Eve of the Storm
"That damned brat!" Kazahana Koyuki was stopped by someone. "Let me go! I want..."
White birds soar across the azure sky over the sea, bathed in the scorching sunlight.
The sea breeze ruffled her hair, and Kazahana Koyuki's gaze passed through the film crew's props and crowd, finally settling on the blond-haired man leaning against the deck in the distance, looking completely at ease.
Naruto leaned casually against the railing, basking in the sun, his blond hair blowing wildly across his forehead. He wore a fitted, fleece-lined black combat suit, his gaze fixed elsewhere.
Sakura stood to the side; she had been following Naruto ever since they boarded the ship. She rarely spoke, simply following along and silently watching the sea view.
At first, Naruto wasn't used to it either, as the Sakura of the past wouldn't have been so quiet, but he gradually got used to it.
Whether it's Pink Sakura or Black Sakura, a good cherry blossom is one that obeys the rules.
For some reason, Naruto had a vague feeling that Black Sakura seemed to listen to him. Over time, he didn't reject this feeling.
He was initially indifferent to Sakura because he didn't want to get involved in bringing Sasuke back. Now that trouble seems to have disappeared, and Black Sakura seems indifferent to Sasuke after taking control of the body.
His thoughts didn't linger on Sakura for long. Kazahana Koyuki was on the other side of the deck, had already been stopped by her manager and taken back. The props team was setting up the scene, seemingly preparing to film a movie.
"The sea is relatively calm here, and the crew is rushing to meet the filming schedule." Mitarashi Anko jumped out from a corner and landed steadily with a thud.
"Princess Fuun still holds a grudge against you, so it's best to avoid provoking her if you don't have to," Anko said, glancing at Naruto.
"Who wants to mess with her?" Naruto scoffed. "I just want to finish the mission as soon as possible. Nagging clients are the most troublesome."
The crew is setting up the stage backdrop, and the lighting and camera equipment are already in place.
In the distance, Kazahana Koyuki had given up struggling and sat resignedly on a small stool, letting four or five people beside her do her makeup and fix her hair.
A crimson brush stroked across Kazahana Koyuki's full lips, instantly making them rosy and glossy.
The backdrop is an endless sea. Kazahana Koyuki's gaze is vacant, her expression languid, as if she's given up entirely. Her azure eyes shift slightly, seemingly looking towards Naruto's side.
"She seems to be looking at us?" Sakura said.
"Just ignore it."
Filming began quickly, and the actors and props were in place.
The character of Princess Fuun, played by Kazahana Koyuki, is roughly a princess who is trying to restore her kingdom. She is brave and tenacious, able to confront her inner cowardice and grit her teeth to draw her sword.
Interestingly, this character is the exact opposite of Kazahana Koyuki's real personality.
She was timid, escapist, and lazy.
But apart from Naruto and the former Land of Snow minister who was disguised as his manager, almost no one present knew the true identity of Kazahana Koyuki, which made it even more interesting.
Naruto stared at Kazahana Koyuki, who, fully dressed, knelt in the prepared set, preparing her emotions. The clapperboard clicked, and Kazahana Koyuki's eyes instantly changed; she was in character in a second.
"Princess Fuun is amazing!" Sakura praised, then whispered, "Her acting is superb."
The route, which should have arrived in seven or eight days, has been adrift at sea for half a month due to a storm at sea, and the Land of Snow is still nowhere in sight. The extremely bad weather also means that filming is impossible, so everyone is huddled in the cabin, waiting silently.
Even ninjas are not much different from normal people in front of the ocean.
The sea was raging, and their only hope lay in the food supplies in the hold. But as time went on, everyone's anxiety grew.
On this ship, the director held more authority than the captain, visiting and comforting the crew daily. He would repeat the same lines over and over again, a scene that often lasted for half a day.
"Don't worry, everyone. Storms at sea are common, and the waterways have been inspected by the ninjas of the Land of Water. They are absolutely safe!"
"The freshwater and food on the ship are enough for everyone to eat for two months. In three days at most, we will be able to get close to the waters near the Land of Snow."
The director's hoarse voice echoed in the corridor.
Naruto, sitting in the cramped room, glanced at the dark, rolling clouds outside the porthole, then plopped down on the bed with a thud, muttering a complaint.
"Could we really not be able to avoid the storm? If this continues, the Legend of Princess Yuki will turn into Robinson Crusoe."
Knock knock knock.
A knock sounded at the door. Naruto rolled over, wanting to draw his sword, but forcibly restrained himself. He got up, opened the door, and Sakura Haruno stood there holding some food.
Since the day before yesterday, food has been distributed in portions.
Before this, no one could have predicted that such a thing would happen. In order to avoid the storm at sea, they ended up going in circles and entering another, even more dangerous sea area.
"Why are you here?" he asked.
There was a salty, damp smell in the corridor. To save energy, the lights were off, making the entire corridor seem shrouded in a gray mist.
The sound of the waves crashing reached his ears clearly from the deck, and he was surrounded by swaying waves.
Fortunately, both he and Sakura were ninjas, and they habitually used Chakra to adhere to the floor beneath their feet, preventing them from wobbling. Anko stayed by Princess Fuun's side as a guard and had no time to pay attention to the two of them.
"I couldn't finish it all, so I brought some to share with you," Sakura said with a smile.
The food was all stored in the hull, in a cabin sealed by a heavy oak door. Naruto had been there once when he was checking for safety hazards; there were large barrels of fine wine piled up in the corners.
"Come in." Naruto stepped aside.
After Sakura entered the room, he subconsciously squinted and looked back and forth in the narrow corridor. Making sure no one was watching, he slammed the door shut.
With a click, Naruto locked the door from the inside.
When he turned around, he saw Sakura sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at him with her big eyes, and he couldn't help but explain awkwardly.
"The lock on this door is broken. If it's not locked from the inside, the door will open if the boat tilts."
"Okay." Sakura smiled.
What does "okay" mean? Naruto was a little confused. He walked to the edge of the table and sat on the chair that was fixed to the wooden board.
The food was quite simple, consisting of dried meat chunks. After a brief steaming or boiling and the addition of some seasonings, it was ready to eat, making it very convenient for filling one's stomach at sea.
But the food they had eaten in the past few days was clearly not this kind of tough, dry meat; it was a balanced meal of meat and vegetables. This was undoubtedly sending an important signal: they had encountered trouble at sea.
He cut some of the meat into pieces and then pushed the rest back to Sakura.
"Ms. Anko said there's something wrong with this ship, and we should be careful," Sakura said after taking the food. "A storm might be coming soon."
"Whatever, things have come to this, let's eat first," Naruto said.
"Aren't you scared?" Sakura asked.
What are you afraid of?
"A storm," Sakura laughed. "If a storm comes, everyone on this ship might die, and it would be very dangerous for us."
"It's alright, the three of us just need to protect Princess Fuun," Naruto said nonchalantly. "As for the lives of the others, that's none of our business."
"That's true." Sakura took a bite of meat and swallowed it with difficulty. "Even if we can walk on the sea, this is the ocean, and we have no idea which way to go."
"It's not a good idea to just drift at sea without boats and food."
"Let's see when that time comes," Naruto said, putting down the piece of meat and thinking carefully for a moment. "There's no point in talking about this now; it will only increase the tension."
He wasn't in a hurry at all; his Sealing Space still contained plenty of food and drinks. He had stockpiled those in his spare time for the mission.
The precaution is to prepare for the day when we have to do some harsh tasks and have to eat wild fruits or hunt in the wild. In that case, it's better to store some food in advance as a precaution.
As for the boat Sakura mentioned, he didn't have one, but he did have a small inflatable raft. He couldn't remember when he bought it; it seemed to be for drifting on the river downstream from the waterfall.
Later, they forgot about it, and the raft just sat in a corner of the Sealing Space, gathering dust.
Having made ample preparations, they were quite confident. Even if the ship capsized or was destroyed after entering the storm, the three of them only needed to bring Kazahana Koyuki out.
Moreover, at this point, worrying is useless; all we can do is hope that the ship can avoid the storm or hold out during it.
"Mm." She nodded and didn't say anything more.
The next day.
The sea suddenly became foggy, and to make matters worse, the magnetic field of the surrounding sea area became disordered.
Fortunately, the sea remained calm as far as the eye could see, and the ship's voyage was relatively stable. Even at lunchtime, the kitchen prepared a sumptuous meal.
On the deck, Naruto, carrying two meals, looked around and finally spotted Sakura through the thin mist.
Anko always stayed close to Kazahana Koyuki, while Naruto was responsible for patrolling and guarding the outer perimeter. The two sides usually kept in touch through Sakura, and occasionally Anko would come to check on Naruto herself when she was rotating shifts with Sakura.
"They suddenly added extra food." Naruto said with a wry smile, holding up two portions of food in his hand. "The crew thought we were about to arrive in the Land of Snow, and they were overjoyed."
"This is more like a last meal than a celebratory meal."
Upon hearing this, Sakura smiled and said.
"We are indeed close to the sea area of Land of Snow. We expect to arrive in about two days."
Afternoon.
As the mist dissipated, the once clear sky instantly turned gloomy.
A storm was gathering not far away, and towering, despairing waves were slowly approaching the large ship. Everyone stared at the towering waves and the almost blackish-purple sky in the distance.
Their large ship was heading straight towards the giant wave. A profound sense of powerlessness and fear overwhelmed them, and chaos erupted on board.
Naruto gasped, realizing this mission was a huge loss.
Thousands of days