Konoha Theater
The hottest movie in town was currently playing at the Konoha Theater: The Adventures of Princess Gale, also known as The Great Adventure of Princess Gale.
Tsukika's little face was flushed with excitement. Whenever the story reached an especially thrilling moment, she'd clench her fists and cheer Princess Gale on with everything she had.
Akio, meanwhile, was practically falling asleep.
The movie industry in the shinobi world wasn't exactly new. It had already been around for more than thirty years.
But even this critically acclaimed blockbuster wasn't particularly impressive in Akio's eyes.
The plot was childish, the fight scenes were merely average, and the so-called inspirational message behind the movie was…
Well, forget it.
At least Tsukika was having fun.
Akio couldn't ruin her excitement, so no matter how bored he was, he kept a smile on his face.
Speaking of smiles…
Nobody smiled as naturally as Minato.
At long last, the movie ended.
Tsukika was still completely absorbed in the story.
"Great-grandpa! Great-grandpa! That villain was so powerful! He could create a tornado that huge!"
Akio rubbed the top of Tsukika's head.
"I can do that too. And mine can be even bigger."
"What about Princess Gale?"
Tsukika tilted her head.
"She can ignite rainbow-colored chakra and blast the villain halfway across the battlefield!"
Akio fell silent.
Cheap special effects.
There was simply no competing with them.
"Huh? Great-grandpa can't do that either?"
Tsukika's enormous eyes spun mischievously.
"You little troublemaker."
Akio laughed.
"Hehe."
Tsukika obviously knew the movie's effects weren't real, but she still looked fascinated.
"Making movies looks like so much fun!"
Akio paused.
Beside him, Kushina crouched down and spoke to Tsukika.
"They'll be showing it again tomorrow at the same time. It'll be playing for two days. How about we come back tomorrow and watch it again?"
Tsukika knew exactly what Kushina meant.
She wasn't going to let her become an actress.
The little girl pouted and quietly answered:
"Okay…"
Akio couldn't help laughing.
He turned around, picked Tsukika up, and settled her onto his shoulders.
"Don't let everything you see on the big screen fool you. Making a movie is actually incredibly boring."
"How do you know, Great-grandpa?"
"Great-grandpa knows everything."
Tsukika placed both hands on top of Akio's head and kicked her little legs backward, making it very clear that she wasn't happy with his answer.
Akio sighed and glanced at Kushina and Minato.
"You want to make a movie? Fine. I'll take you with me. Once you've actually made one, you'll understand how boring it is."
"Great-grandpa!"
Kushina immediately looked alarmed.
"Making a movie could mean traveling around for a month or two. Tsukika's still little…"
"Don't worry."
Akio waved dismissively.
"I'll take care of her. Besides, it'll make a good training trip for the kid."
Kushina could only shake her head.
"Great-grandpa, you're really going to spoil her…"
She turned toward Minato.
"Minato! Aren't you going to say something?"
Minato scratched his head and smiled awkwardly.
"Maybe… we should all go together?"
"Absolutely not."
Akio quickly cut him off.
"Have you seen your own face? If you two appear in the movie, you won't get a moment of peace afterward. Tsukika is fine, though. She's still young. I'll take her and let her have some fun."
Kushina and Minato exchanged a glance.
Neither argued further.
"Great Elder," Minato said, "I'll give you Tsukika's current training schedule later. She's still at the stage where she needs to build a solid foundation, so don't let her slack off."
"I won't, Dad!"
Tsukika's face immediately lit up.
"We're going to make a movie!"
"Hold on tight, little troublemaker."
Akio gave her shoulders a gentle pat.
"First we'll grab some lunch. Then Great-grandpa will take you to audition for a role."
...
That Afternoon
Akio brought Tsukika back to the Konoha Theater.
The movie playing had changed, and there were noticeably fewer people in the audience than there had been that morning.
That didn't matter to Akio.
He took Tsukika straight upstairs.
The Princess Gale production crew was temporarily staying on the second floor.
However, they didn't make it very far.
Two men wearing armor stepped in front of them at the staircase.
Fujikaze Yukie was one of the most popular actresses of her generation. There was no way she would travel to Konoha without bringing a few bodyguards.
Of course, these bodyguards were merely elite civilians.
Against actual shinobi, they wouldn't stand a chance.
Fortunately, there weren't many shinobi who were obsessed with celebrities, so most of the theater's audience consisted of ordinary civilians.
"Sorry, kids."
One of the guards smiled politely.
"Princess Gale is resting right now. If you'd like an autograph, you'll have to come back another time."
Akio smiled.
Once again, someone had mistaken him for a child.
He didn't want to correct them.
He certainly wasn't going to waste his breath explaining his age.
"We're not here for an autograph…"
Akio paused.
"Well, actually, if you could get one for Tsukika, that'd be great. But we're really here because she wants to act in the movie."
"That's right! I want to be in the movie!"
Tsukika enthusiastically chimed in.
Perhaps because the little girl's appearance was so adorable, the two guards didn't immediately turn them away.
They exchanged glances.
One of them turned around and went inside to inform the production team.
A short while later
"Whoa! That's the actor who played!"
Tsukika repeated the same excited reaction twice.
Two actors had come out to meet them.
"Those are the two kids?"
One of the actors looked Tsukika over.
"The little girl really is adorable…"
He gestured for them to follow.
"Come on. We'll take you to the director."
Akio curled his lip as he followed.
The girl is cute, but apparently nobody had noticed that Great-grandpa was handsome too.
What terrible judgment.
No wonder these people weren't bigger stars.
The director was a young man who hadn't even reached thirty.
The moment he saw Tsukika, he began circling around her excitedly.
"Cool! Cool~! What's your name, little girl?"
Tsukika cautiously glanced at him.
This director was kind of terrifying.
"Her name is Tsukika. She wants to act in a movie. Do you have a role that would suit her?"
Akio paused.
"I'm… her manager. I'm not acting. You can just call me Great-grandpa."
"Great-grandpa?"
The director's eyes lit up.
"Great-grandpa! That's an incredibly cool name!"
Akio stared at him.
Was this guy actually an idiot?
Tsukika gradually relaxed.
Her big eyes shifted mischievously.
"Director, do you have a role that's perfect for me?"
"A role for you…"
The director rubbed his chin.
"Hmmmmm…"
Then his eyes suddenly brightened.
"Of course! We can definitely make one!"
Akio's expression darkened.
The director was also rewriting the script himself?
How had this movie become so popular in the first place?
Still, this was Tsukika's first movie.
It might even be her only movie.
Akio decided that if she was going to do it, he might as well make sure she had some good memories afterward.
"Actually, I'm not just her manager."
Akio smiled.
"I'm also a special-effects expert."
"Special effects?"
The director blinked.
"Yep."
Akio extended both hands.
Two dark, miniature tornadoes slowly formed above his palms.
"I can create pretty much any scene you can imagine. So don't worry about whether something is too spectacular. Design the biggest, most dramatic scenes you can think of."
The director's eyes went wide.
"COOL~!"
Akio sighed.
This guy really didn't react like a normal human being.
"Great-grandpa! Tsukika! Welcome to the production!"
The director enthusiastically spread his arms.
"Princess Gale 2 will officially begin filming soon! We're heading far to the north, to the legendary Land of Snow, to shoot the movie on location."
"The journey will be a long one, so you'll need to tell your families."
Akio nodded.
"Already taken care of."
Just then, the door opened.
A middle-aged man in his late forties stepped inside.
"Director! The Konoha shinobi we hired for our mission have accepted the job. We can officially leave tomorrow at noon!"
"COOL~! Thanks for handling that, Sandayū!"
The man finally noticed Akio and Tsukika.
"...Who are these two?"
The director cheerfully introduced them.
"This is Great-grandpa, and this is Tsukika. They've just joined our production!"
"...Great-grandpa?"
Akio smiled brightly.
"Yep! Nice to meet you. I'm Great-grandpa."
Sandayū:
"..."
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