"Normal conversations"
'Internal dialogues'
It had been 2 days since Naruto and Kushina left Logue town, the storm had passed within an hour of their departure and it was safe sailing for them since.
"How long till we reach Grand Line?" Naruto asked as he prepared some food.
"It's only been 2 days since we left Logue town, It'll probably take few more days till we reach there," Kushina replied as she happily ate the ramen Naruto prepared for her.
"Let's go check the sails" Naruto stated as he finished washing the plates.
"After one more bowl" Kushina replied as she passed her empty bowl to Naruto.
"That's enough for today" he replied as he put the bowl in the sink "You've already eaten 10 bowls, it's not healthy to eat so much ramen".
Kushina puffed her cheeks and looked away "I can eat however much I want, You're not my mother".
Naruto just shook his head at her childish behavior and walked out of the kitchen.
While checking the sails, Naruto spotted a large flock of birds circling over a tiny boat.
"Kushina!" Naruto called out "Use your binoculars and see what's going on there"
Doing as she was told, Kushina peered through the glasses and spotted a small girl in the boat.
"There's a small girl, she seems to be unconscious!"
"Let's go see if she need any help"
Picking up the unconscious girl from her small boat, Naruto carried her to the infirmary and laid her on the nearby bed.
"What's wrong with her?" Kushina asked, worried about the little girl as Naruto checked her condition.
"She is dehydrated, probably hasn't eaten anything either".
"She'll be Ok after she rests for a while, it's nothing serious" Naruto stated as he noticed her worried expression, "I'll go prepare something for her to eat".
Kushina tucked the girl in and walked out of the room a few minutes later as she heard some noises outside.
"Naaruutooo!" A loud voice echoed through the ship.
"Stop yelling! You're giving me a migraine!"
Reaching the deck, Kushina spotted Luffy and Zoro arguing about something.
"What the hell are you guys doing here?" Kushina inquired as she approached them.
"We recognized the ship back from Logue town so we stopped by to say hello" Zoro replied.
"Who're you?" Luffy asked as he fingered his nose.
"What's all the commotion?" Naruto asked as he exited from the kitchen.
"Naruto!" Luffy yelled while waving his hand.
"Luffy? what the hell are you doing here?"
"I came to say hello!"
"Speak softly" Naruto whispered, "we have a patient who is resting".
"Patient?"
"I'll explain later" Naruto deflected "So, you managed to escape the storm as well, good for you!"
"Yes! Nami navigated us to safety"
"So, you still decided to keep her in your crew after she stole your ship?"
"Those are things of the past, I have already forgiven her."
"Good for you I guess".
"So you finally bought a ship?" Usopp asked as he examined the ship.
"It was actually a gift from her brother" Naruto replied as he motioned at Kushina.
"She is Kushina by the way" Naruto introduced "She's my mate!"
"First mate!" Kushina corrected as she blushed red.
"Kushina?... I've heard that name before" Luffy muttered as he closed his eyes and pinched his forehead, trying his hardest to remember.
"It's an excellent ship" Usopp stated as he came to join them "Your brother must be loaded, the ship's wood is of the finest quality I've seen so far, I bet it didn't come cheap".
"Of course my brother wouldn't settle for anything but the best for me!" Kushina replied as she puffed her chest with pride for her brother.
"Kushina!" Luffy suddenly exclaimed, "I remember now! you're Shanks's sister!".
"Keep your voice down Luffy, you'll disturb the girl".
"Sorry..." Luffy muttered as he scratched his neck.
"I'm Luffy" He introduced himself "We met when we were little, do you remember me?"
"I do" Kushina replied as she glared at him, "You're that dumb kid because of which my brother lost his arm."
Luffy's expression immediately became that of sadness as he lowered his head in shame.
"Kushina!" Naruto chastised "He was just a kid back then, it wasn't his fault."
Kushina grunted and went back to the kitchen.
"Sorry about her" Naruto muttered "I'll go see if she's ok, you guys make yourself at home".
Sanji jumped over to the Red Queen, holding several trays of food.
Seeing the sad expression on Luffy's face he asked "What happened to him?".
Zoro just shook his head and motioned him to drop it for now.
"I'll go explore the ship" Usopp stated as he moved away.
Naruto soon came out with Kushina in tow.
Stopping near Luffy, Naruto motioned her to speak.
"I'm sorry for the way I behaved, I know it wasn't your fault but I still can't forgive you for that incident so easily. But, since Naruto hold's you in such high regards, I'm ready to give you a chance",
"There you go, it wasn't that hard was it?" Kushina turned her face away from him and muttered.
"You owe me 10 bowls of ramen now".
Naruto just smiled as he saw Luffy's expression began to ease up.
"Ouch!" A sudden scream of pain echoed the ship.
"It came from the med-bay!"
As they entered the room, they spotted Usopp holding his chin while the girl rubbed her forehead to soothe the pain.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Kushina asked as she checked up on the little girl.
"She was muttering something in her sleep so I leaned in to hear what she was saying and before I could react she bashed her head in my face".
Checking the girl's head for any injury, Kushina asked "Does it hurt anywhere?".
The girl shook her head in negative.
"You must be hungry" Naruto stated "I've cooked some food let's go eat, we'll talk there".
Setting the dining table with Sanji's help, Naruto served some soup and meat to the girl.
"Were you in a shipwreck or something?" Kushina asked, "You would've been in big trouble had we not found you in time."
"Let's start with your name, for now, My name is Naruto, what's yours?" Naruto intervened, seeing the girl get overwhelmed by questions.
"My name is Apis" she replied in a low voice, suddenly her stomach gurgled making her look down in embarrassment.
"Go on" Naruto passed her the plate "I made it for you".
The girl was hesitant but her hunger triumphed her caution.
After dring the soup, she exclaimed happily "Yummy! I've never eaten anything this good before!".
"Well... I try" Naruto blushed at her compliment.
"It really is good" Luffy continued as he too began to dig in, "It's almost as good as Sanji's".
After eating the lunch, they all sat at the deck, Nami had also joined them after adjusting their ship's path.
"Say, why were you drifting on the sea, Apis?" Nami inquired.
"I escaped from a Navy ship" she replied.
"Navy ship?"
"Yes, I escaped during the stormy night three days ago".
"That's so reckless" Kushina chastised "Sailing on that small boat in such a storm".
"Why were you in their ship" Zoro questioned, "Did they capture you because you're a criminal?".
"Zoro!" Nami yelled, "She's just a small girl, Why would the marines imprison her even if she did do something wrong!".
"W-Well... Uhm..." Apis looked down "I didn't do anything wrong... but I can't tell you why they captured me".
"You can tell us when you are ready" Naruto intervened "She must have her reasons, if she doesn't want to say, then we shouldn't press her to".
"That's right" Kushina agreed "But can you at least tell us where you're from?"
"Yes," Apis replied, "I'm from Warship Island!".
"Warship Island?"
"It's an Island close to the Grand Line" Kushina answered.
"You know of it?" Naruto asked in wonder.
"Of course, I visited it with my brother when I was younger. It's known as Warship Island because the shape of the island is exactly like that of a warship".
"Is it far from here?" Naruto asked.
"I don't think so" Kushina replied as she took a map out from a nearby desk "We're around here," she said pointing at a spot on the map "It should be few hours to the west if we sailed at full speed."
"So Apis, What do you wanna do?" Naruto asked, "Do you want me to drop you back to the Warship Island?"
"You were nice enough to save me and I feel bad for burdening you further but I want to go back to the Island!, I'm sorry if I'm being selfish" she apologized and lowered her head.
"Nonsense!" Naruto exclaimed, "We'll take you back to your island!".
"Yes!" Luffy exclaimed.
"UUhh Luffy? are you sure you want to come with us," Naruto asked.
"Ehhh? What's the problem if we tag along" Luffy asked.
"Luffy..." Nami sighed "Their ship is way faster than ours, when she said about sailing at full speed, she was referring to their ship, not ours. Our ship would take at least a day to reach there. So, tagging along with them will be of no use since we'll only slow them down".
"It can't be helped" Zoro stated as he got up from the floor "We'll meet you guy's again at the Grand Line" and walked out.
Soon, other members of Luffy's crew also returned to their ship.
"I'm sorry Luffy" Naruto apologized "I know you were really excited about visiting the Warship Island".
"As Zoro said, It can't be helped" Luffy replied with a big smile, "It's not like I won't get to visit the Island again after I become the Pirate King!" with that he too returned to his ship.
Waving them farewell, Naruto steered the ship in the direction of the Island.
"Are you guys Pirates?" Apis asked with a sudden fear in her eyes.
"Don't worry about it" Naruto replied "We're not like other pirates, You are safe with us" he reassured.
Kushina fetched Apis from the room and decided to play some games with her to let her get comfortable with them.
An hour had passed when Naruto suddenly called for Kushina,
"There's a fleet of marine ships in the distance, they are approaching us" he informed, "Stay ready, where is...".
"She's asleep" Kushina replied.
Within few minutes, The Red Queen was surrounded by marine ships.
The sudden commotion outside woke Apis, she quietly made her way to the deck and was shocked to see them being surrounded by the marines,
"Stay hidden" Naruto whispered as he noticed her sneak up to him.
"This is the Lt. Commander of branch 8 marine fleet" A man on the speaker introduced himself, "Stop immediately!".
"Kushina, take care of her. I'll deal with them".
Raising his hands, Naruto walked on the deck and in clear view.
'I really hope they haven't issued a wanted poster with my face on it' Naruto thought.
"What are you doing, sailing in this part of the sea?" the commander asked.
"I'm sorry, I had to take a detour as a couple of pirates were chasing my ship" Naruto replied.
"Are you alone on the ship?"
"No" Naruto replied "My wife is with me but she can't come out since she isn't feeling well. The rest of my crew jumped ship when the pirates began to pursue us" he explained.
There was a short period of silence after which the commander announced "One of our ships will escort you to safety. Please follow them".
'Yes!' Naruto exclaimed.
The rest of the marine ships cleared their way leaving only one ship behind to escort them.
There was a sudden static in their microphone as a new voice spoke up.
"Hmmm, Red Queen? Isn't that the name of the ship which was used by Naruto of the Scarlet Eyes to escape Logue Town?"
'Scarlet eyes?' Naruto thought 'They are probably talking about my Sharingan'
"That name is very common amongst brigantine-type ships" Naruto replied "We merchants use it as a show of status".
"You also look awfully similar to that pirate" the voice in the microphone replied.
"Blonde hair with blue eyes is a common trait" Naruto argued.
"Kushina, get the ship ready" he silently whispered.
Kushina gave a short nod and disappeared into the navigation room.
"I never described his appearance" the voice stated.
"Well...I just assumed you were referring to my appearance. After all, I do know how I look."
"Please stop your ship immediately, we'll be boarding it to check your details".
"Of course" Naruto replied as he went to adjust the sails, "Kushina ready?"
After hearing a low "yes" Naruto opened the sails causing the ship to suddenly jerk forward as it accelerated with tremendous speed.
"Get him!" the voice in the microphone yelled as all the ships suddenly began to sail in their direction.
"Kushina!, get on the canons!" Naruto ordered as he began to steer the ship and dodge the incoming cannonballs.
Kushina managed to hit few ships and lose them behind.
"Naruto be careful! We are approaching the calm belt, we'll be screwed if we get stuck there!" She warned as she kept firing the cannon.
Naruto nodded as he continued to steer the ship.
"There will be a wind current flowing in that direction in a few seconds" Apis informed.
Naruto stared at her inquisitively but after feeling the wind himself, he agreed on her prediction.
"Kushina prepare the sails to turn starboard (right side of the ship, for those who don't understand the nautical term) on my command!"
"But we'll get-"
"Just do as I say!"
Kushina followed Naruto's order and prepared the sails for a sharp turn.
"Naruto, we are entering the calm belt!" she exclaimed "Any further than this and we'll get stuck there!"
"I know!" he replied, "Just be ready for my signal!".
"Apis hold on to something!"
"On the count of three", Naruto yelled "1...2...3, Now!"
Kushina managed to successfully set the sails causing the ship to turn hard right.
"What the hell are they doing?" the captain of the marine vessel asked "They are surrounded no matter which side they choose to run".
As he spoke, a sudden gust of wind filled their sails causing their ship to speed up.
"Looks like luck is on our side!" he exclaimed as his ship began to close the distance with Naruto's.
"Captain!" a marine suddenly yelled, "We'll enter the Calm Belt if we don't slow down our ships!".
"Shit!" the captain cursed as he realized where they were headed, he quickly ordered his crew to reel in the sails, but it was already too late.
They passed Naruto's ship, who gave them a short salute and continued to ride the wind till they entered the calm belt.
"Whew! That was close" Naruto exhaled.
"We could have taken them without an issue" Kushina replied "Why did we run".
"Red Queen is new and without a mark on it, Now, I know it's technically your ship but its the first ship that I've ever sailed so it has a special place in my heart" Naruto replied, "I'd like to keep it as pristine as possible for as long as possible, confrontation with such a large fleet would've sure damaged it a lot".
"Naruto..." Kushina whispered, she didn't know Naruto was such a sentimental type of guy.
"Anyway," Naruto stated as he changed the topic "Look like we have arrived at the Warship Island" he pointed at the island in the distance which resembled an enormous Warship.
They were immediately surrounded by people pointing makeshift spears at them as soon as they set foot on the island.
"Hi! I'm home" Apis exclaimed as she revealed herself and waved at the people as she too made her way to the land.
"Apis!" the villagers shouted in recognition.
"Where had you gone? We were all worried about you".
"I was captured by the marines but these people saved me!" she replied pointing at Naruto and Kushina, "They're very good people"
"What'd you do, Apis? The Navy had come here inquiring about you." One of the men asked.
"Apis!" an older man called out as he made his way towards her.
"Grandpa Bokuden!" Apis exclaimed as she ran toward the old man and hugged him.
"I'm glad you're safe" Bokuden replied as he began to laugh with her, "Thank you for saving Apis" he thanked Naruto and Kushina.
"How about I throw a small thank you party for you guys for saving my Apis. I make the best pork buns on the island, I'm sure you will enjoy it a lot".
"Thanks for the offer but we should really get going, we have to reach the Grand Line by tomorrow." Naruto replied as he hurriedly boarded his ship, "We'll stop by some other time to eat your pork buns for sure".
With that Naruto set sail and began to move away from the island.
"Why are we leaving in such a hurry?" Kushina inquired.
"We are not leaving," Naruto informed "I'll dock our ship at the other end of the island and explore it without getting in trouble with the villagers".
"Why such secrecy?"
"There's something weird about the island, but I can't seem to put my finger on it" Naruto replied as he observed the island, "Can you use your Observation Haki and get a sense of the Island?".
Kushina looked unsure for a bit but decided to do as Naruto had asked.
"You were right" Kushina stated after a few seconds, "There seems to be some kind of enormous animal at the top of that mountain, I can't get a proper read of it but it seems like the creature is dying".
Stopping the ship near an isolated cliff, Naruto jumped towards the Crowsnest, "Let's go check it out!" With that, he leaped at the cliff and began to climb it.
"We could have just walked there through the village" Kushina complained but followed him anyway.
It took them several minutes to traverse through the mountains but finally, they reached the cave where Kushina sensed the creature.
"This is it" Kushina stated as she prepared herself for a confrontation.
"We should be careful, we don't know what's in there" she whispered.
"It's a dragon!" Naruto exclaimed.
Looking at the empty space beside her, Kushina rushed through the cave entrance to meet up with Naruto.
"What took you so long?"
"Don't rush into the unknown like that, you idiot!" Kushina snapped "What if the creature was aggressive?"
"Well it's not" Naruto replied as he pointed at the resting dragon who was observing them with half-lidded eyes.
"It's a dragon!" Kushina exclaimed as well she got closer to take a better look, "I can't believe it... it's the Millennium Dragons!".
"You know what the dragon is?"
Kushina nodded, "It's an old legend which says that the residents of this island are said to be descendants of The Lost Island people, it was a prosperous Island which was said to have sunk under the sea about a thousand years ago. On that Island lived dragons called Millennial Dragons. It's said that the bones of these dragons, known as Dragonite, contains an elixir which grants immortality."
"Immortality huh?" Naruto repeated.
"You interested?"
Naruto shook his head "Immortality, It's a fate worst than death. Who'd want to keep living as everyone they've known and loved perish before them while they are unable to do so. It would be a lonely existence".
"Looks like you've given it quite a bit of thought".
Naruto shrugged as he walked closer to the dragon's head.
"Don't get any closer!" a voice called out to them.
"Apis?" they turned around to see Apis running towards them with a large bag dragging behind her.
Standing defensively in front of the dragon, she yelled "Go away!"
"So this is what you were hiding?" Naruto asked as he continued to walk forward.
"Stop! Leave him alone!".
"Incredible!" Naruto exclaimed as he properly observed the dragon, "Where did you come from big guy?"
After a few seconds of silence, Kushina stated, "He wants to home" as she gently caressed his snout.
"You understood him too?" Naruto asked in surprise.
"Grandpa Ryu says that you two can be his friend" Apis informed with some surprise, "He says he can tell both of you are good people".
"But, how could the two of you read Grandpa Ryu's mind?" She continued.
"It's a secret ability of ours" Naruto winked.
"The question is, how can you understand him?" Kushina asked.
"Oh, well, I..."
"She has probably eaten a devil fruit which allows her to read someone's mind"
Apis looked shocked that Naruto had figured her secret out.
"Yes," She finally revealed, "I ate The Whisper-Whisper Fruit, it allows me to read animals' minds. That's how I knew about the gust of wind when we were fighting the marines, a seabird told me about it and that's how I met Grandpa Ryu too. He said that he got separated from his friends and since then he has been looking for the Lost Island, where the dragons' nests are".
"But didn't the Lost Island sink a long time ago?" Kushina asked.
"Grandpa Ryu says that the island will surface again soon but he can't remember its location" She translated "He's gotten very old and very weak to fly again but he keeps telling me that he wants to go back home. I want to help him but I don't know where such an island exists. The legend by itself doesn't really give much of a clue so I asked the Navy, who happened to have stopped by this island, about it but that was a mistake since they were looking for Dragonite for their own nefarious purposes."
"So that is why they took you prisoner and were chasing you".
Apis nodded.
"Okay then! I'll help you take him to the Lost Island" Naruto exclaimed.
"I thought as much" Kushina sighed.
"Since the legendary Millennial Dragon exists, I'm sure that the Lost Island also exists somewhere"
"Really?! you'll really help him?" Apis asked in excitement.
"Of course, I give you my word. I'll take him back to his home!".
"Do you know where his home is?" Kushina asked.
Naruto lost some of his excitement at the question, "We can just ask him where it is!".
"As I told you earlier, he's gotten very old and can't remember where the island is".
"That's disheartening" Naruto replied, "We can't just drag him along with us till we find the island either. Without the location, there isn't much we can do".
Naruto sat down as he tried to come up with a plan.
"We can try to jog his memory," Kushina suggested.
"You mean hitting him on the head with a heavy object?".
"No!" Kushina denied, "Not something so extreme. I was suggesting we use Observation Haki to search his memories for the island".
"Can you do that?" Naruto asked.
"I can try, I've never done it myself but my brother told me it is possible to peer into someone else's memory, granted that person is of weaker will and simpler mind."
"Ok! let's try it out".
Kushina approached the dragon, placed her hand on its temple, and closed her eyes.
After a few minutes, she began to breathe rapidly as a pained expression appeared on her face.
Naruto immediately intervened and pulled her away from the dragon.
After letting her calm down for few minutes, Naruto asked "Did you see anything?".
"Yes," Kushina replied, "But only a few glimpses, it was like watching a movie on fast forward, too much information to process, not enough time".
"Teach me how to do it, maybe with my Sharingan, it'd be easy for me to process it".
"Well, there's no harm in trying" Kushina agreed, "Place your hand on his head and close your eyes".
Doing as instructed, Naruto places his palm on Ryu's head but decided to keep his eyes open.
Kushina ignored Naruto's open eyes and continued, "Now clear your mind and try to feel his presence".
Naruto nodded as he felt Ryu's presence. By now, his Sharingan had also activated, the tomoes in his eyes were spinning hypnotically at a slow pace as he peered into Ryu's eyes.
"Now slowly try to force your will into it".
He was frozen in concentration for few seconds then suddenly the tomoes in his eyes began to speed up, becoming nothing but blurs as seconds passed.
"Naruto..." Kushina called out as his breathing began to get ragged.
"Naruto!" she called out again as blood began to drip from his nose.
"NARUTO!" this time she shook him to break him out of his trance.
Naruto fell down as he closed his eyes in pain, "Give me a minute..." he muttered as he laid on the ground and passed out.
"Are you Ok?" Kushina asked as she held his head on her lap and woke him up.
"Besides the crushing headache, I think I'm ok" Naruto replied as he opened his eyes, "Is it night already?" he asked suddenly, "How long was I out for?".
"It's still afternoon, You were only unconscious for few minutes". Kushina replied, "Why do you think it's night?" she asked in worry.
"Because all I can see right now is darkness" Naruto replied as he rubbed his eyes, "Well, looks like I've blinded myself" he shrugged.
"Don't be so casual about it!" Kushina snapped.
"It's not like I can do anything about it now" Naruto replied as he got up on his feet, "On the plus side, I know where that island is".
"You do!" Apis exclaimed.
"Yeah" Naruto replied as he tore a piece of cloth from his shirt and wrapped it around his eyes "We are standing on it".
"We are?".
"Yes, this is the Island where the Millennial Dragons are reborn, well, not this exact island" he corrected "The island we are looking for is currently submerged under the sea, and from what I saw in his memories, it's going to emerge soon. We don't have to do anything to find it".
"That's a relief" Apis sighed.
"Yeah and all it cost was my eyesight".
"I didn't mean it that wa-"
"Shhh" Naruto shushed at her, "I hear something".
"What? I don't hear anything" Kushina replied as she placed her hand on her sword and looked around.
"It's the marines" Naruto informed "They've managed to track Apis back to this island and are making their way over here right now".
"I'll go deal with them, You stay here" Kushina ordered as began to walk out of the cave.
"No way I'm staying here" Naruto protested "I'm coming too".
"But you can't-"
"I know I can't see right now but it seems like my other senses have compensated for my lack of sight. I can hear their footsteps all the way over here and they aren't even halfway to our position." Naruto stated, "Come on, It'll be a new experience for me as well as a training opportunity to strengthen my Observation Haki".
"Fine" Kushina relented "But I'll always be close to you".
"That's how I like it" Naruto replied causing Kushina to blush.
"Is she blushing?" Naruto asked, "I can hear her heartbeat faster".
"Let's go!" Kushina dragged him out before Apis could reply.
Guiding Kushina to their location, they met the marines on the slope of the mountain.
"Naruto Of the Scarlet eyes" The marine captain announced "We know that the girl was with you and you are hiding her right now. I order you to hand her over to us and I'll let the two of you leave without any repercussions".
"No, I don't think I will" Naruto replied.
"So be it" the captain stated "Marines fire!".
"This should be interesting" Naruto muttered as he stepped ahead and unsheathed both of his swords, "I'll take care of them, don't interfere until it's absolutely necessary" Naruto ordered and began to run ahead, Kushina following shortly behind.
'Let's see if I still got it' he thought as he began to deflect and dodge the incoming bullets.
'He's doing surprising well' Kushina thought as she sliced the bullets that missed him.
Naruto reached the marines with only a few flesh wounds, he then began to swing his swords as he cut through one marine after another.
"You won't get away this time" The marine captain exclaimed "We have surrounded this Island and we'll be taking the girl, one way or the other".
"For that, you'll have to go through me!" he announced.
"That can be arranged" a voice called out as various wounds suddenly opened up on Naruto's body.
"Naruto!" Kushina yelled in worry.
"I'm alright" Naruto replied.
"Why aren't you using Armament Haki?" Kushina asked.
"I need to feel the wounds to get a sense of my limitations, plus it gives me a good incentive to not get hit".
Naruto suddenly jumped aside as he felt a gust of wind pass by him, even though he dodged the sneak attack, several more wounds still opened up his body.
"Kushina, around 25 marine ships are surrounding the island, take care of them. We can't have them trying to attack the Dragon when the lost Island emerges" Naruto informed as he heard them in the distance
"But you-"
"Don't worry about me, I've been getting a hang of this whole blindness situation".
Jumping to the side to dodge another attack, Naruto yelled "Go now! we don't have time!".
Kushina was hesitant to leave Naruto behind in such a state but relented when she saw multiple ships docking near the island.
" I'll be back!" She stated as she jumped away, "Don't do anything stupid."
"I won't make any promises".
"Naruto of the Scarlet eyes, you have quite a bounty on your head, 65 million Berries, it's not a small amount especially in the east blue sea."
"Are you here for the girl or my bounty?" Naruto questioned, "Who are you anyway? You don't sound like a marine."
"Where are my manners!" the man exclaimed, " My name is Eric the Whirlwind, I'm a mercenary hired to capture that girl, and taking your bounty will just be the icing on the cake".
"Don't be so sure of that" Naruto replied as he began to run towards Eric. Naruto was easily able to track him using his heightened senses but Eric was always on the move, not staying in one place for more than a few seconds and attacking from afar.
"I thought you wanted my bounty" Naruto remarked, "How are you going to defeat me by running like a coward. If you're stalling for reinforcement then you'll be here for a long time because no one will be getting past Kushina to come and help you."
"I don't need any help to defeat a blind man like you" He exclaimed in anger.
"Kama Kama no Wind Slash!"
He yelled as he launched several arcs of sharp wind blades at Naruto.
Easily dodging the attack, Naruto asked "So you're a Devil Fruit user?"
"Yes," Eric replied confidently "I ate the Kama Kama (Sickle Sickle) fruit, the winds I create from it are as sharp as Legendary swords."
"Is that so?" Naruto asked "I happen to have Legendary swords right here," he said raising his swords "Let see if that statement is true".
"You'll never live to find that out!"
"Kama Kama no Whirlwind!"
Eric released a powerful gust of wind filled with deadly air blades, it eviscerates the ground as it approached Naruto.
"If all you can do is blow air at me then this is going to be quite a disappointing fight" Naruto insulted as he crossed his sword and slashed them in an X formation, releasing an enormous blast of wind that overpowered Eric's Whirlwind.
"A simple swing of my sword is stronger than your Devil fruit's power. You must be a horrible mercenary if this is the full extent of your abilities".
"You..." Eric cursed as he dashed towards Naruto.
'Good, I've managed to anger him" Naruto thought as he concentrated his Observation Haki on Eric, 'Hopefully he'll now try his best to kill me now, giving me ample opportunities to fine-tune my Haki'.
Dodging the throat thrust, Naruto deflected his other hand when he tried to stab him with it, and slammed his palm into Eric's chest, knocking him down.
"Pathetic" Naruto sneered as he sheathed his swords "You are so weak that using my sword against you would be an insult to them".
Eric grunted in anger as he launched himself at Naruto again.
As the fight stretched on, Naruto accumulated a lot of damage on his body, he was bleeding from almost everywhere. Eric on the other hand only seemed to be exhausted by the continuous combat as Naruto didn't let him rest even for a second, he only had a few scuff marks and bruises to show that Naruto had indeed hit him during their fight.
Sensing Eric's aura as he moved to strike Naruto with his sharp nails again, instead of dodging or deflecting like he had been doing their entire match, Naruto caught his fingers in his palm, "It seems that this is as far as you can push me" Naruto stated, "Anyway, thanks for being my training partner" Naruto then began to slowly crush Eric's hand in his palm. Eric tried to free himself by thrusting his other hand at Naruto's throat but instead of his attack piercing through Naruto's neck, his fingers broke on contact, bending unnaturally as if he'd just smashed his fingers against a steel wall.
Catching the other hand as well, Naruto began to crush both his hands as Eric screamed in pain. Naruto suddenly pulled Eric towards himself and head-butted him hard. Letting go of his destroyed arms, Naruto let Eric fall to the ground, unconscious.
"Looks like Kushina is done as well" Naruto spoke to himself and he sensed Kushina in the distance, "I should go inform Apis that it's almost time for the Island to emerge".
By the time Naruto brought Ryu and Apis to the shore, several other Millennial dragons had also appeared in the sky, they were circling the island as if waiting for their nests to emerge from the sea.
"Looks like he isn't alone anymore" Kushina stated as came to stand beside Naruto, "I took care of the marines they'll not be a threat anymore, once their Commodore was defeated, they turned tail and ran away."
Naruto nodded as he observed the dragons flying in the sky.
"You can sense them from this distance?" Kushina asked as she saw Naruto facing the dragons in the air.
"Yes," Naruto replied, "In my fight against the mercenary, I learned to better focus my Haki".
Suddenly the Island began to shake as the sea began to withdraw, revealing the mass of land below it.
"They're not called 'Millennial Dragons' because of their thousand-year-old life span" Naruto stated "It's because they return to this island every 1000 years".
"No wonder it's called Lost Island" Kushina muttered "Since it surfaces only once every 1,000 years, nobody remembers the last time it resurfaced. It's lost because it's forgotten."
Apis looked on in amazement as the Island completely emerged from the sea and the dragons began to land on it.
"The dragon's nest I promised to find for you!" Naruto exclaimed, "It's here!".
Ryu suddenly opened his wings and began to fly towards the nest, Naruto, Kushina, and Apis following shortly behind.
As they walked through the lost island, Apis pointed towards the giant rocks in the shape of dragons "Why are they shaped like that".
"They are dragons" Kushina answered "My guess is, they died here and got fossilized over 1,000 years on the ocean's floor."
"Did you know that when elephants are about to die, they hide themselves amongst the other dead elephants in a place called elephant graveyard", Naruto informed.
"What are you trying to say?" Apis asked, not understanding what Naruto was getting at.
"This place is similar to the elephant graveyard, but instead of elephants, it's a resting place for the millennial dragons" Naruto revealed, "It's a dragon graveyard".
"No, it's not!" Apis refused to believe it, "Grandpa Ryu said-"
"Grandpa Ryu was a lost millennial Dragon" Naruto interrupted, revealing what he saw when he peered into the dragon's memories, "He was all alone for a thousand years but he made friends with you during his last year. He said that out of the thousand years he was alive, the year he spent with you was his happiest."
"He lied to me!" Apis exclaimed "If this is the dragon's graveyard then..." she couldn't finish as she burst into tears, "Grandpa Ryu came here to die!".
"He didn't lie" Naruto consoled the girl, "The Millennial Dragons return to this nest every 1,000 years and are reborn again as dragon hatchlings".
After walking for a while, they spotted Ryu laying dead on the ground in the distance, he was surrounded by others of his race. Apis tried to run towards him but Kushina held her tight.
"Look" Naruto pointed towards an object nearby.
"It's a dragon egg" Kushina informed.
Suddenly, the egg began to crack as a baby dragon began to emerge from it.
"A baby Millennial Dragon?!" Apis questioned as the baby began to make noises causing the other dragons to come near him.
"This isn't just a Millennial Dragon graveyard, it's also their birthplace" he revealed.
"I understand now" Apis replied as she stifled her cries "I understand what this place is and Why Grandpa Ryu wanted to return here so badly" She finished as she gave the baby dragon one last look "He is in a better place now, he's home".
"Thank you, Naruto", She spoke and began to walk back "Thank you for keeping your promise" she smiled, "Now, Let's head back to the village. Everyone there must be worried and surprised!".