o.O.o.O
The Death of Arrogance
Uchiha Sasuke X Uzumaki Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto X Uchiha Sasuke biases. Hinted, implied shounen-ai—don't like, don't read, don't cry.
darkenedmoonlightflame
Semi-Alternate Plot Line. 'If Sasuke will allow Naruto to kiss him, Naruto will never touch Sasuke again. Naruto… Naruto will die to protect what Sasuke loves. Please. Naruto promises.' There was nothing to stop him. Just that damned pride of his, speaking soft words of deception into his mind, implanting these lies into his doubtful heart. Uchiha Sasuke has been appointed as the newest temporary guardian of the 'insane' Kyuubi no Youko container. Fortunately of unfortunately, it would seem his first impressions are quite wrong… And when Konohagakure is shoved once more into the light of death, he is forced to make a pact with this Uzumaki Naruto. But when the time comes, can he remain as detached and uncaring as he stands by this boy determined to die? SasuNaru, NaruSasu.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, and do not claim to. However, everything else, AKA: the plot (ABSOLUTELY!), the writing, et cetera, IS MINE.
(A/N: I… I really don't have an excuse this time, either. (sighs sadly) (looks dejected) I guess I've given up on this whole 'excuse' process… So, please forgive me for straying yet again? My first update in a long while. My first Naruto story that is, or will be, posted. THE POSTING SYSTEM on is being stupid now. So I will TRY to replace my trademark with lines. Damn lines.
(Note: Dark will attempt to keep the characters as in character as possible. I can't promise that there will be absolutely no out-of-character (OOC) behavior, though, because I don't enjoy making fabricated promises. But I will try. This was a bit less descriptive than I'd have liked, but… (shrugs) Blame the tense, and dark's newfound laziness.
(Note: Yes... that is one very long summary. Dark will have tried to narrow it down in the outside summary box, but hey. Her readers know her—she likes length. Besides, this is the full summary anyway. It's my chapter and I can do what I like to it! (laughs evilly) (grins slyly) Yeah… (coughs) Don't' worry, it won't be so serious… Or at least as serious and ominous as it sounds. It might be kind of friendly and not truly formal, actually…
(NOTE: (Important!) Sasuke is older. Much older… (How does twenty-two sound? Naruto is eighteen.) Sasuke is an ANBU. (I'm still trying to work out all of the details…) I don't believe that I will have Orochimaru come into this yet. YET. Okay, I've got it; here's the scenario: Shinobi now graduate at the age of fifteen from the Academy. Wow, yes. That late. (Itachi has murdered the clan.)
(Note: I'm testing out something new for me. Also, I'm attempting to use words from the actual anime, instead of my lovely, favorite online dictionary. So lucky you. There is still a dictionary in the bottom Author's Note. I usually go with third person omniscient, past tense. Sometimes first person, past tense. Sometimes third person limited, present tense. Whatever, you get the idea. Instead, this will be first person, present tense. (cries) I don't like this tense, but it just began and… And… (buries face in hands) WHY?
(So, presenting, 'The Death of Arrogance'. Chapter I. (It's very short. I understand. It's too much of me talking. Sorry.) Please enjoy.)
The Death of Arrogance
Chapter I
My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and I 'live' for one thing.
I 'live' for myself.
…
o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o
…
The heat courses over my skin, gently creating burning friction—friction, that loving, hating motion I so admire and desire—where the fire licks at me. My hand hovers over the flame softly, the slender, limply extended fingers dancing in the fading sunlight. I feel the small smile occupy my face once more.
'So…' I think to myself as my hand gracefully maneuvers over the warmth. 'So this is what power must feel like.'
'Well, it's the essence, anyhow.'
That voice, always lingering inside me, speaking, whispering, and telling me words of blunt comfort. Truthfully, I don't mind it. Sometimes I feel as though it is only the youkai kitsune that keeps me aware, awake, alive, and conscious of my surroundings. It is both a blessing… and a curse.
It is true that I am the vessel, the Jinchuuriki, of the Kyuubi no Youko.
It is true, or partially true, that I am insane.
I smile again, and incline my head slightly. My guard looks at me gruffly, snorting before dousing the flame. "Get away from that, boy." I send him a blank look, one of utter stupidity. This is regular. I steel my face into impassive ignorance. My azure optics fade back into a monotonous red, and my face slips into blissful unawareness.
My lips part slightly and I gradually turn my foolish, fooling gaze upon him.
He shivers, upon meeting those eyes. Those blood-red eyes; they are his eyes, after all.
He shudders again, and turns away, re-lighting the torch. These eyes, the ones he is forced to look into, are those of a murderer. Or an empty shell, in this case… These eyes… They are the ideal completion to my mask. "Okay, fine, have it your way. Just don't touch me, kid. And don't look at me like that, either!" He shouts, thrusting the small lantern back towards me. I allow a faint, pleased glint to enter my orbs as I carefully take the object from his hands.
"A… Ari… Arigatou…" I murmur slowly, as though it is difficult.
That, too, is a lie.
'You truly are an idiot, if you consider this as living. In this state, we are nothing more than a pathetic human-demon being.'
I grin to myself, turning sheepishly away from the suspicious guard to do so. It would appear so strange, to have me suddenly expressive and wide awake. I haven't acted that way in many, many years.
I smirk, allowing an odd semblance of satisfaction and rage to settle over my tanned features. 'It's so funny,' I think to myself, 'that they assume I'm broken.' I can almost see the great baka-kitsu rolling those so-called menacing eyes inside me.
'Your fidelity… it is amusing.'
'Hnn. Baka-kitsu.' I retort, pouting in the sudden darkness. The man swears and carelessly sets the beacon alight, singeing my fingers ever-so-slightly. A breeze—something very soft, gentle, and indescribable to one that has never seen the true daylight, not the false, artificial creation of man—had brushed past us in the corridor. Yes, that is right. The corridor…
A part of the place I've lived in for my entire life—the underground mazes and passageways of my very own prison. The Sandaime, that old man, who think he is so wonderful—!
'I will have his head, one day. Such arrogance, enough to rival yours, I have never seen.'
The Kyuubi—ever since I could remember, I've called him baka-kitsu, short for baka-kitsune—cut into my musings. I scowl, then hurriedly gather my wits into a very tiny corner of my vast mindscape. My attendant is staring at me uneasily. I curse mentally, for everything I do is somehow related to my mind, and sigh inwardly. 'I assume he'll quit soon.'
'Hai, he didn't seem like a good candidate in the first place. Too reckless, unstable even. Another week, and he'll snap.'
'Just like me, ne?'
'Perhaps.'
The Kyuubi sneers slightly, chortling deep within his throat. It is a frightening noise, but I've grown used to it. I shrug, and wave away his mocking jeers. I stand there, falling back in the silence, allowing the wary shinobi to pass by me, giving me a wide proximity. "Let's go, kid." I say nothing, my face uneager and my eyes glassy. "Come on, please! Onegaishimasu, please go!" He makes frantic gestures to me, shooing me onward. He never makes contact physically, instead whipping at the air around me, as though I will take notice and be frightened into motion.
I ignore him.
'Yes, that's right. Let the fool wallow in his discomfort.'
The demonic fox is enjoying this, indefinitely. 'Oi, it's his fault if he can't stand touching me.' I reply demurely to the man's hectic mutterings and requests, "Are… Are we… leaving…? The… The sky…"
The man—he is roughly forty-three, with dark brown hair and troubled gray eyes—an aging chuunin—with nothing extraordinary about him—freezes. "N-Nani? What did you say?"
"…" I turn my head away, averting my optics quietly. I want to leave. I want to see the sky. I want to feel the warm caress of sunlight on my over my paled face. "… Yes." I answer, evading his demand, instead stepping forward and moving slowly yet again. He seems so relieved, and it tugs at my heart. Sometimes, in times like this, I don't like playing games with people.
'Can we trust—?'
'Of course not, gaki.'
The reply is cold and clouded, like usual. Like it's been, ever since… I can feel the tense anger radiating from the wide, rectangular space in my mind that he resides in. I cautiously cut away the remainder of the thought. It's best to stay on good terms, especially if we're going to where I think we are.
'These fools just don't understand.'
I sigh sadly and heavily. 'Well… Anou, all right. If you say so, Kyuubi-kun.' My cerulean orbs drift closed a bit more, and my feet are dragging already. My free hand reaches out to skim the dusty walls. They are ancient, and crumbling frequently. My fingers deftly twirl over a particularly large chunk of missing stone. I've learned from experience that the remaining shards are quite sharp.
My other hand supports the thin lantern, where the warm glow spills out from within. My right elbow is curled into my body for strength, the hand weakly gripped around the lamp.
I haven't seen the 'outside'. I've lived in this…
'Shounetsujigoku.'
Kyuubi—'That usually-stupid baka-kitsu!' I grind my teeth together momentarily, vivid eye twitching in annoyance…—seems to derive sadistic pleasure from interrupting me. It can be said that his current, 'preferred' word is 'fool'. He likes calling me—and everyone—that. He likes supplying me with true, but harsh answers, a lot, too.
I bite the inside of my lip nervously, casting a determined eye towards my silent companion. For moment, I though that he'd gone and left me here, in order to wander to his mother's—Kyuubi didn't mention that he is the one who killed the woman, but I know…—grave early. Not that I really minded the silence, but…
"…" I glare at him from under my semi-dark, thick blond lashes. Silently, quickly, I bring my hand up to my face and gently massage the bridge of my nose to ward away the oncoming headache, orbs stationary. It's one of those many things I've learned through my 'stupid' act.
Anyhow, I've lived in this place ever since I can remember. Which is basically the majority of my life.
I growl low in my chest, something I've always known how to do. I absentmindedly brush away the stray, matted blonde locks that are drifting into my eyes. My bangs have grown longer over the years, now brushing past the beginning of my throat. The rest of my thick hair is towards the end of my shoulder blades.
For some reason, it's always grown so quickly.
It might help that no one really wants to give a friendly trim to the 'vessel'. Then again, it could be because of that silly baka-kitsu…
'It's true. You look so much better with long hair.'
My left eyebrow twitches. It might be slender, but it is… expressive, I suppose. That stupid, stupid fox…!
'So mean, Naruto-kun…!'
'You expect that, Kyuubi-kun.' I glance at its corner of my conscious coldly, and revert into auto-pilot mode.The man beside me looks at me with disdain. He thinks that I can't see the way his eyes dart about, as though looking for escape. I know him, acceptably well. The Sandaime—
'Curse that old fool!'
'Urusai.' I grumble inside, fingers curling into a pulsing fist. The kitsune gets the idea, and quiets down.
The Sandaime showed me his file.
No one thinks that I can read. No one understands that I can speak perfect, flawless Japanese, in over fourteen different variations, whether it is an accent, style, or the slurred form of the foreigners. No one even suspects or dreams that I comprehend every single thing they hand me to keep me entertained.
The one closest to this assumption is the Third Hokage. That withered old guy, the one with the grayish-white hair and that broad grin that he never can keep to himself. He supplies me with 'picture scrolls', or he tells me. They are actually really powerful jutsu diagrams, or studies on theory and history, or pictures of other dangerous people, or plans of the Central Tower, or profiles of my soon-to-be caretakers. All of which I have wisely decided to absorb and study. It makes me wonder over his sanity. 'What kind of man lets a 'criminal' like myself study complex instructions on how to better kill people?'
'A fool.'
Kyuubi, predictably, supplies an answer to my rhetorical question.
Anou… I probably shouldn't doubt the Sandaime so. After all, there are many things I don't understand about him. He probably has ulterior motives, anyhow. He is an ancient leader, who apparently rules over this place where I'm cooped up below, or so I've heard.
The guard shuffles me forward faster. I comply wordlessly. Let him think I've exhausted my supply of—
'Boundless.'—energy for today. I send the youkai kitsune a mental image of a pleasantly plush, plump fox fur rug stretched all over the cold, steel 'brooding table' in my quarters, endless forbidden scrolls splayed over it. He pales wordlessly, and retreats slightly into his containing prison.
I repress a look of intense satisfaction and the desire to smirk triumphantly. Instead I think of where I am to go, and why.
It's been forever since I've seen the sunlight. Today is a special day. Why else would I be shuffled out of my solitary confinement cell, out of my desperate labyrinth, only to be informed of a trip to Central Tower? I've heard them call this place 'Hokage Tower' a few times. So does that mean that old guy wants to see me?
It interests me.
I wonder…
'Keep up, brat. Your 'trusted' guide is 'accidentally on-purpose' forgetting you, again.'
I nod, and a deep sheen of excitement enters my hollow heart. So, what awaits?'Maybe they'll finally end my misery, and kill you. You and your damn, informatively helpful narratives, you fool...!'
I pause. 'Kanben?' I ask sweetly.'… Nothing, Naruto-kun.'
I smile again, beaming with a swift, mischievously vulpine grin. It is enough, and I can feel the taunting stare of the Kyuubi no Youko that I house widen and a toothy snarl flashes among fiery fur.
'Careful, now. You're starting to sound so much like…'
'…'
There is no reply. I can't seem to get the baka-kitsu to speak on the matter of…Well, I'll leave that for later. It would seem as though we've arrived. The gloom evaporates instantly in the presence of warm, pale yellow light. It is cast from ceiling lanterns and a few bracket-less, regulated exploding-tag kunai. I gasp in wonder at it, and the assistant seems shocked at my unexpected emotion. I quickly smother my face with indifference.
'That's right. Let them think what they will.'
'Yes, hai.' I adjust my inner smile. It is fake, and we both know it. We've accepted it.
Hey, if there's nothing left to do but cry, why not smile?
It's as my 'guest' and I say… Let them think what they will.
"Come." The stoic, middle-aged shinobi orders me, and I follow him. He looks nervous. We ascend the dirty stairs, avoiding the weathered patches of dry wood. "Come, hurry." He repeats, eagerly. I guess that today is the day he can get away from me, at least temporarily. Maybe we're going to see the Hokage.
'Perhaps both.'
'Good,' I agree absentmindedly, and climb behind him laboriously, optics burning holes into his back briefly. I let them swirl into a comforting shade of cobalt blue. At last we come to a solid wall. I slump slightly to catch my breath. It seems like forever since I've been allowed out of my cell and even longer since I've traveled this far. My body is pathetically weak from the lack of exertion. 'All this kuso because we can't trust him, ne?'
The man performs many hand positions, rushing. I couldn't memorize them all at once. The door burst open, and he shuffled aside the masses of pretty white papers.
The color flashes blind me, and I quickly slam my eyes shut. I give myself a few minutes to adjust, until the noise of crinkling parchment stops. I hesitantly open them again. Brilliance dazzles me.
'I-It's…'
"Youkoso!" A cheerful, loud voice greets me. I see red, and white, and, and… And so very many things! "Okaerinasai."
'Welcome? Welcome home?'
'What a fool, ne?'I can feel my expressionless exterior cracking as I take in the view. The view—I never thought that I'd ever say such hopeful words. Such beautiful words, such a beautiful place. I am in Hokage Tower, and there is a window close to me.
And through that window, playing about me, dancing onto my stunned face is…
And through that window is sunlight.
Sunlight.
I'm dazed now, and my mask is in tiny, tiny, miniscule shards about my feet. It's scattered throughout this very paperwork-filled room. There are so many things I've never seen, so many new smells, and so many, so many things! I can't possibly begin to comprehend it!
This place… is amazing. To crack that uncaring façade I agreed, accepted willingly, and decided to put on so many years ago in an instant. To fill me, the one child who cares not for life, with sheer delight...! Such feelings of intensity burn throughout my veins, pulsing around and around my limbs, mingling with my crimson life-liquid. My heart thuds with a sickeningly loud noise inside my chest cavity.
I feel…
'Alive?'Yes. I feel alive.
…
o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o
…
This place…
I am told it is named Konohagakure.
And me…?
My name is Uzumaki Naruto.
(A/N: Hello! (bows and waves) Welcome to… yet another story of dark's! Yes, it is shounen-ai (boy X boy), and yes, it is strange. Since when am I not? (Please don't answer that, dear reader…) But anyhow, how was it? I know it wasn't the best thing, coming from me, or the longest thing (definitely not…), so you don't have to whine about the terrible-ness. I'll already expect that. Feel free to be honest with your opinions.
But was it okay so far? I hope so! And of course my favorite character of the Naruto universe will make an appearance. He kind of has a slightly important role. (Okay, so it's important. What? I like him and his character. Or lack of it.) Confused yet? Interested? (laughs) Can anyone guess whom? Probably.
Yes, I know. Disappointing to see a long Author's Note on top, then a tiny snippet, and then another rambling talk of mine. So sorry again! Also, sorry that this is my first update in a while, and it's not even on an existing story… (sighs)
Say, how is the title? It struck me in one of my brain-dead moments. And… Help with jutsus? (Did I get 'jinchuuriki' right?)
(Six reviews equal a second chapter. Originally this was a prologue, because of the shortness, but…
(Forgive me?)
Japanese Vocabulary Index; (Including Some UnfamiliarTerms)
Shounen-ai—boy love, literally (boy X boy pairing) (I feel sorry for you if you hate shounen-ai, but are still reading up to this point…)
Kyuubi no Youko—the formal (Is this right?) name of Kyuubi, the nine-tailed fox demon who attacked the Village of Hidden Leaf years ago. The Yondaime (Fourth Hokage) sealed the fox demon into the abdomen of Naruto, in exchange for his life. (This Naruto terminology is killing me; Is Youko 'demon' or something like that?)
Konohagakure—Village of the Hidden Leaf (Is there anyone unaware of this?) (Short-hand is: Konoha.)
Shinobi—ninja
Shinobi Gakuen—academy where beginners learn ninja techniques and fundamentals (not directly referenced to, yet)
Youkai—demon
Kitsune—fox
Jinchuuriki—human sacrifice (A person into which demon is sealed, right?)
Arigatou—thank you (semi-formal)
Baka-kitsu—Naruto's affectionate name for Kyuubi (Abbreviated from baka-kitsune) ('idiot fox')
Sandaime—Third Hokage
Baka—idiot
Hai—yes
-ne?—phrase added to the end of a question for emphasis (EX: Inuyasha sure loves his ramen, ne?) (similar to 'eh', 'no', 'huh', et cetera)
Onegaishimasu—please (formal)
Oi—hey
Chuunin—person of average rank in the ninja world (C-Class, B-Class) (above genin, below jounin) (See: Story Notes)
Nani?—what?
Gaki—brat
Anou…--well…, erm…, eh…, er…, uh…, um… (Those stuttering words everyone knows and 'loves'.)
Shounetsujigoku—burning hell (Wow. Pretty dramatic, Kyuubi. (twitches))
Urusai—shut up
Hokage—leader of a Hidden Village
Jutsu—ninja technique (HELP! I need names from the existing ones…)
Kanben?—pardon?
Kunai—kind of like a ninja knife (overall diamond-ish, sleek blade, long, thin handle) (one-handed weapon) (can be equipped with exploding tag)
Exploding Tag—tag that can be added to a weapon (kunai, shuriken, bomb, et cetera) or used alone (is activated, when thrown, by air)
Kuso—shit
Youkoso—welcome
Okaerinasai—welcome home
Story Notes; (So… many…) (Almost one for every alphabet letter…) (trips) (falls) (withers away) (sniffles)
a—The first line of the summary is kind of strange, no? I like it. It's a quote (in the distant future) from the story. So yeah, spoiler kind of. Got an idea yet? (and the third person references that Naruto makes to himself… I'm not sure why he'll do that. But I've seen it appear in the anime once or twice, and in quite a few stories. And I like it. So there… is that sad, sad (sighs) reason.)
b—Please tell me that everyone knows what SasuNaru and NaruSasu means and indicates? (If you don't, here: SemeUke. Seme is dominate-top in relationship, Uke is submissive-bottom. Sasu is Sasuke, and well… Naru is Naruto. Those are the pairings. I use them (they are like quick fan abbreviations for the pairs) when my fingers feel dead. The majority bias will be SasuNaru.)
c—ANBU… Can anyone tell me what ANBU fully stands for? I'd appreciate it. And a quick briefing on ANBU—they are the most elite shinobi available, aside from the Hokage. They are often the personal and most trusted guards to their leader. They handle search-and-destroy, retrieval, invasion, hostage, protection, important message transfer, et cetera missions. Usually A-Class, S-Class. Maybe even U-Class ones. (And now, Sasuke is a twenty-two-year-old ANBU. In my universe, it means it took him seven years to become one from Graduation.)
d—Orochimaru… Hnn… Well, I guess I'll do this: Sasuke has received (or will very soon receive) a curse mark, but his revenge hasn't yet consumed him. Therefore, he is still in Konohagakure. (I might use this as an excuse for… BLANK. Or maybe BLANK.) (Sorry, those were spoilers.)
e—Shinobi graduate from Shinobi Gakuen at the age of fifteen in this story, now. Okay? That means Sasuke became a genin at age fifteen, and seven years later, is now an ANBU. The ranks are the same. I've just delayed the age, okay?
f—Yes. Itachi murdered the clan. (Still, I really like him, and his 'character'.) (Side note: GO ItaNaru! Itachi X Naruto!)
g—Naruto and Kyuubi can communicate. (This is part of the reason Naruto is locked up where he is. Further details of this will unfold in the story.) (Kyuubi's speech is bold, italic inside comma marks.) They are on seemingly friendly terms. Kyuubi is kind of weird and sarcastic, but I figured he deserved a personality, too. Besides, Naruto needs someone to talk to. (The name suffixes they add to each other, '-kun', and Kyuubi's favorite word, are big clues to BLANK's upcoming appearance.) Or else what would he do besides make poor Naruto seem insane at times? I need a way for Naruto to learn things. Kyuubi is convenient. Also, Naruto uses Kyuubi's eyes to frighten people with his mask of indifferent stupidity.
h—Jinchuuriki. Did I get that term right? Sabaku no Gaara (Gaara of the Sand) is one too, right? He is Shukaku. Should I have Gaara enter the story at some point?
i—Hey, would YOU trust an 'insane' guy to walk himself calmly to the Hokage's office? Besides, I need a position for Sasuke to fill… (clamps hand over mouth) Dark has said enough, yes?
j—Naruto's mask… This is kind of complicated. I think that the original Naruto character sometimes smiles just to hide his emotional turmoil. So I'm definitely playing up that fact here. Naruto masks his cold intelligence with idiocy. (He was taken to this place when he was very young. The Hokage is unaware that he can read the jutsu scrolls. He thinks that Naruto… likes looking at the pictures. (laughs) Yeah.) I guess he wants to take everyone by surprise.
k—Baka-kitsu… What? It sounded kind of cute and interesting. Like something the original Naruto might do.
l—Yes, that mean old chuunin purposefully burnt Naruto. He really doesn't like Naruto. He's like the other villagers—afraid of contact and of physically starting a fight. Instead he does mental things, and some small injuries.
m—Naruto lives under Hokage Tower, in a system of passageways unknown to those above him. I'm making that as a place for other top secured criminals awaiting death or other 'unstable' patients. More information to come. Can't say it all at once, can I?
n—Eh… Naruto doesn't really like the Sandaime, does he? (Would you if you were stuffed away down there for something uncontrollable?) Kyuubi… Well, Kyuubi is being typical. Calling the Sandaime a fool, of course.
o—SPECIAL! RANKS: (For better information, please either check out Absolute Anime under Itachi ( I think) or 'Love to Kill'. It's an ItaNaru fiction, using these classes with better descriptions.)
Criminal:
F-Class—Terribly weak. Like a villager. The ultimate pawn. Almost useless. No threat.
D-Class—Not much better than F-Class. Like a strong villager, or Academy trainee, or an Academy graduate. (Just not Itachi, of course… Heh.) Average, low genin. Green-level threat.
C-Class—At genin level. Sometimes higher, towards advanced genin. Almost chuunin, maybe even chuunin. Yellow-level threat.B-Class—At chuunin level, jounin level. Yellow-level threat.
A-Class—Jounin level. Maybe ANBU. Pretty dangerous. Red-level threat.
S-Class—ANBU level, very high jounin level. Extreme threat. BRIGHT RED-level threat.
U-Class—Above ANBU level. Above S-Class. Maybe even above or equal to Hokage level. Extraordinarily powerful, and can take on several S-Class ninjas. At once. 'This-is-so-red-that-you'd-have-to-be-dead-not-to-see-it'-level threat.Shinobi: (Very vague.)
Genin—D-Class, C-Class. Performs mundane tasks.
Chuunin—C-Class, B-Class. Teaches Academy, is a medic-nin, or takes on above-average missions.
Jounin—B-Class, A-Class. Trains genin, takes on difficult tasks.
ANBU—A-Class, S-Class. Takes elite missions. (See: C.)
Hokage—S-Class, maybe. U-Class. Rules over the village.
p—(cheers) I like Naruto with medium length hair. (For the anime series, it looks like those spikes could kill someone, no?) In here, it's grown too long. No one wants to cut the crazy Jinchuuriki's hair… (This is mentioned later.)
q—Auto-Pilot. There is a story called 'Auto-Pilot', or maybe it's 'Autopilot'. I'm pretty sure it's by 'Midnight-sama'. It's a poem about Naruto, and that smiling face he wears. It's quite good, I recommend it.
r—Hokage Terminology!
First—I forgot the terminology. … Is it Ichidaime?
Second—I forgot. Maybe Niidaime?
Third—Sandaime
Fourth—Yondaime
Fifth—Godaime
Sixth—Rokudaime (I haven't gotten here yet.)
s—Central Tower is Hokage Tower. It's just Central Tower to Naruto.
t—'Careful, now. You're starting to sound so much like…' (grins) Guess? It's confusing until the person is revealed. Then it's kind of obvious, of course.
u—Naruto's body is weak. Hey, what do you expect? He's lived in a small cell surrounded by people who would kill him if he moved too much, let alone trained. So he's tired from this trek to the stairs.
v—Sunlight. Naruto has never seen the sunlight, and remembered it. This is something he really desired, and knew he'd never live to see. So this is pretty earth shattering for him.
w—My name is Uzumaki Naruto. Was that a good ending? I'm thinking of using this as the last line of the epilogue, too. Some repetition!
I can hardly believe it. I'm DONE? (I feel like I'm forgetting something.)
Nonetheless, I'm posting this immediately so I can go back to crazy and hectic updating! YES!
Ja ne,
o.O.o.O darkenedmoonlightflame O.o.O.o
And company. My adorably annoying muses. 'Kotsu-san and the Sess-sei.
(P.S. Hope you enjoyed this, and will show some self-restraint when poking at us… If not… (evil smile) Anyhow, thanks for reading 'The Death of Arrogance'…!)
Chapter Finished: 9.20.06
Post: 9.22.06. I needed to do those dreadful, stupid Story Notes that I was distressed about.
Spell Check: Yep.
Brain Check: Hnn. That's not funny, 'Kotsu-san. But then again, it is. (glares) Too… tired… to… strangle!