[Hanabi Kimono — Battle Mode: Increases attention by 5% during combat; all stats boosted by 10%]
"Battle Mode, huh..."
Hanabi already had a ninja outfit to fight in.
But what performer would ever complain about having too many costumes?
Though the item had been "upgraded," its quality hadn't changed—still four-star, not five.
After activating Battle Mode, Hanabi's body felt remarkably light, and her outfit transformed with it. The kimono became far more form-fitting; the shoulders shifted to an off-shoulder cut, and the long skirt shortened. Unnecessary fabric had been trimmed away across the whole garment, with quite a few red cords added as restraints.
A kimono, in truth, was dreadful for combat movement—and yet Hanabi found herself completely unimpeded.
More importantly, she noticed she had grown stronger. Literally faster, literally stronger.
But what did "the passing Root" mean?
"Thank you very much, Sensei." Hanabi turned and expressed her gratitude to Shiki Ryougi.
"Well, I didn't really do much. Though—you still have a few lessons left on your schedule. When you come by for class, come play with Mana too. She seems to be quite fond of you."
"Understood."
In the end, this etiquette lesson had taught Hanabi very little about etiquette.
Or rather—the moment she understood that her own posture was performance, while Shiki's was simply living, she finally saw what she had been missing.
She had never truly internalized her craft.
"...Back again."
She pushed open the door of Shiki Ryougi's home and stepped through—and the Naruto world folded back around her, her own house standing just ahead.
"Next up is the promotion mission."
Hanabi had kept a reserve of a hundred thousand popularity points, saving them for this very moment.
—Would the mission take place here, in this world? Or would it send her somewhere else?
What kind of task? What goal?
She had no idea.
But an idol faces every obstacle head-on.
"Bring it on~"
[Promotion application submitted]
[Party B is drafting proposals]
[Proposal A: Ninja's Fate Stage — PASS]
[Proposal B: Ishura — Dimensional All-Star Brawl — PASS]
[Proposal C: A Slice-of-Life Story Caused by Prolonged Vegetarianism — PASS]
[Proposal D: The Girl Who Sees Ghosts — PASS]
[...]
[Proposal A re-evaluated]
[Final proposal confirmed]
[Test Designation: Ninja Aspirant's Trial]
[Test Location: Current World]
[Test Background: The destined child of the ninja world is approaching their first critical turning point. Amid this pivotal moment in fate, show your brilliance! A qualified performer is one who can influence the story's direction—and make the camera follow them.]
[Test Objective: In the upcoming "Land of Waves" fate event, cause a destiny deviation of greater than 10%. On that basis, gain the attention of at least 10,000 fans.]
[During the promotion test, you will be granted partial supporting-character treatment. As you alter fate, the Dimensional Popularity Stage will provide maximum assistance.]
"So after going through all those proposals... they still landed on Proposal A?"
Hanabi turned the promotion test's conditions over in her mind.
Moving from extra to supporting character—even a minor one—meant acquiring a measurable degree of influence: the power to shift the plot through her own actions. That was its own kind of achievement.
But the Dimensional Popularity Stage didn't issue missions to change the world. It issued them to make idols shine. Changing the world was simply the natural consequence of an idol having that kind of presence.
"And then there's 'fans'—what exactly is that?"
[Once you become a supporting character, you will no longer be an anonymous extra. The audience will begin to notice you, becoming your fans. This benefits both popularity point acquisition and merchandise sales. A performer's fan count is also a direct reflection of their popularity and strength.]
"My, my—how interesting."
Hanabi's overall impact on the Naruto world had been relatively modest up to this point.
Not because she had no desire to shake things up—but because as a minor supporting character, she'd had little leverage over the grand sweep of history. Her approach had been indirect: nudging events from the margins, one careful push at a time.
But if the Stage was granting her this much latitude this time around...
Well, don't blame her for causing trouble.
"The main story thread coming up is the Land of Waves."
"My current strength... dealing with Haku should be manageable. But Zabuza—that might be a little tricky."
If she fully activated her Byakugan and went all-out, fighting him wasn't impossible.
But that wasn't enough.
"If I resonate with Master Jingliu, though..."
Back when she'd used Summoning to call forth the ice-crystal Jingliu, she'd felt it clearly.
If she activated Summoning first and then initiated resonance, she could merge Jingliu's power directly into herself.
What Jingliu had once called "becoming one."
There was a risk, however. Jingliu was troubled by the mara-struck condition—something like a killing impulse, a demonic temptation of the mind. Merging with her would impose a significant psychological burden on Hanabi.
"Oh, right—if I appear before the audience under a different identity to draw their attention, how does that count toward fans?"
[As long as it is still you, it counts.]
"That works out nicely, then."
Hanabi looked down at her character inheritance cards.
These cards had given her an idea.
It was like how Aizen just slicked back his hair and instantly became a completely different person—transforming her own appearance was actually quite simple.
When she resonated with Jingliu, her hair would turn white, her Byakugan would shift to crimson from the influx of power, and the nature of her chakra would mutate entirely.
Add a different hairstyle. Swap the eye-covering veil for a mask. That was a new alias, right there. Far more convincing than simply using the Star Rail Sparkle's illusions.
"Actually—could I register a wholly fictional persona?"
[During the promotion test, requests to take on additional performance roles may be submitted. However, the crew and Stage will not provide supplementary services.]
[All additional content must be logically consistent and must not cause OOC. Content that diverges from the source material will not be approved.]
Hanabi understood, more or less.
She could go out and play another character—but the Stage wouldn't grant her a ready-made identity. She'd have to build it herself. And since this world was real, constructing a new persona meant pulling off a deception against the entire world.
But... wasn't that exactly the sort of challenge worth taking on?
A true idol never backs down from a challenge.
"The Land of Waves mission is probably still a while off. I should have time to prepare in advance."
The Land of Waves arc was probably set for April. From November through March was nearly half a year.
Hanabi had originally planned to concentrate on clearing the promotion test—but with all this time suddenly opening up before her, things had turned out differently than expected.
"It's a shame there's no broadcast to generate more popularity points in the meantime."
As for fans—that would come after the Land of Waves arc anyway.
"Stage—is there any way for the audience to appreciate my dazzling everyday presence?"
[Based on story development, the Stage will adjust the broadcast schedule and add or remove episodes accordingly.]
[After a successful promotion, permissions will expand—or can be expanded through the Popularity Shop, appearance fees, and other reward channels.]
[Additionally, for storylines requiring flashback coverage, the Stage will conduct supplemental filming.]
[Under certain conditions—specific scene triggers, personal requests, or sponsorship—a 24-hour reality broadcast can be unlocked.]
The Stage was remarkably diligent—it had immediately offered several options.
That last one, the uninterrupted live broadcast, was something else entirely. Still, Hanabi didn't think a 24-hour stream would perform especially well. A proper episode compressed one event into roughly twenty minutes, keeping the pacing tight—but stretching things across a full day was another matter.
"Though if it were everyday slice-of-life content... that could actually work."
And there might well be viewers who just loved watching cute girls go about their day.
"First, survey the current situation in the Land of Waves. Then build a plan from there."