The Snow God Festival is the most important festival in the Snow Country. Both officials and citizens of the Snow Country pay great attention to it. On this day, the usually quiet Snow Country becomes lively.
Generally, the most important thing about the Snow God Festival is to worship the Snow God. However, this year is a bit different as granting the title of Ice Hero is also a big deal.
Furthermore, after it was revealed that the giant ice ball on that day was created by Mokgetsu, the citizens of the Snow Country are even more eager to see this Ice Hero in person, as it seems like a miracle to them.
The ceremony to grant the title is held in Kazahana City, specifically at the battlefield of Mokgetsu and the Snow Ninjas. The area has been turned into a flat land due to Mokgetsu's actions, and you can no longer see any previous buildings.
Though the area is not small, too many curious citizens came to witness the ceremony, prompting Kazahana Sosetsu to dispatch a large number of guards to maintain order and prevent accidents.
Mokgetsu's giant ice ball is still there, and to prevent it from crashing into Kazahana City, Mokgetsu specifically reinforced it with ninjutsu.
"How was such a large ice ball created? Could this Ice Hero be the reincarnation of the Snow God, here to save the Snow Country?" an elderly man with deep faith in the Snow God exclaimed.
The ninjutsu of Mokgetsu was beyond the belief of even the ninjas of the Snow Country, let alone the average people, leaving them truly amazed.
"It would be nice if the hero's hair was blue," someone remarked, feeling that Mokgetsu's demeanor is too warm, more like sunlight rather than ice and snow.
Before the ceremony officially began, the citizens shared their thoughts one after another.
As the ceremony was about to start, the guards began to control the scene, trying to maintain a relatively quiet environment.
As the ceremony began, Kazahana Sosetsu, with a serious expression, held a stunningly exquisite blue cloak and slowly walked toward Mokgetsu, while someone started emotionally narrating the rebellion event and highlighting Mokgetsu's contributions.
It was Mokgetsu who first discovered Kazahana Doto's betrayal, gathered intelligence, and then stepped up to defeat hundreds of Snow Ninja single-handedly and thwart Kazahana Doto's coup when the situation turned critical.
Initially, the story in this segment did not include Kazahana Sosetsu's part, focusing mainly on Mokgetsu's interaction later. Although it's true that Kazahana Sosetsu's misjudgment led to a crisis, he is still the Daimyo, and officials were worried about affecting his reputation.
However, Kazahana Sosetsu insisted on writing the facts because he felt that it was indeed his mistake, and recognizing mistakes could serve as a warning for future generations.
When Kazahana Sosetsu stood before Mokgetsu, he personally draped the cloak over Mokgetsu and solemnly thanked Mokgetsu for his contribution to the Snow Country.
"Thank you, Mokgetsu, for everything you have done for the Snow Country. You will always be the Ice Hero of the Snow Country!"
The surrounding crowd erupted into thunderous applause, celebrating the birth of the hero.
After the hero's part, it was time for the warriors, announced with the same acknowledgment of deeds and congratulations followed by a symbolic reward.
However, the citizens were surprised when they saw the three Ice Warriors, because Obito and the others seemed too small, practically just children.
Yet, upon hearing that they protected the Daimyo Princess and personally defeated Kazahana Doto, the citizens' perspective changed, acknowledging their youthful achievements.
"The difference between people is vast. When I was their age, all I did was play in the snow," one of them couldn't help but say.
"These are young people with limitless potential. Perhaps they will grow up to become heroes like the Ice Hero," someone said, clapping and offering blessings.
Obito, feeling the lively atmosphere, looked at the smiling faces of the citizens and felt a surge of ambition in his heart.
"Someday, I will become a hero in the Land of Fire and in Konoha!" Obito thought to himself.
Although this time he barely became a hero of the Snow Country, it was mainly due to Mokgetsu, a fact Obito was very aware of.
However, Obito imagined that as long as he follows this path, he will eventually become like Mokgetsu, a real hero.
The ceremony ended, leading into the regular festival activities, first worshipping the Snow God, followed by enjoying various Snow God Festival projects at leisure, such as skiing races, a snowman building contest, and a fishing competition.
Of course, because Mokgetsu and the rest came to complete a task, they followed Kazahana Koyuki to wherever she went. However, given Kazahana Koyuki's abundant energy, she insisted on visiting every place, thus exploring almost all of the Snow God Festival.
However, whenever they encountered competitive projects, rivalry was inevitable, with Kazahana Koyuki laughing at Obito's poor skiing skills as he kept falling.
Unwilling to admit defeat, Obito activated his Sharingan to copy the skills of a skiing expert on the field, dramatically improving his skills, leading Kazahana Koyuki to accuse him of cheating.
During the snowman building contest, Kakashi built an exquisite snowman, which Obito suspected was due to Earth Release cheating, but testing confirmed that it was indeed built with snow by Kakashi.
"Isn't it normal to improve in snowman building after spending so long in the Snow Country?" Kakashi said calmly.
"Some people think others can't do it just because they can't," Kazahana Koyuki added quietly.
Embarrassed, Obito squatted on the ground, drawing circles with his finger and muttering to himself.
Meanwhile, Nohara Rin watched this scene and couldn't help but laugh secretly, capturing the moment with Obito's camera.