Although it was a bit abstract, Obito still saw that this was his and Kakashi's daily life.
"You two are way too easy to argue, it feels like any memory would involve a different argument scene." Nohara Rin wanted to gently persuade the two to get along better.
"It's not me who wants to argue, it's Kakashi who's too annoying." Obito shifted the blame onto Kakashi.
"I should be the one saying that." Kakashi didn't let Obito slander him.
It was then that Nohara Rin noticed that Kakashi's snowman looked like Kazahana Koyuki, and it was more exquisite than Obito's.
"It seems like you're good at everything, Kakashi." Nohara Rin admired as she looked at the snowman with its puffed-up cheeks as if it was sulking.
Hearing Nohara Rin's words, Obito hurriedly looked at Kakashi's snowman. Looking at the vividly lifelike snowman, Obito found it hard to believe that a snowman could be made like this, with snow, and in such a short time.
"Are they all done? Then the judge should score them." Kazahana Koyuki, who was inside, stood up and called out after hearing the trio's conversation.
"You're the judge?" Obito looked at Kazahana Koyuki, questioning her aesthetic ability.
"Hmph, if it weren't for Mokgetsu inviting me, I wouldn't bother looking at your snowman." Kazahana Koyuki pouted.
Upon hearing Mokgetsu's arrangement, Obito was left speechless.
Then Kazahana Koyuki carefully assessed the three snowmen one by one and gave her evaluations.
The evaluation for Obito was: "The snowman even has real goggles on it, ruining the feel, it doesn't look good."
For Nohara Rin's evaluation: "Although I don't really understand it, I feel like Rin's sister's snowman looks good."
"Annoying Snow Country brat!" Kazahana Koyuki's blatant double standard made Obito's face flush slightly.
Although Obito also admitted that Nohara Rin's snowman was indeed not bad, how could his snowman not look good?
When she finally reached Kakashi's snowman, Kazahana Koyuki was very surprised. Although the puffed-up face made her a bit embarrassed, it did resemble her a lot.
"Why make such a strange expression?" Kazahana Koyuki couldn't help but ask.
"Because I felt like it." Kakashi replied casually.
The purpose of making the snowman resemble Kazahana Koyuki was quite simple; he just wanted to give the Koyuki inside the house a sense of involvement. As for the expression, Kakashi thought it would be more interesting this way.
"Something's not right, the snowman looks wrong." The more Obito looked at Kakashi's snowman, the more he felt something was amiss. Unable to resist, he poked the snowman's arm and found that the snowman was hollow, with stones inside.
"Why are you poking my arm?" Kazahana Koyuki looked at Obito with dissatisfaction.
"Kakashi, you cheater!" Obito ignored Kazahana Koyuki and pointed out Kakashi's unethical behavior.
"Did you use Earth Release Ninjutsu to make a statue first and then make a snowman over it?"
"That's right, is there a rule against making snowmen like this?" Kakashi admitted but didn't think it was cheating.
Obito was at a loss for words; there's no rulebook for making snowmen.
"Either way, I don't recognize this kind of snowman; it's not pure!" Obito claimed that this kind of snowman was an anomaly in the snowman world.
"But the snowman made this way is quick and looks good, right?" Kakashi saw no issue with it.
"I think you're just jealous that Kakashi's snowman is better." The judge, Kazahana Koyuki, sided with Kakashi.
Mokgetsu saw this scene and didn't intervene; sometimes saying a few more words is better than not communicating.
"I wonder how things are progressing with the main group." Mokgetsu looked off into the distance.
Even though it was a mission, Mokgetsu wasn't so free that his main body would spend time telling stories to children. Wouldn't it be better to research some Fuinjutsu or Breathing Techniques? Except for the first day in the Snow Country, the one by Kazahana Koyuki's side had always been Mokgetsu's Shadow Clone.
Mokgetsu's plan was to continue researching Fuinjutsu until the mission ended as long as no one disturbed him.
Yet, there were those who wanted to disrupt his plan. By the second day, Mokgetsu discovered that ninjas were monitoring them.
If this were the Daimyo of Snow Country's men, Mokgetsu wouldn't mind; it's reasonable to protect a daughter. However, the Daimyo hadn't sent people to monitor because there was no need. Several guards always stayed with Kazahana Koyuki, making their attitude quite clear.
Through investigation, Mokgetsu's main body discovered these people were from Kazahana Doto, and based on the attributes of those ninjas, it was determined they were from Snow Village.
Familiar with the storyline, Mokgetsu instantly surmised that Kazahana Doto might already be planning a coup. After all, a coup of such magnitude isn't something you do on a whim; being prepared in advance is quite normal.
Mokgetsu didn't act rashly at first; he observed the current Daimyo, Kazahana Sosetsu, of the Snow Country and, upon confirming he was a benevolent Daimyo, decided to nip the coup in the bud.
Mokgetsu wasn't a reckless good person, but often he was willing to do good deeds within his capacity.
If a hawkish leader like Kazahana Doto succeeded in a coup, Mokgetsu believed the people of Snow Country would suffer greatly.
Based on the performance of those Snow Ninjas in the original work, Mokgetsu was confident that the situation in Snow Country was within his capability, so he began to take action.
However, this was, after all, a real world, and there weren't many Snow Ninjas appearing in the original story. To be cautious, Mokgetsu first chose to investigate all the forces on Kazahana Doto's side, which wasn't difficult for someone with the Identification Jutsu.
...
"Did you find out about the mole?" Kazahana Doto asked, holding his tea without drinking, inquiring first about the issue he was most concerned with.
Without finding the mole, he couldn't be at ease. For his safety, Kazahana Doto currently had his subordinates use Transformation Jutsu to disguise as him for attending court meetings and also assigned ninjas to closely monitor those Konoha ninjas, prioritizing safety above all.
"I deployed ninjas for thorough investigations and found no mole as you mentioned. Doto, are you perhaps being too sensitive? Maybe those Konoha ninjas are really just on a mission to protect the princess." Kanko Hyofo finished his tea in one gulp and shook his head.
After all, considering a major event like a coup, upon receiving the information from Kazahana Doto, Kanko Hyofo immediately conducted a strict inspection of the Snow Ninjas but found no problems.
"Since our plans are still in the planning stages, it wouldn't be that easy to be exposed. Moreover, those who know are all top officials of the village. They're unlikely to commit such a betrayal for someone as naive as Daimyo Kazahana Sosetsu."
"Everything we do is for the strength of Snow Country. No Snow Ninja would betray their own country." Kanko Hyofo put down the teacup as he spoke.
Kazahana Doto, being part of the royal family of Snow Country, didn't feel that assisting him in ascending the throne was a betrayal of the country. On the contrary, he believed Kazahana Doto's ideals were more suitable for becoming the Daimyo of Snow Country.
"After all, if someone like Mokgetsu, such a famous ninja, was really hired by Sosetsu to counter us, he would be quite a troublesome opponent."
After hearing Kanko Hyofo's analysis, Kazahana Doto relaxed a little and expressed his concerns.
"So what if he is? Doto, don't you trust my strength? He's just a young boy under twenty." Kanko Hyofo's words were filled with confidence.
If it were the Sannin or someone like that, he'd still have some concerns, as they are indeed renowned in the Ninja World. But dealing with a Habu Mokgetsu, he felt that as the leader of the Snow Ninjas, he had no issues.
"Ice-Sealed, of course, I believe in your strength." Kazahana Doto smiled, having said all that just to hear this assurance from Kanko Hyofo.
"By the way, how's the village's Chakra Armor coming along?" Kazahana Doto inquired completely at ease.
"We've had some initial successes in enhancing the power of ninjutsu. However, due to tight budgets, it's difficult to continue its development." Kanko Hyofo replied with a furrowed brow.
"Funding will be available soon, once the plan succeeds." Kazahana Doto promised.
Kanko Hyofo nodded with a smile. This was precisely why he supported Kazahana Doto.
However, neither of them knew that someone was watching them from the dark not far away.
"A Chakra Armor that can enhance ninjutsu? Interesting, I wonder if it can serve as an external power source." Mokgetsu, eyes glowing white, showed an intrigued expression.
The Byakugan allowed him to conduct long-range reconnaissance. Additionally, having roots in Root, he had also mastered the skill of lip reading, so even from a great distance, Mokgetsu understood the conversation between the two.
Giving the leader of the Snow Ninjas an Identification Jutsu, Mokgetsu wanted to find out where his courage came from.