Pirates and Ninjas: Lost

by: Oojah

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Shikamaru sighed half-heartedly as he folded his arms behind his head and gazed longingly at the few clouds that decorated the blue sky.

"This is so troublesome" He mumbled.

"Shikamaru!" Naruto threw the oar, he had been holding, down dramatically. "Stop lazing around and help us row!"

"There are only two oars." Shikamaru then gestured vaguely to their surroundings. "And where will we row ourselves too? There isn't land in which Neji can see. Besides, it's too troublesome to waste all our energy rowing around aimlessly."

"He's right." Neji said. He had long abandoned his oar, which lay idly by his side.

"So I've just been rowing us around in circles?!" Naruto cried out and pointed an accusing finger at Neji.

When nobody paid him any more attention, Naruto frowned and plonked himself down in the middle of the small row boat, kicking at Shikamaru's legs to make more room.

"But I'm hungry!" He wailed after a moment of silence. "All our supplies got washed away in that whirlpool!" Naruto glared back in the general direction of where the offending whirlpool existed, though they couldn't see it now.

"I don't know why you're complaining," Neji huffed, his hair still slightly damp from the unplanned detour. "It's your fault we were caught in that whirlpool."

Naruto just grinned. "At least we're still alive!"

Neji did not look at all impressed.

"Well, it's all in the past now anyway." Naruto continued, as he waved a dismissive hand. "We should be focusing on the present!" He added with a new jolt of determination.

"Present? As in we are stranded in the middle of foreign waters, with no food, no water and no map. We don't know where we are and unless by some miracle a ship sails by, we're doomed to die a horribly slow and painful death." Shikamaru paused for dramatic effect, "That kind of present?"

Naruto glared at Shikamaru who still had his eyes closed. "I thought you were sleeping."

"A ship's coming." Neji announced, staring straight ahead.

"Where?" Naruto sprung to his feet, unintentionally rocking the boat.

"Oi!" Shikamaru cracked open an eyelid and grabbed a side of the boat to steady himself.

"Due East"

"My East or your East?" Naruto asked, confused.

Neji sighed and just pointed over Naruto's shoulder. "That East."

Naruto whirled around, causing the boat to rock again.

Shikamaru's 'Stop that!' fell on deaf ears.

"Neji! Even I can see that. What happened to your superior eyesight?"

"I saw it coming a while ago, I just didn't want to get your hopes up if it suddenly veered away." Neji scowled, obviously offended.

"Sure you did." Naruto smirked. "I believe you."

The blonde boy, excited by the prospect of finally getting some food, leant forward to get a closer look on the approaching ship.

Naruto would have toppled head first into the water if Shikamaru hadn't grabbed the boy by the collar and yanked him back.

"What kind of ship?" Shikamaru asked dryly as he smacked Naruto across the back of the head.

"Ow!" Naruto rubbed his head. "What was that for?" He demanded.

"Stop being an idiot, idiot."

Neji didn't reply right away.

"Pirates" He finally said.

"Pirates?" Naruto stared blankly at where the ship was steadily moving towards them.

Shikamaru frowned, if they were in Pirate territory, then they were more of course then he had originally thought.

"What should we do then?" Neji asked, though the question was directed more at Shikamaru then Naruto.

The Nara was, after all, the officially appointed leader of this Rank B mission, despite what Naruto thought.

"We don't have much of a choice. We lack great knowledge of the sea; out here we're as good as dead."

"Maybe they're friendly pirates!" Naruto announced loudly, now excited for a whole different reason. "Pirates! I've only heard stories of them. You know, the ones Iruka use to tell us about, back in The Academy."

"That was more then five years ago, Naruto." Shikamaru sighed.

"Still! I want to see their treasure!" The blonde could not be swayed.

"How many are in the crew, Neji?"

"Five, no more then Five."

"Hmm… smaller then I would have thought."

"I can take them all!" Naruto declared boldly but before he could complete the hand seal for his infamous Kage Bunshin to prove his point, he was promptly elbowed on the head.

"Not now, idiot. Not while we're still on the boat." Shikamaru snapped.

"Stop hitting me on the head!" Naruto yelled back.

"They've spotted us." Neji announced.

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Author's Notes: The next part will be posted seperately in the 'One Piece' section. Please Read and Review 'Found' too.