Time flew by.
A week later, in a southern port town of the Land of Snow.
A biting cold wind mixed with snowflakes howled through the empty streets.
This was supposed to be the busiest trading port in the entire country, but at this moment, it was as deathly silent as a ghost town.
The doors and windows of the shops were tightly shut.
Snow covered the once-bustling stalls.
There were barely any passersby on the streets.
Only a few colorful posters blown down by the wind rustled loudly.
Suddenly, a rapid patter of footsteps broke the dead silence.
Over a hundred ninjas wearing Kumogakure's custom polar combat vests landed rapidly from the sea like white ghosts, occupying every high point of the port in the blink of an eye.
Yugito Nii walked at the very front.
Her agile, cat-like eyes alertly scanned the surroundings as she maintained a combat-ready stance.
However, facing the empty town felt like punching thin air.
"Captain, there's no one here."
A sensory ninja appeared beside Yugito using the Body Flicker Technique, his brow deeply furrowed as he reported.
"We haven't detected any chakra signatures in the entire town."
"Even the number of civilians is extremely scarce, with only a few immobile, elderly, or disabled individuals remaining."
"Judging by the conditions inside the houses, they seem to have all evacuated a few days ago."
"Evacuated?"
Yugito furrowed her brow.
Could it be an intelligence leak?
But how was that possible?
This surprise attack mission had been personally ordered by the Raikage and was classified as top secret.
After receiving the mission, aside from the time spent assembling the troops, she had traveled day and night to reach the Land of Snow.
There were absolutely no delays in between, so how could this group of rogue ninjas from a remote, small country have gotten wind of it?
Rustle—
A poster swept up by the wind stuck to her leg.
Yugito bent down and picked it up.
Printed on the poster was a woman wearing a gorgeous dress and exquisite makeup—the former princess of the Land of Snow, Koyuki Kazahana.
Behind her was a dazzling aurora special effect.
In the center of the poster, a line of eye-catching large characters was printed.
[Commemoration of the Establishment of the Northern Alliance Mutual Aid Association—The Aurora Festival!]
Below it was a highly provocative slogan.
"The leader of the Mutual Aid Association sincerely invites all citizens to Kozuki City to join the grand event!"
"There will be free liquor, barbecue, and a grand performance!"
"Three days of paid leave for everyone!"
Yugito looked at the poster, the corner of her mouth twitching.
"This country is on the brink of ruin, and yet they actually have the nerve to hold some festival."
She let out a sneer, the vigilance in her eyes turning into deep disdain.
"As expected, they're just a brainless mob."
"With death at their doorstep, they're still living in a drunken fantasy."
Rip.
She tore the exquisite poster to shreds, tossed the pieces casually into the snow, and ground them fiercely into the mud with her foot.
"All units, hear my command."
Yugito turned around and looked north toward Kozuki City, her eyes brimming with murderous intent.
"Ignore this empty town."
"Target—the capital of the Land of Snow!"
"Since they're holding a festival, let's go and—give them a proper show!"
Meanwhile, in the capital of the Land of Snow, Kozuki City.
Completely different from the dead silence of the southern port, this place seemed like another world.
The night sky was illuminated by countless high-power searchlights pointing straight into the heavens, making the massive central plaza as bright as day.
The crowd surged, and the deafening cheers shook the heavens.
Tens of thousands of civilians from all over the Northern Territory had gathered here.
Wearing thick new clothes and holding glow sticks, their faces beamed with an unprecedented level of fanaticism and happiness.
On this day, all the factories had stopped working, and there was indeed paid leave.
Naruto had ordered the strategic reserve warehouses to be opened.
Free liquor, along with unlimited supplies of bread and barbecue...
For these civilians who struggled to survive in this bitterly cold land all year round, it was simply heaven.
No one cared why the former daimyo had suddenly been replaced, what the origin of this Mutual Aid Association was, or what it wanted to do.
They only knew that by following that lord, they would have meat to eat, wine to drink, and grand performances to watch.
That was enough!
"Hurry, hurry, hurry!"
"Camera position three!"
"Push the lens in!"
"Lighting crew, make the lights brighter for me!"
"I want that sacred feeling, you know what I mean?"
The famous director who had been recruited by Naruto was currently standing on a high platform with a megaphone, roaring as he directed the scene.
His eyes were bloodshot, but his spirit was terrifyingly excited.
Behind him, several cameramen who were originally not very well-built were now carrying cameras weighing dozens of pounds, walking across the scaffolding as if they were flying.
One of the cameramen even grabbed the handrail with one hand, leaned half his body off the high platform, and steadily supported the heavy camera with his other hand to precisely capture the fanatical crowd below.
"This is truly unbelievable—"
Looking at this scene, the director couldn't help but touch his own strengthened arm, where he had also been injected with the serum.
"The Type I Strengthening Agent given by the boss is really good stuff!"
"In the past, with such a big scene, the cameramen would get exhausted and have backaches after carrying the cameras for just ten-odd minutes."
"Now, they can carry them all day without even losing their breath."
Even he felt like he had endless energy, not feeling tired even after working three days and nights straight.
Since he had taken the money and his body had been strengthened, he had to work hard!
Holding the megaphone, the director shouted again.
"Brothers, pull yourselves together and work hard!"
"We want the whole world to see the prosperity of our Northern Territory!"
"If you do well, your points will double!"
"Oh!!!"
The entire production crew let out a cheer as if they had been injected with adrenaline.
Backstage, in the dressing room.
Compared to the bustling atmosphere outside, it was extremely solemn here.
Princess Koyuki Kazahana sat in front of the vanity mirror, letting the makeup artist apply thick foundation to her face.
Her body was trembling slightly.
It was not because of the cold, but because of nervousness and—fear.
This was her first time holding such a large-scale performance.
Soon, she would have to stand on that stage and face the gazes of tens of thousands of people.
Even though she had rehearsed several times, the pressure of being watched by countless people still made her feel suffocated.
"Stop shaking."
"Your makeup is going to be ruined."
A lazy voice came from the corner.
Suigetsu Hozuki was sitting on the sofa out of sheer boredom, looking extremely displeased.
"Hey, hey, is this some kind of joke?"
"Who on earth came up with this terrible idea?"
"I am a genius of the Hozuki clan!"
"I am the man who aspires to collect all seven ninja swords and revive Kirigakure!"
"And yet you actually want me to do special effects for a boring performance here?"
"And it's even to create stage fog?"
"This is simply an insult to Kirigakure's signature ninjutsu!"
"Suigetsu-kun, please stop complaining."
A gentle voice spoke up.
Haku stood to the side, wearing a stagehand outfit.
Chakra condensed in his hands as he meticulously carved crystal-clear ice sculptures using Ice Release.
"Naruto-sama said this is also part of the mission."
"And—"
Haku held up a crystal-clear ice shard, letting the light shine through it to refract a rainbow-colored halo.
"Using ice crystals to refract light and create an aurora is indeed beautiful, isn't it?"
"Being able to make everyone happy might also be a meaning of ninjutsu."
Suigetsu rolled his eyes.
"Tch, you're too obedient."
"Hey, bone guy, say something too."
At the entrance of the dressing room, Kimimaro stood tall like a sculpture.
He didn't need to speak.
Standing here, he was the extension of Naruto's will, the absolute executor.
He had two purposes here.
First, to protect Princess Koyuki Kazahana from any harm.
Second, if she had any thoughts of fleeing or refusing to perform, his bones would pierce her throat faster than she could sing.
Gulp.
Koyuki saw Kimimaro's emotionless eyes in the mirror's reflection and swallowed hard.
That cold gaze instantly dispelled any thoughts she had of backing out.
"I—I'm ready."