Not long into her blissful nap, Nanashi's peaceful slumber was rudely interrupted by a cacophony of annoying sounds echoing from outside her cozy barrow. First, a persistent meowing cat tried to serenade her back to consciousness, but Nanashi, determined to cling to her dreams, paid it no mind. Then came the unmistakable braying of a donkey, stationed right at the entrance of her burrow, as if it was auditioning for the role of the town crier. But just as Nanashi was about to shoo it away in her half-asleep haze, the donkey's bray morphed into a bear's growl!

That caught her attention.

With a sly grin playing on her lips, she cracked open one eye to investigate. And lo and behold, there stood Sasuke, her self-proclaimed lifelong best friend, orchestrating this symphony of chaos with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. But Sasuke's mischief knew no bounds. Under the guise of Nanashi's "slumbering innocence," he embarked on a daring mission to tickle her funny bone.

Clutching a leaf between his teeth, Sasuke tip-toed closer and closer, his furry paws barely making a sound. When he reached her face, he gently brushed the leaf across her nose, mimicking the irritating buzz of a mosquito. Every time Nanashi's nose twitched or her expression hinted at a forthcoming sneeze, Sasuke would bury his snout in his fluffy chest, muffling his giggles like a bumbling bandit attempting a daring heist.

But as with all great jesters, Sasuke's amusement eventually waned. With a shrug of his shoulders and a flicker of childish impatience, he declared, "Ah, boredom strikes again!" And with that, he retreated, leaving Nanashi to return to her interrupted nap, albeit now with a playful smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. ‘Your no fun.’ then stormed out of the barrow, leaving Nanashi with a pleased grin on her face and fell into a deep sleep once again.

A few hours later, while Nanashi, was enjoying her dream of how she conjured the Shang dynasty once again, making all those who went against and betrayed her suffer in very creative manner, she was woken by annoying, sleep disturbing sound of a child crying, just outside her barrow once again, this immediately woke her up with a hell like fury.

‘This is it for him, I played along nicely but to interrupt such a beautiful dream is just inexcusable. She grumbled dashing out with great anger.

When she got outside, she noticed that there was no sign of her accused but the crying persisted.

‘URUSAI! (quiet)’, she shouted in a fit of range the crying stop for a few seconds before it started up again, even louder, infuriating her even more.

“I am going to kill it, even if it is a human.” She said and dashed into the woods.

She tracked the haunting sounds, each soft sob leading her closer until she stood before a dense bush. With a fierce determination, Nanashi braced herself, her form expanding as she prepared to confront whatever lurked beyond man, woman, or child. Sasuke would just have to forgive and forget this one.

With a powerful leap, she burst through the foliage, jaws poised to strike, only to be met with a sight that arrested her predatory instincts. There, nestled amidst the leaves, sat a small figure a child no older than three years, her tear-streaked face lifted to meet Nanashi's gaze head-on.

For a fleeting moment, Nanashi's primal instincts clashed with her curiosity as she scrutinized the unexpected presence before her. With a deliberate slow blink, she closed her mouth, momentarily suspending the tension between predator and prey. This encounter held more mystery than anticipated.

‘Huh, you are a nice little tender piece of meat, such a shame, that you have you die at such a young age but worry, you will not be missing anything, the world is actually not a very nice place, trust me, I am doing you a favour.’ She said, walking over to the girl opening her mouth as wide as she can, looking to eat her up in one go.

In a whirlwind of excitement and curiosity, the little girl sprang to her feet, swiping at her runny nose before boldly extending her hand toward Nanashi's unsuspecting tongue. The moment her taste buds registered the salty tang, Nanashi recoiled faster than a startled cat confronted by a marching band's brass section.

With an exaggerated shudder, Nanashi launched into a frantic frenzy of taste-testing, licking the ground as if searching for buried treasure, then the bark of a nearby tree as if it held the secrets of the universe, and finally resorting to nibbling on leaves like a gourmet chef on a quest for the perfect seasoning.

The little girl's giggles bubbled up like a playful spring, her eyes sparkling with impish glee as she watched Nanashi's bizarre antics unfold. Before her, the once-fearsome Yokai had become a comical sight - lapping at leaves like a thirsty cat, gnawing on tree bark as if it were candy, and chomping at the forest floor with gusto.

The sweet innocent laughter drew Nanashi's attention like a moth to flame. In that moment, all her rage melted away, replaced by a mix of confusion and embarrassment at being caught in such an undignified state.

"So, you think this is funny? You dare laugh at me, you human pest! Now you're going to see, I have something special in mind for you," Nanashi snarled, taking a few steps back. Deciding that a long-range attack would be better for dealing with this phlegm beast, she began to growl.

As she did, a celestial aura enveloped her, igniting her fur with an ethereal luminescence. Sparks of electricity wove intricate patterns around her, casting a mesmerizing spectacle. In the depths of her shadow, a liquid essence stirred, simmering with latent power. From its depths emerged a serpentine form, reminiscent of an ancient anaconda, its scales ablaze with hues of resplendent gold and crimson. Atop its regal brow, a verdant emerald glimmered, a testament to its divine lineage. Rising with majestic grace, it stood tall, akin to a king cobra poised before its enraptured audience, exuding an aura of unparalleled grandeur and majesty.

"Say hello to my little friend," Nanashi said with a prideful smile.

The little girl's eyes glistened with awe and wonder, unconsciously muttering the word "kirei" (beautiful).

This caught Nanashi off guard. This was the time when humans usually trembled in fear, yet this one remained calm and fascinated.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, little girl. Get her, Snakey!"

The serpent swiftly descended, entwining itself with sinister grace around the girl and bringing her up to its face.

"Oi! Don't eat her, she's mine. Just suffocate her or something," Nanashi said, chewing on a stick.

The snake nodded in agreement and turned its attention back to the girl, who was no longer trapped in its coils but busy making her way to the top of its head.

Once she reached, she immediately darted for the shinny jewel at the center of its head, the snake realising what she was trying to do and that it could also spell its end, tried to shake the girl off but soon realised that one should not underestimate the grip strength of a three-old girl, who thought of this ordeal, that it was nothing more than a game, so the snake pull out all the stops, shake side to side back and forth like a mechanical bull, eventually its efforts paid off, when it flung the little girl high up into the air to the point where she go see her village and almost giving Nanashi a heart attack, realising that she could be rob of her tender innocence, she instinctively, ran up the tree and jumped of the nearest branch, catching the little girl in mid -air and cradling her tight to her thick and fluffy chest, providing an effect couching as she landed on her back.

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"Ouch!" Nanashi cried, slowly opening her eyes to see if the girl was alright. Indeed, she was, quickly popping into a seated position with a big smile on her face, accentuating her bright red cheeks.

"Again!" the little one said in a tone of excitement.

"You're a troublesome one, aren't you?"

"Is she now?" A voice echoed, sending a cold chill down Nanashi's spine as she realized whose it was.

"Sasuke, I can explain," she quickly said, rolling on her side so the child could gently slide off.

"You can explain how a child was flying in the air?" Sasuke asked, putting his hands on his hips.

"Yes, that's just what I said," she replied, standing up and shaking the leaves off before she continued, "And why are you in a human form?"

"Let me guess," Sasuke began, "while I was on my daily rounds checking on the fellow spirits that inhabit the forest, ensuring they're safe and following the rules, I couldn't help but spot a giggling child launched into the air. So I thought it would be better to show up in human form, in case other humans had seen what I also saw."

"You're quite smart, despite the way you look," she said.

"And you're not. I've told you many times before to stay away from humans. They're very unpredictable, especially when it comes to things they fear and don't understand, so please stay away." He said, walking towards the little girl and picking her up, but the girl refused to sit still, stretching her arms out towards Nanashi.

"What are you going to do now?" Nanashi inquired.

"I'm going to take her home and as your punishment, you'll give her a ride." He said, putting the little girl on her back. She immediately wrapped her hands around Nanashi's furry neck, cuddling and rubbing her face in the fur with complete delight. In the midst of this ecstasy, she muttered the word "Mama," almost causing Nanashi to turn stiff as a rock from shock.

"What! Did you hear that? Did you?"

"I heard nothing," Sasuke replied, putting his hands behind his back and taking a few steps forward. "Come on now, her parents must be sick with worry."

"Okay... okay," she answered and followed Sasuke.

Until they came in full view of her village.

"This is far enough. I'll take her from here. Oh look, she's fast asleep. What a little angel."

"Let me see! Let me see!" Nanashi said, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Calm down, or else you'll wake her up," he said, lowering her slightly.

"Look how she sleeps, little trouble maker. Gosh, almost gave me a heart attack. Now take her away before I change my mind about not eating her."

“No, need to pretend to be tough, every creature has a heart you know.” Sasuke said before descending down the hill and into the heart of the village, Sasuke was greeted by the girl's mother, whose arms swiftly enveloped her slumbering daughter. With tender affection, she adorned the sleeping beauty with an abundance of kisses, each one a testament to a mother's boundless love. Then, in a moment that even caught Sasuke by surprise, she directed her gaze towards the hill where Nanashi, the ancient tree, stood watchful. With a gentle smile adorning her face, she whispered softly, "Arigato," expressing gratitude to the silent guardian. This action freaked, Nanashi out completely, causing to dash away into the forest like a startled deer.

As she was walking how, questioning her-self about the situation she found herself and how that little girl’s mother could have sensed her all the way in the mountain, really freaked her out so much so, that her stomach began growling.

‘Great, just what I needed, first, I do not get a good night’s sleep, now I am starving, what..’, before she could finish her sentence, she caught a whiff of her sense of smell, ‘What is that, am I really that hungry, that my nose is smelling food where ever it is going, but it does smell nice though, might as well just follow it.’

She followed the smell all the way to her own barrow, to find her self-proclaimed best friend, Sasuke, hovering over a hot pot, and a picnic style set up in front of her burrow.

"Welcome! Welcome! Please, have a seat," he said, beckoning her forward with his hands.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, not trying to contain her excitement.

"Celebration."

"For what?"

"For taking the human home without eating her."

"I think that's a made-up reason and this is all an elaborate excuse to have dinner with me because you're lonely," she said, putting her paw in front of her mouth.

"And bored."

"Well, I'm sorry, but I'm no one's plaything, so if you wouldn't mind leav—" Before she could finish playing hard to get, her stomach growled louder than ever.

"If you wish for me to leave, then I shall. Guess I'll be taking my delicious five-course meal, including a mouth-watering dessert, with me all the way to Sarashina. She truly does have a taste for the finer things in life. I guess you've lost the desire for these kinds of pleasures after being here in the forest for quite some time."

"Alright, alright. Wow, no need for the gaslighting. You win, but how am I going to use the chopsticks? You'll have to feed me."

Sasuke darkened, and his tone became serious. "Why are you playing dumb? I know you can shapeshift."

Nanashi was startled a little but continued playing dumb. "What do you mean?"

"Are you really going to make me spell it out for you? I'm connected to the forest. I have eyes and ears everywhere."

"Everywhere? That's kind of disturbing. Do you watch me sleep?" she asked, leaning closer with her ear.

"No, definitely not. You really are full of yourself. In any case, I know you ate the Onnoraki."

"Well, they did attack me fir—"

"There's no use dwelling on the past. Things happen, and there's nothing we can do about it, so let's eat," he said cheerfully.

"Why does it feel like I've actually done you a favor?"

"Come now, change and eat. The food is getting cold," he said, starting to stuff his face with rice.

"Okay," Nanashi replied. She then closed her ancient eyes, delving deep into her innermost essence. With unwavering focus, she summoned the memories of her true form, channeling ancient magic that coursed through her being. Suddenly, a radiant brilliance burst forth from her form, illuminating the surrounding landscape with an otherworldly glow. Sasuke's gaze was drawn towards the spectacle.

"Finally, I get to see how you really look," he said, putting his chopsticks in the bowl and placing it on the ground so he could examine the creature emerging from the smoke with his undivided attention.

As the mist of transformation dissipated, a vision emerged: a woman of ethereal beauty, her porcelain skin kissed by the moon's gentle caress, shimmering with an iridescent glow. Cascading locks, as dark as the midnight heavens, framed her countenance, each strand a celestial thread weaving tales of the cosmos. Within her gaze, the hues of autumn danced, mirroring the stars in a boundless night sky, their brilliance unmatched by mortal realms.

Her visage bore the marks of countless ages, etched with the wisdom of eons past, yet beneath the surface, a delicate innocence remained, untouched by the passage of time. Despite the trials endured, her features retained a semblance of childlike wonder, a testament to the enduring resilience of the spirit.

In her presence, the very essence of enchantment stirred, weaving a tapestry of wonder and awe that enveloped all who beheld her. She stood as a beacon of timeless beauty, a manifestation of magic incarnate, her presence a testament to the boundless wonders of the universe.

Sasuke, was mesmerize by the women sitting before him, until more of the smoke cleared, starting to reveal more than in necessary, his face turned beat root red as he, stuck his hand into the fire and pulling a blanket of fire over her head, quickly turning into a glistening bright red silk and wrapping itself around her as it descended upon her skin.

“Have you no shame, a least produce some clothes too.” He said, opening his eyes slowly.

“What do you mean, you see me naked all the time, by the way, you have some insane skill, not only did you produce silk out of fire but also managed to wrap it around my body into a kimono., I am impressed, one might say, you have done this many times before.” She said, winking at him.

"No, I haven't. Now eat your food, please."

"Okay, okay, I'm just joking," Nanashi replied, waving her hands in the air before picking up her chopsticks and bowl of rice. She started hammering away like a street dog, eating anything and everything her chopsticks could get a hold of.

After gobbling so much food that she looked nine months pregnant, she changed back into a fox, because two legs were simply not enough to carry her body weight at that moment.

Barely able to crawl back into her burrow, Sasuke called out to her.

"And this mess now? Are you not going to help?"

"Nope, I'm very confident in your powers and skills after that little display of yours. So, GOOD LUCK AND GOOD NIGHT!" she shouted, collapsing into her burrow.

As for Sauske, he stood up dusted himself off, snapped his fingers, causing all the stuff the use to turn into a bunch of leaves and blow away.

Then turned back into a fox, circled Nanashi’s burrow, scratched some dirt into her barrow, then dashed off into the forest.

The night went on as peaceful as they come, not even a mosquito belting like an Arabian opera singer, could be heard, No, sir, it was a good night to dream and for Nanashi, it was a great day to dream, in which, she was torturing every single member of the Zhou dynasty army, who went up against her and also the towns people, who dared to live happily, without her permission, were stripped naked and made to jump for their food which was hung from a tree, indeed this was the most exquisite dream for a divine comedy and torturing connoisseur like Nanashi, but like all things in life all good things have to come to an end!