Land of Snow

Outside the carriage, Shuofang Si heard the scream from horseback. Without even turning his head, he merely raised a hand and dug at his ear with his little finger.

Kakashi, who was writing furiously at the small table at the front of the carriage, sighed. His pen paused against the paper, leaving a blot of ink.

His eyes drooped, his expression utterly listless. "What a pain. Guy, doing your student this favor is going to be the death of me."

Kakashi's thoughts returned to the previous night.

Watching Shuofang Si grind his foot harder and harder against the back of Keshi's head as Keshi's whimpers grew weaker, Tenten finally couldn't stand it anymore.

She dragged her injured body half a step forward, her voice trembling.

"Mr. Shuofang Si, please stop. Keshi... he did save Rock Lee, after all."

Shuofang Si didn't even turn his head. Instead, he pressed down even harder. Almost all of Keshi's face sank into the ground, his bones making a teeth-grating noise.

On the verge of tears, Tenten turned to Kakashi with a pleading look.

Kakashi sighed and rose from the corner, resigned to his fate. His chakra was exhausted, and he really didn't want to fight anyone else if he could help it-especially someone as inscrutable as Shuofang Si.

"Shuofang Si, let's talk. What would it take for you to let him go?" Kakashi walked up to him.

Shuofang Si tilted his head and looked at him mockingly, yet pressed down harder still.

The young Konoha ninja couldn't help clenching their fists at his behavior.

There was clearly a reason this man had become notorious as a thug in Konoha. Even among that crowd of villagers, he had to rank among the most ill-mannered.

Seeing Keshi on the verge of passing out, Kakashi hurriedly spoke. "This commission hasn't been a pleasant experience for you. I can personally offer you some additional compensation."

Shuofang Si's foot stopped.

"As the Konoha Technician who's copied countless jutsu, you must know quite a few." A playful smile appeared on Shuofang Si's face.

In the end, Kakashi secured Shuofang Si's mercy by offering a handwritten collection of jutsu from the Five Basic Nature Transformations, all B-rank or below and excluding any techniques unique to Konoha.

Shuofang Si kicked Keshi into the corner like a discarded sack, knocking him unconscious. Sakura hurried over, green light gathering in her hands as she kept him alive.

"When can you give it to me?"

"Three or four days at the earliest. I need time to write it all out. Your commission is finished, so you can leave first. I'll give it to you when we're back in the village." All Kakashi wanted now was to get rid of this world-class troublemaker.

"Forget it. I'm not planning to return to the village right now. I'll travel with you for the time being. Finish it and give it to me sooner."

"All right, then. I should be nearly finished by the time we reach the Land of Snow. But until then, please try not to get into any more conflicts with the clients."

"Depends." Shuofang Si yawned and turned toward his room.

Watching him leave, the young Konoha ninja couldn't help shivering. What a vile man.

And so, at noon the next day, everyone packed their belongings and set off for the Land of Snow.

As Kakashi recovered his chakra, he wrote out the jutsu collection from memory in the jolting carriage.

Shuofang Si remained quiet, simply using the Healing Chapter of the Nine Yin Manual to recover from his injuries.

He hadn't gone out of his way to accompany them just for that manuscript. He had already begun forming plans involving the Land of Snow and the Chakra Armor when he first met Kazahana Koyuki.

That afternoon, they soon met up at the docks with the film crew, who had arrived ahead of them, and boarded a large ship bound for the Land of Snow.

The sea was calm. The film crew busily arranged cameras and lighting, preparing to shoot against the sunset. Wrapped in a thick coat, Kazahana Koyuki stood on deck and sneezed into the sea breeze.

But she had been inside the carriage earlier and had no idea Shuofang Si was there too.

When she spotted Shuofang Si standing on deck, panic flashed in her eyes. She was just about to speak when Asama Sandayu swiftly clapped a hand over her mouth.

"The Konoha ninja owe him something. Kakashi is still preparing it. He said he'll leave once he gets it," Sandayu quickly explained in a low voice beside her ear.

Kazahana Koyuki's eyes went wide, and a string of muffled protests came from her throat. But Sandayu kept his hand firmly in place and pulled her away.

No one aboard dared provoke Shuofang Si. Everyone already knew about his "heroic exploits."

As filming began, Naruto, who had recovered the fastest, went to the deck to watch whenever he had nothing to do.

He happened to catch Kazahana Koyuki using eyedrops as tears in front of the camera. The Princess Gale he adored actually relied on eyedrops for her crying scenes. His illusions shattered on the spot.

On their second day aboard, the ship sailed with the current and soon entered the Land of Snow.

The temperature dropped, and even the sea breeze carried a chill.

A massive iceberg appeared on the distant horizon, refracting dazzling white light in the sun.

Standing at the bow with a hand on the railing, the director looked pleased. "Here. We'll shoot right here."

Just as the film crew was working feverishly on the shoot, the top of the iceberg suddenly exploded.

Countless chunks of ice broke loose from above, and the entire iceberg shook.

Countless wolves formed of ice and snow poured down from the collapsing iceberg, targeting everyone on deck.

Ice Release: Wolf Fang Avalanche!

Kakashi had been writing furiously on deck, looking utterly dead inside just a second earlier. Now, his gaze suddenly sharpened.

Water Release: Water Formation Wall!

A wall of water rose from the sea ahead of the bow, blocking the ice wolves' charge.

At that very moment, the Main God's cold, mechanical electronic voice sounded in Shuofang Si's mind.

Entering an advance storyline in the Naruto world ahead of schedule...

Kill Kazahana Dōtō: reward, one C-rank Side Plot and 3,000 Reward Points.

Kill Nadare Rōga: reward, one C-rank Side Plot and 3,000 Reward Points.

Kill Fubuki Kakuyoku: reward, one D-rank Side Plot and 1,000 Reward Points.

Kill Fuyukuma Tōu: reward, one D-rank Side Plot and 1,000 Reward Points.

Inside his cabin, Shuofang Si had been practicing the Healing Chapter of the Nine Yin Manual, his injuries already mostly healed. He opened his eyes, the corners of his mouth slowly lifting.

He had followed them specifically to trigger a Side Plot. Sure enough, the Main God hadn't let him make the trip for nothing.

Amid the icy mist, three figures slowly emerged from the shattered iceberg.

They wore the Forehead Protectors unique to the Land of Snow's ninja, along with strange Chakra Armor whose plates gleamed a cold gray-blue in the sunlight.

The man in front was tall and thin, a mocking smile on his lips. His gaze passed over everyone aboard and settled on the deathly pale Kazahana Koyuki.

"Come with us, Princess Koyuki. Lord Kazahana Dōtō has been waiting for you for a long time."

He tilted his head, his smile widening to reveal teeth made stark white by the reflected light of the snow and ice.

"Think carefully before you answer. That was only the appetizer."

Kakashi's pupils suddenly contracted.

His gaze shifted from Nadare Rōga to Kazahana Koyuki's face, rigid with fear, as memories from many years ago surged through his mind.

So it's her-the princess of the Land of Snow. No wonder I kept feeling I'd seen that face somewhere before.