This started as a fic of my favorite erotic novel Series, but i realised no one would read tHat. So i cHanged some names and made it a Naruto Crossover. So, if you're interested in a Space-wizard sex god Naruto with a bisexual harem on an odyssey through the galaxy, read on. And points To All who recognize the source material.

Uzumaki Naruto watched Mizuki like a hawk as the mine owner plugged an auth device into the shipping manifest of Naruto's Freighter, the Fool's Gold. Some might consider this over-the-top, as ownership of the ore Naruto was purchasing could have been handled with a simple ryo transfer. However, Naruto wanted to make sure every part of this deal was above board and, more importantly, officially logged with the Merchant's Guild. That way, even if Mizuki ever found out just how much Naruto was ripping him off, there was no way Naruto would face any repercussions.

It could take a while for the two of them to get confirmation from the Core Worlds, especially so far out on the Rim, so Naruto leaned back in his chair once it became clear the comm had been sent. There wasn't much of a view from Mizuki's office window, but it was still more appealing than Mizuki's ghostly jowls. The Mizuki Mining Compound didn't look much different than any other quarry in the 28th century. Massive trucks hauled tons of rock and metal out of the tunnels while high-powered drills and lasers went in. The sound of the refinery was audible even through the thick glass. Harsh LED lights were spaced across the ceiling, illuminating the dirty, weathered faces of the miners.

Karron wasn't the kind of place Naruto normally visited in his work as a trader. An asteroid in a system with no habitable planets, it was populated almost entirely by independent miners and their families. While technically within Konoha Federation borders and subject to its authority, Naruto had no illusions about what would happen to him if he suffered an 'accident' while visiting the colony. Pirates were also a concern, this far from the standard trade routes and their accompanying patrols. And you never knew when you'd run into an alien that didn't know Galactic Standard and thought mammalian bipeds were the ugliest things in the universe.

All that being said, Naruto had spent a month traveling here from the Core Worlds. And he'd just signed over practically his entire life savings buying the ore Mizuki's workers had uncovered weeks ago and unwittingly spread the word about…

Naruto had been in one of his favorite bars. It had a reputation for open-mindedness, or at least throwing out anyone that caused trouble and selling to anyone who had ryo. As a result, the clientele consisted mainly of eccentric spacers like himself and the various alien species who found themselves in the heart of human civilization. Everything from a silicone-based Iwa to a fungoid Numa could be found that night.

Naruto had been listening to 'Mad' Iruka, a salty old trader who did more aimless exploring of the far reaches of space than anything else. Most found his rambling stories and peculiar habits to be a sign of dementia, whether due to age or too much time spent alone in a metal box while surrounded by the harsh vacuum of space. Naruto personally thought that Iruka just didn't give a crap what anyone thought of him and acted however he damn well pleased. And as one of the few men who didn't glance at his ears (or his crotch) every few minutes, Naruto considered Iruka to be good company.

Anyway, Iruka had been describing in graphic detail the pleasures to be had at this one brothel he'd visited on his last jaunt. Naruto nodded politely as the old geezer waxed poetic about Madame Trixie and the magic hands her 'worm-girls' possessed. 'Worm' was slang for those who lived in asteroid colonies, given they literally lived under a rock and never saw the light of day. Lack of food, gravity, and sunlight led to thin bodies that had albino-pale skin. Apparently, that worked for Iruka, as he wouldn't stop talking about the pleasures to be had from those, quote, 'jezebels'.

Naruto was just thinking of how to gently nudge the conversation away from how Iruka would have enjoyed a lot more than hand stuff if his heart was what it used to be, when Iruka's whole demeanor changed. He went from laughing and bragging to serious, with a sharp gleam in his eye. He leaned forward, and Naruto was so drawn in by the sudden shift he did too, even if it meant smelling Iruka's breath.

"Ya might want to head out towards Karron even if you don't plan on visitin' Madame Trixie, youngster," Iruka whispered, eyeing the nearby patrons with distrust. Given Iruka was Naruto's age before Naruto had even been born, he let the 'youngster' comment slide. "One night I was hangin' out in the parlor and I heard some of them miners come in. They had just gotten drunk after payday and were looking to round out the night with some pleasurable company, ya know how it goes. Anyway, I couldn't help overhearin', they was talking so loud, that they'd just found a whole vein of Tyrenium!"

Naruto's already pointy ears pricked up so hard they could have broken skin. Tyrenium was an exceedingly rare metal, primarily used in military-grade plasma cores. But ever since the invention of the Singularity Driver, the most powerful weapon in the Konoha Federation Navy's arsenal, demand for the silvery ore had gone through the roof. The K-Fed would pay through the nose for every ton they could get. Trade of Tyrenium was normally strictly regulated, but with Naruto's military contacts…

Iruka bared his yellow-brown teeth in what was probably meant to be an indulgent smile. In that moment, Naruto knew that this wasn't some drunken confession. Iruka knew exactly how lucrative Tyrenium was, but didn't have the funds or connections to take advantage of it. And rather than hoard the secret to himself or try to sell it, the old spacer had given it to Naruto scot-free. In that moment, Naruto could have kissed him.

"You let me know how things went in Karron when you get back, youngster. If you see Madame Trixie, give her the good long dickin' I couldn't from me!"

Naruto at least had the decency to finish his drink before he left the bar. With the barely-restrained walk of one whose heart was racing but didn't want to draw any attention, Naruto made it to where his trusty ship, the Fool's Gold, was docked. Once he managed to get his shaking hands to put in the code to open the airlock, he raced to the cockpit. Taking deep breaths as he tried to contain his growing excitement, he looked up Karron on his navigation computer and plotted a course. It would be a little over two months round-trip, a remarkably short time for his life to change forever. Naruto decided that, assuming nothing went wrong, he would always remember Iruka's tip as the best birthday present of his life, even if it was a month late.

*Maybe this is how it starts,* Naruto thought to himself, even as he started gathering every ryo he had or was owed in preparation for this deal. He was in remarkable shape for 40, looking ten years younger and muscled like a statue of Hercules. Still, he wasn't getting any younger. He was in no hurry to claim his heritage, but once he had the resources this Tyrenium would get him…

"Naruto?" called a nasally voice, breaking Naruto out of his memories.

Naruto sat up. "Sorry, I was back near Konoha for a moment. Everything alright?"

Mizuki handed Naruto back the manifest, grinning victoriously. "Just got confirmation from the Merchant's Guild. The Tyrenium's yours!"

The two men shook hands in mutual congratulation, both certain that they were getting the better end of the deal. Naruto felt no guilt whatsoever in taking advantage of Mizuki's ignorance. Two and a half million ryo was a substantial chunk of change, especially in a slum like Karron. Given how few were authorized to buy Tyrenium and how remote the colony was, there was every chance that this ore would have sat collecting dust in storage if Naruto hadn't come along. Still, Naruto hardly expected the man would be so rational if he ever found out that he'd sold the ore at a mere hundredth of what Naruto expected to get for it. Hence his insistence on making sure the trade was legal and recorded.

After sharing a drink of sake to commemorate the trade, Naruto left Mizuki's office and hopped into the truck into which the Tyrenium had already been transferred. It was a rather disheartening journey from the mine to the docks. Hab units reminiscent of post-Industrial shanties clustered around dingy generators supplying the energy for the precious light and air that kept everyone alive. People moved out of the way of the truck, vanishing into the warren of tunnels that had been bored over the decades into the moon-sized rock that was their home. Everyone moved with the tense wariness of prey expecting to be hunted, with mean, pinched faces tight with hunger glaring at any who got too close. What were unmistakably gang members stood at major intersections, openly toting firearms and glaring at the beggars hovering near their 'turf'.

Naruto kept as silent as the truck driver beside him. It wasn't his fault that these people led such miserable lives. And while he might one day be in a position to help them, given his species, that day was a long way off. Still, he refused to look away. It occurred to him that he hadn't gone to see Madame Trixie while he was here. While Iruka had given her and her girls a ringing endorsement, he also had peculiar tastes. Also, between the questionable hygiene of whatever whore serviced him and his sudden lack of funds, it just didn't seem worth the trouble. Maybe next time.

At the docks, it was the work of minutes to get the crates containing his precious cargo into the Fool's Gold. With a respectful nod to Mizuki's employees, Naruto stepped into the ship that had been his home for almost eleven years now, and probably not for much longer. The thought almost gave Naruto pause, but he figured he could get nostalgic once he was safely back in the Core Worlds, filthy rich and able to buy a new ship. After getting clearance from a rather unprofessional flight tech, Naruto gently coasted out of the atmospheric shield and away from Karron. The red light of the Omicron Ceti system's star glinted on the dull metal of the old freighter's hull. Naruto had bought her from a decommissioned lot, and the model had been a century old even before it had been stripped of military parts. It took the mid-tier engines a solid twenty minutes to make it from the asteroid belt on the last orbital path to the Nav Beacon marking the edge of the system's gravity well. Crossing his fingers that this wouldn't be the time the old girl gave up the ghost and exploded, Naruto activated the FTL drive. After a few seconds of shuddering, the ship lurched into hyperwarp.

Naruto let out all the air in his lungs as he sank back into the pilot's chair. It was done. He'd actually pulled it off. Four weeks to make it to Alpha Centauri, maybe an hour-long meeting with an old war buddy, and he'd be a rich man. So why did he still feel so jittery? Writing it off as adrenaline from the deal, Naruto made sure the long-range sensors were on full power and the alarm for contacts live. In a ship with no weapons, the only way to avoid pirates was to see them coming and sneak around them. Naruto made a number of concessions to make sure the energy signature of his ship was negligible. Oxygen was kept only a few points above minimum, lights had to be turned on manually in each room, and the temperature was kept at a brisk 10 degrees Celsius. One of the many reasons Naruto was alone was because he didn't think anyone would agree to living like a mountain hermit the way he did.

Grabbing a couple protein bars from the kitchen in his rec room, Naruto retreated to his cabin. The bed was made so neatly it looked like a robot did it, and every inch of the room was sparkling clean. Naruto recognized the source of this quirk as his instinctive need to establish dominance. In the absence of people, he substituted his environment. Besides, cleaning the ship to hospital standards was a handy way to eat up the hours while traveling through the cosmos. Once he stored the pistol he'd carried for safety's sake in the weapons locker, he hopped into the shower for a quick rinse to get the stink and dust of Karron off him. That done, he grabbed the hanging bar he'd set up in the corner. Warming up with a few standard pull-ups, Naruto started alternating between each arm for ten reps. An hour later, when it felt like his arms were going to fall off, he dropped to the floor and did the same with squats. He wasn't feeling particularly masochistic today, so he didn't make the pistols jumping.

Some might find it ironic that Naruto trained himself harder once he retired from the military than he had when he'd been in it and expected to be in top shape. But then, he hadn't been fully aware of the unique biology he'd inherited from his father until he was thirty and living on the Fool's Gold. Pushing memories of that nightmare and all its life-altering consequences aside, Naruto reminded himself why he did this: if and when his body established a template to keep restoring him to, he wanted to be in peak physical condition. Besides, it made him look better naked.

Once he'd cooled down with some stretches to make sure he could still touch his toes, Naruto took a longer, hotter shower to relax. Scarfing down the bland but nutritious blocks of algae and soy, Naruto slipped under the covers and drifted off to sleep.

Naruto awoke from his dreamless sleep to find a rock-hard surprise under the covers. While he got morning wood like every other man, this kind of aching, 'ready-to-hammer-nails' erection was usually reserved for when he didn't wake up alone. Shaking off the surprise and trying to think through the throbbing lust, he assumed a meditative position. Taking conscious control of his breath, Naruto took ten minutes to enter a state of total relaxation and peace. Looking down to see he was comfortably limp again, Naruto got up and dressed.

The day passed in a comfortable routine of chores, working out, and checking the instruments. Oddly though, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was 'off' somehow. Naruto had spent a decade of his life doing almost the exact same thing every day. He was used to it, but he couldn't really say he enjoyed it. When he sold the Tyrenium, he'd be able to do almost anything he wanted. The sheer number of possibilities boggled his mind, and his conscience struggled over which one he SHOULD take, not just whatever he wanted the most. Before he could get too maudlin, he brought up a hand to feel his pendant. He hadn't taken it off since he bought it a year after learning exactly what he was. He traced the familiar shape with his fingers, reminding himself of what it represented and the promise he'd made to himself. Shaking his head at his random rumination, Naruto finished off his dinner and got ready for bed.

The next morning, he again woke up to his cock standing tall, proud, and desperate to be used.

Naruto frowned, and once he managed to settle down his arousal, he began to think. Naruto didn't believe in coincidences. Never, in all the years he'd lived alone on the Fool's Gold, had he woken up fully hard and raring to go two days in a row. So, what had changed? After a few minutes considering every possibility, he narrowed it down to the two most likely. Either Tyrenium was some kind of aphrodisiac to his race, or… he wasn't alone.

Deciding he'd rather be paranoid and be proven wrong than reckless and taken by surprise, Naruto went to the weapons locker. After the DNA scanner verified it was him, the door unlocked, revealing all the weaponry he had gathered over the years to fend off unfriendly incursions or intimidate strangers in a new area into not messing with him. Selecting an auto shotgun for its close-range and lethality, he loaded in a few shells and activated the scope. The holographic display turned on, casting a cheerful green light into the air above the trigger.

Heading towards the cargo bay, Naruto stood on the gantry overlooking the hold and switched the scope to infrared. He slowly and methodically swept the whole room, but there was nothing but cold blue except where he looked at the lights. Wanting to be sure, he cranked the lights up to max and swept the room again, but nothing seemed amiss. Starting to feel a bit foolish for putting so much stock in his genitals, Naruto turned to leave when he saw it. A scuff mark, on the other side of the door to the Cargo Bay. Naruto had cleaned the hall before he'd landed on Karron, and he'd decontaminated his shoes before he'd left the bay to take off. He had not made that mark, he was sure of it.

Now fully on alert, Naruto methodically checked the ship for the trespasser. It didn't take long, the Freighter being only sixty meters in length. The engine and equipment rooms were locked, and a quick check showed they hadn't been broken into. He'd spent the past two days in his cabin and cockpit, but he swept them just to be sure. The rec room had nowhere to hide, so it warranted no more than a quick look. After a thorough search of the passenger cabin turned up nothing, that left only one room left: the storage room.

The search had given Naruto time to think, and he realized he was probably not dealing with anyone hostile. If his stowaway was going to kill him and steal the ship, they would have done it the first night. And Naruto hadn't noticed any of his provisions missing except those he'd taken for himself, so this tagalong wasn't stealing food. This mystery person or persons were probably runaways, desperate to be anywhere but Karron. And while he could understand that sentiment, he didn't appreciate them sneaking on his ship without permission to do so.

Naruto opened the door to the storage room. He took a moment to just stand there, waiting to see if there was any reaction. When nothing moved, Naruto brought up the auto shotgun and used its scope to scan the room. Every conceivable hiding spot turned up nothing but blue. He was beginning to wonder if he was maybe wrong after all when he aimed at the very back corner of the room. A locker stood there, which he honestly couldn't remember ever using. A bright red marked the edges of the door, the sensors built into the gun too weak to see through the metal. But the air heated up by his stowaway's body was clear.

Naruto suppressed a sigh. "I know you're in there. Come out," he called clearly. He tried not to let any of his irritation color his tone. Since learning how members of his kind usually treated people, Naruto had strived to live by the 'golden rule': treat others the way you want to be treated. It was good advice in general, and needless to say easier said than done, but he tried his best to heed it more than most. After all, most people weren't standing on the slippery slope he was.

He counted to thirty, but his uninvited guest still didn't come out. Either they slept like the dead, or they were hoping he'd just go away if they ignored him. Raising his voice so there was no chance they couldn't hear him, Naruto said "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. And making me do it the hard way is just going to piss me off. Now come out here!"

There was a second's delay, and then the door opened, and the cause of his morning distractions was revealed.

It was probably a male, mid-teens at the oldest by his estimate. The head didn't even come up to Naruto's shoulder. Obviously from Karron, clad in miner's overalls and a bulky jacket, both so encrusted with dirt it was impossible to tell what the original color was supposed to be. They hung loosely on his spindly frame, clearly the result of far too few meals. A dog-eared cap was pulled low over his head, concealing his hair, and scared eyes a striking shade of lavender shined up at him from a face that was so caked with layers of soot and grime it looked like a mask.

Naruto closed his eyes and counted to ten. A kid. Fucking perfect. Flicking the safety to the shotgun, he turned it to the side in a rest position. He wouldn't need a gun to deal with whatever threat this boy presented; he looked like one good punch would knock him down like a house of sticks.

Trying not to scare the youth, who looked ready to crawl back into the locker and stay there until forced out, Naruto introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I own this ship. Who are you and why are you here? Please don't lie, that would just waste time."

The boy gulped. If anything, Naruto's politeness seemed to make him even more afraid. "My name's… Hin." The voice was surprisingly high-pitched. Combined with the softness of the features, he was either even younger than Naruto had guessed or a she. Not that it mattered to Naruto Hin's age or sex, just the fact that he was trespassing. The tiny figure looked to the side before meeting Naruto's eyes again. "I would have died if I stayed on Karron."

It wasn't said pleadingly, as if Hin was begging for understanding and mercy. It was toneless, a dull statement of a certain fact. Ironically, that tugged at Naruto's heartstrings even more. Naruto fought down the instinctive urge to nurture and protect this child who had lived far too hard a life. Whether he intended to or not, Hin might have gotten Naruto in serious legal trouble. Transporting a minor out of system came with major penalties, not the least of which the loss of his trading license. Harsh as it sounded, if Naruto had to pick between Hin and the Tyrenium, he'd choose the latter. Besides, Naruto was still smarting slightly from the invasion of his territory.

"You're probably right. But that doesn't justify you sneaking onboard. I don't suppose you stopped to think that illegally transporting a minor can get you twenty years? You could have ruined my life if some patrol wanted to inspect me and found you."

Hin shook his head so fast, his cap almost came off. "No, no, no! I'm not a minor! I turned 18 the day before I snuck on!"

Naruto felt his eyebrow raise and didn't bother to stop it. "You got any proof?"

Hin reached into one of the pockets of the bulky jacket and pulled out a foldout ID that had seen better days. Naruto tried not to grimace at how dirty it was. He took it from Hin and opened it up. Assuming it was real (and Naruto didn't see how Hin could have afforded a convincing fake), then the birthdate listed indeed had Hin at 18 years old before boarding the Fool's Gold. It also revealed something else.

"You always go by Hin, MISS Hyuuga?"

Naruto saw what little skin wasn't caked with filth turn pink as he called out the newly-discovered Hinata on her little deception. "It's safer to be a boy," she said, a tad defensively.

Naruto resisted frowning at the way she said it, as if she'd learned that lesson the hard way. He handed the ID back, resisting the urge to wipe off his hand on his trousers. Knowing she was legal cleared up most of his concerns, but opened up many new ones. He wouldn't get in trouble for traveling with her, but he was going to be putting her at risk if she stayed within reach of him for too long. He didn't feel like opening up the can of worms dealing with THAT issue would entail, so he resolved to take her back.

"Your age isn't the only issue here, Ms. Hyuuga. You broke into my ship. I can sympathize with wanting to leave a hellhole like Karron, but you should have tried to barter passage with me instead of just letting yourself in. I'm going to have to take you back."

He hadn't even finished his sentence when she started begging him. "Please, no! I can't go back to Karron! Please let me stay! I'll work, I'll pay you back, you can drop me off anywhere! Just don't take me back there!"

The tension that had slowly eased from her posture returned with a vengeance. Naruto could almost count her pulse in the throbbing of the veins of her neck. A dark suspicion entered his mind.

"Are you running from the law or something? Cause if you made me an accessory to a crime, I'll space you here and now and save myself the travel time."

She flinched back from him, her eyes going wide. She tried to get some words out, but his threat seemed to have caused her throat to seize. Naruto felt a stinging surge of guilt. Her innocence was practically radiating off her. It wasn't fear of persecution he'd picked up from her. It was simple fear for her life. And that kind of terror couldn't come from a passive fear of starvation or getting caught in a crossfire.

Naruto slowly and deliberately set the shotgun down on the floor. He held his hands up like he was trying to calm a spooked horse. He hunched his shoulders and bent his knees, to make himself seem smaller. "Hinata, I'm sorry. I made an assumption and spoke in anger. I'm not going to space you. I'm not going to hurt you. Please calm down. There's a good girl. Calm, Hinata."

The panicked teenager managed to get her voice back. Or at least a high, squeaky version of her voice. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry I snuck in! I'm sorry but I had to! He would have found me! I had to hide, I had to!"

"It's okay. I'm not mad. I won't take you back, okay? I promise. No matter what happens, I won't take you back to Karron."

Hinata shuddered, all the energy seeming to drain out of her in an instant. Naruto remembered that, as far as he could tell, none of his food was missing. And he had no idea when the girl had last eaten before she came aboard two days ago. She was about to crash after her panic attack.

"Let's get some food in you and we can talk this out. Are you okay with that?"

A pitiful gurgle emanated from her stomach. Her eyes locked on him with a disturbing intensity, and Naruto was suddenly extremely grateful that he'd never gone truly hungry. "Please," she whispered, all of her fear of him displaced by his promise of a meal. Some dark part of him reveled in how vulnerable she was and the power he could exert over her. He viciously suppressed those thoughts as he gently coaxed her out of the storage closet and towards the rec room. Yes, the opportunity was there, but he refused to take it. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did.

Putting his need for cleanliness on hold, Naruto sat Hinata down at his dining table. Figuring that she'd need sugar and wouldn't be able to stomach much, he grabbed an apple and some yogurt. She stared at the items in fascination as he placed them in front of her to get a glass of water. When he went to put it down in front of her, she flinched. Not away from him, but towards him. As he pulled his hand away from the food, she relaxed.

Naruto felt his heart break a little. "It's yours, I'm not going to take it away."

She looked at him with a confusing mix of gratitude, apology, and disbelief. Naruto realized with pity that this was probably one of the kindest things anyone had ever done for her in her short life, and she didn't know how to react. "Eat slowly, I don't want you to choke. I'm going to put away the shotgun. When I come back, we'll discuss how we're going to handle our situation. And again, me turning around is not an option. You won't have to go back."

"Thank you," she said in a voice too small to hold so much emotion.

With a pained smile, Naruto turned and left her to her breakfast.

He picked up the weapon from the storage room and returned it to his cabin, making sure to unload the ammo. Putting a little more weight into his steps so she'd hear him coming, Naruto reentered the rec room. Remembering that he hadn't eaten yet either, Naruto grabbed a banana and a bowl of granola. He intentionally left the cupboard open while he gathered the items, so Hinata could see that he was well-stocked. Whether it was to entice or reassure, he couldn't say. Once again trying to reign in his impulses, Naruto sat across from his new traveling companion and began to eat. He noticed that while she was spooning the yogurt at a speed just short of alarming, she'd made no move for the apple.

"You should try the apple too, you need the sugar."

She hesitated, looking at his face in a searching way, before she answered. "I don't know how. I've never had one before."

Naruto cursed himself for an idiot. Of course, Karron wouldn't have anything as sophisticated as hydroponics. Any fruits or vegetables were probably shipped in and sold for a premium compared to other food. "Just take small bites, wide but not deep. Keep doing that in a circle until you reach the seeds."

She took his advice, and the way her face lit up when the juice hit her tongue was one of the most adorable things he'd ever seen. They both focused on eating, and soon all the food had vanished into hungry stomachs. It had been a long time since Naruto had shared a meal with another person, and it surprised him how much he missed the feeling.

Leaving the dirty dishes on the table with an act of will, Naruto stood and held out his hand. "Before we talk, you should get cleaned up. You can shower in the passenger cabin. I'll find you something to wear."

Hinata looked at him like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Her hand felt soft but very cold. Naruto realized with a start that the Fool's Gold was chillier than most parts of Karron. She was shivering so much from nerves he hadn't noticed the ones from the cold. He quickly led her to the passenger cabin. "The shower's in that alcove in the corner. Stay as long as you want, the recycling system can keep up. Leave your… clothes on the floor, your new ones will be on the bed when you get out. Find me in the cockpit and we'll discuss your stay here."

She looked like there were a million things she wanted to say, but was still too afraid to say any of them. She finally managed a weak "Okay." Naruto nodded and turned to leave.

The first thing he did was crank up the temperature control by another ten degrees. Next, he cleaned up the refuse left on the dining table, and he managed to restrain the urge to sterilize the chair Hinata had sat in before he moved on. Searching through his closet, he managed to find a t-shirt that had shrunk enough in the wash that Hinata's shoulders wouldn't slide through the neck hole and a pair of compression shorts from back when he had, as his buddies in the marines had claimed, 'chicken legs'. A purely male part of him gloated that they had to resort to name-calling because he left them in the dust in the department that really mattered. Rolling his eyes at his own attitude, he went to the passenger cabin to drop them off for Hinata.

Naruto made it to the bed and halfway back out before he heard them. They were soft and involuntary, purely unconscious uses of the vocal chords. They weren't throaty or drawn out or sexual in any way. But they were clearly a woman's moans of pleasure.

Naruto held himself rigid, knowing that if he didn't maintain absolute control he'd do something he'd very much regret. He'd promised that he wouldn't hurt her. She wasn't trying to tempt him, she was just a girl enjoying a hot shower after who knows how long without one. She was young enough to be his daughter. All good points, but none of which negated the fact that there was a wet, naked female less than five meters away from him.

Naruto felt like there was a war going on between the best and worst parts of himself.

*Don't take advantage. It's not fair. It's not right.*

-This is what you're made for. Why resist your nature?-

*I'm no rapist.*

-Rape? What rape? You've fed and bathed her. She must be so grateful. Get her to cum on your fingers a few times and she'll be begging to return the favor.-

*She doesn't know. She has no idea what she'd be getting into. She'd hate me for forcing it on her without telling her.*

-She'd be nothing but thankful and loving and obedient once you're done with her.-

*I promised I wouldn't be like that. I wouldn't be like them. I'd do it right.*

-Right? Wrong? Who's to say what's right or wrong? All that matters is what you want, what you crave, what you desire. And you desire her.-

*No…*

-Do it!-

*NO!*

Naruto forced his legs to move, propelling him out of the cabin and into the hall. He leaned back against the door as it closed behind him. He felt like he'd just run a marathon, when all he'd done was stand still for a few seconds. As his heart calmed down, the reality of the situation settled into his mind like ferrocrete pouring into a mold. He glanced down at his trousers, seeing the obscene bulge that had yet to go down. "This… is going to be a problem," he muttered to himself.

Naruto shuffled over to the cockpit and sank into his chair. With Karron no longer a possible destination, for reasons that he didn't even know but had already agreed to, the closest place he could drop off Hinata was Port Heracles. But the Konoha space station was almost a month away, and Naruto wasn't sure if his control would last three days after the episode he'd just had. He didn't waste time lambasting himself or agonizing over how unfair the situation was; that wouldn't help him OR Hinata. In the end, it all came down to her choice. And for her to choose, she needed to be aware of all the facts. If she made the informed decision not to accept what he was about to offer, then that would be enough to hold him back. And if she did accept, she'd do it with eyes open. And that would make it okay.

He tried to believe that. He really did.

"Um, Naruto?"

Naruto started, pivoting around in his chair to look back towards the cabins. Hinata was standing timidly at where the cockpit changed to the hall that ran down the spine of the ship. Cleaned up and out of her filthy rags, Naruto could get a clear look at her for the first time. Her hair was blue and hung to her shoulders, but looked brittle enough to snap if Naruto touched it. Her nose and lips were cutely soft, but her cheekbones stuck out sharp as knives. Even in the smallest clothes Naruto owned, she had to clutch at her neck and hip to keep them from falling off. Her skin was so pale it was almost translucent, and Naruto's sharp eyes noted a couple scars on her arms and legs, badges of a harsh life on Karron. Her best feature was definitely her eyes, a rich lilac that reminded Naruto of the sky just before dawn. The fear that had filled them when they first met was gone, replaced by wariness, and what he could only describe as cautious hope.

Naruto had the impression of a wounded little bird, beaten and battered since leaving the nest. With some gentle care and encouragement, she could soar through the sky.

Naruto hated himself a little more for the fact his first instinct was to eat the bird instead of tending to it.

Shaking himself out of his self-loathing, Naruto gestured to the co-pilot seat that had never been sat in. "Sit down. We'll be talking for a while and you should get comfortable."

With hesitant steps on lean runner's legs, Hinata sank into the bolted-down chair. She pulled her feet up off the ground and hugged her knees, making her seem even smaller. She tilted her head and asked, "Is it warmer now or am I still feeling the shower?"

"I raised the temperature control while you were in there. I realized that you probably weren't as used to the cold as I was," Naruto explained, feeling awkward talking about little stuff like this considering the bombshell he was about to drop on her.

She shook her head and looked down. "I feel like I'm dreaming. There's no way anyone can be this NICE. When I snuck on, I was kind of desperate and not thinking about anything except getting away from Karron. But once I felt the ship take off, I started worrying about what you would do if you found me. I figured slave labor until you dropped me off on the nearest place with an atmosphere would be the best I could hope for. Instead you've given me food, a shower, clothes, and now you're changing stuff about your ship for me. I just don't get it."

Naruto swallowed down the knot that was building in his throat. It was painful just to look at her, to hear the honest disbelief at him doing what he considered to be common courtesy. "People are at their worst when they're fighting to survive, and I got the feeling that almost everyone on Karron had to do that. I'm just trying to treat you with the same decency I'd give to anyone else. But for what it's worth, I'm sorry that my behavior is so surprising to you."

She looked at him then, her eyes twitching as she raked his face for any sign of a lie. Naruto wasn't sure what she saw, but it was enough to make her truly relax for the first time since he'd met her. It was remarkable what a difference it made. The changes were subtle, but something about her face and posture shifted so she suddenly seemed much prettier and more approachable. "You're a good man, Naruto."

Naruto had to hide a wince at those words, especially as his cock twitched as he looked at her lips curling into a shy smile. "You really don't know me well enough to say something like that."

"The fact I just met you and I'm so sure should tell you how obvious it is," she countered, her eyes narrowing a little as she tried to puzzle out his refusal to take the compliment.

Naruto cleared his throat. Enough dawdling, time to get to business. "May I ask why you're so opposed to returning to Karron? It won't change my decision, but I have to admit I'm curious."

Her face clouded over. But she set her shoulders and told him the truth. "A member of the Diablo gang tried to rape me. I managed to grab his knife and stab him, but I didn't hurt him enough to kill him. I ran away, but I knew that he'd come after me and finish what he started. A friend was at the docks when you arrived and saw you enter the code to your airlock. She gave it to me and told me to just hide in some dark corner until you landed wherever you were going."

Naruto felt himself frown. "Yeah, I can see why you wouldn't want to go back. Your friend must be pretty observant, I didn't even see anyone watching me."

"She's the smartest person I know," Hinata told him, sounding guarded. Naruto sensed that further inquiries into this 'friend' would not be welcomed. For whatever reason, she seemed to trust him, so it must be habit. Naruto well understood how closely you could bond with someone who watched your back for you. He didn't ask anymore about this mystery girl who helped Hinata sneak onto his ship. He moved on to something even more uncomfortable.

"You have a choice to make, Hinata. The first choice is that you stay in the passenger cabin and basically not get in the way for however long it takes to get to Port Heracles. You'll get three meals a day, and I'll expect you to clean up after yourself. I'll let you have access to my Holonet account to keep yourself occupied, I'm usually busy enough that I don't use it anyway. Once we get there, I'll just drop you off and be on my way. It's not that I don't care; I just won't feel comfortable until this deal is safely over, and I don't want to take any chances. You should be able to find work or barter further passage, and if all else fails you can always enlist."

Hinata nodded. "That all sounds very reasonable. I've heard about Port Heracles, it can't be any tougher than Karron." Her eyebrows knit together in confusion. "What's the second choice?"

Naruto breathed in deep, and took the leap.

"It involves a very long explanation, but the second choice is that you agree to be my Matriarch."

Hinata's brow furrowed in confusion. "Your matriarch? What's that supposed to mean?"

Naruto sighed. "Like I said, it's a long story. I guess I should start with the fact that I'm not a Konoha."

Hinata's eyes shifted to his pointed ears. "I thought you just had surgery or something. If you're an alien, you're very Konoha-shaped." Her eyes lit up. "I've never met a non-human before! What are you and where are you from?" She suddenly winced. "Sorry, that's rude of me. Forget I asked."

"Don't worry about it. I'm going to explain everything, and that's the least I owe you." Naruto's fingers tapped nervously on his chair. He'd never revealed the truth about himself to another living soul since finding out. He had no idea how she was going to react to this information, or if she would even believe him. Naruto had the truth seared into his brain, and he still doubted it at times. "My mother was Konoha, and I was born at Olympus Shipyard. That's actually our destination, if you choose to stay with me. I was raised in the Konoha Federation and was even a marine for a while. I didn't find out what my father was until a decade ago, once I retired and started working as a trader."

"Didn't your mother ever tell you? Or did she not know your father wasn't Konoha?" Hinata asked innocently.

Naruto tried not to frown, a child's pain panging in his heart. "I never actually met my mother. She vanished the day after I was born. There was some accident that killed the crew of her ship at the same time. I tried to find out what happened to her, but it was all above my clearance level and I couldn't find any new leads. Now that I know what my father did to her, my best guess is that she caused the accident as a distraction and stole a ship to go back to him."

Hinata's eyes widened. "That's horrible! What could he have done to make her do something like that? And why didn't she take you with her?"

Naruto scowled. "My father's species… MY species have a very powerful effect on the women they've enthralled. She probably didn't even think about me, her every thought would have been about returning to her 'Master'."

"Enthralled? Master? Naruto, what are you talking about? You're kind of scaring me a little bit," Hinata said, some of her fear returning.

Naruto looked at her with pained eyes. "I don't want to scare you, Hinata. But you probably should be scared of me… considering what I am."

"And what is that? Naruto, what are you?" Hinata demanded, showing some of the backbone that allowed her to survive for 18 years in a place like Karron.

Naruto closed his eyes, gathering his courage. When he opened them, he forced the words out before he could stop himself. "I'm an Uzu."

The air was still, as if the world were holding its breath. Naruto felt the words echoing in his ears. He'd never admitted it out loud before. It made it real to him, somehow confirming the truth that had only ever existed in his head until that moment. He wondered if the old Christians felt like this after confessing their sins.

Hinata tilted her head to the side, eyes cautious, concerned, and confused in almost equal measures. "I hate to spoil the punchline, but I've never heard of the Uzu. You'll have to explain them to me."

Naruto's mouth twitched, the best smile he could manage in the moment. "I'm not surprised. If any of them have ever been in Konoha space before me, it was thousands of years ago. Believe me, it'd be obvious if they'd stuck around. My mom was part of a survey team, exploring deep space. She must have run into my father on her last mission and gotten pregnant with me. For whatever reason, he didn't follow after her. And if we're all lucky, he won't come anywhere near the Galactic League until I'm ready to face him."

Hinata looked at him as if he'd grown an extra eye. "Face him? You make it sound like you two would have to fight to the death if you ever met. And you still haven't explained what Uzu ARE."

"Right, sorry." Naruto tried to order everything he knew about his father's side of the family into a few neat sentences. "Uzu are very old, much older than Konoha. They… WE have technology that makes state-of-the-art Konoha equipment look like a caveman's stone tools. I don't know if it was genetic bingo or if we were made by an even older species as an experiment, but we're pretty much designed to conquer planets, even galaxies."

Hinata's eyes were so wide Naruto saw more white than purple. "What do you mean? How can someone be 'designed' to take over the world?"

Naruto shuddered as he thought about all the power locked dormant inside him. "Uzu are all male, and naturally very possessive, jealous, and dominant. We also have every psychic power I've ever even heard of. I'm talking setting things on fire with my mind, super speed, looking into the future, you name it. We also have a… unique way of building an army built right into our biology. Add it all together, and 'space tyrant' just seems like the logical conclusion."

Hinata frowned, skepticism clear in every line of her face. "I don't suppose you could show me any of these 'psychic' powers, could you?"

Naruto shook his head sadly. "I know this sounds like an excuse, and you probably think I'm crazy. But I promise, everything I'm telling you is the truth. The thing is, a Uzu's powers are locked until they gain their first Matriarch. I guess it was a way of keeping toddlers from killing themselves and others while having a tantrum."

"There's that word again, 'Matriarch'. What does that mean, in Uzu-talk?" Hinata sat in her chair, looking ready to bolt. At least her disbelief had cleared from her face a bit. His vow of honesty seemed to have convinced her he wasn't pulling a trick on her. Whether she really believed he was telling her the truth or he was stark raving mad remained to be seen.

Naruto tensed, knowing he was about to get to the deal-breaking parts of his proposal. "It has to do with that army-building thing I mentioned. Basically, a Matriarch is kind of an Uzu's lieutenant. She's psychically linked to him and all his Thralls, and it's her job to attend to the Thralls and assist the Uzu." Naruto set his shoulders back. "At least, that's what they normally do. But I don't want to be anything like a 'normal' Uzu. In your case, you'd be my partner. I would treat you with the respect you deserve, not as some underling. And I believe in quality over quantity when it comes to Thralls, so it's not like you'd have to keep track of thousands of people. And that's only if you agree to be linked with me in the first place. You can still pick the first choice, once I've explained everything."

Hinata pursed her lips, looking him up and down. A lot of the tension had left her shoulders when he'd made it clear he planned to be a different kind of Uzu. She still looked ready to sprint out of her chair or punch him if he made any sudden moves, though. "Then keep explaining. How do you form this link? And what's a 'Thrall', exactly?"

Naruto hesitated. He couldn't believe the words that he was about to say. "I just want to repeat, this is built into me. I didn't decide how it works. It's weird and embarrassing and even a bit ridiculous. Again, this is all the truth, or at least what I was told. I'm not making this up, I swear."

"Naruto, you're blushing." Hinata leaned forward a little, a distracting amount of skin revealed by the relatively large neck hole of his t-shirt. "What is it? How do you make psychic bonds?"

Naruto deliberately looked away, unable to face her as he revealed the preposterous truth. "Uzu semen is a psychic catalyst. If someone… ingests it, the Uzu can work their powers directly on the person's body and mind. After three, um, 'doses', a link is forged between their minds. It doesn't go away unless either of them dies or the Uzu intentionally severs the bond.

Uzus normally use the bond as a form of mind control, making the new 'Thrall' do whatever they want. A Uzu can also draw psychic energy from their Thralls. The 'normal' way a Uzu does things is to enthrall as many women as possible, using them as soldiers in his wars, psychic batteries to fuel his powers, and breeding stock to make even more Thralls. I've never… fed someone three times before. You'd be my first Thrall, and by default my Matriarch."

Naruto kept silent, waiting for her to digest everything he'd just said. He was prepared for anything. Scorn, derision, outrage, disgust, terror.

He was not prepared, however, to hear her giggle.

He turned to face her, to find her mouth curled shut as she tried to suppress the hiccup-like laughter coming from deep in her chest. She brought up a hand to cover her mouth, muting the sound a bit, and she held up a finger from the other in the universal sign for 'one moment'.

When she recovered, she leaned back, eyes twinkling, and asked "Naruto, has all this been an elaborate way of asking me for a blowjob?"

Naruto chuckled nervously, bringing up a hand to scratch the back of his head. "More or less," he admitted. His face darkened, and he leaned forward and made eye contact, so she could see the sincerity in his eyes. "But it's a blowjob with a whole lot of strings attached. I wasn't kidding about the Uzu stuff. If you agree to this, you won't just be helping me unlock my powers. You'll be giving me a direct feed into your MIND. And I have no intention of abusing it like the assholes that are my forefathers, but the potential is there. I want you to be absolutely sure you're okay with this if you agree."

The amusement faded from Hinata's expression, seeing how serious Naruto was taking this. "I see," she muttered, wrapping her arms around her knees. She blinked. "Wait a minute. How do you know all this stuff? You said you never met either of your parents. Did you meet someone who'd knew about Uzu and recognized you or something?"

Naruto grit his teeth, but he'd promised to tell her everything. "Every Uzu is born with a Guide. It's like an alter ego that has all the ancestral memory and knowledge about his heritage. They're meant to help their Uzu get used to his powers when he 'activates'. If they're all like mine, then they're also sadistic megalomaniacs who don't give a fuck for anyone but themselves. Once a Uzu has learned all he can from his Guide, it fades away and the Uzu is free to start a life of interstellar conquest."

Naruto started rubbing his thighs with his hands, just to give them something to do. He was staring at the floor, lost in memories of his encounter with his inner monster. "Somehow, I accidentally locked my Guide up in a mental prison when I was a teenager. My grandfather started taking me to martial arts lessons to deal with my hormonal mood swings, and something about all the meditation shoved him into a little black box in the back of my head. Once I bought the Fool's Gold and started going weeks with just myself for company, I got back into meditating. One day, I went so deep I wound up inside his prison."

Hinata gulped. She didn't think she'd seen anyone in more emotional pain before. Naruto looked like he was remembering the worst day of his life. "What happened?" she asked, her voice almost a whisper.

Naruto closed his eyes, and it was like he was back there. That place of twisting shadow with no floor and no ceiling. And in front of him, his own reflection. Except if couldn't really be him. There was no way he could ever look that angry, no way his eyes could ever be that cruel. "He tried to kill me. I don't know if he was just that crazy from being locked up so long or if he was trying to take over my body." Naruto started to shake, unable to stop. "I've fought in wars. I've had people try to murder me before. But that was the scariest, most brutal fight I've ever been in. And I know that it was all in my head and I didn't get hurt in the real world… but I can still remember him biting off my nose and plucking out my eye."

Hinata got up, fully intending to give the nice man who'd fed her a hug.

"Don't!" he barked, hearing her move. He looked up, shaking his head. "I appreciate the thought. But you really shouldn't touch me right now."

"Okay," she agreed, sitting back down. "I'm sorry that happened to you, though."

Naruto grinned, or at least twisted his mouth up. "It's actually for the best that it happened when it did."

"Why?" Hinata asked, bewildered.

"I met him before I got my powers. So, he didn't have them either. That's the only reason I won. If I'd confronted him after finding a Matriarch, he would have obliterated me in an instant. Instead, I managed to snap his neck when he let his guard down." Naruto shook his head. "After that, I woke up. And it was like I'd grown a whole new section of my brain or something. I suddenly 'knew' about Uzu, I 'knew' the schematics for Uzu tech, the same way I knew how to breathe or curl my fingers. It's all… 'deeper' than my ordinary memories, almost instinctive."

Naruto sighed. "And for the last ten years, I've grappled with that knowledge. For a while, I tried to convince myself it was all a hallucination, but eventually I accepted it. I'm not smart enough to invent a whole language and alphabet, let alone all the rest. I thought a lot about what I was going to do. I considered just living celibate until I died and never having to deal with it. But in the end, that felt too much like running away.

Eventually, I made myself a promise. I would NOT be like other Uzu. I wouldn't enslave anyone. If I was going to have Thralls, they'd be willing participants who knew exactly what they were getting into. I would care for them, not use them. And I'd use my inheritance to help people instead of hurt them."

Naruto looked into Hinata's eyes. "And now, here we are."

Hinata gulped, the weight of his stare pressing heavily on her. "Why me? You've waited ten years to find a Matriarch. Why pick the scrawny worm girl who broke into your ship?"

Naruto looked away, an agonized expression on his face. "I wish I could say it's because I just met you and I already know I want to spend my life with you. I wish I could say it's because the Tyrenium in the hold is going to set me up for life and I'm finally in a position to settle down." Naruto dug his fingernails so hard into his palm he almost broke skin. "But the truth is that, no matter how hard I try not to behave like a monster, I was still born one. When I went to drop off your clothes, I almost joined you in the shower. You don't know how hard it was for me not to, and believe me, that scares me almost as much as it should scare you. My body's going crazy from your pheromones, and I can't guarantee you that I'll be able to resist you for the next few weeks. If you choose not to be with me, I'll try my very best to honor that. But I'm offering you the choice, because I'd rather you gave me your consent now than find out if I'll ignore it later."

Hinata felt her heartbeat speed up, but for some reason she wasn't really panicking. She heard his words, and could tell that he meant them. But she could also hear the shame in them. She could see the apology in his eyes. Yes, part of him wanted to… rape her. But the rest of him didn't. And he was fighting to give her the chance to make it consensual. A harsh, bitter part of her hissed that he should be able to just not do it at all, but really, wasn't this situation her own fault? She was the one who'd snuck onto the freighter, having no idea who its captain was or how he would react to her. She'd taken away his chance to warn her away from the danger he represented. So now, as she'd always done, she'd have to take what she could get and make the most of it.

"Thank you for your honesty, Naruto. The fact you're going to the trouble of telling me instead of just taking what you want just makes me sure that you really are a good man."

Naruto recoiled as if her words were the lash of a neural whip. "How can you say that after what I just told you?" he demanded, his words brimming with anger. Hinata stayed calm though, because she could tell it was all self-directed.

"It doesn't matter what urges you get, just the ones you choose to act on. An alcoholic can want to drink and choose to stay sober. And even if you were human, you'd probably be having naughty thoughts about being alone with a teenager. And considering how nice and handsome you are, I might have made a move anyway!" she chirped, trying to raise the mood from its current abyssal depths.

Naruto laughed. He couldn't help it, and it wasn't really about humor. He just needed to let out all the emotion her words had somehow unblocked, and laughing felt better than crying. He laughed until his ribs ached. When he opened tearing eyes to look at the grinning young woman before him, he smiled for the first time since the conversation started. "You're an incredible girl, Hyuuga Hinata, and far kinder than I deserve."

Hinata pouted. "You've really got a complex about all this Uzu shit, don't you? If I do become your Matriarch, you'll have to work on that. I'm not spending my life with you brooding next to me."

Naruto snorted. "I'll keep that in mind. Is there anything else you want to know that I haven't explained?"

"Hmm… how about a pro/con list for being your Matriarch? You didn't really explain much except how it worked."

"Okay," Naruto nodded. Freed, at least temporarily, from his self-loathing, he reviewed all his knowledge of Thralls and his powers and considered how they could affect Hinata positively. "Well, for starters, you'll be rich. If we're going to be a team, you deserve as much right to the money I'm going to make from that Tyrenium as I do."

Hinata frowned. "How much is that stuff actually worth? I don't recognize the name, so I guess it's rare or something, but it came from Karron of all places. What's so special about a few chunks of metal?"

Naruto smiled teasingly. "You ever hear the phrase, 'the diamond in the rough'? It means something extraordinary found where you didn't expect to find it. And Karron might be nothing but a big rock, but it's a rock that had some Tyrenium tucked away inside. And the last time I checked, Tyrenium sold for over twenty million ryo a ton." Naruto paused for dramatic effect. "I bought TEN tons."

"Holy fuck!" Hinata squeaked.

"Like you, Mizuki had never heard of Tyrenium. The sale would have been a bargain at twice the price, but he didn't know that." Naruto winked. "So, yes. Assuming we aren't slaughtered by pirates or sucked into a black hole, the two of us will be millionaires after this deal goes through."

"I hate to sound like a gold digger, but I'd blow you just to have that kind of money!" Hinata's eyes got dreamy. "I'm going to get SO fat."

Naruto marveled at her desire for what some women considered their worst fear. They'd truly lived very different lives. But if she really did want that… "I hate to burst your bubble, but you won't. I mean, you can eat to your heart's content, don't get me wrong, but you won't get fat."

Hinata scrunched her nose. "Why not?"

"Remember how I said my… cum would let me work my powers on you? I don't know the specifics, but I do know that I'll be able to literally rewrite your DNA. You'll essentially be clay for me to mold. And call it selfish, but I'm going to give you what I consider the ideal female body. You'll be about 5'9, a 32D cup, and muscled like a gymnast with just enough fat to not look like a bodybuilder. You also won't have any hair below the neck, and your skin will have a natural tan. As long as you keep swallowing my loads, you'll stay that way. So, no getting fat."

Hinata's eyes were wide as coins. "You can give me boobs? REAL boobs?"

Naruto smiled warmly. "Is that all you're going to focus on? But yes, I can make your boobs bigger."

"This keeps getting better and better," said Hinata. "What else?"

"Like I said, I'll be able to change your DNA and use my powers on every part of you. I can just keep resetting you to the 'template' of my ideal woman. That means that you'll never get sick, because no disease will stick around long enough to cause any damage. If you're ever injured, I can just top you up and you'll be healed in minutes. And… you'll never grow old."

Hinata shook her head like a wet dog. "I'm sorry, I must have heard you wrong. Did you just say your cum will let me live forever?"

Naruto shrugged. "Well, aging is, at its most basic, the accumulation of errors and junk in the body. It's the whole 'copy-of-a-copy' problem, plus basic entropy. But with my powers, I can clean all that up. So, unless you die before I can heal you or you ever stop drinking from me, then yes, you'll live forever."

Hinata looked at him in wonder. But then her smile dimmed. "But wait… what about you? Are you going to have to eat your creampies every now and then to de-age too?"

Naruto couldn't stop a rush of laughter. "Interesting idea, but no. According to my Guide's memories, my body will sort of 'freeze' once you become my Matriarch. Once my powers are unlocked, I'll just stop aging. Add that to psychic healing, and unless I get decapitated, I'll be around for a long, LONG time."

"Which means I'll be around for a long, long time," Hinata mused. "Huh. Immortality. It kinda hurts my head, thinking about it."

Naruto nodded. "I think I'll just try to take it a century at a time. Though I wonder how they'll fit all the candles on the cake at my one millionth birthday, let alone my billionth."

Hinata brought up a hand to rub her forehead. "You're not even joking, are you? Fuck," she breathed, awestruck. "Is there anything else before we get to the bad part?"

Naruto rubbed his chin. "I might be able to give you psychic powers. And not to toot my own horn, but you'll be getting the pleasure of my company. Both in and out of the bedroom," he tacked on, unable to help himself.

"Is that all?" she asked playfully. Her smile fell, and she held her head up a bit higher. "You wouldn't have been so worked up about this if there weren't some downsides. What are the cons to being your Matriarch?"

"I'll try to avoid it, but you still might get the compulsion to obey me. If it happens, all I can promise is to not force you to do anything on purpose," Naruto explained. "On top of the physical changes, there will be some personality shifts as well. This sounds horrible, but if we're going to spend eternity together, I'm going to change all the parts about you that could get on my nerves. It just seems like the best way for us both to be happy instead of learning to adjust to each other. If you KNOW about the changes and still agree, that should soothe my conscience."

Hinata gulped. "Okay… what kind of changes are we talking about, here?"

Naruto tried to smile reassuringly. "Keep in mind, you'll still have all your memories. You should still feel like 'you', I'm just changing a bit about how it's framed. As to what that is exactly… I like a woman who lights up a room when she walks in. Friendly, compassionate, just an overall positive aura. I like being dominant in bed, so you'll be more inclined to be submissive. I like intelligence, so you'll have a genius IQ. The biggest changes, and a bit of a necessity in the long run, is to make you bisexual, boost your sex drive and remove all your jealousy. I simply hate catfighting and selfish behavior, so that will have to go. I want to be able to take you whenever I want and for you to be eager for it, even initiating at times. And I love seeing two women together, especially when I get to join in. I figure that everything will just be more enjoyable if my Thralls don't just tolerate each other, but get intimate even when I'm not around."

Hinata pursed her lips. "So, what you're saying is that I'm going to turn into some debauched harem girl straight from a porn holo, and I'll like it?"

Naruto winced. "You can see why I'm not sure you'll accept. Though, those girls generally don't have two brain cells to rub together, and I want to feel like the dumb jock who managed to score the college girl. You'll be smarter than me, that I can guarantee, so if you really hate it you could probably convince me to change things."

"… I suppose there are worse ways to live forever than as a perpetually horny teenager," Hinata mused. "As long as you can keep up with me," she teased, though it felt a bit awkward.

Naruto smiled slow and wide. "Honey, that's one problem we're never going to have."

Her cheeks were flaming. "Right. Um. Was there anything else besides messing with my head?"

Naruto's smile vanished. "As my Matriarch, you'll have an empathic bond with all my Thralls. You'll be able to feel what each of them are feeling. Again, I'm going to keep my number of Thralls relatively small, but it might get overwhelming at times. I'll do my best to make sure everyone's happy as best I can, but I imagine even that might get annoying after a while."

"Right… I don't even know what to do with that. Feeling more than just my own feelings? That's something I just can't anticipate," Hinata thought aloud.

"You don't have any family to outlive, so that's one less thing to worry about," Naruto continued. "Last but not least… I'm not going to go starting any wars. But if I see a situation go bad and I'm in a position to help, I'm not going to be able to turn away. And if another Uzu shows up, I'll have to at least try and stop him. Running away while billions get slaughtered and enslaved just isn't in me. So, there's a good chance you'll be involved in active combat. I'll teach you how to fight, and with my powers there's little that can pose a real threat. But it's definitely something to consider. And that's everything I can think of."

Hinata bit her lip. "Right. So, quick recap, I have a choice. I can choose to stay quietly in my room for the rest of the trip, and I'll say goodbye with nothing but the clothes on my back and a crazy story. Or I can agree to drink from the magical transforming fountain of youth in your balls and spend millennia as your sexy side-kick, traveling the galaxy for adventure and good times. Is that about it?"

Naruto coughed delicately. "That's an interesting way to phrase it, but that's the gist of it."

"So, what I'm really choosing is between life and death," Hinata said offhandedly.

Naruto jerked in his seat. "What? Hinata, I'm not going to kill you if you say no! I'd ask that you keep all this a secret, but no one's really going to believe you anyway, so—"

"Relax, Naruto! I didn't mean it like that," Hinata shouted over his panicking. Once he settled, she continued at a more reasonable volume. "But if I don't become your Matriarch, I WILL die eventually. Hunger, a disease, an accident, maybe even old age. But I am going to die at some point. But, assuming you're not delusional or playing a stupidly complicated game to get into my pants, if I agree to be with you, I live. Possibly forever, but certainly a lot longer than I would have if I'd stayed on Karron. And by the sound of it, it'll be a much more interesting life too."

Naruto hardly dared to believe his ears. "What are you saying, Hinata?"

The blonde shrugged, a shy smile on her emaciated face. "It's not like I've got much to lose. And so far, you've treated me better than any other man I've met. I'd like to see where this goes. So, yes, I'll be your Matriarch. We can figure out what exactly that means for us along the way."

Naruto let out a shuddering breath. "Thank you, Hinata. Really, you don't know what this means to me." Having a brainwave, Naruto pivoted in his chair and activated the internal cameras. "Would you mind giving a statement of consent? Something for you to look back on, no matter what happens, and agree it was your idea?"

Hinata rolled her eyes, but her smile broadened. "You're really afraid I'll wake up one day and hate you for this, aren't you? I've known you an hour, but it's clear you've got some self-esteem issues, Naruto!"

The quadragenarian shrugged. "Please? It may seem silly, but this is important to me, okay?"

Hinata huffed before glancing around for the camera. Spying one in the corner, she twisted her seat to face it. "Hey, future me. This is you, Hinata, before Naruto's freaky alien cum did its thing. Naruto told you all about the Uzu and how being with him comes with a few changes. He hasn't threatened, bribed, or in any way forced you. You did this because it sounded like a good idea at the time, so if you have any regrets, don't blame him. And if all else fails, you can always walk away; he said he can break the bond without us dying and that he'd never make us obey. And if he was lying about that, then he probably won't let you see this, so what's the point? Now get back to Matriarch-ing!"

"Not what I was expecting, but it'll do," Naruto said delicately, stopping the recording.

Hinata winked. "Seems like the good old boy from the Core Worlds isn't used to asteroid girls and their special brand of charm."

Naruto laughed nervously. Now that this was actually happening, he found himself almost getting stage fright. He'd never had sex with someone who KNEW the long-term consequences before. "Before we, um, do this, there's a few details I left out."

Hinata narrowed her eyes. "What kind of details?"

"Nothing really important, I just didn't see the point of mentioning them unless you actually agreed," Naruto said hurriedly.

The pale waif crossed her arms. "After everything you just told me, what could possibly be too much for me to handle?"

Naruto tried not to squirm. "Um, well, my ears aren't the only way I'm… different from a Konoha. Now that we're actually going to have sex, you should know that my 'equipment' is not what you'd expect."

Hinata made no attempt to hide the way her eyes darted to his crotch. "It doesn't have teeth, does it?"

Naruto choked on a laugh. "What? No! I mean, it's shaped like a Konoha's, there's just a couple key differences."

"Are you going to explain them or are you just going to drop your pants and let me see for myself?" she teased.

Naruto shook his head. Once Hinata relaxed, she really was a bit of a minx already. Maybe he wouldn't be changing her that much, after all. "Okay. First off, the size. I'm big. I'm not trying to brag here, just trying to give you the facts. And the fact is that my erection is roughly the size of a wine bottle. All I can tell you is that it WILL fit, and I'll take it slow, okay?"

Hinata's brows were almost to her hairline. "I'll need psychic healing if you're planning to shove a monster like that up my holes!"

Naruto smiled encouragingly. "For what it's worth, I've gotten nothing but good reviews so far."

"Uh-huh. What else is there?"

"I have four balls. I call them my 'quad'. They're all reasonably larger than most Konoha males' as well. Consequently, I cum a lot. I'm talking quarts. So, don't be surprised if your belly rounds out after we've been together."

"Where would all that come from? Wouldn't you get dehydrated every time you bust a nut?"

Naruto shrugged. "I've never thought too hard about it. One last thing: my precum seems to send people into a trance. You'll build up a tolerance, but you probably won't remember the first few times. Oh, and you'll sleep for 14 hours after the first time. That's your body laying the groundwork for me to make all the changes to you."

Hinata glanced at the chronometer on the dashboard. "It's 1030 now. We do this quick and I'll be up in time for a midnight snack!" She stood up, and was suddenly reminded of how loose her borrowed clothing was. The compression shorts fell and got tangled in her ankles. She kicked them off, blushing. Luckily for her modesty, the shirt was big enough to cover her down to her knees.

Determined to ignore that little embarrassment, Hinata moved onward. "So, you want to just unzip and I'll get down to it?"

Naruto scratched at his cheek, keenly feeling how stilted and unromantic this moment was. "Actually, since you'll be passing out afterward, we should probably move to my cabin. And we don't have to start with me, if you don't want. We can make-out for a while and I can get you off a few times first. I mean, 'make your girl come twice for each time she does you', that's the rule, right?"

The teenager looked at him as if he'd just spoken Kumo. "Now I KNOW you're not Konoha. The guys I've been with wouldn't think like that in a million years."

"Well, I hope to STILL be thinking like that in a million years. It just seems fair to make sure the person you're having sex with enjoys it at least as much as you."

Hinata just shook her head and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. It was brief and chaste, but it sent a thrill through Naruto's body. "Come on, Mr. Uzu. Time to make me your Matriarch."

Naruto quickly checked that the long-range scanners were clear. Then he led Hinata to his cabin, trying not to think too hard about what he was about to do lest he freak himself out. It was just a blowjob, he'd had quite a few of those. Sure, it would be the first of many, but she knew that, she'd agreed to it. Setting his shoulders and deciding to take charge, Naruto strode firmly to his bed. He turned and sat down, Hinata standing hesitantly before him. "Take off the shirt," he commanded.

Hinata jumped a bit at the domineering tone. But she complied, pulling the cotton up over her head and tossing it to the floor. Naruto didn't even care, busy looking at the naked teenager. Objectively, she wasn't that much to look at. Her skin was fish-belly white all over, her breasts were almost nonexistent, and he could clearly count her ribs. But her hips flared wide, seeming to call for his hands to cradle them. Her lips teased him from below her indigo bush. And her eyes were bright, watching him watching her. This wasn't just some random girl. This was Hinata. The first to accept him for what he was, the first woman to willingly choose to stay by his side. She might not have the best body, but that would change with time. What mattered was, from this moment onward, she would belong to him.

"Undress me," he told her.

She stepped forward, into the open space of his legs. Even sitting down, he was almost as tall as her. He felt a surge of protective feelings in his chest, wanting to handle her with care. At the same time, he wanted to just throw her down and have his way with her. For once, he didn't try to fight that part of him down. He WOULD throw her down, one day. He would handle her like fine glass another day. Some days she'd do all the work, others he'd spend hours teasing her, and some days they would just attack each other. They had TIME. He didn't have to resist the siren call of her body and his instincts. He just had to be patient. And he could afford to be patient, couldn't he? He had the rest of time.

Hinata's small hands pulled on his shirt. He held his hands up for her, letting her get it off quickly.

"Wow," Hinata blurted. "You're fucking ripped."

Naruto smiled confidently. "I wanted to be in the best shape possible once this moment came. Plus, exercise is a nice way to pass the time. I'm guessing you approve?"

The girl ran her small hands over his broad shoulders, bulging pecs, and chiseled arms. "I couldn't fight you off if I wanted to. You're so strong, you could do whatever you wanted to me. Seeing it, feeling it, and knowing that you won't do anything I don't want… it's kind of hot," she mumbled to herself. "And you're not even human, but human men have always been so bad to me. It's like you're the dragon come to rescue the damsel from the cruel knight."

Naruto brought his hands up slowly to hold hers, trying not to draw attention to how his cock had firmed up the instant her skin touched his. "In a couple days, I can start breathing fire for you. But even if we got attacked in the next ten seconds, I'll always protect you. I've trusted you with my darkest secrets, Hinata, and somehow you trusted me back. Whether we're together for a day or decades, I'll never be able to thank you enough for that."

Her eyes got suspiciously bright. She coughed, and deliberately broke from his hold to run her hands down his shredded abs to his waistband. "Enough mushy talk. Show me the cock that could conquer the Elemental Spiral, already."

With fumbling hands, she managed to undo his button and zip. Lifting his hips to help her, Naruto watched as she slid his cargo pants and briefs off of him.

"Fuck me!" she screamed in surprise, jerking back as the pulsating pillar of male flesh was freed of its trappings. It stood there, angrily throbbing for the touch of another, reaching up past his belly button. Pulled up tight underneath it were four orbs, each about the size of the apple she'd eaten earlier. It was a magnificent example of masculinity, enough to strike the viewer dumb in awe and wonder.

"That's the plan," Naruto said playfully, unable to help the boost to his ego her reaction provided. While she was distracted, he kicked off his pants, underwear, and socks. "We'll work up to it, though, don't worry."

"How the fuck is that supposed to fit in me?" Hinata demanded, her face a curious mixture of horror and fascination.

"My precum will help you to get it down your throat. And one of the very first changes I'll make is so you'll stretch everywhere without getting hurt." Naruto shrugged helplessly. "I can't really do anything else than that, though. I didn't ask to be this big."

Hinata suddenly broke into giggles. "You realize that if you were a Konoha this size, you'd be screwed, right? You'd almost never find a woman who wouldn't run screaming from the room once she saw it. How did you ever get laid without explaining what you are?"

Naruto sighed. "You'd be amazed how many size fetishists there are in the galaxy. And, honestly, half the people who've slept with me had a little liquid courage before we started. I was only ever looking for a one-night stand or brief fling, so it didn't really matter. Even before I found out about the Uzu, I was worried about causing long-term damage because I was different."

Her eyes softened, and she leaned in to kiss him on the lips. Naruto's hands twitched, eager to get on her, but he restrained himself, letting her set the pace. He couldn't help but focus on how his glans grazed her tummy, though.

Hinata pulled back, her bewitching blue eyes locked with his. "You've been very lonely up till now." It was a statement, not a question. Regardless, he found himself nodding. "But those days are done. You have me, now."

She kept eye contact as she sank slowly to her knees. She looked away only to shift her attention to his engorged prick. She gently took hold of it, trying not to be intimidated by the fact her fingers couldn't close around it. Glancing back up at Naruto's concerned, grateful, eager face, she quipped "Bottoms up!"

And then she took the tip into her mouth.

Naruto's hands curled into the sheets. It had been months since he'd had sex. He always seemed to forget just how good it was to have a warm, wet, soft texture on the most sensitive part of himself. He felt his body's natural lubrication surge up his shaft, his quad sensing a new home to house their squirming contents. He kept his eyes open though, waiting for the moment Hinata's eyes would glaze over. Seeing her mouth around him was like watching a gerbil trying to eat a cucumber, but it was hard to laugh when it felt so nice.

Hinata kept her pouty lips in a firm seal around the mushroom head, for once glad for the skills she'd picked up from years of survival sex. She was surprised to find that the taste that surged over her tongue was sweet, not salty. In fact, it was even sweeter than the piece of licorice she'd once stolen from an unsuspecting trader. She focused her tongue on the slit, wanting even more of that heady taste. Her efforts were rewarded with another spurt, but it wasn't enough. The more she had, the more she wanted. Her last lucid thought that it was no wonder an Uzu's Thralls kept coming back for more. Then she covered her teeth with her lips and moved over the rim of the head, and gave a good, hard suck. Her awareness was swept away in a rush of gustatory sensation.

Naruto relaxed as he saw her go into the trance. Now she wouldn't hurt him or herself by overthinking it. All he had to do was lie there and enjoy her mindless sucking, until eventually he reached his climax and blew her up like a balloon with his rich spunk. He reached out with a hand to rub her head, feeling her stringy hair and anticipating the day it would be thick and strong. "Good girl, keep it up, you'll get it all down soon," he said distractedly, relishing the feelings surging up his shaft to his brain.

Hinata made steady progress down his shaft, the movements of her mouth not unlike the reflexive suckling of an infant at its mother's teat. Naruto savored every inch she devoured, his pleasure growing with every bit of his meat she swallowed. In no time, he reached the entrance to her throat. She seemed to hesitate, before pulling back to take a breath and plunging forward. Naruto's eyes rolled back as he felt the distinct shift in sensation as he entered her pharynx proper. Finally, her lips were wrapped around the base of his shaft, her nose brushing his groin and her chin the taut skin of his oversized scrotum. In that moment, Naruto forgot about Uzu and Thralls and everything else that had plagued his mind since he'd found Hinata that morning. All that mattered was that he was buried to the hilt in a warm body.

Hinata unconsciously began to deepthroat him like an expert courtesan, sliding the full length of him from the head to the root in and out of her tight mouth. She never seemed to fight for breath, taking him with all the regularity of a metronome. Naruto's pleasure waxed and waned with each stroke and pause, his world narrowing down to the stimulation of his cock and the heavy weight in his balls. Yet even as he succumbed to physical lust, his mind focused on the incredibly erotic truth: this was just the beginning. He'd feel the warm embrace of her throat countless times in the future. In time, he'd also feel the silky walls of her pussy and the tight heat of her ass. She was going to be his Matriarch, his Thrall, his woman, HIS! His to cherish and protect, his to ravage and delight, his to do whatever he wanted to. He was going to round out her body with his seed, one way or another, for years to come!

It was that last thought, of an incredibly beautiful version of Hinata rubbing a belly swollen with both his child and his load, that set him over the edge.

"AAAH! FUCK!" he roared, so loud it might have been heard from outside the ship had it not been traveling through the empty void between stars.

His quad, which had been preparing this particular load for days, unloaded with explosive glee. Hinata paused in her movements, instinctively focusing on coaxing every drop out of him and into her stomach. She was filled to capacity in just a couple jets, but there was so much more to come. Her body had no choice but to expand, her abdomen slowly but steadily rounding out as millions of Uzu sperm were ejected into her to begin their futile quest for a fertile egg.

Breathless from his orgasm, Naruto slowly and carefully extracted himself from Hinata. His slowly softening tool left her lips with a little pop, the girl faithfully maintaining a pull until the last second. She panted, the exertion of the last few minutes finally catching up with her. He could see that her mouth was painted white, a last few spurts leaking out despite the lack of contractions. Her hands idly caressed the tight flesh of her tummy, which looked like it had a watermelon or pumpkin shoved inside it.

Naruto gently lifted her up off the floor, realizing he now held the most precious thing in the universe to him in his arms. When he'd woken up, he hadn't even known she was on the ship. It wasn't even lunchtime yet, and she was now the most important person he knew.

"That trip to Karron really was the best decision I ever made," he chuckled to himself, tucking her beneath the covers of his bed. He leaned down to kiss her temple, even as she fell asleep the moment her head touched the pillow. "Sweet dreams, Hinata."