Wolf Fang Avalanche, like a broken puppet, mechanically spat out the information Kakashi wanted.
Having obtained the answer, Kakashi casually loosened his grip on the man's collar.
Without another word, a flash of lightning cut across the air.
Wolf Fang Avalanche's throat was severed in an instant, ending his life as a villain.
After settling everything, Kakashi clapped his hands lightly. Chakra surged beneath his feet, carrying him back to the ship.
The moment he landed—
"Lord Ninja!!!"
A figure lunged at him like a starving tiger, grabbing his arm tightly.
"Ah?"
Kakashi paused, looking down in confusion at the director, whose eyes were sparkling with excitement and whose whole body was trembling.
"Director… what are you doing?"
"That was incredible! Absolutely incredible!!"
The director shouted incoherently, waving his arms as he excitedly reenacted what had just happened out at sea.
"That gigantic white whale! And that final, earth-shattering crash!!"
"This is exactly the visual I wanted! This is the soul-stirring power that Wind and Cloud Princess has always been missing!"
"Mr. Hatake! No—Hatake the superstar!!"
Gripping Kakashi's hand tightly, the director spoke with burning enthusiasm.
"I have a favor to ask!"
"Please! You absolutely must make a special appearance in this movie!!"
"Even just a few shots will do! We'll edit in your heroic battle scenes—
We'll call it Princess Fūka and the Silver Guardian! I guarantee it'll be a huge hit!!"
Hearing this, Kakashi's lazy expression instantly collapsed.
He shook his head without the slightest hesitation.
"No. Absolutely not."
"I'm a ninja, not an actor."
"And I'm also responsible for security. I don't have time to act with you."
Was this a joke?
Fighting was tiring enough—now he was supposed to pose for cameras too?
That was way too much trouble.
"Huh?! Kakashi-sensei, just say yes!"
Before the director could continue persuading him, Naruto couldn't hold back any longer.
He leaned in excitedly, eyes sparkling just like the director's.
"It's a movie! Being on the big screen all over the ninja world—that's awesome!"
"I want to act too! Director, can I get a role? Like… a 'future Hokage' or something?"
Sakura clasped her hands to her chest and looked at Kakashi expectantly.
"Yeah, Kakashi-sensei! Your ninjutsu just now was so cool!"
"If you perform, we'll definitely buy tickets to support you! It'd be an honor for Team 7!"
Even Sasuke, who was usually indifferent to things like this, leaned against the mast with a faint smile.
"Hmph. He always looks so unmotivated."
"I'm actually curious whether this so-called elite jōnin would get nervous in front of a camera."
Haku poured tea for everyone with a gentle smile, then added calmly,
"Kakashi-sensei has such a great image. It'd be a real shame not to leave any visual record."
"And… couldn't this count as a sacrifice for the mission?"
Looking at his subordinates all ganging up on him, Kakashi sighed helplessly and scratched his silver hair.
"You guys…"
"It's easy to talk when you're not the one suffering."
He turned to look at the director, whose face was full of expectation and who looked ready to kneel and beg.
After two seconds of silence—
His eyes shifted slightly before finally settling on the director.
"It's not impossible for me to act…"
Kakashi slowly raised his hand and rubbed his thumb and forefinger together—a gesture universally understood throughout the ninja world.
"But you also know…"
"Acting is exhausting. It drains physical energy, and it can easily expose ninja information."
"So…"
"You'll have to pay more."
———
Land of Snow. Vast snowy plains.
The blizzard had eased slightly, but the biting wind still howled across the endless ice field.
The film crew was in the middle of shooting.
"Alright! All departments, get ready! Unauthorized personnel, clear the area!"
"Lights! Reflectors! Brighten that man's profile a little—yes! That melancholic yet powerful feeling!"
Holding a megaphone, the director stood on a raised platform, shouting commands at the top of his lungs.
At the center of the camera's frame—
Koyuki Kazahana knelt in the snow, terror filling her eyes as she looked at the man standing in front of her.
He was a silver-haired man wearing a mask, his forehead protector tilted to cover his left eye, leaving only his right eye visible as he gazed into the distance.
Even standing casually, his presence was overwhelming—like an unscalable mountain.
"Okay! That's it!"
The director shouted excitedly.
"Action!"
As the clapperboard snapped shut, Koyuki immediately slipped into character. She reached out, trying to touch the man's back, and asked in a trembling voice,
"Why… why did you save me?"
"Who… are you?"
The camera slowly zoomed in, capturing the silver-haired figure from behind.
The cold wind stirred his hair as the man slowly turned his head.
Only half his face was visible in profile, but with the snowstorm and wind effects, the scene carried a heartbreaking sense of desolation.
He looked toward the camera and spoke in a low, hoarse voice.
"I'm just… a lost ghost wandering the road of life."
"As for my name…"
Kakashi paused briefly.
"Just call me… Obito."
"Cut!"
The director waved his hand excitedly, his face flushed.
"Perfect! Absolutely perfect!!"
"Mr. Kakashi, you're a natural-born actor!"
The surrounding staff burst into enthusiastic applause.
"Alright, that's a wrap!"
The moment Kakashi heard the word "cut," the melancholy movie-star aura vanished completely, and he instantly reverted to his usual laid-back, unreliable jōnin self.
Rubbing his hands together, he walked over to the director with a smile.
"Now that this scene is finished, Director…"
"About that special appearance fee—"
The director immediately pulled out a thick envelope and presented it with both hands, grinning from ear to ear.
"It's all here! Every last bit!"
"It's an absolute steal to have you in this role!"
Kakashi took the envelope, weighed it in his hand, and nodded in satisfaction.
"Pleasure doing business with you."
He stuffed it into his ninja tool pouch, patted the bulging pocket, and felt great.
However, at that moment—
Boom—!!!
The ground shook violently.
Hot tea spilled, and the cameras that had just been set up crashed to the ground.
"What's happening?! An earthquake?!"
The director clung to a swaying lighting rig, shouting in panic.
The swirling snow was torn apart by a powerful force.
Beneath the cracked snow, two massive black metallic rails were revealed.
"Those are… railway tracks?!"
Sakura covered her mouth in shock. "How could there be railway tracks in a place this desolate?"
"That was once the transportation network of the Land of Snow, but it's been buried under snow year-round…"
San Tayū's face instantly turned pale, as if he had recalled something terrifying. Trembling, he pointed toward the end of the tracks.
"Could it be… could it be that…"
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