On the way home, Shigure vaguely recalled the events of the original timeline.
If he remembered correctly, Fujikaze Yukie—the actress starring in the movie—was actually on the run. She didn't want to return to the Land of Snow.
In the film, she was being hunted by a group led by the Snow Country's so-called "Doctor"—but here in reality, the situation seemed slightly off.
When he and his teammates left the cinema, they hadn't encountered her. That alone made Shigure feel something was off... and left him slightly disappointed.
Still, upon returning home, Shigure didn't waste time.
Even though developing the Cloud Release technique had drained a lot of his energy, seeing how hard Naruto and Sasuke were pushing themselves reminded him he couldn't slack off.
The Great Sage was still running full calculations on the Cloud Release ninjutsu—set to operate for a full 24 hours, just as Shigure had ordered. There was still time before it would be completed.
In the meantime, Shigure focused on training his chakra control and refinement. Increasing his chakra reserves was still a top priority.
The next morning, Shigure packed warm clothes, shut the door behind him, and headed out.
Surprisingly, he arrived at the meeting point on time—a rare occurrence. Naruto and Sasuke were already there too.
But as expected…
Kakashi wasn't.
Shigure let out a small sigh. Typical.
They waited. Five minutes. Then ten. Then twenty. A full half hour passed.
Even Sasuke was starting to lose his patience when Kakashi finally appeared, casually strolling up as if nothing was wrong.
"Urgent mission," Kakashi announced flatly. "Fujikaze Yukie—the actress from the movie you watched yesterday—has gone missing. She disappeared this morning. She's likely still within Konoha, or at least hasn't gotten far."
"You've got one hour to find her."
At that moment, everything clicked for Shigure.
Kakashi was late because she escaped during the night.
They must've noticed her absence this morning. And judging by the timing, she must have slipped away shortly after they left the theater.
Shigure smiled faintly. "So this is our mission?"
Naruto blinked in confusion. "Wait, we did all that prep—for this? Just to find someone?"
Now wasn't the time to explain.
Kakashi simply said, "Doesn't matter what you think. Just go find her."
Still, Shigure couldn't help but wonder.
Fujikaze Yukie disappearing... Is that really so urgent?
Konoha had plenty of Anbu operatives. Shouldn't they be able to track down a single actress?
Is this a test?
No... that didn't seem right. Kakashi wouldn't waste time testing them like this—not when missions were involved.
Still, it wasn't impossible for someone like Yukie to slip away unnoticed. She wasn't a ninja or a known threat. To the Anbu, she was just a civilian. Not worth tracking closely.
"All right. Let's begin," Kakashi said, urging them forward.
Shigure sighed. "Fine. Then let's split up and cover more ground."
He turned to Sasuke and Naruto.
"We can divide Konoha into three rough zones—the central district, the main thoroughfares, and the outskirts."
"Sasuke, take the central district. Naruto, you search the streets and commercial areas. I'll handle the outer edges of the village."
"If she's not in any of these places, then it means she's already escaped Konoha. And if that's the case... the real trouble begins."
Sasuke frowned.
Based on Shigure's division of labor, the core area was the smallest zone to search. Why had he been assigned to it?
Was Shigure underestimating him?
Before he could speak, Shigure suddenly formed a hand seal.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
In an instant, the street was filled with dozens—hundreds—of Shigure clones dispersing in every direction. The display was enough to make Naruto whistle in admiration.
"Nice! Shadow Clones—of course!"
Never one to be outdone, Naruto formed the same seal.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
An even larger swarm of Naruto clones burst into existence, far outnumbering Shigure's.
Is this the power of the protagonist aura...?
Technically, Shigure had more chakra than Naruto. But Naruto had the massive chakra reserves of the Uzumaki Clan, combined with the healing factor of his lineage and the presence of the Nine-Tails. Even if his chakra was depleted completely, it could regenerate rapidly.
Besides, part of his chakra was constantly being used to suppress the Nine-Tails—something no ordinary ninja could replicate.
"Alright! Time to move out!" Naruto shouted.
"Disperse!" Shigure echoed.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The clones scattered through the village.
Sasuke stood silently for a moment, watching them go.
His fists clenched.
So that's why I was assigned the smallest area…
Because I don't know the Shadow Clone Technique.
Tch. How annoying.
Those two had way too much chakra!
As the three genin began their search, someone else was watching in secret—Danzo Shimura.
His gaze narrowed.
"So, Hiruzen is using this actress's disappearance to boost Team 7's visibility…"
Danzo snorted.
"But he probably doesn't know... that so-called star is actually the Snow Country's missing princess."
He only knew because he'd maintained brief contact with envoys from the Land of Snow.
Ordinarily, he wouldn't bother with a minor country like that. A third-rate nation like the Snow Country could be erased by a single shinobi unit—hardly worth his attention.
But the situation had changed.
After being exposed by Hiruzen during their last confrontation, Danzo couldn't afford any more slip-ups. If the Hokage started digging deeper into his activities, it could lead to serious consequences.
He needs to be distracted.
And what better way to do that than to use the team Hiruzen currently cared about the most—Team 7?
Danzo smiled coldly.
Besides, the Snow Country's chakra armor technology might even catch his attention. Perhaps that part could be... handed over to him.
Meanwhile, in the outskirts of Konoha—
Shigure was searching rapidly, moving from rooftop to rooftop, scanning crowds with sharpened perception.
He activated Thought Acceleration via the Great Sage.
Everything slowed down around him as his mind processed faster than normal. Within seconds, his gaze locked onto something.
A figure among the passersby—a tall, broad-shouldered man. Nothing unusual at first glance.
But something was off.
Though the person's build and height didn't match Fujikaze Yukie's appearance, the disguise was sloppy to someone like Shigure.
He leapt into the crowd without hesitation, startling nearby civilians.
Landing in front of the figure, Shigure stared him down coldly.
The "man" flinched as he spotted the Konoha forehead protector on Shigure's head.
"W-What do you want?" the figure asked gruffly.
But Shigure heard it clearly now. Even with the fake voice, he could distinguish the real one beneath.
Female.
And the smooth skin of the "man's" exposed hands didn't lie.
Shigure gave a soft sigh and spoke calmly.
"Princess Koyuki Kazahana. Please come with me."
The person stiffened.
He saw through my disguise... instantly?
And in such a crowd, how did he pick me out right away?
"I... I don't understand what you're talking about."
Shigure wasn't in the mood to waste time.
"Genjutsu."
The moment their eyes met, he activated a basic visual illusion.
For a trained shinobi, it would have been nothing. But for a civilian—especially someone already on edge—it was enough to briefly knock her unconscious.
Shigure caught her as she slumped forward.
Mission: Success.
...
TN:
🔟 Pa-treon-com/LordMerlin