Lord Juro Arakaki was normally a very rational man. It was what made him a decent daimyo, or at least in his own eyes. He had a lot of support among the people of the Land of Waves, and he had been praised for being the one to help the country out of its poverty after the Gato incident. He had taken over after the previous daimyo had been impeached for his lack of authority over his own nation. Now, almost four years later, Juro could say he had done his country honor by helping it to prosper again. The success of the Wave Country was all he could have hoped for after moving to this land.
But after reading the letter he had received from Tazuna the bridge builder, the daimyo felt sick to his stomach. He folded the scroll and placed it back in its round container, unable to look at it any longer, for fear of his nausea getting the best of him. His fingers clenched the cylindrical message, his knuckles turning a startling white against his lightly tanned skin.
I had heard the rumors, but… Juro bit the inside of his cheek in thought. I had hoped they weren’t true. He glanced at the tube that held the bad news, his hand still squeezing it to the point of breaking the metal container. I haven’t seen the Blue Tiger of the Mist in years…
“M-milord?” a nervous voice piped up.
The country leader blinked in surprise before casting his dark blue eyes on his now anxious assistant. Miu was obviously waiting for him to give her an order after she had delivered such stressful news to him. How long had he been sitting there lost in his thoughts that he made his subordinate so worried?
Juro swallowed in an attempt to calm his own growing concerns, and after rubbing his chin with his wrinkled hand, he stood up. Patting down his light blue and gray silk robes in an effort to summon up his levelheaded authority, he looked to his frowning white-haired secretary.
“Miu, I need you to send out a request for me,” the daimyo ordered. The command seemed to flow out of him; he had hardly had time to think of this, but he knew it was possibly the most sure way that he would actually live if he went to meet with his old acquaintance. “Send a mission request to Konohagakure. Alert them of the situation. I’m going to need shinobi, and plenty of them.”
“K-Konohagakure, sir?” muttered Miu in confusion. “But… rumor is the Blue Tiger hails from Kirigakure… Shouldn’t the Mist Village take care of-”
“No,” Juro snapped immediately. “I don’t want information of this invasion getting out to all the other countries just yet. The Leaf ninja have already proven to be our allies during the Gato event, so I trust them. I want their shinobi here as quickly as possible.”
The assistant seemed shocked at the demand, but with a firm nod of her head, the fair-skinned young woman dashed out of the office to begin writing the letter to the Leaf Village.
Once the door had closed quietly behind her, the robed man turned to stare out the lone window that rested behind his desk. Being the daimyo of the Land of Waves had its perks in scenery, for his view looked out over the shore, the vast ocean spread out before his eyes.
However, unlike most stressful days, the sight of the sea did not seem to quell his distressed thoughts. He couldn’t seem to get rid of the idea that she definitely was out there, sailing those waters and committing crimes. It disappointed him immensely to imagine her like that.
With a sigh, he crossed his arms over his chest, his lips pulling his slightly wrinkly face further into a frown. This sudden situation seemed to be adding on extra years to his forty-year-old self. He could feel his body wearing down already, though perhaps that was just because of the idea that he would be meeting with the Blue Tiger of the Mist.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the mantelpiece that sat on the left side of the room. It was a simple mahogany bookshelf where he kept his scrolls, files, and books, but it was what rested atop the ledge that his eyes fell upon. Juro scratched his head, his fingers running through his cropped black hair. His nose twitched in contemplation, almost as if he was afraid to approach the sacred object that sat upon the shelf.
Letting out a sigh, he shuffled over to the mantelpiece and rested a gentle hand on the item. Its sheath was filmed with dust, which made him grimace at his own neglect. He carefully picked up the long, lean scabbard and pulled at the grip of the weapon, revealing a shining silver blade.
Just as it had been years since he had spoken with the Blue Tiger of the Mist, it had been years since this katana had actually been used in combat.
Juro pursed his lips as he sheathed the sword, gripping the weapon’s casing firmly in his hand. He’d be needing this, if nothing more than to have it as encouragement. But he was almost sure sentimentality wouldn’t be the katana’s only use at the assembly with the Suiheisen. It was never that easy.
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“Granny Tsunade!” a furious jumpsuit-donning boy groaned, throwing his arms to his sides in outrage. “Can’t you give us a real mission?”
Across the room, behind her elegant wooden desk, the Slug Princess laced her finely manicured fingers in front of her face, only partially hiding the scowl she was sending toward the orange blob before her. “Naruto, need I remind you, you’re still a genin. You’re barely in a position to be demanding any mission, let alone a higher-ranked one.”
The blond boy grimaced at this, clenching his fists in frustration. “That’s not fair. I’ve still been training since I left. I’m stronger than I was before.”
Behind the angry teen stood his teammates. Kakashi merely sighed as he read his little orange book, hoping to give off the impression that his old student was not acting under his sensei’s approval. Sai stood off to the side, his pale face an impassive mask of emotionless observation as he watched the argument. As opposed to her two comrades, pure rage seethed from Sakura’s entire being, and her gloved fist trembled in anticipation, just waiting for the moment to pound the knucklehead for his lack of respect to the Hokage.
With an aggravated sigh, Lady Tsunade rubbed her now aching temples. “Naruto, all of the upper-leveled missions are being taken care of by our higher-ranked shinobi. So as of now, all of the lower-leveled assignments need teams to complete them.”
Naruto gawked, clearly offended at the village leader’s words. “So you gave all the better missions away? How come we never get the good stuff?”
“Almost everyone is away on those missions, so you either take what I give you or do nothing,” the woman countered as she leaned back in her swivel chair, arms crossing over her large chest.
“Gahhhh…” The Uzumaki slumped his shoulders in defeat. “This is so unf-”
He was interrupted by the door being thrown open, slamming loudly against the wall. A frazzled Shizune stumbled into the room, a letter clutched in her hand. Her dark eyes fell right on her master, completely ignoring everyone else in the room, even though all stares were on her now.
Waving the scroll over her head as she shoved her way towards the Hokage, she panted out, “M-milady! Urgent news and a mission request from the Wave Country’s daimyo!”
The three original members of Team 7 became suddenly alert, eyes widening and backs straightening, eager to hear more. “Wave Country?” Sakura murmured.
“Like Inari and Tazuna?” Naruto asked, his blue eyes alight with recognition as memories of his first big mission came back to him.
The robed woman nodded frantically as she came around the desk to thrust the scroll in front of the older female’s face. Without looking up to the other ninja in the room, the assistant said, “The Suiheisen have attacked a village in the Land of Waves and have taken Tazuna the bridge builder and his family hostage. The daimyo is requesting as many Leaf shinobi as possible to accompany him while he meets with the Blue Tiger of the Mist.”
Simultaneously, Naruto and Sakura’s mouths fell open in horror. “Tazuna’s family is captured?” the young kunoichi gasped.
“Inari’s in trouble?” yelled the Jinchuuriki. “Who are the Suiheisen?”
Tsunade ignored the two teenagers’ outbursts. Her hazel eyes skimmed over the page, her teeth chewing on her ruby lips in contemplation. Knitting her brows together, she glanced at the brunette. “Shizune, how many jounin and chuunin are available for dispatch?”
“What? Wait, no Granny!” the orange-clad ninja shouted, leaping forward. “Send me! Send us! I want to help Inari!”
Lady Tsunade cocked an eyebrow at this, giving the boy a skeptical look. “How do you… Why is this so important to you?”
“Well…” Kakashi drawled, rubbing the back of his silver head in his lazy manner, “Team 7 had a mission in the Land of Waves a few years back. It was during the Gato thing, and we helped take care of it. Needless to say, Tazuna and his family are good friends of ours because of it.”
The big-breasted woman eyed the masked man curiously before she turned to look over the entire squad. She bit the inside of her cheek, actually considering giving into Naruto’s demand, before she shook her pigtailed head. “The Suiheisen are not a group to be taken lightly. No, sending you four won’t be enough.”
“Just who in the hell are these Suiheisen punks anyway? I’ve never heard of them before!” Naruto hollered defiantly as he slammed his hands on the desk in frustration, leaning forward to get into his leader’s face.
Scowling into his cerulean gaze, Tsunade stood from her desk and leaned her hands atop its wooden surface. She opened her mouth, prepared to exert a verbal lashing on the disrespectful genin, when an unemotional voice cut her off.
“They’re pirates,” Sai informed. Naruto instantly turned around to gape at his newer teammate, his lips falling into a befuddled pout. With a tilt of his head, the Root member continued with, “Rogue shinobi, really. The group started only a few years ago, but they’ve become rather well known as bandits. Usually, they stick to the sea, but they’ve caused chaos deep in the mainland also.”
Inhaling slowly, the Hokage nodded in confirmation. Turning away from Naruto, who was still leaning on her desk, she began to dig through her drawers and flip through her files. “We can really only go off of rumors about them. We really don’t know the identities of any of them except for a few. No one has ever been able to get close enough to actually figure out who any of them are.”
“How many of them are there?” Tsunade’s youngest apprentice asked.
“Meh…” Kakashi uttered thoughtfully, cocking his head to the side, “about twenty or so, rumor has it. But there’s also a myth that there’s five captains in charge.”
The fox boy rubbed his chin considerately. “Pirates can have five captains?”
Sai shook his head. “No, not five captains. The myth is that there are five highly ranked missing-nin, most likely S-class, out of the twenty. The rest are mostly just underlings.”
The female Sannin straightened from bending over various folders, finally picking the one she had been searching for. With a nod of her head, she opened the file to show two different pictures. One was of a large dark blue ship with black sails gliding away from the camera holder. The Midnight Thief was elegantly scrawled in the wood on the side. “There is only one captain. The Blue Tiger of the Mist. No one knows anything about this person except that they hail from Kirigakure.” Tsunade pointed a red-nailed finger at the second picture; it was of a person shrouded in a midnight blue cloak, the same color as the pirate ship.
As Naruto stared at the photo, his curious expression gradually fell into a piercing look of severe outrage. His fist collided with the desk, making the wooden table shake. “This punk thinks he can mess with old man Tazuna and Inari? I’ll punch him right in the face!”
The Fifth Hokage gazed at the now angry ninja before her, her eyes wide with surprise. “Naruto… I can’t send you, it won’t be-”
“Granny Tsunade!” the genin shouted with another punch to the table. “You just said everyone else was out doing missions. Send me instead! I have to help Inari.”
Lady Tsunade watched him, sizing up his set shoulders, his clenched fists, his determined expression. He didn’t waver under her calculating light brown eyes. He remained as strong-willed and stubborn as always, his signature determination seeping through his entire being.
Finally, the Godaime broke the staring contest to glance at her assistant, barking, “Shizune!”
“Y-yes, milady?” the other woman stuttered as she straightened her posture into a professional stature.
“Find me whoever is available to accompany Team Kakashi on this escort-and-protect mission,” Tsunade ordered.
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The sound of boots clopping against the wooden floor echoed off the hollow walls below deck. As the young man climbed the steps that would lead above, the rhythmic claps of the soles of his shoes on the ground melded with the loud hollers and the busy bustling of his crewmates. His emerald eyes glanced up as he only partially listened to the conversations going on around him, his mind mostly focused on his task.
He turned away from the rest of the crew to enter the large cabin that sat below the helm. It was a portion of the captain’s cabin that served as a conference area.
Looking up, he noticed he was the last one of the four to arrive. His crewmates scoffed at him. “Last one here? How unlike you, Masaru,” the tallest one of the bunch sneered.
The man named Masaru shrugged it off. “Someone had to check on the prisoners. Seeing as the actual guard never got around to actually doing his duty. Hayashi.” He let his jade eyes drift to glare at the blond burly male.
Hayashi guffawed at this. “I’m the one who brought the runt in here. Stupid little kid was a pain in the ass to hold.”
“Aww, a little five-year-old boy was too much for big Hayashi to handle? How pathetic,” a young woman snorted, flicking her long ponytailed black hair over her shoulder to smooth it out.
The blond man, dressed in his dark green leather, growled as he rested a calloused hand on the katana at his waist. “I bet if I cut that pretty hair of yours, Tsubame, you wouldn’t be such a bi-”
“Could you two seriously just make out or something already?” the third person in the room uttered impatiently. He ran a hand through his untidy crimson hair, shaking his head all the while. “You two bickering, it’s obvious you want each other.”
Hayashi blanched while Tsubame shrieked in disgust. “Rikuto, you perverted little-”
“All of you just be quiet,” a voice snapped from off to the side.
The four pirates immediately ceased in their bantering as they looked to see their captain emerge from her private quarters. Her signature cloak was draped over her arm, revealing her to be in simple black garb to match her shadowy eyes. She ignored each of them as she stalked over to the table that her comrades had already surrounded themselves around. Laying her midnight-colored covering aside, she rested her hands on the table and finally made eye contact with each person.
“Alright, we’ve been in this harbor for two days. Updates,” she demanded.
“Well the prisoners are still alive for now,” Masaru said, giving his blond cohort a sidelong glance. Hayashi blatantly ignored him. “Probably a good idea to have someone there all the time though instead of just random checks, the little kid is starting to get antsy.”
The captain nodded her blue head. “Fine, place two guards down there for four hour shifts.”
“Tazuna’s letter was sent out early yesterday,” Tsubame said. “The daimyo should have gotten it approximately yesterday afternoon, so I would think he’ll be coming by tomorrow.”
The young leader pursed her lips as she fingered her chin. “Not likely. He’ll be requesting shinobi assistance. That could take a day or two in itself for them just to meet with him.”
“Citizens of this village who managed to escape this raid have probably gone for help by now, Captain,” Rikuto said. “We should be expecting some shinobi any moment who’ll be trying to get rid of us.”
“Right…” the Blue Tiger grimaced slightly. “Repeated attacks should be expected… not to mention the daimyo’s escort team…”
She straightened up, latching her hands to her hips as she contemplated her strategy. Masaru noted how she could seem so serious when it came to planning yet appear nonchalant about it, as if this was no big issue for her.
“I want you four to split the crew into groups and act as the team leaders. Hayashi, Tsubame, and Rikuto, I want you to station your cells around the village. Masaru, you and your squad will remain on the Thief to protect it.”
She paused to ensure that they understood their roles, and they nodded their heads in affirmation. The girl smirked, an emotionless pull at her lips, as she turned away from her crewmates. Her comrades watched her as she marched toward the wall behind her. She tilted her head up, staring at the old piece of her past that was held by two hooks on the wall. Her gloved hand easily pulled it from its holding. Even after so long, it balanced perfectly in her grip. The katana slid from its sheath, showing off a shining silver metal to gleam in the dim lighting of the room.
The pirate leader grinned, a maliciously evil smile to grace her normally stern lips. “And if any of you see a ninja…” She pulled the sword fully from its covering , and with a swift flick of her wrist, the blade pierced the center of the wooden table, startling even her S-class comrades. “Kill them.”
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Chapter notes: It has been two weeks since I posted this story, and I guess I'm finally ready to post that second chapter I mentioned earlier.
I'm really excited with the feedback this story has gotten so far. I really hope everyone continues to read and enjoy this story. Let's just hope I don't disappoint you guys T_T
Thanks to everyone for reviewing so far! 12 reviews... This doesn't usually happen on a first chapter so thanks a bunch you guys!
Special thanks to my beta for going over this chapter for me. It's much appreciated, as always.
Okay, so, I do not own Naruto or the universe he lives in. If I did... c'mon, why the heck would I even be here?
Read on and enjoy Chapter 2 my faithful readers!
Chapter end notes: Not as thrilling as the last chapter but it was to set up the upcoming events. Hopefully this didn't bore you all to tears...
My beta said I had OOCed Naruto a bit in the beginning; I tried fixing that, so I'll let you all be the judges on whether he came out alright.
So anyway, tell me what you guys think of this chapter. I love hearing what you guys have to say.
Thank you so much for reading! You're awesome!