Chapter 18: Departing at Last
A/N: I apologize for the lateness of this chapter. Apparently, I have yet to master the Art of Multitasking with two stories. Plus the business of Christmas time didn't help either. Hope it's worth the wait. As a way of atonement, I added a special scene at the end for you all. It's something that I have wanted to add for awhile now. Hope you all enjoy it.
On a separate note, I now have a beta for this story: paintball-gamer. Hopefully, the two of us can get all those little spelling mistakes.
XXXXXXX – East Blue, Syrup Village, forest by the North shore
"Can we keep this a secret? Everything that's happened here?"
Usopp, Kaya, Carrot, Onion, Pepper, and Shikamaru were sitting in the partially ruined forest right where the fight with Django had taken place (Zoro had run off to who knows where). Usopp and Shikamaru were the only ones with any real injuries, though Usopp was worse by far. Even so, Shikamaru whined and complained louder than the rest combined as he rubbed his shoulder to ease the pain.
Usopp spoke up. "Can we keep this a secret? Everything that happened here?"
"A secret!?" Carrot repeated, aghast. "Why would we want to do that!?"
"We fought hard to save the village!" Pepper said, waving his battle weapon proudly.
"Everyone will love you!! You'll be the village hero!" Onion finished.
"What are the rest of us, then, chopped liver?" Shikamaru asked them, slightly annoyed. No one paid any attention to him.
"Usopp, they should know what you did," Kaya said.
Usopp laughed softly at that. "What I did?" he repeated. "Who'd believe the town liar saved the day? Anyway, it's history. No need to worry everyone." He lifted his head up and looked at the others directly. "This attack was unusual. Pirates hardly ever bother to raid out-of-the-way villages like ours. That knowledge makes everyone feel safe. So why bother everyone's peace of mind?"
No one bothered to interrupt him, though Shikamaru was half tempted to argue, just so the other villagers would know the hell and lengths of pain they all went though. But he had to admit Usopp's little speech was more practical. Well… no matter how you look at it, it's troublesome either way, he concluded.
"Why ruin their peace of mind?" Usopp continued. "Nothing happened. It was all just one of Usopp's lies."
This time, Shikamaru decided to speak up. "You are aware that the village thinks your last 'lie' was a deliberate attempt to hurt someone, aren't you? Quite different from your previous lies. Are you sure you can live with that?"
Usopp gave an all-knowing smile to the boy. "That's a small matter, since I don't plan on sticking around." That statement got a series of questioning looks, but Usopp didn't elaborate. He merely looked at this three 'crewmembers.' "I can't force you to, but…"
"I'll do it!! If that's what's best for the village!" Carrot proclaimed.
"I'll do it too!" Pepper readily agreed.
"I'll carry our secret to our grave!" Onion yelled as well.
Usopp looked at Kaya, who replied with a simple 'I will'. Then everyone looked at Shikamaru. "Fine, fine," he said irritably. "I will as well. Happy now?"
Usopp nodded happily. He then motioned Onion, Pepper and Carrot to follow him. The three boys did slowly and Usopp lead them to a clearing. He turned around and faced them. No one spoke for awhile. Finally, Onion broke the silence. "Captain Usopp! What did you want to tell us?"
"Listen up, my mighty pirates!" Usopp said to them. "You men fought bravely against Kuro's raiders. You've brought honor to the name of Usopp's Pirates! As your captain, I'm very proud of you! Five years ago, when you three were four years old, we formed our pirate brotherhood. This has been our most glorious hour." He threw his head back, avoiding eye contact for the moment. "Which makes it all the harder for me to say this. I'm going off to the sea! Alone! I'm going to become a real pirate!" He let loose a fierce grin.
There was a stunned silence. Then the wind breezed across the grass. Finally, Pepper regained his voice. "What? Captain…"
"Those young pirates inspired me!" Usopp continued, still looking up. "I'm leaving this village! For one reason! The pirate flag is calling! As it did my father before me!"
"It's a lie, right?!" Carrot demanded frantically. "It's one of your tall tales!"
"This is so sudden!" Pepper told the teenager. "You love this village, Captain!"
"What'll become of Usopp's pirates!?!" Onion asked. He was the first one to start shedding tears. Pepper and Carrot soon followed.
Usopp turned around, facing the sea, and thus the ocean. "Thanks for everything, men. I'm not going to say goodbye to the villagers, but give them my best."
"NO!"
"DON'T DO THIS!"
"DON'T GO, CAPTAIN!!"
"Do you remember this place?" Usopp asked them. "It's where we first met. We formed Usopp's pirates right here. Remember the time we chased that bulldog, pretending it was the Cerberus? Or the time we chased that lizard, calling it a dragon? And who could forget the time we snuck into the Nara household and dressed up Shikamaru as a girl, complete with makeup last year? Ahh… those were some good times." Suddenly, he turned around and faced the three boys. "Men!? What are your ambitions!?"
Carrot. "To run a tavern!"
Pepper. "To be a master carpenter!"
Onion. "To write novels!"
At this point, Usopp could no longer hold back his own tears. "Now, you each must swear to keep those dreams alive!" At this point, all four were crying intensely as Usopp spoke his next sentence.
"I hereby declare Usopp's Pirate Crew… DISBANDED!!!"
XXXXXXX – Syrup Village, Nara Restaurant
The Straw Hats, along with Shikamaru and Sasuke (Usopp said he needed to talk to his crew about something), were currently eating their fill at the restaurant. All of them, even Shikaku and Yoshino, had agreed to keep the attack secret from the rest of the village. Still, they felt some type of reward was needed, so Yoshino allowed the Straw Hats to eat at their restaurant to their heart's content, with everything provided on the house for free.
After the interrogation of Baiu, Yoshino offered to hold him and his four remaining companions until the Aburame Clan was contacted and arrived for them. She also volunteered to take care of the remains of the deceased Rain Ninja. She assured the Straw Hats that none of the villagers would ever learn about them.
Then, of course, an argument broke out amongst Naruto and Sasuke on who was more useless during the fight, which resulted in Naruto attacking Sasuke… and getting his head handed back to him. Figuratively speaking, of course. Afterwards, the shinobi went back and recollected the scattered kunai, buried exploding tags, and whatever else they could salvage, as well as hide the presence of the attack.
Luffy reached inside his mouth and pulled out a fish skeleton. "Finally got it out. Doesn't taste very good."
"You need to work on your fish-eating technique," Zoro quipped at his captain. He then took a deep breath and spat his own bones, which hit the person sitting across from him who was gagging on his own fish bones: Naruto. That actually worked in Naruto's favor as the shock caused him to cough up his own bones, but he glared at Zoro anyway. "And you're just an idiot through and through," Zoro told him.
"Takes one to know one," Sasuke said out loud, taking a drink and earning glares from both persons now. Not that he cared.
"I have news for you three," Nami said, holding up her own fish bones. "Normal people don't eat this part." She gave Naruto and Luffy one point apiece for that.
"You mean they're normal?" Sakura asked Nami, which just caused both of them to chuckle softly at that.
"We heard that," Luffy, Zoro, and Naruto said at once. Then Luffy went and added, "What's normal?"
"You're not helping the cause!" Naruto complained. He then looked at Shino. "Back me up here!"
"I decline," Shino said simply. He then looked at Sasuke. "And what do you intend to do now?"
"Why ask such a stupid question?" Luffy asked, completely bewildered. "He's part of our crew. He's coming with us, of course! And so is Badger Man!"
"Shut up," Shikamaru complained. "I have no desire to go anywhere. Much less with you."
"I've wasted enough time with you people," Sasuke added. He started to get up, but Luffy put on a big grin. "But you can't leave. You don't have a ship of your own."
"I'll manage."
"You don't have any supplies on your own," Sakura added.
"I'll manage," Sasuke repeated.
"You don't have a navigator, so you won't have any idea where you're going," Nami said with a laugh.
"…I'll… manage…" Sasuke repeated, sounding less sure now.
"You'll be wandering the world alone, without any idea where you're going, and probably starve to death before you even get close to your target. Whoever that is," Zoro said, taking a drink.
"Just like you did?" Luffy asked, earning a laugh from nearly everyone. Zoro, in turn, grabbed Luffy's head and slammed it into his plate. Luffy then straightened himself up, with the plate still sticking to his face somehow. The sound of chewing could be heard, then Luffy's voice said "Cool! No hands!" While he continued to eat, Yoshino came over and sat down as well.
Sasuke didn't even attempt to respond this time, earning a snicker from Naruto. "Have fun."
Shino looked at Sasuke. "Time to face the facts, Sasuke-san. You can set out on your own, with no way of traveling or financing yourself, or you stick with us." He pushed up his glasses. "In addition, I'm still in contact with my clan, who have set up their compound on an island with a Naval base. If you wish, with my next report, I can submit a description of the person you're looking for. They have access to all the base's reports, which include shinobi. You have a better chance of getting a lead that way than just striking out on your own."
Sasuke was giving Shino his full attention. He looked at the others, then stared into empty space. "I hate you people," he muttered.
Translation: I'm in.
Luffy cheered, making the plate fall off. He then looked at Shikamaru. "One down and one to go."
"Give it up already," Shikamaru said, taking a bite to eat. With his mouth full, he added, "And go bug someone else. I ain't interested in going."
"I think it's an excellent idea," Yoshino said.
Shikamaru spat out the mouthful of food, hitting the person who sat directly across from him: Nami. She wiped off her face and looked at her hand. "That's going to cost you, buddy. And I'm going to collect slowly."
Shikamaru didn't pay attention to the navigator. He merely looked at his mother, like she had just sentenced him to a year's worth of chores. "What?" he asked in disbelief.
"I think you should go with them," Yoshino repeated. "You're not doing anything productive here anyway. It would give you a chance to experience the world, grow as a shinobi, and give you some motivation in life."
"Don't care," Shikamaru replied immediately.
"Or you can stay and wash your grandmother's feet, do the laundry three times a week, pull weeds for five hours a day, get a job bussing tables here six days a week, clean your room twice a day, do the breakfast, lunch, and dinner dishes, do bathroom duty for here, the house and your dad's office…"
"That's physically impossible to do all that in those time restraints," Shikamaru interrupted, whining loudly.
"Then make your choice," Yoshino said, smiling. "Because that's only a third of the list I have for you so far. I've let you slack off for far too long. It's about time you did something meaningful. Either you can start being serious about your shinobi training with them," she pointed to the group, where Luffy waved encouragingly. "Or you can start learning the finer points of hard work. You choose."
Shikamaru looked at his mother, then Luffy, then his mother again. He then slammed his head against the table, where he just laid there in his mind, weighing the possibilities. Chores, being lazy, chores, cloud gazing, his father…
He stopped at that one. His father wasn't the man he originally thought he was. He was something… more. He felt something in him that he hadn't felt before: he wanted to be like his father. What brought that up, he wasn't sure. Maybe it was because he finally found a reason to idolize his father, to be like him, to live up to his expectations and reputation. To be like him. Well… maybe not exactly like him, but similar. And that thought was the biggest thing on his mind at the moment, though that hazardous chore list was a very close second. And his mother would do it too… slave driver.
"Whatever…" he said out loud.
He heard Luffy cheer out loud at finally having 'Chicken Man' and 'Badger Man' in his crew. His 'captain' was even more immature than Usopp was, and that was saying something. Shikamaru mentally sighed. Oh well, with an idiot leading the way, this group couldn't get into too much trouble. He would probably be able to lie around on the ship, doing nothing but cloud gazing.
He looked up and saw Kaya standing in front of the table. When did she get there? "Shouldn't you still be recuperating?" Nami asked.
"I'll be fine," Kaya assured her. "My illness for the past year was caused by the shock and sadness of losing my parents. Usopp brought my spirits up… but I can't depend on others forever." She put on a bright smile. "Anyway, you all need a ship, isn't that right?"
"You're giving us a ship!?" Luffy repeated happily.
"Yep," Kaya replied. "We're currently adding some final touches to it, so it won't be ready until this evening, but it'll fit your needs perfectly. Until then, please relax around the village."
XXXXXXX – Syrup Village, outskirts of the village, 10 minutes later.
Shino stood in the clearing of the field as the Messenger Insectlanded in front of him. He recognized it immediately, due to the fact it was missing half of its left foreleg. It was Telwu, his father's personal summon. Shino walked over, opened its backpack, and withdrew the message. "Thank you," Shino told the large dragonfly, who nodded in response and vanished in a poof of smoke. Shino then took out the message and began reading.
Shino,
I hope you and your crewmates are doing well. We received your last message and have established communication with Haruno Sakumoto and his wife, both of whom wish to remain in Orange Town for the time being, but are more than willing to stay in contact.
In regards to this new shinobi of Sound affliction, Morgan's naval reports indicate no direct information about them, and no one among the Clan recognizes the descriptions. But there are lingering rumors surrounding ninja reported to have similar outfits to the three you encountered in Orange Town, although your discovery is the first real confirmation of these rumors.
These rumors also say that many of these new shinobi have been sighted near numerous pirate groups, most notably in the North and West Blues and only recently in the East Blue. There is no mention of them in the South Blue as far as we can tell. That is the extent of our information at this time, but we share your belief that these Shinobi are forging alliances with all these pirate groups. We estimate that these Sound ninjas have approached as many as 73 different pirates groups. Because of this, the Council has voted to look into this matter further and has authorized the infiltration of surrounding Navy Bases to see if further information can be discovered.
Unfortunately, the clansmen we dispatched to round up the trio you left at Orange Town have vanished without a trace, as have Buggy's pirates.
In addition, the Council tells me to remind you to observe Uzumaki Naruto. While his goals are admirable, there is still something dark about him and we are no closer to understanding it now than we were when he was present before us. Anything you discover about him should be reported immediately.
Shibi
Shino read the message through twice before folding it up and stuffing it in his coat pocket. Things were getting more problematic. These Sound shinobi had contacted more pirate groups than he originally thought, and their influence had expanded throughout three of the four Blues. That part he didn't know from what he learned from Zaku. But just approaching the pirates didn't mean that Sound was successful in securing an alliance. How many of these groups were actually allied with Sound was something that could only be answered with more information. Shino mentally berated himself for not making sure Dosu, Kin, and Zaku were secure before leaving the island, and now their only source of information was lost. Whatever Sound was planning, it looked like it was going to be big.
Shino then spoke out loud. "If you have something to say, Naruto, now would be the time."
At first, nothing happened. Then Naruto slowly came out. Shino then turned around and faced the blond-haired ninja. "Is there something you need?" Shino pressed.
Naruto looked a bit embarrassed and uncomfortable, but then nodded.
XXXXXXX – 15 minutes later
Naruto charged Shino, who was already in his fighting stance, and tried to punch the insect user in the face. Shino calmly blocked it, turned it aside, then elbowed the Naruto in the face. "Always look your opponent dead on, instead of constantly glancing around."
Naruto nodded, rubbed his face, and retorted with a roundhouse kick, aiming for Shino's left shoulder. Shino calmly blocked it, then grabbed Naruto's foot. "Remember to pivot your other foot," Shino advised as he pulled the leg, making Naruto's face's fall right into Shino's coming fist. "That is essential," he finished as the other boy rolled on the ground, for the seventh time in the last two minutes.
Can you help me become a better shinobi?
That was the first thing Naruto said when Shino asked his question. Shino had raised an eyebrow, as that had been the last thing Shino expected. Naruto gulped and admitted that he didn't have much training and that he really didn't know anything about the shinobi. When Shino asked him 'why', Naruto just stated that his own training was cut short. Shino considered, but did not press Naruto for the details.
Naruto said that he was doing this because the last fight gave him a lot of questions about what a shinobi was supposed to be like. Why did former allies have to fight each other? Why were shinobi expected to kill? What else were ninja expected to do? How could he become stronger so he could put Sasuke in his place?
Shino had responded that he'd be willing to help him, as long as Naruto was willing to truly apply himself. Shino then gave Naruto a brief overview on taijutsu basics. Afterwards, they started off with a sparring match, with Shino observing the other boy's style thus far and correcting it based off what he knew.
"I'm gonna crush you!" Naruto yelled, anger finally taking hold, and just rushed Shino now. Shino calmly ducked Naruto's punch, and, using the momentum against him, Shino threw him over his shoulder. Naruto went flying and landed on his back, hard. "Ow…" he moaned.
"And never allow blind rage to get the best of you," Shino said, a small smile appearing.
Naruto gave a half-hearted thumbs-up.
XXXXXXX – elsewhere
Zoro was standing in the midst of the forest, eyes closed. In a flash, he drew two of his swords, put the third in his mouth, and cut through two trees. He then turned around immediately and slashed through a third tree. He then ran forward and kicked another violently, making hundreds of leaves fall down. Zoro then began swinging like mad, trying to cut as many of the falling leaves as he could.
"Aren't you just going to reopen your wounds? Again?" he heard a voice ask. Without stopping, he merely answered "What's it to you?"
Sakura shrugged as she sat on a rock. "Just don't want to hear you complaining or anything later."
"A true swordsman does not complain. Streaming Wolf Swords!" Zoro cried, swinging his two arm swords across, followed quickly by his mouth sword. He then swung around, slashing all three swords hard against the air. "108 Pound Cannon!" The attack went soaring through the air and cut through three branches on another tree, quite sloppily. "Damn," Zoro swore. Still not good enough. He had to slice the air harder, faster.
"Is this what your training is?" Sakura asked out loud. "Just destroying the environment?"
"A true swordsman uses whatever he has to his advantage," Zoro commented. He then looked at the girl and got an idea. "If you're so critical, why don't you help out?"
Sakura gaped at him, then pointed at herself. "Me?"
"No, the reindeer behind you," Zoro answered sarcastically. "Yes, you!"
Sakura looked around the area and got a depressed look on her face. "Whatever you're thinking, it's dead wrong!" Zoro shouted, sheathing his swords. A few minutes later, both he and Sakura had gathered a large pile of rocks.
"Ok," Sakura said hesitantly as Zoro walked away. "Now what do we do with them?"
"Now…" he answered as he turned around and faced her. "You are going to throw those rocks at me," he told her as he took out his swords once again.
Sakura looked dumbstruck. "Just like that? Ok…" She gulped slightly, picked up a rock, brought her arm back and threw it right at him. Zoro calmly slashed throw it with his left sword, cleaving the rock in two. "Come on," he urged. "You can do better than that."
After a few more attempts, Zoro was getting frustrated. Was she really this weak, or was she just holding back? Either way, it annoyed the hell out of him. "What's this?" he shouted out. "And you call yourself a shinobi? You worthless, ugly, large forehead…"
"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME!?!" Sakura shouted out at the last one. The next rock came so fast that it nearly hit Zoro, who just managed to dodge at the last second.
Now this is what he was talking about!
"Better! Much better!" Zoro cheered as more rocks flew straight at him, slicing them all. Now this was the work out he was hoping for!
XXXXXXX – another section of the forest
Luffy was walking through, whistling to himself at all the good luck: a new ship coming, three new crewmates, and lots of meat!
"Hold it."
Luffy stopped and looked back. It was Sasuke. "Need something?"
"Fight me."
"No thanks."
"I won't take no for an answer," Sasuke answered, walking towards Luffy and getting into his face, despite being smaller than the teenager. "Fight me."
"Nah," Luffy said happily. "No need to. Kuro bastard is long gone. Kuro… long gone. That's funny!" He started cracking up again, making Sasuke all that much more pissed off. He attempted to jump Luffy right there, but the Straw Hat Captain calmly step aside and tripped him. Sasuke fell face first on the ground, and Luffy put his right foot on Sasuke's back. "Chill!" Luffy said in between laughs.
"I hate you."
"OK," Luffy replied indifferently. "You look like you have a great singing voice! First thing we should all do when we set out on our new ship is sing and party!"
"I hate singing."
Luffy gasped loudly. "You hate singing!?" He grabbed his head in pure horror. "How can you hate singing!?"
"Easy."
"Pirates sing!"
"Not me."
"How can you be a pirate and hate singing!?"
"Who cares?"
"That's just wrong!!"
"Don't give a damn."
"You're gonna sing!"
"Bite me... OUCH!!! NOT LITERALLY, YOU MORON!!!"
Nami, from her position at a nearby tree, was watching the whole thing and was clearly amused at the sight. "That's Luffy for you," she said to herself, despite the irony of her own words. Luffy was turning out to be very different from the typical pirate captain – or pirate for that matter – than she first imagined. He was a pure idiot, yet he had his moments as well. He didn't run a crew like a normal captain would and he didn't have the same views as the typical pirate captain. Especially if you compared him to Kuro, who viewed his men as nothing more than pawns: things to be used and disposed of immediately. She could still hear Luffy's response when Kuro started slaughtering his own men.
"DON'T YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR OWN CREW!?!?" Luffy shouted.
Luffy got more pissed by the second before he managed to stop Kuro dead in his tracks, but that moment was still fresh in Nami's mind. Luffy was truly something else. She smiled to herself as she looked on at the sight, where Sasuke and Luffy were now wresting and continuing their argument. She should probably stop them. Maybe…
XXXXXXX – Nara household
Shikamaru muttered various things under his breath as he lazily threw everything he owned into his dufflebag. Unfolded clothes, dirty underwear, his scattered shinobi gear, a couple of books, a few pictures, and his Shogi, Go, and Chess boards. "Now…" he said to himself. "Did I miss anything?"
"These."
Shikamaru looked around and saw his father in the doorway, holding two items in his hands. "The Aburame boy said we'd be able to keep in touch, but here are a few things that I thought you might need for this little journey of yours." His father handed him the first item. It was a scroll.
"That contains a list of our family's shadow techniques," Shikaku told him. "I imagine you'll need them, especially when you discover that there will be times when the standard shadow imitation won't be enough to guarantee victory."
"And you're just giving it to me, just like that?" Shikamaru asked suspiciously. Wasn't that against some shinobi code or something to not hand out powerful techniques until one was ready?
"I trust you and your judgment," Shikaku answered simply. "Use them as you see fit. Learn them as you see fit."
"Which may be never," Shikamaru answered, a hint of humor in his voice. He was the lazy cloud gazer. Which did his father really expect him to do: watch clouds, or practice ninjutsu? But he put the scroll in his bag anyway. He then looked at the second item his father held: a Konoha headband.
"This was my father's," Shikaku said. "My old man died on a mission 13 years before the shinobi lands fell, during the third Great Shinobi War. He and his team were to infiltrate an enemy stronghold and recover some intelligence that was stolen prior. It was successful for the most part, until an enemy patrol caught them. He gave his life to stall the enemy and allowed his comrades to escape. It made me proud to be his son."
Was this story supposed to be inspiration, or a death omen? Shikamaru wasn't sure, but he nodded and took the headband regardless. He looked at it for a few seconds, then tied it around his left forearm.
Shikaku put a fierce smile on. "You look great, Shikamaru."
"Thanks," he replied casually. He took a look at his arm and gazed at the leaf hitai-ite. Wearing this headband made him feel… complete, somehow.
XXXXXXX – sunset, North Beach
The eight Straw Hats, now consisting of Luffy, Naruto, Zoro, Sakura, Nami, Sasuke, Shino and Shikamaru, duffel bag in hand, were at the beach. At the shoreline, there was a small ship just for them, with Merry's face on the flags, with Kaya and Merry in front of it. Merry himself had some bandaging on his forehead and gestured towards the ship. "Behold!"
"COOL!" Luffy and Naruto cried happily.
"Wow…" Zoro said in awe.
"Incredible," Sakura said.
"A caravel!" Nami identified it.
Shino merely nodded.
Shikamaru shrugged.
Sasuke just plain didn't care.
"She's not the newest model," Merry went on, "but I designed her myself. Miss Kaya told me that there were several of you, so I had to make sure it would accommodate you nicely. She's a caravel, with a jib and central runner. I present to you: the Going Merry!" That earned a bigger cheer from Luffy and Naruto, getting Merry's attention. He walked up to Luffy and offered a hand. "Are you the one that fought Kuro of the Black Cat pirates? I'd thought you'd be taller…"
"Are you really giving us a ship!?" Luffy asked happily, shaking Merry's hand so hard Merry thought his arm would pop out of its socket. "Yes, please take it," he said as he jerked his arm away and began rubbing it as he cleared his throat. "I'll explain the rigging. First, regarding the adjustment of the yard with clew-garent…"
Luffy, Naruto, Zoro, Sakura, Sasuke and even Shino all just looked at Merry dumbfounded. Shikamaru didn't even bother trying to pay attention.
"You're wasting your breath on them," Nami told Merry, a small sweatdrop appearing. "Just talk to me." Shino and Sakura walked over to them to listen and learn while the others began either admiring the ship or just staring at it wondering when they could finally go.
"I've stocked it with everything you might need at sea," Kaya told Luffy.
"You sure add insult to injury, Miss Kaya!" Luffy told her.
"And rub salt on an open wound!" Naruto added.
"Try 'add icing to the cake', morons," Zoro told them. Nami shook her head at that and give them both a single point for that. Those were some things you just did not say to someone who was giving them a ship, good intentions or not.
"WAHHHHH!!!"
All heads turned towards the sound of the scream. Rolling down the hill was a large, round backpack and if you looked closely, there was an impression of a young teenager on it, screaming "STOP MEEE!!!"
"It's Usopp," Kaya said.
"What's he up to now?" a confused Luffy asked.
"We should stop him," Zoro said as the human boulder came rolling down. "He might damage our ship."
"In that case, did we leave any exploding tags buried?" Sasuke asked.
Shikamaru looked at him. "You're evil."
A smug Sasuke actually broke a smile at that. "Fine with me."
Just as the giant backpack was about to crash into them, Luffy and Zoro got into place and stuck their feet out, causing Usopp to roll into them face-first. "Thanks…"
"Why are you here, Usopp?" Naruto asked, while he, Luffy, and Sakura helped Usopp off his bag and back onto the ground. "Don't you have some lying to do, or whatever it is you do?"
"Nope!" Usopp replied happily. "You see, I've decided to head out to sea!"
"See what?" Naruto asked innocently.
"NOT THAT TYPE OF SEE!!" Usopp yelled. "Sea sea, not see see! Get it?!"
Everyone just looked at him. Usopp coughed into his fist. "Let's try that again," he said in annoyed voice. "Nope!" he said yet again. "You see, I've decided to head out to the ocean."
"Why didn't you just say so?" Naruto asked.
Usopp nearly erupted. This blond idiot was ruining his big moment! "I DID SAY SO!!!" He then calmed himself and went into a dramatic speech. "What happened here with the Black Cat pirates has shown me what I want in life: I want to be a pirate! I want to sail the ocean! Like my father did before me! To risk life and limb on wild and crazy adventures beyond imagination, whether it is to visit floating restaurants, defeat brutal fish people, help defend a village hidden behind a waterfall, run from chain smokers, battle ferocious sea monsters, fight giants and candlemen, liberate a snow kingdom filled with freaks of nature, even save a desert country, I'm going to do it! I'm going to be a… AREN'T YOU LISTENING!?!" Usopp screamed, noticing that all the Straw Hats were no longer paying attention to him and were all back to admiring the Going Merry.
Kaya spoke up. "I thought this might happen," she said, getting Usopp's attention. "So, there's no way I can change your mind?"
"You could kiss him!" Sakura shouted, causing Usopp to faceplant right there, while Kaya just looked shocked. "That would get him to stay!"
"WATCH IT!!" Usopp roared at the pink-haired girl. "You're ruining my big moment!" He breathed heavily as he calmed himself down. He then smiled weakly at the young rich girl. "Sorry Kaya, but the sea has called me for a while and I can no longer afford to ignore it!" He clutched his fist and held it high. "But I promise you, I shall return, and when I do, I'll have some real tall tales to tell. True ones!"
She smiled at him. "And I'll be waiting to hear them. Good luck!"
Usopp smiled back then looked at the Straw Hats. "Fare thee well, my friends! Maybe we'll meet again some day!"
"Why?" Luffy asked.
"Huh?" Usopp asked. "Why are you asking me? Both of us are pirates, so we may have to meet again someday on the sea."
"Just shut up and get on the ship," Zoro and Naruto said, both of them pointing to the deck.
Usopp was stunned, not able to speak, so Luffy did it for him. "We're friends, aren't we? Shipmates?"
"YEAH!!!" Usopp agreed wholeheartedly. He grabbed his huge backpack and began dragging it over to the Going Merry. "I get to be the Captain!"
"No way! I'm the Captain!" Luffy shouted. He and Naruto jumped down and helped Usopp get his bag on board. As he walked to the ship, Kaya gave him a small kiss on his left cheek. "Thank you for everything you did, Usopp," she told him.
Usopp was now frozen in place, his left hand touching his cheek where she kissed him. Several people on the boat started shouting at him to hurry up and he still didn't move. Luffy then stretched his arm out and pulled Usopp aboard, and they set off. Kaya and Merry watched them go off into the setting sun.
Merry and Kaya walked back to the village, where Kaya admitted that it was hard to lie, at which Merry knew she really did want Usopp to remain. He then told her what he had heard about Usopp's mother, Banchina. Shortly after his father, Yasopp, left, his mother grew deadly ill. A young Usopp ran in crying and saying that pirates were coming. Specifically, his father's ship, and that he had returned for his wife and son. His mother called his bluff immediately, and Usopp started lying that he found a magic medicine for her and that he was proud to be a pirate's son.
After his mother died, Usopp started telling those lies to the whole village, possibly to deal with his loneliness, or even to keep his hope alive that his father would return.
"Pirates are coming! Pirates are coming!"
Merry and Kaya looked at the source. Pepper, Onion, and Carrot were running through the village, shouting at the top of their lungs. "Big mean ones!" Pepper shouted. "One's a mad bomber that has exploding clay animals!"
"Another has faces on his back and covered with stitches, like a zombie!" Onion said.
Carrot added "One looks like a huge, walking shark, carrying a monstrous sword! They're coming!"
Pepper. "One looks like a plant is growing out of his body!"
Onion. "Another turns people into living puppets and has a scorpion tail!"
Carrot. "There's another one that's an unkillable freak with a BIG SCYTHE!"
"Then there's the mass murderer with the freaky red eyes!"
"Oh, look! There's a death angel made of paper! She'll kill you all!"
"Hey! There's a stupid, clumsy dude with a strange mask!"
"And here comes their captain, a freaky-eyed maniac who thinks he's God! THEY'RE ALL COMING!!!" Carrot, Pepper and Onion shouted together. "Run for your lives!" All three then broke out laughing as the villagers finally emerged and started chasing the boys. Merry and Kaya smiled as everyone ran past them. "Merry."
"Yes, Miss Kaya?"
"I'm going to become a doctor."
"A noble goal."
On the ship itself, Luffy, Sakura, Zoro, Nami, and even Shino were partying and drinking various beverages. Luffy dragged Sasuke around in an effort to get him to party and sing. Sasuke protested by saying absolutely nothing and refusing to party at all. Luffy took that as a personal challenge and made him that much more determined to break the Uchiha out his anti-social attitude. Usopp was still frozen by the mast, so everyone just ignored him. Naruto and Shikamaru were leaning on the back rail in the rear of the ship. "That was some place…" Naruto told the other, taking a sip of his own drink.
"It's troublesome, that's what it is," Shikamaru told him from his position: lying down on the deck itself as far away from all the noise and cheerful people as possible. Naruto shrugged and looked at Usopp. "Think he'll ever recover?"
"Doubt it," Shikamaru replied. "It's not like it's going to affect anything anyway. Not with Luffy leading the way."
"Yep," Naruto agreed. "I can't wait to get to the Grand Line and show everyone what I'm made of!"
Time seemed to freeze for Shikamaru. He looked at Naruto again, bewildered. "Did you just say 'get to the Grand Line'?"
"Yep!" the blond repeated, grinning.
"I'm outta here!" Shikamaru shouted immediately, jumping up and actually putting a leg over the side of the ship. He probably would have succeeded in jumping off into the water if five Narutos didn't grab him and pull him back on board. "What are you, nuts!?" Naruto shouted at him, with the other four standing around him like guards.
"I'd rather swim back to the island than go to the Pirate's Graveyard," Shikamaru insisted, even thought the shore itself was getting farther and farther away. He'd never make it back now and he couldn't walk on water. He moaned in defeat.
"Where's your spirit of adventure!?" Naruto demanded
"We're going to the most dangerous place on earth, with an idiot leading the way," Shikamaru said in a depressed monotone. "We're all gonna die…"
XXXXXXX – Location: Classified, New Konohagakure
Sarutobi walked out of the council room, where the recent meeting had just finished. He brought up his pipe and put it in his mouth. Such a troublesome day. Things were getting worse and worse by the day. Everyone was complaining, everyone was restless, and no one seemed to remember that surviving was the most important aspect now. Many were simply tired of hiding and wanted to strike back at the World Government and it's Navy. Though Sarutobi could understand the reasons why, no good would come from it. Only more pain and death.
As he walked home, he noticed his son, Asuma, walking about. Where he was going at this time, the old Hokage did not know. Maybe he was trying to see that woman again, the one who had been recently promoted to Jonin. Afterwards, he allowed his mind to drift back to the time of the attacks. Once the all Biju had been dealt with, things should have settled down. But they didn't. Large forces had come and struck the shinobi when they were at their weakest. Though it had appeared to be just multitudes of pirates groups, Sarutobi and what few ANBU agents he had remaining were able to discover the truth about it.
He sighed in frustration as he entered his home. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Konohamaru sleeping soundly in his room. Nodding to himself in satisfaction, he entered his study. In there were many maps, charts, and old records, all evidence of the work that he had been doing all these years. He briefly looked at a map of the South Blue, where the old villages had once resided. His eyes traveled northward until he came to a large island with a single point on it. Megaplex.
Megaplex was one of the Navy's largest prison facilities in the world. Though it did not rival the infamous Impel Down itself, it was a close second. It was able to hold tens of thousands of prisoners, many either condemned to rot behind those bars, or merely waiting to be transferred to Enies Lobby for a fate worse than death.
Sarutobi had discovered that this had been the source of the attack. The World Government had given Megaplex's prisoners an option: either continue their sentence, or participate in an attack that would allow them a pardon. The prisoners: pirates, criminals, renegade marines, and even some shinobi all agreed. All were desperate to taste freedom once again. They were all given ships, emblems, new clothes, and weapons, and were unleashed. The World Government then ordered all available Marines nearby to participate as well, calling it 'The Largest Buster Call in History.' Once, such a suggestion would have been viewed as completely crazy, but with the shinobi weak, the World Government saw an opportunity… and they took it. Though, even now, Sarutobi did not know who specifically ordered the attack. It was most likely the Gorousei, the Five Elder Stars, but Sarutobi learned decades ago never to assume.
The prisoners were sent in first. They were cannon fodder in every sense of the term. Once they came and began fighting the weary shinobi, the Navy began bombarding the islands, even with the prisoners in the midst of fighting. And the ninja could do little to repel the attack, not with desperate prisoners fighting everywhere. There was only one option left to the shinobi and it was something that the ninja never thought they would do.
Sarutobi had given the order himself, and the Leaf fled. The other Hidden Villages followed immediately. The shinobi had lost.
Sarutobi sighed in frustration. It was bad enough that the World Government was spreading lies and misinformation about the shinobi these days, but they also had the gall to try and recruit any of the survivors. What for, he did not know. But it certainly made things more difficult.
He sat down at the desk and took a map. Now was not the time to dwell on the past. He had other business to attend to. He grabbed a map of the East Blue and his crystal ball. After he selected a place on the map and did the necessary signs, he muttered "Toomegane no Jutsu."
A small village appeared in the crystal ball. Sarutobi studied the image carefully, but found nothing. He moved north, looking anew.
The jutsu would allow him to search without physically leaving his home. While it sounded great, it was surprisingly limiting as well. Even though he had used his own prodigious skill to enhance the jutsu with a special technique to detect lingering chakra signatures, he still had not found what he was looking for. Every now and then, he discovered a chakra signature which had led him to some shinobi or another, sometimes even a fellow leaf, most of which were just renegades now, but he dispatched shinobi to meet and gather them anyway. While it was a definite asset, he still could not find the one he was truly looking for. Iruka must have done a magnificent job in hiding himself and his charge. He couldn't find a trace of either of them anywhere, even after several years.
But he couldn't give up. He owed it to the boy. And the Fourth Hokage.
"Naruto," Sarutobi said to himself quietly as he looked in the next spot. "Where are you?"
End of Chapter 18
A/N: And so the Kuro arc ends. Finally. I don't know about all of you, but as much fun as it was, it seemed a bit too long. And the Straw Hats have added three members to their numbers: Sasuke (officially now), Shikamaru and Usopp. I had a difficult time getting Shikamaru recruited, so in the end, I just wrote and went with whatever came to mind. Not something I generally prefer, but I hope you all find it satisfactory.
Concerning the Going Merry itself, I'm going to make it bigger by about a third than its canon counterpart. Appearance-wise, Going Merry looks exactly the same, just all the dimensions are increased by 33 percent. Not enough to make a real difference, but just enough to accommodate the extra members.
The Baratie arc should be fun, with the appearance of several characters you'll all recognize, including one that's pretty obvious, if I do say so myself.
Santoryu: Streaming Wolf Swords (Tou Rou Nagashi): Zoro leans toward the opponent, using two of his swords to block the opponent's attacks while cutting through the opponent's stomach with the third. Canon technique
Santoryu: 108 Pound Cannon (Hyaku-Hachi Pound Hou. Also known as Triple Sword Soaring Phoenix): Same principle as the 36 Pound Cannon using all three swords to create a spiral of air to damage its target. Canon technique
Toomegane no Jutsu (Telescope Technique) Toomegane no Jutsu is a Ninjutsu technique utilized by the Third Hokage. Using a crystal ball, the Hokage is able to view events transpiring around Leaf Village. A ranked ninjutsu. Canon technique. On a side note, I never found any specific range limit for this thing, so I figured I could be flexible on its range.
Nami's Ultimate Idiot Competition – Luffy: 31, Naruto: 25
May the Kage Bunshin and Gomu Gomu no Bazooka be with you!
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or Naruto. They belong to their respective owners: Eiichiro Oda and Masashi Kishimoto.