I think you guys are really gonna get a kick out of this. :)

Enjoy!

Promises Not Made are Promises Never Kept

Chapter Thirty – Revelations

"Sasuke!"

The boy turned to see Kakashi running up to him, book in hand. Blinking, the boy turned to him.

"Kakashi, what is it?" He asked curiously.

"I know what's inside you," the man stated proudly, out of breath as he handed Sasuke the book he had carried out the door with him. Suddenly completely disinterested, Sasuke thumbed quickly through the book with an irritated face. "See? I told you – well, him. I told him I would find out, and I did! Oh Gods, Sasuke, the power-!"

"I don't care that you found out, Kakashi!" Sasuke snapped angrily as he shoved the book back into the Jounin's hands. Dumbfounded, the man blinked at him as the boy roared in his face. "You found out, congratulations – you're a genius! Whoop-dee-fucking-do! I cannot EXPRESS to you the sheer amounts of NOT CARING that I feel! The amount of fucks that I have to give to you is zero, okay?! Now go away!" Hissing out a sigh of exasperation, Sasuke wiped his hand across his face and turned away as he muttered. "I should never have let him talk to you, Goddammit…"

Kakashi blinked at him curiously, more surprised than offended as he held the old book carefully in his fingers.

"Sasuke…" he breathed as the boy turned his back to him, hiding his face in one hand. "What's wrong?"

"Sasuke!" The boy lifted his face out of his palm to see Haku and Inaré breaching the crest of one of the bridges in the village, the older male waving happily to him. Sasuke gave a half-hearted wave before sighing and turning halfway back to his old teacher.

"I don't understand it," he breathed softly, making the man blink at him and lower his arms as he saw Zabuza following close behind his other two students. Oh crap I am going to get so much shit for this- "He's there. Alive and awake and breathing, and yet all I see when I look at him is that bed where he refused to wake up for two weeks. My heart feels so heavy, and yet it should be flying." He raised his eyes to look up at the gray-headed ninja. "What's it supposed to mean?"

Realizing that Sasuke was honestly, truly asking for advice, Kakashi stuck his hands in his pockets (Argh!) and shrugged.

"Maybe it still just hasn't sunk in yet," he offered. "I've been dazed for a few days after teammates that have nearly died came back from the brink. I've just written it off as survivor's guilt."

"Yes…" he breathed softly as his team neared, Zabuza's angry eyes dead set on Kakashi. "I do feel guilty. Maybe you're right."

Oh maybe not. I don't know. I can't tell. This feeling… I don't think I've ever felt anything quite like it before.

"You should leave, Kakashi," Sasuke breathed as he eyed his teammates and their animals. Dagina trailed with the group, for once not being with Sasuke. "I don't want you and Zabuza having another penis-pumping competition."

"Yep, so it starts tomorrow at nine in the morning!" Kakashi began loudly as the others grew within earshot, making sure to 'naturally' distance himself from the boy. "In the amphitheater by the west end of the village. It's huge. You can't miss it."

"What are you blabbering on about, Kakashi?" Zabuza growled warningly as Inaré went up and hugged Sasuke before Haku went over and got his share of attention too. The Terranova's heart felt hollow as he held the older male.

"Just letting your student know about the third and final exam that's going to be taking place tomorrow," he replied easily. It was a perfectly good alibi, after all. "Now that all the contestants have healed and are ready to fight, they're going to continue the Chunin Exams. Naruto was worried that Sasuke wouldn't be informed, but I'm making sure he's training all day today with his teammates, so I figured I'd just let you all know myself. Wasn't sure if you all were aware or not."

"Gee, how nice of you," Zabuza growled. "Now that you've delivered your message, beat it. We'll be there."

Kakashi took it in stride, smiling cheerfully behind the mask and nodding to the other man.

"Best of luck," he replied before he turned and left. "See you there!"


"Hokage-sama."

Kakashi bowed low to the ground, his heart pounding in his ears.

"Kakashi, good of you to come so quickly." The Hokage turned to look at him. "I heard that you have some… insight into the source of the Terranova's power. Would you like to enlighten me?"

This immediately told Kakashi to be extremely cautious. This meant that there were eyes watching. Maybe not the Jounin, but Sasuke and his team. Silently, he wondered what else the Hokage knew.

He took in a deep breath.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," he reluctantly replied. "I think I may have an idea."

"Speak then," his ruler beckoned, sitting back in his chair as his advisors listened from either side of him down the table.

Sighing, Kakashi straightened and took the book out of his pocket, flipping through the pages as he wondered how to approach this.

Your obsession has gotten the better of you, Kakashi.

"A long time ago, there was a legend in the Land of Waves," he started slowly. "Of a great beast that washed ashore one day onto this continent and brought life to the land. There are two different versions of the story. The fairytale that is still told to children, and the legend." He held up the book. "This is the legend. A much… horrid telling of the otherwise sugar-coated tale." Opening it, he turned to the first page and began. "Long ago, the land was barren and lifeless. The ocean beat against empty beaches and ate away an earth that could not defend against it. However, one day, a great flash of blue light pierced the sky, and a mighty wave rose from the sea and swallowed the defenseless coastline. But it was not alone."

"When I awoke, the world in front of me was green and alive. Water lapped at my flanks and my jaw rested upon pure white sand. The songs of birds sailed through my ears and the wind whistled across my body. Almost like an embrace."

"This beast, whatever it was, carried with it a great power – the source of all the power in the world: Chakra. It sank into the land as the newcomer slept, halfway between earth and sea, and as it slept its power gave the land life. When it awoke, it had no memory of its past or where it had come from. All the creatures old enough to remember its coming didn't know either. But it had been asleep – dreaming as the world around it came to be."

"I knew nothing. Nothing of my past or where I had come from. I was an empty shell, waiting to be filled. When I awoke, there was only joy. Love. Appreciation for me. Without even knowing it I had given life to an entire world, and I basked in it. But I needed to know more about the world I had created. So I journeyed into the land to discover all that I had done."

"As he traveled inwards he came across humans. They were in awe at his grace and power, and soon the beast found himself being worshipped like a god. Able to control the elements, he taught the creatures the way of the magic he felt in the world – energy they called Chakra. Beneath his watch, the 'ninja' style was developed, and the humans became one with nature and their new god. He was theirs, and they were his. Their god even created a few other gods to help him teach his people the mysteries of the earth. Fire, Sand, and Sky. For hundreds of years, the world knew peace."

"However, the humans grew headstrong in their power, and they decided they didn't need me anymore. They turned their backs on the sea, the wind, and each other. They split up into four other parts and spread themselves across my world, claiming independence and that they no longer needed me. That I was an 'old way'."

"And with that declaration, war began. Those that followed the God and those that turned their back on him clashed violently and viciously. The peace that the world had known had vanished overnight, and the world descended into turmoil."

"I was so angry. I couldn't believe it. After all of my love and all of my sacrifice – after all of the wisdom I had shared with them and all of the trust I had placed within them – they turned against me. Just like that. I had done nothing to deserve the betrayal. All my world and my people had known had been love and peace as we grew together and came to understand our lives. The anger boiled within my breast, and my heart ached so fiercely… I couldn't understand the feeling. It was so powerful, and unlike anything I had ever felt before."

"In his rage, the beast retaliated, lifting the tides and sending floods of salt water across the land and drowning scores of the rebellion. Miles and miles of land became ocean as he made his way further inland, and because of this he gained the nickname…"

"I couldn't think, I couldn't forgive. I could only feel pain at the idea that I had been so ruthlessly betrayed. I kept asking myself, 'What have I done? What have I done to deserve this pain?' and I found myself drowning the very land that I loved so dearly. But I couldn't stop. They had to suffer for their insolence – my children had to be punished. Beneath my hand, coastlines vanished. And my ears could barely pick up the new nickname they had given me, attaching it to my great name."


"Ragnarok, the Landslayer."

Sasuke sighed, turning to Kakashi as the match between Naruto and Neji ended with – shockingly enough – Naruto as the victor. The crowd screamed as the next match was announced to begin shortly.

"Congratulations, Kakashi," he breathed softly as the arena stood in front of him, the small opening that he and his old teacher stood in swallowing both of them in shadow, away from the eyes of the crowd. Weakly, he shrugged. "Now you know the truth. Now you know what's within me."

"Sasuke, you have a god inside of you," Kakashi stressed. "That's greater than a tailed beast-"

"Kakashi, can you please gloat alone, in a room, by yourself, on the complete opposite side of the village?" Sasuke snapped at him as the cheering became more insistent. "You already told me you know – why are you telling me again?"

Kakashi sighed.

"I'm telling you because…" he shook his head. "Because the Hokage knows too. He…" He looked away. "He found out somehow."

His back turned to Kakashi, Sasuke's eyes widened as one of his horrors was finally, finally realized.

"It doesn't matter," he breathed softly. "It doesn't matter anymore. This is the last thing I need to do here. And then I'll never have to step foot in this village again." When he spoke again though, his words were steel. "If anyone from your village tries anything to hurt me and my people, I will start a slaughter." Sasuke turned just a bit to glare at Kakashi through one eye, and the Jounin knew the boy knew how the Hokage had found out. "And I will make sure that the one who told the Hokage knows that it was entirely their fault."

Kakashi's blood ran cold as a person stepped into the arena opposite Sasuke.

"Next up! Gaara Sabaku verses Sasuke Terranova!"

"Sasuke-"

"Stay out of my business, Kakashi," the boy stated simply. "For good, this time."

With that, he stepped out of the shade and into the sun.

End Chapter Thirty – Revelations

DUNDUNDUUUUUUN

And no, for your information, the legend doesn't end there. :P

But what exactly IS the great beast? We will find out soon!

Much love,

DDB