Author's Note: Ah
Author's Note: Waaah! I know I'm a horrible authress! How dare I leave you guys chapterless for over a month! I'm sooooooooooorrrrrryyyyyyyyyy!
Warning: YAOI (Content will be more explicit in later chapters), some swearing, suggestive content.
Disclaimer: I do not own 'Naruto' or any of the characters from the anime/manga.
Bold and Italics flashbacks
The Art of Fabrication (cont.)
("TAoF" – JD01)
By: Nine1991
Chapter 12: And it begins…
Tsunade yawned loudly, not at all caring that her actions were very much unbefitting of her position as Hokage. Frankly, she didn't care. If she had to sit through this outrageously dull report, then she'd damn well yawn as many times as she wanted to!
The Hokage propped an elbow on the table, making a big show of resting her cheek against the back of her hand as she shot the droning Chunin in front of her a look that clearly portrayed that yes, she was bored, and no, she did not give a rat's ass about some old villager's complaints on ninjas flitting over the roof of his house at the crack of dawn each morning. The aforementioned Chunin stuttered a little in his report as he noticed the Hokage's bored disposition, not sure if he should continue talking or not. He plowed on hurriedly when the Hokage encouraged him to carry on with a lazy wave of her hand.
"-a-and he requested that a trespassing charge be set for any future travelings across his roof." The Chunin lowered the report in his hands, willing down his nervousness as he waited for the Hokage's reaction.
Tsunade's eyebrows were up, her lips slightly pursed in mild contemplation as the nails of her free hand tapped out a steady rhythm on the table top.
…tap tap tap tap…
…tap tap tap tap…
…tap tap tap tap…
The Chunin fidgeted in his spot, almost afraid to move at the awkward silence. Was she angry? Shit. Was he going to get demoted? Damn it! He didn't want to go back to D-class missions.
…tap tap. "Is that the whole of Hishoku-san's complaint?"
The Chunin straightened. "Hai, Hokage-sama."
Tsunade shifted in her seat, her pointer finger tapping her lip in thought. "Tell him that I distinctly remember a time when he was an over-eager Chunin, religiously training at the first light of dawn and how he'd have to cross old man Genki's roof each morning in order to get to the training grounds. Tell him that I remember old man Genki storming into the Sandaime's office, demanding recompense for his lost sleep, and tell him that I will give him the same advice the Sandaime gave old man Genki." She leaned forward, almost conspiratorially, and the Chunin found himself tilting closer. "I recommend-" and her face was all seriousness, "-earplugs."
The Chunin blinked. "Ea…earplugs?"
Tsunade nodded, her expression solemn. "Yes. Earplugs." She folded her hands primly on her lap, leaning back into her chair. When the Chunin remained frozen, seemingly aghast and at a temporary loss of motor functions, Tsunade gave him a pointed look, a saccharine smile spreading across her face. "I believe you have a disgruntled villager to get back to."
"H-hai!" The Chunin gave a hassled bow, retreating perhaps at a quicker pace than what was normal.
As the Chunin hurriedly left, Shizune entered through the large office doors, shooting a suspicious glance at her friend and mentor who was cackling gleefully in her chair, a mischievous twinkle in her eye that reminded her of a particular loud-mouthed, knuckle-headed ninja. Perhaps Naruto had rubbed off on her dear friend in more ways than one. She almost felt sorry for that poor Chunin who must have been on the receiving end of their Hokage's strange sense of humor.
Tsunade hoisted up her feet and crossed them on the table top as Shizune dumped yet another tall pile of paperwork onto her desk so that it sat, quite imposingly, next to yesterday's pile. And the pile of the day before that…and the day before that. Ah, it was a beautiful day. As far as she was concerned, there was no paperwork. Yes, ignorance was truly bliss.
"Perhaps, Tsunade-sama, you would like to finish legalizing last week's pile of documents by today," Shizune commented, carefully shifting aside each pile of paperwork on the overcrowded table as far as they could to the left, so she could squeeze in that day's pile onto the last square area of empty table. She looked on in dismay as almost half of it hung precariously over the side. "If this carries on I'm going to have to start leaving them on the floor."
Tsunade snorted as she leaned over the side of her chair. "Good, I won't see them that way." There was the sound of a drawer sliding open, and some rustling followed by the clinking of glass.
"Tsunade-sama! It's not even noon!"
The Hokage waved a dismissive hand as she poured herself a generous glass of sake. "It helps me focus," she said airily, before grumbling under her breath, "And I won't be sober enough to listen to those council nitwits…"
"You're the Hokage, Tsunade-sama," Shizune chided. "You have responsibilities – oh!" The dark-haired assistant looked on in dismay as the latest pile of teetering documents toppled off the desk, papers sliding across the floor every which way in a chaotic mess. Shizune sighed, before getting down on her hands and knees to gather up the important papers.
"If only I'd read the job description…" the Hokage mumbled, slowly swirling the glass of sake in her hand, her eyes locked on the clear, potent liquid as it sloshed around.
"To be Hokage, it's an honour, Tsunade-sama," came Shizune's voice from somewhere in the proximity of the floor in front of her desk.
Tsunade brought up a hand, her fingers lightly tracing the smooth area below her collarbones where a long, stone pendant once lay. Her thoughts strayed to the pendant, and to its current possessor. The loud, boisterous, blond boy with a big, big dream. A small smile broke upon her lips as she whispered, "Yes, it is an honour, isn't it…"
The Hokage took in a deep breath and heaved a sigh, pulling a document off the top of the nearest pile and placing it in front of herself. She picked up a pen, twirling it deftly between her fingers as she read the first sentence printed on the paper. If she was going to finish last week's paperwork by tonight, she would need to work quickly. With her previous smile still lingering on her lips, she downed the cup of sake in her hand.
Shizune grinned as she heard the long-awaited rustling of paper from the direction of the Hokage. She knew that it was only a matter of time before her dear friend went to work. As lazy and uncaring as the Hokage was, she really did take her job seriously. Most of the time, anyway. Shizune sat back on her heels as she straightened up the pile of documents she had finished gathering up. Her lips pursed in concentration as she flipped through the pages, making sure they were all there, and she almost jumped straight up at the harsh clanging sound that suddenly resonated through the air. She turned around, only to find an empty sake cup rolling across the floor in loose, lazy circles before coming to a slow, gradual stop.
Shizune let out the breath she had been holding in, shaking her head as she stretched across the floor and grabbed the cup. Placing it on top of the pile of paperwork in her arms, she pulled herself up onto her feet. "Tsunade-sama, you really should go easy on the sa-"
The cup tumbled to the floor and the documents scattered, falling once more to the ground in a rippling fountain of papers as Shizune let out a startled cry. "Tsunade-sama!!"
Her legs suddenly felt like lead and she couldn't move fast enough. No, not nearly fast enough as she wrenched the Hokage's chair away from the desk. Not nearly fast enough as her fingers felt the alarming heart rate of her dear friend, took in the body wracked with seizures and the white, frothing foams leaking from the edges of pale, ghastly lips. Not nearly fast enough as she looked into pained, blood-shot eyes and realized there was nothing she could do.
Nothing.
That moment of helplessness was of one Shizune had never felt before.
And in her desperate mind, as tears ran down her face, she did the only thing she could do.
"Guards!!"
The ceiling seemed to shake as the doors were flung open almost instantly in answer.
"Lock down the village! The Hokage has been assassinated!"
-LineBreak-
…beep…beep…beep…beep…
Shizune's eyes were open but unseeing as she sat on a chair beside the hospital bed where the Hokage lay, her ears muted to all sounds so that even the constant beeping of the heart rate monitor seemed to fade into the background. In all of her most horrible nightmares she would never have expected anything like this to happen. For her dear friend, a Sannin, to fall…it had never seemed possible in her mind. And even though she was in the medical profession and knew, probably better than most, how delicate people actually were, such a human trait was one that she had never paired with her friend. And only now, when she was wrenched down to the horrible realization of just how completely wrong she was…it jarred her to the very core.
The door swung open and Shizune looked over her shoulder at the visitor.
Naruto, who had barged in like a raging storm, seemed to freeze at the sight of the hospital bed's occupant. Sasuke entered the room calmly behind him, shutting the door silently, before standing in the corner of the room.
"What happened." Naruto's voice was low as he took a tentative step forward, his tone wavering at the edges betraying his emotions.
Shizune seemed at a loss for words as she slowly stood up, raking her brain for something to say. How could she explain this? How would she tell him? She placed a gentle hand on his heaving shoulder. "Na-naruto-kun…"
"What happened!" Naruto was shouting now as he harshly brushed off the hand, his eyes wild and the expression on his face so heartbreakingly lost that Shizune faltered.
She clasped her hands together, and suddenly they were all she could bear to look at as she told the stricken blond in front of her what had happened. "Tsunade-sama's sake was drugged. We…I…didn't realize until it was too late." And she watched from the corner of her eye as Naruto seemed to crumbled, seemed to sway before he collapsed onto the now empty chair by the Hokage's bedside.
He placed his elbows on the soft mattress and buried his face wearily in his hands. He felt numb, and he was so tired. He had been on the other side of the village, doing a tedious D-rank mission, when he heard the news. He had ran all the way, and now, he felt like all that sudden adrenaline had dissipated and he was left boneless. So tired. His voice was slightly muffled by his hands as he asked, "What's going to happen now?"
"The poison is potent, but slow," and Shizune's voice broke as she continued, "I-it will take a day at most."
Naruto pulled away from his hands and turned to look at the dark-haired woman's gradually crumbling composure. His eyes were slightly red-rimmed. "Isn't there anything we can do?"
The only reply that Shizune was able to give was a slow shake of her head. It hurt too much to voice it aloud.
There was a muffled thump as Naruto banged his fist on the bed in his anger, the mattress creaking loudly at the abuse. Sasuke, who had stood silently all the while in the corner of the room, took one step forward in the blonde's direction, but paused, as if rethinking the idea, and stepped back into the corner.
Naruto gave a watery, humorless laugh as he muffled his face in the white sheets, turning to look up at their esteemed Hokage's pale, unresponsive face. "Stupid baa-chan. I told you to quit the sake," he whispered. His voice crackled, and he seemed on the edge of tears.
Shizune felt one slide down her cheek and quickly wiped it away with the back of her sleeve.
Before the silence was able to get awkward, there was a knock at the door and a grave-faced Jounin entered the room. His eyes lingered on the Hokage's unmoving form and skimmed the faces of the room's other occupants before coming to land on Naruto's still back. "The council requests a meeting."
"Does it look like she can answer you?" Naruto remarked bitterly. His eyes not once left Tsunade's face.
The messenger Jounin fidgeted a little, looking slightly nervous before saying, "Actually, I'm here to escort Uzumaki Naruto to the meeting."
Finally, Naruto turned around to look at the new visitor, a confused expression on his face. "What did you say?" A soft hand landed on his shoulder and Naruto looked up at Shizune's serious face.
"In the case that a Hokage is…incapacitated, it is the job of the next candidate in line to take over-" and when Naruto seemed about to voice an angry argument she quickly added, "-temporarily. Only temporarily." She took a deep breath before continuing, "Naruto-kun, you're next in line."
Time seemed to freeze and Naruto felt like his heart had stopped beating. As if in a trance, he glanced back at the Hokage's gaunt face. The wrinkles that had been kept under careful lock and key by a timeless genjutsu had begun to show, staining the pale skin and marring the previously smooth areas of eye-rims and lip-edges. And now that he saw, finally saw what she looked like in the cruel light of old age, he realized that she was right all along. It didn't suit her, this old, wrinkled skin. No, it didn't suit her at all. His hand strayed to his chest where the cool feel of the long, stone pendant lay against his own skin.
Naruto stood up so abruptly that the chair he had been sitting on almost flipped backwards. His hand fell back at his side as he turned to Shizune, a set expression on his face. "Temporary?" his voice was soft, his blue, blue eyes locked with Shizune's own.
Shizune nodded, and managed to muster up a shadow of a smile. "Temporary."
Naruto's jaw clenched, as well as his fists, and he looked resolute as he turned and walked to the door, where the Jounin escort stood silently waiting.
Even though it remained unsaid, they both knew that, at the rate things were going, it would be anything but temporary.
-LineBreak-
"Move."
"You are not authorized to enter into the meeting room."
Sasuke growled. He attempted to side-step the ANBU member guarding the doors that Naruto had stepped through, only to have his way blocked once more. "I am his bodyguard," he gritted out, his temper spiking.
The masked ninja remained firm and unmoving. "Only council members and the Hokage's delegate are allowed past this door."
Sasuke clenched his fists and suppressed the urge to punch that taunting mask right off the guard's face.
-LineBreak-
Naruto glanced back at the door uneasily when he realized the lack of Sasuke's presence. He was on his own now. And even though there was a gathering of twelve or so men in the room with him, it didn't change the fact that he was alone. Completely alone.
The men – all dressed in dark, formal attire – were settled around a long, ornate, wooden table, and seemed to be locked in a heated discussion judging by their low, hushed voices. But at his entrance, they all seemed to pause, and suddenly he was under the full scrutiny of twelve, wise pairs of eyes. A few of them looked slightly surprised, and some others had stern, disapproving expressions on their faces. One man, whose face was marked with creases upon creases of age lines and was seated at one end of the table, stood up slowly, his wrinkled lips pursed and his eyes narrowed speculatively. His head gave a short nod, abrupt and jerky as if his neck was too tense to easily allow such an action. "The meeting has already commenced," the old man spoke, his voice low and baring surprisingly very minimal signs of the croakiness that was distinct to elderly people, "We were not aware that you would be joining us."
Naruto was confused. "I was summoned from the Hokage's bedside and was told that I was to attend this meeting." At his words, he didn't miss the sharp glance that the old man, who he surmised was the head council member, directed to a person sitting four seats down from his right. The person flinched, and Naruto noticed he was quite young when compared to the other council members sitting around him, probably in his early 40s, with long, brown hair half-tied neatly behind him in a fashion that reminded Naruto of Neji.
"Well," the old man said, and Naruto focused his attention back on the imposing figure. The was a polite smile on the man's face that was obviously forced. "I'm glad that one of our members was able to inform you." He gestured a hand towards the opposite end of the table where a broad-backed chair stood unoccupied. "Please do take a seat."
Naruto nodded, before making his way over to his seat, aware of the many pairs of eyes trained on him. Aware that most of them weren't friendly. His back straightened and he held his head high. No, he would not show any sign of weakness.
The talking recommenced before he had even settled down in his seat, an obvious sign of disrespect that Naruto did not fail to notice.
"All Jounin and ANBU sent on missions must be called back immediately!" a grey-haired council member announced heatedly. "We will need the army in full strength-"
"We don't have the time!" Another, this time a hard-faced, balding man cut in. "It would be too late by then. We need to find an alternate means to deal with this crisis."
Another commented sternly, "Perhaps we should just simply give them what they want-"
"And what makes you think that they will not turn against us the moment we do!"
Naruto's focus switched back and forth between the various council members as they fought to vocalize their own ideas and the weak points of others. He was completely lost and didn't have a single inkling of what was going on. What were they talking about? Giving what to whom? What did this have to do with the Hokage being poisoned?
"We are left with no choic-"
"Maybe we should ask Kanzou-sama." All eyes turned to look at the solemn, green-eyed council member who had calmly made that suggestion, before switching, almost in unison, to the old head council member seated at the end of the table.
Kanzou-sama seemed to consider his words, clasping bony, wrinkled hands on the table in front of him. He spent all of ten seconds contemplating, before he heaved a tired sigh, the lines along the crevices of his face deepening and spreading and only managing to magnify his worn features. "Supplying them with what they want is not an option," he started, and locked eyes with every other occupant of the table. Every occupant, that is, except for Naruto. "We will not give them the opportunity to use our own weapon against us." At this, a couple of heads nodded in agreement. "We will reply in negative," Kanzou continued, and this time Naruto was sure that the old man was deliberately avoiding his eye, "The Hokage's death will be a regretful but necessary sacrifice."
Everything else seemed to fade into the background, and Naruto couldn't believe his ears. The Hokage…a regretful but necessary…sacrifice…?! What was going on…? How could they…?
No.
"What the hell is going on here?" Naruto's voice was a low growl, and if that wasn't enough to grab the council's attention then the loud bang! that accompanied both his hands crashing flat on the table as he stood up from his seat surely did. The expression on his face was one of pure rage and for a moment his eyes flashed crimson as he glared at the man across from him. A few of the council members sitting closest to him edged away discretely.
"Sit down you impudent child and reign in that demon of yours," Kanzou bellowed, also standing up from his seat. "We wouldn't want a repeat of the massacre that took place seventeen years ago, now would we?"
Naruto gritted his teeth to refrain from shouting out any overly foul words, his fists clenching and unclenching at the look of obvious disdain on the old man's face. "That demon has no control over me," he growled, "I want to know what's going on here!"
Kanzou's lips pulled back into a sneer as he eyed Naruto from head to toe, sizing him up, and the expression on his face showed that he thought very little of what he saw. His gaze veered a little to the side, before his head gave a little jerk that could be perceived as a nod. Naruto was puzzled at the action, but realized that it wasn't meant for him when the council member sitting to his right immediately stood up and went to retrieve something from one of the ornate side-tables that decorated the walls of the meeting room. The council member returned to his seat, but not before placing what seemed to be a small scroll in front of Naruto.
"That scroll was delivered by a messenger bird to the Hokage's office approximately an hour ago," Kanzou explained tersely, as Naruto picked the aforementioned item and started to unroll it. That seemed to be the only explanation Kanzou was willing to give, for he switched his attention back to the rest of the council members and the onslaught of voices intent on putting forth their ideas started once more.
Naruto was deaf to the world as he unfurled the miniature scroll. Neat, elegant handwriting was revealed to him, and he felt a sense of foreboding as he started to read.
The poison currently flowing through the Hokage's veins is a slow-working, deadly hybrid that will take approximately five hours before it takes over the nervous system and eight hours before it reaches the respiratory system. After twelve hours, the respiratory system will completely collapse. The antidote is rare, and the price is high. If Konoha values its Hokage's life, then it will hand over the Kyuubi no Youko.
Naruto was silent as he calmly rolled the scroll back up. So that was it. That was what they wanted. The price the village had to pay for the life of their Hokage. It was only when his eyes actually focused that he realized his hands were shaking.
The council's discussion was in full swing, arguments flying back and forth about what they were to do, the armies they had to prepare, the allies they had to call in. They had already decided, he realized. They had already decided that their Hokage was going to die. They had calmly signed away the life that had lead their village for almost a decade.
So simply. So easily.
'But they can't do that,' somewhere inside him a voice growled. It wasn't their place. No one had the right to sign away another person's life like they owned it. Not baa-chan's life.
Especially not baa-chan's life.
'What can you do about it?' another voice this time. Darker. More sinister. It sneered. You don't have the power. Look around you.
Naruto did.
No one cares what you think.
They really didn't. None of the council members had even noticed that he had finished reading the scroll.
What could you possibly do?
The voice was right. What could he do?
No respect. No rank.
He was only a Jounin after all.
And you harp on about being Hokage.
It was his one primary goal.
Taking silent comfort in the fact that your father's the Yondaime.
My father…
You'll never be able to live up to him.
No, he never would.
You'll never be able to save her.
How could he?
You know why?
Why?
Because you're weak.
I'm weak.
Spineless.
Spineless.
Because you're a coward.
Because I'm a coward.
Because you're a coward.
I'm a coward.
Because you're a coward.
A coward.
Because you're a coward.
I'm…
A coward.
…a…
Coward.
"So you're not only a liar, but a coward as well."
…a…
"It only proves that you're spineless, Uzumaki. You're a loser."
…a…
"Did you hear me, loser?"
…no.
No!.
"NO!"
There were gasps as the council members near his end of the table shrunk back, aghast. Kanzou's face was streaked with surprise, before morphing into an expression of fury.
Naruto's shoulders were heaving and there were small dents in the wood where his fists made contact with the table. His licked his lips and closed his eyes briefly, before opening them again. "No."
Kanzou looked outraged as his face twisted in his anger. "What is the meaning of th-"
"Konoha will not be sacrificing their Hokage's life."
"Be quiet! You wretched demon-"
"No!" Naruto's voice was sharp. "You be quiet! This situation is considered a crisis that has a high possibility of endangering the lives of the villagers within Konoha. Such a crisis is under the jurisdiction of the Hokage, and as of current, I am filling the role of Hokage."
Kanzou's eyes narrowed and it seemed a retort was at the tip of his tongue, but Naruto plowed on regardless.
"I will deal with this situation. And since this council has no responsibility in regards to this matter, I would like to initiate an end to this meeting-"
"What gives you the right, boy?" a council member halfway down the table snarled, a crooked finger pointed accusingly at Naruto.
Naruto turned his piercing gaze to the aforementioned council member, his shoulders relaxed and his head held high. "My father was the Yondaime Hokage," and there was another series of gasps and cries of disbelief, "I believe I have a hereditary voice in this council."
"How dare you sully the name of the great Yondaime, you lowly orphan," Kanzou's drawl seemed to carry across the table.
Naruto's jaw clenched as he fought to remain calm. "I am the son of the Yondaime-"
"And what proof do you have to justify your claim?"
Naruto gritted his teeth, and, at the lack of answer, Kanzou's thin, wrinkled lips broke into a self-satisfied smile. Naruto wracked his brain for something, anything, that could prove his heritage. The one who had informed him of his father's identity in the first place was the Sandaime, and since the Sandaime had long since passed away, the only people who might have been able to testify would have been his students. But since Tsunade was currently comatose and Jiraiya was nowhere to be found…
"I am willing to testify."
All eyes turned to the council member who had spoken those five words. Naruto was surprised to realize that it was the man sitting four seats down who Kanzou had glanced at in the beginning of the meeting when Naruto had told him that someone had summoned him. The man seemed to gather his courage together at the sudden attention he was given. His back straightened and some of his long, half-tied, brown hair slid off his shoulder to swing against his back. He said again, this time louder, "I am willing to testify Uzumaki Naruto's claim-"
Kanzou's face had turned faintly purple in his rage. "Tatsuo! What do you think you're doing-"
"-He is the son of the Yondaime. I saw it myself, when Naruto-san was born."
"You don't know what you're saying-"
"I believe I do," Tatsuo's voice was hard, and his face was determined as he locked eyes with Kanzuo, "I will not keep your lies quiet anymore." There were collective gasps around the table and whispers began as eyes switched back and forth between Tatsuo's stern face, Kanzuo's shocked one, and Uzumaki Naruto. Tatsuo turned to Naruto before bowing low. "I apologize for not speaking up earlier Uzumaki-san."
Naruto smiled, and Tatsuo returned it with a tight smile of his own.
Kanzuo looked like he had been punched in the face as his mouth lay agape. He spluttered, "You can't-"
"I can," Tatsuo cut in, his tone clipped as he stood up gracefully from his seat, "And now, I believe this meeting is over. If I may leave, Uzumaki-san." He inclined his head towards Naruto.
Naruto nodded slowly, still slightly dazed.
Tatsuo gave another curt bow and briskly left the table, walking across the room and out the door without a single backwards glance.
Naruto had to fight back a smile from blooming across his face as he too got up and excused himself. He was genuinely surprised when many of the council members inclined their heads grudgingly, yet respectfully, in his direction as he left the table and walked out as well.
-LineBreak-
Sasuke watched as the blond appeared through the doors with a look of dazed contemplation on his tan, whiskered face. He walked quietly behind the blond as they travelled, at a slow pace, up the floors of the Hokage tower, reaching a room situated at the very top where countless messenger birds resided, ready to carry any message across the skies. He waited in the corner of the dark, dank room as the blond spent all of five minutes hovering over one of the writing tables, scribbling at a tiny scroll, periodically glancing up and staring into space as if in contemplation before returning to his writing.
When Naruto finally stood up, Sasuke was surprised to find not one, but two scrolls clenched in the blonde's hand. Naruto walked along the walls of the room where all the birds either lay resting or perched on their stands, every now and then stretching out a hand to stroke a hard beak or a soft wing. He ended up choosing one with a distinctly dark plumage, and it stood, tall and regal, on Naruto's outstretched arm. Moving to the other end of the room, Naruto bent down, and when he stood up straight there was a cage in his hand, inside of which a smaller bird with brown feathers stood, chained and agitated.
Naruto took both birds back to the writing table, placing the cage down on its surface and lowering his other arm so the large, black bird could hop off. Taking the brown bird gently out of its cage and unshackling it, he tied one scroll to its leg and another to the black bird's.
Softly, he cooed to the birds and encouraged them to hop back onto his outstretched arms. Walking calmly to the sole window in the room, his figure glowing gold in the light of the setting sun, he raised his arms and both birds took to the sky, flying in one straight path before splitting off into opposite directions. Into the horizon and out of sight.
-TBC-
-LineBreak-
-Scrunches up face- How lame was that ending, if I do say so myself. I kind of wanted something a bit more dramatic, something that kind of ends with a bang, with some -cue dramatic drumming- duhn duhn duhn! But alas, I seem to have no talent in the art of cliffhangers. –sobs-
Anyway, I'm soooooo sorry for the humongous delay. School work, tests etc. I'm not even gonna bother boring you guys with my excuses. I know what I did was unforgivable. Can you guys ever find it in your hearts to forgive me? -puppy dog eyes-
Please do tell me what you thought of this chapter. We're more than halfway to the end! Yays!
Here are the replies to the reviews that I couldn't contact directly:
no name: Yeah, Sasuke and Naruto are in a little bit of a fight. Next chapter should be focused on them a lot more.
Lauralye: Thank you for reviewing so many times in one sitting! And your reviews are pretty long too! Lol. I can actually see step-by-step what you're thinking throughout reading each chapter and that's very refreshing.
ddd: Yeah, Sasuke's quite prone to extreme hissy fits. Must be because his so emotionally challenged and just bottles everything all up so that when it gets too much it just kinda explodes all in one go.
Kieuseru: -blushes- Thank you for complimenting my story. I really hope you liked this chapter. That is, if you haven't already given up by my slow updates.
Murasaki: I'm glad that you're loving the story! The lack of detail might be due to a difference in our writing styles like you said, or it just might be due to my laziness. -laughs sheepishly- My writing isn't very constant see, since sometimes I'm in a more absorbed mood where I just kind of get into the heart of the story and everything, and sometimes I just feel obligated to work on the story or I'll never finish the chapter. Which, I know, is really bad when it comes to writing. But I really hate to leave you guys hanging, and I kinda figured a 'not-so-amazing' chapter is better than no chapter at all. But I have taken your comments to heart and I will try to add engrossing details where they should be. I really quite appreciate your inputs since I am trying to improve my writing. And it's not like any of my English teachers are going to take it easy on me when I'm handing in a writing piece, so I might as well get used to suggestions for improvement right now. Heh, I just realized, my replies to your review are always really long. Anyway, do tell me how you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for the review!
Please review! I love all reviews! -sigh- Yes, I'm addicted.
- Nine1991 -