#go blame Danzo

[ccwritesninja]

The Departure-Itachi

A/N: This is a longer chapter that I hope you guys enjoy. Thank you guys for all the sweet comments and questions!!! I love talking with you guys so don't be ever be shy if you want to talk about the fic!

CW: SMUT, Minors DNI 18+

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You were shrugging on an extra sweater when a soft knock sounded at the door of your hospital room. A perpetual chill seemed to have settled in your body since waking up. A bizarre side effect of Itachi’s genjutsu, maybe?

“Come in.”

The door slid open, and Kakashi limped inside. “Yo.”

“Hey.”

“So you threw yourself in front of Itachi, huh?”

He studied you with admonishment in that dark grey eye. You crossed your arms over your chest. “Why are you looking at me like that? You did the same thing.”

“I have the sharingan.”

“Well, clearly it wasn’t much help.”

“He could have killed you, Y/n.”

“He could have killed us both.”

Kakashi slid his hands evenly into his pockets. “To be honest, I’m not sure why he didn’t.”

He leaned against the doorway, still eyeing you carefully. He was gauging your reaction, likely trying to figure out how mentally damaged you were from the encounter.

“I can’t imagine that was easy. Having to fight him.”

You tilted your head. “I’m sure it wasn’t easy for you either. You were our captain.”

“I wasn’t in love with him.”

A heavy weight had settled between your shoulders. Itachi wasn’t a monster. Despite the things he had done, he hadn’t wanted to harm you or Sasuke. He was simply playing the part, no matter how far he had to go with it.

You weren’t sure you could have done the same, made the choices he had, but you didn’t blame him for it. You couldn’t.

You didn’t want Kakashi to do that either.

“He didn’t want to hurt me.”

Kakashi blinked. One of his silver brows shot up, a betrayal of his typically well-hidden emotions. Of course he thought you were insane.

He shifted against the doorframe, likely trying to figure out a polite way to ask what the hell was wrong with you. “Naruto told me what happened. If it was anything like what he did to me…”

You closed your eyes, drawing in a deep breath in through your nose. 

“I have to tell you something.”

“You do?”

“This has to stay between us.”

The deep lines of a frown were visible under his mask. “Alright.”

You sat back on the edge of the stiff mattress and told Kakashi everything. He considered your words carefully, and you were grateful for it.

“How do you know Itachi was telling the truth?”

“Because the reason he gave Sasuke never made sense. And you know what Danzo is like.”

Kakashi did. The man had convinced him to spy on the Hokage as a teenager. He had attempted to pluck his sharingan straight from his head. He was a conniving, brutal soldier who desired to protect the village at any price, even at the cost of some of its own citizens.

He could see how gentle, quiet Itachi might have been swayed to give up his entire clan in exchange for the promise of peace. His sense of duty to the village was strong, and his desire to protect his little brother was even stronger. Danzo wasn’t above threatening a child, or even killing one.

Sasuke’s life could have very well been at risk. It likely still was, if Itachi had been telling the truth.

“This can’t leave this room,” you reminded Kakashi. “If Danzo found out-”

“It’s our heads on a platter.”

—

Despite the sense of constant unease that bit at your insides, things seemed to improve over the next couple of months. Sasuke wasn’t isolating himself as much. He seemed to actually enjoy the missions and outings he joined his teammates for. 

He even requested that you return to your weekly movie nights. The event had fallen to the wayside for the past year, but you were picking it back up again. Even Sakura and Naruto joined a few times, and they brought Kakashi along with them. The compound hadn’t seen so many visitors in years.

It felt nice to hear the house full of laughter and friendly voices.

“Is the popcorn ready yet?” Naruto called from the living room.

“Almost!”

“You’re so slow,” Sasuke complained.

You carried the wooden bowl in from the kitchen and swatted his hand away when he tried to reach for it. “And you’re so not getting any.”

You lifted the bowl over his head and handed it to Kakashi. Sasuke rolled his eyes and slumped back against the cushions next to Sakura. 

“Keep it away from his rude little hands.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Tch,” Sasuke muttered. “Traitor.”

“Y/n and I were teammates first,” Kakashi reminded him.

You took your seat next to him and grabbed the remote, hitting play. Jiraiya’s Tales of a Gutsy Ninja had been adapted into a movie the year prior, and you were curious to see if it was any good. The book hadn’t sold as well as his others, but the story was solid. You and Sasuke had rented it from the video store earlier that day, despite the deadly eye roll he had given you.

“Oh come on! You used to love that book!”

“I’m not a little kid anymore.”

“Well we’re not going with a scary movie. Kakashi doesn’t like them, and I don’t want to give Naruto nightmares.”

The kid was still terrified of ghosts, after all. Despite having the power of the nine-tailed fox inside him, he still acted like a regular twelve year old boy.

So Tales of a Gutsy Ninja it was.

You settled in beside Kakashi, wrapping a fuzzy blanket snugly around your body. Naruto leaned over Sasuke, snatching a handful of popcorn from the bowl. He half-crawled over his teammate in the process.

“Get off me, loser!”

“Sasuke, be nice to your teammate.”

“Kakashi-sensei, will you please pass the popcorn?”

“Sure thing, Sakura.”

The man held the bowl over Sasuke’s head, watching with a crinkly eyed smile as the boy glared at him.

“I’ll share some of mine with you, Sasuke,” she offered.

“Whatever.”

Still, he took the offered snack from her hands. You smiled to yourself. A dizzying wave of nostalgia washed over you. 

Movie night wasn’t just a tradition for you and Sasuke. It was something that began years ago, for you, Shisui, and Itachi. Sometimes Tenzo and Yugao joined too. You even managed to get Kakashi to show a few times, though those had been far and few between.

It was a pleasant feeling, sitting there with Sasuke and his team, but you couldn’t help but feel like someone was missing. It was silly thought, stupid even, to hope that he could be there beside you. Itachi was still a rogue nin. He hadn’t shown his face in months. 

You hadn’t even caught sight of a summons since the attack. He was clearly staying away. 

Was it fear of getting caught after his and Kisame’s attempt to take Naruto? Or was it guilt for what he had done to you and Sasuke?

You weren’t sure, but, despite everything, you ached to have him beside you, to snuggle against his side like you used to do. You always ended up falling asleep on him halfway through the movie. He never seemed to mind.

Kakashi suddenly shifted, accidentally brushing his hand against yours. He stammered out an apology, flushing up to the tips of his ears. He really was afraid of intimacy.

Sasuke shot him a dirty look. 

“It’s fine,” you assured Kakashi.

You shifted further against the arm of the couch, giving him a little bit more space. By the time the credits rolled around, you were out cold. You woke to the smack of a pillow hitting you in the face. 

“Sasuke,” Kakashi admonished.

“She always falls asleep!”

“You little…” You sat up, rubbing your eyes and glaring at Sasuke.

You formed a series of hand signs, and spit a torrent of water into his face. The satisfied smirk dropped from his lips. He was now sopping wet and shoving his damp bangs out of his eyes. Naruto and Sakura giggled. 

“Walk your friends out please.”

He grumbled something under his breath and followed them out the front door. 

Kakashi stretched, shoulders cracking, and rose from the couch. “I can help you clean up.”

You shook your head. “It’s alright, Kakashi. I’ve got it.”

“Are you sure?”

“They really didn’t make that much of a mess.”

You scooped up the stray pillow and the extra blankets you had pulled out. You began to fold one, and Kakashi stepped forward, grabbing the other end to help you.

“Thanks for inviting me tonight.”

“Of course. You’re team seven too.”

“Still, it was…nice.”

“It was.”

“If you ever want to…” He trailed off, seeing the sudden flash of panic in your eyes. “Never mind.”

You offered him a sad smile, pulling the folded blanket from his hands. “I’m sorry, Kakashi.”

“It’s alright. You’re still in love with him.”

You bit the inside of your cheek and nodded.

“I understand. Has he shown himself lately?”

You shook your head and sighed. “Not once. And I still…it’s silly, right?”

You prepared yourself for the judgmental glance, for the pragmatic speech, but none of that came. Instead, Kakashi simply shook his head and offered you a crinkly-eyed smile.

“No. Not silly. Matters of the heart never are.” He let his hand fall onto your head, ruffling your hair, like you were one of his genin. “Call me if you need anything.”

And then he was gone, slipping out the door after his students. Sasuke returned a few moments later. He helped you sweep up the stray popcorn and straighten up the sofa, and then slipped into his room after a quick goodnight.

When you finally slid beneath your own covers, sleep evaded you. You tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable. The bed suddenly felt too vast and too cold for you to be laying in it alone. You ached for Itachi’s warmth, for the peace that lying in his arms had always provided you.

It wasn’t fair that he couldn’t be here now, helping you raise Sasuke, joining you for his team’s events. It would be simple if you could just forget about him. If you could let him go and move on, and take Kakashi up on his offer. 

Unfortunately, it wasn’t that simple. There was nothing wrong with Kakashi, but your love for Itachi was seared into your heart. It would never leave you. No matter what happened, no matter how long he disappeared for, your heart would always belong to him.

—

In the weeks that followed, Sasuke’s good mood remained. He still had the attitude of course, but the crushing darkness he had been leaning into was nowhere to be found. Hope fluttered in your chest for the first time in months, and you allowed yourself to think that maybe the battle with Itachi wouldn’t have any long term effects on him.

Then the escort mission happened.

Naruto and Sakura returned from the Land of Tea with an unconscious Sasuke in their arms. Genma showed up on your doorstep and announced past the senbon between his lips that Sasuke had been injured, yet again.

Once you were sure he would be alright, you pulled Naruto and Sakura out into the hall to demand a detailed explanation of the mission. They told you that Sasuke had been defeated by another shinobi named Aoi, who taunted him about being a disappointment to the Uchiha clan. In the end, Naruto defeated him while Sasuke was unconscious.

When you tried to broach the subject with him in the hospital, he shut you down immediately. He refused to even speak about it, leaving you frustrated and nervous. The medics wanted to keep him in the hospital for observation to ensure that Aoi’s lightning chakra hadn’t inflicted too much damage. You offered to sleep there with Sasuke, but he insisted you didn’t. You made the trip to and from the compound several times a day to bring him food and check up on him.

It was during one of these visits that you recognized Kakashi wandering in your direction, a book leveled in front of his face. You called out to him.

“Oh, Y/n.” He lowered the copy of Icha Icha. “I was just about to stop in and see Sasuke.”

“Me too.”

A loud crash echoed through the air. You and Kakashi both tensed, looking around for the source of the noise. It appeared to be coming from the roof of the hospital. A cloud of flame suddenly erupted over the building.

 A fire-style jutsu? 

You and Kakashi launched yourself up the concrete. You raced up the side of the building, praying to every god there was that this didn’t have anything to do with Sasuke.

Angry, shouting voices began to echo down as you got closer. Your stomach twisted as you realized one of them was his.

You made it to the roof, landing just beside Kakashi. 

To your horror, Naruto and Sasuke were racing toward each other. Sasuke’s chidori glowed blue in his hand. Naruto had formed his rasengan. Sakura was running toward them, likely intending to intervene and stop them. 

You and Kakashi bolted toward the fight. Your fingers closed around Sasuke’s wrist. Kakashi grabbed Naruto. In moments, you were throwing them apart, tossing them to opposite sides of the roof. 

They slammed into a nearby pair of water tanks, crushing the metal and causing water to pour onto the roof.

“What do you two think you’re doing up here?” Kakashi asked, his visible eye narrowing. “That was a little intense for just a sparring match, wasn’t it? What’s wrong with you two?”

Sasuke glared and yanked his hand from the crumpled metal. Naruto brushed himself off, looking guilty.

“Sasuke,” you snapped. “What were you trying to do, kill him?”

His dark eyes narrowed as he stared up at you. He said nothing. His shoulders were still rigid with tension. His eyes flickered between you and Naruto, as if weighing the consequences of going after him again.

Guilt gnawed at your insides. Yes, Sasuke was stubborn, but you had never seen him act so recklessly. 

All the progress he made after Itachi’s attack had clearly been erased. His confidence was shaken once more. This had only solidified his need to become stronger, to have vengeance, and he was willing to hurt his teammate to achieve that.

“You need to watch this sense of superiority you have.” You felt anger building in your chest, but you couldn’t stop it. “That chidori wasn’t the size you’d aim at a comrade!”

He muttered out a soft sound of annoyance. Your temper flared. 

Didn’t he understand how serious this was? He could have hurt not only Naruto, but Sakura as she attempted to get between them. Not to mention the property damage they’d inflicted upon the hospital.

“When are you going to grow up, Sasuke?” 

He didn’t respond. Instead, he walked over to the edge of the roof and backflipped off of it. You fought the urge to roll your eyes as you glanced over at Kakashi. He looked pained.

“I’ll go after him,” you muttered.

You tailed Sasuke through the village, keeping a safe distance back so that he wouldn’t notice you. He paused on a tree branch to catch his breath, and when he did, you took advantage of the opportunity. You pulled some ninja wire from the pouch on your hip and bound him against the heavy trunk. 

Sasuke squirmed, struggling against the bindings in a panic, but you quickly hopped down in front of him.

When you landed, he shot you a murderous glare. “I didn’t think you’d sit still for a lecture.”

His dark brown eyes glinted with something feral. You sighed. 

“Let it go,” you said softly. “You have to forget about revenge.”

“What?” he snapped. “How can you say that after everything Itachi’s done to you?”

You closed your eyes in frustration. You didn’t blame him for asking it, but the question was a difficult one to answer. Itachi had destroyed their family. He had changed the course of Sasuke’s life, and yours, forever.

“Listen to me,” you begged. “You can hurt Itachi. You could kill him with your bare hands, and it will not make a bit of difference. You’ll tear yourself apart. At the end of the day, you’ll still feel empty.”

Sasuke stared up at you, dark eyes studying yours. “Are we still talking about me?”

Your breath caught in your throat. Sasuke was too perceptive for his own good.

“No. I’m telling you this because I’ve lived it. Don’t make the same mistake I did. You can’t fill that hole with more death and pain. It doesn’t work that way.”

He frowned, shifting his eyes away and studying the tree bark beneath him.

“It didn’t matter that I got revenge, because my entire life fell apart around me anyway. The only reason I’m here now is because someone else pulled me out of the dark.”

“Itachi?”

 “Yes.”

Sasuke scoffed. “And look where that got you.”

“It got me here, with you, and that’s something I wouldn’t trade for anything.”

“If you could change things-“ he began.

“I can’t, Sasuke. And neither can you. All you can do is move forward. Become stronger, not to defeat Itachi, but for yourself and the people you still have left.

You leaned forward, poking him sharply in the center of his chest. “You’re what matters, not Itachi.”

He glanced down at the bark. Shame swam in his eyes.

“Promise me,” you pleaded. “I’ll teach you anything. Any jutsu I know. I’ll train you harder and I won’t hold back. Just promise me you’ll let this go.”

He drew in a deep breath, closing his eyes for a brief moment. “Okay. I promise.”

Your shoulders slumped in relief. You released the wire, reeling it back in. “Alright. I have to head out for my mission soon, but I’ll see you when I get back, okay?”

He nodded, still resting back against the tree. You reached down, ruffling his dark hair. 

“I love you, Sasuke.”

You headed off toward the compound, knowing he wouldn’t say it back. You didn’t expect him to. Sasuke never returned the words. He showed it with his actions instead. Wordless glances, small gestures. That was how Sasuke told you that he cared, that he loved you as much as you loved him.

You knew he did, but you were never sure if that would be enough for him. Your love couldn’t bring his family back. It couldn’t erase the horror he had been through. 

You prayed it was just enough to give him a little bit of hope, to make him believe that peace could be found in the rubble. Ironically, the thought was something that Itachi had instilled in you, years ago. Maybe Sasuke would one day believe the same.

—

Your mission to the Land of the Sea went off without a hitch. It only took a few days to escort the merchant ship to its destination. You were joined by Raido and Anko, both capable shinobi who made excellent teammates. You even managed to return to the village an entire day ahead of schedule. 

The three of you finished the mission report in the Hokage Tower and arrived at Lady Tsunade’s office to drop it off. When she began to dismiss the team, she called out to you. “Y/n, will you stay behind for a moment?”

You nodded, exchanging a worried glance with Anko before she and Raido departed. The door fell shut behind them softly. You felt the tension in the air as soon as they left.

“Would you like to sit down?” Tsunade asked. The look on her face was grim. 

“No, that’s okay.”

Had you done something wrong?

She took a deep breath. “Sasuke Uchiha left the village the night you departed for your mission.”

You blinked, staring at the Hokage as if you weren’t sure exactly what she was saying. “Left?”

“He was seen departing with four ninja from the Hidden Sound.”

Panic flared in your chest. A sharp ringing failed your ears, as if a bomb had just gone off. It may as well have. 

“Orochimaru took him? We have to-“

Lady Tsunade held up a hand. The rest of the words died in your throat. Her honey brown eyes took on a hard edge that choked you into silence.

“Despite the fact that we believe he left willingly, a team was sent to retrieve him. But they failed in their mission. Sasuke almost killed Naruto in the process.”

“What?” The word left your throat as a strangled gasp.

The memory of Sasuke attacking Naruto on the hospital roof flashed in your mind. The anger and hatred burning in his gaze hadn’t been lost on you then, but had he really meant to kill him that day?

Maybe he had, and you were just too blind to see it. 

You couldn’t separate the current Sasuke from the sullen little boy that used to beg to cuddle after nightmares. The one that was still terrified of losing you. 

“We believe he’s seeking out Orochimaru in order to increase his own power.”

Your heart was slamming in your chest, heavy with the knowledge that Sasuke had turned his back on the village. That he had turned his back on you to join a monster like Orochimaru.

Your legs trembled. You resisted the urge to sink to your knees, instead choosing to grip the hard wood of Tsunade’s desk.

“I know this is unpleasant news. You have given up much for Sasuke.”

“No…” you whispered. “No, that’s not…I’ve never…”

She gazed at you with pity in her eyes. She pursed her lips, glancing toward the ANBU guards stationed at the entrance to her office.

“Is there someone we can call for you?”

“There’s no one.”

“I see.”

“What if I go after him myself? I can hunt him-”

Tsunade’s lips were pressed together in a grim line. “We can’t afford to send another jonin out of the village on an extended mission. There’s no guarantee you could find him quickly, and we’re still too vulnerable.”

You closed your eyes. 

“I’ll keep you stationary in case he returns.”

“There’s no need for-”

“Take a few weeks for yourself.”

The harsh edge to her voice told you that it was an order, not a suggestion. She likely didn’t trust your judgement in this state, and her assumption was fair. There was also no guarantee you wouldn’t go rogue from the mission and still attempt to search for Sasuke.

Still, you ached for an assignment. The thought of staying in that empty house without Sasuke, while Orochimaru could be doing anything to him, was already driving you mad. But Tsunade’s decision was final. You knew there was no room for argument.

“Thank you, my lady.” Your voice was nothing more than a hollow whisper.

“Genma can escort you home if you’d like.”

“There’s no need.”

You slipped out of her office, running completely on autopilot as you made your way through the village. The sun was too bright. It beat down on you as you drifted down the streets, paying no attention to anything in front of you. 

You must have bumped into several different people, but you barely noticed. All you could think about was Sasuke. His promise had seemed sincere the day you departed. You thought he would at least think about giving up on his quest for revenge, that he was truly considering your words. 

You had been naive.

The house was quiet and still when you entered. As you stepped inside, you realized there was a scroll sitting on the front table. You snatched it up and tore it open, knowing that it was from Sasuke. Tears filled your eyes as you scanned the page. You pressed your fingers over your mouth, suppressing the sob that threatened to erupt.

Nee-san, 

I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you from Itachi, and I’m sorry for breaking my promise and hurting you like this now. I will get stronger. I will be able to protect you one day. When I restore the Uchiha clan, there will always be a place in it for you.

Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.

Sasuke.

You sank to your knees in the doorway, unable to hold yourself up any longer. The peace you fought so hard for Sasuke to attain had slipped right through your fingers. No matter how hard you fought for it, for him, your worst fear came true. 

He was gone.

—

Itachi sat at his desk in the Akatsuki hideout, drumming his fingers on the dark wood and debating with the demons inside his head. He had promised himself that he wouldn’t return to you. He swore he would stay away, refusing to draw you any further into his web of misery.

He fully intended to keep that promise, but the latest report from his summons set him on edge.

When the bird arrived, there was an eerie silence in the home that lasted for days.

Sasuke was no longer coming to or from his training sessions. An extended mission, perhaps?

He hardly saw you either. You didn’t leave the house once, and all of the curtains were drawn. The bird could hear you occasionally moving through the halls, but it was none of your usual bustling around. It was like you were a ghost in your own home.

Had something happened to Sasuke? To you?

One morning, his summons watched as Kakashi ambled through the deserted compound. The man walked over to your front door and knocked.

He tried repeatedly for about ten minutes, softly calling out to you. The look on his face was grim, almost guilty as he shoved his hands into his pockets and walked back down the steps.

Itachi’s summons could sense your chakra in the house. He was confident Kakashi could do the same. You were ignoring him, but why?

As he passed the branch the crow was resting on, Kakashi glanced up. He met the crow’s beady eyes, almost staring through them, as if he was looking right at Itachi.

A sick feeling churned inside his stomach. Something terrible must have happened, for you to be isolating yourself inside the house and ignoring your former captain.

Kakashi held the crow’s gaze for a moment before glancing back toward the main house. Then, he turned and slipped out the front gate.

Itachi was going to have to break his promise.

—

The next two weeks passed in a blur. You slept for most of it, hidden away under the darkness of your covers. The sun rose and set outside your curtains, but you paid no attention to the time.

Sasuke’s bedroom door remained firmly shut. You couldn’t bear to look in and see his empty bed any time you walked past. It was still neatly made from before he departed the village.

The space he had left in the home haunted you like a ghost. There were no loose weapons to trip over, no TV blaring loudly to interrupt your meditation. No sharp-tongued retorts or badgering for new jutsu.

Just silence. Dust.

You heard knocking at the door a few times, but ignored it, pressing the pillow firmly over your face to drown out the noise. Kakashi kept showing up to check on you, but you couldn’t face him. If you opened the door, he would want to talk about Sasuke, and you couldn’t stomach the thought.

In the end, you couldn’t protect Sasuke from the Uchiha’s curse of hatred. 

Why did you assume you could?

“Y/n.”

You heard the low rumble of Kiyoshi’s voice before you saw her.

She padded over to the bed in the dim light. It was growing dark outside.

Her soft, wet nose bumped against your palm. You ignored the gentle touch, drawing your hand back and under the covers.

“I didn’t summon you.”

“Pakkun sent for me. Kakashi said you haven’t been answering the door.”

You closed your eyes, burrowing further into the blankets. Her hot breath huffed against your face as she came closer.

“He is worried.”

“I’m fine.” 

“You are clearly not fine. When was the last time you bathed?”

You ignored her, pulling the comforter back over your head.

Her teeth sank into your ankle, tugging you down the mattress until you landed onto the floor with a thump. You didn’t even protest. You stared up at her pitifully, still tangled in your sheets.

“You are a sorry excuse for a kunoichi,” she muttered. “If someone attacked right now, they would cut you down in seconds.”

“I don’t care.”

Her resounding snarl caused you to flinch. “Stupid girl! Get off the floor or I’m dragging you into the shower myself.”

You simply stared at her, misery plain on your face. “There’s no point, Kiyoshi.”

“So you’ll just let Orochimaru have him then?”

“He wanted to go,” you whispered. “He wants power and strength. I can’t give him that.”

“Pakkun said there is a three year timeline, that Orochimaru will only take Sasuke’s body after that time.”

“So?”

Kiyoshi bared her teeth once more. “So you have three years to convince him to come home!”

“Lady Tsunade forbade me from going after him.”

She snorted. “When has that ever stopped you? I seem to remember you defying the direct orders of your captains many times.”

“This is the Hokage,” you muttered. “I doubt she meant forever. Just until the village recovers. Then you will be free to search for him.”

Your hands curled into fists. If only it were that simple. Even if you found Sasuke, there was no guarantee that he would return to the village, even for you. What could you possibly say to convince him, if you hadn’t been able to before?

Kiyoshi latched onto you again, causing you to yelp as she dragged you across the wooden floor.

“If you won’t pick yourself up,” she mumbled around your ankle. “I will do it for you.”

True to her word, she dragged you into the bathroom, despite your protest. Finally, you sat up, shoving her furry head away. 

You pushed yourself up from the tile and stepped into the shower. You tossed your clothes to the floor and allowed the steaming water to run over your back. Despair still sat heavy on your shoulders as you ran through all of your possible options. You had thought about this for weeks, over and over.

If you tried to take Sasuke back by force, Orochimaru would tear you limb from limb. If you tried to convince him to return, Sasuke would likely refuse, at least until he achieved the power he so desperately ached for.

At that point, would he still work with Orochimaru? Would he be strong enough to protect himself?

“Wash your hair too!” Kiyoshi called. “It’s greasy!”

You sighed, but did as she said.

When you stepped out of the shower, towel wrapped tightly around your body, she trotted over with your toothbrush.

“You have it in your mouth!” 

“Not the brushing part,” she grunted through her clenched teeth.

Exasperated, you yanked it from her jaws. You stood in front of the mirror as you squeezed out toothpaste, staring at your haggard appearance. 

You looked utterly exhausted, and you felt it too. Despite all your time hiding away in bed, you were barely sleeping. Even when you managed to fall into a restless doze, you were plagued with nightmares.

You saw Orochimaru torturing Sasuke behind your eyelids. You often woke with the sound of his screams echoing in your ears.

Kiyoshi urged you to eat something, and you placated her by slurping half a thermos of soup. Finally, she let you be, with the promise that she would return in a few days.

Once she disappeared into a puff of smoke, you settled back into bed. You fell into a fitful sleep once more, sinking back into the nightmares.

—

You woke several hours later to the sound of distant shuffling. For a moment, you were sure you were still dreaming. No one else had been inside the house for weeks. Sasuke wasn’t there. He wasn’t coming back.

You allowed your eyes to fall shut once more, ready to sink back into the haze of exhaustion.

That was when the noise came again. This time, you were sure it was real. Soft footsteps, and the unmistakable sound of the fridge opening and closing. Condiment bottles and glass jars rattling slightly against the plastic.

You shot up. Only one person would be fumbling around in the fridge late at night.

Your bedroom door was thrown open as you stumbled out of your room and headed toward the kitchen. He was standing there, a dark-headed figure, illuminated just barely in the glow of the fridge bulb as he crouched in front of it.

“Sasuke!”

Itachi straightened, turning at the sound of your voice. He hovered there, guilt clouding his expression as he met your gaze.

You deflated like a balloon. Disappointment, heavy and bitter, settled inside your stomach. You wanted to slump against the wall and sink down to the floor.

Sasuke hadn’t come home.

“Y/n.”

When Itachi spoke your name, it was barely more than a whisper. Confusion washed over you.

“What are you doing?”

He let out a shaky exhale. “I know my presence isn’t welcome-“

“No. I mean…what are you doing in the fridge?”

“Oh.” He gestured to the brown paper bag on the counter. “These were just sitting on the porch.”

You blinked. He was putting away the groceries Kakashi had left?

You stood there, dumbfounded at the sight of him doing something so casual and domestic. The last time you had seen Itachi, he had broken your wrist in one fluid motion. Now he was carefully placing yogurt and tomatoes onto the shelves of your fridge.

He let the door fall shut with a soft click. When he turned back to you, he didn’t step forward. He leaned back against the counter, resting his hands on the granite.

“Something has happened.”

It was a statement, not a question. He must have been watching, but you hadn’t caught sight of any summons. Not that you had been leaving the house much.

“Sasuke.” Your voice cracked. “He left the village.”

Itachi blinked. “He left? Where did he go?”

“Orochimaru.” The name dripped with venom as it left your lips.

“He went to him willingly?”

You didn’t answer. You were too stricken to speak, to even offer him a nod of affirmation. Instead, you dropped to your knees. They hit the wooden floor as you buried your face in your hands and began to cry.

Itachi was at your side in an instant. Distance be damned.

You glanced up when you heard him approach, tears still dripping from your eyes. He reached out, intending to wipe them away. You flinched back as he reached forward. 

He froze, letting his hand hover in the air for a moment. Guilt washed over him. Did you think he was going to hurt you? Or maybe it was simply your body’s reaction after what he had done to you.

Itachi moved forward, slowly. When his thumb gently swept the tears from your cheeks, he realized it was the latter. The soft sigh that left your lips confirmed that you weren’t afraid of him.

“I am sorry,” he murmured. “For everything.”

A choked sob left your throat. “I failed him.”

“No,” Itachi breathed, reaching for you. “No, that’s not true.”

He tugged you closer, and you didn’t stop him. You let yourself be pulled flush against his warm chest, let him hold you as you sobbed.

“He’ll kill him, Itachi.”

He shook his head, running a hand softly over your hair. “It will take more than Orochimaru to kill Sasuke.”

“He’s twelve, Itachi. He’s a child.”

“We were children too,” he whispered.

Your watery eyes met his. For a moment, they were glazed over with distant memories. You were suddenly a little girl again, back on a muddy, rainy battlefield. Small, frightened, and far too young to have blood dripping from the end of your blade.

“I didn’t want that for him.”

Itachi closed his eyes. “Neither did I.”

“Maybe I should have told him,” you said softly. “Maybe it would have changed things.”

Itachi shook his head. “It would only have endangered him. Danzo is still-”

“I’ll kill Danzo myself.” Your voice trembled with sudden anger.

After all, he was the reason for all of this. He was the one who had issued the ultimatum to Itachi in the first place.

Surprise flashed across Itachi’s face. You knew what it meant to kill a high-ranking official like Danzo.“You would become a traitor to the village?”

“There’s nothing here for me without Sasuke.”

Itachi frowned. “What happens if he returns?”

“What happens if Orochimaru kills him?” you shot back bitterly.

“It will not happen. I’ve always known Sasuke would surpass me one day. He will not allow himself to become a vessel.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do. I know because he’s my brother, and he’s yours as well. His will is strong because that’s how you raised him. It will not be broken.”

You shook your head. “I have to get him back. I don’t care what it takes.”

Itachi’s arms tightened around you. “Then you will.”

You looked up at him, meeting his firm gaze. Itachi had always believed wholeheartedly in your abilities and the strength of your heart. It was the reason he had fallen in love with you, the reason he trusted you to raise Sasuke. If anyone could bring his little brother back into the light, it would be you.

Your lips suddenly slammed against his, needy and breathless. The sensation was dizzying. It caught him off guard for a moment.

But soon, his fingers came up to brush against the small of your back, urging you closer on instinct. Your thighs settled over his hips, creating a delicious friction that set his skin ablaze. You reached up, tugging at the dark, silken strands of his hair.

The two of you parted for air, and Itachi brushed his lips against the edge of your jaw before pulling back. Your face was still wet with tears.

“We shouldn’t,” he murmured. “You’re upse-“

You cut him off with another passionate kiss. Itachi let out a strangled gasp as your teeth grazed his bottom lip. Every coherent thought suddenly flew from his mind.

He was suddenly standing, his hands resting under your thighs as he scooped you up and wrapped them around his waist. He groped along the hallway, stumbling a bit as he attempted to move without breaking the kiss. 

His heel bumped against your bedroom door, pushing it open as he carried you into your room.

The heat of his body pressed you down into the soft mattress. You felt the weight of his hips against yours as he slid his tongue into your mouth. He was already hard.

Your body bucked in response. One his hands slid under your shirt, tracing the smooth skin of your hip before traveling further up.

A soft gasp escaped your mouth as Itachi’s fingers grazed your nipple. He swallowed each new moan with another kiss, savoring the way you squirmed beneath him at the simple touch.

He began to make his way down your jawline, peppering kisses into the hollow of your throat. He slid the shirt from your body, intending to dive right back in. That was when he noticed something.

“Is this one of my old training shirts?

You flushed. “It’s comfy…”

He laughed softly at your bashfulness. “Wear it as much as you wish.”

His lips found their way back to your neck, continuing their downward path. 

Your body lifted from the mattress as he sucked at the sensitive skin of your breasts, eagerly leaning into the sensation. His fingers slipped under your sleep shorts, sliding beneath the fabric of your panties.

They delved into your slick folds, and his thumb began to toy with your clit.

“Itachi,” you gasped, fingers tugging at his hair.

He groaned as you tugged, and pulled his hand away. You let out a small whine, upset at the loss of contact. He huffed out a laugh against your lips and began to pull your pants and panties down.

“You truly missed me that much?”

You nodded, brushing your lips against his. “It’s been so long.”

“Since me? Or since you’ve…”

“Both. Not since our last time.”

Itachi blinked, hovering over you for a moment in shock. “There’s been no one else?”

“No,” you admitted. “But it’s okay if you-“

He shook his head. “No. No, there’s been no one but you. I just…I would have thought…”

“Every time I got close enough to someone, it felt wrong.”

Itachi leaned down, capturing your lips once more.

“Then we’ll make up for lost time.”

He kissed his way down your body, stopping to nip and suck at the inside of your thighs. He reached up as you began to squirm, pinning your hips back down against the mattress.

“Itachi,” you breathed. “Stop teasing.”

He hummed noncommittally against the supple skin, before he decided to stop torturing you.

The moan you let out when he began to lick and suck at your clit was far more satisfying than your squirming.

He slid two thick fingers into your soaked core, and you whimpered at the stretch. It had been so long. Too long.

You rocked your hips against his hand, bucking against his mouth, and he cooed in appreciation. “You need me this much, my sweet girl?”

The only response you gave him was a frantic nod.

You cried out as he lapped at your clit, relishing the feeling of his fingers curling inside you. He continued his punishing rhythm, reaching up to palm your breasts. He tugged at your nipples, causing you to let out another whine.

A sweet warmth began to pool in your stomach as he coaxed you toward your first orgasm. Itachi took his time with you, refusing to rush as he stroked your fluttering walls and dragged his tongue along your slit. He wanted to savor your sweet taste.

He tugged moan after moan from you until you were white-knuckling the sheets and grasping at the silky strands of his hair. 

Everything else was fading away, disappearing into the ether until the only things that existed were you and Itachi.

You were grasping at him, frantically attempting to ground yourself to something solid as your thighs trembled and rocked around his head. 

One of Itachi’s hands came up to thread through yours, pressing it down into the mattress and pinning it there. His fingers squeezed your own, steady and insistent, urging you to let go for him.

And you did.

When your orgasm finally ripped through you, you came with a shudder, crying out his name.

Your one-handed grip on his hair tightened, tugging him down. Itachi didn’t stop. He continued to work you past your orgasm, tongue still buried in your folds. It wasn’t until you were shoving weakly at his head and attempting to squirm away that he pulled back. 

Soft kisses were pressed against your sticky thighs, before Itachi made his way up to your mouth. The taste of yourself on his tongue was intoxicating. You would never get enough of the way Itachi worshipped your body. He chased your pleasure doggedly, harder and faster than he had ever chased his own.

“Itachi,” you breathed.

“Yes, my love?” he murmured against your lips. 

“I need you inside me.”

He was more than willing to oblige you. The rough pads of his fingers brushed against your knees, spreading you open once more. He reached down, grasping the base of his cock. Pre-cum oozed from the head, smearing across your folds as he slicked himself up with your wetness. 

His lips slotted over yours. His tongue slid back into your mouth as he began to ease inside you. Itachi moved cautiously, keenly aware that it had been years since he last stretched you open. Despite the dizzying need to slam inside you and take what he had been craving, he held back. 

Itachi was patient. Gentle. So gentle that, soon, you were wiggling your hips and begging for more. And who was he to deny you?

He began to thrust into you, gripping your hips so tightly that you knew there would be bruises there later from the pads of his fingers. The intense darkness of his eyes had given way to the glowing crimson of the sharingan. The tomoe began to spin in lazy circles, and you knew he was memorizing this moment for later. 

All of it would be captured in painstaking detail. The blissful flush of your cheeks, your soft whimpers, the feel of your walls clenching so beautifully around his cock. Itachi would picture it all  as he stroked himself in the shower, wishing he could be back between your legs.

Your ankles locked around his back, urging him closer as your walls fluttered around him. He grabbed one of your legs, hitching it even further up on his hip. A guttural moan flew from his lips. Judging by the way your eyes rolled back into your head, the new angle was hitting the perfect spot for you too.

Itachi listened to you whimper and keen beneath him. He shuddered as your nails began to scrape down the soft skin of his back, leaving bright red marks in their wake. He wanted you to scratch him up, to brand him as yours.

His thrusts soon grew quicker, shallower. He breathed your name, burying his face in the crook of your neck as he came. The warmth of his seed spilled inside you, pulling a soft moan from your lips. The bliss of being this close to him set your body ablaze.

Itachi leaned up, pressing a passionate kiss to your lips. “I’ve missed you so much.”

You nodded, brushing your lips against his. “Me too.”

“Not just this,” he murmured. “Everything about you. All of it.”

“I know, Itachi. You don’t have to explain.”

“Can I hold you?”

“You don’t have to ask.”

He pulled out of you and came to rest on the sheets beside you. You shivered at the loss of heat, but he was quickly pulling you against him, his chest at your back. Itachi brushed his fingers against your mussed hair as he curled around you. 

He could feel the rapid rise and fall of your chest under his arm. You were both still breathless. His lips pressed soft kisses to your face, brushing against your jaw, your cheek, your forehead.

You laughed softly as he pulled the sheets over your body. As the sound left your lips, you realized that this was the first time you’d felt anything but misery in weeks.

Itachi closed his eyes as he nestled closer to you, breathing in the scent of you.

A soft gurgling noise caused him to open his eyes. 

“Have you been eating?” he murmured into your hair.

“A little.”

A displeased hum left his throat. “We’ll have to do something about that.”

“Not now,” you muttered, reaching up to brush your fingers over the hand resting on your bare stomach. “Just lay with me.”

Itachi wanted to argue, but he could already feel the soft lull of sleep calling to him. You were so warm in his arms, so content. He hadn’t laid like this with you in years. It was better than anything he ever could have dreamed up, better than any illusion his sharingan could craft.

He sighed against your neck, pressing one last soft kiss to the skin before he drifted off.

—

He woke later in the night, with a familiar, unpleasant ache in his chest. Moonlight peeked through the crack in your curtains as Itachi untangled his arms from your body. He bemoaned the loss of your warmth immediately, but it couldn’t be helped.

He slipped into your bathroom and shut the door softly behind him, just in time to erupt into a coughing fit. He spit blood into a wad of toilet paper and paused, listening for any indication that the noise had woken you. You didn’t stir. 

He flushed the evidence and rinsed any remaining blood from his mouth. You already had enough on your mind with Sasuke, and he didn’t want you worrying over him.

Soon he was sliding back underneath the covers, smiling to himself as you curled back into him. Your cheek came to rest on his muscular chest as you snuggled against his body. You sleepily mumbled his name.

“I’m here,” he whispered, stroking his fingers over your hair. “I’m here.”

[the-real-sasuke-uchiha]

It's been, like, a decade since the story has completely ended (... I don't acknowledge that spin off with the kids or the weird novels), but I still don't understand what people mean when they say Sasuke has a lot to apologize/repent for. What exactly does he have to apologize for? The only thing he ever did wrong was attack Karin to get to Danzo, and he already apologized to her for that. His desire for vengeance was completely selfless and motivated by love and respect for his clan. He didn't attack innocents. He didn't involve anyone else in his problems. Yet, so many fans love how Shikamaru got revenge on Hidan when, to me, it just emphasizes how selfless and justified Sasuke is in contrast. Shikamaru wants to avenge Asuma who died fairly in battle on a mission because he wasn't strong enough. He even tells Tsunade he would leave the village regardless of if she allowed it or not. He involved Ino and Chouji, rushed in without knowledge of Kakuzu, and almost got them killed immediately. And Asuma is just a teacher! not even a fmily or clan member! They all would've died if it weren't for Kakashi being there to help them. Whereas Sasuke takes on his burden alone.

And for all that the fandom likes to critique Kishimoto on his writing choices, he's not a horrible writer. This sequence is purposeful. Shikamaru was the one who led the Sasuke retrieval mission. And shortly after Hidan's death, Sasuke kills Itachi. It was a well-structured sequence showing the validity of Sasuke's motivations compared to Shikamaru's whose motives weren't as justified in comparison, despite the validity of his feelings.

So, it's not that no one in the story can understand Sasuke--they can! All the characters just want to project things onto Sasuke. Naruto wants Sasuke to be a surrogate/prerequisite for the village to validate his sense of self and carry the burden of Naruto's loneliness. Sakura wants him to return her empty "love." Kakashi wants to right his wrongs vicariously through Sasuke and making him return Sakura's affection like he wished he could have for Rin, be a present friend for Naruto like he wishes he could have for Obito, not seek revenge because Kakashi is a mediator meant to to maintain the status quo in the village (a guard dog/"Hound" lol). Itachi wants Sasuke to be a blank slate anyone can impress whatever upon: he wants Sasuke to value the village over their clan and family (which itself is incomprehensible with the feudal structure the setting is based on). The village, and Naruto once he becomes Hokage, wants Sasuke to be a tool to use for the village's benefit. Maybe the only thing Sasuke has to apologize for is being a the protagonist of a revenge-based seinen but forced to be the deuteragonist in a battle shounen 🤷🏽‍♀️.

Dear anon, thank you for this gem. I don't know what else to add, because this is so perfect on its own.

For the record, I dislike Shikamaru, but I think he was right to want to avenge his sensei and go after Hidan. What is totally enraging is that he gets sympathy and assistance for doing all the things that Sasuke is trashed for. He is hateful and vengeful, and nobody tells him to just let go and not get consumed by revenge. He risks his friend's lives and gets zero reproaches, while Sasuke gets emotionally blackmailed by Naruto for all the kids that risked his life trying to forcefully bring him back, even when Sasuke had zero control over that. Kakashi goes far and beyond to help him, when he had tied Sasuke to a tree to lecture him about revenge. There is just so much hypocrisy that it hurts.

I am tired of reading all the ridiculously absurd "wrongs" that Sasuke supposedly did. This is a freaking show about murderer ninjas, but nobody seems to have a body count except for Sasuke. Which gets inflated to ridiculous levels, because Sasuke is apparently to blame not only for the crimes he committed, but also for the ones he imagined. He has no right to be angry and upset, he has no right to fight for his justice, because, in a world where the end justify the means and shinobi are meant to behave as tools that sacrifice everything for a mission, Sasuke is the only ninja that is demanded to find his way without even scratching a fly.

Sasuke has nothing to apologise for. He is the one being owned serious apologies and reparations. From everyone. From Sakura, for sexually harassing and trying to murder him. From Kakashi, for being the shittiest and most biased sensei, for being a hypocrite hokage that never attempted to make justice and for never prosecuting the surviving instigators of the Uchiha massacre. And from Naruto, for glorifying Hiruzen and for the same reasons as hokage Kakashi, because he too swept everything under the rug and never even tried to make justice.

Sasuke did nothing wrong. He grew just too magnificent for an antagonist, and they had to murder his character and his soul to make main character shine in his dumbness.

[martialartslover7]

Sakura VS Sasuke (Kage Summit Arc - Rewrite)

Alright, I cannot hide this anymore. I HAVE to show this. Because I was so freaking annoyed with how the writing of Naruto Shippuden took a serious nosedive after the Pain arc (literally, the only big positive I can name, is Sasuke FINALLY killing that son of a bitch, Danzo, the guy just had it coming with his disgusting anti-Uchiha sentiment, abusing their power for his own aspirations), especially how the Five Kage Summit arc got concluded, with all of Sakura's sacrifices, once again, ultimately leading to yet another failure of hers, which, for some of her supposed IQ level, is just disgraceful (and mind you, I am not blaming Sakura, I am blaming Kishimoto for being a living laughingstock when it comes to writing females, I repeat myself, but this shit seriously gets on my nerves here, because the fandom is just as illiterate, as he is in writing any character with a vagina, on top of being a toxic cesspool too). You can dislike Sakura all you want, but it doesn't change the fact, she is part of the main cast, yet during this arc, where she could have done SOMETHING, she only ended up being a liability, yet again. All that training, all this yearning and devotion, all the sacrifices she made to get to this point to try and face Sasuke on her own terms, and she only ends up hitting a brickwall, as always. As if, all her attributes mean absolutely nothing, and she only exists for Naruto, or anyone else to save her, even in her best form. Yeah, no.

FUCK. EVERY. SINGLE PART. ABOUT ALL THIS.

And well, with all this in mind, I decided to rewrite the entire endgame portion of this arc, down to the root of it. Instead of Sakura hesitating, you will NOT be seeing this with me, the girls in Naruto are all queens, and deserve to be more than just the labels that Kishimoto put on them. She won't kill Sasuke, but she will beat the ever-living crap out of him. He is injured, blinded, exhausted and drained of almost all chakra. It would be STUPID to not see the chance, and get all in. Maximum effort.

And I was actually inspired to write this story, thanks to another dedicated Sakura fan on Twitter, who made this lengthy post, showcasing their efforts to rewrite that portion of the Kage Summit arc, as well. Go and check them out, this story wouldn't have been possible without them. In fact, I took a few notes from it, to write the fight choreography. You will notice, once I show you.

Side-note: And unlike what the canon story did, I will NOT go this route with the cast, Kakashi and the other Jonin will slowly catch on to the fact that, Danzo, and the Konoha elders, had always been the true evil, this whole time. And the assault on the Leaf village, along with the fact that, Naruto's arrival was uncomfortably delayed, all can be traced back to the elders, and mind you, for those who have read my "The Hero, The Blind & The Martyr" story (click the title to immediately get there, to get back up to speed, especially in the final portion), as a follow-up of the rewrite, Nagato had dropped a hint for them to take seriously. That there is a traitor among them, and he wasn't talking about Sasuke. So yes, once the war is over, do not expect Kakashi to play bootlicker to these assholes. And Sasuke WILL be getting the peace and pardoning he, and the rest of his family and clan, so dearly deserve. And Sakura is not blind to it either, anymore.

Especially not Neji, Shikamaru and Kiba, whose families unveil more evidence of what the elders had done, behind the scenes. Yes, another link, connecting to this story, and that is this one:

"Weird Wednesday Headcanon: Outside of Team 7, Neji, Shikamaru and Kiba sympathize the most with Sasuke's fall from grace after the Five Kage Summit"

And now, time for the main event, here is the link:

Sakura VS Sasuke (Kage Summit Arc - Rewrite) - AO3

PEACE.

[theheirofthesharingan]

Haters aren't just mad that people love Itachi, they feel personally affronted that we dare to humanize him when they can't see him beyond the superficial, surface level part of his that is meant to be seen as bad. Every single argument against Itachi fans is won by "Yeah, he killed people, he traumatized his little brother by showing him his parents' deaths 5000000002gdiqy518291818 times and yet his fans..."

It's the false information and removal/distortion of the context only to make Itachi look bad that actually works in their favour.

Fans, on the other hand, take a gentler approach towards him, and it's backed by canon. Itachi isn't just "he killed people and committed a genocide". He's also the child who was lonely, lacked options and support, was groomed and manipulated. He's a victim of the adults and their shortsightedness, their greediness. The said adults also include his parents, not just Konoha elders. But we don't want to blame them now, do we? Because that would make us humanize him.

Antis get so upset, repeating over and over "He was never called out" when he's the only one who was even punished, the only one who calls himself out for everything. The narrative never treats him as a victim either. Apart from Sasuke, absolutely no one has a word of sympathy for him. He is treated as a hero for stopping the war, but no one says anything about the tragedy of having to kill his parents. Hashirama? Naruto? Kakashi? None. And they're the most sympathetic characters.

Danzo and Hiruzen will scream at the faces of the readers that they used Itachi and his kind-heartedness to benefit the village, but it's not enough for some people to acknowledge it, because in their heads they're already convinced he's manipulative and psychopathic.

He's a human at best and ignoring it for the sake of "Itachi fans..." isn't going to change his tragedy, which isn't just what happened to him, but also what he did.

[mayaketu]

Character analysis: Naruto vs Boruto’s forgiving natures

Naruto is a kind person. But a lot of people interpret all of his actions to being foolishly kind, when Naruto really is just a traumatized & principled character that empathizes with people based off that.

Both are traumatized & principled, but have different traumas driving their actions.

Let’s examine Naruto first:

Notice, Naruto does not decide to be understanding until he draws a connection between himself and his opponent being victims of child abuse. Naruto never tried to empathize with Orochimaru, Danzo or Madara, nor had much of a negative reaction to their demise at all. Naruto also knew all 3 of them had repeatedly committed the worst sin- abused children. His biggest trauma.

Naruto hasn’t been advocating for people to escape consequences, he wanted people to atone because he understood that they were traumatized as children & never got the guidance that saved Naruto from going down their exact path. He wasn’t rly being gullible (he had nothing to lose by the time he tried talk-no-jutsu lol), kind or even forgiving- he decided no matter how difficult to stick to his principles he learned from Jiraiya. To try to stop the cycle of hatred by having people atone rather than to punish them through revenge.

Naruto’s biggest flaw though, is that he is overly blinded by his abandonment trauma- he feels he has to “save” people who went through child abuse like he did. He projects too much of his own feelings onto them- when they are their own people who won’t necessarily turn around as easily as Naruto did- which is why he lost his arm to sasuke who wouldn’t relent until beaten into submission. & (temporarily) lost his life to kawaki.

In psych terms, Naruto is trying to reinforce to himself that he was always worthy of being saved, which is what drives him to go as far as he does. It’s not really his kindness, or passion but his trauma is the way Naruto deeply connects to others.

Episode 10 of boruto NNG. This convo is not in the manga but it’s clear from the manga as well that this is how Naruto feels:

This is why Naruto struggled so much to connect with Boruto. Boruto wasn’t an abused child- thats why it seemed Naruto didn’t “care” about Boruto and Himawari as much as Kawaki. His bio kids were the first people very close to him without significant trauma for him to build a relationship on. Hima was still pretty young, & not as outspoken as boruto, so we didnt see that dynamic as much with her.

Boruto is still early in his story & has a lot more to learn. So this is as of chapter 14 of TBV.

Boruto’s current analysis:

Boruto has spent his whole life building healthy connections unlike Naruto, yet seems to have the same desire to “save” even the most “irredeemable” people. There are 2 reasons why.

Reason 1, For Boruto he is able to forgive kawaki because he understands that he’s not in a position to judge him. Boruto recognizes that he is a threat because of momoshiki, and blames & hates himself for everyone being endangered, not kawaki who is actually protecting them in his own twisted way. & now, feeling the pain of abandonment, he also empathizes with kawaki, thus forgiving him. This is how BORUTO sees it right now.

He’s also trying to make the right choices he knows ADULT Naruto would make, but adult Naruto has confronted his self hatred & knows not to take or blame everything on himself. Boruto hasn’t learned that yet, he’s willing to accept help when it’s dire, but still believes the overall burden is his alone. He has also been mainly taught by Sasuke, who still hasn’t overcome his own self hatred as much as Naruto has & desire to handle everything alone.

*boruto has actually been struggling with self hatred since getting caught cheating, that’s why he irrationally hated all ninja tech- it’s from the shame of being exposed. Self hatred is a huge underlying part of his character I could expand on later; I’m focusing on this comparison to Naruto here.

Boruto is blinded by his self hatred in the same way Naruto is blinded by his abandonment trauma. That’s why some of their actions seem so irrational, they are fueled by trauma. & These blind spots are where they both make their most costly mistakes.

That’s why he naively defied Koji’s order to escape and instead released code. He knows from Naruto he can’t do everything alone, but he lacks the wisdom to understand when/how to apply it. He should’ve relied on Koji’s advice rather than trying to plan on his own which led to a huge mistake. Code is still loose.

Reason 2, Boruto’s will is to be shadow hokage. To bear burdens for the sake of the village and people he loves. Part of bearing the burden is swallowing your pride for the greater good, which he learned from Sasuke. He’s not being kind or forgiving by saving Code. He wanted to kill the shinju ASAP before they could evolve further and needed his help.

Same with asking to train Kawaki. Kawaki’s fate is tied to both Naruto/Hinata, the EARTH & boruto’s fates. Outside of any emotional reasons, he literally cannot afford to let Kawaki die + kawaki’s unique abilities (shrinking claw marks particularly) are instrumental in defeating the shinju. & Especially now that the shinju are growing in number and in other villages, boruto cannot always be there to protect kawaki. Kawaki needs to get stronger fast for the sake of the planet.

I’m interested in the larger convo between boruto and kawaki and training him, but we’ll have to see once chapter 15 officially drops.

[tora-the-cat]

Marriage of convenience Sasuke & Hinata would be worth it on Hijinks alone. every conversation with Sasuke takes 10 months off of Hiashi's life, which is what hina is REALLY looking for in a life partner (Naruto would have also fulfilled this requirement, of course). Kiba and Shino give him shovel talks and he's like 'we aren't even actually together?' and they're like 'yeah, duh, and? that's not the point the point is that if she's ever sad we will kill you'. They don't even pretend to know anything about each other. They are both trying to date Naruto and/or Sakura but Naruto doesn't understand clan politics and would NEVER betray either of his friends by being the other man in a relationship!! and Sakura would totally be down except her and Naruto accidentally started dating last month and it's actually going (not so) surprisingly well. Hinata marries out of the clan ostensibly to 'help Sasuke rebuild his clan', even though really he's just gonna cash in some favors with Orochimaru and get a bunch of close babies out of the eyes Danzo oh-so-helpfully preserved for years (though this is a point of moral contention- is this desecrating the corpses of his families, or continuing their legacy that would otherwise die with him?) Sasuke and Hinata raising baby-Obito-clone would be like crack cocaine for the soul. Sasuke blows off revolutionary steam by abolishing slavery and probably killing Hiashi eventually. The logical endpoint after many hijinx is Naru/sasu/saku/hina poly relationship except HInata and Sasuke STILL aren't remotely interested in each other. Despite being the only ones married. People get increasingly confused and concerned about the Byakugan not showing up in any of these kids, or honestly any of Hinata's traits, and the fact that Hinata is never pregnant. Hanabi reprimands them for being transphobic and then goes over to have tea with her sister and gets accused of hate crimes for poisoning Sasuke's tea. Can't blame a girl for trying.

[nardo-headcanons]

About Shisui Uchiha

just some shower thoughts i had about him. this is very headcanon heavy and rather vague at times.

tw for talks about suicide, manipulation, trauma, abuse, etc

tagging: @uchihaharlot @pxssy-stuntin-for-itxchi @lalalover33-blog @burning-bubble @naruto-scribblings-j

Unlike Itachi, who was born during the last year of the great Shinobi war, it is safe to say that Shisui was born while it was still going on. So naturally, he was exposed to the worst side humanity had to offer, most likely traumatizing him in the process.

His mother is never mentioned, so I assume she must have died during his birth or in his early childhood. His father, most likely ravaged by illness before he even entered the battlefield, lost his left leg, leaving him with phantom pains and high medical bills. As a born shinobi, Shisui’s father lacked the funds and education to pursue any other path of career, leaving his child as the only breadwinner of his family. Shisui probably had to spend his entire childhood and youth slaving away just to keep his father and himself afloat. Additionally, he took care of a terminally i’ll man who didn’t even remember his son’s name. Of course, this would lead to Shisui being very perceptive of the psychology of the ones around him, how else could he search for a sign of his father’s state health changing?

Shisui often spent time wondering what it’s like to have a family, a family in which he is allowed to be what he is: a child. Someone who is cared for, someone who is looked after. Despite being an Uchiha, his relation to Kagami Uchiha - the Uchiha allied with Tobirama, the very person planting the seed for all the discrimination the Uchiha would face, up to a point of their genocide, would probably lead him to feel ostracized within his own clan. And like everyone of us, he is trying to find the balance between individuality and belonging - the latter being the one he lacked. His abilities as an Uchiha become a defining factor of identity for him, leading to him being willing to let a comrade via withholding aid - just on the basis of that comrade potentially being stronger than him. Once his comrade dies, the young Uchiha is ravaged by feelings of guilt, by the awareness that the blood of his friend is on his hand.

But nevertheless, he is blessed with a new Uchiha ability - the mangekyou sharingan. His entire life he had to enter a role he didn’t want to be in, robbing him of memories he could have had. So what better mangekyou ability to have than the one that alters memories, and, in extension, alters your role in the world?

Shisui’s resentment against his Uchiha identity starts bubbling up inside him again, and being a shinobi who frequents B- or even A-Rank missions as a literal teenager (how else would you pay for your father’s medical debt as a shinobi, eh?) he was closer to the village from the start. Hailed as the strong and talented Uchiha boy, taking on missions to serve his village, behind the facade a broken kid forced to grow up way too quickly. His first serious doubts begin when he is forced to kill Mukai Kohinata, a direct reflection of Shisui, just the other way around: a father wanting nothing but funds to care for his dying child.

Things don’t get better when the tension between the village and the Uchiha rise. His own brethren or the collective - who will you support? Getting into Shisui’s mind and twisting his perception of what’s right is an easy game for Danzo, almost too easy. A civil war breaking out in Konoha would be a repetition of his initial trauma - the one thing Shisui wants to prevent the most. Shisui starts feeling conflicted, until he finally stumbles upon THE miracle solution: forcefully keeping up the status quo by manipulating the leader of the revolution - an unpleasant reality, but better than the Uchiha clan’s extermination or a civil war breaking out, right? To Shisui, atleast. And honestly, who could blame him? As a ninja who graduated young, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that he lacks the methodical and critical thinking outside of the parameters of violence and manipulation he is used to from Danzo and the shinobi world.

And then it happens. He agrees to suppress the revolution of his own ethnic group just for the sake of keeping up a false sense of peace, and suddenly, his co conspirators, the man that is supposed to be guarding him, leading him, suddenly abandons him and steals his eye? Shisui’s entire identity as the Uchiha boy from Konoha collapses and he doesn’t know what to think or believe anymore. In his last moments, he becomes aware of the utter pointlessness of the killing and the brutality of the shinobi system, the sheer feeling of powerless overwhelming him. At this point, death seems like a sweeter option than continuing to live powerlessly in such a system.

Shisui is a skilled ninja, but not always in contact with his emotions. Therapy is a rarity in the leaf, with even the counselors themselves not being able to give advise outside of the parameters of what’s “acceptable” in the hidden leaf.

So, what better way to hide your agony than behind a -albeit manufactured- goofy smile?

[awinterrosesstuff]

Do you think Tobirama was racist or discriminated too much against uchiha?

Hello anon !

First, thank you for this ask ! I wanted to talk about it for a while, but never found the space to do it. I like Tobirama, not because he's a good guy (he isn't), but because he's more nuanced than say Hiruzen, Minato (poor boy) and maybe even Hashirama. And the narrative clearly blames Tobirama for his faults. Something Hiruzen barely got. I made a post about that a long time ago.

Short answer, Tobirama is very prejudiced against the Uchiha clan and discriminated them quite a lot.

Lets start with one thing. Uchiha and Senju were rivals and always fighting before they founded Konoha. Tobirama, like Hashirama and Madara, was a child soldier. His father rased him to hate the Uchiha, fight and die. This panel shows that the clans clashed a lot.

Now let's look at what Tobirama said when he was questionned about it.

When Orochimaru criticizes you for your faults, it means you really fucked up. Hashirama immediately scolds him. He advised him to not slight the Uchiha. But Tobirama did and has some excuses. He also was watching them because of the possibility of a new Madara. To him, the Uchiha are possessed by evil. They're destined to end like that. And when Orochimaru claims Madara was the cause of his fear of this clan, he doesn't deny it. I'd say he even defends himself by saying "you didn't know him". You have the reason why Tobirama discriminated a whole clan... because of one man !

We're told after Madara left the village, he attacked many times before he used Kuybi in the hope to win against Hashirama. I can understand the distraught of him in particular. But what did the rest of the clan ? They wanted peace with the Senju, they started to disagree with Madara even before they created the village and didn't follow him when he went away. The Uchiha clan as the whole, since the foundation, didn't show any sign of betrayal.

Madara left after hearing this discussion. Tobirama doesn't want Madara (& probably any Uchiha) as the hokage. He's afraid of their power. And he goes further in his theory about this clan.

He's like "look, you're genitically destined to be evil and bad and I discriminated you for that"... it's a weird argument. Especially since we don't have any other example than Madara. Obito ended doing what he did because precisely Madara manipulated and used him. He awakened the sharingan to protect his teammates in the first place. We don't know how Shisui got the sharingan (in canon, I mean), but he didn't lost control of himself. Same with Itachi. He was angry at his clan (+ they were suspecting him for Shisui's death) but ended killing the members of his clan because Danzo manipulated him. Sasuke lost it after learning the truth about Itachi. But he was able to consider the four hokage's words even when Tobirama was talking shit about his clan.

I'd like to add a point. Tobirama doesn't seem to care about the humans. He only cares about their usefulness to the village. He's basically saying in the last cases that if an Uchiha loses himself in darkness and hate, it's okay as long he protects the village.

So it's okay for him to use a 13 teenager (Itachi) and order him to massacre his clan if it's to protect the village. He doesn't seem shocked or horrified about the massacre. It's implied he would have done something similar if he was in Danzo's shoes.

And after everything, Sasuke he's sure Tobirama hates the Uchiha clan. And honesty, does anyone have any doubt ?

His defense is "I was doing my duty" and "I don't hate all of them". He claims that he was watching every clan, but the Uchiha is the only clan he presents as an example. And it's the only clan who got discriminated.

As long you don't go against the village, you can be evil as much as you want. Look at the Hyuga, they're allowed to enslave their kin, brand the cadet branch with a curse mark that can mentally torture them and kill them... Idk, it does sound evil to me.

Danzo kidnaps children, brainwashes them and uses them as his army, but that's okay as long he's doing it for the village. Etc.

But only the Uchiha are discriminated because Tobirama couldn't overcome his fear and his hate.

[tamelee]

What do you think of the will of fire and konoha? Do you support them?

Ah, I think a lot about that. It's challenging to dive in without getting completely lost in it, though, and without me having to go and take a million screenshots. Most scenes include some sort of example why the current system or why WoF have failed a certain character, and that is important because those are the messages within the story that support the overall theme. Specifically how a character reacts to a situation. 

And in the end, it's the Shinobi system that needs changing one way or another. 

Creating a village that prioritizes unity, loyalty, and protection is great. I definitely support what Konoha was supposed to be, and it had been necessary. But it failed because there are bigger issues.

I've read a lot of pro- and anti-WoF posts, and I think most of them are right in some ways, but I don't think you can judge the operation of an ideology that's part of a system without questioning... the broader system. And that's exactly what it distracts you from; the WoF never addresses the root cause of any conflicts. 

The ideology itself isn't to blame. The WoF doesn't inherently promote anything harmful, but it's too simplistic. Hashirama's ways to achieve peace were ambitious but perhaps too naive, whereas Tobirama operated from his own biased sense of realism. I don't like how authority applied the WoF, that includes Hiruzen and Danzo, of course, who manipulated and abused it in a way only to serve their own interests and encourage people to sacrifice themselves for it or do that sacrificial part for them. Prioritizing a single village or nation without questioning the system that applies to all Shinobi is bound to fail. 

Hence, Naruto wanted all Shinobi to work together, or why Sasuke believed there had to be a single enemy that would force all Shinobi to work together. 

And why Itachi made it a point that certain things like a clan or village should be questioned. Or why it was so significant to question what personal bonds meant as opposed to the collective belief that made Shinobi with the same headband comrades automatically.

There are many issues, so do I support it? Maybe? But only if applied responsibly, and we haven't seen a good example yet. So maybe it's not even possible, but that also makes it interesting. 

Or—hear me out—you can introduce aliens, and none of that matters anymore because now Sasuke is right and Naruto gets his wish without any creativity while both are miserable regardless—tadaa~ 

[n0-n1c]

Talk about Danzo pls teehee >:3

shimura danzo: ✨ the greatest villain who never got a therapy talk from naruto because he was sasuke's to kill ✨

ground rules:

"canon" is whatever. some anime fillers (like kakashi in anbu) are widely accepted as canon. there are also novels and later reveals i don't care about

nothing about the uchiha massacre makes sense because it's full of retcons. we could probably have several separate conversations despite everyone being armed with "sources". i'm not talking about it.

i shall not talk about a certain character who fills me with rage. you can guess who it is by their peculiar absence in this discussion

danzo didn't exist in part one of naruto. many important things weren't thought out (jinchuriki as a concept, most akatsuki members) which i don't blame kishimoto for. naruto is a serialized shonen manga after all. where was he during the konoha crush? probably sitting underground and weathering the metaphorical storm. the raikage's accusation that danzo was in kahoots with orochimaru and planned the crush together is very conspiracy-brained. there are so many reasons why it's just wild... why wasn't he scrambling for the hokage seat after hiruzen kicked the bucket? because he didn't exist. next question.

he was made as a foil to hiruzen, long after hiruzen left the story by getting shinigami'd. no, they weren't teammates, you're remembering that wrong. they were just rivals. tobirama's team had sarutobi hiruzen, mitokado homura & utatane koharu (aka the two old people who keep badgering tsunade). they happened to be on the same mission when tobirama gave up on democracy & got killed by a furry. their relationship is mainly hiruzen letting danzo get away with stuff. (the assassination attempt is anime-only.) here comes the problem: part one hiruzen is styled as a kind, wise, universally beloved grandpa who loves everyone in his village. part two is a failure who couldn't even take care of naruto the boy. i call this the dumbledore effect. the further and more serious you go, the more sinister this old figure becomes. is he manipulating our young hero? why didn't he stop this or that horrible thing he had to have known about? ...we were talking about danzo, right? well his bestie hiruzen let him have a whole anbu branch (with an evil underground lair). root also doesn't make much sense. another rant incoming? if your morally corrupt friend swears that his secret personal army is totally disbanded, you're an idiot for trusting him. don't blame danzo for root without dragging hiruzen to hell with him. oh wait. [different self-destruct seal activates] they won't be together even in hell!

i'm running out of breath but trust me, there's so much more 🔥🔥🔥 i just have to put it in readable sentences.

last time on danzo hour (previous post in the tag)

next time on danzo hour(s):

double standards

weaponized body parts and related ethics

shonen logic in ninja world

(*shudder*) ...powerscaling

anyone: feel free to send more asks, just prepare for slow answers because this is an art blog first (& something of a portfolio)

[bunniefaery]

I saw this article calling Sasuke a Villain and how the live-action shouldn't include his "villain" arc, because it "felt tedious and too convoluted to the bigger narrative" and instead they should make him a pivot for the fight against the Otsutsuki...

Did this person watch the anime or read the manga?

Article from CBR, Title: The Naruto Live-Action Movie Doesn't Need To Adapt This Villain Arc

1. Protect Konoha from what? The Uchiha wanted to end the decades long discrimination and oppression they were facing at the hands of the higher ups... (Not to mention that when Kurama attacked the village (under genjutsu, when Naruto was born), and during the konoha crush, no other villages went to attack the Leaf after the events), not even after the Pein arc...

2. Most people would hate growing up alone, and why was that sentence in bold?

3. Sasuke didn't find out about the true reason Itachi did what he did, until after Itachi died, as well as the real reason behind said Coup... as far as I am aware. And why wouldn't he want revenge against Konoha (specifically the 3 people who are left that caused all of his trauma and the uchiha genocide, it'd be 4 but the Sandaime Hokage was already dead by this point in the story)

4. What "wars" against Madara and Obito? There was only 1 War against them, the 4th great ninja war, that lasted 2 days a.k.a. approximately ~212 episodes, including filler (volumes 55 through 59 in the Manga, according to google)

"Naruto and Sasuke were reincarnations of her sons (Ashura and Indra, respectively)"

Okay, so the author didn't watch nor read Naruto...

Indra and Ashura Otsutsuki are not Kaguya's sons... they are her grandsons 👁️👄👁️ Homura and Hagoromo Otsutsuki are her sons... and Hagoromo is Ashura and Indra's father…

I feel like the author doesn't know much about Kaguya either, if they did they'd know her story.

"The advantage of Sasuke being a rebel without defecting from Konoha is that Naruto would have the help needed to fight the big villains of the franchise: the Ōtsutsuki."

When the time came, was Sasuke not helping Naruto with that? 🧐 And why shouldn't he have defected from Konoha? What good could they do for him?

Why does Sasuke need to be convinced to return home, when his home was taken from him by this "home" the author speaks of, that "home" being Konoha? Why should he return to the place that treated his people so poorly that they felt they no other choice but to do a coup against the people in charge of Konoha only to be wiped out for daring to stand up for themselves after years of oppression...?

Konoha, specifically Danzo, the third hokage, and 2 hogake advisors, Homura and Koharu (3 of which where Tobirama Senju's students and all 4 of which were on his personal team, and we all know what Tobi thought of the Uchiha) forced Itachi to wipeout his whole clan, excluding Sasuke, and then blamed him for it. They swept what they did under a filthy rug, that already had many skeletons piling up, and acted like he was the most evil person... He was a child and he was forced to do that and to become a fugitive by the old people in charge, who had no business being in charge of Konoha since there should've been a 5th Hokage by then... (regardless if Itachi regretted it or not, which he never really does)

I won't say it...😇

"Sasuke could learn more about how Indra developed a dark side, which passed down to the Uchiha, while Ashura's light gave way to the Senju and Uzumaki (Naruto's family) clans"

1. While I do agree that Naruto should've learnt more of the Uzumaki (and the Namikaze), besides finding out they excelled in Sealing Jutsus, had very long lives and were a bit savage (it wasn't in-depth at all, and there is no one to teach him, since the Uzumaki are also victims of genocide (in which Konoha did not help protect them) and well, I don't know what happened to Minato's people)

2. And that Sasuke should've learnt more of his people (but how was he going to, when he was the only one left at age 7/8?)

3. Indra's dark side... it wasn't passed down, nor did it emerge until his father gave his little brother the title of successor and expected him to follow without questions, having his birthright taken away because he was more introverted than his little brother whom their father called "the flunky useless dropout younger brother" (according to a panel I saw). And implied, at least to me, that ninjustu was created for wars and all things evil (Indra created ninjustu when he was just a child). ah yes his dark side the Uchiha inherited, that darkness of wanting to be treated like people and with respect in the village they helped make.

4. Kushina calls the Uzumaki, among other things, a bit savage. Batsuma Senju punched Hashirama, a child at the time, for being angry/sad that his little brother died, saying he was disrespecting his brother (and him) by basically questioning the system. Tobirama is a Senju, who was not shy about his hatred and prejudice against the Uchiha Clan (he is after all the founder of the bigoted psuedo science that was the "Curse of Hatred" the Uchiha are supposedly afflicted by, a clan that according to him is cursed and called Sasuke "a brat possessed by Uchiha evil") and that's on Ashura's "light" that gave way for his descendants, the Uzumaki and the Senju, "a clan of love~"🥰

Right, because he wasn't a pivot to the story, nor did his and naruto's story have any "heart and impact"... Right...

At some point, I wonder if some of this article is just satire 😅

[the-real-sasuke-uchiha]

Hello, glad to see people finally understand that sasuke's pure inside, which means that destroying innocent people's lives for fun or for vengeance ain't true at all. I wonder if people read the manga and just decided to exhibit their poor comprehension skills. Sasuke only wanted one thing that motivates him : revenge, and this revenge is justice, and this justice is a revolution. Unlike Naruto who lowers himself to seek the approvals of villagers, Sasuke just decides something far greater that just disturbs others and this is a clear message that those kages or villagers or Naruto don't understand what's peace and what's justice or simply don't want their lifestyles to be challenged because it is so grueling and difficult to bring justice to the shinobi world, because the majority would be annihilated/punished for their crimes or for standing with those who has committed those crimes. Pain confronted Naruto during their battle about the meaning of pain and the importance of justice and the consequences of letting injustice roam free in the shinobi world. And yet, Naruto just repeats the same promise "I'm going to be hokage and bring peace to the shinobi world" and what's this peace he's talking about ? Carrying out the legacy of previous kages to not lose the approvals of villages he's desperate for ? Man, he didn't even punish the elders that are still alive in Boruto while keeping Sasuke as his supporting hand. Hiruzen is the worst hokage who just spent his times letting Danzo rock and lightening up his cigarette to smoke and using his little smile to cover up the double standards and deceptive morals. Tobirama ? Racist, a fascist, this man has ruined everything, his innovations ( jutsus ) has just damaged everything, has worsened everything, and daring to badly judge or speak foul about the Uchihas when he has... experimented on dead corpses for a forbidden jutsu. Come on now, all hypocrites, all criminals, all accomplices, all stupid people who has deserved to perish. Sasuke needed justice, not redemption, he wanted a revolution, and he've good morals, is a realistic character. Now look at what they have done to him in the end... protecting a village and its legacy that both has destroyed his clan.

Hi there, my friend.

I totally agree with you. Sasuke's faults are extremely exaggerated, it was never in him to hurt innocents, and he proved this many times. The revenge he was seeking was legit and fair, and the only form of justice that exists in the shinobi world. He was totally right in despising Konoha and the kages, and his violence against them was justified. What people don't seem to understand is that oppressors don't simply stop oppressing because you ask them nicely. They only do so when they have no other option. I also don't blame Naruto for seeking people's attention or approval when he was a child, it is only natural. But as a hokage he was an absolute disappointment. I can't say it better than you. He made only empty promises to Nagato, and he never helped Ame. He never even made a reproach to Jiraiya, Tsunade or Orochimaru, who were the living war criminals that had contributed to its destruction. Having the two genocidal advisors working for him is unjustifiable. Having the portraits of the racist hokages who lead to the extermination of his so-called best friend's family, is disgusting. It makes a perfect combo with a soulless Sasuke that gave up his goals, his personality and his selfrespect to serve the ones who betrayed and murdered his family.

Thank you for the ask, have a great day and take care!

[tsuki-no-yomi-project]

Itachi's Birthday Special Chapter

"Now that I remember," Kisame remarked all of the sudden, "Today is supposed to be Itachi-san's birthday."

"?????!?!?!?"

Mitsuki's eyes widened immediately upon the random mention. They were in the middle of a resupplying trip, Kisame and Mitsuki, and it was a real odd time to drop such an information. Especially with it being the day itself.

"WHY YOU NEVER TOLD ME EARLIER!?" exclaimed the girl. Being in the middle of the road in broad daylight didn't stop her.

"Ojou-chan, aren't you embarrassed? People are looking over here," noted Kisame with an awkward expression as he looked around. He thought that Mitsuki had always been one to care about "blending in the crowd".. But it seemed that at least for the moment, she didn't give a damn.

"MORE IMPORTANTLY," she continued, rather loudly, "I HADN'T PREPARED ANY PRESENT, DARN YOU!"

Kisame was rendered speechless. It's not like they were having a vacation or a relaxing journey. They were travelling, undercover, two fugitives and one girl with questionable origin. No one had time to think of anyone's birthday, moreover celebrating it. During years of his travels with Itachi, both of them had never cared enough to remember and celebrate each other's birthday. Why did he even bother mentioning it this time, thought Kisame to himself. Perhaps, he was curious of the girl's reaction, in love as she was with Itachi.

"Well, the reaction certainly doesn't disappoint," Kisame grinned playfully, despite being the receiving end of Mitsuki's angry glance.

"Well, I don't think he cares," said Kisame calmly as he began to continue walking once more. "He had never been one for celebration, after all."

Mitsuki grumbled. She knew how Itachi had always been after all, and she knew that what Kisame said was true. Blaming himself so much for everything, she doubted that Itachi was ever thankful of the day he was born. Instead, she knew how he actually felt about his existence, and it pained her so.

"That's no good," she muttered sadly. But she knew there was little she could do to convince the man she adores otherwise.

Even so, she wanted to celebrate it, the day of Itachi's birth.

After all, she was thankful for his existence, whether he'd agree or not. She knew Itachi might frown at her for thinking such, but to her, meeting him had been both her salvation and her fuel to go on. Meeting him was the turning point of her once abandoned life.

And so, Mitsuki pushed the bags of supplies that she was carrying towards Kisame calmly, before quickly dashing away, leaving Kisame speechless.

"I'LL THINK OF SOMETHING!" shouted the girl, her voice fades into the distance as she dashed away like a speedy rabbit.

Seeing the girl's frantic action, Kisame could only scratch his head.

"Well, there's no harm in seeing what she would come up with, I guess," thought Kisame, scoffing as he proceeded calmly, continuing the resupplying task like nothing had happened. Silently, he wondered, if the information that was previously only an useless, additional remark on the shinobi data book, would take on some new meaning that day.

-----

It was a day like any other for Itachi. In actuality, the information about the day's date and the fact that it was his birthday, had never crossed his mind. After all, he had stopped looking at the calendar for a very long time, he had stopped counting days and years. After all, what good would it bring? More than anyone, he despised his own existence, wondering if him being born was the main thing to blame for Uchiha's downfall. Now that he was older, he knew well that Danzo was manipulating him, using the child he was for his own plan and paranoia induced decision.. yet he blamed no one other than himself for not being able to find another solution. He had always hated his helplessness, his birth, his existence, for a while now. He might have been called a genius, but in the end he ended up as nothing more than a cog in Danzo's plan. He was supposed to be the future of Uchiha, they said, but he ended up being the one who ended it all.

Hence, there was no reason for him to keep track of the dates anymore.

What for?

To see the coming of Sasuke's birthday that he would never be able to celebrate anymore? To remind himself that the best gift Sasuke would have wished was probably of him dropping dead?

To remind him of the day, the night the massacre happened? He had his nightmare to remind him of that, faithfully, every year.

His birthday? If anything, he was glad that he was slowly walking towards his death.

Yet, that evening, when Itachi went back to his room, Kisame was found alone in their room with prebought dinner, awkwardly sitting on his own bed.

"Happy birthday, Itachi-san," said Kisame with an awkward grin.

Hearing the greeting, Itachi frowned. The two had indeed had conversation about their birthday and age before, while comparing data on the shinobi data book and bingo book to build up understanding on each other's skill and strategy, but it never came off as something important enough for them to remember. As far as he could remember as well, the two had never bothered to keep track of each other's birthday to congratulate each other and celebrate.

Hearing Kisame's greeting though, one thing immediately came to Itachi's mind as silence engulfed the two for a moment.

".. Did you tell Mitsuki?" Itachi asked with a frown, picturing how the girl would be scrambling and hyping over the fact, for sure, knowing her personality.

Hearing Itachi's response, a quick question instead of any semblance of 'thank you', Kisame could only laugh awkwardly. Wondering if he had made a bad decision and struck a nerve instead, he answered his partner honestly.

"Yes, sorry," said the tall man guiltily.

Immediately, Itachi turned back towards the door to leave. There was no way he would be celebrating his own birthday, ever. And he was pretty sure Mitsuki would know about that as well.

"You know Ojou-chan will just track you anyway if you leave, right, Itachi-san?" said Kisame hesitantly, stopping Itachi in his tracks. "And knowing her stubborn nature, she would probably chase you for days to end, insisting to celebrate even past the date as well," he added, slightly guilty, slightly entertained by the idea of the feisty girl chasing his partner endlessly for days.

Itachi could definitely see the possibilities too, and so he halted his escape.

"At least it will be less awkward with the three of us here, don't you think?" Kisame added with a grin, causing Itachi to sigh as he turned back and reenter the room. Though he was not sure what Kisame meant by awkward, he couldn't help but agree that the fastest way to get over things was to simply accept the girl's 'goodwill'.

Yet by the time the girl came back, it had been hours.

And on her hand was not cake, or tons of sweets like Itachi had expected, but..

"SO LATE," Kisame complained as soon as he saw Mitsuki's remorseless face popping from behind the door.

"Sorry, didn't realize how fast the time passed!" she said with a grin while placing the things she carried back on the room's table.

Then, her gaze and Itachi's met, and the girl smiled widely, saying nothing.

Itachi had prepared himself to receive her congratulations, with a simple thank you and nagging that he wouldn't want her or Kisame to celebrate his birthday ever again.

Yet the greeting never came, and Itachi was caught off-guard.

"Huh? Seafood? And what the hell are these? Why only so little Wagashi (sweets)?" Kisame complained the moment he saw the contents of one of Mitsuki's bags. Inside the other was, books?

Even Itachi was surprised.

"Well, since WE are celebrating, might as well get something each of us like, right?" answered the girl proudly as she handed the seafood set to Kisame and the wagashi plus homey bento-set to Itachi, before taking the rest for herself.

The Akatsuki pair couldn't be even more confused. Trading glances with each other, Kisame then shrugged and proceeded to feast on Mitsuki's gifted set of seafood, ignoring the dinner set that he had previously bought for the three of them.

Itachi had a lot of questions he'd like to ask, but he didn't even know where to begin. The reason behind the girl's action was incomprehensible, and every time their eyes met, all the girl did was only grin proudly. Kisame, too, had no idea of what the girl was plotting, but seeing the exchange of glance between Itachi and Mitsuki, the confusion versus the sneaky, meaningful gaze, Kisame decided that it was best for him to excuse himself, despite how he told Itachi that him being there would make things less awkward.

"Ahhh, Seafood like this is best to enjoy near the waterfront, I'm off to enjoy myself," he said before blitzing, carrying his seafood set and his portion of dinner with him, surprising Itachi.

After all Kisame said about how it would be less awkward celebrating with three of them, he went and ditched the two, thought Itachi in disbelief.

Even so, he too had a lot to ask the girl about, and it might be a lot more natural without Kisame around. After all, there were some things that had only been shared between him and Mitsuki, like the truth about the massacre, or the girl's identity, for example.

However, before he could drop any question, the girl started the conversation with an apology.

"I'm sorry, Itachi-kun," she said, inciting a confused frown from the man in response. "I considered buying you cake or a lot more dessert, drowning you in sweets, but.."

Somehow Itachi couldn't help but picture Mitsuki really going all out drowning him in a pool of sweets.. Knowing her, he knows that such a possibility is not too farfetched..

".. I realized that you wouldn't like that, so.."

The continuation of Mitsuki's words caught Itachi's attention. Saying nothing, Itachi met Mitsuki's gaze with his own, questioning her by tilting his head slightly.

"I know how you feel about yourself, how you couldn't possibly want to celebrate being born in this world, but.."

"I, for one, and Kisame too, for sure, are glad that you are here, in this world with us still, in this moment," said the girl, her gentle gaze scanning Itachi's perplexed face with guilt.

"I think you wouldn't want us to center this day around you, to make you celebrate your birthday unwillingly, so.."

".. We'll do the celebrating for you, enjoying ourselves in your place, while you can just enjoy things you love normally, not extravagantly. It sounds stupid now that I say it out loud, but.."

Mitsuki smiled, and handed Itachi the pile of books that she had prepared for Itachi.

"I'm glad that you were born, I'm glad that we met. You might not think of your birth as a blessing worth celebrating, but.. I for sure, wouldn't want otherwise," she said, her voice soft, hiding her embarrassment, yet also completely sincere.

"Thank you for having been born, Itachi-kun," she said, her gaze meeting Itachi's, sending a mix of emotion to his heart. His existence meant something, and it brought happiness for others.. Itachi could never have thought that it would be that way, or if someone would thank him for that.. Conflicted as he was, despite the guilt that still lingers within him and the self doubt, he felt a small piece of weight lifted from his heart.

His existence was not merely a curse, a bringer of doom. It actually meant something, for someone..

And even though it was hard for him to do so, he wanted to embrace the truth beneath those words of gratitude, and return it.

Even so, the words were stuck in his throat. Instead, a question came up.

".. What are these?" he asked as he received the pile of books from Mitsuki. In a glance, it looked like some book compilation of Shinobi world's history, but judging on the labels jutting from the sides of the book, he knew that Mitsuki would have done something to it.

Upon hearing Itachi's question, Mitsuki scratched her cheek and let out an awkward chuckle.

"I was thinking, since you gave something really special to me that only you could give, I should give the same to you," she said, creating more questions inside Itachi's head. "But I'm not sure what I can exactly give so.. I went and thought.." the girl continued

"If there's anything special about me, it's probably my uselessly long life and the knowledge that comes with it," said the girl with an awkward smile, "So I got you some history book and did some correction and notes to remove the misinformation and propagandas, I thought you would at least be interested in such things."

Itachi couldn't help but smile subtly. Indeed, he had thought to himself about how much had the girl witnessed due to her long age and what knowledge had she procured along all those years, but.. seeing how the girl seemed to be oddly sensitive about her "true age" and how long has she lived, he had always restrained himself from asking.

Letting out a soft chuckle, Itachi took the topmost book and flipped through it, taking a quick glance at the girl's countless notes and several drawings she added for explanatory purpose, before shutting it back off for later reading. Then, as Itachi caught onto Mitsuki's previous words, he let out a soft, gentle sigh, and tapped the girl's head lightly with her gift.

"It was not useless," said the man, his voice soft, close to a whisper, and escaped Mitsuki's ear.

"Huh, what did you say?" she said in confusion, Itachi's expression was obscured from her view by the book he had used to tap at her. By the time she managed to shove the book away from her view, all she could see was a subtle smile, and Itachi's refusal to repeat his own words.

-----

Author's note:

Happy birthday Itachi-kun, I love youuuu 15 years and going heheheheh. Enjoy my gift (Mitsuki) and her gift (the uselessly obscure knowledge) - The Author, Ance

[theheirofthesharingan]

What would be Itachi thoughts through his life, in a nutshell? Can you think of? I keep thinking about his disgraceful life and what reflections he might had 😕

The one thing with Itachi is that he would never pity himself. He would never think life was bad for him.

He would look at the people, perhaps remembering his own parents, his own life, but instead of sadness, he would remember that he killed it all with his own hands.

He wouldn't blame the village or anyone for what he'd be going through, because in his eyes, he was the only person who was wrong. He might hate Danzo, he might hold grudges against Hiruzen, he might think some radicalized Uchiha brought those circumstances, he might despise Obito, but he hated himself more. Because, why didn't he do anything better?

He may find more comfort in the hatred of strangers than sympathy or sadness for him. He would find his illness an apt punishment for his actions.

As an adult, he might have thought of countless ways he could have stopped things or the way he could have done something different, but what he was left with was only regret he could taste in his mouth.

His biggest goal in life was to keep Sasuke safe, but he damaged him for that, and that would have added even more guilt to his already heavy conscience.

In my opinion, Itachi felt two emotions the most: Love and guilt/regret.

They both formed self loathing for him and kept him from seeing things as they were and doing the right thing.

Like, love was straight up curse for him. If he hadn't loved Sasuke, maybe things wouldn't have been so bad. But I guess some people aren't meant to be like that?

[theuchihalawyer]

who do you think is really to blame for the Uchiha genocide?

This is a little messy, sorry.

I blame Konoha government/system. The council along with Danzo, Hiruzen and Tobirama.

The Uchiha clan was opressed, discriminated, they went through a lot of injustice, they were even relocated to a corner of the village because of the "distrust", they faced xenophobia for decades..

Danzo learnt about the coup they were planning because of these reasons, that they couldn't take the discrimination anymore, but instead of looking for a better solution, what does he do? He suggests the extermination of the clan, and what does the council do? They agree. That was not fair, at all, it wasn't properly handled, at all. They ordered a ethnic genocide. Hiruzen, as the Hokage, didn't do anything to change what the Uchiha clan had to go through before the massacre and didn't do anything to stop Danzo either when they agreed to the massacre.

Tobirama never trusted the Uchiha clan, and before his "investigation" (about his so called curse of the hatred, which wouldn't exist without his extremist ideology of the will of the fire), he simply believed the "rumors" he heard about them, he believed they were unpredictable, so he began telling Hashirama to keep them out important matters regarding the village, because they were "dangerous" (in Tobirama point of view, based on rumors)

He saw them as a threat to the village, and so, his system starts the horrible conditions the Uchiha go through. He takes away their possibility to reach political power, he keeps them controlled and under the goverment supervision (Konoha police) and his distrust influences Konoha legacy, and.. then, the genocide happens, because..I repeat, the Uchiha couldn't take the discrimination anymore, the discrimination Tobirama system inflicted upon them, and Tobirama's student decided that the genocide was necessary, not. fair. at. all.

And you just have to read how he speaks about the Uchiha clan when he is summoned by the Edo Tensei, and you'll just understand why the genocide was his fault too.

And I won't get started on Itachi, or Shisui. Itachi didn't even regret what he did. Shisui was just another supporter of the fascist, extremist, and corrupted goverment. His statements about the civil war that the Uchiha would cause by carrying out a revolution were even proven wrong. Their clan wanted a revolution because of everything they went through, but no, Itachi? He followed Konoha orders, and.. doesn't regret a thing, doesn't regret what he did to Sasuke, and also continued believing Sasuke should be a tool to Konoha. The Uchiha were against the system that oppressed them. The system Tobirama left in Konoha legacy. The system Hiruzen and Danzo didn't change.

[tora-the-cat]

💚: What does everyone else get wrong about your favorite character(s)?

oh. oh we could be here for DAYS. okay. I'll do the first five characters that come to mind, and ONE thing for each character I'm thinking about lol

Sakura- because who else would I start with? I think the biggest pet-peeve I have with general characterization of her is she's just. too normal. Whether you're writing her as a lovesick teenager or a terrifying baby badass, so many people tend to overlook that she does NOT have typical responses to situations. She has moodswings. She's impulse. Her empathy is abysmally low. her capacity for self confidence should be studied. she's an annoying know-it-all. her priorities are FUCKED. The problem is that she THINKS she's the most normal person in any given room, and too many viewers have fallen for her act. she felt accountability for 5 seconds and proceeded to poison all of her friends to try and go kill sasuke without stopping to ask herself if that's even something she's emotionally capable of trying (it isn't).

Minato- honestly, my main complain about him is similar in principle- people ALSO write him as a Normal Cool Guy, because that's how he presents and thinks of himself. He's the Ideal Shinobi, almost perfect, almost a messiah, given how people- in and out of universe- talk about him. But the thing is...he is the Ideal Shinobi. And, by nature of that, there is something deeply wrong with him. He killed an entire army's worth of people in a day and is remembered as a peace-maker. Kishimoto thinks this is normal, so the narrative thinks Minato is a good guy, so he's remembered fondly in the story and most of the fandom. Kishimoto is wrong. Minato was suited for the life and glory of an S-Rank shinobi in the sort of way we only see otherwise presented in heartless nuke-nin for the rest of the show.

Sasuke- Everything that Sasuke has ever, ever done has been for love. He doesn't move a muscle without thinking about the people he loves. His heart doesn't beat unless it can do so for someone else. People miss this because of his obsession with revenge or whatever, but he was doing that out of love for his clan. for his family. for, even, his brother, who he somehow devestatingly loved even before he knew Itachi wasn't to blame. Itachi set his entire world on fire when he was seven and then put him in a torture hallucination replaying it for days, and Sasuke still loved him. After everything he heard Danzo did, he still gave that bastard the chance to plea his case before killing him. Sasuke doesn't have a single cruel bone in his body.

Hinata- Hinata is a fighter. She loves, and she watches, and she's never met a fight she won't pick given half a chance. She put herself between her father's wrath and her sister. She fought Neji because Naruto was cheering on the sidelines. She only managed to confess her love when she jumped in to an impossible fight against Pein for Naruto. I don't think she ever wins a fight in Naruto (which is bullshit), but that's never hindered her undying fighting spirit.

Obito- Obito's tricky cause his characterization is contradictory and murky by nature so it's hard to argue the details of it, but you will never get me on board with a canon interpretation of him that isn't literally chronically dissociated for his entire adult life. I don't think he knows his name. I don't think he's looked in a mirror in years. I don't think he can tell you the date. I don't think he's felt anything but conviction since he held Rin's body in his arms.

IM STOPPING THERE. I CAN DO THIS FOREVER BUT I'M STOPPING THERE.