She turned her face to Naruto, pced a hand on his chest, tilted her head slightly forward and gave him a professional smile. Karui seemed to know how to take advantage of the studio lighting. The whole team and the photographer seemed to know exactly who she was - the boss's daughter - and if she was competing to be queen, she certainly deserved the best shots. That's why she spent twice as long as anyone else. I was so engrossed in watching her slide her fingers down the prince's arm to say goodbye that a maid had to nudge me to let me know I was being called.

  - Hello, my dear,” he hummed, with a mischievous smile.

  - “Don't even start,” I warned, but the prince just ughed and held out his arm.

  His uniform, simir to that worn by the guards, but much more elegant, had gold shoulder pads. The sword of Hagoromo, the first king of the Land of Fire, hung from his waist, weighing a little more than I had imagined.

  - Look at the camera,” I said, suddenly nervous, and quickly dried my sweaty hands on my dress.

  - Don't be nervous,” he whispered softly.

  - I'm not,” I lied, but the prince pulled me closer than any girl had ever been. His hand slid around my waist, and for a moment I couldn't think of anything else.

  - Just look at me like you can't stand the look on my face,” he suggested, making a grimace that managed to get a spontaneous ugh out of me.

  The camera fsh went off at the exact moment and caught us ughing.

  - See? It's easy! - he excimed, making his eyes narrow in a funny way, which made me ugh again. More fshes. He was there, so close, tickling me and ughing with me. We were all watching, but at that moment, I didn't care.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw an outstretched hand, that of Itachi, who, as he entered the room, provoked a wave of sighs. Everyone knew he wanted to talk to Prince Naruto about something important, and the crowd dispersed as everyone looked for something else to do. I tried to move away discreetly, but the prince held me back.

  Itachi looked at me strangely.

  - She can hear,” said Naruto, without losing his composure.

  - Rebel attack on Nadeshikino, Your Highness. - The queen had extended her cavalcade to the Summer Pace in the Vilge of the Sun and, for the moment, it was Naruto who was giving the orders.

  - They burned farms and killed about a dozen people,” Itachi reported.

  Naruto didn't seem surprised. He clenched his jaw and his eyes darkened.

  - Where in Nadeshikino? - he asked, keeping his tone serious.

  - West, Your Majesty,” Itachi replied.

  - “Locate the troops southwest of Key Vilge and throughout the Wave Vilge region. We'll intercept them before they reach the Flower Vilge.

  Itachi left, still watching me. I knew I should continue with the photo session, but Naruto seemed to have lost the mood.

  - Are you all, right?” I asked, worried.

  - I keep thinking about people... twelve lives,” he replied, his tone grave.

  - Do you want to stop? - I asked, feeling the weight of the situation.

  He gestured for the photographer to continue.

  - That's my job, to look calm when I'm dying inside,” he said, kissing my hands devoutly, and another fsh blinded me. The session was over, but I still wanted to be by his side.

  - Keep my secret, Haruno,” he asked with an intense gaze. I nodded, and he squeezed my hand one st time before releasing me.

  - “Mabui, my dear,” excimed the prince, with a carefree smile. - Before I forget, are you free ter?

  Something in my stomach clenched.

  ***

  - She must have done something terrible,” Karui insisted.

  - That's not what you implied,” Hinata retorted.

  Mei tugged on Hinata's arm and snapped:

  - What did she really say?

  Mabui had been sent home. It was crucial to understand the reason for the elimination, as it was the first time someone had been eliminated without breaking the rules. There was no mass abandonment caused by the first impression, nor was there a request to quit out of fear. She had done something wrong, and everyone wanted to know what.

  Hinata, whose room was opposite Mabui's, was the st to see the girl. She smiled and repeated the story once more.

  - She and Naruto had gone hunting, but you already know that.

  Mabui's encounter with Naruto was common knowledge. She was bragging about having had two encounters with the prince, while most had only one, or none at all.

  - Well done! You were making yourself known all over the castle,” commented Yugito, one of the few who hadn't had a date with the prince.

  - Let Hinata talk,” compined Pakura, visibly apprehensive, wrinkling the hem of her dress.

  - What did she say, anyway? When she asked what had happened? - Ino batted in, impatient.

  - She was crying a lot. She said she couldn't talk, but if she was going to give a hint, she had to be careful what she said to the prince.

  - Did she say anything about Queen Kushina or King Minato? - Mei asked, her green eyes widening.

  - Said what? That they're dead? Everyone knows that! - said Karui, putting her hands on her waist.

  - What if she had been talking about politics and ended up saying something wrong? - Hinata thought.

  - What a pain, Mabui! It must have been terrible to talk politics on a date,” Mei ughed dismissively.

  - Maybe the prince asked something and wanted an honest opinion,” added Tenten.

  - “He wants a wife, not a secretary,” said Mei snobbishly, making them all feel uncomfortable.

  - That's right, a wife, not a singer. Then be quiet, sweetie! - replied Tenten.

  The discussion soon turned into pandemonium. Mei and Tenten were the loudest, while Ino tried to grab Pakura's hair. Yugito and I managed to stop her, but Karui let out a heavy curse, calling someone a whore, not knowing who she was offending. That made all of us feel hurt, and we went after her. That's when Kurenai entered the hall.

  - Mail, girls!

  We all stopped immediately, our hands eagerly reaching out for the news Kurenai was bringing. It had been almost three weeks since we had been in the Pace, a pce that seemed centuries away from our families.

  Vaku