'I said it before, and I'll say it again, your village is lazy and stupid.'

Naruto held back a sigh as the thought drifted through his mind. He really couldn't help but agree though. At this point all the missions they had received were nothing more than glorified chores. Granted if you looked at them closely you would realize that a three man, or four man if the teacher decided to help out, could knock out these missions quickly and easily if they coordinated and worked together well. Something that team seven just didn't do. Oh they were no longer fighting over every little thing, but they still didn't work together. Sakura only wanted to make herself look good for Sasuke and didn't like to/couldn't do lots of physical labor, Sasuke thought he was too good for these missions and was far superior to his teammates, and Naruto was starting to realize just how screwed up his team was. He also noticed that Kakashi was not as inattentive as he appeared. He kept eyes and ears opened to everything. There was also a slight downturn in his mask and the slightest hint of disappointment in his voice whenever he talked to the members of team during a mission and after, usually after the team argued or showed no signs of working together.

'He really shouldn't have passed us if he wanted strong teamwork between us.' Naruto thought holding back another sigh.

'No he shouldn't have. However there IS potential. Someone just has to step up and take control. There is no leadership in this team. No alpha.'

Of course doing mindless chores, waiting hours for your teacher so you can DO said chores, being sent home almost immediately after completion, and having no one to talk to or hang out with meant someone had plenty of time to think and make discoveries. To test boundaries and make connections in ones own mind. This lead to a few discoveries.

The first and most obvious one was that he had a mental connection to Kurama. They could talk through thoughts. It also went a step further than that though. They had almost unlimited access to each other memories, thoughts, and emotions. It was less like they were two minds connected to each other, and more like two PARTS of one mind working in tangent. That lead to the discovery of Naruto's parents, but he tried not to think on that little fact too much. At least for now.

Another fun little fact was that Kurama now experienced EVERYTHING Naruto did, and in return Naruto experienced everything like Kurama would. His senses were sharper. More defined. Extra sensitive. It was both a blessing and a curse. Tastes and smells were stronger, so ramen was even more heavenly than usual. However that also meant Sakura's screeches made him cringe heavily since his more sensitive eardrums felt like they wanted to burst. It was a trade off.

However it was the physical things that were the most surprising. Near limitless access to each other's chakra. Naruto may not have tapped into a significant amount of Kurama's chakra, or youkai as the fox called it, since he didn't want to have another conversation with gramps about it so soon. However he did channel a small amount of it just to see if he could, and found that he could call upon it at will. And the opposite was true. Well Kurama couldn't exactly USE his chakra. However he did have access to it, and being a being made of pure chakra he could take it into himself and channel it to a certain purpose. This meant that his control was near perfect. They even tested it on the basic clone technique. It had worked. It had actually worked. The fact that chakra could be used for more than just jutsus was also explained to him. This meant that Kurama could regulate Naruto's own chakra in ways that made him faster, stranger, and tougher. He wouldn't have to put conscious effort into it since Kurama would. And since they were were of one mind anyway… the possibilities were endless. At least Naruto believed they were.

All this of course lead to some interesting conversations and thoughts like the one they were having now. They were heading home from yet another so called mission. That had of course lacked any sense of teamwork.

'What, am I suppose to just challenge Sasuke to a fight, kick his ass and expect him to follow me? Would Sakura really appreciate that?'

'Of course not. You make it apparent that you are challenging him for the leadership position first. THEN you kick his ass and have him follow you. As for that pink haired vixen, why do you even care? She is barely even pretty by your standards, her body is in no way ready for kits, and she is useless in more ways than she is helpful. '

'Before, it was for naive sentimental and needy reasons. However now its because of her potential. She is obsessed with her Sasuke and is modelling everything based on that. If we can break that obsession or at least channel it she could go far. Besides I'm sure she will be quite the looker and wonderful mother material when she gets off her diets.'

'Fine I will concede the point to you. However in response I will bring up another. no matter how good she may be, she will never be proper alpha mate material. She will need someone to keep her in her place.'

Naruto groaned to himself. In the last couple of days while he was getting use to this new connection to the fox, this was one thing he found they just couldn't see eye to eye on. The perverted fox had a thing for having' multiple mates' as it put it.

'I still don't see the appeal. Why would you want more then one girl? Aren't you suppose to be happy with just one? Isn't that how love works?'

'Who said anything about love? That helps don't get me wrong, but multiple mates mean more varied kits, more people to take care of them, as well as a spicier bedroom.' That last part made Naruto blanch a bit. 'Oh don't be like that you'll understand when you are older and more interested in such. Also, who said anything about just girls?' That made Naruto blanch even more.

'You furry perverted bastard! Why would I want to sleep with a man?! I'm only interested in GIRLS!'

'Become a girl for an hour then get back to me.' Oh Kurama sounded way too smug about that. And the worst part was that Kurama was most likely right. Changing genders tended to mess with his head a little. It was why his sexy jutsu was so flirty. 'Besides I'm a being of chakra remember? I have no set gender nor do I care about it. A strong mate is a strong mate. And we will need a strong alpha to be at the head. Even if you stick to your pitiful human biases and only have one, I will NOT abide you having a mate weak in any aspect. They have to be strong in mind, body, and spirit. I foresee the pink haired banshee will be lacking in that third department even with your help.'

'Oh yeah? And who would you suggest?'

'Why not the girl behind us?' The girl behind- Oh.

Naruto breathed in deep through his nose and caught hold of the scent. The light soothing smell of lavender. He had only recently noticed it and her a few days ago, the same day he first formed his bond and got his senses upgraded. They didn't know how long she had been keeping it up, but according to her skill and seeming knowledge of his habits Hinata Hyuuga had been following him for quite some time.

'Hinata? but… she's weird. Not in a bad way, but still. And how does stuttering, blushing and even FAINTING in my mere presence make her strong?'

'Kit, its always the quiet shy ones you need to look out for. ALWAYS. She proved in class to be the strongest in a fight even if her kindness made it so she didn't hurt her opponents too badly. Her ability to stalk us unnoticed till recently shows she has brains and skill. Hell I wouldn't be surprised if her test scores are rather high. As for strength of spirit. If there is one thing I learned its that the loud ones are hiding the biggest weaknesses, and the quiet ones are hiding the biggest strengths. Under her stuttering exterior is a girl of great burning passion just waiting for the right spark. A roaring fire of passion that will enable her to lead others with great charisma, defend what she feels is important with her life, and lead to many an interesting night with her lucky chosen partner.' That last thought had far too much amusement attached to it. He could SEE the perverted grin on Kurama's muzzle.

'All she needs is a spark. Someone to ignite her inner fire, and encourage its growth. Unless I'm wrong, it looks like she choose you for that position.'

'But why?'

'You will have to ask HER that. Preferably over ramen.' Naruto found himself frowning. 'Oh don't give me that. You want to cultivate the pink one into being someone worth our time. So why not do the same for the lavender one? Build them both up, peel back their layers ,and see which one you REALLY desire? Who knows your decisions might surprise you.'

'Fine, but not tonight. I'm tired, dirty and distracted by other thoughts. If we are going to do this she deserves our full attention.'

'Agreed.'

'Good.' With that decided Naruto walked up the stairs to his apartment. All the while taking in the scent of lavender which persisted until he got to the door. He turned just enough to watch the retreating form of a girl with dark lavender hair and a beige jacket making her way down the street. Then he sighed and unlocked his door. Tomorrow would be eventful.


Sasuke leaned against his tree silently brooding. Well on the outside he was brooding. On the inside he was raging. Not only had he been stuck on a team with two worthless teammates, forced into a humiliating position where he had to support them, and been unable to grow since the teacher for some reason saw fit to hold them all back, but he was also being forced to do these… these.. CHORES. He was an elite. The best of his class, and he was forced to do the work of servants. Not only that but his so called teacher was never on time. Always making the team wait for hours on end.

However he refused to show his frustration. It was beneath him. Just like his teammates. The loud annoying fangirl, and the even louder and more annoying deadlast. Then again the deadlast had been rather quiet these last few days. It was almost like he was observing everyone and everything around him.

He snorted at that thought. Not like that mattered. Once a loser always a loser. It didn't matter if the loser improved. The Uchiha would always be better. Despite everything, he would get stronger, kill his brother, and avenge his clan. He just had to deal with these dead weights till then.

Thinking of dead weight… Naruto finally arrived. Not that he was late. The time they were supposed to meet up just hit. Sakura arrived just five minutes prior. Sasuke always made sure he was ten minutes early just so he would have SOME time to himself before the others showed up and got whiny.

So imagine his surprise when the blonde walked right up to Sasuke without a single look at Sakura, with a serious look on his face. That almost sparked interest in the avenger.

"Teme, since we have a few hours, how about a little challenge?" The dobe asked. Sasuke just huffed at him. "A quick little match. Just one match. Winner becomes leader of the team and the other members have to follow the leader's orders. Sound good?"

Now THAT got his interest. Though it sounded too good to be true. Then again it was right up the dobe's alley to suggest something like this and expect to win. He was far too big a moron to actually set a good trap. "That easy huh? Winner goes unchallenged by anyone?"

"Well loser CAN get a rematch at a later date but has to wait at least a day. As for anyone… Hey Sakura! If Sasuke agrees to these terms will you as well?"

The mentioned pinkett looked surprised, but her eyes gleamed as she looked at Sasuke with pure worship. Inside Sasuke scowled. However if this went like he knew it would he could make them stay out of his way and give him more time to get stronger. To gather more power.

It was a little too predictable when Sakura agreed. "Fine since we are all on board I accept. I look forward to putting you in your place dobe." He taunted with a smirk. Only it didn't get the usual reaction.

Instead the loser just smirked back, took several steps back, and fell into the academy beginning stance and waited. Sasuke felt his smirk turn into a scowl as he fell into his family's taijutsu stance. What followed was a staring contest as neither moved from their position.

The waiting game was quickly getting on Sasuke's nerves. His stance was infact a more defensive one, meant to take and redirect an opponent's charge. The fact that the blonde dobe WASN'T charging like usual was grating on his nerves. Not that it mattered. Even if Sasuke had to bring the fight to Naruto, he was still superior in taijutsu.

However just a he was about to close the distance the blonde decided to speak, "Remember Sasuke this will be Academy rules. the first to fall or surrender loses." Sasuke merely grunted in acknowledgement then charged in.

The distance was eaten up quickly. He had been the fastest fighter in their class. He drew back his arm in a telegraphed punch. Knowing the dobe, he would duck or move to the side. That would leave the blonde open to Sasuke's REAL attack, which would be a kick.

The blonde didn't try to dodge. Instead he raised his arms and turned slightly in order to block. That was fine with Sasuke as it still left the blonde's torso open for a punishing kick. One that was cocked and fired off faster than most in class could follow. A kick that landed squarely and solidly on target.

A kick that was caught when an arm wrapped around it, holding it fast.

Before the dark haired boy could react, the blonde stepped further into Sasuke's guard, twisted towards the trapped leg, and pulled. Before he knew it, Sasuke was on his back and pinned down.

"I win.", said the STILL smirking dobe. How? How had that happened. Sasuke responded with a mere glare that washed over the blonde like water off a ducks back.

As soon as the blonde released his leg and backed up, Sasuke kipped up back to his feet and sank back into his stance. "I'm not done yet." That caused the blonde's smirk to widen.

"Oh yes you are. We agreed on one match a day. You have to wait till tomorrow. Which means I'm team leader for today. Unless Sakura thinks she can beat me."

That brought all eyes onto the mentioned girl, who looked like she had been about to say something when when the loser asked his question. She suddenly looked unsure. This put Sasuke in a tough spot.

On one hand he had no confidence that Sakura could win. Oh she was the top kunoichi, but he couldn't figure out how that had been. Her Taijutsu had been one of the worst of the class. A lot of her physical skills had been terrible. So the chances were high that she would lose. In which case Sasuke was stuck where he was, at the mercy of the deadlast.

On the other hand, IF she did win then he would be at HER mercy. Then again, the loser had a crush on the pinkette. He could be trying to use this as a ploy to get her to feel grateful towards him. Let her win and get control.

However that left a loophole Sasuke could exploit. The blonde said they could only challenge each other once a day. Technically he never challenged Sakura. So if she did win, Sasuke could challenge her and then beat her easily to take control of the team himself. Yes, that was the way. However she would have to win, and for that he would have to challenge for leadership. He was going to have to say something he really didn't want to.

"Alright, fine. I have faith that Sakura can beat you." Ugh those words left a nasty taste in his mouth. However they had the desired effect. The girl immediately perked up and a fire burned in her eyes.

"If Sasuke believes in me then I can't lose. I challenge you Naruto for leadership of the team." She declared as she sank into a very by the book academy stance. Sasuke hid a frown as he cleared the area, as the blonde also sank into his stance.

What followed would forever be burned into his mind.

Naruto didn't throw the match. Didn't let the pinkette hit him. In fact when the wild haymaker came he duck under it then went behind her, grabbed a handful of hair and pulled, causing the girl to shriek in pain and surprise. However he wasn't done. He twisted his hand to get a better grip, forced the girl to face her crush, pulled down to make the girl fall to her knees…, and pulled a kunai.

Sasuke was stunned. The smirk was no longer on Naruto's face. What replaced it was a scowl. The surrounding area suddenly became colder by several degrees as the kunai was pressed to the girl's throat. She whimpered as she felt the cold edge touch her flesh. Her hands reaching back to try and free her hair. Her eyes looking desperately to him to save her.

"Sakura, I thought you would be predictable. But looks I was wrong. No one could have predicted just how pathetic you actually are. To charge in like that when you SAW that such a charge failed before. Where are the brains that you were praised for? Where is the skill you are suppose to have? You were suppose to be the best in our class weren't you? Than why is it you are below ME, the deadlast?" Naruto demanded. His voice was low. His words coming out slowly, like scolding a child. "The way I see it, I have two choices since I know you won't take any training seriously. I can let you live to probably die in the field, which would put me and Sasuke in danger, as well as risk mission failure. Or I can kill you now, make it look like an accident, and get you replaced with someone competent. The second option might be more merciful for all around."

"B-b-but Naruto, I thought-"

"That I had a crush on you?" Naruto finished for the girl who could only weakly nod. "Oh I did. But did you honestly think it would stick with how often you put me down, rejected me, and hit me with little to no provocation? If you honestly believed that you are a bigger idiot than you declared I was." He scolded with a growl. It made Sasuke shiver.

This was not right. This was the dobe they were talking about. The idiot that obsessed about being Hokage, and eating ramen. He wasn't a killer he.. he… His mind trailed off as he stared into Sakura's eyes. Eyes that desperately begged him for help. However his body wouldn't move. Couldn't move. This had to be a bluff. Had to be some unfunny prank. However it felt so real. So terribly real.

"What do you think Sasuke? You agree right? That she has no redeemable qualities for this team and should be removed right?" No, this was wrong. No one could possibly be this conversational in this situation. This had to be a bluff.

Sasuke shoved down his doubts and crossed his arms. He snorted as a smirk made its way on to his lips. "Yeah right, like you would-" he never got to finish his dismissal…

He watched with morbid fascination as the kunai slid along the girl's throat. The flesh parted and the life giving liquid flowed. He watched in horror as Sakura's body went limp then fell as her hair was released. He saw the corpse hit the ground and no move. His breath hitched. His eyes widened. He felt his knees start to buckle.

"Well then there we go. The dead weight has been removed." Naruto said with a pleased tone to his voice. Sasuke could only stare at him in horror. "I knew you would agree."

Sasuke couldn't say anything. His inaction caused the death of a teammate. True he didn't like her, but he didn't think…

"You know a thought just hit me." The blonde continued. "It is true that Sakura was always useless, but you also lost to me, and quickly I might add." New dread flooded the avenger's system. "You were always the top of our class, and yet you fell so easily. That makes you worse than her. It is true she wasted her potential, but you seem to have let it get away from you."

No, no. This couldn't be happening. He watched the killer before him regard the bloody knife in his hand then look at Sasuke before taking a step forward. "I guess there is still more fat that needs to be trimmed off. Killing you will make it harder to make it all look like an accident, but I think I can pull it off"

Sasuke's mind shut down. It had to. There were too many parallels. Too many reminders. It was just like that night. Just like that terrible night. His legs gave out as he screamed and tried to crawl away backwards.

That got his attacker to stop in his tracks. Only it was even worse now. Those eyes. They were just like Itachi's. Filled with disappointment. "Really? This is all it takes? This is your reaction? No defiance? No avenging your comrade? No smart remarks? Just cowardice? Is this how the great Sasuke Uchiha falls? This is how the mighty line of the elite of the village is severed?" The monster before him taunted.

Sasuke couldn't answer. His voice was constricted. The boy's very presence was suffocating. It felt like it would be best for Sasuke to just take his own life instead of sitting here. He was doomed either way. He might as well take the pleasure of killing him away from the person before him.

Then the pressure faded. The boy scoffed and turned from his victim and walked back over to Sakura. He rolled the body over, took out a rag and wiped away the blood before taking out a small jar and started to apply its contents to her neck. That was before taking out a bag and holding it under her nose, which forced her to open her eyes and gasp.

Now Sasuke was confused. Luckily it seemed like Naruto was willing to explain without him asking, "She only fainted, like I knew she would. She is weak in body and will power. However I didn't think YOU were also weak in that department as well Sasuke."

The boy stood then and stepped away before turning to face both himself and Sakura. When he spoke next his voice was stoic. "You both are pathetic. Kakashi has been trying to teach us teamwork. To work together and have each other's backs. However neither of you have tried to work with me or the team. You haven't tried to get to know me or get better. We have HOURS with which we could be bettering ourselves, and instead we sit around wasting time. That as weakened us. It also made manipulating the two of you into underestimating me way too easy to accomplish."

Naruto took a breath here and reached into his kunai pouch again. Sasuke flinched, and noticed Sakura did the same. Only instead of another piece of metal death, two nutrient bars were pulled out. The blonde then tossed each of his teammates one. "I REFUSE to let this happen again. I want my career to actually progress. Something that won't happen if my team gets killed, or fails a mission because they are pathetic idiots. As team leader I decree that every day while waiting for Kakashi we will run through exercises to improve our conditioning and teamwork. We will do all exercises together. If one of us lags we lag with them. We will continue until we can ALL do it.

On missions, when Kakashi isn't giving orders, I will tell you what to do. I will give orders, and you will follow them. The only questioning I desire to hear from you will be for clarification. If I tell you to pull weeds from a particular row, I expect you to pull every last weed from that row without question. If I tell you to do twenty-five jumping jacks, you will do so. Do I make myself clear?"

Neither Sasuke or Sakura said anything. This drew a growl from their newly proclaimed leader. "I said is that CLEAR!"

"Yes, sir." They both called.

"Good. Now we will eat these tasteless nutrient bars, and we will despise them. Then we will begin our exercises. Sakura, from now on you will stop dieting. the lack of calories and nutrition is starving your body and robbing you of the energy to even think of exercising." Sakura could only nod as she unwrapped the little piece of food she was given. "Good. Now lets dig in. We have wasted enough time as it is." WIth that the blonde pulled out a third bar and unwrapped it. Sasuke swallowed and followed the examples of his teammates.

Nothing was the same. Nothing ever would be. He could tell. He hated his weakness, but it looked like he was still powerless. He hated it, but he was going to have to follow Naruto. He just hoped that in the end he would be able to stand on his own. He never wanted to be at another person's mercy ever again.


Hinata wasn't sure to think about her crush. Oh she was still following him home. Though she noticed he was heading back from his team's mission earlier than usual. He also looked to be in far better mood and shape. Though she didn't know why.

In fact, Naruto seemed to have gone through a few changes over the last few days. First he traded out his orange jumpsuit for a dark green and black outfit that seemed to be made exclusively out of pockets. There were A LOT of pockets, both obvious and hidden. And none of them seemed to be empty at any point in time. It was the first thing he changed after meeting with his team a few days back. Though it… disturbed her that he had had to use a transformation in order to visit the store without any trouble. Something she had seen a few times.

However his clothes weren't the biggest change. No it was the feeling he gave off. Before, he had been a pillar of enthusiasm. He gave off energy like the sun gave off light. Even as all around him avoided him and ignored his presence, he still had one. However now… there wasn't as much warmth coming off him. It was like… he had decided to stop emitting what no one else seemed to want. It made her feel saddened inside even as she continued to follow him. Except now it was less to draw inspiration and more to try and figure out why he had changed.

So far she wasn't having a lot of luck in that pursuit.

She sighed to herself as she hid behind a pole and watched him take a left at the crossroad. Looked like he was going to stop by Ichiraku's. She would follow him there then leave. She didn't like to watch him eat. It made her hungry and sad since she couldn't join him. After all how could he-

"Hey Hinata, would you like to join me for some ramen?" her crushed called out, interrupting her thoughts. She froze and stared at him. He was staring right at her. he knew she was there. He had noticed her. How?

"Well? Do you want to or not?" He asked again with a curious smile. Hinata found herself blushing and trying to swallow from a dry mouth as she nodded. That caused the smile to widen and brighten. She nearly fainted right then and there, and it was only through sheer willpower and disbelief that she did not. "Then come on then."

Hinata took a few hesitant steps before he moved forward, took her hand, and lead her to his favorite restaurant. Again the girl nearly lost it then and there. Luckily all that happened was that the blood flooded her face. She Just knew her face was deeply red.

The blonde had changed so much over the last few days. However maybe the changes weren't bad. Especially if they lead to more of this.


Naruto smiled to himself as he unlocked the door to his apartment. He had just returned from walking Hinata home. She was a nice girl. The little date at Ichiraku's had been a fun experience. They had spent the time talking about each other, their teams, and eventually what lead her to following Naruto around. Okay so he had to do a fair amount of the talking and slowly guide her out of her embarrassed shell, but eventually they got there.

Who would have thought that one selfless deed would lead to a girl using him as the source of her inspiration? A rather cute girl. Okay so maybe Kurama had a bit of a point when it came to the lavender haired girl. As well as how his team was.

The smile faded from his face at the thought. Sakura had done exactly as predicted. Sasuke had not.

'I should have known the little cockroach would be a coward. It is always the haughty ones that hold the largest weaknesses. And the Uchiha have always been nothing BUT haughty.'

'Still to think that the massacre would leave that much of an imprint. From the way he acted I thought for sure that he was get angry. i was looking forward to kicking his ass twice.'

'So was I. I'm quite disappointed. Establishing dominance was far too easy.'

'Yes it was. However there is nothing we can do. It is done, and now we just have to keep it.'

Both halves of himself nodded in agreement. The mission they had done that day had been a breeze. There was still a few bumps to smooth out of course. Despite only doing a light workout, Sakura was all but wiped out by the the time Kakashi showed up. Not to mention even though both Sasuke and Sakura had jumped to to do as ordered there was still an undercurrent of fear and hesitation. Something that would likely remain for some time.

However before you gave the carrot you had to use the stick, and he needed to use a very big stick. However as things got more stable, he would introduce the carrots. They just needed to actually put in effort first. Well.. an effort without him threatening them or having to glare subtly.

He sighed to himself as he started to change for bed. He had a lot of work ahead of him. Not only did he have to guide his team down the right path kicking and screaming. He also had to guide a shy girl from her shell and into the real world. The latter was probably going to be far more enjoyable than the former.

'You brought it upon yourself kit.' Kurama reminded him. 'Though it would seem worth it. A strong mate and a pair of servants are almost always worth it.'

Naruto sighed again as he lay down. 'I am not taking anyone as a servant.' He thought menacingly as the fox's words sank in, only to hear it snicker.

'Retainers then. You are destined for great things kit. I can see you ruling some day. And rulers are entitled to having others sworn to their service. Besides what other use would they be? I still don't see that pink haired banshee as proper material.'

'Well, Sasuke might be good as a nemesis...' Naruto mused, 'He likely feels powerless right now. Which means he will try and overthrow me eventually. If I keep sprinkling little things that help increase his power, and bring him closer to his goal then...'

'He'd be one of your most useful retainers, true… until he feels he has reached the point he can kill you.' Kurama warned, 'Right now, he wants to be the best, and you just showed him he's far from it… Instead of antagonizing that, you instead push him. Make him stronger while showing that you are doing the same. Challenge him. Emphasis his own growth. Make him view you as a measuring stick and important to his life.'

Naruto found himself nodding. 'And Sakura?'

'Beat her with the stick some more, then hand the stick over to Hinata and let her get some giggles out of it. Possibly after tying the banshee up and suspending her to the ceiling.'

'Kurama...'

'Fine, you should do a lot of the same. She likely won't respond well from being pushed and challenged constantly likely the Uchiha. Instead she will need praise and a firm hand to guide her. However only praise her when she has overcome a serious obstacle. Make her earn her carrots, and she will likely go far. However don't be afraid to use the stick if she starts to lag. She needs to be firmly reminded that her old habits are not acceptable.'

Naruto nodded again. That made sense. He put an arm under his head as he stared up at the ceiling. He had his work caught out for him. However he would persevere. He would not be held back like this. The life of the ninja was about surviving. Something he planned to do. If that meant he had to work extra hard to prepare others so be it.

He would do just that.