Half a month later.
Akio leaned casually against the wooden railing on the starboard side of the ship, watching the film crew work.
There weren't any action scenes being shot on the ship, so his talents as a "special-effects expert" weren't needed just yet.
Besides, Akio couldn't bring himself to sit through the movie's cheesy, childish scenes. His attention was mostly on Tsukika.
Watching the little girl act was far more entertaining.
At least, that was what Akio told himself.
Tsukika's cuteness alone added considerable charm to the movie.
"Whoa! Is that an iceberg?!"
Naruto's excited shout came from the opposite side of the ship.
The Land of Uzumaki was also surrounded by ocean, but there weren't any icebergs in its waters.
The Land of Snow was one of the northernmost countries in the entire shinobi world.
The Land of Earth lay to the northwest, while the Land of Lightning occupied the northeast. The land between them formed a rough U-shape, eventually giving way to the frozen seas farther north.
After half a month of travel, the group had crossed five or six smaller countries and finally reached the waters between the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning.
The Land of Snow was still farther north.
"Probably another day's journey," Akio murmured.
"Senior."
Kakashi walked over, pulling his coat tighter around himself.
"It's still as brutally cold here as I remember."
Akio smiled.
"What? Need Great-grandpa to add some special effects to keep you warm?"
Kakashi shook his head.
"Aren't you curious about why I came to the Land of Snow last time? Or how I know Princess Gale?"
"Nope."
Kakashi:
"..."
For the past two weeks, only Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke had repeatedly asked how their teacher knew Princess Gale.
Akio, on the other hand, hadn't shown even the slightest interest.
That was completely unlike him.
So Kakashi finally decided to explain it himself.
"I accepted a mission from the daimyo of the Land of Snow, Doto Kazahana. I was supposed to escort his daughter, Koyuki Kazahana, out of the country."
"It happened during a rebellion in the Land of Snow…"
"Oh."
Akio's expression remained completely indifferent.
Kakashi rubbed his forehead.
He quickly summarized the dangerous pursuit and everything else that had happened while escorting Koyuki, then moved on to the important part.
"Back then, I tried to comfort Koyuki. I told her that if I ever became strong enough, I'd help put an end to the rebellion and restore her country."
Akio raised an eyebrow.
"Well, look at you, Kakashi. So besides Hana, there was also Koyuki?"
He grinned.
"No wonder Hana has been chasing after you for years without getting a straight answer."
Then he paused.
"But Koyuki was only twelve or so back then, right? Was she even older than Tsukika?"
Kakashi blinked.
"Senior… nothing gets past you, does it? You immediately figured out that Fujikaze Yukie is actually Koyuki Kazahana!"
Akio gave a smug little laugh before his expression straightened.
"Just spit it out. And don't waste time buttering me up with all that nonsense."
Kakashi scratched his head.
"As a Konoha shinobi, I can't interfere in the Land of Snow's internal politics."
"But if the people there attack my client first, dealing with them in self-defense shouldn't be a problem."
"Pretty clever."
"..."
Kakashi sighed.
"There is one other thing I need your help with."
"The usurper, Doto Kazahana, officially joined the Akatsuki two years ago as a representative of the Land of Snow. That means the Akatsuki recognizes him as the country's legitimate ruler."
"Heh."
Akio gave a quiet laugh but didn't immediately agree.
"If Koyuki really becomes Queen of the Land of Snow…"
He glanced at Kakashi.
"…are you planning to marry into the royal family?"
Kakashi froze.
Before he could answer, the eccentric director's voice suddenly thundered across the deck.
"COOL~! This is the perfect scene! It's like the heavens themselves handed us a gift! Everyone, prepare to land!"
"Senior, what the"
A gigantic iceberg suddenly appeared directly in front of the ship, completely blocking their path.
Akio smiled.
"Looks like your opponents have arrived."
He gestured toward the iceberg.
"Go deal with them. Great-grandpa's only here to handle the special effects."
The ship slowly approached the frozen island and came to a stop along its icy shore.
One by one, the cast and crew disembarked.
"Great-grandpa! Great-grandpa! It's time for the special effects!"
The director came running over.
"You'll do the"
"Yep. No problem."
Akio nodded confidently.
...
The actor playing the Demon King stood atop the iceberg, looking down at Koyuki with an exaggerated evil grin.
"Heh heh heh… So you've finally made it here, Princess Gale!"
He dramatically pointed toward Tsukika.
"And who is this familiar face? Could it be the Moon Princess of the fallen Kingdom of Moon?!"
"Pfft—"
Akio immediately burst out laughing.
"Sorry! Sorry! I couldn't hold it in!"
The director didn't seem bothered.
"Try not to laugh next time, Great-grandpa."
He clapped his hands.
"All right! Everyone, reset! Let's run it again! The energy was great just now!"
The actor playing the Demon King repeated his painfully cheesy line.
Akio struggled desperately to keep a straight face.
"You!"
"The Demon King!"
"Princess! Get back!"
"We'll deal with him!"
"Hmph!"
The Demon King snorted and pointed toward another distant ice peak.
"No matter how many minions you bring, you won't defeat me!"
"Great-grandpa…"
The director whispered urgently.
"Special effects. Now."
Akio paused.
His mouth twitched.
"That is one incredibly unlucky ice peak."
"BOOM!!!"
The instant the Demon King pointed toward it, the distant ice peak exploded.
A small mushroom cloud rose into the sky as the entire frozen island shook violently.
"COOL~!"
The director practically jumped for joy.
"Great-grandpa, those effects are incredible! They're absolutely"
"Huh?"
"CRASH!"
A man wearing bizarre-looking armor suddenly fell from the sky and slammed into the ice directly in front of them.
His limbs twitched twice.
Then he stopped moving.
Kakashi covered his face with one hand.
He recognized him immediately.
It was the leader of the trio who had once hunted him and Koyuki:
Nadare Roga.
Had Akio seriously blown him out of the sky with one of his "special effects"?
This was where professional actors and amateurs showed the difference.
Tsukika was completely frozen in confusion.
The actor playing the Demon King, however, immediately improvised.
"Heh heh heh! Another one of your companions, perhaps?"
He spread his arms dramatically.
"Were you planning to ambush me? How foolish!"
Naruto was just about to start shouting when he stopped.
"Oh? Was that supposed to happen?"
"Idiot."
"What did you"
"Don't start arguing, Naruto, Sasuke."
Sakura looked toward the fallen man.
"I think something actually went wrong."
Koyuki had also recognized Nadare.
She couldn't continue acting.
The Demon King, being the seasoned professional he was, refused to let the scene die.
"Heh heh heh… Nothing to say now, Princess Gale?"
Akio was genuinely impressed.
The man had nerves of steel.
Then things got even worse.
The ice beside Nadare suddenly cracked open.
A massive figure burst out from underneath it.
It was the enormous Mizore Fuyukuma.
"Boss! Are you okay?!"
Seeing that Nadare appeared unconscious, Mizore immediately hoisted him onto his back.
"Fubuki! The boss has been ambushed! Cover us while we retreat!"
This wasn't exactly heroic loyalty.
He simply wanted the kunoichi named Fubuki Kakuyoku to stay behind and buy them time.
Sure enough, his shout drew everyone's attention.
A female shinobi appeared behind them, her expression grim.
"Sasuke. Naruto."
Kakashi's voice dropped into a sharp command.
"Got it!"
Silver flashed.
In the blink of an eye, Kakashi crossed the hundred-meter distance.
He stopped directly in front of Fubuki, blade extended.
Her pupils widened.
The armor around her body shattered.
Blood spilled from her side.
She didn't even have time to speak before collapsing onto the ice.
Sasuke understood Kakashi's command immediately.
He used the Body Flicker Technique to intercept the two men attempting to escape.
Naruto froze for half a second before hurriedly following.
"Kid, move!"
"CRACK!!!"
The frozen island trembled.
From the point where Kakashi's blade had struck, a massive crack spread across the ice.
It raced farther and farther.
Then
The entire island split cleanly in two.
"Whoa! COOL~!"
The director was nearly swept into the freezing sea, yet somehow still had the presence of mind to shout:
"Did someone get that on camera?!"
Kakashi landed safely and sheathed his blade.
He took two deep breaths.
Then he looked silently toward the body of Fubuki as it disappeared beneath the waves.
"Senior…"
He glanced back at Akio.
"These special effects…"
He sighed.
"…I don't even know what to say."
---
[Every 50 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
For early access to advanced chapters visit my P@treon:
P@treon/ Dexy3
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!