The moment Naruto stepped out of the luxurious bath area, he found the hotel manager standing right outside the door with an expression of intense focus and enthusiasm. The man's posture was so attentive he looked less like someone managing an establishment and more like a personal servant waiting for orders.
"Naruto-sama, do you require anything?" The manager bowed immediately upon seeing Naruto emerge.
Naruto found the level of attention somewhat excessive. Yes, they were VIP guests, but they were mostly twelve and thirteen-year-old kids perfectly capable of taking care of themselves. They didn't need constant supervision.
And frankly, if someone was going to hover outside their door offering service, Naruto would have preferred it be one of the young female attendants rather than a middle-aged man with a goatee.
"Uncle," Naruto said politely, "please don't worry about us. We can handle things ourselves. I'm sure you have other duties to attend to."
The manager's estimation of Naruto rose even higher. Worthy of being the young man Lord Hiashi values so highly. So considerate, so mature.
"If that's what Naruto-sama prefers," the manager said with another bow. "But please, don't hesitate to call if you need anything at all. Anything."
"I will, thank you."
Once the manager departed, Naruto headed down the corridor toward the room where he'd seen what he thought was Guy-sensei entering. The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Lee had been quite clear that Guy was on a mission. What could have brought him back so quickly?
Maybe it was an emergency recall? Naruto wondered. Or the mission was simpler than expected?
As he rounded the corner, his attention was caught by a figure ahead. A woman with a distinctly curved silhouette, moving with elegant grace.
As expected of a high-class hot spring hotel, Naruto thought appreciatively. Even the staff are impressive.
The woman seemed to sense his gaze and turned around.
The moment she saw Naruto, her expression flickered with surprise, then transformed into something warm and delighted.
"Naruto-kun!" she said, her voice carrying pleasant surprise. "What a coincidence meeting you here!"
It was Tsukisha Hime, the woman whose ankle he'd treated that morning.
Orochimaru, still wearing his female disguise in the cherry blossom kimono, felt a surge of satisfaction. Kabuto's information had been accurate, and now here was the perfect opportunity to advance his plans. A chance encounter that seemed driven by fate itself.
"Miss Tsukisha!" Naruto responded with a friendly smile. "I didn't expect to see you here. What a coincidence indeed!"
"Yes, it seems you and I are destined to keep meeting," Orochimaru said, his borrowed voice warm and inviting. His eyes held Naruto's with what might have been significant intent.
Naruto glanced down at Tsukisha's ankle, noting that she was standing firmly without any apparent discomfort. "Your ankle seems to have healed completely! I'm glad my treatment worked so well."
"Thanks to Naruto-kun's skilled technique," Orochimaru said, allowing appreciation to color his tone. "When you treated me this morning, I felt such warmth flowing through my body. It was incredibly soothing. After returning to my hotel room, the injury cleared up within minutes. I had no idea Naruto-kun was so talented in medical techniques."
He bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle, ostensibly in gratitude. "Thank you so much, Naruto-kun."
This angle should give him quite the view, Orochimaru thought smugly.
Indeed, Naruto's eyes widened at the rather prominent display the bow created. His face heated slightly, and he glanced away with some embarrassment.
"It's nothing special," Naruto said once Tsukisha straightened up again. "There's a saying: 'A long illness makes a good doctor.' I used to get injured constantly during training, so I learned a lot about treating sprains and bruises through necessity. Your ankle injury was similar to things I'd dealt with before, so I just applied what I'd learned."
"Even so, I'm deeply grateful," Orochimaru said, his expression carefully sincere. "I don't have any friends in Konoha. Being a foreigner in this village, it was my great fortune that Naruto-kun treated me with such kindness."
The word "friend" immediately captured Naruto's complete attention. His eyes lit up with unmistakable interest.
"If you don't mind," Naruto said eagerly, "I'd be happy to be your friend, Miss Tsukisha!"
The prospect of befriending a beautiful older sister figure was appealing, but more than that, befriending anyone was always appealing. His dream, after all, was to make the entire world his friend. Every person added to that circle brought him closer to his goal.
Some people passed away before becoming friends, Naruto thought with a hint of regret. Like those Demon Brothers from Kirigakure. Even someone like Gato could have been a friend if he'd lived long enough to go through the process.
"Really?" Orochimaru feigned delighted surprise, though inwardly he was thinking: I don't want to be your friend, boy. I want to be your lover so I can obtain your genetic material.
"Of course!" Naruto said. "Though right now I'm here with my current friends for a group gathering, so we'll have to wait until tomorrow to properly establish our friendship. By the way, are you here for the hot springs too?"
"Naturally," Orochimaru said smoothly. "What else would someone visit a hot spring hotel for?" He leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping to something more intimate. "Unless... Naruto-kun, are you inviting me to join you?"
Please say yes, Orochimaru thought. If we can share a mixed bath, I can work my seduction properly.
"If you don't mind, you're welcome to join us," Naruto said generously. He already considered Tsukisha a prospective friend, which meant extending hospitality was natural.
"I'd be honored!" Orochimaru's smile widened. "Thank you so much for the invitation, Naruto-kun!"
"Great! Follow me, please."
Naruto led the way back down the corridor, heading toward the women's bath area. Orochimaru followed, anticipation building.
Then Naruto stopped at the door marked "Female Bath."
Wait, Orochimaru thought with growing horror. No. No no no.
"Let me introduce you to the others," Naruto said cheerfully, knocking on the door.
After a moment, the door slid open to reveal Hinata wearing a light bathrobe, her shoulders and neck flushed pink from the hot water. Her white eyes focused on Naruto first, then shifted to the woman behind him.
"Naruto-kun?"
"Hinata, this is Tsukisha-san. I ran into her by chance in the corridor and invited her to join the hot springs. Could you bring her in and introduce her to everyone?"
Hinata's expression remained polite, though something in her eyes sharpened slightly as she studied the older woman. "Of course. Tsukisha-san, please come in."
Orochimaru had no choice but to follow Hinata inside, glancing back at Naruto with barely concealed frustration.
Separate male and female baths! he raged internally. What's the point of soaking in hot springs with a bunch of children? This accomplishes nothing!
The door slid closed, leaving Naruto alone in the corridor.
That's settled then, Naruto thought with satisfaction. Now to find Guy-sensei.
He arrived at the private room he'd noted earlier and knocked firmly.
"Did you bring the fruit plate?" a voice called from inside.
Naruto recognized Guy's distinctive tone immediately. A mischievous impulse struck him, and he lowered his voice to disguise it slightly.
"Sir, we don't have any fruit plate service in small rooms."
"What?!" The outrage in Guy's voice was immediate. "That's discrimination against customers! Don't you know the customer is always right? I demand to speak to a manager!"
Footsteps stomped toward the door.
The door slid open to reveal Might Guy, his face already set in an expression of righteous indignation. Then his eyes focused on who was actually standing there.
He froze completely.
"Naruto," he said weakly.
His first instinct was to slam the door closed and pretend this wasn't happening. Fortunately, some survival instinct prevented that suicidal action. Closing a door in Naruto's face would definitely result in a beating.
"Guy-sensei!" Naruto said cheerfully. "I didn't know you were here! Lee and Neji mentioned you left on a mission this morning. Did it finish already?"
Guy's face still bore the swelling and bruises from last night's "friendly sparring session" when Naruto had caught him at a bar. The marks were vivid reminders of what happened when Guy tried to avoid Naruto.
Mission? What mission? I made that up to avoid you! Guy thought desperately. But Konoha is too small! We keep running into each other anyway!
"Ah, yes!" Guy said, forcing his face into something resembling a smile. "The mission was completed very quickly! Simple escort duty, very routine. So I collected my payment and decided to treat myself to a relaxing hot spring visit!"
While Naruto was talking with Guy, across Konoha another figure was preparing to leave his temporary residence.
Jiraiya of the Sannin gathered his travel bag and headed toward the door with purposeful strides. He hadn't indulged in his favorite research hobby, what he called "gathering material for his novels," in far too long.
And there was a particular hot spring hotel he favored for its... excellent viewing opportunities.
Time to do some reconnaissance.