OMG :L he caught them >_<
ugh...
i was wondering hwRyu could keep bearing so much pain if the Anbu's couldnt :L but i see is tht guy some kind of a demon inside of hi :o!
and woah...! he killed his family D= poor poor Ryu >_< i cn only imagine wat he might b goin through atm >:L
and aww..how he kept protecting Sakura =DD i dnt think Sakura will hav any doubt now tht Ryu is NOT a freak...!! ^_^
n probably all will knw too =)
anyways... and wth?? :O Daichi's abilty is freaky...:L i mean who can fight him than... >_< only the strong willed and determined ;o
n Jeesh!! is Shiro even Human? >:L destroying the mind O_O' yh i get it wat u mean, the body left like a shell D=
does he plan to use Sakura as a bait to get Ryu to do his work? D:
and umm Sasaui-chan there are lots of typos in these chapters...i suggest u read it again.. it'l help =D
AWESOME CHAPTER..!! =D m off to the next one ^_^

Author's Response: Yeah, Ryu is definitely different. Not only that, but a lot of his strength has to do with his will power and his past. There's a reason why his past would make him like he is. As for his family.... Well, don't jump to conclusions there. I was thinking some might, and it seems you did. Yeah, he's gonna protect Sakura. It's one of the things I love best about this guy: his protective instinct. It's just so fun to write about =D. Yeah, these two are people you definitely don't want to fight alone. Daichi's ability was one of the more creative ones I've come up with and I like it. As for those who can fight him, just you wait. You'll find out really soon. And yes, Shiro is human, though he's as evil as a demon. I don't know what it would be like to be a shell, but just imagining it makes me sick. And it's more than likely worse than what I imagine. As for his plans, you'll just have to read to find out. Sorry about the typos. I haven't gotten around to revising this chapter. For some reason I decided to start from what used to be the end (Promise of a Lifetime) and work my way up before returning to the newest chapter (Right Before Your Eyes). I hope you enjoy the next chapter when you read it ^_^

Although the descriptions are helpful, the can get in the way of the story and cause readers to skim over them
The relationship between Wolf and Hana is at first unspecified, then later glorified in a confusing manner. I was under the impression that they'd been stuck together this once for a mission, not that they were old friends.
The rest was well written. It makes me sad when villains love. They seem so human.

(after the diamonds)
A little bit more surrounding description would help.
I srsly LOLed at the idea of Naruto pranking the Hokage, ha.
(having ended)
Yowch. Ah, i remember now! This is familiar, it's your story! I mean, did you rewrite it?

Sorry, the review's a bit rough since I was writing my thought's on notepad as I was reading this chap.

Author's Response: Yeah, sorry about that. I have no clue what was going on in my mind when I wrote that. It is kinda confusing, huh? I'll fix that when I go over it (hopefully). Yeah, it does suck when the bad guys seem human. I was mad at the movie Thor when Loki fell because he had become my favorite character and I felt so bad for him T_T. And sorry about the description. I hope it gets better the farther you get into the story. And yeah, Naruto pranking the Hokage is always funny. No, it's not a rewrite (though it seems like half my stories are). Maybe you just read it once but didn't review it. And I don't mind it being rough. It's just fine. AT least you reviewed =D.

Hi Hi Hi!!! Waaah, Sasui, it's been sooo looong! *sobs* I just had a popalokin sugar rush, so imma gonna be a little crazy, sry, LOL.

Guess what? I'm a betareader now! Yay! Hope you don't mind that I betaread your story?

Firstly - I was absolutely certain the kid was Naruto (since he seems on par with Naruto's mischievousness) and was surprised when I, well, found out (not unpleasantly). I LOLed at the description of the kid tripping over his own feet.
I was worried about Ryu (He got hit by kunai, right? How's he fine?) And eight year olds are pretty puny to be mistaken for adults, even at a distance (believe me - they're pint sized).

*clicks ~Next~ without further ado*

Author's Response: Yeah, it has been a long time, hasn't it. Don't worry about the sugar rush. I've written my share of crazy reviews (though usually only when I'm tired). It got this whole Flying Chocolate Monkeys thing started with me. Yeah, I shouldn't review while tired......rnrnOh, really, you are? Well, no, I wouldn't mind if you betaread my story. If anything, I'd be honored.rnrnYeah, you do see that mischievousness within the kid more here than you will later, except a few mentions of something in the more recent chapters when he's older. Yeah, it was just little ole Ryu running from Anbu with food. Nothing unusual there, right? Yeah, he tripped. Running fast and coming to a sudden stop can do that to a person. And yeah, the kunai didn't wound him as much as paralyze him, but that wore off quickly. He was healed right before his talk with Hiruzen, but since I didn't get very detailed of what happened after they left the streets, I guess I forgot to mention it. As for the mistake, he thought he was a teen or genin because of the ease he was moving and the fact he could escape him for so long (which there is a reason for), and some teens I've seen have been as short as eight year olds (or eight year olds are just taller than other young kids).rnrnI'm so glad you read this, Rose-chan, and I hope you continue to read and enjoy Cursed Saint.

What an excellent read! This was definitely a very creative survival training, and you're wrote everything and everyone brilliantly. Admittedly, there were a few mistakes that show that you rushed it a bit. But this was still a wonderful piece of work, and I really enjoyed the entire thing.

I'm glad to see that Ryu and the rest of Team 10 have it in them to work together, even though they get on each other's nerves at times. Their cooperation is just as fun to read as their bickering is ;D

I can't wait to read more. Keep up the fantastic work!

Author's Response: I'm glad that you liked it, Rainbow Fire. I'm glad that you liked my survival training. Sweet! I got everyone right. I'm so happy now. I'm sorry about the mistakes, but, like you said, I was rushing. I hope I can fix that sometime simi-soonish..... No promises, though, because I doubt I'll get time anytime soon. Sheesh, being busy sucks.rnrnTeam 10 is like a puzzle, fitting perfectly well with each other. I was afraid adding in Ryu would mess it up, but apparently their teamwork is still golden. I think I enjoy writing their fighting more than their cooperation. It's just so fun!

Oh yeah, I remember telling you to make their survival training a man hunt kind of thing :P Wow, that was so long ago...

Okay, I'm going to list off the mistakes I noticed first; that way, the praise will mean more :D

One of the first things I noticed was that the very first scene had the 'sun disappearing' and 'setting sun'. Why would the sun be disappearing if it's morning? This is the beginning right before Ryu goes to meet his team, so this is morning.

Another thing is you had Hiruzen say that Asuma taught Ryu for ten years. It's two years.

Other things include mixing words (I saw you put 'me' instead of 'mean' at one point) and maybe missing the little words (like a, the, as, has, not etc.). Sometimes, you say 'he' when it should be 'she' and vice versa.

Now, onto the good stuff...

I... Absolutely... Loved it...

I loved each twist that Team 10 experienced in this training. Actually, at first, the thing with the black cat made me wonder just how original the twists were. And then the bit with Asuma transforming in Sakura was a better but kind of expected, I suppose. But you totally had me when the team realized that he was hanging out in one their houses. That surprised me.

And then I especially enjoyed the final fight scene, where they cornered Asuma and then Ino used her mind body switch jutsu. That sealed it for me, I think. Great teamwork there, and it was just a fantastic read.

Nice job, Sasaui! This totally trumps my survival training. Oh yeah, I just went there :P Haha, great work on this, it was totally worth the hour and a half it took me to read it XD Keep up the good work!

Author's Response: Well, nice to see you remembered. I was afraid you'd forget by now (I, for one, almost did =P). I still can't even remember what that was for. I think it might have been some hangman thing.....rnrnOh great, the mistakes. I knew there would be some. Just wasn't sure what all it would be.rnrnI have no clue why I did that. For some reason, I always feel like this happens somewhere close to afternoon. I even did the same thing when I did this scene in Sasaui Uchiha (as in the first version of Tainted Guardian). I guess I just like the image of the scene where a sun sets and gives the world a golden glow. I just adjusted it a little.rnrnCrap. I have no clue how I managed that. I guess I was thinking of how old he was when Asuma begun to teach him.rnrnWell, the bad thing about microsoft - if only corrects misspelled words. I actually made words, so it didn't see the problems that obviously you picked up. That just proves humans are smarter than computers =P.rnrnWow, you did? I'm so glad that you loved it! Really? You have seen other fanfictions with the cat thing? Huh. You've read so many other fanfictions than me then. I think I decided to do it because I was thinking of it at my grandma's and there's cats there. I guess that influenced that thought. As for the Sakura thing, yeah, I figured it was lame, but I couldn't figure out how else to send Asuma away and make his disguise fall later. I tried to think of a place nobody would think of going, and that brought me to the thought of the place they considered their own - their home.rnrnI guess I kinda slightly tried to tie in the Ino-Shika-Chou thing in with their training to show that their clans are just that well tied into each other at the same time showing Ryu was coming into it well as part of their team. I'm glad that I did well enough with their team that their teamwork sealed it for you. I was really worried about this chapter, but apparently you don't believe I should have.rnrnNo, no it does not! Lying is a sin, Silverwolf. Yours trumps mine tenfold if not more. I'm sorry it took so long to read, but there is no way that mine beat yours. Take. It. BACK!

o/ Plot development? 10/10
I actually cannot think of a way to improve this. There was an amazing feel of suspense that started from the first Ryu scene and just kept building all the way through. I was gripped and everything just ties in so neatly wanting to make me read more. Awesome work!

o/Use of characters? 7/10
I will be honest and say I was struggling to keep track of exactly who was in every scene, but most of your handling was very masterful with just enough description of side characters to display things like your genjutsu to its fullest and most powerful effect, but not so much that they bogged down the chapter. Very nice.
Point number two: Yes, I know, you're not good at portraying young characters. We've had this discussion many times. However you did an awesome job with Ryu (who isn't like a normal child anyway) and Sakura... well, ups and downs. I was really impressed with her reactions when she first woke up and felt like they were going to kill her. That feel of powerlessness and panic was very apt for a very young Sakura, but then by the same token I felt maybe she'd be be a little less 'collected' when Ryu actually does take off his ring; a bit more panicky and confused perhaps... Otherwise this was a very good attempt and I was impressed by how much you've improved.
I was also a little surprised, however, about the fact that Asuma didn't think of Konohamaru when he realised everyone thought of Ryu as his father's grandson, especially as Konohamaru is (presumably) the offspring of Asuma's deceased sibling (and said sibling's partner), hence why his grandfather named and raised the boy. I can't remember whether you said Konohamaru exists in your story or ot, but if he does - given the circumstances - you'd have thought Asuma probably felt protective enough to spare the boy's feelings a thought at least.

o/ Description? 8/10
You do describe well. There's never much on the settings, but you do include a lot on character actions and things and do a good job of keeping things flowing throughout the chapter.
I really enjoyed the way you started this chapter with the mentioning of the trees 'flying passed'. That really set me up with an image of the scene and what was happening - as well as drawing me. I wasn't quite so impressed with the way you repeated it in the next paragraph, that technique didn't quite work for me with the slightly different wording and stuff, especially as you repeated the word 'trees' in the next sentence after that as well, which (is bad practice anyway and) was just slightly too much.
The other thing I noticed was the description of 'scars' from Ryu's cursed jutsu on a recently dead body - unless the jutsu heals as it injures and kills (quite hard to pull off if you think about it logically) - that should be impossible. Those should just be wounds (though not bleeding ones without a heartbeat). So this was either a masterfully inserted little 'hint' that I hope you're planning to build on later or it's an error. I'm not sure which, but I'm obliged to mention it since i noticed it.

o/ Inconsistencies with cannon plot? Characters in-character as regards to the original work? 9/10
With the exception of the Sakura stuff I've already said, this is perfect. I particularly loved the Genjutsu. I see so many 'genjutsu' in fanfiction that theoretically have nothing to do with mind or illusion, so this was just a real threat. It was everything I have always thought a good genjutsu should be. Perfect!
One more thing that amused me was Ryu's estimate that it would take them around four minutes to kill off himself and Sakura. He evidently has a very high (and probably justified) opinion of the amount of fight he could put up in his starved and dehydrated state, because four minutes for two jounin-ranked shinobi to kill two 10 year olds is ridiculous; one or two minutes tops.
Oh, and the log substitution jutsu... This is perfect cannon and nicely used here - it's just another thing that makes me laugh... Where do they get their supply of perfectly chopped logs from, seriously? Kakashi did make it clear that this technique can be used with any available item, so the constant use of those logs amuses me. I do get the need to keep it consistent in the manga so people recognise the jutsu easily, but that doesn't make it any less silly. Ah, but it's the manga/anime's problem, not yours; perfect use of cannon as I said.

o/ Overall quality of the writing? Easy to read? Grammar and Spelling? 7/10
Ah - everyone always bombs this section (including me). I've already told you about the repetition of 'trees' in the second paragraph and there were plenty of single clauses that were used as sentences - but you can ignore them. Many writers do and it often adds to rather than hinders the quality of their work. It's how we speak after all. I just point them out, because I am a stickler.
Of more note was the incident when you had a sentence reading 'Shiro and Daichi was just talking', when it should have been 'were'... Unless, wasn't that in direct speech? If you're claiming that is just how Ryu speaks then you're fine ignoring, (but you'll have to remember to mess up his plural grammar regularly).
And that leaves the two things I really wanted to talk about. First off, you've got a couple of sentences up there that go something like 'He realized he was injured... etc... small pool of blood. Could he be injured?' It just sounds like you've got Ryu noticing this guy's injury and then noticing it again... If he's wondering whether someone actually can hurt that guy then you need to make that clear, otherwise this just doesn't work...
Then when Ryu was wondering about taking off his ring there was this sentence at the end of a paragraph that read 'He could risk doing that', which struck me as a bit weird when I read it for the first time. When I thought about the context it was in more I wondered if perhaps you'd meant to write 'couldn't' instead?

o/ Enjoyment? An engaging read? 9/10
It was a bit slow to start with, but then you totally got me. As I said, great use of suspense, great use of writing technique in many places actually. It was amazing. I was hooked!

o/ Overall? 8/10
Awesome work, Sasi-chan! You know I judge you to the same standards I do silverwolf, Destinygiurl and myself? Your writing is so much more developed than anything I would expect from your age group. It's easy to see that you have the potential to become a phenomenal author, if you keep working hard at it, so please please do. Your talent is another one I would hate to see wasted...

Author's Response: Woah. A 10/10. I can't believe it. I am so happy about that first one! But then, of course, the rest are 9-7s. *sigh* Well, first of all *facepalm facepalm facepalm* I can't believe i forgot about poor Konohamaru. But don't worry, I have fixed that by both adding a bit of him in this chapter and adding him to one of the latest chapters. And I'm very glad that I was able to keep them more like little kids this chapter. That's always been a hard one for me. Crap. I can't believe I'd repeat like that. I guess I just wasn't thinking. Oh, and I've tried to fix most of the things you pointed out, though I doubt it's anywhere near perfect. Especially since some of the stuff I couldn't figure out how to fix. As for the scars on Shiro, trust me, there is a reason for that. Let's just say that the jutsu didn't want him to die so fast. I'm glad that I got the genjutsu thing. I've never read too many genjutsu things, so I wouldn't know if they are oftentimes messed up. Maybe I was kinda overestimating how long it would take. My bad. I think I fixed that part though I can't remember...... As for the substitution jutsu.... Hahaha, you're right about that. I've never noticed it, but you're right. It is very funny. Now you have me wondering about that =P. Well, no, he doesn't talk like that. I just messed up =P. But I've fixed that little mistake. Well, I can't say what it was I was thinking about when I wrote most of this, so I probably just messed up about the injured thing. Ah, my bad. I fixed that, too, and it was probably just something that resulted in me being in a hurry. I'm really glad that you enjoyed it, BigSis-chan, and I hope that you continue to enjoy it when you read it. Really? Wow. That makes me feel special. Well, I am only a few years younger than Silverwolf and DestinyGirl. I was way worse a few years ago. I guess it was just because I was writing for so long that I got to where I am. And trust me, I will continue to work hard. Writing is, and probably always will be, my favorite thing to do.

Excellent! This was a great chapter. You continue to do very well with the emotion and characters' thoughts throughout this story. It definitely helps move the story along in a very realistic yet deep manner.

I really liked how you showed how Ryu is growing up, yet he still has that same protective attitude that he had only two years prior. His promsie to Sakura in this chapter was a nice reflection back to the previous chapters; it continues to illustrate his personality while showing just how grown-up he is becoming now.

I also really enjoyed how Ryu tried to comfort Naruto by hinting at his own past. A bit of foreshadowing about the past, I liked it.

An incredible chapter, overall. Nice job, Sasaui.

Author's Response: Really? Wow, everyone seems to like it. I'm so glad! I'm seriously terrified every time I post a chapter people won't like it. But everyone does, and they all seem to like the emotion I add into the chapters. Yeah, little Ryu is growing up. That protective nature of his will never go away, though. His promises also seems to be just one of his things. He's growing up, but Ryu's going to act similar to when he did before. How different, however, I'm not sure. I think the entire Shiro thing made him grow up. The comforting scene was completely unexpected and made on the spot. I never even meant to do it, but it just kinda suddenly appeared, and then I decided to let you guys know a bit about his past. I'm glad you liked it (as well as the chapter), and I hope I can continue writing what people consider good chapters.

Really?! Seriously?! I didn't review the other chapters either?! I can't believe how horrible of a person I was! That's just ridiculous of me!

Aww, thanks for the nice shoutout though :)

Well, I suppose I'll list through some mistakes I saw. Some grammar errors, though I believe you probably expected me to mention that. There was one point when you used the word 'us' when narrating, which is a big no-no since this is a third-person POV. There may have been some others, but I'm on my iPod right now, so I can't really find anymore at the moment...

Now, onto the review!

I loved Ryu's development! He has definitely progressed as a character, making him that much more enjoyable to read. His strength and personality have both deepened, which makes reading about him so much more interesting. You did in fact throw in some info about his past, which actually makes me more happy than upset. I actually learned something! I can't find it in me to be upset, even if the amount if info wasn't great. He was trained to me strong when he was young, and someone dear to him broke a promise to him that he now decided to make to Sakura. Progress, I love it! I also liked how you included Sakura's feelings about Ryu in here as well. It helps to tie things in.

This was overall an excellent chapter! I really enjoyed it, I was sad to see that it ended :( But it was still amazing. Keep up the awesome work with your writing! Happy Holidays, Sasaui!

Author's Response: Don't worry about it, Silverwolf. I didn't even notice until I went through the chapters to make sure I hadn't missed anyone in my shout outs. It's fine, really. And you deserved the shout out. You're an awesome reviewer and friend.rnrnDarn mistakes. If I wasn't so busy, I'd proofread these dang chapters. But, sadly, I am busy. *sigh* Stupid us. I think I was stuck on TG for a second since I was comparing the two scenes since it happened in both. I guess I momentarily confused myself. Don't worry. If I ever go over it, I'm sure the mistakes will stick out like a big neon sign in the middle of nowhere.rnrnYeah, Ryu is growing, but he keeps a lot of his old self along the way. Like you said, though, they're getting deeper. Yeah, the past thing was because I decided to be nice on Christmas. I'm glad that it made you more happy than upset. It's probably the most you'll get for a while, though. Sorry, but I can't think of anywhere to throw in more hints. Wait, there is one place, but I'm still figuring that part out. Yeah, his life wasn't exactly easy or happy. As for that promise.... Yeah, you'll just have to wait and see. As for Sakura's feelings, I felt like I had to make them clear so that nobody would assume anything like I probably would if it was someone else's story. And that's that she didn't care about Ryu or that she was being mean. It's just, well.... she likes Sasuke more.rnrnI'm glad that you like it. And don't worry about it ending. I still have one, possibly two (it all depends) installments for it, so you'll get more Ryu soon. Merry Christmas, Silverwolf, and a Happy New Year!

Now this is the kind of stuff that needs to be written more often on the internet.

Seriously, the emotion and drama in this chapter had me on the edge of my seat. My eyes burned from the computer screen, but that's not important right now. What's important is the fact that this installment was beautiful.

This chapter really had me falling in love with Ryu. Everything about him seems so... ah, what's the word... I can't think of a decent adjective, so we'll settle with awesome for now.

The emotional scenes were really gripping, and I love how you wrote how the characters were trying to make Ryu feel better. Sakura's a sweetheart, and Asuma seems like a great fatherly figure to him.

One thing I'm wondering though. Why did you choose Asuma? Is it because they're both Sarutobi (technically speaking in Ryu's case)? I do imagine finding some kind of connection that makes their bond stronger; kind of like how Kakashi and Sasuke bonded as sensei and student because they're both the serious type, which allowed Kakashi to favor Sasuke over his other students. I was just wondering if you were thinking of something in that aspect for Asuma and Ryu?

Other than that, I really loved this chapter. It was amazingly well-written. Great job, Sasaui. You've done amazingly well with this installment.

Oh, I almost forgot, happy birthday. May you have many more to come ;)

Author's Response: Wow. I'm surprised you liked it that much. I thought it sucked compared to what I actually wanted. I'm glad you enjoyed it, though. I'm sorry about your eyes and hope they're better now. Yeah, I think the more I write about Ryu, the more I fall in love with him, too. Ryu's a lot of things, and awesome is definitely one of them. It seems like I do emotional things pretty well because people seem to like those chapters a lot. Ryu has some pretty good friends. Sakura is really kind in this story when it comes to Ryu, and yeah, Asuma is a great fatherly figure. I'm probably going to have them be pretty close. As for why I chose him, I think, is because I had just read the Asuma dying part when I came up with it. I'm extremely glad that you thought it was so great. Oh, and thanks for the birthday wishes (I think that's what you call happy birthday =P). I hope many more will come as well.

Sasaui, this is an unbelievably amazing story! I'm hooked, and mesmerized by what is to come. And the first part with Kohaku was so sad... and moving. I think that would stay in my heart forever, you did a really great job. This is a fanfic that I could picture in the Naruto Universe as a sort of untold story or secret episodes that I missed. AU's are wonderful like that:P

I absolutely love it! This is definitely a story to watch out for. It's disappointing that Sakura's and Ryu's memories were erased of the time they spent in the cave... that was when they bonded, maybe they'll remember in the future?? And I'm so intrigued with Ryu's past now! The secret behind his inner destructive, evil, power that killed a man as powerful as Shiro in one attack... That was just mind-blowing. O.O

Overall, this is such an awesome story and one that's in my top fav's! Fantabulous job on writing, you're awesome Sasaui!:D

Author's Response: Yeah, the part with Kohaku just kinda formed in my head. I loved his past and just had to add it in. It was something new I'd never done before and I found it fun. Yeah, you need to appreciate your parents. They could be there one second, gone the next. An untold story, huh? Wow, is it really that Naruto-like? I guess I'm dong a good job then. As for their memories, sorry that I apparently confused you (and possibly others), but it was only Sakura whose memory was affected and not about the entire event. They only altered the part about Ryu kill Shiro to something else. You'll see in the next chapter (which should be out tomorrow). Yeah, I think I'm torturing a lot of people with his past. Silverwolf gets really mad at me because I'll joke around about her not knowing. Yeah, his power is definitely evil. The reason for why he has that..... I hinted at it already, but I'm not sure anyone noticed it. But you'll find out later on for sure.

What the heck, you're so mean to Ryu and Sakura! This Shiro guy is so insane! I'm afraid to read more... but I must! Great job with this chapter, your writing is very good!

Author's Response: I know, I know. I'm the cruelest person in the world to my own creations. This is probably one of the stories I meanest to my characters, though. Possibly not, though, seeing as I don't even let Tsuki remember anything about her past. That may be meaner...... I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter enough to read on, and I'm also glad my writing was good.

Wow! I like this intro, Ryu sounds really cool, just like your other OCs! I can't wait to find out more. Now I have to go read more, yay!

Author's Response: Yeah, he's one of the cooler ocs, I think. If only he didn't have such a horrid past...... Yeah, I tease everyone with the mysterious past thing, just so you know. I'm mean that way. I hope you enjoy what you read!