Snow Princess Ninja Scroll

"I refuse!"

Even after agonizing over it for a long time, Yukie Fujikaze still gave Sandaime the answer he did not want to hear.

"No choice, then. Everyone, you crazy woman, consider this my payback!"

Masayo formed hand seals at Yukie Fujikaze. Before Yukie Fujikaze's eyes, Masayo's body turned into drifting petals, and she slowly lost consciousness, her body falling forward uncontrollably.

Genjutsu: Hell Viewing Technique!

Just as Yukie Fujikaze was about to fall, Masayo caught her with one hand. Feeling the softness and pressure against his arm, he realized her figure was actually quite good. It was just completely hidden by her usual clothes. And unlike Tsunade's exaggerated, unbalanced proportions, Yukie had the kind of perfectly proportioned figure he liked.

"Sweet dreams. We're even now, crazy woman. All right, let's set off!"

Masayo carried Yukie Fujikaze in his arms and handed her to Tenten, who slung her over her back. Together, they boarded the ship bound for the Land of Snow.

Once aboard, Masayo suddenly remembered something he had overlooked: Might Guy got seasick.

"My youth is all rainbows... blegh..."

"Guy-sensei, no! You have to hang in there! Guy-sensei's youth can't end like this!"

Might Guy stood on the deck, bent over the side of the ship and vomiting nonstop. His voice trembled as he raised a thumbs-up. "Lee, m-my youth has no regrets... blegh..."

Tears streamed from Rock Lee's bright, passionate eyes as he shouted in disbelief, "No! Guy-sensei won't be defeated by this!"

Neji Hyuga and Tenten stood nearby with Masayo. Tenten complained helplessly, "Seriously, if he gets seasick, why didn't he say so earlier?"

Masayo could not help rubbing his forehead. "Even motion sickness medicine won't help. Guy-senpai, I was counting on you in the Land of Snow. Looking at you now, you're like an acorn—you can't muster any youth at all!"

"An... acorn! My youth is an acorn!"

Masayo's jab was like a sharp sword piercing Might Guy's heart. He broke down and fainted.

"Huh, he fainted? Still, that's better than vomiting nonstop. Rock Lee, Neji, hurry and carry Guy-senpai back to his room."

Sandaime came over to Masayo. Seeing Might Guy like this only made him more certain that bringing Masayo along had been the right choice!

In the Land of Snow, inside a dark room within the Daimyo Mansion, a movie featuring Princess of the Wind and Clouds played on a huge screen. Seated before it was a man dressed in daimyo robes—the current daimyo of the Land of Snow, Kazahana Dōtō.

Three Snow Ninja Village shinobi knelt on one knee before him. Nadare Rōga, the Jonin among them, spoke first. "We have found the Hexagonal Crystal. We can confirm that Yukie Fujikaze is Princess Kazahana Koyuki!"

The other two shinobi, a man and a woman, were Mizore Fuyukuma and Fubuki Kakuyoku.

Fubuki Kakuyoku said, "No wonder it took us ten years of uninterrupted searching to find her."

Mizore Fuyukuma let out a cold laugh. "Hmph. Dealing with one girl should not be difficult. But this time, she has come to the Land of Snow with Konoha shinobi as escorts!"

Nadare Rōga said, "Yes. Besides a Jonin named Might Guy, Kakashi Hatake's students are with her as well!"

Fubuki Kakuyoku said with some disappointment, "What a shame. Kakashi Hatake himself did not come. Otherwise, I would have looked forward to this fated showdown!"

Nadare Rōga revealed a bloodthirsty smile. Kazahana Dōtō's calm voice was filled with resolve. "We must obtain the Hexagonal Crystal."

Waking from her nightmare, Yukie Fujikaze sat up slowly in a pale yellow nightgown, looking sluggish as she held her aching head.

"Why is everything spinning, and why won't it stop swaying...?"

Yukie Fujikaze suddenly remembered something. She did not even bother putting on her shoes before running barefoot onto the deck. White clouds drifted through the blue sky, while the endless sea stretched beyond sight. The sea breeze filled the sails as the ship headed toward the Land of Snow.

"W-What is going on here?!"

Yukie Fujikaze looked on the verge of collapse. She had actually been brought onto a ship.

"My youth is not an acorn, blegh..."

Might Guy swayed across the deck on unsteady feet before collapsing against the railing.

"Guy-senpai, you should go back inside the cabin."

Masayo curled his lips. This was truly miserable. Konoha's Blue Beast had youth like an acorn now—he could not rise at all.

"Guy-sensei!"

Masayo supported Might Guy, who no longer knew east from west. He remembered that the Land of Snow had Chakra Armor capable of blocking ninjutsu and genjutsu. That was why he had forgotten about Might Guy's seasickness.

"What is this? Guy-senpai, you need to toughen up! At this rate, even I'm going to throw up."

Masayo complained helplessly as he helped the limp Might Guy back into the cabin and laid him on the bed.

"S-Sorry, but I..."

Might Guy shakily raised a hand. Masayo nodded and said, "Get some rest, Guy-senpai. We'll call you once we reach land!"

Masayo returned to the deck. Seagulls flew over the magnificent horizon as he stood with Rock Lee, Tenten, and Neji Hyuga.

"Let's not disturb Guy-senpai for now. We'll call him once we reach land."

"Yes!"

Tenten and Rock Lee answered in unison.

The film crew was shooting at the time. It had taken a long while just to arrange the props, and to Rock Lee, Neji Hyuga, and Tenten, who were seeing a filming set for the first time, it all felt quite novel.

Tenten said in surprise, "So making movies is this hard!"

Masayo's expression did not change. Looking rather uninterested, he replied, "Yeah. A single shot can take hours, or even longer. But Tenten, whose life is easy? Are we ninja living easy lives? Are those people struggling every day just to afford three meals living easy lives? Don't earn a few thousand a month and then pity people making tens of millions."

"Ah... well... sorry!" Tenten thought about it and realized he was right. Looking at it that way, these actors did not seem to have it so hard after all. It was not a big deal, and even felt a little hypocritical.

Filming began. Yukie Fujikaze, now in makeup, stood before the camera. Her acting and emotional performance were both spot-on, and even Masayo nodded in approval. Yukie Fujikaze's acting was far better than the messy nonsense he had seen in his previous life. Even he was drawn into her emotions, until...

"Hey, cut!"

Yukie Fujikaze's words nearly threw out everyone's back, leaving even Masayo speechless.

The screenwriter practically shouted. Yukie Fujikaze's constant attempts to run away had already worn him out, body and soul. "What is it this time?!"

Yukie Fujikaze waved Sandaime over. "Tears, Sandaime! Bring me the eye drops, the eye drops!"

In the distance, Masayo, Rock Lee, Tenten, and Neji Hyuga all wore disgusted, speechless expressions. What a waste of all that emotion.

"Still, she's impressive. Even though she can't cry, she quickly gets back into character and immerses herself in the emotion again. Her acting is genuinely amazing."

Masayo praised her. Yukie Fujikaze had acting skills and looks. Even without makeup, she was stunning, and she had a great figure too. Aside from being unable to cry, she did not rely on green screens, did not just glare with wide eyes, did not wear a blank expression, did not force exaggerated expressions, did not open her mouth like she wanted to eat someone, did not use special effects just to eat, knew some self-defense, was an excellent rider, and could make every kind of weapon look convincing in her hands. Tell me, was that not good enough?