[62] Mission to the Land of Snow

After taking care of everything he needed to, Sora didn't bother with the cleanup operations that followed.

He finalized the schedule for the lectures with Fugaku and then left, leaving behind the dumbfounded Uchiha clan members still standing in stunned silence.

Who knows how long it took before they finally snapped back to reality and reluctantly accepted what had just happened.

Only then did the groans and cries start—realizing they'd all suffered broken bones.

Fugaku was kept busy rounding them up and having them sent to Konoha Hospital. The place overflowed to the point where tents had to be pitched outside just to hold everyone.

Meanwhile, Sora had already arrived at the Hokage's office, sitting across from Minato and placing the textbook he had written the night before on the table.

"Have a look. Let me know if anything seems off—it can still be revised."

Minato opened the book titled The Proper Way to Be a Proud Uchiha and began reading patiently.

Bored, Sora started flipping through other documents on the desk to find something more entertaining.

But it was all the same old stuff—someone harassing a farmer's daughter here, someone robbing travelers there.

The Land of Fire had become prosperous, attracting bandits from neighboring countries like sharks drawn to blood.

Those nations didn't dare openly send their own people, but they turned a blind eye to the bandits crossing their borders.

As a result, bandit activity had surged across the Land of Fire.

These thugs were so rampant that shinobi on missions were casually wiping out one or two gangs on the side.

It wasn't something that could be resolved overnight, so Sora lost interest and kept skimming—until he paused at a mission request that caught his attention.

"I am Doctor Sandayū Asama , a noble of the Land of Snow. My country's daimyō has died, and his younger brother Kazehana Dotō has seized the throne. I request that Konoha send shinobi to rescue our princess. I am willing to pay a reward of one hundred million ryō!"

Sora recognized this mission immediately. If he remembered correctly, this was the one Kakashi had been assigned—he'd successfully rescued Princess Koyuki Kazehana.

Later on, he, Naruto, and Sasuke even helped her reclaim her throne.

"Hmm? Interested in that one?" Minato's voice came from beside him. He added, "I originally wasn't going to bother with it—we're swamped handling the bandit crisis. But if you want to take it, be my guest."

"Yeah, I'm a bit curious. That Princess Koyuki might be useful to us. I'll take Kakashi with me."

Storing the mission request into his personal space, Sora then asked, "So? What did you think of the textbook—any improvements needed?"

Sora didn't make any presumptions when it came to Minato. The only reason Minato hadn't come up with something like this was because he'd never been exposed to it—it was just the way this world worked.

But Minato's abilities were second to none. Given the right path, he could easily take things further than Sora ever could.

Minato chuckled, unable to hold back his amusement. "You're quite the schemer. You've managed to trick the entire Uchiha Clan into submission!"

He gave Sora a thumbs-up. "No changes needed—it's perfect."

Indeed, if executed as written, it was like transforming the company's worst employee into a model worker. What's there to change?

Thinking of those once-rebellious Uchiha now completing tasks out of sheer pride, Minato almost burst out laughing.

After leaving the Hokage's office, Sora headed to the ANBU headquarters to find Kakashi.

He casually pulled off Kakashi's mask and said, "Come on. We've got a mission to run."

As he spoke, he handed over the mission scroll from his personal space and walked off ahead.

Every ANBU operative who saw Sora stopped and saluted, their eyes brimming with admiration.

Despite his young age, Sora had already saved Konoha multiple times—and his strength was overwhelmingly unmatched.

Sora politely returned every greeting, taking nearly ten minutes to make it out of the ANBU headquarters with Kakashi in tow.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he sighed, "That was more exhausting than a full-blown fight. I am never going back in there again."

"You? Afraid of that?" Kakashi teased. "You're Konoha's golden hero—of course they worship you."

"Spare me. I'm just a Genin, remember? I haven't even passed the Chūnin Exams!"

Sora threw up his hands in helplessness.

That comment made Kakashi's mouth twitch—he truly didn't know how to respond.

Since the founding of Konoha, Sora was the only one to beat everyone in the second phase of the exam and pass it solo.

That was strength, plain and simple. But the guy had refused the promotion—his reason? "All of Konoha's strongest were Genin!"

The first time Kakashi heard that, he nearly choked to death on a mouthful of water.

And so the two of them set out for the Land of Snow. They ate heartily along the way, even gained a little weight—it felt more like a vacation than a mission.

Not long after they departed, the news of Sora's beatdown of the Uchiha Clan began to spread.

Under Minato's direction and with Fugaku's cooperation, the story quietly made its way across Konoha. Soon, almost everyone had heard.

When the villagers learned the truth, they felt a huge sense of catharsis. Along with their growing reverence for Sora, their resentment toward the Uchiha eased just a bit.

After all, those arrogant, rough-handed Uchiha finally got what they deserved.

The resentment eased slightly—but the prejudice remained.

Still, that was exactly what Minato and Fugaku had anticipated. Diminishing the resentment made it easier to deal with the remaining bias.

Fugaku took advantage of the hospitalization of his clan members to reshuffle the Police Force—he promoted those loyal to Konoha and respectful toward the villagers, giving them a chance to prove themselves.

All of it was Minato's idea—Sora had no clue any of this was going on.

By the time he and Kakashi returned, Minato had already prepared a huge surprise, ensuring that Sora's entire plan had been flawlessly executed.

The integration of the Uchiha Clan into Konoha went smoother than anyone could've imagined—it barely took any effort.

That's why Sora held Minato in such high regard. The man had the ability to infer everything from a single point. Coupled with his strength, character, and intelligence—he really was the most perfect Hokage in history.

Loving, kind, powerful, smart—you'd be hard-pressed to find a single flaw in him.

While all this was unfolding back in the village, Sora and Kakashi had already arrived within sight of the Land of Snow.

Standing at the bow of the ship, Sora asked, "Where are we meeting Doctor Sandayū?"

"Wasn't this your mission? How should I know?"

Though he sounded annoyed, Kakashi still told Sora where the rendezvous point was.

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