A full week of training passed, leaving the final participants of the Chunin Exams with sixteen days remaining. Naruto spent the rest of what was his first practicing only the Gale Palm and occasionally the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu. The side of the foliage he practiced on was partially barren as a result. He could even use the Gale Palm without the bird and horse seals.

"This just occurred to me," Anko began. "You've been using your chakra nonstop, and chakra increases with physical and mental stamina. All the jumping, jutsu using, and even that zen way of thinking are increasing your reserves." She raised a sleeved arm to block the reaction current to a particularly strong Gale Palm that left a visible impact on a tree. "I've already told you how most other people in your shoes would've died from chakra exhaustion. What I didn't realize was you have effectively gained a year or several's worth of experience for an average shinobi in a single fucking jutsu."

Naruto began bouncing excitement. "I really am going to be a powerful ninja, huh?!"

"Yes." She laughed and shook her head. "But there's more to being a ninja than just ninjutsu. Gotta train taijutsu and learn to break free of genjutsu if you can't cast it. Learn to fight with your head and your brawn." She hummed. "I'm going to be honest with you: most ninja stop training as hard once they reach jonin. Some are fine being chunin and not having to do grunt work ever again. Kakashi and Guy are some of the only guys I know who've kept it up, though Kakashi's gotten rusty."

"I know Kakashi's good, but I've never seen Bowl Cut Sensei fight."

She looked at what he made of the forest. "He can do something like that with his body now if he really wanted to."

"Holy shit!"

"Yeah. All he has is taijutsu, so he's beyond everyone else in it. Kakashi's his only rival." She smirked. "Those two are on the level of a Kage."

"Really?" Naruto asked, remembering his sensei's first battle with Zabuza.

"Really. I know Kakashi doesn't seem like it, but he's probably the third strongest shinobi in the village. Just needs to get back into top shape."

"Who's the second?" He gaped at her pointing in Jiraiya's direction. "…Really?"

Anko shot him a look. "Did you not see him create a swirly death ball of chakra? The man trained the Fourth Hokage." She flinched as his expression soured. "Still not a fan?"

"Am I really supposed to admire a man who was willing to make a baby into a weapon?"

She glanced away. Orochimaru told her Minato left a jinchuriki child behind back when she was under his wing. The Leaf Village had only one jinchuriki, and she was looking at him. Sarutobi, Kakashi, and Jiraiya were in the know and they knew she knew because of Orochimaru. "What happened to your zen?"

"I...can't ever forgive him for that." He looked down. "Maybe I can let go of the thing with Neji, but that Yellow Dipshit knew full well what he was doing and everything that would happen to me." He smiled at another head pat. "I'm alright. It's just…" He drifted off at the sight of water in her eyes. "Uh, Anko-sensei?" His face turned pink when she embraced him tightly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry." She hid her tears from him, holding her head over his shoulder. Whatever semblance of peace he found would likely be destroyed if he ever heard the truth.

Naruto patted her head in turn. "But you didn't do anything."

"I'm sorry!"

"Uh, where do you rank in terms of village shinobi?"

She chuckled. "Top five, baby."

"...So you're the fifth?"

"Oh my traitorous little bastard." She wiped her tears, shifted her grip to his shoulders, and glared into his eyes. "Yes, but if you ever tell anyone I admitted that, I'll summon a giant snake to eat you."

He laughed. "I'm pretty sure I could kill that snake easily enough. I already did the same to the first one with just shadow clones."

"That was a baby! They get even bigger: Hokage Rock bigger." Her eyes gleamed ever so maliciously.

"I still don't want to learn the Summoning Jutsu if it involved snakes."

"Look on the bright side side." Anko pointed her thumb back in Jiraiya's direction. "At least it isn't toads."

"...Toads?"

"Yeah, he summons toads."

He frowned. "That is so lame, and he's the second?"

"Old Man Hokage summons monkeys. Deadly ninja monkeys that can turn into diamond hard staffs."

"That's…" Naruto blinked. "You're fucking with me."

She laughed. "No, I wish I was. It sounds like the perfect thing to bring up in an argument about the Summoning Jutsu, but that is a real thing. If you ever see him fight or train under him, you'll see it for yourself."

"I don't want to rely on anyone else's power but my own, so I'm never going to learn the Summoning Jutsu."

"What do you call training under someone then? Isn't that getting power from someone else?" She smirked. "And snakes make really good spies. Toads suck though; ignore everything Jiraiya will say to defend them."

"One is showing me the way and the other is someone walking me through, if that makes any sense. And I can just make clones to spy for me."

Rolling her eyes, she stepped back. "Okay, Blue Orange and Yellow."

"I stole the Scroll of Seals, and I only got caught after I learned something from it," Naruto bragged.

"Oh yes, the Shadow Clone Jutsu. A Forbidden Jutsu everyone and their mother that's worth a damn knows."

"Hey!"

She ruffled his hair. "There, there." Her eyes gleamed. "Wanna see a real Forbidden Jutsu?"

"I… Yeah, actually."

"Good." She glanced in the direction of the peeping Sannin. "Let's go somewhere the old pervert can't see."

His face grew pink. "S-Sure."

Anko began walking. "Aww, you're so cute when you forget I made a vow to defend your virtue."

"My what?"

"Your virginity."

"Oh for fuck's sake." Naruto scowled. "I'm not a kid anymore: I've killed people! Why can't I have sex?"

"Because I'm eleven years older than you, you're still a kid on the inside, and Kakashi would kill me if I did or let anyone else bang you." She chuckled. "Not saying you can't. Just saying it's not good for you. Sex without love is toxic."

"Isn't sex love?"

She shot him a look and felt her heart sink at the innocent look on his face. "...No, not at all." Looking at a nearby clearing, she shook her head. That was another to add to the saddest things she ever heard.

The boy stopped in the clearing when she did. "Okay, what are you going to show me?"

"Don't panic."

"Why wou–" His eyes widened as she drew a kunai and slit her throat. "Anko-sensei!"

She dropped on to her knees, smiling despite her gushing blood. Then two hands pried open her mouth from the inside. Like a snake shedding its skin, another Anko forced herself out of the bleeding husk. "Still got it!" She stood up and stretched. "Kind of liked my old body better."

"What. The. Fuck." Naruto stared at her cast-off.

"That is how Orochimaru survived getting exploded, maybe burned, and cut in half." She picked up her remains, threw them into the air, made several hand seals, and incinerated them with a ball of fire. "Goodbye, you sexy bitch." She took her bloody kunai and licked it clean happily.

"How?!"

"Real Forbidden Jutsu, kid."

"No, I mean how is that possible?!" He pointed at the charred cinders of his teacher's former body.

"A ton of chakra, remolding my body, and creating a new one with what still works while replacing what didn't, like my throat."

Gaping, he scoffed. "You make it sound so simple."

"Well." Anko put a hand over her curse seal. "I had help."

"Can I get a mark like that too?"

She crouched down and grabbed his face, eyes steeling at his surprised ones. "No. You can never get it, understand? I showed you because I knew your secret, so I wanted you to know mine." Looking down, regret rang in her voice. "I killed and tortured a lot of people to make it. It's powerful, but it cost me something I can never get back."

"It's still yours, and you just used it, but I understand." He betrayed everything he believed in and himself back in Wave, even though it was for someone else's sake. Power at a cost wasn't real power or really someone's own.

"Good." She let go and rose. "Don't be like your stupid substitute sensei."

Naruto followed her. "You're losing it again."

"I'm sorry; thank you." She ruffled his hair.

Their absence was completely unnoticed by Jiraiya. While they felt somewhat enraged by his lack of responsibility, pointing it out would let him know something incorrigible occurred. Orochimaru didn't attack, so what they did was okay from an irresponsible point of view.

The training with Kakashi was going well for Sakura. While he insisted it was going well for Sasuke too, she had her doubts. She broke through into single hand signs after using her genjutsu more with both hands for several days. It felt like she was leaving him behind, and it made her feel bad rather than good thanks to her own experience in that position. He rarely said a word, too focused on molding his chakra into lightning.

"You worry too much," Kakashi said with his eye in his book. "I know it's hard, but there are some things you have no control over."

She tunneled underneath him and sprang up with a kunai aiming for his face. "That's exactly why I worry!" His hand stopping her by the wrist made her gulp. "Please don't."

He glanced at her. "I thought you'd be used to pain at this point and know to take comfort in the control you have over yourself."

"Dislocated joints hu–" Her eyes widened as he popped her wrist. "Fuck!"

"Oh come on, the Interrogation Jutsu is worse." He set it back in and let go, letting her fall.

"It's a different but completely more manageable kind of pain!"

"You prefer the sensation of having a seizure over getting your joints dislocated?"

"Yes!" Groaning, she massaged her wrist.

Kakashi hummed. "Well, I don't like getting stabbed more than anything else. Nice try by the way."

"Can you teach me another jutsu now?"

"Don't get greedy. I know I taught you a lot of genjutsu, but I did that because the basics are especially situational, however useful they may be. A lot of ninja have been trained to resist or see through them too. The Interrogation Jutsu for example: useful only on anyone below jonin and with a weak will."

"You dislocated my wrist!" She pointed at him. "I know I can do one hand seals now, but that hurt!"

He laughed. "Wait for your reserves to increase and then I'll teach you more advanced earth jutsu. Training here is helping you two with that as well. While a very useful element to have jutsu of, earth becomes just as costly as fire and water. I'd argue they're still more useful and deadly though." His eye turned as footsteps that weren't theirs scuffing the ground echoed about.

Sasuke's eyes met his. "Kakashi!" He held out his arms, brought his fingers together, and showed him sparks. "It's time!" His eyes turned red, ringed eye marks swirling.

"Good!" He went through the nine hand seals that were unnecessary for him to use his signature. "This is my Lightning Blade! But, for now, you'll only use what it originally was: Chidori!" Raising a hand to his forehead protector, he showed his own Sharingan. Then he darted to one of the nearest rock formations and slammed his chirping lightning hand into it.

Sasuke and Sakura stared as the pillar dented, cracked, and fell apart. "...That's going to kill Gaara!"

"He's likely going to try to kill you!" Kakashi returned his forehead protector over his eye before joining the two. "It requires great speed and focus only the Sharingan can give for that speed not to create any openings."

"That's why you're only teaching it to Sasuke," Sakura said.

He nodded. "And your affinity turned out to be earth, so it'd take more time away from you. Best play to your strengths and cover your weaknesses. Right now, training here is covering both your stamina issues while you polish your strength."

"I never thought about it much, but you are a great teacher, Kakashi." Sasuke smiled.

"Save your compliments until after your matches, please." His eye narrowed. "Now show me what you saw with your Sharingan."

Smile shifting into a smirk, he went through the hand seals and concentrated lightning into the palm of his hand, slowly generating a chirping collection of bolts into a concentrated ball of destruction. "Not as good as yours."

"Practice makes perfect." He whistled as the boy took off.

Sakura raised a hand to her chin at the sight of him lightning punching a massive crater into a different pillar. "The Sharingan lets you copy jutsu, but not someone's experience or control with it." She felt a bead of sweat run down her forehead when he used it again. "That takes a lot of chakra, doesn't it?"

"Yes, yes, and yes. All of that training he's done with Naruto, and whatever stunt he pulled in the forest have given him bigger reserves."

"How much does Naruto have?" She flinched at the sound of more breaking rocks. "He created over a hundred solid clones back in that classroom."

"More than me and probably more than Lord Third combined."

Sakura nodded in understand. Blinking, she stomped toward Kakashi, drawing his attention, and twitched. "What?!"

"Naruto probably has more chakra than me and Lord Third combined," he rephrased. "Don't be jealous: his chakra control is average at best."

"How is that possible?!"

"Having the being with the biggest reserves of chakra to ever exist sealed inside his body since birth might've been a factor. That or it's just a natural gift as a result of good genetics. His habit of bouncing, pushing his limits, and regularly clashing wills with a creature older than recorded history might also have that effect. Physical and mental stamina create chakra."

"And Naruto...has been pushing himself his entire life."

Kakashi nodded at her words and Sasuke managing another, slightly better Chidori. "That boy has no talent, but that really doesn't matter when he can keep going as much as it takes. I suspect he failed his grades because he had no interest in them and they weren't relevant to his graduation. The clone jutsu was an impossible task for him because he likely overloaded it with chakra and no one ever figured it out."

"Couldn't that be called talent?"

"That's where the entire subject of hard work, talent, and potential go down the drain. If you ask me, it's all drivel. You can do something or you can't. You can learn something or you don't want to. All three are ultimately just searches for validation regarding success and failure."

"I...think I understand." Sakura smiled. "Hard work, talent, and potential are ideas that hold people back."

He eye-smiled back. "Exactly. It doesn't matter if you start weak or strong. Are you going to improve or not? So what if your improvement is faster or slower? Are you going to keep going? You're good? You could be better. If you can't do something, focus on what you can do." He patted her on the head. "You've gotten here because you wanted to and you could. It's up to you whether or not to feel what you do about it or believe some quality you have was responsible."

"I feel proud of myself, Kakashi-sensei."

"That's well and good." He watched his other student make a fourth Chidori, better than the other three and what was apparently his limit. "Now I'm going to teach you two better footwork before one of you falls into chakra exhaustion again."

Team 7 as a whole advanced bounds and leagues from what they were in their initial state. Their collective drive was a force to be reckoned with. In all likelihood, they were already the strongest squad of their generation. Many of those who witnessed the preliminaries thought as such.

Sarutobi was in his office during the night doing his usual leftover paperwork. Soon after the preliminaries ended, Hayate Gekko was killed. Orochimaru was the expected culprit. Only the jonin and anbu knew. When Kakashi requested Tenzo and Yugao, he had the feeling it was to give the woman comfort for her loss.

The door opened and his old friend stepped in again. "Hiruzen."

"Orochimaru, Naruto, or both?" He asked.

"Yes. He'll attack during the Chunin Exam finals, and I suspect he will attempt to use the Sand's unstable jinchuriki if he cannot use our own against the village."

His eyes narrowed. "I'm afraid his interest in the boy is for more than the Nine-Tails."

"...He intends to become a jinchuriki through his body."

"And he desires Sasuke Uchiha's Sharingan. It's nice to know your information network isn't as it once was." Sarutobi puffed his pipe. "The situation is being handled. Both are under watch. Naruto Uzumaki in particular has shown considerable control over the Nine-Tails and himself as of late. I understand your concern, but I'm afraid the foundation for what we will face on that day was set a long time ago."

"Do not hold back."

He tilted his head at his words. "I won't."

"You say you won't, but I know you, and your bleeding heart, Hiruzen." Danzo's eye narrowed. "Orochimaru will face you without any hesitation. He is not the boy you once knew."

"I understand that more than anyone."

His expression remained unchanged. "That may fool everyone else. Not me. I know, after all these years, you are still superior to him. Lord Tobirama picked you on that day for a reason. Sacrifice your heart or you may be sacrificed in its stead."

"...Are you actually concerned for me?"

"It is not in the village's interest if you die now; this may be the last time you and I ever speak." He turned. "Goodbye, Hiruzen."

"Goodbye, Danzo." Sarutobi watched his old rival disappear in the dark and hummed.

It was the most civil conversation they ever had.

The day after, Anko, instead of escorting Naruto to the usual training area, went to fetch someone. She said they'd be able to help her student with taijutsu after his drastic ninjutsu improvement. Jiraiya actually stood guard for once, eyes occasionally glancing at their surroundings. Both felt relief when they saw her walk through the foliage with dango sticks.

"You're back wi–" Naruto stared at the familiar fang-marked cheeks of the Inuzuka clan, specifically their female owner.

She glared at the boy. "So that's him, huh?" Her eyes became slits.

"Yup!" Anko patted her shoulder. "I'd tell you to take it easy on him, but that kid loves a challenge."

He raised a hand to rub the back of his head. "H-Hana?! Right?! Uh, I know you might've heard some thi–"

"You beat up my little brother!"

"That's your match opponent's sister?" Jiraiya asked, raising a hand to stroke his chin. His eyes glanced over her supple form. Nodding, he smiled. "You're right: she's thick."

He laughed. "Told you!" He blinked at the realization she was in hearing distance.

"Oh, you perverted little cat whiskered punk!" Hana's forehead vein bulged as she stomped forward.

"I'm pretty sure they're fox whiskers, and to be fair, Kiba was being a little bitch."

She made the same sign he did, hunched over, and launched herself into him, sending him several feet back. "I will make you my bitch!"

"Afraid I made a promise to defend his virginity at all costs, Hana," Anko said, munching on a stick of dango.

"You know what I mean!" She hopped over to him and push him down by his forehead protector. "As if I'd let you and your blond dick near my body!"

He raised an equally blond eyebrow. "What's wrong with being blond?"

"Shut up!" She stomped to scoff at him rolling out. Shifting on her heel, she spun to kick her other leg into his rising self for him to catch it, albeit still hurting him through her more developed physique.

"You're good!" Naruto's eyes looked from her toned legs to the back of her form-fitting shorts. "And it looks like I was right." He kicked at her other leg only to brush air as she used it to jump and kick him in the stomach, freeing herself into the air and landing on her feet.

Hana's nose twitched. "Don't admire me too much or I might end up actually killing you!"

"Woman, you are beautiful! I can't help it!" He started bouncing on his feet. "But I can't hold back if I want to improve."

"Please!" She dropped on to her all fours.

"Okay," Anko said, "may be it's ti–" Her eye's widened at the Inuzuka preparing their clan's signature taijutsu technique only to get punched out of its preparation movements by the boy.

Naruto frowned. "You might be faster than Kiba, but that won't work on me." He stopped bouncing and shook his head. "Once someone really knows your style and techniques, you're not going to win." He pointed at the woman rising and wiping blood emerging from her nose. "Inuzuka or Hyuga, you're both one-trick ponies. It's not your clan that's fighting here: it's just you and me. Understand?"

She laughed. "Yeah. I think I was wrong about you."

"Does…" He blushed as his eyes fixed themselves on her cleavage. "Can we maybe hang out sometime?"

"Don't push it." Hana launched herself again, rooted herself before he could punish her with an elbow aimed at her face, and slammed her fist into his gut.

He stepped back, clutching his stomach. "Okay, that was good!" He fell on to a knee. "You learn, unlike Kiba." Raising his hands, he caught a kick aiming for his face. Twisting and dropping his entire body dragged her down with him.

She began pushing herself up when she felt the boy coil his arm under her chin, hooking it with his elbow, and his legs over her torso. "P-Pervert!" Moves limited, her fingernails dug into his arm. She rolled to use the ground against him, but his superhuman endurance was unknown to her.

"Please!" Naruto held on even after she fell limp, well aware she was faking for the first three seconds.

Anko blinked at the sight of her brat crawling out from underneath his opponent. "Did… Did he just win?" She scoffed. "Hana, you're almost a fucking jonin! Get that plump ass of yours up!" Eyes widening, she ran over. "You've gotta be kidding me!"

The boy raised an innocent eyebrow. "Was I supposed to lose?"

"I didn't expect you to win." She crouched, rolled the other woman over, and gave her gentle slaps to the face until her eyes regained focus. "Hey… you lost."

"...How?"

Anko laughed. "So, I might have underestimated my favorite little tyke." Standing up, she rubbed the back of her head. "Now that I think about it, him pushing in your brother's shit while holding his guts in might've been a hint he was way stronger."

"He only got one hit, he had his puppy transformed into him, and they were both doped," Naruto informed.

Hana gaped at him. "Only one hit?"

"I could barely even stand after jumping from the balcony. That whole dog tackle thing you've got hurts, but it gives your opponent distance, the opposite of what you want in a taijutsu fight."

"You're…" She looked to Anko and scoffed. "He doesn't know, does he?"

"Their squad leader is Kakashi. No way in hell would he ever tell them."

Naruto raised raised an eyebrow. "Tell us what?" He blushed as Anko pet him on the head.

"Anything that would encourage you to be content with your abilities."

"I am still confused."

"It's not our place to say." Hana shook her head. "I can't believe I lost to you."

He looked at the bleeding scratches on his arm. "Look on the bright side, you did better than Kiba." Standing up, he started stretching. "Thanks! I really needed that after a week of just using ninjutsu." He yawned. "I really miss Sasuke and that stupid Sharingan of his."

"What stage is his eyes?"

"Second."

"...How well do you do against him?"

Naruto scowled. "Not very. I've been doing better ever since I picked up attacking whenever he blinks, but it's still not enough. We've only ever used taijutsu against each other, so I'm not sure if we could match with ninjutsu, especially now."

"Attacking when he blinks?" Hana's tone was doubtful.

"Yeah, I know it's weird and desperate."

"The minuscule second of a blink, you attack?"

"That's...what I said." He looked off into nowhere. "I guess that's a big deal, but I never really thought of it. Still not enough to win against him."

Anko giggled at Hana's twitching eyes. "Isn't he just adorable?" Putting a hand to her chest, she held out her other arm. "He yearns for the loving, swirly eyes of his schoolboy crush!"

"We're not like that!" Naruto blushed a furious red.

"Aww, it's okay. There's nothing wrong with that."

He shot her a look. "Girls don't like the idea of being with those kind of guys! They just like seeing them together!" His hand reached out to grope the Inuzuka but she slapped it away. "I only like girls!"

"But you try so hard it seems like you're overcompensating!"

"Noooooo!"

She cooed. "Your denial is just confirmation."

"Why can't two guys be allowed to care for each other without someone thinking they're gay?!" Naruto pointed at them. "Don't girls have friends?!"

"No," they answered in unison.

"...What?"

Hana rolled her eyes. "We compete with each other over everything, but you wouldn't realize it. Boys, clothes, and status."

"You guys stay together out of necessity. We girls stay together to keep tabs on the competition." Anko raised a hand to her chin. "The closest things to friends we have are girls we don't feel threatened by and boys who are hoping for more or somehow incapable of finding interest."

"I am...so confused right now."

"Of course you are, you're a guy. Me and Hana here are what you call 'tomboys.' Girls hate us and boys love us."

"Sometimes too much." Hana scoffed.

Naruto tilted his head. "I don't understand that either."

"We're masculine in a way men find admirable and women find threatening. It's like aggression. Women like it men and so do men but too much is a disruptive thing."

"Yup." Anko hummed. "An overly aggressive woman is a bitch and an overly aggressive man is an asshole. We've got a golden ratio." She laughed. "I'll admit I used to be a bitch though, and you were an asshole before you went all zen."

"I guess I can understand a bit." He raised an eyebrow. "How are you threatening?"

Hana laughed. "The way we can interact with men and behave in general makes other women feel inadequate."

"Penis envy's a bitch, and the competition for top dick is eternal." Anko nodded.

"Huh, women are weird."

"Yeah." She held him close. "We don't want you to think that, so we pretend like we're not." She pinched his whiskered cheeks. "Girls love attention and perverts like you."

His blushing face scrunched in confusion again. "I thought they hated me."

"Please." Hana smiled. "Everyone knows you're all too for girls, right? Just don't act interested in one or be dismissive towards them and watch."

"You were complaining about it earlier!"

"Because you beat up my brother. Had he lost to you and you were some limp-dick effeminate douchebag, I'd beat you both up. If there's anything women hate the most about a man, it's when he's not a man. Understand?"

Anko cooed. "My little punk hasn't realized that's why the Hyuga girl wants him."

Naruto stepped out of her grasp. "Okay, what the hell is up with everyone thinking I'm a thing with her?" He threw up his hands. "Just because I jumped in to stop Neji doesn't mean I want her, and her shouting when I did doesn't mean she wants me!"

"You are so oblivious it's painful." Her eyes were warm. "How do you feel about her?"

"Hinata is…" He blinked. "I mean, I haven't really thought about her much at all, but I guess she wasn't that bad back at the academy." He smiled. "I was impressed when the exams started, and she told me she wanted to fight me to the fullest."

Anko nodded in agreement at Hana's This-Fucking-Idiot look. "What do you think she really meant by that?"

"...Exactly what she said?" He scowled as the two women shared a look. "I'm not a fucking mind reader!"

"This is how healthy relationships never begin: one idiot thinks they can get with the other by not saying anything and the other idiot isn't interested enough to notice." Hana sighed.

Anko laughed. "Don't be too hard on him." She frowned at the boy. "He's never known or realized what honest love from a girl, much less another person, is."

Naruto parted his lips to protest but couldn't find the words. Iruka cared about him from a distance, Teuchi was concerned, Ayame was the same, his team was close yet felt distant, and the Hokage was a mess of a relationship complicated by politics. The woman safeguarding him was the person he felt the closest to yet still wasn't sure about in any meaningful way.

"Hey…" She drifted off as the boy started shaking at the realization. Walking over, she pulled him close. "It's okay." The sight of tears springing from his eyes hurt her. "There's nothing wrong with you." Orochimaru told her the same so long ago when he meant everything to her.

There was still too much both had to work through. A single month's worth of time wouldn't nearly be enough to solve a lifetime's worth of issues. Even if so, the memory would linger. Such were the woes of life.

AN: Training's going to wrap up soon. Going to miss these slow chapters once things get rolling again. I said I have things in plan for the Chunin Exams that will change how stuck to canon the fic felt during Wave, and I meant it.

Forgot to mention last chapter we are now over a hundred favorites. I know we're over a hundred followers but favorites are more complicated as some users only favorite stories they really like. I'm glad you're enjoying it, and I hope more people do.

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