Whether Kurotsuchi believed that Naruto could mobilize Kumogakure and Sunagakure was one thing, but whether she was afraid that this man would do something to Onoki was another.
Even though she knew that those stronger than Onoki in the Shinobi World could be counted on one hand, she was still wary of Naruto. She didn't want to gamble.
There was no other reason… this guy was just too unpredictable.
Even now, she still didn't understand how she had fallen into his trap. That unknown contract was more oppressive than any Ninjutsu she had ever seen.
Even if she didn't believe him, her life was already in his hands.
"What exactly do you want?"
"Either cooperate as I say, or I'll beat you into submission first and then make you cooperate." Naruto said, "If you choose the first option, you figure out how to make it happen. If you pick the second, it'll just be more trouble for me, but I do have ways to deal with Iwagakure."
"Besides, don't expect any peace if you resist. You know my methods. Don't force me to tear off all pretenses… No one will benefit from that."
"Be smart. It's better for both you and Iwagakure. Cooperation is better than endless fighting. Otherwise, it's only a matter of time before Iwagakure collapses."
Hearing that, Kurotsuchi showed a trace of struggle on her face, which soon turned into submission.
"F-Fine…"
Naruto curled his lips, 'If only she had agreed earlier. This girl really needs to be disciplined.'
With their initial agreement reached, they could finally sit down and talk properly… though 'amicably' might be too strong a word. The tension had merely lessened from explosive to simmering.
"You've been out for so long, and no one has come to look for you?" Naruto suddenly asked an unrelated question.
"Who dares to control me?" Kurotsuchi puffed up with pride again, straightening her modest chest, "I can go wherever I want, and no one will look for me."
"So if you died, no one would care?" He muttered darkly.
"Ordinary people can't even enter the village, and stronger intruders would be detected by that old man." Kurotsuchi retorted sourly, glaring at Naruto.
"Tch. You really know how to kill a conversation." Naruto scratched his head.
A brief silence fell between them. It takes a process to go from being on the verge of a fight to being in the same boat. The current situation is… no matter how much Kurotsuchi struggled, her fate was already sealed.
"Hmph. Even if you make it sound nice, I don't believe for a second that you actually care about Iwagakure." Kurotsuchi curled her lips, "Even if I don't understand technology, don't try to fool me."
"Technology covers too many areas. What exactly do you mean by 'cooperation'? The difference is huge. Don't pretend you're doing this out of the goodness of your heart."
"Ugh, you're really..." Naruto leaned against the pavilion lazily, "It's really boring to chat with you. Of course I don't give a damn about Iwagakure's survival."
"But can't you pretend not to know? Right now, I'm technically your master. Even if you have objections, you can't defy me. So why bother? Even if you pretend to submit to me, would it kill you to say something nicer?"
Kurotsuchi: "…"
She realized that conversing with this guy was absolutely not a good idea, and it was a surefire way to get a heart attack.
"So, are you going to tell me the truth now?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Did no one ever teach you social tact? If everything is laid out so plainly, I lose all desire to talk." Naruto said shamelessly.
Kurotsuchi was on the verge of exploding.
When had someone ever talked to her like this? In this Iwagakure, even in this entire Land of Earth, she is the one and only princess.
She had never suffered such humiliation growing up, yet now she had no choice but to swallow her pride, 'This bastard Uzumaki Naruto really deserves to die. I should've killed him during the Five Kage Summit.'
"What do you actually want?!"
"Call me 'Master' first." He lifted his gaze to Kurotsuchi, lazily crossing his legs.
After testing her a few times, he knew Kurotsuchi hadn't given up yet. She was trying to fish for information, then find a way to pass it on, and make one last futile struggle.
While it would all prove pointless in the end, Naruto wasn't in the mood to play along. He had originally planned to get straight to business, but now, he decided to crush her arrogance first.
He didn't expect her to be as devoted as Yakumo, but at the very least, he didn't want Kurotsuchi causing more trouble and wasting his time. The things he hated most were nuisances, and people who were nuisances.
"In your dreams!"
"Hmph." Naruto stopped talking nonsense with her and directly pulled up Kurotsuchi's control panel. He glanced at the data on it, and finally stopped at the last line, 'Controllable'.
He had never opened this option before. None of his previous followers had been this defiant. The three peaks of Kumogakure had broken after a little intimidation, and Konan had signed the contract willingly while near death.
Besides, with Nagato dead, the only people she knew besides Jiraiya was Naruto. When discussing matters with her, Naruto always did so as an equal, and Konan cooperated fully, so there was never any discord.
Only Kurotsuchi, the damn tsundere, was too rebellious. She had never been whipped by the cruel side of the Shinobi World. She didn't know how high the sky is, nor how deep the abyss ran.
"Ah! Why can't I move?!" Kurotsuchi suddenly shrieked, but this place was remote and no one outside could hear anything.
"Maybe you've been standing too long, and your legs went numb." Naruto didn't move, but the corners of his mouth were slightly raised, and he said sarcastically, "It's also possible that your central nervous system was injured. Try blinking… see if your eyelids still work."
Hearing this, Kurotsuchi blinked rapidly.
"They can!"
"Oh, well then, it must be something else." Naruto brushed her off casually before tapping a few commands. Instantly, Kurotsuchi's body bent forward at a perfect 90-degree angle, her legs stiffening unnaturally.
"AHH!! Damn you, Uzumaki Naruto! What did you do to me?!"
"Don't go accusing an innocent man. I'm standing three meters away from you, so what could I possibly do?" Naruto said with a mocking tone, then he stood up and walked towards Kurotsuchi step by step.
"You…!!! What are you doing?"
Smack!!
A sharp slap landed on her backside, followed by another. Naruto didn't even bother responding, just kept spanking her relentlessly. After all, hitting anywhere else might leave visible marks.
Right now, Onoki didn't know about this, and Naruto didn't want the old man to find out he'd taken control of his granddaughter. Losing leverage over Iwagakure was the last thing he needed.
Besides, this method wasn't physically damaging, but the psychological damage was off the charts… It's a maximum humiliation.
"Ahhh!!! Stop it!!"
"I'll kill you!"
"Uzumaki Naruto!"
"What did you just call me?"
"You bastard!" Kurotsuchi gnashed her teeth, wishing she could tear him to pieces right then and there.
Hearing this, Naruto paused for a moment before stopping entirely. Kurotsuchi kept hurling insults at him, using words like bastard, scum… every curse word she could think of.
Until she saw Naruto take out a camera and a bottle of yogurt out of the corner of her eye. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat, thinking that it was not good.
"W-what are you doing?" Kurotsuchi's voice trembled.
"Nothing much, just taking a few pictures. Don't be so nervous." Naruto said casually, "I'm not that kind of guy. Relax, I won't lay a hand on you."