A.N. A little bit later than I planned, but here's chapter three! The delay can mostly be attributed to my addiction to Mass Effect 3 online, and the build-up to my college classes commencing once again. That being said, my work load is shaping up to be considerably heavier this year, which could have a negative effect on my writing speed. I will strive to keep updating at a decent pace, but no promises can be made to how often I will manage to produce a chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, I wouldn't be working my way through community college with a job at a popular home improvement chain that rhymes with hoes.
OoOoOoOo
Chapter 3: Let it Burn
"Come on!" Konohamaru shouted, looking over his shoulder at the family of five following him. "We're almost there. The rescue party is just a few hundred meters-"
A flash of light filled the sky before them, followed by a massive boom. A moment later, a wave of heat rushed down the alleyway, ruffling their clothing. The woman clutched her baby to her breast as it began to wail; the man pulled his young son and daughter closer to his side. "What the hell just happened?" he yelled, obviously terrified.
Konohamaru was watching the smoke rising from where he knew Sasuke's camp had stopped, his jaw hanging open. That's when the screaming began, mixed with a loud popping that the newly promoted jounin had never heard before. "Y-you all need to hide." He took a deep breath, and forced the waver out of his voice. "I have to find out what just happened."
He led them into a nearby house, his senses on high alert. When they reached the back room, Konohamaru cautiously opened the closet door. Once he had confirmed that it was indeed empty he waved the family inside, "I'm going to set up some traps on the outside of the door," Konohamaru said, pulling some wire from a pouch on his hip. "You shouldn't need them. It looks like the enemy has been through here already, if you stay quiet they won't find you."
"Thank you," the woman whispered. "If you hadn't come along when you did. I...We..."
The man wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders. "You saved us, young man. You deserve a goddamn medal."
The young Sarutobi blushed, scratching the bridge of his nose. "Well...I...Um..."
"M-mr. Ninja?" a little voice said meekly. Konohamaru looked down, surprised to see the little boy looking up at him. His twin sister still had her face buried in her father's pant leg, but the boy had moved a few steps towards the dark-haired youth. "Y-you're gonna beat up the b-bad guys, r-right?"
Konohamaru grinned, ruffling the child's hair with one hand. "That's the plan, little guy. You hold tight here- protect your family. I'll be back soon." As the boy smiled up at him, Konohamaru closed the closet the door and set to work securing the room.
It took several minutes for him to finish his work, when he stepped out of the building he was surprised to see that a heavy storm cloud had settled above the village. In a way, he figured it suited the day's events. War shouldn't be sunny.
He had closed over half the distance between himself and Sasuke's camp when the sky flashed with light again. Konohamaru was momentarily blinded as lightning streaked across the sky, burning a shape reminiscent to a dragon into the young man's vision. He was questioning the ghostly after-image of the lightning-bolt when the ground practically shook with the thunder. Konohamaru redoubled his effort, sprinting towards the source of what he suspected was not a natural storm.
He entered the remnants of Sasuke's rescue camp unopposed, its raiders supposedly gone. After taking a few steps, Konohamaru stopped, staring around the area wide-eyed. A crater stood in the middle of the camp, surrounded by a patch of destruction several dozen meters in every direction. Bodies littered the road, some of them burned and some of them stabbed. Who had done this?
His attention was drawn by the sound of shouting nearby. Was that Sasuke? He darted towards the sound, his feet beating a rapid cadence on the dirt-road.
"Burn, you son of a bitch!"
That was definitely Sasuke's voice. Konohamaru rounded the corner and was greeted with the sight of the Uchiha hugging a man with curly, brown hair. The next moment, the two of them were engulfed in an inferno of black flames. Then Sasuke was gone, and the other man was standing by himself, the black fire roaring around him.
The man's eyes cast around before finally coming to rest on him. A deep cold set into Konohamaru's gut, and the scream died in his throat as his head twisted harshly to the side. The last thing he registered was the deafening crack of his neck breaking.
OoOoOo
Shikamaru ducked behind the crumbling remains of a nearby food-stand as another round of explosive weapon-fire filled the air with noise. It didn't matter, he had seen what he had needed to. The Nara's fingers formed a rat seal, causing the shadow of his cover to stretch out in a long tendril. It closed the distance fast and soon had the gunman in its grip. The other invaders didn't realize what had happened until their ally had turned the weapon on them, mowing them down in seconds.
"Now!" Shikamaru shouted, jumping out from behind cover and sprinting towards the remains of the enemy platoon. The enemy ensnared by his jutsu copied his movements, unable to fight the possession. As they closed the distance, Shikamaru drew a kunai from a holster on his wrist; unfortunately for his enthralled enemy, Shikamaru had drawn the blade from a place that the other man didn't have a weapon. Shikamaru released his jutsu milliseconds before his knife sunk to the hilt in his victim's chest, batting the other man's arm harmlessly aside with his free hand.
Behind him dozens of Konoha shinobi rushed the enemy line. Faced with the fury of the leaf ninja, it only took seconds for the demoralized group to break ranks and retreat. Trained never to show mercy during war, the enraged ninja targeted their enemies' backs, virtually wiping out the entire platoon. Shikamaru raised a hand when only one attacker was left. A young woman, maybe in her mid-twenties, was frantically hurdling over the fallen bodies of her comrades.
Shikamaru's eyes flickered to the dead Konoha shinobi strewn haphazardly about the street. All of those wasted lives. His face drew into a frown, and he brought his hand down sharply. The next moment, multiple kunai and shuriken sprouted from the woman's back. She stumbled several feet, then fell to her knees, screaming. She raised her arms, trying to reach back between her shoulder blades to grasp the protruding handle of a kunai.
Even from his location several dozen meters away, Shikamaru could here her chanting, "Oh God. Oh God. Please, no, I don't wanna die!"
Before Shikamaru could give the order to put the woman down, a kunai struck her between the eyes with such force that it went almost completely through her skull. It came to a stop with the blade protruding from the back of her head, its hilt still hidden inside her brain. Her body went limp and she slumped to the ground, dead, her fingers still wrapped around the handle sticking out of her back.
Shikamaru scanned the battlefield, searching for the one who had thrown the weapon. His gaze was drawn to a lone figure, walking towards his group from the hostile zone. As the person got closer, Shikamaru let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. He raised one hand, waving at the other man, "Oi, Konohamaru!"
Konohamaru returned the wave, and the platoon of Konoha ninja burst into cheers. The young Sarutobi jogged up, and as he got closer Shikamaru could see that he wasn't injured. In fact, the kid looked like he hadn't even been fighting. "Hey, Shikamaru!"
Shikamaru shook the young Jounin's hand, smiling. "It's good to see you, we could use the help."
The dark-haired boy returned the smile, his teeth flashing. "Damn straight! I've been looking for you forever! The Hokage sent me, there's news from the eastern front."
The Nara stared at Konohamaru for a moment, then nodded his head. "Okay, let's head back to headquarters, we can discuss the intel there."
OoOoOo
Naruto missed a step, his feet tangled together, and he crashed to the ground with a thud. Obito was by his side in a moment, pulling the fallen Uzumaki to his feet. "Are you okay, Naruto?"
"Sasuke activated his seal," Naruto said flatly. "He's dead."
"What?" Obito asked, clearly confused. "What do you mean he's dead? What seal?"
The blond took a shaky breath, fighting to keep his emotions in check. He managed to give Obito a rundown on his agreement with the Raikage without trouble; but as he went on to explain that Sasuke had used the seal of his own volition, Naruto could feel the tears welling unbidden in his eyes. He wiped them away with the heel of his hand, ruthlessly crushing his emotions. "He must have had a reason, we need to find out what it was."
It didn't take them long to reach the location of all the recent activity. The battlefield was pretty beat up, but Naruto immediately recognized the remains of Sasuke's katana. He reached down, picking up the broken sword by its hilt. "It's Sasuke's..." he murmured, taking in his surroundings as he straightened back up. His eyes fell on a swath of the road that had been charred black by fire.
Obito knelt down in the soot, touching it lightly with his fingers. "Amataratsu...there's no doubt about it..."
Naruto was silent for a time, his expression thoughtful. Suddenly, he dropped down to the ground, sitting with his legs crossed. "I'm going to absorb some of the residual chakra in the area. I might be able to figure out what happened here." He paused, setting the sword to the side so that his hands were free to form the ram seal, then added, "Watch my back."
The blond sat like that for several minutes, his eyes closed, while Obito stood guard at his side. Soon, Naruto's eyes opened a crack and he climbed to his feet. "Well?" asked Obito, "What did you see?"
"Sasuke..." Naruto's gaze flickered to the two places where the soot was thickest, "He activated the seal here. Why would he use the seal though? He can use the Amatarasu at will, he shouldn't have had to resort to using this."
Obito looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking. "Perhaps his Sharingan were rendered inert? You've done the same to me, maybe he was fighting a seal master?"
Konoha's Hokage didn't look convinced. "You could be right, I suppose." Naruto reached down and retrieved the broken sword, hefting it in his hand. The weight of the sword shifted slightly as something inside the hilt slid around. Naruto's eyebrows drew together in surprise. Turning it over so that the bottom of the handle was pointing towards his face, Naruto felt along the sides until he felt a hidden latch. He depressed it, causing the bottom of the hilt to pop open on an internal spring. The blond tilted it down, which caused a small tightly wound scroll fall into the palm of his hand.
Obito whistled appreciatively. "Bonus prizes."
Naruto fixed the Uchiha with a withering look. "Shut up, Obito." At his words, Obito's mouth closed with an audible clack. His attention returning to the scroll in his hands, Naruto pulled the string from around the rolled paper and unfurled it smoothly. His eyes scanned the contents of the scroll, reading it twice for good measure. When he was done, he looked back at Obito and asked, "Did the demon you to told me about refer to himself as Flagg?"
Obito nodded, making a muffled sound low in his chest. It took Naruto a moment to remember that he had ordered the Uchiha to stop talking, so he gave him permission to speak. Obito coughed, pounding his fist against his chest. "Goddammit, don't do that!" Clearing his throat, he went on to say, "Yeah, I'm guessing that's who Sasuke was fighting? Poor bastard."
"Sasuke said that the guy had his neck broken, and he just spun his head back the right way and went about his business like nothing had happened. Sound like your guy?" When Obito nodded his affirmation, Naruto continued. "Sasuke said he lost an eye in the fighting, but he still intended to take out Flagg." Naruto's gaze flickered to the burn marks on the ground, "Did he kill it?"
Obito stroked his chin with his thumb and forefinger. "Technically, Amatarasu flames aren't a typical jutsu. It is possible that they could have harmed Flagg." He gestured towards where Sasuke and Randall had had their final confrontation. "That being said, Flagg isn't dead. Even if Sasuke did destroy his body, which will definitely be a huge advantage in the future, Flagg would have just jumped ship into the closest unoccupied vessel."
Naruto looked up at the monument looming above. He took a deep breath, then started walking towards the path that led up to the hidden bunkers. "Let's go, Obito."
The dark-haired man started following him but it was clear that he was confused. "Where are we going? Flagg's gonna be where the fighting is thickest."
"In his note, Sasuke said that it was important that I went to the bunkers as soon as I found his message. He didn't say why, but Sasuke wouldn't have bothered telling me if it wasn't important." Silence fell between them as their feet ate up the distance separating them from the bunkers.
"Looks like we're getting close..." Obito observed as they passed the decapitated body of one of Flagg's men.
The number of dead increased as they went further up the mountain- the majority of them from injuries inflicted by a blade. Naruto's fist clenched tighter around the hilt of the blade he knew had caused the damage. To his disgust, Naruto found himself enjoying the sight; after all, every dead enemy soldier meant one less person looking to kill his people. Naruto pushed past the thought, doggedly putting one foot in front of the other. Soon, they reached the top of their climb and were met with a battlefield. The entire expanse of flat ground that led up to the bunker's entrance was littered with dozens of bodies. It stank of death, and the ground had been stained crimson with blood.
"Damn, Sasuke tore them a new ass, didn't he?" Obito asked, chuckling as he stepped up to Naruto's side where he had stopped walking.
The blond gave no indication of hearing him; his eyes were locked on a pink-haired form several dozen meters before them. It was as if the world had been put on mute. Naruto's feet felt like lead; his mouth was filled with cotton and he couldn't seem to get enough air into his lungs. "No..." he whispered, taking an unsteady step forward, followed by another, before breaking into a run,. As he closed in, Naruto could see the blood soaking Sakura's torso.
The blade fell to the ground with a clatter as Naruto slid to a stop next to her, his feet sliding haphazardly in the dust. "No...No, no, no..." He repeated the word over and over, his voice becoming more and more desperate each time, as he tried to figure out what to do. Naruto put one hand on the wound that had ended Sakura's life, his hand suffused with chakra. "Please, Sakura, wake up!" He poured energy into her body, desperately trying to undo the fatal injury.
Obito approached from behind him, clearing his throat in an attempt to get Naruto's attention. "Naruto, she's-"
Naruto's head snapped back to look at the Uchiha over his shoulder. His eyes, tinged with red, locked with the other man's. "Go away!"
Obito looked taken aback, then nodded his head. "Yes, sir. Call me when I can be of service." With that, the Uchiha slowly faded out of existence like a cloud of smoke.
Now alone, Naruto turned his attention back to his wife's cooling body. He was by no means a medical ninja, and the fact that the wound was still gaping was testament to that. "Don't leave me, Sakura. Please!"
This time, the voice that interrupted him came from inside of his head. 'Naruto. She's gone, there's nothing you can do for her now.'
Naruto's eyes widened, "Kurama!" he cried, hope in his voice. "Y-you can do something right? Please, help her!"
'Naruto...It's not that simple.'
"Yes it is! You've grew back my limbs! You've fixed my broken spine! Hell, you've regrown my heart! Something like this should be child's play to you! Do something, I know you can!"
'Damn it, Naruto, think!' the demon's voice roared inside of his head. 'Yes, I did those things, but in all cases they had been recent! Your brain hadn't been deprived of oxygen for more then a few moments! Sakura's been here long enough for her body temperature to drop noticeably!' Kurama's tone softened, and Naruto could hear the concern laced into his words. 'I know it's hard, Naruto, but she's beyond saving. Yes, I could revive her body, but her brain is dead too- that's something even I can't fix. If I brought her back, she would not be as you knew her; she couldn't even function as a human being.'
The chakra faded from around Naruto's hand and he sat back, his face blank. Slowly, he pulled Sakura's body into his lap, cradling her form against his chest. He stared down at her face; her image blurred as tears filled his eyes. "I love you, Sakura." His hand fell to rest on her stomach and a fresh bolt of pain shot through his heart. "I'm sorry I wasn't here to protect you...O-or our b-b-baby... Please, S-S-Sakura, I'm s-so s-s-sor-ry." His words, which had started as a soft whisper, quickly degenerated into sobs as he clutched his wife's body closer to his own.
Naruto Uzumaki, the most powerful ninja in the Hidden Leaf Village, turned his head up to the sky and wailed as his home fell to ruins around him.
OoOoOo
Loud ringing filled Ino's ears, blocking out all other noise. What had happened? Chouji had beaten the guy with the crazy weapon and then...
The explosion! Ino's eyes snapped open and she rolled over onto her stomach. Getting one foot under her body, she used her arms and that leg to push herself up into a standing position. She looked around but saw no sign of her teammate. "Chouji! Where are-" She started to shout, but stopped mid-way out of confusion. Using one hand to gently touch the side of her head, Ino pulled it back to reveal digits slick with blood. "Burst eardrums," she murmured, the sound of her own words not reaching her ears.
She took a step forward and nearly collapsed; a sign that her equilibrium had been thrown off by the explosion as well. She took a deep breath, then struggled forward, her eyes scanning for any sign of the Akimichi. Her gaze settled on a nearby pile of rubble that had a pool of blood growing steadily bigger around it.
Her heart raced in her chest as she darted over to the pile of rock and wood. With reckless abandon, the youngest member of the Yamanaka clan dug through the debris. As she pulled away a rock the size of her head, Ino caught her first glimpse of Chouji's familiar brown hair. "Chouji!" she screamed, throwing the chunk of concrete over her shoulder, "Hold on just a little longer! I'm going to get you out of there!" If he replied, Ino couldn't hear him.
A Jounin in his mid-forties appeared beside her, and Ino turned her head in time to read the last few words on his lips. "-elp you, ma'am."
The blonde nodded her head vigorously, "Thank you." To the other ninja, her words surely sounded out of pitch- he didn't call notice to it though. Instead, he set to work rescuing his trapped commander and Ino started back a millisecond later.
It only took a minute or two more before the large, unconscious man had been completely extricated from the rubble. It was now that the full extent of his injuries became clear. Blood leaked from his ears, mouth, and nose; damage from the explosive's shock-wave no doubt. But what truly terrified Ino was the state of his left arm, which had been shredded in the explosion. His hand and over half of his forearm were missing, and what remained was a twisted mess of flesh and bone.
Ino's hand unconsciously came up to cover her mouth as her stomach turned. Her medical mind, however, was examining the situation with a calm that only came with years of experience. Chouji was losing a lot of blood, and the best way to get it to stop in their current situation was by cauterizing the wound. This was complicated, however, by the damage to his upper arm. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew there was only one option. Her hand fell to the pouch on her hip, coming back with a piece of smooth wood. "I need you to hold him down," Ino ordered, her eyes locking with the other Jounin's. "If I don't amputate his arm, he's going to bleed out before we can get him to a hospital tent!"
The man drew back at the volume of her voice-unnaturally loud due to her loss of hearing-then nodded his head. "Yes, ma'am."
Ino took a steadying breath, then leaned over her fallen teammate's form to place the wood between his teeth. Even when unconscious, men had been known to bite off their own tongues during an amputation; Ino wasn't taking that chance. Her helper got up and put all of his weight on Chouji's chest, holding the large man to the ground. Ino glanced over at the man and nodded once. Her hand began to glow with a thin rotating coating of green chakra.
Chouji surged upwards as the chakra-scalpel made contact with his flesh. "Hold him!" Ino screamed, pressing forward with the battlefield surgery. The other Jounin pressed down harder on the patient's chest, forcing him back down. The blade of energy bit further into Chouji's shoulder, slicing and cauterizing at the same time. The air filled with a high-pitched whine as the scalpel began slicing through bone as well and Chouji began to yell at the top of his lungs. The next moment, Chouji slumped back down, the tension leaving his muscles. Ino's hand continued its trajectory, severing ligaments and bone as it sliced through what remained of his arm.
Finally, after what had felt like hours, it was done. She sat back on her heels, wiping the sweat from her forehead with her shirt-sleeve. After catching her breath, Ino leaned forward and placed a hand gently on his head, letting her chakra flow freely into his body. It only took a moment for the chakra to rouse the sleeping man, and his eyes fluttered open. "Ino?" he croaked.
Ino stared down at him as his lips moved. "Yes, Chouji, it's me." Her face lit up with a smile. "You did it, you big-lug, you saved everyone."
"Why are you crying?" Ino almost missed these words as her eyes flickered from his lips to his missing arm.
Ino's hand came up and wiped away tears she didn't remember shedding. "You were hurt...I couldn't save your arm...I...I had to...to..."
Chouji's gaze flickered down to what remained of his limb. After a moment, it returned to the blonde kneeling beside him. "I suppose if it wasn't for you, I'd be dead right now. Thank you, Ino."
"Please, never do that again. I thought I'd lost you."
Chouji smiled up at her, "Well, as long as you're here, I'll always have someone to patch me up."
The blonde stared down at Chouji for a long moment, her heart hammering in her chest. On impulse, she lowered her mouth to his and kissed him softly on the lips; she pulled back a moment later, her face blazing.
Chouji, for his part, lay like a bewildered child, his eyes wide in shock. He blinked once, then twice. He finally found his voice, "W-What was that for?"
Ino didn't meet his eyes. "I read a bunch of sappy 'knight in shining armor' stories as a kid," she said, her eyes locked on an unnaturally interesting chunk of mortar on the ground. "You saved my life, and the damsel always gives her rescuer a kiss at the end of the story." Her face burned a brighter shade of red, "Like I said, sappy, I just-"
The Akamichi had somehow managed to get himself into a sitting position even in his injured state. His hand touched her shoulder, cutting her off. "Well, you saved me too, so I suppose that makes me a damsel as well." He leaned forward, pressing his mouth against hers.
It was Ino's turn to gawk. "You are such a dork," she said, nervous laughter bubbling out of her throat.
OoOoOo
"We caught a break," Shikamaru began as they entered the tent, reaching into his pocket to fish out a cigarette. "The Kazekage had a contingent of soldiers in the forest not even a day's travel from the village. Some sort of wilderness survival training."
"Is that right?" Konohamaru asked, intrigued.
"Yeah, if nothing goes wrong they should be here before sundown." He paused as he took a moment to light his cancer-stick. "What's the news from Naruto?"
Konohamaru was standing in the entrance of the tent, only a silhouette against the sunlight filtering through the opening. "He said that he had taken out an enemy commander and an entire company of soldiers."
"I know," Shikamaru answered, blowing out a cloud of smoke. "The company on our southern flank was decimated by a bunch of toads earlier. That's Naruto's work if I've ever seen it. Is there anything else?"
"Yeah, there is one more thing I've got to tell you."
Shikamaru turned his back to Konohamaru, shuffling through some papers on his desk. "Well? What is it?"
The dark-haired youth's face split into a feral grin. "Konohamaru's dead!" he cried shrilly, lunging forward with his fist outstretched.
The motion was too fast for the eye to follow, and Konohamaru's fist slammed violently into the back of Shikamaru's head. The Leaf jounin exploded in a cloud of smoke. "Gotcha."
The man's eyes narrowed as he felt his muscles lock into place. "I'm surprised you saw through me, Shikamaru. What gave me away?"
Shikamaru's voice came from behind him. "Konohamaru has known Naruto for over half of his life. Even after he had earned the title of Hokage, I've never heard Konohamaru call him anything that could be considered formal."
"Had known," the man corrected. "He's dead now. You will be too, in just a few seconds." His muscles bulged as he started slowly turning around to face his captor.
Sweat beaded on Shikamaru's forehead as he poured more chakra into his jutsu. "Who are you?" he asked through gritted teeth.
The man that looked like Konohamaru continued to turn until he was facing Shikamaru. He rolled his eyes, shrugging his shoulders effortlessly. "Boy, am I getting tired of answering that question. Call me Flagg."
Realizing that his shadow possession wasn't working, Shikamaru thrust his arm forward, sending a spike of shadow towards Flagg's head. The man's body seemed to blur as he dashed towards Shikamaru, ducking under the tendril and swinging a kunai the Leaf ninja hadn't seen him draw. A shadow snagged the back of Shikamaru's vest, jerking him backwards, but he didn't move fast enough. The steel blade nicked his jugular vein, and he was swept with dizziness as his blood pressure dropped sharply.
Flagg mocked Shikamaru's earlier statement, "Gotcha!" as he watched the Nara fall to his knees, holding a hand over the spewing cut in an attempt to stem the blood-flow. He started towards the kneeling ninja, his footsteps unnaturally loud on the wooden floor. His foot connected harshly with Shikamaru's sternum, knocking him down on his back. "Don't worry, I'll let you get back to bleeding to death in just a second. But before I do," he put his hands on his hips and bent forward to look at the prone man. His grin looked horribly out of place on Konohamaru's face. "Everything you did was for nothing. Everyone in this village is going to die before the sun sets today. Now, I can see you're busy. I'll leave you to it." With that, Shikamaru was alone.
He gritted his teeth, keeping pressure on his throat as blood seeped thickly through his fingers. With his other hand, he dug in the pocket of his vest until he came up with a small piece of paper. The moment he took his hand away from his wound, he slapped the paper over the gash. He did his best to muffle his scream as the incendiary tag ignited with a flash.
OoOoOo
Naruto rocked back and forth, Sakura's body clutched tightly to his chest. His shoulders shook with sobs every few seconds, and a steady flow of tears streamed down his cheeks. He was so blind to the world around him that he didn't notice when Kakashi approached him.
"Naruto?" the silver-haired man asked softly. When he didn't get a reply, Kakashi touched Naruto on the shoulder, making the blond jump violently. "Naruto, it's me, Kakashi!"
The Hokage stared at him, his eyes wild. It wasn't clear whether he was going to attack his visitor or jump up and hug him. "Kakashi?" he croaked. He coughed, realizing just how dry his throat had become.
Kakashi held a water-skin, offering it to Naruto. "Here, drink this."
Naruto slowly reached out and took the water. He took a long drink of the liquid, turning the skin almost vertical while he drained it. He gasped for air as he stopped drinking, handing it back to his former sensei. "Thanks," he murmured, his attention immediately returning to Sakura.
"Naruto. The village is in trouble, they need your help." His one visible eye flickered down to the limp form in Naruto's arms. "It hurts, I know that, but you have to save your grieving for after you save the ones who are still alive."
Naruto's gaze locked with Kakashi's. "Kakashi..I just can't, I..." he took a shaky breath, trying to calm his nerves. "Sakura was everything to me. Without her...I..."
Kakashi squatted down in front of the blond, putting his hands on Naruto's shoulders. "It's hard, I get it. But what about everyone you still have? Shikamaru? Hinata? Lee?" He gently shook the other man. "They need a leader, and if you don't get up and get back out there then all of them will die!"
Naruto slowly began nodding his head. "You're right..." He looked back down at Sakura's unnaturally pale face. Her eyes were closed, but he thought she looked anything but peaceful. "She wouldn't want me to fall to pieces like this." It took all of his willpower to loosen his grip on her body and carefully lower her to the ground. He took Kakashi's proffered hand and let the other ninja help him to his feet.
"Are you ready?"
Naruto's eyes were a frighting shade of crimson when he turned his gaze towards Kakashi. All feelings of grief had transformed into rage the moment he had broken contact with his lost love. "Yeah..." he growled, his features becoming more animalistic. "I don't think I've been more ready for anything in my entire life." When he next spoke, his words were directed at Sakura. "Hold on for just a little while, Sakura, you won't be alone for long."
"She's not alone, Naruto."
The blond turned back to his teacher but there was no sign of the other man. Of course there wasn't.
Kakashi Hatake had been dead for five years.
OoOoOo
Hinata knelt in the dirt in the remains of what had been Konoha's strongest remaining military regiment. On either side of her, men and women were lined up for several dozen meters, kneeling with their fingers laced behind their heads per their captors' instructions; prisoners of war.
The enemy had attacked minutes after Shikamaru had entered his tent with Konohamaru, and their leader had never come back out. Without his direction, the enemy's superior numbers had crushed what meager resistance the ninja could respond with after being caught flat-footed.
Konohamaru blurred into existence nearby, startling the Hyuuga. In his hand was a small piece of grey metal with what appeared to be a wooden handle. He began walking up and down the back of the line, spinning the object around on his finger by a loop on its bottom.
"What have we got here?" he asked in a voice that didn't belong to the young Sarutobi. "Konoha's last hope reduced to a line of beaten mongrels? How sad, I was hoping you would do better than that." He paused, as if expecting a reply, but none of the captive shinobi took his bait. "Nothing to say? No matter, I like the sound of my own voice anyway."
He clucked his tongue, increasing the speed with which he twirled the object. "I've practically won, now. My biggest priority is what to do with my spoils..."
He passed behind Hinata and she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end from his proximity alone.
"I'm sure I could find a wealthy man in need of a few concubines; or perhaps a rice field owner in need of cheap labor? What do you lovely folks think?" Again, no one answered. He giggled exuberantly, turning on his heel and walking back up the line towards Hinata. "You know, when you're right, you're right. Selling you or renting you out would be way too much trouble. It'll be easier to just execute you all." He pressed the metal object against the back of the teenaged chuunin's head who was kneeling to Hinata's right. An instant later, his brains splattered the road in front of him as a loud pop almost deafened the dark-haired woman.
Several people cried out in shock. Then the man who looked like Konohamaru once again made that tittering laugh, holding up the thing that had just made a man's head explode. "This, kids, is called a gun. How you idiots had access to gunpowder for so long but never made a gun is quite frankly beyond my comprehension." He stepped through the line of people again, continuing on past Hinata. His arm snapped forward and the gun fired again, this time putting a slug between the eyes of a crying genin who fell backwards into a heap. A jounin, the genin's teacher no doubt, jumped up to rush to the dead girl's side only to suffer the same fate. The man blew smoke away from the barrel of the gun and went back to twirling it on his finger.
"This is getting boring..." his face lit up and his lips turned up in a grin. "How about this, I'll let one of you go. No strings attached, all you have to do is stand up and leave right now. You should know, however, that once you're gone I'm going to pick right back up where I left off," he gestured towards one of the bodies. Several moments passed, until a heavily scarred man with a bandana tied over his skull climbed to his feet. "Ooh, we have a taker!" Konohamaru's look-a-like said in a sing-song voice. "Tell everyone your name so they can know exactly who left them to die."
The man was shaking, his fists clenched tightly at his side. "Ibiki," he spat, not moving his gaze from the ground.
"Ibiki, hm? A name that will forever go down as that of a coward."
The former interrogation officer leaped forward, plunging a poisoned senbon needle into Konohamaru's neck. "A liar? Maybe. A coward?" he growled, "Never."
The dark-haired youth rolled his eyes, slamming his forehead into the older man's face and sending him hobbling backwards. With slow, mechanical precision he raised his gun and put two slugs into Ibiki's chest. "Like no one's ever tried that before!" He snickered, and suddenly his gaze locked on Hinata's. "Ooh, a Hyuuga!" he said loudly, like a child in a candy store. He practically jogged over to her, stopping less than half a meter away, and raising his weapon. "I've never had the pleasure of killing the last member of a ninja clan before. Happy birthday to me!"
Hinata flinched involuntarily as the cold barrel of the gun touched her forehead lightly. Steeling herself, she looked back up at her attacker, staring death in its face with a calmness only a Hyuuga could show. She heard the clicking of the hammer as it drew back. For just a moment, Hinata was sitting on the porch with Kiba, sipping her tea and watching the sunset. She could practically feel Akamaru's head lying in her lap. The dog barked, its ears perking up as a rabbit darted across the yard. For a second there, she thought she had actually heard Akamaru bark but that wasn't possible...
Akamaru exploded out of nowhere, his massive bulk smashing into Konohamaru's body-snatcher and sending him flying. Konohamaru's possessed body hit the ground hard and bounced away, the gun flying from his grip. Akamaru positioned himself between the Hyuuga and the demon, his fur bristling and his lips curled in a vicious snarl.
The man jumped back to his feet, brushing the dirt off of his clothes. "Well, if it isn't Old Yeller!" he said, grinning his predatory smile. "Is Uncle Flagg gonna have to put you down?" He raised one hand, a crimson ball of energy forming in the center of his palm.
Akamaru snarled; steadfastly holding his ground. Hinata climbed to her feet, heedless of the enemy soldiers milling around-they were too entranced by the display of power to notice her anyway-and snagged a fistful of Akamaru's scruff. "Move! Please, sweetie, we have to move!"
In front of them, Flagg had finished charging his attack. "Too late!" He cried shrilly, taking aim.
His attention was broken, however, by a double chorus of, "Seventh Gate: Gate of Wonder, open!"
Flagg turned his attention to his right just as a foot slammed into his unprotected gut and sent him head-over-heels across the street. A blur was right behind him and launched its follow up attack before Flagg had even hit the ground. At the same time, enemy soldiers began to drop dead as a second blur of green shot through the camp. Even with Hinata's enhanced vision, it took her a second to realize that the two blurs were actually Rock Lee and Might Gai.
OoOoOo
Naruto didn't risk another glance at Sakura's corpse, his fingers curled into fists. "Obito."
A portal formed a few meters in front of him, revealing the Uchiha. "Yes, Naruto?"
"I release you from your promise. I'll be taking the honor of sealing that bastard away."
Obito lifted his eyebrows in surprise as he stepped out of the portal. He frowned and shook his head firmly. "No, Naruto, it's my duty to stop him."
"No!" Naruto spat, clearly angry. "That son of a bitch got my wife killed!" His voice was loud, but the quaver in it could easily be heard. "I want to be the one to take him down!"
Obito's expression softened as he approached the younger man, stopping a few steps before him. "I know what it like to loose someone." He took a deep breath and glanced at Sakura's body. "I know how it feels to arrive too late to save the one you love."
Naruto glared at the dark-haired man. "Don't you dare talk to me about loss. If it wasn't for you none of this would have happened! You gave that thing a body to begin with!"
Obito didn't appear to be affected by Naruto's words. "But you have an advantage that I didn't have," he continued smoothly.
"Just what the fuck are you talking about?"
"If Flagg can jump through dimensions then why can't you?" Obito gestured towards Naruto's naval. "With the power and knowledge that the Kyuubi holds, and your knowledge of time-space jutsu, I'm sure you can figure out a way to utilize it. If you do, you could find a world almost exactly like this one. One where Flagg never interfered."
Naruto gritted his teeth. "That doesn't matter! My Sakura's gone, another won't take her place!"
"I know, which is exactly why I didn't even attempt to do so myself. But there's something else you should know." Obito reached into his pocket and pulled out a small journal. "While he was possessing me, Flagg and I conversed quite a bit. One day, he mentioned a contingency plan should he be defeated it this world."
"What exactly was this 'contingency plan?'"
"Flagg has a bit of an ego; he hates losing." The dark-haired man tilted the book side to side. "So he had already planned his next inter-dimension jump should he fail. In this book are some formulas that explain the logistics behind how he plots his next course. It also has a..." he trailed off, searching for the word that he need, "Geographic location isn't the right word, obviously, but its the only one that comes to mind." He snapped his fingers, suddenly excited. "Coordinates! A set of coordinates, that's the phrase I was looking for!"
"So it tells me where he's planning on going next..." Naruto murmured thoughtfully.
"Exactly. We don't have time to figure out how to beat him today, and once he's been sealed accessing him will be impossible. If you catch him in the next world, you could get some real revenge. The bloody kind."
Naruto chewed on his lower lip for a moment, then nodded. "You're right. I don't wanna just seal this thing away. I want to kill it. Let's go, Obito, same plan as before."
OoOoOo
Lee came to a stop beside the shocked Hyuuga. His skin was a deep shade of red and his body was surrounded with a green aura. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice several octaves lower than it normally was.
Hinata nodded, "Yes. I'm fine...Wh-"
A boom filled the air and the two Konoha ninja turned to see Gai and Flagg in a stand-off. Their hands were interlaced and both were straining to push the other back. Flagg grinned, his face relaxing as if he were no longer trying. "That all you got?" He began to push back against Gai, forcing the man backwards as his feet scrambled for purchase.
"You're definitely not Konohamaru..." Gai locked eyes with Lee for the briefest of moments, before taking a deep breath and setting his jaw. "Eight Gate: Gate of Death-"
"No!" Lee screamed, realizing what his teacher was doing. He darted forward, aiming to get at Flagg's unprotected back.
"Open!" The ground beneath their feet began to shake violently as Gai's muscles began to bulge even more under his jumpsuit. His feet found traction, and with a mighty bellow, Gai threw Flagg into the air like a rag doll. Gai launched himself up with such force that a wide crater formed where he had been standing before. He caught up to the defenseless Flagg and began slamming kicks under his chin in the same way the primary lotus was initiated.
Lee had come to a stop, watching slack-jawed as his sensei rose higher into the air with every blow. Before long, the two figures were nothing but specks in an ocean of blue. Gai vanished, reappearing a millisecond later to slam a fist into Flagg's back. He appeared below him, kicking Flagg in the face and knocking him further into the air. For several seconds, Gai continued to pinball Konohamaru's former body through the air.
He snagged him by the collar, stopping the stunned Flagg's momentum, and began to pummel him with flaming fists. "Morning Peacock!" he bellowed, his fists flying even faster than before.
Hinata watched, her eyes wide in terror. She had activated her Byakugan to follow the distant battle, and now she could see exactly what the gained power was doing to Gai's body. More importantly, she could see that none of the attacks seemed to be damaging his opponent. "It's not working, Lee!"
Lee swallowed the lump in his throat. "He isn't finished yet." He ached to help his teacher, but he also knew that if he got involved now he would only be in the way.
"Daytime Tiger!" Gai threw his fist forward, and a gigantic concussive wave pulsed through the air and threw them even further into the sky.
Even several kilometers below the battle, anyone out in the open was knocked down by the pulse of energy. Several buildings collapsed as well, unable to withstand the unrelenting pressure. Only Lee was able to stand against wave, his clothes flapping around him. His steadying hands were the only things that kept Hinata and Akamaru from being flung through the air.
Flagg managed to grin as Gai blurred into existence behind him. "So you do have a bit of bite after all! I'm impressed!"
White strips of fabric shot from inside of Gai's sleeves and wrapped Flagg into a tight cocoon. Gai grabbed Flagg's bundled form and turned them around so that their heads were pointed towards the ground. "I have had enough of your ranting. Time to send you back to where you belong!" They started to spin, soon becoming an indistinguishable vortex of white and green.
As they hurtled back to the ground, they began to burn a bright red. Lee's eyes widened as he realized what Gai was doing. A voice inside his head whispered, He's counting on you to protect them. He turned, his gaze flickering across the faces of that Konoha shinobi that were climbing to their feet. "We need a rock wall now!"
A stocky man who had just reclaimed his footing nodded, his hands already forming hand-signs. "Earth Style: Great Earthen Wall!" In front of them, a barrier of rock rose high into the air. It reached its maximum height just as Gai completed his attack.
"Twilight Lotus!" The ground rocked with an earthquake strong enough to make buildings crumble throughout the village. The recently erected wall shook violently as the shock-wave hit, but remained standing. The ground continued to tremor for several seconds as the massive impact sent ripple after ripple of energy through the Earth.
Lee released his hold on the young woman and her dog, darting up and over the wall. Hinata shook her head violently side-to-side, clearing it of the dizziness that had swept through her. She ran after Lee, her feet beating a rapid tempo as she copied his actions. She landed gracefully on the other side, Akamaru landing next to her a moment later. She looked up and gasped in awe.
The glowing youth was standing at the edge of a crater that was fifteen meters wide, staring down at a bottom that he could not see. Even now, a faint rumbling could be felt from the ground as Gai continued his attack. "Sensei..."
"What did he just do?" Hinata whispered as she made her way to Lee's side.
Lee glanced in her direction, his pure white eyes locking with hers. He breathed in deeply through his nose and then out through his mouth, trying to calm his nerves. "The Twilight Lotus," he said softly, shifting his attention back to the crater before him. "It's the ultimate attack of the Eight Gates. He intends to keep going until he pierces the Earth's crust completely and buries himself and that...monster...in magma."
Hinata covered her mouth with one hand and stepped forward to look down the hole. The ground had ceased its shaking and she knew that meant that Gai's attack had stopped as well. "He was brave," she said, reaching out to gently touch the man on his shoulder.
The color drained from Lee's skin as his muscles returned to their original size. His body had reached its limit. He collapsed, falling to his knees and hiding his face in his hands. "He was. Now he's gone." Lee's voice was strained and it was clear he was on the verge of tears.
Akamaru licked the back of his hand, whining.
"Whatever that thing was, Lee, he stopped it."
"I wouldn't go that far."
Hinata and Lee turned around, shock plain on their faces. Flagg was standing behind them, his arms folded casually over his chest.
"How?" Lee asked, glaring at the man before him.
"Let's just say I've got tough skin," he began walking towards them. "That being said, what Bowl-Cut did actually stung a bit. And quite frankly, I've had enough of being hurt for the day." His face set in a scowl, twisting Konohamaru's face into a mask of evil.
Akamaru lunged forward, teeth bared. Flagg back-handed the canine away, knocking him through the air as if the gigantic animal was a feather. He blurred out of existence, appearing in front of Lee. He snagged the ninja by his collar-jerking him up into the air- then pulled his free arm back. "Time to say goodnight!" Hinata could only watch in horror as his fist shot forward like a bolt of lightning.
Then it froze, inches from Lee's face. "Shadow Possession: Success." Hinata turned to see Shikamaru kneeling in a nearby doorway, his hands formed into the rat seal. He stood, letting his arms fall to his sides and forcing Flagg to drop his would-be victim.
Flagg cut his eyes in Shikamaru's direction. "I'm legitamitely surprised that you're still kicking. I could have sworn I nicked an artery."
"Vein, actually," Shikamaru corrected, stepping forward. The skin on his throat was puckered red, evidence of his hasty cauterization. "Had to think fast, but I stopped the bleeding."
"Good show," Flagg admitted, "But I'm afraid you've failed to learn from your past mistakes." Flagg's muscles one again bulged as he poured more energy into them. This time, however, he remained where he was standing despite his struggling. "Well, this is new."
Shikamaru grinned as Lee and Hinata scrambled away from the incapacitated Flagg. "I've got a little help this time."
Hinata scanned the area, only now noticing the multiple members of the Nara clan that had hidden themselves around the area. She had been keeping an eye on the area the entire time, but they had somehow managed to sneak up on them, and every one of them had activated the shadow possession technique. Her attention turned to Akamaru, who was still in a heap nearby. He appeared to have several broken ribs but he was breathing. Cautiously, she made her way over to his side and began to heal him.
"Well isn't that just fan-fucking-tastic." Flagg smirked, seeming to relax, but Shikamaru could still feel him straining against the jutsu. "But tell me, wise-guy. What are you going to do when you run out of chakra? You're sure as hell not going to kill me."
If Shikamaru was concerned, he didn't let it show. "From what I've seen, you can't be killed by any normal means." He smirked, "Luckily for me, our leader is anything but normal."
A streak of yellow shot into the camp, the blond Hokage coming into focus a millisecond later. "I'm sorry I'm late."
The moment they saw him, the surviving ninja erupted into cheering. Their leader was alive, and he was here to stop the monster that called itself Flagg.
"I don't think I've been happier to see someone in my life, Naruto."
Naruto glanced in Shikamaru's direction as the other man spoke. He nodded solemnly, turning his attention to Konohamaru's incapacitated form. He walked forward, every step raising a small cloud of dust around his feet. He came to a stop in front of Flagg. "What have you done with the real Konohamaru?" he asked, his face centimeters from the other man's.
"You're lookin' at him, Naruto," Flagg replied, his grin returning. "His body's just...under new management."
"Let him go."
Flagg chuckled, the sound rumbling from somewhere deep in his chest. "Even if I hadn't killed him, the trauma his body took when that Bowl-Cut was beating the fuck out of it would have been more than sufficient."
Naruto gritted his teeth, his hands clenching at his sides. "Why are you doing this?"
"You know, I've asked myself that question before," Flagg began, his voice flat. "To conquer the world? No. Just to feel powerful? No."
"Then why?" Naruto snapped.
This time Flagg's voice was shrill and filled with barely contained laughter. "Because I like fucking with you, that's why! I wanted to see the look on your face when you lost everything that you held dear. I wanted-" He stopped, seeming to remember something. "Did you find that pink-haired slut's body yet?" Naruto's eyes snapped wide as he said this and his jaw clenched noticeably. "You have, haven't you? Boy, I wish I could have seen that! I damn near cut her head off when I slit her throat; a little bit gory but I think it got the job done, don't you?"
"Oh, no," Hinata whispered, her hand covering her mouth.
"I'm sorry, Naruto."
Shikamaru's voice sounded far away to the blond as he stared at the man who had killed his love.
The first punch connected solidly with Flagg's nose, smashing it flat into his face. Even as the monster's face began to regenerate Naruto's second blow shattered its jaw. The blond started repeatedly slamming his fists into Flagg's face. This went on for well over a minute before he began to lag, his arms falling limply to his sides.
"Oh, come on, Blondie!" Flagg shouted as his features reformed into Konohamaru's familiar face. "Keep at it, I'm sure you'll succeed where Bowl-Cut failed."
Naruto took a deep breath through his nose and let it out through his mouth. "Obito, it's time."
A small portal opened in the center of the group. Obito stepped out of it, "As you wish."
Lee vanished in a blur, moving faster than his injuries should have permitted. He closed the distance between himself and the Uchiha in a fraction of a second. Naruto was faster. He interposed himself between the two, catching Lee's fist in one hand.
"Stop."
The green-clad youth stared at Naruto, clearly surprised. "Naruto... He is a villain! We must stop him!"
"Not anymore, Lee, he's working for us now."
"How are you so sure?" Shikamaru asked from his position to the right of the confrontation.
This time it was Obito who spoke up, "I've sworn myself to Naruto's service with an Oath of Chakra. His will is my will now."
"Obito! Still whoring yourself out to anyone with a little piece of power, I see. Things never change, do they?"
Obito took a breath, clearly gearing up to argue with the captive. "Don't talk to him, Obito. Just start the sealing." Naruto released Rock Lee, motioning for him to step aside. "Hinata, when you are done with Akamaru, can you heal Lee? His muscles are really torn up."
Hinata nodded her head vigorously. "Of course, Naruto."
The last Uchiha pulled an ink-brush and an ink-well from the pouch on his hip. He walked around until he was standing directly in front of Flagg and pulled up his own shirt to reveal his scarred stomach. With practiced ease, he began to paint the Reaper Seal onto his flesh so that it was centered around his naval.
Flagg snickered, but remained motionless. "Looks like someone's been practicing. I'm sure you have a lot of time now that everyone who ever cared for you is dead."
Obito glanced at him but didn't respond as he continued with his work. Once finished with the seal, Obito tossed the now useless brush aside and let his shirttail fall back into place. He formed an X pattern with the first two fingers on either hand and took a deep breath. Next, he interlaced his fingers to form the serpent seal; he then flowed seamlessly into the sign of the boar. The dark-haired man continued on to form the remaining seven hand-signs without a hitch. His hands snaked out, grasping Flagg by the shoulders, and he stepped forward until he was only a few dozen centimeters from the captive demon.
To those standing around, nothing appeared to be happening; but the two figures standing at the center of the group felt the chill as the Grim Reaper himself swooped down on them. Flagg, for his part, began to cackle, his voice high. "Well, shit, if it ain't old tall, pale, and gruesome."
The reaper didn't acknowledge Flagg. In fact, it took no notice of anyone in the area except for Obito. Its skeletal hand reached towards the Uchiha's back, prayer-beads rattling softly around its wrist. The ethereal appendage pierced his abdomen, making the Uchiha grunt deep in his chest. A semi-transparent stream of pale blue energy flowed out from inside of Obito, coming together in a faceless form hovering in front of the reaper.
Now that Obito had paid the price, his soul, it was time for the spirit to uphold its part of the covenant. The hand continued forward, exiting through the seal on Obito's naval and entering into what had been Konohamaru's stomach. It began to pull back, but came to a jerking stop as it met Flagg's resistance.
"I'm not gonna make this easy for you, Frankenstein!" Flagg growled, beads of sweat beginning to form on his face.
Obito gritted his teeth, pouring more chakra into the seal. "Naruto, he's too strong! I need help!"
Naruto rushed to the Uchiha's side, putting his hand on his back and transmitting his chakra to the other man. "You have to fight harder, Obito. You can do it!" He looked over his shoulder at the ninja milling around them. "Anyone who can spare it, we need more chakra! Come help!"
Hinata was busy with Lee, and the half-dozen members of the Nara clan were preoccupied with holding Flagg, but several of the nearby jounin and chuunin sprang into action. They ran over, placing their hands on Obito anywhere they could reach.
Slowly, ever so slowly, the reaper's hand began to move again. Flagg began to make a sound low in his throat, his face contorted with rage as his essence was ripped out of him. "Damn...You..."
A bang echoed through the air, and one of the Nara clan -an older man with graying hair- fell from his perch into the street below. Shikamaru turned his attention to where the sound appeared to have originated and saw a man raising his weapon for a second shot. Despite his knowledge that it was futile, Shikamaru plunged his arm forward and sent a shadow spike towards their assailant. It was too slow, it wasn't going to reach him before he pulled the trigger...
"Human Boulder!" a familiar voice bellowed, followed almost instantaneously by Chouji's massive girth slamming full-force into the man and crushing him into the nearby wall. The sounds of combat erupted around them as more of Flagg's men came out of the wood-work; only to be engaged by the remainder of Chouji's squad.
Despite Chouji's intervention, the man had done his damage. Without the man who had been shot, Flagg had wrestled the upper hand away from them. Shikamaru grimaced as he poured everything he had into the jutsu, once again stopping Flagg's resistance. "Whatever he's doing, Naruto, tell him to make it quick. I've got thirty seconds left, tops!" As he spoke, Shikamaru could feel his strength ebbing away rapidly.
"Finish it, Obito!"
Flagg burst into a mad, cackling laughter. "Do you really think you're beating me? I live in hell! Do you really think I can't get out of the belly of the reaper?"
"I don't know what you're capable of," Naruto growled, locking eyes with Flagg. "But I doubt that even you can get out of this one."
"So be it," Flagg said, sighing. "But just so you know, Naruto, I'll be back to finish the job. You can count on it." The reaper's hand snapped back into its body as the demon stopped its struggles, Flagg's soul gripped firmly in its fingers. Konohamaru's body fell to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. Obito colapsed to his knees, blood frothing from his mouth as he hit the ground. His hands came up and gripped his midsection and he doubled over in pain.
Naruto knelt at his side, placing one hand on the man's shoulder. "Thank you, Obito. I won't forget my promise to you."
Obito flashed the briefest of smiles, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth, then closed his eyes. He didn't open them again.
OoOoOoOo
A.N. And there's chapter three! I hope you enjoyed it. I will be trying to update sometime next month, but promises can not be made. Don't forget to drop me a review. See you next time!
