Long time no see! I haven't actually written anything new. This is just the update I never posted... and the next 20 over the next three weeks, heheheh.
After such an energetic orgy, the entire crew slept soundly, only waking at about nine the next morning. Naruto was the first to wake up, as was usually the case, and he stretched lazily, with a broad grin on his face as the memories of the previous night came flooding back to him.
"Hey, Shikamaru, how far are we from Geniya Station?" Naruto whispered, trying to let his Pack sleep as long as possible.
"About half an hour. It's 0900," the AI replied just as quietly.
Despite their precautions, the Pack indeed woke up due to Naruto's awakened thoughts. In a Mexican wave of lovely torsos, the crew sat up and grinned up at Naruto, leaving him feeling like the luckiest sumbitch in the galaxy.
After a brief shower, they split up to get dressed, with business attire being the order of the day. Naruto got dressed in a light grey suit, with a white shirt and royal blue tie, while Sasuke went for a black suit, black shirt, and silver tie. As they tied the full Windsor knots, they watched Hinata as she sashayed past them wearing matching white underwear, and cream colored heels, trailing a finger lightly along her formal outfits as if deciding which one to wear.
She eventually stepped into a cream pencil skirt, which she pulled up over her pert bottom, and put on a white blouse, before sliding her slender arms through the sleeves of her jacket. She glided over to stand before them, and reached out with her hand to gently feel the heat of their hard cocks through their trousers. She nodded with satisfaction that her outfit had achieved the desired result, then smiled at them coyly before sauntering out into the bedroom.
Naruto followed after the mischievous girl, laughing heartily and shaking his head while Sasuke grumbled good naturedly. The rest of his crew were waiting for them in the corridor outside their quarters, and he stopped to admire them too.
Tenten was wearing a two-piece outfit, which consisted of a light grey, figure hugging skirt that stopped just above the knee, and a matching crop top with three-quarter length sleeves, that left her shoulders bare. Hana was wearing a similar outfit , but this one was a black sleeveless high neckline crop top that revealed an inch of her toned stomach. Fu was wearing a long form-fitting one-piece aquamarine dress that ended mid-thigh, and showed off her shapely legs, while Sakura was wearing a black fishtail skirt that ended above the knee, along with a white short-sleeved, closely fitting blouse. Gaara had elected for a tan suit with a white shirt and red tie, bringing out his hair.
Wearing heels, all five girls were nearly at his height, and they smiled with satisfaction at his obvious approval, as Naruto, Sasuke, and Gaara whistled appreciatively when they posed for them. They had all taken the time to artfully apply make-up, and the cosmetics skilfully enhanced their natural beauty, giving them smoky eyes and making their eyelashes seem even longer as they gave him come-hither looks.
"We were going for 'secretary that would look great on her knees' as a look. Did we pull it off?" the Matriarch of their little family asked the men.
"You'll cause riots with every red-blooded humanoid we pass," Sasuke said woefully in jest.
"The Suna would literally worship you as goddesses if they saw you now," Gaara provided.
Naruto looked thoughtful before stepping forward to caress their stomachs. "You all look the part for any business meeting, and I can honestly say I don't think I've seen you girls look any sexier. All I'm wondering right now, is how stretchable the material around the waistline needs to be, so I'd say a resounding success!"
The girls grinned with delight, and he gestured politely for them to proceed to the Officers' Lounge for breakfast, while he followed behind, walking beside Hinata.
*That's a hell of a view,* she thought to him, as they both watched the girls' hips swaying seductively as they glided along in their heels while the men walked purposefully with shoulders back.
Naruto glanced at her, and grinned, as he said, *Aren't I supposed to be the one saying that?*
*Hey, they're all gorgeous, and I love fucking them as much as you do,* she told him saucily, much to his amusement.
They had a quick breakfast and made it up for the Bridge. They all settled into their respective stations, Naruto overlooking them all from the Command Chair.
"So, tell us about Kakashi. He is the reason we came all the way out here," Tenten reasoned, taking a break from talking to Shikamaru.
"He's a trader of luxury items. I traded with him six months ago for a shipment of Rylein Cagfish I got cheap at the Mizu border. I made most of the money I needed for the first Tyrenium deal in that trade, but the stink in the Cargo Bay took weeks to dissipate! Anyway, he's very civilized, very attached to the finer things in life. At the same time, he's very down to earth and wise. And he's got a great sense of humor. I think he'd do great as our Banker, working all our money to do some good with it all instead of just sitting in my account gathering dust," Naruto explained.
"You're going to become a philanthropist, now?" Sasuke asked.
"Why not? I have enough money to make a difference. A financial whiz, particularly an enhanced Uzu, should make that wealth even bigger and self-sustaining. Then we can start helping out in a way that doesn't involve grisly murder. Set up a foundation for asteroid colonies like Karron, increase patrols to cut down on piracy, maybe set up modular spaceports to make more outposts along the borders. Anything's possible if you can pay for it, and Kakashi could enable that," Naruto argued.
Hinata and Tenten were severely touched. "You're thinking about how many geniuses like Tenten slipped through the cracks, aren't you?" Hinata asked.
"That, and people in those kind of places deserve a good quality of life, same as anyone. Where they can trust in the law instead of street law. I know it's a big problem and could take years and billions to combat, but we've got nothing but time." Naruto grinned at his asteroid girls. "I want us to be able to tour Karron with our children without fear of getting shot. Show them where Mama Hinata and Mama Tenten came from."
This was too much for the Karron girls and they rushed to hug him, tears in their eyes. Luckily, all their make-up was waterproof. Naruto handled the armful of crying females, offering them comfort as they got over their moment, and then let them go to return to their stations.
There was a soft chime just as Hinata sat in the XO Chair. "Saved by the bell," she quipped at Naruto as they arrived in the Theta Aquarii system. Hinata brought up the System Map, which showed the large yellow star of the Theta Aquarii system, and the Invictus dropped out of hyperwarp as they approached the gravity well of the star. At the far side of the map, deeper into Oto territory, was the trading outpost. Hinata brought up the Tactical Map too, and the passive sensors began to provide more information on the vessels in the area.
The trading outpost was actually a huge starport that seemed to be bustling with activity, and the transponders from dozens of merchant vessels from all sorts of alien species now began to appear on the map. Each ship was displayed as the sensors gathered more data, and Tenten watched the Tactical Map eagerly, excited to see so many strange and unusually shaped alien spacecraft.
Much closer to them however, and directly between them and the trading post, was a colossal Freighter that seemed to be stationary, as though waiting for docking clearance. Hinata altered their course so that they would fly around it, and as they drew closer, the Freighter appeared in detail on the Tactical Map, causing the crew to gasp in shock.
"The Warning," Naruto confirmed for them in a somber voice, as they glanced back at him in awe.
Tenten brought up a detailed zoomed-in view of the massive Freighter, and the hologram hovered above them in the center of the Bridge. The archaic vessel was huge, nearly two kilometers long, and they could all immediately tell some horrible fate had befallen it. The enormous merchant ship had been hit by hundreds of laser blasts, and every facing showed catastrophic weapon damage to the armor plating. Titanium armour had been blasted away in innumerable impact areas, with huge gouges carved through the thick plating before slicing into the hull beneath. As they drew alongside, they could see that vast holes had been melted directly through the gigantic ship, punching through the superstructure and coring out the stricken Freighter. The diameter of these tunnels was so wide, they were almost big enough for the Invictus to fly through.
"What kind of Laser weapons could cause that?" Fu asked, cowed by the display of Oto military might.
"Most of those gouges, we could do with our Uzu 0.5 tech. Those big holes though, those are from something bigger than Beams. The Laser equivalent of Mass or Singularity Drivers, in terms of scale," Tenten said, analyzing the Warning with the eye of one who makes things that break other things.
"Could we outfit our ship with something like that?" Sasuke asked, curious.
"I could rough out a design that would replace the Beams, but they would be real power hogs. Three ports per weapon, so we'd go from 6 super Beams to 2, well, ultra Beams. But we'd be lucky we have an Uzu 0.5 Power Core; the other weapons otherwise wouldn't have been able to even fire while the Big Ones were charging," Tenten argued.
"The Beams don't really have much of a firing arc anyway, and the Laser Cannons are stronger than standard Konoha Federation Beams. I say we do it," Hana said excitedly. "And while we're at it, can we upgrade my Chair? I'm feeling really limited with this Konoha interface, compared to the Uzu one in my head."
"Okay, but it'll take me a few days and a lot of Invictium to shape the barrels and then install all the gear to make it operational. And then we'd have to be in drydock, to remove the Beams and install the new… what are we going to call them? They're not Quantum," Tenten asked.
Gaara rose a hand. "According to Suna's spies, the most powerful example of Oto Laser weaponry is known as the Nova Lance."
"It's not stealing if we come up with it ourselves. Then it's the same as convergent evolution," Sasuke argued.
"All the same, I'd wait until we're out of Oto space before we install them. Don't want them thinking we stole their schematics," Naruto advised his crew, which coming from him was good as an order.
"While we're here, why not try for their schematics? I doubt they're better than Uzu 0.5 but we might as well check, right?" Hinata asked.
"I'll bring it up with Kakashi before we offer him the Gift," Naruto promised.
Fu brought the Invictus in closer, and a flashing light on Naruto's console told them that they were being hailed. He nodded at Gaara and he pressed a couple of buttons, opening the comm channel with the Oto Space station. The view screen crackled for a second, and an image of a humanoid in ornate armour filled the display.
Sakura looked on eagerly for her first glimpse at the Oto. The alien's armor was gold and worked with intricate silver filigree in elaborate, swirling designs, and included a helmet that completely covered the Oto's face. It was by far the most ostentatious set of armour she had ever seen, even managing to make their own glossy white Armor suits look positively bland in comparison.
"Greetings, and welcome to the Geniya Trading post!" The Oto starport traffic controller said in a pleasant tone. "Please could you identify yourselves, and let me know what business you have with us today?"
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, in command of the Invictus, and I'm hoping to be able to meet with the merchant Kakashi, to discuss some trade deals," Naruto replied in a polite and courteous tone.
The Oto bowed his head respectfully, then said, "You are welcome at Geniya again, Mr Uzumaki. Please proceed to Docking Bay 24, and I'll provide your navigation computer with the guide path. Would you like me to contact Kakashi to let him know of your arrival?"
"That would be much appreciated, thank you," Naruto replied with a respectful nod of his head.
"I hope you have a pleasant visit with us, Mr Uzumaki," the Oto said amiably, and then ended the call.
The green guide path appeared, showing them the route to take, that would lead them to the correct docking bay from the dozens dotting the starboard side of the starport. Fu turned the Invictus, and gently powered up their engines, bringing them in closer to the starport at a sedate pace.
"They seem very friendly," Sakura observed, as she looked up at Naruto.
He smiled at her and nodded as he replied, "As I said before, the Oto are a friendly and civilized species, and trading with them is quite enjoyable."
"They just slaughter you mercilessly if you invade their territory," Sasuke said in a blase manner.
"And unlike everyone else in the League apart from them, we know what they look like," Hinata pointed out. "If all the women are as hot as Guren, we might be recruiting quite a few," she said playfully.
"Let's focus on Kakashi for now, okay honey?" Naruto begged.
They turned back to watch the Geniya spaceport as it loomed larger above them, and the Oto architectural design turned out to be just as striking as their armor. The whole station was colored a rich gold, that seemed to reflect the light of the sun, making the whole outpost gleam brightly as it hung there in the blackness of space. Where the Konoha Federation tended to build their starports vertically, the Oto station spread out in a wide arc, the surface dotted with towers and spires that reached gracefully for the heavens.
As Fu brought their Assault Cruiser around on final approach to the Docking Bay, the green guide path brought them higher, and gave them an even better view of the station. From here they could see that there were numerous curving crystal domes built into the surface, and from the green foliage within, it was obvious they were hydroponic zones.
"This place is beautiful!" Sakura remarked in wonder, voicing the thoughts that the other Pack members were sharing too.
Tenten looked up at Naruto and grinned as she remarked, "I think the Konoha Federation could learn a thing or two about design aesthetics from the Oto!"
There was a chorus of agreement as they looked out over the resplendent starport before them, until they were eventually swallowed up by the Docking Bay. Fu brought them in to land, and the Invictus touched down gently in the center of the huge room. Naruto stood and smiled at the others as they rose to join him, enjoying the view as they walked ahead of him towards the anti-grav tube.
"What about weapons or armor?" Shikamaru asked as they were leaving.
"The Oto won't tolerate any fighting in their spaceports. Besides, we're psychic. We always have weapons and armor. Now please keep an eye on the ship," Naruto called out, waving at the purple hologram as he left the Command Deck.
"Like I have nothing better to do," the AI playfully griped.
They descended in the red glow of the anti-grav tube until making it to the airlock, which spun open for them courtesy of Shikamaru. Unexpectedly, there wasn't a single noticeable difference between the air quality of Geniya Station and the clear, crisp air provided by Tenten's Uzu Oxygen filters.
"Guess Orochimaru left some of his tech behind for the Oto to play with, like he did for the Suna," Tenten reasoned.
"Let's not mention that name around here. We don't know how much they remember," Naruto cautioned.
They all filed out through the airlock, which Hinata closed behind her, as she was the last person to exit the ship. The interior of the Docking Bay wasn't quite as ostentatious as the exterior, but the walls were still a bright metallic silver, with heavy gold ornamentation on the support buttresses and around the doorframes. Two guards stood at the entrance to the actual facility itself, and they nodded at Naruto and waved him and his retinue through as they approached.
Tenten couldn't resist giving their laser rifles a glance with Material Sight. They turned out to be of similar quality to the Laser Railgun, if perhaps a tad weaker and with much worse heatsinks. All but confirming that Uzu 0.5 Lasers were equal or better to Oto Lasers. Tenten was quite smug that she had reverse-engineered weapons that matched the 'best' in the Galactic League.
The corridor leading out from the Docking Bay had a high ceiling, with a transparent crystalline window that ran the entire length, providing an excellent view of the stars overhead. This section of the spaceport was quiet and empty, but as they reached the end of the corridor, they could hear the bustle of activity coming from the room beyond. After striding through the large doorway, they found themselves on a long, curving gallery that overlooked a thriving merchant district.
The girls darted forward eagerly, then leant against the balcony, looking out at the hundreds of aliens gathered below. They stared and pointed at the really unusually shaped ones, while trying to be discreet and not too raucous about it. Numerous Oto were dotted through the crowd, either merchants themselves, or guards on patrol, reminding everyone of their presence in the trade district. Gaara and Sasuke stayed next to Naruto, both having seen plenty of aliens in their lives.
*This reminds me of our first trip to Port Heracles,* Hinata thought to him happily, as she leaned over the balcony to drink in the amazing sights before them.
Naruto walked up behind her, and watched over her shoulder, looking to see what had drawn her attention. *At least you can stare to your heart's content from up here,* he teased her playfully, remembering his warning to her about being too obvious about it.
Sakura and Tenten walked up to them and flanked him, looking up at his face eagerly. "Can you tell us what all these species are, please?" they asked him sweetly.
He laughed and nodded, and they clapped excitedly, before leaning out over the balcony once again. Tenten spotted a couple of diminutive Suna walking through the crowds, standing out with their shiny silver jumpsuits and large bulbous heads, and she pointed them out to Sakura.
They all felt a mental knock on their shields and opened them to hear one of the Suna state *Greetings to you, UzumakiNaruto, and your curvaceous companions. And greetings, Ambassador Gaara. Your form proves you are now a bridge between our peoples,* the Suna said in reverent awe.
*Thank you. Best of wishes to you,* Naruto thought back, while on the Pack mind he told Gaara *See, not everyone stares in a bad way.*
They then returned their attention to the aliens below, and Naruto began to identify them for the inquisitive girls.
"That's a Yuki," he said, nodding towards a bizarre looking creature that looked somewhat like a mottled green eel, but had two pairs of arms. It was raised up, standing about seven feet tall, and looked like the letter 'S' as it slithered across the plaza below.
The girls pointed out a wide variety of alien creatures, and Naruto dutifully identified each species, as the unknowing aliens went about their business. From a squat looking mollusc, with five eyes at the end of long stalks, to a thin, feathered avian species, which had a blunt beak and numerous dextrous looking talons at the end of its several short arms and wings; he named every unique species that the girls could spot.
"Hey, that's an Umi isn't it?" Hinata asked him, nodding her head towards the familiar dark green gelatinous blob that she saw squelching from merchant to merchant, examining their catalogues of goods. It was followed by a couple of robotic porters that carried numerous boxes in their arms.
Naruto followed her look and nodded when he spotted the creature. "Well remembered," he said with a smile, recalling her first encounter with one months before.
*Hello!* Hinata thought to the viscous, jelly-like creature. *How are you today?*
The Umi paused, turned slightly, and then seemed to jump a little. Without a face of any kind, it was quite hard for Hinata to tell which way the creature was looking, or what kind of emotions it was feeling.
*My apologies, blinding one, I was absorbed in my browsing. Pleasant greetings to you as well. May I be of assistance to you on this splendid morning?* The Umi thought to her in its kind, melodic voice.
*No, I'm fine thanks! I met an Umi on Port Heracles, and he was very nice. I just wanted to say, 'Hi',* she said to the alien in a friendly tone.
The Umi seemed to think a smile to her and said, *You seem very nice as well, blinding one. If you'll forgive me, I must return to my business, but I hope you have a lovely day!*
Hinata sent him a mental wave goodbye, copying the technique that the Umi had used with her, before focusing her attention on her friends once more.
Sakura tapped a finger against her chin. "Is it just me, or are the only bipedal humanoids we've seen been made by you-know-who? I need to give that Kusa you stuffed in the cryopod another look. Maybe they were made as an attack species, disposable soldiers on the front lines to replace the Thralls."
"That's a good idea. Now, I think we've done enough ogling for one day. Let's head for Kakashi," Naruto told his crew.
It took them about ten minutes to walk completely around the gallery until they reached the end of the long merchant district. Naruto led them down a broad set of steps, and then they weaved through the throng of alien merchants as they walked over to the entrance to the Oto Trading Commission. The area behind them had been set aside for all alien races to set up stalls to barter their wares, but the area they were walking into now was reserved for the various Oto merchants themselves.
The main foyer area was huge, and relatively peaceful after the chaotic gathering behind them. Trees and flower gardens were spaced evenly around the massive room, and fully armored Oto civilians went about their business, while armed Oto guards stood to attention around the walls. There were lots of elaborate glass frontage areas along each wall, with long cloth banners in various bright colours hanging down from the ceiling.
Naruto looked around for a moment, and spotted a crimson banner with an elaborate sigil on it, over on the far side of the room. "Kakashi's offices are over there," he told them, pointing it out clearly to his companions.
Sakura was distracted, using X-Ray Vision to look through the armor of the various Oto. "Gaara was right, they're all men. We haven't passed a single Oto woman since we got here," she said in a low tone so the Oto wouldn't overhear.
Naruto led them through the wide crystalline entranceway to Kakashi's offices, and the lobby interior had a number of elaborate fountains spaced around, the water tinkling musically. The floors were made of some kind of polished stone that looked to have been pristinely fitted, with the striations in the stone flowing smoothly across the large room, and the joins between slabs were completely invisible. An Oto in intricate gold and red armor was studying a holographic interface, and he turned to greet them when they walked towards him.
"Naruto! It's wonderful to see you! I received a call from Traffic letting me know you were on your way, and I've been on tenterhooks ever since. How long has it been?" the Oto asked, sounding overjoyed as he held out his hand to clasp Naruto's in a firm handshake.
Naruto grinned at the armored man, and exclaimed, "It's great to see you too Kakashi! At least six months since I saw you last I think. Did you manage to shift those Cagfish?"
Kakashi doubled over with laughter. "That was such a sweet deal! Even if those damnable creatures stank up my warehouse! I had a buyer all lined up, but he... backed out... at the last minute. I managed to hunt around, and then found someone desperate for a shipment for an ambassador's reception. I doubled my profit in a stroke!" the Oto said with glee.
The crew all read between the lines: his first buyer had been killed in an Oto power game, which Gaara told them was all but a cornerstone of their culture.
"Very nice, you must have made a fortune," Naruto said, nodding appreciatively, and smiling at his friend's success.
Kakashi glanced at the girls and guys and tilted his head to the side as he turned to look at Naruto again. "You seem to have expanded your crew somewhat since we last spoke. And there's me thinking you were a lone wolf!" he said, teasing him gently.
Naruto grinned self-consciously, then turned to the crew and said, "Kakashi, please let me introduce Hinata, Sasuke, Hana, Tenten, Fu, Gaara, and Sakura. Lady Luck's been smiling on me recently too, and they all help me crew my new ship."
"Ah yes, Commodore Uzumaki Naruto and the Assault Cruiser Invictus," Kakashi said with some amusement. "Not bad, for someone who was supposed to have retired from the military a decade ago."
"How did you...?" Naruto blurted, looking startled.
Kakashi wagged a finger in his direction, "Come, come, Naruto. You should know better than to ask me something like that," he said, and it was easy to visualise the Oto's smirk, even behind the armored helmet.
Sakura took advantage of the opportunity to stand that close to a Oto, and studied the alien curiously. The gold and red armor he wore was elegant and form fitting, studded with a myriad of extremely valuable glimmering gemstones, making the suit worth a small fortune. Kakashi himself stood at about 5'10 in his armored boots, so with Sakura wearing high heels, she actually looked down on him slightly. The Oto was obviously of a slim build, but other than that, he could well have been a Konoha with an Ectomorph body type.
Kakashi waved them over to some double doors that seemed to suddenly appear out of the wall, and had begun to open smoothly. "It's a pleasure to meet you all, ladies and gentlemen," he said to the crew graciously. "Why don't we go and relax somewhere a little more comfortable?"
The Pack nodded, and followed after Naruto and Kakashi as they strolled down a long corridor with a clear crystal ceiling. They passed a few doors to their left and right, before a set of double doors began to open up in front of them, further down the corridor to the left. Naruto walked through the doors after Kakashi, and the large room contained a number of comfortable looking sofas, and an ornate desk against the far wall.
There was another armored Oto sitting behind the desk, fully absorbed in whatever it was looking at. The Oto ignored them completely as they all trooped into the room, and Kakashi held out his hand invitingly, gesturing for Naruto and the crew to sit down. He then strode over to the desk, and he seemed to bristle with anger as he looked down at the seated Oto.
"Karin, I have guests. Could you use another room, please," he requested in a civil tone, but it was obviously a struggle.
*This one's a female, no doubt,* Sakura thought to them all, using standard Telepathy for all but Naruto.
The seated Oto snorted with contempt, and then rose gracefully, picking up a sinister looking black device from the desk as it stood. When the Oto, Karin, walked around the desk and finally looked up at them, she suddenly stumbled, gasping in shock. The black device she held in her hand tumbled from her fingertips and crashed to the floor, shattering into dozens of pieces. Karin staggered backwards clutching at the desk for support, before she got a hold of herself, and sprinted from the room, abandoning the wrecked device that lay smashed on the floor.
Naruto and the Pack all tensed. *She recognized me,* Naruto stated without a drop of doubt.
*Yet Kakashi didn't. Maybe the women kept the history alive on the core worlds and the men forgot out here on the trading posts,* Sasuke theorized.
*What do we do, run after her? She could be going to call for help,* Hinata worried.
*Until such time as a fight starts, let's not act aggressively. For all we know, she's running to hide under her bed and pray we go away. Let's focus on Kakashi for now,* Naruto ordered the Pack.
All this taking place at the speed of thought, Kakashi was still sweeping the fragments of the black device before settling in his chair. "Sorry about that," he said wearily. "She can be a real bitch."
"I don't recall seeing Karin around here before," Naruto mused, addressing Kakashi, who sat behind his desk, drumming his fingers on the glossy surface with irritation.
"No, thank heavens. She's a 'guest', and I only have to put up with her for another week, then it'll be glorious peace and quiet once again," Kakashi replied wistfully.
He looked over the desk, and tsked with annoyance at the mess the shattered device had made on the floor. A few seconds later a couple of cleaning robots glided in silently on some kind of hover system, and they began to efficiently sweep up the scattered components.
Kakashi seemed to suddenly remember he had guests to attend to, and he sprang to his feet, while tapping out a series of commands on the console. A section of the coffee table folded back on itself and a hidden platform rose up, revealing a decanter of crimson wine, and a number of delicate crystal glasses.
"Naruto, everyone, please help yourselves. I humbly apologise for that awkward incident, you must think terribly of Oto hospitality," Kakashi said, sounding embarrassed.
Sat on three couches arranged in a 'u' facing Kakashi's desk, the eight members of the Pack served themselves glasses of the sweet red wine, which proved quite flavorful. After taking a second sip to really savor the aroma, Naruto put down his glass. *Hinata, project a Silence field. I don't want anyone listening in, not even his own cameras.*
*I'm on it,* his Matriarch replied faithfully.
Kakashi stared at the beautiful young women for a moment, before turning to look at Naruto. "So what brings Lady Luck's most favoured son to my humble abode?" he asked curiously.
Naruto felt the wave of psionic energy from his mate and knew that they were safe from prying ears. "I have two offers. I hope you say yes to both, but I hardly expect it. They're hard sells, to be sure."
Kakashi leaned forward on steepled fingers. "I'm intrigued. Go on, I'm listening."
"The first offer is you give us or put us in contact with someone who can give us Oto Laser weaponry, to the tune of 5 billion ryo," Naruto said uninterestedly. It was pure academic curiosity on Tenten's part to see their Laser tech at this point.
Kakashi sighed. "I am most pleased for you that you have come into those kinds of assets. But I'm afraid I cannot help you. Selling or even showing our Laser weaponry to non-Oto is a capital crime among my people. I'm sorry to tell you, Naruto, that no amount of ryo will get you those weapons for your ship or crew."
Naruto shrugged. "No matter. The ones we have now work well enough. I just figured I'd ask."
Kakashi tilted his head. "And the second offer?"
Naruto sighed. "The short version is, you abandon your business and join my crew. You want to hear the long version or should we just leave now?"
Sasuke winced. *You need to work on your technique. That was blunt as all hell.*
Kakashi startled, leaning back in his chair. "Excuse me? Naruto, friend, I care for you like a brother but what could possibly motivate me to leave my business to join you?"
Naruto leaned forward, his eyes intent, X-Ray Vision letting him monitor Kakashi's facial features. He tried not to be distracted by how pretty the man was. "Tell me, does the name 'Orochimaru' ring a bell for you?"
Kakashi blinked before bursting into laughter. "You studied more of Oto culture than I thought, Naruto! What does any of this have to do with an old fairy tale?"
"I haven't heard it but let me guess. Orochimaru came to the Oto, took the women, and disappeared. Every now and then he'd come back and kidnap more women. Something like that?" Naruto asked piercingly.
"Yes, yes, nonsense to scare our daughters into behaving. It's nothing but a scary story."
Naruto steepled his fingers. "What if I told you it wasn't a fairy tale? What if I told you that Orochimaru was a real person, a member of a race called the Uzu, that was a powerful psychic that used mind control to turn thousands of women into sexual slaves and soldiers in his armies? What if I told you that he genetically altered the Oto to have the skewed birth rate I'm not supposed to know about?"
Kakashi went deadly still. "How could you possibly know that? If it were true, it would be ancient history."
Naruto waved a hand at Gaara. "Gaara was born on Suna. They're psychic too. They can pass on memories, perfectly preserved, from one generation to another. Orochimaru enslaved the Suna the same way he enslaved the Oto. The difference is, the Suna remembered. And if that's not enough to convince you, Fu here is actually over 10,000 years old. She met Orochimaru in the flesh. We can show you the memory if you want."
Kakashi was silent for a minute. X-Ray Vision showed his eyes darting back and forth in racing thought as sweat dripped down his brow. "Say, for argument's sake, that I believe you… what does this have to do with me joining your crew?"
Naruto tilted his head to show his ears. "You know I'm not Konoha. Guess what I am."
Kakashi's jaw dropped. "You?! You're one of these… Uzu? You want me as your sex slave?"
Naruto shook his head. "I'm VERY different from Orochimaru. For one thing, I don't use mind control. Every member of my crew joined me because they gave informed consent. Second, I swing both ways. Hence my equal interest in you as in Hinata here. Third, I'm not building an army to conquer, I'm creating a family to defend."
Kakashi laid his hands down on his desk. "You… want me to join your family? Why? We're friends, but nothing special."
"I've had a crush on you for years now. I can honestly say I like you for your mind rather than your body," Naruto said, before getting a salacious smirk. "Of course, now that I can see your body, I like it very much."
"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked, suddenly terrified.
"When we met six months ago, my powers were inactive. I hadn't met the right conditions yet. Now, I have X-Ray Vision, among other things. I can see you now, from your black hair to your blue skin to your pointed ears," Naruto revealed.
Kakashi tensed. "There are only two capital crimes among the Oto. One is giving away the Laser weaponry. The other is revealing ourselves to outsiders."
"Then you're in luck, you haven't revealed yourself. And none of us will mention your skin color in earshot of other Oto," Naruto reassured.
"Karin is probably listening to us right now! She's the best hacker I've ever heard of, my firewalls would be nothing to her!" Kakashi said, suddenly panicked.
Naruto used just a touch of Psychic Sleep to calm Kakashi down. "Relax, we've got it covered. We put up a silencing field. Those microphones are picking up nothing."
Kakashi blinked behind his armor. "Okay… I definitely felt that. I'll believe this psychic powers nonsense. But we still haven't covered why I would join your crew and give up my hard-earned empire."
"I can only tell you that, overall, you'll probably gain more than you'll lose. There's a great many benefits to joining my crew, even if the lifetime membership bothers some people," Naruto said winningly.
Kakashi sighed. "Again, for argument's sake, let's say I was interested. What are these benefits?"
"First and foremost, immortality," Naruto said straight-faced.
Kakashi would have done a spit-take if he'd been drinking anything. "What the fuck?" he demanded.
"If you have any medical background, I can show you the data on our telomeres. Otherwise, you'll just have to take our word for it," Sakura spoke up from where she'd been listening attentively.
"Orochimaru reigned over the Oto for approximately 60,000 Konoha years," Gaara stated with confidence.
Kakashi seemed to absorb that. "Okay, having eternity to remake my fortune makes abandoning my business slightly more palatable. What else?"
"You'll become bisexual, so you'll be able and willing to have fun with the whole crew. You'll get psychic powers, just as many as I have. You'll have access to our funds, in excess of 5 billion, to spend as you please. You'll become taller and more muscular, and your hair will probably turn white. You'll have some mild personality shifts, like the bisexuality, a tendency to be submissive, and a strong desire for children. And you'll have all of us, to be there for you in any way you need us. That's the point of Pack: we take care of each other," Naruto said, getting quite passionate at the end.
Kakashi placed a hand over his heart. "Oh, my friend, you know just how to get to me. I've been craving a family for longer than you've been alive. A REAL family, at least. But to give up everything for it, even with such fabulous gifts offered… I don't know."
"Well, it's nearly lunchtime. Why don't you come with us, get to know us, see what forever with us would be like?" Hinata offered with a stunning smile.
Kakashi stared before shaking his head. "Oh, Naruto, your women are sly temptresses indeed!" Kakashi called out. "Very well. I'll treat you to the best restaurant in Geniya Station! The owner owes me a favor. Just let me call in the booking and we can be on our way."
