"Action!"
"Approaching sixty, yet I am still radiating the flower of youth!"
"All you youngsters, get moving!"
Sakura Haruno sat on a small camp stool, wrapped in a thick cloak, warming herself by the fire. She watched from a distance as the old director basked in the afterglow of his youth.
"The director really gives it his all," she mused. "I'm sure he and Guy-sensei would have plenty to talk about."
Sitting beside Sakura, Karin poked at the roasting sweet potatoes in the fire, looking at the director with a hint of envy.
If she had to work that hard at his age, she would definitely find the Senior Citizens Care Association and report whoever was exploiting her!
"Guy, huh..."
Karin's comment reminded Sakura of Naruto.
Right now, Naruto was undergoing Nine-Tails Chakra training under the protection of Jiraiya and Team Guy.
She wondered if that brat's training was going smoothly...
The campfire crackled and popped, causing Sakura's thoughts to drift.
The cloak wrapped around her was heavy and warm, and combined with the heat from the fire, Sakura couldn't help but feel drowsy.
She stifled a yawn, burying half her face into the collar of her cloak.
A little sleepy...
The film crew's security detail consisted of Han, Kurotsuchi, Akatsuchi, Sasuke Uchiha, and Shino Aburame.
Hikari, who was very interested in filmmaking, had squeezed her way to the old director's side, watching with high spirits as he commanded the set. If the crew encountered danger, she was confident Hikari would act.
Plus, Karin was there to provide early warnings of any threats.
Looking at it this way, Sakura realized she was seemingly the idle one...
Sasuke stood on a high slope not far away, surveying the surrounding environment. Having been baptized by war, Sasuke remained vigilant about everything.
Even in a country without any powerful presence, he would not relax his guard.
Hm?
Looking at the snowy ground beneath his feet, Sasuke's expression shifted with surprise.
He brushed aside the accumulated snow, revealing black steel tracks before him.
Is this... a railway?
Looking at the tracks, Sasuke connected this to the three Land of Snow ninja they had encountered earlier.
The ninja of this country were different from those in other places. They seemed to prefer using ninja tools to enhance their strength.
Following the tracks, Sasuke arrived in front of a pitch-black tunnel.
Staring into the darkness of the tunnel, Sasuke frowned slightly.
He chose not to venture deeper. instead, he memorized the location, planning to head back and inform Sakura before returning to investigate alone.
"Cut!"
"Miss Yukie, I'm sorry, but let's do that scene one more time!"
The old director looked at the expressionless Yukie Fujikaze, suppressing the irritation in his heart, and asked her to go again.
Yukie nodded calmly.
Returning to her homeland once more, her heart was not as calm as her expression suggested.
She thought of her father, Sōsetsu Fūka.
That gentle man.
If Father were in her position, what would he choose to do?
Yukie didn't know, but she hated being manipulated. She wanted to run away.
But...
She looked at the people around her: the man in red armor silently observing, the fat boy joking around with the black-haired girl, the boy wearing sunglasses, the beautiful girl squeezed next to the director, and the redhead roasting sweet potatoes by the fire.
These people...
It seemed she couldn't run away.
"Sakura."
Sasuke walked toward Sakura, intending to mention the railway tracks. However, Karin, who was staying by Sakura's side, hurriedly made a shushing gesture at him.
"Sakura is sleeping~," Karin whispered to Sasuke.
"..."
Seeing Sakura sitting on the camp stool, seemingly fast asleep, Sasuke hesitated for a moment and decided not to wake her.
Just then, Sakura, who was supposed to be asleep, opened her eyes.
In the distance, on the tracks Sasuke had discovered, the covering snow instantly melted away.
Wooooooo—!
The roar of a train echoed in everyone's ears.
"What is going on?!"
"Why is there a train here?!"
The old director looked at the assistant director in dissatisfaction.
Wasn't it agreed that there would be absolutely no interruptions here?
With the train making such a loud noise, how was he supposed to film properly!
Sandayū Asama, who was about to hand Yukie a cup of hot tea, looked in the direction of the roaring train.
He knew who had arrived.
But he was not afraid in the least.
During this time, he had roughly investigated the identities of the ninja he had hired.
Although he couldn't uncover everyone's identity, he had managed to gather bits and pieces of intelligence regarding Sakura Haruno.
While Sakura was out on this mission, the news of the deaths of the Kazekage and Mizukage had already spread throughout the ninja world.
The Witch of Konoha.
The fuse of this Great Ninja War.
With unparalleled strength, she had fought the Raikage, Kazekage, and Mizukage—and emerged completely victorious.
It was hard to imagine that this was merely a thirteen-year-old ninja.
It was precisely because of Sakura's presence that Sandayū hadn't done anything unnecessary.
Originally, he had planned to mobilize all of Sōsetsu Fūka's former retainers to fight Dotō Fūka to the death.
Now, it seemed that step could be omitted.
"It looks like we can resolve our target ahead of schedule," Sakura said, lifting her head to look at the pitch-black train that had already emerged from the tunnel.
As for this Dotō Fūka, Sakura felt he might be worth keeping alive.
He could contribute the knowledge in his head to Konoha.
After all, traveling outside Konoha still relied on horse-drawn carriages. If railways could be laid across the nation, travel would become much simpler in the future.
The logistical pressure of war on Konoha would also be greatly relieved; after all, the cost of feeding men and horses along the way was a significant figure.
Han watched the black train and slowly stood up.
He was already prepared to deal with Dotō Fūka.
"My dear niece!"
"Long time no see. Your uncle has missed you dearly."
Before the person was even visible, the voice of a middle-aged man rang out through the loudspeakers on the train.
"He's certainly cautious," Karin noted, curling her lip as she looked at the train.
Wherever Sakura was, that was the safest place to be.
Hikari looked at the train with dissatisfaction.
You're interrupting the shoot, you bastard!
Apologize to the God of Cinema!
Having stayed by the old director's side, Hikari had been influenced by what she saw and heard.
"Are these the reinforcements you hired?"
"They do have some skill, to be able to defeat Nadare Rōga and the other two."
"But this ends here. Is the Hexagonal Crystal ready?"
There was a legend in the Land of Snow. Before the previous daimyō, Sōsetsu Fūka, stepped down, he buried a treasure. The key to opening that treasure was something always worn by his daughter—Yukie Fujikaze, or rather, Koyuki Fūka.
The Hexagonal Crystal.
"Dotō Fūka!"
When enemies meet, eyes turn red with rage.
Even though Dotō Fūka hadn't shown his face, Sandayū stepped forward.
"You subordinate plotting against your superior, disregarding human relations, murdering your monarch!"
"What's more, Lord Sōsetsu was your brother by blood!"
"A brother killing a brother, a subject plotting against his ruler—you view morality and law as nothing!"
"You are a traitor! A villain! A rebel!"
"And now you intend to plot against Princess Koyuki!"
"The sun and heavens are my witness! Today is the day you die!"
Sandayū's impassioned speech left the entire film crew staring at Yukie Fujikaze in shock.
The superstar Yukie Fujikaze's true identity was actually the Princess of the Land of Snow, Koyuki Fūka?!
The old director stood dazed for a moment, his entire body beginning to tremble slightly. This caused Hikari to cast a concerned look at the old man.
She actually quite liked him.
However, the old director suddenly took the script in his hand and slapped his thigh hard.
"Simply..."
"Magnificent!"
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