Brandon Varnell's Blog, page 21

A bit of news.

I don't usually post here for simple news, but figured it might be a good idea this time. I've got some potentially good news.

Though I do not want any of you to get your hopes up, it looks like next Friday you guys may be receiving a double update of Harry Potter and Devil Ninja. I'm almost finished with next chapter of Harry Potter and the Heir of Slytherin, and Devil Ninja is also pretty much finished, I just need to edit it.

Chapter 8 of Devil Ninja will also be one of my longest chapters to date for this story at somewhere around 20,000 words, so there is that to look forward to. Harry Potter won't be as long, I suspect somewhere around 10,000 or 11,000 words, but still not bad considering most writers don't go above 5,000 word chapters.

Now, before I leave all of you I have a few things to announce. First, tomorrow I'll be posting a review of the anime Black Bullet. I hope you look forward to it. Second, I was wondering if any of you had any thoughts on what kind of writing tips you'd like me to give. I haven't had any lately, mostly because I'm not sure what you guys need help with. Any thoughts you guys have would be helpful.

Devil Ninja, Chapter 4

Devil Ninja Chapter 4 Q&ACerulean Knight: You know, I don't actually remember what Ero-Debegame means. I remember looking up a good nickname for Naruto to call Issei but couldn't find any. Then I google translated two words individually and combine them to get Debegame...the problem is I don't remember what two words I translated. Lol.Now, without giving away any real spoilers, I can't tell you much about Kurama. All I can say is that he has a part to play in this story...it may be indirectly, or he may be more involved than you think, but he will have some kind of role here.Naruto's mutated piece is going to be very unique, and I will explain why after the Rating Game with Raizer arc.A good question. The answer to that is no, Naruto is not part youkai, at least not right now. Who knows what the future holds though. He may become a youkai due to Kurama's chakra at some point, but plot twists like that are a long ways off.ShadowStar91: You make a very good point, however, without going into too much detail let me assuage your fears about this flaw you found. First, know that I have actually thought about that very same thing and come up with a suitable hypothesis (at least a hypothesis that is suitable and within the boundaries for a Shonen Manga) for why Naruto is able to be a member of Rias's peerage even though his piece is not a standard Evil Piece of even a standard Mutated Piece. It actually ties intimately into why Naruto is here and why Rias is the one who has him in her peerage. This is something that will be explained later in the story, like, after the the Rating Game with Raizer.Pltrgest: You know something? I agree. Fortunately, you will be getting more BAMF in the next chapter. Please look forward to it.Kid Coheed:I did indeed. I actually originally tried putting it into the chapter itself, but it just wouldn't fit anywhere so I ended up using it as an Omake. I'll probably do more so don't hesitate to give me any ideas for what you want to see.As for your thoughts on Naruto's Evil Piece...well, I can't give away any spoilers, but I think you'll be thoroughly pleased when I do the big “reveal” about what his piece is and why Rias was able to use it to reincarnate him.NarutoDkurosaki: In the High School DxD world Kurama would be ranked at the same level as one of the Twin Heavenly Dragons, Albion and Ddraig. And if you want another comparison, then the Juubi is on a level of power just short of Ophis
nrvbdnd: You and everyone else. Don't worry. The action will pick up soon.

Devil Ninja, Chapter 5

High School DxD Q&A for Chapter 5Son of Helios: I do eventually plan on going over how Naruto arrived in this world, at least vaguely. I'm not going to outright tell you the “how” because I feel it would be better to leave the details up to you, the readers, but I will give you enough information to let your imaginations run wild with all kinds of awesome and implausible scenarios.I have to disagree. I think if someone like Rias or Koneko asked him about his powers, he would be more than willing to tell them. This Naruto isn't all secretive and shinobi-like. This is a slightly more mature and wise version of canon Naruto, and canon Naruto is an open book who's almost always completely honest.Shuredda Sora: Of course Naruto's a little OC. First off, this is fanfiction. Every Naruto in Naruto fanfiction is going to be slightly OC. It's impossible for someone who isn't Kishimoto to create an exact replica of Naruto. Second, my Naruto has already been through the fourth great shinobi war, so he's a bit more mature than canon Naruto.Who said anything about love at first sight? Naruto is devoted to Rias because she gave him a second chance and a goal: to become the strongest devil in the world. In some ways, Naruto was like a more cheerful version of Haku after ending up in the High School DxD world, in which case, Rias is like Zabuza here. She gave him a purpose, a reason to exist. Hence his devotion to her.Rias' affection for Naruto makes even more sense. First, all members of the Gremory clan are very affectionate towards their servants. Second, Naruto is a mystery that she wants to solve. She knows she's beautiful, she knows of the effect she has on men. She is trying to use her feminine wiles to get close to Naruto and figure him out. It just so happens that Naruto is such a bright and likable character that she's slowly beginning to fall for him.Biotechnus: Raynare died. Rias killed her, just like in canon. That's why I didn't show it.ImagineBreaker7: You can be sure that Naruto leaving Mittelt and her companion alive will have some impact on future chapters. I'm not going to say much, because I don't want to ruin the story, but I can tell you that these two will have a role to play in the future. I never do anything without there being some kind of deeper motivation behind it.Hikaru no Suzaku: Yes, his stats are almost reversed now. And normally, that would be the case, his Uzumaki heritage would ensure he has massive reserves. What most people fail to realize is that Naruto's chakra coils were destroyed, not just damaged, not ruined, destroyed. When Naruto entered the High School DxD universe, his chakra coils were gone, utterly gone, as if they had never existed in the first place. Rias managed to reverse this with her healing and now he has chakra coils, but she couldn't completely reverse the damage done to him so his coils are much smaller than they used to be. Ergo, he has the reserves of an above average genin on the level of Sasuke Uchiha when the Naruto anime first started.Akuma-Heika: At the moment, no, Naruto cannot use the Rasengan. He will eventually though, just not right now. He doesn't have enough chakra.And Rias does not have an extra piece. She traded in two pawns, in return she got a mutated pawn piece and Naruto's piece. That means she only has the traditional fifteen piece set.0 Jordinio 0: I'm sorry to hear you don't like the romance, but I'm going to let you know it's not going away any time soon. You say the romance feels forced, unnatural and cheesy. I say you're imposing your own dislike of romance onto my story. Something you need to really understand is that romance ALWAYS feels kind of cheesy. When your dealing with all that lovey dovey stuff, it's going to feel cheesy to anybody who is uncomfortable reading stuff like that. The fact that you mentioned it tells me you're uncomfortable with romance. There's nothing wrong with that, but it still means you're imposing your own desire to see less romance in my fic simply because you do not like reading romance. Even your claim that you think I'm better at writing action than romance is you imposing your own desires on me.I'm going to be honest here, I am a hopeless romantic. I love romance. I love reading about it. In my stories, romance always plays a key role because I enjoy the romantic aspects more than any other part of my story. I enjoy the actions and drama and epic fights too, of course, but those parts would get boring for me if I did not have the romance. I suppose in some ways you could say that you and I are opposites. I like romance, you don't, and that's okay. However, because I am the writer, I am going to continue writing romance. If you don't like it, I'm sorry to hear that, but it's not going to change.All my fanfics are given the genre Romance/Adventure because the romance is just as important as everything else. Keep that in mind when you read my fics.
Blckwlf4: Naruto is taller than Rias.

Devil Ninja, Chapter 3

Chapter 3
Alright, so here you guys are, the chapter 3 Question and Answer sheet for Devil Ninja! Before we
begin, let us all take a quick moment to clasp our hands in prayer and give thanks to The Log.

'you are fools! your log is but a mockery of the power of ninja!- the ninja from the desert
declared. and the people shook their heads.

you have been denied the log for a long time, sandwalker. we cannot force you to see the
glory of the log, but know this. when the time comes, and you have no other allies to call
upon, the log will hear your prayers, and aid you.'

-book of the log, redwood journals verses 15-16

And now that I have read you...er... wrote you, this excerpt from the book of the log, let us get on
with the question and answer.

nad the destroyer: The reason I have some of my story viewed from Rias' point of view is because I
feel it's impossible to give readers the 'entire picture' from just one point of view (POV). I like giving
multiple POVs so people can see the world I am trying to create from several different eyes, that way
they have more then one perspective and can see the larger picture.

Ero-Debagame roughly translates to Perverted Peeping Tom.

Naruto is the only one who would call Rias by her name and not Buchou.

InflatedChimp: One can only hope. :D

SPark681: If Rias does find a manga that details Naruto's past, it will be as an Omoke and not an
actual part of the story, and if that does happen everyone will know to thank you for delivering this idea
to me. : )

Pepperoni Muncher: Naruto is ranked as a low-level devil. Like Issei and everyone else aside from
Rias, he is on the bottom rung of the Devil hierarchy.

Raidentensho: Considering I have never read Rise of the White Satan: The White Satan, I doubt I'll be
getting any inspiration from that fic. And while your idea of giving Naruto a Sacred Gear is an
interesting one, I don't think I'll be going with it. You won't understand why for a good number of
chapters, but I can guarantee you that he won't be needing any Sacred Gear to kick ass.

Guest: Naruto's chakra coils will eventually recover to what they once were, but not for a long while.
His chakra coils were quite literally destroyed, so he has to start from the level of a moderately strong
genin.

excalibur812: I don't know, but I don't really think it matters if it does. It's true enough that Manda
demands sacrifices before he is willing to let anyone summon him for battle, though, and I feel it adds
something to the story. Whether it's fandom or AU doesn't really matter. This is fanfiction, after all.

Well, that looks like all of the questions people had for me. Feel free to post if you have anymore, or
wish to talk about something specific on this blog.

Devil Ninja, Chapter 2

Chapter 2I'm posting today to answer some questions that have been asked about my most recent fanfic, Devil Ninja. A good deal of people had very similar questions, so most of them will be easy to answer.Will Naruto be getting a harem?A lot of people have asked me about 'The Harem', some have even gone so far as to assume this fanfic would be a harem and have simply been making suggestions.Before anyone gets too gung ho about The Harem, all of you should know that there is a possibility this story WILL NOT be a harem. To be perfectly honest, I have no clue if I plan on going The Harem route, or sticking with Naruto/Rias. In the end, whether this story remains a single pairing or becomes a harem will be dependent on the story itself. If The Plot cannot progress without a harem, then it will become one. If having a harem will ruin my story, then I will not have one.What's going on with Naruto's chakra?So, this was something that bugged people when I posted my first chapter. Apparently, Naruto was far too weak for their taste because he didn't have chakra.For those who did not get what I did from chapter 1, I took Naruto's chakra away via destroying his chakra coils. I won't tell you how that happened, though you can assume it happened as a result of Naruto sacrificing himself for his friends at the climax to the 4th Great Ninja War.I did this so that Naruto would be at the same level as the enemies he will face at this stage in the story. If I had left him at the same level of power that his canon counterpart is, he would have faced no challenge with anyone until Kokabiel. I dislike it when my characters don't have some kind of challenge, so I deliberately weakened him in order to ensure he was not too strong. If I left Naruto as he was, he would have pawned everyone he came across and that would have made a very boring story.What happened to Naruto?Some people have wondered what happened to Naruto in this story. How did he get to the DxD world? Why were his chakra coils destroyed? I will eventually answer those questions, but I would like to leave it as a mystery for now. As the story progresses, I will give more and more hints about what happened until everyone eventually understands.Though I hope a few of you will figure out what happened to Naruto before then. I left quite a few hints in my first chapter, and it shouldn't be too hard to figure out what went down if you followed the Naruto manga up to this point.Of course, if you only watch the anime you may be lost, but such is life.Where the hell is Kurama?People have been wondering about how favorite nine-tailed furball. I won't tell you what's up with Kurama yet, but I will tell you eventually. You'll just have to be patient until then.Conclusion.
Those were the most generic questions I've been asked in reviews so far. The rest are pretty much along the lines of asking for specifics, which I don't actually have and wouldn't give if I did. I don't want to ruin the story by giving people spoilers. That being said, I hope this went at least a little way towards satisfying some of you.

Ashikabi no Shinobi, Chapter 31

Ashikabi no Shinobi, Chapter 31, Q&A5-digit:Since you asked I am going to tell you right now. If Naruto were to fight every Sekirei in the Sekirei Plan at the same time, including Miya and the other single digits, he would destroy them. Utterly. There is no one on this god given planet who could defeat Naruto now that he's getting serious. Period. Miya comes the closest, but she's only got the raw power (aka chakra reserves) of Uchiha Madara, and Naruto has long since surpassed Madara in both the amount of chakra he possesses and Ninjutsu at his disposal. This is actually why I focus on character development so much. There's simply no one in this story who can prove to be a challenge for him.Guest: The amount of time that has passed is honestly insubstantial. It really doesn't matter, but if you're curious, about 7,000 or so years have passed since the Fourth Great Shinobi War. Every time I've mentioned a specific amount of time that has passed, I was alluding to something that happened X number of years ago, not the true amount of time that has passed.The lemons will actually be starting really soon. After this next arc in fact.Big reveal will be coming soon. That's all I can say.And it will be revealed to everyone who has some place in Naruto's heart. That includes Uzume and Chiho.NarutoDkurosaki: Naruto is acting different than he has in earlier chapters, but this should not really surprise you. One of the things I've done with Naruto's personality is made him a bundle of contradictions. In some ways, you could almost say Naruto has multiple personality disorder. The only difference is that he does not have multiple personalities, just conflicting desires that often cause him to frequently contradict himself. Eventually, Naruto's personality will become more stable.1066wthec: That was not Kakashi. It was a clone of Naruto henged as Kakashi. Nothing more.Milicent Bystander: While I get what you're saying, it's clear to me that you don't really understand what I'm trying to accomplish here. Naruto, the Naruto in this story, is someone who has tried to build a lasting peace like his late sensei would have wanted for THOUSANDS OF YEARS. Thousands, at the very least he tried to bring peace to the world for 5,000 years before giving up. I don't care who you are, there is only so much a person can take before they just give up and let cynicism and bitterness take control of their life. The fact that Naruto managed to hold out for FIVE THOUSAND YEARS is a miracle in and of itself. However, not even someone like Naruto can remain idiotically idealistic forever. There are only so many failures someone can deal with before they've given up, and Naruto reached his limit a long time ago.And for your information, this story is about Naruto finding himself again. It's about him becoming the person he was back when the Elemental Nations still existed, or at least as close to that person as possible.JaXX188: It's not so much that Naruto is like Kiritsugu Emiya so much as it is he just doesn't think about the lives he's taking. Do you think about the ants you step on when you walk? Of course not. To Naruto, most of humanity are like ants. He might help them if they catch his attention, but if he doesn't “see them” so to speak, then he's not gonna be concerned about the number of casualties his plan inflicts. It's sort of like an out of sight out of mind philosophy.
Riceb0x: The reason Naruto didn't Hiraishin Haruka and Kuno out is a two-fold reason. First, he was not about to give away one of his abilities to someone he didn't know and didn't trust. While he could very easily wipe the boy's memories, he simply felt this way was less of a hassle. The other reason is simple, and will actually be revealed in chapter 32.

Ashikabi no Shinobi, Chapter 30

Chapter 30
Nightwing: That's kind of the point. Miya's feelings are very complicated right now. You have to understand that she loves her husband very dearly even though he was not an Ashikabi. These feelings have carried over long after his death.Now she is beginning to react to Naruto. I think I've made it obvious enough by now that I can just come out and tell you that. However, this is causing conflicting emotions for Miya. She loves her husband and doesn't wish to betray his memory by being with another man. At the same time, she is reacting to Naruto. Not only that, but she holds a deep respect for Naruto. She knows that he has suffered more loss and heartbreak than anyone else, enough that any normal person would have given up long ago. Yet even though he is essentially a broken human, he still has that inner strength that his canon side has always possessed, and it's what has always pushed him forward. She sees his inner struggle, his desire to keep his distance. Yet she can also see that he wants more than anything to surround himself with loved ones. This conflict he has makes her feel even closer to him, because she is having those same conflicting feelings right now, albeit, on a much smaller scale.This is why I'm downplaying Miya's reaction to Naruto. Right now she is fighting her own desire to bond with him.As to your other question, I don't really have a favorite character to write for. I like all of the characters I write. I don't think my story would be as good if I actually had a favorite.Guest: Naruto will take the kids gloves off soon, though, it will likely be done in a way you don't expect.Regfurby: I can see why you would feel Naruto's fluctuating personality is a cause for concern. Let me see if I can clear up the reason for his constant change of emotions.Naruto is currently struggling against himself. A part of him wants nothing more than to leave all this behind, the Sekirei Plan, his Sekirei, the people he's met, everything. This part of him, the one you see most of the time but has been coming out more and more recently, is more or less a shield, a protective shell that he shows to the world so he can't be hurt by losing people he loves anymore. After all, if you can't get close to someone, it won't hurt you when they die.On the other hand, that's not really who Naruto is. Naruto is the kind of person who cherishes his bonds. He wants more than anything to love and be loved. To have people he can protect and cherish and love. It is a fundamental part of his psyche that not even 6,000 years can take away. And yet it is this very part of him that has caused him so much pain over the years. How many people has he grown close to only to watch them die? How many women has he loved, only to be forced to sit there and watch on helplessly as they fade from his life? How much tragedy has seen? How many times was he forced to watch as his dreams of a peaceful world were burned to ash by the very humans he was trying to bring this peace about for? There is a reason he has avoided getting to close to people for a little over a thousand years, you know.This is why is personality fluctuates so much. He currently has two, though in the beginning he had three. One is his true personality, the other is a shell, a mask that he presents to others in order to protect himself.As to your other comment, no one is perfect. Naruto makes mistakes like everyone else.Dragonblaze9173: Actually, if you go back to when Naruto and Matsu were talking before he met with Takami, you would know that Naruto is the one who presented Matsu with the information on the Sekirei Crests.Wyverns: Would you think you're still human after upwards of 5,000 years of life? Naruto is immortal. He has lived far longer than any human has a right too, and he has more power than any human has ever dreamed of. How can he be human when he has so much power? When he has lived for so long? What's more, you have to understand that Naruto doesn't like humanity as a whole. He has seen the ugly side of humanity far too often for his liking, and it's given him a disgust for his own species. He doesn't want to associate himself with a race of beings that are perfectly willing to commit genocide, that use religion as an excuse for war, that are greedy and self-centered and perfectly willing to hurt others if it means getting what they want. It's hypocritical of him, but then, he is still human even if he doesn't want to admit it.Velial Madness: Naruto's not angsty because he is immortal, but because his immortality has forced him to watch every person he has ever loved die. Its forced him to watch as his dreams of a peaceful world were spat on by those he was building this world for. How would you feel if you tried to bring peace to a world for over 5,000 years only to fail each and every time? How would you feel if you fell in love and started a family, only to watch as time and time again, the family you created, loved and cherished perished either by the trials of age or the flames of war, disease and famine? For someone like Naruto, who cherishes bonds more than anything else, immortality is the biggest curse you can wish upon him.Joe Lawyer: Yes, he can use the Flying Thunder God. He just doesn't use it very often.
Guest: Wow! I'm surprised. You're complaining after reading 30 chapters of my story because it's not going the way you want it to! How about this. Why don't you write your own Naruto/Sekirei story and make it more popular than mine. After that, we'll talk.

Ashikabi no Shinobi, Chapter 28

Chaper 28So, this won't be so much a Q&A as it will be me just making some general comments. There were not a lot of people who actually asked a specific question this time, making a Q&A a tad difficult.To start, a good number of people have mentioned how cold Naruto was towards Haruka. One of the things that I've made a point of inferring in my story is that Naruto is not only fairly cynical when it comes to life and humanity in general, but he's also pretty apathetic towards their plight. He has made it a point to involve himself with humanity as little as possible and goes out of his way to avoid any kind of human contact that does not involve one night stands. This means he really doesn't care about Haruka or his plight enough to help him.Another factor you must look at is that Naruto decided in a previous chapter to be a good Ashikabi. In his mind, an Ashikabi is sort of like a Hokage in that they look after those who are under them. In this case, Kusano, Homura, Matsu, Musubu and Tsukiumi are his Sekirei, the ones he is tasked with looking after and caring for. Haruka and Kuno are not his Sekirei, therefore he has no obligation to help them.What's more, Naruto has very little in the way of morals, so he isn't just going to help someone because it's 'the right thing to do'. He doesn't care about doing the right thing. Right and wrong no longer hold any meaning for him.The truth of the matter is Naruto could help them escape. Hell, he could defeat the entire Disciplinary Squad on his own. He just doesn't want to because he doesn't care. It doesn't matter to him if Haruka and Kuno are forced to fight in the Sekirei Plan or if one of them are killed. They mean nothing to him. Why should he go out of his way to help two people who he feels absolutely nothing for?Someone also mentioned Uzume and how Naruto helped her. I would like to state that Naruto also knows Uzume on a more personal level. He also benefited from helping her: he learned more about Higa, who had already tried subverting him to his cause. He had taken away one of Higa's pawns (Uzume), weakening his position and ability to operate covertly. And he had taken several of Higa's Sekirei out of the game. If he helped Haruka, he might be able to defeat the Disciplinary Squad, but that might not benefit him because he has no way of predicting what Minaka will do in the event of their defeat.Now this is an answer to a direct question. DarkPirateKing69 asked me about my A/N where I mentioned that this was not all I had originally intended to write for this chapter. What I meant when I said 'this chapter was going to be longer' was that I had originally planned on writing more, but because I had already gone over 2 weeks without updating and couldn't think of how to write the rest of this chapter, decided to end it there and write the rest later on when I have a better idea of how I want to write the rest.Lastly, some people have mentioned on this blog that they feel I have given up on a story because it hasn't been update in months.To start, the only story that has not been updated in months, and please note the plural, is Birth of the New Demon King. The others have all been updated within or near the last two months, with Shifts in Life being the one that has gone the longest without an update. Considering there are fanfic authors out there who will not even update one story for 2-12 months, I like to think I have a pretty decent update time. It's also only been recently that I have stopped updating stories once a week, and that is simply due to a combination of me trying to find a new job and focusing on my original story, which I want to get published soon.And while it is true that Harry Potter has been updated more than any other, that is simply because I have more ideas for Harry Potter than I do any other story. I can only write what my muse tells me to write. If you force yourself to write for a story, the chapter written will turn out horribly.You can't force these things. Writing is as much of an artform as painting is; it requires patience, motivation and a clear image of what you want to write in your mind. If you don't have these things, you won't write a good story.I want it known now that none of my stories are being abandoned. If they were, I would have posted an A/N saying that the story is being abandoned, much like Gavedin did with many of his recently. As I have not, you can take that to mean all of my stories are still going to be continued.
On a side note, I am thinking of updating either Shifts in Life or Gaia's Sennin. I have not decided yet.

Ashikabi no Shinobi, Chapter 29

Chapter 29Arthain: Well, you do what you feel you have to. I'll be disappointed, of course, but if you don't feel you can ready my story anymore, then I don't want you forcing yourself to continue.Grey vs Ale: I'm glad to know you like those moments. It's always very difficult to write for Akitsu because she is so dang silent, so I often have trouble writing her. Still, I think I did a pretty good job here.Ryubimaru, dracopoet, AgelessWolf, lostsoldierS636: My original novel is called American Kitsune, A Fox's Love. I don't know when it will be out, but I am hoping before my birthday on March 19th.Random Reviewer: I find it funny that you are saying something like "Teens from those places aren't the horribly socially inept otaku/john-every-man you see in like 99% of harem-comedy stories. Those countries tend to overly sexualize everything and teens from those places are a lot less likely to "freeze up" when a hot girl propositions them and a lot more likely to be doing it like rabbits the moment they realize the girl is willing to do it with them.In short while it was written somewhat decently the concept falls flat. Or rather it's so over-done that even if the guy *was* one of those horribly socially inept otaku it *still* wouldn't be all that interesting to read about and it would be pretty much nothing more than a retread of every other harem-comedy written in that style." while reading a fanfiction about a harem-anime-crossover. The irony of your statement nearly made me cry from laughing so hard, especially because you've apparently read 29 chapters and over 400,000+ words of a harem fanfiction while telling me this.Just so you know, if stories like mine were not popular, then those "99% of harem-comedy stories" would never get dubbed and sold in other languages. The fact that you have anime like Highschool DxD, Girls Bravo, Sekirei, Heavens Lost Property, Shuffle and Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero (just to name a few) tells me that a story like mine actually would be popular if I managed to reach the right target audience in mine. Namely, anyone who enjoys anime, manga and Japanese Pop Culture.It also means that, though my story might not be the first of its kind, it's still unique simply because it's an American Novel that is basing its plot along the lines of a Japanese Light Novel.Cyborg500: Well, I can't answer the question about Miya without spoiling the story, but I will tell you that lemons are coming soon. In fact, my first lemon will be right after this next arc.NeroYagyuu: You have a very interesting idea. I can't say much, since I don't want to give too much away, but I can tell you that I have a plan for Minaka, and it's not dissimilar to what you've suggested, though, it's still very different.Minstral Savant: Truth be told, I am not a fan of using Kusano as emotional blackmail either, but there really aren't that many ways to convince Naruto that he should help Haruka and Kuno. I'll admit that I am using Kusano as something of a Plot Device here, though, I think it was pretty well done because it's actually something she would do (if you watched the anime then you'll know that Kusano actually does the same thing to Tsukiumi when Minato agrees to help Haruka).I do hope you'll forgive the blackmailing. It was not meant to come across as emotional blackmail, but simply Kusano reminding Naruto of who he once was; someone that was always willing to lend a hand to people in need.Quelthias: I understand your concerns about this chapter. I imagine there were a few people who were not happy with my decision to have Naruto help Haruka and Kuno. I'll answer your questions in the order they were given:1. No, they do not have papers, an identity, an alibi or anything else, but Naruto can get those for him. Don't forget, he has his own spy network and several thousand workers from various governments in his pocket.2. The reason for that is a combination of things. The first is that Naruto is currently training himself, the second is something that I don't want to spoil, but will be revealed after the escape from Shinto Teito arc.3. You want the truth? In all honesty, there is no strategic purpose for helping these two. He 'says' it's to test the abilities of his Sekirei, but the real reason is because he does not want to disappoint Akitsu, Kusano and Musubi... and Homura too, I guess. Notice how every time someone has come to him for help, or he has seen someone in need of help (Akitsu, Uzume and Chiho), he has rendered them aid. Despite his reluctance and desire to not get involved or help others, it is simply in Naruto's nature to help people.If you want to learn more about Naruto's character, go to tvtropes.org and look up who wants to live forever?, refusal of the call and heroic neutral. These are just a few of the tropes that Naruto falls under.Guest: You have obviously never read a light novel before. Just so you know, Japanese light novels are a lot like that. Point in fact, a good deal of the more recent popular anime that has come out like Highschool DxD and Aesthetic of a Rogue Hero, both of which are "generic harem anime #56" types, as you call them, started off as light novels.And the only reason a story like mine is not professional quality is because I don't have a couple editors editing the crap out of my story. You think an author can write, edit and proofread their own work? You obviously know jack squat about the publishing business, my friend. Not that I blame you for this. I've done a lot of research into publishing. Also, my story is based on Japanese Pop Culture, so the 'ufufufu' is actually there for a reason.
narutoDkurosaki: You are mistaking a trope for a cliche. Just so you know, tropes and cliche's are not the same thing. To quote tvtropes "Tropes are devices and conventions that a writer can reasonably rely on as being present in the audience members' minds and expectations. On the whole, tropes are not clichés. The word clichéd means "stereotyped and trite." In other words, dull and uninteresting." meaning that so long as the story is interesting, engaging and brings something new to the table, it is not cliched.

Ashikabi no Shinobi, Chapter 27

Chapter 27SkyCaptain502: First of all, you obviously don't know squat about Sekirei if you're saying... erm... writing something like that. Whenever the Ashikabi of a Sekirei dies, the Sekirei dies with them. That's common knowledge that was given to us near the beginning of both the manga and the anime. Secondly, Miya's husband, Asama Takehito, was NOT an Ashikabi. He did not have the genetics capable of winging a Sekirei (we learned this in some of the more recent chapters). Therefore, Miya was NEVER winged, which is the reason she did not shut down when Takehito died.narutoDKurosaki: Actually, Musubi is simply naive, not dumb. Canon Naruto on the other hand, is one of the stupidest characters in a Shounen Jump manga. Only Monkey D. Luffy and Son Goku reach his level of dumb, and those two are at least strong enough where their stupidity doesn't matter.Arthain: I think the main reason for those differences is Naruto's immortality. In your story, Naruto just finished having a war that took almost everything from him. Naturally, he's going to hold everything that much closer to his heart. My Naruto is jaded by thousands of years worth of failures and watching loved ones die over and over again throughout the ages. He's trying to keep himself from getting too attached but failing epicly because that's not the kind of person he is at heart.As for a chapter with substance. I've got one more 'build up' chapter, as it were, and then it's going to be a more substancy arc.
There weren't that many questions or comments that I could answer or respond to today. I think that's because these passed few chapters are basically build up chapters before I the next arc.