Chapter Three: Hijack and Sail Away
Hello, this is LordSylph with the next chapter of Immortal Guardians. First of all, I can't stop feeling amazed by the amount of followers of this story. Second, I finally got myself a Beta-reader so the grammar will be improved. Now this is the part where I said that not of the characters are mine and bla bla bla. Enjoy this chapter.
"It looks like they were waiting for this moment."
"Throw a three day party and no stop to rest, I am pretty surprised."
Those comments were made by the two shinobi which ended the horrific Fish-men tyranny in a lone East Blue island and now they were seeing the results of their actions. The villagers were drinking, joking, dancing, and singing with a loud and angry Ussop while the latter screamed his great deeds/lies using a loudspeaker.
Naruto, while he was sitting beside Sasuke, was drinking some alcohol and witnessing how Luffy devoured every huge piece of meat in his way and his stomach grew in size like a balloon full of air.
"And I thought that you were a ramen-eater monster, here we have a meat-eater freak". Said Sasuke with a deadpanned face, Naruto felt hungry at the mention of his favorite food and he stood up quickly to approach the fireplace where the chefs and Sanji were cooking.
"Hey Sanji." Said the blonde shinobi to get the cooker's attention, the Straw Hat's chef focused in the ninja with an annoyed face for being disturbed.
"What do you want Whiskers, can't you see that I am busy making delicious dishes for the lovely ladies from here and to my beloved Nami-chan and Noji-chan". Answered the chef with anger at the beginning and later like an idiot with hearts as eyes; that attitude cause a tick to appear in Naruto's head.
"I just wanted to know if you could make me some ramen as a favor." That petition confused Sanji.
"First of all, I only take free favors from pretty girls not to men." Naruto wanted to rasengan Sanji's ass to the moon. "And second what the hell is ramen? I don't know any food with that name." The anger was replaced with a deep felling of despair and horror inside Naruto's mind and he started to walk backwards slowly while shaking his head.
"No no no no no no NO! IT CAN'T BE! How can't you know what ramen is!? So that means that… THERE IS NO RAMEN HERE!" Naruto was about to cry and yell in negation while he sat in his place, tears cascading from his eyes, and pour himself more alcohol to drunk his sorrows.
"I see you found out already." The blonde shinobi stared at Sasuke while he was showing a face of satisfaction and amusement. A click happened inside Naruto's head before point his finger at the Uchiha in an accusatory way.
"You knew about this and you didn't even fucking tell me!?" Yelled in anger Naruto feeling his blood boiling and Sasuke was showing a mocking smile with his Sharingan activated.
"Yes, about three days ago but I decided to keep it to myself and wait until you found out. I got to say that your face right know it's priceless and these eyes will never forget this moment." Sasuke laughed at his friend's demise while Naruto threw his cup at the Uchiha, who avoided getting hit and kept laughing.
"I will get you teme, I swear in the name of the gods of ramen that you are gonna pay." Naruto showed his fist to the dark-haired shinobi before grabbing another cup to deal with his current situation. The little internal dispute was interrupted by the appearance of a blue-haired girl holding a jar of beer in her hand and a joyful face.
"Hey, mystery duo. Why don't you join the celebration? Since we started the party I only saw you two sitting here drinking sake or studying the feeding habits of Luffy." Everyone looked at the young captain who waved at the shinobi with a smile while still eating like an animal.
"I am already celebrating." Sasuke said with a smirk looking at a depressed Naruto, Nojiko was concerned about the blond so she decided to cheer him up.
"Hey Naruto-kun. What's wrong with you? Asked the blue-haired girl to one of the saviors of her village.
"There is no ramen here." Naruto said crying and feeling his stomach protesting. "I don't want another thing than my ramen and after seeing Luffy eating my appetite for meat died." The people around Naruto couldn't help to agree with the shinobi.
"C'mon Naruto-kun, you can't be down only because your food no exist here. You need to eat because your energy won't pop out of nowhere…" Before Nojiko could keep trying to cheer Naruto his face shined and he seized Nojiko's head with his hand to give her a quick kiss with happiness branded in his face.
"Nojiko, you are a genius." Naruto said before closing his eyes to concentrate his energy and ignoring the astonished girl who was still after the unexpected action and slowly rising her fist to hit Naruto but her intentions were forgotten when a plastic cup appeared out of nowhere in front of the blond who showed a giant smile.
"Yeah, in your face teme!" Naruto shouted showing the Uchiha the middle finger who didn't give a shit about the insult while the ramen fanatical used fire chakra through his fingers to warm up the cup that he created. "Thank you Kurama and thank you Rikudou-jiji!" Naruto thought while laughing inside.
"What it's that?" Nojiko wandered completely amazed by the fact that it appeared in front of her.
"This, my lovely Nojiko, it's the most delicious, sacred, and important gift gave to us by the greatest of all gods." Once the cup started to smoke Naruto created a pair of chopsticks that he took between his fingers and used them to eat. "This is ramen! Ittadakimatsu!" Sasuke couldn't help of felling a bit nostalgic by hearing the dobe talking about ramen like a national treasure again.
"Are you sure that you aren't Akuma no Mi users? Because the concept or normality doesn't apply to you with the crazy stuff that you are capable of do." Nojiko said with curiosity, Naruto didn't answer the question due to him being in the space called Ramen Bliss Atmosphere so it was almost impossible to pull him out of it.
"We never heard about those things called Akuma no Mi from the place we came from." Sasuke answered ignoring the idiotic face of his friend. "The Elemental Nations are oblivious about these things our abilities come from a form of energy called Chakra." The black-haired shinobi explained to Nojiko who was having a hard time to understand that concept.
"But, every person in the known world knows about the fruits. That island you are talking about must be really far away from here." Nojiko said trying to find a possible explanation to the shinobi's ignorance towards the Treasures of the Sea.
"It's not an island…gulp…It's a giant continent." Nojiko turned around at the sound of Naruto's voice while he tried to talk and swallow the noodles in his mouth. "Ahhh, heaven. It looks like I am gonna have to use the Inton (Yin Release) every time I want ramen; what a drag man." Naruto said and he released a chuckle because he sounded like Shikamaru.
"There is another continent like the Red Line?!" The trio turned around at the sound of Nami's voice and they saw her face showing great intrigue with a pinkish blush in her cheeks due to the alcohol.
"Hey Nami, looks like you eradicated the competition in that drinking contest." Naruto said looking a huge group of drunk villagers passed out around a table.
"Yeah." The orange-haired girl said with a smirk in her face and showing a bunch of Belli bills in her hand. "Those poor bastards couldn't keep up with me like they were unable to protect their wallets. Either way I want to hear more about the place where you two came from." Nami said showing her interest in the shinobi while sitting beside her sister.
"I would like to hear it too." Zoro had come closer to the group after finishing his drink and he wanted to know about the place that could bring those guys to the world, specially the black-haired shinobi swordsman.
"Okay, if you put it that way, hold a second." Naruto said standing on the table and taking a deep breath. "ANYBODY ELSE WANT TO KNOW ABOUT WHERE WE COME FROM AND WHY WE CAN DO AWESOME CRAZY SHIT?" Naruto asked/yelled to the other people still at party so he won't have to repeat the same again. Sasuke made a facepalm at his friend's antics and Zoro put his hand on his shoulder
"I know how it feels brother I am also have to deal with a moronic friend." The swordsman said and Sasuke poured some sake in his cup to drink it down.
"I WANT TO KNOW!" Luffy stop his non-stop eating frenzy after hearing the blond shinobi and he walked to the group with a huge belly to hear about the strange travellers with awesome powers.
"Count me in too" Ussop said after seeing that his public was stolen for Naruto and he felt curious. Sanji also joined the group due to curiosity and the fact that the pretty ladies were more interested in the duo of shinobi.
"Alright, the thing is that we come from a huge and distant continent known as The Elemental Nations, there are a great group of hidden villages of shinobi like us with a military system where they start training at early age to understand and control chakra." Naruto started to explain while channeling chakra through his hand to form a Rasengan and give an example. "This is chakra."
"That's the wicked sphere you used to kick Arlong's ass." Luffy said seeing the technique from close and with stars in his eyes. Sanji was impressed at knowing of a mystic energy that let people do what Akuma no Mi users could without the necessity of eating one.
"Hey blond". Naruto dissipated the chakra sphere to look at Zoro. "In the place where you two are from there are swordsmen as strong as you?" That question made Sasuke talk.
"There was a time were the village known as Kirigakure no Sato (Hidden Mist Village) possessed a group of seven people known as the Seven Swordsman of the Mist which specialized in the use of Kenjutsu (Sword Techniques) and no one could best them in the use of the sword. Their weapons were really powerful that they were considered the national treasure of that village; each one with their own properties and techniques." After the explanation given by Sasuke, Zoro felt a great thrilling emotion building up inside of him with a bit of incredulity because he didn't know that guys like that could exist.
"And what happened to those guys?" Ussop asked with expectation in his eyes with eyes like Luffy wanting to know more about those distant lands.
"They died in war." Naruto said with a somber voice at remember the dark times of his home. "The Hidden Villages used to be in constant alert at the possible threats of another neighbor village with the intention to start a conflict and sometimes wars broke out. Sasuke and I participated in the Great Fourth Ninja War which was the last one before we brought peace for good."
While the night was falling and the party kept on, the Straw Hats asked a lot of questions to the shinobi and the villagers too while Naruto answered every single one and Sasuke started to get annoyed due to the interrogatory and walked away from the group. He needed some time alone. After the questions ended, Naruto felt really tired and decided to create more cups of ramen and join the party.
"Nazu?" Luffy's voice got his attention but the blond gave the young captain a deadpanned stare.
"Who the hell is "Nazu" I am Naruto." Naruto corrected Luffy only to get a sheepish smile. "How can I help you Luffy?" Naruto said while eating his food.
"Sorry, I wanted to know what are you going to do now that you settled your business with Arlong and avenged the crew that brought you here" Naruto remembered the poor sailors that suffered at the hands of the fish-men and he felt good after ending Arlong's life along with the great part of his crew.
"I don't know, maybe drag Sasuke with me to the Grand Line and see how far we can go while we explore that part. This place has some messed up geography if you ask me." Naruto chuckled because that was the first thing he thought after seeing a map of the East Blue.
"You two want to join my crew? I am gonna make it to the end of the Grand Line and be the Pirate King." Luffy said while smiling. That attitude gave Naruto a flashback of himself as a twelve year old when he wanted to be Hokage and release a low laugh at seeing some of himself in Luffy.
"Sorry Luffy, I got to say no to that because you and your friends have to live your own adventures and I am sure that Sasuke and I are going to live some crazy stuff and experiences when we get out of here." Luffy felt a little down after that answer but he felt a hand on his shoulder. "But that doesn't mean that we cannot be friends and have a good time if our paths cross at some point in the Grand Line." Naruto showed a smile and Luffy laughed.
"Great, we are nakama now." Naruto gave him a thumps up.
"Sasuke will have a great issue in being friends of dysfunctional people like you guys but he will get used to it." Luffy laughed while he returned to the snack table and used his powers to catch every piece of meat at his range. "What sick ability, I bet that guy is strong and could deal a heavy damage if he wanted to take Arlong down and didn't feel intimidated." Thought Naruto amazed and tried to find Sasuke in the middle of the party but he couldn't see him. "And where is that teme now?"
(SASUKE)
Sasuke decided to take a hike and relax after dealing with the crowd and wanted to think about the things that happened. The encounter with the fish-men, that strange straw hat boy and the strange chakra surrounding and changing his body in rubber, the corrupted marines that he and Naruto obliterated and the ones which got away and by now were telling their superiors everything that happened in the island involving their presence and the use of his techniques. All that things made the Uchiha smiled.
"I got to say, it was a great idea to follow the dobe here because you cannot get bored in this place." Sasuke had seen weapons that never were seen in the Elemental Nations like the pistols, rifles, cannons, and the great variety of ships used by marines and pirates for their naval warfare. But there was another thing that upset him, the great chain of islands that composed that region of the world made exploration almost impossible without a ship; they needed one to get out of that island. That bring another issue because a ship cost money and also the food, equipment, provisions, weapons, ammunition and they didn't have much money. "I know where i can find some money." Sasuke thought vanishing in a bunch of bolts to appear at the front of the remains of Arlong Park. The shinobi walked through the yard where the bodies of the fallen enemies were once to the ruins of the tower. The villagers, with the help of the Straw Hats and the shinobi, extracted all the treasure and money that Arlong took from his victims in the sea and the monthly income that he received before being defeated and gathered all in front of the pool.
"This would have been an A-rank mission, here are like fifty million Belli so I am gonna take five." Sasuke said in his mind while gathered the amount from the treasure before he extract a scroll with inscriptions written from his clothes and it was used to seal the money away. "This must be enough to get us a ship an a few things to start." Sasuke was getting ready to return to the party when he felt a presence behind him.
"Well, I didn't think that you are gonna be like the same rats that you killed." Sasuke turned around to find a smirking Zoro holding a bottle of alcohol in his right hand and walking into the yard. "That treasure belongs to the people of this island I don't think that they will be pleased with you taking some for yourself." The swordsman brought the bottle to his lips and drank until the content run out without losing sight of the shinobi.
In other times, Sasuke wouldn't have bothered in giving explanations for his actions to anyone and he would just have run away without a trail. But those times were far gone and he felt the necessity to avoid misunderstandings.
"Look Zoro, we might have helped the people from here by defeating the fish-men that attacked our ship and our look for retribution ended up with us ending the tyranny of this place. But the thing is that we are shinobi and we don't do anything for free, maybe Naruto could, but not me and i need money to keep moving." Sasuke explained looking directly at Zoro's face.
"I understand the rules of your people but actually I didn't come here to protect the treasure." The green-haired swordsman said tossing the empty bottle away before put his hand on his sword's pommel and showing an excited face while he released the blade from the scabbard. "Nami was going to leave that here and I am sure the villagers will give you some of it as a gesture of gratitude so no hard feelings for that. The reason I followed you here is because I want to test my skill against you." Sasuke sighed and gave Zoro a cold stare.
"Why would you want to fight me? I am pretty sure that you saw us fighting here three days ago." The Uchiha asked taking his hand to his back were his sword rested.
"The reason is simple. I'd always thought that I was the strongest swordsman because no one could beat me since I started my journey, but my arrogance made me challenge the strongest completely ignoring the huge gap between me and him and that gave me this." Zoro took off his shirt and Sasuke could see a great wound almost healed that extended from the left shoulder to his right hip. "At that moment I knew I was a huge fish in a small pond, then when you and your partner took the fish-men head on and without suffering any kind of wound my blood boiled at knowing that there are more guys stronger than me in the world and I want to become stronger. That's why I want to see the difference between you and me."
Sasuke knew that he couldn't refuse, Zoro needed to know the limits of his sword technique and he wouldn't walk away without fighting. "Alright, let's do this." Sasuke hold his sword in front of him in a reverse grip. "But you need to know that if you don't come at me with the intention of killing me." The eyes of Sasuke morphed in the Sharingan and his blade was engulfed in a strong lighting current. "You wouldn't even touch me."
"I like that stare of you." Zoro smirked and showed his characteristic battle expression. "Like a wild animal ready to tear apart his enemies. Unfortunately I won't be able to show my full strength because I use the Santoryuu(Three Swords Style) and I only have this sword." Zoro wanted to laugh because he loved facing a strong opponent with the odds against him. Sasuke was about to use the yin release and create weapons but he stopped at seeing people approaching.
"Shit Zoro-aniki, you can't leave like that during our drinking contest." A very tired Yosaku said beside an equal tired Johnny.
"That's right Zoro-aniki, there is no honor in quitting such noble competition." The swordsman observed the duo of bounty hunters with a glare but then his eyes focused in the object at their hips.
"Johnny, Yosaku lend me your swords." Zoro said to the duo only to receive negative answers.
"If we give you our swords you will break them Zoro-aniki, besides why do you want them?" Yosaku asked and then he saw Sasuke while the Uchiha had a large drop on his head.
"Wow look Johnny is Sasuke-aniki." Johnny saw the shinobi and he seemed very surprised.
"Sasuke-aniki?" Sasuke thought confused at the duo.
"What are you doing here?" The swordsman with glasses asked while approached them but then the Straw Hat's swordsman grabbed his sword and Yosaku's too with a quick movement. "Hey, you don't take people's stuff without permission!" The duo complained at the same time only the gain a punch to the face.
"Shut up and stop whining, I only borrowed your things for a moment because I found him here and we are about to have a duel. So now step back and watch." Zoro said a bit angry before bringing his sword with white pommel to the mouth to hold the other two with his hands. "Now I am ready."
"Perfect." Sasuke said and then both faced each other with a sudden burst forward.
"Oni Giri (Demon Slash)!" Zoro throw a cross attack with his three blades. Sasuke, thanks to the Sharingan, was able to see through the technique and he avoided the sharp blades with a precise and fast movement while managing to cut Zoro in the arms and shoulders in a shallow way. At the feeling of the wounds, the swordsman back off quickly from the lethal blade of the Uchiha and saw the number of wounds in his body without even seeing the shinobi attacking.
"The attack was good." Sasuke pointed out while dedicating a hard look to the green-haired swordsman. "But you rushed against an opponent that is more superior that you in speed and experience with a quick attack which had a lot of weak spots. A stronger and faster enemy could take advantage of that without a doubt." Johnny and Yosaku were frozen in awe at the strength of Sasuke.
"After Mihawk I wouldn't believe there could be somebody that could resist that technique from Zoro-aniki, less even avoid it and counterattack." Johnny managed to say while his partner tried to hold his jaw of hitting the ground at the fight in front of them.
Zoro, on his behalf, felt that the cuts on his body weren't deep but he knew if Sasuke wanted to cause him lethal wounds he could have chopped off his arms or worse.
"I supposed that I should have listened to you and throw you the best in my arsenal." Zoro said ignoring the blood that was staining his skin in red. Sasuke smiled and watched with a rose eyebrow how Zoro began to perform a spiraling motion with his body and he brandied his swords to project a strong sharp wind that took the shape of a twister. "Santoryuu: Tatsu Maki (Three Sword Style: Dragon Twister)!" The technique was projected towards Sasuke.
"Interesting." Sasuke smiled while channeling Katon chakra through his blade. "Katonryuu: Engiri (Fire Style: Flaming Slash)!" Sasuke's sword was covered in a cloak of red raging flames and the shinobi throw a flaming slash against the sharp winds. The fire engulfed the tornado and the intensity of the projectile grew.
"Shit!" Zoro yelled at seeing his attack eradicated by his opponent and he tried to stop Sasuke's technique with his swords. The heath from the slash started to burn the hands and the arms of the green-haired swordsman while his others muscles screamed for mercy due to the strain. In an instant, the fire vanished along with the pressure against Zoro's blades and the swordsman saw Sasuke in front of him in a second and in the other the shinobi strike Zoro with a hard punch to the face which knocked the green-haired swordsman in the ground.
"Unbelievable." The bounty hunters said at the same time after seeing the ending of the duel, Sasuke approached his fallen opponent and saw the several burns in his arms and hands together with all the cuts he gave him. A red and huge fist mark was showing in the middle of the green-haired swordsman face.
"You have a good technique, with the combination of your raw strength you managed to throw cutting winds with a great intensity. The bad side it's that your opponent could use fire and wind will make the fire technique stronger. Either way it was a great match." Sasuke said putting his sword away and gave his hand to Zoro and the swordsman chuckled before taking it and standing up with the help of the shinobi. The Straw Hat member couldn't help complaining about the great pain in his muscles.
"I am not strong enough yet." Zoro said. "But this result doesn't surprise me at all I knew that you had a lot of trust in your abilities so you wouldn't use all your strength against me. I appreciate the fight though." Both swordsmen shacked hands in a friendly and respectful manner before ending in the ground with huge bumps in the head after an instant flash behind them. When Zoro and Sasuke raised their heads, they faced Nami with a sick looking expression on her face and an angry Naruto.
"What the hell are you morons doing here!?" Naruto asked with a smocking fist and Nami as well the same way. Their ears suffered the intense yelled of the new comers. Sasuke stood up in a sudden movement with an annoyed expression in his face and his Sharingan activated against the blue of Naruto's eyes.
"We were having a friendly duel dobe, the hit wasn't necessary you fucking moron!" The Uchiha complained while he smacked the blond in the head with the pommel of his sword and more strength behind to bury the fool a few inches in the ground. Then Sasuke saw how Zoro suffered the nagging of the Straw Hats navigator while getting a few punches in the head. "Poor bastard."
"You!" Nami said while turning around to take a good look at Sasuke, who couldn't help to feel a bit intimidated and a vague memory of a pink-haired girl came to his mind at seeing the angry scowl of Nami. "Zoro told me that you took some of Arlong's treasure as payment for your and Naruto's service." After hearing that Naruto regained his bearing and faced his friend.
"You did what!? Give back what you took Sasuke we aren't shinobi anymore to be collecting payments for our actions. Besides we came here and trashed this place on our own." Naruto said to his partner. Sasuke sighed only to give a straight answer.
"It's not that simple Naruto we may not be part of a Hidden Village anymore and be a long way from home now. But we still are shinobi and we need money to keep moving through this place because we can't keep running on the water to get to another island." The last part made Nami raise her eye brows. "If we make it to the Grand Line we will lost in seconds." Sasuke explained in detail so his friend could understand the situation.
"It's okay." Nami said getting the attention of the two shinobi and Zoro widened his eyes. "Even if I didn't like that you came here like a thief to take the treasure without asking anybody." Nami then showed a happy face. "But they would have given that part of the treasure if you asked them, they were so long under the rule of Arlong that giving guys some of the money it the least they can do to repay you." Naruto was relaxed that his friends actions hadn't caused nothing negative and Zoro showed a shocked face because Nami was giving away money to guys that she hardly knew while the rest of them got ripped off every time they asked her for money. "But if you do something like this again I won't be nice to you." Nami said bringing up her fist and then taking Zoro with her to the party.
"How much did you take from the treasure?" Naruto asked while shivering because he felt the threatening aura that surrounded Nami when he talked about money.
"Five million approximately, I classified this like an A-rank." Sasuke answered holding the scroll were he sealed the money and then he gave it to Naruto.
"Do you think we could find a ship around here?"
"I don't know." Sasuke said. "Anyway we need one before reaching Loguetown otherwise we won't make it to the Grand Line." Both shinobi nodded before vanishing in a swirl of winds and lighting leaving the destroyed place with a massive silence. Only two people remained in that place and were completely ignored.
"Yosaku? Are you thinking the same I am?"
"I believe I do Johnny but you think it's possible?" The headgear wearing swordsman asked to his friend.
"We won't lose anything if we ask, and if that doesn't work we can use the secret method." Johnny said with a smirk.
"Begging?"
"Oh yeah, my friend we are gonna beg like our lives depend on that." Johnny said earning a smile from Yosaku before the duo headed back to Cocoyashi Village.
(Three Days Later)
Luffy's crew had departed from the island the next morning after Sasuke and Zoro's duel, the young captain wanted a fight against Naruto after knowing that his first mate have a friendly match with the mighty strangers and Luffy wanted see Naruto's strength. Nami whacked the poor boy's head in order to stop him of being brutally mauled by Naruto and leave at first thing in the morning. The shinobi refused to travel with the pirates to avoid the antics of their captain and not interfere with their adventures. That election cost them because the later found out that there wasn't any place in the island where the two travellers could get a ship or a way to call one.
"Remind me of the reason of by didn't take the offer of the Straw Hats to travel with them to another island and get a ship there." Sasuke asked Naruto who was hitting his forehead against the trunk of the many palms around the island with a blue aura over him.
"Because I wanted to avoid the challenges of Luffy and give them the cool speech of "You follow your path and I will follow mine" I didn't realize that it was gonna be impossible to get a ship around here." The Uchiha wanted to give his friend a beating for his grade of stupidity.
"Well at least we did something productive while we were around here." Sasuke said watching the repaired Goosa Village. During the stay of the shinobi in Conomi Islands, Naruto had produced a huge amount of wood thanks to the Mokuton (Wood Release) which was used to rebuild the houses of the wrecked village while Sasuke controlled the work of Naruto's clones.
"What we do now?" Naruto asked while keep hitting the tree with his head.
"Gen, the officer of the village, informed me that ships weren't coming around here due to Arlong's presence because he sank and looted every merchant ship that approached this island. Maybe it could take a couple of days until word of the fish-men defeat spread enough to reset the business route of the region." After Sasuke said that Naruto groaned and started to shout "stupid" every time he hit the tree.
"Hey Naruto-kun, Sasuke!" The shinobi duo turned around to see Nojiko running through the main road of the island from Cocoyashi Village. Once the blue-haired girl was in front of the island's saviors she said. "We have a problem, there is a marine ship coming right to this island in this very moment." The shinobi smiled evilly after hearing the news and the girl felt shivers.
"There is a good." Naruto said
"They are coming for us?" Sasuke asked observing Nojiko with a serious expression. The girl took from one of her pockets two pieces of paper to show the immortals their content. Both had mixed reactions after reading them.
Wanted Dead or Alive
Kitsune no Akuma (Demon Fox)
Naruto Uzumaki
Reward: 60.000.000 Belli
Crimes: Brutal assassination of a Marine captain with his crew in cold blood.
Abilities: Possession of an unknown Akuma no Mi which gives him power over the elements.
Naruto stared at the wanted poster with critical eye, the marines took a picture of him covered in Nezumi's blood and with an angry scowl in his face that made him look like a mass murderer; but that wasn't the reason of his displeasure.
"Demon Fox!? Really!? Who is the stupid imbecile in charge of giving the pirates or any known criminal in this place the giving of nicknames!? That fucker deserves the ass-kicking of his life!" Naruto complained of the pathetic alias because he founded lame and also he knew they related him to a fox due to the birthmarks in his cheeks. The blond shinobi ignored completely the fact that he had got an incredibly high bounty for a rookie.
"I got zero complains about my poster." Sasuke said studying his poster.
Wanted Dead or Alive
Akuma no Me (Devil's Eyes)
Sasuke Uchiha
Reward: 60.000.000 Belli
Crimes: Brutal assassination of a marine captain with his crew in cold blood.
Abilities: Skillful swordsman and possess an Akuma no Mi with the ability of control the elements.
Sasuke's picture showed him with a cold glare while his Sharingan was flaming red giving him a cool an intimidating aspect.
"What the fuck!? Why your picture is cooler than mine with your fucking Sharingan in all of his glory and the ass beats in the nickname office gave you an interesting name!?" Naruto complained after taking a look at his friend's poster. Sasuke showed a victory smirk in his face while the blond shinobi felt like an eternal prisoner of the fucking stigmas in his cheeks.
Meanwhile, Nojiko look at the duo of warriors with a drop in her head while she was thinking. "These guys have a combined bounty that exceeds the one-hundred million belli and the only thing that they do is complained or enjoy nickname subject." The girl of blue hair was about to stop their private dispute when the group heard a couple of voices.
"Naruto-aniki, Sasuke-aniki!"
"The marines are coming for you!"
The shinobi and Nojiko saw Johnny and Yosaku running from Cocoyashi to Goosa at a high speed while yelling warnings like a couple of lunatics.
"Hey relax, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. We already know that they want our heads and they will be here in any minute." Naruto explained to the bounty hunters that were trying to regain their bearing after the mad dash. "And the truth is we couldn't be happier that they will be come here in any minute." Naruto said while showing a smile confusing the duo of swordsmen.
"But, Naruto-aniki, the marines want to kill you and collect your bounty. It's not good at all that they are showing here for you and Sasuke-aniki's bounty. Don't you guys tell me you are going to give yourself out to those guys." Yosaku said with dread in his face at the idea of the mighty shinobi give up the fight without doing anything, Naruto look at the headgear wearing Yosaku like he grew another head.
"Of course not, I am just saying that I am glad they are coming because there is something they have that I need." The blond explained.
"What is it?" Johnny asked out of curiosity earning an embarrassed looked from Naruto and a smirk from Sasuke.
"The dobe here didn't know that there wasn't any way for us to get us a ship in this island and he passed the chance of taking the only way or transportation to keep moving." Sasuke said and Naruto was again against the tree trying to bring it down with his head.
"Oh that was pretty stupid really." Yosaku said and earned him a murderous stare from Naruto with a bad omen behind it.
"What did you say Yosaku? I would like you to repeat that because my ears don't work well today." The swordsman felt his blood run cold at staring right to Naruto's eyes.
"Nothing Naruto-aniki." Yosaku answered moving his hands around with shivers.
"That's what I thought." The blond said before looking at Nojiko. "Do you have any idea of how many are them, the kind of ship they use and if there is someone we may be extremely cautious with?" Naruto asked to gather information about their enemies.
"Maybe fifty or one-hundred regular soldiers and I think there is a captain among them I am not sure. They came in a grand ship equipped with multiple cannons of what I could see. Now they were a few miles away from the coast but I think they will disembark in any minute." After Nojiko ended her report Naruto faced Sasuke and he gave his friend a nod.
"Ok, time to get out of here I think." The blond said while the black-haired shinobi put his hand on his friend's shoulder but before they could vanish in a flash the swordsmen kneeled down in front of them.
"Please, take us with you in your journey!" The duo said at the same time while their sight was focused in the ground.
"Say what!?" Naruto said looking a bit confused of the bounty hunters behavior.
"We want to travel with you and get stronger." Both said at the same time again like their minds were connected in a strange way. Naruto gave the men a hard look while he meditated their petition for a few moments and Sasuke sighed annoyed at the situation.
"Well, if you guys want to risk your neck travelling with us I don't see any problem." Naruto answered causing Johnny and Yosaku to raise their heads with a shocked and happy expression while Nojiko looked at Naruto with a bit of confusion and Sasuke turned his friend around to drag him at a private conversation.
"What do you think are doing? Why you decided to accept the petition of these weaklings and bring them with us?" Sasuke asked with a bit of irritation in his voice and his friend showed a smile.
"What can I say? The weak who want to risk their lives to become stronger had a special place in my heart, besides it will be fun having them aboard." Naruto said smiling to the swordsmen who felt a chill run through their spines.
"What do you mean with that dobe?" Sasuke asked feeling really curious about the ideas of the blond shinobi. Naruto came closer to this friend whispered in his ear so no one could listen to them talking.
"Think about it Sasuke, we never made it to Jonin rank in Konoha I couldn't be Chunin because I went on a three year journey with ero-sennin to get stronger. Then after the war we were cast out of the shinobi system because of our strength. You were branded as a rogue shinobi and that ender your career." Naruto explained so Sasuke could understand his intentions.
"So, what do you want to do is…" The Uchiha started and his friend completed the idea.
"Yes, a couple of Genin for us to torture a little in order to make them more powerful for their own good." Both immortals snickered evilly towards the swordsmen who swore that a flash of their immediate future passed in front of their eyes.
"Yosaku?"
"Yes Johnny?"
"I think we made a huge mistake." The man wearing glasses say to his partner, the shinobi put their new recruits on their feet and Naruto spoke to them.
"Well guys from this day you will the first members of our crew, you are gonna follow our instructions and you will be in trial period of course until we can see some improvement. Right now we are gonna put you guys through a test so we can see if you have the right potential to become our allies." Naruto explained giving the swordsmen a pat in their shoulders to give them some courage and also one "welcome gift" without their knowledge.
"What kind of test would be Naruto-aniki?" Yosaku asked and Naruto smiled.
"You soon will see." Then the shinobi grab the shoulders of his underlings while Sasuke put his hand in Naruto's shoulder, before their departure the blond glanced to Nojiko. "Are you coming Nojiko or you have doubts?" Naruto asked teasing the blue-haired girl.
"Forget it I have already packed my things along with my tangerine plants for the journey." Nojiko smiled joining the group and she could saw the confusion in Sasuke's face before she could explain. "I asked Naruto-kun if I could come with you because no way Nami is going to travel through the world while I stay in this island. You were having your "friendly" duel with Zoro while I convinced him." The girl said and put her hand on the back of Naruto.
"Alright, time to move guys." The group vanished in a sudden flash and there were no trace of them.
(Shore of Conomi Island)
The great Marine ship was stationed close the shore of Nami's island and one half of the members of the marine crew were on boats while approaching to the beach and the others were guarding the ship.
"Come on you lazy bastards! Paddle harder that I have a rep to maintain around here!" A man with pink hair and tanned skin was shouting on the lead boat to the rest of the marines. He was wearing a white strait suit with dark wearing shoes and he had huge metal knuckles in the hands. The face of that guy was bruised and an angry scowl was branded on it.
"Fullbody-san, what is the hurry to reach that island?" One of the marines rowing his boat shouted.
"My rank is in danger fucking moron, after that dammed pirate cook kick my beautiful face the higher ups in the navy threatened me of demote me due to my behavior. But my salvation has come." Fullbody said with a crazy smile while brandishing two wanted posters in the soldier's face; the guy froze in fear after taking a look to them.
"But sir, those pirates gather a combined bounty of more than one million Belli. Besides they eradicated captain Nezumi's troop like they were nothing with him being the first one to go." The marine said with dread in his voice watching the pictures of the two shinobi. Fullbody only limited to laugh mockingly at the words of his underling.
"You are an idiot. Nezumi was a corrupted piece of shit that made deals with Arlong at the backs of the higher ups. He was a completely useless piece of trash that made it to that position only due to briberies. Anybody could have killed him. Besides these guys are only rookies and with a high bounty only because the severity of the crime. I am a lieutenant with great possibilities of reaching the status of captain and that will happen when I find those savages and bust their faces with my face until they wished never have born." The lieutenant smiled while he thought about the great promotion he could get if those bastard were brought to the justice by him.
"That will be happening to you I think." A cold voice said from the beach. Fullbody and his crew saw the figured of a young man dressed with a black tight body suit and a blank look.
"It's him, Akuma no Me Sasuke!" A marine yelled from one of the boats of the tiny float.
"Shoot him, bring that bastard down!" Fullbody ordered his men and they took their rifles to obey that order. Sasuke smirked to his victims while he was performing a long chain of seals and the marine lieutenant had a bad feeling about that.
"Suiton: Suishouha (Water Release: Aquatic Impact)!" Around Sasuke's body a dense ring of water started to form and the shinobi threw a high speed wave of water.
"He can control water!" The soldiers screamed after seeing something completely dreadful and stopped them from shooting. Fullbody couldn't believe what happened even after the boats were hit and turned outside down due to the strength of the water and the occupants fell in the sea completely knocked out after the impact. The lieutenant was floating on his back and his eyes were rolled to the back of his head and a stupid expression on his face. Sasuke came closer to the marines by walking on the water to see his work from a close perspective.
"Looks like you are gonna be demoted sucker." Sasuke said to the unconscious Fullbody before heading straight to the marine ship and take a good look at the show that was happening in the deck.
(Meanwhile, Marine Ship's Deck)
"Good afternoon gentlemen, I want to thank each of you for taking part in what I like to call an "extreme tryout" for our new recruits." Naruto said while hanging from the main mast in a gravity defying position because he used his chakra to stick to the surface. Johnny and Yosaku were sweating bullets while they were standing in the middle of the deck, back to back, surrounded by the marine crew of the ship that was shocked at seeing the shinobi. Nojiko was secured in the crow nest and watching what was happening.
"Naruto-kun." Nojiko called Naruto with a bit of worry for the poor suckers. "It's really necessary that you make them go through that? Don't you think it's really excessive?" The blue-haired girl asked and Naruto released a sigh.
"Unfortunately yes Nojiko, they need to push their stamina to the limit and when they reach it they must push pass that point in order to become stronger and test their might." Naruto looked down to the deck. "Johnny, Yosaku don't worry about the number of enemies! I know you guys can pull this off so fight them with all your strength! Start!" The swordsmen nodded to the words of the shinobi and faced the great number of opponents.
"You got my back and I got yours?" Yosaku said to his partner trying to control the shivers in his body.
"Always brother." Johnny stated before the duo broke up in a mad dash against the group of marines. The swordsmen didn't have a great technique but they had their own strengths. Naruto saw that Johnny possessed natural swift and controlled movements in his feet and good enough reflexes that made him avoid by a close inch most of the attacks of his enemies and later counter with a quick slash from his sword. Yosaku, in contrast, was pretty heavy and brute but he got a powerful defense thanks to his muscles and an impressive stamina by resisting the attacks of the marines and holding their swords in a power struggle before pushing those guys away and cut them.
"Not bad, they really need a lot of work to show a little of improve but I can see excellent raw materials here." Naruto thought with a smile at seeing that his crew members were surpassing the marines little by little. Then, the eyes of the shinobi saw a group of soldiers holding rifles and taking aim at the swordsmen to take them down. "Oh, not in my watch you assholes." Naruto said starting to make his hand seals and stopping at the horse seal. "Suiton: Teppodama (Water Release: Water Bullet)!" A huge liquid projectile came out from Naruto's mouth straight to the weapons squad and the impact soaked them to bone along with their guns making them useless due to the wet gunpowder.
"What the hell is he!?" One of the shooters asked while trying to reach for his blade but he was cut down with the rest of his group by the duo of swordsmen. When every marine on deck was defeated and lying on the floor unconscious or wounded in such manner that remain on his feet was impossible, Naruto came down from the main mast to see the condition of his men after the fight. Johnny had a few cuts on his torso and the blood from them stained the blue of his hoodie. Yosaku got himself several bruises and cuts by taking punches, kicks, and cuts during the power struggles against the marines.
"Time of doing the cleaning." Naruto said making his characteristic seal and several copies of himself came to life in poofs of smoke. "You guys pick up these poor bastards and throw them in a boat, you are gonna clean this deck because I don't want to see blood stains on my ship. Got it?"
"Got it Boss!" The clones said and started to obey the orders given by the original. Johnny and Yosaku watched amazed how the clones of the shinobi put the tired marines in a giant pile on a simple boat while other group cleaned the deck to leave it spotless. From the crow nest Nojiko watched all that was happening on deck and then he saw a silhouette moving through the waters with an incredible speed.
"Here comes Sasuke!" Nojiko yelled from her position to the rest of the crew and they saw the Uchiha on the railing of the ship while he grabbed his sword to cut the rope of the boat where the defeated marines and former owners of that ship were to drop them on the water.
"Time to get the fuck out of here dobe" Sasuke said to his friend in a cold manner. Naruto nodded at the black-haired teen at performed some hand-seals to trigger a wind jutsu that gave the ship a sudden impulse by hitting the sails with a great and powerful wind long enough to let the new owners of the vessel watch how the island started to get far away in a matter of seconds.
WELL THAT'S ALL FOR NOW, I HOPE YO HAD ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER AND FINALLY OUR HEROES GOT THEMSELVES A SHIP A CREW MEMBERS SO THEY CAN TORTU… I MEAN "TRAIN" THEM TO BE STRONGER AND ENJOY THEIR SUFFE…SORRY IMPROVEMENT JAJAJA.
NEXT TIME WE WILL SEE A NEW ISLAND AND MAYBE SOME INTERESTINGS WILL HAPPEN ALLONG WITH NEW ENCOUNTERS WITH POWERFUL GUYS OR GIRLS.
THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH FOR FOLLOW THIS STORY AND SOME ASKED IF I WILL EXPLAIN THE REASON OF NARUTO AND SASUKE'S IMORTALITY. WELL I WILL IN THE FUTURE BUT NOT NOW JAJAJA. ABOUT PAIRINGS WELL I HAVE A FEW IDEAS FOR SASUKE BUT I DON'T KNOW ABOUT NARUTO. I WILL ASK FOR YOUR PREFERENCES AND THEN I WILL DECIDE.
THANK YOU AGAIN, LORDSYLPH OUT.