The next morning, the ship slowly pulled into port.
"COOL~! So this is the Land of Snow? Just like I imagined…"
The director shivered violently.
"It really is freezing!"
Akio crouched in front of Tsukika and bundled her up in every layer of clothing Kushina had prepared.
By the time he was finished, she looked like a tiny, fluffy bear.
"Great-grandpa, do I really need to wear all this? I'm going to suffocate!"
Tsukika puffed out her cheeks.
Akio smiled.
"Can't have you freezing. You're playing Princess Koyuki as a little girl. Dressing you warmly will make you look suitably…"
He paused.
"Royal?"
He delivered the completely ridiculous explanation with a perfectly straight face.
Tsukika pouted, clearly unconvinced.
"All right, let's get off the ship!"
Akio pinched her cheek, stood up, and turned toward the frozen landscape stretching out before them.
A short while later, the production crew disembarked one after another.
Akio held Tsukika's hand and followed behind them, while Team Seven simply jumped straight off the ship.
The moment Naruto stepped onto the snow, he remembered the "Snow-Walking Without a Trace" technique Akio had taught him over the holidays.
Naturally, he immediately started showing off in front of Sasuke.
Unfortunately, his footprints were still about as deep as ever.
Sasuke tried the technique himself for a while.
When he realized his footprints weren't much shallower than Naruto's, he immediately began practicing with renewed determination.
"Snow-Walking Without a Trace, huh?"
Kakashi circulated his chakra and casually took several steps across the snow.
Not a single footprint remained.
"Whoa! Kakashi-sensei, you're amazing! Mom and Dad couldn't even do that!"
Kakashi scratched his head.
"The snow in the Land of Uzumaki was probably softer. The snow here is more compacted."
"Really?"
Sakura walked across the snow nearby.
A neat line of shallow footprints appeared behind her.
"This doesn't seem that hard…"
Naruto's eyes widened.
Her footprints were much shallower than his.
"How is that possible? Sakura… you're pretty chubby!"
Sakura's face went completely dark.
"…What did you just say, Naruto?"
"Ah! N-No, that's not what I meant! HELP!"
Akio had just stepped onto the snow when he heard the commotion.
He shook his head with a laugh.
"What a little menace."
Kakashi's ability to perform Snow-Walking Without a Trace didn't surprise Akio.
Everyone specialized in different things.
Kakashi's family swordsmanship demanded extremely precise chakra control, so it was perfectly natural for him to be better at this than Kushina.
Tsunade could have done it just as easily.
It had nothing to do with the snow being different.
As for Minato…
Akio suspected the man simply hadn't dared to show off in front of Kushina.
The level he'd demonstrated back then had been almost exactly the same as hers.
...
Once they reached solid ground in the Land of Snow, the eccentric director immediately began organizing the crew.
They were ready to start filming.
The first scene featured Tsukika.
It was the scene depicting young Princess Koyuki fleeing the Land of Snow under Kakashi's protection.
Unfortunately, the director's very first request already irritated Akio.
"Dye her hair?"
Akio frowned.
"My little Tsukika was born with that beautiful red hair. Why should she have to dye it?"
"Great-grandpa, Princess Koyuki has black hair. It won't look right if Tsukika doesn't dye hers."
The director tried his best to reason with him.
Akio pursed his lips.
Tsukika looked equally unhappy.
"No dyeing."
He folded his arms.
"If you want Koyuki to have red hair so badly, dye Koyuki's hair red!"
The director:
"..."
Akio suddenly snapped his fingers.
"Wait! I've got it."
He grinned.
"Just say Princess Koyuki's hair faded after she released too much Rainbow Chakra!"
The director's eyes went wide.
"COOL~!"
And just like that, the problem was solved.
Kakashi, however, had another objection.
"Let's film the scene where we defeat Doto first."
"If that doesn't go well, there's no point filming the earlier scenes."
It was a perfectly reasonable suggestion.
Akio wasn't convinced.
With him here, how could anything possibly go wrong?
Still, the entire production crew agreed with Kakashi.
Everyone except the cameraman also suggested waiting aboard the ship.
The cameraman looked like he was about to cry.
"That probably won't work."
Kakashi shook his head.
"If we split up and this place gets attacked, the crew could be caught in the middle of it."
"No problem!"
Akio waved his hand.
"Great-grandpa can just add another special effect."
Kakashi paused.
"…That actually works better."
He didn't want to drag all these civilians into a real battle.
Even with Akio there to protect them.
...
By the time they finally set out, only ten people remained in the traveling group:
Team Seven, Koyuki, Sandayū, the director, the cameraman, Akio, and Tsukika.
The Land of Snow was a small country.
It wasn't quite as tiny as some of the most isolated one-village countries, but it was only a few times larger.
After Akio gave the civilian members of the group a little "Lightness Technique" enhancement, they could travel from the border to the capital in only half a day.
They avoided the main roads and deliberately traveled through remote areas.
It kept them away from unnecessary trouble.
It also gave the film crew a chance to capture some of the Land of Snow's scenery.
Their main destination was the country's famous Ice Cliffs.
Four enormous walls of smooth ice rose more than a hundred meters into the sky, seemingly carved by nature itself.
Under the sunlight, they glittered like crystal.
According to legend, when spring arrived, the cliffs reflected brilliant rainbow-colored light.
Unfortunately, the Land of Snow had never experienced a true spring.
The journey involved frequent stops for filming, so the half-day trip stretched into most of the afternoon.
Around three o'clock, the group finally reached the capital of the Land of Snow.
"COOL~! Is that the royal castle?!"
A magnificent castle appeared before them.
The eccentric director immediately started shouting again.
Akio rolled his eyes.
Talk about being easily impressed.
Koyuki, meanwhile, stared at the castle with a complicated expression.
Sixteen years had passed since she'd fled this place.
And now, at last, she had returned.
"COOL~!"
The director's eyes lit up.
"This is perfect! That's genuine emotion! Camera, get this!"
He pointed toward Koyuki.
"Koyuki, deliver your lines! Great-grandpa, get your special effects ready!"
He clapped his hands.
"Scene Forty-Three! And… action!"
Akio sighed.
So much for preserving the moment.
Koyuki helplessly glanced at the others.
Then she drew the prop sword at her waist and pointed it toward the castle.
"Uncle Doto!"
"You murdered my father and stole the throne of the Land of Snow. You hunted me down because you wanted the Hexagonal Crystal Necklace around my neck, didn't you?"
A gentle breeze suddenly swept across the area.
The crystal necklace swayed from side to side, catching the sunlight and scattering beautiful reflections across the snow.
Koyuki paused.
Then she continued.
"The treasure of the Land of Snow is here."
"And so is your niece."
She raised her voice.
"Come out, Uncle Doto!"
Akio amplified her voice with his chakra.
Her words echoed dozens of times louder than they should have, spreading throughout the entire castle.
"Uncle! Come out!"
"The little girl I was chose to run away."
"But the woman I am now will face you head-on!"
"I will never give up!"
After all, this was a movie.
The heroine needed a heroic speech.
Otherwise, the studio would never get the approval to release it.
A short while later, the main villain finally appeared.
Doto Kazahana arrived at the castle entrance, followed by two of his henchmen:
Nadare Roga and Mizore Fuyukuma.
Doto looked absolutely furious.
He had spent the entire morning cursing the Akatsuki for being completely unreliable.
He glared toward Kakashi.
"Hatake Kakashi!"
"Is Konoha really planning to interfere in the Land of Snow's internal affairs?"
Kakashi's voice remained calm.
"No."
"You sent shinobi to attack my client. I'm simply here to demand an explanation."
"Exactly!"
Naruto immediately jumped into the scene.
"You jerk! Why did you send those guys after Koyuki?!"
"Y-Yeah!"
Sakura quickly joined in.
Sasuke simply stood there with his usual cold expression.
Doto ignored the three genin.
"My dear niece…"
He spread his hands.
"You've misunderstood your uncle."
Akio quietly chuckled.
"This guy's pretty cowardly."
Then his expression suddenly changed.
He felt something.
Akio abruptly turned his head and stared toward the distant sky.
"…Wait."
His eyes narrowed.
"Is that…"
"Deidara?"
He stared in disbelief.
"What the hell?"
---
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