[A/N] Hello everyone. Long time no see. I know it's been a long time since I updated any of my works, but I'm hoping to fix that soon.
Yes, I put a similar author note in my update to TPOYB: The Rewrite, but I know not everyone reads all of my stories.
Work has been keeping me exhausted. However, I've finally finished the manuscript for my first book. I've been trying to get back into my fanfictions, but it's been a slow process without any feedback or someone to bounce ideas off of. So please leave your feedback, it will help me get the dust off and get to work on these projects. I want to resume updating this story and I Chose Rapture, but we shall see. I think I Chose Rapture is going to be on a hiatus until I can find a reliable beta reader.
If anyone feels up to being a beta reader for any of my works, feel free to reach out through PM.
Thank you all for your patience. I know this is short for how long it's taken, but I wanted to go ahead and get something out to let you know I'm still here and start collecting more feedback.
Without another word, Naruto slid the shaman's mask over his face. His muscles immediately began to ache as he got used to the sense of strength flowing through his limbs. Looking down at his hands, he clenched them into fists. Turning his gaze towards Haku, his eyes turned a dark orange once again. The air around him shifted. His feet dug into the ground as he pushed himself forward.
Haku braced herself for his attack as he charged her. She brought up a wall of ice and readied her senbon.
The wall cracked around the edges as an ethereal chain impacted the side. Naruto swung around the wall with the chains, aiming a kick to the side of Haku's head.
She raised her arms, blocking his kick. She was pushed back by the force. Twisting her feet and steadying herself, she reached forward. Before Naruto could react she grabbed his ankle and slammed him into the ice. Senbon flew into his legs as he slumped against it.
"Ah, I should have been more careful," Naruto said. "That shaman made me underestimate who I was dealing with."
"Stay down," Haku said. "My only wish is to fulfill Zabuza's desires. I don't want to kill you, but if you stand in his way again, you'll leave me with no choice."
She noticed his eyes look to the side and turned to see Kakashi standing in the rafters behind her.
"Leave her alone, Kakashi," Naruto said before his teacher could act.
In that moment of hesitation, Haku turned and ran, disappearing among the wreckage. Walls of ice went up behind her, blocking Kakashi from following.
Naruto's lips pulled tight in a content grin as Kakashi landed in front of him. "She's mine, Kakashi. My collection shall claim her or destroy her. But, I'm tired now. Carry me, sensei?" he asked in a mockingly sweet voice before passing out.
Kakashi sat beside the unconscious bodies of Naruto and Sasuke. He had his orange book in his hands, but couldn't keep his eye off the boys. Thick bandages were wrapped around Sasuke's right hand and forehead while Naruto's broken nose had been straightened with a small splint and bandage, one side stuffed with cotton. He was sure Naruto was mostly healed by now, but he left the splint to be safe.
"What am I going to do with you two?" he asked himself.
The door opened behind him and Tsunami walked in. She knelt beside him, holding a tray and a pot of tea. She poured a cup and held it out to him. While he took the cup, he didn't raise it to his face.
"Thank you," Tsunami said, choking back tears. "Thank you for getting my son back."
Kakashi thought for a moment. "Don't thank me," he said. "I brought him back, but Naruto and his summon had already broken the enemy forces before I got there. Everyone was already retreating."
'Besides, I doubt I'd have even searched if Naruto hadn't gone missing. We've already gone farther than we should have,' he said in his mind, knowing better than to voice the thought.
"How long do you think it will take them to recover?" she asked.
"It's hard to say. Naruto shouldn't take too long. He's resilient. But Sasuke is going to take time to heal. He did more damage to himself than anything."
"Couldn't you have stopped him?"
"I sent a shadow clone. I didn't want to step in unless absolutely necessary. If it took any damage, they would have been stranded until I could send another."
She gave a small nod. "I'm gonna go check on Inari again," she said, setting the tray down. "I'll leave this here for you."
Once Tsunami left, Kakashi sat in silence, still not drinking the tea. He closed his eyes to think for a moment.
"You mind if I have some of that tea before it gets too cold?" a hoarse voice asked.
Kakashi's eyes opened to see Sasuke staring at him. He looked down at the cup still in his hand and held it out to the boy.
Sasuke reached out with his right hand only to see the wrapped limb. "Oh, right," he mumbled. Taking the cup with his left hand he downed the cup quickly. Then he looked to Naruto. "What happened?"
The was a pause as Kakashi thought about his answer. "Naruto killed the masked man he was fighting, the hunter-nin escaped, and I had to carry you two and Inari back here. I've been keeping an eye on you two since then."
"Is he alright?"
"He took some hits and a few senbon to his legs, but he'll be fine. Depending on where the needles landed, he might have trouble walking for a while."
"Was Zabuza there?"
"No. His absence is why I haven't let Tazuna leave that house. He'd want to strike us while we were still vulnerable. But if we're not out in the open, he'll have a harder time using the mist to his advantage."
As the words left his lips, the ceiling and walls around them were torn away in an explosion of splintered wood and water.
"That went well," Naruto said as his eyes opened. He was laying on the floor of his mindscape.
"That's what you call it?" Kurama asked.
"Sure. I mean, yeah, that ending could have gone better, but think of all that we achieved today. I finally managed to get past that block I was having with the chakra chains, we both confirmed the Queen is alive and took down one of her followers, and added the Mask of Strength to my collection."
"Thy enemy has eluded you," Dormin said.
"Gato is just a man. I'm more worried about Zabuza. And, if you mean the girl, she and Zabuza will be coming to us."
"What shalt thou do when they come?"
Naruto stood up and brushed himself off. "The same thing we always do," he said as the Kubikiribocho appeared in his hands. "Our best."
"Are you going to finally try out that experiment?"
"We already know the experiment works."
"Not on people, let alone ones with Kekkai Genkai."
"Alright, that's fair. But, I think we might have finally worked out the kinks in that jutsu. Location and time shouldn't mater. Even if we haven't solved all the issues, my healing factor should make up for any cell breakdown. And, when this is over, I hope to have the girl in my collection. Someone like her doesn't have the ability to survive on her own. She's become a willing tool. She chooses and accepts the fate of being used and thrown away. If she wants purpose, then I will give her one."
The mindscape suddenly shook.
"Now what could be going on out there?"
"Thou should awake," Dormin said. "Thy enemy has come to you."