Disclaimer: I do not own "Naruto" or anything related to said series
Chapter Nineteen
It was driving her crazy. It had only been a few days since she really last spoke with Naruto, and although she knew he was working hard on training with his new mentor, she couldn't help but feel a little rejected. She hadn't been able to sit down and have a decent conversation with the blond since the month began. She was a bit surprised at herself—surprised at how much she seemed to miss that numb-skull's presence. And then she took a moment to reflect on herself and on Naruto, and she had quickly realized that they had come a long way from where they had started. And although she wasn't accustomed to missing people, missing Naruto made her heart warm with contentment.
Holding a bento box in one hand, Karibi hummed softly to herself as she strolled down the street. She could sense Naruto's chakra in the far distance, and an unfamiliar presence as well. And as she continued down her path, she thought about who it was that could have decided to give the blond a chance. It was no one she recognized from the Leaf, yet she knew that Naruto wouldn't pick up a sensei from a different village. So, she pondered on it for a bit before she approached the outer district of the village.
Moving past the trees, Karibi raised a brow as she noticed the sign for an onsen that could be seen over the tree-line. She continued on without hesitation or thought, Naruto's presence growing stronger and stronger by the second; the flickering realization that his chakra flowed freely within his body once more only briefly caught the woman's attention.
When she was close enough, she could hear the blond's voice in the distance; he was arguing with someone.
"This has to be a joke!" an unfamiliar voice exclaimed. "What do you call that?!"
"Don't you see? It's bigger! And it has two front legs!"
"You want me to believe this is the best you can do?!" Whoever Naruto's teacher was, it sounded like they were having a bit of trouble.
"Excuse me for interrupting." Karibi stepped out of the trees and into a clearing, catching Naruto's full attention. His eyes widened as a huge grin spread across his cheeks.
"Ribi-chan! What are you doing here?" Keeping her focus on Naruto, Karibi began to glow with excitement while offering the bento box to the genin.
"I thought to drop this off," she explained as the young boy beamed. He happily took the gift from his guardian, his entire expression filled with a cheerful brightness like the sun rays in the sky. "I also wanted to check on how your training was going." Although it seemed a bit overbearing, Karibi didn't care.
"You're the best!" The redhead smirked at that.
"So then, how's—" She stopped mid-sentence when her amethyst eyes fell upon the man who was training Naruto.
He was tall. And his shoulders were he wore a lot of layers of dark green and red, one could easily see that the man was built with muscles and strength. His had a chiseled jawline and red lines that started at the bottom of his eyes to the far corners of his defined jaw. The hitai-ate around his forehead had abura carved on it, his white hair framing it and his face as well. And with his waist-length hair pulled into a low ponytail, his head was held up high and his onyx eyes wide as his gaze met the young woman's.
Oblivious to the tension around him, Naruto continued to grin down at his bento box, a warm glow emitting from his body. A part of him was embarrassed that his caretaker had gone so out-of-the-way to bring him lunch, and the other part of him that was starved of attention and starved of love beamed and relished in this moment. Because never in his entire life had someone thought of him enough to bring him a homemade meal; he never thought anyone would, ever. So, as he focused all of his attention on the food that had been given to him, he never noticed the red rage that began to pool out of Karibi's eyes and the astonishment that seemed to spill out from his mentor's.
"...Karibi." The man's voice was raspy and quiet, the wind carrying the sound of her name. He couldn't seem to look anywhere else but at the young woman's scornful expression, her brows furrowing inward and her teeth baring in a snarl. And as she began to take a few steps forward, the older ninja knew that there was trouble to come.
"After all this time, you finally have the courage to show your face?" Naruto blinked, looking over his shoulder when he finally heard the hint of fury in his guardian's voice; that was a tone he rarely heard.
Carefully, the young blond fully turned to watch the exchange between Karibi and his sensei, frowning deeply at the hostility that was emitting off from the redhead's entire body. He could feel the hairs on his body stand upright, the muscles clenching with every step the woman took. And as she finally stopped, his heart nearly stopped with her; he was terrified.
"R—Ribi-chan—" Before Naruto could go on, his blue eyes widened and his breath hitched, Karibi darting forward with her fist pulled back and a crazed look upon her face. She thrust her fist forward, aiming for her target's face, but to her utter dismay, the man was quicker than her, abruptly disappearing and reappearing just behind her with a solemn expression on his features. He narrowed his eyes slightly, taking note of the way the raging woman seemed to instantly change the direction of her attack, leaning forward and placing her fist on the ground before she swung her left leg back and into the air; she was aiming the back of her heel straight for the man's chin.
"Ribi-chan! What the hell are you doing?!" Naruto's frantic cry was ignored as his mentor quickly used the palm of his hand to block Karibi's heel from jamming into his face. He winced, feeling the strength of her kick ripple through his arm before he carefully deflected her attack to the side. His eyes then trailed after her figure as the kunoichi quickly twisted her body around, using the ground as leverage. She securely planted her foot back on to the dirt before she stood up, huffing and puffing heavily.
The 12-year-old was utterly lost. Why was Karibi attacking his sensei? And why didn't his sensei seem more alarmed at this random woman attacking him? Did they know each other? And if so, how did they know each other, and why hadn't anyone said anything to him? Too many questions were running wild in the genin's mind as he watched apprehensively while Karibi glared icily at the older man—who seemed completely unfazed by her aggression towards him.
"...So, you're Karibi." Said woman remained silent, her eyes hardening as her name rolled off of the other shinobi's tongue ever so effortlessly. "I've heard a lot about—"
"Don't give me that shit." The jonin's words were curt and cold, her eyes matching the tone of her voice. "You're lucky I don't—" Stopping in the middle of her vicious threat, Karibi's eyes met Naruto's, and for a moment, she remembered where she was and who she was with. And although the young boy was quiet and letting the adults have their moment, the redhead could see the chaos that was beginning to form in his head; no, he didn't know why exactly she resented this man so much, but she could see the reels slowly turning in his head.
"...Naruto. We're leaving." That caught the genin off guard.
"Wh—What? But my training—"
"I'm training you from now on." Suddenly, the moment of uncertainty and fear disappeared and was replaced with joy and excitement. Naruto's blue eyes began to gleam as a wolfish smile spread across his face; that seemed to lift Karibi's spirits.
"For real?! You're seriously gonna train me?"
"I said so just now, didn't I?" The 22-year-old sighed before letting her shoulders sag and a heavy breath out. She didn't bother acknowledging the older man as she brushed past him, purposefully bumping his arm before she nodded for Naruto to follow after her. "You don't just meet some random guy on the street and make him your sensei, stupid." Naruto pouted but didn't bother arguing, glancing back at the man with a suspicious look on his face. He narrowed his eyes, glaring as his former sensei watched them walk away without a word; he had no idea what had just happened, but if Karibi didn't like him, then Naruto didn't either.
Still, a part of him wanted to accomplish the summoning jutsu.
Stealing one last glance at the man, Naruto scurried after Karibi, his new mentor not even bothering to spare the other ninja a look. She kept her focus on each step she took, maintaining the steady rate of her breathing as the boil to her blood simmered down. She unclenched her fist before taking one look at Naruto, who was lost in his gleeful moment; he'd been begging his guardian to train him properly for years, and now, he was getting that.
With one last breath, Karibi forced a smile across her lips and shifted her eyes to the path ahead. She swallowed the lump in her throat before grimacing to herself; where the hell was she going to start with all of this?
The instant that he had walked into his home, he could feel her presence. There was a heaviness in the air as well as an intensity that Kakashi had never felt before; she was irate.
Without a word, the 26-year-old cautiously made his way into the kitchen—where his closest friend awaited for his arrival. She gazed idly out at the open space in front of her, not even flinching as Kakashi leaned against the entryway and crossed his arms over his chest. He was unsure of what her visit was entirely about, but by the look on her face, the jonin was sure that it was not one for pleasantries and idle chatter. Her entire stature was stiff and her lips were pressed into a tight line, her eyes burning into the emptiness as she continued to stare. And knowing that she needed a moment to collect her thoughts, Kakashi remained quiet, patiently waiting for her to express her piece; otherwise, there was no telling where the conversation would go.
"...You knew, didn't you." Raising a brow at his friend's statement, the Copy Nin stood upright from the entryway and uncrossed his arms, approaching his table and taking a seat across from the woman.
"I knew, what, exactly?" His innocent question suddenly set off bombs inside of Karibi's already unstable mind.
Standing up from her seat, Karibi's chair screeched against the floor before the furious woman slammed the palm of her hands on to Kakashi's tabletop. She ignored the way the wood crackled under the force of her hands, the masked man remaining composed in his seat—though the gleam in his eye was proof enough that he had been caught off guard by his friend's sudden outburst.
"How long has he been in the village?!" Kakashi blinked before he began to place the pieces of the puzzle together. His single gaze softened as he let out a quiet sigh and rubbed the back of his head in a tired manner; this conversation wasn't going to end well.
"Karibi—"
"How long?!" the woman abruptly hollered, a few of her deep breaths managing to reel in the initial animosity she had almost unleashed against her best friend. She swallowed the lump in her throat as Kakashi gazed into her eyes before he gently pushed his chair back and stood to his feet.
"I don't have an exact answer, but my guess would be two weeks or so."
"And you knew this whole, entire time and didn't tell me?" She looked offended and betrayed all at once, her brows furrowed and her eyes narrowed at the man in front of her; for a brief second, Kakashi felt regret.
"I thought it'd be best if you figured this out at your own—"
"Don't try and bullshit me, Kakashi!" Karibi barked viciously, unintentionally placing more pressure against the table and successfully cracking the entire thing down the middle. The owner didn't bother mentioning anything about his now broken furniture; it would only make things worse.
"Did you know that he was training Naruto, too?"
"I put it together, yes." The redhead scoffed before she turned and paced a few steps forward. She shook her head and kept her back to Kakashi, the silver haired jonin frowning under his mask. He could see the tension in the way his friend stood, the weight of this entire situation pressing down on her shoulders. Added on with the issue at hand with Orochimaru and the chunin exam and the death of Hayate—Kakashi could slowly see Karibi's composure tearing at the seams.
But she wasn't the only one barely keeping it all together.
"...After all of these years—after all of this time he spent doing whatever the hell he's been doing, and now he suddenly decides to show up and be apart of our lives?" Karibi scowled, her quivering fingers running through her growing hair. "What a Goddamn joke."
"Karibi—"
"Don't." Kakashi's frown deepened at the furious tone in Karibi's voice. "That man doesn't deserve to be defended by you."
"...You can't be angry about this forever."
"Why the hell not?!" The 22-year-old turned to fully face Kakashi, her amethyst eyes piercing into his single, onyx eye. "He didn't give a damn about any of us! Minato-san and Kushina-san talked so much about that asshole, praising him about this and that and saying he was such a good sensei—but did he come and assist the village during the attack of the fox? No. Did he come and help with rebuilding the village after the attack? No, he didn't! He didn't even show up to Minato-san and Kushina-san's funeral!" Kakashi's eyes softened as Karibi breathed heavily from her rant, her eyes wide like a mad-dog and her cheeks flushed.
Although twelve years had passed since Minato and Kushina's death, it was still such a sensitive topic for Karibi; it probably always would be. And even though she was doing well with moving forward in her life, there were still some things she couldn't quite let go of yet, and this situation was an example of that. Because as a child, she had only heard so many good things about the man who had let her down. She had always thought of him as someone highly respectable and dependable because Minato had seen him that way and had always spoken of him in that way. But he was none of those things, in her mind.
He was just another person who had left her to rot.
Karibi was extremely furious—Kakashi knew that. But still, there was no way around the things he was about to say. Because he was not the type to sugar-coat anything; it just wasn't in his nature. Even with the rabid look on her face and the way her chakra flowed so powerfully throughout her body, the older jonin couldn't stop himself.
She needed to hear this.
"It wasn't Jiraiya's fault. What happened to Minato-sensei and Kushina-san—there was nothing anyone could've done." He could see a flash of ire flicker in his friend's eyes as she let his words process in her mind, and for a few seconds, Kakashi bit his tongue; there was a sudden distance between them that he'd never seen or felt before. "Eventually, you're going to have to accept that in order to—"
"Shut the hell up!" Reaching for the first thing she could find, Karibi chucked a random cook book at the man, who easily dodged the thrown object and let it hit the ground with a dense "thud." He remained as composed as he could, though he could feel his patience wavering momentarily; it was difficult—dealing with an angry Karibi. "Who the hell do you think you are, talking to me about them like that?!"
"I didn't—"
"What right does that bastard have to leave the village and his own student and loved ones high and dry?! What right does he have to come back and train Minato's son like it means nothing after everything he's been through?!" Karibi's entire body trembled with a choler she'd never felt before. She couldn't seem to control herself any longer. No more did she have a filter in her mind to weed out the things that were appropriate to say and the things that weren't. And her body had a complete mind of its own, now. She was pacing and huffing and twitching without thought. "He wasn't there when he was needed!"
"Nothing could've stopped Minato-sensei and Kushina-san from doing what they did," Kakashi replied back forcefully. "You, of all people, should know that."
"So, he gets a pass for that? He gets to be absent and uninvolved because there might've been nothing he could've done?" Karibi shook her head while Kakashi sighed, rubbing his masked jawline with a hand. "Ok, fine! Let's say that he couldn't save them—that his presence wouldn't have changed anything for them. What about me? What about Naruto? For God's sake, they named their son after a character in his book—that's how much they respected him and appreciated him and valued him! And he didn't give a damn about their death or their kid!" She was so angry, she wasn't sure what to do with herself. And the more Kakashi defended the man, the angrier she became.
"Why aren't you more upset about this?" she finally asked, after taking a moment to catch her breath. The masked jonin sighed, shaking his head; he was tired and this conversation was beginning to wear him down more.
"What makes you think I'm not?"
"Because of the way you're acting!" the woman exclaimed with her arms thrown into the air; Kakashi shook his head.
"Just because I don't let my emotions get the better of me, doesn't mean I don't feel it." Karibi narrowed her eyes at the underlying jab he had shot towards her. "I understand why you're upset, Karibi. But blaming Jiraiya for not being there is unfair."
"Unfair?" Karibi nearly laughed out of disbelief. "You want to talk about unfair?" Kakashi placed his hands on his hips and let his head hang low for just a moment before he looked back up to meet his friend's gaze.
"You're not the only person who's ever gone through hardships. But that's life. Life is unfair," the 26-year-old stated—sounding far more bitter than he would have liked. And the wounded look on Karibi's face made him feel guiltier for being less patient than he knew he could be.
But he was just so tired.
"If you keep trying to put the blame on someone for what happened that night—and for everything else that happened after that—you'll never be able to move on. There's no point in holding a grudge against someone who had no control over what happened—and there's especially no point in trying to hold a grudge against Jiraiya when the person you're actually upset with is yourself." Karibi's eyes widened at Kakashi's honest and brutal words. She felt her heart skip a beat, ignoring the urge to clutch her chest at the agonizing sensation she felt; it was as if a hand had a hold of her heart and was squeezing mercilessly. And as she gazed silently at Kakashi, she found her anger now more geared towards him than anyone else.
"...Well, I'm glad you just have it all figured out, Kakashi." Said man shut his eye and let out a breath, realizing the harshness of his own words.
"I didn't—"
"No, no! You're right, Kakashi!" The feigned cheeriness in Karibi's voice was almost alarming. "What the hell do I know?"
"Karibi, that's not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean? Because I'm not really seeing much else!" the woman snapped before she stomped forward, brushing past Kakashi and glaring ahead of herself. The older shinobi was quick to turn around and grab the woman by the wrist, but he was surprised when he felt her hand slap his away.
"Don't touch me." And with that, Karibi was gone.
Standing in the aftermath of their conversation—or rather, their quarrel—Kakashi blinked several times. He replayed the last few seconds in his mind before he let out a haggard breath and plopped back down in his seat. He glanced over his shoulder at the broken table and let out another sigh before he rubbed his forehead and shut his eyes.
He hadn't meant to act so coldly and so harshly. He had let the stress of Orochimaru and Sasuke's condition and the chunin exams and the safety of the village fester inside of him. Now, he was alone and without the usual shoulder to lean on. Now, Karibi was gone and he was left with nothing but the bitter taste of their disaster and the fresh memory of her hurt expression. Never had he seen such a look on her face because of his own behavior and actions. He'd spent so much time chasing those expressions away, and now that he was the cause of such looks, he felt dirty and even more defeated.
Silently, the Copy Nin stood to his feet and trudged his way to his bedroom. He battled with himself the entire way up the staircase, the steps creaking with the weight of his body and disappointment. By the time he reached his room, his hitai-ate was pulled off from his forehead and his vest was being unzipped. Without wasting a moment, the jonin tossed his things aimlessly aside before he took a seat on his mattress. His hands worked quickly to remove his utility belt, lazily throwing it to his desk after pulling out a small charm from his pouch. And when that was all done, he laid down on his back and gazed up at his ceiling, fiddling with the string of his tattered omamori.
Even when he fell fast asleep, the omamori remained tightly in his grasp.
The last few minutes had passed in a blur. All Karibi knew was that she was walking, and she was walking fast. Her steps were heavy and loud, her sandals smacking hard against the gravel as she strode down the road. Her mind was a muddled mess—with her thoughts wreaking havoc on what little sanity and composure she had left. Kakashi's words seemed to echo in her mind as the seconds passed, and as hard as she tried to forget what he had said, she was finding it impossible to do so; his words meant the most to her.
Realizing she was in front of her apartment door, Karibi quickly unlocked it and headed inside, accidentally slamming the door shut. Her jaw clenched tightly as Kakashi's lecture played over once more from her memory. She roughly tugged her shoes off and tossed them to the floor, shaking her head as his voice reverberated through her head.
There's especially no point in trying to hold a grudge against Jiraiya when the person you're actually upset with is yourself.
His words were cutting her like a knife. Every syllable was a jab to her gut, and it hurt more and more each time she let the memory play over. Frustration and even more rage began to build up inside of the redhead as she let out an exasperated breath and leaned against the wall. Her head fell back with a light "thunk" before she covered her face with her trembling hands and took a deep breath.
These were the moments she would go to Kakashi for. He always knew how to calm her down and how to read her emotions. But now, she had no other choice but to face these feelings alone; after all, he was the reason she was feeling so unnerved. And she hated him for that. Because she wasn't sure what to do or where to go, and even though she was enraged, she wanted nothing more than to go back to her friend and hide herself in his embrace.
"...Ribi-chan?" Not moving an inch, Karibi ignored Naruto's hesitant voice, his feet pattering lightly against the floor as he approached her. She kept her face hidden behind her hands while Naruto merely gazed up quizzically at her. His frown deepened at the way her entire body shook—as if she was standing in freezing temperatures. And then he noticed the way she was covering her face and the way she remained eerily silent; something was wrong. "Ribi-chan?" the boy tried once more, his voice going straight through the jonin.
His tone was gentle—which was unlike Naruto; Karibi has assumed the rambunctious boy was incapable of having such a tenderness to himself. His words were laced with concern and love, and it only made Karibi's heart ache more. She was confused and angry and upset and terrified—she didn't know how to manage all the emotions running wild inside of her. Everything had happened so quickly, and the person she normally received support from was the one currently responsible for her condition.
Or perhaps, she had been the reason for her own demise, all along.
"Hey, Ribi-chan, you ok? You—You don't look so good," Naruto hesitantly commented, unsure of what to say. He took an apprehensive step towards his guardian, mentally flinching when the woman let out a shaky breath through the cracks between her fingers. His blue eyes gleamed with worry as he finally stepped with to steps between himself and the older woman. "...I'm a genin, now. So, whatever's going on—I can handle it." Karibi smiled softly, though she kept her expression hidden behind her hands.
"...You can lean on me, too, Ribi-chan." And it was in that moment, that the woman's entire world collapsed.
Without a sound, Karibi knelt down to her knees and wrapped her arms around the 12-year-old. She pulled him close and held him tightly in a warm embrace, catching the boy off guard. He quietly gasped, startled by the way his caretaker suddenly held him, but he was quick to relax into her hug, the woman's shoulders quaking as hot tears spilled down her cheeks. The boy's blue eyes widened from astonishment, Karibi's breaths weak and rushed. He could feel warm droplets fall on to his shoulder, and for a few seconds, he was unsure of how to react—because for as many years as he had been with the woman, he had never seen her cry; not once. So, he remained silent as he let his initial shock pass. And when he finally found the sense to speak return to his body, his brows furrowed and a furious expression washed over him.
"Who made you cry, Ribi-chan?! I swear, whoever it was and whatever they did—they're not getting away with it!" the blond ferociously hollered as he pried himself from his guardian's embrace and stared intently at her. "What's their name?! I'm gonna find 'em and they're gonna wish they never said anything to you!" The thought of Naruto trying to fight Kakashi made Karibi want to laugh.
"It's ok, Naruto," Karibi assured evenly, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. "...Turns out, it's my own fault," she stated, honestly, which only confused the genin.
"What're you talking about?" The redhead sighed, composing herself before she stood to her feet and placed a hand on the blond's head.
This boy—who was ever so clueless and ever so naive, was also brave and genuine and strong; he was stronger than anyone Karibi had ever known. He was beyond anyone the woman knew, and it made her feel guilty. Because Kakashi's words—as heart-breaking and vexing as they were—were nothing but the truth; she was always searching for someone to blame so she didn't have to blame herself for how things had turned out for Naruto. And even though she had spent years avoiding the boy and pushing him away and hurting him, he still had enough kindness in his entire being to forgive her and to love her and to embrace her with all of her flaws and strengths; he was still willing to protect and fight for her.
He deserved so much more than her.
Smiling softly at the young boy, Karibi sighed, ushering him back into the living room and seating him back on the couch. He merely eyed the woman suspiciously but said nothing, taking note of every move she made. "Let's just relax, alright? We've got an early day tomorrow. And since I'm training you, I expect nothing but the best from you." Naruto was hesitant to drop the issue that had caused Karibi to cry, but seeing as he had no power to make her tell him what had happened, he submitted and grinned.
"This is gonna be awesome! Teach me some cool stuff, ok, Ribi-chan?"
"First you have to prove you can even handle the cool stuff."
"Of course, I can! Believe it!" Karibi took a seat beside the child before she leaned back into the couch and sighed. She turned her head and gazed back at the excited genin with a content gleam in her eyes before she cleared her throat.
"I'll be the judge of that, short-stuff." She had no doubt that he'd be able to handle his own.
Hello all!
I hope 2018 has been treating everyone well! I have to admit, 2018 has not been so kind to me...and it's only February LOL But, I'm not going to let that bring me down! I'm going to try and stay positive and focus on moving forward. I'm glad to be still working on this, as writing is a way for me to blow some steam. And I am thankful to everyone who has been reading, following, favoriting and reviewing! I do put 100% of my effort into whatever I'm doing, especially writing. And as I've just said, it's been a great way for me to find some peace, so I hope that it all shows in this story!
I have to say, I really liked writing this chapter. This is the first time you really see Kakashi and Karibi in conflict with one another. With the way the story has progressed and the way that their relationship has developed, those two are usually on the same page with each other or are able to find a balance with one another. So to see them actually argue is actually interesting! As far as the resolution to their quarrel goes...we'll have to see ;D I also really enjoyed writing the little piece with Naruto at the end. I think those two have a shared softness for each other that you often don't see, so to writer fluff for these two was really fun :) The story is going to be picking up much, much more once the chunin exams hit and the rest of series plot unfolds. Having Karibi in the mix will only make things more entertaining (at least, on my end LOL). It'll be interesting to see how everything happens!
Thank you to everyone who has given this story a chance! Thank you to those who have decided to stick around! I appreciate it! I hope you continue to read this and enjoy this story!
Reviews:
bored411: Yes, things are going to get a little crazy once we get further into the "Naruto" series plot! Being able to add Karibi to the chunin exams and the rest of the series plot is going to be interesting! So much is going to happen, it's going to be great XD I will try and close the gap between the times I update...though I can't promise anything LOL Thank you so much for reading and for reviewing! I really do appreciate you doing so!
WindyCitySlayer1: I'm glad you think so! I know that it's been a little bit since I last updated, but I hope to not take as long as I get further into the story! But I'm so glad to hear that you still are liking this story! I hope that you will continue to enjoy the chapters that I post! Thank you so much!
lizyeh2000: Thank you for reading! And drinks usually always make things better ;D I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, and if you continue reading, I hope you will enjoy future chapters that are posted! Thank you very much for the support!
bookdragonslayer: Yes! It was definitely a cute little moment between Kakashi and Karibi. I enjoy writing those moments between them...but I also actually liked writing their fight this chapter XD It's funny how opposite those moments are and just how quickly things can change! I appreciate you reading this story and for leaving a review! Thank you very much for your continued support!
gaby: Thank you so much for taking the time to read this! I also want to thank you for leaving a review! I'm relieved to hear that you are enjoying this story so far! I'm not sure when I referenced Kakashi's ranking, but I have no doubts you probably know what you're talking about! I'll have to check back to see when I made the reference so I can make sure it's accurate. Thank you very much!
missfites: You are far too kind! Your words are genuinely flattering, and I am honestly honored that you like this story! The fact that you read 39 chapters in one day is impressive, in it of itself! I have worked extremely hard with this story, and I am glad that you see the effort! I hope that it continues to show in future chapters and that you enjoy the next posts to come! Thank you for taking the time out of your day to review and read!
SuperKitty4789: Thank you so much for reviewing and reading and keeping up with this story! If you continue reading, I hope that you continue enjoying! I will continue to work my hardest! Thank you, again :)