Saika

All the world's a stage.

The art of acting requires more than intimate knowledge of a script. To be an actor, one must be able to suspend their personality for the sake of the performance. Speaking the lines meant little in the end if one could not convince the audience that they were the character. The actor does not become the character; instead, the audience turns the actor into the character. Good performances played on the biases of the audience to force them to suspend disbelief. Becoming a blank canvas allows the crowd to paint in the detail they want to see.

Saika knew what people expected of her at any given moment. Noblemen, eager for a pretty face and tender touches, required her to play the role of a maiden humbled by their deeds, no matter how trivial. On the other hand, those professors and friends at the University desired a brooding male at the fringes of society. Neither role bothered her, and both only served to further her ambitions. Her marriage to Naruto, untraditional and unromantic, was but another part of the great play that was the life of Saika. Her husband, pleasant and kind, got to see a more personal character but did not need to know what lurked underneath the silk robes and pale flesh. Even she, the blank canvas that allowed the world to paint freely on her, did not know what existed beyond the different roles.

In the end, it did not matter. All the world's a stage, and she needed to play her roles perfectly.

The three shinobi escorting towards the shinobi garrison within Kobe looked at her like an aloof noblewoman that had seduced their friend with a quick spread of her legs. She played worse characters before during the years spent at The Fallen Kingdom. Their intentions were far from positive, given their ill mutterings and harsh glares. That gave her power over them in the situation. Shinobi, much like noblemen, assumed that they had control over any situation concerning her. This made it far easier to appear delicate and fragile. Her escape required a sudden change of audience and role.

As another cart pulled across the main road towards the main castle, Sakura groaned. "This is a waste of time. Shino! Grab her, and we'll head across the rooftops."

"Please! No!" Saika dropped to her knees, turning from a shivering woman to a sack of potatoes. Not her best landing, but Sakura's irritated sigh showed it was good enough. "Please…I fear heights and have just eaten breakfast." She allowed them to figure out the implications to give them confidence and control.

"We are under no time constraints," Shino muttered darkly. "I rather remain unsoiled today."

Excellent. A journey on top of the roofs would make her escape near impossible. She needed the right audience for the next act of her performance. Sakura and Shino began to argue about how to get the mission over in the quickest way possible. Neither seemed fond of the other's company, and Hinata stood back in a quivering pile of self-doubt and self-loathing. Saika remembered her husband mentioning a creepy girl with white eyes that had a borderline obsession with him. She could use this to her advantage with a bit of coaxing and seduction.

"Are you Hinata?" Saika approached slowly as if nervous. "Naruto told me about you."

"He…has?" Hinata looked up at her and stiffened the moment they made eye contact.

Saika smirked as the girl seemed enthralled by her appearance. She willed the Hyūga into a false sense of security. "He laments the fact that we have been forced to marry. His long belongs to another woman."

"Another?" Hinata whispered with wide eyes still gazing at her.

"Indeed. It is my goal to…help reunite him with her." Saika let her voice deepen into a purr before leaning into Hinata with sapphic passion. She brought crimson-stained lips close to her victim's quivering mouth. "To reunite him with you."

A small gasp escaped Hinata. Beads of sweat glistened against her skin. She trembled as a delicate hand caressed her cheek, brushing a thumb over her bottom lip. Her mouth opened to protest the intimate intrusion but found nothing came out. "Sharin…" The final word died before birth. Lavender eyes widened as what remained of her will shattered.

Saika smirked as the young woman's face glazed over in bliss. She rarely dealt with female clients, so the unexpected success of her plan sent a wave of pleasure down her spine. Men, generally, were more accessible to seduce than women. So either Hinata had been especially weak-willed, or her natural sensual gifts were growing stronger.

"Listen to me, sweet princess." Saika glanced back at the bickering Sakura and Shino. "Tell them that you know a shortcut back to the garrison. Guide us towards the Labor Quarter. I have an idea that will bring you and Naruto together."

Like a puppet, Hinata stumbled forward to her teammates. "Sakura…Shino…I believe the route through the Labor Quarter is optimal."

Both of her teammates paused to stare at her. Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Why the Labor Quarter? That is in the exact opposite direction!"

"Traffic," Saika added with a haughty huff, sliding back into the role of a stuffy noblewoman. "Most workers are at work sites at this time of the day. Meanwhile, if we try to cross directly to the castle, we would be forced to deal with the University and the Market District."

The University and the Market District provided excellent opportunities to escape large crowds. However, their close location to the castle meant that her captors could call upon reinforcements quickly. Meanwhile, the Labor Quarter's tight streets formed a maze that confused all but the most experienced city-dweller. Nevertheless, she knew a few people in the Quarter that would be able to provide her a place to stay. Not to mention, she required an audience willing to defend her. She suppressed a vile smile at the thought.

Hinata, enthralled by her charms, jumped to defend the idea. "It would allow us to avoid running into any of General Ren's men. Lord Hokage warned us that the man has spies across the district."

Interesting. Outside a few parties, Saika never met the man but knew of his reputation as a fiercely loyal supporter of the Daimyo that held little love of the shinobi. The whole incident involving the Inuzuka gave his status a healthy boost. She would need to talk with Nikata later for more information and to determine if he would be an ally to Naruto.

"I trust Hinata's logic." Shino moved to stand beside the woman. Sakura shrugged, tired of the mission already, and allowed Hinata to lead them through the streets. A few curious folks stopped to stare at them, but no one dared stop three ninjas wearing forehead protectors bearing the symbol of the Hidden Leaf.

Saika ignored everyone in favor of doing the breathing exercises Orisa taught her as a young girl. Nervousness and fear weakened one's ability to think and, as a result, made customers frightful. Exemplary performers, according to Orisa, required a state of mind that allowed their art to flow freely to the customers. The shinobis around her relaxed as they moved towards the Labor Quarter.

"So," Sakura glanced at her. "You're a prostitute."

"Former courtesan," Saika corrected with a slight frown. The girl's confused expression annoyed her. "There is a difference between a whore and a courtesan. While some courtesans engage in prostitution, most simply provide company to lonely men. Whores solely engage in prostitution."

Sakura thought for a moment. "You're like a geisha, then?"

"Close. While skilled in music or other performative arts, a courtesan lacks the strict customs of the geisha. We provide a similar service but in a far more relaxed environment." While she had private clients, none of them had lain with her. Cuddles and caresses were her limits. Anyone that desired more needed to find someone else or pay a sum far too high to Orisa.

"Guess you lucked out with Naruto," Sakura mused. "Figures that doofus would end up marrying a prostitute."

Saika chose to ignore the repeated insult as Hinata stiffened. She glared a hole in the back of the woman, willing her to continue the march forward. They were extremely close to the bridge that led into the Labor Quarter.

Shino quickened his pace. "Hinata, are you alright?"

"I am…ready to see Naruto." Hinata paused in the middle of the street. Her form swayed like a flag in a soft breeze. She turned to face the rest of the group. "I am going to be reunited with him."

"What are you talking about?" Sakura stepped forward with a slight groan. "We're not going to see Naruto. We need to deliver Naruto's WIFE to our barracks."

No matter how hard she willed Hinata forward, Saika could not get the woman to move an inch. She cursed the medic-nin for distracting the love-struck creep and needed to make her move quicker than expected. The bridge across the canal to the Labor Quarter was in sight, close enough to spot a group of workers repairing a damaged railing.

"Come on. I wish to get this whole affair over with," Saika pushed passed the group and stomped her feet. "Do you know that I am an extremely busy poet? My beauty won't write itself."

Sakura ignored her to focus on the dazed Hinata. "Hinata! Hello? Damn it! What the hell is wrong with her?" Green eyes widened at an unexpected reveal. "Release!"

"Sharingan!" Hinata spun around to face Saika and slipped into a combat stance. "She is using genjutsu!"

"Pardon?" Saika's noblewoman act collapsed into confusion at the accusation. The idea of her using any sort of Jutsu almost made her laugh. "I have done no such thing! I am NOT a shinobi, silly girl." She noticed the other two shinobi staring at her with fresh expressions of suspicion. Whatever charm Hinata fell under seemed far from gone, and she doubted that she'll be able to seduce any of them again.

Sakura cracked her knuckles. "She was under some type of illusion."

"So?" Saika began to back away slowly as a loud buzzing sound emitted from under Shino's coat. It sounded like a thousand bugs preparing to swarm. "That does not mean I did it." Fear crept into her voice at the raw aggression directed at her. A dull ache formed around her eyes, soon becoming a sharp pain.

Sakura gasped and took a step backward. "Uchiha."

The word seemed familiar to her. Stories of the war spoke of the evil undead Madara Uchiha, and all knew about the infamous clan from Konoha that tried to take over the entire village. She never bothered looking into such things due to her dislike of the shinobi. However, to be called a member of such a group boiled her blood. "I am not an Uchiha! They're all dead, stupid!"

"Black hair. Black eyes. Pale skin." Shino lifted his arms. "Without a doubt, she is a member of the Uchiha."

"Guess things are about to get far more interesting," Sakura raised her fists. "Careful. If she managed to use a genjutsu on Hinata, who knows what else she could do."

Saika had seen fights in The Fallen Kingdom before but never had experienced one directly. The closest experience given to us came from Orisa's mandatory self-defense training. She found it unlikely that a swift quick to the groin would immobilize them. Her past bravado cracked into a slight sob. For the first time in her life, she was scared. "I'll come quietly anywhere you want."

The explosion of Castle Tate ended the battle moments before it began. As the shockwave consumed the city she loved, Saika thought of only one thing: a blond boy sitting with a lonely girl at the end of a dock.


A bit on the shorter side than the normal stuff, but I'm about to be out of the country for a little due to work. I wanted to get one more chapter out before hopping on the plane. Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I read it. As for Saika able to use genjutsu...do you remember what Naruto joked about in the first chapter? The following chapter will once again be a Saika-focused chapter that will be a single flashback.