As Junko placed her early bet on the obvious winner she couldn’t ignore the judgemental scrunch of Hidaki’s face a second time. They’d been sitting well and fine in silence, ignoring each other in favour of the match they both had a poor viewing of thanks to being a tier lower in importance. But rather than stew and potentially bond over their common forgotten selves, Hidaki chooses to be a holier than thou ass wipe.

“I wouldn’t bet on your survival.” Junko said, loud and clearly towards Hidaki.

The Yuki clan head turned a questioning, annoyed gaze, “What?”

Junko smiled at him and shrugged, “You know, if they were taking bets on which Yuki gets strung up next,” She gestured a knot over her neck and an imitation of a strangled face, “I wouldn’t have bet you escaped, surprised you did. Glad too, don’t get me wrong, haha.”

He sneered, “Don’t get you wrong? How am I supposed to get you then?”

Junko threw her hands in the air, “Anyhow but wrong. See, I wouldn’t want death threats thrown into my turkey now.”

Hidaki’s knuckles whitened as his grip on his armrests threatened to splinter them. Junko merely grin and called for a platter of fishcakes but apparently Hidaki had something other than faces and worthless questions, “If that’s the case I would keep my mouth shut then, saying the wrong thing causes a fall as heavy as mine.”

Junko laughed loud at first but quickly covered up her cackles to refrain from drawing attention from the Mizukage and the Princess. Aoto and Megumi didn’t fail to notice though but neither spoke on it or even spared more than a curious glance.

Composure restored, Junko leaned closer to Hidaki, “You ought to know better than give worthless advice. My clan, the Hoshigaki, will never be in your position. We’re loyal and better than that? We’re not a threat.” Hidaki open his mouth to retort but she didn’t let him, “Besides, you should take your own damned advice. Keep my mouth shut? You realize one word to that wrinkled old man and a slur of flattery to the Hozuki granny and you’re done. Fucking learn your place.”

Junko sat back and clapped mini claps as her platter arrived, she kept it all for herself of course as there was no one to share it with. If Hidaki had been polite enough to keep his judgemental faces to himself perhaps she’d have given him one but now all he can do is stew with a clenched jaw that made her snicker after minutes.

Keep my mouth shut, he says. Junko shook her head as the crowd roared for another victory in favour of the Demon of the Mist; Momochi Zabuza, or rather her fat cash cow. “Hehehe, if there’s anyone winning this little apprenticeship it’s him, but low caste as he is...will he climb as high as he’s merited?”

She glanced over at Hidaki who’s jaw was still in the process of unclenching. She shook her head and chuckled, forgoing any expectation of conversation from the man with the Mizukage’s hand hovering over his clan. I can’t say I blame him; I’d be missing a few teeth for sure if I were him.

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“You could say the same for your Kisame. You bet on the right horse, Zabuza Momochi does seem likely to win apprenticeship, more likely than Kisame winning Samehada from Fuguki.” He spared her an utterly frosty glare, “Don’t overestimate your potential, Hoshigaki.”

Rather than give into the urge to lay him out with the growing deluged of pride shattering sentences at the tip of her tongue, Junko nodded on like the wise clan head she so often pretended to be, “That’s a lot of advice in one sitting, Yuki-san, but tell me, what about Kisame have I overestimated? He’s toe to toe with Fuguki in chakra reserves, he’s bonded with the damn legendary blade so many have died trying to, he’s nearly a master of Water Release and a brilliant master of Kenjutsu.”

Hidaki actually snorted, a condescending smile tugged on his lips as he said, “If you think Kisame is a master Kenjutsu user, no, even if he is, he’s no match for Fuguki. You realize in another reality it’s Fuguki sitting where Yagura-sama is now? He beats your shark-boy at every stage, including Kenjutsu, soundly I might add.”

Junko picked and sucked at her teeth, “In another reality huh. How you faring in that reality you’re dreaming up? Yuki or… Yūki doing well?” She flicked away some remnants of one of the many meals she’s had over the past hours and waved a hand at Hidaki before he could retort, “Don’t answer that, it’d be pathetic. But Kisame…well, you could just as well argue that in another reality it is he sitting where Yagura-sama does or maybe even Raiga.”

She tried hard not to cackle at the imagery but a few strained ones escaped, earning her a personal glance from the Mizukage himself. He merely smiled and turned back to his royal guest.

“Ahh, Hidaki-san, you’re such a joy. But if you have any thoughts about placing a bet you should bet on my Kisame, he’s going to win. Fuguki is a powerhouse of ninjutsu but this match, it’s all Kenjutsu and that’s Kisame’s playground, trust me, I’m a serial gambler.”

Hidaki scoffed, “You’re the last person I would trust.”

“And the winner for his sixth and second to last match…Momochi Zabuza!” the Proctor roared, prancing Zabuza about the stage before setting him off. Junko stood to get a better look from her booth as the next match would decide the second finalist.

To Junko’s glee it was none other than Mangetsu Hozuki coming up to face some shredded man surely five times his age. Junko planned to keep to herself but after prodding at Hidaki how could she now?

With a grin she hovered by Lady Megumi’s side and asked, “Mangetsu’s been doing very well, I hear he’s both Hozuki prodigy and Yagura-sama’s apprentice. I wonder which came first.” She hummed too innocently.

Yagura did nothing to show he cared whether or not she’d said anything, the Princess was fully engaged in whatever she and he were prattling about all this time but the Lady Megumi wasn’t so stoic.

“He wouldn’t have become Yagura-sama’s apprentice without first being a prodigy.” She said with all the pomp of a proud mother that made Aoto chuckle fondly.

“Oh is that how it is? Hmm, well, tell you what, I have every faith the prodigy and apprentice of our very own Yondaime-sama will win this fight, but what about the next? The final match…” Junko leaned closer, stuffing her face between the two councillors, “The Demon of the Mist vs Hozuki prodigy, want to bet?”

Lady Megumi’s mood soured in a blink and she waved Junko away, almost smacking her in the face with her hand as did, “Mangetsu’s performance will speak for itself.”

Junko grinned all the same, “Ah, against a low caste demon, I sure hope so.”