Five days later, Makoto Nishikado and his group crossed the border into the Land of Snow alongside the film crew.
A world of pure white stretched before them. Everyone had bundled into heavy winter coats.
In those five short days, two separate teams of bounty hunters had already come for Koyuki Kazahana, each claiming someone had put a fat price on her head.
Makoto's group dealt with both.
The pattern was simple: Makoto would cut off one of the hunter's hands to cripple them, then hand the rest off to Megumi Kato and the other two girls.
A chance to learn what killing felt like.
The first time, all three of them threw up until they had nothing left.
By the second, they'd mostly adjusted.
As they officially entered Snow Country territory, Makoto spoke up. "From here on out, we'll be running into shinobi, not hired thugs. Stay sharp."
"Makoto-sensei, what's actually going on in the Land of Snow?" Megumi recalled him mentioning something about political chaos before they'd left.
Inside the carriage, Koyuki Kazahana's expression shifted. She curled into herself without thinking.
"The current daimyo goes by Doto Kazahana," Makoto explained. "He's been squeezing every last coin out of his people for god knows what. The whole country's ready to riot. Rumor has it he murdered his own brother, the previous daimyo, to seize power."
Inside the carriage, Koyuki's trembling grew worse.
The director's voice cut through the cold air. "We're camping here tonight! Good terrain. We'll shoot tomorrow."
Everyone sprang into action. Half the group pitched tents while the other half got fires going for dinner.
Makoto and his team took up a perimeter watch.
"Nishikado-sama! And all you shinobi! Dinner's ready, come eat!"
The crew's cook hollered at the top of his lungs.
They gathered around the fire. Ran Mouri scooped up a spoonful of meat broth, blew on it, and said casually, "Even people in other countries know Sensei's name."
"Isn't that obvious?"
Utaha Kasumigaoka glanced sidelong at Makoto, a trace of pride slipping into her voice. "Personal disciple of the Third Hokage, the sharpest blade in the Hokage's arsenal, fastest shinobi in the Land of Fire... Half the village is already saying he'll become the Fifth Hokage."
Ran's face fell slightly.
The stronger Makoto became, the more danger Shinichi Kudo was in.
Megumi caught the change. "Ran, have you been feeling down lately?"
"N-no, I'm fine..."
Ran forced a smile.
Megumi watched her but said nothing.
The truth was, ever since they'd left Konohagakure, she'd noticed something off about Ran.
The most obvious sign: Ran had been keeping her distance from Makoto, whether she realized it or not.
Under that steady gaze, Ran's skin crawled. She turned away, terrified of giving herself away.
Mercifully, Megumi let it go.
"I'm not eating!"
The shout came from the direction of the carriage.
Everyone turned.
Yukie Fujikaze had slapped the bowl right out of Sandayu Asama's hands, sending meat broth splashing across the snow. The silence that followed was suffocating.
"I... I'll go get another bowl..."
Sandayu reacted like an indulgent father, not a flicker of anger on his face, scrambling to pick up the bowl before shuffling away.
Koyuki turned and retreated into the carriage, shutting the door behind her.
Makoto set down his bowl and stood.
"Sensei, you're not going to hit her, are you?" Utaha stared at him.
He turned back and flicked her on the forehead. "Is that really what you think of me?"
Utaha rubbed the sore spot, watching his retreating figure in silence.
You say that like you haven't smacked us around plenty.
At the carriage door, Makoto could hear muffled sobbing from inside.
"Koyuki Kazahana."
He spoke through the door.
"You can cry from dusk till dawn and dawn till dusk. Think that'll kill Doto Kazahana?"
The sobbing stopped dead.
He pushed the curtain aside and found her huddled with her arms around her knees, face buried, tears still wet on her skin. Her head snapped up, eyes wide with disbelief.
He knew her real identity?
"Kakashi's a colleague of mine," Makoto lied without missing a beat.
Koyuki relaxed, assuming Kakashi had told him. She wiped her eyes and put on a stubborn front. "...What do you want?"
"Nothing." He smiled, settling into the seat across from her. "I'm curious about something, though."
A beat of silence, then: "You're hiding from Doto Kazahana, right? If that's the case, shouldn't you be living under an alias, keeping a low profile? So why become a movie star?"
It was a question that genuinely baffled him about the logic of this world.
Doto Kazahana had assassins scouring the globe for her, and she'd decided to... star in films?
What kind of reasoning was that?
It was the exact same energy as Conan moving into Ran's house. You know a shadowy organization is hunting you everywhere. You keep saying "I don't want to drag anyone else into this."
And yet your body is honest as hell, walking straight into your childhood friend's home to set up camp.
Incredible.
Koyuki pressed her lips together and buried her face in her knees again, refusing to answer.
Makoto shifted to a more comfortable position, leaning against the carriage wall. "Haven't you had enough of living like this?"
"...I had enough a long time ago."
She finally spoke.
Her head lifted again, eyes red and swollen.
"But what am I supposed to do? I want to kill that man too! I don't have the strength!" The tears came flooding back. She buried her face a third time, shoulders shaking with sobs.
Outside, Utaha and the others exchanged uneasy glances at the sound.
Their demon of a teacher hadn't made her cry, had he?
Makoto waited until the sobbing faded to hiccups before speaking again.
"Want me to help?"
Her head shot up.
"Sitting right in front of you is the strongest shinobi in Konohagakure. Squashing a mere Doto Kazahana..." He pinched his fingers together in a dismissive little gesture. "Would be child's play."
From anyone else, Koyuki would have dismissed it as lunacy.
But this young man was the rising star everyone in the Land of Fire was talking about.
Maybe... he really was that confident.
"...How much?" she asked.
"Free of charge." Makoto grinned. "When you become the Lady Daimyo of the Land of Snow, just remember to keep a nice big house ready for me in your country. You know, in case I ever defect."
"Huh?"
Koyuki blinked, completely lost.
"W-wait... aren't you the Hokage's disciple? Why would you defect?"
He didn't answer directly.
It was nothing more than keeping his options open. He'd never actually do it unless things went sideways beyond repair.
The Land of Fire sat on the most fertile land in the world. You'd have to be out of your mind to trade that for this frozen wasteland.
But the problem was clear.
This world didn't have one extra butterfly flapping its wings. It had a whole swarm. Who knew what kind of chaos that would unleash.
Better safe than sorry.
Whatever his reasons, Makoto's confidence had lifted Koyuki's spirits more than anything had in a long time.
She wiped the tear tracks from her face and let out a small, defiant huff.
"Hmph. Strongest, you say? You'd be lucky to rank third."
In her mind, no matter how talented he was, there was no way he surpassed Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Hokage himself, or Kakashi, the legendary Copy Ninja.
Makoto smiled and didn't bother arguing.
She'd see soon enough.
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*The Bonus Chapter*