Naruto: Amongst the Whirling Tides Chapter 18

Hi all,

Here’s the next chapter. Naruto encounters a big fish and another redhead.

Chapter 18

Three days earlier.

The waves crashed against the rugged outcrop, drenching the group in a mist of salty sea spray.

A group of Genin had gathered for an important lesson. Naruto stood with Hinata and his other friends as they waited for their teacher to speak.

Mei surveyed the Genin, her gaze shifting from one to the next. "You are all here because you agreed to participate in the pirate missions, which will be available soon. But before you embark on these missions, you must understand that combat at sea is not the same as combat on land. Could you provide an example of why this is so?"

Ino raised her hand. "Because there is not enough room to move on a boat. Fighting can become very chaotic depending on the number of people on board."

"That is correct," Mei said. "But it is also incorrect. Does anyone know why?”

Choji nudged Shikamaru, who sighed and spoke up. "There is a lack of space if the people fighting are not Shinobi, but not if they are Shinobi. Because the sea is also a battleground, and I expect that anyone who is familiar with it knows the water walking technique."

"As one would expect from a Nara. Yes, that is correct. The real battle takes place at sea. If we are talking about pirate ships, most of them will have at least a few Shinobi on board."

"So the Shinobi fight it out on the water?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. The regular fighters will fight on the ship, while the Shinobi on both sides will fight on the water. When it comes to sea battles, there is a code of conduct that even pirates follow. Why is that?”

She was the perfect person to teach the lesson. She was not only experienced in sea warfare, but she was also an excellent teacher. She was not spoon-feeding them answers but rather encouraging them to come up with their own.

"Because the ultimate goal for a pirate is profit," Neji explained. "Destroying the ship they are targeting is not a good way to earn Ryo. Whether they are after the cargo on board or the ship itself."

"Yes," Mei said, smiling. "Pirates will fight on the sea to protect their profits. Only after the victor is determined will they decide what to do with the spoils."

Mei jumped into the sea, but she did not sink. She stood on the surface and motioned for them to join her.

Kiba raised his hand. "I don’t know how to water walk yet."

Several others also expressed that they had not yet learned the chakra exercise, and Mei shook her head.

"What have your teachers been teaching you?" Mei groaned. “Very well. That will be addressed later. For the time being, anyone who is familiar with the exercise should come down here."

Naruto jumped into the water and easily landed on the surface. Fortunately, he had spent a significant amount of time practising the exercise, so he was probably one of the most proficient in this group. Sakura and Hinata landed next to him, making it appear effortless. Their chakra control was superior to his, so he expected them to perform well in the exercise.

"Are you planning on teaching us how to fight on the water?" Naruto asked.

"Correct," Mei replied. "If we send you out on a mission to capture a pirate vessel with no experience, we are only sending you to your death. What are the most important aspects of fighting on the water?"

“I imagine knowing water release jutsu is a significant advantage,” Sakura answered.

Mei nodded. "Most water-release jutsu require access to water in order to be performed. This is both a benefit and a disadvantage."

"It is because it is difficult to produce water on its own," Naruto explained. "The second Hokage was famous for being able to draw water molecules from the air, but the majority cannot achieve the same result. Or at least, not enough to use water release effectively."

"Ho, ho, we have got some smart cookies here," Mei said, putting her hand to her mouth. "If they don't have access to an easy source of water, that is a weakness for most Water Release users. Although chakra can be stored in storage scrolls, it is not the most efficient method."

"However, if you do have access to water, you can reduce the cost of the chakra used to perform a jutsu," Shikamaru commented. “That makes it troublesome.”

“Yes. Water release is the most versatile and cost-effective elemental transformation when conditions are favourable. All Shinobi pirates are skilled at it, as it gives them an advantage."

Mei motioned for them to spread out before pointing to Sakura and Naruto. "I would like you to demonstrate how you fight on the water. Taijutsu only.”

Mei watched as Naruto and Sakura charged forward and engaged in close-range combat. She was impressed by how skilled they were in their movements on top of the water as if they were fighting on land. But that was only true when the fight was even. If one of them is disturbed, they may lose their concentration and fall into the water.

She compared the two fighting styles. Sakura was still in her infancy, but she was already displaying traits of Tsunade Senju's fighting style, which relied on overwhelming their opponents with brute force. Although Sakura had not yet learned the reinforcement technique, her body had already improved in terms of sheer strength. Tsunade must have already been working on Sakura’s physique a lot since she took her as an apprentice. Mei had read the file on the girl’s fighting capabilities, and she hadn’t been impressed. But that was changing, and she was showing signs of becoming Tsunade’s successor. Even Naruto would be hurt if he was hit with Sakura's fists, so he avoided her attacks with caution.

Naruto, on the other hand, had developed his own style, though it appeared to be a work in progress. It had two distinct stances, one defensive and one offensive. When he faced a single opponent, he typically used the defensive stance to defeat them with counterattacks. But she had noticed something strange. He appeared to be able to predict his opponent's movements to a degree, and the only thing she could compare it to was the Sharingan. What was the boy hiding? Could it be a previously unknown technique or dojutsu?

"That’s enough," Mei said, and the two stopped sparring. She turned to address the remaining Genin. "When fighting on water, you must always maintain your focus. Although the chakra exercise becomes second nature once you have mastered it, it is far from perfect. I would like the rest of you to choose a sparring partner..."

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

"They have got Shinobi on board!" A call came from the pirate's ship. "You already know what to do!"

Naruto immediately sprang into action upon hearing the shout. He leapt onto the railing and raced along its length. It wasn't just him, though, as his comrades were also doing the same.

They jumped into the sea when they reached the stern. The pirates on the other ship, who were Shinobi, were doing the same thing. They raced along the surface of the water until they were some distance away from the ships, then turned to engage in combat.

Naruto summed up the situation quickly. The pirates had twenty-three Shinobi on their side. Apart from Gai, Naruto's team included three Chunin and seven Genin. It was not necessarily a bad thing, because Shinobi from hidden villages were generally of higher quality than those who weren't.

Gai had already confronted an opponent, who appeared to be the captain of the ship based on his attire and demeanour. Three Shinobi had chosen to engage Gaara after witnessing his brutal execution of one of their comrades. Meanwhile, the rest of the group quickly assessed the situation before charging forward to face their respective foes.

Two pirates broke away from their group and raced across the water towards Naruto. With a grin on his face, Naruto summoned five clones and charged forward to confront his opponents.

While his clones kept one pirate busy, he focused on the other. The majority of the pirates wielded cutlasses, and his opponent was no exception. Instead of unsheathing his own weapon, he performed a series of hand gestures.

Naruto's eyes widened as two massive water sharks emerged from beneath the surface. They approached him at breakneck speed. Naruto cursed. Fighting animals proved to be a completely different challenge than fighting humans.

He made several hand gestures before clapping his hands together. A huge wind gale appeared and blew forward. When it hit the sharks, they exploded, releasing a massive geyser of water that blocked his view of his opponent.

He jumped backwards instinctively as his opponent emerged from the geyser, his cutlass raised in preparation to strike him. Naruto quickly released his chains and attached them to his opponent's leg before engaging him at close range.

His opponent possessed some skill with his blade. He unleashed a flurry of quick slashes that, if not for the chains, would have put Naruto on the defensive. Naruto trapped his opponent's arm when he overextended himself. He summoned a Rasengan onto his other hand and drove it into his opponent's stomach. The man screamed and flew back through the water, nearly colliding with his comrade who had finished dealing with his clones.

His opponent summoned a wall of water, and Naruto leapt into the air to avoid it, only to be met by another conjured shark, its open maw directly in front of him. He quickly grabbed a kunai from his pouch and stabbed the shark in the head, causing it to burst.

Feeling his instincts screaming, he summoned a shadow clone above him, who kicked him down just as a sharp blade of water sliced the air where he had been. As he fell through the air, he noticed his opponent executing more hand gestures. When he saw this, he quickly performed his own jutsu.

A long water whip appeared and lashed out at his opponent, while his opponent summoned a swirling water vortex, intending to trap Naruto within its depths. The water whip successfully snagged the Shinobi's arm, dragging him into the swirling vortex. His opponent found himself trapped and forcibly spun around at a remarkable speed.

The vortex vanished almost immediately as the Shinobi became disoriented. He sank below the water after falling into it. Naruto fell into the water but managed to stay afloat. He immediately summoned another water whip and speared it into the water, grabbing the man by the leg.

Naruto retracted his whip with his opponent still attached while summoning another Rasengan. He aimed for the man's torso, but because he was moving so quickly, he hit the man in the head. Naruto was instantly drenched in a torrent of blood as the back of the man's head burst like a balloon. He grimaced as he tasted something metallic on his tongue. He dropped the man's body and looked around for a new opponent.

He noticed Sakura in the distance, being surrounded by three opponents. He dashed across the surface of the water towards them. As he approached, one of the three turned on him and slashed him in the torso. He had succumbed to Sakura's genjutsu.

Naruto immediately went after him, leaving her with the final opponent. He grabbed the man's arm and drove the cutlass deep into his stomach. His opponent gurgled and abruptly snapped out of his illusion. Naruto pushed him away as the man fell into the water.

"Do you need some assistance, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, noticing she was still focused on her opponent.

"I am fine," Sakura yelled, burying her fist in her opponent's stomach before kneeing him in the head and knocking him out. She turned to face Naruto. "Are you aware of how frightening you appear right now? How did you get so covered in blood?"

"My opponent's head burst like a tomato," Naruto shrugged. "It doesn’t taste like tomato, though."

“Gross!” Sakura wrinkled her nose. She looked around, but it appeared that they had no opponents left, as they had all been defeated or were occupied with their comrades. "Let us return to the ship and see if Yusuke requires help."

"All right," Naruto said as he followed her across the water towards their ship.

A massive fish appeared from the water beside the two ships, sending a wave of water outward. Naruto and Sakura came to a halt and braced themselves, waiting for the wave to wash over them. They were astounded by the fish, having never seen anything like it before.

While it resembles a common marlin, it is also of titanic proportions, dwarfing even the pirate's ship. It was blue-grey on the body and fins, with bright red eyes. Its most peculiar feature, however, was its snout, which had the shape and abilities of a double-edged sword.

Naruto's brows furrowed in concern as he noticed something amiss with the marlin. In contrast to Yusuke's description, it appeared much larger in size, with a faint crimson aura surrounding it.

"I found you again, you bastard," Yusuke exclaimed.

In response, the marlin pierced Yusuke's ship with its spear-like snout. Cries of panic erupted as the ship shook sideways from the impact. The marlin extracted its snout, leaving a massive hole in the bow that quickly filled with water.

"Gai, what are we going to do?" Naruto called out.

Gai stood some distance away, locked in a fierce confrontation with his opponent. It seemed that he had encountered a formidable adversary.

“What a beauty!” Gai laughed when he saw the fish. “I need you to buy me some time.  It’s time to open the gates.”

Naruto instantly transformed into his tailed beast form. It was going to take a lot of strength to face the marlin. "Sakura, I will distract the marlin. You help the people on the boat.:

Sakura nervously nodded when she saw him in his transformed state for the first time.

Naruto sped across the water, his speed boosted by Kurama's chakra.

"Good day, marlin. You certainly look delicious. You are going to feed my entire village for at least a month," Naruto exclaimed.

Naruto was met with a cold, red stare from the marlin. It raised its tail and slapped the water. It generated a large wave that raced towards Naruto. He leapt over the waves, summoning a Rasengan into his hand. He shot through the air like a meteor, ramming the Rasengan into the marlin's side. The marlin's body exploded where it struck, splattering fish guts all over Naruto.

The marlin roared and pushed its body into Naruto, forcing him to leap backwards as the massive marlin crashed into the water where he had been. He initially thought he had defeated it, but this was wishful thinking. A minor wound on such a massive fish did not even slow it down. It had intended to crush him beneath its massive frame.

Naruto landed on the water and charged forward, ready to attack it once more. He came to a halt when the red aura surrounding its body became more intense, and he had a bad feeling. The marlin's head emerged from the water, revealing a glowing ball of chakra in front of its mouth.

Naruto's pupils constricted. "Get down, everybody!"

He cancelled the chakra on his feet and jumped into the water. He could feel the chakra ball pass over him as he swam down.

There was a muffled explosion, and Naruto was propelled through the water by a wall of bubbles. He was completely unable to resist its momentum, which held onto him for a whole ten seconds. After coming to a stop, he swam back up to the surface.

Naruto witnessed a chaotic scene unfold before his eyes. The marlin was thrashing about fiercely in the water, making it extremely difficult to approach. Yusuke's ship was already sinking deeper into the water, amplifying the urgency of the situation. Suddenly, something caught his attention—an indistinct blur in his peripheral vision. It was a figure darting across the water with such incredible speed that it seemed as if he were teleporting. He was cloaked in a vibrant green aura, and a shroud of water followed in his wake.

He smashed into the marlin, causing it to skip across the water. Gai rushed forward once more and began pummeling the marlin. The red aura that surrounded its body began to fade. Gai stopped pummeling the marlin and grabbed its tail. He lifted it and began swinging the fish around like it weighed nothing.

Naruto’s jaw dropped.

Once Gai had built up enough momentum, he released the marlin, launching it into the air. It ascended to such heights that it almost resembled a bird, its silhouette shrinking as it climbed higher. But then it reached the peak of its flight and began falling. Gai leapt into the air, determined to intercept it before it hit the water. He delivered a powerful uppercut to the marlin's head, propelling it forcefully through the air. It burst into a small puff before disappearing completely.

Naruto noticed a glint of silver against the backdrop of the sky, and the object fell and landed with a plop in the water. He dove down and began swimming towards it as it slowly descended into the depths. Upon reaching it, he quickly grabbed the object—a fuma shuriken.

After he breached the surface, he noticed that everyone was converging on the pirate's ship. It appeared as if all the pirates had been taken care of. The pirate ship was now theirs, and they would need it because Yusuke's ship was almost completely submerged under the water.

Naruto boarded the ship and greeted his companions. Yusuke and his crew had also climbed aboard after jumping overboard during their ship's attack. Because of Sakura, none of them drowned as a result of the marlin's rampage.

"Was that your archenemy?" Naruto inquired of Yusuke, who was busy inspecting the ship.

"I believe so," Yusuke said with a frown. "But it was much larger than the last time I saw it. I’m not sure what is going on."

"There was a red aura surrounding the beast," Gai said as he approached them. He appeared exhausted. "It is almost as if it had the ability to open the Eight Gates itself."

“I don’t think that was it,” Naruto said. "There was something foul about the aura. It made my skin crawl. At the very least, we determined that it was a summoned beast."

He showed them the Fuma Shuriken that had dislodged from the beast.

Gai nodded. "That explains why it didn’t return after its contractor died. Because it contained a foreign object, it had to have interfered with the reverse summoning."

Naruto suddenly recalled something Mei said about Yagura. “Hang on. The red aura has appeared before. It could be a coincidence or some unknown technique, but it is concerning."

Sakura approached Gai. "Some of the crew members have been injured. I will treat them, but one is quite serious, and I’m not skilled enough in medical ninjutsu to heal it."

“Then we must return to Uzushio,” Gai said, looking at Yusuke. “Can you steer this ship?”

Yusuke grinned. “Don’t worry. Even though I have never steered a ship like this before, I am familiar with them. Because it has an internal combustion engine, it will also get us back to the island faster."

"Then I will leave it in your capable hands," Gai said, smiling broadly and flashing his pearly whites.

“Let’s go check out the cargo,” Naruto said.

Shikamaru and the Suna siblings joined them as they descended below deck. It was far more spacious than it appeared from the outside, but he assumed that was true of any ship. They braced themselves as they opened the first storage room, expecting to find nothing. The pirate ship could have unloaded before looking for another ship to target, so nothing was guaranteed.

The first room contained about thirty barrels. Gai walked over and opened one of them to look inside. "It appears that we have discovered some ale."

"Wow, that will come in handy," Naruto said, rolling his eyes.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru commented. “Don’t tell my father about it.”

"You would better not get into the same habit when you get older," Temari nudged him.

"You are not even married yet, and you are already taking orders. Shikamaru," Naruto joked.

Naruto felt a wave of killing intent wash over him from two of the Suna siblings. He raised his hands to calm them down before hurrying out of the room.

The second and third rooms were used for food storage. Dozens of grain, rice, and sugar sacks stuffed every nook and cranny. They were not expecting much from the last storage room at that point, as it appeared that the pirates had robbed a merchant ship carrying food. They opened the door and were met with an unexpected sight.

A row of cages lined the wall, each with several prisoners inside. They were huddled on the floor, dressed in rags. When the group entered, they looked up, their faces filled with despair.

"Damn!" Naruto whistled. "They even have slaves. The pirates truly deserved to die."

"It was entertaining to watch their blood spurt out of their bodies," Gaara stated.

"Take it easy," Naruto said, walking forward to get a better look at the prisoners.

Only one of them rose to greet them. A girl with red hair dashed forward, gripping the bars and staring at them helplessly. Naruto averted her gaze when her tattered rags revealed too much of her figure beneath her clothes. He could not imagine what a beautiful girl like her had been through.

"Get me out of here!" she cried. “You're not with the pirates, right?”

Naruto frowned as he examined her more closely. "Hello, haven't I seen you somewhere before? What is your name? Where are you from?”

"My name is Karin, and I am a Shinobi from Kusagakure," she explained.

"Now I remember," Naruto smacked his hand. "Were you at the Chunin exams?"

"Yes," Karin confirmed. "But I did not want to be there, and I was tired of working for Orochimaru. So I took advantage of the chaos caused by the invasion to flee."

"You worked for Orochimaru?" Gai stepped forward.

Karin cried, as if she had realised she had said something that wouldn’t help her case for freedom.

"I was an orphan when I met Orochimaru," Karin exclaimed. "He was curious about my abilities. I can be of great assistance to you. Hell, you want a bedmate; I can do that as well.”

Naruto felt sorry for her because her tone was tinged with desperation. She had obviously been through a lot, as she was willing to bargain with her body.

"Take it easy," Naruto said as he reached out and grabbed her hand. "We aren’t going to abandon you here."

But she did not seem to be paying attention to him. "I’m also a Uzumaki. I’m not a direct descendant, but I am close."

Naruto almost took a step back in surprise, but then he remembered he was still holding Karin's hand. The others were equally taken aback, and they moved in closer to examine her.

"Hello, Miss Uzumaki," Naruto said, smiling. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I am glad that I get to meet more family, but I didn’t expect to see them on a pirate ship."

“What?” Karin let out a scream. "You don't resemble an Uzumaki. Who are your parents?”

"My mother's name was Kushina Uzumaki."

“You’re from the direct line,” Karin exclaimed.

"Let us get these doors open," Gai interjected. "You can catch up later.  Excuse me, miss, could you please take a step back?"

Karin obeyed, and Gai smashed the lock with his fist, breaking it in one blow. Karin jumped into Naruto's arms as soon as he opened the door. She buried her face in his neck, and he could feel the moisture from her tears on his skin.

“What about these other prisoners?” Kankuro asked, peering into the other cages.

"They are civilians," Karen sniffed. "They have been here for much longer than I have. They cook and clean for the pirates."

Gai then proceeded to free the remaining prisoners from their cells. They appeared hesitant as if they didn’t believe they were finally free.

"Do you happen to have an extra set of clothes?" Naruto asked Temari.

"Sure," Temaru replied. She took a storage scroll from her pocket and placed it on the ground. Several articles of clothing appeared after executing a hand sign. She chose a dress and some undergarments. The dress appeared to be a little too big for Karijn, but it would suffice for the time being.

"Leave the room, and I will assist her in changing," Temari said.

They exited the room and continued to search the rest of the ship. Aside from the kitchens and bedrooms, there was not much else of note. They arrived at the captain's quarters, which were locked behind a solid door.

"If there is any treasure to be found, the captain will most likely keep it in his room," Shikamaru predicted.

Gai slammed the door with a roundhouse kick. It was so strong that he had to kick it three times to open it.

They discovered an opulent room complete with a king-sized bed, lavish rugs, tapestries, and furniture. A chest with a heavy padlock sat at the foot of the bed.

"If I were a pirate captain, I would not just let anyone steal my loot," Shikamaru said, bending down to examine the chest closely but keeping his distance from it. “I would set a trap.”

He discovered a thin wire connected to some hidden mechanism. Shikamaru motioned for them to back up and threw a shuriken at the wire. It sliced through it, and a green gas was immediately released into the room.

"Leave it for now," Gai said, closing the door. "We will figure it out when we get back to Uzushio."

Karin emerged from the storage room and dashed over to grab Naruto's arm. He was uncomfortable with how clingy she was, but she needed someone, and that just happened to be him, so he would have to put up with it. He realised he now had two clingy Uzumaki females to look after.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

When they returned to Uzushio, they informed Mei Terumi about their mission. She appeared surprised when they told her about Karin.

“Give me your report,” Mei ordered.

Gai relayed mission details to Mei, who sat motionless. She was a far cry from Jiraiya, who was more relaxed about his responsibilities. Mei tapped her pen on the desk, reflecting on everything Gai had said.

“Is there anything else to add?” Mei queried the others.

Naruto paused, remembering that Gai had left out the part about the red aura.

Mei, who is not one to overlook minor details, noticed his expression. "Please tell me what it is. It makes no difference if it is insignificant. You shouldn’t hesitate to say it if you believe it is important."

"It has something to do with the red aura you mentioned, which seemed to empower Yagura."

“What about it?”

"The marlin we encountered had the same red aura," Naruto explained. "And it was far larger and more powerful than it should have been." It may just be a coincidence, but…”

"We cannot afford to ignore this," Mei stated. "The red aura is perhaps easy to create, but what about the empowering effect? Something’s fishy. No pun intended.”

Naruto nodded. "What are the odds that Yagura and an old summon from the Third Shinobi War are related?"

"I expect everyone to keep this between yourselves," Mei said, and they all nodded. She handed them their payslips. They had discovered a massive Ryo stash in the chest, so they would get a nice bonus. “Despite the unusual circumstances, you did an excellent job capturing the pirate ship. You are dismissed. Naruto, stay behind.”

Mei remained silent until the others had left.

"We need to talk about Karin Uzumaki," Mei said as she stood up and circled the desk. She leaned back and folded her arms. "She is a security risk because she used to work for Orochimaru. I am going to have Inoichi Yamanaka enter her mind to see if she is still loyal to him."

"She has probably already suffered enough at the hands of the pirate," Naruto objected. “And you want to mind rape her as well?”

"There is no choice," Mei explained. "We stand to lose too much if someone gives away our position here. But we are not doing it just for ourselves. The Yamanakas are also mind healers, which she will most likely require given what she has gone through."

"Fine," Naruto grumbled. "But not Inoichi. His wife is just as capable as he is."

"OK, that is actually better for the girl. Karin may remain with you for the time being, but you must assume responsibility for her until she is cleared."

Naruto nodded and exited. He pondered how he would accommodate another girl in his tent. Perhaps he could set up a tent next to his to stay connected while providing some privacy.

Karin was in the communal area with the other girls. Naruto took a plate of food and walked over to their table. He only noticed Kushina when he sat down, hidden among the other girls. She was having a stare-down with Karin.

"Why didn't you tell me there was another Uzumaki here, Naruto?" Karin asked. "Could she be your child?"

The girls laughed, and Kushina declared Naruto to be her "big brother."

Naruto grimaced. Why did he come here and sit down?

So, what do you think? In the next chapter, Naruto visits Hisashi, and some secrets are finally revealed.

Thanks for reading.