Chapter 23 : The Snow Prince

After this unfortunate event, Yukie had some explanations and it was Sandayu who explained everything.

She was Koyuki Kazahana, daughter of former daimyō of the land of snow Sôtetsu Kazahana who died during a massacre organized by his own brother Dotô in order to take power by force.

Koyuki according to Sandayu's memory had escaped with the help of Kakashi Hatake on a mission there at the time when she was just a child.

 Now of age to reign, Koyuki by Sandayu had returned to her native land where Sandayu had hope that she would regain the throne because the people lived in fear and misery under the yoke of Dotô.

To reassure her, he told her about the resistance he was part of and that there were still people ready to fight for her but all he got was a slap from Koyuki frustrated.

She scornfully told him that he was pathetic and that she definitely didn't want to even participate in this shoot anymore.

 Obviously, this reaction from Koyuki towards a loyal servant irritated the others in the room and especially Mayuri who was herself the daughter of a Daimyo.

She was lucky to have a servant as loyal as Sandayu and a people who wanted to fight for her but she spat on them.

 "These people who were there for you asked for a certain six-faceted crystal. What is this ?" Obito asked Koyuki coldly and everyone looked at the girl.

 Koyuki: I don't see what this concerns you, you're all pathetic for getting involved in-(interrupted)

 "Be careful girl, I am not your servant and I've never killed a princess before. My mission is to protect the daughter of the Daimyo of my country and her safety has been tested by those who hunt you. Respond and pay close attention to the next words that come out of your mouth." Obito said coldly as he moved closer.

 "Answer nicely, I'm not strong enough to stop him from Killing you." Karin said impassively and a scared Koyuki said that according to her father, the six-faceted crystal she wore as a pendant was the key to their family treasure.

 Obito: Next time, give them the key instead of remaining paralyzed like a mouse facing a cat and bringing danger to others. You want nothing more to do with this country and these people ? So leave this crystal to your uncle and go live your life without worries if all this no longer matters. (to Sandayu) You've honored your former leaders but it's time to make a change on your own. Tell us about this resistance.

 Sandayu first looked at Koyuki who turned her face away carelessly and he told them everything he knew as the leader of the resistance.

They lived hard in the snowy forests and defended themselves as best they could against Dotô's ninjas.

Because they were relatively weak and simple men, they always suffered losses but continued as best they could in the fight for their liberation and the arrival of Koyuki in their ranks would support their hope but in vain.

 They survived in peril until very recently, someone joined their ranks according to information sent to them. A young boy, a shinobi with a beautiful and noble appearance, had joined their ranks.

He was strong and his ice techniques were prodigious, he defended them and helped them face Dotô. Since his arrival in just a few months, the resistance had gained a second wind.

 " Who is this boy ? Do you have any information on its origins? He may be a spy of Dotô." Yamato asked.

 "According to my second there, the boy comes from the land of water. I think I know what clan he is from based on his physical characteristics and his incredible talents in both combat and medicine. If what I've been told is true, I can only be sure if I see him." Sandayu explained.

 Mayuri: Your people really need help, as the daughter of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire I'd like to lend you a hand. Your story really touched me.

 "With all due respect Mayuri-sama, you have no army and I remind you that we're not here for that. My mission is to protect you when assisting a movie making and not get you involved in a conflict that is not yours." Obito said calmly.

 "I know, but I make my journey what I want and I know you're strong, I have seen you at work. Here is the mission that I propose to Konoha through you Obito-san, help the country of snow to regain peace in order to forge an alliance with the country of fire later. If you succeed then all the credit will go to Konoha and I pledge to ensure that my father funds more of the Hidden Leaf Village." She said confidently as Obito saw her in a completely different light, the girl who seemed quite carefree was hiding great intelligence and political interest.

 "I accept but you better keep your promise." Obito said calmly and Sandayu looked nervously at Yamato and Karin but they reassured him and assured that they will help. He thanked them in tears and the producer as if he had had a revelation asked the editor to delete the previous recorded tapes because they were going to make a completely new movie.

 They later arrived in the Land of Snow at a secret location where Sandayu made contact with the resistance and soon, the group was taken to the current resistance base, an old underground building that they occupied.

The introductions were quickly made and people were really relieved to know that ninjas from Konoha were there to help them, there were only three of them but Sandayu told them that they were really very strong.

 Sandayu asked to meet their benefactor and the person came to them on their own and Obito was quite surprised to see that it was Haku who recognized Obito as well, he remained frozen for a while but relaxed when Obito gave him a slight smile.

Haku had some physical changes, his hair was shorter and he had gained slightly in height, he greeted Obito first and it was obvious to everyone that these two knew each other.

 Mayuri saw Haku's beauty and couldn't help but blush before introducing herself to Haku who became extremely polite knowing who he was dealing with but Mayuri asked him to relax.

 "So my doubts were true, I had to see him to believe that a member of the legendary Yuki clan was back on our land." Sandayu said as tears fell from his eyes.

Haku, shocked, asked him how he knew his clan, a curiosity shared by the rest of the group.

According to Sandayu, a long, long time ago the Yuki clan was established on this land as a noble clan because the ancestor of the Yuki was the brother of the founder of the Kazahana family which rules the country.

 They were recognized for their beauty, their elegance and their talent in ice techniques but especially thanks to medicine.

They were loved by the people to such an extent that the leader of the Kazahana at the time felt threatened by their presence and out of pure jealousy, he banned them from the country.

The Yuki clan settled in the land of water where generation after generation they forgot their origin but some nobles from the land of snow haven't forgotten this extremely old story.

 Haku listening to this was really shocked, he would never have imagined this origin of his exterminated clan when he was a child and Obito had a smile listening to this story.

If Haku is of noble blood in these lands through his clan then that would fix a lot of things.

 "This solves your inheritance problem." Obito said nonchalantly as Sandayu and the others looked at him with questioning faces and Karin who understood where he was going with this and wanted to explain to them but suddenly, several bleeding men arrived there in panic.

Seeing the blood on them, Haku with great concern asked them what had just happened and they explained to him. This unit had gone to help an orphanage where the children were exposed to hunger and cold but they were attacked by a patrol of Dotô's men who killed 9 of the 14 resistance fighters in the squad.

 Listening to this, Haku cried for these men and several other resistance fighters did as well. Sandayu looked at Koyuki and told her to look at the people who were fighting for her and her country, that she could help them and bring them hope by her presence alone but in her denial and disdain, she told them that they were all pathetic and stupid to fight like this, to throw away their lives for ideals instead of collaborating with Dotô. Her words outraged the people present but before any of them spoke, Obito spoke up.

 "Alright Koyuki, it's time to do what we tolerated your presence here for. Hand over the six-faced crystal to Haku, renounce your rights and pass on to him your inheritance rights as a member of a noble family once in these lands." Obito said approaching her with a cold look and his hands in his pocket.

 Others : !!!!

 Haku: Obito-san I-(interrupted)

 "Shut up , in a few months here you've done more good to these people than she did in her entire life. According to what Sandayu said, she left here in his early teens , she wasn't a baby and knew that she had left a people in suffering.

Did she ever try to come back and lend you a hand? Whether it's trauma or not, she no longer cares about your people and openly mocks the men who gave their lives for your struggle. Do you really think someone like that is worthy of ruling you no matter how much her parents were loved by the people?

The country can be rebuilt and it is up to the people to choose their leader. Haku is a member of the illustrious Yuki clan once established on these lands and linked to the Kazahanas by blood. He's a noble who deserves this place more than Koyuki and he has already proven himself." Obito said turning back to the others who were deep in thought.

 "give up your estate, we don't need someone like you here…" A woman with a scar on her face said.

 "Give up"

 "Leave Haku-san your inheritance rights..." People started to get agitated and realized that Obito was right, they turned on the shocked and frustrated Koyuki who to show her contempt just ripped the pendant off her neck.

 "Since you care so much then take the crystal, I don't care if you continue to die for these pieces of frozen land and ice. I, Koyuki, renounce my inheritance, you can choose whoever you want, I don't care." She said before throwing the crystal towards Haku then she turned around to leave there and it was Sandayu who went to follow her to bring her back to safety.

Haku asked for help in bringing back the bodies of their deceased for proper burial and Yamato and several others volunteered.

 Later that day, Haku finally agreed to take over as the new Daimyo of the Land of Snow and a small party was given in his honor. While Mayuri got closer to Haku, Karin came to see Obito isolated and sitting in lotus position to practice his chakra manipulation.

 "You never stop training and I'm still amazed at your strength. Do you know you can relax sometimes ?" Karin sat down next to him and that's when she noticed another Obito in the room writing something on a scroll of paper.

Karin asked him if he was writing a report but Obito told her that he had already transferred his report to the Godaime a while ago and that there he was writing the simplified process of a technique to teach it to a friend.

These were the advanced shadow manipulation techniques for Shikamaru.

 Obito: I have ideas, a lot of ideas to make our comrades and the village stronger. I also have plans for our clan and both of us for later.

 "So you were serious ? Do you really want me to be your wife later ? " Karin asked him and he opened his eyes to nod while smiling, something that made Karin blush.

 Karin: But...we're only 13 years old.

 Obito: That's why the word "later" exists. For now we're still quite young and need to become stronger, much stronger. For years, I've seen the efforts you make to follow me and I really like it.

 Karin looked at him in a daze before putting her glasses back in place and she gave Obito a kiss on the cheek before rushing off to train as well while Obito looked at her smiling . Having Obito tell her that he appreciated her efforts was an important encouragement that pushed Karin to train more.

While he intended to continue his training, a series of information came into his mind from one of his clones left in Konoha who canceled himself.

 "Itachi-san ?!" Obito questioned with slight shock before sinking into deep thoughts, Itachi had made contact with Jiraiya who had learned the truth about him and his role as a double agent but according to Itachi, his cover was discovered by a masked man in Akatsuki who says he was Uchiha Madara. 

Things were starting to move and Sasuke was on a mission with Naruto in pursuit of dangerous criminals who had escaped from Konoha's maximum security prison for Naruto's observation mission to the Jonin rank.

 On Tsunade's side things were far, far from ideal with Dan and Nawaki reanimated who were completely disgusted with their fate, they felt used and manipulated.

They blamed Tsunade for not even respecting their dead and felt desecrated. Orochimaru was on cloud nine because Tsunade had restored some sensation to his arms but to keep busy and escape her guilt as well as the looks of shame from her two loved ones, she looked into Kimimaro's case alongside 'Orochimaru.

 Even if she had not treated Kimimaro but calmed his condition, she had put Orochimaru on a path that would allow the boy to heal completely but in addition, to make him much stronger by combining Hashirama's cells with certain drugs including Orochimaru had the secret.

One morning, Tsunade, suffocated by guilt, collapsed in front of Dan and Nawaki, she thought about everything she had done and knew it was unforgivable.

She ended up accepting the deaths of Nawaki and Dan, accepting that this is how life was made and finally moving forward soothed the two souls who freed themselves from the edo tensei.

 Luckily, Orochimaru was absent because he went to get some substances for Kimimaro and Tsunade took the opportunity to leave this place with the objective now of reaching Konoha and catching up in the name of Dan and Nawaki's desire to protect the village.

She didn't know if Jiraiya was going to accept her after what she had done but she had to try.