The " Northern Merchant " wasn't luxurious, but the film crew chartered the entire ship, so the space was quite spacious.
The deck was spacious, the cabins were clean, and there was even a small restaurant that served hot soup and bread on time.
The sea breeze grew colder, its salty, damp air seeping into collars and cuffs; some people had already put on thicker clothes.
The ship was mostly rocking. The film crew occupied a section of the deck, fiddling with reflectors and cameras. The director, an old man with a loud voice, directed the makeup artist to touch up Fujikaze Yukie's makeup and had her pose against the ship's railing.
The people of Konoha and Sunagakure tacitly stayed on the other side.
Naruto was practically glued to Shira, with one problem after another popping up.
" Shira, Shira, how did you become Jonin? Did you complete some super-amazing mission?"
Naruto sat cross-legged on the deck opposite Shira, his body swaying gently with the ship's movement, his eyes wide open.
"Haha, nothing special, just some tasks I have to do." Shira leaned against the railing of the ship's side, answering simply.
He wasn't used to such a barrage of questions, but he didn't find it annoying.
Naruto's straightforward and enthusiastic nature has a strangely infectious quality.
Is this the power of a magnetic field?
"She must be incredibly powerful! Otherwise, how could she have skipped rank to Jonin!" (The information about Shira jumping straight to Jonin couldn't be kept secret.)
Naruto didn't believe him at all. He leaned forward, lowered his voice, and asked mysteriously, " Shira, do you have some special training method? Teach me! When I get back to Konoha, I want to Jonin as soon as possible! And surpass that Sasuke guy!"
Sasuke, who had been leaning against the mast with his eyes closed, heard this and gave a cold snort without even opening his eyes.
Sakura sat with her knees drawn up to her chest a short distance away, pretending to look at the sea, but her ears were perked up.
She would steal glances at Shira from time to time. Shira was truly more and more attractive the more she looked at her. Unlike Sasuke-kun, who was so cold, or Naruto, who was so boisterous, she sat there quietly, giving off an indescribable feeling.
She cleared her throat, trying to join the conversation. " Naruto, stop bothering Shira with all these questions! How can you just tell others about Jonin's training methods..."
"What does it matter! Shira isn't an outsider!" Naruto said casually.
" Naruto!" Sakura blushed, secretly glancing at Shira, and seeing that he didn't react much, she felt a little disappointed. She quickly tried to cover it up, "I mean, Shira- kun and the others have their own things to do, right, Shūji- kun?"
She turned to look at Shūji, who was whispering with Maki about the map of the Land of Snow.
Shūji looked up and scratched his face. "Huh? Oh, it's alright. Anyway, boating is boring."
He smiled at Sakura, then pointed to a point on the map and said to Maki, " Maki, look here. If the geothermal source is really under this kind of glacial canyon, the usual routes are definitely blocked. We'll have to find another way..."
Maki nodded, tracing lines on the map with his finger, his voice soft. "Yes, and we also need to consider the ice structure and potential traps. Ishikawa, if we get close, how deep into the ice can your senses penetrate?"
Ishikawa squatted to one side, jotting something down in a small notebook, without looking up. "Hard to say. This damn weather, Chakra flow is sluggish. I'll try adjusting the frequency band to see if I can detect any abnormal heat sources, but don't get your hopes up too high, this thing hasn't been actually tested."
Kakashi had somehow wandered over to Shira's side, leaning against the railing. He pulled out his little yellow book, but didn't open it. Instead, he gently tapped his chin with the spine of the book, glancing sideways at Shira, his tone as if discussing the weather:
"Speaking of which, the team that Jonin Shira led this time has quite a few new faces. There's a female ninja who's good at Sealing Jutsu, a black-haired boy with bright eyes next to her, and that guy who's been scribbling in his notebook—all very new faces."
He paused, as if mentioning it casually, "Unlike us here, these kids have at least spent some time together, they argue and make a fuss, so they have some understanding."
Shira sensed the probing in Kakashi's words. This Copy Ninja, though seemingly lazy, was actually incredibly meticulous.
Hakikaka, you're even brainstorming with me during a mission? That's interesting...
Shira admitted that her team was a newly formed, temporary group, and in turn, she probed the deeper considerations behind Sunagakure's decision to send this "new" team on a cross-border A-Rank Mission.
"Yes, Shūji and Ishikawa are both very capable partners; this mission requires their expertise."
Shira's answer was steady and measured, neither denying that the team was new, nor denying that the selection was based on mission requirements, thus subtly deflecting the topic.
"Besides, with a reliable team like Jonin Kakashi and Team 7 ahead of us, we can feel much more at ease and learn from them."
His words were polite, flattering the other party while also implying a stance of "you take the lead, and we provide support and observation," which aligns with the typical role of a later-joining party in a joint mission, leaving no room for criticism.
Kakashi let out a few muffled chuckles from beneath his mask, it was hard to tell if they were genuine or not, "Haha, is it reliable? I hope so. But in the Land of Snow, it's freezing cold, anything can happen."
"More manpower and more support are always a good thing."
His words sounded like both approval and a reminder. He didn't delve any deeper, finally opening the little yellow book and seemingly engrossed in reading it, thus ending this brief probing.
Shira stopped speaking and turned her gaze back to the sea. Kakashi's keenness was as she had expected; her previous response should not have revealed any obvious flaws.
The team he led was indeed new, but each member played an irreplaceable role, which was one of the reasons he dared to accept the task.
However, the upcoming Land of Snow presents a challenge, as it involves dealing with known plot risks while also completing the secret mission entrusted to him by Rasa.
Shira took a gentle breath of the chilly sea breeze, letting her thoughts settle.
The ship continued northward toward the faintly visible white continent.
The day's flight passed in this somewhat boring and subtly awkward atmosphere.
Tenten, look at the sea, and occasionally Naruto and Shūji will argue about a Ninjutsu Sasuke occasionally makes a sarcastic remark, and Sakura tries to mediate.
Maki and Ishikawa were engrossed in studying their maps and data, while Shira and Kakashi spent most of their time quietly on their own.
The crew members would occasionally come out for some fresh air, and Sandayu would always politely offer them hot water. Fujikaze Yukie went into the cabin and never showed up again.
The color of the seawater gradually changed from deep blue to a cooler hue with a grayish-green tinge.
The sky remained overcast, the sun was nowhere to be seen, but it didn't rain or snow either. The chill in the wind grew heavier, and our breath turned into white mist.
As evening approached, the director, who had been staying in the cabin, suddenly became interested. He wrapped himself in a thick coat and ran to the deck, holding up a pair of binoculars and looking around, muttering "lighting, composition...", probably trying to find a scene that could be included in the shot.
Suddenly, he exclaimed "Huh?" and the telescope stopped moving.
After looking for several seconds, he put down the binoculars, rubbed his eyes, and then raised them again.
Hey! Come quick, everyone!
The director turned around and shouted to everyone on the deck, his voice slightly trembling with surprise and excitement at discovering such a beautiful sight, "Look ahead! What a huge iceberg! My God, the shape! The grandeur! Absolutely amazing! If only we could film this..."
Everyone looked in the direction the director pointed.
Between the gloomy sea and sky, a massive iceberg, gleaming with a faint blue-white light, stands silently on the sea directly in front of you, like a sleeping ancient beast.
It was larger than imagined, with jagged ice spikes pointing straight to the leaden sky, most of the mountain hidden beneath the sea, revealing only a majestic corner.
The icy chill seemed to travel even from this distance, making the temperature on the deck appear several degrees lower.
The ship was heading straight for the iceberg, without veering off course.
Naruto's mouth dropped open. "Wow! It's huge!"
Sakura instinctively hugged her arms tighter. "It feels so cold there."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
Kakashi closed the book and stood up straight.
Shira at the iceberg, her eyes deep and thoughtful.
He knew they had arrived. The story was about to unfold!
Shūji, Maki, and Ishikawa exchanged a glance and silently began checking their personal equipment.
The cabin door was suddenly pulled open, Asama Sandayu rushed out, his face pale, looking in the direction of the iceberg, his fingers trembling slightly.
Behind him, actress Fujikaze Yukie slowly walked out, gazing at the iceberg, her lips pressed tightly together, and her body under her cloak seemed to tremble imperceptibly.
The director was still excitedly gesturing. "Speed up! Move closer! This angle is perfect! The light is a bit dim, but the sense of unease is just right! Quick!"
The ship cut through the icy water and continued forward.
That silent, massive iceberg, in the twilight, seemed to be waiting for something.