NOVEL WEB Chapter 63: CHAPTER 63
Kimimaro's thoughts were not without merit.
Looking back at the female characters in Naruto who had notable interactions with Naruto, some — like Hinata Hyuga and Shion — had clearly expressed romantic feelings for him. But not all such connections were romantic in nature.
The relationship between Kazahana Koyuki and Naruto, for example, was not romantic.
Koyuki admired Naruto for his idealism and bravery, but she viewed him more as a symbol of hope than a romantic interest.
The same could be said for Haruna, the Daimyo of the Land of Vegetables. In the anime, she once asked Naruto to remain in her country, primarily because she wanted someone trustworthy by her side to help stabilize the region. While some have speculated whether she harbored any deeper intentions — perhaps even jokingly about "borrowing a seed" — such implications were never made explicit in the source material.
Originally, Kimimaro had only planned to observe Kazahana Koyuki from a distance, but after Karin made a comment about her, he found himself reconsidering the nature of Koyuki's relationship with Naruto. For reasons he didn't quite understand, an unfamiliar sense of anticipation stirred within him.
"Ever since I met Kurotsuchi, I've been feeling... unsettled. This won't do. Patriotism, dedication, integrity, camaraderie—stay focused."
After settling Haruna and the others, Kimimaro stealthily made his way in the direction Karin and Hanabi had indicated.
When he found Koyuki Kazahana, she was sitting alone by the river, her eyes fixed on her reflection in the gently flowing water.
Though the Land of Snow was known for its frigid climate, this location was near an ice-free port — one of the warmer regions due to the country's geothermal heating system. Compared to the snowy mountains Kimimaro and his companions had recently crossed, it was positively mild.
Koyuki gazed silently at her reflection. Her expression was calm, but there was a subtle melancholy in her eyes.
"Hello."
Startled by the voice that seemed to come from the river itself, Koyuki quickly stood. "Who's there?"
"Don't be alarmed. If you make too much noise, it'll alert your guards."
Of course she wanted her guards to come — but then the speaker added:
"I'm a friend of Naruto Uzumaki."
That name gave her pause. Slowly, she sat back down.
"Your Highness, is everything alright?" one of the hidden guards called out from a short distance away. (Note: "Your Highness" is more appropriate than "Your Majesty" when addressing a daimyo.)
"It's nothing," Koyuki replied. "Just changing position. My legs were getting numb."
"Understood. Please call if you need anything."
She looked around cautiously and whispered, "Who are you? Where are you?"
To be able to evade her guards so completely — he was no ordinary visitor.
A ripple stirred in the river, and Kimimaro's head emerged from the water.
Thanks to the Hozuki clan's Hydrification Technique, infiltration was effortless — especially since Koyuki happened to be by the water's edge.
"So it's you… You already knew who I was," she said, recognizing him. "How's Naruto doing?"
"He's as energetic as ever — full of life," Kimimaro replied. "But his favorite person, Sasuke, ran off with someone else, and he's been trying to bring him back."
Koyuki chuckled. "His favorite Sasuke? That's an interesting way to put it. Those two really are close, aren't they?"
Her tone carried warmth, like that of an older sister reminiscing. It was clear: Koyuki saw Naruto as a child.
Indeed, based on the flashbacks in the movie, Koyuki was already a young girl when Kakashi rescued her from her tyrannical uncle, Doto Kazahana. Kakashi, at the time, would've been around 20. That would place Koyuki a few years younger than Kakashi — not Naruto.
If any pairing were plausible, it would be between Koyuki and Kakashi. Naruto was more like a younger brother to her — a brave one, perhaps, but still a child in her eyes.
"Are you a Konoha ninja?" Koyuki asked cautiously.
"No, but I'm not Konoha's enemy."
"Then what brings you to the Land of Snow?"
"I'm just passing through. I'm escorting someone to the Land of Vegetables."
"Passing through?" She gave him a skeptical look. "I thought you came to see me because you needed something."
"Nothing like that. I simply saw a quiet sadness in the eyes of Kazahana Koyuki. Since we're both connected to Naruto, I figured I'd check in."
Kimimaro's response was calm, sincere — and not entirely untrue.
If Koyuki were to meet Naruto again and mention the encounter, Naruto might even play along, believing Kimimaro had been charmed by her noble aura or beauty.
"Since you're Naruto's friend, there's no need to be so formal," she said with a gentle smile. "Just call me Big Sister Koyuki."
She straightened her posture and in an instant, the sadness in her gaze vanished — replaced by the practiced allure of a seasoned actress.
"How about now?" she asked playfully.
"…Now you're a very charming big sister," Kimimaro admitted — and felt the flutter in his chest to prove it.
As expected of the famed actress Fujikaze Yukie—more accurately, the daimyo Kazahana Koyuki—her beauty was undeniable, and her talent as a performer equally so. With just a glance or a subtle smile, she could command a room effortlessly.
"Haha, such a charming big sister! I thought you'd be more reserved, but I didn't expect you to be this captivating."
"Well, who told Big Sister Koyuki to be so charming in the first place? And I'm not some immature kid like Naruto."
Koyuki Kazahana gave him a thoughtful look. Kimimaro was indeed over fifteen now, nearly sixteen. In the eyes of the shinobi world, he was already a full-fledged adult. He carried a cold demeanor naturally, but following his resurrection and the merging of his past life's experiences, he now possessed a temperament that balanced both chill and warmth. Especially after the events involving Kurotsuchi, a more composed and resolute aura had taken shape around him.
"You're right," she said softly. "You're not like that boy Naruto. That child… he never noticed the sadness behind others' smiles. So tell me, since you're so observant, what sorrow do I carry? I'm the ruling daimyo of this land. What could possibly trouble me?"
The "sadness" Kimimaro claimed to see had been a convenient excuse, improvised on the spot. Earlier, when she was mingling among the slums, Koyuki had masked her emotions perfectly—her performance seamless. Only when she was alone, when no one was watching, did traces of melancholy appear.
He paused, then replied calmly, "This is just a guess, but… Big Sister, you're not just beautiful, you're also highly intelligent. You must have realized that the people in the slums you visited were deliberately arranged."
Koyuki let out a quiet, bitter laugh. "You're perceptive too. I'm an actress—those people's performances were too sloppy. I went several times to test just how far they'd go to deceive me. They changed tactics each visit. I don't know exactly what life is like for the real commoners, but I can imagine. Don't forget, before I became the daimyo, I wandered the world myself. I've lived at the bottom before."
Kimimaro remained silent. He could clearly see now—Koyuki and Princess Haruna were fundamentally different.
Haruna, raised under hostage conditions, had cultivated a mindset of distrust and clung tightly to hierarchy and status. Her authority was everything to her.
Koyuki, by contrast, had lived a joyful life as a child princess, then lost everything when Dotō usurped the throne. Forced into exile, she had struggled through life before becoming a star actress. Naruto's unyielding optimism had rekindled her belief in people, pulling her out of apathy and into leadership once again. Having lived both privilege and destitution, she had a broader, more grounded understanding of the world—and it showed in her maturity.
"Big Sister," Kimimaro said quietly, "you can't entirely blame them for deceiving you. It's something every person in power faces. The important part is that you saw through the illusion."
"And what of it?" she replied, voice weary. "Knowing the truth doesn't give me the power to fix it. If I speak out, someone will argue that those people already live better than most and that there are more 'urgent' matters at hand."
Kimimaro gave a faint smile. "I guess I hit the mark. So… the Land of Snow isn't as peaceful as it looks, and your authority, Big Sister, has limits."
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