It's been an intensive semester, but once November and the first couple weeks of December wrap up, I'll finally be able to get some writing in. Yet this doesn't mean that school was all I was focused on; it made up a rather large chunk, and I might have been depressed with the news of Naruto (manga) ending within the next week or so, but I have been thinking an awful lot about TToNU. I've got quite a number of details added to the timeline now, and we won't be racing to the Chunin Exams the moment Teams 7 and Guy return from their 'C-Rank Mission'. If anything else, the thirtieth chapter is now the end of the Chunin Exam Arc, and I am in the process of planning the final Arc of Part One that comes after that in more detail as you read this.
As usual, for those of you who don't want some idea of what I've been plotting out, just skip this article and wait about a month and a half more before the next update. Fairly long wait, I'm well aware, but I'm in no position to update any fanfics at this point in time because of college life.
Bringing Yugito Nii early to replace Zabuza and Haku for Naruto's first C-Rank has been in the works for a while, and as of the last update, you readers got the tiniest glimpse of her ever since that point in the past when Team Minato encountered her and Bee. She's feisty, she's domineering, and she will absolutely get the mission done, without fail. But just what does that mission entail, you should be asking.
From the beginning, I had this plan to bring in Yugito as a recurring, vicious enemy. And she will be; just wait 'til you see what she does to Naruto in their battles. There is no personal agenda behind Yugito's actions; she is merely a fiercely loyal Hidden Cloud kunoichi who is proud to serve, even in battles where her fell ninja would run away against seemingly insurmountable odds. She's tough, powerful, and has every intention of ending one Naruto Uzumaki because of what he has inside him. Losing a Jinchuriki would be a devastating blow to the Hidden Leaf, after all.
Yugito will be stirring up trouble at the Chunin Exams as well as this C-Rank that Naruto and co. are on, so stay tuned for more from this powerful kunoichi...
In addition to Yugito, Utakata will be making an appearance in the Hidden Leaf during the Chunin Exams as well. However, he won't be that aloof man we saw in the Tsuchigomo filler arc; he's experienced a totally different upbringing to be anything remotely close to that. Inspiration for Utakata's character in this AU was derived from Etc Flip's 'A Different Result', where Utakata becomes a vicious shinobi under Orochimaru's care and tutelage. In TToNU, Utakata was still reared in the Hidden Mist, but what with the radical changes in government going on there, he won't be given the option to break away from the village. He will have been molded into a perfect weapon to serve the current Mizukage. Of course, whether he comes out of the Hidden Leaf alive will be a horse of different story...
One of the main reasons that Part One was extended was because it felt like the rookies were hardly getting any experience as Genin prior to the Chunin Exams. It also felt a bit rushed in that there was no time for the little things, which the canon (and filler) made time for. Teams 8 and 10 will be getting their own respective C-Ranks before returning home to train for the Exams, which were postponed to prepare for an invasion at the Exams. At the moment, Team 8's mission is hardly dangerous. But Team 10's will turn into a doozy, and may result in near-death. In that mission, Sasuke will gain the Sharingan, and he will feel compelled to get stronger for his team and himself.
In the two extra prep months for the Exams, Sasuke and Naruto will be swapping instructors when it comes to a certain part of their training - elemental affinities. This does not mean they'll be masters at their elements. Sasuke will be able to use Chidori, and Naruto will be able to apply some Wind Chakra to his weapons and body, but that's about it; Naruto won't be able to split a waterfall yet, and Sasuke won't be able to branch off from the 'basic' Chidori yet. They'll get better in Part Two, naturally.
This will be the final tidbit for now. Kabuto will be gaining a more prominent role in the next few chapters, and he is not planning to betray the Leaf, believe it or not. As a result of his memories being wiped from his days in Root and not getting personal training from Orochimaru, you would think that Kabuto would be weak as a Chunin of the Leaf. You'd be wrong. Kabuto was on Konan's Genin Squad in this AU, and he still developed a fighting style with his medical Ninjutsu - he has no qualms about revealing that he's a prodigy; he did as a spy for Orochimaru, so without that restraint, he can get close to people and soak up knowledge and Jutsu from someone high up on the ladder like Konan.
............ But will he remain this way...?
