Chapter 4: New Mission and a New Team
"Somebody do something!" Chopper shouted, as iron spears pounded into the Going Merry. The Marines had waited for them to make their escape from Alabasta. They had set up a blockade at the mouth of the Sandora River in the hopes of capturing the Straw Hats. Currently, they were succeeding. Not even the noble sacrifice of MR. 2 had been enough to slow their pursuers.
"Usopp, SHOOT THE DAMN CANNON!" Nami screeched from the helm as Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji all did their best to deflect or return the incoming projectiles. It just wasn't enough. Chopper was right. They needed to do something, and quick. If they couldn't break through the blockade, their careers as pirates were over. They would be doomed to the execution platform or locked up in a dark cell for the rest of their lives. Looking up, Nami saw another volley of spears streaking towards them, whistling through the air as they flew. Headed directly for Going Merry, this volley would be the last. It would end them. It was all over. Nami gave a frightful scream, and closed her eyes. Her life had been short, and painful, but these last few months had been worth it. A new chapter where things were finally turning up, but apparently it had all been too good to be true. But, the dull thunk of steel impaling wood, and the explosion of splinters that tended to accompany it never came. Nami opened her eyes hesitantly. Is death this painless? She wondered. A fiery explosion lit up the sky above them. It swallowed the projectiles, and reduced them to dust. Stunned, her mind filled the gap in reality with the only possible solution. "Usopp! You're amazing!" she cheered, all thoughts of doom and destruction gone.
"But I didn't…." Usopp went quiet when he noticed two streaks of water heading right for them. "Ah! Torpedo!" He shouted diving for the deck.
/\/\/\
Gaara and Naruto sprinted across the ocean towards Merry, sending sprays of water up into the air as they trampled the water. The duo launched themselves into the air, vaulting the over Going Merry. Naruto waved to the stunned crew as they sailed through the ship's rigging. Without missing a beat, they landed back on the water and ran straight towards the pursuing Marines.
/\/\/\
The Strawhats watched in silent awe as Naruto created a handful of his trademark clones. They descended on the lead ship, swarming its deck. At the same time Gaara took on the two secondary vessels, sand flying about, ripping into the two ships. Almost immediately, the marines began to drift off course.
"Che, showoffs." Sanji muttered, a tinge of jealousy in his voice.
Zoro landed next to him on mast, and grunted in agreement.
"They can run on water?!" Usopp shouted. "But… But…"
Chopper rocked back and forth happily. "Naruto's so cool."
Stars filled Luffy's eyes. "Nami can you see this!? Make Naruto join our crew."
Seeing the opening they needed to escape, Nami wasted no time in waiting for Luffy and the others to come to their senses. They could marvel over Naruto's skills later. "Sanji! Zoro!" She cried. "Let out the sails. Now! We're getting out of here."
/\/\/\
Naruto had expected Smoker to be on the lead ship, but he was wrong. Instead of getting a rematch against the venerable captain, he stood face to face with a busty, pink haired, woman in a red suit. "Who are you?" Naruto asked with a hint of confusion.
"Hina is Captain Hina." The woman answered. She looked almost as confused as Naruto. "Who is attacking Hina's ship? You are not a member of the Straw Hat pirates." She asked watching Naruto's clones engage her crew with a calculating eye.
Naruto disappeared in a flicker of movement. "Naruto Uzumaki, ninja extraordinaire, at your service." Naruto offered, appearing directly behind the captain. "Unfortunately, I can't let you capture my new friends." Naruto whispered into her ear. Something about pink hair always did it for him, and he couldn't resist the urge to play with her. "But maybe I can offer up myself as a prize instead." Said Naruto. "I promise you won't be disappointed." He added, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Hina is not amused." Hina turned into him with a deliberate and powerful step. Her body stretched as she actually stepped through Naruto. A cold tingle permeated his body, and when she came out the other side, a steel cage had formed around him. Barely a millimeter of wiggle room remained. He was totally trapped.
"Kinky" Naruto mused from within his newfound prison. "I take it this is one of those devil fruits."
"Hina ate the cage cage fruit." She explained as she captured one of Naruto's clones. "Hina will not let you or the Straw Hats escape." She turned to capture another of his clones, who had several of her crew in a big unconscious pile. Her arm stretched, turing into a steel lattice, and wrapped around the doppelganger. Just like the original, he found himself trapped in a steel cage. Rather than try to escape, the clone simply dispelled in a poof of smoke, leaving its metal binding to clatter against the deck of the ship. "Hina wonders if you have eaten a clone fruit?"
"Boss we're all set!" Naruto wiggled in his cage, turning to see another clone standing atop two marines near the helm. He had destroyed the wheel so severely that there was no hope of steering the ship. Naruto could already feel the large vessel veering off course.
"What have you done to Hina's ship? Jango, Fullbody! What are you two doing?" Hina growled. The only members of her crew still standing were the handful of her crew that had remained within her attack radius. All others including the two named marines were either unconscious or groaning underneath Naruto's clones. They tried to move, tried to fight off their opponent, none of them could. Hina tugged on her gloves menacingly, and glowered at Naruto. "Hina will make you pay for this."
"Well as much fun as that sounds, I didn't really get anything worth paying for, so, I think I'll go back to my friend's ship now." Naruto replied. Kurama, you up for stretching your legs a bit? I feel like making a flashy escape. Naruto offered internally. The fox had been surprisingly quiet over the last few days, but it was only fair to give the bijuu the chance to come out and play. "Why not." Kurama's chakra flooded into Naruto's system. "I was beginning to think you had forgotten about me." Blood red chakra bubbled out of Naruto's body, coalescing into the vague shape of a four tailed fox. Naruto's eyes shone crimson with hatred, his canines elongated, and his fingernails sharpened to deadly claws. The fear of those still standing became palpable, as a wave of malice washed over the ship. Only Hina could withstand the feeling with any confidence, and even then Naruto saw her waver.
"Boo" Kurama's gravely voice spat. Several of the marines whimpered, scurrying back away from Naruto's body. Kurama smiled. Terrifying mortals still brought him the utmost pleasure. With a grunt, he made Naruto's body snap the metal bindings of Hina's cage. "Much better. I've spent too much time in cages during my life. I don't think I'll let you put me back in one."
"Who are you?" Hina asked, "No one can break Hina's cage."
"I'm not someone, I am something." Kurama growled as he took a menacing step towards her and her crew. "I am a demon!"
Years of Marine training kicked in, and Hina ignored the terror she should have felt. Bringing her arms to bear, she shouted, "Awase Baori!" Two whip like cages of metal sprouted from her arms, and with a heave of strength, she slammed the two cages together. The steel wrapped around Naruto's body, completely covering him in bands of overlapping metal. The resulting prison had no openings. It was a human sized, human shaped, ball of metal. She would not allow him the wiggle room he needed to break free again. A confident Hina approached the motionless ball. "No one escapes the Black Cage Corps." Turning back to her crew she shouted. "Back to work, or the Straw Hats will get away." The few still conscious sailors ran back to their posts. With her primary target captured, Hina marched over to the last of Naruto's clones. Despite not understanding very much about her opponent, she did know the clones were much weaker than the original. "Surrender now." Hina growled.
Still standing atop the destroyed helm, the clone looked like it was waiting for something. Paying no mind to her, he just stared at the metal prison on the deck below. "Lady, you're hot, so I'll give you a tip. The Boss doesn't know how to lose, and when The Fox is in charge, well, it's not pretty. I'd run if I were you." He said, before vaulting off the ship. The clone's departure was accompanied by the ear splitting shriek of tearing metal. Hina turned to see a demonic looking Naruto rip his way out of the prison she had left him in.
"Well, that was fun, but like I said I've grown too accustomed to being free." Looking up, the bijuu saw that no marines had made it back up into the top sails. He doubted Naruto would let him out again any time soon if he mindlessly slaughtered these sailors, so he settled for a little wanton destruction. In a blur, he appeared in front of the ship's mast. With a movement that appeared to be as easy as breathing, Kurama splintered the massive wooden pole in a single kick. The mast and everything attached to it crumpled, crippling the ship.
Hina watched the display of power with abject horror. Her ship was ruined, utterly useless, and it had only taken one kick. She had never been so completely defeated. The red, demonic, cloak around Naruto faded, and his features returned to normal. Naruto looked directly at her, and smiled sheepishly. Rubbing the back of his head, he said, "Sorry about that, the furball got carried away. I'll make it up to you the next time we meet."
A sudden breeze picked up and a small cluster of leaves floated across the deck. Hina watched Naruto disappeared with the floating leaves, as if he were traveling on the wind itself. "Hina is confused, Hina is angry, and Hina has lost." The marine captain moaned. "Signal the other ships, we're retreating for now." She ordered. "I want everyone healthy and the ships repaired in three days. "The Black Cage Corps does not let Pirates escape."
/\/\/\
After crushing the rudders, of the pursuing ships, Gaara ran to the safety of the now distant Going Merry. His sudden appearance put the Strawhats on edge. Zoro readied his swords, Sanji bounced on his ankles anxiously, and Usopp dove for cover. Clearly they did not trust him. At least until Luffy spotted him. "Hey Sandy Guy. What are you doing on our ship?" Luffy made a placating gesture to the rest of the crew. "It's ok guys, Sandy Guy helped me fight Crocodile."
"My name is Gaara. Not Sandy Guy." Gaara grunted.
"Oh, sorry Sandy Guy." Luffy replied. "I'll try to remember that. Will you join my crew?"
Gaara barely resisted the urge to turn the teen into red paste. Sand had already started to inch out of his gourd when he calmed himself. "No."
"But you could make sand castles for us." Luffy pouted.
"I'd kill myself first." Gaara growled.
"No need to be so grumpy." Luffy whined, mumbling about awesome sand castles that would never be.
Gaara was thankful when the dreadful presence of the Kyuubi washed over the Going Merry, and captured everyone's attention.
"W.. wh... what's that?" Usopp quivered, his knees knocking in fright.
"Naruto." Gaara answered, as he turned to look back at the slowing marine warships. They were still close enough that he could just make out Kurama's red chakra pouring out of Naruto's body.
"Naruto is doing that?" Nami asked, a hint of hesitation in her voice.
"Yes, but he's just showing off. He wants to scare your new friends away." Naruto had spent several days with the Straw Hats before and after the battle in Alubarna, and in comparison to his usual demeanor, Kurama's malicious presence had to be unnerving.
"My, my, what a lively ship. It seems we've outrun our pursuers. Well done everyone." The crew and Gaara turned to see Nico Robin stepping out the door of the cabin and onto the deck.
Zoro immediately went for his swords. "What are you doing here?" He spat towards the woman.
"Simple, I've come to join the crew."
"What!" The Straw Hats, minus Luffy cried.
"Captain san has to take responsibility for what he did to me." Robin explained. "Did he not tell you I was joining?"
"Luffy!" His crew shouted.
"Oops, I forgot." The captain said with a shrug. "She's our new archeologist."
"Luffy what did you do?" Nami shouted.
"I believe it was what he didn't allow Robin to do. Gaara and I had equal parts in it as well. as well." A new voice answered. Naruto had appeared. Two of him had, and both he and his clone stood horizontally on the main mast, much to Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp's amusement. "Here you go boss." The clone handed over a scroll before dispelling. Naruto took the small container and bit his thumb hard enough to draw blood. With a practiced movement, he smeared a small blotch over a portion of the scroll, and popped it open. "Here I picked this up for you guys." A marine issue Den Den Mushi appeared from the parchment. Naruto did not give anyone time to question the mechanics of a sealing scroll. "We can't stay this time, but if you ever need help, just give us a call and we'll come as quick as we can." With a smile he tossed the communication snail to Robin.
"Did you get what you needed?" Gaara asked.
"Yeah." Naruto nodded.
"Then we need to go."
"Sorry we can't stay guys." Naruto sighed. "The bosses are calling, and if we don't answer soon, then we're both dead."
"Naruto, what was that scary feeling? Gaara said it was you." Chopper asked.
Naruto smiled. "I just let a friend out of his cage for a bit. Don't worry Chopper, he's a nice guy. He's just a little scary, kinda like Zoro." Naruto explained. The green haired swordsman, had yet to take his eyes off Robin, and was unconsciously leaking a small amount of killing intent. Naruto gestured towards Zoro, and smiled when Chopper seemed to understand.
"Oh, Ok." The reindeer looked much happier after that explanation.
"Naruto, did Bon Chan get away too?" Luffy asked, in a surprisingly serious tone. Before Naruto and Gaara had shown up, the former Baroque Works agent had charged ahead with the Okama Pirates to give the Straw Hats a chance of escape.
"Yeah, they got away too." Naruto answered.
"Good." Luffy smiled. "And when you come back you're joining my crew." Childish determination permeated every word from the young captain.
"Hmm," Naruto scratched his chin. "What's the best food in the world?"
"Meat!" Luffy cheered.
"Sorry wrong again. I'm still not joining." Seeing Luffy slump in defeat, Naruto jumped down next to the young captain and patted him on the back. "One of these days Luffy, one of these days." With a swirl of leaves, Naruto appeared next to Gaara. "Alright let's get on with it. Baa chan is going to kick my ass, might as well get it over with sooner than later."
Gaara nodded, goodbyes really weren't his thing, but he looked to Robin as he and Naruto prepared to leave. "Remember, true friends will help you overcome anything."
The archeologist looked at both of them with no small amount of uncertainty, but nodded nonetheless. Satisfied, Gaara jumped from the railing, and disappeared. Naruto took one last look at everyone and smiled. "Have enough fun for me too. Will ya?" He asked, earning a cheer from the Strawhats. "Later guys." Leaning backwards, he dropped off the side of the ship, and disappeared.
/\/\/\
After the fun filled adventures of Alabasta, the boredom of the open sea was a bit too much for Naruto. While he loved the endless hours of training, and the tranquility of the ocean, after a certain point, he just could not handle it. Naruto was a man of action, as proven by his prank riddled academy days. Thankfully, he and Gaara were finally within sight of Hannabal Island. The relatively small island rose sharply from the sea, and culminated into a high peak. Buildings covered most of the island. Its lone city stretching up the sides of the peak was only interrupted by the massive river that flowed from the top of the mountain. If Robin was to be believed, the island acted as favorite stopping point for pirates in this half of the grand line. Due to a network of caves that ran beneath its surface, miscreants and outlaws alike could land there and evade capture. With so many escape routes one would have to run towards the marines to be captured.
When Gaara had questioned her in the aftermath of the rebellion, Robin had claimed it would be the closest place they might find a ship. Something they sorely needed if they wanted to stay in this part of the world.
"There it is Gamatatsu. Get us there and you can go home." Naruto and Gaara had tried running to the island, but after two days of running on water even they had grown tired. Naruto had summoned Tatsu to ferry them the rest of the way. The giant amphibian complained for the almost the entire of the three days it had taken him to reach the island. Only the promise of a mountain of candy had been enough to spur him on. Thankfully this voyage went without any disastrous events such as the ones that had brought them to Marineford and branded them as criminals.
"Naruto niisan," Gamatatsu cried. "I'm tired."
The island lay only another mile or so away, but sometimes it just wasn't worth the trouble of arguing. "Fine we'll walk from here, but when you get back to Mt. Myoboku make sure Pa sends someone to Konoha. Let them know we will be visiting in soon." Naruto sighed, he really should have summoned Gamakichi instead. Kichi was the far more reasonable one of the two toad brothers. Then again he it took more to bribe him. Summoning did come with its difficulties. One couldn't have favorites when dealing with a group of sentient life forms contracted to serve you. Naruto jumped off Gamatatsu's head, landing softly on the ocean below. Turning he pulled a scroll out of his coat with the kanji for toad supplies on it. Naruto opened the scroll and searched for the proper seal. "Here's your candy." He grunted, unsealing a large canvas bag, easily the size of an elephant. "Don't forget the message to Konoha." He added, as he tossed the bag towards the toad.
"I won't forget. See you next time Naruto-ni." Tatsu replied cheerfully. The massive toad disappeared with a soft pop. A giant cloud of smoke and ripples on the ocean surface the only remainder of his presence.
"How much do you spend on candy to keep the toads happy?" Gaara asked.
"Well tatsu is the only one that likes candy, Kichi loves tobacco, and Bunta loves sake." Naruto explained. "I keep some of each with me at all times. Bunta gets really stingy though. Myoboku sake is already close to the best in the world, so finding sake that he likes is really hard."
"Part of me is glad that I never had the chance to sign the weasel contract like Temari and Kankuro." Gaara turned to look at the island. "We should get moving. We only have a few hours until they will be expecting us back in Konoha. We can't put this off any longer."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm just not sure I'll ever be ready for the beating that I'm about to get." Naruto replied, setting off at a lazy trot towards the island. "At least I got Cobra to agree to help us."
"You're assuming Tsunade is going to let you live long enough to explain what he told you." Gaara countered, as he paced alongside Naruto.
"You sure I can't send just you back, and wait here for information through the toads?"
"I'm not going to sacrifice my life for you."
"But you owe me one. I helped Granny Chiho bring you back."
"So you're going to use that now, and turn me over to Tsunade after your screw up? Not to mention that you've been refusing any messages from her because, "She's not Hokage anymore." I'd rather have Shukaku sealed back into me and ripped out again for a second time."
"Will you at least give me some sand armor?"
"I'll think about it."
Resigning himself to his fate, Naruto stopped looking for ways around his impending doom. When they made landfall, the differences from Alabasta were immediately apparent. They landed in the harbor. Rather than plain merchant vessels, or the blue and white of marine ships that had populated Alabastan ports, ships of all sizes, colors, and makes decorated the docks here. Additionally, most, if not all, flew a jolly roger of some type. The shinobi jumped over one of the ships, landed on the docks, and slowed to a more sedate pace. Aside from the odd sentry or two, all of the ships appeared to be unoccupied.
"This looks promising, let's go find out where everyone is." Said Naruto, as they walked off the docks. Gaara did not answer, the Kazekage simply glared at his friend. "Fine, Fine, I'll send clones to check everything out and set up the marker." Naruto made a dozen clones. Nine of them scattered, taking off to inspect the various parts of the island, but three stayed with Naruto and Gaara. "Alright since you're so eager to see me die, step into the middle. You know how this works." Naruto grunted. With a scowl on his face, Naruto's clones formed a triangle around Gaara and himself. Interlocking their fingers the three started to channel their chakra. Naruto could feel them pulling from his supply as their limited supplies of energy dwindled. As one, they muttered, "Hiraijin," and the world disappeared with a flash.
Seconds later, Gaara and Naruto reappeared thousands of miles away at the Hokage Tower in Konoha. The familiar walls of the council room greeted them. "Holy fuck that took a lot of chakra." Naruto gasped, falling to his hands and knees. The flying thunder formation technique had used nearly the entirety of his chakra.
"Naruto, stop trying to kill yourself." Kurama grumbled from within his mind. "You're lucky I was able to force some of my chakra into your system at the last second, otherwise you'd be dead."
"I didn't realize we were that far away." Naruto shot back "Can I get a little extra?" He asked. "If Tsunade's going to kill me, I'd like to be able to stand for my execution." Kurama did not reply, but Naruto felt the warmth of the fox's chakra seeping into his system. "Thanks" Still panting for his breath, Naruto rose to his feet, unsurprised to see an assembly of glowering faces. Gaara had been right, they were waiting. Killing intent wafted heavily through the air. Enough that he was beginning to regret his decision to return, but he had made his bed. Now it was time to lay in it. Doing the only thing he knew, Naruto smiled, rubbed the back of his head and muttered, "Yo. Long time no see."
There was a flicker of movement, Naruto's whole world flashed green for just a moment, and he caught a glimpse Tsunade's enraged face. But then, everything went black.
/\/\/\
Naruto felt like his head was going to explode, and like his body would soon to follow. Everything hurt, and he felt utterly drained. Even the prospect of opening his eyes felt like an impossible task. The thunderous roar of noises and voices around him drowned out any thoughts that may have spawned in his mind. So Naruto just laid there, painfully readjusting to the conscious world.
"So you mean to tell me that after creating this whole mess, Naruto's already created an extremely valuable contact with connections to the World Government?" Tsunade's voice felt like a jackhammer pounding away at Naruto's skull.
"Yes, though like I said, I do not have all the details. I was working on the opposite side of the rebellion in Alabasta. He also has first hand information about why our initial negotiations ended prematurely." Naruto thought he recognized Gaara's voice, but the everything felt distorted.
"I can't believe this." Tsunade muttered. "It was supposed to be so simple." There was a thump of what Naruto guessed was her head impacting a table. "Somebody get me some sake."
"Nothing is ever simple when Naruto is involved, but he always was the most reliable member of Team Seven. Even if his methods were unorthodoxed the results speak for themselves." Kakashi chimed in. "It's why we picked him for this job in the first place."
"Stop, stop yelling." Naruto groaned. "Can't a man die in peace?" The noise had become too much. His eyes burned as forced them open. He looked around and noticed he hadn't moved from where he had landed. Sprawled spread eagle in the middle of the Konoha Council Chamber, he grunted and sat up. "Sheesh, couldn't you have at least moved my body before starting the meeting? What if I had actually died?"
"Naruto….." Tsunade growled.
"Naruto, could you please fill us in on what you have discovered?" Kakashi asked lazily.
"Yeah, yeah, give me a second." Naruto answered hopping to his feet. With a couple bone popping stretches he shook himself out. "Damn, this is going to hurt for a while." He made his way over to an empty seat next to Shikamaru and, with deft fingers, plucked the lit cigarette from the strategist's mouth. He took a deep ragged breath, inhaling a lungful of putrid smoke. He immediately coughed and hacked. "Ugh, I thought these things were supposed to help with near death experiences." he spat. "How can you smoke these things?"
"Troublesome blond" The Nara muttered, as he pulled out another cigarette. "You have to inhale gently." He explained as he light up. With a smirk, he blowing a a long thin cloud of smoke into his friend's face. "Be lazy for once."
Nearby, the Raikage growled with frustration, clearly not happy with the pace at which Naruto was moving. Naruto turned to look at A and glared, "I just used all of my chakra to get back here to deliver important information, and then I nearly had my skull liquified by Baa-chan's fist of fury. I think I've earned a second or two to collect myself." Naruto spat. "Now let me fill in the blanks from Gaara's report." A backed down slightly, but the surly leader still did not look happy. "The World Government is not organized too dissimilarly to ourselves. At the top are the Gorosei, who act as the voices of the World Nobles, much like this council acts on behalf of the the Daimyo. Underneath them are The Marines who enforce their laws and fulfill the requirements of their military. While it seems like the average sailor isn't even a match for an academy student, they are millions strong." Naruto explained darkly. "Additionally, while significantly fewer in number, the top ranked marines, such as their vice admirals are easily on par with our high ranking Jounin. One of them, caught a rasengan with his bare hand in a spar against me."
A's eyes widened at that claim. Many shinobi feared the Rasengan for its strength. Minato Namikaze had obliterated opponents with during his time in the war. "Not even a brute like Kisame could have done that." Mei Muttered, thinking of the former swordsman.
"Monkey D. Garp is noted as being strong even amongst his peers but this is not something that can be overlooked." Gaara offered. "He should not be considered the norm."
Naruto nodded in agreement. "The best comparison would be to label him as a Sannin. His strength exceeds his position. Still we should consider it a warning about their potential. I do not know the exact number of Vice Admirals, but the three Admirals outrank Garp and are potentially stronger than him." Naruto cautioned. "Outside of The Marines, there are two other groups associated with the World Government, Cipher Pol and the Shichibukai. Cipher Pol handles espionage. They appear to be divided into ten different divisions, although only eight of them are recognized by the government. The two unrecognized divisions, division 0 and division 9 handle assassinations, sabotage, and other less appealing tasks. Much like our ANBU divisions. They are the ones that came after Gaara and I."
"And how do you know this?" Mei asked.
"Let say a few more things before I explain how. Outside the World Government, pirates are the only other major power in the world. The Shichibukai are big name pirates that have taken up contracts with the World Government in exchange for immunity. One of their members was behind the rebellion in Alabasta. His actions have presented us an opportunity. Because of my part in stopping the rebellion, Nefertiti Cobra is in my debt. He is a World Noble and his family was one of the twenty who founded the original World Government." Naruto explained. "I got a chance to talk with him and he's willing to help."
/\/\/\
(Alabasta Royal Palace Several Days Earlier)
"That's quite a story Naruto." Naruto slumped when he saw the look of doubt and contemplation on Cobra's face. "But stranger things have happened on the Grand Line. As to what happened to you in Marineford, I'm not surprised. Some of my compatriots feel that those who do not join the World Government are inherently against it. Wano has always been a bit of a sore subject because of its size and location. The refusal to allow us Marine base will not have sit well with some of our more militaristic leaders." Cobra explained.
"Can you help us?" Naruto asked. "I need to arrange for another team of diplomats if we want to take advantage of the opportunity that Sengoku gave me."
"Yes you do." Cobra agreed. "Are you ok with being labeled a criminal?"
"If that's what it takes to stop a war, then I have no problems with it." Naruto answered seriously.
"Then I will help. I can't actively do anything until I have been made aware of the situation." Cobra answered. "To do so would put Alabasta at risk, and in our weakened state I fear the results. It would also ruin any chance of this story holding up. But, I can give you information. There are better ways to negotiate with the Gorosei and the Nobles. To start with, send a larger group to escort an older more experienced and less threatening delegation. Regardless of your qualifications, you and your friend are not the type the Gorosei are used to dealing with. Have them stall for time, and make sure they secure an audience at the annual Summit of Nobles. If they can get there then I may be able to help them. Regardless, I would be happy to supply you with information in an effort to stave off any sort of war."
"Thank you. I will stay in touch through Toto. He said he was a friend of yours."
Cobra smiled. "Yes, Toto is a very good friend. He has sacrificed more than most for this country, and now his sacrifices will have paid off. Once again I have to thank you for your part in saving my friends, my daughter, and this country. Many more would have died in the fighting had you not intervened the way you did."
"I'm just doing what I think best. My Godfather taught me a lot about the world, and all he wanted to do with his strength was make it a better place. He sacrificed his life for that dream. All I can do is try to live up to that."
"He sounds like a noble man."
Naruto grinned. "Noble might be pushing it. More of a dirty old man who wrote porn for a living. But he had his heart in the right place." Naruto's smile only widened as he pulled out a small stack of books. "If your little bathhouse escapade is anything to go by, you might like his work."
Cobra looked at the small colorful books with skepticism, but accepted the gift nonetheless. He made a showing of opening the cover on one of them, and rifling through its pages. A small trickle of blood leaked from his nose, but his face remained stern. "I take it back. Noble is not a strong enough word, this is the work of gods."
Naruto Laughed "Whatever you say Ero-King."
/\/\/\
"So we band you and Gaara as traitors, and send the "Official delegates" in your place." Kurotsuchi commented. "But who should go? And will they really believe this ruse?"
"Like I mentioned, aside from my formal wear as Kazekage, we did not show anything officially tying us to this council." Gaara answered. "We have to hope that Sengoku will go along with this idea, and that the Gorosei will believe you. Naruto and I will do our part to help your case. Naruto already has the attention of The Marines. It will be easy for us to keep their attention while adding to our information network. Duplicity is our best hope." A round of nods met his statement, but none of the leaders looked too pleased.
"Well, we should not let more than half of our leadership go. We cannot leave our countries undefended in the event of any underhanded attack." Mifune mused. "If an elderly representative will produce better results than I will volunteer to be one of the replacements. My samurai honor guard can accompany us for appearances sake, but who else will go with me?"
"The old hag can go if she drops her henge." Naruto offered, staring at Tsunade with an evil grin plastered across his face. The former Hokage looked like she wanted to argue, but as usual she let Naruto's rude behavior towards her slide. "And what about Old Man Onoki? Could he make the journey?" Naruto asked looking at Kurotsuchi. "Most of the current leaders would remain here and we would have strong experienced voices negotiating for us."
Kurotsuchi thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Grandpa could probably be convinced to go. His back hasn't been giving him much trouble since he gave me the hat. Although his diplomacy is rather heavy handed."
"That's something we need. I don't want these people thinking they can push us over on a whim. And, I'm sending one of mine back with you." A spat, glaring at Naruto. "You already messed this up once, Brat. You won't be going back unsupervised."
"What happened to Naruto and I would have happened regardless of a Kumo shinobi's presence. No one could have prevented the problems we encountered. I would even go as far as saying that additional shinobi would have made our first attempt even less successful." The Kazekage replied venomously. While directed at Naruto, the comment also slighted Gaara. Gaara had gone with Naruto, and he had been the one responsible for the negotiations not Naruto.
"Gaara it's fine. I messed up. Don't worry about it." Naruto said placatingly. "And I could use the extra help. The Grand Line, hell, the world in general, is much bigger than we originally thought." He turned to Look at A. "Who do you plan on sending with me?" Naruto asked, taking the whole thing in stride. "I was going to request a small team anyway."
"Samui will go with you. I trust her to make accurate reports, and I can depend on her to prioritize the mission." A growled.
"Sweet! I won't have to do any paperwork." Naruto cheered, ignoring the fuming expression on A's face. "Gaara are you going to stay here or are you going to go back with me?" Naruto asked.
"I had planned too. As long as Temari and Kankuro have been able to manage Suna appropriately I will go with you. The Marines would get suspicious if I simply disappeared."
Naruto nodded in understanding. He could work with Samui easily enough, but a team would make things much easier. "Kakashi sensei, can I assemble a team from volunteers? I'd say two to three strong hands depending on whether or not Gaara stays." Naruto asked, thinking about a few people whose specialties could come in handy.
"That shouldn't be a problem Naruto, but we still have a few more things to talk about before you can assemble a team of rogue ninjas." Kakashi answered. "It will have to be volunteers. Anyone you take from Konoha will be officially labeled as a missing nin for the duration of your mission. Bingo Book entries will be updated for proof, and we most likely will not be able to assist you in the event of your capture." Kakashi turned to look at the Raikage. "I assume you will do the same for Samui?" He asked. A nodded. "Good. Now, Gaara, you mentioned that this Sengoku seemed open to the idea of Wano helping stabilize the area. What did you discuss with him?"
"As an alternative to letting them build a naval base here, I proposed the idea of offering our services." Gaara answered. "They already work with pirates such as the Shichibukai in a similar manner. Though I would not compare ourselves to them. I do not think that would foster a strong relationship. Still, the Marines could send us contracts, and we could carry them out with our shinobi. With refusal rights of course."
"It would help us earn the money to rebuild and prepare for any future conflicts." Kurotsuchi commented. "But what about contracts from other parties? Would we work exclusively for The Marines, or could we take other contracts as well?"
"We can debate that later." Mei offered. "But first, we need to solve our navigation problem. We can't accurately sail beyond our borders. How are we even supposed to send another group of diplomats?"
"That's what these are for." Naruto answered, withdrawing a sealing scroll from within his coat. He unsealed it, and a small pile of hourglass like objects tumbled across the table. "The labeled ones are called eternal poses, and the unlabeled ones are log poses. Somehow they lock onto the magnetic signature of an island and point in its direction. The eternal poses always point towards the same island while the log poses change as they move from island to island." He explained as he plucked one of the eternal poses from the pile. "This is the one for the marine base G5. It's at the base of the red line and where the diplomats should go to get an escort to Marineford."
Mei picked on up and inspected it closely. "With this many to experiment on, we should be able to figure out how to duplicate them."
"I think we've gone over enough for one day. We should pool our resources to solve the navigation problem, but until it's solved there is not much else we can do. We also have to wait for answers from Gaara and Onoki about their parts in this." Kakashi muttered lazily. "Let's work on what we can for now and meet again once we have a solution to a few of these problems. The only way we can get through this is to work together." Everyone nodded in agreement.
"I will have my honor guard prepare for the journey to Marineford. The delegates should leave within two weeks time. I hope that is enough time for you Tsunade." Mifune said looking at the former Hokage. She nodded in acceptance. "And for Onoki to reach a decision." He added looking at Kurotsuchi. The Tsuchikage nodded her understanding and stood to leave.
As the various leaders made their way out of the room, Naruto stepped in front of the Raikage before he could leave. "A, If you're going to send Samui with me, she needs to be in Konoha and ready to leave in one week." A simply grunted in affirmation as continued passed the blond jinchuriki.
"Naruto, come with me to my office so we can talk about who you want for your team." Kakashi said as he walked up to the blond.
"Sure thing Kakashi Sensei. I'll be right up, but first I have a dozen orders of ramen to pick up. I haven't eaten Ichiraku's in over two weeks."
The blond was gone before Kakashi could blink. Some things would never change. With a shrug, he pulled Icha Icha Violence out of his robe, and wandered back towards his office. Naruto would be there soon enough. Maybe he could get his new secretary to read Icha Icha aloud to him in the meantime. After all, his sole requirement for all applicants to the position had been ownership of the signed collector's edition of the entire series.
/\/\/\
"I'm sorry Naruto, I'd love to help you out, but I can't leave the hospital for that long. With Tsunade leaving in two weeks, Shizune and I are going to have our hands full." Sakura said. Naruto had tracked her down at the hospital to ask for her help with the mission.
Naruto sighed and hung his head. "Yeah I understand. Guess that means I'll have to offer the field medic spot to Ino."
"What's wrong with Ino?"
"Do you remember the last time I asked her for help?"
"Oh yeah…."
Naruto had not spent very much time around his fellow blond before the war, but afterwards, Naruto had asked for her help with repairs to the gardens at the Namikaze estate. Ino agreed, promising him everything the Yamanaka flower shop had to offer. She had done so under the condition that Naruto helped her with some shopping. Naruto shivered remembering her exact words. "A girl has the right to update her wardrobe after a war. Everything that was in style a month ago is probably considered an antique by now. I need to make sure I stay on top of the game." It had sounded so innocent at the time. Unfortunately, no one had warned Naruto of the dangers of shopping with Ino. Nor did he have any idea what it actually entailed.
By the end of that day, Ino had somehow fleeced him of every ryo he had on him, and broken his back by throwing boxes and bags into his arms.
Sakura grabbed his arm and started to pull him away from the hospital. "Come on, let's go get some ramen. My treat. That way if you end up broke again your last meal will have been Ichiraku's"
"Thanks. Any advice on how to handle Ino?"
"Dangle the pay in front of her. She hasn't had a mission in a while because Shikamaru has been needed for all these meetings, and she doesn't like working outside of her old team much. Aside from that, just let her have her way."
Naruto's head dropped. "Now I understand why Shikamaru's favorite word is troublesome."
The two arrived at the ramen stand, and sat down on two of the empty seats. "Hey old man! Five Naruto specials!" Naruto ordered as he sat down.
"I said I'd buy you ramen not a feast!" Sakura screeched, as she threw Naruto out into the street. He tumbled a few times and landed face first in the dirt on the other side of the road.
"Fine…. make it three." Naruto grumbled, picking himself up and dusting off his pants.
"And what about you Sakura?" Teuchi asked, stepping up to the counter.
"Just one bowl of miso please." Sakura answered.
"Coming right up you two."
"So who else is going with you?" Sakura asked once Naruto sat back down.
"A is sending Samui with me and Gaara will probably come as well. Other than that I'm not sure. I need someone with field medic experience, so hopefully I can get Ino to agree." Naruto answered. "I would have considered asking Teme if I knew where he was, but Kakashi said no one's seen him recently."
"Yeah, Sasuke probably won't be back for another few months. What about Sai? He's got the right skill set for a mission like this. It's practically what Danzo built him for."
"Kakashi needs him to keep Orochimaru in line. Sai's in charge of the teams tracking and monitoring him. Kiba, Hinata, Shino, and Lee are all working on those teams, so they're out too." Naruto shrugged as their food arrived. "I'll figure it out, but it won't be the same without you there." Naruto smiled at his former teammate. "Thanks for lunch."
"You're welcome. I wish I could go with you, but I have too many responsibilities keeping me here. I'm sure you'll pull it off without me. You've always found a way to come out on top, and I know you'll find it again."
The two of them ate in relative silence. Naruto powered through his three super sized servings, and put his own money down for three more before Sakura had even finished half of her single bowl. She finished just in time for Naruto's second order to arrive. "I have to get back to the hospital Naruto. Good luck getting your team put together." As Sakura stood to leave, a familiar brown haired, scarf wearing, teen barged through the curtain and nearly bowled her over.
"Boss! I knew I'd find you here!" Konohamaru Sarutobi cheered. Grandson to the late Third Hokage, and a rising member of the Sarutobi family, Konohamaru had become Naruto's protege just after the blond had graduated from the academy. Among other skills, konohamaru was the only ninja in the village that could come close to matching the power of Naruto's sexy technique with his own. Though to be fair they were really the only practitioners of that technique.
"Konohamaru!" Naruto cried happily.
"I'll let you two catch up." Sakura smiled. "Just make sure you let me know when you're leaving Naruto."
"Sure thing."
"You leaving for another mission Boss?" Konohamaru asked, as he sat down.
"Yeah I am. Long term scouting mission." Naruto answered as he finished off another bowl of ramen. "What about you. Where are the rest of the Konohamaru Corps?
"Oh Moegi finally made Chuunin so we're being rotated through different teams now. Gotta be able to work with other ninja or something like that." Konohamaru sighed, "I've been stuck working with Izumo and Kotetsu."
"Those guys are lots of fun. They used to help me hide from Iruka all the time. But I bet you're tired of watching the gate, right?" Naruto said. His words perfectly clear despite the long chain of noodles hanging from his mouth.
"Eah, ..ow…..oo….uo...oo...at?" Konohamaru mumbled over his own noodles.
"It's a skill imparted on those who devoutly worship the ramen deities." Naruto answered, smirking through a mouthful of noodles. "Hey, if you're tired of working the gate, join my team. I need volunteers for my scouting mission." Naruto offered. Konohamaru practically jumped to answer, but Naruto held him down. "Before you decide, you need to know that I am going without support. I am renouncing my headband for this one, and anyone who goes with me will be labeled as a missing nin. If something goes wrong, there will be no back up, and I really don't know when or if we will be able to come back."
Konohamaru looked at the serious expression on Naruto's face, and knew his mentor was not joking. "If I want to surpass you and Jiji then I need to get stronger. I'll go, but you have to help me train."
Naruto smiled. "Any time brat."
/\/\/\
(Back on Hannabal Island)
Naruto's clone sat, leaning against the counter in the bar he had chosen to stake out. He and his fellow clones had split up to scour the island while the boss handled some things back home, and he had noticed large numbers of pirates entering this particular bar. It wasn't a large place, so he doubted it could hold all the people he had seen enter, but almost none of them came back out. So, he had investigated. With only a handful of patrons filling in the gloomy room, none of them any of the pirates he had observed earlier, Naruto knew something was up.
"Bartender, can I get some sake?" He asked, getting the attention of the tall, dark haired bartender, who was attending to another customer at the other end of the bar.
"Saucer or bottle?" The man asked gruffly.
"Bottle." Naruto answered, discreetly studying the man. The bartender stood a little over six feet tall with a slightly muscular build. Aside from the practiced movements of his trade, the man did not move with very much confidence or coordination.
"Five hundred." The bartender said, setting the bottle in front of Naruto. The clone handed over a few bills, and watched him go put them in the register. The clone almost felt bad about the fact that the money would disappear when he dispelled, but one bottle of sake would not to put the man out of business. Naruto went to take a swig when he noticed the pronounced metallic rustling of coins in the register. There were too many coins in the register for a currency that relied so much on paper bills. The clone sipped at his booze while he contemplated the reason for all the extra coins. Something was going on here, and judging from the way the bartender kept drifting back towards the man at the other end of the bar, there was a good chance the other man was in on it too.
The door slammed open, and two pirates barged into the bar. "This the place?" One of them spat.
"Yeah, should be." The other grunted. He looked right at the bartender. "Hey you, we're here for the race. We were told to come here to sign up."
"Not sure what you're talking about." The bartender said, idly cleaning a mug. "Would you like something to drink?"
The lead pirate marched up to the bar and slammed a hand down. "No, we want to sign up for the damn race. Now let us into the back." One of the two pirates reached over and grabbed ahold of the bartender's collar. He drug the bartender up and over the bar.
"That's enough from you two." said a gruff voice from the end of the bar. "He said he doesn't know, so piss off and find something else to do." The rattling sound of a barstool being pushed back accompanied the man as he stood up. A cloud of smoke leapt from the man's lips as he stepped into the light. Taller than Naruto by about a foot, with premature grey hair, and a pipe held firmly in his mouth, the man stood with a confidence that bespoke years of experience. He wore Heavy boots, olive green cargo pants, a leather jacket, and had a pistol strapped to his hip. All of which created a rather imposing visage. "Put him down." Naruto noticed the man looked worn down. No so much physically, but his eyes were tired, resigned even. Naurto wondered what exactly had caused the man to end up in such a state.
"Or what?" One of the pirate's replied arrogantly. "You going to beat me with your cane old man? I just had my bounty raised to 10,000,000 Beri. You won't even leave a stain on my shoe."
"Yeah, and my bounty is 5,000,000. You don't stand a chance."
Casually observing from his end of the bar, Naruto knew the wannabe buccaneer was very wrong. He quietly stood and made his way over towards the group. Appearing behind the men without a sound, he tapped the arrogant pirate on the shoulder. "I'll bet a thousand Beri that this "old man" can kick your ass with his eyes closed. And if he doesn't I will."
The pirates jumped in surprise, and fumbled for their pistols. Without the slightest bit of hesitation, Naruto threw a roundhouse kick, crushing the 5,000,000 beri pirate into the floor. The wooden floor splintered under the force of the attack. The pirate groaned from the verge of unconsciousness in his own little crater. "And I held back too." Naruto muttered. "Hey Old Man! How much is 5,000,000 Beri?" Naruto asked, turning to watch the old man launch the other pirate into one of the bar's booths. Tumbling through the table, the 10,000,000 Beri pirate slammed into the wall, and collapsed into the ruined furniture with a groan.
"It's more than enough for you to pay for the damages to my bar." The Bartender answered. "Murdock get these two out of here. I'll put the damages on your tab.
"Tch, fine. Come on brat, I'll show you where to turn him in for the reward." Murdock grunted.
Naruto grabbed the pirate he had knocked out and threw him over his shoulder. Murdock led the way out the door and turned back towards the docks. Free of prying ears, the clone decided to try his luck with the old man. "Murdock, I'll give you half my reward if you can give me some information."
"Keep it. What do you want to know?"
"The race these two were talking about, what is it?"
"Once a year, this island hosts an anything goes sailing race for pirates. The Dead End Race. It's not for another three weeks, but the contestants are starting to show up. They like to get here nice an early to drink, gamble, and whore their way to the starting line. If you give our friend Victor, the bartender, two, one hundred beri, coins, he will show you where to go."
"Sounds fun, but I'd probably need a ship if I wanted to compete. Any idea where I might find one or who might build one for me? The whole reason I came here was to find a ship." The clone noticed Murdock stiffen slightly when he asked the question.
"All the shipwrights have left for Water Seven. The once a year pirate business wasn't enough to keep the small company here in business. Sorry brat, you're out of luck."
A set of heavy footsteps interrupted their conversation. Naruto looked down the road to see a an overly muscular man in an ornate marine jacket. Both the jacket and the brown shirt underneath were open, exposing the man's chest. A jeweled belt held up black pants, which tapered into the man's steel covered boots. The clone heard a snapping noise next to him, and saw Murdock's pipe fall to the ground, stem bitten in half. "Gasparde."
"Walter, it's been awhile." Gasparde grumbled, stopping in front of the two.
"Not long enough." Murdock spat. "You're not welcome here."
"That's where you're wrong. I left The Marines so I could do whatever I wanted. No one has and no one will stop me. It's great." Gasparde seemed to chew on his words before spitting them out. "You should try something fun for a change. In fact, I could use someone with your talents on my crew. Join me."
"Not a chance in hell." Murdock drew his pistol in a blindingly fast motion, and fired three times.
"You've gotten rusty." Gaspard said calmly. "I remember you being faster." The bullet holes smoked for a moment, but they quickly turned a sickly green and oozed shut. "Not that it matters. Silly weapons like that no longer work on me."
"You ate one of those accursed fruits. That's just like you. Always grabbing for more power."
"Not everyone gets taken in by a Vice Admiral like you did. Garp handed everything to you on a silver platter, but you threw it away all those years ago for some worthless criminals."
"And you slaughtered innocent people for a measly promotion."
"Rahahahaha, and I would do it again. It was fun. If you won't join, fine, but stay out of my way or I will kill you." Gasparde stepped forward to leave. "Just know that you're only alive because of my mercy."
The Clone couldn't take it anymore. Dropping his bounty Naruto stepped up to Gasparde. "You're scum."
"What did you say?"
"You're scum. Anyone who abandons their mission is trash, and anyone who abandons their friends is worse than trash. You've done both. You're worse than trash. You're scum."
"Rahahaha, another silly idealist. Are you training them now Murdock? He'll die just like the rest of you, on the boot of someone less scrupulous. There are no friends in this world. There are only those who rule, and there are those who are ruled. Power is all that matters." Gasparde cackled. "Now get out of my way."
The clone considered attacking the man right there, but it wasn't the right time. Stepping to the side, he let the traitorous marine stroll passed. Once Gasparde was gone, Naruto turned to look at Murdock. "You know Garp?"
"I did, but that was a long time ago. A whole different life." Murdock sighed. Then, he looked at Naruto appraisingly. A hint of life glimmered in the back of his worn eyes. "Do you have the money to pay for that ship you were asking about? Because 15,000,000 Beri isn't going to be enough for me to build you one."
"You can build me a ship?"
"Before I was kicked out of The Marines, I worked as one of their shipboard engineers." Murdock grunted. "It's what I did for a living."
"What changed your mind?"
"I'm not playing twenty questions with you brat. Do you want a ship or not? I may no longer be a Marine, but I don't make a habit of helping pirates."
"I guess it's a good thing that I'm not a Pirate." Naruto interrupted. "Just a vagabond with a sense of adventure."
"Sounds like a pirate to me." Murdock grunted. "Do you have the money? Cause if you want a capable ship before that damn race, you better have a deep pocket."
/\/\/\
A surge of information hit Naruto as he approached the Yamanaka Flower Shop. One of his clones had made some progress on getting a ship. It seemed now all he needed to do was come up with the supplies. With a flare of chakra, he created a single shadow clone. "Go see Yamato sensei about the wood, and the ANBU quartermaster should have ropes and cloth for the rigging, sails and other dodads."
"You got it boss!"
"Naruto!" Ino cheered as he walked up to the flower shop. "I thought I just saw you run by. Guess that was a clone then?"
"Yep. I sent him off to get a few things. Just back for a few days before I set off for another mission." Naruto leaned up against the counter. "What about you? How's the shop doing."
Ino pouted, "Another mission!? No fair! Why do you keep getting them? Shikamaru and Choji have been so busy here that Team 10 hasn't had one in over a month."
Naruto laughed. "Getting thrown on every mission isn't always fun Ino, but I could see how sitting around here might be worse. It's actually why I'm mission I was just on is directly responsible for Shikamaru being busy, and this next one will keep him tied up too. I'm putting together a team, and I need someone with medical experience. Would you be interested in a long term scouting mission?" He asked, careful not to mention that he had asked Sakura first.
"Shouldn't you ask Sakura, she's your teammate."
"I would, but she can't leave because of the hospital. Obaa chan is going to be out of the village for this one too, so Sakura is stuck here with Shizune."
"Wow, Tsunade is going out on a mission again. Must be serious. Hmm, how long is long term?"
"I'm not sure, but it gets S rank pay." Naruto offered, watching the girl's eyes light up at the mention of money. "Just a warning, It does require us to be labeled as missing nin for its duration. No backup, just us."
"What! No way." Ino huffed. "That's social suicide." Despite her successful efforts to kill her image as a fangirl, Ino still valued her social position within the village.
"Ino, I doubt Kakashi will broadcast it to the village. It's more like the standard procedure with an ANBU mission. We can't carry any distinguishing marks and if we're caught for some reason they will claim we went rogue."
"Hmm... I don't know."
"Please Ino, I would owe you."
Ino's eye's glinted with victory. "Fine, but I want all my mission expenses covered, and half your pay."
Naruto slumped, unable to calculate the massive drain Ino's "Mission expenses" would cause on his bank accounts. With a sigh reminiscent of the blond kunoichi's teammate, Naruto muttered, "I hate you Ino." He knew he had been played, but there wasn't much else he could do.
Ino leaned towards him, with a smile plastered across her face she reached out and cupped his cheek. She added a flirty wink for good measure. "You don't have a hateful bone in your body Naruto, so cheer up. It's going to be fun."
Naruto rolled his eyes. Ino's hair may have gotten longer, and she may have changed her outfit, but the blond girl from Naruto's academy class would never change. "Be ready to go in about a week. You'll have a small room to yourself so you don't have to pack too lightly."
"A room?" Ino asked, her eyes sparkling with delight.
"Yeah, we're going to be living on a ship for the most part. That going to be a problem?"
"Will it have a closet?" She asked, her tone deadly serious.
Naruto shrugged, "I guess."
"Good. Now shoo." She waved her hand dismissively. "I need to pack."
Naruto looked at her with a puzzled expression, but decided it wasn't worth the trouble to ask any more questions. He had his field medic, and that was the important part. The team was shaping up. He had Samui, a kenjutsu specialist and a lightning user, he had Konohamaru, a strong generalist who had plenty of room to grow, he had Gaara, a powerhouse as always, and now he had Ino with her clan techniques. Between the five of them, they could cover just about every aspect of shinobi warfare. Even better was the fact that he had worked with all of them in the past. Most of them had even worked together at some point during the war. With any luck they would make a name for themselves.
/\/\/\
AN:
Well, this is the last of the chapters I had wrapped up before I published this thing. I had some trouble with this monster of a chapter when I wrote it. Even now, I feel like it's missing something, but After a number of revisions, I think I've got it to a place where I'm happy with it. This chapter sets up a lot to come so I hope it all makes sense. If you've got the time, please leave a review. I would love some feedback.
Thanks for reading.
Anton