Art was drawn by myself on DA. 

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Warning: All warnings are addressed at the bottom of chapter 2.

Beta: Cyndaquil123

Side note: Happy (very) belated birthday, Cantrona! Thank you for all your support and I sincerely wish you the best experience this year.

"If I'm crying in the wind, if I'm crying in the night -

Will there ever be a way? Will my heart return to white?

Can you tell me who you are? Can you tell me where I am?

I've forgotten how to see, I've forgotten if I can.

If I opened up my eyes there'd be no more going back -

'cause I'd throw it all away, and it all would fade to black."

- Bad Apple

It all looked the same to me.

Corpses blurred together. Uchiha. Senju.

Nothing but death.

Who cared about the outcome of the battle?

Everyone lost this.

There could be no winning.

How many more loved ones must I bury today?

I don't want to love anymore if it only ever leads to this.

I'm sorry.

. . .

. .

.

The kimono was incredibly uncomfortable. Each step felt stiff and awkward and I struggled to maintain a graceful walk. My grip tightened on my tessen, and my eyes roamed around the hallway as we walked. Kanako continued to move at a sedate pace, her kimono layers sliding silently among the marble flooring.

She must have sensed my gaze on her because she turned her head and gave me a wink. I returned with a wink of my own, preparing my mindset for something more proper that befit the first of many banquets.

This banquet wouldn't be as large as the coronation banquet, but it would be the largest banquet in the week until then. The welcoming feast was exclusive to the noblemen, women, and royalty that was invited to the coronation. It would go on well into the night and at midnight fireworks would shoot throughout the city, to launch the start of the celebratory week.

My goals for the night were simple.

One: Mark every individual on Madara's list with white Zetsu spores. These spores would gather data on them for three months before returning to the cave. This gave the spores plenty of time to collect information on the noblemen after the hubbub of the new daimyo died down.

Two: Reaffirm the powerful bonds between the daimyo and Konoha. That was a Konoha-exclusive mission, but was still essential in order to keep up appearances.

Three: Prevent the assassination attempts on Nebu. Madara and I were prepared for Nebu to take the throne. It would be disadvantageous for us if his less predictable siblings ascended in his place. In addition, it would make number two easier.

I felt Obito's chakra flicker before he began to repress it. Kakashi followed suite, along with Juar.

Our group had reached the halls of the banquet and the servants bowed lowly to us, their foreheads touching the ground. "Welcome, honored guests."

Kanako smiled prettily at them. "Kanata Kanako, with Senju Naasica."

"Our daimyo requested a guardian accompany Senju-hime," one of the servants murmured. "Please forgive us, honored guests, but he is not here, yet."

Kanako's face morphed into fake irritation. "Where is he?"

"I apologize for the wait," Rabu murmured from behind us. I cocked my head, not bothering to turn around fully to face him. He was dressed in the formal guardian attire, a katana slung around his belt and a cocky smile on his lips. He brushed past Obito and Kakashi, and both boys remained neutral-faced, even when Rabu offered his hand to me. "My princess."

I unfurled my tessen, hiding a fake smile behind it and batting my eyes. "Rabu-kun? You will be my escort?"

His smile stretched a bit wider. "Yes. Daimyo-sama wished for only the best to watch over our precious princess."

I took his hand, noting they were smooth. He must have gone through great pains to keep the calluses off his hands. His fingers curled around my hand and he lowered his lips to the top side of my hand. After the chaste kiss he straightened back up and gestured towards the servants.

The servants rose as one and opened the door.

Warmth, laughter, and jovial string music permeated my senses. The banquet hall was large, larger than any building in Konoha. It stretched out like a long rectangular box with gold, red, and black colors dominating most of it. There were nearly a hundred expensive-looking statues and paintings.

There were numerous heavy-looking, elegantly carved, dark tables and chairs placed around the room, although no one dared to sit in them until the daimyo made his appearance. Instead, many men and women mingled about one another, although the majority of the women were stationary due to their heavy kimonos. They fanned themselves, whispering likely venomous words to one another as they eyed their surroundings. In contrast, the men were boisterous and constantly moving about.

Kanako was the first to step through, her head held high. As soon as she stepped through the door and reached the first step to descend into the banquet, many heads were turning to look at her. I saw a plethora of men clamor to meet her at the bottom, and numerous women eyeing the men with jealousy. I waited for Kanako to finish climbing down the stairs and guide her lovesick sheep away before I took my first step in.

Eyes immediately rested upon me, and more than a few conversations fell silent. I lowered my fan, snapping it shut and offering the crowd below me a charming smile.

It set many at ease, and I saw smiles on their faces as I descended with Rabu holding my hand.

Some of the smiles were not nice, I noted.

Some of them were smiles of monsters.

Will I hunt tonight? I wondered. It would be so easy to, with the chaos of the banquet in full swing.

"Have you anyone you wish to talk to, my princess?" Rabu murmured to me, his voice covered in honey.

"Oh, I'm not sure," I fretted. "Is there someone I should meet with first, Rabu-kun?"

"Worry not," Rabu said, playing the perfect role as flirtatious guard, "I will not lead you astray. If you trust me, I will guide you to the right people."

I turned to him and I gave him a smile that made monsters want to follow me into a dark alleyway. His cheeks turned red for a split second, and his eyes briefly widened before he regained his composure quickly enough and cleared his throat. I said to him, lowering my voice to an attractive pitch, "I trust you, Rabu-kun."

Again the blush returned, and again it disappeared as quickly.

He's an excellent actor, I thought. I can't tell if that blush was forced or genuine.

"Then let us begin with an introduction to the royal family," Rabu said, his voice cracking at introduction, and I knew I had gotten to him. I resisted the urge to sneer mockingly at him, choosing instead to smile and docilely nod.

Rabu lead me across the grand floor, deftly maneuvering through the posturing crowd of sheep. Many gazes came our way, but Rabu never faltered. Within the minute he had guided me towards a distant corner where Nebu and his family rested as they awaited the daimyo's appearance.

Nebu's cold eyes glittered when they met mine. The heir was lounging in an expensive-looking cushion, his wife beside him as she played with their mistress's hair. Around them were pompous kiss-assing noblemen, and a handful of concubines, each as beautiful as Kanako.

The mistress, Hana if I remembered correctly, was a pretty and petite-thing. She was also the bearer of Nebu's two children. His wife, Orima, lost her uterus after a nearly disastrous raid many years ago. Unable to bear children for him, Orima found a suitable mistress to do so. Hana had been a lowly street urchin before Orima found her and took her in at the age of thirteen to groom her into being their lover. Three years later Hana produced their first child: a girl by the name of Orihana. Five years later, Nebu finally had his heir: Mo.

The threesome were a happy family, despite how odd the situation might appear. From what information had been gleaned Nebu was actually a doting husband and lover, and cared for both women equally. Orima loved Hana, slightly more than Nebu, and Hana adored them both. The three were rarely seen apart, in fact.

But, such an arrangement was not uncommon. Marriage for royalty was merely an agreement of an alliance. It was rare to find a husband and wife devoted to one another in any romantic fashion, and the two usually slept in different rooms with their respective lovers. As long as the wife provided an heir, there was rarely an issue. In the cases that the mistress had to provide the heir, if the mistress was of noble status she could contest the marriage and claim the man for her own. If the mistress was not of proper blood, she would merely remain a pampered love toy.

There were other cases where a threesome relationship was arranged, though. The previous daimyo had one with his wife, and their lover: Kei. Kei had even claimed and kept his royal standing after the daimyo and his wife passed away, living extremely well-off until he peacefully passed away in his life.

Hana noticed me after Nebu, her green eyes lighting up and a beautiful smile stretching across her face. Orima felt Hana's shift in attention and her violet eyes flickered up to meet my gaze. The beautiful dark-skinned and dark-haired woman awarded me with a thin smile before returning her attention to Hana's golden hair.

"Pardon my intrusion," I murmured, raising my pitch to a more feminine and demure sound. "I wished to introduce myself properly to you, my lord and ladies."

Nebu smiled at me. "Senju Naasica, Mito-sama's most precious granddaughter?"

I withdrew my right hand away from Rabu and placed it over my heart as I dipped my body down into a shallow bow. "Yes, Nebu-donno."

"You were so heroic this morning," Hana cooed, her eyes bright. "Being a kunoichi must be so exciting."

A blush formed on my cheeks and I bashfully looked away. "It is all I know, my lady."

"Of course," Nebu said softly, a steel in his tone. Despite the warmth in his smile and the welcoming posture he held, there was a coldness in his eyes and voice that couldn't be hidden. "I must thank you for this morning. Truly, I would be horrified to imagine what would have befallen us without your intervention."

"Think nothing of it," I insisted, still blushing and smiling shyly.

Hana shook her head, turning her head up and looking up at Orima with a pleading look. Orima's eyes softened at Hana's expression and she lovingly tucked a strand of Hana's hair behind her ear. Then Orima's gaze lifted up towards me and she smiled with her teeth; the warmth she had when looking at Hana was gone upon seeing me. "You must sit with us come dinner. Tell us of your adventures. Perhaps in regards to the, ah, unique forest you created within our lands?"

"I would be delighted to, if it would not impose."

Nebu, who also saw Hana's borderline puppy-dog-eyes, gave a curt nod. "Think nothing of it. I will have the servants arrange a seat for you and your... guard."

Rabu bowed lowly. "I would be honored, my lord."

Nebu smiled stiffly. "Do not mention it. Chichi-ue mentioned he would like for you to personally attend to our honored princess."

Rabu smiled at him in such a way that made me think he actually disliked Nebu. "If you will then excuse me, my lord, I promised the princess I would escort her."

"Of course. Do have a pleasant night."

Rabu's hand once again found my own and off we went. Like the perfect puppet at a show, I played my role to perfection. I batted my eyes, smiled when I needed to, and asked appropriate questions to keep the conversation going. I got every reaction I wanted: I charmed my audience like the silver tongued beast I was.

It was ridiculously easy to plant spores on each of my targets: three for the largest weapons manufacturer, four for a rising nobleman who was the best smuggler known to all nations, three each for high-ranking officials from other lands, two for each gossiping consort that frequented court, six each for those I knew were disgruntled by Nebu rising to the throne.

I, unsurprisingly, found a few monsters during the introductions. Men and women whose gaze lingered longer than necessary and had an unmistakable twist to their smile.

I gave them each a spore to track their movements.

I would hunt them down before I returned to Konoha.

At long last, over an hour since I had first entered the banquet, the daimyo made his grand appearance and it was time to eat.

I settled down beside Orima, feeling Kakashi and Obito's presence slowly fade into the background. I saw numerous bodyguards stand further back from their respective clients as the guests took their seats at the appropriate table. Typically, I would have sat beside Kanako at Konoha's table near the daimyo. Since Nebu invited me, however, I was obliged to sit amongst his family at his table to the daimyo's immediate left.

Hana sat in between Orima and Nebu (which was slightly scandalous, given her status, but since Nebu was the upcoming daimyo, no one would dare gossip about such a thing). Orima continued to dote on her with fond eyes, and Nebu kept a hand in her lap that Hana played with while food began to be served. The young blonde woman seemed inordinately happy to be pampered by her two lovers, if the smile and brightness in her eyes was anything to go by.

Rabu sat beside me, the same easy smile on his face as he did so. I listened with mild interest at the idle chatter around the table, no one daring to speak too loudly, or take the first bite, until the daimyo did so himself.

The food was delightful in both smell and appearance. There were piles and piles of golden-cooked meat, buns, noodles, rice, fried treats, an assortment of odd-looking fruit, and too many unique dishes that I didn't recognize to count. I kept my back straight, and eyes sharp as the servants continued to pile the food onto each of the tables.

I felt a cold sensation in between my breasts, and I channeled a bit more chakra to the spot. The Zetsu spore grew a bit more, enough to form an appendage.

Another assassination attempt was due for the night. Actually, several were, but the first one was nearing.

Zetsu tapped out a message: Eight – Left – Two – Back

I reached out with my chakra sensing ability and counted eight signatures to the left, then two back. I could feel the presence of the would-be assassin as she neared Nebu's table. She was going for a rather straightforward hidden knife, then stab approach. She had no expectation of escaping alive, and was prepared to commit suicide shortly after her attempt. I would have to immediately render her unconscious to prevent such a ploy, and create a clone to personally guard her until she could be properly questioned.

Zetsu knew the servant was blackmailed into the attempt: Nebu's brother (in line after Nebu and his heir) had a plethora of assassination plans, most of them involved blackmailing or threatening servants that had been at the palace for years (and thus had trust).

I waited patiently for the girl to near, knowing that a civilian would never be faster than me. I had to make sure the attempt was known before I stopped it, though, 'else my heroism wouldn't have enough of an impact.

My fingers ran along my tessen, and I listened with polite interest as Rabu told me a lovely story about the first time he visited the market in the city. The girl finally reached the table and gently set down a large soup of some kind that smelled delectable. She bowed towards the heir, then abruptly leapt at him.

My left hand snapped towards them and wood lashed out from it. I grabbed the girl, lifting her high into the air and warping my wood around her arms, legs, head, and even gagged her mouth. There were shocks of horror and surprise, even more so when the girl dropped her knife and it clattered to the floor.

Rabu was the first to recover. "Guards, take the girl to the dungeon to question!"

I squeezed my wood around her throat, choking her out to render her unconscious for the guards. The tip of my wood broke off and I formed a clone from it (transformed to look like a standard Konoha Jounin). When the guards arrived, I lowered the limp girl into their arms and smiled at them. My clone left with them quickly.

"What an exciting evening," Nebu commented. "Once more you have saved my life, Senju-hime."

"I merely perform my duty, my lord," I responded elegantly. "Konoha is always ready to serve and protect."

"So it would seem," he murmured. Then raising his voice, he addressed his guests. "Let us enjoy our food."

There were resounding murmurs of agreement as the sheep obeyed their master.

The next assassination would occur soon, or was planned to. It was always possible that they would get cold feet and not attack.

If that were the case I would have to kill them before the night was over. I had no predictions to what they would do if their plans went awry. Luckily for me most of the would-be assassins were civilians blackmailed or threatened into action. They would be quick to dispose of. Two of the assassinations, however, were from professional shinobi going undercover as showmen. They were hired by separate noblemen for the same goal, and ironically were going to attempt the same assassination in nearly the exact same manner. Namely, when the lights went down for the grand finale of the show during dinner, they would strike.

Thankfully I was near Nebu and his family, so it would be child's play to protect them with such a forewarning.

"Tell me, Naasica-chan-ah, you can call me Hana-chan if you want-about the forest you made. They say that you single handedly defeated thousands of Iwagakure and Kumogakure shinobi in the space of a night," Hana said excitedly, leaning towards me. "They say that the land trembled underneath you and the rivers ran red with blood!"

I smiled at her like a master would a pet. "The rumors exaggerate, Hana-chan."

"Then tell us what really happened," Nebu said, though it came out like a command.

With a deep breath I began to weave a poetic tale of my mission. I kept out the more gruesome details, as I could tell that Orima didn't like Hana knowing such horrible truths. I gave her more exaggerated battles with Kakashi and Obito cleaning up who had survived my initial attack. She clearly was more interested in heroic fights than a one-sided massacre, and I didn't have many heroic fights.

When I was finished with that tale, I regalled her with different missions that weren't quite so gruesome, but still interesting from a civilian standpoint.

Hana listened with rapt attention, her pretty green eyes wide with wonder. Nebu and Orima clearly weren't as fascinated by the tales as Hana, but I did manage to entertain them with some of my more outrageous stories.

Halfway through dinner the lights dimmed and a parade of circus performers entered the banquet. They danced and balanced on large balls. The simpletons oo'd and aah'd at all the appropriate times

I sipped carefully on the rather rich broth of some rainbow-colored soup. The entertainers continued to pour into the grand hall and I saw some dressed in all black climb up the walls and hover near the lights. They placed different colored sheets over the lights, painting the entire room in a kaleidoscope of different colors.

This broth is rather delicious, I thought to myself, taking another sip. To my right Rabu shifted, and I felt his hand rather carelessly graze against my thigh. I resisted the urge to drive a kunai into it, reminding myself that I was to play the role of demure princess. That being said I did feel a slight spike in killing intent behind me, likely from one or both of my teammates.

My lips twitched in fond amusement at that, and my immediate anger at Rabu was replaced with fondness for Kakashi and Obito.

Still, next time Rabu's hand slipped towards me I accidentally jammed my knife into the back of his hand.

He retracted it quickly, letting out a soft hiss.

I gave a quiet gasp of surprise. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I thought you were bug."

Rabu gently pulled the knife out of his hand—I almost made it go clean through, oops—and gave me a pain smile. "A bug, aha? I see, I'm so sorry my princess."

I continued to smile sweetly. "Perhaps you should get that looked at, Rabu-kun. I would hate for it to get infected."

"That might be a good idea," Rabu allowed. "If you will excuse me, then."

"Of course."

Rabu gave a curt nod to me, and a deep bow towards the royal family, before he left. Not many people paid much mind to him, as the majority of the sheep were entranced by the entertainers. I was a bit disappointed the three other planned assassination attempts hadn't occurred, and I made a mental note to go ahead and kill the assassins tonight to prevent any unpredicted plans later.

After all, I already planned on hunting down the monsters I found tonight.

Their victims would hate for me to delay my hunt simply because there was a chance I could get caught. The monsters were too tempting of targets for me to simply ignore. I could not, in good conscience, let them continue to roam free simply because they were wealthy or powerful people.

Monsters simply could not live.

I took another small sip of the delectable broth, savoring its taste on my tongue as my eyes roamed around the guests. I could feel unsavory gazes upon me, and to my delight I found the eyes of monsters I had missed the first time around. I smiled at the monster, and she smiled back at me.

The lights dimmed and I saw two of Nebu's would-be assassins begin to their stances. The lights went out, and my left hand snapped up and created a large wooden shield in front of Nebu and his family. There were two loud thunks into my wood and the lights came back on and those silly little assassins hesitated for a second too long.

"Kakashi, Obito," I intoned softly, pulling out my tessen and unfolding it to cover the lower half of my face.

My teammates moved and soon were upon those assassins. The palace guards moved to assist, but it became apparent the assassins were Jounin, and simple guards would not do. So instead they moved to cover the exists, and my companions worked well with one another to capture.

The sheep awed and oo'd at their one-sided battle. They clapped when Obito pulled out an impressive katon-style ninjutsu, and when Kakashi used his half-baked Chidori to surround Obito's fire with lightning. When it was said and done Obito and Kakashi tied up the assassins and passed them along to the guards before returning to stand behind me.

Nebu glanced my way and gave another nod. "Again, I owe you my life it seems."

I fanned myself. "Please, Nebu-sama. I live to serve."

"Of course," he murmured quietly.

And on the feast continued.

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

Rabu did not return to my side for the remainder of the night. I wondered if perhaps I hurt him too bad, or if he was preoccupied with something else. Not that it mattered. I had no intentions of seeing him again after our mission.

I stayed with Nebu and his family, citing that it would be best if I remained their guard for the night.

In truth it was simply easiest to assert myself as a strong political opponent when the upcoming Daimyo provided me with open support. By including myself in his conversations with the other nobles and whatnot, I was able to present myself as a powerful player.

It made me even more desirable to court, and all that power would be so exceedingly useful in obtaining the appropriate blackmail needed for the Akatsuki.

After all, the Akatsuki would need clients in the future to harness enough money to build our army. An army of Zetsu clones simply won't be enough, Madara and I figured.

We had to build our own village from the ground up.

Amegakure simply wouldn't be enough, either.

Then the banquet finally came to a close and we were told it was time to set off the fireworks.

The night air was gorgeous; crisp and cool. It wasn't cold enough to bother, nor warm enough to produce a sweat. It was absolutely perfect and it felt undeniably pleasant. I lifted my head up at the starry sky, knowing that the evening was finally drawing to a close.

The fireworks would shoot off and all the guests would go into separate little corners to watch. Many of them would congregate onto the patios, or return to their private rooms to watch. The fireworks would go on for nearly an hour, providing the perfect closure to the night. I had planted the heir, his mistress, and his wife with Zetsu spores that would warn me if anyone of malicious intent approached them. There were no planned assassination attempts on them that I was aware of, but one could never be too sure.

Kakashi and Obito were on each side of me, still not speaking a word like proper guards.

I leapt high up, digging my chakra into the wall and calmly walking up to the rooftop.

I intended to stay nearby the heir while the fireworks went off before returning to my room and resting. I did not, however, have the patience or energy to cater to the simpering and disgusting guests that surrounded him.

And the kimono was atrociously suffocating.

I walked a bit further onto the roof of the palace, then undid my obi and let the layers of the kimono fall to the floor. Daintily, I stepped out of it in nothing but my thin, white, under dress. I pulled out the pins in my hair, feeling great relief as the tension eased from the top of my head. My hair fell freely and wild and I ran my fingers through it. "Obito, Kakashi, I give you my permission to sneak food for yourselves. Please bring me back something sweet, and make sure you aren't seen. It's unbecoming "

"Oh, thank God," Obito sighed with great relief. "I'm starving."

"We'll be back in a few minutes," Kakashi promised.

The two boys then rather hurriedly left, undoubtedly excited to be eating such expensive and luxurious food. I stretched my arms up high above my head, feeling my back popping pleasantly. A wind carried the ashy scent of the city, gently blowing through my hair. I picked back up my tessen from where it rested on top of my discarded kimono, gripping it tightly and wondering if Madara would enjoy watching the fireworks.

"Who are you?"

My spine stiffened, and I slowly turned around to find a boy—surely not much older than myself—who wore extremely rich dark-colored shinobi attire. The material was high quality, finely stitched, and expertly put together. The boy was wealthy. His blond hair was shaggy, though, and looked rather unkempt which contradicted the previous thought. Nobility did not have unkempt hair, shinobi training or not.

Another wind blew between us, picking up my hair and making it dance a little.

The boy's sharp blue eyes widened briefly before narrowing abruptly. "I asked who are you. Answer me."

I didn't recognize the boy. A wealthy boy about my age with blond hair, blue eyes, and shinobi training. If I did not recognize him, then he likely wasn't important.

That being said, it wouldn't do to be overtly rude.

On the other hand I had spent hours pampering to insufferable bigots. The spiteful side of me purred at the chance to be a little mean.

So I flickered, and suddenly I was in front of the boy, pushing him to the ground and sitting on top of him. His hands were pinned above his head in the same instant with my left hand, and I summoned wood from my feet to bind his own legs and feet.

I gave him a smile that melted hearts, and the boy's cheeks turned red.

"Who am I?" I purred, "I could be your assassin tonight. Maybe not. What a silly thing to ask a stranger, though. Especially when you're so very alone, and so very vulnerable."

With my right hand, I placed my tessen on his chest, feeling his heart beating incredibly loudly. There was a spark of fear in his eyes, and I felt a vindictive glee bubble inside of me at that. I laughed, releasing my hold on him and gracefully standing back up. I unfolded my tessen and covered the vicious smile on my face. "So quick to be afraid, you poor little boy."

The boy flushed, quickly standing back up. "I-I wasn't afraid. You merely caught me off guard, kunoichi."

I fluttered my eyelashes and gave him a look that made him turn red with clear embarrassment. He turned away from me, covering his mouth with a hand. "I apologize, kunoichi. It was rude of me to call you out when you clearly wanted to be left alone."

"Apology accepted," I purred, taking a step towards him. He instinctively flinched, and I shot him a smug smirk.

"Do you always greet people that way, though?" He asked, his cheeks still red.

"Only when I'm bored," I answered simply. "Which I'm starting to feel again, so I suggest you scurry off to your pampered life, unless you wish to entertain me for the evening."

He gave a wince then smiled hesitantly. "I cannot simply leave a young lady unattended, regardless if she is a kunoichi or not. Okaa-sama would be greatly displeased with me."

"Ah. So you wish to entertain me, little boy?"

He looked very much like he did not want to do such a thing.

I laughed. "Go, boy. My guards will be returning shortly, you needn't worry about me. Thank you for alleviating some of my boredom, however."

He smiled at me. It was a charming smile. "Always happy to help. May I know your name?"

"A gentleman goes first."

"Call me—Call me—Momo."

"Momo," I repeated. "My friends call me Naasica."

His eyes widened. "Senju-hime?"

I smiled at him. "An issue with that?"

He shook his head. "No, my princess. Let me apologize again for my rudeness."

I forced a blush on my cheeks, lowering my eyes in a demure manner, and smiling at him with shy affection. The result was hilarious, as the boy's cheeks flamed once more and he immediately averted his gaze and covered his mouth.

Ah what fun it was to play with people's emotions like a violin.

He cleared his throat, his cheeks still red. "I hope you have a pleasant night, Naasica-hime."

"Please," I simpered, keeping the blush in place and batting my eyelashes, "No need for honorifics, Momo-kun."

The boy abruptly turned around from me and gave me a wave. "O-Okay. I, ah, I, ah, hope to see you later, Naasica-h-ah, Naasica."

"Bye-bye," I purred. The boy left in a hurry, and once he was gone and I no longer sensed his chakra, I let out a cackle.

I was still laughing when Obito and Kakashi returned, carrying armloads of food. Obito plopped onto the rooftop and I sat beside him, still giggling. Kakashi sat on my other side and both boys placed some food in my lap.

"What's so funny?" Obito asked me.

"Boys are so easy to play," I cooed.

Obito slung a friendly arm around my shoulder. "Then it's a good thing we're men, right Kakashi?"

"Yep," Kakashi agreed, putting an arm around my waist, then tugging down his mask with his free hand. "Sorry it took so long. There were a lot of guards trying to sneak food."

I smiled and kissed both of their cheeks. "No need to apologize. Let us relax and enjoy the show now."

And the first of the fireworks shot up in the sky and exploded into thousands of bright red sparks.

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

They slept like little angels.

I brushed back their bangs and I pulled the covers over them. They never moved or showed any reaction to my gentle touch. They were sound asleep, content in knowing that I would keep them safe.

They were right.

And while I would adore to remain with them, I had a busy night ahead of me.

I slipped on my black kimono and a porcelain white cat mask.

There were monsters I had to hunt.

The spores guided me to where each monster slumbered, and while I longed to take my time with each of them (to show them the fangs and claws of their victims), I could not risk it. I paralyzed each of them, allowed them to remain fully awake and conscious, and then I slipped open their guts on their precious and luxurious beds.

I wished I could hear their screams. I wished I could take each one away and make them feel every bit of pain they inflicted onto their victims.

Seeing the fear and agony on their face simply had to do.

Monsters, oh monsters, will you bleed for me?

Monsters, oh monsters, will you scream for me?

Monsters, oh monsters, will I become one of you?

(ง ⌣ ~ ⌣) ง

The first big banquet is down. Poor servants are going to be quite startled come morning after Naasica's self-appointed "clean up".

Answer: Speaking purely in terms of character development I would have to say Izuku from bnha, but in terms of sheer love I would say Momonga from Overlord or Koudo from Classroom of the Elite.

Question: Best supporting character?

Reviews are love!