susanna

@Dragon: Thanks for your review! I have just received the next chapter from my beta, so I will be able to post it on Saturday!

Thanks for the review! I must admit that I feel rather embarrassed about the length of the story. I did not plan this: It just happened. I am not sure whether I should be proud of my imagination, but I am proud of my perseverance and my determination.

To my anonymous reviewer: I have removed your review because it contained language that I don't consider appropriate. When you manage to find polite words for your criticism I will answer you in a polite way.

Of course this is not a strategy. He has just learnt about Madara's presence in town, and what he does are immediate measures to protect the two boys. After this, he'll sit down to develop a strategy how to get Madara to a point where surrender is his best option. And he's not trying to talk to him and persuade him. People in Music Town are ready to fight Madara. They just avoid a direct attack, which is btw not an unusual strategy for people who know that they would lose in an open confrontation. People in Konoha don't depend on him. A lot of them still support Danzou, and those who don't are quite active themselves. They have explicitely told him that they don't want him to return to Konoha as his presence would complicate their situation. Naruto doesn't think about the Daimyou: like most ninja he is used to considering him irrelevant. (This will change later.) He is in contact with Gaara, and he has also met the Raikage now, but both he and Sasuke have already decided against getting the other kages involved. This is a conflict within Konoha, and it has to be resolved within Konoha. Also, Naruto it in contact with the resistance in Konoha (Sakura, and now also Hinata). They think that the interview he gave means a lot of support to them, as it will make people turn away from Danzou. It's much better than Naruto coming over to Konoha and fighting Danzou. Naruto's main reason for not returning to Konoha is that he does not have any idea what he will do there. He cannot fight Danzou, as he is now fighting the Zombie Kages in canon. He might defeat Danzou, but the real problem is: what comes after this? He does not have a name for the problem, as he lacks political knowledge, but he senses its nature. The problem is that as future Hokage he will need legitimacy, and the nature of his Hokageship will be defined by the nature of his legitimacy. The other kages' support won't give him any legitimacy at all. The Danzou's support will be better, but still problematic. The Elders (who made Tsunade Hokage after the Sandaime's death) won't support him either. Proving that he is ready to fight for the village won't work, as there is no external enemy he might fight. Naruto senses that the only true legitimacy is from the support of the people of Konoha, and he does not have that yet. Well, it's my characters who talk, and what they say is not my opinion. I let the two mothers talk as ordinary mothers talk in such a situation, and Sasuke also distrusts Fugasaku's ideas about Naruto being the child of destiny - he wants an ordinary life with Naruto in Music Town. The other problem is that the ninja countries are currently at peace (in the canon too, btw), so there's no immediate need to establish world peace. No one suffers because Naruto does not call in a peace conference between the kages now. What is actually needed is a concept to strengthen the current, fragile peace, but again Naruto lacks the political knowledge to do this. Asking him to establish world peace actually means to overchallenge and overburden him, as the only thing he has ever been taught is fighting. (Okay, he has some talent for talking, and for inspiring people. He uses this now in his preface to the Gutsy Ninja and in his interview.) World peace is not a problem in the ninja world at the moment - Danzou, however is, so getting rid of him is an aim that is much less vague and much more concrete. It's just that Naruto does not have any ideas about how to achieve it.

Dragon: Thanks for your review! I am glad you like the most recent chapter. I'm afraid, however, that there won't be a child of Sasuke and Naruto in my story. There's too many people around them who tell them they are too young, and they can't get pregnant "accidentally" by forgetting to use condoms.

It's working! I can access the thread again! :-)

I know that this is not ff.net but AFF.net. This is why I did not write "Fanfiction.net" but "Fanfiction - animanga (all) - Naruto - Yaoi section of the forum". I am able to access my story, but I am not able to access the thread. So, sorry that I wrote "story" instead of "thread". I hope someone can help me, or inform me if this is not a technical issue but some kind of punishment for some mistake of mine.

Hi! I have a thread at the Fanfiction - animanga (all) - Naruto - Yaoi section in order to answer to reviews to my story "the Blessed Realm", but nowadays this section seems to have disappeared. Also it's difficult for me to access the story - I have a direct link, but it only works when I am not signed in, which seems really weird. Is there any solution to riddle? thanks in advance, susanna

cynaga: Thanks for your review! Yes, I know, the story is getting longer and longer. I am not yet very good at estimating how much plot will transform into how many words... I try to keep track of certain topics however, and yes, there is a plot, and it is advancing... I am glad that people see it! Thanks for the compliments!

Nivell: Thanks for your compliments!

Zellez: Thanks for your reviews! I hope you like the rest of the story too - I know, it's extremely long... Your comments actually made me reread the first chapters, and I still like them, but they give to me the impression that they are all too mechanical and that it's far too easy to see them through: this happens, that happens, and so Sasuke is made to stay. And no, there's no portal. I imagine Music Town as a place that exists on the borders of the ninjaverse, both with connections to the ninjaverse and our world.

Colette: Thanks for your review and your compliments! Yes, the "cultural shock"-scenes are in some sense the core of the story: Confronting Sasuke's and Naruto ninja world view with that of a more civilian place. I try to do it in a way that's respectful to both sides, even if my preferences are clear. I try not to blame the boys for their more militaristic ideas, thinking that in order to get rid of Danzou you just have to kill him. (Though at least Naruto already knows that this is not enough.) I try not to humiliate them. On the other hand, the people from Music Town have difficulties understanding the mindset of the young ninja, but as it's their place, they are at an advantage. I don't know how they would survive in a more militaristic environment - probably not at all. On the other hand, it's clear to anyone that Music Town is a much better place than Konoha, most of all Konoha under Danzou. Even Naruto admits this. The next chapter will be up in a few minutes!

Sneakyfox: Thanks for the review! Yes, the legal system. It's not so bad in my opinion, actually. They don't arrive, see that some people are beaten down, and arrest those who obviously beat them up. They ask questions and try to find out what really happened. The police sending information to Konoha - well, I know what will happen, but I won't tell you now. The next chapter will tell you of the most immediate problem: that the boys are what is called "illegal immigrants", or, in French "sans papiers".

Sneakyfox: Thanks for your comment! Yes, Sasuke is conflicted, and what's worst, he is not even completely aware of it. But teasing Naruto is more fun than getting aware of the fact that you no longer care about leaving Music Town. Isotonlok: Thanks for your review! Yes, writing about the differences between our own world and the ninja world is what inspired the story - or rather, it was my annoyance to the fact that some of the answers to the problems of the ninja world are well-known. It's just that sometimes I fear that some of the insaneness of the ninja world is creeping into ours. Just with this chapter - I gave one of the women the line "it happens here too" because I thought: Wait a moment - our world is not that perfect. There are things as heads of states ordering people to be killed. And just when I return from my vacation I learn about those Special task forces that seem to belong to the Narutoverse rather than to our world.

Sneakyfox: Thanks for your comment, and particularly for the comment on the last scene. I try to do these emotional scenes in a way that does not use too many words, particularly with Naruto who's not used to being sad, so I am glad that it worked. And it's still weird that I wrote the scene just after we had the corresponding scene in canon...