Chapter Six

127 (777 AV)

It was safe to say he could definitely hold his own against any of the Akatsuki they had come across, and that's not even taking into account his Sage Mode. His prowess in ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, bukijutsu and fuinjutsu were all at the level of an elite specialist. Considering he had some of the greatest warriors in the various arts stuck in his head, it wasn't exactly hard to get tips on his training. Between Kakashi, Hiruzen, Minato, Kushina and Jiraiya he had all of the major fields covered. Though none of them specialized in genjutsu, Kakashi and Hiruzen were both well versed in the art.

'Aaaaaah, there's nothing like a relaxing day in the sun. I'm not quite sure what's going on, but I figure things in Konoha should be okay by now. Yeah, there's another leader in the shadows, but they don't know where I am, and without me he can't do whatever it is he has planned. He should get pretty frustrated trying to find me now that I'm someplace even the Toads can't find.'

A warm voice sounded through his mind. "Yeah, you've done pretty well these past few years. I'm pretty sure you could even give me a run for my money, and my speed was all but unmatched!"

Another voiced piped in about this time. "My sochi is so awesome! I knew that when you got some good training you'd be amazing, but this is unreal."

"Maa maa, such a scary little genin." This voice sounded lazy and a little teasing. "You really are pretty scary, Naruto. Even if I were the real deal, I think I'd be pretty hesitant to face you down at this point. It'd feel a bit like facing one of the Sannin, considering how strong you've gotten."

"Hah! I always saw how brightly the Will of Fire burned in you! Now you're capable of manifesting that fire for all the world to see! I can't wait…" An older voice continued to wax poetic on the amazing prowess Naruto had shown in the past few years. The longer it went on, the more red Naruto's face became. Eventually it became too much.

"Oh come on, sensei! You never had anything that good to say about me! I don't think you even praised Oro-teme that much!"

"If you'd ever become this amazing, maybe the Third would have said something 'ttebane!"

One of Naruto's side projects had been to figure out how to feed the Special Clones chakra without disrupting them. The answer had ended up being pretty simple because they could just use the basics of the seal holding the Kyuubi to filter it through and then push it into them without any disruption. With that obstacle overcome, they'd become a permanent fixture in his mind. It had been a pretty good day when he'd known for sure they wouldn't have to leave him.

'These guys would argue about the weather if I let them…'

Tuning out the internal debate, he let out a sigh of contentment. "Aaaaah, this is the life. Am I right Tsunade-neechan?"

"Shut up, Naruto. I'm enjoying my mid day nap."

"Don't be mean…"

Naruto had his head under a straw hat as he sat on a hammock. A drink sat on the ground next to him. While putting the drink on the ground might seem impractical for someone in a hammock, Naruto was perfectly capable of using chakra strings to bring it to him any time he wanted.

It had been nine years since the two had arrived on the island. Although they had invested time when they could into trying to find a way home, most of the attempts had been a dead-end for results.

Summoning had failed. The Hirashin had failed. Even just trying to open a void in space time hadn't proven much good, aside from tearing up the forest. In the end, they had given it up until they could manage to get some sort of momentum going again. They hadn't given up on it entirely, they were just too practical to waste too much time on something so esoteric and unquantified as the accident that had brought them to Amazon Lily.

That said, they had managed to figure out a few things about what had happened. Somehow, the Sage Chakra Naruto had used had warped the original jutsu, for which the kunai were just a beacon, and reverse-Hirashin'd them using the kunai as a focal point and going outwards in a spherical fashion. The Fourth had theorized that it was something like what he'd once done to a Bijuu Bomb. He also thought Naruto should attempt to recreate it for use against enemies. If he could get to where he could place seals with a touch, it would be a devastating attack.

Another of his side projects had been a seal he'd made to allow him to stand and walk on air as if it were solid ground. It was a bit like tree- and water-walking in that he had to flow chakra through his feet to make it work, but that was about it.

His last major side project had been recreating various elements and hiden jutsu he had witnessed. He didn't usually have much to go on, so progress had been slow.

He'd also had a few hobbies, but they were irrelevant to what he was doing today. Today was about relaxation… to a degree anyway. Naruto wasn't a low metabolism kind of guy, after all.

He had decided that this year would be all about relaxing and getting better acquainted with the world they had landed in, as well as getting lessons in sailing. It basically amounted to Naruto and Tsunade joining the Empress for tea each morning as they discussed whatever the News Coo had brought up.

Neither of the two ninja had much love for the World Government. Although Tsunade had more experience in the politics of the ninja world than Naruto, even she found their gross disregard for human life to be appalling. It wasn't obvious in the reporter's stories, but reading between the lines is what ninja were all about.

Underneath the underneath indeed…

Today's news had brought in a bit of a coup on the intelligence front, as some reporter had gotten word of research being done on the Void Century. Apparently the World Government was looking into it, but the reporter stated that the researchers there had been found to be looking into the mystery on some sort of exploratory voyage.

"Kimiko-chan," the woman looked up at being addressed, "what's the Void Century?"

The ravenette blinked at them before speaking in that tone one uses to talk to slow people or those who don't know the language. "It's the ceeeentury where there's a vooooid."

Naruto frowned. "I kind of figured that, but where was the void?"

Kimiko shook her head, a small smile playing across her features. "I keep forgetting you two aren't from around here. The void wasn't any actual place. It's a literal void in history. Whatever happened then is completely unknown, as there aren't any known records in the world. I suspect the Government had a hand in that, though."

"Huh? Why do you think so? I mean I've seen some pretty shady stuff done, but it was usually the rightful government trying to fix things."

Kimiko looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Maybe the World Government isn't the rightful authority then? Maybe that's what the Void Century is hiding."

"Huh, I guess you could be right."

Break Break Break Break Break Break

"Naruto!" Naruto ducked as a frying pan came flying out of nowhere. "Quit screwing around! The lookout is an important position. They have to keep an eye out for any ships, storms or Sea Kings on the horizon. If we get in a battle because you failed to keep an eye out, I'm telling Tsunade!"

The blonde straightened quickly. Strong though he had become, fearing Tsunade wasn't a rational decision. It was a survival instinct of his lizard-brain that simply couldn't seem to be bypassed, despite the fact that his abilities had grown beyond her. "I'm watching, captain-san! Don't worry, nothing's getting past these eagle eyes! I see everything because nothing sees me! I am a leaf on the-"

"Just shut up and keep an eye out. You'd think you would have a knack for this sort of thing, lazy bum!"

Now Naruto may not have always been the most over-eager man in such a typically dull job, but he'd took offense to such a jab. "Ma'am, I work with a lazy bum. I played shogi with that lazy bum. I've had dinner with that lazy bum. That lazy bum was a friend of mine. You ma'am, know nothing of lazy bums!"

A prolonged silence followed his dramatic declaration before the captain of the ship sighed. "Just… just get back to keeping a lookout."

"Yes, ma'am." For the next thirty minutes or so, Naruto and the three clones he had summoned kept an eye on the horizon.

The key to getting clones to help was convincing yourself that you're working as hard as they are. Given that they know what you do, convincing yourself convinced them. Lying to them was about as effective as lying to yourself, sometimes even less so. Thus Naruto typically used them when he had a job he didn't mind doing but could be done faster or easier with help. Keeping a lookout and paperwork were both possibilities.

'Hmph! My clones never worked that well with me! I had to do all that paperwork for years!'

'That's because you always wanted to go off while they did the work. If you'd done it with them, the work would have gotten done faster and you wouldn't have had such a hard time.'

Needless to say, Naruto tended to have an easy time with time-consuming tasks.

Naruto was pulled out of his reverie as a clone pointed out something on the Horizon. Naruto and the other two clones squinted to be sure before shouting the those below.

"Sails, white sails on the horizon!"

The captain yelled back, "Are there any marks to identify them?"

"I can't see that yet!"

"PULL OUT YOUR DAMN SPYGLASS!"

"Oh." Naruto did so and turned to regard the sails. Something he'd been unable to see before came to his attention. "There's two ships! The one in front has white sails, and there isn't anything I can see yet- There! The name is Seed of the Tree, or at least that's what it looks like. There's a lady at the helm yelling to the others. It looks like they're under attack. They aren't flying a Jolly Roger, though. The second one has seagulls on it. It's the Marines!"

The ladies on the ship hissed at the name of the hated group. Though the Marines were the force of order in the wider world, they were also primarily male. This didn't go over very well on a female-dominated island. Combine that with the basic knowledge that the World Nobles practiced slavery, and that the Marines protected the World Nobles, and you had a very hateful group of women for all things Marine. The captain's reaction was pretty predictable.

"Set course for that ship! Those vile males will regret attacking a woman in our waters!"

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Nico Olivia was losing hope. They'd been on the run from the Marines for a full day now, and she had only just kept ahead of them by making full use of her knowledge of the seas. They'd entered the Calm Belt in hopes that the Marines wouldn't try to follow them, but that hope had been mistaken it seemed. Not only that, but the utter lack of currents and shortage of wind meant that the Marines would soon catch her. She didn't know why they wanted her, but they fact that they had shot first did not bode well.

"Get on those sails! We need every last bit of wind we can get!"

"But ma'am!" One of the sailors was looking at her with dread. "There's just no way we can outrun them. They're just too fast in these waters!"

"I don't care if you think there's a better chance of us winning a beauty pageant! We don't give up!"

The next several minutes were tense as the ship steadily gained on them. The first shots went past the bow with a whistle. As if it were a signal, cannon-fire bombarded their position. Eventually, one shot took out the mast, and from there it was over.

Ten minutes later, the crew of the ship were under the watchful eye of a crew of marines as a tall, imposing man made his way among them. "So, this is the group that is researching the Void Century, the researchers who hail from Ohara. You should know, if you've managed to find out anything about it, that research into the Void Century is forbidden. Well, what do you have to say for yourselves?"

"You say that it is forbidden to look into this, but you know that we're researching the Void Century." Olivia smirked as her mind went to work with even the small amount she had just been told. "That says you know something too. Perhaps your fellows will kill you for this treason?"

"You obviously know nothing of the Marines. Ours is a Selfish Justice. We perform justice as it serves our needs, but we don't go out of our way for it. Justice serves us, not the other way around." Spandine huffed as he seemed to regain his cool. "Now, who else is helping with this research?"

"No one! We knew going into this that we could annoy some powerful people, so we told no one. Not even our closest relations and friends know of this quest."

"You were quick to disavow your home from guilt, but maybe that's a lie." Spandine's smile grew incredibly cruel at this statement. "After all, criminals like you are wont to lie whenever they can."

"You leave them out of this! Your quarrel is with us!" Olivia's fury was evident as she struggled against her bonds, even with a gun to her head.

"But don't you know? This might not be enough to get me promoted." His eyes trailed across those laid out before him. "But if I were to find evidence of something big enough to justify something like a Buster Call… well, that would definitely get me promoted."

"Don't you dare!" Olivia screamed at the deceptive Marine.

"I'll do whatever I want! Know your place!" Spandine cracked her jaw with a backhand. Watching her cooly, he pulled a pistol from his belt and cocked the hammer. "Well, I don't think I'll have anymore use for you after this. Any last words?"

"Rasengan!" The cry came out of nowhere, and the attack that followed was just as unpredictable. One second Spandine was standing over his prisoners. The next two glowing orbs of energy had been shoved into his gut. From the smoke two words were heard before all the Marines knew was darkness.

"Kage Bunshin!"

It was over before it began. A horde of orange-clad young men surged forth and annihilated the Marines on the ship's deck. The next thing Olivia knew, she was being helped to her feet.

"Are you okay?" The speaker was one of the orange wearing young men. He wore a black suit with strips of orange going down the arms and legs. Over this was a red coat. A black bandana kept his hair out of his eyes. Olivia blushed.

"I'm fine." All of a sudden several facts came rushing back. "The Marines. Ohara. The Buster Call! I have to get to Ohara! I have to save my daughter! Please. I just need a boat. This will never get me there in time. I have to save MY DAUGHTER!"

Naruto waved his hands. "Wait, wait, just wait a second! What's going on?"

Olivia calmed a bit. "I'm sorry. It's just that the man over there was threatening to place a Buster Call on my home. I can't let that happen. They know nothing of what we've been doing!"

"Doing?"

"Didn't you know? Why did you rescue us?"

"We just figured that if you weren't pirates and were getting attacked by Marines we could at least see what was going on. I got on the ship in time to hear him talk about setting up your village to take the fall, and that's all I needed to know to want to kick his ass." Naruto scratched his head, embarrassed to have gone off so half-cocked. "What are you doing, anyway?"

"We're a group that was researching the Void Century!" Olivia looked down. "Will you help me save my home? Can you take me there?"

Naruto nodded with a smile. "I'll get you there. It's a promise, 'ttebayo!"

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"So, you're going to help her." Tsunade stared down at Naruto as he packed up the last of the things he wanted to take with him.

Naruto nodded. "I think I'm ready for what's out there. It's time to see a bit of the wider world. I've got this strength for a reason. I can't just sit on this island forever, wasting away."

"Hmph, I guess you've got a point. What's the plan?" The woman couldn't deny she was curious what he had decided to do… if he actually decided anything.

"I thought I'd just grab our ship from Kuja Port and try to get Olivia-san back to her village before the Government comes. She's got a daughter there." Naruto stretched his arms over his head before continuing. "From there, I might come back here to get you and then see where the wind takes me."

Tsunade gave him a dead-pan stare. "There isn't any wind on the Calm Belt."

"It's a figure of speech."

"Ooooh, big words for you. That didn't hurt to think up, did it?"

"Stupid old grandma, thinks she's so much smarter." Naruto usually only brought out the grandma card when he got irritated.

'The nerve, to call me a grandma when we both know I'm only a bit older than he is, at least physically.' A tick formed on Tsunade's head. "So aside from waiting for fate to intervene in your life, you have no plan beyond helping Olivia-san?"

"Pretty much." Naruto nodded. "… and there's no such thing as fate. I go by luck."

Tsunade groaned. There was only one way she was going to let this happen.

"Well you're not going alone, so cross off coming back for me. I'm going with you – Kimiko and Rayleigh, too, for that matter." Who knows what would happen if she let him run off on his own. Tsunade then grabbed a scroll that had headed straight for her face.

"I kind of figured you'd say that." With his back turned, Naruto's smirk was hidden. "The scroll should hold everything you want to bring."

"Huh." She had to give him some credit; he'd actually managed to plan ahead. "I guess you just might be ready to set out, then. I'll go tell Kimiko our plans."

By the end of the day, their ship was fully stocked for a journey to Ohara. They had enough food for even a standard crew to make it without stops. Adding in the ability to speed their journey along with Naruto's mastery of the wind and they were plenty set.