Chapter 341: Yearning for a Hero

“What is it? What is it?” Obito asked, looking at Sawada Kazuya with anticipation.

“It’s to serve as the princess’s bodyguard, a mission issued by Land of Snow,” Sawada Kazuya replied concisely after recalling the details.

“A bodyguard? Isn’t that pretty much the same as rescuing a princess? We’ll take this mission!” Obito immediately wanted to accept the mission.

In Obito’s mind, if it was a bodyguard mission, they would surely encounter enemies, and after encountering enemies, it would become a princess rescue.

“Unfortunately, no,” Sawada Kazuya said with a regretful expression, shaking his head after looking through the scroll.

“Why not? Uncle Sawada, aren’t you just toying with us? You tell us about it and then say no!” Obito was anxious.

This was the closest he had ever been to experiencing what a Ninja novel protagonist would.

“Is it because the mission rank is B-Rank or higher?” Kakashi analyzed and asked.

Since Sawada Kazuya mentioned it, the mission must exist. If they couldn’t take it, it could only be a problem on their end.

Sawada Kazuya nodded and explained, “I just confirmed the mission rank. It’s an A-Rank Mission. You need Jonin Minato to lead your team to take on an A-Rank Mission.”

Obito’s face instantly fell because Minato had just left for a mission on the battlefield not long ago.

“Uncle Sawada, can’t you make an exception? You know our team’s strength,” Obito didn’t want to give up this opportunity.

“No exceptions can be made. If I really let you take it, you wouldn’t see me here again next time,” Sawada Kazuya said, indicating he wanted to work for a few more years.

Obito sighed. He wasn’t a novice who had just started taking missions, so he understood Sawada Kazuya’s predicament.

“Obito, why don’t we switch to another mission? Minato-sensei probably won’t be back for a while,” Rin Nohara suggested.

“I know that too, but…” Obito’s expression was very conflicted.

Not only was it a mission he wanted to do, like guarding a princess, but it was also to a country he had never visited. This mission was truly very appealing to Obito.

“Does it have to be Minato-sensei? It should be fine as long as there’s a Jonin leading the team, right?” Kakashi thought for a moment and asked.

He could see that Obito really wanted to go. Also, according to Kakashi’s impression, Land of Snow was an island nation far to the north, unaffected by the wars between the Great Ninja Villages, which meant it was unlikely for anything unexpected to happen.

Sawada Kazuya nodded and replied, “Other Jonin are fine. An A-Rank Mission requires at least one Special Jonin to lead the team.”

Listening to Sawada Kazuya, Obito’s previously dim eyes lit up again. Minato was on a mission and couldn’t come, but Muzuki was in Konoha and had just finished the Ninja Academy special training, currently resting.

“Come on, let’s go find Muzuki-sensei,” Obito turned and walked out of the Hokage Building towards Muzuki’s house.

Watching Obito’s hurried steps, Kakashi shook his head and quickly followed.

Actually, Kakashi wanted to ask other Jonin he knew. Obito wasn’t thinking too much, but Kakashi knew that the Ninja Academy was about to start in a few days.

Seeing that both of them had left, Rin Nohara also followed them out of the Hokage Building.

Worried that the mission would be taken by someone else, Obito ran, wanting to get to Muzuki’s house as quickly as possible.

He even saw Hiruzen Sarutobi on the way but didn’t have time to greet him.

“Why does the Third Hokage’s nose look like it has a little blood on it? Did I see wrong?” Obito felt a bit confused. Who was so powerful they could make the Hokage bleed from the nose in Konoha?

Obito didn’t think too much; all he wanted right now was to quickly accept the mission.

With the enhancement of the Breathing Technique, Obito ran very fast and arrived at Muzuki’s house shortly.

“Muzuki-sensei, are you there?” Obito shouted loudly from outside the door.

Obito was lucky; Muzuki was currently at home researching Sealing Technique.

Muzuki put down the scroll in his hand, then opened the door and asked, “Obito, is there something you need?”

“Muzuki-sensei, can you take us on a mission? There’s a mission to protect a princess that I really want to do, but it’s an A-Rank Mission, and it requires a Jonin to lead the team,” Obito explained his purpose and reason completely.

Muzuki showed a thoughtful expression. Due to an extra week of special training, although the holiday special training had just ended, it was now very close to the Ninja Academy’s opening day.

“Which country’s princess is it?” Muzuki didn’t immediately agree but instead inquired about the specific details of the mission.

Generally, missions to protect princesses or important national figures are S-Rank, or even specify well-known Konoha strongmen to take them. A-Rank Missions are less common because a Special Jonin with a few Chunin or Genin can take an A-Rank Mission, and the team’s minimum strength is relatively low.

Muzuki thought of three possibilities: the first was that the country had already arranged protective forces and only issued a request to Konoha for peace of mind; the second was that the princess was not highly valued; the third was that the mission itself had little danger, and the request was made for greater stability.

“Land of Snow’s,” Obito told Muzuki everything he knew.

Upon hearing this name, many memories instantly flooded Muzuki’s mind. His memory was excellent now, so even content he had seen a long time ago could be recalled.

Muzuki immediately ruled out the second possibility. According to his recollection, the princess named Fuka Kazehana seemed to be Land of Snow’s only heir, so it was impossible for her not to be valued.

“Could Kakashi have gone to Land of Snow for this mission?” Muzuki thought. Kakashi had been to Land of Snow twice in the Land of Snow storyline: once as a young boy, and the second time leading Team 7 on a mission, already a reliable adult Ninja.

Kakashi’s first mission in Land of Snow involved fighting Snow Ninja and rescuing Fuka Kazehana. The second time, he led Team 7 to help Fuka Kazehana reclaim Land of Snow.

Then Muzuki shook his head. According to Kakashi’s interactions with the Snow Ninja, Kakashi was already a Copy Ninja capable of copying Ninjutsu when he first arrived in Land of Snow. This meant Obito had already turned dark at that time, but Obito was only nine years old now, so the timeline clearly didn’t match.

“Then the coup will happen at least a few years later.”

Muzuki analyzed based on the known information and felt that the third possibility was the most reliable, followed by the first, while the second was completely impossible.

“Muzuki-sensei, why don’t I go ask other Jonin? After all, you still have your Ninja Academy work,” Kakashi said when he saw Muzuki’s thoughtful expression.

“Oh, right, it’s already September,” reminded by Kakashi, Obito also remembered the Ninja Academy’s opening.

“I’m sorry, Muzuki-sensei, I forgot about that.”

Obito gave an embarrassed smile. He truly hadn’t thought of that, only focusing on the mission.

“I have a way to handle the Ninja Academy. You guys wait here for a bit while I pack some things,” Muzuki finally agreed to Obito’s request.

Based on the plot, the Land of Snow coup wouldn’t happen now, but Muzuki wouldn’t blindly trust the plot because facts had proven that the plot was already changing.

The Snow Ninja’s strength was not bad. If it were an ordinary Jonin plus Obito and his two teammates, an accident could easily cause them to fall there.

“That’s great!” Obito’s face instantly lit up with excitement. With Muzuki there, he wasn’t worried about any accidents.

Kakashi’s expression also relaxed a bit after hearing this. Doing missions with Muzuki indeed provided a full sense of security.

“Muzuki-sensei, you’re really too kind,” Rin Nohara felt that Muzuki was truly gentle.

After sealing some essential items into a scroll, Muzuki took Obito and the others back to the Hokage Building.

Obito was very worried that the mission would be taken by someone else, so as soon as he arrived at the Hokage Building, he immediately inquired with Sawada Kazuya and was relieved to learn that the mission was still available.

“We’ll take this mission,” Muzuki accepted the escort mission under Obito’s expectant gaze.

Sawada Kazuya immediately completed the registration for Muzuki and handed him the documents. He could tell that Obito genuinely wanted to do this mission.

“Yay!” Obito immediately cheered. He could almost see the beautiful princess and powerful enemies, and their team would defeat the strong foes, rescue the princess, and ultimately become heroes of that country.

Although they hadn’t even departed yet, Obito was already imagining himself writing his autobiography after achieving fame and success.

Even when Obito was a dead last, he loved reading Ninja novels and yearned for the various adventures of the novel’s protagonists. So, for Obito, who the princess was wasn’t important, but rescuing the princess was very important because it would allow him to become a hero.

Then, based on the information provided by Sawada Kazuya, Muzuki found Asama Santaifu, who had come to Konoha to issue the request.

“I am Habsheng Mugetsu, the Konoha Jonin who accepted the mission to guard the Land of Snow princess,” Muzuki briefly introduced himself.

Asama Santaifu observed Muzuki for a few moments and nodded. However, when he saw Obito and the others behind Muzuki, he frowned slightly and said, “They’re not even ten years old, are they? Land of Snow is very cold.”

Although Asama Santaifu believed the princess wouldn’t encounter danger, he felt it was a bit improper to send three young children from another land to the harsh Land of Snow.

The environmental difference between Land of Snow and Land of Fire was too vast. Asama Santaifu felt that the weather in Land of Fire was like paradise, perfectly suitable for human habitation.

Before Muzuki could explain, Obito retorted indignantly, “Don’t look down on us because of our age! We’re Konoha elites, and we’ve all been promoted to Chunin. The weather won’t affect us!”

“They’re all Chunin?” Asama Santaifu was a bit surprised. He wasn’t completely ignorant about Ninja; he knew something about the Ninja ranking system.

“Although they are a bit young, they are all qualified Konoha Ninja,” Muzuki also spoke.

Asama Santaifu was also a man who understood rules. After confirming there were no issues, he instructed his subordinates to pack their belongings and prepare to depart.

Since Land of Snow was an island nation, Muzuki and the others could only go to a port on the East Coast of Land of Fire to take a ship.

However, Asama Santaifu had already prepared all of this. Muzuki and the others only needed to walk to the port and board the ship.

Although being underestimated made Obito a bit annoyed, through their conversations on the way, Obito realized that Asama Santaifu wasn’t someone who looked down on children, but rather was just concerned. So, their interactions on the way were quite pleasant.

“Brother Santadafu, is your Land of Snow princess pretty?” Obito asked curiously just as they were about to board the ship.

He had never seen a real-life princess before; all his images of princesses came from novels.

“Haha, of course she’s pretty! She’s the cutest princess!” Asama Santaifu replied with a hearty laugh.

“Definitely not as cute as Rin,” Obito retorted in his heart.

Of course, he only dared to say that in his mind; in reality, he wouldn’t dare to be so direct.

“It’s truly boundless,” Rin Nohara said, looking at the endless sea, her hands clasped behind her back, a smile on her face. It was her first time at the seaside.

Just then, a gentle breeze arrived, lightly brush over Rin Nohara’s flowing hair, lifting the pink hem of her clothes.

Obito stood to Rin Nohara’s left side. Close by was Rin Nohara’s adorable profile, her slightly lifted hair and skirt, and in the distance, a large ship and the boundless blue ocean. Obito was momentarily mesmerized.

When he came to his senses, Obito took out his camera and took a picture of Rin Nohara. At this moment, he was glad he had brought his camera.

“What’s wrong?” Rin Nohara turned to look at Obito and asked.

“Nothing, I just think the seaside is beautiful, so I need to take more pictures,” Obito waved his hand, his face slightly flushed, and replied.

Rin Nohara nodded in agreement and said, “Indeed, since we rarely get to come, we can take more photos as souvenirs.”

After taking some simple souvenir photos, Muzuki and the others boarded the ship and headed for Land of Snow.

Since it was his first time on a ship at sea, Obito was very excited at first, but he quickly settled down because there was nothing particularly special on the ship.

Although it wasn’t special, Obito was very happy to have Rin Nohara by his side and kept chatting with her.

Muzuki, meanwhile, discussed the specific details of the mission with Asama Santaifu.

“In October, our country’s most important Matsuri, the Snow God Festival, will be held. Your escort mission will conclude after the Matsuri ends,” Asama Santaifu explained.

The Snow God Festival was an important Matsuri with a long history in Land of Snow. On this day, the people of Land of Snow would pray to the snow god to reduce heavy snowfall so they could catch more fat fish.

Asama Santaifu, well-versed in Land of Snow’s history, even knew that centuries ago, the Daimyo himself was required to perform the ritual, but that tradition was no longer practiced.

Muzuki nodded, understanding the specific details of the mission.

It was actually no different from a regular escort mission, just with different people and locations.

Muzuki was a bit curious. Since Land of Snow had a Snow Ninja Village, why did they go all the way to Konoha to issue a request? And the Daimyo should have some forces around him, too.

Muzuki thought about it and decided that this question wasn’t important, because the money for an A-Rank Mission was truly negligible for a Daimyo, even for a small country’s Daimyo, so it didn’t really need a reason.

PS: Recently, I’ve watched Snow Hime Ninpocho several times to study the details, so updates have been slightly less frequent. I’ll try to write more in the coming days.

Because the movie version is original animation content, some settings are a bit exaggerated, for example, Land of Snow’s technology is almost on par with Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. I will make some small changes to make the overall setting more harmonious.