Chapter 191
Asama Santayu looked at the three boys before him, his mind churning.
[These three brats wouldn't lie about something so easily exposed, so they must genuinely possess Jonin-level strength.]
[Moreover, they're the Hokage's direct disciples. If handled properly… we can exploit their sense of justice at such a young age. Once they learn about Yuki's background, and we play the victim, we should be able to persuade them to help Yuki reclaim her Daimyo position.]
Asama Santayu suddenly felt that their seemingly hopeless plan to restore the Land of Snow had become feasible.
Sasuke and Neji noticed the change in his gaze, but they maintained a haughty, proud expression befitting young geniuses. This further solidified Asama Santayu's resolve. As for Naruto, that kid didn't need to pretend.
"Good, good, good! I never expected our luck to be so good this time, to be able to hire such talented ninjas like you," Asama Santayu said, suppressing his excitement.
"Uncle, where's our other employer? Won't you let us meet him before we leave?" Sasuke asked.
"That's a long story," Asama Santayu said, feigning regret. "Why don't you three come with me to the film set?"
"Film set? Is that where we shoot movies?" Naruto perked up immediately at the mention of something interesting.
"Please come with me," Asama Santayu said with a smile, gesturing for the three to follow him to the film set.
Once there, Naruto's excitement was palpable as he looked around the set, while Sasuke and Neji pretended to be very interested in the filming process.
However, not long after, some bad news came from the set.
Filming was about to begin, but the female lead, Fujikaze Yukie, was nowhere to be found. Her manager, Asama Santayu, went to her resting place to look for her but couldn't find her either.
The entire crew was in a panic. Filming couldn't continue due to the female lead's disappearance, so their only option was to mobilize the entire crew to find her.
The kind-hearted Naruto, upon hearing this, immediately offered to help. Sasuke and Neji, wanting to leave a good impression on Asama Santaro, didn't object and joined Naruto in the search for Fujikaze Yuki.
The entire crew searched all day without finding any trace of her. It wasn't until evening that Kazahana Koyuki leisurely returned to her hotel.
Upon receiving the news, Asama Santaro hurriedly brought Naruto and the others back to the hotel. The first thing he did upon seeing Kazahana Koyuki was to scold her:
"Koyuki, where have you been? Do you know the entire crew has been looking for you all day?"
"I wasn't in a good mood, so I went for a drink," Kazahana Koyuki said coldly.
"Drinking? Do you know how much chaos you'll cause in Konoha if you're recognized? Our crew went through so much trouble to get the permission to film in Konoha!" Asama Santayu said patiently.
"Then we won't film it." Fuuka Koyuki's face showed extreme impatience. "You took on this movie without my permission in the first place."
"Xiaoxue, I know you've been very tired lately, but this is a film series after all. The previous 'Princess of the Wind and Cloud' movies were very well received in the ninja world, and the investors strongly requested that we make a sequel. We couldn't refuse, but I can promise you that after we finish filming this movie, we'll take a break for a while, how about that?" Asama Santayu sighed, then patiently coaxed his little princess.
"Does this sequel really have to be filmed in the Land of Snow?" Kazahana Xiaoxue frowned deeply.
"Sasuke, is this really Princess of the Wind and Cloud?" Naruto, who had witnessed the two arguing, suddenly whispered to Sasuke beside him, "Her nasty personality is nothing like the one in the movie."
"That's just a character in the movie. As for what she's like off-screen, who knows?"
Although their voices were very low, Kazahana Xiaoxue could hear the gist of it in the extremely quiet environment.
Hearing crickets chirping at her, a hint of displeasure flashed across Kazahana Koyuki's face. She questioned Asama Santayu, "Who are these three brats?"
"They're ninjas I hired in Konoha," Asama Santayu explained. "They'll be responsible for our safety on our journey to the Land of Snow."
"Just these three brats?" Kazahana Koyuki scoffed.
"Hey! Big sister, are you underestimating us?" Naruto, feeling slighted, immediately protested.
"Koyuki, these three are all Hokage's personal disciples. They're geniuses who can defeat elite Jonin at such a young age. We can't underestimate them," Asama Santayu said.
"Defeat elite Jonin? Them?" Kazahana Koyuki was stunned, an expression of disbelief on her face.
"Hehe, of course, every ninja's mission record can be viewed in the mission hall. Our first mission after graduation was an A-rank mission, which means we had to fight at least a Jonin-level ninja. So, I think protecting you guys on your way to the Land of Snow to film a movie should be more than enough. After all, according to our Konoha intelligence, the strongest ninja in the Land of Snow is only equivalent to an ordinary Jonin in our Konoha." Neji said unhurriedly. "
Is that so?" Kazahana Koyuki frowned. "Then I really underestimated you. But I'm sorry, I don't plan to go to the Land of Snow with you."
"Is that so?" Neji nodded. "Then, according to Konoha's rules, if the employer cancels the mission midway, the deposit is non-refundable."
"Naruto, Sasuke, let's go." Neji turned and left, gesturing for Naruto and Sasuke to follow.
"Please wait, gentlemen!" Asama Santayu exclaimed anxiously upon seeing them. He was counting on Sasuke and his two companions, along with their support and the forces behind them, to help him and Kazahana Koyuki achieve their goal of restoring their kingdom. If they missed this opportunity because of Kazahana Koyuki's momentary whim, he would have nowhere to turn for help.
"Um, gentlemen, wait a moment!" Asama Santayu called out to the three men, panting as he chased after them.
"Is there anything else, Mr. Asama?" Neji frowned slightly. "Since the employer has refused the mission, our employment relationship should be terminated."
"Please wait a moment, gentlemen. We do not intend to cancel this mission," Asama Santayu said.
"But Miss Fujikaze Yukie doesn't seem to be planning to undertake this mission. Can you, as her manager, make that decision for her?" Neji asked.
"Koyuki is just being a little willful. I'll go and persuade her in a bit. This movie is very important to her acting career, so please wait a couple of days, is that alright?" Asama Santayu said.
"Mr. Asama, you seem to have misunderstood something." Sasuke spoke up calmly at this moment. "We are not obligated to take this mission. The reason we took this mission is very simple: it might be interesting to experience the filming process of a movie up close. But now, you are questioning our abilities."
"I'm so sorry, gentlemen." Asama Santayu became nervous upon hearing this and quickly apologized, "Xiaoxue is spoiled by me, so she inevitably has some personality issues. I'll discipline her when I get back. We're genuinely hiring you for this mission."
"Alright then." Sasuke nodded. "When do we set off?"
"Give me a little more time, gentlemen. We'll set off in three days at the latest." Asama Santayu said.
"Okay, we'll wait for you for three more days." Neji nodded.
...
After the three left the hotel, Naruto, who had been holding back his words, couldn't help but ask, "Why did we suggest ending the mission earlier? Wasn't this mission assigned to us by our teacher? Aren't we afraid of getting scolded if we just turned it down?"
After spending so much time with Sasuke and Neji, Naruto had developed a habit of simply listening to their plans and asking them questions later if he had any.
"Who said we were ending the mission?" Sasuke laughed upon hearing this.
"Huh?" Naruto was a little confused. The way the two of them turned and left just now didn't seem like they were faking it.
"We did that just now to increase our initiative during the mission," Neji patiently explained to Naruto.
"But weren't you afraid that old man would really cancel the mission?" Naruto scratched his head.
"Hehe, he won't," Sasuke laughed. "This is an A-rank mission. An A-rank mission means that at least a Jonin-level ninja will be involved during the mission. What makes a movie crew worthy of a Jonin's intervention? So, there must be some hidden story."
"Hidden story? What hidden story?" Naruto became more and more confused.
However, at this moment, the Nine-Tails in the sealed space suddenly spoke up: "Kid, that guy just now had some malice towards you. He was plotting against the three of you."
"Huh?" After hearing the Nine-Tails' words, Naruto was stunned for a moment, and then shared what the Nine-Tails said with his two companions.
"Trying to scheme against us?" Sasuke sneered. "Aren't we scheming against him too?"
"Pah, treacherous Uchiha..." Inside Naruto's sealed space, Kurama shifted its body, changed its sleeping position, and grinned.
...
Three days later, no one knew how Asama Santayu had persuaded Kazahana Koyuki, but she finally agreed to the filming plan in the Land of Snow.
The entire crew set off from Konoha, heading towards the Land of Snow in a grand procession, while Naruto, Sasuke, and their companions were given a luxurious carriage arranged by Asama Santayu, following behind Kazahana Koyuki's private carriage.
In the following days, Asama Santayu visited the three of them daily, inquiring about their well-being, while Kazahana Koyuki almost never left her carriage during the journey.
Sasuke, Sasuke, and their companions were quite happy to have some peace and quiet.
After entering the Land of Snow, the temperature gradually dropped. A charcoal brazier was lit inside the carriage. Although Naruto and his companions didn't need it to ward off the cold, Naruto, thinking he had nothing better to do, started cooking a hot pot inside the carriage.
On the table in the middle of the carriage, a pot of clear, boiling water swayed slightly with the carriage's movement, and around it were slices of fish and beef.
Naruto rubbed his hands together, picked up a slice of beef with chopsticks, and placed it into the boiling water.
"Slowly soak it, slowly savor it," Naruto muttered in a low voice, his expression devout.
"What are you doing?" Sasuke's lips twitched, not understanding why Naruto was making a meal like some kind of cult ritual.
"Quiet, quiet!" Naruto said seriously, "I learned this from my teacher when he came to my house for dinner last time."
After the beef was slightly cooked in the water, Naruto took it out of the pot and placed it in a small dish of scallions, ginger, and soy sauce.
After dipping the beef in the sauce, Naruto opened his mouth wide.
But just then, a loud bang rang out, and the carriage jolted violently. The beef Naruto hadn't even had a chance to eat fell to the ground unexpectedly, and boiling water spilled everywhere.
"Damn it! What's going on!" Naruto was furious at the sight. He opened the carriage door and froze on the spot.
Suddenly, ice walls rose up on the endless snowfield surrounding the caravan, and the entire crew's caravan was thrown into chaos beneath these ice walls.
"They're here." Sasuke and Neji also stepped out of the carriage. Neji activated his Byakugan, looked around, and said, "Thirty people."
A biting wind swept through the valley, carrying ice shards. The ice crystal headbands of the thirty Snow Ninja gleamed coldly in the blizzard.
Kazahana Koyuki was panting heavily inside the carriage. The ice walls around her carriage had completely blocked her escape route, and the thirty Snow Ninja were charging at her from all sides.
"Ice Release: Tyrannosaurus Rex!" The Snow Ninja leader slammed his palms into the ground, a roar like a dragon's cry echoing from the depths of the glacier. A hundred-meter-long ice dragon burst forth, carrying shattered rocks as it swooped down towards the princess.
Lightning suddenly tore through the snow curtain.
Purple lightning, accompanied by the sharp cry of a thousand birds, cleaved open the ice dragon's head, Sasuke Uchiha's black robes fluttering in the arcs of electricity. Before the ice fragments even hit the ground, he had already transformed into a lightning shadow, weaving through the enemy ranks. Wherever his blade passed, the Snow Ninja's ice armor shattered like paper, his lightning chakra weaving a spiderweb of arcs across the glacial ground.
Twenty Naruto clones descended from the sky. "Ninja Art: Multiple Rasengan!" Golden orbs rained down on the enemy ranks, blasting a thirty-meter-deep crater into the ice. The main body, stepping on the shoulders of his clones, leaped into the air, azure Rasengan rapidly expanding in his palm: "Great Ball Rasengan!"
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(End of Chapter)