#akatsuki gift exchange 2020

[falloutdope]

Finally time has come 💖 @akatsuki-gift-exchange posting time! So, Mae ( @insaneflowergirl ) I’m your secret santa! Here are your gifts: on one hand a little (t)obi/dei comic and on the other hand a writing about it. ( I’m not that good at writing but still wanted to give it a try 😅 ) 🎁 here’s second part 🎁 🎁 here’s the writing 🎁 I wanted it to be the best gift ever so I hope I met expectations ♥

Happy Holidays!

[pain-somnia]

Akatsuki Gift Exchange 2020

Title: a pack comes calling Rated: General Audiences Disclaimer Prompt: “Anything with Sarada and Itachi and or Madara would be lovely, like any interactions at all between them”; some fave genres: Family/Friendship, Fantasy Day’s Notes: here’s my fic for the @akatsuki-gift-exchange 😊 I was selected to be the secret santa for @lorna-likes-skittles I hope you like it a lot. I wrote the Uchiha family as a pack of wolf shifters and made this a modern fantasy au~ AO3 Link

a pack comes calling

The air was beginning to have the sharp quality that marked the change of the season. It bit at his skin when the wind blew, stinging his cheeks.

There had been many winters in his life, but they all blurred together as he got on in years. Madara sighed as he lifted his head in the direction of  the tree line of his pack’s territory. He could hear their breaths, smell their unique scents.

The burning sage of Fugaku.

The fresh balsam that blended with the cedarwood of Obito.

The lavender and vanilla of Izumi.

The smokey cloves and orange of Shisui.

The bergamot of Itachi.

The Uchiha clan had dwindled in numbers through the years. Some had been lost as they fought for their decreasing territory. Others had forgotten who they were and lost their way.

The floral notes of wisteria marked the approach of Mikoto. She dressed him in her comforting sweet scent as she wrapped him in a blanket. Unlike the others in his clan, he was more susceptible to the cold and it had gotten worse as he aged.

“Would you like your tea now?” Mikoto asked him as he felt her adjust the blanket around his body to block out the cold.

“I will wait until it’s closer to sundown.”

It was the night of the full moon and as an older wolf, the shift took more out of him. His bones could no longer take the transformation and a tea with monkshood as an ingredient had to be made to ease the pain. Running in the woods was a game for a younger man. He mostly spent the nights he was forced to shift curled up on the engawa, letting the breeze ruffle his silver streaked fur.

The rest of the clan members were in the forest, marking trees and getting rid of hidden dangers. It wasn’t the Wolf Moon, which was tradition, but tonight marked the first night that the new pup would join them as they frolicked in the forest and  learn the Uchiha land.

And there it was, the unmistakable stench of human mixed with apples and daffodils paired with the dewey grass and earthy green tea scent of the former youngest in the pack. Swirling between them was that same sharp human scent━although much more muted━blended with black tea and cinnamon.

“Madara-ojiisan,” chorused the pair of voices, one low and husky and the other sweet and soft as petals. He bowed his head slightly in response, waiting for the third voice.

“Hello, Madara-ojiisan,” came the clumsy trill of a toddler, followed by the uneven steps that children take, heavier on one part of the sole in a way that made them graceless.

Keeping his head bowed, Madara waited for the press of a tiny nose against his own. The contact was soft but carried the warmth of a fire that all of Izuna’s descendants carried in their blood.

“Sarada,” he murmured in greeting.

With his sight lost to him, Madara could not see the markings of the Uchiha in the pup, but it was there in the delicate note of dying embers that none of them could escape.

Madara once believed it was his duty to fan the flames and watch his clan rise, to strengthen the sparks. That it was his duty to make sure his family was strong enough to answer the call.

Little hands braced themselves on his knees and a small form settled into his lap. Madara wrapped the blanket around the both of them, trapping the warmth Sarada brought with her.

The marriage of her scent with his crisp mountain air and black pine scent brought memories of past winters during the few moments of peace. It was the scent of a time when he and Izuna were still children and taking in the comforts of their grandmother’s home when they took shelter from the snow.

It was the smell of family.

.

.

Flurries of snow stuck to his lashes. Itachi had been outside in the cold long enough for his body to be too cold for the snowflakes to melt when they touched his face. He closed his eyes and lifted his face to the sky, reveling in the peace the snowfall brought.

“Itachi-jisan!”

The peace had to come to an end, but the interruption wasn’t unwelcome. He turned his face back in the direction of his parents’ home and opened his eyes. Bundled up for the cold weather, his niece waddled toward him. If she heard the calling━which was likely━all of the layers would become unbearable in a few hours.

“It’s snowing!”

“Did you greet our uncle?”

“Yes!”

Sarada leaped into the air when she got closer to him. Itachi lowered himself in order to grab her from the air, lifting her up higher by the armpits. She squealed in delight, giggling as he lowered her so she could kiss her nose to his in the submissive gesture of pups.

“I missed you,” Sarada cooed in her high, child pitch. Itachi looked down at her with fondness. When the dark of night settled in, and the full moon there would be a forced shift and he could already hear the way she would yip in her wolf form.

“You should get your dad to bring you out to the country more often.” Itachi had raised his voice so his younger brother, Sasuke, could hear him from where he and his wife were walking on the edge of the forest.

Sasuke lifted his head towards him, mouth opened and ready to retort, when a red blur leaped from out of the woods, narrowly missing him and Sakura. Itachi sighed as he watched the russet wolf slipped from a crouch onto her back, presenting her stomach in a sign of submission towards Sasuke.

“Why are you already in wolf form, Karin?” Sasuke snapped, holding Sakura up by her elbows from behind her.

If the Uchiha pack was dwindling, the Uzumaki clan was practically nonexistent. Uzumaki Karin and her cousin Kushina were the last of the Uzumaki wolves. Kushina had one son and he never felt the call━a risk she had taken when she had decided to mate with a human. Karin had joined their pack a few years ago, not seeking to be part of a breeding pair, but the option was there whenever she and Itachi decided that was a path they wanted to take.

“Karin-neesan!” Sarada waved her arms around excitedly from Itachi’s hold.

“Karin-neesan?” Itachi frowned, cocking his head in confusion.

“Yup! Karin-neesan said she’s a big sister not an auntie.”

“Of course she did.”

Itachi followed the wildflower splashes that Karin released with her excitement. She bounced around Sakura, pressing her snout into Sakura’s midsection.

“Does your mother have something to tell us?” He whispered into Sarada’s ear, pressing his nose into her cheek and making her giggle. Karin had a much stronger sense of smell than he did so he wasn’t upset that she had made the discovery first.

Sarada cupped her hands around Itachi’s ear and attempted to whisper back to him. “Sarada is going to be a big sister.”

“That’s exciting.” Itachi adjusted his hold so the four year old was sitting on the cradle of his left arm. “You know what else is exciting?”

“I get to stay up past my bedtime tonight?” Sarada gasped excitedly, clapping her hands together.

“Yes, you do.” Itachi guided her into the woods, taking care not to trip over any raised roots. “And do you know why?”

“Hmm,”  Sarada hummed, rocking her head side to side with the sound. She raised her hands up and flexed her fingers. “Is it because of my nails?”

Itachi took one of her small hands in his own and rubbed his thumb along the small digits, tracing the curve of her sharp nails. “It’s because of your claws.”

There had been an incident in a playground where Sarada had accidentally scratched another child. The mother had been understanding and had actually offered Sasuke a pair of nail clippers to use. Sasuke apologized again and took Sarada home as quickly as possible.

Examining her hands when it was safe, he discovered that the top of Sarada’s pudgy toddler hands were covered with thick black hair and her nails elongated and sharp.

It demanded a call home. His real home.

“I like it here, Itachi-jisan.” Sarada sighed, lifting her head skyward and closing her eyes. “It smells so good.”

“It’s better than the city, that’s for sure.”

Itachi remembered his childhood. He remembered running through the woods and lying in clearings with Shisui and Izumi. He remembered playing tag with Sasuke to teach him how to shift from human to wolf and back.

It was all done here. This was home, this is where family should be together.

When he was younger, all Itachi wanted was to run away to the city. He wanted to live with the humans and never shift. He planned on taking the monkshood tea every full moon, and just sleep through the call that sang in his blood.

And for the first few years of adulthood he did just that. He went to university in the city and ignored the feeling of homesickness he figured was normal for all uni students. Visits home were rare, mostly done for holidays, and they were enough for him.

But there was a loneliness he could not shake in crowded places.

It wasn’t until he had to take a trip for work that had him in the mountains that he realized what had been missing.

“Mama said we might move here,” Sarada murmured out of habit. They never raised their voices in the woods, especially not during the day.

The two of them walked deeper into the forest. Itachi walked with Sarada as a guide as she sniffed the air and patted tree trunks and called out the names of different family members that had marked them.

“This is grandpa.” Sarada pressed her chubby cheek against the tree and drummed her fingers along the bark. “It smells like the gray-ish leaves Mama uses in tea sometimes.”

They continued walking, Shisui and Obito having joined them when they reached the creek that marked the boundary they had set up for Sarada’s first night in the woods. It was as the sun was setting lower that Sarada began to complain about feeling too hot.

“I don’t like it,” she whined, her hair sticking to her cheeks from all of her sweat. Her face flushed red from her fever despite the fact that Itachi had removed her coat.

“I know, I know,” Itachi attempted to soothe her, rubbing his hand on her back.

Despite the insistence from everyone that her facial features were just like her mother’s, Itachi was reminded of a time over two decades in the past where he was doing the same for his younger brother. With her tiny face scrunched up in discomfort, Sarada reminded him so much of Sasuke when he had first shifted. He had complained so much about the heat and stripped himself in their backyard long before the sun had set.

Sasuke had also been an early bloomer. He had heard the call before the Wolf Moon and had shifted three months earlier on the Harvest Moon. The Cold Moon was only a month early, but Sarada was proving to be her father’s daughter.

Brushing her wet bangs out of her face, Itachi smiled softly at his niece. “How about we get you some tea?”

His mother was ready with a pot of monkshood tea on the engawa when they made it back to the house. Madara was already drinking his first serving.

Sakura perked up from where she was bringing out another blanket for Great-Uncle Madara. She set it by him and placed his hand on the blanket before rushing towards them, arms outstretched.

“My poor girl.” Sakura took Sarada from Itachi’s hold and Sarada pressed her face into the crook of Sakura’s neck, grateful for the feel of her mother’s cool skin.

Itachi grabbed a second teacup from the tray his mother had brought out and filled it. The tea was an Uchiha family recipe that helped young pups and the elderly with the effects of the forced shift that came with the full moon. It also helped when they had to hide their shift in populated areas. A strong brew made one drowsy and sleep the night away so that they didn’t run the risk of falling victim to their instincts in a dangerous place.

“Some of the monkshood tea might help.”

Sakura eyed the teacup warily but took the offering regardless. Itachi had to resist rolling his eyes in annoyance. He was sure if it had been anyone else, she would have taken the cup without any hesitation. His relationship with his sister-in-law wasn’t the best━they were tolerant of each other, but she still hadn’t gotten over the way he had tried to drag Sasuke back home and away from the life he had built for himself in the city. Itachi wouldn’t have pushed the matter if he hadn’t believed it was what was best for Sasuke.

But tonight wasn’t about them or even Sasuke. It was about Sarada.

“Maybe,” Sasuke fell back on his butt and took a seat next to him, not caring for the snow, “you need a pup of your own?”

Itachi scoffed around the hair tie he held between his teeth. He had been in the middle of braiding Sarada’s hair so that it would be away from her face and neck. Sakura had placed a cold compress to her forehead, but there wasn’t much else they could do.

“If I was worried about my own pups, I wouldn’t have time for Sara-chan.” Itachi pinched at Sarada’s cheek and blew a raspberry against the other, making her giggle. “Right?”

“Right!” Sarada chirped, nodding her head seriously.

The temperature dropped with the sun and Sarada finally relaxed, the chill of the winter breeze a relief on her overheated flesh. The relief came but so did the excess energy building up within her. Itachi had to keep her from running off toward any rustling distraction.

Her excitement sent splashes of black tea and cinnamon into the air. Itachi always enjoyed how their scents related through tea, even if it was a loose connection.

“Will you show me how to hunt?” Sarada raised her hands up to mimic claws and pulled back her lips to show off her gums in a snarl. She growled playfully at him until he reached for her ribs and tickled her.

“Not tonight. You’re still too young.”

Sarada sighed in disappointment, her small shoulders drooping. Pouting, she fell back so she was seated in Itachi’s lap, her back to his chest. They enjoyed the silence and the snowfall for a moment until Sarada sat up, alert.

Itachi could feel the rise of his hair on his arms as his flesh rippled with goose pimples, but he kept his eyes on Sarada. He knew what this feeling was, had years of this feeling, but it was new to her. Sarada’s head moved from side to side as she searched for the source of what made her so jittery. It had been so long since Itachi had seen a new wolf pup feel the call.

Itachi had dealt with the forced shift for over twenty-seven years. That was over 324 moons of turning into what Madara called their true form. The heat that had once been too much to bear, he now embraced and let it settle inside of him.

There was high pitched whine and Itachi turned to the source and found a much larger black wolf than him nuzzling the curled up form of his niece. Sarada was trembling, the change a much slower process for her as she didn’t know what to expect and was fighting against it even with the sedation properties of the monkshood tea.

The large wolf━Sasuke━pressed his snout against Sarada’s cheek and made small, reassuring grunting sounds deep in his throat. Matching the sounds, Itachi pressed his own snout to the underside of Sarada’s jaw and licked. Slowly, Sarada’s whimpers ceased and her trembling settled to a few odd twitches. She was still in the half human, half wolf state but she was much calmer.

As much as she reminded Itachi of Sasuke, he needed to remember that Sarada was her own person. Sasuke took to being a wolf much easier and he had embraced his shift immediately. As excited as Sarada was to be with her family, the shift was frightening her.

“Pa...Papa…” Sarada’s voice was swallowed by canine whimpers as her snout and throat fully formed. Sasuke tore at her clothing as her limbs transformed into those of a wolf and she became entangled in the fabric. Itachi helped speed up the process by ripping at her leggings.

By the time they had freed Sarada of her human clothing, she had finished shifting. She shook her body, spraying snow everywhere and shaking off the remaining pieces of her clothes. Sarada spun in circles, chasing her own tail and when she tired of that she nipped at the air around Sasuke’s and his tails.

She ran around the yard, stumbling over her own legs, but righting herself up and running as if she never fell over to begin with. She circled around her father and Itachi before bounding up the engawa and rubbing against the sleepy form of Madara. Madara lifted his head and nipped at her ear in warning and then snuggled under his blankets when Sarada scooted away from him.

Sarada crawled towards her mother and threw herself at Sakura’s lap. Sakura cooed at her daughter, scratching at the space between her ears. Sarada enjoyed the affection until she no longer could stay still. She leaped off of the engawa and dashed towards her father and uncle, yipping excitedly.

A howl came from within the woods. The others had already made their way into the forest when they felt the call to shift. Howls soon followed from other members of their pack. Sarada looked towards the trees and back to Sasuke and then Itachi. She nodded towards the tree and bounced around them in excitement. Sasuke bowed his head in a nod and Sarada shuffled into a proper sitting stance. Raising her head towards the sky, she howled━high and at some pitches weak, but it was a howl.

From the forest, howls were returned.

Itachi nudged Sarada with his snout, pushing her towards the forest. She needed no more encouragement and raced towards the tree line where the howls carried on.

Family was beckoning her forward.

[kaqzu]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Naruto Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Sandaime Kazekage | Third Kazekage/Sasori Characters: Sasori (Naruto), Sandaime Kazekage | Third Kazekage Additional Tags: Romance, Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Demon Summoning, Demon/Human Relationships, Mentions of Myth & Folklore, Canon-Typical Violence Summary:

A medieval mage, Sasori, bored and frustrated with the indoctrinated world, decides to summon the devil himself. After the successful ritual, not everything goes as expected.

___________________________

SO, I LIED. Puchacz, you were my giftee all along. I absolutely loved the prompt, but of course, the first thing I did was panic, lmao. How was I supposed to write anything decent without my trusty beta reader and friend? But here I am, with fic hopefully tailored to your liking!

You are one of the reasons why 2020 wasn't that shitty for me (I met you!) and why I'm glad I got back to the fandom and writing. I love you a lot and hope you will have a happy new year!

Thanks a lot to Jomai, Pho, and Kitty for hyping me up and beta-ying the fic!

A little preview under the cut <3

"So it's the immortality that makes you art?" he asked, tilting his head, the corner of his mouth rising, "so it was beauty you were after? Why not call it by its name?"

Sasori's brows furrowed at San's remark, clicking his tongue at the shameful simplification "Does anything besides art matter, in the end?" he moved to install the drain, leading it all the way out of his hideout, "The frailness of the human body is the ultimate obstacle. It limits the progress and suppresses ambitions," San could see Sasori's hands gripping on the parts of the sewer with more strength than necessary, "humanity won't achieve anything worth a dime without time, and I asked for all of it. I can stand the test of time, and so can my creations, free of the fleeting, pointless endeavors which leave naught but emptiness."

The devil nodded in understanding, the smirk still present on his face. What made you hate your own kind so much, Sasori? he thought. "You are really a man ahead of your times, Sasori," San shook his head in recognition, "So, one can say I dotted the i in your beautiful?"

[twisted-sex-den]

My @akatsuki-gift-exchange for @deibae who asked for sasori and deidara on a rooftop in the rain. Hope you like it

[akatsukinojutsu]

stupid holiday -- hidan

Hidan HATES this stupid holiday called Christmas especially when he’s forced to join in for a secret Santa. He draws your name and now really has to participate because he has a crush on you. Little does he know that you have him as well.

(hope you all had a great holiday and this is the winner of my 2020 Holiday Contest!)

Pain called a meeting with all of the Akatsuki and had in his hands a black bowl. “You will each draw your names as apart of a teamwork exercise. Participation is mandatory or deal with the consequences,” he said in a stern tone. The orange haired man lent out the bowl to each member and everyone pulled out a small folded piece of paper with a name written on it.

Hidan was second to last and he refused at first to pick. He leaned back on his chair and crossed his arms over his chest in a childish demeanor. Pain stood in his place and stared down at Hidan, “Pick a name, Hidan.” the leader insisted. Hidan turned his head with a disgusted expression, “This damn holiday is stupid! Lord Jashin laughs at you all!”

Kakuzu sighed loudly and pinched the bridge of his nose, “Hidan, you idiot. Just pick a damn name so we can get this over with!” he barked. Hidan squinted his eyes and shot his partner a dirty look, “Fuck you, Kakuzu!” Everyone was already finished with Hidan’s immature actions, especially you. You sighed even louder than Kakuzu, slapped your knees with your palms and stood from your chair. “Leader, here, I’ll pick a name.” you shoved your hand in the bowl and fished out on of the two remaining pieces of paper.

You pulled the paper out, opened it, and discovered your recipient was none other than the man who was causing all of the ruckus, Hidan. “There, if [Y/N] can do it, you can. Pick the paper Hidan or I will dismember you.” Kakuzu chimed in with a hiss. Hidan scoffed, leaned forward, and grabbed the paper. “Good luck trying, fucker.” he opened the paper and read your name. 

The muscle in his chest fluttered for a moment. [Y/N]? Shit. Why did he have to get you? He believed this holiday and “teamwork exercise” was fucking stupid. Then -- he had to just pick your name out of the entire organization.

“Good,” Pain tucked the bowl under his arm, “You all have a week to purchase or find your items. Meeting dismissed.”

Everyone murmured amongst themselves and some departed to go about their business. Tobi sprung from his chair and threw himself onto Hidan, “Hidan-sama! Who’d you get?! Was it...,” he leaned in closer to the immortal and whispered not very quietly, “[Y/N]?~” 

Hidan’s face flushed red and he immediately placed the orange masked imbecile into a headlock. “If you say that again, I will pop your head off like a cork, you fucker!” Tobi croaked out in panic as Hidan continued to squeeze his windpipe.

Konan approached the two and called for Hidan to release the man. He complied and Tobi scampered off to do whatever it is that he does. Konan watched as the masked man ran away  and then turned her attention back to the silver haired man. “Did you really get, [Y/N]?” Hidan’s face turned a shade of red again and stammered out, “What-what the fuck? How do you people keep guessing it?!” She chuckled, “Calm down, I was merely standing by when I heard Tobi ask you. Plus, your face turned pretty red once you pulled the paper out. Also, you don’t hide it well.”

Hidan had steam rolling out from his ears as his face continued to evolve into different red hues. “She really loves different gems and crystals. I’m sure Iwagakure has shops you can get some at.” she smiled, shrugged, and left.

The immortal man paced his room and he prepped how he would enter Iwagakure undetected, purchase the gifts, and other things. He had x amount of days and the clock was counting down.

For choosing a gift for Hidan -- that was easy. The man enjoyed violence, blood, and alcohol. So, you decided to get him something he could use for all three. You purchased him a variety of hand crafted knives, vials, and a gigantic bottle of sake. 

You placed all the items into one giant box and wrapped it with red paper and topped with a blue ribbon.

Your hands clapped and were happy with your results. Despite Hidan being the -- difficult person that he was; he was a different person once you shuffled past his outside. 

Hidan was loud and brash as normal to you but you were lucky to see the fact that he is a loyal person. He once willingly took a blast from a fire jutsu for you which charred his skin. You knew it wouldn’t kill him nor really hurt him, but it was the fact that he willingly took injuries for you.

He even offered you the chance to become immortal as well but you politely declined his offer.  You could recall him saying, “I-I just thought it’d be pretty fucking cool to have someone like you to be -- y’know--,” he confessed something personal. You’ll never forget that moment of tenderness that he let through.

It was the day of the gift exchange and all of the members of the Akatsuki were gathered in the main room. Everyone was seated in a circle with gifts their laps. Pain entered the room with a festive hat on his head then passed matching ones to each member. Most of them murmured in annoyance but just went along with it.

Kakuzu went first, he had Konan -- who gifted her with various paints, some of them looked used? Deidara had Itachi and gifted him with a clay crow painted black with red eyes. Itachi had Pain an gifted him an umbrella?

Kisame had Sasori and gave him some tools to add to his collection to fix his puppets. Sasori had Kakuzu and gave him a gigantic money clip for his stacks of yen. Tobi had Zetsu and gave him a watering can. Konan had Tobi and gave him a whole box of sweets. Pain had Deidara and gave him a small pottery wheel.

You stood from your seat and approached Hidan with box in hand. Despite acting like he wasn’t interested in the exchange, he unwrapped the large box rather quickly. His magenta eyes scanned the contents of the box and a grin spread across his lips. Hidan’s head whipped up to meet your gaze and the large smile on his face was all the thanks that you needed. He gripped the sake bottle, popped the top, and took a huge chug. Hidan burped loudly and proceeded to thank you.

“Wait!” he yelled out as you turned to leave.

Hidan leaned to his side as he reached under his chair. He pulled out a crudely wrapped --- orb shaped thing. “I hope you enjoy it, [Y/N].” His eyes turned soft.

Inside the poor wrapping was a large sphere shaped gem, purple agate to be correct. Your pupils widened as a rush of feelings spread through your body. You smiled widely, the biggest smile Hidan or anyone in the Akatsuki had ever seen.

“Thank you, Hidan. It’s beautiful,” you held it close to your chest with a small hug.

After an hour or so, everyone left and all that was left was Hidan and yourself. He had nearly drank the entire bottle of sake that you had given him. Hidan was able to hold is alcohol well but it was clear that he wasn’t sober. You approached him with a smile, still clutching the gemstone in your arms. “I-It seems you really liked my gift, Hidan.” you said with a snort. He quickly turned around and once he saw you, his face turned red.

You threw him off guard as you placed a kiss on his cheek as a token of your appreciation. Hidan remained silent until he cursed, “Shit,” his fingers touched the skin where you kissed and he smiled.

“Why don’t you stop by my room tonight, Hidan? Maybe you can help me find a spot to put this at,” you smiled with a wink before turning away to return to your room.

[justanotherblonde]

@theredheaddevil / @gingerrhd - this is for you!!!

i had OODLES of fun filling this prompt! i hope you like it 😊🐈🦂🍵🎁

@akatsuki-gift-exchange

Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Nagato | Pain, Sasori (Naruto), Konan (Naruto), Deidara (Naruto) Additional Tags: Akatsuki Gift Exchange 2020, Fluff, Domestic Akatsuki Fluff, Cats, Tea, Akatsuki downtime, playing with cats Summary: Sasori returns to the Amegakure hideout alone after a mission, having been separated from Deidara. He finds Pein making tea, meets Konan’s “new recruit,” and attempts to relax, all the while wondering where on earth Deidara could be…

Excerpt below the cut~

It was raining when Sasori returned to the hideout in Amegakure. It was always raining. Last month he had added an extra layer of shellac to his body in order to combat the constant dampness. He preferred missions away to spending time with the other Akatsuki here. He sheltered his small body beneath his wide brimmed hat, but his latest addition—the scorpion tail—was too bulky to remain concealed beneath his robes. He was trying to find a middle ground between monstrous Hiruko and his human-passing puppet body, something unique, impressive, and threatening. But so far the tail was turning out to be more trouble than it was worth.

He leapt up the stairs to the sixth story entrance to the hideout, lifting himself lightly with his chakra and pausing on the balcony to scan the sky for Deidara. They had agreed to meet back at the hideout following their near-failure of a mission.

It was supposed to be a simple reconnaissance mission. Find out what plans the daimyo of the Land of That had for the Land of This. But on the way they had encountered someone with a personal grievance against Akatsuki—not Sasori and Deidara personally, no, it had been someone else who had gone and messed things up in the Land of That. Nevertheless, they had ended up surrounded by a tribe of angry shinobi with a peculiar kekkai genkai that ended up separating Sasori from Deidara as they wove in and out of genjutsu.

Pausing at the door one last time to scan the sky for Deidara on his bird, Sasori sighed and pushed his way inside.

"Sasori, welcome back," Pein's murmur carried across the room. He was seated in the lotus position behind the low tea table near the back of the main room that often served as one of Pein's many desks. The table was clean, for once: no mission reports to read, no weapons to maintain, no miscellaneous objects to sort. All of this had been replaced by a tea ceremony set. From the looks of the setup, Pein had only just begun preparing the tea.

"Pein, good afternoon," Sasori greeted, dipping his chin in a calculated gesture to show appropriate deference to his leader. It had taken him years perfect this action. He slipped his sandals off as he entered the room, something Pein and Konan required of every Akatsuki member entering this protected inner space of their hideout. His wooden limbs creaked softly.

"What are you doing?" Sasori asked once he had drawn near enough to inspect the tea set.

"I'm making tea," Pein replied without lifting his gaze. "Konan brought this set back with her when she returned from the Land of Tea."

"I see." Several snarky comments on the topic of bringing tea back from Tea-land surfaced in Sasori's mind but he withheld them. He knew how humour tended to bounce right off Pein.

"Do you have your mission report?" Pein said lightly as he deposited a scoop of tea leaves into the pot. He frowned and after a beat, added another half scoop.

"Here." Sasori pulled a scroll from one of his robe’s inner pockets.

Pein took it and cracked it open, scanning it briefly before his eyes landed on the final few sentences. Sasori winced inwardly, but chose to betray no emotion.

“What is this?” Pein said, sounding mildly perplexed. Sasori arranged his features to something a little more apologetic. Pein turned the scroll on him and pointed to the final few lines, which were scrawled haphazardly, spilling off the margins and partly smeared.

“We had to flee,” Sasori replied. “We were separated during a battle that neither of us had prepared for. Deidara wrote those last few… lines… ensuring me he was fine and that we’d meet here. I found the scroll but I was unable to locate him. He should be on his way back by now.”

Pein frowned. “Are you sure? It looks like the last line he wrote here was ‘meet at the crossroads’, not ‘hideout’.”

Sasori leaned forward. “No, it definitely says hideout. See, he usually adds these little wings to his characters…”

Squinting his eyes, Pein held the scroll up to his nose, then he pulled it away again. After a moment he sighed and tucked the scroll into a box on the floor nearby. He returned his attention to his tea, swirling the leaves and then pouring the water through a strainer into another small pot.

“I think it looks like ‘crossroads’, but no matter. Sit.”

Sasori sat at the table, lifting his tail aside. It attached to a spindle around his waist: if he wanted to, he could swivel it all the way to the front of his body. But that was inconvenient while clothed. Pein’s eyes tracked the tail.

“An interesting addition. How is it working out?”

With a noncommittal sound, Sasori brought the tail around to inspect it. It had been damaged during the battle, but not much. He would need to replace one or two of the panels where kunai had gouged the wood.

“Would you like some tea?” Pein offered.

Sasori stared.

“I do not need to consume tea.”

“That wasn’t my question.”

Sasori huffed. “I cannot consume tea,” he emphasized.

Shrugging, Pein poured himself a small cup. “Suit yourself.”

They sat there in silence, the seconds dragging on. Sasori listened for sounds at the door.

There was a crash! then a loud yowl—but not at the door. The sound came from within the hideout.

“What was that!” Sasori exclaimed, jumping to his feet. Pein, however, was undisturbed.

“A new recruit,” he said, calmly sipping his tea.

Sasori waited, staring at the hallway that led into the hideout’s inner rooms, curious to see who was there, but still slightly on edge.

He heard them before he saw them:

“Mrraow!”

Spinning on Pein, Sasori placed his hands on his hips. “A cat?”

Pein was smirking. Sasori had to confess that he had never seen Pein smile before.

“Another bounty from the Land of Tea. Konan said she followed her home.”

Read the rest on AO3!!

[narutoevents]

2020 Events!

NaruHina 2020 - all year

January 2020

JustGaara Week - Jan 12th - 19th

Sai/Ino Week 2020 - Jan 18th - 24th

HidaKona Month - All Jan

February 2020

MadaTobi Gift Exchange (posting) - All Feb

KakaObi Week - Feb 10th - 23rd

March 2020

Tenten Week 2020 - Mar 3rd - 9th

MadaSaku Week - Mar 15th - 21st

ShikaTema Zine - Presales - Feb 29th - Apr 5th

Big Three Zine - Presales - Mar 2nd - June 1st

Sakura Week 2020 - Mar 22nd - 28th

KakaIru Zine - Apps - Mar 15th - Apr 15th

BoruSara Week - Mar 25th - 31st

ShikaSaku Week - Mar 27th - Apr 4th

ShikaTema Writing Contest - ends Apr 1st

TobiIzu Exchange - Apps - Mar 26th - Apr 15th

April 2020

ShikaTema Writing Contest - ends Apr 1st

ShikaSaku Week - Mar 27th - Apr 4th

ShikaTema Zine - Presales - Feb 29th - Apr 5th

KawaBoru Week - Apr 1st - 7th

Udon Week 2020 - Apr 1st - 7th

Exchange no Jutsu - Signups - Apr 3rd - 18th

KakaIru Zine - Apps - Mar 15th - Apr 15th

TobiIzu Exchange - Apps - Mar 26th - Apr 15th

Big Three Zine - Presales - Mar 2nd - June 1st

Seasons of Anime Exchange - Apps - Apr 13th - May 3rd

May 2020

Seasons of Anime Exchange - Apps - Apr 13th - May 3rd

Naruto RarePair Week - May 3rd - 9th

KakaMei Event 2020 - May 5th - 6th

SasuIno Week - May 17th - 23rd

KakaYama Week 2020 - May 18th - 24th

SasuSakuSara Weekend - May 29th - 31st

Big Three Zine - Presales - Mar 2nd - June 1st

Naruto Sensei Zine - Presales - May 10th - June 10th

Naruto x BNHA Zine - Mod Apps - May 21st - June 21st

GaaSaku Fanfest Exchange - Apps Open - May 22nd - TBD

June 2020

Naruto Sensei Zine - Presales - May 10th - June 10th

Naruto x BNHA Zine - Mod Apps - May 21st - June 21st

GaaSaku Fanfest Exchange - Apps Open - May 22nd - TBD

Naruto Canon x OC Week - June 1st - 7th

Big Three Zine - Presales - Mar 2nd - June 1st

KakaIru Mini Bang - June 8th - 12th

ShikaTema Week 2020 - June 24th - 30th

Big Three Zine - Presales - Mar 2nd - June 1st

SasuHina Month - All June

July 2020

SasuSaku Month - all July

MadaTobi Month - all July

Naruto Fantasy Week - July 1st - 7th

Naruto OC Mini Bang - July 3rd - 5th

Kunoichi Week - July 6th - 12th

KakaGai Day - July 7th

Quirk no Jutsu Zine - Apps open Jul 8th

Shikaku Week - July 10th - 15th

Uchihas Zine - Interest check Jul 15th - Aug 30th

KakaObi Mini-Bang - July 18th - 19th

/r/ Naruto Gift Exchange - Nominations Jul 21st - Aug 5th

Nine Weeks of Kakairu - June 28th - Aug 29th

Narutales wlw Zine - Sales end Jul 30th

Sasori Mini-Bang - Interest check closes Jul 31st

August 2020

MitsuChou Week - Aug 1st - 7th

Tsunade Week - Aug 2nd - 8th

/r/ Naruto Gift Exchange - Nominations Jul 21st - Aug 5th

/r/ Naruto Gift Exchange - Sign-ups Aug 5th - 12th

Quirk no Jutsu Zine - Apps close Aug 8th

SasuNaruSasu Week - Aug 17th - 23rd

ShiSaku Weekend - Aug 21st - 23rd

Nine Weeks of KakaIru - Ends Aug 29th

NejiTen Month - All August

Uchiha Pin Up Calendar - Apps - Aug 15th - 31st

KakaIru Zine - Aug 20th - Sept 20th

September 2020

Seasons of Anime Exchange - Reveals - Sept 1st

Sakumo Week - Sept 1st - 6th

KakaIru Fest Week - Sept 8th - 15th

Kakashi Week 2020 - Sept 13rd - 20th

KakaIru Zine - Presales - Aug 20th - Sept 20th

Nara Week - Sept 17th - 23rd

Naruto Secret Santa - Mod Apps - Sept 19th - 25th

RasaThird Day - Sept 26th

Izuna Week - Sept 20th - 26th

GaaLee Bingo - Prompt Submissions - All September

ShikaSaku Week - Sept 30th - Oct 7th

October 2020

ShikaSaku Week - Sept 30th - Oct 7th

Akatsuki Gift Exchange - Apps Open - Oct 1st - 15th

Seasons of Anime Exchange - Signups - Oct 2nd - 17th

Uchiha Sasuke Week - Oct 5th - 11th

TobiDei Week - Oct 10th - 18th

GaaLee Bingo - All Oct

SasuSaku Trends Zine - Mod Apps - All Oct

Naruto Secret Santa - Apps Open - All Oct

NaruHina Exchange - Apps Open - Oct 3rd - 31st

KakaIru Exchange - Apps Open - Oct 3rd - 25th

Naruto Kink Meme - Oct 7th - Nov 7th

Uchiha Shisui Week - Oct 18th - 24th

Founders Week - Oct 23rd - 29th

KakuHida Week - Oct 25th - Nov 2nd

Founders’ Halloween - Oct 31st

Genma HalloWeekend - Oct 31st - Nov 1st

November 2020

SasuSaku Trends Zine - Mod Apps - Close Nov 1st

KakuHida Week - Oct 25th - Nov 2nd

Genma HalloWeekend - Oct 31st - Nov 1st

SasoSaku Month - All Nov

Uchiha Pinup Calendar - Presales - Nov 2nd - Dec 1st

Naruto Poly Week - Nov 1st - 7th

KakaIru Big Bang - Writer Apps - Nov 1st - 15th

Naruto Kink Meme - Oct 7th - Nov 7th

Sasori Mini-Bang - Nov 6th - 10th

Rock Lee Week - Nov 21st - 27th

JiraOro Day - Nov 27th

December 2020

Uchiha Pinup Calendar - Presales - Nov 2nd - Dec 1st

Naruto Scifi Week - Dec 1st - Dec 8th

Naruto Week - Dec 7th - 13th

KakaIru Big Bang - Artist Apps - Dec 14th - 27th

ShikaNaru Week - Dec 11th - 13th

MadaTobi Gift Exchange - Apps - Dec 22nd - Jan 16th KakaGai Week - Dec 25th - Jan 1st

<< 2019 (Archived)         2021 (On-going) >>

[akatsuki-gift-exchange]

It’s been a long 2020! (And it’s not even half-way through, yet!)

Everyone, give a (belated) round of applause for all fifty-seven wonderful people that participated in the 2019 Akatsuki Gift Exchange!

(Long Post: Tags under the read more.)

Fanart:

@agentdemi - In the Workshop - Sasori, Third

@akatzombie - Angler - Kakuzu

@anonbinaryartist - Rest - DeiTobi

@atomichush - Old School - KakuKisa

@bartyrockwood - Sunrise Angel - HidaKona

@cruria - Founding Akatsuki - Ame Trio, Obito

@dana-chan325 - Snowball Fight! - Kakuzu, Hidan

@darkkurama - X-Mas Surprise - Zombi Combi, Art Duo

@dbystander - Fancy Fancy - SasoThird

@deidara-senpai - First Assist - SasoKona

@devilabbacchio - Make a Wish - HiDei

@eggyulks - Mistletoe! - SasoKona

@ev-08 - Christmas Sweater - Obito

@evartandadam - Last Words - Sasori & Deidara

@forged-n-fire - Gardening - Zetsu

@ghost-kaiju - Elegance - KakuKona

@giltine13 - The Bachelor - Madara

@i-drive-a-nii-san - #Crush - KisaObi

@kaiyaru - Tarot - Hidan, Konan

@koguraart - Fireworks - Sasori & Deidara

@konohagakureship - Koi - KisaIta

@leninille - BANG!!! - Deidara

@nithestuff - Scorpion Pile - SasoDei, Sasori

@orrion - Fighting Dreamer - Konan

@paigyloli - Kawaii no Jutsu - SasoDei

@spoop-geist - Serenade - KakuHida

@tangerinegod - His Throne - Itachi

@thevirus-queen - Hail the Queen! - Konan

@time-to-change-away - Aquarium - KisaIta, Hidan

@transhyuugacousins - Cabin in the Woods - KakuHida

@uchihaleah - School Nights - SasoDei, KisaIta

@uintuva - Seaside Kisses - KakaObi

@ylliryart - Admiration - Orochimaru & Itachi

Fanfic

@artimus-maora - In Hot Water - KakuHida

@awintersrose - Some Intricate Purpose - OroSaso

@cosmicak - The Marketplace - Kisame & Hidan

@eat0crow - Jump Ship - SasoDei

@escape-chan - Cold Feelings - HashiKaku

@exemplarybehaviour - Auto Da Fe - HiDei

@fuckyoucanada - Duality - DeiTobi

@imadethisblogcuzmymomfollowed - I like my coffee like my men - MadaKaku

@imblessedtoexist - One Yes (And the World Implodes) - ItaDei

@insaneflowergirl - The Sea - KisaIta

@jacarandabanyan - Shark Grin - KisaIta

@jashinist-feminist - Warmth - KisaIta, SasuSaku

@cisphobic-naruto - Up in Smoke - Hidan, Deidara

@nibbler747 - Itachi’s Robe - Itachi, Shisui

@pain-somnia - A New Favorite - KakaSaso

@phantom-wired - Restless - KakuHida

@sneakend - Easy Sweeps of Sky - HidaKona

@tea-and-finalfantasy - Umeboshi - YahiKona

@withyourrhythm - This Night is Not Forever - Kisame/Sasuke

@writhingbeneathyou - Taking the Bait - KisaObi

@xwannaflyx - A Peace so Sweet It Tastes Like Death - Obito

Pinch Hitters:

@akatzombie - Lo-Fi - KakuOro

@escape-chan - Stars and Bones - SasoKona

@ghost-kaiju - Snake Eyes - KakuOro

@jashinist-feminist - Winter Vacation - KakuHida

@konohagakureship - Summer 2019 - SasoDei

@paigyloli - Clay Kiss - SasoDei

@thatshipcat - Embrace - YahiNaga

Stocking Stuffers:

@insaneflowergirl Sunflowers - KisaIta Cannonball - KisaIta

@leninille On the Catwalk - Deidara Good for Her - Konan Put on a Damn Shirt! - KakuHida

Mods:

@thatshipcat

@ghost-kaiju

... and @giltine13 for the help!

*

*

If you’ve read this far - congratulations! That was a really long post XD

Please support the creators by liking or reblogging their works!

News on next year to follow!

[pain-somnia]

akatsuki gift exchange 2k19

Title: A New Favorite Characters: Sasori, Kakashi Hatake Rating: T Disclaimer Request:  Kakashi/Sasori, Setting: Kakashi as a living puppet, Prompt: spending immortality together or something. Anything really goes. Warnings: Death of a Character (not explicit but it’s central to the plot) Day’s Notes: I’m always late and a dollar short 😅 here’s a Sasori-centric fic written for @uintuva for the @akatsuki-gift-exchange; I used this lovely art/headcanon they made as inspiration...the sad headcanon 😇. I hope you like this uintuva and that you have a wonderful 2020.

A New Favorite

The eyes were the difficult part. Usually they were a throwaway detail, just enough to match the body. But these eyes—one eye to be more specific—came with a kekkei genkai.

These eyes needed more care.

Sasori clucked his tongue as he gauged the use of chakra in the implant. It was no wonder Hatake Kakashi hid it away. He would have to make a note of that for his future use.

It was a beautiful eye. The glassy quality left over from the efforts to preserve it left it gleaming, light refracting and making it shine like a ruby. A vibrant red unlike the murky shade of blood on sand.

It was a good red.

There wasn’t much color to Kakashi. He was completely muted with silver locks against ivory skin. There was dullness to charcoal eye of his which was a shame. The smolder of it during the heat of battle would be lost forever.

If Sasori had taken him alive and willing for the process there may have been a chance of preserving all of the finer details—the crease around his eyebrow and the way his nose crinkled and shifted his mask subtly.

Oh well, he thought as he continued his task of preservation. Sacrifices, sacrifices.

What luck it had been that when he and his partner split, Hatake Kakashi followed him instead of the child with rose gold hair. Sasori heard of her feats and he had plans for her. His new puppet would be perfect to use when he sought her out for his collection.

If it wasn’t the new arsenal of ninjutsu that guaranteed his conquest, it would be the psychological damage he was sure to inflict on the kunoichi when he would make her face her former sensei.

Hopefully she would make the battle as entertaining as her teacher. It was rare he was ever made to work up a sweat. He expected big things from the person that discovered an antidote to his poison. He was already going to be deprived of a final showdown with his grandmother, it would be something if the battle would be worth his while.

Ah. Pity. Sasori strummed a thread of chakra. The Sharingan really did waste away a lot of chakra. It pulled so much in its stagnant state and absolutely drained when techniques were attempted.

He would have to work on that.

.

.

The Copy Nin puppet did the job of multiple puppets. Easily replacing half of his arsenal of puppets, Kakashi stood by Sasori as a contender for the most used puppet. Hiruko was dust, measly parts that needed to be repaired and if Kakashi was able to perform the Magnet Release, the Third could easily be packed away.

With his own abilities, it shouldn’t be difficult to pull the use of the proper natures.

“Dammit Hatake,” Sasori hissed as he felt his chakra thread snap. Practicing activating the Sharingan wasn’t going as well as he hoped. He snaked chakra threads to feed chakra into the eye in hopes of working around the drainage issues.

“Speaking to your puppets, again?” Deidara’s voice drawled from the corner of the cave he was lounging in. “You’re getting loonier than Tobi. And that’s saying something.”

Sasori peered at the teenager from the corner of his eye and then at the masked man. Tobi had been unusually quiet the past few days. It was hard to tell, but Sasori could have sworn he was staring at the new puppet.

The fascination with the puppet was concerning. Sasori assumed it had something to do with the Sharingan. It was a rare and powerful kekkei genkai, he wouldn’t doubt someone would try to steal it.

Like hell he was going to lose a prize as great as this one.

“Isn’t there somewhere you should be?” Sasori went back to tinkering with some vials. “Both of you?”

“What? Trying to kick us out so you can be alone with your new toy?” Deidara snickered. His expression sobered up at the lack of response from Sasori. “Aren’t you supposed to come with us?”

Instead of responding, Sasori whipped out his tools and a scroll.

“You’re not seriously about to send me off alone with Tobi are you, Danna?” Sasori remained silent. “Oh, come on. Tch. Fine.”

Sasori listened to the pair’s footsteps as they left the cave. As soon as he was alone, he unmasked the Kakashi puppet, slowly revealing the smooth features underneath.

Kakashi was pale when alive, his scars a stark white against the porcelain of his skin. To reflect his coloring the proper wood was found.

Ghost gum trees had the whitest bark. They only grew in a particular region with a particular climate but it was the only wood he found permissible to use for this particular puppet’s design.

The beauty of red against the canvas of white skin and shocking silver hair would live on forever.

.

.

Translucent skin revealed highways of blue and green veins criss-crossing under the surface. Sasori recreated the effect with tubes full of poison, cording them in the limbs.

Even with the use of fingerless gloves, nicks still littered the grooves between long fingers from years of using shuriken. Same long fingers were altered to release a gas of deadly poison.

It would have been easier to forget all of the details—to not worry about the way pale lashes fluttered or the little wrinkle formed between the brows from narrowed eyes.

But easy wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted—craved—perfection. And perfection is what he would get.

The amount of tinkering didn’t matter as long as the end result was exactly what it should be.

“This one looks the most like the original, Danna.” There was a hint of awe laced in Deidara’s usual snark. He of course ruined it with his next set of words. “But then again, how difficult could that be when he wore a mask all the time, huh?”

The mask was no longer necessary. The body no longer belonged to Hatake, it belonged to him, covering up the face shouldn’t have mattered anymore.

“You know all about that huh, Tobi?” Deidara frowned at the lack of response. Their very own masked comrade was, once again, uncharacteristically silent and staring at puppet. “Tobi?”

Sasori shifted his impassive gaze from the two of them back to his Copy Nin. He never left his puppet alone and he never let the mask fall from its place around others.

He had seen the face—much younger than he expected and more comely than a face behind a mask should be. Sasori wasn’t entirely sure what he had expected but it was there, perfectly preserved under the mask, given more consideration than necessary.

The face was a secret and it would remain a secret—his secret. No one else really had the right to it, not like he did. The Copy Nin was his spoil of war and if he guarded him a little more closely, watched him, held him closer than it was no one’s business but his own.

Deidara’s voice wheedled somewhere in the background. Despite his loathing of spending time with Tobi, he tended to fill the gap of silence the masked nin left when in Sasori’s presence. Sasori barely caught something he said about the unnaturalness of Tobi’s demeanor around the new favorite toy.

New favorite, hm?

Sasori cocked his head slightly to the side as his gaze fell over the edges and the colors. He followed the contours and the shadows back up to the empty stare of glazed over eyes. That red eye still gleamed delightfully as it mocked him with its locked potential.

Probably. He would figure it all out as they chased perfection.