"Damn it…"
As a violent black dragon of snow and frost howled toward them like a raging storm, threatening to swallow everyone whole, Asama Sandayu's face turned pale with fear.
The film crew members were equally horrified. Some tried to run, but their legs froze in place under the pressure of the terrifying power approaching them.
Danger!
Hinata's expression shifted. She activated her Byakugan in an instant, chakra surging and gathering in her fists.
Just as she was about to leap forward to block Kazahana Doto's attack, the Nine-Tails, who had been lazily perched on a snow mound, glanced over at Doto with an indifferent look.
Then, to Koyuki's astonishment, the Nine-Tails casually flicked its tail. That tail instantly expanded with the wind, transforming into a massive, towering appendage that tore through the air.
The black dragon blizzard Doto had just unleashed crumpled like a paper snake meeting a thunderous serpent. It disintegrated on contact, utterly overwhelmed and destroyed.
"What?!"
Doto's face twisted in disbelief.
Before he could even react, the enormous tail that had obliterated his jutsu slammed into his body.
The chakra armor he wore immediately reached its limit. With a deafening crack, it shattered into a thousand pieces as if it were nothing more than brittle wood.
Crack! Crack!
One after another, Doto's bones broke under the force of the impact.
"Aagh…"
His scream was cut short as his lungs were crushed. His eyes widened with shock and terror.
What… what was that?!
His chakra armor, shattered in an instant. The energy in that tail, it was like a vast ocean, immeasurable and far beyond anything he could comprehend.
BOOM!!!
In a burst of horror and hopelessness, Doto's entire body was flung high into the sky by the Nine-Tails' tail, reduced to a mangled heap midair.
The tail's sweep continued, radiating immense power. The earth trembled as the surrounding snow and ice were blasted away. Trees encased in snow toppled one after another like dominoes.
Finally,
The shockwave slammed into a nearby mountain, causing it to shake violently as massive sheets of ice and snow collapsed down its slopes.
When the dust settled, everyone, including the director and Koyuki, stared blankly at the scene before them.
The vast snowy forest, stretching as far as the eye could see…
Was completely gone.
All that remained was a barren, snowless plain, extending all the way to the horizon.
The Nine-Tails remained seated on its snow mound. Its enormous tail shrank back down in a flash and curled neatly behind it.
"So noisy," it muttered, as if it had just swatted a fly.
Then it turned its attention lazily back to the stunned crew. "Alright. You can resume filming now."
Koyuki's hand trembled as she clutched the hexagonal crystal. Her wide eyes were filled with disbelief.
What… what was that?!
The entire scene felt like a dream. She couldn't even believe it had really happened. The thought that she had once pet this fox's fur only deepened her sense of disbelief. This ferocious, arrogant-looking fox possessed such terrifying, world-shattering power?!
The director's fingers were shaking too. Only one sentence echoed in his mind:
"It's also very strong…"
Very strong, my ass!!!
This wasn't just strong, it was ten times more terrifying than the Demon King in the script!
Even Hinata looked slightly stunned. The chakra coating her fists faded away. She gave the Nine-Tails a sheepish glance and whispered:
"N-Nine-Tails-sama…"
That was supposed to be her fight. This was the opponent she was meant to grow stronger by overcoming… and the Nine-Tails had wiped him out in one blow.
It was kind of awkward.
"So much destruction…" Kaede said, frowning at the completely flattened forest. He shot the Nine-Tails a mildly annoyed look. "Couldn't you tone it down a bit? Do you want to destroy the Land of Snow?"
Still sitting atop the snow mound, the Nine-Tails scoffed. "That was me holding back! And you've got no right to talk. When have you ever caused less damage than me?!"
"Ha…"
Kaede didn't bother arguing.
He had no reason to stop the Nine-Tails from acting. Doto's chakra armor wasn't weak, it even had the ability to absorb chakra, which made it a natural counter to Hinata's Gentle Fist.
As Kaede and the Nine-Tails bantered, the others remained completely dazed, unable to process anything they were hearing.
A moment later, they gradually began to regain their senses.
The director turned to glance at the camera equipment. To his relief, it hadn't stopped rolling, it had captured everything.
He exhaled slowly, then smiled with excitement.
"Perfect!"
"Keep that footage. That last shot was incredible!"
If that scene made it to theaters, it was bound to shake audiences to their core.
The surrounding staff swallowed hard. Director… just how strong is your heart? You're still thinking about footage at a time like this?!
And so, under the direction of this iron-willed man, who remained unfazed even in the face of war and swore to complete the movie no matter the cost, the final chapter of Adventure of Princess Gale continued production.
The escort mission was basically over, but Kaede had promised to participate in the movie, so he stayed involved. Truth be told, he admired this director.
If only every director had this kind of spirit,
Maybe there wouldn't be any more terrible movies.
The Nine-Tails eventually accepted the director as well. While it was a bit offended at first for being underestimated, as a fox with a vast knowledge of movies, it could tell that the man's sincerity and passion made him a true artist.
Thanks to Kaede and the Nine-Tails' involvement, the plot rapidly advanced.
Koyuki, awed by the Nine-Tails' power, chose to face its trial. With Kaede's help, she passed and obtained the Sacred Sword.
"Damn you…"
"It's the Sacred Sword!!"
"I won't lose this time! Even the Sacred Sword won't defeat me!!"
The final boss hovered in the air, glaring at a battered Koyuki as she pulled the sword from the frozen seal, eyes wide with rage.
But Koyuki stumbled, clearly too weak to swing the sword. Holding it alone had pushed her to her limit.
The Demon King grinned wickedly. "Hahaha! So you don't even have the strength left to swing it! Allow me to end this myself!!"
He began to tremble midair, preparing a final attack.
Just then,
Kaede appeared behind Koyuki. He slid his arms around her waist and gripped the hilt of the sword with her.
"Let's go. Unleash the power of the Sacred Sword…"
Koyuki froze. Glancing back at him, her dull eyes suddenly lit up. Her cheeks flushed, but her gaze became resolute.
"…Mm!"
Kaede smiled and raised the sword with her.
A faint golden light emerged, coating the blade.
Together, they turned to face the Demon King and swung the sword in perfect unison.
"This is our power!!"
VMM!!
A golden wave of light erupted from the blade, sweeping forward.
The wave sliced cleanly over the Demon King actor's head and disappeared into the distance. It passed through a snowy mountain far behind the set.
Silent.
Then, a deep crack split the mountain down the middle.
Koyuki froze. So did the crew. The Demon King actor was mid-line,
"No, I won't lose… I won't–"
Halfway through, he noticed everyone staring and trailed off. Confused, he turned to look behind him.
And saw,
The snowy peak in the far distance was sliding in half, collapsing along a perfect diagonal cut, bringing down an avalanche of snow.
His expression froze.
Silence.
Only the Nine-Tails, perched on Hinata's head, remained calm. It snorted and muttered:
"And you said I was too dramatic…"
Moments later, the severed half of the mountain collapsed with an earth-shaking boom. The ground trembled violently beneath them.
=============
One month later.
The final installment of The Adventure of Princess Gale premiered across the entire Land of Fire.
Kakashi walked into a theater holding two sodas. He handed one to the girl beside him, then casually took his seat, ready to enjoy the movie with his girlfriend.
PFFT!!
One-third into the film, the moment Kaede's figure stepped out onto the snowy screen, Kakashi spit his soda everywhere.
In the back row, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all stared with their mouths wide open.
Pop!
Sasuke's fingers clenched so hard he crushed his soda cup.
Naruto, mid-sip, spewed soda, and the cup, right out of his mouth.
Wait a minute…
Isn't that the Hokage?!
That's our Hokage, right?!
Meanwhile, in Nara Shikaku's office, he listened to a subordinate's report, facepalming as his eye twitched.
"Alright, I get it… let it be."
"There's no need to keep the Hokage's identity a secret anymore, anyway…"
Ninja identities were usually kept hidden to avoid unnecessary trouble, especially in enemy territory. Being recognized meant your intel was compromised.
But for Kaede… it didn't matter. Even if someone had all his intel, there was no one in existence who could actually do anything about it.
And so,
With the release of Princess Gale, the legendary Hokage who had long been feared and revered across the shinobi world…
Was no longer just a name.
People had imagined Kaede to be tall, burly, and imposing. But with the movie's release, those images were completely shattered.
The shinobi world erupted in excitement.
Countless girls walked out of theaters with dazed, love-struck expressions. Many immediately bought another ticket to watch it again.
The film quickly became the highest-grossing movie in history, smashing previous records in just three days.
And as a result,
The number of girls flocking to the Hidden Leaf Village skyrocketed. The crowd outside the Hokage building grew tenfold overnight, with fans waiting daily just to catch a glimpse of Kaede.
It even started interfering with ninja operations, leaving Shikaku at his wit's end.
As for Kaede himself, he had more or less expected this outcome. After the movie aired, he began using Transformation Jutsu whenever he left the house, just to avoid getting mobbed.
In his own words:
"You're all just thinking about peaches." (dreaming about romance)