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Chapter 204 The Dead Are Only Gone When Forgotten
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"So where are we supposed to go first?" Jiraiya asked, crouching near the campfire as he unrolled a weathered parchment across the sand. The old map fluttered in the ocean breeze, its edges cracked with age and the ink faded to brown.
Naruto leaned forward. "Where did you even get this?"
"And what's with the colors?" Sakura added, pointing at the splashes of red, blue, and green marked all across the circular island that was once Uzushiogakure.
"One question at a time, brats," Jiraiya grumbled, slapping his hand down on the map to keep it from blowing away. "This was drawn by Mito Uzumaki herself. I sent one of my toads back to Konoha to fetch it from the Hokage's vault. It's the only surviving full record of the village's layout."
"What are the colors for?"
"They represent danger levels," Jiraiya explained, tapping the red zones. "Blue areas are safe, mostly ruins or neutral ground. Green means mild traps and some sealing jutsu hiding a trap. But red…" He paused, his tone heavy. "Red zones are death traps. Mito's own note says even a Kage could die there if they make one wrong move."
That got everyone's attention. Sakura swallowed. "So basically… stay away from the red ones."
"Is there treasure hidden there?"
"Treasure? Kid, the only treasure here is a quick death."
Kakashi spoke up. "After Uzushiogakure fell, most of its valuables were scattered. Some were looted by enemy shinobi during the war, some taken by fleeing Uzumaki clansmen, and the rest... what was left, was sealed and sent to Konoha under Lady Mito's orders."
"So nothing's left?"
"Only ruins," Jiraiya confirmed. "And the defenses those ruins still hold."
Naruto hummed under his breath, studying the map. "Maybe there's nothing for you all," he said softly. "But there's something I need to see for myself."
"Something?"
Naruto stood, stretching his arms behind his head. "Yeah. I'll check Lordran later. Maybe Alvina can point me toward a clue about the fox. But right now, I just want to see the ruins."
He started walking toward the treeline, Oscar perched on his shoulder.
Jiraiya watched him go, the boy's silhouette fading into the misty ruins ahead, followed by Sasuke and Sakura.
When Team 7 was out of earshot, Kakashi asked, "You have something on your mind, Jiraiya-sama."
"I'm just trying to figure out why Minato or Kushina would leave clues about the Kyuubi here, of all places."
"Given that Lordran is apparently tied to their secrets," Kakashi said quietly, "it's safe to assume there was more to them than anyone knew."
"There's also the chance that Naruto's not telling us everything either."
"You think he's hiding something?"
"Come on, Kakashi," Jiraiya said with a half-smirk. "You and I can read that brat like an open book. He's been feeding us half-truths since we got here. He knows more than he lets on."
Kakashi didn't deny it. Instead, he gave a small shrug. "Maybe. But I trust him. Naruto's reckless, sure, but his heart's in the right place. Whatever he's hiding, it's probably something he thinks he has to deal with alone. Besides," he added, his tone turning a bit pointed, "he's not the only one sitting on secrets."
Jiraiya met his gaze, then laughed dryly. "I'm building up to it eventually."
"Eventually for the last decade?"
Jiraiya ignored the jab and tapped the map again. "I'm going to start by checking out the places Minato and Kushina used to visit every time they came here. They had their rituals, you know... always made a pilgrimage to Uzushiogakure once every couple of years. A day of mourning for the fallen clan."
"Yeah. Minato-sensei used to get quiet for days after those trips. I never knew why."
"Then it's only right that we visit them too. Maybe the dead have more to say than the living ever did."
The waves crashed louder against the shore, as if the sea itself was listening.
Meanwhile, Team 7 stood atop a massive tree that jutted out from the cliffs like the last sentinel of a dead land. Below them stretched the ruins of Uzushiogakure.
Even from above, the sight was haunting.
As children of Konoha, they were used to the warmth of timber, the living pulse of wooden homes, and trees woven into their architecture. But Uzushiogakure was stone.
The kind of craftsmanship that was meant to last forever, and yet here it was, broken and silent.
A great river wound through the ruins in a perfect spiral, the water still following the paths carved by the clan's founders. Around it, what had once been a majestic village now lay scattered across the valley like the bones of a titan.
Massive stone pillars lay shattered and tilted, their spiral markings weathered but still faintly visible beneath moss and decay. Some leaned against fractured walls, others lay snapped in half like fallen trees. The buildings themselves were hollow husks with roofs collapsed, walls missing, doorways gaping open like silent screams.
Sakura whispered, "It's… so beautiful and sad at the same time."
Her words hung in the wind.
Naruto said nothing. His hawk-like eyes traced every detail from the faded murals to the cracked towers and the empty plazas. His vision was so sharp that he could see the smallest carvings on the stone of old seals and clan markings now half-consumed by nature.
A strange heaviness filled his chest.
These ruins felt familiar.
Not just because they were his ancestors' home, but because they reminded him of Lordran, of the endless decay, the ruins filled with ghosts of a brighter age. Only, this place didn't carry the eternal cycle of rebirth that haunted Lordran.
This was a story that had ended.
And yet… in the quiet destruction, Naruto saw beauty. It all told a story of something that once mattered. Something that had lived, fought, and been loved before it was forgotten.
Maybe that was a gift Lordran left him. The ability to find meaning in ruin.
He didn't realize how long he'd been staring until Kakashi spoke, breaking the silence.
"Alright, team, I've got a copy of the map. The village is divided into sectors, so we'll start by scouting the outer ruins and move inward."
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An hour later, the team stood by the river that coiled through the ruins like a silver serpent, its waters glinting faintly under the filtered sunlight. It was beautiful in its desolation.
Naruto sat apart from the others on a broken pillar near the riverbank, one knee pulled up to his chest, his chin resting on it. His gaze lingered on the slow swirl of the current, expression unreadable. Oscar sat beside him, tail curled around his leg, mimicking his partner who hadn't spoken in an hour. Not a word.
Sakura, trying to ease the heavy atmosphere, looked to Kakashi. "Sensei… what was the relationship between Konoha and Uzushiogakure really like?"
"That's a good question, Sakura. The Senju and Uzumaki clans shared distant blood ties. In fact, Mito Uzumaki's marriage to Hashirama Senju wasn't just personal; rather, it solidified an alliance. The two villages became as close as siblings. Konoha even relied on Uzushiogakure for its sealing arts. They were unmatched."
Sakura blinked. "Then… why didn't we learn that in the academy?"
"Because, Sakura, in the shinobi world, information is currency. History is rewritten, withheld, or forgotten depending on who's paying for it. You only get the full picture once you're high enough to handle it. Chunin and above learn the truth about Uzushiogakure and about the shame tied to its fall."
Sasuke frowned. "What did Konoha do when the village was attacked?"
That question hit the group like a stone dropped into still water. Even Naruto turned to look at Kakashi, his expression finally showing the faint edge of anger—or maybe disappointment.
Kakashi was silent for a long moment, the sound of the river filling the gap. "…It's a complicated question for me to answer."
Sakura tried to break the tension with a small joke. "You say that like you were personally involved, Sensei."
Kakashi didn't laugh. His single visible eye didn't even move. The air grew heavier.
After a beat, Kakashi straightened, his voice turning lighter, more deliberate shift in tone meant to move them forward. "Well… because of our history, the spiral symbol of the Uzumaki was added to the back of every Konoha flak jacket. It's a mark of friendship and a reminder of what was lost."
The explanation didn't quite land.
Sakura and Sasuke exchanged uncertain looks. Naruto's jaw tightened. If the spiral symbol was supposed to honor his clan… why did no one ever talk about the clan itself?
The silence that followed was incredibly uncomfortable.
"Alright, everyone. How about I show you something special? A place only a handful of shinobi even know exists."
Oscar chirped, the sound bright and curious.
Kakashi chuckled softly. "Even the little guy's excited. This spot was shown to me by the Fourth Hokage."
That got their attention. Sakura's eyes widened. Sasuke straightened. Naruto finally stood and brushed the dust from his cloak.
"The Fourth?" Naruto asked. "He came here?"
Kakashi nodded. "Several times. And what he found… well, it's something he only ever shared with a few people."
They began walking, the sound of their footsteps echoing faintly through the hollow streets. Moss-covered archways and broken bridges framed their path as they descended deeper into the ruins.
After a while, Kakashi slowed, his tone softer now. "Naruto," he said, "I know you want to understand what happened here… why Uzushiogakure fell and Konoha's history with this fall. And I promised I'd tell you the truth."
Naruto turned his head slightly.
"Listen, Naruto. I know you want answers about what really happened to Uzushiogakure and what Konoha's part in it was. And I will tell you. But… some truths aren't easy to say out loud. Give me a little time… to gather the courage to face the ghosts of the past."
"Alright, Sensei. I trust you. Just… don't make me wait too long, yeah?"
"I won't."
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Near the edge of the inner ring of Uzushiogakure stood two colossal stone pillars. Their once-smooth surfaces were now cracked and pitted, spiral carvings half-swallowed by moss and age. The tops of the pillars were broken, jagged, and hung with spindly rock spikes that looked almost like teeth.
Between them stretched a vast, circular pit carved into the earth itself. Smooth stone walls curved downward into what seemed like endless darkness, layered in concentric rings of old craftsmanship. A narrow bridge of stone spanned the abyss, leading to a circular platform at its center.
Team 7 stood in silent awe.
"This is incredible…" Sakura breathed, stepping closer to the edge.
"Minato-sensei told me that Lady Mito's dying wish was for the Uzumaki clan to never be forgotten. With the help of the Senju, this place was built as a memorial."
Sakura frowned. "Wait… so this isn't part of Uzushiogakure?"
"No. It was made to look like part of the ruins. Hidden in plain sight."
"Then what's the point of making fake ruins? Wouldn't that make it easier for people to overlook it?"
Naruto, who had been staring into the pit with his hawk eyes, spoke up quietly. "It's not fake. It's a seal meant to hide something."
Kakashi threw a handful of kunai into the air, into the darkness below. The weapons clinked against unseen points in the walls.
A heartbeat later, the pit began to stir.
Lines of red and gold light unfurled like veins awakening under the stone, spiraling down the walls in intricate patterns that twisted into moving seals.
Sakura clutched her head, groaning. "The formulas… they're overlapping layers of sealing matrices. I can't even read half of them."
Before anyone could respond, the platform beneath their feet blazed with light.
In an instant, everything vanished.
When Naruto opened his eyes, the air was cold and damp.
They were standing in a dark forest. The trees were tall and thin, their trunks like black pillars rising into an endless void. The ground was uneven, tangled with roots and stones slick with moisture. A low mist hung over everything, glowing faintly blue under an unseen moon.
And all around them were figures.
They glowed softly, pale silhouettes shaped like people. Some stood, others sat cross-legged, others leaned against invisible walls. They didn't move, didn't speak. Each radiated a quiet, ghostly light, their forms fading into the fog the farther they were from view.
"Where… where are we?"
Sasuke's eyes flickered crimson as his Sharingan activated. "It's not real. We're inside an overlapping genjutsu. The seal must've released a projection made from stored yin chakra." He looked around, analyzing the faint chakra threads that connected each glowing figure to the darkness above. "This is a genjutsu graveyard. Each of those lights probably contains the information of an Uzumaki."
Then, an elderly voice rolled through the forest like the whisper of wind through ancient halls. "That's correct, young man."
The team turned sharply.
[ Name: Mito Uzumaki ]
[ HP: 1400 / 1400 ]
Naruto's heart skipped.
Mito was a young woman with long, vivid red hair, styled in elegant twin buns with intricate hairpins and three delicate clips in the front. A high-collared kimono of silken white and crimson clung to her tall form, and on the back of her obi, the spiral of Uzushiogakure was stitched in gold. Her lips were a deep shade of red, and a single rhombus-shaped mark shimmered on her forehead.
"Who are you?" Sakura asked carefully.
"My name is Mito Uzumaki. What you see before you is not truly me, but a chakra signature left behind to guide those who find this place. I cannot answer questions beyond what I was programmed to say, so do not bother asking too much. This seal exists only to preserve memory, not to reveal secrets."
Her form flickered slightly as she raised a translucent hand, gesturing toward the countless shimmering figures among the trees.
"Each of these lights represents a fallen member of our clan. They will not speak beyond simple introductions or memories tied to their lives. Do not expect forbidden techniques or hidden knowledge here. This forest is a graveyard, nothing more. Show respect to the dead, and you will be safe."
Her body stilled, the glow around her dimming into quiet stillness once more.
Team 7 exchanged uncertain glances.
Sasuke was the first to break the silence. "We should look around and pay our respects. This place went to great effort to preserve their legacy. It's the least we can do."
Sakura nodded. "Agreed. It's kind of amazing… all these people, all this history, and it's just been sitting here waiting."
Naruto didn't respond. He stood still, his expression unreadable as the faint blue light danced across his face. "You guys go ahead," he said finally. "I just need a minute."
As his teammates drifted off among the pale lights, Naruto crouched down and picked up Oscar. The little lizard's gem gleamed faintly.
"Yeah," Naruto murmured. "It's just like we thought, huh?"
Oscar chirped once.
"My name's Naruto Uzumaki."
The spectral Mito, who had stood still as a statue moments ago, seemed to linger faintly on his hair.
"One of my parents was blonde, I guess."
"I am not… capable of responding. I am just a chakra imprint, nothing more."
"No, you're not."
She tilted her head slightly.
"You're not just some recording," Naruto continued quietly. "You're Mito Uzumaki or at least, the soul that wanted to be remembered. That's why you're here."
The light around her shimmered faintly, almost like it flickered in surprise, before her form dissolved into mist.
When the air cleared, she was standing closer now, older.
Her hair had grown long and deep maroon, cascading down her back in thick waves. She still wore her twin buns, but they drooped slightly, fastened by only two delicate pins. Her face was aged, lined with wisdom and weariness, her eyes deep as the river outside. A loose lavender kimono draped over her frame, tied with a dark obi. The rhombus-shaped seal on her brow glowed faintly, its light faded but not extinguished.
"I apologize for that. It has been… difficult to sense your lineage. Your chakra feels unlike any Uzumaki I have known. There is power in you, yes, but it does not seem like human life."
Naruto blinked, realization dawning on him.
"Yeah," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "That's… probably the dragon blood."
"Did Ryūchi Cave succeed in raising a dragon?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, Granny, but I got my dragon powers from Lordran."
"Lordran? What is that, dear? Some new village that popped up while I was busy being dead?"
Naruto looked at her with genuine surprise. Someone of Mito's power, stature, and knowledge not knowing about Lordran? That didn't make sense. He was pretty sure Lordran had to have some connection to the Uzumaki clan.
So why didn't Mito know? Did that mean Lordran invited the Fourth Hokage into its world?
Oscar's low chirp brought Naruto back to the present.
"So… Gran-Gran-Mito, are you going to teach me something? Like a secret Uzumaki fuinjutsu? Some super-cool family fighting style or something?"
"Oh heavens, child. Always expecting something flashy. You Uzumaki boys never change." Mito shook her head fondly. "No, I didn't seal a part of my soul to teach you spells or fancy chakra tricks. I'm here to guide you, the way a grandmother should."
"Guide me? To what?"
"To your rite of passage," she said, her voice dropping slightly, becoming more serious.
"Funny you say that. I actually came here for that exact reason. Tobirama's journal mentioned it, but it was all vague and said he wasn't allowed to witness it." He rubbed the back of his neck. "So… how do I get my rune?"
"At the heart of Uzushiogakure lies the altar of beginnings. It's in ruins now, like much of our home, shattered by the passage of time. Your task, my dear boy, is to restore it." Mito lifted her hand, and a faint image shimmered in the air. A spectral map of the ruined village, glowing in soft red light. The center pulsed like a heartbeat. "When the altar stands whole again, the seal will awaken and recognize your blood. That is when your true trial begins."
Naruto squinted at the image. "So… fixing the altar is part of the test?"
"You could say that. Think of it like lighting the first candle before a long night. The start of something greater."
She turned, her eyes distant, her tone softening with memory. "Ever since Oden Uzumaki carved the first rune after enduring six days and nights hanging from the Great Tree, we have all been tested. Each generation must walk through their own darkness, face their fears, and etch their mark upon the world. That is the Uzumaki way."
Naruto stood a little taller, that fierce glint of determination sparking in his eyes. "I like a good challenge." He grinned, thumb pointed at his chest. "Dattebayo."
A strange look crossed the elder's face. Something like pain, something like joy. "…You said that just like her," she whispered.
"Said what?"
"Dattebayo." There was something tender in the way she said it, like a string pulled from the past.
"I was reminded of a little girl I used to take care of," she said with a fond smile, though her eyes shimmered. "She had this tick at the end of her sentences… always slipped out when she was flustered or excited. Dattebane."
Naruto tilted his head. His mind was already spinning, something tugging at the back of his thoughts. "Was she… your daughter?" he asked slowly.
"No. But I considered her family. I loved her like she was my own."
Naruto took a breath, the air in the genjutsu suddenly feeling heavier. "Why?... Why did you take care of her?"
"She was brought to Uzushio as a child, as she was chosen to become the next jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails… after me."
Naruto's eyes widened. His mind stumbled, thoughts crashing into one another. "…What was her name?"
"Kushina Uzumaki."
Something broke in Naruto. His lips trembled first, barely perceptible, and then his hands clenched into fists at his sides. His knees buckled slightly as the realization sank in like a blade to the gut. His throat tightened. His chest ached. He collapsed to his knees, shoulders shaking violently as the dam finally broke. Tears streamed down his cheeks in thick, hot rivulets. He didn't sob loudly. It was quieter than that. More fragile. Like the kind of crying a child does when they don't want to be heard. When they're not sure they even have the right to cry.
Oscar immediately nuzzled up against his hand, chirping anxiously, wrapping his tiny body around Naruto's arm like he could shield him from the hurt.
Mito knelt beside him without a word. She didn't say anything right away. She simply opened her arms, and Naruto leaned into her. The older woman held him close, arms wrapping around him in the kind of hug that only a grandmother could give.
"I think… I think Kushina was my mom…"
Mito's hand gently stroked his hair. "I think you are right."
Naruto's breath hitched again, and more tears followed. His hands clutched at the fabric of Mito's sleeve like a child desperate to keep the moment from slipping away. "I never… I never knew her. I never saw her face," he whispered. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"
"I don't know."
Naruto shook his head, pressing his face into her shoulder.
"But I knew her well. Better than most. She was fierce, loud, stubborn. Oh, that girl could throw a tantrum like a hurricane. But her heart… her heart was so full. She had so much love to give. So much fight in her."
She smiled down at Naruto. "She would've loved you more than life itself, Naruto. I can say that without doubt."
"Do you… do you think she'd be proud of me?"
Mito leaned back slightly and cupped his face with both hands. Her thumb brushed the tears from his cheeks.
"She'd be proud of your every breath. Of your strength. Of your stubbornness. Of your kindness. And your weird little lizard."
Oscar chirped proudly, causing both of them to chuckle through the tears.
"She would have doted on you," Mito said, eyes distant. "Probably fed you until you burst. Yelled at you for skipping your training. Sang lullabies off-key until you fell asleep anyway."
Naruto's laughter broke through his sobs like sunlight through storm clouds. He clutched Mito's hands tightly, holding on to the moment like a life raft.
"I'm… I'm not the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki anymore."
"What do you mean, dear?"
He avoided her eyes. "I used to be. But… something happened. I died."
Mito sucked in a deep breath.
"I came back," he added quickly. "Due to… circumstances. Complicated ones I don't really understand yet. But when I died, the fox got released. I'm not carrying it anymore."
Mito stared at him for a long moment, her expression unreadable.
Naruto laughed bitterly, wiping at his eyes. "You'd think I'd be crushed, right? Losing a power like that? But when I realized I wasn't the jinchūriki anymore… I felt ecstatic. Like a weight I didn't know I was carrying was finally gone."
He looked to the floor.
"But then you told me about Kushina."
His voice trembled.
"You told me she was the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki. And I realized... if she had it before me… if she died… then that means she died entrusting me with that burden."
He looked up at her with tearful eyes, voice cracking under the weight of it all.
"And the first thing I felt after losing it… was relief."
Naruto's fists clenched. "Would she… would my mom be disappointed in me?"
Mito didn't respond with words at first. Instead, she gently sat him down and pulled his head into her lap without a word, letting him cry. Oscar chirped softly, draping himself across Naruto's chest like a cold blanket.
Mito's fingers ran through Naruto's messy golden hair, soothing and slow, like she had all the time in the world. "Oh, child…"
Her voice was gentle, filled with sorrow and pride. "No, Naruto. She wouldn't be disappointed in you. Not for a second."
Naruto sniffled.
"No mother wants her child to suffer with her burdens. She didn't entrust you with the Nine-Tails so that you'd love it, or carry it like a badge of honor. She did it because she probably had no other choice and because she believed you were strong enough to survive. To live."
She smiled down at him, brushing a lock of hair from his eyes. "And you did. You lived. You endured. And you're still standing. That's all she would've wanted."
Naruto's lip trembled as he closed his eyes, letting the grief wash over him slowly instead of drowning in it.
Mito chuckled after a moment, fingers still toying with his hair. "You remind me so much of her, you know. Not just in your chakra or your soul… but in how stubborn and loud and ridiculous you are."
"Gee, thanks."
"She used to punch walls when she was angry. Once, she kicked a hole through a training dummy and got her foot stuck. We had to pry it off with a seal breaker."
Naruto laughed weakly.
"She once swam across the entire Naka River because someone told her Uzumaki couldn't swim. Nearly drowned, but she crawled back with seaweed in her teeth and screamed, Take that, jerks!"
Naruto was openly smiling now, tears still falling.
"She was fire and thunder and chaos," Mito said softly. "But she was also warmth. And heart. You've got all of that, Naruto. You carry it better than anyone I've ever seen."
There was a pause. Naruto hesitated, eyes still closed.
"…Gran-Gran-Gran Mito?"
"Yes, dear?"
"Can I stay a little longer?"
Mito's smile faltered a little, and she looked up toward the ceiling of the memory seal space. "I wish you could. But we're reaching the limit of what I can hold together. I still need to guide you to the astral plane."
"I still have so many questions."
"I know. And I want to answer them all. But you've got a long road ahead, and I think your friends are about to wake up."
"…I'll go. But... one last thing."
"Of course."
"What was my mother's relationship to someone named Minato Namikaze?"
Mito blinked again, then smiled slowly. "Now there's a name I haven't heard in a while. I didn't see Kushina much after her late teens, but I remember she was absolutely smitten with that boy."
"Really?"
"Oh yes. She used to complain about him all the time, so naturally I knew she liked him."
Naruto tilted his head. "That makes no sense."
"It does when you're a teenager." Mito laughed. "He was quiet, talented and humble. Annoyingly polite. She used to say, That pretty boy's too perfect. Makes me want to punch him in the face. Then she'd blush for no reason."
Naruto chuckled softly, but something was slowly connecting in his brain. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Blonde… spiky hair. Blue eyes…"
Mito squinted at him, then gasped lightly. "Wait a minute. Come to think of it..."
"You think Minato might be… my father?"
Mito looked at him like the thought had just clicked for her, too. "Well, you've got his hair. And his eyes. But Kushina's personality, through and through. I don't want to say for certain, but… it would explain a lot."
Naruto stared into space, stunned. "I… might be the son of Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze…"
Then he promptly flopped back onto the floor, Oscar clambering up his chest in confusion.
Mito laughed, clapping her hands together. "Oh dear. I broke the boy."
Naruto muttered, "Yeah, definitely not processing all that at once…"
Mito bent down and kissed his forehead softly.
"You'll be fine, sweetheart. You're an Uzumaki."
Naruto smiled faintly, eyes heavy with exhaustion and heart full of new questions, grief, and hope all tangled together.
And then the genjutsu began to flicker, the memory space dimming around them like a dream at dawn.
"Go. The altar awaits. And so does your legacy."
Naruto sat up slowly, Oscar hopping onto his shoulder.
"Thank you, for everything."
Mito smiled one last time. "Now go show the world who you are, Naruto Uzumaki."
And with that, she was gone.
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[ Personal Note: First off, thanks a ton to all of you for sticking with this story. Seriously, you guys are awesome. Now, if you're interested in supporting me on P@treon, let me just say that over there, I post these massive 5k-word chapters. But heads up, if you're jumping to P@treon, you'll need to start from Chapter 94, since that's where this chapter lines up with the content there.
To everyone here just reading along, please don't forget to leave a comment! Honestly, your comments make my day, and they let me know you're as invested in this story as I am. So yeah, thanks again, and I hope you have an amazing rest of your day!