Chapter 3 – Dangerous Fights & the Death of a Hokage!
"Two Palms. Four Palms. Eight Palms." Naruto heard Neji saying such things, but unfortunately he was in too much pain to really give a crap about the damn numbers. When the last strike came, the young blonde felt the pain coursing throughout his body as he was sent flying across the field, crashing into the ground painfully. "Hakke Rokujūyon Shō (Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms)!" The Hyuga announced, but in truth, Naruto Uzumaki still didn't care. The attack was incredibly painful and he was feeling awful.
"This is the end, Naruto Uzumaki. You will not be able to continue the fight. If you try to stand up, I will not hesitate to end you. Say that you forfeit." Neji stated as he glared at his downed opponent. The Hyuga was not happy that he had been forced to play his trump card against such an unworthy opponent. If the blonde decided to stand, Neji was prepared to stop his heart and kill the younger male.
Silver-Haired Man
Sitting back in his seat, the mystery man sighed and shook his head in disappointment. Clearly I expected too much from you Naruto Uzumaki. Shrugging his shoulders, the man closed his eyes, at least until he sensed something somewhere else in the stands. Glancing around, what he saw had him smirking. Interesting. I had not expected to see Dragoons here of all places. Chuckling to himself, the silver-haired man decided that coming here had been worth his time after all.
The Dragoons, Kiba, & Hinata
Hinata Hyuga's eyes widened as she watched her beloved Naruto being struck by one of the Hyuga clan's most powerful techniques. The shock of it all caused her to have a relapse of sorts and she began coughing terribly, specks of blood occasionally hitting her hands as she tried to politely cover her mouth.
Kiba looked on worriedly, not sure just what he could do for his teammate. As he went to say something, he noticed a glow coming from behind the Hyuga heiress. Looking back, his eyes widened as he watched the woman known as Shana focusing on something clutched in her hands. After a moment, the glow became so bright that he was forced to cover his eyes for fear of going blind!
Rose watched Shana with a small smirk playing at her lips. She knew instinctively what to do. I had thought, perhaps, I would have to instruct her in what to do, but she's doing well. The girl should be better in just a few moments.
True to the Dark Dragoon's assessment, Shana had managed to heal all the internal damage within her new friend. Tapping Hinata's shoulder, the Light Dragoon smiled brightly and gave the girl in front of her a hug. "Are you feeling better now Hinata?"
Hinata blinked in shock for a few moments before she slowly nodded her head. "I…I feel a lot better now. How…?"
Shana shook her head and grinned as she pointed down towards the fight. "You're going to miss the rest of the fight if you don't pay attention. In short, I healed you. I…don't really understand it, but it just suddenly came to me. I knew what to do and did it. I'm just glad you're better now Hinata."
Hinata smiled at her new friend before she returned her gaze to the fight. What she saw shocked her greatly. "N-Naruto-kun…"
Naruto & Neji
True enough, things down in the arena were becoming quite interesting. The blonde combatant was chuckling to himself as he slowly rose, standing shakily on his feet. As Neji rushed towards him to deal a finishing blow on his stubborn opponent, the blonde closed his eyes and quickly slipped around the Hyuga prodigy, slamming the back of his hand against the boy's head and knocking him forward.
Taking a few deep, yet shaky breaths, the blonde opened his blue eyes and smirked at his opponent. "I'm not going to give up Neji. You really hurt Hinata-chan, and I'm not going to stop until I've defeated you. Besides, I'm not out for the count yet. Just watch." With a smirk, the blonde Uzumaki took another deep breath and began to focus hard. Okay you stupid fox, give me just a bit of your chakra. I don't need much, just enough to beat this punk!
Neji found himself smirking at this point as he folded his arms across his chest. "What do you think you're doing? I have closed your tenketsu, you can't access your chakra you idiot."
Naruto Uzumaki didn't listen to Neji's words, or any of the mocking that came after. Instead, he finally felt what he was aiming for. In an instant, the whiskered Jinchuriki felt a powerful chakra surging through his body, repairing the damage that had been done and filling his chakra pathways to the brim. Opening his eyes, the blonde smirked at his opponent and took his taijutsu stance. "You were saying Neji?"
Quickly activating his Byakugan, what Neji saw shocked him to the point he couldn't speak a single word. There was a strange sort of demonic chakra the likes of which he hadn't seen before! If he had to admit it, this chakra scared the Hyuga prodigy. As he began to sweat, Neji Hyuga prepared himself for the second round of combat against Naruto Uzumaki.
Silver-Haired Man
Upon seeing this strange turn of events, the mystery man's eyes widened considerably. Leaning forward in his seat, the man felt a few drops of sweat begin to trickle down the back of his neck. This can't be possible! Just what the hell is this power he's exuding?! What are you Naruto Uzumaki?!
Watching as this strange energy swirled around the arena, whipping up dust, leaves, twigs and the like, the silver-haired man just continued to watch the fight taking place below. What was happening with this boy definitely had the man concerned. Maybe some people in this world could prove to be a threat after all…
The Dragoons, Hinata, and Kiba
Staring in shock at the scene below, Kiba leaned forward and watched Naruto Uzumaki intently. "What the hell is going on down there?! What the heck is this power?!"
Hinata shook her head. She felt just as clueless as her teammate and didn't even try to formulate a theory. Instead, she simply felt like smiling. "I…I don't know Kiba-kun. I'm just glad he's alright. Naruto-kun has a chance to win now!"
Dart and Lavitz were leaning forward in their seats, clearly taken aback by this strange turn of events. "Did you know he was capable of this?!" Dart asked Lavitz. When the knight of Bale shook his head to show he had no idea, the Red-Eyed Dragoon looked back down at Naruto and shook his head. "This energy doesn't feel human. Wait…"
At this point, Rose nodded her head and decided to speak her mind. "Yes. This is the power that connected our worlds. Our friend, Naruto Uzumaki, has power enough to rival that of the Dragons. Or…perhaps he is even stronger than that? I cannot say for sure."
Her fellow Dragoons' eyes widened, clearly in shock at this information. The three of them turned back to watch the fight below. "S-Should we perhaps be concerned?" Shana asked, clearly feeling nervous about this strange power her savior was exuding.
Lavitz shook his head. "No. Naruto helped us a great deal. He may hold some kind of power we haven't experienced before, but I trust him! I don't care what happens, or if it turns out that his power is truly evil, I like Naruto. He's a good kid, a good person, and a good friend."
Dart smirked at this and nodded his head in agreement. "I agree. I'll admit that I'm…shocked at this strange turn of events, but I'm proud to know such a strong individual personally. No matter what, I'm choosing to stand by our friend."
The Darkness Dragoon found herself chuckling at this as she folded her arms across her chest and closed her eyes. "Well said, both of you. I'll admit, I've been…doubtful of Naruto, even suspicious of him for some time, but…" Sighing, Rose allowed a soft smile to grace her features. "Now that I've seen the truth…I'm actually kind of…happy."
At this, Dart and Lavitz began giving Rose a look that showed they were feeling just a tad freaked out by this strange revelation. Glaring their way, the Dark Dragoon smirked devilishly. "Do you two want me to hurt you? Stop giving me that look, it's rude." Seeing them nod in compliance, Rose chuckled to herself before returning her gaze to Naruto. "He is a friend, and he's a good person, as you said. I…trust him." As the others smiled at this, they all watched the fight taking place below.
Naruto & Neji
Once he was ready, the blonde Jinchuriki gave his opponent a cocky smirk before he disappeared from sight. Neji watched in horror as his opponent appeared at his side and unleashed another powerful Katon jutsu. His speed has increased from before! This is bad!
The Hyuga quickly used his Hakkeshō Kaiten (Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven) once again to block the attack. Unfortunately for him, this is exactly what his opponent wanted him to do. As soon as the attack was finished, Naruto appeared just inches from him and punched Neji hard in the chest.
As the air was knocked from the boy's lungs, his blonde opponent spun on his heel and kicked Neji in the back, sending him flying forward. Before the Hyuga prodigy could hit the wall, another Naruto appeared in front of him and kicked him up into the air. It had become a kind of juggling act with Neji being tossed about like a rag doll!
Once Neji was at the top of his ascent, Naruto appeared above him and grinned as he looked into Neji's white eyes. "This is going to hurt, but you'll live at least. Sorry Neji, but this serves you right for what you did!" And with that, Naruto spun in the air and kicked the Hyuga boy hard in the chest, sending him crashing back down into the ground at quite the incredible speed.
Landing a short distance from his opponent, Naruto allowed the Kyuubi's chakra to recede back into the seal before he took a few steps forward. Once the dust cleared, the Uzumaki watched as Neji struggled hard to try and stand, but ultimately failed in the end and rolled onto his back, the pain becoming more unbearable by the second. "Neji, before you are taken away, you should know something."
Seeing Neji look his way, Naruto sighed and knelt down by him, gently patting the Hyuga's head. "I don't know what you've been through in the past, and I'm not sure what exactly you've lost, but you shouldn't take it out on Hinata-chan. She cares about you and even looks up to you. It's obvious to me that you hold a lot of anger for the Hyuga's Main Branch, but holding it all in is just going to hurt you in the long run. Believe me, I'd know…"
Sighing to himself, the blonde closed his eyes and chuckled softly to himself. Neji looked on curiously, his expression softening as he waited for the victor of the fight to continue. "I haven't had the easiest life myself Neji. I never had a family, and I didn't have a lot of friends growing up. Most of the villagers still hate me for something that was taken out of my control the night I was born. But, the few friends I have, and the few friends that I've made…they helped me realize that hatred was not the answer. If I hadn't met them, I'm not sure what I'd be like now."
Neji frowned at this and closed his eyes, nodding in acceptance of that. "I see. You are a good man Uzumaki. I…apologize for my actions." Opening his eyes again, Neji watched as Naruto smiled down at him before the Hyuga was rushed off on a stretcher.
Rising to his feet, the blonde Jinchuriki turned to the proctor, Genma Shiranui, who announced Naruto at the winner of the first battle. Smiling at this, Naruto prepared to return to the competitor's waiting area, only for him to suddenly pause at an unfamiliar sound. Looking up, he spotted virtually everyone in the audience applauding him for his victory.
Unable to formulate words or even comprehend what was going on, Naruto almost jumped when the proctor placed a hand on his shoulder. "You did good Naruto. Congratulations. Go on and wave to your fans, but don't take too long; I do have to announce the next fight after all." Smirking down at the young blonde, the proctor took a step back and allowed the winner of the first match to wave up at the cheering audience.
As he waved at everyone, the blonde slowly made his way towards the stairs that led up to the waiting area. He knew that somewhere up in the stands was his teammate, Sakura Haruno, as well as many of his friends. This, of course, included his Dragoon friends and, quite possibly, Hinata Hyuga herself. I hope you feel better now Hinata-chan. I don't think Neji will be such a jerk anymore. Hopefully you can repair your relationship with him and become a proper family now.
The Dragoons, Kiba, & Hinata
Kiba was cheering loudly, pumping his fist into the air as he screamed out his congratulations to his friend. "Hell yeah! Way to go Naruto! Great job kicking that guy's ass! Yeaaaaaah!"
Dart and Lavitz yelled out their friend's name as well, happy to see he had won his first fight. "Way to go Naruto! You did a great job! Congratulations!" If they could have, they would have likely run to their friend and slapped him on the shoulders in congratulations. It had been a great fight and they were very pleased with him for his victory.
Shana was hugging Hinata from behind and giggling happily with her. "So, how does it feel knowing he won the fight for youuu Hinata-chan?"
The Hyuga heiress was blushing brightly as she giggled nervously. "You shouldn't t-tease me so much Shana-san. But…I am happy. Naruto-kun is a wonderful person, and I'm glad he's alright. I'm so happy he won!"
The Light Dragoon grinned at that and nodded her head. "I am too. Naruto was very impressive, and I'm looking forward to seeing more from him." Nodding together, Shana and Hinata continued conversing with one another excitedly as the crowd around them cheered for Naruto more and more.
Rose, meanwhile, was smirking to herself as she closed her eyelids once again. Well done Naruto. I'm impressed with not only your victory, but with your kind heart. Despite how you felt towards your opponent, you treated him with the respect worthy of a powerful opponent. But more than that, you even tried to help him in the end and set him on the right path. I'm very glad I got to meet you Naruto Uzumaki.
Lavitz suddenly found himself smirking at he looked into his best friend's face. "So, Dart…" As the others around him looked his way, the Jade Dragoon found himself grinning more. "Still want Naruto to join the Hero Competition coming up? He might end up beating you, you know?"
Dart chuckled at this and nodded his head. "He could very well pull off a victory if he and I get to meet in combat. However, I will not let that deter me. I do still wish for Naruto to join the Hero Competition, and I hope that the two of us do get to meet in battle. It would be a good fight, and a great test of my abilities. I want to see how I measure up."
Chuckling at that, the two friends nodded in appreciation of that thought before they began hearing something strange. Glancing around, the group of six listened as the crowd cheered Sasuke's name. Glancing down into the arena, they saw the Uchiha's opponent, Gaara, waiting in the ring. However, Sasuke himself had yet to show up!
Rose frowned at this and shook her head. "How quickly these people change their tone. It's almost as if Naruto's fight means nothing to them, despite their cheering just moments ago. If this 'Sasuke' is so special, why has he yet to show up? If this were a competition in our world, he would have already been disqualified by now."
Kiba snarled a bit at the crowd's behavior before turning to explain to his new friends. "Sasuke is the 'last Uchiha', and is therefore very respected by not only the villagers of Konoha, but by people from the other hidden villages as well. As such, he has turned into an arrogant jackass that seems to think the world revolves around him. A lot of us can't stand him or all the attention he gets. The worst of it is all his damn fan girls!"
Shana found herself frowning at this as she looked around at everybody still chanting Sasuke's name. "How can people like this Sasuke so much if he's truly such a horrible person? How can they not see him for what he is?"
Hinata shook her head at this and looked down at her hands. "I-I'm not sure Shana-san. I can't understand what all those girls see in him either for that matter. He has never paid them any attention, he's spurned their advances, despite how dedicated they are to him, and he's been so rude to not only them, but to Naruto-kun and the others as well. Sasuke thinks he's better than everybody and doesn't really show anybody any real respect."
Lavitz frowned and shook his head as he closed his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. "If he's such a horrible person, then he shouldn't even be allowed to participate in this competition. But more than that, this Sasuke Uchiha should not even have become a ninja in the first place. It sounds like he doesn't know the meaning of the word 'teamwork'. As far as I understand it, teamwork is essential to your teams, and without it, your missions could be put in jeopardy. Do I have that right?"
Kiba nodded and sighed angrily to himself as he clenched and unclenched his fists. "Yeah, you got that right Lavitz-san. Sadly, I think that if Sasuke had been failed, the Council AND the villagers would've thrown a fit. But…more importantly than that, Naruto would have failed as well. After all, Naruto and Sasuke are on the same team…"
Rose scoffed at this and shook her head in mild amusement. "The fates truly have a twisted sense of humor then. I pity Naruto for having to put up with such a stuck-up brat." As the others nodded their agreement, the Dark Dragoon listened as an announcement was made by the proctor. "So, instead of disqualifying the Uchiha, they are postponing his match until the other first round matches have been completed. Tch."
Dart scowled at this and shook his head. "I can't believe these people would show such special favor to a brat that can't even show up on time to his own match. What the hell is wrong with these people?!"
Hinata sighed softly and shook her head again. "We…we really don't know Dart-san. It's always been this way though for as long as we can remember. There's really nothing we can do about it but accept it." Shrugging her shoulders lightly, the Hyuga heiress looked down at the ring. It turned out that the next fight was forfeited immediately upon announcement by Kankuro, making her teammate, Shino Aburame, the winner by default. This only served to enrage the crowd and they began booing. This, of course, only further enraged the six companions.
"Sometimes I really hate these people. I swear all they care about is their precious 'Sasuke-kun' sometimes. Bastards." Kiba said before he began grumbling angrily.
Dart and Lavitz couldn't help but nod their agreement as they watched the next combatants enter the ring. These two were called Shikamaru Nara and Temari. The Nara's entrance was less than spectacular, but at least it was amusing.
As the group of six watched the fight take place below them in the ring, they couldn't help but appreciate the match for what it was: a battle between two geniuses of different villages. Despite the fact that Shikamaru forfeited in the end and gave the match to Temari, it was still a victory for him. The Dragoons couldn't help but appreciate his abilities and each agreed that he truly deserved to be promoted for such a spectacular showing.
Sadly, the crowd booed at the result and the group of six was back to being frustrated with the idiots around them. "Seriously? Can't these people ever just shut the hell up?!"
Silver-Haired Man
The mystery man had grown just as frustrated with the crowd and wanted nothing more than to shut them all up. However, he didn't want to simply slaughter the ignorant masses. After all, it would be detrimental to his plans; he couldn't just go and reveal himself before everything had come to fruition after all, could he?
After the first fight had finished, the silver-haired man found himself feeling ever more curious about the boy known as Naruto Uzumaki. You are one I will have to keep an eye on Uzumaki. If you continue to grow, you could very well pose a serious threat to my plans, and I can't have that.
Then came the, technically, fourth battle in the first round of the competition. As the mystery man watched the fight, he found himself smirking somewhat. Well, it looks like this Shikamaru Nara could also prove to be a bit of a threat. Despite his appearance and behavior, he's a tactical genius. You will require a watchful eye as well.
Naruto
As his friend, Shikamaru, returned to the waiting area, the blonde walked over and patted him on the back. "You did great Shikamaru! Even if you did forfeit, I wouldn't be surprised if you made chunin with a performance like that."
The Nara looked horrified at the very thought of such a thing. Looking into Naruto's eyes, the brown-haired boy shook his head. "That's way too troublesome. Why do you think I quit Naruto?! I want to take it easy, not…not…that!"
At this, the blonde Uzumaki blinked a couple of times before tilting his head to the side and frowning. "Well that sucks. Ah well, doesn't matter. If you make chunin, I'll still be happy for ya Shikamaru."
Sighing to himself, Shikamaru Nara walked with Naruto Uzumaki over to the railing and looked down into the ring below. Gaara was back in the ring, waiting rather impatiently for his opponent. However, as they watched the Suna genin, the friends noticed something. "Is it just my imagination, or is he looking at you, Naruto?"
The blonde shook his head and chuckled nervously. "I, uhh…I think he is. I wonder if I did something to piss him off." Looking at his friend, Naruto watched as his friend simply shrugged his shoulders in response. Sighing at this, the both of them returned their gaze to the arena floor below.
When Sasuke finally appeared in the ring, Naruto and Shikamaru both sighed as the crowd erupted into cheers. "Sometimes I really hate these people." Shikamaru commented, clearly agitated that the people were such fans of someone that couldn't show them, or his opponent, any damn respect.
The blonde Jinchuriki nodded in agreement before leaning on the rail a bit. "I hear ya. I still don't see what these assholes see in the teme. It doesn't even look like Gaara's interested in fighting him at all. Can't say I really blame him, the teme didn't even have enough respect for Gaara to show up on time. That's pretty freaking insulting if you ask me." Shikamaru nodded his head in agreement as the both of them sighed and chose to just watch the fight together.
Silver-Haired Man
As the 'second' fight of the first round got underway, the silver-haired man frowned. The boy that had kept everyone waiting for so long really wasn't very impressive at all. Even after he unleashed that loud lightning-based attack, he was still incredibly pathetic. His opponent, on the other hand, was interesting to watch.
Gaara didn't move much, but that isn't what caught the mystery man's attention. The sand defense and attacks were the curiosity that intrigued him. I have never seen anything like this before. It almost feels like this Gaara carries around an entire desert wherever he goes.
When Sasuke finally managed to wound Gaara, the silver-haired mystery man went wide-eyed as he began to feel a similar energy to what he felt earlier from Naruto! It's not the same, but…what the hell is this?! Will this one require watching as well?!
The Dragoons, Kiba, & Hinata
"Aaand the bastard tries to look cool after arriving this late to his own match." Kiba complained as he facepalmed. Leaning back in his seat, the gruff boy looked at the ceiling and shook his head. "One, two, three…"
As soon as the Inuzuka boy finished counting to three, the crowd began cheering excitedly for their precious 'Sasuke-kun'. Hinata sighed at this and gently patted Kiba's hand. "Don't let it get to you Kiba-kun. There's nothing that we can do about it. Let's just watch the fight and hope it's over with quickly. I want to see Naruto-kun fight again."
Shana giggled at that and nodded her head. "It would be nice to see Naruto fight again, wouldn't it Hinata?" Poking the Hyuga girl in the ribs, the Light Dragoon giggled a little more before leaning in close and whispering to the girl. "Just imagine if he took you on a date after this. All dressed up, bringing you your favorite snack and a bouquet of your favorite flowers; as you go out on your date, he can't help but remark about how beautiful you look in your dress. And when it's all over, you k-i-s-s in the park under the moonlight. Would you like that Hinata?"
When the Hyuga heiress went the darkest red any of them had ever seen and passed out with a very delighted smile on her face, each of the companions looked to Shana as the girl began laughing to herself. Whatever she had said to Hinata, they had the feeling they didn't even want to know. Clearly feeling somewhat cautious of the Light Dragoon now, her four companions all inched as far away as they could while remaining in their seats.
As the fight went on below, the five conscious members of the group could only sigh at what they saw. After a moment, Lavitz decided to voice a question about something he just couldn't stop wondering about. "Is this really what this Sasuke is capable of? With how hyped up the crowd has been for this fight, I'm kind of disappointed. I was far more impressed with the other two fights. All four fighters from both of those fights were very impressive, but…"
Rose sighed and shook her head. "Not everything turns out to be what it's hyped up to be. These people are so blinded by their ridiculous love for this boy that they fail to see that he really isn't anything special. In truth, the only thing that really makes this Sasuke stand out would be his eyes."
Kiba chuckled at that and nodded in response. "Damn right. He's an Uchiha, a clan that wields the 'legendary dojutsu' known as the Sharingan (Copy Wheel Eye)." Turning back to look at his friends, the Inuzuka felt he needed to explain in further detail so they could properly understand the reason why Sasuke's dojutsu was so renowned. "I'm not sure how well I can explain it compared to somebody like Hinata or Hokage-sama, but I'll do my best."
Sighing heavily, the young Inuzuka heir turned to watch the fight below as he began to explain to the Dragoons about the Sharingan. "In one word, the Sharingan is pretty much bullshit. With it, the Uchiha can copy other people's jutsu. Whether it's taijutsu, ninjutsu, or genjutsu, it doesn't matter, they can steal your moves. Aside from that, they can see your chakra flow using those eyes. Genjutsu doesn't really have any effect on those with the Sharingan either. There's other things that could be said about those eyes, but suffice it to say, the Uchiha really suck."
Dart frowned at this information and shook his head. "The sheer fact that he can steal his opponent's moves and use them without ever taking the time to practice them is terrible. From what you've told me about these eyes of his and about his personality, he probably believes that because he has those eyes, he's superior to everyone else. I believe Naruto said something about this before…"
Lavitz nodded and folded his arms across his chest. "If I remember correctly, he said that there are some in your world that are referred to as 'natural-born geniuses' and said that this Sasuke kid falls into that category. Then there are 'geniuses of hard work', which he said people like a 'Rock Lee' and Naruto himself happen to be. From how I understand it, a lot of people in your village seem to think that the natural-born geniuses are something truly special. However…"
Rose shook her head at this point and interrupted. "Because they are 'geniuses', they tend to let that get to their heads. Their egos grow to insane proportions and they let themselves become weak. This Sasuke is no different. It's people like Naruto that are truly strong and worthy of praise, not this Uchiha that can't do anything without his precious eyes."
Kiba smirked at this and nodded his head. "I knew I was going to like you four."
Rose narrowed her eyes at the boy. "Good for you." Sighing, the Darkness Dragoon looked down at the fight taking place below. As Sasuke began charging towards Gaara with a really loud lightning attack, Rose frowned to herself and shook her head. "I think it would only be fair if we ripped his eyes out of his skull and crushed them at our feet. Then he'd be forced to work hard to grow stronger instead of relying solely on his precious eyes."
At this comment, her four conscious companions each scooted away from her as far as they could in their seats. Looking around at the four of them, Rose quirked a brow and chuckled. "What? I think it's a valid suggestion."
Before anyone could say anything else, they were interrupted by a loud scream coming from none other than Gaara. Looking down into the ring, they watched as the dome made of sand began to crumble. The Uchiha had apparently managed to wound the Suna genin while they were busy chatting amongst themselves. What really got the attention of the Dragoons was the kind of power that was emanating from the sand-using ninja.
"Wait, isn't that power similar to…?" Shana began as she glanced at the other three Dragoons.
Rose nodded slowly. "It would seem Naruto is not the only one with this kind of power. Gaara's doesn't feel the same, nor does it feel quite as strong, but I would put it on the level of one of the Dragons at the very least." Frowning at this, the Darkness Dragoon prepared to say more on the subject when they noticed something strange washing over the entirety of the arena. "Well, what is this?"
Shana shook her head and found herself looking around in shock as people all over the arena began slipping into unconsciousness. Many ninja were left unaffected, and she and her friends seemed to be fine, but something strange was definitely going on.
As the Dragoons and Kiba tried to piece together just what was happening, they noticed a variety of things happening in the span of just a few seconds. The first thing they noticed was the fact that Gaara was carried away by his teammates with Sasuke chasing after them. The next thing they noticed was some kind of commotion taking place in the area where the Kages sat. A little higher up, a strange barrier was put in place by four strange-looking ninja. And finally, what appeared to be an invading army began pouring into the arena, leading them to assume that the village of Konoha-Lohan was now under attack as well.
Dart rose to his feet with Lavitz at his side, the two of them quickly drawing their weapons. "It's an invasion. Konoha and Lohan are under attack by an invading enemy force."
Lavitz frowned at this revelation and shook his head. "We've had enough of war already. The people of Serdio have been suffering enough from the war with Doel's forces, but now we have to fight off a new enemy force as well? This isn't right…"
As the group of five prepared themselves for combat, they each suddenly heard mumbling coming from their unconscious friend. As they glanced Hinata's way, they heard her next words quite clearly, heavy blushes forming over some of their faces. "Nooo. Naruto-kun, stooop. Everyone's watching, you know we can't do that here." At this point, she began to giggle and squirm in her seat. "Ohh, you're so naughty today. I guess if you insist…"
Kiba blinked in confusion for a moment and quickly turned away. "I…I don't think I even want to know what she's dreaming about right now. We should just ignore her and focus on, umm…yeah, keeping the civilians safe."
Dart nodded at this and looked to Shana. "Shana, please stay here with Kiba and look after the civilians in this section until Hinata comes to. Then the three of you can guard this area together. Rose, do you think you can get through that barrier?"
Rose quirked a brow at this and shook her head. "I could, but we shouldn't waste our time with that. There are hundreds of people living in Konoha-Lohan and they need protection far more than the Hokage needs assistance."
As Dart went to protest, Lavitz placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. "She's right Dart. I understand how you feel. The Hokage is very dear to Naruto, but we cannot place his life above that of the villagers."
Dart sighed at this and nodded, conceding to their wisdom on this matter. Taking a deep breath, the mercenary spoke up again. "Okay then. Rose, do you think you could head into the village and assist the ninja in routing the enemy? Lavitz and I can help the ninja here easily enough."
Rose shrugged her shoulders and turned to leave. "As you wish. But I'd be more worried about Naruto if I were you." Nodding in another direction, the group watched as Naruto and Shikamaru left to follow Sasuke, along with a weird dog running in front. "It would appear he's going to confront Gaara. If it turns out he needs help, I expect you to go to him Dart. Is that understood?"
The Red-Eyed Dragoon found himself gulping nervously at the way his comrade had said that. It wasn't truly a request, it was an order. He had the feeling that if Dart failed to keep Naruto safe that she was going to make him suffer for it in an incredibly painful way. Before he could even say anything, the woman had transformed and flown off to assist the ninja in the village.
After a moment of silence, Shana decided to speak up as she let loose an arrow that flew straight into the eye of an unsuspecting Oto ninja. "It sounds to me like she's become really fond of Naruto. Now I really want to meet him for myself!" As the Light Dragoon giggled to herself and continued to fire upon the enemy forces, the others chuckled somewhat nervously before Dart and Lavitz rushed off to different parts of the arena to assist in the defense of the civilians and lesser ninja.
Naruto
As his friends and fellow ninja fought to keep the village safe, Naruto and Shikamaru had given chase after Gaara and his teammates. It didn't take long for the duo and their guide, Pakkun the ninken, to notice that they were being followed. With the speed at which their enemies were gaining on them, the intelligent young Nara opted to stay behind and hold them off while Naruto and Pakkun rushed on ahead.
Upon arriving at the scene of Sasuke & Gaara's ongoing battle, the blonde shook his head. "Well, I can't say that I didn't expect this. The teme's getting his butt kicked. Stay here Pakkun, Gaara's a Jinchuriki, and I think I'm probably the best person to take him on at this point."
Pakkun simply shrugged and watched as the blonde jumped forward, catching Sasuke as he was sent flying backwards after being swatted away by a powerful arm made of sand. Immediately upon landing on a branch, Naruto Uzumaki leapt away to another branch as soon as he sensed a bunch of sand shuriken flying his way. Upon landing, Naruto laid his teammate upon it safely out of Gaara's sight. "If you know what's good for you teme, you'll stay here. You don't know what Gaara is, I do."
Before the Uchiha could say anything, the blonde Uzumaki had already leaped off to confront Gaara. Now standing directly across from his fellow Jinchuriki, Naruto frowned and shook his head. "I'm here Gaara. I saw that expression you had earlier. You wanted to fight me, didn't you? Well here's your chance."
Gaara cackled madly as he eyed his new opponent. "Uzumaki! Help me prove my existence Naruto Uzumaki! Mother is screaming for your blood!" The redheaded Suna genin rambled on like this for a moment as Naruto began preparing himself for whatever was to come. When it finally came, the blonde found himself wincing slightly at how loud the Suna Jinchuriki was screaming. "Suna Shuriken (Sand Shuriken)!"
Chuckling nervously to himself at how fast the hundreds of shuriken were coming towards him, Naruto quickly leaped away. Using his sensory abilities, the young shinobi continued to dodge shuriken after shuriken until the attack had finally ceased. Once this had happened, Naruto Uzumaki quickly formed a few dozen Kage Bunshin and spread them out throughout the surrounding area.
Turning towards Gaara, the blonde quickly went through a series of hand seals for one of the jutsu in his repertoire. "Suiton: Hahonryū (Water Release: Tearing Torrent)!" As soon as the water appeared in Naruto's right hand and began spiraling at a high speed, he shot it forward towards Gaara and watched as he threw up one of his sand arms to block. Good. I was hoping you'd do that.
As soon as the water struck Gaara's arm, it made the sand much heavier and became much harder for Gaara to manipulate as he would have liked. The Kage Bunshin positioned behind Gaara suddenly lunged forward, Rasengans in hand and attempted to strike the Suna genin. When the Jinchuriki spun around, attempting to strike them, he received another Suiton: Hahonryu to the face, blinding him momentarily and allowing the Rasengan wielding Kage Bunshin to strike the Suna Jinchuriki all over his sand-encased body.
When Gaara went crashing through a couple of trees and eventually fell to the forest floor with a thud, Naruto's remaining Kage Bunshin came out of hiding and unleashed numerous Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu attacks, each one pelting the poor redhead in sync, the flames merging together as they did to deal increased damage to the boy.
The blonde Jinchuriki took a better vantage point and watched the fire closely for a time until it dissipated. As it finally started to fade away, Naruto could spy small areas of glass throughout Gaara's sand armor. However, he didn't quite expect what came next.
In an instant, an incredibly large Bakedanuki (Monster Tanuki) could be seen towering over those in the immediate area. In fact, this beast could be seen from Konoha, and Naruto had a feeling that things could get very ugly if he didn't figure something out fast.
Dart
Dart let loose a battle cry as he unleashed his Burning Rush Addition to quickly take down two enemy ninja. His main focus at this point was not just protecting the civilians, but in building up enough Spirit to support his transformation for the longest period of time possible. From what he could feel, it would only take one or two more attacks to max out on Spirit and then he could really turn the tides of this battle in their favor!
Behind the mercenary stood two jonin sensei known as Asuma Sarutobi and Kurenai Yuhi. The two of them were thankful for the assistance and had taken defensive positions around the unconscious civilians while they let the Dragoon take on the majority of the enemies in the immediate area. At first they had questioned this man on just who he was, but when he simply said he was Naruto Uzumaki's friend, that was honestly good enough for them to trust the man.
Quickly cutting down another three enemies, the Red-Eyed Dragoon suddenly felt an overwhelming power from not too far off. Head snapping quickly in that direction, Dart Feld's eyes widened considerably and he appropriately said, "Oh shit!"
Off in the distance, what could only be called a monster had made its appearance. Unfortunately, Dart could feel the same kind of malice from this new foe as he had felt from…Gaara. "Oh crap, Rose is going to kill me if I let Naruto fight that thing alone!"
Quickly taking a step forward and preparing to transform, Dart soon noticed something else equally as large appear a short distance away from the sand monster. "Is that…a giant toad? Just what the heck is going on over there?!"
Asuma soon appeared at Dart's side, slashing open an enemy's neck as he went to attack the distracted mercenary. "It looks like Naruto signed the Toad Contract. Still, to be able to summon something that big is seriously impressive." Seeing Dart's confusion, the Sarutobi smirked and, without turning his gaze from his ally, threw a kunai into the skull of an enemy trying to ambush him from the side. "I'm not sure if you have anything like them in your world, but in this world, we ninja can sign contracts with special creatures. Once we have signed a contract, we can summon allies of that species of animal to aid us in times of need. This is what Naruto has just done. Look closely and you can see him standing atop the Toad's head."
The Fire Dragoon quickly spun on his heel and bisected two enemies in half at the midsection before sliding backwards and then flipping to the right to quickly avoid some projectile attacks. Glancing to his right at three incoming Oto ninja, the Dragoon dashed forward towards them and unleashed his Volcano Addition to take down two, while he used Double Slash to finish the third. Upon finishing his enemies, Dart glanced towards the battle taking place off in the distance and winced as gale force winds washed over everyone in the arena. "Shit! Their battle is going to end up destroying everything if Naruto doesn't finish him soon!" Allowing himself a closer look, the Red-Eyed Dragoon smiled as he saw his friend riding atop the giant Toad. I'll be there soon Naruto. I'm not sure if you even need my help, but I did promise Rose I'd look out for you.
Naruto
Naruto had been forced to try and evade large waves of sand, and it had quickly become almost impossible to do so. Even though Gaara was still conscious, it felt as if the sand was being controlled by something else at this point. That didn't matter anywhere near as much as staying alive did though!
Quickly running through the options in his head, unleashing occasional Katon or Suiton jutsu to slow or halt the advance of the sand waves in order to buy himself some time, the blonde decided that, in order to continue fighting Gaara on at least somewhat equal footing, he would have to summon Gamabunta. Unfortunately, with the rate at which the sand was coming for him and how fast it was beginning to surround him, the blonde began to wonder if he even had enough time to perform the summoning!
Sadly, all options were soon taken away from Naruto as his left leg was caught by a tendril of sand the moment he tried to leap over a wave of sand to go higher up on another tree! Cursing under his breath, Konoha's Jinchuriki braced himself as the tendril of sand slammed the boy through a couple of trees before finally slamming him into the ground. Feeling the breath leaving his lungs from the impact, Naruto forced himself to bite into his thumb hard enough to draw blood. Running through the hand seals as quickly as he could as the sand began to come his way, the blonde shouted out the name of his jutsu and prayed it would be enough to turn this battle back in his favor. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)!"
Right as the sand began to wash over his body, Naruto's technique worked! In an instant, the blonde was lying on top of Gamabunta's head rather than on the ground where the sand was attempting to crush the very life out of his body! Flipping over, his body wracked with pain, Naruto gently patted Gamabunta atop his head and smiled. "Hey there Gamabunta-san. I know I've only summoned you a couple of times, and we still don't know each other all that well, but I kinda need your help here."
Gamabunta scowled as he looked around at his surroundings. When his eyes finally landed on Shukaku, he sighed. "First you summon me when the worlds start colliding, then you summon me again for practice, and now this? I had hoped not to have to do battle with another bijuu ever again." Realizing Naruto was probably about to ask an unimportant question, at least in the Toad's opinion, he spoke again. "Don't ask Naruto. Just hold on tight, because this is going to get ugly."
Sure enough, Gaara began to speak from atop of the Bakedanuki. "I will not lose to you Uzumaki! Tanuki Neiri no Jutsu (Feigning Sleep Technique)!" And with that, all chaos truly began. As soon as the redhead fell asleep, Shukaku himself awakened and began to laugh maniacally. It was clear to Naruto that this being was insane and not quite right in the head, but he also realized that this beast was incredibly dangerous and needed to be stopped immediately.
"Shit. Hold on tight Naruto, we're moving!" Sure enough, right as Gamabunta jumped, the Ichibi turned to them and unleashed a couple of Fūton: Renkūdan (Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet) attacks in their direction. Whilst in the air, Gamabunta and Naruto decided on a quick combination jutsu, the Katon: Gamayu Endan (Fire Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet) on the Bakedanuki.
As Shukaku began to turn, the attack struck the bijuu hard in the right side of its body and turned most of that part of its body to glass. Finding itself rooted in place, Shukaku roared out and began screaming out in frustration. "So Bunta-san, any advice on how to seal that damn thing again?"
The Toad chuckled a bit before he gave his answer. "My suggestion is to wake that little punk up. Shukaku's Jinchuriki used that technique earlier, remember? Give him a good smack or two and he should wake right up. Do that and the Ichibi will be forced to return to the seal. With the bastard rooted in place, I just need to get you close and you can leap onto his head and do the rest yourself. Got it?"
The blonde Jinchuriki nodded and prepared himself to leap onto the head of the Ichibi. Once Gamabunta was close enough, Naruto rushed forward and leaped off of the Toad's head. As he flew through the air, the young blonde focused as much chakra as he felt was safe into his right fist and took in a deep breath. "Gaaaaaaraaaaa! Wake the fuck up you son-of-a-bitch!"
Reaching his fellow Jinchuriki, Naruto threw his punch and nailed Gaara right in the face. Watching as Gaara spit up blood, the blonde could feel numerous tendrils of sand swirling around him and tried to move away, only to fall flat on his face when two tendrils captured him by the ankles. Thankfully, the sand paused as the redhead slowly came to.
The blonde couldn't help but laugh lightly as the Ichibi screamed out in anger and frustration at being forced back into the seal so soon after awakening. Soon enough, the gigantic beast began to crumble back into sand and Naruto found himself falling alongside Gaara. "Heh, this is gonna hurt."
Watching the two Jinchuriki falling through the sky towards the trees below, the giant Toad smiled and nodded his head slowly. "Good-bye Naruto, and good luck." And with that, Gamabunta disappeared back to Mount Myobokuzan. Shortly afterwards, Naruto and Gaara crashed through a few tree limbs before landing on some large limbs attached to two separate trees.
Slowly rising to their feet, both suffering from their injuries, the two glared at each other. "You just don't stay down, do ya Gaara?" After both took a deep breath and prepared themselves, they leapt at each other and swung punches at one another. The blonde managed to just slip around Gaara's punch and delivered a powerful punch right into Gaara's face that sent him plummeting to the forest floor some distance below.
Landing roughly on his feet a short distance from his opponent, Naruto looked towards the small crater that had formed from the impact. Chuckling to himself a bit, the blonde ignored the pain he was in and slowly walked his way towards the psychotic Jinchuriki.
As fear began to overtake Gaara, he decided to ask his opponent, and victor of the fight, a question. "W-What makes you so strong Naruto Uzumaki? I thought killing would continue to prove my existence, but you beat me. I can't even move."
Naruto shook his head and knelt down by Gaara. Reaching over, he gently patted the redhead on his head. "The answer's pretty simple. I have precious people that I would give or do anything to protect, even if it cost me my own life." Shrugging, regretting the decision to do so as the pain wracked his body.
Wincing, his right hand shot up to his left shoulder and Naruto was forced to take in a deep breath before he could continue speaking. "I've always been treated like crap by the people in my village. You've suffered a lot too, I can tell just by looking in your eyes. I think there's a good chance I could have turned out like you Gaara, but I met some wonderful people and they…well, they saved me. I may not have much respect yet, but that doesn't matter. So long as I have my precious people beside me, I can continue on and one day make my dream of becoming Hokage come true, I'm sure of it."
Looking down into Gaara's eyes, Naruto smiled softly at him. "Gaara, I know it may be difficult to see, but you have people close to you that truly care about you. Try to open your heart and let them in and you'll see that things will start getting better. But more than that, you'll find your true strength when you learn to care for them in return. The desire to protect those dear to you gives you strength that nobody could truly fathom. And I look forward to seeing your true strength someday Gaara, not as an enemy, but as a friend." Extending his hand to his downed opponent, Naruto grinned down at him.
For a moment, Gaara stared blankly at Naruto. Then, he slowly managed to move his arm just enough so he could grip the blonde's hand. "Friends…"
Before they could say anything more to each other, Temari and Kankuro arrived and watched the two of them with curious expressions for but a moment before they knelt down by their brother and helped him to his feet. Supporting him between the two of them, they looked to Naruto and thanked him before disappearing, moving away from the village.
Not much longer after that, Dart landed in the area, donned in his Dragoon armor and looking around at the damage. "I came as fast as I could, but it looks like it's already over. Great job Naruto!" Getting a closer look at his friend, the Red-Eyed Dragoon's eyes widened. "You're hurt! Come on, the village has been saved and the medics are treating the injured now. We can talk later." Rose is going to kill me…
Three days later – Morning
True enough, the village had been saved, but it came at a great cost. The village of Konoha-Lohan was in a state of disrepair, quite a few people had died, and Naruto had lost one of his most precious people: the Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. This was a devastating blow for the young man and he hadn't spoken a word to anyone about it since he received the shocking news.
After all he had been through, after his difficult fight against Gaara, after working so hard to protect everybody in the village…he still couldn't do anything for his precious jiji. Naruto knew it wasn't right to feel guilty for being unable to save the Sandaime Hokage, but he still hated the fact that he was dead. If the blonde could go back and say one thing to the old man, it would have been: "I love you Jiji." Thinking back on it now, Naruto truly wished he had said that more often.
Currently, he was standing with some of his friends at the funeral being held today. It was a funeral not only for their lost Hokage, but for all those that had died during the invasion, and for Hayate Gecko, the proctor of the third exam, who had apparently died trying to deliver some vital information to the Hokage about the very invasion that had taken the lives of so many. At least, that's what most assumed; Naruto didn't know the truth of it, but he felt for the poor guy and the people that loved him.
Standing behind Naruto were the four Dragoons, each of them was worried deeply for their friend. The blonde was the first person they had met in this new world, and he had quickly grown on all of them. The fact that none of them could get the poor boy to speak to them about his loss worried them all the more.
As Rose looked down at the back of Naruto's head, she frowned deeply and slowly reached her hand out, preparing to rub his head a bit. However, she caught herself and sighed, retracting her hand as she thought back to the day of the invasion. Sure enough, she had chewed Dart out pretty badly for allowing Naruto to become so injured, but she didn't do anything more than that. They did notice that the boy's wounds were already healing, and when they learned that he would be perfectly healthy again in just a few days, they were honestly shocked. However, they all chalked it up to Naruto's mysterious 'power' and didn't question it.
Continuing to look at Naruto, the Darkness Dragoon found herself wanting to just hug him and tell him that everything would be okay…or at least get better with time. However, she had experienced the pain of loss herself already, and she knew that it would hurt for a long time. Naruto, you need to talk to your friends, to us… Sighing softly, the Dark Dragoon closed her eyes and shook her head. I was alone for a long time, the pain haunting me for some time, but you don't have to be alone. We can help you if only you'd let us in!
After the funeral
The funeral had proceeded on in silent mourning for a time until those present were allowed to say their good-byes to their Hokage and any others they wished to say their farewells to. Many of the mournful citizens of Konoha laid a single flower upon the coffin of the Sandaime Hokage as they passed. Some paused for a longer period of time at the Hokage's coffin and seemed to struggle to move on. Among these few was Naruto Uzumaki, still struggling with the death of someone so dear to him.
After the funeral finished and the people began to leave, Shana walked up to Naruto and placed her hands upon his shoulders, kneeling down and looking him in the eyes. "Naruto, please don't walk away. Just…talk to us, okay?" Seeing his blank eyes when he looked at her, the Light Dragoon flinched momentarily before hugging him close. "I'm so sorry you lost your 'jiji' Naruto. He was a good man, and I'm glad I got to meet him those few times I did. I'm…I'm sure that the Hokage wouldn't want you to retreat into yourself like this though Naruto. He'd want you to be strong and persevere through this. You should learn from his death, cherish the life he had and the time you spent with him, and move on. It's hard, and it'll probably continue to be hard on you, but he really wouldn't want you to do this to yourself."
Rose walked over and knelt down at Naruto's side. As Shana released the boy, the Darkness Dragoon smiled softly at the blonde and wrapped him into a tight hug. "I know the pain of loss Naruto. It's not easy, and it hurts; it really does. But Shana is right; the Hokage wouldn't want you doing this to yourself. You have friends that are here to help you through hard times like these Naruto. We're planning to go ask about the Hero Competition, so why don't you come with us and talk about anything that comes to your mind, okay?"
Seeing Naruto nod, the Dragoon of Darkness smiled a little more and took his hand in hers, slowly walking with him to catch up to Dart and Lavitz, who had already begun walking the moment Naruto had accepted the invitation to follow them to the Lohan arena.
At the Lohan Arena
As the group of five walked to the arena, Naruto slowly began to open up and talk about his happier memories with the Sandaime Hokage. Some of them were pretty amusing and had the five of them laughing a little, but for the most part, they were just happy to hear him talking again.
Upon arriving at the arena, they walked to the registration counter for the Hero Competition and waited as Dart went to talk with the clerk. Turning to the young man that helped save her life, Shana smiled down at him and extended her hand. "I would like to properly introduce myself. My name is Shana. It's a great pleasure to officially make your acquaintance Naruto. Thank you very much for saving my life."
The young blonde blinked a couple of times before gently grasping the Light Dragoon's hand and shaking it once. "I'm happy I could help you Shana-chan. It was the right thing to do, and I couldn't just leave you alone to suffer like that anyways. Besides that, I saw how much your friends cared for you. I'm happy that you're feeling better now."
The brown-haired girl smiled happily down at Naruto and nodded her head. "I'd like to think I can count you amongst my closest friends now Naruto. You're a good man and these three seem to be very fond of you already. Hopefully we can become great friends."
The blonde Jinchuriki grinned at Shana and nodded his head in return. "I'll gladly be your friend Shana-chan. You're a good person with a pure heart, I can feel it. I hope we get to spend a lot more time together so we can get to know each other better. I want to spend time with all four of you and help you out a lot more."
Before Shana could reply to that, Dart returned and shook his head before delivering the news. "Apparently the arena took a bit of a hit thanks to the invasion, and some of the competitors that had signed up were injured during the invasion. The Hero Competition is on hold for an indeterminable amount of time for now. Maybe we should look around the village and see what we can do to help out?" He suggested with a shrug, clearly not sure what they could do to kill time.
As Naruto went to reply, he suddenly felt a familiar presence rushing up to the group. Glancing past them, he smiled and waved at Jiraiya. "Heya Ero-Sennin, what's up?"
Frowning at the nickname, the white-haired man shook his head and looked down at his godson. "Naruto, you and I are going on a mission. We've been tasked with finding and retrieving Tsunade Senju, one of my old teammates, and bringing her back to become the Godaime Hokage. You should return home and pack for at least a month or two. I do have some leads on where she could be, but Tsunade tends to move around a lot, so it could take some time. I'll wait for you at the west gate. Don't take too long."
Before Jiraiya could disappear in a shunshin, Rose spoke up. "Jiraiya, correct?" Seeing him nod and look her over with a lecherous grin, the Darkness Dragoon sighed and quickly drew her rapier, pressing it against his neck. "First, stop looking at me like that if you want to keep certain body parts intact. Second, would you permit the four of us to accompany Naruto and yourself on this mission? We would like to help, and it's a lot better than staying here. After all, Naruto is our closest friend in this world and we'd feel much better in his company than here where we know very few other people."
The white-haired man thought it over for a few moments before he shrugged his shoulders. "I don't see why not. Go ahead and stick with Naruto, he'll show you where we're supposed to meet." And with that, Jiraiya disappeared in a shunshin.
Shana turned to the others and giggled to herself for a moment. "Well, I think that solves our boredom problem. Let's go find ourselves a new Hokage!"
A/N: Okay, I had originally meant to end this third chapter at a different point, namely when Itachi and Kisame approach Naruto. However, the chapter was getting to be pretty long, so I decided that this was a pretty good spot to end the chapter. *nods*
Anyways, hopefully you enjoyed the chapter, and enjoyed the changes to things and the views of the people from The Legend of Dragoon. I occasionally had to pause while writing this chapter because I kinda just...FROZE while writing. Not really sure why that happened, but I just suddenly had a hard time getting my words out, sooo...yeaaaah. Hopefully the chapter turned out alright.
Chapter 4 of this fic is coming up next. Hopefully you're looking forward to it! And, not sure if I've already mentioned it in this fic already, buuut, there's a poll on my profile for those of you that read RoNUN. Feel free to check it out and vote if you're interested. *nods*
Take care, have a great day, and I think I'm going to finally get some sleep! lol. I am TIRED.