Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Regret Not A Thing ❯ Ch. 25: Wrath of the Gods ( Chapter 25 )

Regret Not A Thing

By Mizerable

 

 

 

Ch. 25: Wrath of the Gods

 

 

Naruto was trapped in heat and in darkness. There was a hand gripping the back of his neck as a warning not to move. For one brief moment, he forgot Sasuke and Sakura. Forgot his friends and his home. He was deathly afraid only for himself.

 

For one brief moment.

 

* * *

 

Sakura knew Hinata was waiting for her to severe the connection (bond), being herself unwilling to let things end like this. And she could hear the rustle of paper, muted as it was beyond the rushing in her head. But all Sakura could notice was the stuttering rise and fall of Sasuke's chest. The gentle calmness of his face.

 

He'll go quietly, as if sleeping. He won't feel any pain. He won't have to feel pain again…

 

Such bittersweet mercy.

 

She always knew she might lose him. And even though she knew she had no choice in it now, she could not bear to say goodbye. Not like this. Certainly not without Naruto here with her. With them. Team 7.

 

She gave up so much just to be strong (for Sasuke-for Naruto) and her hands would not take their leave. They kept pouring the feeble remains of her chakra into Sasuke, each second making it so much harder to stop. She leaned forward with bleary eyes trying to stay focused on her work. She was close to him, close enough for their cheeks to almost touch. She thought of all the things she wanted so badly to say, wanted him to know.

 

Her lips ghosted over his forehead and the words she whispered were the only words she could ever place with Sasuke and goodbyes.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“Don't stop!”

 

The voice called out and forced the girls to remain still, connected. A rush of air at Sakura's back made her realize they were no longer alone with the Akatsuki.

 

“Fear not, Sakura-san,” it was Lee standing in Konan's way, “I've become that man.”

 

* * *

 

“The lotus of Konoha blooms twice. When I stand before you again, I will be a stronger man.”

 

* * *

 

Sakura could not think of any words to say in response, especially not with her wrist being held so tightly. Ino made sure Sakura and Hinata didn't budge an inch, lest they lose hold of their jutsu amidst all the commotion.

 

“Don't you dare think about quitting, Forehead,” Ino chastised, “This is Sasuke-kun's life that's on the line.”

 

“Ino,” Sakura sniffed, desperately trying not to cry in front of her. Because she wasn't the same crybaby from childhood anymore, right?

 

“Shh, we're here now,” Ino sobered and took note of Sakura's poor condition, Hinata's sheer exhaustion, “We've got your back. So go ahead and show me you're better than the Cosmos, okay?”

 

* * *

 

“I thought it would be a waste if you ended as a bud. A flower is meaningless unless it blooms, right? And it could grow into a flower even more beautiful than a Cosmos.”

 

* * *

 

“…Ino,” Sakura's voice barely carried over the chaos at her back. Her traitorous eyes inadvertently tried to look towards the girl in question. Ino merely tilted Sakura's chin away with the press of her index finger.

 

“Didn't I just tell you we'll cover you?” Ino held her hands out, palms down, “I've got a good amount of chakra left to burn, so take what you need and finish up already!”

 

It was odd, morbidly comical even, the sound of a body being audibly struck by paper. Sakura knew Lee was right behind her, shielding her. Not that she would (could) turn away from Sasuke to look. Not that Ino would let her. She and Hinata kept their concentration on their work, the glow of Ino's chakra burning bright and clear.

 

Though Hinata was not so hindered by the limits of peripheral vision, not with her eyes. She watched the battle unfold just beyond the painted ring of the ritual ground. She would not allow herself to look farther than that. Not into the hallway, where she knew Naruto would not be. Not deeper into the cave, where she knew Naruto would be (in danger).

 

So she watched Shino and Lee counter Konan's advances, though they could do little in retaliation. Lee could not break her bones. Shino's bugs could not eat away at her flesh. Konan was a spectacularly unfortunate opponent for them to face as she simply reshaped herself after every blow. And Hinata did nothing more than watch Shino skid back after dodging another barrage. He crouched down on one knee somewhere behind Ino, oh-so-careful to avoid disrupting the healers.

 

“How much time do you need?” he asked briskly.

 

Fighting in close quarters was always a challenge. Doing so when you had to be exceedingly cautious of the three girls that had their throats proverbially bared as they carried on with the jutsu nearly required a miracle.

 

Hinata and Sakura silently assessed their progress and calculated just how far they had to go. It was not so different than being struck by lightning, the jolt that pulsed through them when they understood how close they were.

 

“Five minutes,” they responded in muted harmony.

 

This was not such a long time, not in the mind of a medic, though it did not quite hold true for those fighting. Five minutes was a terribly long while to keep up with a powerful opponent.

 

“Then we should finish this in four,” Shino decided.

 

Hinata, nor anyone else, needed respond. Not after the chain of events that transpired. She watched an object arc through the air, a canister of some sort. A shuriken followed and sliced the lid open to drench Konan in thick, dark oil. After the momentary surprise passed, Konan came to realize her skin had grown quite stiff and immobile beneath the sticky substance. It felt not so dissimilar to blood against her finger tips, she faintly decided.

 

* * *

 

In the hall, Kankurou's hand despite the burns and spasms, remained poised after the throw. Temari was rapidly wrapping bandages around his other wounded wrist now that it was free from its restraints.

 

“Oil,” he grumbled, “Always got it with me to keep the puppet joints loose…Never would've thought of that.”

 

“You okay?” Temari pointedly ignored his frustration at not realizing how to counter Konan's abilities.

 

“Forget me,” he snapped, “They got Naruto.”

 

Gaara's shoulders visibly jerked when he heard the news.

 

“Where did they take him?” Gaara's words were clipped and brittle.

 

“Ran off that way,” Kankurou gestured with a shaking hand, “Using some kinda cloaking summon—”

 

Gaara raced off in that direction, Yugito chasing after him in close pursuit.

 

“Gaara, wait!” Temari called after him, though refrained from following. Her eyes frantically sought out Shikamaru. He was the only one aside from herself that had truly studied who would be waiting when they found Naruto.

 

“It'll take six of us,” Shikamaru exhaled the words heavily. Neji and Tenten nodded, prepared to follow Shikamaru wherever he told them to go. Prepared to leave without Lee with the hope he wouldn't do anything (too) stupid without them to look after him.

 

“Sorry, Kankurou,” Temari offered brusquely, attempting to appear unaffected.

 

“Just go fetch our little brother before he gets himself into trouble,” he replied with a weak grin, “They're gonna need me here soon enough.”

 

* * *

 

Lee made sure to keep Konan on the defensive. Even though his limbs burned with exhaustion, he wouldn't dare give her the opening to let her use a Suiton jutsu to wash away the oil. She was an enemy that could be beaten now.

 

Sakura could tell this had to have been what was going on based on what she could hear. She made herself listen to every detail just to keep herself conscious enough to finish the ritual. She was so close now. So, so close. And even so.

 

“Ino,” she murmured, “If you need to go…”

 

…follow Shikamaru…

 

“I'm rather content to stay right where I am, thank you very much,” she replied in her usual haughty tone, even as she glanced briefly to see Shikamaru's hand brush against Temari's shoulder as they departed, “They're not the ones who need me.”

 

I'm not the one he needs. Not now. And maybe perhaps I never was…?

 

“…Ino?” Sakura's voice seemed as if it echoed from far away.

 

“Hmm?”

 

Sakura didn't respond immediately. There was the crash of a body against stone, causing more bits of rock to rain from the ceiling. There was the roaring buzz of insects.

 

“Keep talking,” Sakura all but ordered.

 

Even with such a request, Ino had trouble conjuring words as she stared at Sakura's pale, pale face. The drizzle of blood trailing from her nose and catching against her chin.

 

“You're such a worrywart,” Ino chided with forced cheer, “Everything's going to work out fine. Just you wait `til this is all over and we go home. You'll get your medic's license and then we'll plan on making jounin. You'll be an amazing doctor by then, so naturally Sasuke-kun will marry you—”

 

“Ino!” Hearing those words (secret, secret thoughts) out loud was almost enough to disrupt Sakura's chakra flow.

 

“Just focus on the jutsu—Like I was saying, you'll get married and I'll be your maid of honor. You'll have bunches of kids and I'll be like a doting aunt to them. And when we're old and gray, we would have had so many good years we won't even remember there was a time when we didn't talk. We won't remember ever being scared. Got it?”

 

Sakura said nothing, too consumed with wishing for her blurry eyes to clear.

 

“I like that ending,” Hinata added so softly, Ino wondered if she had imagined it.

 

“...Yeah,” Sakura spoke with quivering tones, “Our own fairy tale.”

 

* * *

 

Konan frowned in distaste as bugs clung to the oil on her skin as if she were now made of flypaper. If she were one for humor, she might have found it funny to notice how close to the truth this was. But she was not one for humor.

 

Not that she really had the time to contemplate such things. Not when the two she was fighting would not grant the opportunity for such things.

 

“Why do you continue with this fight?” Shino asked in his regular bland voice, “There is no jinchuuriki here for you to gain.”

 

“Is it because Sasuke-kun's brother leaked your secrets?” Lee jumped in. That was a mystery no one seemed very keen on clarifying.

 

“Oh, him?” Konan dodged Lee's kick, “No, it has nothing to do with that.”

 

“Then why are you attempting to kill Uchiha?” Shino continued his questions as his bugs leeched her chakra, “Or is he still bait meant to stall us?”

 

“He is not my concern,” she answered plainly, “I am only doing as I was ordered.”

 

“You don't even know why you're fighting?” Lee sounded incredulous.

 

Konan's eyes grew shuddered for a moment, the slightest of tells, as she avoided another attack. Both had a strong feeling there was something she wasn't telling them. Regardless of what she said, her objective certainly seemed to be reaching Sasuke.

 

And suddenly she charged forward with speed they hadn't anticipated from her, considering her limited mobility. But she darted between the pair as a kunai slid into her palm from beneath the folds of her robe. Perhaps, she would soon realize, she should have known something was wrong when neither of them called out a warning to the girls.

 

The three remained still as they kneeled by Sasuke with hands outstretched. But as she brought her blade around in an arching swipe, she did not see the telltale glow of chakra pouring from their hands any longer. Her kunai barely skimmed over Ino's hair as Ino collapsed back on herself with the soles of her feet pressing into her back. Sakura fell forward as a protective shield over Sasuke's body. The brief distraction of motion caught Konan's attention just enough as Hinata sprang over the huddled bodies with an outstretched hand. Her palm struck Konan squarely in the chest and the two remained frightfully still.

 

It was the longest of breaths before Hinata's hand slowly retreated to her side. Konan remained frozen in place, too stunned to even blink, before blood slid past her lips. Another gasp of air and Konan slipped to the ground as if crumpled paper. Hinata made to step around her as her knees turned inward, an apparition from her nervous youth, before she listed to the side. Shino was quick to catch her by the arm and kept her on her feet. The jarring movement drew her hair loose from its tie and it fell behind her as spilled ink.

 

“You should rest,” he advised, “It's over now.”

 

“No…” she panted, head shaking side to side.

 

Not when Naruto-kun is…

 

Shino was never one for many words and merely tugged Hinata's arm around his shoulders to support most of her weight.

 

Ino, meanwhile, pulled herself back into a kneeling position. Not so much out of concern for Hinata's well-being, though she was very much worried. But rather, she thought she heard Sakura mumble something. It was hard to tell if she said anything at all while she lay prone against Sasuke. There was something about that image that made something in Ino's chest feel tight…

 

“You need something, Forehead?” Ino asked casually. It wouldn't do for her to act so cool in front of Sakura, then collapse into a ball of nerves. Not when she had both Sakura and Hinata depending on her.

 

“…I missed you,” Sakura whispered, repeated really, glancing up at Ino from the corner of her eye.

 

Ino's reply was mostly an exasperated sigh.

 

“Idiot, I'm right here!” and then softly, “I've always been right here.”

 

“I'm sor—!”

 

“Stop,” Ino spoke in unfamiliar, stern tones, “We already decided we have a lot of years before we're old, right?”

 

A lot of years to forget we hurt each other. A lot of years to set things right.

 

“…Right…”

 

Sakura needed to keep Ino talking. It was growing so hard to stay awake, especially with Sasuke's faint, faint heartbeat pulsing against her ear. It was a gentle, lulling sound that made her body ache with the need to rest. Sasuke was safe now, right? Surely she could close her eyes for just a moment. And perhaps she was just dreaming that Ino was calling her name now?

 

“We should get them out of here,” Ino suggested to Lee and Kankurou. Both the boys looked like they could stand to get somewhere far away from this damnable cave. But Sasuke and Sakura…Sakura was wilting before their eyes. And Sasuke? No one was even sure he would ever regain consciousness—

 

“Lee-san?” Sakura called out feebly as she gained momentary lucidity.

 

“Are you okay, Sakura-san?” Lee knelt down beside her.

 

“…Naruto,” her body trembled with effort as she attempted to stand. There was somewhere else she needed to be, right? “We have to find him.”

 

Lee frowned. He understood perfectly well her desire to help her friend in need, but she was in no condition to face what would be waiting for them.

 

“I came here for my team,” Sakura pleaded in the softest of voices, “I know what the odds are. But if I'm going to fail, then I will fail with my team.”

 

If I leave now without Naruto, Sasuke-kun would never forgive me.

 

Lee and Ino exchanged glances while doing their best not to grow anxious for their own teammates.

 

“You have put me in a tough situation, Sakura-san,” she was too startled to say anything as Lee hoisted her onto his back, “I cannot even begin to call myself a man if I turn down the request of a woman in need.”

 

If Sakura hadn't been so tremendously overwhelmed by the day's events, she probably would have laughed. Though Lee said nothing as her tears soaked his shoulder.

 

* * *

 

Konan's world had grown dark and still. She could only spot a mere pinpoint of light that seemed so far away. It felt as if she was floating towards it and she could make out faint shapes as she approached.

 

“So you've been here all this time?” she whispered, “I'm sorry I made you wait so long.”

 

* * *

 

Naruto pulled away the first chance he got, clawed fingers slashing out wildly. He stumbled forward as his eyes adjusted to the firelight after being contained within the dark. He spun sharply to face his attacker with little care for how red his eyes became. The man that stood before him had long blonde hair pulled back tightly, though part of it was left to drift over the side of his face. Though the most striking feature was the black, bolt-like piercings driven through his face.

 

“You better be ready for a fight,” Naruto growled, “ `Cause I sure as hell ain't gonna just lay down and die.”

 

“It's only natural you would struggle,” the man responded, “It is the normal reaction for a mere person to have when faced with a being such as myself.”

 

He gestured to something behind Naruto, who in turn was hesitant to look back and expose himself to a possible attack from behind. But more so, he could feel it pulse. Or rather, them. Reluctant as he was, Naruto glanced back slowly before turning around completely to stare at the monstrous statue looming over him. Instinctively he knew what it was. What it held. What it meant for him.

 

`That thing,” Naruto had trouble pulling the words from his throat, “You weren't given a chance to be a ninja for this.”

 

“Hmm, perhaps. Perhaps not,” Pain seemed to contemplate Naruto's words for a moment, “Though Jiraiya-sensei was not around to say one way or the other. But then again, he might have been in agreement if he had stayed to see what became of Rain Country.”

 

“So is that all this is?” Naruto shouted back, “Revenge?!”

 

Naruto had grown quite tired of that word.

 

“No, nothing so shallow,” Pain replied blandly, “This is an act of God passing on his knowledge to the world. And the world shall be molded by pain and suffering, as I was.”

 

“God? You're a fucking psycho!”

 

One that I'll have to take down on my own. There's nobody else here to save the day this time. And if I fail, I'm not the only one that's gonna suffer.

 

* * *

 

Naruto traveled the well-walked paths as water curled around his ankles.

 

“Hey!” he called out into the distance, “Wait for me!”

 

As he raced closer, the blurred silhouettes became clearer. He could see Sasuke and Sakura walking side by side as they moved further away from him.

 

“Sakura-chan! Sasuke!” the water rushed in and drove him back, “Don't go!”

 

The pair merely kept walking, evidently unable to hear Naruto yelling for them. All his other words were cut off by the water that now choked him. The images of his teammates floated away into the darkness.

 

I won't let you leave me behind.

 

He let the current carry him forward, and even when he reached the prison bars, he allowed himself to pass through without protest.

 

“Took you long enough, brat.”

 

* * *

 

Pain stood by quietly as Naruto's body lurched forward and fell onto all fours. There were already three fiery chakra tails swaying as Naruto's skin peeled away. His blood, rather than spill onto the floor, rose up and formed a dark cocoon around his body. Any bits of skin that still floated in the air turned to ash when it touched the black edges of the sphere forming around him.

 

Pain watched the scene rather dispassionately.

 

So this is the vaunted power of the Kyuubi…

 

When the cocoon burst and the shockwaves died down, Pain was left staring at a four-tailed creature: a miniature fox demon.

 

“You would choose to become such a monster just to compete with one such as I? What a pitiful child.”

 

Pain went through the familiar motion of summoning and called upon a cerebus. When the beastly multi-headed dog came close to Naruto, it only took one sweep of his “paw” to burn the creature to dust. Pain's mouth quirked into the faintest of smirks at the display. No, he could not say he was troubled by this immense power. Being who he was, he had no need to fear such a being. Not even as droplets of chakra began to accumulate in the air at the direction of the four tails, shaping themselves into one solid mass.

 

Naruto's jaw seemed to unhinge itself as he forced the black ball of chakra down his own throat. His whole body swelled with the weight of so much condensed energy before he fired a blast with a horrific roar.

 

Pain did not move, but summoned another being instead. A large body, human in appearance stood before him with the same ringed eyes staring back just as the blast struck.

 

Naruto sat back on his “haunches,' poised to strike at any given moment. His eyes narrowed as he stared into the smoke to see what became of his opponent. Amidst the haze and debris, amidst the shower of rock, the air was thick with blood. It rather appeared the body meant as Pain's shield was blown apart by the explosion.

 

* * *

 

The very foundation of the cave shook violently with the force of the explosion. None of the ninja had time to even yell out warnings before the ceiling fell around them. It took several racing heartbeats before anyone could even registered they weren't buried beneath the stone.

 

“What…Gaara!” Temari called out once she realized the sand was protecting them.

 

Gaara grit his teeth as he tried to keep the rocks from crushing the group. He guided his sand with painstakingly slow motions before dumping the rocks around them. Tenten exhaled heavily as she looked up at where the ceiling once was. She could see beams of late afternoon sun spilling through the holes overhead.

 

“Damn it!” Yugito yelled.

 

The path before them was now blocked by seemingly immovable stones.

 

“Neji, is it safe to clear them?” Shikamaru asked warily.

 

“It…” Neji was looking well beyond the blockage, witnessing something he wished he could unsee, “It will take some time to move them without causing the rest of this place to come down on us.”

 

“We don't have time,” Gaara muttered, feeling the pull of the Kyuubi chakra in the distance.

 

“Then let's get to it,” Temari and Yugito were already clearing away the rocks.

 

* * *

 

Lee braced one hand against the wall while keeping Sakura steady on his back.

 

“What was that?”

 

Hinata already activated the Byakugan and she, too, wished she hadn't looked.

 

“Naruto-kun,” she gasped, “Naruto-kun!”

 

She pulled away from Shino and stumbled forward before forcing herself to run.

 

“Hinata, wait!” Ino followed in pursuit. The others fell into step behind her. Lee couldn't think of anything to say as Sakura's hand took a tight grip of his shirt.

 

Naruto, don't you dare die on me.

 

* * *

 

Kakashi ran along the riverbank, following the trail the Twelve left behind. He could hear the explosion echoing from the northwest. He was close now and could only pray that he would actually be on time for once when it mattered.

 

* * *

 

Jiraiya was far closer, thanks to the map Kabuto gave him. He didn't have time to contemplate the motive involved, but it certainly proved itself to be accurate. He stood on the cliff on the opposite side of the river looking down on the cave. He'd passed Zetsu's mangled corpse just moments before so at least he could take comfort in the fact that the kids seemed to have some idea of what they were doing. But if that heavy chakra in the air was any indication, it was safe to say that Naruto was not fairing well.

 

That fool…I warned him not to take it that far!

 

The thought was soon crushed by a heavier notion. Just how bad had things gotten inside to drive Naruto to that point?

 

“Well, I suppose it's time for me to drag my wayward student home.”

 

* * *

 

Though even in such a state as this, there were some things neither Naruto nor the Kyuubi could prepare for.

 

“It's certainly been a while, fox.”

 

Within Naruto's subconscious, within the prison that held the fox, a new figure stood before it. Naruto peered out between the bars to see who had arrived, somehow feeling groggy and detached from what was occurring. He knew without even getting a good look at the person that it was not the same one he'd been fighting.

 

“You,” the Kyuubi growled, “You would dare to show your face before me again?”

 

“Why wouldn't I. It's not as if you have any power over me.”

 

“Who are you?” Naruto tried to shout, but his words barely made it past his mouth. Somehow he felt more afraid of this person than any other opponent he had faced today.

 

“That is a being with a chakra even more sinister than my own,” Kyuubi spat, “Uchiha Madara.”

 

“Uchiha?!” Naruto yelled, “That can't be! Sasuke's the only Uchiha left!”

 

He tried to see the Sharingan concealed behind the peculiar orange mask the man wore.

 

Sasuke never told us there was another Uchiha in the Akatsuki. It can't be true!

 

“Oh? So he never told you of me? Well, he knew by a different name anyway,” Madara paused for a moment, “Though surely Itachi must have said something when he ratted out the Akatsuki to Konoha.”

 

“Uchiha Itachi,” the name left a sour feeling in Naruto's stomach, “Why would a traitorous murderer like him tell us anything?”

 

“Because he was the one sent to stop me.”

 

Naruto's knees shook violently as he sank down into the water.

 

“Because he was the one who knew the true power of the Uchiha Clan,” Madara extended a hand and the Kyuubi seemed to dematerialize with one final roar, “The ability to bend the Kyuubi to our will.”

 

* * *

 

In the real world, Naruto's body collapsed to the ground. His skin was left red and raw after sustaining the burns it incurred to support four tails.

 

“Convenient,” Madara commented, “That restorative ability of yours.”

 

He gestured to the “fat” Pain body that now stood by completely intact, along with his five other forms.

 

“We shall begin the extraction now,” Pain spoke with a face that once belonged to a young boy from Rain Country. He'd been known by a different name then.

 

“Very well…Though I would not count on Konan to contribute,” Madara added.

 

“…I see.”

 

The six took positions upon the statue with hands outstretched.

 

* * *

 

Tsunade sat at her desk with her fingers steepled in front of her face. She was taking a huge risk by calling for an investigation such as this at a time such as this.

 

“You sent for me, Hokage-sama?”

 

The body of an Anbu member seemed to grow from the floor.

 

“I did,” she sat back in her chair, “I felt you were the person best suited for the job.”

 

“I'm honored,” he replied smoothly, “How might I be of service?”

 

“Earlier today, I received a phone call that provided rather disturbing information,” she explained, though was smart enough to leave out all the important details, “I have no doubt this person is quite skilled, yet the call was placed from an easily traceable number.”

 

“So you believe that was intentional?”

 

“Exactly. This person wants to be found, and you'll be the one to go looking. Your mission is to identify the caller as well as verify the validity of the statement this person made.”

 

Tsunade pushed a scroll across the desk that contained the mission details. The Anbu was hesitant to pick up the scroll, as such a seemingly easy sounding mission shouldn't have required his kind of expertise. Which probably meant it was an exceptionally complicated mission. As he scanned over the information, he nearly dropped the scroll in an uncharacteristic moment of surprise.

 

“Hokage-sama, this is—!”

 

“Quite shocking, isn't is,” she drawled while propping her chin up on her fist, “Do you accept?”

 

“Yes—Yes, of course.”

 

“Good. Your name for this mission shall be `Yamato.' Now get going before our person of interest decides to disappear on us.”

 

Yamato nodded once before melding into the floor and vanishing from sight.

 

Tsunade glanced briefly out the window at the setting sun. She had yet to hear back from anyone involved in that wild goose chase after the Akatsuki, now she had this on her hands.

 

First the Akatsuki, now Danzou and the Root might be making a move…It couldn't be that…It's not possible that these two events are related. Is it?

 

* * *

 

It was raining the day he descended those cold steps and read the truth. He was still a child then, and as consumed with grief as he was, he could not comprehend the words laid out before him.

 

Months go by, years even, and he let his mind be consumed by other hateful things rather than accept the truth for what it was.

 

Even after he is told these things again right to his face, he did not believe. Not completely. It came to him in stages over that last, long year.

 

Even after he was resigned to believing all he had learned, it did not erase his sense of loss. Or the betrayal that struck far deeper than any that he thought he'd known.

 

It would never replace all the years he'd spent hating the only person involved that did not deserve it. The one person he truly lost at the end.

 

 

 

To be continued…