Another chapter completed!
WHOOOTWHOOOT!!
I'm liking how this is turning out, much better than my first try at it.
On a less happy note, however, I still don't know what the freak is going on with my account.
Is it normal to not see reviews?
I've contacted tech support about it, but so far nothing's worked.
Right now I have to post two chapters to see the reviews from one chapter.
So, to those who review, I can see that you've left me a review.
I just can't read it until I've posted chapters nine and ten.
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"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."
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Troubled green eyes stared off into the distance, a burdened mind filled with disquiet. Things Kohaku thought worriedly are getting ugly.
Despite Kiri's best efforts to maintain peace, the situation in the Mist Isles was rapidly degenerating into volatile chaos.
The attacks, in spite of several measures to minimize them, were steadily increasing in number and occurring with greater frequency.
Daily reports of plundered trading posts and villages flooded the desks of virtually every clan leader, important politician, and, of course, the absent Mizukage.
Everyone was clamoring for help, everyone was demanding the use of Kiri's nins for protection. All favors, all alliances, were being called in with the sole purpose of securing the safety the Mist's shinobi warriors afforded. Their pleas, however, fell on deaf ears.
The Mist was already up to its neck in its own troubles, it could spare no shinobi to aid other people in theirs, Kirigakure was gearing up for war.
…much to the anxiety of one overwhelmed, overstressed, temporary Haruno clan leader.
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Kohaku, with a frustrated sigh, massaged his temples wearily and stared at the growing number of letters accumulating on his desk, his filing cabinets, his shelves-- hell, his entire office!
Every single sheet was filled with pleas from villages for aid, for refuge, for anything that could keep them safe from the Akatsuki and Sound.
The redhead envied their ignorance.
Help them? He thought derisively. We're not even sure if we can help ourselves. His musings, though pessimistic, had valid roots.
His village was a more than formidable fighting force, true, but undercover Kiri operatives were painting a grim reality for the Mist shinobi.
According to these sources, the monster that was the alliance of Akatsuki and sound was much more of a threat than they had previously thought.
The two forces, collectively, had a seemingly unending supply of devoted followers. Followers that would do anything to ensure the victory of their leaders.
They had also, to make matters worse, managed to establish strong connections to several prominent weapon suppliers. The result? An amassed arsenal of horrific proportions.
Kohaku grit his teeth in aggravation.
What the fuck am I suppose to do? The stressed male gripped his scarlet locks in irritated anger. We can put up one hell of a fight and, most likely, severely cripple them for a while, but pale green eyes darkened in reluctant acceptance we'd be completely wiped out in the process.
His conclusion remained the same; no matter how many times he raked his mind for new alternatives, he returned to the same deduction.
The Mist was in dire need of alliances.
This realization, however, presented a whole new set of problems. Kiri residents hated foreigners with such an intensity that any form of compromise was impossible.
So how the fucking hell could he expect them to be receptive to making new allies?
Kohaku laid his pounding head on his cool desk. I know the solution he thought miserably. I just don't know how to make it work.
How do you make a village accept outside help when they've been conditioned for years to believe that anyone not from Kiri sought to cause them harm?
That was the million-dollar question.
I wish sis was here a fleeting glint of longing crossed pale green she'd know what to do. His troubled eyes drifted to the window, viewing the bittersweet image the peaceful village presented. Soon he thought darkly it might all be in flames.
Kohaku yearned for his sister's return with every fiber of his being. She had always been the leader, the one the clan, and frequently even the village, turned to in troubled times.
Her, not him.
Maybe it was weak of him, but he wasn't sure how much longer he could bear the burden of clan leader, and all the duties it entailed, under the current circumstances.
He wanted his sister damn it! She was the strong one, not him!
He wasn't cut out for this.
He had never had to deal with a situation like this by himself, his sister had always been there to aid and guide him; he merely had to follow her commands and the situation would soon be resolved.
Sakura's assuring presence was a security blanket for him; letting him know that even if he messed up, she would be there to make sure things turned out all right.
Without that, he felt unbalanced and, irrationally, helpless. Who would be there to fix his mistakes? Who would prevent him from completely screwing up?
There was no one…and that scared the hell out of him.
The village, despite his sister's absence, still expected the Haruno Clan to take charge of the situation; and, though he hated admitting it, he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed and under prepared.
Sakura had always been the tactician in their family; he had simply been a strong wingman for her.
Oh sis he though wretchedly what the fuck am I suppose to do?
With troubled thoughts running through his mind, Kohaku let his head fall unceremoniously onto his cluttered desk, needing a moment of respite, however brief, from everything.
It was at this time that Zabuza, a member of the Mist's legendary swordsmen, announced his presence to the drained clan leader.
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Itachi was, for the first time in his life, unsure of how to proceed in his current situation.
His opponent was relentless in his attack, affording him no chance to go on the offensive. So he could not land a hit, much less use his sharingan on the man.
The best he could do was dodge and keep a close eye on his enemy, waiting for the male to make the slightest blunder.
The man's ceaseless assault was problematic enough on its own, but it was not his only hindrance. The landscape, the fucking weather itself, was being devoutly obedient to his attacker.
So, as if physical blows were not enough, he also found himself dodging small tornadoes, abruptly appearing canyons, boulders, and -his personal favorite- lightening bolts at every turn.
Planning an assault was currently laughable given his circumstances.
His present disadvantages in combat were not what was weighing most heavily on his mind, however. The truly disgruntling aspect of the whole thing for him had to be that he was truly ignorant of what he had done to provoke the attack.
And, unfortunately for him, his current opponent didn't seem inclined to answer any of his questions at the moment.
All he could do was try to stay in one piece and hope those idiots he called friends came soon.
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What the hell is going on?!
Sakura was in no mood to deal with any more unpleasant surprises, but there before her, lo and behold, was what appeared to be a bubble of pure chakra.
As if that fact were not unsettling enough, the chakra was behaving in an almost…sentient manner. It genially stroked her as she drew near, emitting a sense of contentment…weirding the hell out of her.
Am I she though incredulously as she felt the thing's caresses being molested? Well, this was certainly a first; molestation by an inhuman thing, yippfuckingee for her.
After guardedly studying the thing for a few seconds, however, she realized that the chakra showed utterly no intent to attack her, or anyone for that matter.
That, she decided, was a definite plus.
A quick glance at her surroundings revealed another, more significant, bonus; the fighting had stopped.
Apparently the blast, and the resulting chakra dome, had captured the attention of everyone present. Not that she blamed them, she herself found the thing fascinating. All in all, she determined with relief, things were looking up.
She should have known her current peace wouldn't last long.
"Sakura," a harried looking Ichigo materialized by her side, "where is Kotetsu?" The panicky undertone to his inquiry quickly ripped her attention away from the dome…to the worried features of her teammate.
I'm really she thought venomously starting to hate Murphy's Law. With that in mind, she made her calm response.
"What the fuck," she snarled, "do you mean 'where is Kotetsu'?"
Hmm…ok, maybe not so calm.
Sakura clenched her teeth in wrathful vexation. Her tolerance for others -for the world in general- was wearing thin, and the disappearance of one of her teammates was not helping matters any.
Ichigo unfazed by her anger, well accustomed to her bouts of fury, instantly responded. "I mean exactly that," confusion mixed with the worry in his eyes. "One minute he was here beside me, and the next thing I know he vanishes!" His gaze turned inward as he relayed the memory. "Right after that blast," he added as an afterthought.
A sort of jaded resignation overtook Sakura's features as she listened to Ichigo's account, a theory about her missing teammate's whereabouts already forming in her mind.
She turned back to the chakra, still maintaining a small flame of hope that she was mistaken. So, dredging up every ounce of optimism she possessed, she offered up a quick plea to any deity who might be listening. Let me be wrong. Kami, just once let my suspicions be wrong.
"He disappeared right after the blast, Ichigo?" She pinned her companion with a hard stare. "You're absolutely sure it was after the blast?" Though she kept a calm appearance, inside she was hoping against hope for him to answer no.
Kisame, who had been listening to the conversation, confirmed Ichigo's words. "It's true Pinky," he said with a solemn gaze, "Kotetsu disappeared immediately after the blast happened."
Sakura resigned herself to the reality that was her life; everything bad that could happen to her would.
Still, a persistent wisp of hope remained, refusing to let her really accept the situation until she was presented with irrefutable proof.
Intent on securing that proof, but ardently hoping she didn't, she headed towards the dome with her companions close behind. They were all still tensed for battle, not willing to let down their guard despite the lull in action.
After a few brief moments, they reached their destination. With a seed of hope still in her, she extended her left arm towards the dome, tentively reaching out to it with a tendril of her chakra.
She rapidly received her proof.
Damn it all to HELL. All hope instantly fled her system.
She had been right, Kotetsu was in the dome.
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Hope ya'll enjoyed the chapter.
Later.