-Last Chapter-

"He's almost certainly going to be a flagship isn't he?" Takao was the first to recover and give her observations, his firepower potential was just unreal and he wasn't even trying yet. "You may have really outdone yourself this time Commander."

Mirai couldn't help the proud grin that blossomed on her face at her subordinate's praise and the display of her newest fleet member. "He's meeting all my expectations and then some... as for being a flagship, well need to see how he handles himself in a fight first." Impressive firepower was nice but if he couldn't take a hit he would be a liability in battle.

"Atago!" She called out to the heavy cruiser who quickly turned to face her commanding officer. "Are you still up to test him or should I bring in someone else?" She questioned carefully, while Atago was by no means weak but it might be better to grab someone who could stand on more equal footing with the blond.

"I'll be fine Commander." Atago waved her off with a reassuring smile, he may have had the raw firepower but she had more experience which would take some of the edge off. "I don't think Naru-chan would try to hurt his Onee-chan to much, would he?" She cooed at the little Battleship who nodded and already they could see the glow of his weaponry fade as he reigned in his power.

"If you say so." Mirai nodded. "Then you may proceed when you are ready."

She grinned and drew her sword while opposite her Naruto merely tilted his head and pointed one small finger in her direction, his turrets locking onto his current target like hounds waiting to be unleashed. She allowed her own guns to match and knew that she would need to keep on her toes if she didn't want to end up in the shipward in need of repairs.

"Let's see what you can do, Naru-chan~"

"Hai..."

~Present~

"Perhaps Onee-chan bit off a bit more than she can chew..."

Atago grimaced as she threw herself off to the side just as a hail of bullets cut through the space her body had previously occupied, the thin trails of light left over from her opponent's shots quickly fading into the atmosphere but the heated rush of air gave her a warning not to get hit by those. Wasting no time she hastily fired her own volley of bullets back at the small blond who had yet to take a single step throughout the entire exercise.

Naruto watched the bullets fly towards his position as if they were going in slow motion, the glowing explosive rounds during a bright crimson as they carried in his direction. His main gun would be no help here and with the slightest though his secondary guns fired with unnatural swiftness, his own rounds colliding with those of his sparring partner in a cloud of smoke that rocked the waters below them.

"He has a talent for combat even if he hasn't shown too much yet, he needs to work on being less predictable though." Takao had been keep notes throughout the entire exchange and she had learned quite a bit about the young Siren but even with her extensive metal notes, there was only so much a spar could show her. "Then again Nee-san hasn't gone all out either." She noted having seen Atago hold back from launching any of her torpedos at the blond, instead, relying on her main guns to attack.

"It is just a spar." Mirai reminded softly but she did not once take her eyes off the exchange of ammunition between the cruiser and the newest Battleship. "We'll learn his limits in time but for now it's okay to take things slow."

Atago smirked and decided to press the blond at closer range, skating past another round of high energy rounds she quickly closed the gap between the two. Drawing her blade she went for a downward slash, nothing lethal by any means but enough to do some noticeable damage to most heavy cruisers.

Sleepy blue eyes widened slightly in surprise at the abrupt shift in attacking style, having not expected such a sudden burst of speed, he was left with no choice but to shield himself with his rigging. Black chrome barrels grated and sparked ominously against her tempered steel but nonetheless succeeded in protecting their young master from harm and to the Japanese cruiser's surprise coming out mostly unscathed.

Just how thick was his armor?

Sh didn't have much time to think on that question as she was nearly blasted back by one of the blond's guns firing right in front of her, just barely managing to dodge at the last second with a quick show of flexibility. She winced quietly at the slight burn on her side where the superheated shell had rocketed past and quickly fell back deciding that risking a close-range engagement wasn't worth the trouble with such a stalwart defense.

"How do you feel Naru-chan?" She asked looking to see how the little battleship was holding up. "You aren't too tired are you?" She teased trying to distract from her own state while peering into the steel shell he'd cocooned himself within as a defense. She still struggled to get over just how odd his small body looked surrounded by such imposing weapons.

Sleepy blue eyes peered out from the dark fortress of guns and for a moment she thought she caught sight of a yellow ring outlining those azure orbs of his but she dismissed it for now knowing that in the heat of battle it wasn't uncommon to catch tricks of the light.

"I'm okay..." His slightly monotone voice called out and with a soft grunt of exertion, his rigging opened back up revealing his cloaked form once more. "Did I hurt you?..." He questioned quietly, his half-lidded gaze locked onto hole he'd burned into her white jacket with a small frown.

He didn't want to harm her.

She smiled softly at the hint of concern he showed for her well being, yet another sign that he was just as much one of them as he was a Siren. How she wished she could just set him in her lap and give him a good teasing~. She sighed wistfully at the idea but kept such thoughts to herself, after all, there would be plenty of time for such things in the future.

"Onee-chan is a big girl, you don't have to worry about her." She reassured him sheathing her sword. "You did well though but I think we should cut it here, don't you agree Commander?" She asked gesturing towards the beach where their spectators were off watching the pair.

Mirai nodded, she'd seen more than enough to get a decent gauge of his skill. He was powerful but there was a lot he could learn but that would come with time and experience, perhaps he'd even pick up a few tricks from the other Battleships back at port.

"Come on back, we still have a lot to do before the day ends." She called gesturing them with a wave of her hand.

She had to stifle a laugh though as the small blond forgot to dismiss his rigging and tried to lumber back to shore in his armaments, thankfully Atago managed to help the boy and was now carrying him back to shore looking more than a bit pleased with herself as he was forcefully nestled into her generous bust.

She had the distinct impression this was going to become commonplace between the two...

"Thank you Atago." She smiled at the heavy cruiser before squatting down and tussling Naruto's hair as she did with all the destroyers resisting the urge to coo as he leaned into her gloved hands at the gesture. "You did very well Naru, I'm sure you're going to impress everyone else when they meet you." She praised, though in the back of her mind she honestly wasn't sure how that would go.

His development was actually a secret known only to some of her most trusted ships, not that she wanted to keep secrets from her fleet in the first place but she didn't want word of the project getting out until they at least had some reassurance she wasn't going to unleash a massive Siren threat in the heart of Azur Lane.

Looking back at the boy who was now being held by a faintly flushing Takao while Atago giggled furiously behind her gloved hand she allowed those doubts to recede to the corners of her mind. There would be some resistance but she believed that eventually, they would come to accept him as one of their own.

"Alright that's enough teasing Atago, we still need to get him situated in one of the dorms before tonight since we can't have him sleeping in my office." She chided snorting quietly to herself as Takao hesitated to put the child down her dog-like ears twitching in annoyance before she followed through allowing the blond to waddle over to the Commander's side.

"I take it you two would prefer if he was bunked with the rest of the Sakura girls?" She teased playing on the pairs growing affection for the little warship. "If not I could always ask the Union girls-"

"No need Commander, we'll happily take him~" Atago swiftly interjected and took the boy by the hand. "He is one of us after all." She argued seeing as he was born off data gathered from their faction, even if the other girls didn't know it at the time, so by right he was technically a part of the Sakura Empire.

"Takao? Your thoughts."

The cruiser nodded in agreement with her sister's logic though perhaps not for the same reasons. "He has spent more time with us so it would be safer to allow our faction to monitor him until he has been properly introduced to the rest of the major players." She assessed taking a more objective stance than her sister though she wouldn't be surprised if there was a hint of bias in that argument.

She nodded along with their logic anyway, she would have sent him with them regardless but she wanted to hear their thoughts first. Had they actually objected she would have had the small blond stay with her until a more ideal situation could be found.

"Very well." She smiled and looked down at the blond. "I guess it's time for you to meet your seniors Naruto-chan."

"Seniors?..."

...

The Sakura Empire dorms were simple but nonetheless still radiated the elegance the faction tried to carry into all their endeavors. Beautiful paintings of nature and flowers were dotted around the halls while enchanting porcelain and jade vases were sprinkled throughout filled with various assortments of Japanse flora. The walls were painted a simple beige through there was a hint of pink mixed in, no doubt to pay tribute to the primary color of the Empire. Traditional sliding paper doors were spanned entire halls and the smell of burning incense could be faintly detected if one knew what to look for, subtle but just enough to add a bit of flavor.

It was no wonder that many ships from the other factions would often adopt the Sakura style for their own rooms. It was hard to deny the sense of peace and tranquility afforded by the carefully planned setup.

"What do you think Naru-chan? Do you think you'll like it here?~" Atago questioned though it was mostly moot as the three watched the blond wade around the wooden halls with an expression of subdued wonder as explored his new surroundings.

"Pretty..." He intoned pausing in front of a few of the paintings surprising the trio who hadn't expected the boy to take an interest in the art of all things.

"I think he'll do just fine here." Mirai whispered quietly before turning to Takao. "Could you call the Sakura girls together for me, I'd rather they meet him all at once if possible. If a few are missing don't worry but grab who you can." She ordered.

Takao nodded and quietly excused herself to go gather the rest of her faction while She, Takao, and Naruto made their way to the meeting hall stopping every so often along the way to allow him to explore while they waited.

...

"What do you think the Commander wants? It's rare for all of us to be gathered up like this outside of holidays..." A chipper but curious voice muttered out among the hushed whispers of the gathered Sakura ships, Takao having sent out the alert for all of them to meet up in the main hall. "Do you think we did something wrong?!"

"Just be patient Fubuki, we'll find out in a moment but I doubt we're in trouble. " A prim and proper voice reassured the babbling Destroyer, ignoring the crocodile tears running down her face. "If the Sakura Empire was failing in their duties I surely would have noticed and put a stop it."

The owner of said voice was none other than Souryruu, one of the Sakura Empires' more seasoned members and one of the more well-known Aircraft Carriers though the reasons for that fame varied from person to person. She was one of the taller ships within the Empire due to the two long rabbit-like ears that jutted out from the top of her head. Long dark blue almost black hair ran down her head to the small of her back and framed her stern but delicate face. Her eyes were a vibrant shade of aqua and were framed by a pair of wide glasses that succeeded in giving her the aura of a teacher.

"Hehehe, leave everything to big sis!" A vibrant but rough voice joined in laughing with mirth as she joined the little trio in chatter having found a comfortable place to sit next to her sister and the still worried destroyer.

"Hiryuu you better not be slacking off over there."

"N-Not at all!"

At first glance, it was hard to believe that Hiryuu and Souryuu were related but they were, in fact, one of the many pairs of sister ships that comprised the Sakura Fleet. Hiryuu, unlike her sister, possessed snow-white hair that was tied up into a short ponytail that hung down to the middle of her back. Like her sister, she also possessed two long rabbit-like ears that gave her a great deal of height and twitched animatedly as she moved, taking in all the sounds around her. Standing side by side it was clear to see that Hiryuu was the more athletic of the two with thicker, more muscled limbs compared to Souryuu's more delicate figure.

Fubuki frowned still fretting slightly to herself even with the reassurances from her elders but took a few breaths to calm herself. Fubuki like most destroyers was a more petite girl, not the smallest by any means but she was more of a budding beauty. Messy, short blue hair that came to her shoulders framed a cute and expressive pair of amber-colored eyes and round rosy cheeks. She was well known for being traditionally "adorable" if a bit scatterbrained at times but reliable nonetheless.

Off to the side, she could see more of her fellow ships mingling amongst one another without much of a care. The destroyer trio of Mutsuki, Kisaragi, and Uzuki were off swapping candies not at all concerned with the abrupt gathering, if anything, they seemed more excited to be surrounded by all the friendly faces. She supposed being the youngest of them they didn't think too much of their duties.

To her right, she could see Shigure and Yukikaze having yet another one of their famous arguments while a befuddled Ayanami spectated off to the side, occasionally nodding her head absentmindedly along with the shouting though it was clear she was only half paying attention to the rowdy duo.

Abruptly a sudden hush fell upon the room, the soft click of the Commander's shoes managing to pierce thought the ambient chatter causing even the most distracted girls to turn their attention to the front of the room.

"Thank you all for coming." She greeted offering a practiced smile, one honed through years of speeches and public appearances. "I apologize for calling you all here on such short notice and I do hope you will bear with me for a few moments..." She spoke slowly, looking over the assembled ships with a critical eye while holding back a slight frown at the lack of few distinct faces that would no doubt be critical to her goals.

"Now I don't want to keep you long but I did call you here for a reason and no it's nothing terrible." She shot a quick look towards Fubuki who laughed nervously and ducked her head a little bit while a few members of the crowd chuckled at their resident destroyer's behavior. "As you are all aware I have been pushing you much harder than usual and for that I want to apologize but there was a reason for it." She said seriously and a soft round of curious murmuring broke through the silence, many of them had been wondering why they'd been sortieing more than usual but had kept quiet for the sake of proving their resolve.

"Getting right down to it... we've been collecting combat data from all of you to help complete a project I've been working on for the past year." She revealed bluntly keeping her expression level even among the many raised eyebrows being sent her way. "As you know we've had several major victories over the Sirens in the past few months..."

Many of the assembled ships smirked with pride knowing they had contributed greatly to those operations, not to diminish the work of the other factions but effects of their presence on the battlefield was undeniable.

"However." She continued. "While we may have pushed them back, for now, the fact remains that we are no closer to understanding their purpose or their motive for attacking humanity… at least that was the case, up until a few hours ago." She revealed proudly and earning a few gasps of surprise as the assembled ships processed her words.

"Now before you ask, no... we have neither discovered the Sirens true intentions nor the source of their creation." She added quickly cutting nipping that train of thought in the bud. "But we have taken the first step in perhaps finally answering those questions."

Takao and Atago silently joined the commander at the front and immediately all eyes were locked on the shifting figure held securely in the arms of the latter, a few of the more observant ships quickly narrowing at the uncomfortably familiar color scheme that decorated the small child.

"I would like to introduce you all to the newest member of both Azur Lane, and more specifically the Sakura Empire! A hybrid of human ingenuity and Siren technology." She grinned and Atago allowed the small blond crawl out of her arms and step forward, his doe eyes taking in all of the assembled ships with unrestrained curiosity.

"Meet Naruto, the first ship of the Hybrid-class and newest Battleship of the Sakura Empire!"

Naruto waved a small chubby hand in greeting, his usual blank stare giving nothing away as he laid eyes upon his new family, his gaze drawn to the wide variety of unique appearances on the display. He wondered if he could grow horns like that too, that would be kind of cool...

"Hello..." He greeted in his quiet voice but with the silence that practically suffocated the room he might as well have been screaming. "Oh... um, I hope we can work well together... did I say that right?" He amended while looking towards Takao who had her face buried in her hands while Atago stifled a laugh at her sister's exasperation and rubbed the boy's hair affectionately.

"You did well." She whispered quietly earning a small smile from the blond who then looked to his new commander for guidance.

Mirai didn't show it but she wished she could join Takao at the rather tense reactions they were receiving...

Oh, the joys of having to lead from the front.

...

"Why don't you go mingle with your new friends, Onee-chan has to watch over the Commander lest she put her foot in her mouth." Atago chuckled pushing him off closer to the remaining ships while off to the side they could see the Mirai and Takao talking to a few of the older Sakura members.

Atago was more than willing to bet it had to do with their little battleship but she was confident her Commander could handle it, the question was could she do it without stepping on any toes?

"Just remember to be polite and just take it slow, if you get nervous you can come back up here with us." She assured him.

"Mkay..." He nodded and watched as his self appointed big sister made her way over to the whispering adults before turning his attention to the remaining ships who were all staring at him with a range of emotions, some with fear while others looked on with caution, while a few just stared at him with open curiosity.

Making his way off the stage he scanned the room for someone to speak to... there were so many ships here and idly he noted that he felt a strong desire to wander back to the Commander's hip. He shrunk into his coat slightly, a small frown gracing his features at the less than warm reception he could see in many of the eyes of his fellow 'comrades'.

Maybe it would be best if he waited off to the side for now...

Before he could enact said plan however, he found himself being approached by another ship, a girl only slightly taller than himself due to some of her extra 'features'. She strode up to him with a fearlessness he wasn't expecting and within moments she'd snuck into his personal space, confronting him with a curious pair of bright red eyes.

*Sniff!*

...

*Sniff! Sniff!...*

It took him a moment to realize that the girl in front of him was... smelling him? Her sharp nose twitching back and forth as she inspected him from head to toe either unaware or uncaring of how odd she might have looked to the outside observer. Unsure of how to respond he allowed her to smell away not truly bothered by the action and only intervening when she attempted to lift his cloak for a closer look, earning a small growl from her but she did not try again.

"Hmmm... you don't smell like you have any meat on you. Do you have any snacks?"

"No..." He replied, caught off guard by the abrupt greeting, was this how Sakura ships greeted one another? Maybe he had more to learn than he first thought. "Ano... who are you?"

"Me? I am Yuudachi!" The girl in front of him pumped her fist in pride taking great honor in carrying such a name. "I am known as the 'Mad Dog of Solomon'! Hehe, don't underestimate my strength!" She preened placing her hands on her hips and puffing out her chest. "I'll never back down from a fight and I'll never lose one either!"

"Mad Dog?" He tilted his head cutely as he inspected her and quickly realized how she'd earned the name, or at least the "Dog" portion of it. Atop her head peeking out through a wild mane of silver hair were two metal, dog-like ears. Looking down he could also see a fluffy silver tail wagging from side to side, unintentionally slapping the nearby chairs around them. Like himself, Yuudachi didn't wear much in the way of clothing, a very short top that allowed her sizable chest to peek out from the bottom when she moved and a short skirt that, while thankfully covering her underwear, did little to hide her plush thighs. Her outfit was completed by a pair of bright red shoes sporting a paw print design on the bottom and some baggy socks that clung loosely to her calf.

He suddenly felt slightly more comfortable in his attire.

"Doggy..." He muttered and nodded though she still caught his words and huffed stomping her foot petulantly at being called a dog. The Commander and the rest of the girls always called her a dog!

"I am not a dog!" She growled once more invading his space so they were almost nose to nose. "I am the 'Mad Dog'!" She corrected fiercely completely unafraid of getting in his face which was a bit comical given how small both were.

"Oh, mad doggy..." He corrected trying to sound apologetic though his tone was no help in conveying that which only succeeded in annoying Yuudachi further. He wasn't fully sure what the difference was but he would at least make the effort to try and remember. Not that it was doing much good as Yuudachi's pout only grew deeper at his amendment.

"You!..."

"Yuudachi calm down! Obviously, he's going to think you're a dog if you go around acting like one!" Shigure scoffed while making her way over to the conversing duo, behind her Yukikaze and Ayanami followed behind having decided to see what the commotion was about.

"I was not!" She defended rounding on the Neko-ship with a pout. "I was just checking if he had any snacks to share and he called me a dog!"

Shigure shot her a deadpanned look before bopping her fellow destroyer on the head. "Baka! That's something a dog would do!" She hissed pulling the girl off to the side as they went back and forth while Yukikaze joined as well hoping to convince Yuudachi to gang up on her main rival, the trio disappearing into the crowd hissing and growling at one another as they went.

That left him and Ayanami alone.

"Siren."

He turned to the last girl who he assumed was addressing him and nodded.

"Half Siren." He corrected softly but otherwise did not refute her assessment, he saw no reason to hide what he was since that was what he was created to be. "Does that bother you?..." He asked tilting his head curiously but there was no fear in his voice, truthfully, it was hard to gauge any emotions from his tone but to Ayanami his curiosity was clear.

She looked him over quietly for a few moments, her soft orange eyes looking over his attire before coming to rest on his face. Despite her seemingly blank expression, he got the impression that she had more than a few thoughts on his presence here.

"No..." She shook her head, her short white hair waving softly as she did so. "The Commander says you are a friend... I will trust the Commander." She explained and held out her hand to him in a brief gesture of comradery.

"I am Ayanami." She greeted not bothering with titles or extravagance in her introduction, her titles were not things she held pride in to begin with even if she embraced them nonetheless.

"Naruto." He greeted, in turn, taking her hand and noting she had very soft hands for a fighter. Then he remembered something Atago told him to do to help ease his transition into the faction.

"Ano... Ayanami-san has very pretty eyes." He added matching her unflinching expression with one of his own but there was a hint of truth to his words. He didn't know what but he just felt an odd fondness for the shade of warm orange she possessed. He liked his own blue eyes as well but he wouldn't mind having orange eyes either.

Atago had also told him that a compliment goes a long way in making friends, she had made him practice on her and her sister though he wasn't so sure since Takao seemed to get mad when he called her cute. Atago had assured him that she wasn't mad at all but he still had his doubts.

Why would she get all red if she wasn't mad?

Ayanami's eyes widened ever so slightly at the compliment, a fraction of an inch really, almost unnoticeable for anyone who wasn't close to the "Demon Destroyer" but to those who were used to her subtle expressions, they would have caught it easily.

"Thank you..." She wasn't used to compliments from others, the Commander often called her 'ears' cute and her seniors praised her combat abilities, but no one had complimented her eyes before...

He nodded and to his surprise rather than leaving, Ayanami began to lead him around, introducing him to the various other ships who'd yet to work up enough courage or trust to approach him on their own. He made no move to stop her though, allowing himself to be escorted around by the quiet destroyer.

...

"Fufufu... It looks like Naru-chan has won over the "Demon", how unexpected." Atago smiled as she watched from the sidelines as the blond was led from group to group conversing with the other girls, she was glad to see some of the less trusting individuals giving the boy a chance, no doubt reassured somewhat by Ayanami's silent vote of confidence. "Things are going more smoothly than we could have hoped." She preened.

By her side, her sister couldn't help but smile the tension leaving her as she caught sight of the small smile gracing the blond's face as he was dogpiled by the smaller destroyers who didn't have enough combat experience to even know to fear Sirens.

"He still has quite a few people to meet Nee-san, don't celebrate too early." She warned but Atago knew her sister well enough to catch the hope in her tone. She might not have shown it as openly but she could tell her sister was growing fond of their little battleship.

Not that she was in any position to say otherwise.

"Are you worried one about someone in particular?" She questioned but she already knew the answer.

"Two someones, actually." Takao corrected in fact not bothering to hide it, her sister while much too lax in her opinion was as sharp as her blade and no doubt had already guessed the source of her anxiousness.

"It is a fair concern but it is unavoidable..." She sighed nodding along.

"Commander!~"

Takao and Atago stiffed as a very familiar voice called out from the back of the room, a singsong chime that sent shivers down the spine of nearly every ship in the Sakura faction barring the small few that could stand on even ground with its owner whose unmistakable silhouette was plain to see from behind the thin paper door. Around the room girls of every size, class, and disposition made extream efforts to appear as small as possible.

"I can smell you, Commander!~"

"Speak of the devil and she shall appear." Takao hissed already moving to intercept the coming storm lest the entire dorm be burnt to the ground, while Atago followed suit making a B-line towards Naruto who was staring at the door with confusion wondering why many of the other Sakura ships were suddenly taking cover.

*Bang!*

"Ahahaha... there you are Commander..." Nine long bushy tails swayed hypnotically behind their owner as one of the unquestioned leaders of the Sakura Empire stepped elegantly into the room, narrowed ruby eyes scanning the assembled group of ships with disdain as she located the object of her affection trying vainly to hide behind the podium. Much to the amusement of the less worried girls who merely sighed at the somewhat common routine.

"So much trash in my sight..."

Columns of fire began to burn around the new arrival turning the once pleasant atmosphere into a localized heatwave, frightening the younger ships who scrambled to make as much distance as possible from the blaze, while the older ships did their best to remain calm despite the oppressive aura leaking of the newly arrived Carrier.

"Do not worry Commander..." A psychotic grin split her porcelain features.

"Your dearest Akagi will clean it all up!"

AN. Chapter Complete!

Well, firstly I want to say that I was not at all expecting such a positive response to the first chapter of this fic. Truthfully, I expected this to go mostly overlooked and with maybe a few people checking it out before dipping but you guys seemed to really enjoy it which is cool. I did plan a few chapters in advance so I do hope to get those out before making a final decision on if I am going to keep this story as a regular thing or leave it.

However, since I am currently writing it I will treat it like one of my main fics and go over some of the questions I've gotten about it, in no particular order, let me give you some answers:

Firstly, in regards to Naruto's strength:

For those unfamiliar with Azur Lane, Naruto might seem overly strong and that might have you worried about power balance throughout the fic but I want to assure you that while Naruto is within the upper limits of his ship class (Battleship), he is not by any means some insane outlier. Within the game Battleships are known for having very high firepower and tankiness and he will embody those but he will still maintain the weakness of his class (low evasion, lower speed, weakness to armor piercing rounds, etc) so while he will hit like a truck he won't be this unstoppable machine that steamrolls everything either.

Yet. (dun dun dun! I jest… or do I?)

He, of course, will be a bit special since he is half Siren but that won't come into play too much until later and it's a situational kind of deal.

Secondly, will there be any pairings?:

I did not write this with any pairings in mind because I did plan to write all that much for it. If I decide to continue it then I'm not opposed to doing them though with so many options (both personal favorites and audience favorites that might get tricky but we'll see)

In keeping with that train of thought, no neither Ayanami nor Takao and Atago are anything more than new found friends at this moment. Naruto's compliments are born out of instructions though over time that could very well change and blossom into genuine affection but that's for later.

Character Descriptions:

So something I realized very early on is that it is impossible for me to deeply describe every ship girl that appears (there are well over 300 uniquely designed ships not including skins) so I have kind of copped out here. Thankfully all the characters are very easy to look up and I will continue to post lists of characters who appear at the end of chapters for those who really want a clear picture. I will also likely be posting links that will direct you to the faction pages so you can see all the ships. That'll be on my profile page.

Sorry for this inconvenience but it's either this or introduce like 2 ships per chapter maximum and that'll take forever! On the upside the art for this series is really good so at least you'll see some interesting designs!

Story:

So as I've mentioned Azur Lane's story is kind of a mess and I'm not sure anyone really knows where it's going or what it even really is barring Humanity Vs. The Sirens. Because of this, I can't really tell the "Story" of AL. So I will be going kind of half and half, using what I can piece together for the main action bits and creating the rest on my own. I will be upfront and say this story will have action elements but it will majoritively be Naruto meeting and interacting with the characters of AL and bonding with them. There will be other stories told using the in-game events but again telling a story with little to no source material is kind of a toss-up.

That's all for now, I will say that going forward Naruto will feature a bit more prominently now that his existence is known so I don't have to keep him in the corner until he's needed. Of course, he will meet all the factions at some point but I thought it was fitting to start off with the Sakura Empire given his background. Also as a note, if you've sent me PMs and I haven't responded yet I apologize I have so many backed up and it's been a pain getting to them. I will hopefully get through most of them tomorrow so feel free to PM me about this chapter or story and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!

Thank you all for reading!

List of AL Characters in this chapter:

Akagi

Ayanami

Fubuki

Hiryuu

Kisaragi

Mutsuki

Shigure

Souryruu

Uzuki

Yukikaze

Yuudachi