"Mm~ I trust you've handled everything. Let's go."
Raising an eyebrow, Hinata was genuinely curious. Whether Naruto and Sasuke had overcome their hang-ups to work together, or whether someone else had subbed in for them—it was bound to be interesting.
[Fox Tale Chapter Three: Spider Lilies.]
In the realm between life and death, there bloomed a flower called Manjusaka, the Red Spider Lily.
Where it blooms, its leaves are gone. When the leaves grow, the flowers fade. A lifetime of never meeting—always missing.
Souls crossing the River of Forgetfulness see nothing but this sea of red. It's the only color along the long road to the underworld.
Said to draw out memories of past lives, its fragrance guides the dead toward reincarnation.
But for Sakurin, he had seen these flowers many times. Each time, he forgot everything... except the persistent image of a certain person beside him.
"Have we... met before?"
Sakurin asked, unable to shake the ache in his heart.
"No need to worry, my lord," the fox spirit whispered. "What matters is we are here... together."
Yes. From their first lifetime, they had always been lovers.
If love meant sacrifice: then when the shepherd boy traded his bamboo flute for the fox's life, what else could it be?
If love meant devotion: then the fox spirit's thousand years of training to find him again certainly counted.
Red Spider Lily—the flower of sorrowful love. Of longing. Of unseen protection. It was the perfect symbol for their eternal bond.
In the shadows, Kakashi silently made a hand sign.
Wind Style: Gentle Breeze.
The flowers swayed. The gauzy curtains fluttered like breath. In that red-lit room, the two embraced, lips inching closer...
"Mm~ very nice. But now I'm curious,"
Hinata murmured from the veranda.
"Just who are these passionate lovebirds?"
"Not the point," Shikamaru grinned.
"The point is: it worked."
Just then, a cold voice cut in:
"Shikamaru. What's with this umbrella?"
Sasuke appeared, spinning the item casually.
"You said it was needed for filming. So... who did you pick for the leads—huh?"
He froze mid-sentence, staring at the very convincing couple in the scene.
---
"S-Sasuke-kun?!"
The couple flinched and sprang apart, looking horrified.
"Who are you?!" they both cried.
Shikamaru tried to slip away, only for Hinata to casually snag him by the collar.
"Shikamaru~~ I don't mind clever tricks. But you'd better take responsibility for them."
"Come on~ I did it for the group, didn't I?" he protested, sweat pouring down his face.
In the smoke of dispelled Transformation Jutsu, the lovers' true forms were revealed: Sakura and Ino.
"Forehead Girl?!"
"Ino-pig?!"
Their shocked faces mirrored each other.
"My... first kiss... was for Sasuke-kun..."
Sakura's eyes brimmed with tears, while Ino glared daggers at Shikamaru.
"I don't know how this happened—but I do know who's to blame!"
"Excellent deduction," Hinata said coolly, shoving the squirming Shikamaru toward them.
"Please don't injure him too badly. He's still our top earner."
"Don't worry!" Sakura roared. "We learned medical ninjutsu—we'll make sure he doesn't scar!"
Dragging him inside, the girls prepared their punishment.
What happened here was basically a strategy plot prepared by Shikamaru.
The plot, in short:
1. Shikamaru sent Sasuke away on a fake umbrella errand.
2. Shino told Sakura she'd been cast as the fox spirit.
3. Ino, eager not to lose, was told (by Naruto disguised as Sasuke) they were going to test her for the male role by kissing and experiment if Sasuke can play as a female character—fox spirit.
4. So... Ino and Sakura, each thinking they were kissing a transformed boy, ended up passionately locking lips—with each other.
"Brutal setup. But damn, the scene turned out great."
Hinata chuckled, reviewing the footage.
"Our empire is unstoppable! AHAHAHAHA—"
She suddenly paused, throwing a glare toward Kakashi and Naruto.
They quickly forced out loud, fake laughs.
"AHAHA—yes, yes! Haha... haha..."
"Good. Now, Shikamaru, tell me the market outlook. Should we push ahead, or hold back and tease the audience?"
Shikamaru, a fresh bandage on his face, sighed.
"Our sales crushed the market. Other series are tanking because of us."
(TL: After there release of Fox Tale other people tried to do the same)
"Perfect. We'll take a one-week break. Give the others some breathing room."
Hinata smirked.
"Then, we'll return with a deluxe edition in two weeks. Ino, Sakura, Shikamaru—you all have new roles. Study your scripts. Everyone else, rest and prep. Dismissed!"
---
Most of the crew trickled out, scripts in hand, looking forward to a brief return to normal life.
But Naruto and Sasuke stayed. The former out of boredom, the latter because... it was his house.
"Ah~ smart of you to stay. I had something to tell you."
Hinata cracked her knuckles.
"How's your mastery of Holy Fist coming?"
"I can punch through an inch of iron sand."
Sasuke raised his eyebrows confidently.
"I've mastered the basic forms. Got new ones?"
"Me too!" Naruto chimed in quickly.
Then coughed and looked away.
"...Sort of."
Hinata sighed. He'd improve—eventually.
"Excellent. I've commissioned three pairs of custom chakra-conducting gloves. When they're ready in two weeks, they'll test your eligibility for Stage Two of Holy Fist. If you can use them, you pass. If not—you keep training."