Years ago, a young boy lived happily in a small village off the shore. Living so close to the ocean empowered him to dream of one thing: sailing the open seas. More than anything, he wanted to get out of this puny village and explore the world with a ship of his own. One day, he'd be a pirate.
His two best friends shared this dream, and they vowed to sail together one day. The three of them were known for their mischief and getting into trouble as they searched for adventure. They were a family; they were inseparable.
"YO! TEME! YOU UP, YET?!"
A loud banging on the door and an unbearable shout startled the man, ceasing his vision behind the eyelids. As he rose, dark locks fell before his face. Brushing them away from his onyx eyes, he contemplated his dream. Why was he dreaming of the past? He had left that forsaken village 5 years ago, vowing never to return. As he recalled, they were currently nowhere near the place he once called "home." What was the source of the vision, then?
The man broke from his thoughts as the source of the commotion outside barged into the chamber.
"Teme, what are you still doing in bed?"
By glancing past the intruder, he could see it was barely dawn. "And why aren't you in bed, Dobe?"
As captain, he knew his first mate would sleep until the sun was almost directly overhead. Seeing him up with minimal daylight was out of the norm. He was about to dismiss him, but the next statement caught his attention.
"We've got one. And it's a goldmine!"
That changed everything. It was time once again for the notorious Captain Sasuke Uchiha of the Amaterasu to strike.
Naruto Uzumaki, his first mate and childhood friend, wore a goofy grin as his "captain" prepared. Sasuke may be the leader of the crew, but Naruto never called him by his title. To him, Sasuke was simply his best friend, and he could tell why Sasuke seemed eager. He understood that this was what they lived for; this was why he left home: to join his best friend on a never-ending adventure!
Sasuke made his way out of his quarters, brushing past the blonde idiot, who stayed at his heels. The rest of the crew was already on deck, preparing to dock. Sasuke felt a small dose of pride, though he wouldn't let the crew know. They may have their quirks, but their teamwork and loyalty was unrivaled.
"Good morning, Captain."
Sasuke turned to see Neji, the lookout. This man had no need to remain at the crow's nest; his Byakugan was far superior to the average telescope.
"Just the man I want to see. What's our destination?"
The veins of Neji's eyes bulged as he reported, "60 degrees east, 100 meters and closing."
Pulling out his spyglass, he followed the directions to see a cliff on the shoreline, but that was all he could make out. "I need some details, Hyuga."
Before he could respond, big eyes, bushy eyebrows, and a bowl-shaped hairstyle appeared in his line of vision.
"I believe, my captain, that we are approaching the location of a wedding ceremony, as Neji has informed me!" A thumbs-up and sparkling smile followed the proclamation.
Sasuke had to roll his eyes at Lee's antics. Lee knew how to make an entrance, whether desired or not. Still, he was dedicated and easily put to work.
Naruto, still standing at Sasuke's side, wore a mischievous grin. "Wedding ceremony, huh?"
After some exchanged smirks and glances, (minus Lee, of course), it was time for action. Sasuke observed as Naruto used that loud mouth of his to bark out orders.
He saw Kiba and his dog Akamaru perk with excitement; Kiba was always itching for some action.
Choji, the cook, came up from the kitchen to help where he could. He's a loyal one, though he goes through the food supply as fast as lightning.
A man with a black, spiked ponytail tied to the back of his head groaned as he moved to a standing position. Shikamaru was in charge of navigation and strategizing. He's quite capable when he wants to be, which was rare for that lazyass.
Sai put down his sketchbook and got to work. They had picked him up from a group of mercenaries, kidnapped as children and trained to kill. With his pale complexion, one could hardly tell he lived at sea.
It took a while for Sasuke to spot Shino, the quiet one. He kept his face mostly covered and always wore those strange dark lenses over his eyes.
With the crew preparing their arms, their captain turned back to the sea, waiting for the plunder to begin.
As the Amaterasu approached the shore, Naruto could hardly contain his excitement. He pulled out the spyglass from the teme's hands and looked for their target. What he found made his excitement rise even more! From what he could tell, it was an outdoor ceremony with guests almost entirely made up of noblemen. Nobles meant goods and jewels. He could get some pretty hefty prices for those treasures, not to mention all the wedding gifts! He tried so hard not to drool as he thought of all the ramen he could get!
Sasuke simply ignored his salivating companion. Instead, he chose to come up with a plan in his head. If the people were mostly nobles, they would not have the vigor to fight back. Threatening them alone would probably suffice; there's no need for unnecessary bloodshed. Though there was still the possibility of guards being present…
Then he had to consider how to catch them off guard. The wedding party had been crafty enough to locate atop the cliffs, where no one could reach them from the seas below. However, his crew could make it up with no problem, though they would have to use speed as well as stealth to reach the top without giving away their presence. He'd have to make it clear for Naruto, Lee, and Kiba. If they could manage that, this plunder would be a cinch.
Sasuke relayed his plan to the crew. Shikamaru yawned, yet he gave a nod of approval; if the captain was going to do his job for him, he'd have no complaints. Sasuke sternly looked over the crew.
"Just stick to the plan. No killing. And we have to be quiet on the way up." His gaze turned toward the three obnoxious sailors. Naruto and Kiba scowled at their skills being doubted, though Lee just saluted in understanding. He ignored their reactions and turned back to the rest of the men. "Understood?"
"Aye!" shouted the crew. Sasuke picked up his grapple.
"Alright, let's do this."
"Who are you?!"
"We couldn't help but notice your little party and decided to pay our respects."
"Where did you get this?"
"...so you remember?"
Next time: Something Unexpected
Review :)
For those who follow my stories, I assure you that SSCE is in the works, along with a list of other things to write. So much to do, so little time. *sigh*
Message me if you have questions or comments. I DO NOT OWN NARUTO
