Wind shifted—brine-tang slicing through rot-stench. Ocean. Close. Kaido halted—fractured cedar groaning beneath scaled boot sole. Plum-cape plastered wet against azure spine-plates—hints of fish-scales and salt-crusted timber riding ozone-charged gusts. Memory surfaced—drifting haze: cannon smoke… kraken ink… *Beast Pirate* flags snapping crimson against storm-green waves. Not stole throne. Claimed horizon. Crimson gaze narrowed—slitted pupils tracking southwest haze. Konoha's war-torn cradle? Temporary crucible. True supremacy demanded fleets devouring storm-seas—armies drowning continents beneath scaled banners. Stone Crags survivors? Ash awaiting forge-blast. Needed ore… hardened… sea-tempered.
**"HIDESHI!"** Dragon-roar detonated—shattering cedars into splinter-rain. Distant—wind-scythe screamed answer—carved thorn-forests collapsing—toward tidal stink. Kaido's clawed finger jabbed northwest—past vaporized peaks—toward distant coastline roar. **"Gather driftwood."** Pause—fangs glinting obsidian promise. **"Not planks… skeletons."** Hideshi stumbled into clearing—wind-jutsu scars weeping pus-rust down forearms—eyes widening brine-white. Ship-building? Madness. Coastal clans butchered trespassers—razed hulls to salted ash. Kaido's Conqueror's Haki coiled—oppressive dawn-chill freezing protest mid-breath. **"Burn their villages…"** Scaled knuckle cracked—splintering bark from cedar corpse beside him— **"...forge keel from chief-ribs."** Survival-conditioning evolved: drown weakness… or swim deeper.
Obsidian kanabō lifted—pointing coastline-ward… then east… then Konoha's smothered cradle-glows. **"Kenji!"** Bandit-turned-banner-bearer scrambled—skull-flag trembling—from Kurama-ash nightmares. Kaido's crimson gaze pinned him—not order… revelation. **"Find sailors…"** Voice dropped—tectonic grind vibrating Kenji's jawbone— **"...not recruits. Prisoners."** Dragon-will crystallized: Beast Pirates needed captains… navigators… cannoneers forged in dragon-fire terror. Southwest shores held pirates rotting in brine-jails—dreaming freedom… ripe for rebranding. Kaido grinned—rain-slick fangs reflecting Kenji's ashen face. **"Offer chains…"** Kanabō's tip kissed Kenji's throat—obsidian chill bleeding promise— **"...or offer corpses."** Crucible shifted—ocean awaited screaming ore.
Hideshi hissed—wind-scarred arms trembling—toward poisoned thorn-thickets shrouding coastline approach. **"Lord Kaido…"** Whisper frayed—lungs rattling venom-scars— **"...shore clans vomit lightning-jutsu… sink ships breathing…"** Kaido snorted—steam-jets incinerating rain—shadow engulfing the wind-slaver. Crimson iris contracted—pupil-slit dissecting cowardice. **"Your training?"** Scaled palm slammed—air cracked whiplash—across Hideshi's bleeding ribs. Impact registered before agony—before flight—hurling him backward through rotten cedars. Timber exploded—splinter-rain baptizing Kenji's shudder. Kaido strode—crushing vine-throttled saplings—toward collapsing trunks where Hideshi wheezed blood-froth. **"Cut their storms…"** Clawed boot pinned wind-user's throat—dragon-mass grinding vertebrae— **"...before tomorrow's tide."** Failure? Seafloor feast for crustaceans.
Kenji fled east—skull-banner flapping plague-bird black—dragon-roar chasing footsteps deeper into rot-forest. Breath came frantic—gulped poison-fumes… blood-stench… ozone-burn. Kurama's rib-crater nightmares still clung—bone-splinters grinding knee-joints. Now… pirate-hunting? Madness! Coastal wardens shackled crews with storm-jutsu shackles… executed trespassers beneath tsunami-charged blades. Claws scrabbled moss-slick bark—vomiting bile-green terror. Far behind—wind-jutsu screamed… cliffs answered thunder-collapse… dragon-laughter echoed tidal-wave deep. Kenji froze—hair prickling static-sharp. Kaido's Conqueror's Haki vibrated—through forest veins—through mud-soaked boots—into marrow: **Run faster, maggot.** Banner-pole dug into leech-bitten palm—purpose crystallized crimson-dark. Bring prisoners… or become one.
Mud-flats unfolded—stench of stranded kelp and rotting crab-thickets choking twilight. Kaido stood—plum-cape swallowing sea-horizon—kanabō planted amidst brine-scummed gravel. Northwest—Hideshi's wind-blades shrieked… cliff-face sprayed obsidian sparks… coastal watchtower timber screamed tornado-shear. Screams answered—human… distant… swallowed by gale. Dragon-jaw unhinged—volcanic-steam jetting toward Konoha's smothered heartlands. Legends awaited—Lee's sweat-salt resolve… Guy's dawn-kicks splitting mountains… Hashirama's forests choking inadequate hope. Kanabō shifted—gripped knuckle-white—obsidian veins pulsing Haki-throb against scaled palm. Training wheels shattered… fleet assembled… worlds trembled. Crucible burned tomorrow's horizon.
Kaido grinned—slow, tectonic. Glacier-fangs reflected crashing waves… shattered hull-planks… future armada drowning continents beneath Beast Pirate banners. Crimson gaze sliced southwest—past splintered masts—toward distant archipelago haze. Land of Waves? Wharf-town cesspit choked with smuggler-scum and bounty-hunter brine-rats. Perfect ore—unforged… screaming raw ambition beneath rusted chains. Scaled boot crushed barnacle-crusted skull—splintering bone-sand beneath dragon-forged sole. **"Personal vessel…"** Rumble vibrated seawater trembling shoreward—tidal pools frothing panic. First—captain worthy dragon-throne… helmsman navigating storm-seas… cannoneers vomiting hellfire into dawn's cowardly light.
Conqueror's Haki coiled—oppressive dawn-chill freezing brine-mist mid-air. Kaido strode—boots sinking ankle-deep into corpse-rot slurry—kanabō dragging furrow bleeding violet-static. Toward seaweed-shrouded piers… toward drunken laughter spilling from lantern-lit tavern stench… toward futures needing shattered spines reforged anchor-deep. Plum-cape snapped—sudden gale howling through fractured ribs of beached leviathan skeletons. Crucible's mouth gaped—salt-scorched and hunger-sharp. Hammer fell. Always. Dragon-shadow swallowed harbor lights whole.
---
**LAND OF WAVES – FISHERMAN'S TAVERN**
Rum-stink clotted air—cheap whale-oil lanterns flickering across sweat-slick faces. Kaido filled doorway—plum-feathers drinking shadows—obsidian kanabō scraping timber frame. Silence slammed—dice halted mid-tumble… tankards froze at lips… fisherman's ballad choked gurgling death. Crimson gaze swept room—inventory measured in scar-tissued knuckles and salt-crusted desperation. Potential flickered… almost bright enough. Dragon-thumb jerked—toward corner booth. Toward hulking figure swathed in storm-cloaks… kelp-strung harpoon propped against bench… eyes like shuttered storm-lanterns glinting beneath hood's shadow. **"You…"** Voice—shipwreck groan grinding seabed—scattered patrons scrambling backward. **"…captain my ship."** Not offer. Executioner's axe suspended above trembling neck. Hooded man rose—slow, tectonic—brine-soaked wool peeling back to reveal ruin-scarred face. Not fear… calculation etched in keloid-weathered skin. Crucible's flame sucked air inward. Ore screamed. Hammer fell. Always. Kaido's grin split tavern gloom—glacier-fangs promising horizon-devouring dawn.
Scaled boot crushed spilled rum—glass shards screaming beneath dragon-forged sole. Three strides—floorboards groaned tsunami-warning—plum-cape rippling indigo tide washing terror-stiff bodies aside. Captain's scent hit—salt-blood… ozone… kraken-ink defiance buried beneath whiskey-rot surrender. **"Name?"** Dragon-palm lifted—not toward face… toward shoulder-corded muscle straining storm-cloak seams. Contact registered before question—before flinch—scaled fingers clamping like leviathan-jaws. Bone ground beneath calloused hide. Air escaped captain's lungs—wet whistle scraping cracked ribs. Crimson pupils swallowed hood-shadow—pupil-slits dissecting decades of command etched in knuckle-scars. **"Tetsuo…"** Gasp tore throat—pain-forged pride buckling—knees locking against dragon-weight. Kaido squeezed—harder—obsidian knuckles whitening. Tendons screamed. Shoulder-blade threatened splinter. Breath steamed—charged ozone thickening. Plum feathers whispered against storm-cloak—testing mettle. Potential? Measured in agony's pitch.
**"Choice…"** Kaido leaned close—volcanic breath torching Tetsuo's salt-crusted ear. **"…my ship sails at dawn…"** Dragon-jaw unhinged—fangs glinting promise against tavern gloom— **"…or your spine decorates my masthead by tomorrow's tide."** Silence sharper than harpoon-point. Patrons held breath—hearts drumming drowned-man panic. Tetsuo's eyes flared—storm-lanterns igniting cobalt defiance—muscles coiling beneath dragon-grip. Kaido waited. Not threat. Revelation. Survival's raw edge tasted salt-sharp. Crucible's heat seared surrender deeper than bone. Scaled fingers tightened—final warning creaking scapula like storm-wracked timber. Tetsuo's jaw clenched—keloid-scars paling—calculations drowned beneath dragon-pressure. Potential? Snuffed. Or forged anchor-deep. Kanabō's obsidian teeth hummed—violet-static bleeding into Tetsuo's shuddering marrow. Ore bent. Or shattered. Kaido's chuckle vibrated—tectonic amusement shaking whiskey-bottles from shelves. Judgment etched not in words… in surrender's wet stink blooming beneath storm-cloak.
Tetsuo sagged—sudden—weight dropping like cut anchor-chain. Head bowed—hood-shadow swallowing expression—voice rasping barnacle-rough. **"Keel's laid… Pirate-King."** Not capitulation. Crucible-forged recognition. Dragon-palm released—scaled knuckles dripping phantom blood-stink. Kaido pivoted—plum-cape swirling powdered sawdust—kanabō swinging lazily. Crimson gaze pinned Kenji trembling near splintered bar. **"Gather crew…"** Rumble fractured whiskey-glasses—liquid amber bleeding across terrified silence. **"…not sailors. Prisoners."** Boot scuffed rum-soaked plank—toward harbor's brine-roar… toward skeletal hulls weeping seaweed-tears… toward Konoha's trembling horizon. Training ended. Fleet assembled. Dragon-shadow swallowed futures whole. Crucible burned. Always. Hammer fell.
---
**FIVE YEARS LATER – COASTAL RAID**
Storm-surge slammed rotting pier-posts—salt-spray stinging Kaido's scaled cheeks like shrapnel. Beneath dragon-forged boots—what remained of 'Wavecrest' port smoldered. Plum-cape drank downpour—indigo silk plastered against obsidian pauldrons gleaming with fresh Senju-blood rain. North—burning Uchiha compound pyres painted poisoned fog crimson-black. Bone-white serpent-sash cinched tight—dripping brine-red. Kanabō rested—teeth sunk deep in shattered watchtower rubble—Haki-hum vibrating drowned screams beneath tidal roar. Thunder answered—not sky-fury… Beast Pirates' cannons vomiting hellfire into cliffside Senju bunkers. Hashirama's sapling forests? Ash-choked gullies feeding dragon-armada's forge-fires.
Obsidian scope scanned coastline—past gutted Senju docks… past Uchiha watch-fires drowned in churning froth… toward inland mountains bleeding volcanic haze. **No Konoha.** Only clan-sigils burning beneath scaled banners—Stone Crags' skull-flag snapping victory-black above drowned Senju fortresses. Crimson pupils narrowed—slitted gaze piercing storm-wall. Northwest—highlands choked in unnatural mist… whispering Biju-hide tremors. Dragon-jaw unhinged—volcanic laugh detonating tsunami-surge against cliffs. Five years—salt-baptized fleets drown coastlines… Beast Pirates vomiting dragon-will onto trembling shores. Yet? Ash tasted stale. Crucible demanded hotter flames. Kanabō ripped free—rubble-screams swallowed by cannon-thunder. Bare feet splattered brine-blood slurry—southward—toward mist-shrouded highlands… toward trembling Biju shadows… toward legends awaiting annihilation's embrace. Training ended? Never.
Blood-hail stung Kenji's face—Senju arrow-storm glancing off scaled boarding-plates. He crouched—skull-banner jammed into charnel-beach—watching dragon-silhouette stride southward… untouched by storm… untouched by war… swallowed by poisoned fog. Behind him—Goro's obsidian maul pulped Uchiha stragglers against tide-slick boulders. Hideshi's wind-scythes carved refugee-boats into splinter-flotsam. Crucibles burned. Ore screamed louder. Kenji's knuckles whitened—bone-flagpole trembling—vision swimming with drowned Senju children's bloated faces. Dragon-roar echoed inland—hills answering tectonic fury. Purpose crystallized salt-sharp: Plant banner deeper… or become ash beneath dragon-forged heel. He fled north—toward crumbling Uchiha garrison—screaming orders salt-stiff with terror. Hammer fell. Always.
Inland mist thickened—choking valleys with corpse-rot haze… Biju-fear stink. Kaido halted—bare feet sinking into marsh-sludge. Kanabō's haft creaked—obsidian teeth trembling—not fatigue… anticipation. Crimson gaze pierced fog-wall. Southwest—Hashirama's sapling-chakra flickered… feeble defenses groaning. Northwest—Madara's cursed-fire smoldered… isolation hardening ambition's diamond-edge. Five years—dragon fleets devoured coasts… yet Konoha's future ghosts hid… coiled… sharpening resolve. Kaido grinned—rain-slick fangs reflecting fractured Uchiha banners burning bog-fires. Training wheels rusted… legends ripened… Biju trembled unseen. Crucible expanded—tomorrow's cataclysm bled today. Plum-cape snapped sudden gale—indigo shadow swallowing poisoned horizon. **"Found you."**
Senju compound walls loomed—splintered timber weeping sap-blood. Dragon-lids narrowed—fog-slivers revealing crude labyrinths… pitfall spikes slicked with Kurama-dung poison… trembling Senju scouts crouched behind thorn-thickets. Child-tactics. Hashirama's weakness incarnate. Kaido inhaled—deep—mortar-dust… root-rot… oak-sap desperation carving cowardice's tomb. Observation Haki unfurled—blood-warm… pinpointing compound heartwood-throne. Hashirama sat… knees pulled tight… palms bleeding over scarred earth—failed Mokuton sprouts wilting at bootsoles. Weakness. Potential strangled. Kanabō lifted—horizontal stance shifting—tip aimed southeastward… past Senju flanks… toward forest-gloom where Uchiha scouts melted ghost-quiet. Dragon-snout wrinkled—ozone-taste sharpening. Madara watched. Calculated. Coward's gambit—Senju softened dragon… Uchiha harvested victory-scraps. Kaido's laugh began—not thunder… avalanche-grind—shattering fog-glass. Pitfalls ruptured—poison-spikes impaling panic-scrambling Senju. Thorn-barriers vaporized—mist swirling annihilation-wake.
Boots ground deeper—marsh-sludge boiling steam-hiss beneath dragon-mass. Walls neared—shattered gate-fragments littering warpath. Scout-shinobi lunged—kunai flashing—wind-jutsu screaming shrill. Kanabō twitched—hairline fracture spiderwebbing oak haft—Conqueror's Haki pulsing violet. Kunai dissolved mid-air—atomized rust-mist. Wind-blades shattered—sound-waves folding inward… silencing screams before lips parted. Scouts froze—arteries bursting ink-black—corpses collapsing salt-statues beneath dragon-shadow. Dragon-shadow bled—unhurried—across corpse-field… over splintered gates… into compound blood-mud. Kenji's skull-banner stabbed earth—far behind—victory-shriek swallowed tidal-rush. Crucible's mouth gaped—ash-choked. Ore screamed… louder.
Heartwood-doors splintered—not kanabō-strike… dragon-presseure shattering timber like rotten cork. Throne-room air choked—incense-smoke curdling blood-stench. Hashirama surged upright—Mokuton roots exploding floorboards—thorns dripping Kurama-venom. Eyes wild—oak-sap tears carving mud-caked cheeks. **"Stop—!"** Voice cracked—sapling-sorrow strangling command. Dragon-shadow pooled deeper—plum-cape swallowing feeble lantern-light. Kaido halted—scaled feet sinking into fractured roots. Crimson gaze pinned him… past thorns… past trembling hands… into marrow-strangled potential.
**"Five years…"** Rumble vibrated venom-dripping thorns—dust motes freezing mid-air. Kanabō tilted—obsidian tip grazing Hashirama's boot—splintering wood-sap ice. **"…running coast to coast… drowning Senju fortresses…"** Dragon-snout wrinkled—ozone stink of cowardice thicker than blood-mist. Hashirama flinched—roots retracting—body swaying exhaustion-deep. Kaido leaned closer—volcanic breath torching mud-stiff hair. **"Where is the spark that faced dragon-flight?"** Words—hammerblows cracking throne-room silence. **"Hiding? Waiting for Uchiha scavengers to pick dragon-cleaned bones?"** Sharingan flickered—distant—through shattered windows. Madara's shadow. Watching.
Hashirama's fist clenched—knuckles whitening against moss-stained sleeves. Roots withered—venom pooling at bootsoles. Eyes dropped—to splintered earth where Mokuton saplings died unborn. Weakness screamed louder than tidal-wave cannons. Kaido's laugh grated—stone-on-stone contempt. **"Disappointing."** Kanabō lifted—not strike… dismissal. Obsidian teeth reflected Hashirama's cringing silhouette—pupil-slits carving verdict deeper than bone: **Worthless ore.** Dragon-shadow pivoted—plum-cape swirling toward broken windows… toward Uchiha-fire scent… toward Madara's coiled ambition. Thorns collapsed—ash-choked. Crucible demanded hotter flames.
Hashirama gasped—sudden—like gut-stabbed. **"I'm not—!"** Hand lashed—not Mokuton… mortal fist swinging wild. Impact registered—knuckles cracking scaled pectoral—useless… insect-bite sting. Kaido didn't flinch. Crimson gaze slid sideways—slitted pupils drinking Senju's raw desperation: trembling jaw clenched… breath ragged… mud-streaked hair plastered to sweat-slick temples. Silence choked throne-room—incense-smoke curling forgotten—blood-mist settling. Kaido's thumb traced kanabō-haft—obsidian vein humming violet-black static. Sharingan flickered closer—Madara's shadow flickering through splintered windows. Dragon-shadow pooled deeper—plum-cape swallowing lantern-light. **"So."** Voice rumbled—volcanic bass cracking throne-room foundations. **"You** ***do*** **have some spark left in you."** Not mockery. Crucible-measure tasting flint-strike beneath cowardice-stench.
Kanabō slammed earth—not attack… tectonic punctuation. Flagstones vaporized—obsidian teeth biting air where Hashirama stood milliseconds prior. The Senju skidded back—root-shield splintering mid-summon—oak-sap scent drowned by ozone-stench dragon-breath. Kaido grinned—fangs glinting crimson in throne-room gloom—plum-cape swirling powdered masonry. **"Show me your pride, Hashirama!"** Voice cracked stone pillars—dust cascading like funeral ash. **"Show me your rage—where is it, boy?!"** Obsidian knuckles whitened—club lifted fractionally—aimed not at flesh… at potential's trembling core. **"Or are you truly just Uchiha bait?"** Sharingan flickered—closer now—Madara's silhouette bleeding through shattered windows. Dragon-shadow thickened—indigo storm swallowing retreat paths.
Hashirama panted—ribs heaving against mud-stained robes. Eyes flickered—past Kaido's scaled bulk… toward compound ruins where Senju children cowered behind vaporized barricades… toward northwest highlands where Biju-fear poisoned mist. Weakness choked him—thorns retracting… Mokuton roots withering at boot-soles. Then—memory flashed: Dragon-flight terror… assassin-blood soaking Stone Crags… Madara's scornful gaze. Something snapped—not wood… pride's last frayed tendon. A roar tore loose—raw, bestial—nothing like sap-sweet pleas. Floorboards exploded upward—not Mokuton… pure chakra-fury shredding timber like rotten cloth. Eyes blazed—emerald fire replacing oak-tear glaze—knuckles bleeding where scales had scraped skin raw. **"ENOUGH!"**
Kaido's laugh boomed—genuine amusement rattling dangling rafters. **"Finally!"** Kanabō shifted—horizontal guard dissolving into downward arc—obsidian teeth humming violet promise. Hashirama charged—not technique… berserker lunge. Fist met scaled abdomen—useless impact… but dragon-eyes widened infinitesimally. Not pain… surprise. Crimson pupils tracked second strike—wild hook aimed at jaw—before kanabō intercepted. Bone met obsidian—crack echoed like glacier-split. Hashirama screamed—arm dangling grotesque—yet momentum carried him… forehead slamming scaled pectoral… blood-slick… desperate. Dragon-breath hitched—steam jet scalding Senju hair—scent shifting from ozone to iron-hot rage.
**"MADARA!"** Hashirama's voice shredded—guttural—spittle-blood flecking Kaido's scales. **"HE'S YOURS TOO—STOP WATCHING AND FIGHT!"** Sharingan flared—sudden—through window-dust… not calculation… crimson wildfire. Dragon-shadows converged—Uchiha flames erupting ceiling-ward—Senju roots exploding floor-deep—throne-room dissolving into chakra-maelstrom where pride reforged annihilation's crucible.