AN: Apparently all ships are supposed to be written in italics. Retconning that moving forward.
It was cold and rainy when the Monday Typhoon set sail. Water seemed to flood the deck before it spilt back into the ocean. Mist heavily blanketed the sea, obscuring sight from all but the most piercing of eyes.
Mangetsu stood on top of the mast of the ship, absorbing moisture into his water based body. He violently slashed into the rain, performing sword katas on the narrow poll. His chakra signature would fluctuate in tune with the wrath of the sea. The more ferocious the waves, the stronger his chakra signature radiated.
Retsu for his part sat underneath an umbrella of bone. Utilizing his tree sticking, and water walking technique, he easily stabilized himself on the violently rocking boat. In his hand, he held his bone sword. Every so often, he would slightly break the bone down, then condense it to make it harder. He would then repeat this process on every bone in his body in an effort to strengthen himself physically, and train his chakra control.
As a descendant of Kaguya, and possessor of Bone Release kekkei genkai, Retsu's constitution was already amongst the top in the world. His constitution rivaled and in some cases, surpassed the likes of the Uzumaki, and Senju. One of Retsu's goals was to match extreme chakra control with his unique body, so he could be just as strong, or exceed the strength of Tsunade.
Under the deck, Mei was busy teaching Zabuza about the "academy jutsu," water walking, hidden mist jutsu, water clone, the transformation technique, silent steps, and body replacement.
"Ox, Snake, Ram!" Zabuza put his hands together, and channeled chakra. A small mist permeated the inner deck.
"Impressive Zabuza! A genius of not only battle, but of learning too! And is the Kaguya's claim that you never spent a day in the academy true?" Mei praised Zabuza, and at the same time, eyed the young boy critically. Her voice was like a commander speaking with a soldier, stern, yet accommodating.
"I watched them practice hand signs." Zabuza slightly blushed from the attention he received from the well developed teenager.
"Very good. Let's keep up this training going. You will make a most useful addition to my team." Mei smiled brightly.
"Mn." Zabuza nodded before putting all his focus on rapidly forming hand signs.
Mei covered her mouth to hide a smile. She realized she had let something slip to late, but it didn't seem the boy noticed. She had a deep desire to let loose with a long 'Ufu fu fu' and laugh at how easy it was to manipulate the attention starved genius. One day, she would be Mizukage, NO ONE was going to get in her way!
In a corner away from prying eyes, Gengo had placed the twins, Gozu and Maizu in a deep genjutsu, making them believe that they were enjoying the tender care of a lovely lady. In reality, they were kissing and groping one another.
"Oh yeah, more tongue!"
"You like it when I touch you down there babe! You know it!"
"Tch, this pair is a waste of my talent. I need a real challenge, otherwise I will never improve myself. Hmm, the Hozuki brat is interesting, but I can't touch him while Iguru is watching. However, who cares about a team killer? They always said a Kaguya was to stupid to put under genjutsu. Hm, I may just have to put that theory to the test!" Gengo stroked his immaculately groomed beard in contemplation.
Manning the helm, Iguru seemed to be having the time of his life. Water drenched his clothes, and he shouted out in defiance whenever lightning zig zagged across the sky.
"Hard port, Captain!" Ao shouted from Iguru's side. He utilized his sensory ninjutsu to the max in order to scout out for rocks, reefs, and other dangers lurking in the depths.
Iguru immediately headed Ao's advice, and steered the Monday Typhoon to the right.
"Full power, straight!" Ao shouted. All the while, he maintained a sitting posture with his eyes closed as he continued to scout.
"Got it! Water Release: Ocean Current Redux!" Kajika performed a series of hand signs, and forced the water around the boat to conform into a straight line. Kajika's technique borrowed the power of the ocean to move the ship fast like a speedboat.
"Now this is speed! I can't wait for the next Kirigakure boat race!" The green eyed, red facial tattooed, shark hoody wearing youth admired his work.
"Maintain focus, we're almost nearing the Hoshigake strait!" Ao chided. His face was all business, and brokered no disagreement.
"Oi, lay off the lad, Ao! You're to serious!...but just to be sure, you've got the buckets of chum ready, right?" Iguru admonished Ao at first, but was quick to take a peak behind him to see if Ao had them covered.
"When am I not prepared?" Ao maintained his sensory state with closed eyes, yet he allowed a hint of smugness to enter his voice.
"Good. Good! Prepare the chum!" Iguru commanded.
"That means you and me Retsu, come on!" Mangetsu leapt down from the top of the mast, and agilely landed on the deck.
Opening his eyes from meditation, and his bodily reformation, Retsu tilted his head in confusion.
Mangetsu revealed six stinky barrels the size of a large trashcan. He then drew a sword, and cut off the tops of each barrel. The fishy stink only intensified. "Here, take this, and when I say now, launch it as far away from the boat as possible!"
Shrugging his shoulders, Retsu decided to go along with Mangetsu. If Iguru and Ao were taking this seriously, then it couldn't be another prank from the young Hozuki.
"Stay on target." Ao muttered.
Iguru's hands remained firm on the helm. The surging ocean current bucked, and threatened him to lose control. Any one errant loosening of his muscles would cause the Monday Typhoon sent into a tailspin, and likely see its demise.
"Stay on target!" Ao's voice raised another notch.
Kajika performed another set of hand signs, and actively began to direct the water around the ship. His chakra drained at a constant rate as he maintained the jutsu.
"Now!" Ao shouted.
"NOW!" Mangetsu repeated.
Forming a large claw in a shape reminiscent of a catapult, Retsu launched one of the stinky barrels far off into the distance.
By his side, Mangetsu wrapped a barrel in two watery hands, and began to rapidly spin, before he to released the barrel into the briny depths.
The two shinobi completed their task in less than thirty seconds. At the time that the last barrel hit the water, a loud rumbling noise began to sound out.
Large ripples in the ocean began to form. Soon, the sound of wings beating en masse created such a dense frequency, that it could be felt on the boat. Emerging from the water, were a type of flying fish that were the size of horses. They were dark blue in color with yellow striped going down the sides. They also possessed huge whiskers that led all the way back to their tails. The flying fish went on a feeding frenzy, going after the chum like no tomorrow.
Retsu tilted his head to the side, what was the point of all this? He directed his gaze to the bridge of the ship. He witnessed Iguru bite on his lip, and even Ao had a hint of sweat pour down his forehead.
"What-"
"Quiet." Mangetsu hissed.
A tense minute passed, before IT showed up. Its size was such, that it outclassed the toad summon Gamabunta, and the snake summon Manda in both length and girth.
Jumping hundreds of feet out of the water, an absolutely colossal shark/killer whale hybrid, a being with a black top, white underbelly, and gargantuan shark fin opened its gaping maw, and consumed dozens of the flying fish at a time. It made swift work of the fish. A good portion of the horse sized sea dwellers were utterly decimated in a couple moments.
On the Monday Typhoon, the entire crew was dead silent. Not a soul moved, or uttered a peep.
The shark/killer whale hybrid drew abreast to the ship, eyed Iguru, then snorted a huge spray of water into the air, before diving back into the depths.
"Whooo! Shamu took the offering! Kajika, get us out of here!" Iguru cheered out in relief, then gave out his command.
"Aye, Captain!" Kajika nodded in acknowledgement, and soon moved the boat forward with his water ninjutsu.
"Congratulations Retsu, you've survived the Hoshigaki's guardian beast!" Ao opened his eyes, and plastered a grim smile to his face. Afterward, he reached into his pocket, and produced a pill to help restore his spent chakra.
"For centuries, the Hoshigaki have called this narrow pass between two reefs their home. It's said that to become the leader of the Hoshikage one of their clansmen must best the beast in battle." Mangetsu added from Retsu's side.
"Storytime is nice and all, but I'm totally out of chakra! Mangetsu, you're going to have to take over!" Kajika rubbed his sore fingers, and directed a tired grin at the white haired water boy.
"True, a break would be much appreciated. I'll go get Gengo to act on sensor duty." Ao stiffly stood up, and began trekking below deck in search of the most well groomed man on the ship.
"Hm, good idea Kajika, Retsu, get up here! It's high time you learn how to sail a boat! The Monday Typhoon is built like a steakhouse, but She handles like a bistro." Iguru lovingly stroked the helm of his ship.
"Riiight." Retsu nodded along to Iguru's bullshit.
Overall, sailing in the tough seas revealed some amazing sights. The only regret Retsu had during his time with the crew so far, was that there was an overwhelming amount of sausage onboard.
After leaving Kirigakure's waters, Team Iguru sailed to the south east.
During the voyage, when Retsu wasn't training in Bone Release, or the occasional Water Release, he would sometimes observe Iguru impart swordsmanship to Mangetsu or be taught how to helm a ship by Iguru. However, he spent most of his time outside of training talking with Ao, and Mangetsu, or reading a Bingo Book.
Five days after they had set sail, Team Iguru finally arrived at their destination.
"Land ho!" Mangetsu called out from the top of the mast.
"LAND HOOOOO!" Iguru repeated. His joy at the sight of land was conveyed in his voice. He sounded much like a child going to an amusement park for the first time.
"Finally! Thought I was going to run out of chakra again, pushing this blasted boat!" Kajika leaned back onto the railing on the bridge, uncorked a canteen containing spirits, and took a generous swig.
"Pass that over when you're done." Iguru moseyed on over to Kajika, and grinned.
Kajika looked side eyed at the grey haired, hershey swirl haired man. He then made sure to take an extra big gulp, and chug the entire canteen so he didn't have to share.
"Pwah~ Sorry Captain, you say something!" Kajika wiggled his eyebrows.
The shark patterned hoodie he wore had a row of smirking teeth cover Kajika's forehead. To Iguru, it was as if Kajika was mocking him when he saw this hoodie.
"Ah!" Iguru went back to the helm, and moped.
"Mnn~ what a bright sunny day. When we make landfall, follow me Zabuza." Mei emerged from the lower decks, and stretched so that her bountiful assets were on full display to the entire crew.
"Yes, Miss Terumi." Zabuza nodded with a serious demeanor.
Retsu caught the encounter, and quirked an eyebrow at such behavior. It was a sight he had seen many a time. Men had a four times weakness to attractive women. Retsu then smiled in confidence. The opposite was true for women too.
Mangetsu jumped down next to Retsu, and elbowed him in the ribs. "Already calling her Miss Terumi, sheesh she works fast. I see that smile on your face! Be careful, Retsu, lest she has you wrapped around her smooth slender finger. But then again, I probably shouldn't worry about a Kaguya. You'd sink if I tossed you into the ocean, you're dense as a rock after all." Mangetsu flashed a smirk, before turning his attention to the rest of the crew.
Retsu merely rolled his eyes in response.
From the bridge, Ao looked down at the assembled ninja on deck, and drew their attention.
"Our destination is in sight. This, is Seven Herbs Island. It is classified as a danger zone. It is a mountainous land of dense jungle, and toward the center is a valley filled to the brim with precious herbs. To get there, you will come across many poisonous insects, vipers, and beasts. Some of the creatures are capable of molding minute amounts of chakra, so don't underestimate them." Ao seriously listed off the dangers on Seven Herbs Island.
"Why is it called Seven Herbs Island?" Gozu raised one questioning hand.
"Idiot! Because there are seven valuable herbs!" Maizo reached over, and slapped his brother on the back of the head.
Pulling out a brochure, Ao showed pictures of the prominent medicines found on the island, and began to explain their uses.
"That's right. The seven rare herbs are the Energy Carrot, a highly sought after food ingredient for shinobi. Elixir Mud, a type of mud that heals cuts, sprains, and can rejuvenate scars, skin, and especially the face. Crimson Newt is a deadly poisonous lizard, its paste creates a nigh undetectable poison. Giant Mato is a mushroom that can be used to temporarily increase precision and accuracy. Corpse Vine, when pricked by this plant, most will undergo instant paralysis.
Thunder Bark is the second rarest resource on the island. The bark is said to be from an ancient tree that was lost to a bygone age. Each piece of Thunder Bark can be used to gain a better understanding of Lightning Release.
Finally, the rarest, most sought after resource is Mandra Grass. Mandra Grass is a critical ingredient in an elixir said to be able to regrow limbs." Ao patiently explained the details of the island to the crew.
Seemingly only Retsu, Mangetsu, Mei, and Gengo were the only ones who paid any attention to his monologue.
"Ugh. Well, whatever you guys bring back to the ship, it's yours if you can fit it in a sealing scroll. Anything that takes up space on the Monday Typhoon gets split 50%, 25%, 25% with fifty to whatever you collect, twenty five to the Captain, and twenty five split amongst the crew." Ao wore a defeated look on his face when he noticed his audience had lost interest in what he had to say.
"Right. Right! Well with the boring explanation out of the way, I'll reiterate the ground rules! Seven Herbs Island is technically a "neutral" island. Shinobi from Wind, Fire, Lightning, and Water frequent this place. We technically have a non-aggression pact, but~ if you see something you want to steal, or someone you want to kill, just don't get caught. If you bring trouble back to the ship, I'll label you a missing-nin." Iguru went over his spiel with tired practice.
"Whoever has the most herbs when we get back recieves all the herbs from the loser?" Mangetsu suggested to Retsu.
"Why not." Retsu nodded along.
Mangetsu slit his eyes like a fox, and jetted away from the boat in a watery explosion.
Retsu in turn jumped off the boat into the ocean, and ran on the water toward the island.
"Now! Mhm! Hmm! Ahem!" Iguru coughed to clear his throat, and gain the attention of everyone else.
Mangetsu and Retsu were already long gone by the time Iguru started his coughing fit.
"There must always be two people onboard to guard the boat. I'll stay onboard this time. Do I have any volunteers?"
"Sure, I'm just chillin." Kajika lazily yawned.
"Are there…any other volunteers? Anyone else?" Iguru peered at everyone, but they staunchly ignored him.
"Fine. Meet back in five days, or you'll be left behind."
As soon as Iguru finished speaking, the rest of the crew departed toward the island in a flurry of motion.
AN: Fun fact, Seven Herbs Island actually exists, it's in the bottom right of the Naruto map. And every character on the crew has shown up in the anime at least once. For example, those twins are the "famous" demon brothers that get beat up early in Naruto! Kind of funny in retrospect how all these Chunin in early Naruto got these big bad titles.
Also! Being a leader requires allies, subordinates, and pawns. The path to Kage, especially the Mizukage is one founded in blood!
So, I thought it was lame that other summons seemingly don't have boss monsters like the slug, toad, and snake. Here's to you Kisame.