"Alright kiddo. I'm not going to waste any time teaching you theory, we're gonna go straight to practical, the whole reason you're here in the first place," Director Makino spoke as he paced in front of her. Sakura nodded her head dutifully, it had been three days since they left Konoha. Apart from getting into a fight with Team Seven, nothing of relevance and importance had happened yet. Mostly, she observed the crew as they filmed different scenes. The civilian didn't have much courage to get closer to the crew and ask to see how they operated their cameras. She only knew the theoretical part of it but she was sure that the practical part would be different as cameras varied in design and use.

"I've assigned Mamura to teach you how to use a camera. By lunch, you should be done so that I can give you your first assignment," the man stopped walking as he watched her through dark rimmed glasses. "I understand Director," she replied as she bowed in thanks. "No need to be so formal kid. Save that for the press conferences and public appearances at social events. Right now, I need you to be yourself. Don't hold back, tell me that you think so that if there is a need for correction, we correct you. Like you did with that whiskered kid a few days ago, though I'd advise you to improve your phrasing so as to not come off as rude," he added the last statement as an afterthought.

"You're learning from us. So in as much as I gave you permission to speak your mind, don't forget that first off, you're a kid. And secondly, you're a student. Your knowledge is limited to textbooks and stuff, we have hands-on training so you better swallow your pride and learn, you hear me?" he asked with a slight glare. "Yes sir!" she replied with a small salute.

Mamura Koji was around twenty years old, being the latest addition to the filming crew. He had joined the crew when he had just become an adult and had been working with the Princess Fun crew for the past two years. He had dark hair and an angular face with a sharp jawline, with his face more like a box than an oval. He wasn't overly handsome like Sasuke but he was quite appealing in his own way, Sakura noted as she was led to the storage room. "I'm going to give you the one I first used when I joined the crew," he said as he fumbled around the box filled with different cameras. The civilian hoped she wasn't going to be using one of those heavy cameras because she was quite sure that her muscles couldn't quite yet handle the weight of the gadgets.

He took out a camera which was almost the size of his fists joined together. Not too big, not too small. "Makino-san said you're to start with this one. Since you don't seem like you'll venture into being a cameraman, we thought to give you something that's wasn't too casual and too professional at the same time hence this Nikon F3 film camera, one of the best cameras ever created," he spoke with boyish glee as he fiddled a bit with the camera. "How long did you use it?" she asked. "I stopped using it three months ago. Everything is in perfect condition. With Makino-san always breathing down your neck and threatening to cut your pay in half if you so much as scratched one of the lenses, I'm sure you get the picture just how much I cared for this," he said as he finished adding the lenses.

Sakura nodded her head as the boy handed her the black camera. It was slightly heavy but she could get used to it. "Don't you have a sling of sorts? If I am to take care of this as if my lifeline depends on it, I should have something to reduce my chances of damage," she stated as she turned over the camera. True to Mamura's word, the camera was in pristine condition for something for that was bought two years ago. Despite its slightly wear and a few minute scratches here and there, everything was good. The dark haired boy passed her the sling and helped attach it to the camera before putting it on. He also helped her attach the camera bag to her waist as he went over how to operate it and soon, they were on set as Yukie began the second part of their scenes at the sea.

Sakura headed over to Director Makino, waving to Team Seven as she passed them by. Only Naruto and Kakashi-senpai waved back. "Good day Director Makino. Mamura-san showed me how to use the camera," she told him as she arrived. "Good. You're in charge of the behind the scenes cuts for this entire film. I expect you to make the best of it because they'll appear at the end of the movie. Mess it up and you'll regret ever meeting me or showing an interest in cinematography," he said to her before he began to shout obscenities at one of the crew who had lowered a boom mic too close to Yukie.

Sakura went back to Mamura who was smiling at her in amusement at the sight of her panic stricken face. "He wants me to take behind the scenes cuts," she squeaked out. "I'm not easily scared but something about his words make me believe that if I screw up, it's over," she breathed out. "Relax Sakura-san. Nothing's going to happen to you. Makino-san has a habit of scaring new recruits for even the simplest of things. He believes it's a way of getting them to do better, worst of all if the recruits are perfectionists like you," he said as he took the camera out of her hands. He went to a corner and took a few clicks before coming back to her. "Here, take a look at this," he spoke as he handed her the camera. Sakura looked at the screen, scrolling through the pictures the older boy had taken.

Her eyes widened in shock. "Wow, these are really good. It's like you're taking pictures of the movie without taking pictures of the movie, like just the actors being natural despite being on set," she stated with an amazed look in her eyes. "And that's exactly what behind the scenes cuts are for. People like to see characters in action but they also want to see them out for action, the people they truly are without all the acting. That's also another important aspect of cinematography especially if you're taking things like movies and documentaries. The audience falls in love with the actors both in and out of the movie," he explained to her sagely. "Now you try," he said with an encouraging smile. Sakura looked at the camera unsurely before nodding her head. "Okay," she spoke.

Throughout the entire filming, Sakura was busy taking pictures and videos, with Mamura helping her whenever she didn't understand something. Some of the crew members even offered to help her with a few tips of their own, pointing out things like lighting, angles and color. By the end of the day, Sakura was exhausted. She barely ate her lunch as she was busy taking pictures as well during that time until around seven in the evening that they finalized all the scenes which had to be taken during their journey.

It was only until she was sitting down eating her lunch that she realized that she hadn't talked to any of the members of Team Seven. Despite her no ninja policy, they were fellow citizens of Konoha and it felt downright rude to ignore them. But it was just today, surely, they couldn't fault her for being too busy to at least say hie. Kakashi-senpai would understand, Naruto would probably make a fuss about it and she was quite certain that Sasuke and Ami weren't bothered by it.

Most of the crew had retired for bed, since they would be arriving at the Land of Snow tomorrow. Already, she could feel the chill of the weather as they neared their destination, meaning she had to change her wardrobe quickly before flu decided to visit her on her first visit in a foreign land. She quickly finished her dinner and dropped off her plate to the kitchen before going to her room.

Yukie-san was already asleep, judging from the quiet snores coming from her corner. She rubbed Yowai show as sprawled on her bed. The feline purred in delight before resuming its sleep. Sakura wanted to sleep but it was eluding her. With all the photos and videos she took, she was surprised that the camera wasn't complaining about its storage. It was time to go through her work and see if she managed to be half as good as Mamura.

By the time Sakura finished going through all her work, it was almost midnight. She had taken videos sometimes ten minutes long and a lot of unnecessary pictures. But she wasn't going to delete them yet. She would after completing all of her behind the scenes cuts. Perhaps, one of the bad pictures would be the perfect cut. But still, she wasn't feeling sleepy. She had changed out of her attire into a simple t-shirt and knee length shorts she had received from her etiquette class teacher, Makima, had gifted her at her twelfth birthday. It was one of the best gifts she had ever received because they were quite comfortable and could be worn throughout all seasons.

With her mind quickly made, she threw on a grey hoodie she had packed and put on a pair of socks before going out of the room towards the deck. She was surprised to find Sasuke already there, looking out at the sea. She hesitated a bit, they weren't on speaking terms, not that they had ever been but she didn't want to interrupt whatever he was doing at the moment. Not to mention, her phobia of ninja made her wary without eve considering who it was. But she had to get over her irrational ninjaphobia. She couldn't avoid them for the rest of her life as long as she lived in Konoha. Perhaps, this would be the first step of getting over it.

Taking a deep breath to strengthen her resolve, the civilian made her way towards the last surviving Uchiha. She stopped beside him and looked towards the sea. It was quite beautiful alright. Out here, the sky wasn't disturbed by trees or smoke from industries. It was just nature all to itself. To top of it, the sky was brightly lit with stars, as she had read in a book that the stars shone brightly after midnight. It was breathtaking beautiful. She cursed herself for forgetting her a camera. This was too good an opportunity to pass up.

Her eyes slid over the genin standing still a statue beside her. He hadn't moved even once, if it weren't for the fact that she knew he was a person, she would've mistaken him for a mannequin. She decided to take the first step forward. "Good evening Sasuke-san, I hope you don't mind my presence here," she spoke with a smile. "Hn," came the almost muted reply. She was slightly hurt from the lack of reaction since she was being so polite to him but it was better than nothing considering it was Sasuke Uchiha of all people, he had quite a reputation as an introvert, though saying he was an introvert would be praising him too much.

"Ano, I shouldn't bring this up now-" "Then why even say it in the first place?" he cut as he spared a millisecond glance. She pretend as if she hadn't heard him. "I want to apologize for talking about your family in that way. It probably means nothing to you neither will it change anything but it gives me a small comfort to tell you how sincerely sorry I am," she told him with a self degrading frown. She hadn't yet understood what had possessed her then to speak in that manner. Makima-san would be embarrassed if she learned that one of their best students had run off her mouth like that.

It was quite a while before he replied. "Is that why you always put flowers at the Uchiha graveyard?" he asked. Sakura's eyes nearly shot out their sockets as she turned around to face him. She was sure that she gave herself a whiplash. "You know about that?!" she almost shouted. "Quiet down. Being loud won't change anything," Sasuke snapped with a heated expression. Sakura clamped her mouth shut as she frantically looked around for someone loitering at this time of night. "Stop looking around like a burgler. There's no one here," he spoke with an eye roll. "How would you know?" she snapped, her emotions getting loose at being reprimanded as if she was stupid. "I'm a ninja, remember? I can sense who's around and who's not," he said a bit too smugly. "Last time I checked, shinobi can conceal their chakra. And you're not the best sensor in the world so don't flatter yourself." The words were out before she could stop them. And she wasn't intending on taking them back.

Sasuke looked at her with a single eyebrow raised in question. "What?" she asked with an annoyed expression. "You know, if it weren't for the fact that we went on this mission together, I would've thought that you were like Hinata," he stated. "The Hyuga heiress? Why would I be like her? She's shy, quiet and polite, almost like a princess. I'm none of that," she retorted with a puzzled expression. "Exactly. To an onlooker, you're just like that. But after spending the past few days with you, I beg to differ. You're quite the opposite," he spoke blandly. "And so are you. For someone with a reputation for being a introvert, you're quite talkative," she replied. "Just because I despise interacting with certain people doesn't make me an introvert, though, I'm not an extrovert either," he muttered in annoyance. "And just because I don't want to talk to shinobi and people in general doesn't mean I'm shy or quiet. I just know what to say, not too much and not too little," she spoke.

Sasuke stared at her with a single eyebrow raised curiously. "That's something my etiquette teacher once told me," he spoke as he looked at the sky. "Oh, it was my etiquette teacher who told me that. Makima Tachibana," she told him as she peered over him to study his expression. "Hn, it's a small world after all," he murmured. "Was she your teacher too?" she asked curiously. But Sasuke decided to ingnore her question to ask something else.

"Why do you put flowers on their graves? It's not like it'll bring them back," he asked as he turned to face her fully. Now that she had his undivided attention, Sakura could clearly see why girls fell head over heels for him, civilian and shinobi alike. If it weren't for the fact that she was weary of his kind, she would probably be one of his biggest fangirls. She cleared her head as she fought down a blush. She couldn't afford to ruin whatever moment they were having just because she read way too many romance novels and watched even way too many romance soapies.

"Somebody has to do it, somebody has to preserve their memory. I just think that they didn't deserve it. There were lots of people, both shinobi and civilians in your clan who didn't deserve what happened. The textbooks at the library wouldn't tell me what happened except that Itachi Uchiha turned rogue so I decided to read books dated way before our generation, around the founding of Konoha," she told him as she shivered unconsciously at the cold and hugged herself. "And what were you hoping to find at the library?" Sasuke asked with a flat stare. "The reason behind the massacre. I find it hard to believe that the whole of Konoha wouldn't notice if someone started wiping out an entire clan during the night. Something fishy had to have happened. Back when there were no hidden villages or chakra, sometimes entire clans would be wiped out if they displeased their leader or acted treasonously. It still happens even now, though mostly to ancient clans closely linked to the Daimyos," she stated. "If this was way before the founding of the villages, how'd you manage to get hold of such information?" the genin asked with suspicion in his eyes. "Relax, I didn't do anything illegal. It was actually this one scroll I found, it was hard to read and it had different kanjis but luckily, one of the old ladies in my neighborhood knew it and she explained it to me," she defended herself. "And where did you get the scroll?" Sasuke asked. "At the library obviously! More specifically, the librarian Hayashi-san gave it to me. It was one of the few scrolls she managed to get from the Senju library before it was burned down by the Sandaime," she explained. "Right," the Uchiha drawled out.

"We're moving away from the main point. The Uchiha clan was one of the major clans along the Senju clan who formed Konoha. So even if something big which couldn't be disclosed to the public happened, I believe that the fact that they're one of the founding clans would've been enough to do more than just push them to the edge of the village after the Kyuubi attack," Sakura stated. Sasuke's eyebrows were pinched as he regarded her. "You mean when we relocated?" he asked her. "I don't know whether to call you stupid or what. Why do you think the Uchiha clan was relocated, as you'd like to believe, to the outskirts of the village soon after the Kyuubi attack?" she asked him.

"I don't know. Wasn't it something that happened because the village had to be built anew?" he asked, though without much confidence. "Look at it from my point view. Before the attack, your clan lived at the one of the best places in the village, near the centre. I read in a book that the Nara once argued with Madara Uchiha over the river behind the Uchiha Naka Shrine. Hashirama Senju offered them the forest which we now know as the Nara forest. After the attack, everyone was affected, lots of buildings were destroyed but surprisingly, the Uchiha clan is the only one being relocated, take note, to the outskirts of the village. Why would they do that?" she asked with an all knowing smile. "I'm not getting what you're saying," the Uchiha spoke as he shook his head. "I mean, it was suspected that the Uchiha were responsible for the Kyuubi attack," she told him as the smile left her face.

"It wasn't us!" Sasuke was quick to defend. "Of course it wasn't, you dummy. But the Sharingan is the only thing that can control the Kyuubi and given Madara Uchiha's track records, the only valid explanation would be that your clan was responsible for the attack," she stated. "What did Madara Uchiha do? All I know is that he was the founding father of Konoha along side Hashirama Senju," he said. Sakura almost face palmed. "Don't you read history textbooks? Or at least one of your clan members told you?" she deadpanned. "Well, in case you didn't know, my clan was wiped out when I was seven and some of us are too busy training to spend the whole day in the library," he snapped at her. The pinkette immediately felt guilty. "Sorry, that came out wrong. I assumed you knew since your father was the head of the clan," she spoke apologetically. "Well, you assumed wrong. Even if I was the son of the clan head, I was always second best to Itachi. There's no way that Father would've told me anything," he said bitterly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" "Just leave already. Talking to you makes me tired. Unlike you, I have to stay up the whole night on guard duty. So make yourself useful and go to sleep," he snapped irritably. Sakura quickly blinked away the tears which were coming too fast for her. "Forget I said anything," she spoke before she trudged her way back to her room, feeling both angry and pity for Sasuke.

The next morning, Sakura Haruno set foot in the Land of Snow for the first time. She had discarded her summer wear for something much more suitable for the cold weather. She wore a knee length cream coat with fur trimmings and a pair of white trousers under brown winter boots which reached her ankles. A white beanie topped off her appearance. She hauled her suitcase with Yowai resting inside her coat, her white furred head peeking out of her collar as she took in her surroundings.

Yukigakure was a rather small village in comparison to Konoha.

Not that she knew what other villages looked like but since it was her first time leaving Konohagakure, she had been hoping for something more.

However, she had to admit that it was more technologically advanced than her home village. Snow mobiles had taken them from the port to the village. The houses were more traditional than the modern housing regularly found in Konoha. Snow covered the roofs and streets in thick blankets. Though it was midday, it wasn't sunny but neither was it dull. It was...snowy, for lack of a better term. She dropped off her luggage to the inn she was staying at before they went to a local restaurant to have lunch. They would resume shooting the following day.

Sakura sat with Mamura and a few of the crew members who were Keigo, a 26-year old man who liked to edit videos using technology, Misamo, a 35-year old man who had been in the filming industry since it begun and lastly Harumi, a 24-year old woman who was responsible for taking stock of the filming equipment. She was also Mamura's crush and Sakura teased him for it relentlessly as she caught him staring at her oftenly.

Their meal included rice balls, sushi, shrimp and ramen with a lot of sake. Misamo tried to force Sakura to drink but she vehemently refused, saying she was underage. Mamura had sided with her and the pinkette watched in mild amusement as the dark haired boy blushed furiously when his crush agreed with him. It was too cute and she was going to tease him about it later.

"Man, I haven't been pumped up about a movie in such a long time! Having an actual princess on set, a dream come true," Keigo spoke as he took a swig of his sake. "I have to admit, I didn't believe it until I overheard Director Makino and her manager talking about it," Harumi spoke, brushing her light brown hair out of her eyes. "You mean Princess Fun? Isn't it just acting?" Sakura asked as she chewed on a rice ball. Makima-san would probably sneer at her lack of manners but she wasn't here so she didn't care. "Yukie-san is actually a princess," Mamura spoke. "Yeah right, in a fictional movie that is," the pinkette snorted.

Yukie Fujikaze would never be a princess. Not with the way she snored when she slept or how she was a terrible drunk. Not to mention, she was a slob, a messy slob to be precise. There was no way she was a princess. Princesses were pristine and proper, Yukie was anything but.

"Her name is actually Koyuki Kazahana, her father was the previous Daimyo of the Land of Snow," Misamo piped in. "Uh huh." She was still in denial. "Do you know why we're shooting in Yukigakure?" Sakura shook her head no. "Do you know the story behind her casting? Why did Asama choose her specifically? Or the story behind her necklace?" Sakura shook her head again.

"Ask your boss about it. I'm sure he'll indulge you a little bit," Keigo spoke.

I have no beta reader. So in case missed something, I apologize.

Tozoonana

Afri