"Mhm, agreed. Crying is an important expression. Whoever can convey more beauty through it is better suited for this tragic love story."
Lead judge Shino also spoke in support. Glancing at Naruto beside her, Sakura bit her lip hard. Ino-pig had already been KO'd by Shikamaru, which meant—if she could beat this stupid dead-last in femininity, the heroine role alongside Sasuke would be hers. Crying?
Easy! Just think of something sad—yeah, like those awful days when they called her Forehead Girl as a kid… Yes, that nose-tingling sensation, that's it!
Meanwhile, Naruto also glanced instinctively at Sakura. The blond dead-last wasn't willing to lose either. Damn it, why did Sakura like that smug ice-face Sasuke anyway~? But… fine. If it's like this… I'll just give the lead role to Sakura… as long as she's happy… Damn, why are my eyes stinging… No! I can't cry! Think of something funny… But… there's nothing really funny… Like that time I drank expired milk and had diarrhea for three days? Or when I wanted a mask and everyone cursed me out… Ugh, the more I think, the more I wanna cry…
On the side, Hinata and the others were getting visibly impatient, their brows twitching as both Sakura and Naruto grit their teeth, but still failed to shed a single tear. It was clearly testing everyone's patience.
"Hmm~ this isn't working~ maybe…"
Just then, Kakashi spoke up. He looked at Hinata, and upon receiving her nod of approval, the white-haired jonin smiled and said, "Just think of someone important to you. Imagine they fell ill or something… like, your parents…"
"Huh? That's too much… My naggy parents…"
Sakura sounded annoyed, about to object—but then her expression froze.
A single tear quietly slid down Naruto's face. Though his expression didn't change, the silent weeping struck a deep chord with everyone present.
"Sorry… I guess… that's a bit much… after all, I don't have… parents… ahaha, ahahahaha…"
Lifting his head, Naruto tried hard to smile, to cover up the storm inside—but the tears continued to roll down his cheeks, trailing over the forced curve of his lips. That image alone said everything.
This time, the judges didn't even score Sakura. They silently gave Naruto three perfect tens. Sakura instinctively stepped back, her face pale, and canceled her transformation. She quietly sat beside Ino.
"With that, the casting is decided."
Seated once more in the lead chair, Hinata spoke plainly.
"Take a moment to collect yourselves. We'll begin filming Fox's Tale Act IV: 'Madam Higan' shortly."
---
AN:
(PS1: Yep~ o(￣▽￣)o~~ Casting ended perfectly~~ When it comes to feminine charm, who in Naruto can beat my favorite Naruko?)
(PS2: Another big 4k chapter~~ toss some rewards my way~~ wagging tail~)
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Fox's Tale Act IV – "Madam Higan."
Reincarnation… truly the most painful, and yet most liberating ordeal for all souls.
It takes away every treasured memory without hesitation, yet also lets one forget every piercing pain without restraint.
For a human like him, his soul had already been cleansed countless times through ten reincarnations over a thousand years. His life had seen too many cycles of joy and sorrow.
But for those souls that weren't human, reincarnation… might just be the final stop when their lingering obsessions finally fade.
He sat uneasily in his palanquin, returning to his residence. That curious songstress named Ahri had sparked in him a strange, haunting sense of familiarity.
Then, a black flower drifted down from the sky, landing on his knee. Startled, the noble young man looked up and easily spotted its origin—a flower shop on the side of the street he had never seen before.
[Stop. I want to take a look inside.]
He was surprised. He knew this street well, yet he had never seen that flower shop before. And the ink-black flower gave him an equally eerie sense of familiarity.
Driven by a mix of confusion and curiosity, he pushed open the flower shop door. What greeted him was a garden of spider lilies—countless black spider lily swaying in the breeze, like a scene from the River of Forgetfulness.
[A noble guest has arrived. What is it that you seek?~]
With the soft sound of footsteps, a swirl of black skirts appeared on the breeze. Standing there was a beauty like a living black spider lily. Her black hair danced with the petals beneath her feet, as if she were a spirit born from this garden of deathly blooms.
Only her eyes—those eyes were red like cinnabar, like the last flame in a bed of ashes. The black beauty looked at him with a lazy, knowing smile… as if she had been expecting him.
[I… was just passing by. I wonder, what is this place?]
Zuo Lin's question made the dark beauty smile gently. She took a drag from her long-stemmed pipe and replied softly.
[This is the Garden of Forgetting, a haven for souls that wander outside the cycle of reincarnation. I… am Madam Higan.]
[I've been waiting for you… for a long time~]
The storybook's final page froze on her brilliant crimson eyes, seeming to burn through the paper with that lazy, seductive gaze.
After checking several times to be sure it was indeed the last page, Kurenai finally closed the book in her lap with reluctance and let out a long sigh.
"Damn it~~ it ended right at the good part again! Just who is this sultry, black-clad temptress?! That tone of voice is so annoying!"
(TL: I am still confused what they're producing. A movie? Comic? Context Pictorial? Songs? The Author didn't specify anything.)
In stark contrast to Kurenai's quiet enjoyment, Anko across from her looked like she'd been robbed. She flipped through every last page—even the page edges—before slamming the book down and flopping face-first onto the wooden table.
"Well~ it's not going on break next week, so just hang in there seven more days."
Across the table, Asuma grinned as he tried to soothe the furious Anko. As someone responsible for printing Fox's Tale, he always had early access to the newest volumes—and it looked like he'd been hoarding the goods for himself.
"Hmm~ I personally don't think Madam Higan is evil~ Black spider lilies… always feel kinda melancholic and beautiful~"
Seated beside Asuma, Kakashi also had his eyes glued to the page, and his comment earned him a glare from Anko, who shot back, "What are you talking about, Kakashi? Ah, I get it—men just like those seductive-looking women, huh?"
"Eh~ no comment."
With a cheeky grin, Kakashi brushed the question off and closed the book. His gaze turned serious.
"You all know, right? The current batch of Academy students is about to graduate. And this time, they're all problem children."
"Yeah, I heard. You three are supposedly the Hokage's picks for instructors. I'm out. No way I'm suited to babysitting."
Anko straightened up and popped a dango into her mouth. She knew herself well and had no interest in becoming a teacher.
"Exactly. This generation has most of the heirs from Konoha's famous clans."
Asuma crossed his arms with a rare serious look.
"So even if the Hokage hasn't finalized the instructor-student pairings yet, I think we three need to be prepared."
"The other brats I can deal with. But… the author of this book, and her little conspirators? Not so easy."
Kakashi lifted the storybook in his hand. His target was clear. Having spent a long time undercover in Hinata's group, he was more qualified than anyone to say this.
"So, no matter who ends up with them… we better not take them lightly."
"In any sense."
---
Fwoosh~!
With the sound of fire bursting forth, a red flame skimmed across the ground like a thrown shuriken, striking a wooden target. The next moment, it exploded like a mini bomb tag, engulfing the target in searing orange flames.
"Tch!"
Standing at a distance, Hinata clicked her tongue in frustration. Clearly, she wasn't satisfied with the power of her new move, Dark Sweep.
Now that she could use her Sacred Fist gloves to convert chakra into flame, she naturally started developing ranged techniques. After a week of popcorn practice, she'd finally managed to launch fire from her palm over a distance.
But Dark Sweep had obvious weaknesses. Since it wasn't a normal jutsu with hand signs, she had to rely on a whipping motion of her arm and explosive chakra bursts to launch it. Its power couldn't compare to regular Fire Release techniques, and its range was limited to about ten meters—beyond that, the unstable flames would break apart mid-air.