Naruto: The Uchiha Chronicles Re-Version

Hello everyone. This is the second chapter of the updated version of this story. Hope you enjoy it.

Arc I: The Origin:

Chapter 3: Growing Pains, New Challenges Appear

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Meeting his grandfather had been the best thing that ever happened to Naruto.

Several months had passed since then, and it had been amazing. He'd begun to spend more and more time out of his lonely apartment. He still had to keep up appearances by living there–apparently the Hokage kept tabs on him–but every other moment he could spare was spent at his grandfather's home. Most days were spent in the vast forest training before returning to his apartment, but occasionally he'd stay over for the weekend, and they'd do something more fun.

Something Naruto had learned rather quickly was that Madara was different from most grandparents. He had a different concept of fun activities. Whereas most people would teach their grandchildren to fly a kite or dote on them with sweets—Madara would show him how to forge his own kunai and shuriken and teach him to play shogi. Both of them were a work in progress. Especially shogi. He just wasn't built with the patience required to play the game. Not that he would exchange those occasions for anything.

Naruto had hit a growth spurt since he met his grandfather. His hair had begun to darken slightly at the roots; and it had lost some of its spikiness. He wore a simple attire, with a plain black shirt and a pair of tan shorts.

Still, for all the good, there was one thing that frustrated him. His progress was rather slow. After he met his grandfather, Naruto had assumed it would somehow get easier. It hadn't He still struggled with concepts, and it seemed to take him forever to make progress in his taijutsu drills or target practice. He was hoping today would he different. It was supposed to be a special lesson.

A cool late winter breeze raced through the branches above them. Naruto and his grandfather stood surrounded by massive tree trunks covered in patches of moss. Overhead the branches seemed to stretch toward the sky like giant outstretched arms. They cast the forest blanket of springy moss on the ground into dark shadows, save for a few shafts of glittering sunlight. It gave the place an odd green glow.

"So, what are we doing today Grandfather? Is it some super special jutsu for the Sharingan, or maybe my Magnet Style?" He asked eagerly.

The thought of working on his bloodlines excited him beyond belief. So far they really hadn't worked on them at all. They had to start at some point, right? He couldn't wait to be able to copy jutsu with the sharingan or move metal around with nothing but his will like his grandmother!

Unfortunately, his hopes were quickly dashed by a chuckle from his grandfather.

"Not quite. Before I begin to teach you how to use those, I want to make sure you're base skills are solid." Madara said. He placed his hands in the snake seal and gave Naruto a smirk. "Now, for your training tool."

Naruto could only gape in astonishment at what happened. The ground vibrated under his feet. A low rumble filled the clearing. All of a sudden, earth exploded upwards in a shower. He damp as several pieces of wet dirt clung to his skin. Four thick brown vines shot up and began to writhe like serpents. No, not vines, he realized. Branches. The branches of a tree shot upwards, followed by a thick trunk. As the movement of the tree slowed down, smaller branches began to sprout from them, as well as twigs. Leaves soon followed. When it was done, a solitary tree stood in the center of the clearing. This one was much smaller than the others, only slightly taller than a man. It's branches were densely packed with small green leaves. Around the base was a mound of freshly turned dirt. His grandfather stood beside the tree with his hands locked in the Snake seal.

Naruto himself couldn't believe his eyes. That tree had sprung up out of nowhere!

"Whoa, that's awesome!" He said. He'd never seen something like that!

His grandfather chuckled light-heartedly at the reaction. Though he quickly returned to being serious.

"While I'm glad you enjoyed the show, I didn't just grow this for the heck of it." He said. "This tree is going to be your training tool."

Naruto's eyebrows rose. Whoever heard of a tree being a training tool? What kind of exercise was he going to do? If his grandfather noticed his confusion he didn't mention it. The old man simply continued his explanation.

"As I said, to fully take advantage of your bloodlines, your base skills must be solid. Up until this point you've been learning to throw weapons more accurately, and, working on some basic jutsu. To get any further at this point, there's something we need to do first." Madara said. He paused and fixed Naruto with a firm gaze. Probably to make sure he paid attention. "We need to increase your chakra control."

Huh? "Chakra control, what's that?" Naruto asked.

He'd heard of chakra before, but they hadn't covered anything to control it in the Academy. At least not that he recalled. There was a good possibility he just wasn't paying attention at the time. Academics were never his strong suit.

A light swipe of his grandfather's foot made a simple wooden chair of roots grow out of the ground. It wasn't much to look at, just a flat round seat and a basic straight back. The old man sat down on it with a relieved groan.

"Simple. Chakra control is the ability to control how much chakra you use." He said. "With better control, it'll let you control your jutsu more effectively. You'll be able to make your techniques stronger with less chakra. It will also help with your Sharingan. With better control you can decrease the time it takes to activate it and the chakra it takes."

The old man definitely knew how to motivate him. Stronger jutsu? That sounded awesome. But more than anything was the Sharingan! He'd only used it a couple times. It took a lot of chakra to maintain it, and his grandfather was always quick to remind him to be careful where he used it. Naruto shifted his weight back and forth eagerly.

"Now, this exercise is fairly basic. You remember what I taught you about molding chakra?" Madara asked. He was a big fan of making Naruto repeat things from other lessons.

Naruto struggled to recall that particular lesson. It had been one of their earliest ones this year. He'd learned about it in class but didn't really get it, so he went to his grandfather to learn more.

"Um . . . to perform jutsu, you gotta connect the spirit side and the physics side?" He said uncertainly. His grandfather sighed.

"I suppose that's close enough. When you connect the spiritual energy and physical energy inside your body, chakra is created." He clarified. Naruto felt his cheeks flush lightly. At least he was close. "Now for this exercise you'll be focusing the chakra to your forehead to try and get the leaf to stick. Like so." His grandfather reached up to one of the tree branches and plucked a leaf off. He pressed it against his forehead. To Naruto's astonishment, the leaf remained stuck when he took his hand away. Like some invisible finger kept it pinned in place.

"The key is to use just the right amount. Too much chakra and you'll force the leaf away. Too little and it won't stick. You need immense concentration." Madara explained.

His brow furrowed in annoyance. Concentration? Did that mean he was going to have sit still and everything? This was going to suck. He walked over to the tree and reached up to take one of the leaves. Luckily his grandfather had made it fairly low-hanging when he grew the tree. He closed his eyes and placed his hands in the ram seal. He reached inside himself just like he'd been taught. A familiar warmth spread out from his chest. Now what did he do with it? Normally he'd just make hand seals to start a jutsu. But his grandfather hadn't mentioned any hand seals. 'Somehow I gotta move it on my own.' He concluded.

"Huh-how do I focus the chakra?" He ground out. It was a struggle to talk while maintaining his chakra.

"You have to will it. It's no different than when you use the Sharingan. Focus on the body part you want to send the chakra to, and then guide it along the way. There are natural paths it will follow on its own." His grandfather said.

Naruto nodded. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He tried to remember what it felt like to activate his Sharingan. The rush of power that swept through his body. It was almost like pure sugar running through his veins. How the chakra pooled in his eyes. He tried to copy that. Focus. Focus on the forehead. He thought. Slowly but surely his chakra started to move. Soon enough he could tell it was pooling at his forehead.

It was now or never. He carefully held the leaf to his forehead and let it go. He tried not to move. He even held his breath. For a few moments it seemed to be working. Yes, he'd gotten it on the first try!

. . . and then a ripping sound reached his ears. His eyes snapped open to see the shredded remains of the leaf dance to the ground. He should have known better than to think it'd be that easy.

They continued like that for the rest of the day. He didn't make any progress. In the end he had to return to his grandfathers, tired and frustrated.

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The next day Naruto was in class discretely practicing the leaf sticking exercise under his desk. It was a bit easier to channel the chakra to his hands. A constant tingle danced across his skin. He'd managed to sustain it for several minutes, when his concentration was broken by the sudden sting of a piece of chalk bouncing off his forehead. It took some effort not to drop the leaf in surprise. He quickly stowed it away and glared down at his teacher.

"Oi, what was that for?" He asked with a growl. It took effort to ignore the snickering of his classmates.

The teacher–Tatsuya-Sensei–ignored him. He was a grouchy old man with a greying goatee on his chin with a permanent scowl on his face. His standard chunin uniform was always splotched with white smears from chalk, and his breath always stank of stale coffee. Naruto knew from numerous times being chewed out for slacking off. He didn't like Tatsuya-Sensei at all. The man had no sense of humor, or any time for slacking. Though, unlike the other instructors Naruto had met, at least he was that way with everyone.

"Now that everyone is paying attention–" The old coot paused to stare pointedly at Naruto. "–let's get to our next lesson. Today I'll begin to teach you the first of three e-rank techniques you have to learn to graduate in five years."

Despite himself, Naruto perked up at that. He could hear his classmates excited murmurs around him. Not that he could blame them. This was the first jutsu they'd be learning! He'd tried to beg his grandfather to teach him some, but Madara always insisted he needed to get a handle on the basic skills first before he'd do that in their training. The most he'd learned was a simple fire jutsu to start a campfire.

"Yes, yes, it's exciting. But try and keep it down." Tatsuya said. His gruff voice conveyed nothing but boredom.

The old man turned to the black board. He slid it to the side to reveal a pre-made diagram in stark white chalk. It was the outline of a figure holding a hand sign, with two more figures next to it with dotted outlines. Tatsuya began to write rapidly underneath the diagram. The harsh scrape of the chalk on the jet-black slate made Naruto's skin crawl. He pushed through his discomfort to hear the explanation.

"The technique we're going to learn is the Clone Jutsu. It lets you create afterimage copies of yourself to confuse an enemy." He explained. The whispers were back, indistinct like the sound of leaves rustling in the forest. "I'll give a demonstration."

He stepped out from behind the desk. There was large open stretch of floor specifically so they could practice easy jutsu inside. The wood was well-worn from generations of ninja standing there to learn techniques. Naruto leaned forward on the bench eagerly. He was barely aware of the bench shifting as his desk mates did the same. This was the very first actual jutsu they'd learn! Tatsuya clasped his hands together and slowly shifted them between signs. After his training with his grandfather, Naruto was more aware of the presence of peoples chakra. He could feel the slow build as his sensei performed the jutsu. To his surprise, the old man actually seemed to have a fairly potent chakra.

"Snake, Ram, Tiger. Clone Jutsu!" He said. A faint pulse went through the room, barely noticeable.

Several surprised gasps rang out. Two copies flickered to life beside the old man like silent specters. They were perfect matches, right down to the white chalk stains on his Chunin flak jacket. Neither of them made a sound, and they even lacked shadows. It was pretty eerie, like they were both there and not there.

"Yes, yes. It's very exciting. One thing to keep in mind, this is just a distraction technique. The clones–" Tatsuya swept his arm out to the right. The clone's image parted like a cloud of steam in his arms wake. "–are not solid. They can't be used to fight."

Naruto heard several disappointed grumbles behind him. With his piece set, Tatsuya released the technique. Beside him the clones erupted into thick clouds of opaque white smoke. It dissipated fairly quickly. Oddly enough there wasn't any odor from it. In fact, just like the clones it almost seemed like it wasn't there save for a slight sensation as it brushed against your skin.

"Now, I'm going to call you each down. I want you to give it a try. We'll go from there." He instructed.

Excited chatter rose up. Their sensei didn't pay attention to it. He kept the same serious scowl.

"First up, Hideki Arisawa …" He called.

A black-haired boy stood up from the center desk on the lowest tier. His posture was hunched over, probably nervous. The boy rounded the corner of the desk and stood before their sensei. Naruto couldn't see the hand signs. All he saw were the elbows moving.

"Clone Jutsu!" A puff of smoke erupted. When it cleared, two sickly copies of the boy stood beside him. Unlike their sensei's they were noticeably flawed.

"Huh, that was okay for a first try." Tatsuya said. The black-haired boy's posture relaxed, and he quickly walked back to his seat, as if eager to be out of the spotlight.

After that Tatsuya called them up one by one. Everyone managed at least one clone. A few even got theirs to look decent. The majority turned out sickly, though. Nobody came close to replicating the perfect images their sensei made. It was a good thing the jutsu smoke didn't act like regular smoke, because after a few paper there was a near-constant lingering haze from it.

The entire time Naruto was waiting on tenterhooks. He couldn't wait for his shot. When it finally came, he had to restrain an excited shout.

"Next … Naruto Uzumaki." Tatsuya called.

Naruto practically sprung out of his seat and down the steps. He was so pumped he didn't even notice his classmates comments. Maybe because he was so used to them. They never expected much out of him.

"Tch, this should be good."

"Don't know why he's so excited …"

He took his place in front of his teacher. For once he wore a confident grin. 'That exercise with Grandpa should come in handy.' He thought. This was going to be different. He clasped his hands together in the snake seal, then rapidly shifted to the ram seal with his left hand on top and first to fingers pointed up. Finally, he ended with both hands parellel and his first two fingers and thumb lined up. He could feel the surge of his chakra. It fluctuated wildly.

"Clone Jutsu!" He shouted.

The results were … underwhelming. A small puff of smoke appeared on either side of him. No clones, though. Naruto was utterly confused. What happened? He though he did it perfectly.

"Hehehe, what was that!" He heard a boy shout.

Naruto's face burned with embarrassment. He didn't even produce any clone. How was that possible. He could just about die of embarrassment. For the first time in forever, the whispered jeers from his classmates started to get to him. It was like the hissing of snakes, tinged with gleeful derision.

"Hmm, you probably used either too much chakra or not enough. Try to correct that." Tatsuya-sensei said.

He gave a quick nod and turned back to the stairs. Honestly … he'd never felt so humiliated. His head stayed down. Everyone chuckled as he walked by.

Naruto had to clench his fists to control his temper. Dang it! Why did it fail? That leaf sticking exercise was supposed to help with jutsu, right?

For the rest of the day, Naruto stewed on his failure. Failing was something he was used to. This time it was much harder to grin and bear it. He'd been working so hard to get better. He actually thought he got somewhere. It made him feel stupid. As soon as the class ended his bag was packed and he practically sprinted from the room.

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He spent hours wandering the village lost in thought. After getting away from the Academy, he'd sort of just let his feet take him wherever. Eventually he made a very familiar trek up the winding stairs that led to the top of the Hokage Monument. It was a set of massive carvings where the villages leaders were immortalized. They perched over the village, an eternal symbol of what they'd meant. The Hokage were always watching over everyone under their gaze. It was a comfort for the people of the Leaf, and a warning to their enemies. So long as the Hokage breathed the village would be safe. His father's head was the newest one. It was always his favorite place to think. He'd take a seat among the jagged spiking stone in that made up the Fourth's hair, and just stare out across the village.

It was always best in the evening. Just like now. An orange glow suffused the buildings. The streets stretched out below like a massive spider web, and the people were like ants meandering about. Between the patches of buildings there was a vast sea of green trees, dotted with blue specks and lines from the many rivers and ponds that spread amongst the forest. They were truly a village hidden amongst leaves. Surrounding it all was a huge white wall that circled all the way around the village to the sides of the Hokage Mountain.

After taking a seat on his father's carving, Naruto fished in his pocket for a spare leaf.

By now the process was very familiar. He channeled the chakra to his forehead and tried to get it to cling to the leaf. For a moment, it almost felt like it would stick. The chakra take on an almost suction-like feel. Naruto allowed himself a small smile. It quickly fell when the leaf tumbled off his forehead. A gust of wind caught it and carried the leaf out across the village.

Naruto sighed heavily and took another out of his pocket. That time he thought he had it. He was about to put it to his forehead, but then …

"So, this is where you were Naruto. I've been looking for you."

He practically jumped out of his skin. In a millisecond he frantically stuffed the leaf back into his pocket. When he turned around, his eyes widened at the familiar liver-marked face with a thinning white goatee.

"Oh, Gramps, hey! What're you doing here?" He asked. He couldn't help but smile. Despite the conflicting feelings he had about the man, he felt happy to see him. After all, it was him that took the time to visit Naruto when he was in the orphanage and helped him move out to his own apartment. Even now the man paid for that apartment for Naruto. It'd been a while since they had a chance to talk. Honestly, he was a bit nervous.

"I came to see you, obviously. It's been a while since we talked." Sarutobi said. He wasn't a very tall man, not helped by the bulky white and red robes he wore. The robes always smelled of tobacco. Naruto wasn't particularly fond of it, but it had become a comforting smell to him. "Mind if I take a seat?"

Naruto quickly shook his head. The old man settled down beside him with a pleasant sigh. He gazed out on the village with fondness.

"Ah, what a wonderful view." He said.

"I suppose." Naruto replied. Now that the initial rush of seeing gramps wore off, his mind returned to what had happened in class. How had he messed up so badly? It plagued his mind. Every step forward seemed to be another one back. Unfortunately Sarutobi wasn't the Hokage for no reason.

"Hmm, something seems to be bothering you. Care to share?" He asked.

Naruto winced. He really didn't want to complain. Even thinking about his insecurity was embarrassing. Yet, he knew Gramps wouldn't just let it go. It wasn't in his nature.

"Well … it's just the Academy. I've trained super hard. But when we tried to do the Clone Jutsu, I'm the only one who failed. It's … frustrating. I just feel like no matter what, I can never catch up." He said quietly.

Sarutobi gave an understanding hum. He didn't reply right away. Instead he took out his corncob pipe and lit it with a simple fire jutsu. The old man took a puff and slowly exhaled a cloud of acrid smoke. Naruto wrinkled his nose in distaste. Thankfully a breeze quickly swept by and carried the foul smell with it.

"I see. So, you're worried you're not as good as your classmates." He mused. The old man nibbled on his pipe thoughtfully. "That's not an unreasonable worry. It's true, you're definitely not the most talented of your peers. Nor the most innately intelligent. Your grades are lacking, as well."

A scowl broke out across his face. Angry tears prickled at the corner of his eyes. It hurt to hear the old man say things so bluntly. Bad enough that he had those doubts himself, but now Gramps was confirming it? Resentment started to bubble inside him like water when you boiled rice. It was quickly halted by Sarutobi's next words, though.

"However, talent isn't everything. It simply gives some a head start. If your drive is strong enough, in time it's possible to bridge that gap. Just look at my own student's as an example." He said with a smile.

Naruto tilted his head in confusion. "Your students? Never heard of them." He said cluelessly.

Far from being insulted, the Hokage's eyes twinkled in amusement. "Oho, I wish they could hear that. It would annoy them greatly." He chuckled. "I'm speaking of the Sannin, the three legendary ninja of our village. There's Jiraiya, the Toad Sage and spymaster, and Tsunade, a peerless medic. Lastly there's Orochimaru … I prefer not to speak of him."

The way Sarutobi hissed out that last name took him aback. It was filled with disgust and regret. What had this Orochi guy done to earn that from the normally kind man? The Hokage took a steadying breath, and then continued his story.

"When I first took them on, Jiraiya was undoubtedly the worst student. He had little talent, and he wasn't the brightest. Nowadays he's possibly the strongest of them." Sarutobi said, before he reached over and playfully ruffled his hair. "So cheer up my boy, you're far too young to be worrying about things like strength so much."

Naruto huffed in annoyance and ducked under the hand. He'd deny it profusely if asked, but the familiar warmth of the old man's hand was comforting. It helped remind him of how much Gramps helped him. The old man had the temerity to laugh at his annoyance.

'Grandfather was right. I should give Gramps a chance.' He thought to himself. Part of him wanted to confront him. To clear the air right then and there. Now wasn't the time, though. It would just prove exactly why Gramps hadn't told him about his parents. Instead he tried to figure out what brought him here to begin with. "So, what's the deal old man, why'd ya come see me?" He asked.

"What, can't I just come see one of my wards?" Hiruzen asked teasingly. Naruto scoffed at the banter.

"Come on Gramps, give me some credit. Usually ya wait til it's time to give me my stipend to see me. You missed the last one though." He said with a huff.

A warm smile spread across Hiruzen's face. "True, though frankly you need to give yourself more credit my boy. You're right that I have another motive." He said. "The truth is, I've been slightly busy recently. We're working on preparing for the next year at the Academy. Specifically, something regarding your class."

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows. What could be so important about his class that it'd take up the Hokage's time? He was surprised when Gramps took a piece of paper out of the sleeve of his robe and handed it to him. He quickly grabbed the small piece of white paper and looked at what it said.

Instructor: Iruka Umino

Room: 107

As of April 14th, Your new classroom is located at the south end of the 1st floor on the right-hand side. Please give this note to your new instructor on your first day.

He looked back up at the old man with confusion. "New teacher? What's this about? Is it cause of my grades or something?" He asked.

His mind was bombarded with different scenarios. Was he being transferred because he was doing bad? Or what if he was being held back because of his grades? Each thing he thought of was more worrying than the last.

"No need to be concerned, it's nothing like that," Gramps said. He waved casually as if to dismiss Naruto's worries. "You're teacher is retiring after this year. Unfortunately we don't have anyone available to replace him. So instead we'll be splitting up your class and filling empty spots left by those who plan to drop out of the other first year classes." He explained.

"Huh?" He said dumbly. He looked at the old man quizzically. Dropouts? Were there really that many people leaving the first year classes? His confusion must have been very obvious, because the old man chuckled.

"Tell me Naruto, why do you think there are usually only one or two seventh year classes in the academy, but we have at least five first year classes?" Hiruzen asked.

He'd … never really thought about that. Now that he took the time to recall it, he never really saw that many older students. It wasn't like the academy was just that large, either.

"Are you saying they all drop out?" He asked. It was impossible to disguise his surprise. He couldn't fathom just giving up on his training. Who would invest all that time just for nothing?

"Exactly so. For all your concern about how you stack up, you're far from the least talented student I've ever seen Naruto." Gramps explained. "On top of that, many start the training just to find they don't have what it takes. Either they can't stand the thought of killing someone, or the training is too hard. The dropout rate is actually quite high."

Killing. Naruto had to hold back a wince. That word brought up memories of that day. Things he'd rather forget. The way the sword had stuck out from the man's chest. A warm spray of blood across his arm. His grandfather helped him deal with the event, but it still was an unpleasant thought. The idea he was now a killer, unintentional as it had been. He could certainly see why some wouldn't be up for a life where that was commonplace. All this went through his head in seconds.

"I guess that makes sense." He said.

"Good, good. Just remember to follow the instructions on that sheet and you'll be fine." Sarutobi assured him. At his answering nod, the old man smiled widely. "Come now, I still have plenty of time to talk. Why don't we talk about your training?" Naruto unintentionally tensed up at that. Could Gramps have seen him earlier? "I couldn't help but notice you were practicing the leaf sticking exercise. I'm glad to see you practicing things proactively. Though I'm curious, where did you learn it?"

It was hard to bite back a curse. This was not good. His grandfather had told him it was a technique they taught older students. There shouldn't be any way for him to know it. He had to think of something quick. Everything was ruined if he didn't

"Oh, that? That's uh … something a picked up watching the older student's!" He exclaimed.

He tried not to let his desperation leak into his lie. While he tried to look confident, internally he really hoped the old man bought the lie. He needed it to. If he didn't .. Naruto might lose his grandfather. For a moment he was tense. Gramps looked at him with an almost calculating look if he didn't know any better. Luckily, it didn't take long for the old man to break out and smile.

"Ah, I see. Good. It's a useful technique for not only chakra control, but training to focus the mind. A proper shinobi trains both the body and mind." He said. The old man reached down to pluck a pebble from the ground. He held let it hang from the tip of his finger. "One small tip, try to use visualization to guide your chakra. I've always found imagining my chakra system as a series of pipes useful. Though you might need to find something that works for you."

Naruto nodded quickly at the suggestion. Though he took it to heart, he was more concerned with the near miss. He had to work hard not to sag in relief. That had been too close. In the future he'd need to be more careful. Still … something the old man said struck a chord within him. A good shinobi trains both the body and mind. When he thought about it, he'd always been hyper-focused on training his physical skills. Maybe he needed to focus more on the mental.

The two sat there and talked for quite a bit. By the time Naruto left it was dark, and stars filled the cold winter sky. He'd almost forgotten his little slip up.

Unfortunately for him Hiruzen didn't.

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And that's a wrap for Chapter 3. Here you're seeing one of the major changes I've made. Well, I say changes, but it's more fixing something I really didn't do a good job showing in the previous versions. And that is that Naruto ISN'T a natural genius along the lines of Itachi, Kakashi, or even Neji and Sasuki. Just like in cannon, he has to scratch and claw for his strength and intelligence. The difference is he has a very good teacher in Madara, and the Shadow Clone hack.

Well, that's all for now.

Until next time,

RinneTaicho, Signing Off!