Night had fallen, a deep, velvety black that made the warm light spilling from Pakura's apartment feel like cozy.
Inside, the place was buzzing. Well, one person was buzzing.
"Yes! Finally! Gold Rank!" Hanabi launched herself off the floor, arms thrown triumphantly into the air. "I swear, I thought I'd be stuck in Silver forever."
From her spot on the couch, Pakura glanced over, an amused smile playing on her lips.
"Hey, congrats, kid. That's a big deal. Gold is nothing to sneeze at."
"Says the Diamond-ranked goddess," Hanabi shot back, grinning as she gave a dramatic thumbs-up. "You're the real MVP, Pakura. I'm just a noob. Honestly, this rank feels a little suspicious—I got totally carried."
Pakura tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
"Getting carried is a talent all its own. Who was your benefactor, anyway?"
"Oh, some absolute maniac playing the Nibi character. It was insane! Their combos were… insane. How do you even hit four times in one second?"
"Was their username 'CuriousKitten'?" Pakura asked, a knowing look on her face.
Hanabi's eyes went wide. "You know who that is?"
"That's Yugito. Yugito Nii. She took the second place in last year's championship tourney. She's a pro."
"Wait. Yugito Nii? As in… the…"
"Yep," Pakura confirmed with a light laugh. "The Two-Tails Jinchūriki herself. She came to the Land of Waves a couple years back. Guess she liked it here. Never left."
"The Two-Tails Jinchūriki… playing the Two-Tails." Hanabi giggled, covering her mouth. "That's so on-the-nose it's brilliant."
"Right? It's like Uchiha Madara. The guy only ever plays one character. Himself."
Hanabi's jaw dropped. "Uchiha Madara plays this game?!"
"That's what the boss man says." Pakura leaned in conspiratorially. "Apparently, his character is in the game, but in actual reality, he has no clue this game even exists."
"How… how does that even work?" Hanabi sputtered, her brain visibly short-circuiting.
"Beats me," Pakura admitted with a shrug. "But if Yuto says it's true, I believe him."
"Well, yeah, Lord Yuto doesn't really strike me as a liar," Hanabi agreed, her tone turning sly. "But you gotta admit, your trust in him is on a whole other level. You just take everything he says at face value?"
Pakura's smile softened. She tapped a finger gently against her temple.
"He gave me back my life, Hanabi. And you've seen what he's built here. It's not just me. Everyone in the Land of Waves would follow him anywhere. That kind of trust… it's earned."
"Hehehe. Okay, sure, but…" Hanabi waggled her eyebrows. "I'm picking up something more. I think your trust has a little extra, uh, personal flavor to it. Got a little crush on the boss, Pakura?"
Pakura didn't even bother denying it. "Is it that obvious?"
"Uh, yeah. A little."
"Maybe. But a guy like that? He's probably not looking my way."
"What? No way! You're amazing!" Hanabi insisted, before her expression turned mischievous. "Though, I mean, he does already have three wives. You joining that party might wear the poor guy out."
"Try more than three."
"Seriously?"
"Officially, it's three. Unofficially… well, Lady Tsunade is basically always around."
Hanabi blinked. "Lady Tsunade? But… she's his teacher."
"And?" Pakura said, as if that single word explained everything.
After a moment's processing, Hanabi just shrugged.
"Yeah, okay. Fair point. I guess that doesn't really matter."
"Mhm. And that's just the local crew," Pakura said, her voice dropping into a 'you-won't-believe-this' whisper.
Hanabi leaned forward, intrigued. "There's more? You're kidding."
"Nope. Your sister is on the list."
"My SISTER?!" Hanabi choked on air. "But… but she's totally hung up on Naruto!"
"In your world," Pakura corrected gently. "Was Yuto even there in your world?"
"Well… no."
"See? Different world, different rules. Hell, in your world, I probably died way before any of this, right?"
"You were in the Fourth Great Shinobi War!"
"Let me guess, I was a cannon fodder? With a blink-and-you-miss-it death?"
"No! You were super tough!" Hanabi argued. "The Alliance had to send a bunch of elite jōnin to, you know… to handle it."
"And I'm sure I had a last-minute change of heart and gave some big speech about hope," Pakura said dryly.
"...Basically."
"Ugh. So predictable. Lord Yuto calls it the 'Effort, Friendship, Victory' package. Says it's enough to make you roll your eyes right out of your head."
Hanabi let out a strained laugh, quickly changing the subject.
"So, uh, what's with all the packing?" she asked, nodding toward the half-filled travel pack in the corner.
"Got a trip coming up. I'll be leaving in a few days," Pakura said, her demeanor shifting to something more serious. "Big day on the second of next month."
"Oh, is it because the ranked season is ending?"
"No, kid," Pakura said, her voice quiet but steady. "It's the day of our final battle with the Four Great Villages. For good."
The color drained from Hanabi's face. "The final battle?"
—
Across the village, in Konan's apartment, the mood was… quieter.
Konan lay tangled in the sheets, her skin still flushed with warmth as she tried to catch her breath. She turned her head on the pillow to look at Yuto, who was lying beside her.
"Are you staying tonight?" she murmured, her voice husky.
"You don't want me to?" he asked, his fingers gently brushing a few strands of dark hair from her damp forehead.
She flinched away playfully.
"Don't. I'm done. I'm actually, seriously done. I have nothing left."
He chuckled.
"Relax. It won't reactivate once it's already been, well, activated (the skill)."
"It's such a weird ability," she mumbled, snuggling closer and resting her cheek against his chest. "How does that even make sense?"
"No idea. The mechanics are kinda broken. But I've tested it—"
"On them?" she interrupted, her tone flat.
He coughed. "Ahem."
"I'm not mad," she said softly, tracing an idle pattern on his skin. "I was just thinking… with the fight against the Four Villages coming up. Are you really going to let Kushina on the fight? What happens if she sees Minato?"
"We talked about it. She's going to steer clear of him."
"Good. That's… that's probably for the best," Konan agreed. "Can you imagine how awkward that would be?"
"Actually," a voice chirped from seemingly nowhere, making Konan jolt. "I told him I'm not avoiding anything. You've got to face your problems, you know? But someone's being overprotective… Konan? You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Konan had gone rigid, her eyes wide with dawning horror.
"Kushina?" she whispered.
"Yeah, hi! I'm here!"
"How… how long have you been here?!"
"Oh, you know. A while. But don't worry!" the voice added hastily. "I was totally respecting your privacy! I saw nothing! Promise!"
"KUSHINA!" Konan shrieked, bolting upright as the sheets fell away completely. She didn't even care. "Get out here right now! I swear I will kill you! You have to stick your nose in EVERYTHING, don't you?!"
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