"Oh dear," Kaguya scratched her silver hair, apologetically saying, "I think I might have hit a bit too hard."
Just now, she confirmed the identity of this girl: She was Kurome, the younger sister of Akame. This was apparent from her mention of "Yatsufusa."
The Yatsufusa was Kurome's Teigu, capable of controlling those slain by its blade through a curse. She could manipulate up to eight corpse puppets at once, which retained their appearance and movement abilities from when they were alive. Once the ability was deactivated, they reverted to ordinary corpses. The downside was that the more corpses she controlled, the more it diminished her own physical abilities, consuming her energy greatly.
Seeing that this little girl was about to activate her skill, Kaguya naturally needed to stop her. If she allowed the skill to be used, it would cause chaos in the entire Imperial training camp, leading to a massive outbreak.
She was well aware that among the puppets Kurome could control was Desta-Ghoul, a super-dangerous beast. Although it wasn't a significant threat to her, its enormous size would undoubtedly cause a commotion, potentially exposing Kaguya's identity to the troops.
However, she hadn't expected that activating Yatsufusa was when Kurome was most vulnerable, and Kaguya's punch, infused with a bit more force, ended up knocking the girl unconscious.
Fortunately, she was only unconscious and not physically harmed.
Upon checking, Kaguya found that Kurome's physical condition was very poor. Her body was saturated with drugs. The potent drugs, while significantly boosting her strength, were also wreaking havoc on her body, leaving it severely damaged. She was merely quenching thirst with poison.
Kaguya felt pity for this young girl. Although she had never met Akame, she sensed that Kurome's talent wasn't necessarily inferior. Her meridians were exceptionally clear, and her bones were also quite good. If placed in the world of Naruto, her aptitude might even rival Uchiha Itachi's.
Perhaps when she was examined earlier, she was too young to exhibit her talent and thus was not selected for the elite Seven. Due to not being chosen, she was injected with drugs to enhance her power, though the burden was significant, requiring constant drug use to maintain her physical functions.
Looking at Kurome cradled in her arms, Kaguya smiled gently, thinking how Kurome's fate might diverge from the original path due to meeting her. She wouldn't die at a young age as she would have in her world; at her age, she might have just entered junior high in her original world.
Touching her chest, Kaguya mused that she truly was just a little girl.
Suddenly, a cold gleam flickered in Kaguya's eyes. The long sword in her hand flew out like a stream of light.
"Ah, don't, it's us."
Two people emerged from the bushes, whom Kaguya recognized as Sayo and Ieyasu, whom she had encountered in the villa some time ago.
They had been secretly observing Kaguya's battle with Kurome from the shadows, astonished by the intensity of their fight. They knew Kurome's strength well, having sparred with her and suffered a crushing defeat, even when attacking together with no chance to resist.
Ieyasu and Sayo had hoped to witness an exciting duel between dragons and tigers, but instead found a one-sided battle. In Kaguya's presence, Kurome was effortlessly defeated, which left them in awe. A sense of reverence for Kaguya had quietly formed in their hearts.
"How did you get here?" Kaguya curiously asked, "Isn't this the Imperial training ground?"
"Ah," Sayo replied, slightly surprised, "Wasn't it you who asked us to come here?"
"Oh." Kaguya scratched her silver hair, having been so busy recently that she had forgotten.
"So amazing," Sayo approached with eyes almost sparkling, "I didn't realize Kaguya was so powerful."
"It's nothing," Kaguya grinned, lifting Sayo's chin playfully, "Stick with me and you'll be just as powerful."
Sayo's face turned bright red instantly, and she looked at Kaguya helplessly, her eyes moistening even more.
"Can I really?"
At that moment, a weak voice came from the side, breaking the enchanting atmosphere.
Sayo quickly escaped from Kaguya's grasp, her face flushed.
"Oh, it's Ieyasu. When did you get here?" Kaguya blinked, curiously asking.
Ieyasu was almost in tears, thinking to himself that he had been there the whole time.
On a luxurious bed, a black-haired girl rested her head on a soft goose feather pillow, sleeping soundly, breathing steadily, looking peaceful and nothing like the fierce warrior from before. It was Kurome.
After knocking her out, Kaguya brought her home, helped her change clothes, and cleaned her up. Of course, Kaguya didn't do this herself but had her maid do it.
Kaguya had wanted to do it herself, thinking she might take advantage of the situation. But her maid firmly refused, saying it would be an insult for the princess to lower herself to care for a commoner.
Kaguya thought, how could it be insulting? If it was, she wouldn't mind being "insulted" like that a few more times.
But unable to convince her tearful maid, Kaguya had to give up the golden opportunity.
Kurome's eyelashes trembled slightly as she slowly opened her eyes, still a bit groggy. After a moment, her eyes focused.
Suddenly, she threw off the covers, leaping out of bed, warily scanning her surroundings.
"You're awake."
The door opened, and a beautiful silver-haired girl stepped lightly into the room, smiling gently at her.
However, Kurome wasn't pleased. She stomped forward like a specter, launching a fierce punch at Kaguya.
She seemed to have forgotten the earlier lesson that much of her strength came from her Teigu, March of the Dead. Without it, she was like a tiger without teeth. Even with her Teigu, she was no match for Kaguya, much less now.
Kaguya easily caught Kurome's small fist, pulling her off balance, and bent her arm to pin Kurome against the wall. Kurome struggled fiercely, like a kitten scratching and clawing.
"Behave," Kaguya said impatiently, frowning, as she smacked Kurome's little butt.
With a crisp sound, Kurome's body froze, stunned.