Naruto: IY Ch. 24

The two great villages, Kumo and Suna, and even small nations like the Land of Hot Water, agreed readily after hearing there was money to be made.

Hiruzen demanded another copy of the film script, or the deal was off.

Yahiko was absolutely unwilling to comply. At worst, he figured, they just won't make money from him.

As for Kiri, even before Obito manipulated the Fourth Mizukage, it was already known as the "Bloody Mist," and had closed off its borders. Yahiko hadn't sent anyone there at all.

On a small riverboat cruising down a narrow stream, a bit shabby. It didn't have the grand atmosphere like in the original.

Just this small ship, able to carry 500 passengers, had already forced Yahiko to grit his teeth and dig deep into his pockets to scrape together the money for repairs.

There was no wide broadcast, which gave him a headache.

"Sigh..."

He wished he could do interdimensional transfers and deposit the money directly into Yoake's account.

At this moment, Konan stood at the bow of the ship. Yahiko came up behind her and hugged her around the waist.

The sun was setting. The two of them faced the wind blowing from Wind Release user, their hair flying, it was its own kind of romantic beauty.

Konan's cheeks turned slightly red. "That's... enough."

Off to the side, Nagato, who came by for a visit, gritted his back teeth so hard they nearly broke from sourness. He really wanted to shout "Shinra Tensei!" and blast the two of them away.

"Cut! Very good."

The cameraman brought the footage over for Yahiko to review.

Yahiko was quite satisfied.

Then they hurried to shoot the next scene.

Days went by.

Today, light snow began to fall.

Yahiko and Konan were sitting in a ramen shop, a warm bowl of noodles settling in their stomachs.

"Will the movie you and Konan shot be shown in that movie theater?"

The speaker pointed to the newly built cinema in the center of Yoake.

It was a bit abrupt.

All the surrounding shops were cold and deserted, or peddling wares from pushcarts that looked like they came from the last century.

Suddenly having such a modern facility inserted there, it looked very strange.

"Yes, make sure to come support it when it's released."

Yahiko put down his chopsticks and responded cheerfully.

Beside him, Konan got teary-eyed just thinking about the plot. She sighed, Releasing it on New Year's Day, who knows if it will be a good thing or a bad one.

"I've seen you cry several times already, Konan"

The ramen lady commented with concern.

"No." Konan wiped her tears. She couldn't explain. She wanted to make every woman in the shinobi world cry.

---

In the blink of an eye, it was New Year's Eve.

The village held a celebration, and everyone ate from a large communal pot.

"Last year, our goal was to fill our stomachs and survive. We completed our mission perfectly!"

With chakra enhancing his voice, Yahiko stood on the stage, summarizing proudly under the watchful eyes of all.

"Good!"

Everyone applauded.

"This year! Our goal is to build our homeland, strengthen our foundations, and strive to open markets with the Five Great Nations."

"Alright, let's eat!"

It was the New Year, he didn't ramble any longer.

At the dinner table, the children talked about the cinema.

"Takeshi, shall we go watch the movie tomorrow? Dad already bought the tickets."

"Yeah! But why did you buy so many?"

"So we can all go together."

"What?!"

"You dummy, my dad has a friend who works at the theater, and his friend already saw it. It's really good. Maybe you shouldn't go, though."

"That's right. This movie is for men to watch!"

"Kantaro, Gian, don't say that."

The adults eating nearby shook their heads and laughed at the scene.

The cinema had been open in the village center for a long time, yet somehow the secret never leaked.

All they knew was that one ticket cost fifty ryō, and the popcorn, at a hundred ryō a bucket, was delicious.

In the corner, Ikkaku and his group didn't forget they were undercover. They planned to report the cinema situation to the Hokage once they returned.

"Ikkaku, have a drink?" Shuzen asked.

"Hey hey, cheers!"

Finally, New Year's Day arrived, the day the movie premiered.

---

Konoha had no cinema, but the Land of Fire did.

Same for the Land of Water.

The nobles didn't care about the details. As long as there was entertainment, they were happy to join in.

Yoake's cinema was completely sold out.

There weren't fine divisions like second or third rings at that time, everyone could enter the core zone of Yoake.

White Zetsu snuck into the last row of the theater screening room and whispered, "Madara-sama, I think the barrier's been lifted."

That was because Yahiko had recently thought of something, his ex-girlfriend in his previous life had a strange sense of possessiveness. He had to report everything to her, and if he went more than an hour without replying, it was like lighting a gas tank. So, thinking about it, Madara might be the same. If he went too long without seeing Nagato, the guy probably wouldn't be able to sleep.

So he had Shuzen open up the passageway from below.

"Go check the condition of the vessel first."

---

In Tanzaku Quarters, a blond-haired boy and a red-haired girl were strolling arm in arm through the streets.

"If I and the scroll both fell into the water, who would you save first? Don't lie to me," the girl asked, and the boy didn't even hesitate to answer.

"Of course I'd save you."

This question had recently become a bizarre trend sweeping through the Land of Fire.

It started with "the scroll or your girlfriend" and eventually evolved into "your mom or your girlfriend."

The red-haired girl couldn't bear to make things hard for her boyfriend, so she asked a version that would be easy to answer.

Hidden in the shadows nearby, a few ANBU wearing masks kept a watchful eye on the pair.

More precisely, they were secretly protecting the red-haired girl, Uzumaki Kushina, the Nine-Tails jinchuriki.

As Konoha's "nuclear weapon," she would never be walking freely around town unless it was a special occasion like the New Year.

The two strolled from one end of the street to the other, eventually passing by a newly opened cinema.

At that moment, the previous screening had just ended, and the audience was beginning to file out.

It was easy to tell, many women had red, swollen eyes, as if they'd just cried their hearts out.

The men's expressions were a mix of envy. I don't get it! Why does a broke guy like Jin get to win over Ria?

Some men looked jealous, others indignant, like betrayed lovers, but oddly, none of them cried.

It was really strange.

The expressions were all over the place.

Still, the shinobi world's first movie clearly satisfied their thirst for entertainment.

A promotional poster for "Yoakitanic" was displayed prominently outside, showing Yahiko holding Konan as the wind jutsu blew dramatically.

"Movie?"

Kushina stepped forward, took one look at the poster, then at the tearful women recalling the story.

"Minato, can we go in and watch it?" She tugged on Minato's sleeve like she wouldn't budge without seeing it.

"Alright, let's go watch it. I'm kind of curious myself."

Minato smiled like the little sun he was, then turned to the ANBU in the shadows and offered a small apologetic nod.

The ANBU nodded back.

Minato went to the ticket booth and bought tickets for himself, Kushina, and the ANBU. Seven tickets total, just a small expense.

Seven buckets of popcorn, also a small expense.

Once inside, they were led to a dimly lit hall. They sat down in soft theater seats, staring at the darkened big screen in front.

"Shizune, crunch crunch... is this movie... crunch crunch really that good?"

A voice came from the row behind. A blonde woman was chomping loudly on popcorn.

"Yes yes, Lady Tsunade, it's absolutely amazing." Shizune wore a sly grin.

Then she sniffled a bit, a tinge of sadness crossing her face, she was going to watch this movie again with Tsunade. Again watch the Yoake ship hit the iceberg. Again watch Jin fall into the frozen ocean.

"Alright, I believe you." Tsunade roughly ruffled Shizune's head, then turned to the big screen.

She wasn't blind, she could tell this girl was up to something. She was curious what kind of scheme Shizune was planning.

"Ahhh~ Lady Tsunade, you're covered in sugar!"

"Hehe, still complaining? Look, caught you!"

Hearing that familiar voice behind him, Minato broke into a cold sweat. Huh? If Jiraiya-sensei isn't here, what am I afraid of?

"Kushina, aren't you going to say hi to Lady Tsunade?"

"Mm... no."

"?"

"Because you're right here next to me."

At that moment, no color could match the red of the young man's cheeks.

"T-the movie's starting."

Minato blushed as red as an apple and looked toward the now-bright screen.

The movie began with an advertisement.

A commercial for Yoake toys played first, followed by the village's theme song.

"Aww, so cute."

On the big screen, Yahiko was singing a duet with a girl. Kushina's eyes sparkled like stars.

Minato looked at Kushina and thought to himself, You're the cutest one.

"Kushina, when we have time, let's go visit Yoake."

"Okay."

Yahiko, on screen, said: [Yoake welcomes you, we'll create the world for you.]

Crunch crunch...

"I knew it. Crunch crunch... that poster looked familiar. Crunch... isn't that Yahiko?"

Kushina finally snapped, "Tsunade-nesan, could you be quiet for a bit?"

"Oh? What are you doing here?"

"Minato, you're here too? Just like your teacher, chasing after beauty. Men! Kushina, come here!"

"No!"

Minato looked incredibly awkward.

"Kushina, look at you, getting bold enough to talk back to me now."

The two of them arguing echoed loudly through the dark theater hall, people outside the screening room could hear them clearly.

Other audience members could only sit stiffly in their seats, angry but not saying anything.

Tsunade... they recognized her. She was not someone to mess with.