Author's Note: "Land of Snow" is currently this story's working title, but it has no real title yet. In addition, I may be making some fairly major edits to this piece in the near future, but I wanted to see what people thought of it in its current form first.

This story takes place shortly after the conclusion of the Chunin Exams. Naruto, all characters, and the Naruto universe are property of Masashi Kishimoto-sensei. Akira, Taro, and Katsura are my own creations, however.

Kyoushin Akira gazed calmly out across the snowy landscape before him. This is the spot, he thought. Slowly settling into the lotus pose, he closed his eyes and searched himself for his center.

Behind him, a shock of red hair appeared over the rise. Then, the mischievous face of Taro, Akira's younger brother, popped up and grinned. Slowly, he snuck up behind the young ninja. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he yelled, "Banzai!"

Akira leapt about twenty feet in the air, then spun around, a furious look in his eyes as they searched for his enemy. The look faded as he saw Taro's goofy grin about two inches away. He sighed. "What is it now, Taro? I was about to practice some chakra control." He glanced as his younger brother with a half-smile. "You could do with some exercise in that area too."

Taro's grin somehow managed to grow an inch wider. "Eh, I'll do it later. This is too much fun to pass up." Akira groaned. "Okay, okay." He hiked a thumb over one shoulder. "Your girlfriend is here."

Akira raised an eyebrow. "Girlfriend? Now what are you talking about? There aren't any girls around here I like that much…" He looked up at the ridge. A cute young girl was visible there, wearing a long hooded coat. Even muffled as she was, there was no mistaking those strange white eyes. Akira blushed redder than his brother's hair. "L-L-Lady Hinata?" He took a deep breath, struggling to get his emotions under control, then walked up towards her and bowed. "Lady Hinata, it is good to see you again. What brings you this far north?"

Hyuuga Hinata smiled and bowed to Akira. "Akira, it's nice to see you too. You really don't have to call me 'Lady' Hinata, though. Anyway, I just wanted to see the mountains up here. I heard from Sakura and Ino that Yukigakure is supposed to be a beautiful region."

Akira raised an eyebrow. "Amazing. Did those two girls really agree on something?"

Hinata giggled. "Yeah. It sure caught both of them off guard, though. Ino went crazy when I told her Sakura said the same thing."

Akira laughed. "So, did anybody come along with you?"

Hinata blushed. "Um… well, Naruto did. And Sasuke and Sakura, of course. Kakashi is calling it a mission for some reason."

Akira's face became serious again. "Kakashi has a good point. There have been reports lately of some disgraced Cloud Village ninja wandering the peaks. I… probably don't have to remind you that they would not be very pleased to encounter a member of the Hyuuga clan here, especially you. Please be careful. I would not wish for anything to happen to you." He looked around. "Where are those three, anyway?"

Hinata looked a bit fearful at hearing the name Cloud. "They… I got separated from them a little while ago. That's why Taro brought me this way. But… Cloud ninja? They wouldn't try and kidnap me again, would they?"

Akira smiled kindly. "Don't worry. With those three around, you're in good hands. And besides, I would never let scum like that harm you."

A shout split the tranquil mountain air. "There she is! Told you I'd find her! Dattebayo!"

Over the crest of the ridge, the three of them saw an orange-clad figure approaching. Akira chuckled. "I know that yell. And that loud outfit." He glanced down at his own light green robes and shook his head, as Uzumaki Naruto slid to a halt next to them. Next came Haruno Sakura, smiling brightly as usual, her short pink hair blowing behind her. She waved to Hinata as she caught up to Naruto. Bringing up the rear came Uchiha Sasuke, plodding along sedately with his hands in his pockets and a scowl on his face. "Bravo, Naruto," he muttered sarcastically. "Head towards the village and we're sure to find her- why didn't I think of that?"

Naruto shot a glare at him. "Hey, I found her, didn't I?"

Taro laughed. "Hey, will you two give it a rest? You're going to give my brother here a headache with all that yelling."

Naruto spun around towards this new enemy, then blinked. "Akira? Is that you? What are you doing way out here?"

Akira rolled his eyes, and tapped the snowflake on his headband. "I live out here, remember?"

Sakura smiled wider. "Akira! It's been a long time!"

Sasuke chuckled. "So, what's your record with Lee now, anyway?"

Akira's eye twitched slightly. "Just like you to bring up the one sore spot about that training camp. Ah, well. I think we just had our fiftieth battle a few weeks ago, before the Chunin Exams started. And I still haven't beaten him since that first match, so… I guess you can figure it out from there."

Naruto laughed. "You- you mean it's one win to- to forty-nine losses?" he managed to gasp around guffaws.

There was a loud thump, and Naruto keeled over with a big lump on his head. Sakura glared down at him, her fist still smoking. "Hey! Don't be so mean, Naruto!"

Sasuke smirked. "Nice going, loudmouth. Anyway… so, glad we found you, Hinata. We trashed some Cloud punk about ten minutes ago, and we were worried there might be more."

Hinata gulped. Naruto saw her look and stood up. "Hey, don't worry about it. We're here now, and we'll take care of anyone that tries anything. You're safe with us, Hinata."

Hinata blushed. "R-right. Thank you… all of you." She looked up towards the ridge. "Um… so, should we head for the village?"

Akira sighed. "Oh boy… I'll never get to do my exercises at this rate." He caught the look on Hinata's face and smiled. "Oh, don't worry about it. I can miss a day or two every now and then, there's no problem. Let's go; I'll lead the way."

A little while later, Naruto set down his bowl of ramen and sighed. "Oh boy… that was just what I needed."

Sakura frowned. "That's always what you say you need, Naruto. We really shouldn't be imposing on Akira like this."

Akira laughed. "Saying 'imposing' implies that it's a hassle. Don't be silly. It's no trouble." He moved across the room and gazed out the window. "The moon hasn't come up yet. It's going to be full tonight. I wonder if the Great Lights will appear…"

"Great Lights?" asked Hinata. "What are those?"

Akira smiled and sat down in the middle of the room. He uncorked a clay jug of water, made some complex hand signs, and laid his hands on the jug. "Omoide no Jutsu," he intoned.

Sakura blinked. "The 'Art of Memories'? I've never heard of that jutsu before."

Akira smiled. "It's exceptionally hard to master, and you can only learn it if you have water-type chakra. But the effect is incredible if you do it right. Watch."

From the jug, a stream of water burst forth, forming itself into a screen in front of Akira's face. He closed his eyes and concentrated. Slowly, on the screen, an image appeared. "I've only seen the Great Lights once before, myself. But they are one of the mountains' most beautiful sights. Shimmering curtains of light, high in the winter skies… that's the only real way to describe them." The image resolved itself into a dark sky dotted with many stars. As the four others watched, a pale streak of rose shot across the blackness.

"Hey, Akira," called out Naruto, "What are we looking at here, anyway?"

Sasuke whacked Naruto hard on the head with one clenched fist. "Shut up, loser. He's getting to that. And besides, you're going to break his concentration."

Akira laughed. "Relax, Sasuke. I'm not so easy that Naruto could ruin my concentration." Sasuke sighed, and Naruto scowled at Akira, who laughed again. "Anyway… simply enough, the Memory Art allows me to project my own memories onto this sheet of water. What you're seeing now is an image that I saw about five years ago, almost exactly as I saw it."

Calmly, he closed his eyes again. On the flowing screen of water, streaks of blue and violet slashed across the crimson, somehow gently. Then, as the room sat entranced, the sky seemed to explode in a wild display of colors, blue and green and crimson and violet. Sakura and Hinata oohed, and even Sasuke gasped at the sight. Akira opened his eyes and grinned. Slowly, the colors faded. Sakura groaned. "Not long, huh?"

Akira shook his head. "Actually, I was just unlucky. Sometimes they last for nearly an hour. But that time it was only about a minute." He smiled. "But you know, as good as this technique is at capturing the sight, it's still even more beautiful when you see it yourself.

On the screen, the view had now panned down to show Akira's father, five years younger. He was giving some kind of speech, but no sound came out. Akira shook his head. "Sorry, no sound. I can use wind chakra to add it in, eventually, but I still have a while before I can master that version of the move."

"That is probably a good thing. I don't usually tell that tale to outsiders."

Akira spun around, the water screen snapping and falling to the ground in a puddle. "Father? I thought you were out on patrol…" He fell silent before the tall man's gaze.

"I was," Kyoushin Katsura said grimly. "But I heard that some outsiders had come into our village, and I decided part of that duty was to make sure no spies had entered."

Akira sighed. "Sorry about him. Father doesn't seem to trust anyone these days."

Katsura glared down at him. "And with good reason, boy. Now, who are those three idiots in the corner? Lady Hinata is of course welcome in our home at any time, but the other three have yet to speak."

"Hey, you can't talk to us like that!" Naruto yelled. Katsura cocked an eyebrow at him. "Well, you can't! You're being just plain rude!"

Akira sighed. "Rude? I am inclined to agree. But, technically the leader of my clan can talk however he wants in his own village, and certainly my father can speak how he wishes in his own home."

Hinata tapped Naruto gently on the shoulder. "Um… Naruto, he's right. That's Lord Katsura, the head of the Kyoushin clan. Please don't make him angry." She stood and looked timidly at the tall jounin. "Lord Katsura, these three are my friends and bodyguards. This is Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke."

Katsura looked over at Naruto, eying the loud orange of his jumpsuit. "So, this is the famous troublemaker ninja of Konoha. Try any of your tricks with me, boy, and I will deal harshly with you."

Akira's eyes flashed. "But if he does not, I would ask you to keep a civil tongue in your head… Father. All four of them are my friends, and I would not have them insulted without reason."

Katsura laughed coldly. "That they are friends with a coward and fool like you is reason enough to insult them. But I'll humor you… son."

The two glared at each other for about a minute; then Katsura huffed and left with a swish of his robes. Akira sighed. "Sorry about that. He's even more stubborn than Naruto, and spiteful to boot. Weird quality for the leader of a clan so devoted to bushido, but there you have it."

Naruto was still gritting his teeth. "What's with that guy? Even to his own son, he's a jerk!"

Akira sighed. "Leave out the 'even' part, Naruto. About a year ago, I was… I suppose the word would be 'disowned'. I broke our code, and I'm paying for it."

Taro grinned as he walked in. "Yep! I'm the heir to the prestigious Kyoushin clan now, so you'd all better bow down and respect me!"

A moment later, the empty ramen bowl bounced off Taro's head with a CLUNK and fell neatly into the sink. Akira blinked, and then clapped with a bemused look in his eyes. "Nice shot, Naruto. But don't mind him. He just likes goofing off too much to stop. Anyway, I think it's time we were all off to bed. Tomorrow I'll show you around some of the best places in the village."

Naruto looked at the clock hanging from the wall and yelped. "Wow, it's later than I thought."

Sakura yawned. "I guess you lose track of time in these mountains, huh?"

Hinata bowed to Akira. "Thank you for your hospitality. Um… is there a place to sleep here?"

Akira nodded and began pulling out a futon from the closet. "The last village leader had a much larger family than ours, so there are a few extra rooms. I'll sleep out here; that'll make four spare rooms. Pick whichever one you like. Oh, and Naruto, please no pranks? I really don't feel like having to check every door I open for erasers."

Naruto grinned, rubbed the back of his head, then hoisted his bag and headed up the stairs. Sasuke waved briefly and followed after him. Sakura blinked. "Well, if you're sure it's okay with you…" She turned and saw Taro holding her bag with a grin on his face. "You'd better not be stealing that," she said as she followed him up. Akira saw Taro give her a pained look as they disappeared. He laughed.

Hinata glanced around, and then sat down pointedly on the futon. Akira blinked. "Um, Lady Hinata?"

She shook her head. "Please, just 'Hinata'. Anyway, you shouldn't have to sleep on the futon. It's your own house, after all."

Akira smiled and sat down next to her. "It's fine… Hinata. Besides, how could I make a guest sleep here while I enjoy a comfortable bed?"

"Especially such a cute guest!" echoed Taro's voice from above.

"Go to bed, little brother!" Akira shot back.

"Hey! I outrank you, remember?"

"Only in ego, Taro. Good night!"

"Huh? Cute guest? Are you two talking about me?"

"Oh, can it, Sakura! I meant Hinata!"

Akira and Hinata both dissolved into fits of laughter as Taro and Sakura continued yelling at each other. Akira sighed. "Really, it's all right. Go ahead and take the room. I wouldn't be able to sleep properly if you didn't."

Hinata blushed and nodded. "Okay. But I'm carrying the bag, not you. That's my condition for sleeping properly." She grinned impishly and dashed up the steps before Akira could protest. He sputtered incoherently for a moment, and then laughed as he lay back and fell slowly to sleep.