Thank you, everyone from Konoha

By the time Shuofang Si emerged from the cabin, the battle on deck was already in full swing.

Kakashi and Nadare Rōga crossed paths in midair, their kunai and ice blade colliding in a dazzling spray of sparks.

As the two faced off, the sea suddenly churned violently. Two enormous white whales made of solid ice leaped from the water, traced twin arcs through the air, and slammed into each other.

Ice Release: One-Horned White Whale.

The thunderous collision shook the entire ship. Shattered ice crystals rained down onto the deck, sending wood splinters flying.

The young Konoha ninja had already positioned themselves in front of Kazahana Koyuki to protect her.

The puncture wound in Neji's left shoulder had yet to heal, leaving his entire arm hanging uselessly at his side.

Sakura was a medical ninja without much combat ability, so only Naruto and Tenten could meet the enemy head-on.

Fubuki Kakuyoku and Fuyukuma Tōu pressed in from both sides at once. Naruto's Shadow Clones barely managed to keep Fuyukuma Tōu occupied, while Tenten held off Fubuki Kakuyoku's Ice Release with the ninja tools she continuously summoned from her scrolls.

For a while, both of them narrowly escaped one dangerous situation after another.

A momentary lapse let Fubuki Kakuyoku catch Tenten in the shoulder with an Ice Release attack. She flew backward, slammed hard into the ship's railing, and slid to the deck.

Seeing this, Neji forced himself forward despite his injury, assuming a Gentle Fist stance to take on the opponent Tenten had failed to hold back.

Sakura rushed to Tenten's side. Green healing chakra lit up her hands as she treated Tenten's injured shoulder, all while anxiously watching the battle.

That was when she spotted Shuofang Si emerging from the direction of the cabin.

A flicker of hope appeared in Sakura's eyes. This was a man strong enough to kill members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist with his bare hands.

In the confusion of the fierce battle, she called out without thinking.

"Mr. Shuofang Si! We're all from Konoha. Please help us!"

She regretted it the moment the words left her mouth. Everyone had seen how nasty Shuofang Si could be lately, and she did not really believe he would help them.

"I refuse."

Sure enough, Shuofang Si kept watching Kakashi's battle in the distance without even turning his head.

Just then, Naruto used two Shadow Clones to force Fuyukuma Tōu back and broke free.

Hearing Shuofang Si's response, anger rushed to his head. He pointed at Shuofang Si and shouted.

"You jerk! We're from the same village! Don't you have even a shred of the Will of Fire?"

Shuofang Si glanced back at him with a mocking look. "Heh. You're as naive as ever."

"I heard about what happened before. Your Team 7 went to the Land of Waves and liberated it, right?"

"But you'd only just graduated back then. There's no way you could have been assigned a mission to interfere in another country's internal affairs. You must have acted on your own."

"Heh, so you heard!" Naruto completely missed the implication. Instead, he raised his chin proudly.

"To thank me, they even named the new bridge in the Land of Waves after me!"

Nearby, Kakashi temporarily disengaged from Nadare Rōga and landed back on deck. His forehead protector covered one eye, and his chest rose and fell slightly.

He looked over, his voice taking on a thoughtful seriousness. "Shuofang Si, are you saying..."

"The mission you accepted this time was just to protect the film crew during the shoot, wasn't it?" Shuofang Si looked back into the distance, his tone casual.

"It was a B-rank mission that, at most, should have involved cleaning up a few rogue ninja. And now? You're going to help this princess interfere in another country's internal affairs again?"

Cold sweat instantly beaded on Kakashi's forehead. In that single moment, he had almost completely worked out the situation.

Interfering in another country's internal affairs was never a small matter in the Shinobi World.

The Five Great Nations kept close watch on one another. Any village reaching into a smaller country could give another village an excuse to start a war.

Konoha had only just endured the Konoha Crush. Its strength had been badly depleted, and it was still rebuilding.

If his team went beyond the scope of its mission and meddled in the struggle for the Land of Snow's throne, it could give other ninja villages grounds to make trouble.

He could practically see Lady Tsunade slamming her desk, and could even hear her roaring, "Kakashi, you idiot!"

He involuntarily swallowed.

"Stop, Naruto, Neji." Kakashi's voice grew grave.

Naruto and Neji both turned toward him, confusion written across their faces.

Kakashi took a deep breath, his fingers tightening slightly at his side. "This really is another country's internal affair. We only accepted a mission to protect the film crew. We have no reason to take part in a battle of this magnitude."

The Snow Ninja were stunned as well. The three regrouped and watched the situation unfold.

They clearly had not expected the Konoha ninja to suddenly stop fighting over a few words from someone from their own village.

Kazahana Koyuki's face was so pale it was almost translucent, but her lips were pressed into a thin line. Rather than fear, her expression seemed to hold the numbness of someone fate had toyed with time and again.

Asama Sandayu panicked. He rushed up to Kakashi, his voice trembling.

"This is a rebellion in the Land of Snow! Ten years ago, Kazahana Dōtō murdered his brother and usurped the throne! Do you Konoha ninja have no heart? Are you just going to stand by and watch the rebels abduct our rightful princess?"

Naruto looked even more unable to accept it. He shouted at Kakashi, "Kakashi-sensei! How can you do this? We accepted a mission to protect her!"

Shuofang Si gave a derisive laugh from the side. "That's hilarious. You really don't use your brain at all, do you?"

"He knew Kazahana Koyuki was the princess of the Land of Snow. How could he not know trouble would come knocking if he brought her here? So why did he only post a B-rank mission?"

He tilted his head, his gaze settling on Sandayu as the faintest trace of mockery curled his lips.

"A mission involving a change of government in another country should be S-rank, no matter how you look at it. Seems someone looked into your good deeds in the Land of Waves and discovered that you Konoha ninja are a little too kind."

Kakashi's cold sweat flowed even more heavily.

The mission in the Land of Waves had taken place before the Konoha Crush, when Konoha was still relatively strong and could weather any trouble that arose.

Now, Konoha had just suffered a joint attack by Orochimaru and Sunagakure. Everything in the village needed rebuilding, and they were severely short-handed.

If he acted outside the scope of his mission and gave other ninja villages an excuse to start another war...

He did not dare think about it. Failing his mission and failing to protect his comrades-those were the two things that tormented him most.

He slowly walked over to Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder.

The pressure was light, but it still made Naruto freeze in place.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto looked up, his voice full of disbelief.

Kakashi's gaze was heavy. He gave no answer.

"Oh? Looks like there won't be a show after all." Shuofang Si yawned, walked over to a small table at the edge of the deck, and poured himself a cup of hot tea. Steam rose into the icy air.

The young Konoha ninja shot him furious looks, but he leisurely took a sip as though nothing had happened.

"This is all your fault! Were you deliberately trying to drive a wedge between us? Is it because Princess Koyuki said something wrong earlier?"

Seeing that all was lost, Asama Sandayu slumped to his knees, his voice filled with despair and hysteria.

"Heh. Said something wrong?" Shuofang Si could not even be bothered to respond to him.

Meanwhile, seeing that the Konoha side had fallen into disarray, the three Snow Ninja exchanged glances and moved at once.

Nadare Rōga darted forward and seized Kazahana Koyuki by the shoulder. Fubuki Kakuyoku and Fuyukuma Tōu took up positions on either side, covering their retreat.

"Thank you, everyone from Konoha." Nadare Rōga's face was full of gratitude as he left.