#because. guess who just learned that he can rely on kakashi if he's out of his fucking depth. YEAH BABEEEYYYYY

[mokutone]

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ID:

Panel one shows Tenzō having turned away from Kakashi. There's tears running down his face again, but his posture hasn't gotten tight and defensive again. "Hah. That's a pretty big drawback," he says, half joking,

Panel two, Kakashi's arms enter the frame and grasp the edges of Tenzō's happuri. Tenzō, seemingly caught off guard, lets him do this, too surprised to even mind that Kakashi can see his tears. "On the bright side, you have a home," Kakashi counters, "people you trust,"

"and a shiftless, good-for-nothing Captain, who's too lazy to fill out the paperwork for hospital-dodging." Kakashi says in panel three. The image shows Kakashi smiling more convincingly, if a little apologetic, gripping Tenzō's happuri in his hand.

Panel four shows him holding Tenzō's happuri out with one hand, and Tenzō grabbing the metal sides of it with both of his own hands. "Anyway, I'm pretty sure you're not a liability or a threat to Konoha," Kakashi says.

In the final panel of the comic, Tenzō ducks his head, looking up with one tearful eye as Kakashi reaches out. Tenzō is still gripping his happuri in his hands, close to his chest. Kakashi's back is drenched in the yellow light of the hall.

"My couch is yours, if you want to stay the night," Kakashi is saying as he ruffles Tenzō's long, now-unbound hair.

/end ID

[linkspooky]

GREAT TEACHER, GOJO

For my final commentary on chapter 236, I thought I'd talk about this panel the starter of a million flame wars on twitter dot com. The big controversy is Nanami stating that Gojo fought only for himself without mentioning his students which a lot of people thought was a last minute reversal on Gojo's character, or character regression.

I'm not going to call anyone stupid, or say if you have good teacher Gojo headcanons you're wrong. However, I'd like to point out that Gojo's always been more complicated than most shonen mentors. He's not Kakashi, and he's not Aizawa, and I'd argue the fact that he's not the standard "I'd die to protect my students" mentor we see in shonen manga is what makes him interesting.

The Springtime of Youth

Jujutsu Kaisen is a shonen jump manga that is very aware of the other manga that are running in the same magazine and uses that awareness to play with audience expectations.

To put it simply if you don't want to use words like Deconstruction - if you're reading Jujutsu Kaisen then things are probably not going to go the way you expect them. It's not Naruto, it's not My Hero Academia, it's a little bit like Bleach except characters actually die.

If you expect things to go one way in Jujutsu Kaisen, then you're going to be thrown a curveball. To name some examples briefly before diving into Gojo.

Yuji Itadori is a normal boy protagonist suddenly dragged into the world of the supernatural.

However, everything goes wrong from there. Jujutsu Sorcerers are not heroes. Yuji is told that much from the beginning by Megumi within the first thirteen chapters. The world of Jujutsu Sorcery is not a good place to be, Yuji is initially excited to be a sorcerer and to be a part of this world and then learns that lesson fast. I mean, imagine if Deku was accepted to UA, and then he immediately learned that students at the school die on the regular and all the adults are either terrible selfish people, or if they're not they die too like Nanami because being selfless means sticking your neck out for someone else.

Yuji's not really special in the narrative. He's just a kid who swallowed a finger. He doesn't have a secret technique. We're hundreds of chapters in and he's still just punching people. If he's cornered in a fight he doesn't unlock a secret technique either, he just loses.

Yuji has a superpowered evil side, like the nine tailed fox, or Hollow Ichigo except it's not really his super powered evil side. It's an evil parasite attached to his soul with a will of its ownt hat will manipualte him. Hollow Ichigo and the Kyuubi can escape temporarily and there's usually no consequence. Sukuna escapes twice, the first time he nearly kills Megumi, the second time he kills thousands.

Yuji is kind of like a main character who is not a main character.

If you still believe he's the main character, then you can agree he's punished for thinking he's the main character and therefore things are going to be easy, because nothing is ever easy in Jujutsu Kaisen.

Megumi is a riff on the chosen one. He's supposed to be the Gojo Satoru of his generation, born with the strongest technique that ca even surpass the limitless and he's nowhere near the level he's supposed to be. This is because Megumi has been continually failed by every adult figure all his life, starting with his father who sold him, then Gojo the man who SAVED* him techically but with a big asterisk that he needed to become his student and do jobs for Jujutsu High School otherwise Gojo would just let the Zen'in take him or let them starve I guess. Megumi has no adult figures to rely on, and has been given very little freedom about who or what he wants to be in his life, and therefore he's a very passive, repressed individual who's riddled with insecurities. Megumi doesn't want to be the strongest like Gojo, or like many hero / rival characters in shonen manga. Megumi doesn't even know what he wants to be, because he's never been given any choice in life.

If you don't think Megumi's a deconstruction of any sort of character type, look at those posts on twitter that are like "Look at the black haired depressed shonen boys" and then look at Megumi, he's never actually like any of these boys because he's much deeper and probably closer to being the main character than Yuji is.

Then we get to Gojo who is very unlike all the other mentors in shonen manga.

If Yuji and Megumi are both riffs on a main character, a hero in a world so cynical he's not allowed to play hero and actively punished for it, and a chosen one who doesn't want to be the chosen one then you have Gojo as the mentor who's nothing like the classic mentor.

The problem with mentor characters in fiction is that number one they die a lot (spoiler warning Obi Wan Kenobi dies in Star Wars just so you know) and number two they're not usually the most complex character in the cast.

What is the mentor there for?

To Mentor (duh.)

What this means is they are usually a fully formed adult who can teach a lesson to the main character, who in shonen manga is typically a teenager.

I say they're usually less interesting because stories are about characters changing, or characters learning lessons. A teacher presumably already has learned his lesson. They are usually at the end of their journey and not the beginning, that's why they can offer wisdom to the main characters. They're not usually their own separate characters because of this - a narrative doesn't have time to waste on a character that's not going to change.

Jung had a term for this character, it's called the Wise Old Man.

In Jungian analytical psychology, senex is the specific term used in association with this archetype. Examples of the senex archetype in a positive form include the wise old man or wizard. In the individuation process, the archetype of the Wise old man was late to emerge, and seen as an indication of the Self. 'If an individual has wrestled seriously enough and long enough with the anima (or animus) problem...the unconscious again changes its dominant character and appears in a new symbolic form...as a masculine initiator and guardian, a wise old man, a spirit of nature, and so forth'.

The role of the wise man archetype is to help other people along with their ego development, because usually they are already fully developed individuals.

Obi Wan is the most typical of typical mentors, and he dies in Star Wars because after he finishes teaching Luke he has nothing to do. This is Luke's Hero's Journey. Obi Wan's already happened offscreen, he's at the end of his journey there's no room for change or growth in him because his story purpose is to exist to advise Luke and to do that he needs to be a fully grown adult figure.

The subversion to this when the mentor has their own agenda (Gandalf), or the mentor is as flawed as the main characters themselves and so therefore he has something to learn.

Gojo is kind of a combination of both, like Gandalf he is the mysterious but seemingly all powerful wizard (er... or rather sorcerer) with his own agenda, and he's also practically the fourth member of the main cast who are otherwise all teenagers. In fact, Gojo spells out his agenda in the same panels that everyone uses to constantly assert that Gojo is a good teacher who only wants to protect his students.

He wants to make the Jujutsu World a better place (good) which is why he is raising students so he can turn them into his political allies to make a regime change (hidden agenda).

It's a means justifies the end type scenario. In Gojo's mind the means (raising kids as tools in support of his political agenda) justifies the ends (a better jujutsu world for those children). His motivation is still the same. This is what I think people most often get confused about with Gojo's character. I think he is one hundred percent genuine about wanting a better world.

"I have a dream, I want to reset this crappy Jujutsu World" is his motivation, but not his means. He uses his students as a means to achieve that end. Even if it's purportedly for their sake, he's still using them. I don't even think this is subtext it's text, both Megumi and Yuji call themselves cogs.

"But senpai, what's your function...?"

You could say in this case that the ends don't justify the means. Is Gojo really protecting these kid's youth, if Yuji and Megumi are going around calling themselves cog and acting like they don't matter in the grand scheme of things? In fact the narrative is inviting you to question if Gojo's ends justify his means.

Gojo's ideals can be one hundred percent real, but he can also pick faulty ways of choosing those ideals that fail to live up to them. In fact most people fall short of ideals, that's why they're called ideals. Gojo is taking these kids in because they have strong potential as sorcerers and he wants to recruit them, that's his hidden agenda. It's confirmed in databooks in Yuji and Yuta's case, and even if you don't trust databooks as canon then look at how he treats Megumi.

Megumi is explicitly Gojo's student, not his son. He only intervened in Megumi's situation on the caveat that Megumi work for him. Presumably, if Megumi didn't want to be a sorcerer and just wanted to be a normal kid, Gojo would have either let the Zen'in have him or do nothing. The option of just calling child services and getting someone to foster Megumi until he was older didn't even seem to cross Gojo's mind. There's the help he gives (Food money, rent, protection from the Zen'in) and then the hidden agenda (Don't work for the Zen'in who are my political rivals, you're my student now).

Yet at the same time Gojo is shown going to find Megumi after Geto's defection, probably because of the words he said to Yaga "You can only save those who want to be saved," when he realized it was too late for Geto. Was he intervening earlier for Megumi because he learned from being too late with Geto? Did he think Megumi needed guidance, or did he think Megumi needed protection in his youth so the Jujutsu World wouldn't corrupt him like it did Geto, or did he think he just needed to make it so Megumi was strong so he wouldn't fall behind him because Geto fell so far behind him once Gojo became the strongest. There's ambiguity there, because the hidden agenda is you know... Hidden. That's what I mean with Gojo though, you can look at him from multiple angles, he's not just (I love my students I'd die for them) because that character would only have one purpose in the narrative and that'd be being the perfect mentor who teaches them all the right lessons.

Gojo's not like other mentors, and in fact he's a commentary on the mentors that everyone is always comparing him to and expecting him to be like.

Literally everyone who reads Naruto has the exact same response, "I hate how the manga never talks about how it's a bad thing to send these child soldiers into war, and nobody breaks the cycle."

There are a lot of people unhappy about the same thing in My Hero Academia, "Why does nobody talk about how wrong it is that the adults make these high school students fight on the battlefield."

Well there you go. That's Gojo. His dream is to make it so Jujutsu Society is a place where teenagers can survive until adulthood. His method of doing so is to... raise those teenagers to be stronger than the previous generation, but you know still letting them be child soldiers on the battlefield just stronger ones. He does this because if he's working within the system the his two choices are raise a group of people who can age out and replace the old regime, or just kill everyone at the top.

Everyone complains about how no one talks about the child soldiers in Naruto or My Hero Academia, but here you go, we have a manga that is centered around how messed up it is to send high school students to continually fight these curses before they even turn eighteen. Gojo's sending these kids out there still even if he wants to change things, and it's supposed to be a little messed up and also a contradiction to what his ideals are supposed to be.

Because in My Hero Academia you have characters like Aizawa and Kakashi who are "I will die for my students" but then they just send those teens out to fight in a war, and seem totally fine with that. It's a hole in the writing, but this time it's done on purpose, to ask why these adults are always comfortable sending teenagers out to fight for them?

Jujutsu Kaisen provides two answers, number one the system is inherently corrupt and it sees the youth as cogs because the system is rooted in traditions that keep the elderly in power. Number two, in Gojo's case at least this is exactly what it was like for him growing up as a child. Gojo is just repeating with his students what was done to him, subconsciously.

The reason Nanami said this, and then repeated it in this most recent chapter is Gojo was born to be a Jujutsu Sorcerer. Being a Jujutsu Sorcerer is a highly deadly occupation for everyone else, except for Gojo. Not only that but because he's so good at it, and he's so lauded for it he's built his entire identity around it. Nanami's not just saying that Gojo is selfish, he's also saying that Gojo thinks being a sorcerer is a good thing. It is the end all, be all of Gojo's existence.

He doesn't want to make it so sorcerers don't have to fight, or make it so all cursed energy is gone for the world like Yuki Tsukumo, his dream is actually kind of limited in scope he doesn't want the school days of his students to be destroyed by the outside world the way it was for him and Geto.

Gojo looks at the symptoms and not the cause. Geto defected, Haibara died, Yaga wasn't really able to do much for his students in both scenarios. Gojo deduced it was because the elders and regressive policies were holding people back in favor of keeping the regime in charge (correct) and that because of that the sorcerers in Gojo's high school years just weren't strong enough to keep up (this is just what Gojo thinks).

His words to Megumi are encouraging him to be strong so he won't get left behind, which as I speculated above might imply Gojo thinks that part of what went wrong with Geto was that he simply wasn't strong enough to keep up with Gojo or stay on his level. If not then he still encourages Megumi to get strong before everything else, he's not taking care of these kids emotional needs, he's pushing them to get stronger because in Gojo's mind that's the be all end all solution to every problem.

"Nanami's line was not saying that Gojo doesn't care about children, it's saying that "You live for Jujutsu." It is the lens through which Gojo sees everything, and so therefore he doesn't think of breaking kids out of the Jujutsu World, just making it a place that's slightly more safe for them. Gojo's ego is so strong that he only ever sees things from his point of view, being a sorcerer was fun for him, his high school days were the happiest time in his life before they got ruined by outside forces.

He's trying to protect those days for his children, but he's not arguing against the existence of an institution like Jujutsu High in the first place. He's not saying the teenagers should never be sent out on missions, he's saying we need to make the teens stronger. If they're stronger than they won't die (that's probably true but they'll be even safer if they don't have to go on missions in the first place).

Now we have a reason! Why do Aizawa and Kakashi send out child soldiers into the battlefield if their goal is to protect their students? Because it's a shonen manga and the main characters are all teenagers.

Why does Gojo send out teenagers to fight for him if he wants to protect them, well I just explained it.

In fact, the entire purpose of Nanami in the story is to give us a character who explicitly treats children like they are children and not miniature adults. Who acknowledges that this is emotionally hard for children to deal with and they shouldn't have to do that.

Nanami's lines of "I'm an adult you're a child" and "Being a child is not a bad thing." would not have the weight they carry if they weren't so different from the way that every other adult in the story (including Gojo) treats children.

Nanami and Gojo have the same goal of making being a Jujutsu Sorcerer easier for children, but Nanami practices what he preaches. He tells Yuji to stand back and that he doesn't need to fight if he sees an enemy that's too strong, to let the adult on scene handle things first.

When he sees that Yuji is disturbed by the idea of killing former humans that Mahito had changed with his technique, he consoles him. He knows that Yuji is a sensitive kid and tries to spare him as much of that grief as possible. When he leaves Yuji behind he tells him explicitly that he's the adult in this situation, he shouldn't be forcing a child to help carry that burden if it's not necessary.

He also explicitly tells Yuji that being strong or jumping into life threatening situations =/= as growing up. Nanami is a character aware that the problem isn't that the children are not strong enough, but that too much responsibility is being thrown on these children. That there is a difference between what children and adults are emotionally capable of. Gojo doesn't see that difference because he reached enlightenment as seventeen. He even explicitly chose Nanami because Gojo knew he wasn't good at that stuff.

Nanami was not saying that Gojo doesn't care about children, Nanami was saying Gojo lives to be a sorcerer, Gojo who loves sorcery doesn't understand why being a sorcerer is too much of an emotional burden on a child. He just doesn't. He literally says his students are flowers.

Now, here's the kicker. Nanami dies.

Nanami wanted Yuji to not take on too much responsibility, and he died leaving Yuji with more responsibility than he could ever carry. Nanami failed in his goal, despite the fact he is the most responsible and well-meaning adult in the story who treats children like they're children.

The reason he dies is because this is what happens to people like Nanami in Jujutsu Society. The whole of society is built to condition people into being cogs and Nanami who's just one person can't overcome it on his own. I can write a whole meta on how Nanami's way of dealing with children is way better than Gojo's and yet they do essentially the same thing, throw way too much responsibility onto Yuji even though he's just a kid. They're both too ingrained in the system to make any sweeping changes, and that's why the child soldiers keep on child soldiering.

Gojo as a Character

The second reason as eluded above that Gojo is not meant to be read as a perfect teacher, or even a good one really is because he's the fourth main character of the cast. If you are a main character, then you need a flaw, and an arc where you either improve upon that flaw or you succumb to it in tragic fashion.

Gojo's not the perfect adult mentor, because he's kind of in the same place as the kids themselves. I think there's a reason we never learn anything about Gojo's backstory, we know nothing about his parents, the Gojo clan, because those details aren't as relevant. The most important thing about Gojo is the three years he spent at high school, because that was the only time he felt like a person, and also because he is trapped there mentally.

There's a reason that Gojo's dying dream is him imagining everyone reset to seventeen years old, because that was where the clock stopped for him in his youth, and that was where all of his regrets as an adult come from. His motivation to help teenagers today only comes from his own youth being ruined, and the adults in his life failing to protect him.

It's very likely that Gojo who lives for Jujutsu probably would never have realized the problems in his current society, if his youth wasn't ruined by those same adults he's now fighting against.

The reason most mentor figures in fiction are not main characters is because as adults they don't really need to grow up anymore. The obvious solution is that you just need your mentor character to just fail to be an adult in some glaring way.

To show how Gojo falls short as an adult, especially in regards to these children and how he treats them is to drag him down from all powerful, all knowing wizard, and make him struggle with the rest of the main cast. Gojo is not a positive adult figure in these kids lives despite having the best of intentions, because he's not really an adult.

I guess if you were already the best and strongest person in the world at seventeen, smarter and more capable than all the adults around you, you wouldn't really feel the need to grow up. Coupled with the fact that you are alienated from other people and do not relate to them on a personal level that's not going to help with your identity formation.

I mean I constantly compare Gojo to Superman, but to be fair to Gojo instead of bullying him like I usually do Clark Kent was raised by parents who raised a boy not a superman, and who constantly tell him that he's just a normal person, his powers don't make him great, it's his heart.

Nanami says that Gojo only fights for himself that ""You don't wield Jujutsu to protect something, you use it solely to for your own sake. What a weirdo" it's likely Gojo only fights for himself because he's never ben told that's he's more than just the six-eyes and more than just the limitless.

The best way to make a mentor a part of the cast, is to make them through some way or another have failed to grow up properly in their youth and therefore they need to do it while the story is taking place. We know how Gojo failed, his springtime of youth ended early, it ended the day he couldn't stop Geto from leaving, the day he can be the strongest sorcerer ever and still fail because sorcerer society is too corrupt for one person to handle alone. We also know he didn't really grow up past this point, because he still thinks the solution is to make people be stronger. Why does he not do anything about Geto for 11 years? In story terms he's basically suspended in time unable to grow past Geto. Kenjaku literally uses the trauma from his youth and the memories that seeing Geto alive would provoke in Gojo again, to trap him because he knew it would make him freeze up. Gojo is frozen in the past, he failed to grow up in story terms and must now grow up while the main story itself is taking place along with the children he's trying to raise.

This is how you make a mentor interesting. You have to make them flawed in some way that makes it worth having them onscreen, because a perfect mentor only serves one purpose to teach a main character and then he's gone.

Dazai Osamu from Bungo Stray Dogs is a character that's almost as massively popular as Gojo. Similiarly, he is a teenage genius who found trouble relating to other people who is now as an adult attempting to mentor two children.

However, Dazai's faults as a mentor are made much more explicit.

Dazai suddenly punched Akutagawa in the face, preventing him from finishing his sentence. Akutagawa flew back onto the ground, his head bouncing off the stone flooring with a thud. "Perhaps I made it look like I wanted to hear excuses. Sorry for the misudnerstanding," Dazai said while rubbing his knuckles. "Urg..." Akutagawa moaned. He'd hit his head so hard that he couldn't even stagger to his feet. "Give me your gun," Dazai ordered one of his men. The subordinate was hesitant but nonetheless handed over his weapon. Next, Dazai removed the magaine from the automatic pistol, took out all but three bullets, then put the magazine back in. He immediately pointed the gun at Akutagawa, who was still on the ground. "I have this friend who's supporting several orphans all on his own, you see," he continued his weapon still drawn and aimed at the boy. "AKutagawa I'm sure Odasaku would've been patient enough to give you the guidance you needed had he been the one who'd found you on the brink of starvation right in the slums. That would have been the 'right' thing to do. But 'righteousness' doesn't take very kindly to me. And there's only one thing people like me do to useless subordinates." Dazai mercilessly pulled the trigger the moment he finished his sentence.

(Don't worry, Akutagawa lived). Dazai is a character who had a troublesome youth he never grew up from. He was too smart for the world as a kid, and because of that joined up with the mafia because he wanted to feel like he was more connected to life and other people by getting closer to death (weird dazai logic I know) and was the best of the best at it, but it only drove him further away from people. He makes one friend, and loses that friend similiar to Gojo. Just like Gojo too, that friend is the one who gives him his purpose as an adult that drives him to mentor young people.

"Odasaku.. What should I do?" "Be on the side that saves people," Odasaku replied, "If both sides are the same, then choose to become a good person. Save the weak, protect the orphaned. You might not see a great difference between right and wrong, but... saving others is something just a bit more wonderful."

Is this not what Nanami said just in different words. Odasaku tells Dazai point blank, I know you're selfish, I know that you don't really have any concept of good or evil but you can choose to save others anyway.

Isn't this what Gojo does?

He is selfish. He doesn't really consider the morality or his actions or get hung up on the idea of protecting the weak like Nanami or Geto do, but he still does go out of his way to live for the ideal of saving children.

Both Gojo and Dazai are characters who are struggling with this ideal of saving the children, because while their ideals are good they themselves as people are morally gray. Adding onto that, they're also children and a good deal of their backstory is devoted to showing why they never really grew out of the mindset that they held as children.

The story doesn't call them horrible monsters for it, it's just saying that they need to grow up or face the consequences of not growing up.

"I have one regret," I said. "I never got to say good-bye to my friend. He was always there for me as 'just a friend.' He was bored of this world and always waited for death to come for him." "That man was in search of a place to die just like me?" "No, not exactly," I answered. "I thought you were similiar to Dazai at first, rushing into battle and wishing for death without even considering the value of your own life. But he's different. He's sharp-witted with a mind like a steel trap. And he's just a child - a sobbing child abandoned in the darkness of a world far emptier of the world we're seeing." He was too smart for his own good. THat was why he was always alone. The reason why ANgo and I were able to be by his side was that we understood the solitude that surrounded him, and we never stepped inside it no matter how close we stood. But in that moment, I kind of regretted not stepping in and invading a little.

Does that sound like the narrative is condemning Dazai for being who he is? No, it's Dazai's best friend offering empathy and understanding for how lonely it must be, and how if Dazai made real connections with people then he could have a chance of growing up like everyone else. That's what the narrative challenges Dazai to do while empathizing with why it's harder for him to and why he's still trapped in his youth, because to take care of children you need to be an adult yourself. Otherwise if you're a child, and I'm a child, then nobody's driving the plane.

Rupert Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer is another mentor who faces the same moral dilemna that Gojo does. In fact his entire character revolves around the fact he knows deep down he's sending a kid to her early grave.

Buffy is the Chosen One TM. One girl in all the world is chosen to fight the vampires. Much like sorcerer society, there is an entire bureaucracy dedicated to identifying the chosen slayer and then raising her up and guiding her as a weapon to be used against the threat of vampires and demons.

The watchers are all adults. The slayer is a teenage girl. The slayer slays. The watchers watch. Just like in Jujutsu Kaisen, there is a necessity for the Slayer to exist, because the alternative is just letting vampires eat people. Yet even if the slayer needs to exist, at the end of the day a bunch of adult men are sending a teenage girl to fight for them.

All Slayers die young. All of them without an exception. No matter how good of a mentor is, no matter how much he cares about her, Buffy is going to die one day, and Giles is going to watch. Because that's what the watcher does, they watch. Sending her on missions means Buffy's in danger, not sending her means innocent people are in danger.

It's a scenario that's pretty much like Gojo's, and the narrative of Buffy makes it explicit that Giles really can't be a father figure to bufy in this scenario. A father would have to choose to put their child above the world and keep them safe, not send them out straight into danger.

It is a choice that Giles makes over and over again. He is always her watcher and never her father. There's a season 3 episode where Giles literally drugs Buffy as a part of a test to prove she is "worthy" of being a slayer. A test that deliberately puts her in harms way that he complies with - because the system told him to. A choice to be her watcher and act according to what the council of watchers wanted and not what Buffy wanted. A choice that shatters the illusion that Buffy had of him, showing her that Giles is only there to teach her to be a Slayer, not to take her to the iceapades or buy ice cream with her.

In this scenario Gojo is very much like Giles as no matter how much he may personally like these kids, he is not their father, and there is only so much he can do for them when he's still feeding them into the same system. Giles loves Buffy, Giles wants to protect Buffy, Giles is a part of the system that exploits Buffy. Giles is an adult asking Buffy to risk her life to save the world.

Gojo goes out of his way to recruit Megumi, Yuji, and Yuta among others. Gojo still doesn't let them be anything other than sorcerers, and as sorcerers they're still guaranteed to one day die and probably die young. Gojo wants to revolutionize the system he is, but he still sends out his students to do missions as part of that system. He's not letting them escape it, he's just making them be stronger sorcerers.

Not only is Gojo not a father figure to Megumi, he is exploiting him more or less. The option of Megumi not being a sorcerer isn't on the table. No matter how well-intentioned he may be, or how good his ideals are he's still an adult telling a child to make a sacrifice for the world.

So, there are two character conflicts with two different mentors that both reflect Gojo. Gojo cannot grow up because he's still trapped in the tragedy of his youth. He himself is not an adult, for various reasons (lack of connection to other people, trauma in his youth) he's egocentric like a child but there are children in his life who need him to be.

Gojo also cannot be a proper adult, because he is part of a system that exploits children. We see what the system does to proper adults like Nanami, he shows us just how much well-intentioned adults struggle to help kids under sorcerer society so how about Gojo who thinks being a sorcerer is really fun. A proper adult would never send kids on those missions, they'd find some way to shield them but Gojo cannot do that. Because sorcerers are short staffed and innocent people will die if he doesn't. Because Gojo isn't the sorcer-king of Jujtusu Society and is working within it to affect change. There are reasons, but still Gojo is failing to live up to his desire to protect children because he's not doing what a responsible adult should do in this situation.

Gojo's failures are two-fold, and yet it's because of those failures that he was a main character who got as much special plot attention as he did. If Gojo was a perfect teacher he wouldn't be a character. After all, we relate to the struggles of other human beings we see onscreen in television and in movies so why would we care about a perfect character?

Gojo has a lot more to say about teachers in shonen manga, and also about childhood vs. adulthood as a bad teacher struggling to be a good one, then a teacher who's already perfect. Nanami said those lines because he wanted us to understand the audience that this is who Gojo is, he is a selfish and egotistical person who nonetheless was trying to do good things.

[dykekakashi]

was having a conversation with a mutual and it made me think of just how bland the fighting styles became in Shippuden. just to use Sasuke as an example, at the beginning we see so many transitions in Sasuke's fighting style changes as he gets older, particularly wrt his use of weapons throughout the show. like when we see flashbacks of him as a kid we always see him practicing with long-range weapons, his bow being the one that stands out the most? and throughout Naruto classic we see him handle various types of weapons and use them at long range, e.g. the iconic demon wind shuriken scene where we see Naruto & Sasuke work as a team for the first time.

after Kakashi teaches him the Chidori we see him start relying more on mid-/close-range attacks, and of course there's a bunch of possible explanations for that transition. the one that stands out to me the most is that as kid they don't have as good chakra control, so it's best to rely on long-range weapons if your main strength isn't like, taijutsu (rock lee) or something that requires close range (neji) and you don't know that many jutsu. so makes sense that he learns Chidori and starts going more close-range, and you can see he's looking for the tactical advantage depending who he's fighting, e.g. naruto and gaara he goes for close-range, and it also works very well narratively because these are both super emotionally charged battles

compare all of these to like, other fights that could have been super emotionally charged, too, and they mostly just. suck lol. sasuke kills the man who manipulated his brother into killing his entire clan and eternal exile and his teacher for the past three years with the same attack. all of the emotional tenor of his previous fights is gone. i want to believe it's intentional and tells us something about sasuke's character, but for the most part it just feels dull

last but not least I just wish we also got some more background on how his training with orochimaru went because maybe having more background on how Sasuke's weapon of choice becomes a mid-range sword and why he relies so strongly on lightning-style techniques (even more than fire, the trademark of the Uchiha) at the beginning of shippuden could have maybe made it more interesting. we just have no idea how this particular style developed, or why he's using it against specific characters. ok, rant over lol. guess i'll also call this a study on how to write good battle scenes/how not to write boring ones

[anannua]

Pairing prompt!

First kiss, kakaobi

First time seeing them cry, minaobi

First time waiting at their bedside, not sure if they will awaken, shikanaru

🥰

I really liked these. It got long, so I put them below the cut. 

✂️✂️✂️

First kiss, kakaobi

It happens over the weekend. 

They’re studying at their teacher’s house, shoes in the doorway, listening to the radio while they finish worksheets. Obito keeps glancing his way when he thinks Kakashi isn’t paying attention but those unblinking black eyes are impossible to ignore. He tries to make conversation, asking questions about their assignment to fill the air. The room feels small with Obito’s gaze fixed on his face.

Eventually Kakashi finds himself asking, “What? Something on my face?”

“No.”

“Then why are you staring?”

Obito’s answer is to stare some more.

A little perturbed, Kakashi puts his pencil down. “You’ve been acting weird all afternoon.”

“No I haven’t.”

When Kakashi turns to refute this blatant lie he’s looking into Obito’s eyes, because Obito has moved closer, taking up all of the space on the couch cushion beside him. When did he move? Kakashi is a little baffled as the sofa dips under his weight because Obito is never quiet and curious like this. He’s ever straightforward, direct with his desires, so obvious. Worry hiccups in his heart, a ripple in the calm of his cool exterior.

This close, Obito might be able to hear how quick his pulse is.

“You’re still staring.”

Obito’s mouth jerks into a smirk, a flash of something familiar, before a strange determination settles into his shoulders.

“Yeah. Does it bug you?”

He’s close enough to catch the way Kakashi’s breathing quickens. Black eyes flicker down to his mouth where the sunlight warms his skin, pale cheeks coloring slowly under his unblinking gaze. Obito’s eyes track all over his face as though he hasn’t spent their childhood learning it, hasn’t cracked his knuckles against the edge of Kakashi’s cheekbones or bashed foreheads during their fights as schoolboys.  

He’s really close.

“Obito?”

Finally he blinks, glancing up through heavy lashes to find mismatched eyes watching him closely.

It’s easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission. Obito can’t make himself ask, the words stuck in his throat, and he surges forward before his nerve desserts him.

Kakashi jumps as Obito’s weight crashes into him, sending them both toppling back onto the couch together. Obito doesn’t stop kissing him the whole way down and it’s all Kakashi can do to keep kissing him back, mouth finally open, lips pressed together, a single whimper escaping before Obito drinks down the rest of his sounds.

There’s no time to describe how incredible it is. It isn’t anything like electricity in his veins or an explosion. Instead there’s a steady heat that seeps into his bones, radiating from the hands on his waist, the weight of Obito’s chest crushing them into the couch, the lips murmuring his name against his mouth, hot. 

Kakashi has never felt so warm all at once. 

His eyes flutter open (when had he shut them?) to find his best friend watching with the most anxious look.

“Was that okay?”

He’s terrified. Kakashi can read him with a glance (they’ve spent their whole lives learning how to) and knows Obito is afraid he’s fucked everything up.

“No,” Kakashi says once he’s caught his breath, once he’s certain his voice won’t shake. “No, that sucked.”

Obito flinches. But Kakashi has his collar in a grip because he knew Obito would try to run, grabs him tight enough to hurt, and makes sure his best friend is watching very closely when he continues pointedly, “Obito. You’re gonna have to do better than that—try again.”

First time seeing them cry, minaobi

“Hey, I’m home!”

The call from the front of the house has Minato scrubbing his face, quickly, because he wants to give his boyfriend a smile to come home to. It’s too late because Obito sets down the groceries and materializes beside him like magic. Warm arms wrap him up and the blonde gives up a watery smile.

“Welcome home.”

“What happened?” Obito wonders, worry in his baritone as he reaches up to brush away the water hastily scrubbed from his partner’s cheeks. “Minato?”

“Nothing. Ah, the groceries! We should put up the cold things…”

His words are interrupted by a hiccup he can’t swallow. Obito’s face is set and Minato is swept off his feet. He gets tucked into strong arms as Obito moves them deeper into the house. The blonde’s quiet protests go unheard as he’s carried bridal style to the bedroom. It’s there that Obito deposits him onto the bed.

“It’s nothing,” he tries to say, for Obito’s gloved finger to press against his mouth.

Just the look in his one good eye gives Minato guilt. He should know better; Obito hates it when Minato tries to hide things from him. Instead of putting on a happy face the older man accepts his pampering, letting Obito tuck him under the plush blankets of their bed. His blue eyes are still damp and Minato stops trying to hold back his sniffles.

“It’s not nothing,” Obito’s voice guesses quietly, “but you don’t have to talk about it now. For now, just let it out. I’m here for you.”

Obito learns that he hates watching Minato cry. The helplessness that fills him up eats away at his guts, claws at his heart as he watches his most precious person sink into a mire of tears and little soft sobs. He doesn’t cry loudly, no screaming or wailing. Minato cries softly, like he has to keep it inside and bottle it.

It does give him the opportunity to cuddle the blonde close. He doesn’t care how wet his turtleneck gets. Minato tries once to not smear snot and tears against his clothes; Obito presses gently but firmly until the other man’s face goes back to the flat of his chest. Obito’s gloved hand finds Minato’s to hold while his other cards through blonde spikes, stroking soothingly.

It doesn’t matter why in this moment why Minato is sad. Obito is here for him, for the first time he’s been allowed to see Minato cry, to comfort him. He lets his lover vent quiet sobs into his chest, letting the emotion run its course.

Later, once all his tears are spent up, Minato will say thank you, with a kiss to the corner of Obito’s contented smile, and Obito will scold Minato for not relying on him sooner.

First time waiting at their bedside, not sure if they will awaken, shikanaru

“It’s going to be a while,” Sakura warned. “He breathed in so much poison…”

“I’ll wait,” Shikamaru said firmly. “I want to be here when he opens his eyes.”

Naruto on the bed breathed in slowly, ragged, through three different tubes. The sight made Shikamaru’s own breathing tight. Naruto always healed, everything, but for once it was taking…

“A long, long time,” Sakura had repeated on her way out the door, “No smoking inside. Please.”

It was the last thing he’d heard for nearly four days.

“Shikamaru? Shikamaru, earth to Shikamaru!”

“I said what,” he snapped, turning from the bed for the first time in five days. He stood up straighter at the sight of the Hokage in the doorway. “Sir.”

“At ease, soldier,” Kakashi sighed. “And drop the sir. It’s temporary. Just like this.”

His eye tracked to the figure on the bed. Shikamaru turned his gaze back as well. It wasn’t like he needed to look. By now he had the lines of Naruto’s sleeping face carved into memory. Those three scar marks on each cheek. The unnatural stretch of his mouth around breathing tubes. The slight bags under each eye.

“All his superficial wounds have healed,” the Hokage’s voice said needlessly because Sakura had said the same thing two days ago, “All that’s left is for the poison to finish circulating. Once it’s out he should be up and back to active duty.”

Shikamaru looked up sharply. Kakashi met his confrontational gaze with a cool look.

“It’s what he’d want,” Kakashi said quietly.

In Naruto’s defense. Because that’s what he would want. Shikamaru smirked.

“Of course he would. He will.”

“We need you on rotation.”

Shikamaru’s smirk fell away.

“I won’t leave his side.”

“We need you,” Kakashi repeated, his voice firm and his gaze uncompromising. “I can give you forty-eight hours but there are others who need relief.”

Shikamaru couldn’t deny the Hokage outright but it was the first time his mind was already plotting four different ways he could leave behind a clone or trade shifts to get out of duty. His shoulders squared, Shikamaru let his gaze fall to the floor, and he nodded once.

A hand landed on his shoulder.

“He’ll be here when you get back.”

It turned prophetic: Naruto was still in the hospital bed when Shikamaru returned from active duty to be at his side. He tracked down Shizune straight away, nerves driving him to put a hand in his pocket, resting against the pack of cigarettes he wasn’t allowed to smoke inside.

“How much longer until he regains consciousness?”

Shizune looked started first, then apologetic.

Shikamaru frowned.

“Oh. Haven’t they told you yet?” She said.

He made himself stay and listen (even though it couldn’t be true) and thanked her for filling him in. Stiffly, he went outside and let himself smoke for the first time in nearly two weeks. The harsh crackle of nicotine burned through him, ripped apart the walls around his heart he’d built up against the suspicion that lurked in the back of his mind.

Naruto might not wake up.

Impossible, because he’s the jinchuuriki. They wouldn’t let their not-so-secret weapon lie in a coma even if there was no other option. Konoha would find a way.

Except they couldn’t.

Even Tsunade and Orochimaru combined had been forced to admit defeat. Any further experiments were denied by the Lord Sixth Hokage due to their unethical nature and Shikamaru shook off the tremble in his hand as he lit a second cigarette.

He took the longest, deepest drag he could before crushing it on his way back inside.

Naruto would want to see him when he woke up—if he woke up—

Shikamaru shook his head. Naruto wouldn’t want him to think like that. Naruto wouldn’t want him to worry, the stubborn guy, wanting the best for everyone around him, not giving a damn about himself, reckless, a little clueless, stupid, selfish, wonderful, bright, shining and smiling and stealing Shikamaru’s senses with one look.

Despite the pounding of his heart Shikamaru managed to snort a laugh. That guy.

The nurses gave him pitying looks as he walked back into the room and took up the same seat that bore his weight for a week straight before.

It didn’t matter. He’d be there.

[pinkhairedlily]

Chapter 6 - Student Council President Sakura

SCPS AO3 | PREVIOUS CHAPTER

“When’s your birthday, Sasuke?” Naruto asked unprompted. He was eating an onigiri in one hand and writing in a notebook with another. “Captain Haru gave me a journal and told me to fill in the dates.”

“Why are you treating it like a slam book?”

“What’s a slam book? Why are you even changing the topic?”

“July 23.”

Naruto went silent for a moment as he jotted down Sasuke’s name. “Oh, last week? During our sleepover?”

“You mean, hostage sleepover.”

“Ah shit. We didn’t get you a present. Sorry, grumpy.” Naruto’s face was sincerely apologetic and Sasuke was on the verge of nonchalantly assuring him that it was all right when he heard his following reply. “But make sure you get me one okay. It will be on October 10.”

“I wish I was allowed to physically harm you right now but your training next week will suffice,” Sasuke jested right back. “I’ll put in a word with Haru to make you suffer.” He would have said more clapbacks if they didn’t hear loud footsteps running their way.

Their two heads popped just a few inches above the bushes that lined behind the fence and saw a disheveled Sakura catching her breath with bent knees and her arms full of folders. Sasuke surmised she might have come from a council meeting.

“It’s Sakura – “ Sasuke covered Naruto’s loud mouth with his palm.

Her phone rang inside her skirt’s pockets, and her expression panicked when she saw the caller id. The folders fumbled out of her grasp when she answered it. “Oh hello, Kakashi-sensei.”

Both the boys’ brows raised in curiosity when her voice went a pitch higher.

“Ah, I’m actually out of the campus right now, Sensei. Got an errand to run. I’ll see you for consultations…..soon?” Then she ended the call. They all heard another set of footsteps nearing their location, and Sakura repeatedly said I’m screwed to herself.

Naruto wrestled out of Sasuke’s headlock and pulled a surprised Sakura inside their hiding place. The latter grumbled but quickly gathered the folders from the ground and followed suit. Three heads now looked over the bushes, and true enough, Kakashi appeared in the clearing with his phone in his hand. “That’s funny. I thought I heard her voice here.”

When they were sure he was out of their sight and earshot, Sasuke signaled a thumbs up, and Naruto, not missing a beat, started with the obvious question. “Why are you hiding from our mathematics teacher?”

Sakura blushed with intensity, her cheeks the color of cherry tomatoes with a ripeness Sasuke liked the most. She flushed so intensely she couldn’t hide it for her sake. The thought of wanting to have that kind of privilege crossed his mind. “Uh, he wanted a report from me, but I wasn’t able to finish it.” Like the self-aware person that she was, she immediately got her bearings and recognized the place. “This is behind the library.”

“It’s Sasuke’s favorite hiding place until I barged in. And now, it’s yours too.” Naruto grinned at her even when he just revealed this place’s existence to their student council president.

“Shouldn’t you be asking me permission first?” Sasuke arranged the folders first before returning them to Sakura who seemed to calm down a bit.

She laughed dryly. “Technically, it’s public property so we don’t need your permission…grumpy.”

Naruto erupted in laughter while Sasuke closed his eyes in annoyance. Two loud-mouths in what was supposed to be in his safe space and yet all he felt was just mild annoyance. Stopping his thoughts before they ran him aground, he rummaged through their storage bin and found an extra sandwich he bought this morning and the last pack of his cherry tomato juice.

He passed the food to her and gave her a little bit of scolding. “At least have your lunch first before making fun of me.”

“You’re really giving her a tomato juice?” Naruto never could hide his disgust for certain food. “Don’t tell me this is your rite of passage.”

Sasuke glared at the blonde, forcing him to shut up. “Bring any more people here, and I’ll tell your captain to drag you to hell.” That wasn’t so difficult, given that Haru has taken a liking to him, for what he didn’t know. He just treated him like a big brother would, like Itachi would.

Sakura took a sip in the middle of their banter, and she emitted a surprised sound. “So this is what it tasted like? It’s actually good.”

That was the first time someone liked what he liked, and he vaguely realized he was waiting for her opinion. With that, he had trouble suppressing the smile that started to form on his face, so he looked away and mustered his focus on the nearby yells of a practicing dragonboat team.

“Oh, I forgot, belated happy birthday Sasuke.”

He strengthened his resolve not to turn his head just as quickly because he was sure the shock was visible in his face. He was so taken aback he didn’t hear Naruto ask Sakura where she learned of it.

“I came across our class records during the meeting and saw the date. Sucks we weren’t able to get you a present. Anyway, I gotta run. I have another presentation to the principal for a personal project.” Sakura finished off her sandwich in one bite and ran out of the secluded space.

Naruto stared after her disappearing figure, the bunched-up juice carton and sandwich wrapper in his hands. “I should make her a decent lunch sometime. I don’t think she’s eating well.”

But Sasuke had another observation in mind. “Why didn’t you ask for her birthday?”

“I know already. I asked Hinata about it.”

--------------------------------

Sakura tried to catch up with the baseball captain in the seniors’ hallways before she would lose him to his after classes dates with Hinata. “Haru, wait up please.”

His brown hair has grown longer to hide his undercut which Naruto wanted to replicate as he often mentioned in between their conversations in classes. It was actually a wonder how the usually demure Hinata gravitated towards Haru who had a strong personality. His annoyed gaze softened when he realized it was her calling him, his smile turning into a wide grin as she raced through the halls.

“No running, Ms. President,” he chided.

Sakura playfully punched his shoulder, her fist’s impact light as she struggled to catch her breath. “Can I at least have some of your time? I promise I won’t take long.”

The captain’s face took on an incredulous look. “How the tables have turned.”

They found themselves on a rooftop, away from the incidental eavesdroppers (if there were any), and moreover they needed some quiet space to talk about important matters. The first of which was the baseball team’s finances.

“I gotta hand this to you rather straightforwardly. The board didn’t foresee your qualification in the preliminaries hence they didn’t allot a big budget for your team – not for training, not for travel expenses, not for uniforms, and miscellaneous expenses.” He towered over her, her height a third short from his shoulders, but when he hunched them forward and leaned against the railings, he was almost shoulder to shoulder with her. “So what are your plans?”

Back in junior high, he would often ruffle her hair out of her immaculate ponytail, and this closeness wasn’t really odd because they were from the same town and grew on the same block. Distance just crept in as they made more friends and entered different circles.

“My personal savings,” Haru simply replied. “Our coach will chip in half of our projected expenses so we’re good to go.”

Sakura sighed. “As always, you don’t like to rely on anyone.”

“We’re not really too far from each other, Sakura. So what’s your plan anyway?” Haru turned with his back this time against the railing.

“Pass-the-Hat.”

Haru nodded. “And your savings.”

Sakura shook her head vehemently. “Hell no.”

“Gears are turning in your head, and I can see you’ll fill in a part with your savings. Stop it, Haruno.”

“I’m telling you, I won’t give you a part of my savings. Anyway – “

“Anyway? There’s more?” Haru hastily looked at his watch to check the time, almost formed a reply, and thought better of it, hiding his wrist from his view.

“I saw your career sheet form. You know you could always try to apply for an athletic scholarship, right?” If she can hazard a guess, Haru may not be planning at all to proceed to college. He always has his father’s fishing business to take over back in their town.

“No association would vet for a player who only qualified for prelims on his senior year.” Haru playfully ruffled her hair, the gesture she thought was once forgotten between them. “So don’t feel sorry for me. I already have Hinata to deal with.”

“You sound so pessimistic when you’re just going away for a year until she decides to follow you. Your story’s almost like a fairytale,” Sakura scoffed.

“First of all, long distance relationships don’t work and second and last of all, there’s her father to think about.” Haru let out a long sigh. “Believe me, Sakura, I want to make it work, but I feel like the distance between us had already set in even before I go.”

--------------------------------

Haru was right. While Pass-the-Hat garnered lots of amounts enough to shoulder the logistics of the training of the baseball team before the semis, there wasn’t enough to pay for their new equipment. She could ask the teachers, but she knew Haru and the coach have already asked for prior favors. At the last minute before the trip got cancelled, Sakura anonymously put in two-thirds of her savings into the donations pool which the captain got wind of and somehow reached Kakashi.

While she was successful in avoiding him for the first few days of the school trip while Naruto and his team was in Fukuoka, he caught her alone as she was reading the markers outside the walls of a castle.

“Haruno Sakura.” His voice startled her. She turned around, like a good student that she was, and waved a bit too enthusiastically. “Mind telling me why you won’t talk to me outside of our council meetings? Did I say any directive that offended you or overworked you? I need to have an open communication with you kids.”

Kids. “Ah, I was just a little busy these past weeks,” Sakura assured him. She nervously fidgeted with his rubber band that was still on her wrist. His eyes followed her movements, and she hid them quickly behind her back, afraid of what he would say if he realized.

“I heard from the principal that he greenlighted your personal project, and that you will be presenting this to the board next week for a possible funding. You accomplished that on top of the feats you pulled to bring the baseball team to the semis.” As Kakashi recounted her accomplishments, she couldn’t help the blush that rose to her cheeks. She was finding it difficult to say an excuse right now. “So I’m returning your personal donation.”

Sakura stared at him directly, never mind the raven irises that drowned her in undivided attention. “What?” He smiled, highlighting even more his mole, and she gasped, breathless at the sight.

“Don’t worry your pretty head over these things. You’re too young for this. I’ll have the funds downloaded to your bank, all right.” Kakashi patted her head softly and disappeared in the meandering crowds.

She slapped the rubber band against the thin skin of her wrist repeatedly. She didn’t know whether she should feel grateful that her savings were back or feel angry that she was patronized because of her age. Didn’t Kakashi know that teenagers grow up faster than their actual age and that she had every right to worry her pretty head? When will he start seeing her as she was?

Her self-deprecating thoughts ran awry when someone took hold of her wrist that has gone red from the slap of the rubber band.

For someone who alternated between being grim-faced or stoic, Sasuke’s hand was gentle and kind. She knew that ever since she saw him in the café, all the good things in him seeping out through cracks in his wall. Right now, she knew he was worried about the supportless baseball team.

“They’re losing, aren’t they?” Sakura suppressed the overwhelming emotions from her earlier interaction with Kakashi and concocted a plan in her head.

She coordinated with the guides and had them add a stop at the baseball field at Fukuoka for one last hurrah for the team.

--------------------------------

Thirty minutes later, their school witnessed how the top teams decimated Naruto’s team. No innings won, batters relentless, and Haru got injured. Sakura, sensing the dampened atmosphere among the student body, rallied yells, earning surprised looks from the team members.

Through the crowds, Sasuke saw Hinata, her fingers twirling the ends of her long braid, and her eyes scanning the place for her boyfriend…until her gaze shifted to Naruto. He traversed the space to stand beside her, breaking his own rule to remain uninvolved in other people’s affairs.

But he owed this to Naruto and Haru who never failed to include him in after practice dinners and effectively kept the gaping depression in his apartment away.

“Your boyfriend has a broken arm, but you’re looking at Naruto.” He said, even before he could announce his presence to her.

Hinata turned her face to him and repeated his words. “My boyfriend has a broken arm but I cannot look at broken limbs for too long. Thanks for pointing that out.”

“There’s a second statement after my but.”

“Hmm, my eyes just probably gravitated to him unknowingly. But it couldn’t be helped, right? He just has this bright, sunshine energy.” Hinata shrugged, seemingly confused by her words as well.

Sasuke wanted to prod more but her eyes narrowed at something behind him. When he glanced back, he saw Sakura stood in tiptoes as she hugged a downtrodden Naruto. If he wasn’t so sad, he would have blushed and awkwardly pushed his crush away, but for this instance, he choked back his sobs and eventually cried on her shoulder.

“Maybe the student council can also support other teams which are gearing up for nationals. You may suffer backlash if favoritism becomes obvious.”

He scoffed at Hinata’s advice. “I’ll tell our student council president that.”

Sasuke made his way to the blonde and pinkette, his arms engulfing both of their heads in a very rare hug. He felt Sakura stiffen beneath him while Naruto changed shoulders and cried openly against Sasuke’s shirt.

This he didn’t mind, as long as both of their faces were hidden from her view.

AO3 LINK | NEXT CHAPTER | CHAPTER 7

[viktormaru]

Ok heres another 3 am indepth analysis that doesnt really come from anywhere or was asked for, but I think Kakashi’s teaching method is pretty consistent with his character and story.

I mean, when he’s teaching it seems he likes throwing a problem out, giving the basics and then going “now figure it out.” Which can sound kinda bad because... well, he’s not really providing much guidance there. But he wants his students to really figure it out. It’s that whole “if you learn how to figure things out by yourself, you will be able to do so when i’m not there to help” kind of mindset. I think he just wants his students to learn how to solve problems by themselves so they don’t depend on him, after all, who knows when he’ll die? They need to be ready then.

Also because that’s how kakashi had to go through his life. With his father’s death he had to figure out on his own how to be a ninja, with obito’s death he had to figure out on his own how to use the sharingan, with minato’s death he had to figure out on his own how to be an anbu without dying. He was always put in a position of idependence, and even though he tried his best to be a reliable teammate, he ended up doing a lot of his learning without relying on someone else.

So we get this weird sensei kakashi (which was a job he didnt even wanted to take on) where he’s trying to encourage independency while trying to convey the message that he can be relied on (“i’ll never leave a teammate behind”) . Which becomes that whole “i’ll pretend i don’t care but i’m actually paying attention from far away” kind of overlooking which isnt exactly ideal dksjjsa... i figure that kakashi also thinks ppl learn like him, from how he talks to naruto in his element training ( the part where he says “sensei is sorry” for making the explanation too confusing).

So thats how he teaches. I mean, we see him trying to explain some things out (or make sakura explain them sksjsa) and when naruto got frustrated he did listen to his concern and tried to make him think a way around it (“looking left while looking right? Like this?”), but he really does leave it to them to truly figure out problem solving on their own, which would work if they all learned like him. Feels a bit lonely though, even though sensei cares (bringing naruto healthy food in his home unprompted?) he pretends he doesnt.

Also goes along with their first combat scenario where kakashi just pretended to be dead to test how they’d do without him (morbid mother fucker must be always thinking like “well when i die they need to be ready to keep moving on”), he wants his students to trust and depend on him but not too much they need him when he’s gone i guess

[magnustesla]

Kakairu Fanfic - If You Fall, I Will Catch You

Rating: Explicit

Content Warning: Mental health issues, explicit sex

Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, Cuddles, Injury Recovery, Non Penetrative Sex, Frottage, Rimming, Established Relationship, Light Angst, Panic Attacks

Short Chapter Excerpt: Iruka may have fallen back to sleep, lulled by the gentle sound of water running from Kakashi's shower but, it was not a pleasant sleep. He was plagued by a nightmare that felt like it was never ever going to go away, constantly stuck in a loop, replaying that fateful evening over and over as though he were trapped in a cruel genjutsu.

Fanart by @i-drive-a-nii-san

Read the whole fic below this cut:

The morning light trickled into the bedroom, creeping through the gap in the curtains, slowly making its way across Iruka's pillow, reflecting off his dark chocolate strands of hair before settling over his face as the morning sun rose up into the sky.

Iruka scrunched his eyes shut even tighter, pressing his face further into the pillow, trying to keep the sun out of his eyes. “Hmnn, too early. Kashi?” he mumbled quietly into his pillow. “Are you awake?”

No answer.

Turning his head, he looked over to where Kakashi slept, where he should be right now. Iruka furrowed his brows and just before he was about to start panicking, he heard the distinct sound of water running in the bathroom.

Calm down Iruka. He's just gone for a shower. You're okay and you're safe. He let out a breath that he didn't realise he was even holding and let the sound of running water calm his frayed nerves as he drifted back off to sleep.

****

Iruka may have fallen back to sleep, lulled by the gentle sound of water running from Kakashi's shower but, it was not a pleasant sleep. He was plagued by a nightmare that felt like it was never ever going to go away, constantly stuck in a loop, replaying that fateful evening over and over as though he were trapped in a cruel genjutsu.

Everything felt so real. The cool evening breeze blowing over his skin, the sharp sting of kunai biting into flesh. And the absolute horror and fear as he surged forward to cover Naruto as the giant fuma shuriken embedded itself into his spine.

And then, he screamed.

“Iruka…”

As he came to and realised he was being held down, panic set in. Iruka felt like he couldn't breathe, as though something was constricting around his chest getting tighter and tighter on each exhale. Where's Kakashi? H... He promised he'd always be here. A strangled sob escaped his throat and then the tears started to fall. All he could hear was the sound of his heart rapidly thumping and then… singing, a soft voice cut through the haze of panic and the sound of blood rushing in his ears.

“Can you save me now? I am with you, I will carry you through it all.”

Iruka took a shuddering breath and felt calm washing over him. He knew that voice.

“I won't leave you, I will catch you, when you feel like letting go…”

He felt fingers carefully carding through his hair as he listened to that beautiful voice. Kakashi. He was with right there with Iruka, catching him and helping him through his trauma.

“Because you're not, you're not alone…,” Kakashi sang gently. “I'm here, Ru. Always.”

Turning his head towards the voice, Iruka looked through teary eyes and up into the face of his fiance who continued stroking his hair, smiling softly. Warmth flooded Iruka's veins upon seeing that smile, the panic and tension completely washing away, leaving his body feeling tired and absolutely wrung out.

“Kashi, I-” Iruka hiccuped, his hands clutching desperately at Kakashi's top. “I'm sorry.”

“Why are you apologising, Ru? You don't have anything to be sorry for.” Kakashi cupped Iruka’s face, gently brushing away the tears with his thumbs as they began to fall again. “Shhh, it’s okay.”

Iruka tried to push up onto his elbows, wanting a kiss but, the searing pain along his back stopped him in his tracks, making him wince.

“Iruka, stop moving. You might tear your incision if you haven't already. Lay still and let me look,” Kakashi ordered, pulling up Iruka's pajama top to expose the injury.

“Is it okay, Kakashi?” Iruka asked. He felt Kakashi tense up behind him, killing intent suddenly flooding the bedroom and then vanishing just as quick.

“Not quite,” he ground out, clearly trying to keep his voice level whilst he assessed the small amount of damage that Iruka had done during his panic attack. “The wound has reopened slightly in the middle but, the staples are still in place. I think I can heal it.” Bringing his hand directly over the wound, Kakashi let chakra flow to his hand, the green healing light of the mystical palm technique glowing softly as Iruka's skin started to knit back together.

Iruka fisted the bed sheets, a soft whine escaping his throat as he felt the healing jutsu taking effect. It had been four weeks since Mizuki had injured him and although it still hurt, the physical pain was much less than the emotional pain of betrayal. Mizuki had been his friend since they were kids and, while they had grown apart in recent years, he never once imagined that he would literally stab him in the back.

“I can hear you thinking. Stop blaming yourself, Ru. You couldn't have known that he would turn traitor. Thanks to you, Naruto is alive and safe.” Kakashi let the healing jutsu in his hand fade out. “All done. Please be careful, we don't need it opening up again.”

Kakashi pulled Iruka's pajama top back down and helped to carefully manoeuvre him over and onto his back, head propped up with soft feather pillows.

“Thanks, Kashi. Do you think Naruto is okay? I'm worried about him.”

“Maa, he's fine. I saw him yesterday at Ichiraku’s, stuffing his face. He told me to tell you that you need to get better quick so that you can take him out for ramen.”

Iruka chuckled and shook his head, a small smile gracing his tear-stained face. “Sounds about right.” And, at the mention of food, his stomach grumbled loudly.

“I'd hazard a guess that someone is hungry, ne?”

Iruka's face flushed fiercely and, try as he might, he couldn't will the blood away from his beet red cheeks. The more he tried to get his blush under control, the worse it got and before he knew it, his entire face and chest felt like it was on fire, burning with embarrassment.

A smile split Kakashi's face, both eyes crinkling in amusement. “Maa, no need to be so embarrassed. You never blush when you're enjoying me eating your-”

“Kakashi! Does your mind ever leave the gutter?”

Grinning, Kakashi shrugged his shoulders, adopting his usual slouch, and sauntered lazily out of the bedroom, heading to the kitchen to make breakfast.

The faint clanging of plates and saucepans from the kitchen had Iruka drifting into his thoughts. He would never admit it but, he enjoyed Kakashi's teasing. The man was smart, funny, and very quick-witted; something that he really enjoyed in a partner. Iruka found that very few people stimulated his mind like Kakashi.

After his parents died, the Third Hokage had taken Iruka under his wing, teaching him about everything and anything. It kept his mind busy and helped him work through his crushing depression. It was also the reason Kakashi had come into his life; accidentally catching the teen ANBU in a complex trap that he'd learned from one of the scrolls that had been gifted to him. Iruka would forever be grateful for everything that the Hokage had done for him.

The bed dipped next to Iruka, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“I made your favourite breakfast,” Kakashi said. “Miso soup, pan seared salmon and one of those oranges that you love. You know, from that little village on the border before The Land of Hot Water.” He slid the tray of food onto Iruka's lap and helped him sit up, carefully slinging an arm behind Iruka to take the strain off his still healing back.

“What would I do without you?”

“Probably starve.” Kakashi laughed, disappearing into back the kitchen and returning to sit next to Iruka with his own tray of food.

Iruka rolled his eyes and couldn't help but laugh, too. They ate in silence, Iruka occasionally stealing a sneaky glance at his fiance, eyes roaming across the pale skin on show. What did I do to deserve someone as special and beautiful as you? For as long as he was alive, Iruka fully intended to make sure that Kakashi knew how much he was loved and appreciated.

****

“It won’t stop, Kashi,” Iruka whined, desperately trying to contort himself in a way that would allow him to reach his back injury. The staples had been irritating his skin to the point where, if he could reach, he would have most likely scratched himself until he bled.

Kakashi tilted his head at Iruka’s comment, wordlessly asking him to elaborate.

“The itching,” Iruka said.

He continued frantically trying to reach behind himself when all of a sudden, calloused hands gripped his arms, tugging them both forward and pulling him against a solid chest. Iruka looked up to find to mismatched eyes glaring down at him in irritation. “I only healed that an hour ago, Ru,” Kakashi grumbled, his deep voice rumbling in obvious displeasure.

“Why couldn't Tsunade have just healed the entire thing with chakra? The staples are irritating and itching so much,” Iruka complained, pouting and looking every bit like a scolded child.

“You know why, Ru. It's better for your body to finish the rest of the healing rather than rely on chakra for the entire thing,” Kakashi said as he brushed Iruka’s hair back and placed a soft kiss to his forehead.

Iruka understood the reasoning. After all, he had spent a lot of time caring for Kakashi due to the number of injuries he had sustained over the years. But, despite that, being forced to rest, unable to do anything for himself was a huge loss of independence. Sure, Kakashi had been more than happy to help and seemed to enjoy fussing over him but, he couldn’t help feeling like a burden.

With a sigh, Kakashi released Iruka and leaned over to his side of the bed, rummaging through his nightstand. “Hmmm, where is it? I'm sure I put it in here,” he said, sounding irritated.

“Where’s what?” Iruka asked, trying to peek over Kakashi’s shoulder at what he was searching for.

“My jar of healing cream. Ah found it! Now, strip down to your underwear and get on your stomach,” Kakashi demanded, a small smirk on his face.

Iruka started pulling his clothes off, first sliding his sleep shorts down his thighs, then kicking them to the floor in a heap. He went to take his pajama top off but paused, his breath quickening. Kakashi had seen his body after being taken to hospital but, he'd mostly been covered by bandages. He had only seen Iruka's back for the second time this morning.

The night that Mizuki had attacked him, it hadn't just been with the giant fuma shuriken. Dozens of kunai, some poisoned, had pierced his skin, leaving behind many deep, red, angry scars that littered his entire body, especially his arms, stomach, and back. A few of the wounds had become necrotic from the poison, eating away at his flesh and needing debridement, leaving extensive scarring behind.

Iruka's mouth was suddenly very dry, his stomach lurching and breakfast threatening to make a reappearance. He knew what his body looked like now and had been disgusted by what he’d seen. What if Kakashi was disgusted, too?

His heart started racing, hands shaking and clutching at the hem of his pajama top as though it were his only lifeline. Suddenly, there were warm hands on his, gently easing his grip and lacing their fingers together.

“I could never be disgusted, Ru.”

Shit. Had he said that out loud?

“Scars don't matter. They are a part of you and there isn't anything about you that I don't love. You're beautiful to me and nothing will ever change that,” Kakashi whispered and brought Iruka's hand up to his mouth, lips brushing across his knuckles. He continued, pressing kisses to the scars along the inside of Iruka's forearm, right up to the inside of his elbow, hot breath fanning across the sensitive skin.

Iruka's breath hitched and his eyes fluttered shut, the sensation going straight to his groin. Never would he have thought that the inside of his elbow could be an erogenous zone. He opened his eyes to find Kakashi looking at him, gaze heated, clearly enjoying the reactions he was getting. Before Iruka could say anything, Kakashi gave a predatory grin, and suddenly there was a warm, wet, tongue tracing the crease of his elbow. “Fuck,” Iruka gasped. Kakashi had barely done anything to him, and already he was so hard that it was almost painful.

“Mmmm not just yet,” Kakashi said, voice thick with arousal. He placed a wet kiss to Iruka’s arm and pulled the top up and over his head, exposing Iruka’s gorgeous bronze skin. “On your stomach, now.”

Iruka didn’t need to be told twice and he settled down on his front, head resting on the pillow underneath. He could practically feel Kakashi’s gaze roving over his trembling body.

Kakashi leaned back on his knees, opened the jar and dipped his fingers in before returning it to the nightstand. He straddled Iruka's hips and carefully applied the cream, tracing the edges of the wound and making sure to be mindful of the staples holding the delicate skin together.

“It looks awful, doesn’t it?”

Sweeping Iruka’s long hair aside, Kakashi leaned forward and placed a kiss on his shoulder. “You could never-” Kakashi paused, kissing further down -”ever look awful.” He continued to place kisses down Iruka’s spine, pausing between each one to whisper all the reasons Iruka was beautiful.

Eager hands worked their way back up; sometimes gently tracing Iruka’s spine and other times, nails biting into unmarred flesh, raking down his sides followed by Kakashi’s tongue lavishing new scars. Being unable to see where Kakashi’s hands were, and where they would touch next, had Iruka on edge, his skin breaking out in goosebumps and his body quivering in anticipation.

It felt wonderful having Kakashi’s hands and tongue all over him, adding to the fire already burning, the heat simmering under his skin and curling low in his stomach. Before Iruka could stop himself he was pressing his hips into the mattress, desperate for a little friction to ease his aching cock.

“Someone's excited,” Kakashi teased, running his tongue along the shell of Iruka’s ear. He could feel Kakashi was hard as he began rolling his hips, pressing himself firmly against the cleft of Iruka’s ass.

Iruka was so turned on that he couldn't even begin to feel embarrassed as he reached one hand into his underwear, groaning as he took himself in hand.

They both rocked together on the bed, panting harshly; Iruka pushing his hips down into the mattress so he could grind into his hand and Kakashi straddling him, thrusting his clothed cock against Iruka's ass.

“Please, Kakashi,” Iruka begged, although he wasn't quite sure what for. All he could think about was how he was certain he'd burn up if he didn't get it.

Kakashi let out a groan and dropped forward onto both hands, his warm breath ghosting against the back of Iruka's neck. “We shouldn't,” he said. Although, his actions said otherwise, as he pulled Iruka's underwear off before sliding his own down, throwing them somewhere across the room along with his top and settled between Iruka's legs.

Iruka tried to push his hips back but, Kakashi pressed him back down into the mattress, gently spreading Iruka’s ass open and exposing him. He tried to voice his complaint but was silenced by the feeling of Kakashi's hot breath against his skin and then his tongue pressing firm, slow strokes against his entrance.

“Kashi!” Iruka gasped out, pushing back and fucking himself on Kakashi's tongue. “Just- fuck -needmoredeeper- ngh -yeslikethat.”

Kakashi spread Iruka's legs wider, his grip on Iruka’s ass almost bruising as he pressed his face closer, pushing his tongue deeper inside of Iruka's body and then used his lips to just suck.

Almost incoherent and sobbing with need, Iruka couldn't think beyond wanting Kakashi inside him. He so desperately wanted to be filled, stretched wide and to surrender to everything Kakashi had to give.

Kakashi pushed back onto his knees, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. Leaning back over Iruka, he thrust his throbbing cock between Iruka's ass cheeks and groaned against his neck. “You feel so good, Ru. I could come just like this.” He continued to thrust against Iruka's body, panting into his shoulder before his teeth sunk in, causing Iruka to cry out. “On your back. Now.”

Impatient hands helped Iruka roll over and just as he opened his mouth to talk, he was silenced by Kakashi greedily pushing his tongue inside as though he meant to consume him.

Moaning into the kiss, Iruka wrapped his legs around Kakashi's waist and pulled him close, grinding their hips together, enjoying the push and pull of sweat-slick skin. Kakashi pulled his mouth away and growled into Iruka's throat. He opened his mouth, laving his tongue against Iruka's pulse and sucked a mark into his skin. “Mine,” he growled.

Iruka slid his hands up Kakashi's neck and into his wild hair, winding fingers into silver strands and yanking him up and into a bruising kiss, teeth clacking together in his desperation to devour Kakashi.

With reluctance, Kakashi pulled away from the kiss and started to slide down Iruka's body. He paid attention to a couple of new scars just below Iruka’s collarbone, gently tracing them with his fingertips.

An unexpected flick of Kakashi's tongue against his nipple had Iruka gasping and pulling Kakashi's head closer. He looked down just in time to see Kakashi suck his nipple between kiss bruised lips, the sensation sending a bolt of desire straight to his cock. Iruka's hands tightened in Kakashi's hair, but instead of complaint at the pain, it pulled a throaty moan out of him, his eyelashes fluttering as his eyes rolled back in his head.

Iruka kept his tight grip on Kakashi's hair as though he was trying to anchor himself to something, anything, lest he float away. Wet kisses against heated flesh only served to fuel his desire as Kakashi continued working his way down, worshipping every new scar, slowly driving Iruka out of his head.

Hands gripped his hips and Iruka tilted them upwards, spreading his legs in wordless invitation. He took in a shuddering breath and gazed up at the sight before him - beautiful pale skin flushed pink and eyes blown wide in lust. Kakashi was so open like this, his body always honest even when he himself was not.

Reaching under his pillow, Iruka grabbed the lube and pressed the bottle into Kakashi's hand. “Please, I need you.”

He watched as Kakashi poured lube into his hand and shifted forward, their hard cocks brushing together as he wrapped a hand around them both, slicking them up and slowly stroking them together. Iruka gripped the sheets, knuckles turning white, enjoying the feeling of Kakashi's hand moving between their bodies.

Dropping forward onto one hand, Kakashi held himself above Iruka, lips almost touching and breaths mingling together.

Determined to pull some sounds from Kakashi, Iruka raked his nails down Kakashi's chest and tugged at both nipples, the action earning him a low groan, Kakashi stroking them harder, and picking up the pace.

“More,” Iruka choked out.

Suddenly Kakashi came to an abrupt stop, pulling one of Iruka’s hands down between them. He took the hint, curling his hand around Kakashi's. The sensation felt amazing and Iruka couldn't help but start pushing his hips up, Kakashi matching his thrusts, both fucking into their joined fists.

Trying to stifle a moan, Iruka looked up at Kakashi, desperately hoping that he was close.

He was hanging on by a thread and couldn't hold back much longer, the warmth curling low in his stomach threatening to consume him.

“I want to hear you,” Kakashi all but begged.

Curses fell from his lips followed by guttural moans, the sounds only serving to spur Kakashi on, his hips starting to lose any semblance of rhythm as he trembled above Iruka, drawing ever so close to the edge.

“I… I'm so close, fuck- ” Iruka whined, gripping them both together. - “Come for me, please, please. ”

Kakashi captured Iruka's lips in a wet and messy kiss, full of urgency as his hips started stuttering. Tracing the curve of his ass, Iruka pushed the pad of his thumb against Kakashi's entrance, enjoying the way he groaned into their kiss as he came with a grunt, his orgasm painting Iruka's scarred stomach and chest.

Seeing Kakashi come all over him was all it took to push Iruka over the edge. And then, he was coming, coming so hard it was almost painful, mouth falling open in a silent cry as his release joined Kakashi's upon his chest.

Iruka felt his entire body become boneless and suddenly he was fighting back a yawn. He looked up to find Kakashi smiling at him.

“That good, huh?” Kakashi asked, leaning in for a chaste kiss before pushing himself up and scooting to the side of the bed.

“Mmm, yes,” Iruka said. He hadn't felt this relaxed since some time before the graduation exams. Maybe Kakashi is right - sex is a good stress reliever. The thought had him snorting with laughter.

“What's so funny?” Kakashi said as he got up, heading towards the bathroom attached to their bedroom.

“Oh, nothing really. Just thinking about how you are slowly corrupting me,” Iruka called out. “You know, we were told not to have sex until my staples are out and I'm cleared by Tsunade.”

Kakashi returned with a warm, damp cloth and started to carefully clean off Iruka's chest and stomach. He was very mindful of a few scars that were still red, almost raw from slow healing. “Maa, you started it. And, who was I to say no?”

“Asshole.”

“But I'm your asshole,” Kakashi teased, joining Iruka back on the bed, pressing his naked body flush against Iruka's side and slinging an arm across his freshly cleaned chest.

Iruka huffed a laugh and turned to look at Kakashi. He would be forever thankful for how much Kakashi had supported him, even if at times he could be a little over the top, acting like a mother hen and fussing 24/7. Not that Iruka blamed him. He had almost died, after all the first 48 hours had been touch and go due to the severity of his spinal injury, blood loss and the poison coursing through his body, attacking vital organs.

Of course, he had no memory of this and could only go by what Kakashi and his friends had told him. But, according to them, he had crashed twice within an hour of being taken to the hospital. Shortly after, the medics had admitted they were out of their depth and needed help. The Third Hokage hadn't hesitated in sending a team out to locate Tsunade Senju. And thank Kami he had, because he wouldn't be alive if it hadn't been for her unrivaled medical skill.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

“Huh? Wha- Oh. Nothing, Kashi.” Iruka said. “I'm fine.”

Kakashi arched a brow, giving Iruka a skeptical look. Iruka could tell that he wasn't buying it but was thankful that Kakashi never pushed. He'd talk when he was ready.

“Hmm, if you say so,” Kakashi replied, squeezing Iruka's hand. “C’mon, let's get up and dressed.”

****

“What do you want to watch, Kashi?” Iruka asked, voice carrying from the lounge into the kitchen where Kakashi was making coffee.

“I don't mind, Ru. Whatever you want to watch is fine by me.”

Iruka decided on one of the Icha Icha films. It wasn't really his sort of thing usually but, the storyline was light-hearted with some funny moments mixed in. Definitely nothing like the books that Kakashi read which were very explicit. He didn't think he would manage to watch the films without blushing and squirming in embarrassment if they had actually followed the books. Kakashi would enjoy watching him get flustered and most certainly would tease him relentlessly. Wouldn't change him for the world, though.

“Found something to watch, Ru?”

Iruka looked up from where he was crouched in front of the television as Kakashi padded into the room, carefully placing their drinks onto the coffee table. Pressing play on the video player, he simply nodded and tried to get back up off the floor. Spending so much time laid up in hospital had atrophied his muscles and so, at times Iruka struggled to get up from the floor.

“There's nothing wrong in asking for help,” Kakashi said. He bent forward, slinging an arm around Iruka's slim waist and carefully pulled him to his feet. “You'll be starting physical therapy once you're cleared. Things won't be this way forever, Ru.”

“I just… you shouldn't have to do this.” Iruka sighed, slumping down on the sofa, burying his face in his hands. Tears started gathering and he bit back a sob.

"He's right, I'm a failure, I-" He shook his head when Kakashi began to speak. "I can't even help myself off the ground, Kakashi, why should you have to? Why should you have to help me?"

Kakashi pulled Iruka against his chest, his hands softly carding through long strands of dark hair and whispered against his temple “Because you're my partner and because I love you.” He continued stroking Iruka’s hair, the gesture soothing, helping to calm him down. “You've done this for me enough times so please, let me in. Let me love you.”

Tugging the blanket off the back of the sofa, Kakashi pulled it over Iruka, urging him to lay his head in his lap as he began to sing softly. “I won't leave you, I will catch you, when you feel like letting go…”

Iruka looked up and almost choked up at the fond smile and the absolute warmth and sincerity he could see in Kakashi's eyes. Maybe, just maybe he means it.

“Because you're not, you're not alone…,”

“Thank you, Kashi,” Iruka whispered, eyes heavy as he drifted off to the sound of his partners voice.

What would I do without you?

[365daysofsasuhina]

[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day Two Hundred Thirty-One: An Accessory ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata, Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura ] [ SasuHina, NaruSaku ] [ Verse: A Light Amongst Shadows ] [ AO3 Link ]

When it comes to her appearance, Hinata has always stuck to the basics. Never has she been the sort of girl to dress up or look flashy. If anything, she’s more comfortable and content to blend into the background. Whether it’s her no-effort hair (unless she gets a wild hare to put it up in a ponytail), baggy clothes (she’s not keen on being too straightforward given her body shape), or her lack of accessories, she simply keeps herself low-maintenance.

In a way, she envies the other girls her age. Ino has always been so fashion conscious. With hardly any effort, she can put together an ensemble that sweeps people off their feet. Glamor without going overboard. Even her hair is more lustrous than Hinata’s own: the long golden tail is far more eye-catching than Hinata’s plain dark locks. Sakura’s choppy, rosy strands get more attention despite their lack of upkeep, too.

Sometimes, she wishes she could be pretty. Be out there. But between her self-conscious nature, and shyness at being noticed, she’s not sure she could ever actually handle putting any more effort into her appearance. The dual feelings of wanting attention and yet being leery of it can be rather...depressing.

But, in the end, she keeps to her typical habits. She’s been this way all her life, after all. Why change? It’s not like there’s anyone she wants to attract, anyway. Naruto, after all, has always set his gaze elsewhere...and her actions never swayed that. Not enough, at least. Already it’s evident he and his female teammate are romantically involved...even if neither has the heart to tell her.

She remembers the rosette offering the possibility of seeking companionship with her own teammates: Kiba, or maybe Shino. And yet, that idea wrinkled the Hyūga’s nose. For quite some time, the pair have been far more like family...like older brothers that both tease and bolster her, snapping at anyone who gives her trouble. She’s not sure she could ever set that aside and attempt to have something...more with either of them. It just wouldn’t feel right.

Beyond that...she really has no clue.

But Fate has different ideas...and starts placing someone specific in front of her.

It started with the whole of team seven. Sasuke, newly returned for his brother’s reappearance, begrudgingly spent time with them...even if that meant mostly being a third wheel as Naruto and Sakura get a bit involved with one another’s company.

And given her friendship with the pair, that often left Hinata as wheel number four. At first, she thought little of it. Having been made privy to Sasuke’s circumstances due to mutual acquaintances, she already knew much of what had transpired in his past...and how it still affected his present. In the same vein, she was one of the few able to understand...and willing to move on. True, the pair had been relative strangers before he left, but if anything that served in her favor. Sasuke held no ill will against her. They had a fresh slate from which to start.

And then came the alliance with the Hyūga. As Itachi’s future hung in the balance with his prior convictions held over his head, it was the other dōjutsu clan that was called for help. But her bloodline have always been shrewd...and then arranged for an alliance. Sasuke had rebelled against the idea, but eventually acquiesced at Itachi’s urging.

Thus, Hinata and Sasuke seemed almost unable to get away from each other. She served as the liaison between the two clans...mostly because it was she the Uchiha knew (and tolerated) best.

With that, Hinata conceded, and accepted that she and Sasuke were simply apt to bump into each other more often than not.

Like today, for example.

Yet again, Naruto and Sakura have invited them both out for a day of catching up. Naruto has been busy learning under both Tsunade and Kakashi. Sakura has been gearing up to take a leading position in the hospital. Hinata’s work with her clan and the Uchiha has kept her busy, as it has Sasuke. So the four have had little time left over to simply spend together.

So, they’ve taken to wandering an outdoor market. The weather is fine, not too hot yet, and they peruse the goods alongside a small crowd of people. The more boisterous pair are at the front, Sakura openly ogling as Naruto looks sadly to his frog wallet. Behind them, the others aren’t really as interested, mostly just taking in the sights. Sasuke isn’t one much for stuff, and Hinata’s frugal habits mean avoiding most anything not terribly necessary.

“Ooh, Hinata! Look at this!”

Attention caught as Sakura waves her over, Hinata steps up and takes a peek.

“Isn’t it beautiful? It looks just your style!”

An ornate hair clip - silver adorned with white doves - rests atop a small stand, gleaming in the light. Hinata’s eyes go a little wide. It is extremely pretty...and also very expensive. “Oh, well...I-I’ve never really worn hair a clip before…”

“Don’t you have that dove print kimono? You could wear it to the matsuri next month! It would be so perfect, Hinata! Don’t you think?”

“W-well, I…”

“You should get it.”

At once, all three of the others turn to look at Sasuke. Blank-faced, he looks back. “...what?”

“Didn’t think you’d have an opinion about hair clips, Sasuke,” Naruto muses, a brow perking.

“Am I not allowed to?”

“Well, no, but…”

“I-I’m not sure if I should spend the money,” Hinata quickly cuts in, not wanting to spark one of the boys’ many arguments. “It is very pretty, but...I don’t really need it.”

“Aww, boo,” Sakura replies, lips pursing in a pout. “It would go so well with that outfit!”

“Yeah, well...m-maybe next time.”

With that, Sakura shrugs and moves to the next booth, Naruto right on her tail. Hinata can’t help a small sigh of relief.

“...do you like it?”

“Eh?” Turning as Sasuke speaks, Hinata blinks at him. “W...what?”

“The hair clip. Do you like it?”

“Well, I...I guess I do, but -”

“I could get it for you.”

Flustered color quickly blooms in Hinata’s face. “Oh, n-no! Sasuke-kun, please don’t. It’s so expensive, and -”

“But you want it.”

“I...I said I like it, not that...I want it.”

The Uchiha perks a brow. “...what’s the difference?”

“Well...I can like something but not want to get it. I don’t, um...I don’t really wear hair clips, anyway. I wouldn’t use it enough to justify the cost.”

That doesn’t seem to clarify much for him, but Sasuke doesn’t push the issue. “...all right then.” With that said, he keeps walking, Hinata following suit...with just one last little backward glance to the clip.

No, Hinata...you don’t need it. Leave it alone.

By the end of the day, it completely slips her mind. There’s far more important things to worry about, after all. Embroiled back into her work, she forgets about the little exchange entirely, and life goes on.

And then, the matsuri arrives.

As per usual, the four of them agree to go together. By then, it’s long since been accepted (and explained) that Naruto and Sakura are, indeed, an official couple. Though a bit somber about it at first, Hinata quickly finds herself glad for them. Happy that Naruto’s affections are finally returned, and that her friends have someone to rely on.

Though it does make for the typical arrangement of Hinata and Sasuke feeling more like tagalongs than part of a group…

Sighing lightly to herself, Hinata brushes back hair behind her ear as they wait in line at a food stall. Naruto is having difficulty choosing, which is holding up the queue.

“...Hyūga.”

“Hm?” Turning, she startles a bit as Sasuke holds out a piece of folded cloth. “...um -?”

“Here.”

Blinking, she accepts, feeling something within the fabric. A few tugs later, she brightens. “...Sasuke-kun, you…?”

“I knew you wanted it, so I got it. Figured I’d just make it a matsuri present.”

Going a bit pink, Hinata carefully retrieves the dove clip. “...you didn’t have to do that…”

“I wanted to.”

Moving to use it, Hinata fumbles for a moment before stilling as he urges it from her hand, able to see what he’s doing. Carefully, he pins back her hair. “...there. It really does match your kimono.”

Still pink, her head bows shyly. “...thank you…”

“...you’re welcome.”

When the other two are finally finished in line, Sakura quickly notices the change. “Oh, you got it?”

“Um, well…actually, I -”

“Looks good,” Sasuke offers, cutting off her explanation.

After a pause, she realizes his intention. “...thanks.”

“You should wear your hair like that more often, Hinata,” Naruto offers, mouth full of food.

A small smile pulls at her lips. “...maybe I will.”

                                                        .oOo.

     I won’t lie...this one took some thinking, lol - neither Hinata nor Sasuke really seem the sort to indulge in accessories, but...well, maybe they would if the other gets something for them x3      Sneaky Sasuke, picking up that clip...! Pretty smooth there, guy...even if maybe he doesn’t quite fully realize what he just did, haha!      Buuut yeah, that’ll do it from me tonight! Thanks for reading n_n

[percontaion-points]

Naruto Fanfics (10/30/21)

Only Naruto fanfics. New stuff is marked with a [NEW] before it.

Naruto

Icha Icha Kakashi by Ninja Shen

Description:

fic trade, one shot. Limey undertones. Kakashi doesn't spy on girls. At least, not with his eyes.

Words:

2474

Timeline:

Normal

Pairing:

None

Rating:

Mature

Warnings:

Voyurism, mentions of porn consumption

Push Pops by Mahi-Mahi Description: Sakura attempts to break Kakashi's concentration while training. Will she succeed? Will he be able to resist? Words: 6102 Timeline: I don't know Pairing: Kakashi/Sakura Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic sex

Blank Canvas by desolate butterfly Description: [InoKankuro, smut] Paint is Kankuro's specialty, but Ino knows just how to use his own weapons against him. Words: 1047 Timeline: Normal? Pairing: Ino/Kankuro Rating: Mature Warnings: Slightly graphic sex

Lady Thief by Lady Kaliska Description: Some dream of beautiful, flawless jewels and usually someday is given an expensive token of appreciation from their beloved. But one little pink haired trickster steals said jewels from those unaware... Beware she who is blessed by the Trickster god. Words: 98928 Timeline: Thief AU Pairing: Sakura/Itachi Minor: Naruto/Hinata, Tsunade/Jiraiya Rating: Mature Warnings: Violence, some sexual innuendo I also must warn that there are a lot of spelling and grammatical mistakes, but I think that it's worth it because of the great story

Storybook by moodiful819 Description: When Sakura was given her first godmother assignment, she had been expecting a lonely young orphan with evil step-relatives who was friends with mice. What she got instead was a perverted, unmarried, over-the-hill prince. Kakasaku. -Cover by dimisfit- Words: 6715 Timeline: Fairy godmother AU Pairing: Kakashi/Rin, Kakashi/Sakura Rating: Teen Warnings: Just some randomy fluffy-stuffs

The Kekkei Genkai of Haruno Sakura by swbooker Description: When Sakura turns 21, she must marry or face death. Thank God she's got Minato: the Love Guru there to help her make sense of it all. Words: 22792 Timeline: Please don't ask me this, as I stopped paying attenion to canon a long time ago... Pairing: Kakashi/Sakura, minor side pairings Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic sex, injury but it's more like how it is on the show

Shotgun Wedding by MLWood Description: Marrying your team leader just isn't done, in fact it is pretty much forbidden, so when Tsunade needs to send Team 7 on a mission to infiltrate an enemy compound, forcing Kakashi and Sakura to marry and then have them run away together, works in her favor. Of course the boys will follow them, even into banishment. Words: 46,319 Timeline: ?????? Pairing: Kakashi/Sakura Rating: Mature Warnings: Sex, violence but it's kind of like on the show

The President by lRinna Description: Haruno Sakura is a hard-working doctor at a prestigious hospital, whose life is about to be turned around by the arrival of a mysterious new Hospital President, Uchiha Itachi. Workplace romance is never easy between two professionals, especially when both are workaholics. They say it takes a village to raise a child, but it takes a hospital to put these two together. A cute Hospital AU inspired by many romcoms, perfect for your fluff needs. Words: 30,024 Timeline: A hospital AU Pairing: Sakura/Itachi, minor background pairings of Ino/Shikamaru and Naruto/Hinata Rating: T Warnings: Sakura gets her throat cut at one point, but she's okay. Also mentions of drug abuse and the like.

Where it Happened by Sariasprincy Description: He was the new head of Cardio and her new boss, and though she thought him a little full of himself, it seemed there was more to the famed Uchiha Itachi than he led on. Not that she could claim her life was that uncomplicated as well. ItaSaku. Modern AU. Grey's Anatomy AU. Rated M for mentions of adult themes. Words: 98k+ Timeline: A hospital AU. She says that it's Gray's Anatomy, but it could be any sort of hospital drama Pairing: Sakura/Itachi, mentions of past Sakura/Gaara, minor background pairing of Ino/Shikamaru Rating: M Warnings: It's got vivid descriptions of various medical/surgical stuff. So if watching a medical show grosses you out, probably not the best Minor but intense mentions of past emotional abuse/manipuation Graphic sex

Succumb by Astroavis Description: Sakura had always known that Sasuke was going to be her alpha. Or at least she had thought. When Sasuke's rejection of her leaves her heartbroken, Sakura dedicates her life to becoming a medical ninja and shoves aside any lingering hope that she would one day find her mate. Until a chance encounter changes her and her life forever. A/O/B dynamics Words: 17k+ Timeline: Everything is the same except for some ABO dynamics Pairing: Sakura/Itachi Rating: M Warnings: Graphic sex that doesn't quite seem to understand how the human body works, but sure...

A Gift Horse by darth-healer Description: Itachi learns not to look a gift horse in the mouth. Sakura learns she's had her eye on the wrong Uchiha this whole time. ItaSaku NonMassacre Words: 98k+ Timeline: AU where the Uchiha massacre never happened Pairing: Sakura/Itachi Rating: M Warnings: Graphic sex, talk about pedophilia and underaged/trafficked hookers, violence but it's like on the show

Scar Tissue by TipsyRaconteur Description: She comes to him on the type of day that he has way too often—the type of day that almost breaks a man—and she asks him to let her take care of him. And just like that, he starts to let her in, without ever even meaning to. (For KakaSaku Month 2018 Healing Prompt.) Words: 7952 Timeline: After Kakashi became Hokage Pairing: Sakura/Kakashi Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic sex

A Study in Movement Description: Being a single mom is tough; Sakura knows this. She juggles taking care of her 12- year- old, working as a nurse technician and oh, right- she's a stripper too. It's not an easy life, but it's the best she can do given what she has. What she isn't prepared for is Sarada's handsome teacher who she meets at the parent/teacher conference, as well as his surprise appearance at the strip club she preforms at one evening with his friends. What up here's a modern stripper AU. kakasaku Complete Words: 53626 Timeline: Stripper/teacher AU Pairing: Kakashi/Sakura, past Sakura/Sauske that's an important plot point Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic sex, some violence, dubcon There is one graphic sex scene with Sakura/Sauske and I'm warning you in advance if that pairing makes your skin crawl like it does for me. However... guess which scene is the dubcon.

When the Night Comes by Alien_Writes Description: Vampires didn’t exist. At least, that’s what Sakura had always assumed. But, after being attacked by a man who had definitely been dead, she wasn’t too sure. Throw in the strange changes she had been going through and the masked man who refused to leave her alone, and Sakura was becoming aware that nightmares were, in fact, real. Words: 219581 Timeline: Vampire AU Pairing: Kakashi/Sakura, it's also tagged with Ino/Shikamaru but we never actually see that... Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic and slightly disturbing violence (way more than on the original show), sex

Konoha Guide to Abandonded Places by ThisCatastrophe Description: Sakura can't forget about Sasuke. It's the middle of summer and she's feeling abandoned. All that keeps her afloat is the hope that Sasuke will send her a letter sometime soon, but that hasn't happened in months. She can only throw herself into her work. Though at least she has an unlikely friend to rely on. (ShinoSaku hurt/comfort slice of life. Some sad teens watching summer roll by and figuring themselves out.) Words: 12988 Timeline: I think that they're like teenagers? IDK Pairing: Sakura/Shino, lots of mentions of Sakura/Sasuke but he never makes a physical appearance Rating: Teen Warnings: A lot of angst over Sasuke being a dickweed but what else is new

i guess i'm stuck with me by moonvalentine Description: They're both used to being quiet, socially inept, and alone. Maybe now they can do so together. Words: 19523 Timeline: It goes from the time that they're children past the 4th war Pairing: Shino/Hinata, minor of Tenten/Neji Rating: General Warnings: Just some kissing and hand-holding. Those sluts.

Sowing the Seeds by Jan Lee Description: [NOVEL.] [COMPLETE.] In the beginning, Ino didn't think Shino even knew she existed. Shino strives to attract Ino's attention after years of seemingly cold silence. Both must endure meddling and judgmental family and friends. Ino-centric/Shino-centic. Slow-burning. Citrus. AUish, set after Fourth Shinobi War. Hands-down the best romance story I've ever written. Words: 263,030 Timeline: It's after the war, but slightly AU Pairing: Shino/Ino Rating: M Warnings: Sex, violence like on the show, abusive and emotionally manipulative parents

The One Night Henge by The.Cherry.Bloosom1 Description: What happens when two people with an unpleasant history are able to see each other through different eyes? They learn things that they never would have and feel things for each other they never thought they could. Thanks, CherryBerry12 for being such a great beta. Words: 62k+ Timeline: After the end of the series but slightly to the left lol Pairing: Sakura/Kakashi, Ino/Genma Rating: M Warnings: Graphic sex, Naruto-related violence

1NEW1 Another Life by bluefurcape (pretty kid) Description: Sometimes you start wondering about what could have been... Words: 52800 Timeline: Post start of Baruto, partly AU in a world-jumping sort of way Pairing: Kakashi/Sakura, Sakura/Sasuke (it's pretty major, if that's a turn-off for you) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic sex between both Sakura/Kakashi as well as Sakura/Sasuke. Cheating, if that's not your thing.

1NEW1 Ten Weeks by al_holland Description: He had a teasing remark on the tip of his tongue, poised to taunt her into making the first move out of this playful dance and toward their bed, but the words died on his lips as her hand drifted from his chest to her own belly. “How far along?” he asked, though he had a feeling he already knew. Her smirk sweetened into a smile. “Ten weeks.” Sakura returns from a long haul mission with some big news. Words: 9555 Timeline: Who knows Pairing: Kakashi/Sakura Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic sex, pregnancy/breeding fetish that should probably warn about

1NEW1 Take My Picture by moor Description: Modern sugar daddy/cam girl MadaSaku AU. Tumblr Prompt: Sakura is secretly a cam girl that Madara loyally follows... Naruto DILF/MILF Week 2021 fic. Prompts: Sugar Mommy/Daddy - #SugarMommyDaddy, Magazine Spread/Photoshoot - #CaptureMeOnCamera Words: 23116 Timeline: Modern AU Pairing: Sakura/Madara, very minor mentions of Izuna/Sakura and Itachi/Sakura Rating: Mature Warnings: Sex, sex work

[kusunogatari-a]

[ Welcome Home ] [ @kyuuzuchiha ] [ Suigin Ryū, Uchiha Sasuke, Tsunade, Hatake Kakashi ] [ Verse: Ryū no Ryokan ]

When everything is said and done, she’s just glad she has a home to return to.

After a string of struggles - what parts of Sasuke’s training they had the time for; hunting Itachi; the subsequent seeking of revenge against Danzō, the Kage; the war…Ryū is exhausted. Never in her life did she guess a simple medic would get involved with anything of such a scale…let alone survive it all.

So after the finale, Sasuke’s trial, and the tentative re-settling of the world…she wants nothing more than to just go home. Not to the little house in Konoha. She can’t go back. Not after everything Sasuke went through…everything she learned about the village that put him and his family through Hell. Where she never really felt she belonged, anyway. Konoha may not be completely evil - simply where a few had put their roots - but nor can it be home.

The travels with Hebi, rechristened Taka, led to changes in the medic she never thought she’d face. Though she still feels much, overall, the same person…there’s still a knowing that she’s not.

Once Sasuke is cleared of his charges and given back his reins, there’s a handful of years he simply…disappears. But not in a way unexpected - if anything, she more than understands. If she herself can’t bring herself to stay…however could he? And though he left without warning, she knows why he didn’t say goodbye.

Because he won’t be gone forever. Because there’s no need to say farewell with the understanding between them. He’ll come back. It’s just a matter of when. When he’s ready.

In turn, Ryū insists on relocating. Despite Tsunade’s arguments and Kakashi’s appeals, she refuses to back down. Konoha needs rebuilding. Replanting. Its roots have been shaken and what grows again must be better than before. And though she could be useful…she’s tired. Tired of being useful. There’s a promise to return…someday. Impermanently. But after so long of calling home a second place to live…she knows it’s time to go back, and regrow her own roots.

The time alone is spent as it was during her training. Caring for the manor, reinvigorating the remnants of the village she needs to survive. It has everything she needs, if only she gives the effort.

And all the while, she waits.

It’s in the Spring two years after the war’s end, up to her knees in the paddies along the river, that the shrill cry of a hawk widens her eyes and lifts her head. The avian circles and spirals down before carefully alighting upon a proffered arm, extending a message-bearing leg.

Short, and to the point.

I’m coming home

A few days later, the tripwires beneath the torī gate echo with a body’s passing, and they’ve hardly begun to still again before she’s out the door and running barefoot. The winding path along the river falls to her footsteps, crossing bridges as the trail dictates best before she meets him. And as over-the-top as she knows the action to be, and how likely above and beyond it is, Ryū can’t help but run into him full-force, staggering them both back several paces before coming to a stop.

“…I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.”

The manor greets them both, and it’s not long before they’re each seated with a cup of tea. Leaned against Sasuke’s side, there’s little need for talking, just each quietly taking in the presence of the other.

“Have you been here all this time?”

“Can’t you tell?” is Ryū’s reply, light with teasing. “It’s been a lot of work getting things functioning again. You should have seen the weeds in the paddies when I got back.”

Sasuke gives a soft huff of a laugh. “Well, you’ll have an extra hand with that from now on.”

“I’d better.” There’s a long sigh. “…it’d be a lot easier if this place was still a village like it once was, ne? Many hands make light work, after all.”

Dark eyes slide to their corners to give her a glance. “…why can’t it be?”

“…you mean besides the lack of people, buildings, and general appeal?” is her dry reply. “Who do you know that would want to come live up in the mountains, with only water wheels for power, so cut off from everything else?”

“You want to be here, don’t you?”

“This is where I was born. I’m a bit biased.”

“I’m here, aren’t I?”

Ryū breathes another sigh. “…I don’t…”

“You might be surprised who would find a place like this more appealing than the hidden villages right now,” Sasuke rebukes. “Certainly not all, or a majority…but likely more than you think.”

For a long moment she doesn’t answer. “…well, it’s not something that could be done in a day, anyway. The only things left besides the manor are rotting, charred foundations and old bridges that probably need work. It’d take a lot to get things up and going again…and even if there is some kind of appeal to it…it’s less so with so little to start with.”

Quiet reigns for a time, Sasuke’s gaze caught out a sliding screen. It’s one of the valley’s many foggy days, the warm valley air and moisture hitting the cooler atmosphere up between the snow-capped peaks.

“…onsen…”

“Hm?”

“The hot springs,” he muses with a nod of his head toward the outside. “…there’s a number of them, right?”

“I…yes. The mountain range is volcanic. It’s the same system that makes the springs to the north, in Yu no Kuni. Why?”

“…that’s your appeal.”

Watching Sasuke as he speaks, Ryū’s gaze eventually follows his own, blinking with a brow furrowed in thought.

He sees he has her attention. “You told me when we first came here…the manor was built big in preparation for a clan that never grew. It has rooms. Even if it’s just to start, until you can build something else…it could be like a ryokan. This valley used to be self-sustaining. It could be again. You could raise all the food, run the springs, book the rooms…it would take work, and likely help, but if you could get it going, I bet it’d run just fine.”

“…it’s so out of the way, I -”

“You keep saying that like it’s a bad thing. People like getting away from it all. If you can make this place seem worth it, they’d get here one way or another.”

“There isn’t even a road!”

“Hire someone with doton to put one in.”

Ryū deadpans. “You talk as though I’m made of money. I might have my own valley, but that didn’t exactly come with its own fortune,” she teases.

“No, but you have to give something to make something. Just…think about it. You could advertise it as some healing getaway. Get all those old folks with money up here thinking it’ll help them live longer. Maybe even have some actual patients up here if they need long-term, more natural care. Those with money could help pay for those who need your help.” Sasuke gives her a glance tempered between stern and imploring. “…you could breathe life into this place again, if you want. You don’t have to - it’s yours to do with as you please. But if you want to see it filled with people again…it is possible.”

The healer goes quiet, eyes flickering back and forth as she stares at nothing and thinks. It seems so far-fetched at a glance, and yet…

“…I’ll think about it,” she eventually relents, looking back to him. “Not exactly something I can or should decide so quickly, ne?”

“No. Food for thought, is all. If it’s what you want, you can make it happen.”

“I think you’ve vastly overestimating me,” she retorts with a smile.

“Or perhaps you’re the one underestimating yourself.”

Ryū gives a sigh that dissolves into tired laughter. “…I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

Once the sun sets behind the valley walls, Ryū lingers along the master quarter’s balcony, arms folded atop the railing and staring out into the dark. Along her left arm, her right-hand fingers trace along the paths of her scars in thought. Sasuke’s musings have plagued her all day, and as ardently as she tries to push them aside, they insist on stealing her sleep.

…she knows Yamato. Vaguely, at least. His mokuton would make short work of buildings. The manor can serve as the ryokan proper, just so long as she can ensure her own quarters would be kept from guests’ prying eyes. And she’s more than certain that her teacher could help provide the chakra necessary. The same could be said of anyone she’d find to create a road from Hi no Kuni’s floor and through the mountains. As loath as she is to disrupt the forest, hopefully it could be done with minimal interruption. There would be bathhouses to build for the springs, quarters for the inevitable staff she would need for the onsen, the ryokan, the crops and likely shops that would follow the money of the visitors. Animals would have to be brought up, raised, and tended to. The fields - most of which have just been beyond her means - will have to be ploughed, seeded, irrigated…and all that just to feed people. Hopefully she can rely on more natural sources of power, given how limited it is up here - fire for lights, and cooking. Maybe a more “rustic” experience is marketable…

And when it all comes down to it, she just might have the leverage she needs to get a running start. If she can strike a deal with Tsunade - promise Konoha healing for its most needing here for little or no charge - she might be able to get the necessary shinobi help to get things going. And Sasuke is right - if they can attract tourists with ryō to spend, they should be able to keep themselves afloat in spite of Konoha’s allowances.

…it would take time, work, and manpower…but she just might be able to do it.

“I figured you wouldn’t be sleeping.”

Having sensed his approach, Ryū doesn’t rebuke him. “…you’ve planted quite the seedling idea in my head. It insists on my attention, and now it’s growing out of control.” There’s a sigh, head bowing before she half-turns to look at him, doubt in her eyes. “…do you really think it would work? That I can do this?”

“I think we can do this,” he shortly retorts, arms crossed in his yukata. “You hardly think you’re going to be doing it alone, do you?”

“Well, no, but…”

“Then stop phrasing it that way. The more you do so subconsciously, the more you’re going to worry.” Stepping up beside her, obsidian eyes flicker about in the darkness before glancing to her. “…I know I’ve been gone for a while.”

“You needed to -”

A slight furrow of his brow cuts off her interruption. “…I know you’ve been doing this all by yourself. And before we met, you did the same. You’re used to being on your own, even after the time we spent traveling with the rest of Taka. And once that was over, you slipped right back into that mindset. It’s easy for you to do…and I know why. I do the same.”

The Uchiha’s expression manages to soften. “…neither of us have to do that anymore. As alien as it feels, we’re no longer alone. I know it’s reflexive to doubt it. But if you think we went through everything we did to end up not having each other’s backs…you’re vastly mistaken.” A brow perks. “You held my soul in your hand. What about that makes you think we’re not stuck with each other?”

A sheepish kind of guilt lowers Ryū’s gaze. “…I didn’t…mean it like that…”

“Yes, you did.” Just a hint of amusement lifts the corners of his lips. “I’m not chastising you, Ryū. I’m just trying to get it through to you.”

It’s her turn to furrow her brow, risking a glance back up. “…it…?”

Sasuke can’t help a light sigh. She can be just as oblivious as Naruto sometimes, he swears. His right hand threads fingers with her left, and his brow comes to rest against her own, feeling her tense. “When I say you’re not alone…I mean I’m here with you. For as long as you’ll have me. By your side, facing anything.”

Greys widen, staring into charcoals even as they threaten to spill.

His tone softens, lowers, slows. “Because there’s few, if any, who know what I know. Who have felt what I’ve felt. Who understands as you do. And I’ll be damned if I’d ever let a person like that go. When I say you’re not alone…I mean it’s because we’re not. Together.”

She’s shaking like a leaf, barely daring to breathe.

Sasuke looks hung up for a second, caught in a kind of indecision. But apparently he overcomes whatever obstacle there was, because he finishes his rebuttal with a simple, “…it means I love you.”

To her own surprise, Ryū doesn’t crumble right then and there…maybe because, in reality, she already knew that. It was never plainly said, but…more than implied through actions. It’s not so much a confession as it is an affirmation of an unspoken understanding. Nevertheless, she still has to swallow thickly before murmuring, “…I love you, too.”

In return, a kind of apprehension melts away from his expression, and a warm, true smile lifts his lips, gaze softening. “…we’ll do whatever you decide. This is your home. One you’ve chosen to share me with. If it’s what you want to try, I’ll stand by you. Success or failure, I’ll still be here. We’ll make due. If I can help take down a rabbit goddess, I’m fairly sure I can handle anything else Life can throw at me. At us.”

Ryū manages a shaky laugh. “…I guess that’s true. Anything else is rather mundane in comparison, isn’t it?” There’s a pause, her gaze torn aside with thought. A small part of her, admittedly, is loath to let strangers into her home. But the rest knows she could do good here. Hot springs are good for one’s health. This place, the home of her clan, has always been one of healing and respite. And she could help those who need more intense care - she could continue her work, but on her terms. In her home, without Konoha breathing down her neck. And the valley could be filled with voices again.

It helped her find herself once before. Maybe it can do so again.

“…we’ll talk about it more in the morning…for now, I think I better try to sleep.” Ryū gives a weary smile. “Not sure I’m up for much more tonight.”

“Understandable. Best get some rest. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Ryū watches him turn to go, hesitating a moment before imploring, “…stay?”

A glance is tossed over Sasuke’s shoulder, gaze unreadable.

“Just…so we’re not alone?” After a pause, she adds, “…I know it’s selfish, but…I’ve missed you. It’d be nice to just…have you near. Like when we traveled…?”

There’s a blink, and then a hint of a smile. “…I was hoping you’d ask.” Reverting his retreat, he joins her in shuffling beneath the futon’s covers, eventually settling into stillness.

For the first time since their parting, she sleeps with a smile on her face.

When morning comes, Ryū rests on her left side, feeling Sasuke’s chin atop the crown of her head, arm slung over the dip of her waist. Judging by his heart rate and chakra patterns, he’s about as deep into sleep as he can get. And as guilty as she feels for leaving, she manages to slink away unnoticed downstairs. At first she thinks to start breakfast, but…something else pulls her outside.

Leaning against the archway of the manor yard’s gate, arms fold into her yukata sleeves across her middle, staring out into the rest of the vale. There’s clouds of lingering morning fog, but sunbeams struggle to part them as it rises over the eastern peaks. Dew adorns every aspect of green, catching the light and turning everything crystalline.

Here and there, steam rises from vents and springs, adding to the misty, almost ethereal atmosphere.

This is probably what she loves most about home.

It’s not long before she senses Sasuke’s approach, resting his chin on her shoulder. “Have you been up long?”

Smiling at the gravel in his tone from sleep, she shakes her head. “No…thought I’d just…come out here and see if I could picture it.”

“Mm…” Silence for a moment before Sasuke asks, “And…can you?”

Ryū sighs. “…I think so.” A hand begins pointing. “The onsens, of course, would have to be near the pools. I’ll have to map out just how many there are, but…there’s more than enough for a women’s set of pools, men’s, and a unisex. Any smaller ones we could put private rooms near.”

Sasuke listens, a small smile on his face.

Pointing west, she goes on. “Most of the old farmland is that way - I’m sure the old fences for livestock have all but rotted away…they’ll have to be rebuilt. It’ll be far cheaper to raise our own than have it brought all the way out here.” A moment to think. “…we can put staff houses over there…and if anyone wants to open shops, they’ll probably go more east. We can put on festivals for the holidays.”

“That would be nice…” His head tilts to glance at her. “…you’ve put a lot of thought into something so hypothetical.”

“…maybe it’s not quite so hypothetical anymore. Besides, if I want to do this…I need to do it right. Plan for every detail. This place used to run completely autonomously. It had everything we needed…and it can be that way again. I’m sure of it. I can still do my work, and we can be at arm’s length from Konoha.”

“…just that far?”

“We’re going to need their help,” is her tired reply. “Yamato-san would be able to do the building so quickly. And if I can make a deal with Tsunade - offer my help with patients in return for their support - it will be all the smoother.” Ryū, in turn, glances to Sasuke. “I know it’s not ideal, but…it would give us a much-needed boost.”

“…this is your little project. Do whatever you feel you must.” After a few moments of silence, he asks, “…so, will you do it?”

Staring out into the valley, something in Ryū’s heart thrills like a struck temple bell. “…I will.”

They take a few days to lay out their plans - every detail - figuring out just what to say to convince Konoha to lend their aid. Ryū can only hope the village will find enough worth in the endeavor to let them try. Once they’ve accounted for every argument, every loophole, they take their leave and make their way back to the hidden village.

It’s only a two day trek, and yet something about it brings a comfort Ryū now realizes she’s been missing: traveling at Sasuke’s side, staring into a campfire’s flames off the roadside. They can’t be nomadic - not anymore…not now - but the small taste of what was helps ease her into the fact that he’s returned. And that this time, he won’t be going anywhere.

To her dismay, their return doesn’t go unnoted. Pardoned or not, Sasuke still has his reputation, and both stares and whispers follow them as they go.

“Don’t worry about it. You know how they are…just need something to talk about.” He hardly seems bothered, expression lax and gaze trained ahead. Sparing Ryū a glance, there’s an expectant raise of his brow. “There are far worse things a person could do than sling a few words around behind my back. It’s fine.”

She knows he’s right, of course. But that doesn’t stop the sour glance aside. “Still doesn’t make it okay.”

“We’re here for a far more important purpose than telling off some gossipers, Ryū. Don’t let it bother you.”

She bristles up for a moment, prepared to counter, but eventually deflates. …if only they knew. Knew what he’s faced, what this place has done to him…! That would make them think twice… It still irks her, how everything that happened is just…left in the past, unaddressed. It feels wrong.

Her posture wilts further with a sigh. …at least he won’t have to put up with it much longer… From here on, she’ll handle Konoha on her own.

For now, however, it’s the pair of them that approach the administration building, let in without a hitch thanks to a hawk sent before they’d left. Within the Hokage’s office is Kakashi behind the desk, and Tsunade beside it. The Godaime still gives an ever-so-slight narrowing of her eyes, but Kakashi offers no reaction beyond a subtle smile that squints his gaze.

“Ah, you made good time - Tsunade-sama made it here just before you did.”

“What is this all about?” the blonde cuts in, clearly in no mood for small talk.

Ever practiced in Tsunade’s shortened temper, Ryū doesn’t take the blunt inquiry personally. “I have a proposition for you - for the village. One that, I believe, will benefit us both.”

“Does it involve you coming back?”

“…no.” There’s a moment to regather her patience. “…I want to rebuild Kusunokizan.”

Both Kakashi and Tsunade’s brows lift in surprise. “…and how would that benefit us?”

For a moment, a retort sits atop Ryū’s tongue - a counter quip asking about how Hi no Kuni’s supposed forces did so little to protect them from destruction in the first place. But she swallows it down, instead offering, “I want to turn the manor into a ryokan - one with two purposes. One for guests for onsens built from the hot springs, and the other to be like…hospice care for those who need it from Konoha.”

That gets Tsunade’s attention. “…go on.”

Ryū then lays out her plan, going into every detail, every step that would take them from now to then. “There’s so much potential there - potential that should not be wasted. All we need is Konoha’s assistance, and we can make it a reality. In return, we will accept any patients requiring long-term care for no charge from Konoha and their allies.”

Kakashi, having only asked the occasional question, leans back in his chair, expression thoughtful as arms fold over his chest. “…so, you can continue your work, and remain home.”

“Exactly. Those within Konoha who need our help the most can get it without cost - in a place that’s without the stress of a hospital, or the rush of a hidden village. Be it for a recovery…or for their remaining days.” There’s a slight wilt to Ryū’s shoulders. “…my home has been empty for twenty years, now. I want to see it live again. The ryokan, the onsens…it’s all part of a wish to see it full of faces again. To make it a place of healing again. I know I can make this work! I just need a little help to get going - then there won’t be anything standing in my way.”

The Rokudaime tempers into a smile. “…well, it sounds like a veritable cause to me…don’t you agree, Tsunade-sama?”

Ambers flicker between Ryū and Sasuke. “…he will be staying with you?”

“Yes ma’am.” Without hesitation, Ryū’s left hand takes his right.

Tsunade gives her scarred arm a glance, and something softens in her gaze. “…very well. I’ll draft up the official documents, and get the people we need. We’ll help you with construction of your requested buildings, and the road. Then we’ll have to determine what supplies you’ll need, and a loan for them you can begin to pay back with your services once you’re on your feet. As for finding employees…you’ll have to vet them yourself. I’m not about to hold your hand through everything.”

Ryū can’t help a small, wry smile. “Of course not.”

Official negotiations take hours. With each agreement Konoha relents, their debt stacks a little higher. All throughout, Ryū pays sharp attention, not letting anything slip. Only every so often does Sasuke interject, leaving most of the talking to her. Instead, he takes to watching her from the corners of his eyes, a hint of a smile on his face.

“And with that…I believe we have our framework,” Kakashi finally announces, the windows behind him long dark. “It will take time to get things organized, but hopefully within a few days, we can get started!”

“Thank you again for your help,” Ryū offers, giving a respectful bow. “I’m sure we’ll all come away from this making lives better.”

“I believe we will.” Handing her her copies, Kakashi gives Ryū an eye-crinkling smile. “We’ll let you know once we’ve got everything ready on our end.”

The young healer gives a curt nod of her head. “We’ll remain in Konoha until then.”

Only once they’re out of sight of the administration building does Ryū sag against a wall with a shaking sigh. “Gods, I’ve never been so pent up in my life…”

Sasuke gives a soft snicker. “You held up rather well. Come on…we should get some food in you, then some sleep.”

“Sasuke?!”

The pair glance up to see a familiar face, which wastes no time closing the gap between them. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen you two! Where’ve you been?”

“Home,” is Ryū’s short reply, giving Naruto a weary smile. “Sasuke only just got back a few days ago.”

“Then…what are you doing here?”

“…how about we find a place to sit and eat, and we’ll fill you in, ne?”

“Sure, sure!”

It’s not a meal with Naruto unless it takes place at Ichiraku’s. With Naruto on Sasuke’s left and Ryū on his right, the pair of them explain their endeavor in a handful of words.

“Whoa…that’ll be awesome! I’ll have to come spend a week or two, eh?” The blond gives a grin. “Come drive the teme nuts for a while!”

“I’d like to see you try,” is Sasuke’s retort, taking up another mouthful.

“We’d love to have you,” Ryū amends, giving Sasuke a look, but not without a smile.

Watching them for a moment, Naruto blinks before squinting. “…wait a minute…”

“Hm?”

Humming thoughtfully, he looks them both over for a long moment, Sasuke’s expression blank while Ryū’s is simply confused.

“…what’s all this ‘we’ stuff, huh?”

“…what do you mean?”

“Everything you’ve said! It’s been ‘we this’ and ‘we that’ - is there somethin’ I don’t know about?”

“I fail to see how it’s any of your business,” Sasuke rebukes, pointedly staring at his bowl.

Ryū giggles into a hand. “Well, Sasuke is staying with me, in Kusunokizan. He’s going to be helping me.”

“…mm.” Blues squint further. “…and?”

Flushing pink, she just replies, “…and what?”

“Are you, y’know…a thing…?”

“Naruto, your habit of butting in my business clearly hasn’t gone away while I’ve been absent.” The Uchiha’s tone is a bit more growling, eyes sliding to their corners. “There’s enough gossiping going around without you giving anyone else something new to talk about.”

“But you are, right? It’s totally obvious! You were all googoo-eyed a second ago!”

Ryū blinks. “…was he?”

“I don’t do googoo eyes,” Sasuke retorts.

Hesitating at his slip of temper, the medic puts a hand on his arm. “He’s just teasing you, ne?”

Sasuke sighs, shoulders losing their tension at her touch. “…as always.”

“There, see! You just -”

“Naruto!” Ryū cuts in, giving him a sheepish smile. “Maybe not now…ne?”

The blond just pouts, arms crossing with a harrumph. “Teme finally gets a girlfriend and I don’t even get to give him any crap about it…”

“There’ll be time for that later,” Ryū assures him with a laugh. “For now, we’ve had a long few days. We’ll probably be in the village for a few more - maybe we’ll catch up more after we’ve had a chance to rest, okay?”

Naruto considers that before sighing. “Yeah, yeah…I’ll butt out. No sense being a third wheel, ‘ttebayo…” Putting down his fare, hands stuff in his pockets before managing a softer grin. “…still. Good on ya, Sasuke. It’s about time.”

Watching him go, it’s Ryū’s turn to exhale. “Some things never change…”

“Tell me about it.” Getting as close as Uchiha Sasuke can get to pouting, he pushes his bowl up and digs out some ryō. “If you ever consent to him staying for more than three days at a time, I might do something drastic.”

Ryū just laughs. “I’m sure you could survive more than that.” Abandoning her stool, she takes his hand in both of her own, tugging him with a warm smile. “Come on - it’s still early yet. Let’s wander around for a bit, ne? We’ve both been away two years, after all!”

With Naruto gone, Sasuke softens with a small smile. “As if I can refuse you.”

They wander the thoroughfares for a time, hand in hand, just watching the village settle into night. She has to admit, part of her missed this…but she also tells herself there will be lights and laughter back home soon enough. She just has to be patient.

Taking a room at an inn, Ryū sits along the bed’s side as Sasuke readies for the night. It’s almost like the day hasn’t sunk in yet. Sasuke’s weight settles behind her, drawing her glance over her shoulder. “I guess now we play the waiting game.”

“Consider it a practice in patience.”

She scoffs, smiling. “I’ve mastered senjutsu - I have the patience of a saint.”

“After everything I pulled you through, I think I know that better than anyone.”

There’s a hum of agreement, joining him beneath the bedclothes and resting her cheek atop his shoulder. “…things are going to get hectic for a while.”

“I think we can handle it just fine.”

“That we can.”

A few days are spent in Konoha, leaving the Hokage to their business until they hear back. Until then, the pair mostly just hang about the village - browse shops, wander streets, peruse cafes, and simply sit about and watch the village go about its days. And every so often, a familiar face comes up and says hello, surprised to see them - especially Sasuke.

Saying a fond farewell to Hinata, their latest companion, Ryū gives a light sigh. “…it’s strange how much people have changed in just two years, ne?” When there’s no reply, she turns to see Sasuke with a hawk on his arm.

“Looks like we’re ready to go.”

As she’d expected, they find Yamato among a small group in Kakashi’s office, alongside a doton kunoichi and several fūinjutsu specialists.

“They’ve managed to condense your supplies into some scrolls,” the Rokudaime explains, gesturing with a hand to a stack of them on his desk. “Just…be sure to be careful when unsealing them, eh? Don’t need you being crushed. Otherwise…I think you’re free to get started!”

“Well try to be quick and get these two back home soon,” Ryū replies with a smile. “You’ll have to pay us a visit once everything’s up and running, Kakashi-senpai.”

“That I will.”

Once the group of them make it back to the foothills of the mountains, Ryū and the doton user take the lead, mapping out the best route for the road. “I’d like to make it as…unintrusive as possible.”

“Sure, sure! And maybe Yamato-taichō can put a small something halfway up - y’know, in case there’s rain and people need a place to duck out.”

“That’s a great idea!”

Within the valley proper, the kunoichi splits off to go back and start her work, and Yamato puts hands on his hips. “So…you said there’s someone here to help with chakra?”

“Mhm!” Sending Fubuki up the mountain to fetch Suigin, Ryū uses the time to point out where everything will go. “I hope it’s not too much?”

“Depends on what your friend can help out with.

In spite of herself, Ryū smirks. “I think she can handle it.”

Behind her, steam obscures the path down the peaks, billowing out until clearing to reveal the dragon sage.

Yamato pales.

Declining her head, Suigin offers, “You have need of my help, little one?”

“Yes, shishō.” Explaining the plan, Ryū delights as the sage nods.

“Simple enough. Shall we begin, Yamato-san?”

Expression still shocked, the shinobi just nods.

Following Ryū’s instructions, the group begins work on buildings for staff, for shops, for onsens and livery barns. By nightfall, the silhouettes of them peer out of the mist.

Nevertheless exhausted, Yamato and the kunoichi both take to sleep almost immediately after Ryū ensures they have a home-cooked meal.

“I hope they’re not too overtired,” she muses as Sasuke dries the dishes she washes.

“They’re shinobi - one day of work, no matter how straining, isn’t about to kill them.” There’s an amused glance her way. “You worry too much.”

“If you were a medic who knew almost anything that can go wrong with a person, you’d do nothing but worry, too.”

“…fair enough.”

Within a few days, the road reaches from Hi no Kuni’s floor to the entrance torī gate, and every building on their list is empty, but built.

Thanking the pair again, Ryū sends them off after rest and one last meal, staring out at the work they’ve done. “…this is real, right? I’m not dreaming?”

“If you are, then so am I.” Arm around her waist, Sasuke stands at her side. “Now the hard parts, hm?”

Making up flyers, Ryū sends them to every major village in Hi no Kuni. Advertisements for the positions she needs filled, giving a romantic view of the project. And slowly, people begin to arrive.

Vetting them takes time, but eventually she starts to get an official roster for her staff. Farmers begin to work the fields, bringing families to fill the houses. Onsen workers receive training, ryokan staff being beating back the tide of dust in the manor, and the livery handlers begin fence repairs as animals are brought in. And within a few weeks, they’re ready to start as the time flies with the rush of preparations.

All the while, Ryū juggles the financials and schedules, thankfully at least partially prepared after some of her work in the hospital. Sasuke lends aid, and together they find a shaky foundation.

“…now to just find people to come.”

More flyers. More enticing offers to try and bring people in. And at first, no one does. Nerves wind tighter with each passing day, Ryū taking to staring out toward the road with a worried hand at her chin.

But then it starts. All of a sudden, like a floodgate’s been opened, an entourage of people appear. Taken aback and yet eager, Ryū starts settling them in as she’s been practicing for weeks, all smiles and polite bows.

Not far behind them, to her surprise, is Kakashi. Giving him a suspicious look, she can’t help but ask, “…was this your doing?”

“There might have been a kage meeting a few days ago,” he admits, looking aloof. “…and I might have mentioned it. And I might have urged the others to mention it, in turn, to their more up-and-up citizens.”

“You did not…!”

“I said I might. Plausible deniability, Ryū.”

Expression shocked, she eventually laughs. “I think my debt just got a whole lot deeper, ne?”

“Give me a room with a good view, and we’ll call it even.”

The days are busy, from sunup to sundown. But Ryū relishes in it, working alongside Sasuke to keep things under control. After the initial rush, things settle into a pattern, and everyone seems to find their niche. Each night finds them all exhausted, but with a humbling sense of accomplishment.

Standing out in the balcony one night, Ryū just…looks at the lights, and listens to the voices of the voices in the ryokan - all merry, some tinged with drink. Even at this hour, guests linger in the pools, and the homes of the locals are still lit from within.

It doesn’t feel real.

There’s no surprise when Sasuke joins her, embracing from behind. “Is this how you imagined it?”

“…and so much more. Look at this place, Sasuke…look how alive it is. How happy.” Overwhelmed tears bead along her lids. “…I never thought I would see something like this. It’s just…beyond what words can say. It’s not just some empty graveyard of ghosts and half-forgotten memories. It’s real again.” She draws a shaky breath. “…it’s not empty. I’m not alone…”

Sasuke softens, bringing his head around to her cheek with his own. “…no, you’re not. And never again will you be. Look at all you’ve done.”

“It was your idea,” she retorts with a sound half-sob, half-laugh.

“And together, we made it happen. But you know you’re the heart of this place. It was your home before it was anything else. You opened it up to a future - brought it life and light again.”

Chest near bursting, Ryū’s eyes close in contentment, nuzzling against him softly.

“…welcome home.”

     THIS IS SO LATE I’M SO SORRY. I’ve had blocks like you wouldn’t believe OTL Also it got really rambly but tbh I love writing stuff like this so I just...went overboard. Also because I wanted it to be worth the darn wait, lol      I also adore this verse and writing them together in it just...! Is good. I’ve never written a prologue to it before, just stuff after it’s all been said and done. So this was neat to write!      I hope it was to your liking! And not too all-over-the-place like my longer stuff tends to get, aha~ If you want anything changed let me know, but for now I’ma go collapse cuz GOLLY this is long xD      Also since this IS for the giveaway doohickey, just a quick thank you, Boo, for you being a mutual for all this time. I adore writing with you, and I hope this is a lil something given back to show my appreciation ;w; <3

[seiikas]

Hello! I need to catch up on Naruto and I would like to know since you are a fan of Sasuke why do you like his character ? I often think Sasuke is misunderstood by a lot of people, myself I have sometimes a hard time understanding him but I find him interesting ! Hope this question don't bother you, have a good day! :)

Hi! Don’t worry, your question doesn’t bother me at all! My reply is under the readmore. I’m sorry that it got so gigantic! It almost turned into a novel lol. It also may contain mild spoilers so please proceed with caution :)

One of the reasons I like him is because he’s human. Sasuke went through extreme trauma and mental torture at the age of 9, received absolutely no treatment or therapy for it, and was sent to live by himself in the same house his parents were murdered in. He didn’t get any help to deal with his trauma as he grew up. Would a normal human be able to get over such a thing simply because they found friends? to me the fact that Sasuke still suffers and is so affected by his trauma is what makes him realistic. He always needs to rely on a big life goal, put all of his thoughts and efforts into it, whether it’s revenge or justice or redemption, because if he doesn’t have one, it would be just him and his trauma to focus on, and would anyone be able to actually live like that? To me it’s amazing that Sasuke was even able to go on living by himself, to go to school and study and even find emotional attachment to people, protect them and sacrifice himself for them.

In general, most humans aren’t simply good or bad. The majority of us can be kind and generous while still being mean and selfish at times. We can be strong and still have moments of absolute weakness. The majority of us struggle with our mental illnesses and don’t just “get over it”, especially without any help. Sasuke is kind and selfless; he sacrificed himself for Naruto during the Haku fight, was ready to sacrifice himself again to save Naruto and Sakura during the Gaara fight, during the chuunin exams Kabuto pointed out how soft he was because he refused to attack him to get his scroll despite the fact that that’s what the exam required of him, in early shippuden he refused to kill anyone and ordered Taka not to kill, he learned how to extinguish the Amaterasu flames in order to save Karin, he threw himself in front of Sarada to protect her, he gave up on a peaceful life for himself for the sake of protecting their hard-earned world peace. But he also had times when he could be mean and selfish, when the pressure and the sadness were just too much, when he didn’t know how to deal with the trauma and the lies and the shock. And to me that’s a character that I can support, not because I think his mistakes were justified but because he’s not a messiah, he actually has to struggle with himself and his flaws, he has to fight against his trauma and his mental illnesses, which is what most humans are like instead of simply being wise and strong and flawless from the start.

What people fail to understand about Sasuke is that he’s a good person; that’s exactly the reason why his cruelty during the Gokage meeting arc was so shocking to every character in the story, because it was there to show that he wasn’t himself anymore; that’s exactly why the explanation of the “Uchiha curse” exists; and yet for some reason people tend to take that as being Sasuke’s actual personality, despite the fact that the manga had shown him in his normal state before, that we had actually gotten to see his gradual fall into darkness and his reason for it.

I like how Sasuke tends to be silent and distant on the outside but soft and kind on the inside. It’s thanks to him that team 7 gets accepted by Kakashi in the first place, because he decides to feed Naruto even though he was told not to. When he hears that Itachi is in the village, the first thing he worries about is Naruto’s safety, not his own safety or his own goals. He notices when Sakura is feeling down and comforts her by praising her abilities. He rarely ever expresses his feelings in words but he shows them with his actions; by sacrificing himself for someone, by protecting them, by showing pride towards their accomplishments, by gestures like the forehead poke. You’ll rarely find him saying cheesy things but if he cares about you and loves you, you’ll know. On the inside, he loves intensely. (Btw, how cute is it that he feeds cats and makes friends with them during his travels?)

Another thing I like about Sasuke is his extreme love and loyalty towards his family. Maybe it’s because I’ve been raised in a culture where family is always the most important, but I can’t help but appreciate how none of the things he did throughout the series were for himself, but for his family. People think Sasuke is disloyal because he “betrayed” Konoha but the truth is, Sasuke’s loyalty was never with Konoha to begin with, from the start it was always about family, he wanted to be acknowledged by his father, he wanted to join the Uchiha police force. He loved his mother and brother so much, cared about his father’s impression of him, was so proud of his family. And every single thing he wanted to do throughout the series was for them, wanting to avenge them, restore their honor, protect Konoha for Itachi’s sake. The fact that Sasuke and the rest of the Uchiha saw “the Uchiha” and “Konoha” as two separate entities and were only loyal to one of those was a result of Konoha’s own choice to alienate the Uchiha; you can’t treat a group of people like shit and then expect them to somehow love you and be loyal to you.

Sasuke doesn’t fit any generic shounen character type. His character is complex. He starts off as the typical rival but soon his character goes its own way. He has his own goals, his own path in life, his own relationships and his story doesn’t revolve around the main character or catching up to him. In fact it’s the opposite, it’s Naruto whose story mostly revolves around Sasuke. He’s one of the characters who makes this story unpredictable and interesting. Because let’s be real, the plot of Naruto is rather predictable. Naruto meets villain, Naruto has training arc or gets a powerup, Naruto defeats villain, rince and repeat until he becomes Hokage. Even one of the biggest “mysteries” of the series, Tobi’s identity, was predicted by everyone after his very first appearance. Throughout all of this it’s Sasuke who keeps the story interesting, because you’re never really sure what he’s gonna do, how he’s gonna react to things, where he’s gonna end up. That’s the reason why he was/is often the main subject of discussion even among people who don’t like him. Even up until the very end some people were saying he was gonna come back and become anbu, some were saying he would leave with taka, some thought he would die. No one could really guess where he would end up, whereas with other characters things were much more easy to predict.

I like Sasuke because I actually stop to look at things from his point of view as well; I know it’s hard to do so when the narrative always presents things from Naruto and Sakura’s side. It’s easy to just look at the surface and say: Sasuke made Naruto and Sakura sad, therefore he is bad. But when I look at things from Sasuke’s point of view, I understand all of the things he does, and I realize the choices he makes are often the most realistic considering his situation.

Let’s start from the very beginning. A lot of people hate Sasuke because they think he “treated Naruto like shit” throughout part one. But if you actually take the time to read the manga, who was the one who showed contempt towards the other first? It was Naruto. He hates Sasuke because he’s popular and Sakura likes him. This is established from the very beginning. The accidental kiss happened because Naruto tried to provoke Sasuke as a result of his jealousy. Naruto was the one who attacked Sasuke first—tied him up and tried to kiss Sakura while posing as him. And yet only minutes after that Sasuke still chose to defend him against Sakura. Throughout the rest of part one Sasuke and Naruto do bicker and fight a lot, but all of those fights and insults are two-sided and yet for some reason I only ever see people focus on Sasuke’s side.

It’s the same with all of the more serious fights between them. The majority of them were actually started by Naruto. People claim that Sasuke mistreated and/or abused Naruto and Sakura; but the truth is, if Sakura and Naruto hadn’t chased after Sasuke, Sasuke wouldn’t have even met any of them between chapter 180 and 631. That’s the space between when he left Konoha and when he joined the war. That’s more than 450 chapters. Naruto is the one who started the first big Nar/Sas fight. He chased after Sasuke and told him he’d “break his arms and legs and bring him back like a broken stick” if he had to. The fight against team Kakashi in Orochimaru’s lair happened because they chased after him and tried to bring him back. The fight in the Gokage meeting arc happened because Sakura chased after Sasuke and tried to kill him by herself. Sasuke simply left and made it clear to them that he had severed their bonds; they’re the ones who went after him. You can’t be an abuser when you don’t even want a relationship with your so-called victims. Every single time, he was either rejecting them and/or retaliating against their own attacks. Am I saying they shouldn’t have tried to stop him even when he was a criminal? No, but people shouldn’t pretend that Sasuke was specifically going after Sakura and Naruto to hurt or “abuse” them, when they’re the ones who chased after him. He was an enemy of Konoha because the village had murdered his family in cold blood. It’s not about “abuse” or Sakura and Naruto’s feelings.

And it’s easy to only consider their feelings in this situation; oh, they loved him and wanted to save him but he rejected them, he’s such an ass. But the truth is Sasuke doesn’t have to go back to the village that killed off his family, made him miserable and offered him no support as a childjust to make them happy. He doesn’t have to put their feelings before his own. He doesn’t have to put them, teammates that he had been with for a few months at most, over his family that raised him for 9 years. People are allowed to reject relationships they don’t want. Yes, rejection hurts, but it doesn’t automatically make the person who rejected you an asshole.

It’s easy to judge Sasuke for his decisions without paying attention to the circumstances that caused him to make them. “He betrayed his friends and left Konoha”— even though he had just had the shit beaten out of him by his brother, had been mentally tortured for days within a genjutsu, had been told he was weak because he didn’t have enough hate. People just expect a twelve-year-old to deal with it and move on.“He flip-flopped too much”—despite the fact that he had had his entire world turned upside down because he had been told that his whole life was a lie, his abusive brother loved him all along and it was Konoha who had caused his misery. I don’t know how or why people expect someone to just stay strong while being put through all of that.

I have a lot of issues with the series itself and the morals it tries to convey. For example, the series tries to pit “talent” and “hard work” against each other; Kishimoto seems to think that talented people don’t work hard or that they are somehow assholes by default (it’s also hypocritical because later on we find out Naruto himself actually had a lot of natural talents and advantages as well). I see a lot of people make arguments such as “Sasuke had everything handed to him while Naruto worked hard”. They ignore how hard Sasuke worked to learn the fireball jutsu and the Chidori, or how he trained with Orochimaru for three years, they also ignore that Naruto was able to learn the Rasenshuriken with minimal effort because of his naturally high chakra reserves or that almost the entirety of his power as an adult relies on Kurama, something that was given to him at birth. They ignore that everytime Sasuke got a free powerup Naruto got one too.

I also hate how the series tries to portray Sasuke and anyone else who wants reform or justice as a villain. Kishimoto thinks status quo > reform. It doesn’t matter if keeping the status quo means sweeping genocides under the rug, trampling on the rights of smaller villages with less power, ignoring the discrimination happening within clans. As long as “the village” is still standing, everything is okay. Don’t try to fix anything. Accept the “darkness” of the village. I come from a country with a dictatorship, so it’s much easier for me to understand Sasuke who wanted change rather than Konoha and their obsession with keeping everything as is. Yes, Sasuke’s method of fixing things was wrong, but people forget that this boy’s role model was Itachi, the one who thought the best way to protect a little kid was to torture him and tell him to live with hate, and it’s not like anybody actually condemned those actions. Everyone who knew the truth about Itachi thought he was the wisest person in history—the fandom does as well. And yet people are surprised when Sasuke thinks the best way to fix the system is through making people hate him. Only then does the fandom start talking about how “Sasuke should’ve learned from Itachi’s mistakes”, despite the fact that every other time they deny Itachi even made mistakes. The fact that Sasuke is ready to live a life of misery where everyone hates him is proof of how selfless he is, because yes it’s a misguided decision but it’s not a pleasant one, it’s not something he’s doing for himself. In the end instead of finding a better way to fix the system, Naruto just decides to keep the status quo.

Of course I like his design and abilities as well. I mean let’s be real, the duckbutt is almost iconic at this point, lol. Sasuke has the most interesting fighting style, the swordplay combined with the fire and the way he evolved Kakashi’s Chidori into so many different weapons. Not to mention his switcheroo ability after he gets the rinnegan. In my opinion he also gets the most interesting fights as well, Sasuke vs Deidara is still one of my favorites.

Anyways I’m sorry that this post got so long. This is why I never write character analysis, I tend to ramble way too much lol. Hope you have a nice day and thanks for the ask!

[kyoties]

suigestsuxsakura headcanon? :3

Suigetsu could care less about girls. Karin pretty much soured any sort of potential romance for him because of her overbearing personality, so he tried his best to steer clear from girls.

After the war was over he DID NOT GO BACK TO OROCHIMARU OKAY. He did not. In no way whatsoever did he even think about it. Sasuke casually invites (and by that i mean just tells him to go) Taka to Konoha where they can hang out and introduces him to his other team (Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura) with, y’know, Sasuke’s special way.

But you know, Suigetsu isn’t a complete idiot. He’s heard stories at times from Sasuke about this pink-haired chick that was ‘so annoying’ and ‘obsessed with him’, so he only knew THAT side of Sakura from when she was younger. He saw her during the war and how amazingly strong she was, but ANYONE THAT WAS INTERESTED IN SASUKE UCHIHA SEEMED TO BE A GIRL THAT HE WAS 100% NOT INTERESTED IN.

During their stay in Konoha (which wasn’t even really a short visit, more like a much-needed year-long vacation). He pretty much was glued to Juugo or Sasuke because who else would he be with? Karin was loud and everyone in Konoha was creepily happy and super friendly. Still, Sasuke was Sasuke and do you know who Sasuke hangs out with? Naruto. And do you know who Naruto hangs out with? Kakashi, Sakura, Sai, Iruka, Shikamaru, AND SO MANY PEOPLE. 

Suigetsu isn’t partial to so many people and he also wasn’t a fan of Naruto’s obnoxious flailing and speeches about friendship. He felt he didn’t belong. Not in Konoha or Oto or Kiri or really anywhere. And it pissed him off that Sasuke just laid around with this blonde freak that only talked about ramen all the time???

“So, yeah, I’m going to take off.” Suigetsu is a good guy. He doesn’t want his shitty attitude to ruin Sasuke’s happiness or whatever. Probably just going to collect the rest of his swords or do mindless work until he realizes what he really wants to do with his life. 

He’s leaving. Getting his things packed, complaining about how little money he has, and trying to guess how long it would take to get to Kiri and find out some clues about where the rest of the swords are. Until Sakura drops by to give some medical books to Karin for her to look through. (They all share their own room since they’re so used to sharing rooms, okay???)

It’s pretty awkward at first. I mean… like really awkward. ‘So you’re leaving?’ ‘Yep.’ ‘It’s Suigetsu, right?’ ‘Uh-huh.’ ‘Back to Kirigakure?’ ‘That’s the plan.’

Sakura is ready to go back until she spots a picture of Taka together on one of the tables, probably belonging to Karin. She laughs a little, kind of embarrassed, while Suigetsu stares at her like ‘wtf??’. She explains that while Sasuke was gone with Orochimaru, they didn’t really know what was going to happen with him. She admits that she wondered who he was with and if he ever felt alone.

“Seeing this just reminds me of our own photo as Team Seven. In a way, I’m glad he met you all. Being with other people made it easier, I’m sure. Especially when dealing with his brother.”

Suigetsu just scoffs. “Pfft. Yeah, that was a big pain in the ass, though. Following him around all the time and having to make sure he was okay. Do you know how many times I’ve almost died because of him?! He’s the worst guy in the world! And now, he’s spending all of his time with that whiskered-face weirdo who’s always going on about udon or whatever and it drives me crazy! I swear, the Uchiha guys show no appreciation!”

Sakura plays along. “Definitely. It’s always a little grunt or two instead of a proper ‘thank you’, right? So rude!”

Suigetsu drops what he’s holding to continue his little rant. Honestly, this is the first time he’s let off some steam in a few weeks. “Finally! Someone who gets it! I’ll tear my hair out if I receive ‘hn’ as an actual response again! The guy can’t bear to say a word or two?!”

Sakura just nods her head, looking back on the picture. “I get what you mean, but you know, Suigetsu… When you’re off running errands or doing something else… Sasuke-kun tells us all about Taka and how you guys kept him stable for the most part. He relied on you guys and, after all of his problems, really is very grateful for your loyalty to him.”

Suigetsu kind of feels bad now. But I mean it’s not like the stuff he said about Sasuke WEREN’T true. Why can’t the asshole just say that stuff to his face???

“So are you still going to leave?”

“Huh?”

“You were packing up. Heading to Kiri, yeah?” She puts the picture down and heads over to Suigetsu. “Or maybe… you could stay a little while longer? Talk to Sasuke? I’ve heard from quite a lot of people that it take a while to warm up to Konoha’s… ‘suffocating’ hospitatlity.”

Suigetsu is kind of suspicious of her. “Why do you want me to stay so bad? What, is Sasuke making you do this?”

“You’re one of Sasuke’s bonds. It may not be obvious to you, but to him and Naruto, having bonds are pretty special.” She pats him on the back and gets ready to leave. “Anyway, it’s your choice, so do what you want.”

So Suigetsu is having a hard time deciding what to do. Does he leave? Stay? WTF???? This girl that he barely knew just comes waltzing in and messes up his clearly thought-out plan and ruins it! He’s pretty much throwing a temper tantrum by the time Karin comes back and looks like an idiot. 

So he stays. And he learns she’s right. He gets used to the shopkeeps always telling him good morning or the random passerby asking how his day was (like is this an assassination attempt?? why are you asking about MY day???). He still kind of avoids Naruto, but mainly due to headaches and the fact that it seems like Naruto just drains him of all his energy. BUT HE’S TRYING. Sasuke even notices a bit of a change and they just nod to each other in acknowledgement. And it doesn’t take long for him to start spending more time with Sakura.

She wasn’t at all like how Sasuke described her. She was smart and strong and she barely ever spoke about Sasuke! She did have a scary side to her, but Suigetsu tried his best to not annoy her like Naruto did. It was becoming very obvious to everyone that Suigetsu was starting to crush on her and Karin had her chance to finally tease him about being infatuated with someone. She even told Sasuke about it. THE NERVE–

Sasuke just takes it in stride. It kind weirded him out at first, but he’s like eh. He’s pretty much Suigetsu’s wing man after finding out even though Suigetsu doesn’t even fucking know that Sasuke knows. Sasuke is not one to talk about such personal matters. So what does he do? He’ll make plans with Suigetsu, Sakura, and Naruto then challenge Naruto to a spar, leaving Suigetsu and Sakura alone. He’ll bail on plans with Suigetsu while Sakura is just so conveniently leaving the hospital after her shift, so she can join Suigetsu on whatever him and Sasuke were supposed to do. Get it now? Sasuke is very subtle and it doesn’t take too long for Sakura to start feeling a bit cozy with Suigetsu as well.

In the end, they do get together and Sasuke’s all smug, but no one really knows why. Hey, it’s his way of truly thanking Suigetsu, I guess.

-Headcanons-

Suigetsu and Sakura are terrible negotiators when it comes to dates. They’re either going out with friends (because it’s easier to go with the flow) or staying home.

When it’s really hot and they’re all swimming at the beach or whatever, Suigetsu will melt into the water and scare her. It always works. He loves pranking her.

He tries to be suave and smooth, but he ends up failing a lot of the time. He’s just not very good at flirting. Give him puns or making her laugh and he’ll land it every time.

Suigetsu can be very jealous and will often ice Naruto whenever he can. Both because he knows that Naruto once fancied her and because he just doesn’t like him. 

Sakura thinks his snaggle tooth is the cutest thing in the world. Just his sharp teeth, in general. She thinks it’s kind of sexy tbh.

Sakura can be jealous too. If they go to beach where Suigetsu shows off his swimming, she’ll hear a few ladies commenting on his physique and just his overall appearance. She’ll give them the death glare until they stop their gawking.

Karin’s always asking for the latest gossip from Sakura, so she has extra blackmail to make him miserable. It’s fun to see him squirm. Sakura’s pretty oblivious and Suigetsu just wonders how Karin knows that he’s severely ticklish???

Suigetsu tries to keep PDA to a minimum around Taka, but he’ll slip up every now and again. He’ll give her big hugs or kiss her forehead and Karin and Sasuke throw up in their mouths a little. Super embarrassing to him.

Mebuki honest to god thought he was a demon that seduced her daughter. She doesn’t trust him at all until Sakura pretty much begs her that he’s a normal human being that likes big swords. Cue her mom snidely remarking if he’s compensating for anything. They do not get along, but Kizashi loves his puns so he’s invited over often.

Suigetsu likes to cook, often showing off his ‘cutting skills’ with a bunch of meals and always a bunch of knives.

He also, to the encouragement of Sakura, to open his own restaurant. It’s a great way for him to cut things while also looking cool. Sakura thinks so anyway. His food’s good too! Naruto’s always telling him to put ramen on the menu and Suigetsu just looks into the camera like he’s on the office or something. He’s so done.

They also have a bunch of kids. On the first one while she was pregnant, Suigetsu was terrorized with the thoughts of having some screaming brat and having to clean up after it and why did he succumb to such desire, etc. After their baby boy was born, Suigetsu was in love. Kids are super ridiculous and they say hilarious things and he just had so much fun. Sakura put a stop to his begging after the fifth child. Three boys, two girls. She was finished lmao

She one time caught him trying to sharpen their teeth and wow what a sight that was lmao He never did it again even though they would have looked SO CUTE as he often says it. He also calls Sasuke and Juugo their uncles and Karin is the grandma.

[tammyhybrid21]

Warning: This will contain SPOILERS

Now that that’s out of the way... let’s begin.

So first of all... People have read my breakdown of flame traits right? I mean, in regards to KHR right... Okay, if not, well you can read that right here.

You done? Okay good. So let’s talk about Uchiha Obito, and why I characterize him the way I do as a Cloudy Sky. Or a primary Cloud flame user with a secondary Sky. Yes, you read that right, primary Cloud, with a Sky secondary. Because despite the way things line-up and the way flames work, it’s really hard to picture Obito with a primary Sky... I mean, I can see it considering Colour psychology but it just doesn’t work...

Okay, I’ll just move on and start to explain properly. So first of all. What are the central traits to these two flames again?

Cloud- Independence

Sky- Acceptance

Now, to explain this properly I need to actually explain how these work in terms of personality and explaining central traits. First off. I’m sure that I’ve said it a thousand times by now, but I view Obito as an INFP... Which yeah, now while this is just a baseline, this is kind of important. But now let’s talk about this. Because it’s where central traits come into it. In regards to how we act its independence that’s central in a way.

Independence. Which is being an individual and taking care of yourself. Sure of yourself and striving to be well, someone who can stand up on their own and who doesn’t need to rely on others for help all the time. The ability to be free to make your own choices.

That definitely fits Obito. Especially later on.

I mean seriously, he’s doing so much to just be himself and well, to reach his goal. I mean maybe it wasn’t his original goal, but let’s go back to that for a moment. The goal of being Hokage. What exactly does that represent really? I mean think about it, being Hokage would mean being the leader, being in charge and without the worry of really having to consider the orders of others that much. To pick and choose things for yourself...

Not that being a shinobi doesn’t already give him some of that power... but still, he doesn’t really have a proper choice about what missions he can and can’t take based on his relative skill level and what Rank he holds... as Hokage though, he’d be the one in charge... Yesh...

And then there’s the other things... The colour associations, the ones for purple.

I mean just, read them! READ THEM!

And try to tell me that they don’t make you think of Obito in some way! I mean seriously, unusual and creative. Selfless(more when he was a child, but he certainly doesn’t lose this trait), quite good at playing the mystery card and well he was definitely someone who was creating a future. Walking towards a new world, a new life. A life that was something of a Fantasy as well. I mean seriously.

Of course those are the “positive” associations with the colour. What about the negative? Well those things are definitely true, I mean his goals and ideas were rather immature if you think too deeply into them, considering no one can live their entire life in a fantasy, no matter how tempting it is, or how great the dream. You have to wake up eventually... I mean that’s pretty impractical... also yes, he became cynical and somewhat aloof I guess... though really he was more detached and distanced beyond caring by that point.

You can argue about exactly how corrupt he was by the end and whether or not he had delusions of grandeur but well, they’re certainly things that were possibly influencing things. Influencing him. Also if the Uchiha Clan’s arrogance hadn’t hit him at least a little bit... well you’re obviously deluding yourself.

Of course, those things are more afterthoughts that actual considerations... because really when it comes to flames, it’s what’s central. And in the case of Cloud Flames that’s Independence. The longing for freedom and to be an individual to make waves in the world. And yes, those are things that Obito wants, wanted.

From when he was a child aiming to be Hokage to when he was an adult and attempting to Save the World. Even if the world didn’t want to be saved like that...

Moving on... Why Sky?

Author Appeal

I mean, yeah partially but also. Let’s talk about acceptance and what it means in regards to how a person will act. And also let’s talk about how I view Obito... an INFP.

Okay, now first of all. Acceptance when it comes to personality is twofold. On the one side someone who has acceptance as one of their central traits is always seeking out others, trying to accept and to understand them, to understand people. To grow and to learn, to accept those around them. This does not mean that they will be able to accept everyone, but they will generally understand and accept that understanding even if they ultimately wind up disliking that person and rubbing the wrong way with them.

But on the other side of things. They’re always seeking acceptance and understanding from those around them. Seeking out people who are willing to look beyond the surface, to find them and dig a bit deeper to see who they actually are. That doesn’t mean that it will be easy, since people hide, and wear masks and people who seek acceptance are particularly notable in that they want to find people who are willing to work, to see beyond their masks, beyond the superficial and see all of them and accept it... Which is not something that many people can do...

Now, how is this relevant to Obito?

Well, I keep mentioning how he’s an INFP. And the thing is... Well, as a person with the NF combination... Acceptance just tends to be one of the big things. Because well, with intuition combining with feelings, they just want to see, to learn to piece it together and understand... and well, we do see this. In a subtle way.

With the way Obito treats Kakashi... and why he latches onto Rin.

Obito wanted so badly to understand Kakashi. He wanted to be able to see and understand and know... but Kakashi wasn’t letting anyone in. Constantly pushing people away and rejecting any attempt to understand. Because Kakashi was still in too much pain. Too deep in his own issues and shielding himself with the rules. Which left Obito without any idea of how to help, until he was given a small piece of the puzzle... and then, then he understood and he did accept it.

And Rin.

Oh Rin...

She saw Obito. Maybe not everything, maybe not all of it. But she saw him and accepted him, so of course he latched on. Of course he latched on. Because she saw him. When nobody else really bothered to try. Or if they did try they just didn’t see it, and still managed to miss him. So of course he latched onto Rin... how those feelings developed and evolved, well...

Quite hard to say really. You can interpret it as a romantic crush... or a siblingship... because I know for a fact when it comes to people outside of your family and emotions this can be confusing... but anyway... That’s the important thing...

Acceptance.

Which he definitely tries to have. Tries to be... also just, take a look at the Akatsuki. Maybe they didn’t meet together often... but who actually recruited them? Or decided who would remain as a member... something to think about... Also, didn’t Obito personally recruit Kisame... who well, his certainly intimidating... but also there... Kisame accepted Obito, he didn’t know everything, but he accepted it... Which yeah...

You all still might not get it, but... that’s why I see Obito as a Sky... A rather broken and twisted one, but still a sky.

Also again, word associations with the colour fit, in both positive and negative situations. Sociable, confident, flamboyant, adventurous and optimistic... Superficial and insincere, pessimistic, unsocial and proud...

It’s kind of funny how he goes from one side to the other... especially as he grows up... because well, he got broken. Life just beat him down...

Now that’s out of the way... I think I’ll leave off with this...

The flames I can see Obito with in order or relevance: Cloud, Sky, Storm, and Mist.

But seriously, limiting it to just two. He’s a Cloudy Sky.

[kusunogatari-a]

[ Mistake ] [ @noharin ] [ Hatake Kakashi, Nohara Rin, Uchiha Itachi ] [ Blood mention, gore mention, death mention, vulgarity mention ] [ Verse: Of Monsters and Men ]

He never should have acquiesced to her help.

Freed of his wound, Kakashi had taken his leave, insisting he not trouble the little nurse any longer than he had to. The better he felt, the less of a danger he was, but...it was still a risk he'd rather not take with her. That, and enclosed spaces made him...nervous.

So though Rin had been stubborn on the subject, the wolf had managed to wriggle out of her grasp and back out into the alleyways and refuse.

It wasn't for a few days that he learned what a mistake he'd made.

“Address is in the burner – you've got until three am. Try to be quick. Might be able to squeeze another job outta you.”

Managing a nod, Kakashi slips the parcel into his coat, feeling it brush the well-mending skin of his harpy wound. Wolves heal fairly fast, but it's still a touch sore. She did a good job.

Leaving their meeting place, the client and runner part ways, and his mental map of the city opens in Kakashi's mind with a glance to the phone. Simple enough – not too far.

...relatively speaking.

“Oi...”

The voice draws his one good eye, and it narrows a hair as Kakashi spies a figure leaned against a wall. “...need something?”

“At least you weren't hard to find...your stench is practically acidic this close up.”

Ah. Another wolf. “And you were looking for me because...?”

“Because you've gone and fucked up. Loners might not pay pack lines much heed, but we sure as hell do.”

...wait...he'd trespassed? When? “...afraid I don't recall. I don't cross borders if I can help it.”

“Four days ago, we found your scent all over Gin territory. A good share of your blood, too.”

Blood...oh shit. The harpy wound – he must have gone too far in his retreat...? He was a little preoccupied at the time. “...well, obviously I was wounded. Made a mistake. It's not about to happen again.”

“No...it's not.”

Deep growls echo up between the buildings, and Kakashi finds himself outnumbered four to one, each taking a junction of the crossroad.

Still, he doesn't quite panic...yet. “...can you blame a half-dead wolf for stumbling where he shouldn't? I'd gladly make amends with Gin if I have to.”

“I'm afraid all he wanted was your snout beat into the pavement, lone one.”

Kakashi sighs. “...guess we'll have to give that a try...” Posture relaxed with a hip cocked, a hand in one pocket, there's a tick of silence as each side sizes up the other. Already he's at a disadvantage...three are shifted, the last being the one issuing the threat. It doesn't take long...but any time at all is going to be either a saving grace, or a death sentence. He's down in numbers, and in viable eyes.

…well, I'm not getting any younger.

Withdrawing his hand, he manages to toss the smoke bomb, disrupting both sight and smell. There's the telltale ripping of fabric, and then a snarl as he makes his way toward the only weak point: the one yet Shifted.

The distraction is just enough to give him an edge, and the grey finds a half-Shifted throat with his jaws. A clench, a crack, and one lays lifeless.

By now, the smoke's mostly cleared, and Kakashi spins to face the remaining three, head tilted to even out his one-sided vision. Pearlescent teeth are dyed red as he bares them, a steady stain of crimson  down his gullet. To the fore, a brown coat – left, blond, and right, black.

He's struck from the left first, as he knew he would be – the clouded eye is a dead giveaway. Turning to face it, he's double-teamed, his counter predicted as he's struck too from the right. A tail gives him just a moment as he biffs it against the righthand's face. Ducking beneath the left's jaws, Kakashi lifts his skull into the lower and smashes teeth together with force to shatter them...and cut off his tongue. A desperate whining sounds, and as that enemy recovers, he spins to face the right.

Recovered from the momentary blindness of his foe's tail in his face, the enemy snarls and lunges. Weight shifted, Kakashi sacrifices his shoulder, feeling flesh tear, but the meaty joint also providing the force to stopper the opponent’s momentum. Gripping the black pelt's ear, he rips it off for enough pain to stagger him before going for the throat. One attack won't down him, but it will slow him down.

By now, the brown leaps for his haunches, rolling over as Kakashi manages to sit for just a moment to put the end out of reach. Prancing from the black, he instead charges back toward the blond, recovered from his severed tongue and meeting him head-on. Jaws rack together, and Kakashi feints a rear to gain height. His foe falls for it, standing too tall and leaving his belly exposed. The lone wolf gives it an unmerciful clamp of his jaws and a bolt forward, knocking him over and reaping a fair flow of blood. It's followed by a grip on a back leg, snapping bones and leaving him crippled.

Bulk then carries him over the downed wolf, thrown and disoriented by the umber pelt. Legs tangle in a struggle to rise first, and he gets a kick in the throat that winds him. Breath wheezing for several draws, Kakashi snaps a few times before claiming a paw, refusing to give until most of the foot goes with him.

Getting feet beneath his foe, the grey manages to toss it back into the attacking black, stumbling him and buying the time to stand. The whines of the bleeding-out blond are distracting, and Kakashi waits to see where things lie thus far.

Pawless, the brown gives several pained cries as they disentangle themselves, unable to run without the foot. All the while, blood trails down Kakashi's shoulder, his throat sore but not yet an inhibition. He's getting tired...but he just might make it.

The darkest wolf is struggling for breath, Kakashi's prior grip on his throat a heavy factor. Lacking an ear, the other pins, lips lifted in a growl.

Knowing only one can charge, he taunts it out of the most mobile opponent, trying to sneak under and toss his weight. It works, but only partially, throwing the wolf's balance and knocking him into a wall. Following up, Kakashi rams his uninjured shoulder into their chest, cracking ribs before simply biting any hide he can reach.

Nearly completely unable to breathe between his chest and his throat, the black wolf collapses, his body demanding more oxygen in its stressed state than he can get.

Sure he won't get up again, Kakashi turns to the pawless remainder. To his honest surprise...ears wilt, and the last gracelessly collapses into a posture of surrender.

Panting and bleeding, Kakashi contemplates killing them before sprinting off, still fully Shifted.

So much for his delivery.

The smell of blood and the adrenaline in his veins make thinking difficult, but the further he goes, the clearer his mind gets.

If they knew he was there...if they tracked his scent...they found the woman.

Shit.

All decorum abandoned, he weaves through alleys and makes a beeline toward her apartments. It's too heavily populated for something brash, but wolves can find the patience to lie in wait in they must.

It's stupid. It's stupid to go looking for a human when an entire pack – let alone one the size of Gin's – is going to be not only looking for him and seeking his blood, but likely wanting to clear up any possible broken mandate by his visit. He shouldn't let one human life egg him on like this.

But a debt is a debt. Loner or not...he still has his own moral code. And that means not letting her die.

Stopping a block from the apartment complex, he Shifts back to human, making quick work of a lock and finding his way into some other human's abode. Clothes he finds aren't a perfect fit, but they'll work for now. There's a hiss at fabric over his shoulder, but he'll deal with that later. Random cologne is doused over him, trying to hide his scent.

Hopefully, he's still got some element of surprise. They likely expect him dead a dozen blocks away, so...maybe he can make it in, grab the woman, and get out before they realize who he is. He doesn't have a car, and something tells him she might not either, given her walking to find him when they first met. The only way they're outrunning wolves...is as a wolf.

He's going to break the utmost mandate...but he's stuck between a rock and a rather hard place. Enforcers might kill him later...but Gin wants him dead now.

Hiding beneath a hood, he leaves the infiltrated residence behind and instead crosses the street and making his way there. Nose bared to rely on his strongest scent (as clouded as it may be by human perfumes), his one good eye can't help but flicker to anything that moves. Somehow, by whatever grace, he makes it to the stairs, taking them two at a time until he finds her door.

Locked, but he can smell her inside. A knock, desperate – they're surely watching it.

A long pause as she surely just wakes up, a weary, “coming” sounding off from within. As soon as the knob turns, Kakashi makes his way inside, shutting it and putting a hand to her mouth.

Rin's umbers go wide, staring in surprise before narrowing, attempting to recognize him. “...?”

“I need you to be very quiet, and I need you to listen. Either you do, and we might get out of here alive...or we're both going to die.”

Another look of shock, but the nurse eventually gives a slow nod.

“Some people who call this place their territory know you helped me. I trespassed. They want me dead, and I'm sure they're here for you, too. I've already evaded several, but...we don't have time to argue.” A pause, weighing his options. He can claim simple gang violence, but...something tells him she won't be getting through this without seeing a wolf, one way or another.

“...I'm not what you think I am.”

“...I don't -?”

“No time for discussions.” Another hesitation. “...you're gonna see things you won't believe. But it's the only way you're getting out of this alive. And we have to go now. No time for packing, arguing...anything. Got it?”

Rin looks torn, but eventually gives a defeated shrug of her shoulders. “I...don't understand, but...fine. Let's go.”

“We can't go out the door – is there a window?”

“Fire escape, out the bedroom wi-”

“Let's go.” Taking her hand, Kakashi leads the human to the panes, tugging them open and stepping through first. “Now!”

Obviously unnerved in little more than pajamas, Rin does as asked, and gasps as Kakashi simply scoops her up. Ignoring ladders, he relies on jumping, falling distances that are certainly too far for a human.

Just behind them, the sound of a door being broken open reaches their ears.

The wolf swears under his breath. “Do you have a car?”

“No, I -?”

“Then we're running.” He sets her down, taking her shoulders and giving her a look. “...I need you to trust me.”

“...what choice do I have?”

“No, I...I'm going to scare you. But you have to ignore that fear, and let me carry you. It's the only way we're outrunning them.”

“...okay, fine!” Too frazzled to argue and too out of her element to know what else to do, Rin watches as Kakashi takes a step back, breathes...and then Shifts.

To her credit, she doesn't scream. But her eyes are as big as dinner plates, and her knees threaten to give way.

Catching her on his good shoulder, Kakashi looks over his back pointedly, clearly telling her to get on.

There's yells from the apartment, a head sticking out the window.

Glancing back, Rin freezes for only a moment before climbing atop the wolf's back and gripping hair for dear life.

And he runs.

Everything blurs as he pushes his limits, ignoring the complaining of his shoulder and streaking toward what he now realizes is the territory's edge. Being outside isn't much safer, but...it's better than nothing.

Rin buries her face in his shoulders, wind whipping and making her eyes water too much to sit up straight. He can feel her shaking, but at least she's not falling off.

He doesn't stop until they reach the outskirts of town. Less prime locations, and not truly held by any packs. They might run into other loners, but...those odds are still better.

Tongue lolling and chest heaving with breath, Kakashi eventually collapses, Rin still perched atop his spine before scrambling off.

She doesn't have words, staring back behind them in what looks like genuine shock. Silence save for Kakashi's harried breaths rings out for uncounted minutes.

Atop a pole, an owl screeches.

“...wolf territory. That's what you meant. Not...not a gang...a p...pack...?”

He ignores her rambling, not able to answer while shifted. At this point, he's not sure which would be more for her to deal with – a car-sized wolf, or a naked man.

“...your shoulder's bleeding. I don't...” Rin looks around, apparently trying to find something to stopper it.

He can't help a bark of a laugh.

“...Kakashi...?”

Breath a bit calmer, the wolf lifts his head to spot a vaguely familiar face, no name recalled to go with it. But it's clear enough by smell alone who and what he is: Uchiha. Vampire. Probably only recognizes him due to his old ties with Obito.

Looking between them warily, the man asks, “...what has happened here?” He draws a long coat from his shoulders, offering it to the Shifter and letting him find his voice.

“...long story.”

“...is she...?”

“What, can't you tell?”

“...I can...and yet...” The Uchiha shakes his head. “...you broke the mandate?”

“They were going to kill her. I owe her a debt. I've repaid it.”

“...have you thought past this point?”

Kakashi can't help a frustrated sigh. “...obviously not.”

Taking both their images in, the man doesn't reply.

“Are...are you...like him?” Rin manages to ask, pointing.

“...not exactly. Are you all right, miss?”

“...I really don't know. I think...I think I'm just...”

“At least you're not screaming,” Kakashi offers dryly.

“...s-sure.”

“We have an outpost not far from here. It will allow you two to get out of the open. And you can tell me what on earth you've gotten yourself into.”

“...if you insist.”

“This way, miss – if you please.”

Managing to find his feet, Kakashi brings up the rear, still alert for anything out of place.

“It's not much, but...there's basic supplies, including clothes. There may be some that fit you. I shall see about finding some first aid,” the Uchiha offers, glancing between woman and wolf before giving them the room.

Without ceremony, Kakashi collapses atop a couch, exhaling.

Silence.

“W...what...?”

“I know you're completely and utterly rattled, Rin. I know,” Kakashi mumbles, an arm tossed over his eyes. “But I just ran across half a city after fighting three of my own kind...I'm a little beat for explanations.”

“Perhaps I can handle that part.” Lifting a first aid kid, the stranger finally offers, “You may call me Itachi, by the way.”

“Don't bother – I can't keep all you Uchiha straight, anyway...”

The vampire can't help a chuckle. “Well, at least I recognized you. Otherwise you'd probably have been killed.” Sitting and attending to the wolf's shoulder, Itachi glances to Rin. “...you should sit, miss.”

She does as asked. “...so...”

“Given that the first mandate has been...completely disregarded, I see no harm in telling you,” Itachi cuts in, tone exasperated. “Clearly, you've seen that Kakashi is a werewolf. Just as I'm a vampire. And now, you're a human who has been exposed to what we affectionately call the Nightwalker world. In other words...all of the monsters you humans write your thrillers about. Now, Kakashi...mind telling me why she's suddenly got her eyes open?”

“That was hardly an adequate explanation...”

“No, but what else can I say? Time is short, and there's little need to overwhelm her with flowery words. She gets the gist, I'm certain.”

The wolf sighs. “...got into it with a harpy a few days back. Ended up in claimed territory. She's a nurse...found me, patched me up. Alpha found out, sent foot soldiers after me...and her. I managed to skin by them, and got her out.” A pause. “...I couldn't leave her there. She saved my life, and I was going to do the same.”

“Yes, well...we, at the very least, know your feelings about leaving a friend behind. Do you know what happens to humans who see a Nightwalker?”

“...never dealt with it. So no.”

“Either they're brainwashed into believing it to be a dream, a drug-induced hallucination...or otherwise. Or, if that doesn't work, they're occasionally executed to protect the mandate. Alongside those they saw. There are rare cases of them being Turned to create a loophole – a human can't have been exposed if they're no longer human, but...well, you can guess why that's frowned upon.”

Kakashi sighs, and Rin just...stares, apparently still too out of it to fully comprehend.

“...so, there are odds of her getting out of this alive, but...they are not entirely pretty.”

“You expect me to have just left her there?”

“...can't really say for sure. The first mandate is a grave matter, Kakashi. If anyone finds out...you're going to be killed. There's no two ways about it.”

“You gonna turn me in?”

“No...but if they want to, that pack you tussled with might. They can put two and two together, I'm certain.”

“...well...damn.”

Finished with his patch job, Itachi gives the wolf a long, hard look. “...we still remember what you did for Obito. So...you are safe with us. We're not about to turn you in, and we might even lend you a hand. But...though I have a rather high place in our coven, I can't say for sure. I can, however, bring the matter up and see how the others react. See what they want to do.”

“...until then?”

“Until then...you can lay low here. We'll figure something out. But it's best you disappear for a while.”

“What about...?”

Both look to Rin.

“What about...me? I...I have class in like...an hour.”

Unbidden, Itachi chuckles. “Well...I'm afraid you're going to have to miss it. If I may...?”

“...Rin.”

“...Rin. I realize how serious this is, and how...utterly confused you must be. But right now, I need you to focus on the fact that you're alive. Kakashi is right: you wouldn't be if he hadn't interfered. Granted...he's made a bit of a mess. But at least an innocent life wasn't lost tonight.”

Outside, light begins to tinge the horizon, and the Uchiha sighs.

“I'd best get going...it's getting late. You should be safe here – I'm sure it reeks enough like vampire, no wolf will be willing to come this far. Still...I've got eyes outside, just in case. I would stay myself, but...I'd best see about our next move.” Standing, he gives them each a nod. “Stay out of trouble. We'll see how this goes.”

“Itachi...?”

“Hm?”

“...how'd you know I was here?”

“I happened to be in the area. And...a certain pair of airborne eyes spotted you. Let me know you were here.”

The wolf perks a brow, but Itachi offers no further explanation. Instead, he seems to melt into the shadows...and disappears.

Once they're alone, Kakashi struggles with himself before looking to Rin. “...sorry for all the fuss.”

“...well...better a little fuss than a lotta dead...right?” Still looking shaken, the human manages a smile, though it looks a bit...disconnected. “...I'm...I'm not sure I quite...get it all yet, but...like you said: no screaming.” A pause. “...I feel like I'm in some dumb teen romance book about...vampires, and...werewolves.”

“...there's teen romance books about that?”

“Oh trust me...you don't want to know. Movies, too.”

“...well, this isn't a movie. But...if it helps you keep from losing your head...act away.”

Silence blooms again before Rin breaks it. “...I guess I haven't really said...thank you yet.”

“Don't.”

“...but...?”

“You're not out of the woods yet. And it was my fault you got mixed up in this in the first place.”

“...but you said it yourself. If I hadn't found you...then you'd be dead.”

“And you never would have known to worry about it. Believe me, I'm not one to be missed.”

“I don't -!”

“No offense, but...you don't know me, Rin. Not really a call you can make yet.”

Arms cross. “...well, at the very least...you saved me when you didn't have to. For now...that's good enough for me.”

The wolf sighs. “...we'll argue that point later. For now, I've got a fight and a flight to rest up from. Don't leave the house, okay?”

“...don't plan on it, believe me.”

“...good.”

Too unnerved to truly sleep, Kakashi merely dozes, listening as Rin takes to wandering the sequestered house. True to her word, she never leaves it, contenting herself rather well to just...idling. But eventually the wolf realizes he's not accomplishing much, and sits up.

“...so, uh...can I ask you something?”

“I'd imagine you have several somethings to ask me. Fire away – we're not going anywhere for a while.”

For a moment, Rin collects her thoughts. “...how, uh...how big is this whole...world, thing?”

“The Nightwalker world?”

“Yeah, I guess that's what you called it.”

“Hard to say for sure. I'm certain the Senate has tabs on populations, but...I'm rather clueless.”

“Is it just...werewolves and vampires? Oh...I guess the turkey was a thing, though...”

Kakashi can't help a chuckle. “There's all sorts. The turkey was a harpy, not sure what breed. Then there's more werecreatures than wolves. Bears, cats...”

“Cats?”

A brow perks. “...yeah. Weres tend to be large predator species. Including cats.”

Rin blinks, expression attentive. “...huh.”

“...anyway, there's a myriad of species, and then breeds within those. Like your...werecats. Tigers, lions, bobcats, on and on. All sorts of birds when it comes to harpies. Et cetera, et cetera.”

“And humans really have no idea...?”

“Well...they're not supposed to.” The wolf leans back with a sigh. “...see, several hundred years ago, a few powerful Nightwalkers got together, formed a Senate. First was in Europe. Other continents soon followed. Each country, and each specie, gets a representative. They govern us...including making laws. The most important, obviously, is making sure humans live their lives unaware we exist. There are some who do...mostly associated with religious fanatics who live to hunt us as abominations. But otherwise, we're like two sides of a coin. Not suppose to be able to see both at one time.”

A long pause. “...will they really kill you?”

“If they find out? It's more than likely. There's many laws, but that's by far the most important, and the most severely punished for being broken. Breaches of that mandate could lead to open war between humans and Nightwalkers again.”

“What if I said I wouldn't tell anyone?”

At that, Kakashi outright laughs. “It's not that simple. In any case, you can't be allowed to remember. One of those options Itachi mentioned will have to be used...just a matter of which one.”

Rin goes quiet again, thinking.

“...anyway...for now, there's no use worrying about it. Just gotta buckle down until we hear back. You should get some sleep.” He's not fond of being stuck behind four walls, but...for now, he's little choice.

“I'm not tired.”

“But you will be. Rest now, cuz we might have to run later.”

For a moment she stares stubbornly, but eventually concedes. “Wake me if anything happens.”

“If anything does, I'm sure you'll hear it,” is Kakashi's dry reply. Watching her disappear into the house's only room with a bed, he contents himself with sinking back into the couch.

At least Rin is alive.

Now, it's just a matter of keeping her that way.

     SORRY this took so long, I’m so behind on things =‘D Basically a slight continuation of what we managed to RP because Kakashi up and left me. I dunno if it makes any sense, and wow that combat scene was a nightmare, BUT I hope it’s enjoyable nonetheless xD      Rin becoming a werecat of some kind to make use of the loophole, tho :3c Also you might have spotted a wee harpy in the background at some points, lol - I need to write more of this. I need to write more of a lot of things OTL      ANYWAY. Here’s your gifty. Sorry it’s late. And thanks for being a follower and all that jazz x3 I’m totally not rushing these author’s notes to post it, haha xD