Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, seriously. The lawyers can start laying off with their manila envelopes and squeaky leather shoes.
Author's notes: I just realize what a terrible man I am. Really, like seriously. I've reread all 21 pages of reviews and countless e-mails that have put me on their favorites.
And here I left it at a stupid cliffhanger.
Now I won't act like everything is okay. Some may be mad, some might have abandoned the fic altogether (or even have forgotten Kitsune Mask ever existed), but I'll present you Chapter 32. You can start pelting me with rotten tomatoes now.
WARNINGS: Unbeta-edness, Potty-mouth Manda…and lots of blood play. And moar, I repeat, moar author's notes on the status and future of the story.
From faraway, Sasuke could hear the sounds of battle starting. The gates of Rashomon have opened, letting Sound ninjas inside the village. Konoha and Sand, who honored the alliance between them, fought side by side. The other Kages of the Mist, Grass and Rock continued to stay neutral, just watching from the sidelines and defending themselves if need be.
Almost all the people have been evacuated; the streets of Konoha were desolate once more. Fires were burning in the village, smoke rose in some parts of Konoha.
It was midway through the tragedy of Konoha.
"NARUTO!!"
Sasuke's scream pierced through the shrieks of metal, the explosions and the panicking civilians.
War was upon Konoha. War that was initiated by the Snake Sannin, Orochimaru. The pale man had wrought down countless armies conscripted from various hamlets around Sound village and from Kabuto's cloning vats.
The ninjas of Konoha were quick to respond to the call of the times, and Suna kept to their word, although half of the allied forces were now divided, one to help defend the village, and one to retrieve the jinchuuriki, Sabaku no Gaara.
The same jinchuuriki that was destined to have been the fifth Kazekage, the strongest ninja of the village of Sand.
"NARUTO!!"
Unlike the former attempt during the Third Hokage's reign, the Konoha ninjas were able to stave off the assaulting forces more efficiently and with lesser casualties. After all, this time Suna was helping Konoha in the fight; not the other way around.
The supposed clones were nothing more than cannon fodder; acting more like meat dolls than anything. Zombies would have had made a better army than the moaning mass of flesh that were the clones of class C or class B Sound chuunins. They had easily fallen under the rains of knives and shurikens, under the various techniques, jutsus the ninjas performed and cast.
But it was not Orochimaru's way to fail on planning. After all, he was the most cunning of the three Sannin's. None was the wiser among the three of them, but Orochimaru had the edge when it came to cunning.
"NARUTO!!"
The village of leaves.
It was a mistake to call it Konohagakure anymore.
For the village was red, and thick with the smell of blood. The streets had flown with crimson, the houses painted unwillingly.
In cold, solid, red.
People will remember the day that the mountains of Konoha, and the faces of the former Hokages, all shone in dazzling scarlet.
Chapter 32: Sasuke Hollers! The Solution to the Seal!
"Enough with your screaming, pest."
Naruto stopped the chase, feet alighting softly on the roof of a large apartment. Orochimaru, Kabuto, Gaara and him decided to split up a few minutes ago.
The blond felt irritated though, when Tsunade nodded at Sasuke; as she fell in pursuit towards the Snake Sannin. Four ANBUs made trail for Kabuto, while the two Sand Siblings opted for their youngest, yet most deadliest.
Sasuke and Naruto had a habit of finding themselves face to face almost everywhere they went.
"A surprise." Naruto grunted, his face contorted in vexation. "Sasuke never screams after his enemies."
"I don't." Sasuke replied, eyes locked on the blond's with intense concentration. "At least not with any other but you."
"Fuck you." Naruto spat at a puddle of blood. "Don't you ever get tired of lying time and time again?!"
"Don't you ever get tired of denying what I'm trying to say here, idiot?" Sasuke immediately bit his lip, not meaning to blurt out the last word. It had always been a habit for him to call anyone with blond, spiky hair; an idiot.
"I, fucking, don't need you asshole." Naruto grounded out. "I have the power to make everyone acknowledge me! I don't need yours anymore!!"
Naruto lost no time in summoning Kusanagi to his hand before he made a straight assault towards the Uchiha. The blade had full intention of slicing Sasuke's face in half had the older boy brought his own sword a second too late.
"Well, that was lame." Sasuke taunted, intent on irritating the blond. "With that kind of fighting, you'd really need Orochimaru's help."
Naruto screamed, anguish and anger flecked in the shout of his soul. The slashes of Kusanagi lost all forms of accuracy and sacrificed it for power. Sasuke was nimble enough to dodge the heavy flails of the flimsy blade; but he was amazed at the destruction Naruto had made.
Every single cut of the blade that landed on the roof of the building had cut down through each floor, down until the first floor. Sasuke wondered whether the Frog Boss' sword could handle such power from the legendary blade.
Naruto continued with his power-driven attacks, demolishing every building Sasuke had landed on. He was stricken-blind with fury, all forms of control lost in the intent of removing the object of his ire.
He's furious. Sasuke smirked, everything according to plan. Hokage-sama was right. Separating Naruto and Orochimaru using physical distance can weaken their link. Naruto's emotions would wear the link down, and though I doubt that this would destroy the binding now; it would be enough to bring the level down to a point where we can separate Naruto from Orochimaru's control.
Sasuke was brought out of his musing, when a kage bunshin had appeared almost instantly above him.
"Shit!" Sasuke spoke too soon, as a third Naruto appeared behind him, almost impaling him with the clone-Kusanagi.
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"…ahhh…"
One sword.
"Haaagh!!"
Two swords.
"AAAAGH!!"
Three swords.
"…ha…agh…"
Four Swords.
Naruto looked up from Sasuke's surprised face, his grip on Kusanagi tightening.
A feral grin.
A sword pushed upwards.
A spurt of blood, trickling down on whiskered scars.
A violent push.
A more violent scream in the afternoon air.
"Orochimaru! You coward!"
Tsunade roared after the tanned man, punching each and every snake he threw at her. Orochimaru seemed to have an endless supply of those things hidden underneath his sleeves.
(A/N: For those who still remembers, Orochimaru had possessed Gen'yumaru's body; who has a tanned complexion.)
"My, my princess." Orochimaru taunted. "So aggressive. It wouldn't do good for your complexion to be this angry. Just look at those frown lines."
"YOU WORRY FOR YOUR COMPLEXION WHEN I GET TO PUNCH YOUR SLIMY FACE!" Tsunade retaliated, her hand catching on a roof of a building and single-handedly tore it out and threw it at the Snake sannin. (!)
Orochimaru hadn't seriously expected that. He immediately braced himself, the whole roof exploding on him. He was thrown back, a few houses through and through, before he landed on bloodied rubble in one of the town's main streets.
"Haah…haah…" Tsunade kicked a boulder off, her hands ready to punch Orochimaru if she saw her ugly mug. Only his clothes and snakeskin were left though. She spat at the side, clenching her fist tighter.
He's a snake alright.
"Princess Tsunade."
She straightened immediately, turning around and surprised to see Orochimaru hurling a boulder at her using his tongue at high speed. She used her elbow to guard herself from the boulder, which blew up as it made contact.
"You think you can keep me away from Naruto-kun?"
No! Tsunade gritted her teeth. Orochimaru had caught on with their plan! I have to keep him busy! Long enough for Sasuke to aggravate Naruto!
"Hmm…" Orochimaru opened his palm with the seal. "Naruto is enjoying something." He licked at it furtively. "Tch, he's massacring the Uchiha brat. I warned him, but he won't listen."
Orochimaru made no further comment as he made for the blond's direction. Tsunade was in pursuit, this time not to stop Orochimaru; but to confirm what he said.
Her anger at the snake had to be thrown away for the meantime, more concerned at both her wards now.
She should have thrown that winning lottery ticket when she had the chance.
Only licking sounds could be heard from five bodies in an awkward position.
Four swords were impaled on Sasuke's right lung, dead center. Three clones holding the blades above, beneath and behind Sasuke.
The original one licking the blood trailing down his own Kusanagi.
"Y-you're sick." Sasuke wheezed, finding pain for every breath he took. "Stop licking my blood…it's gross."
"You think I like this?" Naruto glared at him, his tongue darting out for more blood. "You think I like licking your dirty blood? To hell with you, if that's the case. Your blood tastes like salt. It's pathetic and worthless."
Sasuke frowned, but said no more. The licking went on for a few more minutes before he spoke once more.
"You should stop that."
"…"
"I have AIDS."
Naruto nonchalantly dug his sword deeper in Sasuke's chest, earning a yowl of pain from the brunet.
"Can't take a joke now, can we?" Sasuke laughed, though it did him more pain than when he was just plain talking.
"Why do you keep talking to me, even when you're in deep pain?" Naruto finally spoke up, his lips bright red from the sanguine liquid. His delicate eyebrows were contorted in a displeased frown. "Idiot…" He grunted.
"Why did you keep licking my blood, even if it tasteshorrible?" Sasuke countered, his conviction numbing the throbbing pain in his chest. "If I'm an idiot, then you're one sick fuck."
Naruto looked pensive, and so did Sasuke. A quiet moment came between them for just a few seconds.
"It just has to be this way, huh?" Sasuke muttered. "One of us has to be either mutilated, on the verge of death, or either missing a body a part for us to have a civil conversation."
"We don't have missing body parts." Naruto pointed out.
"In the future, probably."
Silence.
"You're going to die today. There is no future."
Sasuke called his bluff.
"Orochimaru wants my body. He won't let me die…at least not yet."
"Your body might not, but your will shall disappear." Naruto looked away. "Orochimaru will have your body, I will follow him. He'll use that body against mine again and again. I will not fight against him for that."
"At least…think of me when he does that."
Naruto frowned.
"I cannot grant you that wish. The only thing I can grant you is your release from this pain."
Sasuke smiled softly, fingers twitching involuntarily from the overdue fatigue.
"Then, release me."
Naruto nodded, calling off Kusanagi, and his three other clones. Sasuke immediately fell limply on the destroyed roof, relieved that the pain on his lung had gone now. Blood flowed heavily on his side, he'd worry about that later.
"Thanks…oof…" He landed with a thud on the hard gravel and bits of rubble, gritting his teeth as stones dug into this chest and stomach.
"You're welcome." Naruto muttered, indifferent to Sasuke's pain. "I'm not this kind, Sasuke. I'm following his orders not to kill you."
"Yeah." Sasuke heaved, growing quiet. "Maybe."
Naruto's face reflected uncertainty at that moment. Sadness, wanting to comfort. Where those unbidden tears on those immaculate eyes?
"Sasuke, I – RAAAAAAAAARGH!! AAAAAAAAAAAGHHH!!"
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"..."
Behind Naruto, Gaara stood coldly, impassive. On his hand was an empty vial, his missing necklace; its red contents unseen.
The redhead had poured whatever it was onto the blond.
"NARUTO!" Sasuke couldn't see the blond from where he was lying, but the sudden scream roused him in an instant. "TELL ME WHAT'S HAPPENING NARUTO!!"
The blond didn't answer, couldn't answer. A swirling red mist encircled Naruto, burning his skin, peeling deep layers away, slowly being regenerated by the Kyuubi's chakra before being peeled away again.
"Gaara, stop it!" Temari called from behind him. "You're hurting Naruto! You're hurting your friend."
The boy turned around, his eyes cold. "I have no control over this. I never did have control in the first place."
A shadow rose from beside Gaara, revealing a humped back figure with a black cloak and crimson cloud patterns.
They spoke as one, the man's deep timbre and the boy's strained voice.
"I am no one ever since. I am already dead. I am but a doll."
Sasuke looked shocked, when Gaara's head turned around three hundred and sixty degrees to look at him. The figure behind merely stared at him with his beady little pupils.
"So you must be Itachi-kun's little brother." Both Gaara and the figure spoke.
"I am Sasori of the Red Sand. Yoroshiku, Itachi no otouto." The voice was rumbly, but there was a hint of elegance. Deathly it was...but still elegant.
Sasuke had no words for either the hate he felt at being addressed like that, the horrifying feeling from Naruto's pained screams, or the pain from his own deep wound in his chest.
He had lost a lot of blood, had a gaping hole the size of a fist, and was carelessly incapacitated to do anything.
"W-what's happening to Naruto? The hell did you put on him?!" Sasuke gritted through his teeth, mustering the strength to counter the pain.
Sasori looked towards the blond who had already bled in far too many places.
"It is a poisonous acid that corrodes the skin alone. It evaporates and condenses on the nearest solid object, so it's fairly hard to remove." He spoke a matter-of-factly. "I would not bother with it while it is in effect. The acid is locked on, into his chakra signature."
"Naruto…" Sasuke whispered, weakness settling in. A cough of blood followed suit, as he hacked over in pain.
"Nghh….hurts…" Naruto moaned, the acid finally dissipating in the air. He fell down with a soft thud, spilling his own blood the minute his body made contact with cement. "I shouldn't…feel pain…why do I feel pain…"
Sasori looked over the jinchuuriki of the nine-tails, before his eyes traveled to Orochimaru, Tsunade, and another person wearing the same clothes as Sasori did.
"I'm simply using this poison for your benefit as well as ours, jinchuuriki. It seems your chakra system is being shaken well enough to break your binding." Sasori's eyes slid towards a group of people in a distance.
His eyes narrowed on his once-partner.
"Itachi."
Orochimaru had spoken the name so silkily, one might not have any thoughts that grievances had happened between the two males.
"Does Akatsuki wish to rid me now?" Orochimaru didn't blink for one second, keeping his eye below Itachi's eye level. "Or am I being too much of a threat for even them to handle?"
Itachi scoffed at him, eyes haughty at the statement.
"Don't flatter yourself Orochimaru." His eyes pointedly glanced at Orochimaru's right hand. So much chakra pooled into one part of his body. He shook slightly.
"Hm, so that's the binding technique I've heard so much about." Itachi returned to looking at the discomfited Sannin. "It is rather quite taxing to your chakra reserve, is it not?"
"Shame, you had to sacrifice your immortality for Naruto-kun."
Everything was silent for a few moments, before laughter erupted from the sibilant man's lips. Orochimaru had rather found it funny.
"Akatsuki would not kill me, Itachi-kun." Orochimaru staggered around, as if a great weight was removed from him. "Naruto's life is bound to mine. No amount of the bijuu's chakra can save him from death when I die as a consequence."
"The organization's plan would be of no significance if that happens."
Itachi was quiet. Deathly silence before he closed his eyes and remarked.
"You will disappear regardless. Your target was never Naruto, but the Kyuubi inside him."
Tsunade had rushed to both of Naruto's and Sasuke's side. The blond had done a better job healing himself than did the Uchiha, who was teetering on consciousness due to the shock of blood loss.
She had been listening on the two men's conversations while he was healing Sasuke's wound. Orochimaru is right. It would do Akatsuki no good if they killed him. Naruto, and the Kyuubi inside, would disappear as well.
"The boy is fusing well with his bijuu." Orochimaru stated, shrugging. "Sooner or later, there will be no Kyuubi as there is no Naruto. The boy and the beast will become one."
"Your taint must not reach his spirit." Itachi spoke casually, deathly calm in the air.
"Nani?" Orochimaru countered, more cocky than cautious now. "I have merely given the boy he desired. I have given him the ability to be with Sasuke again."
Tsunade turned towards the boy she was healing. Sasuke had heard, Sasuke had heard it all right. His hands fisted into tight balls, his eyes held a look that came with revelation.
"Naruto will never grow strong surrounded with hate. I have realized that since the beginning. I have merely strengthened his love for your younger brother. Either way, it all works for me."
Orochimaru turned towards the blond, still unconscious and steadily healing himself.
"It is a sick and twisted love. A type of love that goes against those he cares about. He loves this village so much that he wants to crush it. He loved your brother so badly, he wanted to kill him more than anyone else."
"With this, he will be stronger and so shall I." The man laughed in a strained voice, facing the heavens. "His body will be mine, and his spirit shall be free for me to use."
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A large figure from Itachi's side had immediately materialized and driven its sword into Orochimaru. Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan was madly spinning before they stopped.
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"This…" Orochimaru hacked, blood flowing from his mouth. "…not die. I do not die…no mortal weapon can kill me!!"
He stopped though, horrified. He had felt a tugging, no, a sucking force from the blade that entered his physical body. The blade was rather surreal, almost ethereal or plasmic.
Where the blade entered Orochimaru's body, it came out of Naruto's back, a few good meters away. The ghost-like blade protruded distinctively, but neither had it disturbed the boy or his healing process.
"Cannot…be…" Orochimaru fell helpless as he felt his soul being pulled into the sword. "This sword…"
"The spirit sword you were also looking for. I had it hidden until the time was right." Itachi clipped, the urge to mock the Sannin coming up. "A seeming waste. All those years of learning forbidden techniques…and not one can save you from this."
Almost half of Orochimaru's spiritual body was disappearing into the blade.
"NARUTO!!" He wailed, anger more than fear in his disembodied voice. "WAKE UP AND - "
He stopped, noticing the blade sucking up something dark from the boy's body.
"Oh? It looks like the spirit sword is also draining your influence from the boy." Itachi glanced at his side, a hint of amusement in his face. "Years of questions on how to quell this forbidden jutsu, and both the object of your death and life was the sole answer to it all."
"You knew!" Orochimaru raged, first time feeling hatred at the older Uchiha. "You had known all these years!"
"A theory, yes. But there was another reason." Itachi massaged his temples. "Akatsuki knows you plan to taint the Kyuubi with your chakra. Should your taint mix with the beast, we would have problems once we extracted it from the boy."
"You planned on actually using Akatsuki to collect all the tailed beasts, and once we had gathered all of their energies; corrupt them from the inside and control it for yourself."
Orochimaru bit back, his intricate plan was understood by Itachi. He indeed, was the genius of the Uchiha clan.
"In the end…"
Itachi glanced at the fallen blond, so did Orochimaru, Tsunade...and Sasuke.
"Naruto…" He whispered oh-so softly, like his voice was about to break like the most fragile glass. Like he was afraid the blond would hear him call out to him.
"In the end…it was still about the Kyuubi." The blond eased up from his lying-down, propping himself with one shoulder. He failed though, as broken bones caused him to collapse back onto the floor. "You're the absolute worst…Orochimaru…"
The seal on his left hand started to dissolve, dissipate into the air and into the spirit sword sticking out of his back. No mark was left in his hand, for that Naruto felt relieved, grateful even.
Orochimaru was unable to scream further, as he finally disappeared into the blade. Susanoo dissipated, disappeared.
Itachi momentarily staggered, willing his eyes to adjust back into the normal Sharingan. It took him a few moments, but he was finally able to do it.
"Itachi."
Sasori spoke up, his rumbly voice was grating to the ears. "Termination of Orochimaru complete. You made me wait for so long."
Itachi shook his head. "My apologies, Master Sasori. I guess we should head back now. Deidara and Kisame are waiting in the forest for us."
Sasori felt a tug in his coat. He looked down to see the pitiful form of the blond, lips moving without sound.
"Gaara?" Sasori looked up towards the doll waiting for his command. "The boy has long been dead, jinchuuriki. What you have seen for the last few months was but a shoten doll."
He dispelled the jutsu with a flick of his scorpion tail. The Gaara in front of them erupted into a pinion of sand, disappearing completely into the air.
"I would have loved to add the boy's body to my collection. But he had caused cellular genocide on himself using his sand before I was able to terminate it."
"Gaara…was not defiled." Naruto relaxed a bit, lowering himself to rest. "That's…good…"
Sasori bent closer towards Naruto's ear. His voice seemed to come deep from inside Sasori, instead of Sasori speaking himself.
"Naruto-kun." A youthful voice spoke silkily. "Let's play again when we capture you. Offer your body to me and be part of my collection."
Naruto did not answer. Sasori spoke no further and nodded at Itachi before both Akatsuki members leaped away to a destroyed section of Konohagakure's wall.
"Naruto-kun." Itachi gave a soft warning, uncaring whether the blond heard him or not. "Three years and we will come after you. Until then, be strong and live. Prove yourself worthy of a hunt for us."
His eyes glanced towards Sasuke for a brief moment before they both disappeared into the horizon.
Akatsuki would not be seen again until three years.
Tsunade felt helpless as she surveyed the scene unfolding before her. The lifeless body of Orochimaru, the patchwork healing she had done for Sasuke ( a clean section of flesh had covered the gaping hole earlier ), and the teetering blond, who was finally able to stand up on his own.
Orochimaru is dead. Akatsuki did not take Naruto away. Konoha was nearly destroyed.
Footsteps.
"Tadaima…baa-chan…" (I am home, grandma)
Naruto nervously smirked, as he knelt in front of Sasuke and Tsunade.
"Okaeri…Naruto…" (Welcome back.)
Tsunade silently cried, yet a simple smile was upon her lips.
The Sound hitai-ate (forehead protector) from Naruto's neck slid loosely, falling into stone with a loud clang.
The calmness was short-lived though, when the ground below Konoha rumbled in an instant.
The blood-soaked streets of Konoha cracked, rumbled, bucked and tore apart; revealing masses and masses of black, swamp snakes. They flowed endlessly in torrents from burrows in the ground. The red sea of blood was replaced with black, squirming bodies.
"Orochimaru!" Tsunade gritted, biting her thumb and running it into the ground. Tough luck, she tried summoning her slug; but the outrageous amount of chakra she spent earlier against Orochimaru and on Sasuke left her dry.
Naruto bit his own, and poured all of his concentration into that one summoning. An outrageously large seal erupted outwards him and coalesced to form a giant snake above Konoha.
The snake dropped from the height, shaking the streets more and squishing a few blocks worth of black swamp snakes.
"NARUTO!!" Manda growled, breaking a few glass windows in the vicinity. "YOU BETTER HAVE A BANQUET FOR ME WHEN YOU SUMMONED ME!!"
"Shut your trap, old snake!" Naruto answered back, unperturbed, "The streets are lined with Orochimaru's corpses! Listen, I need you to hold your brood back!"
"FUUCKKK!!" Manda whined, squirming and squishing a few more snakes in his wake. "THESE ARE OROCHIMARU'S BLOOD SNAKES!! DID THE GEEZER DROP DEAD OR SOMETHIN'?!"
"He's…" Naruto was about to point at Orochimaru's corpse before Manda took a dive and devoured everything, including half of the building where Orochimaru's body had lain. "…you just had to go and eat it, huh?"
"THE MAN PISSED ME OFF." Manda flicked a tongue out, satisfied with himself. "SO YOU WANT HIS PETS AWAY? PAYMENT IS COMPLETE, I'LL CLEAN THE STREETS FOR YOU."
And by cleaning, Manda meant devouring every single snake that came in his way. The giant boss snake charged through each and every street, devouring every corpse and snake that found itself in front of his mouth.
Naruto stood strong on the roof, overseeing Manda's work. He was careful enough to give instructions to spit out any bystander he might eat. Manda kept to his word every now and then, but Naruto had to make sure. Snakes are sly by nature.
The cannibalistic fest had ended with Manda coiling up towards the building Naruto, Tsunade and Sasuke had situated. Both master and summon regarded each other, before the snake let out a hearty burp that reverberated across the plains.
"OOH…MY STOMACH IS FULL…" Manda let out a sigh, his breath teeming with the smell of stale blood and bodies. "UNTIL NEXT TIME BRAT, IT WAS NICE DOING BUSINESS WITH YOU."
Manda stayed no longer and disappeared in a giant explosion of smoke.
Naruto immediately buckled onto his knees and blacked out
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The storm has past.
Konoha still stood. Shaken, but standing proud.
It will be a beautiful tomorrow.
Naruto knew it, even if his vision of the sun slowly disappeared. Even if darkness came once more to claim him.
Even if the last thing he remembered were the eyes of a fox.
A/N:
Finally finished Chapter 32! Well, not really finished. It rather looked half-assed to me. …whimpers…
Okay, first and foremost, a big thanks to everyone who reviewed. The reason Chapter 32 is here is because people took time to review and share their ideas. It may not be that obvious, but I actually took a lot of ideas from the review pages. wink wink
Alright, for the interested people. Here's the whole plan actually. Chapter 33 will be set Two Years Later, this time the pace will be slower and more relaxed. Bad boy Naruto's phase could be in an end? I dunno, I need another excuse to cause him to turn to the dark side (har har).
I'll prolly end the story eight chapters from now, but I'll be pretty sure to wrap things up by then.
After that, I'll go back to Chapter 1 and redo EACH AND EVERY CHAPTER AGAIN. For the fourth time, I might add.
I have grown, and I don't like my writing style 2 years back. I overdid a few things, and made some things confusing. I'll bulk the story up, though I might remove a few parts as well, not that it'll affect the story or anything.
The next few chapters will be mostly calm years for Konoha, so I really hope the readers can suggest some fun stuff for them to do. I've lost interest in the anime a year back, hence another reason why I was hesitant to update this story.
EDIT: Okay, so I guess Naruto's bad-boy phase isn't over. A plot chicken just pecked me in the eye. XD
A/N Part 2:
SPOILER ALERT!
Spirit Sword? Susanoo? Itachi? I'm afraid I spoiled a lot of non-manga readers with this revelation. I tried to hide as little details as possible about this, but Kishimoto's idea stuck to my head.
Orochimaru didn't die. His body, yes. But not his soul. The seal weakens when Orochimaru is away, how more if he was sent to another dimension? I hope that clears some things up.
Take note this is not my idea, m'kay? I've been reading the manga as well, so nobody point fingers at me that I'm stealing sensei's ideas. I have disclaimers. Disclaimers!! XD
Update will come when ideas pop up. The more ideas I get, the faster the update will be. Chapter 32 took 3 years for me to start writing and 2 days to finish it. Weird huh?
First time I've experienced trying to crack my skull open after writing all of this. Updating a Kingdom Hearts fanfic, re-writing another Naruto fic, and posting another Kingdom Hearts fanfic didn't help one bit at all.
…goes away and shakes head, muttering something about peanut butter and potatoes…