#i love sasukes character progression so damn much

[ereawrites]

OKAY i have daydreaming (as one does) and i happened across the idea of a character who didnt have much opportunity to learn how to read. i’m just so curious how the uchiha boys would react and how they approach the subject???

madara will be a little confused. like... he grew up in the damn woods in the middle of a war. and he can still read. but he's sympathetic even if he doesn't get it, and he'll make arrangements to get them a tutor. checks in on their progress often too it's cute

obito. god bless him. he's going to try to help them learn but he's so fucking useless. he cannot spell he cannot maintain focus he cannot teach. but he makes up for it with perseverance. he's surprisingly strict about making sure they put the same effort in

shisui really wants to understand why. asks lots and lots of questions about their barriers to education. he's very kind about it though, just curious. he'll find someone to help them learn, but he'll also take trips to the library with them when his schedule allows

itachi really feels for them. it hits him pretty hard to think that someone he cares for hasn't had that chance, especially because he loves reading so much. I don't see him taking on a 'teaching' role, but he'll sit quietly with his own book and help them out if they need

sasuke is pretty tactless lmfao. wdym you can't read. it's words on a page just fucking read them. sorry but I just really don't think he understands at all. at the very least.... at least he gives them motivation to learn quick lol

[atqh16]

I’m dying for a sasunaru ‘The notebook’ AU. The way they fall in love would definitely be different cause the movie’s version doesn’t vibe with their characters or dynamic at all. But I want that plot of elderly Sasuke telling the story of how he fell in love with Naruto. I want that story of them being pulled apart by the societal class they’re in because Sasuke is the son and the second heir to a wealthy prodigious family and Naruto is an orphan nobody who grew up knowing nothing but hard labor but somehow they ended up being rivals and then best friends and eventually lovers.

I want that tragedy of Sasukes parents tearing them apart, not out of ego or anger but out of the sincere and genuine desire to protect their son from the fall out and disgrace he’d have to endure if he chose to love Naruto. I want Naruto being unwilling to give Sasuke up anyway but the Uchiha suddenly decide to move to the other side of the country and Sasuke is just a teenager who has no say in the matter.

I want a scene where they try to elope but are found by the police who forcibly tear them apart, kicking and screaming all the way and return Sasuke to his parents while Naruto is shoved in a cell for the night so by the time he manages to go back to the the Uchiha compound when he’s released the next morning, nothing meets him but chained gates and a cold, hollow shell of a home.

I want Naruto somehow finding out Sasukes new address and writing him a letter every damn day with no reply but even then still not giving up and trying to collect enough money to be able to travel to see him.

I want all his plans for that long desperate reunion to be thwarted by a sudden war/invasion that was ravaging the neighboring country Suna where his best friend Gaara lived and he couldn’t just do nothing so no matter how much it hurt, instead he spent all that money he gathered for a ticket to Suna instead to help.

And I still want him to spend every damn day writing a letter to Sasuke even if it took him weeks before he could find a way to send them because this is Naruto Uzumaki and he does not give up.

Because coming back to find Sasuke again was one of the main driving forces that kept him moving and fighting even under the shower of blood and dirt, buried under the bodies of friends he’s lost along the way.

I want him coming back home after 7 years with a soul that echoed screams and suffering that haunted him at night but he’ll keep going anyway because even if Sasuke has moved on (because Naruto has not gotten a single reply in all those years) he’s not going to stop moving till he see’s Sasuke again and knows he’s safe and happy.

I want him to find out to his anguish that Jiraiya had died while he was away but not before he’d sold all his property during the peak of the countries economy and had written several books in Narutos absence so not only did Naruto have a small fortune in his account but also a steady, thought admittedly paltry, income from the sales of those books to his name.

I want Naruto finding out the Uchiha had moved from their previous address without any chance of Naruto finding out where they currently lived and he’s also been appointed mayor of their small community due to the respect, trust and valor he’s amassed from his status as a war hero (even if it was for a different country) so he has his hands full

I want an engaged Sasuke who’d been told 2 years prior that Naruto had died in the war (while he was in the midst of also desperately trying to reach Naruto even though he hadn’t received a reply for any of the million letters he’d sent to the blonde over the years) finding out about Naruto when news was spreading about the prosperity and progress he was bringing to his small town and absolutely rushing to get back to him even as he felt himself drowning in fears that Naruto had forgotten him. But Sasuke just needs to see him one last time to know he was happy and safe.

I want them meeting in a joyful reunion that’s marred by misunderstanding between them, where they both think the other had moved on.

I want that dramatic fight in the rain they both finally confronted each other and realized that neither had forgotten the other and they were both still deeply in love.

I WANT THAT DESPERATE KISS IN THE RAIN.

I want both of them finally getting that happily ever after together.

And then, and then, I want us to return to elderly Sasuke and realize that he’d been telling that story to Naruto.

Alzheimer ridden Naruto who doesn’t remember him anymore. Who can only smile in his rickety rocking chair and occasionally sigh fondly that Sasuke looked so much like someone he used to, and still does, love so very much.

Just give me that love and heartbreak. I need it.

[kishimotomasashi]

Madara for the ask game

Send me a character and I'll tell you

First impression:

I first heard his name back while I was really into DBZ and powerscaling and vs battles mattered a lot more to me, and so I saw some people talk about how some guy called "Madara" from Naruto could beat Goku and win or whatever and I was like damn, Naruto characters can blow up planets now? I thought this was the ninja show?

Later on I bought UNS4 and was introduced to Madara for the first time in the game's cool opening sequence with his fight with Hashirama and my first thoughts were: "Oh okay he's really powerful and can do cool shit but the dudebros are lying to me" and "I like his voice and his manner of speech" (I was watching the dub bc I have character flaws I refuse to examine 👍🏽).

So really I just thought he was cool. Cool anime villain. Didn't think of him much beyond that.

Impression now:

Tragic mess of an old man who has all of the issues at once simultaneously and has 5 different layers of both emotional and physical walls to prevent himself from dealing with them in any manner. We would fuck because of it if he weren't lines or also gay. Love of my life and bane of my existence.

Favorite moment:

As much as I do think Madara's cool when he's going apeshit or throwing meteors on people my favourite moments with him happen to be when he's more... human. When he's not being the most powerful thing in the room just to be the most powerful thing in the room.

So my fave moments are both times where he's confessing to Hashirama his guilt about not having been able to protect his siblings, and his wondering what that would mean of his abilities as a leader. Those are his most character defining moments, imo. And also makes me think of this post:

Idea for a story:

I have a few story/oneshot ideas in my drafts for him actually. Current one taking priority is an AU I'm writing in which Madara is possessing Sasuke, Yu-Gi-Oh style, and they are both trying to deal with in the best way they can.

Otherwise I have some oneshot drafts that are just headcanons in writing: one on Izuna and Madara's relationship dynamic, one on what happened when Madara's last sibling before Izuna died, one that's a reimagining of how the susano'o works (divorcing it from the mangekyou sharingan entirely) and how he came to master it, etc.

Unpopular opinion:

I think as the war arc progressed he became more of an annoying obstacle than a genuinely good villain. His introduction lived up to the hype but as for keeping it... you can only do "this guy's the most powerful thing ever and he's unstoppable" so many times before it gets annoying.

Ofc I have my own personal interpretation that makes me enjoy his character progression in the war arc (something something turning himself into smth less and less human as he abandons and paternalizes humanity, something something becoming almost a caricature of his reputation and thus a shell of his former self) but looking at it objectively... he peaked at the susano'o unveiling and after that he just became annoying skfjskhfkshfs. I'm not even gonna mention Juubi!Madara. I try to forget he exists most of the time.

Favorite relationship:

With Hashirama, obviously, since that's the one we get to see develop meaningfully. I'd be a lot more invested in his relationship with Izuna if Izuna just had more screentime. I mean I have headcanons on what their relationship might've looked like but headcanons aren't what's actually written in the manga.

Favorite headcanon:

This isn't a Madara-specific headcanon but I've been obsessed with the Uchiha as songbirds headcanon for 2 days. It's just perfect to me. Anyways this is what I think Madara's singing voice sounds like approximately

Just probably deeper-sounding than this. But definitely powerful, and with a good growl to it.

[roobylavender]

i think the problem with sakura is that she’s a main character with the relevancy of a side character, she’s more like a plot device (5ks) and much less interesting than naruto, sasuke and kakashi.

i think there are things to be said about how sakura is underutilized in places esp wrt the political undercurrent of the series that naruto and sasuke are so entrenched in but i don't think i would go so far as to say she's lacking in import to the point she functions as a plot device.. her position is unique within the team bc she comes from an utterly normal background and has to contend with an onslaught of trauma and decide how to react to it as her ideals and relationship with being a ninja develop. she's not ridiculously overpowered nor is she the descendent to a family irrevocably tied to the roots of the land, so figuring out what it is that she wants to stand for and believe in is something that takes time, and it's why her position as a healer is ultimately important. she has no real history with the political progression of the village so her aversion to using violence as an all-encompassing solution isn't simply emblematic of a traditional feminine role within the world but also represents a greater ideal in that she refuses to give into the cycle that keeps so many of the characters in naruto trapped in a never-ending political scheme of proxy wars facilitated by warring states for the sake of profit. her normalcy is what renders her revolutionary as a character. she's the one character who more than anything beats back against the current of violence and nihilism with an unwavering belief in people and desire to see them heal rather than give into violence themselves. she doesn't even have a complete picture of what's been happening behind the scenes of konoha's history and yet she knows enough to resist that systemic violence being perpetuated around her

that's what makes her decisions in the kage summit arc so interesting. that's more or less the breaking point for every member of team seven and yet despite all of that pressure and despair closing in around her, despite her attempts to go against the grain of everything she's believed in up until that point - that getting through to sasuke is viable, that letting naruto drive himself crazy over it is even worth something - she still hesitates with the kunai in the end bc it's not her. it's never been her. she's never been able to give up on the people she cares about. in the moment it might look like a pathetic thing and like she's nothing more than the sad reactionary to naruto and sasuke's whims, but i think it's actually a quite powerful depiction of who sakura is at the core and who she refuses to stop being. her unwavering faith in people isn't a weakness, rather it's one of her greatest strengths. bc she survives this entire ordeal - these five years of grueling trauma and separation and war - without compromising her own values. and i suppose some people view that as a weakness bc they're only viewing it from a shipping perspective and feel like sakura is made to wait for some guy with serious problems to love her back. but when you understand her actions and beliefs in context of naruto as a political work about the cycle of violence then i think she's an incredibly compelling character, bc in the end, she's right to not give into the violence and to not turn her back on sasuke. she knows better than anyone that what's wrong with him isn't even entirely up to him despite her knowing so little about his background (and the same can apply to naruto along a different vein). she knows there are reasons for the way people change and her compassion and empathy allow her to stand by them with the belief that they can still make it out okay, which, when you set it against the backdrop of state heads using ninja like pawns of violence they don't give a damn about, i think it's quite significant

[an-ambivalent]

WARNING: This post contains yandere and violent themes (mentions of murder and brainwashing) and other toxic and creepy behaviours that can be triggering and uncomfortable to read. So read at your own risk. This work is purely fictional. I do not condone this toxic behaviour irl. 

Fandom: Naruto 

Pairings: Itachi x Reader | Shisui x Reader | Sasuke x Reader

Status: Headcanons and scenarios mixed hybrid, requested. 

Ask:  Scenario where Yandere!Itachi, Yandere!Shisui, Yandere!Sasuke and Yandere!Obito realizes that they all have feelings for you and since they're family, they decided that they are going to share.

A/N:   I’m didn’t add Obito to this scenario because I don’t see this dynamic working with him in the mix. Although Obito is an Uchiha, frankly speaking, Itachi didn’t ever trust him. Sasuke used him for his own means didn’t care about him other than that either way. As far as Shisui is concerned, he never really interacted with Obito. 

Itachi and Shisui are best friends, and Itachi and Sasuke are siblings (who do care for each other). Sasuke is stubborn about his own ideals but he can still be persuaded by Itachi, and given that Itachi and the Uchiha clan respected Shisui a lot, Sasuke would do too. So, a dynamic with these three choosing to co-operate is plausible. But with Obito.... not really. I just don’t see how he would fit in this scenario.  So, hopefully this explanation clarifies why Obito wasn’t added to the scenario.

No beta, we die like men. I wrote this at like 2 am so idgaf about grammar errors atm ^.< 

Your background: To be in a position where you can interact with all these three simultaneously, you would have to be part of the Uchiha clan yourself. The only other way might be that you’re Itachi’s classmate and progressed exactly like he did. But then, it just feels like copying and pasting Itachi’s character and that’s no fun.

No ‘duplicate version of another character’ in this household. So there’s two choices for your background that can nonetheless lead to the same scenario. Thus, you can choose whatever floats your boat: 1) you’re the first daughter of the main branch of another clan of your choice, and for some time now, your clan and the Uchiha clan have been planning to form an alliance together. What better way to do that than to arrange a marriage between the two first children of the main branch from both clans that “coincidentally” have to be the same age?

2) You’re an Uchiha child, born to parents who are from one of the side branches of the clan. There isn’t many other kids to interact with, and despite being a side branch member, your father is one of the most respected shinobi in the clan. So, your future as a ninja is given, and with his interactions and meetings  with Fugaku, he takes you along with him. As a result, your introduction with Itachi is inevitable. And so by extension, you will also meet Shisui and Sasuke. And given your father’s good relationship with Fugaku, mayhaps your parents went ahead and arranged your marriage with Itachi behind your back and not notifying you yet.

PSA: For the age balance, you are Itachi’s age in this scenario. Shisui is 2-4 years older than Itachi and Itachi is 4 years older than Sasuke. Having a maximum of 8 years age gap if you were Sasuke’s age, or Shisui’s age, would be a lot LOL. Besides, Itachi would be the mediator between Sasuke and Shisui, so you building a relationship with him first makes the most sense.

Introduction / Meeting

Itachi

You and Itachi are forced to spend time together as ‘playmates’ while your parents discuss ‘official business’ (the arrange marriage) with Fugaku and Mikoto. Itachi is overly polite but there’s an icy coldness underlining his polite greetings and one-word answers he gives to your questions when you try to start a conversation.

You aren’t dumb. You were raised with high expectations placed on your shoulders so although you’re not a prodigy at his level, you have more than enough intelligence to know that he’s patronizing you. And unlike him, you aren’t an immature coward who hides behind their passive-aggressive remarks. Whatever you have to say, you communicate it bluntly. So, you don’t hesitate to spew out what you really think of him (a coward who takes his frustrations out on others aka you, who is also in the same situation, instead of facing his problems), and leave his pretty boy face behind in shock.

You were five when this happened.

Sasuke: Overtime, your ‘playdates’ with Itachi became a norm. You were forced to visit him many times and spend time with him given that he is your future husband. (You don’t know that yet, but at this point, Itachi has his suspicions that something is up).

His baby brother is his entire life. Sasuke makes him smile in the way no one else does, so its no wonder you met him eventually.

You were first held Sasuke was he was about fourteen months old. He was a small, chubby, innocent little thing with his already haughty attitude. He had no problem crying in the arms of the people he didn’t like, which was almost everyone outside of his immediate family. But when you held him, despite Itachi’s warnings that “he doesn’t like everyone” but he instantly liked you (much to his displeasure), you instantly became attached to him. Then in the following years, you babysat him a lot. He was the cute little younger sibling you wanted but never had, so you spoiled him to bits. And with the attention and love you gave him, Sasuke loved you too. Not to mention, unlike everyone else in his family, who picked Itachi over him, you picked him over Itachi.

How can he not fall in love with you?

Shisui: More often than not these days, Shisui would silently watch and observe Itachi. For a six years old, it was terrifying for him how he was already adapting to the shinobi lifestyle is so easily; being an emotionless robot and extremely talented.

But, over the past few days, gone were the seemingly emotionless robot. Instead, he had changed into a boy who acted like how a six year old was supposed to act: whiny, pouty, and frustrated (to an extent), but happy at the same time. It was entertaining for him to watch Itachi’s expressions shift from one to another every moment as he grumbled about you underneath his breath. Shisui was ready to tease him about it, but you had beat him to it.

You had appeared out of nowhere and were hosting the two-years-old Sasuke on your shoulders for a piggy back ride. No one was given any time to react, before rude remarks were slipping out your lips that just humiliated his precious friend into a fumbling mess.

Itachi had tried to get back at you, he really did. But your mouth ran like a sailor and you had a witty remark prepared for everything. It was such a contrast to the “perfect princess” show you put on before your and his parents. And each time, your response was more embarrassing which eventually made him lose his cool. Seeing him flustered, despite how much he loved you, little Sasuke tried to  jump to his nii-san’s aid. Shisui was prepared to snicker and chuckle to himself, if he it wasn’t for the most beautiful sound he had ever heard: your laughter. It was so raw, pure, genuine and innocent, he was instantly immersed. Barely anyone from shinobi clans, and given how they were raised, acted so open. And you brought out a different side to Itachi -- it was intriguing for him to witness.

He wanted to get to know you more. He wanted to hear your life more. He wanted you to share your secrets with him on how to bully Itachi so easily. So immediately, he put out his hand and gave you a wide grin.

“I’m Shisui. What’s your name?”

Realising their feelings

Shisui: Shisui knew he loved you ever since your first laugh. It was love at first sound. However, with the respect to you belonging to his best friend, he would never make a move on you.

Maybe, there might be some lingering touches here and there that lasted a bit too long between ‘friends.’ Maybe sometimes he was harsher on you during your training spars so he would have an excuse to touch you and help you bandage up your injuries. Maybe sometimes, he ‘jokingly’ wrapped his arms around your waist and kissed your cheek to ‘get a rise out of Itachi’ and not because he wanted to touch you.

But he never made a move on you because he knew you were Itachi’s. And as long as you were still his friend and spent time with him, he didn’t care too much.

But he should’ve known better. Just as how he can understand Itachi and cares for him like he is his brother, Itachi is the same towards Shisui. He knew how Shisui felt about you, and although one part of him just wanted to you have all to himself, it didn’t feel right that Shisui had to hold himself back when he needed you too. If only, it wasn’t for your clan, and the Uchiha, and their damn village that believed in monogamous relationships, then he would happily share you with Shisui.

Itachi: There were many rules and obligations Itachi has to adhere to due to his clan. Although he did them, he didn’t want to. He hated it. His thoughts were different from his actions so he was constantly experiencing cognitive dissonance. But, you weren’t part of that. For some reason, when he was eleven and his suspicions were confirmed by his parents and the clan elders that you were set up to wed him when you both turn thirteen, that was one thing he didn’t hate or didn’t want to do. In fact, it was alarming for everyone in the meeting how easily he obliged.

Confirming how he felt towards you, it honestly did not surprise him. He had assumed this was the case for a while. Ever since you called him a coward due to his habit of upholding a facade, he tried to be more honest. Not in front of his clan, evidently, but to the people that mattered. Shisui, Sasuke, you, and himself.

The old Itachi, had he not met you and fell in love with someone, would have buried his feelings without a care. But for you.... it was a different story. He acknowledged his feelings and never tried to get rid off them. How could he? You were the perfect lover for him. You got along swimmingly with Shisui. You took good care of Sasuke, and his younger brother was so attached to you. You were an exceptional kunoichi, put up the perfect facade before your own parents and his, and weren’t afraid to challenge him and speak your mind.

And best of all? You were already promised to him. So, he saw no reason to bury his feelings for you.

Sasuke: Sasuke always knew he loved you.

Ever since he can remember, you had always been by his side no matter what.

His father didn’t pay attention to him. His mother did, but she scolded him too when he just wanted to spend time with Itachi.

Itachi spent time with him but lately, he has been ignoring him. It’s not the same. And him and Shisui always leave him behind to get things done that they say he’s “not mature enough to know.”

But Sasuke does know.

He knows what they talk about his and your back because thinks of those things too. It’s everywhere: princesses, their prince, their love story and happily ever after.

He wants to kiss you to show you how he loves you like the couples in fairy tales. He does. Despite his nerves that are causing fluttering butterflies in his tummy, he builds up the courage to have his first kiss with you.

But you’re faster than him. You just move your head so he kisses your cheek instead, and then laugh out loud before ruffling his hair and telling him, “you’re adorable. But you should save your first kiss for your true love.”

He likes being adorable for you, but why won’t you understand?! You are his first and only love.

There will be a day when you finally understand that.

Sharing You:

ok.... listen.... Uchiha clan massacre (and yours too for scenario A) but both Itachi and Shisui. And although its mission issued by the damn village, that’s not why they’re doing it. It just so happens that its the perfect solution to all their problems because they get rid off the obstacles in their way, and they will have to leave the village. They can take you away far, away from everything, so you only have them left.

Obviously, they will take Sasuke with them too. Except this time, there’s no also hurting and torturing him and enticing him to seek revenge. If anything, when Sasuke is horrified, Itachi tells him the truth. There’s lies as well, but, they would need to brainwash him to some extent so he willingly stays with them. Itachi tells him of how if the clan lived, then he would never get to be with you, or see you again because they were going to hurt you.

“Do you want that foolish little brother? You made big claims to make [Name] yours and protect her, so are you really going to mourn those who were going to take her away from you? She’s my bride, and because I care about you, I will share her. But for that to happen, you need to listen to me and Shisui and not be pathetic as to get in our way.”

Itachi had a way with his words, and it was terrifying how much they could influence Sasuke. And now that they had, and no one else was going to be in the way -- not any clans, the village -- nothing.

It is just going to be you and them for the rest of your life.

[madara-fate]

The fake confession scene was grey > She was hurt then angry that nrt essentially thought she wouldn’t lift a finger for him & that it was all about ssk. She displays shock, then anger & screams at him. It’s followed by nrt thinking that Sai was lying to him, as he believed that skr loved ssk so much she’d never, as ssk is his fam & he would never but skr isn’t the same. He miscalculated the weight of her feelings & how they manifest, TWICE. Her saying she no longer loved ssk was a complete lie, reducing him to a regular criminal etc & it’s why nrt didn’t believe her; but her feelings in regards to him is the grey part “u have stuck by my side, cheered me up, I’ve seen u true self; from mischievous kid to hero of Konoha, u bring me comfort etc” these were all very hardly lies but it’s what sets nrt off, hence her anger

When he saves her, there’s a parallel attributable to Minakushi VS Obito, the intensity in the eyes coupled with the whole carrying bridal style shit. You disagree but the romantic undertones have always been there bc there’s no reason for any of that shit to be portrayed the way it was otherwise. Of course yamato was cut off... ON PURPOSE! The very definition of grey. It’s to make the audience ponder over it

YES! Pain arc hinata’s conf amounted to nothing, nrt doesn’t address nor reflect on it; emotional peak of the arc = completely overridden by Minato meeting his son/closure for Jiraiya through Nagato— & it was expected in the sense that she was portrayed as a nrt fangirl who goes the extra mile if he’s involved, ever since her fight with Neji— while the NS hug marks the end of the arc, is accompanied with the switch from the villagers; and it makes him visibly freeze & it shows a turn in skr’s behavior as well. There was no need for such a hug whatsoever, opposite gender hugs are very romance coded in shonen animanga, this one in particular bc it wasn’t a norm & she even puts her hand on his neck & it’s a callback to how in the past he used to look at her hug ssk but now he was being hugged. “platonic” lol

I disagree that there’s more SS scenes, until the end of the war when ssk is progressively inching towards his return; he catches her when she saves him & the shared intensity behind it & when he launches the genjustu there’s a callback to the you’re annoying thing & how she was family to him, otherwise it’s literally limited to skr angst which doesn’t even stand out since Kishi made her worried sick for nrt who also displayed a shit ton of angst in regards to ssk & in a more dramatic way: constantly thinking of him, panic attacks, tears & long convos with third parties about him; whereas her disposition in regards to nrt was grey territory & only element that wasn’t stagnant.

My point about protagonists ending up wigh their crushes is very relevant since it’s the norm, to this day sakura gets mass hate from casual fans who project because they’ve been used to such conclusions. and my “wall of text” focusing on Naruto’s feelings make sense because uh, he’s the damn MC. His perception of things and interactions with people and world concept is what gets the most focus throughout the entire story. Sakura is the character he loved and she’d happens to be the one he interacts with the most throughout the entire story.

NH needed a retcon movie to merely stands on its own, SS gets mass hate to this day with casual fans not comprehending the Sasuke side; it’s not that hard to understand what made more sense at large, to readers and viewers in general as opposed to shippers. I may ship but I’m still not the type to be invested enough for fanfics or to dedicate an account to it; and the overall audience reactions speaks for itself. Kishi had to justify himself saying the dumbest shit for axing NS, as far as sexist bull “she’d be a terrible woman” for moving on from Sasuke although NH has Naruto moving on and neither Naruto nor Sakura ever were graced for a reason for their feelings in writing. Hell, Naruto’s own VA didn’t expect nor understand NH and was foreseeing Naruto taking a completely different route.

Anon, you do realise that absolutely nothing you said here refutes my claim that NS would have needed a justification for their canonisation, you do realise that right? You completely failed to address any of the ways in which I proved that to be true. One of the very first things I said to you, was me asking how you could possibly say that NS wouldn't have needed a justification, when literally 7 chapters from the end, you had Sakura confessing her love for Sasuke again? So answer me that - How on earth would NS not need a justification, when Sakura reconfirmed her deep love for Sasuke a mere 7 chapters before the conclusion of the story. If you don't at least answer that question, and address the 4 bullet points that I made towards the end which further strengthen my point about a justification being necessary, then I will no longer reply to you since that would demonstrate to me that you're fine with conveniently picking and choosing what you reply to when it suits you.

but her feelings in regards to him is the grey part “u have stuck by my side, cheered me up, I’ve seen u true self; from mischievous kid to hero of Konoha, u bring me comfort etc” these were all very hardly lies but it’s what sets nrt off, hence her anger

There's nothing grey about that Anon. This is yet another example of you taking her platonic feelings and twisting it into something romantic because that's all NS ever has with regards to romantic feelings on Sakura's part. Yes, those weren't lies, because these were sentiments that Sakura had about Naruto ever since he made the Promise of a Lifetime to her. During that scene, Sakura was also thinking about how Naruto was always there by her side and helping her when she needed to be picked up:

So what now? Are you gonna say that this was a grey area too? And that Sakura may have also had romantic feelings for Naruto back then as well? Despite the fact that she had confessed her love to Sasuke just 2 chapters prior to that? Goodness gracious man. I'm going to refer back to this once more because you brought it on yourself - In the previous ask you sent me, you said...

Anything about moving on is pure headcanon because it’s factually not displayed

So then why do you constantly rely on non-factual pieces of evidence to support your assertions? Yeah, this was yet another one of my points which you conveniently failed to address here, and I'm not having it. If you're gonna debate with me, then address my points - each of them, to signify that you can actually back up the main crux of your argument, and since you seem to have forgotten what that was, allow me to remind you again. It was the idea that NS would not have needed a justification for their canonisation. Have you addressed the ways I proved that to be utterly false? No. Have you tried to prove that claim to be true in this ask? No, and if you actually did try, then this was a really poor effort.

Going back to the fake confession, I'll repeat that it was very explicitly stated by Sai and Naruto himself, how much Sakura loved Sasuke - That is the only factual romantic conclusion here. If you want a further nail in the coffin, to make it completely certain that there were no romantic feelings behind Sakura's words to Naruto during her fake confession, when she would later think about the man she was in love with, who did she think about?

She thought about Sasuke, not Naruto. That should have already been crystal clear from the fake confession, but since you're inexplicably adamant that this was a "grey" area, I'm referencing this.

When he saves her, there’s a parallel attributable to Minakushi VS Obito, the intensity in the eyes coupled with the whole carrying bridal style shit. You disagree but the romantic undertones have always been there bc there’s no reason for any of that shit to be portrayed the way it was otherwise.

Oh my god Anon there was nothing romantic about the way Naruto saved Sakura at all. You're seriously just further proving my point regarding how you constantly resort to taking wholly platonic scenes and twisting them into something romantic because that incorporates the majority of NS's development. Are you seriously taking this scene:

Where the tears in Sakura's eyes were caused from her remembering the night in which she confessed her love to Sasuke, and where Naruto wasn't even making eye contact with her, but with Sasuke instead - Are you really taking that scene, and comparing it to this:

Where Minato and Kushina are making deep eye contact with each other, she's blushing like crazy with an expression full of love on her face, and her blush was irrefutably romantic because she was saying how this was when she fell in love with Minato? You're seriously comparing those two scenes? There was no intensity in Sakura's expression, there was shock because Naruto had showed up out of nowhere. The intensity was in Naruto and Sasuke's looks towards each other, so what are you talking about? What romantic undertones? Is it just because of the way Naruto caught her?

So are you now gonna tell me that when Sasuke saved Sakura from falling in the forest, and just so happened to catch her bridal style as well, are you gonna say this had romantic undertones as well?

Just because of "the whole carrying bridal style shit"? My god. I'm a huge SS fan and even I know better than to label that scene as romantic, and the same applies to Naruto saving Sakura from Sasuke. There was nothing romantic about that, it was a friend saving a friend from another friend, that's literally all it was.

Of course yamato was cut off... ON PURPOSE! The very definition of grey. It’s to make the audience ponder over it

That wasn't even the point I was making with regards to Yamato's comment. I had an issue with you labelling Sakura's fake confession as a grey area, not this. The point I made about his unfinished comment was that it was not a factual indicator of Sakura's romantic feelings, and I once again only mentioned this because of the point you made regarding the importance of factual evidence. Because guess what? That comment is not factual evidence. Here's another point that I'll reiterate which you again did not address - The vast majority of NS development incorporates platonic moments which you deem to be "grey" areas on Sakura's part because that's essentially all you can do.

YES! Pain arc hinata’s conf amounted to nothing, nrt doesn’t address nor reflect on it; emotional peak of the arc = completely overridden by Minato meeting his son/closure for Jiraiya through Nagato— & it was expected in the sense that she was portrayed as a nrt fangirl who goes the extra mile if he’s involved, ever since her fight with Neji— while the NS hug marks the end of the arc, is accompanied with the switch from the villagers; and it makes him visibly freeze & it shows a turn in skr’s behavior as well. There was no need for such a hug whatsoever, opposite gender hugs are very romance coded in shonen animanga, this one in particular bc it wasn’t a norm & she even puts her hand on his neck & it’s a callback to how in the past he used to look at her hug ssk but now he was being hugged. “platonic” lol

What's so funny Anon? Usually when someone uses "lol" in that mocking context, it's because they perceive themselves to be in a position of superiority within the discussion, and you couldn't be further from that description. In your previous ask, you said that NS overrides NH during the Pain arc, and what justifications do you give here? Naruto meeting his dad, and closure for Jiraiya and Nagato, both of which have nothing to do with NS. So then, where's the prominent and powerful NS which apparently overrides NH? Seriously, what kind of flimsy justification was this?

You claim that it showed a turn in Sakura's behaviour, but Sakura wasn't acting any differently; she had expressed her sincere gratitude to Naruto before, this wasn't anything new. Seriously, that hug, which lasted all of two panels, clearly didn't overshadow Hinata's confession and subsequent sacrifice, which had an entire chapter dedicated to it, it's just common sense.

You also claim that Hinata's confession amounted to nothing, but that's not true either. Naruto was clearly shown to remember it vividly when he rescued Hinata during the war, and knew how she was feeling just from looking into her eyes:

So no, Hinata's confession scene did amount to something, because it served to further demonstrate to Naruto just how strong of a person Hinata truly was, in every sense of the word. On the other hand, do you wanna know what was actually never brought up or addressed again? Sakura hugging Naruto. And you're here claiming that NS overrode NH during the Pain arc, my goodness.

I disagree that there’s more SS scenes, until the end of the war when ssk is progressively inching towards his return; he catches her when she saves him & the shared intensity behind it & when he launches the genjustu there’s a callback to the you’re annoying thing & how she was family to him, otherwise it’s literally limited to skr angst which doesn’t even stand out since Kishi made her worried sick for nrt who also displayed a shit ton of angst in regards to ssk & in a more dramatic way: constantly thinking of him, panic attacks, tears & long convos with third parties about him; whereas her disposition in regards to nrt was grey territory & only element that wasn’t stagnant.

I'm amazed that you still can't see the error in all of this. You are once again listing all these platonic scenes and falling back on that "grey" word as if it's some form of a safety net for you. Go back and read what I said Anon. I said "there were far more SS scenes during Pt.2 where there were explicit romantic undertones". You listed absolutely nothing which gave explicit romantic undertones for NS. In fact, you barely listed anything at all. You said Sakura was worried sick for Naruto (despite the fact that you could clearly say the same thing for her towards Sasuke), and that her disposition towards him was apparently grey territory. Now, I've already disproven that assertion so many times over my last two responses so I won't waste my time doing so again here, but where's your evidence to counter my claim that SS had far more scenes with explicitly romantic undertones during Pt.2? If you disagree, then prove me wrong, because you've done nothing here. With SS during Pt.2...

There was the scene where Sakura thought back to her confession just prior to when they were gonna do the Bell Test again.

There was the scene where Sakura was holding her Team 7 picture during the crescent moon (just as it was during her first confession), and she began crying because she really missed him.

There was the scene where Sai and Naruto discussed how much Sakura loved Sasuke just after she made the fake confession.

There was the scene where Karin commented on how Sakura also loved Sasuke.

There was the scene where Sakura couldn't bring herself to kill Sasuke because she remembered her confession to him and how he genuinely thanked her in response.

There was the scene where Sakura turned Morio down because she still loved Sasuke.

There was the scene where Sakura saved Sasuke from the other dimension and they shared that very telling eye contact.

There was the scene where Sakura confessed her love to Sasuke for the 2nd time.

And there was the scene where Sakura asked to go with Sasuke on his travels, but he declined because she had nothing to do with his sins, and gave her the forehead poke instead.

Those were all scenes that were explicitly romantic from Pt.2, and I excluded many SS scenes which I deemed to not be explicitly romantic, such as Sakura knocking Sai's teeth down his throat for bad mouthing Sasuke, or her reaction to seeing Sasuke again at Orochimaru's hideout.

Now then, if you believe that NS had more romantically explicit scenes during Pt.2 than that, then by all means, prove it to me.

My point about protagonists ending up wigh their crushes is very relevant since it’s the norm, to this day sakura gets mass hate from casual fans who project because they’ve been used to such conclusions.

But so what? How does this prove that NS wouldn't have needed a justification? This serves as no actual evidence to support that assertion because it has nothing to do with NS itself, it's not hard to understand. That would be like saying how because it's the norm for people in reality to go and watch movies at the theatre/cinema, if we randomly started seeing Naruto characters going to watch movies at theatres and cinemas, despite there having been no indication whatsoever that such a form of entertainment even existed in their universe, then that would need no justification according to your logic right? Just because that's the norm in reality?

and my “wall of text” focusing on Naruto’s feelings make sense because uh, he’s the damn MC. His perception of things and interactions with people and world concept is what gets the most focus throughout the entire story. Sakura is the character he loved and she’d happens to be the one he interacts with the most throughout the entire story.

You're missing the point of what I said. I wasn't questioning your decision to focus on Naruto's side because what else were you gonna do? There's nothing romantic on Sakura's side anyway. My point was that your focus was on his feelings prior to the fake confession, because following this, NS essentially had nothing, because he was shown as moving on from Sakura from that point onwards. I'll also highlight that you once again failed to address the main point that I actually made during that paragraph.

NH needed a retcon movie to merely stands on its own, SS gets mass hate to this day with casual fans not comprehending the Sasuke side; it’s not that hard to understand what made more sense at large, to readers and viewers in general as opposed to shippers. I may ship but I’m still not the type to be invested enough for fanfics or to dedicate an account to it; and the overall audience reactions speaks for itself. Kishi had to justify himself saying the dumbest shit for axing NS, as far as sexist bull “she’d be a terrible woman” for moving on from Sasuke although NH has Naruto moving on and neither Naruto nor Sakura ever were graced for a reason for their feelings in writing. Hell, Naruto’s own VA didn’t expect nor understand NH and was foreseeing Naruto taking a completely different route.

And this is just a load of completely false information.

NH didn't need a movie to stand on it's own. Just because a movie was created for elaboration, doesn't mean it was required for justification. That's just another empty claim of yours.

Yeah, SS gets a lot of hate, and yet it's also simultaneously proven itself over and over again to be the most popular Naruto ship since the ending, especially on this platform. So what's your point?

Regarding Kishi's "terrible woman" comment, I go into far more detail in this post, but basically, he insinuated that Sakura switching to Naruto would have been a terrible thing, because at the time, both Sakura and Naruto were striving to save Sasuke from the darkness. If Sakura had just suddenly stopped loving Sasuke and moved on to Naruto, just when he had become the village hero and adored by many, it wouldn’t have looked good on her part at all, especially when Sasuke was still in desperate need of help; it would have made her look fickle and superficial. Furthermore, Kishi obviously had Ino move on from Sasuke, and he didn't say anything about that did he? So don't throw around that sexism accusation so carelessly.

Naruto's VA not expecting or understanding NH is a complete lie. Junko didn’t say she was shocked by the ending or NH's canonisation, she said she was surprised that an entire movie was being dedicated to flesh out NH’s love story, that’s what she said. So please stop twisting people’s words.

Now that all of that's out of the way, how about you actually address the points that I made in my first response regarding how NS most definitely would have needed a justification? Since you know, that was the original point of contention? Because you've really done nothing to prove otherwise, and when I explicitly proved it to be the case (mainly towards the beginning and end of the original reply), you did nothing to counter any of my points here. So I'll repeat what I said at the beginning of this - If you fail to adequately address the ways I proved that NS would need a justification, then I'll end it.

[1moonsasuke]

SNS analysis #1

The final battle has always been a key point when discussing their dynamics, among fandom and other creators. SNS have become more of a... symbol, in that sense. But I’ll stop blabbering and just get to the point. 

Naruto has referenced his feelings as something he THOUGHT would resemble brotherhood. Obviously, Naruto was an orphan and an only child, who, growing up, wasn’t able to differentiate platonic feelings from romantic feelings. This statement could use a few examples, that being Hinata’s love confession in the Pain arc, which he completely ignored/forgot about. He kept liking Sakura for the sake of it, openly, even though I would argue that it wasn’t as strong after her feigned confession in that snowfall. 

Whatever, moving on.

The brotherhood was not... that much referenced. In the WAR arc, we have them being told that they were the reincarnations of Indra and Ashura, a.k.a. two brothers. Despite being so concerned and previously having referred to Sasuke as something close to a brother, Naruto firmly denied himself being Ashura or Sasuke being Indra. He was so against it, against the sibling-fighting thing. He even said “Sasuke and I are not real brothers” [huh, much for the antis who reference SNS as incest for absolutely no reason--go argue with the main character of the show, honey]. By the end, Naruto doesn’t refer to Sasuke as a ‘brother’, but as a friend. 

Before they came back to life on the ground at the Valley of the end, we have young Sasuke saying ‘I won’t let you say that I’m wrong!’ with a big, big frown. And then, it snaps to Sasuke’s normal age, turning to Naruto at the scene where they’re surrounded by the eyes of that villagers. He says something along the lines of ‘You called me your brother. Perhaps, in that sense, we were.’ And then, dramatically fast, the scene cuts and shows Naruto yelling “You’re TOTALLY WRONG! Damn, you still don’t get it, don’t you?!” and then he shoves Sasuke away. In that moment, if you check the scene, Sasuke reaches for his hand but Naruto storms off with Sasuke looking after him. 

So, they’re not ‘brothers’. Then, what are they?

Glad that you asked. Naruto referred to him as a friend, lastly. Sasuke HIMSELF was confused about Naruto’s feelings. Now, let’s look at it:

1. Sasuke had Itachi. He knows what a brother is. Antis love to point out how Sasuke said that Naruto resembled Itachi, always ‘walking in front of him’. It was not about brotherhood, it was about power. He was speaking about his feelings of inferiority regarding Naruto’s fast progress, admiration too. 

2. We have Naruto saying ‘Because you’re my friend.’ Sasuke, lying on the ground, says “I’ve heard that before, but what exactly does that mean to you?”. He seemed nervous about asking. But wait.

What?

Why would Sasuke be confused about Naruto’s feelings towards him? The entire anime, Sasuke has motivated Naruto as his closest friend. FRIEND. He knows what a brother is, he knows what a friend is, so why would he ask? Why would you ask someone who calls you a friend, what it means to him, since you’re sharing the same feelings? It makes no sense from a... heterosexual point of view, lmao. I genuinely think that Sasuke thought that Naruto felt something more than friendship for him. He was trying to clarify. However you look at it, it still doesn’t make sense. 

What is between them, is love, not simple empathy. Naruto states that whenever Sasuke is hurt, he hurts too. Empathy means understanding somebody else’s feelings, their point of view, not feeling all of that alongside with them. That’s love. Take it as romantic or platonic--it’s love, however you look at it. 

Then, Sasuke kept pushing it. Naruto gets embarrassed and makes that remark ‘now that your body isn’t moving, your mouth is sure moving a lot.’ We had that scene at the bridge when Naruto talked to Sasuke about his feelings. His admiration. He told Sasuke that he had been his goal and he wasn’t nearly as embarrassed as he was now. Why? Because Sasuke was probably suggesting something more than friendship. It’s the first time we’ve seen Sasuke be moved to tears after Itachi’s death.

Plus, let’s discuss the parallels at the headband scene. 

You have the SS scene, with the zoom on Sakura’s face as she blushes after the poke. Because she’s in love with him. Then, Sasuke walks off and he meets Naruto, saying ‘I didn’t think you’d come to see me off.’ Naruto is tense as he gives him the headband back and can barely choke out the words abut returning it. Then, Sasuke sees the headband and there’s a zoom on his left eye just like Sakura’s, and he is blushing. I think it’s pretty clear. Why would that be?

Simple. It’s linked to Kishimoto stating that he never meant for Team 7 to be a love triangle, but a fish biting its own tail. We know that Naruto has feelings for Sakura. Then, Sakura has feelings for Sasuke. And then... Sasuke has feelings for...?

Remember. A fish biting its own tail. Peace out. ~

[cafeleningrad]

From all god damn nostalgia fandoms my colleagues could be into, they're into Naruto and I've thoughts about it, again. Hello 12 year old me!

But apart from any jokes I've zero interest in engaging with the fandom even more the meta because it's ultimately pointless to go through all the Hiruzen-slander, or Uchiha-lore, trying argue for or against Sakura because ultimately Naruto in Shippuden, in it's end is an entire different beast than it's classic beginning.

So, Naruto was a series made for Shounen Jump who's target audience are young teenage boys. The point of Naruto 'n friends being Ninjas who got into tough fights in which people spit fire, throw knives at each other, summon gigantic animals, or teleport through puddles wasn't set up commentary on child soldiers. Ninja-wizards running around in an action setting is the action shit stuff young teens love.

Sure, observed the premise of Naruto under a critical lense, Naruto living on his own since he was a baby is at least a case for the ninja from Child-care-services-gakure to at most extremely unlikely to have survived on his own. (I mean, getting nit-picky, why would people have let survive the kid harbouring the fox-monster in first place???) Same goes for Sasuke living on his own or being as emotionally and mentally stable as he is. Or Hinata. Same for Neji or for Gaara recovering as quickly after being tackled down my talking-no Jutsu. But you now what this unrealistic scenario is very much the same dramatic stuff you about people's first OCs because well duh, again, a series for young teens. A certain lack of realism in a world in which Foxes of thensize of Mount Rushmore live in a mouthy 12-year-old kid could be accepted.

I know, I know, Naruto later became super critical about it's own premise it set up Shippuden but frankly, I can't agree to any anti-Hiruzen-sentiment because Hiruzen's entire function in classic Naruto was the one of a grandfatherly mentor-figure, no more critical thought spent on Naruto's actual life before the start of the story

But we're also talking about an environment in which stuck up adults can get beaten by an oiroke-no-jutsu. Like, the entire world of Classic Naruto was a bit nuts and silly. Naruto transforms into a cute girl just to mess up annoying adults, wins a fight by farting, his mentor is a die hard fan of and constantly has his head stuck between the pages of this world's version of "Fifty Shades of Grey", his next mentor is the best-selling author of named series, that way of running (we all know what I mean), side characters recognizable mostly by very outstanding quirks. The entire world of classic Naruto was whimsical and kinda adoring the details to no end. Be it the art style depicting Konohagakure as a town full full of different shops and quirky architecture, Naruto having plants standing around because his hobbies include gardening, or every character wearing a unique wardrobe, including their choice on where to wear their headbands.

Look, I neither envy nor feel I can blame Kishimoto for weird writing choices. The Shounen-Jump is hell for draining their creator's energies and resources in many ways. The fact even millenium exceptions like Eiichiro Oda come to struggle, indicates how hard it must be for those who don't posses his exceptional stamina and flow of ideas. Definitely a lot what I'm going to criticize is very likely related to Jump not giving their artists the chance to take a break, recover, gain new energy to rejuvenate themselves or their ideas.

Still, when focusing on the plot- progression only, I believe the essence of what made Naruto beloved by so many in it's run shifted rather drastically.

All in all, I think what happened in Naruto Shippuden (well actually kinda beginning at Sasuke's retrival arc beginning to shift the story's focal point on Sasuke's and Naruto's rivalry as driving force :/ ) is what happened to Star Wars with it's sequels:

Overexplaining the whimse actually giving the world it's essence; at some point self refering to it's biggest hits (Tenseigan arc... sure some parts were emotional but man... that was fanservice for hype's sake...), and making everyone special.

In theory I've nothing against Naruto being Minato's son (my suspicion is his looks in classic Naruto weren't designed on accident) but what was charming about Naruto as a disregarded orphan, an underdog protagonist was him much unlike his usual contemporary shounen counterparts (speaking from the date of his first appearence in Jump in the late 90s). Even Gon or Son Goku were already talented from the beginning whereas Naruto may be funny but has to work hard for his achievements. A nobody underdog creating his own place and meaning in life is a super strong concept for a protagonist - if not a great message for young readers.

Yet... in the end Naruto is a reincarnated god or something, so is his rival???Who's family and their Ramen-to-Tonkatsu-gan as 2684th version of the sharingan, in fact Konoha from all various Ninja villages is suddenly the center of all attention. By that point the story could as well has been named "UCHIHA vs the WORLD!!! feat. that runs after that one dense family member (if that wasn't the Jump we could offically name it as it is: gay)".

The existence of jutsu needs to be explained when the audience before just did fine with the idea of "chakra".

Another self-reference and kind of a betrayal regarding the original's theme of becoming your own person was team 7 being carved as copy of the legendary three sanin over taking their abilities and symbolism (RIP Sakura's potential of better character developement.)

Okay, I'm not argumenting properly anymore. So some small notes: * The ninja fights were always a tad bit unrealistic from actual ninja fighting style (surprise who would've guessed orange is an unsuitable for an occupation entailing espionage...). Still the power limit was extremely clear from the beginning. The adults knew more jutsus with more impact, the fights were strategic as no kekkai genkai was so unique as a meteor crushing an opponent to overpower them. In Shippuden ninja abilities are just allover massive impact sayin attacks. * Where on Earth was Iruka, Naruto's central parental figure, during Naruto's emotional struggles?? * So much of the humor is gone. Aside from a few jokes here and there a lot of fun and silliness from the beginning is missing. * The lack of environmental details, more and more reduced individuality in clothing style already in the art style showcase how little energy and thoughts were left for the world.

Don't even get me started on the ending. Konoha destroying, preying on teenagers, organizing an infiltration of not only one but two ninja villages, killing one Hokage Orochimaru is now just the quirky uncle. Naruto and Sasuke who's common trauma was the lack of a loving family in life are bad parents???

One note on Sakura. Arguing about her being "useful" or "good character" is kinda pointless in my eyes because ultimately that would mean trying to make sense of the splotchy development and characterisation she got over the story. (Where was her talent for genjutsu?? Where was potential for her not having to fit the self-referential mold? Boy, I could write a long ass post what I would've loved to happed to her.)

In the end this rant became a full blown mess, and it will take me a while before I can formulate fully structured arguments but my final point is: I can't get meta about a story which is initially split in essentially two different spirits.

One being a quirky world for a young teen action shounen story. The other being a supernatural drama about the Uchiha clan feat. that runs after that one dense family member (if that wasn't the Jump we could offically name it as it is: gay).

[chalabrun]

hinata: a deep dive (meta)

As it can be expected, many girls in Naruto have development that often takes some number of deep dives to find. Hinata is certainly no exception to this rule, but with this meta, my hope is that I can suss out some of that hidden development and her accomplishments and list them here.

Hinata: A troubled past

As many of us know from canon, Hinata's past was troubled and fraught with difficulties. 

Ch. 102, when Hiashi is engaging the toddling Hinata in a spar and manifesting bloodlust during.

Ch. 78, wherein Hinata is officially disinherited from the main branch heirdom. 

Growing up as the main heiress of the Hyuga clan, and eldest daughter of the main branch head, Hinata was under tremendous pressure from her father to exceed. Compared to even her younger sister, her junior by five years, Hiashi looked down upon her. In chapter 102, in the above panels, it could even be implied that Hiashi was enraged by her, pushing a young Hinata to the point that her uncle Hizashi tried to interfere, but was punished for it when he activated the clan's juinjutsu.

Yet, this wasn't the only hardship Hinata faced. 

Ch. 102

When Hinata was three years old, while Kumogakure's Head Ninja had been visiting Konoha on matters of diplomacy at the declaration of an armistice between both villages, she was almost kidnapped by this self-same ninja. What would eventually be known as the Hyuga Affair in Kumogakure would result in Hizashi dying in exchange for acting as Hiashi's body double as to satisfy the then nullified demand for Hiashi and his Byakugan that the clan's juinjutsu destroyed in Hizashi upon his death.

First Databook, Head Ninja of Kumogakure (Scan & Translation)

This would go on to lead to a whole host of issues between Hinata and Neji that notably came to light during the Chunin Exams.

Ch. 78, where Lee explains it in more detail.

As we learn from the exposition of others in chapter 78, not only was there existing turmoil between the main and cadet branches, but that it manifested in the rookies' generation as Neji and Hinata's one-sided conflict; of Neji blaming the main branch for both his father's death and being consigned to being a proverbial slave to the main branch.

Ch. 80

And as Neji would go to to explain, all of the former would result in a girl bent and bowed by both the immense pressure of her clan, the strain of conflict in her own family, and the high expectations she couldn't yet meet. Neji even went on to describe it all in visceral detail during their preliminary fight.

Ch. 78

As we can see from chapter 78, Neji manages to ruthlessly disseminate Hinata's character just by examining her body language and reflecting on her past, and while much of it seems brutally true, it doesn't mean that it's the whole truth, either.

Hinata: Growing from her pain

Despite all the clear hardship that Hinata faced, that doesn't mean she did nothing to grow. As we come to see in much the same arc, she faced these challenges in her own way.

Ch. 79

Despite all the brutal things Neji said to Hinata, it wasn't enough to kill her confidence. Or, her courage and resolve to keep enduring. And, damn does she endure.

Ch. 79, when they engage in close, melee combat.

Ch. 79, when Kurenai reflects on the beginning of Hinata's changes.

Something I see criticized often about Hinata is that she's a hopeless fangirl much in the way Sakura supposedly was over Sasuke. However, something I think that should be clarified is that, coming from a nigh abusive home life that she did, Naruto was her source of hope. And frankly, I don't think it's a deficit to her character at all. Naruto helped inspired her, and her growth showed because of it.

Ch. 79

As shown near the fight's climax, Hinata keeps standing up and trying to fight despite how seemingly hopeless the situation is. Even though Neji had debilitated her with severe injuries, some borderline fatal, she kept relenting because of her admiration and inspiration she found in Naruto. 

Ch. 98

And as it would show in the period after Hinata's recovery, she made the full extent of her admiration known; and in doing so, she speaks not as some obsessive fangirl, but a downtrodden girl thanking her greatest source of inspiration so she could rise above it. Something I don't think makes her obsessive at all.

But as the series would continue on, the fruits of this growth shows the most in the second part.

Hinata: The lioness of the Hyuga Clan

As the future would come to prove, Hinata did grow into the inspiration that Naruto gave her, enough to do the impossible and attempt to save the boy she loved from an impossibly powerful enemy.

Ch. 437, when Hinata faced off against Pein, one of the most powerful villains in the series after the likes of Madara, Obito, or Kaguya.

But, it went beyond that. 

Ch. 540

Ch. 632

Ch. 526

As demonstrable throughout the war arc, by both her clan's reacceptance of her and fighting alongside Naruto, Hinata showed just how far she was willing to take a shared ideal in order to fight at the side of the one she loved and admired more than anything, that inspired her to be strong and endure.

Now, in terms of complete strength and excelling as a kunoichi, this brilliant meta by silalcarin proves that Hinata excelled in other ways, even more than her utterly gifted cousin, Neji.

Hinata: What the databooks say

Village: Konohagakure

Rank: Genin

Ninja Registration Number: 012612

Birthday: December 27 (12 years old, Capricorn)

Height: 147.cm Weight: 37.9 kg Blood type: A

Personality: Shy, withdrawn

Favourite Food: Hors d’oeuvres, cinnamon rolls

Least favourite food: Crab, prawn

Interests: Pressed flowers

Graduated from Ninja Academy at age 12

Currently undertaking the chuunin examination

Mission Experience

D-rank: 5

C-rank: 3

B-rank: 0

A-rank: 0

S-rank: 0

Statistics

Ninjutsu: 1.5

Taijutsu: 2.5

Genjutsu: 1

Intelligence: 2.5

Strength: 1

Speed: 2

Stamina: 1.5

Hand Seals: 2

Total Ability: 3

Latent Potential: 4

Luck: 2

Hinata’s fighting ability was found lacking by the Hyuuga Clan. But her latent potential is quite conspicuous, so development is to be expected in the future.

“Because… This is my Nindou too”

The kind and gentle dancing fighter with feelings for Naruto

Although she is a heir to the renowned Hyuuga Main House, she is full of compassion, and dislikes competition and fighting: such is Hinata’s personality. Currently, her father has given up of her, and she is assigned to difficult missions as a Genin. Even being in that dire situation hasn’t broken her, she hasn’t lost that kindness of hers, and that’s because Naruto was there, inside her heart. And now, Hinata is strengthening herself, soundly and steadily.

Hinata is a shy and withdrawn person who can’t do anything in front of her dear Naruto. Something she’s been constantly wishing to change about herself.

Timidity and hesitation, unease and nervousness… An ebbing and flowing love story

[Attack]

Hinata is in love with Naruto, but regardless, she can’t take a step forward. However, she’s able to pluck up her own brand of courage sometimes, as proved by that “attack” of hers. Because that’s her Way of the Ninja…?!

She can’t even look Naruto in the eyes as she hands him the ointment to treat the injuries he’s received during the Chuunin exam, but she’s put all her strength into this…!

[Naruto and Herself]

There’s a definite reason behind Hinata’s passion for Naruto. She wants “to become like him”. Shackled by the strict laws of the Hyuuga clan, and further weakened by her inferiority complex towards her younger sister, Hinata is always seeking strength and power.

Hinata is never assertive about anything, something she tends to hate about herself.

When she was fighting Neji, no matter how many times she was struck down, she would think of Naruto and stand up…!

Hinata admires and esteems Naruto. But he is totally clueless about those feelings.

The one she admires taught her about the courage to stand up!!

Chuunin Exam: Third Preliminary Test

[Her fight against Neji]

The time had finally come to fight against Neji, from the Branch House, and hater of the Main House. Hinata disliked conflict, despite which she fought desperately in order to change herself. But as expected, she was no match for Neji, whom people refer to as the strongest in the Hyuuga Clan. [Missing sentence]

Naruto is throwing taunts at Neji. Hinata is able to draw courage from his cheering…

A scene where she even fights on par with the great Neji. The blood of the Hyuuga also flows is Hinata’s veins!

But she yields before Neji’s Gentle Fist, and gets wounded and beaten down several times over…

Earnest feelings are stronger than any weapon…

- First Databook, Hinata's entry (Scan & Translation)

Village: Konohagakure

Rank: Genin

Ninja Registration Number: 012612

Birthday: December 27 (13 years old, Capricorn)

Height: 148.3 cm Weight: 38.2 kg Blood Type: A

Personality: Shy, withdrawn

Favourite food: Soft bean-jam, cinnamon Rolls

Least favourite food: Crab, prawn

Favourite word: Self-confidence

Interests: Pressed flowers

Graduated from the Ninja Academy at age 12

Promoted to chuunin at age –

Mission Experience

D-rank: 5

C-rank: 3

B-rank: 0

A-rank: 0

S-rank: 0

Statistics

Ninjutsu: 1.5

Taijutsu: 3

Genjutsu: 1

Intelligence: 3

Strength: 1

Speed: 2

Stamina: 1.5

Hand Seals: 2

“I must…do my best too…”

Turn a pure heart into strength…

Hinata passively gave in to everything, but with the support of Naruto’s cheering, she had a fierce battle with Neji, and matured greatly. There is still a lot of her that is not sufficient as the child of the Hyuuga Main House, but indomitable strength is added to her original pure heart, and little by little, but steadily, Hinata progresses ahead… She wishes that she could move even one step closer towards the back of Naruto, her idol…

Hinata, always feeling the same towards Naruto. Will the day come when she can face him directly?

- Second Databook, Hinata's entry (Scan & Translation)

- Third Databook, Hinata's entry (Scans)

Fourth Databook, Hinata's entry (Scans)

Hinata Hyuuga The Sunflower Who Hid Love and Admiration for Naruto in Her Heart, and Bloomed Beautifully

Hinata was born as the eldest daughter of the Hyuuga clan’s main house. Having struggled since childhood with the pressure of being “the next leader of a noble clan,” as well as with her own withdrawn nature, she admired Naruto’s “strength,” and decided to adhere to his nindou. Now, having matured as a shinobi and as a woman, Hinata’s feelings for Naruto cause her to shake… Before: Caption of panel of near-beaten Hinata from chuunin exams: I never go back on my word. Hinata resolves to adhere to the same nindou as Naruto…!! Caption of panel where Hinata uses hakke kuushou against the Juubi: She uses her juuken palm to release air pressure. This is taijutsu handed down by the Hyuuga clan. Caption of panel where Hinata uses hakke rokujuuyon shou: The secret juuken technique “hakke rokujuuyon shou.” She masters it with the courage to step out beyond her limits. “Byakugan” The rare “kekkei genkai” inherited only by the Hyuuga clan. It boasts a 360-degree range of vision and the ability to see clearly for hundreds of meters, and is able to see through opponents’ chakra networks. Caption for sketch of Hinata with activated byakugan: When her byakugan is activated, Hinata’s facial expression becomes sharper. Before: Hinata shows her byakugan in her death match with Neji. Feelings Towards Naruto Since her days at the academy, Hinata has been attracted to the “strength” that Naruto possesses. That admiration eventually changed into the desire to be by Naruto’s side, and also became the source of Hinata’s growing confidence. Before: Caption for panel from chapter 98: He unintentionally leaves her dazed with his impulsive “I like you.” Before: Caption for panel from 615: During the ninja war, Hinata grew into someone who could support Naruto in a predicament and stand as his equal. Art of Hinata Wedding clothes Caption at lower right: Headdress. Her hair is rolled up in a turban-like structure. Middle caption: An Ootsutsuki wedding dress, complete with a veil on her head. Left caption: Hinata wears a skirt while not on a mission.

- Seventh Databook, Hinata entry (Scan & Translation)

Boruto Moviebook, Hinata's entry (Scan & Translation)

Hinata: Databook jutsu files

- Kekkei Genkai, Supplementary, All ranges - User(s): Hyuuga Neji, Hyuuga Hinata

The heritage of the Hyuuga Clan, the white eyes that see through everything!!

The Hyuuga Clan is a distinguished family, and one of Konohagakure’s two brightest jewels, the other being the Uchiha Clan. The Kekkei Genkai that circulates within House Hyuuga is the Byakugan. Upon using Byakugan, the caster sees right through immediate obstacles, even catching a glance upon things situated remotely ahead of them.

But Byakugan possesses an even more astonishing ability. It can also distinguish the inner body’s acupuncture network through which chakra circulates, and the apertures through which it is released outside the body, the tenketsu. Because of that ability, the Hyuuga are praised as the clan which has the most outstanding ability. That said, this is also the reason why they have accumulated tragedies throughout their history…

When Byakugan is activated, it is so powerful it causes the veins around the caster’s eyes to protrude!

How exactly does chakra circulate inside the body…? If one has the power of the Byakugan, even such a thing can be understood just like that, with absurd ease.

- First Databook, Hinata's entry (Scan & Translation)

- Taijutsu, Kekkei Genkai, Offensive, Defensive, Supplementary, Close range - User(s): Hyuuga Hinata

Strong will held in the fists!! Its form is double lion heads!!

A secret high-level Gentle Fist technique, taught only to the Main House of the Hyuuga Clan. By changing the shape of chakra released from both hands, [the user] greatly increases reach and destructive power. The arms become entirely like lions which drain the chakra network of those they touch.

Because it will fail at even the slightest mistake in chakra control, it is extremely difficult to learn this ability, which is a feat that requires the Byakugan.

It can be used to increase the power of Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.

- Fourth Databook, Gentle Step: Twin Lion Fists entry (Scans & Translation)

Hinata: Full jutsu list & stats, etc.

To add to this, the jutsu part of this list are from more than just the manga; they include the anime, movies, and games!

Jutsu:

Barrage of Gentle Fists  

Chakra Transfer Technique  

Eight Trigrams Aerial Attack  

Eight Trigrams Aiki Palm  

Eight Trigrams Lion Palm  

Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven  

Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven: Sever  

Eight Trigrams Palms Twin Handed Back  

Eight Trigrams Palms Vacuum Heaven  

Eight Trigrams Sect Palm Wave  

Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms  

Eight Trigrams Spirit Sixty-Four Palms  

Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms  

Eight Trigrams Twin Lions Crumbling Attack  

Eight Trigrams Vacuum Lion Palm  

Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm  

Eight Trigrams Vacuum Wall Palm  

Four-Corner Sealing Barrier  

Gentle Fist Art: Exorcism  

Gentle Fist  

Gentle Phoenix Spiralling Twin Lion Fists  

Gentle Step Spiralling Twin Lion Fists  

Gentle Step Tailed Beast Twin Lion Fists  

Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists  

Gentle Step Twin Palms  

Giant Insect Fang: Sixty-Four Palms  

Hundred Furious Palms  

Hyūga: Great Revolving Heaven  

Hyūga Great Combo Palm  

Mystical Palm Technique  

Palm Bottom  

Protecting Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms  

Protecting Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms  

Water Needle  

White Haze Heavenly Dance  

Wide Healing  

Tools: 

Hyūga Clan Secret Ointment  

Stats: 

Missions completed: 

10 D-rank

14 C-rank

8 B-rank

1 A-rank

0 S-rank

Academy grades:

Taijutsu = A

Cooperation = A

Classroom attitude = A

Ninjutsu = B

Genjutsu = B

Positivity = F 

Closing thoughts

As I've tried to list in detail, Hinata not only has a lot of in-depth characterization, development, and growth as a kunoichi and member of the Hyuga clan, but extreme promise as a character and love interest of the protagonist. Yet, there's far more to her than her relationships, which I hope I've shown here (even though this doesn't even touch on everything, by far)!

[justice4sasuke]

This is the best image in Naruto. This is the best thing Kishimoto has ever done. I am not accepting other opinions at this time.

The reason this is so good isn’t just because of the art, though of course it is really good and I feel accurately captures Sasuke’s heartbreak.

Everything up until now has been the culmination, learning about Sasuke as a character, what his life has been like, what he’s been through and learned, and this is the release. And it is a damn good release.

But let’s back up a second because in this series called Naruto, it’s not the main character that has this moment. And that is probably another reason why Sasuke is so polarizing (I say polarizing because while I think he gets more hate than love, it really is either one or the other. I don’t think you can find anyone that’s Sasuke neutral). One because of Kishimoto trying to frame Sasuke as “in the darkness”, “misguided” and/or “wrong” and people falling for it. Two because Sasuke gets these emotional climaxes and struggles that a main character gets instead of Naruto. 

Naruto’s story is essentially one where we are told at the beginning that he has a troubled life, but all we ever actually see is everything getting handed to him. Whether that is strong and famous teachers and parents, friends, jutsus, the near inability to die (if you want to put the fox in a good light), Jesus powers, hokage-dom, etc. What does Naruto have to work through? Thinking about how we could have ended up like Gaara or Sasuke but not? Wanting to bring Sasuke back and continually failing but Sasuke doesn’t want to come back and their relationship wasn’t developed enough to warrant much sympathy? Jiraiya dies but how does that really inform Naruto as a character? Does that truly break him? No, he’s upset for a couple chapters, if that, and ends up seeing the man who killed him, Nagato, as a friend. Speaking of, the village gets destroyed but Naruto talks to Nagato enough that he brings everyone back to life and they can rebuild so all's well that ends well and Naruto and Nagato are BFFs now. What I get from Jiraiya dying and the village being leveled isn’t for Naruto to experience a hardship, but so he can tell Sasuke he knows what wanting revenge feels like and because he decided against revenge like the paragon he is Sasuke should do the same or else he’s bad. Which leads to my last point, we are told through shippuden by various characters that Naruto will have to make a decision between the village and Sasuke, a decision which he refuses to make and then gets what he wants by throwing hands with Sasuke for two mintues (no matter how little sense it makes) as if the universe itself is bending to his will.

And then there’s Sasuke. We see his childhood, growing up as a kid who loved his brother more than anyone else, how he comes to want recognition from his father on his own terms and not just as “Itachi’s brother”. We see the source of his trauma. We see him as a stand-offish preteen, more concerned with his own development than teamwork. We see him learn the importance of working as a team and becoming the de facto leader of Team 7 in a sense. We see him struggle with his superiority complex as he watches Naruto rapidly improve. We see him retraumatized. We see him struggle with his own progress and see how he doesn’t get the support he wants from those around him. We see him leave Konoha because he sees that as his best option to reach his goal. In shippuden we see him single-mindedly going after this goal until he achieves it. And finally we learn the truth along with Sasuke of the whole situation. Now I’m not going to say this all hit with every reader, clearly it didn’t or else I wouldn’t have this blog, but the fact is that this is all well done.

And it’s because we’ve seen Sasuke’s journey and we’ve seen how Sasuke, after the initial trauma, doesn’t process much of his emotions except when lashing out in anger in part 1 that this image of him finally processing and expressing his grief hits like a fucking semi-truck.

[ignitification]

As much as I love Naruto, I'll forever be angry and sad that Kishimoto killed Neji 😭😭 Let's put aside that he was one of my favs, his story line was so good! And it could have progressed so much!! And yet, and yet 😭

(can I just appreciate for a second that this gif was one of the first that showed up when I wrote "Neji" in the search bar~someone knows what's up xD)

I know right? I also cried hard, notwithstanding I totally knew it was coming, because holy fuck. They just basically killed him that way, and basically he was the most important character to be killed off in the war, which first of all does not make sense (like c’mon Shikaku and Inoichi were important, but you’re telling me that first-line fighters were more protected than the intelligence HQs?), but it was inconsequential besides Naruto having his moment of incorporating Neji’s will inside and again re-affienate how Naruto’s love for his comrade trascends death; which I get, but it was so damn useless! Like, I’d rather have Neji die in a battle against Obito, instead of that…also yes! The wasted potential that instead gave relevance to asshole Sasuke, instead of pursuing a fairly more interesting character that Neji was. Sad. Truly.

[mangolover]

Can Blood Piece Broken Glass Back Together? - Ikesen Kenshin angst fanfiction

Title: Can Blood Piece Broken Glass Back Together?

Fandom: Ikemen Sengoku / Ikesen

Pairing: Kenshin X F!MC

Genre: Angst

Warnings: This fanfiction includes sensetive themes like: suicide, mental illness, depression, self harm, blood and excesive drinking, Please proceed with caution!

Spoilers: There are some spoilers here, one of them being really important for Kenshin’s character development and to better understand him.

Word Count: 1700+

Description: F!MC has been feeling depressed and suicidal lately and Kenshin isolated her due to his jealousy problems, leaving her with no other option to escape her darkness, but taking her own life and breaking his fragile heart.

Enjoy!

It was hard to face life these days... It wasn’t the first time she had felt like giving up. Even before she travelled 500 years back into the past and found the love of her life, those thoughts were like an annoying guest to her, coming and going as they wished. Back in the future it was alright, times were much more peaceful and she could go to any of her friends or to her family, sometimes even seeking professional help. But now… Now her family wasn’t even born and her friends were mostly his enemies, enemies of the one person she was ready to call her own world, Kenshin Uesugi, the man who had imprisoned her heart, body and destiny.

Nothing particularly bad happened, she just woke up one day and felt… empty. It haunted her from when she was a teen, ever since she lost herself because she wasn’t like other girls on Instagram... She didn’t know how to express her emotions, that was one thing she always struggled with. And being with Kenshin didn’t help her with that.

Kenshin had his own demons that haunted his mind. They left his dreams after she had helped him, but he was still helping himself and couldn’t help her. That’s why she was really happy when she had a chance to see Shingen and Yukimura. Shingen was wiser and older and dealing with his own demons so he could always spare some advice or lend a hearing ear which was helpful to her. She could barely go anywhere alone to scream and release every damned emotion she felt, so she’d find her antidote in her friend Yukimura. Yuki would always bring a smile to her face and to that she was very grateful.

But that bugged Kenshin. He was sickly jealous and didn’t want them to hear her beautiful voice, to smell her beautiful scent, to fell her warm embrace as they hugged her to make her feel better, but he couldn’t be there for her. He was a busy warlord with many enemies. So, the only way to stop those haunting voices in his head was to cut them off. He asked his once arch enemy and his vassal to never show up again or there will be a problem. Shingen understood the hidden motive behind his threatening request, he was painfully aware of his demons and didn’t want his friend that he cared about so deeply going down that damned spiral of self-destruction again. So they retreated back to their own land, silently apologizing to her in their heads.

With no one there for her anymore, a new wave of hopelessness washed over her leaving her in even worse state, but like a sign from any gods there are, Sasuke, her buddy from the future, was there with her. He was a busy man, after all he was Kenshin’s employee, his own ninja, but he could always find the time for her, because she was the reason he endured all those four long years of ninja training, only hoping to meet her again and be able to help her. And even if their plans have changed, they were still in this together. Sasuke would listen to her and help her, even whrn she was at her lower points, when she was too close to the rock bottom, he would be with her. He could see her pale face and how much skinner she had become in the last months compared to a year ago when she first arrived in this time period. She didn’t eat properly, she didn’t sleep enough and those thoughts, anxiety and stress were eating her from inside out, she even left her job as the seamstress and decided to sit out her days on the veranda, looking out at the miserable garden that was once full of beautiful flowers with prickly thorns that made her bleed and hurt Kenshin.

Kenshin was once again hurt by her relationship with Sasuke and he didn’t hesitate to pull his trusty sword Himetsuru-Ichimonji on him. He cared for Sasuke, deeply, but he couldn’t shut those horrible, distorted voices in his head that were growing louder by second, telling him the curse and blessing that followed him. He could not be harmed and killed in battle, but everyone around him that he cared and loved ended up getting hurt or dying out of his reach to help them. It was eating him inside out, leaving behind only a shell of a man he once was or could be and a glass heart in his chest, hard to break, but once broken, hardly put together again, slowly killing him…

Sasuke was forbidden from seeing or touching her, only if she was in immediate danger and Kenshin wasn’t there to run to her aid. That broke her, leaving her with barely any hope, not strong enough to outshine the darkness in her mind and soul anymore. With all her loved ones now abandoning her or being forbidden to see her due to the side she chose, she was almost completely alone. There was one last chance to stop it all, to prevent the turmoil that was coming.

She had been alone for a week now, looking for a way to punish herself for being so weak without hurting Kenshin. She looked at that dagger she received from Oda forces before she departed from them in case she ever needed to save herself. ‘Should I do it?’ was her thought as she stared at its blade, pressing it to her fingertip, testing it’s sharpness. It could easily slash someone’s throat in an instant without much pressure applied, she was sure of that as she almost cut her finger and dealt another punch to Kenshin’s still fragile heart. Healing process was never going to be easy, if she wasn’t aware of that before, she was now. She just hoped it would be quicker, but she knew better than to rush him and risk all the progress, all the baby steps they made, going down the drain…

She snapped out of it when she heard the footsteps down the hall, announcing the early return of her healing lover. She frantically hid the dagger. Making sure she doesn’t cut herself, for the sake of both of their sanity. He greeted her as he slid open the door, shutting it behind him when he saw her face with a plastered smile. She is glad he was home in one piece, but she couldn’t find a way to really smile again. Kenshin must’ve been tired because he sat on the futon waiting for her to come and cuddle with him, but she was holding herself back. Maybe she should just talk to him about her demons, he promised to protect her all his life after all. ‘Yeah, I should just talk to him, I love him. He deserves to know what’s going on.’ However when she saw that beautiful true smile on his face when he hugged her, placing an affectionate kiss on top of her head, she lost all her courage to tell him and risk losing this happy Kenshin she loved so much more than his sad side.

That proved to be a fatal mistake on her part.

She couldn’t fight her monsters when it was too dark for her to see ahead anymore. The last light of hope extinguished its flame and left her completely alone and lost, this time with no resort to turn to. The antidote was now useless, nothing could save her. She was too far gone. She finally broke.

She was standing in the middle of her room, finally wearing the kimono she sewed last night using the fabric the Oda clan sent her, the fabric Kenshin would rip off her and burn out of his jealous rage. She wrote him a letter, explaining her thoughts in the best way she could and begging him to not blame himself. This time, it was completely her mistake because the only one getting hurt was him. She took a deep breath and muttered an apology under her breath before she slit her wrist, deep, causing her blood to splatter everywhere, quickly leaving her body. Sasuke was worried about her and he finally found some time to meet her with Kenshin being occupied hunting down some bandits in town. He silently slid into her room and saw a horrifying sight…

There she was, wobbling on her legs, losing conciseness by seconds, he froze to the spot, only to see her holding a bloody dagger with a pained smile on her face. He had to act quickly, he ran to her side, tying a piece of fabric around her wrist doing anything to try and stop the bleeding and, in an instant, he was out in the hallway, running towards the medic’s room, begging her to keep her eyes open and stay with him, he couldn’t lose her when he could’ve helped her. After dropping her of there he practically fell backwards down on to the floor, still covered in her blood and running his hands through his hair, drowning in unbearable guilt. His usually stoic expression was now painted with hurt.

Vassals learned about this and Kenshin was soon brought back to his castle, demons running wild in his mind. ‘What the hell was she thinking? How could I let that happen? Why was fate punishing mr once again, wasn’t the first time enough?? Wasn’t Isehime enough of a punishment for me??!’

But nothing could bring Isehime back… He is the one responsible for her death… He failed to protect his first love from himself and his damned curse that still kept him alive, only to torture him more…

Few hours passed that felt like they were years, he couldn’t bring himself to go to her side now, not when she was still ragging her war, fighting, the only question was to die or to survive. She may thought this was the best way to hurt him, one quick and hard punch to that glass in his chest, but it was the worst torture he could imagine. She was still visible, dying out of his reach. He sat at the veranda where she spent so many nights with her demons, downing bottles of sake, one after the another, and poured himself another cup, the one brewed in Azuchi, one he shared with her. Now it lost its special taste all of a sudden, causing him to push it off the table and shatter into millions of pieces, just like his heart when the final blow was finally delivered… One of those shards from his heart must've flew and stuck in her wrist, deepening the cut and therefore preventing the blood from stopping...

But, sadly, blood can’t piece broken glass back together…

The end.

[panharmonium]

round 3 of in-progress naruto thoughts, featuring me crying tears about pretty much everybody

[spoiler policy disclaimer first, as always: i’m only still in the early stages of shippuden (we just finished the asuma arc).  i literally had zero interest in naruto growing up, so i remain unspoiled for virtually everything that happens past this point.  i would love to stay that way, so please don’t interact with this (tags included, because the notifications now show them to me automatically) with any spoilery commentary, including even general things like “oh i love this show but it gets less good after X point” or “X season is better than Y season” or any general assessments of quality/likability/etc re: future seasons.  Thank you! <3 ]

- well, folks.  i have apparently reached the point in my viewing experience where i am deeply emotionally attached to virtually all of the characters and i care when bad stuff happens to even the most minor of them, because the asuma arc really ripped my heart out and used my feelings as ping-pong balls

- that said - i have to admit, if you’re going to kill a character, that was the way to handle it.  it wasn’t glossed over or dropped like a hot potato; it had a huge arc attached to it and major development for the other characters involved and it came full circle at the end in such a quiet, complete way.  i was hoping from the very beginning that the answer to “who’s the king” was going to be “children” (all i could think about was asuma yelling at kazuma “children aren’t pawns to protect the king!” during the sora arc) and ultimately that ended up being true, and i found that so satisfying.  (painful.  but satisfying.)

- SHIKAMARU.  HERO.  i always loved him, but what an incredible arc he had.  and that episode, “team 10″ - WOW.  wow.  they really kicked it up a notch for that one - that was legitimately beautiful television, not just “good by naruto standards.”  gorgeous animation/composition/editing...this show is in fact capable of magic, when it takes its time.

- grow up, you three.  the shadow of death hangs over us all.  some deaths may be harder to accept than others, but if you can’t get past that, there can be no future!  

^^ this is legitimately my favorite line of the series.  i can’t stop thinking about it.  i love how tsunade is speaking from her own experience, and how she’s not wrong - nobody in this confrontation is wrong, really; shikamaru has his stuff more together than tsunade realizes, and tsunade is just telling the truth, and i just love how this entire line relates so closely to the thematic heart of this arc, which is the sanctity of children and the future they represent.  like...so many characters in this show have seen so much death and tragedy, but we see children/the promise of the future pulling people out of that hole and back into a hopeful place.  it’s literally tsunade’s whole story with naruto.  she’s speaking from the heart, and it’s one of those lines that you can feel resonate across the whole story.

- kakashi, once again, coming to destroy me with his level of devotion to the kids.  not even his own kids, this time.  when he shows up at the end of “team 10″ and offers to take over for asuma and go with shikamaru’s group - i lost my mind.  he’s been keeping an eye on those kids the whole time.  nobody told him about what they were doing; he has no reason to be out at the gates at that time of night - he’s been keeping tabs on them.  he knows exactly what they’re going through.  he knows how they must feel.  he wants to make sure they’re okay.  and when he sees that they’re in an appropriate frame of mind for what they’re planning (aka, not unbalanced by rage or grief or the desire for revenge), he immediately offers himself up as an adult support figure.  he inserts himself into that situation and assumes responsibility for making sure nobody gets hurt.  he puts himself into a position where he can escort them through this experience safely (in more ways than one).  he lets shikamaru take the lead and achieve closure, all while simultaneously monitoring the situation to make sure every choice the group makes is the safest, smartest thing to do.  and then in the battle, he puts himself in between the kids and certain death over and over again - he saves their lives so many times. 

the kids are so grateful to him for doing that.  they respect him so much for it.  they feel supported.  they feel looked after.  they feel validated.  three kids who just lost their adult mentor in such a sudden, violent way - for them to have another grown-up step in and temporarily assume that role, for them to feel a pair of capable, steady hands propping them up before they fall down - that is so important!

kakashi is beautiful to me because he takes every horrible thing that ever happened to him and turns it into an unwavering commitment to help other people navigate the same rocky waters.  everything he does is designed to catch people when they fall, particularly when it comes to children.  he doesn’t have to take that kind of interest in asuma’s team.  none of the other adults are monitoring them like that.  but he understands what they’re dealing with and he knows they could hurt themselves if somebody doesn’t take care of them and so he steps in and assumes that responsibility himself.  and then he does the same thing with team 8′s kids, too, in the next arc, when kurenai is out of commission.  he takes all of his own painful experiences and turns them into ways he can protect other people from stumbling into the same pits he fell into, and i’ll tell you this for damn sure - he’d rather take a deadly hit himself than allow another cohort of children to be wiped off the face of the earth before their time. 

i love that about him.  i love that he turns all of the trouble he’s seen into ways he can be a source of strength for others.  i love that he is always thinking about the kids.  that’s the whole point of this arc: children are king.  kakashi knows that just as well as asuma did, and the way he consistently throws himself in front of the children to keep them safe is my favorite thing about him.

- fucking LOVE that shikamaru turns down the feudal lord’s offer because he wants to stay in the village in case his friends need him.  i feel like this kind of choice is never portrayed as a good thing in media - it’s always shown to be better to get yourself out there, try something new, leave old things behind, take a risk, make a change, as if staying home is somehow the same thing as settling or wasting your potential.  i love how asuma lifts up shikamaru’s decision to stay rooted in his home as a worthy and admirable thing.  the will of fire, indeed.

- the EMOTIONS i felt every time kakashi was helping naruto figure out how to complete the rasengan....when kakashi tells him “i truly believe you are the only shinobi who can surpass the fourth hokage” and then while walking away yamato’s all “you sweet-talked him” and kakashi immediately sets him straight like “no.  no.  i believe he can do it.”  SOBBING.  

- “good old asuma.  he must’ve known you inside and out, huh?”  i’ll be over here crying in the club, folks

- kakashi having conversations with sasuke in his head was Too Much for me ;__;

- we watched a bit past the asuma arc and are now into the part about the gemstone lady but the only thing i have to say about this new arc so far is about jiraiya and honestly i’m going to have to gif it to do it justice.  that scene with him and naruto where naruto falls asleep on him just...struck me down where i sat.  i was actually about ready to cry for real.  my feelings couldn’t take it.  i used to not really care too much about jiraiya in the shonen jump days (and yes, there’s some stupid stuff with him that you have to just look past if you’re going to enjoy things) but i love him so much now and i am finding myself so moved by the way he is rejoining the village and (re)building his connections with the people there, and how much meaning has been brought back into his life by the opportunity to work with naruto in particular, and how like...i mean, this is just my own impression, because i haven’t seen his full backstory yet, but he strikes me as someone who’s been running away for a long time, who had very little hope for the future, someone who experienced some terrible things and gave up, just like tsunade, until he runs into naruto.  and now things have changed for him, and it warms my heart to see it.  i love watching him take naruto on training field trips, and i love the depth of care we see from him towards naruto now - a far cry from the “i don’t like kids” of early shonen jump.  i love seeing him collaborate with kakashi - tag-teaming their teaching and climbing in through the window to check on him in the hospital and teasing him about how silly he looks with a sheet over his nose.  i’ve just become so touched by his progression and by the way the establishment of these relationships with “his” kids and the village as a whole (bonds, connections, all the things that this show can’t shut up about) has almost been a...healing sort of thing for him and has changed his entire outlook on life and given him a new sense of hope/meaning.  

like.  i can’t believe i am out here having jiraiya emotions after how little i cared about him when i first met him, but...here i am.  

[twinkletoes-rp]

I know it’s 2020, but I don’t care. If I could change anything about Naruto, you know what it would be?

Naruto giving a single flying shit about Sasuke after a certain amount of time/episodes. Sasuke is not and has never been Naruto’s friend! They were never friends, not even a little bit! Sasuke always belittled him, always pushed him away, always treated Naruto like dirt, was the worst to him out of everyone. That one time with Haku on what became the Great Naruto Bridge does not count. When Sasuke finally left the village and made it damn clear that he didn’t want Naruto around or to follow him or save him (as if the last several years of growing up together weren’t clue enough...), to the point where Sasuke nearly kills him in cold blood (and yes, I know it’s implied that he couldn’t bring himself to kill his ‘best friend/closest person’ to get the Mangekyo, but that’s bullshit when he never cared about Naruto in the first place, GDI), I wanted Naruto to listen so badly. I was constantly yelling at the screen, “Love yourself enough to let him go!” It only got worse as the series and then especially Shippuden progressed.

Naruto has so many people back in the village and, as the series goes on, around the world who love him so much! I would have killed for Naruto (series and character) to focus on them instead, focus on the people who actually care about him and would never do him dirty like Sasuke did over and over again!

Naruto needed and deserved to love himself enough to let Sasuke ruin his own life as he pleased without looking back, and I will gladly die on this hill!

[p-st]

sakura haruno fics (ao3)

an old anon sent me on the quest of a lifetime when they first asked for sakura fic recs and my brain went “lets read every fic on ao3 in the sakura haruno tag” (also ff.net but thats gonna have to be another post in the far off future bc ff is an old giant)

fics are split into finished, in progress, and abandoned (and the fics with ⭐ are my top faves) plus every category’s fics will be in order from shortest to longest. im gonna include the original summaries along with my own separate take (really more of a reaction) and any warnings the fics need!

THIS IS A LABOR OF LOVE!!!!! which is a nice way of saying it’s long as shit, it took me forever, and i loved every second of it! let me know if any links dont work, theres typos that dont look purposeful, there’s warnings missing, if any fics arent in order, the formatting isnt right, etc.etc.

my sincerest apologies to mobile users

fair warning: im not exaggerating when i say it’s really long

(pic from naruto-manga-caps)

author’s note: im dumb and have adhd and though ive read most of these fics at least twice, i tend to skip over text. with this in mind PLEASE let me know if you come across anything in these fics that makes you uncomfy so i can either add a warning or remove it entirely

want to navigate faster? ctrl+f to search key words like: [ship], [author], bamf, mokuton, (team as) family, etc!

FINISHED

in the roots of the forest (i am birthed) by frostnesia

ship: none // words: 272 // chapters: 1/1

so little sakura walks; past the flowers, the vines, the bright red gates and enters to a sanctuary no one with a beating heart had stepped in for more than a hundred years.

au. little ficlet! OOF im always a little heart eyed about godly iconography. plotless! just a good short read that would absolutely rock my world if it was expanded into a multichapter story but it’s still good as is!

Seven or Two by grit

ship: sakura & kakashi // words: 623 // chapters: 1/1

He makes a split-second decision. Their teamwork was atrocious, but he knows who to blame, and it’s not the girl who blackmailed her teammates into giving a damn.

i really do need more fics where kakashi recognizes the similarities between himself and sakura. tbh i just need more fics where sakura gets the love and recognition she deserves. this is a good short fic for that! team seven doesnt make it through but sakura does! eventually! warning for one weird line abt the yamanakas that might make ppl uncomfy

Twelve and Sixteen by therebaeka

ship: none // words: 625 // chapters: 1/1

Twelve years old Sakura was weak. She was annoying. She cried over the littlest thing. She had no pain tolerance at all. She wanted to be strong. Sixteen years old Sakura was strong. She can split the earth. She can heal anything. She can take anything thrown at her. She wanted to be twelve again.

god i love fics that touch on all the negative effects a shinobi lifestyle has on ninja kids (like the loss of childhood innocence/wonderment). character growth and mostly a character analysis type fic which i love. sakura just loves her team but she misses being a kid (team as family!!)

Three Sentence Ficlets by Elizabeth Culmer (edenfalling)

ship: narusasusaku // words: 626 // chapters: 3/3

Tiny ficlets written for various iterations of the Three Sentence Ficathon:

1) A quiet moment, after the world doesn't end. 2) Sakura reaches the valley's rim just in time. 3) The night before Naruto's investiture as Hokage.

soft and kind short fics abt my fav ot3. first chap is set post-war, 2nd is set during naruto and sasukes fight in the valley before he goes to orochimaru, and the setting of the 3rd is in the above description. these are really soft fics and im a sucker for the slice of life feelings

Another Kind of You by rhenna

ship: sasusaku // words: 655 // chapters: 1/1

"The problem with the color black is that it can't decide whether it is the color of the classically evil or the color of the bad-boy hero."

they are.. just liddle babies..team as family feelings bc that’s what really gets me in my uwus. not shippy! just sakura’s usual baby crush! surprisingly introspective

Unravel by grit

ship: none // words: 683 // chapters: 1/1

Sakura will be a shinobi soon and they know to coat their bare skin in poison.

au. sakura is a kiri nin amidst the bloodline purges. honestly just a super interesting look into life in kirigakure during this time and how its beliefs reflect on its children. warning for animal death and a little bit of an unhinged world view

I’ll Carry You by naru_writes

ship: narusasusaku // words: 701 // chapters 1/1

I’ll just rest my eyes for a bit, Sakura tells herself, slowly petting the now sleeping kitten, and then I’ll start on dinner.

i LIVE for domestic fluff and established relationships aaa. they love and care about her so much it makes my heart happy. all from sakura’s pov

Puppy Love by Dovey

ship: kibasaku // words: 852 // chapters: 1/1

It’s Sakura’s first day in the academy when she falls in love with Kiba Inuzuka.

i looooove how differently she grows as a character with just one difference. really cute baby genin crush. theyre rowdy, muddy, rough housing best friends. really short and lighthearted

Selfless Stunt by Michinokao

ship: sakura & naruto & sasuke // words: 859 // chapters: 1/1

Sakura wants to become chunin. She really does. However, after seeing Naruto’s nervousness, she decides to raise her hand to drop out with her team.

set during chunin exams. OOF babey im always here for team 7 as family fics!! short little thing and just feel good for ppl who stan sakura and love when others take her feelings into consideration :’)

What You See is What You Get, So Look Away by Dovey

ship: none // words: 903 // chapters: 1/1

a warmup piece i wrote trying to make a Kakashi who’s not so oblivious.

kakashi’s pov. lots of introspection and meta and i love this kind of stuff a lot. analysis on how different naruto and sasuke are from the rest of their team. love love love when anyone brings up sakura’s own mortality and what she had to do to get to where she is. aaa also the author notes at the end are very worth the read

Snake Tooth by Pinnacle of Failure (Cromirn)

ship: none // words: 904 // chapters: 1/1

The Forest of Death doesn't go right. Sakura can't tell what's real and what's not.

exactly as the summary says! orochimaru does some genjutsu stuff and my poor girl get severely messed up mentally. warning for implications of gore and an unstable mind. part one in a trilogy (others are on this list)

Here Are Your Bones Crossed by grit

ship: none // words: 977 // chapters: 1/1

Sakura begins recovery by unfurling her hands and giving him a tense report. Kakashi waits patiently for her to stumble through Konoha Standard, motions well-memorised but never practiced, and gently reaches out to lift her chin, making her look at him.

(Sakura blames herself. For trusting Kabuto, for not being stronger, for being here when really it should have been Naruto who survived.)

it’s fucked :( sakura is gonna need such a good therapist it’s really what she deserves. and if i did tear up a little after that last thing kakashi said? well thats between me and whoever’s reading this. read the author notes at the end for an explanation of whats going on in this timeline

Wind and Water, Earth and Rain by theformerone

ship: narusaku // words: 1020 // chapters: 1/1

Naruto almost loses himself on the Wave Mission. But in a world where Team Seven was created to prevent another Kyuubi attack, there is always someone there to remind him of who he is.

set during wave arc. MOKUTON SAKURA. not shippy at all? incredibly easy to take as platonic and just a sweet team 7 as family fic (which i did before i looked at the tags??) warning for super brief gore

⭐How Do You Tell a Girl You Want to Kiss Her? by theformerone

ship: shikasaku // words: 1084 // chapters: 1/1

Shikamaru punches a hole through Sakura’s wall. She can’t really deal with that until she has her morning coffee.

au. part three of the role reversal au (others are listed later) this is really cute and theres nothing life or death about it and i love how idk. normal it is? sakura is just tired and taking it in stride and shikamaru is a flustered mess (choji is a good wingman) (and god this is a small thing but i love the lowkey team 7 stuff. my faves are my faves in any universe)

Of Gardens and Girls by Dovey

ship: sakura & team 7 // words: 1128 // chapters: 1/1

Soulmates: a person so important, so loved, and so central to your life that the universe acknowledges it. Flowers representing that love will grow inside of you until the love is requited, or you move on.

Sakura has a lot of soulmates.

au. set throughout timeline. really bittersweet, so damn bittersweet. this fic makes my heart hurt bc she’s so full of love and deserves better. (theres also a lot more ships nd every single one is platonic except for the naruhinagaa) warning for death :’(

Forgetting Something by theformerone

ship: sakukarin // words: 1130 // chapters: 1/1

Well I’m not eating you out in the kitchen like I was planning on when your daughter left.”

Sakura snorts.

“So she’s just my daughter now?”

Karin follows her into the room and sets down Sarada’s new spare pair of glasses on her desk.

“When you help her cause minor property damage before seven in the morning, yes, she’s your daughter.”

set in boruto universe. really fucking sweet. this is just a short and cute little slice of life thing w adorable sakura and sarada interactions

Smiles in Spring by Kalira

ship: inosaku // words: 1179 // chapters: 1/1

One spring day when they are very small, Ino meets a little girl with shy eyes, a beautiful smile, and pink hair, and immediately knows what she wants in her future. Ino's never had any qualms bending the force of her will on the universe to be sure she gets whatever she wants.

NOT sakura centric but i excused a couple of other fics already PLUS this is cute so whatever. it’s just short and cute and makes my heart swell

Drawing Her Back by Kalira

ship: inosaku // words: 1197 // chapters: 1/1

It's not the first time Sakura has had to lead her lover back to herself from deep in her own mind, and it probably won't be the last. She doesn't like it . . . but she can do it.

sakura is the best. have i mentioned that before? i love her more than anything if you didnt already know that about me. sakura is just making sure ino is okay and helping in any way she can and my heart is soft

Underneath the Underneath (is nothing but bones and blood) by Dovey

ship: none // words: 1269 // chapters: 1/1

Sakura has a weak heart. This isn’t metaphorical, but literal- she’s born with a heart too small to pump properly. A valve is slightly misaligned, and any strenuous activity could kill her.

set from genin era to the attack on the village amidst the chunin exam. and again! dovey delivers the good stuff! no dialogue. life kinda comes at her fast and you can almost feel her whole mindset shift

Nothing but Paint by grit

ship: none // words: 1382 // chapters: 1/1

Sakura has her hand fist-deep in Sasuke's rib cage, seriously tempted to rip his heart out like he did hers, a conflict of interest mitigated only by the code of honor her shishou drilled into her, when she realizes that Team Seven won't return to Konoha without him this time.

character exploration of team 7 surrounding sakura (my weakness) not sure where in the timeline this is but i know it's post sai and yamato joining the team. it's short but interesting as hell!! immediate warning for blood if the desc didnt give it away

Hands Reaching Out by orlha

ship: shikasaku // words: 1412 // chapters: 1/1

The price of winning the war was steeper than Sakura imagined it to be. It was a price she gladly pay over and over again but the thought of not living long enough to see this new peace burns in her chest.

post war. just a short angsty little thing abt sakura and her seal. mentions of death

Canary Bill by Pinnacle of Failure (Cromirn)

ship: none // words: 1474 // chapters: 1/1

she knows that what they did for her will come back around. she didn't expect it to be this way.

part two of the disjointed realities series! still set during the exams and my poor girl still has some residual effects of the genjutsu orochimaru put her through. it’s not clear whether it’s real or not

From Ashes by Dovey

ship: none // words: 1476 // chapters: 2/2

She hasn’t got a family, hasn’t got a team, not in any way either of those words should count. It’s time to come to terms with that.

set near the beginning of shippuden it seems? interesting implications about her family that i want more of plus emphasis on team 7 as family minus her which hurts my heart aa. warning for death, blood, and gore (not super graphic)

Boar Tusk by Pinnacle of Failure (Cromirn)

ship: none // words: 1499 // chapters: 1/1

she burns in the flames of memories of which are fake, they boil her skin and melt flesh and she is nothing more than a skeleton of what she was. she wishes she were not what she is now, what she was then, and she begs.

last part of the disjointed realities series! still during the exams! yeah she’s definitely traumatized, no question about it.

How Lame by theformerone

ship: shikasaku // words: 1527 // chapters: 1/1

Nara Shikamaru is the Godaime’s apprentice. Sakura thinks he’s a world class nag.

au. ROLE REVERSALS!! super interesting!!!!! teams are still the same but their stories and personalities are different? anyway this au is cute and i love team seven’s relationship and also sakura’s skills are cool as SHIT. plus the shikasaku interactions are cute. part one of this role swap series.

Letters to the Front by Kalira

ship: hinasaku // words: 1644 // chapters: 1/1

Sakura, as both head medic and close friend and advisor to the Hokage, is not lacking for news from back home even as she manages the field hospital at the front lines, but her most prized letters are not those advising her of news on the war and politics.

set during war time. sakura just loves and appreciates her girlfriend so much aa warning for implied nsf/w. none of it graphic!

The One With the Eye Thing by Dovey

ship: none // words: 1776 // chapters: 1/1

a one chapter story that’s 100% just sakura getting a very gross revenge on her sensei and on the shinobi class system as a whole, at least as far as SHE sees it.

that also means this is SUPER gorey. let it be said that i give the people what they want

au. bamf sakura! set pre shippuden surprisingly enough. believe it or not, there is a very gorey eye thing. sexy ass takes on the role of civilians in a shinobi village. warnings for graphic gore and a mental breakdown

I Spy by AshesFall (Cloud_Nine)

ship: none // words: 1782 // chapters: 1/1

Team 7, Missing in Action.

The aftermath of the Wave Mission gone wrong.

part one of the Lucky Sevens series. not very sakura centric but the whole series is just neat! team as family which im always a sucker for. the series focuses on how team 7 copes with being back in the village and i just think it’s neat idk! warning for mentions torture! individual warnings for every other fic in the series in the tags but most are about torture, trauma, and general violence

Ghosts in Her Blood by Dovey

ship: gaasaku // words: 1831 // chapters: 1/1

After Wave, Inner Sakura changes into a familar face to help Sakura cope with her new reality

au. set during chunin arc. tbh!! no idea this was a ship fic til i read the tags so this can absolutely be read as a shipless fic. really makes you think abt how (not) good a shinobi village is at teaching children how to compartmentalize. my girl’s a bamf but traumatized and trying. warnings for gore and death

Coming Home by Angelchexmex

ship: sakura & team 7 // words: 1901 // chapters: 1/1

Kakashi isn't surprised that his little brats had made themselves at home in his apartment while he was gone, he was just a bit curious as to why.

kakashi pov! set early genin days! not much plot wise but i love fics like that so much aa i love fics that just showcase the familiarity between team 7 in more domestic settings. they love sakura!! they all care abt her so much and kakashi love his kids a lot!!! really cute short and sweet team as family fic! warning for implications of abuse and starvation

Does He Make You Feel Special? by Dovey

ship: none // words: 1905 // chapters: 1/1

Sakura develops an eating disorder, and then she recovers with help from some friends.

au. starts pre shippuden. read the tags because this realy is what it says on the tin. warnings for eating disorders, self esteem issues, and relapse. she gets mostly adopted by tsunade and everyone takes care of her in general. hinata gets the place of apprentice and sakura gets more friends and support and gets trained by anko! focuses on recovery before plot so the only “real” plot is at the very end

Ink Stains and Cherry Blossoms by Hannahmayski

ship: sai & sakura // words: 1922 // chapters: 1/1

Ice cream doesn’t solve all of the world’s problems but Sakura is pretty sure it solves most of them.

or

Sai’s having a bad day and has never had ice cream before. Sakura fixes both.

sai centric fic w sunshine sakura. budding friendship. can be interpreted as romantic if you want? i didnt see it as that, but if it’s what u want! delves a little into sai’s feelings towards danzo. just dang cute and i always love a sakura who is there for her friends. allusion to an eating disorder and emotional manipulation.

⭐What Lingers by spacefleeting

ship: none // words: 1994 // chapters: 1/1

For someone who just watched her friend get beaten to a pulp, had her head nearly punched in, and stopped her teammate from going on a curse-induced murder spree, Sakura is handling everything very well. Until she’s not.

(Or: Sakura blossomed and she’s not really sure how she feels about it yet)

set during chunin exam. trying and failing to compartmentalize and naruto trying to help as best as another kid can. it’s endearing but wow, does canon naruto ever touch on how they help get children through the trauma of shinobi life?? the answer is no. mentions of blood. she takes a bite out of a dude. like. real shit

What’s Yours is Mine by DefiantDreams

ship: narusasusaku // words: 1994 // chapters: 1/1

Sakura doesn’t quite know how it happens, but suddenly their closets are a free-for-all for each other.

au. sakuras pov. just plain soft. short and cute budding romance between my faves aaa,, also genderfluid naruto!!

Last Match in the Matchbox by Endoplasmic Panda

ship: none // words: 2071 // chapters: 1/1

In which Sakura Haruno realizes that being discontent with adult life is part of the Team Seven contractual fine print.

(got rid of the rest of the summary bc it was too many text blocks) set during boruto! just some build up to sakura FINALLY getting her own time to just travel aa. everyone supports her and that’s how it should be

How a Fire is Born by ThroughtheMirrorDarkly

ship: none // words: 2075 // chapters: 1/1

What if there had been no Ino that fateful day in the park? What if Sakura is mercilessly bullied until one day she is pushed to her breaking point, with surprising results?

starts off during early academy days. sakura came here to learn and fuck people up and she just finished the curriculum. i HATE hiruzen but i love my girl so :/ also team seven are all rivals which sounds like it would be chaotic poor kakashi. warnings for abuse and bullying

How Sakura Discovers Her Love for Fighting by smolwhite_ugly

ship: none // words: 2087 // chapters: 1/1

Sakura Haruno is five-years-old when she decides that she really wants to become a ninja. Not a paper ninja. A shinobi.

set during early academy days uvu. rowdy girl rights!!!!! sakura is the ride or die friend everyone wishes they had. sakura is that short comic “you have befriended [name], [name] will now die for you” except it’s beat someone up. sakura’s best friends are blondes uwu

What a Pain by theforemerone

ship: shikasaku // words: 2269 // chapters: 1/1

Yamanaka Ino is an S-ranked missing nin. But before that, she was Shikamaru and Chouji’s best friend and comrade.

Sakura has an easier time compartmentalizing than they do. Especially in a fight.

au. second part of the role swap au! ino essentially took the place of sasuke. pretty focused on the ino-shika-cho story but entirely from sakura’s pov. shes so FUCKING COOL I LOVE THE JUTSUS OP GAVE HER SHES SUCH A BAMF IM IN LOVE. this au is so interesting i need more

Galvanize by nerazenn

ship: narusaku // words: 2352 // chapters: 1/1

gal·va·nize (v): shock or excite (someone), typically into taking action.

::

Sakura’s victorious wail was cut short, however, as she became immediately aware of two things.

One, her hand was in a lot of pain.

And two, Ino was nowhere near Sakura.

modern au. just a short meet cute fic sjcndek honestly id expect nothing less. it’s just cute and makes me laugh. something not serious thrown into the mix of recs

Truth in Platitudes by Kalira

ship: narusasusaku // words: 2454 // chapters: 1/1

Naruto stepped in with no thought to his own safety to protect theirs; now Sakura and Sasuke are left to try and get him out of the trap in his own mind.

yeah it’s exactly what it says on the tin. not sure where on the timeline this is. THEY LOVE EACH OTHER!!!!! im really so easy please

And Then the Desert Blooms by spacefleeting

ship: sakura & gaara // words: 2457 // chapters: 1/1

Haruno Sakura meets Gaara of the Desert piece by piece, name by name.

set throughout timeline. mostly sakura’s thoughts during the few times she’s interacted with gaara. development as friends! naruto would be so happy

Little Moments by iBloo

ship: sasusaku // words: 2519 // chapters: 1/1

Sasuke, Sakura, and Sarada enjoy an afternoon shopping and spending time with each other.

set during boruto’s dad’s son’s time. sasuke just loves his girls and sakura loves her family and sarada loves her parents so much and loves to spend time with them together. just a nice little slice of life feel good fic. im a sucker for domestic “filler episode” type fics aa they make me so tender

Bumpy Future by Dovey

ship: hinasaku // words: 2553 // chapters: 1/1

It’s her last year at the academy when Sakura hits her head. When she wakes up, she has a little trouble matching memories to the people in them- but she’ll have to get it right eventually, yeah?

in which sakura pairs vague associations with the wrong people, and everyone is much happier because of it (Except Iruka-sensei).

acadamy days!! newborns!!! everything changes djsbjd ino is her rival, kiba’s her bestfriend, and hinata is her crush and her class supports all of it, it’s cute (also read the author notes at the end, the last paragraph is so fucking quality)

Hello, Bright Eyes (been waiting on you) by mouseymightymarvellous

ship: saisaku // words: 2651 // chapters: 1/1

“look underneath the underneath,” except no one has ever really bothered to look at sakura and see her. and then there is a boy (isn’t there always). maybe they’re both just ghosts, making each other real.

no clear timeline. large focus on sakura and how she’s (not) seen by other people. emphasis on sai and sakura’s disconnect from naruto and sasuke. the plot confused me a bit but im pretty positive it’s about sakura dismantling root per request of tsunade. THE ENDING THOUGH??? sai deserves so much love that really made me melt a little

Prodigal Sons by Fiction_Over_Fact

ship: sakura & team 7 // words: 2779 // chapters: 1/1

Sasuke is gone and Naruto is gone and Kakashi might as well be.

In which Sakura is sad and alone but discovers she doesn’t have to be either.

set after naruto leaves with jiraiya. sort of a character analysis/coming of age type fic. touches on the disparity of who she was and who she’s becoming. also has bits of her friendship with the rest of the rookie 9!

Sasuke Discovers Emotion #4 by Dovey

ship: sasusaku // words: 2852 // chapters: 1/1

In which Sasuke manages to avoid getting a team with any fangirls, and then figures out maybe he was secretly the fangirl all along, because a little distance and the influence of Sensei Tenten helps Sakura flourish and now he’s got a big old crush to deal with on top of everything else.

set during genin days. also sasuke centric but sakura gets put into a different team and her development as a result is so beautiful even though it isnt the focus aaa. sasuke pines and it’s cute!!

⭐An Improper Apology Properly Backfires by rex101111

ship: sasusaku // words: 2996 // chapters: 1/1

Sasuke Uchiha apologizes, or at least makes an attempt. Sakura thinks he could do better than THAT.

set at the end of the war. naruto is the innocent bystander and it’s all in his pov. god i WISH this went down in canon. this fic is so fucking funny and cathartic bc sakura finally gets to air her grievances. DEFINITELY a top fave of mine and i have it bookmarked for whenever i just so happen to be in the mood

The Value of Learning to Bloom by Yourself by alunbalanced

ship: shikasaku // words: 3001 // chapters: 2/2

Sasuke asks a question and receives an unexpected answer and Sakura stands on her own two feet as she walks away.

set post war. really good self indulgent fic for ppl who love sakura and arent the biggest fans of sasuke (this fic is a bit mean to him so i wouldnt recommend to sasuke stans). this doesnt read as one consecutive fic but more like two individual one shots. sasuke is only in the first chapter and the second one is dedicated to sakura’s first time training w tsunade and shikamaru analyzing her. also the author notes are me always

San by Demeter

ship: none // words: 3046 // chapters: 1/1

When three whittles down to one. A very biased view.

set throughout pre shippuden timeline. heavy on that introspection! not all that plot focused, just sakura’s thoughts on where she stands and how she’s always left behind

The Shadows are Darker When the Sun is Bright by EndoplasmicPanda

ship: none // words: 3437 // chapters: 1/1

She remembers that Team 7, from all those years ago, and then remembers the real Team 7, with bickering teammates and bloody spars and careful, loving admonishment. She remembers the Team 7 without Sasuke, remembers the Team 7 where it was just her and Kakashi for three long years. Remembers Sai and Yamato, sets aside her guilt for not visiting them in far too long, remembers Naruto’s grin and Sasuke’s smile.

They loved her. She loved them.

Can she love herself?

set after the war. sakura becomes hokage and shes good even though shes traumatized and not moving past it (bc shes trying to live the lives her teammates shouldve had) open ending but i choose to believe she takes to wandering the lands and going back into medical things while learning how to live her own life for herself and no one else :’)

Sense Memory by KuriQuinn

ship: sasusaku // word count: 3501 // chapters: 1/1

She’s not breathing, or showing any signs of life, and that worries him.

takes place when sarada is a baby. almost all of it is a flashback to smthn that took place in their baby days and it’s all in sasuke’s pov. the non flashback bits are soft and slice of life-esque. warnings for near death and drowning in the flashback and implied ns/fw near the very beginning and the very end

Coming Undone by Dovey

ship: none // words: 3643 // chapters: 1/1

The Uchiha Massacre is world-famous within weeks. The homicide of the Haruno family, in comparison, is a barely a blip on the radar- another case of personal drama with an unfortunate end. Sakura, the only survivor of her family tragedy, tries to grow up normal, chasing after boys and running away from nightmares.

She doesn’t grow up normal.

au. she’s a bamf with trauma babey!! she uses battle axes and hammers and her summons are tigers which is cool as shit. loss of morality and unquestionable loyalty is always so interesting. warnings for gore, death, and drug use

Sakura’s Plants by ba262

ship: none // words: 3704 // chapters: 15/15 // updated: 3/8/19

Sakura was given Ukki-kun the day she was officially left behind by team 7

set throughout timeline. a story told in parts surrounding the plants in sakura’s life. no dialogue! i love sakura so much and my heart hurtsss,, we get to see more of her reaction to being left behind by her team and im in PAIN!! shout out to sakura’s newfound support group. short chapters and a nice short read! idk how to describe it but the writing flows REALLY nicely

Pinpoint by CountessCzan

ship: sakura & shisui // words: 3792 // chapters: 1/1

Shisui takes care of a child named Sakura for a mission once. Sakura never lets go of him after that.

set when shisui is a genin post-war. sakura is a cute little baby and im sobbing at the picture this fic paints. I LOVE SHISUI A LOT he’s so soft im really tender

Stars Exploding by blesseth

ship: sasusaku // words: 4098 // chapters: 1/1

Don’t get Sakura wrong, she was happy she and Sasuke were becoming friends, following everything that had happened. Ecstatic even. But hell, did he have to be on her mind all the damn time?

set post war. BYE i had the cheesiest grin the entire time i was reading this. just a cute little pre-relationship type fic and i love the little team 7 as family things sprinkled in. just another good light hearted fic to break up the serious/plot focused fics

Sharkman and Cherrygirl by The_Floating_World

ship: none // words: 4245 // chapters: 1/1

Newly five Haruno Sakura joins her parents on a merchant trip, has a life-changing encounter, and gains a new goal.

YES BABEY!!! i love my little fearless to the point of just plain idiotic girl!! there’s a surprising amount of fics where kisame becomes a bit of an inspiration to my number one fave and i love all of them! more fuel for my love of sakura who focuses more towards her water aspect// anyway! my little baby is just in desperate need for a mentor figure/someone she can base herself off of bc shes a shy little things whom i love more than life itsself aa GOD the way she gets absolutely star eyed the moment she sees kisame has my heart in fits. i absolutely support my little murder kid and her life goals to be Just Like That (read the notes)

Warmth by kosmeja

ship: narusasusaku // words: 4296 // chapters: 1/1

In which Naruto has a nightlight, Sasuke is afraid of the dark and doesn't want to admit it, and somehow, Sakura is the perverted one.

Or: Team 7 have a brief conversation in the dark.

au. not to sure where this is timeline wise, but sakura is a chunin. they love her so much, yeah im crying about it. they just want her to feel good about herself and that theyre there to support her and im sobbing rn i love team 7 so much

House Upon a Rock by KuriQuinn

ship: sasusaku // words: 4311 // chapters: 1/1

She sort of considers herself the last resort, the one to pull him through; it never really occurs to her that she’s the one that could fall.

yeah!!! literal and metaphorical support!!! sakura is so good here i love her. shes just a kid and she wants to be able to support her teammates even if that means literally carrying them after they pass out from exhaustion. i super love how kuriquinn writes ss interactions and this fic is no different aa (also i cant believe he never gave her the spar she asked for :/) can be read as platonic if you want! it’s mostly onesided any way

Sakura of the Red Sands by Dovey

ship: gaasaku // words: 4811 // chapters: 1/1

Sasori hates Hatake Kakashi. He meets a young girl with reason to hate the man too, and finds the perfect opportunity for revenge.

If he accidentally builds a family along the way, well. He always was exemplary at exceeding expectations.

au. sasori never defected. set roughly around chunin exam arc. sasori is an asshole as per usual and accidently becomes sakura’s pseudo older brother figure? it’s actually super endearing how proud of her he becomes and how much he starts to root for her sjdndk though it is a Little unnerving here and there and there are parts where sasori is noticeably less normal than the average person. also MOKUTON SAKURA!!!!! she’s op and meets gaara and they click and this whole fic is maybe a little weird but mostly interesting (also the author notes are good please read them!!) warning for maybe questionable levels of attachment? oh also a kind of coerced amputation!

⭐Into the Water by BasicallyAnIdiot

ship: none // words: 5192 // chapters: 1/1

Sakura had always loved the water.

set throughout timeline. i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again but i love when people write sakura as someone who leans more towards her water aspect and this is one of my favorite fics that show that. my girl is connected directly to tobirama nd while he’s actually a bastard, this fic single handedly made me have a reluctant soft spot for him. plus she follows directly in his footsteps and invents jutsus too (god i love her shes so smart and cool) plenty of little spots about love that make me tender. god i love this fic so much and my girl kicks ass 100/10

Parsley Seed Goes Nine Times to the Devil by Mook_aron

ship: none // words: 5445 // chapters: 1/1

Slow to grow, quick to sprout, parsley seed goes nine times to the devil

When she’s six, a man murders her family.

The man is tall, and his features are burned into her mind. She won’t forget him- she won’t let herself forget him.

root sakura au! changes her whole childhood and perspective on village loyalty. kind of poetic and nice to read despite the dark themes. sai is there!! not a lot but he’s there and i love him. i hesitate to call this team as family bc it’s only just starting to develop but you can feel the potential! part 1 of a series i hope continues aa// warnings for emotional abuse, blood, mentions of gore, and murder

⭐Most Girls, or, the one Where Sakura Grows up and Gets a Fan Girl Along the Way by theformerone

ship: none // words: 5869 // chapters: 1/1

In the years between Naruto’s departure and return, Sakura develops.

Aggressively.

She also gains a second shadow.

set throughout timeline, starts immediately after naruto leaves. YEAH BABEY!!! BAMF SAKURA!!! she gets so fucking cool and she trains with team 8 and team gai (and gets close w the rest of the konaha 11 in general)!! she gets the muscles that she deserves that could only aid the fighting style tsunade taught her (and that she deserves in canon ugh) and she turns into such a powerhouse and people love her and it’s what she deserves (also sakura takes moegi under her wing and they’re good for eachother im crying ajdjdj this fic single handedly made me love moegi)

tag along fic: That Girl Thinks She’s the Queen of the Neighborhood (i got news for you! she is!) by theformerone

same au but all from moegi’s perspective and BOY OH BOY I RELATE. she’s got a huge fucking crush on sakura and it’s cute and sakura is teaching her how to kick ass and it’s inspiring *chef hand kiss* (word count: 6624)

I Won’t Go Down, Your Blushing Bride by felinedetached

ship: inosaku // words: 6186 // chapters: 1/1

(Three things come after that:

1. The moment of realisation. The moment she realises Sasuke’s left the village, gone off to do who knows what with Orochimaru-

2. Her memory returns to her - she was useless against her teammate; taken down by a pressure point and unable to do anything to prevent him from getting at it.

3. Inner rages, throws herself around, cursing and screaming until finally, finally she calms and she says Uchiha Sasuke is a traitor.)

In which Sakura gets the character development she deserved.

set throughout timeline. sakura basically gets adopted by every shinobi adult and it makes my heart so happy. not a lot of plot (minus that bit near the end), but so much depth!! she really does get the character development she deserves. she grows up scary and so op and inner is still there and she dates ino and theyre so soft im crying

Is the Real Over There More Vivid Than Here Ever Feels by falterth

ship: hinasaku // words: 6366 // chapters: 1/1

The healing process is slow.

set some time after the war. i hate this fic SO much it left me ugly crying. fucking NARUTO dies?????? naruto is eternal he's not allowed to die,, okay but aside from the fact that im in my feelings, this fic is so good in how it deals with grief and coping and other such things of dealing with the death of a loved one and how "coping" by ignoring/forgetting the emotions isnt actually coping. warning for death and therapy and a teensy bit of victim blaming? (it gets worked out tho!)

Ain’t no princess in this tower by atomicmuffin

ship: sakura & tenten // words: 6448 //chapters: 1/1

Boys are idiots. Ninja boys are idiots with deadly weapons, and it's the kunoichi's privilege and duty to call them out on their bullshit.

Or: how Tenten becomes the Konoha equivalent of a coach for kunoichi completely on accident, mostly because of her pathological inability to let shit go.

set after tsunade becomes hokage (au where sasuke doesnt immediately leave) tenten’s pov! oooo we love a girl who supports girls! she helps sakura treat her teammates like normal people who mess up and are really just dumb boys. BIG fan of fics where tenten takes up a mentor/older sis position for sakura bc she holds a really soft spot in my heart. oof im so proud of my girl’s development im really crying about it

⭐Sing as Their Bones Go Marching in Again by felinedetached

ship: inosaku // words: 6929 // chapters: 1/1

Instead, it goes like this: Haruno Sakura is the daughter of two civilians, from civilian families. She is nothing and no one—smart, yes, top kunoichi, yes, but she will never be on par with clan kids. She is teammates to an orphan powerhouse from a dead clan and the last remaining Uchiha.

Haruno Sakura is nothing and nobody, but she breathes and grows and thrives and the forest thrives with her.

(She opens her eyes to wood, grown from nothing, and Hatake Kakashi stares in disbelief at the tree where his student used to be.)

Or, Haruno Sakura should have had the goddamn Mokuton and this author is mad.

set throughout timeline. this fic has me FOAMING at the mouth!!! MOKUTON SAKURA!!! SENJU SAKURA!!! HASHIRAMA PARALLELS!!! SHE’S A BAMF AND OP AS SHIT!!! TSUNADE ADOPTS HER!!! INO IS HER GIRLFRIEND!!!!! i could sing my praises for this fic all day and still not be finished ahxndkek everything is so good, every little detail (like choji and kiba taking up healing) is so fucking delicious PLEASE read, im BEGGING

For Want of Freedom by ThroughtheMirrorDarkly

ship: sakura & team 7 // words: 8908 // chapters: 1/1

Haruno Sakura may seem like she is destined for being a paper ninja, that her choice in this career was a flight of fancy or all based on a fangirl crush. The pink haired girl had no delusions about the life she had chosen, but she would rather die as a ninja then to be bled dry as a slave to her family. Lies and deceptions have built the world around her and Sakura is ready to tear it down, grabbing freedom with both hands.

au. starts off when team 7 first tries to get the bells. sakura’s entire family and backstory is altered and abusive. budding team as family and maybe even actual family between naruto and sakura? *winkwink* some implications of a heavy plot but it doesnt go anywhere and there’s no plans to continue it! warnings for abuse, child experimentation, and mentions of blood

Walk Forward, Don't Look Back by teslatempest

ship: hinasaku // words: 9311 // chapters: 1/1

After the war, Sakura is exhausted.

She decides to make a change.

set post war, some of my favorite types of fics! she goes on a literal road to recovery and it makes my heart so warm because i love her so much and i just want her to be happy and this fic makes me melt///// the hinasaku is only implied once so dont get your hopes up BUT!!! sakura makes narusasu happen and i really said aww out loud in the dopiest voice when sasuke kissed his cheek,, my favorite parts are easily when shes thinking/talking about her emotions bc im a sucker for that good good introspection! warning for mentions of trauma i guess? none of it is all that bad it’s just a good coping fic

Thank You for the Meal by theformerone

ship: narusaku // words: 9876 // chapters: 1/1

Tsunade tells him that the best way to a woman’s heart is through her stomach. Naruto leaves Sakura snacks.

au! not anywhere near as shippy as the tags and description imply? lots of little odd ships like brief mentions of nejisasu nd hinakarin (which has a bit more focus). not very sakura centric but damn beautiful regardless so im keeping it here. actually really fucking emotional with a huge focus on uzushio and the uzumaki clan. made me cry 10/10

⭐Hounds Follow Those Who Feed Them by dragonyfox

ship: narusasusaku // words: 10597 // chapters: 3/3

Kakashi knows when to outsource training, but he also knows that only he can teach them some things.

little bits and pieces of their lives before the last chapter in the first part of this series :(( my heart is soft and full of sadness **READ THE FIRST PART OF THIS SERIES** it’s a hound will die for you but never lie to you and i have it listed a little further down

⭐The Sound by LadyKG

ship: none // words:13231 // chapters: 4/4

They lost. Completely. Totally. Lost. They thought it impossible, that the fates would reject this outcome for tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. They have been punished for this belief. And for that, she will go back. Sakura-time travel AU

set post war. INCREDIBLY disorienting. really good to read when you’re existing a little to the left. im not a huge fan of time travel fics but holy shit?? this fic really is something else/ sakura needs to keep obito alive while dealing with hallucinations(?) of her family from her timeline. this is really fucking good actually and she kills danzo and ive got the second part here further down. warning for death

Gallant by Crunchysunrises

ship: sakura & itachi // words: 14890 // chapters: 3/3

On the day that he makes genin, Itachi sees Sakura. It changes the course of his life.

starts when itachi is a genin and sakura is a tiny little baby. non mass. very itachi centric but sakura is such a pivotal part of his life. itachi truly deserves better (it’s friendship!!! itachi is traumatized and dependent)

The Fury by LadyKG

ship: none // words: 15711 // chapters: 4/4

Sequel to 'The Sound'. She needs to keep moving, looking forward and fixing the problems of the past. If she doesn’t the world might just fall apart a second time. Sakura time travel AU.

sequal to The Sound (above somewhere)(read that one first ofc). just as confusing and disorienting as the first one! i love love love how the flashbacks are written where theres no discernible break between past and present. also i didnt mention it in the summary of pt 1 but yamato is so cute! im glad he’s getting better things (same goes for itachi!). warning that things kinda loop and it really is a little disorienting. like whole paragraphs repeat. warning for death too

The Lessons Change by exarite

ship: none // words: 17529 // chapters: 5/5

In another world, Haruno Sakura is known to be the best medic-nin of all time, renowned for her surpassing of her master and with a fearsome reputation for her strength and medical feats.

This is not that world.

aus. bundle of oneshots where sakura gets different teachers and how that changes things. (notes in the first chapter highlight the little issue i have w how sakura developed under tsunade) read the summaries and notes (beginning and end) for info abt the chapter! heavy warnings in chapter 4 for gore, emotional manipulation, blood, and experimentation. also in chapter 2 sakura has a childish crush on shisui and in chapter 3 theres a single line where he implies smthn

⭐Your Childhood Home is just Powder-White Bones (and You'll Never Find Your Way Back) by Dovey

ship: none // words: 24367 // chapters: 11/11

Sasuke is not the only one who worries he's getting too comfortable in his genin life. Itachi decides to add another motivator to Sasuke's revenge plans by kidnapping the teammate who wasn't a charismatic Jinchuriki. Sakura is used to being an objective for those around her, not a person, but even for her this is a little much.

In which Sakura is held captive and learns what a genjutsu specialist can do to a person's mind, that sharks can actually make great friends, joins a dying clan, and gets regifted multiple times before she's finally strong enough to fight back.

starts off when theyre genin. itachi is unhinged and sakura gets the short end of the stick :( LOTS of trauma. my girl gets really messed up and learns a lot of things purely to survive and has a loose grasp on reality. kisame isnt a good guy (read the notes at the end of chapter 10!) but he gives her sharks which is cool. kabuto is bad and so is orochimaru and kimimaro makes me sad but thats all par for the course. sakura gets some sick water things and also tsunade gets to be there and sakura makes her own family. warnings for torture, gore, dissociation, general loss of reality, blood, and death

⭐Survival of the Fittest by cywscross

ship: sakura & shikamaru // words: 24790 // chapters: 1/1

Sakura is thirteen, still a Genin, lost in the middle of Earth Country, lugging an unconscious Chuunin around, and so far beyond scared that she’s moved right on to pissed off.

au. naruto i love you but jesus christ. bamf sakura and shikamaru just trying to survive so they can get home and hopefully rip naruto a new one. really really cool to read abt shikamaru and sakura being smart and working together and plenty interesting bits of introspection. god this fic is just so good and the slow deterioration into kids just trying to stay alive while having nothing but each other and developing unhealthy codependency as a result is so damn interesting. also i cried 10/10 they care about each other so much

⭐Being Over-Prepared is Impossible (and other mottos) by Pleasedial123

ship: none // words: 40071 // chapters: 15/15

In one world, Kakashi awoke, felt grieved at being assigned a team he sees his own in, and he let that grief make him a lazy teacher. He saw himself in Sasuke, Obito in Naruto, and Rin in Sakura. He woke, saw himself in them, and took a large step back, regretting accepting them as his new team. In another world he was quite hands off, merely a watcher because it was so very painful to watch. He saw himself and all his mistakes in this new team of his.

In this world, Kakashi awoke, saw the similarities, and instantly panicked. He suddenly realized what he had done, passing a team. Kakashi was left scrambling not to repeat old mistakes and regrets. This team would not suffer the fate of his team.

In this world, simply put, Kakashi became a teacher. This is the starting of a new Team seven.

set early genin days. TEAM AS FAMILY BABY!!!!!!!! theyre all babies and dumb and reckless but theyre in it together! not as sakura centric as other fics on this list but her development into essentially team leader is so so good!! kakashi loves his kids so much aa

can be read alone but theres a sequel!: Surviving is the Same Thing as Winning (words: 22492 // chapters: 11/? // updated: 2/9/19)

⭐A Hound Will Die For You, but Never Lie to You by dragonyfox

ship: narusasusaku // words: 41065 // chapters: 9/9

Kakashi caught his breath and pretended like he was just thinking about what to say. His dogs saw through it. “I’m thinking of having my team sign the dog contract.”

Pakkun nodded thoughtfully. “That might piss off some powerful people, boss.”

au! (chapter title is the pov) starts somewhere post wave and pre chunin exam. sakura is kakashis favorite and it really makes me wanna cry when fics do that PLUS SHE GETS A HUGE FUCK OFF BATTLE AXE BABY!!!!!!!! they get different developments!!! sasuke gets to be the medic and im really happy about it because he seems sO HAPPY!!! also they get cute dogs and it’s all very sweet. developing themes of team as family which im a sucker for plus developing poly t7 (pining sasuke!) which im REALLY a sucker for aa it was such a happy fic but WOW that last chapter takes no prisoners warning for super brief mention of rape and there’s major character death in the last chapter :(

⭐Samsara by KuriQuinn

ship: sasusaku // words: 54177 // chapters: 8/8

Sakura’s words die in her throat as the man’s eyes shoot open, and the coldest red irises she has ever seen meet hers. She is hit by a wave of terrifying certainty about two things right then – that she knows these eyes better than any other and that, if he wanted to, this man could stop her heart with just a look.

set during their travels. FINALLY!!! the parallels of three that ive been needing my whole ass life!! also sasuke is doting and worried and it’s cute. super fucking interesting and half of it takes place during the Ootsutsuki time (aka naruto & sasuke’s first incarnations) warnings for nsfw and some weird loss of identity/time stuff? it’s a great fic though, easily one of my top faves

⭐A Girl in the Forest of Moss and Bone by theformerone

ship: none // words: 65665 // chapters: 6/6

Katsuyu spits acid in her eyes, and Sakura must prove herself worthy enough for the slugs of Shikkotsu Forest to heal.

Or, it doesn’t translate to ‘damp bone forest’ for nothing.

IF THERE’S A FIC WHOSE SERIES ID RECCOMEND IN ITS ENTIRETY IT IS ABSOLUTELY THIS FIC. IF YOU LOVE SAKURA (AND SLUG SAGE SAKURA ESPECIALLY) PLEASE READ THE BALLAD OF THE SLUG SAGE SERIES. IT OWNS MY WHOLE SOUL. guhh sakura is so adorable in the first chapter (kakashi.. choke) GOD. the fucking uhhhh worldbuilding??????? its Actually my favorite thing aa op’s writing style makes me wanna cry it flows so smoothly and it’s so clever and makes me laugh and keeps me enthralled and FUCK sakura IS SO FUCKING COOL AAAAAAAA /// she loves learning and she loves the world and the world loves her and MAYBE im screaming about it. and i LOVE that this fic leans into how nature is ever changing and always moving and a constant balance like it really makes me choke on love.. her friends love her lots :((( warning for blood and mentions of death. im BEGGING you guys to read the rest of this series.. my girl is worth songs :’)

Broken Glass by Emma_Raye

ship: none // words: 68800 // chapters: 29/29 // updated: 11/6/18

Naruto and Sasuke left Sakura pathetically broken, but like any good shinobi she put the pieces back together the only way she knew how: relentless training. Years later Konoha is in the midst of a war and Sakura is a force to be reckoned with. Frankly, she's not even sure if she wants her teammates back.

au. starts during the early parts of tsunades training (with a timeskip) sakura has a lot of feelings of abandonment and im proud of how much shes achieved! shes in anbu and a diplomat (theres a war going on) and she stands on her own two feet! shes got a weird relationship w morality and starts questioning the way things are run.. also she holds a lot of resentment towards naruto and sasuke but it gets worked on throughout (and they become a team again!!!) im not a fan of how they treated her like shes something to be protected however briefly. sakura needs a mental health lifetime but god damn if she isnt smart and OOF the poetic cinema of it all,, warning for blood, death, and major character death

Home is Where the Heart is by deeppoeticgirl

ship: sasusaku // words: 100849 // chapters: 26/26 // updated: 12/20/18

And with every moment together, they get just a little closer, a little more comfortable with each other. Fall a little more in love.

set post war. okay listen. barring morally repulsive ships (kksk, itsk, mdsk, etc.) any sakura ship makes me happy if it’s healthy and loving even if i dont like the ship (like i dont care abt shikasaku and canon ss is SO bad i still cant believe it happened) THAT BEING SAID. this fic is cute and sasuke cares a lot and op wrote him so emotive and i love the little family he became a part of on his trips and sakura is a lovestruck fool (which still has me gritting my teeth bc it doesnt idk. Fit with the rest of her personality) but it’s cute if second hand embarrassing,, honestly this fic is so ooey gooey and full of cheesy love and it’s damn near too much (how many times can a person blush.. like fr..) and theres annoying bits of needless drama and lack of communication but im stubbornly holding onto this fic bc i LOVE the character study type route this fic takes/// (this fic is like. really dramatic.. thats a warning in and of itself and i mean like telenovela type dramatic emotion and subtext. not plot twisty dramatic) warning for violence, mentions of blood, and nsfw

Follow the Sun by LaceyJane

ship: gaasaku // words: 106341 // chapters: 21/21

Stranded in the desert, without food, water, or her supplies, Sakura decides to head west to the land of shifting winds and scorching sands. It hasn’t even been a year since the wind nation had tried to overthrow her city, but she knows of someone out there, someone who, above anyone else, holds the best chance of finding her in this barren land. Able to only hope her attempts to raise attention aren’t in vain, she sets off across the sands towards the west, intent to follow the sun.

not super positive where in the timeline this is (or if it’s an au) but if i had to hazard a guess id say between sakura being taken on as an apprentice and before sasuke leaves. starts off w sakura by herself traversing through a desert with the clothes on her back. she suffers before she gains but at least it’s not for long (Well..) also can i say that i LOVE worldbuilding and i LOVE how different aspects of suna were protrayed here. like the scouting and political things (sakura being the hokages apprentice and how shed be treated in other villages) and temari in general? ugh! theres focus on gaara and how he’s coping with his demon too plus he’s just kinda cute in this fic. warning for violence, the general bad things that happen while unprepared in a desert, and the q slur except it’s not used in regard to gay ppl in any way. nothing is romantic so it can be taken as friendship if it’s what you’d prefer!

⭐Time Flies Like an Arrow by Katlou303

ship: inosaku // words: 240288 // chapters: 36/36 // updated: 2/1/19

Sakura traveled back in time with the intent of changing everything, but something went wrong, and now she's four years old having nightmares about impossible monsters and losing friends she has yet to meet.

time travel fic!!!!! oh my heart is soft :( starts off when theyre tiny kids and sakura stands up for naruto (childhood friends!!) sakura’s memories of her prev timeline come to her in dreams (pretty intense for a kid to be having.. ily kagami:( ) SHISUI AND GENMA ARE THERE!!! ILY BABIES,, shes literally so baby and small and full of love for her friends :((((( shisui is fanastic and also a mess, baby sasuke is the cutest, itachi deserves better, sakuras family has me weak as hell theyre so perfect, and inner sakura in this fic is prev timeline sakura (who is so fucked up holy jesus) tsunade gets a new family member and oh fuck gaara is so cute and same goes for tenzo AND BONUS MOKUTON????? the ocs are really interesting and good and i love them (the word count is a little inaccurate bc theres parts at the end of the chapters themselves that are more like authors notes) warning for trauma, flashbacks, blood, gore, death, implied child abuse (never happens but it gets mentioned a lot), and major character death (kagami… :( ) GUYS I JUST REALIZED IT ENDED ON MY BDAY

IN PROGRESS

Grit Your Teeth (and Smile) by kattenprinsen

ship: none // words: 1423 // chapters: 2/? // updated: 8/1/18

Sakura is an immigrant. Her father is an immigrant too.

au. okay okay this is a pet peeve of mine with canon itself bc sakura was team seven’s token “has parent’s that are alive and support her” except that was genuinely never shown?? we know Nothing substantial about mebuki and kizashi and their relationship with sakura and fsnsksnk im ranting. this fic is nice and yeah there’s not a lot happening so far but i love the depth op is giving to sakura’s parents so much (and they are totally different from canon btw. theyre very good ocs and her dad is a missing nin from mist with sharp teeth aaa) (sakura is also a little bit of a bamf as a result of her parents and im crying about it)

Was That Your Voice or Was That Me by grit

ship: sakura & sasori // words: 1528 // chapters: 1/5 // updated: 10/9/18

Sasori takes Sakura on as an apprentice out of boredom and keeps her because she has potential and he is pragmatic to a fault.

Spontaneity doesn't suit his plans though and Sakura has her own opinion on murder, so it goes about as well as you'd expect.

au where this story take free reign of the timeline. sasori meets sakura when shes a little kid and takes a shining to her potential (as everyone should...). kinda fucked up tbh! at least a little bit! warning for murder and emotional manipulation. the only chapter seems to just be setting up the rest of the story where sasori essentially changes her whole mentality

Tables They Are Turning (Bridges They Are Burning) by pg13

ship: sakura & team 7 // words: 1555 // chapters: 1/? // updated: 7/19/18

It’s not until she’s convulsing and the heat from her neck is spreading that she wonders if maybe she should’ve listened when her mother told her to reconsider being a shinobi.

set during chunin exam. SAKURA GETS BIT INSTEAD OF SASUKE. sasuke gets fiercely protective and learns of the incredible emotion called friendship. lots of promising things happen and then it gets cut off when it REALLY starts to get into it AAA/// i Know this fic is gonna be delicious

Skin is Just a Ready Made Coffin by ulittuq

ship: none // words: 2026 // chapters: 2/? // updated: 7/27/18

The night of the Uchiha Massacre is chaos. Alarms are blaring and shinobi are flying through the street and somewhere Sasuke Uchiha is waking up from seventy-two hours of psychological torture courtesy of his big brother.

Sakura Haruno hides under her bed with her hands clasped over her mouth trying to stifle her breathing and praying that the stranger prowling her house can’t hear her heartbeat.

(read author note at the beginning to see how the timeline is changed) some faceless guy takes advantage of the disaster on the night of the massacre and kills sakura’s family to help his mom(??) and that’s literally it! starts off balls to the walls!!  feeds into my feral love of the naruto civilians and how they might resent shinobi. i LOVE fics where civilians are the main focus and how they might be disenfranchised (especially in the hidden villages) as opposed to ninjas. theres not a lot of plot yet but it’s building up to smthn good!! i hope sakura keeps that little bit distrust towards shinobi and the system in her heart! blind loyalty to the state is unhealthy. warning for death, murder, gore, and panic attacks

Daisies and Lilacs by Pinnacle of Failure (Cromirn)

ship: none // words: 2487 // chapters: 1/? // updated: 12/5/18

She's always seen them. Sometimes they scare her, like every shadow to a child should. But there's something to them that she doesn't have, something that she doesn't want.

starts off early academy days up to when they meet kakashi. might not end up being a multi chapter fic. she sees things so im clocking her as psychotic in this fic bc same hat! not a whole lot in the way of plot but the writing style is neat!

⭐To Serve Man by Dovey

ship: none // words: 3090 // chapters: 2/? // updated: 3/19/18

Kizashi Haruno was a civilian man with a simple shop, from a civilian family of simple farmers; Mebuki Haruno was a missing nin from the land of Rain. Sakura took after both her parents.

“You owe yourself to three things, in order: the ones you love, yourself, and then your village.”

au. the rest of the summary is such a mood, i wish we got actual info about her parents :/ i LOVE this fic and i want more content about this universe because im nothing if not a sucker for sakura with a missing nin parent aaa,,, mebuki is so cool and sakura learns early on that blind loyalty to a village is not a good thing to cultivate. her morals are very based around earned loyalty and death bc thats what her mom knew (and i love and appreciate that she motivates sakura to aim for “flee on sight” if she were to ever end up in the bingo book) also kizashi is so sweet and supportive djefk warning for animal death and murder

I’ve Been Waiting my Whole Life (When I’ve Only Been Dreaming) by SheBeanSheep

ship: none // words: 3329 // chapters: 3/? // updated: 7/19/18

Before she was a boy-crazy fangirl, Sakura wanted nothing more than to be a good shinobi. Afterall, that’s what the voice, Inner Sakura, wanted. But Sakura just wanted to be Ino’s friend. So all of her energy went into making sure Ino would still like her, would still consider her a friend and a rival. So, Sakura bypassed the training scrolls of her childhood and picked up a hairbrush, shutting Inner Sakura away.

Then, Team 7 got the Wave Mission.

Then, Inner Sakura got a name.

Then, everything changed.

starts during wave. INNER BECOMES A SUBSTANTIAL CHARACTER HELL YEAH. and now shes actually mito uzumaki?? fucking legendary, nothing less than the best for my queen! mito kicks sakura’s ass into high gear and starts turning her into the bamf she was destined to be (though it hasnt actually gotten to that point ajdj i cant wait for future updates aaa)

Training Sakura by Kalira

ship: sakura & kakashi // words: 3601 // chapters: 2/? // updated: 11/25/18

Two members of Team Seven broke away on their own, and in the aftermath there remains only one thing to be settled. . . That one thing is not what anyone expected.

With Sakura as his sole remaining student, Kakashi settles in to train her properly, determined to help her achieve her ambitions as a ninja and become a great one.

set after naruto leaves. gai is a real one! yeah maybe i did start tearing up by the end of the first chapter. im emotional okay. also ive read so many fics where ino doesnt GET to be sakura’s best friend and it hurts me directly so this fic really makes me happy (bonus really short tag-along fic title Mistress where sakura gets a puppy aa)

Of Which Do I Change by Pinnacle of Failure (Cromirn)

ship: none // words: 3772 // chapters: 4/? // updated: 1/16/19

It starts and it ends in confusion. There never was a true destination in life, in what she was and what actually defined her. But one thing happened, and now she is someone, her name is on the lips of the Hokage and Clan heads and now they see who she is. Too bad she can't do that anymore.

But she takes pride in that. She has pink hair and green, useless, eyes. She is an anomaly in her own right, and that makes her strong, that makes her a terror in her own right.

starts off pre/early academy days. seems to be setting up to be a longer fic? interesting bits abt clan stuff! i do feel a little bad for ino :( sakura’s drive to have a name again is really nice to read and i KNOW shes gonna be cool as shit. not much in the way of a major plot insofar but still really good!!!

The Senju Whisperer by callmeportgas

ship: sakura & hashirama // words: 4754 // chapters: 2/? // updated: 11/14/18

In which Sakura comes to fully embrace the heritage her family couldn't, with some help from her imaginary friend.

au! MOKUTON SAKURA BBY!!!!! the story is only JUST developing but i can already see the building friendship between naruto and sakura!!!

Dont Think, Just Run by alicemc12

ship: none // words: 4806 // chapters: 5/? // updated: 3/10/19

Sakura was left behind after an ambush. Left for dead by mistake, until her life is saved by a young girl. With everyone believing her dead, Sakura is left to see the world from a different side. Without thinking, she runs away from the past she can't change and to a fate only she can control. Because it's just as a little girl said, the future will never be set in stone unless you let it.

starts off in oc pov. not sure where in the timeline this is but she knows how to heal by this point. COOL PLOT!! love the fate stuff and how much of a bamf sakura gets to be even though it's very ff.net-esque

Way of the Cherry Blossom by chadsuke

ship: none // words: 5422 // chapters: 16/? // updated: 9/8/18

Healing isn't a bad profession, Sakura knows. She could do well in it. But healing means that you're the one picking up the pieces, putting your teammates back together.

Sakura wants to stop them from getting hurt at all.

starts after sasuke “dies” in wave but before they go back to the village. shes a baby and wants to be able to stand beside the rest of her team. her family is so good in this fic! and so is kakashi even though he subjected her to gai. sasuke is cute too and naruto always is. theres some sentences that arent really jokes but are worded in such a fantastic way that i end up cackling. it’s all pretty lighthearted! warning for brief mention of death

⭐Salt in the Wound by Dovey

ship: sakura/oc // words: 6033 // chapters: 4/? // updated: 3/30/18

The Wave arc, except Sakura’s flimsy attempt at protecting the client results in her accidentally faking her death. Zabuza survives and takes her along with him as an apprentice, and she grows up in the harder but more emotional life of a nin on the run.

aka I have a lot ideas of how Missing-Nin would have a different culture than the rest of Naruto-verse, that would place a high-value on youngins’ in the trade given the rarity, and Sakura gets a lot of teachers over the years for the price of lots of emotional trauma & loss.

also, she gets a big fuck-off sword.

starts off during wave arc. ZABUZA I LOVE YOU. he takes sakura in because he’s a lonely missing nin who got used to caring for another person. sakura isnt as against the idea of staying with zabuza as she tries to pretend to be. also, GOD the reactions of the rest of the konoha twelve really really break me?? sasuke spirals faster and naruto gets essentially adopted by sakura’s parents? and kakashi gets fiercely protective. warning for death, animal death, and kinda graphic murder? also theres no actual ship even a little implied so far

Sharp by ineffableblue

ship: none // words: 6309 // chapters 2/? // updated: 3/12/19

Sakura has been teased, gotten angry for that, then gotten teased for getting angry. Everything she does isn't enough. But she's observant and slowly she starts to find out that she fits in better in the ninja world than she ever imagined. The best ninja are always thought to be something else and Sakura is a master at being mistaken for harmless.

starts when shes baby. sakura is full of rage and bottling it up like a molotov cocktail (and her parent are given depth which is great! but they kinda suck which isnt so great! it's a "tough love" sort of thing but it still rubs me wrong) i love and support sakura's desire to seek out knowledge on her own! and i am SO HAPPY this fic updated i could cry,, i KNEW the title and desc were familiar when i saw them at the top of the sakura fic tag one day and i yelled when i realized it WAS the same fic i had already put under left unfished// op if you're reading this know that im filled w love and support :')

Because I Ache by Wyle23

ship: narusaku // words: 6512 // chapters: 3/? // updated: 9/4/18

Ugly are the truths of the world. Hate's competitor can jail just as blindly. Focused otherwise, though, what changes would her shift in truth bring? In which Konoha's young jinchuuriki stumbles upon not a Hyuuga, but a Haruno.

starts when theyre babies!! little five year olds who deserve better (bby sakura id do anything for you.. :’() theyve got tiny crushes and theyre so cute i wanna cry about it. ino nd sakura stay friends (thank god) and GOD i want ppl to stop being mean to naruto :((

The Shadows Claim Us by Nine_Stoic_Crayolas

ship: gaasaku // words: 6586 // chapters: 39/? // updated: 4/21/18

"You don't want to go near that one." "Why?" "...She's damaged goods."

takes place in suna! (sakura is an iwa native!) (also i have.no idea how old they are. it’s mentioned at one point that sakura’s 4 but.. idk? if there?s time skips?? there’s just lots of bits that arent worded right for them to be 4 through the whole fic.. idk. gimme ur input actually idk if i wanna keep this) gaara takes a shining to her bc sakura also gets called a monster. bro these little gremlins are fucking pissed. imagine a toddler yelling “fuck!” at you but constantly. warning for general mistreatment of children and mentions of death and blood

Serendipity by stirringwinds

ship: none // words: 6751 // chapters: 2/? // updated: 10/24/18

Sasuke had never known Senju Hashirama in person, of course. But he had grown up hearing stories about the First Hokage at his mother’s knee—about the legend who had defeated the most powerful member of their own clan. Enough stories to recognise what he was seeing—and to know he was witnessing his teammate perform the impossible.

Or, in the fight against Gaara during Suna’s attempted invasion of Konoha, the Ichibi’s attempt to kill Sakura awakens an unexpected power. It changes the destiny of Team Seven forever.

MOKUTON SAKURA BABEYYY!!!!! largely sasuke’s pov. also they’re all stupid and it’s funny and i love them// im literally foaming at the mouth and excited to see where the story goes and im :pensive:

Warmth by PotatoeGoddess

ship: inosaku // words: 7135 // chapters: 5/? // updated: 4/7/18

Sakura Haruno was born screaming and kicking and in some ways, she felt, she kind of never stopped.

starts off pre/early academy days. sakura is full of strong emotions and same hat. there’s comphet and sakura has such a crush on ino. what a useless gay. that’s not really a focus in the story (more just consistently implied) honestly dont all together know whats going on! but that’s par for the course

What Happens After by stirringwinds

ship: narusasusaku // words: 8044 // chapters: 3/? // updated: 1/13/19

Sakura deals with her feelings once she can stop focusing on stopping the world from imploding. Just what exactly is her place in this world?

This is just a lot of Sakura can't deal with life right now.

set post series. lotta sakura introspection! she’s dealing with a lot of feelings of inferiority and emotions she doesnt acknowledge bc shes a disaster bi. i  actually cried bc her feelings towards her own self worth hit me with all kinds of feelings of catharsis. canon sakura really needs smthn like this. just a chance to recover :(.. warning for lots of poly ships if ur not into that

⭐Catharsis by pastanoodle

ship: none // words: 10198 // chapters: 5/? // updated: 8/16/17

Sakura isn’t the kind of person to survive past Genin. She wears pink, fights over boys, and can’t throw a Kunai to save her life. Which is why no one expects her to live very long. To Sakura, graduating from the academy is like a reality check. Being a shinobi is nothing close to how civilian romance novels make it seem. Sakura has always been terrible at stopping when she should. So she changes pink to grey, forces herself to ignore Sasuke, and learns how to shatter bones with a single punch. Screw surviving. Sakura knows she’s going to die, but she’ll go down fighting.

starts off a little before wave except!! the full wave arc never happens and everything changes!! inner becomes a substantial part of the story and im so glad for it. oh my god this fic is so good and i love all the author notes, theyre so delicious. sakura starts developing from a calm, quiet, and accepting girl. to a shinobi who is pissed off about the hand she was dealt with and goddammit! shes gonna do something about it!!! you fucking go, girl, live your dream of being in the bingo books i love you. this fic hasnt updated in a while and im so teary eyed about it, i hope it’s not being left unfinished. i refuse to put it under that category bc im stubborn and hopeful. warning for death and gore in the second chapter

Red With Clay, or Into Fire by grit

ship: sakura & team 7 // words: 10420 // chapters: 5/? // updated: 11/4/18

Headstrong, carrying her heart on her sleeve: Sakura is a smart and driven child who will fight for what's hers.

Or: Sakura gets a personality, Naruto some friends and Sasuke a childhood.

starts off during their litle genin introductions.TEAM AS FAMILY Y’ALL ALREADY KNOW! sasuke actually likes his team basically from the get go??? and sakura just wants her team to workout and they do! theyre getting there!!! oof!!!!!!!!

Breathe and Heal by Himechiiii

ship: narusasusaku // words: 11535 // chapters: 3/? // updated: 1/6/18

Two months. Two months had passed since the end of the Fourth Great Shinobi War. Two months and Sakura still hadn’t fully processed. Hadn’t fully healed. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now. I don’t know what my goal is supposed to be. You say that I’ve passed them, but it doesn’t feel like it. I close my eyes and all I see is their backs in front of me.”

Or in which Sakura realizes she is more than she thought she was, and lets herself be loved.

set post war. sakura gets well deserved time off of work to cope with things (and ino is real one :( please stop forgetting she’s her best friend) sakura loves her boys so much but god her inferiority complex makes me so sad

Promises by BombsAreForBabies

ship: none // words: 12376 // chapters: 8/? // updated: 10/29/18

It's her first kiss and Naruto's last. She promises him that she will bring Sasuke home. It's his dying wish, after all.

(Naruto bleeds out faster than the kyuubi can heal him.

Sakura learns that being a ninja is more than fancy jutsu and fun.

Sasuke does not know that he just killed his best friend and turned his most loyal comrade into his worst enemy.)

set after the first fight in the valley of the end. bamf sakura that deserves a break.. immediate warning for death :( kakashi and sakura connect in the aftermath and ino remains as the realest. sakura learns poisons from shizune!!!!! FINALLY!!! everyone cares about her a lot and that makes me happy but god can she PLEASE get a therapist

When I Grow Up I’ll Be An Avalanche (and i’ll grow up soon) by ulittuq

ship: none // words: 12900 // chapters: 5/? // updated: 12/10/18

A little civilian girl hears that genin are considered adults in the eyes of the law and she think yes please I need to get out--

The next week she starts the Academy.

Once a little civilian girl tells an orphan boy, God I wish I didn’t have parents, and she means it as a confession. A cry for help. The orphan boy hears selfishness spill from her mouth and snaps.

A little civilian girl, who has yet to see combat, wakes from nightmares gasping and clawing at her skin. No one notices.

au! naruto canon never gave us anything for sakura’s parent so fics like this own me! i like where theyre portrayed as abusive bc well canon doesnt disprove it! and projection. also. owns me inner also has more focus!! sakura just wants an out and she’s gonna do most anything to get there. also naruto love!! because he deserves it! warning for abuse (mentions of emotional and physical)  im super excited for more updates i like where the story is going!!

Mune Ga Hachikire Soude by clohsoo

ship: none // words: 15815 // chapters: 5/? // updated: 3/24/19

A deal is made between two devils and two girls share a demon.

HEY OP IF YOURE READING THIS: I LOVE YOU AND I SUPPORT YOU AND THIS IS SO GOOD TY FOR GIVING LOVE TO MY GIRL RIN,, au set mostly in rin's pov (i love the hobbies rin picks up, my little jack of all trades) danzo can still choke, sakura bby.. ily..:(((, ino is always amazing, and ANKO!! I LOVE YOU!!! OOF sakura's attempts at acting like a normal kid REALLY plucks at my heart strings// warning for child abuse bc root, death bc root, and trauma also.. bc root

⭐The Best-Looking Truth by Dovey

ship: sakura & team 7 // words: 17378 // chapters: 6/? // updated: 1/7/19

Sakura doesn’t like to talk about her family. Most people assume it’s because she’s a nice young girl, and she doesn’t want to make everyone else feel bad, considering she’s on a team of orphans.

It has more to do with the fact that she killed her parents in self-defense and is desperately trying to cover up the murders, than any sympathy for her teammates- but she’s happy to let you assume what you want.

did that summary give you whiplash? because it absolutely made me collapse. set just before the bell test. also starts off pretty fucking strong. shes a traumatized kid trying to compartmentalize on her own while trying to make sure no one finds out about what she did. also she’s really smart in the way she’s dealing with the aftermath. really interesting (at least to me) is how despite her parents no longer having a direct hold on her life, she still abides by their rules. warning for (past) child abuse, murder, and occassionaly descriptive gore. godd i really want more (there’s narusaku and some sakura/oc but i dont think theyre permanent? the narusaku definitely isnt bc it was mostly an accident but im not sure abt the sakura/oc)

Control by Dragonist

ship: none // words: 17816 // chapters: 14/? // updated: 6/8/18

Kumo kidnaps a child of Konoha.

Sakura graduates from the academy only a year after starting it. There's a war going on, and she's obedient enough to stay quiet and follow orders.

Then the war ends, and it's unclear who is really giving them.

au (read notes for the changes) starts pre academy. bro??? theres a war going on and im stressed at how young she is when she graduates.. sai ily..warning for death, blood, and uh. bad medical practices

If I Live by Lalit

ship: none // words: 18344 // chapters: 9/? // updated: 8/21/18

Every action has a consequence. It took one girl to screw all of Orochimaru’s plans up, and nothing will ever be the same. “Look at you, such bloodlust. Darkness is a lovely shade on you, my dear.”

set during chunin exam. ANOTHER SAKURA GETS BIT INSTEAD OF SASUKE FIC. a little slow going in terms of timeline i guess? no timeskipping so far. love the relationship between team 7 here (esp that one scene w naruto. u did amazing sweetie!) warning for death and gore and also sexual undertones when orochimaru is there. he’s a creep and op sells it.

Black Hole Heart by LadyNyxRavus

ship: none // words: 20017 // chapters: 5/8 // updated: 2/18/19

By all accounts, Sakura is dead for the first five minutes of her life.

Yet, she continues. If she occasionally has too many, too sharp teeth then that's their business.

OKAY SO. im NOT a big of crossovers but HEAR ME OUT. sakura gets a symbiote in place of inner and she eats people and naruto is a little more feral and sasuke is the closest thing they have to handlers. warnings for cannibalism, blood, and gore. this is up there as one of the most self indulgent fics on here

Throwing a Stone in a River by theroadkillcafe

ship: none // words: 20221 // chapters: 5/? // updated: 9/7/18

When Sakura graduates from the academy, she suddenly finds her head invaded by the ghost of Uchiha Shisui. Her inner is gone, but not forgotten, and she struggles with impulse control more than ever before. But also, Shisui gives a lot of unsolicited advice - useful and otherwise - and does not shut the fuck up. He’s not thrilled about current events.

warning for immediate mentions of suicide and drowning (and implied eye gore) set just after they graduated from the academy. sakura’s got some fun mental things to deal with now that shes stuck w the ghost and seeing them kinda everywhere. have i mentioned that i love shisui? he’s really good and helps sakura out with gratuitous amounts of snark. warnings for more eye gore, blood, nightmares, and torture

If You Can't Hold on, Hold on by Fiercest

ship: sasusaku // words: 20780 // chapters: 8/? // updated: 12/4/18

Sakura always wished she could relate to her teammates better. She wishes she could take it back.

In which Sasuke acquires some unwanted roommates and a team becomes a family.

set post konoha crush. TEAM AS FAMILY!!! almost immediate warning for death :( gh// her team cares a lot abt her and want her to be okay and sasuke is making effort into being a source of support (he’s baby..) theyre all pretty traumatized (and god fucking awful at dealing with it) (not shippy at this point!)

⭐Find Your Place (Whatever it Takes) by Dovey

ship: none // words: 22296 // chapters: 11/? // updated: 12/28/18

The war lasts longer than in canon, and has only just ended. While most of the 'Konoha 12' are clan heirs and thus protected from having to go to war prematurely, Sakura is from a civilian family, with naturally advanced chakra control, and thus is thrown immediately onto the frontlines. Now she's on a genin team in peacetime, and she's struggling to figure out how to live when she's not constantly at risk of dying.

Team seven bonds in new weird ways, The Uchiha are actually all dead except for Sasuke (including war-hero itachi) who's got a chip on his shoulder the size of Konoha, Naruto isn't the kyuubi container and he finds Sakura kinda scary. Sakura would just like to have a hobby.

au. my girl deals with trauma and t7 learn to get along eventually (and unhealthily?) i love sakura’s war team a lot and they care abt each other a lot too and GOD i love shit that focuses on the advantages clan kids gets for being clan kids and especially for being heirs!! it’s just interesting as hell to read!! sakura fosters her hate and distrust for the state and GOD is that ever a good thing (kushina :(..) we’re in this shit for a REVOLUTION!! IM SO HYPE!!! warning for violence and mentions of death

⭐Building the Puzzle by ich_bin_ein_stern

ship: narusasusakusai // words: 22716 // chapters: 4/5 // updated: 8/27/18

In which Sakura feels disconnected after the 4th Shinobi War and decides to cut the string attaching her to Team Seven, if only for a few years. This does not settle well with the remaining members, past or present.

set post war. FULL POLY TEAM SEVEN BABY!!!!! there’s not a whole lot of content for poly7 that includes BOTH sai and sasuke. it’s usually one or the other which already puts this fic in my good graces uwu ino bby i love you so much they’re so tactile and close and it makes my heart melt and she cares abt sakura and wants them both to be okay. im indulging my need for a sakura who gets to travel!! she loves her team so much but she really needs to love herself first. the rest of her team learns to better themselves and it’s really nice to read. also GOD i say it often but sakura is so cool (esplecially vs the suna elders aa)

Moments of Perfection by kiwi_socks

ship: narusasusaku // words: 22880 // chapters: 6/? // updated: 5/9/18

It's a dream Sakura's had many times before. Until it is rudely interrupted by Naruto and Sasuke mistaking her kitchen window for the front door.

"Hey...we failed in so many ways before, do you think we'll get something right, or just screw up again?"

okay im NOT much of a fan of timetravel fics but everyone should know by now that poly team 7 actually owns me. theyre all stupid together (it’s solidarity). poor kakashi. there’s some fuckery happening!! perhaps i yelled WHAT!? at my phone at least once

⭐Kubikiribocho, My Love by IslitaBonita

ship: none // words: 23231 // chapters: 10/? // updated: 7/22/18

Where Sakura becomes better acquainted with Zabuza's sword, Kubikiribocho.

set mostly during wave. interesting bits of sakura vs herself. budding relationship between her and gaara (murder friends) the writing style is SUPER cool! blood, unhealthy attachment, impalement, and death. ugh! when will this fic come back from war

Believe Me When I Say I Cary All My Sins by Honestly Neptune (mypennameishidden)

ship: none // words: 24287 // chapters: 5/? // updated: 12/20/18

Sakura knew the best way to tear a man's spine out of his nose without breaking a sweat.

She didn't know how to live in a village with Minato as Hokage and the Uchiha clan as the beloved police force. She didn't know how to live as a disgraced genin in a bloody apartment with dead men knocking at her door.

She didn't know how to forgive herself for failing Konoha. Now she had a chance to save it.

au. SUCH cool take on the timetravel trope!! sakura is just angry and tired and she’s gonna make this timeline work so help her god. i love shisui and i love that he gets to be a main character here aa. warnings for blood and general violence

Dandelions Blow in Spring by capriicious

ship: none // words: 24507 // chapters: 13/? // updated: 11/25/18

sakura is in the land of waves, the seraphic, beautiful place filled with religious and cultural beliefs. her team mate is lying in front of her, dead, cold and so, so white. her sensei is bleeding out while fighting zabuza. naruto is fighting against the odds of hundred of senbons.

(or: sakura watches her team mates get beaten half to death and bleed out next to her when the fight ends and with that event set in her mind: realises that she's going to die unless she toughens up.)

au but starts off in wave during the fight w zabuza nd haku so immediate warning for blood, gore, death, and a bit of an unhinged mind bc it’s sakura pov and this is traumatic. i recommend reading the notes at the beginning of each chapter for trigger warnings. it’s a heavy fic. interesting bits about merchant business and the dark side of the village. only BARELY connected to canon. pretty much through characters alone, the whole story is different

Cut the Head off the Snake by itsthechocopuff

ship: none // words: 24601 // chapters: 8/? // updated: 1/2/19

when eighteen-year-old, post-war Sakura is thrown back into her tiny, pre-Academy body, she makes a decision. she’d had a childhood once already, and this time, she’s more interested in Not Dying when the inevitable shit hits the proverbial fan. so she will work harder, care less, kill more, and smile when she’s done.

and hey, if she ends up reviving an extinct nature transformation to attract the most corrupt, power-hungry man from her timeline, all the better for her, right?

IM MENTIONED IN THE NOTES?? UH HELLO I LOVE YOU. timetravel fic! war fesh sakura gets sent back into her pre academy self. sakura is gonna make shit work this time around and shes gonna go through root to do it! MOKUTON BABEY!!! it gets changed from a kekkai genkai to a learned skill based mostly on amazing chakra control (which my girl has in spades!!) SAI AND SHISUI BBY I LOVE YOU// im in love with shin now too and god damn it i want all of them to be okay :’( warning for death at the hand of trees, mentions of blood, and the massacre

Seeds of Knowledge by Ice_Eagle

ship: none // words: 24845 // chapters: 10/? // updated: 3/15/19

It starts with an Academy internship at the Konoha Library and Archives. The only problem is the Library/Archives has never had an intern before. Ever.

Everyone is an idiot at the beginning. There is always room to grow.

set during early academy days. first person pov and it switches from characters. i dont usually leans towards stories with lots of ocs (especially where theyre a major focus) BUT they’re all so interesting plus UM? i LOVE the detail put into the libraries aaa// sakura gets to live her strongest book nerd life. also im a huge fan of the concept of internships in shinobi villages and just of the adults caring abt the kids following them in their career choices. also sakura starts getting along with sasuke and it makes me super happy

Our Oath (We’re Expendable) by amako

ship: none // words: 27194 // chapters: 5/? // updated: 3/1/19

Apparently, Sakura is the last Haruno.

set post war, more during the recovery period. sakura gets to be part of a largely not well known clan with a secret that could put sakura’s life at risk if it got out. dont wanna spoil a lot but basically! she gets married and has to deal with clan things and letting other know

⭐If You Have the Hounds by dragonyfox

ship: narusasusaku // words: 31856 // chapters: 8/? // updated: 1/10/19

...go ahead and pursue.

can i just say.. this fic series really rips out my heart ..there were several parts i started tearing up at bc im tender and im baby! they all love each other more than anything and im crying just thinking about it. they literally built a whole fucking village because naruto is a mad man but his team loves him. literally they’re playing the longest con ever and it has me cackling. this is a hell of a fix it fic and it has me bawling itachi is really soft and team taka is there! (the way uzushio is described makes my heart swell w love im so proud of them)

These Bitter Weeds by Katlou303

ship: sasusaku // words: 33315 // chapters: 8/? // updated: 12/2/18

Sakura begged Sasuke to take her with him when he was leaving Konoha.

He said yes.

set when sasukes leaves. she somehow manages to convince him to let her join? her reasons are about as solid as they could be. in the first chapter you can definitely where it’s starting to change into unhealthy codependency. it really shows in this fic just how young they are.. all their ideals are fantastical and grandeur and it really drives a nail through my heart :( ino continues to be a real one, kakashi is going through it, and im reminded that i love kimi :(( warnings for violence, orochimaru and kabuto, and dismembered limbs. nothing shippy insofar, can be read as friendship

seek by cloverhoney

ship: sasusaku // words: 39062 // chapters: 12/? // updated: 1/15/19

Sakura disappears after taking a lifelong mission in exchange for Sasuke’s post-war acquittal. To give her the upper hand over her new targets and protect her from becoming a target herself, the world is told that Sakura is dead and gone - but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Sakura quickly finds she is still not strong enough to face her new enemies, and she seeks power in Shikkotsu forest. Sasuke, suspicious of the circumstances surrounding her death, seeks the truth regarding her disappearance, reconnecting with his childhood friends along the way.

Kakashi, the new Rokudaime, promises to keep Sakura’s secret, but with Sasuke on his heels, a council hell-bent on erasing the evidence, and the guilt of an empty grave, nothing can stay hidden for long.

set post war/pre epilogue. TAGS SAY SAGE SAKURA BITCH!!! (AND MOKUTON BABEY) shes nice but dumb and thats just team 7 (shes their single brain cell.. how dare she :(((( ) fuck the council. fuck those elders. fuck blue lives mariah carey’s skinny. my only gripe is that shes written as having small chakra reserves nd low stamina and im like. hello? Absolutely Not. whatever parts her Legendary chakra control dont cover, her seal is still there. small reserves my ass. also taijutsu is Literally one of her specialties >:( this happens in fics so often and im *teeth gritting* (FUCK. ACTUALLY. SHE’S FRESH OUT OF THE WAR. SHES TOUGH AS SHIT BY THIS POINT. im angry and annoyed and sad!!!) lol read if you want though. there are some neat bits (like when theyre in shikkotsu forest) mentions of eye gore, death, and blood (t..tbh.. i ignored all the sasuke bits :V IM SORRY I ONLY THINK THE PARTS WITH SAKURA ARE INTERESTING)

How Team 7 Came to Be by spica_starson

ship: sakura & team 7 // words: 40916 // chapters: 5/15 // updated: 10/22/18

What if: -Naruto had reached out to Sasuke earlier on? -Sakura never developed a crush on Sasuke? -The team isn't just a repeat of their predecessor?

What if Team 7 stayed together through thick and thin?

Or: If Team 7 was the focus of the series.

sakura isnt in the first chapter BUT she still gets to be a focal point because of course and the second chapter is dedicated to her. y’all already KNOW im soft for team as family fics!! they’re all best friends and care about each other a lot and im really weak okay. also kakashi loves his new kids. not a cliffhanger! so dont worry if you’re not up for waiting on an update or are like me and prefer reading finished fics! (there’s a separate spinoff one shot, not canon to the original fic, titled Alone set when naruto and sasuke fight on the roof)

Crow’s Disciple by Tobi_Black

ship: none // words: 42135 // chapters: 36/? // updated: 12/9/18

Sakura's just a child, a civilian, considered harmless. No one looks at the pink-haired little girl and sees the kunoichi, the shinobi, that she could become. They don't see the calculating glint in her eyes, nor the claws hidden. They don't see beyond the shy smile and tears. They don't see the loyal heart willing to give everything for those loved. Not yet.

starts off pre academy w sakura nd naruto both in the same orphanage. UGH MY GIRL IS SO SMART and this writing style lends itself so WELL to detail ghghgh// sakura’s bestfriends continue to be blondes and ino fosters a baby crush aa. SHISUI BBY ILY (and asuma gets to be a prominent figure in sakuras life which i hadnt read in a fic before) warnings for violence, death, blood

⭐Dangerous Habits (Dangerous Girl) by Dovey

ship: none // words: 44210 // chapters: 24/? // updated: 11/21/18

After the disasterous mission in Wave, Sakura returns to Konoha with a new drive: she wants to truly earn her spot on Team 7, and be able to protect her teammates. Unfortunately, nobody else seems to be willing to support her new goal, so she resorts to teaching herself: she decides her team needs a medic, and since she doesn’t have the connections or record to earn a place at the hospital, she practices on herself.

AKA the fic where sakura gets to be as dumb and have as little regard for her personal wellbeing as every other Naruto character, & teaches herself how to heal by inflicting & then fixing her own injuries. This deals both with some major changes to the plotline given her new skills, and the overall team dynamic.

starts post wave. sakura gets that kick in the ass to get better and do it fast and she gets to be as reckless as her teammates like she deserves! no one helps her initially but god DAMMIT if shes not gonna do something anyway (flexing her smarts!! shes such a genius and yeah it’s chaotic as hell in this fic but god if it isnt cool) she gets a VERY unhealthy addiction to pain and has to deal with generally negative feelings of self worth.. BUT finds a pal and a friend in gaara :) she gets close to her teammates (sasuke bby… :(((..) and friendly w tenten and tsunade and anko! chapter 12 has a scene w cool imagery// HEFTY (and pretty immediate bc it hits u in the first chapter) warnings for gore, death, self mutilation, misuse of organs (lol), blood, implications of sexual abuse (doesnt happen, the adults are just concerned that thats whats happening and not her. yknow. doing all of uh That)

Unbreakable Company by Shyaway95 and teslatempest

ship: sakura & kakashi // words: 44407 // chapters: 4/15 // updated: 2/5/19

Naruto and Sasuke were gone. Their Village had just begun recovering from the invasion, and every available shinobi was needed. Kakashi knew it was his duty to serve, to leap back into the darkness of ANBU at his Hokage’s command. It was only the thought of pink hair and desperate green eyes that made him pause. Would he abandon his last, remaining student?

He would as soon pluck out his right eye.

They were all that was left of Team Seven and Kakashi was going to make them unbreakable.

set after sasuke defects. HONESTLY kakashi actually doing smthn about his “people who abandon their teammates are worse than scum” saying that he likes to repeat is everything i couldve wanted. sakura deserves all the support in the world and this fic REALLY delivers. this is also a REALLY good fic if you like kakashi and want him to be happy about something. team seven as family is real!! could easily be read as a one shot if you dont wanna wait for updates or read a longer fic!

⭐Early Summer Rain by orlha

ship: none // words: 50063 // chapters: 14/15 // updated: 3/5/19

Having parents doesn’t always mean it’s a good thing and just because scars can’t be seen doesn’t mean they don’t exist. The Chuunin Exams leaves Sakura an orphan and she doesn’t cry.

set post konoha crush. immediate warning for death. sakura has been through a lot and kakashi is a sweetheart. he’s still pretty awkward but his heart is in the right place! god sakura i love you much :((((( shes got a lot of trauma and feelings of inadequacy and it hurts me. sasuke is angrier and naruto continues to be amazing (and i love him for giving sakura smthn to strive for) AND GENMA IS THERE! I LOVE YOU GENMAAA (AND SHIKA)!!! sakura gets praised for her chakra control and god does she deserve it. kakashi gets a clan! and sakura finds herself a family! and inner stays! listen. this shit has me SOBBING. she’s on the road to recovery and getting better everyday and my heart is WARM!! god im so happy this story has me happy stimming at some points ghuhg// warnings for child abuse, mentions of torture, attempted suicide, self harm, relapse, violence, blood, and mentions of eye trauma. there is an ongoing “sequel” with aus based in the early summer rain universe!

Learning Curve by ishiryoku

ship: sakura & team 7 // words: 50529 // chapter: 5/? // updated: 1/14/19

This is the life she chose: the path of the shinobi. It's either roll with the punches or be left behind by her team—and Sakura's not about to let them go off on their own.

starts off during the end of the wave arc. i love the self analyzing in the first chapter and also that wake up call. in a better (more sakura loving) universe this is that turning point that we shouldve gotten :( ALSO CAN I JUST AAA!!! all the little times kakashi is there to reassure her make me wanna fucking BAWL plus this is THE team as family fic i’ve been needing in my life aa GOD sakura just loves her team so muuucccchhh// the tags say mokuton sakura and fuuinjutsu naruto but it’s not there yet! (also naruto get bit, yikes) warnings for lots of dissociation, death, self loathing, paranoia, and trauma

Satori (Between the Lines) by jaylene

ship: none // words: 50665 // chapters: 12/? // updated: 3/3/18

While attending the Academy, Sakura's field experience assignment with the Konohagakure Intelligence Division ends up being more valuable than she'd ever guess.

another fic w/ the concept of interns and adults fostering the growth of ninja kids before they graduate! my girl is constantly flexing her smarts and im so proud! (torune is just a baby who deserved better than canon gave him :() and GOD i love ino!! and so does sakura and she just loves her friends a lot and people in general bc her baby heart is so filled with love and OOF// the aburame are SO interesting im thankful for the focus they get (and the focus on ciphers and T&I and ibiki!) god theyre all kids. just little babies :((( warnings for bullying and manipulation (however unintentional, it doesnt negate the harm caused)

Ties That Bind; Break by Igot2peedou

ship: shikasaku // words: 50931 // chapters: 17/25 // updated: 8/25/18

She severs their ties, decidingly, not because of Sasuke. Well. Not for the reason Ino suspects (but Sakura never clarifies, and that is lying by omission. isn't it?)

~~~

Sakura Haruno can’t help but feel. Not only her emotions but other peoples emotions. She is always prone to crying and for good reason— she can’t shut others emotions and must deal with her own and those closest to her (relationship wise.) Because a painfully tragic incident involving her father’s murder Sakura can no longer handle her “gift” and does the only thing that will stop her suffering.

She commits social suicide, and lets her best friend think she ended their friendship over a boy. This is her story....

au. set when sakura starts her rivalry w ino. sakura can sense emotions??? warning for death mention in first chapter and wow okay thats a lot. sasuke is traumatized and it takes out sakura and oof! this story is so so interesting,, shes stumbling her way through figuring out how her small clan’s blood line(?) works (how it’s more of a hassle than anything) also it gives her a really good disposition to genjutsu which she tries to get better in (she also had an earth affinity plus all of team 7 have a petty rivalry going on) sakura has trauma and goes hard in the exams. warnings for blood, gore, disembowelment, dismemberment, animal and human abuse/death, the rivalry between t7 is baaaaadd,, also disorienting plot twist in chapter 16! 

Her Eyes Saw It All by ich_bin_ein_stern

ship: none // words: 63502 // chapters: 13/? // updated: 8/29/18

Sakura can’t recall much of the details regarding the mission in Wave, but what she does remember - there are scars left behind. The life she knows changes after this mission and, for better or worse, she accepts it and moves forward. She won’t allow herself to fall behind.

set during wave au. i love when characters continue to survive due to sheer instinct and pure stubborness. TEAM AS FAMILY!! theyre all so supportive of each other it makes my heart hurt (im soft serving it so hard. theyre SO nice to each other and theyre Actually friends and naruto and sasuke support sakura SO much it makes me cry) sncjf and the nara family is so fucking sweet also MOKUTON!! AND SHE HAS THREE AFFINITIES!!!!! (mokuton is changed here from a kekkei genkai to a learned skill tho) honestly it’s just what she deserves. also sakura is just SO level headed and smooth??? it’s really neat. warning for a healthy dose of death and gore in chp12, it picks up fast

In Death, Life by TeaFourTwo

ship: none // words: 136409 // chapters: 13/? // updated: 3/24/19

Only by reason of having died does one enter into life.

“Sakura. Just Sakura” Thats how they’d introduced her. She knew it was true, she was no longer a Haruno after all, but it didn’t stop the words from feeling like a dull knife in her side.

Or, Sakura goes to the Uchiha compound the night of the massacre and comes away an orphan with more questions than answers.

au starts when theyre babies!!! before ino nd sakura become rivals. baby sakura loves her friends a lot she didnt deserve that :((( super interesting bits tying sakura to the uzumaki?? sasuke.. :( .. sakura is traumatized and doesnt know who her family is and doesnt trust what people say to her (tenten is in the same orphanage as her! naruto too and i love him and i wanna personally hurt everyone who’s ever been mean to him) NARUTO AND SAKURA BEST FRIENDS!!! traitors are everywhere!! and the branch family get me feeling some type of way (can danzo choke.. fr…) the depth given to yin and yang chakra… ops mind…FUCK all the myths and spiritual stuff and how it’s all forgotten history?? UGH im in love/// (tsunade… mom..) warnings for the massacre, death, and blood

⭐Second Bite at the Cherry by Sakinthra

ship: none // words: 142249 // words: 41/? // updated: 3/25/19

There's been a storm brewing inside Sakura ever since Sasuke left to seek out Orochimaru, and the growing realization that she might not be half the shinobi her teammates are. She's always been the one that held back and let the boys finish the job, but it's clear she can't let herself be the weak one any longer. It's time to take her fate into her own hands...and it starts with breaking into a library.

set post sasuke rescue mission. i LOVE the introspection and worldbuilding im such a sucker for it// she gets to make rash and stupid decisions while still flexin her smarts and i am HERE for it!! she questions the state and adds skills to her arsenal (which is. tiny for a long time) shes smart and quick thinking but rash and impulsive so of course leaving the village and convincing ppl she went after sasuke is what she settles on (smh. her heart and heads in the right place bust smh) GAARA BBY I LOVE YOU SO VER MUCH (shukaku.....) (and fine.. i kinda love u too kakashi >:/) theyre a couple of dumb brats trying to help people (sai joins!!!!! his interactions w gaara especially are endearing) (hidan? is a prominent figure? i hate that hes one of my faves...... big fan of the depth given to his religion tho. it's super fascinating) BOIII NARUTO GETS DISILLUSIONED BY JIRAIYA AND GOES TO TSUNADE AND MY HEART IS BEATING OUT OF MY CHEST/// naruto's choice makes me wanna cry and sasukes little intermissions are pretty funny and get interesting (i support u karin!!) theyre dumb kids stumbling into politics and ending up going on a quest to save the world? the way all the pieces shift into place.. how the wheels start turning... the rest of the nine getting involved... poetic cinema.....warnings for death, blood, and decapitation

⭐Five Petals by PrecariousSauce

ship: sasusaku // words: 143900 // chapters: 22/? // updated: 2/6/19

Several things happen all at once in less than a minute’s time.

Sakura’s elbow slams into Sasuke’s side from an angle he doesn’t anticipate, sending him tumbling end over end off the branch.

Sasuke rights himself just a second too late and without checking where he’s going to land– When he does his knee twists, he feels a lightning bolt of pain shoot from his sole to his head, his leg gives out.

And Orochimaru’s teeth sink down to the gum in Sakura’s shoulder.

starts during chunin exams. timeline is followed pretty closely. fic is mostly centered around sasuke and from his perspective but sakura has the most pivotal change (:(). sasuke is cute, sakura is so in over her head, and naruto is naruto. sasuke loves his team a lot :(( and GOD i love when the kids act like kids even though that reminder hurts. sasuke takes up healing!! how cool is that!! AND TSUNADE IS SO FUCKING COOL I LOVE HER!!! and danzo should choke fr..... AND GOD DO I LOVE THE KONOHA 12//// warning for orochimaru, violence, death, and blood

⭐Hoshigaki by writer168

ship: none // words: 168116 // chapters: 32/? // updated: 3/10/19

When Sakura was three, her father told her he was a criminal. When she was seven, the last thing she saw of him was the sword on his back. When she was eight, she had a friend named Kiba. When they were twelve, they met Shino.

And when they were genin, they began to fight for the truth because they could no longer fight for the sake of Konoha.

au. sakura is kisame’s kid! kakuzu.. kinda sucks, konan is alright, pein is really dramatic, and sasori nd orochimaru are awful as per usual. kisame is just doing what he can to be a good dad :((( sakura is real smart and kiba is great and so is shino!! (ily baby) theyre all bestfriends and theyre all a little weird and i love them so much :’) theyre all manipulative little shits and i love them for it (and i love you too naruto) kurenai’s team develops dangerously (really starts to show in chapter 18) honestly this writing style really knows how to keep me absolutely enthralled (hiruzen and danzo.. i’ll kill you with my bare hands) i love kurenai and i love how much she cares abt her team :’( tenzo baby.. be there for them (same at you kotetsu) kisame is a good dad okay!! im not changing my mind on that! orochimaru can choke!!!!! team 8 is a family and theyre ride or die bc theyre really in some deep shit!!! i need the state dismantled and my kids are gonna do great. (bro im so fucking weak for all the world building and symbolism, GOD this fic is written so fucking amazingly) warning for young pregnancy, death, blood, gore, child endangerment, human experimentation, and eye gore/horror

LEFT UNFINISHED

Dirty Family Secrets by orphan_account

ship: none // words: 1431 // chapters: 1/?

Post-Sasuke defection to Orochimaru.

Something feels off about Sakura's parents, but before she can question them about it, they're both gone. She came from a family of civilians, there is no way both her parents were traitors, right?

Kakashi's Apprentice by Right2nowthen

ship: narusasusaku // words: 3440 // chapters: 1/1

In which Kakashi and Sakura hit the road and everything changes.

The Cherry Blossom Blooms Twice by Right2nowthen

ship: none // words: 3666 // chapters: 1/1

Who or what is Inner Sakura? As the fate of the world hinges on this question, Sakura seeks answers...

Today I Choose Joy by Nine_Stoic_Crayolas

ship: none // words: words: 5867 // chapters: 4/? // updated: 8/11/17

Sakura can See certain things. A story about a little girl, a couple of red eyes and Death.

The Company of Trees by theroadkillcafe

ship: none // words: 22646 // chapters: 5/? // updated: 6/7/17

Sakura is bullied, a dead kekkei genkai is reborn, and things go a little bit...differently.

Haruno Sakura and the Heuristic Method by MoofieLou

ship: inosaku // words: 41986 // chapters: 8/? // updated: 6/22/17

The flower that blooms last may catch the wildest wind of them all.

Alternatively: Sakura graduates from the academy, buys herself some anmitsu to celebrate, and arrives home to find her mother being beaten bloody by a thief. Things are different after that.

--

A heuristic method (/hjᵿˈrɪstᵻk/; Ancient Greek: εὑρίσκω, "find" or "discover"), often called simply a heuristic, is any approach to problem solving, learning, or discovery that employs a practical method not guaranteed to be optimal or perfect, but sufficient for the immediate goals.

set when the kids graduate. op retconned ino nd sakura rivalry and im thankful they stay best friends warning for violence in chapter 2. theres smthn i love abt blinding panic turned into survival instinct. sakura is prone to anger and i LOVE it!! also her family is fleshed out!! i love sakura so so much shes really snarky and smart (and she becomes kakashis fave! oof!!!) ggg team 7 getting along fills me with icky gooey love/// warnings for violence and blood. this fic hasnt updated in such a long time but it’s so so good and im hurt it left on a cliffhanger :((

Tempest by cywsaphyre

ship: none // words: 45233 // chapters: 6/? // updated: 7/20/12

Back in time and armed with years of future knowledge, Sakura is ready to take the world by storm. Except... she's four again, not twelve. Ah well, nobody said she couldn't start a little early. Gen, time travel, AU, Sakuracentric.

time travel fic but she baby! also oh FUCK my heart is melting naruto is baby and sakura wants her boys to be happy this time :’( and also ino is baby and i love her. GOD theyre all four years old and babies and sasuke is so cute and my heart huuuurrtss :’((((( my baby girl is so smart and she loves strongly and theyre all little brats acting like kids and im soft (team 10 feelings..) (and sakura is Literally preventing a massacre bc she fucking rules) MY TEAM SEVEN LOVE MUSCLES ARE FLEXING!! warning for mentions of trauma, mentions of kidnapping, blood, and death. this fic hasnt updated since 2012 though like.. *incomprehensible*

A Lot of Fight Left in Me by Stormwind13

ship: none // words: 73814 // chapters: 12/? // updated: 10/29/17

Sasuke deserted the village. Naruto is being taken away for his own safety. Sakura is left with the broken remains of her team and a teacher that's barely in the village, but she'll find a way to make this work. She has to, because all those lectures about teamwork had to mean something. Didn't they?

this fic hasnt updated in a while but it's so good :((( team 7 is in shambles and sakura just wants a teacher and to get better (i love iruka...) OH! and i love how close the konoha 12 are:) i love the little worldbuildy bits that give depth to the village. theres lots of ocs and a mini uzushio (that sakuras a part of!!) it's super interesting but hasnt updated since 2017 and i checked and this fic was the most recently updated fic op has :((((( it's still a good length and a great read but leaves at a cliffhanger which isnt as bad if you stop at the last break. warning for violence

[nad-zeta]

Heya, can I have an Ikesen matchup? I’m an INTP-A, 5w6 on the enneagram, Ravenclaw. I’m pretty reserved in character, though by no means shy. I love learning new languages and studying history, and also have a love for debating and discussing politics. Friends complain that they can’t hide anything from me, strangers think I’m too closed-off, but I really just prefer to stay in the background and support from there. A troll with friends, serious with those I’m wary of.

Hi, there love! I hope you are doing well! Thanks so much for the request! 🌠 Soz for making ya wait sooooooooooo long for this matchup! I hope you enjoy it! ^0^ <3😆🔥

So I match you with................ Sasuke

Gosh you were absolutely having the worst and best night of your life. You had been thrust back in time, on one of the worst days of your life. From the moment you woke up that day, everything seemed to be going wrong, first your geyser burst, then you burnt your breakfast, and finally, on your way to visit one of the famous shrines to lift your spirits, it started raining. Not to mention the fact that you got freaken struck by lighting, and pulled a man x3 your size from a burning building. Things, however, started looking up when you realized just who you had saved. 

Nobunaga himself stood proudly before you. You were utterly awestruck, and you low key thought this was some prank, that any moment someone was going to jump out of the bush and say “You have just been pranked, the cameras are there and there.” But no one jumped out of the bush and Nobunaga thought that the smoke had cooked your brain, because of your strange behaviour. You rode back to camp with him and got spooked when you saw Mitsuhide. According to the history you so fondly learned, he was the one who plotted Nobunaga’s murder. He had picked up your hand and place a small kiss on it while introducing himself and before you knew it, you bolted. You don’t know why but between him and Hideyoshi’s death stares you just felt uneasy.

You ran and ran and ran, almost running off a cliff, when a clumsy man saved you from plummeting to your death. You instantly recognized that red armour and coin crest. It was Yukimura who had saved you, you couldn’t believe it. You started questioning if maybe the lighting had knocked you unconscious, and you were now just in the hospital dreaming. You spotted someone behind Yukimuta who looked vaguely familiar. That’s when it clicked, he was there at the shrine, you had pushed him out of the way before the lighting could strike him, and by the look on his face, it seemed he too recalled your face. 

He walked up to you and introduced himself as Sasuke, he then pulled you aside and explained the situation. You honestly had to sit down; this was absolutely unbelievable. You had spent your life leaning and fascinated with history, and nowhere you were in one of the most historical eras, with all your high school crushes. Sasuke gave you a knowing smile “You love history too, huh?” you beamed up at him and nodded. His breath caught in this throat damn you were beautiful. He gave you the slightest of smiles and asked if you would like to stay with him in Kasugayama Castle. You dabbed your fake tears out the corners of your eyes “seems like all my wildest dreams are coming true tonight”. Even though Sasuke had just met you, he could tell the two of you nerdy geeks were going to get along just fine.

You were given a room fit for a princess and you couldn’t help but geek out a little at the architecture and artefacts in the castle. The way you looked at Kenshin the first time you met him was with stars in your eyes, he was even more beautiful than the books say. The look you gave him, very much reminded him of the first time he had introduced himself to Sasuke. Based on that fact alone, the god of war found himself opening up to you a little.

You loved the people of Kasugayama Castle they were all so fun and goofy. There was a party every night, and with this mixed lot, there was never a dull moment. You, Sasuke and Yukimura had become quick friends. Although Yukimura was slightly wary of you because he thought you were an enchantress

It didn’t help that you and Sasuke would constantly troll the poor boi. The one day Yuki had eaten all Kenshin’s pickled plums. He summoned you and Sasuke to his room to discuss the dispute when you and Sasuke smiled at each other and laid out your plan for payback. Kenshin eagerly agreed to your plan as he definitely wanted to get back at Yuki for stealing his precious plums. You and Sasuke spent that morning getting all the castle staff in on your plan and finally it was time to put your plan in action. You, Sasuke and Yuki were hanging out in the garden joking around when Yuki dropped “you’re an evil enchantress” comment. At that, you smiled and said: “careful what you wish for Yuki, what if I really am an enchantress”. “Yeah, sure a wild boar woman like you could never be so cool”. 

Just then Kenshin walked past and accused Yuki of stealing his precious plums. He drew his sword intending to fight Yuki when you chimed in “Don’t worry Kenshin I know how to make him pay”, Kenshin smiled a knowing smile and nodded, Yuki took an audible gulp. You waved your hands around “abracadabra, I turn you, Yuki, invisible”. Yuki simply rolled his eyes. Kenshin looked around, and Sasuke joined him, they looked right past him pretending like they couldn’t see him at all. “OMW YUKI WHERE ARE YOU”. You had to hold in your laugh at Sasuke’s overdramatic behaviours “I CAN HEAR YOU BUT I CAN’T SEE YOU”. “Nice try guys I know your just messing with me”. 

As the day progressed, Yuki got more and more stressed, as it seemed like you genuinely did turn him invisible. He finally cracked at the banquet when no one there could see him. He got on his knees in front of you, begging you to turn him back. That’s when everyone in the banquet hall broke out into a roar of laugher. “TROLLLOLLLLLOLLLL”. Yuki legit tackled you and Sasuke to the ground from managing to troll him once again.

You and Sasuke honestly had the best time together, whether it was trolling the people of the castle or discussing history for hours and hours, when the two of you were together it was always a good time. You discovered that both of you also love learning different languages, and the two of you would often converse in the various languages that you had learned together. Sasuke loved how you even knew so much about politics. At this point, this boy was head over heels for you. If he ever had to imagine a perfect woman, you would be her. He loved how you even had a passion for debate, and the two of you would often converse in witty debates.

Even though the both of you seemed closed off to the world the two of you understood and loved each other.

Sasuke honestly couldn’t hide anything from you and you keenly picked up on, his crush on you early on, in your relationship. You found the way he blushed when you confronted him extremely cute. He actually loves the fact that you could easily read people as very few can read and understand him. It finally made him feel understood and loved.

The two of you make the sweetest couple, trolling and pranking everyone in the castle. When the two of you goofballs are together, no one can understand the two of you, as you guys would constantly be quoting memes or talking to each other in different languages. It is also not rare for the two of you to dab or do your secret handshake at a troll well executed.

Both of you can often be found cuddle on the top of one of the roofs of the castle, looking up at the stars. You listen keenly as Sasuke explains the different constellations. 

You absolutely love it when Sasuke surprises you by hanging from the ceiling like spiderman. He will always insist on giving you a spiderman kiss, and you can’t help but chuckle and comply. If the two of you aren’t out trolling and having fun, the two of you are gently nestled in each other’s arms just enjoying each other warmth and company

Other potential matches................ Nobunaga

I hope you enjoyed it, love! ❤🔥