Blessed Realm

[susanna]

I still feel a bit insecure about opening a thread for answering to reviews to my story here. I haven't found any other thread of this kind, only one in the Yu-Gi-Oh section, so I am not sure whether this is the correct place in the Naruto section. Please tell me if I did it wrong!

Anyway, here's the link to my story:

The Blessed Realm

Oh, and for the moment I am too tired to answer to reviews, but I will do so tomorrow.

[susanna]

So for my first replies to your reviews... I know I have been a bit lazy lately, or rather busy with RL and work, but now it's just a matter of getting started.

Rahvin68: Yes, eventually they will return to Konoha. But I am glad that you mention the possibility of them staying in Music Town, which is a better place than Konoha, at least at the moment.

I try to be realistic with this story, so they take it slowly: First falling in love, then having sex.

Nivell: Yes, they take their time before they engage in anal sex... Thanks for your review!

kanazerosukenaru: I actually had to look up why you might think that Naruto's might think that Sasuke would leave him. No, Sasuke intends to leave Music Town with Naruto (once Naruto has found a working plan how to defeat Danzou). He won't leave him. Seeing Karin buy a washing-machine however confronts him with the option of staying in Music Town.

msuzumaki: Washing-machines are heavy. Even strong men despair after and have to take breaks and even get release when they carry them.

Sneakyfox: Thanks for reviewing consistently, even though I was less consistent in answering your reviews. They are always appreciated! Thanks also for encouraging me to write such a long story (even though at the moment I feel the strain.) I daydream of scenes and I rarely have the heart to cut and summarize them, which is why the story is getting as long as it is. I guess that following it chapter by chapter every week makes it possible to read it in spite of its length.

[susanna]

Answers to reviews to chapter 54:

msuzumaki: Well, yes, that's exactly the reason why Sasuke frowns: That Naruto does not mention that they are lovers.

sneajkyfox: great that you love it that Naruto only thinks of Sakura's feelings. Sasuke does not love it.

Thanks for both your reviews!

Edited May 8, 2010 by susanna

[susanna]

Answers to reviews to chapter 55:

Sneakyfox: Thanks again for reviewing! I am still not sure what to do with this - maybe I wil evenl eventually let Naruto lose his interest in girls altogether.

Takaouto: Thanks for your review! Yes, I am afraid, the story is getting longer and longer...

[susanna]

Sneakyfox: Thanks again for your review! Yes, Sasuke really likes Music Town, even though Naruto is better at fitting in. Naruto is more ambivalent, as he still longs for Konoha. However Sasuke is not completely indifferent about Konoha, he still thinks about getting his revenge.

[susanna]

Sneakyfox: Thanks again for your review! Yes, Naruto does not embrace Music Town as Sasuke does, even thought he fits better in. The most important reason is that he still has ties to Konoha which he does not want to break in favour of Music Town. Sasuke is ready to praise Music Town at the cost of Konoha, and Naruto does not approve of this.

[susanna]

Sneakyfox: Thanks again for your review!

Yes, they are still jealous and defensive and love to provoke each other. Things like this don't change just because they are lovers now.

[susanna]

Sneakyfox: Library Fail indeed! They are both powerful ninja, but they don't know how to deal with a simple librarian. There's other things that's more powerful than pure strength, say that they want to live in Music Town and be accepted and not get into trouble.

[susanna]

nivell: Thanks for your compliments! Concerning this "die" thing: That's the challenge of true pacifism, to let those live who you really and rightfully hate.

Sneakyfox: Thanks for the compliments too!

Zay: Thanks for the long thoughtful comment and the compliments! Yes, sometimes I like to write long, awkward sentences. That's because my thinking goes on and on, and sometimes it goes in circles. It's not some simple, straightforward sentences. Naruto still being a genin - well, the real problem is not that they want to make him Hokage but that they want to kill Danzou in the open without getting punished for it. Naruto knows that this is impossible, Sasuke is still in denial.

I am still not certain whether I will rewrite the story once I have finished it, but if I do, I will remember your suggestions!

[susanna]

kanazerosukenaru: Thanks for the compliments! Yes, well, I thought that people would like some smut. I did my best to make it good, so I am glad it worked out!

nivell: Thanks for the compliments too!

Andi-chan: yes, a lot more chapters!

[susanna]

Nivell: Thanks for liking the review to the make-up section! It's a bit like an extra - and Sasuke is a bit like a wheel that does not turn anything, running wildly - he does not know what to do, and so he does crazy things. It will change soon. Well, orange lipstick - what else for Naruto?

Rahvin68: Ah, yes, people can be strange and weird. The new chapter will be more explicite about it.

Sneakyfox: Thanks for your reviews! No, some people can't be pleased, and mothers of small children can be among the worst. Yes, in Music Town conflicts are about music. It's a popular cliché and not completely untrue either that gay people love the European Song Contest, and I wanted to spork it. (Just three days before a girl from my town actually won it, 28 years after Germany's last victory. It's a bit embarrassing.) But there were a few gay people standing next to me when I was watching at a public viewing arena, and I don't know what to do in such a situation - stare or look away. And thanks for your compliments for the love scene...

[susanna]

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...

[susanna]

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.

[susanna]

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".

[susanna]

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!

[susanna]

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.

[susanna]

Nivell: Thanks for your compliments!

[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!

[Guest susanna]

RogueMudblood: Thanks for informing me about the whereabouts of "my" thread - and about where to go in order to ask for further support. (Some things are really weird here. For example I cannot find the Naruto Yaoi section.)

A Big Fan: Don't be worried about your review - you were very polite and I can understand your complaints. I am not yet very good at estimating into how many words a scene of my plan will translate, so the story is really far too long. However I can assure you that I know very well how Danzou will be ousted. I have known it from the beginning of my story, and I will stick to my original plan. It would ruin the story if they suddenly found a clever plan for an assault against Danzou. I have a plan how Danzou will be ousted, and I would have thought that partly it has already been set into motion. Maybe if you reread all the letters from Sakura you will see that the situation in Konoha is far from stabile.

There's a lot of new things for them to experience in Music Town, and, yes, in a way the story is about what they experience, and, yes, I admit, I got self-indulgent in some points, having more and more ideas for scenes for the two boys, and probably, if I ever rewrite the story, I will delete them. (The other point where I am self-indulgent is dialogue.)

The boys grow up in Music Town, they question their former attitudes, and they learn how they can realistically get rid of Danzou without running into the problem proposed by Naruto: that they cannot kill the current Hokage of Konoha without being punished for it, probably with Death Penalty. (Contrary to Music Town, in Konoha they haven't heard of the UN declaration of the rights of children.) I won't cut off this process.

Sasuke's encounters with the police are part of the process. He has to learn about a functional judicial system - a system with flaws, but functional all the same. He respects this system - it's part of his letting go off revenge. (Well, I guess it's another problem of my story that I tried to tackle every philosophical problem of the story...)

So, well, I understand your criticism - I understand it only too well, I would probably not even start to read a story of this length. Though there were other times in my life when I had more time at my hands and would indeed venture into such a long story. Well, I feel embarrassed about the length of my story, and maybe I will decide to cut it down to half its length - but only when it's finished and when it's possible for everyone to see where I was heading to, so that it is also clearer which sideplots can be cut down.

So thanks for your review, and no, I don't think it was rude in any way, but I think I will stick to my original plan.

[DemonGoddess]

Link to top levels in naruto

Link to yaoi in first one

Link to yaoi in AU/AR

Link to yaoi in Crossovers

[susanna]

Link to top levels in naruto

Link to yaoi in first one

Link to yaoi in AU/AR

Link to yaoi in Crossovers

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

[susanna]

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.

[susanna]

"Our strategy is to get him into a situation where surrender is his best option."

How nice for them. So they're going to persuade the crazy ninja space-time master that he should surrender... how, exactly? That's not a strategy, that's wishful thinking.

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.

The thing is, you're writing this NaruSasu fic about the effect living somewhere more like the modern world would have on their characters... but then you've got this sort of political thread about how Naruto still wants to defeat Akatsuki and become Hokage. And he can't do that from Music Town. So it seems like he's behaving selfishly, because there are people in Konoha depending on him, and he says he wants to help them, but he's not really doing anything about it.

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.

(Okay, he gave an interview and he's trying to get a book reprinted. So how does that help him influence the Daimyo? How does that help him build relationships with foreign leaders? How does that help him make contacts with resistance to Danzou inside Konoha? These are all things he should be thinking about, and he's not.)

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.

I know in this chapter you're sort of suggesting it's not Naruto's problem - and I'd agree it's not up to him to establish world peace for everyone - but I'm Alright So Screw Everyone Else isn't an attitude I can /ever/ see Naruto adopting.

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.

[susanna]

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.

[susanna]

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.