With a loud bang, a thick red branch slammed into the ground, creating a massive crater where Samui had been just moments before.
Samui was immediately frightened, and was just feeling lucky that she had dodged.
But before she could celebrate, her foot suddenly froze mid-step. Her face paled as a terrible realization hit her
She looked down, and sure enough, there were red branches wrapped around her calves.
Samui instinctively swung her short blade to cut the branches, sending a sharp arc of energy to sever the branch.
But before she could even retract her blade, more tentacles shot up from the ground, wrapping around her limbs in an instant.
From her ankles upward, Blue Silver… 'No, I don't want to pay for the copyright.' (T/N: It's Blue Silver Grass from Douluo Dalu.)
Naruto grumbled internally. He wasn't sure what to call this technique, so for now, he simply named it Redwood Bind.
These red tendrils were part of the sealed space, the manifestations of the crimson prison cell that once confined Kurama. Its main body is underground and can be used by Naruto at will.
Samui's eyes widened in shock as the branches engulfed her. Her short blade was also flung from her grasp.
Not long after, she was suspended in midair, bound in a manner eerily resembling the tortoise-shell technique.
The resemblance was uncanny, especially since the red branches look almost the same as red ropes from a distance, so much so that if one doesn't look closely, this scene is exactly the same as some of those famous scenes.
Coupled with the hatred in Samui's eyes, Naruto felt that this woman was no ordinary woman, 'She is a real cold beauty.'
Samui was tied up, but only her hands and feet were bound. She didn't scream, but tried to struggle for a while, but after finding that the rope was getting tighter and tighter, she simply stopped struggling.
She didn't shout or make a fuss, nor did she resort to threats or use Kumogakure's authority to intimidate him, knowing that these would be of no use to Naruto.
After all, how could someone who dared to kidnap a female Jonin from Kumogakure in the middle of the night be afraid of Kumogakure?
So, she raised her head as much as she could and stared coldly into Naruto's eyes.
Facing her cold, indifferent expression, Naruto felt a little numb, 'Wait… I'm supposed to be the dominant one here, right?'
Samui didn't say anything, knowing that her captor would inevitably start asking questions.
If she spoke at this time, it might put her at a disadvantage, so it was better to wait for him to make the first move.
But to her surprise, Naruto didn't seem to have any worldly desire to ask questions. He just walked closer and punched Samui's stomach three times.
"Ugh!!!" Samui lurched forward, coughing violently as bile rose from her throat.
"Alright, I've granted your wish." Naruto cracked his knuckles, considering whether to land another blow, "Now, I'm going to slowly beat you to death. Let's see how long you can last."
"Heh." Samui still had stomach acid clinging to the corners of her lips. Her short golden hair was in a mess, making her look especially disheveled.
But despite her current state, she still refused to submit. She simply lifted her head and looked at Naruto coldly before speaking, "As soon as dawn comes and my colleagues realize I'm missing, Kumogakure's Anbu will begin investigating. No matter what your goal is for infiltrating Kumo, they'll find traces of it."
"You don't have to worry about that. You won't last until dawn." Naruto said bluntly, "Time flows much slower here than in reality. I have plenty of ways to make you loosen that sharp tongue of yours."
"Then bring it on." Samui gritted her teeth, refusing to back down, "Let's bet on whether you can break me faster than Kumogakure's Anbu can find me!"
Samui was very smart and knew where her advantages lay. From the first exchange, she had realized she wasn't his match in a fight. In this situation, her only way out was to use her brain to save herself.
At this moment, making any kind of compromise would be foolish. The only way to buy time and find an opening was through constant resistance before making any calculated concessions.
Even if he decided to kill her right here, she would struggle for every extra second she could get. Right now, every moment she could delay was another chance at survival.
"Alright." Naruto didn't hesitate at all and started beating her.
However, he deliberately avoided her exposed arms and face to prevent leaving any visible wounds. His punches were all aimed at her stomach. After a while, he stopped.
Samui was struggling to endure, but she clenched her teeth and bore with it. She thought to herself, 'This guy had no hesitation when hitting a woman… what kind of twisted mindset did he have?'
After a while, Naruto pulled out a high-end camera that he had spent a hefty sum on, along with a simple, unremarkable bottle of pure milk. He smirked as he slowly approached Samui.
"W-What are you trying to do?"
"What?" Naruto unscrewed the bottle cap and poured the milk on Samui's head and body, "Obviously, I'm taking pictures that adults like to see. What else would I be doing?"
"No!! Stop it!" Samui's pupils widened as she finally realized what Naruto intended to do. She immediately started struggling with all her might.
Even if she was being humiliated like this, it was still better than having those photos spread around. If they got out, she could forget about continuing to live in this place.
Even if she hadn't betrayed the village, she would still have to find somewhere else to live.
"I'm not actually doing anything to you. These are just props." Naruto clicked his tongue in amusement as he snapped pictures. The visual effect of the scene was surprisingly striking.
Naruto used the redwood branches to undress Samui, exposing her body that looked like a work of art. He then poured more milk over her, snapping pictures one after another.
There wasn't much real purpose to this. He wasn't actually going to develop the photos and distribute them all over the village. If he did that, this pawn would be ruined before he had even tamed her.
This whole fierce maneuver was mainly to shake her mental state. Samui was a cool-headed and knowledgeable person, not just some brainless woman with a big chest.
To deceive someone like her, he had to be even more calculating than she was.
First, he had to break her composure, leaving her no time to think. Under pressure, her brain couldn't process everything thoroughly.
"You!! Stop it, you bastard!" Samui glared at Naruto and her face is full of grief and anger.
From the senseless punches earlier, she already knew this was someone who acted without rhyme or reason. If it were someone else taking these pictures, she could find a way to negotiate.
But facing this man, Samui had no way of telling whether he would spread the photos first without hesitation.
'He was just a lunatic! A complete psychopath!'
'Such shameless perversion… if I ever got the chance to escape, she would make sure to flay him alive!'
"Tsk tsk, what an amazing figure." Naruto lowered his head to admire the beautiful photo, then looked up at the disheveled, shame-flushed Samui with a cold smirk.
"How about it? Are you interested in appreciating the first photoshoot of your life?"
"Go to hell, I don't care." Samui returned to her usual indifferent expression, but the remaining fury in the corners of her eyes could not be hidden.
"Well, you don't have to pretend you don't care." Naruto shook the camera, "There's only one copy of these photos. Only the heavens, the earth, you, and I know they exist."
"I won't ask you for any secret information about Kumogakure. I guess you won't tell me even if you know it. So let's compromise… if you agree to become a follower of Jashin, I'll let you go. How about that?"
Hearing this, Samui's heart trembled. She had heard of Jashin before. It is an unknown god from the Land of Hot Water, and is always associated with bizarre and dark rituals.
But compared to the photos being leaked, verbally agreeing to become a follower of Jashin is not a big deal. After all, she could just say yes, and it wasn't like it would actually mean anything.
"What about the photos?" She gritted her teeth and asked.
I'll return them to you, completely intact."
"Really?" Samui's gaze flickered.
"Of course, I, Sasuke, never lie." Naruto said solemnly.