Chapter 190 The Runaway Princess of the Land of Snow

"Tsunade-sama, we haven't been told what the mission is yet?" Sakura asked. She didn't seem to be abnormal.

"It's an A-rank mission: to escort the actress, Fujikaze Yukie, who plays the role of Princess Fuun. She is going to the Land of Snow for a film shoot. I heard it's the final installment of the new movie series, 'The Adventures of Princess Fuun'."

Tsunade yawned absentmindedly and continued speaking with a weak look, "The client is Fujikaze Yukie's manager, and the payment is quite generous. Since the mission isn't deemed too dangerous, Konoha accepted it without much hesitation."

Naruto knew she was just craving a drink when he saw her state, and felt somewhat speechless. Hearing her explanation, he thought to himself, 'This mission was anything but safe. The people of the Land of Snow were just waiting for Kazahana Koyuki to walk right into their hands.'

'It wasn't like a stage name would truly disguise her identity as the former princess of the Land of Snow, Koyuki Kazahana.'

'If it were just about dealing with the people from the Land of Snow, it wouldn't be a big deal, but having to protect the powerless Koyuki made the mission significantly more difficult.'

"Why is Anko leading this mission?" Naruto protested, clearly dissatisfied, "Where's Kakashi-sensei? Shouldn't he be leading the team? And we're only two Genin."

"Kakashi is busy carrying out a confidential mission and can't make it back for the time being." Tsunade glanced at Naruto and said, "Mitarashi Anko is also an extremely exceptional Jonin. You should have more faith in your seniors."

"It's not that I don't trust her." Naruto understood the underlying message in Tsunade's words. Kakashi was out gaining experience, barreling down the path of no return to becoming the next Hokage.

"It's just... Tsunade-sama, could you provide some equipment?" Naruto hesitated for a long time before finally saying something, causing Tsunade to frown.

As they walked out of the Hokage's Office, Sakura quickened her pace to catch up with Naruto, walking beside him with her hands behind her back, and asked with a smile, "You seem very worried about this mission. Do you know something?"

"No, I just don't want to deal with such a troublesome woman." Naruto replied with a grin, "After all, she is a movie star, so she's bound to have some personality."

"That's true." Sakura pondered, "If she's really that much trouble, we could always just quietly kill her on the way."

Naruto: "???"

"I'm kidding." Sakura nudged him playfully, "She's the person we're supposed to protect."

"You'd better be!" Naruto glanced at her with a complex expression, thinking that this girl was really dangerous, "But it's not like there's no way to handle it."

"What is it?"

"You'll find out when the time comes." Naruto said, looking straight ahead. After walking side by side for a while, he seemed to remember something and turned to remind her, "It should be very cold in the Land of Snow. You should wear something warmer."

"Now that you mention it, I remember." Sakura added, "That Princess Fuun seems to be very popular, almost to the point of being a household name."

"Is she that famous?" Naruto asked with a puzzled expression. He knew that Koyuki was very famous, but he didn't realize she had that level of fame.

"Yeah, after all, it's rare to see a girl with that kind of heroic face." Sakura said with a smile, "It's hard to explain, but it's almost as if she really had been a princess."

"Is that so?" He replied perfunctorily, while thinking in his mind, 'Well, she is indeed the escaped princess of the Land of Snow.'

The two stopped, having reached the lounge on the first floor of the Hokage Tower, where they waited for their team leader, Mitarashi Anko.

About half an hour later, Anko, with her characteristic netted outfit, bustled into the lounge. Despite her attire, she still exuded a vibrant and generous presence, her face full of youthful energy.

"There's been a problem," Anko announced as she pushed the door open, "Princess Fuun has gone missing in Konoha."

"Hmm?"

"Princess Fuun is missing?" Naruto frowned slightly, "That's not even her real name. Seriously, we should be calling her that long stage name, right?"

Sakura, standing nearby, bit her lip, feeling a bit amused, 'These two were remarkably similar in their tendency to ignore people's names.'

"Ugh, her name is so long, and it's just awkward to say." Anko explained, "Even when shouting for her in the streets, you'd think you could call her name twice, but because it's so long, you can only call her once."

"So, let's just call her Princess Fuun then. After all, she's the one who plays Princess Fuun in the movie."

"That does make some sense." Naruto said, stroking his chin thoughtfully, "We could also call her 'Princess Yuki'. It sounds better."

"That kind of old-fashioned name only appears on movie posters. It's way too cheesy." Anko responded with surprising seriousness.

Sakura, sitting nearby, watched the two as they ignored the issue of the missing Princess Fuun and instead started debating the length of her stage name. She couldn't help but feel that this mission wouldn't be as simple as it seemed.

Anko's over-the-top antics during the second round of the Chunin Exams had left a lasting impression on everyone. Who would have thought that this eccentric Tokubetsu Jonin was once the top disciple under one of the legendary Sannin, Orochimaru?

Sakura, uninterested in the fate of Princess Fuun, propped her chin on her hand and stared at the two who were now fervently discussing what to call Princess Fuun.

It wasn't until their conversation turned to what stage name would be most suitable if they were to debut someday that Sakura lightly knocked on the table and cleared her throat.

"Aren't we supposed to be looking for someone right now?"

"Yes! We need to find her!" Anko immediately made an abstract decision, "Let's split up. I'll go ask Princess Fuun's agent manager if there are any leads."

"I'll ask passers-by nearby. Princess Fuun is so famous that she's bound to be recognized wherever she goes." Sakura suggested.

"I'm going to the bathroom," Naruto raised his hand and said.

"Okay." Anko nodded, but quickly realized something was off, "No way! You need to come with us. Don't even think about slacking off."

"When I go to the bathroom, I'll ask someone to go to the ladies' room and look for her."

"There's no need to go that far! Dammit!" Anko smacked Naruto on the head, "Just go and then come back to help us look."

It is not an easy task for three people to search the whole village for a famous woman.

Naruto, frustrated by the lack of progress, gritted his teeth and managed to get an article of clothing that Koyuki had previously worn from her manager.

Anko was slightly stunned when she saw this. She didn't expect Naruto to be so resourceful.

"Kakashi taught you how to use the Summoning Technique with his Ninken? Impressive." Anko praised.

Under her praise, Naruto put on the piece of clothing, and glanced at Anko with a puzzled look. He frowned and said, "No, I'm just a little cold."

The early spring chill sent cold winds whipping through the street. At this moment, Anko stood on the street with a stiff expression on her face.

Naruto shrugged indifferently and quickly formed hand seals.

"Transformation Technique!"

With a bang, a puff of white smoke appeared, and Naruto transformed into Koyuki, even spinning around in front of Sakura and asking, "Does it look convincing?"

"Yes, it does." Sakura said with a smile.

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