"So let me get this straight" the cerulean-eyed fox turned toward the Cooper gang. "You are thieves who steal from criminals and effectively put them behind bars due to your snooping around. You're practically doing the police's job. But it doesn't matter that your helping put criminals behind bars, the police still want to arrest you guys?"
Bentley looked up from his computer monitor and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "That is a rough, but accurate, assessment of the situation."
"So are you sure you want to be helping thieves" Sly asked never looking away from the case file in his hands.
"I made a promise and I never go back on my word! Besides its not that much different from back home." The fox muttered the last part to himself.
"Good, cause our first target is Sir Raleigh the Frog." Sly announced placing the file down on the table so everyone could see the image of the hideous frog.
"Who?" Murray asked snacking on his bag of potato chips.
"Sir Raleigh the Frog" began Bentley "is the Fiendish Five's Chief Machinist." Typing on the computer Bentley continued, "Bored with a life of luxury and wealth, Raleigh's criminal mind blossomed when he discovered a love for piracy. A genius for designing evil machinery won this crime addict his membership in the Fiendish Five."
"You read the case file before me didn't you?" Sly glanced down at his short, smart buddy.
"No, technically I scanned and uploaded the information to my computer while digging up extra information."
"Wait" Naruto interrupted squeezing between Marry and Sly. "This guy had everything and he gave it all up to become a criminal?"
"Seems like it" grunted Murray while munching away at his chips before offering the fuming fox some.
Naruto ignored the kind gesture glaring at the photograph. Only one thing was running through his mind. Just like Sasuke.
Glancing at the blonde before returning to the monitor Bentley continued. "I've had to call in a few favors but I have learned that the last place Raleigh has been seen is on the Isle O'Wrath, located in the center of the perilous seas known as the Welsh Triangle."
"Then that is where we are going" Sly said, hefting his cane over his shoulder.
"That's great and all but were all forgetting a very important detail." Naruto announced to the gang.
At the inquisitive glances of the three Naruto sighed and continued with his line of thought. "How are we four, let alone us four and a van, going to get to an island which is located in the middle of a sea that constantly suffers from relentless storms and is feared by the majority of sailors?"
The three thieves glanced at each other. Murray's eyes were tearing up at the thought of leaving his precious van behind. Seeing this Sly sighed and turned to Bentley. "Call in some more favors."
"Already on it" The turtle replied quickly typing and hoping Murray wouldn't cry about his 'baby'.
The rain pounded against the windshield as Murray raced the van down the slippery dirt roads on the Isle O'Wrath. Bentley was typing away at his computer while Sly and Naruto played a game of Go Fish.
"Have any twos," Sly questioned slipping a card out of his sleeve as Naruto glanced at his few remaining cards.
"Go fish," Naruto replied reorganizing his cards and lying some combinations down before asking Sly in return. "Have any Aces?"
Sly silently snarled as he handed over his previously hidden ace to the grinning Naruto who laid down his last combo. "I win!"
"How do you always win," an exasperated Sly asked as he picked up all the cards.
"I don't know, just call it the devil's luck."
"Were here," Murray announced as he spun the driver's wheel causing the van to spin about. Murray grabbed the gearshift during mid spin and slammed on the breaks to stop the van from continuing in reverse.
"I think I'm going to throw up," Naruto muttered through his hand.
"Not in here" Sly said before throwing the fox out of the van. A few minutes later Naruto came back in sight.
"Thanks"
"Now Sly the van cannot go any further than this," Bentley instructed, never looking up from his computer.
"Thank kami for that" Naruto muttered before receiving Bentley's surprisingly intimidating glare. "Sorry, continue."
"As I was saying Sly will have to continue on without us, I managed to outfit our binocucomms so that whatever any binocucomm sees we will see here in the van as well."
"Wait what about me?" Naruto questioned.
"You will wait here with us"
"Come on I can help, besides if I stay in this van for any longer I'll go insane. No offense Murray." The young fox turned to the muscular hippo.
"No problem."
"I need to get out and move. Please let me help out here," Naruto begged.
"I could always use an extra pair of eyes," Sly said to Bentley.
"Fine, I was working on a binocucomm for you anyways. Here you go," Bentley sighed as he tossed the orange binocucomm towards our favorite shinobi.
"Great my favorite color, thanks. And thanks for letting me go although" Naruto turned towards Bentley. "I would have gone anyways even if you didn't approve." The fox grinned.
"I was afraid of that." The turtle sighed.
"Just think of it like this. By letting me on the field you can analyze my different jutsus and how the chakra flows and forms my various techniques."
"That is true" the turtle smiled before shooting a dart at Naruto.
"Oi, what was that for" Naruto shouted pulling the small dart out of his arm.
"That dart just gave me information on your vitals," the tactician of the Cooper Gang answered as he typed away at his computer.
"I can now monitor your vitals while you are on the field. It will also help me see how the chakra flows through your body and when your other chakra begins to act up." Naruto silently thought about the Kyuubi sleeping in his gut before returning to the conversation.
"But why did you shoot me with a dart? Couldn't you have just used a needle?"
"That was payback for interrupting me" Bentley smiled his glasses reflecting the light of his computer screen.
Creepy, reminds me of Kabuto.
"Okay gang lets get ready, Naruto your with me" the raccoon ordered as he ran for the cave opening.
"Hai" soon after an orange tail disappeared following the ringed one before it.
"Now Murray" Bentley said turning to his life long friend. "Why don't you go eat some chips while I keep track of Sly and Naruto."
"Okay, I can do that"
"Hey Sly I just spotted something that is going to complicate the mission" Bentley's voice crackled through the binocucomms. "See that nasty looking gate."
"Yeah, what about it." An impatient Naruto interrupted.
"It blocks the only road leading to Raleigh's hideout."
"Who needs roads, just jump over it."
"I can't jump that high Naruto" the exasperated raccoon thief replied.
"Then climb the cliff from the side and jump over the fence, like this." Naruto ran towards the cliff side and started running up it. A few seconds later Naruto was standing at the top of the cliff.
"That's nice and all Naruto but unlike you Sly doesn't have chakra to help him" the static voice of Bentley admonished the foxy teen.
"I may not be able to climb walls but I have a better alternative" Sly answered glancing at the lookout tower opposite from the Cliffside.
Before climbing the ladder Sly overhear a strange sound. It was like glass was gently hitting against something hard. Digging through the bushes Sly discovered a glass bottle with some parchment inside. A broken bottle later Sly unrolled the parchment piece only to bear witness to several rows of numbers.
"Now this is very interesting," Bentley commented.
"What let me see" Naruto's voice came across the binocucomm.
"Naruto turn on the visual on your binocucomm"
"Oh right, sorry Bentley."
"Now as I was saying, Sly you have found a clue of sorts to some kind of algorithm. If you can find more clues like this I could probably crack the code and we may find some thing of value too Raleigh."
"So we just need to find some more clues," Sly asked.
"Exactly"
"Like the three over there" Naruto said as he aimed his binocucomm towards a partly sunken ship near the tunnel's entrance.
"How…"
"The devil's luck" Naruto answered cutting off Sly.
"So Mr. Devil's luck can you find any more bottles" Sly asked a hint of challenge in his voice.
"Easily Mr. Ringtail, there are two in the trees by the cliff I'm standing on and two right beside me."
"…Dang it"
"Some people just have all the luck," Bentley muttered before signing off.
"What now" Sly asked as he stood by Naruto on the cliff.
"Spotlights"
"Naruto is right, the moment one of those search light hits you you'll be set on fire.
"That's not all' Naruto said jumping down Sly soon following. "You see those plants" Naruto motioned to the vineyard of thorns. "They are poisonous."
"How do you know."
Well I could tell them I stepped on one while they were not paying attention, but Bentley will want to know why I don't have poison running through my bloodstream and I really don't want to talk about Kyuubi, but I don't want to lie to them either. "Experience" the shinobi answered evasively.
"So we just avoid the light and try not to step on any thorns." Sly proposed.
"And take out the guard that is standing past those two statues." Naruto answered.
"And take out the guards" Sly agreed before sprinting forward.
"Raccoon, go back the way you came and I'll not be forced to kill you," a large walrus spinning a shuriken around his finger answered.
"Sorry but I have business with Raleigh"
As the walrus was ready to throw his throwing star a kunai shat through the air and embedded itself in the walrus' beefy neck. A few seconds later the walrus was laying on the ground dead and Naruto was standing over the corpse.
"Why did you do that!" an angry Sly shouted.
"He was going to kill you, plain as that." An unusual unemotional Naruto stated.
"But we didn't have to kill him"
"Would you rather have him report back to Raleigh and compromise the mission."
"I would rather do that then be a killer" At this statement Naruto's body froze up. Things became deathly quiet.
"Naruto" Bentley's voice buzzed over the binocucomm. "I understand what you are talking about but if there are any bodies and the police find out that we caused their deaths then if we are ever captured we will be put on death row." Naruto's body eased at Bentley's explanation.
"Alright, for now on I'll only aim to knock out. But if Raleigh discovers us it is not my fault." The fox replied turning his cerulean eyes towards the raccoon thief.
"I understand" Sly answered. Naruto grabbed the body and dragged it off to be deposed.
"Sly" Bentley muttered over the binocucomm's private link.
"Yeah"
"Next time don't make him angry. If I didn't intervene and calm him down that other chakra that was acting up might take over him and then you would have been dead. You understand?"
"Yeah I copy" Sly replied switching over to the public link. "Come on Naruto we have a job to do."
"I copy, over and out"
So this is a pirate ship Naruto thought as he took stock of his surroundings.
"According to my Intel that big blimp is where Raleigh is hiding out." Bentley instructed over the binocucomm.
"That big machine up in the sky?" the shinobi fox pointed out.
"It looks more like a machine than a hideout," mused Sly
"Your right Sly, that is a storm machine. It is the reason for all the bad weather around here."
"But why does Raleigh want all this rain?" the confused raccoon asked.
"Maybe he just likes the rain," answered Naruto
"Or maybe he likes to sink ships and gather the loot" countered Bentley?
"Either way I'm going to take back what is mine either rain or shine."
"That's the spirit Sly" Naruto smiled.
"Any way, in order to get closer to Raleigh we need to get through that tunnel over there."
"You mean the one with all that electricity flowing through it?"
"Wait, electricity? There is no way I'm getting near that again if I can help it," a frantic Naruto cried.
"No need to worry Naruto, you see that machine beside the tunnel that is powering the electricity?"
"Yeah Bentley"
"Feel like destroying it?"
"Oh yeah"
"Good because Sly is going to steal all five keys on this side of the ship and unlock the cage so you can destroy it."
"It might take me a while to steal these keys Bentley" Sly stated.
"How about we divide the job in half. Sly gets three of the keys while I'll get the other two and we'll meet back up here." The foxified shinobi put forth.
"That's fine, in fact that will give Raleigh less time to prepare for us once he discovers we're on his property." Bentley smiled.
"Great, now how about we crack open this safe that is hiding in the ferns behind us." Naruto turned around and started parting the ferns.
"But we don't have enough bottles to crack the code" Sly thought aloud.
"Here," Naruto replied spreading open a scroll and channeled some chakra through the seal. In a puff a smoke twelve more bottles appeared. "I've been collecting them."
"You have the keys," Naruto asked leaning against the rubber-insulated cage of the power generator.
"Right here" Sly answered spinning his three keys on his cane.
"Here you go" Naruto replied tossing his two toward Sly. At the raised eyebrow our shinobi fox decided to elaborate. "Since I'm doing the breaking you should at least get to do the unlocking."
Nodding in acceptance Sly carefully unlocked all five of the padlocks letting the rubber insulated cage fall.
"Allow me." Gathering in Naruto's hand was a series of different chakra currents flowing in many directions. Compressing this wildly flowing chakra into a sphere Naruto readied to charge.
"Rasengan!" Bits of metal flew as the metal exterior caved under the energy sphere's power. After the rasengan dissipated all that was left was a twisted hunk of metal.
"Wow, can you teach me that."
Naruto glanced over at the awe inspired raccoon. "Sure as long as you teach me some things in return. By the way I found some pages of that book that you're looking for."
"Thanks, I also found the blueprints of Raleigh's hideout." Sly answered.
"Lets finish this mission, I really don't like all this electricity" Naruto murmured rubbing his chest as he climbed through the tunnel.
"Agreed"
"Hold on Sly, Naruto, you still have to steal two more keys in order to get to Raleigh's hide out."
"How will two more keys help us get to Raleigh?" Naruto questioned.
"Look to your right." Both Sly and Naruto looked over and saw their ticket to the flying blimp.
"Oh no" whispered Naruto.
"Oh yes" grinned Sly.
"There is no way your shooting me out of a cannon" Naruto growled.
"Unless you can fly that is the only way you two will be able to reach the blimp." Bentley admonished.
"That's fine by me, this will be fun"
"Your really scaring me man" Bentley exclaimed before signing off. Sly turned to Naruto only to receive the same look.
"You're scaring me as well."
"You ready" Sly asked as he unlocked the last padlock.
"As ready as I'll ever be" a hesitant Naruto answered before climbing into the cannon. "You know I might have done many stupid things in my life but this is the dumbest thing ever."
"Really" Sly probed as he lit the fuse.
"Yes really, I'm about to blow myself to smithereens" the fox bit out.
"Come on this will be fun"
"Fun, how is blowing yourself up fun?" screeched the fox as he saw the fuse growing shorter and shorter.
"Just remember to save Raleigh for me. You can take care of all his goons"
"Fine" Naruto growled as the shortening fuse disappeared out of his sight. Soon after there was a flying fox streaking across the sky before he broke through a window on the blimp.
"Now its my turn" the raccoon thief grinned as he was shot out of the cannon.
On the blimp Naruto was on one of the platforms taking out the last of the hired guards when Sly flew through the already broken window.
"Took you long enough" The fox growled as he knocked out the last guard.
"You didn't enjoy the ride?"
"I've had bad experiences with falling from imaginable heights" Naruto responded as he recalled how Ero-Sennin tried to teach him summoning.
"Do I want to know?"
"Ero-Sennin thought I wasn't learning fast enough so he threw me into a near bottomless ravine." At Naruto's explanation Sly winced.
"Hey Naruto," Sly called out trying to change the subject. "Can you find the last page of the Theivious Raccoonus while I take down Raleigh."
"Alright…"
"It's rude for guests to wander around in a host's home" a whiny voice interrupted Naruto's response.
"The problem is that I hate uninvited guests" the voice that was emanating from one of the ugliest frogs in the world whined.
"Listen Raleigh wipe out my family and steal what's mine and you better expect company," Sly declared swinging his cane over his shoulder.
"Oh I'm ever so sorry, we should have finished you off as well"
Sasuke's attitude with a Gama's looks. I know this is supposed to be serious but this is just too funny. Naruto thought as he glanced back and forth.
"So" Raleigh said "Without further ado let me remedy this problem by bloating to gargantuan size and squashing you like the insignificant bug that you are."
Oh yeah, definitely Saskue's personality.
"Bring it on" Sly snarled.
Raleigh caught and devoured a fly that was buzzing around before swelling up to the size of a large boulder.
"Holy crap! It's a mini Gamabunta" Naruto cried out as he dodged the bouncing Raleigh.
"Who?" Sly shouted before dodging as well. "Never mind, Naruto get that page I'll take care of Raleigh."
"You sure?"
"Yeah just hurry up."
"I'm on it" Naruto shouted as he ran across the water and out to the door.
"Now its just you and me."
"So you have the papers," Sly questioned as both he and Naruto ran from Carmelita's sight towards the getaway van.
"Yeah something about a spire jump by a Rioichi Cooper. Did you find out where we are going next?" Naruto answered handing the papers to Sly while they dodged another blast from the shock pistol.
"Yeah one Muggshot residing in Mesa City, Utah."
"Good" both shinobi and thief dodged yet again. "Man I hate that pistol."
"Well I think everyone would hate getting shocked."
"Yeah well I'm extremely sensitive to and around lightning. I swear that element is out to get me." Wined Naruto as they jumped into the van.
"It cant be that bad" the raccoon thief smiled.
"It was the combination of lighting and my other chakra that sent me here."
"Really" an eavesdropping turtle asked.
"Yeah a… friend of mine and I were fighting. Our sensei taught him a lightning based attack while I learned rasengan. During the fight I used my other chakra to power the rasengan while my… friend used the lightning attack. When they both collided it caused this bright explosion and sent me here."
"Interesting" Bentley, mused before turning towards his computer.
"Why were you fighting" Sly asked. Naruto glanced about. Besides Sly looking at him Bentley was typing on his computer and Murray was driving but you could tell that they were both listening intently.
"It's… something I'm not comfortable talking about." Naruto answered looking down at the van's floor.
"Alright but I still have one more question."
"Okay" Naruto gulped.
"…Who is Gamabunta?" There was silence in the van before Naruto slapped himself in the head.
"Great I forgot to summon Gamabunta, although he is too big to fit in here. I hope I can get a hold of Gamakichi." Naruto cried out before biting his thumb and slamming his hand on the floor. "Kyuoisis no Justu"
There was a small puff of smoke and standing in the Cooper van was a bright red toad.
"Naruto, get your butt out here Jiraya has been frantic and Tsunade is on a warpath, Naruto?" the little red toad looked around and found himself surrounded by a fox, turtle, and raccoon. A little ways away this big purple hippo was sitting in a seat but he kept glancing back in the mirror.
"Alright who are you and what have you done with the idiot" Gamakichi spat out.
"Oi I know I'm not an idiot you stupid frog!" The fox shouted.
"Naruto?"
"The one and only!"
"I know you have some foxlike qualities but this is taking it too far," laughed the toad.
"Oi don't compare me to that stupid fur ball!"
"Alright already you loud-mouth tell me what happened so I can report to Jiraya and escape that ugly mug of yours."
"Sure, um Bentley can you help me with more of the technical terms, uh Bentley?" Both Sly and Naruto looked at the slack jaw turtle.
"Uh Naruto I think you broke him"
"Impossible… can't…be…done. Breaks… laws… of physics."
"Dang it Bentley wake up!" Naruto shouted as he shook the turtle.
"You might want to make yourself comfortable, this will take a while" Sly said to Gamakichi. Before Gamakichi could answer there was another puff of smoke and a yellow toad was standing there.
"Gamakichi you left me behind" the yellow toad wined. "Oh hi Naruto the yellow toad waved towards the fox who was shaking the dazed turtle. "Do you have any candy?"
Gamakichi sighed as he turned towards the raccoon thief "My brother, Gamatatsu."
"Great" Sly sighed.
"Do you want some" Murray said handing a bag of chips towards Gamatatsu.
"Sure!" Gamatatsu smiled as he pulled out a chip from the bag.