Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow- part one
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but I do own Akemi.
Summary: Akemi Nakahara is back! You've watched her journey through the series, and now watch as she navigates her way through the movies.
GUESS WHOSE BACK!
Just like I promised, I said I would be doing the movies. I am sorry that it has taken this long but I have been absolutely swamped with university.
This movie is going to be happening around the Chapter 20 of the Retelling of Naruto and Itachi is back in Konoha. If you haven't read my Prequel, then go read it now! It's not integral to this story but it will make more sense if you did. At this point, Akemi and everyone is around 13 years old again. Hope this doesn't confuse anyone going backwards!
NARUTO SHIPPUDEN
That morning I got up, I felt like something was different. The air around me seemed different than it usually had, which unnerved me. I felt something was going to happen, but I didn't know what. I shook my head and pushed this feeling aside, knowing that it would all make sense soon. I stood at the Training Ground seven meeting point along with my teammates. I was sitting in a tree, reading through a scroll while I was waiting for Kakashi to arrive. I hadn't seen Haku that morning because he was on a mission – a long one at that. Haku had already been gone for a few weeks now and I was already beginning to miss him. Naruto had been staying over for the past few weeks too to keep me company. I hadn't seen much of Sasuke in those weeks because of how much time he was spending with Itachi. I didn't blame the young Uchiha either, Sasuke was just making up for all the lost time with his older brother ever since Itachi had returned to the village.
Naruto groaned from where he was standing. "Where is he?" He was sitting on the bridge with an unhappy expression on his face. He slowly began rubbing his eyes as he let out a big yawn.
"He's the one who told us to be here," Sakura grumbled, looking very irritated.
Sasuke frowned but didn't react. He was leaning against the fence with a blank expression. But, I could tell that even he was beginning to get a little irritated.
I silently sighed from my perch in the tree. Kakashi had sent a message to each of us that morning, telling us to meet at our usual meeting spot. He told us he had a surprise for us which made me very sceptical. I cared for Kakashi like family, but that didn't mean I fully trusted his little surprises. Kakashi could be really sadistic when he wanted too.
After a few more moments of silence, Kakashi appeared in a cloud of smoke. "Yo." He said, giving his useful half-hearted greeting.
"You're late!" Sakura yelled at him, sending him an accusing glare.
Kakashi tilted his head, feigning innocence. "I am?"
Rolling my eyes, I jumped down from my perch in the tree. "You're a terrible liar," I said sounding playful. I landed right next to Naruto – who looked half-asleep – and Sasuke. Naruto began leaning on me, falling into a deeper sleep. I let him lean against me, just letting him sleep. I and Naruto had been up all night training with one another. I was used to pulling all-nighters were as Naruto wasn't. I did feel guilty for keeping Naruto up at night and I knew that I was going to have to make it up to him.
"What's the surprise?" Sasuke asked, sparing a glance at Naruto and then Kakashi.
Kakashi smiled under his mask. "I had to pick up these." He said, reaching into his pocket and producing four cinema tickets. He then handed it to each of us. Kakashi gave Naruto's ticket to me to keep hold of as Naruto was currently out of it.
I looked at the ticket. Ever since I had come to this universe, I hadn't really visited the cinema much. I was always too busy with training or something just came up. Naruto and Haku had been multiple times and they were always trying to convince me into going with them. However, I would always refuse and let them to it. Going to the cinema seemed to be one of the many ways Naruto and Haku bonded, other than training. It was something they both liked to do and I didn't really want to intrude on that. Naruto did view Haku as an older brother, much like I did.
"The Unlucky Princess…" I mumbled the title softly. There was something about the title that was very familiar but I couldn't place my finger on it.
Sakura looked at the ticket with confusion. "Why are you giving us these?" She was sending our sensei a sceptical look with her narrowed eyes.
"I'm not going." Sasuke immediately denied, handing the ticket back. He would much rather spend his time training than seeing a pointless movie.
Sakura looked at Sasuke. "If Sasuke-kun isn't going then neither am I!" She announced with a determined look in her eyes. She spared a glance at me and Naruto; secretly hoping we would go to the cinema and she could spend some time with her precious Sasuke.
I rolled my eyes, knowing her intentions.
Kakashi sighed. "How ungrateful. But I need you to see this movie, as it is part of our next mission. Just think about it as preparation." He said with a smirk under his mask. Without another word, Kakashi disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
I frowned and look at the ticket again.
"This is a waste of time," Sasuke said, looking agitated.
Naruto mumbled something under his breath but continued to sleep. Sasuke spared a glance in his direction. "What's up with the dobe?" He asked, looking at me.
I grinned at him sheepishly. "Naruto-kun and I kind of got caught up in training last night," I admitted, feeling guilty. I had wanted Naruto to train with me because I wanted to get a jutsu right as I had been having some difficulty with it. Naruto had been more than willing to help me but we got carried away and had completely forgotten about sleep. Usually, when we did this, Haku would be there to remind us to sleep, but he wasn't there.
Sasuke's eye twitched.
"Idiots. Who trains at night?" Sakura scoffed loudly.
I stared at Sakura with a deadpan expression. "Ninjas." It still amazed me that even after everything we had been through, that Sakura refused to put any extra effort into her training. The Chunin Exams had done nothing for her motivation and she was still seriously lacking in everything.
"Next time, ask me," Sasuke said with a smirk, completely ignoring Sakura's outraged gasp. "I'm sure the dobe wasn't much of a challenge." He smirked in Naruto's direction, knowing that the Uzumaki could hear him.
"Teme," Naruto grumbled lowly, glaring at Sasuke. He had just woken up from his little nap and didn't appreciate what he was hearing.
I stared at Sasuke with slight amazement. Sasuke Uchiha wanted to spend time with me and Naruto. Only recently had Sasuke been trying to make an effort with us and had been acting less of a douche. That was mainly because his goals had recently shifted and he no longer wanted to become an avenger. But I still wasn't used to this new side. However, I did find that I liked this side of Sasuke a lot more than his avenger side. I had been worried at first that he would still try to avenge his fallen Clan, but Itachi seemed to have put a stop to that. I was extremely thankful for that because I didn't have a plan b in all honesty.
"If Sasuke-kun is in then so am I!" Sakura announced with fire in her emerald eyes.
"You aren't invited," I said back instantly, not wanting Sakura to disturb my training time. Yes, I wanted Sakura to improve, but I didn't want her ruining my training. Spending time with her now was a hassle. The time I spent training was usually my outlet for any pent-up emotions that I was bottling up. There was just something so satisfying about punching the living hell out of a tree or even stabbing it multiple times with a kunai. If Sakura was there, she would spend her time trying and failing to impress Sasuke and I didn't want to put up with that.
Sakura glared at me with a venomous expression.
Naruto stood on his own, no longer needing to lean against me. "The movie should be starting within the next twenty minutes." He said, a grin forming on his face. Naruto loved going to the cinema now. As a child, the owners wouldn't let him through – even when he had bought a ticket. But now he had people to go with and he was never turned away. When Naruto had first gone to the cinema with Haku, the owner did try and send Naruto away, but Haku has stood up for him. Naruto didn't realise how scary Haku could be up until that point. Now Naruto could go to the cinema whenever he liked.
"Race ya!" I shouted while running in the direction of the cinema.
"You're on!" Naruto yelled out as he began running after me.
Sakura sighed. "They are such children." She muttered and then looked at Sasuke for approval, only to find Sasuke grinning as he too sped off.
"Hey!" She shouted in outrage, also running in the direction of the cinema.
Around ten minutes later, we all sat in the cinema. I had ended up winning the little race, with Sasuke right on my heels and Naruto right behind him. Sakura had been a few minutes behind all of us and we had to wait for her. Naruto had been whining because he really wanted a good seat for the movie. Luckily, we managed to find a seat and I was surprised to see how packed the cinema was. I sat down with Naruto on my left and Sasuke on my right. Sakura sat right next to Sasuke, smiling very happily. The movie began to play and the first person I saw was a woman. The woman had long black hair with bangs that swept on each side of her face and light blue-coloured eyes. She was shown to wear makeup such as pink eyeshadow and red lipstick. My eyes widened when I saw the woman, it was Koyuki Kazahana, the lost princess of the Land of Snow. I tensed up when I realised what was happening. We were in the first movie. But some part of me was really excited because back in my world, this had been my favourite Naruto movie to watch.
Sasuke glanced over in my direction. He had seen my reaction from the corner of his eyes. He looked at me with a curious expression. I pointed to my eyes, silently asking him to activate his Sharingan. For a moment, I didn't know if he understood me, but then I saw Sasuke's eyes change from onyx to red.
'This will be our next mission.' I mouthed to him, a smirk growing on my face.
Sasuke looked even more confused, but he didn't question me.
Feeling someone glaring at me, I leaned forward to find Sakura glaring at me with hatred in her eyes. I rolled my eyes in exasperation and sat back in my seat, getting comfortable. I felt someone tap my shoulder, and I turned to see Naruto looking at me in confusion. He wanted to know what was happening.
I leaned over in my seat. "Watch this closely," I whispered lowly into Naruto's ear.
For a moment, Naruto still looked confused, but he soon shrugged his shoulders and went back to watching the film.
I smirked in my seat and watched the film closely. In the movie, I was only able to see snip bits of the film Koyuki played in. But actually seeing Koyuki act almost made me forget about her bad attitude that we were going to see.
"She's so cool," Naruto whispered over to me, his eyes wide with excitement.
Looking over to the Uzumaki, I could see how engrossed Naruto was in this film. In the anime, Naruto had been shouting out loud in the cinema, which eventually got him kicked out and booed by the audience. But Naruto seemed to be holding back and watching the film contently.
A rush of affection filled me as I watched Naruto. He had certainly matured and was definitely different from the Naruto I had grown up watching.
NARUTO
A few hours later, we all now stood below a large billboard. When we had walked out of the cinema, a dog had run up to us with a note in its mouth. Kakashi had sent us a message to meet him at this specific point. Now, we were all stood in a quiet part of Konoha were not many people passed. Sakura was leaning against the large fence, staring at Sasuke. Sasuke had moved away from Sakura and stood more near me and Naruto.
"He's going to be late again, isn't he?" Sakura whined out loud, already knowing the answer. Kakashi had been their sensei for a while now and it seemed the only time Kakashi was ever on time was when it was important.
Sasuke silently rolled his eyes. "He's always like this."
"He wouldn't be Kakashi-sensei if he arrived on time," I said laughing slightly. I was in a good mood because I was really looking forward to this mission. I had to stop myself from jumping up and down on the spot because I didn't want to be too obvious. However, it would seem that Sasuke and Naruto had picked up in my cheery mood. Both of them were sending me looks. It seemed as though Sasuke wanted to ask, but he couldn't because Sakura was present. Sakura was the only one out of us that didn't know the truth about me and I wasn't planning to tell her any time soon. Naruto and Sasuke respected my wishes on this matter and had agreed with me.
Sakura pouted, "It's weird that he sent us to go see a film though." Sakura had enjoyed the film and had liked sitting next to Sasuke even more. Sitting with Sasuke in a dark room for a few hours was the highlight of her day.
I smirked and tried to hide it with a cough.
Sasuke sent me a suspicious look, his narrowed eyes staring at me.
Innocently, I smiled back at him.
"The film was really good." Naruto grinned widely. There had been a few times when he wanted to shout out in surprise, but he had held himself back. Haku had scolded him a few times for this and warned him that they would get kicked out. After being told this, Naruto made sure he behaved in the cinema now.
I nodded my head in agreement. "It really was. The story was so interesting." I also couldn't deny the great acting from all the people involved. The storyline was interesting and the characters were well written.
Sakura blushed. "I was busy watching Michi-sama, the guy who played Tsukuyaku," She said in a dreamy voice, but then quickly looked in Sasuke's direction. "But of course, Sasuke-kun is number one." She said in a sickly sweet voice.
Sasuke made no indication that he had even heard her words.
Naruto grimaced. "Sakura-chan has a bad taste in men, as always," Naruto said, leaning over and whispered in my ear.
I snickered and wholeheartedly agreed.
Sakura glared in our direction.
"I wonder if there are any princess like Princess Fuun," Naruto said with a grin. He would love to have a mission where he could protect a princess. It had been one of his dreams as a child and he was hoping that maybe one day that it would come true.
Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest "Don't be ridiculous. It's just a story from a film."
I smirked from my spot, hiding it behind my hand.
Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves hitting the ground could be heard close by. When I heard this noise, I immediately perked up and stood up from my sitting position. Sasuke had also heard the noise and was looking in the direction of where it was coming from with a suspicious expression. Naruto looked baffled, which was understandable. Konoha didn't have many horses in the village and they weren't usually running around in the middle of the village.
Just then, a horse jumped over the fence near us, revealing Koyuki Kazahana as the rider of the beast. Koyuki briefly looked in our direction as the horse landed on the ground before her horse carried her away from us at lightning speed.
"No way! That was Princess Fuun!" Sakura exclaimed in shock when she saw the rider.
Hearing noises from the direction of the gate behind us, I jumped out of the way in time, grabbing Naruto as I did. Sasuke followed me close behind with Sakura lagging slightly. I look back over the fence and watched as a load of soldiers came speeding through, all on horses. They were all dressed in armour that was coloured a dark blue and purple. After a few seconds, they were out of sight as they rode away, after Koyuki. If I hadn't seen the anime, I would have thought they were the bad guys too and would try to help Koyuki, but I knew better. I knew that they were guards just trying to stop Koyuki from running away like she always did
Sasuke looked at me, his gaze narrowed. He was silently asking if this was what I meant.
I smirked at him and nodded my head.
Without another word, we all run after Koyuki and the people after her. I and Naruto jumped on top of the houses and sped after them. Sasuke and Sakura were behind us, attacking the soldiers that were after Koyuki. Pumping chakra into our legs gave us the advantage and we managed to catch up with them in record time. As I and Naruto got closer, we spotted one of the people in armour throw at the net at Koyuki. Naruto reached into his pouch and threw Shuriken at it, destroying the net. Koyuki took this chance and sped away on her horse. The people tried to go after her, but Naruto made several clones and ambushed them.
"Don't hurt the horses Naruto-kun!" I yelled at him as I run after Koyuki. If I just grabbed her then most of the fiasco would be sorted very quickly. Hopefully, I could get her on the boat without her being out too long like in the anime.
Naruto grinned at me but did as I asked and only focused on the people in the armour.
I watched as Koyuki rode her horse away and ran after her. I stayed a fair distance away and stayed in the shadows so she wouldn't see me. I tailed her until she came to a stream, where she slowed down and got off the horse. Slowly, she sat down on the ground and pulled her knees up to her chest.
Naruto appeared beside me, ready to go after her. But I stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder. "Naruto-kun, before you go in, you need to know something," I told him with a blank expression.
Naruto tilted his head, "What is it Akemi-chan?"
"She is a flake and will run the minute you confront her," I told him, looking over at Koyuki. In the anime, Koyuki had put up such a fight and had run away from Naruto when he tried to get close to her. However, I didn't know if she would react the same way, or would react differently. I had a feeling though that she was still a flake.
Naruto frowned but nodded his head anyway.
Slowly, both I and Naruto made our way over to Koyuki, who hadn't noticed our presence. Koyuki was busy staring into the water with a blank expression. She made no outward reaction when I and Naruto crept closer other than giving us a side glance.
"Are you okay, Princess?" Naruto asked, looking genuinely worried.
Koyuki sneered.
"We should get you back," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. I was secretly hoping she would co-operate, but I had a feeling she wouldn't.
Koyuki got up and walked over to her horse, completely ignoring us. She effortlessly got on her horse and rode away, glaring at us as she passed. She nearly knocked myself and Naruto into the river as her horse forced its way past us. However, I and Naruto managed to jump out of the way in time so we didn't end up getting wet.
I sighed to myself. "Of course." I was hoping that I was going to be wrong about Koyuki, but I wasn't and that made my eye twitch.
"Hey!" Naruto cried out with annoyance.
I and Naruto ran after Koyuki, not having trouble keeping up with the horse at all. Koyuki saw us and glared at us. Taking out her riding crop, Koyuki smacked the horse, making the animal go faster. I mentally rolled my eyes and easily kept pace with her, along with Naruto.
"I really liked your film, Princess!" Naruto exclaimed with a large grin on his face.
Koyuki seemed to glare even harsher at him and continued to ride faster, choosing to smack the hose with the riding crop again. She had a determined look in her eyes. She was determined to get away no matter what.
"Don't think you'll get rid of us that easily," Naruto said from his spot behind Koyuki. Having enough, Naruto jumped onto the back of Koyuki, enjoying the ride.
Koyuki's eyes widened when she saw him.
"Hey, Princess, you're really good at riding. As expected from the Fire Country's most famous actress!" Naruto said with a grin. He thought that he was complimenting her, but he only seemed to annoy her further.
I sighed as I watched this interaction. It wasn't in Naruto's nature to ever give up and I loved him dearly for that quality. However, I knew that many others weren't too fussed about his attitude, and Koyuki was definitely one of those people.
It didn't take long for Koyuki's riding to lead us back into the village. I jumped on to the rooftops of the houses so not to get in the way. However, Koyuki was making the horse run even faster than before. Many civilians jumped out of the way so not to get trampled by her. Just then, Koyuki got her kimono sleeve caught on a pole, causing the sleeve to rip and tear away to the ground.
"Don't you think you're going too fast, Princess?" Naruto asked, looking concerned. He was concerned for the civilians that were diving out of the way so not to get trampled.
However, Koyuki ignored him and continued riding in silence.
"Slow down!" I yelled at Koyuki, already knowing that she was going too fast. She had already ripped the sleeve of her kimono – which could have been avoided if she had been going slower than she was.
Koyuki ignored me and continued to ride at a dangerous speed.
My eye twitched in annoyance.
Just as Koyuki was about to ride further, children began walking the path, crossing sides. They were all laughing and not paying attention to what was coming.
"Stop!" I yelled out, hoping that Koyuki would snap out of her daze. In the anime, Koyuki had stopped in time, but I was worried that she wouldn't this time. Up ahead were civilian children who wouldn't be able to get out of the way in time. Even Naruto was looking quite panicky, knowing what would happen to those children if Koyuki didn't stop in time.
"Watch out!" Naruto yelled out in panic.
The children froze in fear when they saw a speeding horse coming at them. They all closed their eyes and waited for impact. This seemed to snap Koyuki out of her daze, as she tightened her hold on the horse's reins and yanked, forcing the horse to stop. The force of this sent Koyuki and Naruto flying from the horse.
Naruto landed smoothly, whereas Koyuki landed on the ground quite roughly.
I jumped down, "You okay, Naruto-kun?" I asked, checking to make sure he didn't have any wounds, luckily I didn't see any.
Naruto grinned. "I'm fine Akemi-chan."
I smiled and nodded my head. I spared a glance at Koyuki, only to find her getting up just fine. After quickly scanning her, I could see that she wasn't injured and wouldn't need my help.
"It's Princes Fuun!" One of the children cried with glee on her face.
Koyuki sighed. "I am not Princes Fuun."
"I know, you're the actress, Fujikaze Yukie!" One child cried with happiness. "I am such a huge fan of yours!"
I smirked from where I was standing. She was neither of those titles. Koyuki had changed her name to hide the fact she is the lost princess of the Land of the Snow. She did this to hide from her Uncle – who had killed her father and took the throne. I and Naruto watched as the children surround Koyuki, all asking for autographs. All the children reached into their bags and grabbed some spare piece of paper and a pen. They all look up to Koyuki with hopeful looks in their eyes.
"Please sign!" One of the children cried.
Koyuki frowned. "I don't give autographs or anything like that."
"And why is that?" I challenged her, arching my eyebrow. What kind of celebrity doesn't give autographs? Terrible ones, that's who.
Koyuki sent me a side glare, one that I definitely returned. I sneered, I really didn't like her attitude already. The thought of being on a mission with her only made me want to scream. If she was going to be like this the whole time then I wasn't looking forward to it.
"Me too! Give me an autograph!" Naruto exclaimed, raising his hand.
"Please, I want one!"
"Since you're an actress, please sign this!"
"Pretty please!"
Koyuki's eye began twitching as she snapped. "Cut it out! Sooner or later, you will put it somewhere and then it will collect dust! It doesn't serve a purpose. It's stupid." Koyuki snarled at the children before storming away.
The children all looked to the ground with disappointment on their faces. One child started to cry, heavy tears streaming down their face.
I glared at her, watching as she walked away.
The adults seemed to think the same as me, as they all began whispering about Koyuki. They were whispering how sorry they felt for the children and called Koyuki a few choice words – ones that I fully agreed with. The children began leaving, all having depressed looks on their faces. I frowned looking at the children. There was nothing worse than meeting your idol, only to turn out they are completely horrible people and not what you thought.
Naruto frowned deeply and looked at me. "She is going to keep doing this, isn't she?" He asked with a curious expression.
I sighed deeply and nodded my head. "Yep." In the movie, Naruto spent hours going after her, only for Koyuki to get away. She was a slippery one, but she had spent years running away from everything.
"Should we grab her?" He asked with an unsure expression. Usually, he wouldn't think about doing this, but even he was already sick of Koyuki's attitude. He also couldn't help but feel a little hurt, because he really did admire her, only for her to have a terrible attitude.
I grinned and nodded my head, happy to hear this suggestion. Looking ahead, I saw that Koyuki was only a few feet away. Without a second thought, I dashed after her and jumped in front of her, blocking her path.
Koyuki glared at me. "Move now!"
"Sorry about this, Princess," I said, disappearing from her sight. I reappeared behind her and struck the nerve in her neck. I wasn't sorry about this in the slightest but I was saying this just to be respectful even when she didn't deserve it.
Koyuki's eyes became dull as she began to fall to the ground, unconscious. I caught her with ease and looked up. Naruto was talking to some of the adults, apologising for Koyuki's behaviour. From where I was, I was hidden away from everyone's line of sight. Taking this opportunity, I look down at Koyuki's neck and saw the necklace that was going to cause so many problems in the future. I stealthily reached around Koyuki's neck and grabbed her necklace.
NARUTO
Sasuke sat in his chair, bored. Kakashi had found him and Sakura tying up the people who had been chasing Yukie Fujikaze. Kakashi had scolded them and apologised and that was when they found out the truth. Sakura and Sasuke had been brought back to the studio where things would be explained more clearly. But Sasuke wasn't really listening, he wanted to know what Akemi and Naruto were doing. He would rather be with them then Sakura at the moment. Sakura was in a chair really close to him and was sending him glances like he didn't notice. Sasuke had to hold back another sigh, Sakura was so annoying.
"Our mission is to protect the actress that plays Princess Fuun, Yukie Fujikaze," Kakashi said, his voice bringing back Sasuke to reality.
Sasuke looked at him. "Protect?" He was wondering if it was going to turn out like what happened in the Land of the Mist. If it was then Sasuke was looking forward to this mission more than he was minutes ago. The thought of protecting an actress just sounded boring.
Kakashi pursed his lips from under his mask. "Well, protect may not be the right word. It's better to say we're her escorts." Kakashi corrected with a smile.
The assistant director sighed. "This will be the first time that the Unlucky Princess will be filmed overseas. But Yukie Fukikaze plays the most critical role." As he spoke, he was tapping the rolled up script in his hand against his neck.
Sandayu Asama bowed his head. "I am really sorry." He said with a sincere expression. He had short grey hair with a beard and moustache along with small black eyes. He was wearing small glasses and a baby blue long-sleeve shirt with a navy blue blazer on top.
The director, Makino grinned as he smoked his pipe. "As one would expect from Konoha ninja, the bodyguards that were hired as stuntmen were no match. Even our master guards were easily beaten." Makino was an elderly man, with grey hair, and small squinted eyes. He wore a pair of blue glasses and a brown hat. He had found the entire situation rather amusing and knew that he wouldn't regret his decision to have Konoha ninja assist them.
Sasuke smirked, of course, they weren't even a match for them.
"Thank you very much for the compliment," Kakashi said with a sigh in his tone. The guards certainly hadn't appreciated the beating they had received. But Kakashi realised that it was his fault also. He had kept his students in the dark and they had reacted exactly as he feared.
Sakura was looking around, finding the whole situation to be amazing. She had never been in a film studio before. As a child, Sakura had wanted to be an actress, but that changed when she met Sasuke and she wanted to be near him. While looking around, Sakura spotted a photo that showed three ice glaciers that looked stunning.
"Wow, it's so beautiful." Sakura marvelled in the low tone.
Sasuke shot her a side glance and looked away.
"Those are the Snow Country's rainbow glaciers." Said the voice of one of the actors. He was standing by with another actor, both with drinks in hand.
Sakura's eyes widened. "You're Kin-chan, the actor who played Brit!" She said in a loud voice. Rin smiled at her, he was used to this reaction so he didn't comment.
Hidero smiled too. "This time, the last scene of the movie will be filmed there." He said, also looking at the photo nearby.
"You're the actor who plated Shishimaru!" Sakura marvelled again.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. Sakura's voice and happy attitude were really starting to get on his nerves. Where were Akemi and Naruto when he needed them? "We sure are going far if we're going to the Snow Country," Sasuke commented dryly.
The assistant director smiled. "That was the manager, Sandayu-san's recommendation. It is said that in spring, the rainbow glaciers glow in seven colours." When he and Makino had heard about this, they knew that this had to be included in the new movie.
"But that is nothing more than a myth." Kakashi cut in. Everyone turned to look at the copy-cat ninja. "In the real Snow Country, there are no such thing as spring," Kakashi explained, leaning against a nearby wall. Not many ninjas had been to the Land of Snow due to its freezing climate and how baron it was.
Sasuke frowned. "No spring?" The thought of Akemi going to the Land of Snow nearly made Sasuke laugh. He knew that she hated the cold, so this was going to be her worst nightmare.
"So that means it's always winter there?" Sakura asked, tilting her head to the side.
Sasuke rolled his eyes at her stupid question. He knew that if Akemi was here, she would have said something sarcastic.
Kakashi nodded his head. "Yes, that's what it means."
Makino looked up. "Kakashi, was it? I have heard that you've been to the Snow Country before." When making a request to have some escorts, he had asked to have someone who had actually been to the Land of Snow before. Makino had also heard of Kakashi's reputation and had no doubt he would have been there.
Kakashi looked down at the director. "That was long ago." His voice was light, but there was some hidden tension in his tone.
Another voice entered the conversation, this one appearing behind Sakura and Sasuke. "And it is said that the Snow Country is a poor nation." Sakura's face immediately heated up when she heard Michi's voice. The blush covered her entire face and only darkened when he smiled at her. "Didn't their economy collapse because the previous feudal lord got too involved with his mechanical puppets? And this is why they went bankrupt, or something like that." Michi asked, not too sure about this information. This had just been rumours that he had heard.
Hidero grinned. "Hey, I just hope that they have a heater at least. I don't really like cold places." The very thought brought a shiver down his spine.
Rin laughed. "So, why don't you run away, just like Yukie?" He asked, arching a brow in his direction.
The assistant director whined. "Come on, give me a break!"
Sakura frowned. "Is Yukie-san, always like that?" She asked, looking up to everyone.
All the actors looked at one another and all of them nodded their heads. "Well, yes," Rin answered with a frown. Personally, he found it very unprofessional and he saw Yukie as unreliable because of this. It was because of this that Yukie was slightly ostracised by her fellow colleagues and that found it difficult to talk to her off-set. However, even Rin couldn't lie that Yukie's acting was superb.
Michi sighed. "She doesn't know the meaning of the words 'motivation' or 'ambition'. She really is quite helpless."
Makino cut in with a frown. "But she doesn't slack off when it comes to working and that is all I care about. I do not care what she does in her private life. As long as she gives a great performance when the camera is on, I am not one to complain. She was born to be an actress."
The room went quiet for a moment. However, there was a low sound of two sets of footsteps approaching.
Sasuke looked up when he felt two familiar chakra signatures appear. He turned his head and saw Akemi and Naruto walking forward. Seeing Akemi and Naruto made Sasuke relax because that meant he wasn't left alone with Sakura anymore.
"Maybe you should Oji-san. If public opinion of her drops then people may not want to see her at all." Akemi said, standing not too far away from everyone with Naruto right beside her. Akemi was also carrying an unconscious Koyuki. The assistant director and Sandayu scrambled over and took Koyuki from Akemi with ease. Akemi easily handed the lost princess over without any fuss.
Kakashi sighed lowly. "What did you two do now?"
"It wasn't our fault sensei! She kept trying to run away and she nearly ran over children with her horse!" Naruto exclaimed, wanting to prove their innocence.
"Besides, if we hadn't, she would have had us chase her for hours," Akemi said, crossing her arms over her chest. This is a hint to everyone in on her secret.
Kakashi seemed to accept this and said no more.
Sasuke was smirking and stood up from his seat, going to stand by Akemi and Naruto. Sakura looked like she was going to jump after him, but stopped herself. She didn't want to move away from Michi but she also wanted to be by Sasuke. Sakura watched as Sasuke interact with Naruto and Akemi. Sakura couldn't help but feel her chest grow tighter in jealousy. Sakura had noticed a change in Sasuke recently since his brother had come back because he had been speaking more lately. Sakura had hoped that this would be her chance to spend more time with Sasuke, but all his attention was on their other two teammates. If Sakura didn't know any better, she would say that those three seemed… closer.
Sakura shook her head, she was just imagining things.
"So, when are we leaving?" Akemi asked, a grin forming on her face. Now that they had Koyuki, they could travel a bit sooner than they had in the anime.
NARUTO SHIPPUDEN
I hope you guys enjoyed the first instalment of Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow. Originally, I was thinking about doing a chapter per movie, but I felt like that would take too long to do. So, instead, I will be splitting a movie into three chapters (maybe less or more) depending on the flow of the movie.
Leave a review and tell me what you think!