Disclaimer: Like everybody else in fanfiction, I own nothing. Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, and One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda.

"Standard" - Normal Speaking

"Italics" - Thoughts

"Bold" Tailed Beasts Speaking and Techniques

-Bold- - Places and timeline -

The fight has lasted for two hours. Naruto was struggling in this swordsmanship fight. His kimono was now a mixture of dark orange and blood red. Dry blood stains covered his hands, and multiple non-fatal gashes were carved in his chest. His wounds were mending slowly without Kurama's chakra, but still much faster than an average human.

Naruto wasn't a samurai swordsman from the land of Iron. He was a shinobi of Konoha, a Ninjutsu specialist. Still, once he crossed blades with Shutenmaru, he felt it was wrong to use Ninjutsu against the man, as it was a samurai fight. So only using his sword and physical enchantment through chakra. All he could match was this guy in strength and speed, but his foe outclassed him in the art of wielding a sword.

Naruto looked at Shutenmaru, who showed no discomfort except for his labored breaths. Naruto locked eyes with Shutenmaru's eyes. His eyes no longer possessed any rage, a hint of regret at the state of his adversary.

"Just give up, for your sake and my conscience," yelled Shutenmaru. "I don't want to kill anyone who isn't part of Kaido's crew."

Naruto's eyes flared, and he began to scream in anger. "Then why steal from the people of Kuri? People are already struggling here?"

The thief sighed at his words and then yells, "There is no hope for this country. It's dying from corruption, as there are no longer strong samurai protecting the pitiful weaklings. Wano days are numbered,"

Naruto was struck by the familiarity of these words, as he remembered the feeling of hopelessness as he struggled to free everyone from the eternal Genjutsu. Then, finally, he just gave up and went through depression, before being snapped out of it by Kurama and the others. "This person lost a lot to be in his current state." Naruto thought.

Still talking, Shutenmaru sends a glare at Naruto and told him, "Giving up on this country is the best one can do right now. Just give up like I did. Why can't you do it?"

Gripping his sword, Naruto began letting the flow of chakra in his body flow into the blade. A shinobi using a samurai technique from the Land of Iron was not the weirdest thing he heard being done. The Uzu-Uchiwa was suddenly enveloped in wild blue streams of chakra. Naruto's chakra network went into an overdrive state as his body began to heal his wounds much faster.

Naruto then calmly said as he quotes Kakashi sensei, "Because knowing what is right and ignoring it is an act of a coward."

"That's not Ryou." thought Ashura Doji in surprise as he stared at the blue aura of his opponent's sword. Before he could think more about the blue aura wrapping around his opponent's blade. The man replied calmly to his question, "Because knowing what is right and ignoring it is an act of a coward."

Ashura's eyes became confused as he saw the difference in Naruto's stance. Then they widened as the man leaned sideways, and he then disappeared from his sight. Instantly, he called upon the sixth sense he has. The voice in him that was similar to Ryou telling where his opponent's intent and location was as his eyes flashed on a red trail momentarily. Then, learning his opponent's intention, he sent Ryou flowing into his blade, coating it in black and hardening it.

The now black blade coated with Ryou intercepted the blue flickering aura sword. The edges made contact, and something weird happened as the energy within the blades made contact.

BANG

KABOOM

CRASH

The differing energies mixed in a bang, producing a rush of energy that led to a tremendous explosion that looked like a miniature sun rising from the crater created in the immediate blast. The blast sent both swordsmen flying away in opposite directions, crashing into the earth, shattering it. Both fighters were on the verge of consciousness, thinking simultaneously, "If I hadn't coated myself with Ryou. / If I hadn't covered myself in chakra at that instant." It crashed into the earth as it shook, still thinking the same as they finished their thoughts. "I could have lost a limb, or worse." Before blacking as their heads hit the earth.

Jack the Drought covered some business in Bakura town. Every year around the Fire Festival, also known as the golden festival in Onigashima, they look at the offerings every region had produced throughout the year. Food, weapons, minerals were acceptable. This year there was a good haul. In six days, the festival will happen. It was an excellent time to celebrate, as they will introduce the new group called Tobi Roppo. A group of six is composed of the strongest headliners. He was shaken out of his musing as a large echoing sound reached his ears.

Looking at the window, he saw a column of flames and dust at the edge of Bakura Town. "An explosion this close to the officials' town."Thought Jack with narrowed eyes.

Immediately vaulting on his feet, Jack exited the building and found subordinates running up to him. One was already blabbering, "Master Jack there-"

"I know, you idiots." Snarled the All-Star. "I have ears and eyes to know an explosion this huge occurred near Bakura town."

"Of course, Jack-sama. Are you-" said the subordinate before he yelped as Jack grabbed him by the collar.

Bringing the subordinate up close to his face. Bringing the subordinate up close to his face. Jack growled behind his metallic jaw mask, "A better question would be, where is my steed?"

"I will get it," whimpers the subordinate, already pissing in his pants.

"Don't worry about it, Jack-sama, I already bought him," said the newly appointed headliner Hol'dem, holding the reins of his Wanizame steed.

Jack drops the subordinate and silently takes the reins, before nodding thankfully towards the Headliner. He dug his heels in the saddle of his Wanizame steed. The steed began to scurry in the direction of the explosion.

Ashura's eyes snapped open, regaining his consciousness. "I blacked out for a moment." immediately he winced as he felt pain race up his body. Nothing was broken from the explosion that came out of nowhere. Still, the shockwave nearly ruptured all his organs as if he didn't protect himself with Ryou.

Struggling to his knees, Ashura just looked at the destruction that had just occurred. "What on earth just happened? A deal with blades doesn't cause an explosion at this level. Shockwaves, yeah, but not explosions,"thought Ashura as he gaped at the sizeable steaming crater that was 70 meters deep and stretching over 100 meters.

Looking around for his opponent, all he saw was dust still swirling around from the explosion. Finally, Ashura Doji stood up on his feet, his head and ears ringing. "Now, where did that guy go?" Ashura said out loud.

He noticed his men had left, along with his steed. They had a duel near the west side of Bakura Town, while Okobore Town was suited to the east. The mountain where the ruins of Oden's castle sat atop was west of Okobore town. While Mt. Atama lies south of the towns in an untouched part of Kuri.

Finding his blade on the ground, he picked it up and inspected it for any damage. To his relief, there wasn't any, as the Ryou he flowed into protected from it getting chipped or broken. Unsheathing his blade, Ashura decided to head back to before any further trouble came here.

Suddenly, he heard giant footsteps approaching up close at an alarming rate. Ashura's eyes widened in dismay as he saw the silhouette of a figure taller than Kaido. Emerging from the clouds of dust was a calamity.

Jack the Drought towered over all as he stared at the crater, before turning on Shutenmaru and narrowing his eyes in recognition at the head of thieves.

"Three years ago, when I heard of a brigade of thieves ransacking the region I am in charge of, I never would have thought a former Akayaza Nine member was leading them." Jack's voice rumbled as he stared down at him. "You are Ashura Doji, the Strongest Monster of Kuri. Now what happened here, Samurai?"

"Like I am telling you that!" Yelled Ashura with glare.

"The only reason I left you alive this long is that Kaido-san wants you to be his subordinate. I guess I have to capture you," Jack said threateningly as he unsheathes the blades from the mammoth tusk hanging from his neck. The double-edged blades were shaped into a sickle.

Immediately Ashura rushed at Jack, his katana drawn as soon as the words left his mouth, yelling. "Then, here is my answer to that."

Immediately Jack's sickles were in motion, ready to intercept the blade, only for Ashura to cut through one of his sickles and flip over, still yelling, "Don't underestimate Samurai."

As Ashura Doji's blade struck across Jack's chest, spraying the air with the Fishman's blood. Jack immediately coughs out his blood through his mask, while spinning around to slash back at Ashura. The sickle cuts through the pink kimono, and Ashura feels the pain explode across his shoulder.

Ashura felt his blood trickle down from his shoulder blade and onto the floor as he put some distance between them.

"Impressive, for an injured samurai," Jack thundered as he checked his remaining sickle. "If you didn't have any wounds that could hinder this battle, I would have been forced to use my devil's fruit. Whoever injured you is worthy to join the crew. Tell me who it was? If you tell me, I will headhunt him and let you go. How about that?" asked the All-Star.

Ashura hesitates as he thinks about the deal, before frowning. "Why should I trust a pirate?" Jack sighed at the exclamation. "You never held Oden-Sama's promise to leave the country after the humiliation he did to save the captured citizens! Year after year, he degraded his pride and honor for the country!" howled the wounded Samurai in a fury. A red aura of anger boiled around him as the Samurai decided to continue the battle.

"Suit yourself," Jack said in disappointment. "I will make you regret your choice to defy us. I will try not to kill you."

Ashura silently agreed with the pirate, not knowing if he would win due to his injuries from the point-blank explosion. He knew that, just like Kaido, the All-Stars could change forms into creatures. Oden warned him of those cursed by the sea after eating a fruit that granted them a power that many in Wano will deem sorcery or ninjutsu.

Even if he clashed evenly with him, the All-Star will change forms and easily overpower him. But he still pointed with his katana at Jack. "I didn't easily die back then!" Ashura yelled, "So there is no way a small fry like you is taking me down!"

Jack felt his blood boil at these remarks and growled out. "Small fry... I will torture you so badly that you will wish you're dead."

Ashura smirked at the pirate's anger when suddenly a shot rang out across the battlefield. Immediately, he deflected the bullet aimed for him. Ashura looks around at the now settling dust.

Jack smiles at the furious expression. "How unfortunate you are alone while I am not." The All-Star chuckles at his opponent. "Men, don't attack him unless I tell you. Just make sure he doesn't escape."

"Damn it, all the time, my men abandoned me. It's the worst timing." thought Ashura in anger as he looked at the dozens of men armed with bazookas and rifles.

Immediately wanting to get over this, Ashura sends a flying slash at Jack, who easily deflected it. However, the air slash hit a subordinate unaware, and a pool of blood formed around him as his head rolled into the earth.

This surprised most men, as they wanted to keep their distance from the head of Mt. Atama thieves. Jack frowns at their action before taking a step forward and rushes at his enemy. He disappears, along with Ashura, in a burst of speed. They reappeared with their blades clashing, testing their strength as they tried to overpower each other in a duel of technique and strength. Flying slashes were deflected or dodged by the person they aimed for. Both fighters tried to find an opening in their respective opponents. Yelling at the top of their lungs, both warriors vanished again, reappearing, blades grinding against each other.

The men surrounding them looked at the high-level duel. Their jaws dropped to the floor. They saw their boss being suppressed and forced into the defensive before counterattacking Ashura Doji, who blocked each attack with accuracy and was surprised to hit back harder with each blow.

The cycle was repeated until it was broken by Ashura, who delivered a blow that grazed Jack's jaw. A kick followed that sent Jack reeling away, his towering body off balance and the opening procured by Ashura.

Ashura then thrusts forward his katana, aiming for a vital organ to kill the Fishman. But Jack shifted a bit to avoid a fatal blow and felt the blade hit his body and emerge through his back. The stab was painful, but it missed all organs and only cut through his muscles and flesh.

Ashura attempted to pull back the hilt deep-buried katana, but found the blade unbudging to be removed from his enemy body. "I can't remove it," thought Ashura in panic as he realized the All-Star clenched his muscles around the blade.

Immediately, Jack raised his fist and slammed it into Samurai's face with a sickening crunch. Unwilling to lose his blade, Ashura kept his vice-like grip on it, and thanks to that and the impact, the sword popped out of Jack in a burst of blood.

Ashura was sent flying away before landing on him by flipping mid-air. The Samurai felt a trickle of blood running down his jaw as he blinked, dazed from the blow that rattled his brain.

"It seems I have underestimated you," Jack mutters with a wince as he looks at the wound that would definitely scar. "You are the retainers of the man who wounded Kaido-san. So I shouldn't be holding back."

Jack then roared as his abnormally large body grew into a massive frame. A shaggy coat of wool-covered his body as he erupted to his full height. Gigantic curvy tusks erupted on his face, along with a long trunk that looked like it could topple rows of buildings with a single swing. His feet cracked the earth, leaving massive imprints of his foot on the planet. Jack then glared his bloodshot orange eyes at Ashura, who looked stricken at the condition and situation.

"This form is slow due to its size, but the power and strength I gain is enough to send you flying away." Jack said as he towered over his opponents, who definitely looked outclassed. "Do you have any words before I take in?"

"Damn it, damn it. I don't want this, still if I fight my way I will be captured. Maybe I struggled enough." thought Ashura as he accepted his fate.

Ashura then answered the All-Star, whispering out "No." with his eye

And he laments his regrets inside him as a silent tear. "Kin'emon, I am sorry. By the time you and the others would be back, it would be too late for me," thought Ashura as he lost the final spark of hope hidden in his heart.

Jack was feeling pleased. Kaido will surely praise him tonight and at the festival, and maybe King and Queen's respect for him will rise. After all, bringing someone powerful enough to contend with him is a massive addition to the crew. Staring at his defeated opponent, Jack assessed his capabilities. "The man still has the capabilities to escape, but only if a non-existent ally of his comes. After that, his subordinates will easily deal with him in custody."

Jack then stomped his way over to Ashura's prone body. "Just for security measures, I will knock you out." "When you wake up, Queen will try to break you in further." Jack said in annoyance.

Jack brought his trunk upwards and swung it downwards with enough force to generate powerful winds. With an inch left until contact was made, something barreled into the corner of Jack's eye. That something made its way over to them, pushing Ashura Doji out of the way of his incoming truck. All Jack saw before his trunk connected with the individual was a white porcelain mask. So he put as much force in the last inch, intending to incapacitate the individual.

Contact was made, and a yell of pain echoed throughout the battlefield. The trunk knocked the individual clean off his feet, sent hurtling across the battleground, and collided against a boulder. Jack stared warily, knowing the force behind his hit could kill someone quickly, but not someone willing to take a hit like.

Everything stared at the smashed boulder rubble, and half of them recoiled as they saw an arm emerge from the wreckage. An arm that haunts all low-ranking pirates in the region of Kuri.

The nightmares of the subordinates were confirmed when the man pushed off the rubble. A man is much taller than the average person, but still shorter than Jack and Ashura Doji.

"It's him. It's really him." whimpered one subordinate.

"Oh, shit. He is wearing the Kitsuné mask and the black cloak and everything, like the description says." Another stepped back in fear.

The explosion knocked out Naruto. So what caused the blast that sent him flying? Naruto had no fucking idea. But he has a theory he wasn't willing to prove.

He woke up half-buried in the dirt, dust still swirling around him. Naruto opted to make a run for it. When he felt dozens of pirates surrounding him and the thief. A man led them riding a wazimane steed. This was the most gigantic man Naruto had seen.

Fortunately for Naruto, he was on their blind side, and they focused on the thief. Said thief was revealed to be part of the Akayaza nine and refused to reveal him to the pirate. That sealed the deal for Naruto; he had to save Ashura Doji.

As soon as the battle starts, Naruto silently creates a shadow clone. The clone immediately knows what it will take to fight Jack. First, the clone sat cross-legged on the ground and became one with nature. Then, the clone began meditating to gather natural energy flow in the world. The clone's eyes were shut as he meditated. The surrounding edges were starting to be pigmented with orange.

Taking up his disguise, Naruto wore the Kitsuné mask, strapped on the arm guards, and hooded himself to hide his identity from all enemies. Once he was done, he refocused on the battle. The large man was shifting into something, an elephant. No, not an elephant, an oversized woolly elephant. This man just transformed physically and his weapons and clothes into an oversized woolly elephant.

Transformation Jutsu has its limits, as inanimate objects and animals are the most difficult. First, users must familiarize themselves with its weight and feel before assuming its form. After that, users will gain the attributes and physical features of whatever they transform into, such as a weapon's sharpness or an animal's fangs. But not others, like the weapon durability or the complete animal muscle and bone structure, gaining an extra boost in strength and speed. That's why there is a summon to fight for you.

"Yet this guy has shape shifted into an enormous elephant with a woolly hide?!"Naruto thought incredulously.

Seeing Ashura just give up hope, Naruto raced across the field, pushing him out of the way and intercepting the strike with his forearms. The trunk smacked him with so much force that he felt his bones straining not to be cracked, and Naruto yelped out loudly from the pain. Before, he was flung off his sides, hitting a random large boulder, turning it into rubble.

Immediately Naruto dug himself out of the wreckage and thought, "I could have easily intercepted the hit if I was sage mode,but that clone was not ready to return the senjutsu chakra back."

Dusting himself, Naruto felt fear and panic grow in the subordinate's ranks as they whimpered at the sight of him. Naruto looked at them with his face hidden behind the mask.

Immediately one of them yelled in fear, "Give him a bowl of ramen, and he will leave us alone."

"You idiot, we have Jack-sama. He can take care of him easily. He currently has 700 million bounty on him." yelled another subordinate.

Naruto's sweat dropped at the comical outburst. Then, he muttered out loud, "I am not here for any ramen," he was about to say more when the giant mammoth.

"Then you must be here to join our crew, then?" asked Jack in annoyance, before his tone turned threatening, "But if you refuse to join, I will capture you like him." The oversized elephant said, indicating Ashura, staring at Naruto with surprise.

"Big Ears, are you deaf?" Naruto said while crossing his arms, forming an 'X'.

Jack frowned at the insult of his large mammoth ears but remained calm and asked Naruto. "What do you mean by that?"

"I made a statement last year, Big Ears. Why do you think I committed a massacre last year?"

"I thought that was about the ramen place?" mumbled a man next to Jack.

Naruto gave the man a hard glare, "Did I ask you?" Naruto muttered in annoyance before answering, "But, yes, the ramen was a reason too. But mainly, I was pissed off at the state of things, ya know?"

Jack snorts in annoyance before his eyes harden and fingers twitch at the sole remaining sickle as Naruto turns away and talks to the subordinate who just spoke out of turn.

"Next time the men talk, stay out of it? I saw you ran out of the battle the first chance you got last year, coward."

"Actually, Jack-sama is the youngest of all of us and a mammoth," said another man bitterly. "I can't believe he is 21-"

"Shut up, all of you just shut up!" Jack yelled, silencing his men before a low, threatening tone comes from the mammoth. "You have one last chance. Choose your words carefully."

"Wow, man, you are around my age and this strong?" Naruto asked in wonder, before his eyes widened as Jack snapped and charged at him, roaring, "I will kill you, punk!"

"You can't call me a punk, we are around the same age, you bastard," Naruto yelled at him as he barely swerved around the mammoth, charging at him at full speed.

Suddenly, the clone's energy returned to him. The Senjutsu chakra supercharged Naruto's chakra network. Naruto unfurled a feral grin behind his mask as he saw his enemy trunk coming at him. Grabbing the trunk in mid-swing, Naruto pulled it over his shoulder and sent Jack flipping over his shoulder.

CRASH

The impact shook the ground as Jack was on his back, his stubby legs kicking the air.

"JACK-SAMA" yelled his men, their eyes bugging in horror at seeing their boss being flipped in his complete beast form.

"It's still not over yet, Big Ears," Naruto whispered to the mammoth's ears. Jack's eyes widened as he found himself in the air. His opponent picked him up by the trunk and repeated his previous action repeatedly with his left side and then the right side.

CRASH

CRASH

CRASH

Jack crashed into the ground, feeling sore but not hurt, and immediately shifted his standard form, looking in surprise. "His speed is much faster than my beast's form. My beast form is the slowest out of all my forms, but still..." thought Jack as he saw Naruto differently.

"Wow, you are one tough guy, but that should have rattled your brains a bit." Then, before performing a hand sign, Naruto said, gesturing to Jack and said, "To your left."

Jack tilted his head to his left, only to see a boot smashing him in the face, reeling back in blindness. Immediately, he activated his Observation Haki to sense what was going on. To his surprise, he found three identical voices in his mind of the masked warrior. Bringing his sickle to the closest one he could feel, contact was made before the individual vanished from existence. He opened his eyes and found a plume of smoke from where he struck. Looking around, he found, to his increasing surprise, he found a duplicate of the masked warrior. "No, there is another one!?"

Jack narrowly dodged the incoming punch from another duplicate, aiming for his gut. Still, he felt an invisible blow striking in the abdomen. Jack doubled over to catch his breath. Then, narrowing his eyes, "That wasn't a strike at full strength. It's a distraction!"Jack realized he was baited into underestimating this guy.

A flash of movement, and he was face to face with the masked warrior who had already closed their distance. "I know where your abilities stand right now," acknowledged Naruto. "This should suffice to impair you for a bit."

A sizeable swirling sphere of compressed energy, nearly double the size of an average man, was created in the right palm of the masked warrior and brought it in contact with the enemy. "Sage Art: Giant Rasengan." screamed out Naruto.

The senjutsu enhanced Giant Rasengan hits Jack's tough skin. An eruption occurs as the Rasengan releases its energy on contact. Immediately, the area was caught in a swirl of destruction, as the attack sent Jack spinning away at immense speed and crashing into a cliff side. It caved in as the cliff collapsed on him, burying the All-Star underneath.

"JACK-SAMA!" yelled the underlings in panic as they saw their strongest being blown away.

Naruto then turned to Ashura, who stared at him with an astonished expression. "Let's go before he comes back fully serious." Naruto said as he extends a hand towards him as he hears the pirates turn the weapon on them. Immediately Naruto turned his gaze to the pirates, and all of them flinched, dropping their weapons.

Sparks of hope were being lighted inside as Ashura took Naruto's hand. Naruto pulled the man to his feet. "You got somewhere to hide?" muttered Naruto. "I don't want my identity revealed to them."

"Only one place. They will never suspect it," whispered Ashura, so none of the pirates could hear his words. "It's quite close by here. Just follow me."

Immediately both left the battleground in a hurry as soon as they fled from the pirate's sight. Jack emerged enraged from the cliff's avalanche, bleeding with only minor injuries. The only major wound he had was from Ashura's blade. But the final attack packed enough wallop to put him in a daze and bring him to his knees. But the stamina and durability he gained from his devil fruit made his recovery rate abnormal for even fishmen.

Jack rose to his feet, swiftly facing his men. He barked an order, his voice laced with the threat of death. "Nothing happened here, get it?"

With that, Jack headed to Onigashima in a bad mood.

Naruto followed Ashura Doji as they fled the crime scene. His time limit of sage mode expired. They reached a mountain near Okobore Town. Both silently walked as they passed through the mountain's vegetation.

Once they reached the top, they saw the ruins of a castle that looked like it was burned down ages ago. A graveyard with numerous headstones with names etched on the wood was on the castle grounds.

Both men stared at the burned-down castle. "Is this what I think it is?" Naruto asks as he rounds on Ashura in a questioning manner.

"This place holds memories of better times," Ashura says as he gazes at the burned-out castle before answering Naruto's question. "This was Oden Castle. Now I have a question for you. Who the hell are you?"

Naruto undid his hooded cloak, then took the clasps for his mask, revealed his face, and introduced himself. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. You can call me Naruto-maki."

Ashura's expressions turn one to shock, surprise, and anger at his introduction. He recognized him as the samurai, and he overwhelmed him in most of their fight. "Were you holding back on me!?" yelled an irate Ashura.

Naruto immediately understood the samurai honor and pride were at stake, raised his hands, and shook his head frantically. "The truth is, my swordsmanship isn't that good. I only use power and speed to keep up with you," explained Naruto. "Once I crossed blades, I knew you were a samurai. So I refused to use any Ninjutsu on you."

"I see. So that last attack on Jack, the blue glowing spinning sphere?"

"Oh, the Rasengan. Yeah, that was a Ninjutsu created by my father and passed down to me," Naruto says with a shrug.

"So if you are a shinobi, why aren't you in the ranks of Orochi Oniwabanshu?"

"Those guys at the capital? They are good, but I am simply better." Naruto said haughtily, before frowning, "Also, think of me as a different breed than them. I still have morals to know that following that idiot of a shogun will only bring trouble."

There was a pause of silence between them. Ashura raised a fist in frustration and then slammed it to the ground, creating an imprint. Naruto noticed the large bandit was holding back his tears as he stared at the burned-down castle, lost in his memories.

"Ashura-san, are you crying? What's wron-" Naruto asked.

"Nothing is wrong with me, Naruto-maki. Because Samurai don't show tears." Ashura told him while still sniffling and wiping tears from his eyes.

"Well, I was told Shinobi shouldn't have emotions and be silent killing machines." Naruto frowned as he thought of the Shinobi rules. "But I am here talking to you after I saved you from Kaido's forces."

When he got no response from Ashura, Naruto sat next to him

"So you feel loss from the death of your close ones, Ashura, I know these feelings-"

"Do you?!" Lashes out Ashura in anger as he yells at Naruto, "Do you know what it feels like to lose everything at once!? Peace, comrades, friends, along with your dreams and hopes, all of it gone!"

Naruto flinched at how close these words hit him and whispered back at the samurai, "Yes." The look he gave Ashura stopped. "It feels like a hole in your heart that would never go away. It won't go away no matter what you do with yourself." Taking a pause, Naruto looked at Ashura's broad-eyed face before continuing to whisper as his voice became hoarser. "You feel suicide is an insult to their memories, even if you know that you are alone."

"How... What the..."

Naruto began to feel tears forming down his eyes as he remembered the tragedy, as he pressed a palm to his face, hiding these tears. "This is the first time I told someone, but the truth is I am an outsider, not from Wano." Ashura sputtered in surprise at these words.

Naruto then lets out a bitter laugh. "Then fate had to be cruel to send me here? Never had I felt so close and further away from my home and comrades, as this land culture is very eerily similar to mine. We all had shinobi over the place. The practice of being a samurai was left to those who joined the daimyo army or household.

"What happened?"

"The place where I am from, the country still physically exists, but its people became extinct by the hand. I thought I was the sole survivor, and the enemy was the other. I thought I was alone with my enemy until-" Naruto paused and frowned, and in one fluid motion, he grabbed a kunai from his pouch and chucked it at a bush.

Another intercepted the kunai thrown from the bush as the kunai whistled through the air.

"Don't attack!" yelled a voice before a woman emerged and looked at Ashura Doji with disbelief. "Ashura... You are Ashura Doji, aren't you?" said the woman with a mixture of uncertainty and hope.

"You are-" Naruto says as he recognizes the woman.

"Shinobu, is that you?" Ashura said with hesitation.

The Kunoichi marched up to Ashura and then-

SLAP

Shinobu had just struck Ashura across the face despite their height difference. A red handprint was imprinted on the side of the man's face, who looked stunned by the blow.

"Oden-sama will be so ashamed of you," whispered Shinobu with angry tears in her brown eyes. "You and your men had made things worse for the people of Wano, especially those in Kuri."

Said Kunoichi burst into tears, pummeling her fists on Ashura. "What do you have to say, Ashura?" asked Shinobu. "Oden-sama spared your life and turned it around only for you to return to a life of crime after ten years of his death."

Ashura struggled to say something to the "I am-"

"I don't care what your excuse is, you have to make it up to the people of Kuri."

Ashura's face was now profoundly filled with shame and self-loathing. "Shinobu, I had given up ten years. It was too much for them."

"What? What are you talking about?"

Ashura closed his eyes, refusing to look anywhere but her.

"Our allies that remained with me. My men and I didn't submit to Orochi. But over the years, they became weaker and died from hunger or disease. They were desperate to die as Samurai. They committed an attack on Kaido's base, knowing that they will all die."

"Shit, that must have been hard to witness." Naruto thought with sympathy.

Shinobu's eyes were hidden in the shadows as she listened to Ashura's story.

"I told them to wait for Kin'emon and the others. To not throw their lives away in vain.

"I understand well that you suffered. We all suffered under Orochi rule, but that still doesn't excuse what you did!" Shinobu yelled in frustration.

Ashura was getting tired of this argument. Finally, his voice raised, "It was either my men suffering more or Kuri people, and I didn't kill them or take too much from them like Orochi and Kaido's men."

"So you had to stuff yourself, while Kuri suffered food shortage."

"That's rich coming from you. Where on earth did you find the food to gain this much weight, Shinobu?!" "You were probably hiding in the capital using the excuse of gathering information to stay there and eat."

Immediately Shinobu blushed in embarrassment, and then her face steamed in anger.

As Naruto felt feminine wrath explode from Shinobu, he paled as a thought, "Ashura, you can't say that to a woman!"

Naruto immediately places himself between Ashura and the enraged Shinobu, who was surprisingly overpowering him through sheer will. "You can't Shinobu, you can't castrate him!" Naruto yells in a panicked tone as he looks desperately at Ashura, who just realized what he said. "Ashura, apologies right now before it's too late for your manhood!"

Realizing his manhood was at stake, Ashura immediately prostrated himself to the ground and began to beg repeatedly, "I am sorry Shinobu, I'm sorry..."

Surprisingly enough, Shinobu calms down and sees Ashura is bowing his head to the ground. "That's enough, Ashura, I won't castrate you," Shinobu says grudgingly.

Ashura raises his head in surprise. It was well known in the days serving Kozuki Sukiyaki, Oden's father. Anyone who insulted Shinobu's beauty or appearance paid the price.

His worst fears were confirmed when Shinobu muttered, "But I will do this,Ninja Art: Ball-Crusher." while chucking a small object at his groins. Immediately Ashura lets out a wheeze from the impact as Shinobu clapped her hands with a satisfied smirk at her revenge.

"So, from what I just heard, you guys were Oden retainers," Naruto says. Immediately, both retainers snap their heads in his direction, remembering he was there watching all that drama unfold between the two retainers. Their frozen expressions were enough to convince him.

"You got it wrong, outsider." Shinobu denies in a panic before threatening him, "Tell anyone this. I will tip off Orochi's men that an outsider like is in Wano, so they can hunt you down."

"Shinobu, Naruto-maki doesn't want to harm the people of Wano." Ashura admonishes her before looking at Naruto with a hint of gratitude. "I can attest to that. He saved my life."

"I have heard of Lady's Toki prophecy from my guardian, who took me in by force." Naruto adds the last with annoyance.

Before recounting the words, he was told. "Like the Moon, you are ignorant of the Dawn. If there is one ardent wish that must be fulfilled, it will be when nine shadows are cast together through twenty years of moonlit nights. - damn it, I forgot the last part." Naruto muttered.

"Only then shall you understand the radiance of Dawn." Shinobu says, completing the prophecy before asking Naruto with a questioning look. "What is your point? We already know this!"

Naruto sighs out loudly, "Well, twenty years is too long, especially with the country's condition. What happened with Ashura must never happen again. I can help the people of this country and the rebellion simultaneously."

"How?!" Ashura and Shinobu asked together.

"I have a plan. An inspired plan. This plan will take years to execute, but by the time Kin'emon and his group arrive, the plan would be a big help to take down Orochi and Kaido."

A skeptic look was shared between the two retainers

"But I need you two to help me with this."

"Shinobu, your role will find as many allies without grabbing Orochi's attention. Ashura, you and your men will gather food by stealing from Orochi's farms, but leave the poor people alone."

"You haven't told us the plan yet. What is it?" asked Shinobu.

"We will be building something in each region of Wano, except the flower capital. These things changed my land history for many generations." Naruto says to them as he remembers the history lessons in the academy, "The routes between them are already planned or underway. It can never be found by Orochi or Kaido."

Shinobu's eyes widen at the implication before Ashura beats her by asking, "What will we build? Weapons? An army?"

"Calm down Ashura, if we build these... These will be easy to get." Naruto laughed with giddiness as all those hours of planning finally paid off.

Naruto's eyes glinted in the moonlight as he said, "Hidden villages! We will be building Hidden Villages in the regions of the Land of Wano."

- Amigasa Villages -

Naruto crept back inside his bedroom inside Amigasa Village, not wanting to wake up Hitetsu and O-Tama. He reached for the stack of books that detail the construction of hidden villages. He copied notes from books from the mental library on the seal in his right hand.

Flipping over to look at the design of the one he planned to build in Kuri. Some details will improve the lives of the people of Kuri and prepare them for a rebellion. Naruto had planned the other places in the different regions. He found suitable places to construct these villages. Knowing he had heavily invested allies in this plan will accelerate its development. After explaining his plan to them, Ashura and Shinobu had shocked that immediately turned to hopeful smiles. Assuring them it would work out, they agreed the plan could start after the Fire Festival.

There were many ways to make Orochi and Kaido unable to find the villages. One was that the security system would be composed of a barrier, seals, and genjutsu. The tunnels connecting them will be a great help. Still, that part was 25 percent done. He had hundreds of clones carefully and silently digging underneath the earth to form the connecting tunnels without collapsing on his clones. It was annoying when it happened.

"Naruto-maki, you are very late."

Naruto's head turns to Hitetsu, who does not look happy with him coming in the middle of the night, and gave him a weak grin.

Behind Hitetsu came the five samurai, who looked pretty irritated at him. "Do you know how worried we were about you?" said one of them.

"You went missing for hours after the duel happened. Shutenmaru is one of the strongest people in Kuri. We thought you were dead after we couldn't find you!" remarked a samurai.

Naruto deadpanned at them and sighed, "Well, you guys left so you wouldn't be caught in the battle, and if you were worried for me, you should have made a search party."

"We didn't form a search party, as an All-Star's subordinates were looking for Shutenmaru and someone else," said the samurai.

"Well, as you can see, I am alive and well," Naruto mutters as he flips through his note and waved them away.

"Oh, right, we will take our leave then." Said a samurai before saying, "Naruto-maki, thank you for protecting the people of Okobore Town."

Once they were left alone, Hitetsu looked at Naruto with worry. "Are you still going to that island?" the swordsmith asked.

Naruto just nodded silently, still engrossed with the notes in the book's margin.

"Be careful then," warned the swordsmith.

Naruto smiled softly at the old man and told him, "I promise, just take O-Tama to the fire festival. I will be back before you know it."

- (Five days later) -

- Habu Port -

Naruto looked at the large fleet of ships docked at Habu port. He stood next to Kyoshiro and Komurasaki, looking at all the officials of the Land of Wano. Komurasaki had bought him some lovely orange kimonos for this festival on Onigashima.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Asked Kyoshiro. Naruto nodded silently, thinking that the only impressive things were the five thousand shinobi and the five thousand samurai. They were traveling to Onigashima with the Shogun. There, they will celebrate a banquet with food and music.

"This better be worth it," thought Naruto, before he felt a tap on his shoulder, and he turned and saw Komurasaki had a shamisen in her. "I think this is already worth it," thought Naruto blissfully, as he heard her play hero songs before.

They were so entrancing when she played them that Naruto once thought he was under a genjutsu. She was probably the most skilled woman with a shamisen in Wano. The best song she plays is called Moon Princess.

Suddenly Kyoshiro stepped forward to a ship more significant than most. "This is our ship. We will be docking off. Be careful not to be knocked off the ship by the whirlpools."

Naruto looked at the waters surrounding the island of Onigashima, which are lined with whirlpools that make navigating around it nearly impossible. Likewise, the wavy waters surrounding the Land of Wano were challenging to swim in. Naruto experienced it himself when he crashed into this world.

Boarding the boat, Naruto felt the salty sea breeze. The winds guided the mast, and the waves slammed against the boat hull, sending a spray of sea weather aboard. They departed from Habu port heading to the island. They were coming closer to the island, as the giant skull grew in size as they entered its shores. A small sea fortress heavily armed with cannons and guards was nearly empty. It had a gigantic torii gate towering over them. Behind the defenses was Onigashima's port.

The entrance to the port was lined with two statues depicting Kitsuné. Next to them was a lookout station for those on guard duty.

The port had many things that caught Naruto's eyes, a gigantic katana piercing the ground, water spouters that resemble oni faces, and an enormous wagasa decorated with paper lanterns. A stairwell that appeared to connect the port to the interior of the Skull Dome in the center.

"We are here," Kyoshiro said as he gazed at the island with an unreadable expression.

Naruto looked at Komurasiki's nervous face and told her, "Don't worry, everything will be fine." "You are amazing with the shamisen, just you play Moon Princess and you would win over everyone who hears it."

"But I am not ready to play it, and you know why!" mumbles the geisha.

"I know you don't want anyone to see you shed tears when you play that song," Naruto mutters before an idea hits him, and he reaches for the burlap he brought with him. He extracted something and smiled as he pressed it on Komurasaki's hands.

"A Kitsuné mask?" the geisha inquired.

"Wear it to hide your tears when you play moon princess, and also think of it as a good luck charm from me," Naruto told her encouragingly.

Immediately Komurasiki gives Naruto a hug. He immediately tensed from the hug before relaxing as he felt the blue-haired woman's trembling body subdue.

"Thank you so much, Naruto-maki." Komurasaki expressed happily.

Slowly, Naruto broke off the hug and then lifted his hand and placed it over Komurasiki's head and gently ruffled it.

"Let's go, it's impolite to keep Kyoshiro-oyabun waiting." Naruto told her as he guided her off the boat.

-Onigashima: Kaido mansion-

If Page One could summarize his life in a sentence. It could be better than what he got. But that didn't mean he was ungrateful for its blessings.

Their father, who never told him, and Ulti, his real name, was Silver Axe, a pirate well known in the new world. Their mother died, giving birth to him. Ulti had a mother's looks, while he looked like his old man.

Silver axe was distant but caring, still coming once a month to teach him and Ulti something. Their father had no crew to work with, as he operated alone in his piracy. His father only mentioned that he was part of a disbanded crew during training. So their relationship as father and children was complex. Their father never called by their names given to them by their mother, except calling them boy for him and girl for Ulti. So Page One and Ulti looked out for each other in their father's absence.

His sister cried all day when he passed away two months ago, while he was in disbelief. The man that was their only other relationship that they had and he was gone, and this time he was never coming back.

Details on his father's death were obscured in the newspapers. The captain of this crew, who took them in, told them that their father and another pirate dueled to the end, which led them to destroy a volcano and crack the earth's crust. The marines and cipher-pol struggled to cover it up on the orders of the world government. They had no idea for a month, as their father's acquaintance took in them.

It has been a week since they were told that, and everyone on the island was in a hurry preparing for the large banquet.

The golden festival on Onigashima was celebrated in tandem with the fire festival in the land next to Onigashima. Yamato told him it was a country called the Land of Wano, a territory of the Beast Pirates.

Speaking of Yamato, the child of Kaido got along well with Ulti, except when they squabbled. Most of these squabbles were over trivial things like this one.

"Pay-Pay, can you tell her it is not right to do this?" Ulti yelled to her sibling in pure desperation.

"Leave me out of this," sighed Page One as he dragged his bucket-hat to cover ears, trying to block the biggest argument so far from the two girls. He felt trapped in the longest week of his entire life.

"It doesn't matter, all you need to do is this," called Yamato out.

"No, this will make a bigger abomination than it is. Yamato-chan, are you crazy?" shrieked Ulti in horror. "Your actions are considered blasphemy."

Some men sniggered as they walked past them. "The Oni-Princess has definitely gone cuckoo since she was locked up."

"Well, it's no surprise, the lunacy has been there since the young master's childhood." "Man, I almost pity Kaido-sama. If I spawned a brat like that, I would have stamped it out to not affect my bloodline."

Page One frowned at these words. He was about to chuck the small knife in that bastard's eye.

CRASH

Ulti crashed a wall down, turning her glare on the men. "Take that back!" yelled Ulti, her glow intensifying as she marched and stared up at the much taller man than her.

"Take what back, brat." "You shouldn't interfere in our business. If you do, I will send you into a world of hurt." Threatened the man as he reached for his saber.

Ulti responded to the threat by stamping her heeled shoes right into the foot of his, puncturing it, and cracking the wooden floors below. Immediately, the man let out an echoed yowl of pain, which pushed Ulti down. Her heels left a new hole in his feet with a sucking plop.

"You bit- AGHH," he screamed as his hands clawed over the knife buried in his eye socket. Before the short thirteen-year-old who threw it plucked it out of the eye socket.

"Don't threaten my sister," warned Page One before his tone turned sinister. "Or I make sure the other eye goes dark, too."

"Now don't insult my new best friend." Ulti growled darkly as she pressed her heels into the whimpering man's hand. "My Yamato-chan might be weird about that Oden stuff, but I don't care about that. Say these words again, I will break your skulls and brains into mush."

The men let out a wail of fear and scrambled away in fear, thinking, "These teenagers are monsters. What were they fed during their childhood?"

Yamato poked her head through the newly formed hole in the wall. "Ulti, you can't just destroy walls be- why is there blood here?" she said, unaware of what happened.

"There were bugs. I hate bugs. They give me the creeps right, Pay-Pay."

Page One nodded in agreement. "They were big ones. Does Onigashima have one this big?" says Page One as he used his arms to show how big they were.

Yamato frowned before sighing, "Oh, those could be Queen experiments. I don't know what he does in his lab?"

Yamato dragged a pot next to her. "I made fried rice. Do you want some?" Page One looked at the rice and said, "It's wrong."

"Sis, why is the rice blue?"

"It was purple before," wept Ulti at the sight of the imminent food poisoning. "I tried to show her how to make fried rice, but she insisted on taking creative measures."

"This tastes disgusting." Yamato says she had just taken a spoon to her mouth. "Ugh, it tastes even worse than I thought."

"We are throwing this away." Ulti snapped in annoyance. "What a waste of good food."

"No, I will feed it the numbers. Some of them are too big and they won't feel a thing."

"This food is even poisonous to pigs, Yamato," Ulti protested as she tried to drag her away from the poison.

"Can we just leave it here?" Page One asks before turning on Yamato, "The banquet will start in an hour. Your father ordered us to be present with you."

Yamato lets a frustrated sigh and mutters out, "Stupid Old Man."

A/N: R8Handman is here. So Naruto just arrived at Onigashima. So Sage Mode Naruto fought Jack. If some of you say Jack had a bounty of 1 billion berries, remember that this pre-canon and Jack is still 21 years old, even though he was in the Beast pirate since he was eight. Naruto will be creating hidden villages that will protect Wano's poor and innocent civilians. The time skip is coming soon, and I am already writing the next chapter.

Now for your questions! Some of you left questions in the reviews, and I decided to answer those questions every five chapters.

Q: Can you make the Bijuu not wake up for 10 or 15 years, as that would be a balance of power?

A: Kurama and the others won't wake up and just solve Naruto's problems, and also, they won't wake up for a long time. Anyway, I have a solution for the power balance so no worries.

Q: So if Page One is thirteen right now, then Ulti is fifteen. Meaning that Naruto and Yamato should be twenty-one by now?

Q:Yes, you are right, and some of you had said correctly in the reviews that the canon will start in five years.

Q: Naruto the new Oden?

A: Naruto is still Naruto, but he is different after losing his own world. I barely scratched Naruto's character as he stays strong around the people of Wano. Also, we already have one character pretending to be Oden, Yamato!

Thanks for reading, andplease leave a review. I really appreciate it, and it can motivate me to write more.

A/N: Done rewriting it.