Author's Note:
Alright! It's time for some Q and A!:
Q: What's been taking you so long?
A: A lot of annoying shit to be perfectly honest. I haven't been able to focus on writing and if I'm not in the zone, the writing will come out stale. And for that, I am sorry.
Q: Please don't stop writing!
A: I swear to you I won't! I will complete each and every story I write.
Q: Are you ever going to write another chapter for "A Princess Amongst Thieves" and "The Soul of the Fox and the Eagle"?
A: Yes I will and here is the schedule I have made for my work:
I am currently focusing on completing "Pirates vs Ninjas" which only has 4 chapters left and they are fairly quick to write. I plan to have that completed by the end of March at the very latest.
Following suit, there is only the final battle chapter left for "The Soul of the Fox and the Eagle" followed by a short chapter that concludes the Rescue Naruto/Soul Society Arc. With that, I plan on putting that story on a short hiatus to further plan it as my focus has been elsewhere as of late.
I hope you can forgive me and this schedule as things have been all over the place the past year and I am doing my best to organize myself.
Thank you again so much for reading and reviewing my work and I hope to bring you more very soon. Cheers and happy Day of Olvir.
Pirates vs Ninjas: Battles of Love and Will Chapter 6: Calm Before the Storm
"Why did we have to run?!" demanded Luffy angrily. The young captain had not been happy with Hinata's decision for his crew to surrender to the ninjas. If it weren't for the sincerity and urgency in the young woman's eyes he would not have done what she had asked. But now he wanted answers.
"Please calm down Luffy-kun" said Hinata with her hands held up in a defensive manner. "From what we heard, your friend the skeleton attacked the Godaime Kazekage, and the others all fought with the Teams. I know that they wouldn't have done it unless they were provoked. All of this was due to a misunderstanding I'm sure, and I don't want either side to be hurt because of it."
"They had Nami hostage and now they have my whole crew!" shouted Luffy not calming down.
"I know and I'm sorry but please listen!" begged the heiress. "I have a plan to rescue your crew and get you all out of the village. Since none of you have Chakra, you do not give off a Chakra signature. Because of this, you will be nearly impossible to detect, especially when my peers think that you are a group of powerful shinobi. This is an invaluable advantage."
"So?"
"Even though your friends will be heavily guarded, you will be able to sneak in to rescue them without detection; with me as your guide. I will watch from afar and guide you with my Byakugan and a 2-way radio. My clan has their own special communication network that allows us to communicate with clan members even when they are out on missions."
The young kunoichi held up a small radio with an earpiece attached to it by a thin black wire. "There is of course the chance that our conversations will be tapped, but by then I hope your crew will have been sprung from their cells and shinobi will come to my location to 'rescue' me, making me a diversion for you to escape. Does that make sense Luffy-kun?"
The pirate captain stared at Hinata with a frown on his face as he bit his bottom lip. "Yes. I sneak in with you helping me, rescue my crew and get out."
"Hai" sighed Hinata relieved that he understood.
"Can I beat people up?" he asked.
"No, it would only draw attention to yourself and get you caught."
Luffy pouted at her like a child as it was the exact opposite of how he did things. Hinata looked at the young man and couldn't help giggling at him. She couldn't deny he was cute, with his dedication to his crew being a mix of a mature man and an immature child.
"You really do care for them don't you?" she said.
"Of course. They're my family" he replied matter-of-factly folding his arms.
Hinata paused for a moment as she repeated his words in her mind. They're my family. She had never heard anyone use that level of caring when talking about their friends. He had said it previously when he was criticizing Naruto and it had dug deeply in her heart. The ninja world was always one of secrecy and deception. With its cloak-and-dagger lifestyle, trust was a rare thing and with it, came the necessity to never completely trust someone. In Ninja Academy as well as in her own clan, Hinata was taught to steel her heart and hide her emotions. Luffy on the other hand wore them on his sleeves.
It was a night and day comparison and it still marveled her. She supposed that the freedom that came with the life he and his crew led, being able to trust and care for one another was second nature. This reminded her of a question she wanted to ask.
"Ano Luffy-kun...what is your relationship with the woman with the orange hair. Nami was her name correct?" Hinata asked softly.
Luffy looked at her puzzled. "What do you mean? She's my navigator" he answered.
"I-Ie. What I meant was if you had a more...unprofessional relationship with her."
The pirate merely frowned. "Nani?"
The heiress looked down not sure how to phrase her question any simpler without being direct, as she was embarrassed to ask it straight out. "A-Are you r-romantically involved with her?" she asked blushing as she always did. "I-I know I should not just a-assume such things, but the w-way you speak of her made me th-think that you are in l-love with her."
Luffy looked at her with his head tilted. "Well sure I love her. I love all of my crew" he said, again matter-of-factly.
'Of course he would say that' thought Hinata smiling a little. "I understand that, but from where I am standing, it looked as if you cared for her a little more than the rest. You seemed more protective of her. I'm sorry if I'm wrong."
Luffy looked at the sky for a moment as he never really thought about this. "Nami's been trapped for most of her life. She was held prisoner by the fishman Arlong that killed her mother when she was a kid, and forced her to make maps for him. She was held captive for over 8 years" he said finally.
Hinata covered her mouth in shock, not expecting the answer to be so full of anguish. "That's horrible! How was she freed?"
"I beat that bastard into the dirt" said Luffy with some anger, making him clench his fists and cracking them simultaneously. "Pinwheel-osan swore that he would hunt me down and kill me if I ever took away Nami's smile. I'd never do that to her or any of my crew."
Hinata nodded and smiled again at the young man, his love for his crew harming her heart once again. "I'm glad to hear you say that. I can also see why she means so much to you."
"Of course."
xXx
A few hours away from the village, a small group of Konoha shinobi in their mid 20s were with teams 10 and Gai, along with the Sabaku siblings and Matsuri. It had taken them some time to find all 6 of the Konoha 11 as Neji had taken too much damage to use his Byakugan to search for Lee. They were now tending to the wounded and planning their next move.
"We need to return the village as soon as possible" said Shikamaru directly, not enjoying the attitude of the chunin that rescued them.
"We know that Nara-san" answered a chunin passing a canteen of water to Choji. "But we must establish a communications line with Konoha and for some reason we are getting nothing but interference. Until then, we shall stay here as there are wounded that need looking after and cannot travel."
"Hey I'm doing the best I can here!" shot back Ino who was healing Tenten's burns.
"Any luck?" asked the same chunin to another who was manning the radio.
"Negative sir, it's still static" he replied.
Shikamaru frowned at this as his worry for the village was only growing. Something was coming. He could feel it.
xXx
"Where are our children!?" demanded Inoichi with sharp eyes.
He was in the Hokage's office with Choza, Shikaku, Hiashi, and Gai who were standing before Tsunade. After learning of the interactions between the Straw-hats and Teams 9 and 10, Tsunade had decided it was best to inform their sensei and family.
Now she was having second thoughts.
"I have sent a team to locate them and bring them home" said Tsunade as calmly as she could. "According to these unknown hostile forces, they haven't killed our men nor have they killed the Kazekage and his family."
"And you believe them?!" shouted back Incoichi in disbelief.
"Of course not" replied the Hokage rubbing her temples. "What is believable however is that their leader ordered them to stand down and we now have them in custody. This will give us the time we need to locate our missing shinobi as well as the location of their leader. We now need to figure out why they attacked us, why they attacked Uchiha Sasuke, why they are here, and why their leader halted their attack."
"This is unacceptable" cut in Hiashi. "Not only is my nephew missing, but so is my daughter. The heirs of 4 of Konohagakure's most prestigious and oldest clans are missing and or dead, and you want to take your time and figure out their motives?"
"Well..yes" retorted Tsunade trying to me make the head of the Hyuuga look foolish by asking such a question.
"Is their motives not obvious? We are Konoha, the most powerful village of the most powerful nation in the world. We have been attacked by foreign shinobi for generations and will continue to be attacked for many more. My clan has already had Kumo nin try to kill my family, and with one here, it is not such a stretch of the imagination to assume they are related" he growled looking right at Killer B who was smirking in the corner of the room.
"Don't look at me yo" said the jinchuriki with folded arms. "I just came here with Zoro."
Tsunade was about to speak when there was a knock at the door.
"If it isn't life threatening I don't want to hear it!" she shouted.
"Pardon me Hokage-sama, I have my report of our recently completed mission" said a familiar female voice.
"Entre Yuhi!" shouted Hiashi going over Tsunade's head.
The door opened revealing that is was in fact Yuhi Kurenai, along with her students Kiba and Shino. She was about to speak when she noticed the large group of highly ranked shinobi gathered in their Hokage's office.
"The Hell's going on?" asked Kiba. "Why's all clan heads and sensei here?"
"Where is my daughter Yuhi?" demanded Hiashi marching right in front of the 30 year old woman.
"With her fiancé I would imagine" she replied clearly not pleased with the idea.
"Don't be cagey with me woman. You are aware of what is going on and if you know where my daughter is you will tell me!"
"What are you talking about? What's going and what's happened to Hinata?" asked Kurenai frowning.
"We've been having communication problems with our long range radios as of late Hiashi. They don't know anything because they were far out of range" explained Tsunade.
"So what happened?! Did something happen to Hinata!" shouted Kiba getting angry for being out of the loop.
"There have been several attacks on our own soil and that of our allies Suna" explained Kakashi. "The Kazekage, his siblings, and his student were attacked and defeated by a strange skeleton swordsman that we believe is associated with Akatsuki. Team Gai and Team Asuma were attacked by two two-man teams also associated with the swordsman. And finally Uchiha Sasuke tried to capture the brother of the Raikage who is sitting over there. But was defeated by another swordsman and all 4 of them, including the partner of the swordsman bounty hunter arrived an hour ago to claim a reward. The bounties hunters also have allegiance with the Kazekage's attacker."
"The fuck?" spat the Inuzuka heir in disbelief, "What does this have to do with Hinata?"
"Nothing to be perfectly honest" said Shikaku which earned him a glare from Hiashi. "Hinata hasn't been seen in a while and Hiashi-kun thinks the Kumo nin here, who is the Raikage's younger brother, is responsible; even though we know enough that he came here as an escort with papers signed by the Raikage. Also Sasuke was trying to kill him so his alibi is rock solid."
"Which reminds me..." snapped Hiashi turning back to face Tsunade. "Instead of worrying about our heirs, you're wasting time with these unknowns. Interrogate them to learn where the children are not to find out their agenda. That can wait until after they have been brought home."
"Do not give me orders Hiashi!" shouted Tsunade losing her patience. "I've done all I can for our men for now. My highest priority is the national security of this country, not individual heirs."
"And yet you show precedence to the heir of the Uchihia! A traitor of this village no less! You and I both know how much of a problem his retched clan was and it is a shame that his brother did not finish the job. Of course you would know that if you had not run from the village all those years ago."
This was not the wisest move for Hiashi to make, as it was the final straw that broke the camel's back. Tsunade rose from her seat in a fit of rage and glared at the elder Hyuuga with eyes burning like wildfire.
"How dare you! Who do you think you're talking to?! I am the Godaime Hokage, grandniece of the Nidaime Hokage, and I will not have a man who gave up the life of his brother to save his daughter question my loyalty!"
"Yes yes you are a child of the Senju clan and you share blood with Senju Tobirama" recanted Hiashi unfazed. "Funny how you pride yourself on a clan that you abandoned. At least my loyalty to it has never wavered and I did what was necessary to save it."
The rest of the shinobi present knew that things were only going to escalate if Tsunade and Hiashi continued to fight. Lucky for them the tension was about to be broken. The door of the Hokage's often burst open revealing a worked up Shizune clutching his clipboard.
"Tsunade-sama! We've been contacted by the search team!" she said.
"Tell me everything!" ordered the Senin.
"They found Teams 9 and 10 as well as Suna's shinobi."
"Status?"
"Most sustained minor injuries. None are life-threatening and all M.I.A nin have been found" said Shizune reading off her clipboard. "Sabaku no Kankuro, Sabaku no Temari, the Kazekage, and his student Matsuri all sustained small bruises with no other injuries present."
"That lines up with what the skeleton swordsman was saying" added Kakashi looking at Tsunade. "He claimed that he didn't kill them and merely acted in self-defence."
"If this is true, it doesn't explain why our teams were attacked" said Tsunade.
"I think it does" said Choza. "Both Team 9 and 10 were in radio range of the village right?"
"They would have picked up the orders we gave and must have run into the swordsman's associates not long after" added Shikaku.
"And then they attacked them when they realized they were his allies" completed Kakashi.
"Are you telling me this is all due to some big misunderstanding?" growled Inoichi.
"Continue Shizune" cut in Tsunade keeping her cool.
"Team 10 also sustained minor injuries. Team 9 on the other hand are in rougher shape" said Shizune turning over a page. "Hyuuga Neji received a strong concussion. Tenten received multiple burns as well as a minor concussion. And finally Rock Lee. He is suffering from the most severe injuries; both the Radius and Ulna bones in both forearms are broken along with both Humerus bones fractured. Ino is currently treating them."
"My entire team was defeated" said Gai looking down at the floor. "Neji and Lee, defeated in hand-to-hand combat. I cannot believe it. The enemy must be in a class of their own."
"But what about my daughter!?" shouted Hiashi. Suddenly behind them, two Hyuuga Bunke (Branch) House members appeared bowing before their clan leader.
"Hiashi-sama!" they said in unison before the one on the left continued. "We have found information regarding the whereabouts of Hinata-sama."
"Tell me" ordered Hiashi.
"According to eyewitness testimony, Hinata-sama was spotted with the leader of the unknown enemy forces; a young man 172 cm (5'7½") tall with black hair, a scar under his left eye, a red shirt, blue shorts, and a straw hat. They were last sighted together when he ordered his men to surrender to our forces. As of now we do not know their location. Also, the leader attacked and knocked Hinata-sama's fiancé unconscious."
"Guess he isn't so bad after all eh Shino?" whispered Kiba nudging his teammate. Shino nudged him back to hush him, but amazingly enough was secretly smirking a small smirk under his jacket.
Hiashi gritted his teeth as he spun round to look at Tsunade. "My daughter is with the leader of the enemy?! Did you know of this?"
"Well I was trying to hide it from you to be perfectly honest" she muttered under her breath.
"I want every available member of the Bunke House looking for her. Do not stop your search until you find her. Now go!"
"Hai, Hiashi-sama!" the two Hyuuga nin replied in unison and vanished into thin air.
"I will not forget this Godaime Hokage" sneered Hiashi before leaving Tsunade's office.
There was an awkward pause that hung in the air for a few moments as the shinobi stood there in silence. The silence was broken however by the laughter of Killer B.
"Ha ha ha! Look at ya'll fighting amongst yourselves!" he snickered loudly, clearly enjoying himself.
"You!" shouted Tsunade pointing at him fiercely. "Don't think you're out of the clear. I have plenty to ask you!"
"Go ahead. I ain't got nothin' to hide!"
"I guess we'll take our leave then Hokage-sama" said Shikaku before bowing and heading for the door. "Let us know when our children are nearing the village." Inoichi and Choza followed their friend's example and followed him out of the Hokage's office.
"Shizune, get back to the Radio Corp and tell them to inform the rescue team to return to the village when they are mobile" said Tsunade. The young medic nin nodded and bowed quickly before walking briskly out of the office and closing the door behind her. Tsunade rubbed her temples, really hating her job right now. She needed a drink badly and was going to reach for her bottle once again, when she heard arguing outside her office. One voice she knew for certain was Shizune, the other two she wasn't able to identify just yet. It was not until she heard the name "Sasuke" surface in the conversation, did she know who was at her door.
"I said you can't go in!" shouted Shizune as the door swung open.
"Ba-chan! We heard about the attack and that the guys who brought him home also attacked us, and-" began Naruto with Sakura right behind him.
He was cut off however by Tsunade who punched her desk breaking it in two. Naruto, Sakura, and Shizune froze, stunned by how their Hokage had acted and began to sweat in fear as they saw the rage in her eyes.
"Uzumaki Naruto...Haruno Sakura...I am not in the mood to deal with you two right now. I warned you that if you got involved with Sasuke in any way, that I would-"
"So you're Naruto..." said Killer B grinning. Tsunade froze realizing what she had done. She had sworn to herself that these two would never meet, and now they were here in the same room.
"Well this is a surprise, a lot shorter than I thought you'd be. Then again size doesn't matter, when you're the vessel of the Kyuubi" he rapped walking towards the confused blond.
Naruto frowned at him. "Who are you?" he asked.
"Huh? Ya don't know me? Even though we share the same blood? We'll let me introduce myself son, my name is Killer B" he said pulling down his sunglasses to reveal his eyes turning into green slits.
As if time had slowed down, Naruto's eyes widened in realization to who Killer B was. But it was not Naruto's imagination that things had slowed down to a standstill. Everyone in the room did not move, nor did the entire village. All the colour that was once so vibrant had turn into greys, blacks, and whites. Time itself had paused for the two goliaths that now stood face to face.
And then from the silence, came a deep slow laugh. From Killer B's temples, green shapeless energy began to ooze out and form a head of a demonic bull with a large grin on its face; eyes like bottomless pits.
"Ha ha ha...well aren't you a site for sore eyes Kurama. It's been far too long" said Gyuki.
From Naruto's mouth and eyes, red bubbling energy oozed forth to form the familiar head of a demonic fox, whose sharp eyes burned with cleverness and mercilessness.
"Indeed Gyuki, it's been 36 years since I last saw you. Far too long indeed" said Kurama with a toothy smile.
"Ah but what is two decades for old Oni-Kami such as ourselves?" replied the Hachibi in a lighthearted manner. His smirk then dropped. "I am so sorry about Shukaku."
Kurama closed his eyes. "There is no need for you to apologize my old friend. It was not your fault nor could you have done anything."
"I say that I am sorry because you two were as close as blood brothers, Lord of Foxes. And for him to die is such a pitiful way..."
"Yes...we all were" Kurama said looking up at the ceiling, though it looked as if he were looking through it to the sky above. "My brother did not deserve to die shackled in meaningless chains. All because of an incompetent vessel. Speaking of which, yours does not look half bad. How strong is your bond?"
"His rapping is insufferable" admitted Gyuki shaking his head. "But to be fair to him he is a very capable fighter and a good man, if a bit brash. I wish I could say the same for yours."
"Don't" remarked the old kitsune bluntly. "He is pitifully pathetic, lacks any real skill or natural talent for combat, strategy, or warrior prowess. He lacks patience and determination, he cannot do anything himself, he doesn't listen to me, he lives in constant denial; that he is not human nor that he has actual allegiances in this village. And worst of all, he cannot be honest with his so called friends or even himself. He has been living a lie ever since he could walk.
And despite all of that...I do seem a glimmer of potential buried deep inside. But he does not care to dig for it."
Gyuki shook his head in disbelief. "That's baffling. Is he not the heir to the Namikaze clan? Have they not been a powerful clan of warriors since the War of Provinces?"
"Out of touch with the realm of mortal men as always eh Gyuki? But to answer your question, no they are no longer the clan they once were. Many clans have changed since the time of the Great Wars, but for the Namikaze, their numbers grew smaller and smaller with every passing generation until the last son of that house, Namikaze Minato, died that night. The bloodline of Konoha's most noble and mighty kinsfolk ended that horrible night in the most senseless and dishonorable manner imaginable. To make matters worse, his only heir did not inherit any of his traits. There is potential in this boy that there is, but it lies so deeply buried that I fear there is no chance in awakening it. Warriors such as they should not have fallen as they did, nor should their legacy burn like this."
"Yes..." said Gyuki nodding his head, understanding his old friend's feeling well. "Speaking of great warriors, I met someone who you must meet."
Kurama's long ears twitched at the eight-tails' tone. "Oh? And who might that be?"
"Akatsuki sent a team of theirs to hunt down myself and Killer B. They did not even get the chance to die by our hands as a young warrior with three swords crafted like those of the old days cut two of Akatsuki's men in the blink of an eye, and in turn scaring the remaining two off.
'Any idiot can wave a sword' is what you used to say and without a doubt that is what most do in this era. But this man's eyes were that of a hardened and seasoned warrior. I tell you Kurama that he had the eyes of a demon and a commanding spirit like an old samurai lord. You would have love him. Beat my vessel as well."
"Did he now?" asked Kurama with a wicked and inquisitive grin. "I would very much like to meet this out of time swordsman. The world is in great need of warriors like that."
Gyuki looked at his old comrade with serious eyes as what he would now speak of, was of great importance. "Have you noticed?" he asked.
"Of course. I sensed them as soon as they made themselves known."
"There are nine of them. Their auras are not of this world."
"Yes, and I have met their leader" said Kurama grinning with excitement. "He had the eyes of a mad who did not fear death and a soul that was truly free. I saw ambition in his eyes more than in any man I have seen since the days of our youth. I tell you Gyuki-aniki, I do not know where they came from, but I do know they come from a world where dreams are still alive and filled with adventure."
"I saw that in his eyes too" added Gyuki smiling at his friend's interest of their guests. His smile then faded as the next question he had for Kurama was one of a more delicate nature. "Do you think he is responsible?"
"Ha! You even ask?" laughed the old fox lord. "Half of me is calling myself a fool for thinking that he isn't responsible. The other half on the other hand is more rational as he has forsaken us; and we deserve it. But if he is behind it all, what would be his motives?"
"I do not know yet" admitted Gyuki with a sigh, "But I know that not everyone walks into a different world by accident. Not like in the old days anyways."
"Ah, that is sadly true isn't it?" replied Kurama. "Time truly does fly."
"Yes...what do we do about our unexpected guests?"
"We watch and we wait."
"Things could turn ugly, you know that."
"I know" grinned Kurama clearly eager to what came next.
"Very well. We shall wait. It was good to finally see you again my brother" said Gyuki with a smile, though it faded as he spoke his last few words. "I am truly sorry about what happened that night."
Kurama's grin vanished and was replaced with a look of madness, hatred, and pain. "I will hunt him down and rip him apart bone by bone, organ by organ, and I will keep him alive so that he will feel every painful second. I will get my revenge, even if I must swallow this blond fool's soul to do it."
And with that, both demons returned to their jinchuriki and colour returned to the world. Naruto blinked in confusion not understand what had just happened to him. He felt as if he had lost his train of thought for a moment, of course unaware that several minutes had gone by.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Don'know" replied Killer B looking up, "I guess Gyuki wanted to have a private conversation with Kurama-sama. Anyways, my name is-"
"What are you talking about? Who is Gyuki and who is Kurama?" cut in Naruto frowning with confusion and annoyance.
"Gyuki is the Hachibi and Kurama is the Kyuubi. How do you not know this?" asked Killer B confused. "Don't tell me that after all this time you've never asked him his name?"
"W-Why would I?" stammered the blond having a great deal of trouble wrapping his mind around the idea of asking the Kyuubi for any other than Chakra. "Kyuubi is Kyuubi. He's the monster that ruined my life. Why would I care to ask his name?"
The Kumo nin starred at his fellow jinchuriki with an emotionless face.
'It is worse than I thought' said Gyuki.
"Whoa whoa whoa, let me get this straight. You've been with Kurama-sama for 15, 16 years...and you didn't even bother to ask his name?"
"Why the hell should I?!" shouted Naruto angrily. "He's a demon!"
"So are we" pointed out Killer B.
"N-No we're not. We're human, we're jinchuriki" said the blond through gritted teeth. Killer B looked him completely bewildered before he started talking again; walking towards Naruto.
"I cannot believe this!" he said loudly, "I came all this way, to fight Konoha's mighty jinchuriki. And what do I get? A punk ass bitch who doesn't even talk with his demon. I am not happy 'bout this! Even worse, you think you're human. Looks like you know absolutely nothin' about us huh? That's real embarrassing. You atta be ashamed of yourself. I heard that's what happened to Shukaku-oji's jinchuriki too."
"Leave Gaara out of this!" Naruto snapped back.
"Why? We're all brothers and sisters that are being hunted down by those bastards Akatsuki. He should have beaten those punks easily but instead he got himself captured as well as Shukaku. Should have at least died to make up for it."
"You son of a bitch!" growled Naruto and reeled back to punch the older man.
"Naruto! Don't you dare!" threaded Tsuande. "And you Killer B, do not slander the Kazekage. Show some respect!"
"And speaking of Akatsuki, I'm kinda sad that I can't kill that Uchiha bitch for trying to kill me too."
"Sasuke wouldn't do that!" Naruto shot back pathetically. "H-He's just confused. If he is with Akatsuki, it's because they're forcing him to-"
And that was the last straw.
Faster than any of them could see, Killer B's left hand flew at Naruto's throat and squeezed it before lifting the 15 year old boy into the air. All three of the Konoha Medic kunoichi's sprang to action.
"I warned you..." said Tsunade angrily as she prepared to send the jinchuriki crashing through the walls of her office.
"You mother fucker..." growled Killer B in the same demonic voice he had used the last time he had spoken with anger, "You're defending him?! Why would you defend that traitorous son of a bitch?!"
Naruto gasped for air as the powerful grip of the Kumo jinchuriki was like iron. "Sasuke...is...my friend" he gasped "I'm not gonna...abandon him..."
Killer B clenched his fangs and squeezed harder on the boy's neck as he glared at him with pulsing green eyes. "Are you fucking with me? He's part of the group that's hunting jinchuriki and you're protecting him?! They already killed Yugito and the others! We're the only ones left! Even after all that you're still gonna stand there and defend a traitor who tried to kill me too?"
"I...hate Akatsuki as much...as you do! But...what happened to Sas-"
"Well it doesn't look like it from here!" shouted Killer B. "You got no pride in being a jinchuriki so why should you care huh?"
The dark skinned man gritted his teeth as he pivoted his right foot and hurled the blond at the opposite wall of the Hokage office. Naruto crashed into it back first creating large cracks that spread nearly across the entire wall before crumpling to the floor.
"When you figure out what friends are then talk to be. Until then, fuck you!" Killer B shouted before storming out of the office. Tsunade, Shizune, and Sakura stood there frozen at what the Kumo jinchuriki did before Shizune finally ran to Naruto's side.
"Daijobu Naruto?" she said looking him over for any obvious injuries, one of which was the small amount of blood that was dripping from the right side of his head.
"I think I'm ok" he said rising slowly to his feet, though he did need Shizune's help as he wobbled slightly.
"Fucking damn it" cursed Tsunade finally. "Everything is going to hell. One second everything was business as usual, then the next I have a declaration of war and the Hyuuga running wild with their heiress kidnapped by an unknown enemy."
"Nani? What happened to Hinata?" asked Sakura concerned.
"The leader of this unknown band of warriors has Hinata with him. He has yet to make any demands so we aren't sure of what he's planning to do" answered Shizune helping Naruto into a chair. "A man wearing a Straw-hat."
Naruto's eyes widened.
"We meet him!"
"What!?" shouted Tsunade rising from her seat and walked in from of him. "Tell me everything!"
And with that, both Naruto and Sakura began to explain their encounter with Monkey D. Luffy. They told her of his behaviour, his way of thinking, and his absurd stories. Tsunade had hoped that the information they would tell her would give her a better understanding of her enemy and allow her to form some kind of plan. But instead she found herself even more confused than she was before. There seemed to be no method to the madness of this so called Captain, and even worse there did not seem to be definite detail of where these warriors were from or what their objective was.
"What are we to do?" asked Shizune finally.
Tsunade closed her eyes trying to determine just that. And she knew exactly what she needed to do. "We need information. And I know just who to ask."
xXx
"Why did we have to surrender!?" shouted Usopp in anger.
"Ah, the hell is Luffy thinking?" said Sanji clearly pissed.
"Just calm down and trust our captain" muttered Zoro who despite their situation was trying to get some sleep.
"Zoro's right mina" said Nami from a jail cell across from the others, "We just need to be patient." Though, while she did believe in what she was saying as well as in her captain, she was still worried about what was going through Luffy's head. She knew he was brash and to be honest a little insane, but he still knew how to lead them and would not put them in danger. On second thought...
"Ha ha ha ha ha..." came a low laugh from her left. In the cell beside her lay Uchiha Sasuke. He was bound from head to toe in seals and a reinforced straightjacket. His face was covered in shadow, but his evil smile was still visible as he laughed. "Well isn't this a wonderful surprise. Looks like Konoha betrayed you too. How does it feel you green haired bastard?"
"Could you shut up please? I'm trying to sleep" said Zoro completely unimpressed. "I don't need some brat I beat with a single swing of my sword bitching in my ear."
"I won't go so easy on you next time" Sasuke growled back.
"And I might actually care next time. Nah I won't."
The Uchiha growled in anger and moved out of the shadows revealing his eyes were covered in seals. "I'll tear you limb from limb you son of a bitch!"
"Hold your damn tongue or I'll remove it from your head" said Morino at the door of the cell room. "And believe me, I'll enjoy doing it."
Sasuke glared at the direction of the head of the Torture and Interrogation Force's voice as Tsunade walked into the prison with cold eyes and stood before the Mugiwara Kaizoku-dan.
"Where are you all from and what business do you have in my village?" she asked bluntly. The pirates looked at one another as they knew that the truth would be perceived as a lie and were unsure of what to say instead to the blond hared woman. Seeing that she was not going to get answer, she decided to ask her final question. "Who is your second in command?"
They once again remained silent before Zoro answered. For the first time in hours, Tsunade grinned.
"I was hoping it would be you. Take him for questioning" she said to Morino. The Straw-hats immediately objected but it was none other than Zoro who told them to calm down and went with the shinobi without a fuse. As they watched him leave, they all couldn't help but feel that something was wrong, and there was something coming on the horizon. But for now, all they could do was wait.
xXx
It was night when Luffy and Hinata finally made their way out of their hiding place. They had slowly made their way from cover to cover, inching their way through the village in search of where the crew has hidden. Things were going well.
"Well where are they?" whispered Luffy loudly.
"Shhh!" shushed Hinata. She was using her Byakugan to scan the village for the location of the cells where Luffy's crew would be held in. But no matter how hard she looked, she could not find a location in the village that was being overly guarded. "I cannot see where they could be Luffy-kun."
"What do you mean?" said the captain getting angry.
"I thought that we could find them being held in the barracks not far from the Hokage building, but I'm not seeing anything. Oh no!" Hinata said realizing what had happened. "They must be being held in the ANBU headquarters!"
"Well let's go then!"
Hinata looked at him with an apologetic look. "I would Luffy-kun, but I don't know where that is. They are the secret military force of Konoha and report directly to the Hokage. They are a group designed entirely on the principals of stealth and secrecy. Their identities are a mystery and they don't even use their real names. They are so secretive that their base is only known to select few and I am not one of them. I am sorry Luffy-kun."
"Just like CP-9" muttered Luffy. "Yosh. Let's start beating some guys up to get the location of the base."
"No!" hissed Hinata grabbing him and pulling him back behind cover. "That's the other problem. My entire clan seems to be looking for us and if we stay here any longer they are going to find us. We need to get out of the village and wait until tomorrow."
Luffy starred at the young woman with annoyance. "Fine" he grumbled like a child and followed her out into the night.
Next Chapter: Hoist the Colours! Konoha Falls!