"Naruto!!!"
Watching Naruto being taken away, Hinata grew visibly worried.
Kiyosuke reassured her.
"It's fine. He'll be okay, Sandayū-san."
"I'm here!"
Sandayū-san hurried over, his tone urgent.
"Kiyosuke-sama, please save Princess Koyuki!"
"Don't worry, I will. But don't rush! We'll handle the rescue—meanwhile, you take care of the director and the crew. Start filming the scenes that don't have Princess Koyuki in them. That's fine with you, right, Director?"
The director nodded.
"Of course. Don't doubt our professionalism! I'll leave the rest to you, Kiyosuke-san."
He was referring to the final antagonist's role—something Kiyosuke could easily cameo as.
"Sure. I've never acted in a movie before! Kakashi, let's move! Kiba, Shino, Hinata—track them!"
"Yes!"
The tracking trio set to work immediately, and the group set off.
Akamaru sniffed the air for Naruto's scent, guiding them forward. This sped up the search considerably, and before long they arrived before a fortress built like an impenetrable wall of steel and stone.
"Infiltrate!"
Even with ninja standing guard, they were no obstacle. Kiyosuke and Kakashi swiftly knocked them out, clearing the way. Hinata followed close behind, searching for any sign of Naruto.
Finally, she spoke.
"Naruto is in an underground cell—with Princess Koyuki. There's something on his stomach… his chakra levels are extremely low."
Kiyosuke asked,
"Are his vital signs normal?"
"Heartbeat steady, breathing normal—no other issues."
"Then it must be something suppressing his chakra. Probably one of the Land of Snow's scientific ninja tools. Troublesome… but being able to suppress Naruto's chakra is no small feat." Kiyosuke glanced at her.
"Hinata, lead the way—we're going in."
The group disguised themselves as Yukigakure-nin, moving through the castle without restraint. Under Hinata's guidance, they took the fastest route straight to the underground prison.
The cells were built across the sheer walls of a massive gorge, lining both sides of the rock face.
Hinata's eyes widened.
"Naruto has escaped with Princess Koyuki—this way!"
They turned a corner and pushed forward until they encountered Naruto and Princess Koyuki.
Seeing a squad of Yukigakure-nin rushing toward them, Naruto instantly stepped in front of Princess Koyuki to shield her.
"Naruto, I'm so glad you're okay." Hinata breathed a sigh of relief.
The group shed their disguises. Naruto relaxed upon seeing them, while Princess Koyuki looked at Kakashi.
"That crystal—you swapped it out, didn't you?!"
"Sorry. I suspected they would target it, so I switched it in advance."
He took out the real crystal necklace and returned it to her.
Princess Koyuki stared at it in her hand, murmuring,
"All this… for something like this…"
Kiyosuke stepped forward, eyeing the device strapped to Naruto's stomach—the one suppressing his chakra.
"Interesting invention. Would work well on prisoners… but it won't hold you for long."
He placed his hand on the palm-sized device. A thin stream of flame snaked into its seams, searing the circuitry within.
Crack!
The device clattered to the floor. Kiyosuke picked it up and tucked it away.
"Kiyosuke-san, what do you need that for?" Naruto asked.
"Of course I'm taking it back to Konoha to study. Chakra-suppressing devices are rare. If we could mass-produce them, they'd be a valuable secret weapon for the village."
Kakashi nodded.
"The Yukigakure-nin might not be much as shinobi, but their technology is top-tier."
"No doubt about that. Now—let's move."
They withdrew from the prison. Along the way, Kiyosuke assigned the younger ones their task.
"Blow this fortress to pieces. It's useless to leave it standing—don't give the enemy any retreat. Here—take these."
He handed over a bundle of explosive tags, while he and Kakashi escorted Princess Koyuki toward the great hall where Kazahana Doto was waiting.
Doto sat atop a lofty throne, clad in chakra armor, a single spotlight illuminating him like a king. In truth, he was nothing more than a usurper.
"You've worked hard, Koyuki," he said smoothly.
Princess Koyuki remained silent, walking toward the dais.
"Wait!" Kakashi realized something and moved to stop her, but Kiyosuke held him back.
"Let's see what she intends to do."
At that moment, Rōge Nadare appeared with a squad of Yukigakure-nin, blocking their path.
Meanwhile, Koyuki reached the top of the steps and handed the crystal necklace to Doto. She turned back toward Kiyosuke and Kakashi.
"Did you two forget something? I'm an actress."
Doto grinned.
"Exactly. This was all just a performance by Koyuki—for the future… the future of the Land of Snow! Hahaha!"
"Yes… just a performance."
From her sleeve, Koyuki produced a short blade and thrust it toward Doto's throat—the one place unprotected by his chakra armor, where a single strike could kill.
"Damn it!"
Doto jerked back, catching her by the throat.
"You're just like your short-lived father—worthy of death! You dare deceive me? And you think you can kill me?"
"Father… Sandayū-san…"
Her lungs burned, the choking pressure consuming her. Kiyosuke sighed.
"Don't overestimate yourself and cause me trouble."
In a blur, he vanished from sight and reappeared before Doto, driving a kick into him and catching Koyuki as she fell.
"You're not a shinobi. And this method wouldn't kill Doto anyway. As a princess, don't gamble your life on an outcome that has no chance of success."
Koyuki was silent for a moment.
"…I'm sorry. I just wanted to kill him…"
She had only wanted to personally end the man who had murdered her father.
"An actress should stick to acting. Leave the dirty work to us professionals."
Kiyosuke brought her to Kakashi's side.
Doto rose from the floor, sneering.
"What a pity, Koyuki. You won't get to see what comes next."
The ceiling above them suddenly collapsed, a steel cable dropping down and latching onto Doto's back, hoisting him upward.
BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions rippled through the entire fortress—the kids had started their demolition.
As debris rained down, Kiyosuke carried Koyuki, escaping alongside Kakashi.
High above, Doto soared in the direction of a distant location.
Kiyosuke handed Princess Koyuki to Naruto and the others, who had arrived, before taking off in pursuit.