Chapter 130 - Home

An endless blue canvas stretched out in front of Iron Whiskers, the tranquil sea rippling gently under the caress of a warm summer breeze. Its surface glittered like an expanse of cut sapphires under the soft light of the afternoon sun. The air was filled with a lazy stillness, punctuated only by the rhythmic lapping of waves against the hull of Iron Whiskers. In the distance, a faint silhouette of Whitebeard's Armada became smaller and smaller, finally disappearing in the distance.

It was a sharp contradiction to the chaotic environment Ryu and Yoruichi were in just a moment before, but that only added to the sea's charm.

"Don't you want to say goodbye?" Yoruichi asked, her soft voice harmonizing with the quiet ripples of the sea. She sat on the ship's railings, her legs swinging lightly in the air, teasing the ocean's surface beneath her.

"Not really, he'll probably try to give me some stuff and it will be annoying to turn him down," Ryu replied nonchalantly, a half-grin playing on his lips as he leaned forward, resting his arms on the ship's railing beside Yoruichi. His hair, wild and untamed, seemed to absorb the sun's soft rays.

"Fair enough. Anyway, where are we going now? I think I'm getting a little tired of sailing, and this is a good high note to end things on in my opinion," Yoruichi mused, her gaze falling on the calm sea beneath her.

"Yeah, I also think it's about time we move on. Let's see... Do you want to see my home universe? I have some friends I want to visit," Ryu suggested, his eyes gleaming with an air of nostalgia. The usual playful charm in his voice was replaced by a warm sentimentality, causing Yoruichi to turn her head and examine his face with a confused frown.

"Are they even alive? It's been more than a century since you left," she questioned, her eyes piercing his, her hand absentmindedly playing with a lock of her hair.

"Well, time moves differently between dimensions. I checked its timezone a couple of days ago, and only about 6 years passed there," Ryu countered, his eyes locking onto a Whale that came up to the surface for a breath of air.

"Oh, then let's go right now, I'm dying to see your universe!" Yoruichi exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. Ryu merely chuckled, an undertone of anticipation lacing his voice, before he snapped his fingers. With the action, the air around them seemed to shiver, a crack appearing in the fabric of reality itself, allowing Iron Whiskers to sail right through it.

---

The first thing to hit them was the symphony of nature: the twittering of birds singing their heart out, the whispering wind playing tag among the treetops, and the rustle of foliage echoing the untamed wilderness' secret conversations. Iron Whiskers rocked gently, finding itself not in the familiar ocean waves, but a robust river, its crystal clear water sparkling under the sun.

The river was contained in an overgrown forest that stretched out as far as the eye could see, an ocean of lush greenery bathed in the warm embrace of the afternoon sun. Vast trees stretched to the sky, their branches interwoven in a complex canopy that created patches of dappled sunlight on the forest floor. Blossoms of various colors spotted the scenery, their sweet aroma mingling with the earthy scent of the forest.

Creatures of all shapes and sizes moved about, going about their daily lives. Squirrels scurried along tree branches, rabbits hopped about in the undergrowth, and the occasional flutter of wings marked the flight of birds unknown. Off in the distance, a deer raised its elegant head, locking eyes with them for a brief moment before disappearing from sight.

Ryu released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding, a soft smile of familiarity and nostalgia gracing his lips. His eyes glowed with an inner light, reflecting the brilliant greens of the landscape around them. Yoruichi was left momentarily speechless, her eyes wide and sparkling with a sense of wonder and curiosity as she leaned over the railings of Iron Whiskers, drinking in the breathtaking panorama.

"Woah, Ryu...your universe..." Yoruichi murmured, lost for words. But Ryu only nodded, his gaze soft as it moved across the landscape.

"We landed in a good place. This is the Land of Fire, it's famous for its overflowing life and vitality, as you can see. Also, most of the people I wanted to visit are here. There's a Village here called Konohagakure, or the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Wait a second, I'll t-" Ryu was interrupted mid-sentence as a group of people surrounded the ship, landing on the water surrounding it.

The group puzzled Ryu, since although it was clear that the people surrounding them were Shinobi, each member of the group wore a different set of uniforms. First was a burly shinobi with the uniform of the Hidden Rock Village, his brawny physique accentuated by the massive war hammer in his hands, its imposing weight a testament to his formidable strength. Beside him, a nimble-looking kunoichi in the uniform of the Hidden Leaf Village moved with grace, her twin Kunai glinting in the sunlight.

Another figure, an archer wearing the uniform of the Hidden Cloud Village, possessed a focused demeanor as he notched an arrow to his sleek bow. Last of the group, a seasoned kunoichi with the uniform of the Hidden Sand Village tensed her body, ready to jump forward at a moment's notice with a pair of gleaming scimitars.

In the midst of this amalgamation of warriors, Ryu noticed the weird headband they wore, which had a symbol he didn't recognize. While regular headbands had symbols, like leaves, rocks, clouds, and so forth, this one had "Shinobi" engraved on it.

"Who are you?! How did you appear with a ship from thin air?!" The Shinobi with the hammer shouted in a stern voice, his eyes thoroughly examining Ryu and Yoruichi.

"I'm Ryu, and this is Yoruichi. As for how we got here, you can say it's a form of teleportation. Anyway, what's up with you guys? Are you a group of rouge Shinobi? And what is that headband?" Ryu asked curiously, still casually leaning on the railing as an arrow whistled near his ear.

"Take this seriously, or the next one won't miss," the burly Shinobi said as the archer placed a new arrow on his bow.

"I was serious, though? I haven't been in the area for a couple of years, can you catch me up to speed?" Ryu asked with a smirk as Yoruichi suppressed a giggle.

"That's it! We'll get our answers after beating you up!" The Shinobi said as the group prepared to charge at Ryu and Yoruichi. However, before they could even blink, they had swords placed at their necks as the Shinobi on Iron Whiskers appeared behind them.

"Like I said, I was serious," Ryu said as his eyes gleamed with curiosity.

The Shinobi seemed taken aback by the sudden development. Each one was frozen in place, the deadly sharp blades at their necks keeping them on edge.

"Answer my question," Ryu continued in a firm but composed tone, the playful grin still present on his face.

A moment of tense silence passed before the burly Shinobi swallowed nervously, and began to explain, "Fine, let's assume you don't know anything. Those headbands we're wearing are symbols of the Allied Shinobi Forces. It is a union of all the Hidden Villages that was formed in response to an impending threat from Akatsuki, led by Madara Uchiha, who declared war on all the shinobi nations."

Ryu's eyebrows rose at this news. "Akatsuki... And Madara? That's unexpected," He said in a surprised tone.

The burly Shinobi nodded. "Yes. They've been causing havoc and are trying to capture all the Tailed Beasts. That's why all the Hidden Villages have banded together to face this threat, hence the mixed uniforms."

"Interesting... I thought Madara was dead though. If he's alive, then I'm guessing they have an army of Shinobi legends? This will be fun," Ryu smiled as a shiver ran down the spine of the Shinobi.

"Um... Since we're still alive, I take it that you're not hostile? If not, we'll need to confirm your identities," the Shinobi from the Hidden Leaf spoke, "We've been on the lookout for anything suspicious. Your sudden appearance... Well, it's exactly that."

"That's fair," Ryu agreed, signaling to his Shinobi to sheath their swords and take a step back. "I'm a friend of Jiraiya, and also the current Nine Tails Jinchuriki, Naruto Uzumaki, if that helps," he added.

The Shinobi exchanged looks of surprise. "The Hokage?" The Hidden Sand kunoichi asked, her eyes wide. "If you're telling the truth, then your arrival is a streak of luck. But we'll need to verify your claims first."

"Understandable," Ryu said with a nod. "Let's head to the Hidden Leaf then. I wanted to visit those two anyway."