The next day.
Dressed in a red-and-white tracksuit, black ninja pants, and black ninja sandals, Sakura arrived as promised at the film crew for Snow Princess Ninjutsu Chronicles.
Trailing behind Sakura were Karin, Sasuke, and Shino.
It was worth noting that Hikari, unable to resist the excitement, had tagged along as well.
Sakura didn't mind.
Though she couldn't quite gauge Uchiha Hikari's full strength, it had to be at least on par with her own.
A guaranteed goalkeeper, at the very least.
That meant this trip to the Land of Snow would include two super-shadow-level fighters—Sakura and Hikari—plus Sasuke with his ironclad shadow-level power thanks to his Mangekyo Sharingan, Shino as a jonin-level asset, and Karin as a special jonin.
And given the environment in the Land of Snow, Karin's combat ability would likely get an extra boost.
Two super-shadows, one shadow, plus two jonin who excelled in their respective specialties.
A preemptive root incense offering for Fubuki Dotō.
After all, throughout the current ninja world—and even in its entire history—there were hardly any threats that could force a lineup like this to mobilize together.
Just as Sakura was about to step into the film set, a figure suddenly darted out.
A woman in her twenties, dressed in palace attire, charged through a group of extras in prop armor on a white horse, not looking back as she galloped toward the exit.
"The lead actress!"
"The star's running away!"
"Stop Miss Yukie, quick!"
A bespectacled elderly man with a small ponytail and graying hair and beard came rushing out in a panic.
Sakura pulled the mission scroll from her ninja pouch and approached Sandayu.
"You're the one who posted the filming mission in the Land of Snow?"
Sandayu looked at the girl before him, then glanced at Sasuke and the others behind her, suddenly questioning his life choices.
These people were the ninjas the Hokage had assigned after he'd waited in Konoha for so long?
These kids didn't even look fourteen yet, did they?
Did the Hokage even understand how critical this mission was?
"Yes, that's me."
Sandayu nodded silently.
"Good. When do we depart?"
Seeing this, Sakura tucked the scroll away.
"Anytime is fine, but there's a slight problem right now."
At this point, Sandayu didn't want to dwell on it further. He'd lingered in Konoha far too long.
In that time, Snow Princess Ninjutsu Chronicles had probably been screened for the villagers of Konoha countless times.
"Our lead actress has run off. I must ask you to please retrieve Miss Yukie."
Sakura tilted her head at that.
She knew this was part of the movie's plot, but it had been a while, and the details were a bit fuzzy.
Besides, it was just a minor theatrical film—there was no real need to remember it clearly.
"Tch."
Sakura scratched her head, then glanced at the group behind her.
Her gaze lingered on Hikari for a moment before settling on Sasuke.
"Sasuke, you're up."
The black-haired boy looked left and right.
Sakura was the team leader; shouldn't she handle something this trivial?
Hikari…
Never mind.
Karin…
Never mind.
Shino…
Never mind.
"Hn."
Sasuke responded expressionlessly, then vanished from Sandayu's sight in an instant.
Taking the opportunity, Sakura and the others wandered around the film set.
You had to admit, this world's tech tree was seriously skewed.
Computers, cameras, electric lights, radios—they had all of that.
Yet hardly anyone considered applying it to military use.
One 300-millimeter caliber shell, and it wouldn't matter if you were a ninja or not—everyone would be dead.
The only ones who seemed to weaponize technology in warfare were those elusive Sky Ninjas hiding who-knows-where, and… Kumogakure.
Wait.
Kumogakure?
Sakura suddenly snapped back to reality.
Kumogakure!
That godforsaken place had a chakra cannon that, once fully charged, could blast something clean into space!
Sakura slapped her forehead.
What a miscalculation!
Who needed Turtle Island? They needed that chakra cannon!
One shot, and it wouldn't matter if it was a tailed beast or anything else!
Everyone would be dead!
"Sakura?"
"What's wrong?"
Karin, who had been curiously watching the bustling film crew, noticed Sakura's unusual behavior and spoke up with concern.
"No."
"It's nothing. I just thought of something pretty bad."
Sakura rubbed her temple.
Kumogakure was currently tangled up with the Akatsuki.
Let's hope they hadn't realized just how terrifying that chakra cannon could be… right?
"What's that?"
Someone tugged at the hem of Sakura's jacket.
Hikari was pointing at a screen an old man in a baseball cap was staring at.
Despite her calm expression, Hikari couldn't hide the curiosity in her eyes.
As someone from hundreds of years ago, Hikari had naturally never seen such technological devices.
Not just her—even Shino hadn't encountered much of this.
"Oh, these?"
Before Sakura could respond, Sandayu kindly began introducing each item one by one.
He explained their names and functions to Hikari.
"Miss Hikari has such presence. Ever thought about becoming a star?"
Though he had once been a retainer to the former daimyo of the Land of Snow, Fubuki Sasame, Sandayu had also spent ten years as the manager for Fubuki Koyuki.
His eye for spotting raw talent was razor-sharp.
There was something naturally off about Hikari.
That innocent bewilderment toward technological creations, that unfamiliarity with everything around her.
It was as if she didn't belong to this era.
Fire! Sandayu was certain—if Hikari debuted as a star, she'd explode in popularity.
"Debut?"
"What's that?"
Hikari was completely baffled by Sandayu's words, not understanding a thing he was saying.
These past days, she had mostly stayed within the Uchiha clan grounds.
The only times she ventured into Konoha's streets were when she went shopping for supplies and daily necessities with Sasuke.
"Debut means—"
"No need. Thank you."
Sandayu's explanation was cut short by a voice.
Sasuke had returned, carrying the palace-dressed woman from earlier over his shoulder.
Fujikaze Yukie—also known as Fubuki Koyuki—was unceremoniously dumped in front of Sandayu.
"Miss Yukie, is she—?"
Sandayu looked worriedly at the unconscious Fubuki Koyuki.
"No need to worry."
"This woman was too noisy, so I put her under a genjutsu."
"She'll wake up in a day."
Sasuke glared irritably at Sandayu, the man who had just tried to poach Hikari.
"Uh, heh heh, well then, that's perfect."
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