A Growing Affection

Chapter 49: AAAnnnddd CUT!

Yukie's dressing room was not exactly built for an extended stay; but, as the actress pointed out, it wasn't any worse than her trailer when filming on location. It was made easier by the fact that at any given time, one of the four shinobi was standing guard outside the door, and another was prowling the studio. And each morning, they raided the craft services table for breakfast.

The next four days had passed without incident, and the glamour of the movie industry was stripped away from the young adults. Seeing the technical aspects and the repetitive nature of filming robbed them of their wonder. Without any sort of action, Naruto grew bored, with Sakura quickly following suit. By the end of the fourth day, even Hinata was getting restless.

But when the fifth morning dawned, the Chunin teens were lit with a new hope. The crew was moving outside of the city for a location shoot at a cliff side ruin some twenty miles outside the city. Even if filming was more of the same, at least they were getting out of the studio.

"Unfortunately," Yukie told them, "We will only be shooting in the wilderness for three days, so we will be setting up tents instead of hauling the trailers out there."

"That doesn't matter to us," Hinata reassured the princess.

"Yeah, we'll sleep on the ground if we have to," Naruto asserted.

"That was just you, because you forgot your sleeping bag," Sakura mocked him. The actress chuckled, and the blond Chunin rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

The site was group of granite walls, the remains of an ancient castle. They were situated at the bottom of a sharp rock face. The crew set up the tents far enough from the shell of the building that they wouldn't be caught by the cameras. The first day's scenes were captured without a hitch; and after they were finished, the crew had a giant barbeque for dinner and as a small celebration.

The next morning they resumed early, running through the precisely choreographed battle between Gale, Tsukuyaku, and Shishimaru, and the North and East tiles six times before lunch.

The four shinobi all ate lunch with Yukie, Noriko, and Tamaki, the woman playing the South Tile. After eating, the princess, her stylist, and the two Kunoichi returned to the tent to change Yukie into the battle damaged version of Princess Gale's costume for the next sequence.

As Yukie and Kasumi worked to get the princess into the ornate and specially constructed costume, Naruto and Kakashi roamed the perimeter of temporary set. The Jonin circled around near the ruins, while the Chunin wandered near edge of the forest. Naruto paused, catching a whiff of something in the air.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted, and the Copy Ninja joined him.

"Do you smell that?" the young adult asked his mentor.

"Smoke?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah, but it smells kinda sweet," he confirmed, "Not like wood burning."

"Like something cooking?" Kakashi asked, not smelling the difference, "Maybe campers, or bandits?"

"No, it's not food," the teen shook his head, "It's almost like... potpourri? But why would someone burn that?"

Kakashi's uncovered eye widened dangerously.

"Naruto, go get Hinata, now. Tell Sakura to keep Koyuki in the tent, and don't let anyone in except for me or Hinata, and then, only if we demonstrate our Kekkei Genkai."

"Kakashi-sensei, what's going on?"

"What you are smelling must be incense," the Jonin explained knowing Naruto would move faster if he understood, "Like what is used for a powerful attack or summoning jutsu. We need Hinata to..."