CHAPTER 12
TITLE: Growth
Naruto opened his eyes, and drew in a startled gasp at his surroundings. His apartment was clean, which was odd in and of itself. The only thing more odd was the fact that he was aware he was dreaming.
Not that it would help him here.
He stood at the doorway, a familiar weakness in his bones, the anticipation growing inside him like a tumor.
He heard the footsteps, loud and growing in volume, eventually growing so loud they shook the whole apartment. The ground beneath him shook violently, the vibrations nearly sending him sprawling to the ground more than once.
He looked behind him, expecting someone, but seeing nothing. Nothing aside from the paltry furniture he kept, and the old abandoned shinobi sandals that lay abandoned next to the door.
The footsteps stopped as they reached his front door, and the door, slow and foreboding. Naruto's heart stopped at the sight of him, his mouth going dry a his lips struggled to form words in vain.
He was wrong to expect.
Wrong to assume that he'd see, him.
Blonde hair extended with grey and white at the roots. His single scar of cracked, and broken flesh the flashed across his face. The bloody kunai in hand.
He wasn't there this time, now he was replaced by Iruka. Standing perfectly straight, apparently unbothered by the four jagged cuts that tore through his throat, so deep his head nearly hung from the scant connective tissue and tendons that remained. Blood poured from the wound, but Iruka seemed not to notice or care, his eyes fixed on him, and only him. Something unreadable, yet terrifying in his wide dark eyes.
Naruto gaped at the sight, his breathing coming in ragged and shallow as he backtracked. Struggling to gain distance from his sensei.
Iruka spoke clearly, apparently unbothered by his injuries as he tilted his head to one side. The remaining red and sinewy flesh straining to keep his head on his shoulders, "Why are you afraid of me Naruto. You're the one who killed me." He spoke levelly, almost at a monotone. His words as pure, and clear a fact that they seemed to impact him with physical force.
Naruto struggled to breathe, shaking his head, falling to the floor. Desperately using his arms to retreat, his strength sapped from him.
Iruka stared, his face a mask of pity and utter disappointment, before he pitched forwards, landing with a sickeningly wet crunch as he hit the floor. Naruto felt the warm liquid spray his face, watching as the pool of blood spread from Iruka's body. He heard the shifting of weight behind him, and turned to see Kakashi, Hinata and Sasuke behind him.
His eyes widened in horror, and he babbled out a plea of mercy, of understanding.
"You...no...Please, I—"
Kakashi's kunai came first, speeding towards his chest with brutal efficiency, impacting his chest with a solid thud.
The pain was sharp and urgent, burning bright in the center of his chest as he screamed. Sasuke's came second, two in the legs, and one in his gut. He screamed again, collapsing, bleeding. He felt the pulse of his heartbeat weaken, as his blood pulsed out of the gaping holes the kunai had left.
He leaned back, but was pulled forwards from a sudden yank of his hair.
Naruto squinted, to see Hinata holding him, her other hand reared back for a chakra enchanted strike with her clan's special taijutsu.
Naruto's fading eyes caught the looks on her face, matched by Kakashi and Sasuke as she struck. Anger, and disappointment, yet also the brutal confidence of someone performing an essential task. A sworn duty accomplished.
Hinata stuck for the heart.
Naruto shot forwards, breathing heavily. The fear that throbbed in his veins fading along with the memory of his latest nightmare. Naruto leaned forwards in bed, his panting slowing into deep, and calming wiped his forehead as he calmed down, looking outside, seeing that it was barely midnight.
He glanced at the empty trash can beside his bed, sighing deeply.
He knew he should be grateful that he didn't need it tonight, but he couldn't deny that there was a certain relief at releasing all his pent up emotions at once. But now there was no respite, nor relief from his trauma. Only silence, somehow oppressive as he sat there in the dark, condemning.
Sleep was now, WAY out of the question, and training would only serve to remind him of his team, and of the fact that they didn't know.
They didn't know that he was the one who killed Umino Iruka.
Kakashi woke without a sound, his eyes opening quickly, scanning the featureless, yet familiar ceiling of his home in an instant.
Despite the ringing in his ears and the dull throb behind his eyelids, he wasn't in too much pain, which was always a plus.
He sat up with a raspy groan, pinching the bridge of his nose to stop enough of the pain to let him think. 'Ugh, definitely poison, or maybe some kind of venom. I'm still alive, so either its slow acting, or it was non lethal.' The room shifted on it's axis, sending backwards, Kakashi back against the sheets of his bed, nearly falling off the side.
He held the bedsheets with all the strength and control he could muster, reaching out to grab the canteen that sat next to his bed.
He swiped away his mask with a flick of his wrist, and drank deeply. Not even stopping to breathe until the canteen was empty.
He sighed as he nearly slammed the canteen down, his eyes narrowing as he saw a trickle of pinkish fluid drip down the side of the dark green bottle.
Kakashi cursed, panting hard as he swiped away the moisture from his face. He took a breath again, feeling some of his fatigue fade, taking advantage of his increased faculties to reach for a particular drawer in his nightstand.
He withdrew an aluminum tray, his shaking fingers undoing the latches, flipping open the small tray lined with five delicately placed vials of life saving fluid.
Each was especially made by the ANBU Hazardous materials department, and served him for the entirety of his ANBU career. He picked the two to the far right, ones Kakashi believed were the 'all-purpose' syringes, designed for most unrecognized poisons or venoms.
He uncapped them both, slamming them deep into the meat of his thigh.
Kakashi moaned in pain, feeling as the liquid pumped into him. A hot, sickly sensation crawled up his leg, but Kakashi held firm, letting the pain throb, fading as quickly as it came.
He relaxed his muscles, sighing as he let the empty vials fall to the floor.
Kakashi felt the headache disappear, along with the dizziness, and reached back into the drawer for a replacement mask.
He put it on in a smooth, practiced motion, and let himself drop into his bed. The silence of the morning seemed like a cruel paradox to his mind, and he discovered that the calm he normally found on beautiful mornings like this wasn't coming any time soon.
Kakashi wasn't too bothered, he did actually deserve it this time.
He felt a sudden fatigue, brought on by either the remaining effects of the poison, or a side effect of the anti-venom. Either way, his remaining strength wasn't enough to prevent him from falling unconscious for the second time that day. He closed his eyes, and could instantly smell the blood.
The swollen, rotting carcasses, so waterlogged and decomposed, they seemed to melt together. Forging a grotesque wall of bodies, ninja bodies, the bodies of his countrymen and the enemy. Indistinguishable from the other now, united in one of the barest truth the world could offer.
The wall stood just tall enough to shield him from the waves of falling senbon, shuriken and kunai knives. He could feel the moving air, hear the whistling of the projectiles homing in on his position.
He ignored his nose, ignored every sense that rebelled against the idea, and leaned against it. Every movement was a nigh Herculean effort, and black spots appeared in his periphery, warning him of an impending blackout.
He was covered in blood now, renewed splashes of the warm liquid hitting him whenever a thrown kunai or shuriken found its target. Some unfortunate soul behind him spluttered in pain and shock when a kunai slammed into his throat. Kakashi dared not turn, and was doomed to listen as the boy choked, then cried, then went silent. After only a minute, he was alone again. Watching in a silent, impotent trance as a wave of sharpened metal, hateful blades fell from the sky like rain.
'Alone... again.'
He spared a glance at the boy behind him, some small, shriveled part of him hoping against hope that he was merely unconscious. He was the second last member of his newly assigned squad. Kakashi was ashamed to say he couldn't remember his name, but now found himself seriously considering braving the hail of knives to find his identification tags, if only to find out.
But no, predictably, when he turned his head, his comrade was dead. Dozens of kunai were piercing him now, with one thrown shuriken landing right between his eyes as he looked at him.
Kakashi narrowed his eyes, and hardened his heart once again. He had to remind himself... Hatake 'Friend-Killer' Kakashi had no comrades. Not now, not ever.
Not since Rin...
He opened his eyes, shaking his head roughly.
He was back, back in Konoha, in the real world. He closed his eyes and focused his mind, feeling the blankets around him, listening closely.
His neighbors were awake, that he could tell, he could hear the soft footsteps and idle chitchat in the distance. He was in his house, in Konoha. He sighed as he thought back to his memory, careful not to look too deeply, 'That was a long, long time ago. Things are different now.' He said with forced certainty.
He rose, his muscles lined with sweat, preparing himself to get up and dressed, when his Hitai-ate caught his eye.
Kakashi's eye was fixated on the metal plate, "Aren't they?" He whispered.
"Good evening Ladies. To what do I owe this pleasure?"
It was hard to tell while he was upside-down, but he knew that his words were wasted on them the second he saw Anko smile. Not the crooked, slightly unhinged smile he'd come to grow accustomed to from the snake summoner, but a sincere one. A smile that said that Anko is, or at least is about to really enjoy herself, which meant that he was not.
"MY pleasure you mean..." Anko purred, smiling widely.
Kurenai walked forward, gripping a painfully large portion of his silver hair, brining him very, very close.
"Let's talk, Kakashi-san." She said quietly, more a growl than a whisper.
'Honorifics are a bad sign...' He thought to himself. He didn't let his emotions show on his face, and just chucked, "Can I at least be let down?"
Kurenai continued to stare, saying nothing. Suddenly Kakashi felt himself begin to turn until he was facing Anko again. Her smile was gone, replaced by a contemplative expression, "Didn't count on a loner ANBU having friends huh? Figures. You hotshot jounin seem to never pay attention to the business under your pretty little noses."
Kakashi looked back to Kurenai, who looked slightly chastened. Anko turned quickly to her partner in crime, chuckling meekly, "Uh, present company excluded of course."
"Ah, so you'll let me down now?" Anko grinned again, looming closer, "YOU aren't 'company'. You're our prisoner until we say so, got it?"
Kakashi nodded, content to let this play out, "By 'her' I'm assuming you mean Tori right?" He said.
Kurenai frowned deeper, "We heard what happened with you two." Kakashi nodded, his gaze growing distant, "Ah."
Anko lunged in from the side, her face less than an inch apart from his, "You're damn right 'Ah'! What the hell were you thinking!? We should beat the living shit out of you for pulling that!"
Kakashi felt his control over the situation waver, suddenly not feeling like fighting this. He was silent for a while as he tried to force to words out, "Does it really matter?" He could feel as Anko retreated, and no one said a word. He didn't look up, well, down, to check, but it seemed that his words had an effect, since it took a while for either of them to retort. "We want you to apologize." Kurenai said, her voice in her firm, 'instructor voice'.
His heart chafed at the idea of approaching the ANBU again, but he couldn't think of an adequate reason to refuse.
"Deal." He said in a deadpan. Anko closed in again, this time with a more mirthful look on her face, "Just one more thing."
He looked to Kurenai, and by her confused expression, whatever she was about to say the squad leader of team 8 had no idea. Kakashi met her two brown eyes with his one, "You two have to go on one date together. A nice one, you pay, and if she doesn't enjoy herself, you two have to go out again until she does.
"Nope." He said instantly, pronouncing the word with a pop. The speed of his answer surprising them, including himself. Anko's face dropped, then she gathered herself. Scowling with all the vicious killing intent she could muster, leveling him with a stare that would probably have lesser men soil themselves, or at least do whatever she asked without question.
Kakashi would do neither. He'd wondered most days, even more often on his darker days, how low his guilt would allow him to stoop. He didn't know why, but surprisingly, it was this. A date with a fellow damaged, emotionally repressed person. This was the limit.
If he wasn't a hostage right now he'd have laughed out loud at the absurdity of it. The reactions were more or less expected, with both of them taking offense to his perhaps, too quick response.
"What the hell do you mean no!"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Kakashi shook his head, "To answer both questions, I said no, because I mean no. This is a terrible idea from the both of you, and frankly, I expected better." Kurenai seemed prepared for another question, but Anko beat her to it, cracking her knuckles as she approached him again, her killing intent leaking from her, "Better? I'll give you a better idea. Kurenai-Chan, now we do it MY way."
"Don't even bother. Torture wouldn't work on him, and it would take you too long anyway."
The voice didn't belong to either of the Kunoichi in front of him, and Kakashi cringed, recognizing the voice immediately. Anko and Kurenai had the same response, the both of them turning to face Tori, who faced them all. She was either freshly to, or from a mission, based on her extra gear she wore on her belt. She had her hands on her hips, and stared through her mask for a single moment, before smoothly removing the mask.
She scowled at them all, and Anko was the first to react, "Uh, well, props to your training, I didn't notice you at all this time!"
Tori didn't respond, and turned to Kurenai, "I expected better from you. Kidnapping and possibly torturing a high ranking jounin like this in Konoha proper is far worse than getting a little too rough while sparring. What would you say to you genin team if they could see you right now?" Kurenai blushed red briefly before she shook her head, "Wait a minute, who said anything about torture?"
Tori stared at Kurenai, "You brought Anko. Even if you didn't plan to torture him, she certainly did."
Anko spluttered, "Well, I, er, um... I do non-invasive stuff too! No marks or anything, no one would ever know!"
Tori sighed taking a few steps forward, "Kakashi-san's only staying becasue he believes he deserves it. He won't stay for a second longer than he has to." Kakashi resisted the urge to smile, but decided that it risked playing his hand too soon. She was mostly right, but apparently Anko found this to be an insult rather than a statement of fact.
She turned back to Kakashi, her eyes narrowed, "Is that so Mr. Hatake? Well why doesn't Mr. big shot free himself right now. That is, is he's so big and strong!" Kakashi smiled at her, "Anko, as one master of tracking and trapping to another, let me do you a friendly courtesy and inform you of a mistake in your strategy to kidnap me."
Anko's frown turned into a snarl, "And what's that?"
Kakashi smiled wider, "You left me my hands."
Kakashi focused his chakra, and an instant later bright blue lightning exploded from his palms, the white hot energy flowing through him, and into the snake. Anko and Kurenai leapt back as soon as they felt the chakra, but the poor summon shrieked in pain, proofing into smoke a second later. His numb body responded surprisingly well, and he landed on all fours once the snake disappeared.
A slight disturbance in the air to his left was all the warning he was given, he raised a kunai and sparks flew from his blade as it battled with Anko's. She growled as she leaned closer, doing her best to overpower him, but Anko, as strong and smart as she was, was never a brawler. Kakashi stood on two shaky feet, leaning back to buy his body time to recover. He shot a glance at Kurenai and Tori, the both of them standing off to the side. Ready to intervene, but at the moment, apparently content to watch.
A loud hiss right in his air told him that it was too late to stop the vipers from biting him. He dropped the kunai abruptly, leaning towards the leaping serpents as they bit into his flesh. The bites themselves didn't hurt all that much, the venom they carried on the other hand, hurt quite a bit. He clenched his teeth, concentrating on sweeping his leg out, catching Anko on the back of her knees.
The force of the blow made her knees buckle, and if Kakashi was feeling especially cruel or vindictive, he would've taken the open opportunity for a sharp follow up kick to the throat. But instead, he just leapt forwards, removing his headband from his right eye, intent on ending this little skirmish as quickly as possible.
Anko recovered a little faster than he thought, which let her throw a hasty punch for his sternum.
'Feint.'
Kakashi countered the move, and caught the follow up kick, pivoting his foot to throw her into his chimney. Anko's head snapped back from the force, her back and head slamming into the solid brick with a loud 'thwack'. Kakashi stood his ground. Well, rooftop, and waited for her next move. Anko stared ahead, dubious, almost unbelieving that he decided not to press his advantage.
Kakashi took her in, and was suddenly aware that the tokubetsu jounin was not even close to spent, or satisfied. She snarled at him, "You didn't stop with her!" She screamed.
Kakashi felt a stab at his chest, and was about retort when he heard another voice behind him.
"To be fair, he did stop eventually."
Kakashi felt another knife join the first one, and he turned along with the others. Tori stood on the edge of the roof facing them, her arms crossed. Her mask was now missing, her eyes boring holes into Anko.
Anko stared back, looking about as nervous as a misbehaving child caught by their parents. She picked herself back up, dusting herself off before she stood straight, smiling as if nothing was wrong. Tori stared at her, her gaze going from Anko, to Kurenai, to the massive hole in his ceiling, then back to her.
She said nothing, her cool gaze uninterrupted by the fidgeting from Anko. It built and built, the silence eventually becoming more than Anko could bear.
"Oh so when we go out to eat you're either late or missing. But NOW you show up!?"
Kurenai sighed loudly, and Tori turned to her, the red-eyed jounin flinching from the intensity in her gaze, "Explanation please." She said in a tone that made it clear that her request wasn't request. Kurenai nodded quickly, "Y-Yes, yes of course. W-Well, me and um. Well, Anko here just came over to talk to Kakashi-San here."
Tori gave Kurenai a flat smile, "Apparently with giant snakes, explosive tags and neurotoxins..." Kurenai sagged, and Anko smiled at her, nodding fervently, "The best kind of talk."
Tori sighed, raising a hand to her head, "Just go. I'll talk with you later." Kurenai shunshined away, leaving a trail of dust behind her. While Anko chose to walk, flashing him a glare as she passed him. "That venom was specially made, you should be in a coma right now."
Kakashi smiled, "Thank dear-ole-dad for poison resistance training. I'm immune or resistant to most conventional poisons or venoms."
Anko paused mid-step, frowning at him, almost looking legitimately concerned. "Sounds like fond memories."
Kakashi narrowed his eyes, still smiling, "The fondest." He whispered, letting just a hint of his KI leak out.
Anko stilled, but only for a second before she sprinted off the roof, leaping across branches until she was out of sight.
Kakashi breathed, taking a glance around, the roof was a mess, the tiles, even the ones with traps or seals attached were mostly scattered or broken to pieces. Not to mention the gaping hole in his roof. Tori walked up beside him, "Anything I can help with?" She asked softly.
Kakashi frowned in confusion, turning to her, "What do you mean? You realize that this is MY fault right?" Tori smirked at him, "Kakashi-san, you know that if our cards were reversed I'd have done pretty much the same to you?" Kakashi leaned back in surprise, then shook his head slowly, turning to pick up the broken pieces of tile, "Even so, it still doesn't make it right. I... I was wrong to do that. I'm sorry." Kakashi reached down to pick up another tile, and Tori said nothing. The silence unnerved Kakashi, making him worried that she'd rejected his apology.
"What makes it wrong?"
Kakashi started, turning back to her.
When he looked back at her, her eyes were darker and unfocused, almost as if she were looking somewhere else completely.
A single look was enough to get Kakashi to understand. His memories went back to Tenzo again. The way he explained it is that Root reprograms your sense of right and wrong, confuses your conscience, into seeing right and wrong, as Konoha, and not Konoha.
On top of that, ANBU was a hard job, and being ANBU meant you had to see, and do some hard things. It was hard to just 'be normal' when you came home. Tori was lucky enough to be pulled out of that way of thinking, but not completely it seemed.
"It was wrong because we're on the same side." He said. Tori's eyes whipped around to meet his, smiling as bright as the sun.
Kakashi suddenly felt as if he'd just passed some elaborate test of some kind, but for right now, he found it hard to avert his eyes from her.
Blessedly, she turned away first, walking over to the other end of the hole, picking up a handful of tiles.
Kakashi watched her move, eventually joining her in clearing the rubble.
By the time they'd managed to clean everything up he was exhausted, the remaining effects of whatever poison combination Anko had mixed up making its presence known.
He did his best not to let his exhaustion show, and sat down next to Tori as she took a long drink of water.
"You know, I heard the part about a date, don't worry about all that. It WAS a horrible idea."
Kakashi laughed, "Yes, yes it was."
Kakashi stood in front of the mirror in his bathroom, now fully dressed. The coarse fabric of his vest rubbed comfortably against his padded ninja undershirt as he gave the vest a good tug downwards. Settling the light armor in its place. It took him almost five minutes before he was ready for the day. A slow pace, but the effects of the antidote happened to do a number on his energy, and his chakra reserves.
Ninja medicine did tend to do that, using the chakra of the consumer to promote faster growth or healing.
The only consequence for not dying was reduced chakra reserves for a while. He turned to walk out, deciding to take the long way for the sake of his reserves.
Kakashi made a soft grunt of effort as he climbed the window sill, taking the time to turn and close the window before leaping from the ledge.
Kakashi let his reflexes take over, and grabbed a low hanging branch to soften his fall, absorbing the impact with his legs.
He rose from a crouch, and made his way down the walkway, chuckling to himself that he actually had a decent excuse for being late. This time at least.
'Naruto. Remember what I told you. The most important changes, often require the most sacrifice.'
Naruto gasped, lurching forwards. He nearly cried out, but managed to bring a hand to his lips silence himself.
He instantly looked to his left, Hinata was still sitting cross legged in the grass, nearly motionless.
In front of him was Sasuke, perched in his brooding spot. He was only partially visible, but if he noticed Naruto's outburst, he gave no sign.
Naruto sighed deeply, sagging against the oak tree, 'Sheesh, that was close.' The sun was brighter than when he first dozed off, the brilliant orb of light now reaching far over the trees. He guessed it to be close to 10am, and for the first time he was glad for his sensei's tardiness.
His nightmares, his memories, they were getting worse. More vivid. What were once vague shadows, more akin to clouds than anything real, were now clear and sharp in his mind. Naruto shuddered, wrapping his arms around himself. He'd never forgotten, he was never that lucky. The fox would probably yell at him if he ever said it out loud, but as much as he was a Jinchurriki, he was definitely NOT as similar to the fox as the Kyuubi claimed.
Regular people were soft and squishy, they were vulnerable. They could be hurt, threatened, or even killed much easier than many probably thought.
Naruto shook his head, 'Ugh, I really need to get my mind on something else.'
A flash of movement caught Naruto's attention, and he saw as Hinata's form swayed to the left, then right again... Naruto paused, watching for a minute longer before making his way towards the Hyuuga. Hinata looked normal from behind, her dark, finely combed and brushed hair swishing back and forth. He walked around her, trying to get a good look at her face.
She wore a look that was agonizingly familiar to him, her eyes half lidded, and the rest of her face as calm as could be.
After a short while of stillness, she suddenly wrenched herself back up, her eyes regaining a glint of awareness.
Naruto chuckled darkly, as an evil little thought occurred to him. A half baked plan that involved scaring the hell out of Hinata. But after a short moment of consideration, he decided against it. He watched as she bobbed back and forth, and felt a pang of sympathy at the display of sleep depreciation. So instead, he simply allowed himself a short chuckle at her expense, more out off sympathy than anything else.
He walked over and reached out a hand, shaking her slightly, "Oi, are you alright?" Hinata flinched an stood quickly turning to him, looking almost panicked. She relaxed after a second, sighing before she smiled shyly, "G-Good morning."
Naruto chuckled, "Geez, jumpy much?
Hinata blushed, holding her hands behind her, "J-Just tired. I… apologize Naruto-kun." Naruto rolled his eyes at his teammate, "Lighten up Hinata-chan. What's got you so tired anyway?" He asked. Hinata hesitated, looking away and pursing her lips. Almost as if she was debating on whether or not to answer.
"Just training, sometimes I, overdo it a little." She said, not meeting his eyes.
Naruto paused, his smile dropping a little. Contrary to popular belief, Naruto was no idiot. Sure some loved to call him that, but not everyone could appreciate his specific 'type' of genius. Part of that genius was the power of bullshitting. Another part, helped him to spot a lie, much like the lie he just heard from his teammate.
His years of pranks helped him hone his skills when it came to 'bullshit'. After all, every good prank was based on some kind of lie. A trick of the eye usually, but a lie to 'someone' all the same.
Lies like these were normally a bad sign, the more lies Naruto was told, the closer to the Hokage he probably was. All good ninja were decent liars, except for apparently sweet, and meek Hyuuga's.
'Look underneath the underneath' He heard Kakashi's voice say in his ear.
'Why lie?' Naruto wondered.
He shook his head, still smiling at Hinata, "I get it. Tori used to give me hell for practicing early in the morning or late at night. Except I don't really need 'that' much sleep."
Hinata sighed, holding her head in her hands, "I wish... I hate feeling this tired."
Naruto smirked, getting in close, making Hinata's blush worsen, "You know, if you caught a couple of winks I don't think that Kakashi-sensei would care. After all it's his fault for being so late." Hinata grimaced, her eyes sad and forlorn, "No... If I sleep now I'll be sluggish during training, then Kakashi-sensei would notice."
Naruto personally doubted that, and was about to tell her not to worry, when an idea suddenly popped into his head, "Hey, why don't you show me some of that cool Hyuuga fighting stuff you did the other day!"
Hinata choked on air, "Huh?"
Naruto cursed his lack of a vocabulary, "Uh, I mean your Taijutsu! You know, the stuff you used to beat up Sasuke!" The Hyuuga princess frowned, "Naruto, many of the techniques of my clan are treasured secrets. It's forbidden to teach them to outsiders." Naruto groaned, his frustration building. 'What's up with these 'clan secrets' and all that dattebayo! What's so secret about punching people?"
He sighed, "Well, just teach me some not so secret stuff. Come on, there's gotta be something you could teach me!" He said, dangerously close to pleading. Hinata brought a hand to her chin, humming in thought for a moment, "Well, only the basics then!" Naruto grinned lunging forwards to hug the rapidly reddening hyuuga, "Yatta! Thanks Hinata-Chan! You won't regret it!" 'Maybe having teammates isn't so bad after all!' He thought to himself.
'Maybe, the fox could be wrong about some things.'
Kakashi had a newfound respect for civilians, just as he had respect for all those who struggle past hardship. The cruel hardship of walking as such a slow he maintained his march to the training ground, he found that after spending so long running and leaping across rooftops. Only walking when he chose to, being forced to was a huge pain. He walked with his hands in his pockets, past the lingering noisy sounds of the market, finally spotting the academy and the training fields beyond.
The sound of children laughing caught his attention, and Kakashi turned just in time to dodge as a young girl came sprinting his way.
He moved out of the way, watching as the mob of children ran past him barely sparing him a glance.
"That was close."
Kakashi turned to see Rei, smiling brightly at him, "One little shove, and team 7 would have to find itself a new team leader!"
Kakashi sighed, turning on one foot to keep walking towards the training fields, "Sharingan Kakashi, laid low by an academy student with pigtails. A fitting end, don't you think?" Rei giggled at him, "I'd like to think the Hokage would at least make up a story on your behalf. Something a little less embarrassing. 'Felled by a Kusagakure assassin' maybe."
Kakashi rolled his eye, "I'm debating in my head whether that one is better or worse."
They both chuckled for a moment, Rei joining him on his walk. Catching up to him, now with a more somber expression on her face, "Sorry about Kurenai and Anko by the way, I hope she didn't dose you with anything too debilitating."
'Kami, I must look bad if she could notice so fast.' He thought to himself. He looked down to scan himself as discretely as he could, and realized it must be his face or his skin that gave him away. After all, a potent mix of slow acting neurotoxins did not bode well for the complexion. He raised an eyebrow at her, "Am I that easy to read?"
Rei smirked at him, "You're as pale as a ghost, and you walk like you're either high as a kite, or on some kind of powerful anesthetic. So yes, at least right now you are." Kakashi turned his head to the front, "Thanks for last night by the way."
She tilted her head at him, "I don't know what you mean." She said coyly, flashing a wink. Kakashi chuckled, "Ah, I must've been mistaken. I mistook you for someone else..." Rei gave him a look that said, 'that's better' and turned to face the dirt trail they walked on.
"Oh yes, I meant to ask. How 'is' Naruto? Is he acclimating well?" She said.
Kakashi nodded, "Oh yes. They all are in their own way. Some better than others, especially since they all had some of their own advantages when it comes to the shinobi arts."
He shot her a light glare, but there was no heat in it. In fact, he appreciated teaching Naruto something that would actually do him some good to learn. His only trouble now lay in brining his teammates up to speed. Rei waved him off, "It's an essential skill that all shinobi must learn. Although I'm sure that Naruto has had his fun in showing off to the others.
Kakashi scoffed, "That's an understatement. He and Sasuke came to blows barely five minutes into only our second training session.
Rei laughed at that, "Well I better come with you for today then. Better I help to make sure you don't keel over trying to stop them from beating each other up." Kakashi shot her a confused look, turning back to look at her, "Don't you have a class to get back to?"
"My class has an extended lunch period today as a reward for good behavior. So, I figured that I may as well grace you with my company." Kakashi nodded along, content with the companionship for now. Noting to himself that he prefers this alter ego over the one with the mask.
It ended up being more of a slow instruction than a spar. Their slow movements more a strange dance than anything else. Hinata ran him through a few basics, most of which he already knew, but the way she seemed to explain it made more sense for some reason.
"You see? Keep your hands up, sometimes it doesn't even matter what form they take. Just keep them up, and ready for the next strike." She explained. Naruto was mesmerized as he ran through the movements, copying her smooth swings, and precise katas as best he could.
He ran through a movement that ended with him bent low, his arms outstretched slightly, both nearly at head level. He frowned in confusion, "But what am I supposed to do if someone kicks my legs?"
Hinata shrugged, "Dodge it and wait for an opening."
Naruto must've made a face that showed his confusion, because she walked over to him, beckoning to herself.
"Try it on me." She said confidently.
Naruto shrugged and did as she asked, now having learned not to underestimate her.
He swung out one leg, bending low, and she leaned back, missing the strike by an inch, then sprung forwards on her back leg to slam an open palm on his head, making a loud smack.
She smiled, "Got you." Naruto frowned in consternation, but decided quickly that he was more impressed than angry. He jumped back up, "Go again."
Hinata nodded and resumed her stance, and did the same thing. Hinata responded just as before, the practiced move coming just as quick as it did a few seconds prior.
Naruto smirked, an idea popping into his head, and ducked under the strike, grabbing the outstretched arm. He saw the next one coming, grabbing the next strike, and pulling her arms taut in either direction, sending her head surging forwards, now barely a hairs breadth from his.
Naruto grinned, their foreheads touching, "Ha! Got your arms! What are ya gonna do now princess..."
Hinata immediately went red, spluttering incoherently, "Eh!?"Naruto, alarmed, drew back, releasing her. Hinata leapt back, still as red as a tomato.
"A little young for that move, don't you think?"
Hinata made a desperate squeal, but Naruto looked just up to see Kakashi. Fully prepared to lay into him for his lateness, when noticed Kakashi's companion.
"Yes, I believe they both are..." Rei drawled, crossing her arms. Naruto swallowed whatever he was about to say at the annoyed look from Rei, "What did I do?" Naruto asked feebly.
Rei gave him a hard stare, as Naruto raised his arms in surrender. Her pupils scanned him, apparently looking for something, but after a long, tense moment, she sighed "Too young indeed..." She said after a pause.
The both of them walked over, Sasuke finally jumping down from the tree to join them.
Kakashi clapped his hands together, "Alright, sorry for my lateness, but I've been busy trying to find a suitable new mission for team 7." Rei raised an eyebrow at this, but his worry about her presence was only a drop in the ocean compared to his excitement he felt when Kakashi brought up the idea of a better mission than the chores they'd been doing so far.
Naruto felt his excitement surge, his eyes widening, "Does that mean you have a better mission for us?"
Kakashi grinned behind his mask, a certain glint in his eye that Naruto couldn't place, "Absolutely."
Rei didn't react, beyond a small smirk that Kakashi mirrored, apparently both of them aware of something Naruto didn't know about.
He put his hands on his hips, raising an eyebrow at him, "...What's this mission you're talking about?"
"Team lead, this is Small fry calling bullshit, over."
It was only the loud whistling of wind in his ears and rustling leaves that greeted him in the form of sound for a few seconds before he heard an answer.
"Pzzt. Small Fry this is Team Lead, and while your commentary is entertaining as always, its also unnecessary chatter that can clog communication when in a chaotic environment or situation. Over." Kakashi said, his reproachful tone still coming through despite the heavy static he heard.
Naruto growled in anger at the nickname turning his head to yell into the cheap plastic that made up his headset, "Why the hell am I stuck with the shitty-ass nicknames anyway!?"
"Pzzt. This is Team Lead to Small Fry, I didn't catch that, over." Kakashi said.
Naruto growled again, a vein pulsing on his forehead as he gripped the headset, speaking directly into the flimsy little microphone, "This is Red Ace, to Team Lead, I haven't seen the little bastard, over."
"Pzzt.This is Team Lead to Small Fry, we agreed to these nicknames for a reason Naruto. You'll all need to learn radio etiquette in order to be successful as a ninja. Deal with it. Over.
Naruto strangled the mic before placing it crookedly on his head, 'Of course I nod off right when he's assigning names.
"Pzzt.This is Onyx to Small fry, if you have nothing helpful to say, say nothing and stop wasting time, over."
Naruto sighed heavily, another planted step on a thick branch sending him forwards. His eyes scanning every inch of the thick forest for their target.
This was the 'harder mission' him and his team had been asking for for ages...
A lost cat.
If he hadn't spent the past two hours looking for this mangy feline, he'd have laughed. And at first, he did, then they saw the damn thing.
They actually nearly caught it earlier when Sasuke stumbled into it about fifteen minutes in, but the arrogant Uchiha thought he could catch it by himself...
Naruto shook his head, remembering the scratches and cuts he bore after that fight. He'd have laughed if he didn't know first hand how aggressive and mean feral alley cats could be. He ran into quite a lot in his younger days, and if not for the fox's healing, would've borne a lot more scars from those mean old strays.
'Tora' was another story though.
"Pzzt.This is Lavender, I found her! She's right in front of—"
The call was silenced, cut off by a scream that sounded like it was close by.
'Hinata!'
He sprinted off in the direction of the voice, peering past the branches, leaves and tree trunks to see the 'thing' struggling against the grip of Hinata, who held onto it's tail for dear life.
Naruto reached for his mic, "This is Small fry, I got him!"
"Pzzt. Naruto hold o—"
Naruto stopped listening, and leapt headlong, his arms outstretched an a battle cry on his lips. He careened for the cat, "Mrowww!"
"Oh thank you so very much for bringing back my beloved Tora!" The daimyo's wife said, an outraged shriek and hiss coming from the large tabby cat.
Team 7 stood to the side as she snuggled the cat, much to its obvious and loud displeasure. The disturbance didn't seem to upset the Hokage too much. Ignoring the display with practiced ease as he continued to stare imperiously over his desk at him and his team.
Naruto laughed to himself as her looked over to the left, 'Good.' He thought, smirking to himself.
He'd long since healed from most of the scratches, a few of the deeper ones itching and burning as they healed. None of the pain was enough to dampen his mood though, his mirth only growing with every second he saw the cat be so roughly handled by the old noble.
Rei, who stood perched over the leftmost side of the desk gave a sharp look in his direction. Warning against any kind of outburst.
Naruto turned back to face forwards, pouting slightly.
The older woman keened over the cat, apparently immune to it's lashing claws and loud howls of displeasure, "As usual I left the payment with the bursar, thank you again Lord Hokage." Naruto felt his eye twitch as he and his team stared openly at the noblewoman, their thoughts in sync for once, 'Again?' The Hokage gave a a small bow from his chair, "Thank You Madam. And say hello to your husband for me."
The woman bowed back, the many pendants and jewels that hung half-hazardly from her fur lined robe jingling loudly as she turned to leave.
Rei walked to the door, holding it open for the woman, giving her, and her angry cat a wide berth as they both left. The heavy doors slamming shut behind them. The Sandaime nodded, "Hmph. Well done team 7, you retrieved the cat with minimal injuries to yourself, or to the cat. In record time as well."
Kakashi stepped forwards, bowing as he spoke, "It's all due to the good teamwork, and the brave sacrifices of my students Hokage-Sam's. Naruto especially made a significant effort to complete the mission as fast as possible, regardless of the risks it posed to his own safety."
He spoke in a light and jovial tone that made Naruto think at first that he said so in jest, but the way he said it also carried a tone of warning. The report more a rebuke, than any kind of kudos. The Sandaime shot him a glance, and nodded to Kakashi, "Well, it was a job well done nonetheless, with hardly any harm done."
Naruto gave a low grumble at that, but said nothing. The Hokage pulled out a thick stack of papers squinting down to look at them, "Now, there are a few more jobs on the roster that need doing. Kakashi-San, as team leader you have the option to pick the mission for your team..."
The Sandaime droned on, petty, boring tasks laid out one, after the other. Each one more useless than the other.
Naruto's expression grew more frustrated by the second, 'How the hell are these actually missions!? What's all this training and work for if we can't actually use it?'
Naruto stepped forwards with a growl, crossing his arms to make and 'X' in front of him, "Absolutely NOT! There's gotta be at least one mission that WON'T make me cry out of boredom! Find something else, dattebayo!"
Kakashi groaned, placing a hand on his face, while the Sandaime and Rei didn't move. The latter pausing before turning to Naruto, an all too sweet smile on her face, her true demeanor betrayed by the pulsing vein on her forehead, "Naruto... I advise you address your Hokage with the proper level of respect." She said, in a tone that spoke of someone that was more 'ordering' than 'advising'.
The blonde gulped, but was saved from his ex-teacher's wrath when a soft, low voice came from behind him, "Actually sensei, I agree with Naruto." She said, stepping next to him.
Naruto and Rei both turned to her in surprise, but Hinata went on, in a soft, almost regal tone, "We're not learning anything with these missions. We learn much from our training early in the morning, but we haven't yet had a chance to use those skills in the field yet."
Sasuke stepped forward then, but when he and Hinata looked to him, he said nothing. Only giving a single nod, and a, "Hn." in response.
Kakashi sighed, "Well, it was going to happen sooner or later."
Rei shook her head, "You should all know how this works by now. Everyone has to do some D-ranks once in a while, and D-ranks are perfect for, 'rookies' like you. Don't think that just because you're genin you have any skin in the game. Leave to the C-ranks and above to those more qualified, and experienced."
Naruto scoffed, "So scrubbing an old lady's fences, and babysitting pompous little brats are supposed to give us, 'experience'?"
Rei narrowed her eyes at him, "When you start at the ground, you have to start somewhere. Konoha uses D-ranks to allow those newest to the ranks to work their way up. The better you preform, the more upper ranked missions you'll be assigned. Better get used to it now, because it's not going to change for you."
"Unless I wish it." The Hokage interjected.
Rei stopped, turning to quickly look at the Hokage, before she cleared her throat, and leaned back to her place at the desk, "Yes, of course."
The Sandaime shot Rei a look before he went on, "Masako-san is right though Naruto. One's reputation as a shinobi is very important in the ninja world. The better your reputation, the better your chances at being given the most opportunities to prove yourself to the village."
Naruto frowned fiercely, "But no chances at all, mean no reputation right?" The Hokage paused, but nodded.
Naruto shook his head, " You guys all just love give lectures like that. Talk about stuff like 'more responsibility' when we become shinobi. Well now we are! And we're not the scrawny, little trouble-making brats we used to be. So dammit let us prove ourselves!"
Hinata and Sasuke nodded with a grunt, Kakashi sighing again from behind.
The Hokage let silence reign over the office, chuckling to himself shortly before answering, "Very well."
Rei and Kakashi both choked on air, turning to the village leader, the same question on both their lips.
But the Hokage raised a hand, "There has been an emergency C-rank issued on short notice. Actually it was only placed less than twenty minutes ago. I advised the man, despite his insistence on speed, that it would take a while least a few hours before a team could be properly arranged, briefed and dispatched. But I'm sure a confident and capable genin team could sort out this task."
Naruto just barely resisted the urge to jump for joy, "Yes! So what is it? What's the mission?" The Sandaime smirked, "It's a escort mission, and the individual to be protected is here now. You are to escort him back to his home village, and insure he returns safe and sound."
He raised a hand to his lips, "Tazuna of Wave country. Enter."
Naruto turned, along with his team, watching as a large, old man stumbled past the entrance, bottle in hand.
He gave a loud belch, taking another drink from his bottle before he gave a quick glance at the occupants in the room. Snorting in derision, "Hokage! You promised me capable, strong ninja to escort me. All I see are puny, snot-nose brats. Especially that short one there. He looks like he could hardly beat up a sunflower!
Naruto bristled, "Why you..." He only took a single step until Kakashi grabbed him by the collar, preventing him from going any further.
The Hokage straightened, "I assure you Tazuna-san, Konoha allowed only the finest of ninja to become shinobi. Besides, from the rank you chose, I'm assuming that there should be no trouble from this mission apart from the odd bandits you might come across. Unless I'm mistaken..."
Tazuna flinched, scratching his head as he answered, "Uh, yes Hokage-sama. I apologize if I've insulted you or your subordinates in any way."
The Hokage relaxed, "No insult taken. Why don't you give your new 'bodyguards' more details on the mission before I send them on their way?"
Tazuna nodded, taking a series of deep gulps from his bottle, several droplets falling from the corner of his mouth and dripping off his grey beard.
He wiped his mouth, stepping a little closer, "Listen up. I'm a veteran bridge builder and construction engineer. You all are going to be my bodyguards on the way back to my home, while I finish my bridge."
Kakashi stepped up, letting Naruto go, "We'll be sure to perform our duties Tazuna-san. You can count on us."
Tazuna nodded, and Kakashi turned to the Hokage, giving him a look before turning to them, "Alright, do yourselves a favor and head home to pack. Pack for a week long journey at least. Don't skimp on the toiletries if you can, but use discretion. Don't pack too little or too much. Got it?"
Naruto, Hinata and Sasuke all nodded curtly, "Hai."
Kakashi nodded, "I'll meet you at the gates in twenty minutes." They nodded again, all racing to pack, but Naruto held back after he saw the way Rei glared openly at Kakashi the second she thought the rest of them couldn't see her. Hinata gave Naruto a questioning glance, but didn't stop him as he hugged the wall staying as quiet as possible.
'She's pissed. What the hell is up with Rei-sensei?'
It was a long time before anyone said anything, and Kakashi fought the urge to pull out his signed copy of Icha Icha. He saw her anger coming a mile off, knowing that she was as protective of Naruto as he was. The only difference other than their differing experiences, being that Kakashi knew his team.
It was a hallmark of his he inherited from ANBU. Even at his lowest of points, he was always close with his team, and did his best to know everything he could about them.
It was perhaps the greatest reason that his teams, both permenant and temporary, enjoyed greater success with him. He knew just where to push, and when.
Rei continued to stare, and Kakashi resisted the urge to sigh as he fidgeted, "You know, normally when I'm chewed out, it involves at least some talking. Normally very loud talking." He said in a deadpan. Rei didn't move, "I'm trying to discern if you are aware you are making a mistake or not."
Kakashi blinked, "And why, exactly. Would I knowingly make a mistake."
"A common tactic among amateur teachers is to thrust a test on their students that they're not ready for. To prove ones superior skills over theirs. A very risky power play that doesn't work nearly as well as many like to think it does." Kakashi quirked an eyebrow, "If you think my plan is to do all the heavy lifting on this mission, you don't know me very well." Rei smirked meanly at him, "I know you well enough."
Kakashi frowned, wondering where she was going with this, "And what is that supposed to mean?" Rei moved from the side to the desk to approach him, and while not explicitly threatening, Kakashi would have to be an idiot not to be at least a little intimidated.
She dropped her smirk, settling into a knowing smile that reminded her of a certain redhead when she knew she was in the right, and wanted everyone to know it.
"You Kakashi-San, strike me as a man who has made up his mind."
"...Well you're right about that."
She shook her head, "Not about this, about your team. You have a plan for them, a plan that you're not sharing."
He narrowed his eyes, but chose to say nothing. His mind unable to come up with a suitable argument.
Hiruzen snorted their right, "Really, must you argue like this here. This is my office you know."
The academy instructor blushed, bowing to the Hokage, "Apologies Hokage-Sama."
"Hmph. Well, since I am here, I feel compelled to remind you Masako-san, that Kakashi is the team leader of team 7. And I trust his judgement to know whether his team is ready for this assignment or not."
Rei rose from her bow, "I understand that Hokage-Sama, I merely felt the need to remind Kakashi-san that while I am not my predecessor, we are alike in at least one way."
She glared at Kakashi once more, releasing a smidge of Killer Intent, "I will fight for my students."
Kakashi stared back, meeting her gaze with all the stubborn gusto he could manage. While the Hokage merely waved a hand, "Yes, as I'm sure that Kakashi can attest. Now Rei, leave your documents here, and Kakashi meet with your team. The both of you, leave me in peace."
Rei nodded and stepped away from the desk, marching towards the exit. But before he could join her, the Hokage shot him a look, that said 'watch yourself'.
Kakashi nodded, his mind going back to the words of his new client.
He felt his gut lurch at the memory, and dearly hoped that he wasn't making some kind of mistake.
'I will fight for my students...
Naruto remembered the words, vague chill going up his spine as several images flashed in front of his eyes. A bloodied smile grinning up at him, his ruined features trying their best to convey confidence and calm. All as the sickly white pallor of death crept up his neck.
He shook his head, the motion making him dizzy for a moment.
He knew that Rei knew about Iruka. He knew that. He'd accepted it quickly, content in the fact that a part of him always knew that she never blamed him. The guilt was there regardless, Iruka was still dead.
A part of him still felt shocked that she knew in the first place. Much of what happened in those days so secretive, whole parts of his memory was hazy. Not helped by the fact that they had hardly been mentioned at all since then.
'The past must die, in order for the present to leach off it's carcass. To grow, and become our future.'
The voice range loudly through him, and Naruto managed not to flinch this time.
'What's that supposed to mean?' He asked.
The fox was silent for a long while, 'Just words boy. Just words.'
He felt the fox shift in his mind, almost as if he were turning to face him, 'There has been a development. Our chakra is finally beginning to merge as I always said it would.'
Naruto felt a rush of excitement run through him, 'Finally! Just in time too! Are we gonna start whooping ass like you always said we would?'
The fox rolled his eyes, but gave a small smirk, "The changes will be small at first. Your senses will grow to a more suitable lever. Far surpassing your pitiful human senses. You'll grow more sensitive to chakra, increasing your sensing abilities. And in time your body will change. More befitting that of the Jinchurriki of the Kyuubi."
Naruto nodded in satisfaction, but stopped when he heard the bit about 'changes', "Wait, what changes?'
'An increase in physical strength, and a few cosmetic changes.'
'...'
The fox growled in annoyance, 'I am unaware of the particulars. But when your chakra and mine connect, your chakra seems more inclined to adapt and copy mine than refuse my influence outright. Because your chakra is a mix of physical and spiritual energy, your body will likely also change and adapt to our combined power. You are restricted to your human body however. So the changes are sure to be minimal."
Naruto shook his head, 'As long as I can kick the ass of whoever's messing with us I don't really care!'
The fox sighed, content to not respond.
Naruto narrowed his eyes, 'But, it'll probably make my life harder in the village. All they'll see is you when they look at me.'
'Jinchurriki are predators child. And predators do not suffer the judgement of prey. Their opinions are as worthless as the esteem you hold in the eyes of your so called teammates.'
Naruto flinched at the tone, almost able to see the out line of the fox in front of him, his stare disapproving.
'Which is why you must cease your worrying about their knowledge of Iruka. What's done is done.'
Naruto flinched again, forcing himself to nod.
The fox, seemingly satisfied retreated from the forefront of his mind, leaving Naruto alone with his worries.
After only a few short minutes Naruto arrived, much to the delight of hinata, and the irritation of Kakashi and Tazuna.
"You're late."
"You're late."
The both of them said in unison. Naruto pointed a finger at Kakashi, "I don't wanna hear shit from you about being late."
Kakashi smiled, his eye crinkling in mirth, "Ma Ma, my genin are so mean." Tazuna snorted, "You sure you all have what it takes to protect me?" Kakashi shrugged, turning to face his team, "Eh, I'm a jounin so you'll be alright."
Kakashi gave them all a once over, "All of you have packed?" They all nodded jerkily, "Hai."
"Sealing scrolls I assume, since none of you packed a bag?"
They all nodded once more, with a slightly tentative one from Naruto.
Kakashi zeroed in on him, "That must've been expensive for you..."
Naruto winced, feeling the lack of weight in his wallet more keenly than ever, "I had a lot saved up." Kakashi grunted, "Check with me about that when we get back. I might have something for you." Naruto nodded, and Kakashi turned towards the road, gesturing past the gates. "Alrighty then, let's get a move on." Naruto grinned up at Tazuna, "Don't worry old man, you have the future Kami no shinobi on your hands. So you don't have to worry about a thing."
The old man rolled his eyes, taking another long swig from his bottle, "Heh, Kami no shinobi my ass. You can take the title of 'God of midgets'. It'd fit you better."
Naruto leapt with a roar, but was swiftly caught by Kakashi, who held him fast as he lunged for the ungrateful old man. Tazuna barked with laughter at him, "See, you couldn't take a wandering baby boar. Give it up kid."
He raised the bottle once more, but before he could take a swig, the wine bottle exploded into green shards of glass and red liquid. Spilling all over the cobblestone road.
Naruto turned to look at Sasuke, who returned his hand to his side, scoffing in derision, "No more of that. I won't be saddled with a drunk on this mission." He walked off, heading down the trail.
Tazuna splutter with rage for a moment, "Why... You..."
"Hey, Tazuna-san?"
The old man looked down at Hinata, who held on to his left arm. Her bright lavender eyes looking up at him with a questioning gaze.
Tazuna smiled gently, "Yes little missy, what can the great bridge builder Tazuna do for y—"
She yanked hard on his arm, bringing her face down to look at her, her eyes now hard, veins popping out at her temples, "Please do not speak badly of Naruto-kun again. Or I will be forced to hurt you." She commanded, her tone not resembling any of the grace or gentleness he saw less than a second ago.
Tazuna trembled and could only nod his head fiercely up and down.
Hinata relaxed immediately, smiling at him before turning on her heel to walk away joining Sasuke. Naruto smirked at Tazuna, sticking out his tongue at the old man.
'Kami, if the rest of this mission is like this, this is gonna be a piece of cake!'
Alrighty then… A lot's happened… The good news is that we're finally starting the Wave Arc.
The BAD news is that I'm unfortunately going to have to step away from writing for a while. You probably don't know this, but I'm in the U.S Military. The Army to be specific, and although I was previously told otherwise, I have to leave for military training as of Nov 15th. I'll be gone until May of next year…
It kinda, mostly, really sucks dick that I have to do this, but as of the end of the Wave Arc, this story will be on Hiatus.
It's for reasons completely beyond my control, and it especially sucks because I took measures to prevent a Hiatus on this story, but sucks to suck I guess. I'll make sure that I finish editing the Wave Arc portion of the story, and I can only apologize for the delay.
That being said, I hope you understand, and enjoy the story thus far, and I can only ask that you be patient for my eventual return.
Thanks again,
KCMC66