The case of "Princess Gale" riding a horse and disturbing public order was quickly clarified by Shinju.
According to the film crew's explanation, it was a scene they were shooting in the village. "Princess Gale" and the people chasing her were all actors from the crew.
However, Shinju remembered clearly the anxiety and terror on "Princess Gale's" face at the time. That didn't look acted at all—she genuinely wanted to escape.
At this moment, the film crew's director was in the Hokage's office, expressing his apologies to Shinju.
Shinju disliked being deceived and asked bluntly,
"Director, are you hiding something from me? Why was 'Princess Gale' running in such a hurry, really? (′д｀σ)σ"
After hearing Shinju's words, the director in his forties or fifties met Shinju's gaze directly…
Having spent years in the world of fame and fortune and becoming a shrewd veteran, the director actually felt a bit guilty!
In the end, he sighed and answered honestly,
"We really did come to Konoha to film the sequel to The Great Adventure of Princess Gale. But something went wrong during filming. Fujikaze Yukie—the actress playing Princess Gale—heard that the next filming location would be the Land of Snow, mounted one of the crew's horses, and ran off. I had no choice but to send people after her. I hope Hokage-sama can forgive us."
Shinju nodded, indicating that the matter could be dropped.
"So that's how it is… By the way, your next stop is the Land of Snow, huh…"
"I've heard the environment there is extremely harsh. You even have to travel by water to get there, and if you're not careful, you might run into pirates. It's dangerous~"
"Since you're already in Konoha, how about issuing a ninja mission? I can send two ninja to protect you. ꉂ(ˊᗜˋ*)"
Hearing this, the director nodded. "Hokage-sama is right. Then I'll issue the commission…"
Shinju nodded. "The journey is long, and the one being protected is a highly valuable big-name star. Let's set it as an A-rank mission. Please pay the commission fee first…"
The director nodded, promptly paid the fee, and even put down a bit extra as a deposit…
Not long after the director and his people left, Naruto heard about the mission and went to Shinju, asking to participate.
Shinju tapped Naruto on the chest. "The matter of the Byakuya Gang hasn't even been fully investigated yet!"
Sasuke echoed from the side, "Yeah. Ծ‸ Ծ"
Naruto said, "I get all that, but these past few days Sasuke and I have checked four or five countries. The Byakuya Gang is really hard to find when they hide… ㅍ_ㅍ"
"And I'm a fan of Princess Gale! Shinju, can you understand what it feels like to chase after a star… (๑❛ᴗ❛๑)"
"Just like how you feel when you see money…"
Shinju shook his head. "Can't relate. (*￣rǒ￣)"
"Won't Hinata beat you up if she hears about this? →_→"
Naruto replied, "What are you saying? Hinata is the most understanding girl in the world. Besides, I just want to ask Princess Gale for an autograph…"
Shinju said, "Alright, alright. If you want to go, then go. Go back and call Hinata and Kakashi-sensei too. The three of you will handle this mission… ┐(´-｀)┌"
"Oh, right. I'll send a wooden clone along with you."
Naruto's expression turned playful.
"Shinju, are you a fan too? Don't tell me you've fallen for Princess Gale? Ծ ̮ Ծ"
Shinju: "..."
"You think everyone is as shallow as you? -_-#"
"I heard that the Land of Snow has special chakra technology. I'm sending a clone to take a look."
"After all, we run a tech company. We can't rely on game consoles and thunder cars for our entire lives, right? And neither of those has even started making money yet! (ㅎ‸ㅎ)"
After hearing this, Naruto left happily.
In the Hokage's office, Sasuke looked at Shinju with a somewhat strange expression.
"If you were this serious about making money in everything else you do, that'd be great."
Shinju replied, "What could be more fun than making money? ˖✧︎◝︎(⁰▿︎⁰)◜︎✧︎˖"
Sasuke's face first turned red, then he became serious.
"There are some kinds of happiness you can't imagine unless you've experienced them yourself!! ( •̀∀•́ )"
...
The next day, Team Kakashi and the Princess Gale film crew gathered at the gates of Konoha.
Before departure, Shinju's clone in the group noticed that Naruto had a dark bruise around his eye, clearly from being punched. Curious, he asked,
"What's going on, Naruto? What happened to your eye? Did you get into a fight yesterday? ヾ(Ő∀Ő)ﾉ"
Hearing this, Naruto subconsciously glanced at Hinata beside him.
Hinata's face flushed uncontrollably.
Shinju instantly saw through everything, patted Naruto on the shoulder, leaned in close to his ear, and whispered, "You totally deserved it.
(●´∇｀●)"
Naruto: (￣┰￣*)
Before the two could say anything more, someone in the film crew suddenly shouted,
"Fujikaze Yukie ran off again!! ( ö )/"
Hearing this, Naruto turned around and chased after her.
And just like that, the crew set off…
...
On the ship heading to the Land of Snow.
Shinju's clone curiously moved closer to Fujikaze Yukie and asked,
"Why do you run the moment you hear we're going to the Land of Snow?"
Fujikaze Yukie originally didn't have a good impression of Shinju—after all, the first time they met, he'd sent her, a young girl, flying dozens of meters away.
But when she turned around and saw Shinju's flawless face, the words of refusal got stuck in her throat.
Come on, it's impossible to reject a super handsome red-haired guy hitting on you! (/ω＼)
"I… anyway, that country is very dangerous. You might all die! Ծ‸ Ծ" Fujikaze Yukie answered.
Shinju pressed on, "Why do you say that?"
"We ninja are well-trained. Ordinary missions rarely fail."
Fujikaze Yukie still insisted on her stance.
"If you get out early, you might still manage to save your lives."
Shinju didn't continue the topic. His gaze fell on the crystal pendant hanging on her chest, and he casually praised,
"That pendant of yours is pretty nice."
Fujikaze Yukie froze for a moment, not expecting Shinju to change the subject so abruptly, and replied, "My father gave it to me…"
After that, Shinju chatted with Fujikaze Yukie a bit more, but unfortunately, she never revealed the real reason she didn't want to go to the Land of Snow.
Still, after repeatedly probing her with indirect questions, a bold guess formed in Shinju's mind, and that very night, he went to find Kakashi.
After hearing Shinju's doubts, Kakashi gave a definite answer.
Shinju was shocked. "Is it really that much of a coincidence? (´°Δ°`)"
Kakashi nodded. "I didn't believe it at first either—until I saw the pendant on her chest! Ծ‸ Ծ"
...
Meanwhile, back in Konoha.
Shinju's main body had created several clones and was reviewing documents.
Suddenly, the door to the Hokage's office flew open, and Sasuke rushed in.
"After being quiet for so long, the Byakuya Gang has made a move again! It was in a small city near the village! They stole quite a lot this time!"
Shinju asked, "Roughly how much is it worth?"
Sasuke said uncertainly, "About… forty to fifty million?"
Shinju slightly turned his body, pulled the Hokage cloak off the coat rack beside him, and draped it over himself.
"Let's go! We're going to take a look!"