Outside Konoha.
On the road leading out of the village, the convoy slowly crossed beyond Konohagakure's borders.
Gazing at the carved faces of Konoha's four Hokage, Kazahana Koyuki could not help sighing inwardly. She had stayed in Konoha for several months and had reached the maximum permitted length of her stay.
Neither her career as an actress nor her finances allowed her to remain in Konoha any longer.
To her, Konoha meant safety. The ninja her uncle had sent to assassinate her had been easily defeated by Konoha, and she still could not forget the figures of those Konoha ninja.
Turning to look at the masked, white-haired young man at the front of the carriage, she felt that leaving Konoha might not be such a bad thing after all.
For some reason, Kakashi, who had once saved her, was willing to protect her all the way to Daimyō Castle in the Land of Fire.
With Kakashi protecting her, at least she would not have to worry about her safety along this stretch of the journey.
Kakashi... Kazahana Koyuki silently repeated his name, then summoned her courage and asked, "Lord Kakashi, if I learned ninjutsu, would I no longer have to fear those assassins?"
Kakashi looked Kazahana Koyuki over and said with a wry smile, "I'm afraid you aren't suited to becoming a ninja, Miss Yukie. Becoming a competent ninja takes more than a decade of hard work."
Ever since Princess Koyuki had learned that he had saved her life seven or eight years ago, she had latched onto him, constantly bringing up baffling topics.
Still, the snow ninja had been far too bold to attack Princess Koyuki inside the village. Perhaps "foolish" was a more fitting word.
After fobbing Kazahana Koyuki off with a few casual replies, Kakashi took out