Hello readers! I know you're expecting an update around this time, but this story's co-author, Digman14, has a message he'd like to share with you all about that.

Hey everyone, I know it's about that time where you usually start getting antsy about the next chapter of The Untold Prophecy coming out. While I can say that some progress has been made, The Untold Prophecy isn't our current top priority and the next chapter will likely not be out for some time. I'd like to open this update with an apology. I'm sorry that it's taking so long for us to get the next update to you. We're working hard—but slow—and I'd like to offer you an explanation.

Our current focus is on our new, upcoming Naruto X Code Geass crossover story Identity, which we expect to be published sometime in April. The reason this is taking so long is because we're working on two chapters simultaneously to kick things off. Thankfully the drafts are done, and Chapter 1 is in its final editing stage. Once the story is published, all our efforts will immediately shift to The Untold Prophecy and we'll work to have Chapter 28 out before Summer, though I'm personally aiming for sooner rather than later. We're working on an update schedule to update both fics in a manner we think is fair and balanced for both sets of fans. In all likelihood, you'll see about chapters of The Untold Prophecy in a year, and around 3 chapters of Identity. I'm sure this may put a damper on some spirits and raise some questions as to why we're diverting brainpower from The Untold Prophecy when it's such a big hit. And in regards to that, I'd like to talk to you a bit about burnout.

Burnout is a bitch. An insidious, conniving bitch that sneaks up on you and makes you hate the things you love for all the wrong reasons. With regards to The Untold Prophecy I, personally, have experienced burnout twice before. The first time was the long wait between Chapters 9 and 10, and the second time started while I was working on Chapter 27. It was burnout (coupled with a death in my family of someone that I was extremely close with) that caused me to wait almost 2 whole months before finally getting to work on Chapter 10. I started feeling that dreadful feeling starting while writing Chapter 26, but I powered through my nerves about this story arc not resonating with the the audience, even though I know plenty of you are eager to learn more about what happened while Naruto was away and the piece of history that ties Ajnin to the rest of the Galaxy—in particular Mandalore—and links the two worlds together in a way that I think is quite clever.

But then the reviews started coming in. I knew the responses to our OC Kenichi would be mixed at best, but felt that was mostly because I didn't get to express a lot of what I intended for the character in the way and timeframe that I had intended. I responded to these reviewers mentioning that "Kenichi's overwhelming power will be explained in the next couple chapters" and while that event is absolutely coming up next chapter, I had hoped to get to it sooner. But the chapters started getting too big and they got away from me. I don't know whether or not I was right to cut some of the content or push it to the next chapter, but it was a decision that we have to live with. Couple that feeling with my irritating complacency for our earlier chapters and it was a pretty ripe recipe for burnout. I'm a very detail oriented writer and cutting so much of what I wanted to see for the sake of catching up to the original story hurt, and after we slowed down it started being a chronic pain whenever I wrote a new chapter. But back then I wanted a solid story that we could crank out a chapter in a few weeks as a small side project, I wanted a truly good one but I was unwilling to contribute the time whereas now I am. I'd like to express that I'm NOT in any way, shape, or form unhappy with what we put out, it's great stuff and I love it, but I'm disappointed on what you guys missed out on. There's so much more I wanted to explore and I feel that by glossing over it I didn't just let myself down, I let you guys down.

It's somewhat surprising, considering that I'm usually pretty open to people with this, but I don't think I've actually told the readers yet. I suffer from a mild case of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This is a pathological condition, and among other things, it makes all forms of communication rather difficult for me. That includes even writing fictional stories. Thankfully, I'm what experts call "high functioning" meaning that it doesn't handicap me in a significant way and I'm able to speak and type through the difficulties, and I would say I accomplish that feat rather well if I may dipense with my humility for a moment. I don't like to blame this condition for many things as it gives the illusion that my personal situation is somehow not in my hands, but sometimes I have moments of clarity where I'm forced to acknowledge my limitations.

While I do think this condition makes me a better writer overall, it also makes me a dreadfully slow one. The attention to detail I must pay in every paragraph takes up so much of my time. I can spend half a week working on a single scene of The Untold Prophecy and still not be fully satisfied. This turns menial tasks into daunting and frustrating ordeals. I have so much I want to share with our readers, but it's a looming shadow over the story that has haunted me for the past year. It could be so much better if I could just FUCKING WRITE what I'm thinking, but this condition makes that so much more difficult than it sounds. I tell myself "I have the thoughts, just do that." But sometimes I can't just do that.

I will oftentimes get fed up with my own nonsense and turn to Fanwriter to help me get out of a scene I feel I've been working on for too long. Sometimes this backfires, and what Fanwriter sends me ends up making more work for myself as I rework the scene in my mind's eye. Never do I think that these instances make the story worse, but this ultimately culminates in me losing interest in continuing at certain points. I sat on Chapter 27 for what I imagine was almost an entire month doing nothing with it because it just seemed like such a huge project. I tackled it piecemeal but when you're talking about proofing a 8000+ word chapter and adding another 6000, peacemeal isn't much better than fasting.

After a certain review caught my interest back in in the fall of 2019, I thought "hey, what if we went back and added all that stuff I wanted to add? We'll call it the Director's Cut, maybe that will fix my issues with the story." I wasn't surprised that Fanwriter agreed, I think he knows more than I that our early chapters can be improved upon, but when the reality of that project on top of contuing to update the story and also working on blushing Identity weighed over me, it quickly ground to a practical halt. We still have that idea, and while I think writing the Director's Cut will definitely help improve the story, it's a long term solution to a persistent, but ultimately short term problem.

Around this time last year, Fanwriter and I started toying with the idea of starting another fic. I proposed a couple of ideas, and he his. Fanwriter suggested a Code Geass crossover but I dismissed it in the early stages as I didn't understand how to add flamethrowing, lightning-generating Ninjas to Code Geass. I wanted to go forward with a Naruto X Legend of Korra crossover and started working that up, but then at some point—I want to say June— I started playing with ideas and came up with the concept for Identity, and we went back and forth on it for a minute. There was a particular plot point that hit us like a ton of bricks. I loved it, Fanwriter loved it. At that point I think we immediately knew this was the story we wanted to tell next. So we got to work, knowing that it would detract a wee bit from The Untold Prohecy, but not enough that it would affect our (roughly) 6-8 week update schedule. So we pressed on and Chapter 1 in nearing completion and Chapter 2's second draft is well underway.

Burnout thankfully doesn't affect everything you work on, and I can feel the creative juices flowing once again. I definitely needed a break from The Untold Prophecy, and rather than sitting around moping about it all day, now I can channel that energy into something productive, like a new fic—like Identity. So in addition to the roughly 4 month regular update schedule I have planned for it, you can expect any bouts of burnout with The Untold Prophecy to be channeled into extra chapters of Identity. Aside from the short repreive we as authors give ourselves after every chapter, there will nary be a wasted moment.

So, my dear readers, I ask for a bit of patience as I work out the last bits of my...call it stuff. As I work out my personal grievances, as I work out a healthy balance Identity and The Untold Prophecy that does me and the stories an optimal amount of good. W're not going anywhere and the story will not be going on hiatus anytime soon, it's just going to take a little longer to get the kinks out of my system, and the chapter to you.

I know we're not actually giving you much of a choice in the matter, but we appreciate your patience. The story is not dead, and Chapter 28 is in the works.