The Typhoon Fleet
Normal speech / thoughts
Abyssal speech / thoughts
Tailed Beast speech / thoughts
AN: This may be shorter than usual. Next chapter will definitely be longer.
Disclaimer : I don't own anything. Don't say I do.
Chapter 7: Yokosuka! Home of the Typhoon Fleet!
"…"
That was the collective silence of the escort squad assigned to Naruto when they boarded off of the Leviathan-class Abyssal, and saw the collection of buildings that they could only assume made up the Naval District. There were two large, tan dormitories with blue roofs, what appeared to be a absurdly large bathhouse, an administrative building that had the same gold blossom that was on the metallic part of Nagato's skirt above glass double doors, and behind all that was a large factory with black smoke pouring out of it's tall smokestacks. They also noticed how the edge of the land was raised about twenty feet above the water, and two large metal constructs that seemed to be shaped like wide vaults were built into the land. There were other structures, but these stood out the most, aside from the stone wall in front that had an arch in that functioned as the entrance into the main area.
"Is there more underground?" Minato wondered, analyzing the alien yet familiar structures that looked too… improved? It was odd, the Elemental Nations had similar buildings, yet the materials, and architectural design of the ones on Yokosuka just seemed so much more advanced.
"Sensei." Kakashi whispered, and pointed towards- rather beneath- the waters surface. Multiple pairs of red, green, blue, and yellow glowing eyes stared at the shinobi.
"Don't mind the Abyssals below." Naruto spoke loudly without turning his head.
"They're just curious. You're the first people here from the outside that they've seen."
As if hearing Naruto's voice was a cue, the Typhoon Fleet-allied Abyssal ships fully rose, and greeted their Grand Marshal Admiral as if he was a returning hero. One in particular, a teenage-looking one with very long white hair that had two small triangular horns on the sides, orange eyes, dressed in a white leotard possessing a high collar with a metallic edge, metal edges in-between, around her bust, and finally two rows of metal spikes lined the leotard's bottom. The most eye-catching feature was her right arm. The shinobi couldn't tell if she was wearing a clawed gauntlet, or if the limb was mechanical. Finally, she wore ankle-length boots, and like the rest of the abyssals, was incredibly pale, stark-white actually.
"Welcome home to Yokosuka, Grand-Marshal." The girl greeted with great respect, a smile present, and her regular, humanoid hand placed on the center her chest.
"Ok." Naruto said, not even buying this for a minute. Her? Respectful to this level? Ha! He'd sooner believe that Nagato had a dick than this bullshit, but that begged the question, what the hell happened while he was gone?
"What happened?" Naruto asked with a knowing smile, causing the girl to put her hand down, and shudder. She gave him a rather nervous smile, internally sweating enough to fill the Marianas Trench. Hopefully she wouldn't catch flak for what happened!
"Well… uh…." The girl wasn't sure what to say. Naruto's foot impatiently tapped, his arms were crossed, and his entire posture gave the "I'm waiting" impression. The others behind him were also rather curious about what the Abyssal was trying to hide. She sighed, and decided that honesty would lessen the punishment that was inevitable. She still prayed for those three destroyers.
"Yesterday afternoon, Zabuza had to leave with a massive attack force to answer a potential threat from a sizeable neutral fleet that was heading directly towards us." As the Airfield Hime spoke, the words of the deceased Re-Class sounded in Naruto's mind.
"A lot of Abyssals fled when she declared that she would be returning the Abyssal Fleet to it's former glory."
Where these fleeing ship the same ones that Zabuza had left to engage? Naruto kept that thought close as the Hime continued, the shinobi also payed attention to the rather serious situation that Naruto was being told of at the moment.
"Zabuza brought every battleship, cruiser, aircraft carrier, submarine, Hime, installation-type, and destroyer qualified to deal with a potential threat of this magnitude. Only the injured, recently summoned, those out on expeditions, or sorties weren't included such as myself, and the group with me." Finished the Airfield Hime, worry for her friends evident from the way she bit her lip, and the nervous sway her body had. She then noticed Nagato discreetly gesture to her own left eye, and read as the battleship mouthed "Hazard." The Abyssal immediately took the hint.
"The Grand-Marshal Admiral's radiation threshold was near it's limit, don't push it." Was the actual message behind the code. The actions of pointing at your left eye, and mouthing "Hazard" were used as part of a code to discreetly warn others that the Grand-Marshal's stress/radiation level shouldn't be pressed any further, less he suffer a meltdown, something that destroyers compared to becoming critically damaged. Unfortunately, it was better that he hear this rather than see it.
"When my fleet, and I arrived back at Yokosuka, we found out that Kasumi, Akebono, and Murakumo talked Haku-"
Naruto raised his hand as a way to tell the Hime to stop. Damn it Haku! Zabuza left you alone for not even one fucking day, and something happens to the Naval District!
"Liorice…" Naruto said slowly. "Just give me a damage report." Naruto asked as he held the top of his nose with his hand. He was stressed out enough given his little theory on the Abyssal girls that Zabuza had sailed out to confront, the company of Konoha shinobi, the information that included Atomic Vengeance, the main objective of the Typhoon Fleet, and it's wielder, the new ruler of the Abyssal Fleet. Liorice nodded before she spoke. A tick mark formed on Naruto's head when the first two words come out of the Airfield Hime's mouth.
"About 80% of the interiors in the top-half of Yokosuka, including the dorms, mess hall, factory, Admin Building, your office, and personal room," Liorice began to list off the damages.
Now Nagato was pissed when she heard that the quarters that she shared with Naruto needed repair. Naruto had a dark aura surrounding him, which frightened Hoppou who actually grabbed Kakashi's leg from fear as it was the closest. The Jounin reached down to give the girl a reassuring pat on the head, and gave her an eye-smile when she looked up at him with curious eyes to show he didn't mind her actions.
"The bathrooms, kitchen, repair docks, and the factory are covered in paint from a paint round war that Haku couldn't keep under control. Currently we have both the ones who participated, and the instigators in the brig awaiting your punishment." Finished Liorice. Both Naruto, and his wife had blank faces. A paint round war. Haku let Akebono, Kasumi, and Murakumo start a paint round war in the base. The shinobi were a bit confused about exactly what a "paint round" was while Wo actually slapped her forehead, and DesDiv 6 sighed. Kongou seemed to be looking for someone from the dock.
"Where's Bucky, dess?" She asked aloud. The other members of the Typhoon Fleet noticed that she hadn't greeted them yet. Fubuki wasn't supposed to be deployed until she was ungraded which, unless the special-destroyer found her unique trigger, she was not yet ready for. Even the Abyssals present were scratching their heads. They haven't seen her since they returned.
"Could Admiral Zabuza have taken her anyway?" Offered a Ta-Class fast battleship. It was logical since Fubuki was a qualified fighter. Naruto shook his head negatively, the aura gone from him, replaced with an agitated narrowing of Naruto's eye.
"Zabuza, and I both agreed that it would be best for Fubuki to remain in Yokosuka until her body signals that it's ready for her remodel." Naruto answered. The shinobi were sending him odd looks. Remodel? Minato was concerned about the words Naruto used, and wanted to be sure that what he was talking about wasn't what it sounded like.
"What do you mean by remodel?" The Yondaime asked. Naruto looked at him for a second before he remembered they knew nothing about Kanmusu, and how they got stronger. He faced them with his whole body as he began to share this information since they were bound to ask around.
"The remodeling process is an merely an upgrade to these girl's riggings." Naruto explained quickly, before any of them could him of…unsavory actions. He furthered explained with the information that each upgrade increased the power of the individual girl's equipment, and their bodies had to adapt to the power.
"Sometimes this process even changes a girl's physical appearance," Naruto added since he knew that a majority of them would more likely than not witness Fubuki 's transformation. The shinobi seemed satisfied with the answer though a bit skeptical at the last part. Naruto had just turned towards his home when everyone heard a weak thump against the wood, soon followed by a muffled scream.
"If that's what I think it is then not only will it explain why things got out of hand since Fubuki is very good at preventing these sort of things on the rare occasion all of the Fleet's leaders are gone, but also where our missing destroyer is." Naruto sighed in frustration. He was going to kill Akebono, Kasumi, and Murakumo. Either that, or bathroom duty everyday for the next three years. Or he could let Kongou punish them as she was rather fond of Fubuki . No, that's too cruel.
"Ta." Nagato looked at the Abyssal that was already underneath the dock. The sound of triple-spliced steel cables being ripped apart was heard, and soon the body of a brown-haired girl was thrown on top of the deck, her black eyes showed panic then relief upon freed. Before she could get up, Fubuki was pulled into a crushing bear-hug by Kongou, who had switched into "Worried Onee-san mode."
"Fubuki -dess, are you ok!? How long were you there!? Who do I need to show the power of Burning Love!?" Kongou fired off like a machine gun, all the while Fubuki 's face was beginning to turn blue.
"Heh. That's enough Kongou, let Fubuki enjoy freedom." Naruto, and a few others found Fubuki 's situation a bit amusing. Kongou realized what she doing, and immediately let go of the smaller girl. Fubuki immediately sucked in the fresh, saltwater-scented air.
"Thank you, commander." Fubuki gave Naruto a grateful look, the shinobi now able to see her unobstructed. Fubuki looked older than Akatsuki, and her sisters by a few years, she had bright black eyes, and short black hair on a youthful face. The Ta-Class that had freed her from the cables had climbed up, ignored the criticizing gazes of Sakura and Kushina about what was undoubtedly her choice of attire: a shirt cut low enough for the underside of her pale breasts to be seen, and only panties to cover her modesty, and chose to give her attention to the destroyer she had just sprang loose.
"Who tied you below the deck?" She asked sternly, the displeasure showed in her voice at the action. This particular Ta-Class was known to be rather protective of both Abyssal, and later Kanmusu destroyers when she joined Naruto's fleet.
"Akebono, Kasumi and Murakumo." Was the immediate answer. Fubuki turned to Naruto, and added.
"I think Akebono said something like 'Now we can have some fun for once instead of looking for some relic because that shitty Admiral isn't here.'" Fubuki told Naruto who looked ready to blow a fuse. Some relic huh?! That's what they believed a sword that had the power to atomize everything that challenged it was!? Clearly, Naruto needed to educate them! Throughly educate them.
"Liorice…" Naruto spoke lowly in his Admiral – voice. His hat covered his eye which prevented everyone from seeing that his eye glowed a hazardous red. He needed to get to the factory.
"Is either Yubari, or Akashi here?"
"A-akashi is working on getting the factory cleaned up." Liorice stuttered when she began. Naruto merely nodded before turned his entire body to face his guests.
"Nagato, and I will be seeing someone about specific items that I had her prepare for your arrival to ensure that none of you go in restricted areas. It's nothing personal, but just as clans, and villages have their secrets…." Naruto felt no need to say more on that subject. The Uchiha, and his pet frowned, but understood the logic behind the precaution.
"Stay with them, Wo you're in charge while we're with Akashi." Naruto instructed, then looked at nervous Hoppou who still had a hold of Kakashi's leg.
"Spend some time with your sister, ok? I'm sure she missed you." Naruto suggested with a small smile, his eye still covered, but the smile was enough to settle the girl since she immediately perked up, and ran to Liorice with a shout of "Nee-san!" who lifted her up, and placed the small Abyssal on her shoulders.
The escort now noticed the similarities between the two, specifically facial – structure, and the two horns on the sides of the head. Their eyes were the same shape, and color though Liorice's seemed to have a glint of mischief always present. Naruto had stayed for a moment longer before he, and Nagato started off towards the factory where Akashi was most likely still removing paint from. Naruto wondered if anyone remembered that the paint came off easily with water?
"Even If they did then I doubt they'd be able to fix, or replace everything in our room to where we wouldn't be able to tell something happened." Nagato answered as if she read Naruto's mind. She gave her husband a sideways-glance. Despite the black brim of his Admiral's cap obscuring a majority of his face, Nagato knew that he was deep in thought. And she didn't need to think to know what her younger husband had rattling in his head.
"So, how will they all be disciplined?" Nagato asked as they closer to the stone wall.
"Those who merely participated will be forced to clean it up." Naruto really didn't care about the mess the paint caused since it was so easily removed. Haku however, wasn't getting off the hook.
"I think I'll talk to Zabuza about giving Haku a GI shower every day for about a week." Nagato winced at that. GI showers were done when a solider didn't want to take one, so what his comrades would do is strip him naked, throw him in a bone-chilling shower, and use wire brushes to scrub his body.
"That's a bit too cruel, don't you think?"
Naruto shrugged.
"It's nicer than what Zabuza would do."
Nagato withdrew her statement. Zabuza was a complete sadist on his own when it came to discipline. This got worse when he met Tatsuta.
"What about those three destroyers?" That time Naruto scowled. Nagato knew that Naruto was pissed about his room, and office, but was beyond livid at what the three thought of their mission.
"I know that they're new- summoned the day before we left- but when someone says that you're mission is to find a relic that can cause the deaths of thousands, you don't treat it as a chore." Naruto growled. He took this very personally because of his experiences with Nuclear Sorrow, the sword that had put him through a literal hell. Any disrespect, or doubt to the importance of the Typhoon Fleet's mission was NOT to be tolerated. Despite the black brim over his eye, the red glow became visible to Nagato. The second that they entered the stone walls that lined the front of Yokosuka, she grasped her husband by the shoulders, placed him against the back-side of the wall, and tipped the brim of cap up. Naruto's normally glacier-blue eye was a warning-red. The kind of red that belonged to the warning light on a nuclear power plant when the reactor was in a critical state.
"It's bad isn't it?" Naruto asked despite his awareness of the answer. All Nagato did was lower her lips onto his in a chaste kiss. Soon their eyes became half-lidded as their liplock got more intimate, Naruto's hands on Nagato's waist while her's went around his back, and pulled the two close together. Their bodies seemed to fit together like matching puzzle pieces, the two halves formed a whole. After around a minute, Naruto's eye returned to normal, Nagato managed to be like the water used to keep a nuclear reactor cool. The two separated with a bit of reluctance, but they knew that Naruto needed to get to Akashi. Naruto lead the rest of the way to the factory, wondering how long he could keep his condition hidden from the Konoha-nin, and if any of them had any suspicions.
After a short walk of about ten to twelve minutes, the Admiral, and his main Secretary Ship were at the front entrance of Yokosuka's factory, an ingenious combination of the traditional factory used by the previous Admirals, and the futuristic technology of the Abyssal Fleet. Inside they could the frustrated growls that could only belong to the head of the Typhoon Fleet's Research and Development division, Akashi. She also served as the head medic.
Nagato pushed open the reinforced double-doors, and would've been struck in the forehead by a large pipe wrench had Naruto not caught it.
"I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU BITCHES- ADMIRAL!?"
The woman whose angry shout that transformed into a startled scream had long pink hair with freshly cut strands held by red ribbons, and she had a height of around five foot five, her propeller – platform shoes added about an inch. Thighhighs that started out white at the bottom, and become brown at the top with V-shaped slits connected by bows covered her legs with the left sporting pieces of armor that run up to her upper thigh. A pleated dark blue short skirt with a wide, red brim at the bottom that had Hakama-like hip vents on the sides which let the strings of her underwear be seen. A long-sleeved zippered shirt under a white serafuku with blue trim finished her outfit. Her green eyes held a shocked expression. She almost hit the Grand-Marshal's wife with a pipe wrench!
With a great leap, Akashi crossed the distance between herself, and her superiors, landing at their feet. The repair-ship was on her knees with her back straight, eyes screwed shut, head bowed, and palms smacked together in front of head.
"I'm sorry!" She wailed. While perfectly willing to brawl with an enemy, Akashi was one of the most peaceful with any of her allies so she felt extremely bad for potentially hurting Nagato thinking she was of those who engaged in that paint round fiasco.
"It's fine, if I were you, I'd be pissed too given how much paint is in here." Naruto commented once he saw the various shades of blue, grey, green, bright orange, and white paints that were splattered all over tools, benches, machines, and the walls. Akashi huffed in annoyance at the paint. Her beautiful, clean workshop was ruined because of those damn brats! They'd pay. Oh would they pay…
"Did you finish that special request I put in?" Naruto asked, before he added "The shinobi are here."
With a nod Akashi went to a blue-covered bench a few away, and opened a box that was placed on there seemingly after the paint war since it was unmarked. She pulled out what seemed to be a stamp, and it's ink sponge/case, and walked back over to Naruto, and Nagato.
"This was a bit tricky to make, but I figured it out soon after Yubari got involved with the project." Akashi began to explain. Naruto figured that Yubari, a fellow mechanic, and an Otaku would help out since her, and Akashi were a team when it came to making his visions become a reality. He still needed to thank them for figuring out how to miniaturize, and reconfigure Depleted Uranium tipped cruise missiles into armor-piercing bullets. Those two really were geniuses.
"The ink for this stamp is filled with micro transmitters that function off of body heat, and are impossible to wipe off because they attach to the target with an industrial strength adhesive able to withstand tornado force winds." Akashi finished with a triumphant smile, proud of the product her, and Yubari created. Nagato nodded in satisfaction.
"How far does the transmitters signal reach, and how fast will the proximity alert be notified of unauthorized access?" Naruto inquired. He wasn't taking any chances of any of those shinobi wandering into places in his Naval District where they didn't belong. The secrets stored on his base must remain as such.
"The transmitters, though small are very powerful, and have a range encompassing the entire Naval District. The notification process is instant. The doors are shut, and sealed before the first alarm is heard." Akashi answered, pleased to see the approval in her Admiral's eye.
"Now that we got that out of the way," Naruto's voice, and expression became serious.
"I need you to replace the Gatherer unit."
Akashi immediately understood, and directed Naruto to sit on a clean chair while she went to get the replacement, Nagato shut the doors so nobody could peek inside. This was something that was kept between her, Naruto, Akashi, Yubari, and only a very, very select few in the Typhoon Fleet.
And it would remain as such for as long as possible.
CUT! CHAPTER OVER!
Ok so this is shorter than usual but I did everything I wanted to do in this chapter so I'll let it speak for itself. Hmmm, I wonder what Naruto's hiding, and what exactly is a Gatherer Unit? Well, that's something y'all will have to remember down the line.
The poll is doing good. Musashi is in first(Not a surprise), Graf is second(… I hope you all are taking the fact she's my profile pic as a hint), Iowa is third, Air Defense Hime is fourth, Warspite is fifth, Shoukaku is sixth, Heavy Cruiser Hime is seventh, Kaga is eighth, Summer Harbor Princess is ninth, Akagi is in tenth(surprisingly), Central Hime is eleventh, Akashi is twelfth, Ta-Class is thirteenth, Shimakaze is fourteenth, and Ka-Class is fifthteenth. Y'all have a variety of tastes, don'tcha?
Anyways, read, and review. Your opinions matter to me!
Later! Grey-blueflames burning out!