Konoha Will Boil, What Is the Poisonous Snake Plotting in the Shadows?
Naruto's ninja boots made a sticky sound as he stepped into the mud.
He walked slowly and deliberately toward Tayuya, who was slumped on the ground, Tayuya.
Tayuya's back was pressed tightly against the rough tree trunk, mud and cold sweat rolling down her cheeks.
She looked at the mangled flesh scattered on the ground and the blond boy who looked like a demon, and her teeth chattered uncontrollably.
"You... you stay away!"
Tayuya scrambled back, her voice cracking, and forced a final, desperate roar, "Lord Orochimaru won't let you get away with this! If you dare touch me..."
Naruto let out a short, cold laugh.
Without saying a word, he extended his right hand.
Tayuya didn't even see his movements before her breath was abruptly cut off.
A large, bony hand, like an iron clamp, gripped her fair neck tightly.
Naruto used his arm strength to lift her into the air with one hand.
"Ugh..." Tayuya feet dangling in the air, desperately trying to pry Naruto's wrists open, but to no avail.
The intense feeling of suffocation made her cheeks flush red and her eyes bulge out.
Orochimaru?
Naruto tilted his head back, looking down at her with an expression as if she were a pile of useless trash. "That dead snake just had Manda skull broken by me a few days ago. It broke its tongue and shed a layer of skin to barely survive. It's probably hiding in some ditch licking its wounds right now. You expect it to come and save you?"
Tayuya felt a wave of dizziness, not just because of lack of oxygen.
This kid in his teens actually defeated Orochimaru?!
One of the Legendary Sannin who treated them like dogs and Cursed Seal on them was described by this blond-haired guy as a pathetic, fleeing dog!
Her last line of defense crumbled.
"You don't understand the script, right? Then I'll give you a few questions to answer, and you'll understand."
Naruto lowered his voice, leaning close to her ear, the scorching Yang Release aura making her earlobe tingle, "These legs were pretty fast just now, from now on they can stay in my yard and trot in the dirt."
Just then, a sharp whooshing sound came from the woods behind them.
The team consisting of Shikamaru, Kiba, Choji, and Neji finally arrived at the scene, navigating the slippery tree trunks.
The moment the four landed, the scene before them froze their expressions.
Everywhere you looked, trees had collapsed in clumps, and the ground looked as if it had been plowed over several times by hundreds of Explosive Tag.
Several strangely-looking Hidden Sound who had caused them great trouble were now reduced to wreckage and mangled pieces of flesh scattered on the ground.
Meanwhile, the bottom-ranked student, who should have been on the same level as them, was covered in leaping golden Chakra, and with one hand, he held the remaining red-haired female ninja in mid-air.
Shikamaru swallowed hard, nearly biting his tongue.
His usually sharp and intelligent mind seemed to be sluggish at that moment.
Akamaru, standing beside Kiba, whimpered and tucked its tail between its legs, hiding behind its master's legs.
"Naruto... Naruto."
Shikamaru's apple bobbed as he pointed to the muddy pit in the distance.
There lay a black-haired boy, his fate unknown. "Sasuke... he..."
Naruto turned his head, his peripheral vision sweeping over his companion; his hard jawline showed no sign of gentleness.
"He's not dead. Take him back to the village and hand him over to the old man for confinement."
Naruto casually flicked his left hand, as if brushing off some dust. "We need to clean up the mess in his head."
After saying that, Naruto turned around and hoisted Tayuya onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"As for this red-haired prisoner."
Naruto shifted the weight on his shoulders, Tayuya groaned, not daring to struggle. "I just happen to need a sweeping maid in my yard, so I've requisitioned her. If you have any objections, let the old man come find me."
Shikamaru opened his mouth, but he, who usually complained about everything and found things troublesome, couldn't utter a single word at this moment.
Neji lowered his eyelids, his Byakugan was closed, and his legs were ramrod straight, displaying utmost respect.
Who dares to object?
A monster who could severely injure even the Legendary Sannin, who cares if he kidnapped a prisoner?
The rain has stopped.
Konoha, Uzumaki Estate.
The newly purchased luxury home still had the lingering scent of incense in the air.
Naruto Opening Gate, strode into the living room, and threw Tayuya onto the floor with a "bang".
The expensive wooden floorboards hit her, causing her bones to ache.
Tayuya curled up, her soaked clothes clinging to her skin and outlining her curves.
She gasped for breath, glanced up at the luxurious furnishings around her, and then met Naruto's amused eyes. Her body instinctively shrank back.
"Let... let me go."
Her voice was hoarse, and she was no longer the arrogant and domineering delinquent she had been in the Forest of Death.
Naruto pulled over a single sofa and sat down with an air of nonchalance.
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, staring intently at the woman on the ground.
"Here, there are no prisoners, only dogs."
Naruto's tone was calm and even, without a single inflection, yet it carried a chillingly oppressive aura. "Listen carefully. From now on, you will be my personal maid. First, if you dare to step out of this yard without my permission, I'll break your legs. Second, if I ever hear another swear word from your mouth..."
Naruto paused, a cold smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, "I'll keep you bedridden for three days. You can try and see if your bones are harder than my fists."
Tayuya shuddered and immediately pressed her head against the wooden floor.
"Don't worry, bro, I know the rules of this business, I'll follow them."
She blurted it out, her voice trembling with a fawning tone that she herself didn't even realize.
Naruto leaned back in his chair, looking at her disheveled appearance.
At that moment, the sliding door to the inner room was opened.
Shiro, dressed in a simple kimono, came out carrying a cup of hot tea.
She ignored Tayuya lying on the ground, walked straight to Naruto's Naruto, knelt down, and handed him a teacup with gentle, tender movements.
Hinata also peeked out from the corridor and saw the extra woman in the room. She bit her lower lip but didn't say anything. Instead, she quickened her pace and walked behind Naruto, obediently massaging his shoulders.
Tayuya caught a glimpse of this scene out of the corner of her eye, and felt a pang of bitterness in her heart.
She understood that from this day forward, she no longer even had the right to be a human being.
In this mansion, she could only eke out a living by relying on the whims of this tyrant.
[Ding! Target 'Tayuya' has been completely rebuilt psychologically, and servility is deeply ingrained. Current favorability: 85 (the extreme of fear and obedience).]
The mechanical voice in his mind did not cause Naruto any emotional reaction.
He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and glanced out the window at the rose field whose soil had been turned over again.
Sasuke's incident was just a side note; the stagnant waters of Hidden Leaf were about to boil over completely because of the upcoming third Chunin Ninja Exams.
And the venomous snake lurking in the shadows is probably plotting something even bigger.