A lone ship sailed across the vast sea, cutting through the endless blue expanse.
On the deck, Sakiya leaned against the railing, staring blankly at the waves.
"This trip is so boring… Why are there no pirates? No giant sea monsters? No massive whirlpools? No once-in-a-century storms? Why…?"
Ino, standing nearby, sighed, watching her with exasperation.
"Do you want us all to die?"
At the start of the journey, Sakiya and Nanako had been full of energy, turning every corner of the ship into their personal playground. But after hours of the same scenery—just endless water—the excitement faded.
Nanako, who had gotten a bit seasick, had gone to sleep, leaving only Sakiya with far too much free time. And now, after spending ages just staring at the horizon, she had entered full existential crisis mode.
Ino walked over and poked her in the cheek.
"Sakiya… Want to try acting?"
Sakiya's dull eyes barely reacted. She slowly turned her face toward Ino, still completely lifeless.
"…Acting?"
Ino smirked and nodded.
"Yeah. The director wants us to join in. Naruto is already doing it, and it looks pretty fun."
One second.
Two seconds.
Three—
Sakiya suddenly sprang upright as if someone had fired her from a slingshot.
Her eyes lit up, and her energy returned in an instant.
"Acting? Hah! This is my chance! The world will finally know the name of the all-powerful—!"
She struck a dramatic pose, hands on her hips, grinning.
"Ino, you should join me! Dark Emperor Ino, together we shall—"
Ino, already expecting this, just held out her hand with a knowing smile.
Sakiya took it without hesitation.
"Yeah, yeah, I knew you'd be interested," Ino said, leading her toward the filming area. Then, with a mischievous smirk, she added, "But wait… I thought you said cameras were tools that sealed demons. Aren't you afraid of getting sealed in one?"
Sakiya froze for a split second before flipping her hair dramatically and making a vague, mystical gesture in front of her face.
"My eyes can see through the truth of all things! Unlike Nanako, that rookie magician!" she declared. "I already knew what cameras really do. They capture images, not souls. Just a trick of light! It's something I could do easily with magic."
Ino raised an eyebrow, feigning curiosity.
"Ohh~ right, all those fancy magic circles you make are actually just chakra projections, huh?"
Sakiya flinched slightly but kept her back turned. Her voice lowered just a bit.
"…No, they're magic circles. Real magic circles. Not chakra. They require rituals… and, um… special paper…"
Ino smirked but let it slide.
Before long, they reached the filming area, just in time to see Naruto standing dramatically atop a raised platform, wearing a black cloak that billowed in the wind.
Below him, Koyuki stood, looking up with a grim expression.
"Fubuki!" she called out. "Are you really going to stand in my way?"
Naruto didn't say a word. The next moment, he spread his arms and leaped down from the platform like a hawk diving toward its prey.
Koyuki took a step forward, ready to react, but before she could move, a dark figure shot through the air, intercepting Naruto mid-flight.
Clang!
The sharp ring of metal against metal echoed as the two figures clashed and were forced apart, landing on opposite sides of the set.
A man in black, fully covered from head to toe, stood protectively in front of Fubuki.
"Go! I'll hold him off!"
Ino immediately recognized the voice—it was Tsuchiya.
Koyuki hesitated, glancing at the masked figure before her. Then, gritting her teeth, she turned and ran, leaving only one parting remark.
"Don't die, Tsukishiro!"
Naruto lunged forward again, and Tsuchiya met him head-on. Their blades collided, sparks flying from the clash.
Boom!
The force of their strikes sent shockwaves through the set.
"Cut!"
The director, wearing his signature sunglasses, grinned with excitement.
"Perfect! That was amazing!"
At his call, both Naruto and Tsuchiya immediately collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily.
Koyuki sighed in relief, grabbed a water bottle from the rest area, and took a long drink.
Naruto pushed back his hood, wiping the sweat from his brow. Tsuchiya removed his mask, revealing an equally exhausted face.
"It's finally over," Naruto groaned.
"Yeah," Tsuchiya muttered, still catching his breath. "That was way harder than I expected."
Watching them sprawled out like that, Ino suddenly felt a little uneasy.
Maybe acting wasn't as fun as she had imagined…
Then she glanced to her side.
Sakiya's face was lit with excitement, eyes practically glowing.
Oh no.
She knew there was no escaping now.
Sigh… well, whatever. I'll just leave it to her. It's a new experience anyway—might as well try it.
Without another word, Ino grabbed Sakiya's hand and pulled her toward the director.
The man, still buzzing with energy, was flipping through his script, adjusting scenes as if he had tapped into an endless well of inspiration. He radiated an almost obsessive enthusiasm, his voice booming with authority.
At this point, filming was everything to him.
"Director?"
Hearing his title, he turned, spotting Ino dragging Sakiya along.
"Oh! Ino-chan! Have you decided to join us?" His excitement was obvious.
He had grown increasingly fond of working with these ninja—no props, no special effects needed, and yet the results were incredible.
Ino smiled. "Yeah, I'm in. But—" she lifted Sakiya's hand "—she's coming with me."
The director's gaze shifted to Sakiya.
He immediately recognized her as one of the two eccentric girls who had been causing a stir earlier.
The taller one.
But…
His brows furrowed as he pointed at her in confusion.
"Wait… she's a ninja?"
For a moment, Sakiya froze. Then, like a startled cat puffing up in defense, her expression turned fierce.
Ino barely had time to react before she grabbed Sakiya by the shoulders, stopping her from launching into an over-the-top rant.
With a small laugh, she answered for her, "Yes, Sakiya is a ninja. Actually, she's a Jonin. The captain of this mission. She's really strong."
The word strong seemed to soothe Sakiya's pride a little, and she let out a satisfied huff.
Meanwhile, the director stood there, completely stunned.
This kid—this girl who looked like she belonged in a fantasy novel—was not only a ninja but the leader of this mission?
For the first time, he felt like maybe… just maybe… hiring this team wasn't as good of a deal as he thought.
Was this really okay?
Was it too late to ask for a refund?
The girl didn't have the age or seniority to justify her rank.
What kind of backing did she have to get promoted so quickly?
The director's skepticism was obvious.
Ino noticed but didn't bother explaining—it would be too much of a hassle.
Besides, it was too unbelievable.
If she hadn't met Sakiya herself and someone had told her this story, she wouldn't have believed it either.
At that moment, Sakiya crossed her arms, chin tilted up, wearing a smug expression as she looked down at the director.
"Hmph! I am the Eye of Death! Being a ninja is merely a profession I chose to interact with humans."
She nodded as if to confirm her own words.
"You're absolutely right! I don't seem like a ninja. I'm too powerful—too extraordinary!" She smirked. "Ordinary people can't comprehend my true strength!"
As she spoke, her right eye emitted a faint glow. Though her left eye was covered by a blindfold, its light still shone through the fabric.
"Behold! The power of the Eye of Death!"
The director stared at her glowing eye, then suddenly pushed his sunglasses up with an exaggerated motion.
"Your eye glows?! That's incredible!"
Sakiya blinked.
"...Huh?"
"I don't care what rank you are. I've decided—you must be in the movie!"
For a moment, Sakiya stood frozen, processing what he just said. Then, her back straightened as she hastily corrected him.
"This isn't just any glowing eye! It's the manifestation of a magic eye—activated through a powerful ritual!"
The director waved a dismissive hand.
"Yeah, yeah, magic, rituals—got it. Now, let's get back to filming."
Coughing into his fist, he straightened his posture.
"Alright, next scene in five minutes. I'll go over the script and explain the details."
With that, he flipped through his notes, quickly preparing the next sequence.
Not long after, he gathered Ino, Sakiya, and Koyuki. Since Koyuki was the lead actress, her role was crucial.
The story was simple:
Sakiya played a girl with an extraordinary ability—whenever she activated it, her eyes would shine brightly.
However, this ability could only be used three times, and only for the sake of others. Once all three wishes were granted, her life would come to an end.
Despite knowing this, the girl was selfless.
The first time she used her power, it was for a beggar. His wish? Wealth and influence.
With her ability, he became a world-renowned businessman.
But success fueled his greed. He was unsatisfied with just one wish and never once considered repaying her kindness.
Instead, he sought to capture her—to force her to grant his final two wishes.
As a champion of justice, Koyuki refused to let the girl fall into his hands.
Thus, the battle began.
Ino and Sakura played key supporting roles. One was a thug working for the beggar, while the other was a poor traveler who had temporarily joined Sakiya's group.
…
That was the general outline of the story.
The director meticulously arranged the details, aware that the ninjas weren't professional actors. To compensate, he reduced their dialogue and toned down emotional scenes.
And with that—
The first act!
Filming begins!
The studio had set up a backdrop for the scene.
A lost girl, exhausted from being hunted, collapsed on the ground as her pursuers surrounded her.
Koyuki arrived at the scene, ready to draw her sword and intervene.
It all sounded good in theory.
But in reality?
Things didn't go quite as planned.
First, Sakiya refused to remove her distinctive blindfold.
The director let it slide. Fine. It added some mystery.
But then—
As the scene played out, Sakiya placed one hand over her blindfolded eye and tilted her head back dramatically.
Then came the laughter.
"Haha… hahahahaha!"
A wild, almost unhinged grin spread across her face.
"You pathetic fools! Do you actually think you can claim the power of my Eye of Death?!"
A glowing pattern materialized beneath her feet—a magic circle. Then, another one appeared, hovering around her waist.
Intricate, glowing symbols filled the air—characters that clearly didn't belong to any human language.
The director instinctively opened his mouth to yell, "Cut!"
But he hesitated.
Something about the performance stunned him.
The background actors, however, were completely lost.
They glanced at each other, unsure how to react.
Then—
"Under the might of my Eye of Death—turn to dust and vanish!"
BOOM!
A flash of light erupted, engulfing the set.
And just like that, the background actors—vanished.
From the director's perspective, they had disintegrated.
His eyes went wide.
But from the actors' point of view… they were still standing there, just slightly off to the side.
Confused, they stared at the empty space where they were supposed to be.
Right then, Ino's voice echoed in their ears.
"Move out of frame—quickly! I'm stepping in."
The extras scrambled out of view.
And as soon as they did, their images reappeared, as if materializing from thin air.
The director blinked in disbelief.
What kind of illusion technique was that?
But before he could dwell on it—
BAM!
Ino descended from the sky, landing like a hero in an action movie.
She stood tall, facing Sakiya, her expression cool and composed.
"You've used the Eye's power on a greedy and foolish man, causing it to spiral out of control… haven't you?"
The director's jaw dropped.
[She's rewriting the script?!]
Sakiya sneered, not missing a beat.
"So, the heir of the Dark Emperor finally shows herself. No wonder you dare stand before me! Do you think your so-called darkness can quell my rage? You realize the price for that is your life!"
The director's hands twitched.
[She changed the script AGAIN!]
Ino remained calm.
"Yes. As the Dark Emperor's successor, it is my burden to bear. Fate has decreed this path for me."
Sakiya lifted her hand with a flourish. The glowing circle beneath her expanded, stretching out dozens of meters in all directions.
The sheer scale of it was breathtaking.
And then—
Dark energy gathered around Ino, swirling like black flames, as if devouring even the light itself.
The two girls locked eyes.
A spark of electricity crackled between them.
The battle was about to begin.
…
The director was on the edge of his seat.
The atmosphere was electric. His heart pounded with anticipation.
And then—
"NARUTO!" someone shouted.
"There's a situation!!!"
Everyone turned.
"Ice Style—White Whale!!!"
BOOM!
The ocean roared.
A massive, crystalline white whale erupted from the sea, glistening under the sun as it arced through the air.
The scene was breathtaking.
The problem?
It was about to crash directly onto the ship.
At that moment, Naruto and Sasuke sprang into action—ready to intervene.