Disclaimer: I do not own "Naruto" or any characters associated with the series
Chapter Twenty
"Ribi-chan! Can't we take a break! I'm so tired."
"Quit your whining and get back to work. If you didn't slack off so much and do things right the first time, we wouldn't be skipping lunch."
"I am trying! It's just hard!"
"Did you think it was going to be easy? Because it's never easy. So, quit stalling and let's get back to work."
Two weeks had passed with Karibi as Naruto's trainer, and within that time, two things had been confirmed; one, the jonin was still a terrible teacher—and two, she was ruthless. Every day was like a never-ending battle for the genin. He was worked to the bone and rarely given breaks, and Karibi merely watched and monitored his development. The entire day was not only spent practicing ninjutsu but taijutsu as well as some genjutsu. And for the most part, the jonin was actually seeing some progress with the boy's skills, but with the events prior to training with Naruto, Karibi found herself completely engrossed with pushing Naruto hard; she was going to drown herself in this distraction for as long as she could.
With an exhausted sigh, Naruto rose from the ground and dusted whatever dirt he could from his pants; it didn't seem to help. Karibi smiled softly for a second before she cleared her throat and pointed to the target she had carved into the large tree trunk. The blond groaned but didn't complain, walking over to the line that his guardian had drawn into the ground; that was where he was going to stand.
"Now just like I showed you."
"Yeah, yeah. I know," Naruto begrudgingly grumbled as he took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders out. Shutting his eyes, he began to concentrate, letting the chakra inside of his body flow freely before he focused on his right arm. Karibi watched quietly, examining the genin closely—intently staring at his arm. Focusing on the energy flowing within him, the jonin could clearly see the way he maneuvered chakra through his body, the power flowing effortlessly through his veins, but stifling within his arm. She took note of it but said nothing, letting her student continue with his training.
Opening his eyes, Naruto narrowed them while he stared at the target, feeling a spurt of determination course through his veins. He inhaled deeply before he swung his arm around, releasing the chakra and feeling the energy pump through from his shoulder all the way to his fingertips. He stood motionlessly with his arm back and his legs spread from his stance, a gust of air soaring towards the target he was aiming for. For a moment, his blue eyes gleamed with hope, a ghost of a smile traipsing over his lips, but the expression dropped when the curved line of air dissipated before making its mark on the tree; that was another failed attempt on the new jutsu he was learning.
"Damn it!"
"Hey." Crying out from pain and rubbing the back of his head, Naruto looked back at Karibi—who gave him an unenthused glare. "No cursing." The genin merely grumbled in return.
"That was just as pathetic as the last time you tried." Naruto could nearly feel tears of defeat dripping down his face.
"So much for the support!"
"Listen, short-stuff. You keep focusing too much chakra in your arm for this jutsu. It's not about having as much chakra as possible. It's about having the right amount."
"How the heck am I supposed to know what the right amount is?!" the frustrated trainee cried out as he stomped his foot on the ground and made fists with both hands. Karibi sighed as she crouched down in order to sit eye-to-eye with the 12-year-old.
"You have to feel it. The reason why this jutsu shorts out on you is because you have all this excess chakra flowing within your arms, and when you release it—it's like an explosion. The chakra is not molded correctly and just sort of...splatters everywhere," Karibi explained, hoping that her simpler explanation would get through to the boy. "You don't just swing and hope for the best. You have to concentrate on the way you swing and how far your swinging and how much chakra your using." Standing up right, Karibi pulled her arm in front of her, staring at her target with the utmost concentration in her eyes. She took in a small breath before slowly releasing it, swinging her arm and watching as a curved burst of air flew towards the target. Naruto gapped with excitement and awe, stiffening when the blade of air cut almost entirely through the tree trunk; she had hit the mark, and more.
"Whoa! That was amazing, Ribi-chan!" Said woman smirked before turning to face Naruto.
"Don't put too much pressure on having so much chakra in the attack. Just make sure that you're not over doing it." Scowling, Naruto looked back to the tree before he looked to his sensei.
"You gotta carve another target for me." A sheepish laugh filled the air.
"Right!"
§
"Man, I'm so tired!" With a satisfied sigh, Naruto locked his hands behind his head and strolled alongside Karibi, who chuckled at the boy and continued leading the way. "I can't wait to get home and eat! I'm starving!"
"I bet. You actually made a lot of progress today. Keep it up, and you'll be ready for the last part of that chunin exam." The redhead frowned at the silence she received, and when she looked down at the genin, her gaze softened at the seriousness that was etched on his face.
No doubt, that he was thinking about what was going to happen.
"You worried, short-stuff?" Naruto tore himself from his thoughts as he looked up at his guardian. He frowned before shrugging and placing a defiant look on his face, instead. "No?"
"I'm gonna make it to the end! Believe it!" Karibi smiled widely at that, nodding her head.
"I'm sure you will."
"...I wonder how everyone else is." He'd been so wrapped up in his training, he hadn't taken the time to think about Sasuke or Neji or Rock Lee or even Sakura. But now that he had some free time, it was all coming back to him, and there was a strange heaviness settling over his chest.
He was worried.
Noticing the change in his mood, Karibi forced herself to smile before she placed a hand on the boy's head and tussled his hair. "Don't worry. I heard from Guy that Lee's recovery has been going well." She didn't tell him about how his comrade could possibly be out of the ninja business for life. "And I'm sure Sakura has been keeping herself busy."
"Yeah. I bet you're right!" Naruto slowly began to smile, confidence returning with an excited gleam shining in his eyes. "And I bet Sasuke's been training his butt off! Kakashi-sensei better be teaching him something good! And he owes me for ditching me for that Sasuke-jerk!" Karibi didn't bother replying. She merely smiled softly and nodded, turning her attention back to the street ahead of her.
She hadn't spoken to Kakashi since their argument. She tried to forget about that night, entirely, but it was impossible; if anything, all she could do was think about it. There was a lot that she wanted to get off of her chest—a lot that she felt she needed to apologize for, but her pride was strong, and she was too stubborn to push it aside and do what she knew she should. And it was an awkward feeling—especially since she was feeling this way towards Kakashi. After all, never in her entire life of knowing Kakashi had she never been angry with him before. It was unsettling and it was unnerving, but in the back of her mind, she knew something like this was bound to happen; they had been close for so long—going this far without a serious fight was almost like a gift.
With a sigh, Karibi headed up the steps of their apartment complex, Naruto following behind her. He didn't notice the way the woman paused and the way her eyes hardened. Instead, he continued up the staircase, stopping at the top and heading down towards his door. He finally stopped when he noticed his former sensei standing at the door with a smile across his face.
"I see someone's been training hard! Finally getting your act together, Naruto?" Said genin couldn't stop himself from scowling before he growled and pointed a finger accusingly at the older man. The guest blinked, feigning confusion by the sudden animosity the genin had towards him.
"What the hell're you doing here?"
"What? Can't come to check up on you?" Naruto shook his head as he continued pointing at the man with a deep and cold glare.
"I don't know who you think you are or what you did to Ribi-chan, but—"
"Relax, Naruto." Pausing, the young boy looked up at his caretaker, the woman keeping her eyes on Jiraiya. The air around her was calm, and the gleam in her eyes was relaxed and collected—though it was still obvious by the stiffness in her stature that she was uncomfortable. "Why don't you head inside and heat up dinner."
"But—"
"If I need you, I'll call out for you." Naruto frowned but nodded, hesitating as his eyes flickered towards Jiraiya. The sanin merely smiled weakly before he watched the blond trudge into the apartment, the door shutting softly as he went.
"...What brings you here?" Karibi remained lax, crossing her arms over her chest and jutting her hip out to the side. Jiraiya sighed, rubbing the back of his head at the undesired pressure he was receiving from this woman.
"Well, I was here to check on the kid. But I also wanted to see you."
"What for? You didn't care all that time ago." She was being childish, and she knew it. But she couldn't stop the words from coming out of her mouth; she was still bitter.
With a tired breath, Jiraiya leaned against the railing and crossed his arms as well. He waited patiently for the woman, who slowly and hesitantly approached his side, leaning against the railing as well; she was sure to keep a good two feet between them. "...He's the spitting image of Minato." Karibi couldn't be bitter on the topic of Naruto. She could only smile at his true statement.
"He's got that spit-fire attitude like Kushina-san, though." The older shinobi chuckled before he nodded.
"I'm glad you were there for him when I couldn't be." Immediately, the air tensed around them.
"...I wasn't there, for awhile," Karibi confessed as her smile fell. "I couldn't be there for him. Not with the way I was. And I blamed you for not being there when he had no one. Because you're his godfather and he needed someone, and no one was there. So, I decided to be angry with you...but I was wrong for that." The redhead sighed with an irritated look upon her features; she hated to admit when she was wrong. Jiraiya, caught off guard by the unexpected apology, stared wide-eyed at the young woman. He blinked twice before relaxing and letting out his own sigh.
"Just because I had a reason to not be around, doesn't mean it was right." Karibi watched as the sanin thought momentarily. "...Maybe I was just trying to avoid facing the truth...being away from Konoha and from Naruto was easier than dealing with the reality of the situation." All the 22-year-old could do was nod.
The pair stood in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, letting their moment play back in their minds. The redhead felt some of the weight on her shoulders lift, one part of the situation now dealt with; she just had one other person to see. As for Jiraiya, he was relieved that things had finally been smoothed over. He had been waiting for this conversation for a long time and had known that it would not be easy. And although his first encounter with Karibi was chaotic, the older man knew there was no other way that scene could have played out. Now, he was just happy to see that some progress had been made between them.
"...Will you be around from now on?" Karibi was more curious for Naruto's sake than anything else. A solemn expression came over the sanin as he nodded his head meeting the woman's gaze.
"There's trouble stirring, and it's all centered around Konoha and the kid." That made the jonin's heart sink.
"Well, whatever is to come, nothing is going to hurt or get Naruto. Not unless it's over my dead body." Jiraiya eyed the determined kunoichi before he smiled softly and nodded in response.
He had a feeling Karibi would stick to her word; as long as she was around, no one would touch Naruto.
*Three Days Later*
The breeze was light and the night air was cool. Though the heat from the fire burning in front of him was enough to keep him warm, there was still a chill that ran up his spine as he sat alone; someone was coming from behind.
"No need to be so tense, Sasuke!" Looking over his shoulder, said boy raised a brow as he watched a familiar redhead approach him from the shadows of the night.
"Uzumaki-san?"
"Karibi is fine, after all, you're Naruto's friend." Sasuke wasn't sure how to respond to that.
"What are you doing here?" the young Uchiha questioned—he was trying to sound uninterested—as the woman took a seat on a log adjacent from the genin. She shrugged, her eyes landing on the fire after she glanced around.
"You're no-good sensei is off on his own, I see." The dark haired boy nodded, eyeing the woman carefully before he nudged the burning wood with a stick he had found a few moments earlier.
"Yeah. So, what?" Karibi shrugged, seemingly uninterested in the man.
"Just an observation."
This was the first time Sasuke had ever encountered the woman by himself. He had always been with the rest of his team when he ran into the jonin—that or she was passing by with something important to do. Never had he been left alone with her, and he was unsure of how he was supposed to address her. For one, from what he could tell, she and his sensei were close; although the hints were subtle, the perceptive genin could tell there was more than they were letting on. Secondly, she was Naruto's guardian. And although he and Naruto had their fair share of obstacles in their strange relationship, at this point, the Uchiha couldn't say he entirely minded having the blond around. With that being said, he still found him extremely obnoxious and irritating, but did that mean he felt the same way towards the woman?
"You've been training hard, I see." Sasuke looked up from the dancing flames, meeting Karibi's friendly gaze. The smile upon her lips was subtle, the movement of her gaze down to the 13-year-old's wrapped knuckles even more subtle. Sasuke suddenly found himself feeling slightly vulnerable and naked, instinctively brushing his fingers over his bruised and swollen hand. "It's fine. That just shows how hard you've been working." Karibi's reassuring smile caused Sasuke to slowly relax.
"...You came to talk to Kakashi-sensei?" He didn't want the woman to know just how curious he was, but even though he tired to lace his voice with indifference, he could tell by the way the redhead smirked that she had seen right through him.
"As a matter of fact, I did. But I'm learning that I already enjoy your company more than his." He couldn't help himself from blushing as the woman grinned playfully at him; she was purposefully teasing him, and he was torn between being annoyed and almost amused. "And let's be honest, I'm sure you already like me better than him." Sasuke said nothing, shrugging in response to the woman's accusation. She chuckled in return, letting out a satisfied breath and glancing up at the night sky.
"I never got to formally congratulate you for making it this far in the chunin exam. So, congratulations." Karibi watched as Sasuke's weary eyes met hers. Their gazes were locked together for a few seconds before Sasuke submitted to her and let his eyes fall back to the fire.
"Thanks."
"...You're far more polite than Naruto says." Sasuke scoffed, smirking slightly at that; he could only imagine the things his teammate said about him.
"Like that idiot has room to talk." The Uchiha tensed, realizing that his statement had rolled off his tongue without thought. His onyx eyes widened as he quickly looked up at Karibi to see what her reaction would be; he had assumed she would be offended by his rude remark.
But she wasn't.
Laughing, Karibi nodded her head. "I've tried to teach him manners, but those lessons seem to come and go in his memory." That made Sasuke smirk.
"Karibi?" Both Karibi and Sasuke looked up at the sound of her name, Kakashi stepping out from the trees and approaching the plain of the crag that he and his student had made camp on. He raised a brow as he glanced from the boy to the woman, both surprisingly comfortable in the other's presence. "What're you doing here?"
"Me and Sasuke were just chatting while we were waiting for you." Standing to her feet, Karibi dusted herself off before she looked back at Sasuke with a kind smile. "I enjoyed myself. When the chunin exam is over, I'll buy you and Naruto and Sakura a congratulatory meal." Sasuke didn't answer immediately. He merely gazed at the woman with furrowed brows before deciding to relax and nod his head; she wasn't so bad.
"And if you ever feel like Kakashi's no longer up to the task, come find me. I'm sure I could teach you a thing or two." The older jonin rolled his visible eye but didn't bother objecting, following after his friend as she walked away and back towards the trees. All the while, Sasuke watched them go quietly before he scoffed and turned his full attention to the fire.
A ghost of a smile remained upon his face.
§
The walk through the trees hadn't been long; Karibi had only ventured far enough where she and Kakashi could speak without interruption and without being heard by the genin. Entering a tiny clearing, the two stood silently, the redhead turning to face her friend—who had his arms crossed and was leaning lazily against a tree in order to support himself. An intensity settled between them, neither willing to speak first to the other. Pride shined within them both, and even though it was harder to see with merely the moon and starlight to guide them, they could easily sense the other was not willing to give up so easily.
But, finally, Karibi spoke.
"I'm sorry." Kakashi blinked, his visible eye wide from astonishment. He watched Karibi closely as she nearly pouted, hands locked behind her back and her gaze averted to the side; she wasn't a gracious one with apologies, but she was giving him one, nonetheless.
"You're sorry?"
"Didn't you just hear—" Stopping herself from snapping, Karibi took a deep breath, and then finally met Kakashi's perplexed stare. She sighed and smiled gently, realizing in that moment just how much she had missed him. "Yeah. I'm sorry."
Kakashi couldn't fight the awe, though he did try to collect his composure before let his shoulders sag. Uncrossing his arms, he took a few, hesitant steps closer to his friend—as if he were testing the water to a lake. The woman refrained from reacting to his movements, watching him closely before she continued on with her words. "You were right...I was being stubborn and...well...it wasn't Jiraiya's fault—what happened then and up until now. I just..." The woman sighed, rubbing her forehead with her right hand before she covered her mouth with both of her hands, muffling her speech. "I was just trying to avoid responsibility of my own actions and failures...I still am. But I'm slowly trying, so..." Kakashi's gaze softened before he finally stopped one step in front of the woman. She stared at the man's vested chest, feeling a sense of shyness abruptly wash over her. She could feel the heat wafting from his body, and she was suddenly aware of just how close he was standing. Perhaps it was because it had been some time since she had last been so near the man or maybe it was because she was just uncomfortable admitting her shortcomings—but either way, there was little space between them, and she was beginning to notice it all too well.
"Do you accept my apology?"
"One normally doesn't try and force the other to accept when giving an apology," Kakashi quietly pointed out with a lightness in his tone of voice. Karibi chuckled, looking up and meeting her friend's eye.
"Shut up."
There was a strange tension festering quickly between them. Karibi was realizing slowly that Kakashi was far too close and that the air was thickening and becoming far too warm for her liking. Yet, she didn't move away as the man invaded her space, nor did she try and fight as he placed his hands carefully and firmly against her jawline. Instead, she reached up and pulled the man's mask down—as if she was merely moving on autopilot—and lifted herself to the tips of her toes.
His lips were soft and pressing hard against her own. His hands remained holding her face, the woman's own hands drifting down to his sides and holding the material of his vest tightly in her grasp. She didn't notice the way her back was pressed against the trunk of a tree nor did she notice the way Kakashi's heart raced from her touch. All she could feel was his mouth against hers and a sudden wave of warmth exude from him; she held tighter to him.
He wasn't sure what had come over him in that moment. He had thought that, maybe, her apology had touched him so much that he couldn't help himself. And then he had also thought that it had been the distance that had been kept between them for this long. But as their lips moved together and Kakashi pressed his body flush against Karibi's, he began to realize the reason didn't matter so much. When it came down to it, all he cared about was the fact that she was there, and she was with him and kissing him, at all; she always made everything so much easier.
Feeling Karibi nibble on his bottom lip, Kakashi smirked slightly before he dipped his tongue into the woman's awaiting mouth. She let out a satisfied hum, leaning back against the tree for support; her legs were feeling weak. Taking note of the way the woman was trembling in his arms, the 26-year-old swiftly reached for her thighs and lifted her legs, wrapping them securely around his waist. Unintentionally, he pressed his body further into Karibi, the woman merely letting her tongue dance against his.
Finally, after a few more minutes of kissing, Kakashi slowly pulled away, Karibi leaning her head back against the tree and shutting her eyes in order to collect herself. Her legs remained wrapped around the man's waist, her hands running up from his side, to his chest and then to his face. She cupped his cheeks and smiled at the way his skin felt against her palm. And when she was sure her strength was returning, the kunoichi placed her feet back on the ground and opened her eyes and gazed at Kakashi's bare face, his eye gleaming and his lips curving slightly upward; it was subtle, but the smile was there.
"...I've missed you." His voice was gentle and soft, barely loud enough for Karibi to hear. But the breeze had carried his words to her, and she could feel her heart clench in her chest. Her eyes softened as she took note of the exhaustion that was beginning to shine in his uncovered eye, and then guilt consumed her; she had been so wrapped up in herself, she had forgotten that Kakashi was struggling, as well.
"I'm sorry—"
"Don't be. Just...Just let me sit like this for a bit." Kakashi pulled Karibi close, letting his head rest against the top of hers while his arms remained around her and kept her close to him. The woman smiled softly before she wrapped her own arms around her friend, rubbing his back soothingly before she pulled her head back and gazed at his unveiled face. The man stared back at her with a raised brow, unsure of what she was thinking, but he relaxed when she stretched her head upwards and placed a chaste kiss to the small mole on his chin. The man blinked, watching as his companion pulled back once more and smiled up at him innocently.
He couldn't help himself, after that; his lips were pressed hungrily against hers, once more.
*Six Days Later*
"Is this really necessary."
"Of course, it is. You're lucky I'm even letting you assist me in the first place." Jiraiya grunted with a begrudging look on his face while Karibi shrugged, raising her nose up into the air.
They had compromised. Knowing that Naruto had been wanting to master the summoning jutsu that Jiraiya had been teaching him, Karibi had decided to be the "bigger person" and discussed the idea of the two of them training the genin together. Jiraiya had jumped at the chance, knowing that this would be the safest choice for Naruto; he was also interested in getting to know the two Uzumaki's.
Although days had passed since the pair had decided to train Naruto together, the more that time went by, the more frustrated Jiraiya became with Karibi; she didn't have a single ounce of faith or trust in him. Every decision he made, she argued. Every idea he came up with, she shot down. She always seemed to have something to say, and his patience had worn away long ago; it seemed both of the Uzumaki's had quite the mouth on them.
Naruto gazed at the arguing adults with an unenthused look on his face. He wore a deadpanned expression on his face while he looked from Karibi and then to Jiraiya, the old man hollering at the young woman—who responded with a despondent sort of retort. He let a few more seconds pass before his face began to turn red, his anger becoming apparent through the steam that seemed to rise from his body.
"...RIBI-CHAN! PERVY SAGE!" The two faltered for a brief second, looking at Naruto with a shocked look on their faces. The boy glared at the two, fuming from all the pent up energy he had from the lack of actual training he was getting done, as of late. "Instead of yelling at each other like an old married couple, can we get to some actual training?! I don't have time to listen to you guys fight!" Karibi blinked, taken aback by the fact that Naruto had compared her and his godfather to a married couple, while Jiraiya scowled; who the hell did this kid think he was—yelling at him like that?
"...Let me see you do the Wind Release Slash." Naruto raised a brow, caught off guard by the woman's request. He frowned a bit, already know that he would not be able to produce results that he wanted. Still, he did as asked, trudging up to the line that Karibi had drawn into the dirt just seconds before. Jiraiya stepped back, letting the young woman take the lead for this moment.
With all the concentration in his soul, Naruto took a deep breath, stretching his right leg back and holding his right arm up and over his left shoulder. Karibi watched him closely, focusing on the way his chakra flowed; it moved much more gracefully within him.
The three stood in utter silence, Naruto doing his best to follow Karibi's instructions and not paying too much attention to putting all of his chakra into the attack—but the right amount. He could feel his arm tingling as his chakra pulsed through his veins. And when he felt it was right, he swung his arm with a grunt and watched as a curve of energy and air formed in the shape in which he had swung his arm. With hope gleaming in his eyes, the genin intently stared, his attack soaring through the air and slicing a decent chunk of wood off from the trunk he had been aiming for; the jutsu had turned out much better than he had been expecting.
"Did you see that?! I did it!" Naruto cheered happily as Karibi proudly smirked, placing her hands on her hips and nodding in approval.
"That was much better, Naruto. You did well!"
"Woo!" Naruto jumped into the air and pumped a fist up with the motion of his body, Jiraiya nodding with an impressed look on his face. He glanced to Karibi, who continued to smile before she looked back at him with a less enthusiastic look.
"He's doing much better, but there's no way that he's going to be able to master a summoning jutsu just yet." Jiraiya looked over at the boy and watched as he hopped up into the air happily, still basking in the pride of his work. He plotted in his mind for a minute before he smirked widely; he had a plan.
"Today is going to be the day," the sanin stated confidently. Karibi raised a brow at him before she looked back at Naruto. "Today, Naruto's going to successfully use the summoning jutsu."
Hello everyone who is reading!
So the resolution has come for both, Jiraiya and Kakashi! In all honesty, I wasn't going to drag either of those conflicts out. It would have just seemed forced, and I don't think it's in any of their characters to not find some sort of compromise—especially for Kakashi and Karibi. But, like I previously said, it was so much fun writing their little spat! It was a different side of their relationship that I got to write, and it was interesting!
With the last part of the chunin exam coming up, I feel like a lot of things are going to start unraveling! I feel like this part in the actual series was so intense because there was so much that happened back to back. Because after the chunin exam comes Orochimaru and after Orochimaru comes Itachi. The fun is just ongoing LOL Being able to include Karibi into the mix of all of this is going to be great! Hopefully whoever is reading will enjoy what I put in as my little twist with her as the story goes on!
Also, not sure if anyone actually has an opinion, but I was talking with a friend, and she was wondering if I would post any "mature" chapters up. I hadn't really thought much about it. As of right now, the explicit content of the story wouldn't actually come till much later. There's so much going on and so much that still has to be developed, so that's why I hadn't really thought much about it. Of course, eventually relationships will develop in that direction, so I started to contemplate the idea. As a writer, I think it would be a good challenge, but I also know that there are some readers who enjoy chapters like that and others who don't. So I figured I would bring it up! Like I said, with everything that's about to unfold, this sort of matter won't really come into light until much further down the line. So there's really no rush in the topic! But, I figured I would mention it as I thought about it! Hopefully whoever reads this knows that I take everyone's opinion into consideration! So if you do have an opinion, please feel free to share with me! I'm all ears :)
I just want to say thanks to everyone who's reading this story! I appreciate the ongoing support and love! And I hope that as I continue to write, my hard work shows and that the story flows the way it should!
Thank you!
Reviews:
KillerBee77: Hi there! Thank you for giving my story a chance! And I'm so very happy to hear that you like the idea of an Uzumaki taking care of another Uzumaki! I thought it would be interesting! I'm not sure if you've seen this far into the show, but after meeting Karin, the idea popped into my head and I figured it would interesting to plot out! If you're still reading this story, I hope you enjoy it and like the direction that I ended up taking it! And if you continue to read, I hope you enjoy this chapter and future chapters that are to come! Thanks, again!
XiiiKakashi: First, I would just like to say thank you for reading! Second, thank you for taking the time to review! I super appreciate you leaving your thoughts, as I think hearing what readers have to say is important (as a reader, myself!). I am, genuinely, so happy to hear that you've been liking this story so far and that you like Karibi. I enjoy reading OC stories as much as I like reading canon stories, but as an OC writer, I feel like it's always important to make sure that the OC matches the theme and style and mood of whatever universe you're trying to fit in with! And it makes me super happy and relieved that you see that :) I'm also glad you like how things have been progressing with Kakashi and Karibi. It's a bit slow, I have to admit, but it just flows well like this, I think. I hope you like this chapter, and I hope that if you continue to read this story, you will continue to like what I post! Thanks so much for reading!
ajwehri: I'm glad you liked her reaction! I went back and forth a little bit with it, but I think her reaction is very true to her and just makes sense as far as her development goes! And I didn't drag out their feud because I don't think it would have made any sense if it had gone on any longer! I have a lot in store for Karibi and Naruto and Jiraiya, so I hope you'll end up liking how things turn out for those three! Thank you for reading, and thank you for reviewing :D
bored411: There will probably be more intense chapters to come between those two, so just be ready for that LOL Hopefully their resolution was fitting in your eyes! I don't think Karibi could have held out much longer holding a grudge against someone like Kakashi XD And there will be many more moments between Naruto and Karibi like that to come, just you wait! Thank you very much for continuing to support this story! I hope you enjoy this chapter and the next chapters to come!
premierchikk0: Hi! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I honestly thought about how things would go with Jiraiya, and I contemplated the idea of things going on longer, but I'm with you. I can't picture a world where Jiraiya doesn't train Naruto. It's such a huge part of Naruto's character! And I didn't want to take that away from him. So there was a bit of compromise, combining those two together. And there is going to be much more to expect with those three, so be on the look out for that! And I hope that you enjoyed her resolve with Kakashi! It was fun writing them on opposing ends, but I couldn't bear to make them fight for too much longer LOL Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to leave a review! And thank you for reading and for following!
Russian Hunter: Hi there! Thank you for reading, first off. I super appreciate you taking the time out of your day to do so! And I hope you liked this chapter! I definitely don't think it would have made sense for Kakashi to apologize to Karibi. As the story has developed and as it will continue to develop, I think Karibi will be going through a lot of things that change her and make her grow. Hopefully that'll come through in future chapters! Thanks!
Naruto Fan XX: Hello! Thank you very much for reading and for leaving a review :) I very much appreciate you taking the time to do so! I also appreciate your kind words! I was encouraged to start writing and post this story by a fellow writer and friend, and since then I have worked hard on growing as a writer and making this story enjoyable for whoever decides to give it a shot! So I'm glad you seem to like it so far! I put a lot of thought into Karibi as a character. Being a reader, I am a little particular with my OCs so I try to make sure that she makes sense in the Naruto-verse! And yes, there have been some bumps, but her relationship with Naruto and her relationship with Kakashi has come a long way! With what happens further down in "Naruto" there is going to be so many other bumps and obstacles, but that will only mean more growth for her and her relationships! I hope you liked how things worked out with Jiraiya and Kakashi! And I'm so happy that you have read this and liked it thus far! Thank you so much!
thebeezekneeze: Thank you for taking the time to actually sign in and review! I happen to be super lazy with logging in (as you may be able to tell with my inconsistent updates XD) so I appreciate the fact you signed in to leave support! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I hope you continue to read, and if you do, I hope you will enjoy the future chapters that I post :) Thank you!
gods-own: Hello! Yes, sorry about the delay in updating. For a little...long while, I was missing and didn't really work on anything. As of late, I've been a little more present with updates on this, so hopefully that will continue on! There's a lot that's going to happen, so I want to keep on top of posting! But I thank you for your patience and hope that if you continue to read this story, that you will like the chapters! Thanks very much for you support!