Author's Notes:
And we're back! A slightly longer chapter this time, but I think it turned out rather well. I'm sure many were waiting for a very specific character to make their appearance, and finally the time hase come. Enjoy the ride, and OFF WE GO!
Replies:
qtar1984: As I stated to other readers, there are quite a few matters, which just need patience. I've personally not read a story that dealt with summoning the same way as I did, but on the other side I do not believe my idea to be a stroke of genius. So I find it quite possible for somebody else to have come up with the same idea.
frankieu: Great you liked it! I'm really looking forward to realize my plans for Sakura's growth, even though it might seem kind of bizarre.
Vongola Ninja: Again, tanks for the appreciation! Most of this chapter is written from Kakashi's perspective, because it just seemed to be prudent to do so. Dude had his nap and it's time for that equally genius and broken mind to get some spotlight. More importantly, to set the stage for future events. Also, this chapter opens the first step for Naruto's path to power, hope you'll like it!
NaruCrazy: Yea, Robin's first appearance is just too important for me. It was totally impossible to give it the necessary attention at the end of the last chapter, which is why I decided to put it into this one. Have fun!
Seta88: I always imagined that there is a need for Kakashi to know how to set up mission contracts. Looking at Naruto's track record in regards to upgraded missions, I thing almost every team must have at least one negotiator with them, or Konoha would be missing out on SO MUCH MONEY! In regards to Sakura, I'm really looking forward to turning her into a total badass. Her and everybody else, of course!
KHARAKI TAKAN: Thank you!
fenixrojo36: I tried to google what that means, and came up with "keep going" in spanish? If I got that right, then thank you!
Disclaimer
I do not own Naruto and I do not own One Piece. That honour lies with their creators:
Masashi Kishimoto and Eiichiro Oda
Many thanks again to Lapin de Lune for beta reading my very first own fanfiction!
Chapter Nine: Awesome no Jutsu
It was not only Cactus Island the Going Merry was leaving behind, but also the Straw Hat Pirates' first day on the Grand Line. With dawn breaking on the horizon, they slowly cleared the island's morning mists. Luffy and Naruto were looking ahead, while Usopp, Sanji, Sakura and Sasuke were following Nami's last instructions to get the Merry back to the open sea.
Only a single eye followed the unexpected passenger's strut towards the railing in front of the Merry's Galley. Raven black hair, shining with an almost silken quality, while sensually framing a smiling face. In terms of clothes, there was nothing much to report, other than an obvious lack thereof. What little garments the newcomer wore, all came in the same shade of deep purple. The upper torso was more or less covered by a tight vest, leaving far more skin to admire than it covered, with a white string keeping everything together in the front. This was accompanied by a rather short skirt, boots going up about mid-calf of a pair of slender legs and a cowboy hat, completing the appearance. In Kakashi's opinion, this could have easily been one of Lord Jiraya's characters, who decided to quit their life in erotic fiction and walk out of the pages from the super pervert's latest work. The seasoned assassin within however, was very much aware that allowing such thoughts to take root, would result in his quick and rather deserved death.
The woman reached her destination and had her legs now crossed and dangling from the elevated railing, looking down on Nami, Zoro and himself. When she realized the silver-haired jonin had his gaze on her, she gave no more than the slightest indication of surprise, before waving at him with a smile. Kakashi didn't say a word, only raising a hand while reciprocating with his own eye smile. What struck the copy ninja the most about her, wasn't the woman's attire, but that despite of it, this person somehow managed to radiate poise and sophistication.
"Seems like we got away from any followers." The stranger stated, as if there was nothing odd about her presence.
Still not aware of the intruder, Nami responded without a second thought: "Yeah, looks like it."
"But we need to look out for those rocks up there."
Feeling challenged by that statement, the navigator answered with a grin: "Just leave that to me, haha… wait… Zoro, was that you?"
"Hm? Why should I care about some rocks? Just tell me which one to slice up… "
"Fufufufu"
"Wha… "
Nami's head followed the feminine giggle to its source, and now finally became aware of their uninvited passenger.
"I have to say, this is a cute little ship you got here."
"Who the hell are you?!" Nami was shocked and took a step back. Once Zoro also had his eyes on the woman, Kitetsu quickly found its way into the swordsman's hand.
"Tse, this is a quiet one… how did she get on board?"
"Yo Zoro, what's going on?" alerted through his crewmates' sounds of distress, Luffy and Naruto had made their way back to the group. After that, it didn't take long for all the passengers to have gathered on the main deck. Some were shocked, others frowning, one was hiding behind the thick main mast and another had his eyes quickly changing into pulsing hearts.
Sakura positioned herself a little bit behind her Sensei before she asked: "Sensei? Who is she?"
"I don't quite know myself, Sakura, but the kind woman was just about to introduce herself. Isn't that right?"
"Fufufu, such a charmer. Well, I might owe you an introduction, considering the circumstances. My name is-"
"You are Miss All Sunday!" Vivi interrupted, not willing to let the woman speak. The combination of Miss and -day was enough for most of the crew to either draw their weapons or crouch into their battle stances. An outside observer would have interpreted Kakashi's stance as uncaring, but his students recognised the alertness demonstrated through the lack of a certain pornographic novel in his hand.
"And hello to you, too, Miss Wednesday. I just came from a meeting with Mr. 8. He sends his regards."
"YOU KILLED IGARAM!" Images of a blazing wreck were still vivid in the princess' mind.
"She killed the saxophone guy? Why are we even talking to her, dattebayo?!" Naruto was preparing an assault before any useful information could be extracted.
"Nefertati-hime… these agents come in pairs, right? Who is she partnered up with?"
It took all of Vivi's strength to stop grinding her teeth and answer Kakashi's question: "Her partner is Mr. Zero, the boss himself… she's also the only agent who knows his identity. We discovered that by following her." Every one of the bluenette's words was laced with righteous fury, but at the same time, helplessness started creeping through her body.
"Don't you mean, I let you follow me? You didn't actually believe you could possibly hide yourselves from me, right? Oh, you did? That's just precious, fufufufu!"
"So, she's nice? That's good… but she's also kind of a jerk." Luffy stated.
With her attention on the princess, Sasuke saw his chance. He was passed out for most of the fighting while Naruto was right in the middle of it, and then lost to that walking firecracker… time to blow off some steam! The Uchiha flexed his legs but was stopped by his Sensei's outstretched hand appearing in his view, silently ordering him to stand down. Kakashi let out a sigh when he saw his genin comply for now, but that wouldn't hold out for much longer. This woman was an enemy with unknown abilities, but there was something else that bothered the silver-haired ninja… something he couldn't quite put his finger on yet.
This quiet exchange between student and teacher didn't take more than a few seconds, which seemed to be enough for Miss All Sunday to raise one of her eyebrows at it. Looks like she wasn't as distracted as Sasuke thought.
"Don't listen to her, Luffy!" Vivi reproached the captain's assessment. "Maybe she exposed Crocodile on purpose, but that also makes her the most likely person to have told him about us!"
"That's true." Mr Zero's partner took the princess' conclusion in stride, never losing her smile in the process.
"Oh, so not a nice person and a jerk. Got it!"
"Sigh, how about you shut up while the adults are talking?" The swordsman's suggestion was clearly destined to fall on deaf ears, but extra points for trying. Meanwhile, Kakashi continued to gather information.
"Excuse me, madam. I don't believe a high-ranking woman such as yourself would reveal herself to us, for no other reason than her own amusement, am I right? If you were to enlighten us to the purpose of your actions, I think we might avoid the princess rupturing a blood vessel, no offence."
"Hmpf… spoilsport. But very well… you see, little Vivi here tackled the organisation with such vigour, that I just decided to help." Miss All Sunday shrugged her shoulders, as if exposing the founder of a powerful criminal organisation on a whim was a completely normal thing to do. "A princess trying to save her Kingdom, ready to put her life on the line, even turn Baroque Works into her enemy. It's all just so… ridiculous, fufufu."
For some unfathomable reason, Sakura saw her sensei's body language further relax, right before shit hit the fan. She even heard a relieved sigh escape him as he fished out his porn and started to read.
Vivi's eyes widened when she heard the agent's giggle. It caused further pictures to appear in her mind, of Igaram searching for her when she was little, telling her stories before she went to sleep, the guard's radiant smile, filled with kindness… an explosion leaving nothing but burning planks in its wake…
"DON'T YOU DARE MAKE FUN OF US!"
The jonin sensei could have easily stopped Naruto and Sasuke from rushing forward, but he didn't, preferring to read his book instead. The reason for this was that Kakashi realised what exactly was off about this entire situation. It was, that for all the animosity Miss All Sunday tried to evoke within the crew, and even though there must be some deeper plot hidden behind her actions, there still wasn't the slightest hint of actual killing intent for him to pick up on. So, with no apparent risk to their well-being, why not use the situation for some reconnaissance and get his student's first impulses out of the way? Maybe even plant some poisonous seeds?
Sanji was the first to reach the agent, ready to deliver a spinning high kick to the intruder's face, after she dared to evoke Miss Wednesday's ire… wait… was Miss All Sunday smiling at him? Before his foot could make contact, the love cook's eyes changed into hearts, making him loose his footing and collide face-first into the galley's wall behind her.
Next was Naruto who jumped high in the air: "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" about a dozen clones appeared, each one drawing a kunai to stab down on their enemy. The agent reacted by brushing a strand of hair behind her ear and somehow causing every single clone to dispel in the process. The left-over original was still on course to collide with her, but with another twitch of his adversary's lips Naruto felt a hand pushing against his leg, while still mid-flight. Because of this, he lost his balance, flipped over and smashed into the railing beside her, before falling down to the main deck, in a groaning heap.
Having gathered what little confidence he could, Usopp was ready to take his shot. The green slingshot was perfectly aimed, but before he could let go of his ammunition the weapon flew out of his hands, slapped away by… something? Simultaneously Nami's staff also hit the ground. The only one still having a hold of their weapon was Zoro, who for some reason was looking at his sword, strangely angled in his hand as if he also experienced a slap to it.
While this happened, Sasuke was able to get much closer to the agent who just took out his teammate. Instead of jumping high, the Uchiha chose the railing as his target. He perfectly stuck his landing and from there rushed her with all the speed he could muster in his weakened body. Sasuke was just about to reach her, eyes blazing, when his sharingan saw a hand sprout from the railing, right where he was about to put his foot. Instead of risking contact with the appendage, he decided to flex the muscles in his other leg and jumped over it. Mid-flight, the Uchiha pulled a Kunai from his pouch, ready to plunge it into Ms All Sunday, but the next place to have a slender feminine appendage appear where they had no business to appear, was the underside of Sasuke's arm giving a strong push to his torso. Simultaneously, one sprouted from the inside of his left leg, where it reached out for the right leg and forcefully pulled them together.
To his credit, Sasuke was the only one who caused the agent to actually move. After all, she needed to lean back while he flew passed her and into the ship's outer railing.
Nami was quite rattled by Miss All Sunday's display: "Damn it, she's a devil fruit user! What's her power?!"
"Hmm… I really don't see how I deserve such an unwelcome reaction… "
This only further aggravated the Uchiha, but her game was up. Sasuke now knew how her technique worked, and it was time to end this. Let's see what her hands are gonna do when they burn to a crisp.
"Sasuke! Naruto! Stand down!" Kakashi's voice stopped the Uchiha right before he formed the first hand seal to one of his fire techniques. When he looked down at his sensei, he also saw Naruto who was back on his feet. He held a Kunai that was about to be thrown, with an exploding tag attached to it. The dobe's idea sparked a bit of appreciation in Sasuke's mind. There would have been some damage to the ship, but even if Miss All Sunday had been able to divert the kunai's path, it wouldn't have been enough to save herself from the explosion.
"She's out of your league. Stop your attack immediately!" Wait… What the fuck?!
"But Sensei! We can-" Naruto was about to voice Sasuke's thoughts in a more polite manner.
"No argument. You are not ready for this. Now get back here!" All of Sasuke's mental fortitude was required to let go of his plan of attack. He threw the smiling, if though slightly perplexed intruder a dirty look, Sharingan still blazing brightly, before he turned around and walked down the stairs, back to his sensei. A feat that would never have been successful, had his cursed seal not been dormant.
When Sasuke and Naruto were back at Kakashi's side, they were about to demand an explanation, but his sensei raised his free hand and scratched his chin. This was not one of the official hand codes, thought to genin. Instead, it was specifically established by Kakashi after their first encounter with Zabuza, when it became clear that this team wasn't that great with following orders. It meant, 'trust me on this, I'll explain later'. Even Naruto got the signal and decided to shut his trap, so Sasuke wasn't going to ruin whatever plan the jonin had come up with.
Meanwhile, the other moronic blonde was also back on his feet: "Oh Miss All Sunday! My heart breaks into ten thousand pieces! What is a chivalrous knight meant to do when love pulls his soul apart from two sides!"
"Fufufu, now don't be so hasty dear… "
"WHOHOOOO" being directly addressed by the beauty caused Sanji to almost go into shock.
"You see, so far, I haven't received any orders regarding the princess and her… entourage. That means, there is no reason for me to fight any of you, other than to defend myself, of course."
"Shishishi, that was really cool. Can I fight you next?"
"Hmmm… you must be the captain… Monkey D. Luffy, am I correct?" The beauty stretched out her hand to the pirate captain and caused his straw hat to fly into her grasp, seemingly summoned by magic.
"HEY, GIVE ME BACK MY HAT RIGHT NOW! YOU WANNA BRAWL?! I'LL SMACK YOU AROUND, BITCH!" Sasuke and Kakashi both had their eyes twitching now. A stranger invaded his ship and then continued to take out over half of his crew, but the theft of that ratty piece of headwear was what took it too far?
"You are quite the unlucky bunch, you know that?" The raven-haired agent states as she closely inspected Luffy's treasure, before putting it on top of her own cowboy hat. Zoro was now holding his captain by the scruff of his vest. Everybody else ignored his outrage.
"Meeting a stray princess shortly after entering the Grand Line. Then you get roped into protection duty and now you have one of the most powerful men in the world after your heads, all because sweet little princess Nefertati Vivi can't accept a lost cause when she sees one… "
"Bitch, I call that a lazy Tuesday, dattebayo!" Naruto screamed, his middle finger proudly telling the Baroque Works agent what he thought of her. Sakura's hand quickly slapped the blonde upside his head, before she even realised what she was doing, receiving a thumbs up from Nami in return.
"Hmmm… maybe… but that's not where your misfortune stops. The island your log pose is pointing to, it is called Little Garden." Miss All Sunday pointed at the resident navigator's wrist. "Little Garden is a… well, let's just say, we won't have to lift a single finger to take you out. That needle will do all the work, by simply pointing you in that direction, fufufufu. You and this crew trying to protect you will be destroyed, long before you reach the shores of Alabasta!"
"DON'T CARE, GIVE ME BACK MY HAT BEFORE I GET ANGRY!"
"Yes, yes, here you have it. All I am trying to say is: doesn't it strike you as silly to die before your adventure has even begun?"
With a flick of the agent's wrist, the straw hat flew back into Luffy's hand. Parallel to it, another object made its way to Vivi. Once safe in her hand, she saw something that closely resembled a log pose. The glass orb and needle at least, even though the orb was a bit bigger, and instead of an armband, the navigational device was sandwiched between two round wooden plates having a slightly larger circumference than the orb itself.
"An eternal pose?" The princess asked. Why would this… this monster give her an eternal pose?
"A what now?" Vivi turned around to her newest friend, who got really close while inspecting the navigational tool. "An eternal pose. Differently than a log pose, they don't calculate the magnetic currents between consecutive islands. Instead, they remember a single island and always point towards it, no matter where you are."
"Exactly. Quite useful, even if a bit rare. You see Miss Navigator, they can only be produced on the island they point to. This one will lead you straight to an island called Nada, from which your log pose will lead you straight to Alabasta. This means that you can skip Little Garden, altogether. And to round it all off, no one in Baroque Works knows this route, so nobody can follow you. Isn't that amazing?"
Nami clearly recognized the evil smile of a salesperson, so she wasn't that inclined to trust their good fortunes. On the other hand, this might be the only way they have to reach Alabasta without some major fights on the way.
"Maa, maa, that is truly generous of you." Kakashi brought himself back into the conversation. His eye-smile firmly back in place. "But why, pray tell, would you concern yourself with the safety of an insignificant band of pirates like this? Especially one harbouring one of your enemies?"
"Hey, don't question the beautiful lady when she's trying to help us, scarecrow!" grumbled Sanji after regaining a modicum of control. Back in his suave gentleman persona, he smoothly lit himself a cigarette. "If Miss All Sunday says it's safe, then it is safe. Got it?"
"I don't trust you. Why would you try to help us?" Nami asked.
"She's far more likely to stab us in the back than help us." Vivi concurred.
"Yes, whatever you say, my queens!" And the pulsing heart eyes were back. Sometimes Nami wondered if repeated hits to the head by a peg leg while growing up, did some permanent damage… but then again, what was Luffy's excuse? Not as if he also suffered from repeated brain trauma in his formative years, right?
Somewhere in the east blue, a vice admiral and a retired pirate-turned-cook, sneezed.
"W… W… well, I think she is evil and should leave our ship! That thing is obviously a trap!"
Kakashi and his students had to look behind themselves to find Usopp hidden behind the thick main mast while adding his two Ryo to the conversation.
Vivi intently held the eternal pose in her gaze. Should she take her up on it? Trust that this unassuming orb wouldn't lead them straight to their deaths? But even if Igaram's killer was lying about Little Garden… they still might encounter several agents along the way. This could be their way to circumvent all that!
"Who cares?!" With his straw hat back where it belongs Luffy's temper had returned to manageable levels. He approached the brooding princess who didn't put up any resistance as he took the eternal pose out of her hand, and-
*crack*
shattered it in his fist. Nami's wooden staff didn't take long to smash through Luffy's face with enough force to plant the rubber brain on his behind. "Are you mad?! That could have been the safest route! "
Luffy didn't even bother to stand up from his place on the floor. He wasn't looking at the screaming Nami, keeping his gaze firmly fixed on Miss All Sunday instead. The navigator realized quickly that this was her captain's serious face. In front of her, lying on his back, was not the boy who happily acted as the crew's personal punching bag. This was the man who defeated Captain Axe hand Morgan, Kuro of the thousand plans, Don Krieg and last but not least, her very own tormentor and enslaver, Arlong the Saw. This was the guy whose insignia proudly flew above them, every time they set their sails.
"You are not the one who decides the course of this ship."
There was no screaming involved. It was just a factual statement, clearly addressed at Miss All Sunday, who actually felt impressed. From what she got thus far, he wasn't a very serious person, most of the time. But that conviction burning in his eyes… this man would never allow himself to be controlled by others. It was the first honest smile that appeared on Robin's face when she succinctly summarised her thoughts: "understood… too bad."
Nami had lost much of her rage when she asked Luffy with an indulging frown: "See what you did? I know where you are coming from, but come on… "
"She blew up the swirly hair guy, so I don't like her."
Miss All Sunday swung her legs back over the railing and slowly strutted towards the side of the caravel, from which Kakashi had seen her arrive in the first place. Before reaching it, however, the agent decided to send another comment towards Luffy: "Should you survive… and should we meet again-"
"Nope. Get lost!"
"Fufufu, very well." She went into a slow jog and jumped over the Merry's outer railing.
"Go, Ramirez!"
Shocked by this development, everybody moved towards starboard and witnessed Miss All Sunday riding a giant sea turtle, with its own white cowboy hat and a pink saddle in which she could make herself comfortable.
"Whoa! Sakura, look at that turtle! You think she knows Bushy Brows Sensei?"
"What kind of name is Bushy Brows?" Zoro asked the excited blonde. It was Kakashi who answered him, however.
"His name is actually Gai Maito. He's a sensei to another team of young shinobi in our village. Naruto tends to become rather… descriptive… when naming people."
The swordsman grinned, recognizing the mix of exhaustion and pride in the sensei's voice. "Ah, bushy brows sensei… got it."
"Kakashi! She's gone now. Why did you stop us from ending that woman!?" The jonin turned away from Zoro. Sasuke had followed his command, and now he was expecting the promised explanation. His inquiry caused even Naruto to avert his attention from the disappearing turtle.
"sigh… very well. I guess I owe you this one."
"Yeah, sensei… the teme and I could have easily taken her out, dattebayo!"
Nami gained quite the perplexed look at that statement. Like everybody else, she believed Kakashi when he said Miss All Sunday was too much for the boys. After all, who would know better than their own teacher? But not everybody believed it, did they? Zoro was grinning appreciatively at the kid, and he was observing the blonde's skills for the better part of the night.
"Naruto? That woman was the second in command within Baroque Works… don't you think you are being a little bit-"
"You are right." Kakashi interrupted the princess. "Both of you would have most likely defeated her in a prolonged fight. However, to win a war, there are multiple forms of attack. And our enemy here is not just a single woman, but an entire organisation. Sakura, would you be so kind as to tell me exactly what this woman witnessed of Naruto and Sasuke's skills while she was on board?"
"hmm… she saw some of their acrobatic skills, Naruto's clones… and I guess Sasuke's sharingan, right?"
Kakashi had gained everybody's attention by now. Especially Vivi was listening intently to the ninja's reasoning behind the assumption that these kids could take out Miss All Sunday.
"Very good, Sakura. Now, Nami-san. You told me a little bit about devil fruits on our way to the pub. You have my gratitude for that. They seem to grant rather extraordinary abilities, which centre around specific changes to a person's body. Such as Luffy-san's fruit, turning his body into rubber, or this Mr. 5 character being able to turn his body into explosives. Knowing a person's devil fruit powers, puts an opponent into an advantageous position, considering that most of their fighting style will revolve around the powers granted by the fruit."
Zoro's grin only widened, while the other crew members were left completely baffled at Kakashi's analysis. Not because he was telling them anything new, but because they were aware that this guy only knew about devil fruits for the last couple of hours and still had them figured out to such an extent. Well, Luffy wasn't that surprised either… but that was more thanks to the fact, that he wasn't really understanding what the man was talking about while wisely nodding his head.
"To round it all up, devil fruits come with an obvious weakness against seawater. It even goes so far, that no matter how strong an opponent is, you will still be able to drown them, right? Now… if you were Miss All Sunday… what would you have taken from your encounter with a boy that produces clones, and another one with strangely red eyes, that may or may not spout fire from his mouth, based on the report she will receive from the two bound agent's we left on the island."
He let that marinate for a moment, and not surprisingly, it was the Hidden Leave's very own prankster king who came to the right conclusion: "You pranked her, dattebayo!"
"Hmm… yes, guess I did, hehehe. Miss All Sunday will have a lot to tell when she gets to her boss. Specifically, two people are extremely weak against seawater, which they aren't, one of which only summons easily dispelled clones, while the other shoots fire from his mouth. Adding to that my assessment of your chances against her, which I made sure to make loudly known, and this misinformation will give you a distinct advantage in any fights to come. That is, as long as you are able to stop further knowledge about your skills from spreading through their ranks."
"Sheesh… you like to use lots of big words, don't you, old man."
Kakashi sweat-dropped at the captain's reply to his explanation. He would have loved not to engage him further on this, even just to circumvent any further headaches, but one thing needed to be put right, immediately: "Excuse me, Luffy-san… but I'm not old. I'm only 27 years old, in fact."
"Damn, you must have a really stressful job then… to go all grey at 27." Sanji succinctly summarized. Usopp quickly added his thoughts to the mix:
"Well, he's a ninja. That is stressful, isn't it?"
"Ehm… actually, that's just my hair colour… it runs in the family… "
"Whoa, early grey hair runs in your family? Then baldness won't be far away, either. Maybe I can cook you something to give you the right nutrients to slow down the process… let me see what I can do."
"BWAHAHAHAHA, SENSEI'S GOING BALD!"
"Naruto, that's not nice… pfff-hihihihi, oh kami, I just imagined Sensei without hair!"
Kakashi held up both his hands in a placating manner, trying to stop this train of thought in his tracks: "No no no! What I meant is, that they aren't grey. My hair is silver in colour."
"Really? That's some fucked up hair colour you got there."
"You are one to talk. I cooked broccoli with a healthier colour than what's on your head."
"Trying to start a fight, you swirly browed, shit-cook?!"
With the danger disappearing on the horizon, Vivi's body finally gave in, and she broke down on her knees. Tears were running down her face and onto the wooden planks.
"Vivi!" Nami had her arms around the bluenette's shivering form before she could protest.
"I *sniff*… I have no clue *sniff*… I don't know what that woman *sniff* was thinking… Igaram is gone *sniff*… I'm all alone in this now… "
"QUACK!" *slap* "Ouch!" Who knew such a fluffy-looking feathery limb could actually hurt so much when really used to slap someone across the face? Karoo had stayed silent throughout the entire encounter. The reason was that the supersonic duck was scared out of his plumage. The guard ducks were made for running, not for fighting! It was his job to get Vivi away in an emergency, and Igaram's job to fight off any threats. Now… Karoo was the last line of defence, and to his endless shame, he hid himself the second he heard Miss All Sunday's voice, leaving his charge…no… his closest friend to fend for herself. What would the other members of the supersonic duck corps say, if they knew about his shameful conduct in the face of danger?
Vivi was looking up at the equally crying duck, who just slapped her tears away. "Quack qua qua quack qua!"
"Yea, you tell her, Bertha!"
"Qua qua quacks quack qua!"
"*sniff*… I'm sorry Karoo… you are right!"
Well of course he was right. How else was she supposed to react after he made his point so eloquently? After the royal regained some of her composure, she allowed Nami to wipe away her tears and help her up.
"Ehm… excuse me?" Sakura thought that now was as good a time as any to say what was on her mind since they left the pub. "Would somebody mind explaining what is going on? Is Miss Wednesday really a princess? What was that woman going on about, who is Mr. Zero and why do we want to get to Alabasta?"
"I agree with Little Miss. Now that we are back on course, I would also appreciate an explanation for what's going on." Sanji added, puffing on his cigarette.
The resident long nose was still suffering from a full body shivering when he shouted: "Yeah, I wanna know, too! You can't have me single-handedly chase away a dangerous enemy and then not tell me what's going on!"
"So? What was this all about?" the cook further enquired.
"Yeah, I'll explain. You see…" Zoro threw in before anybody else got the chance to enlighten them to the situation. "Your food just sucks so bad, that we now have a bunch of killers after us."
"DIE!" and a violent whirlwind of sheeted swords and swinging legs easily dissolved the last vestiges of tension on the Going Merry.
"Hm? Food? Yeah, Sanji, I'm hungry!" With a last kick parried by a white scabbard, Sanji sighted at his captain's command and went to prepare breakfast for everybody. They could just as easily explain everything over some food.
"My Team and I will need some time to debrief. Kakashi informed to straw hat crew. "We'll be right behind you."
"Awww… but Sensei… Sanji's food is super good… it's almost as good as old man Ichiraku's ramen, dattebayo!"
"Maa, maa, that is high praise indeed. Don't worry Naruto, I promise we won't take too long."
Nami still had her arm around Vivi, but nodded at the sensei, as she retreated to the galley with her.
*at the stern*
Team 7 found itself situated at the back of the ship, or more appropriately, the stern. Kakashi was crouched down, with his back to the railing. Naruto sat across from him on the floor, his legs crossed and head leaning against the wall. Sakura decided to sit on the railing with her back to the ocean, allowing a breeze to ruffle her hair. Sasuke was the only one standing up, his gaze on the empty horizon and trying to hide the crash that was slowly creeping into his system.
Their sensei spread out a scroll in front of himself, before starting their debrief. He asked all of them to provide an extensive verbal report of everything that happened since he passed out, and honestly, he was quite proud of them. Naturally, there was much room for improvement, but considering the circumstances, they did as well as anybody could have expected, and Kakashi told them so. At hearing that, he even saw a twitch in Sasuke's lip, trying to suppress the kind of radiant smile that shined on Naruto's face, or kami forbid, the giggle Sakura produced.
While listening to his team, the Jonin sensei used a brush to transcribe a summarized version of their situation onto the scroll. "Excuse me, sensei?"
"Hm? Yes, Sakura?" The pinkette waited for her team to finish their explanation, before asking about the scroll. "That's a report you are writing for Hokage-sama, right? Do you intend to store them away until we reach the Elemental Nations?"
"Hehe, that would be rather cumbersome, wouldn't it? No, Sakura, I plan to get this report back to Lady Tsunade, as quickly as possible, and Naruto is gonna help me with it."
"Me? How am I supposed to do that?" The jonin suppressed his giggle at the jinchuriki's flabbergasted expression.
"You spend quite some time with Lord Jiraya, isn't that right, Naruto? Even learned some highly valuable techniques from him?"
That garnered Sasuke's attention. Naruto's developing relationship with the legendary Sannin was quite a sore spot for the Uchiha. In his mind, Jiraya was the only reason the dobe was improving at such ridiculous speeds. It was by far one of the biggest motivators in his musings about leaving the village to seek out Orochimaru and gain the… hmpf…the power… I'm getting dizzy again…
"The Pervy Sage? Yeah, he did! He thought me the Rasengan!"
"Yes, exactly. The jutsu I'm interested in, however, is another one. From the reports I read on your fight against Gaara, you summoned the boss toad, Gamabunta. With Lord Jiraya in the Elemental Nations, we are in the lucky position of hopefully establishing communications with the Hidden Leaf."
The twinkle of doom in Naruto's eyes informed the Jonin of his mistake. An abundance of chakra being released from the boy further alarmed him. Naruto had already bitten into his thumb and was halfway through the set of hand seals when Kakashi was able to grab both his hands and stop the summoner from killing them all.
"Sigh… Naruto… who exactly were you trying to summon there?"
"Hey, why did you stop me again, dattebayo?! I was just about to call for Boss. It's so cool when he appears all bad-ass in a giant smoke cloud!"
"So, you were about to summon a toad, several times bigger than the boat we are on… while still being on said boat… in the middle of the ocean?"
All colour evacuated Sasuke's face. The Uchiha remembered the titanic toad boss quite vividly, so he truly understood how badly the moron was about to mess up. Why was he of all people granted such a powerful technique, and not me?! If it wasn't for the wooden wall at his back, Sasuke would have keeled over, right where he stood. As it was, he held himself up and tried to control his dizziness both eyes covered by his left hand.
"Sasuke-kun?!" Sakura asked, the signs of exhaustion obvious in her teammate's body language.
"It's fine. I got everything under control… "
"No, you don't! Sensei, is there anything else you need us for? If not, I'd like for Sasuke to get some sleep. He should be back at full strength after that."
"No, that was all. I still need Naruto to get this report to Lord Jiraya, and hopefully, we'll get an answer, soon. As I already said, all of you have done an excellent job so far. We'll talk about any further actions after you recuperate."
"Tse… fine."
Sasuke turned around and left with Sakura close behind. A hammock wasn't the most comfortable thing in terms of sleeping arrangements, but for now, it had to suffice.
"Ok, let's try this again, Naruto. A small toad will do. Nothing bigger than a human please."
"Yea yea, I got it, sensei… Summoning Jutsu!"
Relief flooded Kakashi's mind when he witnessed the quaint little puff of smoke. The air cleared and a small orange toad with black markings and an open blue vest. The little summon almost reached his summoner's knees in height.
"Jo, Aniki! Are we on the ocean? Cool, I've never been! Dad always says the saltwater stings. You got some sweets for me?"
"Hey Gamakichi. Yop, that's the ocean all right. Just wait until you hear the story I've got to tell you!"
Kakashi cleared his throat, hoping to stop these two orange apparitions from losing themselves in conversation. It was about as successful as hiding booze from Lady Tsunade or stopping Lord Jiraya from peeping on the women's side in a bathhouse. Naruto was already gesticulating wildly with his hands, showcasing their flight through the air after Team 7 encountered that paw print.
"NARUTO!"
"I didn't do anything!"
"sigh…" Was there a record for most sighs in a single day? If so, the Jonin was sure to break it. With the little toad's attention on him, Kakashi addressed the matter at hand.
"Hello, toad-san. I am Hatake Kakashi, Naruto's Jonin sensei. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"Yo. Gamakichi is fine. Where are my snacks?"
"Ah… I'm sorry, I don't have any-"
"Here you go." The young summoner had produced a small bag which was presumably filled with sweets for the little toad.
"Ha! That's how you do it, old man. You can learn some things from Aniki, you know?!"
"I'm… I'm not that old… very well. Gamakichi-san, as you've seen, we are travelling the oceans right now. In fact, we are far away from the Elemental Nations, possibly, on the other side of the planet. We managed to secure passage on a pirate ship. We will try to change our means of travel as soon as possible, but for now, we are stuck with them-"
"Wait, wait wait, what do you mean by that? I thought we were gonna travel the seas with Luffy and his crew?! Why do you want to ditch them?! They were totally awesome to us and Luffy already promised to bring us back home!" Naruto's reaction brought Kakashi's fears to the surface. He wasn't out for long, but evidently long enough for at least one of his genin to have grown rather attached to these pirates. The last time he brought up the topic, that otter appeared and stopped him from furthering his plans of Team 7 striking out on their own, so any discussion on the matter was quickly nipped in the bud. This time, there was no way around an uncomfortable conversation. Naruto's emotions were getting the best of him. He stood up from his sitting position, standing over the still crouching Jonin, hands turned into fists, and teeth fletched.
"Naruto… I understand that these people seem nice, and maybe they are. But it doesn't change the fact, that they are pirates. There might be some different interpretations for what makes a pirate, yet a complete disregard for the law, and the enmity of at least one government, are tightly bound into any definition."
"But-"
"No buts! My main goal is to bring you and your teammates home, safely. We only met these people a day ago, and already we have a highly powerful enemy after us. I cannot trust them to be interested in you or any of our well-being! I understand that you may hate me for it, but if that is the price I have to pay to protect you, then I'll be willing to pay it. Is that understood?!"
Naruto met Kakashi's stern eye for a few seconds before he was forced to avert his gaze. He wanted to be angry… he even wanted to attack the guy… but how are you supposed to do that to somebody who only had your best interest at heart? That was a total low blow. How am I supposed to deal with that?! What Naruto wasn't aware of, was that the contradicting feelings he had to deal with right now, were the same feelings children had to deal with all over the globe, when parents wouldn't allow them to do something terribly moronic.
"Tse…" So, just like said children, he reacted in the only way possible. One-syllable words, that hardly counted as words in the first place, accompanied by copious amounts of frowning… not that the blonde could ever match his brooding teammate's attitude.
"Hehe, you sound just like my dad, when he doesn't want me to do stuff. Or Pa, when he has to show Dad who the real boss is on Mount Myoboku."
"Sigh…" would you look at that. Another sigh, and it's not even noon. "Now, Gamakichi-san. This scroll contains everything that happened to us, a request for further communication and our plans going forward. I'd like to ask the toad clan for their assistance in establishing said communication, by handing this to your summoner, Lord Jiraya. Would that be acceptable?"
"Hm? Yeah sure. These candied flowers are really tasty, Aniki *munch* *munch*. You use lots of big words old man, but I got the gist. Give me that scroll, and I'll get it to the perv. Gotta warn you though, I'm pretty sure Ma is gonna break that seal and read the scroll. She is kind of picky about one of her kids being in danger, and since Aniki signed the contract, he counts as one of us."
"I do? Who is Ma?"
"Ma is my granny. She and Pa are the sage toads. They even stand above Dad in the pecking order."
"Whoa! So, they are even bigger Boss?! That's totally awesome!"
"Nah, they are actually smaller than me. Still, Pa whoops dad's ass every time he runs his mouth too much while he's in hearing range. So, what are you waiting for? Give me that scroll, and, Aniki? Make sure to summon me again, soon! Being a pirate sounds like lots of fun!"
Gamakichi shot his tongue out instead of reaching for the scroll with his hand. The little orange firecracker even swallowed the thing.
"See you! And next time, make sure to have more snacks for me!" he said, before disappearing in another puff of smoke.
Not in the mood for further conversation with his sensei, Naruto took that as his cue to turn around and find out what Sanji prepared for breakfast. Kakashi watched the disgruntled blonde walk away, stopping himself just so, from releasing another sigh. The growling sounds from his empty stomach told him that it was time to follow these tantalizing smells wafting through the galley's windows, even though he waited a few minutes to allow Naruto some space.
When Kakashi entered the galley, he grew to witness the inexplicable phenomenon of Luffy's appetite. Sanji had prepared about a bathtub's worth of curry, with another equally sized pot full of plain rice. The speed at which the straw hat went through bowl after bowl, would put any Akimichi to shame. Note to me, if the opportunity arises, bet on this guy for any eating contest… at least those not involving ramen. Naruto had found a seat right beside the culinary black hole and happily indulged in Sanji's cuisine.
Sakura was situated at a second table, not far from the first, but distinctly separate. For some reason, it seemed to be reserved for the women of the crew. They were served exactly the same food, but instead of two huge pots and a bunch of bowls and spoons thrown on the table, they were given a brilliantly white tablecloth and had their servings hand-delivered in front of them by the spinning cook. Sasuke was nowhere to be found, so he concluded that his student was getting some well-deserved shuteye.
"Yo, scarecrow! Make sure to eat up. This is my special hangover curry. It will give you any nutrients you may have lost after throwing up, while still providing plenty of liquids. It's also great for regaining your strength after exhausting yourself, which should be great for you!"
"Hmmm… this smells quite delicious." Kakashi filled one of the bowls with an equal helping of rice and curry. As he slowly raised the spoon to his mask, he got the distinct feeling of being watched. A quick look around revealed the entire crew plus Naruto and Sakura having slowed down whatever they were doing while trying to stay inconspicuous in their observation of the masked ninja. He raised his unoccupied hand to his mask and… the door to the galley opened to Sasuke's entrance.
"I'm too hungry to sleep. I think I should eat something before laying down again."
"Maa, maa, that was quite the experience. I have to say, Sanji-san, You are truly a master of your craft."
"HEEEEEEEEEEE" Nobody averted their eyes for longer than two or three seconds when Sasuke came in. Apparently, that was enough for the masked man to let an entire bowl of curry disappear behind the cloth covering his mouth.
*later that day*
The Jonin found an idyllic resting place between the tangerine trees on top of the galley. There was just the right amount of shade, and the elevated position allowed for a refreshing breeze to blow through the trees. It also came with the advantage of providing a bit of privacy, while still being able to listen in on any conversations. Right now, Naruto was defending that giant duck named Bertha from being used as fish bait… this discussion was necessary because the bucket filled with worms was eaten by none other than the captain himself.
After he ate, Sasuke went back to his hammock and had not resurfaced since. Sakura had decided to look for her own hammock in the room Kakashi had woken up in. It seemed like Nefertati-hime had offered to share one of the beds with her, but Sakura declined the offer, assuring the older girl that her own sleeping accommodations were more than enough. Anyone who ever spent the night in the same room as the pinkette, however, knew that sleeping too close to the girl would result in becoming the victim of some seriously precise punches and kicks.
Before getting too lost in his thoughts, the Jonin decided to indulge in something that often brought him peace of mind when he most needed it… (AN: NO NOT THAT!)
Kakashi pulled a small scroll from one of the pouches in his flag jacket. It wasn't much thicker than a thumb and had about the length of his hand. When he uncurled it, three storage formulas were revealed. This particular scroll was a favour Lord Jiraya did for him. It was specially made to contain specific objects, and nothing else, which is why it was so small. These were Kakashi's most valuable three possessions. With a little concentration, the Jonin activated the first seal, and then the second, making the objects within appear. One was a three-pronged Kunai, with more sealing script going down its handle. The present he received from his sensei for his promotion to Jonin. He never used it. Why should he? It's not as if he could possibly use the flying thunder god technique this weapon was needed for. A true seal master was needed to understand that hell of a brain twister, and even with his slightly above-average skills in that field, there was no comparison to Minato-Sensei.
Besides the Kunai, was the reason for Kakashi's sealing skills, despite his complete lack of proper instruction. It was a notebook, held together in a red binding. The title read, 'Basics of Sealing for Dummies', and the cover was surrounded by random sealing formulas. Well, not really formulas. They were actually the only parts of formulas that didn't seem to have any function besides improving the notebook's aesthetics. The unassuming booklet was written by his sensei's wife and it provided a very basic understanding of sealing while giving a few tips here and there about how not to blow yourself up. For some reason, she also decided to fill the blank spaces on every page with a more redundant sealing script, assumably to make it look cool. This one wasn't a present. The redhead only lent it to him, days before… before the last vestiges of Kakashi's world crumbled to dust…
As always when he took out these items, the former team 7 genin leafed through the notebook with one hand while twirling his sensei's kunai around in the other.
Sensei… I'm making so many mistakes with them… you wouldn't have had nearly as many problems with this team as I do. Sasuke's rage… you would have found a way for him to channel that anger… as you did with me. And Sakura? In your presence, she would never have felt as inadequate as she does… no, she would have flourished. And then there is… Naruto. All that energy, and the tenacity to never give up, no matter the odds, and I was barely able to teach him the tree walking exercise. I even shoved him off to another teacher when he needed me to train him for the last round of the chunin exams. Instead, I tried to lower my other genin's flight risk… and didn't that work out just great.
He spends some time like this before centring himself with a deep breath and inspecting the cover page again-
"Who's Kushina?" oh, was that my heart I tasted jumping out of my throat?
The one visible eye had grown wide when Kakashi looked up. It seemed this exercise's meditative qualities had a far bigger effect on him than he thought when one of his students was able to sneak up on him. Naruto stood right behind his sensei, looking at the little volume in his hand.
Wait… did he just say Kushina?! Kakashi was absolutely certain he didn't accidentally mumble her name. And for some reason, she never added it to the cover either. Naruto had absolutely no business knowing that name before he wasn't a chunin at the very least. If Naruto found out about Uzumaki Kushina, the Red-Hot Habanero, it wouldn't take much for him to figure out that the only other Uzumaki he ever heard about, was actually his MOTHER. From there, it was another easy matter to find the name of her husband, Namikaze Minato, the Yellow Flash of the Hidden Leaf, also known as the fourth Hokage. Naruto's connection to these people was an S-rank secret, only to be revealed to the boy, once he was able to effectively defend himself from his parents' enemies… SO WHERE THE HELL DID THAT QUESTION COME FROM?!
"Naruto… could you please repeat that? I wasn't quite paying attention… "
"I asked you who this Kushina woman is that wrote that book. She seems really funny, dattebyo!"
Kakashi needed a bit to get his brain to reboot, but when it did, he turned around to the blonde to address his question… or bury it on the bottom of the deepest ocean.
"What exactly makes you think this book was written by a Kushina? There is no mention of her, anywhere. Only the title 'Basics of Sealing for Dummies'."
Naruto looked at his teacher as if he was slow. "Well yeah, that's what's written in the middle… have you spent too much time in the sun or something, sensei?"
In the middle? Of course, it's written in the middle… that's the only place that has any actual writing… on… it…
"Are you telling me, that these symbols surrounding the title… are you saying you can read them?"
Naruto was really getting annoyed now. He came to find his sensei to make peace after he told him they had to ditch the straw hat pirates, long before reaching their home. And now, he was treating him like an idiot.
"Of course I can. I may have been the dead last of my graduating class, but I still learned how to read, sensei!"
"Please humour me, Naruto. What is written there beside the title."
"It's the real title, damn it! 'My awesome guide for awesome people like me to become mega awesome! Written by Kushina, the supreme queen of awesome.' Now, are you gonna tell me who that is, or will you make me take the academy exams next? I'll warn you, I still can't make a normal clone, dattebayo… " the jinchuriki was pouting at that last part.
Meanwhile, Kakashi's eye was twitching like mad. This couldn't possibly be… he was a jonin, which meant he had pretty much the highest security clearance in the village. This was especially true when one of his own students was involved, the only exception being… clan… secrets. But before assuming that… he had to be certain…
"Ah, no, don't worry, nothing like that. Just indulge me one last time. Can you tell me what's written on this?" The former student of the yellow flash tried to keep his breathing even, but that was damn hard when he was on the verge of possibly discovering one, if not the best-kept secret of the shinobi world. To prove his hypothesis he pulled an exploding tag from his leg pouch and showed it to an increasingly peeved Uzumaki.
"Seriously, sensei? I told you, I know how to read!"
"Yes, I know that. Just… do it for me, please!"
"Ok, but only this once, you got it? It reads, explosion-"
Kakashi wanted to slap himself. Maybe he got something wrong. Yes, the exploding tag, held the Kanji for "explosion", surrounded by a rather simple sealing formula which produced the effect-
"-explosion"
-by causing a series of controlled cascading errors, which in turn resulted in… huh?
"Why… why did you say explosion twice?"
"Because, you asked me to read the damn tag, dattebayo. And it says explosion in the middle, and then explosion again around it. I never got why they wrote it twice on those things. When I asked one of the teachers in the academy, that asshole hit me over the head and threw me out of the class… "
And there it was. Complete and irrefutable proof. Over centuries, the Uzumaki clan established their position of power among the rest of the world, by absolutely dominating the art of sealing. Uzushiogakure, the village hidden in the whirlpools and home to the mighty Uzumaki clan, only fell, through the combined efforts of the three major villages, Kirigakure, Kumogakure and Iwagakure, and still… it caused major casualties that took all three parties years to recuperate from. But even after ransacking the ruins left behind, nobody was ever capable of copying their prodigious use of seals. The Uzukage was even rumoured to have sealed away biju-level demons by producing a highly complex sealing matrix with nothing but a few hand signs!
But no matter how famous they were for it, nobody ever understood HOW they did it. It's not as if they were the only clan to ever conduct any research on the matter. Kakashi really wanted to smash his head against one of these tangerine trees, but from what he witnessed so far, Nami might become the first civilian to completely gut a jonin if he hurt one of her trees. What other reaction could he have to the memory of Kushina handing him that book?
*flashback*
The scarlet-haired beauty handed him a notebook with pride clearly shining on her face. She was ordered by the best physicians of the hidden leaf to take it slow in the last month of her pregnancy, which she took as: finish writing that book you have been working on for ages.
"So? What do you think, Kashi-chan? It's my very first book, dattebane!"
"Please stop calling me that Kushina-san… "
"Never! And what did I tell you about calling me Kushina-nee?"
"sigh… very well… Kushina-neesan…"
"Hmpf… better than nothing I guess."
"… sealing for dummies? I have to admit, I was expecting something more… well… more from a genius like yourself."
"Hmmm… is that so?" For some reason, she was grinning at the 14-year-old boy, as if he was missing some joke.
"Anything else you like to add to that?"
"Well… it seems kind of childish. All this nonsensical sealing script around it, just to make it prettier… "
"Pfffffahahahaha, yea maybe it is! I guess, I thought it was kinda… awesome? Pfahahahaha!"
"Ehm… ok?" The young Kakashi wasn't as experienced with women as he would be someday. But his survival instincts were sharp enough not to comment on a pregnant woman's bout of lunacy. So, he tried to hand her the notebook back, instead.
"Oh no, keep it. Maybe you'll learn something useful from it. I really don't like how that old pervert Jiraya always tries to get you into those porn novels of his. Just return it when you're done UMPF!"
"Kushina-san!"
"Don't start to panic. The little bugger just really likes to kick his own mother from time to time. Hey Naru-chan… are you about ready to come out? Mama really wants to eat whatever she wants again, and your Kashi-nii-chan wants to meet his little brother, dattebane.
*back in the present*
The Uzumaki had produced seals of such renown, they were sung about in myth and legend. Speculations ran wild at the height of their power. Countries committed unimaginable atrocities for the mere chance of unveiling their secrets. And now… this was it! They were actually capable to READ the script as if it was an alphabet or even its very own language! Everybody knew about their strikingly red hair, and the longevity inherent to their blood. But nobody ever even suspected an actual kekkei genkai behind their success! Why should they? After all, most bloodline limits came with some physical representation. Take his own Sharingan for instance. A red iris with spinning tomoe to boot. This was a major discovery… and it was something Kushina-san hid from Konoha. Did Minato-Sensei know about this? If so, he never documented it in his role as Hokage. If the third knew about this, he would have told Kakashi before taking on Team 7. There was absolutely no way the Hidden Leaf would pass on a natural sealing genius, and the bigoted teachers at the academy obviously dropped the ball on this.
"Ok… that's a lot… Naruto… give your old sensei a second to gather his thoughts. So, you read this sealing script around the kanji for explosion, as explosion, and these symbols on the cover of this book, actually form a whole sentence for you, correct?"
"Eehm… yeeeeaaaa? I mean it's not really explosion. It's the more complicated way of writing stuff… like… it doesn't really say explosion, it only describes it? Oh, you know what I mean! What is going on with you?!"
"Well, you see. For me, and for most other people who see this, these are not actual words. They are symbols with no actual 'meaning' to them, that have been discovered to have very specific effects on the world when enriched with chakra. If you combine them the right way, you can form formulas, with various different results. To you, however, these are not only symbols. They are words that carry meaning! Naruto, do you understand how special this is? It's not only some quirk of yours. I have reason to believe, it is a bloodline limit… a kekkei genkai!"
The Uzumaki got that far-away look when Kakashi started his long-winded explanation. But throughout all of it, his expression slowly changed to a radiant grin.
"Wait… wait wait wait… you mean JUST LIKE *HMPF*!"
Expecting Naruto's reaction, the Jonin quickly covered the excitable genin's mouth with his hand. It wouldn't do for somebody to listen in on their conversation. Especially a particularly grumpy Uchiha… there was no telling how Sasuke would react to something like this. The boy was taking Naruto's rapid improvement rather hard.
"sigh… yes Naruto. That's exactly what I'm saying. It is just like Sasuke's sharingan. Now listen to me, this is very important. Under no circumstances are you allowed to tell anybody but your own children that you are capable of this."
Kushina-san and Minato-sensei didn't want this knowledge out there. Even if he was committing treason by keeping this a secret from his village, he would happily carry this burden. And if he could help their son truly realize his legacy in the process, then that would be exactly what he'd do.
"What? But why?! Can you imagine Sasuke's face when he learns how awesome I am? That will teach the teme to think he's better than me because of his stinking pink eye!"
"Or you can follow my advice and gain an advantage by keeping your secrets. Please listen to me. If another shinobi village ever found out about this, you and any of your offspring would be in grave danger. Remember your friend, the Hyuga heiress?"
"You mean, Hinata-chan? What about her?"
"Naruto, she was almost abducted by Kumo-shinobi when she was little, for the sole purpose of acquiring the Hyuga-clan's Byakugan… or more accurately, to turn her into a broodmare! A fate she was only spared through her father intercepting her abductor in time and killing him and that whole mess still ended with her uncle's death!"
At last, Kakashi succeeded in breaking through the prankster's thick skull. He wasn't there for Naruto's fateful battle against Neji, but from what Gai told him, it involved a fairly vivid explanation of that tragic event and the resulting death of Neji's father Hyuga Hizashi. The shiver running down his spine was plain to see, and those cerulean eyes grew as large as they were capable of. With a heart as big as his, Naruto naturally sympathised with the cousins' fate, but for the first time, he started to truly realise the danger which was involved in carrying some genetic peculiarity.
"Until you are much stronger, secrecy will be your best defence against such people. So… at least for now… please keep it to yourself, ok? Other than that, I'd like you to take this book and read it. I think this… Kushina… will be able to help you on your way. If there is anything in this you'd like to discuss, come find me, ok?"
He understood the risk of his actions. Kakashi had no way of knowing what exactly was written on those pages. There was a considerable risk of the Jonin having handed out an s-class secret against explicit orders set by the third Hokage, and frankly, right here, right now, he didn't care anymore.
"Hmmm... yeah, I guess. Not a big fan of reading, actually, but if the cover was funny, maybe it's not so bad."
"I promise, it will be worth it. Now run along. If you have any questions, you'll know where to find me."
Naruto nodded at his sensei, gracing him with one of his real smiles. He was just about to jump away when his sensei stopped him.
"Oh, and Naruto?"
"Yeah? Whoa, how about some warning before throwing pointy things at people, dattebayo?!" Kakashi had tossed the three-pronged kunai at Naruto, but he did so with barely any force behind it.
"Come on, now. If you couldn't catch that, I'd have to take your headband. Would you mind telling me what's written on the handle?"
"Stupid old man… "
"Not that old!"
"It says… well… it kinda says exit… but also river… and entrance… I don't get it… something dark… light? What the hell, what's a… what word is that supposed to be? "
And there was another piece to the puzzle. Even though Naruto was able to actually read sealing script, that didn't mean, he would automatically be able to produce reality-bending miracles, he had an easier time learning and reproducing the basic 'alphabet'. He remembered Kushina putting plenty of effort into her work. This right there was the key to one of the most powerful assassination techniques ever conceived. The fourth Hokage was capable of eliminating entire battalions with nothing but a handful of those things and even held the Kyubi in check. It went to prove again to the seasoned war veteran… talent was well and good, but nothing would ever beat hard work.
"Keep it. I'm sure someday, it will make sense."
"Really? Cool, thanks. Bye then!" and with that, one of the last survivors of the Uzumaki clan was about to take his first steps into the world of seals.
*same day on Mount Myoboku*
Gamakichi appeared in the same pond he was summoned from. His yellow-skinned brother was still waiting for him beneath a small waterfall. "Yo Gamatatsu, I'm back!"
"Gamakichi… there you are… were you gone? Wha?! Ouuuuuch… " His little brother was known to be a little on the slower side. But nothing a nice slap on the head, couldn't deal with.
"Of course, I was gone! Aniki summoned me and his sensei gave me some super important stuff to deal with."
"Whoooaaaaa… that sounds important. Hey, wanna see this oil slide I found?"
"Oil slide? Yea sure, where is it?!"
"Follow me, hihihi!"
The young brothers played for most of the day until their tummies began to grumble. Any memory of his mission was buried within the vestiges of Gamakichi's mind.
"Ooooh… I'm hungry… "
"Yeah, me too. Let's go check what Ma prepared today!"
"That's a good idea… Ma makes the best twelve-bug stew… She once told me her secret was, that she actually uses thirteen different bugs, instead of just twelve…"
"What do I care how she does it? I just want my tummy full! Let's roll!"
They soon hopped out of the underbush into a small clearing in front of a quaint little hut, that between mounts of dirt and titanic roots, seemed to be part of the forest.
"Yo Ma! Your favourite Grandson and Gamatatsu are here! Feed us!"
Said sage toad quickly opened the door to her humble abode and squealed as she embraced her cute grandsons. "Awwww, would you look at my little tadpoles. You are getting bigger by the day. Soon, you will be summoned into fights, just like your father and cousins!"
The female sage toad, also known as Shima was even smaller than Gamakichi in size. She wore a black, high-collared cloak, and her skin was a mix of a pale greenish yellow in the front and violet in the back. On top of her head, a bunch of violet warts seemed to simulate a round perm that was often used by women of a certain age.
"Come in, come in! I was just about done with cooking. My little ones need to eat properly if they are to grow big and strong!"
Inside the little hut, Shima had both her grandsons quickly sitting at a small round table with steaming bowls of some porridge-like mass in front of them, that seemed to have still moving elements to it.
"Oh wait, gonna ruin my appetite with this thing still inside of me. *blurg*"
A deep gulp later, the scroll Kakashi had given Gamakichi appeared on his tongue and was quickly discarded on the table, before the young toad dug into his grandmother's tasty cooking.
"Hoh, what do we have here?" Shima asked, clearly recognizing the seal of Jraya-chan's village on the scroll.
"Oh, that? Naruto summoned me this morning and his sensei asked me to get this to the perv. Something about pirates and the ocean… not sure."
"Naruto-chan you say? Oh, I hope that boy is not in trouble. He seems like the nicest kid from what your father told me."
"Dad said something nice?"
"Your father says lots of nice things… just not with so many words. Ah, I better make sure everything's all right." And so, the seal equally feared and respected by most superpowers in the Elemental Nations was quickly broken, and the scroll's contents devoured.
"Oh… oh dear… that's not good… "
"What is it Ma?"
"Gamakichi, be a dear and go fetch your grandfather. This needs to be addressed immediately."
"Awww, do I have to? I haven't even finished eating yet!"
"I know my little tadpole, but if you do this, I'll cook your favourite tomorrow, how does that sound?"
"Well… ok then. Where is Pa?"
"Oh, just follow the broken trees and the rumbling earth. Your father said something about wanting to smoke his pipe in peace without relics haunting him and Pa decided it was time to show him who held the title of boss summon before Bunta-chan did. Now hop away. The quicker you're back, the sooner you can finish your meal."
Shima followed her grandson outside and started forming several hand seals the second Gamakichi was on his way.
"Reverse-Summoning-Jutsu!"
The old Sannin that appeared was crouched in a very pequiliar position. In reminiscence of a mime, his hands were held out as if pushing against an invisible wall. He also seemed to be pressing his face against the imaginary barrier, as if to… peep… through… a… hole.
*slap* *crunch* *crash*
Shima's slap caused the legendary shinobi to fly across the entire clearing, only to be violently stopped by one of the titanic tree trunks. Then she jumped high in the air and caused a particularly painful "UMPF" to escape the perverts throat, when she landed on his stomach.
"What have I told you about peeping in the bath houses Jiraya-chan?! How are you ever supposed to find a respectable woman like that?!"
"Eeeh… Ma? What's going on? Why did you summon me?"
"Me? Oh, yes right. Naru-chan is in trouble. His sensei made him summon Gamakichi of all people to deliver a scroll to you, can you believe that? I adore the little tadpole to death, but he is still far too young for such matters. Not able to keep his thoughts in a straight line at all, you know? I really don't know where he gets it. Well, just yesterday I was trying to teach him the proper breathing technique when using the water ball jutsu-"
"Ma! What were you saying about a scroll?"
"Oh yes, the scroll. Here it is."
*chapter end*
Author's Note:
And there we have it! I got to say, I'm rather proud of this chapter. So many important starting points. Robin gets her big entrance. In the anime, Robin's first appearance is like… 10 minutes long? But one needs to remember, that that first scene was made for an audience that has no idea, and isn't supposed to have an idea about Robin's importance. I don't think I'd be terribly off when assuming that all of you know quite well about Robin's importance, so my story needed to have a little bit more… gravitas… to do right by her.
A slightly deeper view into Kakashi's self-depreciating or even broken mind. I want to make clear that this is not a Kakashi bashing story. In fact, Kakashi is my favourite character. If you interpreted this chapter as me pissing on Kakashi, please understand that it was never my intention to do so. All I did was show you a glimpse of the troubled mind of somebody who lost one thing after another until there was nothing left. I for once will truly enjoy writing about his long road towards recovery.
Also, we have Naruto's first step on his road to greatness. Yea, yea, I know it is an overused trope, but hell, it is such a good one! It's just such a HUGE hole in the Naruto universe! Uzumakis were amazing at sealing. Kushina, (somebody who left Uzushio LOOOONG before she could have learned mastery over Uzumaki sealing) was a seal master and was even able to summon sealing chains from her body that could hold Kurama, WHILE SHE SHOULD BE DEAD! And didn't Karin use the same chakra chains in Boruto?! I think my grievance with not a single sealing technique being part of Naruto's repertoire is quite justified.
That being said, Naruto's path in this story is the only one that will involve such a trope. The rest of Team 7's future developments will be my own original ideas, and even my plans for Naruto will be my own interpretations about seals and other techniques. Dude's greatest strength is his mastery over the realms of chaos, so his skill set needs to be varied, right? Lets never forget, that it was not some overpowered uber mega hyper rasengan that saved the Elemental Nations, but the Sexy Jutsu!
And that's all from me. I hope you liked what you read, and please feel free to leave a respectful review.
Until next time!