"Let's calm down a bit now, shall we?"
Before Neji got close to Hinata a man appeared in his path, catching his arm. The man was lanky and tall, with spikey gray hair that added to his height. There was a mask over his lower face and his headband was positioned at a slant, covering one of his eyes. He had no trouble stopping Neji's wrist. For a moment, it looked like Neji was going to attack him.
"As a shinobi of Konoha, it's my duty to eliminate traitors," Neji said. His fingers squirmed, the only hint at the icy fury he was feeling. Yukie stepped forward.
"I have hired these people!" she said. "If you wish to continue your mission, you will not harm them! Do you understand?"
"There you have it," said the masked man. "Let's take a nice deep breath and relax, Neji." His face changed. His visible eye, which had been crinkled to suggest he was smiling beneath his mask, opened wide and glared. He bent down at the same time, getting right in the Hyuuga's face. "Because if you mess up this chance for me, and we don't get to see the filming of this movie, I'll bury you in the nearest patch of icy dirt." His eye closed, smiling again. "Understood?"
"...Understood," Neji said.
He fixed Naruto and Hinata with a foul glare… Mostly Hinata. He didn't deactivate his Byakugan when he turned his back. No doubt, he was using it to watch them. Naruto didn't care much.
"Hey, it all worked out!" he said to Hinata. She was too frozen to respond, but he got the attention of the masked man.
"Right? We can play nice," the man said. "You'll do your job, we'll do ours. No reason to get in each other's way. Besides, I'm only babysitting these kids for one mission. I'd like to come back with all of them."
Neji stiffened. The girl with buns in her hair turned her head sharply to Kakashi. Only the guy in the jumpsuit wasn't upset by the implication that, if it came to a fight, the squad might not all make it out. Naruto was pretty sure that Mr. Eyebrows just didn't catch Kakashi's meaning.
Speaking of him, he jumped forward, striking a pose with one hand on his hip and his other arm out, pointing at Naruto's chest.
"Naruto Uzumaki!" he said.
"Yeah…?" said Naruto.
"My name is Rock Lee! I am the student of Might Guy, Konoha's Great Green Beast! My life is devoted to proving that I can be a splendid shinobi with taijutsu alone!"
"That's kinda cool."
"I will be the one to defeat you, in the name of Konoha!" Lee said. "When this mission is finished, my fists will triumph over your face! Be prepared!"
"Yeah… I'll keep that in mind…"
Lee looked proud of himself. The girl behind him was holding her face. Next to Naruto, Yukie and Sandayu were wearing similar bemused looks. As if she'd been hit with a bucket of cold water, Hinata came to her senses, such was the potency of Lee's personality. Kakashi clapped.
"Since we're all gathered, I think it's time for a meeting," he said.
Which was how four Konoha shinobi, two missing-nin, an actress, and her personal assistant came to be sitting on logs around a fire in Sawa no Kuni. There was one other man with sunglasses, wrinkles, and a resting smile that Sandayu introduced as Makino, the director of Yukie's movies. He was the one who opened the conversation.
"What's this supposed to be about?"
Instead of Kakashi, who called the meeting, Yukie answered. Sandayu squeezed her forearm in a show of support. She hesitated, then began.
"My real name is Koyuki Kazehana."
"Yuki Fujikaze is a stage name?" asked the girl from Kakashi's team. Her name was Tenten. Lee had introduced her as Konoha's foremost weapon's expert at his usual volume, leading Tenten to smack him in the back of the head. Like Neji, she was wary of the missing-nin, who she saw as enemies-to-be.
"It's true that Koyuki adopted that name to hide her identity. But what's important is the reason that she did," Sandayu said.
"My father was named Sōsetsu Kazahana. He was the last Daimyo of the Land of Snow… Until my uncle took his life to claim power," Koyuki declared.
Naruto leaned to Hinata. "Princess Gale is a real princess!" There were practically stars in his eyes. Hinata pleaded for him to stay quiet. The conversation was still going.
"The Land of Snow is where we're filming," Makino asked. "Will that be safe?"
"Likely not," Koyuki said. "That's why we've sought the help of Konoha. Kakashi was the one who rescued me when my Uncle struck, evacuating me to the land of fire."
Kakashi waved to the rest of the group.
"It's also the reason that we've called this meeting." Koyuki regarded the others, looking at each of their faces in succession. "Although only Kakashi's team will be expected to fight, I cannot promise that there won't be danger for the rest of you. If you choose to leave now, I will not hold that against you. That goes for you two as well."
Koyuki turned her shoulders to face Naruto and Hinata, who were sitting on her right. Hinata stammered something reassuring while Naruto, as quick as a person could, promised, "I'm not scared!"
"And what about you?" Koyuki turned back, toward Makino. "You're a civilian like I am. Will you risk your life for this job?"
"I've never filmed a movie about a princess with a real princess before," Makino said, stroking his chin. "At least, not when I knew what she was." He suddenly shot up. Spreading his arms to shoulder width, he pumped them in the air. "Yeah, I'm feeling fired up! Let's do it! Bring on the awards!"
Makino started to pace, muttering to himself about all the shots he was going to do differently now. Koyuki smiled at his enthusiasm. Naruto was happy to see her professionalism melt a little bit. She was even prettier when she was smiling.
"Do the rest of you have any questions?" Koyuki asked.
"I have one," Neji said. "If you haven't hired them to fight, what have you hired them for?"
He didn't have to look at the missing-nin to get across who he was talking about. The venom he injected them with told all that needed to be said.
"Hinata is going to share the screen with me," Koyuki said. "My co-star was unwilling to make the journey. This way, the show will go on."
"Is that intended to be a joke?" Neji asked.
"If there's humor in what I've said, then enlighten me, because I fail to see it."
"You want her to act?" Neji moved his chin in Hinata's direction. "She stutters when asked to speak two sentences. It will never work. She's incapable."
"I'll do my b-best!" Hinata said.
For once, Neji looked at her. "When has that ever been enough?"
"Jeez, are you sitting on a branch?" Naruto asked. "Because it's like there's something waaay up your—"
Neji started to get up. Lee and Tenten grabbed one of his arms each. Naruto looked straight back at him, daring him to go for it. Kakashi watched everything without tensing. Ultimately, it was Koyuki who put an end to things.
"I will concern myself with matters of acting," she told Neji. "You can concern yourself with protecting my group, as I've paid you to do. Things will be smoother if we stick to the spheres that we know."
"Precisely," Neji said, sneaking one last look at Hinata. She crossed her arms, staring into the fire.
"I've got a question too," Tenten said. "Do you know why your uncle wanted to take power? What did he get out of it?"
Koyuki allowed her chin to drift down, her hands coming up to play with the cylindrical necklace resting on her chest. "He was chasing a great treasure my father possessed. I can't say if he was successful in claiming it. If he did, perhaps I'll be of no interest to him. It would be pleasant if we're being overly cautious.
"We'll slay anyone who comes for you, Princess Koyuki!" Sandayu said.
"Thank you, Sandayu," Koyuki said. "However, my mind is on the movie."
"Of course," Sandayu said. Naruto noticed he was holding the handle of his sword. "As it should be."
"Can I sneak a question in?" Naruto asked. "How are we supposed to get there?"
"The Land of Snow is an island. In my youth, my father would take us to the mainland on one of our airships, or the royal blimp," Koyuki said. "Making the trip from this direction, there's only one option. Boats."
O-O-O
She used the plural form of the word. Four days later, Naruto decided that had been misleading. There were four small, sturdy crafts designed for cresting rapids that took the group downstream from Ogawa village to the river's headwaters.
There, where the rugged terrain mellowed into a relatively fertile delta, was the Land of Mountain Streams' largest city. Kiyoko was one-half fishing port and one-half mercantile hub. Ships came into port from at least twelve different countries, mostly carrying goods to barter. The Land of Mountain Streams' two famed exports were furs and precious metals mined from the mountains. Both commodities would make the trip down the river that Koyuki's party had, reaching Kiyoko and the many awaiting merchant ships.
Chartering a ride to the Land of Snow was a challenge. Sandayu had to search Kiyoko for an entire day before finding a captain that would take the voyage on for a hefty fare. Koyuki's native country was as far north as humans dared to live. It was close to nothing and the waters were treacherous in good conditions. It was only because they found a captain who was a fan of her movies that the group didn't spend longer stranded in Kiyoko.
That was three days ago. Since then, everyone had loaded onto a single large vessel— Koyuki herself, the movie crew, Kakashi's team, the missing-nin, and a contingent of samurai guards led by Sandayu. Combined with the ship's workers, the trip was full enough to have people sleeping on the floor of the hold. Only Koyuki and the captain got their own rooms. Naruto had been through worse… but sleeping in the same room as a murderous Hyuuga had a way of making you keep one eye open, even if he could cheat and get Kyu to do it for him.
At times, the trip got so boring that Naruto jumped overboard, running along the waves. After the first two days, he didn't do that again. The waves came higher, the boat pitched harder when it lulled, and the skies turned a dismal gray darker than the shade of Kakashi's hair. All signs that they were closing in on the Land of Snow.
The highlight of these boring days were Hinata's acting lessons. With Naruto as her plus-one, Hinata visited Koyuki's cabin where the girls traded lines from printed scripts.
"You can't have him! He's mine!"
Hinata threw her arm out, crinkling the script clutched between her fingers. She filtered venom into the words as she frowned at Koyuki. Sitting on Koyuki's bed, Naruto applauded.
"You nailed that one, Hinata!" he said.
This scene had been giving Hinata trouble. If you asked her, there weren't any scenes she'd been doing particularly well with, but this was undoubtedly the worst one she and Koyuki had run through. As the women fought over a man, Hinata was supposed to verbally assault Koyuki, ending with a slap.
It took Koyuki twenty minutes to convince Hinata that it was alright to be mean to her; it was only acting. After that, Hinata's tongue caught on the words, stuttering her first five attempts. It made sense that Naruto clapped when she got it right.
"I will have him if I want him, and I want him." Koyuki tilted her chin. Her eyes were as icy as the waters overboard. She walked around Hinata, the ship's rocking doing nothing to throw her off. "He's already mine. He just doesn't know it yet."
Hinata read her next line, but there was pink in her cheeks. Her eyes darted between Naruto's grin and the script. "N-Not i-if I g-g-get him f-first!"
Koyuki sighed. She stopped prowling around Hinata, her face relaxing in an instant, and set her script down on the room's table. It was one of three pieces of furniture she had access to, along with the bed and a splintering wardrobe. Luxuries, by the ship's standards.
"First thing is first," Koyuki said. "Naruto. Out."
"You said I could watch!" Naruto whined.
"That was before I grasped the situation. Consider this an order from your employer."
"Aw, man…"
Naruto got up, hanging his head like a pouting kid, and headed for the door. Stopping once, he looked back hopefully. Koyuki pointed away and he slunk out, closing the door behind himself.
"Good. I imagine it will be easier for you to focus now," Koyuki said.
"I d-didn't mind his clapping," Hinata said.
"I was referring to the quite apparent crush you hold toward him."
Hinata dropped her script.
She quickly bent down and picked up. When she looked at the actress, she entertained the idea of objecting.
"W-Was it that obvious?" Hinata asked.
Koyuki smiled slightly. "You look at him a bit like a puppy. I don't hold it against you. He's quite handsome, despite his quirks. But forget about your crush for a moment. Let's discuss acting." Koyuki went to her bed, taking the spot that Naruto had left. She didn't bring her script with her. "Sit."
Hinata settled next to her. She waited for Koyuki to speak first, tapping her fingertips together.
"Do you want to succeed?" Koyuki asked.
"Pardon?"
"Do you want to act? Are you ready to master your role, even if it's difficult, or do you see this as something to get through? Whatever you answer, the money will still be yours. If it's the latter, that just means my judgement was flawed."
Hinata's tapping fingers slid past each other, interlocking.
"I… I want to act!" she said.
Koyuki smiled. "Is it because of Neji?"
Hinata's face made her giggle. "I'm quite insightful about these things," Koyuki said. "The best way to learn how to act starts with watching others, recognizing the ways they're different from yourself. When Neji spoke about your abilities, he made you mad."
Hinata looked down. Not because she was embarrassed, for once, but because she was upset. "Neji is my cousin. For a-as long as I can remember, he's had the t-talent I lacked, while I h-had things that I d-didn't deserve…" She turned her head, meeting Koyuki's eyes. "B-But I still don't want to be looked at like that!" She dug her thumbs into the meat of her hands. "I have my own p-problems too!"
"Then be mad," Koyuki said, pulling Hinata's attention onto her. "You're allowed to be. Anger is an excellent motivator." She smiled, showing teeth and a little bit of bite. "Trust me, I would know. It has a way of helping you throw yourself into your work with everything you have, until the feeling finally lessens."
"Does it work?" Hinata asked.
"It worked for Yukie Fujikaze. Perhaps Hinata Hyuuga can be the next?"
After a brief hesitation, Hinata grabbed her script, gripping it until her fingers dug in. "I'll do it!" she said.
Her volume surprised her, leading her to cover her mouth. Koyuki smiled. "Channel that into the scene and you'll be ready for the camera. Although, at some point, you'll have to learn to remain calm around men, or you'll never be able to finish this movie."
"I'll tune Naruto o-out!" Hinata said.
"I was thinking of the actors," Koyuki said. "Getting close to them might be a problem."
"C-Close?"
"Oh, my," Koyuki said. "Have you not heard what we're filming?"
O-O-O
When Naruto walked onto the deck, his greeting was a blast of wind straight in the face. Somehow, the wind managed to carry salty spray and flecks of ice at the same time. Naruto spat overboard to get the taste out of his mouth. He was then forced to jump back as a half-naked man charged through the place he'd been.
"Hup! Hup! Hup! Hup!" Lee said. He was running… on his hands. Only his pants were on, leaving his ripped torso exposed to the arctic breeze. It was glistening as if oiled up as a result of all the ice that had stuck to him and melted over the course of his workout.
Tenten and Neji were hunched over the prow, whispering to each other. Kakashi was all the way up in the crow's nest, reading from a bright orange book. The way he was giggling meant he must be enjoying himself, but each time he had to turn the page was a war not to lose his place.
Naruto looked up. The clouds were getting especially dark. He had to move side to side a few times to stay out of the crew's way. There were icebergs in the water, some of them taller than their ship, and picking a safe course was full-time work.
"Land!"
The first shout came from Tenten. Kakashi looked up, shielding his eye and peering forward. He saw what she had— a long dark shape bulging out of the sea, far too big to be a hunk of ice. Kakashi shut his book, stowed it in a sealable pocket, and stood up, resting his elbows on the rim of the Crow's nest. Even Lee flipped back onto his feet, standing proudly with sweat and water running down his body in equal amounts.
Naruto took a step toward the front of the boat. Overhead, the sky split.
Lightning came down. One bolt, as wide as a ship, struck the water barely five meters from the starboard side. Sailors screamed. Lee got into a taijutsu stance, ready to punch lightning.
"Be calm!"
Koyuki arrived on deck. Hinata was behind her, looking around for the source of the loud noise and, for some reason, wearing a heavy blush. Koyuki went straight for where the captain was standing, addressing the whole crew at once.
"That was nothing but a warning!" Koyuki said. "They will not sink this boat while I'm on it! If my uncle wants me dead, he'll want to see the work done. And when I've disembarked, he'll have no reason to target your vessel. Deliver me to shore and your job will be done. Do not flinch now, when you're this close!"
The sailors rallied. It was a good pep talk, made better by being delivered by a beautiful celebrity many of them harbored crushes for. As the boat steamed forward, its sails catching favorable winds, the captain looked behind them.
"Never in three decades of sailing have I seen that," he said.
In the boat's wake, two titanic icebergs drifted together as if they were being piloted. The mountains of ice hit with a heavy, loud, slow impact and locked together. The sailors didn't look as happy anymore, but they still sailed forward with all their might.
The way back was closed now. It was on to the Land of Snow or nothing.
With one big leap, Naruto jumped across the boat, landing in a crouch on the tip of the prow. He lifted one hand, making a beckoning gesture with his fingers. "Bring it on!"
Somewhere behind him, Lee bellowed. "What a youthful sentiment!"