Drip!

Her head throbbed along with her heartbeat. Against her throat, her heavy breaths felt rough coming up from her lungs. She wanted to rub her neck and massage the pain away, but for some reason her arm wouldn't listen to her unsaid command.

She tried to shift her legs, but all she got was a numb tingling that ran all the way down to her toes. It was too dark to see anything, but her brow hurt like she'd been squinting for too long. Her nose scrunched up, recoiling from the dusty scent that filled her nostrils.

Drip!

A sharp pain flooded through her head, rattling her skull. Images stormed through her mind, forcing her to witness horrible scenes. Two monsters fighting tooth and nail in a lake. Clouds of flames wafted overhead, sizzling against the waves of cool water. Lightning broke through the darkness, but it seemed to dull with every strike, its speed slowing down to the point that it was beginning to lag behind the echoes of its partnering thunder.

One of the monsters carried a slimy appearance. A mass of tentacles, lined with suckers, wrestled with nine tails, covered with bushy fur. They wrapped around each other, struggling for control. She found herself wishing for the sea creature to triumph over the fox, but her hopes were dashed in the same manner as the octopus who came under attack by the spare tail that was free of an opponent. With the tail bashing against its face, the octopus began losing ground to the fox.

The octopus attempted to fight back but in the end there was no chance. In one swift motion, the fox clamped its jaw around its throat, rows and rows of sharpened fangs sunk into an oversized dish of seafood. No matter how hard it fought, the tentacled monster bled out in the demonic monster's jaw.

Around the same time that the monster fell lifeless, the lightning struck for the last time before being swallowed by the horizon of boundless flames. The dim light was absorbed into the fiery void and her vision became smothered by the darkness.

Her foggy dreams shifted into a more realistic scene. Pounding in her head, the sounds of footsteps reverberated against the tree barks. Similar sounds followed her, signalling the existence of her comrades. They had received word that their master had come under attack from the Akatsuki. She had rushed off as soon as she could, leaving Omoi and Samui in the dust.

As she ran, she had to distract herself from her teammate's constant muttering, involving a multitude of theories about the situation they could be stumbling into. But his anxious debates didn't do much to draw her attention as the entirety of her focus was centred on the condition of Lord Bee. Samui's expressionlessness couldn't even distract her, although the effects of running on her chest weren't of any help. All she knew for certain was that she needed to reach Lord Bee's side as soon as possible.

In her tunnel vision, she failed to notice how her body was swarmed by shadows. Curling around her legs, she tripped, biting the dirt of the forest floor. She turned to her comrades, or where they once were. Empty patches of darkness substituted for her teammates until she was swamped by the chill. The coils of shadows tightened around her body until she found her consciousness squeezed out of her along with her ability to breathe.

Drip!

And then her eyes opened. A small puddle rippled on the stone between her feet. Her jaw ached, but she didn't know why. That was until she watched as another drop fell from her chin and splashed against the pool of… her drool?

As soon as she realised, she shut her mouth, licking her lips to clean them of any residual saliva. She groaned at the action, trying to escape the uncomfortable sensation in her neck by rolling her head side to side.

"It looks like she's awake" a familiar voice remarked. "Tenten, will you go and get Mistress for us?"

After a few seconds, a trail of footsteps led to the squeaking of a door being opened, followed by the subsequent slam of it closing. A quick peek confirmed her observations as she watched the wooden planks tremble. But that was the least of her problems at the moment, her attention becoming occupied by the two figures that loomed over her.

The first one her eyes began scanning was a complete stranger to her. Long legs were hidden by a violet skirt that hung of her wide hips. A short crop top allowed for a jealous peek at her taut stomach, filled with soft tissue. Although, the tightness of the fabric was even more concerning, forcing any onlookers' eyes to widen at the sight of the cloth being stretched by her large bust. Pale skin glowed in the dim light of the room, the same light that glanced off the pair of metal studs that pierced her earlobes. Gorgeous platinum locks framed her slender features, covering one of her azure irises in a long fringe to match the same hair that flowed down her back.

The more familiar face also had the same fair complexion and wide hips that led to sleek legs, but that was where their similarities ended. For starters, her cherry pink hair was cut into a shoulder-length bob held back by a headband to reveal an eerie design on her forehead. In the centre was a bluish diamond that was the intersection of an emerald green cross. A reddish dress covered the entirety of her torso, meeting the waistline of her shorts and revealing the thickness of her thighs. Sleek arms were defined with hard-earned muscles to match the design of her legs. Eyes of a similar shade to that of the cross on her forehead copied her actions and roamed over her restrained body. Her lips moved in an indecipherable pattern as she muttered to herself, about her condition maybe.

"Where… am I?" she mumbled, her eyes locked on the pink-haired kunoichi. She remembered her from somewhere. From her complexion, she looked as if she came from the Land of Fire. It was a place that she'd visited once before, when she beat that blond punk to a pulp. She remembered being stopped by an even paler guy, who she believed to be on the same team as the blond and… this girl.

Her eyes widened, that was where she knew her from.

"Our Masters' hideout, of course" the blonde kunoichi smirked.

She grimaced. "Your master?" she asked. The two kunoichi turned to each other, sharing an amused look before they burst out in a fit of combined laughter. "What's so funny?" she snapped, doing her best ignore the pain that came from the exertion of her voice.

Through heavy gasps of breath, the blonde kunoichi turned to her. "It's our master now"

As soon as the words left her mouth, the air seemed to grow colder. "And who's that?" she asked, taken aback by the giddy expressions on their faces.

"Isn't it obvious? Naruto, of course!" the blonde announced with a smug grin.

In her head, the bloodied face of an annoying brat, who refused to fight back, appeared. Her knuckles split with each impact against his swollen flesh, turning both of them darker with purplish bruises.

"That basta—"

She was cut off by the door creaking open. More light flooded the room, illuminating the situation she found herself in. Her arms were slung up above her, held up by shackles around her wrists.

"So, you must be Karui?" a cold tone echoed off the walls. Boots clicked off the ground as a shadowy silhouette came into the room, strutting with a proud allure. An elegant figure waltzed towards her, draped in a fine robe, detailed with clouds of deep red that seemed to drip with a rain of blood.

When she strolled past the other girls, they bowed their heads as if she was some sort of queen. "And you are?" Karui glared at the new arrival. Behind her, another girl, who she assumed to be Tenten from the request she had heard earlier, walked with her head bowed.

Even at her shorter height, this robed girl still commanded the attention of everyone in the room. There was no question about it, she was in charge, even Karui was beginning to feel inferior which served to anger her more.

"I'm my Naruto's beloved, Hinata Hyuga" she introduced herself with a powerful pose.

Karui rolled her eyes. "So, what the fuck does that have to do with me?" she growled.

"You haven't figured it out yet? I thought that my Naruto had already told you" Hinata's eyebrow twitched. "Tenten, Ino, will you get her ready for me?" she gestured towards Karui's shackles as she spoke.

Without any signs of hesitation, Tenten and the blonde shifted towards Karui. They hooked the chains that restrained her to wall to each of her wrists, creating something resembling handcuffs with an extra length of chain that Ino presented to Hinata.

But, Karui couldn't focus on that whilst memories of her latest meeting with the jinchuriki. She had been captured by one of his comrades, stuck and put on display like an exhibit for the rogue shinobi. Before she had lost consciousness, she had been subjected to a barrage of teasing. After being reminded of how she had treated him back in the Hidden Leaf Village, Karui was threatened with the prospect of his revenge.

She didn't have any time to collect her thoughts as Hinata tugged on the length of chain in her palm, sending Karui tumbling forwards. She scrambled to pull herself up with Hinata having a similar idea. Her knees scraped against the floor as she followed the force that yanked her upwards.

Around her, the three girls giggled as she stumbled to her feet. Her legs trembled and promised to give out if she put even one foot wrong. Before she could argue, she was led out of the door, escorted by the four girls. She squinted as they turned into the hallway, a plain-looking tunnel illuminated by torches.

Through quick glances around her, each of the three girls that weren't wearing an Akatsuki robe seemed to share the same excited energy. Whereas Hinata, who tugged her along, carried an aura that stopped any words of protest from leaving Karui's quivering lips.

After a couple turns down the identical halls, the group arrived at another plain wooden door. Without being asked, Sakura pushed it open, holding it wide for the others.

Karui was led into a bedroom with a pretty minimal design. The obvious detail she noticed when she was guided in was the enormous bed that dominated the room, suffocating any free space that was left. Aside from a cluttered desk, shoved in the corner, there were two doors on either side of the room.

Before she could ask where they led to, Karui was shepherded onto the mattress. The soles of her feet were thankful, able to escape the rough, chilling texture of the stone to the warmer and more comforting covers of the bed.

"Now, you better not disappoint my Naruto, Karui!" Hinata ordered her, motioning for Tenten to release her from the handcuffs. "He'll be here any minute so we'll just wait for you both in the bath, have fun!"

"What?" Karui asked, confused by her newfound freedom and hesitant to capitalise on it. She watched as Hinata herded the three girls through one of the doors. The mist that poured out from it when it opened confirmed Karui's suspicions of it being some sort of bathroom. One by one, the girls disappeared into the heated vapor.

As she returned to being an ominous silhouette, Hinata craned her neck. "And remember, I'll be watching" she sang whilst the door closed shut behind her.

Karui's focus switched back and forth between the door and its counterpart that led to the hallway. Muffled giggling filtered out from the bathroom, along with the sounds of splashing water.

She pawed at the covers, debating whether running was going to be a viable option for her. As much as she needed to escape, was it even possible? Without the required knowledge of the hideout's layout, Karui couldn't be certain she could navigate the identical corridors that she had been escorted through minutes prior. And if she somehow did so, where would she end up? In the Land of Lightning? Or the Land of Fire? What if she was in the middle of nowhere like some unknown island?

All these questions clouded her thoughts whilst tunnelling her vision and before she knew what she was doing, she was halfway to the room's exit. She brushed aside all the negative scenes that plagued her. There was no reason to allow herself to be weighed down in a bog of hopelessness. All she had to do was escape from this place, after she achieved that could she be concerned about what to do afterwards. And besides, there must have been a search party out looking for her. The Hidden Cloud must have sent someone to find her, right? Samui and Omoi wouldn't give up their search for her, would they?

She shook her head hard enough to hear her neck click as she came within arms reach of the door. Without hesitating, she pulled on the handle and yanked the hunk of sturdy wood towards her. As she did, she dove through the doorway. Desperation took over, she couldn't bear the thought of being left to the Akatsuki's clutches. She needed to get back to the Hidden Cloud Village, they would need all the help they could get right now.

But all those worries fled from the forefront of her mind when her forehead bashed against something as unforgiving as a brick wall. She recoiled with a groan before falling backwards, crashing onto the cold floor. She rubbed her tailbone, worried about it being bruised.

"Careful, it would be a shame if you hurt yourself" a sinister voice cut her whining to voiceless shreds.

Her eyes opened to stare at a vast ocean of shadows, cascading into the dim light of the room. Clouds redder than her own hair seeped into her vision, hypnotising her to induce the image of the demonic monster that loomed over her.

The billowing sleeves fluttered in the breeze that escaped from the contained room through to the labyrinthine corridors. The shapes the fluttering cloak created resembled a flurry of fiery tails, poised to scorch any pitiful victim that dared to challenge the beast. An assortment of tangerine, crimson and azure claws sharper than knives peaked out from the folds, thirsting for the blood of innocents and enemies alike. Before she could retreat, a deep snarl rattled through her bones, locking her in place. Her arms tensed behind her, shivering from the cool sensation against her soft palms.

"It's quite nice of you to surprise me like this, Karui" the figure leaned over her with a sly grin. Cobalt irises, fractured with traces of scarlet, roved over her clothed form as if they were inspecting her frame. Her skin reacted like his gaze was needling her body.

"Naruto?" she asked, her bodies shaking infecting her voice.

"The one and only" he cackled, sending Karui backwards towards the bed with a terrified expression. Her back brushed against the edge of the mattress, all thoughts of escape gone from her mind.

The door clicked shut behind him as Naruto strolled into the bedroom. With each step, the hairs on Karui's neck stood on end. The air around him shimmered with an intense power. Although, there was something strange about it. The way it seemed to radiate with an electric twist, arcing with powerful chakra. It was somehow familiar to her.

"Why… am I here? What do you want with me?"

Naruto quirked an eyebrow. "You haven't figured it out yet, you're not very bright are you, Karui?" he observed her with a smirk. He tapped his heels against the tiles. "I think it's about time for you to suffer for what you did to me when we first met" he declared, squatting down. In his low stance he still towered over her, his hunched form mimicking a beast eyeing its prey.

Karui tried to run, but instead achieved a new spot on the bed's mound of covers. Naruto's pupils flicked towards her without hesitation, taking in every twitch of her muscles. "But, that was fair, you told me to take out our anger on you!" she argued.

Naruto tilted his head. "Yeah, but you just could have made it easier for everyone by forgiving Sasuke"

Stunned, Karui stared back at him. "He attacked Master Bee!"

"It's not like he killed him… well, not at that point anyway" he chuckled to himself.

Karui whipped her head from side to side, her straight locks lashing behind her like long, bloody whips. "Where is he? What have you done with Master Bee?"

"It doesn't matter what happened to him, it was Gyuki that I wanted to deal with"

"Gyuki?" she said the name with a confused tone, pulled out of the moment's suspense for an instance.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "The Eight Tails" he explained. "It was just unlucky that extracting the tailed beasts takes a fatal toll on the jinchuriki" he shaped his lips into an exaggerated pout.

"Master Bee is… dead?" Karui's eyes widened. She winced, her pupils glossing over as tears began to roll down her cheekbones.

Once before had this sensation rolled over, when she had first learned of her master's supposed death. The relief that had flooded her when they had learned otherwise was a feeling she had savoured and treasured ever since then. But now, there was no possibility of him living through an extraction of the tailed beast that had been sealed inside of him for so long. There was no room for hope, it must have been excruciating.

Warmth slid down her skin, all the way to her chin before dropping onto her lap. She couldn't stop it, showing weakness to the enemy was something that she had been taught even before she had become a genin.

She flinched as a huge paw brushed against her face. But, it wasn't any sort of threatening gesture. In fact, the softness was comforting, full of compassion. She opened her eyes to gaze in wonder as Naruto wiped the corner of her eyes clear of tears.

"What… are you doing?" she glared at him through her blurred vision.

Naruto offered a sombre smile. "It's fine, I know what it's like to lose someone"

She sniffled. "So, why did you take him then?" she argued, smacking his wrist away from her.

He averted his focus, towards the door. For a second, Karui thought that she saw Naruto bite his lip, but she wrote it off as a trick of her blurred eyes. "As I told you already, it was Gyuki that I needed, he was just an unfortunate casualty as a jinchuriki"

"So, you have the Eight Tails inside of you now?"

He nodded.

"How is that possible?"

Curling the corners of his lips upwards, he presented his explanation with wide arms. "Well, nine is greater eight, isn't it? That's pretty common knowledge" he yawned, crawling onto the mattress. Karui had to balance herself on her palms as the bed wobbled with a worrying creak.

"What's gonna happen to me now? Are you gonna kill me?"

Naruto scoffed. "Why would I do that?"

She scooted backwards in an attempt to create distance between her and the crazed demon she was locked in with. "You told me you were going to make me suffer, didn't you?" she questioned him with a bowed head.

"Yeah, but you can suffer so much more if I keep you alive" he admitted with devious grin, a sharp glint coming off one of his fangs.

"What if I kill myself then?" she challenged him, raising her arms upwards.

He doubled over, laughing. "I'd like to see you try at least" he wiped a tear from the corner of his eyes. "But, that'll have to wait for the time being; I need a rest since absorbing the Eight Tails took so much out of me" he groaned as he stood up, the mattress following him upwards as it was relieved of the incredible tension his body put the furniture under.

He wandered over to the door, retracing the steps of the girls took not too long before.

"What about me?"

Naruto craned his neck to look over his shoulder. "You can wait there if you want" he suggested.

Looking around the room, Karui surveyed her options. If Naruto wasn't going to kill her, then she had a chance. All she would have to do is survive until then. Someone would come and save her or there would be an opening for her to escape. In the meantime, she resolved herself to play along and hang on till she could capitalise on that opportunity.

In one swift movement, she crawled off the bed and tiptoed over to Naruto. She bit her lip as she stared up at him, gesturing for him to continue. He smirked before turning back to the door emitting steam into the bedroom.

Laying a hand on the doorknob, he pressed it inwards with little effort and allowed a wall of misty heat to wash over the two of them. Playful giggles reached their ears in full volume as Naruto stepped inside with Karui following close behind him.

Stepping into the room was almost like stepping into another world for Karui. Despite the heavy steam that hung in the air, the room seemed brighter than the bedroom. She looked around, careful not to slip on the stone tiles littered with drops of clear water. The bathroom was quite large, not as spacious as previous room but it still provided enough area for a wide bath to be filled with heated water.

Neat piles of clothes were dotted around their feet at the entrance. Karui took note of the largest pile, supported by a large bundle of a patterned robe folded into a layered cube with the rest of her clothes on top of it. Sat atop of the pile was a seductive bra made up of violet lace and a matching thong. Karui grimaced as she attempted to estimate the measurements of the wide cups, having to double check her biased findings.

"I wasn't expecting to see you so soon, darling" Hinata's sweet voice drifted through the mist. "Is something the matter?" her concern was conveyed clear in her tone.

"I'm just tired, so I thought I'd relax instead, the fun can wait until later" he darted his eyes towards Karui, who stepped out from behind him.

Hinata reclined against the rim of the indented tub. "That's fine, there was something I wanted to ask of you, my love" she took note of their clothed bodies. "But first…" she turned back to the other girls splashing around in the bath. With just a glance, the girls climbed out of the water, dripping with water like a raincloud.

Tenten and Ino wandered over to Naruto with bright smiles and reverent stares whilst Sakura continued over to stand in front of Karui. As if they had done it countless times before, Tenten and Ino worked in a flawless tandem to undress Naruto who stood still and waited for them to finish. Sakura, on the other hand, worked in a meticulous method to rid Karui of her dress and her stockings. Without asking, she reached around her to unclip her bra and slipped down her legs with her panties in tow.

After piling it all together, Sakura followed the others back into the water. Karui watched as the hulking form of Naruto stepped forwards. Her eyes traced every inch of his exposed back. His muscled shoulders and defined lats and all the way down to his giant legs, corded with sculpted muscle. She darted her eyes down to her own toes as he sank into the water with a relaxed sigh.

Conscious of her naked form, she wrapped her arm across her chest and used the other to cover her core as she sat in after him, distancing herself from the others into an isolated corner. With a noticeable hunger, the three girls used the corner she had situated herself in to pin her between them, pressing their naked bodies together in a lewd show as Hinata slid next to Naruto and rubbed his pectorals.

"So, what did you want to ask me about, Hinata?"

Hinata took a deep breath before answering with her query. "I wanted to know what it's like to have a tailed beast inside you"

Naruto looked down at her. "It's a little annoying but all that power that flows through my body can be pretty addicting"

Nodding, Hinata's wide eyes attempted to learn more about it. "Do you think I could have one of them?" she asked.

"One of the tailed beasts?"

She nodded again, with a hopeful smile spreading her plump lips. "Can I?" she pleaded with her soft touch.

Smirking, Naruto leaned downwards. His lips brushed against her ear. "You can have anything you want, Hinata"

As she clapped her hands together, she bounced up and down. Naruto planted kisses along her jaw and cheek before capturing her lips in a passionate embrace that conveyed his love for the kunoichi.

A/N- Hey guys, I hope that you've enjoyed this instalment. Let me know what you thought, and I'll see you guys next time.

Yours truly,

Signing off