Team Aeternum: From Heaven to Hell
Chapter 10: …Get Up and Try Again.
I do not own Naruto
"Failure is not the end, but the start of understanding from a different perspective. Get up and try again."
-Unknown
Chapter Start
When possessing ultimate knowledge of everything that is going on everywhere, there is little that can catch you by surprise, but when that does happen… well… isn't that something?
When both parties – both greater powers that exist around the world of mortals – get surprised by some unforeseen development, movement takes place; more aggressive decisions are taken, riskier choices are made for the sake of progress.
Maou stared at the pearl-white letter in his hands, Heaven's ruler – his older sister – official seal was stamped on the front to keep the trifold parchment closed. Maou inhaled deeply before sighing.
Throughout his rule, Maou has received thousands, upon thousands, of hand written letters from his older sister, each one detailed with painstakingly beautiful calligraphy to properly showcase her sentiments on how much she missed her younger brother. The letters were rather long, consistent at a usual ten thousand word mark and were often hefty with gifts.
Maou expected this letter to be the same, but was shocked for the second time that day when he broke his sister's seal to open the letter to read what was hastily written in the center of the parchment.
We need to talk.
He raised an eyebrow at the crude calligraphy before sealing the letter once more to store it with the others she has sent. With a furrowed brow, Maou walked over to a corner in his chamber, materializing a large ornate desk outfitted with all the utensils for writing a sealed letter. Sitting down on the chair before the desk, Maou dipped a large feathered quill into the inkwell before slowly etching a response.
I agree.
Maou stamped his seal onto the black envelope before snapping his fingers to send his first ever response letter to his sister's chamber in Heaven.
The demon lord sighed before rising to his feet to walk towards the door that exits his chamber. Walking out of his chamber, Maou traveled the massive gothic styled hallway with Fero close behind him – she was waiting patiently for him outside of his chamber.
"Fero, get me the leaders of Rosa, Maya, and Andrea." Maou ordered as he opened the doors to a large library.
"Maou-sama?" Fero asked in confusion.
"I wish to hold a meeting of great importance with them." Maou explained as he pulled out a book and skimmed through it. "Now go."
"Right!" Fero nodded quickly before making her way to the exit. The door to the library closed behind her before Maou sighed as he closed the book.
We need to talk.
The letter replayed in his mind, causing Maou some discomfort. While Kami had been begging for a chance to talk with him since he began his rule over his realm, the "meetings" were for trivial reasons – if any – meaning Maou blatantly ignored her requests, but now… now he knew it was mandatory.
The champions, definitely champions now without a doubt, showed power – immense power – in their last fight, making their presence even more known in both realms. The tailed beasts – peculiar beasts that inhabit the mortal world – were massive constructs of the world's energy. Their power was impressive by their own right, but humans being the surprisingly crafty mortals that they are, have learned how to seal the creatures into other humans – calling those chosen to bare the tailed beasts Jinchūriki.
While Maou had already known about one of the champion's status as a Jinchūriki from long ago – and he was extremely curious to see how that would work with the Champion title – he did not expect for all three of them to share that kind of power together.
That changes everything.
In his realm, Maou is not the only one aware of the champions' status; Clerics – civilians born with increased psychic inkling with the mortal world – are coveted amongst the three military districts for their knowledge on the mortal plane. So far, each district has claimed a Cleric in their possession, meaning that the information on the champions' new found strength will certainly find its way to the districts' leaders, putting even more stress on the need for "aggressive" action.
What a headache.
Then there was his older sister… She must have the same problem going on with her people demanding for war – and this new information will certainly push it over the limit.
Maou closed his eyes before straightening his back before the large doors to the library opened. He snapped his fingers, materializing a vast circular table in the center of the room.
"Maou-sama, they are here." Fero responded, sounding slightly miffed at the leaders behind her.
"Thank you, Fero." The demon lord thanked his champion before addressing the leaders. "Now, come on in; we have a lot that I need to discuss with you three." Maou smiled as five chairs materialized around the table. "Now please, take a seat."
The women in the room nodded, each with a different face of irritation, skepticism and giddiness.
The door slammed shut behind them before the meeting began.
xxOxx
I agree.
The atmosphere around the private chamber of Heaven's ruler went cold, giving Lydia massive chills from outside the chamber.
"He… he replied!" Kami muttered in shock, her breath running short. "He REPLIED!" She squealed with delight, bathing the atmosphere with a warm ambiance as she rolled side to side on her bed, clutching the letter against her chest.
Of the thousands of letters she has sent to her younger brother, he has NEVER replied to a single one! But he did to this one! Kami sat up on her bed; smile wide with her white hair messy in a state of bedhead.
Just this alone almost made her completely disregard the serious consequences the champions' new found strength will eventually bring to her realm. Not a single day has passed since the event and she had already been swarmed by "representatives" suggesting for immediate action towards acquiring the champions now before Hell has a chance to act. Kami understood their worry, but disregarded them for the moment.
She has a date to plan soon.
With a happy sigh, Kami placed the precious letter on top of her dresser before addressing her friend outside. "Lydia-chan, please enter."
The doors opened for a second before the champion in question walked in. "Kami-sama? Is everything okay?"
The goddess nodded with a smile as she fixed her hair with a brush.
"They wish to speak with you, Kami-sama." Lydia reminded her. "Perhaps it would be best to hear them out, just to calm their nerves." The champion advised as she helped her goddess fix her hair. Kami pouted.
"They can wait, Lydia-chan. I have far more important things to attend to right now." She trailed off knowingly.
"Like what, Kami-sama?" Lydia asked curiously.
Kami giggled, blushing slightly but refrained from answering.
In the deep recesses of Hell, Maou shuddered, confusing the leaders during the meeting.
xxOxx
Earth, Early Morning…
The skies were clouded, greyish blobs of fluff above the ground threatened a moist day to come ahead with their presence. In the past couple of days, the weather has continuously remained the same in this type of state; never a full blown downpour, but never completely a dry day either.
Today it drizzled across the village, small droplets of water hit the rooftops, trees, and the various puddles of varying sizes across the center of the village to the outskirts. The pitter-patter of the water mixed with the wonderful noise of the nature surrounding the village made the day seem anything but miserable; just a calm ambiance.
Their steps were carefully taken, feet hitting whatever came their way with planned carelessness as every puddle in their path was not avoided but taken greedily. Through the semi-dense forest they walked in silence, the only noise that came was that of the larger raindrops that pooled on the leaves above them hitting their heads, clothing and the moss ridden trees or the mud down below.
His eyes stayed glued in front of him as he walked, not looking at anything in general but the trees with their mossy exterior.
Her eyes were on the ground as she took uneasy, uncertain steps forward. She blinked as water traveled the sides of her face, twin streams of water traveled downwards barely missing her before meeting together at her chin.
His steps were confident yet light in his stride forward; getting slower in pace to match hers, not for the wild terrain below his feet.
Her steps were slow, hesitant even, but did not stop from what was ahead, for the path – lack thereof – was supposed to be simple yet it now seemed deranged for her, but she could not force herself to stay still. Not now.
When they arrived, he placed a hand on a nearby tree's surface, feeling the added moisture run across his hand's skin.
When they arrived, her hands held each other right over the waistline, allowing her to feel the droplets of water beginning to pool together before falling from her fingertips.
They stood in silence, one for respect, the other for a loss of words, but despite their silence the atmosphere spoke in doves of somber emotion.
She was to his left, his right hand feeling the moss on a tree while his free hand remained relaxed at the same height of her united ones.
He looked forward; the image of dozens of leaves following the push of a sudden gust of wind was reflected in his eyes. The leaves were hit by the water, making their fall to the ground faster due to the added weight, leaving a trail across the moistened ground from the grass below his feet to the large mound of dirt and stone at the base of a large tree.
She did not dare look up, fearing that she would break at the sight despite the fact that she herself had been the one to make this that dreaded day when her life lost so much meaning.
The drizzle changed into actual rain, hitting the ground harder.
He heard her inhale deeply to calm herself, trying to make it as quiet as possible, but the sound of a world shattering can only be muffled so much. He shifted his eyes to gaze at her from the side, seeing her try to be strong, seeing her calming down slowly afterwards.
His left hand moved and brushed itself against her united hands slowly, the back of his hand traveled across her knuckles to assure her that she was not alone in this place, not alone in this earth, assured her that he was there. A thousand words were not said as they remained silent, but amidst their silence, two words were carried out.
I'm sorry.
Not an apology of any kind, but sincere remorse for the pain of someone else.
Through the silence, she nodded gently, forcing the rain to travel down her features faster. Her hands parted before her right hand slowly nudged his left one, the back of their hands pressed against each other for a moment before they parted slowly.
He was there, she knew.
She was there, and so was he.
They stood there in silence for hours as the rain drenched them.
Before them, carved cleanly onto a flat white stone above the mound of dirt, were the words:
Zabuza Momochi
Teacher, Friend, Father
There was thunder when it rained harder, but they did not move. Getting drenched by the rain was nothing to complain about, after all.
xxOxx
"Will this rain get in the way of your work, Tazuna-san?" Gai asked as he and the bridge builder walked across the bridge's surface, construction workers walking past them in their routine of checking the machinery.
The older man laughed as the rain began to dot his rugged face. "Heh, are you kidding? My men and I can work in any condition with no problem!" A booming crack of thunder was heard in the distance, causing Gai to look at Tazuna with an unsure glance. "…we'll set up lighting rods in a minute." His response was embarrassed.
Tazuna's words were true, however, as his workers were used to the harsh environment of Wave. With storms being a common occurrence on their surrounding environment, adapting to the conditions was crucial – if not necessary – to their line of work. With experienced haste, Tazuna's workers began to set up the various lighting rods – large poles of steel used to attract electricity – scattered across the bridge's length to protect the workers from getting struck by the powerful bolts of energy.
Tazuna had been restless since the fight several days ago, his ambition to finish the construction of the bridge peaked that day and since then he and his men have worked extremely hard to try and get the job done as soon as possible. With the increased morale in the village affecting all of the inhabitants, the workers themselves were just as motivated as the master bridge builder.
"The clones are helping too." Tazuna added as his workers were followed by several dozen clones. The clones, courtesy of Shikamaru and Shino, themselves aided the men by carrying the various tools and supplies used in the construction process.
Gai nodded. "The boys were very eager to lend a hand, weren't they?" The Jōnin smiled before he and Tazuna began to chat some more.
From above the bridge's construction site, sitting atop the large metal crane were the originals that conjured the clones down below. Shikamaru and Shino sat back to back, their legs dangling in the air as the rain covered them from head to toe. They leaned against one another, causing the marks on their arms to flash brighter at the contact.
They were on edge- heh, not the edge of the crane where they were sitting at –from the sudden realization they had the day before.
Inside of them, within them, is a creature with unimaginable power; power that has recently been awaken, apparently. The mere thought of something within them scared the duo – how did women deal with it during a pregnancy anyways? Shikamaru and Shino furrowed their brow for some reason; getting an urge to wail on an author for unnecessary, misplaced jokes.
Heh.
Random irritation aside, the duo took comfort in the violent storm around the normally calm village. Truth be told, they felt fine – normal even, but now that they were aware… they could feel a sick pit in their stomachs that seemed to weigh them down. Shino tilted his head back to look at the sky, his head meeting up with Shikamaru's own as the Nara did the same.
The thunderstorm had already neared their position, the sky's sporadic crackling made the duo aware of that, no doubt about it, but they simply didn't care.
And you see, that interested Shikamaru and Shino. They were not fully aware as to what happened before they talked to the fox. It was a blur, really. All they could remember were the girls' screams for them to stop – stop what? – and that was it, well, almost all of it. They were aware they… they died at some point in the battle – only kept alive by the power within that they were now aware of. They perished… and lived to tell the tale.
It had to be death, what else could it have been? The emptiness of it all, the abyss that they were in alone was haunting; as if the darkness that came with the night was nothing but a sunny day compared to where they were.
Naruto didn't know, he didn't need to know that they had experienced the end game but were brought back. In that case, they reasoned, the duo owed their lives to the fox for bringing them back from the dead. The realization added more stress to them.
So that brings us back to the topic on hand; what is there to fear – the approaching storm in this case – when quite literally the worst thing imaginable has already happened? Shikamaru and Shino were scared and confused for several reasons; the demon within, their death and revival, the knowledge of how death feels like and… a strange feeling of smug pride. They died once; they died once, but were still here alive and well! Bring the storm, Hell and high water, they secretly whispered with pride because there's nothing to fear but death itself, right?
Right…?
They felt empty.
"Oi, Shino!" Before they could wallow in pity any longer, the duo heard Shino's name get called out from down below. "Get down from there!" Tenten cupped her hands around her mouth as she looked up at the crane.
The bun haired girl shouted, the rain hitting the bright yellow raincoat she was wearing. Tenten had been watching Shino since the morning when Tazuna began to work, but seeing as he looked serious – then again, when doesn't he? – she let him have some space. But now that the storm had already reached the bridge, Tenten had no choice but to say something before the idiot gets hurt by staying up there. She wasn't alone, however.
Hana shook her head as she looked up at the crane. "Nara, you better come down here!" The Inuzuka ordered, her tone sharp but not harsh.
Shikamaru and Shino sighed. Not in the mood to get into an argument with the girl's down below, the duo obeyed by jumping off of the crane to land on the floor next to them.
Tenten looked Shino over before placing her hands on her waist. "Tch, look at you – you're soaked!" She shook her head. "Do you want to get sick or something?" Tenten frowned and removed her raincoat before motioning it towards him. "Here, put this on."
Shino raised his eyebrows in genuine surprise. "What are you doing?" He asked as he backed away slightly to give himself and the article of clothing some space.
"Don't give me that, just…" She moved behind him and forced his arms through the yellow sleeves as she positioned the coat on to him. "…put it on…" Shino struggled from the contact.
"T-Tenten-san are you… worried about my health?" Shino asked, stopping his struggle as he spoke. His words stopped her.
"W-Well of course I am!" Tenten stammered before finally getting Shino's arms through the sleeves. She moved in front of him, connecting the zipper to the base. "Why wouldn't I be?" Her face was slightly flushed as she zipped the coat up to cover the Aburame's chest from the rain.
The Aburame stayed quiet and pensive, startled by the girl in front of him. She looked coy, cheeks flustered with a small smile on her lips as the rain covered her. The water trickled down her face and cheeks, making her stand out in a way that the Aburame hadn't noticed before. The boom of a nearby thunderbolt striking a lightning rod broke him out of his stupor.
"You will be the one gets sick, Tenten-san. Let us get you out of this rain." Shino grabbed her wrist and guided her to a nearby wooden scaffolding to take cover from the weather. Tenten's eyes went wide as a smile spread across her cheeks with an accompanying blush when Shino grabbed her wrist.
Hana looked on, impressed by Tenten's actions and success with some envy at her boldness. The Inuzuka turned to face Shikamaru, the boy was drenched in water and he gave her an expectant look. Hana prepared herself with a short breath before attempting to look coy as well.
"Y-You look like an idiot."
"…"
Hana wanted to slap herself. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brows before giving off a faint chuckle. He smiled slightly.
"Heh, I guess I do." Shikamaru shuddered for a moment before he walked towards the semi-dry spot underneath the crane's large metal neck.
Hana cursed silently before following the Nara.
Tenten gently wiped the water off of her face with her right hand before glancing at the Aburame. "How are you feeling, Shino?"
Shino shrugged as he himself was not sure on how he felt at the moment. "I am not sure." He replied honestly as he looked at the booming sky from beneath their cover. "The answer escapes me."
Tenten nodded slowly. "Are you hurt?" He shook his head at her question, a negative. "Oh…" Tenten rubbed her wet arms in an awkward pause before she recalled some of the questions she had wanted to ask him.
"Say Shino…" Tenten started, looking at the ground as she spoke. "What happened at the bridge the other day?" Her question made him face her. "During the fight you changed – "
I would rather not speak about that event, Tenten-san." He cut in suddenly.
"So you don't know what happened, huh?"
"Tenten-san, please."
"I'm curious, Shino. I want to know."
"Why?" The question hanged in the air for several seconds, his tone heavy and exasperated. Shino did not want to have this conversation.
Tenten felt herself get slightly irritated. A frown threatened to set in her face, but she willed it away. Now was not the time for an argument. 'Not when I can get you alone like this.'
She sighed. "You took a sword to the side for me, Shino." The sentence was long and drawn out, as if explaining it to a child, yet had the undertone of pleading. "You saved my life when you did that…" He stayed quiet. She fidgeted. "I don't know you that well, I know, but… when you changed… when you… I-I don't know what that was, but that couldn't have been you…" She neared him, her chest almost against his.
When she breathed in, her chest touched his, causing him to back away slightly, which in turn made her get closer to him. "Are… Are you sure you're okay?" She asked, her eyes pleading into his.
Shino blinked behind his sunglasses before looking away. "I do not know." His response disappointed her. "It is a new fear of mine, I suppose."
She stepped back slightly, much to his relief. "What is?"
Thunder boomed from above, startling her, but failed to affect him.
"Not knowing." His response was filled with mirth.
Tenten looked him over one more time and she understood.
Shino was a wall; steadfast, strong under pressure and durable. During that fight, he was torn down for the first time and he now felt weak, unsure of his previous notion of strength that made the base of his "wall". He was slowly realizing the difficulty of repairing what once was with broken remains.
"Fear is what makes us human…" He turned to face her. "You told me that, remember?"
He swallowed. The day of the festival seemed like such a long time ago to the Aburame.
"You said… You said that your value as a ninja cannot be determined by your shortcomings and weaknesses, but by the strength you have to overcome them." Tenten smiled, feeling warmth fill her at the memory.
Shino nodded slowly, appreciating the words as well coming from her. "Thank you, Tenten-san." He smiled beneath his scarf.
"So can you promise me one thing?"
Uh-oh.
"When you figure out what happened, will you let me know?"
"Tenten-san, I…" Shino started but stopped at her fixated look towards him.
"Promise me."
Shino immediately thought back on one of Jiraiya-sensei's Golden Rules:
"Don't promise a woman anything unless you're about to die."
Shino gulped and bided his time and judging by the rumbling of the sky…
"Promise me, Shino." Tenten repeated sternly. The sky began to growl.
'Now!' "I…" Shino began but was muted by the roar of a mighty thunderclap booming loudly. "Satisfied, Tenten-san?"
Tenten recoiled. "I didn't hear you." She challenged.
"I thank you for the raincoat, Tenten-san." He thanked the girl.
She rolled her eyes. "Shino!" She punched him on the left arm.
"Gah!" Tenten yelped in pain, her arm recoiling backwards as an electrical discharge went off between her and the Aburame. Shino hissed in pain several of feet away, an immense pain going through his body in waves.
This was new.
"That freaking hurts! What was that, Shino?!" Tenten cursed as she massaged her fist.
Shino knew that she had punched the mark on his arm, but this new effect was appalling. It didn't make sense to the Aburame; this wasn't the first time his mark has been touched – plenty of times the mark has been stricken when his team sparred together – but this is the first time a reaction like this has happened!
Tenten shook her hand as if trying to put out an invisible fire before sighing in relief as the pain dissipated. "Did I hit that tattoo on your arm?" She asked curiously.
Shino nodded, gritting his teeth from the pain that still roared inside his body.
She sighed bitterly. "I'm guessing you don't know about that either?" The doubt in her voice was toxic.
Shino groaned inwardly to push the pain back. "I… apologize." Shino muttered as he tried to compose himself.
He needed to talk with his friends about this…this reaction. This event proved that this mark was far from being a phenomenon – wait.
Shino slowly turned to face Tenten. When she was in the middle of his sight, he tilted his head slightly. Tenten felt…uneasy at his stare – was it a stare?
"What is it?" She asked, disturbed by him slightly.
"How… How did you know about the mark on my arm, Tenten-san?" He asked slowly.
Tenten flinched back. She sure as hell was not expecting that question. "O-Oh, you know..." She tried to play it off.
"Tenten-san." He repeated her name.
"When you were unconscious, heh, someone had to take care of your hygiene…" She rolled her eyes with a small smile on her lips.
Silence.
"Eh, Shino?" Tenten blinked when she saw the Aburame standing several feet farther away.
"P-Pervert." Shino hugged himself, head tilted to the side slightly with a visible blush from beneath the scarf.
Beneath. The. Scarf.
Tenten blanched. "S-Shino that was a joke! I didn't even get to see you without your scarf!" She stepped forward.
He took a step back.
"Pervert." He repeated, this time he sounded victimized. An imaginary stamp labeled "Pervert" was pressed against Tenten's head, leaving the word imprinted in bright red ink.
"S-S-Shino!" Tenten pleaded, taking several steps forward – his response was to take several steps back. "Y-You're out on the rain now, idiot!"
And it was true. Shino was out in the rain, getting drenched.
"A better fate than standing next to a pervert." His voice was serious, but slightly shaky.
Tenten wanted to laugh. She seriously wanted to laugh, but couldn't. She breathed in. "Shino, I'm being serious here; I don't want you to get sick. Come back."
Shino relaxed inwardly. He had needed to change the subject from the mark on his arm to something else – anything else – even if it meant making himself look like a fool. (Or at least, that's what he thought he looked like.)
He nodded. "My eyes are up here, Tenten-san." He informed her, an edgy tone imbedded in his words. He "cautiously" walked forward and joined her underneath the scaffolding once more.
Tenten snickered. "Never a dull moment when you're around, huh, Shino?" She smiled.
"I am the life of any party, Tenten-san." His low voice betrayed the words, causing her to laugh.
He liked her laugh, Shino noticed. It was unique. Not entirely feminine, but there were still traces of it here and there. She should really do it more often – wait, why was he even pondering this, anyway? He shook the thought away.
"I'm glad you're awake." Her words were almost a whisper behind the rain and booming sky, but the Aburame was able to hear her clearly. He nodded slowly, the weight of her words hitting him inside.
Behind his scarf he smiled softly.
"So am I."
For a moment, they shared the storm's violent nature in a peaceful silence.
xxOxx
Hana stood next to Shikamaru in an awkward silence – she, at least, thought so – as they tried to escape the weather with varying degrees of success. While the crane's large metal neck reduced the amount of rain that reached them, it was far from perfect.
The Inuzuka was uneasy due to the silence, but grateful for it allowed her to use her heightened hearing to listen on Tenten's conversation with Shino and she had to admit, the bun haired girl knew how to talk! Tenten's words inspired the Inuzuka to the point of trying to mimic her.
'Okay Hana, ask him if he's fine…'
"S-So… What's wrong with you?"
"Eh?" Shikamaru frowned at her question.
Hana cringed, mentally slapping herself. Why was this so difficult?! "S-Sorry, I was talking about the fight on the bridge, when you…changed?" Hana shook her head to try and correct herself, but noticed that the Nara had begun to lose interest in a conversation.
"I don't want to talk about it, Inuzuka." His tone was sharp in his reply. Shikamaru had his hands in his pockets, shoulders tensed from the cold. His expression was distant and slightly annoyed.
There was something on his mind, Hana figured, but decided to stop trying to get information out of him – he was clearly in no mood for talking at the moment. So Hana remained quiet with her disappointment, head facing the ground in front of her. The rain hit the bridge's surface repeatedly.
Shikamaru didn't like the silence; it let him think too much and at this point, thinking too much would only shake him further. He closed his eyes.
'Why the hell did you stop talking, Inuzuka?! Normally you'd be nagging me to no end!' Shikamaru thought angrily before glaring at her. 'Eh? Why does she look so disappointed?'
Hana bothered Shikamaru. Plain and simple. Her attitude clashed with his own, she never listened to him and she always argued with him! The nerve of that woman! He relaxed inside. He needed this – keep his mind occupied through the mind-numbing silence that was around the two of them – he deserved it.
Since day fucking one she was on his ass – gah! – for every little thing, too! What was her deal, anyway? Alpha? Pfft. She saw him as a threat! He grinned at the thought. Her dogs didn't understand personal space either!
He blinked. Well, they weren't that bad, he admitted.
'Stop moping around and say something, Inuzuka!'
It wasn't her fault she behaved the way she did, he shrugged, as it was his plan from the get-go to see if she was going to be a reliable teammate or not. He stifled a grin as he thought back on the way he acted.
'I am an ass, heh.'
He stopped ranting for a moment but the monotony of the rain and booming sky did nothing for his nerves.
At some point, he guessed, her teasing toned down – or he got used to it, either or. She did spend several hours helping him disarm his wire dome after the fight with Team Gai though…
'Inuzuka, what the hell is the matter with you right now?"
...and it was kind of fun too, he supposed, usually disarming the dome was a bitch to do, but it wasn't so bad when she helped him. Shikamaru closed his hands inside his pockets, popping the joints.
Then there was the festival… His eyes widened for a second when he realized he had actually spent the whole festival with that nagging woman. Not that she complained during the time they spent together or anything, which was odd in a way.
'What's bothering you?' He narrowed his eyes in irritation.
He had fun during the festival that was for sure. That's what you do at festivals, right? Have fun? They did, apparently.
Oh, Kami. Did he really shove the cotton candy to her face, pick a piece off of her face and eat it?!
'What the fuck is wrong with me?! That's so embarrassing!' Shikamaru blanched at the memory. She did like the flavor of it though…
'I…'
He remembered the firework finale, how awestruck she was during that moment, how serene the childlike reaction she had when witnessing it.
'…don't like…'
So she wasn't that much of a nagging woman, he admitted.
'…that look…'
The bridge. His memories brought him back to the place he wanted to avoid. He hadn't even given it a second thought when he used the teleportation seal to get in the way of the blade. Who was to say it wouldn't have just sliced through the both of them?
But it didn't.
'…on your face, Inuzuka.'
He grinded his teeth together in anger.
She was not allowed to have that… that… look of disappointment on her face! Who the hell does she think she is?! Where's the irritation when he would say something rude? The anger that shows up when something doesn't go her way? That….that… proud look she gave him when he gave that speech to Team Gai after their fight? The awestruck look she had during the finale of the festival?
Shikamaru has never seen the Inuzuka with this look on her face. It pissed him off! You can't just go and start showing new emotions! Especially when the looks he knew her for had nothing to do with this look!
Before he popped a blood vessel, Shikamaru stopped and calmed down. Why the hell was he even ranting about this, anyway? He turned to face her and immediately regretted doing so as he was greeted by the solemn expression of Hana facing the ground.
'I don't like that look on your face, Inuzuka.'
At that moment, Shikamaru realized he was insane. Why did he care? Why did he seriously care?
'All she wanted to do was to make sure I was fine.' He thought bitterly before sighing. He needed to fix this…
…the only way he knew how.
"I can't believe you thought I died." Shikamaru chuckled slightly. He was still facing forward as he said those words but he kept an eye on her reaction. Hana's eyes widened for a moment, her mouth twitched open in disbelief as his words impacted her.
'Here it comes.'
Her eyebrows furrowed, the faint *tic* of her teeth coming into contact with one another in a snarl before she let out a growl.
'That's more like it.' He smiled inwardly as he looked at the sky above.
"T-That's not funny you asshole!" Hana growled, baring her fangs before she realized what she was doing. She closed her eyes and breathed in, calming down.
'?' Shikamaru was surprised.
"I… I was terrified…" She admitted slowly. "T-To think that you would s-save me like that…"
Shikamaru was greeted with a new expression from the girl – one that he didn't have words for.
"D-Don't ever do that again!" She yelled, eyes closed. He was reminded of some of the kids in his clan's grounds. "Don't ever try to throw your life away like that, ever again, understand?!"
Shikamaru felt warmth fill him up. His eyes were wide open, his mouth slightly open.
"Promise me you won't do that again…" Hana bit her lower lip, eyes darting back and forth from the ground to his face. A pink blush adorned her serious face.
Shikamaru most definitely knew he couldn't promise her that – part of Jiraiya-sensei's Golden Rules, after all – but it looked like she wouldn't take "no" for an answer now.
He crossed his fingers in his pocket.
"I…promise, alright?" He muttered, a blush of his own evident on his face.
She looked relieved when she smiled.
Shikamaru's heart was pounding against his chest.
'What the hell was that?!'
xxOxx
Two Days Later…
"Oi, Naruto."
The blonde snored; his mouth was wide open with a small trail of drool protruding out of it. When a hand jabbed him in the side, he let out a strained snore at the contact.
"Oi, Naruto…!" Shikamaru snapped at the sleeping blonde with a harsh whisper. He groaned before raising a hand up and slapped Naruto across the face in an attempt to wake him up.
"GAH! What the hell?!" Naruto groaned as he sat up, fully awake now.
Shikamaru placed a finger over his lips. "Shut up, we're on the move in ten."
Naruto rubbed his eyes. "Why so early, Shikamaru?" He whined. The sun had still not come out, the dark twilight hours still present.
"Just get ready." Shikamaru groaned as he opened the window to their room before exiting through it.
Today was the Big Day for the trio. Not big day, but Big Day. You could hear the capitalization. After reading the mysterious letter that was left in their room while they were out of it, they knew they had some unfinished business to take care of before they left.
The bridge was close to completion as it were, only a couple more days and it – along with their mission – would be finished. With limited time left on the clock, the trio had no choice but to rush at this opportunity at hand since their original plan failed miserably.
Dressed in their white shirts, pants and boots, the trio left Tazuna's home in the black of night. The marks on their arms glistened against the moon's light.
Their destination?
Nowhere they haven't been before.
xxOxx
The soft crunch-like grind of the ground beneath their feet was pleasantly loud from the mundane silence that came from the outside of the fenced property. This time around, sneaking in was no longer needed due to the lack of surveillance outside of the building. The gates to the property were already opened, allowing easy access for the trio to take.
"Are you sure the letter said to come back here?" Naruto asked as they entered the building from the front entrance. His words were echoed across the vacant floor.
"That's what the letter said, Naruto." Shikamaru confirmed before pushing aside several scattered chairs out of the way from the second floor staircase. The building was empty – no noise, no people – nothing.
"What makes you think he'll be here this early, anyway?" The blonde passed Shikamaru and led the way up the stairs to the second floor, each footstep echoing throughout the staircase.
"He will be here." Shino reassured him with confidence as they passed the second floor.
On the third and final floor, the trio hesitated slightly as they walked towards the office where their first major event of their ninja career took place. Tightening their resolve, the trio slowly opened the door to the office where Gatō died by their hands.
Taking a quick look around, the trio found that the large office had been converted into what could be described as a master bedroom merged with a single apartment. The only remnant of the office's prior design was the large wooden desk set where it previously was near the door. This looked much different than a room where a man was killed.
The trio sensed two – no, three – presences on the large ornate king-sized bed on the far corner of the room.
Show time.
Shikamaru closed the door a decimal lower than a resounding slam, causing a stir on the bed.
The last thing the trio expected was a woman's head to pop out of the thick amber sheets, her golden hair reaching the floor where it pooled together.
"W-Who's there?" Her voice stammered from being wakened, not by unease. The woman sat up in bed, the sheets still covering her while her hands rubbed her eyes gently. Above the bed was the window the trio had used to escape that fateful morning several days ago. The window allowed for moonlight to bathe the room in slight luminosity.
The trio were at a loss for words at the moment as they weren't expecting for a woman – a fairly gorgeous woman at that – to be in the room.
"Uh, excuse us…" Naruto trailed off, all words lost as the woman removed the blankets off of her before getting up on her feet…
"Oh, hello there."
…in her completely naked form.
The woman yawned, bringing her right hand to cover her mouth during the action while her left arm was raised upwards in a stretch. The movement of her arm and her yawn caused her bare breasts to lift upwards before going back to their original place swiftly, causing a slight jiggle to occur.
The trio, being the red-blooded young adults that they are, couldn't help but stare in awe at the female form in front of them, swallowing hard when the woman gave them a friendly smile at the attention.
"Oh, you three flatter me!" The woman giggled, placing her arms over her breasts – hands cradling her now crimson cheeks right below her emerald eyes. Her voice was deep with mature femininity despite her looks at a modest mid-twenties Skin that resembled a slightly darker shade of vanilla adorned her perfectly, flaunting the body she owned. Her hair reached the back of her knees – a river of golden hair.
The trio was not ready for this.
Placing one hand on her voluptuous hips while the other was free by her thigh, the woman confidently strutted forward, her hips swaying in a hypnotic fashion as her womanhood was there for the trio to spectate – in fear (of their ever increasing difficulty in ignoring their reactions to it) and awe (of their reactions towards it).
The trio's eyes tried to look elsewhere, but got caught in another form of her body – the nape of her neck, her breasts, navel, abdomen, thighs and legs, lips and eyes – DAMN.
Naruto, Shikamaru and Shino subconsciously added a new milestone to their lives.
Behold: The trio's first encounter with the naked female form.
Maybe Jiraiya had a very good idea in what he does for a living, the trio would later admit.
The woman had stopped in front of the boys, from left to right: Naruto, Shikamaru and Shino. Her smile only got sweeter from being flattered. "It's a little too early for a visit, don't you think?" She asked, her tone reflected the opposite of what she was implying. She placed an index finger on her chin and put on the cutest thinking face the trio had ever seen.
"Ah…" She closed her eyes and scratched her face gently. "G-Gomen, but I don't remember your names!" She apologized, genuinely upset at herself for "forgetting" the trio in front of her. "I'm usually much better at remembering friends' names! Please forgive me!" She bowed in apology.
The trio were shocked, stupefied for they recognized these patterns that the woman was displaying: mature voice, gorgeous body, child-like expressions and characteristics, disregard for her lack of clothing…?
Oh, Kami!
The woman in front of them was the kind of woman Jiraiya-sensei would classified as an "S-Rank!" In terms of "lethality" - almost literally drop dead gorgeous – Jiraiya spent years developing the parameters for this exclusive rank and throughout his travels he had never met a single one in person!
The trio had to be careful around this woman, the sudden realization made them snap out of their ecchi stupors, holding the blood that threatened to escape via their noses in place as they steeled themselves.
"Gomen, gomen, gomen, gomen…!" The woman was still apologizing repeatedly.
Naruto took a deep breath. "H-Hey, miss…? W-We, uh, haven't met before." The blonde looked at the wall to his left, a deep blush set in his face.
The woman jolted upwards in surprise, causing her breasts to follow suit and thanks to the wonderful, wonderful laws of gravity… DAMN.
"We haven't?" The woman tilted her head, eyes wide and hopeful.
The trio averted their eyes – almost reluctantly – to avoid getting captured. They shook their heads together.
"Oh!" She smiled brightly. "New friends then?"
"Uh…"
"…I…"
"…guess…?"
The trio responded one by one, not able to find the correct words. They tensed up when the woman's eyes lit up.
"New friends!" The woman cheered. "My name is…" Her eyes narrowed seductively while her tone of voice turned into a sultry one. "…Koi. Pleasure to meet you three…" The moment soon vaporized when she giggled, back to… "normal"?
The trio swallowed hard once more at the power this "S-Rank" had.
"What are your names?" Koi asked as she held her hands together.
"N-Naruto…"
"Shikamaru…"
"Shino."
The trio responded slowly.
Koi nodded. "Naruto-kun, Shikamaru-kun and…Shino-kun, eh?" Her sultry voiced stayed until after she laughed – a slow threating (not life threatening) chuckle. "Nice to meet you!" Koi opened her arms to go in for a group hug, but got stopped when the trio backed away with their hands raised outwards.
"K-Koi-san…! P-Please put on some clothes!" Naruto's hands shook.
Koi stammered. "Really…?" She was surprised when the trio nodded. "O-Okay…!" Koi walked back to the bed, giving the trio ample time to admire – I mean, ignore, her supple backside, but made them freeze when she bent over to pick up the cluttered clothing from the ground – DAMN!
S-Rank indeed.
As Koi unknowingly opened a whole new world for the trio of teenagers behind her as she picked up her clothing, there was a faint rustle coming from the bed.
"Oi, Koi…" The voice sounded tired. "Why'd…" A yawn. "Why'd you get out of bed…?" A new head popped out of underneath the blankets, a male.
"We have visitors, Kaiza!" Koi responded cheerfully as she began to clothe herself, socks first apparently.
"Visitors? This early…?" Naruto slapped Shikamaru on the back of the head.
The man slumped back into the pillows his head was lying on before rolling to the edge of the bed where he placed his feet on the floor. He rubbed his eyes before standing up off of the bed, causing the trio to cringe for the entirely same reason as they did with Koi – although they had vastly different reasons for doing so.
Kaiza flicked his hair back, eyes serious in the faintly moonlit room. "You murderers killed my father!" Kaiza growled angrily, causing the trio to tense up into a fighting stance. Kaiza laughed.
"Hahaha, just joking around with you!" He grinned before walking towards Shikamaru. The Nara recoiled as Kaiza neared, each step made Shikamaru cringe slightly.
"You're Shikamaru, right?" Kaiza asked as he cupped his chin with two fingers in a thinking pose. Shikamaru nodded. "You look stressed, what's the matter?" He asked while raising an eyebrow. "Want me to get Koi to give you a massage? She will, you know."
"I will!" Koi confirmed as she struggled to put on a shirt – presumably Kaiza's.
Shikamaru shook his head. "N-No that's not necessary!"
"Really?" Kaiza and Koi asked simultaneously, both obviously confused at the response. "Can you put on clothes?" Shikamaru replied quickly, keeping his eye on Kaiza's face.
Kaiza snorted a laugh. "Why?"
Gatō was a sleazy man, no doubt about it, but somewhere along the line, he either met a special someone or he fucked up because he ended up having a son. A son by the name of Kaiza.
Kaiza was young at twenty-seven years old, brown eyes, brown head of hair shaved slightly at the sides – only leaving a mohawk-like trial of hair with dyed blonde tips. His hair was straightened, meaning that the trail of hair closest to his forehead reached the tip of his nose when not slicked back, but otherwise rested on the right side of his head.
Just with a single glance, one could tell that Kaiza was substantially taller than his father, standing at a modest five feet, six inches. Speaking of which, Kaiza almost shared little to no characteristics with his father, except, of course, for the always present sharp glare in his eyes. He was a handsome man; well-toned face, smooth features, sharp chin and infectious smile. He had a well-built body, his naked form could withstand that accusation on its own at the moment; Kaiza took care of himself to have muscles in just about every aspect to not only talk the business, but to look good doing it too.
Standing next to Koi, however, he looked rather short as she was several inches taller.
"I wasn't expecting you to come visit this early, honestly." Kaiza admitted as he sat down on the chair behind the large desk. "But then again, you ninja sure are weird kinds of people. Please, take a seat."
The trio nodded, taking the chairs that waited in front of the desk. "We needed to make sure that this was a legit meeting." Shikamaru replied as he sat down.
"Why did you call us here? After what we did, it doesn't seem like a bright idea to do so." Shino asked, his words bringing a grin to Kaiza's face.
Koi finished putting on some clothing, missing pieces to cover her lower half besides some panties and socks, before walking behind Naruto and Shikamaru. She placed a hand on each of their shoulders, causing them to look at her for a brief second. Koi smiled.
"I have nothing to fear! You guys – you three are heroes, are you not?" Kaiza's words surprised the trio. "Coming here to protect that bridge builder, helping the village with some shit that was bothering them, coming here to kill my father to free the village and then going back to protect them from his men?!" Kaiza laughed. "Straight out of a fucking movie!" The trio tensed slightly from what Kaiza said.
Koi noticed when they tensed. "Hm? What's wrong, Naruto-kun? Shikamaru-kun?" She asked as her hands were still feeling their shoulders.
"You… seem to be taking your father's death very well, Kaiza-san." Shino replied slowly.
Kaiza nodded, but then shrugged. "He was more of a teacher than a father, really. He taught me everything he knew, but he was an asshole to the core."
Kaiza tapped his fingers on the desk. "He knew that making too many enemies would be the death of him at some point, but he was too stubborn to change his ways and apologize to those of the past…" He trailed off semi-sadly before smiling once more. "…as to why I called you here…" He began, leaning forward, fingers interlocked with elbows on the desk. The trio nodded. "From the looks of the security cameras in this office, you three came here for a reason, what was it?" He asked seriously.
The trio cringed. Where the hell were those cameras hidden anyways?
"Extortion." They replied together.
Kaiza nodded. "I bet he called you three dumbasses for trying something like that."
"…"
"Extortion is a noble cause, kind of like stealing from the elderly, you know?" Kaiza nudged his head. "We all need money, so what's your reason?"
Shikamaru glared. "We don't need to answer that." He closed his hands into fists. "And you have no right to ask us that."
Kaiza raised an eyebrow. "As heir – ahem, sorry – owner of this organization, I have every right to know."
"Why would you care as to why we need to the money?" Naruto asked, not liking where the conversation was going.
"Who is to say that this is not an extortion attempt, Kaiza-san?" Shino added with extra weight in his words.
Kaiza leaned back in his chair. "If this is an extortion attempt, I'd much rather change it into a business deal. Why would I do that?" He beat the trio to the question. "Simple. I happen to like you three. You're…different from the ninja I have met so far."
"We killed your father." Shino reminded him.
"Do you want me to get on my knees and thank you, or what? I know what you did and I appreciate it. My old man taught me that money is everything, yet he spent way too much covering his tracks, hiring mercenaries, drugs; you name it. He was costing the corporation quite a bit of money – I won't get into specifics, but it was a lot." Kaiza palmed his forehead before rubbing his hair back only for it to revert back to its original place.
"I'm having trouble finding out what you could get out of this." Shikamaru responded.
Kaiza rubbed his hands together. "A partnership. That's what I want – what I need." Kaiza became solemn for a moment. "When word gets out that my old man kicked the bucket, there'll be a shit ton of pests trying to take advantage, understand? Rival corporations, enemies my old man made, you get it."
"And that's where we come in." Shino finished for him.
"Right." Kaiza leaned on his chair. "You work for me, you'll get everything you ever need; money, weapons, drugs if you want them and a chance to travel this wide world. Plus, you'll get to know me."
The trio looked interested. "That last part, what do we get from that?" Shikamaru voiced his thoughts.
"You'll get to know that I treat my friends right, and if I treat my friends right, others will do too." Kaiza grinned. "Money carries a heavy influence, you would be surprised."
"Indeed." Shino agreed.
"What's the catch?" Shikamaru stopped and asked the necessary question. "This sounds too good to be true." Naruto and Shino nodded.
Kaiza sighed. "Time to get to the knitty-gritty I guess. I can't exactly promise a safe working environment, for obvious reasons. If it comes down to it, my father will not be the only major corporation head you kill." Kaiza's words doused the fire slightly. "The work schedule will be random; spanning on either a couple of weeks to a month or two depending on the job – but that's business for you."
"The pay, however…" Kaiza continued. "…will be worth it; trust me."
The trio gulped at the thought. "Can we trust you?" Shino was the first one to reply.
"No." Kaiza's eyes were half closed. "Not yet you can't. It takes time to trust someone, especially someone like me. I will try my best to get you to trust me and I expect the same vice versa, get it?"
"Hold on, how will this work? We're still genin in our village and we have a duty to partake in different missions." Naruto interrupted, trying to put some reason into this situation. Kaiza shrugged.
"That's bull. They have countless of brats to do that boring shit. I'll personally ask for you three, hell, I'll pay extra for you three to work for me, no questions asked." He clapped his hands. "So, how about it you three? Do we have a deal?" Kaiza leaned forward and offered his right hand.
"Oh, please accept!" Koi squealed with excitement. "I'll be able to see you more often!" Her hands cupped her cheeks.
The older man nodded. "She doesn't have many friends, so how about it?"
The trio looked at one another, smirked and turned back to face him. "We'll need an incentive, Kaiza-kun." Shikamaru spoke for the group. Kaiza laughed before nodding.
"You'll get very far with that kind of attitude in this business." He sat down and opened a large drawer before looking back at them. "How do three big ones sound like?"
The trio sweatdropped. "Three thousand…?" Shikamaru retorted in distrust.
"Ha." Kaiza laughed once before placing three large sacks on the desk's surface, their weight causing them to topple over and spill some of their content's; large rolls of banded currency traveled the desk's top before stopping short of the edge in front of the trio.
They let their jaws fall and their eyes widen at the sight of the money before them. Their lips went dry and their bodies fell into a cold sweat.
"Think of it as a welcoming gift to the family…" Kaiza stood up from his chair, placed his left hand on the desk's surface – avoiding the hefty bags of cash in the way – and leaned forward with his right hand outwards. "…the first of many." He grinned.
The trio's hands shot out and formed around his, Naruto's palmed the back of Kaiza's, Shikamaru's hand connected with the older man's while Shino's hand palmed the back of Shikamaru's hand.
"It's a deal!" Naruto, Shikamaru and Shino announced together, causing Koi to cheer happily and Kaiza to laugh heartedly at the new found comradeship.
Behind the cheering, a groan was heard from the bed as the third and final occupant rose, rubbing her eyes. "Oi, what the hell is up with the racket in here?!"
Kaiza turned towards her and frowned. "You just woke up, Ayumi?" He shook his head. "Never mind that for now – meet the newest members of the organization; Naruto, Shikamaru and Shino!" Kaiza walked from behind the desk towards the trio, causing another cringe to all the members of the office, except for Koi.
"P-Put some pants on, Kaiza!" Ayumi cried out, throwing a pillow at the man.
Ayumi could be considered to be the polar opposite of Koi, both physically and mentally in terms of radiance. Dark brown skin enveloped her being compared to the vanilla-like color of Koi's own skin. Her eyes were light blue, short black hair around her head with twin bangs framing her face down to her cheeks.
Right off the bat, the trio could tell that this Ayumi character was much more modest than Koi as she clothed herself beneath the covers of the bed quickly before standing up.
Dressed in a nightgown that could be considered lingerie, Ayumi looked flustered with embarrassment from the attention on her.
Koi jumped once at the sight of her grumpy friend before hopping towards her. "Oh, Ayumi-chan! These are our new friends! They'll be joining us for some fun times soon!" Koi exclaimed happily, her last couple of words were said in a sultry voice.
Ayumi rolled her eyes. "Riiiight…" She looked them over. "I guess I'll be seeing you three around, huh? I'll be in your care." Ayumi bowed respectfully.
The trio did the same. "Likewise, Ayumi-san." Shino replied.
Kaiza smiled at the sight. "I'm glad we're getting along so fabulously! We should celebrate!" He announced with a smug grin.
"Put some clothes on!"
xxOxx
Hours Later; Early Morning…
The morning sun shined brightly, much to the chagrin of Naruto and Shikamaru; their eyes still sore from the long night they had with Kaiza, Koi and Ayumi. Shino, on the other hand, felt fine thanks to his shades.
The trio had just come back from the building after receiving their first job from Kaiza that would require completion once they got back to the village.
With a yawn, the trio sneaked in through the window to catch a rest if possible. Once all three of them were inside the room, they shrugged and sat down.
Time to rest!
"Where were you?" The voice caught them by surprise seconds after they closed their eyes.
"Hana-senpai? What are you doing here?" Naruto asked but got ignored by the older girl. Hana kept her eyes on the Nara before smelling the air, catching the whiff of alcohol and… something else she couldn't quite distinguish. The smell was sweet and musky – a person she didn't know, perhaps? It made her feel uneasy.
"Hung-over?" Hana asked as she calmed down slightly.
"Hardly. Just a fun night out with the guys before we leave Wave, is all." Shikamaru replied evenly. The other two nodded.
Hana nodded slowly before turning around to leave. "Hey, Nara…"
"Yeah?"
"Invite me next time, all right?" Hana asked without looking at him, her tone uneven, but didn't wait for an answer as she walked out of the room.
"Okay…" He replied a second later after she left.
xxOxx
Two Days Later; Early Morning…
It was a bizarre event, if it could be called one, at the site of the completed bridge as the entirety of the village showed up at the grand opening.
Team Gai, Hana and her dogs, Haku and the trio stood behind Tazuna as he gave the speech that came with his completed work.
"It's my pleasure to finally announce the completion of the bridge that will not only break us out of this depression, but open a whole new world of opportunities for our village!" Tazuna exclaimed happily, uproar of applause soon followed by everyone present sharing the same attitude towards the announcement. "I know that times have been difficult, like we were stuck in a rut…" The crowd nodded solemnly in remembrance of the pain they have endured. "…but these past couple of weeks have been just an introduction of what's to come from now on, and we all know who to owe for that." The crowd cheered as Tazuna turned around to face the ninja behind him.
Naruto clapped Lee's back, smiling along with Shikamaru as they stood shoulder to shoulder with their fellow ninja. Gai smiled as he and Hana pushed the trio from behind, forcing them to stand next to Tazuna. The trio looked confused before turning to face their comrades only to see them smiling back at them.
"While all these ninja greatly contributed in my safety while my men and I worked, it was these three that greatly affected the village. You brought us together, gave us hope and defended us when we really needed it, and I think I speak for everyone when I say: thank you for taking care of us!" The villagers cheered even harder.
The trio was astounded by the praise.
"You three shall never be forgotten in this village, and as such I say we dedicate the name of the bridge to forever immortalize the ones that brought the village together and gave us a future: The Great Aeternum Bridge! May the bonds that were forged here remain intact for eternity!" The crowd roared in applause at the name while the trio felt a wave of emotion hit them with full force.
They bowed. "Thank You!"
The sun shone brighter than it had for the past couple of years in the area as the trio's time in Wave has finally…
…come to an end.
Wave Arc Complete!
Whoo! Chapter 10 is finally over and with that so is the Wave Arc!
I am sorry, so freaking sorry about the delay in this chapter! College has finally started for me and along with moving in to my new apartment and getting used to my classes, I had little time to write and then type this chapter. I want to say that it won't take me this long to update again, but I'm not sure. It took me a little over a month to make this chapter and I'm sorry, I'll try to lessen the time it takes for me to update.
So, that's my excuse.
On to the chapter: I wanted to delve into Shino and Shikamaru's minds to show their feelings towards the Kyuubi being inside of them, and as you can see; they're lost and scared from it, which I think is fair. Right now, they don't know how to feel because they know nothing about what happened or what it means for them in the future.
This opens a lot of possibilities for me as an author to get some varying emotions from them during the course of the story.
Maybe now Shikamaru and Shino are beginning to notice Hana and Tenten?
Heh.
Who knows? :P
Heaven and Hell are finally going to take a bigger role in the story, which means I need to make this announcement now.
From this point on, expect several crossovers to happen – not a crazy amount, maybe a reference or two to various anime/game characters (I'll make sure to list what anime/game) but there will be some major support/main characters on their way.
So you won't get completely blindsided, here's some animes/mangas you might want to watch/read:
The World God Only Knows and Sora no Otoshimono (Heaven's Lost Property)
These shows are great so give them a shot!
Also, I really should have said this a long time ago, but Maou – Hell's King, Demon Lord, etc. – is based on Maou Sadao (The main character of Hataraku Maou-Sama!) based on looks and characteristics when in King form. Watch the first episode and you'll know what I mean.
Okay, Kaiza. Gatō's son.
What did you think about him and the trio's business with him? Will the story deviate any further from the original plot?
Surprisingly no. Kaiza and his partnership with the trio will allow me to broaden the story, making it easier for me in the end-game waaaay later. Expect some twists and turns though!
As far as the Kyuubi's gender, most of the people have voted for a genderless Kyuubi and several fewer others voted for a male Kyuubi with one vote towards a female one. You have one more chapter to vote! Remember, this is for you guys – I can work with any gender so don't worry about it affecting the story much.
Things to expect next chapter:
Serious Training
The rest of the Rookie 9 (Sasuke, Sakura, Ino, Chouji, Kiba and Hinata)
The reason behind the trio's secret objective
Inuzuka Clan Fun!
Kyuubi interaction
And more! (Maybe)
Damn, what a list!
There's more to come, but in the meantime make sure to review and tell me what you think of this chapter – and the previous ones too, if you want – it not only helps me improve, it also gets me pumped to give you quality content! PMs also work so don't be shy, I'll try my best to respond back to you! That's a RedGhillie Promise!
Thank you for reading, and as always, have a good day.
-TheRedGhillie