27 Threat in Dabi Part 2
While Naruto was getting to know the four women, plus one child in Dabi, in the Eastern Quadrant named Sutare, a new warrior was about to return to the land of the living.
A woman with pointed ears and long, naturally blonde, curly hair groaned as her silver eyes fluttered. "What hit me?" she groaned.
"The Abyssal One you pissed off," Dae replied flatly. "You have no idea how hard it was to convince him not to kill us all."
Lutecia the Universal sat up with a pained grunt. Damn, she felt like shit! What did Isley do to…? Her train of thought came to a crashing halt as Lutecia vividly remembered her death.
----
50 Years Ago
A man with long, golden locks and a fur coat sat upon his mighty steed as he looked down towards the woman before him. "Have you no clue whom you face, child?" the man asked. "Of whom you intend to provoke. Run along, little one, and I'll peg this as something along the lines of temporary insanity."
"Isley of the North," the woman shouted back. "I am Lutecia the Universal, Number 1 of the Organization. I know precisely what I am provoking and it has plagued these lands for far too long. I am here to put an end to that blight, once and for all." Punctuating that last word with a mighty leap, Lutecia vaulted forth with her sword held high. Then, there was a clang and she flew back.
She slid across the ground with a grunt, a hand pressed against a nasty gash on her abdomen. She didn't even see him draw his sword! But, there it was drawn and matted with her blood. She clicked her tongue in irritation.
The weapon was a near mirror image of her own, save for the insignia. Was he mocking her by using the claymore given to him by the Organisation?!
The wound he'd given her closed up almost instantly, but there was something amiss. "Transform, beast, and let me see you for the creature you are!" Lutecia commanded haughtily.
Isley scoffed. "With that pathetic yoki of yours?" he mocked. "You are not worthy of fighting me, child, and you try my patience. Fortunately, you've caught me in a good mood." His tone then became deadly serious promising a fate worse than death and more, should she not comply with his wishes. "This is your last warning: go home or suffer my wrath."
Lutecia's jaw dropped as she stared at him, utterly appalled. Did this thing just have the gall to call her pathetic?! "H-how dares you?!" she shouted. "How fucking dare you beast?! I WILL HAVE YOUR HEAD FOR THAT!"
With that, Lutecia leapt forth, once more. But, Isley was having none of that. He spurred his horse, charging forth to meet her while she was in mid-air, and swiftly relieved his opponent of her sword arm.
Lutecia wailed in agony and rage, then, just as she landed and turned to retrieve her fallen limb, the soon-to-be-former Number 1 heard the sound of galloping, before a firm whack and the pain of her severed leg drowned out all other sensations.
Rearing back, Isley turned and trampled upon the fallen woman. Lutecia tumbled and coughed as his mighty, black stallion's hooves broke skin and bone - pummelling the woman within an inch of her life and knocking the wind out of her. Then, he turned and did it again, and again, and again, until long after the mangled warrior stopped moving.
Then he partially transformed his left arm into a large cleaver and decapitated her mangled corpse. Then and only then did he dismount to fetch the woman's head. Bringing her severed head up to his, Isley saw her expression had frozen in the display of pain and agony.
"Tch… annoying." then he mounted his steed once more and made his way to the east. He was going to make the Organization pay for this.
----
Lutecia growled at the memory of Isley killing her off in such an insulting manner. He didn't even transform! Hell, he didn't even dismount to fight her like a man, and he still bested her in only three blows! Adding insult to injury, he swung his claymore faster than her eyes could see, and that was just with his natural speed! He didn't even release a shred his yoki to best her! He didn't need to!
It made her sick.
"What the hell happened to me after I was… killed?" the Number 1 asked, "No, actually, how the hell am I alive?" she looked to Dae and paused, "And who are you?" she didn't recognise him. Though something about him was familiar.
"Well, obviously, I brought you back to life," Dae replied with no small amount of pride. "Also, I've only had half a face for a couple of decades, so I suppose I can forgive you for not recognizing me."
Lutecia squinted her eyes at him. She gave him a full face and aged him down a few decades…
"...Dae?" she said, looking unsure. "The fuck happened to you? And why am I alive?"
"Many things, I can assure you," he cackled. "As for why you're alive, the Organization has itself a bit of a… problem. And I have been tasked to revive our strongest Number 1's… and then some, to deal with it."
"What kind of problem?" she asked, then the elf-eared woman grinned arrogantly, "Heh, whoever it is won't be a problem for me. You really shouldn't have bothered reviving the others."
"He's stronger than Isley, and has the other two Abyssal Ones at his beck and call," Dae deadpanned. "We cannot afford to take any chances with this being."
Lutecia, despite herself, couldn't help but waver at that. Though, she also couldn't help but feel a little… suspicious; who could be stronger than fucking Isley of the North?!
"Oh… just how strong is he?"
"That is currently unknown," Dae replied, his expression dire. "He's stronger than Riful of the West and Luciela of the South, combined, and has enough power to be able to reduce Pieta to a crater in an instant."
Lutecia stared, and stared, and stared some more before finally she laid back down on the slab and closed her eyes. "And you're reviving your strongest warriors to take him on... Great. Just great." with another sigh, the elf-eared woman looked at the two-face reject and asked, "What can you tell me about him? If I am to fight, I might as well know as much as I can about him, eh?" She was not going to make the same mistake and underestimate this being like she did Isley.
"That would be wise," the old man said with a sagely nod.
----
In Dabi, back with Naruto, the blond who was now sitting with the rest of his girls was talking to Clarice and her team. Naruto was sitting with his girls on one end and the others were at the other. The table had mugs of ale or a cup of milk in Miata's case. They were noticeably more comfortable around the blond now and were enraptured with the retelling of his childhood.
"You actually been through that?" Clarice asked in wide-eyed horrification.
Naruto nodded, with Miria and Jean holding his hands comfortingly. "Yep. It was suffocating at times, but I got through it."
"You poor thing… How did you not lose your mind?" a now sombre Camilla asked; she was looking at Naruto in a new light now. "If it were me, I would have given up a long time ago."
Naruto shrugged. "I've always been a bit too stubborn for my good. Though, in that case, it was a good thing. I saw what I could have become had I given up years later, in someone else." he shuddered. "And it was not a pretty sight."
"Who?" Miata asked a single eye was looking up at him through her hair with childlike curiosity.
"His name is Gaara. When we first met, he was psychotic and axe-crazy. Long story short: he tried to kill me to 'prove his existence' or something crazy like that." He shrugged. "Then, I beat some sense into him… literally. Not quite sure how, but I did... and now, we're best friends."
"So… this person was a psychopath?" Elise asked, leaning against the table with her arms crossed in front of her. And Clarice gave her… 'daughter' a nervous but subtle glance, since she is mentally unstable - though she was very surprised and relieved that she seemed to have calmed down now that she was listening to the blond.
Even more surprising, was that she was calmer around him and less nervous.
Naruto nodded with a sigh, "Yes. He was. Not from any fault of his own, mind you; the main cause of it was his bas- ehm, jerk of a father." he quickly corrected himself when he remembered he was in the presence of an impressionable, little girl. "He sent assassins to try and kill him every day. When they didn't work, he got Gaara's uncle to try and kill him. That didn't kill him, either. But the experience left him… broken, for lack of a better word. He had never been the same since… until I came along."
"As someone once told me: 'he has a way of bringing the best out of the people around him'," said Miria, quoting Tsunade two years before, as she lovingly leaned her head against his shoulder.
"I'll say~." Luciela giggled, her eyes glazing over as she reminisced her first time with him. His dick really brought out the best in her alright~. Speaking of dicks she wouldn't mind having another go with him and having her sister involved this time. Her one-eyed sister hardly joined in; not to mention she only got a small dose of dickings from her husband during the five years they were together.
Rafaela sighed in exasperation. She had a feeling her sister was thinking of something lewd. "Behave yourself, Luciela." the spiky-bob haired woman told her beloved sister.
"I am behaving myself, dear sister of mine." The ginger told her, her shoulders jumping in silent laughter. "You need to loosen up a bit more. There's no need to act so… reserved."
"They're still with the Organization." Rafaela pointed out to her older sister. "We may not be fighting, but it doesn't change the fact they're still working for the enemy."
Being reminded of that had made Clarice, Nina, Elise and Camilla nervous; they weren't going to turn on them now were they? While they may have very strict orders to not fight the Ladykiller under any circumstances, that didn't mean they could not try and fend him off. As unlikely as that may be to work.
Luckily Naruto came to the rescue by giving them a healthy dose of his logic. "That is true. They are working for the Organization - but, the reality is a very fickle thing. Today, they can be our enemy. Tomorrow, they could be our greatest allies. It all depends on what happens between then and now." Then Naruto looked at the latest generation of warriors and gave them an encouraging smile. "Now, I want you four to be completely honest okay? What did the Organization say about me exactly? Because, for all you know, the Organization could be spouting a bunch of lies. And, well, sometimes you have to see to believe it. So - don't hold back on what you were told."
"That you were brainwashing these women into thinking the Organization was evil," Clarice said. "And that you're sexually exploiting them. We're also under strict orders not to engage, and to flee on sight if able."
Naruto quirked an eyebrow at that. "So, why haven't you fled?"
"Because if we tried, you'd easily catch up or block our exit," Nina deadpanned.
"That and there is only one way out and you were in front of it at the time." Camilla deadpanned as well.
The blond shrugged. "Fair enough. And what do you think now that you've seen me in person?"
With a frown, Nina rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "...You are not as bad as the Organization made you out to be." she looked at Miria, Jean and Rafaela and squint at them. "And they don't look brainwashed either..."
"They look genuinely happy as well," Elise said, as she looked at Miria and Jean sitting beside him.
Gulping down another mouthful of milk Miata exhaled happily before putting the near-empty cup on the table. "Mister, why are you fighting the Organization?"
Naruto looked at her for a moment. Giving her a short answer wouldn't hurt. He can also tell Clarice, Nina, Elise and Camilla were curious to know as well. "A couple of reasons actually: as I said before, they were responsible for sending people I care about on a suicide mission."
"The battle of Pieta," Clarice said.
"Right." the blond nodded, "I lost someone I cared for, Natalie. We may not have known each other for long, but, the short amount of time I spent with her was enough for me to genuinely care for her. I lost it. Then they sent Alicia and Beth, along with Renee and Dietrich - the Numbers 1, 2 and 6 of your generation and a promising trainee - to kill God Eye Galatea someone else I care for. They failed obviously."
"A-are they…?" Clarice hesitantly asked.
"Dead?" he finished for her, and when she nodded Naruto shook his head and said, "No. They're still alive and with me."
Nina furrowed her brow. "You mentioned three numbers… Alicia and Beth were Numbers 1 and 2, that much I know - but who is, or was Number 6? Because you mentioned four people and three numbers were mentioned."
"Renee was Number 6. Dietrich was a trainee. I think she would have been in the single digits had she graduated. She's certainly strong enough to be one. Dietrich was brought along because she was very good at tracking." Naruto informed her then he cleared his throat and shifted around on his chair. "Anyway, after I beat them they decided to stay with me. I can't remember the exact reason for it now though since it's been around half of a decade ago when it happened."
Suddenly Naruto looked to his left and furrowed his brow as a frown pulled at his lips. Those negative presences are beginning to move now. Most likely on Dabi itself. With a grunt, the blond slowly got up, slipped his hands out from Miria and Jean's as he looked to the entrance of the tavern with narrowed and squint eyes.
Miria, Jean, Luciela and Rafaela all look at him, perplexed. Ninja, Clarice, Camilla, Elise and Miata all looked at him as well, though out of them all only Clarice was fidgeting nervously. He looked very intimidating now.
"Is there something wrong?" Miria asked.
Naruto didn't look at her. "Spread your senses out. Tell me what you feel," he told his wife.
Frowning confusedly at him Miria nonetheless did as he asked and used her yoki sensing. That was when she sensed it, multiple yoki signature were descending on Dabi at a slow sedate pace. The yoki's belonging to these beings were being heavily suppressed which was why she didn't sense anything until her husband told her to.
"Multiple yoki signatures are approaching Dabi." the light-brunette said, "Voracious eaters, most likely."
Luciela, Jean and Rafaela weren't at all surprised; they were expecting the awakened beings to attack at any time. Naruto and Luciela being here may have warded them off, but it was only a matter of time before they acted on their baser instincts. They wanted to eat and Dabi was too good an opportunity for them to miss.
The others, excluding Miata, on the other hand, were more alarmed. Nina abruptly stood up and looked towards the doors to the tavern. Elise and Camilla had stood up as well hands on the grip of their claymores. Clarice had gone pale-faced, but it was Miata holding her hand what kept her from losing her cool.
"Are you going to take care of them, honey?" Luciela asked, even though she already knew the answer. It was what they were here to do in the first place after all.
"Yeah," answered Naruto, he then got out from behind the table and casually made his way out of the tavern. But before he left completely, the blond stopped at the doorway and looked at Miata, Nina, Clarice, Elise and Camilla and said, "If you want to see then you're more than welcome. If not, then you can stay here."
After that, Naruto proceeded to leave the building.
"He's seriously not thinking of taking on a group of awakened beings is he?!" Nina exclaimed; her eyes were wide with disbelief. The woman forgot who she was dealing with for the moment, and was promptly reminded by one of his wives.
"He utterly demolished a small group of awakened beings a few days before we got to Pieta. And he did that in a more weakened transformation of his Nine-Tailed fox form. He'll be fine." Rafaela said, she looked and sounded completely unconcerned for her husband and good reason.
Miata got up and followed after Naruto. She just had to see this! The child's curiosity simply would not stop nagging her.
Clarice took notice of her ward following after the Ladykiller, "Ah! Miata!" and when the 13-year-old didn't answer, the brunette went after her. Strong or not, Miata is still a young girl and needs looking after.
Meanwhile, outside, the Uzumaki Patriarch pulled his hood up as he walked out in the open before coming to a stop. He leaned his head down and adjusted the cowl to keep the biting cold wind from his face.
The weather seems to be getting worse. Thicker. Lucky for him he doesn't need to use his eyes to see where they are. Their negativity gave them away.
"Well, well, well," a feminine voice chuckled. "What have we here?"
"A human. But, if I remain as one, depends entirely on you and the others you have with you, lurking in the blizzard." Naruto replied.
"Oh, how cute," the woman chortled. Her voice became a tad more playful, as she continued. "I recognize your yoki, young man… Ladykiller, is it? What brings you this far North? Finally, getting around to hunting down Isley? I could point you in his direction if you want."
Naruto chuckled. "I already know where he is. Just like I know there is someone directly behind me." then he suddenly reached behind him, and carelessly tossed them in front of the woman.
An elf-eared blonde with wavy hair yelped as she plopped down between Naruto and the other woman.
"As for why I'm here, it's because you all suddenly showed up actually." he continued as if he hadn't tossed someone in front of him.
"Well, some among us did," the woman continued, stepping forward. She was a dark brunette with short, wavy locks flaring wildly about. Her eyes were a deep crimson and she had white eyelashes. Despite the blizzard, she was decked out in a light, frilly dress.
"I, on the other hand, have been around for a while." She gestured to the blonde and said, "as has she." then, the brunette gave Naruto a polite curtsey. "Evianna, former Number 2, at your service. The blonde is named Betty. Do forgive her rudeness, she's famished, as are we all."
Naruto crossed his arms at that. "I hope you're not planning on using this town as a way to get nourishment."
The newly-named Evianna chuckled almost sheepishly. "Admittedly, we were, but then you showed up… and I have no intention of recreating what happened to Pieta."
"I see…" with a sigh, Naruto walked over to Betty and pulled her up on her two feet. An act that left her bewildered. "Well, I understand; I don't approve you were going to kill innocent people but I do understand. You can't help it…" Then he smirked when he felt three other yoki signatures; they didn't seem to be aggressive, cautious yes, but not aggressive. "So… how many of you are there here?"
He knew there was five of them, but the blond wanted to know what Evianna was going to say first. If things go sideways, well, he can easily take them on. One at a time or all at once, he'll take them on.
"Five total," Evianna said. "The other three are newly-awakened. Apparently, the newest generation was a bit… rushed. They all lost control at the same time."
"That might explain why Kurama detected them popping up out of nowhere," Naruto muttered to himself. Then he sighed, "Alright, I can't exactly let you girls stay here…"
Evianna crossed her arms and asked, "so, what do you propose, then? I know you brought Luciela of the South here, so you're at least willing to be friendly to our kind."
"Luciela is my wife, actually," he informed her and took enjoyment in the surprise that little revelation had given her. "As for what I propose…" Naruto cocked his head to the side and smiled, not that she noticed it. "I escort you, five women, out of Dabi and lead you all to a bandit camp nearby." There's one to the Southwest if his negative emotion-sensing is right. There's a lot of malice coming from that general direction. "No one here gets hurt, and you still get fed. Everybody wins."
Evianna blinked owlishly, caught thoroughly by surprise. Then she smiled. "How kind of you," the former Number 2 said in genuine gratitude. She looked back at the tavern and couldn't help but ask. "So… how did the two of you get together? I simply must know."
She also spotted the brat in the doorway and noted how surprisingly powerful Miata was.
"Believe it or not, Luciela seek me out when she felt my yoki. She wanted to 'claim' me as her consort; to make a long story short, I claimed her instead."
"Oh? That's quite the daring claim," Eviana chortled.
Naruto shrugged nonchalantly, "Maybe so, I claimed Riful of the West as my consort, and then made her my wife too. Including two other Awakened Beings. So I'm well aware of your… unique diet."
"Ladykiller, indeed," Betty said with a raised eyebrow.
"I get that a lot," Naruto replied with a hearty chuckle. "So, will you accept my offer?"
"Yes, we will." Evianna nodded. "As the strongest one of my little group, I call the shots." she punctuated that with a dirty look to the other three. If they tried something, she'd kill them herself. She had no intention to be butchered by this man, or Luciela.
"Alright, let me go and tell others." Evianna, Betty, and the other three awakened beings jumped when a poof of smoke appeared beside the blond, and to their shock and astonishment, another Naruto appeared beside him wearing the same get up. "You know what to do."
"Aye. Boss." the clone saluted before skipping back to the tavern.
Naruto stared at his clone with dull eyes, before palming his face and dragging down his hand. "Why do my clones have to be so… quirky!?" he asked aloud, sighing exasperatedly.
"That is quite the curious technique," Betty said. "I didn't sense you using any yoki."
"Different type of energy," Naruto explained. Then, he flashed the blonde a grin. "Stick around and I might teach it to you."
That definitely piqued her interest, as well as Evianna's.
"Come on, pretty ladies, let's go get you something to eat, eh?" he punctuated that statement by giving Betty and Evianna's rear-ends a slap as he walked past.
Both women yelped as the latter giggled.
"Bold, are we?" Evianna teased. She looked to Betty and the other three unnamed women and gestured them to follow as she went with the blond.
"You folks nicknamed me, 'Ladykiller'," he replied with a chuckle. "I might as well live up to that nickname - even though I think it's a lame one." he looked at the elf eared woman beside her and grinned, "Besides, you both have a rocking hot body. How can I not take the opportunity to give you a little tap on your fine ass?"
Betty turned beet red at that.
"So, what about you three? What are your names?" Naruto asked, looking at the others with a curious glance from over his shoulder.
The women in question were a redhead and two brunettes. The one on the left had pointed ears long, curly hair slicked back, and cascading down to her tailbone while the other had her hair in a pair of high pigtails with chin-length bangs framing her face.
"I-I'm Pyrrha," the redhead answered first. She had her hair in a ponytail and was decked out in a brown and white, scoop-neck dress with a brown bodice.
The one with the pigtails answered next. "I'm Megan," she said.
Last, the girl with the pointed ears answered, visibly the most nervous. She also stood out as the only one who was armed and armoured - decked out in a brown jerkin with steel pauldrons, vambraces and greaves over a black, sleeveless thong leotard. Slung across her back was a claymore - presumably hers. She looked back nervously with naturally gold eyes.
"I-I'm Glissa," she said fidgeting uncomfortably.
"You look a bit nervous, there," Naruto pointed out. "Is something wrong?"
"N-not really…" she replied. "Y-your presence is just… overwhelming."
"Really? I'm not even using yoki…" he frowned and cupped his chin. "Come here for a moment will you?"
She timidly nodded and obliged. When he put a hand on her arm Glissa inhaled sharply, and her eyes grew wide when she felt energised. A warmth spread through her entire physique. It was… intoxicating.
Then he took his hand away, and just like that the warmth was gone. But… she felt a difference. His presence wasn't as almost overbearing as before. It was tolerable, now.
"There, how do you feel now, cutie?"
"Powerful…" she whispered in surprise. "What did you do?"
"Just gave you a little boost," he chuckled. "Mind you, it's nothing like what I did for the warriors that were in Pieta. I gave them a power boost that allowed them to go toe to toe with single digits for a limited time; it included boosting all of their abilities as well. The one they were facing was called… Rigardo, I believe? A lot of the acting captains would have died to him had I not given them that limited power boost. But, this one I gave you is permanent."
"The Silver-Eyed Lion King…" Evianna muttered thoughtfully. "Seeing as how Isley's still around, it doesn't surprise me that he was the one to lead the charge."
"I wiped the little-wolf wannabe off the face of the planet after he murdered one of my lovers."
"D-duly noted," Glissa muttered timidly. She was not about to fuck with this man!
Naruto noted that the other girls shared that sentiment. "Good to know," he chirped. "Don't fuck with me, and I'm the nicest guy out there, but there are reasons I don't have very many enemies. They have a way of dying. Or end up being my friends. Dunno how for the latter, don't ask."
Evianna chuckled. "You're quite the interesting, young man, I must say."
"Thanks. And for man-eating monster girls, you're not bad either. Not sure what you look like in your awakened form; I'm almost afraid to find out actually. But, in your human forms, you women are downright gorgeous. Fuckable, even!"
At that, Evianna had one hell of a good, genuine laugh. "Keep that up and I'll consider it~!"
Naruto chuckled, "We'll see, pretty lady. We'll see."
----
Meanwhile, back in the tavern...
"What do you mean he's going with them?!"
The clone had his hands raised placatingly. "The Boss is leading them away to a bandit camp, Miria. It's to make sure they don't go and kill everyone here."
"But why can't he just give them directions?!"
"Because this is the Boss we're talking about? He's not the type of person to leave things to chance. Besides, they pretty much confirmed they were here to eat people. The only reason they had not bothered attacking yet was mainly because of the Boss."
"Miria, we should let him do what needs to be done."
"Jean, he's-"
"Capable of taking care of himself. If he wanted to, he would have them off the face of the Earth. Believe me, I know what he is capable of. We all do."
Miria sighed. She hated to admit it, but Jean was right. "Fine… but I want my snuggles from you." she took Naruto's clone by the arm and dragged him against his will towards their rented bedroom. "Now!"
----
Back with the original Naruto, he and the five awakened beings were now making their way on the outskirts of Dabi to the Southwest. He was still talking to them, mainly to pass the time, and mainly to see how flustered he can get them before they tell him to stop.
Despite being so overwhelmed earlier, Glissa was the hardest nut to crack of the lot. She seemed to enjoy his attention. Same with Evianna.
Pyrrha was the easiest to rile up, by far. The poor thing was so innocent… it was kinda cute.
So far none of them had told him to stop flirting with them. They liked him complimenting them. Maybe it's time to… kick it up a notch? With a devious grin, he walked in between Evianna and Betty, reached around their backs and grabbed a handful of their tit through their dress and pulled them in for a one-armed hug.
He was surprised to feel the jealousy coming off Glissa in waves when he did.
Evianna giggled and Betty turned beet red but didn't resist. And when he started kneading her tit, the blonde almost moaned out loud but managed to reduce it to a pitiful whimper instead. The brunette, however, had no such reservations.
She placed her hand on Naruto's and encouraged him to squeeze harder, groaning lewdly with a lecherous grin.
"Well, well, well," Naruto chuckled, as he looked at Evianna from under his hood with a grin. "You're quite the naughty little minx, aren't ya?"
The brunette giggled once more, slipping her hand down his trousers. "Perhaps~! Come on, cutie, show me how you got the name Ladykiller~!"
"Maybe later," he told her, "we still got to get you something to eat first."
"Treating me to dinner, before taking my innocence?" she teased, "how noble of you~!"
"I'm treating all of you to 'dinner', an all you can eat a little bandit buffet," Naruto replied. "And as for innocence? What innocence? I see before me a very seductive woman who knows how to use her womanly wiles~. Only someone with a lot of experience is capable of pulling that off."
"Perhaps," she giggled. "I know what men want, but I've never taken it all the way. I never needed to."
He gave her a knowing look from under his hood. "Because you would eat them before it ever comes to that, right?"
"I'm not the only one." She leered at Glissa. "A certain someone caught my attention by trying the same thing~!"
"Oh?" Naruto said, looking at the girl in question.
Glissa giggled at that. "Guilty as charged," she said with an impish grin.
"I'll say," he looked her up and down appreciatively. "your leotard looks good on you. And I saw what type it was, you naughty girl~."
She blushed and smiled, enjoying the attention. "I can be even more so if you want. Just say the word~!"
Naruto smiled back. "I'll consider it."
With that Naruto guided Glissa, Pyrrha, Betty, Megan and Evianna to the Southeast to get their source of nourishment.
----
Four hours later
"Hmm… a small camp this time around." Naruto said as he observed the small palisaded campsite ahead of him with the awakened beings. "I'd say, it fits 20 to 30 people. So you're going to have plenty of innards to eat. There might be a scouting party or two away, though. I can take a look around if you want?" he directed that question to Evianna since she was the leader of this small ragtag group.
The brunette shrugged. "I could help. My awakened form flies and it's relatively small. If I'm high up enough it's easy to mistake for a bird."
"That's a good idea. I can fly myself, but, I would be like a beacon to every living thing around 100 miles or more if I did that. So that's out of the question."
"Alright," she giggled. Then, the woman started to strip, giggling again when Naruto wolf-whistled, before transforming.
Her neck stretched outwards and her arms morphed into a pair of wings. Her feet were replaced by talons, and the brunette's whole body shifted into the form of a metallic bird that looked like it was wearing a porcelain mask with a woman's face.
"Huh… Interesting," Naruto muttered thoughtfully. "I wonder if you're as fast as Chomei…" he mused aloud to himself.
"Choumei? That's a curious name," she replied, cocking her head to the side. "Who is this Choumei?"
"You wouldn't know her," Naruto chuckled. "She's a demon from my homeland. We're close friends, though I haven't seen her in nearly a decade. She's a titanous six-winged beetle. The friendliest creature you'd ever meet, despite her appearance, though."
"How big is she?" Megan asked.
"You heard rumours of how big the Nine-tailed fox that wiped Pieta off the face of the earth was right?" When Megan nodded, Naruto continued, "She is just as big. And is just as capable of doing the same thing as the fox did. But as I said: Chomei is the most friendly demon you'll ever meet. The chances of her doing that are nearly nonexistent. Unless you piss her off. Hmm... I wonder if she's anywhere nearby…?"
The chances of her being away from the Elemental Nations is minimal, but if Tsunade was on this continent for the past five years without him knowing, then who knows - maybe Chomei is nearby too and he doesn't know it.
He looked up and shrugged. Putting those thoughts aside, he readdressed Evianna. "Alright, wondering aside, you take to the skies, I'll take the ground." he then looked to Megan and the others. "The chances of them running with their tails between their legs is going to be very high. You want me to stop anyone that tries to run away while you're feasting on those fuckers?"
Glissa smiled impishly. "I prefer chasing them myself. I enjoy the hunt~."
Pyrrha shifted uncomfortably upon hearing that.
"Pyrrha," she looked at Naruto when he called her name, "remember: bandits are the scum of the earth. They like to ****, kidnap, and burn entire villages to the ground for the heck of it. You would be doing the world a favour by getting rid of them. Okay?"
She didn't like it but Pyrrha nodded nonetheless.
"Okay. I'll be circling and making sure none of the bandits tries to run away. Otherwise, go nuts." With that, he gave Glissa, Pyrrha, Betty and Megan a quick spank or ass fondling; his movement was too fast for them to react before he suddenly darted off towards the bandit camp. He was moving so fast it was like he was a blur to the naked eye.
Glissa giggled, loving the attention. Pyrrha yelped and her cheeks shared the same colour as her hair, while Betty and Megan smiled shyly at him. When he ran ahead, Evianna took to the skies, Glissa ran over to the camp drawing her claymore from its scabbard; Betty and Megan did the same thing and Pyrrha being the most reluctant to eat human innards, decided to follow them at a distance.
Glissa, Betty and Megan suddenly appeared in the middle of the camp catching many men, young and adult completely unaware. The poor fuckers had no idea just what had gotten themselves in the middle of their camp. Then as they smiled maliciously, their eyes changed from their natural colour to a demonic, gold with vertical slit irises, their teeth lengthened into sharpened tips, and in the case of Betty she split herself down the middle from head to groin revealing rows upon rows of teeth, several tendrils shot out and coiled themselves around some poor fucker and yanked him in between her.
The unlucky bastard only had enough time to scream in fear before Betty closed around him, much like an iron maiden. She began chewing contentedly, the sickening sound of crunching bones were heard as she chewed on the now-dead bandit. She proceeded to do the same thing on another unlucky bastard that got in her path. And another. And another.
As she didn't want to ruin her only set of clothing on her back, Glissa had partially transformed. Her teeth lengthened to fangs, and her black hair turned into writhing, metallic, cord-like tentacles as her skin turned green and her hands turned into golden, razor-sharp claws. Her hair then coiled around two hapless fuckers from the chest and waist and ripped them in half. She then pounced upon them, ripping their carcasses to shreds with her claws as she feasted.
Megan growled as her teeth lengthened also, becoming reminiscent of a sabre tooth tiger. Due to the size of her awakened form, she opted for a partial transformation, not wanting her clothes to get damaged beyond repair. Megan's hands lengthened in size and height; her skin around her arms and hands turned a deep, bluish-grey as they morphed into jagged, hook-like blades, similar to those of a praying mantis. She grabbed one hapless victim and ripped him in half.
Pyrrha barely changed at all - her ears drooping on becoming more beast-like, coated with red fur as a pair of small horns poked out from just below her hairline. Then, the redhead opened her mouth and her long, tentacle-like tongue stretched outwards, wrapping around the neck of a man ten feet away and snapping it with a sickening crack, as she charged forth.
Then Evianna swooped down like a bird of prey and snatched one man up in her talons and flew off. The man's screams were abruptly cut off when she tore into his body and ripped out his intestines before devouring it.
When Evianna was done with him, Betty snatched the bandit's falling carcass out of the air and happily devoured it.
Not too far away, Naruto watched the awakened beings go to work. He kept an eye out for any of the bandits trying to run away from the slaughter. Sure enough, there were a few that tried to run for their lives, though Glissa immediately gave chase, giggling madly.
She grabbed the one in front by the ankles and dragged him back, tripping the others in the process as she pounced upon him and ripped the hapless fucker open with her claws. The other three didn't get far as she picked them off one by one.
Pyrrha also chased after several others, making quick work of them with her extending tongue while Evianna circled snatched up the rest. Letting them fall to their deaths one by one while eating a few.
"Hmm. Looks like I won't have to get myself involved, after all," he said to himself. "They work together pretty damn well. I'm impressed."
Any that tried to run away, they would be run down instead and dragged to their deaths. No one had noticed him thanks to them facing in the direction of the blizzard. Those few who were brave enough to fight were swiftly taken down, either by Betty, Glissa, or Pyrrha.
Megan was no slouch, though she was busy happily nibbling away at the leader's carcass - a woman with long, flowing, chestnut locks and an eyepatch over her right eye. Too bad… The woman was quite hot.
At least the tents are still up and in good condition. Well, some of them anyway. Maybe he could stash those away for later? No need to let good loot go to waste. With the women now feasting on the corpses of the fallen bandits, Naruto took that moment to rejoin them.
"I hope you're enjoying yourselves," he told them and gave Pyrrha a spank on the rear while she was still eating. "And full upon eating human innards." the blond added and kneaded her faun-like rear for a moment before moving on. "Because if you are we can go straight back to Dabi once you're ready."
Pyrrha blushed heavily but carried on after giving him a nod.
Then Naruto yelped as Glissa pounced upon him. "You honestly think I'd let you get away with all that teasing~?" She giggled. "C'mon, tiger, show me what you're packing in those pants of yours~!"
As aroused as he is, Glissa was still covered in blood. And had the remains of her victim's innards around her mouth and cheeks. He wasn't going to do anything until she cleaned herself up. Unfortunately, they were in the north so him using water jutsu he used to clean Ophelia and Rafaela all those years ago would not be a wise thing to do here. Even if it was tempting to do.
"I would love to - but you're covered in blood. That kinda kills the mood." he pointed out to her. Not to mention he needed to get back to Dabi as well.
Glissa chuckled sheepishly. "Fair enough."
"Sorry," he leaned up and gave her a bemused look. "Care to get off of me now?"
Glissa hopped off and set off to see if the bandits had something for her to bathe with. Surely their leader wouldn't have enjoyed being smelled from a mile away.
It didn't take long for them to finish up.
They even picked clean the bones of the ones Betty didn't eat whole for good measure, while Glissa dug up a little tub designed to be used over a fire. Oh, she was going to enjoy the first hot bath she'd had in a long, long time~!
Naruto chuckled as the elf-eared brunette made a show of stripping herself down and slipping into the tub as soon as it was ready. The other girls just needed to wash their faces, except for Betty. She was next in line for the bath.
Not too long after, the girls were all cleaned up and Glissa was teasing Naruto once more… while still naked.
The blond chuckled as she hugged his arm, pressing her tits against him as she hungrily eyeballed the object of her desire. Not one to be left out, Evianna clung onto his other arm and asked with a seductive grin, "so, is it true that you fucked warriors in Pieta in one sitting~?"
Naruto let out a hearty chuckle at that. "With my clones, I could, but no. Most of them weren't interested at the time. I did pound a team of five, though." he admitted. "I don't go for anyone that doesn't show any interest in me. And those that do, well, it doesn't need saying." then he blinked and looked at her owlishly. "How did you know about that anyway? I never told anyone."
Evianna chuckled, "Word gets around, and rumours say they were loud. Can you confirm that?"
Naruto gave her a bemused grin, "I'm not going to say…" and Evianna and Glissa yelped in surprise when the blond they were holding on was abruptly replaced by a log. The five awakened beings wildly looked around and quickly found the blond himself a yard away, adjusting his cloak and hood. "And I'm not sure about you but I should be getting back to Dabi. Luciela tends to get cranky if I'm not around for long. And I'm not all that keen to leave an Abyssal One to herself."
"Wait!" Naruto stopped himself from moving when he heard Pyrrha call out to him. He looked at her and gestured for her to continue. "W-where can we find you if we w-want to see you again?"
Naruto was quiet for the longest time. Then just when Pyrrha was about to tell him to forget answering if he didn't want to, he finally answered her, "To the West in the Dragonspine Mountains, there is a fortified town called Morris. It has a Citadel perched on the peak of the closest mountain, so you can't miss it. It's a two-week journey from here, so if you want to find me, you will find me there. I'll warn you though, Riful of the West is there, along with two other awakened beings, one of whom is stronger than Riful and Luciela combined. There are also 25 other warriors there as well. So if you're going to cause trouble: don't. They won't take too kindly to that."
"U-understood," Pyrrha muttered. She then looked to Evianna questioningly.
Said brunette had no intention to pass up this opportunity. Protection from the organization, plus food, shelter, and a cute boy toy? Who the hell wouldn't want all that?
"How about we accompany you back there, instead?" she asked with a saucy grin, sauntering on up to the blond with a sway to her hips.
Glissa let out a little giggle, striking a sexy pose as she added, "We'd gladly keep you company if you want~!"
Naruto chortled, "Very tempting. But I have plenty of girls back in Morris to keep me company. All 29 of them. You can come with if you want, though. Hell, I'd prefer it. It would keep you, pretty ladies, out of trouble, and you get fed some criminals from my continent weekly… until we figure out how to grow entrails for you to eat all you want."
Evianna blinked at that, unable to believe what she'd just heard. "Grow?"
Naruto showed them his right arm and when he pulled up the sleeve of his undershirt past the elbow, they all noticed the discolouration around its bicep.
"I lost the most of my arm a near-decade ago, but thanks to a… scientist at Morris, I was able to replace it, by having a new one grown for me. Long story short: if a limb can be grown, then I don't see why innards and other organs can't be grown, as well. We're still working on it though; so in the meantime, we're getting the preserved bodies of criminals as the source of nourishment for the awakened ones living there."
He was amused when Glissa ran her hand up and down his fake arm; the woman was unable to keep the awed expression off her face at how real it felt.
Evianna hummed thoughtfully. "And you're sure they'll be enough to go around when the number living there suddenly doubles?"
"It'll take some planning, but we can manage," Naruto replied with a grin. "A few awakened beings are lurking on the outskirts of Morris as well… they've been there for the past two years. And haven't done anything else. We've been making preparations to 'take care' of them in case they decided to attack the populace. We've also been preparing to house them in case they decided to take up residence in the citadel. But, as I mentioned, they haven't made a move; maybe if you lot came back with me and my girls, they will come out of hiding themselves… If so, everybody wins."
Evianna nodded in agreement. That made sense. "Alright… I like the sound of that."
"Okay then, now…" his eyes roamed up and down her physique, "as much as I love the sight of your naked body, you and Glissa should get dressed up and ready to move out."
The elf-eared brunette pouted. "Spoilsport," she said teasingly.
Naruto chuckled. "A blizzard is still going on," he pointed out. "Though it's letting up now. And unlike you, I'm affected by the cold." He then gave her a playful swat on the rear. "Be a good girl and you'll be rewarded, though~!"
Glissa giggled and skipped off to grab her clothes and armour. Evianna sighed and went to do the same. Once they were all clothed, dried and now decent once more, Naruto made several clones who got to work on disassembling the still intact tents and any loot they could find.
He wasn't going to let that go to waste. Not to mention he can sell them all to a trader or two for some Bera. And get some supplies for his citadel.
"Impressive," Evianna said. "I saw you making one, but I had no idea you could make this many."
"I could make a lot more if I wanted to," Naruto replied with a chuckle.
"How many in total?" Megan asked.
"The last time it was around… two to three thousand? I'm not too sure." he said, with a scratch to the side of his head. "I can make a lot more than that, now that I'm older." deciding to give them a little bit of information on the clones, just to make doubly sure they wouldn't try anything reckless. They were not idiots, but it was better to be safe than sorry. "Interesting fact: the clones are capable of doing anything I can do. So, the fox you heard destroying Pieta? They can all turn into it." He gestured for them to follow him, "Come on, let's head on back to Dabi."
Evianna sighed heavily. Damn, she was glad to have decided not to attack him!
With all that said and done, the small party of six went on their merry way.
----
Four hours later
Just as Jean's clone was about to go out and see if she could spot Naruto coming back, the tavern door opened to reveal him and five others following. With a sigh, the blond lowered his cowl and made his way over to his wives, and the hybrids they were keeping company, though not before he told the awakened women to stay where they are.
He's pretty sure the warriors of the Organization were going to be jumpy as fuck, now that there are five more awakened beings in the tavern. Luckily, it was just them and no one else. Seems the tavern was vacated while he was away.
"Glissa?!" Elise jolted out of her chair at the sight of the elf-eared brunette.
Said woman suddenly felt a bit awkward. "Hey… It's been a while, hasn't it?"
Naruto looked between the two repeatedly. "...you two know each other?" he asked, looking a little clueless.
"Y-yeah," Glissa replied. "We were fellow trainees back in the Organization. She helped me learn proper edge alignment when I was still having a bit of trouble with it."
"What Number were you then?" he asked, now more than a little curious. And he wondered if she learned anything else from her… due to the way she dressed.
"I was Number 45," she replied, gesturing to her claymore. "It's the reason I still have this. Seeing as how I was such a low-tier warrior, I figured being armed might help my chances of surviving when I awakened."
"Smart move, if you ask me." he complimented. "How'd you awaken anyway? You don't seem like the type to go over her limit easily."
"I… don't know…" she admitted sheepishly. "I always had a hard time keeping it in check, until after I awakened."
"Hmm... that's a mystery…" with her having his full attention, Naruto turned to face Glissa directly. "What do you remember? Were you fighting anyone? Training?"
"I awakened on my first mission…" she replied, visibly embarrassed. "I was sent to fight a youma, here in the North; it was stronger than I was expecting, and… I lost control, I guess?"
"Well… that's one mystery solved then." Naruto muttered.
Evianna jumped in upon hearing his concern. "Megan and Pyrrha suffered a similar fate," she pointed out. "No doubt the fact that they are all low-tier is no coincidence."
At that Naruto narrowed his eyes in suspicion; this has the Organization's name written all over it. He looked at the girls in question. "You both were sent on a mission where the youma you fought was stronger than expected?"
"Yes. It was on my first assignment to the North." Megan replied. "I was Number 39, before awakening."
"The same for me. Only it was on my third assignment. The first and second youmas were… stronger than I thought, but I took care of them by tricking them. It was the third that made me go over my limit." Pyrrha added. " I was Number 32 before I awakened."
"After seeing the mudhead over there a few days ago," Betty added, "I've had a suspicion that the low-tier warriors of this generation were a bit… half-assed in their conversion. Evianna seems to share that belief."
"Evianna?!" her shout came from the hallway as Miria came back down to greet her man. "As in the Highland Harpy?"
"Not a nickname I'm proud of, but yes," the former Number 2 grumbled, crossing her arms.
"I take it you know of her, honey?" Naruto asked.
"Yes. She was a Number 2, back in Roxanne of Love and Hate's time."
Naruto furrowed his brow. "Roxanne of Love and Hate?"
"An evil bitch that should have been put down like the dog she was a long time ago," Evianna growled. She was someone the Former Number 2 loathed. "Any friends she made would end up dead in an Awakened Hunt she took part in some time later. She got the Number 1 in her time, Dust Eater Cassandra, killed after taunting her with the death of her only friend. Cassandra was hacked to death by her fellow compatriots after they got scared bearing witness to her Dust Eater technique."
Naruto frowned, clearly detecting a grudge. "That's not why you hate Roxanne, though, is it?"
Evianna frowned, sighing sadly. "One of her victims was my beloved sister, Uranus." crossing her arms and averting her gaze, Evianna continued, her voice dripping with venom as she spoke. "When I confronted her about it, that bitch just laughed in my face, calling my sister a dog for inventing her 'Blade of Evil' fighting style. Adding insult to injury, my nickname of 'Highland Harpy' has nothing to do with my awakened form."
"...I'm going to guess she called you that? And it stuck?" the blond said.
Evianna nodded bitterly. "She accused me of nagging her. I know she's responsible, even though I can't prove it. Uranus was simply too experienced to go down that easily. She knew what she was doing!"
Naruto sighed and pulled the awakened woman into a caring hug. "Well, at least Roxanne's dead now," he said. "If you'll let me, I'd be happy to help you move on."
"I already have," she said. "Hearing that bitch's name just opened up an old wound. I'll be fine, though. Thanks." she gave Naruto a genuine smile and kissed him on the cheek.
Then Naruto yelped when Miria pulled him to her with a possessive hiss, "Mine!"
Upon being greeted with such a sight after coming down to check on her man, Luciela let out a loud chuckle. "Looks like my tom has some new additions to his ever-growing family, no?"
"I wouldn't go that far, just yet, Lucy." the blond replied, bringing an agitated Miria in for a one-armed hug and a peck on the cheek. She calmed down considerably to that. "They are coming back with us to Morris, though. So they don't cause trouble. So who knows, maybe in time they will."
Miria sighed, giving him a reluctant nod. "A-alright, then."
Rafaela huffed, not at all convinced. Her husband was a shameless womanizer and they all knew it; he'd fuck all five of them, eventually… the warriors, too… and the big-breasted bimbo back home. She just knew it!
Naruto sighed tiredly, feeling Rafaela's jealousy wash over him like a tidal wave. So he slipped his arm out from Miria and made his way over to her, before placing a finger under the one-eyed woman's chin and guiding her into a deep, loving kiss.
Her knees buckled, instantly. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders to keep herself upright, and to pull him against her as she leaned in. Naruto meanwhile moved his hands to her waist and thighs and hugged her to him. Then he slithered his tongue past her lips and explored her mouth to his heart's content.
Camilla giggled lewdly at the sight. "My, my… what is one man to do with so many women to please~? I simply must know how you pull it off!"
Elise, meanwhile, couldn't keep the amusement off her face as she dealt out for another round of poker.
Nina was less than amused, while Clarice was busy awkwardly explaining to a curious Miata what Naruto and Rafaela were doing.
Then the couple pulled away, with Rafaela blushing profusely for making out with her husband in front of so many people. Still, she was appreciative for the show of affection.
"You better now?" he asked her with an expectant, yet amused grin.
"Admittedly," she confirmed, shyly averting her gaze.
"Good." he pulled her into a one-armed hug and led her to the table they were occupying previously. "We're gonna stay here for the night. Might as well put that room I got for us to use, no?" He then pulled Rafaela into his lap and wrapped his arms around her stomach as he pulled her back, flush against his chest.
"Oh, I will," Jean's clone giggled.
Chuckling at that, the blond redirected his attention to Nina. "It seems I dealt with your job for you. So, what are you going to do now?" he politely, and respectfully asked her as Miria, Jean and the other awakened beings that came back with him sat around the table.
"...We'll stay for the night too." Number 9 eventually answered. "In the morning, we'll be returning to the Organization."
"So… does that mean we can talk to him still?" Camilla asked, looking at the blond with a grin.
"Just… don't say anything lewd in front of the kid." Nina relented.
"I'll be sure to reword them, then." the naughty Number 20 assured. Then she went over to the table Naruto was at and sat on the opposite end. "Hello, again~."
"Well, hello, there," Naruto chuckled. "I take it you had a chat with my wives while I was gone?"
"Jean and Luciela were particularly informative," she answered with a nod and a saucy grin. "I still simply can't believe a man could be that big without seeing it for myself, though~!"
"Camilla!" Nina barked.
"Miata doesn't know what I mean~," said woman singingly responded.
"Maybe you should ask questions that won't make it awkward for poor Clarice to explain," Naruto advised, gesturing to the brunette in question with a chuckle. "But yes. I am. What else did they tell you I wonder?" he added looking at an impish Jean and Luciela.
Camilla gave him a dead serious look. "That you can heal our stigmas."
Nina, Clarice and Elise jolted up, but it was Nina who slammed her hands on the table and shouted. "IMPOSSIBLE!" Miata, having the mind of a 5-year-old, didn't understand what the big deal was.
Jean giggled, lifting her shirt to show that her stomach was now completely unblemished.
Naruto smiled at the befuddled women, awakened and otherwise. "That was one of the reasons, though not the main one, on why the warriors from Pieta defected. I could do the same for you. But then the Organization would probably do everything they can to get their hands on me."
"With good reason," Evianna muttered. "They would want that power."
"They've tried everything to get it to shut," Miria said, before looking at Nina with a serious expression. "We want to keep as much information about him from the Organization as possible. Even now the amount of knowledge they have on him is barebones at best. It's likely just guesswork."
Though they may know more about him now since they sent someone to the Elemental Nations itself to get help. So they may have some knowledge on what he can do.
"...Why would you want to keep the knowledge of being able to heal our stigma away from the Organization? Wouldn't that be a good thing?"
"Think of it this way: if the organization knows about me capable of healing your stigmas, then they'll send you to capture me. As in, you'll have to fight me." he paused to let his words sink in. "They're also responsible for the death of one of my lovers, as well as the suffering of many others, so my willingness to work with them is… not very high." he censored himself at the last second, seeing as how Miata was nearby.
"I see…" Camilla said with a frown.
"Not to mention if you want our man to heal your stigma, then you're going to have to desert the Organization," Jean added.
"Why should we have to desert?" Nina asked, looking at Jean with narrowed eyes.
"Well, if the Organization found out your stigma is gone, do you honestly think they'll let you leave their clutches? To go on more assignments?" Miria rhetorically asked. "You'd become Dae's guinea pig the second they find out. You would be dissected and experimented on to see how it happened, and if they can somehow replicate it."
Nina frowned, unable to deny that. And Clarice and Camilla shuddered; Dae was just plain creepy. The man just… rubbed them the wrong way. And it was not because of him missing the skin on one half of his face, though it certainly didn't help.
Evianna decided to jump in. She just had to see this healing technique in action. "Perhaps you could claim to have sent one of her party after him as a spy?" she suggested.
Rafaela scowled. "I was sent to keep an eye on him; the second they found out I was 'compromised', they immediately branded me a traitor. The chances of them doing so again, and taking it out on them are high." she gestured to Nina and her awakened being hunting team in question.
The awakened brunette shrugged. At least she tried.
"I've heard they don't have a lot of tolerance for failure either," Naruto added, remembering what those reports he took had said. "There's a small pattern I've been thinking on since Pieta: they send their troublemakers on tough missions or at least missions that give them fewer chances of survival."
Camilla frowned. "That would explain why they sent us on a hunt to deal with several voracious eaters," she said, "They never seemed to like me all that much."
"I take it you didn't know how many of them there were either," Naruto asked. "Because if they had come here to fight, quite a lot of you would have either died or been heavily injured at best," he added, gesturing to Evianna and her group. Plant the seeds of doubt, and they will ask questions, forcing them to think and make their own decisions.
And it was working.
"Evianna, here, as Miria pointed out," he continued, "was Number 2, back in her day. The odds of you having a chance against her, alone are pretty slim. Add another four and well… the numbers speak for themselves. Sure, most of them were low-tier, but they're pretty good at working as a team, from what I've seen."
Nina scowled deeply at that. She couldn't deny that the handlers were unhappy with her track record.
"To add on to that," Miria began, getting everyone's attention on her, "the last awakened being hunt I led, all party members were troublemakers. We were lied too about the awakened being we were hunting and almost died. Not long after that, we were sent to Pieta, and all warriors who were sent there were troublemakers. Quite a few of us that were sent there were those that almost awakened. Jean and I were some of the few who had almost awakened."
"In my case, I did awaken," Jean added, much to the shock of everyone excluding her husband, Miria, Rafaela, and Luciela. "But I managed to keep my human soul intact long enough for another warrior to bring me back and she was a warrior that almost awakened at some point, and another that was sent to Pieta as well."
"So to recap: if the Organization is unhappy with you, then they're gonna send you on difficult missions, purposely hold back on information, or send you an awakened being hunts where you're most likely going to die. If you almost awakened the same thing will happen. Any questions?" Naruto asked them with a smile that even they could tell was fake.
"This is… a lot to take in." Camilla said as she rubbed her temples.
"Indeed," Nina concurred. "But what he says makes sense. The Organization is not happy with us. Clarice… being a failed conversion is more likely to be sent on missions that will get her killed. Miata is… unstable.."
Elise, who had broken away from the poker game she was in, joined them. She was able to hear everything that was said. "It's your call, Nina. What do we do with this information?"
"If I may?" Miria spoke up. "Naruto, you have that seal to get to us in the blink of an eye no matter where we are. You can give it to them and they would be able to call on you whenever they're in trouble."
"You can?" Nina looked at him with wide eyes.
Naruto chuckled. "Yup. If you find yourselves needing my help to pull you out of a bad situation, I'd be glad to."
"We have to meet a handler after our mission was complete," Nina said. "How long does this 'seal' take to apply?"
"Not long," he assured, "A few minutes, at most. You can easily get it done tonight or tomorrow morning."
Camilla grinned as a thought came to her, "Or, we can go to our handler tomorrow and inform him we found the Ladykiller and made peaceful contact with him on our mission. Since he knows us, we could 'offer' the Organization a way to get information on him."
"I like that idea," Elise said, "Nina, should we meet the handler tomorrow? And offer to 'spy' on him?"
Miria growled in irritation. She knew those two were just scheming to try and seduce her man. Naruto calmed the woman down by French kissing her.
"Perhaps we will," Nina answered, then she looked at the blond in question. "You will be here tomorrow morning, right? It should take us a few hours to reach the rendezvous point."
Pulling away from the liplock he had with his wife, Naruto shrugged. "I don't see why not. Oh, I want you to pass them along with a message if you can."
"What would that be?" Nina asked.
"Tell them 'the Ladykiller and the kages know about everything they're doing here, and we're not happy about it.'"
"The kages?" she asked inquisitively.
"They'll know what I mean," he answered cryptically, with a grin that sent a shiver up the warriors' spines.
Then he gave Rafaela a tap on the thigh and with a disappointed moan, she scooted off his lap, giving the blond's legs some much-needed rest and to get the blood flowing again. Only for Miria to take her place and rub her ass suggestively against his groin as if she were marking her territory.
He couldn't help but laugh at that. Miria's possessiveness was so cute!
Oh, how tempted he was to 'claim' his territory, right then and there~! But, there was a kid in the room. And they were in public, too. So, he settled for hugging her close and giving his wife some much-needed snuggles.
"We'll deliver the message," Nina assured uncomfortably. That blatant display of affection Phantom Miria was showing him was giving her… strange feelings. She quite easily identified the jealousy, but the others... not so much.
Camilla was far more amused, as were Glissa and Evianna. They wanted so badly to see what he had to offer~! Clarice was blushing and had covered Miata's eyes from the sight, lest she continues asking more questions… or have what was left of her innocence be ruined by the suggestive display.
One could practically see the question marks floating above the Number 4's head.
Pyrrha and Megan were so horribly confused, as well, wondering how seeing Miria rubbing her butt against Naruto's crotch made them feel so… hot. Elise had a better understanding, though she was uncharacteristically flustered, unable to help but be a bit jealous, as well.
"Time for bed, then, I guess," Naruto called out. "Hey, Jakob! Do you mind finding the new girls a room? They're with me."
"I'll see what I can do!" the man called back; then Jakob went to go and check if he had any spare keys. He came back out and placed a key on the counter. "I got one room left. Since you already paid me more than enough Bera to last you several days, you can have this one for free."
Naruto didn't feel like freeloading off of the man and replied with. "I'll pay you for their room anyway. How's 20 Beras sound?"
"You truly are too kind," Jakob replied.
Chuckling Naruto got Miria to slide off his lap and went over to the counter and took the key. He then took out a pouch and put 20 gold rods in its place. Jakob happily took the extra Bera; he earned more from Naruto in one night than he did for an entire week! Then he made his way back to his table and handed the key to Evianna.
Evianna smiled at the blond. "Thank you for your generosity," she said, taking the key. "I'd be happy to… 'reward' you for it if you so wish~."
Miria responded by pulling Naruto down in his seat and taking her spot back on his lap with a possessive hiss. "He's mine! Mine, mine, mine!"
The awakened brunette couldn't help but giggle at the childish display. "Quite the devoted one you have there~!"
Miria growled at her, before yelping subduedly when Naruto gave her a firm smack on the ass.
"She can be a bit… jealous when she sees a newcomer," Naruto chuckled. "But, this is the first time I ever saw her act like this. I can't help but find it cute, though."
Miria turned beet red at the compliment and started rubbing her rear against him, again. That did it… She yelped again, upon feeling Naruto get up and scoop her into a bridal carry.
"If you ladies will excuse me, I need to… tend to my wife."
With that, Naruto retreated into the hall, carrying a beet red Miria to his room for the night.
"Mama?"
"Yes, honey?" Clarice asked, dreading what Miata wanted to know.
"Why was there a big bump in Naruto's pants?"
Clarice stared at the curious Number 4... and then there was a loud thunk as the brunette's forehead hit the table. "What did I ever do to deserve this?" she whined, pitifully.
"Y-you'll find out when you're older, Miata." Nina decided to help Clarice out of pity. "You're too young to understand." well... mentally, anyway.
Miata cocked her head to the side, thoroughly confused, but she nodded with acceptance.
