9
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At one of the ports of Dunwall the ninjas of the Leaf Village after weeks of travel have made it to the Isles. The group of Leaf ninjas had changed clothes so that they would blend in better as Jiraiya hadn't when he first came and stood out in the city. The ninjas with him are the best of the young ninjas, Hinata, Shino, Neji, Tenten, Lee, Choji, Shikamaru, Sasake, Ino, Sakura, Kiba, and Sai. And the older, Yamato, Asuma, Gai, Kakashi, Anko, and Kurenai.
The group huddled together in one corner of the dock away from the crowd. The clothes they're now wearing felt strange to them but it's the only way not to draw attention to themselves. The women aren't use to wearing clothes that covers them up so much, but as Jiraiya said the only women who dress like that are found in the red light areas of the city. Kakashi was force to reveal his full face to the guard at the dock to be allowed to step off the boat. He covered his eye with an eye patch but the rest of his face is uncovered, as going around with half your face covered up, either meant you're up to no good or your sick. Either one would have cause them trouble in Dunwall.
"Remember as long as we're here no using chakura or jutsus. Keep your weapons close but don't use them unless you have to. And what ever you do don't show your headbands. The Whalers do not like any ninjas openly showing their headbands," Jiraiya said to the group having gone over everything while on ship. The Isles are a much different place then the Element Countries where magic is real and machines unlike anything they have ever seen are the norm.
"Right," Sasake said eyeing one of the guardians walking by. Those guardians from what Jiraiya told them are the most dangerous foes that one can fight in the Isles. It's a machine that can fire lightning from it's arms that can either kill or stun. Strength that no human can match and will only stop when it runs out of energy. It can't be fooled by any genjutsu and can depower chakra by using a inbuilt music box.
"Remember we're no match for the guardians in a head on fight. Which is why, I had all of you train without using any chakra," Jiraiya said eyeing the guardian as well. "We have to prepare being able to run without any chakra to boost our strength. And the watchmen aren't no jokes either. Remember they're use to dealing with the Whalers and witches. You all remember what, I shown you what a pistol is able to do to a human body. Always take cover and never go for a head on attack."
"We're not going to be here long anyways," Anko said not liking the clothes she's been forced to wear. The clothes covered up too much for her taste and didn't have enough places to hid weapons. The clothes rob her the kunoichis number one weapon, their sex appeal. Her usual revealing clothes made it easy for her to get the drop on many of her targets. But here if she wore her normal clothes, would mark her as a hooker.
"We'll split up and make our way to Naruto's apartment. If we're lucky he's there, if not we'll just have to wait for him to come home," Jiraiya said to the group.
"Why not go to the place he works?" Choji ask.
"Because it's a government building and avoiding the machines that watch over it, is something that none of us should try unless we have no choice," Jiraiya explains.
"Not to mention the music boxes will seal off our chakra," Hinata adds.
"We get Naruto and get on the next boat," Jiraiya said as the group split up all making their way to Naruto's apartments.
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At Naruto's Apartment -
Jiraiya's team made it to the apartment first but didn't find Naruto inside. Jiraiya had hope that Naruto would be there but after picking the lock they found it completely empty. The few things that Naruto owned were all gone, and it look like it's been empty for a long time.
"Since this place looks like it's been cleaned, it's hard to say how long since Naruto moved out," Yamato said looking around the room for any clues.
"Must be expecting someone new to move in," Anko adds as there's nothing left that showed that Naruto was ever here to begin with.
"As, I feared. He left after the talk with me. He could be anywhere in the Isles now," Jiraiya said shaking his head.
"What about looking through the files of who comes and goes?" Anko ask.
"There's too many people for that. Even if there is, Dunwall is much larger then any of the cities back home, we would have to look through mountains of paperwork. Not to mention how to find that piece of paper while inside a government building, or read it," Jiraiya said as few of the ninjas with him can even read the langue of the Isles. (1)
"Okay so, I can't really speak it or read it," Anko said. "I never expected to come here anyways, not with the Whalers being here and all."
"What now?" Yamato ask.
"We're going to have to find out what happen to Naruto. We can start with the owner of the building," Jiraiya said to the two hoping that there be something to go on.
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Elsewhere -
Tenten and her team are in a weapon's shop looking over the weapons used in the Isles. Seeing that Jiraiya's team made it first the other teams waited outside for them to come out. The weapon shop unlike the ones they're use to is heavily guarded and while it's okay to carry around blades as long as they're not seen, the guns are not with people having to have a license to own one. And the bullets are sold separately with a limited number being able to be sold to anyone. (2)
Tenten being the weapon expect of the group look upon the guns in awe. The guns on display are pistols, newer models of the one that Jiraiya showed off when he showed her and the others what happens when you get shot. On the wall are bigger and longer pistols, making her wonder if those are more powerful. But then she remembers that it's the bullet that makes the gun powerful. She would like to have in her weapon collection, but the bullets are the problem. The whale oil needed to make them is only found here, and shipping it from the Isles is very costly. (3)
"What about this?" Lee ask Gai pointing to a large knife in a glass display.
"Good but hard to hide," Gai pointed out.
"People go around wearing blades around here," Neji said, covering his eyes with a pair of sunglasses so not to draw attention.
"That's true," Gai said.
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Elsewhere -
Sakura is watching as the rail car opens its doors letting the people in it out. The rail cars are just about everywhere reminding her of the trains of Snow. But unlike the ones in snow these run on whale oil and could be made smaller. They're also automated going to the places they're programmed to go. She learned that the rail systems all operate by a machine so that the cars don't crash into each other.
"It be easier to move around the countries if we had rail cars," Sakura said wanting to ride in one.
"Yes it would but if we did, we wouldn't have that many missions," Sasake said.
"We get most of the mission as escorts or carriers after all," Sai adds.
"That's true," Sakura said as she looks over to Kakashi reading his book.
Kakashi is reading but also lost in his thoughts. After learning who Naruto's parents were he had vowed to train him as his father did for him. But he never got the chance as Naruto ran away surprising everyone. Kakashi had seen the state his body was in after the demon fox escape thanks to the villagers who almost killed Naruto, who were all publicly beheaded for releasing the demon. Having Naruto back in the village would greatly improve the morel of the village which has sunk after the invasion, with most of the village damaged during the attack. Kakashi would train Naruto and make him into a legend of the ninja world.
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Elsewhere -
Asuma, and Kurenai's teams have joined together as they look over some of the out door vendors. The vendors are mostly selling food which Choji is enjoying himself. Ino and Hinata are looking over the jewelry that is being displayed. Shikamaru is looking over the books on sell and Shino is looking over sun glasses.
"It's taking them awhile," Kurenai said to Asuma as they lend against a wall.
"You remember the state Naruto was in after the fox destroyed the village," Asuma said remembering the scene he found in the aftermath of the second attack.
"It's little wonder why he doesn't want to return," Kurenai said.
"We have to make things right. Naruto is the son of the two strongest ninjas the village had ever seen. Even if his body is no longer able to allow him to become a ninja, his place is in the Leaf village," Asuma stated.
"I hope this will end well," Kurenai said as she watches a guardian walk by. "And that Naruto doesn't cause such a scene to get the guardians after us."
"Yes fighting them will be hard considering they can't easily be destroyed. They're perpetual motion monsters, no sleep or rest needed. They will jus keep coming after us till their fuel runs out," Asuma said. (4)
"Like ninja puppets but stronger and the ability to seal off chakra," Kuernai adds not liking being around so many machines that made her skills useless.
"Jiraiya's team is coming out and they're alone," Asuma said seeing the team exiting the building.
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In one of the alleyways -
"Naruto is long gone and the owner of the building has no idea where he went. We as some of the other people living in the building but they have no idea what happen to him. All they know is one day some weeks ago a watchman and two guardians came into the building and left with him. He came back but soon moved out," Jiraiya explains.
"They watch must have learned about you coming to visit him," Kakashi said.
"Naruto can be anywhere in the Isles now, that's if he's even still in the Isles," Sasake said.
"There is two ways of learning what happen to Naruto but both come with high risk. One is to sneak into the government building where records are kept. The second is to go to the Flooded District and see what the Shadow Broker knows," Jiraiya said.
"Shadow Broker?" Gai ask.
"The Shadow Broker is the most powerful information broker in the Isles. There's literally nothing that happens in the Isles that the Shadow Broker hasn't heard about. No one knows who the Shadow Broker is or if it's just one person or a group. Always using second or third parties to give information, never dealing with anyone face to face," Jiraiya answered.
"Since we don't want to deal with the city watch then it's the Shadow Broken then," Anko said.
"And the Flooded District is where the Whalers of Dunwall make their home," Jiraiya adds causing everyone to phase.
"That's just great," Sakura said.
"The city watch has given up on trying to police that district as the flood waters never left that place. All attempts to take it back has failed so they just stop trying. It's the slum of Dunwall where the homeless and criminals make their home in, turning it into a wretched hive. They have created their own independent society, the gangs and the Whalers are the only ones who give the district any sense of order. The only infrastructure that works there are the ones that the people living there make. Once we're there we all have to stay close together and never stay there after dark," Jiraiya told them.
"What happens after dark?" Ino ask.
"It's best not to think about it," Jiraiya said as he lead the way.
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On a Roof -
A pair of eyes watches the ninjas as they left for the Flooded District. Having listened on in, learned what they're planning on doing.
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Author's Notes -
1 – The language of the Isles is completely different from the Element Countries as it's English, while the other is Japanese. The ninjas have been taught to speak it and read some but the younger ninjas aren't that good at it.
2 - The guns of the Isles are licensed and bullets sold in small number. With the guardians and machines safe guarding the Isles there is no need for the people to be armed. The only ones with guns besides the Watchmen and soldiers, are the gangs who either steal or buy from the black market. The bullets are also about the size of a .45 which is a large bullet that packs more power then a 9mm.
3 - In all fictions that, I have seen it's always the model of the gun that makes it powerful. When it's the bullet that makes it powerful. The high power guns all use larger bullets that pack more power then a 9mm and below. The guns is made to withstand the power of the bullet, as the trigger can be mimic by hitting the cap hard enough. Besides the aim and how far it can travel, that's all the gun does. So it's not the gun that is powerful but the bullets and the different types of guns that are needed to be able to fire them. There is a reason why all the mods for guns in real life just improve the aim, ammo, firing, how loud the band is, and how long the gun can last before it needs to be fix. The only thing that can add a bit more power to the bullet is the barrel that can allow the bullet to fly faster.
4 - The guardians are just as hard to stop as a terminator is. Which means fighting hand to hand is completely out of the question and swords can't cut through them. As the strength that is needed to be able to do that, needs chakra to boost the sword user strength, which the guardian music box takes care of.
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