CHAPTER 2
TITLE: Pain is Passed Down
His village was burning.
The screams and agonizing wails of his countrymen echoed over the din of chaos this monster had created…
He could feel the flares of chakra around him like strong breezes on the wind, all of a different feel and temperature. Ninja's and civilians all. One by one, sometimes in the dozens, they were snuffed out. Gone from this world. His friends, his countrymen… perishing in fear and horror all around him.
Some merely flickered out, dying like the fading embers in a great bonfire. Others died in pain and all consuming panic as they choked on the thick, vulgar chakra that seeped from the beast like an open dam. Their chakra systems poisoned by the foul chakra, dying painfully, slowly as they bled from every orifice, red streaks of angry red blotches appearing on their skin. Some unfortunate souls appearing entirely red from the exposure, their only comfort being their a deaths. Hopefully quick, but most weren't so lucky.
Hiruzen had never felt so helpless in all his long life.
He held his adamantine staff in his hand, more for comfort than anything else.
Barely a few moments ago, him and the Yondaime untied together to defend their village, his staff extending to impossible heights, the indestructible staff slamming into the Kyuubi no Kitsune with all the force he could manage.
His staff slammed into the beast from behind, his weakened, exhausted mind recognizing the strong, painful vibrations that went up his arms, but he forced himself to ignore it, focusing instead on the screams. Intensifying his rage, forcing him to act.
To do something… Anything.
But the beast was impossibly strong, and rebuffed his every strike, swiping a heavy clawed hand at him. He dodged, feeling the force of the swing from the rush of hot, displaced air whooshing around him. He managed it, despite his utter exhaustion, unwilling to let the beast to take his life, but a single look behind him often made him wish that the beast had taken him instead. The carnage in that single strike resulted in even more damage to his beloved home, taking even more lives than Hiruzen was prepared to count.
The Kyuubi stood hunched over in the middle of the village, it's terrible form towering over them, it's dark red color only glowing brighter with the darker red that glowed like an ominous crimson halo around it.
It whipped back and forth, its terrible gaze sweeping the countryside, perhaps looking for more lives to take from him.
It's nine tails swished behind it, more often than not swiping outwards, the glowing red appendage sweeping through buildings and people alike, causing explosions, and more cries of panic and pain.
Hiruzen stood, not out of courage, or even shock. But only because that was all he was able to do.
He felt one more chakra signature cry out in pain, only to splutter out shortly after. A painfully familiar one, another signature he recognized was right next to it, it's energy fading. His head swiveled to the side, and as if his swift motion was the cause, another was snuffed out, both dearly familiar to him.
He screamed out their names, and he felt his legs move. He already knew what he would find there, but as the Third Hokage, it was his duty to witness this.
With a heavy heart he thought on it, 'Hokage'.
He was Hokage again.
When he arrived at the scene, the only living thing present being a newborn baby.
Only then, did he let himself fall into despair.
Hiruzen snapped back the present, and took a long breath.
"I feel as if, that's a bit of an overstatement my friend..." The Third Hokage said in a measured tone.
He wasn't totally wrong, the ultimate fate of their village's Jinchurriki was an important subject, and the their plan for young Naruto-kun had certainly gone astray since the last time they had breached this particular topic.
Externally, Hiruzen maintained his usual stone-faced expression as he sat in his chair, but the old man felt his heart crack just a little deeper whenever the subject of Minato's son was brought up.
Naruto, the village's Jinchurriki; was probably the village's worst kept secret. Talking bout the boy was often tricky, depending on those that were listening. Especially since the long term plans they had over Naruto's development had certainly undergone some unforeseen 'changes' since the topic was last brought up.
However, it was his own humble opinion that of all the things he and Danzo disagreed on, their most heated discussions always involved the young Uzumaki.
To Hiruzen, Naruto was more than just another child harmed by the damage created by the nine tails, the container for said beast, and he was also more than merely the son of Minato and Kushina.
Naruto was a person too, not just a legacy, and not just a weapon.
Hiruzen often had to remind himself of this. In their many talks together, Hiruzen saw first hand the raw enthusiasm and energy Naruto possessed. His spirit was one he envied more than anything in the world, his dream to become Hokage, and receive recognition.
It was childish he knew, childish and naive, but at the same time so pure and honest, he knew that Naruto and others like him would grow to become fine shinobi. Children like Naruto deserved to be protected, something Hiruzen had failed to accomplish far too many times.
Now Naruto seemed so very far away, so distant and intangible it may as well be a star in the night sky. A beacon of hope and of the future, but impossible to touch.
Danzo knew of Naruto, but considered him a lost cause. A burnt asset with little worth. A boy of some pedigree, but little consequence.
The fox however, was a prize almost without value, the real target of his interest.
And this is where their arguments typically began nowadays. Somewhere along the lines of their individual views on Naruto, and the true meaning behind the Will of Fire.
Danzo wielded the power within his 'illegal' splinter cell organization like a set of rusty pruning shears. Trimming the excess leaves and branches of the world as if they were nothing but chaff for the flames of war, power and influence. All in the name of protecting the leaf village.
But Danzo tended to always play down, or otherwise ignore the long term consequences of such consistently rash action and bloodshed. Mistaking his own more merciful and hesitant approach as weakness or cowardice.
Hiruzen knew that overreactions to possible threats and needless or otherwise unconscionable violence and bloodshed was the perfect way to ensure that his beloved village didn't last another decade, let alone another generation. The role of Hokage was designed not only to lead, but also to teach. To learn from past mistakes not only for the sake of his village, but also for the sake of the true 'kings' and 'queens' of Konoha.
Many now called him 'the professor' for this very reason, and Sarutobi was proud to be known as a man who chose to teach the future of Konoha how to push his beloved village to new heights. Hiruzen sighed as he shook his head in thought, 'Or at least how to survive in this wicked world of ours...'
Snapping himself from his deep thoughts and back to the present, the old Hokage did his best to smile at his old friend, "Ah Danzo. Grandiose and passionate as always. Although I believe that the statement you made slightly misses the mark on what this meeting is truly about." Danzo didn't respond with more than just a grunt, and Hiruzen figured with annoyance that it was likely all he was going to get from the old war hawk.
Speaking of whom, Danzo's brow creased in curiosity, and maybe a little annoyance at the words from the young ANBU. Intensifying the depth of the many wrinkles and visible scars that decorated the weathered man's face, "Interesting. Tell me, what makes your input or presence necessary Ne-"
"Tori." She interrupted sharply.
Danzo quirked his head, his eyes dangerous and threatening. Despite Danzo's aged and decrepit state, he was a shinobi only comparable to himself in their respective primes. And he knew Danzo could be quite imposing when he wanted to be.
"Pardon?" He grated, almost growling.
The ANBU turned her body to face the man fully, unbothered by the older man's vicious glare. "I apologize respected Elder, I wasn't sure that you heard...My new code name is Tori, and I believe that any information regarding regarding my previous alias is classified. Pending the Hokage's approval for me to disclose such information."
Danzo stared at her, for a few seconds longer before eventually turning to once again face the Hokage with a huff of indignation.
"Peace Danzo, I asked Tori to come because of her mission's relevance for what we are about to discuss, as well as her expertise and training in the ANBU. She is, for the most part, unaware of the mission at large, and part of the reason for this mission is to both include her in said mission, as well as seek a first hand view of our situation."
The old man raised his hands, gesturing to the both of them, "My point is that in order to ensure the bright future of young Naruto, we must work together, as well as work very carefully."
Hiruzen raised his hands, clapped twice, and at once the room began to shift. A slow scraping sound echoed through the chambers as the shadows in the room deepened and widened, the shades of the windows closing slowly.
The lamp on his desk came on automatically, as well as a bulb behind him that reflected light off the walls, and around the room. The scraping sound continued, and If Hiruzen possessed the famous Byakugan of the ancient Hyuuga clan, Hiruzen would've seen a massive sealing matrix crawl up the edge of the window, protection those inside the room from any ocular, or chakra based genjutsu.
Then a half a second later, the shades that were perched over the square shaped windows lowered, the slots from the shades connecting together to make a resilient shield that blocked both light, and projectiles from entering. After another moment, all ambient sound in the room ceased with a loud click, and from that moment, Hiruzen knew it was safe to say whatever he wished in front of his old friend, and his loyal subordinate.
"Now," Hiruzen announced loudly, "Let our meeting begin."
Naruto took in a huge sigh of relief when he walked past through the doorway, leaving behind the drab and boring halls of the academy, for the green grass of academy's training field. Where groups split off into groups around picnic tables and trees.
Although the relief from boring lessons and lectures were somewhat bittersweet as the sight of so many of his peers sitting down to eat at the several picnic tables scattered throughout the school yard made his stomach grumble in protest. He watched with with both sadness and jealous hunger as his classmates chowed down on large meals likely prepared by parents and relatives, where his was made by Tori, his ANBU guard.
She insisted on making them shortly after being introduced to him, and was especially insistent after she saw how his lunches were generally restricted to different flavors of ramen. Although he initially objected to the theft of his beloved ramen cups, as well as the inclusion of allegedly, "healthy" fruits, vegetables and rice.
Although he was now sorely missed the boring and disgusting celery, carrots and broccoli, now that he was left with nothing but his growling, empty stomach.
Naruto grumbled to himself as he marched across the field, hands thrust into the pockets of his bright orange cargo pants, kicking a stone out of his way as he headed to the far end of the field. Where he knew his teacher waiting to dole out his punishment for being late.
'It's not my fault anyway!' Naruto whined in his head. 'If those teachers would just teach us something useful instead of all this pointless stuff no one cares about!'
Naruto growled in frustration, 'Stupid sasuke, if he would've just opened his door earlier this wouldn't have happened! I was out there for SO LONG!'
'Quiet down pest!' The Kyuubi growled, 'I should not be subject to your whining about your 'romance' with that damned Uchiha. You should've known better anyway, dealing with their kind.'
The nine tailed fox settled back down in his cage, "That 'Itachi' should've just finished the job right there and then, and slit his own throat for the good of all mankind. Two less Uchiha roaming about in the world would be a blessing to every living soul on the planet."
Naruto felt a chill run through him as he heard the sheer amount of disgust and venom in his tone as he said the words. Naruto scoffed after a moment,, laughing nervously, "Geez Kyuubi, lay off sasuke a little bit. He's a bastard sure but he doesn't deserve to die."
The Kyuubi growled angrily, "Loathsome Brat, exactly whose side are you on?" He snarled.
Naruto felt a pulling sensation along with a throbbing pain in the front of his skull, and he closed his eyes in an effort to blink the sensation away. The second he opened his eyes again, he was barely a few inches away from the muzzle of a growling red fox as his red demonic eyes bared down on him.
Naruto gasped, and stumbled back in fear, staring ahead at the terrifying sight of the Kyuubi no Kitsune in his full might and fury. Specifically eyeing the bars keeping him safe, the bars that looked just a little to thin to protect him from the power of the nine-tails.
The Kyuubi no kitsune glared at him past the bars, as Naruto began to feel the pressure of his chakra begin to weigh on him as he stood, he started to see another emotion swirling in the fox's eyes as he stared back.
Naruto did his best to try and recover, "Haha, dumb fox. Y-You say something before y—"
The Kyuubi cut him off before he could finish, "Hear me well Uzumaki. Do not be deceived, don't trust the Uchiha. You are ignorant of much little one, ESPECIALLY ignorant of, their kind. Of the Sage's shame, vampiric leeches on humanity itself. I pray you never experience their power of total domination, as I have." The fox ground the words out, almost as if he were in pain as he spoke the words.
While Naruto was spellbound by the fox's stare, he always found it hard to hunderstand the fox when he got like this. All emotional and using big words Naruto could scarcely understand.
His enormous size and eloquent speech made the fox seem so alien and separate that it was sometimes difficult to imagine the Kyuubi as anything weak or vulnerable. The typical anger the fox was prone to expressing had something else mixed in this time, something Naruto didn't quite get.
He go the gist though, so Naruto eventually nodded fervently at the fox.
Kyuubi rose from its prone stance, pacing the line of metal bars that separated the enclosure. "Their tool is hatred it its coolest form. A cruel skill in the art of influence and control, that manifests in the shape of their accursed bloodline. The Sharingan." The fox spat the word as if it were a curse of the most vulgar form, "The Sharingan is his tool, all Uchiha are born with it, an if he does not have it, he soon will."
The fox stopped in its tracks, still facing him as he lay his humongous body down to the floor, "Beware the accursed clan of Uchiha boy..."
The fox pushed his snout close to the bars as he stared into Naruto's eyes, his usually angry expression tempered, almost thoughtful.
"Naruto." The fox grunted.
"...Yes?"
"What are you?" He asked expectantly.
Naruto paused for a second before answering, his heart beating fast, "... A Jinchurriki."
The fox grunted, "Yes. And what are they?" Naruto looked around to see children playing, eating and roughhousing around him,
He balled his hands into fists, "Humans."
The Kyuubi nodded again, "And what are we?"
Naruto smiled thinly, a little more confidence creeping into his tone, "A team."
The Kyuubi said nothing more at first, but naruto knew that the fox was surely giving one of his trademark menacing toothy smiles, "Good, now let me return to my nap. Begone."
Naruto smirked, "Hehe, You're the one that brought me—"
Just as fast as he found himself teleported to the inside of his mind he now felt himself return back to the real world. The darkness of the mindscape replaced with sunlight and the image of the grass field he stood in not a few minutes before.
He panted in silence for a moment, trying to force air back into his lungs after his encounter with the fox. He knew the fox would never truly hurt him, but sometimes the raw power of his chakra was still pretty terrifying. Just as soon as he finally calmed his lungs down, he heard the kyuubi's words from before echo in his head.
'Nonetheless, I am here regardless of what I wish, in this moment, I am in a cage, and so are you. An invisible one, constructed to control you and your life at every turn... our only hope at freedom is, however unfortunate, to work together.'
He shook his head, 'Sharingan... Beware the Uchiha...'
All these warning and cautions, if he didn't know any better, he'd think that the fox was scared of something.
He didn't dare voice it, reprimanding himself for even thinking it, 'I know It's not true, but still...'
He sighed, continuing on his way, deciding to finish his death march to his teacher, "Better rip off the bandage now and head over to Rei-sensei's table..."
"You know-"
Naruto jumped at the voice, a deep and manly yell passing his lips, and definitely not a high pitched scream of fright at his classmate's sudden presence.
His eyes turned to his left where he saw the golden silhouette of the classmate in question. Ino was there, bent over slightly and leaning in just a little too closely, her inquisitive pale blue eyes staring deep into his.
She continued, "... at least half of the class thinks your crazy already. I wouldn't make it worse by having a full conversation with yourself in the middle of the lunch yard if I were you."
Naruto felt his cheeks heat up, in embarrassment and mortification both at her closeness to him, as well as his realization that yes, he had indeed had that entire conversation with the Kyuubi no Kitsune...
Out. Fucking. Loud.
His eyes darted field to see, true to her word, several classmates seated at various tables, quickly avert their eyes, whispering amongst themselves, likely to question why the class dobe had suddenly lost his mind.
He calmed down slightly when he saw that the issue was mostly about him possibly going crazy, instead of him having a secret conversation with the monster that destroyed the village a couple of years ago, but that didn't make it any less humiliating.
Naruto flushed deeper red in embarrassment, pointing an accusing finger at her, "W-What do you mean? You talk to yourself all the time!"
Ino smirked haughtily at him, slapping the finger away like it were a fly, "Oh Naruto, you can try to shift the blame and attention onto me.." Ino turned to bask in the afternoon sunshine, "...but you know full well how much I love attention..."
Naruto groaned in exasperation and embarrassment, bringing a hand to his face as he silently cursed whatever gods were out there for giving him such an unfortunately witty, snarky friend in Ino. Eventually he recovered, and thinking better of arguing with her any more, he settled for continuing his death march to his teacher.
"Just... Shut up Ino..." He mumbled as walked away.
Ino huffed, hurrying up to walk alongside him, "Well you should've told yourself that hours ago. Then you wouldn't be in this situation. No need to blame me."
Ino brushed her hair away dramatically, "Besides, I've been watching you for five minutes and-"
Naruto's head whipped to the side to stare at her, "I was talking to myself for five whole minutes?!"
Ino waved a hand nonchalantly, "Oh calm down. It's not even that bad. Talking to yourself a little is a sign of good organization skills. Something you could use a little bit more of Naruto. "
Naruto scoffed, "Is there a reason your being so extra "helpful" today Ino?"
Ino's smirk curled into a frown that's naruto could only barely tell was a tad forced, "Yes..."
Then without warning, he flicked him in the head, drawing another yell from the blonde boy, "'Cause I'm mad at you Naruto-Baka!"
Naruto frowned, now completely and utterly lost. Naruto had never really considered himself a master when it came to talking to girls, but really had no idea how their conversation went so left field. He hadn't even exchanged a full sentence with her all day before now, what could he have possibly said?
"The hell did I do?" Naruto asked irritatedly, rubbing his sore forehead.
Ino crossed her arms, somehow even more cross with him, "You don't notice anything different with my outfit?" She posed, laying her hands on her hips, and staring at him expectantly.
Naruto took a second to take in her appearance, and saw that she seemed to ditch the old purple... whatever it was. The "dress" as Kyuubi was prone to calling it, and went with a similar, kunoichi-like skirt. It was about as long as her previous attire, but with light padding, shorter sleeves, and with elbow and knee pads.
She didn't really change her hair, which surprised him not at all, but overall, she seemed more... cool in his own humble opinion. Not that Naruto knew anything about fashion, but to Ino's credit, Tori would probably approve.
Naruto nodded, "Ohhhh. Yeah, I see it."
There was a long pause and Ino waited a moment before replying, the barest tint of anxiety creeping into her expression and tone, "See... What?" She said earnestly.
Naruto hummed, and brought his hand to his chin, appearing to be thinking quite hard. He paced around her, almost as if appraising a marble statue.
Ino blushed at the inspection, no doubt straining to resist the urge to smack him over the head, "Just tell me what you think of my outfit dummy!"
Naruto stopped, his hand still grasping his chin as he hummed in thought for a moment longer, giving his fellow blonde smirk as he finally spoke, "Yup, they definitely are clothes. Good job."
Naruto was well prepared for the welt on his head he got in response for his comment, but the look on her face was easily worth it.
Naruto snickered as he rubbed his head, "Oh come on Ino, I'm just kidding."
Ino was unamused, and unsympathetic, slamming her fist down on Naruto's head once more.
"Ow! Dammit!" Naruto cursed, remembering how hard Ino could hit when she really wanted to.
He rubbed his head again, "Okay, okay, you look cool alright!? Way better than your last look."
Ino lowered her fist, still glaring at him, "...You mean it?"
Naruto growled, "Yeah yeah yeah.."
"...what exactly do you like about it?" Ino pressed.
Naruto shrugged, "You look a lot more, ninja-like. It looks pretty cool."
Ino huffed, "Of course it looks cool, its me."
Naruto nodded, "Yeah, it really surprised me actually."
Ino swung at him again, missing her target by inches before her fist connected with his tender cranium.
Naruto held his hands over his head protectively, fearing another swing, "What did I say that time!?"
Ino just rolled her eyes, "Anything else?"
Naruto thought about it for a moment, eventually settling on an answer, "Your hair. It's cool." Ino blushed, her fists slowly coming off her hips, "Really?"
Naruto smiled, "Yeah actually, it reminds me of Tori."
Ino nodded in excitement, "Yeah, I got the idea from her! She's pretty cool!"
Naruto laughed, but stopped when he saw the look of surprise on Ino's face, he turned to the direction she was looking, only to see Rei-sensei and Mizuki standing in front of them.
Ino reacted first, bowing, with naruto wisely following her example.
"Good afternoon sensei." She greeted.
Rei nodded lightly in return, "Good afternoon Yamanaka-san, Uzumaki-san."
Naruto's heart sank at the abnormally formal use of his name, dreading he punishment that was coming. When he raised back up he inspected them both in greater detail.
They were both there with his lunch as promised, and while Mizuki seemed smug, Rei seemed contrite as always, but naruto saw a sense of regret on her face that he didn't notice a second ago.
'Be wary Naruto.' Kurama warned, 'I smell a certain monkey's involvement in this.'
Naruto was surprised to hear the fox's voice so soon after their little spat, but his heart sank at the implications.
For some reason, the Kyuubi was fond of referring to the Hokage as a monkey. 'Kyuubi-things, I guess.'
Naruto and the Hokage hadn't spoken in person in almost a year, despite the many entreaties and open invitations to do so, and naruto felt his stomach doin backflips at the prospect.
Kyuubi was definitely right, something was definitely up.
Hiruzen let what he just said sit for a moment, letting the ramifications of such a change linger in their minds before brining the pipe to his lips, informing the occupants of the room know that he was finally finished with his spiel.
Danzo was the first to speak, "I was wondering how long it would take for you to come down from your ivory tower and fix the problems related to the nonsensical rules regarding the ranking system in the academy."
He leaned back in his chair, "It's merely a shame that it took the threatening of our position as the strongest village in the world for you to intervene."
Hiruzen barely had just enough restraint not to raise his hackles at Danzo's little comment about him, but he knew that for the most part it was a show, and the man almost certainly knew of what he planned far before this meeting.
Hiruzen knew more about Danzo's dealings than he admitted publicly. He knew that if Danzo wanted he could stage a coup that put even the ill conceived Uchiha plot to shame, but he didn't. He protected his village, just in ways that many others would never stoop to.
It's likely that Hiruzen's actions stepped on more than a couple possible scenarios that Danzo had in mind, but even Danzo knew that when it came to Naruto, he was off limits. Naruto was barely even aware that Danzo existed, and if he could help it, he would keep it that way, forever, if he could.
Tori said nothing throughout the exchange, merely nodding every couple of seconds to indicate that she was listening. But if Hiruzen had a hunch that she was more than just paying attention. It honestly surprised him that she didn't have a notebook in hand based on how hard she stared at him as he spoke about his plans with Naruto.
Hiruzen smiled inwardly, 'It seems that she cares a great deal for Naruto. That's good to see.'
Hiruzen actually anticipated a little more resistance to his new system, at least from those currently in this room.
He needed no one else's approval for his idea, so even if they did object it would be of little consequence. But at the same time, it was pleasing to hear that contrary to Danzo's unnecessary comments, he had their support regardless.
Hiruzen turned to the ANBU, "What are your thoughts on the current plan Tori?"
The ANBU brought a hand to her mask, rubbing the bottom edge in thought, "It is more or less common knowledge that the rule concerning including the combination of the worst and best students on a single team is a faulty policy. But its especially for years like this. Many of the students have rather negative opinions of Naruto based on the influence from their parents and close family members. Aside from that, the skill and power disparity between students is especially egregious. Include the wrong person, and the risk for the team effectiveness to suffer increases exponentially." Tori looked to her leader, "This seems like the best course of action."
Hiruzen was about to reply when the doors suddenly opened, revealing a familiar shinobi wearing a blue mask covering his face from the nose down.
The orange book he normally brandished shamelessly was thankfully not present, judging from the bulge in the man's outer pocket, he guessed that was a recent change. Though if Hiruzen was a betting man, he'd guess that the lack of a book was likely more due to the deadly kunoichi in the room than any sense of morals or common decency.
If there was anything he learned after three wars and decades of leadership, it was that men are mortal. And it was for that reason he kept all of his dirty books in a locked drawer where they belonged.
Hiruzen sighed, "Ah Kakashi-san. So nice of you to join us."
Kakashi waved merrily at the leader of his village, "Good morning Hokage-sama." Hiruzen sighed again, "Afternoon Kakashi."
Kakashi gave a short bow, "Oh, my mistake. Time flies when your having fun and all that."
Hiruzen's raised an eyebrow at that, and he knew he was going to regret asking, but he was going to anyway, "Oh is that what you were doing? Having fun?"
Kakashi smiled under his mask, his eye crinkling in joy and mischief, "In a way Hokage-sama. See, there was this merchant who dropped this box of cabbages when I was on my way here, and-"
"Spare us." Danzo drawled, the pain and slight urgency in his voice leading Hiruzen to believe that he had also once been at the mercy of one of Kakashi's long nonsense filled fibs.
Hiruzen chuckled a bit thinking of that. The indomitable war hawk of Konoha held captive by one of Hatake Kakashi's tall tales.
Danzo glared that the young Jounin, "There are those who would call themselves your peers who do more on a regular basis than help the local elderly population cross the street Hatake-San."
Kakashi held up a finger, "Firstly, I didn't help an old woman. If you were listening before you cut me off, all I did was help a lonely old merchant pick up a box of supplies before I arrived here." Kakashi raised another finger, "And secondly, I consider ingratiating myself with the civilian population a very worthy pursuit, with all due respect Danzo-sama. Hearts and minds and all that."
Danzo eyes narrowed, his frown deepening even farther every second, "You say all you did was help one person, and yet you are an hour and thirty minutes late." He said, condescension dripping from his tone.
Seemingly oblivious to the anger rising in the old council member, Kakashi's smiled widened, "Well I'm glad you brought that up then Danzo-sama, becasue after I helped the poor old merchant..."
Hiruzen, as much as he enjoyed watching his old teammate use up whatever emotion he had to spare this decade, he knew that even tough Kakashi would eventually burn himself out, and so would he at this rate.
Hiruzen took the opportunity to raise a hand to the ANBU who has been, up to this point, waiting patiently for her turn to give the reason for her presence in this meeting.
"Hatake Kakashi, let me take the opportunity to introduce you to Tori." He gestured to the ANBU, who rose gracefully to face the man, bowing slightly in deference to the older Jounin, "It's an honor Hound, it will be a pleasure to work with you." Kakashi waved a hand lazily, "Mah mah, all these titles. It's just Kakashi now Tori, thank you."
Tori nodded stiffly, but said nothing. Kakashi eyes her carefully. Curiosity, and a little bit of urgency in his one visible eye, "How is he?" Tori appeared to relax a little, her shoulders losing a little bit of wound up tension as she spoke. "He's doing better. He's focused on passing his genin exam right now."
Kakashi nodded, his eyes remaining fixed on her, "Do you think he'll pass this time?"
Tori took a moment to think before replying with a confident nod, "I think he'll find a way. He is a child, but I believe that, with help, he'll be a fine shinobi." Kakashi nodded resolutely, apparently satisfied with the answer.
Kakashi turned his attention to the Hokage, but not before giving the older man a knowing glare, "I won't pass them without merit. They all still have to pass the bell test."
Danzo stood, his nostrils flaring in outrage, "Absolutely not. Know your place Jounin, you will do as you are ordered and nothing less."
It was then that he knew his friend had reached the limit to his already thin patience, fed up the the strange Jounin's antics.
Although Hiruzen couldn't blame him for his irritation, he couldn't quite understand what denying Kakashi the right to see his sensei's son would accomplish. He considered the likely hood that it was some kind of power move, maybe a silent declaration of his spot as the right hand of the Hokage? Sarutobi's face didn't move, but his mind ran like an engine, thinking of what this could mean.
'No...' he thought. Now wasn't the time for a move like that, those are generally the most successful with people present, for others to witness the power dynamic shift within the village.
It had happened before, but Danzo wouldn't dare. Not again, he knew better. Or at least he should.
Things had changed between them over the past couple of years, and Danzo knew that Hiruzen would not allow any blatant show of power that trumped him own.
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes in thought, 'What are you hiding, my old friend?'
The standoff continued, with Danzo continuing his one-sided staring competition, Kakashi's eye still fixed on him.
"Forgive me Danzo-Sama, but if I'm not mistaken, but I believe that I was addressing the Hokage..."
Hiruzen resisted the urge to smirk at the wording, knowing it would only further exasperate his old teammates growing anger. Danzo narrowed his eyes but said nothing, Hiruzen feeling just a little bit of compassion for his friend.
'Oh Danzo. One is never too old to learn.' Hiruzen thought as he shifted his gaze to Kakashi.
In all his years as Hokage, one of the most important lessons he ever learned was when it came to those who knew war, knew its ugliness and horror, it was far better to have ones willing obedience, rather than willful obedience.
Hiruzen knew many jounin like that, shinobi either fed up with the system, fed up with the the cycle of hatred and war that plagued humanity, or those who transcended it all and rose from the filth of war and depravity, turning into something more than just a ninja.
The old man had seen many that broke the mould in this way. Some that stood, others that fell, or some that broke under the strain. His two sensei Hashirama and Tobirama, Minato, and even his own students fell into this category.
When he looked at Kakashi, he couldn't help but remember the man's father. Kakashi likely wouldn't care for that comparison, but the two were certainly father and son, and shared many similarities.
Strong, highly skilled, and overflowing with compassion and care for those they love. In that way, him and his father were more alike than he realized.
So Hiruzen nodded, knowing that the request was more than fair, and also knowing that it wouldn't do anyone any favors to make an enemy with Naruto's future jounin sensei.
Kakashi didn't move, or show any discernible emotion, but Hiruzen could see the ocean of relief in his eyes.
Hiruzen sighed, "Well now that that is dealt with, congratulations on the position Kakashi, you sure will have a lot on your plate when time comes to teaching."
Kakashi gave a light chuckle, "I've actually put a lot more work and planning into this than you might think. I've been looking forward to this for the past few years."
This definitely surprised Hiruzen, he hadn't particularly heard of Kakashi being excited for much else except possibly new Icha Icha entries.
"Is that so? What kind of preparations have you made so far?"
"Oh, nothing big." The Jounin drawled idly, his eyes wandering the office aimlessly, "Not too much. Just some appointments and arrangements inside the village, and some outside." His eyes snapped back to him, startling him with the amount of venom they possessed, "I had to re-examine my teaching methods, as well as my priorities, what with what all that terrible business a few years ago." He stops there, knowing full well that the mention of such an incident was outlawed years ago, but also becasue he knows he doesn't need to elaborate any further.
The reaction is immediate, a deep uncomfortable atmosphere settling in the office instantly. No one moves except Kakashi, who smoothly walks over to the desk, picking up a copy of the new team roster. He takes a moment to read, humming to himself as he flips through the pages, eventually grunting in satisfaction to himself, and turning around to walk to where he stood a moment before.
On his way to the door, he pulls out an orange book from his kunai holster, reading the pages and giggling to himself at the book's contents.
Eventually, when he reached the door he cleared his throat and spoke, "I have no issues with the roster, and unless there is another matter to discuss, I believe that my purpose for this meeting has been fulfilled." He turned his attention to the Hokage, "Hokage-sama, if you would?"
Hiruzen sighed, but acquiesced, bringing his hands together, enclosing them to make the snake hand sign, and almost as if the room itself took a breath of fresh air, a thin layer of chakra released into the air. The blinds began to lower, and the room slowly returned to normal.
Kakashi nodded in thanks, and swiftly left out the door. Leaving only a stunned Tori, a fuming Danzo, and a 'far too old for this bullshit', Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He sighed deeply, feeling his old bones and his heavy heart ache, as the weight of his village lay heavily on his shoulders, just like it has for the past forty years.
Hiruzen swiveled his chair around to face the window again, people beginning to awaken and go about their day. And he felt a little energy return to him at the thought of meeting with the rambunctious youth once again. It felt like so little time had passed since they were close as could be.
'Naruto, I look forward to our meeting, even if you might not.'
A moment passed, and finally the unfortunate participant in this mess of a meeting finally spoke up, "I believe that this meeting is concluded?" Tori said.
Hiruzen laughs harder than he deserves to, "Yes, I believe it is."
As she bowed and left in a flash of dust and leaves, he sighed, still laughing to himself as he settled back into the familiar cushion's in his chair.
'...never too old to learn...'
The bad feeling Naruto has gets worse and worse when Mizuki steps forward, an arrogant, smug look in his eyes that he saved only for him, normally when no one else was looking.
He flashed an all too sweet smile at Naruto, holding up his lunch in front of his face, "Now Naruto I recall you were warned about what would happen. You really have to nip this kind of behavior in the bud before it gets you into some real trouble."
Rei nodded behind him, "'Faithful with little, faithful with much' Naruto. Punctuality is an important attribute to have as a shinobi."
Naruto lowered his head, and the guilt came then, poisonous and sapping as it stabbed at him.
He disappointed her, and if there was anything Naruto hated, it was being a disappointment.
But she wasn't done yet, she continued, "...Even if the reason for said tardiness is becasue of irresponsible sparring or training."
Naruto's head shot up, his face a picture of betrayal.
'Of course she told on me, dammit Tori-Chan!' Naruto thought furiously. Mizuki came in close then, speaking slowly and softly, almost whispering.
"Especially when the training seems to be having almost no effect. It's not like you've shown any kind of drastic improvements, except if you count your nack for racking up demerits and marks on your record." Mizuki said with a chuckle.
And as much as he wanted to tell this asshole to go sit on a rusty kunai, he was already in trouble, and digging the hole even deeper seemed like a bad idea, even if it was tempting.
Rei frowned behind Mizuki, her face disapproving, but she remained silent, not raising objection to the Chunin's cruel words. Apparently she was the only one other than him that heard, gazing over at Ino, who merely looked ahead, nodding to rei at her previous statement.
Naruto growled as he felt his patience dwindle, and was about to snap back a reply at Mizuki, but he cut himself short, barely failed to dodge another cuff on the head from Ino.
"Baka. He's right you know. If you miss any more lessons eventually your not gonna pass the final exam!"
Naruto rubbed the growing welt on his head, grumbling a response that he hoped was too low for anyone to hear.
'Troublesome, insignificant human parasites...' The fox in his head spat.
While a bit harsh, Naruto couldn't help but agree with the sentiment right now.
Ino laughed nervously, bowing in front of the two teachers, "I'm sorry about him sensei."
Rei hummed and shook her head, "It's quite alright Yamanaka-san. And while I disagree with the use of force to illustrate the point, I'm glad Naruto has a friend who cares enough for him to help him stay out of trouble."
Ino's nervous laugh returned, probably realizing that hitting a classmate in front of her teacher probably wasn't a great move.
Then Rei smiled politely at Ino, "Now if you'll excuse us, I believe there are some matters between Naruto and I that are best discussed between just the two of us."
Ino nodded and waved apologetically at Naruto as she jogged away, skipping merrily as she went. Leaving just Rei, himself, and the smug asshole know colloquially as Mizuki, standing there.
Smug Asshole dangled the lunch in front of Naruto, "Alright Naruto-kun, you're gonna have to work for this. Now I want 10 laps around the academy, then-"
Rei cleared her throat loudly, gathering the attention, and confusion of the two, Mizuki still standing over Naruto, who had his arms crossed in defiance
"If you'll recall Mizuki-san..."
Mizuki flinched at her glacial expression, his face both fearful and confused, as he turned to see Rei frowning at him, "...I think I mentioned that this talk would be just the two of us, so if you please, could you give us a moment?"
Mizuki frowned, turning back at him to see the surprised look on Naruto's certainly didn't quite expect this either, and just unfolded his arms and waited for this to play out.
He watched as several expressions crossed the Chunin's face, until his face eventually settled into an annoyed scowl as he turned to leave. "Come and find me when you're done." He growled behind him as he swiftly walked in the direction of the academy building.
"Mizuki-san..."
He growled, turning to see her outstretched hand, barely a few feet from him, "The bag please?"
Mizuki's frown deepened, grunting in anger as basically threw the brown bag into her hands, stomping off in the direction of the main building of the academy. She caught the bag deftly, hardly batting an eye at the display of petulant anger.
An awkward silence descended on them as Mizuki stormed off, and Naruto reeled in shock at the display. Rei had never contradicted Mizuki before, hell not anyone did, at least not in public, and never like that.
As they both stood there, Naruto became more and more apprehensive as his suspicions ran wild in his mind. They were trying to pull something, trick him somehow. He just knew it.
It happened more often when he was younger, pulling him aside, suddenly treating him like he was just a regular kid when in the back of his mind, he knew he wasn't. All just a lie to catch him unawares. It was all an act, just a show to lure him in and trick him out of something.
Sometimes a local vendor should try to overcharge him for something that was half the price he was paying, one time a chunin tried to convince him to try and steal a nearby Jounin's katana in an attempt to get him in trouble.
By now it was almost textbook.
It nearly always happened just like this. They all had the same kind of expression on their faces, as if they were trying to decide what to do about an orphaned puppy that ended up on their doorstep. Like an random nuisance that needed too be taken care of, or a bit of waste that needed to be disposed of.
Naruto's nervous gaze turned to a glare as he stared at the instructor in front of him, hating how he couldn't read her thoughts. If only to uncover what he already knew deep inside.
He hated how much they liked to pretend that he couldn't see how much they despised him. Like he didn't have ears to hear what they said under their breath when he walked by
'They will never change their minds, and they'll always hate you. Why bother wasting your energy on changing that? You could spend endless human lifetimes trying to convince them, and you'd still fail. No-one, not even I can change the evil nature of human beings.'
He recalled the Kyuubi's words, remembering how wrong it sounded back then. But he was an idiot back then, it was different now.
He wasn't human, he was a jinchurriki. A living sacrifice, and it was pointless to believe that he was anything else.
After another moment of tense silence, Rei eventually sighed and gestured a hand to the empty park tables, moving forward to take a seat.
Naruto moved obediently, his eyes fixed on his teacher his brow furrowed in a glower as he eventually moved to the table. Sitting opposite to Rei, who seemed a bit nervous, but less tense and authoritative than before.
Rei's expression softened as they sat, and she gave a taut smile, "You know, contrary to what Mizuki-San said, you're doing better in class than before. I can tell that you've been working hard these past couple of weeks..."
Naruto frowned, spite forming in the pit of his stomach as he looked at his supposed teacher.
'No thanks to you.'
"No thanks to you."
His hands flew to cover mouth in shock at the words that just came out of his mouth.
But contrary to his expectations of anger or outrage in his teacher, Rei chuckled at the harsh comment, her laugh high and airy like the reaction from a reluctantly funny inside joke.
Naruto's eyes widened, noting to himself that this was the point of the conversation where he could confidently say that he was completely lost for the second time today.
After a moment, rei's laughter died off, and she seemed to sag in the chair, her face a mask of deep regret and melancholy, "You know, I do teach the class, I feel like I deserve some credit. Your hard work isn't going unrecognized." Rei remarked, her voice taking on an amused edge to it.
Naruto's frown deepened, 'What the hell is going on?' He thought.
Punishments for being late were, although undoubtedly uncomfortable, expected. The usual laps, extra homework, cleaning the classroom, etc.
Not this, not this faux happy conversation. She wanted something from him, that much was clear. No one just approached naruto to talk to him for the hell of it other than Sakura, and he was relatively sure that she barely tolerated him to start with.
Rei eventually gathered herself tossing her long amber hair behind her, "I've never been one for corporal punishment, as I find there are much less dramatic and damaging ways to fix errant behavior." She sighed, "And even though you have been late to class, the reason I haven't punished you in the past is becasue I can't bring myself to punish you for your work ethic. So I have come to a solution."
Rei bent over on her side of the table, retrieving a huge pot, as well as a bowl, and a spoon, placing it next to his lunch. Naruto could smell the Ramen instantly, and recognized it as Ichiraku ramen, the food of heroes and gods.
Naruto breathed deep, and the hunger returned in full force. In spite of his hunger, and overall confusion, he felt a little bit of relief when the manner of her trick revealed itself. Tempt him with ramen to keep him from getting in trouble.
Naruto couldn't help but respect it, just so long as he actually got the ramen. Preferably as soon as possible...
Rei smiled as his obvious delight, "I would've accompanied you to Ichiraku's at the end of class, but a meeting came up, so I'm afraid that this will have to do." She gestured to the food on the table, "You have two options, if you pick the bag you will be free to leave, and I will never ask you to speak like this again so long as you promise not to be late. Although your work so far to improve has been noted, and is to be praised, it is no substitute to your time at the academy. Nevertheless, you will be free to leave."
Naruto's jaw dropped, but his teacher wasn't finished, "But if you pick the ramen, I will work with your little friend Tori to organize a more linear training schedule that will allow for you to train to your hearts content and remain on time as expected for an academy student."
Rei raised a finger, "The catch is that for every bowl of ramen, you must answer me at least one question. Every Monday, we will meet with the same rules, and if at any time you wish to leave, you may do so."
Naruto was speechless which was a rarity in and of itself, but now several times, Rei had blown away his expectations.
Naruto wanted very badly to agree, to throw caution to the wind and do whatever she said. He knew it wasn't just the hunger too. He wanted so badly to trust, so badly to have someone that wasn't against him.
Naruto waited, his eyes flitting from the Ramen, to Rei. He could feel his mouth watering at the alluring smell of the Ramen, and he knows what the fox would want him to do, but he can't decide.
Rei didn't mover, and spoke softly, the sadness obvious in her tone, "You're suspicious of me."
Naruto started at the sudden voice after such a long moment of silence, as well as from the shock and irritation at being read so well and so easily. Naruto recovered as smoothly as he could, swiftly wiping the saliva from his lips, narrowing his eyes, "I'm suspicious of a lot of people." He said stubbornly.
Rei narrowed her eyes in turn, "Not everyone. You seem to like miss Yamanaka, and you tolerate most of the other kids, Sasuke being the exception."
Naruto crossed his arms, suddenly annoyed at how long this conversation was going on for, "I don't trust you grown ups. All of you guys only talk to me when you want something from me..."
Naruto saw the disappointment in her eyes as she shook her head, but then he noticed the pleading sad look in her eyes, "What I want from you is YOU. I only want to know you Naruto. I can't help you if I don't know you. That's all this is."
Naruto searched her eyes as thoroughly as he could, looking for any trace of a lie he could find.
Rei held her hands out in a placating manner, "I wont force you to answer any questions that make you feel uncomfortable. Just please talk to me."
Naruto gaped at her, almost not believing the words that came from her mouth, and felt the urge to agree instantly. But he suppressed it, trying hard to think of what angle she could have.
But the longer that Naruto took his time to think, the better of an idea it seemed, and after all, the ramen only sweetened the deal.
So at once, Naruto let his hunger take over, reaching past the bag and quickly using the serving spoon to empty the contents of the pot into his bowl. He abandoned all table manners and slurped the bowl down in seconds flat, licking his chops for any leftover broth. He wasn't satisfied, not by a long shot, but it was certainly a start. And took the edge off of the hunger pangs he previously felt. He wiped his face with his sleeves, Turing to the shocked, but amused Rei.
She shook her head in amazement, but smiled widely at his choice.
Naruto was still, very dubious about this, but at least there was ramen involved. So no matter what she did or said, it was at least a partial win.
Naruto looked down at the bowl, his stomach, as well as the good points the Kyuubi made making the decision for him.
He nodded, "Ok, I'll bite."
She huffed loudly, "Looks like you already have."
Naruto ignored her, favoring the wave of ecstacy that filled him the second the broth touched his tonuge. He hummed in satisfaction as he slurped up another mouthful of ramen, savoring the heavenly flavor when a question suddenly came to him, "Whaghts nexsst then?" He asked, the ramen muddling his speech.
Rei laughed at his poor manners, still smiling warmly as she answered him, "The first question."
"Again!"
At the voice's command he moved, launching another open palm strike aimed at her chest. She moved out of the way only barely, twisting her body in a very undignified manner. Almost tripping over her own feet to get away.
He followed her relentlessly, and she turned around to raise her arms just in time to block a blow that if it were a real fight, would've severed the chakra connection to her arms. A spinning kick hit her in the side, driving the air from her lungs.
She tasted blood as she collapsed to the ground, taking another kick to the side for her troubles.
Hinata knew the match was over the second her father picked him as her opponent. He knew it, and she knew it.
It was only a matter of time.
She wiped at her mouth quickly, springing up from the ground and jutting her hands out like fast spear thrusts, forcing her arms to strike out and hit her opponent.
But Neji was too fast. Dodging every strike with a wealth of room separating her hands from her intended targets. He jumped back after a moment, giving her a moment to breathe before he finished the match. Or maybe this was just his own way of gloating. Backing up just to show his superiority in the gentle fist to her father.
After a brief reprieve, Neji renewed his assault with renewed vigor. A spinning whirlwind of blows hit her, a rush of air hit her face from the speed of his movement. She raised her bruised and bleeding hands feebly to defend herself, but only her left arm answered her command, and it was instantly batted away, leaving her opponent free reign to batter her with intentionally missed tenzuku points along her chest, targeting nerve centers and the soft points on her stomach all the way to her neck.
Her body seized in pain, and she felt her legs give out as she fell to the floor in a heap. She lay on the floor, panting from exhaustion and pain, unable to move at all.
She could see Neji, his typical look of disgust mixed with a bit of anger, and no small amount of arrogance. He sneered in her direction before turning on his heel, away from her. Hinata watched as he walked over to where his father knelt on the dojo floor, a similarly displeased look on his face.
Her father, dressed in their clan's traditional kimono, stared at her for a moment before turning away. Climbing to his feet, opening the sliding door, before stepping through, "Come."
Neji obeyed, as did Hanabi, her younger sister. She looked at her, crumpled and defeated, and her look of sympathy and sadness was the last thing she saw before black spots overtook her vision, and the sweet relief of exhaustion overtook her.
When she woke, it was dark and she judged that it was at least a few hours later, judging by the lit candles and scarce lighting, and hinata guessed it was sometime at night when she woke.
Her limbs were a mess of scrapes, bruises and knots, and a dull throb echoing up her arms. Her hands were swollen, angry red marks and bruises covered her palms and fingers, along with a healthy amount of chakra burns.
She winced, and nearly cried when she tried to get up the first time, trying to gingerly avoid her palms, as well as any other sore spots, but after a few minutes of experimenting, she eventually made her way up to a sitting position, then kneeling, and after a couple of minutes, standing.
She stood swaying like a stubborn weed in a windy field for a moment, focusing all her strength into just standing.
As she stood there, a young woman hardly a couple of years her senior walked in and stopped when she noticed her presence. She froze when she recognized her, seeming to have a heart attack at the sight of the hyuuga clan heiress. Hinata couldn't bring herself to blame her, she likely looked like a nightmare right now. She could feel the bruises and cuts on her face and chest, that probably made her look like she came from a war-zone.
The girl was a branch member, evident by the seal on her forehead, ad was likely a servant of the household, based on her service uniform, seemingly a re-design of the branch house formal wear. A less formal Kimono composed of more drab and less white off-shoots of the main house.
She felt her face struggle against all her best attempts to smile, but she did her best, smiling her as best she could, "Hello... Can I help you with something?"
The woman shook her head slowly, "I-I was j-just-"
As she spoke, the woman suddenly collapsed in pain, a soundless scream on her lips as she writhed in agony. Veins popped from her neck and forehead, as she squirmed on the floor, and heavy steps came from the hallway across from the woman. The man that walked into view of her was one that she recognized as one of the senior council members, although she couldn't recall his name.
She recalled memories of sitting in her father's study talking with her mother as her father talked to himself about some grievance with one of his clan member.
But that was a long time ago, and a very different time. Back when her mother was still alive.
Back to when she was valued... Back when she was wanted.
The man was reasonably tall, as were most Hyuuga. With a recognizable scar that traced from his lower jaw to his right temple along his bald head. Which made it all the more interesting that she couldn't remember his name. But that didn't matter.
Politics was the matter of others, clan leaders, or otherwise respected clan members. Of which, she was neither.
And then she saw it. As he entered into full view, she saw His left hand, held up in the shinobi seal of confrontation.
She saw how his eyes squinted in concentration as he stalked toward her. She continued to contort on the ground, and Hinata forced herself to watch her. Forced her eyes to remain fixed on the woman's anguish and pain.
And then came the hate. Deep and painful, she felt hate for this man she had never met, she felt her injured hands clench painfully into fists, wounds along her palm and knuckles reopening, warm blood leaking out of her clenched fists.
After what seemed like hours, once he was within an arms reach from her, he dropped his hand, and the woman sagged in relief, soft sobs emanating from her.
Until she yelped loudly as the man grabbed her roughly around the arm and dragged her to her feet. He whispered something vicious to her that upgraded her controlled sobs to something just below a wail.
In response the man raised up a hand once again, the two fingers inches from her face, the warning quite clear. She silenced herself as best she could, but she couldn't stop the tears from coming down in rivulets down her face.
In contrast, the man smiled warmly at Hinata, his smile reminding her of a woman silently apologizing for a distressed child.
"Apologies lady Hinata, I merely instructed dear Misaki here to extinguish all the candles for the night, not make conversation with any passerby, please excuse us."
He turns, guiding the feeble young girl to their destination. After a step or two, the man turns around to face her, a finger raised, and mouth open in confusion, "My lady, apologies for my continued interruptions, but Lord Hiashi's personal study is this way correct?"
Hinata nodded slowly and the man smiled warmly, "Excellent, well good night lady Hinata." And with that, he marched on, accompanying the girl as they disappeared around a corner.
Hinata felt cold inside and outside. He wounds faded away as her anger overtook her sense, and she activated her byakugan. Spying the girl and the Hyuuga council member as they passed the boundary of her father's private study, cutting her off from their position.
She let the chakra fade, ceasing the technique as her anger grew, but then the fatigue came, alluring and great in its power, pulling her to her room and the bed within.
So she walked, painfully, and slowly but eventually her feet found her room. She walked in and closed the door, letting gravity take her to her bed as collapsed on her bed, the exhaustion taking over.
As she faded into the sweet blanket of unconsciousness, she remembered an old song her mother used to hum to her. She hummed along fading into sleep, and hoped to see her mother there in her dreams, but was met with only darkness.
Darkness and the ache of loss. Leaving her with the inevitable knowledge that her mother was gone.
But she wasn't, and she was still here. And Hinata didn't think it was possible to love and hate anyone so much.
A/N- Betas requested. Hope you enjoyed the story so far. This'll be a LONG one lol.