The Next Morning—Just Before Sunrise
A faint light crept over the horizon.
A blue system panel and subtitles flickered into view before Naruto Uzumaki's eyes.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the host for completing Option 3. Reward (Samui's Corruption Value +30%) has been issued.]
Naruto smiled as he looked at the reward.
Though not particularly valuable, this reward symbolized one thing: last night had been... thoroughly satisfying.
"Mu Ren really sent me a great gift. I'll have to reward her properly next time."
With that thought, Naruto glanced toward the bathroom, where the sound of running water continued, then pulled the blanket over his head, contentedly drifting off to sleep.
In the Bathroom
Samui scrubbed her body again and again until her fair skin turned red from the friction.
But her expression was blank—eyes vacant and soulless, as if her spirit had left her body entirely.
It wasn't until a rooster crowed in the distance that she snapped back to reality. She dried off with a towel, leaned on the wall for support, and limped out with trembling legs.
When she saw Naruto lying asleep on the bed, she gave him a cold, hateful glare.
Yet, she did nothing else.
Even Samui herself was confused.
Last night's humiliation had nearly broken her. The degradation she'd endured—both physically and mentally—had almost shattered her.
Even when she stepped into the bathroom, her thoughts had been filled with vengeance. I have to kill Naruto. I must find a way.
But…
Why did all that murderous intent vanish after she left the bathroom?
Why didn't she hate him as much as before?
Samui recalled something she'd read once: in rare cases, deep emotional trauma could cause someone to develop an attachment to the very person who harmed them.
Could I be... a masochist?
No. That's impossible.
She shook her head violently, pushing the thought down, got dressed quickly, and slipped out of the room as quietly as possible.
She was terrified—terrified that waking Naruto would subject her to more of his torment.
Her legs still numb, it took her—a trained jonin—over ten minutes to reach the temporary Kumogakure quarters, a journey an ordinary civilian might've made in just a few minutes.
But she didn't head back to her room to rest. Instead, she limped straight to Mabui's quarters.
Finding her absent, Samui asked around and learned that Mabui had gone to a small conference room for a meeting.
The Cloud Ninjas had set up that room two days ago to prepare for their negotiations with Konoha. Since arriving early, they'd already held a few internal strategy meetings.
Samui Enters the Conference Room
When she arrived, Samui noticed something immediately: the chunin guards stationed outside were all part of the Black Faction. As she walked past, one of them cleared his throat loudly.
"Hmm?"
Samui frowned slightly. Her instincts screamed that something was off. Sure enough, as she pushed the door open, she found that everyone inside belonged to the Black Faction. Not a single White Faction member was present.
And they were quiet. Unnaturally quiet.
So many people in one room, exchanging silent glances? That was no coincidence.
They were clearly discussing something they didn't want her to know.
Something about Yugito... most likely against her.
After all, the only leverage Samui had was her loyalty to Bokuto, the new Raikage.
She smiled coldly but said playfully, "You're all up early for a meeting—so diligent. Truly the pride of our village."
Nobody punches a smiling face—especially not one as beautiful as Samui's. Despite the rumors tainting her reputation due to Naruto, no one could deny her allure.
Some of the men looked at her and thought, Even if I can't marry her, I'd like a night to test the depths of the ocean.
"Hahaha, Lady Samui, you're too kind."
"To have someone like you is a real blessing for the village."
"Samui, come sit here. I'll pour you some porridge—perfect for the stomach in the morning."
The flattery came quick, and Samui obliged, listening silently as they laid out their negotiation plans.
After the Meeting
By 9 AM, the session ended. As they walked out, Samui casually intercepted Mabui, giving her a subtle look before turning to leave.
The rising sun cast a warm glow across the village.
The soreness in her body had eased somewhat, and her gait had returned to normal.
"Samui, I noticed you didn't eat earlier. Let me treat you."
"No need. I already had something before the meeting."
"Lady Samui, when we're back in the village, let's get tea sometime."
"Sure—when time allows."
Outside, a crowd of Black Faction men lingered around her, attempting to flirt, their eyes glued to her curvy figure.
Before her fall, Samui had been cold and unapproachable. But after the battlefield humiliation by the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, she no longer seemed untouchable.
They took every chance to flirt, and when rejected, they'd slander her behind her back. Even with Yugito's orders to stop such rumors, these men never held their tongues.
They were powerful—and besides Yugito, no one in the White Faction could challenge them.
Just wait a few more days, Samui thought, smiling sweetly on the outside, but cursing them as pigs inside.
Let's see if you're still laughing then.
Meeting with Mabui
Twenty minutes later, Mabui opened her door and saw Samui waiting.
She already knew—this was about what happened last night.
"You met Uzumaki Naruto yesterday," Mabui said. "What did he say?"
Samui gave a soft smile. "He agreed to help us. Said he could reduce Konoha's demands to just one-fifth."
Mabui's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"
Samui nodded.
Mabui was stunned. If Konoha really dropped their demands by four-fifths, the compensation would be manageable. More than manageable, even.
But… why would Naruto agree?
Could he really have fallen for Samui?
Was Samui that charming?
Or... was Naruto really that much of a fool to give up so much over one woman?
It didn't sit right with Mabui. She asked again, more seriously, "Are you sure he agreed?"
Samui nodded again, then added, "But he has one more condition."
Mabui's tension eased slightly. Of course there's a catch, she thought. It couldn't have been that simple.
"What condition?" she asked. "As long as it's not too outrageous, we can accept."
Samui smirked slightly. Finally.
"I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you a bit," she said gently.
"...Me?" Mabui blinked.
Samui stood up, took Mabui's hand, and sighed. "Yes. He wants to meet you tonight. Alone. And… he prefers you dress provocatively."
Mabui froze, then narrowed her eyes, furious. "That bastard Uzumaki Naruto is obviously toying with us. Don't believe a word he says."
She couldn't accept that Naruto would offer something so significant for something so petty. He wasn't even Hokage. Where did he get the authority?
Samui lowered her gaze. "No. He's already agreed. Today he'll reduce the demand by a fifth as proof. Once you agree, he'll continue helping us."
Mabui shook her head.
She's fallen into his trap.
Still, Mabui didn't confront her directly. As fellow jonin, she assumed Samui was just doing what she thought was best.
"I'm not doing that," Mabui said coldly. "But I'll keep this quiet for your sake. After today's talks, you'll see his true colors."
Samui stood there, stunned.
Even now she doesn't get it, Mabui thought as she left, glancing back with disappointment.
Behind her, Samui smiled quietly to herself.
Later That Day – Konoha's War Room
"The Land of Lightning's territory isn't valuable to us," Naruto said. "Strike that."
"The vassal states won't offer much. The Moon Nation request—drop it."
The conference room provided by Kumogakure had been checked for bugs. Once secure, Naruto and his team set up a barrier and began discussing how to structure the post-war terms.
Under dim lights, Naruto sat at the head of the table.
"There are only three things we want: money, food, and secret techniques."
"Forget land, ports, or vassals. We're ninja, not governors."
Everyone nodded. It made sense. Ninja don't build infrastructure—they complete missions. Territory meant little.
And Konoha had no interest in enriching the Fire Daimyo, who had betrayed them by attacking their supply lines and killing Ebisu inside his mansion.
That betrayal cut deep. Many in the room agreed: Konoha shouldn't lift a finger to help the Fire Daimyo.
Naruto's stance? Let them keep the land. Just take their wealth.
"Isn't that a little... light?" one ninja asked.
Naruto grinned. "Then demand more money. More food. Drain their next twenty years' worth of savings."
"Leave them the territory. That way they won't be desperate enough to come after us again."
Even though it sounded strange, no one objected.
Tsunade had entrusted the negotiations to Naruto. Everyone present understood she was grooming him to be her successor.
And it wasn't just because of favor—it was because Naruto had earned it.
He had slain more Kumogakure shinobi than anyone. He had killed the Fourth Raikage and humiliated the Fifth.
Naruto was the reason for their defeat.
No one suspected him of sympathizing with Kumogakure.
They didn't realize…
The new Raikage? Was Naruto's man.
And if Naruto controlled the Raikage, why care about ports?
All the wealth would flow his way, not the Fire Nation's.
6 PM – End of Negotiations
That day's talks ended faster than expected.
Barely three hours had passed, and the terms were locked in.
Mabui walked out into the streets, dazed.
She had just seen Konoha slash their demands by exactly one-fifth—just as Samui had said.
That was the deposit...