Chapter 20:

Hey everybody! Zerojackson here, welcoming you to a very special chapter in WoC's history, Chapter 20! Not only did we reach a milestone in getting to this high a number of chapters, we reached 100 reviews! As of now, it's actually 103! Which is very awesome! This means the world to me, guys. Seriously, the whole world. To have people who actually go out of their way and spend their time reading stuff that I write is just… amazing. It shocks me that I even got a review, to be honest. The limit I thought I would get would be, after hitting 10, was perhaps 20-25, till people lost interest. And, in truth, plenty of people have lost interest. I've had tons of reviewers who I haven't spoken too in ages, and it saddens me. Their feedback would have been lovely. But, I have you guys, and that's all that matters.

This will be the special Q&A chapter, along with me announcing 'prizes' and 'challenges'. First of all, though, I think I should start by giving my thanks to all of my wonderful reviewers individually.

To start with, we'll start with someone who has been here the longest.

Dosu2Dinner, I've known you for ages. You're a fantastic writer, have fantastic quirks, and are just all around awesome. I know we haven't been able to meet up recently, but I promise I'll try to change that. You're like the brother I never had. Your insight has been valuable in significant degrees, and without your help WoC wouldn't be where it is today. Even though you're not too fond of my OC's, you continue to trudge along and review faithfully. Thank you so very much!

Next, we got onto someone who's been on here the second longest. KiyumiArashi.

You've been one of my best friends throughout the whole of this year and the year before. We've laughed, been sad, and just all around had good times. You're a fantastic writer, and someone who I am honoured to have known. Your knowledge, and help with WoC was probably the most helpful out of everybody. With your completely unbiased views, you've helped me shape WoC from utter crap into mildly decent poop. So, I thank you so very much.

Next up, we move onto a more recently made friend. DownsofFire.

You my friend have been amazing. I love talking to you about Naruto and fics in general. I love your insight, your with and just being you. You're an awesome and amazing person, and don't ever change. I hope I've been helpful to you as you've been as helpful to me, because its people like you that motivate me to continue this fic.

Next up we move onto another friend, . .x. In all honesty, I've not known you for that long. But I really do enjoy hearing from you, and your insight. Hopefully you'll catch up to this fic soon, and then we can really get cracking! I'm glad your enjoying the fic, and I'm glad that I had the pleasure of meeting you.

And now, we move onto Pandabot3000. I haven't spoken to you much recently, as the Christmas period has been busy. But, I'll start again. I'm glad I get to be your beta and friend :).

And, finally, we have golden lily anime girl. We've only just met, but I really enjoy talking too you! I hope we can become better friends in the future!

And, that's that. Onto the Q&A!

For a while, all was quiet. The audience mumbled in their seats, waiting for the show to begin. The lights were off, making it almost impossible to see. The only sounds were the voices of the curious spectators.

And then, the music dropped. A loud clash of trumpets, drums and all manner of other instruments filled the air, and with a thunderous applause out stepped a man. The lights switched on, drowning out the darkness and replacing it with a golden glow.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen!" The man bowed, his mouth creasing into a smile. He was tanned, with a thin scar running along the bridge of his nose. "My name is Iruka, and I'll be your host for this evening's Q&A!"

The crowd once again erupted into applause, which Iruka calmed down with a wave of his hands. He took a seat, one of the only seats on the stage, crossed his legs, and turned to face his audience. "Okay, so, I'll make thing short and sweet. I'll call out each guest out one at a time. I will then ask the questions that the reviewers of "The Winds of Change" want to know the answers to. Sound simple?"

A general murmur of agreement filled the staging area, and Iruka clapped his hands together. "Very well, please welcome our first guest, Kataki!"

Applause filled the room as Kataki walked out, wearing a dark suit and tie. He quickly moved forward and shook hands with Iruka, before they both sat down.

"Good evening Kataki. How was your trip down?"

"It was good. I'm sorry we were a little late. We had to pry Kura off of some of her 'friends'.

A cry rang out from backstage, "You're just jealous!" Kataki rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, shall we get on with the show?" Kataki nodded, and Iruka looked at a card he had in his hand. "Okay, this is your first question: How did you find out about your blood-powers?"

Kataki smiled, standing up. "Raion!" he barked. Said brunette came out, pushing a whiteboard with him. Giving a murmur of greetings, he left the white board on the stage, sneered at Kataki, and left.

The red-headed shinobi grasped a ruler that was left on the whiteboard, and pointed to the picture conveniently drawn there. It was a map of all the nations known to man.

"Now, I come from a village known as the Village Hidden in the Magma," he gestured to a small silver country west of Konoha. "It doesn't look very big, but there's a good reason. It's actually mainly underground. It's a rather secretive village, so secretive in fact that the Five Great Shinobi Nations only managed to establish contact a year or so ago. But I digress. To answer your question, I need to look at the ninja system itself. You see, my clan is one of two clans native to the Village Hidden in the Magma. Every single member born into my clan, the Rimen clan, is tested and trained in the use of their Kekkei Genkai since the first few hours of birth. Any who can't use it are disowned and raised as civilians. Only people belonging to the two major clans can become ninja. Anyone who lacks a clan or who is born without their clan's Kekkei Genkai is forced to accept a civilian life. So, to fully answer your question, I found out about my blood powers around 6-7 hours after my birth."

Iruka nodded, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly at the long speech. "Okay, great! Here is your final question: Does it hurt a lot when you let out your blood?"

At this, Kataki laughed. "Of course it does. Cutting through skin to get to blood always hurts. However, you slowly become numb to the pain. So, for instance, slicing across my wrists, which is my main way of accessing my blood-powers, has become so numb that it feels like a slight sting."

"Wonderful! Thank you for answering the questions. Everyone, give Kataki a hand!"

Iruka rose and began to clap, as did the audience. Bowing slightly, Kataki pushed the white board back behind the scenes, him following close behind.

Iruka smiled, "And now, for our next guest, Gurei!"

Another set of applause filled the air as the grey-haired teen came out, bowing politely and waving into the crowd. After shaking Iruka's hand, they both sat down.

"Hello Gurei. How're you feeling today?"

"I'm great, thanks for asking. And yourself?"

Iruka chucked darkly. "Oh, I'm fine, even though I have yet to be featured in the Winds of Change!"

The audience went quiet, and Gurei stared at the Chuunin with wide eyes. He coughed, before continuing. "Anyway, our first question: Gurei, do you like using colored paint better than black and white?"

Gurei smiled. "Well, it depends. You see, my chakra paintings require a special paint that conducts chakra, however that can only be made into the colors black, white and grey. The color representation also determines what elemental attribute the painting will have, but I'm not skilled enough to use chakra paint with different colors. I'm working on it, though. So, I usually just paint those in my free-time anyway. I also feel, from an artistic perspective, that black and white is better than coloured. It allows the viewer of the painting to make their own discoveries and thought processes to determine what the picture looks like to them, whether it is happy or sad, depressed or cheerful. That's up for their imagination to decide."

Iruka nodded. "That's a very interesting take on it Gurei. Thank you for sharing it with us."

The grey-haired nin smiled as Iruka continued, "And, for your last question: What's your favorite color to paint with?"

"Um, I would say black and white. However, if we're talking about the brighter more common colors, I would have to go with gold. It can mean, happy, loyal, strong and courageous."

"Thank you Gurei! Stay tuned after the commercial break, for special guests Kura and Raion!"

"And welcome back ladies and gentlemen. Let's start things right off the bat, introducing, Kura!"

The applause all seemed to be male as Kura strode out. And most men were blown backwards with nosebleeds. Kura wore a dress that showed off not only her feminine curves but her sleek exotic legs. With a wink at the crowd, she calmly walked over to Iruka and kissed him passionately. She then pushed him away, watching as he was blown backwards with a nosebleed. Kura chuckled, before taking a seat and waiting for him.

Eventually, with two cotton balls stuffed up his nose, Iruka returned, his face bright pink. "Ahem. Let's get on with the-"

"Wait," Kura pouted, the most subtle glint in her eye, "And you going to ask me how my trip was? It certainly was exciting. So many new places I've never been before," she purred. Iruka swallowed, before continuing.

"Anyway, question number one: Do you have any siblings?"

"Not blood related, no, although I think of Tali as my little sister. However, she refuses to allow me to educate her-"

"Anyway, question two! How did you meet Itachi?"

Kura smirked. "I met him in a brothel. I was undercover for my village, working as a prostitute when he came in on business with Kataki, Raion, and Tali. They were so young and foolish; must have been a few years go now, two or three? Anyway, I was tasked with seducing Itachi and killing him. However, he somehow resisted my feminine charms, which intrigued me. Usually- well, I say men- are like putty in my hands. He refused to be putty. And while I do like me a good bit of putty, he intrigued me far more. So, I decided not to kill him, and I shadowed his group. Along the way he picked up Gurei. I followed him for over three months, thinking he had not spotted me. But he had. After attacking me, he allowed me to join his group."

"After attacking you?" Iruka asked.

"Yes, after attacking me. It didn't last long. I made a comment that this would be a much better battle of wills with sheets and a mattress… and without clothes. I think he knew it was me."

"Okay then! Thanks, bye!"

Without warning, Kura was escorted out by two security officers. A man could be heard shouting, "How dare you sleep with my wife!"

Iruka coughed. "It seems our technical producer has gone AWOL, so we'll be back in a moment.

"Hello, once again! I'm back with my next guest, Raion!"

Said brunette was wearing a dark brown tux. "Good evening, Iruka. And good evening, everybody out there! Kataki stinks!"

Kataki could be heard snorting from backstage, and Raion looked ready to leap from his seat and attack him, but Iruka's quick thinking saved the audience from certain death. "Anyway, first question: What is your favourite food?"

"Hamburgers," was his reply. Silence followed.

"Ham… burgers?" Iruka sounded out the alien word, deciding it didn't sound right. "What's a ham—burger?"

Raion opened his mouth widely, but closed it with a snap. "I don't know…"

"Right…" Iruka trailed off, before asking, "Okay, final question: Do you think about your past a lot?"

"I…" Raion seemed pained by this momentarily, his eyes becoming dark. "I can't remember anything. My first memory is waking up with Tali leaning over me with a kunai to my throat."

"Okay, thank you Raion-"

"Wait, wait, wait. Hold on a second. That's it?" Raion stood up, his brown eyes furrowed in aggravation. "That's not fair, Kataki got way more screen time than me!"

"Uh-huh. Security!"

Ibiki walked out from backstage and placed Raion in a full nelson, dragging him backwards. The brown-haired nin was having none of it, screeching obscenities. "THAT'S NOT FAIR! KATAKI HAD WAY MORE SCREEN-TIME THAN ME! LET GO YOU SCARRED BASTARD!"

And so, Raion was dragged backstage kicking and screaming.

Iruka continued without pause, "Our next guess is the only non-OC of the group. Come out Shino!"

Shino paced out calmly, wearing his usual attire, the only difference being a bow-tie tied around his collar.

"Hello Iruka-sensei," Shino greeted, sitting down without a handshake.

"Hello Shino. First question: What colour are your eyes, again?"

"To reveal that," Shino began, moving his hand to the frame of his glasses, "We must remove these."

The audience all stifled a gasp. Nobody had ever seen Shino without his infamous glasses on. This would be the most enjoyable event of the night, by far!

It was almost tantalizing the way Shino's hand grasped the hilt of his glasses, before ripping them off like a plaster on a wound. Underneath his glasses, was… another pair of glasses!

The crowd's murmurs of excitement turned into stunned silence. Even Iruka's jaw had dropped.

"Next question, please."

"R-right Shino, right away. Next question: Why do you hate windows?"

Shino tensed considerably. Killing intent radiated off of him in waves, and he stood. "WINDOWS! THEY ARE THE ENVOYS OF OUR DESTRUCTION, AND MUST BE ELIMINATED!"

"Well-" Iruka meant to interrupt the rant, but was stopped as two window fitters walked onto stage with a large pane of glass.

"Hey," one of the began," where do you want this win-"

"WINDOW!" Shino roared, his kikaichu zooming out of his coat at an alarming rate.

"We'll be back later, GYAH!" Iruka screamed as he was engulfed in a black blizzard of beetles.

"And welcome back ladies and gentlemen, our next guest is Fenris!"

Fenris came out in his usual attire, his giant sword still strapped to his back. He stomped over and sat down. "Get on with the questions."

Iruka gulped, and nodded. "Okay, uh… How did you get your tattoos, and did they hurt?"

"How did I get them? Did they hurt?" Fenris mocked. "That snake Orochimaru forced them on me, as one of his sick and twisted experiments. And you asked if they hurt!? Imagine the hottest and brightest flames engulfing your body and ravaging your insides. Imagine the coldest chill creeping up your spine and stinging straight into your core. Even then, you will only feel a fraction of the pain I felt. Did it hurt? No. It killed."

And, with those words, Fenris stormed off stage.

"Our next guest," Iruka continued casually, "is Utsuro!"

Utsuro came out wearing her usual attire, although her clothing was stained in thick red blood.

"Uh, hey there, Utsuro," Iruka greeted, "Why're you covered in blood?"

She giggled, "That would be telling, silly!" She reached across and slapped his arm.

Iruka laughed nervously. "Right, only question: Funniest joke you've ever heard?"

"Well, I was walking down an alleyway at night, and this man came out of the shadows, and said, 'Hey, would you like to hear a joke?' I ignored him, but he continued, 'What did the horny man do to the little girl in the dark alley? Break her!'"

Iruka's eyes widened. "What happened!?"

"I broke his neck and disemboweled him before strewing his remains over the rooftops."

There was a long awkward pause. "Utsuro, everybody!" Iruka cheered, looking as though he was about to have a heart attack. "Our final guest is Tali!"

The blonde-haired girl stepped out, smiling brightly, brushing past Utsuro as she left. She wore a flowing blue dress that matched her eyes. As she walked up to give Iruka a pleasant kiss on the cheek, he roughly pushed her down. "Never mind that, questions! Do you like swimming or staying on top of the water?"

Tali smiled, "I like swimming under the water. It's so quiet and peaceful. And there's so much beauty-"

"No one gives a crap," The audience booed as Tali looked down sadly. "Let's get on with it! Final question, thank god! Have you ever kissed anyone?"

Tali's face turned red as a tomato and she looked down. "Well- I… er, well, you see… sorta… I guess… not really… maybe… no," she finally decided.

Iruka gave a cheer, doing a little victory dance. "Thank Kami it's over! I never need to speak to any of you crazies ever again!"

Tali was close to tears now, not being allowed to have her full interview.

The producer of the show came out from backstage, and whispered something in the dancing Chuunin's ear. "What… WHAT DO YOU MEAN, I'VE BEEN BOOKED AS HOST FOR NEXT YEAR'S Q&A!?"

With a cry of utter anguish, Iruka raced from the stage and down through the steps that led through the audience to the fire exit. He didn't get very far, however, as Kura soon appeared in his path.

"Get out of the way you crazy—"

"You didn't let my little sister finish her interview, and you cut her off unfairly." She cracked her knuckles, an angry look obvious in her dark eyes. Iruka realized that Kataki and Raion were standing behind him menacingly. "Big mistake."

Iruka's anguished screams were heard as the lights cut out.

The body was never recovered.

Well, that was awesome! I hope you had as much fun reading it as I did writing it!

Now, we move onto your prizes and challenges. We'll start with the prizes!

Since all of you are such utterly loyal reviewers, and I love you for it, I thought I would pay you back in full. So, I am going to do something for you guys. For each and every one of you, I'll write you a one-shot. It can be about anything, from my OC's to Sakura and Sasuke getting married to Kankuro and the Third Tsuchikage playing tennis! It doesn't matter; I'll do whatever you want.

You do have choices, though. You can either have:

Three short one-shots/drabbles.

Two medium one-shots.

One Large one-shot.

Take your pick from one of those three and I'll do my best. I would ask that you give me specifications about what you want me to write, though. Makes it easier on myself.

Now, onto the challenge. While I could sit here spouting off about how much I love and respect you guys for reviewing (Because I certainly haven't done that…) I've decided to issue a little challenge. It's simple, actually. I would like you, the reviewers, to write me a one-shot. About my OC's. Yes, that is right. I would love for you to show me your perceptions of them, and see how you make them act and think. It would be fantastic! It is optional, but I would be humbly honoured.

I could, also, if you wanted me too, post it in a special one-shot section for this challenge. Or, you could post it on your profiles, providing you make sure to say that they are my OC's ect.

And, well, that's that!

I seriously hope you guys enjoyed this. Thank you for your continued support, without it I would be nothing. Please, if you ever want to suggest anything or discuss anything then please PM me or chat, I love talking to you all. Here's too two-hundred reviews by chapter forty!

Have a great morning/afternoon/evening/night!