Sasuke hummed to himself and tapped his foot impatiently on the dirt road just outside the gates of Konohagakure. It had been a long month for the dark haired genin, one with little rest. His hive had managed to grow to a degree where he could start to work with it after a couple weeks, a fact that greatly pleased Tobo, who had expected Sasuke to take it a little easier.
Sasuke had not mentioned to the excited Aburame that he'd passed out more than a few times, especially when when they started making exit ports. The only person who knew about that was Kakashi, and he'd promised not to tell anyone. The fact that he was grinning when he made that promise was slightly disturbing, but Kakashi had been in an oddly good mood after the first week, so Sasuke brushed it off for now.
At least now, Sasuke understood why the Aburame tended to wear heavy clothing in all weather. After the first few exit ports had been made, Sasuke had discovered that, as anyone could have mentioned, having holes in your skin can be slightly unsanitary, and the kikaichu could only do so much to keep them clean. After the first infection had cost him a full day of training, Sasuke had gone to Shino and Shibi to find a solution. He had tried some of the Aburame's usual fashions and quickly discovered that the bulky clothing interfered with his own speed and fighting style too much to be practical. The end result was a single durable sleeve that he strapped on under his regular short sleeved attire, made of a durable material and with a sleeve wide enough to permit his allies to enter and exit freely. Sasuke had not cared that much for it until Kakashi had helped him modify it to conceal a few of his tools for easy access.
Between the hive, the technique Kakashi had trained him in, and the tactic he'd figured out with those new tools, Sasuke was feeling good about his odds on the next day. But Kakashi had warned him to take the last couple days off to ensure he was well rested, and Sasuke found that he had little patience for sitting around doing nothing any more.
The blond dobe must be rubbing off on me.
With little else to do, Sasuke found himself gravitating to the main gate, waiting somewhat impatiently for that same dobe to appear. He had yet to hear from Naruto or Sakura, and while Sakura could show up almost any time when she got summoned back, Naruto had to walk in at some point, and Sasuke found himself looking forward to seeing the loudmouth, as obnoxious as he usually was.
Where the hell is he?
The gates had been busy over the last couple days, with a steady stream of merchants and nobles streaming into the village for the finals. He had gotten more that a few nods and waves, which he found slightly disturbing at first. Everything from this exam until now had been a private affair for the village, so how did all of these people know who he was?
It was only after he stopped a waving merchant and asked about it that he discovered what had happened, and he had to admit, the Hokage had done something unprecedented. After the video of Sakura's match had proven to be very popular amongst his own shinobi, Hiruzen had collected the tapes of each finalists' fights and started sending copies to many of the more prominent people of the world. Every Daimyo got a copy, as well as every kage, and in little time, those copies began to spread.
In the past, the finals had been the only place to see any fights, and visitors would bet based on silly things like what family someone came from, or who looked the most intimidating. By releasing those tapes, Hiruzen had given prospective gamblers a preview of every finalist's capabilities, and in doing so, gave them something to analyze and argue over. The taverns and bars of Konohagakure had been buzzing for the whole month, and based off of those Sasuke listened to as they entered the village, the same had been true almost everywhere.
Kakashi had mentioned that Team Seven was favored for each of their matches, along with Gaara and Hinata, although betting for that last match was much smaller because Neji had received a pass for his preliminary match, leaving him an unknown.
Sasuke stamped his foot again and huffed.
In doing so, he apparently caught the attention of another person entering the area, a unusually tall man with a mane of white hair and some sort of odd forehead protector, who was walking towards Sasuke with long, purposeful strides.
"Uchiha Sasuke, right?" he asked as he walked close. Sasuke grunted, and the big man busted out laughing, a loud and merry laugh that echoed from the buildings around him. "Wow," he said, wiping a tear out of his eye, "The little gaki has your number, all right. If you're looking for Naruto, he's probably at that ramen stand of his. Last I saw him was a few minutes ago, when I told him to sneak in without being recognized." He let out another laugh and shook his head as Sasuke groaned and turned away to head for the ramen stand. Gaki must have done well, if his own teammate didn't notice him.
Naruto barely looked up when he heard Sasuke grunt from just beyond the flaps that separated the food stand counter from the outside. He just chuckled to himself and had another bite of blessed ramen. When Sasuke still did not enter after the bowl was done, Naruto rolled his eyes and called out. "I know you're out there, teme! Come have a bowl with your teammate!"
Sasuke let out a small laugh and pulled back the flaps to see Naruto for the first time in a month. The orange prankster looked just the same as every, same eyesore of a jumpsuit, with his two swords across his back and the same stupid, cheerful grin. Sasuke sat down with a smile. "I see you haven't changed a bit, Naruto. Still loud, still orange, still way too cheerful."
Naruto grinned and held out a hand to Teuchi for another bowl. "I see you haven't changed a bit, Sasuke. Still grumpy, still brooding, same duck butt haircut."
They both laughed quietly, and though they would never know it, they both relaxed, happy to be in each other's presence again, annoying as the other person was. Sasuke raised his hand to get Teuchi's attention, drawing Naruto's attention as the sleeve slipped back slightly to reveal one of the portholes just past Sasuke's wrist.
"Ehh, teme, what's with your arm?"
Sasuke smirked at Naruto and pulled his sleeve back down. "That's for me to know and you to get your ass kicked with, dobe. Make it through the other matches and you'll see."
Naruto smirked. "You're on, Teme."
They both dug into their food, and for just a little while, all was right with the world.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, Third Hokage, was at the gate at sunset, ready to meet with his most honored guests. He watched them approach with some small trepidation. He had only received notice a mere day ago that amongst his expected visitors he would have two prominent members of the shinobi world.
The Kazekage, leader of Sunagakure and an ally by treaty, had insisted that he would come to this match to observed how Gaara did in his matches. The fact that the man made no mention in his message of Kankuro did not escape Hiruzen's notice, and the old man wondered what was so important about the young and bloodthirsty genin that required the Kazekage's presence.
But the real concern was the second message he had received, from the newly installed leader of Otogakure. That village had only become established a year ago, at least in any official capacity, and was now recognized by the leadership of the Land of Rice Fields where it was based out of. Because of their new status, Otogakure was capable of entering into the Chunin Exam system, and had done so, but none of their contestants had reached the finals. None the less, a messenger had arrived to request an invitation for their leader to visit for the exams, and Hiruzen had given that request. It would be an excellent chance to meet their leader, if nothing else.
Thus, Hiruzen found himself in his official regalia, waiting patiently at the main gate for the Kage and their entourage to arrive. He had expected a show of arms, some elaborate escort, so when they became visible on the road, Hiruzen was surprised to see that there were only six figures approaching.
Kazekage Rasa trudged along the road at an even pace, his face a picture of mild disapproval. Hiruzen knew the man from previous exams, and the look suited his dour personality quite well. He was a polite man, unfailingly so, but he was not a friendly man. The desert of his homeland had long since worn away all but the most necessary of pleasantries. He had no escort, save for the single Suna team that had reached the preliminaries.
The girl, Temari, looked deeply unhappy, possibly because she was carrying a rather large backpack, as well as the puppet of her teammate. Baki, their sensei, was hanging back slightly, and Hiruzen was amused to see that when the girl wasn't looking in her teacher's direction, the man seemed to be smiling proudly at her. I guess she has done well in handling her punishments, thought Hiruzen, genuinely glad for that. They may some day be foes, if things went poorly in the future, but it was always a pleasure to see someone overcome the difficulties of becoming a better person, and Hiruzen wished her well in that.
The puppet user, Kankuro, seemed to be in high spirits, occasionally speaking to Baki or Temari. He wore a huge grin on his face, and walked tall and proud. The only time he faltered was when he turned to say something to Gaara, who only glared at his teammate until the older boy turned away.
Disturbingly, the leader of Otogakure walked alone. They wore the same sort of official outfit as Hiruzen and Rasa, a long white robe and a large hat with a long swath of fabric to cover all but the front of the person's face, but without a Kage symbol. But Hiruzen's mental alarms were beginning to ring, because not only did the person not acknowledge his traveling companions, they had their hat pulled down on their brow, concealing his face as they approached.
Eventually the party arrived, with both of the visiting leaders standing before Hiruzen. He gave them a short and polite bow, one equal to another, and smiled. "It is a pleasure to have not just an honored Kage visiting our village, but also an esteemed leader from another village." Both Rasa and the other leader returned the bow.
"It is a pleasure to see your village again, Hokage. It has been a long time, and I greatly look forward to taking advantage of the amenities here." Rasa was not smiling as he said this, and Hiruzen did not blame him. Sunagakure had fallen on hard times after the last great war, and while they did not suffer from starvation or disease, life in that village had become a great deal leaner and had a lot less luxury than before. It was a credit to Rasa that he had no more luxury than his people, and bore that lifestyle with a quiet pride and determination that Hiruzen could respect. Saying what he had to be polite was a bitter pill to swallow, but Rasa did it anyhow.
Hiruzen nodded and mentally decided to see if he could spare enough resources this year to try and help their loose allies without harming his own people. He then turned and gave a second bow to the Otogakure leader. "I congratulate your success in establishing a new Hidden Village. To do so successfully, you must have an excellent understanding of politics in the shinobi world." He straightened from his bow, then took a step back when the man started to laugh.
The laughter was terribly familiar, and Hiruzen was already making the hand signs to summon Enma before the man raised his hands, palms outward in a placating gesture. The man slowly reached up and slid off his hat, revealing the same cold eyes and charming smile Hiruzen had last seen years ago, when the man had fled Konohagakure after Hiruzen had discovered the depths of his sin.
"Thank you… sensei," said Orochimaru, letting out another chuckle.
Several members of ANBU landed next to Hiruzen, and one began to move forward, when the Hokage held out his arm and stopped the attack. He stared at Orochimaru sternly, than grunted. With casual disinterest written on his face, he slowly pulled out his pipe, tamping it down and lighting it with a small burst of chakra. He took a deep draw, then let it out slowly with a grunt.
"You're still a wanted man," Hiruzen finally said, staring at his former student.
Orochimaru shrugged easily, and his grin stretched even further. "That may be, Sarutobi-san, but I am also a Leader of a Hidden Village, legally ratified by the nation I am based in, and I have come here under a banner of peace and with no escort. To react to such trust with violence and threats…" Orochimaru let out a chuckle.
Hiruzen did not laugh back. "You have also violated the Chunin exams by entering the field during the exam, as well as harming one of our contestants."
Orochimaru gave a wry grin and shrugged again. "I am sure I don't know what you're talking about, but with something that important, I am certain you announced it then and there... if it were true. Surely the honorable Hokage would not try to trump up some baseless accusation in an attempt to turn away an honored guest?"
Hiruzen grunted. Trust the snake to do something like this. Hiruzen hated to admit it, but Orochimaru was right. If Hiruzen attacked Orochimaru without serious provocation or definitive proof of wrongdoing, it would set a precedent that could well shatter their world. No shinobi would break a peaceful negotiation on a whim, not at this level, because if they did, there would be no end to it. All trust would be broken, and without trust, there would be no alternative but war, unending and unstoppable. The fact that Orochimaru would think nothing of breaking the very unspoken rule he was using to gain entry was galling, but that was the Hokage's problem, not his.
Hiruzen let out a dark chuckle and nodded his head once, and the ANBU members, both visible and hidden, relaxed slightly. "Your point is made, Orochimaru. You are, of course, welcome here for the exam's duration. But I find your lack of protection disturbing. If you were to die in our village, it would be a terrible thing… politically. Please, let me permit some of my ANBU to guard you during your stay, to set both our minds at ease."
The subtext was painfully obvious. Any ANBU "bodyguards" that Orochimaru got would be nothing more that overt spies, meant to keep an eye on the snake to ensure he caused no trouble. Hiruzen expected Orochimaru to object or try to dodge the offer, but to his surprise, Orochimaru merely bowed, his smile never leaving his face. "I would be honored, Hokage-san. I will accept whatever watchers you choose to assign to me… officially or otherwise."
Hiruzen nodded, message given and received, and turned slightly to one side, holding his arm out. "Please, join me in my office, Kazekage, Orochimaru. We also have some additional unreleased footage from the preliminaries you may be interested in seeing, and as the Orochimaru can attest, my tea is beyond compare." Both Kage nodded in agreement, and Hiruzen lead them into his village.
Hiruzen was careful to never show his back to Orochimaru.
Oddly, Orochimaru seemed to oblige, even moving into view a few times when Hiruzen was obligated to turn away from him to take to Rasa. And he never got within striking distance of his old teacher. Hiruzen had expected his former student to do the opposite, to try and get behind the older man, if only to vex his efforts at keeping him in sight. Since when has Orochimaru cared about what I want?
Sasuke grumbled to himself on the way home, although it was a cheerful grumble at the least. Naruto had been as infuriating as ever, but it was good to see him all the same. The dobe was loud and annoying, but then again, he was also unabashedly open with his feelings in a manner that many, including Sasuke, found disarming.
That's not to say Sasuke regretted putting the dobe into a headlock earlier.
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a faint sound coming from up the street, which was quite annoying, as it came from his home, a small property just inside his family's lands, a place that nobody entered either from respect or superstition.
Sasuke's eyes turned crimson, and he started running as hard as he could for his quarters. He turned the street corner and saw his door propped open, with several pieces of his furniture scattered haphazardly outside, including his television, and several large plastic bags. Without a thought, he vaulted his couch and dashed through the open door, his arm raised and crackling with electricity.
He then threw himself aside, neatly stumbling into a wall and grounding his attack into the floor before fetching up in the corner, upside down and staring at Sakura. The girl was wearing a handkerchief over her forehead, was carrying a garbage bag in her arms, and had a most terribly cheerful and ego crushing smirk on her face.
"Is this some new greeting we're using in team seven now? I don't have any sparkly energy attacks, but I could just punch you instead." Sakura was smirking down at him, and after a moment, Sasuke let out an amused grunt and started pulling himself up.
She grabbed his arm to help him up, then stopped. She could feel something under his sleeve, some strange and somewhat lumpy piece of tissue, like a scar. "Have you been okay," she said, looking closely at him. She half wondered if he'd hurt himself learning that lightning move he had tried to do, but when Sasuke saw her inspecting him, he smiled slightly.
"Just fine, aside from someone breaking into my house."
Sakura rolled her eyes and turned to grab a broom leaning against the wall. Something looked slightly off to Sasuke, some little detail that he couldn't put his finger on. Then it hit him.
"What happened to the mop?"
Sakura laughed and shook her head, sending her hair swaying slightly. Instead of the wild tangle of pink hair Sasuke had grown used to, her hair had been combed and cut to a more uniform shape. It was still a large mass, but not nearly as unruly, and a great deal more presentable. With a slight tinge of dread, Sasuke realized he was feeling the urge to compliment her on the change.
Sakura shrugged, her smile genuine. "My trainer for the past month didn't care for it. Said it made me look like an alley cat. Took weeks to get it sorted between lessons, and I really would rather just keep it neat than have to rip into it every time I want to get some training from her."
That and the time it got caught in the Box made it necessary, she thought to herself. At least Sasuke didn't notice it was much shorter and ask…
"You cut it down some. Get it caught in a blender or something?"
… damnit.
She rolled her eyes at him. "I am not taking commentary on appearance from you," she said, nodding at the single sleeve he was wearing. He blushed slightly at her words, and she laughed warmly and shoved the broom into his hands. "Fidget over your terrible sense of style later. I want to go home and get some sleep tonight. Sasuke uses 'Sweep The Floor'! It's super effective!"
Sasuke grumbled to himself and started sweeping.
"You know, I really am here for the finals and nothing more, sensei."
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow, surprised that Orochimaru had said anything at all to him. He had led Rasa and Orochimaru to their guest rooms, carefully designed to be pleasant but not particularly extravagant, where they had settled to some tea and some light discussion on the expected matchups. Orochimaru had been polite, almost friendly really, chatting cheerfully if a little brutally about the matchups ahead and even placing a wager with Rasa that Gaara would not win the exam.
That had angered the Kazekage, who had stiffly excused himself and turned to his own quarters. Hiruzen had risen to leave as well, but he sat again as Orochimaru simply continued the conversation, talking to the Hokage with a remarkable amount of comfort, as if nothing had ever happened between them.
Hiruzen had expected his former student to try to edge conversations into tactical information on the current shinobi forces or defenses of Konohagakure, but Orochimaru never discussed such things. Instead, he asked questions Hiruzen had never expected. About civilians he had once known, and how well Anko had progressed, and if his old favorite restaurant still sold the poached eggs he used to enjoy. Even when Hiruzen tried to turn the conversation into more serious topics, Orochimaru never followed up on those opportunities.
If he was being honest with himself, this strange and amicable Orochimaru was even more disturbing that the focused and cold person Hiruzen remembered. For a soulless monster with no social skills, the sannin was being remarkably good company, which was frightful to consider if you knew the man as Hiruzen did.
Hiruzen shook his head at his former student. "I am considered soft by some of my contemporaries, Orochimaru, but I am not that soft. You never do anything without a motive, and those motives are always self serving. Even I know that, in hindsight."
Far from disagreeing, Orochimaru nodded along with that statement. "I will not deny it," he said, an almost rueful smile on his face, his eyes dimming slightly as if he was fatigued. "I am now, and ever will be, focused on my own desires. But time tempers all things, Hiruzen, and as the days of my youth fade into mere memory, I have found that things are different than they once were."
Hiruzen snorted. "At least you can admit that you were wrong."
Orochimaru looked up from his chair, his eyes suddenly blazing, and when he spoke, his voice carried an intensity and energy Hiruzen had never seen in him before. "I was wrong. Dreadfully so. I was wrong to grow so angry over being passed over. I was wrong for my… experiments, fruitful as they turned out to be eventually. I will not ask for forgiveness, Sarutobi, and we will never be allies, because I have turned your trust against you before."
He leaned back, and he smiled easily. "I have no problem with these facts. They are immutable. I do not have the Will of Fire you live for, and never will. We will never get along. I half suspect that any such meeting in the future will be filled with disagreements, on a great many things. We are far too different to be anything but neutral to each other, at best." Orochimaru shrugged.
"But maybe, just maybe, we can be civil, even if we cannot be allies."
Hiruzen leaned back and took a slow drag from his pipe, and eventually he nodded once, slowly. "Maybe," he admitted. He looked at his former student, still untrusting but surprised at the changes he had seen. "You've grown a great deal since we last met, haven't you?"
Orochimaru smiled. "Like I said, Sarutobi. Time tempers all things."
"Will this work?" asked Kabuto, standing in the moonlight.
"It will," replied Orochimaru, hidden in the shadows. ANBU could be quite crafty, but they were nothing compared to Orochimaru of the Sannin. "We know it will, don't we?"
Kabuto smiled, and Orochimaru smiled back, two snakes of the same color.
At dawn, Team Seven met a few blocks away from the Konohagakure Arena, and for once, they did not need to wait on Kakashi. He smiled at his students, who were all grinning at each other and bantering about which of them would win. There was an edge to the banter, more than a little aggression, but it was friendly none the less.
Kakashi held his hand out in a stopping gesture just as they approached the entrance. "Remember," he said carefully, "Your lives have value. So do everyone else's. Fight as hard as you can, but if your foe has lost, show mercy, and if you cannot win, yield, because others may not be so generous." He looked at each of them in turn, ensuring he had their attention, and was satisfied by how seriously they seemed to be taking him. "I would rather you repeat these exams next year than watch you die, pride be damned."
The kids nodded at Kakashi, and with a final wave, he stepped aside, allowing them to enter the doorway for the participants. As they entered the short hallway, Kakashi vanished to find his seat.
The genin expected to be awed.
They were not disappointed.
The Konohagakure Stadium was built along the lines of a professional sports stadium, which made more than a little sense. The walls curved inward from the outside, allowing more resistance to outward explosions, while the inner walls were straight, sectioned into massive panels that would be much easier to replace should a shinobi pull out some truly significant attacks. Along half the ring, a series of large pavilions provided seating for those who wanted to watch the matches. Those seats were filled to the brim with guests, who let out a roaring cheer when Team Seven walked into the ring.
Several small groves of trees dotted the edges of the ring, and rising out of the ground in the center was a massive wooden building, three stories tall and a hundred feet to a side, dominating almost half of the arena. The building was very simple in nature, with holes cut into it to represent doors and windows, and looked as if it was made of a single piece of wood. On top was a flat area with rails, where the other contestants were slowly gathering.
It was while they were walking up the side of the building that the team noticed another apparently recent addition to arena. Across from the central pavilion, attached to metal frames that towered over the arena wall, three large screens had been erected. Shaded from the sunlight by a slight overhanging edge, the screens appeared to be connected to projectors, and were showing team seven walking up the building. Each member was on an individual screen, and their names and other information was displayed along with it.
Sakura looked at her screen for a moment, then turned to face the direction she expected to find the camera. Just visible beyond the pavilions, she could see several additional frames, and many small devices that might very well be the cameras she was looking for. Under one of those frames, she saw another hastily built wooden structure, this one with many cables and monitors within. She waved at the people controlling the cameras, and smiled when one of them waved back.
Naruto stopped to wave playfully in the direction of the camera frames, and was rewarded by even louder cheers, as well as a few boos. A particularly loud one managed to rise above the noise, and Naruto waved in that specific direction, causing the cheers to drown out the unfriendly sound. Wow, thought Naruto, enjoying the sudden sensation of thousands of people showing pleasure at his presence instead of displeasure. Now I need to win this thing and keep it that way!
Sasuke shook his head and kept walking. He was admittedly a little curious, but he had a reputation to keep.
They were the last to arrive, and found the others gathered in a loose cluster, except for Gaara, who stood alone with a strange look on his face, half snarl, half smile, and Misumi, who was standing as far from Gaara as he could, sending nervous little glances the boy's way.
Kankuro, oddly, was chatting with the rest of the Konohagakure genin, and seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself, laughing at some story that Tenten was retelling and munching on a few of Choji's chips. Hinata and Neji were both standing to one side, quietly conversing with themselves, and Sasuke was shocked to see Neji was occasionally smiling at his cousin. Last Sasuke had seen, Neji seemed to hate the main branch of the Hyuuga almost as much as Sasuke hated his brother. Watching the pale youth talk with the future heir to the clan with anything but thinly veiled disgust came as quite a shock.
The various genin all stood to some degree of attention as the Hokage stood from his chair and waved for silence. Under the eyes of his father, even Gaara managed to show that much respect.
"Welcome," said the Hokage to the crowds, "to the Chunin exams." He waited a moment for the cheering to die down before he continued. "Every six months, a new batch of genin face the trials set before them to seek advancement. Traditionally, the final exam has been a sort of warfare, a battle of strengths, and to the strongest, victory."
"However, due to a surprising turn of events during the preliminary matches…" Hiruzen paused while the crowd laughed and then cheered when Sakura gave an elaborate bow. "Due to those events, I have reexamined the goal of of these exams. Far too often, the victor in these matches is the one with the most power, the most chakra, the most obscure techniques. There was no room for cunning, for stealth, or for other skills."
"We are not an army, nor should we be. No true shinobi would willingly walk into a straight confrontation against a foe when they had the opportunity to ambush, and our exams should reflect that." He waved a hand at the screens across the way, then at the building below. "We have added a structure to the arena for this exam. To ensure all of our visitors can still watch, the building has been wired with many cameras. All matches will start on the roof of the building, but after that, the contestants may move as they choose within the arena. It is on to them how they want to use these changes."
Hiruzen gave a short bow of respect to the contestants, who bowed back in return. "The first match of the day is between Haruno Sakura and Tenten, both of Konohagakure. I ask that all other contestants leave the arena."
Naruto gave Sakura a light slap on the back as they all prepared to leave. "Kick her ass, Sakura! I don't want you to drop out until you beat up the teme!" Sasuke settled for a small smile and a quite, "Good luck."
Sakura smirked at Tenten, who was grinning at her. "Keep the luck," she said quietly to her teammate's retreating backs.
"I won't need it."
Author's Notes: Wait for it… waiiiit for iiiiiit…. DING!
"Congratulations. You have completed the achievement '1000 Followers.' You have advanced to Writer: Level 2. You have unlocked: Genre Shift, Author's Rant Level 2, 4th Wall Breaking."
Slightly creeps me out (in a good way) that there are a thousand humans out there who find my writing worth keeping an eye on. I generally avoid attention in the real world. To borrow the phrase, it's "Troublesome." Knowing that more people that I have ever really met get a notification when I drop a chapter is quite amusing. Thanks for that.
Metaphorical pat on the back over. On to real Author's Notes.
Before you get all Internet Angry at me, know this. Orochimaru in this story is just as much a manipulative bastard as he was in canon, if not more so. However, his goals are different, and they ultimately involve playing goody goody with his old sensei… for now.
In this chapter, I have touched upon one half of the circumstances that had caused all of the changes in this story. Kakashi's wisdom. Jiraiya's competency. Even the reason the Kyuubi has been oddly silent so far. The other half will be touched upon in a future chapter, with the same notification on it. If you think you put two and two together and got four, feel free to PM me, it's always amusing to chat with my readers. Please, no reviews with your guess, just in case someone gets it right.
Temporary Note: Several readers have commented in the past that the character growth for Sasuke feels a little fast. While I feel it is the nature of the ramp up period where I gloss over a lot of things, I can see enough of what they are talking about to try and fix it. The first couple chapters could probably use a little padding anyhow. I'll make an AN when I get to that to signify it has been done.
Thanks to my Betas, Heaven's Eagle and Pom Rania. I am proud of how little correction you found between the two of you, and deeply grateful you found what you did. Yes, even the Author's Notes, HE.
EDIT: My thanks to Walk the Max Planck. Their review pointed out a few details that were quite helpful, including one glaring error that I am surprised slipped by me and largely all my readers. This chapter has been edited accordingly.
Poliamdia thanks me for not having characters shouting out their techniques. You're welcome.
KasonSama brought up Nekobaa, a bit character from canon from which I based my own treatment of the cat summons. Unfortunately, I could find little on her character, which implied she was essentially a stock "Old Lady," and I have not been able to see the episodes she is in. Because of this, I designed Dan to fill the need for exposition. She will likely not appear is this story.
AlexDnD mentioned that the last chapter had a filler feel to it, which is completely accurate. I took an Omake Vacation to cleanse my palate before this chapter, because this will largely be a serious section of the story.
Fencer22, you will be glad to know that the day I write an angst filled drama is the day I stop writing this and pick up a copy of Twilight with which to commit literary suicide. It may amuse you to note that my conversations often feel real because when I am writing, I actually talk to myself in my head. If I cannot imagine the words in the character's voice, it's not going to work, and when the conversation or story goes off in a direction that does not match my preconception, I follow it rather than steer it. That's how we got moments like the Poisoned Chalice explanation and the entire Naruto v Shikamaru fight (which was plotted to end with the same result, but a lot more serious and actiony and not Naruto in the least. Deleted a lot of material on that one).
TimeShifter mentioned this being the first time they enjoyed reading about Guy's love life. To be honest, I don't think I've ever read a fic that gives Guy a genuine relationship. Even canon doesn't give Guy a relationship, which I always saw as somewhat depressing, considering what a good (if strange) guy he is. That's not counting my fannon opinion that Guy and Kakashi are as close as either of them could get to another person, and thus never felt the need to seek out a life partner of some sort. In truth, I only discount they themselves being a "romantic" couple because they have a very brotherly interaction, Kakashi's "Cool Older Brother" to Guy's "Attention Seeking Younger Brother."
Nahji, Thanks for noticing the cabbages.
The Lord of Shadow says they have nothing to complain about. This is the internet. There is always something. Dig deep, you'll find it. Believe it!
Speaking of, HurricaneShippu went through great lengths to point out how terrible my characterization is, over the course of several reviews. More importantly, they did so in possibly the rudest and most self conceited manner possible, just short of using words that would need censure. They essentially said "this is not conforming to my preconceptions of the characters, so it's bad."
Go read something else, because based off my reader's reactions, my version is relatively refreshing. Or better yet, if you know these characters that much better, go write your own fanfic. The phrase is 'Put up or shut up,' and frankly, it boggles my mind that the people who drop the snarly, angry reviews like this almost never have any writing to their name. Think you know better? Do better. Prove me wrong.