So What?

Naruto's eyes went wide, as though he wanted to tear Shuofang Si apart and devour him alive.

He looked toward the distant spot where the Snow Ninja had vanished, then at Sandayu, who knelt on the deck sobbing uncontrollably. At last, he could no longer contain the fury rampaging inside him.

He spun around and pointed at Shuofang Si, his voice sounding as though he had forced it straight out of his chest.

"Just because she spoke up for Keshi earlier? How could you let them take her away! Look at Mr. Sandayu! He's devastated!"

Shuofang Si set down his teacup without even bothering to glance at Naruto, his tone cold and dismissive.

"You're unbelievably stupid. You're being used as someone else's weapon, and you still don't get it? Forget it. I can't be bothered to explain, and you don't deserve to hear it anyway."

He yawned, turned, and headed toward the cabins.

"Stop right there!" Naruto rushed forward in a few long strides and blocked Shuofang Si's path.

His chest heaved, and a fire seemed to burn in his blue eyes. "You let them kidnap Princess Koyuki, and now you're just going to dust off your hands and walk away?"

Shuofang Si stopped, a flicker of impatience crossing his eyes.

Naruto was still far too immature at this age. His head held nothing but hot-blooded passion and a self-righteous sense of justice. Just looking at him made Shuofang Si sick of his stupidity.

He said nothing more and simply moved.

After taking several beatings, Naruto reacted immediately, leaping backward almost at the same instant.

He formed hand seals, and four or five shadow clones appeared at once, converging on Shuofang Si from different directions.

This time, he had wised up. Rather than face Shuofang Si head-on, he would use sheer numbers to hold him back.

But Shuofang Si merely sneered and met the first charging shadow clone with a hefty slap across the face.

Think you've got some fancy moves now, huh? Against my overwhelming physical stats, you've still got a long way to go.

Two minutes later, Naruto lay on the ground, his entire face swollen beyond recognition, while Shuofang Si stood beside him and clapped his hands clean as though nothing had happened.

If not for that ever-present orange tracksuit, Neji would barely have recognized Naruto.

He stood frozen in place, just as utterly numb as the other young ninja.

There was clearly a reason this fellow named Shuofang Si had become a notorious thug back in Konoha. His behavior throughout this trip had proven him a real bastard.

The film crew was still treating them well and letting them recuperate, yet this guy had simply turned on them and refused to help.

And Naruto was no better. He knew he couldn't win, so why had he stubbornly charged in anyway?

Watching Naruto groan on the ground, Kakashi felt his temples throb. He took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice reasonably calm.

"Naruto just acted on impulse. Was all that really necessary?"

Shuofang Si turned his head to glance at him, his lips curling into something between a smile and a smirk as he spoke with pointed sarcasm.

"Oh? So village ninja are allowed to use ninjutsu on villagers?"

A vein bulged on Kakashi's forehead. There it was again-that insolent troublemaker's attitude.

Those awful villagers in Konoha wore the same "what are you going to do about it?" attitude.

He forced down his anger, swallowing the rest of what he had wanted to say.

Damn it, every last one of them. Not just Shuofang Si, but those Konoha villagers too. If I ever defect, I'll kill all those troublemakers first, one by one.

Kakashi suppressed his emotions and said, "Then what do you want? We're going to stay with the crew and see whether they'll keep filming. Are you coming with us? The handwritten copy will take another two days."

"That's more like it. That's how you should treat a taxpayer." Shuofang Si looked thoroughly satisfied as he watched Kakashi swallow his anger.

He patted Kakashi's shoulder with such familiarity that it made Kakashi's scalp crawl.

"Since you're being so sincere, as a Konoha villager, I suppose I'll graciously agree to stay with you for another two days. Sharing in the people's joy and all that."

So you think you're the Daimyo now, huh?

Sakura watched this outrageously unreasonable man, grinding her teeth with hatred as she struggled to suppress her inner self.

She even found herself entertaining a terrible thought. If she hadn't become a ninja and were still an ordinary villager, could she have gathered a crowd to bully this guy mercilessly and pay him back for all the humiliation she had suffered today?

As though he had seen through her thoughts, Shuofang Si swept his gaze over her and gave a contemptuous smile. To the Konoha ninja, that expression was arrogance incarnate.

Without another word, he stretched and strolled toward the cabins.

So what? A big shot from Konoha is still a big shot. You lousy ninja can just suck it up.

With his face swollen like a pig's head, Naruto was helped aside by Sakura to have medicine applied. The deck was a mess, and the director huddled in a corner clutching his camera, his face filled with relief at having survived.

"Um... esteemed ninja of Konoha," the director said, rubbing his hands as he approached Kakashi with an ingratiating smile.

"Miss Koyuki is temporarily unavailable, and we still have a few scenes left to shoot. Could you perhaps... help us out with the Transformation Technique? You don't have to show your face. A shot from behind is fine! Just from behind!"

Before Kakashi could answer, Naruto interrupted, his words muffled by the hand covering his face.

"Are you kidding me? Princess Gale has been kidnapped, and you're still thinking about filming!"

"It's precisely because Miss Koyuki is temporarily away that we ought to finish our work."

The director smiled apologetically. "You all accepted the mission to protect the film crew. This way, you'll have something to show for it, won't you?"

Kakashi rubbed his brow and sighed, then waved a hand at Naruto and Sakura.

"All right, get filming. I'll stand guard nearby." And so, full of pent-up frustration, the young Konoha ninja began taking turns using the Transformation Technique to stand in for Kazahana Koyuki.

Naruto had taken a beating, but his superb Transformation Technique remained unaffected. He turned into Kazahana Koyuki and moved back and forth in front of the camera.

Behind the monitor, the producer frowned deeply and whispered to the director, "Is this really going to work? Doesn't the transformation look a little exaggerated?"

The director glanced at the delicate face and curvaceous figure Naruto had conjured and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "It's fine. We'll just say she had a second growth spurt."

Shuofang Si returned to his cabin, shut the door, and took something from his pocket: the Hexagonal Crystal, the key to the Land of Snow's treasure.

Its clear facets scattered tiny glimmers of light through the dim cabin. He had swapped a fake for it with Kazahana Koyuki on the night they entered the Land of Snow.

He already knew the plot, so naturally, he wasn't about to pass up such an important plot item.

Wasn't this key the very reason Kazahana Dōtō wanted Kazahana Koyuki brought back?

As long as the key stayed out of Kazahana Dōtō's hands, Shuofang Si would retain the initiative.

Once I've rested up a little more, I'll launch a surprise attack on the Snow Ninja tonight, finish the side quest, and get back to the Main God Space sooner.

As for why he refused to advance the plot alongside the Konoha ninja, it was because he knew the Main God's ways all too well...