Author's Note: You guys are all very, very curious about certain things. Don't worry though, some of your questions will be answered soon in upcoming chapters. I really hope you guys are enjoying reading this story as much as I'm enjoying writing this. Now, let's get on with chapter 37!
Talking "Yo!"
Thoughts 'Yo!'
Inner/Demons "Yo!"
~Sakura's ability Information~
'Peoples thoughts'
"Communicating telepathically"
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto just my OC's and plot.
The Wave Mission Part 2
Sakura's POV
Carrying Kakashi all the way to Tazuna's house had both negative and positive outcomes. It was negative because our body weight was different and so I had to use up chakra to be able to carry him. The positive in all this, was for the fact that almost every person we had passed had seen us. Meaning they all saw a small, pink haired girl carrying an unconscious grown man.
Their reactions were highly amusing and I was surely going to make Kakashi suffer with embarrassment later on.
I had made Sasuke unseal my camera and take a picture of us. I had made sure to make the hold on Kakashi as overly dramatic as I could. It came down to the point that even Sasuke had trouble not laughing. Naruto had soon forgot his fatigue and joined in on the fun of defiling Kakashi's man pride. I was sure he was already mad at me, so it didn't matter. Plus, getting a bit of black-mail always came in handy someday.
We walked through the humid streets with the pace of sloths. I briefly reminded myself that we had yet to truly rest on this long arduous journey. We were all covered in blood and grime. I was surprised the other's were still able to walk from all the beating up they received. I would need to alleviate their exhausted body pains as best as I could.
When we arrived, Tsunami had rushed out, distress clearly noted on her face. She quickly rushed us inside and helped place Kakashi on a futon to rest on. We conversed amicably when we applied healing ointment and bandages on Kakashi's wounds. I had finished healing his more serious injuries as best as I could; and was relieved that everything looked good and started healing properly. As soon as Kakashi was taken care of, I moved on to the others. By the time I had finished, I had only one fourth of my chakra left, not including the weights. After we had properly introduced ourselves to Inari and Tsunami, we had ate dinner. Inner was extremely happy when we took a shower. It helped relax our sore body and give me time to think about what had happened.
I'm sure Sasuke, and most certainly everyone else had thought I had been reckless and stupid. However, I needed to do so in order to get close to Zabuza. If I had waited, the only close proximity we would have had, was if he was beating me up; and that didn't sound pleasant. Either way, the objective had been met. Place a tracking seal on Zabuza so I would be able to locate his compound. I was always grateful to have continued my Fūinjutsu studies, it made things so much more efficient.
'Alright Inner, part three will commence shortly.' I thought as I entered the room I would be sleeping in. I walked over and quietly laid inside the futon beside a sleeping Tsunami. All the guys stayed in the guest room with Kakashi, while I stayed in Tsunami's room. I hadn't minded, she and I got along fairly quickly and it was also the most logical location for me to sleep.
I patiently waited until I was sure everyone was asleep. Mentally preparing myself for the next part of my plan. The night was quiet as no noise was heard from outside. The water's movement as it splashed against the pillars supporting their house was calming. It soothed me as I concentrated on the sound as it moved to and from the shore.
I instantly opened my eyes when Inner gave me the cue. Standing up, I quietly made my way towards the door. I turned my head and glanced at Tsunami's steady rise and fall of her chest. Sighing, I turned and walked the hallway of the second story.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Inner asked as I passed several windows and began making my way down the stairs.
'Yeah, it should work out...if not...well, we have Kakashi. He'll fix things.' I said as I held my breath when the last step made a creaking noise from the pressure of my foot. Sighing softly when no one woke up, I quickly and quietly crossed the remainder of the steps to reach the door.
Once outside, I walked away a bit faster into the forest by Tazuna's house. As soon as I was farther I away, I quickened my speed and jumped into the trees.
'Okay, we're still good. Now, let's go find Zabuza and Haku.' I said as I concentrated on the tracker seal I had placed on Zabuza. It had been a gamble really, since the jutsu was simple, it would only activate at a certain distance from the caster. I was sure I would find them, I was simply nervous about my time. My trouble always had something to do with time.
~*oOo*~
It was one a.m. and the seal had only just activated when I entered a vast forest on the opposite side of the island. Inner had taken to suppressing our chakra so there would be no way they could sense us. I landed a good distance away on a tree. Most of the trees here were tall and had foliage at the very top. That did nothing to help cover my presence, but I had to do with using the shadows and the dark colors of my clothing as my only camouflage.
I took a moment to observe my surroundings. The only thing besides the trees, was the upside down diamond structured...tree house?
It was up high in the trees, using on of them as a single pillar of support. Lines and narrow bridges extended to connect to other trees. If I hadn't remembered it looking exactly like the anime/manga, I could have easily inferred it to be the place. It was the only thing around for miles!
Slowly, I made my way towards the compound, but only enough so I could see through the window. I didn't want to get caught just yet.
Luckily, Zabuza and Haku were both awake inside the room. I was amazed that Zabuza was already awake, albeit not able to move yet.
I saw them talking to each other with a calm air around them. Zabuza is completely stubborn, just looking at them from afar, I could tell they could understand each other. There was no way one couldn't feel anything about the person who's been with you for a long time.
"I'll ask one more time...Are you sure this is a good idea?" Inner asked. I tilted my head side to side.
'There's a fifty-fifty chance this will work...and anyways, this is only part three. We still have one more to do.' I said and took in one deep breath. The air was damp, but oddly refreshing with the smell of wet soil filling my senses.
Releasing it, I made the necessary hand seals for the Body Flicker Technique. In a mere second, I was sitting on the window sill of the room they both inhabited.
I kept my posture relaxed, but with subtle precautions just in case I needed to move quickly. Left leg bent, foot placed on the sill, while the right leg dangled in a relaxed position.
"Hello." I called out. I always found it amusing to catch someone off guard, from children to assassins, they were all the same.
I kept the same relaxed posture even when Haku whipped out some needles. I needed them to see I was confident and not just stupidly coming to them to get captured. I also didn't miss the light twitch of Zabuza's fingers. He must have a weapon nearby.
Trying to infuse myself with all of Kakashi's and Shikamaru's lazy traits, I waved my hand in a friendly greeting.
"What are you doing here?...Is Kakashi here to finish me off?" Zabuza asked oddly calm when he asked. I hummed and looked around in a thoughtful manner. His room was spacious but plain. It wasn't filled with any form of attachment, but that was understandable.
'Could he be so confident in his strength to win if he really was here?' I looked him over once and doubted he could move much. He was bandaged up every where. My eyes stared a bit too long on his wrist that I had unintentionally broke.
"Hmm, no, I came alone. I came to talk. Oh, and don't think of any tricky moves, cause I'm a clone. You can sense that my chakra is a bit off right?" I lied smoothly. Of course they wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Most of it was in the weights, while the other was being suppressed by Inner. Normal bodies, especially genin, were easy to sense their chakra. Clones, always had an identical signal; but to trained ninja, one could easily spot the real one.
"Wait, do you think lying is such a good idea?!" Inner asked, but I ignored her in favor of keeping track of all their movements. I was slightly relieved when Haku lowered his needles, but only slightly.
"You said you wanted to talk, so do it." Zabuza said rather impatiently and with almost an air of boredom. His muscles however, didn't lie to me. He was tense and even if he was injured he was still ready to fight if he needed to.
"You should stop following Gato." I stated seriously, getting straight to the point.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Inner shouted as I kept my eyes on the other two.
'Just trust me.' I thought before Zabuza spoke out.
"And why should I?" Zabuza asked as he continued to stare straight ahead and away from me. I knew he was skilled enough to know when I moved, even without looking at me. So his attempt at getting me off my guard wouldn't work.
"Because he has no intention of paying you. He's planning on getting rid of you." I informed.
"Hmph, what could possibly make you believe that I'll trust your words?" He asked without a care. I smiled and tapped my head, the simple movement earn two pairs of eyes.
"Information gathering is something I specialize in. Of course saying it is not enough to gain your trust." I stated confidently with no sense of worry.
"YOUR INSANE!" Inner screamed as she gripped her hair tightly.
"Anyone can always gather a bit more information then someone else." Zabuza said with a frown as he continued to stare away from me, almost as if he was ignoring me.
"Hmm, so does that mean everyone knows you want to start a second coup d'état?" I asked while tensing up drastically when he suddenly moved. He had turned to face me and actually looked me in the eyes.
"How do you know that?" He asked and I tried not to gulp, Inner's terrified shaking was more than enough.
"Like I said, Information gathering is my specialty." I repeated and waited in an almost suffocating silence.
"Anyways, think about what I said." I said and slowly stood up from my sitting position.
"I wont be needing him for much longer anyway, I should just kill him." Zabuza stated more to himself. I tilted my head and crossed my arms.
"I don't think that's such a good idea. If you kill him, you will just end up running away to some other place. Is that how you want to live the rest of your life? I personally don't find it appealing." I finished with a nonchalant shrug. He was quiet, and I could see him think about my words. It was pretty sad, he was trying to assassinate the Mizukage, who he probably still thought was Yagura, which in the end, was only being controlled.
"If you really don't believe me, Gato is coming soon to...well, I wouldn't know, but I'm sure it involves finishing your part of the deal. Anyways, take the time to notice the things you've blinded yourself to before. You don't have to resort to such ruthless ways all the time." I stated and waited incase he spoke up.
Not being stopped, I began to turn and leave, but then realized I had forgotten something.
"Ah, that's right...here." I said as I reached down and dug into my holster. I was a bit dispirited that they had tensed up again, but I suppose it was understandable. Finding what I was searching for, I pulled out a clear vial filled with a blue translucent liquid. I tossed it over and Zabuza quickly caught it. He scrutinized it suspiciously before staring up at me questionably.
"It's a very potent medicine. If you don't trust me, try it on an animal first if you want, but I highly recommend not wasting it. It's a pain trying to make it." I informed.
"Why are you giving this to me?" He asked as he handed it over to Haku. Looking at him now, I couldn't see the small shivering boy I had helped a very long time ago. Instead, he was cleaner, not so many bruises and well fed. I smiled, glad that he had been able to get through those harsh years.
"Think of it as...a peace offering." I responded as I looked back to Zabuza. He raised an eyebrow and looked at me incredulously along with Haku.
"From Konoha?" He asked in disbelief. I smiled and shook my head, dismissing him of such a thought for the mean time.
"From me." I stated and looked at him unwavering in my stare.
"Ohhh! Don't stare! He'll get mad!" Inner said worriedly.
'Alright, a proof of trust then. No ninja EVER turned their backs to someone they weren't on friendly terms. Everyone knew that could very well give them a chance to strike.' I thought as I waved goodbye and made my way to jump out.
"Hey kid." I completely froze as I placed my foot on the window sill.
"Oh shit! Run Kazumi! He's going to kill us!" Inner shouted as she began to run around in panic.
'Shh, shut up for a second.' I thought, as I looked over my shoulder.
"What?" I asked and felt relief flood over me when both had stayed in the same positions as before.
"You realize I'm still going after you and your team, right?" He said. I shrugged and smiled as I jumped up on the sill.
"Yeah, but things will end a bit differently." I said before Body Flickering away to a near by tree.
Normal POV
Landing on a sturdy branch, Sakura heavily sat upon the tree limb. She let out a deep sigh of relief.
"That was intense..." Sakura said out loud as she breathed in and out slowly.
"Then why the heck did you do it?!" Inner asked. Sakura shook her head and looked back to the compound she had only just left.
'I guess you could say, I just planted the seed of doubt, but in this case, that's a good thing.' Sakura responded.
"I get it, but then what are we still doing here?" Inner asked.
'To follow Gato.' Sakura responded and Inner had no time to ask another question. Gato and his men had arrived, making their way towards Zabuza's room.
"The unbeatable ninja just got beat, limping back home." Gato taunted as two of his gang members flanked him. Zabuza and Haku had stayed quiet, merely observing the short, overly confident man.
"Demon of the hidden mist? What a joke!" He said and began to laugh at Zabuza's condition. His laughter stopped when a chair was rattled and gained his attention. Haku standing up, had seemed to have enough of his self-assured attitude. Sensing the shift in atmosphere, the two guards positioned themselves for a fight.
"Drawing swords?" Haku stated from his spot.
"Hey...I just noticed how hot he looks now! He sure did grow into a hottie!" Inner squealed as heart appeared around her.
'Will you shut up?! I'm trying to listen!' Sakura thought as she glared through the window.
"Alright, let's hear about what happened. I know that you can talk." Gato commanded as he walked over towards the bed. Reaching out, his hand didn't even get close to touching Zabuza.
Haku had gripped it tightly and Sakura could tell he was holding back.
"Augh! Let go! You're gunna break it!" Gato exclaimed as he tried in vain to pull away.
'He may not be able to break it with his strength alone; but he can surely dislocate it, for sure.' Sakura corrected in her mind as she continued to watch from the tree.
Clinks, were heard from the two sword wielders moving into action. However, they soon found the tip of their swords positioned near their throats. They stayed completely stilled in place, not daring to move.
"Don't push me. I'm in a really foul mood." Haku stated with every word dripping with cold truthfulness.
'Wow...He's fast!' Sakura thought admiringly.
"HE'S HOT!" Inner screamed out her opinion. Sakura was about to quiet down Inner, when the sound of swords clashing to the floor brought both of their attention back into the room.
"One chance! That's all I'm going to give you! As soon as a week passes, and your all healed up, I want them dead!" Gato screamed from across the room.
"If you don't, I'll cut you off; and there will be no one else to cover for you!" Gato finished and quickly made his way out of the room.
"Oh he's leaving..." Inner said and Sakura stood from her spot.
'Yeah, let's do a bit of espionage and find out where he's hiding.' Sakura thought as she flickered away.
"Haku, that wasn't necessary." Zabuza stated from his unmoved spot.
"Perhaps." Haku replied as he stared out the window.
"You really are in a bad mood." Zabuza stated as Haku took his seat, but didn't speak up.
'I'm certain it was her...' Haku's train of thought was cut off by Zabuza's sudden question.
"What did you say?" Haku asked not having been paying attention. Zabuza glared but repeated his question regardless.
"I said, what do you think of the girl, Kakashi's brat." Haku blinked and turned back to look out the window. The view was still hard to distinguish, as it was still pitch dark outside. Only a few more hours and the sun would rise, dissipating the shadows and casting it's warm rays throughout the village.
"Her information was correct, however her motive is still unclear." Haku said and waited to hear Zabuza's thoughts on the matter.
"It's certainly unnerving to know that a Konoha brat has the skills of acquiring such information as well as the strength to do such damage." Zabuza stated as he lifted his right hand slowly. His wrist was still broken, but it was healing, just very slowly.
"Going by the look on her face, she hadn't planned on breaking it. Knowing that just makes me wonder what would have happened if she actually wanted to cause damage." Zabuza said and looked over to the vial on the nightstand. Haku followed his line of sight and grabbed ahold of it.
"We should see if it's poison before using it." Haku stated.
"No, just put it on the wounds. She would have attacked regardless of your presence if she was here to kill me. And...she was far too relaxed almost as if she knew things would end in her favor." Zabuza said as he laid on the bed. Haku looked away from Zabuza and to the vial.
"Do you think it'll continue to go in her favor?" Haku asked, as he unscrewed the cork. Zabuza's narrowed eyes closed shut.
"...Who knows..." Was his last reply as he succumbed to a much needed slumber.
~*oOo*~
"Hey, it's almost time for the other's to wake up." Inner informed, Sakura took a quick glance up above.
'You're right...all we have to do, is know where he hides. Then we'll come back some other time' Sakura answered as she quickened her pace up in the trees.
Gato and his men had made their way into the far edge of the forest. The building they had entered, was smaller and lower to the ground compared to Zabuza's. It looked less suspicious, and less likely to hold an evil business leader.
Gato entered the building and Sakura sensed around with her chakra. A fluctuating chakra signaled from inside, caused her to be on full alert.
'That feels almost like...a civilians...' Sakura thought as she concentrated harder.
"They have someone hostage?!" Inner asked worriedly. Sakura frowned and pushed off the branch.
'I'm not sure, but this changes things.' Sakura said as she moved in closer to the building.
"What exactly are you doing?!" Inner asked. Sakura quietly landed on the edge of a window. She discreetly unsealed the camera that was in a scroll.
'Getting some proof.' Sakura answered and peered inside. Through this window, she saw a lobby like entrance, where Gato and his men stood in front of another man. He looked normal, like a civilian from the island.
"So the bridge builder's housing the ninja...What a nuisance. Make sure those Konoha pest don't stick their nose where it doesn't belong. All their here for is the bridge, nothing more." Gato instructed. The villager merely nodded in compliancy as he stood hopelessly in front of him.
"Spread the word to the other's. You're pathetic shops are only standing because of me after all. If I get caught, you all will have nothing." Gato stated. Sakura took this moment to snap a picture of their illegal meeting. She was about to leave when something on the corner caught her eyes. Narrowing them, she concluded them to be drugs. Smiling she snapped a quick pictures of them beside the drugs and resealed her camera.
"THAT WAS DANGEROUS!" Inner reprimanded harshly. Sakura winced as she jumped back into the trees, and made her way back to the house.
'Relax, we're done for now.' Sakura reassured as she thought of more important things, such as her sleep.
'By the time we get there, I'll only have about an hour of sleep...what a pain.' Sakura thought as she rubbed her tired eyes.
"Well, that's what you get for going off solo." Inner said. Sakura glared at nothing in particular as she jumped from tree to tree.
~*oOo*~
Landing softly, Sakura tiptoed inside the house and up the stairs. She was extra careful with how much pressure she applied.
Sighing, she slipped inside the room and laid in her futon.
'Right, so in an hour we'll wake up and talk with all the others.' Sakura thought as she closed her exhausted eyes closed.
~*oOo*~
"Sakura-chan! Are you awake yet?!" Naruto shouted from behind the door. Groaning, Sakura held her hand over her eyes. The sunset had poured in through the window and shone down directly at her face.
"Naruto...can you be any louder?" Sakura wondered as she sat up from her futon. Looking around, she noticed that Tsunami was already up, as was everyone else. Sighing, Sakura got up and stretched her sore body, popping bones in the process.
"SAKURA-CHAN?!" Naruto screamed and banged on the door. Opening the door roughly, Sakura glared at Naruto. Seemingly knowing that she was in a bad mood, he backed away and gave her some space. Sasuke had been leaning against the wall, behind Naruto.
"...I heard you the first time..." Sakura drawled out irritated as she stepped out and walked passed him towards the bathroom.
"What did I do?" Naruto asked out loud as he scratched his head in a confused manner.
"Hn, dobe." Was all Sasuke said as he walked passed him and walked towards the kitchen. Sasuke knew it wasn't so much as what Naruto did, as much as how much sleep she had. Sakura had slept over once before at the Uchiha compound when they had been younger. He had first hand experience what happened when Sakura didn't get enough sleep. He, for one, did not want to reenact that day ever again. So he left Sakura alone when he saw her excluding the signals that showed her lack of sleep. He did, however, wonder what could have possibly kept her up so late. He was sure she had slept at the same time as everyone else. So why was she sleep deprived?
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts of such pointless questions. It wasn't like he could figure her out anyways, so why try now.
~*oOo*~
Sakura's POV
Yawning, I walked out of the shower and made my way towards the kitchen. Everyone minus Kakashi was presently sitting at the table. Naruto and Sasuke sat all stiff and looking down at their food. Looking at the plates in front of them, I noticed why they were acting that way. The food was undoubtedly the best they had, but it consisted of a meter amount.
Frowning at my forgetfulness, I pulled out one of the scrolls I had packed.
"Tsunami-san, I forgot to give you this yesterday." I said and unsealed some food in a bag, as well as another bag of pastries.
"Oh my! Sakura-chan are you sure?!" Tsunami asked when I had handed them to her. Nodding, I smiled and walked over to sit in between the boys incase they began to bicker.
"That's why I had brought them; but we will gratefully accept the food you have currently provided." I said and glared at the other two.
Dinner passed by with happy smiles from our host family and not too happy stares from Naruto and Sasuke.
"Sakura-chan, do you think Kakashi-sansei will let us go sightseeing?" Naruto asked with his mouth full. I frowned in distaste at his completely bad manners.
"Don't talk when you're eating and I really doubt Kakashi-sensei will let us. We are on a mission after all." I stated and went back to eating.
"But it's so easy from now on!" Naruto whined.
"Let's just wait until Kakashi-sensei wakes up." I suggested and glared at Jim when he was about to speak up again. After breakfast, Kakashi was bound to wake up, and then our train starts.
~*oOo*~
Breakfast was finished and we all made our way up to Kakashi's room. Since I had already felt him awake, I walked inside without knocking.
"Sensei, I see you're up now." I said and watched as he slowly tried to sit up.
"Why does it sound like you weren't worried at all?" He asked suspiciously.
"Well of course I wasn't worried. Naruto and Sasuke however wouldn't stop crying about you." I informed with a smile and received a crinkled eye smile as well as a glare and a soft slap across the head. Naruto would never dare to hit me harder, too afraid of hurting me and as well as me hurting him back.
"Sorry to have worried you boys." Kakashi said as he went along with the joke.
"So how are you feeling?" Tsunami asked.
"Better, but I won't be able to move as good for awhile." Kakashi informed.
"Hmm, so that means you're just going to lay in bed?" Naruto asked as we all sat beside his bed.
"Not exactly, I'll be able to get up and move around. I just won't be able to stress my Sharingan." He informed.
"Besides that, I wanted to see what you all picked up from yesterday's battle...Starting with you Sakura." Kakashi said and looked at me pointedly. I blinked and tilted my head in confusion.
"Me?...Why?" I asked as I pointed to myself. He sighed and crossed his arms.
"I expected for you to explain the reason for you actions." Kakashi explained. Oh...I suppose he was a bit angry about that.
"Well, it's like I said before. Things went much better with you on the outside and me entrapped." I answered and hopped he would get the underlying message. Thing's did go better than the anime/manga, so he should feel assured that my actions weren't THAT stupid.
"But still Sakura-chan, don't ever do that again." Naruto insisted, and I could only send him an apologetic smile. I couldn't really promise him anything, since I was bound to do more things like that in the future.
"Enough about me. Sensei, that boy was a hunter ninja right? So why didn't he get rid of the body right away?" I asked so things could speed up.
"Get rid of?! What do you mean Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked. Kakashi rubbed his temple and began to explain to Naruto and Sasuke what Hunter ninja did.
"I'm not so surprised that you had noticed that." Kakashi stated as he stared at me. I shrugged and smiled smugly at Sasuke. Teasing being something I enjoyed immensely, had me getting Sasuke annoyed more often then not. It wasn't my fault people were so easy to tease.
"...Hmm, now that I think about it...that kid just took the body away..." Naruto said as he tried to keep up with the conversation.
"Exactly, but why? He should have worked on the body right there, as quickly as possible. Do you remember what weapons he used?" He asked Naruto and Sasuke. I'm sure he knew I knew of the answer; so he didn't bother to spare me a glance.
"Needles?...Are you saying Zabuza is still alive?" Sasuke asked. Kakashi looked at me, and I nodded also agreeing with his thoughts.
"Yeah. Zabuza's still alive." Kakashi stated.
"What?!" Asked Tazuna, Tsunami, and Naruto in shock.
"But, we saw his body! And you checked him yourself! He was dead!" Naruto stated in confusion.
"Yes, I suppose his body was momentarily dead; but it was all due to the needles, or senbon. That boy was on Zabuza's side and knows exactly where to hit so that the body functions are briefly shut down." I explained and watched as Naruto's frown deepened, only to turn into a grin.
"ALRIGHT!" Naruto shouted as he stood, excitement rolling off him like waves.
"Now that we know he's alive, we will begin with getting some training in before the fight. The only reason we had been able to make it through last time, was because you all worked together. I'm proud of you all. Naruto, you have grown the most throughout this time." Kakashi praised and I smiled over to Naruto. His face was beaming with a happy smile and I could tell he was determined to get even stronger.
"Glad you noticed Kakashi-sensei! Now that I'm getting stronger, thing's will get much easier, dattebayo!" Naruto exclaimed.
'Actually...that was the complete opposite. Once he gets stronger, even strong opponents will cross our paths.' I thought with a sigh as I pulled him down beside me.
"Things wont be easier. Not now, and not ever." Inari stated firmly from the door.
"Hey! Who are you?!" Naruto asked angrily. I observed him closely and noticed that indeed he was a cute little kid, but I also knew he was extremely rude.
"Inari! Apologize to the ninja's. They helped bring your grandfather home safely." Tsunami chastised. The boy ignored his mother rudely and hugged his grandfather tightly.
"Nah, it's okay Tsunami. I'm rude to them too." Tazuna stated. I blankly stared at him.
'How could he state that like a good thing?' I thought and shook my head.
"These people will only die mom. Gato and his men will come back and kill them for sure!" Inari said.
"What did you say brat?! Do you even know how awesome we are?! We wont let any Gato guy kill anyone, cause we're hero's!" Naruto exclaimed cheerfully.
"There's no such thing as a real hero! You're all just full of stupid idea's!" Inari shouted angrily. There was a small moment of silence, until Naruto screamed out and charged forward. Pulling a feet out from underneath me did a marvelous effect of settling the situation.
"Ow! Sakura-chan, why did you trip me?!" Naruto asked as he rubbed his face. The poor boy wasn't expecting that at all, landing face first on the floor. I would need to train him a lot on reflexes back in the village if he ever wanted to get better.
"No reason, just stretching my legs." I said in an attempt to smooth out the rising tension.
"Hmph, what a joke. If you guys want to live, you should go back where you came from...I'll be in my room." Inari said before he walked out of the room.
I waited three minutes before lightly kicking Naruto out the door.
"WHA-!" Before he could finish his sentence, I cut him off.
"MAYBE, you should go check on him." I suggested and watched him stand from the floor.
"Why should-" Again I cut him off, except this time, with a smile. Seeing him shiver and back track out the door, I nodded and looked back to Kakashi.
"So, when are we starting training?" I asked nonchalantly and looked at the incredulously. What did I do to deserve such expressions? All I did was smile, that simple action usually helped Naruto move along much quicker. I didn't see why they were all looking at me like I had just threatened the boy.
"Uhm...this afternoon." Kakashi answered. I nodded and mentally calculated how much time we would have before Zabuza attacked the bridge. His healing would also go faster due to the medicine I had given him.
"That's right...Here sensei, so you can heal faster." I said as I pulled out another similar vial as the one I gave Zabuza.
"Medicine?" Kakashi asked as he took it from my outstretched hand.
"Yup, if you still have outside wounds, then you can apply it to them. If it's internal pain, then drink it." I instructed as I got off the floor.
"Let's go get Naruto ready for practice. See ya sensei." I waved goodbye and walked out, knowing that Sasuke was following right behind me.
~*oOo*~
Normal POV
"Alright, training starts now." Kakashi instructed. They all stood in the small open field that was surrounded by trees. Before Kakashi's arrival, they had decided to stretch and do some warm up exercises. Sakura was pleased to see that the other two had increased their stamina enough to not pant like they were dying after each session. Even if slowly, they were still doing a great job at giving it their all.
"Right! What are we doing?!" Naruto asked impatiently.
"We will review chakra. A ninja's basic source of power. Understanding chakra is essential." Kakashi stated. Sakura smiled at the remembrance of this even and looked around at the tall trees.
"We already know that." Sasuke stated, as he crossed his arms in irritation.
"He's right! We learned in the Academy all about Catra!" Naruto informed, proud that he had remembered such important information.
"Chakra." Kakashi corrected with a sigh. Looking over to Sakura, he noticed a while ago her lack of attention. Even though she herself was very keen on observing others, she seemed to notice little of when others noticed her. Maybe he would have to teach her to stay on alert once they got back?
"Sakura, would you?" Kakashi asked. Sakura turned her attention back to the others and frowned at Kakashi for calling out to her. Sighing she began to explain in depth about chakra, it's functions, as well as it's limitations. By the time she finished, Naruto had looked more lost than before, however, he was trying his best not to show it.
Sighing once more, Sakura cleared her throat and began to explain again. This time using things as a reference to her explanations.
"Oooh! I get it! But what's the whole point in this? The main thing is to learn the jutsu isn't it? " Naruto asked.
"Naruto's right for once. We're already using our chakra in our jutsu's." Sasuke stated agreeing with Naruto. Sakura gave them a blank look as she turned to Kakashi a gave him a look that clearly read, You're the teacher, you do it.
"No, you haven't mastered using your chakra. Like Sakura said, you have to draw on physical and spiritual energy. You do this by combining them and creating different jutsu's. Each jutsu requires different amounts of each energy. Up until now, you've only guessed the proportions and hoped that it'll come out right. You tend to put too much or too little; and if you don't balance and control it, the jutsu wont work and it'll be useless. You waste so much energy that way." Kakashi informed. Sakura looked up and smiled approvingly to his easy explanation.
"I think this is the first time you've taught so well sensei. You're improving dramatically in your teaching ability." Sakura stated earning a glare from Kakashi and a snicker from Naruto.
"So...what do we do to get better?" Naruto asked, finally grasping the seriousness of chakra.
"You train, until it becomes second nature to you. We will be doing that today, by climbing trees." He said as he pointed to the tall surrounding trees.
"What?" Asked Naruto and Sasuke simultaneously.
"Yes, and there's only one rule, no hands." Kakashi stated. Naruto and Sasuke looked at him like he was stupid. Who climbed a tree without hands?
"How do we do that?!" Naruto asked incredulously. Kakashi smiled down at him and then turned his attention over to Sakura.
"Sakura, care to demonstrating it for them? I'm sure you're already very well acquainted with chakra." Kakashi stated. Sakura glared at him again.
'Why pick me? He did it just fine in the anime/manga.' Not voicing out her thoughts, she turned over to her teammates.
"Alright, look closely. First, draw out your chakra to the bottom of your feet. Once you've travelled it down to the soles, you must concentrate on how much chakra you gather. Once you're satisfied, release it from the tenketsu and it should stick your feet to the tree, like so." Sakura informed as she placed her right foot on the tree nearest her. The others soon saw her lift her left foot and place it beside the other.
"Now, keep the amount of chakra flowing exactly through the duration of what you are performing, such as getting to the top." Sakura said as she began to walk on the tree, like she would anywhere else. Getting to the top, she walked over to the branch and looked at them from on top. Having to move her dangling haori away from her view, she waved down at them.
"See, not too bad." Sakura said as she detached her chakra and let gravity bring her back down. Naruto had been the only one to scream out in panic, as the other two knew she wouldn't be hurt. Flipping up right, she landed gently on her feet and made her way over to the others.
'Just as I thought. She hardly had to think about controlling it.' Kakashi thought as he looked over to the awe struck look Naruto was giving her and the knowing look from Sasuke.
"Now it's your turn." She said as she pulled out two kunai.
"Use these to mark your place and progress on the tree." She explained as she flipped them over so they could get a hold of the grip.
"Great idea Sakura-chan! Ne, did Jiji teach this?!" Naruto asked. Sakura tilted her head and scrunched her forehead in contemplation.
"Not exactly...I learned it myself." Sakura said as she scratched the back of her head.
"Wow, you're amazing Sakura-chan! When was that?" Naruto asked. Sakura looked around avoiding his gaze. She looked back to Naruto when she began to answer his question.
"It's been a long time, I don't remember..." Sakura stated.
"You were around three years old when I saw you using it." Sasuke stated. Sakura glared at him for a second before, nodding her head.
"Something like that..." She said.
"Did you get it right on your first time?" Kakashi asked. Sakura's glare was completely visible when she shot it at Kakashi.
"Yeah." Was her curt reply. Kakashi chuckled and ruffled her hair, messing up the braid in the process. She swatted his hand away but made no hurried movement to fix her hair. It would just mess up again anyway. He knew that she disliked having the boys to close at finding out her abilities. He didn't really understand why, but then remember that she could see the future, so maybe if they found out, things wouldn't be good.
"Alright! I'll get this down on my first try too! Just watch me sensei, you did say I was the one who has progressed the most!" Naruto exclaimed with excitement burning in his eyes.
"You're certainly the one who talks the most." Kakashi mumbled with a sigh.
"But wait,...what will you be doing?" Naruto asked Sakura before he left and ignoring Kakashi all together. She in turn shrugged and looked over to Kakashi, waiting for an answer.
"Since Sakura has already done this, I will be teaching her something else." Kakashi informed.
"What! Will we be doing it too?!" Naruto asked. Kakashi nodded towards Naruto.
"After you learn how to climb trees, you have to learn how to walk on water. This, however, is much harder. Have you already learned water walking?" Kakashi asked Sakura. Sakura frowned as if only now remembering something.
"No, I actually haven't learned it. I completely forgot about it." Sakura said as she watched Kakashi nod understandingly.
"Alright then, we'll start on that. Boy's, let see how your first attempt goes." Kakashi said. Sakura chuckled as she picked up on the choice of words he choose.
'Attempt, huh?' Sakura thought as she remembered the outcome of this training session from the anime/manga.
The results came out exactly the same. Naruto used too little and so fell back down quickly, while Sasuke had used too much chakra. They went at it for a long time, not allowing the other to get to the top first. While this happened and seemed to be a reoccurring pattern, Kakashi lead Sakura to a small lake that was near by.
"So you've never attempted this before?" Kakashi asked. Sakura nodded her head in agreement.
"I guess I thought of it once before, but I had completely forgotten about it." Sakura answered as she walked slowly beside Kakashi who was on crutches. It would only be a few more days and then he wouldn't need them anymore.
"Well then, you'll learn it today." He responded with a smile. Sakura smiled up at him and then looked back to the front. The day was lovely. The sun was shinning but it wasn't blazing hot outside. The air was refreshing and smelt nice as it passed by wild flowers and carried their sent where ever it went.
"How long does it take to learn?" Sakura asked as they stopped in front of a lake. The size wasn't too big, and she presumed that it was only about three meters deep.
"If you know how to control your chakra, then just a few days. If you're not so good, then it can take years to master." He informed as he turned towards Sakura.
"How long did it take you?" Sakura asked curiously. Kakashi looked up and held his chin in a very pensive manner.
"Hmm, I don't remember. It's been awhile." Kakashi replied, finishing up with a smile. She Glared up at him for practically copying her own words.
Sakura rolled her eyes and stepped closer to the lake when she knew he wouldn't answer her.
"Fine then. Tell me what to do." Sakura stated as she closed her eyes and began to concentrate on her chakra.
"It's practically the same as what you do for the tree climbing exercise, however this time you have to change it according to the movement of the waves." He informed as he concentrated on his chakra and stepped onto the surface of the lake. On contact, his feet created multiple ripples on the water that spread out until they calmed further away.
"It's not so hard, I'm sure you'll get it quickly." Kakashi encouraged as he stepped back on the ground. Nodding, Sakura did as told. Travelling her chakra down to the soles of her foot. She breathed in the fresh air before taking her first step on the water's surface.
Unlike Kakashi's confident example of water walking, Sakura immediately pulled her foot back as she felt it penetrate the surface. Sakura groaned as she looked at her soaked foot. Even when she had pulled before her whole body fell in, she wasn't able to save her foot from submerging into the cold water.
"It's hard right? But don't worry, you'll get it." Kakashi encouraged with a chuckle at Sakura's irritated face.
"Right...and why exactly are you sitting down?" She asked as he indeed sat himself underneath a shady tree.
"To observe your progress of course." He answered with a smile.
"I believe Naruto and Sasuke are the one's who are in need of your observations." Sakura stated as she turned back to look into the water. Somehow, it looked much deeper now.
"Maa, one can always see them struggling to learn something; but you, this is memorable moments." Kakashi finished, not really needing to see her face to know that she was glaring. Sighing, she waved him off like as if she intended to ignore him anyway.
Once more, she did as before, this time however with more concentration on her chakra.
'She's so proficient with her chakra it's unbelievable. She takes little to no time concentrating on it for a Genin. At times it even looks as if she doesn't even concentrate on it.' Kakashi thought as he continued to observe her training. This hasn't been the first time he's taken notice of her skill. In fact, since the moment they were grouped together, he had taken note of her advanced skills. Even if she was studying under the Hokage, he was always busy. Like she had said before, practicing by herself was the most common way she learned certain things. Could there even be thing's that she has learned that not even the Hokage knows?
"Kakashi-sensei look! I did i-!" Snapping out of his thoughts, Kakashi witnessed the unsurprising fall of Sakura. She had surprisingly stayed up for a total of fourteen seconds, before losing balance and falling in the water.
Swimming back up to the surface, she gasped for air and floated in place.
'This lake is deeper than I thought' Sakura thought as she made her way towards the edge.
"Don't even say anything..." Sakura stated as she glanced at Kakashi's, in her opinion, overly amused face.
"I wasn't intending on it." Kakashi reassured. Sakura groaned when she noticed how everything was soaked. Her clothes, weapons, SCROLLS.
'Oh crap!' She thought as she unstrapped the holster's and took out the scrolls she contained.
"They're all wet!" Inner shouted in worry.
"Kakashi-sensei...is there a way these could be saved?" Sakura asked. Although she knew scrolls were made to be durable, they were still damageable. She really didn't want to the think about them being un-savable, especially the food inside the scrolls.
"Hmm, you don't need to worry. From what I've seen, you carry rather good scrolls. They were made for ninja's, so there supposed to endure more than regular paper scrolls." Kakashi informed.
"I'm surprised you don't know that." Kakashi finished, certainly surprised, since she happened to have many of them.
"Well sorry I don't know everything...but now that I know this, I'm glad. There's many things inside of these that are important." Sakura said as she decided to just leave them on the ground to dry. She took off her haori as well, so now with less things to worry about, she re-attempted the walk.
~*oOo*~
After two hours, Kakashi had left to check on the boys. He was worried to many falls would give Naruto brain damage. As for Sasuke, well his ego shouldn't exceed passed what it already was.
Then after three more hours, Sakura finally stood on the water for a time span of ten minutes.
The only reason she was able to was because the water had been steady. As soon as the waves picked up, she had lost her balance due to the sudden change of chakra needed to stabilize herself.
"This is harder then I thought." Sakura mumbled as she floated on her back. The sun was going down, and she was pleased that her chakra control ability had been able to save her more than half her chakra.
'They make it look so easy in the anime/manga...I wonder if things are going relatively the same with the other's...' Sakura thought as she admired the beautiful colors mixing in the sky above her. She had been so concentrated on her task that she had blocked everything else out. Until now, she hadn't been keeping track of anyone's chakra. It seemed she had yet to correct her neglect on her surroundings when she focused on one thing.
"So much for multitasking..." Sakura said while closing her eyes and submerging under water. She floated in the water and concentrated on FEELING the water surrounding her. She focused on the wave's current as well as listening to anything she could pick up.
Slowly, she opened her eyes and could not see anything clearly due to the sun's complete descend.
'Now, let's try aga-!' She was yanked out of the water by the elbow. Resurfacing in a frenzy, she could now see that it was Kakashi who had pulled her out. The moon had risen and took the spot of the sun in the sky. It was a full moon tonight, so the moonlight shone brightly to cast down upon them and give them enough light to see.
"Sensei? What are you doing?" Sakura asked as she took note of his appearance. He most certainly was soaked, as expected from his actions.
"OH MY GOD!" Inner squealed with hearts pumping in her eyes. Kakashi, not knowing what was going on inside Sakura's head, took the wince as a misunderstanding.
"Did you get hurt? I came back only to see you go under." Kakashi explained as they both swam towards the edge. Sakura tried hard to not glare so openly; however, Kakashi didn't miss the way the poor water was being glared at under her piercing stare.
"I'm not hurt. Was I under the water for a long time?" Sakura asked in confusion. She could of sworn it felt like a few seconds.
"Yeah, I thought you had over used your chakra and fainted in the water." Kakashi said as they sat on the edge looking out to the lake. The waves caused by their swimming calmed and created a clear reflection of the moon.
"Hmm, that's pretty cool. I didn't realize I could still hold my breath for that long." Sakura stated as she pondered on other thoughts. Some pertaining her other world and life as Kazumi.
"I see now that you were still training; but we should head back. All the others are there and waiting for us to return." Kakashi informed as they got up. Picking up her things, she walked on, not bothering to put them on and getting them wet again.
~Next Day~
Sakura's POV
Waking up, I just knew something was going to be different today. It wasn't until after breakfast did I find out why. Kakashi had instructed for me to accompany Tazuna all day while the boys trained. I had agreed, since I had plans of my own. Water walking could wait, this took precedence over it, besides I had almost gotten it down yesterday. It wouldn't be much longer before I got it down completely.
~*oOo*~
Yawning was inevitable when things got boring. I had nothing to do as of right now. I sat alone with my legs crossed and chin propped by my palm which rested on my knee. I had a good view of the water and the construction going on, but that got boring after half an hour.
"Are you always this lazy?" Tazuna asked as he walked by holding a steel beam.
"No, not really." I answered which was true. The moment I got here, I've been doing a lot of work for myself and others.
"Hmph, where's the other two?" He asked, stopping in front of me.
"Training." Is all I said as I stood up.
"What, too tuff for you?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. I waved him off and walked closer.
"Nah, actually too easy. By the way, can I help around here?" I asked as I took notice of the steel beams similar to the one he was carrying, laying everywhere.
"Hmm, you? Don't worry about it. This work is too hard for you." He said as he started to walk off.
"Tazuna! I need to talk to you." Said a man who walked up to him. I was a few feet away, but enough to here. Just like the anime/manga, the man had asked to be let off the job.
Turning to the steel beams beside me, I walked over to them. Hmm, maybe this could be kind of like training? Placing my hands on either side of the beam, I placed the amount of chakra I thought was enough and lifted.
'Yes! It worked.' I thought as I placed it on my shoulder like Tazuna, adding a bit of chakra to loosen the weight it would need to carry.
Looking over towards Tazuna, I waited until that man left and then called out to him.
"Hm? What is i-!" He broke off his sentence to gap at me with astonishment.
"Where do you want this?" I asked with a smile. I watched in amusement when he moved his hand in a signal to follow him.
"Perhaps we left him speechless?" Inner said and began to chuckle. Chuckling myself, I quickly stopped when Tazuna sent me a stern look.
"Well if you're gunna help, then get a move on it!" He exclaimed. Straightening myself, I nodded curtly and walked over to him, prepared to help out as much as possible. Even when his attitude was quite rude.
~*oOo*~
"Great job everyone! We'll continue tomorrow!" Tazuna encouraged. The few people were still helping had a great time today, in my opinion. I had accomplished my goal as I was told that the construction on the bridge had advanced in only a few hours. I had been ecstatic, and had gotten along with the villagers who had stayed. At first their expressions were just funny if not more than Tazuna's. Later when they had gotten used to my "monstrous" strength, had began to talk to me. We spoke about many things, but nothing regarding the full details of the mission. It was only for protocol but they didn't seem to mind. They were far more interested in simple things like "ninja tricks". I would make sure that they stayed safe during the attack.
"So, where to now?" I asked as we walked on a dirt path, opposite of his house.
"We need to get some supplies from the market." He responded and I simply nodded and followed after him.
We walked for a short amount of time and had finally made it to the markets. It was big and I was sure that once the bridge was built, things would flourish abundantly.
"What are you getting? You still have enough food right?" I asked, since I had thought I had calculated the amount they would need right.
"Tsunami's birthday is coming up, and I had wanted to get her something...even if it's small." He surprisingly confided. Smiling brightly, I nodded and walked with more energy in my steps.
"Alright, I'll help!" I said as we entered the center of the market. Looking around, I had seen what I didn't want to, but had to.
"Are you going to pass out the food now?" Inner asked as we looked around.
'No. I'll do it later. I'm not planning on being found out that it was me who gave them the food.' I answered as I stepped into a building behind Tazuna.
"What? WHY?!" Inner asked in confusion.
'Think about it, Gato has gang members everywhere, as well as threatening villagers to act as spies.' I reasoned as I looked around the merchandize.
"I guess...but are you okay with that?" Inner asked. I raised an eyebrow as I picked up a necklace that was surprisingly pretty.
'Of course I am. If wouldn't be, then I wouldn't have suggested it.' I replied.
"Ne Tazuna, what about this?" I asked and showed him the item. He looked at it and I could see that he seemed to like it as well. Smiling, I agreed with his taste in jewelry. The necklace was oddly beautiful to be here. The chain was glimmering silver color, as was the oval locket connected to it. There was a design engraved on the outside with four little tiny jewels in different colors. Inside the locket was a spot to place a picture, of one's choice.
"It's perfect...but too expense..." He said and looked crestfallen when he saw the price. I took one glance at the price and smiled discreetly.
"I'll just get her a nice card and flowers." Tazuna said as he approached the small section of cards. I swiftly moved over to the counter and placed the money on it while I showed him my desired item. He looked over to Tazuna for a split second before turning back to me. Smiling up to him sweetly, I made sure he made direct eye contact with mine.
"If you say anything, I'll make sure no one ever buys from this store again." I whispered nicely. He could compromise my plan that I had so nicely made for the rude Tazuna. I watched as he trembled to get the money and check to see if it was enough.
~*oOo*~
Tazuna had finally picked out a birthday card, and had decided to buy the flowers once the day got closer. I had excused my self, for only a minute. Quickly, and for the first time, I had created a Shadow Clone. It was so weird looking at the face I had now considered my own on an exact copy. We thought similar but separately, the jutsu was very strange, but also very useful.
The clone me, took my place going back to the house, while I proceeded to give out the food I had brought.
"So what will you do now? Genjutsu might work." Inner suggested. I tilted my head to peek through the corner of the ally way I had entered. No one had seen me, that was always good, and only now did I notice that no one had approached me.
'No, I have a better idea.' I said as I made the hand signs for the transformation jutsu. With a puff of smoke, I turned into a very familiar and most missed appearance.
"Is...isn't this...you?" Inner asked in shock. I smiled and nodded. Walking out of the ally way, I stopped in front of a mirror that was in front of a store that sold accessories. The face that greeted me was one that I hadn't seen in a long time, besides in dreams, which were also occupied by those other dreams. The person that reflected off the mirror had long dark brown hair, with amber colored eyes. My age was also that of a twelve year old, since it would be faster to bond with the kids this way. The clothes weren't anything familiar, since I had to make it match this world's styles. But even so, it was undeniably my appearance that I had went with.
'Let's get going.' I said as I pulled the hood over my head. Just because I changed appearance doesn't mean I want to be permanently remembered. It would be suspicious if someone unknown just randomly passed out food.
'Children first, since they're usually the most in need.' I thought as I walked towards the first kid I saw. The kid was around five years old, and just the sight of his malnourished and battered body almost had me in tears. I bent down in front of him and smiled gently down at him.
"Ne, do you want food?" I said and looked passed my side bangs that kept falling over my eyes. The hood wasn't any better, it being to big and having enough room, to practically swallow my head whole. I wouldn't be surprised if they were more scared and cautious of my appearance this way.
"Yes!" He said with happiness shining through his blue crystal-like eyes. I smiled in happiness and relief that he did not refuse.
"Okay, I'll give you some on one condition." I said and watched as he leaned in closer.
"Anything!" He whispered loudly. I frowned at his compliant nature.
"Never mind, I need two things. The first is for you not to be so trustful. The second is for you to gather up as many kids as you can so that I can give them some too. And don't worry, I have enough food. Oh and I'll follow you so just concentrate on getting as many kids." I instructed and watched as he stood up quickly and sent me a big grin before running off. Smiling, I stood up and began to follow after him, not once forgetting to check my surroundings.
~*oOo*~
The kid had done a much better job then I had thought. There was a bunch of kids from different ages and sizes. I lead them to a secure place where I knew people wouldn't see and cause a ruckus. I handed it out a fair amount of food and pastries for all the children. As much as I wanted to give more, there was still so many other people I had to get to. So I had encouraged them to stay strong and to ration all that I had given them until the bridge was built.
During that time, I had gathered up the older kids, and asked them to find adults that needed this help. Children were a lot smarter than some adults gave them credit for. I didn't have to go in depth about the "bad" people for them to know what was needed to be done.
During that time, I played with the children. I knew from experience that some children had no means of love from anyone. Hopefully, after I leave them, they can come together and support one another themselves. At least until help arrives and they are taken care of.
As soon as the adults arrived, I had made the rounds of giving everyone a fair amount. I also repeated to them what I had said to the children, about rationing until the bridge was done. Some had seemed a bit uncertain, but I had reassured them that things would get better once the bridge was built. I promised them if things didn't, I would return to help, until they did.
The older kids I had asked to gather the adults had promised to find others who needed help and give them the extra I had given them. They were truthful by the touch we had made, I could hear their honest thoughts.
Many, especially the children, had asked of my name. I debated for a long time whether to tell them or not, but in the end I did. I had asked that all I wanted in return was for my name not to be spread around and that I was just happy to be a generous anonymous person.
I played with the kids for an hour longer due to their amazing replica's of Ino's secret weapon. I was very sad to leave them and had not been expecting to be dog-piled by crying, and screaming children. It was difficult to gently move their arms off without hurting their feelings. Even the older kids looked sad or in some cases, crying. With a determined mind, I promised things would get better. Seeing my resolve must have convinced them and possibly give them hope for a better future.
This was not only a charitable act; but something that managed to help my commitment to my goal strengthen. I would not allow myself to fail tomorrow. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I did.
Part two done! Tell me how if you liked it! Next chapter will be no later than Monday.
Also, I feel like I need to explain my weird updating schedule. When I say my updates wont be later than (insert day), that means it could be before or on that day. If I were to not update on the day I had said, then I should have a new date on my profile. That usually doesn't happen unless something unexpected happens and so it doesn't allow me to finish on time.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed and review! If you couldn't notice, this chapter was way longer than the past six chapters. More reviews equals longer chapters!