章 1465: 55

Chapter 55

One More Push to Freedom

Naruto returned to Tazuna's residence after meeting with Kato. To keep anything from escaping his notice, before leaving the dock, Naruto had secretly created ten Shadow Clones and had them transform into dock workers and various inanimate objects. Their goal would be to keep track of Kato's movements and alert Naruto to any suspicious activity.

He hoped they would find something soon. The longer it took to locate those kunoichi, the more likely it was they'd be broken.

Tsunami had asked him if he would like to stay for dinner. Naruto would have said "no," but then Tazuna and Inari had both told him that he should. While ignoring an old man like Tazuna was easy, there was no way Naruto could ignore Inari when he spoke with those vibrantly shining eyes, and so Naruto had sat around the dinner table and shared exaggerated stories of his exploits.

"It seems like you've gotten into a lot of trouble these past few years," Tazuna said as he leaned back in his seat, rubbing his now full belly.

"You're so cool, nii-chan!" Inari practically had stars in his eyes as he stared at Naruto. His eyes were practically glowing.

Grinning as his chest swelled with pride and his ego grew to new heights, Naruto said, "heh, that's nothing. Just the everyday life of Konoha's greatest ninja."

"So cool!"

While Inari was in awe, Tazuna rolled his eyes at Naruto's "greatest ninja" comment, while Tsunami giggled behind her hand.

Dinner was basically finished now. Tsunami stood up to begin putting the dishes away, but Naruto created several clones and had them take the dishes. When the woman tried to protest, he had put on a smile and asked her to let his clones do it as a thank you for the wonderful meal. She had reluctantly agreed.

The group adjourned to the living room while the clones were cleaning the dishes. They sat around the couches as Tsunami went and got her father a bottle of sake. She offered to pour some for Naruto, too, but he declined. Drinking was pointless when he couldn't even get drunk.

"I see you're still an alcoholic."

"Now that's just rude." Tazuna took the sake saucer and glugged it down. Setting the saucer back on the coffee table, he glared at Naruto. "I no longer drink to excess. I just like to have something after dinner."

"If you say so."

"I do say so, you little brat."

The two shared a smile, though it went away as the brevity of the situation came crashing down, not that it could be helped. Naruto's reason for being here was pretty serious. Tazuna must have wanted to talk about what was going on. It was easy to sense the man's skepticism in his body language, the defensive posture and the frown he wore—they were both dead giveaways.

"Are you sure Kato is the one responsible for kidnapping those kunoichi?" Tazuna leaned foward and pinned Naruto with a serious stare. "I mean, are you absolutely positive? I don't mean to place doubt on you, but that man has done a lot for this nation. I just can't see someone like him being involved in the slave trade."

"Hmm…"

Naruto rubbed his chin as he thought of how best to answer. Meanwhile, Inari was looking back and forth between the two as Tsunami sat next to her father. Both of them seemed to understand the seriousness of this conversation, so they didn't say anything. In fact, Tsunami's expression was almost frightening in its intensity.

"There's always a chance that I could be wrong," Naruto admitted. "However, as someone who controls the waterways, Kato is the most likely suspect. He has trade access to places that no one else does, and I know there are a few countries he's trading with where slavery is actually legal. He is also the only lead I have. If he's not the one responsible, then it means I'm back at square one."

"Well, I suppose that does make sense," Tazuna muttered as he took another drink of sake. He finished the saucer in one gulp. Tsunami faithfully refilled the saucer. "I still don't like it."

Naruto shrugged. "There's not much I can do about that."

Evening soon became night, and Tsunami asked Inari to help prepare Naruto's room. After getting a promise out of Naruto that they would play later, Inari went to help his mom, and then Naruto was shown to a small room about six tatami mats in size, which equaled about nine meters. It didn't have any decorations, but there was a small dresser pressed against the wall, and the far end had a window facing the eastern side. This room would be one of the first that the sun reached when it rose tomorrow.

Naruto spent the night in relative comfort. The fuuton was a far cry from his typical bed, which was soft enough to feel like he was sleeping on a cloud, but it was softer than his sleeping bag. He drifted into a comfortable slumber within minutes. When the sun rose the next morning, Naruto was well-rested.

Because of his lifestyle when traveling with Jiraiya, Naruto was used to getting up at the asscrack of dawn. What's more, it was impossible for him to fall asleep once he woke up. This likely had to do with how Jiraiya used to attack him with water in the mornings. The man had said it was training to help Naruto sense impending attacks, but he was sure it was just the old man's way of playing a prank.

With little to do except start his day, Naruto wandered outside and did some morning exercises. He couldn't do much. Since he didn't want to break anything, he didn't train his jutsu or use any of his more destructive taijutsu. He focused on calisthenics and light shadow sparring instead.

It wasn't to improve his skills anything. Naruto couldn't improve most of his basic abilities anymore than he already had. Everyone reached a plateau eventually, and his had been reached awhile ago. Even so, while it was impossible to improve his basic abilities, Naruto could still keep his body limber and warmed up in the event that something came along which required his talents.

Tsunami had woken up sometime while he was shadow sparring. He could see her in the kitchen window. The woman had noticed him and waved before getting started on breakfast. Inari had woken up not long after his mom. Unlike her, he had found Naruto sparring and opted to sit on the porch and watch.

Naruto ignored the boy for now as he threw several straight jabs, which flowed into a series of high and low kicks. He kept his feet light. Rather than keeping them planted firmly on the ground, he bounced on the balls of his feet as he wove around the attacks of an invisible enemy. A light sweat broke out on his forehead, but his breathing was even.

"You're so strong, nii-chan. I'm really amazed. I wish I was that strong."

The words had come after Naruto finished his warm up exercises. He and Inari were sitting on the porch. Naruto had a towel around his neck to get rid of the slight sweat coating his skin, but it wasn't like he'd done anything that would work up a serious sweat.

"What would you do if you were that strong?" asked Naruto.

"I'd protect my family! What else?"

"Heh. That's a good answer."

Naruto ruffled Inari's hair as as Tsunami came outside and set a tray of tea on the porch, offering them a smile before quietly slipping back inside to finish breakfast. She really was a caring woman. He'd never met someone who could so easily cater to the needs of her family, and she always did it with a smile.

Looking at the rising sun as it climbed above the trees, Naruto thought about the strength he had acquired through years of training and hardship… and a series of unfortunate accidents that led to him becoming something other than human.

"You know, while being strong means you can protect your family, I think it's sometimes better not to be strong like this."

Inari looked befuddled. "Why is that?"

"Because…" Naruto squinted his eyes as he searched for the right words. "… because the strong only know how to destroy. It's easy for those with strength to destroy and subjugate those who are weaker than them."

"You don't do that," Inari pointed out.

Naruto smiled. "Maybe I don't destroy the livelihoods of others, but I'm plenty destructive."

He thought about all the missions he'd been on, all the property damage he'd caused during those times. Most of his techniques were destructive. The rasengan, the rasenshuriken, and his other rasengan variants, his multitude of wind jutsu. There were so many techniques he had that indiscriminately destroyed whatever was in their path.

Of course, it wasn't like he destroyed things on purpose. That was just the way life went. No one had ever really complained about it either, but he always felt bad when he saw how much people had to work to repair the damage one of his fights had caused. That was one of the reasons Naruto tried to fight opponents far away from civilization. No one cared if a few trees were destroyed.

"But you're still a hero!" Inari said. "I really look up to you, nii-chan! You saved my mom and grandpa! So what if you're a little destructive? It doesn't change the fact that you've saved lots of people!"

Grinning, Naruto placed a hand on Inari's head again. "I know. I know. I'm not saying I regret what I do, or that I regret becoming stronger. I'm just saying that what you and old man Tazuna do are even greater than my own accomplishments. You guys build stuff. You create. I think that's worthy of praise."

Inari didn't understand right now. While he wasn't much older than Naruto had been when he first became a ninja, Inari also hadn't grown up the same way. Yes, he'd been oppressed by Gato. However, in many ways, Inari was still a naive boy who hadn't experienced the horrors that ninja do.

He'll understand when he grows up.

"Hey, you two." Tsunami appeared in the entrance to the house. "Breakfast is ready."

"Kay!"

"We'll be right there."

Naruto and Inari joined Tsunami and Tazuna for a traditional breakfast of white rice, salmon, and pickled vegetables. It was the kind of home cooked meal Naruto never got to experience at his apartment, not even when Temari was over since neither of them were all that great at cooking. That was why he took extra care to savor every bite.

Inari and Tazuna left soon after eating. They were currently working on a large-scale renovation project of some kind. According to Inari, they were rebuilding an old inn that had been abandoned during Gato's reign of terror. Their goal was to replace it with something better, though neither of them seemed to know whether it would remain an inn or become something else entirely.

Naruto didn't have a whole lot he could do after they left, so he ended up sitting on the couch and meditating. His clones hadn't reported any suspicious activity back to him. According to the one that had dispelled last night, all Kato had done was speak with several of his workers, and then lock himself in his office. That meant either Kato was being exceedingly cautious… or they just hadn't found anything useful.

Doubts crept into his mind as he wondered if maybe Tazuna was right. Could it be that he'd gotten it wrong and Kato really wasn't the one kidnapping kunoichi? It wasn't impossible. At the same time, if it wasn't Kato, then who was it? Naruto would literally be back at square one if Kato wasn't the person responsible. Furthermore, he wouldn't have anymore leads he could follow.

Just as he was beginning to let his frustrations get the best of him, someone knocked on the door.

"I'll get it," Tsunami called before Naruto could even stand up. The sound of her footsteps echoed down the hall and stopped. Naruto heard the door open. "Yes? Can I help you? Oh, you have a message for Naruto? Very well. I'll deliver it to him."

Naruto blinked as the door closed again, and then Tsunami came into the living room with a letter in her hand. She seemed concerned.

"A man in a business suit wanted me to give this to you."

Tsunami handed Naruto a letter. There was nothing extravagant about it. The envelope was simple and unadorned with anything. Opening it, Naruto pulled out a small sheet of paper that had a simple note attached to it. The note read: I believe I have located the person who kidnapped the kunoichi. Please come to the docks post haste. ~ Kato.

Naruto frowned as he read the letter, wondering what was going on. His clones had not reported this… though they had admittedly been keeping their distance so as not to arouse suspicion. Was this being done to throw him off? Maybe. Naruto would have to proceed with caution.

"It looks like I'm heading out." Naruto stood up. "I'm not sure when I'll be back, but if I'm not around by the time Inari and Tazuna get home, please tell them not to worry."

"Okay," Tsunami said, wearing a small frown. "Be careful, Naruto."

"Don't worry about me." Naruto thumped his chest. "I'm the epitome of careful."

"I don't believe that for one second."

"… Not many do."

XoX

Because the mine that Akuma and the bandits had been using to reach Nadeshiko no Sato had been destroyed, Shizuka, Naruto's teammates, and the kunoichi traveling with them had been forced to find an alternative route. Of course, there were several such routes they could use. According to the map Tokiwa had acquired at the nearby village, there were several mines and tunnels that led through the mountain range. Each one was a bit further from Nami no Kuni than the first, but it wouldn't take more than a few extra hours to reach the island nation.

The mine they were traveling through was a sloping tunnel that twisted and turned. The tunnels were small, the rock walls spiky and sharp. There was barely enough room for two people to walk shoulder to shoulder.

Tokiwa was in the lead. With the map in her hand, she determined which routes they would take. Shizuka and Tenten were immediately behind her, while Ino was in the center of their formation with the Nadeshiko kunoichi. Chouji was taking up the rear. As the largest of the group, he had the hardest time fitting in this tight space.

Shizuka glanced at Tenten out of the corner of her eye. They hadn't spoken since that time on the wall. Should she talk to her? She didn't know. If she was being honest, Shizuka wasn't even sure she knew what she wanted from this girl.

Naruto is unhappy because he can't make up with her…

That was what it all came down to. Naruto, the person who had helped her renew her purpose and become stronger, was hurting. He wanted to make up with Tenten, but she wasn't letting him.

Shizuka did not care about traditional conventions of love and marriage. Living in an all kunoichi village meant there'd been plenty of times where she and several women had shared each other's beds. Even after she and Naruto became intimate that hadn't changed, and while she hadn't touched any of the woman's husbands, she knew that several of the other kunoichi (Tokiwa included) had threesomes with the men who'd been taken as husbands.

Perhaps it was her own skewed sense of aesthetics that made it impossible for her to get upset at Naruto's sexual activities with other women, but she honestly didn't see a problem. So long as he loved and supported her, she didn't care who he slept with. If she was being honest with herself, Shizuka was actually interested in adding Temari and Koyuki to hers and Naruto's night time activities. Maybe if the three of them tackled Naruto together, they could outlast him.

That would be nice. I'd like to see what he looks like after he's been exhausted.

Several hours passed in relative silence. The group soon emerged from the small tunnel, which widened into a room that seemed to be around the same size as a bedroom in Nadeshiko no Sato. It was round. Barren walls were bumpy and misshapen. When she looked up, all she found was a ceiling about ten meters above their heads. It was dark enough that she could just barely make it out.

"We'll stop here and continue on after taking a break," Tokiwa determined. "We've got another day before we'll reach the end of this tunnel."

They had already taken several breaks to eat and sleep. Shizuka had no idea how much time had passed, but according to Tokiwa's internal clock, they had spent at least three days in this labyrinthine tunnel. Since the tunnel had numerous lateral passages and branched off several times, it was impossible to figure out which route you needed to take without a map. Even with the map, she was almost positive they'd become lost.

The group sat around and quickly went about making camp, which meant creating a campfire and bringing out their sleeping bags. Several of the kunoichi made a basic meal for everyone. Then the groups went to sleep in shifts.

Shizuka took the first watch. She stared at the fire as she sat with her legs crossed. The chances of them being attacked were slim, but she understood that it was better to be cautious on the off chance that something did happen.

As she continued staring into the dancing flames, a figure sat down next to her.

"Couldn't sleep?" she asked Tenten.

"I have a lot on my mind," the girl admitted.

"About our conversation the other day?"

"S-sort of." Tenten's cheeks turned pink. "I was thinking about what you said, and I get it. I do. The thing is… I don't really know what I want from Naruto anymore. That's why I haven't been talking to him."

"Then maybe it's about time you figured out what kind of relationship you want," Shizuka suggested. "If all you want is a friend, that's fine. If you want nothing to do with him, that's fine too. You just need to make up your mind. I think it's important to state your intentions clearly. Otherwise, all you are doing is needlessly hurting a good person."

"Yeah… I know…"

Tenten hugged her knees to her chest, looking more like a little girl than a mature young lady. It didn't seem like the girl knew what she wanted. In which case…

"How about I help you?" offered Shizuka.

Looking up, Tenten studied her with a suspicious glint in her eyes. "And how do you plan on doing that?"

Wearing a large smile, Shizuka explained her plan to Tenten, whose blush grew darker the longer she listened. The innocence displayed was actually pretty cute. It made Shizuka want to tease her, but she didn't. This was too important to ruin with teasing.

"What do you think?" asked Shizuka when she finished.

Tenten averted her gaze. "I-I don't know…"

"It's that kind of half-assed attitude that put you in this situation in the first place."

"Urk." Tenten made a strange choking noise as if she'd swallowed something down the wrong tube. She then gazed at Shizuka with a slightly frightened but mostly embarrassed look. Her eyes shook, but her face was turning into a mottled red. "You might be right, but I… I really don't know if that's a good idea, though…"

"Do you have any other ideas?"

"Well, no…"

"Then why not try mine? You have nothing to lose."

"Except my virginity."

"Yes, but you were planning on giving that up at some point anyway, right?"

"… Has anyone ever told you that you're a very blunt person?"

"Tokiwa has mentioned that I've become a lot more open in the last few years."

Shizuka said nothing more as she waited for Tenten to make a choice. Much as she wanted to force the girl into this situation, she could not. What happened from here on out would have to be Tenten's choices. All she could do was offer this girl the one choice she believed had the highest chance of helping both her and Naruto reconcile.

"A-all right," a blushing Tenten finally said. "We'll go with your plan…"

At those words, Shizuka brightened. "I'll make sure you won't regret it!"

"I somehow feel like I'm already regretting it," Tenten sighed as the fire continued to merrily crackle.

XoX

Naruto arrived at the docks to discover that nothing looked like it had changed. There were still a lot of ships in port, a lot of people wandering around, and a lot of crates being loaded and off loaded various ships. He hadn't expected there to be any real difference. Still, it did unnerve him how nothing seemed to have changed at all.

He made his way into the largest building on the dock, walked across the tiled lobby, and found the same woman he'd spoken to the previous day standing behind the desk. When she saw him, the woman's eyes lit up.

"Naruto, sir! I'm glad you came."

While he didn't know how he felt about being called "sir," Naruto didn't let on to the strange squeamishness churning his gut. He tried to act naturally.

"I received a letter saying Kato had some information for me."

"Yes! Please follow me. He'd like to speak with you in his office."

Walking out from behind the desk, the woman, whose name was Angela, bade him to follow her. She walked through a door on the far side of the lobby. It led to a hallway. There were only a few doors in this hall, and none of them looked noteworthy. They were probably offices.

The last door at the end was the one Angela led him to. She knocked once, waited for permission to enter, and then opened the door.

"Sir, Naruto had arrived."

"Thank you," said Kato. "Please send him in."

At the invite, Naruto walked into the room, wary of any traps. The large office space was a lot bigger than he expected, but that might have also been due to how empty it was. A desk sat at the far end. A table sat in the middle. There were a few shelves with scrolls and books. However, aside from a couple of posters and maps decorating the wall, there really wasn't much.

Kato stood by the table, leaning over it as he looked at a map that lay spread across the surface, hands pressed firmly against the hardwood. He looked surprisingly destitute. His shoulders had a slouch that Naruto didn't remember seeing last time. There were also bags under his eyes. He wondered if the man had gotten any sleep.

"Naruto, I'm glad you came so promptly," Kato said as Angela left the room and shut the door behind her.

"Considering your message, I couldn't not come quickly."

"Yes, I suppose that is true."

Naruto wandered over to the table and looked at the map, which was of the Kaizoku sea and its surrounding nations. There were quite a few nations attached to the sea. Even parts of Hi no Kuni were connected to it. Aside from the map, several objects shaped like ships were sitting on the sea. They must have denoted the trade routes his vessels used. Something like that.

"Your note mentioned you had discovered who you think is the kidnapper," Naruto prodded.

"Yes." Kato sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "After you came to inform me about the kidnapped kunoichi, I decided to run an inspection of the ships stationed in port. I called it a random inspection to check for structural integrity. However, while I was inspecting the ships, one of them left before my people could do an inspection of it. I checked the ships cargo manifest, and the amount of crates that had been packed onto the ship didn't match up with what the manifest told me the ship was carrying."

Hmm…

Naruto did remember a ship leaving port from his clone's memories, but he hadn't given it much thought at the time, assuming it was just a regular ship heading off to deliver goods. Could that have been it?

"And you think this ship has the kidnapped kunoichi?" he asked.

"I believe so," Kato admitted. "Why else would he leave before I could inspect his ship if he didn't have something to hide?"

"True enough."

Naruto frowned as he tried to sense a lie in the man's words, only to find nothing but honesty. Even as he strained his five senses, he could find nothing. Kato's heartbeat was regular, his breathing and pulse were normal, and his eyesight was unwavering. He was either the best liar in the entire Elemental Nations, or he was telling the truth.

"So, who is this person you think kidnapped the kunoichi?" asked Naruto.

"My half-brother, Shāto."

Naruto soon learned that Kato was the illegitimate child of Gato, who apparently had sired several such children from women he had raped and prostitutes he'd slept wtith. Kato was a child born from rape. Despite this, his mother had raised him with love and done her best to provide for him. When he grew up, Kato got a job working for a branch of Gato Company, rose to the ranks, and used the money he earned to help ease his mom's burden. After Gato died, Kato had used his intelligence and wit to take the reigns of the company.

"Shāto is another one of Gato's children. He was born from a prostitute that Gato slept with, but unlike me, he was abandoned by his mom." Kato's melancholic eyes told Naruto everything. "I found out that we were half-brothers and offered him a job because I felt a kinship with him, but Shāto is a cruel man. There've been numerous infractions against him. I've been trying to change his ways, but I think I've finally realized that all I've done was enable him to commit more crimes. I am sorry for the trouble I've caused you."

Realizing that his own estimation of this man had been wrong, Naruto shook his head.

"Don't apologize. You tried to help someone you believed was family. I can't blame you for that. For now, let's just focus on stopping Shāto and rescuing those women. Do you know where he is heading?"

Kato bit his lip. "Not quite. I know where he would be going if he follows his normal trade route, but he might change course to give me the slip."

"When did he leave?"

"Over an hour ago."

"Which means he couldn't have gotten far." Naruto thought the situation through and tried to think about what the best method of finding out Shāto's location was. However, in the end, there was really only one option. "Thank you for letting me know what's going on. Please leave the rest to me."

"Are you sure? I can offer my ships to help you find him," Kato offered.

"There's no need." Naruto gave the man his most confident grin as he thumped his chest. "After all, I'm a one-man army."

XoX

True to his words about being a "one-man army," Naruto had sent out a literal army of Shadow Clones, over ten thousand in total, to discover the route that Shāto was taking. He didn't know how long it would take. That being the case, each shadow clone had enough chakra to last at least one day at sea… provided there were no storms or giant fish that ate people.

He stood on the docks and looked out at the ocean. The line between ocean and sky was an easy one to see during the day, the gradient shift from a deep blue to a lighter hue plain as, well, plain as day. Naruto watched the waves as the salty breeze hit him in the face.

Footsteps signaled someone's arrival, and Naruto turned around as Kato walked up to him.

"I've impounded all of the ships," Kato informed Naruto. "No ship can exit the port until your mission is concluded. That should make it easier for you to find Shāto's vessel."

"Won't that mess with your schedule?"

"It will, but I consider it a small price to pay." Kato stared at him with eyes that were nothing like his father's. "This is also my fault for not keeping a closer eye on Shāto and allowing him to do as he pleases. I should have been more attentive, but I let my wish to help my family blind me to what he was doing. Suffering a hit to my company's reputation is a small price to pay for correcting my mistake."

Those words made something unsettling twist Naruto's stomach into knots. He tried to ignore the feeling, but the more he did, the stronger it became. In the end, all he could do was sigh and relent.

"It appears my initial assumptions about you were incorrect." Naruto scratched his chin. "When I first arrived in Nami no Kuni, Tazuna told me about who you were and what you had accomplished, and I immediately assumed you were the one responsible for kidnapping those kunoichi. I'm sorry for suspecting you."

Kato shook his head. "Pay it no mind. Were our situation reversed, I probably would have assumed the same thing."

As they were talking, Angela came up and said several shipping captains were requesting an explanation from him as to why they weren't being allowed to leave. Kato sighed and told her that he'd be right along. He offered Naruto one last goodbye, and then departed to placate his captains.

Not long after Kato left, one of Naruto's clones dispelled. He closed his eyes as several images came to him. He saw an alcove hidden on a small island. Retracing the route his clone took using the memories he gained, Naruto furrowed his brow when realized that it was the largest island outside of the Haran Bay. That meant he needed to travel north.

Naruto created a clone and ordered it to inform Kato that he'd located Shāto and was leaving to rescue the kidnapped kunoichi. Then he took off. Rushing along the water's surface, he used wind chakra to boost his speed by creating a funnel behind him. His actions caused the water to quake as a large wake spread like a trail at his back.

It took a long time to reach island. In truth, he had probably arrived earlier than anyone else could have, but it felt like hours had passed to him. When he reached the alcove, Naruto found another one of his clones crouching on the water's surface, staring into the inlet where the alcove was located.

"Has there been any change?" asked Naruto.

"None, boss." The clone shook his head. "They haven't moved."

Nodding, Naruto said, "dispel yourself to alert the others that they should also dispel."

"Ossu!"

With a cloud of smoke appearing around him, the clone dispelled. Seconds later, Naruto felt the memories of ten thousand clones hit him as the rest dispelled as well. He grimaced as a headache slammed into his forehead. Those damn clones should have known better than to dispel all at once. They must have been playing a prank on him. Stupid clones.

Shaking his head to clear it, Naruto turned back toward the inlet, with its rocky cliff face and dangerous waters. This side of the island looked abandoned. That said, Naruto knew there was a village on the other side.

A glance further down the inlet revealed the alcove. The large cave, which must have formed naturally over the course of eons, was big enough that Shāto's vessel, a massive cargo ship, was able to easily sit inside of it. Not only was the ship docked next to a naturally formed docking station that rose from the water's surface, but there were numerous pieces of loading equipment.

As he watched, a massive crane sitting on the dock lowered into the ship. Naruto couldn't see what was happening, but several seconds later, the crane tilted up again. He narrowed his eyes when he saw the cage of naked women. It didn't take a genius to know those people were the slaves Shāto planned on selling. Whether or not those were the kidnapped kunoichi, he didn't know, but it honestly didn't matter. He planned on rescuing everyone.

Using his godfather's transparency technique, Tōton Jutsu, Naruto crept into the alcove, made his way to the ship, and then deactivated the jutsu. It was hard to use this and wall walk. The chakra from wall walking disrupted the technique.

He placed his left foot on the ship's hull and channeled his chakra. Then placed his other foot on the hull. Now standing vertically, Naruto walked up the hull until he reached the edge, and then peered over the wall.

Several dock workers were rushing to and fro, some carrying boxes while others simply barked out orders. Among the numerous people running every which way were two who seemed to merely be enjoying the atmosphere.

The man was short, had a head of frizzy hair, and wore sunglasses despite being inside a cave. Like his father, he had the same evil looking face. It was gaunt, making him appear older than he was. Naruto thought he looked exactly like his father unlike Kato.

His companion was a woman dressed in a white lab coat. She had a mousy appearance. Her messy brown hair was in disarray. Large wireframe glasses sat on her nose, though they kept slipping off, forcing her to readjust them. He couldn't see much of her face because she was turned at a three-quarters profile away from him, but it looked like she had a large nose and really small lips.

"What do you think, Chīsai?" asked Shāto. "That damn Kato caught on to us faster than I thought he would, but I think we managed to get away with a large enough haul."

"I would have liked to have acquired a few more kunoichi personally, but I suppose it can't be helped." The woman adjusted her glasses some more as the crane emerged from a cargo hold down below. Attached to the crane was another cage filled with women. "The ones we do have should be enough to further my research."

"And they will provide a hefty sum once they've been properly broken," Shāto added.

"Yes."

Naruto bit his lip as he wondered whether he should take them on now or wait. It was a pretty sure thing that Shāto wouldn't have anyone strong enough to take him on, that much was guaranteed. Hiring a ninja of Akuma's caliber would have been costly. Naruto had doubts that someone like this could hire another S-ranked ninja. At the same time, he didn't know what this man might have up his sleeve, and he might use the women he planned to sell as hostages.

But if I can attack him fast enough…

He shook his head. Even if Naruto managed to take down Shāto right now, he would still have to deal with the hired thugs. There were many on this ship, and there were even more on the docks. He didn't know how many more there were inside of the ship or further in the cave. For all he knew, there could have been thousands.

My best option is to locate all of the women who've been kidnapped and rescue them first… or I could use my shadow clones to kill everyone first, but I don't know how many people are here.

Deciding that rescuing the women was the best choice, Naruto made sure no one was looking at him, and then slipped on board. The first thing he would do was locate the kunoichi who had been kidnapped and request their aid—provided they were in condition to help him.

Slipping through a door, Naruto traveled down a flight of stairs as he reactivated his sensei's transparency technique. None of the thugs wandering the halls noticed him as he traveled deeper into the ship. Most of them were in groups of at least two. He searched a bit more, traveling along numerous passages, until he spotted a thug entering a room. Naruto followed the man.

The room he had entered was a bathroom. It was the communal kind that had several urinals and stalls. The thug Naruto had followed went up to a urinal, unzipped his pants, and began taking a leak. After making sure this person was the only one present, Naruto went up to the man, grabbed his hair, yanked his head back, and pressed a kunai to his throat.

The man was still pissing, but Naruto didn't pay attention to that.

"W-what is…"

"I'm sure you know how this works," Naruto said to the startled man. "I am going to ask you several questions. You are going to give me several answers. If you don't tell me what I want, I'll slit your throat right here and now and find someone else. Do we have an understanding?"

"Whoa, man," the thug said. "There ain't no need for violence here. I gotcha. I gotcha. I'll tell ya whatever you need to know."

"Good." Naruto hid his smile and began his questioning. "Several kunoichi were kidnapped recently. Where are they being held?"

"Um… in the lower levels of this ship. I heard they were being kept in a dungeon located near the bottom."

"And the other girls?"

"They're all on the second level."

"I see. Thank you," Naruto said, and before the thug could react, Naruto snapped his neck.

Stashing the man's body in one of the stalls and locking it, Naruto reactivated the transparency technique and made his way down to the lower levels. The hallways were small. Naruto ended up having to crawl on the ceiling to avoid running into people. Until he had rescued the women, Naruto couldn't afford to let anyone know he was there.

Fortunately for him, this ship did not have any security beyond the thugs that wandered the halls. Sneaking into the lower levels was easy. He traveled down several flight of stairs before eventually finding the room that housed the kunoichi.

It was a large room that looked similar to a medical facility. At least, it would have looked like one if it weren't for the cages lining the walls on the far side of the room. Several women were in the cages, ranging from their teens to their early twenties. As Naruto walked up and studied them, he saw that all of them had varying degrees of powerful muscles, meaning they were obviously the kunoichi. None of them responded to his presence other than to look up. Their eyes were cloudy and sightless.

Have they been drugged?

"Are you girls from Nadeshiko no Sato?" Naruto asked.

No one answered him at first. They stared at him, blinking several times. He frowned as he waited for confirmation.

"Who are you?" a voice asked behind him. Naruto turned around to find a woman strapped to a table. She was naked as the rest of them, but unlike them, her eyes were clear.

"I'm here on behalf of Shizuka to get all of you out of here," Naruto said.

"Shizuka?" The woman's eyes widened at his words, and then widened further seconds later. "Wait. You're Naruto Uzumaki!"

"Yes, that's me."

"Huh… it's been so long, I almost didn't recognize you."

"Well, it's also pretty dark in here…"

"Oh, shut up."

Naruto didn't know who this woman was, but if she was from Nadeshiko no Sato, then she definitely would recognize him. He had lived there for several months during his training trip. The relationship between him and Shizuka was also well-known in the village.

"Let me get you out of this."

Unsealing a kunai, Naruto sliced through the bonds keeping the woman in place with wind chakra. Once free, the woman climbed off the table and rubbed her red and blistered wrists.

"Damn, those jerks weren't gentle when they bound me. Mother fuckers."

"Are these all the kunoichi?"

"Yeah… they didn't take any of us outside of this room. I suspect they don't plan on letting us leave this prison until they've broken us. Fortunately, their mind breaking drug hasn't been perfected yet."

"Is that why these kunoichi are acting so docile?"

"Naw, that's just an act." The kunoichi clapped her hands together. "All right, ladies. It looks like we're gonna be making our escape. Look alive."

As if those words had been a magic signal, the women in the cages all stood up, eyes returning to a more vibrant state. Naruto realized they'd just been putting up a front. They had probably done so to make them seem harmless in front of their captors. Being a ninja meant deceiving your enemies.

After pulling a scroll from his ninja pouch, Naruto set it on the ground and unfurled it. Black symbols and lines ran along the surface. He placed his hands on the seal and channeled his chakra. The area was engulfed in smoke barely a second later, and when the smoke cleared, there was a large pile of woman's clothing lying on the ground.

"You ladies should get dressed," Naruto said as he stood up.

The kunoichi who'd been strapped to the table raised an eyebrow. "Do you always carry around women's clothing with you?"

"Yes," Naruto answered without inflection. "Ever since I began busting slave trading operations, I've taken to carrying women's clothing. It's much easier to maintain a disguise than it is a transformation, especially since getting yourself captured involves letting them knock you out."

Jutsu like the transformation technique always dispelled when someone was knocked unconscious. That was why, whenever Naruto infiltrated a slave operation, he used a combination of makeup, women's clothing, fake breasts made from moulding, and a special type of underwear that hid his junk to fool people into believing he was a woman.

"You are a man without shame," the kunoichi said as she grabbed hip-hugging pants and a dark shirt. She slid into the pants, foregoing underwear, and then put the shirt on.

Naruto shrugged as the other kunoichi began getting dressed. "Shame has no place in the life of a shinobi."

"Heh. True."

Naruto learned that the kunoichi's name was Mai Shiranui. She was a busty blonde woman who specialized in tai-ninjutsu, a type of close-range combat that focused on body enhancing ninjutsu to increase her taijutsu capabilities. Her body also had a unique constitution that allowed her to resist and flush out various drugs and poisons, which explained why she let those people drug her. She'd probably pissed them off so they would try to break her first.

With the kunoichi all freed, Naruto created a simple plan that would allow them to hasten the completion of this mission. The kunoichi would rescue all the woman aboard this ship, kill anyone who stood in their way, and assume command of the vessel. Meanwhile, Naruto would confront Shāto and Chīsai, rescue the rest of the woman who'd been captured, and dispose of any thugs wandering outside of the ship.

Their plans made, the group quickly left the prison behind them and got moving.

XoX

Naruto split off from the kunoichi and made his way up. Since he no longer had to worry about being caught, he didn't hesitate to kill anyone standing in his path. He created numerous shadow clones, made them split up, and had them kill every thug they came across before the alarm could be sounded. The kunoichi would be doing the same.

Once Naruto reached the deck, he created several more clones and had them all use the transparency technique to sneak up behind the people up top. As one, they killed the workers, crushing their throats, and then sealing the bodies inside of a scroll. After that, all of the Naruto clones dropped their jutsu and used the transformation technique to transform into whoever they had killed. While this was going on, the real Naruto, still under a transparency jutsu, snuck off the ship and onto the deck.

He ignored the guards walking across the natural stone platform emerging from the water's surface and used his abilities at stealth to sneak past them. No one seemed to have realized something was wrong. The thugs continued working, though some of them were ogling and taunting the naked women in cages. From the embarrassed shrieks and crying, these women were not kunoichi but regular civilians.

This alcove had several passages leading deeper into the island. He walked through one of the passages. Without any idea of where Chīsai and Shāto were, all Naruto could do was wonder the rocky passages, which were surprisingly flat, in search of them.

To aid in his cause, he once more created several Shadow Clones and had them do reconnaissance. This cavernous hideout was a lot bigger than he first thought. Some of the passages sloped up, while others went down, and even more twisted and turned like a pretzel. There were more passages than he could count, and it seemed to him like this place might run through most of the island.

One of his clones finally found Shāto and Chīsai. Naruto used the clone's memories to follow the correct passages, which led into a massive prison that seemed to second as a torture chamber.

Naruto peeled his lips back in disgust as he saw several battered women chained to a wall. He clenched his fists when he noticed the dull, lifeless look in their eyes. Numerous devices hung from racks, all of which he recognized due to his exposure to them before. Aside from devices designed to torture, there were also numerous sex toys. While the torture devices were for breaking people with pain, the sex toys were for breaking them with pleasure, like a carrot and a stick.

Chīsai and Shāto were inside. They stood beside a vertical table that currently held a screaming, struggling woman. Chīsai had a syringe in her hand and was preparing to plunge the needle into the woman's arm.

Naruto appeared behind her swifter than the wind. Before either of them even realized he was there, Naruto broke the woman's neck. As she crumbled to the ground, Shāto turned around in shock, and in that moment, Naruto unsealed his kunai, slammed the man into the ground, pinned Shāto's hands with his knees, and held the kunai against his throat.

"Hello, Shāto." Naruto smiled. "Pleasant evening, isn't it?"

"W-who the fuck are you?!" Shāto tried to put on a brave face, but Naruto punched him in the nose hard enough to break it. As the man cried out, Naruto clicked his tongue.

"You are not the one asking the questions here. I am." Naruto leaned in close enough that Shāto could see his glaring blue eyes. "You are going to tell me everything about your operation."

"F-f-fuck you!"

Naruto almost sighed at this man's bluster. For whatever reason, every slave trader he'd killed had reacted the same way when confronted with a similar situation. They denied talking at first, either out of some misguided belief in their own safety or because they were just dumb, but once Naruto brought on the pain, they would sing like a bird.

And that was what he decided to do. Naruto didn't have to patience to waste time with pleasantries.

"Why do you evil slaver types always make things so difficult for me?" It was a rhetorical question. Naruto wasn't going to give this man time to answer.

Prying the man's mouth open, Naruto placed several senbon needles inside and used chakra to keep them in place. If the man closed his mouth, those senbon would stab him, which he made sure to inform Shāto of. The man's eyes widened as a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. However, he had no time to say anything—not that he could with his mouth open so wide—since Naruto had already reached in, grabbed one of his teeth, and yanked.

"AAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Chucking away the tooth, Naruto watched as Shāto tried to squirm around underneath him. Naruto was still pinning the man to the floor, so he couldn't move, but he did wiggle a lot. Of course, after yelling, Shāto instinctively closed his mouth, which caused the senbon to pierce his fleshy pink insides. That in turn caused him to scream again.

Naruto waited out the man's screaming and thrash. Once Shāto settled down, he pried the man's mouth open once more and pulled the senbon out. Shāto wouldn't be able to talk if he had those inside of him. Tossing the senbon away, he looked at the pathetically crying man again.

"I'm only going to say this one more time. If you do not tell me everything about your operation here, then I'll just torture you until your mind breaks and you plead with me to kill you."

"All right… all right!" Tears drizzling down Shāto's eyes, the man gave in a lot more quickly than most others. He probably wasn't used to pain. "I'll tell you everything I know. Just please stop…"

Thus began the interrogation. Naruto learned that this was not Shāto's only slaving operation. He had several more located throughout the Elemental Nations. This one was actually relatively new. He'd set up shop in Nami no Kuni—a daring move considering Nami Shipping was headquartered there—and began his operation to capture and sell kunoichi as slaves. There was apparently a high demand for kunoichi among the nobles of nations that had no ninja village. Naruto kept that in mind for the future.

Once Naruto had acquired all of the information he could, he knocked Shāto out. This was done mostly out of consideration for the woman who was even now staring at him in horror. She couldn't have been older than twenty or so. She might be even younger than that. And she had already seen one death plus this torture session. He didn't want to scar her anymore than he already had.

I should have knocked these two out and let this girl go before torturing them both.

That was his bad. He'd let his emotions get the best of him.

Standing up, Naruto stepped in front of the girl, who tried to squirm away from him. He sighed but didn't let her actions hurt him. She was just scared.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki," he began. "I'm here to rescue you and the other women who were kidnapped." The woman stopped. She couldn't say anything because she had a ballgag in her mouth, but she was no longer struggling to escape from his gaze. "I'm going to take that off of you." He gestured to the gag. "Is that okay?"

The woman nodded, and Naruto reached behind her to undo the latch that kept the gag in place, and then slowly, careful not to hurt her, pulled the gag away from her mouth. With the gag no longer in place, the woman's jaw was finally able to relax, though it seemed to have been so long since it was removed that her jaw refused to close.

Naruto unsealed a towel and used it to wipe the drool that had trailed down her chin, neck, and chest. The woman blushed but didn't stop him. Once that was done, he began undoing the straps on her legs.

"Mind if I ask your name?"

"L-Lana…" The girl spoke with a slight lisp. He assumed her ability to speak was hampered by how her jaw muscles had suffered thanks to the ballgag.

"Lana. That's a nice name."

"Um… thank you."

It was always awkward talking to kidnapped women because you never knew what to say, but Naruto tried his best to ease her mind with conversation as, upon finishing the straps around her legs, he undid her hands. Turned out Lana was from a village on the opposite end of the Elemental Nations. She'd been kidnapped about two months ago. They had left her and several other girls in this cave to rot and had only just begun to try and break her. She was incredibly lucky.

Because she'd been stuck in that position for several hours, her legs wouldn't respond as she wanted them to. Once Naruto released her, she pitched forward into his chest, but he caught her and quickly unsealed a blanket to cover her modesty. He then created several shadow clones and had them begin releasing the woman chained to the walls.

Um…" the girl began.

"What is it?"

"T-thank you… for saving me."

"You're welcome."

Picking up the girl in a princess carry, Naruto began walking back toward the dock. His clones and the Nadeshiko kunoichi should have finished taking care of the bandits by now.

XoX

It took about one hour to completely subdue all of the thugs and rescue the women. Speaking of, there were 265 woman in total, all of them ranging from their early adult years to their late teens. The group that had been on board the vessel, 61 in total, had only been a small portion of the women who'd been kidnapped. Naruto and Mai found the rest trapped inside of an underground prison.

The girl who Naruto had personally rescued had fallen asleep several minutes after he picked her up, so Naruto had placed her inside of one of the rooms on the ship. Then he, Mai, and the other Nadeshiko kunoichi had the rest of the women board as well. While some of them were skeptical and reluctant at first, Naruto promised that they were all going back home.

Shāto's ship was a steamship, a powerful cargo freighter that ran on steam power instead of merely relying on the ocean breeze and sails. It shaved off the distance between them and Nami no Kuni in a matter of hours. The hour was still late when they arrived at the dock. The evening sun was slowly disappearing behind the ocean. Even so, several dock workers greeted Naruto when he emerged from the ship.

"Please inform Kato that I have rescued the girls Shāto kidnapped," Naruto said to one of the workers, a burly man with thick arms that were covered in hair and a beard that made him think of a lumberjack. He looked almost like a bear.

"We'll do that. Kato said to let him know when you returned anyway."

"I see."

"He also asked me to pass on a message for when you got back."

"What's the message?"

"He said to tell you that Shizuka and your team are at Tazuna's house, and that you should head over there as soon as you can."

"Thanks. I guess I'll do that." Naruto paused as he looked back at the ship. Several sets of eyes were peeking out over the side. They were the civilian women he'd rescued. Naruto turned back at the man who looked like he would be more at home in the mountains. "What about the women I rescued?"

"We'll have them stay on the ship for now." The man scratched his beard. "We don't have any accomodations ready that can house so many people. I'm sure Kato will figure something out once he's made aware of the problem."

"I understand. Thank you."

The bear-like man left with a nod, and Naruto spoke with Mai Shiranui about what they should do. Of course, Mai had said she was going with him to meet with Shizuka, but they couldn't leave these women alone. Only Mai would come with him. It was decided that the rest would stay with the girls and protect them, just in case. While he didn't think Kato would follow in his half-brother's footsteps, there was nothing wrong with being safe.

Naruto returned to Tazuna's house to find Tsunami entertaining Shizuka, Ino, Tenten, Chouji, Tokiwa, and a group of Nadeshiko kunoichi. There were eight people in total. The living room was fairly cramped, with the seats being filled by the members of his team and the kunoichi. Poor Tazuna was grumbling as he stood off to the side with his arms crossed.

"Mai!"

Shizuka leapt to her feet and raced for the woman, who returned her leader's enthusiastic greeting with a smile.

"It's good to see you, Shizuka. I'm… sorry for allowing myself to be kidnapped. I have no excuse."

"What are you saying? It was my fault you got kidnapped in the first place. I should have never sent you and your team out on that mission once it was made clear that someone was after us. Please forgive me."

"No, no. It was an important mission. Our job was to figure out who was after us, but instead myself and my squad failed."

While the conversation between Mai and Shizuka went on, though it seemed like the two were mutually apologizing to each other instead of having an actual conversation, Naruto went over to the couch where his team sat. Ino, Tenten, and Chouji looked up at his approach. A sly grin appeared on his fellow blonde's face.

"It looks like you really did end up completing the mission without us."

Naruto shrugged. "I had planned on waiting for you to arrive, but then the person who kidnapped all those kunoichi caught wind of what I was doing and left. I didn't have much choice but to follow them and take care of the situation myself."

"A likely excuse."

"Maybe you should tell us what happened?" Chouji suggested as he munched on some rice crackers, obviously provided by Tsunami, who'd gone back into the kitchen.

Naruto agreed with Chouji and informed them of everything that had transpired after he arrived in Nami no Kuni, from his meeting with Kato to his rescue of the kunoichi. He paid careful attention to Ino and Tenten. Both of them looked ready to puke at certain parts. They were more than a little green, especially when he got to the part about the girl he'd rescued from Shāto and Chīsai.

He didn't blame them for being sickened. As someone who'd become adept at breaking up slave trading operations, Naruto had learned about humanity's darkness, about the depravity some humans went to. It made him remember Akane's scornful words about humanity. He actually agree with her.

The conversation between Mai and Shizuka continued for nearly an hour as Mai informed her leader about everything that happened to her and her squad. Shizuka had nearly made her palms bleed she was clenching her fists so hard at some points. She'd taken the part where Mai had been injected with mind-breaking drugs quite hard. Ino, Tenten, and Chouji weren't much better.

Tazuna, who'd heard the whole conversation, had mumbled that it was a good thing Inari was asleep. Naruto agreed. This wasn't something a kid like him needed to hear.

As the conversation wound to a close, Tsunami, who had emerged from the kitchen with some tea during their story, clapped her hands to get their attention.

"Do you ladies have a place to stay? If not, I would love it if you stayed here. There is more than enough room."

"We have yet to find any accommodations," Shizuka admitted. "Finding Naruto was our priority, so we forewent searching for a place to stay night… but are you sure it's all right to house us? There are quite a few of us."

"Oh, yes. We have six guest bedrooms, so there is more than enough room for everyone."

"In that case, we will gladly accept your offer."

Dividing up the rooms took longer than Naruto thought it should have. At first, he and Chouji were going to share a room since they were both guys, while the Nadeshiko kunoichi would share another room, and the Konoha kunoichi would also share a room. However, Shizuka had protested. She stated that she wished to share a room with Naruto.

Her words had surprised Tsunami, but the calm woman had accepted them with a smile, though she'd also given Naruto a speculative gleam that he didn't quite appreciate. In either event, Chouji would get his own room, while Naruto and Shizuka would share a room. He thought it odd that she was so adamant. When he asked her why she was doing this, however, she merely smiled and said she wanted to sleep with him. He would have let it go at that, but she'd glanced at someone else after she finished.

I sense trouble on the horizon…

A freshly showered Naruto entered his room about one hour after the decision on sleeping arrangements had been made. There was only one shower. He'd let the girls take one first. As he shut the door behind him, Naruto turned back to the interior of the room—and paused.

"Tenten? What are you doing here?"

Tenten and Shizuka were sitting on a large futon, dressed only in a thin white robe. The robe seemed a bit big for them. Part of it slipped down their shoulders, revealing unblemished skin. Their skin, a healthy pink from the hot bath they had taken, glistened under the light as they sat there, feet tucked underneath their bums, hands resting on their laps.

"I… uh…" Tenten fidgeted as Naruto stared at her. She seemed embarrassed.

Shizuka spoke for them both. "Forgive me for meddling in your affairs, but I decided to speak with Tenten on your behalf. She and I have reached an understanding. That is why she is here."

"An understanding, huh?" Naruto forced his nerves to remain calm as he walked into the room and sat on the fuuton. It was large enough that all three of them could form a triangle with about half a meter of space between them. "What kind of understanding did you reach?"

"Tenten does not know what she wants from you, so in order to find out, I have offered to help her seduce you."

Naruto nodded several times. "That makes sense—wait. What?"

He must have heard wrong. Yes, that was it. He had obviously heard wrong. There was absolutely no way he could have heard her right.

But Shizuka gazed at him with an impassive and serious expression. Meanwhile, the healthy blush on Tenten's cheeks had grown immeasurably darker.

"You heard me. She and I are going to seduce you."

"Uh… uh-huh…" Naruto needed a moment to process this new information. His brain felt like it had been fried by a fire jutsu. "So… you plan on seducing me? And you're okay with this?"

His question was directed at Tenten, whose face had become so red she looked like a boiled lobster. She looked down at her thighs, which she rubbed together, and then nodded with the slowness of a turtle.

"I… um… Shizuka talked about it, and she said the reason I can't figure out what to do is because I don't know what I want. She said sleeping with you might help me come to a decision."

Naruto stared at Shizuka, who only smiled at him with a perfect poker face. He couldn't figure out what she was thinking. That being the case, he looked back at Tenten, who peeked at him from beneath her fringe of hair.

"If this is what you want, then I don't mind, but are you sure you won't regret this?"

"Y-yes." Tenten looked back down. "I thought about it, and I think she's right. I'd like to know what I want, and I think the best way is by being… intimate with you."

If he was being honest, Naruto didn't really understand it, but he did know that intimacy often let people understand things about another person that they couldn't figure out just by knowing them normally. He likened it to fighting. When two powerful warriors fought, they could understand each other through their fists. In this case, when two people had sex, they understood each other through the connection such an act formed. He guessed this was something like that.

"So long as it is something you're okay with," Naruto said.

"U-um…" Tenten merely nodded.

While the two of them stared at anything but each other, Shizuka moved behind Tenten until she was able to wrap her arms around the girl's middle. While Tenten squawked, the Nadeshiko no Sato leader smiled at Naruto, her eyes brimming with an effervescent sheen.

"Since we've agreed to this now, why don't you start off with a nice kiss."

"No… but that's not…"

Tenten tried to speak, but Naruto knew they had to start somewhere, so he crawled toward them on all fours, until he was right in front of Tenten's face, and leaned forward.

When he pressed their lips together, Tenten went silent. Naruto kept his mouth over hers for several long seconds. He frowned when she didn't return the kiss, he pulled back.

"Are you okay, Ten-chan?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah… I'm, uh, great…"

"Are you really sure you're okay with this? You can back out if you want to."

"W-why wouldn't I be?"

"You're not kissing back."

"T-that's just because I'm so surprised! Give me some warning before you do something like that!"

You already knew what was going to happen. Don't act like you didn't have ample time to react.

Naruto didn't say his thoughts out loud because he knew it wouldn't matter. Women could be quite illogical when they wanted to be.

"Then… is it okay if I kiss you now?" asked Naruto.

Tenten shifted her eyes away from him, but she still nodded. "O-okay."

With her permission, Naruto leaned forward and pressed their lips together once more. Despite telling him it was okay, Tenten clearly had no idea what to do. Well, that made sense. It wasn't like she'd ever kissed anyone.

Naruto decided to take the lead, nibbling on her lower lip before switching to her upper lip. A delicate sound escaped her mouth. Her lips parted. Naruto could have chosen to slip his tongue inside of her mouth, but he didn't think she was ready for such an act. That said, he did dip his tongue briefly into her mouth to caress her tongue.

"Hnn!"

Before the kiss could get too intense, Shizuka, still behind Tenten, pulled the girl back. The weapon user was already breathing as though she'd run one hundred kilometers with Rock Lee and Maito Gai. Her shoulders heaved and the robe she wore had slipped off to reveal more of her lightly tanned skin.

"I think we should switch tactics here," Shizuka said with a smile. "We can't have you neglecting one of us in favor of the other."

Naruto would have questioned her about letting Tenten sleep with him then, but he also realized that she did have a point. He couldn't just please one of them. Still, this problem could be solved with a simple Shadow Clone Jutsu—

"And no, you cannot create shadow clones."

Damn it.

Before Naruto could fully relinquish his thoughts of using the Shadow Clone Jutsu for sex, Shizuka slipped past Tenten and engaged Naruto in a fierce dueling of tongues. He barely had time to squawk before she pushed his back onto the futon and plundered his mouth. She quickly worked the knots of his robe, undoing them and pushing it apart. Seconds after the chilly night air hit his bare skin, Naruto felt a delicate hand rub his crotch over the boxers he was wearing. He recognized Shizuka's touch. His flaccid cock soon rose at the feeling of her delicate and skilled fingers.

"There's a good boy. I love how you can get your soldier to stand at attention so quickly."

"I don't do anything. He has a mind of his own."

"That so? I guess I should be glad he's so reactive then."

Shizuka peeled Naruto's boxers off, tossed them aside, and then placed her hands on the thick, meaty shaft. Naruto sucked in a breath. Her hands weren't cold, but compared to the heat radiating from his dick, they were like ice. It was a strangely pleasant contrast that sent shivers up and down his spine.

"Hello there," Shizuka cooed as she rubbed her cheek against Naruto's dick. "Did you miss me?"

Naruto wanted to make a snappy comeback, but then Shizuka kissed him, and all words he could have possibly said fled his mind like water evaporating from a fire jutsu. His mind was further hampered from thinking when Shizuka opened her mouth and slowly took him inside of her. The warmth and wetness of her mouth made him grit his teeth. Matters weren't helped when she pressed her tongue against the underside of his shaft and dragged it along his skin. He grabbed the bedsheets and tried to resist bucking his hips. The last time he did that, Shizuka had nearly choked because she couldn't fit all of him inside of her.

While Shizuka was orally pleasing him, Tenten had remained rooted to the spot. It seemed she didn't know what to do. All she could do was stare at the spectacle taking place before her with wide eyes. Yet even though her mind seemed frozen, her hands seemed to move with a mind of their own. They were buried between her thighs.

"Sllrrrppp!"

A loud, wet sucking sound echoed around the room as Shizuka released his cock. The cool air hit his wet member, causing him to shiver. With a grin, the young village leader looked at Tenten.

"What are you doing? Come over here."

Tenten still seemed unsure, but she still crawled to where Shizuka was, kneeling down alongside her.

"You've never done this before, right?" asked Shizuka.

"O-of course I haven't!"

"Hm. Right. So, just follow my lead. Since there are two of us, rather than taking the whole thing in our mouths, we're going to lick it."

"L-lick it?!"

"Mmm. Like a lollipop. Come on. Just do what I do."

"Ah!"

Naruto had been watching the surreal scene with a sense of wonder, but when Shizuka pressed the flat end of her tongue against him and dragged it from the base of his shaft to the tip of his head, he threw his head back and tried not to let the sensation overwhelm him. Her tongue was warm and soft. She licked him just like she said she would, like he was a lollipop.

"Come on, Tenten. Are you just going to stand there like a lemon?"

"Ur…"

"Hurry up!"

"R-right! So, I do it… like this?"

"Hmm. Just like that."

A completely different sensation from Shizuka's bold display raced through him as Tenten, leaning down, pressed just the tip of her tongue to him and gave an experimental lick. She pulled back for a second. The expression on her face was bizarre. It was like she had tasted a food so foreign she had no way to quantify it. However, after another moment had passed, she leaned back down and licked him again.

"That's good. Just keep doing that." Shizuka tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she leaned over. "And now, I'm going to join you."

Naruto could feel his body pulsing as Shizuka joined Tenten in licking him. Their hot breath washed over his cock as their soft tongues lathered him in saliva. He could barely breathe as the combination of their hot breath and wet tongues mixed with the cool air to enhance the feelings running through him. It wasn't long before he felt the telltale tightening of his balls that signified his impending release.

"Ha… ha… you two… I'm about to cum!"

As if those were the words she'd been waiting for, Shizuka fondled his balls while taking his head in her mouth and sucking on it. Naruto released a shout as he unloaded his spunk into Shizuka. Her cheeks bulged a bit because there was so much, and several trails dribbled from her mouth, she quickly swallowed everything he released and cleaned off her face.

"You still taste incredibly salty," Shizuka murmured. "You've been eating more ramen, haven't you?"

"I… can't help it… r-ramen is the… best."

"I think I'm gonna put you on a diet of fruit for awhile."

"Anything but that please."

While Shizuka teased Naruto, Tenten stared at the girl with something akin to astonishment.

"You just drank his sperm."

"Of course I did." Shizuka smiled. "It's high in protein, and even if it's a little salty, it still tastes good."

"D-does it really?"

"Hmm?" Shizuka fixed half-lidded eyes on Tenten. "Would you like to find out for yourself?"

"N-no thanks." Tenten turned her head.

"Fair enough. Now then, it looks like Naruto is still harder than an earth jutsu. What should we—oh! I know. Tenten, let's do this!"

"Do what—hey! What are you doing?!"

Naruto was still lying on his back when Shizuka grabbed Tenten and pulled her over to him. He blinked as her panty-covered crotch suddenly sprang into view directly above him. Tenten's panties were white. They were also damp. He could see the outline of her lips as the wet and semi-translucent fabric clung to her. The sight made his dick twitch.

"You know what to do, Naruto," Shizuka said as she went back to his crotch.

"What to do? What do you—aahhnn! Naruto?! What are you doing?!"

"Returning the favor," was all Naruto said before he pressed his mouth against Tenten's panties and kissed her lips through them. Tenten's entire body seemed to shudder. Naruto's nose, which was buried in Tenten's butt as she pushed against him, wiggled as she shook her hips.

"W-w-w-wait! I'm not ready-—ahn! Hyk! Yahn!"

A pair of soft hands landed on his stomach. They were calloused and strong from years of weapons training. His abs twitched at the feeling, but there were two more prominent sensations running through him. The first was the taste of Tenten on his tongue and the feeling of her quivering lips through her panties, and the second was the feeling of his soaked in saliva dick being encased between two soft, round marshmallows. He didn't have to look to know that Shizuka had wrapped his cock in her tits. The feeling of his dick gliding through her breasts was unmistakable, as was the intense pleasure her actions gave him.

Tenten's cries grew louder as Naruto moaned around her cunt, unable to keep quiet thanks to Shizuka. Deciding that he needed to up his game, he pulled Tenten's panties to the side and attacked her directly. She was already soaking wet, with light, glistening trails running down her inner thighs. Her juices flowed into his mouth as lapped at her lips with his tongue. Of course, simply licking her wasn't going to do anything, so Naruto peeled her lips apart and inserted a finger, and then he extended his tongue and began stimulating her clit.

"HNNNYAAA! N-Naruto! Don't touch tha—aaaaattt! It's very sensitive—Hyan!"

As Tenten's juices exploded against his mouth and tongue, Shizuka had taken his head into her mouth and was sucking on it as she rubbed the rest of him with her breasts. Naruto was finding it hard to concentrate with her doing that. He gave himself over to instincts and continued stimulating Tenten with his mouth.

"N-no! This sensation is… my mind… going blank! Can't—ahn! Ah! AH!"

Tenten's end came seconds later when her entire body suddenly tightened. Her thighs, which rested on either side of Naruto's head, suddenly clamped together as she pushed her ass and pussy against his face. Naruto struggled to breathe as the love nectar's flow suddenly became a deluge. At the same time, his own impending release came quickly as he lost control over his body.

"Puwa! Huff… huff…"

Naruto was able to finally pry his head free from Tenten's ridiculously strong glutes after the girl had slumped over. He could see the ceiling now, though when he raised his head to look past him, all he saw were Tenten's quivering thighs, ass, and nether lips. Her juices were flowing from her twitching pussy and creating wet trails on his chest.

"Hmm… I'd say she's ready to receive you," Shizuka mumbled. "Wouldn't you agree, Naruto?"

Despite having already cum twice, Naruto was still hard. Nodding, he grabbed Tenten's thighs and slowly rolled her off him. The girl was practically boneless as she flopped onto her back. As Naruto crawled up, he glanced at the girl and noticed that her eyes were glazed and her slack mouth had drool leaking from it. Her robe was also open enough that he could see her nipples peeking out.

Naruto wiped his mouth and crawled between Tenten's legs. He didn't touch her with his member yet. Leaning over, he tilted her head until her glazed eyes were gazing into his and placed several pecks on her lips.

"N-Naruto…"

"Are you okay?"

"I… I feel really good…"

Naruto almost snorted at the dumbstruck reply. "I can make you feel even better if you want. May I?"

Tenten blinked several times, seemingly coming down from her pleasure induced high. She stared at him for a second. He wondered if she was wondering what he could do that would feel better than what he had just done. Then she nodded.

"O-okay. Um, please be gentle."

"I will."

Grabbing her panties, Naruto slid the soaking wet undergarments down her legs. He lifted her left thigh, pulled her foot out of the hole, and then did the same to her right. Afterward, he repositioned her legs and placed his cock against her lips, admiring the way her entrance parted as he rubbed his shaft along her.

"Hnn…" Tenten released a soft moan-like sigh as her toes clenched from his actions.

"Naruto," Shizuka said. "I think it's time."

"Right."

Lining himself up, Naruto began pushing his dick into Tenten's pussy. He winced as he met resistance. She was a lot tighter than Shizuka. Tenten groaned in discomfort as he continued pressing forward, until he finally came upon her hymen. He hadn't expected it. Most kunoichi lost their hymens thanks to the rigorous training they did.

"Tenten," Naruto said, "this will hurt a bit. Please bear with it."

"O-okay. I'll do my best."

Naruto retracted his dick just a bit, and then, with a swift thrust, broke through her hymen and fully sheathed himself inside of her. Tenten cried out. Tears leaked from the corner of her eyes. Naruto wanted to lean over and wipe them away, but he was afraid that moving would make her feel more pain.

Fortunately, Shizuka was there. She stroked Tenten's cheeks with her hand and kissed away the tears.

"You did a good job," she said.

Tenten groaned. "I… I knew it would hurt, but I didn't expect that."

"Naruto is a bit bigger than some men, and you're a virgin, so it probably hurt more. But you did a great job."

"Did I?"

Tenten looked from Shizuka to Naruto. He nodded.

"You did. Also, let me know when I can begin moving."

It was actually hard for him right now. Tenten's walls were clamping around him so tightly it felt like he was being strangled. He wanted to begin moving to loosen her up, but he refused to move until she gave the okay.

"You can move now," Tenten said as she closed her eyes. "I'm ready."

"Okay then. Here I go."

A loud sucking sound lewdly echoed around the room as Naruto pulled himself out of Tenten. It felt like her pussy was trying to suck him back inside. Tenten's discomforting groan mixed in with the noise as Naruto pulled back until just his head was inside of her, and then, just as slowly as he pulled out, he pushed himself back in. He repeated the process, hoping it would eventually become easier.

"How do you feel?" he asked Tenten.

"I feel… better. Ha… ha…" Tenten released several slow, deep pants. "It's beginning to feel good. I feel like… like you're filling me up. There's this electric sensation running through my body, and it's… it's… so good…"

"Good. That's how it's supposed to feel."

As he moved in and out of Tenten at a snail's pace, Naruto was vaguely reminded of the term "sawing logs." He knew that meant sleeping, but he was moving so slowly, sawing his log in and out of Tenten, that he couldn't help but think of the phrase. It almost made him giggle.

"Hmm… now that we've got a good mood going again, I think it's time I joined in," Shizuka said as she leaned down and pushed Tenten's robe apart.

"Ah…"

Tenten's breathing stilted as Shizuka tongued her nipple, flicking it back and forth. After swirling her tongue around it, she lightly bit on it, and then tugged. Tenten released a loud "Ooooohhh!" Naruto, who had a more or less front row seat as he slowly sawed his log in and out of Tenten's passage, witnessed Shizuka as she coated the girl's hardened nipple in saliva before taking into her mouth.

"Ah! Ha! N-no! D-don't do that! It feels weird!"

There was no telling if Tenten's protests meant she was unwilling or not. Her hand was already pressed against Shizuka's head, pushing the other girl down as though asking her to keep doing what she was doing.

While Shizuka played with Tenten's tits using her mouth, she pleasured herself. Burying her hand between her legs, Shizuka moaned around the nipple in her mouth as she fingered herself. Naruto couldn't see it all, but he could practically hear the lewd sucking sounds as she shoved her fingers into her sopping center.

By this point, Tenten had loosened enough that he could move faster. He increased the speed of his thrusts. However, he couldn't really pound her like he did with Temari or Shizuka. Her pussy really was tighter, almost uncomfortably so. He kept his pace even, though, which seemed to work for Tenten just fine.

"Hgnn! Ha… Ah! My mind is going blank! I can't think! I can't think! It feels so good! Ahn! Ah! AH!"

Tenten's hips bucked as Naruto plunged into her depths, rubbing against her cervix and knocking on her womb.

"Oh! OH! OH! OH! I can't take this! I can't take this! I'm gonna cum! I'm gonna—!"

Naruto actually had to stop moving, or rather, he found himself unable to move when Tenten suddenly clamped down on him to the point where it simply became impossible. He gritted his teeth and rode out Tenten's orgasm. It was hard, especially because Shizuka had switched from playing with Tenten's breasts to making out with the girl.

His cock became even harder as he watched Tenten and Shizuka share in a sloppy, wet kiss. Shizuka must have known he was watching, too. She kept their mouths apart enough that he could see their tongues twining around each other. The act made his dick feel like it had been encased in a diamond jutsu.

Since neither of the girls could talk, Naruto decided to simply begin moving again. He pulled back, then pushed forward faster than before. Tenten's eyes widened as she moaned into Shizuka's mouth. She couldn't say anything, though. Shizuka wouldn't let her. The other kunoichi plunged her tongue into Tenten's open mouth and ravaged her, all the while, Shizuka's own fingers plunged in and out of her now sodden passage.

Naruto grunted as Tenten's body tightened again. Her thighs trembled, her legs clamped around his waist, and her stomach spasmed. Not even the extra lubrication from her orgasm helped ease the incredible tightness acting like a vice. Even so, Naruto pushed through that, continuing to fuck her silly. He gritted his teeth as he finally sensed his own release coming. When his balls felt like they were going to burst, he thrust himself into her one more time and unleashed his load, which caused Tenten to orgasm one more time.

Pulling out, Naruto fell back onto his haunches as he struggled to catch his breath. He looked down. Tenten lay before him, body covered in sweat and Shizuka's saliva. Oddly enough, none of his cum was leaking from her lips. He guessed it was because her pussy was so tight it was all sealed up. She was breathing deeply. Naruto realized with a shock that she'd fallen asleep.

I guess that means I did a good job—wait. Where's Shizu?

"Mmm."

Naruto groaned as something warm engulfed his still hard member. Looking down revealed Shizuka cleaning off his shaft. She licked the mixed juices coating his dick like it was a popsicle. Then she looked up at him as her mouth sucked him in, though she could only take about half of him. With a lewd slurping nose, she pulled back and smacked her lips.

"So that's what it tastes like when your spunk mixes with another woman." She licked her lips. "Hmm… it's different than when you have one or the other separately. I might begin to enjoy this flavor."

"You sound awfully perverted right now," Naruto mumbled. "When did you start speaking like a lecherous barmaid?"

Shizuka smiled. "Since I decided to help Tenten make a decision. I figured it would be fine if I took the lead tonight." She hesitated long enough to reveal her uncertainty. "Do you… not like it?"

"Honestly, you sound incredibly hot right now," Naruto admitted. "You could probably make me hard by just talking dirty to me."

"Is that so? I'm glad." Shizuka gave him an genuinely happy smile before it turned devious. She discarded her robe, then slipped out of her panties. Turning around, she presented her posterior and, more important, her dripping vagina, to Naruto. As she leaned down and stuck her butt in the air, she reached out and spread her lips. "I hope you're still able to go on. You have one more hole that needs to be filled."

"How right you are." Naruto sat up and walked on his knees to Shizuka. A soft smacking sound echoed around them as Naruto placed his hands on her hips, and then slowly filled Shizuka with his dick. "You did such a great job helping Ten-chan out that I feel you deserve a reward."

"In that case, I want you to fuck me silly. Pound me so hard that my womb breaks."

"Your wish is my command."

Unlike with Tenten, Naruto didn't start slowly. He shoved his throbbing member into Shizuka as though to break into her womb. The woman's back arched as she screamed out, goading him on with her voice. He pulled back and thrust into her again, picking up the pace. As he did, he looked down to watch as her firm butt cheeks jiggled with every thrust, as his cock, soaked in her juices, moved in and out of her.

"Yes! Oh, yes! That feels so good! That feels—ahn! Ah! Ah! So gooooOOODD! OH! YOU'RE HITTING ME SO DEEPLY!"

Naruto leaned over as he kept thrusting his hips and began placing kisses on her back. Shizuka mewled like a cat as he did so, and then Naruto reached around and fondled her large tits, which swung back and forth from his almost violent pounding.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! YES!"

Shizuka's voice was loud enough that he could have sworn the glass rattled. Wanting to feel her even more, Naruto wrapped an arm around her waist and fell backward. Now on his butt, Naruto grabbed her legs underneath her knees. He stood up and began thrusting into her again.

This new position seemed to work. It felt completely different. Shizuka threw her head back against his shoulders, her cries completely incoherent now as her inner walls tightened around him. Her juices leaked out from her filled passage, dripping down her butt and his thighs. Even though she had already orgasmed, Naruto didn't stop. He kept going, bringing Shizuka to one more orgasm before he finally shot his spunk inside of her.

Now completely spent, Naruto pulled out of Shizuka and set the young woman on the fuuton. The kunoichi was limper than a wet noodle. She didn't even have the strength to lift her arms. Naruto wasn't much better. He flopped down between her and Tenten, lying on his back as every cell in his body told him he'd pushed himself too hard.

"Hey, Naruto?" Shizuka spoke.

"Hmm?"

"That was fun. I want to do it again."

"Maybe… you'll have to ask Tenten."

"I could also ask Temari or Koyuki."

"You could."

"Threesomes are fun. So… fun…"

Naruto didn't deny it. This had been a lot of fun—tiring, but fun. He wouldn't mind having another one, though he really didn't want this to become a regular occurrence. While he was quite proud in his stamina, Naruto didn't think he would be able to keep up if they had a threesome all the time like this.

Strength returned to his body after a while. Shizuka must have regained some stamina too since she quickly cuddled into him. Tenten was still out like a light, so Naruto decided to just let her sleep. He closed his eyes and wondered what tomorrow might bring.

XoX

After their first night in Nami no Kuni, Tazuna had told them, implicitly, and with a face that could have boiled a lobster, that if they were going to have sex, he wouldn't let them stay with him and his family. Naruto agreed to the man's terms. They wouldn't have any sex until after they left Nami no Kuni.

For their part, both Tsunami and Inari had been blushing a lot the next morning. Inari couldn't even look Naruto in the eye, but Tsunami was even worse. She kept sending discreet glances when she thought he wasn't looking.

On a side note, Ino had been teasing Naruto almost nonstop since that night, while Chouji had discreetly asked him what having sex was like. Talk about embarrassing.

There were still numerous matters that needed to be settled. First, Naruto had Ino conduct a medical exam on all of the kidnapped kunoichi and civilian women to make sure they were healthy. He didn't want to send them on their way if they were suffering from medical problems.

There were a few women who had medical issues, including the kunoichi, Mai Shiranui, who was suffering from the mind-breaking drug flowing through her bloodstream. Mai was strong enough to ignore it. However, the civilians were not. Several women were actually in a nearly comatose state because of those drugs. Ino worked around the clock to flush the drug from their system, and even after she finally succeeded, she informed Naruto that there would be lingering side effects.

While Ino dealt with the healing side of things, Naruto spoke at length with Kato. The first thing he did was give Kato the now captive Shāto. He hadn't killed the man, though he was sure Shāto wished he was dead. Since the two of them were related, Naruto believed it was Kato's duty as his brother to come up with a suitable punishment.

"Since he seemed so set on selling slaves, I believe I will let him know what being a slave is like," had been Kato's words during their conversation.

Kato had also promised to help get all of the women safely home. He said it was the least he could do to fix his mistake of not stopping his brother from doing this in the first place.

They stayed in Nami no Kuni for about one week, long enough for Ino to do everything she could for the kidnapped women, and then the group, now including over a dozen new kunoichi, journeyed back to Nadeshiko no Sato.

Their procession to Nadeshiko no Sato was incredibly slow thanks to how many of them there were. It took about one and a half weeks. Once they arrived, however, the group was welcomed back by the other kunoichi of the village. During the time where they had been in Nami, the Nadeshiko kunoichi had repaired the village until it was almost as pristine as it had been before.

Since their mission was officially complete, Naruto and the others didn't stay for long. After spending a few more days to help the kunoichi settle back in, Naruto and the others left Nadeshiko no Sato.

XoX

"It sounds like you guys had a lot of trouble with this mission. I can see why it took so long," Tsunade said. Naruto, Ino, Chouji, and Tenten were in the Hokage's Office, giving a report on what happened during their mission to Nadeshiko no Sato. The woman sat with her fingers laced on the desk, brown eyes piercing them as they finished. "It looks like this mission was a lot more complicated than we first realized. If I had known… well, you four seemed to handle it well, so good job."

The group was promptly dismissed by Tsunade after the report had been made. While Ino and Chouji said their goodbyes before going off to do whatever they did on their free time, Naruto and Tenten walked along the road together. While they weren't holding hands or anything so intimate, the distance between them had closed. Tenten no longer ignored him. She talked to him again just like they used to before the mission to Suna.

"Hey, Naruto?" Tenten said suddenly.

"Yes?"

"Wanna get some ramen?"

Naruto's eyes lit up. "Tenten… I think I love you."

"You think?" Tenten blushed at his confession, but she tried to sound stern. "What kind of confession is that?"

But Naruto just laughed. "Of course I love you a lot. You're my Ten-chan."

"I-idiot," Tenten muttered with a smile.

The bright sun overhead heralded another beautiful day as the two ninja of Konoha went off to visit Ichiraku's together.

With this chapter, my latest arc is finished. I mentioned before, but I do not know how many arcs this story has left. I'd like to try and finish it soon, especially since I feel everyone who has followed this story deserves to see it end. That said, I also want to do this story justice and make it as entertaining as possible.

Now that I've finished this arc, I plan to begin writing for another fanfic. I'm thinking of writing some more Gaia's Sennin for now, and then coming back to this so I can write the next arc of the story. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for reading.

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