"Damn it!!"
Doto Kazahana roared, his face twisted with rage and despair.
He couldn't accept this!
All the scheming, all the blood he spilled, all the pain of seizing this country and the great treasure he had dreamed of…
…turned out to be this?!
A geothermal generator?!
Sōsetsu Kazahana… that bastard!
He had spent the entire fortune of the Kazahana clan, generations of savings, just to make this thing?!
"Ahhhhhh!!!"
Doto's roar echoed across the rainbow ice walls as his expression crumbled into pure despair.
Obito watched with a satisfied grin, his arms crossed like he was enjoying live theater.
Yep, this is it. The "crying bitch face" I've been waiting for.
The sight filled him with an indescribable sense of joy.
"This… geothermal generator… what even is that?"
Yugao broke the silence, her brow furrowed.
"Oh, right…"
Obito glanced at her with exaggerated pity.
"I forgot you're basically illiterate too."
The corner of Yugao's mouth twitched dangerously.
"This thing… you wouldn't get the science behind it anyway," Obito said casually.
"Just know it can change the temperature and make this frozen hellhole warmer."
"So… this is the Kazahana family's treasure?"
"That's right," Obito said, nodding.
"And for the Land of Snow? It's priceless."
Seeing their confused faces, he sighed and explained:
"Right now, this thing only heats a small area. But imagine if there were dozens of them across the whole country. What would happen?"
The three girls blinked. Then their eyes widened.
"The entire Land of Snow… would become warm!"
"Bingo."
Obito continued, his tone somewhere between teacher and smug villain:
"You all know the problem here. The climate is brutal... perpetual snow, frozen soil, nothing grows. Agriculture is a joke, and food is always scarce.
To change that, you need to change the environment."
He gestured toward the glowing machinery around them.
"This geothermal generator was Sōsetsu Kazahana's answer. He spent everything the clan had to create these.
Sure, they're only half-finished prototypes.
But if completed and mass-produced, they could blanket the Land of Snow…
…and turn it into a land where spring lasts all year."
Obito paused for a moment, his voice softening.
"A shame your brother ruined everything before he could finish it."
Then he looked at Koyuki and reached out to gently pat her head.
"This… this is the real treasure of the Kazahana clan."
"Koyuki, your father was bold. Really bold."
"Uh-huh…"
Koyuki's voice trembled. Her eyes were red, tears blurring her vision.
She finally understood her father's words:
Don't give up. One day, spring will come.
She had thought it was just a lie to comfort her.
But now… now she could see it.
Father… I understand.
"It's… kind of a wonderful story," Yugao muttered, and even Terumi Mei nodded quietly.
Suddenly, Obito froze, his scarlet eyes glinting as he scanned the Rainbow Ice Walls.
A moment later, he locked onto one spot and grinned.
"I see… something's frozen in there."
He clapped his hands together, fingers moving into seals.
"Hmm? What are you doing now?" Yugao asked, raising a brow.
Obito smirked.
"If I'm right… Koyuki's father left her a parting gift."
"A… parting gift?"
The three girls blinked in confusion, watching as Obito's hands blurred through seals.
After forming the final hand sign, Obito let chakra swirl into his right hand, a sinister grin on his face.
Then he threw a punch.
"Black Dragon Blizzard!"
A jet-black dragon burst from his fist, spiraling through the air before smashing head-on into one of the massive ice walls.
"Y-You…!"
The three girls all flinched, staring in shock.
Why the hell is he breaking the precious ice walls?!
"Relax," Obito said with a smirk, his Sharingan glinting.
"Keep your eyes open and watch."
Crack… crack…
The black dragon tore into the frozen wall, spiderweb cracks racing across its surface.
Then
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Chunks of ice the size of boulders shattered and tumbled down.
As the surface ice peeled away, the true structure hidden inside the ice wall revealed itself:
A massive, intricate device composed of mirrored panels and hexagonal frames, glinting like some kind of ancient divine artifact.
"It's…!"
The three girls gasped, their eyes wide.
"Oh, we're not done yet," Obito said, his mouth curling into a smile.
With the ice gone, the buried machinery fully absorbed the colorful geothermal light.
A wave of heat rippled outward, causing the remaining frost and ice around the chamber to melt at a visible speed.
Then, the long-frozen illusion projectors embedded in the walls flickered to life.
In the blink of an eye, the world around them transformed.
The blinding white snow and rainbow ice walls melted away into a vision of lush mountains, glimmering rivers, and rolling fields of green.
Flowers bloomed across the hillsides, and colorful butterflies danced in the air.
This was...
Spring.
"T-This is…?!"
Yugao, Terumi Mei, and Koyuki all stood frozen, staring in awe.
Their eyes shimmered with the reflection of grass and sunlight, as if they had been transported into another world.
Believe in the future.
A soft, gentle voice drifted into their ears, snapping them out of their trance.
All three looked up, and their breaths caught.
A massive illusion appeared in the sky
It was Koyuki Kazahana as a child, dressed in a pink princess gown, her cheeks round and blushed.
Then spring will surely come…
"What does Koyuki want to do after spring comes?" the gentle voice asked.
The tiny Koyuki in the illusion tilted her head, lips pursed in thought.
"Hmm… I want to become… Her Royal Highness the Princess!"
"What kind of princess?"
Little Koyuki tapped her chin, then declared with a sparkling smile:
"Hmm… Gentle! Strong! And… the Righteous Princess!"
"Hahahaha~ That's hard~"
The gentle laugh of a man echoed, warm and nostalgic.
As the illusion shifted, a bespectacled middle-aged man Sōsetsu Kazahana appeared, smiling softly.
He knelt down, hanging a hexagonal pendant around young Koyuki's neck.
If you're seeing this… then that means a beautiful princess is watching right now.
Then, the two of them turned toward the audience together, their figures framed by the illusion like a family portrait in the sky.
Obito, who had been enjoying the spectacle like it was prime-time theater, suddenly froze.
…Why did this feel so familiar?
Hmm… where have I seen this before…
Wait.
Oh, hell no... this is literally Chopper's backstory!
Wants to be a doctor = Actress.
Dad wants to bring spring = Dad wants to bring cherry blossoms.
Both die… but still manage to fulfill their dreams.
Obito blinked.
'…Yo, that's actually insane. I never realized that in my past life, they're basically the same story!'
Koyuki Kazahana stared up, her eyes blurring with tears.
She couldn't stop them from sliding down her cheeks.
Father…
The voice continued, soft as spring wind:
"And Koyuki… had one more dream."
In the illusion, Sōsetsu asked warmly:
"Oh? Another dream?"
"Actress!"
The little Koyuki shouted with a brilliant, innocent smile.
"Ah… hahaha…"
For a moment, Sōsetsu looked stunned, then broke into full, hearty laughter.
The image began to fade, leaving nothing but the glowing reflection of spring in the ice.
--------------------------------------
Support me at patreon.com/Arthorain and read upto 50 Advanced Chapters and Exclusive R-18 Content!
--------------------------------------
Update schedule: 7 chapters/week
Every 300 power stones = 1 Extra Chapter
By voting with [power stones], you can easily get double the number of chapters.