Author's Note: This chapter dedication goes out to Roses of Sharon. I know I've said it before, but thank you SO MUCH for your help!

Legacy of the Rasengan III
Chuuten
By: Tellemicus Sundance
Chapter 5: Before the Storm

Sunagakure
8:15pm (immediately after the battle)

Kankurou stared in slight surprise and mounting horror as the man who had just defeated his brother flew away with his body. Snapping out of his momentary disbelief, he immediately started sprinting after the retreating figure.

"Kankurou, wait!" Baki yelled after him, an order clear in his voice. "They were strong enough to defeat Gaara! You won't be able to do anything by yourself!"

"So you plan to just abandon Gaara?!" Kankurou snapped back venomously.

"Don't say that," Baki replied, his entire being radiating grim resolution. After a moment's hesitation, he finally said, "Fine! Just follow them, but don't take any action! We'll track them to their base and mount an attack!"

"Alright!" Kankurou grunted, having little to no desire to obey the first half of the command. "…If I can!"

Resuming his chase, Kankurou put all other thoughts to the back of his mind as he focused solely upon is objective. It was real this time, he could tell. Something…big was starting now. That feeling of unease only increased his desire to rescue his little brother all the more.

Because he was a master puppeteer, Kankurou was also formidably skilled in taijutsu. That was the risk of all puppeteers. Those who gradually grew to depend upon their puppets to do all their fighting tended to slack off on their own individual skills. But as the son of the former Yondaime Kazekage, Kankurou had been raised to never slack off on such skills.

Thus, due to his exceptionally fit body, he was able to keep the retreating Akatsuki member in sight. The blonde man was flying towards the canyon crevice. That got him thinking as he neared the massive but narrow crack. If he had come through the front entrance, why hadn't any of the shinobi who were stationed there warned anoyone? The most logical explanation was that he had killed them. But how could any man be able to take several dozen Jounin and ANBU-class shinobi on by himself? Surely at least one of them could've gotten away long enough to warn the village...right?

But as he came upon the scene, his fears were confirmed. Every single shinobi and kunoichi were dead, lying in puddles of their own blood. As he briefly looked over the scene something became clear to him. It was obvious that this massacre wasn't done by the man who had just fought Gaara. No, a more likely explanation was that the man had a partner who had a far more stealthy jutsu style...or that Suna had been betrayed by someone. Someone exceptionally strong.

Dashing past the carnage, he sprinted in the direction he had seen the man disappearing to. But just as he was about to leave the canyon and charge out into the unknown, something grabbed him. It happened so fast that if its intent was to kill him, it wouldn't have encountered hardly any resistance. Whatever it was it lifted him off the ground, bound his arms and legs, and covered his mouth to prevent a shout in an instant.

Struggling against whatever had captured him, Kankurou tried to figure out what was happening. Had those Akatsuki left some kind of trap that he'd walked right into?!

"That's enough, Kankurou," whispered a quiet voice that froze the young Jounin.

It can't be...

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Hyuuga Compound, Konohagakure
8:30pm

"Oh, come on!" Naruto yelled out in a whine. "I know she's there! I can fucking smell her!"

"The heiress does not have the time to waste on people like you," the Hyuuga growled, narrowing his eyes dangerously on the Jinchuuriki.

"What is that suppose to mean?!" Naruto demanded, equally glaring at the Hyuuga as he stopped trying to walk around the man. "She's my friend and has been for years! Besides, I just need to pick up something that I left with her...Like I've been telling you for the past five minutes!"

"Hinata-sama is currently engaged in matters that are vital to the clan's future," the Hyuuga growled. The man was lucky he was of the Main Family, else Naruto probably would've decked him long ago. "If you wish to visit her, you must make an appointment."

The idea of knocking the man out which had been quickly growing stronger now seemed far more appealing than it had before. Make an appointment just so he could talk to Hinata-hime?! The nerve of this bastard! Oh how he wanted to kick his ass! But where a younger and more impulsive Naruto might've acted on that desire, he just glared hatefully at the man before turning and walking stiffly away. He could feel the Hyuuga's gaze on his shoulders long after he'd turned the corner.

Once he was sure he was out of the man's Byakugan's range, he raised his hands into the signature cross-seal of the Kage Bunshin. I don't care what that teme says, Naruto thought. I'm going to see Hinata-hime and I'm going to get my scrolls back. It was this thought that propelled Naruto's next action.

"Kai!" With a poof of smoke, the Kage Bunshin's memories were transferred back to the real Naruto who was currently sneaking his way through the Hyuuga Compound via the back entrance.

Heh, I suspected as much, he thought bitterly. If that had been the gate guard's reaction to him just trying to walk through, then it most definitely had been to Naruto's benefit that he hadn't just flown inside the compound on his Kazeodori. Yet, despite his ability to still sneak inside undetected, it was magnitudes more difficult in the early evening hours than in the early hours of the morning.

Currently he was crawling along the ceiling of Hyuuga Main Family's building. Even though it was much harder, he used his chakra sparingly. In a compound of people who could see chakra, any active use of chakra inside their home would seem highly suspicious. Thankfully though the Hyuuga had very strict rules about use of their Byakugan inside their compound, for modesty reasons. He already had several close calls; the ones that had nearly caught him were a small little Hyuuga girl that looked remarkably similar to Hinata (except for the scowl that seemed permanently plastered to her face) and what looked to be one of the elders. However Naruto wasn't the master of stealth and deception for nothing.

Following her scent to where it was strongest, Naruto finally came upon the room of his desire. Hinata's ever-pleasant and calming scent of lilacs that she had always used was flowing freely out of the openings of the door into the room. For just a moment, he froze above the doorway, listening intently. Quietly inside the room, he could hear the subtle rustling of bed sheets. Good, she's here.

Dropping with expert ease to the floor without a single sound, Naruto gave one last quick check to be sure that no one was going to notice him. Knocking quietly on the door, he waited patiently for an answer.

After a moment of hurried but muffled movement inside, the door slid to the side to reveal the face of the person he was looking for. Hinata's face flushed instantly upon recognizing him.

"N-N-Naruto-kun?"

"Konbanha, Hinata-hime," Naruto said quietly, still on very high alert. "Gomennasai, but do still have my old scrolls?"

Hinata blinked for a moment as she tried to get her memories straight. Then her blush faded for a moment as she nodded, "Just a moment, onegai, Naruto-kun."

She quickly slid her door closed and rushed about in her room. As she was doing this, Naruto began to examine his escape route possibilities. If he really wanted to further test his stealth capabilities, he could sneak back out in a similar manner as he entered. However because he was not one to take 'unnecessary' chances, he had the Kazeodori strapped snugly to his back if bad came to worse.

And that was when bad went worse.

He sensed them just moments before they appeared. There were four…no, five of them. With the sound of the wide steps they were taking, they walked with extreme confidence and arrogance. As they approached the corner that hid him from their eyesight, he could practically see the smirks that they were wearing. He knew that they were smirking because the feel of their chakra auras was saturated with pride and egotism.

It would take him precious seconds to jump back up to the ceiling and to completely suppress his presence and aura like he had been doing. Seconds that, once they rounded the corner, would easily be wasted when they spotted him. Therefore there was one place he could go to hide from them.

With only a second's hesitation, he snapped Hinata's door open, rushed in, and hurriedly closed it as quietly as he could. Hinata gave a small gasp of surprise at his sudden entry, but he was too busy trying to monitor the group's progress outside to pay her any attention.

"Naruto-kun?" she asked, earning a quick glance. In her hands was a familiar tin box that held his dearest treasures. As he turned his attention back to the group that was striding down the hallway, he began to back away from the door and extracted the box from her hands.

"I might need to hurry," he whispered. With one hand, he stashed the container into his weapons' pouch. The other hand removed the Kazeodori from his back as he glanced towards her window. It was just large enough for him to jump through, and thankfully open to the evening's air.

Outside, the group came to a stop in front of the door. Naruto realized Hinata would get into serious trouble if he was caught in her room of all places…at least they had all their clothes on! Then, for whatever reason, as that thought was passing through his mind, he was struck by an impulse he could no more prevent than he could stop breathing. Turning back to Hinata, Naruto planted a light kiss on her nearest cheek, which caused the poor girl to let a gasp of surprise. Her hand flew to the cheek he'd kissed as her face flushed brightly.

"Oyasuminasai, Hinata-hime!" he whispered quickly.

Just as the door was starting to slide open, he turned and dove out the window. Attaching the Kazeodori to his feet, a powerful blast of wind swept through the room, catching the Hyuuga unawares and giving Naruto precious seconds to rocket away.

"Hinata-sama?" one of the elders said once the sudden wind died down. "What was that?"

Schooling her expression as best she could, she turned towards the elders and said, "N-N-Nothing, Honorable Elder…Just a--Just a gust of wind."

The expression on each of the men clearly showed that they didn't believe her. But they couldn't argue the point since there was no one else with her and her window was wide open.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

8:55pm

Smiling silently as he walked down the streets, Naruto wasn't even paying attention to where he was going. In his hands was his Fuuton jutsu scroll, a scroll he had not held for what seemed like forever. It was with happy and greedy enthusiasm that his eyes devoured the old and well-known information on the scroll. He had noticed a few errors that he'd discovered during his training that he'd have to correct. And there was the fact that he'd also found new ways to make his jutsu, namely the Kaze Kiwa, a much more efficient weapon in his arsenal.

He was so caught up in his own world that he didn't see the building that had recently been built. His feet had been traveling on muscle memory through streets that hadn't changed all that much in his absence. However this building was the sole exception, which was why he walked straight into and ended up recoiling and falling onto his ass in his disorientation.

Rubbing where he had hit his head gingerly, he put his scroll away as he grumbled to himself. "Okay, who put this deadweight in my way?"

Quickly climbing to his feet, Naruto rushed around the side of the building and froze. It was a theater, but that wasn't what froze him in place. It was the large advertising poster that filled up one of the large windows in the entrance.

This poster had the words Princess Gale and the Konoha no Gogyou displayed prominently along the bottom. The rest of the poster had a picture of all of the old Team Seven standing proudly in the front. Naruto was standing to the left and Sasuke was to the right with Sakura crouched down below them. The twelve-year-old kunoichi was holding several kunai in her hands and each had a small bag tied to the hilts. In Naruto's left hand was a blazing Rasengan and Sasuke held a Chidori in his right hand. Both boy's other hands were outstretched above Sakura, apparently together they were holding what looked like a large ball of flame. 'Princess Gale' stood behind them with her sword drawn in a pose, a beautiful rainbow dancing just over her shoulders. Arcing along with the rainbow was a phrase that Naruto vaguely remembered that bastard Makino uttering once. As long as there is hope, one may dream. And with those dreams, the future comes. And of course near the top was the shady but unbelievably familiar face of Kazahana Doto.

For just a moment, all Naruto could do was stare at the poster. It had seemed like so long ago that he had participated in that mission. But to actually see what he and the others had been fearing right in front of him, all the embarrassment and anger came flooding back to him in an instant. Naruto didn't need to see his reflection in the glass to know he was flushing horribly from those emotions.

"N-N-Naruto-kun?" a soft, hesitant voice suddenly called from his side.

Naruto snapped his head to the side so quickly that his neck cracked audibly from the motion. Standing near him was a young girl easily in her early teens, not too far away he spotted a group of what was obviously her friends. All of them had apparently just exited the theater and were blushing and whispering amongst themselves as they glanced at him.

"Hai?" he asked uncertainly.

"Did you r-really do all that?" she asked, nodding ever so slightly towards the poster he had been gazing at.

Glancing back at the poster, Naruto's instincts were screaming at him to run, and to run fast! However, that would be very rude. Plus…he had no idea just how badly that the bastard had screwed with his character and personality.

"Probably not," he said honestly as he looked back at the girl. Then a thought occurred to him and he tilted his head slightly to side as he considered the new idea. "Although…the fights were probably close to the truth…I don't know exactly though."

"Y-You mean you haven't seen it yet?" the girl asked, sounding very surprised.

"Nope," he answered with a forced grin, not that she could've known. "I just got back from a long training mission today."

Apparently, his grin had nearly caused the girl to swoon for some reason. Thankfully for all involved, she managed to catch herself and excused herself as politely as she could manage in her haste.

Blinking slightly in confusion at the girl, Naruto shrugged after a moment and returned to studying the poster. After another moment, Naruto sensed the approach of the girls, all of them. Turning to them, he was surprised to see that all wore a blush of some form on their cheeks.

"Naruto-kun?" one of them said. She was holding a pen and paper that she'd apparently pulled from her purse. "Can I get your autograph?"

For just a moment, all he could do was stare at them in surprise. They wanted his autograph? For real?!Then a large grin broke across his face and he said, "Sure, why not?"

It was certainly an interesting experience for Naruto. These were the first autographs he'd ever given before. Though it seemed a little silly to him that they would want it, he couldn't deny the slight amount of pride he felt when he saw their faces light up like beacons after he'd handed them his signature.

Before he left, he asked them, "Was that movie really as great as everyone's making it out to be? When we were doing it, it sure didn't seem all that great to me."

"It was incredible, Naruto-kun!" the girls practically sang out before they rushed off.

Shaking his head in a vain attempt to remove his grin remained, Naruto decided that perhaps he would pay this theater a visit tomorrow. Just to see what all the fuss was about with the movie.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

5:30am, Next day

In the very slowly waning darkness of night, a lightly sweating blonde was returning from his usual morning workout with a wide smile of content on his face. Jumping as high as he could from one building to the next on his journey back to his aged apartment, he could feel the brisk night air blowing against his partially overheated body. It wasn't quite like flying on the Kazeodori, but it was the closest thing he could get to it.

At this hour, not many people were awake yet. The ones that were roaming the streets were clearly shinobi or early-birds. Several stores in the market area had their lights beginning to turn on as their owners and employees readied for another day of trying to make a living.

As he soared over the streets, Naruto spotted the movie theater he'd bumped into in the distance. From the lack of activity, it was obvious that it was still closed or preparing to open soon for the new day as well.

This is what I hate about waking up early, the blonde brooded slightly. You always have to wait for hours before everyone else finally decides to show up…almost as bad as waiting for Kakashi

But as his gaze shifted off the theater, another thought inevitably crossed his mind. If the bastard director had created a movie using the scenes he'd managed to get filmed during the liberation of Snow Country, was he honorable enough to give Team Seven a small piece of the income for their parts in the film?

He'd better have, Naruto thought bitterly as he finally landed on his apartment building and slipped in through his ever-broken window. That mission may have been upgraded to S-Class, but those movie scenes we did certainly weren't apart of the original mission briefing or overall outcome…I need to visit the bank later.

After a quick shower and a small breakfast of eight instant ramen cups, he hurriedly pulled his black and orange-flame jacket over his shoulders as he locked the door and left. He had just under thirty minutes to make a short stop at the bank and then report to the Hokage Tower for his first mission since returning to Konoha with Team Seven. And I need to talk with Obaasan on what I'm supposed to do with this Chuunin Exam still.

Little did Naruto know that his very first mission had just then arrived in Konoha at that moment.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

6:10am

I've never seen so many zeroes! Naruto thought dazed, still staring at the small inquiry he'd gotten from the Konoha bank. All that from only two months?! Naruto's bank account, which had been in a comfortable ten thousand range from his numerous high-level missions with Team Seven, was now fast approaching a million and still climbing! If I'd known we could've got so much, I think I might've tried to get into another movie with the bastard!

"There you are!" called an exasperated voice ahead of him. Looking up, he spotted Sasuke and Sakura waiting with annoyed scowls on their faces. Comparing the two, it was a little difficult to judge just who was more annoyed than the other. Sakura growled slightly as she said, "Where have you been?"

Walking up to his friends, he wordlessly held up his bank inquiry slip. Though they didn't see the exact amount in his account, it was quite easy for them to realize just why he was wearing that stupefied expression.

"Found that out, eh?" Sasuke said, sounding quite unimpressed. After all, his bank account was many times larger; the new fortune he was making, thanks to Makino, had barely made any significant increase to it.

Catching his tone and instantly guessing the reason, Naruto glared at Sasuke as he stuffed the inquiry into his pocket. "Not all of us come from a ridiculously rich Kekkei Genkai, Kizuato!"

"At least we're not all yen-less orphans," Sasuke mocked, his scowl slowly being replaced by a smirk. Turning, he started walking into the tower.

"Careful, teme," the blonde growled as he and Sakura followed the Uchiha inside. "Don't make me show you why it was 'yen-less orphans' that brought down the Kamazuchi!"

According to legend, the Kamazuchi had once been an incredibly rich clan, said to be one of the first who were bestowed a Kekkei Genkai. As with the nature of humankind, after many years of prosperity and wealth, the clan grew arrogant and greedy. And though the exact reasons had long been forgotten, the clan had been all but destroyed in one brutal night of blood shed when the peasants and common folk they were charged to 'protect' rose up to rebel against them. Thus was the term 'how the Kamazuchi fell' coined.

"Now you're forgetting why an Uchiha was one of the Founding Fathers of Konoha, Naruto," Sasuke replied, grinning with pride at his ancestor's accomplishments.

"That's enough, you two," Sakura interrupted when she saw Naruto about to answer with another historical anecdote.

"You're no fun; you know that, Sakura-chan?" Naruto whined as they approached the doorway to the mission selection and briefing room. Glancing over at Sasuke, he muttered, "How did you and Sakura-chan ever get together if she's such a bore, Sasuke?"

Only the opening of the door by Sasuke saved Naruto from getting his head driven into the wooden floor by Sakura, whose eyebrows were twitching dangerously in irritation.

"Ah, Team Seven," Tsunade said glumly. She had a long morning of mission-assigning with Iruka and an already-large pile of paperwork that needed to be sorted and signed. This was not shaping up to be a good day at all!

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Obaasan!" Naruto called over, his smile wide and bright.

"Team Seven," the elderly blonde said, boredom and annoyance lacing her voice as she read off the D-rank mission scroll. "Your mission this morning is painting Ikari Genji-san's hotel complex. Ikari-san has already purchased the necessary supplies. He requires it be completed before noon--"

"You've got to kidding!" Naruto whined childishly, earning glares of annoyance from Tsunade, Iruka, and Sakura, while Sasuke pretended the blonde didn't exist at the moment. "Next?"

"What's that suppose to mean, Naruto?" Tsunade asked irritably. The tone of her voice instantly sent off warning sirens in Sakura's mind.

"We are far too experienced to given such a juvenile mission, Babaa," the complaining blonde answered. "You got any B-rank missions ready to go?"

"Naruto!" Sakura snapped dangerously without even needing to see the warning ticking of Tsunade's brow, a sign that she was on her last nerves. Grabbing her teammate, she put him into a headlock that he was unable to escape from. "Gomennasai, sensei!"

"Whether you like it or not," Tsunade said in a voice that was just barely more than a growl. "this is the best mission for your team until you've fully managed to bond together again."

"But Babaa--!"

"That's enough, Naruto," Sasuke said, the order clear in his voice. "or do you want to do the entire mission yourself?"

Despite his awkward position thanks to Sakura, Naruto was still able to throw the young Jounin an ugly glare before a resigned sigh escaped him. Oh how he hated having to take orders from the Uchiha already! But like an shinobi worth his grain of salt, Naruto finally conceded as he realized the battle was a lost cause. Better to get going while the going was good and return when he was better prepared. There was no loss of honor or dignity in a tactical retreat.

Before anymore could be said, the door to the room was suddenly thrown open. A panicked female Jounin burst into the room waving a slip of paper, "Godaime-sama! The Kazekage's been kidnapped by an organization called 'Akatsuki'! We just got word!"

All inside the room turned with looks of alarm and surprise on their faces. Gaara…kidnapped?!

Snatching the paper from the Jounin code-breaker, Tsunade quickly surveyed the message. Sighing, she looked up at Team Seven as the Jounin quickly left the room, no doubt to spread the news. "Team Seven, I believe we just found a new mission for you."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

6:30am

Just outside the main gates of Konoha, Team Seven were hurriedly doing last minute equipment checks. With the Seigi and Kazeodori strapped snugly to his backside, multiple kunai, shuriken, and exploding notes in his pouch, as well as a pair of containment scrolls that held the rest of his kunai and basic camping supplies, Naruto had everything he'd need on short notice. There was only one thought going through his mind at that moment. Hold on, Gaara, I'm on my way.

Sasuke was busy tightening his forearm armor, each of which held containment seals that stored over a hundred shuriken. Tucked safely against his waist, as always, was his ever-reliable chokuto and weapons' pouch. He, too, had several containment scrolls that held his other equipment and weapons.

His thoughts were far more confused and jumbled that Naruto's. Sasuke now knew of his brother's involvement with the organization called Akatsuki. If there ever was a chance that he could get close to Itachi and fight him to gauge his strength against his own, it was now. To that end, he was silently bristling with morbid excitement and desire. Sasuke had spent the past eight years since the massacre in patience. And now, after endless months of grueling training for the sole purpose of growing strong enough to defeat Naruto and Itachi, one half of his ambition seemed to be just around the horizon. Yes, Sasuke was very much looking forward to their eventual encounter with his brother.

Of the three of them, Sakura packed the lightest. She merely had a single containment scroll that held all her medical supplies and her rucksack held her own camping equipment. Since she relied more on her strength and close combat, she had only the standard number of kunai and shuriken in her weapons' pouch.

Sakura was pretty neutral on the mission herself. She could understand the determined light in Naruto's eye and his resolve to help his fellow Jinchuuriki and friend. She also was able to see the barely concealed eagerness in Sasuke's movements. He was spoiling for a fight, most definitely with his brother. If the worst came to pass, she'd probably have to knock some sense into the boys to keep them on track with the mission. That might be a little…unpleasant, she thought bitterly to herself.

"Yo!" a familiar voice called as a certain white-haired old man landed in front of them. "Going on a mission already, eh, Naruto?"

"Ossu!" Naruto confirmed as he absentmindedly adjusted the Kazeodori's position.

Walking up to his student, Jiraiya placed a firm hand on the boy's shoulder. Seeing his sensei with one of his rare 'serious' expressions, Naruto gave the man his undivided attention. "Naruto, I want you be very careful if you run into any of those Akatsuki. I know you've gotten much stronger than you were a few years ago, but you must stay focused…Your greatest weakness is getting too hot-headed far too quickly in a serious fight."

At Naruto's solemn expression, Jiraiya knew the young blonde had understood the message. "One last thing…I don't want you using any of your newest jutsu…You know what happens to you when you do."

"…I know," Naruto said quietly, very seriously. "…but I can't make any promises."

Grinning slightly, Jiraiya turned towards Sasuke who had been shamelessly eavesdropping on the conversation. "Let's make certain of that then. Oi, Uchiha, come here."

Digging into his pocket, the Gama-Sannin withdrew a slip of paper and handed it to the surprised Uchiha. Sasuke quickly recognized the kanji for 'seal,' painted on the paper. Glancing up at old man, he blankly awaited an explanation.

"In case of an emergence," was all that he said. That was all that was needed to be said.

"Yo!" called another that all of Team Seven recognized. And indeed, walking lazily towards them with his face surprisingly not hidden behind his new hentai book, there was one Hatake Kakashi. "Sorry I'm late, I--"

"--got lost on the road of life?" Sakura finished for him.

"--was helping an old lady cross the street?" queried Sasuke.

"--saw a black cat and had to take the long way around?" suggested Naruto.

Kakashi's smiling eye was sheepishly grinning at the trio of amused shinobi in front of him. "Maybe I should think up some new ones, eh?"

"What do you need, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked as she hefted her rucksack onto her back.

Quickly turning serious, Kakashi stared pointedly at his former Uchiha apprentice with a stern gaze. "Sasuke, I know you already know this, but you cannot disregard the mission to chase after your own ambitions...Not this time, at least. Naruto and Sakura are going to need you on this mission."

Nodding slowly, Sasuke's expression was every bit as solemn as Naruto's had been just moments earlier. "I am a Jounin of Konoha, Kakashi. I will not forget."

"Good," the gray-haired Jounin stated, maintaining a hard stare on the teenager.

"Come on, guys!" Naruto called as he started to running down the path. "We've got a Kage to save!"

"Hai!" Sakura answered as she and Sasuke quickly dashed after him and easily caught up.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

(Author's Note) I'll be honest with all of you. I'm no longer in Kuwait. During my time on deployment, I pissed off the wrong people somehow. After a long process, it was determined by the people in command that I was unfit for military life due my supposedly having a 'personality disorder.' That's a load of bullshit in my opinion. I think that they just wanted me out of their hair. Anyway, because of this disorder, I am being discharged from the Army (Honorably Discharged, thankfully).

What does all that mean for you as the reader? It means that for the next two weeks (until I finish discharging), I will have substantially greater amounts of free time in which to write again. Plus I seem to be slowly recovering my drive to write again, which is extremely good news!

Anyway, I hope you all like this chapter. It's a bit rough and jumpy I know, but hey I'm still getting back into my groove so to speak. Sorry that they wasn't really anything 'exciting' in this chapter, but there should be something of interest in the Chapter 6 (or at the start of Chapter 7). I just ask you to please be patient with me, I'm doing my best for you.

Babaa--old woman, derogative term: hag
Kizuato--Scar
Konbanha--good evening
Ohayo gozaimasu--good morning
Onegai--please
Ossu--Yes, sir
Oyasuminasai--good night