What Shinjiro had said was true.
They passed a few islands. Low islands, for most of them, and a few volcanic ones.
Naruto still didn't know if Anko had suggested this area randomly or not, but he couldn't deny that they ended up passing a few places zone that could work. They were far enough that they could just pick the first island that really fit all the conditions they had agreed on.
Compared to the open North Sea, this part of the world was filled with unpredictable waves. If there had been more ships around this area, — and if they had managed to pass the sea monster, too — Naruto knew that a fair amount of them would be littering the sea floor.
The wind was blowing from the south, pushing them along. The waves were swelling, surging, making their ship jerk. Nobody was staying on the deck, either staying in the cabin, puking, — Karin — or staying in the quarterdeck — the others.
Even there, the waves rose high, smashing against the windows.
Naruto went to join Karin, rather than leaving her entirely alone. Definitely not because he felt like throwing up himself.
Sakura looked at the sea in bewilderment.
It felt as though the ship were trying to fight an angry god. With no hope. The wind was coming from the opposite direction, now.
A hard wind, too, so they had put the sails away and were relying only on the propeller system, for now.
Then the conditions somehow got worse. The wind increased in intensity, and the waves became steeper. She couldn't see anything past one kilometer... at most.
If there had been somewhere they could stop, she knew that they would have done so.
She gripped the rail so hard her hand turned white. They were only hundreds of kilometers away-
She heard the wave before she saw it, and it was a sound she would likely not forget.
The wave roared like a hungry predator, a wall of water. She turned her head as it hit.
Suddenly, she was underwater. Up was down, and down was up.
Did a window break…?
The Kujira had turned over. The sailors were yelling something. They were sinking, then.
She was not sure what she felt, but she knew she had to do something. She cleared her mind as much as she could in this situation..
She anchored herself to the boat with chakra, close to the hole in the wall of the quarterdeck.
Rat. Ox. Dragon. Ram. Hare. Ox. Dog. Monkey. Boar. Ox. Rat. Ox. Horse. Bird. Dog. Dog.
"Water Style: Repulsion Wave."
She poured all she had in the technique.
The ship turned underwater, a full rotation. It righted itself and broke the surface again.
She used a second jutsu to guide most of the water outside of the quarterdeck. The sailors looked on in amazement, as she sat down, exhausted.
"We're not going down!" Takaya let out.
The sails had been damaged due to the turn, even though they had been put away, and they would be useless for a while... but the boat was running.
Five minutes later, once it was safer to move, Naruto arrived, a white-faced Karin in tow.
Karin blocked the windows entirely, before resuming puking in a bag.
Naruto looked thoroughly shaken.
Sakura was too, but somebody had to look after the rest of them.
Waves crashed, and they kept on going. There was no other way.
The sea calmed down progressively.
Islands became more numerous.
They ran at full speed for the next forty hours, ignoring most of them.
There was a huge archipelago, composed of nine volcanic islands, to the North-East.
It covered what he estimated to be an area of about two thousand square kilometers.
Naruto stared. It looked very green, wild even. The climate was mild to warm, subtropical.
Their boat was damaged, sure… But this was better than he had even hoped.
Naruto knew this was the place.
They anchored the boat on the southernmost sand beach.
All of them set foot on the sand. Naruto expected to feel relief at the feeling of solid ground.
Instead, he felt sicker than he had in months. He had gotten used to the constant rolling and churning of the ocean.
Having it disappear suddenly… He vomited.
Karin used an Earth jutsu to raise stone from the ground. She shaped it into something that could pass for a house. Then she created a second one.
She could've made it permanent, but there was no point to that right now.
They slept there. Tomorrow, they'd explore the archipelago.
Eight clones were summoned to explore, each was attributed an island.
They dispelled hours later and the crew of six established a rough map. The islands were very close together, with less than twenty kilometers in between most of them.
They were surrounded by mountain ranges, the highest summit reaching more than two thousand meters above sea level.
It was a beautiful place.
The central island was the largest, so that's where they would start building the main hub.
"So…" Naruto asked.
"What's the name?" Karin finished. They smiled at each other.
"Who's going to name it?" Heizo wondered.
"Well, all of us, let's agree on something." Sakura shrugged.
"We will be starting a… village here." Naruto said. "We've got somebody helping us with it, and I think we might be able to pull it off with him involved."
"A village… For real?" Shinjiro asked. "I thought... Nevermind."
He nodded. "Yeah, we've got a way to move from here to the mainland in a blink."
Considering they were supposed to wipe their memories anyway… It didn't matter how much he told them, he figured.
But the more he thought about the idea… the more unpalatable it seemed to him.
They had spent months together, and the only reason they had made it here was because of the sailor crew.
This wouldn't do.
Maybe Orochimaru would complain about his moral weakness, but he couldn't abide by that. If they agreed to it… the most he would accept would be wiping the exact position of the islands from their memories. If that.
Instead…
"What would you guys think about moving here permanently?" He asked. "We'd have a need for guys like you, lots of things we need to do."
The three of them looked at each other.
"It's a bit early for us to say that, but… We will think about it. I mean, I will, at least. Can't speak for them." Shinjiro said.
There was not much keeping them on the mainland at this point, though, and all of them knew it.
"Well, no matter what, that makes you the first citizens of this land. It's not much, right now, for sure." Naruto laughed, gesturing at the empty land. "But you're free to come at any time and help us decide on a name."
In the end, they settled on a name.
Umigakure, the Village Hidden in the Sea.
Karin built a circle of stones on the main Island, using Earth jutsu. She made it a permanent fixture.
"Well I think it's time to go. Are you sure your portal is going to work, Sakura?" Naruto asked.
She nodded, marking the floor. A portal to the Mountain's Graveyard's small town appeared.
Naruto drew his own marks back.
Then he set the first Thunder Gate in the center of the stone circle. He and Karin set it to become permanent.
"I think we can go, then." Sakura said.
Just like that, they walked through the portal, and back to the Mainland.
The first thing Naruto did when coming back was put a permanent mark somewhere close to the village. It wouldn't do to stay trapped on the island because he forgot.
Somehow, Orochimaru knew they arrived.
One single day later, he came to meet all six of them, Anko in tow. He took a look at their satisfied faces.
"So you've managed." He laughed with delight.
"We did." Naruto answered.
"Did everything go smoothly?"
"Eh. There were a couple… difficulties on the trip, let's say. It was a bit rougher than expected. But... We found a good choice for an island."
"Very good. Now then…" Orochimaru turned to the sailors, who took a step back. "Shall I proceed to erase their memories?"
"Wait."
Orochimaru turned to him, only somewhat surprised. "I had a feeling this would happen."
"They agreed to get rid of their memories of the exact position, and the general direction."
Orochimaru sighed. This would be way more complicated to manage.
"I see. You did well on getting there, so I'm willing to compromise."
"So did you manage to find a way for people to use the Thunder Gates, in the end?"
Orochimaru answered wryly. "Well, of course. I did tell you that I would, didn't I?"
"Is it workable...? And working."
The man shrugged. "Yes. There are drawbacks, though. I came up with a design that allows one to make use of the entire Relay. Meaning that once applied, they can use all of your marks. I didn't find a way around that."
Naruto thought. This was a bit annoying, but not too problematic. He had never been planning on marking anything personal anyway.
"What else?"
"It also takes a lot of chakra to power. It's especially problematic in the case of civilians, who simply won't be able to make any use of it."
"Ah. This could be a problem."
"Yes. We shall start only with shinobi until I find a way around that."
Naruto thought.
"…Would using Natural energy work?"
"Yes, it would." Orochimaru nodded, before shrugging. "I have worked on a way to use it in a seal, with Jūgo, back then."
Naruto winced at the reminder. Once more, he wondered if Tayuya was alive. Well, Orochimaru had said nothing about her, so likely she was-
Another time.
The man continued. "But it was somewhat unstable and came with many other problems."
"And if I told you we have a reliable way to convert a seal using human chakra to work with external, natural energy instead?"
Orochimaru stared at him a bit too intensely for him to feel at ease. Creep.
"Well. Then I would tell you we have our solution."
Anko volunteered to try it out first.
They waited with bated breath as Orochimaru applied his seal, and motioned for Naruto to put the mark on her.
"This will complete the seal. The way I structured it, it won't make her a 'destination', which doesn't work on moving objects anyway. Instead, it will make her able to tap into the network of Gates."
Naruto did so. The golden mark appeared on her shoulder.
Anko winked at them, focused... before disappearing in a crack of thunder.
They waited.
Did anything go wrong…?
She appeared again, with another cracking sound.
"Did I scare you guys?" She laughed.
"It's working." Naruto said, mouth hanging.
"Yes." Orochimaru nodded, as he had expected it.
"Ah, there's one thing." Anko said. "The seal only stores a certain amount immediately. After two jumps, it needs to be refilled, and it seems to take way longer."
Orochimaru measured the rate, with Karin. They made a few quick calculations.
"About two jumps per day is the current maximum." Is their final conclusion.
"Well, if you guys are ready, we'll mark all of you. There are no drawbacks." Naruto said to the sailors, who still seem wary of Orochimaru. "Nothing we can do to you with these seals. Well, you'll have a golden tattoo somewhere on your body, but that's it."
He went for it first. He didn't really need it, but if it allowed him to save a little bit of chakra at no cost…
Plus it seemed to help convince the sailors.
The seal worked for them too, they discovered. Something else that Naruto would only realize later is that only people with the mark — or carried by him, and him only — could reach here. Bringing outsiders in wouldn't work for anybody other than him.
A back and forth trip later to try it out, and they made their goodbyes. They would likely come to the island at some point, — Naruto thought, at least — but there were things they needed to do first, no matter what.
Naruto, Sakura and Karin bowed to them, thanking them for their help.
Once everybody was marked, they jumped to the island.
Orochimaru took a long glance around, no doubt planning what could go where, the best way to work the land, and establish defensive barriers…
He looked back at the trio, satisfied.
"Good job, all three of you." He nodded.
Naruto smiled, proud of what they had already managed.
"Sakura-san, your contract is now over." He handed her a scroll, which likely contained the rest of the money. "You've been a great help, so I won't propose to erase your memories." Orochimaru laughed at the look Naruto gave him. "Let us keep in contact, in the future, I may need someone with your... unique skills."
Sakura nodded. She then took a look at Naruto, Karin, then the island.
"Actually… If none of you minds…" She started, a bit hesitant. "I would love to settle here. Or just keep a small roo-"
Naruto laughed, pulling her into a one-armed hug.
"Ah. I guess that's fine then." She laughed, trying to get rid of him.
They started building as soon as they decided on a few things.
The easiest way to get around would be to mark all nine islands. It turned out that a single leap could take you to any point, but you would necessarily pass through the main gate first.
It made no real difference in practical terms, as it was only a few seconds more anyway.
Space was no problem here, so they decided to start by constructing the first two buildings away from the main island, settling around a crater lake on the eastern island, at around five-hundred meters of altitude.
The vegetation was pretty dense, and the crater was covered in some forest. Between the crater wall and the lake was a sandy beach.
Small birds flew around it, settling in trees.
On the northern side of the lake, Orochimaru slowly crafted a spire of stone, with Anko's help.
Nobody was very surprised. He seemed the type to build a tower.
Naruto shrugged, looking at Karin and Sakura.
"So… you guys want to build something together, all three of us?"
"Sure." Sakura shrugged, looking too casual.
"I'd love to." Karin grinned.
They got started.
Naruto couldn't use Earth Release, so it was mostly Karin taking care of summoning a stone house. Sakura did have a slight affinity for Earth, so she took care of shaping it more intricately.
Naruto summoned several clones and started to work on the seals they would need to make this livable.
And considering they were on an island, thousands of kilometers away from the rest of the world, there would be many things. Luckily, he had gotten a little bit of practice over the years.
After one full day of work, their three-floor house actually looked… like a house. At least from the outside.
On the other side of the lake, Orochimaru's smooth, massive spire looked… too grandiose.
They were pretty happy about the result, so they called it a day and went to sleep.
Ah. They didn't have any sort of bedding.
Sleeping bags it would be, then.
Naruto could use the Thunder Gates several times a day, without too much trouble. Part of it was that they were based on his chakra, part of it was he was just working with much more than most people.
So the next day, he jumped straight to the mainland, arriving back at Mountain's Graveyard. He definitely would need to put more marks around the continent, there was... nothing here.
Waterfall and Rice were at about the same distance. He decided on heading to Rice first, maybe for nostalgia's sake.
He focused his chakra, Wind first, then Lightning, pushing off in a burst of speed. He noticed just how natural the jutsu felt, by now. Using two nature changes at the same time used to feel difficult, but now…
He wondered if this was about his seals, or if he was just getting more and more used to it.
All the while, he was ascending at a high speed, a blur of blue energy.
The episode with the sea creature had reminded him there was no need for him to risk his own life unnecessarily. And Akatsuki might be keeping watch of Orochimaru's old hideout.
He created three Shadow Clones. They would disguise themselves when close.
Then all of them transformed into birds, gliding toward the Land of Rice. The clones would fly down to Mukage, while he continued toward Haraji.
The city was as crowded as ever.
After months of being in close quarters with a grand total of five others, he felt a bit grumpy, when he had to move around others.
There were a few things he and his new roommates would need.
"So… gallons of paint, ceramic tiles, glass windows, and furniture for three people living in a three-story house, as well as two tons of wood?"
"That's right."
"…Are you sure you can afford it?"
Naruto sighed. "Yeah."
"Well… Can you tell me more about the layout of the house, at least?"
"Sure."
He put a permanent mark close to the city, up in the mountains before leaving, a few scrolls worth of material on him.
He appeared straight near their house, passing through the main gate.
Orochimaru had started building more houses, it seemed. They were on the main island, in a segmented circle that spread around the main Gate.
'So Orochimaru actually knows urban planning…?' He chuckled.
He was not fully surprised. The man seemed to have dabbled with every single thing that caught his interest.
Naruto appeared in the stone circle in the middle of the lake, dashing off toward his home.
There, Sakura and Karin were sitting on the sand, feet in the water. They waved hello to him.
He settled down.
"Brought you some food." Naruto said, unsealing one of the scrolls.
"I could kiss you." Sakura said.
"Next time on you, instead?"
She snorted a laugh.
They ate, joked around, and generally did not progress much when it came to working on the house.
Later on, when they actually started to, was the time Orochimaru chose to pop in, already thinking ahead.
He spoke.
"There's tension on the horizon. It is time we do some recruiting. I have a few people in mind."