The movie "Snow Princess" was being screened in a theater within the Land of Fire.
On the screen, the Snow Princess drew her blade, her movements sharp and resolute as she clashed with the enemy. Just as the fight reached its climax, an excited shout suddenly rang out from the back rows, causing many audience members to turn around with displeased expressions.
"Snow Princess, come on! Beat them all up!"
Naruko stood up halfway from her seat, waving her small fist enthusiastically.
Sako and Sakura stiffened.
They glanced around at the annoyed looks being shot their way, then looked back at the red-haired girl beside them with identical expressions of helplessness. Both silently wished they could pretend they didn't know her.
After another twenty minutes, the movie finally ended.
The three girls exited the theater together and arrived at the spot where they had agreed to meet Rin Nohara.
"Look, look! Even here they've put up a Snow Princess poster!"
Naruko pointed excitedly at a massive display board overhead. The image of the Snow Princess was printed across it—beautiful, dignified, and resolute, her sword held firmly in hand.
Naruko stared at the poster without blinking, resting her chin in her hands.
"Do you think… there could really be a princess like Lady Yukie in this world?" she murmured. "Beautiful and strong… I want to become a woman like that someday."
"Don't be silly," Sako replied flatly. "She's just a character from a movie."
Then she frowned slightly.
"Still… why did Sister Rin insist that we watch this film before the mission?"
"I don't know," Sakura said, shaking her head. "But Rin usually finishes negotiations quickly. She's taking longer than usual this time."
Just as the three were chatting idly, the sound of rapid hoofbeats suddenly echoed from the street ahead.
All three froze.
The next instant, a woman dressed in green leapt over the wall ahead on a white horse. Her long black hair was tied into a high ponytail, her face beautiful but tense. Behind her, seven or eight men dressed in black followed closely, their horses charging after her.
"That— that's the Snow Princess, isn't it?!" Naruko exclaimed, eyes wide.
The woman's hurried escape made it obvious—she was being pursued.
"We have to help her!" Naruko shouted.
Before the others could respond, she was already gone—leaping forward and chasing after them at full speed.
Sako and Sakura exchanged a glance, then immediately followed.
Less than a minute later, the fight was over.
The men in black lay unconscious on the ground, neatly bound with rope.
At that moment, Rin Nohara, who had gone ahead for mission negotiations, finally arrived.
She stared at the three girls, then at the tied-up men, her expression complicated.
"What exactly are you three little troublemakers doing?" Rin asked.
"These people are our mission clients."
"Huh?!"
Naruko looked down at the men in black—who had looked thoroughly villainous moments ago—then at the calm, indifferent Snow Princess standing nearby.
"Sister Rin… what's going on here?"
"It's a long story," Rin sighed. "Let's change locations first."
Inside the Snow Princess production studio, Team Seven sat together with the film crew.
After the director and the Snow Princess's agent finished explaining, the three girls finally understood what had happened.
It turned out that the film Snow Princess was preparing to shoot its next installment on location outside the Land of Fire. However, Yukie Fujikaze, the actress playing the Snow Princess, felt uncomfortable with the arrangement and attempted to avoid it—resulting in the earlier chase scene involving her agent.
"This mission," Rin explained, "is to protect Lady Yukie Fujikaze—the actress portraying the Snow Princess."
"Protect… her?" Sako repeated, still confused.
"Why would shinobi be assigned as bodyguards for a movie star?"
"Well," the director interjected politely, "it would be more accurate to call it an escort mission."
"This is the first time Snow Princess is being filmed outside the Land of Fire," the assistant director complained bitterly.
"But the lead actress is in this condition… it's really giving us a headache."
Hearing this, the three agents standing beside him could only lower their heads and apologize repeatedly.
Sakura sat quietly in her seat, her curiosity drawn to the surroundings of the studio. Her gaze wandered across the walls covered in still photographs, before stopping on one image in particular—a towering ice wall, smooth and reflective like a mirror.
"What a steep cliff…" Sakura murmured.
"That's the Rainbow Ice Wall, located in the territory of the Snow Province—formerly the Land of Snow."
Sakura turned toward the speaker. It was one of the actors from the crew, who continued explaining:
"Our film Thunder Shadow Finale was shot there."
Sako, seated beside her, raised an eyebrow slightly.
So we're really going to the Snow Province on this mission?
"The Snow Province is quite far from here," Sako said to the production team.
"And if I remember correctly, it's one of the few regions where space doors haven't been installed."
"That's right," the assistant director replied with a smile.
"This time, Lady Yukie's agent—Mr. Sandayū—will guide you."
He continued enthusiastically,
"Due to the unique environment, the Snow Province has many natural formations that can't be artificially replicated. Take the Rainbow Ice Wall Sakura mentioned—legend says it shines with multicolored light when spring arrives."
"But that's just a rumor," Rin said calmly, dismissing the claim.
"In the Snow Province… spring barely exists."
She then looked toward the crew and asked directly,
"When do we depart?"
"About two days from now," the director replied, gesturing toward a tightly shut room to the right.
"The main issue is giving Lady Yukie some time to settle herself."
"But that's what's strange," the assistant director muttered, rubbing his chin.
"Yukie has never behaved like this before. Why is she so resistant to returning to the Snow Province? Is she… afraid of the cold?"
The three agents nearby didn't respond. Instead, they silently adjusted their sunglasses, their expressions hidden.
That night, Rin Nohara returned to Konoha via the space door and reported the mission details to Ryoma.
"Snow Province… Yukie Fujikaze…"
After Rin left, Ryoma fell into deep thought.
Isn't this exactly the plot of the Snow Princess ninja film?
...
TN:
Enjoy~! 😉