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ladykissingfish · 4 years ago

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The Akatsuki as Parents

Obito

Was a bit reluctant when he found out he was going to be a daddy ... at first. Not because he didn’t want kids ((he really did)), but because he severely doubted his own ability to be a father. But the second he holds the baby in his arms, he’s hooked. He will be so eagerly helpful and hands-on that during the child’s infancy, the other parent will rarely have to lift a finger. Diapers need changing? Obito’s on it. Baby needs to be fed at 2am? Obito’s already out of bed and warming formula on the stove. Rash? Fever? A cough? Obito is consulting every doctor within a 20 mile radius on what to do. Note that Obito is a hard-core traditionalist and, if he isn’t married to the child’s other parent before he gets them pregnant, he’ll be persistent about doing so before the kid is born. Sobs the first time his child calls him “papa”. As the child grows older, Obito will be a tireless teacher and mentor, and you better believe that the kid will know every facet of what was once the Uchiha clan. Sharingan training is a bit nerve-wracking for Dad, because while he wants his child to grow strong, he knows the power of the eye is a deadly one, and doesn’t like to see his son/daughter get hurt. Is the type to be a bit more strict with his sons than with daughters, in fact being a complete pushover for anything his little girl(s) wants. Very, VERY likely to insist a girl be named Nohara. Also the type to sneak and let his kid eat lots of sweets (like Obito himself does) before meals, much to the other parent’s chagrin. Also involves the other Akatsuki members as uncles/aunt in the kid’s life, especially Itachi and Sasuke as he wants the kid to be exposed to members of the family more often.

Hidan

The literal first words out of his mouth are “pregnant? Why the hell didn’t you make me wear a condom?!” Takes a long time to warm up to the idea of parenthood, but once he does, he’s surprisingly better at it than anyone would anticipate. He tends to be very fast-paced in his body movements and not really used to being careful, so if he’s holding his infant it’s best to make him sit still in a chair first. Once the kid(s) is older, it’s better, because Hidan’s energy levels will match (and overshadow) even the liveliest of children. It will be a big point of contention between Hidan and his co-parent on whether or not to introduce their kid to Jashinism, and Hidan will eventually promise to wait until the child is an adult to start talking about “all that shit”; although Hidan’s idea of adulthood seems to be when the kid is old enough to use a kunai. Puts a startling amount of emphasis on his kid getting a good education, and will be sure to send him or her to the best village school that he possibly can. The reason behind this is because Hidan himself had a poor education growing up, and is in fact barely able to read or do basic math; and he says over and over that his kid “isn’t gonna be some dumbass like his/her father”.

Kakuzu

Nearly faints when told he’s going to be a father. Will immediately get out a calculator and start figuring out expenses like diapers, food, toys, education ... is so preoccupied that he ends up neglecting the person who carries his child, causing them to go off on their own expecting to be a single parent. Oddly, it’s Hidan who sets the old guy straight. He stays on his case and talks to him until the nonagenarian sees the error of his ways, and goes after the person having his baby. Kakuzu will be gentle with a baby, and show a surprising affinity for making up and singing lullabies. As the kid gets older, Kakuzu will be a bit more strict. “Food is expensive; you better eat every bite on your plate.” “A hole in your pants? No give them to me and I’ll mend them; buying new clothes is unnecessary.” His child will grow up knowing how to stretch a buck and budget money better than any other kid their age. Kakuzu isn’t really one for showing much warmth or affection, but there will be a few rare moments in his kid’s life where his father hugs him and tells him how proud he is of him. Kakuzu knows that the life of a shinobi is hard and therefore encourages his kid to pursue other career paths, such as opening up his/her own business.

Konan and Nagato

These two are so closely intertwined that they could only be parental mates to each other. When a baby comes into the picture, Nagato will still maintain his position as leader of the Akatsuki as Pein, but will insist that Konan quit. It’s for a practical purpose rather than a sentimental one; they both lost their collective parents to war, and Nagato always thought that if he had a child, he’d ensure that at least one parent would be around to always take care of him or her. Konan, however, will still keep in touch with all of the Akatsuki members, who will become very enthusiastic uncles to her child. She’s always been a good cook but with a child she’ll level up to professional chef caliber, creating dishes that are fun and healthy. Her child(ren) will be taught all of their mother’s paper jutsus, and Nagato will work to devise a way for the brightest one to get his rinnegan once he passes. The kids will primarily spend time with Nagato through Pein, and only be taken to meet their father when Konan feels they’re ready. Because Konan and Nagato had a childhood devoid of parental love, they’re often at a loss for how to be affectionate or sentimental, instead putting a lot of emphasis on “toughening” their kids up, so that they’re prepared to face the cruelties of the world. But the kids will know that mom and dad love them; it’s obvious in everything they say and do.

Deidara

Will be the fun, loving, yet highly irresponsible father. As soon as his kid is born he anxiously awaits to see if he or she inherits his explosion-release kekkei genkai; and if the kid DOES, he’s ecstatic. “Art is an explosion” won’t just be a saying in his household; it’ll be a way of life. The child will grow up given complete freedom to express his or her artistic tendencies, with Deidara highly praising any and every impact they make on the outside world. Yet despite being for artistic creativity, he’ll be (surprisingly) strongly against the child joining any kind of organization that’s like the Akatsuki; he regrets his own decision to join as he feels it out a horrible damper on his artistic expression and independence. Likes to tell his young children stories every night, which are actually just heavily edited and sanitized versions of his Akatsuki missions. Like Obito, will be a bit more of a pushover for a daughter than a son, and will love spending hours brushing and styling the beautiful long hair that the girl inherits from him. He’ll let any member of the Akatsuki around his kids except for Hidan (because he doesn’t want his foul language around the child).

Zetsu

There are people in this world who know for certain that their lives wouldn’t be fulfilled by having children, and Zetsu is one of these individuals. While wanting no offspring of his own, he IS rather a good “uncle” to the children of his fellow Akatsuki members ((although the majority of these kids are too terrified of his physical appearance to want to go anywhere near him until they’re at least teenagers)).

Sasori

A child would be hard-pressed to elicit any kind of emotional reaction from Sasori, as the man cleared himself of most feeling when he underwent his puppet transformation. However, one thing that he could never rid himself of, was his ability to love. Even if he has difficulty showing it, he loves his child and would do literally anything to help or protect them. When the child is a baby, Sasori will spend hours crafting tiny puppet-dolls for the kid to play with. As he grew up with a skilled medic grandmother, he possesses a wide knowledge of herbs and healing, which he will painstakingly pass on to his children. Not one to baby his children by any means, as he lives by the philosophy that the world is tough meaning you have to be tougher; however will offer advice, support, and encouragement on any issues that may be troubling his son/daughter. Early on he expresses a desire for his child to learn to be a master puppeteer like himself; however will be understanding if they choose to pursue a different path. Is very smart and naturally mistrustful of strangers, so will likely choose to educate his kids at home rather than send them to a village school. The type to seem more like a trusted mentor or an interesting uncle than an actual father; also the type to relate to his teen or adult children better than young kids.

Itachi

Itachi never feels like he deserves any of the good things in life, because of what he’s done, and therefore doesn’t know how to handle blessings that are given to him. A baby is the ultimate example of this. Itachi will feel as though any child of his would be better off not knowing him or being “exposed” to the cursed Uchiha bloodline, so at first he’ll make it a point to barely be around his baby ((even though this kills him inside)). Surprisingly, of all people, it’s Deidara who will talk him out of this mindset, telling him how important it is for a child to be around their father “even if he is a damned red-eyed weirdo”. Once Itachi allows himself to fully commit to parenthood, that’s it — he’ll be the best damned father in the universe. He’ll be warm and affectionate, especially liking to pick his kid up (no matter how old they are or how embarrassed it makes them) and squeeze them. He’s not much of a disciplinarian, believing that kids need to be able to make mistakes in order to grow from them. The only time he’ll ever get angry is when the child does something that could have resulted in a serious injury. Itachi’s intelligence has always been off the charts, and he utilizes this to help his kid be a spectacular student. In fact, as the kid gets older, they’ll start bringing his/her friends around the house in order to receive Itachi’s tutoring. Itachi’s brother Sasuke will adore his nephew/niece and come home more often simply to be with them. Also Kisame will come around practically every day, and the kid will grow up learning an impressive arsenal of water jutsus to compliment the traditional Uchiha fire jutsus.

Kisame

The tall, somewhat awkward father that scares all of his kid’s friends with his intimidating physical appearance ... until he opens his mouth and they hear a god-awful dad joke come out. Any child of Kisame’s is going to be part shark, and therefore have some affinity for being in/breathing under the water. Kisame’s favorite pastime will be taking his baby (and yes, I do mean baby, as he tends to start his kid on this when they’re young) out for long swims in the ocean. Kisame has always been self-conscious of his looks, so from the time the child is born he will spend a good deal of time teaching him or her to have self-confidence and love for him/herself. Like many of the others in the Akatsuki, Kisame never received much of a formal education, and therefore puts a lot of emphasis on his child going to a “normal” school and giving it their all when it comes to their studies. When the child proves him or herself physically capable, Kisame will start training with them on how to wield/control samehada, as well as fight with a variety of swords. It goes without saying that Itachi will be in Kisame’s kid’s life from the day they’re born, and be their favorite “uncle”.

#the akatsuki #parenting #obito uchiha #itachi uchiha #hidan #kakuzu #deidara #sasori #zetsu #nagato #konan #kisame #i’d call any one of these guys Daddy including Konan 😫

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gakkubi · 4 years ago

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Ame Trio's Personalities: Nagato

I want to share some thoughts on the Ame Trio/Ame Orphans because I do think they have one of the most complex, interesting and beautiful arcs in the Narutoverse.

I will discuss their personalities and thoughts. This post is about Nagato, there are also Yahiko and Konan. (2/3): Although Nagato is the main character of the trio, he's the second one to be analysed because he's influenced by Yahiko's death while his own death shifts the direction of Konan's life.

NAGATO:

Also available in Russian: ссылка на русский перевод

Nagato is an extremely complex character; he is both the first and the last to appear in the trio. The first, because the first time he appears is as Tendo Pain (Divine Path) - the last, because he is the last one to be shown in his original form. For a brief while, we are led to believe Yahiko is Pain until we are shown the shy red-headed boy was the one who had the rinnegan all along.

The complexity of his personality, in my opinion, comes not from his act as "Pain", or from the heavy traumas which he was inflicted, but from the fact that Nagato was not built as a "classic protagonist", but he was given that role by the other characters in the story, and eventually took the role when the situation left him no other choice.

It's important to consider the original Akatsuki's/Ame Trio's dynamic to understand Nagato. In their original form, Yahiko was the leader; he was the one that inspired the others, especially Nagato. We are never shown any kind of dispute or conflict between Yahiko and him; Kishimoto doesn't even pull the classic "love triangle" on them - doing, in fact, the very opposite by making it clear Nagato knew about their relationship and supported it.

Nagato lacked one of the most important characteristics of villains; ambition - the very personality trait Yahiko had in abundance. Of course Nagato had ambitions of his own (wanting to find the peace and breaking the curse of hatred), but having great goals does not make him an ambitious person. We are never shown Nagato actively pursuing being the best in the trio, the most powerful shinobi in the world, we are never shown any desire of him ruling Amegakure on his own - he never had the desire of being in the spotlight.

Although Nagato wanted to find peace for the world- he even told Jiraiya that he would be the one to break the curse of the never ending wars -, we're shown that later on he believed Yahiko was the one more fit for the power. This is very opposite to the personalities we are shown of Madara and Obito, who both competed against their "friendly rivals" and had high personal ambitions (very much like Naruto also did). If there was any kind of competition among the Ame Trio, it was mostly Yahiko against himself - Nagato never saw him as a rival or opponent of any nature.

The story - with the intent of confusing us by not making it clear if Pain is Yahiko or Nagato - shows us Nagato is the owner of the immense power, but lacks the personality to act on it enough to become a villain. Although it's true Jiraiya proceeds most of the fight believing he is fighting against Nagato himself, the story is still built in such a way to make us wonder how could power-hungry Yahiko die and how on Earth did passive, quiet Nagato become a megalomaniac pseudo-God.

Nagato is an extremely realistic character when it comes to his relationship with the rinnegan; it's not logical to think every person who possesses immense power has the desire to use them just because it's available.

In the situations where Nagato is not dealing with violence or his powers, he is shown to be a shy, kind-hearted person. Physically, his appearance is fragile, which only highlights other aspects of his personality such as his quietness and passiveness - traits he shares with Konan - and his sensitivity, a core trait he shares with Yahiko. Jiraiya's memories of them as children, as well as Konan's memories of them at different ages, show Nagato hardly ever speaking, barely dragging attention to himself - introspective, but also curious and determined.

Nagato, prior to Yahiko's death, is always shown having a complicated relationship with his powers; he is partly afraid of them, he doesn't completely understand them and in turn he doesn't completely trust himself - this inability to build a proper self-confidence also leads him to be more quiet and hesitant than he would naturally be. An example of this is his first interaction with Obito, where Nagato is clearly shown being affected and unsure of what he should think about "Madara's" proposal (Chapter 607, further explored on the mixed canon-filler anime episodes of that same arc).

Despite the mixed feelings he has towards the rinnegan, he also expects a lot from himself; both because he is powerful, and also because a lot of expectation is put on him to by others.

Following the death of his parents (which is an extremely heart-wrenching trauma on its own), Nagato slowly stopped being fully human and was put in a odd pedestal of Reincarnated God; he was still a mere mortal like the other two children, but expectations were extremely high. He had the eyes of God, he was eventually going to figure out the answer for peace. He had to.

If he had been chosen by the divine to possess the eyes of God, naturally it also meant he was the one who would eventually find the answer to peace.

It's easy to see evil Nagato with his God Complex and blame it solely on his own arrogance, but it's important to understand the circumstances in which Nagato started dehumanizing himself actually began with Jiraiya and continued later on with Yahiko, especially on his death. Jiraiya may not have had the intention of dehumanizing him by telling him the divine status of his powers, but, by placing on him the responsibility of finding an answer because of his eyes, he lead Nagato to start seeing his life as something that obligatory needed to have meaning; of course, this didn't fit well with his preference for following instead of commanding and overall lack of self-trust - it only generated him more stress and suffering.

Although those feelings were planted in Nagato during Jiraiya's training, they remained dormant because of the Ame Trio's dynamic. Yahiko was the one who had the abilities of a natural leader and he was the one to develop a philosophy to find peace in the world. We see that Nagato was content to support him, and mutual support was a characteristic of all the Ame Orphans.

Nagato loved Yahiko deeply; Yahiko had not indirectly saved his life (by helping Konan to keep alive) and maintained him alive by giving him food and shelter, but he had also given Nagato reasons to stay alive. Pursuing the dream of achieving peace, creating a better life - Yahiko gave Nagato a sense of purpose, a direction to move forward, something he could fight for after he had lost everything.

It's implied that during their time together, Nagato believed his divine purpose was to support Yahiko on his quest to find peace - we are shown many times Nagato never questioned Yahiko. They had a healthy and friendly dynamic; Nagato's natural passiveness never clashed against Yahiko's dominance, and Yahiko offered him the emotional and existencial stability he desperately needed. By seeing in his life the purpose of following and supporting Yahiko, Nagato's philosophical suffering was eased by having some answers to many of the questions regarding the reason he was gifted with his powers.

Nagato was never shown to be dissatisfied with the path he was walking with the Akatsuki; the meaning of his life was clear - helping the Akatsuki achieve peace. We have much evidence to believe Nagato was a happy person, content with the life he had built for himself, which also sets him apart from many of the other Naruto villains who had a deep desire to take matters on their own hands and change the world around them; he was not a naturally ambitious person who wanted more than he already had.

Nagato's happiness and hope in life being taken away from him twice is what sets a fundamental change in his personality.

Yahiko's death meant the purpose he had for his life had been destroyed. There was no perspective of the future without Yahiko's guidance, and even Yahiko's ideals could not work in a world that ultimately took advantage of his philosophy.

Nagato was stripped away from all remaining happiness and motivation he had gathered again from dust. Everything he had built with Yahiko and Konan and the original Akatsuki was ultimately meaningless because it didn't protect him against being a victim of the same situation twice.

The meaning of everything had been destroyed. The one person who had kept him alive all this time was dead - all their efforts were in vain. His life was pointless; he had nowhere to go, nothing to fight for, no ideal to believe in - no one but Konan, feeling just as lost and empty as he was. The person who had always provided them with hope and meaning was gone.

It's important to highlight how Yahiko sacrificed himself to save Nagato and Konan. It was not Yahiko's intention when he decided to take such action, but by giving up his life for Nagato and telling him he was "the savior of the world", Yahiko ended up creating an enormous pressure on Nagato to not let his death be pointless. Jiraiya had already put the pressure of finding peace on Nagato's shoulders - Yahiko's last words and actions ended up making it nearly impossible for Nagato to ignore the divine role he was put in.

The divine role given by two figures he respected and followed was the only thing (despite Konan) that Nagato had left after Yahiko's death (and Akatsuki's massacre, according to the anime); being the God that could save the world was the only purpose left in his life by the people who had previously guided him.

I see many people regarding Nagato as simply arrogant and/or narcissistic and I think they are not giving much attention at just how dangerous it can be to put people in labels, because more often than not people will grow and change to attend the expectations others have of them - especially if they are going through a desperately painful existential crisis like Nagato goes after Yahiko's death.

This kind of existential suffering also leads people to grasp onto every little thing they can that makes them remotely happy; visually, this is shown with Nagato and Konan never letting go of Yahiko's body, maintaining him symbolically alive.

Nagato's philosophy is simply a more cynical version of Yahiko's cycle of hatred - the fundamental change was in the core ideal; the possibility of people ever being able to understand each other. Nagato knew from personal experience how the everlasting cycle of pain worked, and if he truly was Divine as he was told by other characters, then he would force people into finding understanding in shared pain and fear.

Dissociation is a defense mechanism both Nagato and Konan relied on to survive situations that were near-impossible to recover from given their context; neither had any sort of physiological support and were also unsafe, hunted by the enemy who had just killed a person they loved. The vendetta against Hanzo was also an action of self-defense and survival - a survival Yahiko had always told them to pursue no matter what the cost was. The situation didn't allow Nagato a safe situation for him to breath; he had to act and keep himself and Konan alive.

Taking the role of God - and even being called by a different name, "Pain" - Nagato could distance himself from his actions and rationalize them; eventually, being able to turn every one of his actions into being the undisputable will of God turned him into the narcissist Jiraiya encounters in Amegakure. This type of rationalization that involves the taking of a role given by others as well as a change in name and appearance keep a person from confronting the reality of their actions; another extremely famous example of this is Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader.

Nagato takes it a step further by blurring the lines between his own feelings and the divine label given by others with Yahiko's dreams and his own feelings regarding Yahiko. By using Yahiko's body as vessel and keeping him symbolically alive, Nagato not only prolonged his own suffering but also incorporated some of Yahiko's personality - unlike his shy original self, Nagato as Pain became stoic and confident; his demeanor is like that of an adult dealing with children - a God who deals with mortals who are incapable of understanding his divine enlightenment, as he explains to Jiraiya. When Naruto confronts him personally, Nagato displays a more cynical, sarcastic self by letting go of his divine persona.

Nagato becomes the narcissistic villain with a God complex because this is the only thing that he has left after everything is stripped away from him, in ways more painful than he can endure without help; Konan cannot help him, being herself in the exact same situation as he is. Even so, it's important to understand Nagato doesn't really believe he is a God - his divine status extends only to the point where they can justify his actions and explain why he is the one who must establish this new peace. This is clear when he talks to Naruto and he shows how he, in many ways, sees himself and still being the same person he was when Yahiko was still alive - a peacemaker. In his own words, they were all "ordinary men" (Chapter 436).

Nagato, at that point in his life, has nothing to lose; he knows, in the event of his failure in capturing Naruto, Konan or "Madara" will continue on the pursuit of creating the ultimate weapon for peace. Nagato has already lost so much, and he's not building a future for himself to enjoy - rather, the peace he means to create is both a way to give his own life meaning and also make Yahiko's death not be pointless. It's important to understand that peace is Nagato's ultimate goal, and his own ideas were never something he valued above anyone else's - after all, he spent half of his life following Yahiko and the other half in the effort of continuing his (their) goal.

So, although Naruto's "talk no jutsu" is perceived as weak from part of the fandom, I personally don't see Nagato as the combative, ambitious type of person; the actions he lead on his own were heavily supported by Konan and influenced by "Madara'', because his original nature was much more passive than the one he displays as a villain. Not wishing to lead or not being truly comfortable with creating a revolution is not a flaw - that simply is not Nagato's nature; if he wasn't like that, he would have probably clashed against Yahiko at least once, which he never came close to do.

Given that, it's not outrageous that Nagato decides to believe Naruto after hearing Naruto repeat his own words; Nagato, like Konan, is a person who supports others, they spend half their lives following one and the other half being influenced by another. This time, Nagato finds someone who actually pursues his original goal, a person who attempts to understand him, who faces a suffering similar to which he endured and was still able to maintain faith. In that sense, Naruto's philosophy is much more attractive than "Madara's" plan, as it alligns with what the original Akatsuki was all about.

Naruto was a person worth believing, worth sacrificing himself for as Yahiko had previously done for him; Yahiko's life, the original Akatsuki's efforts, all of their actions wouldn't be pointless if Naruto succeeded.

(Edit: I can't believe I forgot to write about one of Nagato's personality traits which I like the most. Although I have previously mentioned that Nagato is quite a shy person, he can also be incredibly sarcastic and teasing. I'll highlight a few moments such as: in the Pain Arc, he tells Naruto they can expect to understand each other for having the same teacher - which later on he explains was a joke; his unimpressed reaction upon meeting Naruto himself in chapter 443 as shown in the image; in the Edo Tensei arc, chapter 549, he makes quite a light-hearted remark about being able to move using the Animal Path summonings and even Naruto is surprised to see him making jokes; In the mixed filler-canon episodes of Obito's memories in the anime, Nagato notices Yahiko is jealous of Konan and teases him for it).

Nagato was not a "classic protagonist"; he wasn't a person who wanted to prove his value to everyone, he didn't want to change the world with his own hands and ideals all by himself - he was forced into the role of protagonist to survive in a context that lead him to take the path of becoming a villain. When Nagato felt he could finally abdicate the position of protagonist, he did.

This is not to justify Nagato's actions; he lacked the emotional intelligence that made Yahiko so different from him. If he had such a trait, he wouldn't be able to carry on much long with rationalizing his feelings and dissociating into the role of God without confronting himself - Nagato did get lost in his own arrogance and megalomania, but it's important to consider the context of his actions. Nagato didn't only have to survive physically, he had to survive mentally as well - it's hard to think how he could deal with the situation in a different way without having any external help.

Nagato's dilemma with peace and the answer were present from the beginning; when he finally had a satisfying answer, he found peace.

#nagato #meta #mymeta #naruto #uzumaki nagato #analysis #character study #character analysis #naruto meta #amegakure

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usagirln120 · 6 months ago

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Konan: Hogwarts AU

Konan was a Pureblood witch that was born on the 20th of February 1972 and started attending Hogwarts on the 1st of September 1983, being sorted into Ravenclaw House.

She was orphaned during the First Wizarding War and grew up on the Fairy Tail Orphanage before she and her best friends Yahiko and Nagito were taken in by the auror Jiraiya which inspired them to become aurors as well.

They worked as aurors for a few years with Yahiko and Konan also getting engaged but when her fiance was killed because of a corrupted ministry worker, they left the ministry and was eventually tricked into joining the Death Eaters.

She and Nagito were members during the majority of the Second Wizarding War until Konan left after her one remaining friend sacrificed his own life after he realized just what they had been tricked into.

She was on the run for about a month before she was hunted down by another Death Eater named Obito who then killed her for her betrayal and dumbed her body in the ocean.

She had a Rowan wand with a Unicorn Hair core.

Her Patronus was a Hummingbird.

Her favorite subjects were Charms and Transfiguration.

Her least favorite subjects were Defense Against the Dark Arts and History of Magic.

#crossover hogwarts au #naruto #naruto shippuden #konan naruto

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yowyowyaoi · 3 years ago

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What if Sasori didn’t die.

What if his core, what if he had a thick layer of protection around the part that was *actually* his core, and the purple “blood” coming from it when he was “killed” was just, I don’t know, misdirection. A ploy, to make his attackers think he was dead.

And being a puppet he could lay there unblinking and unmoving long enough for granny Chiyo and Sakura to leave. And for Zetsu to observe and report back to Pein and the others about his death. Then pull himself together and leave.

And set up his own lab somewhere, where noone would know or suspect. And have his spies keep track of the others. And each time another was “killed”, well, no they weren’t. Because Sasori was able to have a puppet bring them to his hideout and he made the person all better.

He had backup hearts for Kakuzu.

He had Hidan dug out of the ground and he stitched him back together.

He was able to help Kisame.

He found a cure for Itachi’s illness.

Konan was revived.

Nagato was freed from the source that was keeping him alive and able to stand on his own two feet.

But most importantly … he put Deidara’s body back together. He personally nursed him back to health. No time for it but damned if Deidara didn’t become Akasuna Deidara the moment he could form coherent sentences again.

And the price to pay for Sasori’s gifts?

Nothing much.

Just sworn allegiance to him, not the damn Akatsuki but to HIM.

And when the war started.

The Akatsuki, all of whom were presumed dead.

Show up.

And destroy everything.

Death to Madara.

Death to Kaguya.

Death to the Zetsu clones.

And Obito?

Sasori looks at him and sees what the others couldn’t: the boy with the goggles and the goofy smile, the kid who was never without a dango stick in his mouth, the teen who “died” trying to protect his lover and his best friend, although which was Kakashi and which was Rin would surely surprise those not in the know.

Does Sasori help him?

Does he help Obito get a second chance at life?

I don’t know.

You know what I do know?

It’s almost 4 in the morning and I should be asleep and this half-formed idea is in my brain and I can’t lay down until I got it out.

#sasori #sasori of the red sand #the akatsuki #au #obito uchiha #itachi uchiha #zetsu #kakashi hatake #obikaka #sasodei #kakuzu #hidan #konan #nagato uzumaki #kisame hoshigaki #deidara

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secret-engima · 5 years ago

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Kinda busy atm so I won’t stay logged on long but I had this thought and HAD to share. Literally all of Naruto’s mistakes and plot holes, as a show, can be explained in one sentence.

What if it’s all a DnD campaign.

THINK ABOUT IT. You’ve got a rotating group of players aside from the Core Quad of Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi, each driving their poor DM up the wall in a different way, and the stakes keep escalating because the DM doesn’t want to outright railroad these nut jobs but they keep rolling just high enough to make their ideas pass.

“I summon a giant snake to save me from the suicide bomber.”

“You don’t ... you don’t even have enough chakra to use a fireball jutsu or a shunshin, how-”

“I. Want. To. Summon. A giant snake. To save me.”

“...Roll for it.”

“Nat 20.″

Naruto *pounding the table*: “Crit! Crit-crit-crit-crit-!”

DM: “Yes, THANK YOU Naruto.” *sighs* “Fine. You can summon snake to save you despite HAVING NO CHAKRA LEFT.”

And-

“Okay so you’ve finally found the real Pain, he’s this weak dude in a medical rig, looks like skin and bones, totally helpless once you get past Karin, which is going to be one heck of a boss-.”

“I give him a heartfelt speech of about our shared loneliness and pain and ask him to come to the good guys side.”

“... you wat.”

“I give him a heartfelt speech about our shared loneliness and pain and ask him to come to the good guys side.”

“...That’s going to be one heck of a charisma check.”

“Nat 20!”

DM: *sighs* “You not only convince him ... but he uses the last of his chakra to revive all of your friends and villagers he just brutally murdered. Konan flies away with his body.”

“Oh yea!”

And then there’s Sakura, probably a new player or just plain unlucky, who keeps TRYING to be useful in the party but instead rolls 1s and 0s except for the times she DOESN’T and hits like- five natural 20s in a row and that’s how we get scenes like Sakura saving Kankorou, Sakura vs Sasori, and Sakura punching Kaguya in the head.

Itachi is a guest player and Sasuke’s older brother, he’s actually from a different campaign the DM ran a while back, and the one who inspired Sasuke to go Chaotic Neutral/Evil after Itachi told him about how he rolled a series of 1s on his “save the clan” plans in that previous campaign, then just shrugged and rolled to murder everyone but his baby brother’s character. The DM kinda wants to strangle him, because whenever he shows up, he and Sasuke get into competitions on who can get away with rolling for the most overpowered nonsense (see: amaterasu, both susannoo’s, and the izanagi/izanami combo). Kisame is Itachi’s friend from work who likes to pop in and stir up trouble in the campaign just to unwind, the other Akatuski are probably NPCs. Kisame USED to be an NPC until Kisame’s player popped in and was like “Shark guy sounds epic can I steal him?” and nobody said no loud enough.

Kakashi is a veteran player who used to DM but decided it was more fun to be the background troll. The DM is sure that Kakashi uses loaded dice but can’t prove it, because how ELSE does this guy keep his character alive when he keeps triggering the chakra exhaustion condition?

The bad guys keep getting crazier because the campaign keeps escalating and no one wants to call it quits and that’s why the plot falls apart because the DM keeps introducing a new Big Bad to keep up with his players that keep rolling crazy dice combos that let them get past, kill, or reform the previous big bad. This campaign was supposed to end with the freaking WAVE ARC and now Naruto is rolling to use Reverse Sexy Jutsu (why oh WHY did the DM let him create his own jutsu he knew this would happen) on the RABBIT GODDESS FROM THE FREAKING MOON. What is even this campaign anymore.

Bonus if this entire thing is a stupidly popular youtube DnD series ala Critical Role and all the players are voice actors and the terrible fight scenes are fan animations the players got permission to use until they got an actual animator on board for things like the Kakashi vs Obito fight.

#Secret Engima Rambles #new au #crack au #naruto #Ninja Dice verse #oh dear

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iguanodonwildman · 5 years ago

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Rambling, Unorganized Naruto Band AU

Minato is a former teen idol turned manager for a band composed of Rin, Obito, and Kakashi. They’re on their way to the top when Obito is injured in a stage accident that ultimately ends his music career. Rin leaves the music industry as a result and starts working in sea turtle conservation. (Obito resurfaces years later as an EDM musician with a mask under the pseudonym Tobi.)

Kakashi dicks around as a solo artist for a few years and eventually starts managing an up and coming band composed of Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto.

Sasuke’s older brother, Itachi, was a rising star. Under pressure from his manager, Danzo, he teamed up with a band called the Akatsuki to toughen up his image. The Akatsuki were a rock band with a reputation for partying hard. While Itachi does gain new fans, he falls into the world of drugs and eventually OD’s.

Sasuke is determined to avenge the Uchiha name, so he has to make it to the top. Unfortunately, his band mates aren’t as dedicated. He’s eventually lured away by producer, Orochimaru, who promises to make Sasuke famous, and goes solo. (Sasuke plays all his own instruments in the recording studio, but team taka are his touring band.)

Sasuke and Taka eventually part ways with Orochimaru to start their own indie label.

Sasuke is replaced in Team 7 by alternative musician Sai. His older brother, Tenzou, is a bit overprotective because Sai is autistic, so he sticks around to ensure his little brother isn’t taken advantage of. That, and he has a crush on Kakashi.

Unless otherwise stated: nations are record companies, Hokage are presidents/ceos, Summons are mascots, teams are bands, and Sensai are managers.

Team ebisu: Konohamaru, moegi, and udon are high school students in ebisu’s music class. Konohamaru is Naruto’s biggest fan and next door neighbor.

Sand siblings: Theyre a death core band, or some kind of metal. Gaara on lead guitar and vocals, Temari on drums, Kankuro on bass. Kankuro and Temari also do cool special effects for their music videos. Shukaku is a creature mascot they made up for their band of the same name.

Team 7. Sakura plays drums and does backing vocals. Sasuke plays bass and lead vocals. Naruto plays lead guitar and refuses to be resigned to backing vocals. Sasuke has the best voice and is the most musically gifted, but Naruto has passion. Sakura is the only person holding this mess together. Sai joins them later and becomes their main lyric writer. Kuruma is their mascot. Naruto constantly tweets picks of his pet toads. Kakashi literally has 8 dogs. Menma is an artistic persona Naruto assumed in a set of music videos.

Team 8. Kiba and Hinata both do vocals. Shino is heavily influenced by classic Linkin Park. Kiba plays drums. Hinata plays keytar. Shino plays bass. Akamaru is Kiba’s dog and the official band mascot. Kurenai does all their album artwork.

Team Gai. Tenten plays drums. She’s heavily influenced by all girl rock bands. Neji sings and plays piano. He is classically trained. Lee plays the drums and posts behind the scenes videos of everything and it’s almost always just videos of Neji doing normal things and then getting mad about being recorded. Gai is a very active manager.

Team 10. This band has RANGE to rival Fergie. Ino is the top female artist of the year. She sings and plays lead guitar. Choji plays drums. Shikamaru plays bass and gripes about practice. Asuma tells them not to do drugs - He does not practice what he preaches. I have a very vivid image in my head of Ino covering Jet’s “Are You Gonna Be My Girl?”

All four teams have toured together pretty regularly.

Team Taka. Suigetsu plays lead guitar. Juugo plays bass. Karin plays drums. Sasuke plays any other instrument needed and sings.

The Sannin. They rose to fame quickly but split soon after due to artistic differences. Orochimaru became the next mcr. Tsunade started her own record company. Jiraiya writes bad romance novels for a living.

Team Minato. Kakashi sings lead vocals and plays bass. Rin plays lead guitar and sings backing vocals. Obito plays drums. (Maybe switch Rin and obito’s instruments?)

The akasuki. Nagato is the head of their indie record label before they’re bought by madara’s company. Yahiko is nagato’s assistant. Itachi records with them but he’s not an official member of the band. They tour together a lot. Same with Tobi . Orochimaru was a guest artist on one album. Konan plays keytar and sings lead vocals. Deidara and Zetsu are roadies and head the special effects crew. Kakuzu plays drums. Hidan plays lead guitar. Sasori plays violin. Kisame plays bass guitar.

Idk how the fourth shinobi war fits into this, but I imagine there’s some kind of revolution in the music industry? Or maybe Madara advocates for vocaloids and auto tune over real musicians cause if he’s not the top artist, nobody can be! And Tobi, as a DJ and EDM artist can totally get behind that because it doesn’t affect his job security.

The founders are some sort of musical pioneers? Maybe like the Beatles? Tobirama is @k1dekismadaratemple’s swag tobirama. They eventually break up because Madara and tobirama won’t stop fighting. Hashimada also complicated things.

Kaguya is obviously some sort of musical pioneer, too. Maybe Elvis-like? Ooh! Or she invents auto tune! Or just makes it popular. Or maybe she’s a vocaloid!

Neji and Hinata’s dads were in a band together. When they broke up, Hinata’s dad got the rights to all of their music,

Idk I just needed to get this mess out of my head. Enjoy!

#naruto #naruto band au #idk what this is but do with it what you will?#team taka #team minato #team 7 #team 8 #team gai #team 10 #sand siblings #sannin #themastertactician #akatsuki #this is a mess

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chalabrun · 4 years ago

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why i ship the thing: jiramada 1/2

Alright, to begin, I understand that both characters might look like the oddest crackship in the world. Except, I don't define it that way. If anything, I solidly label them as a rarepair. Why's that, you ask? Simple: Jiraiya and Madara's conflict defined the whole of Shippuden. Are you looking at me sideways, completely confused as to why I'm saying this? Good!

Read on and see what I see what I mean.

The Prophecy: What made Jiraiya & Madara clash

As I state below, while their disciples are the ones who square off with each other, Jiraiya and Madara's dynamic is best exemplified by the prophecy that Gamabunta gave him before he ever even met Nagato.

Ch. 376, when Gamabunta first imparted the Prophecy to Jiraiya that would go on to shape the rest of his life.

Ch. 372, Jiraiya first discovered that Nagato possesses the Rinnegan. He reflects on what he was told about the Child of Prophecy.

Ch. 606, where Madara's awakening of his Rinnegan is recalled, thereby beginning the Prophecy at all.

As we can see with these panels, the Prophecy is what begun Jiraiya and Madara's unknowing clash, that would lead them both to shape their own and each other's disciples, even if the way Madara acquired his could be more described as pawns, they still followed Madara's philosophies through him or Obito masquerading as him that would go on to shape the entire conflict of Shippuden. But, how did these disciples of theirs clash and intersect?

Chasing Parallels: The clash & intersection of their disciples

I genuinely think one of the most compelling cases for this ship is the fact that their disciples not only define the protagonists and antagonists of the story, but directly correlate with the prophecy was given by Gamabunta to Jiraiya that saw Madara himself as the antagonist. That is, the prophecy of the Child of Prophecy.

Let's take into account the students that Jiraiya had, first of all, who were labeled the child of prophecy:

Nagato

Minato Namikaze

Naruto Uzumaki

Conversely, we also have to factor Madara's own disciples, definitely including those Obito took on in Madara's name:

Nagato

Obito Uchiha

Sasuke Uchiha

Alright, but what are these three in relation to the Children of Prophecy? Where do the parallels and intersecting between Jiraiya and Madara's disciples begin?

Nagato:

What we know from the point above is the fact that discovering the Rinnegan in Nagato was what impelled Jiraiya to take on the Ame Orphans in the first place. Three years that would prove instrumental to the plot, that would shape Nagato's worldview as influenced by Jiraiya himself. But, how did Nagato get those Rinnegan in the first place?

Ch. 606

Those eyes? They're Madara's, implanted at birth intentionally in order to keep them while Madara was waiting to be resurrected, and speculated by Minato.

Ch. 559, when Madara makes his first appearance.

Ch. 440, when Naruto met his father during his fight with Pein.

Ch. 601, where Madara and Obito discuss Nagato's betrayal.

What would go on to occur is the fact that, not only did Madara's Rinnegan cement the bond Jiraiya had with the Ame trio, but also shape them - especially Nagato - significantly. That conflict would go on to further the story in ways it wouldn't have if Jiraiya had never taken on the Prophecy and become one of Madara's most enduring yet unknown antagonists. Just as Madara would become the unseen antagonist of Jiraiya's life and his ambition connected to the Prophecy.

Minato:

Ch. 503, when Jiraiya speculated that Minato himself might be a Child of Prophecy, too.

Ch. 502, when Obito - posing as Madara - clashes with his old sensei.

In yet another encounter, Minato - who was Jiraiya's student before the Ame trio - faces off with his former student he believes is Madara, which is fitting as Madara was one of the only known people in existence known for being able to tame bijuu with his Sharingan. Let alone being able to make a summoning contract with the infamous demon fox himself.

Ch. 371, which is also, coincidentally, the first image of Madara shown outside the statue at the Valley of the End ever seen in the manga.

Jiraiya, too, correctly guesses this hunch that Minato made but clearly couldn't convey to Jiraiya himself on account of being dead. But, like his master, Minato correctly presumes the person he's facing is Madara even if it's not Madara himself. But, well, we all know where that goes with Obito becoming "Madara", and all...

Naruto:

Ch. 437, when Ma calls Naruto the Child of Prophecy for the first time, something likely gleaned from Gamamaru or Jiraiya.

As the main protagonist, it's only natural that Naruto would have the most clashes out of the three, especially compared to Nagato or Minato. But still, they are notable and extremely defining. Remember to keep in mind, Nagato's path as Jiraiya's student, as someone who was shaped by him and later Madara through Obito, his encounter with Naruto is the most significant because of how much Nagato was shaped prior by the Second Shinobi World War that Madara typified in his nihilistic philosophy, then Jiraiya, then again by Madara's views through Obito. This clash - not the battle for Konoha itself - is the closest we truly come to them bridging the gap due to how untouchable Madara is by Naruto's will, which calls for this example.

But, as the main protagonist, Naruto contends with Madara's philosophy more than just once. He does it twice, in fact.

Naruto and Nagato:

Ch. 444, at the beginning of Naruto's confrontation with Pein where the clash of Jiraiya and Madara's ideals truly shines.

Ch. 602

Remember, the core of Nagato's philosophy is a closer reflection of Madara's than it is even of Yahiko's, even if Yahiko did form part of Nagato's negative worldview before Jiraiya, Madara's completed it the best.

Ch. 372

The panel that defines Yahiko's philosophy, juxtaposed to Madara's, as shown above.

Ch. 372

Continuing on, as seen with what Naruto begins with, it's exactly the same thing that Jiraiya imparted on to Nagato after he felt guilty for killing an Iwa-nin to protect Konan and Nagato.

Ch. 444

Ch. 446

Yet, despite all this disparity between them, there were times when both teachers agreed, even if it was at both extremes of this prophetic spectrum.

Ch. 446

Ch. 602

It's a strange agreement, to be sure, but Jiraiya and Madara wanted the same endgame for the world despite how twisted Madara's methodology would come to be. One that ultimately made both clash, even if it was never directly.

Ch. 447, where Nagato and Naruto come to a proverbial draw in their battle of wills, of their teacher's will versus what Madara would come to impart on Nagato indirectly.

Ch. 448

Here, we come to the penultimate moment where Madara's hold over Nagato is shattered. The dissolution of his nihilism, the clash that would see Jiraiya win.

Ch. 448, the moment when Nagato provided the inspiration for Jiraiya's titular main character in The Tale of the Gutsy Shinobi, a book that was like the prediction of what was to come in much the same way Morgan Robertson's The Wreck of the Titan would predict the Titanic's demise over 14 years earlier (even if Gutsy Shinobi is a lot more hopeful!).

Ch. 448, where the prediction of Jiraiya's first book would come true through Naruto.

Ch. 448, in what seems to wrap up the prophecy... for now, at least.

Naruto and Obito:

It's during the Fourth Shinobi World War that Naruto and Obito - Minato's student, whom was Jiraiya's before that - finally clash with each other after Obito becomes the 10-Tails' jinchuuriki. Naruto and Obito were alike, once, before Madara broke Obito and conferred upon him his nihilism.

Ch. 653, where Obito outright admits to wanting to test Naruto, to pit Madara's (that he deludes himself into thinking is his own) nihilism against Jiraiya's teaching, that bolstered and matched Naruto's hope for peace in the world. A path that Jiraiya further inspired Naruto to take.

Ch. 653

Like Nagato before him, Naruto bears an uncanny number of similarities to Obito. And like Nagato, he was someone who believed and wanted peace in the world who was indirectly inspired by Minato to seek that peace through the same teachings that Jiraiya conferred.

Ch. 653, where Naruto explains what it means to be Hokage the opposes Obito's, a definition that didn't come from out of the blue.

Ch. 159, where Jiraiya defines what it means to be Hokage that matches Naruto's, that transfigured Naruto's initial dream of wanting to become Hokage for the sake of acknowledgment to what it really is: a shinobi who walks before his comrades and protects them.

Ch. 653

And like Nagato before him, it was through Jiraiya's teachings that Naruto was able to pull Obito from Madara's darkness and fulfill yet another leg of the Prophecy. Another battle that Jiraiya spiritually won against Madara, even after his death.

Another Intersection: "Madara" & Sasuke

"As Sasuke was the reincarnation of Indra, his was a person with a destiny that was attached to the seal of Kaguya. From the SAge of Six Paths, he awakened the Rinnegan and the key to the seal…That was the evidence of Sasuke’s heartfelt [effort] and desire in wanting to rescue the world.

While jointly struggling for a long time, outstanding cooperation was shown for the children of prophecy. As expected, it was Naruto and Sasuke, similar to being half [of each other’s] bodies."

- Fourth Databook, Sasuke entry (Scan & Translation)

As written in the 4th databook, Sasuke, too, is considered a child of prophecy and makes this intersection equally relevant. While this isn't quite an example of Jiraiya and Madara's ideals pitted against each other, I think it belongs here.

Ch. 396, when "Madara" first takes Sasuke under his wing after his battle to the death with Itachi.

Ch. 397

And here, Tobi introduces himself as Madara, yet another complicated entanglement that would lead to Sasuke, a child of prophecy, also being indirectly manipulated by Madara.

Ch. 398

Even the cover chapter art for chapter 398 emphasizes the change that "Madara" makes in Sasuke, in influencing like he had Obito before him.

Now, it's rather pointless to summarize what's said, as it essentially boils down to "Madara" telling Sasuke about the truth of his brother, the Uchiha Clan Massacre, and his own backstory. Through chapters 396 to roughly 402, in telling Sasuke the truth - much in the way it had been revealed to Obito himself before him - was he changed. Not forever, but what was made apparent was that Sasuke became aligned with "Madara", his philosophy and aims, even if it wasn't to the same extreme as Obito.

Ch. 402, when Team Hebi becomes Team Taka.

Ch. 626, during the flashback of Hashirama telling of his past with Madara.

And like Madara before him, Sasuke seems to come full circle and inherit the same role Madara had as antagonist, adopting Madara's will.

Ch. 371

All according to "Madara's" original plan.

SNS Parallels: Sasuke as Madara, Naruto as Jiraiya

Another major crux of this analysis, aside from the Prophecy and the intersection of their ideals and disciples, is that Sasuke is likened to Madara and Jiraiya to Naruto. In breaking tradition, Sasuke isn't like Orochimaru despite being groomed as a new vessel and Naruto to Hashirama, despite Orochimaru being Jiraiya's narrative parallel and Hashirama Asura's former transmigrant before Naruto.

Sasuke was never meant to be like Orochimaru

Something made abundantly clear was the fact that Sasuke was never meant to be the next Orochimaru. Sasuke himself drives this point brutally home.

Ch. 344, when Sasuke breaks free of Orochimaru's control.

As we see here, Sasuke himself completely rejects the notion of being the next Orochimaru, both literally and figuratively, comparing himself to a fully-fledged hawk that the snake - Orochimaru - couldn't control. Before this, he tears apart Orochimaru's character, degrading them (though, I doubt that needs to be put here).

Ch. 345

And as the chapter proves, the only way Sasuke could ever be like Orochimaru is through becoming their next host, which doesn't happen.

Ch. 346, where Sasuke is the one who is the victor and absorbs Orochimaru, overpowering them.

Simply put, where the generational parallels go, the very narrative refutes the notion that Sasuke is like Orochimaru, at all. Aside from being the level-headed geniuses of their generation, they're nothing alike and cease to ever be such a consideration. (Not that I think it's a bad thing. The fact that Orochimaru exists outside of the generational parallelism Kishimoto locked many of the characters in enhances the poignancy of their character, not diminished it, especially as such a fascinating antagonist acting of their own accord - not destiny or fate - in Part 1.)

In fact, this goes beyond just Sasuke absorbing and destroying Orochimaru. There's another noteworthy comparison to be made. Now, as I'll state below, Team 7 was meant to be the Neo-Sannin the next generation. However, the text again blows a hole in that assertion.

Ch. 477, when Garuda first makes his debut as Sasuke's secondary summon.

As we all know, Sasuke is the only known character in the whole of Naruto with not only one, but two summons. Now, in a previous meta I've written, something that is vital to understand that is that the Sannin's summons are extremely important motifs for their characters. Not only does it tie them in to their folkloric counterparts inspired by the Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya, but it also defines many of their techniques and aesthetics (such as Jiraiya being a Toad Sage or Orochimaru's serpentine affinities and ninjutsu). However, as inheritors of their motif, Team 7 also inherited their summoning contracts with their respective sage regions, especially with specific summons (Aoda the snake for Sasuke, and Gamakichi the toad for Naruto). Again, though, a wrench is completely tossed in this motif with the introduction of Sasuke's second summon, the hawk known as Garuda.

What's important about Garuda's inclusion and the fact that it makes Sasuke the only known person with two unique summoning contracts in the Naruto universe is the fact that Garuda's appearance correlates with this period in Sasuke's development where he moves away from being in Orochimaru's shadow to spreading his wing and becoming a hawk, closer and closer to being the next Madara, the true person he was meant to excel past.

Madara's entry, Third Databook.

Another noteworthy fact, too, is that Madara is connected to hawks through his hobby of falcontry. While it might not seem like much, with his own brother's connection to crows, it establishes a link between Sasuke and Madara that fleshes out a connection to hawks. The same hawk motif Sasuke would become better associated with, as much as Madara is, too, in many fanworks.

Sasuke as the next Madara

However, there is one character that Sasuke is compared and considered the next iteration of, and that's Madara himself.

Ch. 309, Kurama and Sasuke meet for the first time.

As it likely doesn't need to be said, as Kurama had once been Madara's unwilling thrall, even before the plot with Asura and Indra transmigrants, Sasuke was likened to Madara. But, it's not the only time this comparison is made.

Ch. 620, where Hashirama - Madara's childhood best friend - outright calls Sasuke out as possibly being the next Madara.

While I don't quite know the chapter, Orochimaru - the one who didn't turn out to be Sasuke's parallel - outright compares Sasuke to Madara.

Another unknown, but here, Tobirama - another lifelong enemy of Madara - further emphasizes Sasuke as being like Madara.

With Sasuke not being like Orochimaru, and admitted to being like Madara by the Sannin themselves, the verdict is clear: Sasuke is identically similar to Madara - as confirmed by his contemporaries and enemies alike. Hell, even Hashirama likens him to his younger brother, Izuna.

The verdict? Sasuke is like Madara, hands down.

Ch. 657, when Madara notes Sasuke's straight tomoe pattern in his EMS.

Unknown chapter, but Madara again notes the bond between him and Sasuke goes beyond blood.

Naruto being like Jiraiya

Ch. 245, during Naruto and Sakura's reunion, which means Tsunade and Jiraiya's as well after 2.5-3 years.

As I've affirmed above pretty exhaustively, Naruto's philosophy and ideals mirror Jiraiya's almost exactly. To the point that Tsunade, Jiraiya's long-time friend and fellow cellmate, sees Naruto as being almost exactly like him.

Ch. 430, during Naruto's return to face off against Pein

As we can see with Naruto's arrival to the battlefield of Pein's invasion, one of the first things on Tsunade's mind is how Naruto seems to manifest the very will and dreams of his predecessors by protecting Konoha - seeing the backs of Minato, Jiraiya's student, and Jiraiya's, too.

Again, an unknown chapter.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm willing to concede that, yes, Naruto has been likened to Hashirama before. While official material like this exemplifies it, I think it's important to keep in mind that Naruto being likened to the Sannin as Neo-Sannin has been around longer than the transmigrant plotbunny ever has. Let alone comparisons between Naruto to Hashirama outside of the predestined reincarnation cycle.

Essentially, given the extensive parallels between Naruto, Jiraiya, and his students, it's clear that Naruto has more parallels and ideological similarities with Jiraiya than he does with Hashirama, despite being on the same reincarnation cycle as the Senju.

More than just that, event the significant goals he failed with best parallel between Jiraiya and Naruto than Hashirama and Naruto.

Ch. 382, when Jiraiya reflects on all the major failures in his life.

Now, with this list of failures in mind, how do they parallel Naruto so precisely?

"Tsunade turned me down every time." = Sakura, similarly, turned Naruto down despite there being a false positive. Seeing as she's Tsunade's parallel, this is damning.

"I couldn't save my friend." = Naruto, too, wasn't enough to keep Sasuke from defecting for Orochimaru.

I failed to protect my student... and my teacher." = While Naruto didn't have any students by this time, he did lose Kakashi, initially, during Pein's assault.

With this in mind, it's impossible to think that Hashirama parallels Naruto more than Jiraiya, his counterpart as a Neo-Sannin and someone whose life circumstances were uncannily similar.

But, come what may...

Ch. 690

...Naruto and Sasuke are the ones who fulfill the Prophecy, together, following in the footsteps of those who came before them. Two men who either realized, or came to terms with their failure in trying to bring world peace.

Headcanon: Rinnegan evolving from the Sharingan

Ch. 671, when the Rinnegan are awakened

So, if one considers that the Rinnegan are an evolved form of Sharingan, that could mean that they could retain some characteristics. While I can't prove anything, this is a headcanon I've had of Madara's Rinnegan for quite some time.

Unknown chapter that divulges how Sasuke could see Itachi's memories after he was transplanted with his brother's eyes.

Now, with all this in mind, in regards to Jiramada since Nagato had Madara's eyes for ~29-30 years (from the time he awoke them (likely 6-9 y/o) to his death), what if the Rinnegan could retain memories like the Sharingan can? And since Nagato's Rinnegan were invoked for well over 3 decades, couldn't it mean that they could record memories like the Sharingan? And if Madara could access those memories of Nagato's once he got his own eyes back and both Jiraiya and Madara managed to survive the war? (Who doesn't love a good Everyone Lives AU?) Well... I imagine it might be angsty, to say the least.

Ways I ship the Thing

To put it expressly, while I've petered my way through the canon connection and intricacies of Madara and Jiraiya's dynamic, in what ways would I ship them?

Everyone Lives AU: Seeing a lot of characters died that people didn't want to die in Naruto, Jiraiya and Madara meeting this way could be compelling.

Madara caused Jiraiya a lot of grief: If there's a compelling angle to any hero/villain ship, it's the fact that Madara was responsible for a lot of Jiraiya's pain and loss through the years. Not only would meeting the other be monumental, but Jiraiya discovering how deep Madara's villainy in his life went - especially with his loved ones and disciples - could be a perfect frame for a post-war meeting & AU.

"Madara" is really Madara: An AU where Madara was really Tobi the entire time could also yield some poignant villain/hero dynamics and struggles.

Purelands: Seeing as Madara and Jiraiya both die in canon, them working through their enmity and differences in an afterlife could also be the subject of fanfic.

Gen Swap: AU's where Jiraiya was alive in WSE/Founders' Era or Madara born in the Sannin's era is also a possibility. With four canon brothers, the Madara of such an AU in the latter scenario could've easily been someone like Izuna.

Redemption: Again, Madara was opposed to Jiraiya throughout the Prophecy. Post-war Madara having to be put under a survived!Jiraiya's jurisdiction could be sweet and complex as hell.

Honestly, regardless as to how this is approached, this entire meta is my ship manifesto; the reason why I ship such an unknown but deeply compelling couple. Not only is it a facet of the tried and true hero/villain shipping trope (or, enemies-to-lovers, enemies-friends-lovers), but the depth these two have in each other is any reason to ship them beyond just acknowledging their canon parallelism as masterminds and influencers on the manga's overarching plot, in Part II especially.

(That, and the hair... Hairpair, anyone? Oh, and the fact that Jiraiya is considered Naruto's grandfather while Madara is - typically - jokingly referred to as Sasuke's (or another family figure) and is a common fandom gag, if not taken seriously.)

Basically, this ship is deep as hell and defined a lot of Shippuden's canon despite how little it's acknowledged.

#jiramada #jiraiya #madara uchiha #sasuke uchiha #naruto uzumaki #orochimaru #my meta #republishing this because i made it BETTER

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