The Princess Triumvirate

Sayuri walked through Kirigakure, Madrigal’s red scarf still loosely wrapped around her neck which made her otherwise pale visage stand out considerably in the gloom of approaching evening. As she had entered the village upon arriving from her trip to Ota she heard a good many things regarding the excitement that had occurred while she had been absent. She had been horribly disappointed that she had missed out by mere hours on the fun that was had at the gates. There was murder and mayhem and it all resulted in a significant power vacuum in the village. One that a sultry voice in her mind insisted she investigate, and who was she to argue with him?

She had left Madrigal at the gates, insisting that they meet later once he had settled in, leaving him directions to a very nice hotel not far from the Mizukage complex. She planned to thoroughly enjoy his company later, but first she needed to see for herself what had befallen her village. Her crystalline white dress swished softly in time to the quiet padding of her bare feet along the streets. The gentle sounds of people closing up shops and scurrying home music to her ears, because it meant that she was unlikely to run into anyone as she travelled. There was a cool mist settling to the ground making the scene very ethereal and it helped Sayuri to imagine that she was actually alone.

The large white building came into view as she progressed towards the Mizukage complex, there were guards of course, but less than she thought there probably should be, not that she was an expert on the number of guards that were normally posted. Which was not surprising considering the mess that had been made of the Eastern Gates, the mess being actual people. She had heard that Hana Kaguya and Kyoji Hoshigaki had been killed, she was well read enough to assume why. Although she did live in a cave, certain events were common knowledge after a time. Like the sacking of the Land of Iron by Hana and Kyoji all those years ago, and more recently Hana being partially responsible for the attack on Moonspire. Not that Sayuri knew where those places were, but she could appreciate the savagery of the attacks. It was artful in a way, and her only regret about the events at all was not being able to see it in person.

Fixing a pleasant smile on her face she would walk up to the front entrance and nod at the two guards that stood watch. She was well known in Kirigakure, as both the Clan Head of the Yuki and as a Princess of the Council, so the guards simply looked at her and nodded in return before opening the door. She hadn’t expected any interference with her entrance, and was both pleased and disappointed when there wasn’t any. She would have adored the opportunity to sate her more murderous urges, it had been some time since she had satisfied them.

‘Soon, my Queen.’

With practiced ease she made her way through the halls, comfortable in navigating the architectural pride that often went with money. Arriving in the Mizukage’s office she would walk through the open door and into the unlit room. The room was not terribly interesting, and smaller than she would have liked. Though she had recently come to find enclosed spaces, no matter how large or small, somewhat distasteful. She much preferred the feel of the sea air on her skin. She went through everything on the desk, picking up and replacing every book, paper and knick knack she came across. Eventually she perched herself on the desk itself and amused herself with balancing the pens and pencils on their tips on the desk surface. She knew someone would come by, someone who had more answers than she currently did about what had happened. If things were changing then she wanted to be a part of it, needed to. Sero, Azrael and Jareth would expect nothing less as far as she believed.

ⵟⵡⵓ ⴰⴳⴰⵉⵏⵙⵜ ⵓⵏ. ⵓⵏ ⴰⴳⴰⵉⵏⵙⵜ ⵟⵡⵓ. ⵟⵡⵓ ⴰⴳⴰⵉⵏⵙⵜ ⵟⵡⵓ ⵉⴼ ⵢⵓⵓ ⵛⵓⵓⵏⵜ ⵎ.


Zizz was doing the math in her wee head. There were two "evil" Princesses and one "good" one. The Angel still was not convinced that Arisu had the best interests of Earth in mind which meant that the sole driving force for good in Kiri was currently Kitsuki. At least that's how she saw it. Kit, on the other hand, theorized that Arisu would back her up in the event of a power struggle with the Yuki Princess. Kit was the strongest of the two but she was also the most controversial. The news of the battle at the gates had spread through the village like wildfire. She had yet to given an official prese release (ironic given her job) but she had provided a statement through the appropriate military channels. She had admitted to what she had done and had explained why. Arisu had backed her up and given the evidence found at the scene of the crime, it should have been obvious that she was telling the truth. However, even if she wasn't, it didn't stop the top brass from kowtowing to her. The unassuming and rather unremarkable black girl from the rich merchant clan was now a powerhouse political force. Some regarded her as a murderer but those that did would not dare say it to her face. Kyoji and Hana were some of the strongest shinobi Kiri had ever produced and Kit had taken them both out in short order. Given the Isle's violent reputation, it was assumed that Kit's word was law and so many were quick to deify her. Many sung her praises as being the hero of Kiri that had removed the stain of cowardice and treason. She had led them to victory against their foreign enemies and had ushered in a new golden age for the people of the Mist. No pressure....

Unfortunately, governance subsisted on more than just strength even in Kirigakure. Kit's status as the primary initiator and ender of the conflict had made her a polarizing figure and if she tried to sideline her fellow Princesses, it might be the straw that broke the camel's back. The Kaguya were already upset about Hana's death as were likely the Hoshigaki and numerous other loyalists. If she muscled Sayuri out of the way then it might be the spark that tilted the nation against her. The Emperor had been silent for the time being, he was waiting to see how things would shake out before coming out in favor of one Princess or the other. He was content to retain his titles and riches for now. Kit had no desire to despoil him of either nor any intention of robbing her fellow Princesses over having a say in the village's affairs. Chigetsu was out of the picture for obvious reasons but she could live with Sayuri and Arisu as partners. The former had a dark and sinister vibe about her but Kit could handle her. Arisu had proven herself loyal and true to the cause of goodness, although her methods were questionable.

I can do this....I'll contain Sayuri's influence and keep Arisu on the straight and narrow......The three of us can run Kiri together and I'll act as the balance to keep us from backsliding into the old ways...

Kit was wearing her typical uniform. It consisted of a white blouse with navy jacket and matching slacks, Evanescence her designer heels, bole tie with emerald brooch, and a pair of dainty white gloves to round out the look. Kitsuki's hair was styled in its usual manner, as a series of bunches tied at the ends with small golden bands. The only major difference in appearance was that on the lapel of her jacket she was wearing three pins: a Mist pin representing her status as Princess of the Blue Empire, a pin in the form of a WASP for her alma mater, and another pin depicting an Angel holding a small child. Each pin represented one of the three organizational foundations that she'd use to build a lasting and permanent piece. Kitsuki had big plans but first she had to get the village back on the right track. To that end, she had called a meeting of the remaining Princesses. She intended on being the first to arrive but as she walked into the room and saw Sayuri sitting on the desk, her face soured.

She had not arrived first. Sayuri had. How irritating....

Worse yet, the Yuki was sitting on the desk like some kind of rogue. Kit didn't smile at her counterpart. She merely folded her hands behind her back and gave her an icy stare.

"Glad you made it...I'm sure you have questions. Me and Arisu will be more than happy to answer them. There is a power vacuum in Kiri right now but I think between the three of us...we can keep this place from falling apart"

Arisu wore the Kiba blades on her hips, and the Ersatz Kusanagi blade on her back, having left the paths of pain at her home for the time being. She'd dismissed Yusuke as well, not requiring his aid while in the village. After having taken down Hana Kaguya and Kyoji Hoshigaki, as well as Chigetsu Hozuki, she wasn't too concerned with anyone else in the village power wise that she wouldn't be able to handle. Menza scared her to no end, but she'd gotten a fair bit stronger herself, and should be able to take anyone while within the village without a problem.

To that end, her eyes were back in their base form for the time being, a beautiful golden iris color. She'd been maintaining the Rinnegan almost constantly since her being released from the clutches of Menza, so it may be interesting for some people to see her eyes back to normal. Her hair had been pulled back into a ponytail, and rather than wearing a kimono or something of the sort, she wore her standard Kunoichi armor and outfit.

While she was less cautious, she still liked to have some form of protection, as shown by the fight breaking out, it was unknown when someone could come along and she wanted to be ready for anything. Especially with the power vacuum in Kirigakure with the death of two former Mizukage.

Entering into the office, she saw that she was the final princess to arrive, although that suited her just fine. Waiting wasn't necessarily one of her stronger attributes, as she was often a busy person and wanted to focus on training so that she was able to fully fend for herself. Obviously there was a lot to unpack with recent events, so for the time being, they needed to come up with a plan as fast as possible and with the other princesses gathered, they could do so in a hopefully time efficient manner. With 3 of them readily available at the moment, they could bounce ideas off of each other.

Closing the door behind her, Arisu took a seat silently. The quicker they could begin, the quicker they could finish. She had nothing to say for the moment and was content to give her input when required, but Arisu wasn't the one to start the discussions.

The pens and pencils that Sayuri was attempting to balance were quickly abandoned and swept to the floor as Kitsuki entered the office. The young woman was dressed differently than she had been at the banquet, which included the look on her face. The pleasant smile of a woman in the spotlight had been replaced with a cold and hard stare. Pulling herself up to sit comfortably on her knees, Sayuri would meet Kitsuki’s glare with an amused smile, her nose wrinkling as the smile threatened to turn into a laugh. She could tell that something about her presence had caused the Jounin to be displeased, and it tickled her to no end. Making people uncomfortable was one of Sayuri’s greatest joys and she relished in the effect her uncouth behaviour was having on the woman.

As Kitsuki spoke of being able to answer her questions, Sayuri would lean forward slightly, giving an air of conspiracy to the words she spoke. “I heard you both murdered the Mizukage and the ex-Mizukage.” The statement was not one of judgment even though she followed it with a click of her tongue, the gleam in her blue eyes showed her approval. “I leave the village for a single day and I miss all the fun. Ah well, I’m sure it wasn’t planned. I would expect that the next time you do plan to depose a leader that I’ll receive an invitation.” She followed her comment with a quick wink and turned her attention to Arisu as she entered the room and sat down.

Sitting up straight again, Sayuri would turn so she could easily see both Kitsuki and Arisu, this involved moving more things on the desk. Her manner was careless, she didn’t care for the items that were the previous possessions of the Mizukage. Not out of any particular dislike for Hana or anyone that came before her, she just simply didn’t value material possessions as others might. She took note of Arisu’s yellow eyes, staring for a few seconds too long as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing. She could have sworn that Arisu’s eyes were purple before. Not that her memory was the most reliable.

She began addressing Kitsuki’s statement while her eyes were still locked on Arisu, slowly turning her head and then finally drawing her eyes away. Her demeanour and tone shifted slightly, becoming less playful and carefree, a seriousness overtaking her visage. “So between the two of you, you have successfully overthrown the local government. I would say congratulations, though neither of you look particularly happy about your accomplishment. From my understanding of events though, you should both be proud, ridding the village of corruption is no small task. And this power vacuum you speak of, I suppose you think we are to fill it? I’m intrigued. . . I assume you have a plan of sorts, I’d love to hear it.”

The writing instruments that Sayuri had been playing with fell to the floor. Kit glanced down at the mess and then back at Sayuri. The childish tinkering, the smug grin, and the way she refused to sit like a proper woman was wearing on the gentle-lady. There was an unmistakable tension between them, but Kit managed to suppress the urge to chide Sayuri for fooling about when they had important business to attend to. Arisu's arrival meant that they could finally begin. The Alien Princess said nothing and Kit felt her stomach twist into knots.

Is she still angry about what I said at the gates?

The fact that she did not have her Rinnegan active could be interpreted as a statement. It wasn't as if her face was giving any other hints to go off of. Arisu was hard to read. The girl always seemed so nonchalant and bored with whatever was happening. Kit had often been accused of being similarly inexpressive, but in her opinion, Arisu took it to another level. She turned back to the Yuki Princess who was now addressing her as a murderer. Kit's neutral stare turned into a frown. She didn't like using that word to describe her actions and she had a feeling Sayuri knew that. The clicking of the tongue and the contradictory approving look felt calculated. It was as if she was trying to taunt them. Kitsuki guessed that Sayuri would have loved to have been apart of the bloodsport, if not for the act itself, then certainly for the power it would have given her. She had no real basis for this snap judgment but her gut (aka Zizz) told her that this icy woman was filled with ambition and a lust for power. Kit looked Sayuri in the eye and gave her reply.

"You suppose correctly. Hana Kaguya and Kyoji Hoshigaki were killed by myself and Arisu during a battle at the gates. I attempted to arrest Hana for treason and a list of crimes that I'm sure you're aware of...It wasn't particularly fun and we don't need to be thanked. It was something that had to be done so that Kiri could be safe. And that's why I want the three of us to fill the power vacuum in this village. Alone none of us have the knowledge, experience, skills, or connections to lead the village....but together...." Kit looked directly at Arisu when she said that word. She couldn't exactly apologize here and now but she wanted the Ōtsutsuki to know that she wasn't trying to push her away. They were in this as a team and that meant whatever petty squabbles divided them would have to be addressed later. ".....we can give Kirigakure a fresh start. The kind of fresh start that no other Mizukage could or wanted to deliver. The way I see this working is as a Three Princess Council. A Triumvirate. We meet periodically to vote on matters affecting village governance, simple majority carries but we should aim for unanimity. Everyone in Kiri answers to the three of us. No Princess is more important than the other and no one else is higher than the three of us as a unit. As for my plan...its simple. End the war. We might have to make some concessions and crack some eggs but if we want the people of the Isles to live another year...we have to put an end to this farce of a conflict. I have a few ideas but I wanted to run it by the two of you first."

It was a bold thing for a girl that had been a genin less than three years ago to declare a new provisional government. Unfortunately, in times like these, you either stepped up the plate or you ceded power to individuals whose motives and sense of morality you simply could not ascertain.

Arisu primarily remained silent throughout the conversation, although she watched the two politely. When Kitsuki finished speaking, she wanted her to get to the real point here, as the war was the most pressing issue besides governance. A triumverate was perfectly acceptable since she had no urge to rule the nation and have to worry about the good of the nation above the good of others.

"We can run this country until a suitable candidate is found, so I'm happy to be part of a council. I can't allow national biases to force me to choose the nation over the good of the world. However, this war needs ended fast. What are your ideas?

Looking to Sayuri, Arisu's neutral expression remained, although she addressed her comment about them not being happy.

"Ridding the village of corruption is ideal, although the taking of a life is never one done lightly. I wish that it could have gone smoother. The Kaguya clan are as close to family as I have on this planet, and I participated in the death of their leader. Its a sad ordeal. Killing anyone isn't easy, let alone family."

Sayuri smiled wickedly as Kitsuki frowned. Her words had had their desired effect, and it brought the Ice Princess delight to see the unhappiness that only pointing out the truth had brought. Her smile was brief and quickly her expression turned serious as the discussion regarding the ruling of Kirigakure continued. Sayuri rather enjoyed the company of Kitsuki, it was part of why tormenting her was so gratifying. While she enjoyed torture for its own sake, she found a certain thrill in testing the limits of those she appreciated, seeing just how far she could push them before they broke. And with Kitsuki she had observed that etiquette was of extreme importance to her, it had certainly appeared that way to her at the banquet. She also knew from her experience with Tamwyn, that she had to be careful how far she pushed and how quickly. She couldn’t run the risk of another of her toys slipping through her fingers.

‘Not yet.’

‘Soon though. It will be easy with Kitsuki, she cares overtly. Such an easy thing to exploit.’

‘You’ve learned well, my Queen.’

‘The other one though, she is a puzzle. I cannot see what she values. . . yet.’

Sayuri could appreciate the logic behind a ‘council’, it was certainly the cleaner of all available options. And it seemed that both Kitsuki and Arisu were in agreement on the concept. With Kitsuki’s explanation of the happenings at the gates, Sayuri could see further into her soul. She framed the murders apologetically, as though it had never been her intention. Maybe it hadn’t been, but one thing she did know was that killing should be honest and passionate. She disapproved of Kitsuki hiding behind justifications for her actions. Sayuri was all desire and rage and love and want. When she wanted, she took. Simple as that. The roundabout way of speaking of the murders, or executions seemed like a lie to the blonde woman. It was a thought she tucked away as possibly useful in the future while she turned her attention to Arisu as the Otsutsuki finally spoke.

Her words were surprising, she spoke as though she was not from this planet at all. Sayuri was not the most intellectually astute person in the world, she quite literally had spent years living under a rock. Narrowing her eyes she would take in what the pale woman said, doing her best to not turn up her nose in disgust at the mention of ‘family’. Yet again it sounded like a lie. Both times she doubted that the women were attempting to lie to her, or even to each other. But it was a lie all the same. Killing was easy. And were it not for the plan formulated with Jareth, killing her own family would have happened by now. Despite her reservations regarding Arisu’s words, she did hear an avenue to understanding the woman when she spoke. She valued life and more importantly seemed to value the life of those of her blood. ‘Equally easy to exploit. Assuming she thinks like we do.’ By ‘we’ Sayuri meant ‘humans’. The idea that Arisu was not from Earth was not shocking, she saw strange things everyday and the fear that might usually accompany learning of alien life was not present in the Yuki. That fear was typically borne of self preservation, and as yet, Sayuri had none.

The mention of ending the war made Sayuri a touch sad, she rather loved the conflict that war caused. The constant strife had afforded her many opportunities to engage in whatever activities she wished, with no one particularly interested in exploring her hobbies. However she listened to the voice that told her to bide her time and reign in her violence in favour of gaining the trust of the other two princesses. “A council seems like a fine idea, are there any that would oppose us?” It seemed a fair question, since as much as she enjoyed combat and death, she would prefer to know when or if it was coming.

Addressing the end of the war, Sayuri would absentmindedly push a pile of carefully organized papers off the desk and into the trash bin, making room for her to stretch out and lie on her stomach with her chin held in her palms. “How do we end a whole war? One which we didn’t even start mind you. Shouldn’t the death of Hana Kaguya at least soothe some people’s bloodlust? Do we need to send someone her head?” It was in poor taste, Arisu just having implied that the death of the clan leader was both sad and difficult.

Arisu was in agreement on the necessity of a governing council and she appeared to place the good of the world over that of the country itself. It was a good sign albeit Kit was disappointed that she didn't seem interested in acknowledging the look she had attempted to share with her. She didn't realize how close Arisu was to the Kaguya and it dawned on Kit that she might have been the reason that the pugnacious and proud clan did not openly try to attack them both in the aftermath of the battle. Kit kept her mouth shut on that subject though. She gathered her thoughts and prepared to speak on what her ideas for ending the war were. When Sayuri asked if there were any one who would oppose them, Kit switched gears. It was a valid question and despite her clear desire to provoke the WASP graduate, this was actually a concern that she was glad she had the opportunity to address.

"Not openly but I'm sure there are forces in Kiri that aren't happy about three young women taking control of the Empire. The Emperor is quiet for now because he knows he doesn't have the strength to stop us but he and I imagine the Deep State are probably plotting against us. With Hana and Kyoji dead I doubt they have the manpower to make a move....that's something we can use to our advantage. We bring this war to a close as quickly as possible and that should bring the public and all other institutions on our side."

Kitsuki was expressing a hope more than a concrete prediction, but it was the best she could do for the moment. She had taken what she had learned from her conversations with Headmaster Sukimori, her father, and Zizz, and turned them into an actionable plan. They needed to move quickly and use the momentum they had gained to forge a lasting peace. Once peace was secured, it was bloody difficult to overturn it without angering the people. Kit opened her mouth to say more but then she saw Sayrui knock over even more objects so that she can sprawl out on the desk like some kind of animal. Kit's words caught in her throat and her disapproval turned to anger. Kitsuki looked at Arisu as if to say:

Can you believe this?

They were in the middle of a meeting to decide the fate of the country, no, the world yet the Yuki was acting like a bored cat. Kit sighed and bit her lip in frustration. The only thing more annoying than the behavior was the obvious intent behind it. She wanted to get under Kit's skin and unfortunately it was working. She considered saying something but she let it go for now. This person was her co-equal in governance and she wasn't about to let pettiness distract her from the real goal. She wanted unanimous support on her plan and that meant putting up with Sayuri's juvenile behavior. When Sayuri asked how the war could be ended, Kit launched into her plan.

"That's exactly what we'll have to do. Hana Kaguya met Shimiko Chinoike outside these very walls a few years ago. A peace deal was drafted...one that Kiri obviously did not uphold. We need to show Kumo that we are serious about breaking from the previous pattern of destruction that Kiri has fallen into. Words won't mean anything but action will. We send them BOTH Hana and Kyoji's heads along with the rest of their corpses. We allow them to examine it for authenticity. The narrative is that Hana acted with two terrorists to conduct an act of war against Kumo. She did so without the support of Kiri and out of her own selfish desire for revenge. After sparking this unjust war, she tried to rob Kirigakure of its valuables and presumably take them to her associates. Just so you guys have the full picture of what happened...Hana told me that as a result of Kumo's intervention on Iwa's behalf during the Mountain Wars as well as their involvement in various conflicts around the world, she decided that the Cloud had been hypocritical in forcing us to rein in on our own military affairs. She worked with two individuals to punish Kumo. They decided to do this by going after Damien Darhk who was Kumo's chief weapons manufacturer. During the attack, they decided to also take out his industrial town and all the people who lived there. Hana's so-called business partners did most of the civilian killing but she was complicit as well. The first is Akihiro Uchiha, a Konoha-Nin and leader of a private intelligence organization known as Mockingbird. He's an extremely powerful shinobi and a suspected jinchurikki. The second is Ikomiki Ōtsutsuki...she's a member of Mockingbird. She's also accused of murdering someone during the Chuunin Exams and implanting their Senju DNA into her own body."

Kit paused here. What she was about to say was quite dangerous. Chel had informed her that Ikomiki possessed the Animal Path which was the Rinnegan ability that Arisu had taken from Naitome. If she told Arisu this then the girl would have the knowledge and means to wrest the ability back from the terrorist. Kit knew that if she shared this bit of intelligence then she could be making the alien more powerful than she had any right to be. Zizz and Chel wanted to limit the Ōtsutsuki's power and rightfully so. Unfortunately, Arisu was an invaluable ally in the conflicts to come. They'd be facing off against monsters that were far stronger than Kyoji and Hana which meant they needed to be just as powerful. Kit didn't like the idea of Arisu getting Animal Path back but she would rather it be in the hands of a nominally good Ōtsutsuki as opposed to an openly bad one. This would also hopefully restore the sense of trust between the two of them. Arisu had risked her life to back up Kit and she had felt slighted. Hopefully by sharing this with Arisu, the alien would recognize that as far as Kit was concerned they were allies.

ⵉ ⵀopⴻ ⵢoⵓ ⴽⵏoⵡ ⵡⵀⴰⵜ ⵢoⵓ'ⵔⴻ ⴷoⵉⵏⴳ ⴽⵉⵜ Zizz said. She already knew what her host had decided.

"Ikomiki possesses your Animal Path Arisu. I don't know how she got it or when but she has it. All of this was told to me by a highly trusted confidential source embedded into Kumo's military. Theoretically, this could mean Menza is involved with Mockingbird. This stuff isn't news to them but the fact that we know it and have killed one third of the perpetrators should build some trust between us. This conflict was started by rogue elements in Konoha and Kiri's military's acting on behalf of Mockingbird to enrich themselves at the expense of countless lives. Aside from offering them Hana and Kyoji along with a favorable narrative to end the war....we give them monetary reparations. Three million Ryo. One million is earmarked for Damien's next of kin as compensation for his wrongful death. The other two million will be set aside for the victims of Moonspire. We'll have to trust Kumo to do the right thing with these funds but there can be no peace without trust. We also present them with a plan of action moving forward. Mockingbird needs to be dealt with and they need to be dealt with quickly. Akihiro and Ikomiki are likely based in and protected by Konoha which means we should offer Kumo a temporary alliance to take them out. We couple this with a propaganda campaign geared towards the rank and file Leaf ninja." This bit had been Headmaster Sukimori's idea. "I can fly over the village and drop leaflets explaining what Mockingbird has done and why they need to be given up. If the Hokage refuses then we offer Kumo a team up to take them down. A joint attack designed to raid Mockingbird and put an end to their reign of terror once and for all"

The answer to whether or not the three of them would be opposed was just as exciting as Sayuri had hoped it would be. She lived and breathed chaos, and a takeover without hostility sounded dull enough to bore her to death. She hadn’t considered that the Emperor might want to remove them, all that came to mind when she thought of the royalty was a bunch of pompous ingrates who solved their problems with parties and money. She did very much like the idea of being plotted against though, it was thrilling and brought plots of her own to her mind. “Plotting against us already. We haven’t even done anything yet. Well. . . you two have.” She smiled politely at both women, a thoughtful look crossing her face. “You know, we don’t have to wait for them to try to kill us before we make a plan on how to strike back. It sounds very. . . peaceful. Ending the war quickly. But it was ‘peaceful’, at least in Kirigakure, before everything with Moonspire and Hana happened as well. If we had been better prepared for her sudden and inevitable betrayal, it may not have been quite so. . . sanguine.” Sayuri was not interested in maintaining ‘peace’ through swaying the public view to their side. She wasn’t interested in maintaining peace at all. Peace was a lie, it was the slow breath of sleep before one awoke to face reality. Reality was cold and harsh and cruel, and anyone that thought differently was still asleep.

The irony of Sayuri stating she believed that she understood reality was not lost on Jareth, who merely chuckled and offered the lost girl a validating platitude.

‘Clever, my Queen. Waiting to die makes one prey. And you are not prey.’ It was not her own cleverness at all, but it was clear to him that his influence was taking hold, and one only gains more power by rewarding good behaviour.

The disbelieving look from Kitsuki towards Arisu and the frustrated biting of her lip drew Sayuri’s interest again. Sitting up from her lounging position on the desk she would swing her legs off the side of the wooden surface and bounce lightly onto the floor. Placing her hands behind her back she would pace idly as she listened to Kitsuki’s plan. When the princess agreed to send both Hana and Kyoji’s heads and bodies to Kumogakure, Sayuri would nod in approval. She knew she liked her for a reason. Beneath all that pomp and circumstance was someone just as brutal as her and it warmed her icy heart. ‘I see you Kitsuki, it will probably take time but one day the real Kitsuki will shine through.’ A tiny part of her was also disappointed, though for very selfish reasons. Had her suggestion of sending Hana’s head to someone been met with a ‘no’ she was going to request that she be allowed to keep it. Inside her ice palace it would be perfectly preserved and a fitting decoration for the halls she intended to haunt. The rest of the information that Kitsuki offered helped to fill in the missing pieces of the stories she knew from the last few years. Mockingbird was an interesting group, a bit arrogant, to think they could ‘punish’ an entire nation by killing a few civilians. But she could see their angle, crude yet effective. She would have done it differently. But her methods were not for the weak, cowardly and unimaginative. Just about anyone could quickly kill a civilian town, even she could probably have done it while she was still in the academy. But to truly punish someone took finesse and care and most importantly; time. None of those things had been afforded to the city of Moonspire and its inhabitants. “Like big children clomping around without any artfulness, so disappointing.” Her thoughts were muttered aloud as Kitsuki paused, disdain in her voice as she commented on the lack of skill the so-called ‘powerful shinobi’ had shown.

Speaking of an ‘Animal Path’ had Sayuri confused. It was easy to assume that it was a powerful weapon or perhaps a technique of some kind, but beyond that the Yuki was clueless. Her attention would wander again as Kitsuki spoke of things that she both did not understand and clearly did not have anything to do with her. She would allow the two to speak of it if they wished, entertaining herself with the books on a nearby shelf if they did. When the subject of monetary compensation for the deaths of Damien Darhk and the people of Moonspire came up, Sayuri would raise an eyebrow. She didn’t see what good money would do for the dead, but she wasn’t about to stand in the way if it would cease the constant talk of the ‘wrongness of killing’. Once Kitsuki had finished her plan for the near future, Sayuri would give her full attention to her fellow princesses. “So if I am understanding correctly; Hana Kaguya was a criminal and of course so was Kyoji. Their remains will be. . . mailed? shipped? to Kumogakure as a display of our willingness to rectify their mistakes, along with a substantial sum of money all in the hopes of gaining Kumo as an ally. And meanwhile we are going to be carrying out a propaganda campaign against our former ally, Konoha, in order to force the other two ‘terrorists’ to be given up so that we may exact the same punishment on them. I know little of Konoha, but I do know that most families are unwilling to give up their own, even if they were wrong. I suspect that the Leaf Village will not respond kindly to threats of violence against their population, which Akihiro and Ikomiki are most certainly considered part of their family if, as you say, they have been harboring the Mockingbird group for any length of time.” Sayuri would resume her pacing, pausing to look out the window before speaking again. “All in all though it sounds like a delicious plan though, punishing the wicked. So count me in, the flying thing sounds especially fun.”

Arisu's eyes widened slightly at the mention of the Animal Path. It hadnt been something she had expected to encounter again so quickly after having lost it. No less that it was used by someone who had likely used it to commit massive scale murder and destruction. Suffice it to say it couldnt remain in her hands, although defeating a sufficiently strong user of the Animal Path would likely prove difficult at best, impossible at worst.

"Allow me to treat with at least Konoha. The Hokage Nyguyen Uchiha sent me aid and attempted to warn me of Menza as a threat, and he trusts me after I revived Satomi Uchiha. He likely wont take kindly to the knowledge that two of his own shinobi not only participated in the attack on Moonspire, but also that Ikomiki murdered a Senju and stole their DNA. He seems more than commited to proper justice from my interactions with him and this news would best be delivered from me. Beyond that, I must recover the Animal Path and I cant risk it falling into anyone else's hands. I dont like the idea of others using it for misdeeds.

Ikomiki she may be able to fight on her own. She'd grown a deal stronger even since the battle at the gates, increased her arsenal, and could even feel she was passing some sort of barrier and evolving greater abilities She knew of a technique that would allow her fast transportation of herself through dimensional rifts even, which could reasonably contend with people and facilitate her travel.

A genius at understanding jutsu and gifted with the abilities of an Otstsuki gave Arisu the ability to contend with powerhouses even such as the famed Akihiro, and Ikomiki's wood release couldnt compare to Arisu's Kiba Blades.

"Jinchuuriki aren't much of an issue to me. My path in particular is a counter to them all. The Sharingan cant catch me in a genjutsu, my Rinnegan can see Chakra. Likely the hardest problem of countering Akihiro would be his teleportation technique. Fighting either of them will be an issue for any single individual as Akihiro has likely tagged Ikomiki and can teleport to her or any allies, either avoiding a fight altogether or returning with aid. Similarly, Ikomiki can summon allies to her at will with the animal path, let alone the other summons she has access to. We'll need the Hokage's cooperation and a sneak attack with surprise on our side to take them down, as we'll only have one shot at it or they can flee into the wind and we'll never bring them to justice. I'm the best bet we have to convince Nyguyen to go along with a plan like this. Unfortunately, a smear campaign would be detrimental, we cant allow them to know we are suspicious of them. Me traveling with my Konoha guard to Konoha should raise the least suspicion.

Kit didn't like that Sayuri was treating this like some kind of game. The woman was confirming every bias that Kit had against her and she was doing it in the most blatant way possible. Sayuri's response to those who would potentially undermine them was to strike first. Kit shook her head and shot down the idea quickly. They would not fall into the trap of returning to the ways of the Old Mist. Sayuri had not outright stated her intentions but it was clear what she wanted to do.

"Absolutely not. This isn't Nikuyo's Kirigakure anymore. We don't preemptively kill or arrest our political enemies and respectfully Princess Sayuri...I don't want to hear that kind of talk again"

It was a bit harsher than she had intended but she needed to put her foot down here and now. Sayuri's insinuations and implications about what happened at the gates were one thing, but she would not be cowed into letting her think that this was the way Kit intended to run the village. This was a hill she was willing to die on both metaphorically and literally. There'd be no further carnage unless the Triumvirate was attacked first. Sayuri eventually wandered off the desk leaving Kit and Arisu to discuss the Animal Path. The Princess nodded in agreement regarding Arisu's plan. It was why she had told the alien. The ability was too strong to be left in the hands of a terrorist.

"Okay that sounds like a plan....I'll hold off on the psychological warfare operation. You can go to Konoha to negotiate with Nyguyen directly. I trust you on that point."

Oⵀ! Oⵀ! Oⵀ! ⵉ ⵛⴰⵏ ⵀⴻⵍp ⵡⵉⵜⵀ ⵜⵀⴻ ⵜⴻⵍⴻpoⵔⵜⴰⵜⵉoⵏ ⵙⵜⵓⴼⴼ! ⵜⴻⵍⴻpoⵔⵜⴰⵜⵉoⵏ ⵉⵙ ⴰ ⴼⵓⵏⵛⵜⵉoⵏ oⴼ ⵙpⴰⵛⴻ ⴰⵏⴷ ⴱⵢ ⴻⵅⵜⴻⵏⵙⵉoⵏ ⵜⵉⵎⴻ ⵡⵀⵉⵛⵀ ⵉⵙ ⵎⵢ ⴷoⵎⴰⵉⵏ. ⵏoⵡ ⵜⵀⴰⵜ ⵉ ⵀⴰⵠⴻ ⴼⵓⵍⵍ ⴰⵛⵛⴻⵙⵙ ⵜo ⵎⵢ poⵡⴻⵔ ⵉ ⵜⵀⵉⵏⴽ ⵉ ⵛⴰⵏ ⵜⵔⴰp ⵜⵀⴻⵎ. Zizz chimed in. The Angel was a mere speck floating amongst the endless strands of Kitsuki's kinky black hair.

"I think I can handle Akihiro's teleportation ability. The key will be acting without tipping him off of our intentions. If Nyguyen does agree to arrest him we can attempt a sting operation but I'll try to find a way to get to Kiri as quickly as possible to join you. I plan on staying here for the time being. Someone needs to remain in Kiri to ensure that it is not attacked by enemy forces."

Kitsuki then turned to Sayuri.

"Delivered. Not mailed. Not shipped. Delivered. Personally. I can't think of anyone more suited to the task than you Sayuri" Kit had not meant the statement to be a compliment but the woman with ice running through her veins would probably take it as such. "I'd suggest arranging a meet up at the Heavenly Emporium to discuss the terms I've laid out. It sounds like Arisu will handle the Konoha side of things so hopefully we can get them to peacefully surrender the two criminals to us. I imagine Kumo will want them so I'm fine with turning Akihiro and Ikomiki over to them but you should act quickly to take back Animal Path Arisu. I don't want Kumo's Ōtsutsuki getting their hands on it...which brings me to another point...."

Kitsuki sighed. This was the proverbial "rub" in her plan. What she was about to tell them might diminish the chance of the mission's success, and the solution might very well make them lose confidence in her, but she had promised Chel she'd at least pitch the idea.

"My confidential source in Kumo has informed me that Raikage and Queen Ryuko Shizu von Rose is no longer in power. She has been called off-world by some other entity and has left the nation leaderless which means we might be dealing with the prospect of a Jashinist led Kumo. If you thought they were bad before, my sources tell me they are about to get worse. Shimiko Chinoike has a high likelihood of becoming Raikage and that means she might outright reject any peace proposal. I've dealt with her kids and trust me when I say I wouldn't be surprised if she won't end this war until both nations are nothing but rubble. There are other candidates that could theoretically be selected and whom are more moderate like Seigi Chinoike and Nariko Mizushima but I wouldn't count on it. My source also has informed me that a large contingent of Ōtsutsuki has arrived in Kumogakure and are currently living there. They are led by an individual of their species named Seid...Arisu I don't know if that rings a bell" She turned to the alien hoping that she might be able to give them some more insight as to why so many Ōtsutsuki had suddenly moved into Kumo. "My source is concerned that between these alien invaders and the rising power of the Jashinist Church, a lasting peace will be impossible. They advocate for a violent raid on Kumo to break their hegemony and wants it to be scheduled with a simultaneous assault on Mockingbird...."

Kit couldn't look either of her fellow Princesses in the eye at this point. She had just told them how she planned to achieve peace and was now flirting with the prospect of extending the war. It was contradictory and Kit felt like a hypocrite for even entertaining the idea. However, Chel's wisdom was deep and Zizz's concerns about Ōtsutsuki power valid. All options needed to be on the table no matter how frightening they sounded. Kituski expected Sayuri to take delight in such an operation regardless of the risk it posed to the people, but she was curious as to how Arisu would react. Kit knew nothing of this new Ōtsutsuki settlement and its relationship to Shimiko's Orthodoxy, but perhaps Arisu could clarify the situation. Depending on what the three of them decided, Kiri could very well be re-igniting what Hana had started.

"My source believes its not a question of if but when Kumo grows strong enough to once more threaten any peace we create. They want out of Kumo and need our help to escape...they are willing to help plan the raid and sabotage them from the inside. I was skeptical at first....but I've met these Jashinists and I agree that if they are allowed to spread their influence freely the world may be in danger. That said, if we are putting Konoha in check we'd be potentially fighting two nations stronger than ourselves at the same time. It'd leave no room for error...the slightest miscalculation or mistake could backfire the world over. We wouldn't be fighting for peace anymore. We'd be the aggressor and if we failed it wouldn't just be the three of our heads...it'd be the heads of everyone living in the Isles. There will be no forgiveness for them and this time it won't just be Kumo looking to destroy them. Its risky. Too risky. I'm not sure we should go through with it but I promised my source I'd take it to the two of you and discuss it. Its an option but its not one I feel we must exercise. This peace plan will be difficult to achieve as is."

Kitsuki had laid all her cards on the table. Chel's plan had been put before the Triumvirate. The only question was whether they'd take him up on his offer.

Sayuri hadn’t bothered addressing Kitsuki’s ‘order’ to not speak of assassination. The woman was clearly a hypocrite and far too uncomfortable with that facet of herself just yet. She had had no problem assassinating two former leaders of the village, but now it was suddenly a problem. Sayuri could wait and bring it up again at a more opportune time. Or perhaps just not with Kitsuki again. ‘Or with anyone.’ A smile was all the response she bothered to give.

As they spoke of plans regarding Konoha and this ‘Animal Path’ Sayuri would afford them some relative privacy, not out of politeness, she simply was bored. As far as she could gather Arisu was not from this world, which made her an alien or some such. Very fanciful and fascinating things. . . to someone else. To her it just meant that she stood there imagining what the insides of an alien looked like. Did they have the same physiology? Where were their organs, in all the same places one would expect in a human? What colour was their blood.

What finally broke her from her daydreaming was Kitsuki’s suggestion that she was the perfect person to deliver the remains of Hana Kaguya and Kyoji Hoshigaki. It was among the highest compliments that Kitsuki had ever paid her. And she had no idea just how right she was. Her blue eyes lit up and she had to stop herself from shouting with glee. Kumogakure was where Tamwyn was. She had already been hunting for him, but now it would be all the easier. And on top of that, it would leave her in personal charge of dead bodies. She couldn’t imagine a more perfect suggestion given the circumstances. “I will gladly deliver their remains. I can even preserve them in ice if you like, it keeps down the smell. Not that I personally am bothered by such trivial things, but if a pristine image is what you want for Kirigakure I figured I’d offer.” Yet another subtle dig at the princess of perfection, and a polite smile to barely disguise the venom in her words.

When Kitsuki brought up the idea of attacking both Konoha and Kumo, Sayuri’s eyebrow would raise once more. She was not opposed to the idea, but considering how the girl played at admonishing warmongering it further validated her theory that Kitsuki was a hypocrite. Taking a step towards Kitsuki, placing herself well within arms reach and keeping her hands folded behind her back. She did not fear Kitsuki and wanted her to know it. She stared at the woman for a moment before commenting. “You want to take on the whole world do you? You are ambitious. I like it. We will fail of course, but it will be glorious. So far, because of the two of you, we have those in this room that might pose a threat to anyone in a war. I would be happy to follow into battle for the sake of placing Kirigakure firmly as the elite power of the known world. But only the cowards will return if we do this. You are right of course, it is risky. If we simply lead with war. If we were to broker a peace first however and then strike. . . that might work.”

Arisu found it interesting that Kitsuki was able to counter teleportation, storing that information for later as it didnt totally affect her in any meaningful way, but ideally, her help in doing so would be a perfect counter and would severely hamper Akihiro's abilities to the point that he was able to be captured with little difficulty.

"Whether through summoning or another method, I may be able to fetch you for the fight against Akihiro." Arisu posited. If she got the animal path back, she wouldnt need to worry about how she'd get Kitsuki back, but she was also hoping to develop a technique that would allow her functional space hopping.

With no objections to her going to take care of the things on the Konoha end, Arisu was a little blindsided by the Kumogakure end of things. Potential Jashinist leadership was a massive problem and certainly one to deal with, but the extra bit of information thrown in also served to further Arisu's isolation against Kitsuki. As much as the girl trusted her, it was evident that it didnt come naturally and that same courtesy wasnt applied to other Otsutsuki.

Given the news that Seid Otsutsuki led a large contingent of Otsutsuki currently stationed in Kumogakure left her witb mixed feelings. She didnt really know anything about him but it was likely he was a Path wielder if he had led a contingent here and they followed him. That meant he was a direct competitor for the Path to Completion, but also a potential ally. He was an unknown and could be an enemy or an ally but Arisu wasnt one to presume.

However, the implications of Kitsuki's information drove Arisu to stand, her Rinnegan activating out of pure habit. It wasnt often she allowed herself to be moved to action by an emotional response, but the idea of wholesale murder of Otsutsuki would be one of those moments.

"I can neither sanction nor partake in an initial strike on my people who have done nothing to deserve such an action against them. By all means wipe out the Jashinists, theyre a plague of evil, but the prejudice against my people ends now."

Arisu spoke coldly, her eyes resting on Kitsuki's face, hand resting on the hilt of her chokuto. The message was clear. She wouldn't attack an Otsutsuki clan compound, and to wipe them out would be tantamount to murder. Such an act would surely solidify a divide between the two of them barring evidence that the Otsutsuki in question were evil and deserved death.

"If any take up arms in defense of the Jashinists, that is a different story. Protecting evil is an act of evil itself. If Seid Otsutsuki has a path and defends Jashinism, I would appreciate his body delivered to me in one piece. However, any who stand aside should not be touched."

She had no sympathy for those that would defend Jashinism. Murder was no tolerance for her, and they took it to another level. Ritualistic mutalation and murder was inherently evil. Arisu herself had been accused of such, although the circumstances were quite different as Naitome wasnt necessarily dead even if he appeared to be and he had gone through a painless ritual binding him to Arisu's will. The act had taken away his life outside of her but such was the decision of a faithful servant to their god. He had essentially devoted himself to her and bound himself in such a fashion that he could protect her more fully.

"And make no mistakes Sayuri. I have no attachments to Kirigakure winning any wars. Konoha, Kirigakure, Kumogakure, Iwagakure, Sunagakure, the minor nations, none of that matters. Ultimately an end to war is the end goal. No petty squabbling about power and which nation reigns supreme. People have existed long before the nations and will continue to exist long after the nations have become a blip in history. And I'll be there to guide them through the hardships and protect them the entire time. The best way to do that is siding with a nation, and I only chose Kirigakure out of convenience after arriving here, but I will eliminate any who deserve it regardless of national allegiance."

When Sayuri offered to keep the remains on ice, the sarcasm behind the suggestion was not lost on Kit. She had lived and studied with other girls for four years so subtleties of fake niceness were not lost on her. She gave a fake smile of her own and added "Yes that would be nice....if its not too much of an inconvenience" A rotting decapitated head would be harder to test than a perfectly preserved one. It was a morbid plan but Kit was willing to desecrate Hana's form if it meant getting the world closer to peace. When Kitsuki pitched Chel's idea, Sayuri was quick to jump on board. The likelihood of its failure didn't deter the woman. She was truly fearless but beneath that fearlessness lurked a bloodthirst that Kit did not want to indulge. The fact that she so readily agreed to the plan was enough to make her want to withdraw it. Arisu as expected took offense to the suggestion. Kitsuki expected that reaction but what she had heard about the Ōtsutsuki from Zizz was so frightening that she wasn't willing to rule out an assault against their settlement. Arisu was so worked up against the plot that she activated her Rinnegan and declared herself opposed to any attack on the Ōtsutsuki compound. She called out Kitsuki's prejudice against them and for the first time since the meeting began, the young girl showed uncertainty. She looked away from Arisu in shame.

She knew little of these aliens and had relied on the Angels to decide her course of action. The thought crossed her mind that she might be just as guilty of acting out of fear as Hana. She didn't want Sayuri seeing how much Arisu's indignation bothered her but she couldn't help it. Zizz sensed her host's spirit faltering and without thinking the Angel zipped out of her hair and grew to its standard size. Sayuri for the first time would be confronted with the image of Kit's guardian angel and protector. A tiny black angel about the size of a fairy or small bird. The being was covered in a myriad of wings which hid its nakedness and its long hair trailed behind it as if propelled by a non-existent breeze. After Arisu had finished her rousing statement of allegiance to the people of Earth, Zizz got in Arisu's face and gave the alien a piece of her mind.

ⵏo! ⵢoⵓ ⵙⵀⵓⵜ ⵓp! ⵉ'ⵠⴻ ⴱⴻⴻⵏ ⵡⴰⵜⵛⵀⵉⵏⴳ ⵢoⵓ ⵛⴰⵔⴻⴼⵓⵍⵍⵢ ⵛoⵍoⵏⵉⵣⴻⵔ ⴰⵏⴷ ⵢoⵓ ⴷoⵏ'ⵜ ⵀⴰⵠⴻ ⵎⴻ ⴼooⵍⴻⴷ! ⴷoⵏ'ⵜ ⵢoⵓ ⴷⴰⵔⴻ ⵎⴰⴽⴻ ⴽⵉⵜⵙⵓⴽⵉ oⵓⵜ ⵜo ⴱⴻ ⵜⵀⴻ pⴰⴷ pⴻⵔⵙoⵏ ⵀⴻⵔⴻ. ⵢoⵓ ⴳo ⴰⴱoⵓⵜ ⵉⵏ pⵉⵜⵢ ⴼoⵔ ⵢoⵓⵔⵙⴻⵍⴼ ⴰⵏⴷ ⵢoⵓⵔ ⵍoⵙⵜ poⵡⴻⵔⵙ ⴰⵏⴷ ⵢoⵓⵔ pⴻopⵍⴻ ⴱⵓⵜ ⵉ ⴽⵏoⵡ ⵡⵀⴰⵜ ⵢoⵓ ⵔⴻⴰⵍⵍⵢ ⴰⵔⴻ. ⵢoⵓ ⵎⴰⵢ ⵛⴰⵔⴻ ⴰⴱoⵓⵜ ⴻⴰⵔⵜⵀ ⴰⵏⴷ ⵢoⵓ ⵎⵉⴳⵀⵜ ⵀⴰⵠⴻ ⴰ ⴳooⴷ ⵙoⵓⵍ. ⴽⵉⵜ ⵙⴻⴻⵎⵙ ⵜo ⵜⵀⵉⵏⴽ ⵙo ⴰⵏⴷ ⵉⴼ ⵉⵜⵙ ⵜⵔⵓⴻ ⵢoⵓ'ⵍⵍ ⵓⵏⴷⴻⵔⵙⵜⴰⵏⴷ ⴻⵠⴻⵔⵢ ⵡoⵔⴷ ⵉ'ⵎ ⵙⴰⵢⵉⵏⴳ ⵜo ⵢoⵓ ⴱⴻⵛⴰⵓⵙⴻ ⵉ ⴽⵏoⵡ ⵢoⵓ ⴰⵔⴻⵏ'ⵜ ⵜⵀⴰⵜ ⵙⵎⴰⵔⵜ. ⴱⵓⵜ ⵉⵜ ⴷoⴻⵙⵏ'ⵜ ⵎⴰⵜⵜⴻⵔ ⵀoⵡ pⵓⵔⴻ ⵢoⵓⵔ ⵉⵏⵜⴻⵏⵜⵉoⵏⵙ ⴰⵔⴻ ⵡⵀⴻⵏ ⵜⵀⴻ ⵔⴻⵙⵜ oⴼ ⵢoⵓⵔ ⵙpⴻⵛⵉⴻⵙ ⴰⵔⴻ pⵔoⴳⵔⴰⵎⵎⴻⴷ ⵜo ⴷo ⵡⵀⴰⵜ ⵜⵀⴻⵢ ⴷo. ⵎⵢ ⵀoⵎⴻⵡoⵔⵍⴷ ⵡⴰⵙ ⴰ ⴱⴻⴰⵓⵜⵉⴼⵓⵍ pⵍⴰⵛⴻ ⵡⵉⵜⵀ ⴰ pⴻⴰⵛⴻⴼⵓⵍ pⴻopⵍⴻ ⴰⵏⴷ ⵢoⵓ ⵛoⵍoⵏⵉⵣⴻⵔⵙ ⵓⵏⵍⴻⴰⵙⵀⴻⴷ ⵜⵀⴰⵜ ⵙⴰⵎⴻ ⴳⵉⴰⵏⵜ ⴱⴻⴰⵙⵜ oⵏ ⵓⵙ. ⵢoⵓ ⴽⵉⵍⵍⴻⴷ ⵎⵉⵍⵍⵉOⵏⵙ Oⴼ ⵓⵙ!! ⵢoⵓ ⴷⵔⴰⵉⵏⴻⴷ ⵜⵀⴻ ⵍⵉⴼⴻ oⵓⵜ oⴼ oⵓⵔ pⵍⴰⵏⴻⵜ ⴰⵏⴷ ⵍⴻⴼⵜ ⵉⵜ ⴰⵙ ⴰⵏ ⴻⵎpⵜⵢ ⵙⵀⴻⵍⵍ! ⵙo ⵎⴰⵏⵢ ⵀⴰⴷ ⵜo ⴼⵍⴻⴻ ⵉⵏⵜo ⵜⵀⴻ ⵙⵜⴰⵔⵙ ⴱⴻⵛⴰⵓⵙⴻ oⴼ ⵡⵀⴰⵜ ⵢoⵓ ⴷⵉⴷ ⴰⵏⴷ ⵡⴻ ⵡⵉⵍⵍ ⵏoⵜ ⵍⴻⵜ ⵉⵜ ⵀⴰppⴻⵏ ⵜo ⵜⵀⴻ pⴻopⵍⴻ oⴼ ⴻⴰⵔⵜⵀ! Oⵏⴻ oⴼ ⵜⵀⴻⵎ ⵀⴰⵙ ⴰⵍⵔⴻⴰⴷⵢ ⴰⵏⵏⵉⵀⵉⵍⴰⵜⴻⴷ ⴰ ⵜoⵡⵏ ⴰⵏⴷ ⵉⴼ ⵜⵀⵉⵙ ⵙⴻⵜⵜⵍⴻⵎⴻⵏⵜ ⴳⵉⵠⴻⵙ ⵓⵙ ⴰⵏ ⵉⵏⴽⵍⵉⵏⴳ oⴼ ⵜⵔoⵓⴱⵍⴻ ⵉⵜⵙ ⴳoⵉⵏⴳ ⴷoⵡⵏ!!

The Angel was waving its hands around in an animated matter. It took its tiny hand and pointed it directly in Arisu's face.

Zizz!

Oⵀ ⴰⵏⴷ ⴰⵏoⵜⵀⴻⵔ ⵜⵀⵉⵏⴳ ⵢoⵓⵔ ⵀⵉⴳⵀⵏⴻⵙⵙ....ⴷoⵏ'ⵜ ⴳⴻⵜ ⵜoo ⵛoⵎⴼoⵔⵜⴰⴱⵍⴻ ⵡⵉⵜⵀ ⵜⵀⴻⵙⴻ pⴰⵜⵀⵙ oⴼ ⵢoⵓⵔⵙ. ⴽⵉⵜⵙⵓⴽⵉ ⵉⵙ ⵍⴻⵜⵜⵉⵏⴳ ⵢoⵓ ⵀⴰⵠⴻ Oⵏⴻ Oⴼ ⵜⵀⴻⵎ ⵊⵓⵙⵜ Oⵏⴻ...ⴷoⵏ'ⵜ ⵜⵀⵉⵏⴽ ⴼoⵔ ⴰ ⵀoⵜ ⵙⴻⵛoⵏⴷ ⵡⴻ'ⵔⴻ ⴳoⵉⵏⴳ ⵜo ⵍⴻⵜ ⵢoⵓ ⴰⵛⵛⵓⵎⵓⵍⴰⵜⴻ ⴰⵍⵍ ⵜⵀⴻ poⵡⴻⵔ ⵉⵏ ⵜⵀⴻ ⵡoⵔⵍⴷ ⵙo ⵜⵀⴰⵜ ⵢoⵓ ⵛⴰⵏ pⵍⴰⵢ ⵡⴰⵜⵛⵀⴼⵓⵍ ⴳⵓⴰⵔⴷⵉⴰⵏ. ⵡⵀⴰⵜ ⵀⴰppⴻⵏⵙ ⵉⴼ ⵢoⵓ ⴷⴻⵛⵉⴷⴻ ⵢoⵓ ⴰⵔⴻⵏ'ⵜ ⵀⴰppⵢ ⴰⵙ ⴰ ⴱⴻⵏⴻⵠoⵍⴻⵏⵜ ⵔⵓⵍⴻⵔ? ⵡⵀⴰⵜ ⵀⴰppⴻⵏⵙ ⵡⵀⴻⵏ ⴰⵏoⵜⵀⴻⵔ ⵛoⵍoⵏⵉⵣⴻⵔ ⵜⵓⵔⵏⵙ ⵢoⵓ oⵔ ⵜⴰⴽⴻⵙ ⵛoⵏⵜⵔoⵍ oⴼ ⵢoⵓ? ⵢoⵓ'ⵔⴻ ⴻⵏⵜⵉⵜⵍⴻⴷ ⵜo ⵏoⵜⵀⵉⵏⴳ! ⵢoⵓ ⵀⴻⴰⵔ ⵎⴻ?! ⵏo-

Zizz! That's enough! Kitsuki thought forcefully. Like a master tugging on its pet's leash, Kit willed Zizz back to her side and the angel obeyed. It rested on its shoulder but didn't take its eyes off Arisu. It doubted that Arisu understood a word of what it said but on the off-chance she did, she'd know why she was so distrustful of her kind. Zizz's creators had lost everything to the scourge of colonization and hearing of a settlement of Ōtsutsuki on Earth did wonders for her temperament.  Kit wasn't pleased with the outburst but she didn't apologize for the angel's words. In truth, underneath her guilt, she felt the same. Arisu's binding rituals, her thirst for more power, and the way she carried herself as if she was above all else concerned her. She wanted to work with the alien but she also did not want to put her planet in jeopardy by ceding such power to one person. Kit said nothing for a moment. Sayuri would probably be lost as she lacked the moral character and intelligence to understand Zizz. The Angel turned over to her and opened its mouth to say something before realizing that it'd likely be a waste of time. Instead, she slammed her itty bitty fist into her itty bitty open palm. Then mimed the act of strangling someone. Hopefully the Ice Princess got the message.

Kit sighed and shook her head.

"Sayuri.....Arisu....that's Zizz. She's my guardian angel of sorts. She.....has a strong sense of justice and her people have suffered quite a bit at the hands of...well....Ōtsutsuki. I respect your position Princess Arisu and I withdraw my proposal. But let's get one thing straight. This isn't about my own ambition Sayuri, its not about taking on the world, its not about putting Kiri above the rest. Its about making sure that no one else on this planet suffers the same fate as the Nnami people. I hate violence. You may not believe me but its true. I'd rather play music than hurt people.....but if it comes down to it, I'll tear down every Church or settlement that threatens innocent lives. Ōtsutsuki or Jashinist or even our own Kage. It doesn't matter to us. If you don't think action is warranted, I'll respect that but I do trust my source and so I'll see if I can have them monitor the situation. Making a move on the Church is probably premature though and if we're focused on taking down Mockingbird it will have to wait. Its not ideal but if that's the price for a temporary peace then we'll pay it."

Zizz huffed and folded her tiny arms, indignant that Arisu was not thanking Kit for showing mercy on the colonizer infestation.

Kitsuki closed by saying:

"....War isn't something I'm interested in, in fact, that's another thing I wanted to speak to you all about. It seems like we're on the same page with how to handle Konoha and Kumo but I think to show the world that we are serious about turning our back on conflict, we might need to do a bit more. I've gone over the numbers with our logistical specialists and I've come to the conclusion that Kiri's military is horribly bloated and inefficient. I propose that we release the majority of our ninja from service and convert them into a non-martial peace corps. Their job will be to assist in reconstruction, medical aid, and resource distribution. They'll help all parties regardless of national affiliation. I think that will go a long way towards convincing Kumo that we aren't interested in world domination and it will help rehabilitate our image as an Empire while lightening our financial burden. I don't think we'll be left entirely vulnerable either. We should have more than enough troops to maintain our defenses in case our enemies decide to take advantage of our charity"

Sayuri was both frustrated and overjoyed. It seemed that the other two princesses were all but at each other’s throats, Kitsuki’s mention of wiping out the contingent of Otsutsuki in Kumogakure being enough to finally grab the attention of Arisu. When the alien princess stood and her eyes turned purple, Sayuri tried to hide a grin, noting the white haired woman’s hand on the hilt of her weapon. The ice princess would take a step back, clearing the path between the other two women, and leaned against a bookshelf to watch the spectacle.

She had all but forgotten the snide remark that came from Kitsuki in response to her own, something she would have to revisit at some point in the future. Trading jabs and barbs with Kitsuki was a pleasure, though she suspected that she was getting more enjoyment out of it than Kitsuki was. Her frustration came from the realization that both Arisu and Kitsuki were appallingly good intentioned, and therefore a future filled with mind numbing boredom was becoming evident. All of the plans they both agreed on were so. . . safe. Dull. The one good plan that Kitsuki had come up with, striking simultaneously at Kumo and Konoha seemed to be off the table for now. And even Arisu activating her dojutsu with a hand on her weapon didn’t seem to be going anywhere interesting. She could plainly see the anger and indignation, the urge to make the other conform. It was the kind of tension that would either devolve into violence or would inevitably draw them closer together. She simply couldn’t have the latter, or it would always be two against one.

As Arisu addressed her directly, Sayuri would give her an impassive look, followed by an offhand comment whose only purpose was to continue to sow distrust. “You chose us out of ‘convenience’. I choose food out of convenience, it’s an interesting word to pick to describe those you live and work with. Convenient.” So the alien fancied herself a protector of humankind, how. . . inconvenient. And ridiculous. There was a word for people that made themselves the ‘protectors’ of something or someone that never asked for that meddling. And it wasn’t ‘guardian’. ‘So you are what stands in my way. Very well.’ It would be more difficult than she had originally envisioned, but she would still make the world submit. If Arisu did it first it would be all the easier, the illusion of peace and benevolence made people trusting and soft. Ripe for the taking. That was for later though, for now she had to encourage the growing rift between the two emotional women. Just as she was about to step forward and poke the proverbial bear a small person suddenly appeared.

Or it might have been a bird. It had wings and it flew. So it could have been either. Sayuri was quite familiar with the concept of angels however and it took her only a few seconds to piece it together. The tiny thing looked quite angry and Sayuri could only imagine why. She supposed that it might have been a reaction to Arisu’s threatening gesture with her weapon. The little angel made no noise but it flew about and gestured wildly as though trying to speak. Ignoring the fact that the angel was most likely a person Sayuri would walk up to it and reach out her hand as though to pluck it from the air. She wasn’t trying to hurt it, she just wanted to examine the flying creature and was fascinated enough that personal space was the least of her concerns.

As Kitsuki explained that Zizz was her guardian angel Sayuri would step towards the tiny being and attempt to cup her gently in both hands, hoping to get a closer look. The only other angel she had ever seen was Azrael, and he was person sized. It was clear that Zizz was trying to communicate something to her, she wasn’t certain what but it seemed that the angel was still upset with Arisu and so Sayuri would attempt to commiserate. “It’s alright tiny thing, my angel gets upset when people threaten to hurt me. I understand.” It was the most heartfelt and sincere thing Sayuri had said while in the office so far. Thinking of Azrael had an oddly calming effect on her and assuming she had not managed to take Zizz into her grasp she would sit down on a nearby chair as Kitsuki continued explaining her plans for the future of Kirigakure. She had expected to hate all of her plans, but this one she thought might actually work in her favour. Less guards meant less resistance and that she could use. With a nod she would silently agree, her gaze now focused somewhere off in the distant past as she struggled to hold on to the present. “So we will send our guards off to do work elsewhere? I suppose that makes sense. If peace is really what you both want, then a considerable amount of effort and resources will have to be sacrificed on our end. Kirigakure has a good deal to answer for in the eyes of the world. I imagine anyhow, it’s not as though I get out much.”

Arisu frowned at the speech that took place in her head, not in any language that she knew, but somehow she was able to understand it without any difficulty. It wasn't like talking, and the understanding was almost instantaneous, as if everything had been spoken in an instant, but also over the course of a long time. Pure indignation splashed her face.

"We aren't programmed for anything! We're born! Good, evil, we've got both, and everywhere in between. And who says you're entitled to decide who gets stronger and who doesn't? That you're the best? You act as if you've got the superior moral ground, but in the end, you're just like everything else. You only care about the extermination of my people, when we didn't all have something to do with your planet's subjugation. The Otsutsuki are a large clan of powerful beings who travel the stars and cosmos, throughout time and space, even other dimensions. Some consume planets, some exist in neutrality, and some protect those planets."

Arisu shook her head, Rinnegan deactivating. She'd come here to discuss their next plans for the nation, and they'd done that already. She had her task and needed to go speak to Nyguyen.

"Reduce the military if you like. Peace troops are completely fine, but I didn't come here to be attacked by your Nnamian angel because of my species. If there's nothing else, I'm going to prepare for my trip to Konoha."

Arisu stepped to the door. If Kitsuki had anything further to speak about, now was the time, although if Kitsuki made no attempt to stop her, she'd exit the room and head out to prepare for her trip. As far as she was concerned, Zizz's opinions of her would no longer be a concern. It was likely that the angel would never care for her given that back story, and if she wanted to get stronger and complete her powers, she would be unable to rely on Kitsuki or Zizz, so it was on her to figure things out for herself.

[potential exit]

Sayuri expressed skepticism regarding Arisu's choice of Kirigakure. As much as Kit disliked her, she couldn't help but wonder if she was right. The place of one's birth wasn't just some matter of convenience. It was a fact of universal significance. A sense of loyalty and duty that nearly anyone could relate to. Many people's family roots went back generations and to refer to national identity as something that was borne out of "convenience" was foreign to her. It was just one of countless examples of how alien Arisu really was. The remark didn't distract Kitsuki for long though. After Zizz had popped out to give Arisu what for, Sayuri reached out to touch her. The angel wheeled around and gave Sayuri a disgusted look  before shrinking to the size of an atom in a mere instant. To Sayuri it would appear as thought the angel had straight up disappeared. In reality, Zizz had weaved through the molecules making up Sayuri's hand essentially passing through the women's body unharmed and coming out at the other side at her full size. It was like trying to catch the wind. No matter how hard Sayuri would try to touch Zizz, she'd just shrink, dodge, and appear in the airspace not occupied by Sayuri's hands. The Angel was so startled by Sayuri's sudden fascination she barely had time to communicate her displeasure.

ⵀⴻⵢ! ⵢoⵓ! ⵙⵜop ⵡⵀⴰⵜ ⴷo ⵢoⵓ ⵜⵀⵉⵏⴽ ⵢoⵓ'ⵔⴻ ⴷoⵉⵏⴳ!?

The Angel floated backwards and away from Sayuri. Zizz perched on Kit's shoulder like she had done previously and if Sayuri got a step closer to try and make first contact, Kit would put up a gloved hand indicating that she stop right where she was.
"Please keep your hands to yourself" she said in a firm tone. If Kit's voice was any deeper it would have been a growl but years of etiquette training at the WASP had taught her how to sound menacing yet ladylike. If Sayuri knew what was good for her, she'd stop in her tracks and not put her paws out to touch Zizz again. When she mentioned having an Angel, Zizz and Kit looked at each other in a puzzled manner. There were many "angels" in the world. It was a loose term that could mean a variety of things. They both assumed that she wasn't referring to a Nnami Angel. There was no way on Earth that an Angel would select someone like her as a host. The sinister vibe that she gave off along with her penchant for conflict made her the polar opposite of what their kind was looking for. Kitsuki assumed that Sayuri was referring to someone or something else. Just another tidbit of information that made Sayuri someone to watch out for.

Zizz had no clue what Sayuri had said and Kit didn't bother to translate. She narrowed her eyes and told a white lie to keep the peace.

"Zizz says that's good to know but keep your distance from her."

For all her antics, Sayuri was agreeable to her plan as was Arisu. Unfortunately, the latter was ready to storm out after Zizz's confrontation. The Angel raised a tiny eyebrow in surprise that the Ōtsutsuki could in fact understand her. It meant that she was indeed on the side of good. The frequency of communication that Zizz felt between them was on the basis of pure heart as opposed to a rigorous mind. It was good news in that it showed that Kit was an excellent judge of character, it was bad news as it meant that Zizz might have misjudged the alien. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in response to Arisu's retort. Kitsuki stood stone faced and without emotion although internally she did feel bad about stereotyping Arisu. She didn't want to look at her the same way the angels did, but the reality was that this woman could bring the dead to life, bind other spirits to her will, summon a monster bigger than a Bijuu, and was on track to possess the strongest summoning technique in existence. And she still wants more.... No matter how much Arisu tried to shame her, Kit would not be moved. She didn't like the idea of being the arbiter of who was permitted to be strong and who was not but when you were dealing with abilities of that caliber someone had to step in and say enough was enough. She didn't know anyone else willing or able so she'd have to be the one to do it. The Princess remained silent as Arisu agreed to the plan and prepared to storm out the office.

Kitsuki was about to let her when she remembered there was one last thing they needed to discuss.

"Arisu wait!"

Hopefully it'd be enough to get the young woman's attention before she walked out of the room.

"There is one more thing we need to discuss. Chigetsu."

Kit turned to Sayuri.

"What I'm about to tell you is classified. Do not breathe a word of this to anyone else outside of the Triumvirate. Chigetsu Hozuki is a confirmed jinchurikki. As you may or may not know, he was in a romantic relationship with Hana and he sought to protect her. I don't know the details of how they got together or how he even got a Bijuu....but knowing his personality she probably manipulated him and he became so co-dependent on her that he was willing to fight to let her escape. I don't know his level of culpability but I'm going to assume he's innocent for now. A victim of that.....thing....inside of him. I don't know what to do. I'd like to extract the Bijuu from his body and kill that Demon but I don't know if that's possible without hurting him. I don't even know if its possible to kill a Bijuu."

Zizz had an idea of what would happen but she had cautioned Zizz that the mechanics she had learned may not be the exact same as what they were on her homeworld.

"Arisu....I don't know how much you know about this stuff but we can't have a Demon like this roaming the Earth. We certainly can't let it live inside someone as emotionally compromised as Chigetsu. Whatever our differences may be, we both want the same thing and that's to protect this planet. I need your help to isolate and destroy the Tailed Beast"

Not being able to grab the tiny angel had Sayuri momentarily confused, and as she saw Zizz sit on Kitsuki’s shoulder she would attempt to reach for her again, only stopping when she heard a distinct [i]‘Sayuri! Enough!’[i] in her mind in response to Kitsuki’s outstretched hand. A low whine of complaint sounded from Sayuri’s throat and she sat down to watch the exchange between Arisu and Kitsuki and Zizz. She had been told ‘no’ only a handful of times in her life and it didn’t matter how many times it happened it never got any more enjoyable. And it was even worse from Jareth, she expected her toys to occasionally rebuff her, but she didn’t expect it from him. She found it actually hurt and she would sit with a distressed look on her face, like that of a child who had been yelled at by a beloved parent. “Fine.” was all she mumbled as she took her seat. It would most likely be viewed by Kitsuki as Sayuri finally being, petulantly, agreeable. It wasn’t the case, but Sayuri had no interest in correcting it.

When Arisu made to leave Sayuri did nothing to stop her, it wasn’t her business who came or went from this meeting. She could see that her prodding had created some strife, though surprisingly the core of it had existed without her. She was still upset, but seeing how little effort it would take to nurture the dissent between the two women had at least quelled some of the guilt and distress that had taken hold. Kitsuki was not as willing to let the alien princess leave so quickly. As Kitsuki turned to inform her of the ‘classified’ state of Chigetsu Hozuki she would lean forward in her chair. Secrets she liked. Apparently the pink haired prince was a Jinchuriiki, a bearer of a Tailed Beast. That was interesting. She wondered just how long he had been carrying that power, not that it really mattered, but it was fascinating that only his love for Hana had drawn out the beast’s power. When Kitsuki asked Arisu for help to remove it from Chigetsu and then destroy it, Sayuri would gasp softly. “Why would you kill it? Why wouldn’t you just put it in someone else, someone easier to control. Killing it seems like such a waste.”

"Killing a Bijuu is not possible. Unlike other living creatures, they arent made of flesh and blood in the aame manner as us. They are comprised purely of the chakra that was ripped from the statue I'm linked to. If you kill the Bijuu, it'll respawn at some point somewhere else in tbe world. If you want it gone as an issue permanently, allow me to restore it to the Gedo Statue. Otherwise leave it in Chigetsu, or move it to someone else who doesnt have my abilities to control it. Or release it and kill it unjustly as well rather than returning it to its body."

Her tone was a clear indication that she was annoyed. Still, she stayed for the moment, to give what help she could in the matter.

"Separating a Bijuu from its host is somewhat dangerous. Oftentimes the host dies. However, sufficiently strong life force can negate a death. Hozuki are powerful so I dont know. Besides, I can, again, bring people fully back to life if Im fast enough although it can take a long time to be able to do that. "

Arisu folded her arms by the door while she waited for a response on what they were going to do. Part of her was unsure of whether Kitsuki would even answer at the time being or would just think on it a little more.

Much to Kitsuki's surprise, Sayuri actually stopped when commanded to stop. It was a bit anti-climatic honestly. For someone who have off such a spooky aura all it took was a firm no to get her to behave. Kit was releived that she didn't have to resort to shouting or worse yet touching to get Sayuri to back off. The Ice Princess had agreed to most of her proposals but she balked at destroying the Bijuu. She wanted to put it in another host and Kit shook her head so vigorously that her afro-pigtails flopped about. Arisu stopped in the doorway and dropped some knowledge on how Bijuu worked. She corroborated Zizz's thoughts on the subject but her solutions were less than ideal.

"If we can't kill it then we seal it. Permanently. No other human should have to suffer with some monstrosity inside them like that. These beings take control of their host by force at moments of weakness...this makes them a ticking timebomb as was the case with Chigetsu. No, we can't afford to leave it in Chi or any other shinobi. Letting them loose is also not an option as another nation would capture it and use it as a weapon. There has to be a way to just seal it in...a gourd or something I dunno."

Kit gave Arisu a look that said:

There is no way in hell I'm giving it to your Gedo Statue....

She didn't want to start another fight between them but Arisu should be smart enough to know that that suggestion was a non starter. Kitsuki wasn't smart enough to come up with a plan on this subject. She knew nothing about sealing and even less about sealing Bijuu. However, she wasn't going to cede authority on the subject to Arisu and Sayuri sounded just as ignorant as she was.

"I'd be fine with keeping it in Chi if we can guarantee that it won't be released or awoken...if removing it from him is too dangerous then maybe the status quo is the best option....at least until we have someone who can remove it safely or provide a workable alternative"

Sayuri was relieved to hear that the tailed beasts couldn’t actually be killed. Such power being tossed aside because of fear had saddened her, and knowing it wasn’t even possible allowed her to breathe easier. She was beginning to form a more clear picture in her mind of the morality of Arisu, it seemed that virtually everything that anyone suggested annoyed the woman. Most especially Kitsuki. She knew there had to be a story there, but there were certain words she kept using that hinted at a deep resentment. ‘Kill it unjustly’ a phrase that implied that Arisu thought letting the thing live was just. What she couldn’t be sure of though was whether the act of killing a Bijuu was considered unjust because it actually was, or because Kitsuki had suggested it. She decided it was the latter, because it told a better and more interesting story than some continued ‘save the planet and its inhabitants’ drivel.

Kitsuki’s view on how best to handle the Bijuu was not something that Sayuri agreed with. In either iteration of her plan. She disagreed enough that she stopped pouting and curled her legs beneath her on her chair, raising her higher as she addressed both princesses. “Power isn’t dangerous and not something we need fear. How long did Chigetsu have that Bijuu within him before he simply failed to control himself? At the banquet? Before? If it hadn’t caused a problem at any other time, then either the Bijuu grew in power at an extremely inconvenient time, or Chigetsu failed. How old were either of you when you learned to control your chakra and your abilities? Children I would assume. If children can be taught to control their abilities and not rampage through the streets, then the problem is not the power. It’s the person. Being afraid of power is useless, it will always exist and only those without fear will obtain it. Whether those people are fearless and unskilled is up to us. Keep it in Chigetsu for now if you like, or better yet give it to Arisu for her statue or take it out and give it to someone worthy of it. But to seal it away and not use it is foolish. I know a small amount about sealing, and believe me, everything breaks eventually.”

Her last sentence perfectly summarized her view of the world and everyone in it, the idea of handing over more power to either Arisu or someone else had its downsides, but with enough manipulation it would prove more beneficial in the long run than pretending that every other nation they were up against didn’t have access to that same power and would most definitely use it against them. With a sigh Sayuri would rise from her chair and turn to look carefully at both of them. A soothing voice praised her insight and the intensity from before she had been chastised returned to her as she spoke. “The tension in this room is palpable, and this is only between three people who are supposed to be working together. If we do plan on ending the war then squandering our resources is pointless. Whether that is Bijuu or anything else does not matter, accept it or not we are at war and wars are not won through warm sentiments. If you really think that peace can be achieved without force then I wait to be proven wrong, until then however we must be prepared for peace talks to fail. Locking away one of our most powerful weapons seems unwise. I want a good death as much as the next person, but I don’t want a useless one.” She was lying, she didn’t want a ‘good death’, she didn’t even think she could die. But it was something she’d heard people long after, especially those that considered themselves ‘warriors’ which as far as she could tell both Kitsuki and Arisu did.

"Sealing it away would not be a thing I endorse. Let me be clear. The Bijuu are parts of the Gedo Statue. They are also living beings. I dont like keeping them in 9 separate parts when they yearn for completion in the same manner I do. However, even if they arent restored to their original self, they are still a living entity, and locking it off from the world for eternity when it had done nothing wrong is the pinnacle of evil. The Bijuu were forced into people for their wielders to use as weapons, split into 9 different beasts and forced into servitude. Put yourself in that place and wonder how you'd react? Not only do they not want to be stored in someone to restrict their movement and freedom and used as a battery, demonized by the people who subjugate them, but they are also out of their own body, separate from their true self."

Arisu actually agreed with Sayuri for the most part. Of course she was a natural and had perfect chakra control since she was born, the way one has perfect control over their arms, or mouth. Otsutsuki were naturals at manipulating chakra since it was native to them. Humans on the otherhand were given chakra, a decision Arisu was less and less sure she agreed with. Some took to it naturally, others struggled with it at all. Humans used Chakra to hurt people and further their war, and Arisu was less than thrilled with it. Still, they were able to control it very easily and that meant that people were indeed the problem rather than the Bijuu.

This all further served to reinforce her original goal. Become the Guardian Goddess of the planet, form an elite pantheon, and hide away the secrets of ninjutsu from the rest of the world. Taking away people's chakra may not be a possible thing to do, but if they spread a message of peace and ninshu, then ninjutsu would eventually disappear from people's memories. Then, only those properly vetted could use ninjutsu, and only from the shadows. Showing they are a divine chosen.

Unfortunately, there weren't any people she realistically trusted enough for that pantheon yet, but she'd be alive forever so long as she didnt die. There would be time to build up trust, or find other like minded individuals who wouldnt let their prejudice get in the way.

"Allow me to take the Bijuu and you need not worry about it any longer. Once I restore the Gedo to its former glory and acquire the rest of the paths to my Rinnegan, I'm largely leaving the world and just watching over it anyhow. If you destroy the Bijuu or allow them to be sealed or roam free, then they'll just be used as weapons by someone else in the future. And the Rinnegan has been chosen for completion on this planet. Additional paths crop up all the time, and will continue to until the 7 are as one. No amount of destroying them will help that. I might be the best one to complete it for this world as I will use it to defend the planet from anything else plaguing it. Likely more focused outward than inward, but you humans have a lot of work before you're truly ready for me.to withdraw completely. Once I complete my eyes though, the flow of my people stops. If you really dont want to deal with Otsutsuki, the truth is working with me is smarter than working against me."

Arisu talked primarily to Kitsuki, but also partially to Sayuri. She was a princess as well, and held authority equal to Arisu and Kitsuki. Sayuri likely wanted to weaken other nations and taking their Bijuu and Rinnegan Paths was probably the easiest way to do that. It stopped the flow of power from just reacquiring it, and while Arisu was aligned with Kirigakure, set them up with more and more power, which in turn commanded respect since that was all the humans seemed to care about.

Kitsuki was surprised at the level of pushback she was receiving from her fellow Princesses. From Sayuri because she had thought she had brought the Yuki to heel, but instead she was rising up against in her indignation. Arisu likewise had this queer notion that the Bijuu were divided personages of a whole being and should thus be reunited. Kit was frustrated with their blindness. Couldn't they see that permitting these entities to exist would jeopardize the planet? Unfortunately, she could not force her will on them. They had just agreed to decide things as a council and it was two against one on the prospect of destroying or even permanently sealing away the Bijuu. Sayuri did raise a good point though. The power of a Bijuu could not be contained indefinitely. Every seal would eventually snap if left unattended. It made sense and was probably the reason why Bijuu were kept inside people who could one day master those abilities as opposed to kept inside gourds and broken out when needed. There was also the issue of the war. Kit knew that the twins were jinchurikki and that Akihiro was as well. All of the major nations had at least one confirmed Jinchurikki and non-state actors like the Society also had them as well. Robbing Kiri of one of its most potent weapons would not play well with the rest of the military establishment, no matter how noble the act may be.

Arisu expounded on the point by explaining the mechanics of the Bijuu. Apparently the creatures were not only portions of the Gedo Statute, they were sentient beings capable of reason. Kitsuki did not doubt this but she was skeptical that humanity was to blame for their inherently violent and destructive nature. Arisu repeated her demand. She wanted to take the Bijuu along with the Paths so that she could watch over the world. She explained that the Paths crop up all the time and that she was the best one to unite the Rinnegan. Arisu asserted that once she had completed the Rinnegan, the Ōtsutsuki would stop coming to Earth. Zizz was now buzzing so angrily, she threatened to vibrate to the day Arisu was born and kill her. Fortunately, she was too mad to communicate the threat coherently. Kitsuki felt the same righteous indignation though but she dealt with it constructively. She walked up to Arisu so that the two stood less than a foot apart. The Princess's eyes glowed in bright gold in defiance to Arisu's lavender Rinnegan. It appeared Sayuri would get her wish of conflict and discord between them. Kitsuki had hoped that Arisu would get the hint and stop pushing this "Path to Completion" nonsense, but like an addict she was dead set on receiving all the power the world had to offer. It was time to clear up any confusion.

"I don't believe I've made myself clear so let me be emphatic: The answer is no. I find it terribly convenient that the Bijuu are divided beings that can only be made whole if they return to the Gedo Statue...which you happen to control. This means that this rampaging ultra monster that you want to create would be a tool for you to wield with absolute impunity. A weapon the likes of which this planet hasn't seen since the days of Hagoromo. Then on top of it, you wish to collect all of the Rinnegan Paths and based on what you've told me each ability is orders of magnitude stronger than a standard shinobi's arsenal. Then once you have all of this power you and the hordes of Ōtsutsuki that have arrived on Earth will just pack up and leave? But only after you've watched over it for some indeterminate period of time?"

Kitsuki paused to let the absurdity of Arisu's plan sink in. Kit wasn't sure what to make of this alien but she was now leaning towards her being a potential adversary. Arisu was a deceiver it seemed. She had deceived Kituski about the true nature of her "bond" with Naitome and she was attempting to deceive them into helping her acquire unlimited power. Even if her end goal was good, which it likely was, there was no telling what would happen once she achieved the power she sought. Power corrupts....and absolute power corrupts absolutely.... This woman was arrogant beyond words to believe that she could reign over humanity as an objective and neutral overlord. It often didn't turn out that way and Kit didn't need to be a Chel-level genius to figure that out.

"I don't buy it and I respectfully ask that you please refrain from pushing this agenda. I was willing to let you take over the Animal Path because I trusted your morality and I didn't want it in the hands of Ikomiki but now you're making me question even that. I will not allow you or any other Ōtsutsuki to complete the Rinnegan. I will not allow you or any other Ōtsutsuki to recreate the Ten Tailed Gedo Statue. I'd sooner destroy you and anyone else that tries to jeopardize this planet. I don't want you as an enemy....I do want to work with you Arisu but if that's your endgame...if that's the real reason you conveniently chose Kirigakure then I have no choice but to work against you"

Kit would need to watch out for this one. The girl simply could not be trusted. They were allies purely out of mutual convenience and the moment that changed they were likely to go their separate ways. Their end goals were just way too different.

Kitsuki now turned to Sayuri:

"You're right. We cannot afford to keep the Bijuu permanently sealed. Killing them is impossible and locking them away robs us of a valuable asset while leaving open the possibility of theft or breaking. I say we keep it in Chigetsu for the time being until we all can agree on a suitable host."

Kitsuki was going for a compromise position. She didn't want Arisu getting her hands on the Bijuu and she knew that locking them away was a total non-starter. She didn't care if Arisu was angry with her like she was at the gates. This was now bigger than winning the friendship of an Ōtsutsuki.

ⵉⵜⵙ ⴼⵉⵏⴻ ⴽⵉⵜ....ⵉⴼ ⴰ ⴱⵉⵊⵓⵓ ⴱⵔⴻⴰⴽⵙ ⵍooⵙⴻ oⵔ ⴰ ⵊⵉⵏⵛⵀⵓⵔⵉⴽⴽⵉ ⴳoⴻⵙ oⵏ ⴰ ⵔⴰⵎpⴰⴳⴻ...ⵡⴻ'ⵍⵍ ⴷⴻⵙⵜⵔoⵢ ⵜⵀⴻⵎ ⴰⵏⴷ pⵓⵜ ⵜⵀⴰⵜ ⴷⴻⵎoⵏ ⴱⴰⵛⴽ ⵉⵏ ⴰ ⴱoⵜⵜⵍⴻ. ⵡⴻ ⴳoⵜ ⵜⵀⵉⵙ!

Kit internally nodded in agreement. They didn't come this far just to let the wicked rule over the Earth.

As the conversation between the other two princesses devolved, Sayuri had little to do but watch the drama unfold. She kept her expression neutral as she moved back to the window once more, feeling more comfortable being able to see outside. She didn’t want to appear too interested in the argument, she had planted seeds of doubt and those seeds would dissipate if it were apparent who had sown them. Truthfully she was ecstatic with the way things had turned out. She had expected the strife to take longer to rear its head, but this was more than she could have hoped for.

Kitsuki and her angel didn’t like the Otsutsuki and were afraid of their power. Arisu didn’t like the proposed or continued imprisonment of the Bijuu or, it seemed, Kitsuki’s judgement of her and her people. It was positively delightful to watch. With only a few sentences she had aided in dividing what would have been a formidable duo against her plans for Kirigakure and beyond. ‘Clever as always, my Queen. Leave them to fight with each other, you don’t need them. You have me.’ Jareth needed to keep her on task, and more importantly, keep the angel away from him. Still looking out the window she reiterated what she felt were the important parts of their discussion. “I will send word to have a representative from Kumogakure meet me in the Heavenly Emporium. I should point out though, no one will take me seriously as a Genin. Arisu will go to Konohagakure to attempt to flush out the terrorists and Kitsuki will remain here to oversee the new Peace Corps. Chigetsu will remain the vessel for the Bijuu for now, unless the two of you can come to an agreement now? And at some point during all of this we will make a plan should Kiri be attacked for her obvious sins. Did I leave anything out?” Her tone was one of disinterest, though with a hint of goading. She did want to ensure that the rift between the other two was permanent, but she also wanted to get going to meet with Kumo. If she was very lucky, her hunt might be ending soon.

If she was another person, Arisu may have attacked Kitsuki at that point. The amount of insults levied at her direction, the amount of distrust, prejudice, and racism sent her way since their initial meeting was enough to upset even the nicest of people. Arisu wasn't one to attack for insults, but it was more than that. The young girl wanted to murder her kin, to keep them from any of their goals, regardless of what they might be, good or evil, she just wanted them gone. The fear mongering was washing over any rational thought, and there was no hope that they could come to any sort of peaceful conclusion.

If she was another person, perhaps one less person would have left this office today. But Arisu wasn't that type. She stayed her hand. She didn't lash out in anger or rage. Her earlier annoyance and indignation had been fully put back in check. There was no longer anything further to be said to Kitsuki, or to Sayuri. In truth, her stay in Kirigakure had shown her that regardless of the morality of the people, everyone here had the capacity to murder, to wipe out a group of people just for being different to them. Kitsuki was no better than Hana, than Kyoji, than the rest. If Arisu insisted on receiving the Bijuu and Sayuri agreed, if the two of them agreed to give Arisu all the paths, then Kitsuki wouldn't abide by it and would take matters into her own hands and attempt to stop Arisu by any means, and that much was evident.

Arisu took a moment to address Sayuri's question, all the while still thinking on her thoughts about Kitsuki. "You're a high member of Kirigakure's empire as a Princess. Don't even bother with your military rank, it's not important for your diplomacy mission, they'll take you seriously. If you're super concerned, then have a promotion to Chuunin or Tokubetsu Jounin, I don't really care anymore. Everything else is correct." she said. As a Princess, she probably should have a higher rank than Genin anyhow, especially considering she was a clan leader. That tended to make one important and not one that someone could easily boss around.

Arisu simply shook her head, staring down Kitsuki. "I've told you before. The progenitor of chakra here were Otsutsuki. The reason you have chakra is my people. Your Sage Hagoromo, his brother, and his mother are all integral parts of your world's history and all Otsutsuki. The Bijuu, the Gedou Statue, the Rinnegan, they're artifacts and tools of my people. So yes, it's convenient because they are ours. You have no authority over any of them, and I'll reclaim them if I so choose."

It all came down to one truth: Kitsuki was a hyprocrite, one blinded by her own power. She only valued her own opinion and hid it behind a facade of justice, even offering a council so that she didn't have all the power. But it was only an act, one for show to make an appearance of moral superiority, something she'd shown time and time again that she liked to wield as a shield for her actions. Even the deaths of Hana and Kyoji had come without much attempt to take them in, and Chigetsu, who Arisu had specifically kept out of the fight and unconscious, was the only survivor. Had Arisu not done that, would Kitsuki have eliminated Chigetsu as well?

"Don't lie. You don't want to work with me, and you never have. You're terrified of me, so you try and work with me out of fear. And no, you do nothing respectfully." Arisu said, finally turning her back on Kitsuki, opened the door, leaving the office, and slamming it shut behind her. There was nothing further to be said, and Kitsuki had made it clear that she was not an ally of Arisu's. She had things to prepare for and do, and perhaps she'd misjudged the human. She'd thought that the girl was morally incorruptible, but she was an easily brainwashed and manipulated peon that would stand in her way. Unfortunately, that meant that they would inevitably come into conflict and there really wasn't any avoiding it.

That Angel from Nnami was a big problem. Who was to say that it was a being of good and justice as was claimed? It could be a parasitic life form that took over a host and made them paranoid, using them as hosts to wipe out potential enemies and then take over a planet.

It was all a lot, but Arisu had a war to halt before she could really worry about it. And her first step was to bring Akihiro and Ikomiki to justice. For now, so long as Kitsuki left her alone and didn't step out of line and do something terrible, Arisu would leave her alone as well.

[Exit]