Chapter 11: Preparations & New Insight
[Hokage Tower]
Shizune and Naruko made their way inside, making their way past the secretary manning the front and Naruko knocked on the Hokage office door twice.
"Come in."
She opened it as Shizune followed after her before closing the door behind them as the pair stood in front of Itachi.
He sat up with his elbows resting on his desk as he smiled, "Good morning, Naruko, Shizune."
Shizune bowed, "Hokage-sama."
"Itachi," Naruko quipped
"What do you need?"
"Ah, that. I want to do a mission with Shizune, here. You see, Itachi, I want to perform a hunting mission of two brothers that are in the bingo book."
"And those two brothers would be?"
She flipped through the bingo book and showed the Valentine brothers.
Luke Valentine
Affiliation - Himself and his brother
Classification - Bandit
Danger Level - High B, mostly due to his drug-induced speed
No other known Aliases
Father - Unknown
Mother - Unknown
Sibling(s) - Jan Valentine
Clan - Unknown
Picture Description - A man in his mid to late twenties who has pale skin with long blond hair tied back with green eyes. A pair of silver glasses rested on the bridge of his nose and was wearing a suit in the picture smoking a cigarette.
Jan Valentine
Affiliation - Himself and his brother
Classification - Bandit
Danger Level - High B, mostly due to his recklessness
No other known Aliases
Father - Unknown
Mother - Unknown
Sibling(s) - Luke Valentine
Clan - Unknown
Picture Description - A man in his mid to late twenties who has dark skin with chin-length dark hair with strange golden eyes. He has multiple golden piercings and a dark blue cap with a white-and-gold eye design on the front. He was wearing a gray wife-beater with a pair of ripped jeans stained with blood. He's using his middle finger to pull down his eyelid in the picture.
"They're a nasty bunch. Toppling multiple civilian villages, rape, mass murder, drug manufacturing/delivery/trafficking/dealing along with money laundering. They are practically a menace and if there is even a whiff of them heading towards a town, most people desert it before the day is out."
Itachi kept silent as Naruko continued, "Their primary location where most of their forces are in the Hot Spring Village, a heavy tourist spot and getting rid of them can win the favor of both Hot Spring and the Frost Village. They apparently have a large force of brutes with a possibility of some missing ninjas."
"You put a lot of thought into this, haven't you?"
"Yes."
He stared at both Naruko and Shizune, the older woman's anxiety was slowly starting to leech out of her, but he could tell that she wanted to do this. Normally he wouldn't allow it, but the reward outweighed the costs. He knew Shizune had more than skill in spite of her appearance and Naruko backing her up cemented his choice.
"The mission will be a mid-rank A-level mission. Shizune will be the leader of the mission as she has the most experience and you will support her, Naruko."
She bowed with a smile, "Of course."
"You both will have three days to prepare, make sure to wipe them from the face of the Earth. I'm sure you both can manage that. If you need any help then please feel free to contact me."
"How long do we have to hunt them?"
"I'd say an estimate of three weeks, please keep me updated on your progress."
"It will be done."
"You both are dismissed. Take care, Naruko, Shizune."
They bowed and took their leave from his office. Before Naruko could disappear, Shizune stopped her and softly thanked her for the opportunity.
She smiled back at him, "It's no problem at all. The hunt will be very enjoyable."
Then Naruko vanished as Shizune made her way to her office in the hospital, as she made preparations for her long absence and the thought of bringing down the two men that haunted the edge of her mind for years filled her with anticipation.
[With Sakura]
When she finally came out of the ward, it felt like hours but she felt as if she aged ten years, the guilt, the shame, and horror weighed heavily on her mind. She couldn't believe it but the proof was there, all those poor women placed in that room like broken neglected dolls.
She could only drag herself home, her eyes were red and tired from the reality that was forced down her throat, even as Ino crossed her path, she continued on her treck home as if she hadn't seen her, leaving the blonde to stare after her in worry.
After closing the door behind her, being enveloped in the relative safety of her own home didn't still her inner turmoil. By the silence of the house, she knew her father would be out celebrating with his friends. She knew her parents didn't have the best relationship and they only stayed together for her benefit.
Her mother...spoiled her rotten and her father was just there...although he did love her.
She gulped to swallow in an attempt to lessen the knot that found itself in her throat as she made her way into the living room. After which she then collapsed on the couch and laid her eyes on a picture of her mother. She had the same pink hair with green eyes and light-toned skin. She was wearing a red dress with the Haruno symbol etched into the front of her dress.
She was a loud, boastful woman who did raise her with love and everything she could want.
Her childhood was nice, with only some bullying towards her forehead, but other than that, it was perfectly normal and something she wouldn't trade for the world.
Then Naruko's sneering face shot to the front of her mind, "...I can recall that he said, that she stripped herself naked and laid herself out for him and he slowly and meticulously crushed her head underneath his heel."
She could feel her blood chill at the mere thought of it and despite her wanting to deny Naruko's harsh statement it rung with the truth and it was futile to resist. It wouldn't change the past and despite how much it hurt her she knew the truth was there. Her mother had a massive crush on the Fourth Hokage and...would have gladly left her father behind to marry him. She always talked about how she loathed a woman named Kushina who she nicknamed that damned Tomato. She recalled all the times her mother praised her for wailing on Naruko when she acted weak on Team 7.
She felt her eyes burn, but she just didn't have any more tears to shed now.
All the lessons her mother etched into her mind about being a proper lady and how getting married would allow her to be taken care of for life. Along with pointing her in the direction of Sasuke Uchiha. She knew at the start of the Academy he was so nice and soft-spoken. He loved his older brother so much, it was easy to see that he idolized him more than people idolized all the Hokages put together. He had a sweet smile that made girls swoon and he showed emotion. Then the massacre happened and he became cold, a miserable shadow of the sweet boy he used to be. She decided to support him in any way she could but realized now that Sasuke would never see her in the way she wanted. She lost herself as well, becoming nothing but his cheerleader.
She stared at the picture for a long moment before croaking out, "You were wrong."
Then she pulled herself off the couch and made to take a scalding hot shower until she couldn't stand it anymore and stepped out, placing a tower over her head of pink hair. She just stared at herself in the mirror, she was skinny to the point that she could clearly make out all of her ribs. Her arms were skinny and her hands were soft with very few blisters.
She forced herself to look away before wrapping her body in a towel and made to get dressed. Her mind compared herself to others and found herself lacking. Even when Naruko was pretending her hands were rough and filled with calluses, her hair was cut short and it was rough. When Anko grabbed her wrist, her hands were the same. Her body was busty and toned. She knew along with most of the village that Anko lived on Dango sticks.
There was one main difference between her and the both of them. They were strong and she wasn't. Anko was known for her cruelty and was a special jounin for a reason and Naruko already proved herself to be dangerous with power to back it up.
The broken look of the woman's face made her spine chill as she rubbed her eyes to prevent herself from sobbing. All the missions she had been on and how little she contributed to them attested to the fact of how weak she was, compared to everyone else.
When she left Naruko behind with Sasuke, her scream cursing the both of them echoed through her mind. It was bone-chilling and she deserved the slaps she got when Naruko saved them from the Sound ninjas. She turned her back on her teammate and the meaning of what it was to be a Konoha ninja.
Then her father came back, his footsteps echoing through the house. She made her way into the kitchen to find him placing multiple paper bags filled with groceries on the table.
"Oh, you came back earlier than expected. You usually come back just before dark, it's still light out."
"I...I needed to come back home."
"Well, I'm going to get started on dinner. We ran out of the fancy stuff you and your mom like the other day. But I'll make sure to get them tomorrow morning, they should bring in the new stock just before dawn."
"No, it's okay."
He quirked up an eyebrow, "Really? Are you sure? Aren't you working on your perfect body?"
She winced, as she knew how much she and her mom used to chew out her father for not getting their special-ordered food needed for their perfect figure.
She then shook her head, "No, it's been a long, troublesome day and I could really use your best cooking."
He turned towards her, "Do you want to talk about it?"
"There's something that I need to think about and I'm going to talk to Kurenai-sensei tomorrow to see if I could take a break?"
"A break? For how long and for what?"
"I need to think about my future, please...I just need to think about it first and then I'll tell you all about it. I really don't know how to say it correctly."
He looked at questioningly before he nodded and said, "How about a cutlet steak?"
"That sounds nice. Do you need help?"
"Depends? How about you take care of the mashed potatoes?"
She nodded, making him smile, "Pick up an apron."
Sakura made her to the pantry, put on a spare apron and handing him his blue one as they worked in silence.
[Evening - Konoha Hospital]
Kakashi slowly made his way to the front desk to check himself out, Naruko's words still echoed through his mind and the threat of having the Kyuubi come to tear strips out of him made his blood chill. He knew she would do it and wouldn't lose any sleep over it.
'She's changed so much...No, the smiling, painfully upbeat dead last who screamed that she was going to be the Hokage was just a mask. She hid her entire personality completely to prevent people from looking too closely. Look underneath the underneath, my ass. I completely failed to follow my own code.'
When he finished checking himself out, he ran into Hiruzen who made his way towards him.
He bowed, "Hiruzen-sama."
"Please follow me, Kakashi."
He did as he ordered, walking behind the older man in silence. The pair entered the Hokage Tower and entered Hiruzen's new office that was below Itachi's own office and had him take a seat in front of his desk.
When he was settled in, he asked, "Are you done with your fits?"
Kakashi nodded, "Yes, my sincerest apologies, Hiruzen-sama."
Hiruzen stared at him for a moment, "Good to know. Now you are active duty and I expect you to do your job correctly. First of all, you are now off the teaching roaster until further notice considering the massive cluster-fuck you have done with your team. Your extreme favoritism of one, the neglect and hindering of the other two make it very clear you won't be teaching anyone unless you prove yourself worthy."
Kakashi took the verbal lashing silently as he knew better than to wince, he knew this would be a massive blot on his record. He could fell his father spinning in his grave already.
"Now, due to your previous offenses, I am demoting you to chunin and you will not be able to register for jounin for the next two years and Minato's word is still in effect. If you are late even by a minute, you will be demoted down to Academy student, do you understand?"
"Yes, Hiruzen-sama."
"Good. Now give me your jounin vest."
Kakashi did as he ordered as he felt a little piece of him break over the same of turning in his vest. Hiruzen took it and placed it underneath his desk.
"I suggest you make sure that you do your duty to the letter, your job as a chunin will start tomorrow morning and you will get your list of duties at the front desk. You are dismissed, Chunin Hakate."
He stood up, bowed low and made his exit with as much dignity as he could. Kakashi slowly made his way to the front desk where his new chunin vest laid waiting for him along with his list of duties before he made his leave without making eye contact with anyone.
Kakashi quickly made his way to the memorial stone, knelt down on both knees and wept. He wept and apologized for failing both Minato and Obito along with his father. He stayed there long after sunset before he dragged himself home and set an alarm clock to ring before dawn.
Sleep alluded him for hours as Minato's cold words disowning him and the feeling of him ripping out his Sharingan eye made the wound ache even now.
[Training Ground #13]
A group of twenty adults made their way into the training ground only to find Kisame waiting as leaned against one of the thicker trees before them. He stood up, his massive bandaged stabbed into the ground beside him as he looked at them with a massive grin as he cracked his knuckles.
Three teachers quickly left the training ground, nearly flashing out making Kisame scoff at their cowardice.
'I know I'm an S-rank but still, that's weak. At least the rest have a bit of spine to them.'
He took in their forms, his stare bored into the remaining teachers as he quipped, "Anyone else, want to leave? I don't really give a shit if you do."
Several shook their heads while the rest kept their eyes on him as he nodded, "Good. Now come at me unarmed. I promise I won't use my sword. I need to see where you all stand."
It a moment before all seventeen teachers rushed him, knowing it would be a losing battle to attack him one by one. After one violent ass-kicking later, Kisame tutted looking at the groaning twisted forms of the teachers underneath him.
"It seems that I have my work cut out for me. I expect you all back here at dawn tomorrow or I'll drag you here regardless if you are wearing clothes or not."
"Yes, sir." They spoke in unison.
Kisame then dismissed them and made to prepare.
Over the next four weeks, Kisame tore them apart only to piece them back together, repeating the process until they were all up to his standards. When he dismissed them for the final time, he reported to Itachi, telling him that they were ready to go.
Itachi smiled at him, "Thank you, Kisame. Although the Academy could use some extra help."
"And you want me to do it?" Kisame quipped
"If you could?"
"Are you sure you want me around children? It is me after all?"
"Considering that no one would dare question your methods, it should be easy for you. Besides you get to team up with Anko who gets to put more of the troublesome sort in their place."
"Do you always have to make it seem somewhat rewarding?"
"If I didn't, would you do it?"
He scoffed, "As if I had a choice in the matter."
"Of course you do. You just choose the right one. Please report to the Academy, Kisame. Anko will take it from there."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
[Iruka's Classroom]
The young teacher had changed from Kisame's training camp from Hell, he was sure wasn't raked over so hard even as a genin, but he wouldn't complain. Things needed to change and he could sleep well at night knowing that the children he was teaching would have a better fighting chance outside Konoha's walls.
He was walking through his students' desk as they either took notes or followed him with their eyes as they listened to him speak about the unfiltered history of Konoha's Third War.
After he finished his lecture, he assigned homework on what he just spoke about and lead them outside where he lectured them about chakra control and its' uses before explaining and showing multiple chakra control exercises.
Leaf concentration is done by placing a leaf or rather multiple leaves over an individual's forehead and having them direct all their chakra onto the leaf, using it as a focal point. This technique is used to hone concentration and keep from being distracted, the more leaves you add, the harder the exercise.
Tree climbing is done by focusing a fixed amount of chakra to the bottom of one's feet and walk or rather climb up the tree with ease without using one's hands. If the stream of chakra is too weak, the user will lose their footing and fall. If it is too strong, the user will be pushed away from the tree, causing the tree to break around the point of contact.
Water surface walking is the advanced step of tree climbing and not to be done unless you finish the other chakra exercises. This exercise is done by using a constant stream of chakra from the bottom of their feet and using the repellent force to walk across the water's surface. The more one trains using this technique, the more they can stand on water without even noticing or even trying.
After his explanation, he had them practice between this and sparring.
'I wonder how Naruko is doing? It's been a while since I last saw her...'
[Anko's Office]
The young woman was leaning back in her seat as she already finished all of her paperwork and made to open a drink only for her door to slam open, but she remained unbothered as she focused on her drink loudly sipping it.
A woman with multiple chips on her shoulders came in looking like hot shit wearing a rather expensive suit with heels that are way above the woman's standard of living. She had a pinched look on her face resembling that of an old pug.
She was carrying a stack of papers filled with signatures before she placed them on her desk as she waited for Anko to acknowledge her. However, the purple sadist made to savor her drink before bothering to acknowledge the woman. Once she finished, she tossed her empty can in the trash can before she took in the very annoyed look on the woman's pinched face.
She cooed, "Yes~?"
The woman introduced herself, "My name is Freya Talbot, I have been chosen to represent the needs of the civilians that reside in Konoha."
She raised an eyebrow, "And that's supposed to mean something to me? Shouldn't you place your complaints with the Hokage or are you too chickenshit to do it, considering that he tossed you and the rest of your ilk on your asses last time?"
Freya ignored the dig as she continued, "You need to understand Ms. Mitarashi that we are the parents of the children you and the rest of the teachers here are teaching. We have the right to pull them out at any time."
"Then do it and get the fuck out of my office."
"What?!"
"Do you think I'd beg you not too? You want to pull your kids out, fine. Make sure they learn your trade. Are you done so I can go about my day?"
"Now, I'm sure we can all come to a reasonable compromise. After all, this is for the benefit of the children. The Academy is much too harsh on them."
"And do you think that the world outside Konoha's walls will be all sunshine and rainbows if we ease upon them? We are training them to be ninjas. If you want to coddle them on your own time, be my damn guest, but don't expect me or the rest of the teachers here to do it."
The woman was shocked as she couldn't believe this as Anko looked at the stack of papers in her arms, "Let me guess, those are signed signatures of civilians who are demanding that the Academy harshness be lessened for the benefit of your children, huh? But let me inform you that stack of papers you have in your grip mean shit. You thought you could come in here and try to rake me over coals trying to get your way by being a smug shit about it, but let me inform you in a simple way in case you can't get it. You won't get what you want. The Academy will continue the way as it should, no amount of bribes or threats will get you what you want. Now get out, get out and tell your people you failed."
She then set the papers in the woman's arms on fire, causing her to drop them as they turned to ash, just like the woman's dreams. The woman silently left with tears running down her face.
Once she finally left, Anko could only scoff as she knew the woman's type. She was a miserable overbearing bitch who wanted to piggyback off their children's accomplishments. The sick bastard was more terrifying on his nicest day than these idiots and she would gladly tear them apart any day of the week.
[Kisame's Classroom]
He had just finished teaching his last class and he placed his feet on his desk, leaning back in his seat as he made to enjoy the silence. Then he heard a knock on his door and called out, "Enter."
As he stared at the door, expected a student or a teacher, he didn't expect to see Shizune as she peeked her head through, "My apologies, but are you busy?"
"Nope, come in. Pull up a seat," He quipped, taking his feet off his desk.
She entered the classroom and made herself comfortable before him as she asked, "I want to ask if you give me several tips."
"Several tips on what?"
"On how to hunt and track people. I am going on a mission that requires hunting down several people and I would like tips on how to track them in case they escape."
"Hmm...What you should know is when you are hunting people, you need to make sure you will not give yourself away. When people are turned into prey, they grow reckless and will do anything to save their skin. If you managed to get the drop of them, make sure you have them pinned and cannot escape. Even if they manage to get away from you, they will be sloppy and leave clues, especially if you injure them. It will knock them off, especially if they aren't ninjas. They have no security, no actual place to disappear until the heat dies down. Anything else?"
She smiled at him, "No. Thank you, it really helps."
Shizune then bowed and left with a bit of a happy bounce in her step as he watched her leave before he made to grade papers and techniques before he could go bother Anko.
[Training Ground #8]
Sakura slowly made her way towards Kurenai as she was watching Kiba and Shino train.
When she got close enough, Kurenai softly asked, "Ready to train, Sakura? You're late."
Sakura took a moment to speak, "Kurenai-sensei, I would like to humbly ask you for a week off from my ninja duties."
Kurenai turned to face her fully, "Can you explain why?"
She saw the worn-out look on Sakura's face as she took in a deep breath, "It's hard to explain, but I will do my best. I saw something that shocked me to the point that I sobbed for so long that I lost track of time. It made me look at things and realize that I am in no state to be a kunoichi. My charka pools, my body, even my mentality is not fit for such a lifestyle."
"And so you wish to quit?"
She shook her head, "Not entirely. I feel that I am not ready, especially not as I am. I would like the week off to think things through and sort through what could be my future. By the end of that week, I would give you my answer."
"On whether you wish to quit or you wish to continue being a ninja?"
"Yes."
Kurenai chewed on her words before she nodded, "Very well, you have a week off and I expect an answer of whether you will resign from the ninja corps or you will take your rank seriously."
"Thank you, Kurenai-sensei."
Sakura then turned, leaving the training ground as Kurenai watched her and once she was out of sight she turned to the trees.
"Anko."
She jumped down with a Dango stick in her mouth as she looked to where Sakura just left, "Well, well, it looks like Pinky got spooked."
"What did you do?"
She shrugged, "I showed her something that would her realize she needs to pull her head out of her ass. And to answer your other question, she came to me first and she pissed me off."
"Did you show her the ward?"
She nodded.
"Dammit, Anko, really?"
"Oh, Kurenai, you know damn well, why I did it. Things were a lot worse years back and actually prepared us before the civilians pussified everything. Reality is fucking disappointing and a fucking bitch that will fuck you dry, cum on your back before kicking you into the dirt."
"Crude."
She rolled her eyes, "Anyway, she needed that ass-kicking. She needed to drop the kid gloves or else she suffers a fate worse than death. I may hate arrogant little shits and fangirls, but I don't want to see a kid, even a stupid kid, die or suffer a fate like those who weren't as lucky as us."
She sighed, "Very well. See around."
"Later, Nai," She cooed as she flashed out.
She made to talk to her team about Sakura's week-long absence.
'Maybe she'll change for the better. If not, I'll get to deal with students that actually want to learn.'
After she finished team training, she made her way to the hospital, picking up a bouquet of flowers to place at Hinata's bedside. When she entered her room, Hanabi was at her sister's bedside before she turned towards her for a moment.
She had shadows under her eyes and her hands were bandaged from hard training. The pair didn't need to exchange words as they silently wished that she would wake up.
[Hokage's Office]
Itachi was mediating on the couch his office was outfitted with as three shadow clones were tearing through multiple stacks of paperwork as he slowly filtered the information through his mind so he wouldn't get a migraine that would last the rest of the day.
When it was finally complete, he dispelled them and stretched out his legs. He called for a team of five ANBU to meet him on Training Ground #23.
When he arrived, the five bowed, "Hokage-sama."
He stripped off his Hokage robe and tied it around his arm as he told them to attack him as hard as they wanted. They circled him for a moment before they all lashed out at him. The fight lasted a good hour and a half with all the ANBU down before they stood up and bowed as he bowed in turn before dismissing them.
After he showered and changed, he met Hiruzen in his office, "Good day, sir."
"Good day, Itachi. I saw your spar on the training ground and haven't lost your touch at all."
"Just something to make sure. The days are long and sometimes I feel I can go mad being cooped up in this office."
"You and me both. It's always good to release steam."
"Now, not I mind you are here, but-"
"You are wondering why I am here other than a random visit?"
"Well, yes."
"Just to entertain an old man with a game of chess."
"Let's see if I can break your winning streak, sir."
Hiruzen gave him an amused grin as he set up the board and the two played while they conversed on how to improve Konoha even further.
[Namikaze Household]
Naruko was sitting across in the backyard of her house with Kurama and Kyoka. She stretched as Kurama made to show her more demonic techniques along with helping her expand her senses to track others with the use of both her own chakra and his demonic chakra.
Kyoka gave her a refresher course on Kido as she inherited his previous master's memories, she should know that he was a Kido master and could use multiple spells in rapid succession. Along with his masterful skill in both Shunpo which is a defensive fighting style relying mostly on footwork and speed while Hakuda is a close-combat style of fighting.
He explained to her that Kido is a form of combat that his previous holder was a master in that are based on advanced spells. Kido is split into two categories Hado for direct attacks and Bakudo for battle support.
Most spells are graded on a scale from 1 to 99 as the latter being the most powerful and difficult to perform and they must recite the specific incantation for the spell which needs a few seconds to speak. The power of a spell relies on the power of the user and it can be used for practical purposes as well.
Bakudo spells are supplementary spells that can paralyze an enemy or an effect besides a direct hit. Barriers and Seals fall under this category.
Hado spells are offensive spells that inflict direct damage on the enemy, but the effectiveness of the spells depends on the user.
Kaido spells are healing spells and are different from the rest as they don't have names, numbers or incantations but they are effective.
The rest of the day was spent practicing to get a feel of all of her tricks under the supervision of her two companions.
[An Hour before Dawn]
Naruko woke up with a yawn as she made to shower and get dressed for what appeared to be a good several days of travel. She had triple-checked all of her supplies needed for the hunt that she was going to go on with Shizune. When she entered the living room, Tayuya had just finished making breakfast.
After eating and cleaning up she told Tayuya, "Please keep an eye on things, Tayuya. I'll be gone for a few weeks."
"I will."
She smiled, "Good."
Tayuya wished her well as she got all her materials with Kurama resting on her shoulders with Kyoka strapped to her side, she left her house.
[Konoha's East Gates]
Shizune was waiting, dressed in a pair of kunoichi leggings with a long-sleeved shirt underneath a jounin vest and kunoichi traveling boots.
"Morning, Shizune. Ready?"
"Morning to you as well and I'll be ready as I'll ever be."
Itachi and Kisame wished her well and watched them disappear over the horizon to hunt the two brothers and their associates. While they left, they were being watched by a rather jilted perverted sannin observing the scene from the roof of the Hokage tower.
He made his way inside and waited, leaning against the wall of the Hokage's office until the two made to run across him.
Itachi quipped, "Jiraiya?"
He frowned deeper when he wasn't given the respect he was used too but he let it go.
"You had an ANBU inform me that I'm supposed to get back to work?"
"Ah, yes. If you follow me?" Itachi quipped as he opened his office door, "Hiruzen will be meeting with us as well. He will be joining us in a moment."
Ending the chapter! How change is a wonderful thing. Also, I'm changing Sakura's mother's appearance from how she appeared in canon. Yeah, I know how she looks, I just don't care. I finally fucking finished, I skimmed through several parts, so I may come back to this chapter and revamp it to my standards, but it's cool for now. Sorry, making you wait.
Thank you for reviews!
PinkiePieParty122894 - I hope you like this one.
StrongGuy159 - Thank you!
zero fullbuster - Thank you and yep, I'm working on those.
Greer123 - Thank you.
Aclux - Yep, they will. Hopefully, you will enjoy this chapter.
(guest) piddle - I'm glad you enjoy it.
Phoedra135 - Oh brothers, so close yet so different in will and personality. No, she shouldn't, but she's not going to take the chance of getting hurt again if they want her back, they'll need to prove it through actions, not words due to them being cheap. I got that statement from Deadman Wonderland another anime to which I recommend the manga, they blank out so many things in the anime. Except for the person who says it, uses formaldehyde instead of alcohol. Anko is a true case of blunt attacks works on thick-headed dullards. Harsh truths are needed and the ROOT ninja mostly has sad pasts and Tsunade has to fix them. When Minato said he would force her to love again, he meant it.
Irina Akashira - No problem and for A] yeah, Sasuke still has his first name, just not his last name. Well, it's not canon, is it? He never got his second dose of the Tsukuyomi here and he's a spoiled cunt, despite his trauma he suffered in his childhood. But think as you like. B] The harem is already finalized, so a hard No for Hinata joining and it won't happen. I'm still deciding the repercussions from her attack if she wakes up from the trauma. C] We will see.
Skull Flame - It is, isn't it? Nope, maybe he'll learn in time, but it will take some time. Glad you enjoyed the scene and I always wanted the Academy to be better, I mean the previous rookies before them had power, but Sasuke is a sixth of Itachi was at the start of his ninja career and Sakura only has book smarts with no power to back it up. It's a sham and the fangirl should have been ripped out of her like a Mortal Kombat fatality at the start. Fangirls are a liability and well, crushing them is always a good day to me. Along with the Academy being fixed up to the prime, it should be is always a good thing and yes, Iruka did due to the fact he's the only one to keep up with Naruko under her mask.
Michael Bourne - Who knows, Uzumakis are stubborn as hell, even through death. They have things to prove their worth, just being blood-related through Kushina won't be enough to mend that ash and salt remains of the bridge Kushina burnt down.
Beautiful-Liar13 - I'm glad you enjoy the chapter and hopefully you enjoy this one. Well, you have to wait and see considering Madara is blocking their exit, but they have to wait for the right opportunity and how it shows itself depends on the story itself. Sadly, Jiraiya can't spend all his time mourning the remains of his crumbled penis parts festering in the corner of his apartment nor spend all his time hogging a toilet, weeping and cursing the world. He's a ninja and now has to act like it. Sakura getting a heavy dose of reality seems fitting and now the ball is in her park, what she does with it is her choice. Oh, the Hyuuga elders well...you know how cruel she can be and hopefully you enjoy the Academy's new look.
Pravus666 - That is true, considering being raped and assaulted especially into Hinata's way would make anyone want to kick it, but I'm still deciding on what to do with her. After all, trauma affects each person differently, some with depression, rage, fear, shock, and plenty of other ways. Tsunade gets her punishment as I have been wanting to write that for a while, considering she spent a lot of time drunk off her ass in her depression it caused people around her to suffer. Seeing what others go through is a nasty wake-up call along with something to break her alcohol addiction, which is something I plan on doing later. Kushina will get her punishment soon enough and we will see about the brothers later. Sakura has some thinking to do, but she is a girl despite being down-right pathetic at times. But seeing the grim reality of what would have become of her if her team was any weaker and was killed off along with her mother's death may have lit something under her. I hope you like Anko and Kisame revamp of the Academy and thank you for the wonderful review.
Antex-The Legendary Zoroark - I'm glad you enjoy the chapter and well, you have to wait and see as she needs to think. So she will be out of it for a while, considering her world has been turned on its' head and getting a mouthful of bitter reality make even thick-headed people contemplate. Wait and see for that. No spoilers for that.
naes151 - You would expect that yes, but Konan knows she's outmatched against Madara and Pein made her promise to hold her well-being above his own when it concerns Madara. And well, I'm still deciding on what to do with Hinata when she wakes up. It's a coin-toss on what to do with her.
917brat - Thank you!
mattcun - I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Perseus12 - Yep, she gets her dues soon enough.
Guest#1 - No, it's how she left her daughter. She thought she left her daughter in more than capable hands not to be tortured. If she was under a time crunch and duress, the matter would be different. She left Naruko out of her own needs and fear. She gathered the Uzumaki clan and rebuilt Uzu while planning on reconnecting with her daughter later on, where she was hopefully mature and understanding enough to accept her plight. She wouldn't have expected her to be cold and calculating along with Hiruzen training her. Along with that, she never said anything about how she was raised as well. She gave loose answers and saw the bare minimum of her in her happy front Naruko used to escape harsher beatings. Not the true Naruko until the chunin exams. Well, you can accept it however you like tho. It's just a story.
georgieisthepuncher - I'm glad you enjoyed the story to the point that you could re-read it. The current harem members are as follows, Kurama, Kyoya, Yakumo, Kamui (I still need to make it official), Itachi (need the right time to appear before I can make it official), and Isaribi (planning on meeting her soon enough). A heavy lean towards no considering her official main weapon is Kyoya. Not telling as that would be spoiling. And we will see about that.
StringDman - I am and I'm glad you enjoy this story and I wanted to make a certain trio's dynamic though. Pein is the puppet leader with Madara being the actual secret head of the organization and Konon being Pein's rook or 'angel' in this case.
GalenTheEternal - I'm working on it.
PikaMew1288 - Actually, I'm not. Orochimaru is weaker than Pein, Itachi, and Madara as they have their own levels. That I know. I meant Orochimaru is higher than Naruko at this point. He's still dangerous and I'm not dismissing him as a pissant because he's still a threat. Obito can be taken down rather easily if his Kamui is removed, though.
Einjeru Hatake - I'm glad you enjoy it and I hope you like this update as well.
Guest#2 - Thank you and I'm working on that update as well.
Shadow Wolf 15846 - Thanks and I hope you enjoy this chapter.
god of all - Thank you and I will don't worry.
Guest#3 - I love Tanya von Degurechaff and she's a wonderful character, but I'm glad you enjoyed my version of Naruko as well along with my badass fic. I love the cabbages trope, it's a bit silly, but it just makes me giggle. Kamui is a wonderful character, along with his bloodlust. And Kamui is from Gintama, an anime I completely recommend. It seems slow and a joke at first, but it has a good story the more you watch it. I'm glad I got a loyal reader and I hope you continue to read it as produce more chapters.
Bigrob1945 - Thank you and I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Rebmul - Hmm...You never know. The story goes where it wants.
xXxOtAkU-444xXx - I'm glad you enjoy it. I hope you will enjoy this chapter.
~Kourtney Uzu Yato!