"Six thousand ryo."

"Six—six thousand ryo?" I repeated, staring down at the bald shopkeeper in front of me. The sweat, presumably from being outside all day, cast a large sheen over his scalp that was bright enough to blind anyone unlucky enough to stare directly into it. I'm speaking from experience, by the way. I was one of the unfortunate few. "You're joking, right?"

He frowned and crossed his arms over his blacksmith's apron. His stomach bulged behind his arms, to the point where his forearms rested above the table of weapons. One more exhale, and the dagger that was propped up on the table to draw in potential customers would scrape the underside of his forearm. Wouldn't that be something? "You heard me loud and clear, kid. Six thousand. Best price you're going to get around here for a sword like that."

Welcome back. You've caught me in the middle of my least favorite part of being a rookie ninja—haggling with traders.

They're the worst.

They overcharge you, they sell you shoddy-at-best weapons, they're dirty, sweaty, and, worst of all? They're just plain ugly.

I could forgive everything else that's wrong about them if they weren't so Kami-damned ugly. I know I sound classist, but quite literally all of these traders look like pugs. This particular one is also barely four feet tall, so it doesn't help my mental image of him. That, and the fact that he's got this high-pitched voice that could sound like a dog whining if I close my eyes.

It's a good thing they're positioned so far away from the entrance of town, or people would turn tail and leave the second they saw their grubby little mitts closing in on their coin purses.

If you haven't been to Konoha before, you probably don't know how the geography of our town works, and you probably don't fully understand how far away they're placed from the entrance of town. I'll explain.

For broad strokes purposes, imagine you just walked into town. Assuming you're passing through, and you're not some rouge ninja trying to sneak in, you'll check in at the gate.

Whoever is working there will ask you standard immigration questions—why are you here? What do you want? How long are you staying? Do you have any ID on you?

Assuming all is well, they'll let you pass through and you'll find yourself ready to explore our great city. If all isn't well…best case, you'll be turned around at the gate and denied entry into our city. Worst case, you'll take a nap and wake up strapped down in an interrogation chair.

For our case, we'll assume all is well, and you're not an enemy of the state.

To the southeast, i.e. your immediate right, you'll find the Residential District. At first glance, you'll find that all you can see are winding streets, traditional wooden houses, gardens, and blossoming cherry trees.

It's a super relaxing area, don't get me wrong. The tranquility of this area is complemented by small shrines, communal spaces, restaurants, and ponds that are strategically placed to foster a close-knit sense of community among the villagers.

Property prices start upward of a million ryo. Some of the more…grandiose houses will run you tens of millions of ryo, though, for the down payment alone. That's not even counting the monthly fees, like HOA and insurance. You have to be rolling in dough to live over there.

As you'd expect, it makes for one hell of a postcard view, especially if you're just passing through. It makes sense that this is the first thing you see when you walk in town.

Moving toward the heart of the village, you'll find the Civilian Sector. This area of town is full of broad avenues and somewhat of a blend of residential and commercial spaces. As you can probably assume, it's the biggest. It's also smack dab in the middle of everything, so if you're just visiting for a few days and looking for a place to stay, well, look no further.

Parks, teahouses, and restaurants dot the landscape, providing places for families to gather, children to play, and citizens to enjoy the lively atmosphere of Konoha's central district. There are a few inns scattered about and several apartment complexes and houses.

Now, I know what you're wondering: why are there also houses and apartments here if Konoha specifically has a district called the Residential district?

The key difference between the Civilian Sector and Residential districts is more related to pay scale than anything.

As I kind of alluded to before, the Residential District is definitely for the more affluent members of Konoha. Everything there is a bit more upscale. The restaurants are bigger, the sidewalks are cleaner, the ponds have more brightly colored fish—it's the little things.

These are usually where your merchant company CEOs, construction owners, and politicians live. Some ninja live there too.

That kind of lifestyle isn't affordable for most people. Just a month of the expenses—and there are a lot—would send most people into a frenzy.

It's the whole nine yards over there. There's a posh private school that most of the children go to. You pay for things I can't even explain—like what's a "communal gardening maintenance" fee?

Sakura lives over there, though. Go figure.

Most of the regular joes of Konoha live in the Civilian Sector, in the apartments I mentioned before, and whatnot. Houses are available, too, though most who can afford a house just go to the Residential District, anyway.

Between these two areas of town, you'll find things like our schools (the public ones), The ninja Academy, and some of our genin-regulated training grounds. It's a good way to show civilians that not all ninja are scary, bloodthirsty monsters.

It doesn't always work though—more than a few civilians are still wary of ninja.

Understandably so, in my opinion. A few kids painting fences won't roll back the years of blood and fighting that basically birthed Konoha and other similar villages. Even these days, there's a lingering sense of isolation between the two groups, but honestly, it's not as bad as you'd think.

From a financial standpoint, the civilian-based GDP, that is, the culmination of every transaction that can be classified as civilian, makes up anywhere from 30-40 percent of Konoha's economy.

Though to be fair, that number is loosely based on Minato's last known look at the ledgers. In times of peace, like now, though, I'd wager it's even higher.

Surprised? I get it. I was too when I first found out. Or…found out again? I don't know. I'm still confused about this whole thing sometimes.

Anyway, you have to remember, ninja are like celebrities. They work less, on average, and make more, but there are way less of us than there are civilians. The lucky few of us who rise in the ranks get the prestige and wealth of it all, but on average, for every ninja we have, we probably have two or three civilians.

Plus, if you think about it from a career perspective, a lot of ninja eventually retire and join the civilian sector, anyway. It's only natural.

Aside from a few outliers, most ninja hang it up after ten years. A decade of fighting leaves undeniable scars on your body, and no amount of healing can help the eventual wear and tear the career gives you. Most ninja careers don't last too long solely from the injuries alone.

And, I know what you're thinking: can't most of those injuries be healed?

Well, bedrest and medicine can only take you so far, and that'll only work for the little cuts and bruises. How do you heal from the gigantic fireballs and boulders people throw around?

You'd probably answer: medical ninjutsu, duh!

Well, I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but medical ninjutsu, despite being advanced, isn't always an elegant solution, or the end-all-be-all when it comes to injuries. There are a dozen or so factors that go into it. First, you need to remember that medical ninjutsu, at its most basic level, is like hitting fast-forward on your body's regeneration factor.

On a surface level, it can heal cells and even knit your muscles back together, but even that can take a toll on your body after a while. Even when a medic heals you, it's still technically your body and your cells that do the healing. They're just powering the process, like a battery pack.

I'll admit, my knowledge is limited, but Minato saw a lot of this on the frontlines of the war. A lot of the time, he was using it on himself.

Another thing the history books won't tell you about Minato—the guy was batshit crazy when it came to fighting.

He was obsessed with trying out different things in battle, sometimes at the cost of his own health. Before the Rasengan was fully perfected, you wouldn't believe how many times it just exploded in the palm of his hand and shredded his fingers.

The Hiraishin, his other signature move? Until he got it down completely, it would shred his skin if he moved too far. The first time he used it, he moved ten yards forward, only to realize a chunk of his calf had been left behind.

He didn't care. The pain was worth it to him. He'd slap a basic healing jutsu on his wounds, watch them knit themselves back together, and get right back to it.

I could harp on and on, and give you a long-winded spiel about how the effectiveness of medical ninjutsu can vary based on the severity of the injury, the skill of the medical ninja, and the availability of chakra—but even then, that's only for wounds you know are there.

The wounds you get from the repetitive nature of being a ninja are a whole other beast unto themselves.

Certain movements, like running, tackling, and blocking, can result in chronic injuries that you might not think are anything but soreness at the moment.

Oh, your calf is a little sore from a cut? It's fine, you can walk it off, right? Camp might be a mile or two away, but you know that once you get a good night's rest and some alcohol, you'll wake up feeling brand new!

Does your chest hurt from that rock a missing-nin threw at you? Yeah, that sucks, but your buddy is bleeding out. You'll agree that the medic should tend to him first. You'll just thug it out and the pain will go away over time.

Over time, these repetitive stresses can contribute to conditions like chronic pain, arthritis, and joint degeneration.

Those are the kinds of injuries you can't heal. Or, well, even if you could, it would require multiple appointments over weeks, and bills large enough to burn through all the money you made in the prime of your career.

That's not even considering the mental side of the house. Usually, when most ninja reach this point, they know their time is up. Some retire outright, and others need something to keep themselves occupied, like doing basic civilian jobs for the hell of it.

Anyway, to the north, atop an elevated plateau, lies the Shinobi District, which I'm sure you remember. Besides that, to the right, though, you have the closest thing to official Shinobi housing—the clan district.

Every clan worth their salt owns a little slice of real estate pie over there. Some clans just have buildings, others have their own shops and whatnot. The number one thing you need to know about that district is that they make their own rules.

No, really, they do.

If you end up over there and you offend someone, you very well may not ever be seen or heard from again. The Hokage can look into it and stuff, but it'll be a slow and overall ineffectual process. Unfair? Maybe, but clans are the backbone of where Konoha is today. They get some more leeway because of it.

The insanely large clans even have their own security, and the only way you get into the district at all is to be invited. It's kind of like a gated community.

Anyway, though, let's walk back to the entrance. Now you know everything in the middle of town and to the right. Let's take a left.

Dense forests cover the western side of Konoha. Inside these forests, you'll find everything from wildlife enclosures to training grounds, to the training ground—44, or as it's better known, the Forest of Death.

If you go even further west and north, once you get past our gigantic forest, you'll run into the Red Light district, which is split up into, like, a trillion different parts. If I were to try to tell you everything in here, I'd need three hours and a small meal.

There are random apartments around, restaurants that definitely don't hold up to code, and shady traders who probably don't have permits.

And yes, this is where I live. Not for long, hopefully.

But, Naruto, I hear you asking. Why don't you just shop at the Civilian district?

They hate me, think I'm a demon, and overcharge me. So…yeah.

If I wanted the fairest price, I'd have to go to the Shinobi district. They don't really care about my furry little friend over there, though the only downside is, well, I need to prove myself as a serious ninja before I can get in.

That kind of makes sense, I guess. You wouldn't want to waste your finest craftsmanship on some lifetime genin who are going to watch the gate, now, would you?

Not that gate watching isn't a super prestigious, well-paying, incredibly respected—who am I kidding? Let's call a spade a spade and move past it. It's where shinobi careers go to die.

To that earlier point about them hating me, yeah, I could henge myself and buy a sword in the Civillian district—which is what I'm in the market for—but it wouldn't make much financial sense.

Now, before you get your britches in a bunch, obviously, as a ninja, it's a must to have good-quality tools, but I'm not going to find real quality anywhere but in the Shinobi district.

So, it doesn't make sense to splurge right now. Even in disguise, the Civilian district will upcharge me compared to the urchins in the Red Light district, for a sword that's just a little bit better.

They sell swords to "collectors" and "enthusiasts" more than anything. No self-respecting ninja goes shopping there, and anyone who knows swords, like really knows them, would agree that it's better to come shopping here. Only suckers would buy stuff from there.

So, I'll just buy a starter sword from here, do a few missions, and then ball out later.

"For six thousand, you'd need to throw in two daggers, that weighted belt, and that shirt," I shot back, pointing at a long-sleeved shirt with padded elbows. That could help my cardio. "At least."

"Ah, so this is where you ran off to, Naruto," Kakashi's voice floated over the murmur of the crowd behind me. "And here I thought you were just skipping our training session today. I was very worried."

"Sorry, sensei," I replied, briefly glancing at Kakashi, who was smiling. He looked right at home amongst the lowlifes crowding around us. His height difference made it look like he was towering over everyone like a disabled, silver-haired scarecrow. "This fat lard won't give up a sword for less than six thousand."

"Hey! I'm not a lard!" The blacksmith complained. Notice how he didn't say anything about me calling him fat? He jabbed his finger at me, heaving. "And just for that, eight thousand!"

"Eight thousand?" I gaped, staring at the man. I lunged across the table, right as Kakashi grabbed my waist and picked me up. I kicked against his grip as I yelled at the man, "You better take some of that polish and give me a handjob—"

"Maa, maa, Naruto. Don't be so rude. I thought you outgrew your outbursts," Kakashi chastised, muffling my screams and teleporting across the street. He unhanded me as we touched down on the path cutting through the center of town. "You're going to break my heart if you completely revert back to your old ways."

"Don't be obtuse, sensei," I said, removing a sword from underneath my shirt. Despite everything I'd learned from Minato, Naruto's pranking skills were still a staple of who I was. As if that guy really thought I was forking over six bands for a crappy sword. "I just needed a diversion. Thanks for the assist, by the way. If you decide the whole ninja thing isn't working out for you, we could put up some numbers as petty thieves."

"Naruto, stealing is very bad," Kakashi said, regarding the sword with an intent expression. He had to be a little impressed. It's not every day you see a little kid snag a sword mid-teleport. "That man is going to be very upset when he realizes his merchandise is missing. And, as the adult in the situation, he'll take up his grievances with me. Do you think I want to deal with that man?"

"He won't even notice that it's gone. Even on the off chance he does, it's not like he's going to fight you over it. He probably doesn't even know where you live," I thumbed the grip of the sword. It was a bit worn, but it would work for now. Overuse of the sword could probably leave some marks, but my furry little friend would heal any chafed skin and sores. "Plus, six thousand for a tanto is highway robbery, and you know that. If he tries to rob me, I'm allowed to rob him. It's my right as a citizen. I'm pretty sure there's something about it in the Konoha penal code."

"No, Naruto, it isn't," Kakashi returned instantly. He held out his hand, and I placed the sword in it. I knew he wasn't going to do something stupid, like return it to the man, so I had no qualms about handing it over. He examined it in the sunlight. "Trust me, if there's one thing I know, it's the penal code."

"Of course you do. You breathe the penal code, sensei."

"That I do, my cute little student. That I do," Kakashi murmured, turning the sword over in his hands a few times. As we walked, he slashed through the air and jabbed with practiced ease. A lady walking out of a nearby store almost fainted as he flipped the sword and made it face her. "So, have you given thought to our conversation? Well, you must've, if you've sought to…appropriate a sword."

"Yeah, I have," I replied, placing my hands behind my head and staring at the sky. The sun was beating down on us. Konoha turned into a greenhouse in the summertime. "You made some good points."

We were about a week into training together, and to his credit, Kakashi had been trying his hardest to help me develop my own style.

Our first step was deciding my greatest weakness. His philosophy was that if I wanted to build out my own way of doing things, I'd have to either get rid of my weaknesses altogether or find a way to cover them up somehow. I agreed.

Pretty early on, we figured that my power was the biggest issue.

Well, relatively speaking. Compared to the rest of the fresh-faced genin that came out of the academy, I can hit like a truck. I'm probably top three in terms of power, if not number one.

That's not who I'm comparing myself to, though.

I told Kakashi I want to become ANBU—even if that's somewhat of a lie, it means the people I'm going to be comparing myself against aren't some snot-nosed little kids who want to play ninja, they're grown men and women who won't hesitate to carve out my throat.

That's without even considering the fact that the Masked Man is out there, and he was capable of fighting Minato in his prime. He's probably had all these years to get stronger, while I've been brought back to square one.

Now, as I've mentioned before, maybe a trillion times, having the memories of a former Hokage in my head makes a lot of what goes into becoming a passable ninja easier.

Foundationally, I'm as sound as you can get. I've been working on my cardio, my handsigns are becoming second nature, and I'm racking up jutsu like it's nobody's business.

Power, though? There's no shortcut to power.

Even someone as fiercely intelligent as Minato didn't have any workarounds for it. Granted, he never cared much about it, so the extent of his thoughts on the matter were: eat protein and lift weights.

So, what can I do? I can't just hit fast forward on my life, and I need a way to punch above my weight class.

"A sword will certainly do the trick," Kakashi broke me out of my thoughts as we continued working on our way toward a training ground. He bounced the blade on his hand. "It's a bit light."

I rolled my eyes. Two minutes ago, he was lecturing me about stealing, and now he was finding faults with the stolen goods. "Yeah, well, I'm not good enough to get into the shinobi district, and I'm not going to pay an arm and a leg for a glorified butter knife. This'll have to do for now."

"I suppose," Kakashi sighed, twirling the sword. "Tell you what, Naruto. If you become a chunin in the next exams, I'll buy you a real sword as a present."

I placed a hand over my chest and gasped, "You've got a heart in there after all, sensei!"

"A hungry dog runs faster than a fed one," Kakashi shoved the sword back in my hand. Ouch! "And, while you've made progress, I think a little bit of motivation would do you well. Now, are you familiar with the idea of geometric progression?"

Of course, I was. Minato was the one who taught Kakashi this. Not that I'd tell Kakashi that. I didn't want to give the man a coronary.

The fact that I, his below-average student, was suddenly taking things seriously? Well, that wasn't too far out of the question. We'd all just had a life-or-death experience. It was only natural. If I started spouting off random things that only the Fourth would know, though, that would ruffle some feathers for sure. The kind I'd want to leave unruffled for as long as possible.

Even aside from all of that, the part of me that was Minato was kind of interested to see how Kakashi would teach it.

"In mathematics, a geometric progression is a sequence of non-zero numbers where each term after the first is found by multiplying the previous one by a fixed number," Kakashi explained slowly. The paved roads of the Civilian Sector gave way to the dirt paths leading into the training grounds. Aren't you happy I gave you the rundown? "This is important for all ninja, but specifically, for one like you. Think about it like this: what makes a ninja dangerous?"

A cloud passed overhead, casting a shadow over the two of us. "Do you mean from, like, a physical standpoint, or a mental standpoint?"

Kakashi rubbed his chin. He seemed pleasantly surprised that I asked for more clarification. "Physical. Or, well, I guess it's kind of both."

"I feel like this is one of those moments where no matter what I say, you'll say I'm wrong."

"Naruto…" Kakashi said simply, his voice trailing off. I didn't turn to face him, but I could feel his stare burning into the side of my face.

"Alright, alright. Don't get your vest in a bunch," I raised my hands. Kakashi was on edge these days. It probably had to do with the fact that he was getting back into the swing of training, and, even though I couldn't prove it, he was acting like someone who'd just kicked a nicotine habit. Something about the Wave had rattled him. "His unpredictability."

"Exactly. His unpredictability. The issue with your power is deeper than just not being strong enough. While it's a problem in its own right at face value, the secondary issue stems from unpredictability. Can you tell me why?"

I ran through his words again, thinking them over. I kind of knew what he wanted me to say, but I didn't want to show off all of my tricks just yet. "Um…my lack of power means people won't have to respect my punches and kicks?"

"Partially correct. It's true that people won't have to respect your physical attacks if they're not sufficiently powerful. If your punches and kicks don't hurt, no one will rush to block them, because they can just take the hit without too much pain," Kakashi agreed. "The deeper issue is that you can't set up any other moves if you don't have the threat of basic attacks. Do you see where I'm going with it?"

"You mentioned geometric progression…is that how the setup in fights works?"

Kakashi nodded. "Correct. Explain."

"Well, if I can establish power in my attacks, and people think my power is a threat…it opens up more stuff I can do?"

"Absolutely. Let's say I start off with a punch," Kakashi said, grabbing my shoulder and stopping our walk. He slowly extended his arm, and I blocked him. "If you're fighting me, in your memory bank, you know I have this move."

"Okay…"

"So then, once you wait a beat," Kakashi shifted, slowly throwing another punch. I blocked that one, and the metaphor he was going for suddenly dawned in my mind. "And I throw another punch, you have to answer it."

"But now, your possibilities have doubled," I breathed as he pulled his arm back. "You can throw another punch because you know I need to block it, or you could throw a kick or a jutsu…"

"And you'd have no choice but to be at my mercy," We continued our walk. Kakashi cleared his throat, "Your current issue is that your power won't completely faze an older, stronger opponent. If they know they don't have to worry about your setup, they can tank your hits and then just break your defense when you're vulnerable."

"So, that's where the sword comes in."

"Yes. People can choose to not respect your power, but they have to respect a sword. As long as you're not completely blind, even if there isn't much force behind your hits, you'll still be able to deal damage to someone," Kakashi explained patiently, opening a chainlink fence gate. We'd been using Training Ground 33 for most of our sessions. "And, as such, they'll need to block the attack, generally with a kunai or a weapon of their own."

As I stepped into the open expanse, a canopy of leaves overhead bathed the clearing in a dance of sunlight and shadows. Konoha felt like it was buzzing today. The air was alive with the sounds of nature—birdsong, the gentle rustling of leaves, and the distant murmur of a stream that flowed somewhere off in the forest.

In the center of the clearing, I noticed that the marked circles etched into the Earth from where Kakashi and I had been practicing some fire jutsu were still there.

Natural obstacles dotted the landscape from our fights—fallen logs, moss-covered boulders, and uneven terrain that had been warped and changed by some of Kakashi's stronger attacks.

"Now since we've gotten you a weapon, we can begin developing your style in earnest. There's a lot that goes into it, technically speaking, so I'll boil it down into four main steps," Kakashi and I were standing across from each other in the center of the field, now. "First, is your basic attack chain. These are moves you should be able to perform even when you're out of energy, in pain, or otherwise incapacitated. I don't know the first thing about kenjutsu so you'll be on your own for that one, but at the least, your power problem is solved. Next, you have your main attacks. These are the things you do well—your heavy hitters. The way I've always thought about it is that your main attacks are the toppers to your basic attack chain. You want to work your opponent, weaken them, open up some holes, and then choose an attack to cap off the progression. These can be jutsu, or otherwise. Parts three and four are a bit esoteric: trump cards, and swagger. We'll get to those once you're a bit further along in the process. For now, I'll demonstrate the first two steps."

Without warning, Kakashi teleported in front of me. A flurry of leaves fluttered around me, tearing open to reveal a gloved fist heading right for my face.

I readied my sword and blocked his first hit. The tanto was a bit longer than Minato's Hiraishin kunai, but for now, I'd have to rely on muscle memory. I could work on finding forms later.

Another punch followed from my left, and I ducked under it.

"Basic attacks," Kakashi continued, picking up his speed. His next punch rattled the sword, and his third punch whizzed past my head with so much force, I swear I felt a gust of wind follow. "Are supposed to wear your opponent down. Though I'm not struggling, I can tell you are. That's what these are supposed to do. They let you probe your opponent—"

I deflected his next punch and blocked an ax kick that blurred from my left. I swerved under another punch and punched his fist with mine—which really hurt—but out of nowhere, my vision shifted.

A sandal smashed into my cheek, slamming my jaw closed and flinging me backward. The coppery taste of blood filled my mouth, and I glared at Kakashi, who was standing there, not even slightly out of breath. He looked happy, even.

"This is where geometric progression comes into play. Every hit I land opens up two more possibilities, at least. How you react to me is how I choose what to do," Kakashi explained. "That was about a six-punch and kick combo. My first three punches were to find out if you would respect my strength. My next three were to find out your preferences—do you block high? Low? Do you favor a side? Once I amassed enough information, breaching your defenses was easy."

I spat a bit of blood out of my mouth. "You could at least pretend like you had to try."

"Where's the fun in that, my dear student? I don't want to inadequately prepare you by coddling you," Kakashi said with an eye-smile. He slowly removed his headband, and his blood-red Sharingan regarded me. "Now since you've seen a basic attack progression, I'll cap it off with a main attack to show you."

Kakashi jumped up and down in place for a few seconds, stretching out his arms and legs—and then boom!

Dirt rose from the ground as he exploded forward, moving through the air with fluid grace, twisting and curling his body like a dancer. A slight shift in stance signaled the commencement of what I guessed was his basic attack progression.

A blur of motion and a series of attacks unfolded with precision. I tried to guess what would happen based on last time. First came a lightning-fast jab, aimed at my midsection.

What did he say? He would react to what I did, right? The thrust was more than just a physical strike; it was a probe, a test to gauge my reflexes and response.

I folded my arm back and flipped my sword horizontally, and his knuckles smashed into the side of the sword. He didn't even flinch as the blade cut through his gloves, and a line of red appeared.

Kakashi swiftly retracted his hand, smoothly transitioning into a swift kick, aimed low at my feet. I jumped over the sweeping kick, ready to punish the obvious move.

And, of course, it took about two seconds for me to realize my mistake.

As I was midair, Kakashi seized the opening I unintentionally gave him, unleashing a rapid combination of punches that seemed almost too fast for me to follow. Each strike was delivered with measured force and speed—he was restraining himself.

Not that it mattered. Without the support of the ground, my defense was clumsy. I didn't have enough leverage against his strikes, which were already stronger than I could comfortably handle.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

I barely blocked one of the hits, but the others quickly exploded around my body like firecrackers. All of the air left my lungs as he capped off the combo with a bruising kick that definitely cracked something in my chest.

My body ached and I grunted as I was sent backward, the world spinning around me like a top.

The clearing fell into an anticipatory hush as Kakashi flicked through handsigns. The ambient sounds of rustling leaves and distant birdsong seemed to fade into the background, creating an eerie silence that was filled with my labored breathing as I slowly got up.

Then, as Kakashi lunged forward hiding his hand behind his back. I got ready to block when suddenly, I heard the birds come back. Why did it sound like there were more than before?

No…wait…

It started as a low, ominous hum, resonating with the building intensity of energy. The air crackled and popped, kind of like the sound of an approaching thunderstorm, charged with raw power.

Kakashi removed his hand from behind his back as arcs of blue electricity sparked off his fingertips. The Chidori.

As the Chidori surged forward, the hum intensified into a piercing whine. The sound sliced through the air with an otherworldly sharpness, creating an unsettling harmony of destruction.

He stopped it an inch from my face. I could practically feel the heat emanating from the jutsu. It slowly faded to nothingness, and he helped me up. "There you have it. If you were an enemy, you'd be dead. Now, let's get started on yours."

AN: I could apologize for taking so long to update this story, and I will—I'm sorry!

But, no amount of excuses will really mean anything to you, so I'll just say sorry again and hope you enjoy this chapter!

There should be some more plot, characters, and overall narrative goodness in the next one. I know I've spent a lot of time sort of explaining scientific concepts as they pertain to jutsu and worldbuilding itself, but I find it important.

This is an AU- as you can tell, lots of things are different. I'm certain that I've altered the canon description of Konoha quite a bit and embellished some things, but I find it important, as they serve to distinguish Minato's memories from Naruto's in a way that provides some depth to the plot. So, I hope you forgive me for that.

Thanks to everyone for your kind words of support and help with the pairings. It's certainly going to be Naruto/Temari, and I'll change it to reflect that. Hope to see you all very soon!

- Maroon