26. The Snow Clan

The snow village’s Sakura Snow reminded Kisame of a certain person—Tazuna, the bridge builder from the Land of Waves.

In the original Naruto story, Tazuna was a diligent, kind-hearted man, brimming with responsibility and a sense of justice. To save his homeland, he bravely fought against dark forces. Sakura Snow, with her single-minded resolve to save her village, bore a striking resemblance to him.

Yet as a shinobi, Kisame despised such employers. After all, Tazuna deliberately concealed the true nature of his request to save money, resulting in the inexperienced Team Seven encountering Zabuza and Haku—a combination of an S-rank rogue ninja and a bloodline limit holder of Ice Release. What was supposed to be a C-rank mission was, in truth, an S-rank ordeal. Were it not for the protagonist’s plot armor, Team Seven would surely have perished, and both Tazuna and the Land of Waves would have been doomed.

People like Tazuna and Sakura Snow, acting in the name of justice and sending others to die under false pretenses—how different were they from the villains they opposed? Kisame had no mercy: such employers deserved death.

The snowy field was silent as the grave. Sakura Snow lay prone, her face frozen in shock and confusion; her eyes slowly lost focus, and soon, breath left her body. When Kisame raised his blade to kill her, Terumi Mei and Ringo Ameyuri stood by in silence. Though the days spent together had fostered friendship, Sakura Snow’s actions had doomed them. If not for Kisame’s explosive power—slaying two jonin in succession—the three-person team would surely have been annihilated. The true culprit of this tragedy was Sakura Snow. With her death, the mission abruptly ended.

Terumi Mei, supported by Ameyuri, struggled to her feet. Her injuries were grave; she needed to return to the Hidden Mist for careful treatment and long-term recovery. Kisame produced a storage scroll, performed the necessary hand signs, and sealed away the bodies of the steel duo. Though the mission had failed and no payment was received, there was a greater, unexpected bounty. By delivering the corpses to the underground exchange, he could claim a thirty million ryo reward—a fortune for Kisame, whose finances had never been abundant.

The three prepared to leave.

A faint crack sounded from the woods behind them—a branch broken underfoot. More enemies? Kisame’s brow furrowed; in a flash, he rushed toward the source, and, as expected, glimpsed a shadow with long black hair fleeing deeper into the forest.

He gave chase. The gap between them narrowed. Suddenly, the figure formed hand seals, and the moisture in the air condensed before her, forming several crystal-clear ice spears. With a wave, she sent them flying toward Kisame, blocking his path.

This was… Ice Release?

Kisame’s eyes widened in surprise. He dodged the sharp ice spears with a flicker of movement, but did not pursue further—he watched as the figure escaped, disappearing into a small village at the foot of the mountain.

That was the snow village.

“Ice Release bloodline limit, the snow village…” Kisame muttered, memories stirring deep within, a suspicion forming in his mind.

He did not recklessly follow into the village, but turned back to his companions. “Kisame, who was that?” Ameyuri asked, relieved to see him return safely, curiosity in her voice.

“An unknown shinobi. Most likely drawn by the sounds of battle. She had no intention of fighting me and fled.” Kisame spoke as he dug a large pit in the snow, burying Sakura Snow and the villagers’ corpses.

Then he approached Terumi Mei, knelt on one knee with his back to her. “Come,” he said simply. Mei understood at once, climbing onto Kisame’s broad back and gently wrapping her arms around his neck. Carrying her, Kisame led Ameyuri, and the three retraced their steps out of the mountains.

Two days later, they arrived in a safe town and encountered a large merchant caravan bound for the Hidden Mist. Kisame arranged for his companions to ride with the caravan and instructed Ameyuri to care for Mei along the way, while he set off alone, heading back toward the snow village.

Another day passed.

Kisame returned to the familiar woods, dug up the corpses of Sakura Snow and the villagers, bound them with chakra threads, and carried them over the mountain.

He strode boldly into the snow village.

The villagers quickly gathered, welcoming him with fervor—but their welcome was blades and bows, surrounding him with sickles, hoes, and hunting bows.

Bang!

Kisame threw the corpses to the ground, snapped his fingers, and sent chakra threads spinning from his fingertips, easily disarming everyone present.

“I am a shinobi from the Hidden Mist, commissioned by the snow village’s merchant caravan to escort them home. Sakura Snow deliberately hid the true nature of the mission, causing my teammate’s death. Until I receive the mission payment and funeral expenses, I will not leave.” He glanced around, stating his purpose plainly, and walked straight into the village chief’s home.

The villagers were left exchanging bewildered looks.

Soon, they came to terms with the tragic reality, each stepping forward to claim their kin’s remains for burial.

Over the next day, Kisame summoned several village representatives, offering to waive the mission fee and funeral expenses in exchange for information about the village. Before long, he had the intelligence he sought.

He now knew the identity of the Ice Release shinobi hidden in the snow village.

Two years prior, a woman known as the Snow Maiden, from another village, married into the snow village. Last month, on January 9th, she gave birth to a son.

With this, Kisame was certain—the infant, barely a month old, was Haku.

The mother and child belonged to the Snow Clan. This clan had once been a renowned bloodline family in the Hidden Mist, but had been wiped out during the Bloody Mist’s civil upheaval. Only the Snow Maiden survived, fleeing to the snow village, concealing her abilities, living as a commoner, marrying a villager, and giving birth to Haku.

On the surface, the Snow Maiden’s family life seemed idyllic. But Kisame, with his knowledge of the story, knew it was an illusion.

The Land of Water was plagued by constant strife; shinobi and bloodline holders often joined the conflict, leaving trails of death and destruction. For ordinary people, shinobi were synonymous with war and disaster. Commoners hated shinobi, especially those with bloodline abilities.

Years later, when Haku grew up and accidentally revealed his inherited powers, the Snow Maiden’s husband, tears streaming down his face, killed her with his own hands and attempted to slay his son as well. In utter despair and rage, young Haku unleashed his Ice Release, killing his father and all the villagers present.

He then fled the snow village, living as a stray—fighting wild dogs for scraps—until Momochi Zabuza found him.

A tragic tale.

Such tragedies unfolded daily in the Land of Water and all across the shinobi world.

Kisame resolved to rewrite this story.

Thus, he quietly approached the Snow Maiden’s home, hiding among the woods, watching.