Droplets of blood seeped through the head of the carcass in Naruto's hand. Wildwolves are twice the size of regular wolves and three times the smarter. With their bull-like horns and sharpened senses, even experienced hunters tend to become the hunted when dealing with Wildwolves.
"Here. The beast that's been bothering your village." Naruto threw the head to the feet of the deprived villagers. They looked relieved yet remained frightened of the creature. They're lack of numbers was concerning, perhaps the Wildwolf took more victims than Naruto anticipated. Or perhaps simple malnutrition was to blame. For a tiny village like this one, food and water was hard to come by during times of war. Especially when your ruling lord demands everything you own from steel to the very clothes your back.
The oldest and most fragile looking villager approached. "Thank you, young hunter. You saved us all."
"I'm no hunter." Naruto took a second glance at baron and broken village. Houses were torn, wells were demolished and lives destroyed. Saved? Hardly.
The small, old man shakily offered a tiny brown bag in his freckled hand. "Your reward."
There couldn't have been more than twenty Units in that tiny bag, Naruto figured. He gently closed the old man's hands. "Keep it. The War is long."
A screen of disbelieve and gratitude loomed over the elder's face. With a broken, withering voice, he whispered, "The War is long. Thank you."
Sweet jazz music graced the smoked filled bar. A glass of whiskey in one hand, a burning cigar in another, Naruto saw his reflection across the bar, eighteen year olds shouldn't look this old or this tired.
He backed the last remaining of the brown liqueur in quick succession and nodded to the bartender for another round. Naruto pulled out a photograph from the inner pocket of his leather jacket. "You see this person around?"
The bearded bartender shook his head. "Don't think so. Sorry."
Course not. No one has. With an internal sigh, Naruto placed the photo back in his pocket.
"Why don't you try looking for someone else?" A soft voice purred in the next seat. The woman had long flowing raven locks, skin as pale as and smooth as milk, green inviting eyes, purple eye shadow, full rosy lips and sipping on a dirty martini. Her blood red silk dress hugged her curvaceous body like a python hugging its prey.
"This person is kind of important." Taking a drag out of his cigar, Naruto challenged her alluring gaze. "We were travelling together."
"Were?"
"Got separated six months back."
"Shame. Though it wouldn't hurt to look somewhere else for one night, right? I'm here. They're not. We both could use the company. And I'm sure I can show you a much better time than whoever's on the picture."
"I don't doubt it." Naruto said pointedly. She looks expensive. Not your average escort. Do I even have the units? Taking the reward from those villagers don't seem that bad of an idea now. Ah, fuck it. I'll just have to take another job tomorrow.
He backed his drink and put out his cigar. "I have a room upstairs. Nightcap?"
She grazed her finger lightly over her bottom lip and smirked. "Would love one."
Clothes and broken furniture littered the floor. The room reeked of sweat and lust. Naked, Naruto sat on the side of the bed, formed a tiger seal to light a fire on his right index finger then lit his cigar. A release not as sweet as the one he just had but a release nonetheless. The bedsheets rustled. Niki, the escort, crawled on her knees stroking his back, left arm while kissing his shoulder.
"Your tattoos. Do they have meaning?" Her delicate fingers traced the two circular tattoos on his upper back.
"No." Naruto objected firmly. "And I'm not paying you extra for pillow talk either. Get out."
After a moment's hesitation, she unwrapped herself from Naruto, quietly dressed herself and left the room like the professional she is. Naruto stood out on the balcony, looking at the big bright moon half covered by clouds. It was almost peaceful if it weren't for the two patrolling guards on the street below.
"Hey, did you hear?" One guard said. "The old man who owns the King's Sword said he saw a member of the Red Sparrow in his squid stall today."
"You're shitting me. The rogue shinobi group, Red Sparrow?"
"Shitting you I am not, my friend. The old man swore he saw the red sparrow tattoo on his neck."
"Fuck me! Then why are we not doing anything about it then?"
"And risk an all-out brawl in the middle of town? With any luck that bastards just passing throu- what the - a cigar? This almost hit me! Who threw this, huh?!"
Naruto coughed. Then cough again. Nothing. The library receptionist's nose was glued to his book. "Excuse me."
The spectacled receptionist lifted a finger. His brow raised in surprise before eventually putting his book down. "How can I help you?" His voice was as toneless as his expression.
"I'm looking for a book. The Silver Sail. Do you have it?"
The lifeless receptionist looked to his left and right. When satisfied, he pressed a button under his desk. The bookshelf behind him caved inwards and slide opened. Through the secret door, greying and balding Bryce was face down sleeping on his desk again.
Naruto kicked the table only to receive an irritated moan of displeasure.
"Wake up, Bryce. You've got work for once."
Bryce lifted himself like an undead zombie would. "Fuck yourself, Naruto. I was having the most glorious nap." He yawned loudly, stretched, stood up and wrapped himself with his white doctor's coat.
"I see your famous hospitality skills haven't evaded you. How's the wife and kids?"
"Dreadful. Do yourself a favour and never get married. It's a lose-lose situation for everybody, trust me."
"I'll keep that in mind. Listen, as much as I would like to catch up, I am here on business."
Bryce stared at him blankly. "Alright then? Show me."
Placing a miniaturised sized scroll on an empty table, Naruto formed a hand seal, enlarging the tiny scroll into a regular sized one. The scroll then opened itself, releasing a cloud of thick smoke which eventually revealed a corpse of a young red headed man with a pool of dried blood on his chest. Naruto exposed the red sparrow tattoo on the corpse's neck.
Bryce drew out his copy of the Bingo book in his coat pocket and flicked through a few pages.
"How much?" Naruto asked.
"This unfortunate fellow's name is Takari Krell. Five hundred thousand units."
"Five hundred thou – you're fucking with me, Bryce. This is a Red Sparrow member."
"The newest Red Sparrow member. He was no more than a chunin before he went rogue. Make sure to pick up the latest Bingo book on your way out, would you? Honestly, did you run in to any troubles bringing this kid in?"
Silence.
"Five hundred. Take it or leave it."
Not like Naruto had much of a choice. He was poorer than some beggars. Bryce began to light a fire in the incinerator as Naruto spoke. "Bryce. Have you heard anything about him? Where he is? Where he could be?" Even Naruto heard the desperation in his voice.
Bryce suddenly froze for a short while. He met Naruto's eyes and gave a simple solemn shake of the head.
Naruto felt the weight of disappointment on his shoulders. "Just promise to reach out to me if you hear anything. Please." He turned around for the exit.
"You have my word." Bryce promised. "By the way, if you're short on cash, there's a lord nearby looking for security. He's willing to pay big. Might be something you'd be interested in."
Naruto raised a hand of thanks. "Oh and one last thing," The blonde added. "You got to get a new receptionist. One that doesn't make me want to shove my arm down his throat and rip his heart out."
Bryce chuckled lightly. "I'll consider it. Take care of yourself."
"You too, old man. You too."
The Land of Rainbows, unlike its name, the village was extraordinarily mundane to say the least. It wasn't known for anything spectacular, it was hardly known all together. The lord's castle was atop a hill dead centre of the town below a monstrosity of a rainbow, to which locals says only fades when the sun does.
Naruto's escort was a man of few words and fewer teeth. Perhaps that explained the lack of small talk. He had brown withering hair and a slight limp on his left leg which made his armour clink in an uneven pattern. Being inside the castle tied an uncomfortable knot in Naruto's stomach. No doubt the reigning lord likes his lavish lifestyle. With low born citizens fighting for dog and rat meat just below his castle gates, this lord has pretentious art displayed on near every wall and corner of the fortress.
The castle gardens was no exception to the extravagance. An Eden of colours and fragrance one could mistake was handed down from the gods themselves.
"Forgive me, lord Malik," The guard announced. "This sell-shinobi, Naruto of Vensilla, is interested in the protection contract."
Garbed in an all-white robe, the lord ceased his flower sniffing and waddled around. He was a heavy set man so it took him a good few moments to approach. This round faced lord towered Naruto as he pinched his chin and hummed, inspecting Naruto for everything he was worth. He was an unsightly man. He had more dough on his cheeks than a bakery, being his current centre of attention was nothing short of discomforting.
"Your club?" He uttered in the most pompous voice imaginable.
Naruto revealed the tattoo behind his right ear; a sword piercing a broken heart. "The Unwanted."
Lord Malik hummed. "You'll do. Take a walk with me."
Naruto remembered to be on his best behaviour and obeyed. "Yes, my lord."
"If we're to speak truths, this would be my first time hiring a sell-shinobi. The protocols and procedures eludes me. So why don't you ask the questions you require answered and I shall obliged. But make it quick."
"Very well. This protection contract, the lack of detail is quite unsettling. What is it that you want protecting exactly?"
"The most beautiful thing placed on this green and blue earth." He put a hand inside his robe and withdrew a necklace. Its diamond shaped pendant was nothing like Naruto's ever seen. A shining rainbow trapped inside a diamond was his best description.
"The rainbow diamond." Malik explained wearing a twinkle in his eyes. "The pride of my country. An heirloom passed down my family for generations. The last of its kind worth billions of units." He hid the necklace back inside his robe.
"It's been targeted?"
Malik stopped. His mood darkened. "Does the name Red Lips mean anything to you?"
Naruto was taken aback. "The Red Lips?"
"Four days ago, the contents of Lady Dymos' entire personal vault had vanished overnight. No evidence or clues remained on the scene except-"
"A pair of red lip stick marks left on the victim's forehead." Naruto finished. Everyone in his profession is aware of the famous story.
"Lady Dymos is the reigning lady of the Land of Hail. One long road and a couple of mountains separates us and the Hail."
"I see."
The only thing Naruto truly saw was the young, gorgeous beauty across the garden. Her long platinum blonde hair swayed gentle with the breeze. Adorned in a simple yet alluring white linen dress, this beautiful creature strolled barefoot admiring the vast collection of flowers.
"If the rainbow diamond is next on the Red Lips wish list, it is your job to keep her lipstick off my forehead. Do you understand?"
"Yes, my lord." Naruto's voice wavered as lingering eye contact was formed with the lady. That's all it took for her to make the approach. She had confidence. Naruto liked that.
"You are to be unseen and unheard unless called upon. Remain in the shadows. I want to forget that you're even here. Am I clear on that?"
"How terrible of you father." The young beauty said. "If I had known we would be having company I would have made myself more presentable." Her eyes clawed Naruto's attention once again. "My name's Zera Malik. Well, formally, I guess its Lady Zera Malik. And you are?"
"Naruto of Vensilla." Giving his most wicked smile, Naruto acknowledge the devil behind angel exterior. "Sell-shinobi."
"Wow, a sell-shinobi in our midst. Are we safe?"
"Safer now that I'm here."
Zera smirked. "You must get yourself in dangerous situations all the time doing what you do."
Being inspected under her gaze was a far improvement to her fathers. "Some. Nothing that I can't handle."
"You mustn't bother this man, Zera." Lord Malik placed his hand on her shoulder. "Run along, now."
"Yes, father." She smiled innocently then entered the castle.
When alone, Lord Malik placed a heavy hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Look at her again, you lose your eyes. Speak to her again, you lose your tongue. Do you see where I'm going with this?"
A smirk formed on his lips. "I'm a professional, my lord. Now if you would excuse me, I have a date with the shadows." Naruto disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
Three days into the contract and nothing out the ordinary occurred. It was simply watching Lord Malik's daily life which consisted mostly on feasting, drinking and whoring. Who knew how long this contract would last for? The rainbow diamond wasn't under guaranteed threat. Easy money in Naruto's eyes. It's not like Lord Malik couldn't afford his services, the only thing he liked more than naked women covered in liquid chocolate was yelling at guards about increasing taxes.
Another night and another feast for the lord, his friends, family and guards. Wine flowed, food enticed the nostrils, and music blared merrily while smoke loomed heavily in the air. Lord Malik was at the centre of the feast as usual, laughing uncontrollable within the crowd. At the high table sat Lord Malik's top advisor, personal guard and daughter. Zera stared deeply into her wine glass, finger gently tracing the rim. The signal. She stood up and excused herself as Naruto performed the hand sign for a shadow clone.
Echoes of the band's music was still audible inside the dark, flame lit hallway. Naruto's back was pressed against the stone wall as lips locked in a fiery exchange.
"You look down today. Something wrong?" Naruto managed to ask. Zera's more forceful than usual.
"Hush, don't talk." She pressed her body harder against his. Naruto's hands clawed into her hips then her rear. Lips, tongues and saliva mixed in a wonderful concoction of fleshy lust.
"My chamber's nearby." She whispered, devoid of breath and teeming with need. "Come with me."
With Zera's head resting on his chest, Naruto's member remained inside her, half hard and glazed with the product of their mating. One hand comforted the back of her head while the other laid on her waist.
"Was I seeing things or was this your first time?" He asked cautiously. She flinched only minutely. "Why?" Naruto added, confused. "Why me of all people? You barely know me."
Zera hesitated for a good moment. "A fortnight from now, I'm to be married to one of my father's close business partners. For seventeen years, lord Malik has had full control of every aspect of my life. Where I go, who I see, what I wear. His way is the only way. My mother died during child birth. Maybe that's why he's so overprotective over me. For once in my life, I wanted something for myself."
Naruto stayed silent but understood. This was the fate of many young girls in this world, especially ladies of their respective houses.
"My father's not a decent man. It's not something a daughter wants to admit about their father but it's true. He's greedy. Selfish. He treats our people like his personal gold mine. But he's still my father. I can't disobey him."
Naruto hugged her softly. "You have a good heart. I've seen you. You truly care about the wellbeing of others. You should be ruling the Rainbow."
Zera laughed at the notion. "If only."
"Please, Lord Malik," The frail low born begged on his knees in the middle of the Hall of Colours. "The city is no longer safe. People are killing for what little food and water there is. We need more guards patrolling the streets."
Lord Malik yawned ungracefully. "Yes, yes, your concerns have been heard. Action will be taken with immediate effect."
What a piece of shit. At least have the decency to sound like you're telling the truth. Naruto thought from the unseen and unheard. With the possibility of the war knocking at his doorstep at any moment, there's absolutely no chance that this narcissistic cretin would weaken his personal guards. But for the desperate low born, the words was more than enough. He stood up, thanked his lord graciously and exited the room.
Malik wobbled out his chair. "That shall be all for today. I must rest."
By the next breath, the sound of a distant explosion vibrated through castle. Panic instantly ensued. All present ran to the balcony overlooking the city. Lord Malik pushed through the crowd of advisors and guards. two miles north east from their position, a pillar of black smoke looked unnatural in the midst of shining rainbows.
"Sell-shinobi!" Lord Malik screamed furiously.
Naruto materialised by his side. "My lord."
"This is it. It's Red Lips. I can feel it!" He pointed to the raging smoke. "Go! Find her! Bring me her head!"
"If you don't mind me saying, my lord, but I believe it'd be in your best interest for me to stay right here where I can see you."
"What did you say?" Malik seethed. "What the hell am I paying you for?!"
"If that explosion was indeed caused by Red Lips, then she did it as a distraction. She wants you to send your best men to investigate, making you more vulnerable."
"You think I give a damn about what you think! I'm the one in charge here! Go! Remove her skull from her neck and bring it to me! That's an order!"
Naruto sighed tiredly. "As you wish, my lord."
The newly formed bomb site was formally the museum dedicated to the Malik family. After a quick water style jutsu, now it's a pile of charred wood and broken things. The cause of the explosion was no mystery. Classic signs of paper bombs placed on the foundations of the building. Luckily there were no casualties from the whole ordeal.
A crowd nearby the explosion gathered around a small group of sleeping bystanders who wouldn't regain consciousness no matter what the group attempted. Genjutsu was the obvious culprit. When Naruto released them from their slumber, their stories were all identical; being inside the Malik museum when suddenly feeling the uncontrollable urge to sleep. All the signs lead to only one conclusion.
Naruto rushed back to the castle. The fortress was dead silent. From the gardeners, to the cooks, to the guards, each and every soul was in deep sleep. No doubt this was the same powerful genjutsu used in the bomb site.
A single, muffled noise broke through the muteness. It lead to Malik's personal chambers. It took every ounce of Naruto's willpower not to laugh at the pathetic sight of the high and mighty lord Malik being gagged and tied to his bed, bare as the day as he was born with a pair of red lipstick mark on his forehead.
Naruto shrugged his shoulders before ungagging his contractor. "I would say I told you so but that would be too easy."
"She took it! She took the Rainbow Diamond! She just jumped out that window! I command you to bring her to me! Why are you still standing there?!"
"Just appreciating Red Lips' work." Naruto quickly inspected the room. "Master stuff. She didn't leave a trace of her presence apart from that sucker on your head. I'm going to need assistance." He bit into his left thumb, swiped some blood on his right hand and performed the summoning jutsu. From the smoke clouds emerged a sabretooth cub.
"Latigra, would you mind helping me out a little?"
"Sweets first." The cub turned her head away and pouted.
"Sweets later." Naruto put his hands together. "I promise. Now see if you can pick up a third scent in this room. Most likely a woman's."
Eventually, Latigra reluctantly gave in. "Fine."
As she began to sniff around, Naruto was feeling confident. Sabretooth tigers' sense of smell is never more sensitive than in their infant years.
"I'm picking up a more than a few women's scent in here." Latigra judged.
Naruto rolled his eyes. "That's not surprising." He whispered to himself.
"The strongest out of the scents leads out the window. I'm guessing that's the one you're looking for?
"It is." Naruto nodded. "Lead the way."
"Oi, free me from these chains, sell-shinobi!" Malik yelled. "Sell-shinobi! Sell-shinobi!"
The chase lasted for hours. Red Lips had a strong pair of legs on her, for sure. Through mountains, rivers, forests, Naruto managed to attain a visual but she maintained her distance. From afar, he could only see her black hooded cloak dashing from tree to tree. Exiting the woods, the chase lead to an enormous stretch of open field of dandelions. The new moon was as bright as a stage light.
To Naruto's surprise, Red Lips suddenly stopped. She stood like a statue. He slowed down to a walk but kept distance.
"You're not going to let me get away, are you?" She asked.
"No, not really. It's kind of my job." He replied to her back.
"And what is your job exactly?"
"Removing your head from your neck, if I recall correctly."
"So my life is in danger." She nodded. "Thanks, good to know."
In a heartbeat, a pair of shurikens were inches from Naruto's face. He parried them both with a kunai. Red Lips instantly closed the gap between them and swung viciously with a pair of long, beautiful daggers.
A whirlwind of kunai, daggers and taijutsu was exchanged. Her movements were smooth and calculated. On top of that she had swift reflexes and a blinding fast counter. No doubt she's of jounin or ANBU level. Their fighting styles and skill was frighteningly similar, but Naruto managed to bypass her defences and landed a sold kick to the chest, sending her several feet in the distance.
Her hands blurred into a sequence of hand signs. "Earth style – Dandelion jutsu!" Behind her, a single yellow dandelion grew to a gigantic thirty feet in a matter of seconds, and its petals transformed into the shape of a lion's head. The flower-lion roared as it launched itself to shred Naruto with its massive razor-like teeth. Naruto danced with the colossal monster. Despite dodging and evading each attack, he was surprised by how quick the thing moved.
Performing a sequence of hand signs, Naruto pointed to the flower's face as a small ball of wind chakra formed on the tip of his index finger. "Wind Style – Severing Bullet." The pebble sized wind chakra fired at eye opening speeds. It lodged itself at the centre of the dandelion before exploding into a violent winds that sliced the flower into thousands of pieces.
Red Lips seemed rather unaffected. In her hand was a seed-headed dandelion. She blew on the white, fluffy seeds to Naruto's direction to surround him.
Observing closely, Naruto spotted two seeds colliding, igniting like a paper bomb upon contact. Eyes widened as the rest of the seeds lit up like the stars above. The field quivered with the magnitude of the explosion. Naruto exploded out the dust and smoke cloud with only a small scorch mark on the left shoulder of his jacket.
He sees Red Lips' hands flash several hand seals. "Earth style – Dande-bomb jutsu!" Every white headed dandelion within her vicinity lit up and scattered to the winds like snowflakes in a hurricane.
Shit. Not good. Naruto deduced. No wonder she decided to take the fight here, she uses flower based earth style jutsu. She has the field advantage.
He shaped a sequence of hand signs, only to receive a set of laughs from Red Lips. "You move another inch, you die. Whatever jutsu you're planning it's not going to work."
Naruto sneered as a glowing ring manifested around his feet. "Fire style – Fire world jutsu."
A pillar of flames erupted from the glowing ring, encircling Naruto and quickly expanding, exploding the dandelion seeds and scorching the flowers and greenery below their feet. The jutsu died out leaving only smoke and burnt grass in its wake. The earth wall Red Lips used to protect herself crumbled into dust.
"My, my," Naruto said. "To think you'd push me this far. Congratulations." A twitch of fear ran through his opponent. A normal response when anyone sees his full nine tailed chakra cloak mode.
"What the hell are you?" Red Lips' composure was decaying.
"Your end." He raised a hand, extending and shooting a bubbling chakra hand at Red Lips. She managed to pull off a hand seal mere moments before contact, vanishing like a ghost in the wind.
Naruto retracted the orange chakra arm. Genjutsu? She is a specialist. He focused on his inner chakra flow. Nothing irregular.
A subtle shift in the wind from the rear. Naruto's chakra tails caught Red Lip mid-air, the tip of her daggers a hair away from the back of his golden head. "Close. Very close actually. But you're naïve to think such a simple move would-" A sudden pain from his abdomen closed Naruto's mouth. The Red Lips caught in his chakra tails had magically disappeared. Now they're toe to toe as she plunges her dagger deeper and deeper.
"I see." He whispered, a trail of blood leaked from the corner of Naruto's lips. "It was genjutsu. Embedding a suggestion in my mind just subtle enough so I won't notice. Triggering it only at the most opportune moment." He grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off by her feet. A sinister shade of killing intent loomed in his eyes. "But that means absolutely shit to me."
She choked and struggled as hard as she could. Her hood slipped off her head, freeing her long pink flowing hair, full rosy red lips and bright green eyes. Both Naruto's eyes and hand instant softened. "I know you?" He recalled, conflicted.
An owl hooted up on one of the branches above, the stream of the river calmed the soul and the flashing lights of the fireflies gathered a nearby tree was spectacular to look at. As he warmed his hands on the fire, Naruto looked through the flames. His prisoner sat on a tree trunk, hands wrapped in a black fabric that sealed her chakra, prohibiting any forms of chakra control.
She stared at him as he stared at her. "Oh, now I remember you."
"Took you a minute, Sakura." Naruto inspected the two roasting fish on a stick bathing in the flames.
"You're the kid who disappeared over ten years ago, along with the Uchiha boy. We were in the same class at the academy for a year before you upped and called quits. Naruto… something. Or as the villagers called you; the demon. The plague. Monster." Sakura chuckled, putting all the pieces together. "I see. The Ninetailed fox. In all fairness, I would have left the village too if they treated me the way they did you."
"Did you always talk this much back when we were kids?"
"If this is to be my last night, why stay quiet?" A cheeky smirk formed on her lips. "Didn't you have a huge crush on me?"
"No idea what you're talking about."
"No, you did! Yeah, I remember! You couldn't stop looking at me, trying to impress me. Man, you was annoying."
"You've got quite the wild imagination there, love." He took the pair of fish, stood up, sat beside her and offered her one. She lifted her wrapped hands and made a face.
"Oh, yeah." He blew on the fish and placed it next to her infamous lips. They ate in silence and inhaled their food. The chase and fight really built up an appetite. Naruto took a flask out of his back pocket and offered. "Whiskey?"
Sakura shrugged. "Sure, why not." She took a long, deep swig. Naruto took a sip short after.
"Why are you working for a piece of shit like Malik? A man like him deserves his head displayed on a spike."
"I'm a sell-shinobi. I go where the work takes me." He withdrew the rainbow diamond necklace from his pocket, giving it a quick look then putting it back.
"Aren't you supposed to bring him back my head?" She asked carelessly. "So why am I still alive?"
"Honestly?" Naruto hesitated for a while. "I'm not sure. Maybe Malik would reward me with a bonus if he can take your head for himself."
She nudged him with her shoulder. "Perhaps you still have that crush on me?"
"If we're playing the question game, I've got one for you; how does a hardworking, goody two shoed, teacher's pet like you ended up as a notorious thieve?" Taking another sip, Naruto received silence and stream water. Sakura's aura shifted, darker, colder. "Guess we're not playing."
Sometime later, Naruto finished the flask by himself. He turned to the mute Sakura. He had an itch to scratch. "During our fight, you caught me off guard with that last genjutsu. For a second - just for a second - you could have done anything you wanted. Slit my throat. Rip my heart out. You're a pro, you're more than capable to do so. And if you had, you'd be free and making a fortune selling the rainbow diamond in the black market. Instead you missed a vital point. It's hard for me to believe that someone of your calibre would simply miss a killing blow… meaning… it was intentional. Why am I still alive?"
Not a single reaction. She may as well be a part of the tree she's sitting on. Naruto sighed, stood and returned to his old spot and laid down to sleep. "It doesn't matter now. Tomorrow you're Malik's problem. Seriously, good luck with that."
Laughter, cheers, taunts and applaud ensued in the Hall of Colours as Naruto presented Sakura to Lord Malik in a brand new pair of leg and handcuffs. On the high table sat only Zera, her father and his personal guard, towering over his shoulder.
"Brilliant, oh how wonderful-" Lord Malik blurted in a laughing fit. "You managed to bring her to me alive! Well done, sell-shinobi, well done!" He struggled to stand onto his feet. "Red Lips! Face to face we are at last. Oh you and I are going to have the greatest of times." His face soured in a heartbeat. "You will soon learn why NO ONE STEALS FROM ME!" His voice deepened and darkened, sending cold chills to his guards and staff.
"Great. I can't wait to get started." Sakura's sarcasm put a small smile on Naruto's face.
The blonde climbed the stairs to the high table and passed the rainbow diamond back to its owner. "With this, concludes our contract." Naruto stated. "The only matter that needs to be settled now is payment."
Malik's giant guard tossed over bountiful sized bag of gold.
"There," Lord Malik said. "Paid in full. Now leave."
"A pleasure, my lord." Naruto bowed and exchanged a goodbye nod to Zera while Lord Malik waved an uninterested hand. As Naruto made his way out the room, he stopped unexpectedly by Sakura's side. "Oh yeah, there was one thing I forgot to mention," He told his former classmate, leaning forward so his lips covered her ear. "I did have a crush on you." He pulled back, placed a hand in her hair and pulled her in for a dominating, heated kiss. Naruto made sure the kiss lasted and took every liberty he could. It's not every day he gets to lock lips with his childhood love. The two was desperate for air. Their eyes met and held each other's gaze. Naruto then detached himself and exited the room without another word.
The grotesque guardsman laughed the entire walk to the dungeons until he shoved Sakura in probably the dirtiest cell in the castle. She sat down and leaned her back on the back wall.
The guard shut and locked the cell doors. "You're in for a long night, little girl. Lord Malik has given us guards' permission to use you as we please for as long as we please. Don't worry, you won't have to wait long, we're just deciding on who gets to fuck you first. Make sure you're still struggling by the time I get to you. There's nothing more I hate than fucking a girl who's just takes it like a lifeless fish." He laughed and laughed as he joined his friends upstairs.
Now alone, Sakura lightly shook her head repeatedly in a single direction. A smirk curved her lips as a silver key fell from the back of her ear and into her hand.