A hell of a place to start

*Snow and Kono walked slowly through the strange village. They had come far through nothing but forestland and this place was definitely somewhere they probably didn't want to be.*

"You sure this is the way Kono? I'm not in the mood to get lost again."

*Snow looked up to the trees where his lifelong best friend hopped from tree to tree.*

"It's right past the next clearing Snow. Don't be so pessimistic."

*She retorted with a small hint of irritation. Just because she had gotten distracted with chasing a rabbit that one time and had gotten them lost, Snow didn't trust her with directions anymore. Either way, she would prove that she definitely wasn't lost this time as they saw the large fortress not too far ahead. They picked up the pace to reach the building and stood in front of it, wondering how they would get in.*

"Yo? Anybody home? We're here for that mission from Esperanza!"

As they approached the front of the fortress, they would see a large Uchiha crest on the wall. As they yelled to get his attention, the crest would open up and reveal the regal interior of Shadow's fortress. Standing there as the doors opened, Shadow would smile and bow slightly at the two.

"Thank you for coming all the way out here. There are a few things that you will need for this mission before I send you on your way."

He would gesture for them to come in. He would turn around and begin to walk straight forwards into a decorated hallway full of pictures of different members of the Uchiha clan. Ravage Uchiha...Aizen Uchiha...Katherine Uchiha... He expected them to follow him into his home office.

*The two constructs eyed the man warily as he opened the doors. He just burst out without even introducing himself. As far as they could guess, he was the Kage, but this expeditious greeting still seemed mighty suspicious.*

"Stay close Kono."

*Snow whispered to his partner, who only nodded and formed into her Execution Gauntlet's neutral form over his arm. The blade was folded back in a harmless position. Walking through the hall, Snow took in everything around him, a chill going down his spine. He seriously didn't like this place for some reason, but he couldn't be rude and out right say that. Unless this was a trap, in which case, he'd shout to the heavens of how much this place was over bearing and over achieving to his own simple rock-band style taste.*

Opening the double doors to his office, Snow and Kono would see an elegant office with a single elongated oak desk with a swivel chair behind it. A compass that pointed north, a blank map, and a pocket watch laid on the desk. Shadow would gesture for them to go right ahead and take what was presented.

"At 9:30 PM, you should seek shelter in the mountains..maybe find a cave or something. You don't want to meet any of the nocturnal predators. Other than that, this mission should be a breeze. As promised, 1000 gold shall be paid to each of you for the completion of this mission.. If you wish, I will teleport you to the base of the Summit. Or you could walk the 70 or so miles?"

*Entering the office, Snow felt a little more comfortable. The objects on the desk made him feel like he was in an Indiana Jones movie or something. Kono remained in her weapon form on his arm though, and didn't speak to him. After Shadow explained some of the details, Snow picked up the items and examined them all closely.*

"A little unorthodox. And what exactly am I supposed to be looking for on this mountain anyway?"

*A 70 mile hike for shinobi and magicians wasn't as bad as it seemed. Though it would be a huge unnecessary waste of time. After Shadow's answer, Snow would ask for them to be teleported to the base of the mountain to save on time, especially if they needed to find shelter by nightfall.*

'I wander if he's underestimating us.'

*Kono whispered to Snow in his mind. Snow shook his head mentally and gave his attention to Shadow.*

He would smile, almost as if he knew that they were having a separate conversation within the mind, but he would turn towards a window and look into the distance. About 100 miles away, the top of Mt. Riley could be seen.

"You're not looking for anything. You are mapping out the area for me...like Luis and Clark. But if you happen to come across something out there, that is yours to keep. I'm undoubtedly sure that there are treasures there too.. The Goliath Falcons tend to hoard shiny things like gold and silver...maybe even artifacts of some sort. But that isn't part of your mission.

I simply need for you to make it there, and come back in one piece. Since you two are almost like one being, consider the cash reward 2000 gold."

Walling over to Snow and Kono, Shadow would place his hand on his shoulder gently. Within milliseconds, the Uchiha office would twist into darkness and the base of the mountains would warp and form around them. This was the most handy technique that Shadow had in his opinion.

"Oh... and if you happen to find a hideout towards the top of one of the mountains, go explore it. Tell them that I sent you on a mission."

Stepping back from them, Shadow's body would seem to twist up into a single point and vanish.

"If he knows about a hideout up there, why does he need us to map out anything?"

*Snow groaned with a sigh before holding up the compass to see what direction they were facing. After finding out where they needed to go, Snow formed the map into spirit energy before absorbing it. Kono would be able to map it out within his soul as they traveled.*

"Well he said to find a cave, but I'm sure our presence would calm most, if not all of the creatures here."

"Maybe. But you have to remember, you're not the Spirit of Prosperity anymore Kono. You're power has weakened and it's winter. We'd bring more dread with our resonance than calm. Let's just be careful all together."

"I guess you're right..."

*Kono's voice was sad within Snow's mind and he smiled sadly. Winter was always hard for them. Regardless, Snow would begin to make his way up the mountainside with Kono still in her weapon form and her soul hugging Snow's own.*

As the two ventured forth, the wind would begin to pick up; blowing snow from the mountain tops downwards. The only thing for the two to do is to continue upwards.