Namikaze Naruto, a name that was feared by many who sailed the seas and heard about his infamy. Like the breath of the Reaper, he butchered his way through lines upon lines of enemies, and his crew was equally cruel. Any targeted ships ended up at the bottom of the ocean and any bounty hunter that came after his head ended meeting their maker. Few could stay near him for long before he lashed out and even fewer had ever seen his softer side, as most people only met his thorny shell crafted to defend his mind from the horrors of life.
Naruto was sitting at a shady bar as he heard an old sailor drone on about his past travels. The man had taught him how to tame the seas and to defeat any marine that tried to capture him. At a certain point, he grabbed the man by the shirt. "Repeat what you just said Jiraiya." The elder sweated a bit at the sight of a sword close to his neck. "And I want the truth, so don't try to spin lies." Jiraiya gulped and racked his memory for the information. "I once went to a mysterious island, with a bizarre terrain. Many of my crew were killed by monsters, but the ones who survived found a ruin with interesting writings." He pulled a few papers from his ratty pouch. "Here, some of my notes on what I saw."
The blonde had stormed into his ship, demanding to see his personal decoder and translator. "Shikamaru! Come here you lazy deer!" The brunet rose a little from his nest on the piles of ropes. "What do you want captain?" He got a handful of papers shoved on his face. "Geez, no need to be so rough..." He would have snarked more, but a poisonous glare shut him up. 'Troublesome...' He skimmed over the scrawled writings and went to his quarters to get a better look at them. Naruto waited for results by indulging on his personal vice, poker, wiping clean the pockets of any chumps he managed to bait. It took a few weeks until the man came with results, and right on time, as if he had been any later he would have gotten a nice hole between his eyes.
According to the translation done by Shikamaru, the ancient writings were about an untold treasure that had been hidden for a long time, but the only way to access it was through a person with an uncorrupted heart, or else something tragic would befall the offenders. Well, he wasn't the kind of person to leave things to chance like in his past, but he did take the time to trace a possible route to the island described that was as safe as it could be, staying away from routes used by the navy. 'Bijuu Island...' He recalled faint memories of his father as he told him his tales, giving out a dry chuckle. 'I'll succeed where you failed.'
The captain was watching as his ship was tended by the crew. "Hey." The blond turned to face his second mate, Sasuke. "What do you want?" The raven haired one had a sneer. "Spar with me. Or are you rusted?" It did it, he leapt at the Uchiha and they engaged in a brawl, that wrecked the pier they stood on, leading to their fall on the water. "Let me go, mangy mutt!" Like in their many past fights, they drew blood and created several bruises on their foe. "Only if you yeld, son of a marine!" They got fished out by their crew and their medic, Sakura, separated them though a punch to each head. "Are you trying to get yourselves killed?!"
Naruto thought about the notes written by Shikamaru. 'Someone with a pure heart, uh?' His heart was anything but pure, having been dyed black through years of pillaging and murders. He had to find someone who fit the criteria, but where? He was in a disguise to be able to attend the festival of some kingdom that he cared little for, lest he got his head lopped off. He glanced at the partying people, focusing on the women. 'Man... the last time was three months ago...' A commotion attracted his attention and he got slightly curious. Using some of the buildings to get a better view, he saw the source, a woman that radiated an aura of innocence and infatuated the crowd with her charm.
He stalked the female until she got alone in her quarters in the castle, apparently she was a princess, but he gave two shits about that. He sneaked to a vantage point, readying the sleeping liquid crafted by his medic. His chance came shortly, he swooped in and held the drugged cloth to her face and mouth, holding her to prevent a struggle and alerting any guards that could be near. He smirked when she went limp on his hold, hoisting her over his shoulder and leaving the area. Using his street smarts, he managed to get to his ship undetected. Ignoring the quizzical looks of the crew, he went to the lower parts and threw the knocked out woman in one of the containment cells.
He barked orders for hauling the anchors and unfurling the sails, kicking off his journey towards Bijuu Island, the treasures hidden there had his name on them. He had both the map and the ticket to find the promised riches, and absolutely nothing would stand on his way!
There was a strange rocking motion, like the one that could be experienced by riding on a boat, but she had no memory of getting on one... Hinata jolted from her position on the floor, noting that she was in a dank and tiny room made with crude planks and there was the smell of salt. She then recalled the last few moments before she was knocked out, there had been a heavy sound of someone landing and a pair of strong arms had held her to shove a cloth on her face. Her mind drew the obvious conclusion, she got kidnapped for some reason, and the ones she thought of were not pleasant in the slightest. A crippling fear overtook her at the thought of her fate.
Since she woke up, she had taken the time to examine her prison, noticing that it had many bloodied chains and dark splotches on the walls, she knew what it meant - the aftermath of a grueling torture session. There was also a dirty sheet that reeked and some filthy bowls, lit up by a pitiful oil lamp. She wondered when someone would come to check on her, the isolation grated on her already abused nerves.
She heard heavy steps coming closer to her location and she tensed up. Soon the face of a blond man came into sight, holding a stronger lamp. He was somewhat handsome, but had a fierce scowl and several scars on his face. He smirked at her look of fear and crouched in front of her. "Don't worry, you're going to be more useful alive." She backed to a corner when he opened the door and entered the room, getting close to her. "What a waste - he grabbed her chin roughly - you look like a tasty morsel, but I can't take any chances about your kind of purity." He licked his lips. "Maybe after you find the treasure for me..." He left, making her feel even more temerous of what was to come.
Naruto clenched his fist once he was in his quarters, still feeling the softness of his newest prisoner. "Shit!" He caught himself mellowing, something that was strictly forbidden! He steeled his heart, he couldn't be swayed by those innocent eyes. And she was a royal, the same as those filth who ordered the hanging of both his parents. Blood dripped from his hand, showing how hard was his grip so he wouldn't slip. 'She is a tool, and I'll toss her aside after she becomes useless.' Still, he felt that deep down, he'd end up eating those words.