CHAPTER – 4
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Anime.
AN: Thank you all those who showed their appreciation, it compels me to make it better and keep on writing.
All the OCs that I use from now on belongs to 'Scarease'. Any OC that will be my original will be mentioned. Thanks to him for the excellent OCs.
I have done a slight edit in 'Chapter – 2' and 'Chapter – 3' at the part just after Naruto meets his new teammates. Make sure to check it out, it'll be important later in the fic. Also read the bottom AN in this chapter after checking out the above mentioned.
There was some problem in the 'Chapter – 4' I uploaded. I don't know how it happened. It only showed the heading. However, this is the real one.
I have updated my writing style from this chapter onwards, just as a few people suggested. I thank them for their suggestion. I'll update the previous chapters as well.
"Talking"
'Thinking'
'Flashback'
Ten Days Later:-
"There Naruto, I can see the border, just where the desert ends"
"Yeah, I see it too Tayuya…looks like we made it"
"Uh-huh" the redhead nodded.
The team's journey was quite peaceful, other than a few bandits, which were easily taken care of by the escorting ANBU. They reached the border and stopped. Naruto turned towards Kankuro, with the team behind him.
"Thanks Kankuro" said the blonde
"Don't mention it…mind if I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"Why didn't you go towards Iwagakure? Why come to Tanigakure?" (AN: Tanigakure means 'Village hidden in the Valley')
"Oh…it's just that we are still not ready to roam around in one of the Five Great Nations…it was different in Suna since we met you…I don't wanna take any risk"
"Yeah…alright then, I will leave now"
"Okay. Thanks again Kankuro, we wouldn't have survived if not for you"
"and I wouldn't have survived if not for you guys"
"Then…say my thanks to Gaara and my greetings to Temari"
"Sure" they shook hands and both the parties left towards their desired direction.
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"Haku…"
"Yes Naruto-sama?"
"Since…you know Kisuke started calling me Leader, I was wondering if you could stop calling me Naruto-sama" said Naruto giving special emphasis on the suffix "and call me Leader instead, it's a little less weird"
"…Okay then, I can do that"
"Really?! Thanks" Haku nodded and they continued sprinting towards the sea
"Leader"
"Yeah Kisuke?"
"We aren't staying in this country for very long right?"
"It's just as we discussed; we will be staying at a secluded spot for a month. We have to get strong. As we are right now, we can't beat a Jounin if we come across them."
"Yeah, you are probably right. We are missing-nins. We have to be stronger than our predator to be alive." Supported Tayuya
"That's right. After that, we get to the sea, get a boat and sail off. We aren't attracting much attention here" said Naruto. They all nodded and unconsciously increased their pace in enthusiasm.
After a few hours, the dusk fell and sun began sinking behind the mountains. The team was already tired because of the tenacious ten days, but they decided to keep going on until they found a safe spot. The Land of Rivers wasn't much populated, with only Tanigakure and a few civilian villages holding all the populace. There were less shinobi as a result, but they were not to be underestimated. Though the Shinobi of Tanigakure lacked in quantity, they were as strong as the Shinobi of Five Great Nations. The team definitely didn't wanted to come in contact with them, and hence were staying at the bottommost part of the country.
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"I'm almost out of chakra…"
"Hang in Kisuke-san. We can surely find a few caves in those mountains" said Haku.
The team rushed to a nearby small range of mountains. After reaching them, climbing the mountain was no Herculean task, and as expected, they did found a small cave inhabited by a bear. The animal was taken out quickly by a few senbons, and thus the team secured themselves a temporary hideout.
"Tayuya, place the usual Genjutsu on the entrance" said Naruto. She nodded, walked towards the entrance, faced the cave and started going through the hand-signs faster than before.
"False Surroundings Technique!" and the entrance lit a dim yellow for a few moments before returning to normal.
"Thanks Tayuya" she nodded and sat down, panting a little because of chakra exhaustion.
"Now that it's done, Kisuke, why don't you gather some wood and get a fire going?" said the Leader.
"Yeah…" and he went out to get the required material
"Come on Haku…we gotta go hunting" Haku nodded and followed Naruto.
Later that night, they had a decent meal and a quiet sleep. From the next day, the team started their one month long training. Naruto worked on making a faster Rasengan using one hand and his 'Wind Style: Great Breakthrough'. Haku trained in Taijutsu and breaking Genjutsu and a few already known Ninjutsus. Tayuya worked extensively on Taijutsu and a little on Genjutsu. She came to know about her affinity, which was Earth. Out of Kakashi's scroll, she found out an easy Earth style Ninjutsu and started working on it. Kisuke also found out about his Fire affinity. He too searched Kakashi's scroll and started working on a couple of easy Fire style Ninjutsus. Also, all of them did the basic Taijutsu and Chakra training.
One Month Later (Noon):-
"Ready team?" inquired Naruto
"Yup"
"Yes"
"Let's go" came three distinct voices.
They were already at the shore after crossing the Country of Rivers. Instead of taking the long path from the Fire Country, they decided to take the short-cut from crossing the sea. Tayuya had already placed a strong Genjutsu on them, to let them travel safely since some people may recognise a Henge. They were boarding a public ship, along with a few civilians to cross the sea. As soon as the ship departed,
"N-Naruto…"
"Yes Tayuya?"
"I…do-don't f-feel good-" without completing her sentence, Tayuya immediately ran to the side of the ship and began vomiting.
"You okay Tayuya?" inquired Naruto
"I didn't think you would be this prone to sea-sickness" said Kisuke.
She nodded weakly and gained her footing.
"Let's take her to the cabins" said Haku and gave Tayuya a shoulder support.
The guys nodded and followed his example. They all went to the allocated room to get some rest. They all had bought a single room for the four of them. The rooms were expensive, and neither of them had a fortune. The only way they afforded it was by taking the money from the missing-nins they beat in the Wind Country. They were running out of their ninja and medical supplies. Clothes and food were not a problem, since they stole it but they seriously needed some funds for the long run. Putting all their problems aside, they took a quick nap.
They woke up later in the evening, so much for a quick nap. Their ship was due to arrive two days later in the evening. There was nothing much to do. Since their alias were civilians, they couldn't train or have a quick spar. Tayuya was still in her bed, she couldn't risk coming outside. It looked like it'll be a memorable journey for her. The boat had a system according to which the passengers could catch their own fish and request the cook to cook it to them for the meal. Otherwise, they could also use the ship's fish stocks. The former method was cheap while the latter was expensive. Since the team couldn't afford any more expenses, the guys tried a hand at fishing. The sport wasn't boring, with a little dose of excitement from time to time. With their catches combined, they caught a total of six fishes of moderate size. They took them to the kitchen and requested for a simple dish. Later, with the dish prepared, the trio took it to their room, woke up Tayuya and had a satisfying meal. The night too went smooth.
The following day, the team, except Tayuya, were at the deck having a light conversation "But let me tell you, Land of Water has the best food-" Kisuke was interrupted when Naruto raised a hand,
"Do you guys hear it?"
"Hear what Leader?" asked Haku
"Maybe…I just heard a whizzing sound…it was like the sound of a-" just then, there was a blast of water, caused by an explosion which rocked the whole ship. The people struggled to stabilize themselves. The passengers were surprised, and amidst the crowd came a voice "Cannons! We have been attacked!"
'Shit! Just as I thought! Why can't we have a normal journey for once?!' Naruto looked around and saw a ship at a small distance, which had strangely came close to them without anyone noticing.
It was a big ship, several times bigger than theirs, and looked battle ready. There were several cannons aimed towards them. Naruto looked closer and saw a flag swirling in the wind. It was black in colour, endowed with skull and bones. Haku and Kisuke saw the flag too, and they all reached to the same conclusion almost simultaneously,
"Pirates?!" and panic overwhelmed the whole ship.
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The pirates' ship was fast. It quickly covered the distance between the two ships. On the other hand, their ship being a passenger one wasn't fast enough to get away. All the people could do was watch the attackers' ship get closer. When the ship was in a hearing range, all the pirates which weren't visible before climbed onto the railings with weapons ready and with a smirk on their faces.
"Heh heh heh…looks like it's your bad luck that you met with us heh." Came a heavy voice, the origin of which stepped up. He was a large man, easily crossing the six-foot margin.
"Now, if you'll hand down all the money you all have, I might spare your pathetic lives" he smiled grimly.
The innocent passengers were strangely trembling. Naruto immediately recognized the feeling. The man was letting loose killer intent; he was a shinobi! He glanced at Haku. Haku closed his eyes, and after a few moments, he mumbled,
"Easily Jounin…" Kisuke started sweating and Naruto tightened his fists. There was no way they could beat this guy, so they decided to take the second best choice; they decided to run.
The pirate captain took out a katana strapped to his waist. He raised and commanded,
"Now my men, charge!" The pirates used ropes and ladders to get on the ship.
"Naruto-sama, I can sense some shinobi among them, possibly Chunins." Informed Haku
"They are strong!" said Kisuke
"Yeah, it's good that the Genjutsu is marking our chakra. We can't fight them, let's just focus on running" they all nodded.
Meanwhile, the pirates boarded their ship, and were looting the passengers. Being at the opposite corner from the pirates, the team had some time to act.
The trio looked at each other, and strangely they understood what they had to do. With a firm nod, they all rushed to their task. Kisuke immediately ran to their allocated room, pretty sure that Tayuya was already awake and ready. He immediately opened the door, to find her packing her backpack. She looked at him, as if expecting an answer,
"It's the pirates" he answered.
She nodded and wore her backpack. Tayuya picked up Kisuke's and Naruto's backpack and tossed it at Kisuke,
"I already packed them. Let's hurry" he nodded. She picked up Haku's backpack and they made their way to regroup.
Haku was rushing towards the Captain's room. He could hear some voices from the cabin. He increased his speed, hoping that there still was someone steering the ship. Upon reaching the door, he pressed his ear against it,
"That asshole, he thought he could fight against us"
"That old fart thought he could save the ship"
"Relax guys, whatever, he is dead now. Just as the Captain ordered, we killed this ship's captain. Let's report back now"
It was just as Haku predicted, it seemed the ship's captain was dead, he was too late. From the voices, Haku could make out three people. He readied his senbons and hastily opened the door. His targets were shocked, and in the midst of surprise, Haku expertly threw the senbons. Each of them hit right on mark. With the senbons deep in their necks, the pirates fell down dead. Haku hurried to the captain, who was an old man in his late fifties. He knelt down and checked for pulse, but he couldn't find any. With a sigh, Haku left the room and hurried to the deck to regroup.
Naruto was on the deck, waiting for his teammates to arrive and thinking for a plan to escape safely. They couldn't risk using any jutsu or chakra, but they had to use some to walk on water. He just hoped that the pirates' captain wasn't too good to notice the slight chakra release from them while walking on water. Just then, he saw Kisuke and Tayuya with their stuff. Kisuke threw the blonde his backpack,
"What's the plan Naruto?" asked the redhead
"Nothing solid. There's no land within sight, and we can't just run around in open ocean-" Naruto was interrupted by Haku who came running towards them,
"It's too late, the Captain's dead" he declared. They all sighed. It was their last hope. If by some chance their ship managed to get away, there was no one to steer it. The only option left was to abandon the ship.
"Alright then, as I was saying" whispered Naruto,
"There's no land within sight, and we can't just run around in open ocean. There's only one thing I could think of, but I'm not relying on that. Do you guys have any solid plans?"
His teammates shook their head in negative. They all looked slightly worried, they had already guessed Naruto's plan.
"That leaves only one thing we can do…sneak in the pirates' ship" they face-palmed, it was exactly what they guessed, but in these circumstances, there was nothing more to do. They all decided to go along with Naruto's plan, use as minimum chakra as possible and use no jutsu until they are spotted, which they prayed they wouldn't.
Naruto and the others stealthily made their way to the back of their ship. They looked around, and when sure no one was looking, all of them jumped into the ocean. They used their chakra to walk on water and with speed only a ninja could master, they ran towards the pirate ship. As soon as they reached the pirate ship, they decided to stick close to the side to avoid being spotted. They made their way to the back of the ship and once again used chakra to climb up the ship. Seeing only a few persons on board, Tayuya quickly casted the 'False Surroundings Jutsu' and they became hidden from watchful eyes. With Haku in lead, him being a stealth expert, they all made their way to the entrance to the hull.
Once they reached the stairs, stealthily they climbed down. The ship was big, and there wasn't much light as the entered the base of the ship. Slowly, they kept going towards the end. Their aim was to reach to the very end, so that they cannot be seen by the pirates. Using genjutsu the whole time was not an option. Suddenly, they heard a grunt, which was surely of a person in pain. The team's senses perked up, something was going on. Trusting the genjutsu they were hidden in, the team made their way forward hastily. It was enough time for their eyes to adjust in the darkness. Haku gave them a nod, alerting them that a person was up ahead. Haku took out and senbons, and the rest got their kunais ready, though they were certain that an average person will not be able to see through their genjutsu. After moving a few steps forward, they could make out a figure standing. They continued advancing nonetheless. After a short time, the person was only a few metres ahead of them. At this distance, the team could figure out that the person was girl, probably a teenager like them. They could also see a sword strapped on her waist. Near her was lying the corpse of a man, who was probably a pirate.
"Sheesh…this guy didn't even had a bounty on his head." The girl rambled to herself.
"It's no good, the Captain's too strong…if these guys hadn't attacked the ship-" she suddenly stopped and stared towards where the team was standing.
'No way. She can't sense us, she's just an ordinary civilian!...isn't she' Tayuya thought.
The girl tensed and grabbed the hilt of her sword.
"I know you're there!" she said "Come out!"
They all looked at each other. Was she a shinobi? Kisuke stared at her for a few more seconds. Suddenly he whispered,
"I remember!" they all looked at him expectantly.
"She has the same green eyes! She was with us on that civilian ship" he replied.
"Tayuya-san, end the genjutsu, it's meaningless. Looks like we were not the only one hiding ourselves" said Haku.
Tayuya nodded and made a single hand-seal to release her jutsu. The jutsu wore off and all the persons present went immediately on guard with their weapons ready.
"Weren't you guys on the ship? So you were hiding…what do you want from me?!" the girl said
"What about you?" said Naruto "You are a shinobi too"
"No, you're mistaken. I'm a samurai…well at least technically, and I'm a tea trader" the girl replied.
The team members had mixed reactions.
"Then how did you sense my genjutsu?" Tayuya asked.
"I can sense chakra. Don't be mistaken, though samurai don't use chakra like you shinobi, they do use it in their Kenjutsu and they can sense chakra like you guys, though they're not as good in sensing chakra as shinobi" she explained.
Seeing that she was friendlier than before, Naruto took a step forward. The teen hastily drew her sword, and at the same moment, the other team members drew their respective weapons. Just as the girl closed her sword at Naruto's neck, Haku sped up and got behind her. He grabbed her left hand, twisted it and touched his senbon on her neck. At the same time, Kisuke took out a kunai and he too kept it at her neck, while Tayuya jumped back and kept her flute close to her mouth. After a few moments, realising the pinch she was in, the girl cursed and re-sheathed her sword.
'They're fast' she thought 'The blonde one seems like the leader'
"Now" Naruto said "What's your name?"
"Why should I tell you?" the girl replied
"It's your choice, we aren't afraid of killing anyone" Naruto said.
Naruto let loose some killer intent. He had practised to use killer intent, though his killer intent wasn't much, it still had impact. The girl glanced at them all and then felt killer intent from Naruto.
'They're serious' she concluded.
"All right, my name is Emi. I'm a tea trader and a part time bounty hunter".
Now that, surprised them all.
AN: Hey, this is to all those experienced writers out there reading my fic and dear readers, since I'm not much experienced as an author, it would be great if some of you gave me tips regarding the fic and point out my mistakes, either a plot-hole or grammatical mistakes or any mistakes of that sort. I'll be grateful for your help.
This chapter is a little short, but I just couldn't help it. It felt right to end it there.
As you know, Tayuya and Kisuke joined the group with secondary intentions. They are not fools who'll tag along with anyone that invites them. If you don't remember, check out 'Chapter – 2' and 'Chapter – 3' for more info.
If you find any mistakes or plot-holes, feel free to correct me. REVIEW!
That's all I had to say, smell ya later!
