It's been two weeks. After the first night in the bar, Machi invited him to the mansion. It wasn't that hard. All he had to do was to tell him he was staying in an inn, and he immediately offered.
Like clockwork, Machi would visit the bar every night. Naruto would perform different instruments and elaborate shows, and then they would talk. Of course, Naruto played a bit hard to get and refused the first night, instead asking him to visit more at the bar.
Naruto told him his story. The story of an orphan girl living with her people. He told him his dream was to be a performer in the capital, with hundreds of people watching her and awed.
Of course, it was easy enough to charm the man with exciting stories and tricks. Every night Machi would insist on taking him to the mansion, and finally, on the fifth day, he accepted.
He was given a tour around the mansion with instructions on parts he was allowed and not allowed to visit. He was also given a temporary attendant to settle in. He is currently in his room getting ready for the nightly visits.
His room was on the third floor, along with most of the areas he was allowed to visit. The first floor was for his close bodyguards that resided in the mansion and the servants. The second floor was for his business and meetings, and the third floor was for his room and his consorts.
There were currently seven other girls in the rooms on the third floor. From what Naruto gathered, Machi would keep his new and favorite toys close by for use, and the ones past their use were in the basement.
Of course, since Naruto was new, he was getting all the attention for now, and when Machi was tired, he would go to his other girls. There were a few rules to follow. For the most part, girls had to stay in their rooms.
There were, however, times for the gatherings. There was a dining room where the meals were served or a shared bath. Usually, Machi would call all the girls to his meals or bath, but if he preferred the company of a few, there was also a private dining room and bath.
Naruto was doing his best to look at the part and stand out simultaneously. It wouldn't do to fall from Machi's favor so soon. So he used his skills to keep things new and fresh and keep all the attention of Machi simultaneously.
He was also trying to form a relationship with other girls to gather information. The one who served Machi for the longest was a woman named Okawa Shizuko. She was a 24-year-old woman with long golden silky hair and green eyes. She is tall and thin and gorgeous.
She was here for almost a year. Most of the girls tried to be civil to each other since non of them wanted to be sent to the basement. Apparently, no one ever returned from the basement, so it was a massive deterrent to causing any trouble.
But this didn't mean that they were overly friendly or pleasant without the presence of Machi. They all tried to stay out of each other's way and not to converse with each other. They each had an attendant to help them with mundane tasks and keep them company.
Naruto suspected that it was also to inform Machi of any suspicious behavior. Naruto also discovered that the sensor's name was Saiki Hitoshi, and the other bodyguard was Tsuchiya Kou.
They were always on Machi's side. They even resided in the rooms next to him and took turns guarding him at night and in the mansion. Kou was mainly in charge of helping Machi with his business. Sending messages to people, organizing events, and managing tasks.
From the update Naruto had from Fuu, there was a hierarchy between the thugs. Hitoshi was in charge of more military tasks. He trained the recruits, tested them, and beat them into shape.
There were new recruits and thugs. They were usually grouped under a more experienced and strong leader. There were a total of 10 leaders, and they all reported to Hitoshi and took their tasks from him.
Since Fuu joined them as a ronin after some tests, he was instated as a leader with some thugs, but he wasn't trusted with any important task yet. He mainly was training the new recruits and guarding the mansion.
Naruto was also testing Hitoshi's sensing abilities. At first, he made a clone when Machi wasn't in the mansion. The clone transformed into a rat, and Naruto applied his best chakra hiding seals to hide its presence.
When Machi returned at night, the clone was tasked to see how close he could get without being discovered. It turned out that he should be fine as long as he was 5 meters away with those seals.
He wasn't ready to risk it and see if he would be discovered if he used chakra when Hitoshi was in the mansion, so he would make a few clones to go around the mansion and report things to him whenever Hitoshi was out.
So far, he has found a lot of information about Machi. The clones that checked his office found out a lot about his shady business activities, but there wasn't anything that could be brought to light.
There were also dungeons. The basement had three parts. There were cells where the women and children were kept. Some women who would go for higher prices were in better cells and had access to food, water, and better hygiene.
While the average girls were usually in cramped, dirty cells getting used for fun by the guard, Naruto was filled with rage, but it wasn't time to act yet. There was another part of the basement, which was the auction room.
When Machi wanted to sell the girls, he would line them up in that room for the buyers to choose from. It also had a few toys and objects for the clients to have fun with and test the merchandise before making a decision.
Then there were prisoner cells. Those were primarily empty except for a few guys that Machi liked to torture. Naruto needed to act fast, but he still needed a few days to set everything up.
Tonight Naruto had a special request. Machi was having a business dinner with potential clients and asked Naruto to play music and act as an entertainer. Of course, Naruto happily obliged.
Currently, he was wearing an expensive kimono and sitting on tatami mats playing koto while Machi and his five clients were enjoying the banquet. So far, they were only talking about mundane business information that was no interest to Naruto.
"I agree with Hideaki-san. We should limit our small sales. It is not worth missing bigger sales just to provide the small ones due to the stocks." A man named Iwao said as he was stuffing his mouth with pork meat.
"Yeah, and we should probably separate the areas, so it is easier for the merchants to find. I suggest that the sellers with smaller stocks should move to the west section and bigger orders to the east. This way, there would be no confusion, and it would be easier for the business." Juro said. Drinking from a sake bottle with a girl on each of his sides.
"Are you guys out of your mind? This is ridiculous. If we sort our shops, it would be easier for the customers to also compare the prices. We can't have that unless you are also suggesting to uniform all the prices. Then what is the point of having business owners…." A big man named Eiji yelled at the others.
They continued going back and forth while the girls around them kept their cups full. The sooner they were drunk enough not to care anymore, the sooner the girls could be done. Naruto kept his gaze down and acted focused and disinterested.
Suddenly Juro said." What is the deal with the musician tonight, Machi? I thought you kept the pretty ones only to yourself." Naruto made sure to look startled and nervous as he continued playing.
"Her name is Umemoto Takara. I recently found her. She is a gypsy with many talents. I think I'm going to keep her around." Machi said. Thankfully they all laughed and continued their conversation, not paying any more attention to Naruto.
Finally, the meeting came to an end around midnight, and Naruto accompanied Machi to his room. He helped him undress and bathed with him. after performing his other duties, they lay beside each other in bed.
"You know Takara, I've never seen a woman like you before. You are special. You are talented, beautiful, and great at your duties. I think I might keep you forever. But know that if you ever try to leave me, I will kill you." Machi said.
"And why would I want to do that, my lord? I have everything I can ever want here with you." Naruto said and leaned in for a kiss. They spent the night in each other's arms.
The days went by quickly, and finally, the day of their action came. It started like any other day. Machi left to deal with a substantial client in the morning and wouldn't come back until late in the night.
Naruto ate breakfast with the other girls and excused himself for a bath. He quickly made his clones and sent them to their positions. The first event happened at lunchtime. They were all going to the table to sit down.
There was a chubby girl named Natsumi who was always first to the meals. When others were about to sit, she took the first bite of her food and immediately started choking and coughing.
Other girls were screaming as Natsumi fell to the ground, her face turning purple and mouth foaming. The head maid rushed in and ordered them all to stay in the room. Quickly two guards came in, taking the dead body with them.
It was Naruto's turn to do his part. He took a silver pin he often used to hold his hair up and put it in Natsumi's bowl. The pin changed color. Other girls were looking at him curiously.
"It seems her dish was poisoned. Does anyone else have something made of silver with them? We should check the other dishes as well." Naruto said, voice slightly shaking as he showed the pin to the girls.
They quickly got around and checked other dishes as well. A few were poisoned. "This doesn't make any sense. If someone wanted to target Natsumi, they would only poison her plate or her favorite dish."
"Most of the food here is poisoned. And we can't be sure of the ones that aren't since not all poisons react to silver." Naruto said, and the other girls were quick to agree.
"Maybe it's someone that had a problem with our lord?" A shy girl suggested.
"I don't think so. That would suggest that someone got through the guards and made it to the food. The kitchen is on the first floor and heavily guarded." Another girl suggested.
"If someone wanted to poison our lord, this is not a good way. He always asks us to start eating before him, and also, the fact that he would be absent today wasn't a secret." Naruto said, letting the girls draw their own conclusions.
The chatter soon broke out. Naruto could sense the two guards at the door, probably to keep them in if they tried to get out. The girls were starting to panic, trying to come up with reasons and possibilities.
"I think we should all get out immediately." One girl was sobbing.
"And go where? You know we can't leave the mansion." The other said.
They were interrupted by a loud bang indicating the plan's next phase.
