Chapter 26: Some day…
A/N: Sounded like you guys had that meh feeling I had about last chapter as well Lol. That just made me want to hit a home run on this chap though so… blessing in disguise? Hm? That'll come down to your opinion I guess.
Beginning of this chapter will just be a bit of a wrap up of loose ends within the preliminaries arena then it delves into other matters, the focus is mostly on the usuals… Team Six and our favorite spies.
Apologies in advance if I overdid it on Jiraiya's 'issues' but I thought it was funny so too bad lmao
Enjoy
"Well?" Kiba asked, gesturing for Anko to speak.
"Well, what?"
"You're not going to congratulate us or something? We just advanced to the finals…"
"No, I'm not."
Shikamaru sighed. "Do I even want to know why, sensei?"
"Oi I just went head to head in close range with a Hyuga! I think a little credit or praise would be nice sensei!"
Anko gave Kiba a terrifying glare and smirked. "Exactly! I told you to be cautious against them you jackass. I'm not congratulating you because you didn't listen to me and you didn't actually defeat her." She then sent a look Shikamaru's way.
"What?" He raised his hands defensively.
"You didn't do anything that entire time beyond the first five seconds when you caught him with your shadow!"
"That's not true…" Shikamaru retorted. "It took chakra to hold him… And I played some mind games."
"I'm not praising you for stealing a bag of chips!"
"Meh whatever…" Shikamaru grumbled. "I don't care."
"How's he doing?" Kiba asked the new addition of Team Six, who was cradling Akamaru in her arms trying to keep him settled down.
"I think he's okay… Just confused about the poison so he was whining a lot earlier, it was his way of telling us there was something wrong and he panicked a bit," Kin hypothesized. Originally, Kiba went straight to Anko for her poison expertise but she pretty much delegated to the teenage kunoichi. Being a heavy senbon user, it should come to no one's surprise that Kin did coat some of them in poison from time to time; she just found Genjutsu tricks working in correlation to them preferable.
"Judging by the way Akamaru is struggling to stand or walk properly…" Kin paused to jab her pointer finger into Akamaru's fur roughly three times.
"What the hell! Cut that out!"
"Relax Kiba," Kin blinked. "I'm only analyzing the effect of the poison. Based on that lack of reaction on his part coupled with the rough time standing and moving it's safe to say it's the exact same poison Naruto is enduring. You'll have to ask Hinata or Genma to be one hundred percent sure but that doesn't seem important. She promised he'd be okay and like I said… Akamaru's symptoms are in line with Naruto's."
Sighing, Kiba accepted Akamaru into his own arms from her and she gave a slight smile before deciding to stand up and leave the companions be for a bit. "Ino," She called out. "Are you going to be all right?" Kin didn't make a deal out of it at the time because everyone seemed unsurprised by her unconscious state after her partner was eliminated from their match. When Ino woke up she left it be in favor of watching Shikamaru and Kiba.
"Don't worry about it! Typical Yamanaka stuff… I missed my target so I went unconscious it's normal and would happen every single time if I spent a whole day aiming at a wall or something," The blonde assured. But I don't know why the hell it took so long for me to wake up… Over fifteen minutes they said. Ino thought, hiding her personal concerns behind a brave face.
"If you say so; I have zero experience with Yamanaka's until our match."
Ino grinned. "Well, I better do something about that…" Seeing the inquisitive look on Kin's face she elaborated. "You should hang out with Sakura and I sometime, shopping or a movie whatever. And maybe you could give us more detail on your situation. I'm sure Shikamaru shortened the explanation to the smallest amount of syllables he could manage," she laughed.
"Sure, that sounds—" Before Kin could finish her reply their attention was diverted as Asuma bellowed to all remaining Genin.
"Traditionally, your finals matches are announced right now so you already know who to prepare for. However, the original proctor for this stage of the exam changed that as well because he felt no one should be allowed to spend a month focusing on how to counter a single opponent because it's unrealistic to a real battle in the field. Like the tag team matches, I am honoring his decision and so I dismiss you now until one month's time. You will face off against opponents in one on one matches in front of a crowd of nobles, dignitaries and otherwise rich or important people as well as your fellow Leaf shinobi. The Kazekage and a few Sand ninja are expected to attend as well," he glanced in the direction of 'Garra.' "Use your time wisely this month; if you used all of your best techniques learn something new. Everyone's seen each other fight to this point and you don't want to be predictable..."
Neji Tenten and Lee from Team Nine, Gaara of the Dessert, those two older guys that rely on wind and fire combo jutsus, the two ninja from the Land of Snow, Kiba, Shikamaru and Naruto…Sasuke tallied mentally. And myself. From what I saw of them… there's a wide range of skill sets I have to prepare for. I have a lot of work to do as usual. He stole a glance from 'Gaara' and held back a sneer. Especially if he's half as good as those weakling Waterfall ninja made him appear.
I'm fated to defeat my opponent, whomever it may be.
All right! That guy from the Sand and I finished our match so quickly no one's seen my moves! This is great.
What a drag… a month of training and preparation and I still have to do extra work to plan out a strategy for every possible opponent.
If I am going to get Gaara promoted… I'll have to make sure to give my unfortunate opponent an opportunity to showcase their skills first so I don't rob any of these poor Genin their shot at ranking up.
I don't care who I fight! I'm going to embarrass them so badly Anko-sensei won't be able to complain about a damn thing. And next time, Akamaru's not going to get hurt!
YOSH! I'll show all of those watching the power of youth! The will see how great a ninja can be through sheer hard work and will power and we'll see who the real genius is then! NEJI!
I'm not going to lose… I'll work harder than anybody this month and then I'll show the whole village how great I am! Mark my words… This village is going to start believing in me!
"I wish all of you good luck; dismissed."
"Ichiraku's!"
"The Steakhouse!"
"No way! I haven't had Ichiraku's in days! Stupid Chunin exams!"
"And I need STEAK!"
"RAMEN!"
"STEAK!"
"RAMEN!"
"STEAK GOD DAMN IT!"
They had just returned to the Leaf village after a quick run through the Forest of Death and decided to go out and have a meal together to celebrate the boys' advancement to the finals. Kiba and Naruto were wrestling and screaming at each other over this right in the middle of the street, with a bored Shikamaru, annoyed Anko and deadpanned Kin behind them. "Should I do something?"
"No, I got it."
Before Kin could inquire what her newly assigned sensei was going to do, Anko stomped over the Genin rolling along the road and separated them, smacking each on the head as she did so. "Damn it sensei, that hurts."
She's really ticked off about something! I can tell that would've hurt pretty bad, it's a good thing I'm still poisoned. Naruto paused in thought to gulp. I'm definitely not reminding her that…
"Quit squabbling you two."
"Hey look," A nondescript civilian with below average intelligence called out. "They actually gave that crazy purple haired bitch a team of kids!"
Anko's ear twitched like a radar. "What was that!" Seconds later, Anko was right in front of the man, kunai halted in midair as she was frozen in place with a shadow stretching out to one of her Genin, who sighed in annoyance.
"Nice save," Kin muttered. "How'd you do that? It seemed like you weren't even paying attention since we stopped walking."
"I have a sixth sense," The Nara replied.
"Oh?"
"I can feel troublesome things coming before they unfold; it's a real pain."
"Should I consider that a good thing or a bad thing?" Kin chuckled.
"Call it whatever you want but either way it's troublesome."
"Shikamaru, you can let me go now…" Anko hinted, having given herself a moment to calm down knowing he wouldn't listen until she did.
The shadow retreated to its manipulator and the group continued their walk as if nothing happened. Naruto and Kiba resumed a more civil argument about where the group would be eating as they were currently aiming towards the section of the village where most restaurants resided. Two thirds of the way there, Shikamaru noticed Anko's shoulders tense ever so slightly for just a second. That put him on alert.
"But at the steakhouse there are actual options for everyone to pick from!"
"There's plenty of options at Ichiraku's! Do you know how many flavors of ramen they have? Hmm!?"
Kiba let out an annoyed growl and Kin just shook her head. These two were obviously the high metabolism types that enjoyed their food almost as much as a fat guy like—I mean… rotund guy like Choji and got protective over their food and would apparently argue the entire walk about who's food they should eat. At least they weren't bored like her other teammate. She glanced at Shikamaru and found that he stopped staring off into space and walking on autopilot and instead looked focused. Raising an eyebrow at him, she followed the rest of her new team as they turned the corner.
Seeing Kin's expression, he appeared to dismiss whatever struck him. "It's probably nothing," Shoving his hands back in his pockets.
Naruto was grumbling under his breath about teammates and their lack of respect for the 'food of the Gods' as he struggled to saw into his steak. Since he was still poisoned, cutting it was turning out to be difficult and his frustration was mounting. Kiba was enjoying himself of course, it was meat and that's all that mattered. Akamaru was still poisoned, but unlike Naruto he didn't need anything other than his mouth to enjoy the meal. Shikamaru was being… Shikamaru. He sat beside Kiba, who was between him and Anko's currently vacant seat. Across from them were Naruto and Kin. He absentmindedly dipped a small chunk of meat in a puddle of steak sauce and dropped it in his mouth as he stared out at the clouds from his window seat.
"You assholes…" Anko remarked, taking her seat. "Could've waited for me to get back before starting your meals."
"And you could've taken less time in the restroom, sensei."
The glare Kiba received for that statement made everyone at the table shiver. "I'll remember that comment…" She proceeded to lick her lips and grin deviously at him.
Deciding to hide the intimidation, Kiba smirked and looked right back into her eyes. "Bring it on, sensei! I'm all riled up about these exams!" Licking his own lips.
Shikamaru interjected by elbowing Kiba before this could escalate any further. "What are you stupid? Think about who you're talking to… I don't even want to know what she'd do if you encourage her like that."
"I promise to be… creative, when I repay you," The purple haired Jonin responded, ignoring Shikamaru's advice to the Inuzuka.
"It was really nice knowing you Kiba, you were a good friend," Naruto threw in.
Kiba deflated. "Shut up…" Returning to his steak thinking about what possible horrors he may have just invited Anko to commit against him as Naruto laughed at his expense.
Naruto's laughter was killed when Kin reached passed him and swiped his plate away. "Oi, what the hell are you doing!?"
"Cutting your steak."
Naruto's face flushed, that's just embarrassing. "I can cut my own steak…"
"Not right now you can't," She snorted. "You're poisoned, it's not a big deal."
"Aww…" Anko mocked. "That's so cute. Is he the one, Kin?"
"The one?" She repeated with a blush creeping up on her.
"You know… The one that got you all excited this morning and made you hide in the hallway hoping I wouldn't notice."
"Wh-I did NOT get excited about anyone! I just thought it was indecent for me to watch three boys I don't even know get dressed!"
"I see," Anko laughed. "So you think in a few weeks you'll be more comfortable watching them change then?"
"WHAT!?"
"This teasing reminds me," Shikamaru jumped into the conversation. "I've been meaning to ask you guys. How do you two know each other?" He asked the females.
Anko and Kin shared a glance and the former nodded at the latter. "It's kind of a long story; you want to hear all of it or the short version?"
"None of us know much about you, so I think the full version would be better, right?" Kiba suggested, getting a nod from their other teammates.
Sliding Naruto's plate back to him she smiled sadly with her eyes cast down on her own plate. "All right…" She conceded. "It began when I was eight years old, when I lost my parents."
The trio of Genin boys stopped in whatever motion they were in the middle of and ignored their food for the moment and stared in surprise. They weren't expecting someone as cheerful as her to have a depressing background like that. "They didn't die or anything, that I know of."
"What?" Naruto interrupted. "If they're still alive… Then what happened?" He asked, incredulous. To him, the thought of someone having a family and then losing it without some kind of tragic death seemed unbelievable. He'd grown up without anymore most of his life, and it took him all that time to get a real group of friends. Of course, he was the village Jinchuriki so it's not like the odds were in his favor from the start, but he couldn't imagine having parents and then just losing them.
"They were arrested," She explained. "Apparently my parents were devoted to the drug business… my father 'cooked' and my mother was one of the people responsible for discreetly selling it. I didn't know any of this until after they were busted and I was sent to the orphanage."
"Oh…" Naruto responded, sadness tainting his voice uncharacteristically. "But… then I should've met you before!"
Kin blinked. "You were an orphan, Naruto?" He gave her a solemn nod. "Ah… sorry. I lived in a trading village in the Land of Earth back then. I spent two years in that orphanage," She went on. "At some point, I met some jerks who were about my age now at the time. One of them would ask me out a lot, even though I was like ten and he was fifteen…"
"What the fuck…?" Kiba blurted. "That's just…"
Kin nodded in agreement. "Grotesque? Anyway, I of course would say no every time and they would use it as an excuse to beat me up for fun." Shikamaru by now was just gaping at her in shock. How in the hell could someone so friendly and helpful to people have this kind of background?
"I doubt he wanted me like that…" She backtracked. "I've always thought they did it so I'd say no and they could cover me in bruises." She paused momentarily, hating the next memory she was digging up. "One day, they were going to kill me for some reason, or at least they acted like they were going to but Anko happened to be around on a mission and saved me."
The boys all looked to Anko who simply nodded in acknowledgement and glanced at a clock. It was actually a lie, Orochimaru saved her, but no one except Anko and the Hokage were aware of that. Well, Kin knew but she didn't know her savior's name and that it was actually Orochimaru, the "traitor" that taught Anko and Tokuro most of what they knew.
"I worked really hard when I got here, enrolling in the academy and graduating after only two years," She smiled. "I didn't want to be weak like that again and decided to be like Anko. The Leaf village became my home and I try to enjoy it as much as possible."
"Wow… Anko-sensei inspired someone to become a shinobi. And here I thought Anko only knew how to scare people." Everyone laughed at Naruto's assessment, himself included and the mood thankfully lightened up a bit.
Shikamaru couldn't help but smirk at his next thought. "I think Sasuke should take lessons from you… With your personality no one would ever had thought you went through all of that." Kiba laughed in agreement but surprisingly Naruto shook his head.
"I may hate the bastard… But it's not the same. How can we expect someone to not have a stick up his ass after his own brother kills his family off?" It sounded weird when Naruto defended Sasuke but he had a point, if anyone understood being alone, it was Naruto. And in Naruto's opinion, he had it just as bad since he never had a family at all, and he would've given anything to have one whereas Sasuke's was taken from him. "But he should at least try to do something about the stick anyway," He then added, somewhat jokingly.
"Wait, Naruto said he was an orphan too… He's more cheerful than I am so what's the big deal, Shikamaru?"
Shikamaru sweatdropped. "Yeah but he's Naruto it's not the same."
Kin just stared at him deadpanned. "And you're the group's analytical…"
"You guys are depressing me," Anko complained, and looked at the clock again. "I thought you guys wanted to eat together to celebrate the three of you advancing to the finals?"
Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Oh yeah… Guess we all kind of forgot about that."
"I haven't forgotten anything!" Kiba protested. "As a matter of fact… I'm not celebrating our advance at all, I'm celebrating the amount of ass I'm going to kick in a month. Isn't that right, Akamaru?"
Naruto smirked. "Well it won't be my ass! I'm going all the way, believe it!"
"It won't be?" Kiba challenged. "Who's the top dog around here in our spars again?" He bragged, sticking a thumb at himself.
"Maybe, maybe not, but I guarantee it'll be Shika's if you get close enough!" Anko taunted as Shikamaru grumbled something about sensei's and their annoying Taijutsu critique.
"Here ya go, boy!" Kiba handed a bone to the ninja-hound and got to work at cutting his third steak.
"If you guys could possibly face each other in the finals, you probably aren't going to train together at all for the month are you?" Kin brought up.
"Nope," Kiba agreed. "The last thing I need is Shika analyzing anything knew I might pick up," He chuckled.
"I'll probably just train with my dad, maybe take the next step with Shadow Possession. Otherwise I'll just make a few strategies up for every possible opponent and I'll be set."
"That's it…? Lazy ass," Anko muttered.
"I said I would train… quit complaining sensei!" Shikamaru retorted.
Anko once again checked the clock while replying. "I'll do as I please, kid."
"How about you, Naruto?" Kin prodded.
"Well I can't say I know what I'm doing yet. Anko-sensei probably won't train me since Kiba and Shikamaru are in it too, so I won't get any treatment they won't… Genma-sensei might be a little upset we eliminated his whole team… And I don't have a clan to ask for anything. I'll figure something out though, and I'll be better than ever, believe it."
"Hmm…" She considered. "Let me know if you do anything senbon related, I'm good for that much," She offered. "Or if you want to learn a Genjutsu I guess."
Kiba laughed before she even finished the sentence. "Naruto learning Genjutsu? Good luck with that."
"Oi, shut up you're just as bad!"
"I'm not the one who got poisoned because I was fooled by a Genjutsu…" Kiba shot.
"Oh yeah?" Naruto growled. "At least I wasn't hospitalized… unlike someone who fell for a Genjutsu on our Genin test!"
"Hey! Sensei went way too far that was traumatizing damn it!"
Shikamaru sighed and gazed at Kin. "Look at what you started…"
Anko, staring at the clock one final time bid them farewell. "See you later kids…" And poofed in a cloud of smoke.
"Clone?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.
Outside the steakhouse, a white robed figure's eyes widened upon seeing Anko vanish through his window view and dashed away. Bolting passed five blocks, the robed ninja took a left that lead to another, more populated street and fell into the crowd in a casual walk after performing a transformation jutsu to henge a civilian apparel.
Unbeknownst to the eavesdropper, he was not the only shinobi in the crowd that was using a henge to appear like a civilian.
"Why am I unsurprised?" Orochimaru voiced, causing a legendary pervert to cease his giggling and turn away from the TV.
"Oh, you're back."
"That is painfully obvious Jiraiya…"
Orochimaru and Itachi, still in their disguises, stood behind the couch Jiraiya and Gaara were currently occupying with Temari and Kankuro beside them. The only present kunoichi's eye was twitching rapidly as she reached for her fan. "WHAT the HELL are you watching?"
"U-Uh-Its-s-a-uhh-an educational video!" He finally settled.
"Educational? You're trying to poison my brother with this garbage!?"
Kankuro elbowed his sister. "Actually, it wouldn't be so bad if Gaara actually found some interest in girls you know…"
"I'm not involved…" Gaara declared in full monotone.
Orochimaru laughed. "Temari my dear, I assure you it's more education for Jiraiya than anyone else… He needs it."
"Oh shut up!" Jiraiya defended himself. "I don't recall you ever having a girlfriend!"
"That is because I never had one…" Orochimaru conceded. "That doesn't mean I haven't had sex. Nor does it mean I require egregious amounts of porn."
"You— Wait, did you just say you've had sex…?"
"Yes…" The Snake Sannin confirmed.
"With.. like… a girl?"
Kankuro snickered and even Itachi's lips betrayed him with an amused twitch. "Yes you fool! With a woman! Women actually."
Jiraiya leapt out off the couch in excitement and started dancing. "What the hell are you doing…?" Orochimaru demanded.
"I'm sorry I can't help it! I'm so happy for you!"
"Jiraiya…"
"I mean who would've thought that you would ever—"
"JIRAIYA!"
"What?"
"Calm down… This isn't exactly news."
"It's not? When in the hell did you do it?"
"Not that I should even have to answer these questions… but if you must know I've been… ahem, active for many years. I have no need to discuss such encounters."
Jiraiya squealed.
Kankuro stared on agape. "I can't believe it… I grown man, a Legendary Sannin… Is squealing in excitement that another man isn't a virgin."
"Why didn't you tell me!" Jiraiya shouted, suddenly appearing offended.
Orochimaru stared at him like he was a complete moron. "Why would I want to talk to another guy about my… private encounters?"
"Because! You just do!"
"We're not teenagers Jiraiya…"
"So what? That doesn't make details less enticing!"
"You seriously need to invest in new hobbies," Orochimaru suggested. "This is just pathetic."
"Can we please move on?" Temari begged. "And someone take the remote away from him!"
Jiraiya grinned like an idiot. "Anything for you my dear!" He agreed obediently and Temari ducked for cover behind the safety of Kankuro who was still in shock that Jiraiya was this bad. While they had met before departing for the Chunin exams, as they stayed here with him, he didn't spend much time there. Apparently at the time he was devoted to a mission he kept calling 'Operation Slughammer.' And at this point, Kankuro was a little afraid of what the hell that exactly referred to.
"It just got more pathetic…" Orochimaru muttered.
"Where's Baki?" Itachi finally spoke.
"Upstairs," Gaara supplied. "He hasn't come down in a long time… I think he wanted to get away from Jiraiya.
"Temari, please inform your sensei we have returned."
The kunoichi nodded at Itachi. "Sure!" And scampered off, happy with an excuse to escape the perverted eyes that were fixated on her.
"Jiraiya… How long have you been watching this?"
"Hm..? Uh let me think about that…"
"Thirteen hours," Gaara answered, watching a woman's breasts get groped on the screen with zero emotion or excitement whatsoever.
"What the kid said!" Jiraiya said, snapping his fingers.
A moment later, Jiraiya found himself thrown out of his own home. "You can't toss me out of my own place!"
Orochimaru gazed back uncaringly. "You can come back when you've done something about your testosterone levels." And with that, he slammed the door.
"Aren't you worried he might cause a big commotion that could bring us unwanted attention here?" Itachi asked.
"Jiraiya may use body parts other than his head to think half the time, but he's not stupid enough to do anything that would endanger our identity. Let's just relax and wait for him to return in a more tolerable mood," Orochimaru decided, and realized Kankuro was now staring at the screen in a slight trance.
"Kankuro…"
"Huh?" Snapping out of the daze, good thing Temari wasn't back yet from talking with Baki.
"Find the remote, would you?"
The henged ninja looked around casually, not spotting anything out of the ordinary or any sign of being followed and ducked into an alley. After waiting a few more moments, nothing happened and so he deducted that no one was on his tail. Still, a paranoid voice in his head was urging him to take the rooftop as opposed to reemerge on the main street after dropping his disguise, and that is precisely what he intended to do. That is… Until some civilian turned into the alley to join him.
"Can I help you?" He asked the newcomer with a sarcastic tone. The civilian made no reaction to his inquiry other than dropping their henge, a smoke cloud dissipating and revealing to be Anko.
And so he cancelled his own henge, the smoke revealing a scowling Tokuro Hyuga. "What do you want, Anko?"
The kunoichi's glare cut him to ribbons as she spat out a retort. "I don't think you're in position to be condescending; being the one caught red handed spying on us don't you think? Give it a damn rest."
"I don't care what you desire Anko, I know the truth! I see it! I see it and I won't lay down while the rest of the village remains oblivious."
"You see the truth?" Repeated Anko incredulously. "For someone with all this foresight and ability to see things no one else does… not to mention a Byakugan…" She stated mockingly. "You weren't even able to see me pick up on your eavesdropping."
"Oh shut up," He countered bitterly. "We both know what I'm talking about."
Ignoring him, Anko decided to explain how she was able to turn the tables on her former teammate. "I knew someone was following us all along; I didn't know who it was, but I had a short list in my head and you were at the top Toke. My Genin were debating where to eat… and I decided to choose the steakhouse for them because it was indoors. I chose a window table on purpose because if you were the spy you would refrain from using the Byakugan to watch us publicly if it was unnecessary. Then I ditched my team with a shadow clone while I was in the restroom, ordering it to dispel at a specific time."
"And I watched your clone and your team while you located and observed me in the meantime," Tokuro finished. "You were always crafty, Anko. It's a shame."
"Whatever," Anko huffed. "You know, I'm surprised you attempted that escape method when you should've known I was onto you. He taught all three of us that one… Did you forget where you learned it? Or are you really so arrogant that you didn't think I'd catch on."
"Is there a point to this senseless reminder of him?"
Anko licked her lips slowly and audibly. "Just as long as it bothers you Toke," Smirking away.
Tokuro was grinding his teeth in frustration. "I hate you."
"I know!" Anko grinned. "Isn't it great?" She added, playing a new card on her teammate. In truth, she was still discontent with the fact her former teammate held her in such little regard that he branded her a traitor after Orochimaru's exile. But she figured acting like a crazed lunatic that enjoyed it would be better than showing her pain.
"I'm just as bored with this banter and you Toke, so I'll get to the point already. Who were you really following? Me, or Kin?"
"A Leaf ninja doesn't give valuable information to the enemy," He replied coolly.
Anko frowned. "That's too bad, I'm afraid without a real answer to that I'll have to report your activities to the Hokage."
Tokuro's eyes narrowed on her with a wide smirk. "I am acting under the authority of Danzo Shimura, assisting in the discreet search for sensei; plea with Lord Third as you wish, it will accomplish nothing. Lord Danzo has special authoritarian privileges." And with that, Tokuro departed with a body flicker.
Left behind, Anko stared at the now unoccupied alley miserably.
Some day… Akatsuki will pay. For their ambitions, for wanting to take Naruto away from us, for growing powerful enough for the Hokage to resort to Orochimaru's mission of all things, to putting Kakashi in critical condition, to ruining or otherwise complicating some of my relationships with people. It seemed like only one good thing came from anything Akatsuki related… And that was Orochimaru's fortunate encounter in rescuing Kin during some of his free time in an Earth village donning that disgusting cloak with those stupid fucking clouds. Otherwise, that organization had done nothing but fuck things up for Anko and those close to her that were somehow involved.
Some day…
A/N: Btw, I'd like to wish everyone a late Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Honestly I would've updated this sooner if not for those holidays but hey they only come around once a year no complaining XD
Not exactly the most eventful of chapters and shorter than the more recent chaps but at least I covered what I wanted to hit… Kin/Team6 developments and a lil Tokuro/Anko confrontation. The Tokuro subplot is nearing closure actually, just wondering do you guys want me to keep him around or have him die? I can't divulge what I mean precisely or tell you what exactly would happen to him but if you guys want I can go either way on it. I've enjoyed his role as a minor antagonist but I don't necessarily need him for the duration of the story.
So anyone really want him around that bad? Or want him to suffer a painful death? Feel free to comment on that if you want cause his future remains in the air.