Author's Note: Long time no see, everyone. Sorry for the delay, but this story is back on!

NARUTO

The Part-Timer

Economy Shipping

(The very next morning)

Naruto gave a low, pained groan as he sat up from the surface he was currently lying on, which was both cold and hard. The pains he received from being left prone against such a plane taking the form of a few uncomfortable knots in his neck and back, the boy then began attempting to figure out where he was and why everything appeared to be swaying from side to side.

"Man… w-what the hell… happened?" The boy got his answer moments later when his vision cleared up and he quickly saw that he was in some sort of cage inside of a large room, with iron floors, walls, stairs and walkways making up the interior. The sight of the dark, dank storage room literally had Naruto do a double-take. "Whoa. Where the-? This isn't my hotel room."

"No. It's not."

The voice of another person catching his attention, the blonde youngster quickly glanced to his left, where he discovered to his surprise that he wasn't alone. Sharing the cage with him, he saw a girl around his age, with tanned skin, short mint-green hair, orange eyes, and wearing a white tunic, red obi, and black ninja mesh underneath, with white fingerless gloves and sandals, staring across at him from the corner. Initially Naruto thought she was just sitting there watching him, but after looking at her carefully, he noticed she wasn't just wearing iron shackles on her ankles, but also had a pair cuffed to her wrists and a couple of thick, metal chains wrapped around her body.

Judging from these additions to her uniform, it was safe to say that she was not a willing visitor here. Actually, 'visitor' didn't seem to be the right word in this case.

Seeing she had the blonde's attention, the green-haired girl sighed, "Good morning. How was your sleep?"

Stretching his back out elicited a groan from Naruto, as well as a series of audible cracks in his back, "Well… I've had better nights, I can tell you that." He then attempted to scratch his face, only to then realize that he also had a pair of shackles slapped to his wrists and to his ankles. Seeing the short, heavy chains dangling between his limbs, the boy blinked, "Oh… man. I must have hit the town harder than I thought. Never expected to get drunk and arrested on the same night, especially since I don't remember a damn thing about what happened." He then turned his eyes to the ceiling above and scrunched his face up in thought. "Wait... hold on a second… that doesn't sound like me. I don't drink, I don't cause trouble, and I've never been arrested before in my life. None of this is adding up…"

His remarks drew a deadpanned look from his miserable cellmate, "You're not in a police station."

"Oh, thank kami. For a moment there, I thought I was in-… wait… no…" Naruto's mood then dropped considerably, "This is… actually a lot worse than a police station, isn't it?" Seeing the girl nod put a frown on the blonde's face. Upon which he then narrowed his eyes on his fellow inmate carefully. "Okay. On a scale of one to ten, how bad is this?"

Without even needing to think about it, the teen answered him, "About twenty."

"Ouch. Right. So then… where the hell are we?" Naruto asked uneasily with a frown, before then turning his attention to their living quarters. "I can't help but notice that the entire room is continuously listing from side-to-side." Honestly, it was starting to make him feel kind of queasy.

Shifting into a sitting position with her legs crossed, the mint haired girl leant forward on her knees and regarded the newcomer with a serious glare, "You're on board one of Masaru Gato's shipping freighters, bound for the Enor continents on the other side of the world." Seeing the boy's stunned gaze snap back to her confirmed the girl's suspicions that this boy wasn't feigning ignorance and indeed had no idea what their current circumstances were. "Yep. It seems that you and I are special guests of the billionaire's rumored human trafficking racket, in which both of us have been selected to be auctioned off as slaves in the imperial states. Guess you never expected to end up in a place like this, huh?"

"Wha? But… I…" the boy shook his head in disbelief, "How the hell did I get here?

"Unconscious and against your will," the teen replied with a nod towards the gate. "Some big-haired shinobi wearing an Iwagakure uniform carried you in here over his shoulder. He and some other assholes slapped those shackles on you and dumped you in this cell with me. I'm guessing they were in such a rush that they couldn't be bothered throwing you in with the others."

Naruto, the gears in his brain slowly starting to turn once again, then nodded in complete understanding. "Oh. Well… I guess that explains it then…" It was all coming back to him now. He remembered stopping in a small, coastal town on the edge of Yu no Kuni (Land of Hot Water) for a breather. After booking a hotel for the night and storing his gear, he then went out to town for dinner and ordered himself a large portion of their best menu items. On the way home he stopped by the harbor, got chased off by a guard and then, just as he was pulling in for the night, everything suddenly went black. It was probably around then that he got knocked out and wound up here.

He figured something was off when he'd been walking back to the hotel. He just couldn't put his finger on it.

Looking up with a blink, the blonde then frowned at his fellow prisoner. "Wait. You said others?"

"Yeah," the girl replied grimly, before nodding towards the wall across from them. "Outside this room, there is a whole corridor lined with prison cells and packed with hundreds of people: orphans, the homeless, women in debt to Gato's company, the weak, the broken, the defenseless… hell, even regular villagers. These guys have kidnapped, bagged and trapped everyone they could think of, and loaded all of them up onto this ship…" She then sighed and shook her head, "I never believed stuff like this was even happening around the shinobi nations… until I saw it for myself a couple weeks ago."

Naruto, staring at her for a moment, then had another look around. Upon seeing how large their cage was and that there were only two of them in here, he then shot her a questioning look. "How come you got special treatment?" Fair question, considering she must've been all by herself before he got there.

Scoffing, the girl smirked at the blonde, "Let's just say that… I'm not a normal civilian." She then raised her thumbs and pointed at her chest. "I'm a Genin from Takigakure. A few weeks ago, I was sent on a D-Rank mission to deliver a parcel to somebody's relatives in a village on the coast. When I was on my way back, I bumped into some weird man dressed in bandages and wearing a white mask." She then let her arms drop and frowned. "He fought me, knocked me out and threw me in a cart, which then took me here." Upon which she then gestured to her cuffs. "They then put these specially designed, double-lock shackles on me so that I had no chance of breaking out of them. Not to mention they're reinforced." To emphasize her point, she slammed them against the floor, showing just how heavy-duty they were. "Can't say the same about yours though."

"Mm," Naruto murmured, glancing down at his again. After deeply considering the girl's words and his current situation, he then let loose the only words he could utter in that moment of consciousness. "Well… shit." Arms dropping in his lap, a dark cloud then fell over his head when their ship listed again. "As much as I would like to say I've been in this kind of situation before, the truth is… I haven't."

"You and me both," the girl remarked sardonically, even sparing a momentary scoff at the end.

After sitting in silence for a couple of moments, Naruto then decided to perform a quick inspection of his body. While his clothes were a bit ruffled and he felt a little bit sore, particularly around his neck and back area, he was still in pretty good condition. He didn't have any grievous wounds or scars to worry about, which told him that he hadn't been abused or violated in his sleep in any way. He was also grateful for the fact that the people who'd brought him in here hadn't raided his pockets, not that he had much in there except for a handful of spare change, or confiscated his necklace either.

Out of all the things on his person, that was the only artifact he considered to be of great personal value to him, and something he would not be willing to part with for any reason whatsoever.

It was then after taking count of all of his affects, he then turned to his cellmate once again, "What do you think is going to happen to us?"

The mint haired child sighed, "Worst case scenario… we're going to be auctioned off as slaves or a source of cheap labor against our will to some rich, powerful snobs in a foreign nation. They'll slap a barcode on us, tag us, and keep us chained up against a wall for the rest of our lives."

A thoughtful Naruto nodded, "Uh-huh. And… what's the best case scenario?"

This earned a harsh chuckle from the girl in the corner, "What best case scenario?"

"Okay. That was a stupid question. But… still..." Naruto then shrugged at her with a hopeful smile, "Hypothetically."

"Well…" the girl looked up and tilted her head, "Between now and the next port… you and I might be able to make some sort of an escape, after which we'll be able to get back to the mainland and let the shinobi villages know what is happening here."

This put a big grin on the blonde's face, "Now that's a scenario I have no problems in getting behind." Shuffling forward where he was lying, the boy then gave his newfound friend an intense stare, which had the green haired teen look in his general direction. "Alright. Here's the deal. If I'm going to try something both stupid and crazy in the next hour or so, I'm going to need the help of a kunoichi to make it work."

His words had the child from Takigakure raise an eyebrow, "You have a plan?"

"Kind of… not really," Naruto responded, a sheepish smile forming across his lips, "Truth be told, I'm actually really terrible at making plans. But… I've always been good at working on my feet."

Taking a moment to look him over, the girl from another village cocked her head to the side curiously. "Who are you?"

"I'm Naruto: part-time noodle chef and soon to be Employee of the Month," the boy said, with a strong hint of pride in his voice.

Feeling her chest swell slightly at his spirited and positive declaration, the green haired prisoner beamed at her cellmate, "I'm Fu: Genin of Takigakure and full-time hero."

"Ooh, I like the sound of that," Naruto responded, before giving the kunoichi his trademark grin, which she answered with one of her own. Oddly enough, both the boy and the girl wore the exact same, reflective expressions. It was cute to see how much they were alike on the inside, which made them feel even more at ease than before. Upon feeling their spirits lift, the spiky haired blonde's expression then became more serious as a confident smile remained in play. "Okay then. If my knowledge of setting up shop in new territory is correct, then our first order of business is to conduct a 'customer survey' of the population… and find out exactly what kind of people we're dealing with here."

"Sounds like a good idea."

"We just need some bait... preferably someone tough, stupid, and an employee on this smelly, old tub," the spiky haired youngster said. Feeling he'd established a good repertoire with his fellow inmate, he then gave her a mischievous smile, "You game?"

Fu returned his grin with an equally excited one of her own, "Oh yeah."

Just before the pair could carry on their discussion any further, the two of them suddenly heard the door to their room open up and, looking around, they spotted a group of about three men walk into view; two armed with swords while the other one was armed with a baton. The latter was carrying with him a tray of food with him and, judging from the smell, it didn't seem all that pleasant.

Marching up to the gate, the man with the shaved hair, scar on his chin, wearing a brown tunic, sandals and robe, opened the door and stepped on in.

"Well, well. It looks like you two are having fun," the pale man chirped, standing in the archway with a smirk on his face. "Having a nice little chat, are we?" Since his two companions were flanking the gate and both children were in chains, the guy had no reason to fear them.

Even if one of them was a ninja, what could both of them do as they were?

Frowning deeply, Fu grumbled, "Yeah. Is that a problem?"

"Not at all. You should enjoy yourselves while you have the chance." Setting the tray of bowls down at his feet, the man with the baton threw them a rather nasty grin. "After all, when this ship eventually reaches its final stop, the two of you are going to have a really, really long day… and then some." He shrugged there way before standing up. "It's nothing personal… just business."

"Is it business kidnapping children and putting them in chains?" Naruto asked, his stare turning hateful while he raised his arms and shook them. His actions caused his cuffs to rattle loudly.

Adjusting his jacket, the raven haired man looked back at the child with a confident gleam in his eye, "That's the way the world works sometimes, kid. It is a cruel and terrible place."

"Yeah, especially since it's populated by scumbags like you," the blonde continued with an angry spit in his voice.

A frown appeared on the mercenary's lips. "Hey, there's no need to get angry at me. Remember… we're the ones who control when and what you eat around here, as well as how all of you are treated. If you kids decide to misbehave, then we have free reign to discipline you however we see fit." He added to this by patting the baton hanging from his belt, all the while giving the boy a cocky glare. "Want to test your luck, runt?"

Glancing wearily at the man's weapon, the blonde then responded with a quick sizing up of his quarry. After which he then threw a smirk of his own, "So you think beating up a bunch of kids who are tied up and unable to fight back makes you feel like a man?" He snorted and shook his head at the question, "That is so pathetic I don't know whether I should laugh or feel sorry for you." His words had Fu look at him with a grin and a giggle.

Offense and disbelief crossing his face, the man gripped the handle of his weapon while the two thugs standing at the entrance raised their eyebrows at the boy. "Would you care to repeat that?"

"You heard me, dickhead," Naruto spoke up again, this time a little bit louder. He did so while throwing his antagonist a look of pure amusement "What? Are you a dumbass and a pussy as well? Because I'm going to be honest, the longer you stand there, the more it's starting to look like it."

Eye twitching while his companions and Fu snickered, the raven haired man then stomped forward in a fit of anger. "Oh, is that how you want to play it? Huh? You little shit!" Not even caring that he knocked the pair's tray over and spilled their slop all over the floor, the mercenary drew the baton from his belt and held it up high, "I'm gonna knock that arrogant smile off your face."

The blonde grinned once again. "Bring it on, sucker. I bet you can't hit for shit."

"Oh yeah?!" With a yell, the man then swung down at the blonde, intent on cracking him over the face.

However, what the brute didn't count on above all else was Naruto suddenly ducking his swing, leaping to his feet faster than he could blink, and slamming both his knuckles right into his solar plexus. The blow from the blonde striking the man in the gut not only had the mercenary lurch forward, but it also had him vomit all over the floor in front of him. A split second after the hit, the youngster then jumped into the air and, throwing both feet forward, slammed them into the man's chest. The powerful blow knocked the thug off his feet and sent him flying out of the cell, right past the two guards, and straight into the wall on the other side.

The mercenary's back struck the hull with a loud 'thud', before his body dropped to the floor, blood dribbling from his head and a shocked expression frozen on his face.

While the two men at the gate gawked in astonishment, an observing Fu's eyes widened as she then watched Naruto land on his feet with ease.

"Whoa," the girl murmured, obviously impressed by his maneuver.

Feet widening as best as they could while his hands remained in front of him, Naruto then threw a grin at the man he'd taken down with flawless accuracy. "Like I said; can't hit for shit."

His words seemed to snap the remaining two guards out of their reverie, which prompted them to draw their swords and glare across at the blonde attacker. With Fu jumping to her feet and bracing herself, the spiky haired blonde rolled his shoulders and skipped on the spot, moments before bringing his hands up into the best stance that he could take with his shackles on. Even though they messed with his movements, he could still fight with some form of style.

A confident smile remained on the chef's face as Naruto brushed his nose with his thumb. "You chumps are going to need more men."

OOO

(Meanwhile)

Out on the open ocean, many miles away from the mainland, the large freighter, the same one that had previously been docked at the small coastal town of Yu no Kuni (Land of Hot Water), continued to steam along at a normal speed, bound for an unknown destination in an unknown land. On the surface it seemed like any other standard merchant vessel, with a bridge at the rear, a long hull with a wide deck loaded with shipping containers, and dozens of cranes fitted to its structure. Overall, the ship resembled a cross between the Canberra Maru and the USS Cyclops, right down to the framework strewn across its top.

Looking at the personnel moving about on deck, there didn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary taking place.

But below decks, deep in the belly of the vessel, it was an entirely different story.

Sitting inside the private living room built inside the ship's primary superstructure, a group of shady individuals had convened for a meeting. The leader of this collective, easily identified by his stature, was a short man wearing a black suit and a purple tie, and had puffy brown hair with a thin mustache. Along with the small, circular sunglasses he was wearing and the large cigar he had lit in his hand, this particular figurehead had the bearing of both a weasel and a world renowned businessman; a person who reeked of unpleasantness and ill intent.

On the chair across from this person was a second, ordinary looking man, Caucasian, with slicked-back blonde hair, wearing a suit and tie similar to his counterpart, and a pair of thin reading glasses that reflected the light. Adorned in a pair of shiny black shoes, the taller, younger male had his legs crossed and a clipboard on his lap, for which he had on hand a series of important looking documents.

The third person in the room, still adorned in the same shinobi uniform he wore for his mission last night, was Gari. The light-brown, spiky haired Jonin stood off to the side near the two suits with his arms folded and looking between the pair with his sharp, green eyes. Judging from the stiffness of his jaw line, the bodyguard was obviously a little bit bored in his position, but nonetheless remained fixated on the conversation that was currently taking place between the boss and his associate.

"I take it that our assets across the mainland are doing well then?" the short man with the bushy hair asked in an inquisitive, gravelly voice befitting a man of his size and appearance.

"Indeed they are, sir," the blonde man replied, his neutral gaze fixing upon the papers in front of him. "I've calculated an eight percent increase in profits from last month's quota. This includes the usual transportation fees, expenditures, and the half a dozen losses we accumulated from our most recent shipments to the Land of Fire." He then glanced up at his boss with an uncomfortable look in his eyes. "Apparently our Eastern branches are still encountering some problems with that damn sea monster roaming the areas outside the nation'sharbors."

Taking a long drag of his cigar, the company owner sighed irritably and shook his head, "Geez. I can't believe the coastguard hasn't taken care of that yet. Stupid, cheap, 'elite' naval force… just what the hell am I paying them for?" He then flicked the ash into the tray next to him. "Send out an elimination notice to the local authorities and put a hit out on that creature. That stupid sword fish is chasing away all my business in that country."

"Of course," the blonde man replied with a humble bow, at the same time being sure to record his boss's instructions. He then lifted the clipboard higher and read off of the next couple of paragraphs. "I also have a few notes taken from the last meeting with our heads of staff. The council is worried about the economy in the East heating up, due to a sudden rise in running costs. Chairman Cho wondered if it would be possible to fire ten thousand workers. I thought maybe from some of our smaller branches where no one would notice… perhaps from a handful of our mainland firms?"

Popping the cigar back into his mouth, the shipping magnate grunted, "Fire thirty thousand."

"Thirty thousand?" The blonde businessman raised an eyebrow, "Don't you think that's a little bit… much?"

Gato chuckled in amusement, "Shin… my son, you are a smart boy with a big heart, and your ability to handle customers and negotiate with clients is second to none. However, what you have yet to learn about my job is that juggling both a multimillion ryo shipping corporation and a thriving criminal enterprise requires you to be shrewd and ruthless at the same time. It doesn't pay to be compassionate in our line of work, even to our own employees. Sometimes it's necessary to make big sacrifices for the greater good of the company." He then pointed in the blonde man's direction before poking the side of his head. "Remember this: a hardworking man makes the money, but a smart man makes the profits. That's what my old man told me when he started out on this venture… and something that I think you'll be able to benefit from. You hear me?"

Adjusting his glasses, the accountant identified as Shin smiled pleasantly, "Yes, dad. Loud and clear."

Waving a hand through the air, the mogul then scoffed openly, "Besides, by cutting off fifty thousand workers, we'll be able to subtract a significant amount from our next annual overhead and sell off all remaining assets to the highest bidders. That means more money will go into our pockets and we won't have to worry about paying an extra two million in salaries for next year."

"I'll be sure to pass this on to the council as soon as we make port," Shin chirped, at the same time writing down his father's words for posterity.

"Very good," Gato remarked, continuing to enjoy his cigar in the comfort of his own cabin.

As soon as that piece of business was taken care of, Shin then lowered his pad and turned his attention towards the desk on the other side of the room. Acknowledging the notice board behind it, he then continued to speak. "I gotta say; using an ordinary shipping of week-old, packaged potatoes and carrots to cover up the human cargo you have hidden below deck is a pretty smart move."

"Of course it was. After all, it was my idea," Gato stated with an arrogant smirk. Waving his cigar about, he continued to brag in front of both his son and the other people in the room. "It's standard smuggler's tradecraft. By mixing in my 'special' cargo with our regular shipments and using my connections with the authorities to throw off the border guards, I'm able to conduct my less savory activities freely and without fear of being caught. No one would suspect a highly regarded entrepreneur like me to be using his position to transport drugs and other contraband between nations under the guise of food supplies."

"Ingenious," the blonde man whispered, chuckling as he crossed his legs into a more comfortable position. "Despite all the rumors floating around the shinobi states and the wider community, there hasn't been a single person that's been able to find proof of your connections with the criminal underworld. Your ability to keep this all under wraps is truly masterful."

"Pft. I think you may be exaggerating a little too much there, son," Gato waved flippantly, at the same time shooting his boy a wicked grin. "Nevertheless, I appreciate the compliments."

Positively beaming at this point, Shin then turned his attention to the spiky haired shinobi standing attentively on the side, whom he saw glance towards him. "And Gari-san, how are you finding work with Gato International as one of my father's personal bodyguards?"

Closing his eyes, the man from Iwagakure shrugged, "The pay is good and the hours are fair. All things considered, I don't really have much to complain about right now, except for the fact that I haven't encountered a single foe or adversary that can put up much of a fight."

This drew a curious glimmer from the man in the spectacles, "Oh? And is that the main reason why you signed a one year contract with us? To fight?"

"Partly," Gari replied, glancing at the young man with an unchanging expression. "Hunting prey and dispatching troublemakers is one thing. But when I took on this job, your old man promised me that I would be able to do battle with enemies and assailants worthy of my talents… particularly other shinobi out for his life-"

"And I intend to keep that promise, friend. That I can assure you," Gato spoke up, drawing the attention of the two men while he ground out his cigar on the ashtray next to him. Upon which the billionaire company owner laced his fingers together in front of him and flashed his glasses towards the Iwagakure shinobi deviously. "I apologize for the boredom you've had to suffer from working alongside me as my runner for the past few months, Gari-san. You should know that it's not my intention to go seeking trouble. In fact… I actively try to avoid it. However, you will be happy to hear that I may have a job for you to perform very soon… one that I'm sure you'll enjoy greatly."

Cocking an eyebrow, the spiky haired shinobi regarded Gato's smirking face for a moment. "Does this job involve killing another shinobi?"

Gato smirked. "A shinobi and his associates. I'll brief you on the details later."

After considering the man's words carefully, Gari grunted and looked away, "So long as they don't go down after the first punch, then I'm completely fine with that."

Shin, analyzing the conversation from his spot in the room, then adjusted his glasses knowingly and beamed. "Iwagakure shinobi really are amazing. They're always looking for new challenges, always eager for action and always ready for battle. I really admire that quality in your people." He said all this with the most sincere tone of voice he could muster.

Staring ahead of him for several seconds in silence after the son's remark, the Iwa shinobi then suddenly turned his attention to another side of the room and furrowed his brow. "While we're on the subject of employment and contracts, what is that guy here for then?"

Gari's question put into the spotlight the elephant in the room, which was the fourth and final member of their entourage standing by the window with his hands behind his back. Looking at the man who was as still and silent as a statue, the trio drank in the broad shoulders of an average sized male wearing a grungy brown tunic, baggy, forest green pants, thick grey socks bound to his feet by rope, and a basket hat with a wide, sloped rim that shielded his head like an umbrella. While the outfit was typical of a wandering vagrant and gave him a very feudal period exterior, what made this individual stand out from the rest of them was the fact that all areas where his skin was supposed to be exposed, including his head and arms, were wrapped entirely in bandages. Furthermore the man also wore a prominent white eye mask, which had a very Carnival of Venice feel to it and gave the figure a more mysterious edge to him.

What's more, the symbols characterizing this stranger consisted of gear-shaped patches sewn into the front of his tunic and his straw hat, identifying him as part of a group of unknown origin.

It was a fact Gari couldn't help taking notice of while assessing the new figure in his midst. "I don't remember seeing his name on our security team or on the ship's manifest, so who the heck is he?"

Acknowledging the shinobi's question, Shin chose to speak up on behalf of his father. "Ah. You mean Sho?"

"Sho?" Gari muttered.

"Yes. That's what he said his name was," the kindly businessman responded. "I ran into him while I was conducting some business out in Nisho River Village several weeks ago. He approached our branch of the organization seeking employment, asking for a position within our ranks. After several minutes of negotiating his contract and wages, as well as witnessing a demonstration of his abilities, I decided to hire him on the spot as my personal bodyguard. His skills are… quite impressive."

"Really?" the Iwagakure shinobi asked, a skeptical frown tugging at his lips. "And how much is this wonder butler costing you?"

"Nothing, actually," Shin replied with an amused chuckle, earning a strange look from his father's runner. "When I asked how much he wanted, his response was simply 'samples.' He expressed a keen interest in our human trafficking system and, after I explained the details to him of our little activities, he wanted to assist our lynch group in hunting down and collecting targets he could identify as possessing incredibly high levels of what you shinobi call chakra. In return for his services, all he asked for was to… harvest the energy from the strongest specimens he could get his hands on, an agreement my father and I had no problems in signing."

A scoff left Gato's lips as he held a hand out flippantly, "As long as it doesn't cost us a single ryo, I'm perfectly fine with that."

This didn't do well in settling Gari's suspicions and distrust of the man in bandages, who continued to stare out the window with his eyes locked on the distant horizon. When he saw the masked individual glance in his direction, the Iwa shinobi glared into the cold yellow eyes that stared back at him, which appeared both sinister and artificial in appearance.

Though he couldn't explain it, there was just something about this man that the Jonin did not like.

Looking between both his son's and his own bodyguard curiously, the billionaire mogul huffed and got to his feet. "You need not feel threatened of your position, Gari-san," Gato said in a haughty tone while adjusting both his jacket and tie. "As long as you continue to serve me well and follow all of my instructions, then you have no reason to fear of your contract being terminated prematurely… or anything else unpleasant happening over the course of your tenure here at Gato International. Besides, I'm sure that an elite Jonin from Iwagakure such as yourself wouldn't allow himself to be bested by some man in a porcelain mask." He then shrugged at the gun-for-hire before making his way over to the door, at the same time prompting his son to stand up as well. "I have every reason to believe that such an outcome would simply be an unnecessary smear on your good name." Cranking the handle and opening the gate, the businessman smiled back at his compatriots. "Come. Let's go down and check the stocks. We have to make sure the boys are keeping the cattle well fed and hydrated."

Shin, beaming like a boy about to go on a fieldtrip, followed his old man through the exit, along with Gari and the bandage-covered Sho. However, just before the Iwagakure shinobi was about to step out the door, the man suddenly held out his arm and stopped the masked man dead in his tracks. The decorative kunai hanging from the stranger's tunic ringing when his momentum halted, the mysterious shinobi glanced across at his fellow employee, where he saw the Jonin glaring at him with his game face fully in play.

"Listen well, sponge. I don't know who you are, where you came from, or what your business here is. But just because you've earned the praise and favor from the young blood of the company, doesn't make you the top dog on this ship," Gari hissed, his eyes not trailing away from his rival for even a second. When he saw the man blink, the Jonin pressed on. "I've protected Gato and his assets for over six months now, and was put in charge of the security of his operations. If you do anything to disrupt the organization of this vessel, I won't hesitate to put you down. Is that understood?"

Eyes flashing under the visor of his mask, the mummified man then gave a very deep, almost robotic sounding chuckle, and lowered his head beneath the shinobi's glare. "Loud and clear, sir." Sho then held a hand out and gestured towards the door. "Please. After you."

The way the newcomer acted and spoke was almost condescending in nature, an aspect that Gari noticed and had his glare intensify significantly. However, as much as the Jonin wanted to call the guy out on his attitude, by this point in time the bodyguard for hire had lost a little bit of his nerve, partly due to the fact that he couldn't tell what the unknown shinobi was feeling on account of his mask. But this didn't stop the Iwagakure ninja from giving the guy the shoulder and marching after their clients, which led the pair towards the stairway that would take them straight down into the lower levels of the freighter.

The upper decks of the vessel had a conventional blueprint, with crew living quarters, storage areas and alike. It was pretty much your textbook cargo ship. However, deep within the bowels of the transport, was another story entirely. In the areas that would be considered the steerage levels, a massive hold had been designed specifically for the transportation of prisoners and animals. There were long, tall, stretches of corridors with cage doors, all of which held an unaccountable amount of people in various states of cleanliness.

Some of them looked as though they'd been taken right out of the gutters. Others looked as though they'd been snatched right off of the street on the way to work or out to the shops, most notably farmers and wives. There were also a large number of children, mostly orphans, all of whom were either huddled up with the adults or with each other. On top of the dingy conditions they were in, every single one of them was bound in chains and shackled together, appearing both miserable and pale under the light coming in from the portholes or the shocking appliances on the ceilings above them.

Patrolling the lines of cells were dozens of armed men, all of whom were either equipped with crossbows or swords. Since most of them weren't wearing any kind of security uniform and were decked out in whatever combat gear they could get their hands on, it was safe to say that all of these men were mercenaries hired by the head honcho to watch over his secret cargo. They were pretty much the worst of the worst, and the proof was written on many of their faces as they leered at the rooms of human goods.

One asshole was even walking past the bars and running a baton over them, causing a metallic echo to bounce off of all the walls in that level. The sound further amplified the sense of hopeless and fear being felt by all those locked up against their will.

The sounds of sobbing also filled the air, as one little girl lying in her parent's arms looked up at the older woman with tears in her eyes. "I-I'm cold, mum…"

"Shh…" the raven haired woman hushed the child, running her fingers through her hair soothingly, "It's alright, sweetie. It's alright."

"I… I want to go home…"

"Tough luck, kid," a rough voice suddenly cut into the cell, drawing the gazes of all the women and children seated against the walls, where they quickly spotted a man with tattoos, scars, an eye patch, and a large katana at his side, grinning at them menacingly. "I'm afraid you and your mother won't be going home. Not now, not ever."

His partner, a slightly shorter man also armed with a katana, wearing a baggy jacket, shorts, a purple beanie, with silver hair and markings on his face, smirked at the people staring back at them, while at the same time leaning against the bars. "You've got a brand new life waiting for you on the other side of the world, so I suggest all of you wipe away those tears and save the crying for later. You're probably gonna need them for when you start cutting crops and serving tea for your new masters."

"Consider either of those two options your first day on the jobs," the one-eyed guard concluded snidely in an agreeable voice.

Hearing the child whimper and seeing her huddle up against her parent drew snickers from the two men. Before they could get too into their jobs as the worst caretakers in the world, they were suddenly interrupted by the arrival of Gato and his crew coming down the corridor.

"That's enough, Zori… Waraji," the short mogul's voice spoke up, prompting his two most regular security personnel to straighten to attention. "Quit teasing the women and children. I don't need you two spoiling the goods before it even has a chance to make it to port."

When the pair of swordsmen saw their boss coming down the hall, accompanied by Shin, Gari and Sho, the two men quickly made space for them, with Zori bowing his head. "Yes, boss. Sorry."

"Besides… I hardly doubt our clients will want to use these ones for meager tasks such as cooking and cleaning," Gato continued, stopping in front of the gate they'd been guarding to gaze into the cell. When he saw the older women wrap their arms protectively around the little girls huddled in their arms, the mogul then shot them a more malicious glare. "Judging from their looks, I believe their skills would be better suited for more… promiscuous sorts of activities."

"Ooh…" Waraji murmured, before eyeing a couple of the females in the corner. The look in his pupil caused terrified shivers to run up their spines. "I could definitely go for some of that right about now."

Chuckling at the terrified clamor that started up from the group on the other side of the bars, the short man with the thin mustache took one last look around before moving further down the line. With Shin and Gari right on his heels, Gato then began methodically pointing at each of the cells on his left and right. "The men and the young boys will be sold for heavy duty work, including prize-fighting, heavy lifting, agriculture, and perhaps even domestic usage. They'll sell for a good price to the barons and baronesses of the Imperial States looking for cheap sources of labor." He then reached out and tapped his finger against the bars on his right. "As for the women and the girls, particularly the healthy ones, I aim to sell in the thousands. The best of the best we will strip down and auction off as dancers, geishas and basic home labor, whereas the ones who are still 'clean'… we'll sell as concubines for the young lords."

"YOU MONSTER!" one of the male prisoners, a young blacksmith with brown hair, suddenly shouted while grabbing the bars of his cell and glaring at the suits passing them. He then spat at Gato, who copped the loogie right in the cheek. "YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS! YOU HEAR ME! SOMEBODY WILL STOP YOU-AUGH!" The man was quickly silenced when Waraji stepped over and rammed the scabbard of his katana into his stomach. The blow dropped the teenager to the floor, where he quickly rejoined the rest of the boys who were chained up alongside him.

Cringing at the spit on his cheek, Gato yanked out a handkerchief and wiped away his face. Upon which he pointed into the cell where the wounded young man was now kneeling, and gestured down the hall. "Take that little punk to the rig. Give him a good thrashing on the back and hang him out to dry." When Zori pulled out a set of keys and proceeded to unlock the door, the mogul continued on without a hint of pity in his voice. "Be sure not to break him too badly. Remember, I'm being paid by the quality of the bodies, not the numbers. Too many gashes will only depreciate his value."

After the man in the purple beanie opened the gate, Zori unshackled the young man, yanked him to his feet, and proceeded to drag him down the corridor, along with another random guard. "Come on, hero. Let's go." Though the teen put up somewhat of a fight, the blacksmith was unable to do anything as he was helplessly dragged around the corner and disappeared.

When Waraji shut the door behind them, Gato groaned and threw away his handkerchief. "Well… that was unpleasant."

"Are you okay, father?" Shin asked, peering over his parent's shoulder in concern.

"Yes. Yes. I'm fine. Don't worry." Clearing his throat, the mogul then approached another gate and pointed towards it. "Open that one up. Let's take a closer look at the goods." Standing back, Gato then watched as the one-eyed swordsman following them did as he was instructed and unlatched the gate. Upon swinging the barrier open, Waraji signaled for his boss to enter, which he did with Gari coming to stand close behind him. After looking over the fifth group of frightened women and girls, the company owner smiled deviously. "Hmm. Yes. These ones will do nicely."

"I brought this lot in myself," Gari informed, glancing down at his employer to see him nod in approval, "A gift from Shamal-sama, to make amends for all those families who were unable to repay their debts on time." As it turns out, those people who were unable to make enough money had wound up in this very cell; the women and their children. "Consider it a settling of his accounts."

"Heh. Very good," Gato remarked, nodding at the shinobi's words in understanding. With Shin and Sho coming to stand directly behind their leader, the billionaire then nodded Gari towards the women at the back of the room. "Check to make sure that their cuffs aren't fitted on too tightly. I'd hate for any of these lovely young flowers to get damaged wrists before we reach our destination."

There was also the possibility that some of the prisoners were deliberately causing bodily harm to themselves. That was an action the mogul wanted to avoid turning into a habit.

"Of course, sir," Gari replied with a bow, before marching forward and crouching in front of the first two he came across; a mother and daughter. While the parent sought to keep her child away from the shinobi, the Jonin was undeterred by her attempts to hide her daughter, and simply wrested her arms into view. He then proceeded to examine their hands.

This being a controlled environment, Gato and everybody else were confident that they had this entirely within their control. With all the women in this cell bound in chains and gathered together, everyone assumed that the bosses were untouchable. Gari continued on with his task of checking the prisoners' wrists under the assumption that none of them would be stupid enough to try anything. But then, just as he was turning to inspect the two young women on his right, he completely missed the sight of one of the children in the far left corner suddenly darting forward, the shackles on her wrists and ankles coming undone, and rushing towards Gato with a kunai in hand.

The girl with short brown hair, purple clan marks on her cheeks, and wearing ordinary civilian clothing, gave a loud yell of bravery as she sprinted at the man at breakneck speed, catching Gari completely off guard and startling the hell out of the billionaire shipping magnate. Gato literally stumbled backwards with a cry of terror when he saw the girl closing in on him, her eyes burning with anger as she closed the gap between them in the blink of an eye.

"You're mine, Gato!" the child bellowed, leaping through the air with a lunge. "YAAAH!"

However, the instant she jumped was the moment something unbelievable occurred. Just as Gari was spinning around to try and intercept the child, Sho, having been standing directly beside Shin, thrust his hand forward and caused a blast of air to ripple out from his palm with a loud, telekinetic whoosh. The second the shockwave occurred, the charging girl suddenly felt her body seize up and her stabbing arm jerk backwards. Before she knew it, the child found herself standing frozen just a few feet in front of Gato, her form upright, rigid, and trembling underneath an unseen force.

The attacker's eyes widened in horror at the electrical sensations she felt coursing through every nerve in her body. "W-What?"

Gawking at the assassin now standing just a few feet in front of him, Gato quickly looked over his shoulder towards the man that had saved him. When he saw Sho lower his arm, the billionaire knew instantly who he had to thank and, after swallowing nervously, nodded to the masked guard gratefully. Upon which he watched his mysterious savior march forward, stop alongside the frozen yet still conscious girl and, loading his right leg, kneed her in the gut.

The loud crunch that rang out was followed by the teen dropping to the floor and coughing out blood, at the same time losing her kunai. After being felled by the blow, the girl was then grabbed by the back of her head and thrown in front of Gato. When she sat up, she glared up to see the man in the suit lean down and frown at her.

"Alright, you little wench. Who are you?" the mogul asked, watching Waraji walk around and grab the girl by the shoulder. When the child failed to answer him after several seconds of silence, Gato's glare hardened impatiently. "Tell me… otherwise I promise that you'll regret it." Even with the added incentive, all he saw was the child's displeasure deepen and her eyes narrow, which competed for dominance with the expression he was now wearing.

His frustration getting to him, the billionaire magnate then gritted his teeth, straightened up and turned his ire on Waraji. "Take this bitch down to solitary. Now!" The mercenary, cringing under the man's yell, did as he was instructed, picking the girl up and dragging her out of the cage. After seeing the pair vanish from view, the boss's attention then shot towards Gari, whom he could see was now standing in front of the stunned and terrified prisoners. "Why, pray tell, was there a bloody kunoichi hiding amongst these fucking children?!"

The man from Iwagakure frowned at his employer's question, "I didn't know. I thought she was an ordinary civilian. She must have slipped into their group while they were being held in the storage unit by the mob."

"That's beside the point!" Gato suddenly barked as he stomped over to the man, "You're a Jonin, aren't you?! Shouldn't you be able to tell the difference between an ordinary person and a ninja?! I thought you had all the bases covered!"

Gari, unable to find an excuse for his almost grievous mistake, swallowed his pride and straightened his back under the fuming mogul. "Apparently I didn't." He then bowed his head. "Sorry, sir. I promise this won't happen again."

"It better not," Gato sneered, at the same time jabbing a finger in the shinobi's direction. "Find out what that girl knows, and do a thorough, background check on all the personnel on this ship and cargo! Double-check the rosters if you have to! If I encounter anymore hiccups on this shipment or if anyone else steps out of line, I'm going to hold you personally responsible." With that said, the boss then turned and stormed out of the cell, quickly joining Shin at the entrance before both of them stepped out into the corridor.

Feeling a large knot in his throat at his most recent shortcoming, Gari prepared to follow after his client. However, before he could proceed, he suddenly saw Sho sweep right past him, cutting the man off and causing the Iwa ninja to stop for the briefest of seconds. In that instant, as the masked ninja's bandages ruffled past his face, the Jonin heard Shin's bodyguard whisper to him in an unpleasant and arrogant tone of voice.

"Hmm… I think now is a good time to start worrying about your contract," Sho said, with a little chuckle added to the end for good measure.

At first surprised, Gari then proceeded to see red as he observed the bandaged man step out of the cell to join his clientele outside, during which time the warrior from the Hidden Stone village tightened his fists to the point that the knuckles began emitting heat waves and steam. However, not wanting to let off any explosions while in a confined and populated space, the spiky haired shinobi took a deep breath, before then following the group out of the pen, at the same time making sure the rest of the women and children remained as they were.

Approaching Shin and the others, the normally calm Gari couldn't help but spare a moment of thought towards the unusual paralysis technique the mysterious Sho had used on their infiltrator.

"There were no hand seals and he didn't blurt out any incantation. Just what the hell was that jutsu?" the Iwagakure shinobi thought. The way the child had frozen up when she was hit by that blast wave was completely unnatural, like she'd become possessed or something.

It was almost as though the man had telepathically willed her body to a stop.

These thoughts continued to plague Gari's mind when he shut the cell gate behind him and rejoined Gato, who was still recovering from his fright. While watching the boss wipe off his brow with another tissue, the shinobi believed that their next course of action was to head back up to the top levels to take care of the paperwork and discuss any other political obstacles. However, just before any decisions could be made, the four men suddenly saw a couple of guards rush past them and down the corridor. Watching them disappear round the corner in a hurry, they then saw a third come back around and jog over to their spot.

"Oi? What's going on?" Gari asked, stepping towards the thug when he skidded to a stop in front of him.

"Sorry to disturb you, sir, but the prisoners over in solitary are acting up," the man with the headband and wife beater answered, at the same time pointing down the corridor.

This news had the Jonin frown, "Is it the kunoichi from Takigakure?"

"Yes, sir," the guard answered, sweat dripping down his head as he attempted to make sense of the information. "Her and the boy you dropped in there with her! Both of them have broken out."

Gari balked, "What?" He then shoved passed the man and hurried down the corridor, with Gato, Shin and Sho right on his heels.

The men quickly made their way towards the front of the ship where the solitary confinement units had been placed. After a quick sprint, the group then burst into the storage room, where they were greeted by the most interesting sight.

In the center of the room, passed the defensive line of mercenaries and outside of the cage where the special case prisoners were being held, they saw a dozen men with swords and sticks surrounding a short, blonde boy with spiky hair and a girl with equally short green hair, both of whom were surrounded by another thirteen guards, all lying unconscious on the ground. It appeared as though they men had attempted to corner the children when they broke out, but looking at what was going on now, they had apparently tried and failed horribly. This had then resulted in a skirmish between Gato's security and the two children, who were now standing in a circle and being held at point by the reinforcements.

As for the two men who were instructed to take the other girl who'd attacked Gato earlier, he and Waraji were standing off to the side along with several other comrades, watching the carnage as it unfolded.

Shin, adjusting his glasses, looked upon the scene with both curiosity and excitement. "Oh… interesting."

Deciding to act fast, two of the men standing in the circle and wielding sticks rushed forward with a yell. The instant they advanced however, the blonde boy in the middle of the ring spun around and, leaping at his attackers, nailed one of them in the head with a kick. The crushing blow sent the man crashing to the floor. When the second one attempted to swing at the boy, he was punched in the stomach, before the deceptively swift child leapt up and kneed him in the face. When the spiky haired runt landed, he immediately ducked a kusarigama swinging at his head from behind. After avoiding it, Naruto shot towards the man, hiked up his forward leg, and head-butted him in the face with a loud 'crunch'. Not only did he end up breaking the man's nose, he also knocked him out, as he did every other thug that came his way.

As for the girl, she was dealing with the situation just as handily as her friend was. After hiking up one of her attacker's legs, she then drove a side kick into his face and toppled him to the ground. Returning to the floor, she then avoided another, larger man in a red gi rushing forward and swinging punches at her. Fu head slipped his blows, before ducking under a hook and elbowing him in the stomach. When the mercenary's knees buckled from the blow, the girl then jumped at him with a kick, sending his chin into the air and knocking his lights out. Once his body fell, she then leapt towards a third man, hooking her arm around his neck and performing a miniature clothesline, which sent the guy spinning through the air before hitting the ground. When that didn't knock him out, Fu back flipped and landed on the poor man's spine, taking him out with one shot.

Seeing the two dispatching the guards in such rapid succession had Gato gape in disbelief. "W-What? How…?" He then shook his head in panic, "How can two children take out over two dozen of my men?! This is… this is impossible!"

The man's outburst, combined with the sight of the youngsters dropping another four thugs, caused Gari to frown deeply. "One of them is a Genin, so she's obviously strong. The other one though…" His gaze narrowed when he thought back on the blonde child.

He remembered following him into town and collecting him after the guards reported he'd been spotted hanging around the front gates. The ninja pursued the child on the grounds that the boy may have seen something sensitive regarding Gato's operations and captured him to be put up for auction. However, from what he observed, the youngster didn't look like someone possessing any sort of combat skills or talents for the arts whatsoever. From his gear, the kid was, for all intents and purposes, a traveler who had just been heading back to his hotel for the night.

Gari dismissed him immediately and dumped him in solitary confinement the first chance he got. But now…

Leaping side-by-side with Fu, Naruto and his new friend let out simultaneous yells as they then buried a kick into the last guard's chest. They struck the towering man hard and fast with a sickening thud, knocking the mercenary off his feet and sending the man tumbling across the room. As soon as he was down, both kids dropped to the floor and turned to each other happily.

"Nice moves," Fu chirped, clearly impressed by what she was seeing in her partner.

"Heh-heh. Thanks," Naruto replied, before then holding up his fingers. "That's fourteen for me… and counting!"

Cursing, the girl then snapped her fingers, "Damn. All I got was nine."

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll catch up," the blonde said, at the same time focusing his attention on the entrance where the rest of the men were gathered. When his eyes landed on the army of reinforcements, his frown returned full force, "We've got a whole lot more to get through before this is over."

Realizing their fight had just begun, Fu also looked towards the exit and settled on the enemy with a hard glare. However, after combing over the twenty men surrounding the chamber, including the girl prisoner they'd apparently brought with them, she then noticed the four newcomers formed up behind their line and blinked. Recognizing the short one with the suit and sunglasses, she quickly pointed at him in alarm. "Hey! It's Gato!"

"Gato?" Naruto blinked, peering around the formation the thugs had formed. When his eyes landed on the man in the suit, he saw the businessman recoil, which then had the blonde point. "That's him?"

"Yeah. There's no doubt about it. That's the scumbag!" Fu said loudly, dropping into a stance and digging her sandals into the floor.

"Alright!" the blonde shouted, a grin spreading across his lips as he too leaned forward. "First one to nail him is the winner!" He then charged forward, with the girl right alongside him.

Gato freaked out when he saw the two kids plow through the men that rushed in to meet them. After they barreled through the two mercenaries with a knee and a tackle respectively, the youngsters continued their rush towards the boss, who began backing towards the exit. But just as they were closing in, and Gari was about to step forward to put an end to this, Sho suddenly leapt into view, prompting the Iwagakure ninja to stop. When the Jonin turned his eyes to his rival and colleague, he saw the masked shinobi thrust his hand forward a second time and fire off the same shockwave towards the pair of rabble-rousers.

The blast of wind rippled towards the pair and hit them head-on, causing both the boy and the girl to stop dead in their tracks. The effect was instantaneous. Naruto and Fu gasped when they felt their bodies go completely ridged, their limbs twitching and jerking on the spot as the sensation of over a thousand electrical ropes wrapped around them and sealed them in place. When they attempted to fight in, their momentum was completely and utterly neutralized.

They were trapped.

"Huh? W-What the hell?" Naruto grunted, attempting to force his way out.

"I… I can't move," Fu choked, her face clearly showing the pain this technique was bringing upon her. When her eyes fixed on the man who'd stopped them, her gaze narrowed furiously. "Y-You?!"

The blonde boy, also spotting the man in the mask that had struck them, glanced across at his partner questioningly, "D-Do you know that guy?!"

"Yeah," Fu hissed, her muscles going numb under the vectors restricting her body. "H-He was the one… that caught me… back in the village."

And apparently he'd done so again, much to the relief of Gato and the rest of his workers. But while the magnate and the thugs for hire spent the next few seconds catching their breaths, and Shin adjusted his glasses proudly at his bodyguard's performance, the only one who was expressing any form of suspicion was Gari.

The Iwagakure ninja glared at the back of his compatriot, who'd once again effortlessly stopped his targets in their tracks with his unknown jutsu.

Lowering his arm, Sho chuckled and tilted his head, watching the duo fruitlessly struggle against the paralysis that'd gripped their forms. "Be still, children. There's no need to fight it. Once a person has been hit by my technique, there is no breaking out of it." He then slipped his hands behind his back to rest comfortably at his waist and grinned through the bandages wrapped around his face. "Resistance is futile."

"Oh yeah!" Naruto snarled at the man with the robotic sounding voice and the white mask, his body twitching as he attempted to force it to move. "I'll show you resistance!" Clenching his jaw tightly, the young blonde then gave a loud growl as he willed his body into motion, his arms and legs yanking on the invisible chains holding him down. But try as he might, despite a few twitches, he couldn't budge an inch.

The effort to do this much practically had Naruto battling against the laws of shinobi physics; veins appearing in both his eyes and his head as sweat started bleeding out of his temple.

Watching the boy struggle and hearing him growl had the man in the bandages shake his head in amusement. "Come now. It's pointless. Unless I allow it, there isn't a person alive that can escape my jutsu's grasp. Why don't you quit struggling and just-"

Unfortunately he couldn't finish his sentence. While he was talking, a low crackling sound suddenly echoed throughout the room as Naruto's muscles popped and fingers clenched tightly into fists. His entire body shaking violently as if being electrocuted, the blonde then let out a loud yell of rage, his entire spirit being put forward in his attempt to break free. Then, after forcing his left arm to edge forward every so slightly, with one last, mighty push and a scream of agony, the blonde lunged, causing the invisible force field around him to explode off of his form with a sonic boom.

Seeing his jutsu falter caused the masked ninja to balk in shock. "What? He repelled it?" Sho's words of disbelief were completely ignored as Naruto once again charged towards him and his crew like a raging bull, with Fu, Gato and the others watching from the sidelines in astonishment. In a matter of seconds, the blonde was upon the masked attacker and well on his way to locking horns with him.

But then, the second the Konoha boy lunged in with a punch, the bandaged mercenary thrust both hands forward and hit the kid squarely in the chest with another shockwave. This time, instead of paralyzing him, the attack hit Naruto with the force of a cannon, knocking the child off his feet and sending him flying across the room. A split second later, the blonde crashed into the metal wall with a loud bang, before he dropped to the ground and hit it with a painful thud.

Fu's eyes widened in horror as she looked over her shoulder, "NARUTO!" She then tried to break loose. However, thanks to the paralysis technique gripping her body, she couldn't do anything.

Once Sho retracted his arms, the man grunted. "There… that should do it." Thinking it was over, the masked warrior started to relax. But then, much to Gato and everybody else's shock, they suddenly heard the blonde boy cough and watched in astonishment as the still conscious child once again began to move.

Pushing himself off the floor little by little, an incredibly bruised and banged up youngster gave a loud groan of effort while his cool, blue eyes then set themselves upon his attackers. Blood dripping from the corner of his mouth and the top of his head, the young ramen chef shakily returned to his feet and stood before the group with his fists clenched and anger reflected clearly in his expression. Despite the damage that was now racking his body, it was obvious he was still raring to fight and assumed a fighting stance to let them know his intentions.

Gari, watching closely, raised an eyebrow in amazement, "Oh. This kid's a tough one."

"Yes," Shin murmured, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he watched the blonde stagger forwards. "With that kind of strength, I'm sure he'll make a fine addition to the gladiator arenas over in central. His friend too." The young man then turned to his father, who he could see was also showcasing a clear sense of surprise. "What should we do with him, father?"

Clenching his jaw tightly, the slightly sweaty man in the suit then grunted and smirked, "Capture that kid and restrain him. Put him in belts. I bet we can sell him and his green haired friend for a huge profit in Markova. Why waste such valuable bodies?" His eyes then snapped toward his bodyguard, who he could see was looking over his shoulder at him. "Gari…"

"Yes, sir." the Jonin answered, before vanishing in a shunshin.

Naruto, seeing the shinobi vanish, put his fists up into a boxing like position and stepped forward. "I'm not going down… you hear-URK!" Just before the blonde could finish, Gari reappeared directly in front of him and buried his fist into his stomach. The concussive blow dropped the boy to his knees, where he coughed and spluttered on his arms.

Standing in front of the child, the Iwagakure shinobi stared down at him confidently and with a position of authority, only to blink in surprise when he saw the kid crane his head up and, through a bloody grin, leered at him.

"Is… 'cough'… that… all you've got?" Naruto wheezed through an obviously cracked rib.

His strained question and determined smile brought a smirk to the Jonin's face. "Boy, kid. You sure can take a punch, I'll give yah that." Clearly impressed by the teen's spirit, he then gestured towards the guards positioned around the room and called two of them forward. "Get me the acupuncture cuffs and a strait jacket!"

"Yes, sir!"

Attempting one last time to break out of the invisible force holding her down, Fu shouted at the men she saw run past her, "You leave him alone, you jerks! AUGH!" However, before she could yell anything else, she was suddenly grabbed by two more mercenaries and dragged back towards her cell. Still under the effects of the paralyzing jutsu, she was tossed into a corner, where she was soon joined by the girl from the other cell and, a few shorts minutes later, Naruto.

With the blonde's upper body bound entirely by a straight jacket, in addition to the acupuncture shackles on his ankles and wrists, the boy was rendered almost completely immobile. Once all three of them were in, Gari made certain to lock up the gate behind him and post two guards outside to watch them. At the same time, the mercenaries who'd managed to survive the battle against the two rioters went around the room to check on their friends and companions. Loud groans and moans soon filled the air as men were carted off to the medical bay one-by-one, leaving only a handful of them behind to clean up the mess, as well as Gato, Shin and Sho; the three of whom were now taking count of the prize children they'd managed to reign in.

While all this was going on and the workers continued pottering around the chamber in a barely organized haste, every single person in that chamber failed to notice a cloaked figure watching them from the corridor. With two orange bangs hanging over her face and a frown pulled across her lips, the figure narrowed her eyes on the scene in front of her, seconds before ducking back into the shadows.

Chuckling as he saw the trio of children glare back at him from the cage in the room, Gato then adjusted his tie and turned heel. "I can tell we're going to have a very good sale at the markets this year." When he walked, his son and Gari quickly followed after him. "Let's begin organizing the paperwork and contracts for when we arrive at the harbor. I want to get the first transactions done as quickly as possible."

"Yes, father," Shin chirped, obviously excited at the prospects that awaited them.

When the three men exited the room, they unknowingly left the fourth member of their troop behind and standing by the cage. Holding the floor where Gato had previously been standing, Sho continued to glare into the cage with a harsh gleam in his eyes and his fists tightly clenched. Obviously he was still intrigued and anxious about something, which, based on the events that'd taken place a few minutes ago, turned out to be the blonde haired prisoner, who was right now lying in the middle of the room, thrashing against the binds with the two kunoichi staring down at him helplessly.

As he watched them carefully, the masked man could only utter one word. "How?" That was the only question that stuck out in his mind as an electronic whirring sound in his head gave way to a lens piece dropping in front of his left eye from a device hidden in his mask. The blue, circular glass zoomed in on the child, before a series of random numbers and readings began jumping across the screen.

The piece of primitive tech scanned the blonde for a couple of seconds, taking note of his size, age, weight, and other details. When the numbers finished crunching moments later, Sho couldn't help but recoil in shock at the results he got.

"Five hundred thousand chakas?" the man thought, narrowing his gaze while his scanning lens retracted back into its place, "Impossible. There isn't a shinobi alive with that much chakra. Unless…" His eyes fixated on the child once again when the youngster wormed about in his suit a second time, fighting against the binds.

When Sho's attention landed upon the whisker-marked boy's face, he suddenly saw something small slip out from the adolescent's collar. The item coming to dangle from his neck above the floor as his body twisted and turned, Sho took a big step forward as a glimmer of surprise flickered across his yellow eye.

"That necklace… that whirlpool symbol…"

In a span of a few short minutes, everything began to make perfect sense.

"He's… an Uzumaki?" His chest inflating with clear excitement, the masked man flexed his fingers as he felt a wide grin form underneath his bandages. "There's… one still alive? A living, breathing Uzumaki? Heh…heh-heh… heh-heh-heh… HEH-HA!" A string of laughter then escaped his lips as the gears in his head started turning, a low grinding sound echoing from the back of his head as his shoulders twitched. A couple minutes later, after one last look at the prisoners, particularly the pair who'd tried to break out, Sho then did an about-face and marched out of the room with all haste.

With the new information he was able to obtain from this ship, there was a reason for him to be in such a rush, especially since the status quo had changed…

"I must tell master!"

(TO BE CONTINUED)

Author's Note: Man, it's been a while since I'd written anything for this story, I feel it's high time for an update.

Looks like shit isn't going too well for Naruto at the moment and, unlike all the other times he'd wound up trapped, his escape attempt didn't go so well. But, as we can expect from the most unpredictable ninja in the world, I bet he's got something else planned.

He's met Fu, which is good. And she too has been captured by Gato. That can mean a whole bunch of things, especially since the canon storyline is now taking a backseat.

I've also introduced a couple other ninjas in here. Many of you probably already have the cloaked woman figured out as one of our kunoichi from Sunagakure. You can probably guess the reason why she's there too, and that has something to do with the little girl who attempted to assassinate Gato.

But with Gari and the new ninja Sho present, it's not going to be easy.

As you can probably tell, Sho is an OC of mine, tied to a new organization. What's more, this man is able to use jutsu that not even Gari is able to identify, which means big trouble for our heroes. How is this man related to Naruto? And how does he know about the Uzumaki Clan?

All questions will be answered in due course. Right now, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Looking forward to hearing from you all soon.