Fuguki leered down at me across the dinner table, his small eyes, the six green stripes along his face and shark-like teeth contrasted so much with his tied up orange hair that made him look like a really ugly schoolgirl.

The thinly veiled killing intent radiating off him did lessen the effect a bit but not by much, not since Nana Megumi pulled us both by our cheeks to take a seat at her table. It makes sense if it’s just me— I pass off as a child anyway— but him too? Far too hilarious to let him intimidate me.

In a way it did humanize Fuguki to me a bit more. All this time I’ve only seen him as a filler character that I wouldn’t mind murdering if it got my butt in the Mizukage’s office. But watching Nana Megumi insist he’s been working and training far too seriously and to eat reminded me that in this timeline, Fuguki is only in his mid-twenties.

Despite being quite young he survived the receiving end of Might Duy’s [Eighth Gate of Death] and managed to rescue both Juzo and Raiga, not to mention retrieving the other legendary swords— a thing I’m very grateful for.

He played a major role in the war for Kirigakure and even now seeks to better it in his own skewed reality, all in service of the village. Recalling how he ended up dead, I figure he’s Kirigakure’s Danzo, a shady figure pulling strings for the benefit of the village no matter how anyone else perceives him to be pure evil.

He isn’t though, he’s just an ugly school girl. I tell myself as Rina guides servants to plate the tables and fill them with assorted sea foods. They placed a hot pot of vegetables, tofu, squid and some clams tied up in noodles. Cluttered another side of the table with mouth-watering grilled fish and cod as well as a platter of sushi.

The dishes kept coming but I lost track once mine arrived. A servant bowed her head deep as she does, hiding the knowing smirk on her lips as I uncover the only dish they’ve known me to appreciate. Seafood Donburi.

It might be an exaggeration to call it Seafood Donburi but what else would you call a bowl of rice littered with shrimp and marinated in a glazed sauce? Yagura and I had very conflicting tastes, having grown up here he’d love just about every fishy meal Rina’s placed here but coming from a meat loving culture myself, I can’t help but protest my limited meal choices.

As such, noodles, rice, shrimp and the occasional squid have been a consistent part of my meals.

Rina took her seat at Nana Megumi’s right hand, her mother sat at her left and Fuguki beside her. Of everyone assigned to the protection mission only Owl mask was absent from the table— ANBU don’t stop working till the end. Nana Megumi had a pleasant smile once Rina got seated, clasping her granddaughters hand and whispering a small thanks. Since that message was delivered Rina’s mother didn’t look the same, in fact, she looked almost dead herself.

Listless eyes, cracked lips, a stench that followed and a general lack of enthusiasm for anything, not even the child growing within her. It was troubling to watch her slip further into such a state but as much as I sympathized there was nothing I could do for her. It made Yagura feel weak.

He knew these people and had feelings and opinions attached to each of them before I came along and slapped ‘background character’ status on their heads. Though as time passed I began to feel and think about them beyond my schemes as well.

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Nana Megumi went to grasp her daughter-in-law’s hand but was quickly repulsed. Rina’s mother was of the Funato clan and didn’t share many features with her child. Her lack of hair colour beyond black was one indicator another was the hot and very hot relationship she seemed to have with Nana Megumi.

“Ahem, tomorrow is a big day for Kiri.” Nana Megumi says as everyone settles. She turns her gaze to Fuguki and I, “Both of you are brilliant shinobi and have served loyally for years, thank you. No matter the outcome of tomorrow’s duel know that you are precious.”

Fuguki managed a normal looking smile at this and bows his head, “It has been an honour to serve, it will be a greater honour to serve as Mizukage.” He glances at me from the corner of his eye, barely holding back a glare.

Ignoring it I smiled although more reservedly as I spoke, “Thank you, Megumi-dono, but I believe it’s a sad day for Kiri to lose even one shinobi, not to mention one as skilled and renown as Fuguki.”

A rumble of a growl erupts from him at my words, “You believe yourself victorious already, how foolish.”

“No, I believe it will be foolish for either of us to die.” I said firmly meeting his sharp glare, “If I become Mizukage tomorrow I will need strong shinobi most of all and it would pain me greatly to have callously killed one. Would you not feel the same?”

Fuguki hesitated to answer for a moment and Nana Megumi cut in, “It is my son’s will that the match be to the final end. That was his will.”

His will is flawed. But alas, I bite my tongue and didn’t say what I felt would be truly necessary for the bloodlusted clan head to hear; her son was under immense genjutsu and half of the things he initiated was batshit crazy.

“I only mean to—”

Megumi narrowed her eyes at me and I wisely kept shut. She tried to resurrect her fallen smile as she glanced at her silent and exhausted granddaughter who had begun taking up her mother’s duties and cleared her throat again, “Enough of that, let us eat and be full for the future the Yondaime Mizukage will bring.”

Fuguki and I shared a look and I felt myself lose more of my will to kill the S-rank, high value, swordsman of the mist.

Maybe if I win decisively no one will da-

My thoughts are cut off by a sudden explosion outside, the tremors rattle food off the table before anyone has a chance to get a good bite and Rina’s mother screeches in abject terror.

“No! No! Not my baby! Leave me!” She continued screaming even as Nana Megumi and Rina fall to her aid.

Fuguki and I are immediately up on our feet, without thinking I order him as I summon my Bo-staff in a poof of smoke, “Stay with them and I’ll have a look.”

“No, you stay back and protect them I wil-!”

“There’s no time for this!” I shut him down entirely as my eyes close before declaring, “There are three groups closing in on our position, I think we might both need to go out.”

How do I even know that? How can I see through the mist? I left my ponderings on Yagura’s insane capabilities that keep appearing on instinct for later as Owl masks materializes in a cloud of mist.

“What’s going on?” Fuguki barked out the moment she appeared fully.

“It’s being handled.” She says stoically though I note the quiet dripping of blood from her shoulder.

“Is it? There are three groups of two coming our way right now.” I rebut, keying into Yagura’s strange mistborn senses. “Okay…three are being engaged by your units now.”

Her gaze falls on me and she snorts through a pained grunt as she raises her fingers to form hand signs, “Sensor-nin, good then. Yagura come with me, Fuguki, protect them.”

A flash of disgust spreads over Fuguki’s face at the assignment, he glances back and Rina and her mentally broken mother howling for her unborn child to be safe. His jaw locks but he gives Owl mask and I curt nods, “Do well.”

Owl mask completes her jutsu and chakra surges out throughout the room, a frosty hue and temperature takes every corner at her final sign, “There, you’ll have some help…if you need.”

No more words are shared as Owl mask and I dash out the house and onto the rooftops, ready to greet our visitors. Meanwhile I couldn’t believe the gall of our attackers.

It’s the last day before I become Mizukage, why couldn’t they just fucking wait?