A/N: Sorry for the long wait on this particular story update. This is definitely one of my favorites. And I deeply appreciate the praise, feedback and suggestions. Thanks very much to all you wonderful readers.
Chapter Five: New Faces.
Naruto yawned tiredly as he woke up earlier than usual, heck, the sun was barely shining at the moment. He looked at his bedside clock and found there was still plenty of time before he had to go to the Academy. However, he feared that if he fell back asleep, he wouldn't wake up on time.
With a reluctant groan, he somehow managed to slip away from his usual sleeping buddy Ran-Mao and quietly tiptoed his way into the living area to start performing some morning stretches. He hummed quietly to himself as he thought about the Slave Seal and how it was supposedly unremovable. It actually reminded him of Anko's Curse mark, which in itself was a type of Slave Seal.
For years she had been struggling with its ill effects, and it also served as a constant reminder of her enemy and ex-sensei Orochimaru. A perpetual blight and a literal black mark on her life. Anko was without a doubt one of his best and oldest friends and was always baffled why no Seal Masters had ever actually tried to help. Sure Seal Masters were pretty rare since it was a highly complex art, but there had to be at least somebody.
The boy bit his lip for a second, still feeling bad that he couldn't uphold his promise… but on the other hand, he wasn't going to quit just yet. He wasn't just going to throw in the towel without being beyond all doubt that there was nothing he could do. He checked the clock again and took note of the time.
If he remembered right, the Konoha Academy's public Library was one of the first areas to open, so he decided to check the place out and see if there were any books on sealing available. Even ones covering the basics would be of help to get him started.
He'd promised that he'd free the Slaves that wanted to leave him, and by damn, he wasn't going to drop it that easily. He quickly put on his clothes and dashed out the door, hoping to get there sooner than anyone else. As this went on, a certain Occupant in one of his apartment's closets was furiously trying to break free of her bonds.
Later that morning.
The Jinchuuriki sat far in the back of the class, scratching his head as he read through a book that covered the basics of Sealing… now he understood why it wasn't common practice. While Seals had a large variety of uses, creating the necessary formula was often tricky work. If you messed up, even the slightest bit, the consequences could be catastrophic.
Still, if there was one thing he loved to do, it was conquer a challenge. And the Sealing arts might help give him a slight edge if he applied them correctly. He considered using seals that could increase the weight of his clothing so that he could get a daily workout just from moving around in his usual outfit, which would also add extra difficulty in his martial arts training that Ran-Mao had promised.
He knew that Chloe and Olga deserved to be free as soon as possible, but he wasn't going to risk their lives by fiddling around with the Slave Seal until he felt he was good enough to try and that there was absolute certainty that there would be no ill effects. The last thing he wanted was to accidentally make them explode, melt down into a puddle of goo, or worse.
His musing was interrupted when he heard a voice speak "Ohayo Naruto-kun. You're here early." He glanced up from his book and saw Hinata standing a few feet away with a warm smile on her face. He gave her a friendly wave and set aside his book, pinching the bridge of his nose as he nursed a minor headache. Apparently there was so much to learn about Sealing that even the basics were enough to make your head spin. And it was mostly theoretical to say the least.
"Morning Hinata." He greeted politely then asked "Since it's just us here right now, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" At his question, the Hyuuga heiress looked about and flashed her Byakugan, likely checking to be certain they were all alone.
When she was satisfied she spoke to her longtime crush "Naruto-kun… This isn't an easy thing for me to ask… and it will come as a shock to you… but would you accept me as a Slave?" Of all the things she could have asked him… that was the last thing he would have ever imagined coming from Hinata of all people.
At first, he thought she was just messing with him and replied "You shouldn't joke about that kind of thing. Signing your whole life away as a Slave isn't something to make fun of."
She shook her head and replied "I'm not joking Naruto-kun. I'm serious right now." She spoke which stunned the Uzumaki. He couldn't understand. Why was she asking him such a thing? She was a clan heiress for crying out loud! She had status, she had money, and most importantly she had a father and sister. Was she touched in the head or something?
"I have no idea what's going through your head, but I'm not doing it. You have no idea what it means to be a Slave." He spoke in a warning tone, not wanting her to sign over her life on a whim. Unknown to him, she did know and had thoroughly investigated every clause in the Slave Contracts used by the SMA, which were extremely binding. But she didn't really care about that, she would take comfort in knowing that she'd be in the care of someone who would be good to her.
"I do know, please let me explain myself. The truth is…" She tried to speak but was cut off when the Uzumaki slammed his fist on his desk, and for a moment she thought his eyes had flashed red. Nevertheless, they may as well be red now, given the furious look on his face.
"I said no! I'm not going to! I'm sorry Hinata, it's bad enough that I have slaves that want to go back to their homes and I can't free them. I'm not going to do that to you and I won't take you away from your family like that." Naruto snapped angrily, giving a harsh glare to the Clan heiress. Before she could explain herself and her reasonings, the other students began to file into the classroom. Not wanting to cause a scene, Hinata excused herself and decided to sit as far as possible from her crush so he could calm down.
All the while, she felt terrible that she had infuriated her crush, she mentally scolded herself mumbling under her that she should have been more gentle with him. For now, it would be best to give him some time and space before asking again… only next time she would make it more clear why.
She knew she'd have to act quickly though, the clock was ticking and the Elder's could try and make their move at any time. But one way or another… she wasn't going to allow herself to be used as a pawn against her family. Wait… that actually reminded her of something… family. The Sandaime was often known to be something of a grandfatherly figure to Naruto… perhaps he could help convince him? It was certainly worth a try. She would need to speak to the Hokage immediately.
Meanwhile. Uzumaki residence.
Celestine hummed a small tune to herself as she worked preparing a bento for their master, just a little something to give him the energy he needs for school and a reminder that they still cared for him, even if he didn't have the power to free him.
Satisfied with her work, she suddenly gained an idea and looked towards her counterpart, Olga who seemed to be busy with brushing her hair while watching a horror movie, apparently using the gory murders on screen as inspiration for if she ever crossed paths with a certain Mercenary. The High elf giggled and seemingly glided over to the fallen queen with a sweet smile. "What is it Celestine? I'm busy." Olga muttered in mild annoyance, the queen taking great pride in her appearance and personal hygiene. Her silky black hair being one of her greatest prides.
The buxom blonde elf then leaned down and whispered something into her former enemy's ear. The tip of her ear twitching as the Dark Elf gained a look of interest on her face. She then gave a quick nod and called out "Chloe? Come here please." At her call, the blonde half-elf came rushing into the room, and bowed almost reverently towards her beloved Queen, even though it was no longer necessary since they were now equals in bondage.
Old habits die hard, the fallen Queen supposed. "There's an errand you need to run for me." Olga spoke, her aide listening intently for her soon-to-be given instructions, eagerly waiting for whatever task her Queen would give her.
"Take this bento to the young master and apologize to him, sincerely, for your earlier behavior." The Dark Elf ordered, and pointed towards the bento her longtime rival was holding as Celestine gave a gentle smile.
Chloe froze up, her face twisting into a mix of frustration and resentment towards the very mentioning of the human that essentially owned their lives. "Why do I have to go? Surely you can send that other girl!" Chloe said, pointing towards the form of Ran-Mao who was doing a series of yoga poses.
Olga frowned deeply in disappointment and spoke "No. I am not asking, I am ordering YOU to go. And you're going because the master not only needs nourishment for school, but you have also hurt his feelings with your outburst. You should apologize and be grateful that we're in good hands. It is not his fault he cannot free us.
And were it not for him, we may have been sold as pleasure slaves to be raped day and night until we expired. Now… get going. And if I hear from the Young Master that you failed to arrive or refused to apologize… I may be in need of a guinea pig for… certain experiments." The former Queen finished the last sentence with a saucy grin, making the half-elf shudder as a 'foot in the grave' feeling overcame her.
Usually when the Queen experimented on people… they would be lucky if the damage was only physical in nature, and even more so if they were to pass away into blissful oblivion. Sighing in defeat, Chloe ruefully accepted the bento and went to change into her street clothes before finally leaving.
"Ara ara. I'm still surprised at you Olga. You seem to be taking the situation rather well, all things considered." Celestine spoke with a gentle smile, making her rival give a small chuckle.
"Perhaps so. I'm not pleased with being owned like property, but at least I'm with people I can tolerate. Still… what people don't tell you is that wearing a crown is a prison unto itself, which I am no longer shackled to." The Dark elf spoke thoughtfully, earning a nod of understanding from the high elf since she had been in a similar position herself.
In the background, Hannah seemed to be occupying herself by dusting and sweeping the place even in spite of the fact it was mostly clean already while listening in on their conversation. From what she understood, it sounded like Olga was someone of authority before her enslavement and Chloe was likely one of her servants. Celestine seemed somewhat familiar with the black haired Elf, so it was likely they had some history.
In any case, she hoped that by listening quietly and by getting to know them then she'd be able to settle in more quickly. Her brief musing was interrupted when a small thumping noise came from a certain closet, which didn't go unnoticed by the others. "What was that? Please tell me we don't have a vermin problem." Olga muttered, hoping that some form of creature hadn't chewed its way through the walls.
Without hesitation, Ran-Mao leapt over them, a frying pan in her hand as she opened the closet door, when it opened, a female voice called out "Oi! What're you…" but before the owner of the voice could finish her sentence, the golden eyed woman swung the cooking tool which hit its target with a loud clang sound which was followed by a thumping sound, which could be safely presumed was a body hitting against the floor.
The maid and elves blinked as they looked over Ran-Mao's shoulder and saw her checking the knots on the unknown woman's bindings. "Oh dear. I don't think Naruto-sama's going to like this." Celestine muttered in a worried tone.
"How long has this woman been in there? Why the hell did you even kidnap her?" Olga questioned with a twitching eyebrow. She had believed that the human female was far too reserved and obedient to do something so foolish, but… there were no words to describe how furious she would be if this idiot got the young master, their merciful benefactor in trouble.
"Wait… you didn't know this woman was here?" Hannah asked with a raised eyebrow, and was very much confused by this situation.
The golden eyed Chinese woman slowly blinked her eyes and spoke "Will be fine. Old friend." At her words, the maid and elves couldn't help but sweat-drop. If Ran-Mao kidnapped and beat up her friends… then how does she treat her enemies? And seriously… was it too much to ask for a relatively normal day? With any luck, Naruto wouldn't be too mad at them.
Now that they thought about it… was their 'guest' still alive? She didn't seem to be breathing. Oh, wait. Her chest was moving. Scratch that last. The dark Elf Queen leaned over to her counterpart and whispered "We need to do something quick or we'll be cleaning a murder scene." At that, the High elf nodded in agreement.
Things couldn't get any more worse than they already were… right? Their 'guest' groaned and slowly stirred awake, causing Ran-Mao to raise the frying pan, ready to strike again to knock out the captive woman.
"DON'T YOU DARE!" The three ladies shouted as they pounced on the martial artist before she could do any permanent damage to the stranger.
Meanwhile. Konoha Academy.
Naruto yawned a bit as he continued to read through the book on Fuinjutsu in his hands, he was currently reading through on how to properly structure the seal so it could perform its intended purpose. The most commonly used seals being Sealing scrolls for storage or Exploding seals for demolition and combat purposes.
Of course there were all manner of seals that could be applied for a variety of uses if made and used in the correct manner. There was a brief mentioning of an incident where a Shinobi attempted to use Gravity seals in the place of training weights to enhance his body's physical strength, supplemented by daily exercise and training… however he made a critical mistake of making the Gravity seals far too strong without any limiters or safety precautions and ended up crushing himself to death when he applied them.
Hell of a way to go. On a very important note, a tale such as this is why one should proceed with caution when experimenting with Seals. And the boy knew he would need to be extra careful with the girl's slave seals. There was no telling what kind of fail-safes or traps there were in it.
He glanced up at the clock and saw that lunch period was about to begin. He had been so busy studying that he had forgotten his appetite… wait… did he bring a bento with him? He suddenly realized his blunder and cursed himself for forgetting to bring a meal with him. It seemed that for today he'd have to make do without.
"Hot damn! Check out that babe!" Came the voice of one Kiba Inuzuka, which made the blonde jump in his seat a bit in surprise… and then the Uzumaki saw the form of Chloe walking into the classroom. A look of annoyance on her face as she found herself surrounded by a number of boys with hearts in their eyes.
"Damn! Look at that smooth brown skin!" Shouted one boy, while another asked if she tasted like caramel, while others were hounding her with questions and asking her for dates. And of course a few mentioned her elf ears and wondered how she made them look so real.
"Away with you! Go away! I've no time for this." Chloe snarled angrily feeling very much violated by all these human adolescents forcing themselves into her personal space, and tried to shove her way through the crowd. At this, Naruto decided it best to intervene and come to her rescue.
"Oi! Up here Chloe!" He shouted loud enough for her to hear, at the sound of his voice everything fell silent as the boys that were previously bothering the half-elf started to look between her and the Uzumaki wondering how he knew her.
"Hey. Naruto… don't tell me… do you also own this babe too?" Kiba asked his nose twitching as he caught traces of the girl's sent on the whiskered boy, and vice versa, letting him put two and two together. Naruto for his part, clicked his tongue in annoyance at 'owning' someone, regardless of his good intentions but reluctantly nodded all the same. At that, the various males in the class all grumbled in disappointment and returned to their seats with downcast expressions while grumbling 'lucky bastard'.
"Damn Naruto. You have some great taste in babes." The dog boy spoke and playfully smacked the whiskered teen on the back in a congratulatory manner, much to Naruto's annoyance as he rolled his eyes.
Sighing to herself, Chloe approached her master and presented the bento to him and spoke "I brought this bento for you. Celestine made it in case you were hungry." She turned her head away, her face flushed a bit in embarrassment and humiliation for having to serve a human teenager. Her eyes flicked back to her master who had a warm smile on his face as he accepted the bento.
"Thanks Chloe. That means a lot to me." He spoke in a grateful tone, his smile making the half-elf blush a deeper red. She wanted to tell him off and say that he shouldn't get any filthy ideas but she couldn't bring herself to say it, largely because she didn't want to cause a scene and risk her master complaining to her Queen about it.
"Erm… right. If it's all right, can I talk to you about something? In private?" She asked him with a small frown, her head turned away with an annoyed expression on her face, knowing she'd have to apologize as her queen instructed. May as well get it over and done with.
"Sure. There was actually something I wanted to talk to you about as well." He spoke as he carried one of his books along with the bento in tow, with the blonde half-elf following close behind him with a sigh. As they departed, a certain pinkette was glaring daggers into Naruto's back who remained oblivious to it.
When they exited the classroom and began to march through the hallway, Chloe asked "Are all males in this village such… what's that human phrase? Corndogs?" She asked, though she believed that wasn't correct.
"I think you mean Horndogs. And a lot of them are, but even if people are perverts, it doesn't have to make them bad. Don't tell me that you don't have certain perversions?" The Uzumaki replied with a slightly cheeky smile, his question earning a small 'hmph' from Chloe. While she wouldn't openly admit it… she had always had certain fantasies about her beloved Queen. She just chose not to act on them to focus on serving her Queen. And mixing business with pleasure was often… tricky.
After a minute or two of walking, they finally arrived on the roof, which was perhaps one of the few places where he could study and/or eat in privacy without being bothered by others. Which would be especially useful in his study on Seals. "All right then, what did you want to talk about with me?" She asked impatiently, her arms crossed beneath her bust as she tapped a finger against her forearm.
Naruto ran a hand through his hair and spoke in a sincere voice "I understand you must still be upset with me. I understand that you felt hope to be free again, and it was snatched away from you again. I feel like I unintentionally betrayed you. But, I want you and the others to know that… I haven't given up on freeing you." At the end of that last sentence, Chloe felt her mouth drop open slightly.
"B… but… but you said…" She muttered in surprise, recalling everything he had told her about the Seal and how it was virtually impossible to remove. The Uzumaki raised a lone finger to silence her and replied "I know what I told you. But just because people say something is unbreakable, doesn't mean that it actually is. I made a promise, and I'm going to keep it. Just… please be patient. Sealing arts are extremely complex, and I only want to do it when I know it'll be safe for me to do so. I… I don't want anything bad to happen to you girls."
The crimson eyed half-elf felt tears build up, this human child, being unlike any human she had previously encountered. In her eyes, humans were ugly creatures that only cared about their desires. But this one? He was far more concerned for the happiness of his slaves than anything else. "Why… why are you so kind to us?" She asked, tears flowing down her cheeks. She wanted to hate him, to hold him responsible for her and the Queen's plight.
"Because, you were forced into this against your will. And I'm responsible for you girls, and as such, I just want you to be happy. And you won't be happy tethered to a leash, will you?" The Uzumaki asked as he scratched his cheek with a lone finger.
At his words, Chloe's gaze sank to the ground as she muttered in a voice too low for him to hear "Why couldn't you have been my previous owner?" Naruto tilted his head to the side and asked a brief 'What was that?' earning a wry smile from the Half-elf.
She then cleared her throat, and wiped some tears from her eyes as she spoke "Naruto-sama… I wish to apologize to you. For snapping at you. You have been nothing but kind and patient and understanding with us, and I spat in your face. I wish… I could have met a human like you much earlier in my life."
"Your reaction was understandable and I appreciate the apology. So don't worry about it. It may be some time before I can finally free you, so I'll do my best to take good care of you girls." He replied happily, making Chloe give a warm smile.
"And in that time, I'll do my best to repay your kindness… By the way… there's something I want to ask you about." She spoke at the end, her smile changing into a sickly sweet one that gave her fellow blonde a feeling of impending doom. He couldn't help but swallow a dry lump in his throat and ask her what she wanted to know.
"Did you take a bath with my Queen?" She asked in a clearly jealous tone of voice, making the whiskered teen realize that he was now backed into a corner, a no-win situation type of corner at that. He certainly couldn't lie to her, and he was sure saying 'yes' was also a bad idea. While he knew that the Slave mark prevented her from killing him, he was sure that she would try to get some other form of payback.
Suddenly, an idea came to him… and he opted for a third option. "Sorry Chloe-san, but the lunch period will be over soon and I want to try out this Bento." He spoke as he planted himself on the ground and popped the bento open, gave a quick 'itadakimasu' and quickly dug into it to avoid answering her question. Her eyebrow twitched a bit in annoyance but she couldn't fault him for his response, she had already taken up quite a bit of his time.
"This isn't over." She muttered, she wasn't gonna let this go that easily. If her master heard her, he didn't seem to acknowledge her as he ate the meal. With a small shake of her head she announced "I'm heading back home. And… thank you again… for everything." with that, she departed with a much happier expression on her face, feeling a small sense of closure. When she was gone, the Uzumaki let out a sigh of relief from dodging that kunai.
He could only hope that she wouldn't push the subject again at a later time. With Chloe now gone, he decided to eat his meal at a more relaxed pace to enjoy the flavor… and by Kami this was delicious! Celestine was a pretty good cook just like Ran-Mao. He heard the door to the rooftop open again and slowly looked up, expecting to see the form of Chloe return, believing she had forgotten something… but instead it was an entirely different woman.
It was a very attractive woman with fair skin wearing a white sundress and a wide brimmed hat to shield herself from the sun, her sea blue eyes seemingly shining a bit behind a pair of spectacles. "Sorry. I didn't know anyone else was here." She spoke in a quiet voice, making the whiskered boy rub the back of his head.
"It's okay. I don't mind." He responded, earning a nod from her as she took a seat near one of the far corners of the rooftop, almost as if she were trying to hide herself there. Naruto hummed quietly to himself since he couldn't remember ever seeing this woman before.
"Pardon my asking, but are you a new student?" He asked out of simple curiosity, his question prompting her to nod a bit as she hugged her knees to her rather sizeable bust. He tilted his head a bit and guessed that she was perhaps the shy and quiet type of person.
He wanted to be friendly with her and make her feel more at ease so he spoke "Well, if you end up in my class, I hope we can get along. I'm called Naruto Uzumaki, lemme know if you need anything." At his words she absent-mindedly nodded and muttered a half-hearted 'thank you.' Before she began to stare off longingly to the distance.
He wanted to ask her what was wrong since something was clearly bothering her, but he ultimately chose to give her some space for the time being since they'd only just met and he didn't want to pry into her personal business. Still, he hoped that everything was okay.
Once he finished his bento, he resumed studying the sealing arts once again. Unknown to him, the blonde woman's eyes were leaking tears as she stared into the distance and muttered quietly to herself "This place… will be my new hell."
Meanwhile.
Scarlett sighed to herself as she rubbed her temples, her eyes scanning over the day's numbers as she drummed her fingers on her desk. As always, profits seemed to climb higher and higher as the slave trade, along with the clientele and merchandise continued to expand.
Number crunching was tedious work, but there was a certain satisfaction to seeing her profits rise. While it would be possible to hire an accountant to do the numbers, she knew that so much profit would bring out the greed in others, so she preferred to do it herself and make sure that everything was in proper order.
She decided to stop for a moment to rest her eyes and leaned back in her seat, taking a sip of warm coffee to give her a much needed boost. She glanced over to some letters that were sent to her by various Civil Rights organizations that complained and demanded her to stop the Slave trade. What a bunch of idiots.
They acted like she could just snap her fingers and the whole thing would come to a screeching halt. Sure she was very high up in the chain, but she was still but a cog in the machine. It is the Daimyo's that legalized the whole thing. If you want real change, then you have to address the root of the problem, not whine about the symptoms.
When it came to the moral argument, Scarlett had no real opinion nor could she afford to have one. She had to remain dispassionate, unattached and objective. Slaves were the merchandise, and she was the vendor. Her responsibilities were to monitor and maintain the health and value of her product and then sell them off. Still… there were certain aspects of this business that would leave a bad taste in her mouth.
And then… there were those that caught her attention. Like that Naruto boy. Against all odds, he had managed to successfully win the Grand Prize lottery with but a single ticket. From a logical and statistical standpoint, it should have been virtually impossible, but he still won anyway. It wasn't often that a Slave owner earned her personal interest.
Most if not all Owners were the same. But that boy was definitely different. She would have to investigate him more thoroughly in the future. Until then, she had another matter she was looking into. The bulk sales of low-ranking slaves. All of them female.
After combing through mountains of paperwork, she had confirmed that the buyer(s) were all undoubtedly middlemen, working under various pseudonyms. However, the most recent one made a critical error… whether it be through overconfidence or a careless mistake, one of the buyers had failed to wear a proper disguise and there was footage of him on file thanks to the numerous security monitoring systems. She had already passed the relevant information along to the Hokage and all she had to do now was let him sort out the rest and call her back.
Also, she was under orders that the next time someone ordered that same bulk, she would have them detained for questioning. Honestly, being in a position of power and authority was not an easy thing.
With that said and done, it was time to check out the latest batch of Slaves collected from outside the Shinobi Nations. There seemed to be quite a few promising ones in the particular batch that could sell for a pretty penny.
Meanwhile. With Naruto.
Naruto yawned tiredly as the school day finally came to a close, honestly speaking, he was amazed with himself that he hadn't yet lost his sanity from Iruka's lectures. At least this time he had something worth studying in his hands.
He hadn't seen that blonde girl from the roof since lunch period, he could only guess that she was either in another class or had yet to be placed in a class. He hadn't really spoken to her after their initial encounter, nor did she seem to be in a hurry to leave the roof when lunch period ended. At any rate, there were other things he needed to worry about.
He still needed to get in touch with his landlady Tsume about getting an apartment for Hannah to live in, or maybe get some extra space for the girls since his apartment was starting to get a bit cramped. That aside, he had a strong feeling that in the not-so-distant future he'll likely end up with more slaves that he feels the need to rescue and he'd need the space. It might be a good idea to swing by the Inuzuka estate.
"Yo. Kiba. Is your mom at home today?" The Uzumaki asked, with the Horndog Inuzuka raising an eyebrow, and then he suddenly remembered that his mom was Naruto's landlady and guessed that he needed to talk to her about something in relation to it.
"Nah. She's on clan business for the day. Making sure the kennels and clinics are up to snuff and everything. She'll be around tomorrow though. By the way, you're one lucky SOB to have a cute chick like that on hand along with one from before. The pale chick with the yellow eyes." The dog boy spoke at the end with a lewd grin.
"Mind out of the gutter Kiba." Naruto spoke and flicked his fingers against the Inuzuka's forehead, making him yelp a bit in pain while Akamaru seemed to be laughing at his partner.
Kiba rubbed his forehead a bit and spoke "Sorry dude. Inuzuka's are more in tune with their wild side. Hormones and shit don't help either. So stuff keeps on flying from my mouth." He explained, earning a nod of understanding from the blonde.
"No shame in appreciating someone of the opposite sex. Just quit being a creep about it." The blonde warned him, earning a lazy wave from his classmate.
"Yeah yeah. My mom says the same thing… and are you really lecturing me about being a perv when you're screwing your girls?" Kiba asked in a dead-pan tone, making Naruto chuckle.
"They keep coming onto me and I try my best to be respectful. And it's only the one that I'm banging… for now." The Uzumaki spoke, whispering the last part to himself as he remembered when he bathed with Olga and her attempt at seducing him. And it was safe to say that there would be more attempts soon.
He got up from his seat and took notice that Hinata was looking at him, she smiled and gave a friendly wave, in response he awkwardly waved back and then decided that it would be best to leave and return home for the day, lest Hinata ask him again about becoming a slave.
He exited the Academy in a rush, making a bee-line for home. The trip was rather short thanks to his brisk pace, but he came to a screeching halt when he saw his apartment door was half open. And just through the doorway, Chloe was lying on the floor. "Chloe? You okay?" He asked in a worried tone and quickly rushed over to check on her… and then he took notice of a horrifying scene.
Scattered throughout his apartment was blood and chunks of red flesh. The bodies of his slaves were strewn about as well. Celestine was slumped against a nearby wall, a crimson line slashed across her neck. Hannah was lying face down on the floor, a pool of a red liquid underneath her body.
Olga was tied to a chair, her mouth had something crammed inside and her eyes wide and filled with horror. And finally, Ran-Mao was standing in the middle of all this carnage, her hands covered in blood… at this moment, she slowly looked towards him and said in a quiet voice "Welcome."
there was only one thing that came to mind "RAN-MAO'S A YANDERE AND A KILLER!" Naruto screamed in horror and fell onto the floor with his rear end and pointed towards the Chinese woman in fear.
At his shout, both Hannah and Celestine's heads popped up as if snapping to attention with the former yelling "Young Master! This isn't what it looks like!"
The whiskered boy blinked his eyes a few times, his mind screeching to a halt as his face morphed into a 'WTF?' Look. "Wait… you're not dead? What the hell is going on? And what is this supposed to look like? Because it looks like a fucking crime scene!" He shouted in outrage earning some looks of embarrassment from the various women… and Olga was screaming something through her muffled mouth as she struggled against her restraints.
A few minutes later, some semblance of order had been restored with Naruto seated on the couch and his slaves and maid were all lined up and resting on their knees on the floor, minus Chloe who was still unconscious, her head resting in Naruto's lap. "All right. From the beginning… what happened?" He asked impatiently, glaring angrily at them.
Hannah raised a hand and began to explain "Well, earlier today we discovered that Ran-Mao had been keeping someone locked in the closet. And well, we began to argue because of this and a fight broke out as we tried to restrain Ran-Mao and… things went out of control. Celestine tossed a watermelon which shattered on the floor. I knocked over a bottle of wine and fell on it. Celestine got splattered with ketchup by Ran-Mao and then Olga was the last one standing and got tied to a chair." The maid spoke, giving a brief summary of what had transpired. Did they have a brawl or a fucking food fight? Just how in the hell did that occur?
"And Chloe?" Naruto asked, pointing down at the Half-elf. At this, Olga replied "She came in towards the end and fainted." Her explanation prompting him to nod in understanding.
"And the person Ran-Mao kidnapped?" He asked, causing the girls to each point towards the open closet where a set of legs could be seen peeking through the doorway.
"And what possessed you to kidnap this person?" He asked, directing his question to the golden eyed woman, her blank expression still ever present.
"For Master." Was her only response, which caused his eyebrow to twitch in irritation. This was not what he wanted to come home to. Not at all. Before he could speak further, the Occupant within the closet let out a low moaning noise and began to stir. Her legs retreated into the closet for a brief moment as some bumping noises could be heard as she began to get up and emerge from the closet.
It was a woman with maroon colored hair and hazel eyes.. "Oh! Hello there." She greeted politely with a small smile as she placed a pair of thick round glasses over her eyes and adjusted them a few moments. Her cordial greeting surprising them since that wasn't the kind of reaction one would get from someone that had been kidnapped.
"Um… hi?" Was the only response that the Uzumaki could come up with. The crimson haired girl then turned towards Ran-Mao and spoke in a friendly tone "Hey there Ran-Mao! It's been a while, yes it has!" She then took notice of the various ladies' apparent nudity and asked "Why're you all naked?"
"House rules." Was Ran-Mao's reply, making the spectacled woman raise an eyebrow and turn towards the blonde teen with a questioning look. All he could do was shrug his shoulders.
"Don't look at me, they started that themselves. Anyway, you two know each other?" Naruto asked in confusion, the other girls perking up a bit when they remembered Ran-Mao mentioned that she and this woman were old friends.
"What? She never told you about me? Well… she doesn't say much so I guess that makes sense, yes it does. My name's Mey-Rin! It's nice to meet you, yes it is! Me and Ran-Mao worked together a few times in the past while I was in the employ of my master." She explained with a fond smile, earning a quick thumbs up from the golden eyed woman.
"Master?" The Uzumaki questioned, earning a nod from Mey-Rin who responded "Yeah! I served as a maid for my old master, yes I did. But then the master up and left unexpectedly, left his mansion to his Servants, yes he did. I decided to explore the world a bit. Next thing I know, I'm getting kidnapped and stuffed into a closet. Didn't realize it was Ran-Mao till later just before she hit me with a frying pan. Hahahah!"
"You're acting way too casual for a kidnapping/assault victim." Naruto spoke with a large sweat-drop. Or maybe the snowman-like lumps atop Mey-Rin's head had affected her thought process?
"Eh. Not the worst thing that's happened to me." The crimson haired woman spoke with a wry smile and adjusted her glasses.
"Stay. Serve new master." Ran-Mao spoke, inviting her old ally to serve the Uzumaki. Mey-Rin adjusted her glasses and seemed to consider the offer rather seriously.
"Been a bit dull without the young master, yes it has. But I still wanna explore for a while. If the position is still open when I come back, I might just take it." The crimson haired woman replied with a kind smile prompting both Naruto and his first slave to nod their heads since that sounded reasonable. And Naruto was thanking his lucky stars this woman was taking things so casually.
"Well, I hope you enjoy your travels. And I'm sorry for everything." Naruto apologized sincerely, giving a small glare towards Ran-Mao for her behavior. He would need to discipline her later for this.
"Ah. Think nothing of it! Well, I should be going now. I'll be sure to drop by again sometime." Mey-Rin spoke and gave a friendly wave goodbye as she exited the apartment. Leaving Naruto to glare at his slaves and maid.
"Ran-Mao… never go behind my back and pull a stunt like that ever again. And to all of you… I absolutely will not tolerate any fighting amongst you. You girls could have seriously hurt one another." The whiskered teen spoke in a harsh tone, his anger understandable as they all shrank under his gaze. The only one being spared from his wrath being Chloe since she was both unconscious and had no involvement in the fight.
"Are you girls prepared to accept the consequences of your actions?" The Jinchuuriki asked as he crossed his arms, with Olga, Hannah, and Celestine tensing up slightly as they wondered what he would do to them while Ran-Mao was nothing but a blank slate. Though whether it be because she was simply difficult to read or had resigned herself was anyone's guess.
Naruto quietly hummed to himself as he tried to think of a good punishment. He needed it to be harsh enough so that the girls would learn their lesson, but he didn't want to go too over the top either. "First and most obviously, you girls are going to clean up the mess you made in the scuffle. And secondly…" he spoke and then paused at the end, leaving his sentence hanging the pause for effect increasing the ladies anxiety.
"I offer you a choice. Either watch one hour of a certain children's show that has a baby face sun with these weird creatures with TV's in their stomachs… or you each eat one of these ghost peppers." Naruto finished and then produced a jar of peppers from seemingly nowhere. The two Elves and the martial artist all stiffened in fear as they recalled the show he was talking about as they browsed through the channels.
"Pepper!" The three called out in unison and each snatched up a pepper exception Hannah, who was getting some very bad vibes from the peppers. And what could be so bad about a children's show?
Olga was the first to pop a pepper into her mouth. She chewed a few times and then clutched at her throat, her face turning a dark crimson. "Oh god! It burns!" She choked out, the Fallen Queen let out a small whimper and then fell face first to the floor.
Ran-Mao ate her ghost pepper, hot tears brimmed at the corners of her eyes and a foamy substance leaked from her mouth as she collapsed. And finally Celestine ate hers… and immediately spat up blood before mercifully passing into unconsciousness. With any luck, they wouldn't fight or do anything foolish again.
"Now for your turn Hannah. And remember… no take backs." Naruto warned her… and then a few minutes later Hannah was quickly coming to regret her decision as she sat on the couch next to her master who seemed to be busy reading a manga while tenderly stroking Chloe's hair and playing with her ponytail.
"Young Master… have mercy." Hannah whispered, feeling a strong urge to claw her own eyes out. Drowning in a sewer pipe would be better than this torture. Now she wished she'd eaten that damned pepper.
"Nope. Gotta learn your lesson." He replied bluntly, making the dark skinned maid cry anime tears. A mental image of hanging herself appearing in her mind. Naruto briefly kicked himself mentally as he forgot to check in with the Hokage about Hannah's identity, but he supposed that could be resolved later.
Chloe stirred a bit and her eyes flicked open. She took a moment to take in her surroundings and found herself in a very comfortable position. "Young master?" She asked as she looked up at him, her eyes still a bit bleary from sleepiness.
"Go back to sleep. You had a bad dream." Her master ordered/suggested since he didn't want her to accidentally gaze upon Hannah's punishment. The half-elf gave a quiet 'okay and let herself drift back into a blissful slumber, the soothing feeling of her master's hand running through her hair easily lulling her to sleep.
With things returning back to normalcy, Naruto sighed in relaxation. He wished that moments like these could last forever. His thoughts briefly drifted back to Hinata, but he quickly pushed them aside. He could only hope that the heiress was going through a misguided phase. After all, no one in their right mind would actually want to be an actual Slave… right?
End chapter five.
Naruto's Slaves/Servants:
Ran-Mao, Slave. (Kuroshitsuji aka Black Butler series.)
Hannah Annafellows, Maid. (Kuroshitsuji aka Black Butler series.)
Olga Discordia, Slave. (Kuroinu.)
Chloe, Slave. (Kuroinu.)
Celestine Lucross, Slave. (Kuroinu.)
Guest characters:
Scarlett, Head of Konoha Branch Slave market. (Final Fantasy series.)
Mey-Rin, kutzy maid and sniper assassin/bodyguard. (Kuroshitsuji aka Black Butler.)
Unknown blonde woman. (Surprise guest character. (Hope you like her))
