Naruto: Uchiha Youngjo's Konoha Spring

Chapter 191

Asama Santayu looked at the three boys in front of him, his mind churning with thoughts.

These three kids wouldn't lie about something that would be easily exposed with a little inquiry, so they must genuinely possess Jonin-level strength.

[Furthermore, these three are the Hokage's personal disciples. If handled properly... we can take advantage of their sense of justice at such a young age. Once they learn about Yuki's background, and we play the victim a bit, we should be able to persuade them to help Yuki reclaim her Daimyo position.]

Suddenly, Asama Santayu felt that their seemingly hopeless plan to restore their Snow Country had become feasible.

Sasuke and Neji noticed the change in each other's eyes, but they kept a low profile and showed the pride that young geniuses should have. This made Asama Santayu even more determined in his mind. As for Naruto, this kid doesn't need to pretend.

"Good, good, good! I never expected we'd be so lucky this time, to be able to hire such talented ninjas as you." Asama Santayu said to the three of them, barely suppressing his excitement.

"Sir, where is our other employer? Won't we be allowed to meet him before we leave?" Sasuke asked.

"That's a long story," Asama Santayu said, feigning regret. "Why don't you three young friends come with me to the film set?"

"Film crew? Is it a movie shooting location?" Naruto immediately perked up when he heard something interesting.

"Please come with me, everyone," Asama Santayu said with a smile, inviting the three of them to follow him to the film set.

Upon arriving at the film set, Naruto's excitement was palpable. He looked around the set, while Sasuke and Neji pretended to be very interested in the filming process.

However, not long after, some bad news came from the film crew.

The filming was about to begin, but the lead actress, Fujikaze Yukie, was nowhere to be seen. Her manager, Asama Santayu, went to her resting place to look for her, but couldn't find her either.

The entire crew was in a panic. Because of the female lead's disappearance, filming could not proceed. The only thing they could do was to mobilize the entire crew to find her first.

When Naruto heard about this, he immediately offered to help. Sasuke and Neji, wanting to leave a good impression on Asama Santayu, did not stop him and joined the search party for Fujikaze Yuki-e.

The entire crew searched all day but couldn't find any trace of the other party. It wasn't until evening that Feng Hua Xiaoxue leisurely returned to the hotel.

Upon receiving the news, Asama Santayu hurriedly led Naruto and the others back to the hotel. The first thing he did upon seeing Kazahana Koyuki was to scold her:

"Xiaoxue, where have you been? Do you know that the entire crew has been looking for you all day?"

"I wasn't in a good mood, so I went for a drink," Feng Hua Xiaoxue said coldly.

“Drinking? Do you know how much chaos you’ll cause in Konoha if you’re recognized? Our crew went through a lot of trouble to get the right to film in Konoha!” Asama Santayu said patiently.

"Then let's not film it." Feng Hua Xiaoxue's face showed an extremely impatient expression. "This movie was originally approved by you without my consent."

"Xiaoxue, I know you've been very tired lately, but this is a film series after all. The previous 'Princess of the Wind and Cloud' movies were very well received in the ninja world, and the investors strongly requested that we make a sequel. We couldn't refuse, but I can promise you that after we finish filming this movie, we'll take a break for a while, how about that?" Asama Santayu sighed, then patiently coaxed his little aunt.

"Does this sequel really have to be filmed in the Land of Snow?" Kazahana Koyuki frowned deeply.

"Sasuke, is this really Princess Fengyun?" Naruto, who had witnessed the two arguing, suddenly whispered to Sasuke beside him, "Her awful personality is nothing like the one in the movie."

"That's just a character in a movie. Who knows what he's like off-screen?"

Although the two spoke in very low voices, in the extremely quiet environment around them, Feng Hua Xiaoxue was able to hear the gist of it.

Hearing crickets chirping at her, a hint of displeasure flashed across Fuuka Koyuki's face. She questioned Asama Santayu, "Who are these three brats?"

“They are ninjas I hired in Konoha,” Asama Santayu explained. “They will be responsible for our safety on our journey to the Land of Snow.”

"Just these three brats?" Feng Hua Xiao Xue sneered.

"Hey! Ma'am, are you looking down on us?" Naruto was immediately displeased when he heard that he was being looked down upon.

“Xiaoxue, these three are all Hokage’s personal disciples. They are geniuses who can defeat elite Jonin at such a young age. We must not underestimate them,” Asama Santayu said at this moment.

"Defeated elite Jonin? Them?" Kazahana Koyuki was stunned upon hearing this, an expression of disbelief appearing on her face.

"Hehe, of course, every ninja's mission record can be viewed in the mission hall. The first mission we completed after graduation was an A-rank mission, which means that we had to fight against at least a Jonin-level ninja. So, I think protecting you guys on your way to the Land of Snow to film a movie should be more than enough. After all, according to our Konoha intelligence, the strongest ninja in the Land of Snow is only equivalent to an ordinary Jonin in our Konoha." Neji said unhurriedly at this moment.

"Is that so?" Fuuka Koyuki frowned. "Then I really underestimated you. But I'm sorry, I don't plan to go to the Snow Country with you."

"Is that so?" Neji nodded. "Then, according to Konoha's rules, if the employer cancels the mission midway, the deposit is non-refundable."

"Naruto, Sasuke, let's go." Neji turned and left, gesturing for Naruto and Sasuke to follow.

"Please wait, you three!" Asama Santayu was alarmed upon seeing this. He was counting on Sasuke and the other two, along with the forces behind them, to help him and Kazahana Koyuki achieve their great cause of restoring their kingdom. If he missed this opportunity because of Kazahana Koyuki's momentary willfulness, he would have nowhere to cry.

"Hey, you three, wait a minute!" Asama Santayu called out to the three men after chasing after them, panting.

"Is there anything else, Mr. Asama?" Neji frowned slightly. "Since the employer has refused the mission, our employment relationship should also end here."

“Please wait a moment, gentlemen. We do not intend to cancel this mission,” said Asama Santayu.

“But it seems that Ms. Fujikaze Yukie doesn’t intend to undertake this mission. Can you, as her manager, make the decision on her behalf?” Neji said.

“Xiaoxue is just a little willful. I’ll go and talk to her in a bit. This movie is very important for her acting career, so please wait a couple of days, okay?” Asama Santayu said.

“Mr. Asama, you seem to have misunderstood something,” Sasuke said calmly. “We’re not obligated to take this mission. The reason we accepted it is simple: experiencing the filming process up close might be interesting. But now, you’re questioning our abilities.” “I’m very sorry, gentlemen,” Asama Santayu said nervously, quickly apologizing. “Xiaoyu has been spoiled by me, and she inevitably has some personality issues. I’ll discipline her when we get back. We hired you this time out of pure sincerity.”

"Alright then." Sasuke nodded. "When shall we set off?"

"Give me a little more time, gentlemen. We'll set off in three days at the latest," said Asama Santayu.

“Alright, then we’ll wait for you for three more days.” Neji nodded.

……

After the three left the hotel, Naruto, who had been holding back his words, couldn't help but ask, "Why did we suggest ending the mission? Wasn't this mission assigned to us by our teacher? Aren't we afraid of getting scolded if we just turned it down?"

After spending a lot of time with Sasuke and Neji, Naruto developed a habit: when Sasuke and Neji had a plan, he would just listen to their instructions and ask them questions later if he had any.

"Who said we're ending the mission?" Sasuke laughed upon hearing this.

"Huh?" Naruto was a little confused. The way the two of them turned around and left just now didn't seem like they were faking it.

"We did that just now simply to increase our initiative during the mission," Neji patiently explained to Naruto.

"But weren't you afraid that the old man would actually cancel the mission?" Naruto asked, scratching his head.

“Heh, he won’t,” Sasuke laughed. “This is an A-rank mission. An A-rank mission means that at least a Jonin-level ninja will be involved in the mission. What makes a movie crew worthy of a Jonin’s help? So there must be some hidden story behind this.”

"Hidden story? What hidden story?" Naruto became more and more confused as he listened.

However, at that moment, the Nine-Tailed Fox inside the sealed space suddenly spoke up: "Kid, that guy just now had some ill intentions towards you. He was plotting against the three of you."

"Huh?" Naruto was stunned when he heard Kurama's words, and then shared what Kurama had said with his two companions.

"Are you plotting against us?" Sasuke sneered. "Aren't we plotting against him too?"

"Pah, you treacherous Uchiha..." Inside Naruto's sealed space, Kurama shifted its body, changed its sleeping position, and grinned as it spoke.

……

Three days later, no one knows how Asama Santayu persuaded Fuka Koyuki, but Fuka Koyuki finally agreed to the filming plan in the Snow Country.

The entire film crew set off from Konoha and headed towards the Land of Snow in a grand procession, while Naruto and his two companions were specially arranged by Asama Santayu to ride in a luxurious carriage, following behind Kazahana Koyuki's private carriage.

In the following days, Asama Santayu visited the three of them every day to inquire about their well-being, while Fuuka Koyuki almost never left her carriage when traveling.

Sasuke and his two companions were quite happy to have some peace and quiet.

After entering the Land of Snow, the temperature gradually dropped, and a charcoal brazier was lit inside the carriage. Although Naruto and his two companions didn't need this to ward off the cold, Naruto, thinking he had nothing better to do, started cooking a hot pot in the carriage.

On the table in the middle of the carriage, a pot of clear, boiling water swayed slightly as the carriage moved, while around the pot were fish slices and beef.

Naruto rubbed his hands together, picked up a slice of beef with his chopsticks, and put it into the boiling water.

"Slowly soak it, slowly sigh it," Naruto muttered in a low voice, his expression devout.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke's lips twitched, not understanding why Naruto had to make eating a meal look like some kind of cult ritual.

"Quiet down, quiet down!" Naruto said seriously. "I learned this from my teacher when he came to my house for dinner last time."

After the beef was slightly cooked in the water, Naruto took it out of the pot and placed it in a small dish containing scallions, ginger, and soy sauce.

After the beef was dipped in the sauce, Naruto opened his mouth wide.

But just then, a loud bang rang out, and the carriage shook violently. The beef that Naruto hadn't had a chance to eat fell to the ground unexpectedly, and boiling water spilled all over the ground.

"Damn it! What's going on!" Naruto was furious when he saw this. He opened the carriage door and froze on the spot.

Suddenly, ice walls rose up on the endless snowfield surrounding the convoy, plunging the entire crew's convoy into chaos beneath them.

"They've arrived." Sasuke and Neji stepped out of the carriage. Neji activated his Byakugan, looked around, and said, "Thirty people."

A biting wind swept across the canyon, carrying ice shards, and the ice crystal headbands of the thirty Snow Ninjas gleamed coldly in the blizzard.

Feng Hua Xiaoxue was panting heavily inside the carriage. The ice walls around her carriage had completely blocked her escape route, and thirty snow ninjas were rushing towards her from all directions.

"Ice Release: Tyrannosaurus Rex Break!" The Snow Ninja leader slammed his palms on the ground, and a roar like a dragon's cry echoed from the depths of the glacier. A hundred-meter-long ice dragon burst forth from the ice, carrying with it shattered rocks as it swooped down towards the princess.

Lightning suddenly tore through the snow curtain.

A purple lightning bolt, accompanied by the sharp cry of a thousand birds, cleaved through the ice dragon's head, and Uchiha Sasuke's black robes fluttered in the arcs of electricity. Before the ice fragments even hit the ground, he had already transformed into a lightning shadow, weaving through the enemy ranks. Wherever his blade passed, the snow ninja's ice armor shattered like paper, and his lightning chakra wove a spiderweb of arcs of electricity across the glacial ground.

Twenty Naruto clones descended from the sky. "Ninja Art: Multiple Rasengan!" Golden orbs rained down on the enemy ranks, blasting a thirty-meter-deep crater into the ice. The main body, stepping on the shoulders of his clones, leaped into the air, azure Rasengan rapidly expanding in his palm: "Giant Rasengan!"

(End of this chapter)