7 The Fire Princess

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works, if you recognise it from somewhere else, surprise it isn't mine.

Betad by morde24, Atrius, Hermes, Priapus, Marethyu, Old man of the mountain and TheDonFluffles

The Guild of Gamers: The Warlord

Chapter 07: The Fire Princess

— Tsume Inuzuka —

"An interesting proposal," Shikaku said, amused as she leaned back in her chair, grinning. "Have you actually discussed this with the girls of your clan?"

"Nah, but word is already spreading about my transformation. They think I created it for now and I've already received some requests to teach other members of my clan," Tsume said easily. "My clan ain't as prudish as most, if I ask for volunteers I'll have a queue forming for a chance to get dicked down by Hei."

"You realise we are attempting to keep Hei's new abilities secret?" Yoshino asked, making her snort.

"For now, you know all too well you won't be able to bury this, if Hei can repeat what he did to me then there's no way the Hokage ain't gonna try and use that for the village. Shit, you're probably planning to line up Nara girls for him," Tsume pointed out, making Shikaku sigh, not disagreeing. "Plus, too many of my clan saw Hei transform himself. Sure, I told them to keep quiet, but it's only a matter of time, especially if he uses it again."

They all knew it would leak sooner or later, better they control the leak themselves.

"And your clan will agree to an official alliance and friendship between our clans? The Inuzuka are famously neutral when it comes to village politics," Shikaku pointed out.

"They'll listen to me, my own rep has grown considerably, thanks to my transformation and whatever he did to me is making me younger and stronger than ever, all the strength of my youth with the experience of old age. Some might challenge me over it, they'll lose," Tsume laughed. "I'm doing what's best for my clan, especially since Tsunade thinks this boost will pass down to my kids. Give it a couple of generations and when all the Inuzuka can use this transformation, they'll worship the ground I walked on for making this deal."

"I agree, you're right that we won't be able to keep this a secret and the moment it leaks, the other villages are going to want to kidnap or kill Hei. Having the Inuzuka clan motivated to help keep him safe would certainly help with that," Shikaku finally said, making her grin. "Convince Hei and I'll accept your offer, I won't force him, especially with him being the new head of the Hayabusa clan."

"That shouldn't be a problem, somehow I can't see Hei having too many issues with me asking him to bend over all the girls in my clan," Tsume snorted, getting a chuckle of amusement from Shikaku.

"Tch, sounds troublesome to me but Hei's always been a little different," Shikaku said.

"Pft, I'm not surprised a lazy fucker like you would find the idea troublesome. I'm shocked you even managed to have two kids, lemme guess you're a two-pumps then roll over and fall asleep kinda guy?" Tsume asked, displaying the brashness of her clan.

"…troublesome," Shikaku grunted, and a flash of emotion crossed Yoshino's face.

"Heh, I'm right aren't I?" Tsume asked with a grin. "Lucky, your son ain't so lazy, the little fucker is a beast, the bastard even made me submit, I almost pity my girls, maybe I'll have to send them in two at a time. You should put in some effort, Shika, don't want Hei to steal your girl."

"Tsume!" Yoshino said, blushing at the implication. This was why people didn't like dealing with Inuzuka's and why they didn't get into the village politics. Her clan were just too brash and blunt for it.

"What? If you're not getting your itch scratched, I wouldn't be surprised if you traded this lazy fucker for the younger hotter model," Tsume said with a shrug, and despite her bluntness she didn't point out the hint of guilt that crossed Yoshino's face.

She hadn't done it, but she'd definitely thought about it.

"Tch, troublesome," Shikaku said, making her grin.

"Don't be like that, we're gonna be best buddies from now on, my clan and yours, plus the Akimichi and Yamanaka's as well I guess," Tsume said, and even as uninterested in politics as she was, she could see the power that alliance would come with.

The trio of clans were already a force to be reckoned with, especially with the Akimichi controlling most of the food imported into the village and the Nara's and Yamanaka's basically running Konoha's intelligence networks, now with the Inuzuka's who patrolled more and had more active ninjas than any other clan?

Fortunately, all four clans were also known for their loyalty, or the Hokage might just start getting nervous.

— Hei Nara —

"It's a little loose around my left leg," Mai adds helpfully, making me adjust the chakra-infused rope. "That's it, even I can't wiggle my way out of these, you're a fast learner," Mai says, perfectly happy despite being tied up in the middle of our 'campsite'.

Even with ninja speed, it's a two day trip to the capital, so we've had to camp out for tonight and apparently Mai has been asked to teach me while we are travelling together.

It turns out Mai works for the intelligence arm of Konoha's ninja forces, specifically she's an expert in seduction and interrogation.

Which probably explains why she's so comfortable tied up like this, her already revealing red dress tossed on her bedroll, and evidently she wears literally nothing underneath it, the biggest breasts I've ever seen on full display, the ropes pushing them together as she smiles up at me.

"Now, if you capture a Kunoichi, you might be tempted to just bend her over and have your way with her, but rape isn't actually that good of an interrogation method, and torture isn't as reliable as most people think either since either they'll resist or they'll break and say anything to stop the pain," Mai lectures, even face down, ass up with her arms bound behind her back. "Go into my pack, get the small vial with the pink liquid in it."

Following her instructions, I get the vial and come back over to her. The reason she's teaching me this is simple. I've got access to both pain and dread 'magic', and I've told the Hokage that. While I won't be joining the T&I division, I'll be working with them and they've decided I should know how to capture and interrogate enemies.

"That is an aphrodisiac, made from plants your family cultivated, it can be drunk but it's more effective if you inject it straight into the bloodstream, there's a needle in my bag as well," Mai says, watching me get it. "Now, there's a lockbox in my bag. You're going to try and make me tell you the code, make sure you stick the needle directly into a vein, I'll be trying to move around to avoid it."

"You're sure about this?" I ask, making her smile.

"Absolutely, now most ninjas, especially higher ranking ones, are trained to resist interrogation, but while people are trained to resist pain very few are trained to resist pleasure~" Mai continues, even as she wiggles around to try and avoid the needle but with her restrained and my growing strength, I pin her down, trying to ignore the soft flesh under me as I insert the needle. "The trick is to not let me cum, keep me as close to the edge as possible, but never push me over it. Think you can handle that?" she says, rolling onto her back as she smiles up at me, her cheeks already growing red as her breathing grows heavier, the aphrodisiac moving through her veins.

Looking over her naked body, I move forwards and start toying with her, playing with her breasts as I carefully watch her reactions. Her breasts don't seem that sensitive until I start to tweak her nipples, even sucking on one as she pushes her chest forwards, a quiet moan slipping out before I pull back.

Even like this, Mai still lectures me on how to find a girl's weak spots, how to tell how close she is, even as her tone grows heavier and lewder.

I do make a mistake at one point, underestimating how sensitive her nipples are and accidentally making her cum from rolling one of her nipples between my fingers, but that's why she's teaching me after all.

There's more going on, why would they send a seduction specialist on an escort mission? My guess, they've noticed Tsume's boosts and guessed at the source, and they're now trying to see if it can be replicated.

Which leaves me with a dilemma as I finger the buxom seductress until she begs me to let her cum, pulling back. If I fuck her and claim her, she'll get the benefits Tsume has (without the werebeast transformation because that would cause trouble with the Inuzuka's), and they'll know it was me, they'll try to use it to benefit the village.

If I don't, I stay under the radar a little longer, but really? I want Konoha to succeed, I want Konoha to thrive, and this power can help a lot.

Plus I could give it to Ino, hell I'll probably be sleeping with half the Kunoichi in the village once it becomes public information, plus I'll be targeted by other villages.

Pros and cons to each choice, but I think the benefits it can give to Konoha outweigh the cons, so before tonight ends I'm going to let Mai succeed in her mission and claim her as part of my pack.

But first…

"You know what I want," I say, tugging on the rope that goes between her legs, I'm getting pretty good at keeping her on the edge.

"F-five, nine three, now p-please, " Mai begs, as I watch dispassionately, trying to ignore the heaving breasts. "Let me cum, I need-"

"Sure, just let me make sure you were telling the truth," I say, moving away as I grab the lock box, shifting the numbers on the mechanical lock to 593.

The box refuses to open, and as I turn back to her she simultaneously looks impressed and disappointed.

"That wasn't very nice, was it?" I ask, tugging at the rope again, watching it rub against her dripping lower lips.

"J-just checking, p-prisoners almost always try to lie at first," Mai says, whimpering as my finger slips into her again. "I-it's 395, that's the code," she says, panting as she watches me change the code again, the lockbox opening with a satisfying click, marking my success. "See? I told the truth, n-now let me cum."

Spinning her around, I pushed her onto her knees, her ass in the air and her face pressed into the ground, making her pause before she wiggles her ass at me.

"Go on, you've earned it," Mai says lustfully, shaking her ass at me as she watches me undo my trousers with hunger.

— Mai —

She'd never failed in a seduction mission, and while she had a plan to get into Hei's pants it went sideways when he actually managed to win their little game.

She was expecting him to be more amateurish and not be able to make her submit (even if she was going easy on him). Then she'd have turned the tables, had him tied up and 'interrogated' him to teach him how to resist this form of interrogation.

People wouldn't believe what powerful Shinobi had spilled just so she'd let them spill some more. They had a massive amount of information on the Cloud's Genin's abilities just because one of their cloud Jounin had no resistance to pleasure and betrayed countless secrets just so she'd let him cum.

She hadn't, slitting his throat when he ran out of information, but that was beside the point.

Then, when Hei inevitably failed in his attempts to resist her, he'd spill his seed inside her and she'd have completed her mission.

Then she'd have fucked him a few more times anyway, just for good measure. That plan had clearly gone sideways, but she didn't really mind.

As Hei slapped his thick cock against her ass, she wiggled her booty at him, unsurprised when he simply lined himself up and thrust into her. He'd clearly been holding back for ages, hard as fuck while he toyed with her body, so she wasn't surprised he didn't waste any time now.

Even without the potential of getting this cum-infused boost that Tsume had, with how hard Hei was fucking her she'd have been game either way, the sounds of their flesh clapping together only muffled by her lewd moans and pleas for more.

With how pent up he was, she was actually surprised when she came first despite the edging, squealing as he dominated her with no signs of slowing down, pounding her into the rough ground, her face pushed into the dirt as he spanked her ass.

But like every man before him, he couldn't resist the sensation of her inner muscles clenching and massaging his shaft for long, letting out an almost feral growl as he sheathed himself inside her, the hot sticky seed flooding her womb causing another climax.

Normally she drank a mixture that made sure she wouldn't get knocked up, but they didn't know if it would interfere with whatever he did to Tsume, so right now her womb was fully vulnerable to the fertile seed that was filling it.

Pulling back, Hei paused for a moment as she grinned over her shoulder at him, still wiggling her ass even as his semen leaked from her well-fucked cunt.

"I hope you've got enough energy for round two~" Mai started, yelping in surprise as he picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder like a savage barbarian kidnapping a princess, carrying her into the tent he'd set up and tossing her back down, onto her back.

"Aren't you going to untie me?" Mai asked, unsurprised when he simply pulled her legs apart with a grin.

"Wasn't planning on it, I quite like you like this." Hei teased, and as he mounted her she simply moaned in approval.

He knew what he wanted, and he took it.

— Next Day —

She felt amazing, which was impressive since she'd had a little two hours sleep when she finally gave in and passed out under Hei, who didn't seem to get tired in the slightest.

Any Kunoichi he captured was in danger, because he was insatiable, and she'd definitely achieved her mission, given how full she felt with the countless creampies.

While Hei walked ahead, also wide awake despite the complete lack of sleep, she subtly grabbed her kunai, impressed when he stiffened, having heard it be drawn and turned back to give her a look, going back to walking when she shook her head, acting like she was fixing her gear.

He had very good senses, which was proven even more when she slashed the tip of her finger, watching the small wound close up moments later and spotted him giving her another strange look, smelling the blood.

His eyes flickered to her wound, watching it heal as his eyebrow rose, he didn't look nearly as surprised as he should be. He knew what he could 'grant', or he suspected.

She didn't really know what was going on with Hei, only that he was apparently so important that if she had to choose between her life, the life of the Fire Daimyo's daughter and Hei's life, she was to prioritise Hei over everything else, including Azula.

Hopefully, things wouldn't go that way and this mission should be fairly simple overall. While it was high stakes, given that two princesses were involved, their cover should have the entire mission go smoothly enough, and in that case it'd just be a simple escort mission.

She couldn't see things getting too complicated.

— Hei Nara — Later —

Not leaning back, I don't let the blueish fireball being held inches from my face intimidate me as a pair of angry golden eyes glare at me.

"As I've said before, I do not need an escort," Princess Azula says darkly, holding the fireball in the palm of her hand as she pushes it close enough for the heat to lick my face. "You will do as I say and stay out of my way."

It's not exactly a nice confirmation, but it is a confirmation all the same that I was right about her identity, the fire princess is unmistakable with her surprisingly armoured, militaristic outfit. Nothing like you'd expect from a princess, but Azula is a special case I suppose.

I can see Ty Lee behind her, giving me a soft apologetic smile, cute brown eyes crinkling in embarrassment at her friend's actions. She's dressed exactly like I remember, the pink top that leaves most of her firm stomach on display and matching dancers pants.

No Mai? That's their Mai, not the one who came with me.

"I'm sure you believe that, your highness, but your father disagrees, as does my Hokage," I say simply, watching her eyes narrow at my tone. "And until they decide otherwise, I'll be staying by your side. I don't take orders from you, your highness, I take them from the client, your father and Lord Third."

Ty Lee winces as I speak, and Azula glowers at me in barely restrained fury, but as she pushes the flames closer and I don't even flinch it fades into reluctant respect.

I'm not going to be pushed around by some arrogant princess, even if her skill with fire jutsu is something to behold.

Azula growls lightly as she extinguishes the flames, which is a rather sexy sound to be honest, turning and walking away.

"We are setting out immediately, so we can end this farce," Azula says, making me glance at Mai, who nods.

"Very well, your highness," I say easily, following behind as Ty Lee moved next to me with a grin.

"Hi! I'm Ty, don't take anything she says personally," Ty says happily, offering her hand which I take and after a moment of thought decide to place a light kiss on instead of shaking.

"A pleasure, and don't worry, my skin isn't that thin," I say with a slight smirk, making her giggle before Azula shouts for her to catch up, running ahead with a wave.

I don't think I'm imagining the exaggerated sway to her hips as she walks.

"Good job surviving your first encounter with Princess Azula, she's notorious for giving the ninjas assigned to her a 'warning' burn," Mai adds as she catches up, pulling out a map which has our route.

"She seems nice. Are we expecting any issues on the way to pick up the target?" I ask, making her shake her head.

"We'll be taking a carriage, and we leaked a fake route for Azula's trip. Hopefully we should get to Princess Yue fairly quickly," Mai says. "Stay on alert anyway, Azula has been targeted by the Daimyo's enemies before."

"Understood," I say simply, following behind the fiery princess.

— Later —

Surprisingly, things started fairly well. We made good progress with the horse-drawn carriage (even if the tech level of this world baffles me), and stopping for the night, nothing happened on my watch either.

Settling into my bedroll, I pause as I feel Azula drift off, Ty Lee is already asleep and Mai is taking watch even if I'm not entirely sure I need sleep.

Still, I can't rest well knowing that something is going to go wrong, the hidden objectives made it clear I'd have to fight someone and I don't know who.

But whoever they are, at the very least they don't seem to be coming for us tonight, and trusting Mai to keep her guard up I slip into my own sleep, a light sleep but sleep all the same.

— Next Night —

Again, another day passes with nothing going wrong except Azula being extra prickly all day, not sure what crawled up her ass but she took every opportunity to insult me and Mai today, but again she's just a spoiled princess.

I don't care and Mai found it cute, which was more effective at pissing her off than actually responding. It's hard to keep insulting someone who isn't responding and someone who outright laughs at you with every word.

We'll reach the meeting point on the border tomorrow at this rate, on schedule for our meeting with Yue's escorts.

I've looked into what's going on in the Land of Water and it's not great to put it simply. A massive civil war between the Mizukage and his men, and the rebels, which seems to be over bloodline. The Mizukage came to the decision that he was going to slaughter both the Water Daimyo (succeeding with the exception of Yue who was saved by the rebels leader, Mei Terumi), and anyone who possesses a bloodline.

That's incredibly stupid, villages are desperate for bloodlines and wars have been fought over the villages trying to steal them from each other. Just look at that mess when the Cloud tried to kidnap Hinata Hyuuga, we damn near went to war over that since they denied that their ambassador would do anything like that even after he was caught red-handed and demanded we give them Lord Hiashi to be punished.

Lord Danzo was proud of his role in that when I asked, assassinating several high ranking Cloud Jounin, sabotaging their preparation efforts and finally blackmailing high-ranking members of the Lightning Daimyo's court to force the Raikage to back down.

He explained it all during one of our meetings, he's mentoring me but a lot of it seems philosophical at the moment, though he has given me access to his personal jutsu library. We just haven't had time for any actual training yet.

Once this mission is over, I suspect they'll find reasons to keep me in the village until the Chunin exams, probably in bed if they get their way.

"Hi!"

Turning, I give Ty Lee a smile as I take a sip from my flask, sitting on the top of the carriage as she climbs up and sits next to me.

Azula is sleeping in the carriage, while me and Mai share a small tent since we swap places so someone is always keeping watch.

"Can't sleep?" I ask, making her smile.

"Nope, thought I'd keep you company for a bit, it has to be boring just sitting here and watching the trees," Ty says, nudging my shoulder slightly.

"Just part of the job, can't have anyone catch us with our pants down," I reply easily, offering her my flask, it's just some herbal tea my family makes and she seems to enjoy it.

She gives me a small smile at the words 'pants down' but doesn't respond immediately.

"So, what's it like being a ninja?" Ty finally asks, making me raise an eyebrow as I give her another glance.

"Honestly I assumed you were a Kunoichi, you certainly have the body of one," I admit, making her smile.

"Oh, I just dance, that's all~" Ty lies, seeing my raised eyebrow. She moves like a fighter, she has an efficiency of movement that comes with years of Taijutsu training. "And maybe I know a thing or two about Taijutsu," Ty finally admits at my stare. "I'm not really Azula's bodyguard, but I can hold my own in a fight. Maybe we should spar some time? I'm pretty sure you'd destroy me but I might just enjoy being manhandled by you."

I've noticed that Ty's a bit of a flirt, she gets along surprisingly well with Mai, I've seen them gossiping.

"I'd like that, and somehow I think you're better than you're claiming," I say, narrowing my eyes as she gives me a very innocent smile.

Even as we talk, I'm focusing on any sound coming from the woods around us, and Ty keeps me company for almost an hour before she turns in for the night herself.

Then Mai comes to replace me, and while I'm wide awake I get an idea and head to my tent.

First, I have some dream walking to do because a certain princess needs to learn some manners

— Princess Azula —

"Release me this instant, you common fool!" Azula growled, struggling against the stockade she'd been placed in as Hei smirked down at her.

"I will, once my mission is finished. Your father is sick of how much trouble your attitude causes him, so Konoha has been asked to… teach you some discipline," Hei said, moving around her as her eyes widened in shock and outrage, struggling against the chain as Hei ripped her trousers down with no hesitation.

How dare he treat her like this?!

"You will release me immediately, you w-"

As she went to speak, he forced a red gag into her mouth which made her eyes widen as she struggled against the restraints so she could incinerate this fool, as if her father would ever allow anyone to treat her like this.

"No, you spoiled brat. I'll release you when I feel like you deserve to be released, for now it's time you learnt that your attitude has consequences," Hei said, moving back around her as he placed his hand on her buttocks, rubbing them almost gently before he violently tore her underwear off.

With her legs parted, she could do nothing to protect her sacred place from his gaze, glaring at him with such hatred she was almost surprised he wasn't spontaneously combusting.

Her glare only intensified as she experienced her first spank, his hand slapping against her butt cheek with enough force to push her forwards as far as the stockade allowed her, her ass jiggling as he smirked at her.

Her eyes promised swift and painful vengeance, but he just continued to abuse her firm buttocks with no break or pity, and despite her hatred, she couldn't stop herself from feeling something new, unable to place what she was experiencing until Hei paused.

Her asscheeks were red and rosy at this point, but Hei was looking between them with a raised eyebrow as he reached between her legs and ran his finger against her precious place.

"Are you enjoying this, you naughty princess?" Hei asked, pushing his finger into her and violating her in a way nobody ever had before.

Her eyes screamed her answer, but pulling his finger back she couldn't help but stare over her shoulder at how it glistened with her juices.

Her face turned red at his amused look, and as he undid the gag she immediately spat up at him, snarling at him.

"How dare you touch me there, you worthless ninja?! I am a princess and-"

"If you're going to keep being rude, the gag is going back on," Hei said lazily, making her clench her teeth. "Now, you want this to be over, don't you? Why don't you say 'I'm sorry for my attitude.'"

"Absolutely not, never," Azula growled out, making him sigh as he moved back around her.

She hadn't thought he was holding back before, but the force of the next spank made her eyes water as she whimpered from the feeling, having never been physically disciplined before. He'd pay for this- she'd burn him alive for daring to touch her in such a way.

But as the punishment continued with seemingly no end, her mind started to betray her. Would it be so bad to fake an apology and get out of this?

Would it hurt her pride more than her pained yelps and sobs?

"W-wait," Azula whimpered, enjoying the brief moment of respite as Hei came back in front of her.

"Oh?" Hei asked, kneeling down to be face to face with her.

"I-I'm sorry for my attitude," Azula said with great reluctance, making him smile and ruffle her hair.

"Was that so hard?" Hei asked, making her glare at him. He had no idea just how hard it was. "But you can be a good girl, and good girls get rewarded don't they?"

She was certainly not a good girl, but if being rewarded meant being released, she could bide her time. Naturally the moment she was free she'd be burning him alive.

Moving back behind her, she gasped as his hand moved back between her legs, leaving her sore ass alone as his finger pushed into her pristine pussy, violating her innocence as he started to gently pump it into her, adding a second finger and massaging her insides as she felt her cheeks flush.

Despite herself, she couldn't stop the whimper of something other than pain as the sensations moved through her body, her body heating up in response to his ministrations. How dare he?! And how dare her body respond to this simple thugs' molestation?

She bit down on her lips to try and stop the moan from slipping out, cursing him mentally as he sped up and added another finger.

She couldn't do it, and Hei smirked as she moaned, a lewd sound that had never left her lips before as he pulled back and licked his fingers clean.

"Y-you will pay for this violation," Azula growled, panting slightly as the aftermath of her first climax shuddered through her body.

"Actually, I'm getting paid for this, princess," Hei said teasingly, and before she could say another word he was inside her again, his fingers stirring up her insides as she clenched her inner muscles down on them, using them in ways she never had before.

Her mind betrayed her again, pointing out that it felt very good, why was she struggling against it?

Reaching the edge of a climax, she gasped in what felt like betrayal as Hei pulled back too early, giving her a smirk.

"Are you a good girl? Do you deserve a reward!" Hei asked, his fingers brushing against her sopping cunt as she stared at him. She wasn't stupid, she knew what he wanted.

"I-I am," Azula finally said, her voice weak from the experience.

"Say please," Hei said, brushing a knuckle against her slit as she glared at him.

"P-please reward me." Azula said, swearing vengeance later. Hei did as she asked, though not as she expected as he fell to his knees and buried his face between her legs, a hot tongue dragging along her slit as her eyes widened in shock, gasping in pleasure as he went down on her.

So close to her climax, she couldn't stop herself from cumming to his talented tongue slipping inside her pussy, her juices spraying on his lower face.

M-maybe when she was finished punishing him, she'd have him do this while he was tied up and restrained.

But for now she was at his mercy, and what seemed like hours passed, with Hei alternating between pleasuring her and punishing her.

Until suddenly, he changed his strategy as she felt something hard and big resting against her glowing buttocks, her eyes widening despite her tiredness as she looked back and saw his cock.

He just grinned at her, and she was too tired to really put up a fight as the tip pressed against her slit, panting as she looked back at him.

"Ready to become a woman, princess?"

She'd already begged, pleaded and insulted in equal measure, her voice was weak and as he started to push forwards she couldn't help the little voice saying that it would feel even better than his tongue.

He shouldn't, she was a princess, not to be violated by some commoner's cock, but as he gripped her hips she was too tired to do anything beyond look back at him with a mixture of lust and hate.

And as he thrust into her, she shot up in her bed, looking around the carriage in confusion which turned to silent embarrassment as she looked out of the window.

The busty ninja was sitting on a log, staring out into the night, and she could just see Hei's leg thanks to the open tent, in his bedroll.

It was just a dream? Of course it was, but why would she dream of such a thing?

The dampness between her legs made her face flush, her panties soaked under her night robe.

Laying back down, she shook her head, obviously it was something she'd eaten, she'd never dream of being punished and abused in such a way herself… right?

— Hei Nara — Next Day —

"You!" Azula says, making me pause as I turn to her.

"Is there something I can do for you, your highness?" I ask, watching a multitude of emotions cross her face.

"What's your name?" Azula asks, making me pause.

"Hei Nara, did I not already introduce myself?" I ask, watching her eyebrows furrow.

Ty Lee is looking between us in confusion as well, looking at Azula's face.

"Nara, they are one of the clans of Konoha, correct?" Azula asks, making me nod.

"That's right, the Nara have been a part of Konoha since the beginning," I agree, making her nod.

"Are you from some branch family or part of the main Nara line?" Azula asks.

"The main line, my father is the current head, and I'll likely be the next," I say, curious where she's going with this.

"Likely? Do you expect someone else to be chosen?" Azula asks, making me shake my head.

"No, but I'm also the next head of the Hayabusa clan. I may step down from the Nara clan line of succession to let my brother take that seat while I become the head of the Hayabusa, I'm still not decided," I admit. There's no rules about someone being the head of two clans, but it's not something that's been done before either.

I've not even discussed it with my parents and Shikamaru, let's be honest, the lazy bastard would prefer I just become the head of both so he can slack off, but that might change in the future and I don't want Shikamaru to be stuck in my shadow.

"So he's no mere common ninja, essentially a noble?" Azula mutters, more to herself than me as I blink. Ninja villages don't really have nobles, but it's not exactly an incorrect assessment either.

My family are wealthy, influential and powerful, but it's because we have produced so many genius ninjas over the years, a stupid Nara who never became a ninja would basically have the same power and influence as any other civilian.

I think the only clan that would actually refer to themselves as nobility would be the Hyuuga's, and they're notoriously stuck up.

Ty Lee makes a surprised sound, a grin growing on her face as I sigh. Maybe last night was a little overboard?

Azula has been distant all day, she hasn't been disrespectful however, seemingly in her own world and spending most of her time in the carriage itself. Looks like her mind is still focused on her 'dream'.

Ty Lee follows Azula into the carriage, and my ears easily pick up her muffled teasing and Azula's denials that she certainly doesn't have a crush on me.

Focusing on the travels, I ignore Mai's teasing as well while I focus on our surroundings, and despite her carefree attitude, Mai impresses me.

I have enhanced senses, and she still spots the issue at the same time I do.

Up ahead, there's a suspiciously bare tree-trunk, just propped up against another tree, with some rather dense foliage around it.

It just screams 'trap', and my hand goes to my blade as I share a glance with her.

Stopping the horses, I'm not surprised when the tree trunk is pushed onto the road, blocking the path. They probably hoped we wouldn't notice, and they'd be closer but two dozen or so men come out of the foliage, armed with simple weapons.

I can see two that are definitely ninjas, but the rest look like common bandits. Is banditry really such a problem in the Land of Fire? I'm almost ashamed. We are nowhere near Konoha but this is still embarrassing.

Azula and Ty look out to see what the hold up is, and it's almost funny that the bandits have to run towards us for a good thirty seconds since we stopped so far away.

"Alright, no funny business. This road is ours, and it has a toll," one of the bandits says, his eyes roaming Mai's body as she hops down from the carriage, jiggling in all the right places.

"This road belongs to the Fire Daimyo, and banditry is punishable by death. Leave now, and you'll live to regret choosing us as your victims," I say, drawing my blade as I call upon Imposing Presence. "Continue down this path and it will be your final mistake."

It works to some extent, but unfortunately I'm still a teenager to them, even one with a very fancy sword. The two ninja behind them are filling them with confidence, no headbands at all but one has a gas mask of all things and a scroll while the other has several ninja weapons.

It clearly makes them wary, but they start to surround the carriage. I glance at Mai, my fingers rapidly moving as I use what's basically ninja sign language.

Nodding, we get ready for a fight, Ty Lee has dropped into a martial arts stance and Azula seems excited as she creates another fireball.

"No need for that, brat, just give us your valuables and that fine piece of ass and the rest of you can go on your way," one of them says, gesturing to Mai, but before he can speak again my hand whips out.

I wear fairly long sleeves for a reason, and as I move I toss the tiny tag that's essentially a flashbang towards the bandits.

Mai is ready for it, closing her eyes as I spin around and the moment I see the flash at the corner of my vision I slip into my own shadow.

The ninjas are giving them confidence, but it's misplaced.

Jumping out of the shadow behind the armed ninja, the gas mask wearing one yells out a warning but it's too late.

The Dragon Sword cuts through bone like a hot knife from butter, and the fool barely gets a chance to turn around before my blade carves through his body, slicing through him as it separates everything above the waist from his body, and with a kick I send his upper half flying towards one of the bandits who seems to be wishing he took my offer.

Too little, too late, as a fireball engulfs several of them. I can hear the sound of fighting, Ty Lee and Mai handling the common bandits with ease

I knew Ty Lee was going to be good and out of the corner of my eye I spotted her literally dancing between three bandits who are trying to kill her, one of them accidentally stabbing his friend as she weaves between them, landing blows on their exposed backs.

Mai feels almost indecent to watch, her body obscene as she easily handles her attackers. She's a seduction specialist but she's clearly not been letting her other skills wane and I realise that the first fireball might not have been from Azula as I watch Mai send another one onto the group with a wave of a small hand fan.

Azula herself is a terror, uncaring of the surrounding area as she glares at the bandits, unleashing some pent up aggression with waves of blue flames, which the bandits can't stop no matter how much they stop, drop and roll.

But my target is the other ninja, and lunging forwards I'm not surprised when he manages to draw a kunai and tries to stop my sword.

The legendary Dragon Blade or a basic iron kunai, it's no surprise when my sensei's blade carves through the metal, but it does save his life as it slows the attack enough for him to jump back, eyes wide.

With the remains of the kunai, he slashes at his own hand making me briefly pause in confusion before my eyes widen seeing him rapidly going through a jutsu.

Lunging forwards, I try to interrupt it but my momentary confusion screws me over as he slams his hand into the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

The explosion of smoke makes me jump back, and as it disperses, I curse my stupidity as I take in the sight of the massive creature before me.

Standing at nearly ten feet tall and far longer, the lizard-like creature doesn't seem to have eyes as far as I can tell, thick brown scales covering its body as it opens its mouth and spews out a thick purple mist towards me.

Some of the bandits were unfortunate enough to be in between us, collapsing as they grasp at their throats in pain, coughing up blood.

I slip into my shadow again, appearing under the summon as the man looks around for me. Slashing with my blade, the summon screeches in pain as I carve through it but with such a large body, even a cut like that is just a flesh wound and I have to roll aside to avoid the salamander simply crushing me.

The summoner spots me again, but he's too late as I cast a jutsu of my own, calling on my new affinity for 'dread magic'.

Dread Jutsu: Living Nightmare

It's a strange mix of being both a genjutsu and very real as shadows rise up next to him, taking form and colour, but then most of my techniques are strange.

I don't recognise the man at first, but the summoner certainly does as he desperately tries to dispel the 'genjutsu'.

With long blonde hair and a gas mask of his own, the living nightmare glares between the summoner and the equally shocked salamander, red eyes filled with anger as he clutches a large scythe-like weapon.

"Release!" The summoner says desperately, having to jump back as the nightmare attacks, unable to dodge the scythe as it slashes through his stomach.

The cut is light, but it's enough to convince him that this is real as the pain floods his veins. The Nightmare feeds on the victim's fear, getting stronger the more afraid they are.

"You pathetic worm, you thought yourself worthy of my summons, that you were good enough to be my successor?" the nightmare scoffs, spinning his weapon as the chain attached to it lashes out and wraps around the summoner's arm, pulling him back, where the nightmare kicks him in the stomach, directly on the wound he just made before he slams him down, stepping on his chest as he stares down at his opponent ruthlessly.

The salamander seems frozen-

Ah, salamander.

Looking back at the Living Nightmare with new light, I realise exactly who it 'is'. Hanzo the Salamander, one of the most infamous ninjas in history.

"Master Hanzo, you're- impossible, it can't be-"

It's a pale imitation, but as he kicks off the other man's gas mask and removes his own, breathing down a cloud of gas, I think it's enough (and thank fuck it isn't the real thing because I know when I'm outclassed).

The summoner dies a pathetic death, gasping and crying as Hanzo's poison destroys him from the inside, and before he fades Hanzo casually dismisses the summon itself, but as the summoner dies so does my jutsu, and the false Hanzo fades.

Did it have the real Hanzo's knowledge?

Pausing, I spot the scroll hanging off the summoner's waist, and as I pick it up I feel something in the back of my mind click.

Hidden Objective Complete

Hidden Objective: Retrieve the Salamander Summoning Contract

Well, that's a start.

But who else am I supposed to be defeating? One hidden objective is still sitting there menacingly.

— Bonus Scene — Kushimaru Kuriarare

The name 'Seven Swordsmen of the Mist' didn't hold the same respect it once did, not since the fucking 'Eternal Genin' killed half of them and sent the others running for their lives.

Of the remaining, the rest had gone rogue, leaving him the last of the Swordsmen still 'loyal' to the Mist, and loyal was pushing it.

He still served their beloved, batshit insane, Mizukage, because this war gave him ample excuse to kill and torture for his own entertainment, he fully expected the Mizukage to lose and planned to cut his losses long before then. Maybe he'd go play merc like Kisame and Zabuza, because he certainly wasn't dying for that nutjob.

Still, he'd been given a mission and it was one he would do happily.

One of the Daimyo's brats had escaped the purge, and was fleeing to the Fire Daimyo's court. She wouldn't make it, nor would her 'escorts'. He smiled cruelly. It was a rare day when he got to kill two princesses in one day.

Grabbing Nuibari, he crossed the border with a crazed smile under his mask, ready to spill blood again.

The infamy of the Seven Swordsmen might have waned, but today he'd remind people why they were so feared.