Ikigai (A Naruto One Piece Crossover)

17

Clouds covered the bright moon and the twinkling stars. It's particularly dark and cold tonight, especially with the wind softly blowing.

A black mass formed above the figurehead of the ship. The amassment soon concentrated in a small clump before swirling into a whirlpool, a foot and then a whole body coming out of the opening.

Megumi immediately erased her presence and hid her chakra signature. She hasn't returned in quite a while. She specifically chose post-midnight to return in order to avoid unwanted questions on how she looks right now.

The kunoichi scrunches her nose at the coppery smell strongly emanating from her. Her onyx eyes glanced at her clothes. Her anbu attire's dripping in blood. She grimaced as the crimson liquid pool on the sheep figurehead which has to be white. Luffy will surely be mad once he discovers she stained his special seat with the blood of those she slayed.

Silently cursing, she hopped off the figure head and onto the deck, making use of her ninja abilities to make no noise to not wake up the crew.

Her plan is to take a bath and clean her mess before any of the Straw Hats awaken. She'd rather not make a traumatizing entrance after disappearing for days without contact.

"Shit!" She whisper-yells as she dodged an attack. She sidestepped to the left and using a gentle fist technique she learned from the Hyugas, she parried the blade coming down her head.

She curses once again for the lack of light, her eyes hasn't adapted to the darkness yet. She can't see her attacker. Luckily, she's able to sense the intent behind each strike and locate it before it hits her, or else she's alive no more.

'Block!' Her instincts screamed.

Coating her palms with chakra, she pressed them together and caught the blade. The wielder tried to pull the blade but she refused to let it go, holding onto it tightly and pulling while taking a step back.

She took the opportunity to feel the weapon. "Katana?" She exclaims.

"Roronoa Zoro?" She questions. The wielder stopped tugging, indicating her guess was right. Megumi quickly lets go of the bade and jumped backwards, distancing herself from him.

The wind blew away the clouds hindering the moon and its light spread across the dark sea. With the return of the light came with their sight. The two finally able to see the others' face and confirm their identity.

Zoro stood rigid as he points Sandai Kitetsu at the masked person before him, his other hand on the hilts of his other swords.

"Red." He tilts his head, his lips curling to a sneer. "Or Black?"

Megumi's eyes narrows, the gears in her head turning.

A trick question, she thought. He's asking her if she's Red-eyed Rabbit or Black Maiden.

She scoffs. She ain't gonna fall to his trickery. She's an Uchiha, a clan known for cultivating geniuses. Intelligence may skip generations in their family line, but not her. Her intelligence is not on par with her brothers, but a genius nonetheless.

Taking off her rabbit porcelain mask, she replies. "Uchiha Megumi."

However, contrary to her expectation, the man didn't lower his sword.

"I do not know you." He tells her. "I've heard your name yet unaware of who you are."

Megumi flinches, gritting her teeth in pending annoyance. "You're not required to." She retorts.

Her nose twitched and her skin itched. She badly wants to bath and wash off the blood and grime, yet his man before her is blocking the way to the cabin.