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Summary:
To save everyone, Marco used his current existence. Never did he imagine that he will be reborn to a new world different from his own. It is a world filled with ninjas and creatures as large as Sea Kings that are made of pure living chakra. What can a pirate like him do to survive especially if he is a freaking bird? Thatch is right; he does look like a chicken. And a certain blue-eyed blonde is thinking of him as her new pet.

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Of Flaming Feathers and Bloodstained Furs
By: Zelga Lim Li

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Part 13

Eyes widening in horror, Naruto also saw Sasuke's hunched form beside Marco. Numerous needles sticking out of their bodies.

The two are not moving. At. All.

Nononono!

"Is this the first time you saw a comrade die, kunoichi-san?"

The fake hunter-nin's voice is distant. Its like all noise faded when she saw her friend fall.

Friend? Don't be ridiculous.

"This is the way of the shinobi. We are…"

Marco is…

"Shut the fuck up!"

He is someone precious to her.

Startled, the masked shinobi steps back and raises both hands defensively when the newcomer suddenly releases pure malevolent chakra that is starting to be suffocating even from this distance.

As an attempt to trap the girl and contain her, she constructed another ice barrier. But in the wake of the blonde's leaking chakra which is clearly visible from the naked eyes, the dome melted even before it can form.

And then she attacked.

.

.

Feeling the Kyuubi's chakra leaking, Kakashi felt dread in his veins. Not even wondering why Naruto is here.

But as one of the very few who knows the purpose of Naruto's seal, he can never fault the Yondaime for creating it in the first place. As to why his student will need the powers of the tailed bijuu remains to be a question that still has no answer, he do need to finish this battle as soon as possible. Regardless of the seal being infallible, using it without proper training may endanger her life.

"I don't understand how you tree huggers was able to keep this brat a secret for far too long. But if someone gets a hold of her and use this power, we're all going to die." Zabuza's voice rang out with his jutsu still in effect.

'Not on my watch,' The famed jōnin thought as he prepares to counter the nuke-nin's technique. "Regardless of what you now know, I won't let you live for another day," With a grim expression, he added with a whisper. "Forgive me though, for I'll end this right now…" After summoning his faithful ninkens, Kakashi quickly activated his signature jutsu. 'Chidori!'

.

.

It was so sudden.

Haku failed to dodge the girl's punch. With her mask breaking apart (and blood trickling from the corner of her lips), she pushes herself up wondering why the Konoha shinobi stopped attacking.

Her porcelain mask fell until she can feel the wind touching her skin.

Ah.

Steeling her resolve, she turned to look at Naruto's surprised gaze.

It was heartbroken.

"H-haku?" Her tears started to fall and the blonde drops her kunai in shock. "Why? Why would you do this?"

Her own eyes soften towards the girl as she recounted the words she told her that day, "Remember what we talked about?"

Naruto wipes away her tears even if it continues to fall and nodded minutely. "For your precious person, you are willing to do everything…," Hands clenching tightly, the blonde added in a whisper. "Even at the cost of your own life."

Head tilting slightly, Haku approaches the other girl and kisses her forehead as she wipes her tears away. Taking the kunai she dropped, she held Naruto's hand and closes her fingers around it, "After this is all over, I will let you have your vengeance Naruto-chan…" With a tap of her feet, a mirror shoots up from the puddle and Haku passes by it. "But I have one more duty to fulfill."

"W-wait!"

After the mirror melted, Naruto heard some birds chirping and tried to sense the others. She did notice Sakura-chan guarding Tazuna-jiji.

That means…

Oh no.

.

.

Knowing that his death is inevitable, Momochi Zabuza awaited his fate hoping that the girl will finally allow him to die.

Not that she's trying to prevent it anyway.

Kakashi's attack sounded fearsome enough that he could not stop himself from grinning.

But…

He did sense her presence when the puddle beside him signals her arrival as she rushes protectively in front of him. Damn it.

But another body came barreling into them. It was the blonde girl, one of Hatake's brats. And the very same face he saw in Haku's sketchbook.

Ah.

Despite being on opposite sides, he felt sorry for the other jōnin as Kakashi's eyes widen in horror seeing the said girl in that place. Too bad his sharingan is activated for he'll remember the death of his own student by his very hands. Forever.

But then it was already too late to stop.

Tch.

.

.

'What is she doing here? Move, damn it!'

Their collision, inevitable.

Nononono!

He'll never forgive himself if anything happens to her.

Her eyes stared at him gratefully as she held the arm that pierces her chest.

Not again.

He promised to protect her and yet…

Anyone.

His hands covered by her blood…

Stop him.

Why? Why is he still alive?

Please.

Naruto's eyes widen upon seeing his impending approach. And for whatever reason, she isn't moving at all. She's blocking his path.

Fuck!

Out of nowhere, Kakashi felt a firm tug on the hand that held his jutsu. Immediately it was surrounded by bluish colored flames (as if it negates his lightning). Fire that is different from the flames made by a katon jutsu. Kakashi was then thrown separating him from his 'target' and fell on his back a few feet away, his body sprawled like a rag and the jōnin felt the hard concrete of Tazuna-san's bridge.

With a tired sigh, he dispelled his technique. It didn't felt as exhausting whenever he uses it to end his battles.

He is relieved though.

But just to give anything for the sake of their ongoing argument, he gave the newcomer a not-so-annoyed stare.

"And you said you wouldn't interfere, hmm?"

A glare with a stiff grunt responded and the said intruder placed a hand on his waist with the other pinching the bridge of his nose just to ease his growing annoyance for the situation they were forced to face.

"Yes. Yes I did promise, you stupid jōnin!"

Grinning, he took Marco's offered hand ignoring the 'stupid' part. "Did I ever told you that I hate your very presence in her life? But not how you manages protect her better than I do?"

With a smirk, the Phoenix nodded condescendingly.

When Naruto rushes past him and leaps toward the older boy (as the exact numbers are unknown, he will definitely settle with the current one even if it still isn't acceptable to him at all), Marco catches her automatically.

"Marco!" And Naruto is already bawling her eyes out. "IwassoscaredIcouldnotbreathe… I thought you're dead!"

Ah. So the leak from earlier is because of… wait, "What?!"

"The girl created needles made from the sea's moisture. It does felt like seastone, yoi." The what now?

"Oh." But Naruto seems to understand as she wipes her snot away. She did gave him a side look promising to explain everything later.

They better.

"Tch. I can't believe you let this brat became a ninja." The fake hunter-nin did gave Zabuza a reprimanding look with Marco calming the aforementioned kunoichi who's about to bite the demon's head off.

But they were interrupted when Gatō came along with his hired mercenaries. Judging from the quantity, it will definitely put him in a tight spot. Again.

But he did felt colder when the ugly midget threatened to take the girls and include them in his personal collection. The nerve.

While Marco is…

His bluish colored flames started to lick from his feet up to his arms until the tip of his fingers. And his eyes?

"Kakashi."

His eyes glows with blue fire. Literally.

No honorifics? How rude. "Maaa, what is it?"

"You won't need this one alive, correct, yoi?"

"No worries. I know where his important documents are kept." The girl, Haku, smiled sinisterly in response. "And all his material possessions."

Scary. These two.

"I can help too!" Oh dear. Naruto is really her mother's daughter. Seriously, Kushina-nee-sama is going to be so proud.

But Marco, Kami bless his soul, did gave her a look and the blonde pouted in defiance. "Then how can you see me fight if you're alongside with me, hmm?"

Huh?

Realization caught up in his student's eyes as she took out her journal and its pen begrudgingly. Finally, she stays put.

So it was really Marco's idea, this scribble of hers.

"Fine. You'll do it slow?"

"I'll try my best. I can repeat the ones you missed, yoi. Promise."

And then he went all out.

No hesitations.

Now he knew why he was called that epithet.

Not even noticing when the others joined them. He's busy watching the man turned teenager obliterating every single men in front of them.

Sakura even gasps in shock seeing the Phoenix fight everyone on his own while Sasuke is following Marco's every move (Kakashi did notice the eyes though) as they watch how he fought like a real pirate - someone that knows no mercy. Entirely different from your run-in-the-mill pirates they know in this particular sea.

The one-eyed jōnin have this feeling that the Third knew and was trying to teach him a lesson.

But seriously though. Why do they even bother?

.

.

Interlude: Haku

When she met him, her life started to have meaning.

From being unwanted, she became something more.

She may be a tool that he can use and dispose if no longer needed - but Haku promised to stand by his side no matter what.

But then she came.

Uzumaki Naruto may be an enemy that opposes her master especially his self-appointed mission.

However, the Hyōton user saw a heart so untainted by this world they lived in.

A heart that is troubled by something so simple and yet… it gave her a reason to smile. Despite the circumstances.

Yet she could not stop herself. A simple wish for the other girl to see how the person she cared for values her more than life itself.

Ah. The wonders of love.

But seems like the other girl does not understand the said emotion at all. Hmmm.

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Author's note:
Wasn't able to do some checks. Maybe later. So yeah.

Thanks again. Cheers!

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