Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden
Chapter Seven
She was exhausted. She was honestly just ready to plop down on her bed and close her eyes and sleep for hours. She had been on missions, back-to-back-to-back and she was still finishing up a mission as she trudged begrudgingly beside her client. The young man glanced up at the rising sun before he smiled, Karibi glancing over to him before she sighed; while he got to return to his family, she still had a few more days until she had the chance to return to hers.
Karibi had been gone for just a little over a month now. The Hokage had been sending her on missions at a constant rate. Even though they were living in a time of peace, there were still many jobs to carry out, and the redhead was just one example of a ninja who had to get these jobs done.
"Thank you for all of your help!" The 22 year old looked over to the black haired man beside her as she forced a smile across her lips.
"Of course. Just doing my job," she stated modestly, though there was some truth behind her words.
"I know it's been a long journey for you. It couldn't have been easy."
"Actually, we haven't run into any sort of trouble, so it's been a fairly simple mission," Karibi assured as the young man chuckled. "No worries though. Even if we had run into trouble, it would have been no problem. I would have gotten you home safely to your family," the kunoichi assured as her companion smiled fondly at the thought.
"Yes, I am excited to get home!"
"I never asked," the jonin said. "How many kids do you have?"
"I have three! Two sons and a daughter. My wife, Yuka, she takes great care of them," he explained as Karibi smiled and nodded.
"What about yourself?"
"Ah, no," the young woman said as she quickly shook her head. "I'm only 22! I think there's plenty of time for me to have children in the future." Truth was, she didn't want children to begin with. "But I do have someone waiting for me back home," she said softly as she began to smile. Taroshi raised a brow as he noticed the sweet expression on his escort's face; it had been the first time he had seen such a gentle expression on her during their journey.
"He must be something, Karibi-san!" Said woman looked back at the client as he gave her a genuine smile. "Your face glows when you think of him!" The young shinobi chuckled at that.
"Well, I suppose you're not wrong about that."
§
"NARUTO! Get back here!" Said child laughed excitedly as he leaped from a rooftop, dropping a can of paint as he escaped from two academy teachers that were chasing him. He grinned like a mad-man as he leapt down to the street and jumped away again, the teachers chasing after him with irritated expressions.
"You're in serious trouble now, Naruto!" The 12 year old snickered as he remained hidden, melding into the fence with his sheet he had designed himself. Using a bit of his chakra, he was able to blend in with the post, remaining concealed to those who weren't paying attention. He waited for a few seconds, the voices of his chasers fading into the distance. After a moment, he stepped away and laughed happily, looking back in the direction in which the chunin had gone.
"That was too easy!" Too engulfed in his pride, Naruto didn't take notice to the shadow looming over him.
"...Oh yeah, Naruto?!" Surprised, the young boy jumped as he squealed, falling to the ground as he turned to face the one who had finally caught him.
He had been personally asked by Karibi to keep a close eye on Naruto while she was gone. She had told him that she was going to be gone for an extended period of time, and seeing as he was his homeroom teacher and a good friend of hers at this point, the jonin had found it fitting to ask him to do this favor for her. And being the kind person he was, Iruka accepted with no complaints.
And anyways, he always found himself tailing after the child.
"Where did you come from, Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asked as he gave his teacher a suspicious stare. "What are you doing here?"
"No. What are you you doing here?" Iruka inquired as he pointed an accusing finger at the boy. "You're supposed to be in class right now. And I promised Karibi that I would make sure that you'd get there no matter what." At the mention of his guardian, Naruto began to pout while he crossed his arms over his chest. He grumbled inaudibly as Iruka frowned.
"Whatever." That irked the teacher.
"Alright! Now that I've found you, you're going back to class," the brown haired man said as Naruto groaned.
"But sensei!"
§
"Ah! Thank you so much for all of your help!" Karibi merely waved off the gratitude as she smiled, Taroshi standing up after he gave his children tight embraces.
"Don't thank me! It was no problem at all," the young woman assured as her client nodded. He held his hand out to her as she took it with her own, shaking it.
"I wish you a safe trip home!"
"Thank you. I'm sure at this rate I'll be back by tomorrow evening," she stated as the young man nodded.
"That's great to hear!" After giving a brief goodbye to his wife and kids, Karibi turned and began to walk away. Her smile dropped as a heavy sigh, laced with exasperation, slipped from her lips; she hoped the Hokage would ease up on the missions after this.
Looking up at the afternoon sky, the jonin stared with a relaxed look upon her face. She stopped walking for a moment as she watched a bird fly across the blue sky, a warm and light breeze brushing past her.
She missed her village. She missed her apartment. She missed Kushito, but most of all, she missed the people that were waiting there for her.
"Time to really get going," she mumbled to herself before she began again. She paused as her eyes narrowed. "That idiot better not be screwing around while I've been gone."
She didn't know the half of it.
§
Naruto grumbled and complained quietly to himself as he wiped off the paint he had put on himself just a few hours earlier. Now that he was finished with class, Iruka was having him pay the price for the graffiti he had put on the Hokage Stone Faces. And as he wiped away the paint from the first face he had painted, his homeroom teacher watched carefully, making sure the blond didn't try to pull any funny tricks.
"You're not going home until you've cleaned up every, single, drop of paint." Naruto paused for a moment as he felt his stomach drop, imagining the empty and dark apartment that was awaiting. He growled quietly before he looked up at his teacher with a defiant stare.
"So what?! It's not like there's anyone waiting at home for me." It was hard not to hear the bitter tone in the child's voice.
Iruka frowned as he gazed gently down at his student. He sat on top of the First Hokage's head and let out a quiet sigh. He was beginning to realize what it was that was truly bothering Naruto.
Bashfully, the chunin began to scratch the bridge of his nose, glancing down at the pouting student. "Naruto?"
"What'd you want now, sensei?" Naruto snipped as he narrowed his eyes up at the older man. He relaxed and raised a brow, seeing the innocent look on his teacher's face.
"Well...I was just thinking—maybe after you clean this all up, I could take you out for ramen. The good stuff. What'd you say?" The 12 year old stared for a moment before slowly, his expression began to brighten. A wide grin spread across his lips as he began to laugh, scrubbing harder than he had been before.
"Alright! Now that's some serious motivation!" Iruka felt a swelling relief inside of himself as he sighed; he was glad to see the boy in high spirits once more.
§
The darkness of the night swept through the land, the moon and stars providing a little bit of light for the weary ones venturing through the night. A lone woman sat in the still of the evening, leaning against a tree as she tended to a small fire to her left. She sighed, a cool breeze flowing through and ticking her exposed skin.
"...Some life this is," she said to herself as she scoffed, pulling out a food pill and tossing it into her mouth; she had grown accustomed to eating those through her days as an Anbu.
Somewhere, along the road of her life, Karibi's heart grew lighter. She had found that there were more things in her life she was beginning to be thankful for. She had found the ability to care more about her life and the people in it. And she had discovered a very important part of herself—something she thought she had lost long ago.
It was hope.
Chuckling at herself, the young woman stared into the dancing flames, losing herself in the burning red as she wondered, when had she become such an optimist again? Her mind began to wander as her eyelids grew heavier and heavier. She ignored the shiver and the coughs, relaxing as she leaned her head back.
§
Dinner had been delicious, and Iruka-sensei had been encouraging to Naruto; this time, the blond was going to do his best and make sure he passed the final exam.
Approaching his front door, the young boy gazed at it, frowning as he glanced down to see darkness seeping through from under the door; Karibi was still gone.
She had left several weeks ago, claiming that she had a long list of missions to fulfill from the Hokage, but Naruto had his own assumptions. He was well aware of his guardian's habits. After spending four years with her, he had gotten to know a lot about the woman.
Karibi was kind to him. Although they bickered, and although she treated him like he was a brat, that was what he liked. She didn't treat him differently like the other villagers. She was honest with him and scolded him and acknowledged him in ways no one else had before. And he knew what strangers said. They would whisper about him, and not only that, but they would say things about Karibi. And at first, he had expected the weight of their words to crush her and drive her away, but in the end, it seemed she didn't care. She merely ignored it and continued on with her business. And that was one of the biggest reasons why he had found himself to be so fond of her; she didn't give up on him.
But there had been tiring times. There had been plenty of moments where she pushed him away. She would seek refuge away from him and hide from him. There was always this look in her eyes, when the darkness swept through her. She would look at him, and he could see the regret and the guilt and the shame in her stare. And it hurt. Because it was just the same as everyone else. And he just didn't understand why or what he had done to deserve it. And instead of telling him to his face just why she sometimes acted out against him, she would turn away. She would disappear on missions for days—sometimes even weeks.
But never had she runaway this long.
Unlocking the door, Naruto grumbled to himself as he quickly switched the light on and pulled off his shoes. He glanced around the silent apartment before he blinked, something soft bumping his leg. He quickly looked down and smiled as a white cat looked up at him curiously.
"Oh, sorry, Kushito! Almost forgot about you," Naruto stated as he rushed into the kitchen and poured food into the cat's bowl, ignoring the dirty dishes and food lying about on the counter. He sat down on the floor after, watching as the cat munched away on dinner.
"...I know what it's like to be forgotten," Naruto said quietly as he watched the cat. "...Sorry I might've made you feel like that too," he said earnestly before he pat the pet's head and stood up. He gazed around his lonely home and frowned.
If he finally had someone to call his family, why did he feel so alone?
§
She had woken up with a headache for starters.
With a groan, Karibi opened her eyes, having realized she had slept through the entire night. She had meant only to rest for a few hours, but when her eyes fluttered open, she had found the sun shining over her head. She winced as she carefully stood to her feet before she took a deep breath, ignoring the dull thrumming in her skull.
"Shit, it's later than I thought," she muttered to herself as she looked up, the morning warmer than she was expecting.
Swiftly gathering her things, the jonin began to continue down the trail leading to her village. She paused only for a moment when a chill rolled up her back. She frowned as she glanced across the road, a black cat sitting directly before her. She blinked and stiffened as the animal hissed at her before it scurried across the dirt path, leaving a trail of dust behind. She stood motionless for a moment before an exasperated sigh blew through her lips, an irritated look appearing on her paler-than-usual face.
"What the hell sort of luck is that supposed to be?"
§
He had failed. And after being so motivated and after trying his best, it didn't matter. Everyone had a forehead protector but him; everyone but Naruto.
The blond sat quietly as he stared out at the sunset, the man beside him letting him think for a moment. He watched quietly as the 12 year old frowned to himself, staring down as his feet hung limply over the balcony they were perched on.
He had wanted it so bad. He had told himself that this was the year. This year, people would start to respect him. This year, he would become a genin and train hard and word hard until everyone realized that he was just as important to the village as they were. And this year, he would make Karibi so proud that she would forget whatever reasons she had to run away form him; that had been what he had told himself. But instead, he had failed, and in that moment of despair, he was sure that there was nothing he could do to change anything.
"Iruka-sensei's tough, but he's not against you," Mizuki-sensei said, finally breaking the watched carefully as Naruto frowned more, narrowing his eyes.
"Then why? Why only me?" the boy asked, his voice filled with hopelessness.
"He wants you to be strong—with all of his heart. But that will never happen if he goes easy on you," Iruka's childhood friend said calmly.
"...He's like you, you know?" Naruto stiffened as he glanced at Mizuki. "No friends, no parents...no family." The blond sat silently as the image of his teacher's face appeared in his head; he didn't know that about the older man.
"...But...this time, I really wanted to graduate." Naruto felt the disappointment spread through his body, making him feel sluggish and tired. He didn't notice the gleam in Mizuki's eyes as the man gazed over at him with a slight smirk before he smiled gently.
"Well then, I guess I'll tell you." Naruto lifted his head as he blinked, turning to look at the white haired man as he smiled. "It's a secret, but I'm going to let you in on it." Hope began to flutter inside of the student once more before his eyes began to shine.
There was still a way.
§
The sun had set hours before as a chill breeze swept through the evening. The stars began to burn brightly in the night sky, the moon joining alongside them. The lone jonin used their light to guide herself down the path and back to her village. After several minutes of walking through the night, a relieved sigh fell from her lips; the gate of the Leaf Village were just a few feet away.
"Home, sweet home." Coughing, Karibi covered her mouth with her arm before she smiled, imagining the warmth of her bed and the softness of her cushions.
Just as she crossed over into her home, someone appeared before her, causing her to come to an abrupt halt. She raised a brow, a serious expression coming over her as she raised a brow. "Kotetsu?" Said chunin looked up at her with a troubled look on his face, which only caused Karibi to feel more uneasy. "What brings you here?"
"It's—It's Naruto." That was all he had to say; he had her full attention.
§
"Hokage-sama!" Karibi burst through the door to his office as the man looked up from his all-seeing orb. He watched as his faithful jonin rushed up to him with a fearful glimmer in her amethyst eyes. "What happened? What is Naruto's condition? And what about the scroll?"
"It's alright, Karibi," the Third assured calmly as the woman hesitated, breathing heavily. "Look for yourself, it seems Naruto is much stronger than we assumed." With a raised brow, the 22 year old leaned over the glass orb and watched as a hazy image of Naruto appeared through it. Her eyes widened as she stared in awe, clones of Naruto everywhere in the clearing.
"I—Is that a Shadow Clone Jutsu?" she asked, nearly gawking as Hiruzen chuckled.
"It seems the love he has for those he holds dear is what truly gives him strength." From what she could tell, Iruka had been injured—fortunately not severely—by Mizuki, who was now surrounded by too many Narutos to count. She began to smirk, relaxing as she watched the clones pummel the academy teacher.
"...Mizuki has told Naruto the truth about what lies inside of him." Karibi stiffened as her happy expression fell. Her blood ran cold as her entire body trembled; she was freezing, suddenly. "It seems there is no more hiding the truth from him. And although I knew this day would come, I never could have expected it to be today." The young woman had her jaw clenched shut as she glared at the orb before she growled.
"I would like to have a word with Mizuki when he is brought into custody, sir."
"...Of course."
And just as he had promised, when Iruka-sensei had finally been able to get to his feet and bring Mizuki to the Hokage, the village leader gave Karibi exactly what she had asked for.
§
Standing in the interrogation room, the jonin stared icily down at the swollen chunin. He avoided eye contact with her as she stood with her arms crossed, almost as if she were preparing to scold him or reprimand him.
"...He deserved to know."
"Don't sit there and act like you told him out of some act of kindness!" Karibi yelled fiercely as she slammed her hands on to the table that the criminal was sitting at. He stiffened and nearly jumped as he finally looked up to meet Karibi's eyes.
They were burning with a fiery red in them.
"You had no right to do that to an innocent kid like him." Mizuki laughed as he smirked devilishly at the redhead.
"An innocent kid who's nothing but a monster." And then, something snapped.
Karibi moved like a hurricane, sweeping up everything in her path and not stopping. She ignored Mizuki's cry of shock and fear as she grabbed him forcibly by the neck and lifted him from his seat. He flinched as he was slammed into the nearest wall, hands squeezing tightly around his throat. He coughed several times as he felt a piercing stare jab through him, and when he finally looked down at the 22 year old, he could see the hatred boiling over in her eyes.
"...If they weren't watching right now..." Looking up to the two-way mirror to her right, Karibi squeezed even harder. "I'd snap your neck right in half!" she barked darkly as Mizuki gasped for air. He tried to pry the woman's hands from his neck, which only succeeded in causing her to hold on tighter. "Your worthless-ass is going to be dealt with accordingly by the Hokage. But if by some strange act of the heavens, you end up getting out of this with no consequences, I'm going to give you one warning," the kunoichi whispered.
"If you ever come near Naruto again, I promise you, I will tear your throat out and make you eat it." Mizuki stared into her eyes, drowning in terror as she glared up at him with a menacing look on her face. She held him up against the wall for a few more seconds before she finally stepped back, letting him slide down to the floor. And as he coughed and gasped and tried to breathe properly again, the woman turned and began to walk out without a single word. The man shivered as two other jonin walked into the room, forcing him to his feet, and as he stood up, he shivered, remembering the way Karibi's eyes jabbed through his.
Those were not the eyes of a woman or a kunoichi. They were the eyes of a killer.
§
Naruto smiled to himself as he sat in the Hokage's office alone. He had been instructed by both, Iruka-sensei and the Lord Third to wait in there while they dealt with Mizuki properly. And after everything he had gone through that night and early morning, Naruto was ready to listen, just this once.
Sitting by the desk, the newly-appointed genin hummed to himself as he adjusted the forehead protector on his head; he would make sure that nothing would happen to it. He wore a wide grin on his face as he sat by himself, and just as he had grown accustomed to the silence around him, the door to the room slammed open.
"Naruto?" Head snapping up, said boy's blue eyes widened as he twisted in his seat to look back to the door.
"Karibi?" He stared, taken slightly aback, as his guardian rushed into the room with a frantic hop to her step.
"Naruto!" A wide smile came across her face as a warmth spread through Naruto. He grinned, happy to see her and to see just how worried she seemed to be over him; someone must have informed her on what had happened.
Standing up from the chair, the blond waited with a relieved smile as Karibi quickly strode up to him. Expecting a warm hug as she usually did when something serious happened, Naruto opened his arms, but he was caught off guard when he felt a fist hit him in the back of his head, sending him unexpectedly to the ground. He howled in pain as the redhead's friendly and worried expression disappeared, replaced with anger and disbelief.
"What the hell were you thinking, idiot?!"
"What the heck was that for?!" Naruto shouted back as he jumped to his feet, only to have Karibi slap him in the back of his head once more.
"That was for you being a complete fool! What the hell were you going to accomplish by stealing the Sacred Scroll of Seals?" she asked exasperatedly as the 12 year old frowned.
"Mizuki-sensei said that if I learned a jutsu from the scroll that I would finally pass the academy and become a genin." Karibi's expression softened as she relaxed. She reached out, and as the boy flinched, she placed a hand on the top of his head, rubbing where she had hit him gently. He blinked before relaxing, staring up at his guardian with a forlorn look on his usually happy face.
"...He also said that I have the Nine-tailed fox..." Karibi grimaced as Naruto stared up at her; the woman's reaction had been enough. "Is that why?"
"Is that why, what?" the jonin inquired quietly as she pulled her hand away, Naruto staring up at her with an upset frown.
"Is that why you always look at me like that—why everyone looks at me like that?" Karibi gazed down at the young boy before she sighed, nodding her head.
"Yeah."
"And is that why you ran away from me again?" That confused the young woman.
"Ran away?"
"Don't treat me like I'm some dumb kid!" Naruto snapped as he pointed accusingly at her. "It's always the same with you, it's embarrassing! You're always running away from me! You go on those long missions so you can get away from me, right?!" Karibi gave the blond an incredulous look.
"Naruto, that's—"
"Admit it! You're just like the rest of them!" he exclaimed as he backed away from the redhead. "You're just afraid of me! And want to get away from me!"
She had been almost insulted by his cold words. And yet she couldn't bring herself to be angry. Because, the truth was, Naruto wasn't wrong. He had seen through her like he was looking right through a window, and that was what hurt the most.
"...You're right." Naruto's expression completely fell as he blinked, not having expected the woman to concede so easily; it only made his heart drop further. "...The Hokage was the one who asked me to look after you. And in the beginning, I was really against it." It was finally time for her to empty out her closet. "There were a lot of things running through my head, and I was angry and depressed and lonely and I didn't know who to blame...so I blamed you." Naruto stared up at Karibi with a betrayed look on his face; he had never thought that he would ever feel like she would be against him.
"But the truth is, it wasn't your fault." Karibi smiled as she carefully knelt down in front of the child. "You didn't ask for this life. And I should have been mature enough to know that...and I'm really sorry, Naruto," she stated quietly, causing the blond to look at her with tears burning his eyes.
"...All this time with you, I've found that you've made me better and you've made me stronger." The woman laughed at the thought as she shrugged. "You've got this spark—this dedication. And no matter what people say about you or what people think or what terrible things happen to you, you never give up...and that makes me want to be like you." Naruto gapped.
"You—You wanna be like me?" Karibi chuckled and nodded.
"...I'm sorry, Naruto. As your guardian, it was my job to protect you and to shield you away from the hatred and the fear...instead, I only made things worse." Karibi shook her head as she reached out and placed her hands on his shoulders. "...I've been keeping my promise, though. I've been trying. And from now on, I don't want you to ever feel like I'm trying to run from you." Because she wasn't. Not anymore. She was tired of running. She was tired of always being afraid of her nightmares and her feelings and her past. And looking down at Naruto, who had tears streaming down his face and yet the widest smile on his lips, she couldn't help but be inspired by the brat.
"...There are still a lot of things that I should tell you, Naruto," Karibi stated calmly as Naruto sniffled, though the smile remained. "...I just need you to give me time. I won't run anymore...but I just need time to become strong like you. And then I can tell you everything, because it should have been me that told you the truth about yourself and the Nine-tails. Not that bastard."
"...You think I'm strong?" That had been one the kindest and most supportive things that anyone had ever said to him.
With a smirk, Karibi nodded as she stood to her feet, flicking Naruto's hitai-ae. "Of course you're strong. Strong enough to have become a genin."
"Oh yeah! You should've seen it! And Iruka-sensei promised to get ramen to celebrate!" The blond chattered away, his tears gone and dried. All the sadness had been forgotten and the morning sun shined brightly upon them. Karibi chuckled as she listened with her arms crossed over her chest, and as she watched him, a comforting warmth spread within her.
Yes, together, they would both become stronger.
Greetings! It's been ages since I've updated. Can't believe that it's been a year since I first posted for this story! I felt it was about time I updated again ^_^; I'm sorry for the long wait. I've been extremely busy with some personal stuff, and I just didn't have a chance to put this chapter up. But it's here now, and I'm happy with it! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
This was very much a very Naruto-centric chapter! There will be more of these kinds of chapters to come. And now we're coming into the actual plot of "Naruto" so I'm excited for whoever is reading to start seeing how Karibi's presence changes or doesn't change the original plot! I won't say much else just because I don't want to give away too much, but hopefully things will turn out the way I'm imagining it to all go in my head! Also, please feel free to let me know if there are things you want me to change about the way I'm writing characters. As many of whoever is reading know, keeping characters in character is a very important thing to me, so if something doesn't feel right, please let me know so I can fix it!
Thank you for sticking through this story for a WHOLE YEAR! I can't believe that there are even people who like this story enough to follow and favorite, but there are, so I appreciate all the support and the love! I can't wait to post more and see where Karibi goes in this story, and I can't wait for you readers to read! I hope you enjoy this chapter :) Thank you for all the love and support!
Reviews:
Narulover44: I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed the chapter! I think that as a character Karibi is slowly starting to move on from some of the things that haunted her as a child and teenager, so I think eventually the nightmares will stop and she will be able to move on from that. As for her relationship with Naruto, they are definitely moving forward! Although it's slow, for obvious reasons, they are definitely starting to fit together better, as this chapter has shown. It's going to take more time for them to really get to a level where things are perfect or as close to perfect as possible, but like I said, they're definitely getting there! And then with Kakashi...Well, I don't want to give anything away, so I won't say much about how things are going with them XD Just know they're going to go somewhere, and I can only hope you like where they end up! Thank you for reading and thank you for reviewing as well! I appreciate you taking the time to do so!
WindyCitySlayer1: I respect that! I know that sometimes I enjoy reading stories just because of the plot or because of other characters. And in this story, although it does focus a generous amount on Kakashi and Karibi and their relationship as friends and what not, I also like to put in other major plot points. Like this chapter, which is a lot about Naruto and Karibi and their relationship and sort of like where they are currently as to where they were when they first started to live together and such. There are going to be more moments and chapters about them and between them so I hope you look forward to those chapters and I hope you liked reading this one! Thank you for reviewing!
ajwehri: Hello! I'm so sorry that it took me so long this time to update! I hope to not take so long in the future with updates, but I can never make that promise just because I'm not a fortune teller and I don't like making promises I can't keep LOL You have no idea how happy I get when I hear people enjoyed reading chapters! And yes, they did kiss, and it was sudden, but in my head, I just never picture Kakashi and Karibi having moments like that when you think they would, you know? Those two are just so...not like a typical pair, so when they do have romantic moments sometimes they're not even romantic and when you'd think they would be, but I think that's what so great about those two...if that makes sense XD Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoy this chapter and future chapters!
bored411: Umm, I definitely don't think they would call themselves boyfriend or girlfriend. They're the kind of people who are sort of together but don't really put a title on it. I don't picture Kakashi to be the type of guy who would need to put a label on his relationship if he were ever with someone. And adding Karibi to the mix, she's definitely not the type. I definitely think at heart they will always see the other person as their best friend or their better half, you know? Before being in a relationship, their friendship is the most important thing to each of them. But I do think that in their minds they know that their at a point where they feel things that are beyond friendship LOL I hope that makes some sense! I'm so glad to hear you liked that chapter! It's definitely going to be interested once Karibi starts meeting characters from "Naruto". Thank you so, so much for your review and for your time!
LilyVampire: LOL I think at heart, even though Kakashi comes off as such a laid back character, if he were to ever feel any kind of romantic feelings for someone or love someone he would love them 100%, no half-assed sort of thing. But that's just what I think, so who knows! Now that we're heading into the original "Naruto" plot, it's going to be interesting to see how Karibi develops and how things might change or might not change! I can only hope that it all works out in the end and that you and other readers like where this story ends up going! Thank you very much for reading and reviewing! I appreciate you doing so :)
korohoshi: As a person who never thought she could actually write something and have people enjoy it, it makes me really happy to know that I actually was able to get some sort of emotional reaction out of you when you read the Kakashi and Karibi moment! I've put a lot of work into this story and so I'm relieved to know you and others are having an positive reaction! And I think Karibi's most honest moments are when she's not thinking so much and she's just letting her emotions lead her, which is why she can be so honest when she's worried about Naruto or why she went after Kakashi and kissed him. And as for Karibi meeting others like the "Uchiha Brat" XD She will be meeting him and others in chapters to come! I won't say anything else though so I don't ruin anything ;) Thank you again for reading!
Rina Dragonfly: I haven't gotten to thinking about how Naruto's reaction would be when he finds out about Karibi and Kakashi, but I'm guessing a lot of humor would be put into that moment LOL That's a great chapter that I'm going to look forward to, just like you! Thank you for reading :D
Cindy: Yes! I know what you mean! I definitely think that moment was a long time coming for Karibi and Kakashi! And it finally happened :3 Look forward to the direction their relationship goes! And I hope you enjoy this chapter and others to come! Thank you!
Kiwichan916: Hello! Thank you so much for reading this and taking the time out of your day to review! I'm very pleased to hear that you like this story and I will work hard to make sure future chapters are good and that you enjoy those chapters as well! Thank you again!
LateNightOwl: I'm glad you thought their little moment was cute! There will definitely be more to come. God knows how many times Kakashi had to save Naruto and Team 7 in general XD Thank you for reading!
Guest: Yes, someone mentioned that as well, and it'll definitely be a crazy moment when Naruto finally hears about Kakashi and Karibi and what kind of relationship that might have...it's going to be so much fun to write LOL Thank you for reading and thank you for reviewing as well!
Lilyzinha: Hello! First off, let me start by saying thank you! I'm happy that you took time to give my story a chance and that you took time to review as well! I really do appreciate you doing so and telling me your thoughts! I'm also very glad to hear that you like Karibi as a character. I think it's always so risky to write stories with OC's because you're not really sure if that character actually makes sense in the original plot and then you have to make sure she or he isn't Mary/Gary sue and it can be tough. So it makes me feel relief when you say you like her! So thank you for that! I wish I could have had Kushina and Minato survive as well :( Their death was so sad! But it just had to be. But at least Naruto now has Karibi...even if their relationship has extremely rocky moments LOL I'm glad you also liked Karibi and Kakashi kiss :) I thought it just made sense for it to happen the way it did! And I hope you'll enjoy when I have Karibi start meeting other characters! Thank you so much for reading and I hope you continue to read and enjoy!