which had led to a missed opportunity to capture the culprits, causing the situation to become more dangerous. Just when things seemed at their most perilous, Mu Yue had stepped forward once again, single-handedly defeating hundreds of Snow Ninjas and thwarting Wind Flower Rage's plot.
Initially, this part of the story didn't include Wind Flower Early Snow's involvement, focusing mainly on his interaction with Mu Yue later on. Although it was true that Wind Flower Early Snow had made a judgment error, he was still the leader of the land, and the officials were concerned about his reputation.
It was Wind Flower Early Snow's insistence that the story be told as it happened, as he felt he had made a mistake and wanted to own up to it. He believed that acknowledging his mistake would also serve as a warning for future generations.
When Wind Flower Early Snow reached Mu Yue, he personally draped the cloak over her shoulders and solemnly expressed his gratitude for her contributions to the Land of Snow.
"Thank you, Mu Yue, for everything you have done for the Land of Snow. You will forever be our Ice and Snow Hero!"
The surrounding citizens burst into enthusiastic applause, celebrating the birth of a hero.
After the hero's recognition, it was time to honor the brave warriors. Their achievements were announced, and they were congratulated before being presented with symbolic rewards.
However, when the citizens saw the three Ice and Snow Warriors, they were surprised by their youthful appearance. Kakashi and his teammates were incredibly young, mere children.
But when they heard that these young ones had protected the leader and his daughter and had personally defeated Wind Flower Rage, the citizens' expressions softened with admiration. Such bravery and skill at a young age were commendable.
"The differences between people are truly vast," remarked a citizen. "At their age, I only knew how to play in the snow."
"They are all promising young boys and girls," said another, clapping. "Who knows, maybe they will grow up to become Ice and Snow Heroes themselves."
Kakashi soaked in the lively atmosphere, gazing at the smiling faces of the citizens. He felt a surge of determination.
"One day, I will become a hero in the Fire Country and in Konoha!" he vowed to himself.
Although he had become a hero in the Land of Snow, Kakashi was aware that it was largely due to Mu Yue's influence. He knew he had a long way to go.
However, Kakashi envisioned that if he continued on the path he was on, one day he, too, would become someone like Mu Yue—a true hero.
After the ceremony, the usual festival activities commenced. First, they worshiped the Snow God, and then everyone was free to enjoy the various attractions of the Snow God Festival. There was ski racing, snowman-building contests, and even a fishing competition.
Of course, Mu Yue and her team were there to complete their mission, so they followed Wind Flower Xiao Snow wherever she went. Fortunately, Wind Flower Xiao Snow was full of energy and wanted to explore every corner of the festival, allowing them to experience most of what the Snow God Festival had to offer.
However, whenever there was a competitive activity, rivalries emerged. Wind Flower Xiao Snow teased Kakashi for his poor skiing skills, as he kept falling.
"Isn't it normal to improve a little after spending so much time in the Land of Snow?" Kakashi said nonchalantly.
"Those who can't do something always assume others can't either," Wind Flower Xiao Snow quietly added, twisting the knife.
Embarrassed, Obito squatted on the ground, drawing circles with his finger and muttering to himself.
Naruto couldn't help but sneak a laugh at the scene and proceeded to capture the moment with Obito's camera.
As they reached a spot with deep, pristine snow, Obito couldn't resist bending down to make a snowball, which he then threw at Kakashi.
But Kakashi was always cautious. He quickly sidestepped, and the snowball hit Wind Flower Xiao Snow, who was happily bouncing along.
Wind Flower Xiao Snow turned around, bewildered, and scanned the area, finally fixing her gaze on Obito, who had his hands behind his back.
"Anyone would want to play with such beautiful snow. It would be a waste not to throw a snowball after making one," Obito justified himself.
"You're so rude, Obito! Attacking a princess deserves the death penalty!" Wind Flower Xiao Snow declared, taking a breath as Mu Yue had taught her, and threw two snowballs at Obito.
Wind Flower Xiao Snow asked Mu Yue to teach her, envying how Obito and the others could play freely in the snow.
Considering Wind Flower Xiao Snow's cooperation thus far and the chakra minerals promised by the Land of Snow's leader, Mu Yue modified the basic breathing technique to better suit ordinary people and taught it to her.
This version of the breathing technique was designed solely for enhancing the physical strength of ordinary individuals and didn't require frequent practice. It was useless for ninjas, but it perfectly met Wind Flower Xiao Snow's needs.
After all, Wind Flower Xiao Snow was an ordinary person, and Obito easily dodged the two snowballs. But he didn't anticipate Kakashi's move, as he decisively threw a snowball that hit Obito.
Soon, a snowball fight ensued, even drawing in Naruto.
To improve his accuracy and avoid being hit, Obito focused his breathing and activated his Sharingan.
Seeing Obito use his Sharingan, Kakashi didn't hold back and enhanced himself with the Transparent World.
Naruto didn't have as many tricks up his sleeve, but he could use Water Prison Technique to block the snowballs.
As the ordinary snowball fight escalated into a battle of jutsu, Wind Flower Xiao Snow looked on with a mix of bewilderment and helplessness.
However, when Mu Yue joined in, everyone else ended up just as helpless as Wind Flower Xiao Snow.
Mu Yue started by creating snowballs and then used Wind Release to bombard them with overwhelming force, throwing snowballs with the intensity of a thousand arrows firing simultaneously.
Of course, Mu Yue took care not to upset the client, Wind Flower Xiao Snow, by precisely controlling his jutsu so that only one snowball flew toward her, while most of them targeted Kakashi and Obito.
"Teacher Mu Yue, that's too unfair," Obito exclaimed, unable to retaliate under Mu Yue's relentless assault.
"You used ninja powers too," Wind Flower Xiao Snow pointed out, taking pleasure in Obito's misfortune.
Obito: ...
How could his ninja powers compare to Mu Yue's? Mu Yue was practically a sage; Obito wouldn't last long against even two of his hands.
By the end of the day, Obito and his companions were feeling a bit tired. Their supposed protection duty had turned into a day of playing with Wind Flower Xiao Snow.
And Wind Flower Xiao Snow, with even less stamina than them, had fallen asleep soon after returning.
This went on for three days. On the fourth day, the Snow God Festival came to an end, marking the completion of Mu Yue's team's mission.
"Teacher Mu Yue, can you stay a little longer? I can ask my father to release another mission to Konoha," Wind Flower Xiao Snow pleaded, reluctant to part with Mu Yue.
Although they hadn't spent much time together, she had grown fond of Mu Yue. He was not only handsome but also a great storyteller, and he often complimented her and taught her new things.
"Of course not. When a mission is over, it's over," Mu Yue replied gently. "But if there's an opportunity, I'll come back to the Land of Snow."
This trip to the Land of Snow had been fruitful for Mu Yue. He had acquired a substantial amount of chakra minerals, as well as the Snow Ninja's chakra battle armor and related information.
"Teacher Mu Yue, can't you just leave one of your clones here in the Land of Snow?" Wind Flower Xiao Snow persisted in her attempts to keep him there.
Before Mu Yue could refuse again, Wind Flower Early Snow spoke up. "Xiao Snow, don't make it hard for Teacher Mu Yue. Other places may need him too."
"I'll be sad when Teacher Mu Yue, Sister Rin, and Brother Kakashi leave, but I'll be happy when you leave, Obito." Kazahana Kazehana replied, still bitter about Obito's earlier comment.
Obito's words were particularly vexing to Kazahana Kazehana, who aspired to become a kind and righteous princess.
"Hmph, I even prepared a parting gift for you, and this is the thanks I get?" Obito pouted in displeasure.
Hearing Obito's words, Kakashi's lips twitched. He thought Obito was being unreasonable, as his gift could be described as giving away something he himself didn't want.
"A gift?" Kazahana Kazehana eyed Obito suspiciously.
"Yes, we all prepared something for you." Rin Nohara softly replied.
Hearing Rin Nohara's confirmation, Kazahana Kazehana realized that Obito wasn't just making empty promises.
"In that case, I take back what I said earlier. I won't hate you today, and I will be sad to see all of you go." Kazahana Kazehana changed her tune.
"Remember to open the gifts only after you get home." Obito instructed.
Although she didn't understand why, Kazahana Kazehana nodded, suppressing her curiosity. Indeed, it wouldn't be appropriate to open them in public.
"Goodbye, Teacher Mu Yue. Please come and visit the Land of Snow again when you have the time." Kazahana Kazehana waved enthusiastically as she bid farewell to Mu Yue and the others, who were boarding the ship.
Mu Yue responded with a gentle smile, while Rin Nohara smiled and waved back. Kakashi nodded, and Obito burst into a triumphant laugh as the ship set sail.
Upon returning home, Kazahana Kazehana eagerly unwrapped her gifts.
The first gift was from Mu Yue—a calligraphy piece he had written specifically for her, along with a small booklet containing breathing techniques for strengthening her body.
A satisfied smile spread across Kazahana Kazehana's face as she decided to treasure the calligraphy and diligently practice the breathing techniques to improve her snow-fighting skills, aiming to hit Obito and the others more during their next snowball fight.
The second gift was from Kakashi. When Kazahana Kazehana unwrapped it, she found a delicate statue that resembled her.
Pleased with the gift, Kazahana Kazehana carefully placed the statue on a cabinet.
The third gift was from Rin Nohara—a painting depicting their time together at the Snow God Festival.
Kazahana Kazehana had the painting framed and hung by her bed so that she could always see it and remember the fond memories they shared.
When she unwrapped the last gift from Obito, Kazahana Kazehana furrowed her brow in confusion. It was a thick stack of papers filled with writing.
"Could this be a farewell letter?" Kazahana Kazehana wondered as she began to read the contents.
"Who was the first person in the Land of Snow to be bestowed the title of Ice and Snow Hero?"
"1. Kiuchi Junpei 2. Tahara Natsuki..."
"Please read the above materials and analyze the reasons for the perpetual winter in the Land of Snow..."
Kazahana Kazehana carefully perused the two exam papers and realized that they weren't letters at all but rather a series of questions.
Her fists clenched in anger. She vowed that if she ever became a lord, she would specifically request Obito for missions, and the task would be to complete a thousand exam papers.
"Hmph, I won't do it even if you ask me to." Kazahana Kazehana didn't feel any obligation to complete Obito's exams.
Then she noticed a small note from Obito.
"I modeled these exams after the ones Teacher Mu Yue gave us. It's necessary training to become a qualified princess. If you can finish them all, perhaps Teacher Mu Yue will see you in a new light the next time you meet. Good luck!"
Kazahana Kazehana hesitated as she saw the encouraging message, accompanied by a small fist pumping the air and the words "You can do it!" written in Obito's handwriting.
If completing these exams could help her become a qualified princess and impress Mu Yue, she thought, then perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea. After all, Obito's exams shouldn't be too difficult.
...
"It's a shame we couldn't capture her expression when she opened the gifts." Obito lamented on the ship.
"How did you come up with so many questions, Obito? Did you read a lot of books about the Land of Snow?" Rin Nohara asked, curious about how he created the exams.
"I just used Teacher Mu Yue's exams as a template and asked the scholars of the Land of Snow to come up with the specific questions." Obito boasted.
Kakashi gave Obito a look, conveying his disbelief. Obito's brain only seemed to work overtime when it came to plotting against others.
And so, Mu Yue and his team returned to Konoha without incident, bringing their mission in the Land of Snow to a close.
(End of Chapter)
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