Princess Meeting

Kitsuki walked into the Princess reception room with a cane that was most not definitely Amicus Curiae. The Shibuki blade that she had reforged was remolded back into its original shape. A pity but understandable given her illness. She wouldn't force the issue and had instead resolved to create a new version. One that would be even better than the original. In the meanwhile, she had taken to using a regular cane with a diamond head. She didn't need it to walk despite being in a coma for several months. It was purely for style. The cane accented well with her fancy rider's suit which looked like this. The equestrian attired Kitsuki had aides coming to and fro as she made her way to the Mizukage Complex. She wasn't in and out of meetings, she was the meeting. The various assistants brought her up to speed on the major events that happened in Kirigakure while she was unconcious. It was as the Princess feared, much had happened during her slumber although it wasn't nearly as bad as her worst fears. She didn't see mountains of corpses made by Sayuri and her Nightmare Brigade nor did she see Temples dedicated to worshipping Arisu. It was a start.

Kitsuki did learn of several disturbing developments and a few that gave her hope. She called for a meeting with Princess Arisu. She had been running the village in Kit's absence although she had recently delegated much to a Jounin Commander by the name of Valen Minamoto. A man whose actions she'd have to answer for. Kit walked into the Princess meeting room with an air of exasperation and eagerness. She wanted to get started immediately. She took a seat at one end of a luxurious white couch. Arisu would be free to sit next to her or on the red couch across from her. She held her cane in her hand and sat with a perfect posture. It would be difficult to imagine that she had ever suffered from the plague. Kitsuki looked radiant and determined to lead her country to a brighter future.

If Arisu arrived, Kit would stand to greet her and bow respectfully.

"We have a lot to talk about Princess Arisu" she said using her formal title.

Arisu had been trying to keep up to date on the newest information as it came out around the village. Big things were happening lately without her knowing, such as the sealing and consequent unsealing of a bijuu in Valen, the attacks Sayuri made in Suna being confirmed, and the acquisitions of several new nations under Valen's watchful eye as the Jounin Commander. She had mean to commend his job as the Jounin Commander, but Valen had taken off shortly after losing the 2 tails, already back to work. Arisu appreciated his drive and enthusiasm, he seemed a trustworthy choice to help head the nation.

Still, it was because of that that shortly after Kitsuki had woken up and discharged herself from the hospital, Arisu was made aware of her miraculous awakening. The Otsutsuki did not make to set up a meeting herself upon the news of the other Princess waking up, but rather chose to let her deal with recovery in her own time. The woman would come to her when she was ready, no need to overwhelm her with....

It appeared that Kitsuki wanted to get right to work as Arisu was informed that a meeting was requested among the princesses.

It was that work ethic that always found Arisu's notice. The woman was respectable in that way. Arisu found herself eager to see Kitsuki again, if only just to get a dose of that drive to get to it. She wore her usual attire, a white and grey kimono set, the demon bell attached to her as an earring through her right ear. Her Kiba blades hung off her left hip, held up by the sash she wore. The woman's signature single horn growing from her forehead was even bigger than last time Kitsuki would have seen it, and a second horn was beginning to work its way out of the other side of her brow, although it was just the barest of forms.

Arisu's signature 2 ringed Rinnegan peered at her compatriot as blankly as they ever had, while Arisu acknowledged the bow, giving a small head bow in return.

"Princess Kitsuki, it is lovely to see that you've awoken. Have you found your needs met adequately?"

The taller pale woman took a seat on the same white couch as Kitsuki had, although she sat on the other end of it, rather than right next to her.

Arisu looked the same as ever. Aloof. Polite. Otherwordly. A literal alien in both appearance and mannerisms. There was something about the woman that set Kit at ease and on edge. She was kind and virtuous without a doubt. She had risked her life alongside Kitsuki countless times to fight for justice and preservation of the innocent. Yet at the same time, she did it from a completely different approach. It was obvious she looked down at humanity and thought of them in the same way a parent might of a wayward child. It was evident even in the way that she did not return Kit's full bow but only granted her a modest head bow in return. She believed herself to be divine in comparison to them and even more disturbing she was so matter-of-factly about it. When Kit and Arisu debated the subject, Arisu never really appeared wroth. She viewed her ascension to Godhood as some kind of inevitability. A simple fact of reality that was as immutable as the laws of thermodynamics. It was this arrogance that made Kit leery of Arisu but it was almost always a backburner issue. Until now.

Kit had heard about the Matabi fight and she had heard what Arisu had done to contain the beast. Kit couldn't allow the Ōtsutsuki such an indulgence. It'd need to be addressed. With Arisu sitting on the end of the couch, Kit turned to face her.

"I have" she replied. "I'm still getting up to speed but I should be ready to resume my full duties within the week. A lot has happened since we last spoke. Little of it good."

"The first thing I wanted to talk to you about is Sayuri. It seems that while I was out, Kiri received direct confirmation that she was involved with Chen's Sunagakure Massacere. She's been tormenting and murdering the people of Wind for months. I assume you've made her expulsion from the Triumverate official then? We'll also need to mark her as an S-Ranked Missing Ninja to be brought in dead or alive for crimes against humanity." Kit said.

As the Princess spoke, the frustration was evident in her eyes. She had never liked the blonde. The woman was crass, cruel and obviously drawn towards conflict. They had allowed her a say in the affairs of the nation because she was the only politically connected shinobi in Kiri that hadn't been involved in the coup against Hana. Kit had hoped she'd get bored and leave the position so that they could replace her with someone more suitable. Instead, Sayuri had acted out at the Kage Summit, enabled Sero's Nightmare Brigade and gone off to Suna to cement her status as a legendary psychopath.

"We should have never let her join the Triumverate to begin with. She's embarrassed Kiri and killed scores of innocents. That's on us. Next time we'll need to be more discerning. Any ideas on who might be able to replace her?"

"Little of it good, indeed."

Arisu agreed. The whole debacle with Sayuri was currently under Valen's watchful eye. He'd been handling that for a while, chasing down leads at the very least.

"Valen sent scouts to ascertain the truth of Sayuri's actions, and upon having them confirmed I believe has gone to deal with that himself. Not to worry, she's being brought to justice, and she will be dealt with. He sent out several troops ahead of himself, there will be no hiding for long. Of course, her suspension from the triumvirate and subsequent rebranding as a Missing-nin was put forth immediately."

The next line of questioning put a raise in Arisu's brow. Replacing Sayuri? The thought hadn't fully crossed her mind. It had gone so well last time of course, with one being a sadistic murderer, and the other being in a comatose state. Arisu had allowed Valen to govern the troops in that time and it had gone quite well.

"In fact, I have not. In more recent times, I have come to believe that the reinstatement of a Mizukage is in order, with a council to oversee them perhaps being fair enough. Commander Valen has been doing wonderful work as of late bringing in new nations, and has made every effort to accommodate survivors of Kumogakure's destruction. I was not far off from granting him the title of Mizukage with the understanding that our council could remove him from office, although you have awoken now, so the decision doesn't solely rest on me to decide that."

Arisu fiddled idly with a strand of her hair, twirling it around a finger. Kirigakure's leadership had often been a pronounced failure, strife with greed and self interested mortals. Sayuri was simply another to slip in between the cracks. With Valen, Arisu had seen Kiri prosper truly. Besides the snafu with the 2 tails being too much for him to control, Valen had served Kirigakure well, and that had simply been a miscalculation of his own abilities perhaps. Had he asked for her aid, things would have gone much different. It was a shame that Raphael was the cost of that miscalculation.

Despite that, Valen had made a full recovery and had gone in search of Sayuri immediately to continue his efforts. The man was commendable in his drive to bring Kirigakure to its fullest potential, and to make sure that those who had wronged Kirigakure were brought to justice.

Kitsuki nodded. That was good. Very good. She had heard of Valen's promotion to Jounin Commander and how he had made several bold moves in Kiri's favor. If he was hot on Sayuri's trail then they wouldn't need to wait long. He was supposedly quite powerful and it would make sense that Arisu would tap him for the position of Mizukage. However, Kitsuki had several concerns.

"Excellent. My aides have told me a bit about him. He's expanded the Empire primarily through peaceful means and has shown himself to be dependable. I can understand why you'd want to appoint him as Mizukage and in truth I'm not entirely opposed to bringing back the office"

Kitsuki hadn't given it much thought but as her reforms were progressing so was her sense of optimism for the future. The reason the office of the Mizukage had remained unfilled was because so many of the past Mizukage were horribly corrupt and involved with the subversive terrorist organization known as the Society. While Kit had gotten use to the idea of three noble and powerful women sharing power, she knew it could not last forever. There was bound to be infighting, confusion in authority and a host of other problems. Kit's issue wasn't with the Mizukage office, it was with who could be trusted to hold the position. Fortunately, as the city became more virtuous, the idea of restoring the Mizukage became more palatable.

"Valen's conquest of Kumogakure is quite problematic from my perspective and its made me wary of giving him increased responsibility. My understanding is that he arrived at a sovereign nation in chaos...one we've been at war with twice in the past fifty years and essentially claimed it as our own. We just signed a treaty with Kumogakure and I'd imagine the local populace isn't happy about being a subordinate colony to the Mist. I get that Kumo has become unstable as of late and his decision to ban Jashinism was likely the right one but the way he went about it will deepen Kaminari resentment against us."

Kitsuki looked Arisu in the eye. Surely the alien could not forget the horrors of the Mountain War or of the Great Dying that proceeded it? They were each veterans of both conflicts and while Kit was profoundly affected by the carnage she saw, she wondered if the Ōtsutsuki felt the same.

"Remember what happened the last time a Major Nation conquered another? Iwa rose up and claimed its independence and many died in the process. I'd prefer avoiding the same happening between Kumo and Kiri. Valen's poor judgment could end up costing us and I'm not sure he's ready for the title of Mizukage if he doesn't understand that. He can stay Jounin Commander for now but I think we should tap someone else. If you have any candidates I'm open to them."

Isn't it interesting that Kitsuki didn't mention herself as a candidate? In truth, Kit didn't want the job. It was too much responsibility and she had so many projects to oversee as Princess. The Princess Triumverate allowed her to split the mountain of work three ways and it also kept her main two political rivals from accumulating power themselves. Kit would oppose Arisu as she did not trust the Ōtsutsuki's desire to complete the Rinnegan or unite the 10 Tails. But she also knew that putting herself forward would be suspicious and likely contrary to the alien's interests. It was perhaps best if neither of them took it. Of course, if Arisu was insistent on ceding the title to her and there was truly no one else available, Kit would simply have to make the time to do it.

ⵡⴻ ⴻⵅⵛⴻⵍ ⴰⵜ ⵎⴰⴽⵉⵏⴳ ⵜⵉⵎⴻ. ⵙⴻⴻ ⵡⵀⴰⵜ ⵉ ⴷⵉⴷ ⵜⵀⴻⵔⴻ? a voice came from Kit's well-kept afro.

"It was hardly a conquest. We did not take it through force, instead troops were sent to protect and aid was offered to assist their refugees and rebuild. We are merely caretakers while they are leaderless, and many of their troops came to our doors to ask for our aid. I can understand that there are those that might question how that looks on paper, but if we ceased our efforts when aid is needed because of looks, we would get nothing done and people would suffer for longer. I do not care for how a thing looks, I care about how that thing is."

Arisu was fed up with human politics for the most part. Many mortals involved in the politics of the planet only cared about things for their own gain, and what they could get out of it. If they wanted to justify their responses, they could find a way to do so in any number of ways. There was no point in catering to the political ideals of those who would use Kiri's humanitarian efforts as ammo to attack. If they wanted to, they would be put down as efficiently as possible.

"I do not believe that there is a single individual more qualified than Valen to take the office of Mizukage at this point in time, barring present company. The good he has done outweighs any grievances you may have. Seeing as he's not currently in the village, the point is moot until you can discuss things with him yourself. When I granted him the position, it was with explicit orders that he was not allowed to start a war without discussion with the council. Everything he has done is on the up and up."

Arisu stood up and walked over to a picture on the wall that held a map of all the nations that was kept up to date with the current holdings of Kirigakure, as well as known nations held by other nations. It was color coded with different pushpins. She surveyed it for a moment, before pointing a finger at Sunagakure.

"The reports of Sayuri's actions took place here. The Tsuchikage gave us... permission to go and retrieve Sayuri to be dealt with as we see fit, so long as we allow her access to some shinobi of ours. I do not like the game that Diana is playing at. She seemed to be unconcerned with the wholesale genocide of the elderly population of Sunagakure. If we were to conquer a major nation, it would be Iwagakure, and we would liberate and offer aid to Sunagakure in much the same way as we did with Kumogakure. But politics stay our hand. I question our.... my ability to help the people of this world while bound to a nation content with letting injustices stand, if we have to constantly worry about how people will perceive our aid."

She looked to Kitsuki to gauge what her response might be. She knew that she was also one of those that liked to be on the front lines, actively offering and giving aid to those who required it, regardless of which side of a conflict she was on. They'd done it during the evacuations in Iwa during the war. She was a bit surprised to hear that Kitsuki was opposed to Valen's humanitarian efforts in Kumo. If this was the case, she would never likely be a supporter of a one nation world. Too many of these factions only had their own interests at play.

Kitsuki had never seen Arisu this worked up. The normally calm and insouciant alien was fed up with the borders that mankind had drawn up for themselves. These imaginary lines often allowed people to abuse each other without the interference of their international neighbors. Arisu had no respect for such earthly customs and she wasn't afraid to show it. Kit looked at Arisu with a mixture of horror and concern as she implied that she would feel freer to act if she just straight up ignored the politics and conventions of this world. Kitsuki did not interrupt her fellow Princess. She remained quiet and seated, looking at the map and then back at Arisu as she explained why Kiri's takeover of Kumo was necessary.

She did share her colleague's frustration with how politics often restrained the actions of the righteous. Nations often abused sovereignty as a shield to defend their evil activities. Kiri itself being no exception. Still, to ignore those sovereignty altogether invited disaster and warfare. Kitsuki carefully considered Arisu's words before formulating her own response:

"If it wasn't a conquest then why are we drawing wealth from Kumo and her territories? I agree that a humanitarian intervention is necessary and Valen was right to act in the interests of the people there but we should not be referring to Kumo as a member of the Empire. I propose that we separate their accounting from that of the Empire and all the money the nation produces should be held in a fixed account to be returned to the people of Kaminari once their country stabilizes. We should also get Konoha on board so that its not a unilateral action on our part."

Arisu was rather passionate in her defense of Valen. It made Kit suspicious. She had never seen Arisu so forcefully about pushing someone into a position of leadership. Then again, the peace of Kishin had been rocked by several crises as of late and while Kit was out from the plague, it looked like this Valen was one of the few Kiri shinobi that stepped up. Kit nodded and aceeded to at least meeting the man before finalizing her judgment on his suitability for Mizukage. It looked clear that Arisu would not put forward anyone else until Valen was firmly out of consideration.

"Very well. I will meet with him before making my final decision." Kitsuki agreed. It was the least she could do. Arisu had been running Kiri alone for the past few months and the Empire still stood strong. If she was willing to vouch for this Jounin Commander then Kit would give him a fair shot.

Its easy to second guess hard decisions when you're not the one making them. Kit thought. She recalled her own split-second choice to overthrow the Mizukage's government. As for Iwagakure, Kitsuki would have no choice but to oppose such thinking. Kit agreed that it was rather disturbing how cavalier the Tsuchikage was about the Suna Massacre. Kit remembered how awful she had felt when she first got the news. It was well before her falling to the plague and not long after the Allied Forces had prevailed against the Indaina Kujira. Her friend Mitsu had been terrified as to what might have happened to her family. Kit had known that Chen was a depraved and wicked individual, but the independence of Iwa had prevented her from acting and now hundreds of elderly civilians had paid the price. The fact that Chen and Sayuri were still at large was an indictment of Iwa and worse yet was Diana treating Kiri like pest control. Kit felt Arisu's anger with them and she understood it, but she would not succumb to it. The Princess's eyes glowed a light gold as her anger was transformed into righteousness.

ⴰⵜⵜⴰ ⴳⵉⵔⵍ.

Kitsuki stood from her seat at the couch and walked over to Arisu. She stood directly in front of the woman and looked her in the eye. The light gold of her pupils peering into the lavender of Arisu's Rinnegan.

"I understand your frustration. Believe me. A close friend of mine was deeply affected by Chen's Massacre and Diana will have to answer for her inability to control the affairs of her own country. But we can't ignore the rights of sovereign countries. We aren't conquerors and we never will be. Never again. There is a better way to do this. If we aren't careful, we might end up sparking a second World War. Like it or not perception can make the difference between a diplomatic resolution or a violent one."

Kit hoped that Arisu would listen to reason, but she feared that the problem was much deeper than the geopolitical situation they faced.

She fundamentally thinks that she's better than humanity. She thinks that our customs, borders and norms are play rules for disobedient children.
ⵉ ⵜoⵍⴷ ⵢoⵓ ⵜⵀⴻⵙⴻ ⵛoⵍoⵏⵉⵣⴻⵔⵙ ⵛⴰⵏ'ⵜ ⴱⴻ ⵜⵔⵓⵙⵜⴻⴷ.
She has a good heart Zizz. She's willing to put her life on the line for us but I need to make her see that we can't go down this path. I'm sure many of the past Mizukage thought they were doing the right thing too.

"I think its time we speak with Diana. The Western Alliance is growing in power and influence so we need to get a better sense of what her agenda is before we take any drastic action."

Arisu didn't really care about getting Konoha's permission for this regard, but it wasn't like she had any reason to decline Kitsuki's request. This was an easy thing to do and caused no major concerns, and would likely serve to keep Kitsuki content. The two of them did pretty good work together when they actually trusted each other.

"If that is how you wish to handle things, then fine. Things like resources and money are truly irrelevant. Kumogakure will get a fund set aside. It's whoever is in charge that is ultimately the problem in most cases. In that regard, yes. We should speak to Diana. I can travel there and then come and collect you when I arrive in Iwagakure. That will alleviate any lack of leadership in Kirigakure in the meantime."

Arisu sighed. The loss of life in Sunagakure was catastrophic. She wished there was something more that she could do for the people there. Above the board, they had yet to find out about the most recent actions of Chen, and it was likely a good thing that news hadn't yet travelled to Kiri, or Arisu would have been spurred to action immediately. Ignorance, at times, was a calming force.

"Borders between the nations and 'sovereign countries' are the reasons these wars continue happening. Peace will not thrive on this planet until everyone comes together as one united force, and dissolve the arbitrary borders, fully integrating with each other. Perhaps, so it isn't seen as a power grab, we need to lead by example and dissolve the borders of our nation and its holdings, and provide equal representation over the places we govern and any new joining nations."

Unity. That's what the world needed.

Kit was releived that Arisu had agreed to her proposal regarding Kumogakure. It definitely made the occupation more palatable knowing that she had a commitment to her fellow Princess that they would be doing things the "right" way. Arisu's plan to confront Diana also sounded good. The Princess's wormhole ability was nifty and was a great boon to them. It was a shame that were not fully aligned on every issue, for if they were, the pair would be unstoppable.

"That will work." Kitsuki said reaching in her inner jacket pocket and retrieving a golden case. She pressed a button and the top flipped open revealing a row of meticulously hand rolled cigarettes. She plucked one from the set, placed it in her mouth, shut the case and slipped it back inside. It was indeed a good thing that the full horrors of Suna were not known to her yet. She'd have needed a lot more than one cigarette to calm down after hearing the the scope of Chen's destruction. Kit held the RYO in between two fingers and she looked at Arisu. The alien didn't strike her as a smoker so she hadn't offered one, but she didn't want to just light up in her presence.


"Do you mind?" Kit asked. It was extremely rude and unladylike but after months in a coma and waking up to some pretty terrible news, Kit could not resist the urge. Assuming permission was given, she'd start to reach into her pocket for a light. While she did so, Arisu went on critique the world's current era of governance. The convinction in her voice was unusual and the subject matter was beyond Kit's understanding. How could one do away with borders? In theory, if the entire world asked to join the Mist Empire, Kitsuki would have no problem placing it under the rulership of the Triumverate. She had already made miracles happen in terms of turning the nation away from evil and excess violence. She was confident that with the resources of the major nations at her disposal, she could do much the same for all of the known world. However, the concept was fanciful as people didn't just cede power, traditions and territory to their historical rivals. Absent violence, there was no way for humanity to be united under a single banner.

Soverighty isn't ideal...but it is reality.


Kitsuki also wasn't sure if Arisu's idea of a united globe would bring the peace she wanted. There'd always be divisions, civil wars, coups and other forms of organized violence. But she lacked the knowledge to ascertain whether it would be better than the current state of affairs. Logic dictated yes, but the task was so impossible that it was like asking what if everyone had an Angel like Zizz to help keep them on the right path.

ⵙⵀⴻ ⵡⴰⵏⵜⵙ ⴰ ⵓⵏⵉⵜⴻⴷ pⵍⴰⵏⴻⵜ ⵙo ⵜⵀⴰⵜ ⵉⵜ ⵡⵉⵍⵍ ⴱⴻ ⴻⴰⵙⵉⴻⵔ ⵜo ⵛoⵏⵜⵔoⵍ. ⴰⵍⵍ ⵙⵀⴻ ⵏⴻⴻⴷⵙ ⵜo ⴷo ⵉⵙ ⵙⵜⵉⵛⴽ ⵀⴻⵔ ⵔoⴷⵙ ⵉⵏ ⵜⵀⴻ "ⵍⴻⴰⴷⴻⵔ" oⴼ ⵜⵀⵉⵙ ⵡoⵔⵍⴷ ⴳoⵠⴻⵔⵏⵎⴻⵏⵜ ⴰⵏⴷ ⵊⵓⵙⵜ ⵍⵉⴽⴻ ⵜⵀⴰⵜ ⵙⵀⴻ ⵀⴰⵙ ⴻⴰⵔⵜⵀ ⵉⵏ ⵜⵀⴻ pⴰⵍⵎ oⴼ ⵀⴻⵔ ⵀⴰⵏⴷ.

Kit couldn't ignore that possibility. Arisu sounded sincere and the idea was a nice one to hope for, but she had to be wary of the Ōtsutsuki. Their people were world-conquerors and if Kit wasn't careful, she could lead Earth to the same fate as Zizz's homeworld and countless others.

If allowed, she retrieved her lighter and lit the end of her cigarette. The Princess walked away from Arisu and sat casually at the end of the other couch. She blew a cloud of smoke into the vent directly above. The room was enclosed with no windows to speak of, so she didn't want to fill the air with her tobacco.

"Is that how it is on your world?" Kit asked in an intrigued voice. Regardless of the answer, she'd follow with: "On Earth, I don't think there's ever been a time in history that the world was under a single government. Nations have tried but they always end up failing. I'm not educated enough on the subject to say whether this would work but I have some sources I trust and I'm a quick study. I'll look into it. In the meanwhile, your idea of further integrating the Empire sounds like a good one. I think if we lead by example.....and maybe strengthen the alliance between Konoha and Kiri, there could be a future where we achieve global peace and unity."

Kit took another drag from her cigarette and exhaled.

"That, of course, leaves us with an open question. Who would lead it?" Kit's eyes narrowed and she focused on her closest ally and greatest rival. "You are committed to justice but we can't ignore my concerns forever. Especially not after the Two Tails attack. I'm told you, Valen and Ryuko led the defense of Kiri against it....the casualties should have been in the hundreds of thousands but I'm told we only lost one shinobi. One too many, but a blessing given the circumstances. I wasn't there and you were....so I wanted to say thank you. Thank you for saving a place that's not your own. However I must say I don't like the idea of you holding onto the Bijuu in that....thing....of yours. I'm not interested in taking action against you for it. It was an emergency situation and you made the judgment call. I'm not going to second guess you on it but its less than ideal given what I know about the Ōtsutsuki. I'm respectfully asking that you relinquish the Bijuu at the earliest opportunity."

Kitsuki didn't like bringing up the subject. Arisu was sensitive about it but given her new goal of achieving world government, the issue needed to be addressed. The collection of Bijuu, the completion of the Rinnegan, all of these things were stumbling blocks to their partnership. If they were cleared, Kit and Arisu might actually have a shot at making this unified world a reality.


"Why don't we just put it on the moon?" It was a absurd thought but Kit figured it was worth asking. The planet was big enough, it was far enough away and Arisu had access to it. The only concern was the supposed group of people that occupied it but surely they could dump the creature in an uninhabited part of the satellite.

Arisu watched as Kitsuki pulled out a cigarette, but did not interrupt her. She didn't much care for the usage of them, although she was able to simply stop breathing, which she often spent most of her time not doing. When asked if she minded, Arisu simply shook her head and motioned for her to proceed.

"I don't breathe, you're fine."

She dropped her attention from the cigarettes and refocused on the conversation. Kitsuki hadn't often asked her about where she was from or what it was like there.

"In a way, yes. I am from a place separate from here. The phrase 'it takes a village' applies. I was not raised by my parents, but by the community as a whole. Everyone contributed to everything as a collective, even if some of us were specialized in certain areas or chosen for certain things. The success of one of us was the success of all of us. I do not believe that my community is considered the standard of my people though. The Otsutsuki as a whole are wide spread throughout the stars and throughout different dimensions. We are but one example of them. There is a hierarchy though, and those of us with Rinnegan are considered higher beings even among our own people regardless of their origin. For instance, there is a colony of Otsutsuki built in Kumogakure that was founded by Seid from his home, but they would listen to me just the same as they would him."

There was a lot about the Otsutsuki that she couldn't answer, simply because her people were so varied and spread apart.

"Some of us take to our duties with the understanding that it is our job to care for others and keep the people of the world safe, but others see those beneath them as people to subjugate and make serve us."

She'd listen to Kitsuki explain that the governments of the planet had tried to do something similar as far as combining nation efforts, but Arisu knew that the reason things had failed was because the people in charge of each nation were often greedy. It never worked out because people always did what was best for them or tried to further some agenda they had to make their own nations more important or more powerful. It wasn't truly the same as full integration and dissolving all borders. Ideally, there would be no "Kirigakure" or "Konohagakure". There would be the people of Kishin and that would be that. Locations would only be necessary to distinguish where someone was. What one nation had would be shared among them all.

"Nobody would lead it, but if someone had to, it would be the representatives of each area, simply to do just that: represent the people who live around them."

Arisu had to suppress the urge to roll her eyes and sigh when Kitsuki brought up the whole Matatabi incident. This woman was insufferable. She had even brought up that it was due to her own actions that casualties were kept substantially low.

"I'm not holding on to anything. The two tails, and all Bijuu, are simply the chakra that originally belonged to the Gedou Mazou. It has been re-integrated and will no longer be a threat to anyone else. The Bijuu should never have been made, they've simply been used as tools of war to threaten other nations, and it is simply far too easy for people to lose control of them. They're a danger and must be removed as they become problems. While putting the remainder on the moon would be ideal so as to keep them out of the hands of those who would misuse them, I do not know what the people present on the moon would do with them if they discovered them, and I would rather not risk their lives either without figuring out their purpose."

That's odd.

The fact that Arisu didn't need to breathe was just one of the many things that separated humans from these strange otherworldly beings.

Kit listened politely as Arisu explained what her world was like. It sounded like some kind of communist utopia where everyone raised everyone's children and worked in harmony. What Arisu added to this gave Kit more insight into the nature of the Ōtsutsuki Clan as a whole. Apparently not all of them were conquerors, but rather there were factions of the Clan that made it a priority. It made sense that they were not all united. Seid and Arisu did not appear to be working in concert and throughout the years it was said many Ōtsutsuki had come and left Earth without incident. It was why Kit did not trouble them despite Zizz's uneasiness about the so-called invaders.

You never told me that there were different factions of the Ōtsutsuki Clan
ⵜⵀⴻ ⵛoⵍoⵏⵉⵣⴻⵔⵙ ⵡⴻⵔⴻⵏ'ⵜ ⴻⵅⴰⵛⵜⵍⵢ ⴻⴰⴳⴻⵔ ⵜo ⴻⵏⴳⴰⴳⴻ ⵉⵏ ⴰ ⵛⵓⵍⵜⵓⵔⴰⵍ ⴻⵅⵛⵀⴰⵏⴳⴻ ⵡⵉⵜⵀ ⵎⵢ ⵛⵔⴻⴰⵜoⵔⵙ. ⴻⵠⴻⵏ ⵉⴼ ⴰⵍⵍ oⴼ ⵜⵀⴻⵎ ⴰⵔⴻⵏ'ⵜ ⴱⴰⴷ, ⵢoⵓ ⵊⵓⵙⵜ ⵏⴻⴻⴷ ⵜⵡo ⵜo ⴻⵏⴷ ⴰⵏ ⴻⵏⵜⵉⵔⴻ ⵡoⵔⵍⴷ.

The status of Rinnegan wielders as being above most members of the Clan also made sense. It wasn't unheard for those with the most advanced version of their Doujutsu to take positions of honor and leadership among their brethren. That would make Arisu a "clan leader" of sorts. The Princess continued to smoke as she considered her ally's words.
She genuinely is one of the good ones. She's has a superiority complex but she's far better than the alternative.

The issue of who would lead this world government was vexing. Arisu said that it ought to be a council of representatives and while that sounded good on paper, it wasn't entirely practical. Kit knew that humanity could not respond to global threats or internal strife if the necessary tasks were given to a fractious Congress. There needed to be one sole leader at the top. A global figurehead that, at a minimum, could serve as an executive capable of taking action without abusing their power.

Woe if we could find such a man.
Oⵔ ⴰ ⵡoⵎⴰⵏ

Kit didn't like the idea of being President of Earth. It sounded absurd and she didn't feel nearly qualified enough to do it. She was, however, keen on being involved in the selection process. Fortunately, that would come later. She'd still need to discuss the idea with Headmaster Sukimori, the Angelic Sisterhood, her family and other trusted advisors. They had a long way to go before they were deciding who the leader of this hypothetical global government would be.

The possibility of a unified world was one that was foreign to Kitsuki, but it wasn't one she opposed out of hand. Arisu's custodianship of the Two Tails, however, was a different matter entirely. Kitsuki shook her head in disbeleif at Arisu's explanation. It wasn't convincing. She had made a similar argument back when they were unsure of what to do with Chigetsu. The boy had since lost his Bijuu to some unknown force. The development had been a strange occurrence that was still being investigated, but the question of how to treat future incidents remained unsolved. Kit was opposed to Arisu keeping it inside the Gedou Mazou and she had been quite clear about it. Arisu shot down her moon idea which wasn't surprising. Aside from the obvious conflict of interest, Arisu did claim that there were people on the moon. It wasn't something she felt that the Princess would lie about given that information predated their current predicament. These unknown persons could either be harmed by the Bijuu or use it to inflict harm on others.

"I agree that the Bijuu should have never been created. I also agree that there is tremendous risk putting them in the hands of people. I don't like the idea of Sero having one and nevertheless he remains a jinchurikki. But if I can live with Sero having a Bijuu then I can surely live with someone of our own choosing having it." Kitsuki countered. "I want you to un-integrate the Two Tails and take it out of the Gedou Mazou. Its rather convenient that these creatures' origins are connected to a construct you control. I assume your intentions are to capture each one just as well? If so, I've already told you that's unacceptable."

Kitsuki took a pull from her cigarette and exhaled before bathing it in a small glow of golden light and whisking it a few minutes into the future. She rose from her sitting position and walked closer to Arisu once more. She wanted the alien to look her in the eyes and lie to her face if she dared.

"I'm asking you to let go of the Two Tails. Are you telling me that you cannot do this or that you will not do this? Because if the former, I will let it go for now but if I find out that you lied to my face, I will revisit this discussion and it won't be with words. If its the latter then I don't think there is any need for us to re-visit it at all"

Kitsuki had laid down the gauntlet. Like the Rinnegan, the collection of Bijuu into a single vessel was a hard red line for Kitsuki. She was prepared to take violent action to stop Arisu if necessary although she prayed to Kami that it wouldn't be necessary. Surely the Princess could not be that arrogant? She had to realize that the temptation of wielding one Bijuu had proven the downfall of many a human civilization. But to try and collect all 9? ⵎⴰⴷⵏⴻⵙⵙ.

She would try one last plea. It was not her intention to threaten Arisu into compliance. She wanted to make her understand that they were on the same team. But being on the same team meant allowing yourself to be checked. Power was all-consuming and if Arisu was not careful she might end up going down the same path as her many cousins across the cosmos. If permitted, she'd reach out and try to touch Arisu's right hand holding onto it with both of her own. This was a personal entreatment. She was not asking Arisu as a Princess but as someone who could one day be a friend.

"Just let it go. Please. You're a good person Arisu but you're not the only one. We can find a new host. One that we both trust can bear this burden."

Arisu was getting tired of the same old song and dance with Kitsuki. She was beginning to see that the girl would never be okay with the Otsutsuki unless they were weaker than her. The Rinnegan was part of her natural progression. Kitsuki's only issue was how strong it would make one, but she got to decide how strong someone was allowed to be? She'd kill someone if they were too strong? This could not work.

"I am telling you that I am not going to actively seek them out, but as they present a problem I will be removing them from the equation. Bijuu do not permanently die, and I would not endanger someone else by sealing such a volatile beast inside of them. It doesn't matter if we trust someone, Valen failed to control the power and it broke out, and he was powerful. They are safe inside the Statue, and no danger to others. In it, they are separate from me, I am not in control of their power, nor do they pose a risk to myself. I have no interest in using them, I want them gone, they are tools of war and destruction used for exterminating life from the planet. That is entirely antithetical to my purpose here."

Arisu had allowed Kitsuki's hand to touch her own, to show that she trusted the girl to an extent. Kitsuki was immensely strong, and if she was going to try anything against her, it would be now. But the girl was never going to not be a problem, and for now, working with her was easier than being antagonistic towards each other. Open fighting wasn't good for either of them, especially given the situation with Sayuri. There was still much to resolve before they got to that.

"Perhaps a solution can be found. My only issue with releasing the Bijuu on the moon currently is that there are others there who it may hurt or might try and harness them. Once we take care of that issue, I would be glad to let it roam free up there if they are no longer an issue, or I might find other suitable environments that are unpopulated to release them. If you would like to accompany me to the moon or to any other location I find suitably uninhabited so that you may determine if it's a suitable location and also witness me releasing it, you are free to do so."

That should be enough of a solution for the time being. The two of them worked together well enough, there was no reason to bring a stop to that now. Reuniting the Bijuu into one had never been her goal anyhow, nor something she was focused on. The Rinnegan was her only true priority, and even then, she wished to work with the other wielders. She didn't need to absorb their abilities, so long as all wielders were working together. That would also suit her goal of uniting the Rinnegan paths.

"That said, Kitsuki, make no mistake. My willingness to cooperate with you is because of the mutual trust we've built up. I respect you as an ally, and you are one of the closest to a friend I have. I will regrettably have to kill you if you continue to threaten me. We are not enemies, stop trying to make me one."

Her eyes never wavered from Kitsuki's, to impress upon her a request of her own. The only one making them enemies was Kitsuki.

Is this woman willing to die over collecting Bijuu? Kitsuki was beyond frustrated with Arisu. She clarified that she had every intention of continuing to draw them into her Gedou Mazou for as long as they were a problem and given the history of the shinobi world, that was likely to be indefinitely. She was categorically against sealing it into another person as she feared that the seal would break and unleash chaos on the world. It was a valid concern, especially given what had just transpired at the village's training grounds. The problem was that Arisu would now have them in her possession. She insisted that she would not use nor access them, but that didn't put Kit at ease. Even if Kit believed that Arisu was telling the complete truth about her not having access to their power despite them being inside the Gedo Mazou, she could at any time give them to one person or a group of people. The Bijuu were weapons of mass destruction in biological form. This meant that they could be used as leverage, bargaining chips or deterrents. Possession was therefore a form of power unto itself. A level of power that Kit could not tolerate anyone having, let alone an Ōtsutsuki.

Arisu had not shied away from her touch which was good and while her words were defiant, she was willing to strike a conciliatory note with Kitsuki. The subject of alternate storage came up again. They had ruled out the moon on the grounds that there were people active there, but if they were neutralized as a threat then Kit's suggestion would be acceptable. Even more promising, she brought up other uninhabitable worlds that she could find that might prove suitable for release. She even offered to let Kitsuki witness the act.

The Angelic Princess considered her words for a moment. She had thrown Kit's threat back in her face, addressing it squarely and offering words of caution. Kit stared her down in silence as she contemplated attacking her right then and there. No...it wouldn't accomplish anything especially not at a time like this. Besides, the compromise she suggested was tempting.

ⵙⵀⴻ ⵛoⵓⵍⴷ ⴱⴻ ⵍⵢⵉⵏⴳ...ⵙⵀⴻ ⵛoⵓⵍⴷ ⵊⵓⵙⵜ ⴱⴻ ⵡⴰⵉⵜⵉⵏⴳ ⴼoⵔ ⵢoⵓ ⵜo ⴷⵔop ⵢoⵓⵔ ⴳⵓⴰⵔⴷ. Oⵏⵍⵢ ⵜⵀⴻ ⵛoⵍoⵏⵉⵣⴻⵔ ⵡoⵓⵍⴷ ⵀⴰⵠⴻ ⴰⵛⵛⴻⵙⵙ ⵜo ⵜⵀⵉⵙ ⵡoⵔⵍⴷ ⵙo ⵡⵀⴰⵜ'ⵙ ⵙⵜoppⵉⵏⴳ ⵀⴻⵔ ⴼⵔoⵎ ⴳoⵉⵏⴳ ⴱⴰⵛⴽ ⴰⵏⴷ pⵉⵛⴽⵉⵏⴳ ⵉⵜ ⵓp ⵡⵀⵉⵍⴻ ⵢoⵓⵔ ⴱⴰⵛⴽ ⵉⵙ ⵜⵓⵔⵏⴻⴷ.
Stop calling her that.
ⵡⵀⴰⵜ? ⵜⵀⴰⵜ'ⵙ ⵡⵀⴰⵜ ⵙⵀⴻ ⵉⵙ. ⵉ ⵙⵀoⵡⴻⴷ ⵢoⵓ ⵡⵀⴰⵜ ⵀⴻⵔ ⴽⵉⵏⴷ ⴷⵉⴷ ⵜo ⵎⵢ ⵀoⵎⴻⵡoⵔⵍⴷ. ⵡⵀⴰⵜ ⵜⵀⴻⵢ'ⵠⴻ ⴷoⵏⴻ ⵜo ⵛoⵓⵏⵜⵍⴻⵙⵙ oⵜⵀⴻⵔ ⵡoⵔⵍⴷⵙ. ⵉⴼ ⵡⴻ ⴷoⵏ'ⵜ ⵙⵜop ⵀⴻⵔ, ⵢoⵓⵔⵙ ⵡⵉⵍⵍ ⴱⴻ ⵏⴻⵅⵜ.
All the same. She isn't them. She's lived peacefully here for years and until such time as she unjustly hurts someone, you will refer to her with respect. Back at the WASP we had a word for a person who attacked someone based on their heritage.
ⵢoⵓ ⴻⵅpⴻⵛⵜ ⵎⴻ ⵜo ⴼoⵔⴳⴻⵜ ⵡⵀⴰⵜ ⵜⵀⴻⵢ ⴷⵉⴷ? ⵡⵀⴰⵜ ⵙⵀⴻ'ⵙ ⵜⵔⵢⵉⵏⴳ ⵜo ⴷo ⵏoⵡ? ⵢoⵓ ⵛⴰⵏ'ⵜ ⵜⵔⵓⵙⵜ ⵀⴻⵔ ⴽⵉⵜ. ⵢoⵓ ⵛⴰⵏ'ⵜ ⵜⵔⵓⵙⵜ ⴰⵏⵢ oⴼ ⵜⵀⴻⵎ.
I'm willing to put my life on the line to stop her from completing the Rinnegan. I'm willing to be your vessel so that you could fulfill the purpose that your creators gave you. But I'm going to do it my way and that means treating the Ōtsutsuki with dignity until they demonstrate they are unworthy of it.
....
No more of that kind of talk Zizz, I mean it.

The Angel didn't respond. She was normally submissive to Kit's will but on this point, she was resistant. The creature shrank to the size of an atom and sulked. She didn't trust Arisu's words and she didn't like that her host was so eager to believe what could be world-ending lies.

With the distraction gone, Kitsuki replied:

"If there are uninhabitable worlds that you can reach....something besides the Moon....that would alleviate my concerns. I'd like to see you release it with my own eyes and I ask that you swear not to retrieve it or use it for any other purposes without at least consulting myself." Kitsuki would then continue. "I understand that as the Bijuu become a problem you will be compelled to deal with them and I respect that. They cannot be permitted to roam free nor is it an adequate remedy to stick them inside of a person, but who watches the watcher? You may not be my enemy but you aren't omnipotent. If someone were to turn you against us, we'd be facing an opponent with possession of all 9 Bijuu. I can't let anyone have that kind of power. Not you. Not me. No one. You keeping them indefinitely isn't going to work but dropping them off on another world, while not ideal, is acceptable."

Kitsuki didn't address the threat on her life. There was not much more for them to say on the subject. Neither of them were going to let the other get away with intimidation. Kit had certain red lines that she had warned Arisu not to cross and while it sounded like they had a solution to the Bijuu Question, the Rinnegan Question remained. Kit held the Princess's hand in her own for a while longer before letting it go. There was one thing that Arisu had said that had stuck with the Princess though. Something she hadn't heard from someone else in a long time.

"I don't want it to come to that. I hope to God it doesn't. But it isn't up to him. Only the two of us can control that outcome" She said. She could not make this woman afraid of her nor could she dissuade her from doing anything she was absolutely determined to do. Either they'd come to an accord at a later date or they'd have to fight until only one of them was left breathing standing.

"I shall search for a suitable world then. It may take a few days or weeks, but once I've found one I shall come and find you. Rift traveling isn't precise if I'm unfamiliar with where I'm traveling to. I won't bore you with the details but space and time are hard concepts to control. My abilities are specialized more on life, death, reincarnation, and the afterlife than space and time."

Arisu looked up towards the sky, symbolically. Closing her eyes, she imagined the stars. There were many planets that she could choose. Ultimately it depended on which she wanted. If a bijuu died off world, would their chakra reform back here? If so, she needed to select the place carefully. Many of the worlds she currently could access were uninhabitable in the long term. Even short term would be hard pressed for many.

She turned her gaze to Kitsuki and blinked.

"The idea of someone controlling me would be preposterous. The idea of someone controlling me and 9 Bijuu even more so. You worry over nothing. It's a moot point anyhow. I don't want the Bijuu, nor do I want anyone to misuse them. They will be dealt with as they come up."

Arisu moved back towards the door, having had a productive enough conversation with Kitsuki. Besides their personal issues, the two of them worked well together. If Kitsuki wasn't so hell bent on limiting Arisu's capabilities, the two of them wouldn't have any issues at all really. It was a shame that Kitsuki couldn't be more like Valen on that front.

"Was there anything further to discuss, or should I prepare for my travel to Iwagakure?"

Kit cracked a grin when Arisu spoke of space and time. She didn't need a lecture on the complexities of that subject. It occured to her that while Kit had a fairly solid understanding of Arisu and the origin of her abiliites, Arisu did not have direct insight into Kit's own powers. Arisu had seen her fight, but did she really understand what she was capable of? Did she know what Zizz was or what she represented? If she did, she never once mentioned it. Whereas Kit had a vested interest in understanding and limiting Arisu's power, the alien had no such reciprocal designs.

Regardless, the two came to an accord on how to deal with the Bijuu. It seemed like a fairly solid plan at least for the time being. Kit sighed in exasperation when Arisu disregarded her concerns over being controlled. The woman seemed to believe in her own infallibility more than anything else. It was the one constant about Arisu and it was what set Kit on edge with her. The Celestial Princess appeared to have no other interest besides helping people and accumulating vast quantities of power. The former was laudable but the latter was intrinsically concerning. Even Sayuri seemed to have more personality and desire, visceral and carnal though they may be.

Its because she's an alien... Kit thought. She really isn't like most humans. I've never seen her laugh or play music or really do anything except work. Does she have a boyfriend? Any family she cares about?

It was well within Arisu's rights to beleive heself undefeatable but it was Kit's job to cover her blindspots. That meant ensuring that all the Bijuu were not directly under her control.

It might behoove us to keep a good amount of Bijuu in the hands of another village. Its a bit of a gamble but its necessary. So long as other factions and organizations that we trust have it in their grasp, Arisu won't start a conflict with them just to possess them.

"That's all. I think we can adjourn for now. We both have a lot of work to do."

With their meeting done, Kit would leave after Arisu. She would need to look into reforming the Kiri government. Arisu had raised some valid concerns about the structure of human society and Kit knew that the Oddfellows were looking for an oppurtunity to test out some of their more radical proposals. She'd form a working group and have them issue a report on the subject. Times were changing for Kiri and though there was still lingering tension between them, Kit was hopeful that things might just work out.

She said I was the closest thing to a friend she has.
ⵜⵀⴰⵜ ⵙⴰⵢⵙ ⴰ ⵍoⵜ ⴰⴱoⵓⵜ ⵀⴻⵔ ⴰⵏⴷ ⵀⴻⵔ ⵙpⴻⵛⵉⴻⵙ.
Or it says a lot about me.

[Exit]