The End of All Things Known
(PG-13) : Language
Author Notes or rather Warning: Lots of conversation ahead. Conversation not my forte.
You have been warned.
Also someone inquired as to what Godaime meant from the last chapter. It means fifth, and it referred to Tsunade, as she is the fifth Hokage. Sorry for not clarifying!
Sandaime Third
Yondaime Fourth
Godaime Fifth
Rokudaime Sixth
"Border patrol...again." Naruto groaned as he stuffed a pair of shorts into the bag sitting on his bed. "How long has it been? Three months now?" He asked, looking up just in time to see an orange shirt soaring through the air, moving quickly towards his face.
"Is that the one you wanted?" He heard a voice, exactly like his, ask as he unwrapped the shirt from around his head.
"Yeah, thanks...asshole." The boy replied, whispering the last part, just in case his assailant had something a little more solid than clothing near his hands.
The clone gave him a thumbs-up, and flashed a smile. "Anytime. You need these pants over here?" The double pointed to a pair lazily thrown on the floor against the wall.
"Hah!" Naruto retorted, pointing a finger at the Bunshin. "You need a kunai?"
"Only to kick your ass." The clone smugly replied.
"I'LL KILL YOU!" Naruto roared as he threw the shirt to the floor and dove towards the clone.
Tenten quickly pulled her hand from the door, jumping back slightly, surprised by the thunderous crash that followed the threat.
Is he fighting with himself?
"Oh well." She whispered, shrugging the notion away before gently rapping on the door. The girl took a deep breath, bracing herself for whatever may come.
One could never be too sure of what was going to happen around Uzumaki Naruto.
Tenten was sure of one thing though; She would rather be around a crazy ninja who fought with himself, than around a crazy ninja who pilled paperwork on her desk. Unlike Tsunade, opportunities for laughter could usually be found around Naruto.
"Hold on a minAAAHHH!!!" The unmistakable sound of someone hitting the floor, along with the grunts, curses, and growls that followed, made the girl wary of whatever lay behind the door.
What the hell is going on in there?
A few seconds later the cacophony within the walls of Naruto's house ceased; footsteps could be heard coming and eventually stopping before the door, which opened to reveal the smiling face of Konoha's loudest shinobi.
"Hey." Tenten greeted weakly, still slightly unnerved by the events of the last thirty seconds.
She gasped in surprise as the boy exploded before her.
Kage Bunshin? She wondered as the smoke started to spread. Well, at least he wasn't talking to himself. She thought for a moment, as she waited for the smoke to clear, and remembered the nature of the jutsu. Well, technically he was, but...
As the grey wispy remnants of the clone dissipated, the issue, of whom the boy was talking to, was found to be irrelevant; Tenten found her ability to think hindered by the sight just beyond the open doorway.
Groaning words of revenge against the clone, Naruto pushed himself from the floor with one arm, while using the other to reach for the shorts that were halfway down his legs (and steadily dropping as he straightened himself up). He felt a breeze ruffle his hair, and looked up to see a wide-eyed, red-faced Tenten standing in his front doorway.
The small "eep" Tenten shrieked as she turned around, forced his body into motion. He hastily retrieved the shorts, as the blood rushed to his head.
Several moments of uneasy silence lingered between the two before Tenten turned around, her face bearing a slight red hue. "Tsunade-sama wants you to swing by her office." She said, breaking the silence.
A few seconds passed before he replied with a nod. "Give me a few minutes. I still have some things to pack." He turned and entered the adjacent room.
"Don't worry," she responded. "Take all the time you need."
Tenten was relieved the incident had dropped so quickly. She didn't want things to be awkward between the two, as he did provide most of the entertainment to be found in the accursed building where she worked.
Her eyes darted throughout what she could see of his house, with no parents, she had expected it to be in complete disarray, and for the most part she was right. Scrolls and various training supplies were scattered all throughout the rooms, or at least what she could see of them. Judging by the amount of wear each item had, she assumed that he trained as much as Neji or Lee, if not more.
He came out of the room a few moments later, slinging a bag over his shoulder. "So why does Oba-chan want me?"
"Oh yeah." She began, remembering why she had come here in the first place. "You're off duty tonight."
The bag slid down his arm and hit the floor. "What?! Are you serious?" The disbelief apparent in his face.
She nodded. "Yeah, Lee's got your shift covered."
Tenten covered her ears, as he yelled with excitement. She shook her head, and couldn't help but laugh at the boy's exuberant nature.
His initial reaction quickly drained away, however; as his mind started to wonder. "Why?"
The girl shrugged. "You'll have to see the Hokage to find out."
"Well, let's go see the old hag." He stated, before grabbing her arm and pulling in the direction of his front door.
The next thing she knew, they were out of the house and quickly heading down the street. Though the sun shone overhead, Tenten found herself unable to enjoy the pleasant weather. The icy cold hand of social death was encircling her once more, and like a constrictor, constantly tightening it's grip with every step she took towards the building looming in the distance at the end of the road.
A few minutes later, and quite winded, they started up the stairs that led into the tower. Tenten stopped when they had reached the top and opened the door that led inside, staring down the hallway and eyed her desk at the end, silently awaiting her return.
Naruto watched her brow furrow. Sure, he had heard her complain about the job, but it was only then that he began to grasp how much the girl hated her position.
"You should learn Kage Bunshin." He stated in complete sincerity.
She chuckled as she turned towards him. "And end up with my pants around my ankles? No, thank you."
Tenten may have joked about the idea, but the more she thought about it, as she walked down the hallway; she could only come to one conclusion. The boy was definitely onto something.
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Naruto stood before the Hokage's office not knowing what to expect. Tenten had given him no information as to why Tsunade wanted to see him; but whatever it was, it had gotten him a night off, and for that, he was grateful.
He stepped through the door without knocking; his usual entrance, except this time he didn't barge in, which actually surprised the woman behind the desk more than if he would have entered screaming and hollering.
The boy froze after he realized someone else was in the room, sitting in front of the Hokage. "Sorry." He said before slowly backing out.
Tsunade motioned towards a chair. "Have a seat."
He assessed the unexpected third party. A grey hooded shirt covered the torso and head, completely nullifying any chance of recognition for the boy. The body frame wasn't very large; most likely feminine in nature. Black pants, and dark sandals completed the rest of the outfit. He had gained nothing except that the visitor was probably a girl.
"Hey." Naruto greeted, raising a hand in hello, as the hood turned his direction.
Whoever it was, flinched, upon seeing him.
So they know about the demon. That's just great. He sighed, almost wishing he was heading for his shift on the border; anything was better than being persecuted, though he was quite used to the reaction by now. Many of the villagers did the same as he walked the streets, some even had the audacity to quickly turn and head another direction, heading anywhere away from him.
The gestures didn't get to him as much as they used to, because, thankfully, not everyone acted that way. He had to kick a lot of ass to earn his Chuunin rank. A title which commanded respect, as it was something that was not given easily. Any academy student could become a Genin. The next rank; however, was on a completely different level. The ninja of the village respected him and he only hoped that in time, the villagers would as well.
He walked confidently to the chair, noticing that whomever it was, that he was standing next to, was not only watching, but blatantly staring, gawking at his every move. Taking a seat, he leaned towards the assumed girl , and using a finger, he motioned for her to come closer, to which she did.
"Stop staring at me." He whispered, before settling back into his seat, and nodding to the woman behind the desk.
"So Ob...," He smiled, catching himself using the name he usually called her. "...Godaime. How can I be of help."
Several seconds passed before Tsunade started, too stunned at Naruto's show of professionalism to respond . "Well, Rokudaime..." She smiled, watching the boy turn a little red.
She usually playfully refered to him as Naruto no Rokudaime, or Rokudaime Hokage, but he had never expected her to do so during a meeting in front of people.
The hooded girl coughed, and shifted in her chair. "Rokudaime?"
Naruto detected surprise, humor, and disbelief in that voice, which indeed was that of a girl.
The current Hokage laughed and nodded. "I have no doubt that this boy will be my successor." Her eyes shifted over to him. "And so much more.
Not for the first time this day, Naruto found himself blushing in the midst of a hushed room.
"Anyways, on to business." Tsunade started. "Naruto, I have a special mission just for you."
"Does it involve her?" He asked, motioning with his head towards the girl next to him.
The Hokage nodded. "Indeed it does."
"I refuse." He proclaimed defiantly, there was no way he was doing anything with a person that judged him before even talking to him.
"I'm afraid you are mistaken. You don't have a choice." Tsunade stated, equally as defiant. "You will escort our guest around the village, showing her the sites, and answering any questions she may have."
He growled, rising from his seat, and slamming one hand on the desk, and pointing at the girl with the other. "She's judging me because of the damned fox and you want me to work with her?!".
Tsunade laughed. "Not quite, you idiot!" Leaning over the desk she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "Look, you dumbass."
He turned to look at the girl, who had removed the hood during the argument.
"Hey." She greeted softly, upon seeing his face, and the astonished look that followed.
Pink hair...green eyes... "Sakura-chan?" He asked, almost pleading. The rage, so prevalent moments ago, was nowhere to be found, though a dozen other emotions surfaced.
She gave a smile as she rose from the chair. "You're a bit taller than I remember." She spoke, noticing that his head was several inches above her. Throwing her arms around him, she pulled the boy from Tsunade's grasp.
The events of the day were starting to be too much for the boy. First, he get's pounded by a clone, then Tenten catches him with his pants down, and now Sakura, who's been gone for two years, is hugging him...of her own free will nonetheless.
This has to be a dream.
Sakura pulled away from the hug, her hands still resting against his sides. "Are you alright?" She asked, noticing the confused look on his face.
He looked down into the green eyes he remembered from so long ago. "I...think I'm sleeping."
The slap across the back of his head told him otherwise.
"You awake now?" Tsunade questioned, as blue eyes glared at her.
"Yeah, I guess so." He responded sharply.
Naruto turned and focused his attention on his old teammate. Her hair was long again, evident by the fact that it continued past the hood, down into the shirt she wore. She carried herself confidently, this Sakura was certainly different from the one that left. The smile she wore was much more attractive, than the forlorn expression he last saw upon her. She had never looked so beautiful to him, whatever had happened to her these last couple of years, was justified by these last few moments he spent looking at her.
She leaned towards him and motioned with a finger for him to come closer, to which he did. "Stop staring at me." She whispered, watching him blush as she repeated his words back to him.
Tsunade chuckled, liking the spunk the girl had with the boy.
"When did you get here?" He asked, quickly changing the subject, before his face could turn any more red.
"A couple of hours ago."
"Who else knows your back?"
"Only my parents, and now you." She answered.
"She specifically requested that you be summoned immediately." Tsunade said, coming out from behind the desk. "As soon as the doctors cleared her for missions, she said, 'I want to see that boy, and I want to see him now.'" The Hokage shrugged. "I tried to tell her you had to work tonight, but she wouldn't hear any of it. So we were forced to find a substitute. Luckily, Lee agreed to take your shift for you."
By now Naruto was beaming, Sakura had demanded to see him.
"Now, if you still want to refuse, I can get Lee to take over the mission, and you can go back to patrolling."
"No! I'll definitely take the mission." He exclaimed.
A knocking interupted the laughter.
Tsunade looked up to the door. "What is it, Tenten?"
The girl entered and waved at Sakura, before focusing on the old woman. "Hokage-sama. There is a disturbance at the gate that requires your attention."
Tsunade's expression grew serious. "Enemies?"
"Worse." The girl answered.
A disgusted look crossed the Hokage's face. "Emissaries. Where from?"
Tenten shrugged. "Don't know."
The woman rubbed her face and sighed. "You kids go have fun. Come back here when you're finished."
All four left the office, though once out the door, Tsunade was gone in a flash.
"Hey Naruto," Tenten called, as the boy started towards the door at the end of the hallway. "Bring me back something nice."
He turned and smiled. "Anything for those tight little buns."
Sakura's mouth dropped at hearing so brazen a statement from her old teammate. Perhaps the stories she heard from her teacher about the Sannin Jiraiya were indeed true.
Tenten looked for something to throw, and grabbed the first thing she came across; A permanent marker. Removing the top, she took aim, and released.
Sakura had never seen the boy's eyes go so wide, as he stood there, seemingly incapable of moving.
The projectile quickly traversed the distance between the conflicting parties, Naruto braced himself for the impact, and was pleasantly surprised when it hit his face lightly and just fell to the floor.
"What a wussy throw!" He exclaimed. "That didn't hurt at all! Come on, Sakura-chan. Let's go!"
He threw his shoulders back, and confidently headed down the corridor.
Sakura turned to look at Tenten, with wide eyes of her own. Unlike Naruto, she wasn't oblivious to the large black dot above his nose, right between the eyes.
The girl headed behind the desk, and went back to her papers, not quite as tense as she was before the boy left.
She was definitely glad things were back to normal.
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As they descended the stairs from the tower, Naruto realized that although he knew the girl beside him, he didn't really know her. She looked the same, but she had a completely different feeling to her, and that intrigued the boy, making him want to find out more.
"Oh my god...Sakura?!" The voice cut through the air like an arrow, piercing Naruto's ears.
Whatever opportunity he had to find out more about his old teammate was lost. The boy groaned, recognizing the voice. Only one person had nagging, grating voice like that.
He and Sakura turned to find the surprised, smiling face of Ino, and the equally surprised, though not smiling face of one Nara Shikamaru.
The girls squealed with delight upon seeing each other, the shrill sounds only growing louder, the closer they got to one another.
Shikamaru groaned, watching them embrace one another, his ears ringing as the girls excitedly squealed their hellos. He quickly left the scene and headed towards Naruto, whom he believed would be much more pleasant company than the two banshees. "You know we're going to be here a while." He said, pointing towards Ino and Sakura.
The blonde boy nodded. "Well aside from me, I'm sure she wanted to see Ino the most." He shook his head. "Can't understand why though. All she does is nag."
"Isn't that the truth!" Shikamaru agreed, watching the pink hair kunoichi excitedly talk to her rival. He leaned towards to the blonde next to him. "What's she like now? The last I remember she couldn't do anything other than Academy jutsu..." His eyes drifted to the boy's forehead. "..Naruto...why is their a big black dot between your eyes."
Naruto frantically rubbed at the dot as his thoughts drifted to a certain girl, one currently deserving to be behind a desk, filing papers. Damn her. He thought, as he presented what he hoped was a dotless forehead to his friend.
"Nope. Still there."
Naruto licked his finger and wiped the spot, the ink smearing on his face as he did so.
"Use your shirt to wipe it off, anyways, what about Sakura?" Shikamaru inquired again.
The blonde shrugged. "Don't know, really. She's always had a lot of spirit, but noconfidence. She carries herself differently now, so I'm sure she's better, though I haven't had much of a chance to find out."
Shikamaru leaned even closer and whispered even lower. "She's prettier than she used to be."
Naruto couldn't help but nod, as the thought had been with him since he first saw the girl again.
"You know what that means." Shikamaru casually stated, making eye contact with the boy.
"What?"
The wiser Chuunin just shook his head. "She's only going to be more troublesome. The prettier they are, the more demons from the hells they're able to summon. Hinata and Tenten are nice, friendly women, yet Ino and Temari are like demons incarnate."
Naruto wasn't too sure about the boy's observations on Tenten, but he did have to admit, she was much easier to get along with than the prissy blonde women.
Noticing the silence in the background, the boys turned to find the girls standing close, intently listening to their conversation.
"Well Ino," Sakura coughed, quickly straightening up. "Naruto has a mission to escort me around the town, but I'll be sure to swing by tonight for dinner."
Ino threw her arms around Sakura once more, before turning to Naruto.. "Shikamaru, and Chouji will be over, so, yeah, I guess you can come over too." She said playfully winking at him.
"I don't know," He replied rubbing his chin. "The last time I came over, you tried to jump me."
Shikamaru laughed heartily as Ino's eyes grew wide. She reached over and grabbed Naruto by the collar (which by this point was quite stretched), and jerked his face down a few inches. He could feel the heat emanating from her.
"I tripped," She growled, her face red. "And I better not hear any differently! "She released his collar, and turned to Shikamaru. "Come on, let's find Chouji."
Shikamaru held one arm up, waving his goodbyes, as Ino started to drag him, most certainly, to the barbeque restaurant down the street.
"You ready?" Naruto asked, facing a very stunned Sakura.
"I've missed a lot haven't I?" She asked, obviously a little down..
He nodded, giving her a warm smile as he threw an arm around her. "A wise man once told me that it's troublesome to dwell in the past, so don't worry about it."
She grinned, pretty sure she knew who that wise man was, watching him being led to places she knew were "troublesome."
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She wasn't very surprised to see the first stop on 'Uzumaki Tours,' was the new and expanded Ichiraku ramen bar (now with thirty-one flavors!). After the restaurant came the Academy, Iruka's house, and the various shops that lined the streets, many of which Sakura remembered, though quite a few she didn't. The most interesting of which was a building where higher ranking students could study the ninjutsu, and taijutsu of other countries. After two hours, the tour guide's memory was hard pressed to find something they hadn't already visited.
The two walked in an uncomfortable silence. Naruto checked around to see if Ino was around; and when he could see no sign of he, he figured now was as good a time as any to find out about the girl at his side.
"So, what have you been up to for these last two years, Sakura-chan?" He questioned, hoping he wasn't overstepping his bounds as he tried to break the tension between the two.
The smile she gave him, let him know that he hadn't. "I was wondering when we would cut the small talk. I was doing exactly what I expect you did. Training."
He had indeed trained; training against anyone who would take the time with him. Neji, Lee, Kiba, Kakashi-sensai, Gai-sensei, Oba-chan, Ero-Sannin, and many others, including that lazy bastard Shikamaru had all contributed something to him.
"Do you think you can take me?" He questioned confidently.
"Of course!" She exclaimed as she pushed him, a little harder than she meant, and much harder than he had expected. He tripped and fell to the road, laughing, quite surprised, by her strength.
"I guess so!" He agreed, upon regaining his footing. "Was it worth it?"
She looked down at the ground, her feet clicking with every step she took on the cobblestone path. "I was tired of feeling useless." She stated solemnly, before raising her head to look him in the eyes. "I wanted my boys to know that they could rely on me, as I could on them. I am confident that I can do that now, so yeah it was worth it. I lost a little time, but I'll never feel that way again."
The weight of her words stopped Naruto in his tracks. "Your...boys?
"Two of the most important people in my life."
He laughed as he started down the road again. "We never refered to you as our girl, but we did do whatever was necessary to make sure you were safe. We never thought of it as a burden. It was just something we wanted to do."
"We?" She asked, a bit curious, and a bit embarrassed over his words..
"Me and Sasuke." He answered, smiling.
"Have you heard anything from him?" She asked, hoping that someone had heard something, anything.
"Nothing. Not a damn thing, but I know he's alright. Orochimaru won't have him as easily as he thinks. What about you?"
"I know he's alive. I haven't heard anything either, but I know he is." She replied looking up.
"Do you still love him?" He tentatively asked.
She smiled. "Of course, but it's not how you think. Two years gives someone a lot of time to think things through. Anyways, we've spent enough time on that subject. I remember you being a hell of a prankster, have you pulled off any good ones since I've left?"
The smile he gave beamed like brilliant sunshine. "Oh yeah! This one time Kankouro and I..."
"Kankouro?!" Sakura interrupted, more than a little surprised.
He nodded. "A few months after you left, the Hidden Sand could no longer support itself, most of it's clients left after the war. It's ninja were forced to join the ninja of other villages, or to give up that life and become villagers. Temari, Kankouro, and Gaara, were the only ones that came to the Leaf." His voice suddenly took on a serious tone. "They are treated badly by many of the villagers, yet they continue to stay. The people can't seem to disregard the past and fail to notice what those three do. They do a hell of a job protecting this place and the people in it.."
She looked long and hard at the boy, knowing that he completely understood how those three felt. "It must be rough to serve a village that doesn't acknowledge you." She stated somberly, placing a hand on his shoulder.
He found himself looking deeply into green eyes. "Yeah it is, so that's why you find reasons to serve it."
"What are they like? Those three." She asked.
He gave a small laugh. "Gaara, is well, Gaara. The villagers won't even approach him, he's not very funny, but man," He shook his head. "He's powerful like you wouldn't believe. Kankouro's funny as hell. Though sometimes he can be an asshole, he's still a good guy...and then there's Temari-chan."
She noticed the small shudder that ran through him and gave a questioning look. "What about her?"
He sighed. "Shikamaru says she's the most troublesome woman in the world, and I think I agree. She's very scary, which I guess, kind of makes her more attractive."
"You got a thing for her?" She asked, more than a little curious.
He shook his head. "Well, she is very pretty and smart, but she's a little too mean and controlling for me. I'd never survive a date with her, she'd kill me before it ended. Temari doesn't put up with any crap."
Sakura chuckled. To scare Naruto, she must be mean indeed!
A loud screech, caused the two to look up; a hawk circled only a few feet overhead. The bird quickly descended, frightening Sakura as it dove and nipped at the boy's hair before landing a few feet on the ground in front of them, raising it's head to emit another piercing screech.
"Torikimi!" Naruto exclaimed, bending down to the bird, and reaching out with his hand, only to jerk it back when the bird snapped at it.
"Naruto, that's a hawk! You can't just pet it." Sakura warned.
Naruto reached in the back pocket of his pants, and pulled out a small package, which he started to unwrap. "I know what you want, you bastard."
The bird crooked it's head to the side, and opened it's mouth, screeching silently, as if confirming what the boy said.
"Got it from the bakery this morning." He said, tossing some bread to the ground which the bird quickly devoured.
Sakura stood agape as Naruto scooped the bird into his arms. He held the hawk like a baby in one arm, while rubbing its feathers with the other; the bird cooing the entire time.
"We're wanted at the Hokage's tower." Naruto stated plainly.
The girl knew she must have a stupid look on her face, but she couldn't help it; birds of prey were rarely domesticated animals. "I have never seen anybody hold a hawk."
He laughed. "You can pet her if you want to lose some fingers. She won't even let Oba-chan hold her, and it's her bird!"
"So how..." Sakura started.
"There's no time for that." Naruto interrupted, motioning to the tower with his head.
Tsunade herself was waiting on the stairs, quickly turning and entering the building once her presence had been known.
The walk to her office was silent, neither Naruto nor Sakura, said a word. Torikimi was quiet as well, perfectly content as long as her belly was full and her feathers were being stroked.
Noticing that the boy's hands were full, Tenten opened the door for them, quickly rubbing the bird, as she went back to her seat.
Sakura was about to say something, but Naruto's voice rang out from room before she had the chance.
"Old man Tazuna!" Naruto greeted, quite surprised to see the man. "What's going on, you got another mission for us?"
Tazuna looked at the Hokage who nodded.
"Our village was attacked." Tazuna stated, his voice full of sorrow. The glee Naruto entered with, was quickly drained away. "The attack is over, but much of the village was destroyed. It will take years to rebuild what we have lost."
Naruto eyes widened. "Then we'll help rebuild it!"
Sakura nodded her agreement.
"It's not that simple, Naruto." Tsunade explained.
"Tsunade-sama," the boy snapped. "They need help!"
The woman motioned towards the old man. "Finish Tazuna-san."
"Only one man attacked the village. He killed many of the militia, and razed many buildings to the ground. Nothing was stolen from the village. Nothing except lives, hope, and trust."
Sakura put a hand to her mouth. "That's terrible. Who could do such a thing."
Tazuna looked at Naruto and Sakura, and they could see anguish in his face. "A ninja who bore the mark of Konoha. One with black hair and red eyes, who had helped to save our village not so long ago."
Naruto and Sakura looked at each other, both thinking the same thing.
Sasuke.
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Author's Notes: This chapter would have to be the absolute words to hours ratio thoughout the entire span of mankind. I know I said there might be some action last time, and all I gave you was a bunch of people running their mouths...
But! I GAYRONTEE there will be action in the next chapter!
Fic Shoutouts:
Years by Xax : A dark, story about Team Seven returning to Konoha as missing nin. It's good stuff!
Behind A Maskby Refused: The best fic about Tenten I've read, and quite a good fic overall. Tenten's an ANBU, serving under Naruto. She also works part-time as a barber. Check it out, it's a good read so you won't be disappointed.
Flower of Konoha by Princess-Tsunade: A story that gives the warm fuzzies when you read it. Naruto's sister comes back to Konoha and changes the lives of everyone.
This woman updates like a mofo too! Good Story, Big Huge Chapters, and Rapid Updates...I know someone who's sold their soul. I encourage everyone to go read the story, so you too can see what happens when you cash in yours.
REVIEWS:
Vampire Kat 22: I'm the wrong person to be jealous of in the writing department! Maybe one day you'll read something good, and when you look back on this you'll be like..."Man, that guy really sucks!" I thank you for the compliment though!
Henrika: I wrote a special section for you at the top. I hope that clarifies things. I'm really surprised you asked about Lee, as I think he's a hilarious character, and many people seem to just shun him. To answer you though. He's uhm...out on missions...as are any other characters you haven't read about yet. Neji? Out. Kakashi? Out. Udon? Yep, he's out too.
EfrainMan: I'm glad people are checking up on me and my language use. I've only ever heard of one definition of entropy: which is the gravitation of all things to nothingness. I first learned it in my Thermodynamics class, and that seems to be the most commonly accepted definition I've found, but the english language is a weird thing. When I hear the word Great, I automatically think awesome, or really good. But according to oxford that's #10 on the list!
Keep checking on me though, if I do something wrong, I definitely want to be in the know.
Kiba. heh. the boy makes me laugh, and you know, YOU KNOW! He's going to be just like Jiraiya when he's older.
Dalavita: I appreciate the input! If you have any other advice, just let me know. And don't you worry about Orochimaru...
Jenniyah: You'll find out how Kabuto's plan works in the next chapter, which I've already started on, and it has lots of action, so I won't be pulling my hair out as I write it.
Karibanu: I hate those stereotypes too, and yes I can keep the relationships slow, and very developed. People may think after reading this chapter that Naruto and Sakura are going to hook up, which if it happens, won't be anytime soon. I remember being fourteen, and thinking that some of my friends that were girls were beautiful, but I didn't want to date them. Plus this is an awkward age for romance and crap anyways. In my opinion, a fourteen year old can't truly grasp the emotion of romantic love, and that will be reflected in my story.
ErikKoekkoek: I'm a huge fan of flattery, so here's the next chapter (it was going up this night anyway, but I can act like it was you who pressed me into it). Oh, you beat me again, this very night. You eeked that third chapter by before I posted this one. I'll remember that.
Trickmaster, Daniel of Lorien, Gopu, Dargon Sheinto, Anonymous : Thanks for reviewing. I hope you guys continue to enjoy the story, it's been kind of slow to this point and you've stayed with me, some of you reviewing more than once. Repeat reviewers are more important to me than new ones. Sorry I kept you waiting for so long.
Next Chapter: Getting Wicky Wicky Wah In the House of the Snake (Title Subject to Change)
AND FINALLY...
Thanks goes out to those who have me on their Author Alerts. I hope you're enjoying the story.
Alright! smashes amp with guitar GOODNIGHT SAN DIMAS HIGH!
