["So before I knew it... ten whole years had already passed..."
In the familiar room, scattered sunlight streamed through the window lattice and spilled across the floorboards. Kakashi stepped slowly through the shifting patches of light and shadow as he entered.
He first cast a gentle gaze toward Kazahana Koyuki, who was still asleep on the bed. Then he picked up the hexagonal crystal resting on the table and, his voice thick with remembrance, murmured softly to himself.
"Mr. Hatake, we've reached the harbor."
At that moment, Asama Sandayū's steady voice came from the doorway.
Hearing him, Kakashi carefully set the crystal back in its place, turned, and followed after Sandayū, the two of them walking together toward the meeting room.
Their conversation never stopped the whole way there.
"Sandayū, there are some things... you already know the truth about, aren't there?"
"Yes, Mr. Hatake."
"Then you should also be able to foresee what kind of situation she'll be walking into when she returns to the Land of Snow."
"Yes. I saw it coming long ago."
Sandayū's steps slowed slightly, and a trace of helplessness appeared on his face. He nodded slowly.
"But this ancient kingdom is on the verge of collapse. The people need Her Highness. I have no other choice... this is the only way."
By the time they finished speaking, the two had already reached the door to the director's meeting room. When they pushed it open, the core members of the film crew, along with Naruto and the others, were already waiting inside.
Naruto, sitting in the corner, happened to catch the tail end of their conversation. He scratched his head and let out a casual laugh.
"Sandayū-ossan, aren't you getting a little too immersed in the act?"
"That lady is just Princess Fūun in the movie. She's not a real princess."
"No, Naruto. She really is a true princess."
Kakashi shook his head lightly, correcting him. Then he looked around at the curious faces in the room and explained:
"The actress you've all been calling Fujikaze Yukie is only using a stage name. Her true identity is the rightful heir to the country we're about to visit—the Land of Snow's Princess Kazahana Koyuki."
"Huh?!"
The moment those words were spoken, Naruto's eyes went wide, and Sakura clapped a hand over her mouth. Both of them wore expressions of utter disbelief.
Only Sasuke remained calm, as if he had already suspected the truth. Clearly, he had already guessed something about Koyuki's identity before this.
At that point, Asama Sandayū also began to speak, his tone carrying a hint of recollection.
"I once served by the princess's side for a time. She was still very young back then, so even if she doesn't remember me now, that would hardly be strange."
"Mr. Sandayū, were you from the Land of Snow too?" Sakura asked, even more astonished now, unable to keep herself from following up.]**
—"Seriously? So even Kazahana Koyuki didn't know Asama Sandayū's real identity? I honestly thought the two of them had escaped from the Land of Snow together and had been relying on each other ever since. Turns out I was way off."
—"Yeah, same here... I thought Sandayū was some loyal retainer who'd stayed by the princess's side the whole time. I didn't expect her to not even know who he really was. That twist caught me off guard."
—"If you really think about it from Koyuki's point of view, Sandayū does look pretty suspicious. Setting aside the fact that he signed the sequel contract behind her back, she clearly refused, even ran away in breach of contract, and yet he still hired samurai and even brought in Konoha ninja to drag her back. If it were anyone else, they'd probably think the old man had bad intentions too."
—"Don't jump to conclusions too quickly. Sandayū might have his reasons. Didn't you hear what he said just now? The people of the Land of Snow need Her Highness. And even Kazahana Doto, the usurper himself, specially sent Snow ninja to bring the princess back. There's obviously more to this than meets the eye."
—"Um... I've been thinking about this for a while, can I ask something? What does it feel like to need to poop?"
—"..."
...
While the viewers were still busily debating Sandayū's true motives in the comments, the images on the light screen did not pause for even a moment, continuing onward at their usual pace.
["Yes. I once served the former ruler of the Land of Snow, Lord Kazahana Sōsetsu."
Following Sakura's question, Asama Sandayū slowly revealed his true identity. Then, changing course, he began to recount the coup d'état ten years earlier that had changed the fate of the Land of Snow forever.
"The Land of Snow may not have been large, but it was a peaceful and tranquil kingdom. Lord Sōsetsu was also a gentle ruler. Under his governance, not only did the country avoid the turmoil of the ninja wars, but the people were able to live and work in peace."
"But ten years ago, on that fateful day, Lord Sōsetsu's younger brother—that traitor Doto—secretly hired Snow ninja to launch a rebellion and seized the throne through bloody means."
"At the end of that uprising, even the royal capital, Kazahana Castle, collapsed in a sea of flames. Back then, when I saw that inferno, I believed all along that Her Highness had perished in that disaster... that she was already gone from this world."
After hearing this, Kakashi immediately picked up where Sandayū left off and explained what had happened back then.
"When the rebellion broke out in the Land of Snow, they sent a request for Konoha's aid. The one ordered to go there as reinforcement was me."
"But at that time, I was still not strong enough to oppose Nadare Rōga. If I had chosen to fight him head-on, the last surviving royal bloodline would only have been put in even greater danger. So I had no choice but to retreat and flee the Land of Snow with Princess Koyuki."
When he heard that, Asama Sandayū cast Kakashi a deeply grateful look.
Then, unable to suppress the emotion in his heart, he broke down in tears on the spot, choking as he spoke of how overwhelming his joy had been when he found the princess again after so many years—after believing he would never see her again in this life.
But just then, an untimely voice suddenly came from the doorway:
"It would've been better... if I hadn't survived back then."
Everyone turned toward the sound, only to discover Kazahana Koyuki leaning against the doorframe, watching everyone in the room with lifeless eyes.
Seeing her in that state, Asama Sandayū instinctively stepped forward, wanting to say something encouraging, to help her gather her spirit again.
But Koyuki remained utterly unmoved by his attempt at comfort, still wearing that same empty, lifeless expression.
In the end, Sandayū could only abandon the idea of encouraging her for the moment and instead slowly began explaining how he had gradually become Fujikaze Yukie's manager over the years.
And as his account became clearer and clearer, the production manager—who was also in the meeting room—finally put the whole picture together.
Realizing that from signing the sequel contract to planning the entire journey, the whole film production had been used as a cover to escort Kazahana Koyuki back to the Land of Snow, he immediately felt a wave of displeasure rise inside him.
But when he turned and saw that the director merely nodded in silence, with no intention of pursuing the matter, he could only force his anger back down and swallow his dissatisfaction, letting the issue rest for the time being.
On the other side, Kakashi had already sorted out the chain of events. Wasting no time on any further preamble, he looked directly at Asama Sandayū and pressed him on the core issue once again:
"I understand the general situation now. But earlier, you said that the Land of Snow is on the verge of collapse. What exactly did you mean by that?"]**
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 175)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 119)
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?" (Chapter79)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter125)
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 73
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 55
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 66
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 64
The Way the Umamusume Look at 63
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 55
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 45
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 31
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 31
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 31
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