Chapter 2
The three ships sailed through the night in a delta formation. With gentle breeze at their backs, they were steadily gaining ground on the Isle of wave. When Naruto went topside, just before dawn, he was surprised to see a thick eerie fog was hanging heavy around their ship. They had completely lost sight of the other two ships, but could verify their location by the gentle ringing of their bells every few minutes for as such an occasion warrants.
"How long has this fog been here?" Naruto asked the night watchman.
"It just rolled in, sir, we spotted the lights of the island and then everything went blank like this. I didn't know whether to keep going and risk running aground or stop to wait it out."
"Aye, good work; go get some rest while its quiet, we'll have a village to plunder by nightfall."
"Aye, sir!" The man nodded respectfully to the blonde and headed to his bunk, leaving the safety of the fleet in his care.
Naruto tried to peer into the dense fog, but couldn't even see the foremast from his spot by the wheel. Never before had he seen a fog that dense. Kakashi stepped up next to Naruto and leaned on the railing by the wheel, looking out in the fog.
"Ever seen a fog this thick?" Naruto asked.
"Once… Fog like this always surrounded Water Island. No one who ventured into it would never return. When I experienced it, we turned about and left. There can be dangerous things lying in wait, hidden in a fog." Naruto nodded as he processed the information and then suddenly perked up and looked around.
"Stop the bells! Everyone silent!" The bright ringing stopped and Naruto cupped his hands around his ears. He turned to the left, then to the right… He paused there for a moment, listening to the waves strike against the ship, lap against the distant ship, Susanoo and against…
"ALL HANDS! PREPARE FOR BATTLE!" Naruto grabbed the bottom of the wheel and whipped it to the left. The ship suddenly banked hard and turned slightly to the right. The crew members scrambled to get to their designated stations, but they were currently shorthanded with having to man the other ships.
Wondering just what was going through the young admiral's head, Kakashi was about to lace into him, when he finally heard it too, the sound of a ship crashing through the waters at full speed, as opposed to their half speed. He ran to the poop deck, just in time to see a faded form of a large ship with the telltale signs of a reinforced ramming hull. Although it was clearly a ramming ship, the hull had a strange blade like shape to it, making its purpose look to be more for splitting the hull of a ship and not puncture it.
"Naruto!" Kakashi yelled out. "It is the 'Kubikiribōchō' captained by one of the seven generals of Kirigakure no kaikou (The port Hidden in the Mist), Zabuza. He defected from Kiri and became a privateer, a pirate for hire."
"Little busy here!" The blonde shouted back while fighting with the wheel. The rear of the ship barely moved out of the way of the ramming ship, but they weren't out of the woods, yet; they now had the weakest point, the rear, along the broadside of the intruding ship.
"Swivel guns, defensive fire! Aim at their cannon windows! Someone get on the stern chaser!" Canon fire echoed as the Kyuubi managed to start firing first. The enemy ship's canon windows opened to return fire but some were greeted with iron projectiles, knocking a few of the canons out of commission. Unfortunately there were still over 3/4 of the 20 canons remaining to return fire.
Large puffs of smoke billowed out from the large ship and hot iron was heading their way. Some of the projectiles tore through the partially opened sails and broke some of the rigging lines. Screaming was heard as the man in the crow's nest was sent flying from his post after a hot ball of iron tore through the uppermost portion of the main mast. Two more heavy projectiles tore through the upper rear deck and landed not more than 10 feet from Naruto and were embedded in the decking. Splinters where flying in every direction, but luckily the salvo ended with most projectiles missing altogether and landing in in the ocean with a towering splash.
"Order the fleet: ALL STOP!" The large bell was still in operation and started sounding out the code to the other two ships to inform them of their orders, when a small nimble ship appeared in front of them, Firing its smaller canon towards the prow.
"There's a second!?" Shouted the lookout at the fore of the ship. The swivel guns at the front open fired on the small three mast sloop. It was easily the same size, maybe even bigger than 'Akamaru' and was incredibly fast. Its smaller gauge canon shells struck hard against the reinforced prow and did little damage, aside from a broken rail on the starboard side.
"Our other ships are sitting ducks!" Kakashi reminded as the new smaller ship was headed straight for where the other two should have been.
"I'm aware of that, but we can't be running into our own ships! I'll come about and pass between them, when we do, we will have a short time to call out our plans." Naruto took the wheel and tossed it in the opposite direction. As they came about, they stumbled upon the Kubikiribōchō still in its turning maneuver. Since the ship was heavier than the Kyuubi, it turns were larger and slower.
"Starboard; FIRE!" The large cannons lined on the side of the 'Kyuubi' boomed to life, raining heavy metal on the enemy. Instead of pursuing after confirming multiple hits, they proceeded with the plan to regroup.
"Look, the fog is lifting!" Shouted a man hanging from the fore 'Jacob's Ladder'. Sure enough, the fog was quickly burning off under the sun's rays. Within a few minutes they could now see 100 yards around their ship, but still didn't have eyes on the other ships until 'Susanoo' and 'Akamaru' Passed through the outer rim of fog
"Signal Shikamaru!" Naruto shouted.
"No need sir, he's sending word now." The code was sent from the sloop by way of an orange flag. Naruto had to focus on steering the ship back about to catch the wind before they slowed too far and had to rely on the others to take in the strategy.
"Sasuke is going after the sloop, Akamaru will hold fast and we are to put pressure on Zabuza." Kakashi informed.
"Alright, let's make them wish they never messed with the Kyuubi!" Naruto shouted energetically.
"Broadsides… Wait for my order!" The large galleon pulled back into the wind right was the remaining fog lifted off, revealing the enemy was bearing down on them once more, but with the restored sight, they could see it coming. Naruto cranked the ship to port and placed the full broad side towards the prow of Kubikiribōchō.
"Fire, Fire, FIRE!" Explosions rocked the lower decks as the many canon fired in succession, the reinforced keel started to splinter on that great ship while the masts took heavy damage, including the complete destruction of the main mast as it fell to the side and crashed down into the water. The large ship started to veer off uncontrollably when the smaller sloop, being chased by Sasuke and 'Susanoo', ended up being in its path. The larger ship struck the sloop dead on the broad side with its sharp prow and crushed its hull and spitting the ship in two. Zabuza now found his ship drifting helplessly between the broadsides of the frigate 'Susano and the great Galleon, Kyuubi.
Shards of wood flew up high in the sky with every massive explosion from the twin salvos. Small explosions rocked the enemy ship from the barrels of gunpowder staged for use in the cannons. A massive fire ball then erupted from the center of the ship, from the ignited powder store, splitting the hull in the center.
"We hit the black powder cache!" The remaining sailors on board the sinking ship leapt carelessly into the sea in hopes of prolonging life and taking their chances with the sea creatures. Some hit debris along the ocean surface and others were impaled on sharp pieces of wood and never made it to the water. It was a tough battle for the crew, but the victor was clearly decided.
"Raise the sails and start repairs. We make landfall tonight." Naruto let out a long sigh and leaned on the wheel, drained from the intense battle. Once the sails were taken in, he locked the wheel in its position and headed to his cabin to rest.
"Why didn't we try the main canon?" Kakashi questioned, as that was the entire reason that he ended up coming on the voyage.
"It isn't ready yet, we need a few more things to make it ready." He could tell that Kakashi wasn't satisfied with that answer, but it was mostly because he had yet to decipher exactly what it needed to fire. The plans for it were executed to a 'T', but as it sat, it was just a 50 ton piece of iron and wood with no ammunition – just a figurehead on the prow of the ship. Naruto closed the door to his cabin and groaned while sitting down in his chair. This wasn't his first time at sea, but it was the first battle he commanded and it weighed on him with the number of lives lost both on his ship and the enemy's. His eyes soon shut while leaning back in the chair.
A loud knock brought Naruto back from the nap he fell into. Much to his surprise, the sun ahead already faded and the port hole windows were already dark. He let out a groan as he stretched out his neck muscles from sitting awkwardly in the chair right as another knock echoed in his chamber.
"Aye, enter." The door opened and Shikamaru walked in.
"Sir, I'd like to discuss strategy with you."
"Good, come on in."
"Alright, well…" Shikamaru laid out a detailed map of the area and already had a few points drawn on the map.
"There are artillery emplacements at four points, here, here and two overlooking here. These three guard the main harbor and docks."
"So hit em hard and fast?"
"Close…" Shikamaru indicated a large circle around the harbor area. "What I suggest is bringing the Kyuubi and Susanoo to bear on these two emplacements directly surrounding the harbor. While they are doing battle, we send the Akamaru into the harbor to take out the docks. Without a way to board their ships, we will have effectively ended their offensive power before they even got started. We will then have to take out the other two artilleries by land so we can escape without damage."
"And what if there are crews already on the ships?"
"Already thought about that. We took some of the spare swivel guns and mounted them to the rails of the Akamaru so we can more accurately target the rudders of the moored ships. Without a way to turn, they could never be of any use."
"That's a sound plan… If possible, I'd like to not cause too much damage to those ships, they may have some good loot on board."
"Aye, we shall do our best."
"Good to hear… When do we launch the attack?"
"The sortie starts in one hour."
"Alright, I'm going to check on the sick bay. Head back to the Akamaru and prepare." Shikamaru nodded and rolled up his maps and took his leave. The blonde admiral stood from his chair and headed for the sick bay at the fore of the ship. He could hear loud shouts and orders being given as he stepped through the doors and saw Sakura running between her patients with a few crew members acting as makeshift medics.
"How goes the battle?"
"What do you think?" She shouted in reply. Her hands were covered in the dark red fluid while wrapping a large wound.
"I've already lost 5 because I couldn't get to them soon enough."
"Yeah, but how many were saved?"
"Uh… 15 or so."
"You're doing well then." She looked over with a pointed glare, it was obvious she was irritated at the fact that she wasn't able to help all of them.
"I would do better if we could get a few more medics, I really can't keep up with this."
"Understood. Once we make landfall and secure our booty, we will check to see if we can recruit some more crew members; we still need to finish outfitting the additions to our fleet.
"Good, now try not to cause any more deaths." She challenged.
"No guarantees, but I'll do what I can." Naruto turned to leave her to her duties and walked the deck of the ship. There were already a few deck boards creaking and bowed from the combination of salt water and sun despite its young age. He made a personal note to take care of some of those details once they are through with the current campaign.
You could see the distant, dim lights of the small port town flicker as they closed in on the small island. Higher up on the hills of the surface sat a series of bright lights, drowning out the port below… the headquarters of the Gato Corporation. Light house towers were located atop the 4 artillery emplacements, casting a beam of light across the sea. The three ships positioned themselves just outside of the range of the towers before executing the mission.
"ATTACK!" Naruto commanded. The two larger ships moved forward, staying just out of the reach of the two distant artillery batteries, leaving the Akamaru behind, still hidden in the unlit waters. The longest range canons onboard each ship were trained carefully on the light towers and with a puff of smoke and series of booms, the sea turned dark.
The small sloop now opened its sails and headed into the harbor at its best speed, quickly passing by the frigate and galleon as they aligned their broadsides to their targets now that they weren't able to be seen easily. The artilleries opened fired, but with the lack of light, they were all just shots in the dark. Canon balls whizzed overhead, still missing the ships as they nudged closer. With a sudden turn of the wheel, the 30 broad side canons flared to life, followed closely behind by the 20 from the frigate. The muzzle flares from the canons onboard lit their location to the emplacements, but it was too little too late for them as hot iron rained down and incapacitated the artilleries.
While the exchange of fire continued, Akamaru slipped into the harbor and found all the ships sleeping with a skeleton crew. There were a stream of light coming from the brightly lit corporate headquarters from the lanterns of the crew trying to head to their ships. Some were just making it to the water bank when a muzzle flare reflected across the water only 50 yards off the end of the dock. Small flashes of light from the swivels glittered across the water, taking out rudders while the large caliber canons took out the weak wooden planks making up the dock. Shikamaru was close enough to the enemy that he could make out some of the faces as they were lit by the lanterns held in the air by the angry men.
Out of nowhere, two massive balls of fire launched up at almost the same time from the two artilleries as the remaining gun powder were ignited in their cache. The smoking hulks of iron and wood continued to burn, adding an eerie light to the harbor as the two pirate ships headed deeper into the bay.
High up on the hill there were groups of men wheeling ten large caliber, long barreled canons into position. Anchoring the mobile devices to the ground, the first five opened with a bright flare. Four of the five completely missed the incoming ships, but the fifth tore through the center of the foremast of the Kyuubi.
"Return Fire!" All three ships were in range of the hill, resulting in 60 projectiles flying in their direction. The attackers could only look up and pray for a quick end. Clods of dirt flew into the air as the 30 pound pieces of iron struck the ground. Bodies were hurled through the sky in every different direction including a portion of those shouting on the bank. Silence quickly fell on the harbor as the canons stopped their attack, replaced by distant cries of pain from their enemies.
There were a few buildings on the edge of the port city that were lost to collateral damage, but all in all the port was spared the brunt of the attack as was planned. The crews of the two larger ships spilled out into their landing crafts and headed for shore while the mostly empty ships were guarded by the Akamaru. The long row boats quickly made it to shore where many of the offending crew members surrendered, making it even easier to head up the hill towards the headquarters.
The resistance was light while Naruto led the way, cutting down many an enemy with his curved bladed cutlass. Sasuke followed right behind the blonde, cutting down ones missed and stopped right by his side. The two looked at the large wooden door standing in front of them before the both landed a kick, opening the door. Inside the large warehouse, there stood 10 men guarding a weird looking short man with crazy little round sunglasses.
"You must be Gato. Surrender your valuables!" Naruto commanded while pointing his sword in the general direction of the man.
"Are you kidding?! Fuck you!" He replied and shoved the two men directly in front of him towards the assault team. Naruto and Sasuke pulled back their swords and started making short work of the bodyguards. They weren't trained bodyguards in any way and were basically farmers with swords. After the first six were dispatched the other 4 dropped their swords and surrendered.
"You… you can't have my fortune!" Gato's shaky hands reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a flint lock pistol. His aim was shaky while pointing it directly at the blonde.
"See, see! This is what you're facing against me! With enough money you can even buy these from Uzumakigakure." Naruto just smiled at the guy, irritating him.
"Oh, did I forget to tell you?" The blonde reached into his vest and pulled out the latest design, a double barreled flintlock. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto; my ancestors founded that island." Two loud pops rang out, one from Naruto's gun and the other from Gato's. The smoke rose in the air and Gato dropped to the ground, clutching his chest.
"Boy am I glad he was a bad shot." Naruto commented to Sasuke with a grin. There was a small ball embedded into the ground just a few inches from his feet, missing him completely.
"Naruto… you're stupid." Sasuke grunted and fastened his sword to his waist.
"Aye… that I am."
The two were soon joined by a few more of their crewmates and they started rummaging through the warehouse. They ripped open boxes and boxes, only to find nothing but plates and cups until they opened another door and saw stacks of massive boxes. There was a single one separated from the group with the lid already pried off. Naruto kicked the lid from the box and his eyes widened with a smile.
"Wow… all these howitzers. It would have been a different story had these been trained on us."
"Indeed." Sasuke agreed. The raven haired guy surveyed the new room and could make out all sorts of different weapons for ships and port defense. Finally his eyes fell on what looked like a small room overlooking the warehouse.
"Hey, up there." Naruto looked up in the direction indicated.
"Neat…" He left the box on the ground and hurried up the metal stairs with Sasuke. They opened the door and walked in to find tables of gold, gems and other valuable trinkets. The precious items glittered in the faint light cast by the lanterns lit on the wall. Naruto ran around to inspect all the different items before stashing them into a straw lined box, which they obviously came out of.
"Check this out." Sounded Sasuke's voice. The admiral turned at the distinct sound of gold doubloons clanking against each other. Sasuke had a smirk on his face while pawing through a large trunk of gold.
"Jackpot." Naruto ran to the door of the room and called up a group of guys from his ship, who were already busy trying to load up the howitzers onto the small cargo train to bring the weapons to port. With the group of eight men, including the two leaders, they brought down the score of gold and loaded it on the train as well before overseeing the remainder of loading the goods. According to the layout of the island, it would seem that the citizens of the port town were against the man, which made him build his warehouse some distance from the harbor, resulting in the makeshift train system leading to the harbor.
"Not a bad haul… Let's go get some ale." The officers of the ships then headed out, leaving the rest of the crew to unload the current cargo and head back to the warehouse for more.
The group of five headed into the port village and took in the sights. The village as a whole was starting to look run down. As it would seem, the lack of visitors to the port meant reduced income for all those living there. There were some strange looks being given out by the few villagers as they passed by which was in itself strange. No one asked about the loud explosions… it would seem that they paid no attention to it as though it was a common occurrence.
"God Damn privateers." Muttered a guy as he passed by.
Soon the group arrived at a noisy saloon. It was equally as run down as the rest of the buildings in town, but no matter how poor a village is, the bar is always a happening place. Naruto opened the door to the establishment with a loud, commanding kick, which of course garnered the attention of everyone inside. The blonde was used to all attention being on him with his usual state of dress, so it was a comfortable environment for him.
"Bar keep; I need a couple barrels of ale for my men." The man behind the counter looked pissed.
"We don't serve your kind here." Naruto looked to Shikamaru and shrugged his shoulders.
"I'm sure you can work something out." He assured while throwing a good sized pouch of coins on the table. The barkeep moved to the bag and opened it, surprised at the fact that it was gold and not copper or silver coins.
"Uh… Yes sir! Right away sir."
"Good, and a pint of your finest for me and my mates."
"Of course… and where shall I deliver the ale?"
"Bring it down to the harbor; my crew will get it loaded up." The man bowed his head and quickly served up the five glasses before heading to the back to work on the barrels of ale. The bar was still silent while the five seated themselves at a thick wooden table. After a large gulp of the refreshing liquid Naruto stood up on his chair.
"If there are any experienced sailors, captains, or medics, looking to leave port; come see me. We treat our ship mates well, so don't feel shy." Satisfied with his announcement, Naruto jumped off the chair and took his seat again. The place still remained quiet while everyone continually stared at them.
"Hey barkeep!" Kakashi shouted, knowing how to take care of the tensions in the establishment. The man poked his head through the door.
"Get everyone a round on us!" The silver haired man squinted in a smile as the raucous cheering ensued, returning everyone back to a normal roar for the bar.
"Nice Kakashi-sensei."
"Hey kanchou, I was wondering, why do you call him sensei?" Shikamaru inquired.
"Oh that, well he trained me, Sasuke, and Sakura on different aspects of naval battles when we were younger. Although he never stepped foot on a ship with us, we still learned almost everything we know from him."
"I see…" Shikamaru took a large drink of his ale and sat back, relaxed. "I think that with all those weapons we found, we should outfit one of Gato's merchant ships for battle. If we load them on the lower decks and cut holes in the upper deck, we can still keep the appearance of a merchant ship but be able to launch from the hidden barrels."
"Interesting… I think that can work." Naruto jumped back up on his chair to address the bar.
"I also pay 5 gold pieces a day for a shipwright! Inquire in person tomorrow morning at the harbor." After seating himself down at the table again, the five pirates recounted the past victories with laughter and more drinking. Once having their fill, they headed back to their ships, to continue the partying with their remaining crews, and strangely enough, with nearly all of the prisoners from the pirated ships, who were hands for hire anyways and pledged their assistance to the crew of the Kyuubi instead of being set free on wave.
Morning came early and Naruto cursed while holding his head. He had really wished that he didn't partake in the party aboard, but in doing so, he knew it would keep morale high among the crew, and mutiny was always a big worry for new captains. The blonde rubbed his eyes and placed his hat back on his head with a yawn. Opening the door to his cabin, the morning sun and air flowed in, helping to awaken his body. He took a group of crew hands, who weren't hung over, and headed to shore. As they neared, they were curious as to why a large group of villagers were gathered on the bank. When the small row boat struck the beech, almost a dozen men ran into the water to help drag the boat ashore. Naruto hopped from the boat and stood before the crowd to see what was going on. One man, who looked to be a mayor or some type of leader in the way he dressed, stated to talk.
"Sir, on behalf of our entire village, we thank you for removing Gato. His company drained us of all our income to the point that we could barely live. If there is anything we can do for you, please don't hesitate to ask." Naruto grinned and scratched the back of his neck.
"Well, I got all the payment I needed when we looted his warehouse, so all I really need is some crew members, maybe a captain or two, and a shipwright to make modifications and repairs."
"Very well sir…" The man stepped to the side and revealed a long line of people interested in enlisting with his crew.
"Well, let's get this the interviews started." It was at this point that Shikamaru arrived with Sakura to help. Being one for organization, Shikamaru divided the applicants into rows.
"Any medics, please gather in a line to the north in front of Sakura. Naruto-kanchou will be conducting the interviews for captains and I will take the rest." The line quickly divided, and there was one man standing at the front of the line before the blonde admiral. The guy was dressed in a black leather like jacket and had unruly looking hair.
"You're here to be a captain… what is your name and why should I take you on?"
"My name is Inuzuka Kiba, My desire it to return to the sea, but more selfishly, I'd like to find who ran off with my ship."
"So your ship was stolen from you? If you can't protect your own, why should I let you run one of mine?" Naruto asked, knowing how terrible it would be to lose your ship.
"It was… I was too trusting of my crew, they mutinied and set sail while I was ashore. I found out later that they were paid off by Gato and they started using my ship to steal from other merchants."
"Well, I guess it can happen… You may just have had bad judgment in the people you trust… What size ship do you prefer and how many years of experience do you have in captaining one?"
"My specialty is with a ship like my own, a tri mast battle sloop. I've been sailing on that ship since I was only 12, which makes it about 15 years now."
"Thank you… I will inform everyone of my decisions when I reach the end…. Next!" Naruto went through the rest of the line for captain and found no other person worthwhile until a burly man showed up. He had a black bandana tied around his head and a fully grown black beard when he got to the front of the line, he was staring at Shikamaru strangely. The blonde looked on, puzzled before whistling, getting the attention of the strategist.
"Asuma-sensei?" That was when the large man smiled and started laughing.
"Shika my boy, I see my teachings have served you well."
"Maybe, but I'm still not cut out for captaining." He then turned to Naruto. "If you will accept a selfish request… I would ask that you let Asuma-sensei be a captain, he is almost over qualified."
"Well, if it is you who's asking… then I will grant it." Naruto stood up and looked at the group applying to be captain.
"Sarutobi Asuma and Inuzuka Kiba, you are my captains. The rest of you, I thank you for your interest, if you would still like to sail from here, feel free to apply for the general crew. Thank you for your time." With his decisions made, Naruto left the new captains to assist Shikamaru with the crew selections and headed towards Sakura where she was happily chatting with two women. One was a long blonde haired woman about the same age as his medic and the other had dark hair and was just a tad older than the other two.
"More women?" Naruto asked as he approached, not sure how well that idea would work out.
"Of course, I need others to watch my back. These two are Ino and Shizune, they both studied at the same school of medicine as I did. We were comparing medical stories."
"Well, good to meet you, I am Uzumaki Naruto, I am the leader of our small fleet. Welcome. I will be setting out with our new captains in a few minutes, I suggest you guys come along and get acquainted with the ships." The group of women stood up and followed the blonde back to where Shikamaru was located. He was currently talking with this old guy who seemed to be drunk off his ass.
"Hey Naruto-kanchou… This is Tazuna. He's a shipwright and carpenter who comes highly recommended by everyone I talk to."
"Is that so… So tell me, how would you go about functionally hiding 40 howitzers on a frigate class merchant ship?... Eh… Hypothetically speaking"
"You want to shoot through the deck, yes?" With a nod Tazuna continued. "Well, making windows in the deck to shoot out of is the easy part, but its mounting them to the lower deck so they don't go all over the place with the movement of the sea; that could be tricky. You'd want to be able to swivel the barrel so you can shoot in any direction and not just to one side, this will allow you to concentrate all the weapons on one point and not have to divide them between sides like a usual broadside setup. I can create a swivel system to rotate them, it shouldn't be that different from the town's wheat grinder."
"Good thought… You're hired. Grab a few workers and replace the docks and then we can get started." With all the selections and preparations complete, the long boats were loaded with the crew members and they were rowing through the large open waters.
"So where is my ship?" Kiba inquired energetically.
"Right up ahead, it is right behind 'Kyuubi'." The guy seemed quite eager to return to the sea, but his excitement doubled when the small sloop came into view.
"No fucking way! Akamaru!" He almost had tears welling up in his eyes when he laid eyes on his stolen ship. He quickly was able to identify the modifications made to it and had to admit that he liked the addition of the swivel guns on deck.
"So that was yours? Didn't get much from the guy before I made him walk the plank. We jacked that one and the frigate from the same captain."
"Nice… Just so you know, this means a lot to me to be able to run with Akamaru again. It will be a pleasure to serve with you."
"Good to hear, Keep it together and we'll be set."
A solid month has passed since the siege on Wave Isle. The fleet of four ships were finally ready to depart now that all the repairs and modifications were accomplished. They each were outfitted with red sails to match the color of the nine massive sails of the Kyuubi and looked like they belonged together. All the officers of the fleet were on the dock, ready to board their ships when Inari, the grandson of the shipwright ran out to them.
"My mom wanted you guys to have these." In his hands were a large stack of red fabric. Upon opening one of them, Naruto smiled.
"Thanks, tell Tsunami that we appreciate them." He set the fabric stack in the long boat before jumping in with the rest of the crew. Knowing that they were supposed to be pirates, Naruto decided not to look back and wave as they left, it was hard after all the time they spent together, but felt that he needed to embrace the mindset of a pirate again. Once on board their respective ships, Naruto stood proud atop the quarterdeck and looked out at his red sailed fleet.
"Cast off and set sail." The mooring cables were brought in and the sails dropped, revealing the large colored surface.
"Raise our jolly roger!" Naruto commanded. The red fabric crafted by Tsunami rose to the top of the main masts on all four ships revealing a black skull and cross bones on red background. It was an unusual sight, but a fitting match for the red sails.
...Later