Authors Notes: And we are back! I had originally wanted to get this up earlier then I did, but was forced to put it off due to house maintenance and other not so exciting stuff. Sorry for the delay.

In the last chapter, we finally arrived to the Land of Snow arc and was introduced to Yukie Fujikaze, or otherwise known as Koyuki Kazahana, the lost Princess of the Land of Snow. In which, she proceeds to pepper spray the Emo King, and kick him right in the muffin buttons for good measure. Only to be tracked down by our favorite blonde hanyou, allowing them some private time to talk, with Naruto learning that his perverted godfather is the cause of her current distress, and being able to help her out of an atrocious movie deal that was forced upon her. Revealing himself to be the author of her favorite books.

Now, I also left a small hint in the flashback scene with Izumi. If you picked up on it, let me know in either the comments or in a private message. This is something more of you readers, though it will come up again later in the story.

On a side note, I made a mistake in the last chapter as to where Yukie/Koyuki's defense jewelry is. I thought it was in one of her rings, when instead it is in her earrings. Either way, Sasuke still gets maced.

Also, the voting in nearly over for Naruto's threesome. Just so everyone knows, I will NOT be announcing who won the votes, I will only list the top three in random order so everyone can theorize who won and let their imaginations take off.

Review Corner

Whispers of an espurr – Well a few things to answer here. Yes, I wanted to show Naruto with a Nara-esque intellect, since he really isn't the same idiotic, hyper blonde from the actual series. As for Izumi, you bring up a good point that I didn't think of, so thank you for pointing it out. However, I want say she does have some seals on her. Namely a loyalty seal. But I have a plan to address this issue in future chapters.

As for a Fem!Abraume OC, probably not in this story, since the list is capped out right now. But something surely to consider for a future story.

Crenin – Well, Jiraiya is going to be Jiraiya. Though I am turning up his perversion and ego a bit. Currently, he is a rival to N.U. Kitsune. Though this is due to him not knowing it's Naruto that is the author using a pen name. Though yes, this will affect their relationship in the future a bit, as the old pervy-sage will feel a hit in his pride due to his godson outselling his books, but also costing him the movie deal, which is ironic since he tried to sabotage the deal first.

As for Kakashi, he will come around and realize his errors after Sasuke leaves, though he will have to earn back Naruto and Sakura's trust.

Re Lovely Lover – Yeah a bit much, but Icha Icha is essentially porn, so of course Jiraiya would want as much nudity as possible. As for Koyuki/Yukie being forced into the movie, it's only because of the contract she signed. Which puts her in a position of she either does the movie or loses her career as an actress. Of course, this is just a set up for Naruto to save the day in the end, and reveal himself to be the author to her, thus granting her studio permission to do the movie based off his books instead.

As for Izumi's mother, unfortunately Itachi killed her during the massacre. The only reason Izumi survived was due to her heart being on the other side of her chest. Please keep in mind I am still piecing together Izumi's back story as I go forward. I will try to have more flashbacks to fill in some of the holes.

Antex-The Legendary Zoroark – Yeah, separating the list is going to make it easier to keep track of all of the girls. I am also going to be going a step further, and begin to put together ideas for how Naruto will meet those that have yet to be marked or start a relationship.

And yes, Yukie was surprised to actually meet her favorite author, and even more so knowing that he is going to be around her for a considerable amount of time as he is part of her escort. Though while she will develop a crush on him, their relationship will be one based on trust and understanding, as Naruto will be able to relate to her troubles and give her the strength to see it through.

CrimsonStarBlade – I will have to look more into Queen Sara, but I make no promises.

As for Princess Koyuki giving Naruto a special reward after the mission is completed, I have something in mind that is going to drive Jiraiya insane with jealousy. While it won't involve a hot spring, it will involve some lights, cameras, and lots of action.

As always, good ideas for future Omake's.

Harem

In a relationship - Anko*, Ayame*, Fem!Haku*, Fem!Kyuubi*, Hana*, Hanabi, Hinata*, Mei, Sakura*, Tsunami*, Yugao*

Has yet to court - Ameyuri, Fem!Hidan, Fem!Jashin, Fu, Fuka, Hokuto, Ino, Izumi, Karin, Karui, Kin, Konan, Koyuki, Kurenai, Kurotsuchi, Kushina, Mikoto, Natsuhi, Pakura, Rin, Ryuzetsu, Samui, Shion, Shizuka Shizune, Tayuya, Tenten, Temari, Tsume, Tsunade, Yakumo, and Yugito

Those with * next to their names have been marked and completely mated with Naruto.

Alright, that's enough yapping from me. On with the story!


Darkness Falls

Chapter 22

Konoha, Root HQ

"It's been nearly two weeks Izumi." Danzo stated as he glared down at the woman before him. The old war hawk had expected immediate results when he had dispatched the Uchiha woman. Instead, she had so far only relayed information he already knew. "What is your progress?"

"Forgive me, Danzo-sama, but I have made little progress in my task as Uzumaki-san is currently out of the village on a mission with his team." Izumi reported, her eyes to the floor.

"Why didn't you pursue your target then?" The bandaged war hawked inquired, not taking his eyes off her. "Outside of the village, there would be a higher chance of the Kyuubi Jichuriki being isolated."

"With all due respect, Danzo-sama." Izumi ventured. "Even outside the village, Uzumaki-san is well protected and due to his past treatment by the civilians, hardly ever lets his guard down. The Haruno girl that is on the team is also one of his girlfriends, and is never far from him."

Danzo seemed to mull over this. He already knew from his sources that the pink haired girl was romantically involved with the Jinchuriki, but was now beginning to wonder if he could use the boys love interests as a means to trap the brat and finally get him to submit to becoming his weapon.

"And what of the women involved with the jinchuriki?" The bandaged man inquired. "Could they be used to lure the jinchuriki into a trap?"

"I do not think so, Danzo-sama." Izumi replied with a slight frown. "Almost all of them are formidable and would attract too much attention if we were to attempt to abduct them. And the only civilian is constantly accompanied by one of the others."

The old war hawk could only frown at this. It almost felt as if each of the brats girls were specifically instructed to look out for one another to reduce the chances of any sort of action taken against them.

"I expect immediate results upon the Jinchuriki's return." Danzo commanded, looking down once more at the Uchiha girl before him. "I will not accept any further failures from you, Izumi."

He left his unspoken threat hang in the air.

"Of course, Danzo-sama." She replied automatically.

"You are dismissed." The bandaged war hawk waved his hand in a dismissive fashion.

Without another word, Izumi stood and left the room. Hiding the fear she felt as it was very clear what the threat was. If she fails one more time to acquire her target, she will be disposed of. Though from her conversation with the blonde jinchuriki last week, she already knew she was doomed to fail. Recalling the words he spoke to her in regards to Danzo.

'I wouldn't be surprised that once you are of no use to Danzo, he will dispose of you.'

'It's true.' Izumi thought to herself with a frown. 'Danzo-sama has made it clear that he already thinking of disposing of me.'

Meanwhile, Danzo watched as the Uchiha girl left the room before turning his attention to another individual that was in the room.

"Has there been any leads for the Yakumo girl, Sai?"

No, Danzo-sama." The emotionless boy replied. "If the jinchuriki is involved, then she is likely at his compound. I have been unable to confirm that, as the security seals around the Uzumaki compound are extremely complex."

"That damned-able woman was far more efficient with seals then Minato could ever hope to be." Danzo mused. "Continue searching for a way into the compound."

"Of course, Danzo-sama." Sai replied. "Is there anything else you require of me?"

"Yes." The old war hawk stated. "Have two Root squads follow Izumi. If she shows any disloyalty, they are to eliminate her."

"It will be done." The boy said before standing from his kneeling position and setting off the complete the tasks given to him.

"Are you sure it's wise to just eliminate her, she could be used for breeding." A shadowed man inquired from the shadows. "Hell, I would even volunteer. She isn't bad looking."

"Unfortunately, her Uchiha blood is too diluted to guarantee the Sharingan is passed down." The old man informed his partner in the shadows. "She is also unable to fully utilize her own, which also makes her useless as a test subject. Still, we can give her body to Orochimaru."

"I am sure he will appreciate that."

"How goes Operation Red Dawn?" The old war hawk turned to the larger man, whom only grinned in response.

"The organization has been established and will begin to move within a few months." The man reported. "All it took was a few well placed lies, a little nudging, and a fake promise about peace."

"Good." Danzo replied with a faint smile.

If he couldn't get the Kyuubi jinchuriki as his own personal weapon, then he would acquire the rest and force the entire shinobi nations to submit under his rule. After all, why settle for a village when you can have the entire world under your thumb.


With Naruto, Aisu Bay

Sandayu and the director of the movie could only stare at the young blonde shinobi in front of them with their mouths hanging open. For his part, Sandayu was greatly relieved that Yukie no longer had to bare herself in front of the cameras, and even better was that the young actress was fully on board and reinvigorated with the new direction they were going in.

"So you're the author of the Demon Heart books?" Sandayu finally asked to clarify what he was just told.

"That is correct." Naruto replied as he unsealed one of his many scrolls that lined the inside of his jacket, producing three medium sized scrolls in his hands. "I even have my old transcripts of my currently published books as proof."

"So, now we don't have to go to the Yuki no Kuni, we can film elsewhere." Yukie put in with a smile. "How about Waterfall, or Hotsprings?"

Sandayu frowned slightly at this. He needed to get her to the Yuki no Kuni, especially since the studio had already fronted the bill for the travel expenses. Naruto also cocked an eye brow at her actions. He could feel that she really didn't want to go to their destination, even though they were already on the boat. Of course, this was solely up to the producer and director.

"But Yukie-hime." Sandayu sighed, using her nickname he had given her. "We are already on the boat to the Yuki no Kuni. The studio has already paid for the travel expenses, as well as the shinobi protection detail. If we were go elsewhere, the expenses would increase further and they may halt the film all together."

At this revelation, Yukie's eyes widened in shock, before she sunk back down into her chair. Asama sighed. He didn't like using this under handed tactic, but it was the only way he could get her to Yuki no Kuni. He just hoped he could convince her to help inspire the people still loyal to her father to fight back and over throw her uncle that had usurped the thrown, and then perhaps have her take her rightful place and lead the country.

'She really doesn't want to go to Yuki no Kuni.' Ahri observed.

'Yeah, I'll have to talk to her about it later.' The blonde hanyou mentally nodded. 'Find out the reason why.'

"So," Naruto spoke up, bringing the attention back to him. "I will write the script for the movie, I just need to know if you want it to be a compilation of the books, or if you want an original story."

"For this, we really need to wow the audiences." The director exclaimed as he stood up for his chair, waving his hands around in erratic fashion. "We go for an original screen play! This will be the best movie ever!"

"Clash in the Land of Snow." The blonde mused out loud.

"What?" Asama inquired.

"That will be the name of the movie."

"I love it!" The director exclaimed once more, full of energy. "Demon Heart: Clash in the Land of Snow. It's perfect!"

"Very well, I will start on the script tonight and I should have it finished before we make landfall." Naruto stated as he stood up from his chair. "And please keep this quiet from Kakashi and Sasuke. This is something I do in my personal time and would prefer if only a select few knew of it."

"Of course, Naruto-san." Asama replied.

Nodding, the blonde made his way towards the door, silently removing the silencing seal that had been placed and exited the room, closing the door behind him so the director, producer, and Yukie could discuss the shooting schedule for the film. Only to come face to face with a grinning pink haired hanyou, an annoyed Uchiha, and Kakashi narrowing his eyes in suspicion at the young blonde.

"And what was that about?" The masked jonin inquired.

"Something that you need not worry about." Naruto replied as he walked past the other two, only to be stopped by Kakashi who placed a hand on the blondes shoulder.

"I would like to know, regardless." The masked jonin pressed the issue.

"Just know that it does not affect the mission." Naruto stated as he shrugged off the jonin's hand. "Now, I got stuff to do, so I'll be in my room until it's my turn to take watch."

"Pfft, I don't know why that stuck up bitch wanted to talk to you anyways." Sasuke commented.

"What's the matter duck ass?" The blond smirked as he turned his attention to the raven haired emo. "Are you still upset that a civilian took you down?"

'We should keep an eye on him.' The kitsune girl commented. 'Remember what happened last time someone humiliated him.'

'Already got that covered.' Naruto mentally replied.

"That bitch just got lucky." The Uchiha fumed.

"So what now? Are you going to attack her like you attempted, and failed to do with Haku-chan?" The blonde taunted. "I am sure that will go over great with the rest of the Elemental Nations."

This seemed to strike a cord with the Uchiha, as he was reminded of his failure to enact his revenge on the ice user, and a bit of shame on Kakashi's part. As the masked jonin had known what the last Uchiha would attempt, and still let it continue. Looking back, he realized how lucky he was that his blonde student had prevented the Uchiha from enacting his revenge. Realizing that if the last Uchiha had been successful, Kakashi may have found his neck on the chopping block for allowing it to happen.

Not saying another word, the blonde hanyou departed with Sakura in tow towards their shared cabin on the ship. Leaving the two Sharingan users to brood and mull over what was said. It wasn't until Naruto and Sakura had disappeared into their cabin did Kakashi realize that the blonde still did not inform him of what took place in the room prior.


With Naruto and Sakura

"So….?" Sakura began, looking to her mate expectantly.

"Well." Naruto began as he activated the silencing seal around their cabin, giving them some privacy from prying ears. "I found one of the reasons Yukie-san was in a bad mood."

"And?" The pinkette required as she took a seat at the table next to the blonde hanyou, whom had begun writing away in his notebook.

"Well, turns out my ever so humble godfather is the cause of it." Naruto began. "I have reason to believe that he used his spy network to intercept a letter addressed to Kitsune, since the studio originally wanted to do a movie based off of my books. Shortly afterwards, Jiraiya moved in with his own deal. Fortunately, Sandayu left the deal open ended that in the event that I did finally reply, they would drop the Icha Icha movie in favor of their first choice."

Sakura could only scowl at the information she had just been given.

"Good thing Jiraiya was too arrogant to consider the chance of them getting permission for my books." The blonde continued. "Bastard made some disgusting demands for Yukie-san while she was on camera."

"Jashin, don't tell me." She cringed, knowing full well what her mate was implying, as the legendary toad sannin was well known for being a pervert and having no respect for women in general. Naruto said nothing, but only nodded to confirm her suspicions.

"Anyways, I am starting to write out the script for the movie. They want an original story, so might as well make this a continuation of the third book."

"So I take it Yukie-san is a fan of yours as well?"

"Yup." He grinned, looking to his mate. "You should have seen the look on her face when I revealed that I was the author."

"I can only imagine."

"At any rate, I don't think she will be prone to run away anymore." Naruto continued. "However, I think there is more to this mission then just simply protecting the actress and film crew. I'm going to have to do some digging when we make landfall."

"Why do you say that?"

"Yukie-san really doesn't want to go to Yuki no Kuni." The blonde explained. "I don't know the reasons yet, but I have a feeling it will reveal itself soon."

Sakura only nodded. She had complete faith that her mate would ensure the mission would be a success and even do everything in his power to ensure no one got hurt. Of course this made her think of how the actress had humiliated the arrogant Uchiha earlier that day.

"You really think Sasuke-teme will try something against Yukie-san?" The pinkette inquired.

"I wouldn't put it passed the duck ass emo." The blonde replied. "He has an extremely fragile ego and needs to stroke it constantly."

"And if he does try something?"

"I've already taken care of that." He reassured his pink haired lover. "I've placed a seal on her that will warn me if she is in danger."

"Always thinking ahead, Naruto-kun." She smiled as she stood up from her chair and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning over his shoulder. "You know, we could make use of that silencing seal."

The blonde hanyou couldn't help but chuckle at his mates insatiable appetite.


The Next Morning

A light mist blanketed the waters surface, mildly obscuring vision just enough to force the boat to slow to a crawl as they navigated around various sized icebergs and other smaller debris that float on top of the water. Which served the blonde hanyou just fine, as it gave him, or rather his shadow clone, more time to continue to work on the script for the movie. As the director had insisted on starting to shoot at least Yukie's solo scenes as soon as they made landfall. Of course, that didn't stop the director from starting to shoot some boat scenes with Yukie. Prompting the actress to have to be on call at all times.

However, the slowed pace didn't sit well with the sole Uchiha as the raven haired emo was brooding and complaining to Kakashi about the lack of movement and that they were just wasting their time. Time that he could be using to train instead of watching after some spoiled actress, which of course earned him a hard glare from said actress.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Sakura only rolled their eyes at their team mate's behavior. If the young teenager wanted to train, there were dozens of exercises he could do right now to help get his reserves up. But it seemed as the brooding avenger only cared about training with flashy jutsu's. Regardless if performing them a handful of times would leave the Uchiha exhausted to near chakra exhaustion.

"Uzumaki-san." A feminine voice sounded from behind the blonde, whom was standing at the bow of the ship, watching for anything suspicious within the mist.

"Please, call me Naruto." The blonde smiled as he turned his attention to the young actress.

"Very well, Naruto-san." Yukie replied. "I was wondering if I could ask you some questions about your current project."

Said blonde cocked an eyebrow at her wording, though figured it was due to the possibility of the two Sharingan users possibly over hearing their discussion.

"Of course, Yukie-san." He replied as he turned his attention back to the mist, as the actress stood beside him, leaning her back against the railing.

"The characters seem to be alive." The actress began. "Are they based off people you know?"

"That is correct." He chuckled. "As selfish as it sounds, the main character, Dante, is based off of me, and very loosely inspired by events in my life so far. The demon queen, Trish, is also based off someone very close to me, as well as the other demon hunter woman, Lady, that joins the hero."

"I see." Yukie nodded. Though she had a feeling he wasn't divulging everything, and that perhaps some of the experiences the hero in the books were far closer to home then he let on. "So how is the script coming along?"

"First draft is almost done." Naruto replied, earning a shocked gasp from the actress.

"But you just started last night."

"Well, I already had most of the fourth already written. So I just been converting it into the script." He explained. "That way, the fourth book will be the novelization of the movie. And don't worry, you have full authority to refuse any part you don't feel comfortable with."

"I…. Thank you." She smiled with a faint blush, charmed with how considerate he was. Especially considering her previous situation.

"I'll bring the draft by later this afternoon for you to look over and give your insight." The blonde stated, giving the actress a warm smile, causing her to blush once more.

"Yukie-hime, we're ready to shoot the next scene!" Asama called out from the other side of the ship, causing the young actress to sigh.

"Duty calls." Naruto commented, earning a small giggle from Yukie before she departed to shoot her scene. 'Though I wish the director would ease off a little with all these extra scenes. Because somehow, I have to work the scenes they want to use into the script.'

'I guess that's Show Business for you.' Ahri quipped, earning a mental nod from the blonde hanyou.

Turning his attention back out to the water, he could see he mist starting to get thicker, prompting him to narrow his eyes in suspicion. He could feel the chakra in the air that powered the mist that now began to envelop the boat.

"We got incoming!" Naruto yelled to the rest of Team 7 and the film crew, alerting everyone to the coming threat. Quickly jumping away from his position to regroup with his team.

Immediately, everyone began to run for cover as some of the film crew sough refuge within the ship as the others were instructed to keep filming in case they could get something they could use for the film, causing Naruto to roll his eyes, though he supposed it would look good on film. As this happened, Kakashi began to bark orders at the genin.

"Sasuke, you protect Yukie!" He called out. "Sakura, I want you to protect Asama-san, and Naruto you protect the film crew!"

Immediately after the orders were given, three individuals landed on the bow of the ship where Naruto stood only a handful of seconds prior, prompting the four Konoha shinobi to take up a defensive stance close to their assigned detail. All three fitted with an armor like outfit that none of the Konoha shinobi had ever seen before. Grinning, the smallest of the trio spoke. A pink haired girl with her hair tied up in pig tails peeking out trough her hood that covered most of her head.

"How cute, the princess got herself some body guards who want to play ninja."

At the word princess, Kakashi, Sakura, and Naruto cast their eyes towards Yukie. All three coming to the same conclusion.

'Well, Naruto-kun was right, there was more to this mission.' Sakura thought to herself.

'And this is why we trust our mate over taida-sensei.' Inner commented.

"So, we can do this the easy way, and you just hand Princess Koyuki over to us and you get to live." A tall, slender man with lilac colored hair tied back into a pony tail commented. "Or we do this the fun way and you resist and we kill you and then take the princess."

"Seriously, has that ever worked on anyone?" Naruto remarked sarcastically as he summoned one of his dark blades into his hand in a reverse grip position. A simple tanto length blade, showing he was ready to fight as he positioned himself to defend and counter as needed. Though he didn't miss the now identified Princess Koyuki's eyes widen in fear at her identity being revealed, out of the corner of his eye.

"Fun way it is then." The large snow shinobi stated with a laugh. A large man with short, crop cut purple hair with thick, muscular face. Earning chuckles from the other two snow shinobi.

"If you're smart, you'll give up now." The emo arrogantly stated with a smirk. "Because you're going up against an Uchiha Elite."

'Too bad the current score for his Elite status is 0 – 3.' Ahri commented from the blonde's mind.

'Let's see, he's lost to Zabuza, Haku-chan, and that one chick that lured him into a trap in Kiri.' Naruto recounted the Uchiha's current losses.

'Could make an argument that the he also lost to Koyuki-san.' The kitsune girl added with a mental grin at the memory of the vaunted Uchiha being taken down by a mere civilian.

'That is true, Koyuki-hime did do a number on him.' Naruto agreed with a mental nod.

"Ha, this brat is funny." The larger of the three snow shinobi laughed. "He thinks we give a shit about his name."

"You dare mock the might of the Uchiha clan!?" The emo seethed, only earning more chuckles from the three enemy shinobi. Which only served to infuriate the last Uchiha further.

"Enough talking, get the princess Mizore, kill anyone that gets in your way!" The lilac haired man ordered as he moved to engage Kakashi. "Fubuki, you deal with the arrogant brat."

"Damn, I wanted to play with the duck ass." The larger of the three commented, but moved to carry out his orders regardless.

"Understood, Nadare." The pink haired snow shinobi replied with a grin as she readied herself for combat.

"Sakura! Back Sasuke up." Kakashi called out as he focused on the apparent leader of the snow shinobi.

"I don't need help, I'll take them both!" The Uchiha exclaimed as he leaped forward to engage both of the charging enemy shinobi.

Before the rest of Team 7 could respond, the sole Uchiha had charged the larger snow shinobi, leaving Koyuki completely unprotected. This of course caused Naruto to growl in frustration as the arrogant emo refused to follow orders. Quickly, the blonde hanyou summoned half a dozen shadow clones to not only protect the film crew and director, but also lead them away from the battlefield. Despite the director's insistence to capture the action on film. This was simple solved by one of the clones taking the camera to capture the confrontation between the six shinobi.

Of course, Sasuke's blind attack on the large, purple haired man did not go as the Uchiha had planned or envisioned as Mizore proved to be far more agile then the young genin had expected, despite the snow shinobi's size. Twisting gracefully out of the raven haired boys attack and countering with his own as the larger man grabbed Sasuke by the foot and effortlessly tossed him in the direction of the pink haired snow shinobi.

Seeing his opening, Mizore launched his metallic like gauntlet towards the now exposed princess. However, before the clawed hand could reach Koyuki's position, the princess disappeared and was replaced by a grinning Naruto as he caught the gauntlet with his left hand and yanked hard on it, forcing the larger man to sail forward with no control towards the waiting blonde. Naruto wasted no time and clotheslined Mizore into the deck of the ship with a sicking crack as the boards threatened to break under the impact.

Not giving the fallen man a chance to counter attack, the blonde hanyou quickly leapt back to where Koyuki now stood in complete shock, having experienced being switched for the first time.

"Are you alright?" He asked her, only receiving a nod in reply from the dumbstruck princess. Satisfied with her response, the blonde turned to his pink haired mate and motioned her to come to his location with Asama.

"Can you protect these two while I handle the Jolly Green Giant over there?" He asked, gesturing towards the large man that was struggling to stand once more, as Sakura approached him with Asama in tow behind her, getting a quick nod from the pinkette. Knowing that his mate could easily defend the two, Naruto stalked towards Mizore, who was once again on his feet and in a foul mood due to being taken down so easily.

"Damn brat." He grunted as he narrowed his eyes at the blonde in front of him.

Naruto said nothing as he simply dropped into a wide stance that was unfamiliar to the larger man. His fists balled up and extended outwards, set to either attack or quickly defend and counter. Mizore didn't get long to contemplate this as the blonde quickly shot out from his position and began to assault the larger man with a flurry of elbows and knee strikes, as well as a series of powerful punches and kicks that sent the snow shinobi staggering backwards from the onslaught.

However, the larger man failed to notice his position and was soon thrown off the side of the boat due to a brutal jumping knee strike to the chest, accompanied by a vicious elbow to the top of his head, causing white dots to cloud his vision as he spilled onto a smaller ice berg next to the ship.

'Damn kids elbows feel like steel.'


Sasuke vs Fubuki

Meanwhile on one of the larger icebergs just off to the side of the boat, Sasuke was evading a flurry of ice attacks from his pink haired opponent as he countered with his own katon jutsu's. More then once had he nearly been trapped within one of the ice techniques that the snow shinobi was using, only barely escaping with a split second substitution with various items, and at one point a poor seal that was resting on the iceberg.

"You're really good at running." She commented with a grin, trying to get under his skin. "Is this all the mighty Uchiha is capable of?"

"Try this!" The raven haired teenager exclaimed as he went through another series of hand seals before launching a massive fireball towards her.

Fubuki countered with another series of hand seals before slamming them to the ground, forcing a large ice wall to shield her and begin to surround the lone Uchiha. Attempting to trap him once more. However, Sasuke saw her intent and quickly bounded back as the ice began to enclose upon him faster, nearly capturing him once more before he was forced to substitute himself with an oil lamp with an explosive tag on it. As the tag went off, sending a shower of ice and snow everywhere, the Uchiha used the explosion as a distraction and launched a pair of ninja wire around the in an attempt to capture the snow shinobi, hoping to catch her in the explosion.

It had almost worked, though the pink haired shinobi was quick on her feet and activated a pair of wing like apparel from her armor that cut through the wire before using the heat from the explosion to push her upwards into the sky and away from the fire and a bit towards the ship. Smirking, she went through another series of hand seals before launching a barrage of ice shaped birds towards the sole Uchiha. Forcing him to evade once more, though not before getting cut a few times from the razor sharp wings.

Taking a moment to gauge the location of the four Konoha shinobi, seeing that all of them had their attention elsewhere, the pink haired snow shinobi reached into her pouch and produced a simple scroll and tossed it in the direction of the princess, whom had quickly picked it up and stuffed it in her pocket, hoping to avoid any attention. However, neither of the two women expected a sole shadow clone to witness the exchange.

"If that is all you can do, then I am not impressed." Fubuki commented as she landed a good distance away from the raven haired Uchiha, earning a growl from her opponent.

However, before they could continue their fight, both were forced to jump back as two massive whales made of ice landed between them. Forcing them to retreat to higher ground to avoid being sent to the icy waters below them. Meanwhile Sasuke leapt to the boat for safety. Fubuki watched as the Konoha shinobi managed to return to the ship, as her team mates landed beside her. Though Mizore looked like he had seen better days with his chakra armor full of dents and blood running down from the top of his head.

"The hell happened to you?" Fubuki asked.

"That blonde brat." The big man replied with a groan. "Damn gaki has hands of steel."

"Either way, we should inform our failure to Doto-sama." Nadare stated.


With Team 7 and Princess Koyuki

"Mind explaining why you lied to us, Asama-san?" Kakashi asked, now that Team 7, the newly identified princess and her producer were gathered in one of the rooms.

"The only thing I lied about was Koyuki's identity." The producer defended. "And that was for her protection. And the mission I hired you for clearly stated that there was a high chance of encountering hostile shinobi."

"Still, you should have let us know before hand." The masked jonin continued with a sigh. It seemed his team was cursed that all over their missions outside of the village were destined to be far more difficult then anticipated. "So what do you plan to do?"

Asama looked towards the princess, whose eyes were on the floor before sighing and looking at the silver haired jonin.

"I am hoping Koyuki-hime's presence in the country will inspire the rebels that hope still exists so we can overthrow Doto, and put Koyuki back on the throne." He replied.

"Admirable goals, but my team can not fight a rebellion for you." Kakashi sighed.

"We are not asking you to fight in our battle, only that you protect Koyuki as you were hired to." Asama stated.

"We were hired to protect Yukie Fujikaze, not Princess Koyuki." The silver haired jonin stated, pointing out a clarification to the mission parameters. This of course prompted both Naruto and Sakura to shoot the masked jonin a glare at what he was implying. "I will have to talk to my team tonight about what we are going to do, as the revelation of Koyuki's true identity does complicate matters."

'By talking with his team, he means he is going to ask what Sasuke-teme wants to do.' Inner Sakura commented, earning a mental nod from the pinkette.

'How much you wanna bet now that duck ass knows she is a princess, he will start to make a move on her?'

'That's a fools bet. We both know he is going to start flaunting his Uchiha superiority to win her over.'

'Too bad it looks like she already has eyes on another.' Sakura mentally grinned, as she had caught the princess turned actress casting glances at her blonde mate. This of course prompted Inner Sakura to giggle.

"At any rate, we should get some rest for the night." Kakashi said as he moved towards the door. "I'll let you know of our decision tomorrow."

Having said that, the two Sharingan users departed the room. Leaving only Sakura and Naruto behind. As soon as both Kakashi and Sasuke left the room, Naruto closed the door and activated the silencing seal before turning back to the now confused actress and her producer.

"So, would you mind telling me why that pink haired shinobi tossed a scroll to you?" He asked, prompting Koyuki's eyes to widen in shock.

"She-she's my best friend." Koyuki sighed, as she took the scroll out of her pocket. "We've discretely kept in contact throughout the years after I was forced to leave when my uncle murdered my father."

"If she is your friend, why is she working for the bastard that usurped the throne?"

"Because Doto held her family hostage." The princess replied. "She has also been acting as a spy for the rebellion to help them avoid traps and attacks as much as possible. I just want this to end, so the people can be free of my uncles tyranny, but I…."

"You're afraid you will fail. That you will not be able to live up to the peoples hopes." Naruto finished, already picking up on the princesses fears. Moving towards her, the young blonde hanyou knelt before the princess and grasped her hand reassuringly.

"I, Naruto Uzumaki, will stand by your side until you are rightfully seated on your throne and the tyranny of your uncle has ended." He vowed before the now shocked princess.

"And you have my help as well." Sakura responded as she knelt down along side her mate.

"Bu-but what about your team?" Koyuki asked. "If he decides to…."

"Fuck him." Naruto commented with a shrug, though earning a small chuckle from Sakura. "I will not leave anyone to suffer if I can help it. Besides, I already know he will continue the mission, if only to stoke the Uchiha's pride and ego."

"I… Thank you." Koyuki smiled as she wiped away a few tears of joy.

"Now, I promised I would let you look over the script, so here you go." The blonde stated, getting everyone's attention as he produced a scroll from his trench coat and handed it towards the princess.


Additional Authors Notes: And done!

Now, this chapter has a few things in it to set up for future events that will be happening both in the immediate and distant future within the story. If you think you caught any of them, feel free to let me know via reviews or private messages.

Not going to lie, the fight scenes gave me a bit of a hard time. But, got it finished. Koyuki's identity has been revealed, and Naruto and Sakura learned that Fubuki is a spy for the rebellion. Now for those wondering, Naruto was using Muay Thai in his fight. Hope I made it clear enough.

Also, I implied a bit of attraction between Naruto and Koyuki, which will only grow in the next chapter.

At any rate, hope everyone enjoyed this, and I will see you on the far side!