It was late in the morning when they all finally woke up. Naruto stretched lazily and glanced over at the ship's chronometer and saw that it was well past ten. The Pack began to wake moments later, and they sat up and stretched, smiling at him happily as they did so.
"Let's go and have some brunch," Naruto said cheerfully, and nodding eagerly, they all headed into the shower.
Everyone was well rested and recovered after such a lengthy sleep the previous night, and they had a long, unhurried shower together, which was very tactile and enjoyed by all. They dressed in their own rooms afterwards, and then reconvened in the Officer's Lounge to prepare a meal for themselves.
Naruto had the novel experience of being kicked out of his own kitchen, there simply being too many crew members willing to contribute. Shaking his head, Naruto went to the couch and pulled along Kakashi, who hadn't bothered trying for the kitchen. "Let's hope I trained them well," Naruto said lightly. "Now, want to talk before you get your own brunch?"
"Sure, what do you want to talk about?" the nude Oto male asked.
"You. We hardly know anything about you," Naruto said, pulling Kakashi into his lap.
"Not much to tell. I was born on Epsilon Aquarii IV to my mother Sakuma. I never knew my father, just one of the studs at one of the Trading outposts. I had a decent education growing up, but I was utterly terrified of my mother, her 'allies' and especially her enemies. As soon as I'd saved up enough money, I bought passage to Geniya. I apprenticed for a kind trader named Obito and eventually wound up with my own practice. That's about it."
Naruto narrowed his eyes, picking something out of Kakashi's mind. "Any other family?" He asked leadingly.
Kakashi sighed. "Once I got successful, I was suddenly desirable. I've been bid on or loaned out by House Guren five times to five different women. I have five daughters out there I barely know. Four, I should say. My eldest, Sylmae, died. Oto politics are a high stake game and she paid the price for her ambition."
Naruto hugged his Oto lover. "I'm so sorry for your loss, Kakashi."
"I hadn't spoken to her in 20 years at the time. She was a stranger to me," Kakashi said mournfully. "Not like the children I'll be having with the lovely ladies of the Pack, I hope," he added, switching to hopeful.
Naruto grinned. "You'll be an excellent father, I'm sure. And it's not too late for you to have a relationship with your daughters. I might have to enthrall them to stop them being bitches, which will be a bit awkward, but it's possible."
Kakashi looked a tad uncomfortable at the thought of Naruto feeding his progeny his cum, but the prospect of being able to hug and kiss his little girls was worth it. "They'll look beautiful with white hair."
Naruto kissed Kakashi and scratched the man's scalp. "Not as beautiful as their father," he said genuinely.
Kakashi blushed. "Charmer," he accused.
"Just honest with my opinions," Naruto countered. "Now, you want a bite of what the Pack cooked up or just a double dose here and now?"
"You know, it smells so good, I want to try it. Is that meat I smell?" Kakashi wondered.
Naruto took a deep breath and between his enhanced senses and sensitive palate worked out what his crew were working on. "Chicken and waffles with syrup. Sweet and savory combined at last. It's a Konoha comfort food."
True to his guess, the seven members of the pack who'd crammed themselves in the tiny kitchen came out with platters of buttermilk fried chicken and cinnamon waffles with a variety of syrup flavors. The crew all tucked in once they took their seats, and enjoyed the fruits of their labor.
Naruto moaned around a bite. "You all are perfect wife and husband material!" He complimented, getting doe-eyed looks from the crew. "Sakura, you lifted Kakashi's unaltered DNA from the glass he used that first night. What did you find out?"
Sakura wiped a bit of syrup from her lip and launched into her explanation. "The Oto naturally have triple-helix DNA. But they originally started out with double-helix, I'm sure. Rather than giving them psychic powers, Orochimaru used the third strand to encode a bunch of preprogrammed responses into the Oto. I only have Kakashi to work with so we only have the male's responses, and I'd need an autopsy to be 100% certain of each one. But Oto males are definitely programmed to react to a certain stimulus with obedience and passivity, maybe even adoration. Safe bet it's the sight of a Thrall. I'd say even an Uzu, but Kakashi was totally normal with you for years so that theory's out."
Kakashi nodded. "From what you've told me about the Uzu, that makes sense. Orochimaru wouldn't bother dealing with the males, he'd send his Thralls to do it for him. Which means the females are probably programmed to fall at an Uzu's feet if they see him."
"Then why is Karin still a total psycho bitch when she talks to Naruto?" Tenten asked bluntly.
"It could be the same mutation that gives her psychic powers and the brain tumor makes her immune to the standard preconditioning," Sakura posited. "Speaking of, Gaara, did you pick up anything that would hint at her natural talent when you did the deep dive?"
"She has an unusual amount of static shocks, so she might be predisposed towards Psychic Lightning. But other than an incredible talent for hacking, it hasn't manifested," the quiet Grey said.
"She might have Psychic Hacking naturally, but that's a high-tier fusion of Psychic Lightning and Spirit-Walking. It'd be hard to activate it by accident," Naruto mused, his plate clean. "So, we have a free day until we arrive at Karin's homeworld. What's everyone up to?"
"I'm going to get the Atomic Manufacturer working on Unobtanium versions of the Armors. I don't like how the Zetsu managed to scratch dodeca-shaped Invictium. They could have torn through flesh like plastic wrap. It's thick as molasses, but I'll try to double or triple-shape it so it's that much tougher," Tenten said.
"Shapeshifting practice," Fu said simply.
"Sakura's picked up sparring as fast as she did shooting, she's smart as Tenten in her own way. Gaara here still needs work," Hana said.
"My people view violence as the last possible resort, forgive me for taking time to adapt," Gaara grumbled.
"I'll help Tenten out with the Unobtanium shaping. Got to stretch the mental muscles somehow," Hinata spoke up.
"I'll practice my kata while you spar with Lee and then have a duel with you afterwards," Sasuke stated.
"Autopsies," Sakura said flatly. "The Kusa and Nuke corpses make me jump every time I go to the Medical Bay. I'll get what I can learn from them and then space the bodies."
Kakashi shrugged. "When I'm not going down on you, I'll finish up my independent research in financial science. I'm close to a master's degree already with all the reading I've done this week. I've never felt so clear-headed and focused."
"That's the modifications to your brain kicking in. Soon you'll be able to do two different things at once," Naruto said encouragingly.
The crew finished up their big meal, Kakashi again feeling guilty for just picking the plate. The Oto got his own meal from Naruto with back-to-back blowjobs for a combination of breakfast and lunch. The crew had learned to just drop trou to avoid ruining their underwear when Kakashi fed from the Alpha.
They set out for their tasks at noon, Naruto having a chat with Shikamaru until his spar at 1400 with Lee. He took time to get to know ALL his crew members, including the digital ones. Shikamaru also proved to be much more interesting in relaying the news than Armstrong Bill, having a sharp, sarcastic wit that had Naruto in stitches. Then it was training gear and a trip to Deck 3.
They all did what they'd said they'd do with their day, meeting up again at 1800 for a tasty meal of Oto cuisine, which Naruto had faithfully recreated from ingredients and recipes they'd gotten from Geniya Station. Kakashi took a test bite and declared it worthy of Natralis, which was enough to have the rest digging in. Fu in particular found the meal divine, and she eagerly gave Naruto a congratulatory kiss when the meal was over.
Seeing Naruto with one of his women got Kakashi's imagination running. He coughed and said "You know, you haven't let any of the girls feed me yet."
Naruto rose a brow. "Indeed I haven't. So who gets to be the lucky girl?"
The girls immediately started arguing their own cases. "I'm the Matriarch, I have first dibs!" Hinata argued.
"I just sat around on the Bridge yesterday, I NEED some action!" Hana countered.
"I haven't been rewarded yet for making everyone the Quantum Rifles!" Tenten pointed out.
"It's been over a week since Master used his Nymph!" Fu begged with big kitty eyes.
"I had to cut open bodies today, I deserve a little something!" Sakura pressed.
Sasuke and Gaara watched silently as Naruto was faced with the unenviable task of selecting just one girl and disappointing four others.
*Would it be wise to suggest they wrestle for it?* The Grey asked the Chief of Staff.
*So tempting, but too dangerous. Hopefully Naruto will come up with it,* the Uchiha replied.
Kakashi seemed overwhelmed at the fight he had accidentally caused. "You know, I don't have to…"
"I have a solution that will make everyone happy!" Naruto declared. "We use Fu to fuck the rest of you lovely ladies, and Kakashi gets to eat out all five of you."
"Okay!" The girls all chorused, fine with this compromise.
Sasuke and Gaara shared a look. "I suppose it's just us two tonight," Sauske mused.
"You say that like it's a bad thing," Gaara pouted.
Naruto led the Pack to the bedroom, where they all stripped naked. Then, after some making out with his Nymph to warm up, Naruto turned Fu around and penetrated her ass. Fu promptly grew her tentacle cocks, and pushed into the ready and willing she-wolves of the Pack up to the womb. Naruto and Fu thrust back and forth for a good half hour, driving the girls to about four orgasms each, before Naruto finally roared his own release. Once Fu retracted her tentacles, each of the girls spread her legs wide to welcome Kakashi in between. Looking like he could hardly believe his luck at the buffet of freshly-fucked pussy, Kakashi ate out each girl until his stomach was nice and round. Sasuke and Gaara had had a 69 on the floor to the side.
They had a nice, relaxing shower afterwards, and then tucked in for an early night. Their day had been short, but exhausting. And tomorrow would be the fateful arrival at Epsilon Aquarii and the meeting with the dreaded Anko.
They woke to Kakashi blowing Naruto awake, as had been their routine that had been disrupted yesterday. Then they all sat up and prepared for the morning meeting in bed.
"Shikamaru, how far are we from Planet Guren?" Naruto asked.
"About an hour. We should be getting them on our sensors about fifteen minutes before we arrive. Any surprises you feel like spoiling, Kakashi?" Shikamaru asked.
Kakashi shrugged. "Just Genthalas Shipyard. It's so large that last I heard House Guren can only keep a fifth of it online and active. It's probably where the Legacy was built or repaired and where the bulk of the Thralls' fleet was constructed. Possession of it is a large part of why House Guren has remained top dog for thousands of years."
Naruto nodded, interested in seeing another artifact of Orochimaru's reign. "Growing up with that thing hanging in the sky, probably a big reason why Karin's sister, Tayuya, got interested in ancient history. It's a shame Karin had her killed in a twisted fit of jealousy. She must have learned so much about Orochimaru and his reign."
"Sadly, lives are snuffed for even smaller reasons in Oto female society. We don't even care that we're driving ourselves towards extinction," Kakashi said miserably.
"Which is why the brave, noble, well-hung Uzu is going to swoop in and save the day!" Hinata cheered, trying to introduce some levity.
They all chuckled, reminded of Naruto's cockamamie plan. The Alpha shrugged helplessly. "We'll see how things go. I might accidentally start a war for all we know. Just stay on your toes, everyone. We don't represent the Konoha Federation or whatever government the Uzu have, but we'll still be the first outsiders to step foot on Guren in living memory."
"So we're all going?" Hana asked, excited to see Oto society.
"Shikamaru can guard the ship both physically and digitally. And if a fight does start, I figure there's power in numbers. The only one staying behind is Kakashi," Naruto instructed his crew.
Kakashi held up his hands. "No arguments here. Like I said, you couldn't pay me to be in the same room as Anko."
They all got dressed in formalwear, even Kakashi finding his bodysuit, and went to the Officer's Lounge for breakfast. They didn't linger over it, excited to get up to the Bridge and get their first glimpse of the heart of House Guren territory. They spread out to their ordinary spots and watched the Sector Map as they traveled the last few systems and arrived at Epsilon Aquarii. As they arrived, they lurched out of hyperwarp, the ship's computer shutting off the Tachyon Drive when too close to local gravity wells.
The sun itself was named Albali, and was a class A star, bluish-white in appearance. The ship's sensors pulsed out, and a riot of information was almost instantly displayed over the System Map.
The Epsilon Aquarii system had four habitable planets in it, along with two large gas giants. Each of the worlds looked lush and verdant, and their flight path was taking them to the second planet, which was named Guren.
"The House AND the planet got named after the first Matriarch. Either this chick had a big ego or her subjects worshipped her," Tenten observed.
"At least two of these planets have to be terraformed. There's no way the Oto lucked out in getting four Eden-class worlds in one system. What do you think, Uzu World Engine or Weather Manipulation on a global scale?" Sakura asked.
"The former would be much easier and cheaper in energy costs," Naruto argued.
Hana gasped. "Holy shit! Genthalas is bigger than Olympus!" She highlighted and zoomed in on the relevant part of the map.
It was a vast orbital shipyard that was in a wide orbit of the planet Guren. It shared a similar architectural design as Geniya Space Station, and was golden colored, and full of towering spires and crystal domes. It appeared to be in the shape of an enormous wheel, with huge maintenance gantries, booms and stanchions located around the axis of the gently rotating shipyard. The telltale sealed doors of hundreds of docking bays dotted the hull of the colossal facility, evenly spaced and grouped in clusters, divided into segments around the circumference of the ring. Upon further magnification, it was clear that less than a quarter of the massive shipyard was active, Oto engineers and workers moving to and from a small illuminated section and the rest cloaked in shadow.
"Just the part that's on could be as active as Olympus Shipyard," Hinata noted with an impressed tone.
"Imagine how magnificent it must have been when it was entirely active," Gaara said in a hushed voice, looking with awe on another piece of history from the time of his people's creator.
Karin's Cruiser was heading towards the planet Guren, which took them past the orbiting shipyard. They watched the Oto ships flying past, all of which followed the same kind of elegant design aesthetics.
"I notice that we have yet to see anything bigger than a Cruiser," Hana pointed out.
"All of a House's capital ships are tied up at the borders of other Houses," Kakashi explained. "Trust me, the Oto have their Battleships and Dreadnoughts too."
"We're being hailed by Karin," Gaara reported.
The viewscreen filled with the holographic image of the blue-skinned Oto woman, who was no longer hidden behind her armor. Instead she appeared to be wearing some kind of flowing dress with cutaway sections that revealed the blue skin of her shoulders.
She looked somewhat subdued, and refused to meet Naruto's gaze as she looked around the Bridge. Her eyes settled on Kakashi, and suddenly went wide with surprise. Recovering her composure quickly, she said, "Follow me down to the planet, and you will be allocated a landing bay. Don't move from there, until you are given further instructions."
He opened his mouth to reply, and she closed the channel abruptly, cutting him off.
"Gaara, what did I say about restricting the viewscreen to my face?" Naruto asked, not mad, just disappointed.
Gaara flinched as if he'd been struck by a neural whip. "I'm so sorry, Commodore, I forgot."
"Well, big deal. So she knows that we recruited Kakashi. Not much she can do about it. Though I'm sure the white hair will cause some confusion," Naruto said nonchalantly. "Follow her down, Fu."
The Nymph nodded, and maneuvered the Invictus to follow after the Oto vessel. As they approached the planet the System Map was replaced by the planetary map, and Guren loomed large above them. It was a beautiful green world, with plenty of oceans and lakes spread over its surface, and numerous large cities were immediately apparent as they got closer.
They followed Karin's Cruiser down to what appeared to be the largest city on the planet, and a glowing flightpath appeared, showing them the route to take to the docking bay. Fu eased their ship along, sticking meticulously to the path they had been provided. It led them to a golden-spired metropolis that seemed to be seamlessly integrated with the encroaching forest. As they flew over the city, they could see broad streets below them, being used by intermittent traffic, mainly consisting of hover-vehicles of various shapes and sizes. There were also spacious, well cared for parks and water features between each of the buildings, providing a patchwork mosaic of greens and blues amongst the gleaming gold of the buildings.
Hinata had been watching the beautiful, well planned city below them as it flashed by, and said wistfully, "A far cry from Karron, eh Tenten?"
The ravenette nodded soberly taking in the amazing architecture and designs. "We really got some shitty luck growing up in that craphole," she said sadly.
They watched the final approach quietly, and Fu gently coaxed them in to land gently in one of dozens of docking bays in a shiny spaceport facility. For such a large spaceport, traffic from the surface to orbit was surprisingly light, and only a handful of ships raced up to the stars as they came in to land.
"Well, here we are," Naruto said. "I guess we wait for further instructions."
Wolves of Uzu
Karin walked briskly through the vaulted, high ceilinged corridors of her mother's palace. As terrified as she had been of the Uzu, that almost seemed like a strange dream now, compared to the very real and tangible fear that she always felt when meeting with her mother. She ignored the guards as she brushed past them into her mother's private quarters, knowing none of them would be reckless or foolish enough to challenge her.
Walking cautiously from room to room, she systematically explored Anko's quarters until she approached her mother's study. Instinctively she knew she would have been here all along, but maintaining the pretence of thoroughly checking the other rooms first, let her put off the meeting for longer.
The ten-foot-tall doors were embossed with the heart and crossed blades insignia of House Guren, and Karin only hesitated for a moment longer, before knocking on it tentatively.
Her mother's cold voice came through the doorway, and said, "If you've finished wandering around my quarters, I'd like to see you. Immediately."
Karin swallowed, and nervously opened the door. "Mother, it's wonderful to see you," she said cautiously as she walked into the study.
Guren Anko was seated behind a long, elegant looking desk that seemed to flow out of the nearby wall. Tall holographic screens adorned every square inch of the wall, displaying a wide variety of information for the Guren House Matriarch. She turned away from the report she had been studying, and her impassive tawny eyes settled on her daughter.
"Well?" she demanded abruptly.
Karin bowed to her mother and said, "I did as you asked, mother. We exterminated the Zetsu, and Quanthos can be colonized at our leisure."
Anko's eyes narrowed as she asked, "And what of this Orochimaru? Did you verify that he was one of their kind?"
Karin nodded and said hesitantly, "Yes, I have no doubt that he is one of them, but..."
"How are you certain?" Anko demanded, cutting Karin off. "What powers did he possess?"
Karin faltered, paling as she remembered the terrifying encounter in the subterranean lair of the Zetsu. "He... he..." she stammered in fear.
"Out with it you imbecile!" Anko snarled impatiently. "Do you think I have time to listen to you fumbling to speak?!"
Karin looked at her mother with frightened eyes, and blurted out, "He and his crew possess incredibly advanced technology, which I don't hesitate to say outmatches our own. He and his crew also seem in possession of a great many psychic powers. They read my mind, moved at incredible speeds, he lifted the bomb like it weighed a feather, and he even healed me."
Anko leaned forward, a fearsome hunger in her eyes. "Describe the nature of this healing," she demanded eagerly.
Karin looked to one side and paused before she replied, "I… I fainted. He woke me up a second later. It was like I blinked and I was on the ground with him over me. I looked myself over with the Medical Bay scanner later, and even the burns I get from firing the Laser Rifle on automatic were gone."
Anko sat back in her chair, a cunning smile twisting her lips as she steepled her fingers and tapped the first two together. Karin recognised one of her mother's mannerisms that signified she was deep in thought, and wisely remained silent, although she desperately wanted to speak up.
Finally Anko focused her cold, tawny eyes on her daughter once more, and said, "Bring the Orochimaru to me. It is high time we met."
Karin shook her head, and said urgently, "That is what I wished to warn you abou-"
"YOU are going to warn ME?" Anko snorted in disbelief, interrupting her daughter.
Undeterred, Karin tried again, throwing caution to one side as she said frantically, "You've made a terrible mistake bringing him here. You must get him to leave Oto space immediately!"
Anko rose to her feet, her eyes glowing with a terrible golden hue. "You dare speak to me like that?!" she snarled in disbelief at her daughter's impudence.
Karin dropped to her knees and pleaded, "Mother, please, you don't understa-"
Anko's eyes flared, and the sharp sound of a whistling slap echoed around the room, as Karin was backhanded across the floor. She struggled to stand again, before a second ringing slap sent her sprawling backwards to crash into the wall.
"You WILL bring him to me, or I'll leave you in a pain harness for a month!" Anko screamed, incandescent with fury.
"I'm sorry, mother!" Karin begged. "I'll do as you command!"
Anko sat down in her chair, fully composed once more. "Get out, and bring him to me immediately." she said in a frosty voice, then turned her attention to the holo-display.
Karin staggered to her feet, her face still smarting from where she had been slapped, and she hurried from the room without a backwards glance.
Wolves of Uzu
The Pack were waiting on the Bridge when Gaara received a hail. Karin's face appeared in a holo-image. Her cheeks looked flushed, as if she'd sprinted there, yet she didn't seem out of breath. "I'm outside. Come out with whatever portion of your crew you deem necessary." Then she cut the comm before any of them could respond.
"She was slapped. Hard enough to break blood vessels," Sakura noted astutely.
"Telekinetically, if her memories of her mother are accurate. Anko wouldn't bother to touch Karin with her own hands," Gaara noted.
Naruto frowned, a frown he carried even as he waved Kakashi and Shikamaru away. He went down the anti-grav tube and out the airlock, his Pack not far behind him. He noted absently that the air quality of Guren was excellent and filled with pine. But his focus was on Karin, standing there with her injured cheeks and standing with a shadow of the self-assured haughtiness he'd come to expect from her.
She eyed the eight of them with distaste. "Must you bring so many? My mother expects an audience with you, not your entourage."
Naruto ignored her, reaching out to cup her cheek and send out a wave of psionic energy.
Karin flinched away, before reaching up to feel her cheeks with trembling hands. She looked at Naruto like he were an enigma she had no hope of solving. "Why?" she asked.
"Whatever you did, you didn't deserve that. It offended me, so I fixed it. Now what prompted your mother to do that to you?" Naruto asked implacably.
Karin got a self-pitying smirk on her face. "Can't you just read my mind and find out?"
"I could, but I figure you've been violated enough today. Tell me, or don't. I just want to know the reason why I'm already mad at your mother," Naruto explained.
Karin blinked, and he thought he saw a hint of wetness before she blinked it away again. "That's none of your concern," she said, in a closer approximation of her usual hubris. "Follow me, my mother does not like to be kept waiting."
She led them out of the docking bay at a fast walk, her posture proud and erect as she glided ahead of them. Her long dress was a light cream colour, and hugged her shapely figure, as well as revealed tantalising glimpses of light blue flesh. Naruto couldn't help admiring her lovely body as they kept pace with her, and when he glanced Hinata's way, she grinned at him in amusement.
The docking bays at the spaceport seemed to be fairly quiet, with only a couple of armored guards standing at their posts. Unlike the ones at Geniya Space Station, who had ignored Naruto and the crew completely, the ones here on the Oto planet watched them intently. When Naruto followed Karin out into the main terminal complex, they saw several unarmored Oto women, who stopped what they were doing, and stared at Naruto and the Pack in open-mouthed amazement.
*Can't tell if this is the programmed response to Uzu or if they're just this shocked to see outsiders,* Sakura noted.
*I forgot to mention that in Oto culture, long hair is a sign of promiscuity and shame. They might be scandalized by your hairdos,* Gaara supplied belatedly.
They left the terminal, and Karin led them towards some kind of market square. An open air market was in full swing, with traders selling stands full of exotic looking fruits, vegetables, meats and fish. There were many more Oto women here, who all stopped to gape at them, as Naruto and the crew hurried after their uncommunicative guide.
Naruto darted a few glances at the Oto women as they passed them by, and they all seemed to be of a broadly similar physical appearance; fairly tall compared to a Konoha woman, with slim and graceful figures. They all wore their dark hair cut short, and long figure-hugging dresses seemed to be the current trend for Oto fashion in the city. There were a few young children accompanying their mothers around the market, and the group of little girls and a couple of small boys stopped the games they were playing, to watch the strange tourists excitedly.
Karin seemed to be in no mood to stop and chat, or point out the sights, and she strolled briskly straight across the market area, making a beeline for a flowing golden tower. She rushed them into a lobby area, startling a few Oto women as she breezed past them. Karin showed some kind of metallic disc to a beautiful blue-skinned woman behind a desk, and she ushered them through.
"Thank you," Naruto said to the woman politely. He flashed her a warm smile, and she looked surprised, then smiled back at him warily.
*They are hot, I'll give them that,* Hinata noted dryly. *What do you think? Want one for the collection?*
Naruto glanced at her with a smile on his lips, and trying not to laugh, he replied, *I think you might have a job convincing one of them to sign up with the Orochimaru.*
They followed Karin into a small bright room, and a clear crystal door rotated down from the ceiling. The floor flashed for a moment, and then began to descend, and Naruto smiled as he realised it was an elevator. The room stopped a moment later, and the moment the door spun upwards, Karin darted out. Naruto realised they were in some kind of underground parking facility, which had the capacity for a huge number of vehicles, but was only about a quarter full. Their ill-tempered Oto guide pressed the disc in her hand, and a glowing line lit up on the ceiling, which led directly to her vehicle. Karin strode over to the bright red sporty looking hover-car purposefully, and the bubble canopy opened smoothly and quietly.
"Get in," she told them brusquely, and she climbed into the vehicle, sitting in the front behind a semicircular steering wheel. "If you can fit," she added, eyeing the eight of them in smug victory.
They climbed into the seats at the back of the vehicle, sitting on each other's laps to save space, and Karin lowered the crystal canopy once they were safely inside. Seconds later, they glided swiftly and silently away, racing up a ramp towards the exit. Karin seemed to like driving at speed, and they shot out of the parking facility, and onto one of the broad roads. She seemed to know exactly where she was going, and took a number of rapid turns, taking them away from the Spaceport.
Naruto and the Pack watched silently out the windows, looking at the Oto as they went about their business. Now that the blue-skinned women weren't aware of their exotic visitors, it gave the lot of them an opportunity to see what the Oto were normally up to.
*I haven't seen a fat, skinny, or ugly Oto yet,* Sasuke marvelled. *The genetic modifications that Sakura mentioned must have been pretty comprehensive.*
Naruto nodded, having noticed no end of very attractive blue-skinned alien women himself, but something was nagging at him. *Have you noticed the way they walk?* he asked the Pack mind pointedly.
They turned and frowned at him, then replied *The way they walk? What do you mean?* through Tenten.
He noticed a group of three Oto women walking past them on the sidewalk and said, *See those three over there? They move like they're hunting someone. Constantly wary, looking out for danger.*
Hana nodded, seeing what he meant and replied, *Yes, or like they're being hunted...*
They drove along silently for a while longer, admiring the light and airy architecture of the city. Suddenly the piercing sound of an agonized scream reached them, even inside the moving vehicle. Naruto and the crew exchanged startled glances, but when they heard the blood-curdling shriek a second time, they scanned to the left of the hover-car where the horrible noise had originated from. A third heart wrenching cry filled the air, and they all spotted the source at the same instant.
An Oto woman was lashed to a golden metallic device that looked like some kind of stocks. Behind her, another blue-skinned woman raised back her arm, unravelling a long, flickering coil of a whip. She brought it down on the restrained woman's exposed back, and the prisoner contorted in agony, screaming out with the pain. A small crowd of Oto women watched disinterestedly, but no one seemed to particularly care, let alone raise a finger to stop it.
"Karin!" Naruto exclaimed sharply. "That woman's being tortured! What could she have possibly done to deserve that?" he asked disapprovingly.
His firm tone snapped her out of her distracted reverie, and she glanced to the left, looking up at a digital banner that sported several Oto sigils. She chuckled with amusement, and said, "She got caught stealing data from a government official, so she's serving fifty lashes with a neural whip."
Naruto looked disquieted and said, "You have public floggings for theft?"
Karin snorted with laughter and shook her head, "No, of course not! The fool's being whipped by her instructor, for being clumsy enough to get caught."
This proclamation was met with shocked surprise by the crew. After a long moment, Naruto asked her perceptively, "Have you ever received a similar punishment?"
The blue-skinned woman nodded, shrugging offhandedly as she replied, "Yes a couple of times, but I never made the same mistake again."
He glanced over at Hinata, who looked back at him grimly as her somber thoughts formed in his mind, *I'm starting to see how Karin grew into the charming woman she is today.*
They drove onwards, with the woman's intermittent screams receding behind them. Further sightseeing seemed to have lost its appeal.
It took another five minutes of driving in the fast and responsive hover-car to reach the palace. It was an imposing structure, set upon a small hill, that meant it overlooked the rest of the entirely flat city. The palace itself was tall and majestic, the design full of imposing arches, and flowing, graceful lines. It was surrounded by a defensive wall, the perimeter manned by dozens of guards in the small section around the main gate. The long weapon barrels of defensive laser emplacements were evenly placed around the wall, with clear crystal cupolas for the guards manning the gun turrets.
Karin drove up to the main entrance, which led under an arched gatehouse. She slowed the sporty hover-car to a halt, and one of the Oto guards walked over to meet her. The guard seemed to recognize her instantly, and with a quick nod, waved them through. Karin drove them around the back of the huge palace, and then turned abruptly and raced down a ramp leading to an underground parking facility. She found a parking spot near the elevators, and swung the vehicle into position and came to an abrupt halt, with the practiced ease of someone who had performed that same maneuver hundreds of times.
Without a word she opened the canopy and climbed out, and then strode away to the gilded entrances to the elevators. The golden armored guards there nodded to her respectfully when she stopped by the open crystal door, but Karin ignored them, and bridled with impatience as she waited for Naruto and the crew to catch up.
Karin ground her teeth with anger, and stormed into the elevator, tapping her foot while they took their time about walking in after her, nodding to the guards courteously. The crystal door spun down and the elevator started to rise, ascending silently through several levels. When the door opened upwards again, they followed closely behind Karin as she walked out without pause, and they found themselves in a broad hallway that led to a large foyer area.
Unlike the rest of the city, which seemed fairly sparsely populated, the palace complex seemed to be bustling. There were dozens of Oto women here, going about their business in the high vaulted hallway, and the sounds of numerous animated conversations filled the air. In-between the fluted columns that lined the hallway, long banners hung from the ceiling, showing a heart insignia covered by two crossed blades.
When they emerged from the elevator without warning, an Oto woman took a detour to avoid walking into them. She suddenly let out a shocked gasp when she saw the aliens in their midst, and she dropped the holographic scheduling device she had been holding in her hand. It clattered to the floor loudly, drawing glances from the dozens of other Oto walking through the hallway, and the sound of startled intakes of breath flowed across the room like a gust of wind.
There was deathly silence through the room, and Karin turned to the other eight and said impatiently, "Hurry up, we're nearly there."
They sauntered across the hallway after her, watched by dozens of sets of eyes, and Hinata thought to Naruto, *This is creeping me out! They're all staring at us like we're three headed-monsters or something.*
Naruto thought back to her, *If the men run the border stations, then most of these women have probably never seen anyone from a different species before. Having us just pitch up on their homeworld must be a hell of a shock.*
*Gaara and I certainly don't help matters,* Fu noted as she saw one Oto woman back away from her as if she were diseased.
They approached a reception desk at the end of the long hall that guarded the entrance to a series of elevators in a courtyard beyond. The staff at the reception desk glanced at Karin's stormy expression, and waved them through without pause, while watching the aliens with fascination. Karin led them into another elevator, which rose up through a dozen more levels, before the door opened to reveal a small, well furnished waiting area. Lilting music played through the room, and a slim and beautiful Oto woman sat behind a desk and watched them warily.
Naruto immediately noticed that there were several turreted weapons in the room, all pointing towards the door of the elevator. Karin didn't seem concerned in the slightest, and she breezed past the woman at the desk, and strode through some big double doors on the other side of the room.
On the other side was a small plaza area, with a clear crystal dome overhead letting in the bright light from the bluish-white sun. Karin led them across the small park in the center, complete with manicured lawns and delicate fountains, and towards their destination. All around this plaza were ornate entrances, to what must have been important locations, because the large doorways were all flanked by vigilant armored guards.
The imposing looking entrance directly opposite the way they came in, was much grander than the rest, with the insignia of House Guren embossed on the twenty-foot high doors. "These are my mother's private quarters," Karin told them brusquely, and she walked inside, ignoring the guards.
Naruto shared a glance with the Pack, feeling a strange mixture of curiosity and wariness, as they followed Karin into the suite beyond. After a short entrance hallway, was a large square room, covered by a clear crystal dome. A broad path led around the edge of the room, and in the center, down a couple of steps, were a number of chaise lounge style chairs clustered together around a low table.
Standing beside one of the chairs was a beautiful, elegant woman, who bore more than a striking resemblance to Karin. She was wearing a long purple gown, that clung alluringly to her shapely figure, and she wore a delicate diadem atop her head of short, dark hair. She looked up as they walked down the steps to approach her, and she smiled at them warmly in welcome.
Karin turned to Naruto and said, "May I introduce my mother, Matriarch Guren Anko."
