The boat drifted across the sea for a while. The days quickly turned dull.
Eating and drinking wasn't a problem for Naruto and Luffy.
The ocean was vast, and while Sea Kings were rare, there were plenty of large sea creatures—and more than enough fish.
Naruto used a Lightning Release technique to shock the water, and in no time, dozens of fish floated to the surface.
He followed it up with a Fire Release jutsu, roasting the fish on the spot. If there was too much to eat, he simply unsealed a scroll and stored the excess away.
As for fresh water? With chakra, that was even easier.
Luffy watched all of this with stars in his eyes.
"Whoa! Naruto, your ninjutsu is amazing—teach me!"
He stared at Naruto like he'd just found the ultimate treasure.
Naruto grinned and casually pointed to the mast of the boat.
"Start with the basics. Let's begin with tree climbing."
He said it as if he were offering Luffy candy.
Luffy's interest in ninjutsu was actually great news. If he took it seriously, Naruto could pass him a whole system of techniques—turning him into something way beyond your average pirate.
Forget the Three Basic Techniques. Naruto went straight to the foundational chakra control training: tree climbing and water walking.
These two would help Luffy tremendously.
Especially water walking. If Luffy could stand on water…
Then wouldn't he be able to neutralize his greatest weakness?
A Devil Fruit user who wasn't afraid of drowning?
Game-changing.
But before that, he'd need to master tree climbing. Both exercises were also excellent for improving chakra control.
And since Luffy didn't have a huge chakra reserve, better control meant he could use it more efficiently.
"Climb a tree? That doesn't sound hard at all."
Luffy laughed, reached for the top of the mast with both hands, and sprang up in one fluid motion.
"I meant without using your hands or any abilities," Naruto corrected. "Just your feet."
Then, to demonstrate, Naruto casually placed one foot on the mast—and began walking vertically.
His body and the mast formed a perfect ninety-degree angle as he walked upward, as if gravity simply didn't apply.
"Too strong! How did you do that?!"
Luffy's eyes were wide, and his voice took on a strange, curious tone.
"The secret is chakra," Naruto replied calmly. "You just need to control it carefully."
"Too much chakra, and you'll damage the mast. Too little, and you won't be able to stick to it."
"It has to be just the right amount."
"Once you've mastered tree climbing, we'll move on to walking on water," Naruto continued. "And after that, I can start teaching you some basic ninjutsu."
This was a solid foundation. Honestly, Naruto was starting Luffy off with techniques that were a little advanced for a beginner. But once he grasped these two core exercises, the Clone Technique, Transformation, and Substitution would be a breeze.
Then he could move on to more interesting stuff—maybe even the Eight Gates.
He could even experiment with teaching Luffy other jutsu.
Luffy, full of enthusiasm, began messing around with the mast—practicing with the same reckless excitement he did everything.
Naruto just shrugged and sat down lazily again.
The ship continued drifting forward. Life at sea was slow and repetitive.
Naruto's only real entertainment was watching Luffy fall off the mast again and again.
But that peaceful boredom didn't last long.
Suddenly, the sharp sound of cannon fire broke through the silence. In the distance, two ships were locked in a chase.
The one behind flew a black flag with a skull and crossbones—it was firing its cannons while speeding up to catch the vessel ahead.
A pirate raid.
Naruto narrowed his eyes. The pirates were attacking a mid-sized merchant ship.
"Luffy, feel like getting involved?" Naruto asked, lazily pointing at the scene ahead.
"I'm kind of busy," Luffy replied. "I think I'm starting to get the hang of it."
He patted the now-scarred mast proudly.
The truth was, Luffy often pushed too much chakra into it and nearly broke it a few times.
Luckily, Naruto had patched it up repeatedly with Wood Release chakra.
"But aren't you tired of fish yet? Don't you want to change up your diet a bit?"
Naruto asked, eyes still half-lidded with his usual calm expression.
"You're right—I want meat! With bones!"
Luffy slapped his thigh excitedly.
"Alright, let's go!"
Without hesitation, he grabbed the mast with one hand and Naruto with the other—stretching his arm back like a slingshot.
He was going to launch them like cannonballs.
The flight felt exhilarating, but Luffy's aim was off—as usual.
They completely missed their intended landing spot.
Naruto sighed. He manipulated the wind around them with precise chakra control, guiding their descent.
With a gust of wind, the two landed cleanly aboard the merchant ship.
At that moment, the pirate ship had already drawn close, and ropes now connected the two vessels. Pirates were climbing across, preparing to board and seize control.
They'd loot everything, maybe even take hostages.
Some would be ransomed. Others—sold on the black market as slaves.
It was standard pirate practice. No different here.
A large, overweight woman leaped from the pirate ship with a heavy thud—the whole deck trembled.
Coincidentally, she landed right in front of Naruto and Luffy.
It was none other than the low-tier boss from the beginning of the Grand Line—Alvida.
Naruto blinked and glanced through the crowd, spotting a familiar figure—a pink-haired young man with glasses.
Koby.
So fate had caught up with the story after all.
They'd been drifting without a map, no real direction in mind, yet they still found themselves hitting story beats.
"I'm hungry. Let's find something with bones," Luffy muttered as he rubbed his belly. It was about time for dinner.
He was completely ignoring the situation at hand.
He casually turned around, not even sparing Alvida a glance.
"Hey! Who are these two? Weren't we supposed to have full control of this ship?!"
Alvida snarled. She grabbed her iron mace and, without warning, swung it hard at Luffy.
Luffy raised his hand and blocked it effortlessly.
"Who's this fat lady, and why's she attacking me?" he asked Naruto.
"Beats me," Naruto replied. "Let's wrap this up quickly. After all, they're the ones who'll be eating meat soon—we might as well help them clean up these annoying pirates."
Naruto casually tapped the mace with his finger.
With a light shimmer, the weapon disintegrated into dust—obliterated by a basic Dust Release technique.
"Whoa! Naruto, what kind of jutsu was that?!"
Luffy could feel the energy ripple from Naruto's chakra and his eyes sparkled with excitement again.
There was always something new and incredible when it came to Naruto.
Alvida looked down at her empty hands in shock. Her expression turned from anger to confusion.
What just happened?
Her mace… was gone.
"This one's probably not for you," Naruto said. "Dust Release is a bit advanced. Let's first figure out what your chakra nature is."
He was genuinely curious now. What element would Luffy have?
"You two! Stop ignoring me already!" Alvida roared, charging at Luffy with a clenched fist.
"Shut up, you fat hag!" Luffy barked, before punching her square in the face and sending her flying.
...
TN:
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