Chapter 46: Picking up the pieces.

Naruto was used to silence. At first, he'd hated it. A reminder of just how alone he truly was once he gave up and went back to his dark, lonely, little apartment. He despised it when it surrounded him outside the door of the main Uchiha house. It threatened to leave him back where he'd started. And then...then it became a sign of peace, of being able to hide from the mockery and insults, the silence of the almost abandoned compound had somehow turned into a sort of heaven. One where not only the blond, but his friends as well, managed to properly relax away from prying eyes.

It was a selfish thought.

The only reason why that place was silent was the reason behind his best friends' suffering, and yet, the association was still there.

Now, however, the silence that surrounded him as he walked behind Ero-sennin was, once more, the kind that left his tongue with a bitter taste at the thought of even trying to break it. The words he'd tried to yell, the apologies he'd failed to actually deliver, and died on his throat as Sasuke pulled the still tearful girl back towards the village made it hard to speak. His anger and fear had blinded him once again, left him unable to see just how terrified Kagome had been during the encounter, how worried the Uchiha had been...and the fact that they were right. Trying to fight Itachi as any of them were was probably as futile as going against Orochimaru had been back in the Forest of Death.

It wasn't like they were telling him to run and hide or that they'd try to do the same, just that none of them were strong enough yet to fight him. That's why their purpose in rushing all the way to the hotel wasn't to hunt the deranged Uchiha..but to save him.

His emotions made him forget that, because shameful as it was, once upon a time, Naruto had admired the older teen.

Oh, it wasn't anywhere close to Sasuke's hero complex, but Itachi could've easily kicked him out of the compound instead of taking one look at Kagome and proceed to lie to the people pursuing him. It was also the then Uchiha heir who killed the girl's kidnapper; and took the time to teach him the best ways to get into the compound without being seen so Naruto could play with the others.

It still wasn't his place to lose it like that when his friends had loved Itachi that much only to be betrayed.

"Say...Ero-sennin..." Naruto's words were low. "Those guys...what are they after me for?"

"Those guys are not so much after you...as they are after what's inside you." The old man glanced at him for a second before turning away.

"This...what is this thing anyway?" Only silence followed his question. "This is the monster that attacked Konoha, right? That's why everyone's scared of it...but why do those guys want it?"

"The Kyuubi is indeed a monster that has been appearing age after age...a monstrous demon, hell-bent on destruction. It was one of the disasters the people of old would fear..." For once, Jiraiya seemed solemn as he talked. "As for why those guys would want their hands on the Kyuubi, to be honest, I don't really know...but since you have the demon sealed within you, I suppose they're trying to find a way to harness and control its power.

"Those guys will keep on trying to get ya, it's a destiny you'll have to face up, but when that happens, I'll be there to protect you, so don't..."

"And that's exactly why..." the blond interrupted him. "I have to become stronger."

Because no matter what Ero-sennin said, this wasn't just about him...their interest in him, however, could really become useful. If he could protect himself. If he could protect his friends; then, Naruto could happily become bait and get that guy to come to them.

"Okay!" This time, he yelled, full of determination. "Let's hurry up and find this Tsunade person! She'll fix Kakashi-sensei, and then we can finally start training!"

There was no time to waste now; this was his way to become stronger, to get back to his friends with the power to help them instead of simply being helped. This trip would definitely be worth it. He just knew it.

"Hmmm..."

"What?"

"Is this super babe you were talking before..." the boy trailed off after the thought crossed his mind. "Tsunade?"

"Oh, you've gotten sharper already!" Ero-sennin grinned at him. "Yep, it's her, alright. What about it?"

"Is she one of the ones along with you that people call the Sannin?" The name sounded somewhat familiar, one Kagome probably mentioned at some point during their dinners.

"Yeah, so?"

"How old is she?" he glanced at the old man.

"My age."

"She's old then!" Naruto yelled, forcing himself to overreact a little. Willing his mood to brighten. "What's Tsunade like?"

"Hm? You interested?"

Of course, he was. Not only was this woman the person they needed to get to cure Kakashi-sensei, but Kagome-chan had a clear respect for those three...or well, two out of the three. Why or how it came that now the village's prankster was going to meet all three legendary ninjas, Naruto wasn't sure, but if there was something he'd learned was that if an opportunity showed itself, then you took it, no matter what.

"Well, she's kinda annoying." the old man grimaced. "She's a compulsive gambler and well known in a lot of countries."

"Well, she'll be pretty easy to find then if she's so famous!"

"Oh yeah, she's famous, alright." For some reason, this time, Ero-sennin was chuckling. "She's known as the legendary...looser!

"That said...she may have a name, but I don't think it will be easy to find her...she ain't the time to age gracefully. So, she'll probably be using a special jutsu to change her appearance." And now it started to sound...not so easy. "She may be 50, but she'll have the looks of a 20-year-old...and as I've been hearing lately. Sometimes she changes her appearance from a 10 to a 30 or a 40-year-old to get away from her gambling debts."

"That..." Honestly, it suddenly sounded far more annoying than he thought it would be. "That's not very...good."

"As a kid, Tsunade loved to gamble more than anything else; unfortunately, she sucked at it in both skill and in luck." Wow...now, this was different; Jiraya actually sounded nostalgic. "She's had the name 'the sucker' since a long time ago. Back then, she was always borrowing money and then running away afterward." Again, the old man chuckled. "Ah, those were the days."

"You miss those days?!" Disbelief laced his words. It did not sound like something fun to think about. "Well, how're we gonna find her?"

"Since we're going by foot, there are all these ways of doing it."

"Ehh?!" Hold on, hold on...going on foot meant..."Isn't that the same as saying you don't know how long is this going to take?!"

"We don't have much time to spare. We'll be spending most of our time on our journey on you!" the old man mocked-glared at him.

"On me?"

"We're gonna power you up!" Ero-sennin grinned, confidence clear on his voice. "It's training time!"

There was still a bit of a strain to his smile, the feeling not as bright as it usually was, but his heart was set. This fiasco of a situation could still have a use. Just because they had to see Itachi before any of them was ready didn't mean he would go back to moping and sulking. He would find this Tsunade person, heal Kakashi-sensei, and then the three of them would get back to training, so next time, it would be them on the offensive. There was no need to look back anymore; even if what awaited him back home was a new kind of silence, he'd simply keep making noise. If the door to the Uchiha compound was closed, he'd just knock again. Hell, he'd break in through a window if that was what he needed.

Next time they encountered those Akatsuki assholes, there would be no need to run away. Without effort, his laughter shattered the silence of the road, things would be just fine, and so, the blond upped his speed.

The sound of her panting was almost deafening as her voice finally died down inside her aching throat. Screams of rage entwined with sadness and despair finally fading away, even if her trembling hands refused to still.

At last, her knees buckled. The ice-cold floor almost felt like burning as her skin connected to it.

No more tears were falling through her cheeks, and now...Kagome decided this would be the last time they would be shed out of the unpleasant cocktail of feelings that finally managed to crack through her public mask. Out of the whirlwind of violent and confusing emotions, one thing had finally fully cemented on her mind as the cacophony of breaking furniture and crashing ornaments began to die down around her as tiredness began to weigh her limbs down.

They were right.

They were right about Itachi and his reasonings behind the Uchiha massacre.

Whatever doubt about why they were left alive and relatively protected within the village had completely vanished after their encounter.

The rage in Sasuke's eyes that reflected her own was all she needed to see to know that the boy also reached the same conclusion as her. And yet, just as one answer seemed to have been cleared, a new wave of questions seemed to try and drown them. The order to kill the clan had to have come from the Hokage and the council. That much was clear. Wich meant that him joining up with whatever insane organization that was, was probably also an action made for the sake of the village. Considering they were hunting the Kyuubi, it didn't take much to figure out why the Council would want to send someone to keep an eye on them and potentially even try to delay it. After all, if the older Uchiha really cared to comply with the Akatsuki's goals, it wouldn't have taken too much effort to get past them and capture the blond before he could find Jiraiya-sama.

What exactly they wanted to risk playing with something as dangerous and unstable as the Kyuubi, however, Kagome wasn't sure she even wanted to talk about. She'd seen the scratched symbol in the other man's forehead protector, and the name sounded vaguely familiar. Likely from the time she'd scanned the Bingo book looking for more information on both Kakashi-sensei and Zabuza. Her reaction to the blue-skinned man had taken a bit longer than usual to happen as her emotions completely overwhelmed her. Once Sasuke managed to make her snap out of it, however, there was no denying the feeling of danger and risk that came from looking at him. In a way, she'd almost felt as if they were back in the forest in front of Orochimaru, with the only difference being that they were no the main target this time. Just how many other members were in this organization or how strong they were made no difference. If even half of Akatsuki neared Itachi's level...then Konoha could be in serious trouble...and Naruto just gained a deathly threat over his head.

What would it mean for their childhood friend?

Judging by the way they were looking at him, compliance was clearly not something they needed. Did they even have a way to control the beast without needing Naruto's collaboration? Was he the only one they were looking for...or were there more people like the blond and Gaara?

...and what would the village's decision be now?

Their first response had been to place a guard on him, but there was no way to tell this would remain the same way. Clearly, the Council acted only based on what was more valuable without caring for the people they used as tools. There was every chance that the blond would not be able to grow at the rate they wanted him to, and the instance with Suna suggested that Hidden villages were more than interested in using people like weapons regardless of how unstable they could get. And they hadn't hesitated in trying to eliminate Gaara once it became evident they couldn't control it. Taking on Akatsuki would probably involve too much risk and too many assets. But there was another way to keep them away from the power they sought other than sticking a legendary Sannin at Naruto's side.

How far was the Council willing to go in hurting the few people they loved?

How far would Itachi go if they were to actively go against Akatsuki?

Familiar arms wrapped around her, slowing down her breathing; Kagome tried to focus on the feeling of Sasuke holding her to ground herself once more. The room they were in now perfectly fitted the idea of what a haunted house would look like. With any and all things that sported the Uchiha symbol angrily smashed and destroyed. Splashes of crimson from where her own rage blinded her were randomly added decorations. The only thing that would remain to betray who it was who'd lost their temper as her skin knitted back together from the several shallow cuts the girl gained in her little episode.

It had been Sasuke who'd guided her to one of the many empty houses within the compound. Letting her fall to the ground and break down in the relative safety of their abandoned land...and then, when her sadness gave way to hatred, he'd simply placed one of the many ornamental vases on her hand.

It shouldn't surprise her that he knew exactly what to do now. After all, these feelings of her were once the same once the Uchiha felt towards his brother. Even now, he'd only redirected them.

But it was enough.

This was enough.

Later, there would be time for her anger to consume her once more; for now, she had to focus. To see the full picture.

"The hidden documents in the archives..." Her voice was rough. Her throat complained as she tried to speak. "We need to get them."

"You think they'll look back into them?" It wasn't so much doubt as curiosity that echoed in his words.

"No..." The village was clearly satisfied with the work they'd done. "But they will become our proof."

That they would leave was long decided, that they'd take Orochimaru's hand when it was offered, was now a foregone conclusion too.

But that would only be viable for so long. Kagome had seen it glinting in his eyes as the snake Sannin observed them, a kind greed similar enough to her former guardians that would never again be confused with anything else. Sooner or later, the man would try to harm them, to claim their power as his own in whatever way he'd clearly devised already. Hopefully, they'd become strong enough to take care of him and keep any hunter nins away by the time that happened.

In order to survive, hoping was not good enough.

There were still more pieces on the board that could be useful to them, even if they carried some risk. The Higurashi clan's old allies had not only showed up but were interested in keeping her breathing, at least enough to send a team to make sure it remained that way. She couldn't forget, however, the fact that most of their reputation came from taking on rogue shinobis whose villages were too scared to hunt down on their own. It was only her blood that would allow them to get anywhere near the Taishos without fearing instant elimination. These papers would become the proof to argue their case; if possible, the girl should probably take a deeper look into the old Higurahsi's compound as well.

"You think they'll actually go that far?"

"...breaking even one treaty can potentially get every village after them..." Speaking was took a bit of effort. "And I'm pretty sure there are many here who were just looking for the proper excuse to try and get rid of them...but they still approached me...as long as we can justify ourselves, I think we can use each other."

Predictably, a frown found its way into the Uchiha's face.

He all but hated the team, and everyone else in the clan by association, though in this instance, Kagome couldn't say she faulted him. Without knowing what they wanted from them, every bit of interaction was the same as gambling. If they accepted any help or straight out asked for aid, they might find themselves tied in something that could be more trouble than it was worth.

"I don't like them," the boy almost pouted, tightening his arms around her. "Any of them."

"Sango-chan is perceptive, but she is not used to manipulating others." Leaning back, she tried to smuggle into his embrace. "Really, other than their superiors, Miroku-san is the only one used to politics; we should be able to handle it."

"They're still hiding something."

"They are, but I think only the heads know what it is. Regardless, up until now, they feel much safer than our other option." If there was a way to reliably contact them, the Higurashi would really prefer to take that option. "We need to take advantage of every piece on the board."

"I still don't like any of them." She almost laughed at the grumbled response.

"If we want to get out of here, we'll have to play the game."

"We will change the rules." Sasuke's words were a declaration.

They would...

They would change the game itself before the people who wronged them even noticed there was something off. And then, they would make sure no one was left. For now, however...for now, they would play along in the board placed for them for a little while.

With a cold smile and a nod, the girl was now the one who wrapped her arms around Sasuke's neck as she turned around to find her feelings mirrored on his face. She should've worried, she figured, once upon a time, she would have. Warnings about the risks of becoming obsessed by revenge were now silenced by a part she'd always done her best to ignore. The part that felt no remorse in taking a life, the one that had rejoiced in the scream of pain given by Gatou back in Wave when her weapon sunk into his disgusting flesh when he tried to kick Haku's body.

It didn't matter anymore.

As she closed the gap between them and allowed him to tighten the chains around them, Kagome simply enjoyed the feeling of his lips against hers. It didn't matter anymore; she couldn't care less if it was hell what awaited them at the end of the path they'd chosen. With him by her side, they would drag those who'd betrayed them down with them and watch them burn in the fires lit by their very own hands.

Dark eyes narrowed as they caught sight of the crimson now painting the walls. The ragged breathing of his master. The only thing apart from the slow dripping of the blood as the drops crashed against the door. At this point, it might be easier to just kill the people assigned to aid the Sannin and save himself the trouble.

"Ahh, I have to clean the room the moment I get back?" Kabuto made sure to keep his voice light; it wouldn't be a good idea to provoke him. "Please, take the medicine immediately..."

"That kind of crappy medicine; I don't need it." Pain was evident in his voice.

"I mixed that medicine myself...it should make you feel at least a little better." Of course, there wasn't too much the mix of anesthetics could do when the limbs almost were dead.

"The burning pain in my arms..." The Sannin had to cut himself off before starting up again. "I never expected it to be this much."

And wasn't that the truth; despite working for someone such as Orochimaru, this was the first time the medical-nin had ever seen something like it. All but necrotic flesh still attached to a body without killing it from infection. Instead, creating an inferno that would've easily driven mad anyone with less control.

"Sarutobi..." Kabuto trailed off, looking for the words that wouldn't set off his master. "The Sandaime Hokage...the wound comes from his final jutsu...no wonder it's painful."

"No need to try and coddle me..." Wrong words then, very wrong. "By the way...the woman...did you find her?"

"Yes, it seems she'd at a place called Tanazaki street." It seemed he'd been lucky to find her this quickly.

After days of trying and utterly failing at trying to reverse what was done to the body the Sannin was currently occupying, Kabuto had been forced to admit defeat. Oh, he could've kept trying; that much was for certain, with enough time, the young man could've found a solution...but the white-haired teen was fully aware of his position. At the rate the pain appeared to be going, Orochimaru-sama would dispose of him the same way he'd done with the other sooner rather than later. Only is usefulness stayed his master's blade now that his mind was in an ever-constant battle against agony.

"Tanazaki street..." the man repeated, determination clear in his voice. "Is that so?"

"However...it won't be easy to capture her..." It was a risk to bring this to his attention, but it was needed.

"Hah...the best cure is always the hardest to find, right?"

The best cure...

In all honesty, there was no certainty there would ever be a way for his arms to regain functionality. The reincarnation jutsu the Sannin used was one that allowed him to all but consume the host body's soul. Right now, it was only Orochimaru-sama's soul that resided in that body, and from what he'd understood, part of his soul had been taken away, consumed by an actual shinigami. The strict conditions set for the reincarnation jutsu meant they wouldn't be able to easily switch bodies now, not to mention the replacement bodies they had on hand were not up to standard...and even then, there was no way for them to know if that would be enough. But the man he followed was not one to blindly believe in fairy tales. If Orochimaru-sama said that this woman would be able to do something for a condition as dire as this one, then she must be able to.

"I know a bit about Tsunade-sama too." In fact, it would've been impossible not to hear about her when he grew up with a member of the medical corps. "I was in contact with the medic division after all."

"Hmmm..."

"It's now become standard procedure to include a medical specialist in a group of 4 ninjas. Prior to this..." Kabuto trailed off; the numbers he remembered learning were hard to debate. "It was difficult for a group of shinobi to battle without any medical attention. You can't anticipate what might happen on the battlefield, which is blindingly obvious."

"Hmm, that might be a good system even for veteran fighters..."Through the pain, Orochimaru-sama managed to smirk. "But such a system would only increase the casualties of war. It's human nature that people won't realize the true value of something unless they lose it. And whoever told the story of the medical specialist who's a member of the legendary Sannins, became victims of that ninja."

It was...certainly a way to look at things, Kabuto supposed.

Considering that the group and the rules were implemented during a time of war between the Hidden villages, it felt like a plan that would allow them to save lives, and perhaps during a common mission that could be so. Once the teen looked at it in context, however...if the losses of a war began to increase, there was a better chance the generals of the armies would either fall back or a side would be completely annihilated. But having a group of medics there to keep the injured alive and drag them back to a camp was not something that saved them when they got sent back to the battlefield, was it?

It merely gave the illusion of it.

At the end, the only thing that would happen was that those people would be sent back to the front lines, and the apparent slow down in deaths would make it harder for one side to give up. Just like a gaping wound being bandaged without ever sowing it shut. Slowing down the bleeding only prolonged the pain on the way to death. Of course, the dark amusement that managed to make Orochimaru-sama ignore his pain probably meant there was some more information he was missing about this. Oh well, sooner or later, Kabuto would know, as long as they needed to deal with Tsunade-sama, it would be his role to make sure everything to plan. And for that, all possible data available was needed.

"I see, if that's the case, then I shall go and begin to prepare for our travels."

Starting to prepare a fallback plan to get their people inside Konoha to pick the two clan heirs up would probably be a good idea, just in case. And even if this deal went smoothly, retrieving those two would likely become a priority soon after. In the end, nothing would go to waste. Accommodations should probably have to be arranged too, the living quarters would suffice for them both, but the rooms for their training would likely need some personal arrangements. From what he'd seen of the Uchiha's fighting style, most of what they had should suffice; that said, it would be Orochimaru-sama who'd make the specifications. As for the Higurashi heiress, she'd already shown a hint of having some decent basis in medical theory; truthfully, Kabuto never imagined he'd seen the day a Hyuuga got his chakra network blocked by someone from another clan. To have the memory and precision to aim at such small targets during an active fight and the kind of poisons she used during the exam were telling. Yes, the girl definitely showed talent for developing in that particular area. Comparing her bloodline's healing with the normal medical jutsus would likely also be something Orochimaru-sama would be interested in. Some of his labs would probably need to be expanded; procuring more materials would be for the best.

Regardless of whatever may come from this little excursion of theirs, things would soon become quite interesting.

Wonder filled him as he stared at the city Jiraiya had taken him to. The excitement was doing more than enough to overshadow the worries that had been lingering in the back of his head since the encounter with Itachi. Going from vendor to vendor mingling with the crowd, this had to be something he did again. Well guarded inside his backpack along a bit of Ero-sennin's belonging were a dark purple ribbon and an oni mask that would become souvenirs to be given along with his apology to his best friends.

The numbers of people around him were completely different from what he'd ever seen. The crowded streets were filled with happy kids running around and brightly lit food/game stands all over. This was basically a carnival only 10 times bigger, and there was no one there looking at him with hateful glares. For once, he felt like only one more person in the crowd, even if there were only 30 bucks left for him to spare. Forcefully, Naruto pushed back the slight gloom of not having his friends by his side to the back of his mind. Once he got back, he'd make sure that things gt back to normal. For now, he'd take the extra squid and maybe share it with Ero-sennin.

Something that would be way more useful if he knew just where it was the old pervert was right now.

"So...where should I go..."

"Bwahahahahaha!"

His feet froze mid-step at the completely recognizable loud voice of Ero-sennin coming from. Confusion came over him when he looked around. Because the old man he found did not look what he'd imagined the man who'd just warned him about a shinobi's three sins and taken his saving to guard over should look like...suspicion began to pool in his gut as the blond approached the storefront. It didn't take long to find the white-haired old man in the middle of it. Two provocatively dressed women at his side, pouring sake in his cup behind a small mountain of empty dishes and bottles left on the table in front of them.

"Kyahahaha, what nice young ladies you girls are!" There wasn't an ounce of shame in the man when his eyes finally found the blond. "Ohhh...Naruto! How'd go at the festival?"

And there, in the center of the dirty surface was his precious Gama-chan, completely empty. As if just a couple of hours ago his wallet hadn't been bursting with all of his savings...as if he hadn't taken care to save their pay up until now. It had taken a lot of restraint on his part, and it was all gone before he could really use it. Vanishing in a blink.

"What's the point of telling me about the three sins of a shinobi?!" Shameless, that's what this guy was. A hypocrite. And a complete drunk! "You're the one in trouble b breaking them! These were my savings that I worked so hard to earn! What the hell is this?! What about the training?!"

"N...Naruto, calm down...this is a misunderstanding...I...listen!" And now he was lying. As if stealing from a young genin wasn't enough.

Oh no.

No, no, no. Naruto was not going to let this slide. He already allowed the old pervert out of the hook back in the Konoha's hot spring. But not this time...this time, the prankster was really going to let him have it. Because the line was crossed and jumped over. With a single jump, he was right in front of Jiraiya's face, arms swinging wildly in anger because this was the one thing he would not let him pass over. Grand special jutsu or not, Naruto would make sure the jerk paid back all of his hard-won money, especially after seeing just how big his notes were. Focused on his anger, the feeling of the squid slipping through his fingers was not something he noticed until an annoyed yell sounded behind him.

"Look what you did!" Slowly turning back, the blond almost winced at the angry bald thug yelling at him. "What are you going to do about this, you stupid brat!

"You put a stain in aniki's designer suit! An expensive type of clothing! You better compensate us for this! Give me $100,000 for it!"

"That suit is is worth $100,00?!" Naruto could already feel his wallet hurting.

"Even if that type of designer suit costs that much, it still looks pretty damn cheap," Jiraiya scoffed.

"What did you say, you bastard?!" The bald thug was really getting angry now, getting closer to them in large steps. "Cheap? You better not mess with us, for your sake! Aniki is a former chuunin from Iwa. He's a legendary Yami nin and someone to be afraid of. an incredibly skilled ninja!"

"Ah?" Ero-sennin smirked. "Legendary...you say?"

"I'll show you what pain really is!" At last, the silent 'legendary' ninja spoke.

"Naruto..." Jiraiya spoke calmly, not a hint of his drunkenness from before. "Now...pay close attention as I'll show you the jutsu you'll be learning to do." In his hand, something was gathering...chakra, that was chakra. "Take a good look."

It wasn't dissipating, though.

Chakra built up in less than a second, and...and then, the 'legendary' chuunin was being pushed back. No, sent flying backward and...spinning? Yes, the guy was spinning while flying to the back as if it was nothing, only to crash into one of the many street vendors across the street. Completely destroying it with his impact, the water balloons it was selling rolling with no direction in the ground.

"This is a victory fee I'll be taking. Sorry about this...looks like your cart's been broken to bits." The old Sannin didn't look all that sorry.

"Ju...just what did you do...?" the chuunin groaned, clearly injured.

"I just saved you..." With a glance, Jiraiya shook his head. "You guys are weak, you know?" Turning to the vendor, the old man grinned. "Old man! Here's the payment for the damages for all the water balloons.

"Naruto, let's get going! It's time for training."

A/N: So, we're getting into the next arc, honestly I don't plan to spend too much time on the whole training situation, it's honestly pretty simple and there isn't a lot of events that prompt character or plot development. I genuinely considered just skipping it altogether but at the end I decided against it since it felt like too big a jump, still I won't go into too much detail since I don't think it's all that necessary.

As for the drama, there will definitely be some drama, it's just going to happen a bit on the later side, it will come though. I mean, Naruto is certainly not just going to sit quietly and let them leave when he has so many questions and there is no way Kagome is going to risk giving out any information when she doesn't really trust anything she says won't end up reaching the wrong ears and well let's just say Naruto is not the kind of person who will accept silence as his answer.

As always, thank you guys so much for reading and any and all reviews/criticisms/comments are greatly, greatly appreciated.