Scarlet Justice [Naruto AU]

[Megacookie]

It was inevitable really, snakes and toads never get along.

 

[FortePlus]

Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom – ep. 39
"Checks and Balances"
---

I yawn and open my eyes. The sun has only just risen over the horizon, as it always is when I wake up on my normal schedule. Fio is still asleep, and I kiss her on the cheek before getting up and letting my 'autopilot' take over. A quick shower to jolt my body awake, some light maintenance, and a glass of water before I get changed. A nice, light training outfit will work for this morning's run.

"Time to get started."

I put my hair up and slip on my sandals before leaving quietly. The first stop is the Twenty-Third Training Field, our team's home base. A familiar set of faces greets me: Hina, my first running partner, Kurenai, who is working on her body again, Hanabi, who started with us shortly after her new arrangements, and Futaba, the newest member.

"Good morning, ladies. Nothing too intense today, yes?"

"Nothing too intense," Hina says. "A good route to ease into things would be the seventh."

"Works for me," Kurenai says.

I nod. "Excellent. I agree with that as well. Futaba, just follow along with us. Don't worry about memorizing anything or thinking too much. Let your body work and your mind relax."

"Understood, ma'am." She covers her mouth. "I mean, Lili. I understand, Lili."

I pat her shoulder and smile before starting off. With the sound of footsteps, I can hear everyone else fall in behind me. Our route today will take us towards the western parts of the village, where the paths are fairly even and clear, and we don't have to worry too much about slower pedestrians and cyclists.

Hina pulls up beside me and matches my pace perfectly, our footfalls barely distinguishable from each other.

"I was thinking...perhaps we should think about matching outfits," she says.

"Maybe not entirely matching. Something customizable would be nice," I reply.

"That sounds like a better idea."

"I understand what you mean, solidarity is always a good thing. It's cute and uplifting when we all have the same sort of look. Did you want to take care of the orders, or should I?"

"I would like to, if that's okay."

"Certainly."

"Thank you. I have some ideas, and I'll share them with Hanabi first before we send them to you. She has an eye for fashion herself, unsurprisingly."

"Always on the cutting edge, that one. Very interested to see what you two come up with."

We finish our circuit and cap things off with a cool, fruity drink for everyone, as is our tradition. The group disperses, and I head back to my hotel room.

"Happy morning, Lili!" Fio greets me at the door.

"Happy morning, Fio."

"Breakfast is all set up. I'll wait until you get back from your shower so we can dig in together."

"Thank you, love. I'll be quick."

I get into my regular outfit after my shower and give Fio a kiss on my return. We sit and eat a hearty breakfast together, looking over the news and our personal notes for the morning.

"Is today a good day to visit that friend of yours?" I ask her.

"Yeah, today's good. He should be at home...probably gonna wake up by the time we finish eating here. Did you pick some stuff up already?"

"I did some exploration of the north and had some of the genin under my hand run a few missions in the area. The data should be nice and neat after I went over it with a comb earlier."

"Awesome. He's gonna love it. Thanks so much for helping, Lili."

"Think little of it. A bit of extra work isn't too stressful, once one has control of their surroundings. I'll head over there first, then. Jiraiya can occupy himself in the meantime."

"Oh, boy. You're sure that this isn't gonna cause you any problems?" Fio asks nervously.

"It won't. Given what I know now, I have him firmly by the balls. And I am going to make him scream like the little bitch he is."

"Oof. Well, I feel like I've said this before...don't chop him up too fine."

"No promises. The only assurance is that he won't see any physical harm as a result of what he did. Well, any more physical harm."

"Yeah. Though he earned it the last time."

"Indeed."

"I'll probably be back here by mid-afternoon, give or take a few hours. What about you?"

"Mm. If time permits, which it should, I'm going to take Hina over to the Lion Kingdom embassy."

"That sounds so neat. Han-sensei was talking about summoning stuff at one point, but like...kidnapping happened. Which was a bummer, as you know. And I was pretty focused on getting back into shape over the break..."

"While I'm there, I'll check if there are any rumblings about new summoners being needed," I say. "Though if you have preferences, I'll consider them as well."

"Oh, cool. I was thinking really hard on this, and I decided on sheep."

"Sheep...an interesting choice. From what I recall, they have a wide field of vision, great hearing, and an excellent sense of smell."

"Yep!"

"Their balance is also quite miraculous, much like goats, which only makes sense. I am sure there are all kinds in their membership. I can see why you were interested in them as partners."

"They also have cool horns, and super strong heads! Imagine running into that..."

"It sounds unpleasant enough for one's enemies."

"Heh."

"I can ask Midori-nee if she's heard anything from their end, definitely."

"Thanks so much! No rush, of course. But I'm excited to see what happens."

"I am as well."

"I can clean up for us here before I head out," she says. "Take care while you're out today, okay?"

"I will, my love."

After finishing breakfast, I grab one of my smaller backpacks with all of my necessary documents in them. Fio gives me a kiss and then I'm off for the day. My first stop is a small apartment in the middle of the village, where one of Fio's many acquaintances lives.

"Floor two, room six."

I reach the door and politely knock.

"Be right there."

I nod and wait patiently. The smell of bacon and eggs reaches my nose. A door chain and two locks are moved out of place, along with a short burst of chakra that I sense, likely to remove a seal. The door opens afterwards.

"Sorry for the wait, ma'am. Come on in."

"Thank you kindly, and a pleasant morning to you."

I follow my host inside to the kitchen, where he takes his food off the stove before pouring hot cups of tea. One goes to me, and the other sits on the table.

"You can go ahead and eat while we're talking," I say.

"Oh, thanks. I just got up and I'm totally starving." My host has his long black hair in the form of two tails, and wears a patterned skirt along with a slim blouse that is mostly unbuttoned. Since it's still early for him, he doesn't have his makeup on...not that he needs it, I suppose. Between the legs and those lashes, it's hard to tell him apart from any other woman.

"Formal introductions before I start anything, of course. Yuuichi Ogawa," he says while extending his hand. I take it and shake firmly. "People in the know call me Yuuko nowadays."

"Lilith Kobayashi, as you know. Lili is fine, if you're comfortable."

"Thanks."

"Your nails are impeccably done, by the by. And you have legs to die for."

"Oh, gosh. Thanks so much! I'm pretty much always at the gym, hogging the leg press and talking people up. Of course, you look like you popped right out of a magazine yourself. Like, super stunning, to say the very least of it."

"I do try my best," I say with a smile. "So, Fio told me that you needed some help recently."

"Yeah, I did mention it some time ago. It was just a bit of musing, but she said that you could do something for me, and that was that. She's such a sweetheart, I love her."

"One of her many amazing qualities."

"Have a seat, we don't want your tea to get too cold."

I nod and take my pack off, then sit and have a bit of tea. Warm and refreshing.

"How much data did you manage to get?" Yuuko asks.

"I think it should be plenty for your purposes, from what I've looked into. I have two scrolls here."

"Two? Wow, you weren't kidding."

I reach into my pack and pull out the two scrolls, handing them over. Yuuko unseals one of them and scans the contents while chewing quietly.

"Mm..."

"Good enough?"

"Man. You really cleaned this up, Lili. Most of the time I get raw data that looks like chewed up garbage. Usually have to spend a bit parsing it before I can do anything. And it's not the time sensitive stuff either, that I could understand...oh, I'm loving this. Yeah, we can definitely get ahead with a bunch of monitoring and array locations. This'll end up shaving years off our plan times if we keep going at our current pace."

"You can also assign a couple of C-Rank missions to my groups in order to get further ahead of the game. I'm going to drop off that request for Shikaku to review before my other meetings today."

"That would be a godsend," Yuuko says as he rolls up the scroll again. "I'll scan the rest of these later, but it looks amazing already. Seriously, thank you so much for this. You went way above and beyond this time."

"Never does a body good to leave work undone. I always do favours with the best of intentions."

"I can see that. Not gonna lean on you too much, even if you're okay with it...but I'll definitely keep you in mind if I need any more intel stuff done well and quickly. We've been looking into getting those detection and monitoring arrays done for a while now, and the new bursts of funding have certainly helped. The old-heads are constantly doing their downsizing and cutbacks, ugh. Just bullshit all around."

"Yes, I've noticed that. It has been a general trend all over the shinobi world," I say.

"If it keeps up, we are going to have a whole lot of problems from putting trained guys out of work. More than we have now."

"Without a doubt."

"We also want to try and figure out stuff with the weather, which has been bugging some researchers for a while when it comes to getting accurate looks. Cloud is out in front of the stuff, but it's mostly in use on the coasts for their boats. Makes their tech hard to get a hold of. Then again, working from scratch might be better overall. But I shouldn't sit here talking your ear off."

"Oh, I've taken a sharp interest in things of that nature myself recently. But if you're ever interested in accelerating your knowledge even further, let me know. I have some people who are looking into their own advancements at this time."

"I'll chew on it some more. Thank you, again."

"Think little of it." I finish my tea. "I wanted to get some more errands done before the morning fades away, so I'll be off for now."

"No problem. Let me get the door for you, Lili." Yuuko stands up and washes his hands before escorting me to the door.

"I'm very glad I could help you today, Yuuko. Take care of yourself," I say to him.

"I definitely will. Have a good day, Lili. And I can't say it enough, thank you for your help."

"Any time."

We shake hands before I open the door and head out.

The next stop will be to do as I said earlier, making sure that Yuuko's requests can go through to my subordinates. Also, I have those notes that I was working on during Naruto's training – those can go off to Nami. She can then circulate them to Yuno and Dark. I think the three of them will be very interested in what I've come up with.

After handing my notes to the shinobi at the desk, I turn my wrist over and look at my timepiece.

"Hm. I think I've let the fucker stew enough. Time for me to dig in."

I pull out my compact mirror and check myself over. Everything looks as fabulous as it should be.

"Good. Let's take of business."

I shake out my hair and start through the village again, heading towards an upscale establishment that's known for its exquisite sushi and alcohol. I won't be partaking in either today, as I have more important matters that I would like to focus on.

"Madam Kobayashi, welcome."

"Good morning to you," I say to the man in black robes. His hair is tied into a top knot that I can see as he bows deeply.

"The Lord Jiraiya is present and waiting for you. He has been making inquiries, beginning from the half hour mark."

"Was it too much trouble?"

"Not at all, madam. We provided him with beverages, as per your instructions...he did make certain requests, however."

"I can only guess he asked for vintage product, conveniently off the menu."

"Yes, madam."

I shake my head. "That much is fine. Place it with the other items, and I will pay for everything plus an extra bottle of what he's enjoying now. I intend to leave him here and head to another meeting."

"Yes, understood. If you would follow me, madam."

I nod and he leads me through the establishment towards the back section. This is, as usual, for high powered guests such as upper rank shinobi and celebrities, or just people with money to throw around. Amusing how I meet all of those requirements as I am now. Never would have dreamed of it just a few years ago.

"The times change quickly, don't they," I say to myself.

"We have arrived, Madam Kobayashi. If there is anything you might need, I will be waiting nearby. A bell is on the table to summon me."

"Thank you very much," I say to him with a smile. "Your hospitality is greatly appreciated. It may get...intense for a short time, while the Lord Jiraiya and I discuss sensitive matters. For your safety, it's best that you not interrupt until one of us calls for you directly."

He nods knowingly. "Understood, madam. I will leave you to your business."

"Thank you again."

He bows and turns smoothly to leave. I slide open the wooden door and see that Jiraiya is sitting cross legged at the wood table inside. The room itself is lovely, with lots of floral patterns decorating the walls, small plants, and a window that lets in light and fresh air. As I take off my bag and get to my knees in front of the table, I can see that the sake container and the two cups are elaborately etched with designs as well. Jiraiya fills one of them with a new hit of sake before sipping from it.

"Not often you get to drink the good stuff like this. Really well aged..."

I reach into my pockets and pull out a card that has a list of names on it. My hands settle in my lap as I wait for Jiraiya to give me his attention.

"A bit more arrogance on your part, eh. Well, I can't really complain since you're letting me drink on your dime. Makes me think we could do this more often, one day." He sets the cup down and puts his hands on his knees. "So you kept me waiting over an hour while you traipsed around town, doing who knows what. It's not like I don't have things to do myself."

"I'm sure," I say. "Unfortunately for you, I have a very specific reason that I called you out here. Consider the free drink a bit of compensation."

"Hm."

"I've heard that you're the author of quite a prolific series of novels. Adult novels, specifically."

"Huh. Naruto didn't blab about it to you already?"

"Not until recently."

"Yeah, your little training trip. Real impressed with the kid, didn't think he could pull something like that off. Nice that you helped, too. Although he says that he can't use it in the field because of some condition, or whatever. Tsunade explained it to me, though, so I get it. Gotta be a way around it...anyway. Yeah, I'm the big time author of Icha Icha, so now you know. Writing is something I really love doing. Lots of reasons behind it. I've done more than just adult books, but...that's a story for another time."

"I see."

"So you came here to scold me or something?"

"Oh, not at all. I'm an avid reader of the series myself, and you've done very fine work. My earlier guesses about the semi-autobiographical nature of the series were correct, though. Plenty of basis on your failed courting of our dear Tsunade."

He sniffs at that. "Maybe."

"In fact, I see that taking inspiration from real life sources is a theme in your novels, including the very popular spinoff series that I enjoyed...to a point."

Jiraiya eyes me warily while pouring himself another cup of sake.

"I'm sure that Tsunade is well aware of her influence on your books...but it is very interesting how you took something told to you in confidence and spun it into a novel series, without notifying the subject in question."

"Right. As if there aren't any other red-headed lesbians out in this wide world of ours."

"I see. So we're playing that game."

"Is this what you called me out for? Because you're pissed off that you think I based a character in a book on you? Maybe there are similarities..."

"More than a few."

"Right." He knocks back his drink and sighs. "So...what. Are you gonna expose me for allegedly copying your look? Most people would be flattered at being treated like that, you know. You'd be practically famous...well, they wouldn't know it was you, allegedly. If something like that did happen."

"If I wanted to expose you for your alleged acts, I would have done so already, and we wouldn't be sitting here."

"Then what do you want?"

"I wanted to show you this, where only the two of us could see it. I believe you will find this list...illuminating, in terms of your position with me."

"List..."

I take the card from my lap and place it face down on the table, then slide it towards Jiraiya. He raises a brow and sets his cup down before taking the card and flipping it over.

I watch the realization hit his face, eyes widening in terror.

"What the hell..."

"I see that you recognize at least some of those names. And that's just a partial list, Jiraiya," I say menacingly.

"You...what are you trying to do?"

"Force your lecherous hand, of course. You see...it's as I said before. Aside from that dispirited ending to the Icha Icha Garden series, I quite enjoy your books," I say while smiling. "You're very gifted with prose, and you tell vivid, delightful little stories within stories, with fascinating characters to match. The last thing I would want you to do is stop writing, as your novels are very good, and make the literary world so much richer."

"So why would you-"

"Because you took from me, Jiraiya." My smile widens. "And nobody takes from me. Especially not you, you perverted old man."

"I don't...get it," he says. "You don't want to ruin me...but you're threatening to, because I took something from you, I don't know what. What's your damn game, Lilith? What do you want? What's this list really for?"

"Look next to the names. Figure it out."

"Now you're handing out riddles. This is insane..." He looks over at the collections of letters and numbers, brow furrowing in thought. Another jolt of realization hits him, and his face slowly falls. "Holy shit."

"Do you know what those are now?"

"Book numbers, chapters and pages...dialogue lines. First appearances," he says, still in shock.

"And as I told you, I have many, many more. The list is longer than you could imagine...so. I wonder what would happen if some of those high class ladies learned that you were researching them, without their knowledge or consent..." I brush back some of my hair. "Or maybe their husbands and lovers might find out, through some unknown means? Doting fathers and uncles, perchance? How many of them are in the government structure? It would be terribly fascinating to discover, I think..."

"You little bitch. You're actually blackmailing me, right out in the open. You've really gone and lost your mind," Jiraiya growls.

"You wanted to know what it was I came here for, yes?"

"Go ahead and spit it out, then."

I look into his eyes squarely. "Icha Icha Garden. I want half."

"Half?" he asks, confused.

"Half," I repeat. "Of what was, of what is, and of what will be. Half."

"No. There is no way that I'm giving you-"

"I don't think Auntie Tsuna is aware of just how much you studied her for material," I interrupt. "Perhaps I should correct that once I leave here. Oh, and before then...maybe I should mention to a certain aide how you got her details down in that very, very steamy scene with her kouhai from the fifth Garden book."

He stares at me with murderous designs on his mind, lips pressing together tightly. I watch as he pours himself a drink, then another, then another so that he can try to calm his nerves. I calmly look back at him, not letting my absolute glee at the situation shine through. This was so much more fun than I thought...seeing him crumble to pieces underneath the pressure has been delicious. I love it. He's in the palm of my hand. All of that research on his unaware subjects was more than worth it.

"God...dammit."

Jiraiya slams a palm onto his knee and grumbles bitterly.

"Fine. Fine...I'll give you half."

"I'm so glad we could come to an understanding, Lord Jiraiya."

"Just shut up."

"Of course, I have no need for your filthy money myself...it will all be going to Magnolia House."

He blinks. "Magnolia House? You mean the orphanage you're setting up?"

"Yes."

"Huh." He grunts and rolls his shoulders. "Guess that's okay, considering...yeah, alright."

"Half of the lifetime sales as of today. And then half of all future sales from today until the end of time. Have your accountant set it aside, I don't care how." I pull out a scroll and unroll it on the table. "And of course, I'm getting the agreement in writing. Give it a quick read, or a long one if you prefer, and sign at the bottom."

"Yeah, whatever. I'll be here a while, whether you want to stay or not. Gonna read this through to make sure you're not screwing me even further."

"I see. Then I will leave you to it. Order whatever you like, more sake, food, so on and so forth. I'll clear up the new tab later."

"You'll do what? Why?" he asks, suspicious.

I smile back at him. "Well, it's the very least I could do for such a generous contributor to the children of this village, Lord Jiraiya."

"God, I am sick of you. Just...leave. You've said enough for one day."

"Understood." I bow my head towards him. "Thank you for your time."

I ring the bell and stand up to leave, putting on my backpack.

"Madam Kobayashi."

The host from earlier enters and bows deeply.

"I shall be off for now. Please provide the Lord Jiraiya with whatever he might need, and attribute it to my account. I will arrive tomorrow morning to pay the remaining balance. In the meantime, we will take care of the current balance now."

"Of course, madam. This way."

We head to the front desk, and I hand over the necessary money for everything. No doubt that Jiraiya will eat and drink up a storm to try and spite me, but I wouldn't pick this place if I didn't have extra cash to burn. A very small price to pay in order to soothe his ego a bit and distract him. I give a proper gratuity to my host, and then I'm on my way, back into the warmth of the village.

"Beautiful."

I sigh happily and run my hands through my hair.

"How sweet it is, to have my own little tin soldier...that's what you get for fucking with me, you worthless old lecher."

An incredibly satisfying day so far. He'll definitely try to get back at me, at some point...it's going to be fun bringing him to his knees again when that time comes, hmhm. He should thank the heavens that Naruto is his godson. Not that it matters. I have always loved him more.

"Ah. Alright...let's see if Hina is free. If not, I can take care of a few other things before heading back to home base..."

 

[FortePlus]

new mspaint just dropped

we will not be giving out context

 

[Megacookie]

Based and scarlet-pilled

 

[FortePlus]

Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom – ep. 40
"Brilliance"
---

"Here we are. Follow me, Hina."

"Yes."

We leave the room with the summoning circle and are acknowledged by the guards posted outside.

"This is the heart of the kingdom. Ryuuchi-mon."

"W-wow..."

A place that would be strange and alien to humans. Serpents of all kinds and humanoid figures roam the streets, with grass lining every side and corner, and trees in abundance for both aesthetic and shade. Wheeled vehicles, whether drawn or autonomous, travel along specially made paths for them that go above the heads of shops and pedestrians. They are few in number because of the trains that puff steam into the air as they move along specially made tracks. The buildings are made of simple materials, such as finely crafted stone and densely packed wood – but there is no shortage of colour and life, or creative design.

As always, there is a lovely warmth. Enough to make one want to lie down and rest a while...perhaps the Lions were eager to make an alliance so that they could enjoy the weather here. I wouldn't blame them.

"What a magnificent place this is," Hina says. She takes a deep breath in and sighs. "So refreshing and clean. The Leaf isn't terrible when it comes to air quality, but..."

"I know what you mean. But compared to the old country, the Leaf is heavenly."

"That bad?"

We start our walk towards the embassy. "Mm-hm. The auto cars are part of the reason, and not just because they emit smoke. There are all kinds of things that can dirty the air. Particles of metal, particles of rubber...so many things that we don't consider, and that add up in time to create some disastrous effects."

"I see...it really is a complex web of things," Hina says.

"Yes. What we don't want to do is have them jamming the pathways, most of all. The monstrosities of six and eight and ten entire lanes...in the mornings and evenings, those fill to capacity, Hina. The vehicles all are stopped for an hour or more next to each other."

She gasps. "Trapped in a metal compartment like that...to save energy, could you not just turn it off?"

"The ignition sequence takes time and energy in itself," I say. "And people also don't want to miss their chance to escape the mass of metal boxes...not to mention the climate conditions that will have one using the heat or aircon inside, which don't work unless your vehicle is on."

"It sounds barbaric. I hope that something like that doesn't happen here."

"Midori-nee has restricted the gasoline machines in size and operating area. So they only run along tracks like these, for specific purposes," I say as I point to the lane ways above our heads. "They're having the majority of machines running on chakra. A lot has to happen before we can do the same thing in our world...an extensive program of reforms."

"And you have something in mind, of course."

"I wouldn't make a very good revolutionary if I didn't." I look towards her. "You're along for the ride, as always."

"Yes. Forever by your side, no matter what happens. And no matter what I might have to give up."

"Hopefully it won't come to that. But if it does...none of your sacrifices will go to waste."

"I know. All that said, if it does come down to yourself and Naruto...what would you do? I know you wouldn't go...that far."

"I wouldn't. I don't think I would need to. We understand each other as rivals, and that should continue. I try not to worry too much about it. Still...I suppose I could play the part of a villain well enough, if we truly needed to break ties. Sentimentality is nice and all, but becoming consumed by it is no good."

"Hopefully he'll understand if I take your side," Hina says.

"He doesn't hold grudges easily. Kind of a cute little puppy like that..."

Hina looks around at the city life. Most of the populace lives in small buildings made of common material, and so there are variations even in the same neighbourhood or block. Some look like the standard size for homes in our world, while others are much smaller. It depends on the form one likes taking most of the time. It's not hard to live as a serpent, and things are made so that they can get around and live life as it was before the popularity of bipedal beings rose. Now everyone has the ability and opportunity to take an ideal human form, and enjoy the wonders of opposable thumbs. This is thanks to Midori's aggressive education strategy, part of her many reforms and the reason why she would come home to us barely awake at times.

"It's very fascinating...I didn't think I would see something like this," Hina says.

"This is a unique place within the animal kingdoms," I say to her. "The art that allows those to take a human shape was buried for a long time, and is quite dangerous for humans to use. Non-human users also encountered some difficulty at times, though unlike the sage arts, there isn't any risk of permanent damage or disfiguration. It just fails to launch as a technique. "

"I see now."

"The style is catching on in other places though, and they're having ambassadors take human forms to interact with Midori-nee and the kingdom these days."

"How does it work, exactly? I mean to say, if you can tell me about it."

"Oh, that's no trouble, especially here. For those who inhabit the animal kingdoms, and who are naturally very close with nature, the power to manipulate spiritual essence comes easily enough. More than just a mere transformation technique...it takes one's essence and transforms it into a shape that is reflected on the soul itself. This changes the body into an ideal form, which can conceivably be anything. But it is wiser and safer to focus on the one type of shift. In this case, the humans who are counterparts within the greater shinobi world, and the creators of vast tools and curiosities, make the most sense to copy."

"That does make sense."

"Some denizens have intentionally created forms that hold more serpentine traits than human. Nothing surprising, and nobody makes a fuss about it," I explain. "And still others choose to spend most or all of their time as serpents. That is not a problem either, as all things in this place are made to accommodate humans and serpents both. Once transformed, the user can then further shape themselves, and continue building on their initial transformation. So for example, one can choose to build muscle, or weight with physical activity. Those changes are recalled each subsequent time one transforms, and the more time they spend in that form, the more effective the changes will be."

"So if I understand correctly...our elder sister conceived of a human form initially, then worked on herself physically to shape it further. And it was made easier by the fact that she spent almost all of her time as a human when she was younger. From there, she could maintain that ideal form even as she transformed back and forth."

"Yes, that's it. Changes in mentality can also affect how transformations come off, and the most important thing is the strength of chakra, even more so than the size of it. A strong and focused chakra will make transformation and maintenance much easier, and it allows one to ascend towards their chosen form as they desire."

"Oh, so that's to say...Midori-nee's strength is how she can look so beautiful and youthful."

"Yes. She will be very long-lived, and can maintain her stunning appearance for as long as she chooses. Even baa-sama has her own form she can transform into, though she thinks it's an amusing thing to look wrinkled and old." I shrug. "To each their own."

"That makes it better than Tsunade's art, then."

"Easily. Of course, I intend to age gracefully myself...though I do have a bit of help, being blessed by the heavens themselves, hmhm." I flip my hair dramatically. "An outward beauty that will not fade, and a legend that will be carried by the whispers of charmed men and women alike."

"Ambitious."

"Indeed."

"So if a human learns this power...does that mean they can change into an animal, then?"

"Yes. I have learned this ability myself. It is formally known as Chaos Conversion. My ideal form is a red version of the infamous snake, called the mamba. It is fast and venomous."

"That's just like you," she says with a smile.

"Actually, this is an opportunity. You won't mind if I try something for a little bit?"

"Not at all."

"Good. Let's have a short demonstration, then."

I stop and concentrate, steadying my breathing. My eyes slowly close. A warmth starts from my left arm, going towards my stomach before it flows outwards, towards every part of my body. Out and into the extremities, turning into a gentle heat.

Weightlessness takes over me, and I feel at peace. The essence of my self knows where it is and what to do, and so I am changed. My body lengthens into a rope of muscle, arms and legs ceasing to be. I feel my senses shift, but because of my many years using the tools of the serpent, none of this is unfamiliar or uncomfortable. The heat of the day becomes more vivid, reorganizing itself briefly into data that floats within my mind before changing again, becoming a different understanding of the world. I can now clearly feel all of the vibrations around me, and along the ground.

I snap on my vision, and everything is in working order as always. I lift my head from the ground and rear up so that I can look at Hina properly. For me, that transformation felt involved. For her, it was only a few seconds of watching my body melt into red light – as Luna recorded one day, at my request – and change forms into a snake.

"That should be good," I say to her. My tongue flicks out a few times to get another pulse of the area.

"Amazing. You really became a snake..." She places a hand on my head.

"Have a look, Hina."

"A look? Oh, I see. Alright, then..." She activates her Byakugan and focuses on me. "Oh, wow. You really did change completely. No fluctuations whatsoever. All of the organs, the chakra system...that is very impressive."

"Isn't it?"

"It would always be a bit strange watching someone talk to you without moving their mouth," she says with a giggle. "But it's not a worry. And you look very cute in this form, Lili."

"Luna-nee said the same thing. I like hearing it, so thank you. Cute, quick, and very deadly. That is very much my ideal as a true serpent, hmhm. Let's continue on to the embassy, Hina."

"Of course. Did you need me to carry you?"

"It's not a problem for me to move on my own."

"Yes. Then I'll insist on doing so."

"Very well. Hold still, and I'll get myself comfortable."

She nods and I gently coil my length around her torso. It's always been nice to hold Hina, but this is definitely something new. Her warmth right now is sublime. I come up around her back and rest my head on her right shoulder.

"How is that?" I ask.

"Comfy. Thank you for being gentle with me."

"You're quite welcome."

We move onward towards one of the brick buildings with a few signs on its front. Hina opens the wood door and steps inside, heading towards the front desk where a young woman is diligently writing. She has her dark hair put up into a bun, and wears a dark green blouse with a brooch.

"A pleasant day to you," I say to her.

"Good afternoon to the two madams," she says while bowing her head. "Forgive me for not recognizing the form, but..."

"You are not at fault. I am Lilith Kobayashi, and I have come here with the Lady Hinata Hyuuga in order to fulfill the request of the Lion Kingdom."

"Crown Princess Lilith, please forgive my slowness in recognizing you. And welcome to you, Lady Hyuuga. It is our pleasure to have you here in our kingdom today."

"Thank you kindly. I myself am humbled to finally reach this place. It's incredibly beautiful," Hina says.

"Your praise is greatly appreciated, Lady Hyuuga. Thank you. Please, follow me to the staging area. We will place a call for the Lion Ambassador at once."

I focus my chakra and call forth the usual gold bands that go around sections of my body. These should help clear up any further confusion...I sometimes forget to put them on, like today.

We head to a room with another summoning circle in it, placed behind a counter. The woman with us makes a seal and holds it for a while, until the circle on the floor starts to glow with white light. A person materializes within it, already looking to be large and tall compared to the rest of us. Voluminous brown hair, a strong jaw, and a muscular frame. His chest is visible through the front part of his white robes, which must be on purpose. As Ino would say, certainly a tall drink of water.

"Shishikoro, ambassador for the Kingdom of Lions. Thank you for your timely summons," he says to us with a smooth baritone.

"Greetings to you, sir," I say to him. "Welcome to our kingdom, and thank you for your response to us. I am Crown Princess Lilith, here on behalf of Empress Midoriko. I bring to you our favoured candidate from the Village Hidden in Leaves. This is my beloved sister, Lady Hinata Hyuuga, the woman in line to be the next head of the Hyuuga Clan."

"One from the Hyuuga...we have heard of them, yes. A clan among the humans with a long and rich history, and direct descendants of the Sage's bloodline."

"Yes. Our history comes from the twin brother of the Sage of Six Paths, known as Hamura Ootsutsuki. Unfortunately, much history has been lost regarding the specifics of that era," Hina says.

"Yes. An unfortunately common occurrence in the human realm," Shishikoro says. "Well, I already believe that you will make a fine candidate for our latest summoner. We will take you to our great and esteemed leader to be properly assessed, and from there, a decision will be made. Of course, in the end this will all be contingent on your acceptance."

"Understood."

"Will you have an additional escort?" he asks me.

"None will be required," I reply. "I will be assuming my natural human form upon meeting with your Highness."

"Of course. I am ready to depart when you are."

"Be well, all of you. I will await your return patiently," our escort says with a deep bow.

"Thank you, darling. Please take care," I say to her. She smiles and nods.

Hina finds the small door that separates the two sides and pushes it open, allowing us to reach the summoning circle where Shishikoro is. He makes a half seal and we are immediately transported into another small room, looking more rustic than where we were before. We exit to see plain, dusty streets where lions are roaming about, some carrying baskets on their backs or in between their teeth, others carrying material on their backs. It is very much as I read also, that many of the workers are female.

The mansion that towers over everything isn't more than a few minutes away on foot. It seems to be composed entirely out of sturdy wood, with twisting branches and vines going along the outside to add to the aesthetic.

"The weather isn't as bad as the last time," I say to our ambassador.

"Yes, thankfully we have had more rain this season than at the same time last year. Of course, the increase in trade with your nation meant that we didn't have to worry as much about our food stores," he says to me.

"Very glad to help. We are hopeful that this new partnership with you will further strengthen our ties."

"I hope so as well. As I mentioned before, at a glance the Lady Hyuuga seems a very fine candidate, and not just for her bloodline."

"Oh, thank you very much," Hina says.

"Of course, Her Highness might be looking for a bit more...she does have her peculiarities, at times."

She nods. "Very common for those in positions of power, yes."

The lion guards at the mansion entrance observe us before giving way, bowing their heads respectfully. We walk up the long path towards the front door, which is pulled open on both sides by men in suits with the same kind of long, flowing hair as our current escort. They do take their hair care seriously around here, as I found out on my previous visits. We enter the spacious foyer, with a floor made of smooth, polished stone.

"Brought a snake and a runt out to waste that woman's time, eh."

A rather large lion with a wild-looking mane appears before us. It has many black strands in it, and the same can be said for his tail. He walks forward and looks down on us.

"Some royal brat out for a stroll?" he asks.

"So you've noticed my status, yet you choose to antagonize me and my sister. How very rude of you," I say.

"My lord, it is unwise to-"

"Quiet, gopher boy. You forget that I outrank you here?"

"Of course. My apologies, Lord Shishisei." Shishikoro bows deeply. "Then I will take my leave, and allow you to take care of our guests before Her Highness arrives."

"Oi."

"Princess Lilith, Lady Hyuuga...it was a pleasure meeting you both. I hope that we will meet again in the future."

"Thank you, my good sir. You were a lovely companion," I say to him.

"Yes, thank you very much, Mister Shishikoro. Please take care."

He smiles and bows towards us respectfully before taking his leave.

"So you're in my house and ignoring me now?" Shishisei roars. I can feel Hina tense up. She doesn't want to cause a disturbance, but I know that she doesn't like being threatened either. Time for me to take care of this mess. I've been able to avoid this moron somehow the previous times, and I can imagine that he's usually kept on a leash somewhere if people like myself or Midori visit.

"I've enjoyed this time in my serpent form, but it seems like I have to show myself strong at this hour."

I release myself from Hina and slide down to the floor. Concentrating again, I quickly assume my human form, red light bursting from my form and twinkling in the air before disappearing. I let out a breath and shake out my hair with both hands properly.

"Now, then..."

I stare at the lion before me and uncork a burst of killing intent. He reels and tries to hide his shaken resolve.

"You've certainly got a pair of balls on you, threatening the two of us like that. I don't need you to worry about who I might or might not be related to. What you should worry about is being sliced into wafers if you keep fucking around with me."

"You-"

"Sei. You really picked the wrong set of people to try and bully today."

He freezes and slowly moves away from us, as a new and powerful voice calls from the top of the stairs. Hina and I look to see a lioness with golden fur and a mane that seems to shine like the sun itself. She descends the stairs with impressive grace, her size not even seeming to register against the ground as she moves. Though she stands a bit smaller than Shishisei, her aura and presence filling the room makes her seem like she's the one towering over him.

"She's right. You do have a lot of nerve threatening the little sister of the Destruction Goddess. If she saw this, she would have torn that prick of yours from your body and shoved it down your throat. Leave before you embarrass us further."

"Fine."

"Would you like to try that again?" she asks, glaring at him with her golden eyes. He shrinks further and mumbles.

"Yes...Your Highness."

"Take your leave, then."

He slinks away at that.

"I really must apologize for his behaviour. He has gained a rather inflated ego due to his position in our military, so I have to assert myself and remind him of his place." She sighs. "Fortunately for him, he does well satisfying my appetites when needed."

I nod. "Mm. I see."

"Do you," Hina says, giving me an exasperated look.

"Many high powered women have these problems. It's common in our world as well, you know."

"I don't know much about that, no. I tend to keep my knowledge of such things limited, unlike you. For obvious reasons."

"Always a shame."

Our hostess laughs. "You truly are that woman's younger sister. Just as bold and liberated. Well, let me welcome you properly. Ah, but first...I will properly meet you where you both are."

"If it's not too much trouble," I say.

"Certainly not. A moment, please."

Her body glows with golden light, and her form starts to change as the light melts slowly downwards. What emerges is an athletic figure, complete with defined muscles – most notably those abs that one could grate a block of cheese on effortlessly. White wrappings cover her chest, and she wears a multicoloured cloak on her shoulders, paired with a golden skirt that sits on top of her waistline. Her hair is golden and sparkling, thick and spilling over her back and shoulders, all the way towards her upper thighs.

"There we are. I understand now why your elder sister loves taking on this form so often," she says. A tap to the side of her head summons a set of rectangular glasses to her face, with golden rims. Her golden eyes shine with energy behind the frame. "The bipedal life definitely has excitement in it."

"To say the least of it," I reply. "I see we've chosen a dazzling form. Very lovely, and fitting for a powerful and revered warrior."

"Thank you!" she says with a bright smile. "Well, let's have our introductions now. I don't want to keep you for too long. I am the great warrior queen of the Kingdom of Lions, almighty mother of the Great Pride that has thrived since the arrival of the Sage of Six Paths. Inheritor of the heavenly name passed down from generation to generation, the third worthy of the sacred title. I am the Goddess of the Golden Savanna, Shishigami."

"An honour to meet you, Queen Shishigami," Hina says with a bow. "I am the great princess of the Hyuuga Clan, the strongest family in the Hidden Leaf. A descendant of Hamura Ootsutsuki, who shared blood with the man known as the Sage of Six Paths. Blessed with the title of lioness in her world, and the brave sister of the woman called the Crimson Nightmare. I am Hinata Hyuuga, and it is my hope that you will bless me with the opportunity to become part of your pride."

"Wonderfully said! And last, but not least," Shishigami says, looking to me.

"We of the great kingdom of serpents hail you, great goddess of the golden plains. In the name of Her Royal Highness, Empress Midoriko Ryuuchi, we present to you our beloved sister, Lady Hinata Hyuuga. I am the all consuming Crimson Nightmare, great blade of justice, hero of the Village Hidden in Leaves, called the Scarlet Viper. Favoured daughter of Almighty God, Envoy of Heaven, and Warrior Goddess, blessed by the Inugami Mother Wolf herself. Crown Princess Lilith Kobyashi."

"Oho! The Great Mother of the Inugami...you met her, did you?"

"We met in combat, and I managed to defeat her by using my full strength at the time. She is my beloved senpai who gathers knowledge on the cosmic plane, and continues her existence in her true form, that of the Luminous Black Wolf."

"How amazing. I really will have to call you and Empress Midoriko, along with her lovely wife, over again to talk about these things. I am very pleased to meet you both, and thank you kindly for responding to our request. Lady Hyuuga, may I have your hand a moment?"

"Certainly, my Queen."

Shishigami gently takes Hina's hand, and closes her eyes for a few moments. I can feel her weighty chakra reaching into the air.

"Ah...beautiful and pure. Very steady. It's not at odds with the Hyuuga, but I can also feel a certain firmness. Hmm...another test. Lady Hyuuga, would it be any issue if I placed my hands on you for another assessment?"

"Oh, that shouldn't be an issue. Will it be anything...?"

"Nothing invasive at all, and nothing sensitive. It should be brief."

"Then there should be no trouble at all. Please, go ahead."

"Thank you. If you could lift your arms for me, then."

Hina raises her hands to the sky. "Like this?"

"Perfect. Here we are..."

"Oh...!"

Shishigami lifts Hina off the ground like she was a small child. I can see her blushing as she's turned back and forth, looked over this way and that, and then gently set down as if nothing happened.

"You not only have a lovely shape like your sister here, but you have a good strength in your limbs as well. Your chakra feels very balanced! For a noble girl, you really have done well for yourself, Lady Hyuuga. Be proud of your progress."

"Thank you very much. I do have Princess Lilith here to thank for my transformation...not only did she save my life once before, but she gave me the love and encouragement I needed to keep going. I am very grateful to her, and so when she told me of this opportunity, I joined her without a second thought."

"I almost can't believe this...you really are perfect for us," Shishigami says with a grin. "Then it's decided! I'll have you sign the contract right now, if you would accept our offer to have you join our pride."

"I would be very honoured to, my Queen."

"Our appreciation is nearly too great for words. Thank you, and welcome to our grand family. Come, there is a proper room for signatures this way."

We follow her out of the foyer and down one of the grand halls, then turn into a spacious room filled with shelves that have all manner of books and scrolls on them. The lack of dust and the placement of reading materials says that this room sees regular use.

"Here we are. Sign your name as you normally would with this pen here, then lay down a thumb print with your blood in the box below," Shishigami explains. "From there, you'll have access to the members of our pride as needed, myself included. That's if you can spare the chakra, of course! I'm a pretty big deal!"

Hina takes the pen and writes her name neatly. The ink is infused with chakra, so I have an idea of what is going to happen next. She pulls out a senbon and neatly pricks her thumb, then puts down a thumb print in the specified box. The box and her signature light up, and a thin line of blood goes straight up towards her name. The light around it turns blood red before fading off.

"And with that, the contract is sealed. Welcome home, Hinata."

"Thank you, my Queen. It's good to be home."

"Please call me as you feel comfortable, even in front of the others. Since we've forged this bond, we will have a special relationship. Not as special as the one Princess Lilith here has with her Empress, but special enough. Now that you're a member of our pride, you will have a new name. One that has been revealed to me by the wisdom of the heavens. From this day forward, you will be known within our kingdom as Lady Kikka, the Lioness of the Sun."

Hina nods and blushes. "Truly an honour...thank you, my Queen. I will cherish this gift for as long as I live."

"I know you will." Shishigami smiles and gives Hina a strong hug, which is gently returned.

"Is there anything else we needed to go over?" I ask Shishigami.

"Nothing that I can think of at this moment. Our reputation will surely be bolstered now, and we've gained a wonderful new sister...I really can't thank you enough for this. Our relations with other villages has been strained because of reckless summoners and terrible wars, so having a connection with the Leaf like this will be great for everyone. The cubs will have a place in the shinobi realms to explore safely now. Oh, actually...if you come across Old Man Enma, tell him I said hello! I want to see him for tea again one of these days, and show him how much I've grown."

"I'll be sure to pass on the message. Thank you again for having us over, Your Highness."

"The pleasure was mine. Here, I'll call over your escort...Korocchi! Are you busy?"

"Not at all, my Queen. I am at your service as always," he says as he enters the room.

"Good. Kikka and Princess Lilith are heading back now, since we've completed the contract signing. We'll be seeing them again soon enough. And hopefully Sei is more behaved by then...Korocchi, did you see where he went?"

"I did not, unfortunately."

"Probably lying down on a rock somewhere pouting...I'll deal with him later. When you're done, come right back here and up to my chambers. We have a few things to get done today."

"Did you need me to clear any parts of your schedule?" he asks.

"Already done with. You just need to meet me where I am, as always."

"Of course, my Queen. Then I will return promptly."

She grins at him. "That's a good man. You girls take care, and remember that I'm just a call away."

"We will. A pleasant day to you, Queen Shishigami," I say.

"Thank you for looking after us today, Anego." Hina smiles and bows for her.

She waves us off as we leave with Shishikoro. I could pry easily enough, seeing as I know what that exchange was all about...ah, well. Gossiping with Hina later on back in our world will have to do.

Crossing the threshold is simple enough, with the generously built summoning portal – Midori scribed the seal for it herself by hand a few years ago, while negotiating more trade with the Lions. Suffice it to say, her generosity went a long way and has not been forgotten in the slightest.

"Crown Princess Lilith, Lady Hyuuga...welcome back," our receptionist from earlier says upon our return. She bows her head. "And thank you to the Lord Shishikoro for his help throughout this process."

"Thank you for that, madam. I am pleased that all has gone well. Thank you again for your help, Princess. And we look forward to a new chapter with Lady Kikka in our midst. Farewell to you all."

"Farewell, dear sir. Heaven bless you in perpetuity," I say to Shishikoro.

"Goodbye for now, Brother Shishikoro," Hina says.

He nods before making a half seal and disappearing again. Hina and I step to the other side of the counter.

"The documents are prepared?" I ask.

"Yes, Princess. All that is needed is your signature and royal assent."

She sets the papers down in order, and I read through them quickly before signing each one. I then go through my pockets and recover a small ring that I put on my left hand. Chakra flows through the seal on my left arm before being transferred to the ring, which I press down next to each signature to leave a proper imprint.

"I authorize these documents for processing and release in accordance with section four of the relevant laws, on my name as Crown Princess."

"Affirmed. That should be all for today. Please take care, Crown Princess Lilith, Lady Hyuuga."

"Of course. Take care of yourself with surety, and thank you for your hard work. I will give good report to our Empress posthaste."

"An honour greater than I deserve. I live to serve you." She bows low and Hina and I take the cue to head off. We leave the building and head back into the warmth of Dragon Ground Gate, with the weather coming off as refreshing after our visit to the domain of the Lions.

"Lady Kikka. It's a lovely blessing," I say to her as we walk.

"It really is...I almost can't believe it. I'm a summoner now. I know that there will be a bit of work, but...it's so much different than I imagined." She smiles. "And to think that just a few years ago, I was thinking of myself as garbage to be thrown out and burned. I'm so glad those days are far behind us."

"Both of us are."

"Well..." She raises one hand and makes a fist with it. "Now we can't lose. We won't lose."

"One step closer," I say.

"Yes."

"I suppose it's time to fulfill my promise and report to Midori-nee. We'll have a nice cup of tea and some sweets. Luna will have cinnamon rolls baked and ready, surely."

"That's as good a reason as any to visit..."

"Mm-hm. Though we should be ready for a lengthy wait."

"Really? Why?"

I give her a look. "Because if anything, Luna is enjoying a sweet treat of her own right now."

"A sweet..." She blinks before her face turns red. "Lili!"

"Listen. We know the tendencies of those two, and midday sex is one of their favourite pastimes-"

"Alright, but you don't have to talk about it out loud!"

I sigh. "Fine, fine. May I at least have a moment regarding those immaculately sculpted abs our hostess was showing off earlier?"

"Hrm. Those...I have to admit, I was a bit envious. She's very fit and muscular."

"Right? Her body was definitely glowing, too..."

"It sounds like you're going to develop a new interest or two."

I rub my chin. "It's possible, you know. Fio is going to reach that level one day, and I'm certainly not opposed to being out-muscled in certain areas..."

"It truly does not end with you."

She takes my hand, and as usual, she's only half annoyed at my antics. I squeeze back and give her a smile as we walk.

 

[FortePlus]

If you're reading on the other sites and stuff the phase 1 stuff is done with. You can use that handy AO3 download feature to grab yourself a copy in various formats such as ebook, pdf and html if you're into those. We should reach some state where the sites are updating within a week of each other by the end of this year. Also since FFN is ancient I can't put images on there. Sure I guess.

If you don't care about any of that then the usual update is coming soon. You'll like it. It contains wife and punching.

 

[FortePlus]

very interesting week to say the least.

that uh update thing, it's on its way.

 

[FortePlus]

Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom – ep. 41
"Smash Hit!"
---

"Hopefully things go alright. I don't want to cause any trouble for the guy."

Fio puts her hands behind her head as we walk. I took it upon myself to carry a small bag with refreshments in them today, as I've no doubt that the spectators for this event will become parched in this heat.

"That child will get whatever he asks for. It's nothing that you need to be terribly concerned with...he has enough resilience, from what we both know," I say to her.

"I guess you're right."

"That, and you'll have at least three jounin spectating. We can take care of things if we sense they're getting out of hand. The only thing you have to worry about is the field itself, Fio."

"Yeah. Thanks, Lili. I really appreciate you coming out and all, since I know you've been up and down lately."

"A good wife supports her darling when she can, especially if it's only a few hours out of her day. Besides, it should be a good source of amusement on its own. Nothing to worry about."

"Yep. Looking forward to what happens."

Training Field Seven, where Team Guy regularly has their exercises. A circular area within the nearby grove, worn down by constant movement and clear of any plant life. On the far side there is a training post with many branches sticking in all directions. It is meant to be adjustable and simulates the positions that a human being might take in battle. Judging from the way that it's been battered, I can see who favours it the most out of the group.

"Hey, guys."

Fio waves with one hand. "Happy morning, Tenten."

"A pleasant morning to you," I say to her. "Are we well today?"

"Very. Felt like I couldn't miss this. Neji's on his way back, he was just saying he wanted to check on something while he could."

"Good morning, everyone."

"Heya, Karin. Glad you could make it out," Fio says to her.

"Well, it would be a bit irresponsible to not have at least one medic on hand, even if it's just a spar."

"And your interest in seeing how your leader has grown is secondary, yes?" I ask her.

"That's right." She adjusts her glasses with one hand. "That said...gathering new data is significant as well."

"Always the nerdy one, eh."

"Oh, shut up." Karin glares over at Suigetsu as he wanders in, sipping from his large bottle of water as usual. He hasn't changed a bit, even down to the outfit choices. Same purple sleeveless shirt, same blue pants, brown sandals that go up past his ankles, and a grand total of three belts on his person, one of which holds his plentiful water supply.

"Morning, Snake Lady. Put on a few pounds since we last talked."

I roll my eyes at him. "Thankfully you're in good health, Suigetsu."

"Heh. Still not able to wind you up that easily, then. That's safer for guys like me, honestly. I have my hands full with Karin as it is."

"Entirely your fault, of course," Fio says.

"You're lucky we don't just boot you onto some team of randoms," Karin warns him. "Show some respect for once, you jerk."

"Yeah, yeah...whatever you guys say, as always. Oh right," he says while turning to me, "thanks for doing that weird succubus thing with Jugo or whatever the other day. He's been a lot more chilled out, and I honestly don't mind seeing the big guy happy these days. Karin really likes it, at least. Got a soft spot for him."

"Will you stop spreading stupid rumours in public?" she growls. "Why wouldn't I look after my teammate? I check on your health, too."

"Whatever you say, Mom."

She smacks him in the head and water splashes outwards. His liquefied head reforms without hassle, and he casually takes another sip of his water afterwards.

"Karin, it's hot out. Don't smack him around too much, even if he's earned it," Fio says.

"S-sorry."

"It's alright, I know how he gets. Oi, Suigaki."

"Come on, Chief."

"I know you don't like that name, which is why I'm using it. Lay off Karin for once, or I'll seriously let you dry out."

"Yeah, yeah...I'll stop."

"Good."

"Succubus, hm. That sounds like a spicy costume idea," I say. "A compliment in its own way."

Karin sighs and shakes her head. "You take just about anything in stride, don't you..."

"It does a body no good to take everything as a slight. Besides, I do love having my ego stroked, even if the methods are unconventional."

"I see that most of us have arrived by now. Good morning, senpai."

"Good morning, Neji. Are we well today?" I ask as he approaches.

"Yes, well enough. I'm sure there will be plenty of interesting observations to make today."

"Never a dull moment with Lee around," Tenten says.

"Lee and Guy-sensei should be here in the next moment or two. Was there anything we needed to take care of before they arrive?" Neji asks us.

"Nothing that I can think of," Fio replies. "We'll have ourselves a light back and forth, and that should be enough for everyone."

Tenten makes a small expression, indicating that she doesn't think it will be that simple. Given that child's utter lack of tact, I'm inclined to agree with her. We will have to see.

"A grand Leaf morning to everyone! Our gallery is all assembled!"

Guy's energetic voice rings out before he and Lee land next to us. We get a thumbs up from them both, complemented with pearly white smiles.

"All ready to go!" Lee yells. "It is time for me to test my strength against another elite of the Hidden Leaf!"

"We won't be going at it too hard today. But it's good to see you so pumped for this," Fio says with a smile. "Let's get to it, then."

"I have refreshments for everyone as we observe," I say as I hand out the tall cans to everyone. "Hand them back when they're empty so that I can dispose of them properly."

"Fancy juice today," Suigetsu says. "Nice." He unscrews the top of his water bottle and pours the can's contents into it. I hold onto two for Fio and myself, then toss the last two over to Guy who sets them in the dirt a ways off.

Fio and Lee take their positions a few paces from each other, then bow respectfully at the same time. Guy makes sure they're ready while the rest of us settle in.

"Alright! Get set, you two!" Guy says.

"Got it. All ready over here," Fio says while rubbing her hands together. She raises her hands so they're just below her chin, set very loosely into fists.

"I am ready!" Lee yells, taking his usual stance. Knees bent, one hand in front of him with the palm upwards, and the other behind his back.

"Okay. Begin!"

Lee surges forward as expected, rotating his hips to deliver a solid kick with his right foot. Fio slides left into the blow and blocks it with her left arm easily. Lee hits the ground and quickly starts with a kick from the left, to which Fio responds by blocking with her left arm once more. A quick series on tests on his part. He drives ahead with more kicks, increasing the speed of each step and making Fio start to block with her right arm as well. Dust whips past her head with each strike, and she patiently leans into every kick before it reaches her.

"Real sturdy stance," Tenten says.

"There is more to come!" Lee yells before accelerating. Fio loosens her stance a bit more and starts to move her body in anticipation. Lee crosses from behind and performs a sweeping kick, which Fio notices and jumps over casually while turning. He bounds into the air soon after and she lands while quickly leaning her body back to dodge the next kick, and as he twists to deliver another one, she raises an arm to block it squarely.

"On the defensive, eh. This Lee guy is real quick on his feet," Suigetsu says.

"Those impacts are all so square. Bleeding the energy right out of them," Karin mumbles. "So that's how she controls everything, then...no wonder she's so confident with Jugo..."

Fio breathes out as Lee backs off briefly. Her lips move a bit as she watches him approach again.

"Little bit light..."

It's not much of a complaint, seeing as she remains focused on the match itself. Lee surges ahead again, this time with more chakra in his limbs. He moves the arm from behind his back and throws a punch that Fio quickly parries. It's followed by a spinning kick that she blocks cleanly, and Lee quickly rebounds from it to deliver another that is also blocked completely. She gets more active, shifting in time with his attacks to shorten his leverage. What would look like a one sided battle to the normal observer is even enough – Lee is keeping up a decent pace, and Fio is moving in perfect time with him.

"Open it up, maybe?" I catch her mumble. "I can try it."

"Here!"

Lee runs forward and starts to spin as he reaches Fio.

"Leaf Great Whirlwind!"

"Start to predict..."

Lee spins into a low kick, and Fio quickly jumps before stomping her feet. The next spinning kick is quickly delivered to the midsection, and it is blocked cleanly. Lee goes back around to deliver one more kick towards the head, which is ducked under neatly. He drops back before starting another charge, and there's a subtle tightening in Fio's right arm. She measures distance with her left hand as Lee closes.

"Boil Release."

She pushes off and pulls her fist back.

"Valkyrie Cannon."

Before Lee can react, a heavy straight hits him in the chest. He flies backwards, tumbling through the dirt as steam rushes outward from the point of impact and streams away slowly in the breeze. Fio calmly holds her fist up for a few moments before relaxing and putting her hand back at her side.

"Nice and steady, then. Alright."

Lee hops back to his feet and dusts himself off. He pauses in thought before standing up straight.

"Captain Asagao! I have a request to make of you!"

"A...request?" Fio repeats slowly.

"Oh, no." Tenten shakes her head. "Lee, sweetie...don't do this."

"He couldn't leave well enough alone, could he." Neji sighs. "In over his head."

Suigetsu looks around, confused. "Oi, what's bowl boy want now? Things getting too tough out there for him?"

"The opposite. I think he's going to ask for more heat," Karin says.

"..."

"Yes. I would like for you to reveal your true ability in this match," Lee continues. "We both know that this level of sparring isn't enough to satisfy either of us. Holding back too much is unhealthy, even if we only mean to attack each other lightly. That last blow was lighter that I assumed it would be."

Fio isn't the type to be tilted much. She is a calm, contented kind of person. A lover of peace and harmony, though not so lackadaisical to let injustice take place before her eyes. She can be firm and kind at the same time, and that is a big reason why she's so well liked throughout the village.

More than that, she likes to do things in order, at her own pace whenever possible. She can be comfortable in routines we do together because we match each other's timing and look out for each other as much as we can. Otherwise, I leave her to do things on her own, at her own speed. Distorting that speed is something that irritates her, subtly. And I can see the slight change in her body language and expression as she listens to Lee. Her face is calm enough, but her eyes have started to sharpen. Now it's not just about staying loose and gathering information.

This is going to be an actual fight. Something she wasn't planning on doing.

"True ability, then. Alright. I'll give you what you want," Fio says.

"Ah, excellent!"

"Yeah. You can use a few of the Inner Gates too. I'd say you want to use at least two to stay in the game."

"I see. Thank you for the advice!"

"No sweat. And you should go ahead and take off those weights before we get started again."

"Of course! Guy-sensei, would you mind holding onto them for me?" Lee asks.

"Alright. But you two be careful, and try not to take things too far, okay? Since this is supposed to be a simple match, I don't want you to escalate past the Third Gate, Lee."

"Understood!"

"While you're getting ready, I'll bring out my gear," Fio says. "You said you wanted me at my best, so I'll grant your wish right now."

"Gear?" Tenten asks.

"Some sort of weapon, I suppose," Neji replies.

"Nah. Way more than that. She's a monster with those things on," Suigetsu says to them.

"What things do you mean?" Tenten asks him.

"Eh, just have a look."

We return our attention to Fio, who takes a solid stance and crosses her wrists above her head. Red steam starts to flow from her bracelets.

"In order to become complete...I will reach towards the power of the cosmos. I am she of unrivalled strength, goddess of battle, the one who splits the heavens in two with her blessed fists. Now...pierce the boundary before us. Rise, Rettenjo!"

She brings her arms down towards her sides violently, and in a thick veil of steam, her beloved weapons appear around her hands. Those gauntlets made of gleaming red metal, crafted years ago now and maintained with the greatest care ever since. There's not a day that passes without Fio fussing over them, not because they're fragile or finicky, but because she considers them an extension of her body. That said, Rettenjo doesn't often come out inside of the village...and for good reason.

"Well, I'm all geared up now," Fio says, steam flowing from her mouth. Regular puffs come out from Rettenjo as they sit snugly around her hands. "So you better make this worth my while. I don't think I need to tell you what will happen if you don't go with what's on the top shelf, yeah?"

"Understood! I am ready to show you what I have," Lee replies, bouncing on his feet.

"Goodie. Since you had the opportunity to go first last time, I think I'll take the honours here. Something nice and simple, that okay?"

Fio leans forward at a slight angle. A whistling of steam sounds out well after she takes off, leading with a jumping punch towards Lee. He's elected to try and block this one.

I couldn't think of a bigger mistake to make at this moment.

He's rewarded for his bravery with a trip into the earth, making it buckle and crack around his body as he's immediately driven downwards. To his credit, he quickly recovers and retreats, shaking out his trembling arms.

"That kind of strength..."

"Was that too exciting for you? Hope not. I figure I gotta throw a couple of big punches before we're through...but I can't do that if you're gonna shake yourself to bits after a little shove."

"Yeah...the boss lady gets a little eager whenever the green light goes on," Suigetsu says casually. "It's not really a personality change, either. That's all her."

"She's obviously a bit vexed. Of course, it doesn't mean she won't wring some amusement from the situation," Karin says.

"Guessing that's nerd speak for having fun."

"It's normal people talk. Try reading some books once in a while."

"Hey, I-"

"Ones that aren't about swords."

"...just cos I didn't swallow a dictionary or whatever," he mutters under his breath.

"Lee...he's really in for it now, isn't he?" Tenten asks nervously.

Neji folds his arms. "It seems so. If he had followed instructions earlier...well, I don't know what good that would have done, honestly. He's said a little too much already."

"Yeah."

"One move," Fio mumbles. Steam begins to flow from the openings on her gauntlets and from the sides of her sandals. She's getting herself ready for what might come next. Lee accelerates and immediately goes for a kick to the body.

The impact is heavy, but there's barely a tremor as she blocks with one hand. Lee comes down with his other leg, and she blocks again with her other hand. He moves into a flurry of punches and kicks, with Fio choosing which ones to block and which ones to dodge. His speed has definitely increased with the weights off, but not enough to give her any trouble.

"I've got a feeling you're not taking me as seriously as you should," Fio says.

"I see. My apologies if you think that is the case," Lee replies as he backs off. "Then I will launch my next technique properly. Gate of Opening!"

A burst of chakra comes from Lee's body before he starts moving, even faster than before. He goes around Fio in a circle, kicking up dust and debris and obscuring our vision of her.

"Here it comes. What's she gonna do to stop that?" Tenten asks.

"Front Lotus!"

Oh, so it's that technique...I believe the one he used on Sasuke during the examinations years ago.

That's going to be a problem for him, I think.

The sound of what I presume was the kick rings out, and the dust is blown away by a wave of pressure. Fio has her hands layered beneath her chin, pushing down against Lee's foot as it stretches upwards.

Lee's eyes are widened in shock. "W-what?"

"You have got to be kidding me...she didn't just block it, she stopped that kick cold!" Tenten says in disbelief.

"Oh, man. I could feel that one from here. She's way scarier than I remembered," Suigetsu says.

"Special move?" Fio asks calmly. "It's a heavy kick, can't deny that. You've done pretty good for yourself...Master Guy has taught you well."

Her hands shift, and she grips his leg tightly.

"Tit for tat, as my darling Lili loves to say. Try one of my moves on for size."

She spins and raises him into the air before slamming him into the ground. Another quick spin and she tosses him away and into the dirt. He rolls a few times before popping to his feet, charging back at her again.

"Missed your window, sweetheart. Now I'll show you what a real power move looks like!"

"No choice, then...!"

At a speed much faster than before, Fio shoots forward and hits Lee with a punch to the face. He spins around, right into a flurry of body blows that ends with an uppercut, sending him into the air briefly. She catches him as he comes down with a downward punch, making his body bounce before she kicks him upwards again, and then elbows him in the opposite direction. Lee barely catches himself and slides along the ground.

Fio speeds forward and catches him while he starts to recover, sparkling green flames flowing from her fist as she draws it backwards.

"Fire Release: Shining Buster!"

The punch slams into Lee's chest, sending out a cascade of green fire and stunning him. He's thrown backwards violently in the next moment, through several trees in the distance before landing with a loud crash. The birds take flight as soon as they can, indicating where he's lying.

"He's as fine as one could be after that attack," Neji says with his Byakugan active. "That said, he's certainly not moving. Let's bring him back here, Tenten."

"Yeah...sounds like a good idea..."

The two of them take off, while Fio bows in Lee's direction respectfully. She claps her hands together, and Rettenjo disappears from around them. The smoke coming from around her mouth and limbs dies off as well.

"A touch different than I thought. Not half bad, but nothing too great either," she says.

Guy folds his arms and nods thoughtfully. "Hmm...I had heard feats of your strength and skill, but this surpassed my personal projections. But you are right, Lee has come a long way. He still has some ways to go, as we saw here."

"I think that's true for all of us. I learned a lot today, and he shouldn't be too worried about his progress," Fio says with a smile. "After all, I was born pretty talented myself! Sometimes people forget that, hehe."

"Thank you for obliging us, and respectfully. Lee will definitely grow from this experience."

"No worries. One day, we'll have to go at it properly, too! You're still young and spry, after all."

"Ha! I will certainly make a note of that, and we'll have our match one day soon!"

I think about that as they bump fists. It would be a violent and shocking affair, if this short match was any indication. Hm. I wonder if anyone would be interested in a challenge of their own, Naruto aside...

"You probably turned the poor guy's ribs into dust, Chief," Suigetsu says.

"I was holding back, same as he did. A few hours in the hospital isn't too bad considering."

"You mean you thought he deserved that much," Karin says.

"What, you don't think so?"

"I'm not exactly a fan of breaking people's bones on a whim. And it's partly because I can't do things like that."

"Well-"

"And before you say it, I am in no way built for whatever training regimen you want to cook up."

"Yeah, yeah. At least you're doing the stuff I asked about earlier, so I appreciate that. Lili does, too."

"Certainly," I say. "Looking lovelier from behind each time I see you, Karin."

"Are you really okay with that?" Suigetsu asks Fio as Karin blushes.

"Sure am!" she replies, smiling. "If any girls want their own slice of Lili, they can go for it. I just gotta have the biggest piece at the end of the day!"

"You know, I'm thinking I'll never really understand women."

"I guess that means you're not getting married?" Karin asks after recovering. "Then the human race can breathe a sigh of relief."

"You're such a bitch."

"And you're so worth it."

Neji and Tenten arrive, with an unconscious Lee propped up between them.

"I didn't spy any fractures in his extremities or ribs, but there is some definite bruising and soreness to be dealt with," Neji says.

"Your eyes are a little better than mine," Karin says. "But I'll have myself a look all the same, and give you my recommendation."

She heads over to where Lee is as they set him down, and puts her hands gently on his damaged chest. About a minute passes before she focuses and has a green glow surround her hands, then she stands up as she's finished.

"He'll need a day or two of rest, but everything should be just fine now. If you want to take him to the hospital to make sure he rests, that's okay. But I don't think he'll need anything other than some fluids, bed rest, and a new set of...whatever it is he wears," she says as she gestures to the torn spandex around his chest.

"Excellent! I will take things from here, then." Guy hoists Lee over his shoulder and smiles while giving us a thumbs up. "Thank you all for your support! Until the next time! Stay youthful!"

Neji shakes his head and Tenten sighs.

"Well, that didn't go as bad as I feared. All that said? You are one frightening lady, Miss Asagao," she says. "Reminds me a little too much of my idol."

"Oh yeah? So you're a big fan of Auntie Tsuna, too. Neat. She has her quirks, but I love her to bits."

"I figured you two would get along. Lee says a little too much sometimes, but he's a good guy."

"I know. But sometimes you gotta remind people what you're all about, you know." Fio puts her hands behind her head. "I'm a bit more than what people see on the outside. After all, the Crimson Nightmare herself chose me to be her wife. Not something I take lightly."

"Clearly," Karin says while adjusting her glasses.

"Well, now our friend Lee knows all about it. And all of you do, too. Job well done."

"I suppose you can't disagree with the results," Neji says. "And it was an impressive bout, however short it was. This alternate application of Boil Release is intriguing."

"If you wanna have a match of your own, just ask!"

Neji looks to me before shaking his head. "I'll have to improve a bit more myself before taking on such a challenge again."

"And if he's not confident, you can forget about asking me," Tenten says while raising her hands.

"Most of us were so engrossed in the match that we forgot to enjoy our beverages. Shall we do that now?" I ask. "Suigetsu can have one of the leftovers from Lee and Guy, perpetually parched as he is."

"Sweet, thanks."

I hand Fio her drink, and she cracks it open.

"Biggest piece, eh."

She wiggles her brows at me while taking a sip. "Just trying to think forward. I meant what I said, you know. Long as you come home to me at the end of the day, you can flirt with all the fine ladies you want."

"Because you know that you're my number one."

"She's clever, too."

I smile and kiss her on the lips. "As brilliant as always. I truly am blessed."

"Not as much as I am."

I smile again and flip back my hair. "Hmhm~. Well said."

 

[FortePlus]

In the previous phase, an original technique was developed primarily by Hinata Hyuuga and co-developed by Hanabi Hyuuga and Neji Hyuuga.

This manifested as Lightning Release: Valkyrie Arrow, which has the initial stage, the Encore second pass, and the Finale final pass. All three stages can be chained into the Hyuuga secret techniques, such as Revolving Heaven and Eight Trigrams Sixty Four Palms among others.

Since then, several members of the related social group have become inspired, and developed variants of this ninjutsu, with varying effects and uses.

Lightning Release: Valkyrie Bullet - the variant used by Lili. A high speed, high impact punch that is charged with lightning chakra.

Boil Release: Valkyrie Cannon - the variant used by Fio. Borrows from Valkyrie Bullet, and is a straight punch fueled by chakra boiled to the limit, before being released at the point of impact.

Finish Sign, Sol > Fire Release: Valkyrie Divider - the variant used by Erika. After executing her stance by carving out the dimensional lane, she performs a white hot rising slash that can cut smoothly through targets.

Shinobi Art: Valkyrie Hammer - the variant used by Ino. A physical attack that has her gain momentum by rolling through the air, before delivering a heavy heel drop enhanced with chakra. With more rotations the power builds, to the point of potentially matching an Akimichi blow in their gigantic forms if she can land it.

Gentle Fist: Valkyrie Crossbolt - the variant used by Hanabi. A high speed two handed punch delivered to the opponent's midsection, with chakra surged in to maximize internal damage. Yet to be refined, the violent and quick style is part of Hanabi's signature.

 

[FortePlus]

Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom – ep. 42
"Inscriptions"
[Spilled Ink, Part 1]
---

"You will continue to have the zones tighten in this season. It will be up to you as the leader on the ground to deal with it as it happens."

I hold the phone to my ear while making notes about an unrelated thing. It is getting close to the time where I will have to deal with certain village elements before they cause us too much trouble. My talk with Karin the other day confirmed that the Foundation is starting to infringe on some of our friends' personal space.

That will not do.

"There is something that you can do to help yourself, and that is to organize patrols to search specifically for evidence of human activity. You have a few dedicated trackers on your roster, and more than a few people who can support them. Once you figure out where and when the infiltrators are setting up, it will be easier to either evade or eliminate them. From the reports I've looked at, there should be no jounin from any faction in those areas. Nothing you can do about it if it turns out to be the case after all...you're looking at a different set of parameters in that scenario." I tap my pen against the desk. "Yes, as far as you're concerned, it stops being your issue. You would be well served in making a hasty retreat and reporting back to the village if that is what you're up against. I see. No, the level should be low in general. You will not have to worry about any reprimand or heavy handed decisions. Major General Aomine will be looking over things carefully for the next while. A relief, yes. We need more advocates like her. Yes, of course. If the new data doesn't reach you within the next two days, contact me again. Yes, alright. Take care, and good morning."

I hang up and finish my notes. From here, I should be free to take care of today's business.

The next stop will be the Hokage's Office, where Tamaki should have my reports ready.

"Good morning, Lili. Here you go."

"Good morning, Tamaki. Thank you kindly." I take the documents and look over them as Tamaki sits at her desk. She types away at her computer, and I frown at the information in front of me. "Time is growing short, it seems."

"Seems like it," she says without turning.

"Might I borrow your phone a moment?"

"It's no trouble at all. Imari is handling the majority of calls today."

"Thank you." I dial the number from memory and wait. "Hello and good morning. This is Lilith Kobayashi speaking...I have a matter that will be of great interest to Lord Hiashi Hyuuga. It is not strictly urgent, but it is something that I believe should be tended to as quickly as possible. Yes, the documents will be here with Special Aide Kurogane. Feel free to make copies as you wish. Yes, of course. Thank you. Good morning." I hang up and set the papers down on Tamaki's desk.

"Stirring up trouble, then?"

"It's the only thing that makes sense at this point. I promised that trash that he was going to die, and this will ensure that I can keep said promise."

"Almost feel sorry for the little prick."

"You're a better woman than me, in that regard." I check my watch. "Any changes with scheduling?"

"Nope. Everything's right on track."

"Good. Then I'll have a look for her in the usual places. As always, you've been invaluable to me."

"I do try my best." She stops her typing to look up at me. "Stay safe out there, Lili."

"I will, Tamaki."

She nods before going back to her work, and I head off once more. Informing the Hyuuga that there has been unauthorized monitoring of their family, no matter how brief, will set Hiashi and Danzo on a collision course. It might not seem like much, but the window that will be created due to necessary damage control will be more than large enough for us to slip through. We want to pressure those Foundation lackeys as much as possible, and force them to make a mistake.

That boy especially. His meddling has gotten far out of hand, and so I will put an end to it permanently.

I follow Erika's chakra signature to a book store in the middle of the village. She emerges with a thick volume tucked under her arm.

"Erika, my love."

"Lili. Good morning."

"Good morning." I peck her on the cheek in greeting. "Have we been well lately?"

"Yes. I wanted to make a certain purchase for the purposes of self-study. The intricacies of atmospheric flow and interference with regards to externally generated chakra constructs is a field that has yet to see extensive study."

"Funding issues," I say with one hand on my hip. "It's always the case. Yuno and I were on the phone for a few hours the other night being bitter about it. I'm going to get her up to speed on some of the ideas I had from Naruto's training session."

"Very intriguing. Perhaps we could discuss it ourselves later?"

"Certainly."

"Thank you. I assume that you did not come by simply to exchange greetings, though I would not be bothered at all if it were the case."

I laugh softly. "You always know how to charm a woman, Erika."

"Mm. I wonder about that at times..."

"But your perception is correct, as it usually is. I've come to let you know that we've started turning the gears. Sai is becoming a menace, and this is the time to put him along with his rodent friends away properly. Hiashi has been informed of the Foundation's encroachment on the family's privacy. Specifically the monitoring of Hinata and Hanabi."

"He will not be pleased with that, to say the very least of things."

"An understatement if there was one. The period of recalibration is our time to strike. From what Lord Hokage has mentioned, Danzo will not have the luxury of slotting in another person to replace Sai if something should happen to him."

Erika nods. "I see. Then it is important that we act with haste. Are they aware of the other elements?"

"They are not. And I'm going to take full advantage of that fact."

"My thoughts are the same. What window would you like?"

"Twenty four. We should start as soon as possible. Make sure Ino is looped in."

"Understood. I will start the routines as soon as I reach home again."

We share a hug and part ways. There's nobody too close...they seem to have enough of a respect for my known capabilities, and Erika's for that matter. It means that we can move forward smoothly. Taking care of some business with Yuno should help to keep them guessing.

I reach the Nagano home in short order. It's a cozy looking place with a small footprint and two levels, a roof that is just peaked enough to let water and other items slide downwards, and one tall tree directly behind it that also provides shade as the branches reach over it towards the front. A barrel for rainwater sits to one side on a tree stump.

"Yuno is in," I say to myself. A few light knocks bring her from the opposite side of the house.

"Morning. Oh, Lili! Nice seeing you here," she says with a smile. Her hair is still a bit messy, so it looks like she's just woken up.

"Good morning, my darling. Hopefully I haven't bothered you too much just now."

"Was thinking about breakfast. Did you want anything? Kettle's still hot."

"Nothing for now, but thank you kindly. I wanted to follow up on a few things, with regards to our research project. Have you had a chance to go over the notes?" I ask.

"Not too thoroughly, but I gave them a quick skim the day I picked them up from the box. Gotta say, it's a hell of a theory...and something I totally agree with. I think this is the path forward."

"Do you?"

"Yeah. Nami and Aniki had roughly the same thoughts. We're probably gonna consider different jutsu as we can observe them, but what you've put forward is a great start."

"Then I'll get the Hokage to put his stamp on it, so that you're afforded some extra protection from busybodies. As for how we will proceed, I have this for you and the others, when you can get to it. I've broken down what we need at this stage and the subsequent ones. If the heavens will it, we will proceed through all of these stages smoothly."

I hand Yuno a scroll, which she unrolls and looks at curiously.

"Huh. Okay, I see how this will work."

"Edelweiss could take care of things themselves, but I don't want them to be in the limelight just yet. There are things that need to be done discreetly, while they all still have the element of surprise. I am going to take care of one such thing soon."

"Sounds ominous," she says.

"It should. How does that plan look to you?"

"Solid enough. Lots of bankrolling, but I'm sure you can handle that part."

"Will that be okay with regards to your development?"

"Absolutely. Combat work is obviously necessary from time to time to keep the rust off, but it's not a regular requirement for me anymore. Long as I can make some lateral moves, I'll be fine. The breakdown looks good, and if we can get this through then the three of us will have a lot more time on our hands for research and development."

"Excellent. I do not think your professional development should suffer as a result of this, but I can put in a good word either way. I'll make the submission to Shikaku today, then."

"Strike while the iron's hot. Sounds good to me," Yuno says.

"Then you can start working on ideas."

"Already got a few, hehe."

I pat her head. "Make sure you eat first. And rest on your days off. I know that your brother and Nami will make sure of that, but don't let it get that far."

"Got it, boss lady. Looking forward to starting this awesome journey! We're finally gonna get to the bottom of that ultimate jutsu mystery!" she says with a bright smile.

"We surely will. Every proper revolution needs a secret weapon, hmhm. I will see you later, my love."

"See you, Lili. Thanks for dropping by!"

I wave to her before the door closes, and make my way back onto the village streets. My unauthorized minders are keeping their distance still. Perhaps they've been getting a good pull on their leashes lately. I don't really care...their threat level is non-existent at this point.

Next stop, the Jounin Commander's office.

"Good morning, Commander Nara. I have a request to make of you."

He sets down his pen and leans back in his chair, then gestures for me to continue. I set a scroll on his desk and he starts to read through it.

"Thank you. We spoke at one point about making use of your clan technique for the purposes of research. Have you and your membership come to a consensus on this?"

"Right, you did ask about that." He takes a scroll from one of the drawers in his desk, and sets it down next to mine. "A few conditions, just to make this sort of thing nice and neat. At some point I would like you to see Inoichi at Intelligence and have him confirm what you're doing. Just so that we have some extra verification and the like."

"One can't be too careful," I say.

"That's right. Choza is onboard, and he has one or two people in mind if you need them for physical experimentation."

"Ooh, lovely. What about your side?"

"I have a few people that would be into something like that, yeah."

"Execellent. I can add another line to the budget, then...it should be well within calculations, even at this point."

He chuckles. "Always ten steps ahead. Can't hate that. And for my purposes...think you can let me in on what you're planning?"

"Well." I take a few steps forward and lean over his desk. "We're hunting for the origin of jutsu. A technique that would allow us to erase the bounds between fantasy and reality."

He raises a brow. "Something like that..."

"You might see where I'm going with this."

"I might. Yin and Yang, then...interesting. Who've you got on this?"

"Yuno, Koichi, and Nami. They will be pulling more cohorts into our orbit soon enough, but we're starting on this now as a privately funded project."

"Structured as missions for now."

"Mm-hm."

He nods and rubs his chin. "Creative way to go about it. So you're looking for something that goes beyond the usual creation arts. Things like Wood Release, or that technique the Uchiha used to use, once upon a time. Izanagi."

"Yes. We were thinking of that technique during our discussions," I say. "Though that is a temporary thing, meant solely to decide wars and other types of conflict. What I seek is something far more flexible."

"Something like that could wreak havoc on the economy...or rather, it definitely would."

"Hm." I pull myself upright and run a hand through my hair. "As you've correctly said before, I am several steps ahead when it comes to such matters. The world I mean to create will have less friction in these happenings than you would expect."

"I don't think ambitious even starts to describe that."

"A vision beyond words. How flattering...I can see why Yoshino fell for you, what with your smooth talk and all," I say with a smile.

"Always going on, eh."

"Always."

He slides the scroll towards me. "That's plenty for my purposes. Scroll's all yours. Take that to the archives and you'll have everything you need in moments. The book hounds know where to look."

"Thank you kindly." I take the scroll and place it in one of my sleeves. "This will be a great help, Shikaku."

"Glad I could be of service. I'll be looking forward to what you come up with, after you take over the world and everything."

"Oh, that day might be coming sooner than you think."

"I don't doubt it." He raises his mug to me in salute. "Godspeed, Lady Hokage."

I wink at him before leaving.

---

A few more hours pass as I idle at one of the local sandwich shops, grabbing a snack in the meantime. Gaining copies of the texts for the Shadow Imitation Technique was easily done, after a quick stop to see Inoichi and have him do a minimally invasive mind reading. The bond between Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi cannot be understated – they were among the clans that first formed the Leaf alongside the Senju and Uchiha. Akimichi especially wield power behind the scenes as one of the village's premier clans, even if it isn't immediately obvious and people treat them like oversized buffoons at times. Gaining the trust of all three heads isn't just a strategic concern, though it helps. Having them in my corner will mean a lot for what I mean to do next. Taking actions that will change the very foundations of this village, and the entire world eventually.

My new home, when it is completed, will have plenty of security features so that I can casually open classified documents whilst lounging in bed. For now, I will want to have secure set ups so that certain elements within the village will not be able to scrape information away so easily. The technique scrolls are secured in my work box as a result. I am quite excited to look at them once the opportunity arises. For now, I will deal with this ROOT business, unsightly as it will be.

"Hm."

Chakra is flowing through the seal on my left arm, and I understand this as a request from one of our many serpentine subjects. I focus and they appear in a cloud of smoke next to me, a man-sized snake the colour of desert sand.

"Princess Lilith, I have a message for you from one of our brothers," he says with the scroll in his jaws.

"Thank you kindly. Be well the rest of your day." I take the scroll from him.

"As you wish, Princess. An honour to be of service."

He disappears as quickly as he came. I ignore the mutterings of the other patrons and read the coded message on the scroll. Nothing too unusual is happening...some mobilization which we can cut off, listed with a few coordinates that I will figure out in a moment...more killings and small villages being wiped out. Nobody really has a clue what that means, and it's bothersome that it's come up again like this. I wonder if Jiraiya has put any extra focus on that.

"Let's check this area that you have mapped out, Anko-nee..."

I pull a card out of my pouch and set it down on the counter, then roll up the scroll and put it away. With a flicker of chakra, the map appears before expanding into a three dimensional image at my command. Looking at the numbers, we have something happening directly north of the village, out near the Sound Country border...or rather, Rice Country once more. The old name has yet to catch on properly, again. With the Special Occupied Zone – what was once the Hidden Sound – in place, there is more of a focus on identifying suspicious activity and putting a stop to it. Someone seems to have called on Akatsuki to stir up some trouble there. If it's the team that has been destroying territory lately, it might be trouble. All I can do is wait for Hiruzen's orders at this point, since he will have a copy of this information on his desk soon enough.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Boss."

"It's not a problem, Shino. Are you well?" I ask as he takes the seat next to me.

"I'm alright. How is the food here, by the way?"

"Trash. It's by God's hand that they remain in business...even the coffee smells awful. Ugh. You and your fellows can have the rest of my sandwich if you want. Calories are calories to your colony, yes?"

"That's the gist of it. I'll wait until we're outside," he says as he pockets the sandwich. "You know how people get these days."

"Unfortunately. I can't believe I came to this village more open-minded about such things than so many people. I didn't exactly mind creatures of the earth before, but you would think with so much happening daily...and the fact that the Aburame have been part of the Leaf for such a long time..."

"As you like to say, Boss. Humans can be strange in their ways."

"Mm. Futaba was lamenting about such things the other day when we spoke. By the by, how is she?"

"Doing well on her end, too." He pauses. "Her hair looks nicer recently. Smells a bit different, too."

"In a good way, you mean."

"Yes."

"You're welcome. Flower oils are a tried and true method of keeping one's hair fresh and healthy, without the use of outrageous chemicals and the like. I wonder if I should consider banning that garbage once I become Hokage. They would find one thing or another to call me a dictator over, so I wonder if this could be an opportunity in itself..."

"You wanted to hear about how surveillance is going, Boss?"

"Yes, yes. Forgive me again for that bad habit of mine," I say with a smile. "Please tell me what you've observed, my love."

"Right." He adjusts his glasses. "I've conducted normal surveillance as we discussed, and it's as we assumed from earlier. There are anti-insect measures being taken with each Foundation member at differing times, and with differing levels of thoroughness. However, we did note some interesting changes with regards to certain members, including the aforementioned Sai, and so I requested assistance from Miss Erika in order to determine where we stood."

"What did you find out from that?"

"Specific persons have been deployed to keep watch of designated targets, such as Hanabi, Hinata, and Fio. This extended to Team Asagao, as you yourself observed earlier from your talk with Jugo."

"Yes."

"We have details on their movements as a result of our combined observations." Shino hands me a small card, which has some codes and coordinates that we like to use as a group. I scan them one by one and gain an understanding of what is going on.

"Nothing on Nami?"

"Their lack of concern for clearing the surveillance spheres while monitoring her her suggests that they view her as generally unimportant. It seems she's done very well in keeping herself off their sheets aside from general data."

"Helpful for us. So that means we can pick them off at our leisure...good. I'll have Erika deal with the rest of them, since there are certain elements that I need to get rid of with more delicate means." That, and I don't want him getting too deep into this mess as it is now. It's certainly overbearing on my part, and he knows that much. I simply don't want him getting hurt, even as I respect his decisions and autonomy. It's not something that I'm likely to just get over. I don't want to lose people if I can help it, especially not with the power that is coming into my hands. Being too smothering is the least of my worries at this point.

"A suggestion, Boss?"

"What is it?"

"I would like it if you kept me at least this distance until the completion of our mission, if possible," Shino says. "I understand your concerns, but I think that I can play a part in a support role."

"That is true. You've been nothing less than brilliant so far, Shino. And of course you've seen right through me once again."

"Sorry, Boss. I didn't mean to be accusing, or anything like that."

"It's alright. I do have my tendencies. As long as you stick with Erika, you will know everything that you need to. Tell her that she has my blessing to give you marching orders."

"Thanks, Boss."

"Of course. Was there anything else?"

"Nothing at this moment, Boss."

"Then we should have everything we need. We will take care of business, starting tomorrow. Tell Master Aburame to let things proceed at their own pace, and not to panic at any reactions coming out of the Hyuuga camp."

"Alright. Good luck, Boss. I'll see you later. Oh, and thanks for the snack."

"Not a problem, darling. You take care, now."

He nods and leaves my side at the counter, as quietly as he came in. I slip the small card into my pocket and take slow sips of my water while thinking, compiling every bit of information that I've gained over the past while and organizing it inside of my head, in my own way. Locations, timing, counter surveillance, targets seen and unseen.

As soon as feel like I'm finished, I drain the remaining water from my glass and take my leave from the shop. My feet take me at a casual place towards the first set of coordinates listed by Shino, so that I can scout the area and etch its nuances into my mind for the next day's events.

A lot is happening at once, and I don't expect to be perfect. That much isn't possible, even for someone like me. Perfection isn't necessary, in the end. All we need to do is get rid of this menace, an obstacle towards our mission of changing the world and how it functions. I want to protect those who I love and care for, from the threats that they might be aware of but cannot see or touch as they are.

Things must change. And I will be the one to change them...no matter how much blood will run through the streets as a result.

 

[FortePlus]

Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom – ep. 43
"Declarations"
[Spilled Ink, Part 2]
---

When it comes to things like spycraft, there is meaning to the name: it is an art, carefully refined to achieve the maximum effect. Interpretations of data, abstractions, the flow of the world itself. Adjusting to circumstances as they arise, forging new paths in an instant, and making attempts to manage and predict what is alleged to be unpredictable.

Tendencies are not boiled down to simple, repeatable formula for shinobi. Thoughts, actions, feelings. Those can change wildly depending on which way the wind blows – and for the truly paranoid, the very pressure at which the wind does so is enough to place them on high alert. To understand and pick out irregularities at a moment's notice is part of being an elite operator. And so is concealing said irregularities from the enemy. That is why I have spent the past few days making observations of the areas I suspect members of ROOT have been using for surveillance, passing by using the excuses of daily living: shopping, eating, gossip, so on and so forth. Ino and I can carry on conversations while sensing for people who we think shouldn't be there, and Erika is doing her part as well.

We gather data and tease out patterns from it. Now we have an idea of how ROOT is moving...the final piece is to definitively get at Sai, and figure out exactly how quickly we need to move on him. The framework has already been constructed for our advance, days earlier with my call to Hyuuga. To say that Hiashi was furious understates the magnitude of it, but the way it is being handled at this moment is intense without being explosive and pulling public attention towards the situation. Hyuuga is now actively applying counter-surveillance, in a visible show of force towards Danzo's hounds. The recent meeting between the village's so called underworld boss and the Hyuuga Head was brief, hostile, and according to Tamaki, loaded with air-thickening malice. It sounds like it was exciting, and I am a bit sad I missed it. But things are going exactly the way I want them to: now the ROOT operatives are scrambling to regain position, and we're going to take advantage of that opening before they can properly recover.

"Are we all ready?" I ask Erika.

"Ready."

"Alright. Let's get ourselves into position." We start by suppressing our chakra and move silently towards our locations. Erika will be perched among the branches of a tree, next to the roof of a small shop. I've found myself a convenient little depression behind a set of bushes, and lie on my stomach. The small earpiece goes in, and I hear Erika switch on her microphone for recording.

When civilians talk about shinobi techniques, they only focus on the immediate utility of them. Fire can be used for direct attacks, or something ostensibly clever like entrapment, for example. Lots of things that could or should happen because of the assumptions they have about this sort of work, and about the natural forces that act on the world around them. One of the frequently uttered comments is that stealth and infiltration is trivialized by the Transformation Technique, which allows one to change into an object or living being of their choosing with chakra. There are a few reasons this is foolishness, but two immediately come to mind. First is that changing into other beings or objects varies wildly in difficulty, inanimate objects especially since they need to be of certain sizes, weights, and properties in order to be truly convincing. In other words, while it might be relatively easy to imitate a person, it's much harder to replicate an object. Both require at least some measure of observational skill and familiarity.

The second reason is that it's often suicidal against high level enemies.

Most people on this tier, which includes those of ROOT, are going to have many different ways of figuring out when someone or something doesn't look right at a glance, in addition to their secrecy and psychosis in these sorts of situations. Elaborate transformations only serve to waste valuable time, which when it comes to reacting to mission changes is the difference between life and death. Instead of changing back and forth, keeping things simple by not being perceived at all is the safest and surest bet. Being able to activate weapons or distractions and having access to your full supply of chakra is crucial when the other person has roughly the same level of skill that you do. Once you are detected, being able to fight back and survive is the most important thing. There are situations where a simple transformation or two can be of use, such as when the enemy is focused on moving from place to place. But those spots must be chosen carefully, and just add to the required mental load. And that sort of knowledge only comes with experience, something that, for many reasons, not everyone has.

There are currently no members of Hyuuga in this area, which serves the purposes of the ROOT members meeting here. And unbeknownst to them, our purposes as well. Erika starts moving as soon as she can detect their presence, and our earlier observations are coming in handy once more. These two are not sensor types, and thus will have to rely on manual sweeps. I can hear Erika setting the microphone down before moving further away and into a place where she can get a clear look at the pairing.

"No tails, then."

"They're busy looking at our decoys through some walls. We have time to talk."

The voices are coming in clearly. Very good.

"Have we seen any movement from the other clan heads yet?" the first one asks.

"No. They seem to be in agreement on staying out of this. Any clues on who's responsible for the leak?" the second one asks.

"Someone connected to Sarutobi's office. Might be the snake woman, but we don't know anything for sure. She hasn't been spotted doing too much that interferes with our plans, even if she is the old man's pet."

"We'll probably need to keep an extra eye on her regardless. What about Kotowari?"

"Lord Shimura said he has something cooked up for her."

"Good, good. She's extremely dangerous, we can't let her get close to this in any way."

"She would need some help to put a stop to it all. Sai's surveillance was going well enough until someone tipped her off, and I know it wasn't the steam freak. That one has rocks rolling around in her head."

"She's close with the snake woman?"

"They're hanging out together in a hotel midtown or something. Sarutobi has some protection on it and they've been careful with their conversations. Like I said, we have some people keeping an eye on her already."

"Ah, she's a sensor type, isn't she? We have an idea of her range?"

"Might be a few miles if she extends herself, but I don't think she would do that too often while we're at home. We would know if that were the case. We need to coordinate another move on the garden, the budding plants especially. That's what we need to take care of first. I have some green thumbs I know lined up for tomorrow."

"What are we going to be doing? Going down to the store for fertilizer?"

"I was thinking about that and some grass seed. The lawn isn't looking the best lately."

"So we'll have two of your friends on it early."

"Around eight in the morning. Everything we need should be on site, and we shouldn't have to worry about doing too much digging."

"Sounds good. I'll make sure he knows, too."

"Then I'll see you later."

They take off in opposite directions. Erika waits a moment before quickly following the first person. I wait a bit after that, collect the microphone from its hiding spot, and then carefully follow the other person through the village. If the mystery person is who I think it is, we will be in excellent position at an earlier time than we expected. If not, then it will be business as usual. One of the obvious problems is that these Foundation worms are also part of ANBU, and they report both to the Hokage and Danzo with the latter taking priority in any matters. It makes them extremely hard to root out without some good leverage. That will take some time to realize, but at least we will be taking a firm step forward here.

My target leads us to a small, plain looking apartment building. As I suspected, Sai is on one of the upper floors, and I see the shinobi go quietly through the open window leading to his home. Suddenly, there's a flaring of the two chakras, and a faint sound of weapons clashing as I continue my approach.

"...reflexes. But you should remember...never let your guard down."

This must be some stupid ritual that is meant to keep the membership paranoid and alert at all times. Insane, and expected of those made to be nothing but military lapdogs. I land lightly on the wooden overhang and press myself against the wall next to the window.

"New orders from Lord Danzo. We'll be taking care of the young ones on our own, your job is to make sure that the steam woman and the snake bitch are kept at a distance from everything else. If they show up to investigate however, we can make use of that," he says to Sai.

"Bait, sir?" Sai asks.

"Something like that. We don't want to make it look like we're doing anything that would cause problems with Hyuuga."

"Understood." The rustling of paper and other vibrations tell me that Sai has been handed a note. "Should I try inducing her to take direct action, sir?"

"If you can. We have measures in place if she decides on doing something stupid, so don't worry too much about your health aside from the usual. ROOT can't be derailed by empty threats like that."

"Of course, sir."

"The future of the Leaf depends on how successful we are. We can't leave things to fools like Hyuuga, or savages like that snake woman. Once we gain more information on her activities, Lord Danzo will have you assigned to her properly. This time, the Hokage absolutely cannot get his way. It will be the end of the village otherwise."

"That bad, then..."

"It's not just physical strength. There are an increasing number connections to deal with...rumours are going around that she has Madoka's ear now."

"Then it makes sense we move as soon as possible."

"You get it, then. Good." Sai's alleged superior starts towards the window to leave, then abruptly stops. "You...you're still carrying that thing around?"

Sai is quiet a while. "This is...it just makes sense to have it here. That's all, sir."

"Remember what you were told. What you've been taught above all else. Those of ROOT have no names, no feelings..."

"No past, and no future," Sai finishes. "There is only the mission."

"We...are the unseen ones who support the great tree of the Leaf, from the depths of the Earth. Never forget that."

"Yes, sir."

I let my chakra rise enough in order to perform a simple transformation, becoming a weighty little leaf in the corner that shouldn't be noticed by anyone as they pass by. The ROOT captain sweeps the area visually, including the space I was standing in before. With nothing out of place in his eyes, he takes off for a new destination. Sai comes up to the window briefly and pulls it some distance closed, but not all the way from what I can hear. His footsteps fade away soon after.

Alright.

I undo my transformation and let out a breath. "That went well. I think we have everything we need...and I know what I have to do with Sai. Seems that things will be a little bit more difficult than anticipated, but I've never been one to skip out on a challenge. The extra effort just makes victory even more delicious."

I dust myself off after dropping down to the street again.

"Don't worry, boy. I'll make sure you understand why you should have taken my threat seriously...in your last moments on Earth."

---

A rendezvous with Erika allows us to compare notes, and we come to the same conclusion on what ROOT will be doing next based on our understanding of their positions and phrases.

The intention is to shadow Hanabi and any other young Hyuuga she might be travelling with, as a means of surveillance and leverage against Hiashi. They must have some kind of means of evading those special eyes, as the third in line to be the clan head would be watched carefully. Hanabi is more than aware of the situation, so I haven't made anything complicated by contacting her directly.

"Anything on your side?"

"Nothing at the moment."

A quick phone call with Hina this morning, while still in my hotel room. We haven't spoken much either, but I have sent a few messages so that she knows what's going on. Keeping her away from this would be ideal, but as the next clan head, it seems to be a bit late for that. Even so, keeping our communications short and vague means that the enemy can't use anything against us. They're clueless as to what I might be doing, and I intend to keep it that way until there's nothing they can do to stop it.

"Alright. How is your father doing?" I ask her.

"Stressed at the latest news. I'm doing my best to calm him down, but he is understandably angry at what's happened. To be honest, I am a bit frightened myself."

"Hopefully Lord Hokage can sort this out before it becomes too much of a mess. These things getting out of hand would be a threat to his order."

"That is true, yes. Well, I have a few things to take care of. And it might be a while before we can speak again, unfortunately."

"I understand. Take care of yourself, Hina. And remember to send for me if you need anything at all."

"I'll remember, Lili. I love you."

"I love you, too. Bye for now."

"Bye."

I hang up and then dial a new number quickly.

"It's me. How many people on maintenance do you have available for today? Those ones...mm. Send the third to me, then. I remember that she has a knack for what I'm thinking of. As always, you outdo yourself. We'll talk soon, Nami. Bye."

Fio is out running errands and won't be back until afternoon. That's well after I finish this task, so she shouldn't have anything to worry about. I make myself some tea and tackle some paperwork before the phone rings again.

"Miss Kobayashi, you have a visitor at the front desk."

"Tell them to wait where they are. I'll be down shortly."

"Yes, ma'am."

I finish my tea, put away my papers, and then push my feet into some plain slippers before heading downstairs to the hotel lobby. A slender young woman in a white robe with blue frills peeking out of it is sitting on one of the lobby couches. She has shoulder length black hair that bounces slightly with her movements, and rosy cheeks. This one's name is Nawa, and she has been identified as a quiet and stealthy presence within Edelweiss, allowing them to accomplish more than a few daring things to help with their growth.

"Good morning, my love. Thank you for coming to see me," I say to her.

She stands and bows for me. "Thank you for calling on me, ma'am. I am honoured to be of service to you. Please, tell me what you need from me." She bows again.

"There are certain elements within this village that conspire against us. More specifically...they mean to bring harm to our sister, Hanabi."

"Lady Hanabi." Her eyes narrow. "We cannot allow such a thing, milady."

"Surely not. And so..."

I take a small envelope from within my sleeve, then hold it in front of her.

"I want you to handle it."

She takes a moment to steady herself before taking the envelope firmly. She opens it up and reads it, then nods once she's finished.

"No objections, milady. Consider it handled."

I smile. "Good girl. You will have your reward in time, and all you will have to do is ask whenever you please. Fair?"

"More than fair. Thank you for considering me worthy enough to carry this out." Nawa puts the note within her robes and bows deeply towards me. "Good morning, Lady Lilith."

"Good morning, Nawa." I kiss her on the cheek, and she smiles brightly for me before leaving. At last, the stage is set. And no one within this village will be wise to what will happen next.

I walk outside and towards a payphone, take out my special coin, and place into the slot before dialing Erika's number.

"Good morning. Erika Kotowari speaking."

"Erika, my darling. The boilers have been stoked, and we are moving ahead at full steam. Tomorrow evening is what we are aiming for to start."

"Understood. I will make preparations for the event."

"Is there anything you will need from me, in the meantime?"

"Yes. I would greatly appreciate it if you looked after the hounds that have been going from place to place. Preferably in the morning."

"Mm. Easily done."

"Thank you. I have some good workers available, and they will take care of the cleanup at your signal."

"Very good. Tomorrow, then."

"Tomorrow. Good morning, Lili."

"Good morning."

I hang up and retrieve my coin, then head back into the hotel. I think I'll spend the rest of the day relaxing, as much as I reasonably can. Tomorrow is going to be a busy and exciting day, and it wouldn't do to be exhausted at any point.

 

[FortePlus]

Sorry about the erratic pace of chapters lately, just personal stuff and attempts to avoid bloating the story with things we don't need even if they sound nice. The aim was to have a comfortable enough pace and hit about 50 chapters for this year which it looks like I should be able to do. I'll try and have more interesting lore stuff when I can and there is new art that has just been finished which will be nice. We'll see how this goes but at least I can maintain my confidence in this finishing.

 

[w34v3r]

Ooooh spy vs. spy games. This is fun, normally when a fic reaches/bothers with root beyond just stabbing danzo forty-seven times in the head they just blow through them like they're 80s movie ninjas. Actually playing the game instead of shonening through is a neat change of pace.

 

[FortePlus]

Spoiler: content warnings

stuff coming up in the chapter: blood stuff, hyperviolence, sadism, impalement, and many instances of dismemberment. nothing lovingly detailed or unfamiliar, but deserves a warning all the same just in case. also even though the flags are probably obvious there is the death of a well known (side) character in this chapter, which I am finding out from browsing fanfic tags is something that may offend or trigger people. so better safe than sorry again. hopefully you enjoy the chapter. stay safe out there.

Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom – ep. 44
"Liquid Paper"
[Spilled Ink, Part 3]
---

"Everything that says to obey and be saved...lives in compatibility with the great wheel as it turns in perpetuity. Should I become a monster in the eyes of the world, in order to stand against what is and always has been?"

I stare at the woman in the mirror before grabbing my toothbrush. Her eyes slowly come into focus as I finish washing out my mouth.

"An entire existence meant for this moment...becoming the beast that acts against the world, and the peace it enjoys? Is that all there is to it? If it is so, then let me accept that great blessing. To bring an end to the world as it is would please me like nothing else. A first step, an immaculate thrust into the heart of this realm's justice, third eye blind. Spilling her blood would fill me with a great joy."

I leave the bathroom and roll my neck back and forth. The sun has yet to rise, which means my work can begin in earnest. Fio is sleeping peacefully, blankets wrapped around herself.

"When those useless scales of hers fall to the earth and shatter...my heart will be filled at last."

I nod and start to get myself dressed. A walk downstairs to the cafeteria, where a hot breakfast is already waiting. Cereals, breads, and teas...most anything a body could need to start their day is here. I have myself some mint tea, oatmeal with berries, and a steak sandwich before heading out. The first stop will be the Hokage's Office, where Tamaki and Imari should already be up and waiting.

"Morning, Lili. Coffee?" Tamaki asks as I reach her desk.

"Nothing for now, I just had my breakfast."

"No problem. We have the paperwork ready here, and your grandfather is already up and working away. Slowly, at least."

"Nothing wrong, is there?"

"No, nothing," she says as she gets up and grabs her folder. We start our walk towards the old man's room. "You know how he gets sometimes."

"Indeed. A life of service can make one restless, even at retirement age. I'll have plenty of hobbies myself if I should live that long, so..."

"You mean when you get to that age."

"I suppose."

"You're going to live at least until you're a hundred, and I won't hear anything else," Tamaki says. "Only one of us here is going to be at the other's funeral."

"How grim. Is this how your early morning conversations go?" I ask.

"Sometimes. You know how it is, don't you?"

"Unfortunately."

We go through the doors, and Imari has just set down a hot cup of tea on Hiruzen's desk. She goes over to the other side and starts to fix his pipe for him, while he yawns and scratches his head.

"Good morning," Tamaki says.

"Good morning, senpai," Imari says with a smile. "Good morning, Lili."

"Ah, yes. Good morning to you again, Tamaki. And Lili, it seems like it has been an age already...and will be an age again, still. Your request was to head towards the Hidden Waterfall after this, yes?" he asks me.

"Yes, sir. All we need is your signature," I say confidently. "I have some things that I would like to look into, and a classified mission gives me the luxury of time."

"Of course, of course. There are gaps in our scheduling that we mean to take care of, starting tomorrow. For now, we will be shifting personnel along these lines."

Imari hands me a sheet of paper from the desk, and I scan it quickly. So these are our resulting operating areas, then...yes, this will do very nicely. We have quite a bit of space to move freely in tonight, more than I first assumed. "And our investigation into certain foreign elements, sir?"

"Ongoing, as has been the case for a while."

"I might have an idea or two for taking care of such things. And we trust Major Kotowari with work like this as well, don't we?"

"Hm." He nods sagely, and Imari hands him his pipe. "ANBU will be made aware of your efforts. Do not hesitate to call for extra assistance if you do need it, my child."

"Understood, sir."

"Very good." Tamaki gives him the papers, and he signs them in quick succession with his fountain pen. A quick puff of air over the ink to ensure that it's dry, and then Tamaki takes everything back in a neat stack.

"As always, we will be waiting for your return. Be safe in all of your endeavours, Lili."

"I will, oyaji. Thank you...I'll see everyone again soon."

I bow towards the three of them before leaving the way that I came in. One more quick look around the areas that I've marked before to see if there are any changes. Nothing of note, and we're stable at this time. Then it's time for me to go back home.

"Happy morning, Lili."

"Happy morning, Fio."

She finishes putting up her hair and meets me at the door, giving me a kiss.

"So today's the day, then," she says while holding me close.

"Yes. I'm sorry to leave you again so soon."

"It's aright. I know how these things go, and the time we've spent together so far has been great. Can't complain."

"But you should if things get too bothersome."

"I'll remember that, but I'm fine for now. Plan's simple, right? The Lili of today gets sneaky...so that the Lili of tomorrow can get freaky," she says while wiggling her brows.

"A woman after my own heart. Scandalous and cute, all in one," I say with a smile.

"One step at a time. Just be safe and come back with all the red hot parts of you in place, yeah?"

"Promise. Believe me, this is a simple bit of cleanup compared to what's coming up next."

"Yep. So, anything changed for us?"

"Nothing. I just had the old man sign off on my so called mission. I'll be traipsing around the area near Hidden Waterfall for a few weeks at most. Akatsuki is likely to be wandering around there, maybe in standard groups aside from their S-Class employees." I kiss Fio on the nose before separating from her. "Good time to collect some bounties and live off the land if needed. I also want a chance to see what the host of the Seven Tails is like, if possible."

"Ooh, that sounds neat."

"Things will move ahead as planned. You'll leave at half past eight with my essentials to hand off to Erika. A few scraps of rubbish from ROOT should be bouncing along behind her...and since litter is such an unsightly thing, I will do this village a favour by getting rid of it."

She nods in agreement. "Alright. Simple enough."

"Good. I will be out doing some longer range monitoring, both to occupy myself and keep an eye on these situations as they unfold. Nawa should be moving around noon, I think, so we will have a talk before I go into my final routines."

"And of course, you left early this morning at the Hokage's request, before I woke up," she says.

"Yes."

"Otherwise, I got nothing to say and nothing to do. I'm fine staying at the hotel. Occupying the weight room for a while should be fun, hehe."

"You've got this, Fio. And if anything bad happens, Tsunade will be your unbreakable shield."

"Awesome. We're all covered, then. Time for you to head out."

"That's about right." I check my pouches and make sure that all of my tools are secure on me. Murakumo is safely in their holsters, and all of my emergency scrolls are in their places. "You know what to do in case anything happens to me...sometimes things go wrong, despite our best efforts."

"That's true," Fio says. "You don't like to think about it too much, but...kind of drilled in since the academy days, and all. I remember everything you told me, Lili. Always gonna bet on never having to make use of it."

"A good attitude to have." I beckon her closer and give her a tight squeeze. "I love you, Fio. Be safe."

"I love you, Lili. You make sure to take your own advice...we'll talk again soon."

"Yes."

I hold gently to her cheeks and give her a long, deep kiss before turning away. The door clicks closed behind me as I cross the threshold. The watch on the inside of my wrist says that it's ten to seven. Still much in the way of time, and more than good enough to take care of a few things. I head a few blocks from the hotel before finding a payphone, then calling Nami directly.

"Nami Hyuuga speaking, please state your business."

"It's me again, Nami."

"Good morning, Lili. Everything is operating normally. Our lovely Nawa is making her preparations at the outlined locations, and Hyuuga's surveillance is shifting gears for today as scheduled. No major changes in personnel have been reported on our side."

"Then we should be good to go. The next time we can speak will be in a few weeks...if anything happens, use the established relays. Fio should be available in any case."

"Understood. Be well, Lili."

"Thank you, Nami. I'll see you again soon. Take care, now."

"Thank you. I promise I will."

I hang up, retrieve my coin, and jump up towards the nearest rooftop to start my surveillance walk. The tracking zone should cover the entire area that I'm thinking of without any strain...so all of those fools that I have suffered for so long will be within my sights.

---

Minus two minutes.

I pop open a small scroll and snatch the outfit from the air in front of me: a black cloak and red oni mask to cover my most notable features. I tie up my hair behind my head, covering the rest of it with the cloak's hood. Weapons ready, everything set. Two kilometres from the hotel.

Eight thirty.

Fio leaves the hotel right on time and starts on her way east. Erika is coming up from the south side to meet her at a designated point. And there are the ANBU trackers, secretly of ROOT. Their chakra signatures are an exact match of the ones we marked out days before. Good. Time to hunt.

I suppress my chakra and slip in behind them, following manually using their scents. They wisely keep their distance from Erika, knowing that she knows they're there, but not wanting to force her hand too early lest they cause a problem that they can't explain away. Unfortunate for them that I'm the one in pursuit today.

Fio stops in front of the fruit market as planned. Erika drops from the nearby roof towards the street in order to meet her. The two false ANBU are on different rooftops overlooking Fio's position, trying to figure out what to do next. I settle in on top of another flat roof, with three buildings between us. As I let my chakra rise again, I activate my sensing and see the last two members coming towards us from further east in a straight line. That's our cleanup crew. I want to be done before they arrive.

"I can try something just a little different, if they're intent on watching each other for so long..."

I watch them for about a minute while they watch Fio and Erika have a conversation. Nothing scripted at all, which means that the enemy won't be tipped off as to what we might be doing. I cross the space between my targets and veer left towards the one at higher elevation.

"No changes...keep an eye..."

They're using radio. Perfect. I can get them both at once, then.

I get onto the roof, which of course has gravel on it. That won't matter. I accelerate and call Murkaumo to my left hand, flooding it with lightning chakra while jerking back the head of the ROOT garbage before he can fully turn. His hesitation is enough for my blade to find his neck and slice through it with no effort.

"Report. Did you hear-"

I wheel around with chakra already primed in my right hand, the corpse's landing distant in my head as I aim for the next target. His head turns towards me and I fire Mobius downwards through it, piercing his mask easily. His body sways for a moment before falling forward, onto the flat stone roof.

A cloaked ANBU lands behind me, and I turn to face them. They perform the coded signal and I respond to acknowledge them, then they put a hand to their ear.

"All clear. Start the cleanup." He produces a dark sack a moment later. "Ma'am."

I take off my bloodied mask and cloak, then stuff them into the sack.

"All done here. Have to say...really glad you're on our side, ma'am."

"'Tis the sentiment of ten thousand, and will be of millions more upon this earth," I say as I untie my hair. "Your compliment is appreciated, brave one."

"Thank you, ma'am. We've got everything down from here..."

"Then be well on this day, and going forward. There is still much to do."

He salutes before gathering up the nearby corpse and head, and disappearing in a cloud of smoke. The other partner splashes a mysterious substance over the blood-soaked areas before saluting themselves and disappearing in the same fashion. Both bodies are now gone, ready to be disposed of. Almost a shame I couldn't enjoy myself fully with these ones, but it's been said that junk is bad for the body in large quantities.

Erika and Fio have already parted ways by now. Erika has left with my kit of essentials that she will hand over to me later, and Fio has gone back to the hotel after completing that 'errand' on my behalf. The first part of the plan is done, and frees up Erika completely for what will come later.

The next part is left to me.

---

I have myself a light lunch while monitoring the village once more. Nothing has changed, and it's as Erika noted before. Special operations doesn't care to babysit each and every one of their members, so if there is a problem with anyone missing, it won't be discovered until later on. Deep enough into the day that it won't be able to cause us, or Hyuuga, any lasting harm.

"Mm. Shino was right...those pecans do add a delightful crunch and flavour."

I finish up my salad and leave a tip for the waitress before getting up. The weather is still fresh and clear, which bodes well for us. It is currently twenty minutes to one o' clock.

Some light scrambling above. One signature I recognize from ROOT along with some others, moving towards the location outlined for Nawa a while ago. It certainly seems favourable...but I need to check with the girl in question before doing anything else.

"And if the order is right, then..."

From the corner, it should be the third shop from the left...here. And I will have to disable the alarm at the front, through the mail opening and to the right. I reach in and feel around for the small paper seal. There it is. A senbon is sufficient to tear it away. Then it's a short walk along the side pathway and to the back entrance. The door is locked, which is good. I take out my tool and bump the lock easily enough, then open the door and make my way inside.

The faint smell of blood tells me that there is good news.

Nawa comes from the side room wearing a mask, and says nothing before quickly weaving seals. I weave my own and blow out a small fireball to meet hers in the middle of the room. They crash into each other and quickly disappear.

"Lady Lilith...I've completed my mission, as you've asked. There were only two, in their arrogance...but they will pose no threat to Lady Hanabi, or anyone else ever again."

"Well done, my love. Come."

I open my arms and she drops her mask while running to me, letting me give her a warm hug.

"I'm proud of you, and so very thankful. We are one step closer to our glorious dream."

"Thank you so much. I'm so glad I could be of service...no matter how filthy I need to become, I will do anything for your sake, and for my sisters in Edelweiss."

"I know. But I won't abuse your faith in me, either. For now, let us take measured steps until the promised time."

"Yes, milady."

"Good girl." I smile and pat her head. "I was wondering if you cleaned up already, and it seems you have. So I can give you your reward to enjoy a bit now, while you wait to leave this safe space."

"R-really? You obtained it already, milady?" she asks with surprise.

"Yes. It will be just a moment..." I reach into my pocket and make sure that I have the right scroll. Yes, I do. Lovely. Rolling it out onto the nearby table, I make a seal to free the object from its two dimensional state.

A plush doll, with intricately woven hair and lovingly built clothing. There are only a few of this particular type in the village, normally expensive and hard to get a hold of. One gets around these limitations with a wealth of connections, which I just so happen to have as a result of my hard work.

"Here we are. I know that you'll take excellent care of her," I say as I hand over the doll. Nawa looks at it with awe, gently turning it over and around to make sure that she's not dreaming. She closes her eyes and hugs the doll tightly. Something that she's dreamed of since she was a small, crawling thing within the Hyuuga house. A lover of dolls and all the beauty they can bring to one's life.

"Rewards for those who risk themselves so willingly are only fair," I say to her. "Whether your task is to spill blood, or otherwise."

"She's so beautiful. Thank you, Lady Lilith. I won't ever forget this moment, or this gift."

"Remember that you will always be your own woman. Let your loyalty be bound by what is in your heart, rather than this gift you hold in your arms. I give to you because it sparks joy," I say with a smile.

"I will remember, milady. Thank you again..." She bows deeply for me, and her smile is bright and pure.

"There are other essential items still stored, so keep that scroll with you. Until the next time, my love. Thank you once more for your passionate service." I blow her a kiss before making my way out, and locking the door again behind me. I feel a touch sad about stringing Hiashi along like this, but I need Hyuuga to do a lively dance for me, for just a bit longer.

One more task left to complete.

---

Skipping dinner is an annoyance. Unfortunately, I will have to find something while out of the village to eat.

Dusk comes, and the village starts to darken at last. The streetlights have been on as a matter of course for several minutes now, and the dwindling light doesn't stop the village from being lively. Some more time has to pass before we can move freely.

Nawa's actions earlier had the intended effect. Now there's an even bigger row between Danzo and Hiashi, and as a result their two factions have taken to even more intense, focused surveillance. The regular ANBU as a matter of course have been dragged into the mess. It means that with all of those eyes focused on each other, there will be less of them to have a good look at us while we move about. Having the Hokage's ear means that we will be able to become invisible on a whim. This is part of our plan, naturally.

Erika comes within my range, and I go to meet her. The blade currently on her back is her favourite and most tended to, a straight sword that she has named Azrael. A grip and scabbard that are both obsidian, paired with an edge that glows in a certain way when chakra flows through it. A shining, chrome effect that allows the enemy to see themselves reflected in the blade that will imminently cut them to ribbons.

Very cool, to say the least of it.

"Are there any changes to our approach?" she asks.

"None. Did you have any suggestions?"

She shakes her head. "This should be handled as you want it, Lili. Though he is also my enemy, you are the one he has chosen to slight. Where you lead tonight, I will follow."

"Excellent. I won't mind too much if you do most of the work this time. After all, we don't want to cause too much of a mess for the old man. How are things going on that end?"

"As expected. It has been coming down to staffing issues mainly, and Lord Hokage has been keeping a close eye on the situation. When our mission is resolved, it will be as simple as a personnel shuffle to put everything back into its proper order. Lord Hiashi has been consistently asking for black ops escorts, especially in the case of his daughters...that, along with the other potential issues, gives us several openings. Everything is just for now, as we have planned out."

I nod and check for chakra signatures in the area. Nothing but a few wandering civilians at this hour. The shinobi on the edge of my range are in a wide net. Not enough of them as is to cause a sizable interruption, and Erika has already relayed her instructions, so they shouldn't be coming too close unless signalled. We should be fine. It's time to set this final act in motion.

"Whenever you are ready, ma'am," Erika says.

"Then I will make my way over to Sai's place for a quick chat. Estimations?"

"Minus twenty minutes until arrival, at most."

I nod. "Good. Be safe, my darling."

"Always, ma'am. Commencing routines." Erika makes a half seal before vanishing into the night silently. I head through the streets of the Leaf and towards Sai's apartment. The window lock is quickly defeated. No traps, nothing loaded with chakra. Easy little place to slip into, though I suppose that might be on purpose. I close the window and easily find the light switch for the apartment.

"..."

Nothing too bad. Just a standard place with plain furniture, though all of it looks barely used. Even the kitchen lacks any sort of dirt or wear from use. These Foundation types live rugged lives, I suppose. Not a hint of coffee outside of the cupboard. It seems this one is more of a tea drinker, if anything.

"This wall, though...revealing."

The boy is a talented artist. Many lovely pieces adorn this one wall. Perspectives, landscapes, people. Some traditional, others abstract. An understanding of light, angles, and shading. Playing with proportions to create new effects. I have to admit that these are very good. There is only...the one unsettling thing.

All of the plates, where the titles should go...they're blank. Each and every one of them. I wonder why that is? Surely the names of every single piece would not escape him so easily as a creator. Does this have anything to do with the training that he went through? Did...all of that take these things away from him?

It might be so. But...how much does that matter, in the end? The right to choose. He still has that. And he understands what it is he has been doing, what he has chosen to do to me and my loved ones. As he is now, he is simply Danzo's tool.

I am not the personal saviour of every living being.

"A truly talented human being. It is a shame that he chose to cross me, and that it came to this. Another story, perhaps another road...all of it was possible, but it never came to be. What more can be said? I will not live with regret for taking a life...this world is far past the point where we can change it with simple understanding and correction, no matter what Jiraiya and those like him might believe."

I sigh and sweep the room for anything else of note, before my eyes fall upon a book on the nearby table.

"What might this be..." I pick it up and turn it over. On the back cover is what looks to be a young Sai. And on the front cover, someone else. Lighter hair, slightly taller. A sibling? No, ROOT tends to tear apart families for their so called development programs. Or maybe, something like...a family, in a different way. I have myself a seat...this seems intriguing.

Opening the book, there's no dialogue or text of any kind. Sai's side progresses from the back towards the front, and the other boy's progresses from the front towards the back. They're meant to meet in the middle, then. I open the book from Sai's side and see that he's facing some sort of figure in black, with a kunai in hand. Sai has no weapon himself. But on the next page, he's obtained one. No, not just that. He's gained everything from the figure he just fought, weapons and attire. Same position, next page, facing a new enemy on the left while he stands on the right.

His form changes. He gains new weapons and armour, becomes bigger and stronger. Fights in new environments. I go back to the front, and the other boy is going through the same progression, with different types of opponents. Standing on the left page with enemies on the right, going through them one by one. The two boys growing into men, gaining wisdom and strength, physical and mental, through harsh and constant battle. Sai, and this person who he must have known or been close with...each growing in their own ways.

But then the middle of the book is the most curious part. Both stories move inward towards that terminus, and then...stop. The left page, where that other boy should be, is completely blank. And the right page, where Sai is...he is there, in Leaf attire with a headband, right hand reaching towards something. He also has no face.

"An unfinished book. That memory...repressed, or forgotten..."

So he has also suffered, but because of that training...he has been unable to reconcile those feelings inside of himself, and properly grieve. This is the item that his superior was chiding him for carrying before. A memento of a loved one, with memories buried deep inside one's mind and unable to be recovered.

I hear the front door open, and draw Murakumo without looking. The clash of steel rings through my ears.

"How cruel. To steal your memories away, and seal away your heart."

I turn my head to look at Sai.

"Would you let this be your will, then?"

"I have no such thing. ROOT has no need for them, and neither does Lord Danzo."

"I see." I shove him away and drop the book back onto the table, then stand up. "Then you know why I am here."

"You haven't changed your mind after learning of my tragedy?" he asks.

"No. Resolve is needed for this world's salvation. That's something that your master would know better than most...else he and his Foundation would have ceased to exist after the Uchiha Massacre."

"You know a lot more than you let on."

"You've let your ignorant cohorts poison your brain with nonsense. I don't need to be a sexless twig of a woman to affect change in this village, or the wider world. You men become terribly hurt whenever you realize that you have no chance of fucking the women you so love to look down upon."

"Is that so..."

"The emotions that you've suppressed so effectively were also your key to understanding the nuances of the world you lived in. Perhaps if you had not been so slavishly obedient to Danzo...no, I suppose that wasn't possible, was it. After all, you are his favourite pet. That's why he meant to send you to bother me next."

"Pet? That seems an interesting choice of words. As well as your use of past tense..."

"Emotionless, but clever enough. Shame. Good talent is always difficult to find in these times."

Sai quickly whips out a scroll and a special looking brush, then draws with an impressive speed.

"Try focusing on the present tense, Miss Kobayashi. Shinobi Art: Super Beast Imitating Drawing."

"Hmph."

The lion-type monsters emerge from the scroll at high speed. I draw the other half of Murakumo and slash through the first, then quickly down the other five. Sai uses a flicker concealed by ink to reach me, and our weapons clash again.

"Read the scouting report, then?" I ask. His expression flickers a moment, which is all I needed. Attack my weakest area in taijutsu, keep me in close quarters to limit my effectiveness. A fine enough read...for three years ago, anyways.

He breaks away and starts for his scroll again, this time making birds that cover his approach. One smashes through the window purposefully, an obvious signal which will play nicely into our hands once again. I weave through the small flock and cut them to pieces with well timed spins, leaving more puddles of ink on the floor.

"I suppose you'll want to take this outside? I might be in a bit of trouble if you and your friends trap me in here, but who's to say at this point. Let's open up some space for a head start, at least."

I reach Sai before he can properly react, and jab my fist into his chest.

"Type Four: Aegis."

The pulse sends him across the room and back first into the kitchen sink. There's more than enough time for me to open the broken window and jump over to the next rooftop. Sai recovers quickly enough and starts after me while I search for Erika.

"There we are."

One of the quieter areas in the village, and a good place to do some damage away from strictly civilian spaces. I land next to Erika in the small half circle of trees, while Sai and five other masked fellows join us. The space around us is peppered with large rocks, and cut through by a small stream.

"Dammit, the panther bitch is here too," one of them says.

"Only six of you, now?" I ask, incredulous. "Out of your fucking minds, that's what you lot are. Fuck me, at this rate I might be able to grab a snack on my way out after all."

"My sentiments exactly. Truly insulting behaviour, especially since you of ROOT know who we are," Erika follows. "Do not expect any mercy as a result of your pitiful numbers."

"Just the six of us will be enough to shut you two loudmouthed whores up for good," another one yells. Not completely emotionless, then? I suppose that's an interesting data point for later.

"I see we're getting spicy over here," I shoot back. "Well...let's clear out some of these losers before I get to my real prize."

"All set," Erika says. "Cover."

"Done." I snap my fingers on both hands, and four sharks of water appear from midair. They split the enemy down the middle, and I shift towards the closest one on my left before kicking them towards the other three. Sai and his new partner stick to their script, drawing their tanto and attempting to engage me in close with swordplay. I easily read and parry their attacks, keeping them occupied while Erika starts her routine.

"All lanes clear."

I push away from my attackers and fire another set of sharks at the other group, forcing them to move again while Erika finishes weaving seals. Her right hand glows red, and she makes a pair of horns with her fingers.

"Finish Sign, Mars. Fire Release..."

She spins and drags the back of her hand through the area in front of her, carving two parallel red lines into space itself. And in her left hand, Azrael shines a bright chrome, following up and slicing perfectly through the space between the two lines, releasing power into the atmosphere itself.

"Baphomet Exhaust."

An intense wave of heat bursts forward, slicing through one of the ROOT shinobi like a burning hot blade and roasting them with intense heat at the same time. Another one ends up unlucky in their own way, losing their sword arm and gaining a flaming stump at their shoulder. Erika surges past the charred, bisected corpse ahead and ends their misery, flickering ahead and driving the still hot Azrael through their heart. Sai and his cohort swallow their fear and press me, but I jump and use them as footstools instead, taking aim at the other shaken targets.

"More tickets for the afterlife, then."

I aim at one of them, who quickly weaves seals for a counter attack. Those seals...a wind jutsu? How cute.

"Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!"

"Fire Release: Fire Ball Jutsu!"

My attack reaches his before it can gain any distance, swallowing it up and sending an even bigger fire ball towards him. He has nowhere to go other than one spot...and quickly flickers towards it as the fire ball explodes behind him.

"Bye-bye~!"

"Shit!"

I plunge my knives into his chest before slashing outwards, sending blood everywhere. After having to hold myself back earlier this morning, this feels absolutely heavenly.

"Another?" I muse to myself. "More treats are always good, hm?" I measure the distance between myself and the other target, then use a body flicker to close it in an instant. He's frozen in place, not even realizing that I've crossed behind him.

"Where?!"

"Behind!" Sai yells.

I stab him in the back with one knife, and then finish him off while he reels by slicing his head away with the other. His headless corpse makes for another easy diversion as I kick it into the last remaining mystery person. Erika is quick on the draw as always, and charges her blade with lightning to slice through them both, leaving them to fall to pieces on the ground.

"Not much time before we have ourselves too deep in annoyances," I say to Erika. "But there's just the one left, hm?"

"He wants to be troublesome, unfortunately."

"I can see that."

Sai lifts his brush from the scroll, and two massive figures, naked from the chest up, appear as animations made of ink. Giants, towering over us and advancing with their fists pulled back.

"Those look familiar...Vajra?" I say with a tilt of my head. "Mm."

"I would class this as a feint," Erika says. "Easily taken care of...your prey is still on the loose, Lili."

"So he is. Thank you, love."

Sai starts to escape the area, and I hear loud splashes as I pursue him. Those drawings definitely took some time, and took a significant amount of chakra as well. Not something that one would use as a distraction unless they were desperate. He's moving through the village, possibly towards a safe house, or maybe to alert his master of the incoming danger. We can't have that.

I call out my clone and she runs ahead to meet Sai, while I lag a bit behind. The two start to clash, and I catch up to them in short order as a result. Sai draws a flock of birds with explosive tags attached to them. I switch places with my clone and let them rain down on her, then accelerate and catch Sai from behind.

"I'll be taking this~!"

I swing Murkaumo through his wrist, and his hand with the tanto clutched in it drops to the ground. Determined, he holds the scroll in his teeth and quickly starts to draw all manner of beasts to assault me with his remaining hand. I flick on my chakra mode and dispatch everything that comes for me. The lions that attack boldly, the snakes that mean to bind me, the birds that are sent like missiles for my head. He has no help like the last time to shield him while he makes larger drawings...and with only one hand, he is quite limited.

He is trying to keep calm, an admirable thing when facing someone like me. But that anger and despair is shoving its way through, with each failed wave, with each new creation turned into useless drops of ink, melting into the earth. The blood drips from his severed limb as he moves, and his chakra drains away with each frantic drawing.

"I suppose I've had enough of this nonsense." I point my finger forward. "Mobius."

He hisses as the shot rips through his hand, forcing him to drop his brush and stumble backwards. My foot comes down on his chest and he wheezes.

"Barely a challenge. Just like all the rest. And you're supposed to be Danzo's favourite?" I sneer. "How pathetic."

"You...you won't get away with this, Lilith Kobayashi. You will not escape the eye of ROOT," he says, trembling. "No one can."

I stomp on his hand before grinding my heel into his chest. "I do not care what you think or believe. I said it before...you know why I am here. To fulfill the promise I made to you. I am going to kill you, Sai. Tonight is the night that you leave this world. You crossed me, and you mocked me. Those are things that I cannot forgive, especially from the likes of you."

"I have already learned from my mistakes..." He grunts and forces his hand to make a half-seal.

A trap, then. Something coming quickly from the trees behind us.

It emerges, as a gigantic white tiger. I see, he must have drawn it earlier and laid it out as a last resort. Clever, and just like a special operative.

"There's no escape!" Sai yells.

I dodge the first lunge, and ready chakra in my hand before flowing it towards my leg. No need to worry about anything but the true target.

"Type Five: Zeta."

The energy surges through the ground from my foot, and travels towards the scroll before shooting up from underneath it, tearing it apart. I turn and watch the seeking tiger rumble before falling apart into a mess of ink in the air, splashing down over Sai as he sits up. His eyes are now filled with the despair that I have so longed to see. Truly delicious.

"How was that?" I walk back to him and kick him to the ground again, putting my foot on his head. "You didn't expect it to be so simple, did you..."

"I...I understand why Lord Danzo was so bothered by you. But this is...beyond anything we could know."

"I suppose that I am not your average genius shinobi. Unfortunate for you lot...but that is how life goes sometimes. Do you believe that one such as I should shy away from her talents?"

"You...came after me because...you could," he says with realization. "How long..."

"Oh, it was long before I made that open threat to you. You've always been nothing compared to me, Sai." I lift my foot and crouch down to meet him, pulling his head up by the hair so that he can look at me properly. "As proof of that trash Danzo's superiority...as proof of his almighty methods. All nothing, and all useless next to me, Lord Hokage's brightest star. This will be my village. No...my apologies for that. This already is my village, and all we need now are to take care of the formalities. Village, country, continent. Everything, and more besides."

"You're not..."

"Darling...this is my world," I say with a cruel smile. "As for everyone else? They just live here."

He coughs, and I grab him by the neck before lifting him off the ground.

"I am the great consumer of dreams, large and small. The one who will end this world's vapid, formless fiction. Rejoice, boy. You will become another sacrifice to me, your life crushed to pieces in my hands as a beautiful tribute."

I push lightning chakra through my right hand, drawing it back.

"You will be merely a memory in this world. Farewell, lost child...may the heavens give you peace and mercy. Ash to ash, and dust to dust. Praise be."

I let him drop from my grip briefly, and drive my chakra coated hand through the left side of his chest. He twitches briefly before going still, and I make sure that he's truly gone before pulling my hand away, taking his heart with it.

"Tiny and fragile. Such is human life."

The chakra surges through my hand as I squeeze and crush the organ easily.

"And yet, the pleasure from snuffing this trash out never does fade. Ah, I was truly born for moments like these," I say with a smile. The taste of blood coating my fingers is divine, as it always is. "Could we have planned a better night? I dare say it would be impossible."

"Perhaps so," Erika says as she enters my vision, sword in hand. "Are we satisfied?"

I finish licking the back of my hand clean. "Immensely so. A job well done on all fronts. ROOT is dealt with, and the safety of our loved ones is assured for a long while. At the very least...those people will have to think long and hard before they set up anything on this scale again. Now that we've taken care of their elites and pushed Hyuuga into antagonizing them, we should be well stocked when it comes to counter-surveillance options."

"Would you leave that part to me in full, at least until the promised hour?" Erika asks.

"There is no one else I would choose to do such work. You are free to handle these matters as you please," I say to her.

"Thank you, Lili."

"Of course. I never did mean to conquer the darkness alone...but at the same time, my involvement is crucial if the world is to change in the ways that it should. A gentle light, and guiding force. That is the way these things should be done. But we can work on specifics at a later time."

"Yes."

I look down at Sai's body.

"At the least...avoiding more tragedies like this for humankind, whenever possible. Just that much will do for now."

"Did you hate him?"

"I couldn't truly harbour such feelings for this child. He said it himself...he spent the last years of his life as nothing but Danzo's tool. And that was all it ever was."

"I see." She nods and sheathes her sword properly. "I will call in to have the discards removed. Please wait at our designated place for me."

"Yes, understood." I head quietly through the village, past the few shinobi that are trying to get a clear look at what's been happening, and the ANBU who are keeping watch over certain spheres on Hiruzen's orders. Even if we were relatively quiet for our little dance, it always helps to have some people on board who will keep enough things hidden that nobody asks too many questions later. Spies do exist in this world, after all. And sometimes they cause property damage while fighting our village's shinobi.

Strange things, those.

---

The Hidden Leaf is known to be surrounded by a circular wall on almost all sides, and certain gaps are accounted for by the sensing barrier system that forms a large dome over everyone and everything. This would cause a problem for the ghosts that need to enter and exit the village at their leisure, so those in special operations with the appropriate clearance have a means of bypassing the barrier without being detected. This is one of the many reasons missing shinobi are dealt with harshly and hunted down, of course. Itachi is the exception due to his mission, and the fact that he hasn't given the entry code to anyone while working in Akatsuki. Orochimaru was the only other enemy that knew how to bypass the barrier, and he remains in the frozen depths of the Leaf's mortuary. Obito, due to the nature of his ability, has no need for that knowledge – the only thing keeping him at bay is Itachi, and perhaps his fear of my abilities.

Erika, as one of the Hokage's many arms and adjacent to the special forces in the village, knows how these things work. And with her belief in our shared goal, she has given me this once forbidden knowledge to use for myself. Tonight will be the first use, and certainly not the last.

"If anything does happen, we know that you are authorized as is to enter the village."

"No pressure at all, of course...but we do want to keep the unsavoury types away, don't we." I've washed off all of the blood on my person, and cleaned my sweater well enough for now. It's packed away with the rest of my outfit, while I go with something light and plain underneath a black cloak for now. Keeping myself a bit hidden until I reach the next country seems wise, considering the circumstances.

Erika hands me my backpack, and then produces a large paper bag.

"Mm? What's that?" I ask.

"You mentioned that you skipped dinner, and so I decided to find a few things that would be filling on your journey."

I can't help but laugh. "And here I thought you would just be taking care of Ino so neatly." Looking inside, I can see there are plenty of meaty sandwiches and sweet treats, along with a nice drink or three. This will certainly take care of my rumbling stomach for a few meals. "Thank you, darling. You've been invaluable to me this entire time."

"I could not dream of being anything less than useful, especially for your sake," she says with a smile. "Whatever it takes. I will be by your side as you change this world for the better, Lili."

"It warms my heart to hear that," I say sincerely. "Thank you, Erika. Be safe, and remember that I love you always."

She nods and gives me a hug, which I return without another thought.

"Come back to us safely, Scarlet Viper."

"Without a doubt. Until the next, Chrome Panther."

She bows before disappearing into the night, in her familiar manner. I make the seven seals needed for the barrier pass technique, and then throw on my hood before walking through the opening in the village wall. A minute or so passes with nobody trailing, and so my first use is a success.

"Very good. Next stop is...the Hidden Waterfall. Let's see what fate has in store, and how quickly I can crush her next set of plans for me, hmhm."

And so I move forward, into the forests of Fire Country, with the bright moon as my companion.

 

[JumperPrime]

Damnit Lili, did you really have to kill Sai? He still could have been saved! That book was the proof. I know, I know, "do not allow a threat to one's loved ones continue breathing any longer than absolutely necessary" but I'm sure you could have turned him, and if not you, then Naruto surely could have.

 

[Megacookie]

I mean Lili did say that it wasn't her job to save everyone, and if she tried that for everyone, she'd be dead of old age. Naruto is the one who can connect to people on those levels, and either way, Sai was pretty much doomed the second Lili brought back Sasuke. Without Sai filling in Sasuke's spot on Team 7, there was just no logical way for him and Naruto to connect.

Either he died now, or he'd die later when ROOT gets fully purged.

 

[FortePlus]

There was a lot of consideration for how Sai could continue to be placed in the story but saying that ultimately he would get got because of the Sasuke mission result is part of it. Repressed emotions aside he was always a ROOT superstar, which would put him on collision course with Lili and company at some point. You usually want to be careful with putting away certain characters since, even at that point, Sai wasn't a zero value character to the narrative.

Being able to argue different possibilities is what I was going for and it looks like I managed that, at least.

 

[FortePlus]

Another stellar job done. This is the Part 2 version of our favourite punch wife, Fio.

 

[FortePlus]

And I thought I would show off this fantastic work as well. Our stealthy panther guardian, Erika.

 

[FortePlus]

Using a combination of her expertise in multiple elements and original arts, Erika has created a new type of jutsu for combat use. This has manifested in the secret art called Finish Sign, a basis for many different techniques of varying utilities.

Finish Sign has Erika use her chakra to disturb the atmosphere in subtle ways, creating time-space laneways that when disturbed, allow for incredible instantaneous releases of power. The jutsu all require a bit of preparation, so they are best used either at range, or with a comrade to provide some cover while the technique is prepared. The sequence always has Erika build momentum before moving her hand, formed into a particular sign, through the space in front of her in order to saturate it with chakra and create the pathway. It is quickly followed by her sword, Azrael, which is charged with a chakra type that interacts with the dimensional lane, and subsequently releases a jutsu.

One of Erika's signature techniques is called Baphomet Exhaust. This is released when Erika prepares Finish Sign with Fire chakra, and makes a pair of horns with her hands as the Mars Sign. By performing the ritual, the power of her attacks goes up greatly. Baphomet Exhaust can be performed on its own, but the power is reduced and the overall properties change outside of Finish Sign. It is thus more prudent to use elemental chakra on her blade, or another jutsu instead, in the traditional manner. Here are some of the techniques that she makes use of out of her advanced stance.

Finish Sign, Mars > Fire Release: Baphomet Exhaust - a technique that combines the cutting nature of a blade with stark, ruthless heat to slice through opponents and obstacles in an instant. A fast and deadly jutsu, this is Erika's favourite when it comes to dealing with either individuals or groups, as the lethality does not change in any case. Here, Erika uses a horn sign with her index and pinkie to draw the lane.

Finish Sign, Terra > Earth Release: Walls of Jericho - by quickly twirling, Erika can erect a sturdy wall in an instant to stifle opponents. By 'throwing' her chakra as she cuts through the lane, the radius of the wall can be extended further from where she stands if needed. The wall can be a full circle, or simply half as she needs it. Here, Erika draws with her pinky finger extended and thumb over three fingers.

Finish Sign, Venus > Wind Release: Arrows of Sheba - Erika creates abbreviated lanes at speed, arranged in a row. She cuts through them all at once to send drilling bolts of wind at enemies. With her expert blade work, she is also able to stagger the times that the arrows are fired while slicing. Here, Erika draws the lane with her thumb and middle fingers extended.

Finish Sign, Jupiter > Lightning Release: Therion Impulse - Erika draws a lane at a forward angle downwards, before violently slicing upwards with her other hand. A brief crackling of electricity is all one might see before a wave of lightning rips upwards from the ground in a straight line, devastating enemies. Here, Erika draws the lane with her middle and ring fingers spread apart, thumb holding down the remaining two fingers.

 

[FortePlus]

Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom – ep. 45
"Seekers"
[Golden Girls, Part 1]
---

The first few days of travel were uneventful, as expected. I travelled through Fire Country, eating to keep myself healthy and exercising to help clear my mind. A campsite here and there while moving through the wilderness. Nothing exciting or notable.

Crossing one of our many northern borders brings me into the nation that is protected by the Hidden Waterfall Village. Dense forests with many strong trees within, and a climate that has a bit more humidity that those at home would be used to. I put away my cloak and get back into my usual clothing, which is much better suited for this sort of weather. Working in cover here will allow me to get some more information. I take my headband and tie it around my neck, a bit below my collar. If anyone does notice it, I'll know that they've been paying a bit too much attention to me.

"This place makes me think of the Forest of Death," I say to myself. "There's no comparison when it comes to breathtaking danger and violence, which we should all be thankful for. And I think that this place is much prettier and much more relaxing. Perhaps this is where the inspiration came from..."

I am able to carefully travel through the trees thanks to my normal awareness and the well worn paths at my feet. Following some of them leads me to settlements and small villages, where I get some helpful advice and can purchase a few things. Money is the same everywhere on this shinobi continent, after all. And I do like being helpful.

"The trees that look like this, you can use for timber. The other ones, they have different looking leaves at those angles, and slightly different colours on the bark. Those ones are much better for fires, if you want to cook, all of that."

I nod along as this uncle teaches me about trees in the forest. There are a few types, but two really stand out in terms of utility overall. Cutting them down and shaping them should be no issue...I want to set up somewhere beneath the trees, so that I have a place to come back to. Most importantly, I'll be able to gauge the temperature of the area properly. It will be obvious if a shinobi comes snooping around, or knocks down my structure while I'm gone.

Running errands for the sick and elderly has also been a great use of my time. I get them food and medicine, and they tell me stories which almost always contain useful information for my journey. Even in the few cases they don't, I do love sitting down to have tea with those who have seen so much of the world in their lifetimes.

"Going out to camp in the forest...ah, be careful now, girlie." Today's client is Miyako, a woman of ninety seven years who moves at a confident pace and has plenty of strength left. Her hair is a faint pink, fashioned into curls as she likes to do every so often. She sailed the oceans in her youth and the prime of her life, and so wears the knit sweaters and dark trousers that the men of that profession take to daily.

"Thank you, baachama~. I'll be sure to look out for myself."

"I wouldn't want anything to happen to you, especially after your help earlier. The heavens must have sent you down at their own leisure," she says with a chuckle.

"You don't know how right you are," I say with a smug smile. She laughs heartily while bringing a plate to the table. It's a nice, light sandwich, cut neatly into two slices. And of course, a tall glass of milk on the side. The home is small and cozy, built by hand years ago. It smells of wood and incense, and the furniture is protected by knit coverings of all kinds. Miyako goes out for walks in the countryside daily and says that she has everything a body could want in here. I can believe that easily enough.

"Always good to see a girl like you with confidence. We all make the world go around, you know."

"We certainly do. How is the medicine working?" I ask.

"Very well! I was getting along fine with my shoulder, but now all the pain is dealt with. Feels like I have an extra spring in my step to boot. Now, ah...there was that something you wanted to know about earlier. Mm...yes, yes. I was talking about the forest. Beasts of all kinds out there these days."

I nod and take a bite out of my sandwich while Miyako speaks.

"Some fellows have been doing work out there lately, strange ones...wearing black robes, and the like."

"I've heard of them. They're called Akatsuki," I say. "What has been strange about them?"

"Taking on about twice the work for half the pay. Nothing like any shinobi I've ever seen. No offence, girlie."

I nod. "The reputation is well earned by now, unfortunately."

"A sad business, yes." She sighs. "Anyway...those fellows are taking on quite a bit of work for cheap. It makes the misers and big shots happy, so nobody really complains. I have a hunch they're after something, though."

"Past experience?"

"Oh, yes. Captain of a boat hears rumours of a treasure cache, or some exotic sort of thing on the seas...routine to take a job on the cheap so that nobody can muscle in on your turf while you're out there looking. Those clients don't complain, either."

"Mm." I take a few sips of milk while thinking. "Do you have any ideas on what they're looking for?"

"Not a clue. I do wonder how much they're aware of the Seven Tails, in the midst of all this. Those folks from the Hidden Waterfall wander down to these places from time to time, asking all sorts of questions about whether we've seen this or heard that. All I know is that the new host is a young girl this time. Poor thing...I couldn't imagine living with a monster like that inside of you."

"It's a harsh life, for many reasons," I say.

"Yes, it certainly must be. Those shinobi don't think much of her. I would say they barely class her as a human being." Miyako shakes her head. "I haven't seen the lass myself. She tends not to go too far, apparently. But she doesn't seem to be treated well at all. Those fellows from the Hidden Waterfall don't seem to do much these days for people like us, either way."

I finish my sandwich and wipe my mouth with the napkin nearby. "It's like that all over, baachama. And it explains why these Akatsuki people have gained a foothold in areas like this one. The nobles are coveting wealth, and desire strength to help protect said wealth. At the same time, shinobi are seeking means of securing cash flow for their villages. Aside from taking on criminal flareups and threats to national security, shinobi are not inclined to worry about doing work for regular people that can't offer enough to cover their costs."

"Mm. That does make sense. It's terribly sad, though." She takes away my empty plate. "Terribly sad."

"Many would agree with you, but less would have the courage to speak out. The world continues to turn, after all. Whether in the face of injustice, or otherwise."

"You've seen too much of the world for your age," she says with a frown.

"Maybe so. But then, that puts me in a good enough position to solve at least some of these problems."

She signs and nods, relenting. "You just take care not to burn yourself out, like I said. The world needs girls like you."

"Of course. I'll keep my promise to do just that. Thank you for lunch, baachama. I hope that medicine lasts you a while."

"Oh, it will. Don't you worry. Now you take this from me, and don't throw a fit about it."

I frown at her. "I told you I didn't need anything."

"Hush, girlie."

I roll my eyes as she rummages through a too-large purse and clenches a few things in her hands.

"Here you are."

I put out my hands and receive the items: a few coins, and some hard candies.

"I couldn't let you go out there empty handed."

"You really are too much." I smile and kiss her on the cheek. "Take care. I hope you're around long enough to hear about my exploits in the future."

"Something to look forward to, yes." She smiles back and waves as I leave.

---

After following my map and doing a few checks, I determine that I'm near the heart of the country. The Hidden Waterfall is at the very edge of my range, from what I can sense. Some higher than normal chakra sources are roaming around in a particular space. I won't be going near the village, or seeking it out as I would need to do. The village takes pride in the fact that it has not been invaded once despite its geographical location. They do have a tailed beast and presumably a decent amount of resources, so I suppose that it is something to brag about. For now, at least. Who knows what the coming tides might bring.

One thing is for sure, though. Akatsuki is steadily gathering intelligence so that they can capture and extract the Seven Tails from its host, whoever she might be. I don't know if I can do anything about that, but I can at least make some effort to gather intelligence in the meantime. Hidden Waterfall losing their tailed beast would not be a mortal blow to the shinobi order, since they've been mysterious and semi-isolated for a while now, but allowing Obito and Akatsuki to advance their goals will be disastrous for the world itself. I've no idea if they have a means of using individual tailed beast powers for themselves, and I am not keen to find out. The Three Tails is at least within our control.

With the advice from earlier, building a home has been quite simple. Cutting down a few trees away from the campsite for building material, and then a few more for firewood. A bit of flame to clear out the building area and space for traps and alarms. While keeping my senses sharp, I cut apart the wood with my knives and arrange the selections of slabs and posts into a rectangle. There should not be much in the way of wind, and any moisture will not be a problem. The interior is big enough for me to rest and read in, no more than that for now. I've made a frame out of thin pieces of wood for the roof, and covered it with leaves to have a ventilated roof. Small openings allow me to look outside and fire attacks as needed, while keeping larger and curious creatures out if they do approach for any reason. If any cooking needs to be done, I've built a proper field kitchen that directs the smoke to the ground.

"Far from the luxuries of home, but very well done for a few nights in the forest. Lovely," I say with satisfaction. This will be my home base as I move out and about to collect two important things: missions, in order to directly push Akatsuki about, and information, which I can gather by trailing any Waterfall shinobi that come along my path. This will be a bit of work, but I didn't exactly leave the village to have myself a vacation, did I.

"Alright. Let's leave these things to settle, and hopefully you will be standing when I come back."

I grab my backpack and dump the remaining wood in the nearby pit, then head off to find somewhere I can wash myself. Construction is a sweaty business, rewarding as it might be...

---

So it's been chaos for old Danny over here, yeah. Not much room for his creaky bones to move around lately. But he's still red hot 'cause of what happened to Sai...Auntie Tsuna says you could cook a steak to a crisp on the guy's forehead from what she's seen of him. He and Hiashi have been going at it like wild dogs, too.

About ten days have passed since my arrival. Bits of chatter from Akatsuki middlemen tell me that they're bothered by the sudden drop in pay that they're getting, which means that everything is going to plan. I've created a controlled race to the bottom by undercutting their prices, forcing them to go lower and lower down the scale. It's beginning to become unbearable on their end. Naturally, this isn't a strategy that can be used on a larger scale...but it has been working just about flawlessly here. Since I don't have any need for money, collecting just enough to look generous and reasonable, along with some work for free, works out very well for my purposes, and drives my opponents into a financial corner.

Hopefully this is paranoia on my end, but they might send in some of their elites if things get too desperate at this stage. I did beat Sasori, but a two on one with S-Class criminals that have esoteric abilities...well, the line between confidence and thrill seeking gets thin sometimes. I have no intention of crossing it.

Alright, that might be a bit of a lie on my part. Not yet, at least. Perhaps much, much later.

Have they come around to bother you yet? I ask Fio as I walk back to home base.

They tried once, a night or two after you left. Gramps had some people in place to make them back off, though. Then the ANBU guys took me over to see Ibiki and we just hung out at Intelligence, had some burgers and stuff. Played poker for a few hours with Yugao and 'em. Nothing after that, so it looks like we're all good. Hina's okay, I checked in with her. Not too stressed out, considering.

That's good. Have you heard anything from Team Kakashi?

Rika told me they're doing alright, although Sasuke is being his usual, uh...what'd you call it, cantankerous self. She said that he's been snooping around a bit, but it hasn't been any real problem. Curious little guy, ain't he?

Unfortunately. He's like his big brother, in the most annoying ways.

Heh. But yeah, everything is snapping back to normal. I've been keeping myself out of trouble, like you asked. Mission coming up, looks like a short one, though. Gonna clear out some losers in the south, somewhere around one of the old train stations. Oh, Gramps was talking about running routes down there again, he was gonna swing it with the pols this week or next. So me and the team might be a bit busier than usual since this is our kind of work. I'll keep you posted as always.

As always, I very much appreciate your reports, Fio. Have you been taking care of yourself? I reach through a small opening at the side of my home and pull out a small block of wood. It allows me to move away the front entrance, which I set into its usual depression on the floor so I can walk over it easily.

Yep. Good eating, good sleeping, good lifting. Auntie Tsuna says I'm almost good for medicine since I've been steady for a while now. I'm gonna work on more chakra stabilizing stuff with her...one day these bracelets are gonna be fashion accessories.

I'm very much looking forward to that, Fio. You've been doing so well for yourself, and I'm very proud of you.

Thanks, Lili. All of this is thanks to you, obviously. I really appreciate you working so hard back then to help make me who I am today.

Worth every moment, I reply with a smile on my face. Well, I am going to have a snack and then a quick nap. According to what I've gathered, tonight should be a splendid time to gather some extra intelligence on Akatsuki and the Hidden Waterfall's operations.

I'll leave you to it then, superstar. You take care of yourself, too, you hear?

I promise, my love. Talk to you again soon.

Got it! Love you lots, Lili!

Love you too, darling.

Our conversation ends, and I grab a wrapped sandwich from my bag to eat. The forest around me has been utterly devoid of drama...very nice to know that I picked a good hiding spot the first time around. I catch up on my reading, then lie back on top of my sleeping bag and close my eyes. An hour or two should be enough to recharge...

...and my eyes open to see that the light has started to wane in the area. It's now dusk. I yawn and stretch before getting up, doing a quick check of my surroundings by sensing for any chakras in the area. Nothing, aside from a few harmless animals.

One quick supply check. I have food, both of sealed and perishable varieties, plenty of collected and purchased water, and my survival equipment is still ready to go. I grab my portable medical kit and slip it into my pouch, secure Murkaumo, and zip up my sweater. All set. My memories of the patrol areas tell me that there should be a change over within twenty minutes at eighty one degrees, within the five kilometre circle of the village. Chatty little ones, and not as adept at stealth as I am. I leave a serpent friend inside of my little home, as an added layer of protection.

"Let's head out."

There are a few shinobi spread out at current, and from what I've gathered it's mainly to see if they can get a hold of the Seven Tails' host so they can bring her back to the village for a check up. Seems that she's been remaining elusive, which is good for her considering the way that she's been treated by her so called comrades. Naruto used to go through the same sorts of things, and Gaara had it even worse...fear and desperation can ruin lives faster than most people realize. If not for stabilizing influences, and good people in their lives, anything could have happened.

More than the fear of tailed beasts rampaging, what hurts me is the thought of those boys succumbing to despair...burning the last of their lives away so the world that wounded them could be brought to ruin. Just how close were we, I wonder...I don't want something like that to happen, ever. But then, the other day revealed something curious. In my heart, I hope to come across that girl who is a host herself, in order to satisfy this curiosity of mine.

The tailed beasts are not just vengeful demons, bent on destruction. I feel like...there is more to them than that. There's the fact that many in the Cloud look up to their two hosts, which wouldn't be possible if they were constantly on edge and rampaging. But the way in which Gaara was manipulated for years is telling. Perhaps – and this is only a whimsical thought of mine – the tailed beasts are not just mysterious entities pushed into compartments called human sacrifices.

They might be very well be people, too.

"..."

I wonder, though. How would I test something like that? Maybe...

"Hm."

I have to hold those thoughts for now. I've come upon today's targets. This is the earlier shift, and they should be switching off in a few minutes from now. I put my back against a tree and slide down into a crouch. Nothing has changed, and there are no sensor types around. They're likely on the move searching for the host, if at all. Or guarding that secret entrance, which is far from it in my eyes after a few trips by it. Clever, though. And more than sturdy enough for most jobs.

"Yo."

"Yo yourself. Clocking in, eh?"

The two men approach each other, and I hear them bump fists lightly as always. The first is an experienced chuunin, the other rotating out is a special jounin.

"Yeah. Nothing doing today. Just the usual mercs running around from place to place."

"I see. There's a bit of a stir, speaking about that."

"Yeah? What's happening?"

"Well," the chuunin starts, "you know about that Akatsuki outfit? Turns out that someone else is going around and cutting into their profits. Some group of girl mercs, I'm hearing. Been doing deliveries, log splitting, digging ditches...all that D-Rank stuff that the discount mercs were taking on. Super discount mercs, I guess. Can't make heads or tails of it."

"Ah, that'll make things harder for us, as usual."

"Yeah, always does. The brass are saying not to worry too much about it, but..."

"We can't do anything as we are, so we might as well listen to them. Just gotta hope they do something soon...if too many people turn down services, it won't be enough to rely on the moneybags," the special jounin says. "Anything on the Seven Tails?"

"Dumb animal is out there somewhere still. She always wanders back, but the bosses are just worried this time because of the bullshit that Hidden Sand went through."

"That must have been a trip. Something about that Scarlet Viper lady doing work over there?"

"Saying that she smoked Red Sand Sasori, yeah."

A low whistle. "Man. I'd let her spank me around some, know what I mean?"

"Ha. How many women do you think are that strong and have a full deck of cards? She'd probably break your neck without thinking..."

The rest of their idiotic ramblings is easily shifted to the background. Seven Tails still at large...the earlier ploy with my clones and transformations has been going as planned...and Hidden Waterfall is still oblivious. I might be able to do some of my own searching now.

"...I'll talk to you later, bud. Get yourself some rest."

"Alright. Don't work too hard out here."

They part ways, and I go through my options. Do I chase a new lead, or see what Akatsuki is up to? Nobody has come traipsing through the forest yet...and maybe the risk on an unofficial visit to the Waterfall is too high at the moment. Perhaps a bit more snooping before I head home.

"Two hundred five degrees relative...let's see what I can glean-"

Wait. Someone is around my base, it seems. I focus my sensing on the area, and almost feel myself blown back by the measurement. This chakra is massive, nearly like Naruto's. It could be an Akatsuki elite, or...it could be that person. Either way, I need to check.

I quietly make my way through the forest again, slowing down as I get to within a few hundred meters of where I've set up. The scent of the visitor is somehow faintly familiar. Almost feels like Shino...why is that? A bug user? What kind, and why would it be so similar? I don't know what the Seven Tails looks like, only that it presumably has seven tails. As I crawl through the brush on my belly, I note that the presence is currently circling the structure...a few light taps, hesitant and polite.

"...really nice...built this...person..."

It's a girl's voice, young sounding. A young adult, it sounds like. That matches up with what Granny Miyako said.

"Kya! S-snake...eh. It's not...you sure? Maybe...poisonous, then. Guess you..."

I slowly make my way closer.

"Um...should go. Come...here, at least. Even if it could be an enemy...hope not."

Some more indistinct mumbling before the Seven Tails' host exits. A rapid beating of wings...it seems they can fly, and very well at that.

I get up and properly jog towards my home. Nothing disturbed or out of place...just a few light footprints. I couldn't get an estimation through vibrations, because both of us were constantly moving. But whoever it was, she said that she would be back at some point to see who owned this little place. Well, I can easily take my time and wait for her here, if she's so eager.

I pick up the child who has crawled through the opening, and drape him around my neck. A reward of warmth for his good work.

"I can spare some chakra for clones tomorrow, and hold myself here for a while. Tonight, a cool dinner with some milk, whilst completing my reports. That should do before bed."

I nod to myself and open the door to my home before settling on the ground. The lamp is lit, and so the rest of my night begins.

 

[FortePlus]

pro gamer move: limit your internet consumption of sites where you have to interact with other people. all of them. absolute fucking hellscape, I hate it.

 

[w34v3r]

Ummmmmm are you okay?

 

[FortePlus]

Ummmmmm are you okay?

Click to shrink...

kind of, better than before at least. writing is going okay, so I have that going for me.

 

[FortePlus]

Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom – ep. 46
"Discoveries"
[Golden Girls, Part 2]
---

"Coming up on three weeks...still not much."

My little home isn't big enough to do too much in, by design. Since the weather is currently cloudy, it seems like a good time to get some stretching in. I let my jacket drop from my shoulders and head outside, then slide to the earth slowly while doing a split. My head rests on my hands while I lean forward and think for a bit.

"Hm."

I've sent out six clones today for work and surveillance. The amount of jobs in the northeastern part of this country are drying up rapidly, which is in line with my projections. Without much that the people need, Akatsuki's contractors will be out of work soon. And the Hidden Waterfall won't have much to do either, I suppose. Not that they've cared up until now. With that bit of disruption done, I should be able to move on to other places so that I can stir up more trouble. If it becomes a bother for the native shinobi, too bad. Neutrality doesn't mean the absence of meddling, and they've had their chances to do good.

As for the Seven Tails' host, I haven't seen or heard from her since that close encounter the other day. She's certainly wandered in and out of my range, and hasn't been back to her hidden village yet according to my eavesdropping. Maybe that flying ability of hers is what's making her elusive more than anything else. Sensing areas tend to take the shape of a dome or sphere, which leaves room for her to pass through the air without the knowledge of sensors. It usually takes some contact, direct or otherwise, before I can track an individual from long distance as I like...

I let out a breath and come upright again, then bring my legs together so that I can lean over them properly. Staying limber really is important, more than most realize...hm?

"Dispelling yourself? Whatever for...?"

I let the new information filter through my mind. This clone of mine was on the far northeastern edge, not at the border of the next country, but not too far from it. She finished her work and made sure to go past the Akatsuki squads undetected. Then, a gathering of Waterfall shinobi could be seen through the trees. She approached silently, remaining hidden, and made her observations.

"Apparently this shit has been happening across the border, too."

"Some kind of jutsu?"

"If it is, I've never seen anything like it."

What my copy saw was...like nothing else, truly. They had yet to cover up the corpses that were lying on the forest floor. A woman with her skin wrinkled up, shrivelled more like, and coloured like chalk. And a headless person, seemingly male, his body eaten away like the woman's, with the same unholy paleness to his skin. After sweeping the area for more clues and observing from a few more angles, my clone moved deeper into the forest and dispelled herself so that the information could get to me immediately.

All of the sensations and feedback have come to me as well, and I've been processing them quickly. One thing immediately stands out.

Blood. There was none of it at the scene.

If just the woman had been killed, it would be less obvious. But the man, he was clearly beheaded. And yet there was no blood to be found. No scent of it whatsoever. No splatter on the ground, no trails, not a single droplet. This must have been what happened with the murders in Fire Country, with the desiccated bodies. Drained of blood and moisture.

"Is Akatsuki employing some kind of vampire?" I mutter to myself. "Whatever the case, this is not good. Being able to drain blood...especially mine. Not only does that make me seethe, it's extremely dangerous since I have a rare type."

I grunt and do a somersault to get to my feet.

"Fine. This will not change my battle routine in any case. I hit my enemies, and I don't let them hit me. Simple instructions for survival. They have yet to fail me on the battlefield." I close my eyes and sense for anything unusual at range. Nothing. I suppose this strange being knows how to hide themselves, too. The memories from my clone tell me that there were no signs of struggle, or visible wounds on the victims. They had to be pierced somewhere because of their condition...but then, whoever this is can also pull blood from the air or earth, considering that there were absolutely no traces left anywhere. So if they approach, would it be an overwhelming scent? Or would there be none at all?

I put my hand under my chin. "And of course, the precise nature of the killings means that they saw an opportunity and took it. They may have been going against certain orders to remain stealthy and unnoticed. If these killings and the ones in Fire Country have the same culprit, not to mention those in Rice...they must have had free reign to do as they pleased, in order to further Akatsuki's agenda. But if the goal was to soften up the interior so that they could search for the Seven Tails...or they've been sent in because they see their window closing..."

I run a hand through my hair and try to tease out more possibilities. There's a lot going on at once.

"Attacking shinobi using that sort of ability might be easy...but would also put the village on high alert. That would make getting around harder, and possibly put the host out of reach. But I can't get too eager and chase her myself. Just have to hope that she comes around sooner rather than later, and before whoever it is gets into the heart of the country."

Stay, or go? Both come with their own risks and rewards. Staying might make me a target for any of the three parties that would be hostile to me for one or more reasons. Going keeps me mobile, but it means that I'll miss meeting up with our jinchuuriki, and it means giving this vampire stalker that Akatsuki may have employed a better chance to get their hands on her.

The choice becomes simple. A potential skirmish or loss of trust between nations is light compared to the fate of the shinobi world. I will wait here for our curious visitor.

"Mm. All of this pondering has made me hungry. Time to have a little snack while cooking something meaty. Storage seals are lovely and convenient~."

---

A bit of chocolate settles my stomach while I make a hearty stew in my kitchen. The design of it is simple and effective, forcing the resulting smoke from the fire to creep slowly along the ground instead of rising into the air. A touch different from the vented fire pits that are faster to construct, but the added stability and stealth profile are more than worth the extra bits of effort. One could cook a feast for their comrades and bake dessert, all while the enemy is none the wiser.

"..."

But as we can see, someone has taken notice on this fine afternoon. It's the visitor that I've been waiting for all this time. And she seems to be even hungrier than I am, from the sound of her rumbling tummy. Poor darling. I'll lift the suspense as soon as I feel like I have a good enough profile of her.

My eyes spy her from afar, hiding a bit behind one of the trees. I stop to lick my spoon, covering my concentration as I hold still and sense the vibrations coming from the earth. The sensation that bounces back feeds me a good bit of information, and combining that with my sensing provides a good picture of her. She helps out a bit more by making a quiet approach and hiding behind another tree, poking some of her body out from it while observing me.

"So that's the person...hrm. So...big. How..."

There's a sustained mumbling, seemingly annoyed from here. It doesn't take a scholar to figure out what she's so bothered by. But I can't help having a healthy bosom, now can I? Certainly no replacement for my sparkling personality, but a lovely feature nonetheless. One of many such things, hmhm.

"Wonderfully and fearfully made. That's me~."

"Hmph. Can't be mad at her for showing off, can I..."

Doing a progressively worse job of stealth, now. Well, I can hardly blame her. Between my finely crafted body and her hunger, it must be an ordeal to stay focused. Either way, I can't sense any malicious intent in her, and her chakra seems stable. I think it should be safe to have a chat.

"There should be enough for a few portions," I say audibly. "Some for now, and some for later. Though carrying it around might be a hassle, eh..."

"I see we have someone over here trying to be sneaky, yeah. Mind telling me where you're from, and what you might be doing here?"

"Oh? And who might be asking?" I say, pretending not to have noticed her before. She steps boldly into the middle of my camp, and I take the stew off the heat before hopping out of my cooking pit.

"Cooking...but the smoke is...uh. Y-yeah! I'm an elite kunoichi of the Hidden Waterfall Village! Be honest with your answers, and maybe I'll let you go with just a warning, yeah!"

"Hm." I tilt my head and get a good look at her in the light for the first time. A petite thing, in the loveliest ways. Short, mint green hair with an orange hair clip on the right, orange eyes, and lovingly tanned skin all over. Her outfit is all white, with two red straps going over her adorably small chest and connecting to what seems to be a red cylinder on her back. The short sleeveless shirt is complemented by separate arm sleeves, and supported by a bit of netted armour that extends under it. A short skirt with the same kind of netted shorts underneath, and white sandals on her feet.

"You're paying attention, yeah?" Her voice has a lovely bounce to it. Energetic, boyish charm. Cute, and reminds me of my lovely Fio.

"More than paying attention, of course. I did hear you mumbling on," I say as I take in her nicely toned features. "But you shouldn't be so bothered by what you're lacking in. You look very, very nice in all the ways that count."

"I, um...really?" she asks, blushing. "You really...wait, wait! You're trying to throw me off my game, aren't you? Nice try! I'm not gonna let you Akatsuki guys or gals get one over on me!"

"Akatsuki, then. What makes you assume that?" I ask while continuing my observations. She has her headband wrapped around her right arm, so she certainly knows how to have style. And that stomach of hers is nice and smooth, making her body flow towards those lovely hips of hers. Her legs...mm-mm. Thick and strong. I think she might even outdo Temari, there. What a treat this is all of a sudden. Heavenly!

"I get the feeling you're not paying attention to what I'm saying at all..."

"My apologies," I say honestly. "I did get distracted in the presence of such an...exotic beauty."

"Exotic...beauty?" She nervously plays with her hair and blushes again. "I've never been so...h-hey! Stop that! Okay, now you listen to me, you...you weird lady!"

"I'm listening."

"Tell me who you are, and why you're here! And stop flirting with me, yeah?" she yells while pointing.

"Well, as far as you know, I'm a lonely traveller who decided to camp here in the forest. You seem to think that I'm part of some...Akatsuki group of people? Which I don't quite understand. What would bring you to that conclusion?" I ask innocently.

"Yeah, right. You're wearing red and black, just like the Akatsuki do! I told you, I'm a shinobi of the Hidden Waterfall. Don't think you can escape my gaze!"

"Mm-hm. And so what if I'm a member of this Akatsuki group? Have I done something wrong?"

"Something wrong? I know why you're here, to capture the tailed beast from our village," she says sternly.

"You think I could capture a tailed beast, all by myself?" I say with a laugh. "How flattering. Alas, it could not be so."

"Right...right! Because you guys travel in pairs, I knew that, yeah!" she says. "So you've got your partner lying in wait, ready to ambush me!" Her head starts to swivel from side to side.

"Oh?" I tilt my head to one side. "Why would I and my supposed partner want to ambush you, Miss Waterfall Kunoichi?"

She pales a bit at that. "Uh...obviously t-to make sure that I don't blow your cover! Yeah!"

"Really. We would risk putting targets on our back to kidnap a random shinobi, while steps away from the village itself? In that case, it wouldn't be very smart to reveal yourself, if you knew of such tactics. Unless...hmm." I give her a smug smile. "The reason you're so worried is that you have something to hide. Perhaps you don't want me to know things like...how hungry you are."

"Um..."

"Or," I say as I step closer, "that you have a very...very...very big chakra signature for some mysterious reason."

"Uh, um..."

"Or maybe you're hiding an ability...flight, perhaps? You did take off pretty quickly the other day, you know."

Her eyes widen. "Wait, you saw me-" She quickly slaps her hands over her mouth.

"Oh, I've been waiting for you for a while now, Little Miss Seven Tails."

"You knew the whole time?" She frowns and puffs up her cheeks. "You knew the whole time! You were teasing me! You dummy! Meanie! Creepy lady!"

"Hmhmhm~! You're even cuter when you're upset...I love a bit of light bullying every now and then."

"Hmph! Terrible!" She pouts and crosses her arms. "Tricked me. Stupid...big boobed lady...fat bottom...curvy for no reason...dumb."

I hop back into my kitchen briefly and grab the pot with stew.

"I would be remiss to let such a cute face starve in the middle of the forest like this. I have more than enough stew to share, if you want some."

She looks at me with surprise, dropping her arms. "Eh? You...mean that?"

"Mm-hm. Let me get us our bowls and spoons..." I head into my small home and find the bowls and spoons that I carved days earlier, along with some water and candies. My visitor gets her serving first as she sits with her legs crossed, and blows on her spoon quickly with the aid of some wind chakra to cool it off before eating.

"Oh my god this is so good there's no way wow wow wow-"

She cuts herself off by blowing over the whole bowl and shovelling more stew into her mouth. Far from a messy eater, she is very eager. And obviously hasn't had a good meal in a while.

"Ah, wow! That was amazing...so good."

She blinks as I fill her bowl up again.

"Seriously...for real? I...I can have it?"

"Of course. Eat until you're full, and don't worry about me. I'm not a terribly dainty thing, you know," I say to her.

She gratefully bows her head before starting to eat again, this time a bit slower since she's taken care of the larger pangs by now. I get us some bread and cut it into two, then silently start on my own portion of stew. It's nice and flavourful as always...this salt worked out as well. I should read up on how to make my own in the wilderness...

"That was so tasty, yeah. I've never had stew that good before, wow." My visitor sighs and shakes her head. "Aside from that, I've got so many questions. But...I guess I should introduce myself properly first. And clear up a few things."

"I think I should be honest with you as well," I say as I set down my bowl. "After all, you've been through a lot yourself. You still are going through it, really."

"Yeah. My name's Fuu. I'm from the Hidden Waterfall, as you know by now. But I'm...not an elite. I'm actually still just a genin. And I'm the host of the Seven Tails. A jinchuuriki."

"My name is Lilith Kobayashi," I say to her. "And I am an elite of the Hidden Leaf Village, their trusted ace. Known to the world as the Scarlet Viper, and the all consuming Crimson Nightmare. Of course if you're comfortable, Lili is just fine as well."

She gasps. "You're...no way! You're the super elite snake lady from Leaf?!"

"Yes, 'tis so."

"No way, no way! I...I really can't believe that I'm sitting here in front of you! You made me food! You tricked me, too...but you also said that...I was a hottie? Did you mean that? Really?"

"I do love teasing girls, but I never lie about their beauty in my eyes," I say with a wink. She blushes and presses her fingers together.

"Thanks...um. I don't know if I'm...you know. Maybe I am! I dunno, really. I've never, like...yeah. But I appreciate it, really. You know, since I'm not as...uh, blessed, as you, you know?"

"Oh, hush. That doesn't matter too much...you're very yummy looking as you are, Fuu."

"Okay, seriously! I'm gonna burst into flames if you keep going on like that!" she says with a laugh. "But wow, it's a total honour to meet you, in person. I've heard so much about you, and kind of, like, dreamed of being as cool and awesome as you are. I heard you killed six hundred and sixty six bandits with a single kunai, in the space of a day! By yourself!"

"Something to that effect," I say. The rumours are getting a bit out of hand, but...ah, well. Adding to my legend won't hurt anything.

"Whoa...and I was threatening to haul you off to jail just now," she says soberly. "Uh, yikes? I won't be doing that again, yeah. Or ever. Yeah, never. Not getting on your bad side," she says with a shake of her head.

"I suspect you won't have to worry about that from here on."

"Good to know." She lets out a breath before looking up at me. There's a sombre look on her face now. "Do you...understand what I am?"

"Understand?" I repeat.

"I...have what people call a monster inside of me. A beast. I'm just...well, I've always just been their jailer. So that makes me inhuman, too. Controlling some of the power lets me do a bunch of things that others can't. And if I get too angry and lose control, people get hurt." Fuu taps at the inside of her bowl with her spoon. "I just wanted to let you know, because you've been such a nice person to me. You should know exactly what I am, you know."

"You're Fuu. A person."

"Huh...?"

"You have one of the tailed beasts that roamed this world inside of you. That doesn't make you less than human. It doesn't mean you have less value. I know what a jinchuuriki is supposed to be in the eyes of the world. But I don't see things as the world does. I never have."

"I'm...I don't understand how..."

"You are a human, just like I am," I say bluntly. "That is all there ever was to it. To treat people as I want to be treated is only right. No matter what anyone has said in the past, you are not a monster. You deserve life and happiness. You deserve to live as a human being."

"I just didn't...expect," she mumbles, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I didn't think anyone would...I..."

"It's alright. You don't have to be alone anymore," I say gently. "You can be yourself. You are allowed to cry...right here."

"I shouldn't...put that onto you," she says as she trembles.

"I'm here, Fuu. I won't go anywhere unless you want me to."

Trying to be brave, and strong...she hasn't known much else but a harsh life. Not even able to stay in her village, going days without food and shelter. Nothing but loneliness and pain. I don't expect to take away all of the pain, but this...I want this to be the start of something for her.

"Is it r-really okay?" she sobs. "Is it?"

"Yes," I say, opening my arms wide. "I'm right here."

She jumps up from where she sits, her body crashing into mine. I hold her tightly against me, and I can feel her body start to shake before she wails painfully.

So much sorrow. I can feel it flowing through me.

I remember those moments, when all I could do was cry quietly, alone. Where all I had was myself. And then I remember the days afterwards, where I could hug my big sisters, my friends, my loving girlfriend.

Even if we are just ships passing in the night...even if this encounter is our first and last. Even if nothing were to come out of this at all.

I want to give this girl a blessing. I want her to know that she is not only a person...but that she is more than worthy of love. A gift that I have cherished deeply, and a gift that will help me change this world for the better.

I pray that I can begin by changing her world.

---

"Growing up, I just wanted to have some friends in the village."

It's a few hours after our lunch by now, early evening. Some tea will tide us over for now, and I've made us two cups. My clones have all been recalled, and nothing of note has taken place. One went over to the murder scene from earlier, and there are more shinobi investigating along with coverings over the corpses. They haven't made any headway on the case.

"It's just that nobody wants to be near a freak, for any reason outside of work," Fuu says. "I was friendly with everyone. I never wished anyone harm, and I think I was a good teammate. Maybe a bit talkative, yeah. But I...just wanted to connect with someone, on a level beyond just being on the same team, or doing the same missions. But everyone just walked away. Nobody had time for me, or made time for me."

Fuu looks down at the hot cup of tea in her hands. I sit next to her in front of the fire, just in case she feels down again.

"I know that you felt the same way once before. The way you held me...told me so much, Lili. I don't think I'll ever be able to thank you properly for what you did. We were just total strangers, and still you did all of that for me."

"You can show me your thanks by living your best life," I say to her. "That's all I will ever ask."

"I can do that for sure, yeah. I promise I will."

"Lovely."

"Um, you're in the Leaf and all, so...do you know anything about that person in your village?"

"I know quite a bit. That person is my childhood friend."

Fuu's eyes widen. "Childhood friend? No wonder...now it all makes sense. You already met someone like me, and...I mean, it's still amazing what you did for me, but it's even more amazing that you could see past that for someone else. People like us, everyone is so afraid to get close..."

"It was hard for him as well. But now, he has so much to look forward to, and be thankful for."

"You mean like you? I bet he's your boyfriend, has to be."

"Nope. He's with someone just as lovely as me, though. One of my beautiful sisters in spirit. I personally have...well, different preferences. If you know what I mean by that."

"Different, eh. Wait a second...so that's why you were eyeing me up like that earlier! You're into girls, then?"

"Mm-hm. Of course, I am taken myself by now. But we both wouldn't mind adding a third wheel, or a few more, hmhm~."

"That's a little fast for me, honestly. I dunno about boys, let alone girls..."

"Oh, it's just me teasing, hmhm. There's no rush at all. I'm perfectly fine with us being friends, you know. Not every relationship needs to be one of desire and passion."

"That sounds more my speed, yeah." She sighs happily. "Friends...that's good. More than good, it's great. Hehe, I finally made a friend! And she's a super elite kunoichi! Lucky!"

"Indeed," I say with a smile. Fuu takes a sip of her tea before smiling at me brightly. She's beyond adorable when she does that...oh, how I wish I could take her home with me.

"Actually...well, there is something else I skipped on mentioning. I didn't have any human friends before you, Lili."

"Something in that..."

"Yeah. They've been wanting to talk to you for a bit." Fuu sets down her tea and stands. "The one you know as the Seven Tails."

"More than that," I say to her as I stand up. "Your friend and partner. A person in their own right."

"Yeah. But, like...how did you, I mean, what made you think something like that?"

"There is the tailed beast that is sealed inside of another friend of mine...the One Tail, called Shukaku, who is partners with Gaara of the Desert."

"Eh." Fuu blinks before shock registers on her face. "Ehhhhhh?!"

"Yes, the Fifth Kazekage himself."

"You know the Kazekage personally?! What? No way! S-so you really did smack him around at the Chuunin Exams a few years back?"

"Yes."

"And you actually factually fought against the Snake Master of the Three Shinobi, Orochimaru?"

"Mm-hm."

"And and you totally really truly killed an ultra dangerous super criminal, Sasori of the Bloody Red Sand?"

"That's right."

"Ah...wow." She clasps my hands in hers, an entranced look on her face. "All of that...and you're friends with me. Wow. So cool. So cool. Awesome...awesome, awesome!" She giggles happily, eyes seeming to sparkle in the light. "I don't think I can stop, like...going into fan girl overdrive! Oh my god, you are so cool, Lili. I know this must be weird..."

"Well, it's certainly a new experience. I've been admired before, and even signed autographs...but being raved over like this, it's liable to make a girl giddy," I say with a blush. "I really might just faint, Fuu. You're too much!"

"Sorry, sorry. I just...with all the stuff happening, and like, how awesome you are..."

"I understand. Let's just slow down a little, and then you can show me what you wanted to in a bit."

"Sure, yeah, for sure."

We pick up our tea and take our time drinking, until we both feel like we've calmed down a bit. A real fan girl...I feel overjoyed, and overwhelmed all at once. I suppose this is how some of the men feel at times, being fawned over by the female populace. But I don't mind it at all, really. It's nice.

"So as I was saying earlier...Shukaku resides inside of Gaara at current," I say as I set my cup down again. "And that caused me to ponder a great deal of things. Namely the fact that he was not known as just the One Tail, but by a specific name. And that he had ascribed a gender to himself on top of that. I wondered if it was the same for the other tailed beasts."

"What about your host friend? Does he know the name of the Nine Tails?" Fuu asks.

"He does not. They currently have an adversarial relationship, likely due to the strength and construction of the seal on his body. His name is Naruto, by the way. Naruto Uzumaki, a name you'll likely be hearing across the lands soon enough. He's as spirited as you are, in fact. His mentor is Jiraiya of Mount Myoboku, one of the Three Shinobi."

"Really? That's super cool! I'd love to meet him one day, yeah. But getting back to what you were saying...you're totally right. All of the tailed beasts have names and identities that they've made for themselves, over hundreds of years! In fact, their real names were given to them by Super Gramps Six Paths!"

"The Sage of Six Paths himself...Hagoromo Ootsutsuki."

"Wow! You know about that, too?"

"My Honoured Grandmother is the White Snake Sage, who lives within Ryuuchi Cave. I've learned much from her, and from my beloved elder sister, Empress Midoriko Ryuuchi, the benevolent ruler of the serpent kingdom."

"Whoa...no way. So you're a princess, too?! Amazing!"

"Well, I am a bit special, after all," I say with a flip of my hair. "So if I might ask, what is your partner's name?"

"Choumei!" Fuu says happily. She pauses for a moment before rolling her eyes. "Sorry, Lili. I should apologize for my inappropriate language, or whatever. My partner's proper name is Lucky Seven Choumei." She sighs and wiggles her hands lifelessly. "Lucky~."

"I...see."

"You are so annoying!" Fuu yells in another direction. "Look, just get out here or whatever so that Lili can talk to you!"

There is a theory that I have...something that maybe I can test out. Strong spirits. If I am able to identify and interact with those on a certain level, then perhaps...

"Hi there!"

"Hello," I reply to the new voice. Certainly energetic, to say the least. There's no sort of label I can immediately attach to our newcomer, which makes sense in its own way. Gender as a concept is more for humans than for enormous sentient concentrations of chakra, I would say. A quick visual tell at the changeover is that Fuu's eyes have become a bit rounder, and there are blue stars in the middle of each of them now, with seven points on each.

"You're Lili! Nice to finally meet you in the flesh and everything! I'm Lucky Seven Choumei, the Seven Tailed Beetle! To be specific, I'm a rhinoceros beetle – shut up, Fuu! – I'm a rhinoceros beetle and I have one normal kind of tail but the rest are wings that I can use to fly! Six plus one equals seven!"

"Yes, that only makes sense."

"Cool! Fuu, shut up! You're being annoying, I want to talk to her too."

"One moment, please. I think I might have a solution that pleases everyone. Just need to concentrate..." I focus on the power resting inside of my soul, that which is called the Cosmic Awakening. If I could make contact with Pakura, who passed on, then I should be able to see those on this plane clearly enough. Hopefully I'm right...

"Lili...your eyes..."

My view of the world shifts. Fuu materializes next to her body shortly afterwards, floating in a blue, armour-like version of her normal outfit.

"Can you see me, Fuu?"

"Huh? What the...Lili, what'd you do? How come you can see me all of a sudden?"

"That's...it seems like something Grandpa Hago would do. But there's no way that you could be related," Choumei says with awe.

"This ability allows me to connect with the strength of the cosmos itself. All things contain the power of chakra, and all things are connected. This includes spirits, like those that have left their earthly shells."

"So you can talk to ghosts and stuff?" Fuu asks.

"Yes, provided they have a strong enough wish and strong enough chakra. Otherwise, they will go unnoticed."

"How'd you get that kind of power?" Choumei asks.

"By reaching towards the heavenly plane, and connecting myself with the cosmos themselves, of course. My ascent was foretold as a blessed daughter of heaven, and aided by my precious senpai, the great Mother Wolf of the Inugami Clan. The woman known as the Luminous Black Wolf, Fubuki Inugami."

"Inugami?" Fuu mumbles.

"The wolf people! Yeah, yeah. They used to hang around Grandpa Hagoromo a lot a long time ago," Choumei says, nodding. "Mm-hm, mm-hm. That makes sense. I understand everything now."

"Do you?" Fuu asks, suspicious.

"Nope. I don't get it at all."

"Of course you didn't, idiot."

"Hey..."

"So you two are friends by now," I say. "It must have been a remarkable thing, to say the least."

"Yep. Because of being put into and taken out of and being put into and taken out of humans, yadda yadda, I didn't have much trust or faith in them. Still don't, which is why I help Fuu sneak out of the village a lot. I guess...I can trust you, though. You know, since you fed Fuu tasty food, and let her hug you a lot when she was sad. You're the first person that's done that for her, really cared for her without wanting anything in return. So...thanks. It was a lucky day when we met you."

"You're very welcome, Choumei."

"Hehe. But yeah, Fuu and I are friends. She wanted to be friends with me for a long time, but I was pretty stubborn about it."

"For obvious reasons," I say.

"Yeah, for obvious reasons. But eventually I gave in, because I wanted a friend, too! We went through a lot together, learned to control our chakra, and our anger, and gave each other support and stuff. Actually, it was my idea to come out here, so we could try to get the drop on those Akatsuki guys who want to steal me away. We didn't get too many clues, though. Then we saw you! And the rest is history."

"We literally met her today," Fuu says.

"Sure did."

Fuu groans and shakes her head.

"I can see how you two have made it to this point. You seem like the perfect team," I say with a smile.

"You think so?" Choumei asks. "Heh, well...truth be told, I'm the brains of the operation-"

"You are not! Don't lie to Lili!" Fuu yells.

"Listen, without me you'd be stuck inside that dumb, stuffy old village-"

"And I'd have three square meals a day! Thanks to your awful directions, I went two whole days without food-"

"By the way, do you know much about the Nine Tails?" I ask, interrupting them.

"Nine Tails? Oh, you mean Kurama," Choumei says casually.

"Kurama?" I repeat. "Is...is that their name? Really?"

"He likes to go by 'him', just so you know. Yeah, that's his name. Talks like an old jerk." Choumei makes a strange face and waves their arms around. "Uh duh dur washi wa Kyuubi da duh dur! What a loser. Nobody could stand him the last time we were all free to talk."

"From what Choumei's been telling me, he's a real piece of work. Something about hatred incarnate, or whatever?" Fuu says. "If he's like that, it's no wonder that your friend Naruto can't get a handle on his powers."

"Shukaku's a prick in his own way, too."

"Choumei!"

"It's true," they say while folding their arms. "Real awful and always trying to compete with Kurama to do the most damage. Obviously the old man just ignores him, so he gets even angrier and whinier like a big sandy baby. But when you're stronger than like, everyone else put together..."

"That powerful, then?" I ask.

"Yeah. Kurama's really arrogant because of that. But as for the hatred thing, well...it makes a lot of sense, actually. Kurama was...what I remember of him was that he was pretty sensitive, in a lot of ways. The rest of us had our ways of coping with life, but he was really in tune with the world on a different level. I guess you could call that a sort of genius, maybe? And more than that, he loved Grandpa Hagoromo the most out of all of us. He was so depressed after Grandpa passed on..."

I think I understand now. Suffering for so many years, being the target of humanity's hatred. All of that pressure, being locked away, used and abused, controlled, despised. All of that would form the most intense hostility and distrust, greater than what Choumei must have felt because of the love and sensitivity that he held before.

To suffer all of that darkness, alone...it's no wonder someone would drench themselves in darkness, just to relieve the pain for a moment. The entity we call the Nine Tailed Demon Fox...he was not born a mass of hatred. He was made into one, by the actions of humans.

"I wish I could apologize on behalf of all of us," I say quietly.

"Lili? What do you mean?" Choumei asks.

"We did this to you. We hurt you, and despised you. We never once took the chance to try and figure out who you were, or what you might have wanted. Even dogs and cats get better treatment than you all did. And now, Akatsuki is coming to snatch you away, to be used as weapons in some sort of nefarious plot to take over the world. The villages, they barely care other than seeing it as a loss of military power," I say as I clench my fists. "Over and over again, ruining not just the lives of the tailed beasts, but innocent humans, too. Pushing them, driving them into despair until they're used up. And then they place you in new vessels, all to start the torment again."

"Lili..."

"This...cannot stand," I say firmly. "I know that I am not the one to rescue people from their own hatred. But I can open a path for those who can. I will tear apart the clouded skies, and allow the light of hope to shine down upon this world. I will change everything so that nobody else has to suffer like you did."

I can feel my body tremble a bit. It's that time already, then...

"Are you okay?" Fuu asks.

"I'm fine, love. I just can't stay in this form for terribly long...it will have to be two of us from here."

"Got it. Then you can turn your shiny eyes off for now."

I nod and bring myself back to normal, letting Fuu's image merge with her body again.

"Thank you, Choumei. I learned a lot from you today. It really will help with things going forward...I don't expect to reach Kurama easily, if at all. But this knowledge will mean something for the future. Now I know how to connect with the other tailed beasts. Not as strange, unknowable creatures, but as people. Just like I am."

"That sounds awesome. I hope you get to do all that, Lili. It would be nice to talk with all my siblings again, one day. I'm gonna hand things back to Fuu for now. It was super lucky that I got to talk with you like this, you really are some kind of goddess or something!"

"Thank you, darling. We'll talk again soon, of course."

"Yep!" Choumei steps forward and gives me a warm hug, which I return without hesitation. "Hehe! Bye-bye for now, Lili!"

"Bye, Choumei."

In the next moment, I see that Fuu has snapped back into position. She shakes her head a few times and taps on it with her knuckles.

"Good, everything's still there. Never hurts to double check, you know."

I giggle. "You two are entirely too much at times."

"A real dynamic duo, yeah." She grins. "But I wouldn't trade Choumei for anything, yeah. They're the best partner I could ask for."

"I'm glad to hear it. So, do you want to help me cook dinner?"

"Sure! Though, I've never really cooked for myself before, so..."

"Oh, not to worry. You'll soon learn that there's a certain romance to eating food that you've prepared with your own hands."

"That sounds classy. I wanna try it."

"Good. I already have the pan on the stove, and some water nearby. Bring me the bags from inside, both of them. Something hearty will do for tonight."

"Yup!" Fuu runs off and returns just as quickly with the bags of food in hand. "By the way, how do you make the smoke creep along the ground like that, instead of going up into the air? It's wicked cool!"

"Ah, that is a little trick that is by design. I constructed this kitchen in a special way to achieve that effect," I say as I take the bags from her. "See this pit here? It goes further in that direction, and I've hollowed it out into a few sections. The smoke goes that way, through the corridor..."