Hey! I just wanna say thanks for coming back to read the next chapter of this story. I will make any edits to errors whenever I happen to spot any issues. I am gonna re-edit this chapter another time this week to clean up the mistakes. But please feel free to point out anything I may have missed in a PM or review I am sure this chapter has plenty of mistakes.
Disclaimer: Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto. I have written this story for entertainment purposes and nothing else.
Naruto gradually opened his eyes to find himself drifting down in the ocean. It felt as if his body had no weight, giving him the impression that he could move in any direction without fear of falling. The water against his skin which was colder than anything he could imagine caused little shivers to run down his spine. The blue-eyed blonde was perplexed by his current situation. His dreams have repeatedly placed him in unlikely scenarios with the unsettling feeling of despair constantly looming over. He thought if it was possible that his dreams were trying to forewarn him about something imminent.
Suddenly, his train of thought was interrupted as the idea of drowning filled the boy's mind. There were dozens of signals being sent to his brain that alerted him to swim quickly up to the surface. He struggled to get his body to respond as he attempted to propel himself upwards. As the purple and black splotches danced in front of him, the color of his cheeks grew from a rosy pink to a bright red. When his breath gave way, he noticed, to his astonishment, that he could breathe normally underwater. "What the hell is this place?"
The boy stared at the weak, golden rays of sunlight struggling to pierce into the lower depths of the blue ocean. The only things illuminated were the massive rocks which are now silhouettes in the dim light. The sound of the water was lazy, gentle and occasionally accompanied by the whirling of the currents. Eventually, the little columns of light above were gone, leaving him sinking in an abyss.
"Uzumaki Naruto," growled a deep voice from the darkness.
The blonde's body twitched at the sudden sound of his name being called. Its voice was vibrating in his ears with power and command. The sudden rumbles in the water as it spoke left the boy trembling with fear.
"It appears you can finally hear my voice," it uttered in a tone of satisfaction. "This means we will have the opportunity to meet very soon."
Naruto's body immediately stopped floating any further down. He was nervous about the current situation because it seemed, once again, he was not in control of his actions.
"Abandon your fears boy and step into the darkness. In it, you will be rewarded with the greatest of gifts."
Unexpectedly, the blonde's body was heaved upwards rapidly by an immense force. As he struggled to keep his eyes closed, he could hear the gallons of water gushing past his body. The last thing he saw was a bright light enveloping him as he reached the surface...
"Ah,"cried Naruto, flinging his eyes wide open. He found himself back at the training grounds with his sensei kneeling by his side. His breathing was heavy and sporadic with his heartbeat thumping on his chest. He felt two rough hands grabbing tightly onto his upper arms.
"It's okay," consoled Jiraiya."Whatever happened was all just a dream."
A big sigh of relief escaped the boy's lips upon hearing the man's voice. He managed to calm his breathing as he sat up on the dirt."How did I end up on the ground?"
"We were practicing your taijutsu when you suddenly passed out," answered the Sannin. "What happened in your dream?" The man saw that his question brought a sadden look on the boy's face.
"I found myself sinking in this ocean. I could breathe regularly, but I had no control of my body," Naruto illustrated. "When I got to the dark depths, I heard an unusual voice calling out my name."
"What did this voice sound like?"
"It had a deep voice, full of power whenever it spoke." The blonde shook a little just remembering what it sounded like. "I guess maybe," he paused to look around the peaceful training field, "it was just all in my imagination."
"It is still early in the morning, so maybe you didn't get enough sleep." Jiraiya helped the boy stand up off the ground. "Let's get you back."
After they finished packing, the duo began walking on the dirt path through the sunlight streams in a white, yet liquid gold form that pierces through the openings in the tree branches above to provide warmth to all things below. The trees were veiled in the lightest of mists, their trunks brown with little cracks that run along bark. Tiny chunks of wood fall to the leaf piles below, the sound dissipating into the woodland around. The birds humming, squirrels roam across the path, and tiny insects move throughout to make the forest lively.
Arriving at the village center, the two found themselves caught in the hordes of people flooding the streets. They hear could a variety of children's laughter, dishes clanging on tables , musicians playing, and adults discussing important business. The air was filled with tantalizing scents of sweet rolls and savory meats being offered at every corner. The two found themselves stopping at a nearby vendor to enjoy breakfast before parting ways.
"Don't forget to come back to the training ground after school." Jiraiya smiled as he ruffled the boy's hair.
"See ya!" Naruto dived into the crowd of people heading towards west part of town. On his way, he noticed Sasuke Uchiha walking nearby with numerous citizens in the street praising him for his prowess.
The raven-haired boy seemed indifferent to their kind words, walking with an aloof atmosphere around him. It was as if he could see that their praises were actually out of pity for his suffering. It was that suffering that he used to fuel his unyielding desire for revenge against his clan. Out of the swarm of girls surrounding him, the Uchiha's beady black eyes met Naruto's cerulean ones. Sasuke always regarded the blonde as a nuisance that was incapable of ever reaching his level. Yet, Sasuke seemed to always be mysteriously drawn in by the boy's invitation to a challenge. The feeling of weakness crept up on him whenever he began opening up to Naruto. A bond was useless to have when on the path he started down three years ago.
The two boys stood in middle of the rumbling crowd, gauging what the other's action might be. During their intense stare-down, the rowdy noise from the streets had just silenced instantly. Naruto stood with a large grin on his face, and his mind set on beating his classmate. Sasuke instinctively knew he couldn't let himself be beat by the dead last student in his class. Without a word between the two, the boys took off running through the streets headed towards the Academy.
Hiruzen sat in his chair carefully analyzing the details of several scrolls scattered among his desk. His usual stacks of village paperwork was read, signed, and organized neatly in the out pile. As his eyes shifted through each word, his facial expressions alternated between looks of anger, sadness, and relief. A wooden pipe hung from his bottom lip, a small trail of smoke escaping from the corner of his mouth danced its way to the ceiling above.
"I am amazed that this much has been happening on the outside of the village," Hiruzen claimed, leaning back in his seat. "It appears the events occurring over the past few years has attracted a lot of unwanted attention onto us. I feel our alliances with the other shinobi villages have been steadily declining with each year. "
" I believe as long as we remain vigilant of their activities then we can be prepared for whatever is coming. I have begun establishing a spy network throughout the different villages to hopefully gather more intel for us," Jiraiya said.
"As always excellent work from both of you," congratulated Sandaime as he sealed the scrolls inside one scroll to hide underneath his sleeve. "Now, how has Naruto's training been going?"
"The kid has shown some promising potential! I mean it's nothing spectacular, but it does deserve some merit."The old man noticed a shift in Jiraiya's attitude. "I want to tell you about the strange event this morning."
"Strange?"
"Yes, Naruto suddenly passed out in the middle of his training. I was calling out to him but he never woke up. I initially thought it was from exhaustion, but then I felt this foul chakra bleeding from his body," Jiraiya continued. "I had managed to contain it in a barrier so no one nearby could feel it. When he woke up, he told me about a dream where he was drowning. He mentioned that from the darkness a powerful voice called out to him."
"I guess you visited the village at the right time," Sandaime commented.
"What do you mean, Sensei?" asked Jiraiya in confusion of the old man's statement.
"This isn't the first time Naruto has mentioned a dream about a voice calling out to him. I expect that this is the work of the Kyūbi." The old man took another puff from his pipe. "Ever since Naruto was seven, he has been found wandering the village very late at night. Initially, I had considered it simply being a prank he was planning. On one night I managed to spot the boy heading towards the village walls. I caught sight for a few seconds of these menacing red eyes staring back at me."
"This isn't good to hear," Jiraiya said as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. " I am curious as to how the Kyūbi is able to break through the seal. It should restrict the beast's influence over the boy."
"The fūinjutsu Minato and Kushina performed was possibly altered after the Kyūbi was released. That unforeseen event is probably why the seal on Naruto's stomach is different than his mother's," Sandaime guessed. " We will have to find an opportunity to catch Naruto once the Kyūbi has possessed his body."
"I have an idea," Jiraiya said as he stood from his seat."Tonight, I will invite Naruto to stay with me to keep an eye on him. I will alert you as soon as something unusual happens so we can subdue him."
The old man simply nodded in agreement to his student's idea. "We must be careful not to harm the boy."
After Jiraiya left to prepare for tonight, Hiruzen sat with a pensive look on his face as he let out another trail of smoke from his pipe. The old man shifted his gaze from the desk to his breathtaking view of Konoha. Everyday he thought about the countless secrets that many citizens didn't know about. The old man knew that we was too lenient in his return to the Hokage seat, allowing for greater damage to occur to certain people than necessary. He longed for the days where he could be at home with his beautiful wife and simply act as mentor to his successor.
But, he had two people that were dependent on his leadership,awaiting the commands of an old man that needed them more than they needed him. As he looked back at the desk, the only thing he could focus on was the contents of the scroll. He sat wondering about how to respond to such a plethora of information. The scrolls seemed to only provide him with more questions than answers. However, he knew now was not the time to contemplate, so he laid out several blank scrolls to begin writing his letter in private.
The afternoon sunshine was bright, covering everything in its reach in a radiant yellow glow. Rested, Jiraiya was back at the training ground waiting patiently for his pupil to arrive. He was situated atop the middle stump of the row as he scribbled in his little notebook. Suddenly, the silence was broken by the sound of feet pounding the dirt. The Toad Sage glanced up to see a sweaty blonde child standing before him with the widest smile on his face.
"Are you finally ready for the next part?" asked Jiraiya.
"Yes, Sensei!" Naruto screamed. "What are we gonna cover today? Are you gonna teach me some super cool fighting techniques like this morning?
"You'll have to do some more of that on your own," Jiraiya answered. "Today's lesson is over chakra control."
"Chakra control," Naruto gasped, "it sounds like one of Iruka-sensei's boring lectures."
"I assure you that chakra control is not boring at all," Jiraiya defended. "It's a very important tool that every shinobi needs know. All of the best shinobi throughout history have utilized this in order to perform effectively."
Interested, Naruto took a seat on the cool patch of grass in front of the man.
"You already understand that chakra is what we manipulate through hand seals to perform ninjutsu, genjutsu, and enhance taijutsu?" Jiraiya asked.
"Yes!" Naruto answered as he nodded eagerly.
"Whenever we use chakra we usually have to take time to build it up before performing a technique. This is where problems can begin so make sure to pay attention," Jiraiya continued. "Shinobi will sometimes find themselves exhausted even after performing the most basic techniques. This is because without proper chakra control you are using too much. So, some of the chakra is used in the technique but the rest is just wasted. "
"Then that means I should just use the minimum amount of chakra to perform jutsu," Naruto concluded.
"Not exactly," Jiraiya interjected, "because using the minimum amount chakra can be just as worst. If you're not using enough, then the technique will not be performed correctly. The user will produce an ineffective technique on top of wasting some chakra. The key is molding the perfect amount of chakra to perform an attack."
"That's it!" Naruto exclaimed, "maybe that's why my Bunshin no Jutsu never works. I just haven't been using the right amount of chakra!"
"Let's hope with this exercise you'll be able to get it right." Jiraiya took a seat in the patchy grass in front of Naruto. The man removes from his bag a wooden bowl, flask, and a nearby leaf from the ground. He fills the bowl halfway with water and sets the leaf directly in the middle. He crosses his legs into a lotus position with hands overlapped underneath the bowl. "Watch carefully, Naruto."
Naruto sat in silence as Jiraiya closed his eyes while inhaling and exhaling deeply. What the heck is this nonsense? I thought this was gonna... Naruto paused as the water in the bowl begin spinning at a gentle pace. It was almost a perfect balance of motion between the leaf and water as the little ripples began moving out to the edges of the bowl.
"What do you think?" Jiraiya asked, looking at the dumbfounded expression on the boy's face.
"That was amazing!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Glad to hear that," Jiraiya laughed as he handed the bowl to the blue-eyed blonde. "It's your turn."
"You just watch because I'll have this done in one try." Naruto sat silently as he concentrated his chakra into a little ball. He imagined which direction the water should spin, so he shaped the little ball into a counterclockwise spiral. I got it! Naruto opened his eyes to see that the water and leaf barely budged an inch. "I just needed some time to warm up!"
Two hours later, Naruto had remained motionless in the lotus position. The blonde was for sure that he was going about this training with the right method. Damn it! He thought as he tossed the bowl behind him. Why won't this work? Suddenly, the blonde heard a loud scream heading towards his position. A large figure appeared in the sky over top the boy causing him to stand up. He squinted his eyes to try to get a better picture of the airborne object. It appeared to be in the shape of a human. Is this an enemy trying to attack me? The large figure was descending at an impressive speed towards the boy. Naruto luckily managed to run away far enough for figure to collide into the ground. The boy careful stepped to the crater with a kunai prepared to strike. "Come out whoever you are!"
"What a woman!" Jiraiya praised as he popped out of the hole.
"What happened to you?" Naruto asked, noticing a painfully large red mark on the Toad Sage's right cheek.
"My research came to an unexpected end," Jiraiya replied, wiping away the little blood trail from his nose. "How's the training?"
"I've made a lot of progress!" Naruto blurted.
"Really," Jiraiya questioned. "Then I guess you don't mind showing me."
Naruto got into position and attempted the process again with no success.
"Let me see something." Jiraiya placed a hand on the boy's head. "Which direction are you molding your chakra?"
"I am moving it counterclockwise," Naruto answered. "Why?"
"That's exactly what's causing the water to not spin. You and I are right rotation type, so we mold our chakra in a clockwise position," Jiraiya lectured. "A good way to mold chakra in the body is to build it in a spiral like a spring. Some people mold it clockwise while others mold it counterclockwise. It's all dependent on the person."
"But why doesn't it still spin?" Naruto asked, still in confusion about the man's lecture.
"Since you have been spinning it counterclockwise, it that means you have been canceling out your natural direction of rotation," Jiraiya stated. "A shinobi figures this out very late in life but sometimes a little push in the right direction can make a whole lot of difference."
"So if I just move the water clockwise, then it should work?"
Jiraiya nodded in agreement."Yup!"
"Let's try." Naruto began molding his chakra in a clockwise spiral. He could feel the water and leaf spinning slowly in the bowl.
He picked up that pretty quickly. Jiraiya paused when he noticed the water began spinning out of control. The water began splashing over the sides onto the boy's shirt and pants. Still has a long way to go.
"Well at least I got it moving," Naruto commented.
"Holler for me once you manage to figure out the rest." Jiraiya ran back to his peeping spot with an empty notebook in hand. The only thing heard from the man was girlish giggles as he made his way back to the waterfall.
The sun sank lower in the sky, light of day draining away, blanketing everyone in a cool evening breeze. The light had lost its brightness and the colours across the village were softened. The trees had lines that stood as black statues silhouetted against the crisp orange sky. Jiraiya was stumbling his way back to the training ground from another adventure with his admirers.
"Whew, those girls really know how to treat a guy! " The Sannin chuckled as he pulled out a jug to drink the little alcohol that was left. "I guess I really did pick a good time to come back to the village!" Jiraiya eventually arrived in the clearing to see Naruto lying down from exhaustion. "Did you figure it out?"
"Huff...huff..Yeah...I...figured it out." Naruto sat up in the lotus position, concentrating his chakra into a clockwise spiral.
Jiraiya watched as the water and leaf began spinning at a reasonable pace. The Sannin could see that the water would sometimes splash up the sides of the bowl. "It's not as good as mine, but I'll let you pass." Jiraiya commented as he rubbed his chin. "You just make sure to keep practicing this lesson. It will become very beneficial later in life. "
"Finally," Naruto said as he laid back down on the dirt.
"Let's go, Naruto." Jiraiya said, pulling the boy up from the dirt. The Sannin watched as the boy's leg shook with every little step he took. "I guess you worked yourself a little too much." Jiraiya bent down on one knee to offer the blonde a piggyback ride to village.
It was not long before the duo entered Ramen Ichiraku. Teuchi and Ayame were preparing their signature dishes for the dinner rush to come bursting through the beige curtains. A stack of clean,white porcelain bowls stood high next to the counter. On top of the double oven was two pots full of Teuchi's elegantly handmade noodles. The air was filled with this delicious aroma mixture of beef, chicken, pork, and shrimp.
"The party's over now get off." Jiraiya kneeled down to let Naruto take a seat on one of the six red stools.
"You look exhausted, Naruto-kun." Ayame said as she placed two cold cups of water onto the counter. "Have you been training him too hard, Jiraiya-sama?"
"It's okay, Ayame-chan." Naruto said, drinking the refreshing water from the glass. "If I want to be Hokage, then I gotta be able to endure everything thrown after me." The boy's stomach growled loudly throughout the restaurant causing an uproar of laughter from everyone.
"You won't be able to get to your dream on an empty stomach." Teuchi said as he placed two bowls in front of them. "Here, these are on the house."
Naruto and Jiraiya enjoyed their dinner in the company of the coming and going customers. They both sat quietly listening to the stories of the various Konoha shinobi. There was a lot of laughter erupting from inside the little restaurant. As the time approached ten O'Clock, Teuchi and Ayame begun cleaning up to prepare to close the shop down for the day. The two shinobi thanked the cooks for the numerous helpings of ramen as they stepped outside of the restaurant.
"That was so good!" Naruto exclaimed as he stretched his arms. "I guess we will meet again bright and early tomorrow? " The boy headed towards his apartment with his bag over his shoulder.
"How about you stay with me tonight?" Jiraiya asked."We have to meet early in the morning anyway, so I thought it would be easier. We might even have a little spar to start the day."
Naruto turned to the Toad Sage with eyes as wide as plates. "Really?"
Jiraiya nodded his head, "Yes."
"Well then what are we waiting for, " Naruto asked.
"I guess all that ramen really perked you back up," Jiraiya laughed.
Once inside in the hotel room, Naruto took a moment to glance around the eight tatami mat room. It was somewhat smaller than what he had expected from someone such as Jiraiya. On the left was two white,fluffy futons that had a fresh mint scent that filled the room. On the right was a low table with two chairs full of the man's personal belongings. In the back was another separate room with two chairs and a window with the Hokage Rock in view. They each had prepared for the night by showering and changing into their pajamas.
"I have been waiting for this all day," Naruto said as he plopped down onto the futon. He curled underneath the blanket with satisfying sighs escaping his lips. "Good night, Sensei."
"Good night, kid," Jiraiya smiled as he turned off the lights.
The moonlight splashed down its watery white-silver glow onto the village, draining the bright evening colors for a rich velvety black. The midnight air was cooler and damper, providing a medium for the sounds of the surrounding forest to resonate. The only people awake were the night shift guards patrolling the streets and main gate. A fragment of the milky light poured into the hotel room, spilling its glow onto the two sleeping shinobi.
The Toad Sage slept with one hand on his stomach and the other covering his eyes. His chest was in a rhythmic rise and fall as he filled the room with a thunderous snore. He would often mutter the names of different women throughout the night, growing a lecherous smile with each girl he named.
On the other hand, the boy next to him was tossing and turning in his sleep. Naruto was struggling to keep still as he battled with something inside his body that refused to stop. He stood up from his futon, approaching the window with the control of his body escaping him. The boy attempted to pull back in hopes of freeing himself, but unfortunately he didn't stand a chance. He stood atop the window sill, scanning the village to map out his path. He leaped from the window onto a wide nearby tree branch, running along the limb to swing from its hanging vine onto the dirt street.
"I guess he is finally on the move," said Jiraiya as he slid the closet door open. He placed his left hand over his extended right middle and index finger to dispelled his sleeping clone. I am gonna need a little help.
The Sannin made his way down to the street to catch Naruto running towards a nearby alley. The man bit his thumb before performing a few hand signs." Kuchiyose no Jutsu," Jiraiya said as he placed his palm on the ground. A seal formed on the dirt with a cloud of smoke to reveal a young toad with blue markings on his eyes and head. The toad stood about as tall as half of the man's shin with kanji for 'gold' written on its back .
"Jiraiya-sama, what is it that you require from me?" asked the red toad as he adjusted the green goggles on its head.
"Kōsuke, I want you to alert Sandaime about Naruto" Jiraiya commanded.
"It shall be done!" Kōsuke said while saluting the man. The young toad leaped up to the rooftops, making its way to the Hokage Tower.
Jiraiya was carefully tailing the blonde throughout the village. He watched as Naruto roamed through the streets under a stolen black cloak to avoid detection by the late night guards. The boy's journey ended with him returning to the training ground. The blonde walked up to the rushing river, preparing to use water to get out of the village unnoticed.
"Naruto! " Jiraiya pronounced. This gained the Sannin the opportunity to meet the boy eye to eye. He saw that the blonde's eyes were red with black vertical slits in the middle. "What have you done to him?"
Naruto did not utter a single word to the man's question. The boy dropped his cloak to show sharper and longer length in his nails and teeth. His blonde hair was longer and spiker with the whisker marks on his cheeks thicker. A low growl erupted from boy as he lowered his body to the ground. He dug his heels into the dirt as he pushed forward to lunge himself at the man.
Jiraiya avoided the boy's right jab, retaliating with an open palm pushing the blonde back. "Naruto, it's me! You have to regain control!" The man's pleas fell short as the boy ran up at the man with several swipes to the abdomen. The slashes were carefully aimed towards vital muscles and organs in hopes of bringing the Sannin down quickly.
Naruto pounced back several feet from the man, growling low with every step. It appeared that he was trying to find an opening in the man's posture. He knew that the only advantage he could possibly have was to outspeed the Sannin. He leaped, once again, from the dirt over the man, smiling at the thought of possessing the upper hand in the fight. Naruto went flying with a jump kick, aimed directly at his sensei's back.
Not bad. A smile crept up on Jiraiya's face as he quickly turned around to grab Naruto's leg, gaining a shocked look from his pupil. "Impressive, I'll give you that," Jiraiya said, "but you'll have to move faster than that to catch The Legendary Toad Sage from behind." He tossed Naruto aside, watching him slide and tumble across the dirt.
Naruto glanced up to see that his opponent had suddenly vanished. He stood in the silence, perking up his ears to listen for the faintest sound, and sniffing around for the scent of cheap alcohol and women's perfume. The boy spun his body and delivered a powerful wheel kick to the man appearing behind him.
I guess I underestimated his abilities. That kick could've broken my arm. Jiraiya braced himself, absorbing the heel of the boy's foot with his forearm. He yanked Naruto up by the ankle to deliver a quick chop to the neck. He watched as the blonde entered a sleepy state, struggling to still put up a fight before collapsing onto the dirt.
"Good job, Jiraiya."
The Toad Sage turned around to see Sandaime walking out from the bushes with Kōsuke following behind.
"Thanks Kōsuke," Jiraiya said, hosting the blonde from the dirt into his arms.
"It was an honor!" Kōsuke said disappearing in a cloud of smoke.
Hiruzen walked closer to them get a better picture of the blonde. "The Kyūbi appears to awaken its primal features into the boy. I am afraid this is not good for Naruto if someone spots him like this. Let's take him back to my study through the underground tunnels."
Naruto suddenly woke up from his slumber to realize that he had been captured. He pushed himself out of Jiraiya's arms, flying high into the air onto the dirt. A smile grew on the boy's face as a series of red chakra wisps began swirling around him.
"It looks like he is ready for a round two," Jiraiya said as he started forming hand signs.
"Wait Jiraiya!" Hiruzen exclaimed as he placed a hand over the Toad Sage's wirst.
"Huh?" Jiraiya watched as the red wisps began dispersing with Naruto falling to his knees.
They watched as the blonde's nails, teeth, hair, and whiskers returned to normal. Naruto began screaming from an excruciating burning pain in his stomach. Eventually, his screaming halted with the boy falling face first into the dirt.
"Naruto!" Jiraiya screamed as he raced towards his pupil. He checked the boy's condition to be relieved that he was still breathing.
"I think the seal was able to restrain the rest of the Kyūbi's influence," Sarutobi commented as he stared at the boy's stomach as it radiated with a red glow. "We must move to my study quickly."
Jiraiya simply nodded in agreement, scooping up the boy into his arms. As the two raced towards the entrance to the tunnels, Jiraiya looked down at the unconscious Naruto, remembering the words he said years ago. I promise that I will protect Naruto with all of my might!
Fūinjutsu - Sealing Techniques
Kuchiyose no Jutsu - Summoning Technique
Author's Note: Chapter three is finally done! I really appreciate your patience. I will continue to write but this story is dependent on your reviews, comments, questions, and feedback. Let me know what you think about the story and characters so far. I hope this chapter kind of answered your response xxTerror33xx about the nature of Jiraiya's visit.
Shouts out to RedCide47, xxTerror33xx, TinkaPrime, my 2 guys, and the one guest for a review.
During my time writing this chapter, I was trying to figure out what my plans were for the next few chapters. I am gonna say expect that the next three chapters are more character/world building for Naruto. The later chapters will focus more on his fellow teammates and sensei than him. I am not throwing him to the side but I wanna give everyone a chance to get the spotlight.