What the hell is up, eh? Heh, I gotta say this has been a busy week and I still have more to do, so I took it upon myself to update this fic as soon as I could to ensure I wasn't late. I've been helping out the inlaws with a project as of late and it has been eating up a lot of my time. Also, I've noticed that quite a few of my readers are chomping at the bit for more Twisted Bonds.

To anyone reading this, I am working on it, too. :) I'm also in the process of getting my hands on the Naruto manga to make writing my fanfiction SO much easier, lol. One should never underestimate the handiness of owning a physical copy, I'll tell you that! PDFs and manga readers are one thing, but the actual book is just easier to flip through and an irreplaceable asset for fanfic writers. Things have been running smoothly, despite the fact that I haven't touched a physical copy of a Naruto Manga since Naruto first shared his Bijuu Cloak with Hinata in the Fourth Great War Arc. I will start updating that fic regularly as soon as I can! :)

That distraction aside, though, I am quite pleased with how Into the Void had been turning out and am quite happy to share it with y'all! So, without further ado, let's get this story rolling once more!

Chapter Eight: Shopping Spree!

The next day, Naruto and Riful were in town on that shopping trip the latter wanted to do. Of course, Naruto was looking for the fruit that they had run out of and Riful was off getting some 'meat' in her diet. So the blond was actually shopping by himself, though he used a disguised Shadow Clone to keep an eye on the loli Abyssal One to make sure she doesn't get caught.

Naruto was in the town marketplace, rummaging through the stalls to see what type of fruit they had on sale. Large apples... green and red colored grapes… several different types of pears. There was a lot of varieties here. This village had quite the selection, he had to admit! In the end, Naruto bought several dozen apples thanks to Riful's new appetite for them, along with some bundles of green and red grapes, two different types of pears, and a watermelon.

Then, he moved on to another stall once he got them all packed and bought some extra loaves of bread and a bunch of other miscellaneous foods and liquids. Such as raw and dried meat, eggs, grains, milk, and butter. It took Naruto around an hour or so to gather the needed supplies and bring them back to the cart, discreetly storing the more perishable items away in a scroll. Then, he waited for Riful and his clone to return.

Naruto had no idea how long he was there on the cart waiting for Riful and his clone to return. However, he perked up when he got the memories of his clone that dispersed himself. Well, it seems the Abyssal loli was closer to the wagon than he thought. Riful didn't have any blood on her - thank the Sage for small mercies—so no one would suspect him or Riful if the body was to be discovered. They would be long gone by the time that happens, hopefully. The clone did put his training to good use, after all, in leaving nary a trace... and of course, they were mindful to ensure that the victim was a local troublemaker. He wouldn't be missed.

Fortunately for them, Naruto did learn from Riful and Neideen that most towns would wait until they have enough money to hire the Organization's services in dealing with youma. Other towns wouldn't bother, until several people had died already. That reason was because of their reluctance to have a 'Silver-Eyed Witch' in their midst, and the lack of money to even hire. To make matters worse, the Organization also had a reputation for demanding a steep price for their services, meaning the towns who could even afford to hire them quickly were few and far between… and even then, it would take time for the warrior to arrive! (1)

Well, as much as it pained him to say it, this was not his concern. Right now, he was more focused on his girls. He had a family in the making and that took priority. His life as a ninja had, after all, taught him rather brutally that he was no god; he could only protect or help so many people at a time and so he would focus on the love of his life and his naughty mistresses.

Naruto sighed and chuckled in amusement. Riful and Neideen really wouldqualify as his mistresses. And to be perfectly blunt, he wouldn't change it for anything. That pervy sage, Jiraiya would be so proud! And so, he continued to patiently wait for Riful to come back so they can get out of here.

He heard someone climbing on up without bothering to announce herself and knew it was her. Looking to his right, he saw a fair, young maiden in her late teens wearing an elegant, but simple dress with a tunic, sash, and hooded cloak. It was Riful of the West, and he had to say, she looked rather cute like that.

"Welcome back," Naruto greeted with a smile.

"It's a pleasure to be beside the real you once more," Riful cooed, snuggling on up to her man. "Those doppelgangers lack your scent. Being with one for so long just made me miss you." She took in his scent and sighed happily.

The blond chuckled and pulled her into a one-armed hug. And the currently teen-looking Abyssal One giggled, a satisfied grin spreading across her pretty, little face. With a peck on her forehead, one hand on her waist, and his other on the reigns, Naruto then urged the horse to start moving and so they were off, heading back to their not quite humble abode.

"It's the first time I ever saw you looking like that, Riful… well, except for earlier today." He corrected himself with a sheepish chuckle, "I have to admit, you were cute before, and now you look gorgeous."

"Oh, you flatterer!" Riful giggled. She manipulated her hair so they would wrap around Naruto's torso and leaned further up against him. "This is what I could have looked like had I not awakened at such a young age," she revealed to him after a moment of peaceful silence. Then, suddenly, Riful gave him a haughty look and gained an aura of smug superiority. "Not many people have had the opportunity to see it, be proud that you are one of the few I deem worthy of doing so~!"

"I am very honored to see it then," Naruto said, as he played along with her. He started rubbing her back, his hand trailing from her waist to her shoulder blades and back down again.

Riful let loose another giggle and immediately started undoing Naruto's trousers. The young man in question chuckled heartily and petted his little mistress as she fished out his swiftly hardening cock.

"And I am very… honored, for you to service me with your slutty, little mouth," he added with a sense of smug satisfaction in his voice Naruto slowly moved his hand back up to her shoulder blades...and kept moving until he reached the back of her head.

"The word 'slutty' implies that it doesn't belong to you alone," Riful pointed out impishly.

Naruto grinned down at her and thread his fingers through her hair. "There's no one here other than me. So you do belong to me and me alone my slutty minx, and no one else can have you." He started sounding almost possessive towards the end.

The girl in question shuddered pleasantly at that. "You're going to make me blush," she teased, stroking his dick. She diligently brought the little guy to life with her hands and leaned down to use her tongue against the underside before Riful moved up and took its head into her mouth. Naruto let out a pleasant shudder when he felt the vibrations of her moan running through his cock and casually made the young woman move her head up and down on his lap.

"Ah…" Naruto sighed, his eyes threatening to close from the pleasure surrounding his dick. "I just can't get tired of this… or fucking your pretty ass into the mattress."

Riful shuddered and moaned around his dick, sending more vibrations through it that made Naruto groan in enjoyment. Truth be told, she enjoyed it too. Though she'd be embarrassed to say it outright, this man had proven himself to her, achieving the impossible and establishing himself as a suitable mate to a creature that literally eats people. Not a lot of people can claim such an outstanding achievement… if anyone could at all.

While she was busy bobbing her head up and down on his lap and sucked his dick like a champ, Naruto slowly moved his hand from her scalp back down her back. And the teenage Riful shifted on the seat so that she was lying down on it, with her head on his lap and kept it up.

Naruto moaned deeply in pleasure at the sensations washing over his loins. Despite being anything but a virgin at this point, he could already feel his balls starting to churn. This woman knew what she was doing and riled him up with a well-honed ease. To show his appreciation, Naruto moved his free hand further down and grabbed her nice, round ass to give it a firm squeeze. He drew a cute, little mewl from Riful and she started doubling her efforts. Naruto grunted in exertion, a hot shiver running up his spine... and then, he let loose inside her eager gob. His mistress eagerly swallowed his seed, greedily drinking every last drop as it entered her eager gob.

Once the flow of his seed started to wane, Riful squeezed the base of his dick with her thumb and forefinger before squeezing out the very last remnants of his load and licking it right off the tip. Then she withdrew and put his penis back into its trousers, but not before making a show of swallowing her mate's hot jizz.

"That's a good lookin' girl ya got there, boy," a gruff, masculine voice called out.

Unfortunately, that was when a group of 'unwanted guests' showed up and tried to ruin their day… The key word being 'tried'.

Naruto quirked an eyebrow and made the horse pulling the carriage stop as he looked in the direction the voice came from. They weren't seriously going to try to...

The sound of several men laughing maliciously surrounded them as no less than twenty guys popped out of the foliage in either side. Naruto frowned deeply. Apparently, they were.

"You seem like a nice guy," the one who spoke earlier said. "Just give us your valuables and let us have a little time with your pet, and we'll let you live."

Riful obviously didn't take too kindly to that offer. "Can I eat them?"

The sound of their laughter came to an abrupt halt at that. And there was a very tense, very awkward silence as Naruto thought about her request.

"I… actually don't have any objections to that," Naruto replied in the flattest tone Riful had ever heard him use. "Just try to keep the mess off the wagon. Beyond that, go nuts and make sure there are no witnesses."

"Eat us… is she a youma?!" One of the men squawked out, visibly terrified.

"Oh no," Naruto said with false reassurance. "My mistress is a lot worse." And much better in many ways, but that was left unsaid. Then Naruto pointed at them and uttered two words. "Riful, sic'em."

"Yip, yip," she teasingly replied, before vanishing from the wagon. Before any of the bandits realized what was happening, she appeared right behind their leader and he... fell apart, split right down the middle with his entrails missing. The men predictably screamed like little bitches at the sight, recoiling from Riful as if she were some ungodly monster.

If only those poor saps knew…

"I'm telling you, I'm fiiine," Cassandra wined, pouting childishly as Miranda went over her nude form with a fine-toothed comb. The Number 36 was acting like a mother hen, seriously! True to her word, though, the Number One had fully recovered by the time those three days were over. Her bones had knitted, her bruises healed, and she was as fit as a fiddle. "You don't need to look over me! Really!"

Miranda sighed heavily and nodded. "I'm just making sure is all," she said, before getting up. "That kick did a number on you. I was worried."

"I understand," Cassandra muttered poutily, her bottom lip jutting out in a cutesy manner. "But I'm tougher than that; it'll take more than one lucky shot to keep me down for long."

"Heartwarming as this may be," chimed in Roxanne, "I'm getting rather anxious. Dauf the Dim may have gone his own way after that scuffle, but staying in one place like this makes me worry that he might be tempted to come back and try again."

Cassandra and Miranda both shared a look at that. Then they looked at the Number 35 and both nodded.

"You're right," the Number One agreed. "We should get moving as soon as possible in that case."

And thus, they did precisely that and put as much distance between themselves and Dauf the Dim as possible. No one, Cassandra especially, wanted to take any chances.

A few days later, back in Riful's castle, a particularly satisfied loli was absolutely beaming as no less than three of Naruto's clones waited on her hand and foot. Riful, dare she say it, felt like royalty right now as she sat on her throne with the clones doing whatever she wanted.

Three more were doting on Sylvia and a few were helping Neideen with making her own room absolutely perfect for the little bundle of joy she also had on the way.

As for the original, he was chatting it up with a mason, consulting him on repairing Riful's castle more… substantially.

The two of them were looking the castle over from the outside. "So how long do you think it'll take to rebuild the castle?" The blond asked the man beside him, who was looking at the fortress with analytic eyes.

"Several months, at least," the mason replied, "Possibly a few years, depending on resources and manpower. The castle is very old so she will need some retrofitting and reinforcement in places that have weakened over the years. Add in the stone that needs to be broken down into something usable and transported here and we've got quite the project on our hands… She's in remarkable condition for her age, though, so it's most certainly doable."

"My mistress told me there's a quarry nearby," Naruto pointed out.

The stonemason looked at the young man and asked, "How far?"

"On the other side of that hill." Naruto pointed at one to the southeast. It was pretty close.

"That would most certainly help," the mason said with a nod. It was rather common for castles to be built near a quarry for obvious reasons, so he wasn't all that surprised. "It should reduce the time it takes, though by how much depends on what we find there." (2)

Naruto nodded in acceptance. "So… will you help?"

"I'd be delighted," the man replied with a chuckle. "Assuming you can pay, of course. We may need some protection from bandits and the like, though… and especially youma."

Naruto nodded at that, "I'll see what I can do. I do have a claymore with us… not sure if she'll be willing to play guard duty, but it won't hurt to ask."

If the stonemason was disturbed by that, he didn't show it. He just nodded with a straight face. "That's fine. Having one claymore keep a look out for youma is better than nothing." All they needed now is some guards to protect their cargo and they would be set.

Meanwhile, a rather dull-looking, burly man entered a village near the border of Lautrec. He had blond hair, brown eyes, no eyebrows, and stood a staggering six-foot-six. In combination with his muscular build, the man was enormous by the standards of any world, really.

This was the human form of Dauf the Dim, and he was now garbed in some clothes he 'borrowed' from an old farmer after chowing down on him and his wife. He had to improvise a bit with the clothes, given how much bigger he was than either of them, but he managed.

Before his confrontation with that bitch and her teammates, he had been heading to Lautrec for a specific reason… and got right back to it when they slipped away.

Simply put, he didn't like how Isley was being domineering towards his subordinates; the fact he kicked Rigardo's ass and forced the former Number 2 to submit to him left a bad taste in the former Number 3's mouth… and he knew Isley would have done the same thing to him. The White Silver King didn't like variables; they were unpredictable, thus dangerous, and had to be snuffed out. So, Dauf left to find this 'Riful of the West' in hopes that she was same Riful as that adorable, little girl he met all those centuries ago.

Something about seeing a girl so young in that uniform made him want to give her cookies and headpats and protect her from anyone who would do her harm with a bloody vengeance! She was just so cute, the poor thing! What the hell was the Organization thinking, letting a seven-year-old wield a sword, anyway?!

Still… if she was still alive, if she was the same Riful as the one he sought, Dauf wondered what she looked like, now. Pushing those thoughts aside for later, he looked around for a tavern. Remembering that those tended to be wonderful sources of information from his time as a warrior, Dauf was quick to make a beeline for the first one he saw. (3)

It was a quaint, little hovel, perched on a hill at the edge of town, named the Boar's Hat. The tavern itself was a three-story, wooden roundhouse with a crooked, pointy roof vaguely resembling a witch's hat and likely contributing to the name. Stepping inside, Dauf immediately noticed the scantily-clad barmaids and was admittedly tempted to see if they were the kind who performed... other services but resisted. He was here for information, after all, and only had so much bera on him.

He took a seat near the center of the room and kept his ears open as one of the barmaids tended to him. Chucking a bera her way, he went for a simple pint of ale. It took a bit, but after a while and several more pints, one conversation caught his attention.

"Hard to believe they're rebuilding Zakol Castle," one man muttered in mild surprise. "Wasn't she abandoned over a hundred years ago? You'd think she wouldn't be worth the effort by now."

"It doesn't rain a whole lot in the area," another explained, "so the stone would take longer to weather—especially if she was whitewashed recently before being abandoned. Still… it's most certainly uncommon for a castle that old to be rebuilt." (4)

Dauf gave the men a sidelong glance, noting that there were two of them and one woman. He could tell that all three of them were warrior types from their physique alone. And smell. After living as long as he has, Dauf could literally smell a warrior from a mile away. The combination of oil, dirt, blood and sweat was simply unmistakable.

Also, even he was aware that a castle being built or even rebuilt had a tendency to attract people to the area… lots of people… meaning lots of food… If this Zakol Castle was nearby, then maybe Riful would eventually slip out of whatever pit she was hiding in for a snack? It was a long shot; she could be anywhere for all he knew, but it was as good a place to start as any. With that thought in mind, Dauf got up and decided to join in on their conversation.

"Out of curiosity, would you happen to know who is having this castle rebuilt?" In truth, Dauf didn't actually care; he just wanted to break the ice and see if he could accompany them there. He had no idea where this Zakol Castle was, so a guide… and potential snack sounded very nice to him at the moment.

The apparent leader of their group addressed him "It's apparently a young man that no one's heard of, but has nonetheless amassed quite the fortune… and a harem, no less," he explained. "No word on his name, though… speaking of names, I'm Garruk. What's yours, stranger?"

The man in question was fucking huge, taller than even Dauf at a whopping seven feet tall, with shoulder length, black hair; green eyes; and a full, thick beard. He was also built like a brick shithouse, looking to be a good 300 pounds of pure muscle, if those arms were anything to go by. His attire was fairly simple, consisting of a brown, sleeveless tunic; green trousers; a back belt and heavy, leather boots.

"I'm Dauf," the Awakened One grunted with a respectful nod. "I take it you're heading there?"

"We are," Garruk replied. "This newcomer's looking for protection from bandits and the like. Apparently has a silver-eyed witch to help against youma."

"Rumor has it that he married her," the other man added. "Not so sure if I believe it."

"I most certainly don't," the woman chimed in. The claim was nothing short of absurd to her, in fact; no man she'd ever met would dare touch one of those women with a ten-foot pole!

Though the rumor itself was strange, Dauf disregarded it as he kept his attention on Garruk. "I'd certainly be willing to help if you need an extra pair of hands," he said. "Haven't picked up a sword in a while, but I'm no slouch."

Eyeballing him once more, Garruk nodded. "We have some dull ones to test your skills with," he offered. "We could certainly use another man in the group."

"Whenever you're ready, then," Dauf replied with a nod and a smile.

It took a while to find a suitable spot for a good spar, but Garruk and his entourage eventually managed to locate a nice clearing just north of the village. Once he was given a dull longsword and a gambeson, Dauf shook the rust off for a bit by practising some of the old drills from back in his day. It had been at least three-hundred years since he last held one, though, so he looked like an impressive novice from Garruk's standpoint and played along when asked. He did appear to be at least somewhat young enough, after all… despite his sheer size, of course.

"Your technique is a bit off," Garruk observed in an advising tone. "Mostly, you're not stepping into the blow properly. Your footwork is pretty good, beyond that, though… You're also not exposing your extremities, which is impressive for your skill level. All-in-all, you certainly show promise. Work on your technique a bit more and you'll be a force to be reckoned with."

"Thanks," Dauf grunted.

"Right, then," the bearded man said, grabbing a dull sword of his own. "Let's see how well you can apply these techniques in a more practical sense, shall we?"

Rolling his shoulders, Dauf nodded and got into a basic defensive stance. Then, without a word, their spar began. The two of them started off slow, each man probing the other's guard with a few swipes at his opponent's limbs. Then, Dauf took the initiative and rushed Garruk with a strike to the shoulder. The man deflected it easily and followed up with a strike of his own, but Dauf parried it away and soon enough the two men started to dance from there. Dauf made sure to tone down his speed and strength since, as an Awakened One, he was leagues faster and stronger than human beings. The former Number 3 did not want to set off any alarms… well, not yet anyway. He may not have been the sharpest tool in the shed, but Dauf knew these people had their uses.

Garruk had to admit this man before him was sharp. His style was… primitive, but effective nonetheless. Though clearly a beginner from his perspective, Dauf was well on his way to being quite the frightening swordsman, and if he had the right tutelage he would be a swordmaster with little equal.

As they performed a dance with their swords Garruk and Dauf exchanged a few more blows, some were parried, some were outright blocked and others were dodged as they weaved about their little battlefield. Then, the black-haired man was disarmed by Dauf; he knew when he was beat and backed off with a satisfied look.

"Very impressive," Garruk praised. "Welcome to the team. We're going to be heading out in three days, so you should have plenty of time to prepare."

"That's more than enough," Dauf replied with a smile.

With a nod, Garruk retrieved his practice sword and they headed back to the village.

1: While warriors of the Organization have shown themselves to be faster than humans, the only one I know of who could maintain that speed for extended periods of time was Renee. It makes sense that some would be able to and some would not, methinks.

2: I mean, they are made of stone, so it makes sense for a castle to have a nearby abundance of it, lol. Much more convenient. Mind you, that was not always the case. Many castles were made of wood, for example, even in the west. But even then, they tended to have that wood replaced with stone over time… at least in the high medieval period that most fantasy stories take place in.

3: Again, given that Dauf was Number Three back in his time, it makes sense that he'd have some degree of competence when it comes to hunting down youma and Awakened Beings… such as knowing where to find information and identifying areas where they'd most likely be drawn towards. He's just dumb in other regards. I'd imagine that he likes to say his brain is "specialized" is all, lol.

4: Whitewash is basically a type of quicklime used to apply a protective, water resistant layer on castle walls, back in the medieval period. This helps prevent the stone from weathering from wind and rain over time, though it must be maintained if you don't want it to wear off. Kinda like paint on a modern house, basically.

That's all, for now. I hope you enjoyed and I look forward to posting more content as soon as I can! :)