A rock, barely bigger than a pebble, flew with an imperceptible whistle and crashed against the forehead of a blond boy. The skin split open and blood started to flow from the cut, marring the spiky locks, golden as mature rice, with crimson. The boy was five, maybe six, and on the scrawny side of the scale but in spite of his young age and his diminutive stature, he refused to show his pain. He only stumbled slightly at the impact but willed his body to remain straight and standing, before he pressed a hand against the wound to staunch the leak of red ichor. He did not utter a word, not the slightest sound of discomfort passed his gritted teeth and firmly sealed lips. He returned his aggressor a chilling gaze of defiance, with azure eyes harder than diamonds. His were eyes that would not yield. "Go ahead", the boy resolutely communicated to the crowd surrounding him, "go ahead and hit me if you dare".
He was answered by hateful glares and hostile sneers. They prickled against his skin like a cold winter drizzle and made his hair stand on end. "Curse-bringer," the crowd whispered. "Maneater," murmured a few. Some were praying the Sage for protection and making the mudra to ward off evil
"Kitsune." Everyone was in agreement to call the boy this, at the very least.
The child smirked disdainfully and flicked his bloodied hand towards the crowd. People flinched back and recoiled: the blood of a fox was a poisonous substance, everyone knew that. The boy took advantage of it; he squeezed his fist and held it out in front of him before he stepped forwards. Like the prow of a boat splitting the sea, he parted the gathering in two. Baleful eyes followed him but the people, just as paralyzed by their superstition as they had been incensed by it, otherwise left him alone. He walked slowly and kept his eyes riveted up front, refusing to hurry his steps or look as he left the mob behind him. He walked and walked, through the frozen marketplace, up an entirely grey Main Street, until he reached the gate of the village, guarded by two puppets without a face. He was alone when he did, the mob having lost its interest in him and disbanded.
The boy observed the road intently, admired how it stretched out towards the horizon and beyond, how it snaked around hills and through forests, how it followed the curve of a bridge or the ridge of a far-off mountain. He stepped forth, planting his naked feet on the road as he had done a thousand times before without ever actually walking away. This time, however, a tall man stood before him with a gentle smile on his face and his hand outstretched. The boy took the proffered hand and, as the man led him away, did not once look back. From his robes, the man retrieved a pair of steamed buns that he offered to the boy. The child tore ravenously into the food, his mind focused solely on the taste of meat and vegetables that invaded his mouth. He hummed in satisfaction as his stomach immediately settled down. The man smiled.
One step after the other, they left the village behind them.
Naruto blinked, and the little boy dissolved out of reality, a mere figment of the young man's imagination. It was funny, he mused, how all memories tended to fuse together with time, sometimes quite literally. He knew for a fact that the meeting with his master hadn't gone like this yet this scene was all he could truly remember. His attention was brought back to his surroundings by terse words spoken to him.
"Your sake," informed the bartender while placing a saucer in front of him.
Naruto smiled. "Thanks, chief."
Naruto was seventeen, maybe eighteen, though his hale, lean build, his lightly tanned skin and the little crevices that framed his wolf-like blue eyes aged him up a few years. He wore simple clothes: a pair of pants rolled below the knees and a kimono going mid-thigh and stopping right before the wrists. The garments were spun from hemp and coloured blue, made for travel and marred by the grime of his journeys. His naked feet were slipped in geta. His blond hair, kept disciplined by a length of white gauze, spilt from underneath the wide brim of a conical hat. A sheathed sword was slung across his back. He had an iron pendant around his neck.
It was early evening and he was sitting on a stool, at the bar of a dingy little establishment styled in the Kaminarian fashion. The place was obscured by the smoke of pipes and greasy lanterns, the rance smell of sweat and spilt beers permeated everything and the merged discussions, cries and bouts of laughter of the patrons were deafeningly loud. It was packed full mainly by men, dirty from a day of work in the salt and saltpetre mines of northern Yunotani. A few wood runners, who reeked of blood, steel and gunpowder, had mingled with the assembly. Two or three swindlers, determined to gamble the workers out of their wage, were shaking dice in the hope that some unfortunate soul, too drunk or drugged to know better, would take the bait of an easy gain. Nonetheless, despite the less than reputable frequentation, the sake Naruto had ordered tasted incredibly good.
The young man lifted his cup and took a sip of the clear liquid it contained, rolling the liquor in his mouth, allowing it to burn his tongue as the flavour fully bloomed against his palate. Sake truly was a wonder when raised the right way; it had taken patience and time for Naruto to understand that most of what was sold was simply garbage. Focusing seemingly all his senses on the beverage, Naruto slowly enjoyed it, stretching the hours as he stretched his drink. Peace was a rare commodity after all and it had to be enjoyed to the fullest before it was disturbed.
It was late in the night, the bar was almost empty and his cup long since finished when Naruto suddenly rose from his seat, without apparent prompting. From a purse he kept against his chest, in a fold of his kimono, the young man withdrew a single gold coin and made it dance across the counter.
"Keep it."
The bartender whisked the money away, promptly bit into it and nodded, satisfied. "That's mighty generous of you. Hope to see you back soon."
"I might, the sake was that good. And the quiet was welcome."
The bartender met Naruto's gaze for an instant. The man had of course noticed that the young man's sclera was not only almost invisible but also dark, hidden by the almond-like shape of his eyes and the deep blue of his larger than normal irises. It gave the young man an animalistic aura, the kind of which caused the hair of normal people to stand on end and cold sweat to roll down their spine. Business, however, was business and money generally did not have any smell. He did not care enough to ask himself what exactly this customer was - even if the pendant was a giveaway - as long as he did not cause trouble, which he hadn't.
The man shrugged. "Sure. Good night, stranger."
Naruto nodded and exited the establishment. Immediately, a slight breeze bit into him, not quite the wind of winter yet but the frosty air of autumn. He paid it no mind and took to his left, down a winding, curving street. Hanku was a prosperous mining town, roosted on a rocky outcropping somewhere in the middle of the mountains of Yunotani. It meant the upper-city, where successful prospectors resided, was generously lit with lanterns. Its seedy underbelly, however, gathered on the western flank of the peak, was plunged in the dark save for the pale light of a slim moon crescent. The tortuous, labyrinthine alleyways of the shantytown made for the perfect hunting ground for a number of less than honest businessmen. His gait measured and steady, Naruto seemed to ignore the potential danger of the place as he walked aimlessly in the forsaken district. Every once in a while, however, he would stop for a second and look up, humming softly and inhaling deeply through his nose. Then, as if he had obtained something from it, he would nod and continue on his walk.
The moon had long since disappeared and all that was left in the night sky were the shimmering dots of countless stars as well as tattered clouds when Naruto abruptly stopped. The crossing was similar to all the ones he had already encountered: smelly, muddy, narrow and ideal for an ambush. Once again, the young man tilted his head up and inhaled slowly, tasting the air, seeking a specific scent through the pungent smell. Without warning, his pupils dilated further than normally possible for a human and the blue of his iris turned to amber. His sclera darkened from light brown to pitch black. On either of his cheeks, three cuts tore the flesh open and filled with a thin stream of blood that seemed to almost immediately congeal. His nails sharpened into claws. With a growl, he turned on his heels, bent his knees slightly and faced the way he had been coming from.
"So you are here," he said below his breath.
His eyes, like those of a predator, pierced the darkness blanketing the alley and found a vaguely human shape crawling towards him, coiled and ready to pounce. The creature had a pallid, sickly white skin, covered in corneous outgrowths and fleshy buboes. It lumbered on all four and his hands were clawed with sharp nails. Its head could have passed as human if not for the yellowish tint of its sclera and the much too large mouth garnished with way too many teeth.
"Seems to me like you're lost, little fellow. And bizarrely underfed," muttered Naruto after a second of reflection.
The apparition growled and froze in place, seemingly contemplating the fact that the one it had been targeting as prey was fully aware of its presence.
"So, what type of client will you be, I wonder?" Naruto mused, a half-smile on his face as he observed his stalker.
As if to answer the young man, the monster pounced. Fast, faster than any animal, at a speed no human could proceed, it morphed into a maelstrom of clawed limbs and growling maw. When Naruto moved, however, he was faster.
The young man sidestepped the abrupt assault with a whirl in his step and, in the same fluid blur of motion, sliced through the right lung of the creature. The flesh of the monster boiled and blackened around the wound and, with a shriek of pain akin to chalk being dragged across a blackboard, the creature crashed against the ground. Writhing in pain, it coughed; blood, black and thick, spewed from its mouth to mix with the muddy ground. Limbs shaking, it righted itself and recoiled from Naruto with a hiss, eyes narrowed and burning.
"Don't run away please," pleaded the young man with a smile that showed much too sharp teeth. "It's always such a pain when-"
The monster lunged again, claws out and teeth ready to bite, in an apparent repeat of its earlier assault. As it passed by Naruto, however, it twisted in the air and swept at the young man, intent on surprising him. Naruto whirled low and cut high. Blood gushed. The creature crashed heavily again, and Naruto spun downwards, cleaving its exposed stomach open and causing it to vomit blood and choke on its own ichor as it whistled and writhed in pain.
"Thanks. No hard feelings, okay?"
That was the last thing the creature heard before the blade fell upon its neck and bit cleanly through the flesh and bones, severing it in one stroke. Naruto flicked his dah to the side, blood leaving the curved blade from the abrupt motion. Slowly, the young man sheathed the weapon and took the head of the creature by the few strands of hair topping its skull. Bending his left hand in the mudra of the tiger, he inhaled deeply; from the commissure of his lips, gouts of liquid fire spilt. Suddenly, Naruto spat a jet of scorching, greasy flames at the corpse. The fire burned mercilessly; flesh and even bones were quickly consumed by the inferno, that, somehow, stayed bound to the cadaver.
A few minutes later, nothing was left but black ashes and a spot of burnt soil. Naruto shook himself, like some sort of dog and slowly, his eyes returned to their original blue while the cuts on his cheeks disappeared. The young man considered the severed head for a few seconds before he grimaced. "Urgh. It smells so bad. It's a good thing I took care of you."
Head in hand, the young man slowly made his way out of the maze-like shantytown, meeting no other soul until he reached the walls girdling the higher city. Leaning against it, right opposite to the gatehouse stood the inn he had elected to stay in. In front of the massive closed gate of the inner city, an entire squadron of guards kept watch, huddled together next to two large fire pits of cast iron. With a smile, Naruto waved at them; a few returned half-hearted greetings, all eyed him warily. With a shrug, he slipped inside the large stables of his hostel and approached a bay horse. The animal neighed almost questioningly as Naruto neared him.
"Yeah, the job is done, Nuke. You good?"
The horse snorted.
"You mind watching over it for the night?"
Nuke gave Naruto a flat look that made the young man chuckle. Entering the box, Naruto went for the saddle placed upon the intended support and opened a large saddlebag. Quickly, he retrieved a length of white gauze and a bottle of clear liquid from it and proceeded to wrap his trophy in the cloth after dabbing it in a pungent alcohol-like solution. Finally, he dumped the head in another saddlebag, this one filled with dried up aromatic herbs and flowers. Smelling his right hand, Naruto dry heaved.
"Sage, it stinks."
Nuke neighed mockingly.
"True I could not but the smell gives me a lot of information, you know?"
The horse rolled its eyes and snorted again.
"Have some rest. Something tells me we are going to have a long day tomorrow."
Nuke motioned towards the doors of the stables and neighed.
"I'm going, I'm going. Night."
With a pat - from his left hand - on the neckline of the horse, Naruto left the box and the stables and silently slipped in his own quarters, a rather spartan room on the third and last floor of the inn. With a sigh, the young man let himself fall on his bed and closed his eyes, not bothering to get out of his clothes first but simply slipping out of his geta. He had no other garments anyway.
Morning came quickly and Naruto awoke shortly after the call of a nearby rooster. Silently, he stepped down the stairs, gave the tenant a hushed word of greeting, was answered by the man scowling lightly before looking away, and entered the common bathroom. It was a spacious tiled room with, on one side, a fire lit in a low oven with a large metallic basin filled with water waiting over it and on the other, a similar basin of cold water. Naruto undressed quickly, took a pitcher worth of hot water, one of cold water and poured both inside a wooden bucket before he sat down and proceeded to wash himself as best he could with a block of soap he retrieved from a pouch on his belt.
Wet but clean, and dressed, Naruto returned to the common room and sat down in a corner. He did not have to wait long before the tenant came to him. The man had his eyes shifted sideways so that he did not look straight at Naruto and his lips were curled downwards.
"What will it be?" grumbled the man sourly.
"Breakfast," answered Naruto with a small, polite smile.
Food and tea were promptly delivered to him - slammed on the table - and Naruto ate with gusto. It was simple but tasted good all the same. Half an hour later, he was done and at the counter, carefully searching his purse for the exact change to pay his stay. Dropping countless little copper coins on the innkeeper's bar, Naruto smirked but his eyes were hard.
"All that I owe you. Wanna check?"
The man eyed the mountain of cents and scowled. "No."
"You sure?" Seeing the tenant nod, Naruto shrugged. "Alright. Anyway, thank you for everything, the service was impeccable." His smirk grew wider, the blue of his eyes remaining arctic. "I think I'll recommend this place to my friends."
The man blanched. "D-Don't bother. The place ain't that great." He grumbled.
"Oh, but I insist and I disagree. I wouldn't want them to pass by such a fine establishment. I hope I'll have the opportunity to come again."
The tenant scowled once again. "Whatever."
"Yup, I'm definitely coming back here, with the entire gang. Have a nice day, mister."
With one last wave, Naruto turned on his heels and left the common room, heading to the stables, where he crossed paths with an unhappy groom who was holding a lightly bleeding hand. Seeing Naruto, the young lad - maybe ten or so - scowled and stomped in front of the older teen, chest expanding and cheeks puffed. He abruptly deflated when his eyes met Naruto's.
"A problem?" The young man asked with a quirked eyebrow and a fleeting smile.
The groom lost all colour, swallowed noisily and stepped sideways before he bowed, quaking in his sandals. "N-No, sir! Please don't eat me!"
Naruto considered the child quietly, blinked and eventually chuckled after a few seconds of heavy silence. "Oh, nah, we don't do that anymore. Since a while actually. You don't have to worry."
The groom peeked up, still coiled to flee at the first hint of danger but with a hopeful glint shining in his eyes nonetheless. "R-Really?"
"Why, yes. Too much bad press." Seeing the child did not understand what he meant, Naruto shrugged. "Anyway, no, we don't eat people."
"My Gran says you do!" The boy blushed, embarrassed at having his tongue move faster than his mind.
"Well, has your Gran ever seen any of my kind eat any of your kind? Seen it for real, with her own two eyes? Or is it something she heard from someone else?"
The child contemplated the question for a second, his earlier fear having yielded to curiosity. "I dunno," he finally allowed after almost a minute of reflection.
"Well, then, don't be rude. How would you feel if I accused you of eating people?"
"But I don't!"
"Well, I don't either, little mister!"
"Oh." The boy nodded and scratched his neck awkwardly. "Sorry, sir."
"You're forgiven but remember this lesson. If you don't know, try to learn before you go around spouting bullshit. Fear kills the heart, knowledge clears it."
The groom giggled at the curse word before he nodded firmly. "Huh, I'll think about it."
"Now, what happened to you?"
The boy blushed. "Oh, uh, it's… it's your horse sir. He bit me."
Naruto sighed. "Come here," he gestured before walking inside the stable and to the box where Nuke slept. Not losing a beat, he grabbed one of the ears of the horse and twisted. The animal neighed in indignant pain but Naruto did not let off.
"You know full well why I'm doing this! What are you, some kind of grumpy mule?!"
The horse snorted and rasped a hoof against the ground several times.
"Better. Come, boy," said Naruto, finally releasing the animal and turning to one of his saddlebags, retrieving a few medicinal trinkets from it. Carefully, he cleaned the bite wound with alcohol and wrapped it in gauze. "There. Keep it clean," he warned seriously. "Don't let little demons settle in. Those are very real and they'll eat everything you allow them to."
The boy gave him a dazzling grin. "Got it, thanks, mister!"
Naruto answered him with a small smile. "Now run around."
With a nod, the groom bolted out of the stables with a wave of his good hand and one last shout of "safe travel!" before he was back inside the inn. Taking the bridle, Naruto led Nuke outside the building and in the street before he mounted him. With a yip, he prompted the horse to walk forward.
It was early; the streets were nearly deserted but slowly filling, mostly with a few errand boys running as if their lives were on the line and some merchants prepping their shops and stalls. Soon, there would be a flurry of activity. Hanku inner-city was inhabited only by the poshest of people but the immediate suburb, right beyond the wall, was where everything that the bourgeoisie living inside needed was sold. Those who laboured in the mines lived further down in the slums. The sound of horseshoes slamming rhythmically against the cobblestone pervaded the street as Naruto guided Nuke towards the gate. He did not recognize the guards who stood watch - those he had seen during the night had been replaced. Squashing the sudden burning sensation that was coursing his veins, Naruto simply waved at them happily as he neared. They were all clad in a similar green brigandine, a thick, form-fitting and high-collared jacket reinforced by countless kikko stitched inside the fabric with chain mail. Their forearms and shins were protected by kote and suneate. Each had a helmet, with fours stylized leaves joined at the stem on the front, a spear in hand and sheathed sword at their side. One by one, they took his appearance in and one by one, their visage darkened when they looked him in the eyes. Save for an old warrior, Naruto noticed, a greying veteran probably too scarred by who knew what campaign and with too much experience dealing with death to let anything bother him.
"Hey, neighbours. Mind allowing me passage?"
"Sure... neighbour. I'm certain you have some business to attend to." The veteran spoke before any of his younger comrades could and motioned for Naruto to go ahead.
"I'm getting paid and I might even score some extra," answered the young man good-naturedly, gently nudging Nuke forward.
"Well then, don't let us delay you."
"Thank you, neighbours," answered Naruto, truly grateful he hadn't had to submit himself to a gate check. Those were long, often humiliating and almost always led to people being hurt. By him.
The inner city was built upon the rocky outcrop in stages; the various mansions and manors espoused the constraints of the relief. The houses had been built high, more akin to towers; they rested upon relatively narrow stone foundations and their upper levels were made of a half-timbering frame filled with cemented rocks. Because the local basaltic rock was dark, the wooden beams were often painted a bright white or deep red. Pointy, slanted roofs - with their eaves sculpted to resemble dragons and other kirin - topped the structures, a sign that rain was frequent. Ornate balconies systematically jettied from the southern facade and were apparently the local way of displaying your wealth and making your peers envious. Ignoring the private palaces of the mining barons, Naruto slalomed between the maids and other manservants running their morning errands and directed Nuke towards an official-looking building that looked almost paltry compared to some of the mansion he had passed. It boasted a large but relatively low facade, parted in three wings. Under the angled roof, the front gables were decorated with entangled columns and costly glass windows, forming a veranda. Dismounting, the young man gave his horse a warning glance.
"You behave, alright."
Nuke rolled his eyes but nodded.
Satisfied, Naruto took one of his saddlebags and climbed the set of stairs that led to the entrance. Two guards, garbed in a similar fashion to the ones at the gate, one eyeing him crossly and the other warily, stood watch. Just as Naruto was about to pass the doors, they crossed their spears, barring him entry.
"What is it?"
"I have business with the burgomaster, neighbours. He is expecting me." Naruto answered with a stretched smile and squinted eyes.
"Why would he wanna see someone like you?" One man asked, his tone provocative.
"Yeah, your ilk isn't welcome," the other said, apparently emboldened by the behaviour of his companion.
"Because I'm solving his problem and now he owes me money and he knows better than to cross someone like me," answered Naruto calmly while gesturing towards the saddlebag that hung over his shoulder.
The first guard scoffed. "Impossible. You can't be done already, you came yesterday."
"I work fast." Naruto smiled further, uncovering sharp canines, eyes reduced to slits. "Now tell me, mister shinobi: your problem wouldn't be that, where you failed miserably, I succeeded, right? You aren't that petty, reassure me?"
The insult found its mark. Ninja were prideful warriors; they followed the nindo, the path of enduring. They held "a blade without and a blade within", or so went their creed, as far as Naruto cared to know. To be mocked as the "people who hide" - ironically, the other reading of the kanji - was unbearable for many of them.
"You fuckin-" The guard barely had the time to initiate his motion that Naruto had a finger pointed in-between his eyes.
"Strike me and you'll discover what it's like to live without an arm," warned Naruto patiently, features still distorted in his threatening smirk. "Now, neighbours, what do you say you let me in so that I can conclude my business."
It wasn't a question and the guards seemed to understand it because they allowed the young man to pass. With a sardonic smile, Naruto sauntered inside with a wave.
"Good day, neighbours."
The entrance of the town hall - which doubled as the headquarter of the mining guild - was grand and richly decorated, as befitting of a place intended to show power. The office Naruto entered, after firmly twisting the ear of the rat-like bureaucrat manning the front desk, was much soberer. Behind a low desk, a portly man with a hawkish profile and sharp eyes that belied his physique was sitting on a cushion and writing something on a wooden scroll. Naruto waited politely for the man to acknowledge his presence, which he did after tracing one last character.
"Yes? Ah, yes, the kaito. Well, what is it?"
Without a word, Naruto sat down across the desk and opened the saddlebag, from which he brandished the severed head of his prey with a proud smile. The man recoiled with a grimace of disgust.
"Sage, put that away! It smells so dreadful!" He flailed.
With a shrug, Naruto complied. "I thought you would have wanted to see it, mister mayor. People often do."
"I've no interest in zetsu, I only want them taken care of. Something you did remarkably fast, thank you."
"I'm only in it for the money."
The mayor blinked before he smiled. "Right. Good. I can understand that. Service provided deserves payment. How much?"
Naruto made a so-so gesture with his right hand. "That depends."
The man quirked one eyebrow. "On what?"
"On if you want your problem gone for now or forever."
The mayor frowned and gestured for the young man to explain himself.
"You see, zetsu normally feed on anything they can," began Naruto before he pointed at the saddlebag. "This one, however, was famished, despite prowling in the slums. He only tracked me because, well, I have my ways. Needless to say, zetsu don't specifically target greasy, filthy-rich people." Naruto offered the mayor a predatory smile. "That'd be way too convenient for my purse."
Immediately, the man's eyes narrowed. "Is it possible to control a zetsu?"
"Control, no. Not to my knowledge. Sick one in a general direction? Sure."
"You have something in mind?"
"Maybe. A curse of some fashion," explained Naruto after the man gave him a look that demanded he speaks further. "I would like to inspect your home, if possible."
The mayor hesitated for a second. "... I see. Well, why not." With a shrug that he probably wanted nonchalant but appeared unsure instead, he scribbled something on a small piece of paper and signed. "This will allow you to enter my home and put Ikyo, my butler, at your service."
"You are not asking about my fees."
"My head still has more value to me than my gold," retorted the mayor snidely.
"That's a grounded sense of priorities," answered the young man with a sagely nod. "Well, I'm going then, no sense dilly-dallying. Wanna keep the head? I think it'd make for a nice trophy above the dresser." He said, gesturing towards the piece of furniture.
"Get this carcass out of my office."
Naruto smirked and closed the saddlebag before he threw it over his shoulder. "You're the one paying. See you later, mister mayor."
The man shook his head tiredly and returned to his previous as Naruto exited the office. The young man took a moment to appreciate the ornate interior of the town hall. The whole was a bit tacky, in his modest opinion: the gold inlays and the reliefs sculpted in the wooden beams, the expensive painted panels and the finely brocaded carpets made it look like an inordinately expensive bathhouse rather than a building dedicated to civil service. The hallways were empty but Naruto could smell and feel the presence of two dozens of scribes working their hardest in various rooms as well as ten officials or so going about their business. In no hurry, Naruto explored the building for a bit, noted a few paintings he would have liked to take with him, wondered how soon it would be discovered if he were to scratch off the gold inlays, considered rolling a few carpets so that someone would fall and decided that it would not be worth it in the end, as he would not be there to see it happen. Satisfied with his exploration, he exited the town hall, gave the two guards a purposefully cheeky wave and mounted Nuke.
The mayor's mansion was, much like almost every other building in the inner city, reminiscent of a tenshi, a multiple storeys tower erected on rocky foundations. Unlike the dungeon of a castle, however, it was much more open. It was surrounded by a small garden girdled by a low wall. Having shown the pass given to him by his employer, Naruto was introduced to Ikyo, a tall, thin, dry man with short greying hair, clad in a black kimono. His tone immediately grated against Naruto's nerves: it carried an insufferable, syrupy sense of superiority and smugness and that was without taking into account the clear disgust. It made the young man want to bash the butler's head in. He resisted the urge and followed him inside the house instead.
The entrance hall was clean and sober, much like the mayor's office had been, in shades of white and cream with only a few artworks here and there and a complete set of armour. Apparently, the owner found the exaggerated display of his wealth to be a distasteful thing. Naruto did not pay much attention to his surroundings. As soon as he had entered, he had instantly focused on a pervasive smell; the rotting scent of a curse was permeating every corner of the house. How the people living here could tolerate it, Naruto had no idea but then again, his nose was several times better than that of a human.
"Now to find it," he muttered, more to himself than anything.
His words, however, caught the attention of his audience of one.
"Find what, if I may?" Ikyo asked.
"The curse targeting your master."
"A curse?" The butler repeated dumbly.
"Yes. One specifically made to attract a zetsu here. The only kind that works, save for kojutsu." Naruto looked off pensively for a few seconds before he turned towards Ikyo to face him fully. "Do you have houseplants here?"
"Yes."
"A room dedicated to them, maybe? Where your master likes to spend some time?"
"Uh, I-Yes. Indeed. How do you know that?" Ikyo asked with a frown.
"Lead me there."
The butler seemed to hesitate for a moment before he motioned for Naruto to follow him. The pair climbed three floors and entered a room that opened like a veranda, filled with bonsai of various sizes, carefully taken care of. The pungent scent of rot was almost overwhelming and nearly caused Naruto to heave. Firmly controlling his roiling stomach, Naruto approached one shelf and observed the miniature trees arranged on it.
"No."
Switching to the next, he once again carefully observed the small trees before shaking his head and going towards the third shelf. He almost missed it. For all intent and purpose, the bonzai looked like a miniature weeping willow and Naruto would have certainly passed by it without much more thoughts if the diminutive tree had not shaken almost imperceptibly. The young man smirked and grabbed the trunk.
"There you are."
Before Ikyo could protest or ask any question, Naruto tugged strongly on the plant, unearthing it from the pot containing it. Immediately, a deafening shriek, akin to the wail of a wounded newborn but multiplied by a hundred in strength, pierced the ears of every resident present in the mansion. It stopped abruptly when Naruto stabbed a tanto through the body of what seemed to be a living, breathing root with a vaguely human appearance. From the cut, a black, viscous ichor spilt forth and the wail turned into a gurgle before it stopped completely. Almost instantly, the smell of rot dissipated and Naruto breathed in deeply before letting out a relaxed sigh.
"Ahh, much better."
"W-What in the name of the Sage was that?" Ikyo stuttered, his face whiter than plaster.
"That," answered Naruto leanedly while waving the plant monster around, spilling its blood everywhere. "is a kama. A twisted flower spirit. Its chakra… Well, let's say it attracts zetsu and they attack anything that smells like it. Any idea who brought it here?"
If it were even possible, Ikyo paled further. "It was-It was a gift," he choked out. "From the master's oldest son."
"Haha? Interesting. Anyway, that's not really my turf anymore. Though I would be prudent with my suspicions and investigate who exactly sold this thing to your young master. Let's assume filial piety is a thing in this household."
Ikyo nodded. "O-Of course," he answered, his voice quaint and devoid of any of its earlier arrogance.
"Good." Naruto smiled and extended his hand. "Now, give me my money."
AN: do not hesitate to leave a review.