The Way Through Stone Village (Naruto)

81: Shine and Wally Clean House

[OP: "Eat You Alive"--The Oh Hellos]

Really, it was laughable how fast it was over. 

Wally had all the thugs on the ground, whimpering because he'd hit them so hard--though for him it was a light tap so he didn't kill them--and Shine had taken her sword out, hooked the boss' feet out from under him, and then slammed him into the wall, hard, while he was off balance.

Then, putting the blade that he certainly thought would kill him to his throat, she said, eyes gleaming, "Call Mai out here, now. And every other woman you have here. Or we'll destroy your entire establishment, right now."

The boss was as much of a coward as men like him usually are when faced with real force.

"All right, all right, just don't," he winced. Then he called a bunch of girls by name.

Not only did they appear shortly, but a bunch of customers fled the premises out the back door--or maybe it was the front door. It was hard to tell which was the most shady.

"Mai! Get over there," the boss called.

One of the women stepped forward, looking scared.

"I don't know what you did to anger these fiends," the boss said angrily, "but they're here for you. I'm done with you, I tell you! You're out on your own. I can't have anyone here who's gonna bring trouble!"

"But--" Mai began.

"Get out," he said. "You wanted her, take her."

"Don't move," Shine warned him, stepping back but keeping her sword pointed out. She turned to the others. "Ladies," she said, which had to be a new name for them, "assuming this is not a very healthy place to work, we won't make any bones about what it is you do for a living, but if you want out, any one of you, we know somewhere you can go. This scoundrel here won't ever follow you there, I guarantee it. You can start over...be free."

Some of them laughed at her.

"You're crazy," said one woman, a taller one with a hard expression. "What does anyone want with us trash? We'd be lucky to be a prize to some rich man."

"What do you have to lose?" Wally asked, nervous again now.

That seemed to catch women off guard a bit.

"For the record, I guess that goes for all of you." Shine looked at the bodyguards. "Perhaps some of you didn't want to do this either... You want out, now's your chance. We won't be coming back here, so take it or leave it. We can get you out. I don't believe any of you don't have worth, but you must believe it about yourselves if you want to be free."

They stared at her.

"It wouldn't matter what they believe," said the one who was Mai, apparently. "We're still... Do I know you? I have the strangest feeling I've met one of you before... Did I do something to offend you? Because if I cottoned up to the wrong person, it was an honest mistake."

"You remember that stranger from a few days ago?" Shine asked.

"The wire one?" Mai asked, moving away. "You're...his... Oh, no, no...I never meant any harm!" She put her hand up. "I had to! He made me!" She pointed at the boss.

"Why, you ungrateful little wretch!" the boss began.

"I suggest you shut up," Wally said to him.

He flinched.

"No hard feelings," Shine told Mai. "And we were especially asked to come here and get you (seems you made an impression), not to hurt you or anything. Am I right in thinking you didn't really want to be here?"