Me no owny One Piece or Naruto.

A/N: For Kasek. Rock Lee was able to pass the genin exam without chakra because, being the guy he is, he probably actually sat down and studied inbetween his workout sessions. Naruto's never been much of a dedicated schoolboy, what with the frequent skipping class to pull pranks, sleeping through them, and general goofing off. Of course, that's not completely his fault, since he learns best by doing instead of sitting at a desk (kage bunshin, rasen-shuriken, sage training, etc), which is how the school taught. So, with or without chakra he was going to fail, as seen in canon.

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Diaz rolled his head, cracking his neck as he asked "So, Straw Hat, any last words?"

"Nah... Well, not words really. It's more of a gesture." Naruto said with a wide grin, bringing his hands up and giving Diaz a double one-fingered salute. This caused the man to scowl as he charged Naruto, swinging a fist aimed at the blonde's forehead. Naruto turned, watching the fist fly past. Throwing another punch, Diaz watched as Naruto turned the other way, avoiding it to.

Another fist thrown, another dodge performed. dropping low, Diaz attempted a trip, but Naruto merely leapt over the kick, a hand holding his hat in place during the jump. Rising to his feet, Diaz growled, throwing a fast volley of punches aimed at the blonde, who twisted, turned, and ducked under the punches, his smile never disappearing.

"Hold still you little punk!" Diaz snarled, and Naruto grinned as he replied "Come on Diaz, Sasuke-teme can do better than you!"

Roaring in rage, Diaz threw another punch, and dodging the punch, Naruto grabbed the arm. Pivoting, he tossed Diaz with ease using a judo throw, sending him bouncing down the street.

Pushing his hat up with his finger, Naruto watched the man push himself from the dirt as he asked "Why're you talking down to your crewmates when you're as weak as them?"

"Yo-you little bastard!" Diaz snarled, reaching into his coat and retrieving a flintlock pistol, aiming at Naruto, who blinked in surprise as he asked "What kinda weapon's that?"

Diaz merely smirked, muttered "stupid brat" and fired. The bullet struck Naruto in the chest, causing him to almost double over.

Hinata leapt from her seat, eyes wide in horror as she cried "NARUTO-KUN!" while Sonomaru merely stared in shock, stunned.

Diaz's smirk quickly disappeared as Naruto thrust his chest out, the small lead pellet flying back at the 'Iron Fist' captain, forcing him to fall backwards to avoid being shot by his own bullet.

"Eh? What the hell was that?" Naruto asked, patting his chest and stomach, blue eyes wide in shock, turning in place as he tried to see his back. Stopping, he reached down and slipped his finger into his vest where the bullet struck, a frown on his face as he did so.

"Ho-how..." Diaz asked, eyes turning from the gun to Naruto and back to his gun. Scowling, he tossed the gun away and rose to his feet, dusting himself off as he clenched his fists, then looked to Hinata and Sonomaru.

"What'cha thinking about?" Naruto asked, his entire body tensing as Diaz prepared to attack...

Only to turn and leap at Hinata, fist at the ready. Sonomaru's eyes widened as he reached for his katana, Naruto took off at a run to catch up to the man, and Hinata stared in horror at the incoming fist.

As time seemed to slow down around her, a memory pushed itself to the forefront. But unlike many memories, this one wasn't sad, or painful. It was one of her rare, precious good memories, of a kind smile of a teacher. One who taught her so much.

'Com'on kid, all you've gotta do is believe in yourself.'

Her face hardening, Hinata backhanded the punch away and brought her foot up, the toe of her sandal connecting with the man's jaw.

Sonomaru and Naruto stopped mid-motion as Hinata's kick sent Diaz arcing through the air away from her bonelessly, crashing into the building across the street. Blinking, Hinata stared in shock at what she'd done, falling back into a seated position, unsure of what happened.

"Hinata..." Naruto muttered, Hinata shakingly turning to face him. Her eyes widened at the bright smile he was giving her as he gave her a thumbs up 'Good Guy' pose, the blonde crying "That was AWESOME!"

"Where'd that come from!" Sonomaru asked, clapping her on the shoulder with a bright smile.

"Thank you..." she murmured, her face turning a bright red as she smiled sheepishly, tapping her index fingers together.

"Y-YOU LITTLE BITCH!"

They turned to see Diaz standing before the hole his body had made, blood flowing down his chin, his snarl revealing several missing teeth, bloodlust in his eyes. Wiping some of the blood on the back of his sleeve, he growled as he narrowed his eyes on the girl, causing her to wilt under the hatred in his eyes.

"Hey! Don't talk about Hinata-chan like that, teme!" Naruto yelled in reply, glaring back at the man. Ignoring the pain in his jaw and his common sense, Diaz roared and charged Naruto, throwing his most powerful punch at the blonde. The iron bar covering his knuckles connected with the blonde's face and stopped.

Blinking, Diaz stared, paling as Naruto stood strong after taking his strongest punch, not even noticably injured. And if anything, the blond's smile grew even more predatory as he stated "My turn."

His fist shot backward, his arm twisting as it did so. Diaz tried to move, tried to force himself to move, but fear and disbelief kept him from doing so, watching as the stretched arm came rocketing back, his fist spinning rapidly as his arm untwisted itself.

"GOMU GOMU NO RIFLE!"

Naruto's spinning fist connected with the man's stomach like a drill. Lifted off his feet, Diaz began spinning like a top in the same direction as Naruto's fist as he was sent flying backwards. A deafening crash sounded as he slammed into the wall of another building.

Straightening up, Naruto waited several moments before smiling, crossing his arms over his chest as he said "Well, that takes care of that. Wouldn't you guys agree?"

Sonomaru grinned and said "I would."

Smiling softly, Hinata nodded as she said "Ye-yes."

Turning to his crew, Naruto gave them a friendly grin as he said "Now, how about we get you guys those new pirate clothes?"

"Y-you... you de-defeated them..."

The trio looked around, finding people beginning to cautiously trek back onto the street, staring at the fallen pirates and their defeated captain in silent awe. These three had somehow not only defeated the Iron Fist pirates, but had done so in a way as to make it look... easy.

"Ho-how..." a young woman asked, and Naruto shrugged as he asked "How what?"

"Ho-how di-did you de-defeat the I-Iron Fist pirates?" a man asked, and Naruto shrugged again as he said "We just did, easy as that. You know, they weren't all that tough once you actually fought them."

"Bu-but..." another muttered, and they watched as the old man who'd yelled at them earlier stopped in front of them. Watching him for a few seconds, he collapsed to his knees and bowed, arms before him and face down.

"I-I'm sorry for m-my earlier actions! Pl-please forgive me!" he begged. Naruto turned to Hinata and Sonomaru, who looked back with equal confusion, before he rubbed the back of his head with a face-splitting smile as he said "Don't worry about it, Ojii-san!"

"How can we ever thank you?" a man, who appeared to be the town's mayor, asked, and Naruto tapped his chin before grinning and saying "Well, a good meal and some more 'piratey' attire for my crewmates would be nice."

"Pirate-y? Y-you mean that you-you're pi-pirates?" the first woman asked, and Naruto nodded as he said "Yep. I'm Captain Uzumaki D. Naruto, and they're my crew, First Mate Hyuuga Hinata and Chef Kitsareta Sonomaru." motioning to each in turn.

The people paled, and one of them muttered "Oh no... not again."

"What's wrong with you guys?" Naruto asked, and Hinata whispered "Th-they think w-we're go-going to ta-take the pla-place of th-the I-Iron Fi-Fist Pirates."

"Oooh... Well, don't worry about that! Can't be Pirate King if I stick around here, can I?" Naruto said, waving off their fears, and Sonomaru grinned and added "Besides, this'll be our 'Point of Origin' in our pirate legacy."

"What?" Naruto asked, and Sonomaru said "The 'Point of Origin' in any pirate legacy is the village, town, or city where a pirate or pirates start off. The 'Point of Origin' tends to get famous for being an infamous pirate's hometown. Take Gold Roger and Logue Town, Monkey D. Luffy and Fuschia Village, or Usopp and Syrup Village. Go to any one of those places, and you will find a tourist's paradise with souvenires, tours of famous locations, and other such things."

"Oooh..." Naruto said, then turned to the crowd and asked "Can this be our 'Point of Origin' then?"

Everyone around them stared in stunned silence, before the mayor stepped forward and nodded slowly, muttering "OK... I guess..."

"Thanks!" Naruto said, taking the man's hand and giving it a firm, double-handed shake. After freeing his hand from the blonde's grip, the man blinked and asked "Sooo, about that meal and clothes..."

"Yeah! Beating up on those Iron Fist guys got me hungry!" Naruto said, rubbing his stomach as it growled in agreement.

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Sitting at a table piled with dirty dishes, Naruto patted his stomach contently as he let out a content burp, getting a soft giggle from Hinata and a reproachful look from Sonomaru, both of whom he ignored as he said "Aaaaah! That was good!"

"Try and have some manners, Naruto." Sonomaru said with a frown, to which Naruto gave him a grin and replied "Nah! Pirates don't need manners!"

"Well, it wouldn't hurt you to at least be a little more respectful to our hosts, who are feeding us for free." Sonomaru countered, and Naruto's grin merely grew wider as he said "I think burping IS respectful! It means that I enjoyed the meal served to me, and the burp is my stomach trying to make room for more food by pushing out the air."

"Where'd you get a stupid idea like that?" Sonomaru asked, and Naruto said "Teuchi-jiji told me that."

"Your grandpa?" Sonomaru asked, and Naruto nodded, his mood dampening as he said "Kinda... yeah. Well, one of them. But they have more important things to do than worry about me."

"What a-about your family, Sonomaru-kun? Won't they wo-worry about you?" Hinata asked, and the green-haired boy frowned, his own mood dampened as he said "Nah, they won't."

"Why not?" Naruto asked, and Sonomaru replied "They're dead."

"Oh... I'm so-sorry I br-brought it u-up." Hinata said, but Sonomaru waved it off with smile and said "Don't worry about it."

After a few moments of silence, Naruto said "I'm tired of this sad stuff! Let's talk about your new pirate clothes!"

The other two quickly grabbed onto the new conversation topic, Hinata blushing as she asked "Wh-what do y-you think?"

"Well... I dunno, actually. Maybe you can come up with some ideas." Naruto said with a grin, getting a sigh from Sonomaru as he asked "Then why do you want to talk about it if you don't have any ideas?"

"I thought you guys might have some ideas of your own or something." Naruto replied with a happy shrug. A thud sounded as Sonomaru's head hit the table, Hinata watching the green-haired boy with concern.

"So-Sonomaru-kun, are y-you OK?" Hinata murmured, and the boy replied "Honestly? No. I believe that our Captain's going to slowly, ever so slowly, drive me insane."

"Really?" Naruto asked, and Sonomaru gave a thumbs up, to which the blonde gave a bright smile and said "Cool! Think that's one of my new powers? The ability to make people insane?"

"I'd definitely say yes... At least with me, that is." Sonomaru said, and Hinata asked "Do-does that me-mean your le-leaving?"

"No. Got nothing better to do, and I might get to be the fun kind of insane, the kind where people find you enjoyable to be around for your insanity-induced wackiness." Sonomaru said, and Naruto said "Good! Think positive!"

"You're actively trying to drive me insane now, aren't you?" Sonomaru asked, and Naruto smirked, looking away as he said "Maaaybe."

Sitting silently with them, Hinata merely listened to the two talk with a smile.

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"Come out!"

"No!"

"Get out here and let us see!"

"I most certainly WILL NOT!"

"I think it looks intimidating!"

"I think it looks ridiculous!"

"Please?"

A defeated sigh came from the dressing room before the door opened and Sonomaru walked out. Naruto took one look and immediately collapsed to the ground, roaring with laughter and clutching his stomach. Dressed in a pink t-shirt under a neon green jacket and tight yellow slacks, Sonomaru glared at his 'captain' for several long, intense minutes.

"I hate you."

Storming back into the dressing room, a long series of muttered profanities escaped it, which only served to fuel Naruto's laughter.

"Na-Na-Naruto-kun?"

His fit of laughter dying down, Naruto wiped his eyes dry and raised up on his arms, looking to where Hinata stood. The minute his eyes hit her, his jaw went slack and eyes widened. Gone was her thick jacket and slacks, and in its place was a deep purple t-shirt with a bright smiley face on the front under a thin black jacket, a pair of dark blue slacks, and a pair of black dinner shoes on her feet.

Tapping her fingers together, Hinata murmured "Ho-how do-does this lo-look?"

Rising to his feet, Naruto adjusted his hat, a blush on his cheeks as he muttered "I-I-It lo-looks ni-nice, Hi-Hinata-chan." Blushing in return, Hinata smiled with a murmured "Th-thank you."

Stepping out of his dressing room wearing an open short-sleeved yellow Hawaiian shirt over a navy blue wifebeater, a pair of black jeans, and boots that went to mid-calf, Sonomaru looked over Hinata, gave her a reassuring smile, and said "Yeah, that does look good Hinata. Good choice."

Glaring at Naruto, he added "Especially since you didn't have laughing boy here pick out your clothes for you."

Grinning to Sonomaru in return, Naruto said "It looked intimidating!"

His glare deepening, Sonomaru muttered "Yeah, that's why the moment I stepped out in that bright-colored monstrousity, you fell to the ground in a fit of laughter. That means it was real intimidating."

"Ah, you need to loosen up!" Naruto said, wrapping an arm around Sonomaru's neck as he said "Anyways, its time for us to begin our great pirate adventure!"

"And what's our pirate name going to be?" Sonomaru asked, and at that question, Naruto grew quiet, face scrunched up in concentration. After several moments of silence, Naruto waved his hand before him as he said "The Naruto Pirates!"

"Pass."

"The Blonde Pirates?"

"Never."

"The Gorilla Bear Squid Pirates?"

"... What?"

Waving him off, Naruto grinned and said "Aaah, we'll decide on a name later! Right now, we've got to go on the open road, get us a boat, and then go on the open sea, where adventure and riches await us! Image the strong opponents that we'll meet out on the waters!"

Eyes shining in excitement, Sonomaru wrapped his arm around Naruto's neck as he said "Now you're speaking my language!"

Looking to Hinata, Naruto wrapped his arm around the pale-eyed girl's neck, not noticing the fact she looked about five seconds from passing out at the contact as he said "Hinat-chan, Sonomaru, I do believe this is the start of a beautiful friendship!"

"Yeah, we're now nakama, through and through!" Sonomaru said, and at that Naruto grew quiet.

"Na-Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, and he looked at her with a brilliant smile as he said "I have our pirate name now!"

"What?" Sonomaru questioned apprehensively, and Naruto's smile grew as he said "We're the Nakama Pirates!"