Sideways [Yuii!]

[Takaki Saeko]

There’s blood in the water, and we’re about to feast.

By “we” I mean, of course, the Deathwatch. Every shinobi spends his or her youth fearing and resenting that name. We’re the gatekeepers to this prison called Cloud; the people who crush dreams, ruin vacations, and smother international relations. We’re the only reason that a new-yet-spirited academy student can’t simply walk outside the gates on a whim and become the edgiest demonlord in the world. We also sent the package with your “Phasesaber 9000 Extreme Killer-X” right back to its sender. No, you’re not getting your money back.

One needs to be a special kind of cynical, heartless, malicious killjoy bastard to consider working for the Deathwatch. After all, who actually enjoys telling children they can’t be brooding, 12-year-old superheroes? In answer to that question, let me introduce myself. I’m Saeko, and I’m an alcoholic—I mean, I’m here to ruin your day.

To be fair, it wasn’t me who smelled the blood first. That honor goes to Captain Yuma, who, like me, also shares an especial distaste for the higher-ups. But I’m the one who gets to go for the kill. You see, recently there was an incident at the gates. Our new main branch sennin, Kagetsu Yuii, completely broke gate protocol and allowed a missing-nin to walk unopposed onto our sacred land. She tried to fudge the paperwork and register him as a civilian refugee, but our pencil-pusher-in-chief saw right through the ruse. As it stands right now, our new sennin has committed no less than four separate infractions, all punishable by death—okay, not really, but the penalties are more than just slaps on the wrist.

All sennin are crooked, of course, and my father was one of the worst. Yuii’s not even the one with the most to lose: that honor goes to our newly-appointed kage, Kogami Ayumu, who’s ultimately responsible for the fiasco. And the best part is that Yumers is screwed sideways and doesn’t even know it.

If Yuii does the proper thing and confesses to him, he’ll be forced to mete out relatively harsh punishment that could erode their relationship. If Ayumu declines to do so, or if he inflicts too light of a penalty, then he’ll be seen as weak and ineffectual, allowing all the branches to walk all over him for the rest of his tenure as raikage.

If Yuii hasn’t confessed to him yet, then she’ll be even guiltier and Ayumu might even be forced to demote her within the first month of office for either of them. This will call Ayumu’s leadership forever into question in the eyes of the clans and council, his agendas will stall, and he’ll likely be forced to step down much earlier than anticipated.

Screwed. Sideways.

The captain has ordered me to take the lead role in the Deathwatch’s investigation of unlawful conduct by the raikage and main branch sennin. I can’t tell you how pleased I was to take the assignment. Bringing down both Yumers as well as a prominent Kagetsu is the stuff that wet dreams are made of. I almost feel bad for the new sennin: whatever enmity I feel for the Kagetsu family is really just remnants of my mother’s spite and my father’s distaste for larger and richer clans. But with Yumers, it’s a personal matter. And perhaps I’ll be doing something—even in my cowardly, underhanded way—to avenge Haruka.

As I wait for the Sennin’s secretary to summon her from hiding (and believe me, she knows why I’m here, having been mailed the formal complaint a day or two earlier), I can’t help but whistle a happy jingle that’s stuck in my head. ~Everyday’s great at your Junes!~

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Yuii had been shocked to find the very official and very intimidating complaint in amongst all her mail. Having considered the matter with Sunuke and Ayumu finished with, she hadn't expected there to be further investigation. Could it be the guard who had promised to rain hell on her if she didn't bring her friend to Ayumu on the day of his arrival had followed up? Or, maybe someone could have traced the haunting of that bath house back to them? It had felt like Ayumu went a little too easy on her so this could be his way of round-about teaching her a lesson. Whatever the reason she was given two days to prepare which seemed odd. Did they expect her to run away or go into hiding?

Running was for weak missing-nin, and people who liked their job and Yuii was neither.

The natural progression should have been fear, maybe constructing a hidden bunker beneath her office, but the deed was done, the band-aid of lies ripped away, and she had come out unscathed on the other end. It was hard to imagine a worse punishment than the full force of Ayumu's 'I'm very disappointed in you' frown. Threatening a ghost walker with death wasn't very effective, being Sennin was already the worst torture imaginable, and getting locked up would be a vacation. They would have to be pretty creative to match Ishiyo's discipline when she heard Yuii had managed to smudge the Kagetsu name in just a few weeks. THAT was a meeting to be terrified of.

So When Saeko showed up, her secretary Megumi needed to do no more than knock and inform her the Deathwatch shark had arrived. Yuii appeared in her familiar bedraggled state with chocolate stains and tiger hair plentiful. Her usual blithe smile faltered at the sight of Saeko. They'd sent her predecessor's daughter? Well wasn't that nice?

"Hey,I thought this was an official complaint. Why did they send you, Takaki?" she asked by way of a greeting, "Are you going to assess my taxes? I'm pretty sure those are squeaky clean." Oh, she realised a second later, that had probably been the wrong thing to say.

 

[Takaki Saeko]

"There's a special place in hell for women who don't help other women."

It's an oft-misquoted, oft-misattributed phrase that's gotten a fair bit of attention in recent months. All the polls, news outlets, and propaganda broadcasts assured us for months that Tachibana Ami would handily sweep the parliamentary vote and secure the chancellorship for the fourth term in a row. But when she lost power to an orange-tinted tycoon that everyone had written off as a poorly-executed joke, that old phrase started to grow popular again. Everyone assumed that the Ladies, Dames, Countesses, Marquessas, and Duchesses of the nobles' council would support Ami when it came time for the vote, and when they didn't, it caused a twitter (sorry, carrier pigeon) shitstorm of biblical proportions.

That's because everyone--from basement-dwelling neckbeard chauvinists to bra-burning intersectionality-fetishizing misandrists--assumes that all women think alike and want the same things. That we're all just poor little children who can't help but fail to support each other in times of crisis because we've been oppressed all our lives by scary men and their sociopolitical structures. That if only the XY scum would all just drop dead, the collective sisterhood would instantly form a utopia free of war, famine, crime, and those annoying little squabbles over which gold-plated idol to worship. As my mother, the great Santaru Rin used to say, "we'll be free when we kill 'em all," while shooting pointed glances at dear old dad.

So perhaps I'm an abnormality as a woman, because I despise most other women. I want nothing better than to crush my enemies, see them driven before me, and hear the lamentations of their husbands and sons. When I see someone with more power and success than me, I want to toss her off her throne and make her rub my dirty feet. When the bra-burners and the neckbeards tell me that we girls shouldn't have rivalries and archnemeses, that makes me want to spill some serious blood. I guess there's a special place in hell for me, then.

My intuition tells me that Kagetsu Yuii might be a kindred spirit, in that special, hell-borne way. Although I've never talked extensively with the woman, I've heard a thing or two about her clan. The Kagetsu are the sort who scheme constantly to maintain their place in the social hierarchy of both Cloud and Lightning Country in general. The fact that their most famous daughter was raikage not once, but twice, only adds to their particular brand of status-obsessed weirdness. I'd also bet a fortune that they not only see Kogami Ayumu as undeserving of his position, but also as a fool to be toyed with, destroyed, and replaced by their Yuii at the first possible opportunity. She was picked by the clan head for a reason, and that reason is probably because she could out-Byzantine the best of them. So I'll have to be careful with her, and put my best foot forward.

Which is why I'm taken aback when Yuii comes to greet me looking like she just rolled out of bed after having fallen asleep laying on squished bonbons and stuffed animals smelling of drool. Unlike her, I've taken special pains to assume a tactical appearance. By "tactical" I don't mean guns and grenades, but just enough makeup to appear a touch better than "natural," coupled with that essential clothing combination that's demure but also calls attention to my best assets. My goal was to be just a bit less regal than the sennin (because trying to upstage her would be too obvious), but to demonstrate to her that I'm someone who can't be dismissed out of hand. Yet by coming to me so brazenly bedraggled, she's already upended the whole game in the first few moments of our exchange without even opening her mouth. She's either insanely confident in her own power, or she just doesn't give a shit, both of which immediately mark her as more dangerous than I ever thought she'd be. A horrible chill lances my body from head to crotch, and I teeter off-guard. She's just like Donado of Oranji! She doesn't play by the rules!

"B-but I... You see, your taxes...there's an issue..." I start to mumble, shying away from eye contact.

Wait! What the hell am I doing? For fuck's sake, Saeko, get it together and stop blithering like a kid on a first date! I clear my throat and force myself to meet her gaze. Confidence returns. I can do this. I can overcome the monster in front of me. I'll kill her with kindness. I'll customer-service her to death.

"Ahem, excuse me! Unfortunately, this is regarding an official complaint, Sennin-sama." Okay, that's better. I breathe in deeply, compose myself, and give her an airy smile. "I am here on behalf of the Deathwatch and Council to process a recent complaint filed against you, Sennin-sama. The aforementioned parties require your complete and truthful cooperation with the investigation, and I am required to inform you that perjury or obstruction of justice both merit harsh penalties. Of course, I'm sure none of us will have to worry about that!" I give her a bubbly wink for emphasis. "Now, I'll just need a few minutes of your time. Answer a few boring questions, and this will probably all blow over."

I take out my handy-dandy voice recorder, a notepad, and a pen. "Now, the facts of the matter are already established regarding the case of Sunuke-san's entry. The aggrieved parties can be convinced to forgive the...entry protocol deviations and...paperwork errors regarding his refugee status. But have you discussed the matter yet with the raikage, and has he meted out any...formal form of censure or reprimand?"

That's right, Yuii, I'm on your side. (Even though I'm not). Just answer the million-yen question and we'll both see if Yumers can spell I-N-D-I-C-T-M-E-N-T...

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Sennin-sama, Sennin-sama, Sennin-sama. Yuii repressed the urge to roll her eyes. Normally she would have asked just to be called by her first name, but she was learning that casual address made most of her visitors uncomfortable. It was alright to let the odd jounin squirm, but this wasn't the place. She hated that she even cared.

"I'm sure it will," she replied off-handedly, fishing a chocolate chip cookie from a bag in her pocket, "I'd already be cooling my heels in prison otherwise." The Kagetsu had been bribed pretty heavily for Yuii to become Sennin in the first place. There was no way Ishiyo would go to that much trouble then allow Yuii to fail so early on. Unless this was a power move by the other clans, this investigation was probably just bureaucratic nonsense. Shame that, she had so been looking forward to another job change. At least it wasn't best buddy Ayumu making her life miserable.

Chewing pensively on her cookie, she eyed the recorder. Yuii had planned to be self-destructively candid to try and get fired, but if recordings made their way back to her clan, she would be skinned alive. Yuii didn't fancy the idea of being a human shawarma, so now she would need to be subtle. A few low-key lines about how awful she was at her job was sure to help. If this was one of the other clans that had set the sharks loose, then she didn't want to disappoint.

At least Saeko seemed nice.

"Of course I have," she shrugged and claimed a chair. That was an odd question to start with; didn't they want her side of the incident? Maybe the investigation could be cut short so long as they knew Ayumu knew? "I told him on the same day I became Sennin. He was pretty displeased. He did his 'I'm super disappointed' face and was way too nice about it. I felt awful for days! Even then, he agreed to meet Sunuke and give him a chance."

Funnily, she must have been more upset than she thought because recalling the details of that meeting was impossible. Bending time could do that.

"It's unofficial, I have been ordered to stay in the greater village area unless there is a sennin related emergency. That might not seem like much, but I'm a wanderer at heart, so I'm going stir crazy.Oh! and Sunuke is a refugee. What I changed was his apparent rank to lower his threat level so that the guards felt comfortable allowing him in without Sennin permission. In actuality, my friend is a match for most of Kumogakure's shinobi. I also failed to bring him to Ayumu within the day I promised the guard."

 

[Takaki Saeko]

With every passing moment, Yuii shows me exactly why she was chosen by her clan to be sennin of the branch. Her utter disregard for the rules of white-collar warfare is both galling and also awe-inspiring to behold. As she so casually munches on her chocolate chip cookie without offering me one first, the hairs on the back of my neck stiffen and my mouth goes dry. What the hell is even going on at this point? Where's the usual hospitality gambit, in which she offers me a drink or snack to switch our paradigm to host and guest? How am I supposed to show her that I reject her attempt to switch mindsets, by eating only part of one cookie and refusing to partake of any more?

Is this how the ruffle-collared generals of old felt when they saw Aion's Dawn Army destroy their formations with massed artillery for the first time in the history of warfare? I sway on my feet and barely resist passing out. Jesus Saito, I completely misjudged her. Yuii cannot be dealt with by conventional tactics. I might as well be tying to fight an alien with pillows, raining futile blows while she cackles softly to herself: "ayy, lmao!" Kogami Ayumu has no chance against Yuii's machinations. He'll be cooling his heels in a rubbish bin in the Cronopolis, nibbling a stale cookie and his hair smelling of rum before the year is up, gibbering to himself about how nice his Main Branch Sennin was to him. Dude was dead before he even put on the stupid hat.

I've got to change tactics. Yuii can't be fought or overcome, at least not by me. Sure, her clan matriarch could probably eliminate her if given the right inducement, but there's no godrotting way I'm ever dealing with Kagetsu Ishiyo as long as I breathe. The only thing I can do now is ally with the sennin against our hopefully common enemy: Ayumu.

Mercifully, Yuii throws me a few choice bones that are worth their weight in gold. She may have brutally made me her bitch, but at least she gives out good treats. As she takes a chair, I shuffle over to her obediently, still standing of course. Sitting down would imply that we're equals. And secretly, weirdly enough, it feels kind of good to know my place in the order of things. I could see her as my raikage, in a way that I haven't felt for the leadership of this godrotting rock since Haruka.

"I see, Sennin-sama. So basically it looks like the raikage gave you a desultory look and dismissed your confession out of hand. Furthermore, he actively participated in and even worsened your initial mistake." I can't hide the excitement in my voice. "Your attestation that Sunuke-san is a 'match for most of our shinobi' means that Lord Kogami knowingly allowed an S-ranked missing-nin to wander around the village and put all of our academy students in danger, even if that danger was mostly in the form of unbidden balloon animals and disruptions to their nutritional conditioning in the form of impromptu treats."

I forget my dread of Yuii for a moment and start to pace and scribble notes onto my pad. "Lord Kogami also imposed a heavy-handed and unreasonable restriction on your movements, likely in an attempt to keep you blind to the affairs of the country at large and prevent you from meeting with the appropriate governmental figures, including the Shogun, and Chancellor Donado of Oranji, who has publicly called for funding to be cut to Kumogakure in favor of building a wall between us and Fire Country... Yes! By Shinbatsu! This is...this not only calls Lord Kogami's leadership into question, but also strongly suggests that he's a clear and present danger to the safety of Kumogakure!"

I rush over and kneel at her feet. If she wants me to kiss her ring or lick her boot, that's totally fine. I've got what I needed. "Thank you for your cooperation, Sennin-sama! Now I have enough to start the impeachment proceedings! I...I look forward to seeing you in the stupid hat--I mean, regalia of your deserved office!"

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

At first, Yuii wondered if Saeko had been rummaging through the Med-nin pain killers. It was difficult to understand the mind that took her admission of a minor punishment from the Raikage and spawned such vitriol on Ayumu's behalf. The main branch sennin was realising all too quickly this investigation had nothing to do with her; someone was out for Ayumu's blood.

The rambling tale Saeko spun about Ayumu trying to undermine Yuii was fantastical hogwash, malarkey, bullshit, but to the right audience, it was dangerous. The story could give the council enough spine to actually try and oust Ayumu, to rearrange the government in their favour and, Raiden forbid, actually make her Raikage.

Yuii stared at the other woman like she had grown two heads. Though Saeko's machinations lacked subtlety, the plan wasn't actually that bad. Even if this current investigation doesn't come to some fruition, it would create doubt in the minds of the other shinobi. They would wonder if Ayumu was trying to grab back full power of the village for himself and destroy the Sennin position in a Sarunishi-like show of power. It would only be a matter of time before sweet, bumbling Ayumu made a mistake. She wondered if this was entirely Saeko's doing or if the powers that be had just picked the most fervent Yumer-hater in the land.

Saeko was way too excited about destroying Ayumu's career if the boot licking was any indication. Was she always this intense, or just when she was trying to overthrow governments? Either way, Yuii needed to figure out a way to derail this scheme for her own good(Oh, and Ayumu I guess).

It was natural to assume Yuii would be on board, as scheming was supposedly in her blood. Since Saeko seemed to believe it, the sennin would use it to her advantage.

Fishing another cookie from her pocket, she dangled it for Saeko to take a bite. "Say Ah, Takaki. These taste better." she laughed, hoping none of her nerves bled through. There was nothing like having your boots orally polished to put a person off.

"Listen. I like your conviction, really I do. You're a good little shark to have sniffed this out and I admire your dedication to the cause," she gave the other woman's head an affectionate pat that made her cringe inside, "but your evidence is lacking and the timing is off. You're just going to make a fool of yourself, your department and my branch if I allow you to move forward. Ayumu would come out of it just as strong and my plans would be set back by months." Plans like taking a half years worth of missions and the next train out of the village as soon as she found that elusive second in command. Plans like never wearing the douchebag attracting hat and keeping it firmly on Ayumu's attached head.

 

[Takaki Saeko]

When my lips touch the cookie, everything changes. For the longest time, I've always held higher-ups in disdain. They've always been these shadowy connivers sitting on gilt thrones, brutalizing the whole of society in the name of shallow self-enrichment. My own father died for one of those assholes, and ever since then, my distaste for them has only expanded and been left to ferment. I never understood why he was so willing to lose his life for Hayata Shin, and why Takaki Masao's own followers--Jo, Hikari, Ayumu, Shashu, Moro, and hundreds of others--were so eager to do the same for him. In fact, a large part of me hated him for it. How dare he abandon me in favor of some four-eyed dweeb in a douchey hat?

But in this moment, I can't summon that disdain and distrust. Not for Kagetsu Yuii, who's beaten and broken me so thoroughly in only moments. By rights, I should hate her, or at least place her in the same basket of deplorables that cost Chancellor Hillar--I mean, Ami, the election. And yet here I am, literally eating out of her hand like some sort of animal, and enjoying myself. I should be disgusted--and on some level I am--but only in a way that magnifies the glee. Sort of like cosplay, it's the inherent embarrassment in the act that adds pleasure to its commission. I haven't felt this way since I served Haruka, both in the Torre and in her bedchamber.

When Yuii adds a killer headpat to the combo, I become so melty that my disappointment to hear her words simply glides off. But never fear, she reassures me, she's got a plan. Yes, she still intends to overthrow the Bumbler-in-Chief. But she'll do it Kagetsu-style, which means taking many years to build up to the spectacular finish. Maybe, if I work really hard, she'll allow me to be one of the people who jabs Ayumu in the taint. "Et tu, Saeko?" he'll gasp, and finally realize that he's in the wrong. So, if I want to be part of any of that, I've got to prove my worth to Yuii and do it fast. I must show her that I'm willing to do anything for her. Anything.

"M-my Lady," I say, letting out a sniffle. "I... I beg you to forgive me. Clearly, my plan to destroy Lord Kogami was deeply flawed, and almost endangered your own plans to unseat the monster on the throne. For that, I am deeply, deeply ashamed!" I bend my head to kiss her feet again, but stop because I don't want to sully her fine-ass Chuck Taylors with crumbs and spit. "I now see the error of my ways, and for your generosity, I would like nothing better than to be your personal servant. As Sir Enishi once did for Kage Kiyo, let me be your loyal dog. Minus the assassination stuff, of course. Y-your Ladyship reminds me of Haruka, who I treasured as well. I think you will make the finest of raikages!"

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Oh Raiden's tits, it had worked.

Yuii felt simultaneously relieved and distressed. Was this what it was to be in a position of authority? Could she make people eat from the palm of her hand figuratively or literally as easily as saying 'ah'? Yuii had always tried to be honest when work allowed. She opted to remain silent rather than deceive, cleared up misconceptions and misinterpretations over anythings she did or said, and generally could call herself a good person. No, she NEEDED to be able to call herself a good person. She didn't want to be like either the stick-wielding Ishiyo or carrot generous Kiyo who had both insisted it was her inherent nature as a genjutsu user to manipulate others.

"Of course I forgive you. You were just doing as you were told," she answered automatically, surprised at how smooth and believable she could be. It was easier to deceive with truths she realised, feeling her stomach flip. She stared at the ceiling and had an internal scream while Saeko was busy grovelling. This. was. the. worst.

All of this was Ayumu's fault. If he hadn't been spineless and made her sennin then Yuii wouldn't be in this self-discovery mess. This was going up on the list of worst things he'd ever done, next to actually making her sennin and the marriage prank with the gorgeous blonde ANBU sennin. There would need to be a serious, ear twisting discussion about letting the council do whatever they wanted, she decided. The tenth Raikage needed to learn to put his foot down before he really did end up impeached. With enough time and effort, the clans were certain to find SOMETHING to drag his name through the dirt and then it would be a political volcano with Yuii poised to be the sacrificial not-so-virgin.

Maybe it was because her boots stayed spit free this time, or that the old mantra about keeping your enemies close but her need for a hand jumped immediately to mind. Ayumu would owe her a HUGE raise for keeping someone like Saeko occupied, and Yuii would free her schedule by throwing all the mundane paperwork at her 'loyal' servant.

She sighed and nodded begrudgingly. "Like Enishi? That is a high bar to set for yourself, Sharky," she chuckled, glossing over being compared to public enemy number one. What kind of discord was Saeko expecting Yuii to create by bringing up names like those!? "I already have a pet, but I do need an assistant. It'll be horrible hours and you'll have to deal with the, ahem, most mentally incapacitated Main Branch has to offer but there are a small raise and some perks attached. Also, you get this pretty cool badge that is totally not a rip off from a popular franchise and a free danish from the cafe they're trying to rebuild in the downstairs Torre- which you get to do the paperwork for! What do you say?"

 

[Takaki Saeko]

My vision blurs and my heart batters against my chest before I open my palm to see what Yuii has pressed into it, for I recognize the small badge from feel alone. It is an engraved hand that both grasps a laurel wreath and holds a dagger. It is made of gold, but inlaid with enough dimeritium to create a constant, mild discomfort when worn as demanded, on the left side of one's chest, superior to the heart. The pain serves two purposes: first, to protect the bearer's mind against insidious illusions cast by enemies, and second, to remind the bearer of whom he or she serves. The insignia of the Sennin's Hand represents not only the authority and integrity of the office, but also its power to disgrace, disparage, and kill for the benefit of the village and kage. And I know its feel quite well, for it once rested over the heart of my lover, Narashi Jo, who never, ever removed it for any reason. It was the last thing I touched, after I killed him.

"My Lady, you..." Can't? How foolish am I about to be? Of course Yuii can make me her Hand. She established long ago, before we'd even met, that she was capable of whatever she wished. Behind that cookie-crumb-covered, smelly-pajama-clad, just-got-out-of-bed-hair-coiffed exterior is a power that could cow the entire nobility of Hell. I have no choice but to accept, and to do so gratefully and with all my heart. I lower my head again, still clutching the badge of office. "...do me a great honor. I will do everything I can do make sure that I am worthy of the position. No mountain of paperwork is insurmountable, and the village's idiots are already under my thumb, for I am already their Queen. And the example of Captain Enishi may seem like an impossibly high standard of excellence, but I promise you this, My Lady. I will not only equal him in my service to you, but I will exceed him. When the time comes to eliminate the fool on the throne, I will not be like that man! I will make sure the job is done."

As I clench the badge in my hand, the tip of the dagger digs into my palm and causes it to bleed. I can think of no other way to show my dedication to her. Together, Yuii and I will make sure that Cloud's future is one dominated by the powerful and the worthy. A future in which the Ayumus of the world know their place (as footstools). I have no plans to die trying: Yuii hasn't allowed me to do that. I take the bloody badge and pin it to my blouse, and rise.

"My Lady, I will make the necessary arrangements to change my office, move my residence to more secure quarters, and divert all paperwork from your desk to mine. Please allow me one uninterrupted day to do so, and then I will be available twenty-four-hours at your call. If there is nothing else, I will be off." Now, to enjoy that richly-deserved danish.

[TLUS]

 

[Kagetsu Yuii]

Yuii cringed internally but nodded unenthusiastically in agreement. Saeko was traitorously speaking of removing Ayumu like he was a cockroach invasion. Yuii was starting to get a bad, itchy feeling in the back of her mind that usually meant she was making a terrible choice. Maybe it was the use of Enishi's name or the fact that someone's already bleeding, but this just couldn't end well. It was too late to take back her words now, though. Like the horror movie damsel that ran upstairs unarmed, she would need to accept her death or hope she was main character enough to live. She just hoped up and down that no one was listening in, who knew when it came to ANBU, because this conversation would do a very good job of getting them both thrown into a cell. She was pretty certain there were no creme puffs for someone caught scheming the Raikage's death, no matter how much you claimed it was in his best interest.

"I'm sure you'll do well," she offered, shrugging. At least Saeko wasn't trying to kiss her feet anymore. Maybe with enough distraction and positive reinforcement, Saeko would do an alright job. Hopefully. Maybe? She couldn't be worse than Yuii herself. Well as long as this didn't land her in jail or kill anyone that she wanted alive that was okay too. She had come here hoping to be out of a job anyways- maybe this choice would finally show Yuii's incompetence.

"Right. Yup. Take your time," She would need to see if her secretary Megumi could find some old, dusty manuals for Saeko to read that would distract her a few weeks. That would at least give Yuii time to track down Ayumu and have their come to SaitoJesus talk about the danger he's putting himself in, and more importantly the shit it was causing her. "See you later then..."

[TL]