Pirates vs Ninjas: Battles of Love and Will

by DragonoftheEastblue

When the Straw Hats end up in the realm of Naruto, the ninja retaliate. But they soon realize that they've encountered a force unlike anything they've seen before. LuNa, NaruHina, ShikaTema, GaaMatsu and others eventually.

16. CH XIV: From The Heart

Author's Note:

SO...did not realize how long I made this chapter. This actually beats my record. I guess you can see why it took my so long to finish and edit the damn thing.

Anyways, here we are. At the end of this adventure. I have to be honest, I feel both relieved and sad. Relieved that it's finally over and I can work on my other sorties, and sad because something I put so much effort into has ended. But over all, I'm glad I finished it; even if it took two more years than I planned.

I would like to thank every single one of you who have read, favourited, followed, and reviewed this fic. Yes even the Narutard haters. It's thanks to all of you that I kept going and put countless hours and sleepless nights writing and planning this story from beginning to end. I really can't thank you enough.

Ya know, I really feel like I need to say more and probably make it more profound, but I can't think of anything. I just...thank you all so very much. Really. It means so much.

Alright let's stop wasting time. Enjoy the final chapter of Pirates vs Ninjas: Battles of Love and Will!

Pirates vs Ninjas: Battles of Love and Will Chapter XIV: From The Heart

"W-Well...I'm not quite sure what to say but...thank you for rebuilding the village" said Tsunade with a large sweat drop on the back of her head. "Your...exquisite art style is...refreshing."

Outside the Hokage building, the village that was once made up of many small simplistic building, mostly residential homes and shops, were now replaced with magnificent pagoda styled buildings (Asuka and Nara period). However, the architecture was flared up with brass and gold paint giving it a Steam Punk look. Certainly different than what was there before.

"I'm glad you like it" said Franky, snapping his fingers on both hands and pointed his index finger as if they were pistols at the middle-aged medic. "I couldn't leave this place looking like it was. Now, it is Super!"

"But only half of the village as destroyed from the attack..."

"Super!"

"Anyways..." sighed Tsunade turning her to face the rest of the pirates, "your actions over the past few days have not gone unnoticed. The villagers who are normally less than trusting of foreigners have warmed up greatly to you all and have no hard feelings about the misunderstanding. The council on the other had who never trust anyone, still want you all out of the village as soon as possible. These feelings have been ignored however by myself as well as half of the clan heads who make up half of the council. Not only are you free to stay as long as you like, but we will provide anything that you made need.

Speaking of which, your reward is returned to you, Roronoa Zoro. Think of it as payment for public services."

On cue, Shizune, who was standing to the left of Tsunade's desk, stepped forward with the briefcase that contained Zoro's reward. Revealing its contents to the rest of the Straw Hats, Nami's eyes turned into Beri as she ogled over the stacks of 200 Ryo notes.

"Yatta! Look at all that money!~" she chanted, preparing her hands to take the briefcase.

"Keep it" said Zoro making the navigator freeze.

"Are you insane?!" Nami screamed, grabbing the first mate's collar and shaking him violently. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't beat you to death for rejecting money!"

"Look at the bills, you crazy woman!" shouted Zoro managing to grab a stack and held it up to the red-head's face. "These aren't Beri! We might as well use'em to wipe our asses."

Still in denial, Nami snatched the Ryo and examined them, which brought tears to her eyes. Zoro was right; they were not Beri which made them worthless if they brought them back with them to the Grand Line.

"Uso..." she cried and her heart fell.

"Can't we just buy gold?" asked Luffy getting everyone's attention. "We'll just go to a bank and do what we did in Water 7 but in reverse. Gold's gold right?"

Nami's eyes went wide and she slapped her forehead. "How did I not think of that? Arigato Luffy! I owe you one."

"Really?" asked the captain with shimmering eyes.

"Yup. I just might start thinking about getting you that bronze statue."

"Oi oi oi" said Zoro and Usopp slapping the air with their left hand, knowing how cheap that I.O.U was.

"Yatta!" cheered Luffy.

"OI!"

"That can be arraigned. Our economic system was based on gold centuries ago and still backs it today" reassured Tsunade as Shizune closed the briefcase and held it with both hands. "Now we must discuss the issue of which is your return to your world."

"Of course. What is Uzumaki Naruto's condition?" asked Robin.

"Shizune?" asked Tsunade who was answered by a nod from her assistant, holding up her clipboard.

"Naruto has been in stable condition for the past three days but has yet to awaken. He's not exactly unconscious but he's not exactly in a coma either. He seems to be in a dormant state which may have been caused from his overexposure with the Kyuubi" said Shizune.

"And until he awakens Kurama-san cannot send us home" finished the archeologist.

"I am sorry, if there is anything that we can do to make your stay more comfortable, please let us know.

This sparked the interest of the pirates; the less mature members more specifically.

"And I know just how to do that" said Luffy, grinning his trade mark grin.

xXx

In the hospital, Naruto lay on a bed; sweating profusely and tensing his muscles. He was having a nightmare, a nightmare that he had been having again and again over the past few days. He had not awoken from the nightmare ever since the battle between himself and the Mugiwara. But now it seemed that the nightmare was ragging so fiercely that his body was finally fighting back.

"Hinata!" he shouted throwing himself into a sitting position. He was breathing heavily and could feel the cold beads of sweat rolling down his neck. As there was no mirror in the room, Naruto could not see that his eyes had turned to their demonic crimson; but he did notice his claws had sprung and cut into the sheets. He let go of them and placed his face in his hands, trying to rub away the images that his had seen over and over again.

In his nightmare, he saw Hinata being stabbed over and over again. And each time he saw her being attacked, he tried to run in and save her. But no matter how fast he ran, she was always collapsed on the floor, covered in blood. At first he would see Luffy as Hinata's attacker which would reawake the rage he felt when he was fighting the pirate captain. As the nightmare would repeat itself indefinitely, Luffy would slowly begin to morph, looking slightly more different than the last time the dream would play. Until finally, Luffy had turned into Uchiha Sasuke.

Why? Why did Luffy change into Sasuke? Was Sasuke the one stabbed Hinata? But how could he if he was in a jail cell when the fight happened? Were the words that the future pirate king had said to him finally manifesting into the reality that his so called friend and teammate was nothing more than a killer? Normally he would be unsure and even bias that Sasuke was innocent. But for some reason, that no longer sat well with him.

All of a sudden, the blond remembered that Hinata bleeding to death was real just as the door of his hospital room burst opened.

"Naruto! You're awake!" said Sakura. The jinchuriki turned his head to look at his teammate and blinked in surprise.

"Sakura...where is Hinata?" he asked.

"She's alright don't worry."

"I need to see her" he said standing up.

"Naruto you've been unconscious for 3 days! Stay down!"

"No! I have to see her now!" shouted Naruto ripping the IV out of his left forearm.

"Naruto I'm warning you..." threatened the pink haired kunoichi reaching to grab her teammate. Faster than she could react, Naruto grabbed her by the arms and pressed her against the wall forcefully. She cried out in pain and opened her eyes to shout at him, but froze solid when she did.

"I'm not playing games with you, Sakura" growled Naruto as he glared at the girl he once had a crush on. "I'll ask you one last time: where is Hinata?"

Sakura trembled slightly at the blonds' actions but then heard herself finally say "Room 119" and Naruto reply with a thank you before running out the door. When his footsteps were out of earshot, she slid down the wall and stopped when she reached the cold hospital floor. Never before had she seen him so angry and determined...or scary before. Except that time.

When Naruto had pinned her to the wall, she saw what she had seen several months ago when they were chasing after Orochimaru. When he glared at her with his demonic red eyes and fangs bared, demanding to know where Hinata was, it was just like that day when Naruto lost control and turned into a monster. She could feel the scars on her arm pulse, remembering the pain he had inflicted on her; but she soon released that she was also feeling pain in her forearms. When she examined herself she saw that her arms were bleeding, undoubtedly because of Naruto's claws digging into her skin.

She swallowed audibly and began to heal herself. She desperately wanted Sasuke near as she we growing once again afraid of Naruto.

Ignoring the shouts of the hospital staff, Naruto ran through the halls trying to find the room where Hinata was. His eyes darted back and forth reading the door numbers as he ran, till they landed on 119. Immediately his hand reached for the doorknob, but before Naruto touched it, he stopped. What on earth was he supposed to say to her? She had nearly been killed by the man he had defended for 3 years. How the Hel was he to supposed face her after doing what he had done? He had no idea, but he knew deep down, that he had to do it anyways.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the door of the hospital bedroom and stepped inside. His eyes landed on the young woman he had been searching for, who appeared to be sleeping peacefully on the hospital bed. Immediately he felt his stomach twist into a knot, as he was incredibly nervous seeing her, but at the same time found extremely relief seeing she was alive. Naruto slowly began to walk towards Hinata and saw a chair near the window to her left. He sat himself on the chair and looked upon her face. Despite the knowledge that she was unconscious because of his stupidity, he could not help but notice just how beautiful she was. Was she always this beautiful and he had never noticed it? Neji was wrong; he did not have better eyes than he did.

And then it hit him. He remembered the fight between Neji and Hinata where Naruto had dipped his fist in her blood and swore he would avenge her. He had sworn that he would fight for her and that he would not stand for his friends to be treated in such a way. Now her blood was on his hands once again, but it was not because he upheld a promise, but because he broke one.

Suddenly Naruto's eyes filled with tears as the realization of what had occurred over the past 3 years. He had been defending Sasuke so passionately, and now he attempted to kill one of friends while trying to escape the village again. What was he doing? Naruto turned his palms up and looked into them expecting to see them soaked in blood. Instead, he saw tears dripping into them and felt as if his heart had been ripped from his chest.

"What have I done?" he asked himself aloud. He looked back at the sleeping Hyuuga heiress and felt more regret than he had ever felt before. He grabbed onto the mattress and bowed his head as he legitimately cried for first time in years. "Hinata...I'm so sorry..."

"Naruto-kun?" she asked making the blonds' head shoot up with his eyes wide. Sure enough, Hinata was wide awake and sitting up straight with a slightly confused look on her face and her cheeks a little red. Naruto stared back stunned for a few moment before feeling immense joy and jumped at the girl, hugging her tightly and making her face turn even redder.

"N-N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata gasped in surprise, never expecting him to do such a thing (outside of her dream of course).

"Hinata! Are you ok?" asked Naruto with tears still streaming down his face.

"Y-Yes I'm fine-"

"I thought you were dead! I kept seeing you covered in blood and dying..."

"Naruto-kun I'm-"

"And Sasuke was the one that did it and it's all my fault and-"

"Naruto-kun!" said Hinata strongly, snapping the jinchuriki out of his fit. This was also a surprise for the blond as he had never heard her raise her voice before. "I'm alright. All my wounds are healed. You were the one who was in danger. You've been asleep for three days in a coma that even Tsunade-sama wasn't able to wake you from. I'm so glad that you're alright."

"Three days?" he echoed, "Wow. That rubber guy must have hurt me pretty badly. But man, ba-chan had her work cut out for her having to deal with me and you at the same time."

Hinata paused for a moment before correcting her crush, knowing how he would take the information. "Actually Naruto-kun, Tsunade-sama wasn't the one that healed me..."

"Nani? If it wasn't her then who?"

"...It was the Kyuubi..."

Naruto's eye widened with horror. "The...Kyuubi? That's not possible, he wouldn't help anyo- Oh no! I lost control didn't I?! Did he get out?! What happened after I fell unconsci-" he began to shout in terror knowing just how much damage "he" could do when he lost control of his emotions, but froze as the most gut-wrenching feeling swept over him when he realized what Hinata was saying. "H-Hinata...you know about the Kyuubi?"

"I know how difficult this is for you understand but please sit down and I will tell you everything. Please, Naruto-kun" the heiress said soothingly and helped the confused teenager back to his chair. "Firstly, the village is safe. When you lost control in your fight against Luffy-san, he and his grew fought side by side and managed to defeat you before you could hurt anyone. After your defeat, the Kyuubi emerged from your body as just a floating head and spoke to Luffy, his crew, and the Hokage about how happy he was for them being there and then healed everyone including myself."

As Hinata retold the events of the battle, Naruto's eye drifted away till they landed on his own hands that had unconsciously grabbed his pants with such a grip that his knuckles had turned white. He began to see flashes of the battle after he had turned into his 4-tailed form and then into his 8-tailed form. He saw the pirates fight him with power that even he had never dreamed of. He heard their words, Luffy's the loudest of all, and felt their impact; like a hammer right in the chest. He had heard them in his dreams and they cut him as if they were knives; the sad and painful truth of his actions being called out and not ignored like they had been for years. The realization was sickening but very much needed.

"...of course my father isn't happy about the remolding of the village but he's never been one for change..." continued the kunoichi before Naruto spoke up.

"Hinata...do you hate me?" he asked honestly.

Hinata blinked in shock by his question and brought her hands up to wave no. "How could I possibly hate you, Naruto-kun?" she said just as honestly. However, instead of making Naruto feel better, he felt instantly worse with his stomach twisting into a knot.

"You don't hate me? After everything I've done?"

"You weren't in control of yourself. It wasn't your fault" she said, again trying to calm the blond down and reassure him. And again, it made things worse as Naruto felt as if he were going to vomit from the confusion and turmoil. Tears began to flow from his eyes and he cried aloud unable to contain his feelings any longer.

"I'm so sorry!" he wept throwing his head down into a deep bow. "It was all my fault! Everyone kept telling me that Sasuke was a traitor and that he was never going to come back willingly. But I didn't listen! I still thought he was my friend even after he tried to kill me more than once! I didn't want to accept that he was a traitor and you nearly died because of it! You're my friend, my most precious person and I let this happen! I'm so sorry Hinata!"

Hinata swallowed the lump in her throat as her heard the boy she loved break down and apologize for his actions. Immediately she remembered the conversations she had with Luffy about Usopp's actions as well as Naruto's, and felt their weight in her mind. This was exactly what the young pirate captain was spoken of and Hinata felt that now was the time to tell the boy everything. He was being honest with her, how could she not be to him?

Without hesitation, she quickly wrapped her arms around Naruto's head and pulled him into her chest which both surprised and silenced him. "Please listen to me, Naruto-kun" she began in a soft soothing voice, her lips not far from his ear. "You did what you thought was right because you believed that Sasuke was your friend. I know you've been alone you entire life and anyone who paid any attention to you meant something. You were afraid of losing him because you thought he was your friend, and I don't think it's right for you to be blamed for that.

If this is anyone's fault it's my own. I should have been there for you when we were growing up and even more so when you returned from your training. Instead I stayed the shy girl who couldn't face the boy she liked without blushing profusely and fainting. I am just as responsible if not more so for all of this." Naruto's eyes widened hearing her words and felt his heart skip a beat. Kurama had made a comment about her having feelings for him, but he never believed them to be true. He desperately wanted to speak but could only feel the words become lodged in his throat. Sadly however, he would soon be swallowing those words.

"At least...I thought I knew my feelings" she continued making the knot in Naruto's stomach return. "Despite not liking Uchiha Sasuke at all and not fully understanding your reasoning in defending him, I supported you entirely without openly questioning you. But then I met Luffy-san and he challenged my feelings for you. He told me of how his friend had betrayed him and only when he truly apologized that he forgave him and let him return to the crew. He openly said he didn't like you or your dream or that you considered Sasuke to be your friend. I tried to defend you but he continued to insult you and soon even I couldn't pretend that there were things you believed in that I could not.

I realized that I hated Sasuke and that your feelings were just impossible for me to understand. Nakama care for one another, not try to kill each other. I began to question my own feelings for you and I've been thinking about them ever since I woke up in my room. I now know what they are and I will not shy away and hide them, but tell you face to face."

She pulled away from Naruto and looked at him in the eyes which made the ninja sweat for fear of her saying what he thought she would say. Hinata took a deep breath to steady herself, amazed that she had made it this far and looked at her crush.

"I knew that for so long you've hidden your true feelings from the world as you couldn't trust anyone after how this village treated you. It was the same mask that I've seen being used all my life, by clan members when they looked at me, and how the Bunke house members looked at the Soke members. Just a mask that hid what they truly felt, and in the world of ninja, it's what is needed. You had that mask as well; a mask made of false smiles and a dream that was only to give you the attention you desperately needed. It was because of that mask that I first began to like you in the first place. You were a rebel in such a strict world and it gave me hope that one day, I could be free and honest like you. I saw inside you that you wanted to be something more and I wanted that for myself as well. When you left to train I promised myself that I would become stronger, and welcome you back not a shy little girl, but as a woman, a kunoichi of Konoha.

But when you did return, I saw in your eyes that you were still hiding. You were still chasing after Sasuke, and the great man I knew you could be was nowhere to be seen. After speaking to Luffy-san, and even to Sasuke, I realized that I was in love with an idea and not a man."

Naruto looked at her with horror. She no longer had feelings for him because of what he had done. She wasn't mad at him anymore because she had let go of her feelings, not because she forgave him. He felt his world falling apart and it hurt twice as much because deep down, he knew he deserved this for making such a mess. But what stopped him from falling, was a soft warm hand touching his left cheek and he looked up to see Hinata smiling with tears of her own rolling down her flushed cheeks.

"But do you know what I see before me now? I see a man who has acknowledged his mistakes and has risen stronger than he ever was before. I can see in your eyes you are truly sorry because you have finally thrown your mask away. You've matured over the past three days and become more than the monster everyone thought you were. You are finally the real you Naruto-kun...you are the man who I fell in love with, and will always love, no matter what" she said rubbing her right cheek with her free hand.

Naruto stared at her with his mouth agape and his mind blown. She still loved him? She loved him? He had never thought that anyone would love him because of the Kyuubi. But here she was, fully aware of the Kyuubi and all the risks that it brought, as well as his own damning flaws, and loving him just the same. He didn't understand how it was possible, but his heart was telling him that it was real and that questioning it was just wasting more time.

"Hinata!" he cried wrapping his around her and hugged her as if his life was depending upon it. Hinata, who as not expecting him to hug her with such force, squealed as she was pulled into the embrace. She was blushing like mad, and felt her heart skip a beat knowing that her face was nuzzling into Naruto bare chest. If this had happened before the recent events with the Mugiwara Kaizoku-dan, she would have fainted immediately. But the scent of the man she loved and the sound of his heart beating as one with her own, made her melt into his arms and take what she had been wanting for 9 long years.

"I love you, Naruto-kun" she said, so happy that she finally could. Naruto smiled and held her tightly not wanting to let her go.

"I know that I can't say those words back to you, Hinata, but I know that I can accept your feelings entirely and that I will never ignore them again" he said honestly, his cheeks turning red as well. Hinata smiled at his words knowing that were not empty, and came right from the heart. She could not ask for anything more than that.

They continued to sit there in silence, holding one another tightly. It was a wonderful feeling for the both of them. The feeling of safety and warmth was unlike anything they had felt before. The weight that both had been carrying for so long was lifted completely, and was now replaced with surging strength. For Hinata, being able to finally confess her feelings and be close to Naruto, made her happier than she had ever been. For Naruto, having someone who actually loved him, and now no longer needed to hide behind a mask of fake smiles, was the most relieving and wonderful sensation he had ever experienced. Both of these teenagers had finally obtained what they had wanted for so long, and both prayed with all their might that it was not a dream.

Humorously, both of them found reality in their dreams by each other's scent. Hinata, who was expecting the scent of ramen, instead discovered her blond crush smelled of Azukimeshi (red beans and rice) as well as Aburaage (thin fried tofu); food she had never seen him eat. For Naruto, he inhaled the scent of lavender that came from the young woman's hair that relaxed him and made him melt even more into her. At the same moment, they both realized what they were doing and broke the hug with their faces glowing red. For a moment or two they were too embarrassed to look one another in the eye, and it was Naruto who managed to find his voice.

"S-So um...I guess since this is a reintroduction as new people- well with me anyways since I'm not the same guy as I was before" he said trying to explain as he rubbed the back of his head. "What I mean is...we haven't really hung out the whole time we've known each other. I...didn't know you existed back at the academy and other than the Chunin tournament, and we've never spent time to get know each other as friend and only as co-workers. Ha, it's kinda stupid that I called you my precious person and never treated you like one. Ero-Senin was right, I'm a fool.

So what I'm trying to say is...let's start over" he said holding out his right hand. "Hi, my name is Uzumaki Naruto. Nice to meet you."

The Hyuuga heiress looked at the blond jinchuriki in surprise, as well as his outstretched hand. She had not expected him to say such a thing, especially his admittance that had ignored her. While it did sting hearing those words, the pain faded quickly knowing that he acknowledged his actions and was sorry for them. When she looked up at him, she could see how red his cheeks were by how embarrassed and awkward the whole ordeal was for him; but he was still trying to right his wrongs. She couldn't help giggling at him as she too had to be honest and admit he looked rather cute. Reaching out with her right hand, she took his and gently squeezed it.

"My name is Hyuuga Hinata. The pleasure's all mine" she said smiling warmly, her own cheeks a little flushed.

In that moment, Naruto felt his heart skip a beat. His brain seemed to stall, unable to process any other thought than one: "She's so beautiful". Never before had he seen her like she was right now; smiling, giggling, and happy. Was this the shy little girl he had been ignoring his whole life?; if so then being called a fool was too generous. His cheeks burned even hotter at her beauty and felt that he had to compliment her in some way. Of course he felt embarrassed by it, and he wasn't able to choose what to compliment her on. Her smile, her eyes, her hair, it wasn't as if he had experience with this sort of thing and his days chasing after Sakura definitely did not count.

"Y-Your hair smells nice" he finally said not able to look her in the eye. Hinata blushed once again at his words and looked away for a moment with a smile on her lips, clearly enjoying the compliment.

"Arigatou Naruto-kun...I like your hair as well. It looks nice longer" she said.

"My hair's longer?" asked Naruto in surprise, bringing up his left hand to see if it was true. Sure enough, his hair was in fact longer by a few inches. "That's weird. I was only out for three days. Since when does my hair grow that face? But if you like it, I can keep it long."

The heiresses' eyes lit up when he said that, as she remembered that she had grown her hair out for him. "I-I think it suits you very well, Naruto-kun. You look handsome with long hair."

"No way, you look amazing with long hair, Hinata! Mine's pretty bad actually. I never look after it and it's all over the place."

"You just need to comb it a bit" the kunoichi said leaning forward and ran her fingers through Naruto's golden hair. Though it was only for a few seconds, the jinchuriki felt a "click" inside him when Hinata touched him. Her face was only a foot away from his own and he began to look at every part of it. Her light mauve pearl eyes, her snow white skin, and her soft pink lips. It was her lips that he was focusing on most of all which he noticed were slightly parted making them look even more inviting than they already were. The notion of kissing Hinata made his heart beat faster, but he knew he couldn't just kiss her; at least not yet.

"There. That looks better. Daijobu, Naruto-kun?" she asked noticing that he was starting to sweat.

"I-I'm fine! Nothing to worry about!" he said dodging the question as he brought his left hand up to rub the back of his head. His hand never made it there however, as he accidently brushed up Hinata's arm. He froze instantly at the touch as did Hinata who then felt the same "click" that Naruto had felt a minute before.

Moving as if he had no control over his body, his left hand began to slowly slide up Hinata's forearm till the tips of his fingers touched her palm. His fingers continued to move into her hand where their palms met and their fingers linked together.

"Soft..." Naruto said aloud without thinking. The young couple looked at their now joined hands and slowly into each others' eyes. Their hearts were pounding like they never had before, and now were ignoring the world around them. Slowly, and without anymore words spoken, the pair began to lean forward with one thing on their minds.

"Wakey-wakey, Hinata!" cooed Ino as she walked into the room without knocking. "You can't nap here all day waiting for Naruto to-oh."

The chunin medic halted in her tracks realizing that she had just interrupted something she shouldn't have. When she entered the room, both Hinata and Naruto had turned their heads to look at Ino with expressions exactly like those of children being caught. Their faces were redder than ever and they were completely unable to react, creating an awkward silence.

"G-Gomennasai. I'll let you both continue in private. It's good to see you finally awake, Naruto" she said in a hushed voice, backing out of the room slowly.

"M-Matte!" the couple shouted in unison, each with a hand outstretched.

"I-I-It's alright Ino-san" stuttered Hinata who had turned an even darker shade of red. "I-I-Is there something th-that you wanted to s-say to me?"

Naruto, who was also embarrassed by Ino's interruption, looked at the blushing young woman before him and couldn't help smiling at her. Throughout the entire conversation, she hadn't fainted or stuttered like she normally would when she was with him. Instead, she had grown more confident and had spoken from the heart. It now seemed that she still was the shy girl remembered. And she was unbelievably cute.

"W-Well, I just wanted to let you know that you couldn't nap in this room anymore while waiting for Naruto wake up, given that you've been by his side the past three days. But since he woke up then it doesn't really matter" explained Ino, still a little embarrassed herself. "Speaking of which, how are you, Naruto?"

"Never better" he replied honestly, looking at Hinata when he did. "Was I really out for three days?"

"Yup. And boy did you miss out" said Ino with wide eyes. "After the Mugiwara Kaizoku-dan beat you and the village, they helped take care of the wounded and even rebuilt the village. Can you believe that?"

"Yes and no" admitted the jinchuriki looking down at his knees. "Did we really fight them for nothing?"

"I guess so. But I don't think they're all that bitter about it."

"And how do you know that?"

"Well..." explained the blond medic nin was an excited grin on her face, "they're gonna throw a huge party for the whole village!"

Naruto and Hinata blinked at her confused. "Really?"

"Ya! It's gonna happen tonight so make sure that you come. Which reminds me, I need to finish my shift and get ready for tonight. See you both there. Oh and Naruto, never thought I'd say this, but you look good with long hair" commented Ino half out the door.

"Ya, I've been told" said Naruto looking at Hinata fondly, making her blush once more and smile at his words.

"Might want to go somewhere more private to fool around cuz we're probably gonna need this room soon" added the medic nin, closing the door behind her with a cheeky grin on her face.

"W-We weren't fooling around!" cried the couple even more embarrassed than before. But Ino was already gone, very much pleased with herself, leaving the flustered pair alone. A short awkward silence filled the room as the notion that they had been "fooling around" as it were, had put a few images in their minds and only made them blush deeper.

"S-So um..." stuttered Naruto as he rubbed the back of his head, "w-would you be interested in going to this party with me?"

Hinata looked up at him knowing that he had just asked her out; something she had been waiting for for a long time.

"H-Hai!" she said smiling brightly, making Naruto to do the same.

Unbeknownst to the both of them, Kurama watched the entire event from beginning to end with a large grin on his face.

'About time' he said to himself.

xXx

The party that evening was unlike anything the ninjas of Konoha had ever seen before. With help from Tsunade and guidance of the Straw Hats, the village was turned from an uneventful town, to the largest festival the world had ever seen. Sanji had gone around the village rounding up all of Konoha's cooks and farmers to help with all the food the party would need. Usopp hunted for firework makers which, to his dismay, found there to be only one master maker in the entire village and had been retired for years. Thankfully, he was eager to come out of said retirement one last time, and he and Usopp worked hard all day long. Brook had trouble of his own as his search for fellow musicians was unfruitful, which only made his feelings about Konoha even truer.

Franky of course was the most experience in throwing parties given his time as head of the Franky Family. He instructed on what the party needed outside of food and music, and built the stages and tables for all the villagers to sit and eat at. Chopper meanwhile, had been working tirelessly inside Konoha's hospital. Feeling as if the patients were his own responsibility, he personally inspected the entire village's wounded and tended to their injuries. There was of course the issue of both patients and medical staff not trusting one of the pirates that defeated them. But with Ino's support and Tsunade giving him temporary Chief Surgeon status, they soon came around and were grateful for his help. He quickly became a favourite of the children for both his appearance and strange behaviour. (a/n: I'm not actually saying that Chopper is strange, but rather that his actions such as "hiding" and imitations are peculiar and thus entertaining).

Robin meanwhile, was preoccupied with another unresolved matter. She sat before an uncomfortable Shikamaru who was staring intensely at the table in front of him. He was sweating nearly more than he did the other day, and was unable to wrap his mind around what was going on. Raising his right hand, he lifted his piece and moved it forward and waited for the older woman to make her move. The archeologist moved her own hand towards the Nara's, and slide her own piece across his own.

"Tsumi (checkmate)" she said.

"DAMN!" shouted Shikamaru, clutching his head in frustration.

"Unbelievable" commented Temari as she leaned forward to inspect the board. "That's your 5th loss in a row."

The three were sitting on the rear porch of the Nara Clan head home where they drank tea over a "friendly" game of Shogi. Shikamaru had wanted to best Nico Robin and decided to challenge her in a test of the mind; and of course did it with on his personal battlefield.

Needless to say it backfired.

From inside the clan house, a loud burst of laughter could be heard making the heir glare at who was laughing. At the family table sat Shikaku holding up a glass of alcohol and had a wide grin on his face. To his right sat his wife who was equally amused, and across from them both were Gaara, Matsuri, and Kankuro.

"I never thought I'd see the day~" quipped the tipsy clan head. "Shikamaru getting a girlfriend and getting his ass handed to him in shogi. If it hadn't nearly happened a few days ago I'd say the world was ending!~"

"Urusei!" his son shouted back.

"Watch your mouth Shika-kun! Don't be rude to your father in front of guests!" Yoshino snapped at her son, picking up her glass and threw it at him, hitting him perfectly in the temple.

"Speaking of being rude to our guests would you like something else to drink?" asked Shikaku holding up a bottle of sake.

"No but the tea is quite pleasant, thank you" replied Gaara brining his cup of green tea to his lips.

"Hai, thank you for the tea" added Matsuri bowing slightly.

"This sake is pretty damn good" said Kankuro draining his glass. "I should buy a few bottles to bring back to Suna."

"If you think this is good..." said the Nara clan head pouring more into his guest's glass, "then you should see what the Akimichi have stored in their seller. They always have the good stuff."

"You've had enough" said Yoshino taking the bottle away from her husband and took a swig.

"Oi Yoshino-chan, you're the one who's had too much."

"Oh don't be so stingy! We're celebrating here. Our son finally has a girlfriend which means we're going to have grandkids one day. Which reminds me, hey you two! I'm warning you now, no sex in the house."

Immediately, Shikamaru and Temari's faces lit up like the sky at sunrise, along with Matsuri's as they could not believe that Yoshino had blurted that aloud.

"MOM!"shouted Shikamaru.

"I mean it! As much as I want them I'm too young for grandchildren."

The children of course were quite embarrassed by the banter between mother, son, and future daughter-in-law. Nico Robin on the other hand found it rather hilarious but did well in keeping her composure.

"Never a dull moment" said Shikaku taking another sip. "Ya know, it really is funny how much has changed in so little time. Look at yourselves for instance. The first time we saw you, you tried to kill our son. The second time you saved him. Now you're practically family. Funny how the world works."

"Yes. Quite funny indeed" said Gaara, his eyes quickly darting to Matsuri and back again as he took another sip from his tea. His student of course noticed his look and couldn't help blushing at it, along with a small smile. "I am truly sorry for my actions as well as of those of my countrymen. We are not fond of our dark past."

"Don't worry about it" replied the Nara clan head, looking deeply into his own reflection cast in his sake. "We all have to come to terms with our dark pasts."

"Please have a rematch with me" begged Shikamaru strongly.

"Alright. I don't mind at all" replied Robin and she began resetting her side of the board.

"But may I ask one small think?" continued the frustrated deer herder.

"Yes?"

"Can you please, at least give me your full attention?!"

The humorous situation the Nara heir was referring to, was that the archeologist was sitting on a chair and reading a rather larger tome with dedicated focus, as a hand created from her devil fruit powers moved her shogi tiles. Robin looked up from her book with a slightly puzzled look on her face.

"What do you mean? I am giving you my full attention."

xXx

The party began with a roar at six o'clock that evening. The streets were filled with men, women, and children dressed in Yukata and Jinbei, eager to experience what the night had to offer. Sanji was behind a large table preparing a wide assortment of dishes ranging from traditional Japanese food, to French, Italian, Alabastian, and his own native Northblue. Of course he found time to flirt with the local girls who found him and his methods far more fresh and interesting than the usual. (a/n: Before any purists make comments about Sanji knowing cuisine from our world, the Grand Line and Red Line was based off Midgard (earth) during the 15th-18th centuries as well as the nations that played a major part in making the world a smaller place. Also, Sanji is French).

Usopp, standing upon one of the many stages built by Franky, began retelling all of his crazy adventures to any who'd hear; and lucky for him, he didn't have to tell a single lie. Brook, who in the end managed to find a few musicians, played music for the party goers, along with Franky joining them on an acoustic guitar. Chopper, who was finally off Post-Op duty, was entertaining the children of the village with his transformations and rides, with a little help from the Nara heard.

Zoro on the other hand, wasn't enjoying the party like he normally would.

"I said no!" he shouted over his shoulder, not stopping for the young woman tailing behind him.

"I just want you to explain what you meant back there!" shouted Tenten back.

Flashback

The other day, Tenten was at her usual training spot and was working on her weapon seals. Her loss against Usopp/Sogeking had been driving her mad ever since it happened. Tenten was a very proud of young woman and even prouder still of her weapons. While nearly all other shinobi the world over used kunai and shurikens as only their side arms, Tenten used a large variety of weaponry as her main arsenal. This made her as unique in the field as Rock Lee who used neither weapons nor jutsu. Because of this, she had held a very impressive winning streak over the past few years and was considered to be one of the most intimidating kunoichi in Konoha's history. Just imagine what it must have felt like to lose in a single shot.

As she continued her training, she heard a rustling in the brush behind her making her spin round. Out from the brush came a puzzled green-haired swordsman, scratching the back of his head.

"This isn't the market" he said aloud.

"I take it you're lost, Roronoa-san?" asked the weapon's mistress.

"Well I'm not familiar with this place" he replied in defense.

"What are you even looking for?"

"I'm trying to find the market. Since Nami won't let me use any of that reward money to buy drinks at the local bar I thought I'd kill some time by trying to find someone with a weapons shop."

"My family owns the only weapons shop in the village. My father is the master weapons maker and makes all the weapons for our army. I can take you there if you'd like" she offered.

"As long as I see something worthwhile then sure" he said, as if not expecting that much.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" asked Tenten crossing her arms.

"It means I haven't seen a single good piece of iron or steel since I got to this place and I don't expect to start."

That did not rub Tenten the right away and made her glare at the swordsman. "Listen here Roronoa Zoro, I have already been humiliated by one of your crew mates and I am in no mood to be humiliated again. My father's weapons are his pride and they are mine as well. Do not tarnish them."

Zoro eyed the girl carefully before smirking. "You're the one that Usopp beat in one shot right? I can see why."

Tenten gritted her teeth. "I've had enough!" she shouted grabbing one of her large scrolls. "Eat this! Sogu: Tensasai! (Manipulated Tools: Heavenly Chain of Destruction)." With all her strength, the young weapons mistress hurled her giant green scroll into the air, unraveling it right before unleashing its payload. Zoro looked up at the scroll with cold steady eyes.

"Let's see if I can make it three for three" he said to himself drawing all three of his daito. "Santoryu: Tatsumaki (Three Sword Style: Dragon Cyclone)" Faster than Tenten could see, the first mate unleashed a blue spiral straight into the oncoming barrage of weaponry. The flying attack sliced through each of the many ninja weapons allowing them to tumble to the ground almost harmlessly.

As Zoro sheathed his swords, Tenten stared at her countered attack in utter shock, expecting that at least one of her tools would have landed. But for the second time in less than a week, her 100/100 batting average was broken.

"Uso..." she sighed falling to her knees, "my Bukijutsu was beaten..."

"Bukijutsu? (Weapon Techniques) Don't make me laugh" growled Zoro, folding his arms. "Listen kid cuz I'm only gonna say it once. Since I got here I've gotten into three scrapes with so called weapon users, including you. And guess what all three of those weapon users had in common: cheap steel and no weight behind their attacks. You can't just pick up a sword, start swinging it, and call yourself a swordsman. Without subtlety, a sword is but an iron bar.

Take my advice, if you want to master a weapon, master yourself first. Master your heart, master your soul, master your mind, and master your spirit. Then, and only then, will you able to put yourself into your steel. Now from what I heard from Usopp you fight at long range. But if you want to fight that way, use a bow or a slingshot or something; don't just throw the damn things at your opponent and hope he drops. That's how you get killed and it's downright dishonourable.

I can tell by your face you've never lost before. Well here's some advice from someone who also used to be a frog stuck in a well: the world is a big place, and you can't just rush into it half-cocked. If you want to get stronger, then train. Train and put everything you've got into mastering yourself and your steel. And if you want to do it right, find a real master since the green spandex wearing one you've got now already has a disciple and only fights in hand-to-hand combat. I'm gonna get a drink."

End of flashback

"There's nothing more to say! Leave me be!"

"I can't even if I wanted to" argued Tenten not letting the pirate to slip away. "You said that I needed a real weapons master and you're right. That's why I want you to train me."

"Nani?!" snapped Zoro, spinning around to face the young woman. "I'm a swordsman, not a weapons master. And besides, I'm not training any student."

"I know but at least with a sword I won't be defenceless and I can find someone else to training me in full later on."

"I'm going to be gone for good in a few days and you expect me to teach you swordsmanship in such a short amount of time? Not to mention I use Santoryu which even in 10 years I haven't fully mastered" Zoro pointed out reasonably.

"I didn't expect to master the sword in just a few days nor did I even want to learn Santoryu. Just one sword will do for now" explained Tenten not letting him back away from her demands so quickly.

"Even if I did teach you Ittoryu, it wouldn't do you much good since I'm not good with it" admitted the first mate rubbing his temples; though this was undermining his skills as he had turned his weakness into a powerful skill. "In any case, you need a proper master who can teach you everything there is to know about swordsmanship as well as training your spirit. I'm not the best choice for a teacher. I train myself and that's it."

"What are you saying? You explained to me perfectly what I was doing wrong and what I needed to do. You're exactly the kind of master I need. And even if you do train on your own, you must have learned from someone" insisted the kunoichi.

Zoro sighed. "Yes I did train at the dojo in my village and I did have a sensei, but I didn't follow his teachings all too well; hence why I ignored Ittoryu for so long. Look, if you want to learn how to use a sword properly, why not go that samurai country?"

"Are you crazy? They'd kill me if they saw a ninja on their border."

"Just take off that silly headband and they won't know a thing. It's not like you act like a ninja anyways."

"Just train me, even for a few days, please!" Tenten half begged.

"No way!" shouted Zoro turning his back to her. "I'm going to enjoy myself then get some sleep. Now buzz off!"

"Roronoa-san!" shouted Tenten, continuing to tail the reluctant swordsman.

Not far from where both of them were walking, Tsunade was sitting on a bench with a cup of sake in her hand. She looked over the party that was now in full swing with bewilderment on her face.

"Unbelievable..." she said to herself.

"What's with that look?" asked Nami walking up behind the Hokage. "At least pretend like you're enjoying yourself."

"You don't know what you're asking of me, kid" replied the Godaime. "I haven't relaxed in years."

"Trust me, I know what that's like. Which is why I enjoy every party I'm invited to."

"It's a little more complicated than that. Let's just say that festivals and parties really aren't my thing. Or that of the village for that matter."

The young navigator looked at the medic confused by her comment. "What are you saying? When was the last time there was a festival here?" she asked.

"If I had to guess..." said Tsunade thinking back, "decades."

Nami's eyes widened in surprise. "How? Why?"

Tsunade snorted, amused by the girl's reaction. "You're not from here so I understand your confusion. The world has always been at war; nations large and small in constant conflict with one another. Even when truces are signed and allegiances are made, they're so fragile that anything can break them and start another war. Just a few years ago we held an alliance with Suna...they then launched an invasion along with Oto when we were hosting them both at the Chunin exams. That's how I lost my sensei, the Sandaime, killed by his own student, my traitorous teammate Orochimaru. Not the way I ever imagined succeeding him, if at all given my medical need of never setting foot in Konoha again."

She looked down at her cup but didn't drink from it, instead stared into it as she continued to speak. "It's been three years since then. The alliance between us and Suna is holding, but only because their Kage is friends with my 'successor'. We're not so lucky with the other three major countries. The Raikage hate us for the wars and the Hyuuga, the Mizukage hates us for the same reasons her predecessor did: interfering with their trading routes. And lastly the Tsuchikage has hated us for longer than I've been alive, even more so thanks to Minato and every other war.

Even with the last three years of peace, the world is at war and it doesn't even know it. Akatsuki is gearing up to launch their own world war and as far as I know, we are the only ones that know that. And thanks to my council and better judgement, letting the other nations know could put us all in a lot of trouble. That's why we have to start training our children to fight at the age of six. That's why we never have time to relax. We don't know how."

Nami remained silent, mulling over what she had just heard as Tsunade took a considerable belt of her sake. "I guess it's not so different back home" she said finally. "Kingdoms around the world are in conflict, powerful pirate crews trying to beat other pirate crews to become the next Pirate King, Marines trying to keep the peace and start wars, not to mention the Revolutionary Army trying to take down the World Government. Sometimes I can't believe how many times we've been involved with those conflicts and despite everything made it out alive."

"How do you do it?" asked Tsunade look up at the red headed cartographer, "Keep smiling and laughing through it all? At some point the stress is going to catch up with you."

To the medic's surprise, Nami simply smiled. "And when it does I'll laugh in its face. For ten years I could never laugh or smile honestly. For ten years I had to live with constant guilt and pain that ate me away, with no one to comfort me or a home to go back to. But then I met Luffy and the others. They were the most free-spirited and crazy people I had ever met. I soon realized that when I was with them, I wasn't pretending. I was actually laughing with them and feeling true emotions. That's why I pushed them away, to protect them from what would happen if they stuck around. And guess what they did? They came after me. No matter how much I pushed them away they came right back and gave me and my village their freedom, and took me on the most amazing adventures. I'll always been gratefully for what Luffy and the others have done for me, and I'll always be there for them as they have been there for me."

The Sannin swallowed before asking a question that held more value than she realized. "Just what are you all to each other? Why do you have such unquestionable loyalty?"

The navigator looked up at the evening sky for a moment before smiling and hummed happily. "Well…we're not acquaintances, we're not friends, we're not relatives...we're not even siblings…"

"Then?..."

Nami turned her head and looked at the Hokage with a wide bright smile making her close her eyes. "We're family" she said.

Tsunade leaned back, unable to find her words for a moment. "How?..."

"Why is that such a hard thing to understand? How much booze have you had?"

"Not enough" the medic nin replied grabbing a bottle of sake that stood next to her and poured it into her cup. "Listen kid, if you went around saying things like that you'd be a laughing stock. Trying to keep alliances between nations is hard enough, but trying to keep allegiances within nations is even harder. Every village has their internal struggles, but ours has the worst that I know of. The Hyuuga keep throwing their weight around making them unpopular with most of the village; how the Uchiha got a pass when they were around I'll never know. The Nara, the Akimichi, and the Yamanaka have been allied since long before the nations were forming so they always have each other's backs, and always have their eyes on the other clans. They're loyal to the village at least, as are the Inuzuka and the Aburame. The Sarutobi, while loyal to the village, are not happy that two of their clan heads have been killed within three years of one another.

While they may fight for the village when she is threatened, they are far from united. Here, family are more likely to stab you in the back; where money is the only thing people care about. I haven't heard of bonds like that since between Shikaku, Choza, and Inoichi; and Inoichi is a squirrely bastard."

"Well, you've convinced me not to vacation here for too long" joked Nami, taking a sip of her liquor. "And the children are thrown into this at 6? I can't believe it."

"I can't change the world, kid" defended Tsunade, though deep down felt the same way as the red head. "But the reality is this world is a cruel one and if I did postpone their training and give them actual childhoods, this village and even the entire country could be overrun due to our smaller and weaker military."

"You don't have the change the world. Just make it your oyster. Cheers" said Nami holding out her cup. Tsunade looked at it before smirking and raised up her own.

"Cheeky. You wouldn't happen to play poker do you?"

"Oh just a little" lied the cartographer.

"Well then let's go a few 'rounds shall we?" offered the medic reaching into her shirt for her "emergency" deck.

"Konbanwa Tsunade-sama, Nami-san" came a voice before them. They both turned their heads to see that it was none other than Hinata who had spoken. But they blinked in surprise when they saw what she was wearing. Instead of the Hyuuga heiress' usual large jacket, she wore a black and purple yukata with a violet obi. The yukata was covered in white and violet Forget-Me-Nots along with violet outlined temari (basically a beach ball looking stitch). Her hair was tied up with jade hair sticks into a half bun half pony tail, adorned with a small assortment of flowers made up of Amaryllis, White Rose Gardenia, Anemone, and White Hibiscus that rested on the bun.

Needless to say, she was a sight to behold.

"Wow Hinata, you look amazing" complimented Nami.

"Arigatou" thanked Hinata with a blush on her cheeks. "The yukata belonged to my mother. The flowers were Ino-san's idea."

"Well if anyone knows flowers it's Ino. They match very well" added Tsunade.

"They do more than match" said a voice behind them. They turned to see that the speaker was Robin enjoying a bowl of miso soup. "I take it you aren't familiar with Hanakotoba."

"Hanakotoba?" echoed both the navigator and the Kage.

"The Language of Flowers. Each flower has its own code and password born from their physiological effects on humans. These codes are meant to convey emotions directly to others without needing the use of words. Amaryllis represents shyness, Anemone represents sincerity, Gardenia represents secret love, White Hibiscus represents gentleness, and White Roses represent innocence, silence, and devotion. While we may not have spoken before Hyuuga Hinata-san, I see they represent you to a tee."

Hinata, who had not been aware of the significance of her hair piece, blushed even more. "I feel a little embraced that I didn't know of their meaning. My mother loved flowers and I'm sure I;;ve even seen books of Hanakotoba in the family library" she admitted.

"A little distracted from your confession with Naruto eh?" teased Tsunade with a grin on her face. "Yes Ino told me, as did some of my staff saying they saw Naruto push Sakura out of the way to find you."

"You confessed to him, Hinata?" asked Nami surprised.

"Hai. We plan on going on a date soon" replied the blushing girl, unable to suppress the gleeful smile on her face.

"Congratulations! I'm so happy for you."

"About time too" smirked the Sannin. "You've been head-over-heels in love with him since you were kids. Good to know he finally woke up to your feelings; and even threaten Sakura to do it."

"Isn't he in love with her and she's your student? Isn't threatening one another a bad thing?" asked the navigator.

"Here is the deal with Team 7" began Tsunade with a sigh. "They have been a mess since before they were made into a team. Naruto and Sasuke trusted no one due to their upbringing, and Sakura did nothing but chase after Sasuke. When they became a team things became worse. Naruto was chasing after Sakura, Sakura was chasing after Sasuke, and Sasuke was chasing after his brother. They never had an ounce of teamwork or camaraderie, and any chance of that vanished when Sasuke became a traitor. But instead of the other two coming to their senses, they just dug deeper into the rabbit warren.

I don't know if it's my fault as her teacher or hers as a student and a kunoichi, but Sakura could have changed everything. If she had given up on Sasuke when he turned his back on his village, it's fairly certain that Naruto would have stopped as well. But instead she drove him on without even so much as a please or a thank you. Even now with Sasuke having so many charges laid upon him that at the very least he'll be locked up for life and at the very most he'll be executed, as long as the council doesn't stick their noses in too far, Sakura is on his side. At least one of those three made it out."

"So you're just giving up on her?" asked Nami, a little unsure on how to feel about the whole endeavor.

"If she wants my respect again she has to earn it by pulling up her own boot straps. And if three years of my intense training didn't sink in enough for her to learn that teammates that turn their backs on you are no longer your teammates and friends, as I learned firsthand, then there is nothing more I can do."

"No chance at forgiveness?" asked Robin.

Tsunade turned to look at the archeologist. "Sasuke's master was my former teammate Orochimaru who joined up with the most dangerous terrorist organization in the world after betraying the village for performing hideous experiments on children and cadavers. He then invaded Konoha years later, turned one of our allies against us, killed our master, and tried to kill me and Naruto. What do you think?"

"Yes...I am aware of that last one."

"Speaking of 'about time'," said Nami deciding it was best to change topic, "where have you been, Robin? I haven't seen you all day."

The older woman smirked. "I was at the Nara home engaging in a rather amusing game of shogi" she replied.

"Playing against Shikamaru were you? That must have been an interesting match if it lasted that long" commented the Godaime bringing her cup to her lips.

"Matches" corrected Robin. "Nara Shikamaru-san is a rather sore loser."

Immediately the blond spat out her sake and looked at the Devil Fruit user in disbelief. "He lost?" she repeated.

"154 times to be exact, yes."

Tsunade's jaw hung open for a few seconds before she doubled over laughing, almost hysterically. "Oh my gods! I never thought I'd see the day! Not only did he finally lose at shogi, he lost to a woman! He'll never live this down!"

"No, no he will not" added Robin taking another spoonful of miso soup.

"This deserves its own kind of celebration. Here, have some sake!" the blond said with glee holding up the bottle to the raven haired woman.

"After I finish my soup."

"And you Hinata?" she said spinning the bottle to the heiress.

"I'm not much of a drinker, but thank you" said Hinata politely, holding up her hands.

"Your loss" Tsunade chirped and she took a hearty swig from the bottle directly and slammed it onto the bench. "You ready to play girl? If it took the world to nearly end for Shikamaru to lose at shogi and Naruto to grow a set and hit on Hinata, then I got a chance of winning big!"

"Aces high?" asked Nami with a grin.

"You're on!" shouted the medic as she cut the cards.

xXx

On top of the Hokage tower, stood Luffy overlooking the village; stuffing his face and enjoying a large amount of beer as he was not a fan of sake. Normally he would have been enjoying his meal in the centre of the party so his supply wouldn't run out until he was full. Sadly this time he was chased off by his cook for his normal eating habits had gotten in the way of Sanji's flirting. Not too bothered by it, he horded as much as he could and found a nice comfortable spot to eat and drink to his heart's content.

Not expecting to be found for a while, he did not predict to hear a voice behind him. When he turned he nearly jumped back fearing that it was Sanji who had come for revenge as the first feature he noticed on the speaker was his blond hair.

"Sorry, did I scare you?" asked Naruto a little shocked himself that Luffy jumped at his appearance.

"Oh it's you! For a second I thought it was Sanji" said the pirate sighing in relief. "I didn't recognize you."

"Ya I've been hearing that a lot lately" said Naruto running his fingers into his now long hair.

"No not your hair, your eyes" Luffy corrected.

"My eyes?" asked the blond confused.

"They aren't the same from when we fought" explained the captain. "You look like a completely different person now. Did you do some thinking while you were asleep?"

Naruto remained silent for a few moments as he mulled over what Luffy had just said. In truth he did feel different than he had a few days ago, but to a great extent it was that he felt more aware than different. But if that constituted as him being a changed man, then that's how it was.

"Ya...you could say that" answered the ninja graciously.

"Good" Luffy said taking a large bite of meat. "So ith there anyfing u wanna talk abowt?"

"Well...ya actually" Naruto said walking to the railing of the tower. "It's about what you said during the fight. You said things that no one had ever said to me before...at least not in that way. For so long I wanted to be Hokage because I wanted people to look at me as a hero and not a monster. I wanted people to pay attention to me, and not in a bad way. Even though I had Shikamaru, Kiba, and Choji, I still felt alone and that I didn't have friends.

But that changed when I managed to graduate from Ninja Academy and was placed with Sakura and Sasuke in Team 7 with Kakashi-sensei. It felt like...like I finally belonged and people cared about me. And then Sasuke left. Even after all he did I thought of him as my friend. I didn't listen to what Ero-Sennin said because I...I...I was too scared. I was tired of being alone and I got scared that if I let go of Sasuke, I'd lose him forever. And not just him but Sakura too. I liked her a lot and the only reason she tolerated me was because I wanted to get Sasuke back as much as she did.

I'm not trying to make excuses or anything, but that's really what was going on in my head all these years. Only now do I see how stupid it all was."

"Yup. Pretty stupid alright" said Luffy without missing a beat. "You're an idiot."

"Ya I know."

"I mean a real idiot."

"Alright, I get it."

"I know people call me an idiot all the time, but you..."

"Ok I get it! You don't have to keep throwing salt in my wounds!"

"Why would you waste so much time a on a dream where the only reason people will like you is because you've got some weird title?" Luffy said finally shaking his head as he picked the bone clean and tossed it behind him. Naruto immediately froze with his eyes wide open. He had not been expecting that. "It's so stupid. If I were you, I would have left after getting strong enough and never look back."

The jinchuriki reminded silent as he looked away from the pirate and gazed over the village he had known all his life with a thousand yard stare. "Well...that's a new one..." he said finally. "My whole life people have told me that my dream to be Hokage was impossible. It was either because I wasn't good enough or because I was a jinchuriki. But no one has ever pointed that out about my dream. Wow."

He dropped his head in between his outstretched arms that held onto the railing and sighed deeply. "I really am a fool aren't I?"

"Yup" said Luffy flatly holding up a bottle of beer. "Drink?"

"Ya I could use one" admitted the ninja and held up a mug. The straw hat wearing pirate filled it to the brim and held the bottle a little higher.

"Kanpai?"

"Kanpai" echoed Naruto, clinking his drink with his former opponent and unanimously drank. "So what about you? What's your dream?"

Lufy looked up at him. "To be the Pirate King. Told you that already didn't I?"

"And why do you want to be king?"

Luffy grinned at the question. "Ever since I was a kid, I looked up to a pirate named Red Haired Shanks. He was captain of the Red Haired Pirates he made my village as his base of operations for over a year. Every time he came back from a voyage he would sit at the bar with his crew and talk about their adventures. He'd tell me about the places they've been, the people they saw, and the treasures they found.

But most of all, they'd talk about their freedom. Freedom to see the world and have amazing adventures. I wanted that too. But most of all, I wanted to pay back a debt. Shanks sacrificed his left arm to save my life and gave me his hat" Luffy explained taking his famous straw hat off his head. "We both swore an oath on this hat that one day I would become a great pirate; the greatest pirate. Then, and only then, we would see each other again and I'd give him back his hat back. This hat, along with my oath to fulfill my dream, is what drives me to keep sailing onto that horizon.

I want to be the Pirate King to have the most freedom in this world. To laugh and be with the people I love most, and never stop sailing. I want to make the world my oyster, and since the life of a pirate is short, I might as well make it a merry one, eh?"

Naruto stared at the happy-go-lucky pirate, who was smiling away without a care in the world. Luffy's words made more sense than a lot of the so called mantra he had heard all his life. While he was expecting something a little more profound than wanting to be Pirate King to be free, as so many had claimed to want to be Kages to save their people, his reasons were still deep and meaningful. The notions of freedom and living life to the fullest, was something that Naruto never truly understood. His whole life he lived with a false smile and a dream that was only about validating his own existence; in a world that did want him.

Perhaps now, he could begin on a new path; one forged by his own hands.

"Y-Ya!" he said finally, a bright grin on his face. He turned and looked at the village before him, feeling new emotions that he hadn't felt before. Excitement, wonder, hope, and a desire to explore. His entire life had been within the walls of the village and he had never thought about the world beyond it. Of course he had seen more of the world during his travels with Jiraiya, but it hadn't been the most scenic of travels. They had always slept in the open away from local towns to avoid suspicion, and only entered those towns for supplies and for Jiraiya's "visits". He honestly knew so little about the world and until now, never really cared.

"So all those crazy stories you told...they were all true?" he asked.

"Yup. Every one" replied Luffy proudly.

"Wow..." sighed the ninja in genuine admiration "that's really amazing. I think... I want that too. To travel the world I mean."

"Then do it. What's holding you back?"

Naruto looked down at his mug and stared into the beer. "Fear I guess. I've always been afraid of the world around me because of how everyone treated me. Even though I had a few friends, I still felt alone. Like you said I should have left a long time ago, but since I didn't have any kind of support I didn't have any courage. But now...I've got Hinata so I'm not really alone anymore."

The blond couldn't help laughing at himself. "Ha ha, it's funny you know. For so long I've hated this place and always wanted to run away. Now that I have someone and I have the desire to see the world, I don't wanna leave."

"Then just take her with you" stated Luffy matter-of-factly, making Naruto laugh once again.

"It's not that easy. Hinata's the heiress of the Hyuuga clan and her father is super strict. Not to mention the history of other countries attacking the Hyuuga directly. I've been on a pretty short leash myself and that's not likely to change; especially after today."

"Then run away."

Naruto turned to look at the pirate who was still stuffing his face. "You really are happy-go-lucky aren't you?"

"Everyone says I don't think before I jump into things" replied Luffy.

"Ya, me too."

"Except I can get myself out of trouble and win fights."

The jinchuriki just glared at the pirate captain, feeling very much burned by that comment. It burned even more so as he could hear Kurama rolling around in his cage, laughing loudly.

"Oh that was good!" he roared with glee. "Can we keep him?"

'No because you have to send him and his friends back to their world' said Naruto flatly.

"You're right...I get to call the shots."

"Anyways, what I'm saying is that you should just take charge of your life and do it with your nakama. Being alone is more painful than getting hurt after all" explained Luffy as he turned to look at the ninja.

"Ya..." said Naruto nodding "but didn't you say yourself that I'm weak? My track record hasn't been that great and only because I've had back up I'm made it out alive. How can I protect myself, let alone Hinata? Which keep in mind, I haven't been very successful in either."

"Then just become stronger" he said seriously. "I have my ambition, you have your ambition too. Which means you should just keep walking forward towards that goal. And if you don't risk your life, you can't create a future. Right?"

Naruto looked at him for a moment before laughing as he shook his head. "Simple and straight to the point. You're right, you're right. I'll take a page out of your book and just go for it. To our ambitions" he said holding up his mug of ale.

"To our ambitions" grinned Luffy holding up his own mug.

"Take what you can..."

"...and give nothing back."

The two teenagers knocked their drinks together and both took deep swigs. Luffy grinned his trademark grin which quickly entice for Naruto to do the same. For the blond, his beverage was beginning to taste sweeter and the stars above him shined a little brighter. His eyes slowly drifted back to earth and he looked at his village once more, almost of this was the last time he was going to see it again. It was then that his eyes landed on the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

Amongst the partying villagers, he saw a young woman with snow white skin and dark indigo hair. She wore a black and purple yukata covered in white and violet Forget-Me-Nots along with a violet outlined temari with a violet obi, hair tied up with jade hair sticks into a half bun half pony tail, and adorned with a small bouquet of flowers. It took him a moment to realize but it was none other than his Hinata.

His Hinata. That was something he thought he'd ever say. But then again he never thought he'd give up on being Hokage because he fought against a pirate from another world. "Just roll with it" was becoming his new motto and decided to make his move.

"Speaking of taking risks..." he said finishing off his beer and tossed the mug behind him where it crashed onto the ground "if you would excuse me, Luffy." The ninja grabbed the railing in front of him and hoisted himself over it, dropping to the village streets bellow more gracefully than he normally did. Taking a deep breath, he began walking towards the young kunoichi who had not yet spotted him. "Hey, Hinata."

The heiress jumped a little not expecting to hear her crush's voice and nervously turned around. "K-Konbanwa Naruto-kun" she replied, realizing how anxious she was for Naruto to see her in such attire. Lucky for her it already took his breath away and did even more so now that he was face to face with her. The sweet smell of the perfume she wore mixed with the flowers in her hair was honestly more intoxicating than the beer and it placed a rather goofy smile on his face.

"You look amazing" he said honestly, making Hinata blush deeply.

"A-Arigatou, Naruto-kun. S-So do you" she responded, though stuttering a little as she saw his was still wearing nothing but his pants as his upper half was still wrapped with a few white bandages. Despite him being enclosed however, Hinata was still able to see the outline of his well toned body; something that she had not noticed during their confession earlier that day.

"Bah you can be honest. I don't really own anything other than my jumpsuit if you don't include a t-shirt and my pjs. For some reason I couldn't fit into that t-shirt and my jumpsuit is totally ruined so I'm stuck with this for now. I knew I'd be underdressed but next to you I look even worse" he said rubbing the back of his head, embarrassed by his lack of proper dress; a first for the blond.

"Well I can help you pick out some clothes when you have some free time."

"I'd like that a lot. Thank you, Hinata-chan."

Immediately the heiress' cheeks became flushed by her new honorific, something that she had wanted to hear her entire life. Naruto then blushed himself realizing that the suffix had slipped out, but was delighted to see how happy it made her.

Unbeknownst to the couple however, were Nami, Robin, and Tsunade watching them eagerly, anxious for what was about to unfold. They grew even more impatient when a long pause lingered between the two teenagers. It was finally Naruto who broke the silence.

"Hinata-chan..." he said before swallowing and taking a short breath "would you care for a dance?"

This took the Hinata by surprise as she had not expected him to ask such a thing. "I-I don't want to be rude Naruto-kun, but I did not know you could dance" she said honestly. This made the jinchuriki's cheeks burn but he did his best to remain composed.

"I don't but I still want to" he proclaimed, trying to remain resolute as he held out his hand.

Hinata blinked twice at him before holding up her left hand to his lips and giggled sweetly. Naruto couldn't help blushing even more at the sound of her musical laughter, realizing that it was a sound he wanted to hear more and more. "I see. Well as the heiress to the Hyuuga clan I have learned formal dance. I'll show you how" she said accepting his hand and allowing him to take them both to the dance floor.

It was at that moment that Brook spoke to the party goers.

"Ladies and gentlemen of Konoha, it gives me great pleasure to play for you all, making your spirits rise to the heavens above. But now I must for all the star crossed lovers to stride to the dance floor as I will now play an old love song. And its name...is Salut d'Amour (Greeting of Love)."

The musician then raised his violin once again to his shoulder and rested his bow delicately on the strings. As smoothly as snowflakes falling on a windless day, Brook began to play. The air was filled the sweet sounds of passionate violin and delicate piano as one of the few other musicians in the village was a pianist. The melody was not exactly slow neither was it quick, but instead was well balanced, allowing the lovers bellow to slowly waltz at their own leisure. This was perfect for Naruto and Hinata as the blond had never danced in his life and was doing his best to follow his partner's lead. To his own amazement he hadn't already stepped on her toes, despite how nervous he was. His eyes kept darting down at his feet to further ensure he wasn't messing up and to copy Hinata's movements as best as he could.

But it was when his eyes finally met with the indigo haired woman's did they finally stay put. To call her beautiful would be undermining how gorgeous she actually was. He was immediately lost in her eyes and felt the same emotions that he did right before Ino burst into the hospital room where Hinata was napping. He was mesmerized by the way the party lights shined off her pale skin and how her eyes sparkled. But what was brightest of all was her smile. It gave on a radiance that he had never seen before; as it was the purest and happiest smile he had ever seen in his life. Truly Hinata was living up to her name this night.

Without even realizing it, Naruto had melted into his new girlfriend's arms and relaxed; finally enjoying himself for the first time.

From the sidelines Nami smiled as she watched the young couple dance, clearly able to see the love growing with each passing second. She then heard a familiar burp and turned to see Luffy was finishing off his fifth course atop of the Hokage building and felt her cheeks flush. Knowing this was as good of a time as any to speak to him, she silently slipped away from her companions and made her way to her captain. This of course did not go unnoticed by Robin who simply chuckled lightly to herself.

When the navigator did reach her gluttonous captain, who had not yet noticed her presence, she held back from speaking. She was suddenly incredibly nervous and biting her bottom lip as she was unable to find the right words. She never once dreamed herself to be in such a predicament, but then again she never thought that she would see Arlong defeated, a world that floated above sea, and sailing through a portal to another realm. Quite frankly the sky was the limit at this point and she should have finally become accustom to expecting the unexpected. But alas, she was still green in some areas of being a pirate.

But then again, this particular case had nothing to do with piracy.

Nami finally mustered up her courage and took a step forward. "Luffy" she said as calmly as she could to hide her nervousness. There seemed to be plenty to go around as Luffy leapt into the air in surprise, not expecting to see her so soon.

"N-Nami, what are you doing here?" he asked sweating bullets.

"I-I could ask you the same question. What are you doing here instead of hanging out with the crew?" she challenged, though acknowledging that she sounded colder than she had intended.

"W-Well I just thought that I should eat up here. Food tastes better in the open air" the pirate captain explained, his eyes shifting back and forth. The navigator frowned at this as she knew very well that whenever her commander-in-chief was unable to look someone in the eye that he was lying. She knew she had to press a little harder and did so my taking a step forward.

"Common Luffy, we both know why you've been avoiding me since this morning AND that if you hadn't needed to talk to Tsunade-san you wouldn't have been with the rest of us. You're only making it worse."

Again these words came across as harsh, making the straw hat wearing devil fruit user sweat even more and stare at the ground. Seeing what she was doing to him, Nami quickly felt guilty, though at the same time felt the importance of her reasons to speak to him. He began walking towards him and stopped when she was only a few feet from him. Once again she was at a loss for words and couldn't help blushing and looking down at the ground.

'Why does this have to be so difficult?' she asked herself in annoyance. 'It was only a...a...a'

When Luffy had returned from his shrunken cool down form to his normal state, he had fallen on top of his red haired cartographer. What the rest of his crew as well as the ninjas present had not seen was that when he broke his fall by placing his hands on either side of Nami, he failed to slow himself fast enough and accidently locked lips with her. It wasn't a passionate kiss, nor was it even a peck, but rather their lips touching and froze out of total shock. They looked into each other's eyes when it happened, completely unsure of what to do.

Since then, Luffy had been deathly terrified by what he could only assume what Nami would do to him, given her nature with such things. All he could imagine was Nami engulfed in flames and beating him to a pulp; this made even more terrifying that Nami was somehow able to hurt him even though he was a Rubber man. Luffy trusted Nami with his life and cared for her deeply, but she was without a doubt the most terrifying person he had ever met when she was angry.

The young woman finally made her move to speak, but was stopped by her captain holding up his hands as if in prayer and bowed his head forward.

"Gomen Nami! I didn't mean to do it! Please don't kill me!" he begged sobbing just a little. "I didn't enjoy it, not even for a second!"

Nami stood there with her eyes wide for a moment, before a large throbbing vein appeared on her forehead. "Kono..." she growled holding up her trembling right fist in rage, "YARO!" With all her strength, she punched Luffy in the cheek with such force that his neck stretched and sent his head straight at the strange spikes the protruded from the Hokage tower, where he bounced off of it and flew into another one. His head deflected once more before returning to his body where he grasped the sides of his skull in pain.

"Was it really that bad for you, huh?!" Nami asked, her cheeks flaring up both in anger and embarrassment. "I'm so glad that my first kiss was so greatly appreciated!"

Luffy stopped whining about the pain and looked at his navigator in shock. "Really?" he asked.

"That better not mean what I think it means..." warned Nami preparing to punch him again, but was surprised herself when Luffy grasped her arms and looked her right in the eye very seriously.

"I'm so sorry Nami. I never meant to do this to you."

The red haired woman blushed deeply by how close he was to her and was taken aback by both the look on his face and the tone of his voice. "W-Why are you getting so serious about this?"

"Back when I was a kid, Makino told me that a girl's first kiss was very important to her. I don't really know anything about women but I know that" he explained, his face remaining serious.

To say that Nami was surprised would have been an understatement. Since the first time she had met her captain, she had known him to be childish, hard-headed, and downright crazy. But for just as long she had seen him be very serious and even display wisdom beyond his years. She remembered when Luffy had said he was no longer helping Vivi with saving the Alabasta Kingdom, until she finally woke up to the situation.

"You want to keep everyone from dying? That's naive. It's war. People die."

That's just how Luffy was: devoted and far too honest for his own good. But it was because of those qualities that she had come to respect him, despite her initial hate of him. And it was those moments of honesty that showed just how clever and honorable Luffy was.

Nami tiled her head downward which man Luffy open his mouth to speak. Before he could say anything however, he received a jab in the jaw. It still hurt despite being less powerful, but it was clearly intended as playful; even if Luffy didn't realize it.

"Ow! I'm apologizing, why are you still hitting me?!" he whined.

"Because you're too serious; and I never thought I'd ever say that" she said honestly before smirking. "Listen Luffy, I really appreciate your feelings, honestly I do. Whoever this Makino is, she was right about first kisses."

"She's the bartender at the bar in my home town" explained Luffy. "She was always looking out for me while I was growing up along with Dadan. She always let me eat even though I had no money; I kept putting in my Treasure Tab. Oh ya, I got to pay that off when I go back home."

Nami's smirk turned into a smile as she envisioned Luffy as a child in his home village, running around, dreaming to be a pirate with Ace. While the mental image was rather cute, the navigator still raised her right hand and pinched her captain's right cheek hard.

"So you're going to pay off that debt but not the one you owe me?" she asked maintaining her smile, as the vein on her forehead was throbbing once more.

"Itai! Itai! I promised her that I would when I become a famous pirate! And doesn't all that treasure we keep getting pay off whatever I owe you?"

"Not when you keep spending it all!"

"Ok! Ok! You'll get a big cut next haul we get!"

"Hmm. That's better" Nami said satisfied, finally letting the devil fruit user go.

"Stingy" said Luffy sticking out his tongue as he rubbed his sore cheek. "That's not how I thought my first kiss would go either."

That got Nami's attention.

"It was your first too?" she asked in shock.

"Ya, why are you acting so serious?"

"A-Ah n-no reason" she said defensively whilst blushing, not wanting to display that deep down she was very happy to be his first. "I guess I should have expected that, since it's you after all."

"Me too" he replied nodding. Of course, that was a poor choice of words.

"Come again, Luffy?" Nami asked gearing up for another hit.

"Th-That's not what I meant!" cried the future pirate king holding up his hands. "You're always acting so...adult that I figured you would have kissed someone by now."

This made the navigator pause for a moment, mulling over his words carefully before taking a step forward. "Listen here Monkey D. Luffy..." she said standing just under his nose as her captain was only slightly taller than herself. "I may act flirtatious to get what I want and have no problem with asking for money if anyone wants a peak, but I have not and never will go about whoring myself or use my body to get information if it involves touching. I have my self-respect and I'd much rather jump off Skypiea than lose it. Got it?

And furthermore, because of all I've had to do, both being forced to work for Arlong and sailing under you, I've never had the time to think about dating, let alone actually having a previous relationship. And now that I've got a bounty on my head, all thanks to you plus it will surely go up as long as I remain part of the crew, I'll never have a boyfriend or a husband."

"Well no one's that brave..." slipped out Luffy making him quickly cover his mouth. Nami of course heard his comment and began cracking her knuckles, forcing Luffy to distract her. "S-S-So what are we gonna do now? A-About all this?" he asked.

The cartographer halted her assault and folded her arms to answer the question properly. "Well, we're just going to keep a secret between ourselves. Sanji would lose his mind and would either try to kill you or his spirit would be broken forever. As for the rest of the crew...I'd rather avoid the drama all together. And besides, it was just an accident. It didn't mean anything."

Never had words tasted so bitter before to Nami, not since she had tried to convince Luffy and the rest of the crew that she was never their friend back at Arlong Park. It was something she never wanted to experience again and did not expect to experience it now; but the twang of pain in her heart was very much there and it caused a small lump in her throat.

Not realizing it, but Luffy was feeling similar emotions, also confused to why he felt them. He thought very hard as to why he was feeling the way he did, which inevitably brought forth an awkward silence; one that neither pirate enjoyed in the slightest. It was finally Nami who broke it when she looked down and noticed her captain's straw hat, which she had not seen it fall when she knocked it off his head with her initial punch.

"N-Ne Luffy...can I ask you something?"

"Um...sure" he replied, a little wary.

Swallowing the lump, Nami knelt down and picked up the hat and held it with both hands under the crown. "Why do you trust me with your hat? You're always so protective of it, since it is your treasure after all. But why are you always giving it to me for safe keeping when I'm not one of the strongest on board? Aren't you afraid that something will happen to it?" she asked as truthful and politely as possible.

Luffy blinked at the question as he clearly was not expecting it. "I...don't know" he replied honestly rubbing the back of his head. "I've never really thought about it. It might be because you keep fixing it when it gets damaged I guess. And you're my nakama so of course I trust you."

"But I'm still the one you always entrust your hat with first."

"I just don't know, Nami. Do you want me to stop?"

"N-No, of course not! I want to look after your hat!" she cried out, perhaps a little louder than she planned. "You've done so much for me, leaving me in a debt that I know I'll never be able to pay back in full. If helping you achieve your dream and protect your hat is a good place to start, then I'll gladly do it." She unconsciously grasped the straw hat a little tighter as she looked down at it and prepared to ask another question. "Why do you worry so much about me? Ever since Arlong Park you've always put yourself in so much danger on my behalf. Drum Island, Skypiea, here, and countless times across the sea, you've been there for me. When I was sick you were by my side. You nearly killed yourself carrying me up that mountain to Dr. Kureha and Chopper. Am I...a burden in your eyes?"

"Never!" Luffy shouted loudly making his navigator look up at him. "You are my precious Nakama, Nami, and I'd never let anything happen to you. I love you after all."

3...

2...

1...

"N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-NANI?!" cried Nami, her face completely red. 'Did he just confess to me?! When did this happen?! Is this really happening?! I'm not ready for this!'

"What? I love all my crew and I'd never leave you or anyone behind or let them be hurt" he explained not understanding her outburst. Immediately Nami collapsed to her knees feeling very exhausted.

'He really is going to be the end of me' she told herself, clutching at her chest.

"If you're asking if there is some special reason..." continued Luffy rubbing the back of his head again, but did so while looking away "I made a promise to Pinwheel-ossan that I'd never make you cry...and I always keep my promises. So maybe that's why I worry a little more than I should. I mean, you're my precious nakama and I don't want to lose you; never again."

Nami remained still bellow her timid captain, allowing his words to fill her mind. 'That's just like him' she thought. A warm smile then spread across her face that could not be seen from above by Luffy, and he would not see it when she stood up and she placed his hat on his head in the same manner he did for the first time.

"Arigatou, my captain" she said softly, before leaning under the brim of the straw hat and kissed him on the cheek. Luffy was utterly stunned by her actions and looked up at her with his now flushed cheeks. But he could only see her walking away and wasn't unable to see the happy smile on her face. He raised his left hand slowly and touched his cheek, incapable of comprehending what had just happened.

"Is the world coming to an end?" he asked himself allowed, though he was only now just aware, that for some reason, his cheek no longer hurt.

Down in the centre of the party, Tsunade looked up seeing Nami's return. "There you are, kid! I was thinking that you had got cold feet and ran away" she said.

"Of course not. I just needed to take care of things. Now where were we?" she asked sitting down.

"We were just about to play cards. I'll start off easy until you get a grasp of the game."

"I think that's a bad idea."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"I'm feeling very lucky" explained Nami, smiling brightly.

Not far from the poker game were Naruto and Hinata, still dancing slowly and lost in each other's love. It had been a turbulent few days for the both of them, more than any time before, but now they both stood anew with confidence and hope. They were both looking forward to what new roads lay ahead, what challenges they would have to undertake, and what awaited for them to discover. It was definitely an uncertain path and they were unsure if they would come out on top, but if they did not take the risks, they knew that they would not have that future.

As the final notes were played, they slowly leaned closer together, until their lips finally met, joining and bonding these star crossed lovers at last.

From inside Naruto's mindscape, Kurama lay silently with a smile on his face that would befit a proud father.

"Well done Naruto, well done" he said quietly, watching the young lovers who finally found one another under a moon filled sky.

xXx

The party had continued long into the night until the partygoers could party no more. Now full with food, booze, and sweet memories, they slept deeply and dreamed of good things of the past and what they hoped for the future. But sadly all must wake and it was truly a sad one as the time had come for the Mugiwara to finally head home.

They had traveled with their new ninja friends to the coast where the Thousand Sunny had been anchored before joining the final battle. Now returned to the sea and anchored once more, her crew turned to look upon their new friends knowing that they would never see them again.

"Thank you for everything you had done, Monkey D. Luffy-senchou" said Tsunade bowing courteously. "We will be forever in your debt."

"Hey don't worry about it" he said with his trademark grin. "It was fun!"

"Minus the bloodshed" said Robin.

"And being thrown in a prison cell" added Franky.

"And the torture" grimaced Zoro.

"And the kidnapping" followed up Nami.

"And the broken ribs" said Sanji taking a drag.

"Plus the endless surgeries" remembered Chopper.

"Not to mention the world nearly ending" reminded Usopp.

"But it was still fun" finished Luffy still smiling away.

The Hokage just shook her head. "I don't know how you all do it, but I just hope you all keep doing it for as long as possible."

"Do not worry miss, for as long as our hearts beat in our breasts, we shall carry on till the very ends of the earth" chimed in Brook poetically. "Sadly for me, both my heart and my breast have rotted away since decades past. SKULL JOKE!"

"Regardless, parting as friends instead of enemies is a very refreshing event" said Gaara, "And we thank you all for it." As he ended his sentence, he felt Matsuri next to him and smiled, remembering their time the previous evening.

"Yes it is" said Nami smiling, though she felt a little sad that they were leaving.

"Good luck, Luffy" said Tsunade holding out her hand.

"Mm. Same to you" he said accepting her handshake.

"Goodbye and please forgive the misunderstanding" said Gaara bowing, along with Matsuri, Temari, and a reluctant Kankuro.

"It is quite alright. Goodbye, Sandman-san" said Brook returning the bow.

"You better not try to get some last minute training advice from me" warned Zoro as he looked down at Tenten.

"Don't worry Roronoa-san, I'll find my own way. I just want to say thank you for showing me the error of my ways and how to correct them. Best of luck, Rononoa Zoro-sensei."

"What did I say about call me-"

"And as a token of my gratitude, I want to give you this bottle of sake."

"Ooo that's a nice one" complimented the first mate genuinely admiring the gift.

"You changed tone real quick" said Usopp with his arms folded.

"Shitty Marimo" mutter Sanji not too pleased.

"Arigatou gozaimas, Usopp-san" said Neji and Rock Lee unanimously.

"It was an honor meeting you both as well as fighting you, Sanji-san" continued the spandex wearing ninja.

"Yamero, you're making me blush~" said Usopp rubbing the back of his head, clearly enjoying the praise.

"Take care, and make sure you eat and train better so your bones don't break so easily" said the chief offering his hand.

"Ha ha same to you!" laughed Lee accepting the handshake graciously.

"Oh by the way, did you two finally go on a date at the party?" whispered the sniper leaning in between Tenten and Neji. The pair blushed at the question, as memories from the previous night flashed before their eyes. Neji had been on his own as parties were not his forte, but ended up bumping into a "slightly" drunk Tenten. Due to her intoxication, the young weapons mistress began to berate him over her annoyance: firstly for Zoro refusing to train her, and secondly for Neji not noticing her feelings. This left the flushed and confused stoic Hyuuga to tend to his intoxicated friend until she passed out.

The next morning, Tenten awoke to find that she was not in her room, but instead in Neji's. While they did not consummate their romance that night, the pair assumed that they did and became very embarrassed. Even after confirming that nothing had occurred, the two older teens had been unable to look one another in the eye and did their best to save face; which they were both failing to do at this very moment.

"Sayonara, Nara Shikamaru" said Robin politely.

"Aa, ja na, Nico Robin. You really are the most amazing shogi player I have ever played against" he said honestly.

"Arigatou. You are a very good player yourself. I haven't faced a challenge like that in ages."

"But my record it 1 to 207, and I'm fairly sure you threw that last much as a farewell gift."

Robin chuckled. "Perhaps I did and perhaps I didn't."

"Sayonara, Chopper-kun!" cried Ino hugging the man-reindeer tightly. "I'll miss you!"

"I'll miss you too" said Chopper, tears streaming down his face. "Keep studying, Ino-san. You'll be an amazing doctor one day. And thank you, Choji-san for all the sweets and cotton candy. They were the best."

"You're welcome. I brought some more for you take back with you" said the Akimichi heir holding up a bag filled to the brim with desserts.

"ARIGATOU!"

"See ya bro!" said Killer B fist bumping Franky. "Kick ass, take names, and always steal the show!"

"Same to you, aniki. Always do things in a super manner and never look back. Say bye to your brother for me" said the cyborg.

"I will."

"Goodbye Hinata. I'll miss you terribly" said Nami, tears in her eyes and hugging the Hyuuga heiress tightly.

"I'll miss you too, Nami-san. Thank you for everything" replied Hinata with tears of her own as she returned the hug. "I'll never forget you."

"Oi, what do you mean 'for everything'? I'm the one who should be saying thank you. If it wasn't for you we would have still be stuck in those prison cells."

"With your strength, there is no force that could keep you or anyone of your crew down, Nami-san. Be safe on your journey and I hope you achieve your dream."

The navigator laughed and grinned mischievously. "I'd wish you the same, but it looks like you've already accomplished your dream" she said in hushed voice as she looked over to Naruto. Hinata blushed because of it, but could not suppress the smile on her face as she remembered their first kiss.

"Ja na, Naruto" said Luffy holding up his right hand.

"See ya, Luffy. I can't thank you enough for what you've done. Thank you" said the blond sincerely, accepting the Predator handshake and squeezed as hard as Luffy did.

"Don't worry about it. All you've got to do now is just keep moving towards your dream."

"That's the problem: I don't really know what my dream is now" Naruto admitted. "I stayed up all night thinking about what I'm supposed to do with my life now that I've given up on becoming Hokage. Sure I wanna see the world and I want to get much stronger, but for what? What new path do I set myself on when I don't even know the destination? Yeah there's still Akatsuki and they need to be stopped, but I keep thinking about the other jinchuriki. By now Killer B and I are the only ones left and destroying the men who hunted them down won't bring them back or make up that I didn't go looking for them when I should have.

I'm tired of being anger over things that I don't see the point to be. I've given up my hate for the village because I have nothing to prove to them, I've given up on my hate for the Yondaime as he did what he did because he was tricked; Kurama explained it to me, and I've given up my constant anger than I can't even take out on the guilty. What am I supposed to do?"

As he should have expected, Luffy merely smiled. "Don't sweat over the small stuff. You'll figure out your dream soon enough. You just need to find it, but don't go looking for it. I'll show itself to you and you'll know it when you see it. That's how it always goes" the pirate captain said reassuringly.

"Just like that? I just throw caution to the wind and go for it without worrying about failing or dying?"

Luffy placed his right hand atop the crown of his straw hat hand removed it from his head before holding it out in front of him; in between himself and Naruto at eye level. "I've set myself to become the King of Pirates...and if I die trying...then at least I tried" he said, with eyes filled with both a steady seriousness and a wild fiery passion.

Naruto saw those intertwined emotions and knew that Luffy spoke the truth as well as displaying true resolution. For a moment he felt as if he saw something familiar in those eyes, something that he had seen before. And then it hit him. He knew those eyes. Kurama had those eyes as well, but while Luffy's had fiery passion, the Lord of Foxes' had fiery rage. No wonder the he was so fixated on them.

"So reckless" said Naruto finally, sighing with a smirk on his face. "Alright, I'll go through the world on my own to find my dream." He then paused for a moment and looked to his side. "Well...not entirely on my own." He reached out with his left hand to Hinata's and took it gently. She turned to him in surprise, but quickly smiled and laced her fingers with his.

"Pardon me kit," said Kurama, "I don't mean to intervene with your tender moment, but I would like to say a few words to Mugiwara no Luffy before we send him and his crew home."

'Sure go ahead.'

The blond closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again, revealing his once azure eyes were now a demonic red that burned like a furnace.

"So this is where we part ways, future Pirate King" Kurama stated in an earnest voice. "I cannot thank you enough for what you and your men have done for us."

"Oi oi, all this thanking is getting annoying" sighed Luffy rubbing his right eye. "All we did was kick some ass because we got pushed around."

"Because that is what this world needed: to get its ass kicked. As I told you before lad, this place is not longer what is once was, as it has turned into a home for evil to grow and good men to do nothing. I believe that your coming to this world was no accident and what you have done has saved us all, placing us on the path of redemption. This is why we are thanking you, Monkey D. Luffy, for cutting away the lies and exposing the secrets, and ultimately opening the doors to a new future. We say thank you because no other words seem to be enough" explained the Fox King.

"Speaking of secrets and doors, I've been meaning to ask you a question" said Nami. "While I was in the map room in the Hokage Tower, I found a map of sorts that showed there was a large secret chamber beneath the tower. I heard from some of the locals that when Naruto lost control they were led to this secret chamber but only got as far as the large tunnel entrance because they couldn't open the doors. No one here seems to have known about the chamber before now. Would you happen to know what's in there?"

It was clear to the old kami that Nami was interested in treasures and assumed that there must be some hidden bellow ground. He grinned mischievously at her way of thinking as she was both wrong and right. Perhaps he would tell her the truth.

"I know very well what is down there, my dear. It hasn't been opened in decades for it holds many secrets that mortal men keep trying to forget. Shall I tell you what lies sleeping bellow?" asked Kurama.

As ominous as Kurama's response was, the navigator's natural born curiosity was demanding to know the truth; and given that she would never know the answer after leaving this world, it was her only chance. She nodded silently making the old fox grin even wider. He leaned forward so that his lips were next to her left ear, and began to tell her the contents of the hidden chamber.

As he whispered into her ear, Nami's eyes began to widen in shock, not expecting what the truth was. She could not have been more off course and knowing what she knew now made her feel almost sick to her stomach.

"I-I am so sorry I-" she began but was stopped by Kurama placing his left index finger onto her lips while he placed his other index finger onto his own.

"Shhh. Do not fret. For now, let it just be our little secret. Alright, my dear?"

Nami stared at him and his grin with uncertainty. It wasn't that the secret was horrible, she had heard and seen far worse in her life, but it was still enough of a shock that she understood a great deal more about this particular god as well as his actions and feelings. Great secrets indeed.

"Yes" she said finally, not wanting to arouse everyone's suspicions.

"Good~" smiled Kurama warmly. Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw Luffy was flaring his nostrils at him with a rather unhappy glare upon his brow. This only made the trickster chuckle. "It seems I should apologize. I've made your boyfriend quite jealous."

This quickly changed Luffy's attitude as well as Nami's as they both blushed in embarrassment. Before either one of them could say anything in their defense however, Sanji burst out laughing.

"Luffy!? With Nami-san?!" the cook laughed before becoming very serious. "Hell would have to freeze over twice before Nami-san would even begin to think of this idiot in that way. And furthermore, there's nothing in his head other than food and the One Piece. There's no room for women."

"Nu huh. Adventure, exploring, drinking, and Nakama too!" correct Luffy sticking out his tongue.

"Case in point."

"Yoko-san," said Robin turning the attention of both the pirates and the ninjas onto herself "you are capable of sending us to own world correct?"

"Certainly" replied Kurama as he folded his arms. "Over the past few days my strength has grown considerably, and along with the help of Gyuuki, we shall be able to send you back home."

"How do you even do that? Are there set paths to places you've never been to or even seen?" asked Nami.

"A wise question from a wise cartographer, and you would normally be correct, but in this case there are special factors in play" explained the Kyuubi. "Gods can travel from the Demon Plane to the Living World with ease on both predetermined routes and ones created out of thin air. But when someone or something does not have the predisposition for crossing worlds does it, they leave a trail behind. Think of a tunnel where you only toss soil behind you and not entirely out of the tunnel. If we locate this collapsed tunnel, then we have your way home."

The Straw Hats nodded at the explanation as it was simple enough to follow, given if they stayed away from the specifics. Luffy then slapped his right fist into the palm of his left hand.

"So it's a Mystery Tunnel?" he said.

"Well done, kozou!" chanted Kurama clapping enthusiastically.

'So even gods have a sense of humor?' everyone thought.

"Well then, it's time we sent you on your way. I wish you all the best. Become the king you dream to be, Monkey D. Luffy."

Luffy grinned confidently and held up a clenched fist. "Damn straight" he said proudly. "I'm pretty sure Naruto can hear me, but if he can't let him know that you aren't a bad guy and you can teach him a lot. You remind me a lot of Shanks too."

Kurama grinned "Well isn't that a nice thing to say. Arigatou, Monkey-senchou. And yes, he knows."

The two locked eyes for one final moment before the captain of the Mugiwara Kaizoku-dan, along with his crew, began to climb back into their ship. From the bow of the Sunny, they looked back down at the ninjas who were calling up their final goodbyes. One of them was meant for Nami.

"Don't give up, Nami-san!" shouted Hinata. "He'll come around!"

The navigator blushed at her new friend's words, but nodded and waved back knowing that anything was possible. As the crew continued to shout down bellow, Luffy shouted above them all to raise anchor and prepare to sail into the open sea. Quickly Franky jumped into action and retrieved the anchor and prepared to turn the Sunny around. Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, and Chopper all climbed up the masts where they unfurled the sails, allowing their shipwright to turn their ship to the horizon. Now it was up to the demon gods.

"Shall we?" asked Kurama with a grin.

"Yes, let's" said Gyuuki as Killer B's eyes turned into a demon green. Both demons took a stance where their left hands were held low with their palms facing the ground, and their right hands held over their heads without bending their arms and their palms facing the sky. From their bodies came a glowing aura of their receptive colour as they began to chant under their breaths in a language no one present could understand. Gaara was able to understand some words here and there, but was unable to translate the spells completely.

When the Thousand Sunny was a hundred yards from shore, the two demon lords each launched a fire ball at the ship which made it burst into flames. The flames quickly turned into a dark violet making the vessel look even more otherworldly. It was then that the beakhead began to vanish into thin air as did the rest of the ship as it sailed forward. Luffy turned around one last time to look at the world he would never see again and wondered what would happen to them; the ninjas and the demons. When he had first arrived he had an immediate dislike of the world and for good reason. But now he was actually a little sad he was leaving. He had wanted to ask Hinata if she would like to join his crew, but for some reason he felt that would have been wrong, not to mention he knew she would immediately reject the offer.

After all, they all had their own dreams to accomplish.

"NARUTO! HINATA!" he shouted as loud as he could, managing to get both their attentions. "NO MATTER HOW HARD OR IMPOSSIBLE IT IS, NEVER LOSE SIGHT OF YOUR GOAL! YOU GOT IT?!"

Hinata smiled at the pirate's advice and waved back shouting that she understood and would do her best. Naruto, who had switched back with Kurama, looked upon the disappearing young man with great respect and admiration. He took a deep breath before shouting louder than he had ever shouted before.

"DAMN RIGHT! EVEN IF MY LIFE IS SHORT, I'LL MAKE IT A LIFE YOU'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO LIVE TWICE!"

Luffy smiled his trademark smile one final time, before he vanished with the rest of his crew and ship; never to be seen again. From shore, the ninjas remain silent, unsure of how to feel seeing their new friends had left their world forever. They began thinking over all that had happened, as well as all that they had learned; for better and for worse.

It was finally Tsunade who broke the silence, deciding it was best not to sulk so far from home.

"Let's go home everyone. You'll catch your death if you stay in the wind for too long" she insisted as she began walking away from the sea.

"I still had so many questions" said Naruto aloud, still looking at the horizon. "I want to ask them all more about their world, their dreams, their adventures. But now it's too late. I'll never see them again."

"You never know, kit' said Kurama from within the mindscape. "While it is more likely they will never return here and you will never go to their world, anything could happen. You just need to keep your mind open and your eyes sharp."

"Speaking of questions, I've had one ever since the battle between the Straw Hats and us" asked Tsunade turning to look at the Hyuuga heiress. "Hinata, how did you find the ANBU headquarters? You have nowhere near the required rank or credentials to know that kind of secret information and the only people that do know would much sooner die than share said information. Furthermore, there are special seals placed all over the HQ so that no one, not even a Hyuuga, could see through. So how did you find it?"

The question was valid and it most definitely caught the curiosity of all who were present, making Hinata a little nervous. She knew however that she would not be charged with treason, all thanks to the Straw Hats, so she decided to tell her Kage what happened.

"When I was trying to find the headquarters, I was having no luck at all. I knew there was no one I could ask but trying to find it on my own was impossible. Then while I was running through the village, I bumped in an ANBU member" explained the indigo haired woman.

"An ANBU member?" echoed Kakashi, a little displeased by the direction of the young kunoichi's story.

"Hai. He was a tall man dressed in a black ANBU cloak. His mask was that of a wolf, but instead of being red and white, it was red and black, and only covered half of his face. The mask had ears as well along with 'fur', both with a strange pattern carved into them. I could see much inside his hood, but I could see that there were raven feathers dangling from the mask and real wolf fur was on his shoulders and neck. He was the one who told me where the ANBU headquarters was and how to enter it; saying that it was clear to him what the purpose of the Mugiwara Kaizoku-dan were and they must be set free."

The was an eerie pause when Hinata concluded her story, as the higher ranked brass of the village of Konoha looked at one another uneasily.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked, realizing right away that something was amiss.

The Godaime turned to look at the blond. "A red and black ANBU mask? I've never heard of such a thing" she said with a hint of worry in her voice. "What about you, Kakashi?"

"There is no one in the current roster that wears a mask like that. I did know someone who would wear something like that, but he was never in the ANBU and he died in battle nearly 16 years ago" replied the son of the Shiroi Kiba.

"Regardless, that mask wouldn't be regulation" added Marino. "All Konoha ANBU masks must be white and red and no one is allowed any form of personal alterations. I'm also willing to bet my right arm that no one in ROOT has a mask like that either."

"What about Hunter Nins or ANBU from other countries?" asked Genma.

"Hunter Nin masks are very plain in design with almost no facial features of any kind. And as for ANBU of other countries, their masks are not that different from our own" answered Kakashi.

"My ANBU do not even wear masks. They simply a piece of cloth that protects them from the winds of the desert" added Gaara.

"And even if it was an ANBU member from a different nation, how could they have known about the location of the HQ?" Marino reasoned.

"Could there be a mole amongst us?" asked Tsunade.

"Impossible. I'm more than willing to bet both my arms on that. I cannot believe that such a person exists."

"Hinata is not a liar, so what she is telling us is the truth" defended Tsunade.

Naruto looked at them all with a serious look on his face. "If he's not one of ours, and we're fairly sure that he isn't of the enemy's, then who the hell was he?" he asked. Everyone remained silent, as they could not find an answer to the jinchuriki's very important question.

xXx

Miles away from the shores of Hi no Kuni's eastern coast, was an outcrop that lay deep in the forest. At the base of the outcrop was an entrance, but one you could not see unless you knew where to look. Within the rock was a chamber where a single flicking light illuminated the room. It stood upon a desk where a figure sat on an old chair. It was clearly a very tall man wearing a long black coat trimmed with black wolf fur and raven feathers. He was slumped over the desk writing into an old leather bound journal, using a large raven feather as a quill. He then dotted his final sentence and placed the quill back into the ink bottle. He eyed his handy work before grinning a wide and excited grin.

"And so it begins" he said, closing the book just hard enough for it to echo throughout the chamber.

THE END

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Coming soon...The Soul of the Fox and the Eagle Chapter 18: Soaring Love, Surging Power

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