A Dull Edge
"Speech"/ 'Thoughts'
"Soul Edge/Nightmare Speech"/ 'Thoughts'
"Tailed-Beast Speech"/ 'Thoughts'
Telepathic communications will be between [ ] to distinguish these exchanges from an individuals thoughts. Special thanks to ekaterina016 for BETA reading this chapter.
Chapter 5: Training
Despite yesterday's intense activities, Naruto managed to ignore his aching body long enough to see a realtor and spent a few hours browsing, before settling on a pre-furnished traditional-style two-story house with three bedrooms. In addition to more seclusion from the civilian population, his new residence came with a small bit of open land and was located closer to the training grounds. Currently, Naruto sat in his new home, having already informed his old landlord of his change in residence, and removed his belongings from the location. A pleased sigh came from him as he leaned into his new couch, thinking about what to do with the rooms.
The largest obviously would serve as his bedroom, with the second being a training area. Naruto wasn't sure how to utilize the smallest chamber yet, but he'd figure it out eventually. As he was still recovering from yesterday, Soul Edge had recommended he take it easy, suggesting he look through the relics Sasuke retrieved for him. Unease welled inside Naruto, but he did agree now would be a good time to do so.
As he stood to get the scroll, the unexpected sound of his doorbell took priority. Quickly heading to the front door, he was surprised at who stood outside. "Kakashi-sensei? What're you doing here?"
"Oh, I was just around when I saw you with a lady, and wondered what you were up to," Kakashi answered without really answering, causing Naruto to sigh before inviting him in. Once inside, the Jōnin gave his student's new home an appraising scan before nodding in approval. "A bit big for one, but you'll figure something out," Kakashi commented before turning to completely face Naruto. "I talked to three of the other sensei for your graduating class about the mission you asked about."
Naruto's ears perked at those words, his attention now fully on the older man.
"While they did agree it's too early for that kind of mission…" A slightly disappointed look crossed Naruto's face. "…we did agree, for the next month, all of our teams would partake in training exercises – then, all of you would take a bandit mission together."
Naruto grinned thankfully, but ceased when Kakashi's single eye stared into his.
"Naruto, I need to apologize to you and your teammates – I have been a poor teacher." Confused, Naruto opened his mouth to refute this statement, but Kakashi's hardened stare quieted him. "Kurenai and Asuma have already taught their students multiple chakra control exercises and have figured out which roles are best suited for them," Kakashi listed off a few more examples of his peers' superior teaching ability, which made both Naruto and Soul Edge agree with him.
"Yeah, you really do suck."
"Indeed. You're better off following my instructions."
Ignoring the pair's rude comments, Kakashi informed them the joint-training would begin tomorrow. Leaving to share this information with Sasuke and Sakura, the Jōnin congratulated Naruto on his new house again, before departing. Despite the month-long period he would have to endure, Soul Edge was pleased to hear he would have a guaranteed feeding opportunity. Naruto could feel excitement pulse from his weapon, giddiness leeching over into himself as a grin unconsciously split his lips. Laying on his new couch with his eyes on the ceiling, Naruto couldn't wait for tomorrow.
Having been forcibly put to sleep by Soul Edge early the night before, Naruto found himself well-rested as he walked towards the designated meeting area. Donning his new outfit with a nodachi chained to his hip, Naruto couldn't help but feel like a different person. This feeling was strengthened by the curious and – surprisingly – friendly looks he received from the few people he saw on his way.
[If only they knew…] Naruto couldn't help but think bitterly. He had to be completely covered just to be treated normally, and even then it wouldn't last long.
[Remember, Naruto, YOU are above the sheep,] Soul Edge quickly encouraged the youth, sending a small pulse of what he hoped was comfort to Naruto. A small rub on his hilt returned the gesture. At that, Soul Edge couldn't help but feel pleased. This what he wanted after all, a strong relationship with his wielder – one of mutual respect and dependence. Helping Naruto realize the opinion of sheep didn't matter was just one of the ways to build their partnership.
'After all, if I intend to regain my status of Ultimate Sword, then Naruto must obviously become the ultimate warrior to match,' rationalized the weapon. Soul Edge envisioned a future of power for Naruto – one where he was surrounded by strength in all forms. Therefore, for the trivial and meaningless thoughts of cattle to affect him was unacceptable… but this would change.
Soul Edge would make it so.
Arriving at the chosen training ground, Naruto saw a team already there and one face he recognized. "Hey, Tenten!" Naruto called to his senior.
Seeing her turn and smile as she recognized him in his new clothes, the girl waved him over. "Naruto! Soul Edge! Come here!"
Now within proper speaking range, Naruto removed both masks before greeting his acquaintance, who in turn did the same before her eyes darted down to the sword at his hip. A grin exploded on her face when the nodachi greeted her.
He really could transform! Soul Edge was the coolest!
Keeping her excitement internal, Tenten took the opportunity to introduce Naruto her team, starting with Neji Hyūga, a boy with long dark hair and pale, almost white eyes. His expression was rather neutral, though Soul Edge detected a delightful amount of animosity and anger inside of him. Following him was a rather excitable boy with black eyes and hair in a bowl-cut wearing a green jumpsuit with orange legwarmers. He introduced himself with a shining smile and both thumbs up. "Yosh! I am Rock Lee! It is a pleasure to meet you, Naruto!"
[Mein Gott! He's too bright!] Soul Edge cringed at the sheer positivity radiating from the person across from him. There wasn't a SINGLE iota of negativity in him! Naruto himself wasn't sure how to react; however, before he could, a proud laugh came from the last and tallest individual.
[Nein! Not another!]
The adult male easily could have been Rock Lee's father, given how much the boy looked like a clone of the larger one, who spoke with a further developed positivity as he introduced himself with a single thumbs-up and a wink. "And I am the sensei of this team! Might Gai! The beautiful Green Beast of Konoha!"
Naruto heard Soul Edge scream in horror at the action. Tenten sighed with a defeated smile, used to this, while Neji stood impassively, the barest hint of annoyance on his features. Naruto could only respond with an uncertain, "…nice to meet you?" at the two before the green pair nodded in sync.
"The pleasure is mine, young Naruto! I look forward to forging a deep bond through our training this month!" Gai returned with another dazzling smile. Lee's smile echoed this idea, the two perfectly in tune. Naruto internally shivered at the display.
[...stay away from them!] Soul Edge warned his wielder, [I don't trust people without a shred of darkness inside them.]
Naruto only nodded in response, before going to where Tenten stood. She immediately apologized for the green pair's attitude. Waving her off, Naruto just asked if they were always like this, to which Neji snorted.
"Wait until you see the sunset genjutsu."
"Gott im himmel! It gets worse?!" Soul Edge moaned in despair, catching Neji's attention, while Tenten softly patted the poor sword.
Naruto leaned his back against a tree, watching as the green pair began to repeatedly perform an overly complex exercise. He unsheathed his weapon, letting the five-and-a-half foot blade glimmer in the sun. In addition to his impressive length, this form of Soul Edge featured serrated saw-teeth running along the lower two-thirds of the blade. Aside from his eye being located near the hilt, there was nothing else out of the ordinary with the weapon – his hilt completely black and plain in appearance. Temporarily removing himself from the tree, Naruto performed a few practice swings before tilting his head and shifting his stance a bit before swinging again. Satisfied with the difference, Naruto resumed resting against the tree, wondering when the others would get here.
He didn't have to wait long, as a few minutes later, Team 8 came on the scene. The green pair greeted them without stopping their exercise, Neji, Naruto and Tenten doing the same from their positions. Immediately, a feral-looking boy with red fang-shaped tattoos on his face and shaggy black hair named Kiba Inuzuka noticed Naruto's new getup and weapon. His small dog partner, Akamaru, poked his head out from his human owner's hoodie, a low whine of unease coming from him. His teammates Hinata and Shino stood to the side of their brash teammate.
"Oi, Deadlast! What's with the new rags and hunk of scrap metal?"
Before Kurenai could reprimand her student and Tenten could defend the clothes Naruto bought at her store, everyone froze as a livid voice was heard. Naruto sighed as he stood up, the only one unaffected by the sheer rage permeating the air.
"'Scrap metal' am I, waste of flesh?" Soul Edge spoke as he shifted to his zweihander form, eye staring directly into Kiba's. "Your blood will be the first my steel will taste."
"Easy there, Soul Edge; he's our ally," Naruto reminded his weapon.
Soul Edge gave a hollow chuckle. "Don't worry – his pride will be enough compensation."
With that statement, the air returned to normal, as Soul Edge shifted back into his katana form. Kiba gulped as the hellish eye glowered at him from its chained position on Naruto's back. The feral boy felt a hand on his shoulder – one he was too familiar with – and turned to see disapproval in the red eyes of his sensei. Whispering a quick but effective reprimand, Kurenai left Kiba to change focus on the sword which stared back. Slightly nerved by the unblinking gaze, Kurenai broke eye contact and joined her students off to side.
Soon, another group arrived, this one being Team 10. Naruto waved to his former classmates Shikamaru and Chouji, the latter waving in return. Taking their places with Ino striking up a conversation with Tenten, the growing group only had to wait another five minutes before the rest of Team 7 appeared. Everyone now present, the individual teams quietly stood together in front of their gathered instructors.
Asuma spoke first, outlining the day's activities. "Firstly, to get everyone used to taking orders from different Jōnin, each of us will be selecting three of you to work with today," he explained, holding up a jar with a bunch of paper inside. "On the battlefield, it's common for teams to be separated and for temporary cells to be formed, either by strategic decision or unforeseen circumstances. So to simulate the latter, each of us will draw three names, and they will be our students for the day," Asuma finished, the other three adults watching as he pulled out a name.
[They want you to associate authority with rank rather than individuals, while also exposing you to new methods of teaching and skills. A good tactic for indoctrination into the system and individual improvement,] Soul Edge told Naruto approvingly as they watched the Jōnin pull three pieces of paper each, before calling the names written down. The teams were as followed: Kurenai pulled Sasuke, Kiba and Lee. Kakashi would teach Tenten, Shino and Chouji. Gai was in charge of Neji, Sakura and Shikamaru. Lastly Asuma got Naruto, Ino and Hinata.
Once the teams had been chosen, and the students stood with their temporary teachers, each group expect Asuma's left to begin their training. Alone with his students for the day, the grizzled Jōnin pulled out four pieces of paper from his pocket. As the Jōnin planned for the month, it was agreed on they would see what their students' chakra affinities were, and this paper was all they needed to find out.
"Alright, this is chakra paper," Asuma held up the small rectangles of thin parchment as he spoke. "We use this to identify what a shinobi's natural chakra affinity is. Observe."
The Jōnin removed a single paper from the four and channel a bit of chakra into it, splitting the paper into two newly-created halves, before lighting them on fire. After his demonstration, Asuma explained each nature would cause a different reaction: [Earth] would make the paper dusty and crumble, [Water] would moisten it, [Lighting] would wrinkle it up, [Fire] would burn it, and [Wind] would split the paper in half. Giving each student a paper, Asuma watched as they tested their affinities.
Ino's paper crumbled. revealing an [Earth] affinity, while Hinata's caught on fire. Naruto's, however, made Asuma grin when the younger male's paper split in half.
"Well, Naruto, looks like you and me are going to be spending some time together this month."
At the Genin's questioning gaze, Asuma explained having [Wind] as your chakra nature was rare in Konoha, which meant he was one of the only people who could teach Naruto how to effectively use his affinity. "However, that'll come a little later," Asuma stated. "First, you need to improve your chakra control, while Ino and Hinata begin their elemental training."
Remembering Naruto's issues with controlling his gargantuan amount of chakra, Hinata and Ino weren't surprised Asuma wanted to start their temporary teammate off on that. Nodding after Asuma gave them instructions on how to start off – Hinata tasked with burning leaves while Ino needed to petrify hers – the girls walked a few meters away to begin their exercises. After about a minute – long enough for Naruto to receive his own instructions – the two heard a small explosion, followed by seeing a tree crash down as Naruto skidded on his back.
Asuma stood quietly with his eyes closed before nodding. "I think you used too much chakra."
Despite his rough start, forty-five minutes later, Naruto successfully mastered tree-climbing with Soul Edge monitoring his chakra usage, while hinting on how to find the right amount needed to accomplish his task. Standing atop a tall tree he'd walked up, Naruto dashed down to Asuma to hear his next task. Pleased to see Naruto's enthusiasm, the tall Jōnin briefly checked on his other students, and found Hinata was ready for the next level while Ino just needed a few pointers. Asuma then led Naruto to a nearby pond where he demonstrated water-walking, which took Naruto 20 minutes to learn thanks to Soul Edge's continued assistance.
Very pleased at Naruto's progress, Asuma brought him back to their original location. Ino was now ready for the next stage of her training, while Hinata was still attempting to produce a flame on her fingertip. Handing Naruto a leaf with the goal of splitting it in half, Asuma went to advise his other students.
"How do I do this…?" Naruto wondered as he stared closely at the leaf between his hands. Soul Edge, meanwhile, watched as Ino turned a few leaves to stone before her teacher, the man then handing her a stick to perform the same task. Eye going to Hinata, Soul Edge watched as she focused on the tip of her pointer finger, which had a small amount of smoke rising from it before dissipating. A dejected expression marked her face before she cautiously shifted her eyes towards Naruto. Soul Edge knew his wielder still hadn't actually done anything, but his look of concentration seemed to inspire the girl as she went back to her own task.
'She really is dependent on others,' Soul Edge noted, before pondering how to help Naruto complete his task of splitting the leaf in twain. From what he saw of the girls' exercises, they needed to cause either a transformation in the leaf to another form (Ino) or ignite it (Hinata). Naruto's task differed, in that he needed to somehow cut the leaf in two. 'How hasn't he figured this out yet?'
Obviously, Naruto needed to concentrate his chakra into the leaf, yet he incorrectly assumed he needed to feed in a certain about of energy to achieve his goal, much like the chakra control exercises. Rather, what he should have been doing was picturing a line in the leaf and channel chakra there. To be fair, the females were employing the same strategy in their tasks and did see some success; however, this was due to what they needed to accomplish. Once again, Naruto's goal was different from theirs, but he treated it as if it wasn't.
Time to correct this line of thinking. [Wielder, cease your action.]
Naruto shifted a bit at the sudden voice, but quickly threw a small glare at Soul Edge for breaking his concentration.
[Unless you wish to keep wasting time, you will heed my words.]
Eye twitching at the weapon's tone, Naruto swallowed his annoyance as Soul Edge had saved him who knows how many hours guiding him through the chakra control exercises. Obviously, he knew things Naruto didn't.
[What is your goal?]
And of course he wasn't just going to tell him the answer.
[To split a leaf in half,] Naruto answered, glaring at the one in his hands. How much chakra was this going to take?!
[Is the question really how much you should use… or rather, WHERE it should be applied?]
Naruto lifted a brow, prompting Soul Edge to continue.
[Think about it: All you're achieving is making the leaf ripple a bit by sending chakra into its entirety.]
[OK… what should I do, then?] Naruto inquired, hoping for a direct answer.
[What is typically used to cut?]
Great. More riddles… Least this one was easy.
[A blade.]
[Then shape one, even if it only lasts a second.]
Naruto stared dumbly at Soul Edge. Shape one? He turned back to the leaf, and slowly the gears started turning in his head. Soul Edge smirked to himself when he felt Naruto try to shape his chakra into a thin line in the center of the leaf. Unfortunately, even with this new approach, Naruto didn't make much progress aside from a noticeable tear in the leaf. It also didn't help Ino and Hinata had told Asuma they felt their chakra starting to deplete, which caused him to switch their focus from chakra manipulation to strength, endurance and stamina training which lasted the rest of the day. This pattern was more or less repeated by the next three teachers on their days, with various additional topics or intensity on a topic already covered.
Gai had prioritized physical conditioning and barehanded fighting techniques, which Soul Edge encouraged Naruto to push himself in. The weapon reasoned increasing strength, endurance, and dexterity would help his body adapt to their tactic of throwing off their opponents by constantly shifting Soul Edge's form. Kakashi had been oddly proactive on his day, his focus was expanding on the basics of sealing arts, something Soul Edge took interest in. Lastly, Kurenai's day focused on genjutsu and how to break out from it.
She had taken a bit of an odd approach to her latter objective: putting one of her three unaware Genin under a subtle illusion to test their ability to notice and dispel a genjutsu, either one enacted on themselves or their teammates. This tactic worked well enough with Shikamaru and Tenten, but Naruto… Well, he surprised her. Kurenai frowned at the speed her genjutsu was undone – this was completely opposite to what Naruto's records stated.
'Genjutsu is supposed to be Naruto's poorest subject… Maybe I made a mistake? I'll try again.'
Attempting to put Naruto in another illusion, Kurenai once more felt her connection cut, but this time, a voice gave her a stern warning.
[Stop. I will not ask a second time.]
So that sword of his was cancelling her jutsu. Interesting.
'Shapeshifting and anti-genjutsu abilities. This thing really is full of surprises,' Kurenai noted, wanting to share this new information with the other Jōnin. Learning more about Soul Edge was a sub-objective during this month, after all. Wait, she almost forgot to add telepathy, as it did contact her! She smiled lightly to herself, pleased she would have information to share with her colleagues when they gathered at the end of the day. Of course, today's gathering would last longer than the previous four, now that each of them had a session with every student. This time, the Jōnin would discuss how best to improve their students individually and in a team.
Dismissing her students for the day, Kurenai departed to her residence for a quick shower before meeting with her colleagues at a restaurant Asuma frequented. Once gathered together, the teachers immediately began sharing and comparing their notes on each student.
When Naruto became the topic of discussion, Kurenai shared what she learned of Soul Edge earlier. "I knew it could talk to Naruto, but not others," Kakashi commented after Kurenai finished speaking. " I wonder how its anti-Genjutsu defenses work, and if it can repel the Sharingan."
"Knowing how advanced the seals of the Uzumaki were, even Itachi's strongest illusion would probably bounce off like a kunai on a Hyūga's Kaiten," Asuma stated as he ate a piece of beef. Swallowing, the smoker continued, "All I know is I'm going to enjoy developing his [Wind] affinity further."
As the Jōnin conversed on how to build Naruto's training regime, the topic of their conversation was in the middle of an unexpected development. Within his inner realm, Naruto stood in the bare courtyard of Ostrheinsburg. A few meters away from him a skeletal figure kneeling on both knees, horned head hung low, clawed hands remaining motionless at its sides. Even in this decrepit state, Inferno still managed to cause a shiver to escape from Naruto as he drew closer. He noted how his head only reached the chin of the… demon? Wraith?
"'Sword Spirit' is the proper term," Soul Edge informed from his place on Naruto's back. Naruto only nodded, eyes draw to the ashen bone then to trails of blue – his chakra – slowly flow into the spilt ribcage, where embers fell from a tarnished silver flame which struggled to stay lit.
"Why is the fire silver?" Naruto murmured as he gently placed his hand on the horned skull. Instantly, he felt chakra withdraw from him at a moderate pace as the flame in the ribcage stabilized, and two more flickered within Inferno's eye sockets. Bone cracked as the once-dormant being slowly – pitifully slowly – raised his skull, an inhuman groan of pain coming from his lipless mouth before returning to his previous position. Naruto removed his hand with a frown, though the three fires remained alight though the two in the eyeholes remained weak.
"How long has he been here?"
"Not long," answered Soul Edge. "I first felt my soul's presence deep into the prior night, and found him here during our training session earlier today."
"What's wrong with him?" Naruto asked with his eyes on the still skeleton. "And how do we reverse it?"
"Aside from an obvious lack of souls, being stuck in a death-like state for this long has severely drained Inferno. The only reason he was able to manifest was our bond filtering energy to him," Soul Edge explained, before answering, "Souls are not only needed, but time as well. Inferno has returned, but his strength and vitality are still depleted."
"So, his mind is up but his body is still out of it?" Naruto summarized.
"In layman's terms, yes"
"Okay. Does this change anything?"
"Not really," Soul Edge admitted "I'll monitor him for any changes, but unless you want to try something risky, then we can continue as normal."
Naruto raised a brow before asking what he meant. He refused immediately when he learned what Soul Edge was thinking. "Absolutely not! We are not using fox-bastard's chakra to fix this!"
"I figured such," Soul Edge answered, "It is an option however. Perhaps we can do this in an emergency?"
Naruto actually agreed with his sword… but only in emergencies. Situation resolved, Naruto left his soulscape, awakening in a cross-legged position with Soul Edge on his lap. He got off the floor before heading to the kitchen to get a snack before heading off to bed.
The next week was rather fun, in Soul Edge's opinion. As part of the training program, the Jōnin had decided to have the students spar with each other in random teams or one-on-one. These matches occurred later in the day after the main training sessions. The sparring matches soon showed the fruit of Naruto and Soul Edge's bond, as the more Naruto fought, the more he inherited the skill housed within the formerly Cursed Sword's memories. Some of his peers shivered whenever they had to face him, while his teachers struggled to fathom how he could advance so fast.
This thought was currently all a panting Kiba could ask himself as he shakily stood battered, bruised and bleeding a short distance away from a masked Naruto. Unlike his dog-like opponent, the swordsmen had nary a mark on him. He stood attentively yet relaxed with his head towards Kiba, back straight and hands loosely grasping the hilt of Soul Edge, whose blade pointed down into the ground. Kiba gritted his teeth at Naruto...
He should be the one standing tall while the deadlast fought to breathe! Akamaru whimpered at his partner's feet, shaking in fear as the eye of Soul Edge bore into his, willing the pup to submit. Kiba growled at the state his partner was in – the state that damn sword put him. Anger boiling over, the Inuzuka sloppily ran at Naruto, who merely readied his weapon. Kiba swung a hard left hook, only to let out a pained hiss when he hit metal. Naruto stomped on his opponent's foot to keep him place, while Soul Edge shifted into a pair of brass knuckles.
Trapping Kiba's outstretched arm between his upper arm and torso, Naruto landed a hard strike on Kiba's ribs. In a desperate attempt to get Naruto to release him, Kiba hastily aimed a punch at his throat. Unfortunately, Naruto shifted his head to the side before delivering another blow, this time to Kiba's jaw. A shockwave of pain buzzed throughout the Inuzuka's skull, followed by another blow to his ribs, then a foot impacted the back of his knee, forcing him into a kneeling position. Naruto let go of Kiba's arm and quickly bashed both brass knuckles on both of the other boy's collars, then smashed a knee into his face.
Stars exploded in Kiba's vision as he landed hard on his back. He felt warm liquid gushing from his nose. Blood, he realized, as his hazy vision barely registered a dark mass approach him.
"Yield."
Kiba heard Naruto's voice order him, along with a sharp point poking lightly into his throat, drawing a bit of blood.
"Fuck… you!"
Eye twitching behind his mask, Naruto removed Soul Edge from his downed opponent and raised his foot. The younger onlookers winced when he brought his boot down on Kiba's ribs eliciting a pained gasp, as well as evicting all the air out of the downed genin's lungs. Struggling to breathe, Kiba struck at the weight on his chest, which only annoyed Naruto as the blows lacked any real strength.
Twisting Soul Edge with a single hand so the sharp bit wouldn't touch the stubborn dog, Naruto smacked Kiba in the temple with the flat side, instantly knocking him out.
"Winner: Naruto!" Kurenai announced, while Azuma and Gai rushed to Kiba and the winner joined the others.
Soul Edge on his back, Naruto took off his mask and stood next to his team, accepting the varied commendations of his peers. Sasuke nodded in approval while Sakura smiled at him. Naruto grinned at the two before turning to Tenten, who gave him and Soul two thumbs-up. A call from Azuma made Naruto turn to see Gai rushing off with Kiba, while the bearded Jōnin walked up to the blond with a cross look.
"Naruto, hold back next time," Azuma reprimanded. "You broke his nose and cracked a rib. The medics can heal that, but take it easy."
Naruto bowed his head, promising it won't happen again. Nodding, Azuma then praised his control of the spar, and once more acknowledged his strategy of changing Soul Edge into whatever form fit the situation.
"Keep at it, Naruto, and you'll be a force to be reckoned with."
With Kiba out of commission, and it being near the time their sessions usually ended, the genin were dismissed for the day, but not before Kakashi gave them a reminder. "Remember, we have one more week, then we'll see if you're ready for the bandit extermination. Now's the time to ask if there's areas where you're lacking."
The students nodded at his words, some staying to do as advised whereas the rest left. Naruto could feel anticipation well inside Soul Edge – something he admittedly shared, though his was moreso due to this being his first real mission, as opposed to the souls his sword long-awaited.
[Soon, my wielder, you will see what I am truly capable of,] Soul Edge promised, tone oddly gentle compared to the foreboding or sarcastic one his voice usually carried.
Naruto merely smiled at this. One more week, then he and Soul Edge could really start making names for themselves.
CUT! CHAPTER OVER!
Finally! This chapter was a pain to write but oh so needed to move things along! I tried to compress the training in a way that showed what they did without focusing too much on it. Granted it was fan to write Kiba getting his ass kicked but I digress.
Next chapter will skip ahead to the chapter you've all been waiting for- chow time for Soul Edge and bandits are on the menu! This is going to be fun!
Anyway, remember to review as your opinions matter to me! Share any ideas, concerns or questions you may have as well!
Later! Greyblueflames burning out!