Hi Guys! I'm back again for hopefully another speedy update as I am DETERMINED now to meet my own small goal! (SO CLOSE!) It worked out as setting a small deadline for myself actually revitalized me and make me rather anxious to work. Unfortunately, school had just started again and University life will no doubt make me busy in the future so I will have to take a bit slower in the upcoming weeks. But until then, enjoy!
New Reviews!
Sasukaepanda: I like what you have done with your fic, the mixtures are amazing and I am bummed out at the end cause it might be the last chapter before your update D; please update soon your story is nice fresh and unique, like different now that the series is finished for now.
Haha, thank you for your kind words! Although I'm a bit confused at what you meant by my "last chapter" or that the series is done? Unless you were referring to the ACTUAL series. The deadline I was constantly referring to was something I made for myself to motivate myself to update more frequently. My goal was to be around the Shippuden time by the end of January and it looks like I might just BARELY make it!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything with the Naruto or Kamen Rider series (I always forget to put this hehe)
Chapter 14: The Way To The Fifth
Rain poured down on the Leaf citizens as they all stood in silence before the tomb that belonged to their former leader, the Sandaime. Iruka silently placed his hand on Konohamaru's shoulder whom had been crying during the ceremony. Iruka looked up at the sky as he recalled a moment between him and the Sandaime many years ago.
Flashback
Iruka gazed at the memorial as tears continued to spill from his eyes. He missed his parents so much…..
"There's no use crying in front of the cenotaph Iruka. I heard that ever since you went to the academy, you would always come here and cry after."
Iruka spun around and saw the Sandaime looking at him with a worried tone. Seeing this, Iruka grit his teeth and frowned.
"I'm not sad about this….a ninja dying in battle on a mission is something to be proud of! My parents gave their life for this village when that demon attacked! I'm the son of those heroes, are you telling me that I can't cry for them?!"
The Sandaime merely smiled as he hugged Iruka, "It's alright, you kno, there's a person right here to embrace you. But it's not only me that's doing so. Konoha's ninja all possess the spirit of fire!"
The Sandaime chuckled a little as he looked at the confused expression that suddenly appeared on Iruka's face.
"All the people in this village have a strong sense of protection and all of us have this spirit. All of us are part of the same family. Iruka, you too, have the same spirit as well."
Hearing this, Iruka slowly wiped away his tears and a small smile appeared on his face as he turned back towards the memorial.
End Flashback
A purple haired kunoichi slowly walked through the rain with a bouquet of flowers as she approached the memorial. As she looked upward, she noticed that Kakashi was already there simply staring at the memorial.
"There ceremony for the Sandaime is about to begin, you're here for Obito right? Is there a special cause you're always late for these things?"
"Actually…I was there very early Yugao, but I didn't know what to say when I got there…I used to be foolish and do meaningless things all the time…"
Yugao put the bouquet down at the memorial before doing a light bow and began walking away. Before she left, she turned her head to Kakashi, "it's unwise to live in the problems of the past Kakashi-Sempai."
"….as is to forget what lead up to the problem in the first place, Yugao," responded Kakashi.
Jiraiya sat in a nearby tree as he looked at the interaction between the two. He gazed around on the training field before looking over at the three stumps as memories of his old days came back to him.
Flashback
"The number of bells is two, now, can you guess what these will be for?" Asked the Sandaime.
"One person who fails to get the bells will tied to the log," responded Orochimaru.
Jiraya laughed as he raised his fist and pointed it at the Sandaime, "Hah, I'll be able to do this, EASY!"
"Hahaha Jiraiya, weren't you supposed to win? You're all tied up to the log," laughed Tsunade.
Jiraiya growled as his teammates began walking away while still chuckling to themselves. The Sandaime looked over at Jiraiya and just sighed, "Listen you…can a Ninja repeatedly fall for such simple traps? You should be more like Orochimaru."
"Sarutobi-Sensei, all you say is Orochimaru this and Orochimaru that! Why can't you ever acknowledge my talents? Like my peeking technique; I have still yet to be caught!"
The Sandaime simply face-palmed himself after hearing this.
End Flashback
Naruto looked up at the face carving of the Sandaime as everyone still stood by at the ceremony.
"Iruka-Sensei, what are humans? Is life truly that simple?"
"When a person dies….doesn't matter if it's the past, present or future; they will lose everything. It's as simple as saying he died fighting in a mission because death caught him unaware; that is the simplicity of life. But everyone knows that the most important thing is to die for a cause. From the day we're born to the day we die, we start to feel that love is the most important. Family, friends, lovers, and everyone else in the village, to me, those are the most important people. We trust each other and help each other….and…that kind of relationship takes time and trust to develop. This headband symbolizes that we as individuals acknowledge this and its importance."
"But….death is still so painful," replied Naruto as his gaze faltered into the ground.
"The Hokage wouldn't think of it as painful because we both agree that people should not be hurt for no reason. But….it's no use even if you do understand," answered Kakashi who stood behind Naruto.
"Right…but not knowing is better than knowing…," replied Naruto as a smile began to form on his face.
Jiraiya adjusted his scope a little as he continued to giggle to himself at his view towards the bathhouse.
"I see you still haven't given up on foolish things."
Jiraiya put his scope down and turned to see two old individuals approaching him.
"Homura and Koharu….what business does a council member have with me?"
"What business are we here for? We have something to tell you. You'll probably understand why," replied Homura.
"So you say…even though your faces don't look like it, the talks with the sand are going well. Hasn't it been concluded?" Questioned Jiraiya.
"Right now…the relationship with the sand is not that important. The power of Konohagakure is declinding and people are starting to become scared. Under these circumstances the top priority now is to make preparations for upcoming crisis," explained Homura.
"We do not know when neighboring villages will take such bold actions once again. Until the power of the village is restored, several of our top people from the ranks were summoned to form a committee, this is how the emergency executive committee was formed. The top priority is re-establishing a strong leader which means finding a Godaime Hokage. We have decided that candidate to be you," added Koharu.
"Unlucky for you, I'm not the type," responded Jiraiya as he shook his head.
"This is the decision that was made. Also, are you not of one of the three legendary nins as stated? If you are not the type then tell us who else is," demanded Homura.
"Hmph, luckily for you I was planning to go look for Tsunade regardless. If I bring her back here then there should be no problem, correct?"
"….We understand, we shall take this into consideration immediately. However, you need to bring several Anbu with you for your search party," demanded Koharu.
"I'm not going to run away. That's a bit excessive to have someone watch over me. However, there is one person I would like to accompany me….it would appear I've discovered a new interesting development!"
"So what kind of technique were you going to teach me on this trip, pervy sage?" Asked Naruto as he walked alongside the road with Jiraiya.
"Pervy sage?...Don't you know what an amazing person I am? It's been said that I'm the Toad senin, and that's not all! In the North, in the South, East and West…the legendary three Ninka's white haired frog-summong child! He's Lord Jiraiya! That's me!"
"…..Huh? You still didn't answer my question pervy sage," replied Naruto with a rather blank stare as Jiraiya looked rather crestfallen.
"Why'd you pick me as a travelling companion anyway? Do I interest you that much?" Asked Naruto
"The Yondaime was my apprentice….and you resemble him in a funny way, that's all."
The Fourth Hokage…?
Sasuke groaned as he undid his transformation and surveyed the damage around him. It seemed like despite everything, using three Chidori's a day in conjunction with the Heat memory was his limit.
"Training hard, eh Sasuke?"
Sasuke spun around and caught sight of Sakura who was sitting on a branch nearby. Sakura jumped down and made her way over to him.
"What's got you so fired up today? You don't normally practice so many destructive techniques, do you?"
"….That fight we all had with Gaara showed me my limitations. I desperately wish to break them and advance upwards so I that I don't lose to opponents of that caliber again!"
"…..Did seeing Naruto's prowess unnerve you or something?"
"….He never showcased anything like that power when we were at that academy, for his age…to be summoning…"
"Eh, I guess that could motivate you….out of curiosity…why do you care about his growth rate? Aren't you only concerned with yours?"
"….because…if he can grow that fast…..there's no reason I can't as well!" growled Sasuke as he made his way back to the village.
"I guess we were pretty lucky that Itachi left when he did….," sighed Asuma as he looked over Kakahi's sleeping form with Gai and Kurenai.
"That guy still hasn't found Naruto…," Gai pointed out.
"It's not that hard to find him in this village as long as Itachi know's Naruto's face which he undoubtedly does," countered Kurenai.
Gai quickly made a shushing motion as his eyes suddenly darted over to the door. Sasuke walked in and his eyebrows raised at everyone present in the room.
"Why's Kakashi sleeping?...Also, they are all you Jounin gathered here as well..?"
As Gai began formulating a lie, a Chuunin ran through the doorway and shouted, "Is the story that Itachi returned really true? And that he's chasing Naruto?"
Silence fell for a moment and in the next second Sasuke was already out the door.
"Freakin idiot….," facepalmed Kurenai.
"So…you say your name is Ankh?" Asked Konohamaru as he looked at the floating arm.
"That's right brat."
"What exactly…are you?...And…what are these medals?"
"I am what is known as the Greed. Nearly 8 centuries ago…five sets of ten of those core medals were created by four alchemists of that time to create life under the will of the very first OOO. These medals had a lot of power concentrated within them, originally we were mindless, but when one medal of each set was destroyed, that void led to the creation of our will, the Greed. However, because of our incompleteness, we lacked proper senses resulting in rather bleak sensory input."
"You keep saying we….are there more like you?"
"Yes…there were 5 different sets of core medals. Mine are the red ones….there are four other Greed who are undoubtedly going to search for their medals to complete themselves."
"I see….why are you just an arm?"
"I am incomplete as I do not have all nine of my core medals. I can only form as much as the medals allow me too."
"Why were the medals and the driver sealed within the Nidaime and the Shodaime?"
"Tch, you ask a lot of questions brat. Some time ago when those two were still of this world, me and the rest of the Greed were awaken by some strange individual with weird mind powers based on his odd pupils. He attempted to seize our power. Your two old farts came together to stop him and in the end decided that our power was too dangerous to be left and they each sealed a part of it within themselves."
"Wow…..should we go look for your siblings? Maybe they can help me understand these powers!"
"NO!…..They are not my siblings…we are not living beings brat. We are merely a pile of medals. I intend to find my core medals so that I can fully form….you better help me. But those Greed…will probably destroy everything along the way."
Konohamaru nodded and sat silently for a while with Ankh as he contemplated everything he had learned. Then suddenly, a thought stuck him.
"What's stopping you from doing exactly just that when you get all your medals?"
"….Nothing."
Naruto grumbled something about stupid lecherous and useless teachers as he made his way over to the incessant knocking on his hotel door. As he opened the door he suddenly found himself look at the Sharingan.
"Sasuke? What do you want…also…when did you…get…so…tall?" Asked Naruto as he slowly began to realize he had identified the wrong person.
Before Itachi could answer, Kisame appeared next to him and began sizing Naruto up.
"Is this REALLY the container of the 9 tails? Just a …brat?
Naruto scowled at this and before he could retort, Itachi had suddenly turned around.
"It's been a long time…Sasuke."
Naruto looked tilted his head so he could see down the hall and he saw Sasuke, Sharingan fully activated, with a rather dark stare at the two individuals.
"Uchiha Itachi….I will KILL YOU!" declared Sasuke.
Naruto stepped back a bit as his eyes widened. Uchiha…? This guy….was Sasuke's brother? After hearing Sasuke's bold declaration, Naruto recalled back to the day they were first put on a team together. So THIS was the person that Sasuke had sworn to kill?
"Oooo, another Sharingan, aren't I blessed today. Who is this kid Itachi? He seems to be familiar with you," asked Kisame.
"I've been wanting to say this to you…I've lived hating you….and also that I have lived only to kill you…," growled Sasuke as he held his arm and Chakra began gathering at it in an electrifying manner.
Sasuke then drew two memories from his pocket and began dashing at Itachi.
JOKER!
HEAT!
Purple energy surrounded Sasuke as well as the Chidori turning a familiar fiery as he closed the distance and thrusted his arm forward. Itachi merely grabbed Sasuke's wrist as Sasuke came close and threw his arm into the wall causing a huge explosion. Naruto's eyes widened and he quickly closed his eyes before going through a sequence of seals.
These guys….are beyond me…lend me your power stupid fox! I need to bring out the Toad Boss!
Kisame's attention was caught as the Kyuubi's aura began filling the room. As Naruto bit his thumb and was about to slam his hand down, Kisame quickly swung his blade diagonally right above Naruto which froze him in shock.
"Hehehe…what a terrifying aura….can't let you do that," chuckled Kisame.
Kisame laughed as he watched Naruto continue to struggle to bring out Chakra before he lifted his massive blade over his head again.
"My blade, the Samehada, eats Chakra. Now, to make sure you aren't any trouble, should I chop off a leg or cut off an arm?"
Naruto froze with fear as he watched the massive blade slowly come down at him. Suddenly, in a huge puff of smoke, a frog appeared between them and blocked the Samehada with his arm guard.
"You don't seem to know very much about me….I'm better at getting girls than they are trying to get me. Even though it doesn't look like it….it's my specialty," smirked Jiraiya as he appeared behind Naruto.
"Hmph, so one of the legendary three huh? You like beautiful women but we weren't thinking that such a simple method could successfully stall you anyway….," laughed Kisame.
"To try and draw me away in such a manner…you really ARE after Naruto…," accused Jiraya.
"That is correct….to abduct that boy…those were the orders given to us by the higher echelons of our organization, Akatsuki," explained Itachi.
"Doesn't matter, right now, right here….you two will die by my hand," threatened Jiraiya as he began to go through a series of seals.
"NO!...Don't do it!" coughed out Sasuke as he slowly got back to his feet.
"This guy….is MINE!" screamed out Sasuke as he reached for the Fang memory and inserted it into the driver.
FANG!
Wrist blades sprouted from Sasuke's arm as he dashed forward and swung them both at Itachi. Itachi quickly stepped back and delivered a swift kick to Sasuke's midsection. Sasuke grunted as it hit him but he held on to his brother's foot and then spun and threw him over his shoulder. Itachi flipped through the air and landed before standing up and keeping his upright posture.
"Is that all?...You are weak, brother," stated Itachi rather calmly.
Sasuke growled in frustration before he dashed at his brother again and then leapt in the air and attempted a kick. Itachi quickly blocked and shrugged it off, as Sasuke landed he smirked at his brother and disappeared causing Itachi's eyes to widen. Sasuke then came from behind and inserted the Fang memory to his side.
FANG! MAXIMUM DRIVE!
FANG STREISER!
Sasuke begun spinning wildly and collided with his brother before he fell to his knees. Sasuke attempted to catch his breath until he briefly saw a figure suddenly dashing at him. Suddenly, Sasuke felt pain across his chest and before he knew it, he was being held up against the wall by Itachi. The pain became too much for Sasuke as he returned back to his normal state and gazed right into the Sharingan of his brother.
"Hmph…perhaps you have grown…but not nearly enough. You are far too weak for this, brother. Now, for the next 24 hours you will relive that day!"
Itachi dropped Sasuke who's eyes suddenly widened as his hands immediately went up to clutch his head as he screamed for several seconds before turning completely still. Jiraiya quickly went through a series of seals before he slammed his hand on the ground.
Toad Mouth Bind!
The walls in the area suddenly turned a rather fleshy pink which caught the attention of Itachi and Kisame.
"It's over for you 2 now. Black magic to summon the esophagus of the giant toad from Myoki Mountain Rock Inn. You wanted criminals, hope you enjoy being food to Iwagama!" exclaimed Jiraiya.
As the walls began closing in on Itachi and Kisame, Itachi's eyes narrowed as he dashed down the corridor away from Jiraiya and quickly motioned for Kisame to do the same. As they spotted light at the end of corridor, Kisame couldn't but be a little nervous at the rate in which the walls were closing in on them.
"Itachi, we won't make it at this rate!"
Itachi said nothing before he drew out a blade that surprised even Kisame as he had never seen Itachi use it before. It had a sleek red handle along with a trigger and there appeared to be some sort of guage right at the hilt. Itachi quickly pulled the handle down, effectively revealing some sort of small compartment before he inserted the strange object that looked very similar to what he called a family memento earlier.
ENGINE! JET!
The blade began glowing red before Itachi leapt forward and swung several times which caused the stomach lining to be melted away much to Kisame's amazement. Jiraiya scowled a bit as he watched the two escape before he released his technique and the corridor became normal again. Naruto quickly rushed over to Sasuke to see if he was okay just to discover that Sasuke had become unconscious. As Naruto turned to Jiraiya to ask him a question, a voice echoed along the corridor that caught their attention.
"DYNAMIC ENTRY!"
Naruto waved as he watched Gai disappear off into the distance with Sasuke on his back. As Naruto turned around, he couldn't help but ask a question that had been nagging at him.
"Ero-Sennin….those guys, what are they after me for?"
"Those guys are not so much after you….as they are after what's inside you."
"This dumb fox?...What IS this thing exactly anyway? Isn't it just a monster? Why would anyone want it?"
"The Kyuubi is indeed a monster that has been appearing age after age. A monstrous demon hell-bent on destruction. It was one of the disasters the people of old would fear. As for why they would want it? I have absolutely no idea. I guess they might be trying to find a way to harness and control its power."
Naruto gazed at the ground for a moment in silence before he looked up at Jiraiya again with eyes full of determination.
"If those guys are after me….then that just means I have to get stronger," declared Naruto as he began walking towards their destination.
"Haha, right you are kid. That's part of why I brought you along with me. Most of this journey is for you, I'm going to make you stronger!"
Sakura sat in the hospital room as she looked at Sasuke's unconscious form. Gai had brought him in a while ago and Sakura had hoped that he might wake soon as she had something she wanted to discuss with him. She sighed as she simply returned back to her book and thought about everything she learned.
So the actual name of the form is W….or Double. I guess this explains why Sasuke has a hard time with half his memories, he only can use the Body ones. But….doesn't this mean that someone is meant to be the other half for Sasuke to actually be able to use the full strength of the Gaia memories? This doesn't make any sense though, if he really can only utilize the Body half of Double, how come he can use Fang? That wasn't one of the memories listed under that half.
Naruto grumbled something about hypocritical teachers before Jiraiya tossed a water balloon over to him. Naruto looked at him in confusion before Jiraiya merely smiled and began explaining.
"For this high level technique I'm going to teach you, this will be the first step," explained Jiraiya as he picked up a water balloon and concentrated for a moment. The balloon seemed to randomly start to disfigure with bumps appearing randomly before the balloon suddenly just bursted.
"Did you just…rotate the water until the balloon bursted?" Asked Naruto.
"Well well, I suppose you aren't just a complete idiot. With the tree climbing exercise, your Chakra level must be maintained by focusing your mind, and keeping that concentration. With water walking, you must release a fixed amount of Chakra continuously. For this exercise, the idea is similar to water walking in the sense that keep a continuous flow and spin the water around. First, use the basic principle of tree climbing by maintaining a moderate amount of Chakra in your hands. Then apply the principle of water walking by releasing it continuously," explained Jiraiya.
"HNGGGGG," grunted Naruto as he put all his effort into spinning to water to get it to burst, but to no avail.
"Eh….can you do it yet?" Asked Jiraiya as he woke up from his nap.
"Ehehehe, since you're awake, would you tell me how to break this?" Asked Naruto rather sheepishly.
"I can't give you the full explanation until you break that, but I suppose I can offer you a hint. Let's see you try and keep the water spinning."
Naruto nodded as he began concentrating on the water balloon again. Seeing the small amount of movement in the balloon caught Jiraiya's attention.
"Well well, you're coming along quite nicely. Now, right or left, which way is it revolving?"
Naruto paused and thought for a moment before responding, "Ah…I guess only to the left?"
"Hmmm perhaps your natural rotation is the other way, have you tried rotating it to the right?" Asked Jiraiya.
Naruto closed his eyes once more and gave the exercise another try and this time he met with some surprising results; the balloon had suddenly begun to flatten. Seeing this got Naruto rather excitied before he turned to face Jiraiya with a wide smile on his face.
"All riiightt, this will be a piece of cake if I keep at it. I can master this part by the third day!" Exclaimed Naruto.
"Hehe…keep this in mind Naruto. This technique is one left by the Yondaime and he took three years to perfect this technique. It is considered one of the highest ranking techniques and this world has had only a handful of capable users which included me and the Yondaime," smirked Jiraiya before he motioned for Naruto to continue walking.
"Alright brat, seeing as how it looks like I'm stuck working with you for a while I might as well get use to it."
"Hmm…you seem to be taking this rather well…Mister Ankh," pointed out Konohmaru.
"Bah, it's just Ankh…and well…let's say I've had experience with being stuck to working with people…"
"Uh…okay, what's the first thing you're going to teach me?"
"The first thing is for you to understand all the different medals. The color represents the set they're a part of. Each set has something that they are specialized in. If you use all three sets it creates a combo and you take on a form that is far stronger than if you were to mix them up."
"Woah really? That sounds so cool! Can we do that first?"
"No you idiot, you don't even happen to have 3 of the same colors on you right now so that is out of the question. Also, using a combo puts a lot of strain on your body and is incredibly taxing."
"Aww…..say Ankh, how long have you been alive?"
"…Did you forget our previous conversation already? We Greed, are not living beings. We are merely just a pile of medals charged with energy. We do not live nor do we die, we simply exist or we don't."
Konohamaru opened his mouth for a bit before closing it and remaining silent. It was rather hard to comprehend what existence was like for Ankh based on what he explained. So he was just something that was….there? Yet, he also couldn't feel anything…?
Jiraiya woke up rather startled as cold water splashed on his face.
"W-what's going on?!" Asked Jiraiya rather frantically as he gazed around only to see Naruto smirking.
"The first stage…has been completed!" Proclaimed Naruto with a wide smile on his face.
Naruto picked up another water balloon and began the same process as Jiraiya then saw that Naruto was constantly bringing his right hand closer than further away from the balloon while his left hand held the balloon.
"What made you discover to use the trick with both hands?" Asked Jiraiya who had a rather amused smile on his face.
Naruto chuckled as he lifted a cat up with both his hands, "I saw this guy bouncing the waterballoon with his front leg over and over again and I realized that since he hit it with his leg so many times, the water was moving in all sorts of directions. Then I remembered how when I spun the water, the water only rotated in one direction whereas when you did it, it got all disfigured and dented because you had multiple rotations!"
Naruto began dancing around a little in celebration before his wrists suddenly went limp ahd he grunted a bit as some pain shot through his body. Jiraiya took note of this and merely frowned a bit before he motioned for Naruto to get dressed.
The strain of this usage is starting to get to his circulatory system….
Naruto punched the floor in frustration as he failed once again to complete the 2nd stage of the training.
"I told you already, without the water acting a medium, breaking the rubber ball is at least 100 times more difficult," laughed Jiraiya as he watched Naruto struggle.
Jiraiya watched for a few moments before he told Naruto to take a break and buy lunch for the both of them. Naruto mumbled something before sighing and walking off. As Naruto walked into a nearby vendor and looked over the food, the sound of a child's cheering caught his attention. The little kid and his dad had split a popsicle and the kid walked off with a rather wide smile on his face. Naruto gazed at the spectacle with a bit of longing in his eyes as the loneliness of the past came back to him. Naruto walked back with the bag of food in his hand as he approached Jiraiya and asked for another hint.
"Unless you think on your own and find the key on your own, you'll never get it right no matter how long you take. I told you three weeks ago too, to stop acting like a baby. You're a Ninja!" replied Jiraiya rather harshly.
"hehehe…you don't have to remind me again!" laughed Naruto rather nervously.
Night had fallen and Naruto had yet to make much progress as he was on his knees. He then looked at his palms as he felt sweat coming down from his forehead.
Damn it….it doesn't break no matter how hard I try. I'm just discharging Chakra….and every time I let my Chakra flow, a pain runs down my arms and hands and it feels like my nerves are being prodded. The more I increase the amount of Chakra, the worse the pain gets….Ok, the pain tells me the amount of Chakra that I'm releasing, so if I bring the level of my Chakra right up to the very threshold of my pain….
Naruto coughed a bit in pain as it suddenly felt as if his hands were on fire but he forced himself to continue on. Suddenly, a hole appeared at the side of the rubber ball causing it to deflate and flatten.
"Well well well, it would appear you've improved a little bit," chuckled Jiraiya who suddenly appeared behind Naruto.
"I only made a hole in the ball….it hasn't even broken yet like when you showed it!" protested Naruto as he turned around.
"Haha, don't be so stubborn. You've come a long ways on your own," winked Jiraiya as he broke a popsicle in half and handed one to Naruto. Naruto's frown slowly turned into a smile as he accepted the frozen treat and began to sit down and take a break.
Sakura dropped by again in Sasuke's room hoping to see that he was awake only to be met with disappointment. Whatever, she had another plan as well as she took out another book and began glancing inside. Gaara's demon, Shukaku, had constantly been uttering about Faiz and mentioned something about Orphnoch which had piqued Sakura's curiosity. Perhaps reading about the power of Faiz could explain some things to her.
Let see…according to Paradise Lost….Orphnoch's were individuals with accelerated evolution within their DNA giving them unnatural capabilities. Hmmm….oh? Apparently the Faiz gear wasn't the first of its kind and there were many prototypes. Kaixa and Delta….were very similar to Faiz and required Orphnoch DNA to utilize but it seems that the gear would eventually break down the user from overuse and it would cause them to dissolve into…..sand?
Naruto found himself grunting as he attempted the final stage of the technique. His arms still burned after completing the 2nd stage with a bit of encouragement from Jiraiya but this last part seemed near impossible. He was shaken out of his concentration as a loud explosion was heard in the distance. Jiraiya quickly shot Naruto a look and Naruto nodded before putting the water balloon aside and the two jumped off towards the direction of the sound. As the two landed on the roof of a nearby building they surveyed the damage of an entire stone wall being smashed apart.
"Hmph…it appears we were just a little bit too late….," said Jiraiya as he motioned for Naruto to follow him into a nearby restaurant.
As the two strolled in, a lady in the back caught Jiraiya's attention.
"Hey, Tsunade!" Called out Jiraiya which caused Tsunade to look up from her food.
"Why….are you at a place like this?" Tsunade asked.
"I came here looking for you…..what's with the face?"
"Today…I met with someone that brought back some bad memories," replied Tsunade as she played around with her food.
Jiraiya looked at the rather nervous expression of Shizune before asking, "Did something happen between you and Orochimaru?"
"Nothing much…just a bit of a greeting, that aside…what were you looking for me for?" Asked Tsunade.
"To tell you the truth…Konohagakure has issued a request for you to be the Godaime," revealed Jiraiya causing Naruto to nearly choke on his food.
"So it was true….Orochimaru really did kill our teacher…," muttered Tsunade.
"Orochimaru? That snake guy? HE killed the old man? Who the hell is that bastard?" shouted Naruto.
"He was with us…members of the Legendary Sannin…as we were called," explained Jiraiya.
"What…he was from the Leaf?...What…happened?
Naruto suddenly noticed that the tension in the room increased as the two Sannin looked rather sullen and bitter at something which Naruto realized was a touchy subject. At this point Jiraiya looked back at Tsunade and returned to asking for the original purpose.
"So, how about it Tsunade? Want to take up the job?"
"….I decline," answered Tsunade causing everyone at the table to widen their eyes.
Tsunade paused before she looked over Naruto and scoffed a bit, "This kid seems worse than your previous apprentice….in terms of looks, speech, and intelligence."
Before Naruto could protest, Jiraiya merely smirked, "Well, to measure up to the Yondaime is quite tough hehehe."
"Pfft…and yet he died so quickly, he gave up his life for his village…..only a fool would gamble like that," sneered Tsunade.
"My grandfather and the 2nd both focused too much on bringing peace to our home, more than anything else, but as a result, they just died in the middle of their dreams, like the losers. Sarutobi-Sensei has the same story, he too died because he was too old to live in his dreams. Being a Hokage is stupid, only a fool would take such a job," muttered Tsunade.
Hearing this angered Naruto as his blood boiled and he tried to jump onto the table only for Jiraiya to grab the back of his jacket.
"Let me go! I can't forgive anyone that says bad things about our Hokage and the Yondaime! I don't care who she is or what her lineage is…I'll kick her ass!"
Seeing this only amused Tsunade a bit as she glanced at Naruto, "You've got some guts to say such things to me boy….let's take this outside."
As they all stepped outside into the night, Naruto growled at her before taking a stance. Seeing this, Tsunade merely chuckled. "I'm one of the legendary three, a single finger should be enough for you."
Naruto ran forward and threw several shuriken at Tsunade. Tsunade quickly leaned to her side and dodged them before ducking down to avoid Naruto's punch. Using her finger, Tsunade swatted Naruto's hand away before flicking at his forehead which sent him flying back. As Naruto slowly got up, he gave Tsunade a rather hard glare which piqued her curiosity.
"Hey kid, why do you get so excited just by hearing the word Hokage?"
Naruto slowly reached for his headband which had been knocked off and tied it onto his head before answering, "Because unlike you, I really want to succeed the Hokage name…and I will…because it's my dream to become Hokage!"
Narutp wiped some dirt off his mouth before unsealing the Beast Driver and inserting the beast ring as well as arming himself with the Buffa mantle. His sudden change in form shocked Tsunade and Shizune and Naruto quickly dashed forward recklessly at Tsunade. As he got in front of her, Tsunade lifted her one hand to swat Naruto away again but this time, Naruto grabbed onto her wrists and smirked at her.
"You think you're strong? You wanna see who's stronger?!"
Naruto grunted as he focused all his Chakra into his arms and his mantle began glowing a crimson red as he slowly managed to push Tsunade back.
"Cmon! You're barely even trying!" He barked.
"Hmph, you're an annoying brat aren't you?" Tsunade responded as she closed her eyes for a moment and began focusing and started pushing Naruto back.
"You want to challenge me to a battle of strength? Bad move, kid!" smirked Tsunade
"Maybe…if I were actually challenging you!" Shouted Naruto as he leaned in and turned around and threw Tsunade over his shoulder. Her eyes widened as she was in the air and Naruto quickly leapt forward to seize his opening. He held one hand out and brought his other hand above it to mold Chakra. Tsunade's eyes widened at the fact that Naruto tried to use the Rasengan and she quickly slammed her first towards the ground causing a fissure which tripped Naruto. Naruto fumbled the Rasengan and smashed it into the floor causing a spiral widening of the fissure as well as undoing the Beast transformation. As Shizune helped Naruto up Tsunade looked at the aftereffects of the technique and scowled a little.
To think this brat would try to use the Yondaime's technique…but that lack of power…he has a long way to go.
"Jiraiya! Was it you who's teaching him the Rasengan?" Asked Tsunade
"I'm his master…and in principle…," implied Jiraiya with a shrug.
"The only people that can use that technique are you and the fourth! Teaching him something he cannot do, and believing you are his master….it's better if he doesn't think that way….so silly kids won't joke about foolish dreams like becoming Hokage!" Declared Tsunade as she smirked at Naruto.
"…Don't you dare laugh at my dreams and call it a joke…you old crone….give me three days and I'll master that technique!" Shouted Naruto.
"Heh…bold words there kid….a man's word should never be taken back…"
"I never go back on my word….that's my way of the Ninja!"
"Hehe, is that so? Well then, I'll give you one week. If you can master that technique, I will acknowledge that you can become the Hokage as well as handing over this necklate," stated Tsunade as she fished a necklace out from her shirt.
"Eh, that old thing? Why would that interest me?"
"Don't say that Naruto! That's a very unique ore that belonged to the Shodaime, if you sold it, you could buy three mountains," exclaimed Jiraiya.
Hearing this, Naruto's eyes lit up, "Woah…REALLY?"
"However, if you can't master it in a week…then all your money will belong to me," laughed Tsunade as she tossed Naruto's frog wallet up and down.
Jiraiya watched as Naruto pouted at suddenly losing his wallet before he turned to Tsunade who was about to leave with Shizune.
"Tsunade, want to get a drink with me? It's been awhile," said Jiraiya as he gestured to a nearby bar.
"Are you worried?" Asked Jiraiya as he drank from a cup of sake.
"About what?" questioned Tsunade as a light blush appeared on her face from the amount of alcohol she had consumed.
"To a child back there…you acted rather childishly and rashly. Even if he trains extensively, there's no way he can master it in a week….that's hardly even fair," chuckled Jiraiya as he gestured for a refill.
Tsunade remained silent as Jiraiya continued to consume another cup of Sake before suddenly turning to Tsunade with a rather serious expression.
"Going to meet up with Orochimaru aren't you?"
Tsunade remained silent as she continued to simply look at the contents of her drink.
"Let me make one thing clear to you Tsunade….the past Hokages protected those who lived in the Leaf Village. They reigned in troubled times yet still allowed the village to have prosperity…they bet their lives on that dream. You should understand their feelings…..if you EVER do anything that betrays the Leaf…I'll kill you myself…"
"So it's a cursed necklace huh? Is she out to get me or something? Or is that just a lack of faith?" Asked Naruto as he walked with Shizune back towards the hotel. Shizune remained quiet as she continued to keep her gaze forward.
"Lady Tsunade….she isn't quite what you think she was like. She was once very kind and caring….but…she lost her brother and her significant other to that necklace…and their dream of becoming Hokage and dying for the village came to pass…," said Shizune which surprised Naruto.
Naruto cried out as he slammed his Rasengan into the tree causing the trunk to be smashed into bits. He looked at the wreckage and growled in frustration; it seemed he still couldn't release 100% of the power in that small spot! He was beginning to run low on time….
"One more time!" Yelled out Naruto as he began to form the Rasengan again.
Suddenly, his vision began to get blurry as his hands began to burn up. He vaguely heard someone call out his name before he fell to the ground and was consumed by darkness.
White ceiling slowly came into Naruto's vision as his eyes slowly opened. He quickly sat up and gazed left and right to analyze his surroundings. He noticed Shizune sitting off to the side and called out to her.
"Where's the old hag? Today is the day of the bet! I wasn't quite about to finish my training, but I'll have to come up big when I show her!"
Shizune's eyes widened as Naruto reminding her of the date made her remember something very specific. Shizune quickly dashed to the window before turning her head back to Naruto.
"Naruto! Stay inside this building!"
As Shizune stuck her head out the window she turned to her side and noticed something that shocked her.
"Lord Jiraiya! What happened to you?" Asked Shizune rather frantically as Jiraiya seemed to be rather pale and also seemed to have a hard time standing.
"Damn Tsunade, she put something in my drink. I can't release Chakra very well and my whole body stings."
"You lame ass! You always brag about how incredible you are and that old hag did away with you in a moment's notice!" Accused Naruto.
"Shut up! In her fallen state she's still a medical specialist! She's about the only one who can create a tasteless, odorless drug to use against other Ninjas!"
Jiraiya grunted a bit before turning to Shizune with a rather apprehensive look.
"What you talked about with Orochimaru….it's about time you tell us," demanded Jiraiya
"I wanted to believe in Lady Tsunade….that's why I didn't say anything. But I'll explain on the way there, we don't have time to lose, let's go!"
"Heh, you may be leagues higher than me as a medical specialist…but please don't think such a technique is enough to stop me!" yelled out Kabuto as he dashed at Tsunade with his kunai drawn.
As he began to close the distance, there was a rather large puff of smoke that appeared between him and Tsunade. As the smoke faded, it revealed Jiraiya, Shizune, and Naruto.
"Fufufufu….long time no see…Jiraiya," smirked Orochimaru.
"Yo, you haven't changed at all….those wild eyes," chuckled Jiraiya.
"Hello Naruto…it's been awhile," greeted Kabuto.
"What…?! What're you doing here?" asked Naruto with rather shocked eyes.
"Get out of my way," growled Tsunade as she knocked Jiraiya aside and dashed at Kabuto.
Kabuto merely smirked as he took his kunai and cut his own arm causing blood to appear which caused Tsunade's eyes to widen as she suddenly froze.
"What's….what's going on? Why is Kabuto fighting Tsunade?" asked Naruto with his face contorted in confusion.
"Hehe…you are so thick Naruto…that's why you can't compare to Sasuke," chuckled Kabuto.
"Look at his headband carefully! He is Orochimaru's subordinate," said Jiraiya.
"Hehe, that's right…I'm a sound village spy!" admitted Kabuto with a smirk.
"But..the Chuunin exam…you…you helped us!" exclaimed Naruto.
"Haha…Naruto, I've concluded something from your data. Unlike Sasuke…you have no talent in becoming a shinobi. You are nothing more than an out-of-place Genin. You were relying on that monster inside of you. But even with the Legendary three in front of my eyes you are worthless. If you try something…I'll kill you," threatened Kabuto as his face turned blank.
Naruto grit his teeth and prepared himself to attack before Jiraiya put his hand in front of Naruto.
"Shizune, you handle the guy in the glasses, I'll take Orochimaru! But first…I'd like it if Tsunade did something about the drug in my body."
"That effect will last probably for a bit longer or so…I myself cannot quite do anything about it," replied Shizune.
"Hmph…guess we have to work with what we have. Naruto, go protect Tsunade and her pig," instructed Jiraiya.
"What?! I want to fight to, I can…"
"Like the guy in the glasses said, they're on an entirely different level. The enemy is like me, one of the three nins, plus he killed the Sandaime. An eye for an eye! Only I can take him! Also, that glasses boy ranks up there along with Kakashi."
"Hmph…I'd like it if even YOU didn't underestimate me Ero-Sennin. Kabuto might be far stronger than me…but his arrogance will be is undoing!" Shouted Naruto as he unsealed the Beast driver.
DRIVER ON!
SET! OPEN! L-I-O-N! LION!
As Naruto took the form of Beast again he piqued the interest of everyone as he gazed at in the direction of Orochimaru and Kabuto before turning back to Jiraiya and Shizune.
"I may be just a Genin Ero-Sennin, but you forget. I'm Uzumaki Naruto….the Ancient Magician; Beast!"
After his bold declaration, Naruto quickly armed himself with the Dolphi mantle and focused energy into it causing it to glow released blue sparks that fell over Tsunade as her wounds began to close up and color had returned to her face. Seeing this, Shizune gave Naruto a rather strange look.
"It's healing magic," explained Naruto.
Shizune hesitatingly nodded as she looked at Jiraiya who also had an expression that displayed he was a bit impressed. Naruto then turned his attention over to Kabuto before unsealing the Dice Saber and pointed it at him.
"Now…as for you!" shouted Naruto as he armed himself with the Chameleo mantle and then faded away causing Kabuto's eyes to widen a bit.
Kabuto looked around and then closed his eyes to focus on his sense before he quickly then ducked to avoid the Dice Saber who had swung from behind. Naruto then kicked Kabuto in the back causing him to tumble a bit before Naruto unleashed the whip within the mantle which lashed at Kabuto causing him to be a bit dazed. Naruto then leapt in the arm and armed himself with the Buffa mantle before he began his descent and swung his saber vertically.
"Lemme tell you one thing Kabuto, you're right, there are probably many things that Sasuke outstrips me in," admitted Naruto as Kabuto managed to sidestep his blade.
"But!...Even HE will admit…when it comes to strength…I HAVE NO EQUAL!" Roared Naruto as he gathered Chakra into his fist causing it to glow crimson before he punched Kabuto right in the gut.
Kabuto coughed up some blood before he tumbled backwards into the terrain. Naruto spun the dial on his saber and inserted the ring in.
ONE! BUFFA! SABER STRIKE!
Hearing this, Naruto groaned as he swung his blade and a rather pathetic looking buffalo came running out and charged at Kabuto. Kabuto shook his head a bit before gathering chakra to his hands to form a scalpel and swatted the buffalo away.
"Hmph…perhaps I did underestimate you a little….but nevertheless you're outclassed here. The sad truth is that you are nothing special, if was probably luck you managed to get so far. Even with your exceptional spirit, in order to become Hokage you cannot be so cowardly…but you lack the skills to back up that spirit of yours," mocked Kabuto as he flipped over Naruto's info cards.
"Enough of the chitchat Kabuto…come here and we can end this," hissed Orochimaru.
Kabuto reappeared at Orochimaru's side and slid some blood down his arms and made some seals which caused Jiraiya's eyes to widen as he went through similar seals.
Summoning Technique!
Orochimaru stood above a rather large two headed snake as he looked down and laughed at Jiraiya.
"Your stupidity still hasn't been cured Jiraiya….you are as talentless as your pupil," barked Orochimaru as he continued to laugh as the tiny toad Gamakichi stood before Jiraiya.
Shizune looked at this with rather worried eyes and she realized that Jiraiya had not recovered fully from the drug. Naruto narrowed his eyes and quickly went through the same set of seals and bit his thumb. There was no way he was going to let them mock his teacher! As Naruto slammed his hand on the ground a huge puff of smoke appeared catching Kabuto and Orochimaru's attention.
"Tch…that nine-tails brat from the Chuunin exam. Maybe it would have been better had I killed him back then…for the time being…I'll overlook that attitude of his. But if that Five element seal has loosened…it would be difficult even for a member of the legendary three….I've yet to deal with the Kyuubi's Chakra," muttered Orochimaru.
As the smoke cleared and an even smaller toad appeared, Orochimaru simply laughed once again, "It would appear that your pupil lacks natural talent much like you Jiraiya!"
One of the snake heads darted its head downward and attempted to devour Naruto and Shizune but the two managed to leap off in two directions. Naruto quickly dashed at Kabuto and swung his saber but Kabuto managed to block with a kunai and he performed a palm strike on Naruto's chest causing him to cough and fall back. Jiraiya immediately jumped up on top of the snake and began to square off against Orochimaru. Shizune dashed over to Naruto and performed some seals before releasing a poisonous gas in Kabuto's direction. As the gas cloud began to fade, an arm burst out from beneath Shizune and struck both her ankles causing her to wince and fall over. Kabuto then appeared from beneath and kicked her to the side before turning his attention to Naruto. Naruto quickly jumped and delivered a kick but Kabuto simply jumped back a bit to avoid. Naruto growled and tried to follow up with a punch but Kabuto sidestepped and shrugged Naruto's attack off before striking him in the chest and then kicking him back.
"I told you before Naruto….you might provide a small challenge to me because of that power…but it doesn't matter, you simply can't match up to me!" taunted Kabuto as he turned his attention over to Tsunade.
Naruto slowly got to his feet and grit his teeth but he knew that Kabuto was ultimately right. This guy could rival Kakashi in ability, ancient magic or not, Naruto simply was in no position to help out. Naruto looked up and saw that Jiraiya and Orochimaru were locked in a stale mate as Orochimaru had sank his teeth into Jiraiya but Jiraiya had forced Orochimaru to hurt himself by surrounding himself in what looked like needles made of his hair. The snake had been held by some strange swamp, but it looked like that wouldn't hold it for now. Naruto needed to find a way to even up the odds!
Got any ideas Chimera? I sure could use something to swing the odds back in our favor.
Hmph…there is one thing…but how confident do you feel about fighting without my power?
I dunno…probably not very? I can't even beat this guy WITH your power…
You don't need to win…merely just survive….can you do it? Without my strength?
It's possible…why?
Use the multicolored ring….it will temporarily unseal me and let me wander in the physical plane. However, during that time, you will not be able to utilize my power. I will try to deal with that snake.
…So THAT's what it's for?...Sounds risky…but I guess I don't have a choice right now!
Naruto reached for the ring before inserting it into the Beast Driver.
CHIMERISE!
The Beast Driver began to glow for a moment before the massive form of Chimera flew out and Naruto's transformation faded away. The sudden creature caught everyone by surprise as their jaw dropped at what Naruto had done. Naruto sighed a bit as he realized that it did cost him a bit of Chakra but he smirked and looked at Chimera while pointing at the giant snake.
"Oy! Chimera! It's lunchtime!"
Chimera nodded lightly before flying upward and swatting at the Snake's head.
Kabuto's eyes widened for a moment before he shook off his shock and prepared to strike at Tsunade.
"Hmph, my talent of seeing through people is unsurpassed. In my eyes that boy is just a common kid," noted Orochimaru.
"Hehe…that's for sure, I wouldn't need a guy like Sasuke. A boy who has been raised as a natural prodigy from the outset is no fun," chuckled Jiraiya.
"Hehe you're looking for someone like yourself aren't you? I can't beat the Sharingan user who is heir to the Uchiha clan. Why bother with someone like Naruto who hasn't got something like that? A ninja talent that enables the user to use and master every technique in the world. That is what his heritage entails…now he only needs to encounter the techniques."
"Haha…you still don't understand. That's not what the talent of a ninja entails….the most important ninja talent is not the number of techniques one acquires….but rather it is having a spirit which never gives up!"
Kabuto's eyes widened as his kunai was intercepted by Naruto who had a firm grip on his hand.
"Oy Tsunade….are you ready to lose the bet?" Asked Naruto as he turned his head slightly.
The bold question caused Tsunade's eyes to widen…there was no way…this kid…could he have?
A shadow clone appeared next to Naruto as the original stuck his hand out. The clone began maneuvering his hands over the originals and the Rasengan slowly began to form.
"You're not getting away this time!" roared out Naruto as he thrust the Rasengan forward into Kabuto;s gut.
The effect was immediately as it almost seemed as if Kabuto was consumed in a spherical whirlwind of Chakra that enlarged and began rotating backwards before it collided with a boulder and a huge explosion occurred. Naruto slowly fell forward in exhaustion which shook Tsunade out of her shock as she rushed forward and put her hand over Naruto's chest.
Shit! The muscles of his heart are worn out…his heartbeat has become erratic!
Tsunade's hands began to glow green as she attempted to help Naruto recover. As she watched Naruto lay there, she couldn't help but feel dread as the memories of her past began to surface of her lost loved ones.
Don't die…please…not for this…don't die!
Tsunade was interrupted out of her thoughts as Naruto slowly lifted his hand and played around a bit with her nackle.
"Hehe…G-granny….you….really….d-do…suck at…gambling…hehe," coughed out Naruto.
"Fufufufu…it appears that kid isn't doing all that well…," said Orochimaru.
"Tsunade was once a medical specialist…with Naruto under her care there is absolutely nothing to worry about. But as for you, in this fight with me…you won't have a chance to look away…," claimed Jiraiya.
"Talk like that is meaningless….if he crosses the Akatsuki he might become a hassle…looks like…I'll have to deal with him now!" Hissed Orochimaru as he suddenly leapt forward and Kusanagi suddenly appeared at his mouth.
Jiraiya attempted to leap to follow Orochimaru but Orochimaru used his tongue to fling Jiraiya at the floor causing him to smash into the ground. Before Orochimaru could land his mark, Chimera swooped by and swatted his claw over and knocked Orochimaru off course.
"Regrettable as it is you damned snake….my partner is weakened and running low on Chakra…I cannot stay in this realm for long…" mutted Chimera. As he began glowing and turning transparent before he flew back into the Beast Driver.
Orochimaru got up and began making his way over to Naruto before Tsunade stepped in front of him causing him to scowl.
"Why…why bother wasting your time protecting this worthless Genin?"
"You want to know why?...Because…this kid…is the future Hokage of Konoha," replied Tsunade with a smile as she looked behind her at his sleeping form.
"Bah…being a Hokage is a job merely for fools," scoffed Orochimaru as he thrusted the blade forward into Tsunade's chest.
"Well well…then maybe you'll just have to call me a fool as well….as I am not the Godaime of Konoha!" declared Tsunade as she went through a series of seals and a symbol appeared over her forehead.
"Well well well…it appears I'm not the only one developing new techniques…care to tell me what that is?"
"Hehe, I've been gathering Chakra to this point for many years now….now that it is released I can accelerate the production of various protein as well as enzymes that assist and speed up cell creation. I'm not merely healing…I'm regenerating. Cause of this….I cannot die in battle!"
Orochimaru scoffed as he leapt back to Kabuto and evaluated his odds.
Bah, it is simply too annoying to fight both at the same time….this won't work for me as it is…
"Even if you won't heal my arms Tsunade….there is another way for me to recover. I'll show you true immortality…," declared Orochimaru as he and Kabuto vanished in a swirl of leaves.
"So this old hag is going to be the Godaime starting today eh?" questioned Naruto with a rather sour look.
"What are you irritated with, Naruto?" asked Jiraiya.
"Well, if you compare her with the old man, she's rough, selfish, loose with money, easily pissed off, and stupid…" listed off Naruto which only caused for a vein to bulge on Tsunade's head.
"Are you sure she can do it? I'm worried…besides isn't she like 50? Should the Hokage really deceive everyone like that?" Tacked on Naruto as he continued to count off his fingers.
"WANNA TAKE THIS OUTSIDE BRAT?" Yelled out Tsunade.
"Hmph, I'm Hokage no matter what you say….all I need is one finger…once again….Brat!"
"Hey! Stop calling me brat dammit! I'll be Hokage someday too!" declared Naruto as he crossed his arms.
To this, Tsunade could only smile.
You'll make a fine Hokage….Naruto…
TBC
Woah what's this? Two Longish chapters almost back to back! I'm so close to my personal deadline! Arggg! I hope the Chimera summoning part wasn't underwhelming! Haha, I had always planned for something like this to happen but then I actually completely forgot what happened in Canon around this time hahahah. I went back and did a double take online to refresh my memory and then proceeded to do my normal cutting and twisting of the events but that was when I was already kind of semi into the chapter and I didn't really want to scrap everything. I hope I managed to edit it in a way that was enjoyable! I've never liked writing battles as I feel like I could never do characters Justice…so I ended up just cutting out the triple summons because that battle actually didn't last very long in the manga…was only a few panels. Kamen Rider OOO enters the picture though! Haha…also Sakura discovers DiEnd and the true power of W as well as uncovering some mysteries surrounding Faiz! I wonder what it could all mean! Oh man, I hope you're excited as me for what's coming up next! Hehe…Until next time!