Goose feather-like snowflakes fell profusely from the lead-gray sky, dyeing the entire Konoha a pure silver-white.
Eaves, treetops, training grounds, the Hokage Monument... everything was covered under a thick, soft blanket of snow. The usually bustling village seemed draped in a layer of tranquil gauze.
A crowd streamed out of the newly opened [Hozo Movie Theater].
This was the latest cultural industry investment by the Gato Group, aimed at introducing the latest film entertainment to major Ninja Villages, with Konoha Village's being the first pilot.
The imposing building and flashing neon sign were particularly eye-catching against the snowy scenery.
Menma, Hinata, and Naruto walked out with the crowd.
Menma was still in his familiar black tracksuit with red trim. A few snowflakes landed on his spiky black hair, quickly melting into tiny droplets.
His face showed no particular expression, as if the movie they'd just seen was just an ordinary experience.
Naruto next to him was a completely different picture.
He wore an orange padded coat and a faded red scarf, hopping around with excitement. His blond hair seemed about to stand on end, his sapphire blue eyes sparkling with extreme excitement.
"Wahhhh! So amazing! So moving!" Naruto shouted boisterously, drawing sidelong glances from passersby, which he completely ignored.
"That Princess Fuu is so incredible! Even though her country was taken over by bad guys and she was all alone wandering, she was still so strong! And in the end, she led everyone to find hope! That actress who played Princess Fuu, Fujikaze Yukie! She acted so well! And she's super pretty! She's like a real princess!"
He spoke while vigorously acting out scenes from the movie, spittle nearly flying into Menma's face.
Menma tilted his head slightly to avoid it, sighing helplessly: "Naruto, lower your voice. The whole street can hear you."
He now understood Shikamaru's mindset very well.
But a flicker of thought also passed through his gaze.
'The actress who played Princess Fuu... those blue eyes tinged with melancholy... it felt like I'd seen them somewhere before.'
The name Fujikaze Yukie also sounded somewhat familiar, but he couldn't recall the specifics at the moment.
After all, the last time he watched the Naruto Movie was two lifetimes ago.
A not particularly outstanding movie's heroine was indeed hard for Menma to remember.
Hinata stood quietly on Menma's other side, wearing a light purple winter coat, her small face slightly flushed from the cold, making her look even more delicate and adorable.
Listening to Naruto's excited chatter, she softly agreed: "Um... Yukie-san... did act very well..."
Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, almost completely drowned out by Naruto's loud voice.
During the movie, seeing Princess Fuu's hardship and displacement, her pure white eyes had welled up with tears, and now the rims were still slightly red.
The three of them walked out from under the theater's awning. The snow outside was falling even heavier.
The cold air hit their faces. Hinata instinctively shrank her neck slightly, letting out a soft puff of white breath.
Menma noticed her small movement and very naturally unwound the dark-colored, seemingly very warm scarf from around his own neck.
His motion was casual yet carried an air of decisiveness. With a light flick, he wrapped the scarf, still carrying his body heat, around Hinata's neck, carefully winding it twice to cover most of her face, leaving only a pair of slightly flustered, pure white eyes peeking out.
"M-Menma-kun? This... aren't you cold?" Hinata's face instantly turned bright red, her heart beating so fast it felt like it might jump out.
Her voice, muffled by the scarf, was full of shyness and a hint of secret joy.
She could clearly smell Menma's scent on the scarf, making her feel a little dizzy.
"I'm not cold. You, on the other hand, aren't wearing enough." Menma's tone was full of concern.
For someone with Uzumaki vitality and massive Chakra, this level of cold was truly nothing.
"Wow! Menma-nii, so sneaky! I'm cold too!" Naruto watched and cried out, hugging his arms and shivering exaggeratedly, trying to attract attention.
Menma couldn't be bothered and ignored him directly.
Hinata buried her flushed face deeper into the warm scarf, the corners of her mouth lifting uncontrollably into a slight smile. The cold wind around her seemed to become gentler.
"Let's go, to the park," Menma said, taking the first step, his feet crunching on the thick snow.
"Yay! Let's build a snowman!" Naruto immediately forgot about the cold, cheered, and charged into the park like an excited puppy.
Hinata quickly followed with small steps, a bright smile on her face.
The park was already covered in a thick layer of snow, the original ground almost invisible.
Some children undeterred by the cold were having snowball fights and building snowmen, their laughter echoing across the snowy field.
Naruto immediately threw himself into the 'snow engineering', rolling a huge snowball for the body and a smaller one for the head, then started looking for sticks and stones for the eyes, nose, and mouth.
His movements were large and energetic, sending snow flying everywhere, covering himself in snow, looking both comical and full of vitality.
As Menma piled snowballs, his gaze occasionally swept the park's surroundings, pausing for a moment on an inconspicuous tree. Ko, Hinata's bodyguard, was dutifully hidden there, silently guarding the Main Family's young lady.
Menma withdrew his gaze as if he hadn't noticed anything.
Hinata was much more quiet and refined.
She carefully formed snowballs, seemingly trying to build a small rabbit, her movements gentle and focused.
Occasionally, she would look up, sneak a glance at Menma standing beside her, then quickly lower her head. The blush on her face never faded.
When she accidentally ruined a snowball, she would let out a small gasp of surprise. The look was utterly adorable, causing an almost imperceptible curve to unconsciously lift the corner of Menma's mouth.
Naruto's snowman was crooked and uniquely ugly, yet he stood proudly with his hands on his hips: "So? The snowman built by the future Hokage is extraordinary too!"
Menma didn't hold back his critique: "Looks like it got hit by an explosive tag."
"Ahhh! Menma-nii, you're so mean!" Naruto stomped his feet in anger, grabbing a handful of snow and throwing it at Menma.
Menma easily dodged by tilting his head.
Hinata watched their play-fighting… primarily Naruto being utterly outmatched, and couldn't help but let out a soft 'pfft' laugh, her eyes curving into beautiful crescents.
In this moment, there were no clan worries, no village gossip, just friends playing and the pure winter sunlight.
It was amidst this warm atmosphere-
A figure sat quietly on the lone swing set in the corner of the park, out of place with the cheerful, playful surroundings.
It was a girl around twelve or thirteen years old, wearing expensive-looking but understated white winter clothes, topped with a furry hooded cloak.
Black hair spilled from the edges of the hood, her skin pale.
She hung her head slightly, hands on her knees, staring vacantly at the snow piled on the ground. Her exquisite profile carried an indescribable melancholy and weariness.
Menma narrowed his eyes slightly.
Naruto also followed Menma's gaze. With just one look, his eyes widened dramatically, his mouth forming a perfect 'O' as if he'd seen something unbelievable.
He rubbed his eyes vigorously and looked again, suddenly letting out an earth-shattering exclamation:
"Wahhhh!!! It's—it's—it's!!! It's Yukie-san?! Princess Fuu from the movie!!!"
His shout not only startled Hinata but also successfully disturbed the girl on the swing.
The girl looked up as if startled, revealing an extremely delicate face filled with bewilderment.
It was indeed the lead actress of the movie [Princess Fuu's Adventure], Fujikaze Yukie.
She seemed not to have expected to be recognized in a Konoha's park. A flash of panic crossed her eyes, and she instinctively made to stand up and leave.
"Wait! Yukie-san! Please wait!" Naruto had already rushed over like a gust of wind, his face flushed red with excitement.
He fumbled clumsily in his pockets, finally pulling out a crumpled movie ticket stub and, from who knows where, a short pencil. He awkwardly offered them to Koyuki, his eyes shining brightly: "I-I'm your fan! I super love your movies! Could you… could you please give me your autograph! Please!"
Koyuki looked at the boisterous blond boy in front of her, whose eyes held an exceptionally pure and passionate warmth. Her movement to leave paused.
She had seen many fanatical fans, but this boy's eyes, besides admiration, seemed to hold a strange warmth and sincerity that stirred a barely perceptible ripple in her cold heart.
She was silent for a few seconds, finally letting out a soft sigh and taking the ticket stub and pen Naruto offered.
Her fingers were slender and ice-cold. She bowed her head and quickly wrote the characters for [Fujikaze Yukie] in a graceful hand on the back of the stub.
"Thank you... for liking it," Her voice was very soft, carrying a barely noticeable hoarseness and fatigue, as if this simple thanks had drained her energy.
"Awesome! Thank you! Yukie-san!" Naruto accepted the signed ticket stub as if it were a priceless treasure, so happy he almost jumped on the spot.
By then, Menma and Hinata had also walked over.
Hinata looked at Koyuki somewhat shyly and said softly, "Yukie-san, your movie... was really moving..."
Menma's gaze, however, rested calmly on Koyuki's face, carrying a trace of imperceptible scrutiny.
Up close, this face finally overlapped with the vague intelligence in his memory about the exiled princess of the Land of Snow.
'Daughter of the former Land of Snow's Daimyo, Kazahana Sosetsu. Kazahana Koyuki.'
'The rightful heir to the Land of Snow, who fled into exile after her uncle, Kazahana Doto usurped the throne, adopting the alias Fujikaze Yukie to become an actress.'
'If I remembered correctly, the one who took the mission and saved Koyuki back then was Kakashi.'
'So it's her, no wonder she looked so familiar.' Menma understood inwardly.
Watching Naruto excitedly circle the somewhat flustered Koyuki, seeing the unshakable melancholy between her brows and her resistance to the 'princess' identity, Menma's thoughts drifted slightly.
'The Land of Snow... Kazahana Doto...'
'Hah, he won't be causing trouble for much longer.'
'The Land of Snow... this country is also destined to become history.'
'When that time comes, this exiled princess might finally be able to completely shake off the shadows of the past and peacefully become an actress, right?'
Thinking this, Menma's gaze swept back and forth between Naruto and Koyuki.
'This kid Naruto... seems to really like her... even though he's a bit younger than her, it's not a big problem.'
'If Naruto really likes her...'
A very faint smile tugged at the corner of Menma's mouth.
'As an older brother, occasionally 'considering' my younger brother's future is only natural, right?'