Chapter 67:

The boat arrived in the dock at the land of snow and the crew disembarked, along with Kaga and his squad.

Koyuki was glad to be back on dry land for one but now had to face the sudden cold that came with it. She could see that the landscape was covered in fresh snow as it covered everything in sight.

"It's so pretty but so cold!" She said as she rubbed her arms trying to warm them.

Haku smiled, unaffected by the cold as he took in the sights of the beautiful snow, picking up a small handful to look at. However, the small white ball seemed to cause a momentary flashback of his childhood.

"Everything alright Haku?" Kimimaro asked, noticing his distress all of a sudden.

"Y-Yeah... I'm fine." He said as he shook the memories away. Replacing them with ones of his new family, dropping the snow from his hand as he did.

Kaga also took a good look around, as he wrapped his white cloak around his shoulder and clipped the top together.

"Alright everyone, keep an eye out for our liaison." He said, taking note of the small port town they had arrived at as people went about their business.

Soon enough a snowmobile pulled up next to the port and a tall yet slender looking man stepped out, approaching Kaga seeing that they were mist shinobi from a mile away.

"Welcome shinobi from the hidden mist, and welcome to the land of snow. I have been sent by Lord Sandayū to escort you to his estate." He said before he bowed.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Zee. Pleased to meet you." He then said.

Kaga nodded and made the introductions. Giving the others the sign to follow along.

"If you will be so kind as to follow me, we shall make our way." Zee then said, getting them to follow him to the large snowmobile.

Haku, Kimimaro and Koyuki had never seen anything like it before. Even Kaga was unfamiliar with such a form of transport but had heard of them before. Noting that the level of technology here was already more impressive than the land of water.

"Please hop in, this will make the trip much faster." He then said as he opened the driver's door, offering them a seat in the back.

Everyone climbed into the back, getting as comfy as they could as he turned the engine on and started the snowmobile up.

"This is a rather new invention, a mechanical vehicle that can travel great distances across the snow at a good speed. One of many models that have been released." Zee said.

Haku and Koyuki were amazed as it started to move, the hum of the engine ticking along as it slowly drove over the snow with ease.

Kimimaro was also impressed but hid it better than the others, taking more interest in the eyes that watched them from the surrounding forest outside of town.

"So you have noticed too," Kaga said with his arms crossed.

Kimimaro nodded to his sensei, not expecting any less of him having already noticed that they were being watched.

"Don't worry. They probably just want to keep tabs on us, after all, we are shinobi from another land." Kaga said, putting Kimimaro at ease, just a little.

The journey only lasted an hour or two and before they knew it, they had arrived at lord Sandayū's estate.

Kaga and the others hopped off, seeing that the estate already had security keeping watch and patrolling the area, none of which looked like shinobi.

Kaga couldn't help wonder why the lord had hired shinobi outside of his land and he was starting to slowly piece together the puzzle the more he saw.

Zee showed them into the estate and walked them into the main house where Kaga and the others would meet lord Sandayū.

Kaga could see four guards on either side of the room, with who he presumed was lord Sandayū in the middle as he spoke to a group of men.

Zee announced his arrival and bowed to his master.

"I have returned with the mist shinobi as requested my lord."

Sandayū turned around to look, giving a smile before he thanked his servant.

Sandayū had short black hair with small black glasses on his face, wearing formal robes of his nation.

"Welcome! Welcome shinobi of the hidden mist to the land of snow!" He said as he got up and walked over to meet them.

"I am Lord Sandayū, please make yourself at home here." He said looking at Kimimaro, Haku and Koyuki, smiling at them as he did.

"Pleased to meet you, lord Sandayū," Kaga said as he greeted him.

"I am Kaga. This here is Koyuki, Haku and Kimimaro." He then said, introducing the others.

Sandayū smiled at all of them, noting how young they looked, his expression showing surprise when Kaga said Koyuki's name like the sailors. But unlike them, he held his tongue for the moment.

"I assume your Mizukage has told you why I hired you?" He then said, looking back to Kaga as he spoke.

"Yes. You require an escort to a party being held by the Daimyo of your land." Kaga said, laying out the facts he knew.

Sandayū slowly nodded his head, turning to his men with a reassuring smile before he looked back to Kaga.

Kaga could tell he wasn't getting the full story, but before he could say anything, Sandayū made the first move.

"Please, follow me so we may speak more privately."

Kaga nodded before looking to Kimimaro and the others

"You three stay here for now, and don't go anywhere." He said as he followed Sandayū.

"I assure you, they will be quite safe here sir ninja," Sandayū said before they made their way out of the room.

Once Sandayū felt that they were alone he turned to face Kaga giving him a gloomy expression.

"I'm afraid I haven't been very honest with you..." He said.

Kaga could feel a request coming on here, and a dangerous one at that.

"You see... I have had wind of a plot to overthrow our Daimyo by his very own brother. He plans to execute a coup d'etat at the party and has the backing of all of the other lords through fear. He even has the ninja from the land of snow at his side and well... I... I want to try and save our lord and the princess." He said with a heavy heart.

"I just can't bring myself to allow him to go ahead with such a plan. That's why I hired you, the hidden mist has a strong reputation and with your help, we can surely get them out of the country and to safety!" Sandayū said.

"I know this is asking a lot of you, and that you have every right to decline. But please. I beg of you." He then said as he dropped to his knees.

Kaga sighed as he processed the information he had been given, thinking everything over before he responded.

"What you are asking is for us to become involved with another country's political matters. This kind of mission is usually placed at rank A or above. What you requested was placed at a rank C."

"I know... But please you must help us! I couldn't afford to spend any more money without it drawing too much attention! You must help us." Sandayū pleaded.

Kaga sighed again and placed a hand on his head.

"I'm sorry but this is well above my pay grade pal. Besides, I don't think our Mizukage would be very happy if he finds out you lied about such a huge detail now would he." Kaga said.

"Others have tried to hire groups from other lands for assistance too. But other than the hidden mist, the only others who were willing to provide us with shinobi is the hidden leaf." Sandayū said.

"Surely with the help from two of the great nation, we can save our lord and the princess. The land of snow would forever be in your favour. I beg of you!"

Kaga couldn't help think back to Fuyōna's words before they left for the mission. Somehow only just realizing he had a feeling he knew something like this was going to happen.

"That guy... Always one step ahead of everything." Kaga thought before he looked back to Sandayū.

"The hidden leaf you say?" Kaga asked, ignoring the rest of what he said for now.

"Yes..." Sandayū replied.

"And who have they sent you to help with your request?" Kaga said, looking into his eyes.

Sometime later...

"So that's the scope of the real mission..." Kaga explained to Koyuki and the others.

They remained quiet and listened to Kaga's explanation of the real reason they had been hired to come to the land of snow. Although they had been hired as bodyguards for an escort mission, their real objective was to rescue the princess and her father, fleeing with them to safety if possible.

"With that said... This is now an A-rank mission, even possibly higher." Kaga finished, looking at Kimimaro and the others.

Koyuki was shocked, along with the others, but they had been trained well to keep their emotions in check and remain silent.

"The party is tomorrow night, it's being held at the Kazahana castle which belongs to the Daimyo, lord Sōsetsu Kazahana," Kaga explained.

"We have to presume that the castle will be heavily guarded by snow ninja on all sides. Once inside we have been instructed to escort lord Sōsetsu and his daughter, princess Koyuki out and to safety by any means possible, even using violence if it means saving their lives."

The others remained quiet as they listened to the plan. Haku already had a picture in his head and had an idea of just how hard this was actually going to be.

"There is a huge area of grey here where things could go wrong. I have been informed that Dotō Kazahana who is the brother of the Daimyo is the suspect. Intel suggests that he has plotted to overthrow and kill his brother and the princess. He has gathered support from the other lords of the land and has the full support of Yukigakure. Meaning once we become involved, they will try to kill us for sure." Kaga finally finished.

Kimimaro also had a good idea of just how difficult this mission was going to be, deciding to voice a question he had.

"Would it not be easier to rescue both the Daimyo and the princess before the party, sensei?"

Kaga smirked, knowing one of them was going to ask that.

"If only it was that easy... Our informant, lord Sandayū has informed me that the castle is under full severance and would be next to impossible to penetrate. Leaving us with the party as our only means of entry." Kaga said, answering the boy's question.

Kimimaro nodded in understanding.

"So that's why they were watching us as we arrived." He said as it made sense now.

"Yes... If we make one wrong move, the snow ninja will most likely attack us with everything they have, not wanting to take any risks here."

"I noticed that too, I also wondered why until now..." Haku said.

Koyuki was surprised to hear that they were already being watched, a little embarrassed she hadn't noticed hearing that Haku and Kimimaro had noticed.

"Sandayū has also informed me that they have also sought help from the hidden leaf village." Kaga then said, getting a surprised reaction from his three students.

"Word is that they have sent Kakashi Hatake," Kaga said, taking note of the reactions of the other.

"Kakashi of the sharingan? The copy ninja?" Haku said, clearly having read up on him in the bingo book.

"That's the one," Kaga said as he crossed his arms.

"Are we going to kill him?" Kimimaro then asked plainly.

"No... Not unless we need to. After all, we might need his help. However, if possible we will deal with this alone." Kaga said, letting them know his intentions.

With that, the three genin were dismissed to go and rest while Kaga worked out the rest of the details with Sandayū and the other lords who were on his side. He still felt like a fool for accepting the mission, hoping that Fuyōna already knew something like this was going to happen and he sent them for this reason.

The next day came fast and Kaga and his team had made all of the necessary preparations for the mission at hand. Readying their gear and equipment as they prepared for everything that they could.

Night soon fell upon them and the time of the party was here. Sandayū had dressed in his formal robes and was also ready for what was about to happen, as well as the consequences that it would bring, not only upon himself but his entire nation.

As agreed, Kaga and the others provided him with an escort to the castle. They travelled by snowmobile, one that was a little fancier than the last they had been in, fit for a lord of the land.

Once they reached the castle grounds Kaga and the others could instantly see the level of security was no joke. Snow ninja lined the trees and borders as they kept watch over everything.

They also controlled the flow of traffic in and out of the castle grounds, booking in all guests, making sure they were on the list.

Sandayū's snowmobile finally reached the front gate and came to a stop at the snow ninjas command as they asked for his name and invitation.

"I am lord Sandayū." He said as he showed his invitation.

The snow ninja also checked the vehicle and eyed Kaga and the others with intense suspicion.

"They are my private security and are here to escort me to and from the party. You will see they have been booked in and are on the list." Sandayū said bluntly to the snow ninja.

The man checked the list next to Sandayū's name and could see he was telling the truth.

"So they are. Welcome, lord Sandayū." The shinobi said as he gave the signal for the front gates to open for them, welcoming them inside.

Sandayū and the others entered the castle grounds and his driver parked next to the other long line of snowmobiles.

"Alright, remember the plan," Kaga said to the others before they got out of the vehicle.

Haku and the others nodded and followed Kaga and Sandayū out into the open. The night air was cold and fresh snow fell from the dark sky, covering the ground in a fresh layer of snow that glowed from the lights provided around the castle.

Sandayū walked towards the front entrance while Kaga and the others escorted him, keeping a close watch on their surroundings. They could tell that their every move was being watched and once they reached the front doors they would have to initiate their plan.

"Welcome lord Sandayū." A large man said as he reached the main entrance.

"I see you have brought your own private security, I do assure you though, they will not be needed inside." The man said, eyeing the four of them up as he weighed them in.

"Thank you lord Dotō," Sandayū said as he realised who it was standing there, trying his best not to flinch.

"Of course. You can never be too careful these days, and for the price they charge, one really cannot complain!" He said, playing his part well.

Dotō smiled as he looked Kaga in the eye, looking at his hidden mist headband.

"Yes... I had heard that the new Mizukage had made many welcomed changes to the hidden mist village, one of them lowering the cost of their services by a rather large amount." He said before he looked at the three genin, weighing them up as he did.

"I can assure you though, your services will no longer be required here." He said in a blunt tone.

"It would seem not," Sandayū said agreeing with Dotō.

"Your mission is complete as of this moment, you are dismissed until I am ready to leave," Sandayū said as he turned to look at Kaga, giving him the signal.

"Very well lord Sandayū," Kaga said with a slight bow of his head.

"Please enjoy the party. We shall remain in the vehicle until you are ready to leave." He then said as he and the others took their leave, leaving Sandayū and Dotō alone to enter the castle.

Meanwhile...

High above the entrance atop the castle, Kaga watched Dotō with a careful eye as he blended into the darkness like a shadow.

"The mission is a go," he said through the earpiece he was wearing, provided to him by lord Sandayū.

"Roger." Kimimaro, Haku and Koyuki responded, each from a separate location in the castle grounds.

Kaga then looked back down to the water clones of himself and the others as they got back into the snowmobile, being kept a strict watch on by the snow ninja who hadn't noticed yet.

"This should at least buy us a little time before they notice." Kaga thought as he slowly entered through a window, creeping into the room in silence before he shut it behind him.

Kaga took a look around the room, noting that it was empty before he moved to the door, peeking through the crack to see the coast was clear.

"Now to find the princess... I only hope that the others don't run into any issues."

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Ok, that's the end of this chapter! Thank you for waiting and I hope you enjoyed it.

Remember to check out my P.a.t.r.e.o.n page! currently at chapter 111! huge things are happening!