Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Training for the Job ❯ Volume 4 Chapter 10 ( Chapter 70 )

Volume 4

Chapter 10

"I want to talk with you all about applying these techniques in your everyday lives," Kireme lectured. It was only a few days after Tenten had staggered, drunk, into the brothel and demanded her student be 'serviced' by them. To Tenten, it was fairly obvious that this lecture was directed at her as much as it was an actual lesson. "I'm not going to sugarcoat anything. I am a whore -- I get paid good money to have sex with strange men. I enjoy being a whore, and it's what I know how to do best." She paused, letting that sink in. "You are ninja, and as such I don't expect you to be using most of these techniques unless absolutely required to by a mission. After all, we were raised differently, and think differently, and we each have a different perspective on life and we all get different things out of sex.

"I grew up in a town where most women were little more than slaves," Kireme continued. "Worse than slaves, in fact, because we weren't even given the little bits of freedom most slaves expect. Women were never to ever leave the house. If we did, we were subject to torture and death... or worse. While in the house, we had a limited number of activities we were allowed to perform -- again, any deviation would lead to torture and death, or worse. Marriages were arranged, and thus we were granted one exception to the 'never leave the house' rule -- we were allowed to be dragged -- literally dragged in chains, if we didn't move quickly enough -- from the house of our parents to the house of our new slave-masters, our husbands. There was one escape from this -- if you were exceptionally attractive, you could ask your parents to send you to either the priesthood or the brothel. The priesthood was a different kind of slavery, though the consequences of disobedience were kinder and the chances of torture and death were less. And a woman in the priesthood there would quite possibly have to whore out her body just as much as she would in a brothel, though she'd be paid less."

Mouth agape, Tenten couldn't keep herself from reacting. "There are still places which treat women like that?"

"I believe so," Kireme said sadly. "There were when I was born, anyway, and I've never heard of anything that happened to my old home-town to make me think things changed. However, given the freedom to be a brothel worker, I quickly learned to love the profession. I enjoy sex very much, and because I enjoy it and am very good at it I get paid, I keep my freedom, and I live my life. Becoming a prostitute, in my case, was a big step up for me." She paused. "Being a prostitute would be a massive step down for any of you. Even though kunoichi are still sometimes required to act as high-class prostitutes for the sake of a mission, none of you will ever know the desperate motives that drive someone into the profession as a long-term career."

Bangai, the ANBU girl who was fast becoming one of Tenten's closer friends, raised her hand. "Weren't you named a ninja, too, recently? Does this mean you've taken a step up, or a step down?"

Kireme smiled sadly. "Sort of, but I started learning the ways of the ninja long after I started my career as a prostitute. In fact, my days of actually being a whore for this brothel are likely over, anyway, because I'm getting too old for the job. Middle-aged women don't make good prostitutes. I'm actually semi-retiring into a job as a ninja auxilliary, so I suppose I'm taking a step up... but, honestly, after being in this business for so long, I learned to love it." She paused. "A normal kunoichi will never have to be a prostitute long enough to learn to love it. Which brings me back to applying these techniques in your everyday lives. Tenten -- who do you know who has had the most lovers?"

Tenten blinked, not able to think of anyone off the top of her head. "Um... I dunno. I once knew an ANBU, back in Konoha, who warned me that -- because she was so good in missions requiring the use of her skills as a courtesan -- she had taken over a hundred men and a few dozen women to bed with her, over the years." She paused. "She advised me not to take this class, and instead wanted me to train in a skill that would allow me an exemption. I never had the time, however."

"Say a couple hundred people, then," Kireme sighed. "A bit more than I expected, but not that many more. In the first five years of my career as a prostitute, I slept with over five thousand different men. In the next five, I really was in demand, and slept with another seven thousand. By then, I'd earned the right to be a bit more selective, so I've only had to sleep with about a hundred different men a year since."

"Damn," someone whistled. With a start, Tenten realized she had said it herself.

"Suffice it to say, I have a lot more experience in this field than the best trained kunoichi," Kireme explained wryly. "One thing I can say from all this experience -- as great as the sex is, after a while it becomes meaningless. The people I am hired to work for rarely make an impact. I only remember a few of my clients, any more -- my very first one, my biggest payday, my favorite lover... and a young man who was so devoted to another girl he refused my service." She paused. "The man who refused is now in one of the happiest relationships with a woman I have ever seen. Most of the others... well, let's just say that casual sex tends to make sex nothing special. I am not advocating monogamy -- I fear I don't really have the right to really make that a convincing argument, and really the point of this class is counter-productive to the very concept -- but the skills we are teaching you will be better, for you, if used sparingly. I strongly suggest, if you really feel a burning desire to apply these skills, that you find someone you like to use them for the 'first time.' Once that is done, I really hope you at least consider remaining loyal to them, and not make it a one night stand. For a kunoichi -- or even for a whore -- sex is a precious commodity, a weapon to be used at last resort or a tool for secret interrogations. I gave up all chance at knowing what it means to have someone be loyal to me, or to be loyal to someone, in order to escape a horrible situation; I purchased something very valuable by using sex. Ninja missions are assigned where sex is sometimes used to obtain information, to set up an assassination, or to incriminate a criminal by kunoichi -- all things you 'purchase' with sex, viewing it on strictly commercial terms as a whore like me would. But if you give someone sex just because you can... you are devaluing it, unless there is some meaning attached to it." She looked right at Tenten. "Don't go looking to lose your virginity just because you can. Go lose it because it means something to you -- whether that something is freedom, a career move, or even 'just' sealing a relationship, which is really its best use, get some meaning out of it. What we are teaching you is not to be used lightly, just like any of the kinjutsu you are taught -- they are given to you so that, if the need arises, you can use those techniques. They are not given to you because you should use them. Now, before we go on and start teaching these techniques to you, are there any questions on my lesson of when to use them?"

There was a pause before the class replied. "No, sensei."

Tenten, however, knew the message was primarily meant for her, after the discussion they'd had the night before. And she knew that a simple nod would tell the teacher all she needed to know. "No, sensei... I understand perfectly."

*****

"So, while you now agree that there is some need for a Caged Bird seal, you think it should only be used when one of us is marrying into another clan with such powerful genetic markers?" Hiashi said. "That, I can accept. But your insistance that the seal be modified so that it no longer 'enslaves' the wearer... well, that's going a bit far."

Hinata frowned. "I have never been happy when you used that seal, father. Not even to protect me. It is the worst kind of torture, and I won't stand for it."

Hiashi sighed. "I agree, it is torture. And I don't want to keep it to use that ability... but, the simple fact is that we don't know how to modify the seal in that way, so tying such a requirement to the treaty simply invalidates the treaty."

"Perhaps," Hanabi said, sitting at the front of the table, "A compromise on this issue could be reached." While, in fact, most of the papers left behind by Naruto and Sakura during their wedding day 'escape' were jokes, a few had other, hidden messages that appeared after a time. Hanabi had been given one that directed her to moderate an opening to the negotiations between her sister and her father. In fact, her sheet of paper mentioned that other people would also be getting similar messages, and she knew that Naruto had left some 'suggested areas of compromise' in the sheets that had attached themselves to Hiashi and Hinata. That Gaara had agreed to provide security for the negotiations was a bit surprising, but somehow Naruto had managed to get his help in this matter as well.

"What kind of compromise can there be on this?" Hinata demanded. "Do you want to be tortured by your family, simply because of who you're dating?"

Hanabi blinked. "I don't think I have to worry about it, honestly, but even if I did I'd have to recognize the feasibility of what I can ask for. I'd rather be sealed than let my children go insane."

Hinata collapsed back into her chair, paling as she recalled her own problem. "You're right... but it doesn't seem reasonable to continue the torture."

"Then, how about this," Hanabi sighed. "Father agrees to expend efforts -- including bringing in outside-of-the-family experts like Sakura-san and Tsunade-sama -- to research any possible changes to the seal, and agrees to apply them when the seal is required. Regardless of what happens with regard to the research, knowledge of the current Caged Bird seal will be retained and used for punishment of criminals who commit capital crimes, yet who are too valuable to execute."

Hinata seemed to consider that. Of the three factions that the Hyuuga clan had been split into, Hiashi and Hinata's were undoubtedly the strongest, when it came to combat. However, the Matriarch's was often considered, by most third-party observers, to be the most powerful in other ways... largely because it held the largest amount of Hyuuga property, the largest proportion of the Hyuuga finances, and the largest proportion of the Hyuuga archives and artifacts. It was possible there was something in those archives which could solve this dilemna, which niether she nor her father knew about. A compromise solution, which would table the matter until her mother could also be dealt with, might be acceptable, in that case. "I suppose that could be acceptable. But the seal, in whatever form, can only be used if pre-determined genetic tests show that the Hyuuga blood and the other person's blood will react in the manner Sakura-san explained."

"I'll agree to those conditions," Hiashi sighed, relieved that a compromise was finally manageable. "Now, what else is on the agenda?"

"Well, I think you're already both agreed to extend at least limited access to the Hyuuga archives to outsiders," Hanabi pointed out. "What those limitations are need to be set, however. And, father... before, I would have sided with your position on this, but I'll warn you now: I have changed my views, and cannot be entirely objective on this matter. I know what mother tried to do with the Uzumaki records, and feel that those, at least, should be restored to their rightful owner... with a full apology."

Hinata cocked her head. "What are you talking about -- what Uzumaki records?"

Hiashi sighed. "It was during the battle with the kyuubi. A power-hungry faction of our clan, probably lead by your mother, joined with members of the Uchiha clan as they went into the hokage's archives and stole the Uzumaki records. Some of those records were accidentally destroyed, but I believe we still have many of them. However, it would be the Uchiha who would have hidden the majority of those records -- and I have no idea where the Uchiha clan records are, either."

"Naruto-kun has done so much for Konoha, and for Hanabi and myself in particular," Hinata pointed out. "He has so little knowledge of his heritage. I think he deserves whatever help we can give him in restoring those records."

"It will mean the Hyuuga clan must admit to a great crime," Hiashi sighed. "And... I'm not prepared to do that. Sakura-san will be going through our records, however, and is bound to find what we have..." He closed his eyes in thought. "Plus, I think most of the Uzumaki records that we keep are in the hands of your mother. I cannot offer them as a part of this deal."

Hinata looked defiant for a moment, but then sighed. "I will broadcast to all of Konoha our crime, father, if you refuse. If you accept this, then perhaps you could couch it in terms that would save face, but I feel that there are many records we hold that should be given to all of Konoha... and others that should be given to their specific rightful owners. I cannot accept being a part of a clan that makes me ashamed of myself."

There was a very long pause, as all three tried to figure out a compromise. Finally, Hiashi sighed. "Well... perhaps I have one idea...."

*****

Lee looked around, trying to see if there was anything useful to his mission in this sleepy little nameless border town. It did seem to be more heavily populated than it had any right to be, but the ninja had been expecting that, and it wasn't as if anyone stood out. In fact, it almost helped him blend in a little better... almost. A few of the townsfolk with accents that seemed to indicate they lived near the Rock village were looking at him oddly, but Lee had no idea what that was about. After all, even if the Rock were still hostile to Konoha, the civilians of Earth country wouldn't likely be concerned... and it wasn't as if he was wearing any identifying material on him. Yes, he was rather distinctive looking, himself, but he hadn't been in Blossom long enough for word to reach these towns about his appearance... and he wasn't, to the best of his knowledge, in the bingo book for Rock.

He vaguely wondered if the two-man teams he had broken everyone into were having as much trouble. This town had no bars -- in fact, it was a town prohibiting the sale of liquor -- so the most obvious place to go for information was off the table. There were no brothels, so there was no way of tapping into Jiraiya's intelligence network to find anything out. There was only one inn, and it was full, but that inn offered no decent common areas from which to eavesdrop on private conversations. Few people openly carried any belongings he could search through. All in all, the possibilities of him finding anything out from this town were slim.

Yet it definitely appeared as though there was something to the daimyo's reports. Large numbers of people from many countries were passing through town. None of them appeared to be ninja, or fighters of any kind, but there was definitely something going on. There was only one word that he had heard that made any sense to him at all -- 'Bijuu.' One of the nine greater demons, it sounded like, was roaming around, terrifying the countryside to the North and West. Nothing else he heard would tell him which of them it was, and nothing else he heard would say where it had come from, but apparently the people present were all refugees.

If this is all I can learn from one village, Lee wondered, How many others will I have to go through before I find out enough to complete the mission? Yet he continued searching. He would move on to another town before evening, camping in the woods rather than trying to find a place to stay in the over-populated village. He wouldn't see any of his fellow ninja for another week, and then he would evaluate the situation. However, at this point, it looked as if he'd be gone for a while....

*****

Ino was sitting in the Ichiraku restaurant, dining on a fresh bowl of ramen. She'd long since tamed her inner Naruto enough that she wouldn't pig out on the soup too much, but she still found she enjoyed a bowl now and then -- especially when it was as wet and rainy as it was that day. It wasn't as good as when Teuchi ran the stand, but it was perfectly acceptable ramen, and she had a feeling that Naruto would be pleased that it still seemed to follow the old recipe, at least, even if it wasn't quite done as well. She had thought Ayame would be running the place after Teuchi retired, but that did not appear to be the case. Ayame initially ran the place, it seemed, but then about a year before sold it again and switched to part-time work, just as her father had.

She sighed wistfully, thinking of Sakura and Naruto on their honeymoon, and wishing she had something like they had, together, with someone. She recalled the message to her on the 'happi-ueddingu-taimo no jutsu' paper she had recieved. "We're a little worried for you," the note had said, "And hope you find someone soon." It struck her that, for years, she had been living almost without any interest in dating at all, but now her libido was roaring back. It occured to her that she might have been subconsciously waiting for... well, not Naruto, but Sakura. It wasn't that she, herself, was interested in girls... but it was entirely possible that her 'inner Naruto' was still hoping for something to happen with Sakura, and that... had been holding her back.

But now that she wasn't being held back, who was left for her to go after? Shikamaru was engaged, Naruto had never been an option, no-one had seen Chouji since he became the food-taster for Fire country's daimyo, and Sasuke was... now an anethema to her, rather than a desirable option. That was everyone she had considered, before, and when it came to those she'd never looked at... well, they were being snapped up pretty quickly, too. Kiba was committed to Hinata, Shino was too creepy for her, and all the others she knew from her generation had gone to Blossom in her place. The older generation was too old, and the younger generation was pairing up and getting together with each other already. That left looking into a threesome with someone, just as Hyuuga Hanabi had found love in a foursome, but Ino wasn't too comfortable about that idea.

A happy giggle behind her told her that there was yet another happy couple walking the streets of Konoha, though she couldn't place them by their voice. She turned around to see, to her surprise, Ayame holding a very red and panicked-looking Iruka as she gave him a big, public, toe-curling kiss. The young woman let him go, a broad smile on her face, and straightened her clothes unnecessarily. "I've got to go to work, now, Iruka-kun, but we'll meet again tonight, okay?"

"Uh huh," he said dazedly.

A fingertip closed Iruka's mouth before she ran into the back of the restaurant. Ino was happy for her former teacher, but seeing the sweet little scene just reminded her, more, about her problem.

Iruka slowly regained his awareness of the world around him, and saw her there. "Ino-chan! We didn't get much of a chance to talk at the wedding, yesterday," he said in greeting. "Would you like to join me for a cup of coffee and a conversation?"

Ino rolled her eyes, smiling in amusement. "Sorry, Iruka-sensei, but I just saw someone quite publically stake a claim over you, and I'm not about to get between the two of you."

Iruka, whose skin had just started getting back to normal, redoubled his blush. "Um, yeah, well, I didn't mean like a date, obviously. You're a bit young for me, after all -- all I was interested in was a chance to catch up. I haven't been able to talk with anyone from Blossom, and I'd like all the news."

Ino glared at him with mock suspicion. "Well... I suppose I can trust you. But I'm telling Ayame-chan if you make a pass at me!"

"Well, I was thinking of buying you that coffee from here," Iruka pointed out. "She's probably going to be watching me the entire time, so I don't think you'll need to."

Ino laughed. "Take a seat. So, what do you want to know?"

Through a prolonged question and answer section, Ino relayed many of the adventures she and everyone in Blossom had gone through over the years. Iruka was, to no surprise, most interested in how Naruto had been doing, but he'd asked questions about all of his former students. He had been stunned at the amount of material that they had needed to cover in the Blossom Academy, and was intrigued at the concept of a medical school that could teach genin who weren't quite equipped to be combat ninja, but were nonetheless adept at using ninja techniques. The story of how Naruto had used pranks as a method of teaching had him laughing.

More serious topics, of course, would occasionally bring the conversation to a more somber mood. Iruka had been there, briefly, while Naruto was still grieving over Genma's death, but later events sometimes proved just as bad. Blossom, as every ninja village had, occasionally lost a member or two. What made it especially tragic, in Blossom's case, was that almost every ninja who died were still very, very young. The tale of Akane's betrayal and eventual death was obviously the most personal experience that Ino could mention, and that lead to a complete recount of how the whole situation that brought Naruto and Sakura back to Konoha went down.

"I'm astonished Naruto proved to be so effective a leader," Iruka finally said when she was all done. "But it really sounds like everyone in Blossom cares for him."

"They do," Ino agreed. "He was always the leader, even when Kakashi was officially in charge. I think he loved living there. It'll be a shame that he'll be stuck in Konoha for most of the rest of his career, when he becomes Hokage, but this has always been his dream and no-one from Blossom will ever begrudge him that."

Iruka sighed, shaking his head. "I hope he is confirmed, but I have my doubts. I tried to talk to my clan head about his vote, but I fear he's going to vote against Naruto's confirmation when it comes up in a couple of weeks. I'd say only the Akimichi, Sarutobi, Aburame, Nara, Yamanaka, Inuzuka, and -- by a two-to-one internal vote -- the Hyuuga are solidly in his corner. A couple are probably leaning towards him, but confirmation will require thirteen votes in his favor, and we already know that at least four -- the Uchiha, Uzumaki, Anraku, and Haruno -- will be abstentions."

"Can't Naruto take the 'empty' seat for the Uzumaki clan?" Ino asked, curious. "And we could always make sure Haruno-san is in town when the vote happens. Or she could always resign the seat and let Sakura take it for her...."

"I suppose we could count in the Haruno clan," Iruka agreed after some thought. "But Naruto couldn't take his family seat -- not if he still wishes to be hokage. A hokage-designate is not allowed to take the seat for his clan."

Ino frowned. "But he is so close to fulfilling all his dreams. Surely there is something we can do for him. What clans are undecided?"

"The Maito clan is leaning towards voting yes," Ayame said, listening in. "Gai apparently had thrown so much support to Naruto over the years that their clan leader is afraid of what he'd do if the clan voted against him. I heard him talking over lunch the other day."

"Well, that's one," Iruka said, thinking. "For the really undecideds, I suppose you might possibly say the Mitarashi, though they traditionally vote against confirmation no matter who the hokage-designate is -- they were the only clan to vote against the Second, the Third, the Fourth, and the Fifth. The Akadou clan hasn't stated a position, although I'm fairly certain they're against him."

"Why?" Ino asked.

Iruka would like to have told her that Tsunade was convinced that the Akadou, as a clan, had turned traitor in support of Orochimaru, but he had been sworn to secrecy on that point. "Let's just say I have some inside information, and leave it at that."

"Oh," Ino replied, knowing what he meant.

"Let's see... there's still the Hatake clan -- whose current leader may vote no just to spite Kakashi, even though I think most of his clan supports Naruto, but hokage-sama may be right and he may support his cousin after all -- the Gekkou, Yamashiro, Tsurugi, Hagane, Yuuhi, Kamizuki, and Tatami clans will definitely vote no. Shiranui is also a definite 'no' vote, after Genma's death, though I suspect Genma could have convinced them otherwise. Oh, and no-one will ever know what the Morino clan thinks." Iruka shook his head. "It's not enough. There's ten definite votes against and at least three, possibly four abstensions. Majority against."

"I wouldn't give up yet, Iruka-chan," Ayame said from the counter, refreshing their coffee. "I think you know why."

Iruka's eyes widened. "Well... yeah, he may still have a chance. But only if everyone undecided votes for him."

"Huh?" Ino said. "I thought you just said--"

"There's a very slim chance," Umino said, not allowing her to ask the question. "I can't say why, yet."

Ino seemed to think on that one for a moment before standing up. "Well, in that case, there's only one thing to do." She put down the money she needed to pay for her mean and the after-lunch coffee.

"Where are you going?" Iruka asked.

"Well, first, to the post office," Ino explained. "Haruno-san will need to know about how close the vote is, so that she can decide if she'll come into town and vote or if she'll resign her vote to her daughter."

"Ah," Iruka replied, nodding. That would be important, he had to agree.

"Then, I'm going to go visit the clan heads of -- which ones were they, again? Ah, yes -- the Maito, the Mitarashi, the Hatake, and the Morino clans." Ino paused. "If it's going to be as close as you say, then those undecided clans need to have the information they need to decide, and I'll be the one to give them that information."

*****

Author's Note: The description Kireme gave of her birthplace matches well with how some Greek city-states treated women back in the days that Homer was writing the Iliad. Women would live at home with their families, never being allowed out of the house until they were married... whereupon they would be transferred to their husband's house and never allowed to leave. What would happen to women who left these estates isn't exactly known, as I haven't found any historical record that talks about it, but I think that -- given their lack of freedom otherwise -- they were likely punished severely. However, women who entered the priesthood or who became prostitutes in these societies would have higher status; 'priestly' women (not the so-called 'Vestal Virgins,' but priestesses at Delphi or other temples) would be treated as prostitutes themselves, only they were bound to the decrees of their temple's master (and therefore still slaves, albeit with more freedom to move about). Prostitutes actually had the highest status for women in these societies, often being better educated than the men they serviced while being granted all the freedoms of men. Obviously, only the most attractive of women were able to acquire a job as a prostitute. This form of society led to very little male-female interaction, which is probably a big contribution towards the historical stereotype that all Ancient Greek men were homosexual or bisexual, which isn't true at all. This is the type of society I had in mind for her origins from the beginning, when I started to realize how important the prostitutes and brothels would become in this story.
Next Chapter: Naruto and Sakura return. Lee meets up with his team, and what they learn starts to paint a dangerous picture. Possibly the council vote to confirm Naruto takes place, though I might push that for another chapter in place of something else.