Chapter Seventeen: Cold Front
Kanto Notabi, the Fire Daimyō's Minister of Agriculture cut a strange figure. Either the pictures were outdated, or had just downplayed the man's facial hair. Regardless, Obito was not quite prepared to be greeted by a face that was more mustache than face. Groomed, bushy brows just about tied into his mustache and beard, leaving only his nose and eyes exposed.
The robes were bright red, deep purples, and gold trims, artfully arrayed to that the bulk at the man's waist looked dignified as much as an ostentatious display of wealth. Many rings adorned his hands, pompous and pretentious in a way Obito had grown to dislike, but so overwhelmingly gregarious, it was a little difficult to actively dislike the man outright.
"Ah, the Crimson Phantasm! A pleasure to make your acquaintance! And Kohona's White Fang! Marvelous. Absolutely marvelous!"
"I appreciate your words of high praise, Lord Kanto," said Kakashi, "though the White Fang was my father."
"Pish-tish. Your reputation has more than earned you a sobriquet of similar magnitude!"
"As you say."
The trail of exuberance went down the line, though mostly dissipated as he went on, before vanishing into the throngs of courtiers making preparations for their departure. Once he was out of earshot, Obito cleared his throat.
"First time I've been called that to my face since the war."
Kakashi hummed to himself and said, "Better than some of the other mutations I've heard."
"Like what?" Obito asked, almost dreading the answer.
"Red-eyed Killer. That's mostly out of Iwa."
"Wouldn't that apply to most Uchiha?"
"'Eye'. Singular. How many of your kin are out running one eye short and still making a name for themselves?"
Obito raised a finger, fully prepared to retort, when he stopped midway. There really wasn't any he could think of. Losing any of your eyes was a mark of great shame for an Uchiha. Either they retired, or they found quieter, more secluded work rather than risk attention being drawn to it, citing the loss of depth perception. Getting a nickname over it would be seen as insulting, so that was enough to warm Obito to the idea.
"Now if you'll excuse me," said Kakashi, "I'm going to keep an eye on our employer."
Watching his friend head further up the train of wagons, he looked back at the small army assembled and the mountain of luggage being loaded into wagons. "Wait, wait, wait. All of this is coming with us?"
"You haven't been on any diplomatic escort missions, have you?" asked Hitomi, neatly stepping into the space Kakashi left. "Escorting Nobles of any kind?"
"Nope. Minato-sensei was planning on bringing me along for one, but hadn't gotten around to it before he...passed. And we've all been kept busy running missions since then, so the Sandiame hasn't managed to include me. Until now, I guess."
"Well, here's a crash course on the Noble politics." She started walking alongside the baggage train, just far enough to not be easily overheard. "While we have the Chūnin Exams to display the strength and prosperity of our village, this here is a show of power by the Fire Daimyō's court."
They ducked under parts of a disassembled bed, and Hitomi went on, even as they passed an entire pack devoted to maintaining his facial hair. Soaps, waxes, and an assortment of other concoctions that Obito wasn't entirely sure how they related to hair care.
"That means pristine clothes, and to show off, a fresh, entirely new outfit for each public appearance. Servants, retainers, guards to carry, keep, protect, and apply everything, and make sure their master is kept in maximum comfort the entire way to and from their destination. And it can't be just anyone in the entourage. You have to have the best. Ideally, the most competent, the highest birth, the most attractive. And I guarantee you that each and every person you see here was hand-picked expressly to demonstrate who is important in the Daimyō's court, and should this mission prove successful, who they should be looking for when they reciprocate."
"And I'm guessing the same's true for the Snow Daimyō?"
"Yes." She stepped around a passing porter. "Here's another thing: you can't just exclude people from being involved just because you dislike them. The more important they are, the harder it is to put them in the side room when the court assembles. If they've committed a crime of some sort, that's one thing, but shunning one party or another could lead to contemplated loyalties turning to active support for your rival."
Obito pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is going to be a headache no matter which position I take in the future."
"Welcome to the world of politics." She flashed him a small smile. "Now come on. We need to at least look like we're on duty."
[NRE]
The convoy moved at a snail's pace. The shinobi could have made the journey in less than a week at their best pace. When Obito mentioned this to Kakashi, he laughed and said this was making good time for a party of this size.
They had made stops at pretty much every single holding between the capitol and the border, and then only stopping at major locales. And every time they stopped, that meant an exhaustive effort to scout a good place to set camp, unpack tents, cooking equipment, a small feast, and then turning around the next morning to reverse the process to continue. Rarely did they carry through the night, and more than a few times they had been delayed by a spot of rain.
Heaven forbid he have to escort the Fire Daimyō in the same manner.
The transfer to a ship, a large steam freighter, had been a relief. At first. They weren't stopping every couple of miles to stretch legs, repair wagons, or sight-see, and no attractions would be seen on the waves that couldn't be seen in passing.
Which brought Obito back to where he was now, leaning over the side of the ship, hoping nausea didn't boil over. The sway of the deck along the rolling waves had been disorienting. Now he could say that he had done it, and he wasn't sure what the hype was over sailing the high seas
Yukio kindly pattied him on the back. "You'll get your sea legs soon enough. That'll help most of that."
"I'm used to having solid ground beneath my feet."
"That's probably the problem right there. By the way, Kakashi wants us in the hold."
With some effort, Obito pulled away from looking out to sea and descended into the hold, passing some of the cargo they were carrying with them, guiding to where the rest of the team had gathered.
"Crazy to think that we're going to be porting in dirt."
"Peat, to be precise," Kakashi said. "How are you holding up, Obito?"
"I'll live."
"I see. I'll put things as simply as I can. At least two of us will be guarding Lord Kanto, keeping a rotating watch. Officially, we will guard him, but otherwise we'll be on our best behavior, and only retaliate when we can undeniably prove it was self-defense."
"And unofficially?"
"Unofficially, if – and only if – we come under attack by any hostiles, we have freedom to dispatch them in any way practical, so long as we don't jeopardize the mission parameters. Don't kill non-combatants, don't needlessly destroy local property and infrastructure, don't do anything that could be negatively traced back to Konohagakure."
"Is Land of Snows that important?" asked Yukio.
"Materially? No, not really. But gaining their support could mean giving Kumo and Iwa second thoughts before committing to any offensives in the future if they can be stabbed in the back. Above all, we don't want them pushed into either of those camps. And until we're all safely back home, consider us to be in hostile territory. Understood?"
All of them looked around, acknowledging their directives.
"We won't be able to gather like this often once we arrive, so if you have any questions or concerns, this is the best time to bring them up."
There was likely more to the picture than what Kakashi was telling, but this was not the place to ask. Something was brewing in the background. At present, it was only known to the Jōnin, and probably ANBU, but this was more than some simple diplomatic theater between nations. This could be the opening move in a war.
[NRE]
The entourage gathered on the docks, bundled up like a herd of small bears in some cases. Obito was just shy of looking the same, shivering against the cold and jogging in place to keep warm.
Kakashi and Hitomi were keeping close to the main entourage. The rest of them were patrolling around nearby, so long as they kept within visual range.
"It's freezing out here." Obito shivered.
"There's snow on the ground," said Rin, "so it's definitely freezing."
"I don't typically have this much problem staying warm."
"Maybe it's because you're part tree. Or maybe you're just more accustomed to intense heat over intense cold. You didn't seem that bothered by lava."
"Whatever the case, isn't it supposed to be summer still?"
"There's no summer in the Land of Snows." The shinobi turned to a man in woolen clothes, coveralls, and a leather apron, and thick leather boots and gloves, a hat as scruffy as his face, and a scarf wrapped around his neck, "Or spring. Or autumn. Just winter all year 'round. Welcome to the Land of Snows, outsiders. You've never seen a good summer snow before?"
"Not exactly. Snows are a rarity in the Land of Fire, let alone at this intensity."
"Ah, Land of Fire," the man sighed, wistfully, "It must be frightfully warm there."
"It's fairly temperate. Summers might get warm, and winters tend to rain more than anything."
"Huh. Ain't that something." He smiled gamely, doffing his hat as he introduced himself, powder blue hair sticking up in a wild nest. "Name's Hikaru, by the way. Chief Engineer for Na no Haru Railway."
Cry of Spring, Obito thought, then said, "Obito Namikaze."
"Rin Nohara."
"We're both here with the Land of Fire delegation."
The man's reaction was more or less expected; perplexed surprise. Most nations didn't just let foreign soldiers wander around, and for a country that had spent considerable time closed off and isolated, that went for double. And Land of Snows, by extension of Yukigakure, hadn't been back in the regular circuit long enough to have been made a location for the Chūnin Exams, which was as much practice in hosting political delegations as it was a public exhibition of a village's strength.
Shinobi could be paranoid, and letting them alleviate their concerns was considered the polite thing to do when opening negotiations with any shinobi-aligned party, within reason. As with any other diplomatic venture, killing someone under guest right or any other formal protection would see most of your international allies ditch you in a hurry. Conversely, exploiting this courtesy, or at least getting caught in the act, and conducting missions while under diplomatic envoy was considered a transgression most extreme.
Luckily, Obito wasn't asked to explain the finer details of shinobi diplomacy, and added, "In fact, we were told we would be taking transportation from here to Kazahana Castle, but I don't see any wagons or anything."
Rather than answer, Hikari smiled when a whistle cut through the crisp cold air. A behemoth of steel rounded the corner, spewing smoke – or was that steam? – into the air as it rumbled along a line of rails, pulling to the platform they had been standing on.
"There she is," said Hikari, then turned back to the Konoha nin.
As the rest of delegation made their way up the steps, Hikaru broke away to greet them.
"And what is this?" asked Kanto, perplexed by the iron monstrosity waiting for them.
The engineer smiled. "This?" He jerked a thumb back. "My Lord, this is a locomotive! The future of transportation. The capacity to traverse the land, in all but the fiercest of snows, moving material and manpower to all but the most remote locations. As of right now, this is the only line in the country, running through Fuyuki, and then onward to the northern settlements of the island. If the mainland decides they want to invest in the same, journeys such as the one you just made will take a fraction of the time, even if you were to cross from the south-westerly reaches of the Land of Winds' frontier to the tippy-top of the Lightning Peninsula."
It was an impressive marvel. There was also the matter of transporting the entourage to Fuyuki, as while everything important would fit on a single trip, it did wouldn't be able to carry everything. Luckily, some thought had been given to this in the first place, so some would stay with the ship, and if the engineer's assurances were reliable, they could rush anything they needed from the port to the castle.
More important, at least in Obito's mind, riding by train was better than the ship. The seats might have been a bit hard, but the steady rhythm of rumbling along the tracks was oddly relaxing as opposed to nauseating.
As they rumbled along the rails, Hikari slung himself around to sit with the shinobi, dusting some of the snow from his hat out of a door before slamming it shut behind him.
"You shinobi have it pretty easy," he said, "jumping and climbing around everything."
"It takes a lot of training and practice, but it's not impossible for others to learn. And weren't you on at the engine?"
"Well, let's just say my training and practice includes moving around the train while it's in motion." He sat down across from Obito. "And you're right about one thing, when we were talking earlier. Winter seems to have come early. Normally we're waiting another month or two before we see snows this heavy and widespread. I've heard some places further north are cut off due to weather. Getting supplies up there has been a pain."
Looking outside, the snowfall had intensified, great, big, puffy flakes dancing on the wind as they flew on by.
"Why isn't this sort of thing used elsewhere?" asked Obito.
"It hasn't caught on, I imagine. A mixture of limited manpower and resources being allocated elsewhere. You need quite a few people to make a path and set rails, and that means lots of lumber and iron. You also have to consider fuel, replenish water to make steam...by that point, most wouldn't, or just couldn't get on board with the idea. And that's before you have people balking at the fouling the natural beauty of the land."
"How old are you, anyway?" he asked. "You said you're the chief engineer, but you don't look like you're even thirty."
"Because I'm not." Hikari chuckled. "I turn twenty-six next week. Besides, you're all, what? Seventeen? Eighteen?"
"Yeah, but weren't not really in charge of anything on this scale. Or importance."
"Well, I got started early, and my aptitude saw me get an apprenticeship a little earlier than most, and my work ethic saw my rise through the ranks. When you know the business inside and out, and prove you can get the job done, you tend to find yourself in charge whether you want to or not."
Obito scrunched his face a bit while considering that. "I guess you have a point."
"Besides. It's not as if you're all going to stay kids forever. And it's good to have ambition and aspirations." Hikari looked out the window and smiled. "Ah. Here we are."
Coming over the rise, they were treating to a picturesque view of Land of Snows' capitol.
Fuyuki was distributed across five hills, each higher than the last and adorned with crowns of stone, wood, and metal, lights dotting windows and outlining streets in the fading daylight. On the highest hill, and the closest to Mount Fuyuki's slopes, sat Kazahana Castle.
The base of the castle's foundations were of light brown stone, just dark enough to set it apart from the snows that surrounded it. Higher still, the walls were made of pale white planes, almost as if cast from a single block, sitting neatly upon the foundations, with steep-sloped rooftops that kept the snows from piling atop the palace. From the middle rose a tower that appeared to be made of wood, sturdy banners of the ruling family secured against the winds.
A short travel from the station to the castle gates, their arrival in the courtyard was met by a small contingent from Yukigakure, some holding umbrellas to keep the snow at bay, at least in part. Guards stood at attention, lining the walkway that had been recently cleared.
At the head of the formation was Lord Sōsetsu Kazahana. Broad-shouldered and a kindly smile, he reminded Obito of some of the folks he had met in research and development, something the thick glasses sitting on his face accentuated. His daughter, Princess Koyuki stood beside him on the right, a slip of a girl, especially when compared to her father and uncle. Speaking of which, Dotō stood to his brother's left, armored and armed as a solider, and a strong build that was apparent even under his cloak. Where Sōsetsu had an air of geniality, Dotō was harsh and cold as the lands he lived in.
The official welcome, well-wishing, introductions were had, establishment of guest protections, all a little too far for Obito to hear without straining his ears, and he was still keeping watch. His mind mind also boggled at the sheer amount of pomp that went into such ceremonies. Luckily, practicality dictated that the rest be conducted inside, so they were out of the elements.
Led inside, walls of stone and wood paneling, they were met by a middle-aged courtier with dark brown hair tied off in a top-knot, who bowed at their approach.
"Greetings. I am Sandayū Asama."
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance. Obito Namikaze. This is Rin Nohara, Rei Aburame, Yukio Inuzuka and Yuuta."
Sandayū smiled, slightly surprised. "The pleasure is mine. Please. Allow me to show you to your quarters."
The interior of the palace affected a sense of warmth that persisted in spite of the open air and large chambers that made up the heart of the palace.
"How does this place stay warm?" asked Rei.
"The castle and much of the town sits on a series of hot springs. When the castle was first built, the Lord Kazahana of the time had pipes built into the walls and to run water throughout the grounds. A tricky bit of engineering, especially for the day. But it proves a wise investment on his part."
"Impressive."
"Lord Sōsetsu has been determined to live up to his forebear's legacy. I think he has accomplished it marvelously."
A brief tour of the guest wing. Kept as a distinctive branch of the main part of the castle, it could be held in a defensive position for a while, but could easily be rendered into a prison should the need arise.
"I do apologize on behalf of Sōsetsu-sama. Although the man is a brilliant engineer, his thoughts on interior decorating leave a little to be desired, even in a rugged country such as ours. Lady Hare was far more adept at that. Among other fields of expertise. "
"Lady Hare?" asked Obito.
"Sōsetsu-sama's late wife, may she rest in peace. Lady Hare was much loved, and her passing left a void among her family, even four years after the fact."
They passed a portrait of the Kazahana family, done in paint, Sōsetsu and his wife with their young daughter. "She must have been an incredible woman."
"My Lord has refused to remarry, and what few smiles Dotō-sama had abandoned him utterly." Sandayū sighed. "Ah, listen to me rambling. I doubt you care much of what is considered ancient history by some."
"That doesn't lessen the impact of her death, though."
"Quite." Stopping in front of a pair of large, ornate double doors, Sandayū turned around and said, "This is where we part ways for now. Allow me to personally welcome you to Kazahana Castle."
[NRE]
A feast was held to welcome the diplomatic envoy. A diet that relied heavily on fishing and what little grew in harsh tundra and mountainous terrain. Fresh fruit and vegetables were a luxury, grown in greenhouses that few could afford to maintain in large numbers.
Obito cast a wary eye around, noting that others were doing the same. Kakashi would likely be grilling them for details once they had some time to themselves.
Speaking of Kakashi, he was the ranking shinobi, so for the initial introductions, Lord Kanto had him close at hand alongside his hand-picked guards from the capitol. He didn't look put upon, but the slight tension in his posture gave the impression of wanting to be somewhere else. With him occupied, Obito and the others were largely free to float around at the edges of the main hall as dinner was consumed and social talks were conducted.
It mostly amounted to guessing who was who in the court based on their position, though it also meant he was watching during a brief moment where Sōsetsu lapsed in decorum to make a face at his daughter, who offered a bright smile in return.
Little events that happened throughout the meal kept directing Obito's attention to Dotō Kazahana.
Dotō had a team of genin on call, flitting to his side to whisper into his ear, or receive instructions. Whispers of "sensei", Obito was guessing he was a Jōnin, or something close enough to qualify. Whatever the case, he kept his stare mostly fixed ahead, glowering at some point off in the distance, save for when someone talked to him, which did little to alleviate the hard lines on his face.
He was supposed to be his brother's strong right hand, or so he was gathering from overheard gossip. A military man, where is brother was an academic, politician, and bureaucrat, hardly the look of someone who was also, in effect, the leader of a Hidden Village. And with how the samurai and shinobi appeared to defer, to a degree, to Dotō, he was the one in charge of military matters. Mulling that over, Obito watched for other details of the court. Who seemed to favor one brother over the other? Was Dotō an active participant in any sedition, or the only think keeping it from spilling over?
Figuring he might be devoting perhaps a little too much time to thinking on that, he filed his thoughts for later discussion when they compared notes. It might be that he was making too much of nothing. If not, another perspective wouldn't hurt.
[NRE]
A week into their stay, Obito found himself questioning why anyone would want to hold a seat of power. While he was doing his best to hang on every word while standing watch, it still made for some mentally exhausting exercises. Money, it seemed, did in fact make the world go around, but a strong arm kept it moving forward. From trade to mutual defense, it all ran on the economy of both nations, what they could provided, how much, and how quickly it could be transported.
Land of Snows had a decent military presence, though just a fraction of what most of the major mainland nations could field. Trade and travel would mean building through other countries, and that would most likely involve Land of Steam, so that was shelved until another round of negotiations could be held. And then there was Land of Lightning looming over the side.
Obito flopped bonelessly onto a couch in the common room. Rin sat in one of the chairs knitting a scarf at a steady pace.
"A busy day?" she asked, not looking up from her work.
"More or less." Obito groaned into the back of his hand and sat up. "Courtly intrigue is…difficult to keep up with. Especially with how verbose diplomatic speech can get. If nothing else, this trip will certainly expand my vocabulary. I thought I had seen haggling taken to the extreme when we had to talk with the fishmongers when we were genin."
Rin chuckled. "You can look forward to more of it when you become Hokage."
"Yeah. I'll have to volunteer for helping organize the Chūnin Exam next time it takes place in Konoha to get more practice." Obito kicked his feet up. "It'd be simpler if everyone could just talk things out in an open forum, and skip the excessive ceremonies. Get everyone around a table and say what they want."
"I can't see that happening anytime soon. Too many rivalries and grudges running back for generations. You would have to either charm or force everyone to work together, and even Shodai-sama didn't accomplish that in his lifetime." She smiled at him, and asked, "Are you planning on global conquest when you get the hat?"
"No. Just venting about how complicated everyone seems to make the simple fact of asking for help. Or for anything, really."
"Everyone wants something. And then they want to see what they can get away with asking for."
Obito frowned. Everyone sought out joy and comfort. Food, a roof over their head, warmth to their home. Friends, family, and the means to support them. That seemed fairly straight-forward. The difficulties arose when needs, and wants, ran at cross-purposes. A nation primarily settled in a desert would have different values than a nation nearly entirely on the water.
What leveled the field when one side was getting their wants fulfilled before their neighbor had their needs met?
"I couldn't help but notice that you've been hanging out with Anko-chan more frequently," said Rin, snapping him from his thoughts.
"Of course. With all she's been through, she could use a friend."
"A friend, you say?" She smirked a little. "Any chance of it becoming more than that?"
"Hard to say."
"It seems simple enough."
"She's still recovering from a traumatic event. And she's barely fourteen. Wait, no. Her birthday is about a month out. Crap. We're missing out on Naruto's birthday, too."
"And if, say a year or so from now, she's found some solid emotional footing, would you consider it?"
"If, and that's a big 'if'. Besides, I'm still getting over an unrequited crush."
"Oh? This is the first I've heard of such a thing? Who would that lucky individual be?"
Obito sucked a breath through his teeth, then said, "You."
Rin hands stilled and she froze in place, eyeing him.
"Whatever you think you need to say, please don't. You're happy with him. And I know he's happy with you. And bringing it up when you're with my best friend, it's not an easy thing to talk about."
"But we should talk about this as grownups," she reasoned. "What even drew your attention to me in the first place, if it's not too awkward to answer?"
A bark of laughter tore through Obito's throat before he could stop it. "What part of this isn't awkward?" He sobered and wrung his hands together. "I was derided for being a failure among the Uchiha. I fell short in the Academy and ridiculed. You were the first person besides my grandmother who expressed any real faith in my goals. You're kind, caring. You're hardworking and disciplined. A bastion of serenity, even at your most fan-girly moments."
"You never saw me when I was retraining with Tsunade-shishou. I kind of blew up at her a few times."
"I can't…no, I can imagine that just fine. Did-?"
"Oh, I paid for it the next couple of sparring sessions. I…I suppose I should apologize for never noticing. You were someone precious to me. A fellow student at the Academy, then a fellow shinobi of Konoha, a teammate under Minato-sensei's tutelage. It never occurred to me to think you as anything else, more or less."
"Well, I can't fault you for making decisions for your life. Especially when I never said anything. You're not obligated to live up to the hopes and expectations I never voiced."
With some hesitation, Rin resumed her stitching.
"When you, well, 'died', I had gotten closer to my own mortality than I had ever imagined. It wasn't a week later when I confessed to Kakashi." She shook her head. "Gods, was that stupid. Neither of us were in an emotional state to pursue a relationship, and I'm not sure we really knew what it was like to love. I was still a silly girl crushing on the handsome, mysterious prodigy, and he was still trying to live past his father's sins."
Obito watched Rin's hands move, crisply, methodically, tension coiled beneath the surface.
"If you hadn't showed up when you did, I might- no, I know I would have thrown myself into danger until I died."
It was Obito's turn to freeze. "I never blamed you for that."
"A guilty conscience isn't rational," Rin gently retorted. "I blamed myself. For being the reason you 'died', for draping my pain across Kakashi's shoulders. For not being strong enough to save myself." She stopped her knitting and set her work aside. "I guess what I'm trying to say is...you owe it to yourself to find happiness, whatever shape that takes, however long it takes." Rin rested a hand on Obito's, eyes firm in resolve. "You have my permission."
A tightness in Obito's chest released, and Rin pulled back.
"So."
"So. Where does this leave us?"
"Friends. Teammates."
"I'll think that over. But thanks."
"Of course!"
A million words might never adequately expressed what they wanted to say, but what was needed at the moment would suffice for now. That, Obito decided, he could work with.
Rather than allow an awkward silence to fester, he ask, "Any idea what kind of souvenirs you want to bring back?"
[NRE]
The answer was fairly straight-forward in some aspects. Some of his friends were already on the trip, so they could handle themselves this time. That still left plenty others to think about. Anko in particular was on mind, and had been since they had gotten the mission. Sure, she had never set foot or laid eyes on the land her father had come from, but maybe something to remind her of where she had come from would help ground her during her recovery.
As flowers wouldn't likely keep on their own, not for the time and distances they would be covering, he had procured a journal in town. As luck would have it, they were still using ryō, so he hadn't had to work out an exchange rate. His drawing skills were a lacking, but he figured he could try pressing flowers between the pages.
Or, at least that was the intention. He hadn't quite gotten over the warmth the garden provided. There was something more refreshing about the company of a field of plants when compared to a sauna, or a warm bed.
It was one of many greenhouses connected to the castle, but this one afforded a marvelous view of the valley, the town, and even a look out to the sea opening out to northwest.
"Shinobi-san."
Obito looked up and over to Princess Koyuki and her guards. A moment passed before he reviewed and completed that thought, and he rose to his feet, trying not to spook the guards.
Even if she was only eight years old, she was small for her age, barely coming up to Obito's hip. The princess' hair was done into twin tails falling behind her shoulders, her bangs being held by a silver band that sat on her ears. She wore a pink kimono with silvery patterns of flowers and snowflakes, secured by a light grey obi. His attention, however, was drawn to the necklace. It looked like a long hexagonal piece of polished obsidian, the cut and shine giving it a reflective purple hue, and it gave off a faint trace of chakra.
"Princess Koyuki. A pleasure to meet you directly."
"The pleasure is mine, Namikaze-san."
A quick glance around, he picked up on a pair of Yuki-nin, probably genin, skulking about, keeping an eye on their princess while she was speaking with a foreign national. Rather than be offended, he pretended for the moment that they were part of the environment. He could offer a more thorough critique later, should the opportunity arise.
"What were you doing?" she asked.
"Well, I was thinking of things to bring back to my friends. One of them had family who originated from here." He had tried finding a plush toad for Naruto, but those weren't common enough for there to be much of a market for toads, frogs, or anything else that didn't handle cold all that well, so Obito had settled for a wolf. "I figured about bringing flowers or something like that, but since it took us quite a while to get here, I don't think they would keep long enough to make it back, so I was going to see about picking a few and pressing them and I'm rambling entirely."
The princess covered her mouth with a sleeve as she giggled, and then she said, "I hope you don't intend to steal from the royal garden."
"Oh. I didn't realize... I am terribly sorry, but no, I had no intention of stealing anything. I suppose if I were to ask for a sample it would be taken under advisement and added to the negotiating table?"
"There is no need, Namikaze-san." She plucked a flower, then another, and a third, each form a different plant, and offered them to him. "This," she held up the purple one, "is a common harebell."
She held up the next, a flower a shade or so lighter than her kimono, "A red takayama campion."
"But it's pink," Obito pointed out.
The princess gave a slight shrug. "It's called a 'red' campion." She held up the next flower, ice blue, "And this is a winter rose."
"What separates it from a regular rose?"
"It's hardier. It grows in rocky soil, almost like some weeds will."
"I see. Well, I can't very well ask something of you without offering something in return."
Having grown familiar with some florists among the Yamanaka clan and their work, he had picked up some knowledge, so he formed a replica with some wood grown from his hand, crafting it from memory. Once it was finished growing, he held it out for her to gingerly pluck with her dainty fingers.
"Oh. Is this a marigold?"
"I think so. You seem to know quite a bit. You like flowers, I take it?"
"This was my mother's favorite place in the castle. She knew all of their names, what scientists called them. Most of the names were hard to pronounce." Her face sank.
Sandayū's words repeated themselves in Obito's mind, as wanted to kick himself.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to dig up painful memories."
"No, I like remembering her. I'm just sad she's gone. And I was supposed to have a baby brother."
I've really got to stop putting my foot into my mouth, Obito thought, and said, "You get along with your father, though. Right?"
That sparked a bit of light back into her. "He's nice, and he spends time with me when he can. But he's also very busy, so we don't get to do it often."
"That just makes it more special, doesn't it?"
One of her attendants leaned close and said, "Koyuki-hime, we should head to your lessons now."
"I guess anything else will have to wait until later. Don't let me keep you." He offered a bow and a smile, and said, "Thank you, Princess Koyuki."
The princess smiled back. "It was no trouble. I hope your friends like them."
Looking back out to the valley, Obito smiled and went about pressing the flowers he had been given. Land of Snows a was a strange, enchanting land. Harsh, but charming in its own way. Even if Anko had little interest, Naoki would certainly like them.
A/N: There's all of six named characters from Land of Snows from the movie, all of them will be making appearances before this arc is out. Knowing them is entirely optional, but if you dislike spoilers, I would advise against searching them up. Only two of the named Snow characters here are OCs, Hikari and Hare. Hikari was invented because I needed a civilian face for the industrial revolution occurring in Land of Snows, as well as give some exposition from someone a little further away from the decision-makers.
As for Hare, Koyuki's mother never gets mentioned or even makes an appearance in the movie, not even in a flashback or as a portrait, so once again I had to come up with a little on my own to chart things out, namely why she's absent from the story and the impact she continues to have. Is it a needless tragedy? Probably, but the Naruto setting is absolutely rife with tragic backstories. Wouldn't be much of a plot without it.
On a lighter note, apart from the winter rose, those other flowers can be found in Greenland (one of the inspirations for shaping Land of Snow), and from a cursory glance can be pressed without much issue, though the red takayama campion should be called "red alpine campion". As I'm guessing they're speaking Japanese, or something close enough to it, I used the Japanese term that mostly means the same thing. Why? I don't know. I may or may not be putting entirely too much time into research for a fan-fic, but that's for you to judge.
Speaking of research, my current estimate is that the overland distance (and to an extent, the topography) traveled is comparable to traveling from Salerno, Italy to Cuxhaven, Germany (approximately 1961 km/1218 miles, if I read the map right). The travels by boat is somewhere between 100 and 200 miles. Since my skills in cartography are a little pedestrian, I might have a few estimates off. Make of it what you will.
Changes:
- Whatever mission Kakashi originally took in the movie has been replaced with this one.
- Everything involving Hare Kazahana (A.K.A. Lady Not-Appearing-in-This-Story).
- You know what? About 75-85% of Land of Snows content, because the movie had next to nothing to go off of.
Coming Up:
- A Coup in the Land of Snows
Question? Comments? Concerns? Anything catastrophically wrong because I got tired of looking over this thing? This and more, let me know in a PM or review. Or you can take it to the Discord, which I got around to reestablishing (link on both the deviantArt and AO3 accounts, as FFN doesn't like them). Constructive criticism is always appreciated.
Until next time!
Winterman, out.