Konoha Year 53, late winter.
Kangetsu arrived at the Intake House early.
The Intake House was, in other words, a shelter.
It specifically took in female outsiders.
The person in charge noticed the chūnin flak jacket on him, and the sleepy, careless look in their eyes instantly cleared up.
"Kangetsu-sama, we've been saving them for you."
After scraping the snow off his shoes at the entrance, Kangetsu stepped inside.
Then two women—one adult, one young—were brought over for him to look at.
The supervisor's face was full of fawning smiles. When they saw Kangetsu glancing around the Intake House, they proudly pointed out that every employee present was female.
This line of work was separated by gender.
Women handled women. Men handled men. You couldn't mix it up.
Because that was Kangetsu-sama's order.
So, rubbing their hands together, the supervisor introduced them.
"Kangetsu-sama, don't worry. Anyone in our line has to know the rules.
No one's touched them. Women handled everything from start to finish.
Even the dog at the door is female."
Kangetsu believed it.
Because they wouldn't dare lie to him.
One sentence from him decided whether the Intake House got to keep operating.
No way around it.
After all, the task the Third Hokage—that old man—had assigned him was to manage this place.
Still, since he'd become the Intake House's direct superior, skimming a little off the top had naturally become part of the job.
Not because he was greedy for money, but because he was lustful.
The Intake House wasn't a profitable operation.
On the contrary, taking in these female outsiders meant pouring money into it.
No one wanted a job that guaranteed losses.
So Kangetsu became what everyone else called "the biggest sucker in the village."
Kangetsu looked them over from head to toe. The mother and daughter matched his tastes perfectly.
Haruno, and Haruno's mother.
What a strange encounter…
After taking this month's banknote, the supervisor—clearly experienced—handed over a sheet of paper.
"Kangetsu-sama, please keep this safe. It's the contract."
A contract—more plainly, a deed of sale.
With that, the two maids couldn't run.
And even if they did, they could be dragged back.
From this moment on…
The two of them were Kangetsu's private property.
He swept his gaze over them.
Their clothes were thin, obviously not enough for the cold.
But Kangetsu only smiled.
In the world of Naruto, there was no problem chakra couldn't solve.
And if there was, it just meant you didn't have enough chakra.
He patted both of their shoulders and fed a bit of chakra into them.
You had to protect what you owned.
He'd be "using" them tonight, after all…
Haruno realized she wasn't cold anymore.
A little dazed, she glanced at the snow on the floor, then at the figure walking ahead.
So this was going to be her and her mother's master from now on?
Ever since they'd arrived in this world, it had been a long time since they'd felt anything warm.
As outsiders with no identity, they were targets Konoha kept its guard up against.
Haruno was sharp.
After being seized by those rough women, she'd constantly gathered information.
In an unfamiliar place, intelligence came first.
This place wasn't like her old world.
Because here, the supernatural and the extraordinary were real.
Creatures called "shinobi" were basically all small-time superhumans.
Once she learned that, Haruno completely gave up on the idea of escaping.
You couldn't expect two frail women to slip out of a squad of kunoichi.
Haruno's mother, expressionless, tugged lightly at her eldest daughter.
At least…
This man behind it all seemed to have taken a liking to them.
Taking the mother and daughter away was clearly for his personal use.
That was, in a bleak way, the one stroke of luck they had.
Since they were here, they could only accept it.
In this world, that was the only way she could comfort herself.
She had composure. She had ability.
She was confident she could work for a shinobi like him.
So the first thing she needed to do was leave him with an excellent, unforgettable first impression.
Haruno understood.
A first impression would decide whether their lives from now on would be bearable. She couldn't afford to be careless.
She didn't want to go back to the Intake House to do backbreaking labor.
With only women inside, there was no "gentleness toward women," only the miserable rule of getting whipped if you didn't work.
Still, their side had it better, comparatively.
The place that took in male outsiders—Hitomaru Market—was far worse.
Hitomaru Market was, bluntly, a human-trafficking ground.
It was far from the Intake House.
But rumors still leaked out.
They said plenty of people had already died.
Haruno couldn't help thinking this world was painfully unfriendly.
If you weren't clever, you really would be buried here.
They arrived.
A fairly well-kept house.
Not in the center of Konoha—rather, away from the bustling districts.
For a chūnin to claw his way into owning a home in a place where land was worth its weight in gold was already impressive.
If he didn't have the job of taking in outsiders, Kangetsu's days would have been downright comfortable.
Now he could only muddle through.
Male and female outsiders alike fell under Kangetsu's responsibility.
If he hadn't come up with a method—no work, no food; make the women take on some craftwork; make the men into livestock you used until they broke—
He would've starved a long time ago.
Female outsiders didn't earn much, and he still had to pay out to keep them.
After all, they could only do things like cleaning, mending, and small chores.
But male outsiders brought in at least some money, because he didn't treat them like people.
Balancing the two, he could barely keep things even.
His gaze fell on the mother and daughter.
His 2D wives from his past life—he'd sell the pot and the pans if that's what it took just to taste something new…
He sighed.
Kangetsu felt his wallet tightening again.
He had to make money.
He'd already dumped one hundred thousand ryō into this—no small sum.
It had been then, and it would be later, too.
"Go take a bath. The bathroom's over there."
"…Yes."
Both answered gently.
Because both were the type who understood that survival meant reading the situation.
That was only natural.
People who didn't read the situation were mostly dead.
Haruno shivered when certain thoughts surfaced.
She'd heard the Intake House supervisor complaining that the recent employees were low quality.
Most were "troublemakers" who didn't understand rules, had no manners, and left terrible first impressions.
As a result, almost everyone from Haruno's world had never gotten even the slightest taste of freedom.
It infuriated the Intake House.
They'd thought their luck had turned—so much free labor.
But it was a pile of money-losing trash that couldn't even work without being picky.
If that's the case, then work.
Work yourself to the bone.
You can't earn much, so why should we feed you?
If you can't create value for the Intake House, then go die!
What?
You look decent, so you want to be offered to Kangetsu-sama?
Spare me!
Who do you think you are?
I'd like to volunteer myself!
Which local woman isn't nourished by chakra, at least a little?
Which local woman isn't fresh and pretty?
You outsiders don't have any competition at all…
Her body trembled.
Haruno shook her head and forced herself to stop thinking about it.
She didn't have to do backbreaking labor anymore.
And she didn't have to be beaten and screamed at anymore.
Now the worst of it was that she'd be taken to bed.
Haruno's mother glanced at Haruno's distant look and said nothing.
She only quietly helped wash her.
Compared to local women, they really didn't have much competitiveness.
So Haruno's mother was worried about their situation.
She sighed inwardly.
She could only hope Kangetsu-sama wouldn't find them distasteful.
Because if they were sent back to the Intake House…
Their ending clearly wouldn't be good.