As he spoke, Shinji noticed that while the servant claimed to be inviting all of them, his eyes were fixed firmly on Tamamo Hotaru alone.
A hint of sinister desire flickered in his gaze, making it clear he already had some dirty plans in mind.
"Your master?"
"That's right! My master is the Lord of the Land of Salt! When he heard about a woman of such unparalleled beauty and grace living here, he simply had to see for himself—and now that he's laid eyes on you, he agrees you are truly a heavenly beauty descended from the clouds!"
Flattered by such lavish praise, Tamamo Hotaru immediately tilted her chin up and glanced over at Shinji, feeling secretly very pleased with herself.
Even the ruler of an entire country can't take his eyes off me! He wants to invite me to a banquet! Who else could possibly have such great honor? Hmph!
Tamamo Hotaru was well aware of what this man was up to, but she simply wanted to show off and boost her own ego a little.
"Since he's inviting you, we'll be going on ahead now. See you later."
"Wait? You're not coming with me?!"
Tamamo Hotaru was completely stunned.
But the servant seemed even more pleased than before, quickly adding: "Since these two gentlemen aren't interested, then naturally my master won't force them. As for this beautiful lady... please come with me. Don't keep my master waiting."
Seeing that Shinji and Sasuke really had no intention of accompanying her, Tamamo Hotaru had no choice but to politely decline. "I'm sorry, but we still have a long journey ahead of us. Please accept my thanks and regards to your lord."
She quickly picked up the small white fox in her arms and hurried to catch up, worried that Shinji might really just leave her behind.
The white fox, who possessed royal blood, was able to change its size slightly to fit in perfectly.
The servant's face fell immediately, but he dared not act rudely in broad daylight. He could only stand there with a dark, gloomy expression as he watched Shinji and the others walk away.
"Why aren't you coming with me?"
"Hmph! You two can't just get rid of me that easily!"
Looking at Tamamo Hotaru's stubborn, pouty expression, Shinji felt both tempted and his fists began to itch.
"Maybe I should hit your right cheek this time... After all, hitting the same side all the time would make it look like I'm picking on you on purpose."
As if sensing his malicious intentions, Tamamo Hotaru quickly covered her face with her hands and said hurriedly, "I know, I know! Don't hit me!"
She then wrapped a cloth tightly around her face, leaving only her eyes exposed. She glared at Shinji angrily, as if saying: There! Is that good enough for you?!
"Where did those two run off to this time?"
After walking for quite a while and seeing no sign of Hidan or Tobi returning, Shinji began to feel a little frustrated.
"Ah!"
A sudden scream made Shinji turn around sharply. He saw the ground beneath Tamamo Hotaru's feet suddenly turn pitch black, as if something had grabbed her and pulled her down.
He was just about to rush over and save her when Tamamo Hotaru, using her last moment of freedom, threw the white fox in her arms toward him, shielding him from harm.
In that split second, she disappeared completely.
Everything had happened so quickly—even Shinji was caught off guard, let alone Sasuke. It had all been so quiet and sudden that they hadn't noticed anything at all.
If Tamamo Hotaru hadn't made that final sound, they might never have even realized she was gone.
"Brother Shinji... what do we do now?"
Shinji didn't answer. Instead, he quickly took out the Greed Eye and began feeding it with the endless supply of blood from "The Thirsting Stomach".
Soon enough, the Greed Eye, now full and nourished, began scanning the area thoroughly.
"Hmm? Nothing?"
Shinji was completely surprised by the information coming from the Greed Eye.
If it's not a Cursed Spirit, then what is it? Could it be a ninja who specializes in Earth Release techniques?
He began to feel uncertain.
Down below, the white fox was pacing around him anxiously, rubbing its head against his trouser legs over and over again.
Seeing this, Shinji picked up the little creature and began stroking it gently. "Don't worry. As long as I don't get what I came here for, I'm not going to let anything happen to her."
He then asked around for directions to the Lord's residence and headed straight there.
After all, for now, this Lord was the most likely suspect. If people from Kumogakure had taken her, they wouldn't have done it this way—they would have just attacked openly and captured her directly.
Tamamo Hotaru had no other enemies, so this had to be the work of that man who had been rejected earlier.
Or perhaps someone else along the way had seen her beauty and decided to take advantage of her.
"Women really are a hassle... especially beautiful ones."
...
Meanwhile, inside the Lord's residence of the Land of Salt.
The Lord himself—who had a long, donkey-like face, a white cloth wrapped around his forehead, and a decorative fan balanced on top of his head—was waiting impatiently.
And he wasn't kept waiting for long.
Before long, a short, grotesque, and ugly creature with distorted features crawled up out of the ground, dragging a woman along with it in a most unnatural way.
"Hehe~ There! I've brought her to you. Now where's what I asked for?"
Even though the creature looked like something out of a nightmare, the Lord didn't feel afraid at all. Instead, he bent down to look at the unconscious woman lying on the ground.
"She really is as beautiful as they say—like a masterpiece from the heavens. And what you want is already prepared for you, right there on the table."
The Lord was very pleased with the arrangement. It was clear that this wasn't the first time they had worked together.
The deformed creature walked over, opened the box, and looked inside. It was filled with nothing but rough, ordinary rocks and stones.
But instead of being disappointed, the creature grinned widely. It reached out, picked up one of the stones, and stuffed it into its mouth, chewing happily.
It tasted and commented, "Mmm~ Yep, these precious minerals are always the best. This one tastes like chicken—crunchy and delicious!"
"Alright, you can take these 'delicious' things back with you and enjoy them to your heart's content. Now it's time for me to taste my own 'food'."
The Lord was clearly growing impatient and ready to send him away.
The deformed creature chuckled and said, "Just so you know, since we've gotten along so well and worked together so many times, I feel I have to warn you. The men who were with that woman... they give me a really dangerous feeling. If they find out about this, you could end up meeting a very painful end."
"I am the Lord of the Land of Salt! Who would dare to touch me?!"
He raised his head arrogantly, completely ignoring the warning.
"My, my... such great authority you have. I only hope that when the time comes, people will still show you the same amount of respect."
The deformed creature sneered, then picked up the box and sank back down into the ground.
Only his head remained visible above the surface as he spoke again: "If you change your mind and regret this, just smash that stone on the table. I'll think about whether or not to come save you. But by then, the price for saving you will be far higher than just these simple stones. Hehe~"
The Lord frowned, his expression uncertain and troubled.
To be honest, he had done things like this many times before, and everything had always gone perfectly. Even if people suspected him, there was never any evidence to prove it, and no one could ever find the missing people.
But the deformed creature's warnings didn't sound like empty threats. After all, they had worked together many times, and nothing had ever gone wrong between them.
____________________
For more advance chapters visit my patreon
patreon.com/kane45
Tier: 10$ Casual Reader - +20 Advance Chapter
20$ Intermediate Reader - +40 Advance Chapter
40$ Expert Reader - +80 Advance Chapter
Update: "Monday to Friday - Update 3 Chapters a Day"
"Saturday and Sunday - Off"