NOVEL NEXT Chapter 112: You Want to Capture Me?
Disclaimer:
Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto.
I own nothing but the original characters I create.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 112: You Want to Capture Me?
"You seem to have the wrong idea. I have no relation to that woman; I'm just looking for her," Naruto said calmly to the man who appeared to be in charge.
The manager grinned.
"And why are you looking for her exactly?"
"I don't have to tell you that."
The manager laughed.
"Well, you've got guts, boy. Here's what we're going to do. We're going to take all your money, and you'll stay here with us to work off that woman's debt. If she comes back and pays, we'll let you go."
"When's the last time you saw her?" Naruto asked, ignoring the threat.
"Boss, this kid doesn't seem to understand the situation," one of the armed men remarked.
"It does seem that way…." The manager shrugged.
"Fine, but make it quick. I don't want you disturbing our customers." He gave a hand signal.
Naruto quickly assessed the situation. There were six men surrounding him, plus the manager, though the latter didn't seem interested in fighting.
The two door guards approached first.
One reached for Naruto's shoulder, but Naruto grabbed the man's hand instead.
"Wha—?" The large guard was shocked by the strength of Naruto's grip. Despite the size difference, he couldn't pull his hand back.
The other guard, confused by his partner's reaction, was about to make a move when the first man started to scream.
"Agh! Let me go!"
Everyone could see how Naruto had crushed his wrist with just his grip.
"Shit! Who are you?!"
Had the manager known that Tsunade was a ninja, he might have realized that anyone looking for her could also be one. But he lacked that information and by judging by Naruto's looks, he could not have guessed he was someone dangerous. Just some naive boy who went into the wrong place at a bad time.
As the man screamed, it dawned on the group that this wasn't just a normal boy, but at least someone with a high degree of mastery in martial arts at the very least.
Naruto knocked the guard out with a blow to the back of his head, before the other five lunged at him.
The men were big and strong, but it was obvious they had no real combat training. They also didn't know how to use chakra, so for Naruto, taking them down, did not require that much effort. He didn't even need to use a single jutsu.
The manager stared at Naruto in shock. It was now clear that this boy must be a ninja. A samurai would never be caught without their sword, and this kid had handled his men with ease by only using his hands.
He took a step back, glancing toward the stairs. His organization was powerful, but only a few members could stand a chance against a ninja.
Unfortunately, the only one stationed in this facility, had left to get drunk a few hours ago.
"Where do you think you're going?" Naruto asked the manager, noticing the doors around him creak open as people peeked out to see what the commotion was about. But after seeing the bodies of the unconscious guards, no one dared step outside.
"Wait! This is just a misunderstanding! I didn't know you were a ninja, since you're not wearing your headband. Let's not take things too far. We have no issues with any of the nearby ninja villages." He had no idea from which village this boy was from. Or if he was one of those ronin ninjas.
"Huh?... Right..." Naruto muttered, realizing he had left his headband in the bag he gave Jiraiya. "I forgot it."
"O-of course!" The manager forced a smile, convinced now that Naruto was some sort of fugitive ninja, given that poor excuse. He didn't want to make any wrong moves, fearing for his life.
"We were talking about the woman in the picture," Naruto said. "What can you tell me about her?"
"The woman?... Right, the blonde woman! We don't know her real name. She comes to the capital every year, always looking a little different. She usually visits one of our dens, gets drunk, and causes a scene. But she always paid her debts, so we didn't mind. However, last year, she made a massive loss and ran away without paying. We haven't seen her since," the manager explained.
"So you really don't know where she might be…" Naruto said, disappointed.
"No, but… this is about the time she usually comes to the city. For all I know, she could already be here. I have my men keeping an eye out for her. Does she owe you money too? We could work together to find her," the manager suggested, smiling slyly.
Naruto didn't need any special abilities to know the man was trying to trick him. However, the story seemed to match what Jiraiya had told him about Tsunade's behavior.
'Doesn't look like I'm going to get anything useful here… Maybe I should try the other gambling dens,' Naruto thought, just as the front door opened.
"Huh?... What's going on? Where are the guards?" a tired, drunken voice called out.
"Mister Hanma! You're back!" the manager shouted, relieved.
The man who entered quickly assessed the situation. He took in the unconscious guards on the ground and Naruto standing before the frightened manager. "We have a troublemaker?"
"Yes! But be careful, he's likely a ninja. He bested all of my men in a few seconds!" the manager explained.
Naruto glanced at the newcomer. This man was different from the others. He had a dangerous aura about him.
Hanma, wearing only baggy pants and a sleeveless shirt, was over seven feet tall with defined muscles. He studied Naruto with wary eyes.
"Yes… this kid is dangerous…"
"I was just about to leave. There's no need for us to fight," Naruto said, not wanting to waste more time. These people didn't have any useful information for him.
Hanma cracked his neck, loosening up.
"No, I'm afraid that won't be possible."
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