sumikeshi

[sumikeshi]

Send “Rumor has it...” And a rumor about my muse

[sumikeshi]

💮 Shin, Itachi Uchiha, and Mangetsu Hōzuki all seem to have died of a mysterious older-brother-killing illness. If it were just Itachi and Shin, I might think that maybe the Anbu was secretly experimenting on them without their consent or knowledge. But it's Mangetsu, too. And he has nothing to do with the Konoha Anbu. Unless he was patient zero and Danzō had his corpse sampled to synthesize a pathogen that he then tested on Anbu members? I'm just bullshitting for fun, here, but I could also imagine this being so real.

[sumikeshi]

Iruka's honesty is something that feels foreign to him. It's bright and constant and it somehow manages, despite its softness, to cut through many of Sai's defenses.

"Saying that, you almost make me wish I'd been your student, too," he confesses.

"I certainly try to be." He scratched a little at the scar across his nose, a bad habit he had when he got praise.

"No two kids are alike. If you're not patient and understanding, it's hard to be considered a good teacher. Or a good parent, in a lot of cases too. Firm but kind, is the way to go. At least in my expertise."

[sumikeshi]

"It's alright, really," he says, nervously back-treading on his words as soon as he sees her clear and present dejection.

Reminding himself to remain more present and thoughtful while on such an outing, Sai relaxes his shoulders and examines the rows of bookshelves.

"It's... rather helpful, actually, and a pleasant change of pace. I'm not permitted to do much of my own research, briefings for missions I'm sent on are usually prepared ahead of time," he admits, "I guess I don't often get the chance to browse like this."

@sumikeshi

"Oh..." Of course, Shiho has yet to meet the soul who shared her love of books. It was an acquired taste it seems...

"Well, going to the book store was part of it, but I see that you aren't interested." She told them. "I'm sorry, I guess you could say I'm a boring person compared to the other shinobi you probably hangout with."

[sumikeshi]

"Oh," he mutters, looking up from the thick pad of rice paper, finally peering over his shoulder at the stranger he'd sensed had been watching from behind him the past few minutes.

Sitting on the paved inlet near the banks of the Naka River, Sai is in the midst of finishing a sketch—a shaded rendition of the nearby duck family resting on the stones below—in pigmented pencil while the late afternoon of village life goes on around him. No longer as fully-engrossed, he sets the pad of paper down in his lap.

"Sorry," he tells her, "I don't sell my work, no... this is just part of my training regimen."

Despite answering in the negatory, Sai gently takes the page from the pad of papers and holds it out for her to examine.

"You're welcome to take it with you, if you'd like."

" Hey, that's pretty good." She wasn't sure if she'd seen this boy before, though — she was never keen on paying attention to things that didn't suit her needs. (That, and most of the faces from his generation blurred together, if they weren't somehow attached to the hyuga, or hinata.)

"Do you make these to sell? I think I might want to buy it." It wasn't her money, after all. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎☾ / @sumikeshi‎ ‎ ‎ ‎!!

[sumikeshi]

There are only two jobs left in the world and it's making sandwiches or killing people

[sumikeshi]

//Thank you to @sumikeshi for making this very accurate depiction of Sai and Shin’s relationship:

[sumikeshi]

💮 This is a baby...

[sumikeshi]

some inky bonsais

[sumikeshi]

💮 It's such a soft expression...

[sumikeshi]

[sumikeshi]

He casts his eyes down at the floor at her reaction, recognizing there must have been a mis-step on his part to cause it. After all, he had invited her in. Perhaps it had been rude of him to vocalize that thought. He hadn't said it with an intention to shoo her off but, rather, as a poor attempt at humor. He isn't used to people saying what they truly mean—which is why her apology rings strangely in his ears. When she offers to spar, he finally pulls his gaze from the floor.

"Normally, today is my day off but that does sound appealing," he admits, "Most of what I practice is ranged, if that really interests you, though I suppose I could also indulge you in a kenjutsu match."

His smile is faint, but it's there.

"Huh?" Then the kunoichi realizes. Cheeks flush a subtle shade of pink. Sakura keeps her hands tightly behind her back. "I didn't mean to be snooping, I'm sorry, Sai." It's easy to forget that Sai's background is astronomically different than hers. He's always suspicious of others actions where Sakura would overlook them. "I was just curious. I want to get to know you better, and someone's home often says a lot about who they are. Like for example, many people have pictures of family or friends in their home. Not always as a reminder of what they look like, but it represents what is important to them. But I'll stop-."

In trade, Sakura trains her attention on Sai instead and what he's doing. She's since given up on if her initial question will be answered. The kunoichi can guess that it's more of a tool than an aesthetic choice. "I came here because I was wondering if you wanted to do some sparring. I think it would be beneficial for us to have a better understanding of each other's fighting styles and ninjutsu."

[sumikeshi]

@saisbrothershin You look like you’re mad at me for making you make the soup. I did wake up to do the dishes!

"No," he says, insisting more firmly this time, "I'm mad at you for over-exerting yourself. I'm going to do the dishes. You need to lay back down."

[sumikeshi]

never rlly thought abt this before but the development of itachi must have been so fucking CRAZYYYY from kakashi's perspective ... like. they spend so much time together in the ANBU, itachi is younger than him, kakashi is a bit of a mentor to him. and then suddenly one night the uchiha get genocided and he finds out that HE did it ... itachi fucks off, joins a major terrorist organization, kakashi doesnt hear from him in YEARS. never gets an explanation for all of this it's just like um, yeah, he became the joker just randomly. he just went crazy. and that's why he killed his own family and then the next time they encounter each other, itachi sends him to the nightmare horror STABBING u while u hang from a cross for 72 hours dimension ... lol. which ends with him hospitalized, like it must have been such a mindfuck for kakashi lmfaooo. but u know what. the even bigger and ten billion times worse surprise still awaits him at this point ... just u wait til u find out who the OTHER participant in this genocide was asfdfdfdsfds

[sumikeshi]

Watching over his shoulder, he waits for Shin to lie down to rest before he begins cooking.

Pumping a fair amount of fresh water into the stock pot, he adds a few spoonfuls of the pasty broth base to let it hydrate and saturate as it boils. He pumps more water into the sink basin to wash his hands, then rinse the produce before the sealed package of frozen fish is left at the bottom of the water to thaw.

Slicing vegetables comes easily, despite his age. Motor dexterity had always been his greatest strength, the only asset keeping him ahead of the rest. He cuts the mushrooms, onions, and greens thin. Once the broth has come to a simmer, the heartier chunks of vegetables and onions are set loose into the pot, then the frozen fish once it's thawed enough.

After taking the broth off of the gas flame and lidding the pot to retain the heat, the fresh, floured and doughy noodles are the next thing to boil and it doesn't take them long to cook through.

The moment their food is ready, sundown is already upon them, and he's at Shin's bedside with a pair of bowls and renge for the two of them.

"Brother," he whispers, nudging Shin awake, "You should eat while it's still hot, it'll be better for your throat that way."

“Yeah,” Shin says, as if that adds weight to his position. “They are easier to carry!”

He places his bags on the table next to his brother’s, and then he flops onto his bed on the floor. He coughs a few times before rolling over, wiping his hand on his black pants.

“I’m just gonna take a quick rest if you wanna get the soup started.” He rolls back onto his stomach and gives a thumbs up sign with his face buried in the pillow.

[sumikeshi]

💮 If someone were to tell Sai they heard a rumor (or even if they had concrete proof) that Ino and Sakura were having an "affair" with one another, he'd be like, "Okay. That's my wife and my best friend, I'm not insecure about that at all. It's also none of your business," likely to the bafflement of many, in such a "Yes. And? So what?" way.

[sumikeshi]

died and came back wrong and no one could tell the difference