Since Tsunade communicated to all the ninjas of the village about the existence of a dangerous group roaming the world, things got serious for all the ninjas, not only in the Hidden Leaf Village, but also in the rest of the villages of the world.

Of course, the only people who had all the information about them being demons from another world were the Kages who had their doubts at first, but it was no time to doubt.

The ninjas who were out on missions decided to finish them as soon as possible so they could return and concentrate their time on preparing for the possible arrival of the enemy.

Several ANBU units were scouring the surroundings of the village to be on the lookout for anyone with the characteristics they got from Kaguya and to alert in case of the appearance of any of the demons.

Speaking of Kaguya, she was currently in her cell, sitting on her bed with nothing to do but stare at the walls and sink into her thoughts.

Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the door open and she looked over to see that it was Wendy, coming in with a tray of food.

"Hi, Kaguya, how are you doing?" asked Wendy.

"As well as someone in a cell with no view of the outside would be." said Kaguya sarcastically.

Wendy laughed nervously.

She understood the reason for the horned woman's annoyance, but they couldn't give her better accommodations since she was a prisoner and not a guest.

"I brought your food." said Wendy approaching her and setting the tray down on a small table next to the bed as she sat on a stool near the table.

"I'm not hungry." said Kaguya looking away.

"But you have to eat or you might get sick." said Wendy.

"Why are you doing this?" asked Kaguya, surprising the sky dragon slayer.

"Doing what?" asked Wendy in confusion.

"This. You have me locked up instead of killing or sealing and now you bring me food. What do you really want? Do you intend to gain my trust and then kill me? Is that food you bring me poisoned? Why else would you do all this?" asked Kaguya looking at the sky dragon slayer with a frown.

"You're wrong, I don't expect any prizes and I don't want to hurt you. I'm only doing it because I want to. Besides... I know deep down you're not bad." said Wendy to the horned woman's surprise. "You may have done bad things and tried to kill everyone, but from what I was told, you, in the beginning, wanted peace and someone who wants that, can't be a bad person."

"Peace? Peace?! That's nothing but a fairy tale! Yes, I wanted peace! And what did I get for it? To be betrayed by the most important people in my life!" exclaimed Kaguya angrily.

What she said may have been said in a rabid tone, but Wendy could see in her white eyes a sign of pain and sadness.

"Humans are corrupt beings to the core. They don't care about peace, they only care about their own welfare and are willing to do anything for the sake of profit." said Kaguya.

"I won't deny that, but you should know that not all humans are like that." started Wendy catching the horned woman's attention. "I knew horrible people who were willing to hurt many for the sake of fulfilling their selfish purposes, but I also knew many people who were willing to protect people even at the cost of their lives."

"Tsk. You talk like you know what you're talking about." said Kaguya.

"Because I do." began Wendy. "A friend of mine, Gajeel, who belonged to a guild that was feuding with mine, destroyed the old guild premises and hurt some friends of mine. When the guild disbanded and despite all he did, the master recruited him as a guild member. Another friend of mine, Laxus, who was the master's grandson, wanted to be the guild master and, tired of waiting, decided to take it by force, forcing the others to fight each other and even taking the city hostage. In the end, everything was settled, but he ended up being expelled from the guild, but ended up being readmitted. Then there's Jellal, who is a friend of a friend of mine. He did much worse things, but now he formed his own guild so he can right his wrongs."

"Where are you going with that?" asked Kaguya.

"What I'm getting at is that no matter how many bad things you did, you can change if you want to." said Wendy with a good-natured smile.

"I don't know if you noticed, but I'm not like them." said Kaguya.

"I know." began Wendy before getting up. "But that doesn't mean you're any different from them. I'll come back later, okay?" asked Wendy before turning around and heading for the door, stopping before leaving. "See you later, Kaguya." said Wendy before walking out of the cell and closing the door.

Kaguya couldn't understand.

That girl was being nice to her just because she wanted to? Really?

It had to be some kind of joke. A prank to get her to let her guard down so it would be easier for her to kill her.

However, for some reason, she didn't see even a hint of deception or ill intent behind her actions, especially considering that she had been telling her things about her life as if they were known.

Such a thing hadn't happened since...

Kaguya shook her head at the thought.

That was in the past, a painful past for her, a past she wanted to forget, but, no matter what she tried, she couldn't.

It was then, when a growl coming from her stomach filled the cell, causing her to blush slightly as she unconsciously mentally thanked herself for the fact that Wendy wasn't around to hear it.

She turned her gaze to the tray of food containing a bowl of ramen and a cup of tea, both still hot from the steam they ignited.

Despite her doubts about whether the food was poisoned, she couldn't help but find taste in the smell the food gave off and she couldn't go long without food.

She may have been a goddess who lived many years, but even she needs food.

So she picked up the tray, put it in her lap, picked up the chopsticks and started eating the ramen.

Needless to say, the moment the food hit her palate, a small groan of surprise escaped her lips, as she had never tasted anything so delicious in her long life.

She no longer cared if it had poison in it or not, as she set about eating the ramen as if she hadn't eaten in years.

Once she finished eating the entire bowl in a matter of minutes, she noticed something on the edge of the tray and discovered that it was a small note.

"Enjoy. Hope you liked it. Wendy."

Kaguya felt annoyed that she took it for granted that she would eat the food from the beginning, but inside, she was beginning to think that this girl wasn't as bad as she thought.

Later in the day, Wendy was now at a training ground practicing throwing kunais, throwing them at practice dummies.

She may not have liked the idea of using weapons that could harm people, but she thought practicing her aim might help her get better at fighting demons.

Before she threw another kunai...

"Wendy!"

Wendy stumbled a bit at the unexpected call and turned to see Naruto and Lapis approaching her.

"Hey guys, what's up?" asked Wendy.

"We wanted to talk to you, Wendy." said Naruto.

"About what?" asked Wendy arching an eyebrow.

"We know you went to see Kaguya this morning." said Lapis cutting to the chase.

"What's up with that?" asked Wendy.

"I just don't understand how you can act so cool with that woman after everything we were told about her." said Lapis.

"We worry about you, Wendy. I just don't trust that woman and I'm afraid that she might take advantage of your kindness to try to escape or something." said Naruto with slight concern.

"I understand that you are worried, but I can tell you that Kaguya isn't planning on using me or anything." said Wendy confidently.

"How can you be so sure?" asked Naruto.

"I don't know, but I just am and I think she, deep down, is different than she was when you fought her." said Wendy.

"I don't know I..." began Naruto.

"Naruto, didn't you know someone who, at first, was good, but then turned bad, but you insisted on getting him back regardless?" asked Wendy.

That made the jinchuriki start to remember Sasuke.

At first, he was just another friend to him, but then he rebelled himself and decided to abandon them all and commit various misdeeds that made him be considered a very dangerous criminal.

Despite many, including his friends, telling him to give up on him, he didn't and continued on his personal mission to bring him back.

It took a lot of time and strength, but eventually, he managed to convince him to come back, although he then decided to leave.

In fact, now that she thought about it, Wendy was acting with Kaguya almost the same way he was acting with Sasuke.

"And Lapis, you did bad things too and you were saying that you didn't expect someone to accept you for it, but I accepted you regardless, didn't I?" asked Wendy.

Lapis turned her head to the side to try to hide her blush at the memory of the night she told Wendy her story and she was comforting her most of the night.

"Many may see an evil person, but I see something beyond that and I'm sure I can bring it out." said Wendy with determination.

Naruto and Lapis still didn't much like the idea of Wendy visiting the horned woman, but seeing the determined expression of the sky dragon slayer, they knew they couldn't stop her.

"Hmm. Do whatever you want. If you want to hang out with that woman, fine by me." said Lapis crossing her arms and averting her closed gaze to the side.

"Don't worry. I'll be sure to spend time with you too." said Wendy with a smile.

"I-I didn't mean that!" exclaimed Lapis with a red face of embarrassment, which made the other two laugh.

"Well, clearly I can't stop you." said Naruto stroking the head of the sky dragon slayer. "Just be careful, okay?"

"I will." said Wendy nodding her head.

Kaguya was lying on her bed, imagining how long she has been locked up in that dirty cell without even being able to get out of her bed with the risk of getting hurt because of the mark they put on her.

If it weren't for that mark, she would have loved to take a short walk around the cell so she could exercise her legs, as she hadn't used them in a very long time.

However, there was another thought on her mind.

Wendy.

For some reason, she couldn't get her out of her mind the time she came to deliver her food and chatted with her nicely without expecting anything.

Every time she thought of her and what she did, she remembered that person from the past and she didn't want to go back to that past.

"Why? Why does she have to remind me of her?" asked Kaguya mentally gritting her teeth in frustration.

Her thoughts stopped when she heard the door open and knew in the first moment who the person who just walked in was.

"Hello, Kaguya." said Wendy entering the cell.

"Leave me alone." said Kaguya turning her back to the sky dragon slayer.

Wendy was about to ask the reason for what she had just said, but her gaze focused on the empty food tray on the table, something that made her smile.

"Was the food good?" asked Wendy as she sat down on the stool.

"Yes, and now, if you're not coming to do anything else, get out." said Kaguya without turning to look at her.

"What's wrong with you? Are you all right?" asked Wendy confused by the horned woman's behavior.

"Nothing is wrong with me!" said Kaguya.

"If there really is something wrong, you can tell me. Maybe I can help you." said Wendy.

"If you want to help me then go away and never come back here!" said Kaguya.

"I don't understand. Why don't you want me to come back?" asked Wendy getting more and more confused.

"BECAUSE YOU LOOK LIKE HER!" exclaimed Kaguya sitting up and throwing a pissed off look at the sky dragon slayer who was startled by her outburst.

"Her?" asked Wendy confused at that.

Kaguya's eyes widened in horror as she realized what she said.

"Nothing. It's nothing." said Kaguya with a lowered gaze.

"Kaguya, what are you talking about?" asked Wendy worriedly at the horned woman.

"I said it's nothing! Go away!" exclaimed Kaguya not wanting to talk about it.

"No! I'm not leaving until you tell me what's going on!" said Wendy with a serious expression.

Kaguya growled in frustration.

That was a subject she hadn't discussed with anyone, not even her own sons.

Now that little girl was demanding that she tell her about it.

She could just ignore her and wait for her to leave, but from the look on her face, he knew that wouldn't happen, that she would stay there all her life if necessary.

Finally, she made a hard decision.

"Aino. You remind me of her." said Kaguya.

"Why? Who is she?" asked Wendy confused.

"When I started living at Tenji Temple, Aino was chosen to be my personal attendant and maid. Despite it being her duty, she treated me kindly even though she knew nothing about me or where I came from. She cared a lot about me even though I didn't ask her to or expect anything in return for it. You could say she was my first friend." said Kaguya with a small smile as she remembered the good times with that girl.

Wendy was taken aback by that.

Now that she heard it, she could see that Kaguya was comparing that girl to her because of how she had been treating her since she found her injured.

She felt happy to know that she had someone she considered her friend despite everything.

"But then, that happened." began Kaguya clenching her fists in the process.

Wendy began to worry as she remembered what happened to her in the past.

"When soldiers from the enemy land tried to take me, they almost killed Aino, but I protected her, killing them all in the process." said Kaguya.

Wendy was even more surprised to learn that Kaguya killed those men, not to protect herself, but to protect her friend.

"After that, Aino decided to hide me in case they came looking for me again, but when Tenji and his men attacked us, I decided to flee with her to the Shinju. During the flight, I was protecting her from any incoming attacks, but because of my pregnancy, I was weaker than usual. When Aino found out, she tried to protect me, but in the end... she was killed." said Kaguya trying to contain her sadness at the memory.

Wendy gasped in horror.

That girl was her first friend and she had the misfortune of seeing her die in front of her.

"She… sacrificed herself for me and… before she died… she begged me to give birth to healthy children. However, look at me now! My sons betrayed me, I tried to wipe them all out and now I'm locked up in this cell! If she were here, I'm sure she would hate me!" said Kaguya trying to keep her stone face.

Suddenly, she felt something tangle around her and was surprised to find that it was Wendy giving her a hug.

"What are you doing?" asked Kaguya.

"When someone is feeling sad, the normal thing to do is to give them a hug to comfort them." said Wendy.

"Grrr. I don't need a hug! I don't need anything from you! Let go of me right now!" exclaimed Kaguya angrily trying to shake the sky dragon slayer off her, but her grip was too much for her.

"No! Listen to me! I may not know Aino, but I'm sure she wouldn't hate you!" said Wendy.

"How can you be sure of that?!" asked Kaguya angrily.

"Because you said so yourself!" exclaimed Wendy surprising Kaguya. "She asked you to have healthy children. Yes, you were betrayed, but you did it to help a lot of people. You may have done very bad things, but I'm sure she would be very happy to see that you were a great mother if you raised such wonderful sons like them."

Kaguya was in shock at that.

No one. No one had ever said such things to her.

Ever since Aino died, she always kept a stony expression, even to her own sons.

However, here she was now. Being hugged by Wendy who was telling her that, despite what she did, Aino would still consider her friend because she fulfilled her wish to have healthy, strong children.

Finally, she couldn't take the pressure anymore and burst into tears as tears streamed down her face.

"It's okay. Just let it out." said Wendy in a calm tone as she rubbed the back of the horned woman who continued to cry.

Frankly, Wendy didn't expect things to go that way, but it felt good to see Kaguya, a woman who remained cold and distant the whole time, decide to express what she really felt.

At that moment, they weren't a dragon slayer and an ancient goddess, but a girl who was comforting a woman who had been suffering for hundreds of years.

That same night, while many were sleeping, Wendy was unable to get to sleep, as she kept thinking about what was going on with Kaguya.

After a good while in which Kaguya was releasing all the tears she had been storing up for a long time, Wendy helped her settle into bed before leaving.

Despite being happy that Kaguya was finally opening up to her telling her about Aino and her true thoughts and feelings on the subject, she felt that she couldn't leave her alone.

So, quietly, she got up and left the apartment.

Soon after, she arrived at Kaguya's cell and slowly opened the door.

"Kaguya. Are you awake?" asked Wendy quietly, hoping she hadn't woken her up.

Seeing that she didn't get an immediate response, she decided to leave, but then...

"Yes." said Kaguya startling the sky dragon slayer, who turned her gaze to the bed to see her sitting up to look at her. "You couldn't sleep either, could you?"

Wendy shook her head before walking over and sitting on the stool.

"I wanted to see how you were doing. Especially after..." said Wendy.

"I'm fine. Don't worry." said Kaguya in a relaxed tone.

For a few seconds, the room was filled with a slightly awkward silence.

"Hey, Wendy." said Kaguya surprising the sky dragon slayer to no end, since that was the first time she called her by name. "Do you think you could... tell me a little bit about your world?" asked Kaguya slightly nervously.

At first, Wendy was a bit taken aback that Kaguya would ask her that, but soon after, a huge smile of joy formed on her face.

"Sure, I'd love to." said Wendy.

For half of the night, Wendy spent the time telling Kaguya things about her world and the adventures she had with her friends.

Needless to say, Kaguya was surprised to learn about all the challenges Wendy overcame in her life despite being so young, especially when she told her about facing the demons of Tartaros, but also, she was in awe of her world and its wonders.

Undoubtedly, that night was a very special one for both of them.