Oh yea, I'm going there. What story about ninjas is complete without them fighting pirates?
Thanks again to Lunar-Chakra for giving me the idea of chakra saturation. It really ties a lot of things together for me.
"Care to explain why my student is so spooked, Captain?" Hiroto said through a yawn as he walked onto the bridge of the Kujira. The rest of Team Five and Yancha were in tow. The captain noted that the smallest boy was now carrying a long black case he hadn't seen before.
"Cause one o' me crew was found dead in tha hold," Kyoha responded seriously, "I didn't take ta ferryin' shinobi fer no reason."
"Getting paid for me to protect your ship," Hiroto raised a brow, "That's good business sense."
"Glad ya find this funny," the captain bristled at the jonin's tone, "They mean ta take tha ship."
Hiroto's face grew serious, "I don't find this funny, Captain. Tell me the situation."
"Me first mate found Furui lyin' in a pool o' blood ten minutes ago," the Captain informed him, "This is tha first time they killed one o' us."
"This happens often?" Hiroto queried while looking back at Hotaka, who seemed to take the news of the old man dying quite hard.
"They come up from Wave and take some supplies," Kyoha answered, "Not enough ta put a big dent in tha profits, so I just let 'em go."
"Looks like their tired of taking you down a ryo at a time," Hiroto stretched, "They want a bigger score."
"Me ship is worth millions alone," Kyoha told him, "Tha cargo is worth just as much. Tha dogs'll kill us all just ta have it."
"Since saving your ship is necessary for my current mission, you won't be getting a bill from Konoha," the jonin finished his stretching, "Osamu... exactly how sensitive are you?"
"I can feel everyone on the ship, if that's what you're asking," the boy answered, "I don't know the crew well enough to tell them apart from anyone else, though."
"Is there a way we can make it easier for you?" Hiroto asked, "I would really rather not fight Kami knows how many pirates on my own."
"You have us," Hotaka said grimly.
"That's true," Hiroto turned to him, "But you and Masaru have a different task. These pirates didn't swim. Sweep the sides of the ship and destroy any vessel riding with us."
"By destroy, you mean..." Masaru trailed off his question.
Hiroto answered by miming an explosion with his hands.
"Can do, Sensei," Masaru and Hotaka exited the bridge together. Hiroto briefly considered calling them back so they could get whatever intel Osamu could provide, but he decided that they needed to learn from their mistakes at some point. They were just going against pirates after all.
"I think I can do something," Osamu said slowly, "But I'll need physical contact with each crew member."
"Captain?" Hiroto turned to Kyoha.
The man answered by picking up a microphone from the console in front of him. He pressed a button on it's base and spoke into it, and his voice boomed out all over the ship, "This is tha captain speaking. All hands ta tha bridge immediately. All hands ta tha bridge."
XxXxXxX
Kakashi clandestinely eyed his students sitting around their campfire from behind his orange book. He worried after their safety in the coming weeks, but there was little he could do. Little except prepare them as best he could.
"I think it's about time we got into more advanced stuff," he remarked nonchalantly, turning a page he hadn't bothered to read, "I think I'll teach you three a technique each."
"Really!" Naruto jumped up in excitement, "Is it gonna be some some super awesome battle technique!?"
"Nope," Kakashi turned another page to really drive the disappointment home, "But they will be very useful."
"What are we going to learn, Sensei?" Sakura asked politely. He could see a bit of excitement in her eyes.
"I'm going to teach you a variation of the Kawarimi," he explained, setting down his book, "It's the one I used in the last attack. You leave behind an illusion of a successful attack. It works great for removing yourself from a fight."
"What about me, Sensei?" Naruto pouted, "Why can't I learn that one?"
"Well..." Kakashi shrugged helplessly, "Because your chakra control sucks."
Naruto hung his head, "I know..."
"I do have a technique you might find useful," Kakashi told him, bringing a hopeful smile back to the blonde's face, "It requires a lot of chakra and no finesse."
"Sounds perfect for the dobe," Sasuke remarked with a smirk.
"I actually think it will be," Kakashi replied before Naruto could get angry, "It's the same technique I used to bury you up to your neck."
Naruto sent a mischievous grin at his rival, " I am so in."
"As for Sasuke..." Kakashi considered his massive repertoire of jutsu, "I think a new Katon will be good. The one I'm considering has a lot of defensive applications. That's rare for that element."
Sasuke let off his glaring at Naruto to quirk an eyebrow at his Sensei. It was a sure sign of his interest.
XxXxXxX
It only took five minutes for the whole crew to gather. There were a few missing, but the rest of the ships fifty men were standing nervously listening to a preteen explain what he was about to do to them.
"It's harmless," Osamu started out, "I'm going to place some of my chakra in your system. You may see or hear some things for a few seconds, but that should pass."
"What's this devil child really gonna do ta us?" someone near the center of the mass asked.
"If anyone calls Osamu anything like that again," Hiroto said casually while twirling a kunai around his pinky, "I will personally ensure they never enjoy the company of a woman again."
"I gather tha kid's a sensor," Kyoha sent a half hearted glare at the jonin, "He can't tell ya from tha priates without doin' this, though."
Seeing that their captain was for the plan, the sailors agreed, grudgingly, to submit to Osamu's impromptu technique.
"So what are ya doin' exactly?" the captain asked him as he worked.
"I have a few unique gifts," Osamu hedged, touching a glowing palm to a sailor's arm, "I can sense people from a distance. I noticed that any time I used a technique during training, my target carried an echo of my aura for a while... Is this making sense?"
"I think I get ya," Kyoha replied. He turned to Hiroto, "Yer probably tha most combat experienced person on tha ship. What should we do?"
"What are the primary objectives when attempting to seize a ship?" Hiroto answered with a question of his own.
"Take tha engine room and stop tha thing," right on cue they heard constant rumble of the engines slowly die, "Next will be tha armory, then tha bridge."
"You have an armory?" Hiroto questioned with surprise.
"Course," the Captain retorted incredulously, "You don't spend much time on tha sea, do ya?"
"Alright," he ignored the jibe, "Osamu, what's the next step after taking an objective?"
"Secure and protect it," the boy answered as he finished up with the last few sailors.
"Good," Hiroto nodded in approval, "How many can you sense down there?"
"There are three distinct blobs," Osamu answered, closing his eyes to make use of his reikimokushi better, "Can't tell more than that."
"Can you use your chakra to increase your sensitivity?" Hiroto asked him, "Like hearing or scent."
"Never actually tried..." Osamu frowned at the thought, "I was always trying to shut it out."
"Try it," Hiroto ordered him.
Osamu complied, and the effect was immediately noticeable. He began to glow again, but this time the waves seemed to be flowing into him instead of out. His face screwed up in obvious pain, but he didn't stop.
"There's a large group, fifteen, in what I think is the engine room," he gritted out, "There's a group of ten more moving about two or three decks up."
He grew quiet for a moment and pressed his hands to his temples, "Two more groups of five in the hold... they just split up. I can sense a small group that's probably off the ship. Six of them."
His aura disappeared suddenly and he took a ragged breath, "That's all of them."
"Good job, Osamu," Hiroto put a hand on his shoulder and a radio in his hand, "I just need you to track the groups now."
The boy nodded and clipped the earpiece and microphone assembly to his lobe while Hiroto began to split up the crew into sweep team. Most of them were already armed.
"Captain," Hiroto turned to the sailors' leader, "Osamu will direct them to the enemy. I'm trusting them to know the ship well enough to have a home field advantage."
"Ya don't expect me ta sit on me ass while me boys are fightin'?" Kyoha asked indignantly.
"I expect you to stay here and protect our best chance of keeping casualties to a minimum," he pointed to Osamu, "He can fight, but he's not as durable as the other two."
The captain nodded reluctantly, "I'll die afore anyone lays a hand on him."
"Good," Hiroto turned back to the crew, "I've got the engine room. The rest of you sweep the ship. Follow Osamu's directions."
He passed a radio to each team leader and assigned a number to each one. They all left shortly after.
After they were gone, Osamu looked down at his golden feline, "Follow Hiroto-sensei and back him up."
The cat regarded him for a moment before flicking her ears in a feline shrug and trotting off after the jonin.
XxXxXxX
"Found it," Masaru whispered to Hotaka as they crept along the railing of the upper deck.
"Where?" Hotaka asked, "His eyes were turned inward so that no hostiles could sneak up on them.
"Right below us. Listen..." Masaru ordered as he partially lifted his shirt to access some of the seals he'd painted on his torso.
Hotaka did as he was told despite his curiosity about his friends new adornments. He could just make out an odd rhythm in the waves breaking on the side of the ship. He supposed that's what Masaru was referring to. The large boy was currently unsealing a large spool of rope from his oblique region.
"I thought you said that was dangerous..." Hotaka said, indicating the new seal.
"It is," Masaru confirmed with a smirked, "That's why I'm doing it. No one will want to hold onto a potential living bomb."
Hotaka couldn't argue with that logic as he helped tie a pair of lines for them to rappel down the side of the Kujira. Their lines secure, they each took one and leapt over the rails. They slowed their descent only enough to prevent injury when they landed on the deck of the pirate ship that was like a shark to a whale next to the Kujira.
By happenstance the two teens landed on either side of the two men watching the boat and an opening in the Kujira. It looked as if the pirates had somehow pried open one of the side doors used in loading and offloading smaller cargo from the ship. Both of their eyes opened wide at the appearance of shinobi, and they began to draw their blades.
Hotaka allowed his drop to carry him into a crouch where he then uncoiled his powerful legs again. He jumped up into a spin that carried the heel of his foot into the side of his target's head. There was a sickening snap as the pirates spine buckled under the sudden force, and his body was carried over the side of the small boat.
Masaru's opponent managed to get his blade out, but couldn't ready it before the teen's steel toed boot shot up into his gut. He doubled over in pain. Masaru summoned a kunai from his palm seal and jabbed it up into the pirates face before he could recover. His additional strength training showed in the attack; he managed to punch straight through his victim's skull and jab the blade deep into his brain.
Masaru and Hotaka stood for a moment staring at the body left on the deck.
"Did we just do that?" Masaru whispered to his friend.
"Yea..." Hotaka answered just as stunned.
"NINJA!" a cry sounded from further back on the ship, "NINJA ON THE SHIP!"
Four more pirates appeared around them from various places. The two shinobi automatically stood back to back.
"They're fuckin' kids!" one of the pirates, a behemoth of a man with a shaggy black beard and no discernible weapons.
"Tell that ta Daiki," another, this one with a hook nose, yellow eyes, and a pair of cutlasses, "Tha biggun just put a damn knife through his noggin."
"We got 'em two ta one," the third scoffed. He had a top-knot of straw colored hair. His weapon's seemed to be a set of claws on each hand, "And they ain't got surprise like shinobi need."
The last man, a stocky, almost square shaped man with beady eyes, pulled an axe from his back and grunted his agreement.
"Them or us," Hotaka said to his friend.
"Us or them," Masaru agreed grimly.
Hotaka stood in the second stance of his style, his body turned to provide a smaller target and his hands up to protect his face with the palms facing out.
Masaru set himself in the basic stance of Goken, his feet shoulder width apart with one hand out in front and the other cocked by his side.
The pirates charged as one, unaffected by the rocking of their ship. Masaru was the first to take one out. He turned his forward hand towards the cutlass wielding pirate and launched a kunai with enough speed to cut the air. His target crumpled shortly after the blade entered his guts.
This only seemed to enrage the axe wielding pirate. He came in with lightning fast chops of his two handed weapon, forcing Masaru into a defensive posture. The boy managed to summon a kunai into either hand to parry the heavy weapon with. He couldn't afford to dodge, or Hotaka would end up with the axe in his back.
For his part, Hotaka was finding his opponents to be very synergistic with one another. The big shaggy man attacked in patterns reminiscent of a bear, swiping his big hands like massive paws. His counter part with the claws would dart in between the heavier but slower attacks to keep Hotaka from retaliating. He might have used some of the footwork that had earned his style its name, but he was worried that the pirate he didn't take down would go for his friends back.
The problem with their strategy became quickly apparent to the melee specialist, though. They had an obvious pattern to their attacks. One that Hotaka began to time. Once he was sure he had it down, he shot a knife hand straight out right after a swipe of the bear man's hand. His timing was perfect and he caught the smaller man right in the throat. Hotaka had struck out with all his strength, and Top-knot fell away gasping for air that couldn't enter through his crushed trachea.
The axe-man's furry soon played out, and his attacks became sluggish with fatigue. Masaru took a chance and threw one of his kunai at his enemy's face. As he expected, the veteran fighter managed to interpose the head of his axe and deflect the projectile. Masaru took the time that bought him to pull a small paper pouch from his equipment bag. He threw this right behind the kunai, right as his opponent was lowering the axe. It caught him full in the face and burst into a cloud of red dust that clung to the man's skin.
The pirate began to scream in inarticulate pain as the substance, a mixture of powdered pepper and a contact poison Anko had given him, began to burn his skin and eyes. Unable to see, the pirate fell when Masaru put a burst of three kunai right into his chest.
The final pirate didn't last much longer. With his partner out of the fight, Hotaka was able to step into his guard where his powerful swipes couldn't do much damage. The small boy began to furiously punch and knee his enemy in the abdomen. The bear-like man proved durable, but eventually fell to the chakra enhanced onslaught, his organs pulped to a mess.
The two boys stood panting for a good thirty seconds surveying their gruesome work.
"Them or us..." Hotaka repeated quietly.
"Us or them..." Masaru agreed. After a moment to catch his breath he looked at his friend, "We need to find the engine so I can blow this thing."
Hotaka snapped out of his post combat daze, "What?"
"I think this thing runs on diesel," Masaru began heading for a door that led into the ships interior, "If it does, I can use the fuel tanks to enhance the explosion and save on material."
His thin friend nodded his understanding and followed the large teen down into the belly of the ship. Soon after they were hanging from their lines watching the boat drift away under it's own power.
"That should be good," Masaru said to himself once it got far enough away. He pulled out a small handheld device with an antenna coming from the top. He squeezed it tightly in his hand, then pressed a red button next to the antenna. Their task was completed with a massive explosion that sheered the boat in half. It disappeared below the waves in under a minute.
"That was crazy," Hotaka said as the last of the wreckage drifted out of sight in the mist.
"Yea..." was all Masaru answered with before beginning the climb back up to the top deck.
XxXxXxX
"Can't sleep?" Kakashi asked, causing Naruto to nearly jump out of his skin and fall from the tree they were both in.
"Damnit Sensei!" Naruto whispered harshly as he reseated himself on a wide branch, "You could kill someone like that!"
"I know," Kakashi replied nonchalantly, "I've done it before."
"Wha..." Naruto looked at him with a mixture of confusion and amazement.
"What's keeping you up?" Kakashi settled onto a nearby branch.
Naruto shook himself out of his daze, "You know? About... it?"
"Ah..." Kakashi nodded, "That. I was told you knew."
"What does it make me?" Naruto asked quietly, "A monster? A time bomb?"
"A container," Kakashi answered simply, "You know the Yondaime was my Sensei?"
"He was?" Naruto looked at Kakashi in surprise.
"Yep," the cyclops stared into space, remembering the man, "He told me about a lot of things. Even taught me some sealing. Not long before the Fox attacked he showed me a design he'd been working on. One that could seal away even the most powerful of entities with almost no ill effect to the host."
"Why did he make it?" the blonde asked, unconsciously rubbing his belly through his jacket.
"Protection I suppose," Kakashi shrugged, "Some things are beyond death. The seal did its job, too. Is still doing it."
"But why me?" Naruto asked almost desperately, "Why did it have to be me?"
"If not you, someone else," Kakashi answered. He was surprised at how much he wanted to give the real reason, "Do you hate him for it?"
"I..." the teen stopped to think about it, "He's been my hero for a long time. I mean he died to beat the Fox. I think I'm... angry. Yea... angry. I don't hate him. I'm just mad that I got stuck with the damn thing."
"I suppose that's fair," Kakashi smirked under his mask, "You're a really good kid, Naruto. I think he chose the right person. Not just anyone could hold the Kyuubi no Kitsune prisoner."
"Thanks Sensei," Naruto yawned and stretched, "I think I'm gonna get some sleep now."
"Actually it's your watch now," Kakashi hopped out of the tree, "See you in the morning."
"Maaaan..."
XxXxXxX
"Team one," Osamu spoke into his radio, "There's a group fifty meter's ahead."
"Aight," Team one's leader answered informally.
"Team two, there's a group circling you," the boy continued his job, "I think they plan to come in from behind."
"Got it," the voice of the first mate came over his radio.
"Teams three and four," Osamu creased his brow, "You're about to converge. Don't kill each other."
"We ain't," the two men said at the same time.
"Team five, your area is secure," he opened his eyes and ran a hand across his fuzzy head. It had taken him all of two seconds to realize Hiroto had given away all the radios and not taken one for himself. Osamu was trying very hard not to worry.
"You're pretty handy ta have around," the voice of Captain Kyoha broke into his thoughts, "Ya ever need a new job, I'd be glad ta hire ya."
"You sure your crew won't mutiny for bringing on a devil child?" Osamu countered with a bit more venom than he intended.
"They ain't used ta chakra wielders," the captain offered apologetically, "They're leery o' all o' ya."
Osamu shook his head, "It doesn't matter."
"They was just as untrustin' o' me when I hired 'em," Kyoha told him, "Normal people don't like knowin' ya can do tha impossible."
"You were a shinobi?" Osamu looked back at the captain in surprise.
"Naw," he answered with a laugh, "Was a saumrai... Well, almost a samurai. Fat mouth an' bad temper got me in serious trouble 'afore I got me daisho. The Fire Legion kicked me out, but they can't take away trainin'."
"So the daimyo's Legion has chakra users?" Osamu asked with interest.
"Sure do," the captain smirked, "Not nearly as many as Konoha. Daimyo keeps his true samurai close. There's prolly only about fifty."
"True samurai?" the boy echoed questioningly.
"It's what tha other samurai called 'em," Kyoha explained, "Used ta be ya had ta wield chakra ta even be considered. Ninja kinda ruined that for 'em. Now they take anyone willin' ta follow Bushido."
Osamu considered that info, but decided to log it away for some other time. He refocused his attention to his task again, and furrowed his brow.
"Team two..." he spoke into the radio, "What happened to that group that was circling you?"
"They never attacked us, kid," the leader of that group replied, "We met up with team five ta help clear tha hold."
Osamu's chest clenched. He'd gotten distracted and lost track of some of the enemy. People could die for a mistake like that. He sharpened his focus and searched for the group that he'd lost. He found them where he hadn't expected: level with him and headed right to the bridge.
"Captain, we have about thirty seconds before we're under attack," Osamu stood from the floor and opened the case he stored his bow in. It was slightly larger and thicker than the original Tenten had sold him. He'd soon found an eighty pound pull was rather weak for his unusually powerful physique and had upgraded to this hundred pound monstrosity. Osamu went to peek out the starboard door once he was ready.
He quickly strung the bow and shouldered his quiver as the captain reached under the console of his ship to produce a massive curved sword. The falchion wasn't a standard weapon in Fire, more popular in the deserts of Wind, but Kyoha hefted it with an ease and comfort that bespoke long use.
"Alright, kid..." Captain Kyoha turned just in time to see a blade flash through the boy's neck and send his head flying, "NO!"
"Didn't think ya would hire shinobi, Kyoha," Osamu's killer said, "Expected a bit more, but I'll manage. Surrender yer ship and yer death'll be quick."
Kyoha figured this man to be the captain of the ship attacking his own. He was powerfully built, but still compact. Like many sailor's he forwent armor, the fear of drowning overcoming the fear of a blade in the gut. His head was completely shaved and marked by a black serpent. He had a sharp goatee that framed a smile filled with yellow and black teeth. The enemy captain held a heavy looking leaf-blade sword dripping with blood from the boy Hiroto had told him to protect.
"Captain Arashi, the Sea Serpent," Kyoha spat with venom, recognizing the black snake. He felt a powerful rage building in him, "I'll kill ya fer that."
"Glad me reputation precedes me," the captain stepped onto the bridge and was followed by three large sailors wielding cutlasses and gaff hooks. They were all clean shaven on the head like their captain, but instead of a serpent, they each had a long pointed tooth: the 'serpent's fangs.'
"Looks like yer missin' a tooth..." Kyoha managed to hold onto his cool and bait his foe.
"I'm afraid me first mate felt he deserved a promotion," the serpent frowned, "Shame... he woulda made a good captain."
Kyoha had had enough of the man's flippant attitude. He lifted his falchion in a double handed grip and with an inarticulate cry, chopped down. Despite being nearly fifteen feet away on the other side of the bridge, the four pirates were forced to leap aside as a glowing blue crescent of chakra came flying at them from the blade.
"Neat trick," the serpent taunted as he and his men closed the distance.
Kyoha backed himself into the corner of his bridge to keep his enemies in front of him and held his massive blade so its girth would act as a shield.
It was a tight fit, but the four of them managed to array themselves so that he couldn't slip out. A barrage of blows came in, but he caught most directly on his broad curving blade. Those that slipped by only manged to nick his arms or sides in minor cuts that barely oozed his blood. He was stuck on the defensive, though, waiting for something, anything, to change. Something did.
There was the tale-tell sound of creaking wood, then a humming twang noise. A whistle sounded for half a second before the throat of one of the fangs exploded in gore and he dropped dead. Kyoha managed a glance in lull of combat the death caused. There was an arrow shaft stuck in the back of the fangs neck, right in his spine.
Kyoha didn't wait for his enemies to recover, with a mighty cry he summoned as much chakra as he could to his arms and blade. He brought the falchion down at an angle and clove another fang completely in two from shoulder to hip, causing gore to fountain everywhere.
He heard the creaking again, but so did his two remaining foes. Captain Arashi attacked him furiously with his lighter weapon so that his last fang could turn to face their mysterious adversary. The fang went down immediately with an arrow buried halfway to the fletchings in his eye. There was a bit of arrow head peaking out of the back of his skull.
"The Sea Serpent is toothless," Kyoha mocked, "Ya know ya don't stand a chance against me alone, and me friend still has arrows."
Arashi grimaced as he backed off of Kyoha and lowered his blade. He looked for a moment as if he would drop it, but then bolted towards the exit opposite where he entered. Another arrow went straight though the calf of his right leg and he fell to the deck.
Arashi looked back at his attacker to see the boy he'd decapitated, "But yer dead. I killed ya."
"Fine scare ya gave me ya little bastard," Kyoha nearly yelled at Osamu as he stalked over to Arashi. He kicked away his fellow captain's blade and raised his own for a killing blow.
"I'd like to keep him alive, Captain," Osamu said before the man could finish the task, "He might have some useful info. Consider it payment for protecting your ship."
"Sure thing," the captain agreed and kicked Arashi in the head, sending him into unconsciousness, "Tha hell did ya do ta me? Swear I saw yer head go flyin'."
"Just an illusion," Osamu replied, "I'm sorry for the scare, but I work best when my enemies don't think I'm a threat."
Kyoha looked at the precise placement of the broadhead arrows from the boy's bow, "I'll say."
Osamu took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves before closing his eyes to get a sense of what was going on. He no longer sensed any enemies on the ship, and shortly after saying so over the radio he heard an explosion. Hotaka and Masaru had apparently been successful in their task.
XxXxXxX
Hiroto was reminded just how much he hated combat in closed spaces as he worked his way down towards the engine room. He worked hard to keep the desperation of his first combat experience from intruding on the current situation, and was mostly successful. He supposed it was the reprieve he'd wished for from the memories of the Sakibou massacre, but he honestly wasn't sure which traumatic and guilt inducing experience he preferred.
He shook off the disturbing thoughts and focused back on the present as he exited the corridor he was in into the cavernous engine room. The directions the first mate had given him had led him to the scaffolding that ran across the top, above most of the machinery. Despite the lack of people feeding the many boilers that powered the gigantic engines, there was still a great deal of heat in the chamber.
He cursed and backed into the corridor again to hide behind the door frame when he saw there were at least five of the pirates roaming the walkways. He'd hoped they would be relatively stupid like their land-borne cousins, bandits. It seemed corsairs had some tactical sense after all. Perhaps sending Hotaka and Masaru off without any intel to see what they would do hadn't been such a good idea after all. There was no use worrying about it right now.
The room was unusually quiet with the engines off. All he could hear were the movements of his enemies and a soft whispering. He risked the damage to his ears and channeled some chakra to them to try to hear whatever was being said.
"Yes, Captain," a weak voice drifted into his enhanced ears, "That group has stopped. I believe they are under the impression you are after them. Your path to the bridge is open."
Hiroto's eyes widened in surprise. There was a chakra user amongst the pirates, and he was some sort of sensor. That meant.
"You can come out, Shinobi-san," the voice spoke up, sounding like a shout with chakra trickling to his auditory nerves, "I knew you were coming about five minutes ago."
"Why let me get this far?" Hiroto capitalized on the sudden turning of the nearest pirates to place some kunai in their vitals. Two went down, but the last proved quick enough to duck under the blade aimed at him.
"Because you are far from your team and the sailors," his mysterious adversary replied with a wheezing laugh, "And I have twelve battle-hardened pirates left. A challenge even for a jonin."
"We'll see..." Hiroto ended his sensory enhancement and poked his head back out. He was greeted by a small volley of arrows that forced him to take cover again, but he'd managed to get a decent count. There were a total of six pirates left on the scaffolding, all with shortbows. The engine room was woefully devoid of water and there was no earth to manipulate, so most of his defensive techniques were out. That really just left speed and his shields.
He called forth the Toratate and closed his eyes. He took three slow breaths and felt the trance fall over him. As he took his fourth, he darted around the corner. He was halfway to his first victim by the time any of the pirates fired. Only two arrows were led properly to strike him, and those two were deflected by his shields.
He slammed the razor sharp tip of his left shield into the pirates chest, slipping the point into his heart and lung. He grabbed the body with both hands and turned it to accept another couple of arrows from a parallel walkway. He dropped the body as the archers rushed to nock new shafts and hopped onto the railing of his own walkway.
His powerful legs caused the metal railing to bend as he launched himself across a fifteen foot gap just as more arrows crossed where he had been. He flipped around mid leap to plant his feat in the chest of a pirate just as he was raising his bow. The force of his jump transferred into the unlucky corsair, and he went sailing off the walkway as Hiroto took his place.
The other pirate was in arms reach and had dropped his bow as soon as he realized where the ninja was going to land. He swung his boarding axe in a powerful downward chop that Hiroto accepted on his right shield without so much as a grunt of effort. With the axe tied up over their heads, the jonin used his left shield to perforate the pirates abdomen. The man dropped, writhing and screaming in agony.
Hiroto dropped to his belly to avoid another pair of arrows from further down his current walkway. He hopped up and ran full tilt towards the last two archers, but he was far enough away that they got off another arrow each. He raised his shields and released the energy they had absorbed from the axe blow. With a mighty roar, like a pair of great cats, the arrows were knocked from their course, and the pirates were staggered from the blast.
The first one went down with blood spurting from his neck after Hiroto had sliced his left shield across it. The second was backpedaling while trying to nock another arrow. The jonin crouched low, dismissed his shields and peppered him with a volley of shuriken. The stars hit nothing vital, but the pirate jerked back from the pain only to find he'd run out of room behind him. He went tumbling over a railing, landing with his spine across a raised pipe. There was an audible snap before he slid from the pipe and fell lifeless to the floor.
Hiroto let out his twelfth breath, and the battle trance fell away. He was barely breathing harder than when he started.
"Most impressive, shinobi-san!" the voice called out. The echoing in the chamber made it impossible to pinpoint, "Perhaps you would care to come down here and play with the rest of my friends."
"I find it odd that pirates would answer to such a coward," Hiroto taunted.
"They fear the Sea Serpent," the voice answered with another wheezing laugh, "And I am under his protection."
Hiroto didn't quite understand that, but it was obvious to him he would have to play the game. Once again he wished chakra sensing was something he could learn. There was nothing for it, though. He hopped over the railing to the engine room floor.
He was greeted instantly by a pirate with a sword taller than he was. The slow weapon was easy for the ninja to dodge, and he returned the violent greeting with a kunai jabbed right in the corsair's throat. That left five pirates and whoever was pulling their strings. Supposing Osamu's count had been accurate, of course.
Hiroto stopped just where he was and listened. He could hear the waves lapping against the hull and the random metallic groaning of the superstructure. There was breathing nearby, too. The engine room was a maze of machines and piping, though. Someone could be right next to him, but still unreachable. He didn't want to try climbing back up to the walkways and be open to missile fire again, so he would just have to suffer a labyrinth.
He crept along, staying as quiet as possible. He stopped at a corner and pulled a mirror from his pouch. Using to peek around the corner he saw the last five pirates standing in a line with bows half drawn. If he went around the corner, he would come away with at least an injury. He figured it was about time he actually pulled out one of his bigger techniques. He wasn't good enough with Fuuton to cut through metal, so damage to the ship would be minimal.
He took a deep breath and worked a few seals. On the last one, he jumped out of cover. The pirates, to their credit, reacted immediately. Five arrows flew at him.
"Fuuton: Renkuudan," he shouted as he exhaled a massive bubble of swirling, cutting winds.
He watched as the maelstrom blew the arrows off course, then slammed into the pirates. The wind chakra cut ribbons off of them, then burst in a concussive blast. He figured he needed to work on his ninjutsu. Even with the full set of seals and the incantation, he'd still only cut chunks out of them. Asuma could dismember with his Renkuudan without so much as a twitch of his fingers.
"Very good, Shinobi-san," the owner of the voice stepped into view some distance behind the corpses of his allies, "You deserve to at least see your death before it comes."
"You're blind," Hiroto snorted in amusement, "And frail..."
Both were true. The man before him was his height, but looked as if he weighed no more than Osamu. It seemed to Hiroto that it was a miracle this man could even walk. Despite that, he seemed to have an unearthly energy and vitality to him.
There was something off about the black cloth that covered his eyes. It seemed to almost drink in the light. He wore robes of a similar color, but they didn't have the same odd quality to them.
It was his skin that was most disturbing, though. It was as white as chalk and translucent enough to see every vein pulsing under the surface.
"I am Kirau," the blind man gave a shallow bow, "May I have your name to carve into my tablet when you are dead?"
He looked on incredulously, "Ryouko Hiroto."
"You mock me in your mind," Kirau grinned, showing off teeth red as blood, "but that is to be expected."
"Look, freak show," Hiroto was getting tired of this, "I don't have time for this. Spring whatever trap you have set up so I can overcome it and kill you."
The blind man continued to grin, but as a minute passed without anything happening the smile faltered.
"You need me to attack you," the jonin puzzled out. When Kirau frowned, Hiroto smiled and began to walk forward casually.
"You think I don't know what you are... that your kind is so rare no one would recognize you," he said conversationally. As he moved forward, Kirau backpedaled, "But I know. I've studied tomes and scrolls that go back to almost the time of the Sage."
"You're bluffing," Kirau's skin grew visibly moist with sweat, "You couldn't possibly know."
"You practice sorcerery," Hiroto grinned at the frightened look he got, "The first method ever for manipulating chakra. The techniques it can unleash are terrifying in their power."
Kirau bumped into a large machine and seemed to attempt melting into it. Hiroto stepped close to cut off escape.
"The problem is, you need an additional component," Hiroto whispered to him, "You use hand seals and incantations, but you need something more. Yours is pain, isn't it? I doubt you can inflict enough on yourself to power your techniques, though."
Kirau whimpered.
"I'll take that as a yes," Hiroto pulled back and reached into his pouch. He pulled out a small vial with thick purple liquid in it, "Know what this is?"
Kirau shook his head.
"Me neither," the jonin replied, "Nice lady with a fondness for snakes gave it to me after I saved her life. She told me to be very careful with it, since just a drop on your skin will kill you in minutes."
Hiroto popped off the top and slung the contents on the sorcerer's face, "She did say that it's completely painless, though. Have fun."
He watched to make sure the stuff actually worked before leaving. When Kirau lay still, he turned to find the sorcerer standing amongst the last five pirates he'd killed. The black robed man worked his hands in unusual seals and spoke words that sounded impossible for a human to make. A moment later, Hiroto was wrapped in chains made of solidified blood.
"My component is actually blood," Kirau laughed menacingly, "And you've given me so much to work with. Too bad you wasted such a lovely toxin on an illusion."
"That was actually just a mild sedative used to loosen tongues," Hiroto smiled at him, "I needed you to reveal yourself; though, I hadn't figured to be bound like this."
"All your plans for naught," Kirau moved forward, seemingly intent on drawing this out.
"Not really," Hiroto managed a small shrug in his bonds, "Despite my desire to tackle this alone, one of my loyal students has seen fit to send some backup with me."
"What?" Kirau backed up a few steps from Hiroto's bound form.
"Her," Hiroto explained just as the sorcerer felt a weight on his back. Before he could react, he felt numerous sharp claws puncture his neck near his windpipe. A second later they ripped backward, shredding his throat and spilling his blood everywhere.
He might have worked a spell to heal the wounds, but his blood flowed too quickly and he died before he could even recall the proper one. With their maker dead, the blood chains fell away.
"Shouldn't you be with Osamu," Hiroto questioned the large golden feline.
She paused in cleaning her paws to look up at him with a neutral expression.
"Point taken," Hiroto said, "He can take care of himself, but I'm still going to yell at him."
Yancha cocked her head to the side in confusion as Hiroto walked away. He'd actually managed to peg her thoughts almost exactly.
XxXxXxX
Hiroto heard the explosion as he was working his way back up to the main deck. He came across one of the groups of sailors on his way. They were two less and grim, but the ship was clear.
He exited into the misty night air just as Hotaka and Masaru were climbing back aboard.
"Good job, you two," he put an arm around each of their shoulders, "I figured you would just leap into your task without looking first."
"Uhh..." Masaru said dumbly.
"You did exactly that, didn't you?" Hiroto sighed.
"Yea..." Hotaka replied sheepishly, "We fought six pirates and won, though."
"Glad to see you're capable of adapting to your own stupid mistakes," their Sensei remarked dryly.
They reached the bridge and saw Captain Kyoha hefting a pair of corpses with arrows stuck in them. There was a third in two parts he hadn't touched yet.
"What happened here?" Hiroto demanded of Osamu who was securing a prisoner with rope.
"This is Captain Arashi," Osamu explained, "He and his men made it to the bridge, so the captain and I took them down."
"Why don't ya just give tha boy a ballista," Kyoha called from outside the bridge where he was tossing the pirates in a heap for his crew to deal with, "Damn bow o' his nearly sent arrows through these scags and inta me!"
"Shouldn't one of the sweep teams have intercepted this group?" Hiroto asked, confused.
"I uh..." Osamu finished tying up the prisoner, "I kinda got distracted and lost them for a bit. That's how they got up here."
Hiroto's shoulders sunk, "We're going over situational awareness again."
The three boys groaned in unison, but they seemed to accept that they had all goofed. What Hiroto was happy to see was they seemed to be handling mortality far better this time around. He could tell they were still bothered, but they were covering it far better and likely feeling it less. The tough part now was staying human despite the bloodshed.
Whew. I have a healthy respect for anyone who can write a decent action sequence. That shit is not easy. I am happy I got to showcase how much of a badass Hiroto has become since his promotion. To give you an idea of the timing, an average healthy adult respirates (in and out) about 12 - 24 times a minute (Yes, I look this shit up. I get weird when it comes to numbers).
I now have the three disciplines of chakra usage: nindo, bushido, and sorcery. My goal here (besides improving my writing) is to enhance the original world into something vibrant and complex.