The following characters and concepts found in this story belong to their respectful owners. This story is for entertainment purposes only so please do not hire mercenaries, hit men, or any other intimidating person(s) to make your points clear.

All Dark Tome entries are from the original author Demonabyss, minus any entry marked with a asterisk (*), those are custom made and not found in the original story. At the very least I don't remember finding them in it... (Secretly hires an army of mercenaries for protection)

Atum-Coma: The City Hidden in the Nexus - Monkey Tale

Chapter 10: Life and times in Nexus

Outer Territory, Nexus (Formerly Land of Waves), three months since Exodus

As it stood the groundwork for the newly named nation was still far from complete as some of the newly ordained "districts" had varying rates of completion as buildings, terraforming, and other mandatory projects, however debatable, had encountered problems ranging, but not limited to, a shortage of workers, disputes, exhaustion, and limited supplies that were in the process of being replenished. Only two districts were by any margin considered "complete" while a third was rapidly catching up to the questionable status of being "complete."

First and foremost in regards of being considered completed was the district dubbed the "Outer Territory" which Vee was in charge of governing once the Great Twilight Bridge had been completed in all haste. For Netherleafs the task of reshaping the local flora and to some degree the landscape was a relatively simple task thanks to their combined might and general mastery of fauna considering their own nature as sentient plants, it also made them the near perfect sentinels to warn and even guard against unwelcomed guests coming from the mainland who were not especially wary of their surroundings.

The second was the region dubbed "The Wilds" which was still expanding and the role of leadership to oversee the district was still in debate between those who lead their respective darkstalker tribes that the found environment(s) of a jungle, forest, and grassland appealing to their preferred living conditions. Needless to say this is where the greatest amount of beastial darkstalkers could be found as well as a near equal amount of Netherleafs whom were responsible for the integration of a jungle into the district.

Last but not least was the Clockworks District which was to be headed by Agatha and Gilgamesh Heterodyne-Wulfenbach for numerous reasons, the most prominent of which being their considerable intellect granted by their Spark heritage and their experience in leading others. It should be noted however that the chief reason behind its rapid construction was to primarily house the human masses which often prefered a roof rather than the open sky as a ceiling... that and sparks were notoriously cranky (at best) when not provided a means to experiment or test their theories/inventions when the urge is especially powerful or when there is absolutely nothing on hand to capture their attention long enough to stave off the concept of working on projects not currently related to necessary construction. To help sate this need and even house a good number of the populace temporarily, at least in intention, numerous blimps and airships were crafted to be fitted with laboratories, castles, and other structures of varying functions have been crafted to alleviate what could be a problem if left untreated.

Though slightly odd considering they wereunder the guardianship of Felicia, a bestial darkstalker by nature, Naruto Uzumaki and Fu lived with their patron in Clockworks while the dust was being settled in The Wilds in terms of its expansion to accommodate its target populace and whom was to lead it. They hardly lived in it however, Naruto hardly lived in it at least when the sun gave way to the moon. Naruto's time once night took place was largely spent in the Outer Territory practicing what he already knew, techniques which he was experimenting with, and techniques that were either newly attained from the Sky Pirate's "supply runs" on non-restricted targets or ones that have yet to be mastered between age, inexperience, and general lack of help considering those who had any sort of mastery over chakra was the two containers sadly enough.

Coincidentally they were trying to rectify this problem with the construction of their own Hidden Village and a current recruitment drive for any at all rogue shinobi who were... less than scrupulous about diverse company, the opinions derived from such, and who were less than eager to even attempt a form of betrayal through principal alone. As it stood the roster of shinobi available, excluding darkstalkers who have taken up the use of chakra and the general lifestyle of established shinobi cultures, was quite low. Between the insignificant numbers and the lack of any formal training facility, or a training regiment for that matter between missions and laying the groundwork for establishing a Hidden Village to house even more shinobi, the practice in chakra was largely self taught with the assistance, if any, being only in medical aid when the "training regiment" had somehow backfired in a nonlethal fashion or pragmatic advice in regards of how to properly wield otherwise unruly powers that even masters of their particular arts have to keep an eye on when practicing it.

Of course if Jon Talbain was asked about this, he would label it as glorified babysitting, especially since that was what it amounted to when the hosts of Son Goku and Chomei ended up chasing each other for one reason or another while often accompanied by the twins Ria and Mia who had also fallen under Felicia's guardianship. Needless to say if they weren't doing their own thing then they were following the other two if not a subset of the two or three if Felicia was to be counted. Unfortunately to anyone else this allegation was not easily thwarted if they too found themselves in a likewise position of watching over a small group of shinobi-in-training when said trainees were currently acting out a free for all game of tag that only had two rules: No Jutsu and any contact with the ground for longer than five seconds disqualified whoever it concerned. From his spot of the ground, more or less the acting judge to this game whether he liked it or not as he observed them, he noticed a few traits of the children as they ran amok amongst the trees...

The twins were practically inseparable and prone to employing a sense of misdirection where either one would stay in their humanoid form while the other took on the form of a cat to cause a distraction amongst the brush. When on the attack as a pair they took both great care and precision in their attempts to double team either Naruto or Fu so as to not tag the other by sheer accident.

Fu did not shy away from a 'fight' as it were nor did she take any form of shame in retreating if it came to it which were both treated by a giggle, a smile, or a combination of them. A carefree attitude, probably only afforded by the fact this was quite literally fun and games than anything else.

Naruto however was the most peculiar to observe. The more he got excited in the heat of a 'fight,' the more he took on the likeness of a primate in regards of his behavior and attitude with the former being the most prominent. He never gave thought to it at first when their training sessions, debatable and non alike, Naruto tended to squat when he practiced with his chakra based techniques. When Naruto displayed an interest in his self made technique he had named "Monkey Run," Jon and several others just simply believed it to be some form of envy of the natural speed Naruto lacked when compared to even the children of both the werewolves and the catwomen; when possible he ran on all fours in a style rather reminiscent to that of a gorilla despite the name of the technique. While the technique never flourished it did however grant Naruto the beginnings of his own unique combat style that seemed to permit him the same general movement and limberness of the failed technique's namesake. As for his attitude... well he was Naruto who had a greater tendency to screech much like what he imitates with a sense of pride and only a vague issue of control over the act.

Now that he thought about it, he tended to act like this every time he seemed to get into an argument with the one who had been sealed into him as well. If he were a betting man then he would say these odd occurrences may actually be the result of extended contact with the Four-Tailed Monkey King. Children were impressionable after all, it may even explain some of Fu's seemingly carefree attitude as well if that was the case.

"Hahaha! It takes more than that to get me!" Speaking of which in regards of certain traits rubbing off of others, perhaps it was time he took a more proactive approach to curb Naruto's growing arrogance begot from the apparent edge he had in the trees when compared to the others as showcased by him dangling from a tree branch by one arm and cackling like a borderline loon. Without even looking, Jon kicked up a rock with his paw of a foot, snatched said stone from midflight, and hurled it at an unsuspecting blond.

BONK!

"GAAAH!"

WHAM!

"Out!"

"Nuts to ya!"

BONK!

"OW!"

Though intended to be a lesson in humility, the devious mind of Jon Talbain could not help but consider this as a suitable substitute to kunai throwing practice...

XVX

Clockworks, five months since Exodus

Clockworks was for all intents and purposes been finished as far as necessary construction and terraforming was concerned. Everything else now being built within it served more to distract to idle sparks who weren't somehow convinced to aid in the effort put into the other budding districts. Case and point: The Mechano-Gondola system, the public transportation system for any at all citizenry or guests to traverse through Nexus with little risk of encountering the growing chaos below that was traffic constituting of vehicles crafted by engineers, particularly large darkstalkers and beasts, and magically inclined constructs made by magi who simply didn't want to be squished by everyone else while traversing the roads. The Mechano-Gondola, as the name would suggest, is a system of suspended cars being pulled by mechanical pulleys sprawled across Clockworks, and even some points in The Wilds, with the sole purpose of acting as a means to ferry the less than hardy members of the populace from one point to another with severely reduced chances of being killed by traffic, the occasional odd occurrence of a clank gone berserk, explosions, brawls between high powered combatants whom the Jägermonster Police have yet to detain, and other strange happenings. To those who weren't agile, physically hardy, and so on, the Mechano-Gondola was the greatest invention ever made since sliced bread. Though free to all in most cases, more than a good few of Nexus' residents who were capable of the act have taken the liberty to sit atop the cars while in transit and enjoy a quiet snack while observing the changing scenery in the cool night air.

Naruto was no stranger to this particular activity when he had nothing else to do at night. The current snack of his particular craving was of mangos. Slightly tangy mangos for that matter...

"twenty ryo down the drain," Naruto grumbled as he bitterly munched on the mango in his clutch.

Bam!

"Huh?" It was not unheard of for someone boarding one of the gondola's while it was in transit, out of convenience or for the sheer challenge of it was up for debate, but there was a sense of a norm that come to it. The boarders in question were typically one of the following: A bestial darkstalker, a shinobi, or aerial darkstalkers in general were the only ones typically found boarding a Clockwork's or even Wilds gondola while the other districts were still being built. This stranger who was contently laying on her stomach, arm propped up to support her chin with a loose fist, was none of these...

She was definitely a succubus, roughly around his age if he was to guess, as indicated by the miniature batwings poking out from the back of her lengthy plum colored hair and the significantly larger ones protruding from her back from just beneath her shoulder blades. Her attire was much like what most succubi worn for any occasion regardless of their age, only her torso covering corset was the color of blood with a bat missing where a heart, diamond, or otherwise patch of cloth would be missing as found common amongst the populous and her stockings were bit a lighter variation of her corset's chosen color with black bats fluttering amongst them. Her flesh was pale and smoother that polished stone, much to Naruto's embarrassment once Son Goku began to snicker upon Naruto's observation of her skin, and her eyes were, almost curiously, were of a piercing amethyst color that had a strange twinkle in them as she scrutinized him in kind with a mischievous smile.

"May I help you?" Naruto reluctantly asked, his eyes coming to half of a squint squint as he tried to discreetly gain some space between them by shuffling uncomfortably.

"Oh no, I'm perfectly fine as I am right now," she chimed. The smile had yet to falter, not that there seemed to be a reason for it to diminish to begin with now that Naruto thought about it...

"She's not some sort of weird stalker is she?" Naruto suddenly thought.

"Knowing your luck she may very well be one... could be worse."

"How so?"

"She could be the kind of stalker that simply shadows you whenever you're in the vicinity and moons for you over an eternity without ever voicing their affection for you till a an event threatens to tear you two apart be it life or death if not otherwise, and in the event you get a girlfriend she may become either so moody or possessive that she lashes out at you and/or your current partner to receive the attention she hadn't earned earlier."

In real life Naruto's face became more akin to a blank slate as his attention was diverted more and more to the one and only company he would be with for the foreseeable future, his head slowly and unwittingly returning to its normal stance as his mind was more consumed by the conversation than with his 'guest.' "... How bored are you to come up with that answer?"

"When you are nigh immortal brat, you find ways to amuse yourself when there is nothing to do."

"Ok... and how do you know she wouldn't embody the last part about being possessive and stuff?"

"... She's obviously a succubus. Succubi as I understand it could care less about temporary mates than the more permanent ones."

A lopsided grin adorned Naruto's face which was followed shortly by a snicker. "You don't know do you?"

"I am the Great Sage Equaling Heaven! A being far older than most who has spent a great deal of time-"

"In learning how to avoid a question proving he doesn't know a thing!" Naruto interrupted with a flourishing cackle within his own mind that was being matched with a toothy, victorious grin.

"BAH!"

As for the succubus, an eyebrow rose in curiosity when the original hitchhiker of the car burst out in a enthusiastic guffaw yet her smile stays in place. "Definitely interesting," she murmured to herself. Above the two in a passing train of cars, a lone blue haired, clear eyed girl sitting next to Ruby Heart now sprawled out lifelessly across her side of the couch, a near visible aura of depression consuming her figure, much to the curiosity of the Lady Pirate.

"I feel like I've been harshly gutted," she breathlessly groaned.

XVX

The Wilds, one year since Exodus

As acting ambassador and overall liaison for the Leaf, Anko knew there was going to be a few surprises here and there since her... operation. Some of which were expected mostly through deduction and forewarning such as the shedding and the greater possibilities in her theoretically bolstered range of abilities thanks to the Naga DNA that now coursed through her veins, making her much paler than she usually was and giving her a pair of snake-like fangs which appeared to be laden with a paralyzing toxin which could be squeezed out of injected from and through her fangs respectively, yet a few things were still in need of her adjusting to it.

Teaching was one such subject and she knew not which was exactly worst about it. On one hand there was the fact that she got roped in to teach darkstalkers and would be shinobi copies from what amounted to sorcerers, priests, and varying assortments of adventurers to name a few. On another hand were the children aspiring to be shinobi... all things considered she could do far worse without any effort on her part with the lack of personal to accommodate the large masses flooding the freshly built Academy. Last but certainly not least was the hosts of the Four-Tailed Monkey and his seven tailed counterpart and the private tutoring permitted to them, limited though it may be.

Shock aside from not only finding Naruto in Nexus shortly after her mission's... derailment aside from Fu's own residency, they were a league of their own regarding her role as a teacher... whether or not that was either a good or bad thing was a dead subject due to the stress of being a, more or less, shinobi-sensei, being an representative of Konoha, her own training, and other tasks being placed upon her.

It was certainly annoying to say the least when Naruto decided to mess with her...

"COME BACK WITH MY DANGO!"

"NMMHMM!" In other words "Never!" being shouted through a full mouth of a fleeing shinobi in training who had taken using the jungle vines as his primary method of fleeing an irate haired purple woman wearing nothing but a mesh shirt, a rich tan skirt, and a light tan trench coat who followed closely on foot thanks the distinct lack of tree branches to utilize in her chase. It didn't mean she was helpless in catching him however. Reaching into a kunai holster hidden away by her coat, she furiously lashed out with the namesake weapon it carried and hit true a vine Naruto was just short of grabbing in his retreat.

"OOOH AAAAH!" Had she not been so intent on catching him, Anko would've flashed a grin upon seeing the blond latching onto the severely weakened vine, unwittingly snapping it off from the rest of its length, and sent tumbling into the air on a crash course with the ground.

"Binding Shadow Snakes!" Four snakes living up to their name in their black scaled appearance shot out from the sleeve of her coat's sleeve soon after it was thrust toward the falling blond. In hisses canceled out by fear induced screaming at the prospect of breaking himself upon the ground, the snakes entwined themselves around the boy, constricting and contorting themselves around him as he struggled against them in even fresher panic that yielded only his hands and forearms as the one and only reward in his bid to escape their scaled entrapment. Anko however did not let up in her sprint as she dashed to the blond.

In her experience Naruto was the type prone to doing stupid endeavors, yet he wasn't one to be defeated so easily. That and considering the other lessons spent on him, she wouldn't put it past him in pulling off some other asinine stunt that was sure to give him more hell in the end. The somewhat foreboding amount of chakra being gathered on him and the fact she seen him scrunch himself up for a moment which his back turned to her did not help matters in the least.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Immediately smoke enveloped his body and the immediate surrounding area as the jutsu came to fruition much to her teeth gritting aggravated regret. "I knew I shouldn't have taught him how a summoning contract works," she grouched to herself. From the smoke a fairly large monkey emerged, a monkey with a vague resemblance to the Four-Tails as seen years before now, entwined its tail was Naruto, still bound by the snakes, who was grinning much too smugly for Anko's tastes as the monkey took to the trees without a second thought with the blond in tow.

"I know where you live you little brat!" Anko howled as she began the chase anew.

XVX

Zengoff Beach, The Below, two years since Exodus

The Below, eighty percent of the district was nothing short of the ocean being lorded over by Rikuo while the remaining percent was primarily dominated by docks and wharfs. While not the only one with a beach, it was by far more pleasant to be visited in most cases while the residents of other districts practically made it impossible to get near the sand itself let alone the salty water. It wasn't much, just a narrow strip of sand bordered with a forest. For Jon Talbain however it would have to do...

He had considered doing this within the other districts yet he had his reasons. The Wilds was out primarily because it was not only the home of Felicia but her adopted family as well. That and since things have settled down, Felicia made the Alpha of the district for her ability to defend herself and ability to reason with others, Naruto and Fu could be found just about anywhere at any time when he or anyone else least expected it if neither somehow got themselves into trouble.

Clockworks was of a similar issue when the other half of the four children, Ria and Mia, all but lived in it and caused general chaos in the form of small time theft for the sole purpose of annoying those they stole from. As for the district itself, it was much too noisy and often reeked with grease, oils, chemicals, and who unfortunately knew what else thanks to all the experiments being performed by tinkerers, engineers, sparks, and just about everyone else who lived there that unwittingly repelled anyone and anything that couldn't tolerate the odors wafting through the streets.

The Outer Territory looked ideal at first until a couple of weeks ago when a sudden string of incursions from the Nations rose up thanks to the growing news of their otherwise mysterious home and what it 'allegedly' held. A potential enemy sent by a curios nation would simply not do for the occasion as it would kill it.

Makai was definitely off the list more out of general principle than anything else... that and a good deal of the incubus population, the male half of the succubus species, that lived there had a tendency to distract the women of every species by simply winking at them amongst other things. While Jon one to be put off by a challenge in any form it came in, he wanted to avoid it altogether if he could.

Helios was another such district he wanted to avoid if possible. It was too bright for the occasion and not many darkstalkers visited that district for a reason. Holy magic being abundant being the most predominant of which.

Tirana was a third to share this list more for it being too rough for what he wanted to do than anything else. It was fine but even the inept could tell this region was more meant for work than it was for living or even socializing.

Then there was Sky Hold... Simply put, no. He did not want to deal with drunk sky pirates nearly every five minutes if he can help it.

Ice Blight, though well meaning, was simply too cold for him and Felicia to enter and enjoy for a long period of time on such short notice.

So here he was in the Below, possibly the one and only place where he could do this without interruption or some kind of fear getting in his way. Now all he had to do is wait for her to get here.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!" It took all of his concentrated efforts to keep a nervous grin from appearing on his canine features as he turned to the approaching Alpha of The Wilds. "I would've been here sooner but work just seemed to want to keep me prisoner!" Felicia jokingly offered as she trotted to the uneasy werewolf. "Is something the matter?" she inquired, her lips pensively pursing whilst Jon exhibited the slightest signs of fidgeting, a trait he would never normally display if he could get away with it.

"Jon?" For the briefest of moments he looked away from her, his lips curled into a frown as he fought over what to say to her and her increasingly worried mood. On a mental agreement he sighed to himself, his form shifting from the form of an anthropomorphic wolf that most come to know him as to that of a human of white messy hair that wore only blue jeans that were made ragged from his use of them during his time as a werewolf.

"Felicia," he started, during which he got onto one knees and dug through the sand to his side, "I was never a man of many words when it came to my feelings outside of those related to mistrust and anger till I met you all those years ago. Back then I never really concerned myself with the world at large, my care for others only extending to short lived occurrences involving other darkstalkers when they came under attack from humans. I never would've considered so much as joining a pack or even leading one at the very least." His lips pursed as his fingers found the box he had buried within the sand as a method to conceal it due to how snug it was in his pockets in either form. "Yet you changed me... as did your family when I thought I bent for enough from my former life to the point that further compromise wouldn't affect me at all."

"And I was wrong," he said with a smile. "Eating, conversing, training... Alone, mixed, and everything else, I've come to realize that..." His jaw moved to say move yet nothing came from it no matter how forcefully he tried to overpower his sudden mute state. Armed with a good natured but self mocking smile, he dug out the box and presented it to Felicia even as he took off the lid.

"Jon!" Felicia gasped, her cheeks lighting up brilliantly as he peered into the box. While wedding rings were the norm of most societies, even Atum-Coma- the City Hidden in the Nexus, there were certain substitutes when a ring bordered more on inconvenience to those presented with the one question that bared ones very soul to the one person in the world they want to be with.

"Will you marry me?"

It seemed as if time itself stopped for them, for Jon, as Felicia stared at the bracer that was his proposal. It was a simple thing unfortunately since diamonds were of short supply throughout Atum-Coma thanks to the miscalculation of a spark trying to invent a sound based crowd control device. It was an bracer befitting of the giant size of a catwoman's arm when they ventured about in their humanoid state whose only decoration consisted only of four spiraling bands to connect the primary bands that were their border. Inwardly he began to sweat, he began to sweat both on the inside and the outside even as he tried to keep himself from acting out on the mounting anxiety that was personified by the thumping of his heart within ears. Each beat was what constituted as a second for the human werewolf and each second was of thunder resonating from an anxious heart.

"Yes! Yes I do!"

The only thing that lagged behind was Jon's jaw as he rose up from his knee, acquired the bracer from its resting place, and carefully slipped it onto the arm of the catwoman who had to fight off her tears to see clearly.

"I love you," she offer softly, a sniff breaking the slight silence trying to worm its way between them.

"I love you too," he replied as he neared her waiting lips, head tilted as they drew closer. Once more his heart was ablaze with anticipation as was Felicia's if the wrapping of her arms against his body to draw him close was an indication to ensure there was no room between them as their lips were but a hair's breath away from one another.

"YAY!" And so there went the moment, shunted aside by pure bewilderment as both whipped their heads to a fallen log where one min green haired kunoichi-in-training was jumping upon as she celebrated what had transpired! "We get a new dad!" she cried as she continued her hopping which gained a greater vigor.

"FU!" Once more the couple whipped their heads towards the location of the latest intruder to the scene... intruders in actuality when it was actually a the twins who shouted out simultaneously from the confines of a bush. "Why did you have to do that?!" one growled out, her head and her red tufted mane poking out of the bush with a heavy set scowl emblazoned across her face. "They were having a romantic moment!" the other soon joined in with her blue tufted mane poking out of the bush alongside her head.

Almost immediately Fu ceased her ecstatic bout of jumping both out of being yelled at by a pair and of the shame of the realization of what had happened thanks to her actions. "Um... sorry?" she offered sheepishly with a matching bashful grin.

"GET HER!" As announced by twin roars, the twins turned into cats that launched themselves from the bush in hot pursuit of a now fleeing mind green haired girl that left a trail in the sand and a chuckle with it as she escaped.

A soft, partially embarrassed chortle escaped Felicia as she looked on as the trio quickly shrunk to the size of specks in the rapidly growing distance between them. "I do hope you don't mind a little bit of manic chaos here and there, Jon."

"You are aware we live in Atum-Coma, right?"

"True, too true," Felicia pleasantly hummed.

XVX

Meanwhile

"Check." Naruto could swear he saw the slightest twitch of a smile upon her otherwise collected face of his friend... whom was once more trouncing him at chess... with calculatingly ruthless efficiency. First she took out the pawns as fast as her pieces could be positioned, then went his knights, a rook, and now his queen had fallen whereas his roster of kills amounted to five pawns, a knight, and by sheer chance the queen at the cost of his last knight.

"Please tell me you spotted something," Naruto inwardly begged as he reviewed the choices presented to him. A pawn was in position to take his king if he moved it to either side while the last knight was actually what threatened his king from a good distance, lastly a rook sat behind the pawn which more than easily warded off the idea od attacking said pawn. If he moved diagonally to the left then he would come under attack of a bishop, if he moved it to the right then the coast was clear for but two turns at the very most as his king came out of danger.

"Live and learn how to accept defeat every now and then brat, live and learn..."

"You're not helping!"

If there was a response on Son Goku's part then it was lost as a familiar presence was speeding towards them, the sweet sound of thrilled laughter being the only prevailing warning as far as the ear was concerned. Before either of them knew it, Fu all but trampled the stump and by proxy the board in her passing that creating a strong enough gust to disturb the pieces enough to either fall off the board or fill in new tiles entirely.

"Mreow!"

"Mrraeow!"

The passing of Ria and Mia in their feline forms did not truly help matters as far as Anita Baine was concerned. The blond across from her twitched as he looked to the board once more after verifying what happened had indeed happened before he adopted a slightly forced apologetic smile as he got up. "Well, I suppose I should catch up to them before anything bad happens! Duties of a brother and all that!" As quickly as his adopted siblings came, Naruto too left with a truer smile on his face that he thought he hide away from the daughter of the Youkai-Kage. She only scoffed in returned as she collected the fallen pieces, more than content in reveling in the fact that while most of her previously untouched pieces were knocked down, a certain king was still trapped by a slightly vengeful pawn, knight, rook, and a bishop.

"Two to twenty-five," the brown haired girl in the raiment of her former home quietly mused with a small smile.

XVX

Youkai-Kage's office, Youkai-Kage Tower, five years since Exodus

Being the one to have defeated Pyron, few could have commanded the same level of respect and fear in others outside of their respective communities be they districts of otherwise as Donovan Baine did. As such it came to only his own surprise that he would be nominated to and don the cap of an otherwise fledgling nation. There were some troubles, yes, but that was to be expected when large masses of darkstalkers and humans, both of which rife with differing opinions and attitudes, were to live together in the secrecy afforded by a strict watch over their borders. That and considering his marginally solitary lifestyle beforehand, being the leader of a small group let alone a large nation was a daunting task which only eased somewhat with age and experience as his teachers. While at times he missed being on the road even in a dying world, he was more than content with his newfound position and purpose.

He could do without the paperwork though...

"Yo, you wanted to see me?" The dhampir, a being whose physiology was both human and vampire, looked up from his desk to sternly stare at Anko as she brazenly announced herself upon entering his rectangular office. A part of him wished to frown at her and admonish her for being so disrespectful as to come into his domain without knocking yet he pushed that aside considering it would fall upon deaf ears. It could wait till later if nothing else at least.

"Yes I did. Could you please remind me when the Chunin Exams are suppose to start again?"

A smirk split itself upon Anko's lips. "Oh? The very first batch of genin to come out of the academy is just short of a month away and you're already considering sending them to the exams?" A low whistle escaped her grinning lips as she awaited the man's reply.

"Ideally yes, but plans can change if the situation warrants it," Donovan replied flatly. Her smile still held though, growing bolder in its appearance and much more smug than he would've liked as announced by the slightest twitch of one of his eyebrows. "I'll give her this much, she's much smarter than she acts," he thought solely to himself.

"You have first pick of the teams when they are assigned, that's the most I can promise you," Donovan announced in a monotone.

"Sweet!" Not even awaiting the barest hint that she could leave, the hybrid kunoichi turned to leave, a freshly plucked kunai merrily being twirled about by its ring thanks to her index finger poking through it.

"The sole exception being any team hosting Naruto Talbain in it." As quickly as it appeared, the kunai came to a sudden halt when her middle finger came to intercept the bandaged gripe of the knife. Her eyes, once the epitome of joy with a hint of sadism to them, turned hard and threatening as they beheld an unrepentant Kage who returned to the paperwork in hand. "If you don't want him stealing your dango then I sincerely suggest you better keep a raised guard around your plate in the future."

She stared at him for a good moment before turning away, her body slouching in sulking defeat, and leaving the office with only one groaned comment as her farewell. "You're no fun."

"I personally blame all this paperwork for that," Donovan countered to no one in a rumble as he took up his pen once more.

XVX

DARK TOME: Creatures

Main Type: Plant

Sub Type: Humanoid morph (meaning they can shape change into lots of things rather then a limited number of specific forms like Humanoid Shifter types)

Netherleafs: A type of intelligent plant found in the deepest jungles of both Makai and more recently the Human world. Netherleafs come in an extremely wide variety of subspecies, each with their own quirks and abilities. As a result they can grow in just about any environment that provides them with enough nutrition. However they tend to be found in areas that are densely populated by other non-plant species due to the fact that they are carnivorous. Despite this, Netherleafs tend to all share similar characteristics.

Netherleafs tend to mimic any humanoids in the area in order to better manipulate the environment around them and confront, capture, and consume prey. Netherleafs are voracious and will eat just about anything living but there are specific insects they love to eat and others that they will avoid eating as they are necessary for pollination and that they think they're cute for some reason. They can also receive nutrition from soil, water, sunlight, and especially moonlight and starlight hence they tend to be most active at night. Intelligence wise they vary from plant to plant. Some plant's intelligence is barely that of a drone while others, usually the Bloom, are more than capable of human level thought. Personality wise they are usually very calm, patient, and easy going but will not pass up a chance to devour something (or someone) if they can help it. They tend to live in groups called Patches and lead by a single powerful Netherleaf, usually called a Bloom.

These intelligent plants are deadly and are able to take down things many times their size and power. Netherleafs can alter their bodies into a number of weapons such as leaf like blades or long whips with thorns in them. They can also alter themselves to look like a normal plant and thus simply wait for prey to get too close. One of the few ways you can tell the difference is the smell of meat or flesh that they tend to have in such forms. Netherleafs also have the ability to generate various toxins in their bodies and release them such as Dream Dust which is a powerful paralyzing agent. Also, they're able to manipulate local flora to be their weapon such as crushing trees, poisonous flowers, etc. It should be noted that each of these abilities varies between species of Netherleafs. A desert Netherleaf would be most apt to manipulating desert plants and creating sharp spines while not being that good at making poisons. On the other hand, a jungle Netherleaf would be an expert at poisons but would not have the same spine making ability as the desert one. In any case, Netherleafs are extremely dangerous and at the moment only exist in Hidden Nexus, allied with those in Atum-Coma.

A/N: For those who are confused, the "Two to twenty-five" bit is Naruto's chess based matches against Anita's own record against him.

Other than that, I apologize for the tardiness of this chapter and I hope you enjoyed it as I kind of wanted to touch on some parts that the original story did not.

Monkeybandit2, making off with your attention! No refunds.