xXx
The day had finally come.
Rosy hair glinted in the high sun as the young kunoichi finished up some light stretches just inside the giant doors leading out of the village.
Team 7 had been assigned their very first C-rank mission.
Although it was nothing more than a simple escort mission- they were only there to dispel the presence of common thugs if anything- Sakura couldn't help but feel the distant jitter of excitement. Even if the mission turned out to be mostly uneventful, she was excited to visit the Land of Waves at the very least.
She had never before crossed the borders of the Land of Fire, and the enticement of possible adventure in another land foreign to her had embarrassingly kept her up the night before. She thought back to one of her favorite sappy romance novels that had taken place in the Land of Waves- when the couple were finally able to hold each other in the end, the sea waves lapping at their knees, the salty air mixing with the heroine's tears of happiness…
Her wistful sigh was interrupted by a boisterous commotion from deeper in the village.
"As if, Teme! You have your head so far up your ass, you would forget all about a client if a fight broke out! Just watch! I'm going to be the hero of this mission! Believe it!"
Sakura didn't even need to turn around to know her other two teammates were approaching. She sighed internally at the thought that they were already fighting though.
"Tch. All the enemy would need to do is toss a single cup of ramen in the other direction to take you completely off the field, Dobe."
Loud laughter followed that and Sakura turned to see Naruto half heardedly shove Sasuke's shoulder. The dark haired boy gave a knowing smirk in return.
"That was a good one Sasuke! I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't be at least a little tempted!"
Oh good, not a serious fight then. Sakura's shoulders sagged in relief.
Almost two months had passed since Sasuke had approached her and Naruto looking clearly uncomfortable, but asking if they wanted to train together. It had been a shock, to say the least, but they weren't about to turn him down. Since then, they trained together two to three times a week, working on their chakra control and taijutsu for the most part.
They had needed to add extra cardio to that schedule after the first week, as Naruto insisted on treating them to ramen after even training session. Apparently, he had been given quite the substantial raise in weekly allowance from the village and was more than happy to share his newfound 'wealth' with his teammates.
Renjiro-sensei had been more than happy to oblige in their team training sessions as well- ecstatic really- and had introduced them to their elemental affinities among some other basic groundwork like tree walking.
Sakura had excelled at the latter immediately and had been more than willing to give her teammates some pointers to help them reach the top of the treeline before the sun had even set that day. She had been worried that Sasuke would leave them in the dust when it became apparent that he was leagues ahead of them in terms of taijutsu- after all, he had gotten the chance to train with two other village prodigies throughout his childhood. But he had surprised her when he extended the same olive branch and offered some tips to her and Naruto as well.
He may not have been as patient in his delivery as she had been, but it was still a welcomed surprise none the less.
As a result, she felt she had advanced in her taijutsu much more quickly than she would have otherwise thought possible- at least she was better able to defend against Sasuke now, even if she still couldn't quite get a clean hit on him yet.
Naruto… not so much. But he admittedly had a vastly different fighting style. One that was much more headstrong than either her or Sasuke. Not only that, but he had endurance and chakra for days. As long as he wasn't actually hit, he could outlast them in any fight.
Renjiro- sensei had also pointed out he believed Sakura may possess an affinity for genjutsu, and when he offered her private lessons she jumped on the opportunity. Renjiro was a very perceptive teacher, and though he promised to show her more intricate illusions in the future, he felt it was imperative that she learn quick, distractive techniques first and foremost.
"You have excellent chakra control, Sakura. I guarantee if your interest does not waver, you can become a master at genjutsu. But in terms of speed, strength or special techniques, you're not quite level with your teammates yet."
Her expressions dropped, and his hands shot out defensively. "That's not necessarily a bad thing though! It just means you have inherently different talents. Affinity to gejutsu being one! If you can learn these basic techniques, it can buy you the time you need to more than make up for the other things- until you no longer need to make up for anything at all! Then you'll just have genjutsu as an ace up your sleeve." He had offered her a sly smile… and she had taken it to heart.
It wasn't as fun using genjutsu on Naruto as he always took the bait far too easily. But Sasuke?
The first time she had her Uchiha teammate pinned to the floor, his eyes wide and wildly searching for the other, suddenly fast as the Yellow Flash Sakura he had just been battling, she had immediately jumped up and did a little victory dance.
"Well done, Sakura!" Renjiro-sensei had exclaimed, a broad smile on his face and his sharingan glinting in the sunlight. "That genjutsu was flawlessly executed!"
She had reached a hand down to Sasuke, afraid his hurt pride may have made him bitter. But to her surprise he had accepted, letting her help him up.
"Genjutsu, huh? Not bad." The challenge in his voice was shadowed by a playful smirk. "Better enjoy those tricks while you can though."
She matched his smirk with one of her own; she knew when his sharingan awakened, she was going to have to rely on other techniques. But it was as Renjiro-sensei had said- genjutsu had afforded her the time needed to round out her stats. She was going to take full advantage of it while she could.
Regardless, the time they had spent together made her feel they were certainly ready to take on a higher ranked mission outside the safety of their village.
"Oh! Sakura-chan! You beat us here!" Naruto's voice was full of unrestrained excitement, and his sudden sprint to her only further betrayed his restless energy. Sasuke maintained his leisure.
"Can you believe we're finally doing a real mission?! Even if it is essentially just babysitting some old guy… but hey! Maybe we'll run into some bandits along the way and get to show off our ninjutsu! What do you think the Land of Waves will be like? I hope it's a lot cooler than here!"
"Why are you always yelling, Dobe?" Sasuke's question was rhetorical; he knew he wasn't going to get a real answer.
"Really though Naruto- you know that missions are more or less supposed to be confidential right? You basically just shouted every detail of the mission…" Sakura chastised, looking around with slight embarrassment.
Sure enough, there were a couple people dotting the shops nearby who were curiously shooting glances their way. One man in particular had paused his perusal of fruit to glance over to them with interest, however when her eyes met his he swiftly directed his attention back to the stall in front of him.
"Well! Looks like we're all here then!" Announced Renjiro-sensei as he and an older large set man with a straw hat approached. "Perfect! At this rate, we'll make amazing time."
Sakura gave a quick nondescript once over of the unfamiliar man whom she assumed was their client. He made an offhand comment about their age and essentially not wanting to be guarded by children.
From the corner of her eye Sakura saw Naruto begin to get riled up, but right when his mouth opened to give the client a piece of his mind, Sasuke cut in before she even had to.
"Let's prove him wrong." His voice was quiet, but confident.
Naruto spared him a glance before his face set in a smile, one fist halfway in the air. "You're right- this guy has no idea what he's talking about anyways, ya know?"
"Trust me Tazuna-san, you are in excellent hands with these three." Renjiro-sensei quickly assured to assuage the man's obvious hesitance, passing a quick wink to his genin.
The three shared a quiet look of solidarity before the group of five exited the giant wooden gates.
Team Seven was finally beginning to feel like a real team. For the first time in a long time, it felt like it was all coming together.
xXx
It was all falling apart.
When the first two shinobi had attacked the young team, they had been able to fend them off admirably. Their recent training with each other culminating in a level of teamwork that fell together so seamlessly it had taken them all by surprise. Grins adorned all three of their faces as they looked down on the fallen pair of enemy ninja bound together in the dirt.
Renjiro-sensei had not even needed to intervene, hanging back to shield the client just in case the enemy did manage to break through his team- sharingan intensely scanning the fight to ensure none of his students were in imminent danger.
But then another shinobi had appeared, barely visible in the unanticipated mist that had descended on the road. His large stature almost as intimidating as the heavy sword perched on his broad shoulders.
One of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.
Momochi Zabuza, Renjiro-sensei had stated.
An S-Class criminal.
It was then that it was uncovered they had been lied to by their client- that this mission was far above C-rank.
That they were severely outclassed and no amount of teamwork was going to make up for that fact.
Renjiro-sensei had ordered that they take the client and run- that he would distract the nukenin before them for as long as it took for them all to escape.
But they were all naïve and stubborn. There was no way they would abandon their sensei.
And in the seconds it took to argue their case, Zabuza was behind Renjiro.
Sakura felt her breath catch in her throat as he swung that heavy sword, and everything played in slow motion.
Renjiro-sensei's sharp red eyes tracked the movement of the blade from over his shoulder.
The tail ends of his hitai-ate caught the wind as he moved to counter.
The harsh shrieking of metal on metal as his kunai glanced off the blade harmlessly- his body not quick enough turn and give any real resistance against the attack.
Red filled her vision, staining the ground, the giant blade, the Konoha Jounin vest.
She heard Naruto shriek their sensei's name just as the aforementioned man slumped to the ground.
Felt her chest tighten in fear as a lone orange figure ran towards their enemy.
But her eyes were held captive by their sensei's unmoving body. She willed him to stir, to launch a surprise attack as the enemy turned towards the newest threat.
His form remained motionless on the ground.
The heavy mist seemed to suffocate her senses; nothing seemed real in the pale hue.
Silver glinted as the blade lifted, preparing for another devastating blow when one orange figure burst into five- Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, her boisterous teammates signature move.
But it wouldn't make a difference. His face may have been half covered, but Sakura could see the shadow of a smile underneath the fabric.
Zabuza had taken out the biggest threat- immediately and effectively.
The rest of Team 7 would just be child's play for him.
He swung his hefty blade and caught three Naruto in its devastating path.
Her chest ached with relief when she finally released her captive breath as the three orange figures 'poof'd' from existence, indicating they were merely clones and the real Naruto was one of the two still barreling at the larger ninja.
"Shit!" The curse sounding from her right was too high a note to have come from her other teammate, but sure enough the dark blue of his tunic was moving out of her periphery and into the fray alongside Naruto.
Her eyes darted back to the slashed vest of their sensei, the red stain in the dark green fabric widening in circumference.
Would her teammates join that unmoving form soon? Would she?
They were far out of their depth. They couldn't win.
Her eyes flashed to the bridgebuilder behind her, fear shining freely in his eyes. And her anger at his deception was drowned by her duty to see her mission through- at any cost.
They could not flee when there a still a job to be done.
So there was no other choice but to fight.
A numbness fell over her- she vaguely recognized the disconnect she felt from her own body as she withdrew a kunai and her feet began to take her towards the dangerous man before them.
She watched the nukenin send a kick towards one of the Narutos and it connected, sending him tumbling back as the other orange figure disappeared from existence at the sheer force with which the original had been hit. Zabuza lifted the giant blade over his head above Naruto as the blonde struggled to catch his bearings.
He was dazed- he didn't even notice Zabuza standing before him. He was left wide open.
Sasuke was still too far- he flung a pair of shuriken as a distraction, but the more experienced ninja only flickered out of the pathway and closer to their prone teammate.
Sakura stopped short, kicking up dirt before her as her hands flung into a short series of hand seals- one of the genjutsu Renjiro-sensei had taught her that she felt confident enough with to use against such an enemy.
To her immense relief, Zabuza flashed stepped away from Naruto while swinging his blade wide, as if trying to create distance from something. Sasuke used the opportunity and closed that distance from the left just in time to surge his kunai forward, ripping into skin and muscle of their enemy's torso. But as soon as the weapon hit, Sakura knew the genjutsu would be broken… and Sasuke had not managed to land a fatal blow.
He realized his mistake when Zabuza's eyes connected with his, his earlier wide swing of his weapon continuing through- the hilt connecting with Sasuke's stomach with such force he spat blood before being propelled back, sliding to a stop just at Sakura's feet.
Zabuza's dark eyes took in the field, settling on the form of the jounin on the ground where he had left him, then over to Sakura's hands which were still forming the 'tora' seal that completed her last jutsu.
"Not bad for a couple of brats." She heard him say as he connected the dots. "But not quite enough."
He reached down to grasp Sasuke's kunai- still imbedded in his torso, and ripped it free without even a flinch. And then it was flying through the air.
It wasn't on course for her or Sasuke, and Naruto was shakily getting to his feet at the other side of the enemy nin, so where in the world-
The client!
Green eyes widened as she realized it was heading right for the bridgebuilder and she bolted in the same direction.
Do not fail this mission! Protect him at all costs!
She wasn't going to make it in time- she could tell that much. Her body just wasn't fast enough. But she was so close!
She threw her hand out desperately and felt the sharp impact of something heavy against her palm. The force of it knocked her off her feet and into older man right behind her. They tumbled to the ground together, his body cushioning her fall.
She immediately tried to scramble up to check he was uninjured when she found she could not close her hand. Verdant eyes widened at the sight of the kunai embedded hilt-deep into her palm. It was only then that the rush of white hot pain hit her.
She winced but fought to ignore it, looking to the bridgebuilder and checking it had not hit him. Bright crimson weeped from a thin tear in the tan fabric of his shirt, but it was nothing too deep. She had managed to catch the attack in time.
But she was unable to even sigh in relief as a shadow fell over her and the man beneath her. She turned to see the silhouette of the swordsman, silhouetted in the very mist for which he was named. His muscled arms were both raised above his head, bearing the weight of his heavy blade as he began the deadly arch of a fatal swing. Not knowing what else to do, she flung her impaled hand upwards, ready to try and catch the next blade as well, and knowing it was a futile attempt.
She could only hope it would at least be enough to slow the attack down before it could reach the man she was trying to protect.
Then she waited with baited breath as the blade slashed down with what seemed like agonizing slowness, the hardness in her enemies eyes proving there would be no mercy here.
She heard a guttural cry from her left- a sound she couldn't recognize but her curiosity paled before the terror of the heavy blade barreling down upon her.
And then there was harsh pressure against her body- a sickening echo of thick wetness sounding through the air. The only pain she felt was the throbbing from her injured palm, but she was sure it was just a delay in pain as her previous injury had been.
Maybe she would be lucky and die before the agony could even reach her brain.
But she didn't die.
And she came to realize her ragged breathing was in sync with another, the fabric from their clothing scraping against her cheek with each expansion of their lungs. She opened her eyes only to be met with the sight of arms around her- Sasuke's, by the looks of the wrappings around the forearms- and just beyond that, a giant blade protruded from the body of the man she had previously been laying above.
That same sickening wetness sounded as Zabuza jerked the blade forward and down, tearing through meat and muscle to free itself from its victim.
Sasuke… had saved her. And in doing so, allowed the enemy to complete his mission, while simultaneously ensuring the failure of their own. She looked up at her teammate but her breath left her at what she saw.
Deep, red eyes stared back at her, a single black tomoe swirling in their depths.
"Your eyes-!"
"Uchiha, huh?" Both genin snapped their attention back to the intimidating figure just before them, his weapon now freed from the body of the bridgebuilder, the thick viscous blood dripping menacingly onto the ground beneath it.
"I thought it was a stroke of luck that your squad leader just happened to be an Uchiha. But it seems you lot can't catch a break." He seemed to sigh with reservation. "I want you to know, I don't particularly take pleasure in butchering children. But I have separate orders to kill any Uchiha on sight. It's just unfortunate circumstance that our original missions brought our paths together."
"What-?" Had Sakura heard him right?
She didn't have time to contemplate when Sasuke forced them both to their feet then positioned himself in front of her.
"Get out of here." Sasuke's voice was harsh and strained. He wasn't putting on a brave face. He knew he wouldn't win in a stand off against an S-class criminal.
"I cant-!"
"Sakura!" He snapped, sparing her a glance. She caught the flicker of fear in his vermillion gaze, but it was soon overshadowed by resignation.
"Your dominant hand is injured. Do you really think you can make any difference?" He wasn't being cruel. He was right. Even if her hand hadn't been injured, she didn't know if it would matter against the man before them. "Besides, if it's me he's after, he has no reason to pursue you. Take Naruto and get the hell out of here."
"Such a gentleman." Zabuza's remark was dry and unamused. And then he was in the air, and Sasuke leaped up to counter.
There was no time to question one teammate when she was uncertain of the current status of the other.
Sakura's eyes scoured the road for Naruto where he last fell, but she could no longer spot him through the mist. She made a dash to where he had been. The dirt had been disturbed by where he had laid, but it was empty.
A war cry pierced the air from behind her, and she turned just in time to see what had to be a couple dozen Naruto descending on Zabuza from above just as Sasuke kicked off the older man's stomach to propel him further up into the cloud of shadow clones while simultaneously pushing himself out of the way.
Each punch and kick Naruto delivered through his clones connected with the unsuspecting mist ninja and drove him back down. Every attack hit in succession until he finally crashed into the floor with a satisfying BOOM that shook the ground beneath Sakura's sandals.
Heat exploded from her right, causing her to flinch as a giant fireball surged forward to meet their enemy.
She looked over just in time to see the real Naruto land somewhere between her and Sasuke. His eyes burned red with the reflection of Sasuke's family jutsu; the whiskered marks upon his face darkened with the shadows cast by the flames.
Bringing her attention back to Zabuza, she could see his shadowed form hunched within the fire, but any hope she may have felt was drowned when she noticed the wet the soil beneath the impressive katon. She surmised he must be using some sort of water technique to counter the extreme heat.
As soon as Sasuke's breath gave out, they were going to be back at square one.
But the sight of the three of them standing together, facing an enemy that was out of their league, determined against all the odds…
The telltale burn of adrenaline surged through her body and she ripped the kunai from her palm with no mind to the pain, letting it thud harmlessly to the dirt beside her.
She forced her stiff fingers into submission as she aligned them with her good hand into the order of seals she had seen Renjiro-sensei do during an affinity training session that she didn't even realize she remembered.
Hitsuji Ne Ushi Ushi Saru
Wide eyes squeezed shut with concentration as she willed her chakra to coil before surging through her legs to the ground beneath her.
"Whoa!"
At Naruto's exclamation, she snapped her eyes open in time to see the last flames of Sasuke's technique flicker and dissipate to reveal Zabuza almost fully engulfed by the earth beneath his feet.
Relief filled her lungs at the sight of her first successful Doton technique. It wasn't perfect- she had wanted to bury him completely beneath the ground, and as it was he still had one arm free from the earth as well as his head. But it did the trick in restraining him enough to secure the immediate threat.
"Perfect." Sasuke was quick to take this opportunity, releasing three kunai at once that whizzed through the air.
His aim flawless as always.
Yet the weapons never met their mark.
Instead, they clanged to the ground, their paths altered by what looked to be senbon.
Three heads whipped in the direction the unfamiliar weapons had come from.
There, standing high within the shadows of a tree, stood a slim figure. A white porcelain mask covered their true visage.
"Who the heck are you?" Shouted Naruto through clenched teeth.
"Haku. Your interference is unnecessary."
As soon as Zabuza's gruff voice addressed the newcomer with a tone of familiarity, Sasuke and Sakura's eyes connected and a silent message was instantly understood.
All at once, Sasuke flung a barrage of shuriken at the newcomer just as Sakura tugged Naruto's collar with such force he spun.
"What the-!"
"Run, Naruto!" Sakura urged, her voice strained as she willed all her strength into her legs and pushed herself up into the treetops in the opposite direction.
Thankfully Naruto needed no extra push and both he and Sasuke were soon hot on her heels.
Sakura spared one last glance over her shoulder, dismay settling in her belly as she witnessed the stranger in the mask freeing Zabuza from his earthly prison just before the passing foliage shielded them from her sight.
xXx
Itachi's patience was hardly ever tested, but this afternoon found him particularly restless.
It wasn't even that he had just gotten back from a mission that had taken a turn for the worst, or that he had not yet been able to change out of his bloodstained uniform- the fabric still clinging to his skin in places where it had yet to dry.
It was the information he had discovered that he now had to deliver to his father.
It wasn't going to go over well with the Godaime- that much he knew for certain. But he could only hope it would not push the older man to make things even worse than they already were.
Finally the double doors to the Hokage's office opened and an ANBU squad stalked out. He recognized the lackadaisical walk paired with the grey tuft of hair belonging to the man at the back of the group despite the porcelain mask covering his face.
A subtle bow of the head was exchanged between the two of them.
Itachi then walked into the large room and closed the doors securely behind him.
"Itachi. You've come to report." His father gave one cursory glance at the state of his son's clothing before looking expectantly at the doors behind him. "And where is the rest of your team?"
"I ordered Kosu and Tanhiro check themselves into the hospital directly upon arrival; Kosu has minor injuries but lost a lot of blood. Tanhiro is in worse shape but should pull through."
"…and Uchiha Haru?"
Unhooking his ANBU mask, Itachi captured Fugaku in his steady gaze.
"Fallen in action."
"He did something rash, didn't he?"
Teeth clenched at his father's almost dismissive response. Haru had been young, it was true- and he was newer to the ANBU ranks. But he had been a skilled fighter none-the-less as well as a rational thinker on the field.
"In a manner of speaking." Itachi stated instead, leading the other man on in the hopes that it would have a bigger impact.
"He had made the mistake of wearing a handmade necklace given to him by his little sister for luck."
A single brow twitched- the only indication the hokage was irritated that Itachi was not being direct.
"It boasted the Uchiha crest."
"I'm a busy man, Itachi. Get to the point." His voice was louder than it needed to be, telling Itachi he already had a suspicion about what he was going to reveal next.
"He was specifically targeted because he was an Uchiha."
"How can you be so sure?" Dubious, Fugaku crossed his arms.
"Because as soon as they saw my sharingan through the mask, they came for me next."
"And who are 'they'? Kumo shinobi?"
A quick shake of the head- "Iie. Shinobi from the Hidden Frost."
"What?! We have no quarrels with the Land of Frost! They have some nerve targeting Konoha shinobi at all!"
Itachi let out a quiet breath to help him maintain his calm.
"We may not, but you have been sure to create quarrels with almost every one of the remaining four Great Nations, and their influence reaches wide. Since becoming Hokage, you have only succeeded in ostracizing the Leaf from the rest of the shinobi world and have failed to make a single ally outside the borders of the Land of Fire. Is this reaction from an outside nation really surprising to you?"
Hard steel eyes communicated clear warning from across the room.
"You better watch your tone, boy."
Itachi rather thought he had done an exemplary job of watching his tone- but if it was his words his father truly did not want to hear, well…
That was too bad.
"Perhaps it was time you reconsider Kumogakure's invitation to meet? After all, if they do decide to declare war, Konohagakure will have a hard time keeping up if every foreign shinobi is picking off any Uchiha that leaves our borders. We certainly will have less of an advantage once all our enemies have the sharingan."
"…What?" The Godaime's rising temper was dampened momentarily. "What do you mean by that?"
"They took Haru's sharingan."
A deep inhalation of breath, then a brief nod indicating Itachi continue.
"They had in their possession special tools that would make the removal of eyes easier and less traumatic to the organ itself. They worked in a team of 8 and were deliberate in separating one member from the rest of the team to ensure they could gather what they sought uninterrupted. They were strategic. They were efficient. And I do not believe they are alone in this mission."
"The attacks on B-Team in the Land of Hot Water and Ashura's team in the Land of Waves…"
Good. He was putting the pieces together.
"I believe somebody has put a bounty on Uchiha… or a high price on sharingan in the black market."
"It has to be Kumo. That bastard A is just trying to weaken and scare us."
His father looked thoughtful, but Itachi was afraid he was letting his bad blood with the Raikage stop him from potentially seeing the whole picture.
"My informant told me that there have been many visits into Kumogakure. By both the Sand and the Mist."
Dark eyes snapped up at that information, his jaw tightened with clenched teeth.
"Do you really believe they could form an alliance?"
Itachi stayed silent, allowing his father to stew in his own uncertainty.
"Shit." The single word uttered was accompanied by a shuffle of robes as Fugaku stood to face out the window in thought.
"I think it is prudent that you consider keeping any teams under Jounin away from the eastern borders of the Land of Fire- especially if they have an Uchiha member among them. Any foreign ninja bold enough to confront a Sharingan user is going to be no easy enemy." Itachi couldn't help but think back to Haru's expression on the other side of the battlefield, separated and outnumbered… His screams of pain as his eyes were brutally snatched from his skull while he was still alive…
But as helpess as Itachi may have felt to witness the brutality against his teammate paled in comparison to what Fugaku uttered next as he turned, his face pallid.
"Sasuke…"
Every muscle within the Uchiha heir's body tightened.
"How long ago?"
"Yesterday morning. To the Land of Waves."
A hollow pit formed within Itachi's stomach as he willed himself to not think the worst.
"Kakashi's team- were they just deployed?"
"No, their mission was-" But with a flash Fugaku found himself speaking to an empty room. "….postponed." He turned back to the window, his eyes finding the gated entrance to the village, and murmured a silent prayer.
xXx
My goodness…. It's been ages since I've updated. I'm so sorry everyone! I know everyone has been going through a lot this past year, but even without COVID, I've basically been living through the worst year of my life thus far. T_T Still, I have plans for this fic, I was just having a hard time finding the motivation and time to actually sit down and type it out. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me so far though- you guys have no idea how much inspiration you give me. ^_^
Also, I noticed we can send PMs now! I'm going to try to respond to your reviews that way this time, but let me know if you prefer it written out at the end of the chapters! Anyone who reviewed as a guest will still get a public response. I just want to make sure each and every one of you know how much it means to me that you take time out of your day to let me know your thoughts. 3
Guests(s): Not sure if this was the same person or not. Hehe. But thank you so much! I have a handful of fics that I always go back to and read as well, and I can't even express how flattered I am that one of my works has qualified to that level for someone else. I cry. T_T And I'm sorry for ever making you think I abandoned it! And at least Kakashi made a small appearance this chapter, but you'll be seeing more of him by the next.
Eternal Rose: Yeah I love Shisui, I had to make him an integral part of the story. Itachi def deserves all the love, just as much as Shisui deserved more screen time! T_T