Ninja Stranded at Sea

The List

"The strongest ninja," Marco wondered. With this potential, he could become the world's best cleaner.

I've revised this passage for grammar and to make it read more smoothly.

Naruto POV

I am awakened by loud snoring and slowly open my eyes. Reality hits me: I'm actually on a pirate ship. A glance out the window reveals that the sun has already risen. In the vicinity, some members of the crew are sleeping, either in hammocks or scattered on the floor, creating a rather chaotic sight.

I get up, rubbing my eyes, and head to the bathroom. There, I wash my face to at least become a bit more awake and put on the clothes Marco gave me yesterday. It consists of black pants and an orange shirt.

I walk down the corridor to the deck and encounter some who are peacefully sleeping on the floor, apparently not having made it to their sleeping spots. On the deck, I meet Thatch and greet him with a "Good morning." "Hahah, good morning, kid. You worked a miracle yesterday," he laughs heartily at me. How can someone be in such a good mood early in the morning? I hear the murmuring of the crew members in agreement, lying sleepily on the floor. Judging by their appearance, they will have a terrible hangover. "What do you mean exactly?" I ask him. "Well, that you managed to clean the bedroom and bathroom in a few hours, you have no idea how shocked we were," he pats me on the shoulder. "And you have no idea how shocked I was when I saw the room," I reply, and he just laughs. Which prompts the other members to grumble again. Thatch notices this and signals me to follow him. "Let's grab something to eat before the others wake up," he says.

We head to the canteen together. I take a seat on a chair while Thatch disappears into the kitchen.

I doubt anyone will believe me and I frustratedly let my head fall onto the table. If this continues, I'll get a concussion as many times as I hit my head against the table.
Thatch interrupts my thoughts by serving me delicious food. "Hurting yourself here won't help you. Marco won't cut you any slack," he says amusedly.

The aroma of fried eggs and bacon is tempting, and my stomach, always waiting for the right moment, starts to growl. Thatch chuckles about it: "You and Ace definitely have something in common when it comes to food." But I only faintly notice that, as I'm busy with eating. One thing must be said, in terms of food, Konoha unfortunately can't compete.

"After you've finished eating, should I give you a list from Marco with tasks you need to do. If you have questions, you can always come to me or the other crew members." With a full mouth, I nod to him to show that I understand. He smiles at me, places the list on the table, and goes back to the kitchen. Probably to prepare breakfast for the crew, although as late as it is, more like lunch.

I finish eating and look at the list. It has two pages with around 24 points: cleaning windows, tidying up rooms, organizing the pantry, etc. But one of the points stands out: tidy up Ace's room (in parentheses, "I'm sorry"). I gulp heavily and once again let my head fall onto the table. How am I supposed to accomplish that today?

Narrator's Perspective

While Thatch is busy preparing food for the hungover members, Naruto is unaware that an important piece of information has been withheld from him by Thatch. Namely, that he has to complete the list by the time the next island arrives, which is in two weeks. Of course, it's impossible to do this in a day. But unfortunately, not for our future Hokage.

On the deck above, the captain of the crew watches as Naruto rushes back and forth - not just once, but multiple times from different directions. The captain looks at his bowl and wonders if he perhaps had one bowl too many today.

Sorry for not writing for so long. I'm trying to write a new chapter every one or two weeks.

Best regards.