Disclaimer: I do not own "Naruto" or any characters related to the series
Chapter Thirty-two
The tension in the silence was stifling.
Karibi watched quietly, several paces behind Naruto. The blond didn't bother turning back to acknowledge her. Even as her gaze pierced through the back of his head, the boy forced himself to keep his eyes on the ball that sat in the palm of his hand.
This had been the first time Naruto had showed any kind of genuine anger towards the woman.
"...Give him time." The redhead didn't bother replying to Jiraiya, the man beside her eyeing her with a knowing gleam in his gaze.
"...I shouldn't have said anything in the first place. He wasn't ready."
"It wasn't about when he was ready. There wouldn't have ever been a time where he was truly ready," Jiraiya retorted back, his voice hushed over the whisper of the wind. "It was about when you were ready." She had been quiet for too long.
He had deserved to hear the truth about himself and his past; he deserved to hear the truth about their history.
The older Uzumaki scoffed, her body twitching when she felt a burst of chakra erupt from within the boy. The worried expression on her face felt strange; this was a situation that she wasn't familiar with.
*Eight Days Earlier*
"Ribi-chan?" Said jonin looked up from her squatted position, her head heavier than she remembered it being and her neck aching harder than it had been when they had first departed from the outpost village.
"Hmm?"
"You sure you're ok? You look...You look pale." It hadn't been explained clearly, but Naruto wasn't a complete fool; he had been able to piece everything together. Karibi had been drugged, and a drug had locked her in some sort of genjutsu. And that made sense to the genin; his efforts to wake his guardian up reflected that. He just hadn't realized how much it had taken out of her. And it wasn't until she had butted heads with Itachi and Kisame that Naruto realized she had taken a blow. The normally precise and menacing kunoichi moved with sluggishness and clumsiness. And as he let his eyes track her, now, he could see that the hour of rest they had taken before leaving the outpost village had not been enough for her.
"Naruto, you sound like me."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means you're nagging." The blond pouted.
"I can nag too if I want!"
"I still don't think I nag."
"You've gotta be kidding!"
"He's right." The two looked up, Jiraiya walking towards them with a weary glimmer in his eyes. "You look tired."
"Dealing with you does that to me." Her playful remark made the man roll his eyes.
"There's a village not far from here. You can rest there. That'll also give us time to properly train and gather information on Tsunade's whereabouts." Karibi raised a brow, eyeing the sanin closely.
"...Is that right?"
"Training is important, but so is resting." Naruto was quick to agree with the older shinobi. "We can knock out three birds with one stone, don't you think?"
It took Karibi only a few seconds before she realized she was at a loss; there was no way she would be able to win an argument against both Naruto and Jiraiya.
With a reluctant nod, the jonin managed to stand upright. "Alright. You two win." She tried not to scowl at the way the pair beamed and giggled.
§
"You'll be fine on your own?"
"Don't patronize me, bastard."
"Ribi-chan! Don't worry! We'll be back to check on you in a little!" Naruto smiled reassuringly at his guardian, the woman relaxing and nodding her head before she sat on her bed; she sighed at the way she sunk into the soft mattress. "And I'll bring you back some snacks from the festival!" That made Karibi chuckle.
"Get me good snacks. No red bean paste snacks."
"Have you ever heard of the saying, 'beggars can't be choosers?'"
"I don't remember inviting you to this conversation, old man." Jiraiya's quivering lips and teary-eyed stare made the woman smirk.
"Naruto, if something comes up—"
"I know, I know." Jiraiya was next.
"And you. You keep your eyes—"
"Of course! Don't worry so much, you'll get wrinkles." The Sage waved off Karibi's concern, which irked the woman immensely. She didn't have time to snap back at him, her two companions scurrying out of the hotel room within seconds.
She was left to her own devices.
"...It's quiet." The thick silence around her was deafening, the sound of her own breathing almost shrill to the woman. As she sat on the bed for a few minutes, the woman began to slowly realize just how fatigued she was. Her muscles began to cry and her vision started to blur, everything doubling as she glanced around the quaint room.
Clean clothes sounded nice. A bath sounded better. But as the clock ticked on, Karibi found herself stretching out on the bed. Her tired yawn bounced off the walls of the hotel room, her eye lids growing heavier and heavier. And although her mind was running a muck, she no longer had the energy to fight her drowsiness.
In a matter of seconds, she was fast asleep.
§
The sun beams were warm and welcoming, the gentle breeze carrying the heat of the afternoon. The rays of light gleamed off of the lake, making the day sparkle brighter. A young girl—no older than five—with brick red hair sat with her feet in the water, her purple-hued eyes shining brightly; it matched her joyful smile.
"Karibi!"
"Okaasan!"
The 22-year-old watched from a distance as the distant memory played out in front of her. She hadn't thought about that day in quite some time—not since she had met Minato and Kushina.
"Didn't I tell you not to wander off alone?" The jonin watched an older woman—her hair a darker shade of red but the color of her eyes identical to Karibi's—approach the little girl with a frown. Her scolding lasted for just a brief second, the gleeful look on her daughter's face enough to erase any sort of resentment the mother held.
"The water was so warm and pretty. I wanted to feel it!" For the moment, that was a good enough excuse.
The bitter scoff that sounded over the chirping of birds and the murmurs of the wind went unnoticed, the mother and daughter sitting side-by-side. Their backs were facing the kunoichi, causing her brows to furrow; it was hard for her to remember what exactly her birth mother looked like.
"...Okaasan?"
"Hmm?"
"Why are we always running away?" Karibi couldn't stop herself from clenching her jaw, the profile of her mother's face faint from the distance that she stood from.
"...Why do you ask?" The child shrugged, tilting her head a fraction to the side.
"I miss home." That was the only answer that she could give.
Karibi hardly remembered what home looked like. There were hazy images of a little hut in the middle of a clearing that she rarely reminisced about. Konoha had effortlessly become the only home she had ever needed or wanted, but the woman still held on to the blurry image of her original home—even if the memories of her parents made her heart sink.
"...My sweet, Bi." Karibi let her eyes flutter shut at the nickname. "Right now, you wouldn't understand. But maybe when you're a little older, okaasan will tell you everything."
"A little older" had never come for them. Two years later, Karibi would see her parents for the last time. They would brush past her like she was nothing but a stranger—an unfamiliar face passing them by on the street. She would forget what being loved by them would feel like, and she would find love in others. And, never, would the day come that she would hear from her mother the truth about why they had to always run.
It was something she would discover on her own.
"...Sonofabitch," was the ninja's response as the scene began to fade. And as her body began to fall through a dark abyss, her insides began to knot.
She and Naruto had a lot to talk about.
*Two Hours Later*
"So much to eat! I wonder what she'll like the best?" The genin was glowing. It had been the very first time he had been able to enjoy a festival like that. He had the freedom to do as he pleased, and the people around him didn't avoid him like the plague or shoot dirty looks in his direction. They treated him just as they treated everyone else, and it was something that made his heart fill with warmth; the people were kind, the food was good, the games were fun.
There wasn't much else he would ask for.
Humming to himself, the blond strolled down the hallway and carefully pulled out the room key. The key fit perfectly in the lock, the door creaking open afterwards. The 12-year-old chortled to himself while he slipped into the quiet room.
Karibi was still fast asleep.
A sigh of relief fell from Naruto's lips as he approached his caretaker's bedside. The normal hue of her skin had returned, and the bags under her eyes had lightened. And although he was a complete novice and still in training, he was beginning to read chakra levels more accurately; hers moved freely and powerfully once again.
The tips of his toes were what kept the boy from making too much noise. He toe-walked to the tea table, setting the snacks he had bought for Karibi down carefully. Once he was free to move his arms, he let his shoulders sink and the tension fade; the woman was resting peacefully.
He had seen her return from missions utterly spent. He had seen her come home with bandages and casts and crutches. He had even seen her sitting in a hospital room twice; that was something he'd never forget. But seeing her against Itachi and Kisame—it had stirred him to his core. Seeing her in action was not something he had prepared himself for. And seeing her struggling against others while protecting him made his insides burn.
His entire life, he had told himself that he would become strong so that he could prove to everyone that he was worth something. He had wanted to show those against him that he wasn't the piece of trash that they painted him to be. Now, things were different. It wasn't just about that anymore. His thirst for strength and growth was more than just to make a point. There were people in his life that relied on him. Naruto had formed friendships and relationships with others that meant more to him than his pride, alone. Someone who had stayed by his side, even though he had a monster inside of him? He had to hold on to her tight; he had to protect Karibi no matter what.
With a sure smile, Naruto reached out and placed his hand on the slumbering woman's cheek. She remained ignorant to his presence, taking in a deep breath and letting it out. "Don't worry, Karibi-chan. I'll get stronger in no time. And then, you won't have to protect me anymore." He was sure of it.
"I'll be able to protect you."
*Six Hours Later*
She felt refreshed.
Amethyst eyes shined, Karibi blinking a few times to fight away the lingering sleep. The heaviness that had weighed her body down had dissolved, her body sore but far from the pain it had been enduring earlier.
"Finally up?" Looking over to the futon near the window, the redhead raised a brow at Jiraiya; he was examining a map of the small town and marking several locations; she assumed they were shops and places he had inquired about Tsunade.
"How long have I been out for?"
"Most of the day." The sun had fallen behind the horizon and the stars twinkled in the night sky. "You should eat," the sanin suggested, tearing his eyes off of his map and giving the woman smile. He ignored the way she scoffed at him, his gaze trailing after the kunoichi when she carefully stood to her feet and tested the waters; she could stand without trembling.
"...Next time, don't overdo it." Karibi raised a brow, the smile she had obtained from the snacks Naruto had left her falling.
"...That bastard was right." Jiraiya blinked, caught off guard with the way his companion agreed with the enemy. "He said I was like an endless fountain of chakra." The woman's eyes narrowed, her hard stare piercing through the bag of goodies.
"I came to realize as I trained more that no matter what I do or how hard I fight or how many jutsu I use, I never completely deplete my level of chakra—probably one of the reasons people were after me when I was younger." A sigh sounded through the room after that, Karibi reaching into the bag and pulling out a small carton of rice balls. "...There are many ways that I can die in this world, but chakra depletion will not be one of them." The man remained silent, watching his roommate intently while she scarfed down her food; she hadn't realized how hungry she was until she had taken her first bite.
"Even if that's the case, you don't want the kid to worry about you more than he already does." That made Karibi pause. "You wouldn't think this about him, and he doesn't show it, but when it comes to you, he worries. He probably worries more than we think. So even if you can't die from it, don't overdo it." The young woman swallowed the lump in her throat.
"Where is he now?"
"He's still out training." That surprised Karibi.
"Training? I didn't realize—"
"I haven't been able to come up with much yet. There are many places that Tsunade could be, and something's telling me that I can find more answers if we stick around." The sanin let his attention wander to the window, gazing intently up at the moon in the sky. "I figured staying here for a bit would give Naruto a chance to try and master a new jutsu I'm teaching him, anyways." The redhead narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the older ninja.
"What the hell sort of jutsu are you trying to pull with him?" Jiraiya smiled.
"Rasengan."
§
"Come on! Why isn't anything happening?!" Naruto's howl echoed through the night, Karibi observing the young boy from the shadows of the trees. She smiled softly while he held a tiny water balloon in his hand, and the woman could almost feel the anticipation and excitement dripping from his body.
Rasengan...She hadn't seen anyone other than Minato use that technique.
It had been a very long time since she had seen it, at all.
"...Minato-san...Kushina-san...I'm sure you'll give him enough strength to do this." The redhead let out a settled breath before she stepped out from the trees.
"Oi, Short-stuff." Naruto abruptly stopped, nearly dropping the balloon in his grasp. His eyes widened before he grinned, rushing up to his guardian with stars in his eyes.
"You're awake!"
"Thanks for letting me rest. And thanks for the snacks." Karibi winked. "Glad to see no red bean paste." Naruto scoffed with a playful smirk.
"And you say I'm picky." That earned the boy a bop on the back of his head.
"I see you're working hard. Jiraiya told me he's teaching you a new jutsu." He had been strict with Karibi; she was to let Naruto figure the technique out for himself.
Still, she couldn't help but fuss over him.
With an eager nod, Naruto turned his attention to the water balloon in his hand. "That's right! He's teaching me a super powerful jutsu! One..." A sullen expression suddenly washed over the boy, Karibi raising a brow at his unexpected silence.
"...Naruto?"
"...It was a jutsu that Yondaime learned and mastered." The genin gazed down at the balloon with a sternness in his eyes. "I want to..." Looking up, Karibi felt the desperation in the young boy's eyes. She could sense every ounce of dedication that he had, everything oozing out of each pore of his being. "I want to be strong like him. I want to be able to protect everyone that I love." Somehow, Naruto had found a way to always leave Karibi speechless.
"So, I'm gonna master this jutsu! I'm going to go through the three steps that Ero-sennin gives me, and I'm going to become strong!" The confidence that shined in his blue eyes was enough to convince Karibi.
"So, then. What is he trying to get you to do?" With vigor, Naruto extended his arm out to the woman, showcasing the balloon he held tightly on to. The woman eyed the object warily while the blond spoke.
"Using my chakra, I'm gonna break the water balloon open!" Karibi blinked.
"Let me see you try." A quick nod was the genin's reply, Karibi crossing her arms over her chest and examining the boy intently. She concentrated on his chakra, noting the way it flowed through him. And then she observed quietly as his focused his chakra through his arm and into the water-filled balloon. Brows furrowed inward when she took note of the way his energy swirled inside of the ball, the water spinning in the same motion as his chakra; that was hardly enough to break open the water balloon.
"Ah!" Letting out an exasperated breath, Naruto let his arm fall to his side. His tired pants filled the night, Karibi letting out an understanding hum.
By the time Minato had mastered the jutsu—that had been well before Karibi had come into his life. The girl had only ever seen her father-like figure actually use the jutsu once; she had never seen how he had learned to wield the Rasengan. However, as time went on and she grew older and studied, she had come up with her own ideas of practicing the technique. She, herself, did not have enough bravery or courage to tackle a jutsu such as that—that last thing she wanted to do was tarnish Minato's name and jutsu. But seeing Jiraiya's tactics through Naruto, the woman was beginning to understand his strategy of teaching.
"Did Jiraiya show you his way of breaking the balloon?" The blond nodded. "And when he did it, his balloon looked exactly as your did just now?" That confused the genin.
"What're you talking about?" Karibi shook her head.
"I mean, when you try and break the balloon, does your balloon look exactly the way Jiraiya's did when he broke it?" Naruto blinked.
"...I don't know what you're trying to say!" The jonin chuckled.
"Come on, Short-stuff." Karibi ignored the way the young boy started to pout; she was using her authoritative tone. "It's been a while, and it's late. You've probably been at this for hours. A part of training properly is getting food and rest. So, let's head back."
"Bu—But—"
"Being a strong ninja isn't just about knowing the best jutsu." Naruto shrunk into himself when Karibi turned to scold him. "It's also being smart enough to know your limits." And she could feel it, he was going to hit a wall if he didn't get rest.
Begrudgingly, the 12-year-old grabbed his bag of water balloons, dragging his feet in the dirt. He grumbled to himself under his breath, but Karibi paid no attention to his complaints. She merely let a satisfied smirk appear on her face before she trailed after the boy and placed a hand on the top of his hand. Naruto tried not to blush, his eyes traveling up to his guardian's; she was smiling fondly down to him.
"You'll keep working hard, no matter how hard things get, right?" Naruto didn't miss a beat.
"Of course! Dattebayo!"
*Four Days Later*
"He's late again."
"Just give him some time. You don't need to go check on him every hour. He's fine on his own."
"Yes, because the last time he was on his own things were just perfect, weren't they?" Jiraiya smiled sheepishly while Karibi glared at him.
Naruto had been waking up early and returning late. His entire day was spent trying to break the water balloon while Karibi and Jiraiya did their best to get their hands on Tsunade's whereabouts; mostly, it was Karibi dragging Jiraiya back to the hotel room from the bar and lecturing the man about his lust for women.
With a sigh, the sanin motioned for Karibi to take a seat at the tea table. Indignantly, the woman trudged over to her companion, taking a seat on a cushion before she peered down at the map; they had yet to cover even half of the village.
"There are so many places she could have been. At this rate we'll never find her. And how do you know we'll even find clues about her whereabouts here?" A sudden fondness appeared in Jiraiya's eyes, Karibi eyeing the man silently; he seemed to be locked in memories of the past.
"We haven't spoken in a long time, but we were once pretty close." The resolve in Jiraiya was a bit reassuring to the jonin. "I'm sure we'll find something here."
"Maybe we would cover more ground if you weren't busy trying to seduce women five times younger than you."
"Ah! Don't be like that, Karibi!" As the woman scoffed, Jiraiya's lighthearted demeanor began to shift. His eyes watched as the young woman in front of him glanced over the map carefully, deciding on the places she would stop to the following day.
"...Do you fuss over Naruto so much because you're worried or because you feel as though you have to make up for the time you were not there to care?" Immediately, the man's question made Karibi freeze. Her eyes were wide, and there was a weak smile of shock that had slithered its way upon her lips.
"Ex—Excuse me?" The sanin was quick to hold his hands up as a sign of peace, a flame flickering on inside of his companion.
"I worded that wrong. I just mean—from what I know about your relationship, and from what I've learned from watching you both, you tend to worry over the kid more than I expected." Karibi's jaw clenched, her defensiveness dying and her rage fading. Still, she felt at arms against Jiraiya's question, unsure of how to answer.
After a moment of silence, she decided to be honest.
"...When Minato-san and Kushina-san told me they were having a baby I had promised them I would be the best older sister to their child." Karibi scoffed at her own naivety, wishing she could have done what she had promised so long ago. "But then...well, the Kyuubi appeared and killed them both and was locked away inside of Naruto. And for the first seven years of his life, instead of being the sister that he needed, I was the same as everyone else." Jiraiya listened carefully, his eyes tracking the woman's every move.
"I had no courage nor did I have any love. I spent the first seven years of Naruto's life hating him. And I don't mean that lightly. I...I wished many terrible things and hoped for the worst. And even after those seven years, I had dark thoughts that haunted me for far too long." Karibi let out a sigh, rubbing her eyes and doing her best to hide the shame and disappointment she felt. "So...I think on some level, you might be right. Maybe I worry and nag and annoy him so much because I feel like I have to in order to compensate for the years that I spent unjustly angry with him." Jiraiya nodded, letting the 22-year-old give her piece.
"...But I think it's also because I've come to realize Naruto is...he's very special." He was nothing like her. She, who took her pain and used it as an excuse to do as she pleased and behave coldly and shut people out, had walked down a darker path. Naruto—he had stuck to his guns and remained true to himself, even when no one believed he could or wanted him to. He remained good down to his very core. And even through all of the sorrow he withstood and all of the ridicule and shame and abuse he took, he still smiled and laughed and loved and gave life his all.
She wanted very much to learn from him.
"Someone special like him—you don't come across people like that very often." Karibi smiled, chuckling to herself. "I want to protect that. I want him to stay as he is, even in this dark shinobi world that's filled with danger and blood and sorrow. I want to give him the chance to meet his future face-to-face." Jiraiya was surprised; her words had moved him.
"...I never would have expected such wisdom from you." Jiraiya's impish smile sucked all the sincerity right out of Karibi.
"You're a true bastard."
"What! I'm being serious!"
"Shut up, Ero-sennin."
"Oh, don't start with that crap, Karibi!"
HI EVERYONE! It's me, ya girl...after...oh, I think around 2 years? I'm here! And I can admit that I am probably as astonished as you all are. But I'm also so happy to be back!
I can be the first to admit the last couple of years have been out of control crazy, as I'm sure you can all agree and understand. The universe is throwing us all for a loop, and not only that, but I've been dealing with waaay too many personal things in my life. And so, because of everything, I found myself unable to focus long enough to write. I've been living through THE ULTIMATE writer's block. I found myself hitting a bit of a low, and I stumbled upon some of my stories, and as I read through them, I found myself feeling comforted by them, and then I realized just how much I missed posting and writing and reading. So, I was able to heave myself out of this slump, and voila! I'm back with this.
Now, I know the beginning of this chapter starts off with a bit of a time-skip, but I assure you (if you haven't guessed what happened between Karibi and Naruto) things will be explained as we go through the next several chapters. I'm so happy to be back with this story, as I've forgotten about what I had planned and am so, SO excited to get to everything that unravels after this! We're going to be getting a ton of Naruto and Karibi with sprinkles of Jiraiya. And then we get Tsunade and Shizune thrown into the mix, and it's just all fun from there. Again, we won't be seeing Kakashi for a little bit, for those who love a little bit of Karibi/Kakashi action, but I promise, we'll be back to that soon :D
I genuinely appreciate those who have wait so, so patiently for me to come back to this...I honestly wasn't sure if I would be able to get back into writing for any of my stories. But, I'm so relieved that I am with at least this one! Thank you for all of the love and messages and support! I hope you guys, whoever you are, are all hanging in there and staying well and safe and loving yourselves and others (:
Until next time!
Reviews:
bored411: Hi there! It's been awhile! Hope you're doing well! Yes, we are now building up to Tsunade! And the fight with Orochimaru...that's going to be quite the chapter! Hopefully, you'll like what I end up putting together for that sequence. It's going to be fun getting Karibi into all of that! Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I hope you find your way back to this, as I know it's been an extreme amount of time since I've posted! Thanks again!
WindyCitySlayer1: Hello! I'm back! I'm so sorry that I've been away for this long. Ironic that your last review you mentioned the pace of my updates *face palm* I apologize for the lag. I'm optimistic about being around this time. I don't plan to promise anything, but I'm all about positive thoughts, so here's that! I'm a bit rusty, but I do hope you like this chapter if you're still reading! Thank you for the support up until now!
Reader: Well, hey there! The fact that you essentially read this story in one day, just for me to disappear makes me feel terrible! But, I'm always impressed by people who are able to binge read stories in one sitting LOL Thank you for reading this, and for taking the time to leave a review! I'm excited for writing more Naruto and Karibi, and we're going to be seeing a ton of things happen between them. I'm also looking forward to adding Tsunade into the story with Karibi! I, myself, am missing Karibi and Kakashi, and I'm the writer! XD But they'll be reunited soon enough! Thank you so much for your support! I hope you enjoy this chapter if you read it!
Hendrie9870: Hello! Thank you for reading and leaving a review! I appreciate the fact you took the time to do so :) I'm glad to hear that you are enjoying what I've posted so far! Jiraiya is definitely an interesting character to say the least LOL I always wonder what made Kishimoto decide on toads for his contract...either way, I think the dynamic of Jiraiya and Naruto will be shifting just the tiniest bit with Karibi in the picture, and hopefully you like where I take them together! Thank you so much for reading! I hope you continue to read and like this chapter!
Guest: Hi, Guest! Thanks for reading and thanks for leaving a review for this story! You will definitely be getting more Tsunade, and at some point, we'll get back to Kakashi too ;) I'm actually really looking forward to things playing out between Naruto and Karibi. It's going to be a growing experience for me, as a writer, and for them as characters of this story! I hope you continue reading, and if you do, I hope you like future chapters!
Guest: Hello, there! I'm guessing you're not the same guest as above as you both posted on different chapters! Thanks for reading and leaving a review! I tried to keep up with pace of the plot while including an individual sort of story line for Karibi, so it's always a juggling act. Sometimes these things work and they don't! I was purposeful in not making her actually physically unable to talk, and more of it mental/emotional sort of reason of why she didn't really speak in the beginning! Thanks again for reading!
Shooter312: Hello, Shooter! I should be the one thanking you! I appreciate you reading this and reviewing! I'm guessing you might've been thanking me for updating? I hope you're also happy about this unexpected update! It's been so long, and as a reader, I've been there where someone leaves a story I love unfinished. But hopefully if you're still interested, you like what I post :) Thank you!
spaceghostsav: Hi there! Thank you so much, first, for your kind words! If you've read any of my pat author's notes at the end of chapters, you'll see me talk about how hard I worked on this story, so it's always reassuring and warming to hear such compliments from reads :D Thank you so much! And thank you for reading and reviewing! I'm also excited about where this story is going to go for all the characters! Now that I'm gradually getting back into the groove of things, it's going to be great! It's been quite some time since I've written anything, but I'm crossing my fingers that it doesn't show in my writing! Thanks so much for your support!
Jenna: I'm so sorry that I haven't posted in so long! But thank you so much for reading and being here! I really worked a lot on Karibi before I even posted the first chapter for this story, so I'm so, so happy to hear you like her! I'm always so weary about writing OC just because I know everyone has an opinion. I also have an opinion as a reader, myself, so I get it! And it's such an accomplishment when someone says that an OC is their favorite, so thank you so much for that! I appreciate you taking the time to read and review!
Kiki0078: Greetings! I hope you've enjoyed this story up until now! I'm endlessly sorry about being absent for this long. It was not my intention, but I'm sure you are familiar with how life can just sweep you up sometimes! Thank you so much for reviewing! It's so amazing to hear you like Karibi and feel like she fits! I've talked about this before, but I'm very big on writing an OC carefully! I, personally, tend to enjoy and OC that doesn't just replace what's cannon but still adds some sort of value to a story/plot. There's always such a fine line with that! So thank you so much for your support, and I'm truly happy to know you think she fits in the series so far! it's going to be a crazy ride for Karibi and everyone in "Naruto"! If you're still reading this, I hope you like the future chapters!
. 1: Hi, Dancer! I'm so sorry that I'm only just continuing this now, but I am back! And hopefully you will not have to miss any more Kakashi in this story! I promise he'll be returning! But you probably already know there is more to come for Karibi, Naruto and Jiraiya! Thank you so much for reviewing! If you intend to continue reading this, I hope you like this chapter and the other chapters to come :)
anaylen: Ok, first off, I just want to say, I'm unfortunately not fluent at all in Spanish, so I apologize if this response does not make any sense to what you posted in your review. I'm relying on Google, unfortunately, and we all know that is never super reliable. But! I want to say thank you for even reading this story! And then for also reviewing after that! I've been there too, reading a story all the way through until your eyes are about to fall out of their sockets! But I'm so glad you are liking what is here so far! I'm so sorry that I haven't been updating, but I plan to update soon! So if you plan to continue following up on this, I hope you like it!
Thestartmiddleandend: Your timing with this review was spot on with the timing of me returning to this! I can't really apologize enough for not posting anything until right now! All I can do is say that I will do my best not to go so long without posting for this story! If you plan to continue to read this, I hope you like this chapter! More is in store for everyone here, and it's going to get crazy! Thank you so much for taking the time to read and review!