Chapter 215: Naruto’s Idol Chase, Kazahana Little Snow
Goose feather-like heavy snow fluttered down from the lead-gray sky, dyeing the entire Konoha in a pure silver-white.
Eaves, treetops, training ground, Hokage Rock…
Everything was covered under thick, soft snow, and the usually bustling village seemed draped in a layer of serene veil.
At the entrance of the newly completed “Myriad Phenomena Shadow Theater,” a crowd surged out.
This was the latest cultural industry investment by the Kado Group, aimed at bringing the newest movie entertainment to major ninja villages, with Konoha being the first pilot location.
The grand building and flashing neon sign were particularly striking in the snowy scene.
Menma, Hinata, and Naruto walked out with the crowd.
Menma was still in his familiar black-and-red-trimmed sportswear, with a few snowflakes on his hedgehog-like black hair that quickly melted into tiny water droplets.
There was nothing particularly expressive on his face, as if the just-ended movie viewing was just an ordinary experience.
Naruto beside him was a completely different sight.
He wore an orange cotton jacket and a red old scarf, dancing with excitement, his golden hair almost exploding outward, his blue eyes sparkling with extreme excitement.
“Waaah! So awesome! So touching!” Naruto shouted loudly, drawing sidelong glances from passersby around him, but he was completely oblivious.
“That Snow Princess was so cool! Her country was occupied by bad guys, she wandered alone, yet she was so strong! In the end, she led everyone to find hope! The actress who played the Snow Princess, Fuji Kazefuri! She acted so well! And she’s super pretty! She’s just like a real princess, I tell you!”
As he spoke, he gestured vigorously at the movie scenes, spittle almost spraying onto Menma’s face.
Menma slightly turned his head to dodge, sighing helplessly: “Naruto, keep your voice down, the whole street can hear you.”
He now really understood Shikamaru’s mindset.
But a trace of contemplation also flashed in his eyes.
The actress who played that Snow Princess…
Those melancholic blue eyes felt familiar, like he’d seen them somewhere before.
Fuji Kazefuri…
This name also sounded familiar, but he couldn’t recall the specific details right away.
After all, the last time he watched a Naruto theatrical version was ages ago, and a not particularly standout female lead from a theatrical version wasn’t easy for Menma to remember.
Hinata stood quietly on Menma’s other side, wearing light purple cotton clothes, her small face slightly flushed from the cold, making her look even more delicate and cute.
She listened to Naruto’s excited yelling and softly echoed: “Um… Miss Kazefuri, she really acted very well…”
Her voice was as soft as a mosquito’s hum, almost drowned out by Naruto’s loud voice.
During the movie, when seeing the Snow Princess’s hardships and wandering, her pure white eyes had welled up with tears, and even now, her eye rims were still slightly red.
The three walked out of the theater’s covered entrance, and the snow outside was falling even heavier.
Icy cold air hit their faces, and Hinata instinctively shrank her neck, gently exhaling a puff of white breath.
Menma noticed her small movement and naturally unwound the dark, warm-looking scarf from his own neck.
His movement was casual yet commanding; with a light flick, he wrapped the still-warm-from-his-body scarf around Hinata’s neck, carefully winding it twice to cover most of her face, leaving only a pair of somewhat flustered pure white big eyes exposed.
“Me-Menma? Th-this… aren’t you cold?” Hinata’s face instantly turned bright red, her heart pounding as if it would jump out, her voice muffled through the scarf, carrying shyness and a hint of secret joy.
She could clearly smell Menma’s scent on the scarf, making her whole body feel a bit dizzy.
“I’m not cold, you’re the one dressed too lightly.” Menma’s tone was full of concern.
For him, with his Uzumaki physique and vast chakra, this bit of cold was indeed nothing.
“Waa! Brother Menma is so sly! I’m cold too!” Naruto watched from the side and yelled, hugging his arms and shivering exaggeratedly, trying to draw attention.
Menma ignored him completely.
Hinata buried her flushed little face deeper into the warm scarf, her mouth corners uncontrollably curving upward, feeling as if the surrounding cold wind had become gentle.
“Let’s go, to the park.” Menma said, taking the lead and stepping into the thick snow, making crunching sounds.
“Yay! Let’s build a snowman!” Naruto immediately forgot the cold, cheered, and rushed into the park like a playful puppy.
Hinata also hurried to follow with small steps, her face bright with a smile.
The park was already covered in a thick layer of snow, almost hiding the original ground.
Some cold-resistant children were having snowball fights and building snowmen, their laughter echoing in the snow.
Naruto immediately dove into his “snow project,” rolling a huge snowball for the body, a smaller one for the head, then starting to look for branches and stones for eyes, nose, and mouth.
His movements were bold and sweeping, sending snowflakes flying everywhere, covering himself in snow, looking comical yet full of vitality.
While piling snowballs, Menma’s gaze occasionally swept over the park surroundings, pausing slightly for a moment behind an unremarkable tree, where Hyuga Branch Family’s Hyuga Ko was dutifully hiding, silently guarding the Main Family’s eldest daughter.
Menma withdrew his gaze, as if he had noticed nothing.
Hinata was much more reserved.
She carefully shaped snowballs, seemingly wanting to build a little rabbit, her movements gentle and focused.
Occasionally, she lifted her head to sneak a glance at Menma standing beside her, then quickly lowered it, the blush on her face never fading.
When she accidentally messed up a snowball, she let out a small exclamation, looking utterly adorable, causing the corners of Menma’s mouth to unconsciously curve in a very faint arc.
Naruto’s snowman was crooked and twisted, ugly in a distinctive way, but he stood proudly with hands on hips: “How’s that! The snowman built by your future Hokage-sama is extraordinary too, right!”
Menma ruthlessly retorted: “Looks like it was blown up by an explosive tag.”
“Aaah! Brother Menma, that’s too much!” Naruto jumped in anger, grabbing a handful of snow and throwing it at Menma.
Menma easily dodged by turning his head.
Hinata watched the two fool around—mostly Naruto getting one-sidedly crushed—and couldn’t help but let out a “pfft” laugh, her eyes curving into pretty crescents.
At this moment, no family troubles, no village rumors, just friends playing and the pure winter sunlight.
In this warm atmosphere.
A figure sat quietly on the lone swing in the park corner, completely out of place with the surrounding cheerful play.
It was a girl about twelve or thirteen years old, wearing expensive but low-key white winter clothes, with a fluffy hooded cape over them. Black long hair draped from the hood’s edge, her skin fair.
She slightly lowered her head, hands on her knees, staring vacantly at the snow piling on the ground, her delicate profile carrying an indescribable melancholy and exhaustion.
Menma slightly narrowed his eyes.
Naruto followed Menma’s gaze, and with one look, his eyes widened dramatically, mouth forming an O shape, as if seeing something unbelievable.
He rubbed his eyes hard, looked again carefully, and suddenly let out an earth-shattering yell:
“Waaah!!! It’s… it’s it’s!!! Miss Kazefuri?! The Snow Princess from the movie!!!”
His shout not only startled Hinata but also successfully alerted the girl on the swing.
The girl lifted her head in surprise, revealing an extremely delicate face full of bewilderment.
It was the lead actress of the movie《Snow Princess Big Adventure》, Fuji Kazefuri.
She seemed not to expect being recognized in Konoha’s park, a flash of panic in her eyes, instinctively wanting to stand up and leave.
“Wait! Miss Kazefuri! Please wait!” Naruto had already rushed over like a gust of wind, his face flushed red from excitement.
He fumbled clumsily in his pockets, finally pulling out a crumpled movie ticket stub, and somehow produced a short pencil, awkwardly handing them to Fūka Koyuki, his eyes shining extraordinarily: “I… I’m your fan! I super love your movies! Could you… could you sign for me! Please!”
Fūka Koyuki looked at the boisterous yet purely enthusiastic blond boy before her, her movement to leave pausing for a moment.
She had seen too many fanatic fans, but this boy’s eyes held not just admiration, but some inexplicable warmth and sincerity, rippling her icy heart with a faint, almost undetectable wave.
She was silent for a few seconds, then finally sighed softly and took the ticket stub and pen from Naruto.
Her fingers were slender and icy cold, quickly writing “Fuji Kazefuri” in elegant script on the back of the stub.
“Thank you… thank you for liking it.” Her voice was very soft, carrying a barely noticeable hoarseness and exhaustion, as if this thank you had used up all her strength.
“Awesome! Thank you! Miss Kazefuri!” Naruto cradled the signed ticket stub like a treasure, so happy he almost jumped in place.
At this time, Menma and Hinata also walked over.
Hinata looked shyly at Fūka Koyuki and said softly: “Miss Kazefuri, your movie… was really touching…”
Menma’s gaze calmly rested on Fūka Koyuki’s face, carrying a trace of imperceptible scrutiny.
Up close, this face finally matched the vague intelligence in his memory about the exiled princess of the Land of Snow.
Daughter of the former Daimyo of the Land of Snow, Fūka Koyuki.
The legitimate heir of the Land of Snow, exiled after her uncle Fūka Sayuki usurped the throne, taking the alias Fuji Kazefuri to become an actress.
He remembered that Kakashi was the one who took the mission to rescue Fūka Koyuki back then.
‘So it’s her, no wonder she looked familiar.’ Menma understood in his heart.
Watching Naruto excitedly circling the somewhat at-a-loss Fūka Koyuki, seeing the unmelting melancholy between her brows and her rejection of the “princess” identity, Menma’s thoughts drifted slightly.
Land of Snow… Fūka Sayuki…
Heh, not long to bounce around.
The Land of Snow, this country was also destined to become history.
By then, this exiled princess could perhaps completely shake off the shadows of the past and peacefully be a female actor.
Thinking so, Menma’s gaze swept back and forth between Naruto and Fūka Koyuki.
This kid Naruto seemed to really like her…
Though a bit younger than her, but… not a big issue.
If Naruto really liked…
The corners of Menma’s mouth curved in an extremely faint arc.
As a big brother, occasionally “considering” for his little brother’s future was only natural.
