Itachi was halfway into a saucer of sake when the ANBU arrived. Apparently Kakashi called for back up...something about Mist Demon and an apprentice. Oh, and chakra exhaustion.

Itachi could honestly care less, plus this gave him an excuse to try out his new boat. No way in hell was he sleeping in the same room as Kakashi! The man had left with three of his poorly written porno books, which meant he wasn't taking the mission seriously.

"Alright Chibis, we have a mission. Kakashi seems to have messed up on his, so we're going in as back up. And by we, I mean I've been called in and you lot are getting some valuable experience in terms of observing a B to A rank mission," said Itachi flatly.

Naruto raised his hand.

"Yes Naruto?"

"Does this mean we get to ride your new boat?"

"Thank you for reminding me. In addition to be observers you three will be learning how to tie knots and learn weather patterns. Those Academy knots are pathetic."

"Itachi-sensei, why do you have a boat?" asked Sakura.

Sasuke and Naruto looked at each other. It was up to Itachi to tell her the truth or not.

"I have some vacation days saved up, and I plan to take it out in Tea Country. I happen to like sailing, even if I have trouble swimming."

It was the oddest thing. Fresh water didn't bother him anymore, but salt water made him sluggish. He just put it down as a residual effect of being reborn. At least he could swim now.

It took them twelve hours to get to the first expanse of water. Itachi was about to unseal his boat when he noticed something in the distance. It almost looked like a lion's head and the sail had something yellow and red on it.

It couldn't be what he hoped it was...could it?

He unsealed his boat and had the genin get on. Instead of heading to the shore, he leaned on the edge of the boat as he taught Naruto how to steer. The boy read the winds like a natural.

Their first stop was the ship Itachi noted in the distance.

The crew was still feeling the aftereffects of that odd haki they were hit with. Or was it a devil fruit? They didn't know, only that it left them all dizzy.

It was Usopp who noticed a small vessel approaching them.

Luffy sat up. He couldn't wait to meet the newcomers...as long as they weren't Marines.

Instead it had a kid in orange, a pink haired girl reading a book on knots, and two raven haired people, one of which was roughly Luffy's age.

The oldest person on the boat said "Hail ship! Anyone alive on there?"

"Why did you alert them that you were here Itachi-sensei?" asked the pink haired one.

"Because they don't belong here, and etiquette says that anyone approaching a foreign vessel should hail, if only to open up friendly negotiations... Besides, it would be beyond rude to board a pirate vessel without at least saying hello first," said the tall one, apparently named Itachi. Luffy immediately liked him.

"They're pirates?!" shrieked the pink one.

Itachi lightly whopped her upside the head.

"Sakura, there are such things as good pirates. You don't honestly believe all shinobi are moral, upright people do you?" said the other raven haired boy.

"Exactly Sasuke. Besides, I recognize that flag. They aren't bad people, but there are quite a few that are on Naruto's level of intelligence on that ship," said Itachi grinning.

"That bad, huh?" said Sasuke.

"Yup."

Luffy dropped the ladder, and the four came aboard. The pink one, Sakura, seemed the most nervous of the four. The other three were completely at ease.

"Hi!" said Luffy, breaking any tension like a knife.

The blond looked at him carefully before looking at Itachi.

"Nii-san, is this that rubber kid you mentioned?" asked the blond.

"Yes, Naruto, that is Luffy."

Naruto grinned as wide as Luffy had. It didn't take long for the two to start chatting like old friends over food. It was Nami, however, who gave Itachi an odd look.

"Who exactly are you? And how do you know us?"

Sasuke grinned proudly.

"My brother is Fire Man!"

"I ate the Fire Fire fruit years ago, and I've known Luffy for a very long time. Though recently I have learned how to swim," said Itachi.

"Who are you really?" said Zoro, looking at the young man suspiciously.

Itachi had an evil idea. He signaled Naruto with their special hand signal for 'Prank in works, need assist'.

Naruto took the hint and brought Luffy close enough for him to see the show.

Itachi created his fire clone in a heartbeat, and he saw Luffy's jaw drop in shock.

"Yo," said Ace.

Naturally the Straw Hat crew was in complete shock. Particularly Luffy.

"But...you died!" said Nami.

"I died, ended up in this guy. I can only come out if Itachi makes a fire clone...at least this form anyway. Being reborn into another body isn't so bad, but not being a pirate sucks," said Ace flatly.

"Oh please, it's not like you cared when Tou-san and the rest of the clan was alive! It took two low powered lightning jutsu to wake you up on time for missions, and you still have to wear that alarm clock to stay awake!" snorted Sasuke.

Luffy finally got over his shock, because he tackled Ace in a hug. Ace grinned before he properly introduced the team. Sakura immediately got along with Robin, and was quickly introduced to the ship's large library. Naruto and Luffy hit it off, dragging Usopp and Chopper with them. Sasuke drifted off to talk to Zoro, having noted the swords while Itachi helped Nami bring in his tiny boat.

They would anchor near the shore so Itachi could help Kakashi while the kiddies learned from Luffy's crew. Leaving them with the Straw Hats was a better option than dragging them along.

Besides, it would give Itachi time to tell the Hokage about his younger brother showing up and making a decent cover story as to why they were in Konoha. With how closely Luffy was sticking around Naruto (and by extension the Fire Clone Ace was in) there was little doubt in Itachi's mind that they would settle in at the village, if only to have a base of operations until they figured a way home.

Or better yet, a way to make the trip a two-way one.

"You were supposed to be here two hours ago," Kakashi accused.

"Ran into someone who would help. If a hawk shows up, let me know. There's been an...interesting...development."

"Good or bad?"

Itachi grinned, and Kakashi had the brief notion it wasn't Itachi at all.

"Good, very good indeed. I even left the chibi brigade and the little pink one behind with them," said Itachi. Before he promptly fell sound asleep, his narcolepsy kicking in full force.

Kakashi sweatdropped. There was little doubt this was Itachi...no enemy shinobi would dare be able to fall asleep anywhere near Kakashi, let alone do it so seamlessly. Which really begged the question...just who the hell did Itachi trust so much to leave Naruto and Sasuke with?

Luffy all but adopted Naruto and Sasuke as his younger brothers once he learned how they were related to Ace. Sakura was off learning from either Robin, Nami or Chopper, as she had developed a knack for learning about medicine thanks to Itachi. Chopper couldn't believe how quickly the girl learned the subject...she was like a sponge!

Naruto and Luffy were off exploring the ship, and Sasuke was learning from Zoro how to really use a sword. The green haired swordsman seemed impressed at how diligent the boy was, and how little he complained.

Then came the minor scuffle between Luffy and Naruto when Sanji made ramen. Made meal time very entertaining to watch, as the small blond clashed with Luffy evenly over the bowls. It had more than one of the crew staring, because they had long since learned to eat quickly and guard your food from any angle from their captain's massive appetite.

At least Naruto showed some table manners, unlike Luffy. By the time lunch rolled around, Itachi had returned with an extra passenger...Kakashi.

Needless to say it was quite entertaining watching him stare at Nami and Robin...and at the way he reacted to Devil Fruit powers. Considering where they came from, it was equally as amusing to see the way the Straw Hat crew reacted to Itachi water-walking like it was nothing, or the Sharingan eyes.

"So...that kid with the Straw Hat...he is the rubber man you wrote about in your stories?" asked Kakashi. He liked the 'Adventures of Fire Man' a good deal, as the battle scenes were interesting and the more adult aspects were just right for shinobi audiences.

(Itachi wrote two versions, the adult version and the ones acceptable as bedtime stories for kids.)

"Luffy...was my brother in my previous life. I have no idea how they ended up here in the Elemental Countries, but I am glad they did. Sasuke could learn a great deal from Zoro, and Naruto can learn a lot from Luffy and Usopp. He might have a few problems with Brook though..."

"Brook?"

"A living skeleton...literally. Remember the setting for Fire Man?"

"A large series of oceans and seas called the Grand Line and the Four Blues?"

"Remember how Fire Man got his powers?"

"Devil Fruits... You mean there is actually a fruit that brings the dead to life?"

"Pretty useless, but I suppose it could be worse," said Itachi.

"Who the hell is Fire Man?!" asked Kakashi incredulous.

"Myself in my last life. You didn't think my control over fire was a kekkei genkai or naturally ability did you?"

Judging by the look on Kakashi's face, yes, he did think that.

"So are powers hereditary?"

"Not that I know of. Then again, I've never seen anyone conceive after eating a devil fruit. It could be possible."

"They might have a more warm welcome if that is the case..."

"Coincidentally, the crew picked up a few Devil Fruits before they came here, one of which was a Zoan type identified as the Wolf fruit. Think the Inuzuka would be interested?"

"If they aren't, I would be!"

"You do realize that eating a Devil Fruit means you can never swim again, right?"

"...Didn't you say that most of that world is covered in water?" asked Kakashi.

"Yup."

"Why would these fruits have such an unpleasant side effect?"

"Nobody knows, but because of this side effect, anyone who eats a Devil Fruit is also vulnerable to a rare gem called a Sea Stone. I suppose the gods didn't want those with Devil Fruit powers to become too strong."

"So which one did you eat?"

"The Fire Fire Fruit. My nickname was Fire Fist Ace."

"Are you sure we can trust pirates?"

"Despite what their high bounties claim back in the other world, they are actually quite friendly and they would never think of hurting the kids. I'm sure Sakura could learn a great deal from Chopper."

"The reindeer?"

"He ate the Human-Human fruit and now he's the opposite of a normal Zoan type. He's also the ship's doctor," said Itachi grinning at the incredulous look on Kakashi's face.

"I just assumed they had nin animals in that world of yours."

"Sorry to disappoint you, but they don't. Speaking of nin animals, you should summon the pack on the ship. I'm sure Luffy would get a real kick out of them, especially Pakkun."

"What did the Hokage say about the pirates?"

"Once I told him that they were roughly like me, only slightly more screwy, he said they just had to deal with Anko and they'll be given a place to stay until we can figure out a way to send them home. The Thousand Sunny will be sealed and placed in one of the training lakes so they don't have to rent a place."

"...You're going to be bringing the kids there all the time once it's set up, aren't you?" said Kakashi deadpan.

"You bet your ass!"

Zabuza was curious about these...pirates. They didn't act anything like what he was used to.

For one thing, they were friendly. For another, they barely had ten people on that crew, and that was including the talking reindeer!

There was one simple reason he didn't think of attacking them.

He had seen the green-haired one who slept all day bench press more pounds with one hand than even he could. Zabuza was not suicidal enough to try and take out that guy.

So when the infamous Fire Master Itachi showed up with a deal, he planned to take it.

Kakashi's hand went through Gatou's heart, and the man died. And with that, Wave was finally free of his tyranny. There had been quite a welcoming party for Kaiza, once Itachi brought him back.

Naruto had gotten through to his adopted son, and with his father back Inari wasn't on the path to Emo anymore. Itachi was busy raiding Gato's office and sending some of the funds Konoha's way while Nami stole everything of value she could find. She hadn't been happy to hear that the currency was different, as it meant exchanging it would be nearly impossible without a proper ongoing rate.

Fortunately Itachi looked the other way while she robbed Gato's safe blind.

Luffy was too busy trying to recruit Zabuza and Haku once he saw what Haku could do.

"Welcome back Team 7. I take it these are the Straw Hat crew?" asked the Hokage pleasantly.

"May I introduce Monkey D. Luffy, Nami, Nico Robin, Usopp, Tony Tony Chopper, Roronoa Zoro, Sanji, Brook and Franky. Behind them are Zabuza and Haku Momochi," said Itachi.

"On the level of intelligence, how bad are they?" asked Sarutobi mock seriously.

"On a scale of Naruto to Nara, it would be Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, Brook, Franky, Nami, Chopper and Robin. Too soon for me to tell about the other two," said Itachi.

"So Luffy-san is about the same level as Naruto?"

"Thereabouts. The irony is that he's the strongest and the glue that holds them together," said Itachi, highly amused.

"Very well. In any case you just have to deal with Anko for a little bit before you can go about the village. Itachi said you would like to stay on your ship instead of getting an apartment?"

"It wouldn't feel right to live anywhere but the Sunny," said Luffy.

"Very well, Itachi pick one of the unused training grounds so I can have it marked as their area. Standard rules for rental and reconstruction fees apply," said Sarutobi.

"Hai, Hokage-sama. I have one already in mind," said Itachi.

Two days later the Straw Hats (plus two newcomers) were allowed to join Konoha. All of them were either Jounin, or in the case of Usopp and Haku, chunin.