KAZEKAGE'S OFFICE, THE HIDDEN SAND

"Forgive me, Hikaku. I was unaware of the rogue Monzaemon lurking near our village. What matters is that your student has received medical aid and the daimyo has arrived unscathed."

Hikaku gratefully bowed to the First Kazekage who greeted them upon their entry and led the daimyo to the dining hall for a meal. Danzo and Torifu were requested to wait in a rest house where they chewed on complementary confectionary while Kagami was hurried to an emergency room for immediate attention.

Hikaku was instructed to leave for the Hidden Sand's Interrogatory Unit for questioning and details pertaining to the rogue puppeteer. It had been four years since he had deserted the village in his pursuit of art and human bodies. The Hidden Sand probably had no idea how strong Monzaemon had become.

Kagami was laid onto a bed where his shirt was stripped apart and medical ninja extracted samples of the poison and inspected it under various scales of magnification. Soon, they all acknowledged the entry of another medical kunoichi. Through his agony, Kagami was still aware of the events around him. He managed to get a peak of the medic who walked in. Kagami identified her as the head of the village's medical unit from the way all the other doctors stood straight and made way as she approached. Kagami was first confused as to how a mere fourteen- year old girl was able to command an entire unit full of adult doctors and nurses alike. However, a warm tingle sizzled through his body as he saw her face for the first time. Kagami was never — in the slightest — attracted to a girl in his entire life but what he saw before him was different. Her hair was an odd lavender colour and she wore a white scarf around her neck, above the nurse uniform. Her eyes were a usual black colour and had fair skin. She walked towards Kagami and stared into his eyes for a minute before placing her hands on his waist to neutralise the effects of the poison.

"Don't worry. We will try our best. I cannot guarantee anything though. Please be patient, okay?"

Kagami gave a weak nod out of pain and a new found feeling of shyness.

She felt his waist as the web of poison died down to its entry until a doctor beckoned her.

"Ms. Chiyo! I know what this poison is!", he stated.

"It's batrachotoxin, isn't it? The one from the skins of slimy frogs!", the young Chiyo replied.

"Right on as usual, Ms. Chiyo! Your medical knowledge comes in handy during times like this!"

Kagami was astonished by her deduction. She did not even look at the toxin under the glass! Kagami laboriously opened his mouth.

"Hey, um, how did you know what poison that was?"

Cheerfully, she replied, "I am a medical ninja and have been learning under Shamon, the aide and student of the First Kazekage ever since my sensei disappeared from the village about five years ago. So, apart from basic healing, I am well- versed in identifying, handling and removing toxins from patients and wounded ninja."

Kagami was impressed. Shamon, famously known as the 'Sand Serpent', was respected for his medical knowledge and was said to be the next greatest medical ninja after Hashirama and his wife. Shamon was renowned for his ability to absorb and distribute poisons: he could absorb the toxins with his palms itself and manipulate it to form projectiles or channel it through the ground to form traps. His attachment to nature also helped him establish a good relation with flora as plants could warn him of an enemy's whereabouts and could fight for him as well.

As Kagami began to impress her with praise, he coughed out some blood and squirmed as the poison began to resurface again.

The doctors absolutely freaked out.

"Why is it coming back?! We just extracted it!"

Chiyo hurriedly inspected the sample again and found a new set of cells enhancing the poison and accelerating its movement. It had completely consumed the the antidote cells that they infused.

"This is no regular poison: this batrachotoxin has been mixed with something else making it more lethal! Our ordinary methods won't work!"

The situation had reached a new level of distress, as for the first time, the medical unit was left completely mystified by this new fusion of poisonous cells.

Chiyo saw the poison making new branches as it travelled through the bloodstream prompting Kagami to yell out another bout of pain.

She calmly thought and foresaw only one possible solution. If no antidote or cure was going to destroy this batrachotoxin-hybrid from the outside, they would have to resort to eliminating it from the INSIDE.

"We have no choice.", Chiyo worriedly said as she looked at his childish face and saw how guilty she would feel if a young child would die on he hands.

"What shall we do?", said one nurse.

"It is established that the poison travels with the speed of the bloodstream. Due the blood continuously moving in his vessels and veins, the poison is travelling to where the blood takes it. The red blood cells act as a vehicle for the batrachotoxin.", explained another.

"In that case, the only way to stop the poison...", Chiyo said and then paused. What they were about to perform was a risky bet but then again, it was their only option.

"...is to stop the flow of the bloodstream."

Another doctor understood what she meant but not without realising the terrible risk it poses.

"But...the only way to stop the flow of the bloodstream...is-is to stop the pumping of the heart..."

"Are we really going to do this?", chanted one.

"We have no choice and the most experienced person with handling poisons in this room is..."

All eyes pointed to Chiyo who sighed heavily.

"...me. It's fine. I will do it. I just need time and no interruptions whatsoever. Someone infuse chakra while I create an incision in his chest and temporarily stop the beating of his heart. I want one of you to carefully extract the poison during the time when his blood flow is stagnant. Remember, we have only one shot at this and if we fail, we lose the boy forever.", Chiyo instructed.

"Understood!"

"Alright! Let's begin effective immediately!"

END OF THE FORESTS IN THE HIDDEN HOT WATER VILLAGE

"Anyone?"

"No."

"Alright, let's move."

Team Tobirama finally exited the vast forest and felt a chill through the air. Not the baleful feeling but a genuine frosty chill. It had taken a couple hours of travelling through a dense forest to escape the Kaguya brothers. Tobirama glanced at Koharu's skin which was covered in miniscule bumps. Goosebumps, huh? Looks like we are close to the Hidden Frost.

The trees ahead gradually appeared to have lost their leaves and at one point, were bare as the crunchy leaves swayed to the ground. They noticed a slush of crushed semi- liquid crystals of ice leading up to a few centimetres of snow. Centimetres soon translated into a foot of snow as the houses began to appear less frequently. Soon, despite the many warnings of the locals about entering the snow storms at this time, Team Tobirama understood that the challenging part of their journey began. Team Tobirama took a hot tea break with the locals in a nearby shed as an old- timer told them stories about a band of yeti roaming in the snow. The old man mentioned how his friends lost limbs as they encountered the wild apes and how people dare not cross the snow dunes in the middle of the night during what they called the ' Dreaded Blizzard of the Frost', a monthly blizzard that froze people to death should their poor souls get trapped in it. The snow could reach up to almost three feet and the winds would make it hard to see anything in the dead of the night. Not to mention the yetis that roam around in their territory. Compared to Homura who was spooked out of his mind, Koharu and Hiruzen were more than eager to hear more about the yeti.

A lone man leaning against the corner of the shed walked up to them and revealed to them a socket without an eye.

"This is what one of those furry beasts did to me when I was found in their territory. They left me with a parting gift and warned me of my end if I was to trouble them again. Be wary mister. The snow ain't no place to be at this time of the night."

Tobirama stood silent as he began to make the choice between completing the mission and foiling the mob conference versus the safety of their team. Should I wait till tomorrow? What concerns me isn't the 'yeti', but the harsh storm. The mob will never meet again for another five years or so and if we let them go, they will corrupt for years to come. No, the mission takes precedence. We have five hours till midnight after which we start out journey and arrive in the afternoon, just in time to pin the crime bosses down.

"I have decided. We will leave at midnight. I know it will be risky but I am willing to take that risk. Sleep for atleast five hours in this shed."

There was no reasoning with Tobirama. The students faced the reality of their situation and wrapped themselves with blankets after graciously accepting the jackets and piping stew provided by the old people running the shed.

Tobirama was still wide awake as he watched his students get a bit of rest.

The old man, who was currently wiping bowls and glasses, began to initiate a conversation with the Senju.

"So you're all ninja, huh?"

"Correct."

"What are you folks doing out here in the cold?"

"We've been sent on a mission here."

"I see. Where are you people from anyway?"

Tobirama parted his spiky hair to show the symbol of the Hidden Leaf on his head guard.

"Woah! You folks are from the Hidden Leaf? I have heard legends about that village."

"Legends?"

"Oh yeah! It's a tale for all kids around these parts. The tale of the battle between Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju. Ever since that, kids have long dreamed of meeting Hashirama, who I now hear is your First Hokage!"

"That is true. In fact...I am his younger brother, Tobirama."

"Well, well! Pleasure to meet you Master Senju! We are more than happy to accommodate you for however long as you like! Although, you should have told me sooner as I could have given you stew on the house! But too late, business is business..."

Tobirama watched as he drifted off into one of his own mumbles, a result of his senility. However, he had one question in mind.

"Tell me, old man, what are these 'yeti' you speak of? I am not fully convinced of their existence."

"My, my Master Senju, you have every right to be afraid of those beasts! They can rip your arms from your sockets and bury you deep within the snow, never to come back out alive."

"This seems like a children's horror story."

"It's true! I have, many a time, found sprays of blood on the snow when I have ventured out! I thank the heavens each time I return alive. But in my opinion, I choose not to meddle with them in the Dark Realm of Winter."

"The Dark Realm of Winter?"

"Why, it's the name of the passage of course! The stretch of snow between the Hidden Hot Water Village and the Hidden Frost is the Dark Realm of Winter."

"I see. I will handle the yeti if I see it, I guess."

"You better."

Tobirama walked out of the shed and saw the full moon against the starry sky. Looks like the moon isn't going to make the night all that dark.

INTERROGATION UNIT, THE HIDDEN SAND

"What did he look like?"

"A cap on his head...a long beard..."

"What did he want?"

"A set of Sharingan, mine specifically."

"And what was his fighting style?"

"Puppetry. He totally wields ten puppets out of which we struggled with just two. If I had not used my Susanoo, we would be done for."

"Thank you, Master Uchiha. We can find out the rest through the archives. "

"Where is the daimyo?"

"He is still dining with the Kazekage. The festival is tomorrow and the boy is still undergoing treatment, so you can do whatever you feel like for the time being."

"I will. Thank you."

Hikaku bowed and left the Interrogation Unit. He was strictly told not to bother the medical unit at this time so he made his way to the rest house where the other two rested. When Hikaku came in, it was utter mayhem.

The curtains had been torn and the pillars were about to crumble. There were pillow feathers everywhere and the water was leaking from the faucets and showers. Amidst this 'battlefield', Hikaku saw two boys struggling and grunting as they fought for the last piece of confectionary.

"What in the world is going on?!"

Danzo and Torifu immediately distanced themselves and took a good look around their 'room'.

Hikaku took a deep breath and counselled them before leading them outside to cure their boredom.

Under the evening sun, Hikaku led them to a sandy training ground that was given to them during their stay.

"I trust you know that Kagami is in no state to fight now. We will have to do make do with three members. This is no time to be horsing around over a chocolates!"

Danzo cheekily shrugged it off as he walked along. The sun irritated him and he found it better to stay at home. But his gut told him to become stronger for he had a certain Sarutobi to thrash.

"Come on, sensei! Nobody can trouble us again! We are in the Sand's hands now."

"Don't underestimate our opponent. He will recover from my Tsukuyomi in another two days at most. And then, he will come for us. So I have decided to use this time to teach you about sensing and tracking opponents. You are more likely to survive if you know where your enemies are beforehand so that you can prepare for them."

Hikaku gave Danzo and Torifu a map of the Hidden Sand village.

"What's this for?" was the immediate question.

Hikaku stuck a flag pole near his feet and pulled out a stop watch.

"I'll give you both about thirty minutes to scatter yourselves around the village. I will come and find you in less than twenty."

"Really? Can you?"

"Let's see. Neither of us know this village very well, hence, the maps in your hands.", Hikaku gestured as he pointed towards the parchment in their hands.

"So this is basically 'hide and seek'?", asked a curious Torifu.

"Kind of. This activity will serve as a demonstration. I've taken into the consideration the element of night-time that will make it harder for me to track you. So use this the half an hour you have to conceal your tracks well and hide yourselves thoroughly. Make sure not to stumble into anyone's house at this time. The last thing you want is to be branded as a juvenile criminal. Any questions?"

"No, sensei!", they chanted in unison.

"Alright then...scatter!"

THE DARK REALM OF WINTER - PASSAGE TO THE HIDDEN FROST

After washing their faces and thanking the shed owners, Team Tobirama dug their feet into the snow with each stride. It was a satisfying feeling knowing that the ground beneath you was as soft as ever. Equipped with the necessary warmth, they entered the blizzard where the shed's light dimmed with each step. The moon lit the few metres in front of them but the rest was pitch-black. On Tobirama's advice, the students each borrowed a teleportation kunai. The trees were completely bare and there was absolutely no sign of direction. With the one torch that had not yet sizzled out because of the cold, Tobirama peered at the map. In blood, the red path was a convoluted curve leading to the Hidden Frost. Any deviation from the path probably spelt death. Tobirama was told that this path was made by a person's blood and he managed to survive the journey to tell the tale. This was the most useful help they could get. The arctic winds were relentless and with each grunt and sweat, they managed to push through. The falling crystals and flakes of snow were freckles of an unending night sky.

They trudged through the sub- zero powder of snow with little whines here and there. The snowy conditions were on a whole other level than that of their village. On the more tropical side, the Hidden Leaf would receive half a foot of snow, enough to get families excited for snow related activities. Hiruzen took out his stolen apple from the shed and began to bite through when he realised that the snow froze it completely, causing it to crumble and flow with the wind. The moon was the only thing that gave him reassurance and a sense of beauty in the wintry realm. This was until he saw a trail of blood in front of him.

"Uh, sensei, do you see that?"

Tobirama placed his torch near the trail of blood and was a bit concerned. But he shrugged it off and ignored it.

"Leave it, Saru. There are animals who call this place their home. They hunt and kill. Don't be scared."

Hiruzen stuck closer to his teammates as Hiruzen still tracked the trail. Despite telling his students to ignore the trail, Tobirama watched it closely as well. Whatever was dragging an animal in the middle of the night was dangerous. It was after ten minutes of more murderous travel did the trail of blood stop and screams were heard. Tobirama held the fire far and saw a furry white creature, about eight feet tall, snarl with its jaws wide open. It resembled a mountain silver- coated gorilla and had long sideburns. The trail of blood ended where he sat. Each second of his growling petrified Hiruzen, Homura and Koharu. Tobirama was frozen with fear. The yeti?! It's real. Now, we need to calmly back off and go another direction. Nice and slow.

Carefully he grasped his students' hands and whispered without taking his eyes of the approaching ape.

"Slowly take a few steps back. Don't lose eye contact with it."

They did as it was told but the ape kept walking towards it. As they moved back, Hiruzen noticed that the trail of blood was actually coming from the 'yeti' itself. Wait a minute! The beast is injured. That explains the blood. He thinks we are here to hurt and kill him!

"Sensei, it's injured. Let us help it."

Koharu pinched Hiruzen in the elbow.

"Are you crazy, Hiruzen? That thing will rip you to shreds!"

"I have a plan. All I need is some bandages and antiseptic."

Tobirama always had faith in Hiruzen and was prepared to protect him all the way.

"Alright Saru, I'll give in this one time. The rest of us shall kill the 'yeti' if it tries to strike you. Go and help it."

With hushes and slow approach, Hiruzen managed to get close the the arm that had a huge opening where blood leaked. It was perhaps slashed by another warrior. Hiruzen was no longer afraid with his blood- curling growls and slowly wrapped the bandages around the pillow- soft arm. The beast soon calmed down with the ease in pain and understood the good intention. Deciding to spare these people, the white ape whimpered away into the infinity of the snow. That boy...he saved me...what a weird fellow...

The torch was flickering and beginning to lose its flame, but on the brighter side, they were almost close. They had managed to not stumble in the cold and certain landmarks in the snow were recognised on the map. The hard part of the journey was definitely over. Ordinary men and women would not have survived this storm if they weren't ninja. Atleast now, they had entered the Hidden Frost just in time for the meeting of the mob bosses in the Snowflake Square located in the outskirts of the small nation. It was going to be two hours until their intervention so they had time to heat themselves and rid their body systems of the ice inside. This would be nothing for Tobirama and his team since these bosses were regular men but powerful enough to influence an entire nation. The men had money and therefore possessed a high rank in politics and society. They practically had taken over the government and laundered the taxes from the citizens to use for their own purposes.

Seeing his students shivering and on the verge of collapsing, he proposed a terrific idea.

"Would you three...like to go the bathhouses?"

With an eager nod, they set out for the bathhouses. The onsen were always a good place to relax since the hot spring below offers the right amount of heat to make one forget his or her troubles. Tobirama had strictly warned Hiruzen not to climb over the bamboo walls and savour the sights of many bare beauties gossiping in the clear water. Hiruzen was more scared of Koharu than he was of Tobirama so he just decided to stay quiet and enjoy the experience. Homura chuckled.

"Hiruzen, you forget that Koharu along with all those females would come after you till you're dead."

Tobirama settled gently into the warm water after taking off the towel covering his waist. He rolled his eyes in agreement.

"I mean seriously Saru, you're only eight years old. It's a mystery as to why you have such a perverse mind at this young of an age. You remind me of my indecent brother at times."

"Lord First was a pervert too?"

Tobirama held back his laughter.

"Yes, he has had his fair share of troubles with women."

Homura was now interested as well. It was not everyday that you hear the story of when your beloved First Hokage got beat up by a woman.

"Woah! What happened!?"

"I don't know if I should..."

"Oh please sensei! C'mon!"

"Alright Saru, but I shall tell Koharu of your attempt to peep if you leak this..."

"You have my word, sensei.", Hiruzen said with a thumbs- up.

"Hehe...back when he was young bachelor, he had taken a keen liking to Mito Uzumaki, the current First Lady. The pervert that he was, he silently tracked her into the changing rooms of the bathhouses in the Land of Hot Water. He transformed into a middle - aged woman to avoid detection and mingled his way into Mito's friends circle to get closer."

Tobirama took a short pause wondering why he was even telling these children, but nonetheless, he has started a story so he was going to finish it; otherwise, it would be very anticlimactic.

"Well, apparently, the water had made him drowsy so he may have let loose and his chakra was no longer masked. Soon, his transformation jutsu became undone and all the women in the bath had their furious eyes on my brother who was soundly relaxing in the centre. He got a sound beating from Mito and all the other women in that bathhouse. It is a miracle that he was able to marry her after all of that."

Hiruzen had made a strict resolve that day that he would never peep on women again. He might break or forget the rule in the future but it was always good to make a resolution. He was scared of a woman's wrath than disobeying the moral of a woman's privacy and holiness.

"It's a good lesson to learn, I guess."

Tobirama watched the sun. It's almost an hour after midday. We better get going. He took out a kunai and angled it in such a way that the bright light from the sun reflected off the glass panels on the roof and made Koharu blink a couple of times on the other side. She understood her sensei's call and accordingly changed and met her comrades outside. Hiruzen once again stared at Koharu with her dripping purple hair.

"What now, Hiruzen?"

"Nothing..."

"You should be happy that it was nothing...", said Homura for literally no reason.

"What does that mean, Homura?", Koharu asked.

"It does not mean anything, we must leave at once, they would have congregated by now.", said Tobirama rapidly.

They had skipped through the trees until Tobirama felt a twitch in the chakra ahead.

"There's something off...there are lesser chakra signatures than I thought..."

Hiruzen optimistically stated, "Maybe, their tea party hasn't started yet..."

"Possibly..."

Team Tobirama arrived at the thatched roofed house where the mob meeting was supposed to take place but was aghast to see the security guards dead. Blood flowed from their punctured chests into the grass. Tobirama placed his finger on his head. He has been killed roughly fifteen minutes ago. His chakra still traces in his body indicating that he was killed recently. I can say the same for the rest of these guards.

Koharu froze as she saw inside and saw multiple businessmen dead, their corpses upon each other. The floors were soaked with their blood. All the mob bosses had been killed and the wounds looked somewhat familiar.

As Team Tobirama watched the scene around them, they heard three pairs of feet land on the ground. Tobirama gasped as he saw those three appear in front of them with bone weaponry in their hands. Kai. Kane. Kenji.

"And so we meet again...Senju...!"