Ch285. Kaguya Otsutsuki 1

"I must say, I never expected this meeting to go this way." Rei smilingly mused as he drank tea and watched Kaguya munching on various types of food with gusto and the enthusiasm of a little child who just received her favorite dessert.

Much to Rei's surprise, after their initial awkwardness passed, the very first thing Kaguya asked him for was a bit of his chakra. This made Rei wary but also extremely curious. She was not asking for an amount that would allow her to do anything substantial.

In the end, Rei gave her what she asked for and then watched in amazement as Kaguya materialized a feast through her Creation of All Things. Around the ankle-high table full of various foods that could be classified as female's wet dream were various fluffy pillows for seating and Kaguya promptly flopped down onto one of them before starting to enjoy the food, impatiently inviting Rei to join her with her indifferent eyes containing a deeply-hidden eagerness. He wasn't even properly seated when Kaguya foregone all manners and started enjoying herself.

Rei had to admit, this was a totally new style of cooking...

"I didn't have anything to eat for a thousand yearsh." Kaguya managed to say before taking another spoonful of pudding into her mouth and repressing a blissful moan.

The corners of Rei's lips curled upward whereas his right eyebrow rose at the childish woman. He expected a regal, cold, and dismissive princess that would demand the world out of him if he wanted anything in return but what he got was... this.

As if sensing his doubts, Kaguya gulped down the pudding and spoke again, "The thing you did with the seal... I have no idea what it was but it worked. It was sudden but I felt as if something was lifted from my consciousness and no longer felt like attacking you on sight so... good for you?" She hummed while her eyes distractedly trailed towards another plate full of sweets.

'So the influence on her psyche was more subconscious.' Rei took into account her wording. She didn't experience any sudden flip that would shake her entire being when he purified the 'taint'. Instead, she simply felt as if her emotions and outlook somehow slightly shifted. 'Then again...' Rei scanned the modified seal with his mind, 'the chakra fruit became a part of her the second she ate it. It's not like the taint was removed from her. I just added a feature that negates its effects as long as Kaguya is inside of her seal on the moon.'

That naturally meant the second she is released, her outlook would shift back to her previous state. Clearly, Rei needed more time to ponder about these problems.

Rei gently smiled at the woman, "You are quite the pervert, aren't you?" He said, observing with satisfaction as Kaguya momentarily froze before huffing and continuing to eat as a slightly pink hue formed on her cheeks.

Since they sat down, Kaguya didn't look in Rei's direction once, focusing her eyes on the food but... she had Byakugan eyes and Rei was a trained ninja. Naturally, he didn't miss her gaze.

"Well, you will have to excuse my curiosity but you are the first person I see after a long time." Kaguya grumpily muttered and, for the most part, retracted her Byakugan gaze from Rei as silence ensued between them.

What Rei found cute, however, was that now her eyes actually flickered towards him every so often.

It was only a few peaceful moments later when Kaguya spoke again, this time with a measured and serious tone. "What exactly do you want from me? I doubt anybody would enter this seal without any agenda so... what's yours?"

It was obvious she mistrusted Rei's intentions. Sure, they were cordial right now but Rei reckoned that was mostly because there was no way to harm each other inside of the seal. Kaguya might have portrayed a childish and excitable front with how she acted. She might even seem easily manipulatable but Rei knew better. The woman in front of him wasn't a naive fool. That's why he was glad this seal was a perfect neutral ground for both of them.

Rei nodded, not seeing any reason to tiptoe around it, "I came to propose a deal." He started, "I can free you from the seal," He said that part slowly on purpose, observing Kaguya. Her eyes indeed showed a slight sign of brightening at his words but the woman didn't let her hope shine into her expression. Instead, she had her perfectly indifferent mask donned as she waited for Rei to continue. "but as you probably already realized I won't do that just out of the goodness of my heart."

Kaguya slowly nodded, "What are your terms?" She bluntly asked.

And this was the part where Rei's demeanor completely shifted, much to Kaguya's bewilderment. He released a deep sigh and sheepishly chuckled, "I... don't have any?" He said, completely aware of how ridiculous that sounded. Rei saw how Kaguya's face became blank after hearing him and instantly decided to continue to clear any misunderstanding that might or might not form between them. After all, he wouldn't want her to think he is trying to deceive her. "Right now. I don't have any right now. I honestly don't even have a method to free you." He shrugged, ignoring how Kaguya's lips twitched in exasperation before the woman decided to stuff a piece of a dessert into her mouth lest she said something unflattering to Rei.

They stared at each other for a moment, Rei awkwardly and Kaguya coldly. When Kaguya didn't have anything to say, Rei decided to elaborate, "I am the best Seamaster in Elemental Nations." Rei noted how Kaguya's attention shifted away from the food and back towards him when she heard these words. "If anybody can devise a way to get you safely out of the seal, it is me. As for the terms, I really don't know what to ask for but I can tell you right now, I will not free you for free. There will definitely be a price. I just don't... really have anything you could provide that I would need or want."

'Except completely fucking up the plot and making the biggest villain of Narutoverse my ally.' Rei inwardly thought. There were many advantages to freeing her, even if he did it completely for free. Most of them were indirect but that didn't mean there would be no benefit for Rei. But, Rei also knew that doing that would be extremely suspicious and while Kaguya would have been grateful beyond words, she would also be wary of his intentions to no end. She was a former ruler and her political mindset shone clearly through during their talks. She understood mutual benefit whereas having a stranger show her such a massive kindness was instantly a reason for concern and a start of some nefarious plot.

Then again, Rei would not release her from her seal unless he was absolutely sure the woman posed no danger to him or his family.

Kaguya felt stumped. She was happy that somebody decided to help her because these thousand years of utter powerlessness took their toll on her mind. But she also understood the underlying message in Rei's words. He would only help her if it benefited him and she had no idea what she could offer him for such a service.

With a slight embarrassment, she realized her thoughts must have been visible on her face when Rei smiled at her and spoke, "For now, let's not talk about it. Making a counter-seal to this," Rei gestured around himself, "will be a long job anyway. Let's just get to know each other and talk some more about the past, shall we? I am really interested in why you ended up here."