"Holy shit, this is amazing"
"Who would have imagined we'd get payed so much money to help build a boat?"
"We're getting paid to build something that won't normally float?"
"I wish I could do this for a living! I wouldn't have to worry about financial problems again."
Naruto watched the boat builders with a satisfied expression. He was pleased by the reactions of the people that assembled this beautiful yacht. It looked like a sperm whale with large eagle wings. Based on the design, it would seem that the builders were expecting this to travel in the air, on the water surface, and beneath it. Of course, a design such as this wasn't practical or functional in any way or form on its own. However, with the power of seals, this whale could do a great deal of things. A small grin made its way on Naruto's face as he thought of various seals, he could apply to turn this wonderful design into something miraculous.
Anti-gravity for flight
Reinforcement for ramming things or surviving blunt attacks
Speed boost to travel or escape situations
Etc….
Both Gon and Killua watched in interest as Naruto approached the yacht in a state of trance. It was as if he was possessed by some sort of fuinjutsu god. The boat builders also had their attention on the young blonde. Their excitement over the large sum of money was long gone. They were now eager to see just how this boy would turn this non-functional yacht into a nen boat or rather nen yacht. This would also be their first time witnessing something like this. None of them had come across nen users personally and there was hardly any information of nen users floating around beyond rumors and that itself wasn't reliable information.
As soon as Naruto was close enough, he unsealed a large container of ink and an ordinary paint brush. He approached the side of the whale, dipped the brush inside the ink and began writing various symbols in a way that would make an artist green in envy. The brush danced about the surface without a single pause. It was a wonderful sight for those standing by. The group continued watching as he danced about the entire water-air craft as if it was the most spectacular performance. Without realizing it, several hours had flown by. As soon as Naruto sealed the brush away, it was then the group realized how much time had flown by.
Satisfied with his work or rather master piece, Naruto released a small sigh. This had taken a lot out of him but it was all worth it. With a small burst of aura, he activated one of the seals. The small audience watched in awe as the black symbols that adorned the whale glowed slightly before fading away leaving nothing behind. It was as if it wasn't there to begin with. Both Gon and Killua activated Gyo in their eyes revealing those strange symbols once more. Naruto chuckled at the duo. The others could only watch in confusion. In their minds, the large art master piece simply vanished.
"Alright Gon, Killua, let's go" Without wasting another minute, the trio quickly boarded the newly created nen yacht. The remaining people watched in amazement as the yacht slowly rose from the beach until it was several feet.
"Oh my god, look at this"
"Look at this. It's actually flying"
"We helped put this thing together"
"Hey, maybe we could open up as nen boat business"
"But we don't know anything about this "nen" energy thing"
"Maybe we could ask them before-" Any idea of asking the trio died as soon as the whale yacht took off at speeds that should have been possible for something of that stature. The others stared in the distance for a few seconds before someone spoke up.
"I wonder if its possible to find information about them"
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"This is awesome" Killua was currently steering the flying whale through the sky with ease with a large grin. This was his first time flying a nen yacht before. The current speed could be comparable to a jet going full speed. "I wonder if this is the fastest it could travel." This was already impressive enough. Any faster and it would be ridiculous.
"Of course, it could go faster" started Naruto. "All you have to do is adjust this" Naruto reached over to a rather intricate seal located not too far from the steering wheel. With a bit of aura, he made adjustments to the speed. Killua's eyes widened as the boat increased speed. Everything began to blur around them making it harder to see where they were heading.
"Could we slow down a little. Id rather not crash into whale island" Gon scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. Crashing into their destination was definitely a terrifying concept. Naruto chuckled a bit as he readjusted the speed to something bearable. Killua released a sigh of relief.
"Alright guys, we'll fly around a bit on our way there. I want to see if everything is up to par. Not only that but I want to see if there's any other features I should add that will help us in the long run. I want this yacht to be capable of going anywhere in the world without any problems." After thinking about it, Naruto decided that this will be their main transportation for the time being. Both Gon and Killua perked up at this immediately. This definitely sound like fun. Besides, it's not like Whale Island was going anywhere so why not have some fun in the meanwhile? Naruto unsealed a small notepad as he prepared to take notes on improvements he would implement later.
"Alright guys, let the test begin."
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"So, this is whale island?" Naruto stared at the island from a bird's eye view. "I could see where it gets its name from. It looks like a sperm whale which is ironic considering the design of our own vehicle. I mean, what are the chances that we end up with a yacht that looks similar to Gon's island?" Gon grinned at this statement. They were flying something that resembled his hometown. Killua on the other hand pouted playfully.
"No fair, we need something like looks similar to my home too." Of course, he said this as a joke. His home was a large mountain so something like that would be impossible.
"We could add a cannon that looks like the Kukuroo mountain but much smaller. We still need weapons on her for defensive purposes after all." As soon as Naruto said this, Killua appeared right next to him almost instantaneously. A cannon that looked like his family's mountain sounded wonderful especially one that used fuinjutsu. A bead of sweat appeared on Naruto's forehead. It would seem that anything he did triggered some sort of excitement within these two. Then again, he was a pretty awesome person after all. "Alright Gon, take us to our destination."
"Hai"
Gon then proceeded to propel the vehicle forward while slowly descending until he was only a few feet from ground level. He proceeded to drive up the hills away from the general population and stopped when he was outside a rather small house. It was in that moment Naruto realized something very crucial.
"It would seem that we forgot to add landing gears." His cheeked turned red at this blunder. Then again, this was built to drive on water. The whole flying part was something he threw together on a whim. He merely shrugged his shoulders before deactivating the flying seals. The yacht dropped to the ground quickly creating a large commotion. Naruto chuckled a bit as he scratched the back of his neck. 'I need to add some sort of landing gear or at least some sort of landing structure. This is definitely not a good way to land. I'll also add a means to cushion our landing too for stealth purposes. If we land in a hostile environment, I want to do it as quietly as possible.' He quickly jotted his ideas in his note pad before resealing it.
"What's going on out here?" The trio turned towards the source of the new voice. It was then they were greeted to the sight of two women. The first was an orange haired woman with fair skin and hazel. She appeared to be in her early 20s. The other was an elder lady most like the younger girl's grandmother.
"Mito-san" Gon jumped away from the steering wheel and quickly made his way towards the two ladies. Mito perked up upon seeing Gon's smiling face.
"Gon"
As soon as he was within reach, he quickly hugged her. As the two greeted one another, both Naruto and Killua slowly made their way out of the flying whale and towards the reunited family. It was in that moment that Mito realized that Gon had brought over guests.
"Mito-san, I would like you to meet my friends Killua and Naruto. I met them during the Hunter exams and we've been together ever since. There are others I met but they're not here right now. I met Leorio, Kurama, and Kurapika." Both Naruto and Killua grinned sheepishly as Gon rambled on and on about various random things. Mito seeing no end to this quickly held her hand up and stopped Gon from continuing.
"Gon, how about you tell me everything over supper. I'm sure you guys had such a long trip. In the meanwhile, why don't you boys get cleaned up." Gon nodded his head in acceptance.
"Alright Mito-san but can Naruto cook tonight? His cooking skills are super." Naruto could only sweat drop at that description. Mito's eyebrow on the other hand rose slightly. This was a bizarre request that Gon made. Before she could further comment, Naruto interjected.
"I have some unique ingredients I want you to try. It's not something you could get from your typical market or something most people know about." Of course, what he said was indeed true. However, that wasn't the real reason why he made such a statement. In his mind, it would seem weird for Mito to let someone Gon's age to cook their meal. She wasn't aware of the whole reincarnation thing thus it would probably seem weird on her part. By mentioning rare ingredients add to the fact that many people didn't know about it, there was a chance that Mito would allow him to fulfill Gon's request without questioning him. Fortunately for Naruto, Mito did not go any further beyond "ok". Killua beamed at this piece of news. Mito and her grandmother then proceeded to guide Gon and his friends into their home.
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"So this nitro rice came from this place called the Dark Continent" Mito glanced the various ingredients Naruto mysteriously summoned. She was a bit curious about how he did it but had a feeling that whatever it was he did was connected to being a hunter. She couldn't imagine anyone else doing something so bizarre thus she didn't ask anything related to said ability. She wasn't interested into anything hunter related. It was a dangerous occupation and a selfish one to boot if Ging was anything to go by. What kind of father abandon's his own child just to run off to god knows where and do who knows what? He should have been there for Gon as he grew up instead of halfway around the world if not half way. Without realizing it, Mito's thoughts turned negative for a brief moment about hunters and anything relating to it. It was Naruto's voice that brought her back to reality.
It was in this moment that her thoughts went back to the topic at hand which was food. The nitro rice and cooking ingredients were definitely not hunter related or that's what she believed. She had never seen rice like this before. In fact, she had never seen ingredients like the ones laid out before her other than in luxurious restaurants and such. It didn't feel as if he was creating a simple meal but something one would find in a fancy restaurant.
"That is correct Mito-san." Naruto pretended he didn't sense the fluxing emotions that appeared briefly. As to what that pertained to, he didn't know nor was he interested in finding out.
Mito's grandmother Saya whom was quietly watching Naruto cook and answer Mito's questions grabbed a small amount of nitro rice and examined it closely. "Is there anything that's supposed to be special about this and why is this the first time I'm seeing this?" She has seen various types of ingredients yet this was her first time seeing this. In fact, a great deal of the ingredients being used was unfamiliar to her. Then again, she hadn't exactly traveled the entire known world so it wouldn't be impossible that she missed it.
"Well" Naruto started off. "The reason why you haven't seen it is because no one has been successful in retrieving it before. They're surrounded by a unique type of snake that kill anyone that comes near them. Based on what I was informed, a great deal of people lost their lives to them. As for the special properties, its rumored to extend one's life though that has yet to be proven till this day." Both Mito and Saya were completely shocked at both pieces of information. People were losing their lives over this thing. Then again, anything that extends one's life would be worth a great deal of money especially for those with wealth. Rich people are always looking for ways to continue living even if it meant sacrificing the lives of many to do so.
Naruto chuckled at their facial expression. He began wondering if this was the normal facial expression he would see if someone discovered the nitro rice and its supposed ability. Then again it wasn't often one would come across something like this. Still, it wasn't even confirmed that nitro rice had such abilities or was it? He made a mental note to find out later thus adding another objective to his slowly growing list of things to do. With that in mind, he stored those pieces of information in the back of his mind as he returned to his task at hand which was to prepare dinner.
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"Let's eat" chimed Gon and Killua at the same time as they stared at what they secretly dubbed Naruto cuisine. Both Mito and Saya blinked at the two boys in question. Was Naruto's cooking that good for such a reaction? There was only one way to find out. Mito slowly dug her fork into a small proportion of rice and gingerly took a bite. After experiencing the wonders of nitro rice, she tried another dish. She repeated this action until she sampled everything and was surprised at how good it was especially considering it was made by someone the same age as her son or so she believed. She wasn't the only one surprised. Saya was mesmerized by the various flavors dancing around her taste buds. This meal felt as if it was cooked by a professional. Naruto must have been a food prodigy.
As Mito continued eating in silence, a thought passed through her head. She glanced at Gon as if mentally debating whether or not she should bring it up and after a few seconds of mental battle, she made her decision.
"So how as the exam." Gon paused for a brief moment as he recalled everything that happened in the exams.
"It was interesting and fun." Mito's eyebrow rose at this statement but she said nothing. She was under the impression that the hunter exams were difficult with a high death ratio. Was she wrong in that regards?
"Take a look at this." Gon produced a small card from nowhere. Mito blinked in surprise as she tried to process what just happened. Subconsciously she took the card to inspect it further. She was curious as to what a hunter card looked and felt like. As soon as the card was within her hands, she came to realize just how ordinary the card looked. It actually looked like a credit card.
"It looks pretty normal to me." After staring at it for a brief moment, she bent it slightly which prompted Gon to quickly react. Before Mito realized what happened, the hunter card was gone and out of sight. She blinked several times as she tried to locate the small item. Gon chuckled nervously as he responded.
"It's built the same way as a credit card. Bending it will break it. I won't be able to get another one so I have to super safeguard this one." Mito chuckled slight upon this.
"Sorry about that Gon. I was just curious about it. I would never want to break this." She chuckled nervously afterwards but no one brought the story. Based on his observation, Naruto was able to deduce that Mito did not want Gon to be a hunter at all. Then again based on his experience so far, this was definitely a dangerous occupation especially for someone as young as Gon and Killua.
No words was exchanged after that and the group continued eating in silence. As soon as the meal was finished, both Gon and Killua took off. Gon wanted to show Killua more of his island and continue driving the flying whale. Naruto on the other hand stayed behind to clean up not only the table but the dishes as well.
"Gon is strong" started Naruto after a few seconds of silence. He could still sense Mito's unease about the whole Hunter situation. "He'll only get stronger with time. You don't need to worry too much about his wellbeing. Plus he has friends like us around. We'll make sure he remains safe." Mito didn't know why but for some reason she felt her unease slowly dissipating after Naruto said those words. There was something about his tone that made her want to believe in the words he just spoke.
"Ok" was all that she could say at the moment.