Chapter 2: First Day of Boot Camp

Marinford

Paradise: Grand Line

Naruto couldn't help but gawk at the size of Marinford as he made his way through the city. He'd heard of what cities were like from some merchants visiting their island. He'd even seen some pictures. But none of that had prepared him for being here and having his senses assailed. There was so much going on and so many people that it was almost overwhelming. And you could easily get lost among all the twists and turns on the buildings.

Naruto was suddenly very grateful for the detailed directions the captain had given him before they parted ways. Examining them again, he continued along his path, occasionally stopping just to marvel at his surroundings. But he soon found himself standing in front of the recruiting office.

Opening the door, he entered, finding himself in a small lobby with a few chairs on the side. There was a desk across the room with a woman sitting at it. She wasn't wearing a uniform, but she was the only one in the lobby, so he walked across the room to her desk.

"Can I help you?" she asked him.

"I'm here to sign up for the Marines," Naruto responded.

"Just like that?" she asked him. "You don't have any questions or concerns?"

"Nope," he answered. "I've wanted to be a marine all my life."

"Well that's certainly refreshing," she told him. "Usually, our recruiters have to twist arms to get anyone to enlist."

The woman then grabbed a paper from a stack on her desk and handed it to Naruto, along with a pen.

"Just fill this out and sign your name at the bottom," she told him.

Leaning over the desk Naruto began to do just that. The form was basic personal information about himself and any health issues he might have. So Naruto progressed through it pretty quickly.

"Our next basic training group begins in four days," the woman informed him as he was nearly finished. "This packet will tell you where and when you need to show up and give you general information on what your service will entail."

Finishing up and signing his name, Naruto traded the form for the folder she held.

"Do you have a place to stay until then?" she asked him.

"Not exactly," Naruto replied, assuming you would just start training as soon as you signed up.

"Well, do you have any funds to get you by until then?" she queried.

"Some," Naruto replied vaguely.

"If you head down the street to the right, you'll come to an inn named The Seagull's Nest," she told him. "The Marine Force will subsidize your stay there. Just show them the packet, and they'll give you a discount."

"Thank you," Naruto replied graciously.

"Also, do you want me to sign you up for the Officer Exam?" she inquired. "If so you'll need to show up at 2:00 PM the day before basic training starts."

"There's an exam to become an officer?" Naruto asked. "What's on it?"

"There are two parts," she told him. "A test of your combat skills and a general exam that covers everything from marine rules and navigation to general history. The curriculum is actually in that packet. But if you're hoping to become an officer, you may want me to sign you up for the next exam instead. Three days isn't much time to study for it."

"When is the next exam? "Naruto asked, considering her offer.

"A month after this one," she answered.

As much as he would like more time to fully prepare, Naruto doubted the small stash of berries he'd brought with him would last that long. No matter how much that inn was subsidized it probably wouldn't even feed him for a whole month.

"No, this one will be fine," he told her. "Besides I'll ace the combat portion easily."

Taking out a small piece of paper, she began writing on it then handed it to Naruto.

"This is directions to the Marinford Public Library," she stated. "It has any number of books that cover the material on the test. You don't have a lot of time to study, but every little bit helps."

"Thanks again," Naruto responded earnestly. "You've been a huge help."

"Just doing my job," she replied modestly. "And good luck with the exam."

Waving goodbye, Naruto left the building and then examined the directions to the library. He'd head there first as it was already well into the afternoon, and he wanted to ensure it didn't close before arriving.

The directions were easy enough to follow, but despite that, when he'd completed them he didn't see the library anywhere. The last instruction had said to take the second right, but maybe she hadn't counted that small alley he'd passed as the first one. He should be close to it, so if he got to higher ground, he'd likely be able to see it.

That in mind, he jumped onto the roof of the nearest building and began to scan for anything that might be a library. Then again, what exactly did a library look like from the outside? He'd never seen one before. Maybe it was one of the buildings he'd been standing by, and he just didn't recognize it.

But one thing he did notice quickly was that he wasn't the only person up there. Just a couple of houses away was a man with long, spiky, white hair looking through a telescope at something in the distance. Judging by his uniform, the man was a marine officer. Curious as to what brought him there, Naruto approached the man.

"What are you doing?" Naruto asked when he was only a few feet away.

"Gah! Nothing! "The man yelled out, fumbling with the telescope as he was startled by Naruto's question.

Turning around, the man seemed to calm down when he got a look at the person who had just surprised him. Seeing the other man's face for the first time, he was drawn to the red vertical lines beneath each of his eyes. Was that painted on or some kind of tattoo?

"I mean, I was simply keeping a lookout on the area," the man said, contrary to his previous claim. "I am a marine, you know. I should be the one asking you what you're doing up here. You aren't causing any mischief, are you?"

"I'm just looking for the library," Naruto answered, hoping there weren't any rules against being on someone else's roof. The last thing he needed was to get himself in trouble with the Marines only minutes after he'd signed up.

"Ah, if you're looking for something to read, this is your lucky day. I happen to be an author and a marine," he declared proudly.

Pulling a small orange book out of a coat pocket, he held it out expectantly toward Naruto.

"Thanks for the offer," Naruto responded, politely declining as politely as possible, "but I need some material to study for the Officer Exam. I'm joining the Marines myself."

"Still, you don't want to work too hard, or you'll just get all stressed out," he replied, holding the book out insistently. "Believe me, this book is great for relieving stress."

Naruto was saved from having to respond when a third figure landed next to the two of them. He was another marine officer who looked older than the first, not that either would ever be considered young.

"There you are, Jiraiya," the new arrival called out. "I've been looking all over for you. And here you are, trying to corrupt our youth again."

"Now you went and got me spotted," the man, apparently named Jiraiya, said to Naruto accusingly before turning to the other man.

"What do you want, Garp?" He asked.

"You're Garp?!" Naruto asked the older man excitedly. "As in Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp? Garp the Hero? The man who fought Gol D. Roger, the King of the Pirates, so many times?"

"Hey, why no reaction to my name?" Jiraiya questioned him, "I'm a Vice Admiral too and famous as both a marine and an author."

"The kid just has good taste, that's all," Garp countered.

"It's an honor to meet you, sir," Naruto told Garp, bowing respectfully to the man. "If it's not too much trouble, I'm going to be taking the Officer Exam myself in a few days, and I would be grateful for any advice you could give me."

"Hmm, let me see," Garp said thoughtfully. "There is one thing. Remember that the written exam comes first."

What was Garp trying to tell him? Maybe he shouldn't warm up before going to the Exam because he'd just be sitting for a while. No, there had to be more to it than that, but Naruto couldn't figure out what it was. He didn't want to look stupid in front of such a great hero, but eventually, curiosity won out over his desire to impress Garp.

"I'm sorry, but what exactly do you mean by that?" Naruto asked hesitantly.

"It's just that I got a little confused on that point back when I took the exam and beat up the proctor," Garp declared without the slightest hint he was embarrassed by that admission. "They caused quite a fuss over that, but it all worked out in the end."

Naruto stood dumbfounded at the response. Was that supposed to be a joke? Seeing as Garp was now laughing at his own words, he supposed that could be it.

"Ready to reconsider exactly which officer here you should be admiring?" Jiraiya asked him. "And just so you know, the library is one block North of here. There's a big sign, so you can't miss it. I doubt muscle brain here even knows what a library is."

"Uh, thanks," Naruto replied to a bit shakily, still somewhat shocked by Garp's 'advice'.

But pulling himself together, he decided to depart. He still needed to get to the library before it closed and was no longer sure he wanted to continue talking to these two. Bidding them farewell, he jumped off the roof and began heading North as directed.

0o0o0

"Not bad for a recruit," Jiraiya said as the two watched him leap casually off the roof. "He even managed to sneak up on me. Granted, I was a little distracted at the time."

"Yeah," Garp agreed. "It's good to see at least one kid with talent who doesn't want to be a pirate. It's all that fool Roger's fault that so many youngsters run off to become pirates. Even my grandson talks of being king of the pirates, but I'll beat that notion out of him yet."

"You have a grandson?" Jiraiya asked in surprise. "I didn't even know you had any children."

"Ah!" Garp replied. "That was supposed to be a secret."

"Don't worry," Jiraiya told him casually. "I won't tell anyone young Patrick wants to be a pirate."

"His name is Luffy, you idiot." Garp fired back. "Really, and you say I'm the dumb one."

"Yeah, you're just too smart for me," Jiraiya deadpanned.

He wondered about this Luffy and why he was supposed to be a secret. That kid, who'd just run off, interested him too. He reminded him of someone, but he couldn't figure out who. He'd worry about those mysteries later, but for now, he had to try to get rid of Garp to go back to his research.

0o0o0

Naruto set down the stack of books he'd borrowed from the library on a desk in the small, spartan room he'd just got at the inn. It was a lot of material for anyone to get through in just three days. But Naruto wasn't just anyone. Naruto summoned ten clones, which he had discovered to be his limit. Dividing up the books between them, they all found a space in the now rather crowded room and began studying. Each clone could absorb a greater amount of information than an average person, and the combined effort will be enough to vastly boost his skills and experiences.

That night, he learned another interesting fact about his power. Also, his clones didn't need to eat or sleep. They also remained even as the real Naruto slept, studying on through the night. And despite some minor complaints on the part of his clones, they continued studying 24 hours a day until noon on the exam day.

He could probably study for another hour, but he wanted to leave himself plenty of time to get there in case he got lost in the city. Banishing his clones, he headed for the door and … fell to the ground in pain as it suddenly felt as if he had a dozen drills simultaneously trying to bore their way into his head. He tried to ward them off with his hands to no effect. Finally, he got some relief as his consciousness faded.

0o0o0

Naruto woke up with the worst headache he'd had in his entire life. Through the pain, he tried to collect his thoughts and figure out what had happened. Was this a hangover or something? Had he gone drinking to celebrate his joining the Marines? But he couldn't even remember taking the exam.

The Exam! He finally remembered what had caused him to pass out. It seemed he couldn't handle the flood of a combined 15 days' worth of memories. Rushing to the window, he saw the sun already setting low on the horizon. He was late!

Opening the window, he jumped out to the street below, stumbling as he felt another surge of pain. But he grits his teeth and begins to run off toward the building he was supposed to have been at hours ago. Arriving, he was horrified to find the place empty, save for a few marines. He quickly approached the nearest one.

"Who's in charge here?" he asked the man.

"That would be Lieutenant Commander Iruka over there," he replied pointing to a dark-haired man on the far side of the room who was looking over a stack of papers.

Thanking the man, he hurried over to Iruka.

"Iruka, sir," he called out to him. "I'm Naruto Namikaze. I'm here for the exam. I'm sorry I'm late."

"So you're the missing recruit," Iruka replied. "And you're more than just late, you missed it entirely. I thought you'd changed your mind and run off."

"I would never do that!" Naruto insisted. "I just had some extenuating circumstances the kept me from arriving on time. Is there any way I can take a make-up exam? Or I could just take next month's exam."

I'm sorry, but there is no make-up exam, and you're scheduled to begin tomorrow," Iruka informed him to Naruto's dismay. "Timeliness is important for an officer as well."

Iruka's stern face seemed to break no argument, but Naruto wouldn't be deterred. His dream wasn't to become a commonly enlisted marine. He was going to be an admiral, like his father. Maybe even make fleet admiral someday.

"That's not fair!" Naruto complained, "I made one little mistake and now I can't become an officer? There's got to be some way."

Iruka's face softened at this, showing a hint of compassion for his plight.

"If you're that determined, there is a way." Iruka replied. "Regardless of whether you pass the test or not, everyone has a month of basic training. Those who pass will undergo a different schedule designed for officer candidates. However, at the end of the month, there is another exam."

"And I can take that one?" Naruto asked hopefully.

"That's right," he confirmed. "It's a much harder exam; most officer candidates fail to pass it each year. Add in the fact that you won't benefit from the month of training for it, and not many who fail the first exam even bother to attempt it. But a few try each year and it's not unheard of for one or two to succeed."

"Thank you very much," Naruto all but yelled at the man. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Instead of thanking me, just make sure you show up on time in the future," Iruka replied, trying to take on a stern look again, but unable to completely hide a small smile.

"I will," Naruto promised and ran out of the room back toward the inn.

He'd make sure he passed the next one. Although maybe he'd stick to more normal means for studying this time. His headache still hadn't abated, but a quick examination of his memories showed the effort hadn't been a complete waste, as everything his clones had done seemed to be there.

0o0o0

Naruto walked down the barracks, looking for room 121. He hadn't repeated his tardiness from the day before, and after completing all the necessary paperwork, he'd been given his room assignment. Finding his room, he entered to discover that it was already occupied.

This wasn't unexpected as he already knew he'd have a roommate. The real shocker was that the occupant was the most giant dog he'd ever seen. Seriously, the white-furred animal looked large enough for him to ride.

The dog was looking just as intently back at him. They were still just standing there staring at each other when another boy walked up beside him.

"Oh, you must be my roommate," the boy said. "I'm Kiba Inuzuka, and this is Akamaru."

"They're letting you keep your dog here?" Naruto asked disbelievingly.

"This is more than just my dog, he's my partner," Kiba answered. "We're from the Inuzuka Tribe of Inuzuka Island."

"I think I heard of the Inuzuka Tribe," says Naruto. "The people on Inuzuka Island are known to be savage fighters that fought with the ferocity and strength of a wild animal, and they are also known for their use of dogs as fighting companions and are easily identified by the distinctive red fang markings on their cheeks."

"Yeah," Kiba agreed. "But they still wouldn't let me use him for the combat portion of the exam. I would pass if they had. I mean I've never even practiced fighting on my own."

Naruto examined the other boy. He was Brown haired, and about the same height as him. He was also the second person he'd met this week who had red lines painted or tattooed or something beneath his eyes, although they were much wider than Jiraiya's had been. Maybe there was some meaning to it.

"So, are you going to try to take the next exam too?" Naruto asked him, trying to make some friendly conversation.

"You bet I am," Kiba replied. "I had the highest score of anyone who failed. I just need a little practice fighting without Akamaru and I'll breeze through the exam. How about you, what was your score?"

"Well, I sort of missed taking the exam," Naruto said bashfully.

"What happened, you sleep through it?" Kiba inquired.

"No," Naruto replied before reconsidering. " I guess I kind of did but it's ", Complicated than that. You see, I have a devil fruit power."

"Ah, cool, so does Akamaru," the other boy replied cheerfully.

"Your dog ate a devil fruit?" Naruto asked doubtfully, wondering if he was serious.

"Yeah, he ate the Doriru Doriru No Mi," he explained to him of the details. "It's a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit which allows him to turn his whole body into a Drill, penetrated through toughest barriers with great power and speed."

"Also," Kiba added. " Akamaru is a powerful fighter in his own right, and he is much smarter than other dogs. He's an excellent team player...right Akamaru."

Akamaru barked in response and Naruto wondered if he's intelligent enough to understand every word they say.

"You'll have to show me his powers sometime," Naruto said with genuine interest. "But I can show you my power right here."

With that, he summoned three clones and was pleased by the suitably awed look he received from his roommate. Akamaru, meanwhile, was going from one to the next, sniffing them all.

"Are they all real?" Kiba queried.

"Well, they're all solid," Naruto replied. "But all of them except the original will disappear in a puff of smoke if they take any significant blows."

Naruto then banished them all, which startled Akamaru, who had just examined one of the clones.

"I also remember everything that happened to them after they vanished like that," he continued. "I was using that to cram in some studying at several times the normal rate. Unfortunately, I kept it up so long it was a memory overload that knocked me out cold. I didn't wake up until the exam was over."

"That's a tough break," Kiba commiserated. "But that means you didn't even really fail, so you might have an easy time with the second test. Anyway, what made you want to join the marines?"

"My father was an admiral," Naruto replied proudly. "It's always been my dream to follow in his footsteps."

"Wow! He made it to an admiral?" Kiba asked. "My family has been in the Marines for generations, and we have never made it that far. My great-grandfather was a Rear Admiral, my grandfather was a Commodore, and my mother is already a captain so that she might go even further. But not many people make it to Admiral. There's only, like, three of them right now."

Further conversation was put on hold as three other recruits opened the door. One with a face that strongly reminded him of a rat, and two hulking brutes behind Rat Boy were holding a clipboard in front of him that he was reading at the moment.

"Room 121," he muttered to himself, "That would make the occupants Kiba Inuzuka and Naruto Namikaze. My name is Nezumi Kaitō Junior, and … Is that a dog?!"

"Yeah, that's my partner," Kiba replied. "But how did you know Naruto and I would be in this room?"

"I have connections," Nezumi replied, having recomposed himself. "That's what I'm here...for a few favors, here and there, I can pull some strings and make life a bit easier for you. I see here that you received the lowest score on the Officer Exam, Naruto, so you could use all the help you can get."

"Hey," Naruto replied, disgruntled by his words. "If you're here with us, you failed too, so don't act so high and mighty."

"Heavens no," Nezumi answered. "I never even took the exam. I have no desire to be an officer, and there's too much work involved. I'll simply graduate an enlisted man. Then my father, Captain Nezumi, will ensure I'm assigned to his ship, and it's the easy life from there."

"Wait, is Nezumi your family name?" Naruto asked.

"It's my given name," the rat-faced recruit answered. "It's a family tradition that the oldest son is always named Nezumi. But back to business, I'm looking for a few more subordinates under my wing. All you had to do was a few simple tasks every now and then. In exchange, I pull some strings and get you on my father's crew when we graduate. A nice simple assignment in East Blue. You could hardly ask for a safer job in the Marines."

"Thanks, but I'll pass," Naruto said firmly. "Unlike you, I want to be an officer."

"With how poorly you did on the first test?" Nezumi asked dubiously. "I can see how you scored so low. You're not too bright to pass up an offer like this."

Naruto became quite steamed at the other boy's words. He wanted to give him a nice punch to the jaw to shut him up, but realized starting a fight on his first day wasn't the best idea. So he went with Plan B.

"Get out," he ordered Nezumi coldly.

"Well, that's rude," he replied. "I haven't even had a chance to finish speaking with Kiba."

"You heard him," Kiba interjected. "Get out of here. We're sick of looking at your ugly face."

"It's your choice," Nezumi answered smugly, "But don't come crying to me when you realize this is a mistake. I don't give second chances."

Having said his piece, he turned a walked away, his two lackeys following behind him. Naruto stood watching them retreat, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself.

"We should probably get changed into our uniforms," Kiba suggested. "We need to be outside for basic training pretty soon."

Agreeing, the two of them did just that. Leaving Akamaru behind, they went outside, joined up with a growing group of recruits, and waited. Soon, a young purple-haired woman came out, wearing a revealing marine outfit.

"My name is Commodore Anko Mitarashi," she told the assembled recruits. "And you maggots are in my care for the next twelve weeks. It is my job to turn you all into Marine soldiers! And make no mistake, you're all going to become Marine soldiers, even if it means beating it into you. To start things off, we will go on a nice ten-mile run. Then will do other exercises, one hundred reps each. And a word of warning: if anyone can't keep up with me, there will be consequences."

Anko took off, and the group moved to follow. She set a decent pace, but it was nothing Naruto couldn't handle. A number of the other recruits started having trouble as early as a couple of miles in. Some looked practically dead by the time they finally returned to their original starting point, but everyone had stayed with the group. They were quickly put to work doing other exercises, sit-ups, pushups, crunches. After she was satisfied, they'd done enough, she called them all together.

"Ok we're going to do it again," Anko told them, shocking everyone. "Only this time it will be a twenty-mile run with two hundred reps on each other exercises. After that, I will do it again: a thirty-mile run with three hundred reps on each other exercises. On and on, until there is nothing left!"

"You're all wondering why I am so overzealous," Anko explained her reasons. "I'm so overzealous because this is for your own good. You think you have what it takes against any pirate you meet out there in the world. But there is more than meets the eyes, and if I don't pressure you , you'll be the day on your first day as a Marine soldier sooner or later! NOW MOVE IT!"

A collective groan went up, but Naruto wasn't complaining. As he started running, Kiba pulled up next to him. He was glad to see the other boy didn't seem to be much bothered by the exercise either.

"I heard about Anko from my sister," he told Naruto quietly, spying on the woman warily as if nervous she'd hear. "She was once a Vice Admiral from G-5 Base, a Marine Base located in the New World, near the Red Line."

"Why was she demoted to Commodore?" Naruto asked him, curious.

"She got into trouble for beating up a royal princess from the Lulusia Kingdom," Kiba gave him the details. "She was known as "Black Whip" Anko because she likes to torture pirates she captures, marine soldiers who don't keep up with her in her command, and civilians who rub her the wrong way. Word spread that she would have been boosted out of the Marines without her uncle. So she has been demoted to Commodore and transferred to Marinford to serve as drill instructor, training marine recruits."

A loud huffing noise let the two boys know someone else was approaching from behind back. They saw Nezumi struggling to catch up.

"My … heart … feels...like...it's...going...to explode!" He struggled to get out between his labored breaths.

Naruto certainly didn't feel like he was suffering and would tell the boy so. But saying that seemed to have taken the last of Nezumi's strength as he fell to the ground right on the spot and lay there. Naruto and Kiba continued running, noticing Anko glance behind her.

"Looks like we have our first straggler," she chirped. "You guys keep running, I'll be right back."

Looking over his shoulder, he saw Anko dash back to the boy and pull a whip from … somewhere. One that she immediately proceeded to put to use.

Naruto turned his focus back to where he was going, grinning to himself.

"You can't do this!" Nezumi screeched indignantly from behind them. "My father will have your head for this!"

"Seem like you don't know your place," Anko sneered. "Here I make the threats! Here I make the rules! Here... I AM THE BLACK WHIP!"

In the next moment, Anko begins whipping Nezumi, causing him to scream out in pain, much to Naruto's delight.

"Now keep up with the others!" Anko warned Nezumi. "Or I'll beat the skin out of your bones!"

"No wonder she's the Black Whip!" Naruto conceded.

Glossary

Devil Fruit

Doriru Doriru No Mi (Drill Drill Fruit): The Doriru Doriru No Mi is a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that allows the user to transform their body into a living drill, allowing them to drill through solid objects, climb walls, and move at high speeds. The fruit was eaten by Akamaru, making him an Drill Dog.

Races

Inuzuka Tribe: Inuzuka Tribe hails from Inuzuka Island, located in Paradise, the other half the Grand Line. The natives of the island are easily identified by the distinctive red fang markings on their cheeks and known to have wild dogs or wolves for close companions.

While their origins are unknown, it was rumored that the Inuzuka Tribe is descended from the Mink Tribe. Like their canine partners, they have greatly enhanced senses, especially their sense of smell. By concentrating their noses, this sense is amplified to an even greater extent, allowing the user to be able to detect, track, and monitor targets from a fairly long distance away, making them superior scouts, trackers, and hunters.

During the presence of Full Moon, members of the Inuzuka Tribe undergo a bodily transformation that turns them into Werewolf-like beasts, which vastly enhances their strengths and skills. Yet, their lifespan rapidly decreases as long as they remain in this form. Inuzuka Tribe members are valued as slaves by humans, and the standard price for an Inuzuka Tribe member is 700,000 berries.