Naruto: Trapped Under Ice

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kiru

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Man, thinking up OC's is hard, but inventing new Teigus to go with the new characters is just about mind numbing! There is a bit of an information dump regarding the ship they're travelling on but it's necessary to describe what's going on during the trip. Just a warning, this chapter is really violent so if you are sensitive to these things remember this has an M rating for a reason. There is a warning posted in the chapter for those who want to skip that section. Here is chapter 9 of Naruto: Trapped Under Ice. This chapter is named Ship of Death Part I. Enjoy!

Last time:

….Well we'd best get going. Another half hour or so and we'll be in Port City where we can get something to eat."

Everyone's stomachs growled at that thought although Akame's drowned out the others. "I'm hungry for some meat." the petite assassin said in her usual dainty manner.

"I'm sure they have a barbeque place in town Akame-chan." said Leone patting the shorter girl's head.

Seeing no other obstacles with her byakugan, Hinata said, "It looks like the path is clear from here everybody….and it look like that Prince took off in another direction."

Hopefully we won't run into any more trouble then." said Naruto.

"Let's go!" said Leone excitedly. "We need to get Akame-chan fed before she turns upon us!"

Next stop, Port City….

Chapter 9

Imperial Capitol

A new group of Teigu users known as the Requin-Tigres had been assembled at the Prime Minister's behest in the Imperial Capitol. Their job was to deal with the menace of Night Raid once and for all as both the Jaegers and Wild Hunt had failed utterly in the opinion of the Prime Minister. Imperial intelligence led them to Akame of the Demon Sword Murasame and Leone the wielder of the Teigu Lionelle -two of the most dangerous members of Night Raid. The information said the pair was returning to the Empire aboard the cruise liner Behemoth** and the six members of the Requin-Tigres travelled aboard the ship from the Imperial Capitol eager to ambush their unsuspecting prey.

The leader of the Requin-Tigres was a man named Cruauté. He was a nephew to Prime Minister Honest. When his cousin Syura (Honest's son) and his group of Teigu users known as Wild Hunt were wiped out by Night Raid; Cruauté quickly considered himself to be the natural successor to that group. He assembled a new group of Teigu users that were determined to wipe out Night Raid and anyone else who crossed them. They considered the two remaining Jaegers to be their enemies as well due to that group's enmity with Wild Hunt. But that was beside the point for now, the opportunity to eliminate the two members of Night Raid while separated from the main group was simply too good to pass up.

Cruauté was a short, heavily muscled, square jawed man that specialized in close combat styles such as wrestling. He used the Teigu Esgrima which weapon similar in appearance to a nunchaku or chako. It required a highly skilled user and its weighted ends could change density at the user's will which could make a glancing hit into a fatal blow instantly. The length of chain could be extended up to twenty five feet as well making it both a long range and close combat weapon. It was said that the caps on the weighted ends could be made to explode on impact in the hands of a true master.

The other five members of the Requin-Tigres were chosen from criminals of the worst kind in the Empire. Cruauté reasoned that if these kinds of people were willing to do the most inhumane and cruel acts to others of their own accord then in exchange for pardoning them for their crimes and actually getting paid to indulge in their grotesque hobbies that they should be more than happy to serve him. Cruauté may have been corrupt but he was certainly astute with people. His five followers were more than eager to be set loose on society and wreck havoc to their hearts content in exchange for serving Cruauté.

Meurtrier was the first Cruauté hired in this group. He was an assassin for the Empire who enjoyed his job so much that he became addicted to the thrill of taking other's lives. Prime Minister Honest's regime turned a blind eye to the crazed assassin's work until Meurtrier started hunting his superior officers and even generals in the Empire that complained about his methods. He was a tall, almost anorexic looking man who normally wore a hooded cloak. He also was forced to wear a shock collar that kept him from turning on Cruauté. Meurtrier was equipped with the sickle sword Tiegu Falcata known for its ability to cut razor thin like a paper cut through even the strongest metals. It was said that most killed by it didn't even realize they were dead until their head (or wherever they were cut) fell off leaving an explosion of blood behind.

The second member was the heavy hitter of the group. Violeur was a known serial rapist whose most infamous act was at the expense of a group of nuns and was hunted for months by the Empire leaving a trail of dead and broken victims in his wake. He acted more like an animal than a person. The greasy, hairy man was scheduled to be put to death before Cruauté offered him a job. Violeur had a unique Teigu called Gerulphus that was worn as a cape. Activating it allowed the user to assume a werewolf like form. It was created with the same idea that Leone's Lionelle but unlike Lionelle it not only changed a user's shape but it also led one to give in to their baser instincts. Given Violeur's instincts were as base as could be to start with his inhumane acts were only enhanced in a werewolf form and he embraced it totally.

Pyromane was a country bumpkin from the frontier and the third Cruauté recruited. Since he was a child he'd had a fascination with fire. By the time he was in his teens he had become a fully fledged arsonist and terrorized several villages before he himself was caught in one of his own fires and suffered second and third degree burns over half his body. This gave him a heavily scarred and blotchy appearance. Though it was painful to move he became obsessed with 'letting others share the joy of his flame' and he changed from burning property to burning people alive. How exactly he ended up in a prison in the Capitol was a bit of a mystery but Cruatuté saw potential in him and in return for his loyalty Pyromane was given a fire starter's wet dream: a Tiegu called Cheirosiphōn which sprayed a sticky stream of liquid that ignited on contact with the target. Once it was stuck to a target it was virtually impossible to put out until it ran out of fuel to burn.

The fourth member that joined up was more of a schemer than anything else. Extorqueur was an unusual one compared to the others as he hadn't ever been locked up. He used racketeering and extortion to make a fortune but became so obsessed with someone taking his money that it led to extreme paranoia. He eventually turned upon his underlings using a Tiegu he'd stolen. His expertise with his weapon of choice drew Cruauté's attention and eventually the two came to an agreement. The extortionist would work for Honest's crooked nephew as a mercenary. As long as he got paid handsomely Extorqueur would follow Cruauté loyally. He used a wire type Teigu called Garrote. The wielder had a single, nigh unbreakable piece of razor wire that could be angled or manipulated at the user's will. Garrote could be used as both a tool and as an assassination device. According to the records it was a prototype for the Teigu Cross Tail that the deceased Night Raid member Lubbock was known for.

Sadique was the last member. She was a woman who served the Imperial Army as a torturer and interrogator before she went off the deep end and took her 'art' to the streets. She also was into self mutilation and had numerous body modifications so she could both give and receive all the pain she wanted. Like Extorqueur she was never in jail –in her case she was in an asylum. Her reputation for being a sadist caught the interest Cruauté and he recruited her straightaway. She used the Tiegu Dreyse, a gun type Teigu which fired shards of jagged metal of various sizes. To Sadique the real beauty of the weapon was it could fire small shards of shrapnel that would torture and deface her victims all she wanted until she grew bored with them. Afterwards she would fire single a large shard of metal that would simply kill her victims. She also was an avid photographer that took pictures of her 'works of art.'

Cruauté and his motley crew had travelled a long way to destroy two members of Night Raid….The question was could Cruauté actually control this mob?

Fire Country, Port City

It was early evening when Naruto's group checked into the hotel in Port City. They could see the massive outline the ship Behemoth that they would soon be travelling on. It was silhouetted by the setting sun as it rested gently at anchor. They'd already obtained their tickets and boarding would begin in the morning with the cruise liner departing in the afternoon. It was no surprise to find the hotel was packed and they were only able to get two rooms. One room was for Akame, Leone and Sakura and the other for Naruto, Hinata and Esdeath.

Sadly for Naruto and his girlfriends there would be no fun tonight. The walls were so paper thin that they could hear everything going on around them. Figuring any late night activities would be ruined by others interrupting the three decided to settle in after showering and cuddle in the double bed. Naruto whispered, "Why did you girls decide to share me? I'm really happy and I love you both but you hated each other at first."

Esdeath kissed her boyfriend and said, "That is a secret between us women. Hinata and I are getting along better every day."

Hinata smiled and said, "We decided to do this together and get along Naruto-kun. We both love you and that's all that matters."

Flashback….

At the Redwood Hotel both Hinata had showered and dressed and now Naruto was cleaning up in the shower. The two blue haired young women were staring at each other from across the bed. Esdeath finally said, "Alright Hinata, what are we going to do about this? I love him and you love him and this war could only escalate from here. I want Naruto-kun to be mine."

Hinata said, "Do you think you can handle him alone?" Esdeath raised her eyebrows and Hinata continued. "Naruto-kun completely oversexed both of us without taking a break in between. Between his hands and his body I'm going to have a hard time walking. I don't know about you Esdeath but it may take the both of us to tame him in the sack."

Esdeath pondered for a few moments and said, "I can't argue with that logic. I'm still really tender. Alright; for now we'll share him and see how things go. I thought it was just me that was driven absolutely wild. How can he have that much stamina?"

"It's probably due to him having Kurama sealed within him." said Hinata. "I think between the two of us we'll be able to chase his fangirls off for good."

Flashback end….

Esdeath felt Naruto's breathing level out as he went to sleep. 'Naruto-kun would never believe why we decided that….It's almost embarrassing.' thought Esdeath. 'We agreed to keep those harpies away….and of course, between him and his massages he drives us both insane….not to mention he can make clones to join in the fun. I guess the main thing is we're all really happy. I never imagined I'd be satisfied this way. Still, he's a total animal in bed. Hinata and I always get a workout.' Giggling mentally Esdeath went to sleep.

Hinata dozed off soon thinking similar thoughts herself….

….

The next morning all six members of the party were up and hadn't had the best night's sleep due to the constant noise permeating the building. Yawning, Leone said, "We didn't hear you three last night. Did you actually sleep?"

Hinata frowned. "The man in the next room over snored as loud as a foghorn last night. None of us slept very well at all. What about you?"

Akame was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "I just hope the ship is better insulated against sound than this hotel."

"Yes, it will be a very long trip otherwise." agreed Esdeath.

The Cruise Liner Behemoth

After breakfast the group of six decided to board early and was given a tour around the ship by a middle aged man who introduced himself as the ship's Executive Officer. His Name was Galen and he was a citizen of the Empire. It was obvious by his enthusiasm that the massive ship was his pride and joy. Turning to the group of thirty or so early passengers boarding he said, "Let me officially welcome you aboard. In the next two weeks on our trip to the Western Continent you'll be able to enjoy the luxury of the Behemoth which is one of the crown jewels of the sea."

"For those of you interested in just how big this ship is; the Behemoth weighs 45,000 tons unloaded and is over 900 feet long." There were several amazed murmurs. "She can carry 500 passengers in comfort and travels to the Southern and Western Continents as well as the Elemental Continent. The Behemoth has an impeccable safety record covering over twenty one years. On this trip we will be travelling from Port City here in Fire Country and sailing north and over the Elemental Nations to the Western Sea…."

He led the group on a tour of the promenade deck which had a rather spectacular view. "While at sea we'll be traveling in temperate weather and we'll all be able to enjoy the auroras up north during the middle part of our journey…." Galen's description of the trip and its many features was long but he was an excellent speaker and kept everyone's attention. "Finally we'll reach the Western Continent where we will sail through the Grand Canal to the Capitol. The Grand Canal is over 1500 miles long and will be one of the highlights of our journey." He then turned the many features of the Behemoth itself. "You'll be able to enjoy our onboard swimming pool as well as our gymnasium as well as our spa and saunas. Our many luxurious dining rooms are open to serve you day or night…."

Soon the group was shown to their cabins. Hinata and Naruto (joined by Esdeath) had a luxurious stateroom with a built in bath, Leone and Akame had an identical one across the hall. To the left of Akame and Leone's room was another stateroom designated for Sakura and Esdeath (with Esdeath conspicuously missing)….Anyway, suffice it to say Sakura had a room all to herself. They were on the highest of three decks for passengers on the unimaginatively named upper deck. Below them were two more decks for passengers which were the middle and lower decks. Below that were the ship's hold, machinery and engine rooms. Above them were the promenade deck for viewing, the boat deck and the ship's superstructure where most of the recreational facilities were housed.

A few hours later with Akame and Leone….

The two Night Raid members were laying low in their stateroom. Leone was looking at Akame in the mirror. "I don't know Akame-chan, having your hair done up in pigtails like Mein's hair is pretty good and the sunglasses don't hurt. I feel pretty lucky not being on wanted posters all over the capitol so I don't have to travel incognito. It's still good that you, Esdeath and I are using false names though. I still wish we could have forced Esdeath to where that bonnet as a disguise regardless…."

"You really do have a death wish Leone." said Akame with a sigh. "I still say my hair looks ridiculous in pigtails though…."

With Sakura….

The pink haired kunoichi was in her cabin studying a medical textbook on the side effects of drugs and the various damages it could cause to the human body. She'd practically sealed up a library on the subject in a scroll. Naruto had already agreed to map the ship via shadow clones so Sakura figured this was the best for now….

With Naruto….

The orange loving ninja was in at t-shirt and shorts up on the boat deck sunning himself….or that's what it looked like. Actually he was meditating while expanding his sensory ninjutsu. People were still coming and going a great deal and the ship wouldn't leave until the afternoon rolled around….Still, he could sense some strong sources of negative emotions….negative to the degree of being murderous. He would zoom in on these points given some time….

With Esdeath and Hinata….

Esdeath was looking in the mirror at her newly braided hair courtesy of Hinata. "Well, I have to admit it doesn't look bad this way Hinata. With my hair pulled back in a single braid it really does change my appearance."

"I told you it would be fine Esdeath." said Hinata. "You need to learn to trust me on these things. Besides, I had to veto Leone's bonnet idea."

"Well, I agree with you." said Esdeath as she turned around. "Now it's your turn to change your look."

Hinata's eyebrows raised, "You want to do my hair?" she asked puzzled.

Esdeath shook her head and gave Hinata an evil, psychotic smile. "No; I'm going to teach you my patented psycho smile to strike absolute fear and terror into others…."

….

That afternoon the Behemoth left Port City with a great deal of fanfare and many people waving goodbye to their families. The Konoha group was enjoying the view from the promenade deck. Several decks up on the bridge Executive Officer Galen was talking with one of his passengers from first class. "Mister Cruauté; there are no passengers on this ship using the names of Akame or Leone. Looking at this picture of the assassin Akame I can tell you I saw a young woman on one of the tours that had rather striking red eyes but those aren't unheard of in the Elemental Nations. Is it possible you are mistaken?"

Cruauté scratched the stubble of his goatee. "No, the next ship outbound from to the Empire is another six weeks off. They're on this ship somewhere. You and Captain Canard are being paid handsomely to help us in our efforts. Keep your eyes open." With that Cruauté left and Galen hoped that violence didn't break out during this trip….

….

One Week Later….

The trip had certainly been luxurious so far but everyone was on guard and couldn't get relaxed. All of them in Naruto's group had the feeling they were being shadowed. It was like playing a game of cat and mouse without knowing if you were the predator or prey or even knowing if the enemy existed….Amidst this a series of minor crimes turned up and had everyone concerned. The Captain and crew hadn't confirmed things but rumors were going around amongst the passengers that something was amiss.

The Behemoth was in a state of mild panic when it was finally announced over breakfast that three young women passengers were apparently missing and pictures of them were passed around. Passengers were asked to keep an eye out for them and the Konoha group was discussing it quietly among themselves. Naruto said, "When I use my sensory ninjutsu I have been picking up traces of killing intent from time to time but I haven't been able to pinpoint it exactly. There's at least one above us in first class and two below us down in the third class sections. We're trying to keep a low profile but maybe we should investigate."

"If we go through those decks casually as if we're lost or something we might stumble upon something." said Hinata. "It's better than chasing shadows like we have all week." Truthfully Hinata was a bit irritable. With the group on high alert; she, Esdeath and Naruto hadn't had much alone time at all….

Esdeath was in a similar mood. "I'm all for it. Let's go out and do some hunting." After a few minutes of discussing things they all agreed to do a bit of independent searching around the massive vessel.

With Hinata….

The Hyūga heiress had her bykugan activated behind some sunglasses as she travelled around the main deck. Looking up into the bridge and superstructure she noticed something was amiss. Zeroing in she saw two men talking with a man she recognized, the Executive Officer Galen. One of the men was shorter and built very stoutly. He seemed to be carrying a set of nunchaku that glowed like chakra. A man of average build was standing beside him and had a long glove up to his elbow one with a chakra signature as well. 'Teigu!' thought Hinata as she examined them through the wall.

On the bridge

Cruauté and Extorqueur were quietly assuring Galen that the disappearance of the young women must be Night Raid's doing but Galen wasn't buying it. Galen hissed, "You yourself stated that Night Raid was trying to keep a low profile and would probably stay hidden Mister Cruauté. This idea that they would be kidnapping or killing young women is preposterous!" Truthfully Cruauté was a bit tongue-tied at his suggestion being blown out of the proverbial water.

"Now, now Galen." said Extorqueur smoothly. "These people are assassins and may actually be addicted to killing. I've seen it happen before with serial killers in the Capitol. Once they get a taste of it they just can't stop themselves." Of course, he'd just described his Requin-Tigres teammate Meurtrier perfectly….not that Galen knew that….

….

Hinata watched the two Tiegu users exit the bridge and headed out on the opposite side of the superstructure. Unfortunately it was broad daylight so she couldn't use chakra to hop through the ship's upper works to pursue them. By the time Hinata was able to circumnavigate the ship's forward superstructure at a civilian walking pace the two men had vanished below decks….

*Violence starts*

With Sakura….

Sakura was wandering through the promenade deck. Truthfully she was in a set pattern but that wasn't apparent to onlookers. She just appeared to be another passenger touring the ship in a red t-shirt and white shorts (she was still wearing her combat mesh underneath the ensemble for safety). Casually passing by a cabin in first class heading towards the recreation deck and she caught the distinct smell of blood permeating the air around a cabin. It was heavy enough that it reminded her of the smells of surgery and death. The rosette steeled herself and after looking around and finding the hallway empty she picked the lock to the room in silence. Opening the cabin door she saw the remains of six young women….all violently raped to death and partially dismembered. Their empty eyes stared at her forever etched in horror and pain. If she hadn't seen so much in the war she would have gotten sick at the sight. She shed a tear and thought, 'I guess three of these must be the missing girls. I'd better report this. I'll just say the door was ajar. I should withdraw.' Then she heard a noise from the private bath in the room and a naked, wet, hairy man came into view.

Seeing the intruder he rushed between her and the exit and slammed the door. He then cackled in a disturbing way and said, "Welcome to my den little girl, let's see if that pink hair of yours is natural…." He stroked his growing erection at the idea of adding another girl to his collection. "I have to tell you, being locked in a cabin all alone sucks. Cruauté just doesn't understand that a man has needs…." He grabbed his cape like Teigu and transformed before Sakura's astounded eyes into a werewolf like appearance. He lunged at her but Sakura body flickered to the opposite side of the room before he could strike.

"Just what the hell are you monster?" asked Sakura as she slipped on her fighting gloves.

The wolf like man laughed/growled in a bestial tone, "Playing hard to get? I like it when they try to fight me. I'm Violeur and I'm going to give you the best time of your life!"

Sakura's emerald eyes turned hard as diamonds. "I'm going to kill you butcher…."

Violeur licked his wolf like chops and charged….Only to be met by a chakra enhanced punch that smashed his muzzle and sent him flying. Stumbling back up he started shedding tears and said, "You….you broke my nose you cunt! I'll kill you and then have fun with your corpse!" He struck much faster this time and caught Sakura off guard knocking her back into the water of the tub that was filled with blood and other bodily substances. Sakura's head cracked the tile and it stunned her. She heard him roar; "Take it bitch!" as he grabbed her throat with his clawed hand and forced her head under the foul waters. She gasped when she felt his claws rip her shorts on one side and slice her thigh. She felt Violeur trying to force himself upon her but her combat mesh kept him from getting anywhere.

Sakura's eyes widened further when he yanked her head out of the water and got face to face, "What is with you bitch? Why can't I have my way?!" Then he smiled through his broken muzzle. "I guess I'll try a different hole then…."

The pink haired medic choked out, "You really enjoy rape don't you?" The hatred in her eyes was burning.

The wolf-like man laughed and said, "I live for it! I can't wait to see the broken look in your eyes as I take you again and again." He felt her hand grip his throbbing member and grinned.

"You won't be needing this then!" Sakura growled. Digging her fingers into his erection and his testicles she activated her chakra scalpels and violently tore his member off in a spray of blood and gore….

The werewolf's eyes widened and it took his animalistic brain a few second to realize what the agony in what was left of his groin meant. He let get of Sakura and gravity made her slip down into the filthy water again. He let out a horrible animal like howl of pure agony and stumbled backwards feeling the shredded meat where his weapon of choice used to be….As he fell back against the bathroom wall he saw Sakura stand up like an angry goddess. The filthy water seemed to explode off of her as her chakra spiked to levels not seen since the Fourth Shinobi War. Violeur stared in abject terror and pain and Sakura's chakra seemed to form a visible shell around her fist.

"THIS IS FOR ALL OF YOUR VICTIMS MONSTER!" she screamed as she drove her chakra enhanced fist through his chest and turned his heart to pulp. So much was her rage that she drove through his spine, out his back and through the wall behind him. She had gore coating her arm up to the elbow when she pulled it out.

He didn't make a sound. Violeur the serial rapist was dead, forever fused into his partial wolf form by the demolished Teigu now permanently bonded to his back….

Sakura heard noises outside and knew this would spell disaster if she was revealed. She quickly vanished in a body flicker down to her cabin and spent the next hour and a half scrubbing herself raw to get all of the filth off of her. What she'd seen in that room reminded her of the horrors she'd seen in the prison in Snow Country. Sakura destroyed the ruined casual clothing she'd been wearing and healed her injuries with healing chakra. It was another hour before the medic managed to fully calm herself down….

With Naruto….

Naruto was walking around on the lower deck where all the third class cabins were. They were still luxurious but didn't have the attached baths like second and first class. But the floor felt hot to the orange loving ninja. Naruto reached out and sensed something below him; murderous killing intent. Naruto had been attempting to pinpoint it for a while and he figured it was a floor or two down. He saw a stairway down the hall that led downwards with the simple sign by the open door, 'Ship's Hold-Do Not Enter.' Cautiously entering, the blonde travelled down the two flights of steps in silence and came to the door at the bottom. That's when heard below him someone singing/shrieking in a high pitched voice:

'Dance around the pretty flames, and then I do it all again.

Soon this place will be your pyre, as I set you all afire.'

Naruto cracked open the door and saw several bodies tied up to a vertical support pole. They were totally engulfed in flames and were mercifully already dead. It looked like the room was an empty cargo hold and whatever had been in it was piled up and used as fuel for the fire. Naruto said a silent prayer for the dead and then he saw the source of the singing. A man was dancing in the low light around the flames and he had a very macabre appearance. He was just dressed in black shorts that contrasted with his white, scarred and discolored skin. He was singing and merrily spraying liquid that caused the fire to flare up out of some gun like apparatus.

The blonde ninja was absolutely sickened by this freak and slammed him with a crushing amount of killing intent. The man collapsed to the floor as if under a massive physical pressure and looked at Naruto silhouetted by his own chakra flaring. Naruto's eyes held death in them for this….thing. "What have you done?" asked Naruto in a demonic tone of voice.

"They were cold so I….I warmed them up! You look cold too!" The man pointed the flame throwing device at Naruto and it shot a stream of liquid fire. "Burn!" shrieked the man. "Burn; burn, burn with the rest!"

Naruto calmly raised a hand and said, "Water encampment wall." With the amount of chakra Naruto put in the normally minor defensive jutsu the wall expanded over to the man and put his flame device out. "What are you going to do now fire starter?"

The man stared dumbfounded. "I'm not fire starter; I'm Pyromane! Don't you forget it!" shrieked the now named Pyromane. "You have a Teigu too but it's no match for my Cheirosiphōn! I'll set you all alight!" The flame Teigu reignited.

"Damn you; water needles!" roared Naruto as the water turned to thousands of tiny chakra laced needles.

Pyromane tried to leap out of the path of the needles but his left arm and part of his shoulder were blown off in a shotgun like blast effect from the needles. The deranged arsonist screamed in agony before he turned his own weapon on the stump that was once his shoulder and cauterized it. Unfortunately for him; due to the nature of his Teigu it didn't stop burning his shoulder and it began to spread out over his already defaced body. Pyromane dropped the Cheirosiphōn and tried to smother the fire with his good hand which only caused it to ignite as well. Screaming, Pyromane shuddered and spasmed as his body burned and melted. He screeched, "D-damn you! Night R-raid is as good as dead! The other five will killll you!"

As the Requin-Tigres member fell to the floor and continued to lunge about Naruto picked up the now cooled Cheirosiphōn and took it to seal in a scroll. Pyromane lurched feebly and choked out "M-mine!" in a voice borne of hell.

Naruto shook his head and said, "Not any more. I'm sending you to hell!" He cast a wind jutsu and watched stonily as the oxygen superheated the flames slowly burning Pyromane alive. The maniac's screams grew higher and higher pitched until the flames turned white hot a cremated him alive…there was nothing left but a scorch mark in the shape of his body that proved the madman once existed.

After that Naruto used a vacuum wave jutsu to suck all the oxygen out of the air and the flames were extinguished. He then sealed the Cheirosiphōn in a scroll and applied a henge before running upstairs and reporting frantically that there was smoke downstairs to a crewmember. Amidst the disorder and confusion caused by the crew rushing to put the possible fire out and the passengers panicking Naruto easily slipped away without leaving a trace he'd been there….

*Violence ends*

When the charnel house that was once Violeur's cabin was discovered; chaos broke out aboard the Behemoth. The following fire disaster with Pyromane on the hold deck only added to the pandemonium. The fires were out and the bodies accounted for by the crew but the damage was done. Eighteen people were dead and though Pyromane's body was destroyed the impression of his screaming corpse was literally burned into the floor making the total nineteen. Captain Canard had the whole crew on security detail but they weren't trained for combat and were very afraid. On paper the crises had passed but Canard and Galen were both worried for the safety ship's passengers and crew. They had a grim feeling that the Requin-Tigres were the root of the problem and Night Raid (assuming they were even aboard) may be the solution.

It had been a long day for all involved….

Naruto, Esdeath and Hinata's cabin

"You're absolutely sure he said Cruauté, Sakura?" asked Esdeath.

Sakura nodded. "The exact phrase Violeur used was 'Cruauté just doesn't understand that a man has needs.' That would lead me to believe this Cruauté person was his leader."

"And Pyromane said the other five would kill us and Night Raid was as good as dead." added Naruto.

Esdeath chuckled coldly. "Cruauté is Prime Minister Honest's favorite nephew. I truly doubt Honest will shed a tear at his passing but it's the thought that counts. Killing more of his family will remind him a bit more of his own mortality."

"Agreed." said Akame. "Since Pyromane probably had no idea that Violeur was dead that would mean Cruauté and five other Tiegu users have formed some kind of group. We've eliminated two of them and Hinata spotted two others. What does Cruauté look like Esdeath?"

"Cruauté is short and built very powerful like a wrestler." answered Esdeath. "I saw him do some grappling. Hand to hand he's quite formidable."

"That's probably who I saw with the nunchaku Teigu then." said Hinata.

"Maybe we can deliver Cruauté's head in a box to the Prime Minster." said Leone coldly.

That evening in Cruatuté's cabin

Cruauté was absolutely shocked. Both Violeur and Pyromane were dead and they had died violently. His excuses with Captain Canard and Galen to cover the crimes of his subordinates had fallen on deaf ears and the Requin-Tigres looked like complete fools. There wasn't enough evidence to explain who his men had been killed by and the carnage surrounding them didn't help. Truthfully the Prime Minister's nephew was afraid. He felt that his group was ruthless enough to be invincible but now Cruauté was more concerned with just surviving this trip. There was still a week before they reached the Imperial Capitol and two of his team members were dead at the hands of Night Raid as far as he knew.

He said a prayer that night to any deity that would listen….too bad his soul was so black that even an evil deity would have turned him away….

POSTSCRIPT

**I based this ship on the Olympic Class ocean liners which included the RMS Titanic. They are very well documented and are appropriately old school considering the Empire's level of technology. The Behemoth pretty much looks like the Titanic with three stacks instead of four in its general layout.

Truthfully, I don't know how this chapter is going to be received. Akame ga Kiru is dark and I'm trying to reflect some of that. The scenes that I wrote with the warning were tamer than I expected after rereading them but still, even attempted rape is pretty bad and I had to draw the line somewhere. As for Cruauté and his cronies I'm really not sure how bad it's going to get or how many (if any) of them will survive this. I was originally planning to sink the Behemoth in a boiler explosion this chapter but I decided that weeks of floundering around in lifeboats would be pretty boring to read. The next chapter is appropriately but unimaginatively named Ship of Death Part II. See you next time. Blue out. 2/2/16