Ch450. Resignation

Kurotsuchi reeled back when she heard what Rei wanted from her and even the Suna ninjas in the room couldn't help but stare in shock at his audacity.

"You want me to be your slave!?" Kurotsuchi exclaimed in horror, her expression full of unwillingness and disgust.

Unlike Temari who was ten when Pakura took her as her own, Kurotsuchi was in the middle of her teenage years and her understanding of the world was much, much deeper. Temari might have known of the old concept under which ninjas served their lords but she did not fully understand what it all entailed when she swore herself to Pakura. Kurotsuchi, however, was different and had a clear picture of what was asked of her.

"Now, now. Don't let your imagination run wild, girl." Rei chided her as if she was a kid, "You are what? Fourteen? And a total tomboy on top of that." He gestured towards Konan with his head, "I have much better options if I want to bed somebody so that's not it."

"I am sixteen, you bastard!" Kurotsuchi exclaimed, glaring at Rei for his unspoken insinuation that she is not attractive enough for him.

Rei inwardly grinned. There went her fright. The best way to misdirect the attention of people with a fiery temper was simply to trigger said temper.

Outwardly, however, Rei only sagely nodded, "Mhm, it's hard to know with such a modest chest. Puberty doesn't treat you well, does it?" He offhandedly remarked, causing Kurotsuchi to try to stomp on his foot.

When Rei casually relocated his foot, making her miss, she scowled at him.

Rei just raised his eyebrow at her, "I wonder which perverted idiot did tie your thighs to the chair instead of your ankles." He smirked

"The one with the stupid yellow bandana." Kurotsuchi defiantly smirked back.

Konan who was looking at their interaction from a bit further away couldn't help but shake her head. The Iwa girl was lapping Rei's manipulation up, not even noticing what was happening.

Even Riku was impressed at seeing Lady Pakura's husband in action. His body language and actions... they were all appealing to Kurotsuchi's temper and defiant personality.

His last question coupled with his body language, for example, made it easy to foster a small spark of 'camaraderie' between them. Kurotsuchi might not have noticed but she was far too relaxed for somebody who was being 'interrogated' and 'negotiated' with.

'Not that the girl realizes what is happening.' Riku inwardly sighed, 'That man... he is good at dealing with children, isn't he?' She chuckled in disbelief.

"Is that so?" Rei lazily turned towards the man who suddenly found the entire room staring at him, making him quite uncomfortable. A few seconds of silence passed and the man started to slightly fidget under Rei's stare. He, like everybody in the room, had no idea who Rei was but the way Lady Riku deferred to him made it plainly obvious that he should not be offended.

When Rei thought the man was sufficiently nervous, he deadpanned at him, "Admit it, you just wanted to touch her thighs. Isn't that right, you pedophile?"

The uncomfortable silence became instantly awkward, the ninjas around were completely flabbergasted at the nonchalant accusation.

The silence was suddenly broken by Kurotsuchi who erupted with laughter. Deep down, everybody, even her, knew it was ridiculous since she was a bruised mess... but the nonchalant attitude of Rei made her feel oddly light-hearted.

Rei chuckled and gave the bandana-wearing spluttering man a reassuring smile to show him he was not really serious before he turned back towards Kurotsuchi.

"So? Is the prospect of being my slave still so frightening?" Rei leaned closer to her and cheekily asked.

"No... Yes..." Kurotsuchi grimaced, inwardly waring with her own feelings. The man was kinda cool and didn't seem the bad sort but she still had her pride! "I mean-" The same pride that was being offended the second she realized she actually considered agreeing. Kurotsuchi scowled and gave Rei a glare, "Fuck you."

"Hmm~, cheeky." Rei mused, "So that's how you feel about me? I am flattered."

Hearing him, Kurotsuchi's eyes widened, realizing how her words could have been taken, causing her to show a mortified expression

"Fuck me." Kurotsuchi uttered at Rei's 'misunderstanding', once again not thinking about her word choice.

Rei's lips quirked upward at how easy she was making it for him. "Maybe once you get a little bit older, little girl." He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"That's not-!" Kurotsuchi exclaimed in aggravation before she decided she had enough and scowled, "You know what? Fuck you, bastard! I am not playing word games with you!"

"No, I guess you are too smart to not notice what is going on." Rei remarked before he paused, inwardly rolling his eyes in amusement.

Kurotsuchi's expression almost became pleased at the praise but that's when Rei once again started speaking, his still completely nonchalant but his words...

"You are currently tied to a chair while the good people around us are deciding your worth. You can be anything from executed in a show of power and what happens to those too defiant for their own good, to becoming a breeding sow, chained like an animal in a cell, and taken out once a year to be impregnated to provide Suna with a new generation of ninjas capable of using the Lava Release."

Rei's words were chilling to Kurotsuchi, making her feel as if a bucket of cold water was poured over her head when she was so bluntly told the facts.

Of course, Rei knew Pakura couldn't care less about the girl's genes. The practice of kidnapping women and breeding them for bloodlines was discontinued in Suna the second she became the Kazekage.

But Kurotsuchi didn't know that.

The girl was raised in Iwa and while Kumo was known for these practices, the militaristic Iwa was not that far behind. It was just less known since Iwa actually cared for their image. This made Rei's words believable to the girl who for the first time started thinking beyond the current moment.

Frankly, Rei just spoke bullshit and made the cute impressionable tomboy come to her own dark and gloomy conclusions.

Worked like a charm ninety-five percent of the time. Rei recommended.

"Oh, and we should not forget about your grandfather who is currently fighting for his life against Kazekage and her apprentice who is also an S-ranked ninja. I wonder how long he will last. Who knows? Maybe he is already dead, hm?" Rei casually added, ignoring the slowly rising despair in Kurotsuchi's distressed eyes that begged him to stop speaking.

Rei then turned towards Riku, "What about her father? Dead?"

The amused puppet mistress shook her head, "In a cell, still barely alive but... literally disarmed." She answered, adding a bit of dark humor to the ending.

Rei turned back and looked straight at Kurotsuchi and his tone for the first time became serious, "You lost. You should realize that. You have a choice now. You can choose your pride and perish with it, dragging your family to the grave with you. Or, you can become mine and while your family would lose Iwagakure, they will survive this clusterfuck. So, let me ask you for the last time, girl. Will you become my slave or not?"

Kurotsuchi was so wide-eyed her thoughts became a jumbled mess as the reality hit her like a truck and she was unable to form a coherent reply. Her desire to send Rei to hell battled with what she knew she had to do to survive, making her stressed and angry and frustrated and...

Eventually, her head dropped, as a choked sob resounded throughout the deadly silent room. Tears started falling into Kurotsuchi's lap and it was obvious she was trying very hard to stifle her sobs, only managing to reduce them to sniffles.

For a moment, her sniffles were the only noise that filled the room, Rei all too happy to let her stew in her emotions for a bit and think her situation through.

It made it that much sweeter to know her final decision would be fully her own, and the girl would be less likely to betray him because of that fact.

It didn't take long for him to finally hear the expected reply.

"Yes... Master."

Kurotsuchi eventually declared her resignation in a tearful voice full of sorrow and pain, and Rei's eyes narrowed in satisfaction.