Leaving aside the details of how Xuanqing intended to carry out his plan of turning fiction into reality—
at this very moment, Kazahana Doto, standing inside the royal hall of the Land of Snow, was staring at the version of himself on the light screen. The moment he saw that utterly deranged future self, his face instantly filled with helpless confusion.
To be fair, the moment he had first seen Kazahana Koyuki appear in the video, he had already sensed something coming.
But only now, upon seeing it with his own eyes, did he realize how woefully insufficient that mental preparation had been. He simply had not expected that the self shown by the light screen would have changed to such an extreme degree.
And what was worse—
judging from the direction of the story currently unfolding, the mysterious light screen seemed to be peeling away the disguises hiding the truth, bit by bit, exposing all the sordid and shameful acts he had committed back then.
If things were really going the way he feared, then this was bad. Very bad.
After all, the only reason he had been able to take the position of ruler of the Land of Snow in the first place was because he had won over the Snow ninja to his side—and, in the end, murdered his own elder brother with his own hands to seize power.
If all of that were fully exposed, then not only would the daimyō of neighboring lands seize the opportunity to make trouble, but even the dissatisfied nobles, old ministers, and members of the royal house within his own country—those who had already long resented him—would surely rise in rebellion.
And if that happened, his position would become dangerously unstable.
The more he thought about it, the uglier Kazahana Doto's expression became. The curiosity he had initially felt toward the light screen disappeared completely, leaving behind only cold wariness and blazing fury at the way the situation was slipping out of his control.
[Deep within the palace, cloaked in darkness, large, fluffy flakes of snow drifted down from the pitch-black sky, adding flickers of pale white to this bleak land shrouded in gloom.
"Father, where are you?"
The young Kazahana Koyuki, dressed in a splendid princess gown, wandered alone through the silent corridors of the palace, searching for her father, Kazahana Sōsetsu.
"Father?"
When she reached a dark chamber in the palace so still that only breathing could be heard, Koyuki finally made out the familiar figure by the faint candlelight burning at her father's side.
"Ah, Koyuki. Come here." Noticing the tiny figure standing at the doorway, Kazahana Sōsetsu smiled gently and beckoned to his daughter.
Koyuki obediently answered and gathered up the hem of her dress, stepping carefully into the chamber.
She had barely come to a stop when the scene before her drew her attention. Before her stood smooth, polished rectangular mirrors arranged in orderly intervals, their surfaces gleaming faintly in the candlelight.
"Yes, stand right there."
Just as Koyuki stared with wide, curious eyes at the neatly arranged mirrors, Kazahana Sōsetsu's voice sounded again, guiding her to the central spot encircled by them.
Once his daughter was standing in place, Kazahana Sōsetsu slowly walked to her side, bent down, and asked softly, "Do you see anything?"
"Father... and me." Koyuki answered brightly, her eyes fixed on the reflections of herself and her father in the mirrors.
"Look more carefully. These are mirrors that can show the future."
Hearing her father say that, Kazahana Koyuki immediately perked up and focused once more on the mirror surfaces.
At that moment, it was as though she truly glimpsed the future through them.
There was a palace courtyard engulfed in blazing fire, the blurred figures of unfamiliar ninja locked in fierce combat, and her own body sinking little by little into the icy depths of the sea...
And at the very end, all the images suddenly faded away, freezing into a silence of utter darkness.]
—"The more I watch, the stranger this gets. First there was that never-before-heard-of Phantom Demon Emperor statue, and now this seemingly meaningless memory from Kazahana Koyuki's childhood. Just how many secrets is the Land of Snow hiding?"
—"All I can say is, the Land of Snow clearly isn't simple. According to the records I've found, this nation can be traced back over ten thousand years. It's older than many ancient countries, so it wouldn't be strange if it really did hide secrets unknown to the world."
—"Wait! The Land of Snow has a history of over ten thousand years? Doesn't that make it even older than the current Five Great Nations?"
—"Hey, are you seriously buying this stuff? If you ask me, this light screen is just propaganda put together by Konoha to promote its own ninja. Don't forget the Raikage's earlier denunciation! This whole thing is probably just a bunch of lies fabricated by Konoha to elevate itself!"
—"Heh. Let me tell you a little rumor: the village I'm in has already sent several jōnin to the Land of Snow. If this were really fake, I don't think the old men in charge would bother doing something so meaningless. They're far too shrewd for that."
—"Damn it! Just which village are you from? Aren't you afraid of being punished for leaking your village's movements like that?!"
...
[The scene shifted, and the light screen's perspective changed to some early morning hour.
Warm, golden sunlight filtered through the wooden window lattice, scattering mottled light across the room. Stirred awake by that gentle warmth, Kazahana Koyuki lazily lifted a hand and rubbed her sleepy eyes.
Knock, knock...
A crisp knock suddenly sounded at the door, followed immediately by the gentle voice of Asama Sandayū from outside:
"Miss Yukie, are you awake?"
"Sandayū, please bring me some water."
Kazahana Koyuki slowly sat up on the bed, one hand lightly pressing against her dizzy forehead. Her voice carried obvious discomfort.
"Why does my head feel so light and spinny...? Maybe it's just in my head, but it feels like the whole room is still rocking."
"Actually, Miss Yukie, it's not just in your head."
Hearing that, Asama Sandayū did not hide anything. Carrying in a kettle of water, he pushed open the door and answered calmly.
"What?!"
At those words, Kazahana Koyuki froze, her eyes filling with astonishment.
Then, as if suddenly realizing something, she scrambled out of bed, stumbled to the door, and shoved it open—only to discover that she was standing aboard a ship already in motion.
"Th-What... what is going on here?!"
As Kazahana Koyuki's disbelieving cry rang out, the time in the scene quietly advanced by several hours.
And so, in this sequel film, the storyline aboard the ship formally entered its shooting countdown under the director's coordination and the smooth cooperation of the whole crew.
During this time, Kakashi stood beside the film crew with his students, while Naruto sat on the ground, staring blankly at Kazahana Koyuki as she underwent her makeup. Then he muttered softly to himself:
"No good... I'm still not very good at dealing with that big sister..."
"What silly thing are you saying now, Naruto?"
Kakashi could hardly pretend he had not heard that. He immediately closed the copy of Icha Icha Paradise in his hand and lectured him:
"No matter what happens, you have to protect her properly. This is a very important mission."
"An important mission?"
"Yes. This is an A-rank mission, the kind only a small number of elite ninja are even qualified to accept. You can't approach it with a careless attitude."
"A... A-rank mission!?"
At those words, both Naruto and Sakura showed obvious shock. Clearly, they had never expected this escort mission to carry such a high classification.
"I don't see why protecting a mere actress would be all that difficult." At that moment, Sasuke, who had been leaning against the ship's railing and gazing out over the sea, slowly turned around and stated his opinion bluntly.
"Don't get careless, Sasuke."
Kakashi turned his gaze toward him and patiently continued the lecture:
"Famous actors always stand in the spotlight. They don't just attract fans—they also attract people with ulterior motives. Trouble comes easily."
"And besides, this time we know absolutely nothing about the potential threat. We're in a situation where the enemy is hidden and we are exposed. If we let our guard down even a little, the mission could very well end in failure."]
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 172)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 116)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter69)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter119)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 60
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 40
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 66
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 50
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 52
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 55
The Way the Umamusume Look at 42
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 40
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 36
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 30
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 26
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 26
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