**Kiri's Twilight.**
Kaguya Hikari tilted her head back, her deep blue umbrella hanging loosely from her grip.
The sky was a murky, indecipherable gray.
Humid air thickened into oppressive black clouds, hanging low and heavy. Thunder rumbled ominously, a promise of the downpour to come—yet not a single drop had fallen.
*When will the rain finally break?*
Hikari's chest tightened with unease.
---
**Three days ago,** the ANBU had abruptly ordered the village sealed.
Kirigakure, one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, governed a vast network of missions across the Land of Water and its surrounding islands. Every day under lockdown meant **millions in lost revenue.**
This couldn't stand.
The jōnin demanded answers—only to discover the lockdown had been enacted by a single ANBU squad captain, codenamed **"Ōtengu."**
The reason? *"Foreign spies infiltrated the village."*
**A joke.**
Since when did a village cut off its own lifeline over spies? *You're the real spy here.*
Furious, the jōnin sought an audience with the Mizukage to overturn the order.
But—
**The Mizukage was gone.**
Not just him. The village's power structure had vanished overnight:
- **Ōnoki**, the elder overseeing administration.
- **"Kiba"**, the ANBU Commander (and Hikari's brother, Kaguya Shun).
- **Mei Terumī**, representing the kekkei genkai clans.
- **Ao**, the "Genjutsu Killer" and sealing master.
Rumors trickled from the ANBU: *"The Mizukage remains in the village. His location is classified. For security, we enter wartime lockdown."*
The jōnin relented. If the elites accepted it, who were the lower ranks to protest?
Yet—
**No one believed it.**
---
**Now,** Hikari stood before Kirigakure's sealed gates.
The ANBU guards bowed the moment they recognized her. Even the usually arrogant **"Mist Crow"** and **"Blood Hound"** lowered their heads.
Everyone knew how fiercely the ANBU Commander doted on his little sister. Some even called her *"the ANBU Princess"* to curry favor.
**"Where's my brother?"**
Silence.
The ANBU exchanged glances. Rules forbade disclosure, but no one dared refuse *her*.
Finally, **Mist Crow** stepped forward.
*"Commander Kaguya… left the village."*
**"Why?"**
*"I don't know."*
**"Then summon your captain."**
*"Apologies, Lady Kaguya. He's… occupied."*
Hikari's eyes narrowed.
She'd grown up in the ANBU headquarters. She knew every loyal subordinate of her brother's by name.
**These were strangers.**
*If they're not his men… where are his real operatives?*
Dread coiled in her gut.
**"What if I demand to leave?"**
Mist Crow's voice remained polite, but the ANBU behind him tensed. Blood Hound's spiked hair bristled like needles.
*"You're the Commander's sister. The lockdown targets spies—not you. The gates will open if you wish.*
*But seeing Captain Ōtengu requires his approval. As for the Mizukage or your brother's whereabouts… I know nothing."*
**A masterful deflection.**
Hikari gritted her teeth.
*No answers. No defiance. Just bureaucratic sludge.*
With a sharp *tch*, she turned on her heel—
---
**Drip.**
Rain tapped the earth.
*"It's starting!"*
Pedestrians scattered. Hikari calmly opened her umbrella—
**"Excuse me… has the lockdown lifted?"**
A voice, soft as silk, drifted from the alley.
Hikari paused.
Amid the chaos, a lone figure sat beneath the eaves.
A girl.
**Pale as moonlight,** her silver-gray hair framed delicate features. A black cloth hid her eyes; her white cloak, dust-streaked, swallowed her petite frame. She clutched a blind cane, her posture meek—**a doll-like creature, fragile as a kitten.**
*…Beautiful.*
Hikari blinked, momentarily stunned.
Then, catching herself, she softened her tone instinctively.
**"Ah—were you talking to me, little one?"**
---
(✧ω✧)