"It really makes you envy Konoha's ninja. It's just an ordinary escort mission, and yet it still gets rated A-rank. I really wonder how much they'll be paid once it's over."
In an open field outside Kusagakure, a burly teenage boy stared at the images on the light screen, unable to hide the longing in his face for Konoha—and the greed in his eyes for the mission reward.
Beside him, another, heavier-set boy immediately chimed in in agreement.
The two went back and forth, their greed and hunger for profit completely undisguised, utterly lacking the innocence people their age ought to have had.
Behind them stood a girl in simple, washed-faded clothes, her arms marked with bite scars of varying depths. She, too, gazed up at the light screen.
But her attention was not on the mission rank or the payment.
Instead, it was fixed on Naruto, her eyes filled with anticipation and uncertainty.
"Y-You really are one of my clansmen... aren't you, Naruto-kun...?"
[On the screen, with Kakashi's final warning delivered, his lesson to his students came to a temporary end.
At the same time, the crew's preparations were finally complete, and filming officially began.
Watching a movie shoot up close for the first time, Naruto and Sakura stared unblinkingly at Kazahana Koyuki. It did not take long for them to be utterly amazed by her acting, both of them wearing expressions of wholehearted admiration.
And busy, fulfilling time always passes quickly.
Although there were a few funny little interruptions during the shoot, the first filming session still wrapped up smoothly soon enough.
Before anyone realized it, morning of the second day had arrived.
But just as dawn was breaking, the production manager came charging into the cabin in a panic, bringing bad news.
The director and the others hurried to the ship's rail. There, in the distance, they saw it: a gigantic towering iceberg stretching across the sea like a massive wall of ice, blocking the path of the ship the crew had rented.
"That's..."
"I'd only just gotten up this morning when one of the lookout staff started shouting that something was wrong. I ran over to check, and the route was already blocked by that iceberg!"
Faced with the director's question, the production manager hurriedly explained, "The ship can't move forward at all now, and it'll be hard to steer around it too. What are we supposed to do?"
"Steer around it?"
"No! That's not what we should be thinking about right now. Hurry and bring the screenwriters over—we need to revise the script on the spot!"
The director, unable to hide his excitement, looked at the confused production manager still worrying over the route and explained:
"Idiot, stop thinking about detours and take a proper look! Do you realize how rare a location like this giant iceberg is? How can we let something like this slip through our lens?"
"This is absolutely a gift from the god of cinema himself! Hurry up and spread the word—everyone get ready at once. We're going onto that iceberg and filming this perfect scenery into the movie!"
At the director's order, the entire crew sprang back into motion.
Stagehands carried equipment off the ship, the props team carefully checked the set pieces to be brought onto the iceberg, and the cameramen repeatedly adjusted their gear. Everyone moved in a rush, yet with orderly precision.
Before long, the assistant director in charge of coordination went around informing everyone from the list. The crew was quickly ready, and the second filming session officially began, the camera once again turning toward Kazahana Koyuki, who had already changed into costume and was waiting on standby.
Boom! Boom—rumble!
But just as Kazahana Koyuki was fully immersed in her performance, a deafening explosion suddenly erupted somewhere farther out on the iceberg.
The force of the blast made the iceberg tremble, and the crew members were all startled by the sudden shock, stopping their work and turning to look with fear-filled eyes.
At the same moment, Kakashi instantly flashed to Kazahana Koyuki's side, shielding her firmly behind him, then shouted to the panicking crew at the top of his voice:
"Everyone, fall back!! Get away from the iceberg area, now!"
Even as he shouted, a fierce gust of wind suddenly blew away the smoke at the site of the explosion.
Then a figure emerged from the clearing haze—someone clad in strange armor, their entire appearance bizarre and inhuman.
"Welcome to the Land of Snow."
"You are..."
The moment Kakashi looked over, his pupils shrank violently. Even though Nadare Rōga now carried an eerie, inhuman malignancy after absorbing the divine power bestowed by the Phantom Demon Emperor, Kakashi still recognized him at a glance.
But before he could finish speaking, another figure suddenly appeared atop a thick pillar of ice not far away—a woman in similarly strange armor, her form both bizarre and coldly beautiful.
"We have been waiting here specifically to welcome you, Princess Koyuki."
"Oh, and I trust you haven't forgotten to bring the Hexagonal Crystal with you as well?"
"Princess Koyuki?!"
Hearing that title, Kakashi's heart jolted. For a moment he forgot Nadare Rōga and Fubuki Kakuyoku entirely, whipping around in shock to look at the woman behind him who had always insisted on calling herself Yukie.
But less than a second after turning, he sharply caught a strange chakra fluctuation. He spun back at once, his gaze locking onto the snow below not far away.
Sure enough, another figure soon burst up from beneath the snow.
"As expected of Hatake Kakashi. I didn't think you'd catch my presence so quickly."
"Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura—the mission of protecting Miss Yukie is in your hands now!"
Though he still had not fully grasped the situation, Kakashi no longer had the luxury of dwelling on his shock and confusion. He gave the order to his three students in a rapid voice.
Then he immediately turned toward the panicked crew behind him and shouted again, louder than before:
"Everyone, return to the ship immediately! Move!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Kakashi did not hesitate. With a single step, he charged straight toward the three Snow ninja, his eyes fixed on the strongest among them—Nadare Rōga.
"Fubuki, Fuyumaguma—the princess is yours."
Watching Kakashi come straight at him, Nadare Rōga gave the order to his companions without even turning his head, then lunged forward himself.
In the blink of an eye, the two figures collided across the snowfield, the dull thuds of fists and kicks echoing through the empty snowy peaks.
"Long time no see, Kakashi. Speaking of which, you don't plan on running this time, do you? I've been looking forward to a proper fight with you for a long while now."
"What exactly happened to you, Nadare Rōga?"
Even in the midst of that brief exchange, their bodies were already flashing back and forth across the snowy ridges, the pace of their blows growing faster and faster. After only a few rounds, the snow peak itself had already been completely torn apart by the violence of their clash.
Elsewhere, the two Snow Hidden jōnin, Doto Fuyumaguma and Fubuki Kakuyoku, had already bypassed the chaos of the fleeing crowd and were charging straight toward Kazahana Koyuki.]
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 175)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 119)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter79)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter125)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 60
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 40
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 73
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 55
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 66
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 64
The Way the Umamusume Look at 63
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 55
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 45
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 31
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 31
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 31
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