I glanced across the room at my newest BFF, Yuna. Once a ragged hobo but now a rivaling hottie brimming with questions about that battle, her curiosity evident in her sparkling eyes. Her words hung in the air like a tantalizing invitation.
"Momo, did you notice anything else? What bloodline or core ability Kiko may have?" The bombshell was yet to drop. Hinting at Kiko's possible involvement as a puppet.
"A puppet?" I repeated, my mind whirring to make sense of it. I tilted my head, considering her question.
“A puppet? Well, no strings attached and no Pinocchio nose when she lied,” I replied with a smirk, unable to resist a little humor even in the face of this serious topic.
"She did have a knack for long-range taijutsu, if that helps."
With a casual shrug, I settled back, content to let the conversation flow around me like a river. It was becoming increasingly complex and difficult to follow, and honestly, the politics and cloak-and-dagger business were beginning to hurt my head. Ancients? Oracles? It was like being thrust into a world of cryptic riddles and mysterious secrets.
I decided to tune out the baffling chatter and pulled a stick of red lipstick from my purse. Twisting the cap, I applied it gently, savoring the cherry-flavored sensation on my lips. "Mmm," I purred, glancing over at Yuna with a playful glint in my eye. The vivid red hue perfectly matched my crimson attire. Puckering my lips, I made a show of it, as if daring her to join in the fun.
A mischievous thought crossed my mind, and I couldn't resist winking at her. The lipstick, the wink, it was all a part of the Momo charm. While they delved into their tedious discussion, I filtered through their words, only latching onto the most critical details. For me, it was simple: take down the bad guys. So what was the hold-up?
Two nations boasting formidable Shinobi military forces were grappling with a handful of individuals? It sounded utterly ludicrous. With all their resources—Anbu, intelligence officers, you name it—you'd think they could have squashed this problem yesterday. But there was an underlying issue, one that frustrated me to no end. Instead of taking action, like marching over to Skeletor's lair and dealing with it, we were here, stuck in this never-ending conversation.
I drummed my perfectly manicured nails on the table, yearning for a solution that could swiftly return us to more important matters—like me, of course. I couldn't help but feel the impatience creep in, a burning desire to cut through the bureaucratic red tape and get things moving. My fingers itched to strum my guitar, to fill the room with the resonant, commanding pitch that could jolt anyone to attention.
Finally, unable to bear the endless babble any longer, I seized my guitar and strummed it, the sound echoing and vibrating through the room. It was as if I had summoned everyone's attention with a single chord.
"Sorry to cut in," I began, my voice cool and collected,
"but it sounds like we don't know our enemy at all." I cast a pointed glance at the Kazakage, who seemed to have a wealth of information.
"No wonder he's been such a problem. Kazakage-sama, you seem to know a great deal about this Akkuma and how he operates. Are you speaking from intel, or do you have a more personal experience with him?"
I couldn't help but shrug my shoulders, my skepticism clear.
"It's already hard to place trust without this Akkuma business. But with him having his hand in so many pots, it's hard to discern who is a friend and who's an enemy. For all we know, someone in this very room could be an agent of his."
My gaze shifted to Yuna, who had just revealed her identity. She had shown courage, and it struck me as a turning point.
"Let's take a beat from Yuna and lay our cards on the table."
My words may have come across as accusatory, but it needed to be said. It was a gambit, a risky move, but one I believed was worth taking. I was sure the Kazakage wondered if he could trust me, but the feeling was mutual. He was holding something back, and secrecy was our profession. Trust was often a liability among shinobi, but to defeat an enemy like Akkuma, we had to adopt trust as an occupational hazard. It was the only way forward.
[mft]