Chapter 471: Adding Special Effects
Half a month later.
Leaning against the wooden railing on the right side of the large ship, Ryo leisurely observed the production crew filming. There were no fight scenes scheduled on the ship, so his services as a special effects artist weren't required for the time being.
Of course, Ryo couldn't bring himself to watch those lowbrow, childish plots. He mainly watched Tsukika's acting; her cuteness added a lot of charm to the movie—at least, that's what Ryo thought.
"Oh! Is that an iceberg?!" Naruto's sudden exclamation echoed from the other side.
Although the Land of Whirlpools also bordered the ocean, those waters didn't harbor any icebergs.
The Land of Snow was considered the northernmost nation in the entire shinobi world. On the continental map, the Land of Earth was in the northwest, the Land of Lightning was in the northeast, and the body of water between them was shaped like a 'U'.
After half a month of traveling and passing through five or six large and small countries, the group had finally arrived at this sea between the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning. The Land of Snow was situated slightly further north.
"There's probably about a day left of the journey," Ryo murmured softly to himself.
"Senior," Kakashi walked over, tightening his heavy coat. "The Land of Snow is as cold as ever."
Ryo smiled, "What, do you need the Great Ancestor to add a special effect to keep you warm?"
Kakashi shook his head, "Aren't you curious about what I did the last time I came to the Land of Snow? Or how I know 'Princess Gale'?"
"Not curious."
Kakashi: "..."
Over the past half-month, only the three students had repeatedly asked 'Kakashi-sensei, how on earth do you know Princess Gale?' Ryo wasn't curious at all, which was completely unlike his usual personality...
Left with no choice, Kakashi initiated the story himself: "When I was twelve years old, I received a mission issued by the then-Daimyo of the Land of Snow, Sosetsu Kazahana. The mission was to escort his daughter, Koyuki Kazahana, to escape the Land of Snow. It all started because a rebellion broke out..."
"Oh," Ryo's expression remained flat.
Kakashi massaged his temples and picked up his pacing, glossing over the dangers of being pursued while escorting Koyuki Kazahana before getting to the main point: "At that time, to comfort Koyuki Kazahana, I told her that when I had the power in the future, I would suppress the rebellion in the Land of Snow for her..."
Ryo raised his eyebrows, "Yo, not bad, Kakashi. Aside from Hanare, there's also a Koyuki Kazahana? No wonder Hanare has been chasing you for so many years and you haven't given a definitive answer. But you were twelve... was Koyuki Kazahana even as old as Tsukika back then?"
Kakashi given a subtle pause, "Senior, as expected, nothing can be hidden from you. You guessed instantly that Yukie Fujikaze is Koyuki Kazahana!"
Ryo chuckled sneakily, before quickly straightening his expression: "If there's something you want, just say it. Stop trying to flatter the two of us... flatter this Sage!"
Kakashi ran a hand through his hair, "As a Konoha ninja, I cannot interfere in the internal affairs of the Land of Snow. However, if they actively attack the client who commissioned my mission, resolving them along the way shouldn't pose any issues."
"Quite sly!"
"...There is also a small matter that requires your assistance. The usurper, Doto Kazahana, joined the Akatsuki organization two years ago on behalf of the Land of Snow, so he is currently the ruler of the Land of Snow recognized by Akatsuki..."
"Heh," Ryo let out a soft laugh, not offering an immediate agreement. "If Koyuki Kazahana truly becomes the Queen of the Land of Snow, are you... preparing to marry into her family?"
Kakashi froze. Before he could voice a reply, their focus was drawn away by a loud shout from the eccentric director: "Cool~! This is simply a magnificent setting bestowed upon us by the God of Cinema! Everyone prepare to land!"
"Senior, that is..."
A colossal ice island had abruptly manifested directly in front of the large ship, blocking their path.
"Your opponents have arrived. Prepare to handle them; the Great Ancestor is only responsible for adding special effects," Ryo responded with a smile.
The large ship slowly docked along the shores of the ice island, and the production crew members disembarked one after another to land.
"Great Ancestor! Great Ancestor! The time to add special effects has arrived. In a bit, you just need to..."
"Mmm, no problem!"
The old actor playing the Demon King stood on a high peak of the iceberg, looking down at Koyuki with a sinister grin: "Ngh-heh-heh, have you finally come here? Princess Gale! Oh? There is also a familiar face. Isn't this Princess Tsukika of the fallen Land of Heaven?"
"Pfft... cough cough, my apologies. The Great Ancestor truly couldn't hold it in," Ryo burst into laughter, repeatedly waving his hand in apology.
Princess Tsukika... was Tsukika supposed to deliver a line like 'In the name of the Moon, I will punish you' next?
The director didn't mind either, "Don't laugh next time, Great Ancestor. Come! All departments prepare, we will shoot it one more time. Everyone's condition was quite good just now!"
Consequentially, the Demon King repeated his agonizingly awkward lines all over again, and Ryo had a very hard time suppressing his laughter...
"It's you! Demon King!"
"Princess! Get back quickly!"
"We'll deal with him!"
"Humph!" The Demon King let out a cold snort, extending his hand to point toward another distant icy peak: "No matter how many minor underlings come, it's completely useless!"
"Great Ancestor, quick, the special effect..." the director urged in a low whisper.
Ryo paused for a fraction of a second, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly: "He pointed damn accurately. Consider it your bad luck!"
BOOM!!!
The icy peak the Demon King pointed at exploded instantly. A localized mushroom cloud slowly rose, dragging the entire ice island into a violent tremor!
"Cool~! Great Ancestor, this special effect of yours is truly spectacular... Eh?"
Thud!
A man clad in strange armor suddenly descended from the sky, crashing heavily onto the ice surface right in front of the group. His limbs twitched and struggled a couple of times, but he failed to scramble back up...
Kakashi massaged his temples. He recognized at a single glance that the man in front of them was the leader of the trio that had pursued him and Koyuki Kazahana back in the day—Nadare Roga. Was he blasted out by the special effect?
At a time like this, the difference between professional and non-professional actors manifested. Tsukika was entirely dazed, but the old actor playing the Demon King seized the opportunity to add to his own performance: "Ngh-heh-heh, is this also one of your companions? Trying to launch a surprise attack on me? Far too naive!"
Naruto, who was about to noisily protest, froze, "Oh? Was this arranged beforehand?"
"Idiot."
"What did you—"
"Stop bickering, Naruto, Sasuke-kun. It seems an active accident has occurred?"
Koyuki Kazahana also recognized Nadare Roga, making it impossible to carry on acting. As a veteran performer, the Demon King couldn't let the performance 'die on stage': "Ngh-heh-heh, left with nothing to say? Princess Gale!"
Ryo could not help but admire his professionalism...
Right at this moment, another anomaly struck. The ice surface beside Nadare Roga suddenly fractured open with a massive hole, and a colossal fat man who truly lived up to his name, Mizore Fuyuma, scrambled out: "Big Brother! Are you alright?"
Seeing that Nadare Roga appeared to have slipped into a coma, Mizore Fuyuma decisively hoisted him onto his back: "Fubuki! Big Brother was ambushed, cover our retreat!"
This was anything but brotherly devotion; he merely intended to use the female ninja named Fubuki Kakuyoku as a human shield... Sure enough, that sharp shout successfully drew everyone's focus behind them, where a female ninja with a terrible expression manifested in their line of sight.
"Sasuke, Naruto!" Kakashi gave a low bark. Following that, silver light flashed. A distance of a hundred meters was crossed by him in a single fraction of a second, and he materialized directly in front of Fubuki Kakuyoku while maintaining a raised blade stance.
Fubuki Kakuyoku's pupils dilated, the armor around her body shattered, and fresh blood erupted from her waist. Failing to utter a single word, she plunged headfirst to the ground.
Hearing Kakashi's shout, Sasuke understood his intent instantly, using Body Flicker to intercept the two fleeing targets. Naruto paused for a fraction of a second before hurriedly keeping pace.
"Brat, get out of the way..."
CRACK!!!
The ice island vibrated violently. Commencing from the exact point Kakashi's blade was aimed at, a massive fissure steadily extended until the entire ice island fractured into two clean halves!
"Oh! Cool~! Did we capture that?!" The director, who had nearly plunged into the ocean, was still screaming at the top of his lungs.
Kakashi stood securely and sheathed his blade, letting out two long breaths. He looked at Fubuki Kakuyoku's corpse sinking into the ocean in absolute silence.
"Senior, this special effect... sigh!"
☆☆☆
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