#iruka appearance list

[moumouton4]

Caught In The Act || Iruka Umino x reader

A/n : Prompt 10 of the Smutember 2023

The list of promps is HERE

Smutember 2023 Masterlist ⚜

Warnings : no mention of gender for reader, penetrative sex, slight exhibitionism, caught in the act duh 😂, 18+ READERS ONLY and wrap it before you tap it

Masterlist ⚜

I don’t give permission to repost my work, if you want to share it just reblogue it

Word count : 923

You asked and he said no, even if he was dying to say yes. The only problem was that the place wasn't originally designed to witness two young adults engage in sexual activity. Though after your fingers trailed along his arms and your lips peppered his neck with soft and burning kisses, he forgot all about the risks that making love in a classroom could potentially bring. His shyness gave way to lust, a burning fire that only you could awaken in him.

Despite this, he still had a lot of respect for his classroom, that’s why he decided to take you on his desk instead of one of the kids’ tables. That’s how you found yourself pressed against the hard wooden desk, with your fiancé thrusting at a fast pace inside of you. You chose to keep both your top, only pulling down your pants enough to make your skin intimately get in contact - he looked so hot with his trousers pulled down to his ankles lmao. He couldn’t deny that he found this as inappropriate as thrilling. But seeing you there under him, with your legs slightly parted was the only thing he needed to let go of any inhibition. The classroom, still full of life 1 hour ago, was now filled with the sound of your colliding bodies and your erratic breathing.

And if at first he tried to hide his moans, at some point it was as if he forgot where you actually were at the moment “Y/nnnn ! You’re g-gripping me so ti-tightly !” He kept on moving, probably undisturbed by the sound of the desk scraping against the floor. All he could think about was you and the pleasure you were giving him. He knew he'd soon reach the climax of his pleasure, and feeling how wet you were, you surely were as close.

But just as he was about to grip you harder to speed up his rhythm, he heard a noise. He couldn’t even decipher what it was, because too bad that’s the moment you choose to moan his name “Iruk-” but he stopped you with his hand on your mouth. His hips stopped his thrusts but he kept rolling them against you, just in case it was a false alert. For a fleeting moment, the room fell into a wary silence ( Is that even English to say ? ), A mixture of anxiety and adrenaline invaded you, your breaths tried to calm down, while the incessant sound of his belt buckle reminded you that he was still moving to make you feel good, even if it was as gentle as he could.

Unfortunately it wasn't a false alert, and before you could even process what was happening, the door before you, the only thing - with those walls - that protected your intimacy, swung open.

Then an all-too-familiar face appeared, holding a book in his hand and seemingly engrossed in his reading. Well, until he looked up. That's when your long-time friend, Kakashi, the copy ninja, met the gaze of the now horrified teacher - fortunately your back was to him. Your position helped hide Iruka's cock that was still hard and nestled inside of you. He felt protective of you and in a split second tried to hide what little flesh Kakashi could see, despite his awkwardness at being seen in such a situation.

For Kakashi, it was the first time he'd seen the eyes of his seemingly "most innocent" friend so blown with lust, but above all “What the hell are you two doing here ?!? No, nevermind I don’t want an answer for that” and with that he left - hopefully his mask hid how red his cheeks were - after what felt like hours knowing the predicament you were in. ( A/n : Kakashi came to retrieve some ninja book Iruka said he was going to lend him. Though he forgot about it because of how aroused he was ). Your man let out a shuddering breath, as he looked into your eyes you could only read worry inside his beautiful brown orbs “A-are you okay ? I-I’m sorry I totally forgot he was going to come. I’m an idiot-”

But you didn’t let him finish his ramble as you tenderly caught his face in your hands “Shhh shh I’m fine don’t worry. Are you ?” and he nodded at your soothing voice “Good then” you said before kissing his nose. You could feel that he was still throbbing inside you, but with everything it was sure that you were going to finish here. He oh so caringly pulled out before he cleared his throat, his face and neck still so red “L-let’s go back h-home. At least no one will disturb us there”

You followed his lead, dressing back up and helping him smooth his hair while he did the same with yours. As you exited the school you couldn’t help but say “Next time we’ll think about locking the door”

“There won’t be next times Y/n !” he screamed still visibly flustered. So the two of you walked hand in hand back to your house, where you made love all night long to compensate for this slight but extremely annoying inconvenience. And every second Iruka couldn't help but marvel at having been the lucky person chosen to share these emotionally-charged moments with you.

( A/n : Even I don’t know if Kakashi is going to roast Iruka for that. Tell me what you think lmao )

[kakairu-rocks]

Hey guys! The KakaIru Maze Challenge is back; and Kakashi & Iruka need your help again, navigating though the dark, endless tunnels, and getting past all the obstacles!

They're still planning the details with Tsunade, so you can't sign up just yet; but they have prepared an outline of the mission based on their last journey through one of these mysterious mazes that randomly appeared in Konoha!

Mission Details:

You will be given a maze that has Kakashi at the beginning, and Iruka at the end. The goal will be for you to help Kakashi find his way to Iruka. To do this, you must figure out the path to reach him. But there’s a catch...

Scattered throughout the maze will be different symbols, which mark a trap or other danger that Kakashi has to face to continue on. Each symbol represents a different prompt, which will be listed in a key below the maze; and the only way Kakashi can get past is for you to make a creation for the prompt that is blocking him. 

Once you have finished creating something for all the prompts along the path, Kakashi will reunite with Iruka, and you will have completed the challenge! 

Guidelines:

If there are multiple paths on your maze, you can choose whichever route you like to get to Iruka, even if it’s the long way around!

You do not have to draw the path you’ve decided to take, you only have to create something for the prompts you come across along it. 

You can make creations for as many prompts as you like, but you must get all the prompts along the path to Iruka to win the challenge.

Minimum requirements: 100 words for fics, completed sketch for art. 

Chapter fics don’t need to be complete to count!

Creations will be accepted in any language! 

If you finish your maze, you can contact mod @kakairu-shrine​ for another one to do!

Rules:

All content must be created for this event – old/ recycled work will not be allowed.

This is a KakaIru event, so all works must be endgame KakaIru.

Triggering, sensitive & NSFW content must be tagged appropriately. If it isn’t, we will not share it. 

Timeline:

1st June: Theme reveal & sign ups open

30th June: Sign ups close

1st July - 31st August: Creation period

September: Masterpost full of wonderful creations is released! And a secret surprise ;)

More information will be announced as Kakashi & Iruka finalise the details!

In the meantime, if you have any questions about the KakaIru Maze Challenge, please don't hesitate to contact us!

[a-world-in-grey]

Sola/Calling for Rain IV

@secret-engima Naruto's POV!

.

Naruto stares wide-eyed at the woman effortlessly balancing Karin's weight. He can guess that this is Kyoho, Karin's older sister. Karin had told him that Kyoho took more after their mom than Karin, Karin apparently looked more like their non-Uzumaki father despite having the Uzumaki coloring, but Naruto hadn't really thought about what that proclaimed difference in appearance would look like.

She- she looks like his mom. The blood-red hair, the sun-kissed skin, the wide face. The shape of her eyes and jaw, even the shape of her hands-

She looks like an Uzumaki.

And she's here.

He doesn't realize he's spoken out loud until Kyoho's expression softens and she kneels to his height as though Karin isn't clinging to her like a limpet. She's smiling, a soft curl to her lips, but there's a knowing sorrow to her blueblueblue eyes, one that speaks of pain and grief and loneliness and Naruto knows that look because he's seen it in the mirror and she knows -

And her simple affirmation that yes, she's here, and she's not leaving him makes Naruto bawl. He launches himself at her, and she catches him and doesn't let go, even when his momentum causes them all to crash into the floor and he sobs into her free shoulder, Kyoho rubbing soothing circles into his back and humming a lullaby in his ear.

Embarrassment burns when he finally pulls back from Kyoho and realizes the Hokage is right there - and Naruto wants to kick himself for not noticing, of course the Hokage would be in his office. He busies himself helping Kyoho to her feet, offering her a hand and sticking his feet to the floor so she can stand up without setting Karin down.

Kyoho bows her head to the Hokage. "Thank you, for the privacy of your office, Hokage-sama."

Naruto grimaces. Yeah, he's really glad he didn't have that breakdown in public.

The Hokage smiles. "You are welcome. I won't keep you any longer, I'm sure you all would like the chance to catch up. We can speak later about that list."

Huh? List? What list?

"Of course, Hokage-sama."

Once they are outside the Tower, Naruto voices his question. "What was he talking about?"

Kyoho shifts Karin so her sister is instead clinging to her back, shoving her hair forward over one shoulder so it doesn't get caught. Naruto's gaze catches on Kyoho's braids. The bandana and long hair hides most of the beads, but not all of them, and as Naruto peers at the beads he can see on the Widow and Hero braids-

"Naruto?"

And he completely just missed what Kyoho was saying. "Sorry! Could you say that again?"

Over Kyoho's shoulder, Karin gives him a knowing look, confirming Naruto's suspicions. He's not imagining those familiar beads.

Kyoho's smile is gentle, reassuring that she's not upset at his wandering attention. "The Hokage wants me to teach."

Naruto imagines Kyoho in his old classroom, dressed like Iruka-sensei, and feels a spark of jealously. He would have liked Kyoho as a sensei. Not that he doesn't like Iruka-sensei! But it would have been nice, learning from Kyoho those first few years. "At the Academy?"

She shakes her head. "Fuuinjutsu apprentice."

Oh. That's not so bad. "So the list is for potential students?"

Kyoho nods.

"You won't teach them anything else, though, right?" Naruto asks petulantly. It's childish of him, but Kyoho's his family. His clan. He doesn't want to have to share her yet.

Kyoho wraps an arm around his shoulders, pressing him into her side. Naruto basks in the warm feeling, like he sitting in front of the hearth, wrapped in a thick blanket. "Not unless they're Braided," she promises.

Good. Naruto takes a deep breath, trying to memorize Kyoho's scent. There's lingering traces of burnt chakra, similar to the smell that lingers on Nyx after he's been practicing his fire ninjutsu. Also like Nyx is the persistent scent of something distinctly feline, though Kyoho's scent lacks the feathers and ozone aspects Nyx's has. Underneath all that, Kyoho's scent is warm, like sunshine on a summer day, with a tang to it that reminds him of the air along Nami's shores.

Kyoho patiently lets him cling for as long as he likes. He knows they're making a spectacle of themselves, can feel the stares prickling across his skin uncomfortably. He does his best to ignore them - he refuses to feel ashamed of showing affection for his family.

Only, Kyoho sharpens beside him, and the prickly feeling abruptly disappears. When Naruto pulls back and glances around, he finds everyone studiously looking away from them.

There's a smile on Kyoho's face when she looks down at him. "Where to, cousin?"

Cousin. Naruto beams.

"You gotta meet my friends!" He declares, tugging Kyoho in the right direction. "Nyx isn't here right now, but Jun and Niko should be at the training grounds while Aoba-sensei has his one-on-one day with-"

He cuts himself off as Kyoho laughs, bright and fond and full of affection.

Naruto has family. He's not the only Uzumaki anymore.

It still feels like a dream. Don't get him wrong, Nyx is his brother and Naruto will always be grateful for him, but… Kyoho and Karin look like him.

And they want him.

No one has ever wanted him. Not immediately and without any strings attached. Naruto loves Nyx and Iruka-sensei, he really does, but even they didn't like him at first. But Karin took the chance to defect to Konoha because of Naruto, and Kyoho came too. Despite not knowing Naruto at all, just because he's family.

"You've got the Uzumaki energy." Kyoho notes fondly. "They your team?"

Naruto shakes his head, but pauses. "Kinda? Nyx and Sakura-chan are on Team 7 with me, but we're always training with Aoba-sensei's team 'cause Kakashi-sensei's kinda lame."

He's not bitter about that, really. Even though Kakashi-sensei gave that speech about not abandoning your teammates - as though Naruto or Nyx needed to be told that - he still left them to wait on him for hours every morning and then couldn't be bothered to give more than a half-hearted effort training them.

Nyx put more effort into training them. As an Academy student.

Aoba-sensei's done more to train Team 7 than their own sensei.

Kyoho hums. "Should let them know there'll be ANBU watching us."

Naruto stops dead in his tracks. "What?" Why would there be ANBU watching them?

"I've got ANBU tailing me." Kyoho says simply. On her back, Karin's stiffened in alarm, and Kyoho places a reassuring hand on her arm. "Security measure. Not watching you."

"They shouldn't be watching you either!" Naruto protests. Kyoho came here to get away from Kusa, why is she being treated like an enemy?

Kyoho sighs. Pats Karin's arm. "Go let them know we're coming?"

Karin reluctantly drops from Kyoho's back. But she hesitates, looking at Naruto before glancing deliberately back at Kyoho.

No, not Kyoho, Naruto realizes. Kyoho's braids.

He shakes his head at Karin. Better to let it be a surprise. Especially if Kyoho really is who they think she is, Naruto thinks with rising anticipation despite how upset he is.

Karin nods. "Don't take too long, nee-chan." Then she's off.

Naruto turns back to Kyoho. Kyoho inclines her head towards the trees lining the path. They aren't in the populated part of the village anymore, but the trees will offer a modicum of privacy from passersby. Naruto follows Kyoho up the tree, settling beside her on a branch about halfway up.

"Why?"

"I'm a jounin." Kyoho tells him.

Naruto scowls. He knows that, but what does that have to do with the Hokage treating her like she's an enemy?

Kyoho shakes her head, like she can sense that thought. "Jounin are dangerous, Naruto. A team of genin can take on a chuunin. A team of chuunin cannot take on a jounin." Her eyes meet his, blue dark like the ocean depths. "I've killed teams of jounin."

Naruto startles. "Really?" Kakashi-sensei had a hard enough time with Zabuza. Kyoho can fight multiple Zabuza's at once?

Cool.

"Really." Kyoho says, fond and exasperated all at once. "I'm dangerous, Naruto. The Hokage does not know me. He worries I am an assassin or infiltrator."

"But you aren't!" Kyoho's Clan. She came here for help!

Another fond smile. "You know that. I know that. Hokage-sama does not." Kyoho shrugs, looking like it's no big deal to her. "Hokage-sama has no reason to trust a foreign jounin. Of course he will take measures to protect the village. I'm glad he is taking such measures."

That brings Naruto up short, angry response dying on his tongue. "You're glad for the ANBU?"

"They're to protect you." Kyoho says. "To protect the Clan. I would do the same, were my children at risk." She rests a hand on his head and gently ruffles his hair. "It won't be forever."

Naruto sulks. But when Kyoho puts it that way… "I still don't like it."

Kyoho nods. "You don’t have to." She rises from the branch, holding her hand out to him. "Let's go meet your friends."

[depressedhatakekakashi]

Hi, do you know where I could find a list of all of Kakashi's Boruto episodes? So far, I haven't got any luck.

Sorry had to do some quick looking. The list is short since Kakashi is more of a background character now, but these are the episodes i could find

Episode 13- The Demon Beast Appears

This is Kakashi’s first real appearance (other than the first episode when he hands off the title of Hokage to Naruto) and the first time we see his new jutsu ‘Purple lightning’ in action. Kakashi jumps into the fight when the village is attacked and directs the shinobi into area’s they need to be in before having a quick chat with Naruto. He took a chunk off of the beast with his purple lightning and busted up the ground with his earth style,

Episode 35- Parent-teacher confrence

Kakashi appears mostly as Sukea in this episode to meet with and talk to the current academy class as they get ready to graduate. It has a cute scene at the end where he takes his disguise off in front of Iruka, showing us that Iruka is aware of his secret identity

Episode 36- Graduation Exam begins

As the title suggests this is when Boruto’s graduation class goes through a a Kakashi style graduation exam. Introducing the bell test all over again Kakashi decides to see how Far Boruto’s class is and if they’re really ready to be shinobi. His focus is mostly on Boruto who has admitted he has no real sense of direction

Episode 37- a shinobi’s resolve

A continuation of the exam where Kakashi confronts Boruto about the truth of being a shinobi and the risks that come with it, and forces him to realize that it’s not all fun and games even if things are more peaceful now. Ends with the class pulling together and facing down Kakashi as a team, and getting electrocutes all together XD also includes Iruka yelling at Kakashi for being too harsh with the kids

Episodes 106-111- Konoha Shinden: Steam Ninja Scrolls Arc

Based off of the manga ‘konoha shinden’ this sorty arc follow’s Mirai as she accompanies Kakashi and Gai on their vacation. It’s a huge arc for Mirai but also vital to Kakashi and Gai as they are on a mission to find out more about Jashin follower’s (people like Hidan) while also being on vacation relaxing. You will see Kakashi genuinely enjoying himself 90% of the time it is amazing

Episode 115- Team 25 (pointed out by @yamanaka-shin )

Kakashi spends most of the episode as Sukea interacting with Team 25 and specificlly Houki Taketori. Houki is a number one Kakashi fan so this episode has a lot of highlights of Kakashi’s character.

Episode 168- Training begins

Boruto goes to Kakashi for training for his rasangan. With Konohamaru unavailable and his dad too busy, Boruto needs someone else to teach him about the rasangan. He asks Sasuke and Sasuke directs him towards Kakashi since he is the only other one in the village who knows how to use the rasangan.

Episode 211 - The Chase (also provides by @yamanaka-shin )

Kakashi teams up with Team Ten (Shikadai, Chocho and Inojin) to do some digging on who may have stolen some data on Leaf Shinobi. Involves a cool, though short, fight scene that’s pure taijutsu. Wish it was more but it was fun to see.

Episode 260- Fireworks of Love

A more silly episode where Kakashi and Boruto help people out while Kakashi tries to get his hands on a first edition copy of the last icha Icha book that has scenes very few people have read before

[canonically47]

are YOU a fan of danganronpa AND of yandere simulator?

do YOU want to see some of yandere simulator’s characters in the position of being in a killing game?

all you need is some love for the background characters and a wattpad account to enter the world of THHYSAU: Trigger Happy Havoc Yandere Simulator Alternate Universe.

In THHYSAU, some of the most popular characters, such as Ayano Aishi, Taro Yamada and Megami Saikou don’t appear to put other, lesser known characters in the spotlight. Who might those characters be, you ask? Let’s see the list of the twenty students joining us on this ride...and their headmaster.

Riku Somai, Ultimate Affluent Progeny. The protagonist of THHYSAU, Riku is a thoughtful and understanding boy who always wants the best for his friends. Although he’s known for his money, he has a bright mind, which he will demonstrate when the killings start to happen...

Daiki Atsuda, AKA Daku Atsu, Ultimate Paranormal Researcher. He is the only one Riku knows prior to the killing game, and one of the people who helps him the most. He also takes on somewhat of a role of a leader, hoping to put his classmates at ease by pretending he himself isn’t scared.

Kumiko Demizu, AKA Kuu Dere, Ultimate Librarian. She doesn’t care.

Kagayaki Konishi, AKA Kaga Kusha, Ultimate Scientist. A boy with a genius-level IQ, however disliked by his previous classmates for his abnormal behaviour.

‘Zametora’ Samejima, Ultimate Athlete. Nobody knows his first name. Maybe even his parents call him Zametora.

Tsuruzo Yamazaki, Ultimate Actor. A (melo)dramatic boy who finds himself grouping with Kagayaki and Zametora more often than not.

Shoku Tsuburaya, Ultimate Culinary Expert. A kind and sweet boy who sticks close to his brother rather than other people. Known for volunteering a lot at homeless shelters and orphanages.

Geiru ‘Geiju Tsuka’ Tsuburaya, Ultimate Painter. Only talks in sentences of one or two words, if at all. Shoku is more talkative and fills in for him.

Budou Masuyama, AKA Budo Masuta, Ultimate Martial Artist. Defeated the previous Ultimate Martial Artist, Raibaru Fumetsu, in a fight, earning the title over her. Despite this, the two remained close friends.

Genma Masuyama, AKA Gema Taku or Gema Masuta, Ultimate Gamer. Somehow, he is related to Budou. Doesn’t want to do anything other than play video games all the time.

Midori Gushima, Ultimate Enigma. Nobody knows if that’s her Ultimate because she’s a good puzzle solver or a puzzle herself. She’s incredibly talkative, and even talks to herself. Some people believe she is self-centered for always wanting to hear herself talk.

Iruma Dojima, AKA Iruka Dorufino, Ultimate Swimming Pro. Previous classmate of Zametora’s. Participated in the Olympics. He is quiet, which makes it more curious that he prefers to hang out with Midori.

Maka ‘Tansei’ Tanahashi, Ultimate Abstract Artist. Speaks in the third person. Always replies with love and enthusiasm to her followers, regularly organizing contests and giveaways. She has a really pure heart.

Enjiro Bandoh, AKA Enpitsu Byoga, Ultimate Pop Sensation. Lead singer and keytarist of the most popular J-pop boy-band in Japan, Cherry Blossom Rain. Said to be petty and obsessed with his own appearance, whether that be physical or fame-wise.

Yakumo Shiraishi, AKA Yaku Zaishi, Ultimate Chemist. Also very good at programming, for which he’s been nicknamed the Ultimate Programmer. Previous classmate of Kaga’s.

Otohiko Meguro, Ultimate Nurse. A clumsy, but brilliant boy who has an incredibly annoying fanbase that boils him down to just a cute and soft boy. Despite this, he is one of the youngest of Riku’s classmates, and was awarded his title after finding a cure to a strange disease and managing to stop it from spreading. Apparently, he has a ‘condition’, too.

Kyuji Konaka, Ultimate Trend-Setter. The vice-president of the student council at his own school. His word online is law... But is that what he really wants?

Saeko Baisho, AKA Sakyu Basu, Ultimate Fashionista. Rumoured to have been dating Kyuji until she stepped forward and said otherwise. She’s a charismatic girl, but rumoured to use her looks to her advantage.

Togo Tabata, AKA Toga Tabara, Ultimate Essayist. A boy who was clubless for a long time, unable to find an interest until turning to essaying to let out his feelings. Good friends with Kyuji and Otohiko since before Hope’s Peak.

Oboro Shinkawa, AKA Osoro Shidesu, Ultimate Delinquent Gang Leader. Rumoured to have beaten tens of boys her age with her bare hands. Led a gang at her previous school, and left Umeji Kizuguchi in charge. Some people believe they are dating, other people believe they have no interest in each other... To Osoro, her delinquent friends are like her sons.

Info-Chan, the Headmaster of Hope’s Peak Academy. She’s a half-and-half coloured fox that wants nothing but despair. Her favorite thing to do is laugh at her students and their misery, and create more misery for them to laugh even more.

One headmaster.

Twenty students.

Six trials.

Multiple suspects.

Multiple executions.

Friendship, drama...

...and ULTIMATE DESPAIR.

[blasphemecel]

Sakura Haruno ― From Shikamaru’s Vernacular: Troublesome

PAIRING: Sakura Haruno/Reader WORD COUNT: 2.3k TYPE: Humor, The mildest of fluff towards the end, Modern AU NOTE: Clichember Prompt 1: Bad Boy/Good Girl (but even though the prompt says 'boy' the reader is gender neutral as usual!). Clichember is going to be an event where I write a short fic with my own take on really overused tropes throughout November-December.

"Damaged goods coming through," you announce yourself before you decide it's somehow a wise idea to walk beside her. Pointedly, she turns to the side and ignores you, even if she somewhat resembles a crab while she moves like this.

Sakura isn't sure what she did to deserve this.

"Oh, what a sight for sore eyes. Goody-two-shoes Haruno going to detention," you say, once your first attempt at conversation doesn't seem to go anywhere, and then you throw your arm around her shoulders and pull her closer. There's a shit-eating grin on your face, and a bemused scowl on hers.

Sakura doesn't push you off since she... doesn't want to give you the satisfaction of retaliating, of course. "In case you forgot, idiot, that was your fault."

"But how's it my fault you punched Mr. Hatake?"

"Because I was aiming for you, but you just HAD to duck out of the way!"

"What, was I supposed to stand there and take it or something?"

With her shoulders raising to her ears, Sakura stomps on your toe with her heel, and finally pushes you away, proving herself to still have a very low tolerance for you. "Yes!"

Much to her surprise, you spare her from any further commentary and instead crack your neck and your knuckles while you continue down the hallway, next to her. She'd expected you to ask her if she genuinely believes that with a tone that's both mocking and incredulous, and she would've answered yes again, and somehow the missed opportunity to have this planned interaction compels her to speak to you first.

"So, what are you in for, anyway?"

"Haruno, this isn't jail, it's just detention," you tell her with a laugh. "Funny. Usually you'd know 'cause you'd be the one to get me, but today we're coming together. As a team."

"We're not a team. And I already told you it's your fault," she says before she almost rips the door off its hinges when she opens it, the sour glare on her face enough to scare off anyone with functioning levels of brain activity, including the teacher.

"It was so not. You're just a bad shot."

"Yes, because my fist was supposed to follow you like a bloodhound after you flung yourself in the other corner of the room! Did you consider that might hurt more than my punch?!"

"I'm sure your very manly punches hurt way worse."

"They are not manly. They embody the power of the divine feminine."

"Hmm. Good thing I dodged, then. 'Cause that sounds dangerous." A smile tugs at your lips.

Sakura almost squeezes her eyes out with how roughly she pushes her fingers in, as what you can only interpret is an attempt at a 'relaxing massage'. She continues to appear to be on the brink of a nervous breakdown, though.

"Ahem." Iruka clears his throat, not subtly, pretending he didn't hear any of what you both just said and instead occupying himself by shuffling through empty paper sheets like there's anything to read on them. "Haruno-san, if it's too much trouble, you really don't need to bring [L/n] here every time. I know you're very busy-"

"No, I'm... on the list for today," she says awkwardly.

It occurs to Iruka that this time she's not pulling you by the ear and dragging you around, instead having just arrived with you, and his eyes widen in surprise. Again, he clears his throat and cards his way through all the useless pieces of paper he brought until he finds the list. After he skims it, he goes, "Oh." Then he looks at it some more. "Oh," a second time. Suddenly the conversation he feigned ignorance to starts to make a lot more sense. After that, he goes even further with his investigation and checks another entry at which he seems appalled. "Oh, wow. Okay. How about you two sit down already?"

"What did you do," Sakura whispers, though it sounds like a demand more than anything, with a tight smile, though you can tell she's grinding her teeth together.

"Nothing. I'm innocent and gorgeous." Perhaps to be more convincing, you let out a whistle.

Sakura crosses her arms in front of her chest and sits in a desk near the room's corner, far away from most of the other students. There are plenty of empty seats and you examine them while rubbing your chin, probably simulating the act of thinking ― at least she assumes you're playing pretend since she doesn't deem you capable of thought ― until you make the deliberate choice of plopping your ass down right next to her.

"What!" she snaps again.

"Relax," you say. "You're gonna get TMJ if you keep doing all this." You then make an overly exaggerated angry face, and you kind of end up resembling a wrinkled thumb as you do so.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"...Because I find it funny when you're mad?" you say like it should be glaringly obvious by now.

"You're in-suffer-able."

"This is very impressive and all, but it's still not enough to win a spelling bee."

"I'm not going to a spelling bee, you moron."

"Not after last year, huh?"

"Shut up!" Sakura says before she takes a calming breath. Her jaw ticks again, and you almost click your tongue when she goes against your warning. Then, "Shut up."

You shrug and put your legs up to the table until they're roughly shoved away. Sakura glares at you in a way even you register as scathing, so you figure maybe you should lie off of her if you want to make it out of here alive because God knows Iruka won't help you when it's time to face your mortality.

At the rare moment of silence, Sakura uses this opportunity to scan the room. Naruto is here, and Sai. For Naruto, this was ordinary, though she's not sure why Sai would be here. "Hey," Sakura starts, which you find suspicious, since this is the second time today she has spoken to you of her own volition. "Do you know what Sai did?"

"Oh, I was there. He started theorizing that Mr. Hatake has a small penis in front of everyone, in the middle of class. It was thoroughly entertaining."

"Poor Mr. Hatake," coos Sakura. "He's just getting bullied all day today."

"You realize you're the one who socked him in the jaw, right?"

"I told you to shut up!"

Moody much? you want to ask, but you notice the others' heads are turning. Your bickering probably disrupted them from doing whatever they're doing. "If you don't mind, Haruno, your yelling seems to be assaulting everyone's ears."

Sakura clenches her fists tightly, but then she reminds herself of Iruka's existence and decides to spare you, at least for now. Seeing as this isn't going anywhere, she figures she can use her time here to do something more productive than talk to you, anyway, and so she searches inside her backpack until she finds the notebook she was looking for.

At the sight of it, once she pulls it out, you belch like you've witnessed something offensive. "You can't be serious!"

"What do you mean, I can't be serious?" she asks, annoyed. Hypothetically, she'd wonder why you feel the need to make a smartass comment about everything, but your observations often aren't even clever. She thinks you like hearing yourself talk.

At this, you cover your eyes as if you're mortified, which you might be. "You're... such a nerd. You're in here. Studying."

"This is a school. Of course I'm studying. How can you be so stupid?"

"Well. There are many things you can do in a school. Like punching teachers. God damn, his jaw was spinning."

"You're so repetitive. And, some of us like having important life skills such as being able to count, and also being able to read."

"I KNOW HOW TO READ."

"Pipe down, you wouldn't want to assault anyone's ears now, would you?" she says snidely as she jots down the beginning of an answer for a question included in her assignment for tomorrow. You roll your eyes at her remark. "So you're trying to tell me you just sit here for an hour and do what, exactly? Nothing? I mean, you get detention practically every day."

"Oh, no," you say, like the idea is laughable. "God, no! Usually I leave after you bring me here. Mr. Umino just lets me go because he 'doesn't feel like seeing my face'. But today I'll stay around, just for you, beautiful."

"For Umino-san's sake, I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that middle part," says Sakura after taking yet another deep inhale. You briefly wonder if she's short of breath because your swagger makes her nervous, or because you're so smooth with your lines. However, your delusions of romance quickly shatter when she massages her temples. "Sometimes I wonder how you haven't gotten expelled yet."

You put your hand over your chest and appear somber at your declaration. "I think it's because Tsunade is in love with me."

"Sure she is," Sakura tells you sarcastically, pursing her lips at your audacity to call the principal by her first name.

"Or better yet," you say, switching to a look of slyness, and suddenly it occurs to Sakura that maybe you'd been waiting to bring this up all along. You lean closer, draping your arm over the back of her chair. "Maybe it's because a certain member of the student council has been covering for me? I heard they insist on dealing with me every time I get in trouble as well."

Sakura blinks at you owlishly, and this time her cheeks flush in embarrassment rather than anger. You think the last time this had happened was six years ago when you gave her a gift for Valentine's day, but then you went through puberty and turned into a shithead, and after that she got her act together. "I can't believe Ino-pig would do that."

"Ino isn't even on the student council!"

"Then I can't believe Hinata would do that," Sakura insists.

This is the first time she has caught you off-guard in maybe your entire shared history. "And I can't believe you just threw Hinata under the bus like that," you say with wide eyes, but then you get back on track. "Anyway, I figured you'd like someone like Uchiha Asshat-"

"Sasuke-kun isn't an asshat! He's the vice president of the student council and he has perfect grades. Also, he's on a sports team," she interjects, though you ignore her spiel since you have an agenda to promote here.

Rather smugly, you continue, "-but really, you don't need to abuse your power over something as silly as this. After all, if you wanna spend time with me that bad, all you have to do is ask." Even if she had just listed all the ways how stupid fucking Sasuke is better than you, but whatever.

"Who even told you that?!" she asks with furrowed brows, but then she realizes she basically confirmed everything you said.

Unable to stand the self-congratulatory expression on your face as you humiliate her, Sakura huffs and averts her gaze to the desk like it has wronged her, blush still splattered over her skin. Then her cognitive abilities seem to catch up to her, and haughtily, she throws her hair over her shoulder. Even though it's kind of short, it still smacks you right in the face.

"Well, speaking of wanting to spend time together, a little birdie told me a certain worthless idiot in this school pulls pranks just to get someone's attention. This, I think, is way dumber than whatever the HYPOTHETICAL student council member did."

"Naruto, I'm going to kill you!" you yell suddenly, once again causing a commotion and making everyone turn towards you. You fling the first thing within reach, which happens to be Sakura's homework, right at him.

Rubbing his head, Naruto asks, "What'd I even do wrong now?"

"Everything?" you offer like you're disappointed in him for not being aware of this already.

As randomly as it had sparked, however, it seems like whatever pushed you both to act like this has dissipated. Sakura doesn't even berate you for weaponizing her school materials, and you sit next to her wondering what you can even say at this point.

You swallow dryly and in a way that's not at all unnatural or painful, you tell her, "Soo... The time after detention, huh?"

"What about it?" she asks with a frown.

"Do you maybe want to... go somewhere?"

You're wincing. Sakura almost feels bad for you, but then again she wants to prolong the first few moments before she caves for as long as possible, so she feigns annoyance. "Why?"

"'Cause you're hot? Like, the hottest girl in school? I don't know."

"Seriously! Is this all you have to say about me?!"

You raise your hands in mock surrender and back away from her. "You didn't really expect me to say something romantic, right?"

"Oh, but I did," she says with one of those tight-lipped smiles of hers, the ones she makes before she punches Sai silly for being socially inept, for example. Then she grabs a hold of your ear ― something you're familiar with ― and all but rams your face into hers, cheekbones clashing against each other in a way anyone with functioning pain receptors would know stings, and a lot. "And I'll continue to expect that. We're going to work on that."

You smile at her. "Alright... Sakura."

"Thank you... [Y/n]."

"And also, another thing we can work on is your ability to touch me without breaking my bones."

She almost rips her hair out right then and there, pushing you away with maybe too much force. "You know what? I really hate you!"

[bansenshukai]

I was looking at the top Naruto ships on AO3, and wondered how popular they were over time, so I made a graph so I could see!

AO3 filtered for english language fics only

tracked top 10 character pairings for every year from 2009 onwards (the year ao3 was founded), using the "sort by date updated function", with from: blank, to: "____-11-14", because AO3 was founded 2009-11-14 but there are some backdated works. The datapoint for 2022 was recorded as of 10/25/2022 11:50PM PST

manually entered data into spreadsheet, imported into Flourish for visualization

Anyway, part of the reason I made this was because I was wondering when the hell MadaTobi got so popular-- as best as I can tell, Blackkat kicked off the tag in 2015, and by 2018 it jumped into top 10 ships and has only grown from there.

Some interesting observations about general trends as a fairly recent Naruto fandom member:

Kakashi/Iruka has pretty much always been the most popular Kakashi ship (this makes sense, considering Iruka appears as an emotionally crucial character in Ch 1, the very beginning, and Kakashi is the most popular Naruto character)

Kakashi/Naruto was surprisingly popular, staying steadily in top ten ships from 2011-2021, only dropping off top ten in 2022

Kakashi/Sakura was always popular too (staying in top ten every single year), but began to drop down the list starting ~2020

I wonder if this has to do with the increasing distaste for age-gap/student-sensei relationships in the past 5 years? re: general anti/pro fandom discourse in the wake of Voltron and similar

Kakashi/Obito and Kakashi/Gai were fairly unpopular until ~2019-- KakaObi first hit the top 10 in 2019, while KakaGai hit top 10 once in 2016, but didn't comeback until 2020 and since then both have stayed in top ten through the present

It's worth noting that since Naruto is an old fandom (older than AO3) and so many fics reside on FFN, this is only a reflection of a subsection of fandom. On the other hand, if you're on Tumblr, you are pretty darn likely to be within the AO3>FFN category. Just food for thought.

[lemony-snickers]

chapter five.  >>> part four here.

Title: Helping Hands (part 5 of ?)  (AO3 Link Here) Chapter Summary:  Lord Kakashi sustains an injury. Chapter Word Count: 4,835 Chapter Warnings:  fem!MC, alcohol use descriptions of injury, references to PTSD .

There were a great many ways Lord Kakashi had considered he might one day die.  Of his own will was certainly not a thing beyond comprehension, drowned at the bottom of the ocean after a disastrous passage might still top the list, despite his discharge from the Navy.  Tumbling down the stairs in his old age, misfiring a weapon.  Even a wound that became infected or an illness that could not be treated hastily enough.

All of these considerations had of course entered Lord Kakashi’s sour mind upon occasion.  Especially in the aftermath of Obito’s death at sea or following Rin’s murder at his own hands, such dark thoughts were nearly impossible to outrun always.

But falling from his horse on a Wednesday morning while riding through familiar fields had never once crossed his mind.

Still, as he laid there amidst the wildflowers, the grasses tall enough to shield his body from view, he thought perhaps he should have expected something so mundane.

It remained unclear what had spooked his horse—but the creature was long gone and despite Lord Kakashi’s best efforts, he was entirely unable to maintain any weight on his left leg.  The thing was mangled—twisted and bleeding.  Already, the flies had come, lured no doubt by the smell of his blood as it soaked into the dirt.

When he closed his eyes against the glare of the midday sun, Lord Kakashi was not at all fool enough to think he would open them again.

It seemed too stupid a thing to even consider, after so many hours of hoarsely shouting for aid that did not appear.

He was going to die here, in a foreign land, alone and broken; just as his father had.

And as the world went black, Lord Kakashi thought perhaps he saw Sakumo Hatake—his warm smile tinged with only the slightest hint of sadness; regret, maybe.  So he went into the afterlife without concern, for if his father was there to greet him, Lord Kakashi knew it would be a most welcome respite from the strains of the world, from the lamentations of his past.

The Caretaker rolled with the dogs in the grass when she heard Iruka’s voice climbing the hill.  The call, though familiar in timber and tone, was altogether different from any sound she’d ever heard from him and when she sat up, her eyes soon found Iruka, climbing the hill with a sweat-stained brow…

And Lord Kakashi draped limply over the saddle of his horse.

Terror is a strange thing—it seizes a heart like a vice, makes a chest feel tight and hot, like a cactus blooming under a desert sun within a too-small space.

The interesting thing is that there is not always a precise understanding of where this terror comes from.  Surely, sometimes it is from love—familiar or romantic—that these sensations emanate.  Other times, it is an unidentifiable impulse which induces such a feeling, and as she raced across the field toward the pair of men, that must have been what the Caretaker expected to find in her heart as she pushed all emotion away to attend to the needs of the occasion.

For the terror that clawed its way into her heart could serve no purpose but to distract her, and so she buried it deep, never to be further scrutinized, even if perhaps it was deserving of investigation.

It was a fact known to very few that the woman who would eventually become the Caretaker of the Hatake Estate originally trained as a combat nurse.  However unknown her circumstances may have been to Iruka and Lord Kakashi at the moment, her training took over all but immediately as she raced to meet them.  Before she was even upon the ragged-looking pair, her eyes scanned Iruka first for any injuries, but other than the obvious strain moving Lord Kakashi had induced and a scrape along one forearm likely from heaving the larger man into the saddle, he appeared fine.

Lord Kakashi, on the other hand, was not conscious—though his chest moved slowly, confirming he still breathed.  A relief, though one she had not time enough to register and appreciate.

“What happened?” the Caretaker asked as she met them—leaving no room for awkwardness between herself and her former lover and acting not at all as a Housemaid, but as one trained in the medical professions as she had once been.

“I-I don’t know,” Iruka stuttered, a little taken aback by her charged and headstrong demeanor.  “I saw his horse wandering in the far field,” he said, pointing off in a vague northwesterly direction.  “It spooked when I approached and took off.  When I realized it did not have a rider, I did my best to retrace the path it broke through the fallow fields and found Lord Kakashi on the ground.  I could not wake him.”

The Caretaker listened raptly as she inspected what she could see of Lord Kakashi’s body.  The most obvious of the injuries seemed to be his left leg, which was bleeding and bent at an odd angle.  She smoothed her hands through his unruly hair—a gesture that normally would have felt far too intimate, but which in this instance meant nothing more than checking for blood or contusions.

As her fingers found the small lump at the back of Lord Kakashi’s head, the sensation of her hands upon him roused the Lord from his torpor and he groaned.

Both his companions laid their hands upon his body, much to his distaste.  Lord Kakashi swatted lamely at their hands, brushing them away.

“My Lord, please do not move.  You’ve been injured.”

He grunted noncommittally, but ceased his movements, allowing his body to hang limply over the saddle as it had been.

“Iruka, take the horse from the stable and run to the village to fetch the Doctor, Lord Kakashi will need to be fully evaluated.”

Iruka flushed thinking of the stables, but nodded, taking off at a run.  “I’ll be back as quick as I can,” he promised, leaving his own stead in her care with Lord Kakashi still draped in the seat.

“I don’t need…” Lord Kakashi sucked in a sharp breath as pain lanced through his left side, from his armpit to his ankle… “a doctor.  Do not be absurd.”

Despite her concerns for his well-being, the Caretaker snorted as she led Iruka’s horse up the hill, watching as the other man departed the stables at the crest with great speed to do as she’d instructed him.

“The only absurdity I find here, Lord Kakashi, is you believing you do not need a physician when you are incapable even of sitting upright in a saddle.”

He grumbled something unintelligible and they traversed the remainder of the hill in silence.

It took no small amount of effort to convey the young Lord from the horse to his bedchamber.  The Caretaker, though certainly strong for her build, still found his half-dead weight rather a difficult thing to withstand without assistance.  It helped not at all that he was unable to put any weight on his injured leg.  Of course, he attempted to do so anyway, before nearly collapsing in agony as he let out a pained shout.

His dogs, too, seemed intent on making the walk from kitchen door to bedroom as difficult as possible, standing in front of them always with fitfully wagging tails, barking and whining as they looked with panicked eyes between the two humans.

“It’s fine,” the Caretaker promised somewhat erroneously, “Your Master is fine, please.  Please, sit.”

They listened, though seemingly begrudgingly.  Once the lopsided pair reached Lord Kakashi’s room, all eight dogs planted themselves firmly in the doorway, watching attentively, but thankfully maintaining their distance as the Caretaker helped the Lord into his bed.

Removing his boots was an excruciating endeavor for them both.  For Lord Kakashi because even the slightest pressure against his right foot made the nerves of his injured leg spark like someone had taken a flint to each frayed end.  And for the Caretaker because it turned out her Lord was a most cantankerous patient.

“I am,” he said through gritted teeth, “perfectly capable of disrobing myself.”

“If you do not sit still so I may help you, then I will not only remove your shoes and cut away your trouser leg, but strip you entirely naked and leave you that way until the Doctor arrives.”

“Stripping your employer against his direction does not seem a particularly intelligent or ladylike thing to do.”

The Caretaker gave him the most falsely sweet smile Lord Kakashi had ever seen.  “As you have intimated on several occasions, my employer—Lord Sakumo Hatake—is quite dead.  You, my Lord, are nothing more than a whiny patient and I assure you when it comes to the care of injured men, I am not in the least bit concerned about being ladylike.”

They stared at one another, both frowning.  So absorbed were the pair in their great disagreement over whether the trousers Lord Kakashi wore were worth saving, they did not hear a brusque pair of feet approaching the door.

“Well, that’s good to know, as I imagine I shall be needing your help if today’s patient is half as unpleasant as he seems already.”

The Caretaker sighed, basking in the arrival of her relief.  “Doctor Senju, thank you for coming.”

Tsunade Senju was as formidable as she was a rarity—a woman wholly made of her own doing, with no husband to decide for her what her life should look like.  That she came from one of the wealthiest and most respected old families in the area certainly had aided her in obtaining the education she required (and would have been denied any other woman) to become a small village physician.  But that did nothing to diminish her fortitude or intelligence.

Iruka was with her, flushed and out of breath, much of his hair pulled out of the ponytail he typically wore, wind-whipped and curling around his face.  The Caretaker had to look away from him, too enamored of his disheveled appearance—of what it reminded her of.

Her quick aversion of glance did not go unnoticed by Lord Kakashi, though he made no outward indication of the same.

Doctor Senju was decisive and firm; she sent both other occupants of the room on errands to fetch hot water, towels, and the cheapest liquor in the house.  While they brought her the items she requested, the Doctor cut away the Lord’s trouser legs, despite his robust complaining.

When he winced as he rose up on his elbows to scold her, the Doctor smirked.  “It appears I’ll be removing your shirt to examine your ribs as well,” she teased as she tore away the fabric still covering Lord Kakashi’s injured leg.  “The bone is broken, but not shattered,” she said, running her lithe fingers over the bruised and bloody shin.  “It looks worse than it is because you scraped your leg, too—the skin will heal, but the bone must be set.”  Her amber eyes flicked up to meet Lord Kakashi’s grey steel gaze.

“I’m sure you’ll take no pleasure at all in how much this is going to hurt,” he said, mouth pulling into a wry smirk.

“None at all,” she lied, which pulled a ragged chuckle from Lord Kakashi that had him wincing all over.

When Iruka and the Caretaker returned, Doctor Senju ripped the gin away from the startled young man and took a hearty swig straight from the bottle before handing it to Lord Kakashi, who drank greedily himself, in a bid to dull the throbbing pain spreading from his leg to the farthest reaches of his body.

“You,” Doctor Senju said, and though both potential helpers looked up at her call, her eyes were fixed firmly on the Caretaker’s.  “You trained as a nurse, did you not?”

Both Iruka and Lord Kakashi looked at the other woman, whose lips pursed together firmly.  This was information known to very few people and she wondered how the Doctor might have come upon such gossip within their small village.

“I did for a time,” was all she said.

The Doctor nodded.  “Good.  I will need your help setting the bone.”

Her new assistant nodded, rolling up her sleeves and stepping to the Doctor’s side to follow her every direction, avoiding the gaze of both the Lord and the grocer’s boy.  The eyes of both men keenly watched her every movement, the dexterity with which she threaded a needle, how tenderly she cleaned the Lord’s bloodied leg so Doctor Senju could view the injury more cleanly.

Never once did the Caretaker make eye contact with anyone but the Doctor, though her skin prickled with the close attention paid her by the others in the room.

Eventually, Doctor Tsunade handed Lord Kakashi his own belt, setting it between his teeth.

He spat it out.

“You’ll want to bite down,” she said, “this will more than sting.”

Lord Kakashi grinned, a whistled sound of amusement huffing from his nose.  “Believe me, Doctor, I have undergone far worse under far less pleasant conditions.”

No one in the room was wholly certain of his truthfulness, but none argued.

“It’s your tongue,” the Doctor said, shrugging.

Iruka fastened the Lord’s wrists to the bed with his own hands, blushing and apologizing all the while.  The Caretaker was tasked with holding the man’s legs in place and keeping them from flailing, a task which she managed only by throwing her whole weight over his ankles.

For when Doctor Senju began manipulating the broken bone beneath the flesh to maneuver it back into place, the roar that erupted from Lord Kakashi’s throat was rivaled only by the way his body reacted.

It was not the worst pain he had ever known, but that did nothing to deter his nerves from screaming in protest at the adjustment.  For a brief moment, it felt as though a bolt of lightning had shot straight through him, racing from the bottom of his foot all the way to his neck, searing each nerve and tendon and muscle fiber as the agony raced through the soft tissue.

And then, as sharply as the pain had begun, it dulled.  Doctor Senju wiped sweat from her brow and took another swig from the gin bottle.  She attempted to pour more into Lord Kakashi’s mouth, but he turned his face away and the liquor dribbled over his cheek and uncomfortably into his ear.

“Suit yourself,” she grumbled under her breath before taking another sip.

The Doctor and her newly-recruited nurse splinted the leg with a length of wood and wound it in cloth bandages while Iruka cleaned up the soiled towels and tattered remnants of Lord Kakashi’s clothing.

“He’ll need to keep his weight off it for several weeks,” Tsunade said lowly, leaning over to prod at the Lord’s sore side.  “And he’ll need to stay in bed while his ribs heal, though that won’t take as long.”  The Caretaker nodded, groaning internally at the misfortune and misery tending to a bedridden Lord Kakashi was sure to induce.  “Are you the only other person here?” Doctor Senju asked, “I saw no other staff.”

“Yes, but I’ll see to it he’s properly looked after,” the younger woman assured her.

Doctor Senju watched the Caretaker’s face for any sign of discomfort or embarrassment, but found none.

“I’m not an invalid,” Lord Kakashi protested, “and I’m right here.”

Only the smallest of smirks pricked at the corners of each woman’s mouth, but neither of them responded.

As Doctor Senju made her way toward the exit where Iruka was already waiting to escort her back to the village, she turned to look at the young woman trailing behind her, hands stained brown from the blood she had cleaned and dress smeared with the same.

“Why did you call for me?” she asked, unprompted.  “You could have set the leg yourself.”

Iruka’s ears perked up, wondering again how he had never known that the woman he’d bedded for so long had once trained as a nurse.  Had they really talked so little, he wondered.

The Caretaker only smiled politely, inclining her head, “It’s been several years since I’ve put into practice any of my education in such things.  Especially given Lord Kakashi’s standing, I thought it best to have his injuries attended to by the best medical professional we had at our disposal rather than a novice such as myself.”

“Ha!” the Doctor barked, startling Iruka, “Flattery will get you everywhere, my dear, but it seems you already know that.  I’ll send my apprentice to check on Lord Kakashi in a few day’s time.  Send for me if his condition worsens before that.”

The Caretaker curtsied in farewell, her eyes glancing up only briefly to meet Iruka’s before he turned to leave.  Though the words never passed her lips, her gratitude was clear in her expression and he could not help but feel lighter for it as he departed.

It took some time for the Caretaker to attend to the groceries Iruka had unloaded for her at some point between returning with Doctor Senju escorting her back to her duties in the village.  After that, the Caretaker returned to check on Lord Kakashi, who was asleep in his bed.  The pack of loyal dogs had entered the room, most of them quivering or whimpering, tails tucked between their legs.

None but Pakkun dared jump on the bed and the Caretaker’s heart warmed at the sight of the small pug curled protectively against his Master’s side, eyes bright and alert as he watched her step over the threshold.

She gave each of the dogs a reassuring pat and scratched Pakkun appreciatively behind the ears.

As she made her way back to her own room to change into an unsoiled dress, the Caretaker resolved to provide them with extra treats later in the evening.  When she peeled away her dirty clothes, her thoughts drifted to Tsunade Senju’s parting words—that she could have set Lord Kakashi’s injured leg herself.

Though it might have been true, she did not wish to dwell on the reminder of her previous profession.  Even as her fingers fondled the locket at her throat, she tried very hard to push away the memories the Doctor’s words had induced.

Her hands had been steady when she assisted Doctor Senju, but now they shook, fingers trembling and palms slick with nervous sweat.  Her stomach roiled and she breathed deeply through her nose to stop herself from vomiting on her new dress as she pulled it from her wardrobe.

While it was a truth she had once trained as a combat nurse where she had set—and amputated—a number of broken legs, the memories of that time were wholly nightmarish.  A blight upon her consciousness she did not wish to dwell upon, no matter the reasoning.  She knew she had done good, once, in that profession, but the more distance she put between herself and that portion of her life—both in days counted and new employments seen to fruition—the better.

The losses suffered under such circumstances overwhelmed any sense of accomplishment she might have once felt about her time as a nurse.  The last time she had been called to action in her previously chosen profession, things had ended poorly for all involved—the soldier in her care and herself, both lives irrevocably altered.  There was a reason she no longer wished to carry out such duties.

Feeling too hot, overwhelmed by the deluge of reminiscence, the Caretaker sat at the edge of her bed in only her undergarments.  She closed her eyes and deliberately slowed her breathing, knowing her racing heart would soon follow.

She clenched the locket between her fingers, thumb worrying over it to soothe her anxiety, guide her breathing.  With practiced finesse, her fingers moved to the latch, prying it open with her eyes still closed.

She was crying even before she looked at the photographs inside, but her tears bubbled out in a wretched torrent once she glanced down at the pictures held within.

Three men—two on the left and one on the right.  All smiling.  All beautiful.

All dead, now.

She snapped the locket closed, eager to hide their faces away again, and covered her mouth with one hand as she sobbed; a wretched, heart-wrenching sound that easily traversed the length of the hall where it met Lord Kakashi’s curious and guilt-ridden ears.

He hated to think he might be the cause of her sadness, and had no way of knowing he had contributed to it only tangentially.

When she finally regained control of her emotions, the Caretaker finished dressing herself and left her room behind to attend to the rest of her duties.  As she stepped out onto the grounds to begin her search for Lord Kakashi’s errant horse, it was firmly rooted in the knowledge that it had been the right decision to have Iruka fetch the Doctor. Tsunade Senju was far more suited to the task of setting bones, of caring for the wounded.  Even if the woman’s visit had resulted in the disappearance of her favorite bottle of gin, it had been a good choice for both Lord Kakashi and his sole staff member.

She resigned herself to caring for Lord Kakashi and hoped that in so doing, she would not find her own undoing.

When she checked on the Lord shortly thereafter, no trace remained of her sorrow or upset—no tremors or tears lingered.  She smiled at him and asked if he needed anything and he cursed when she pushed him gently back against the mattress as he strained to stand.

“You must rest, my Lord,” she reminded him.  “Your leg is freshly set and your ribs are broken.  You have a contusion on the back of your skull.”

He groaned, shrugging out of her grip to the best of his ability, which was relatively laughable.  The Caretaker said as much, pushing him back into the pillows gently before promising to return with food.

It was a relatively simple interaction, despite the grumbling that followed her into the hall as she left the Lord’s room.  If she had known it would be the last amicable conversation they had for several weeks, the Caretaker may have taken a brief moment to savor it.

For in the course of the ensuing days, it became apparent that if anyone were to describe Sakumo Hatake’s son as a wretched patient, it would have been a matter of gross understatement.  Of course, had the elder man still been alive, he could—and would—have fairly warned the poor woman responsible for Lord Kakashi’s care in the wake of his riding accident.  But as Lord Hatake was remanded to his burial spot beneath a tree on the grounds, the younger man’s abhorrent disposition remained for her to discover on her own.

It was a speedy and wretched awakening.

Lord Kakashi rarely heeded directions and almost never stopped complaining through gritted teeth that he was not in need of a “nursemaid.”

“I supposed it is a good thing I am not a nursemaid, then,” his Caretaker would say, her vexation obvious in the twin lines pulled taut between her brows.  “However, if you should like, I would be more than happy to hire one.”

In truth, she hoped he would one day soon agree to her offer, so she would no longer be the sole person responsible for placating his sour moods.  Additionally, she could feel herself falling behind on her other duties around the Manor as her waking hours were wasted attempting to make Lord Kakashi’s recovery more comfortable.

“I’ve told you before,” Lord Kakashi snapped, “there is no reason to hire more staff.”

His Caretaker was grateful her back was turned so he could not see the way her eyes rolled irritably toward the ceiling.

“As you say, my Lord.”

He grunted and she left the room, glad to remove herself from it.   Of course, her respite did not last long.  Only a few short hours later, she returned to help him into the bath.  He cursed the whole way, refusing to lean enough weight on her shoulders and instead hopping rather ungracefully toward the adjacent bathroom where the warm water awaited his twisted and tired muscles.

She had initially suggested that sponge bathing would be better for the healing of his ribs, but the acerbic glare he had fixed her with made it quite clear such a thing would be impossible, and so helping him to the bath was the best she could manage.

As much as his Caretaker wished to help him disrobe, she knew already it was a losing battle to even suggest, so she simply said as she pulled the doors closed, “Call when you are ready for me to escort you back to the bed.”

Lord Kakashi’s response was not at all dignified and might even have been categorized as exceedingly inappropriate, were there any other ears near enough to hear it.

Of course, he did not call, and instead hopped his way back into his bed, where his companion found him sulking when she eventually decided she could wait no longer to ensure the young Lord had not drowned in the basin of his copper tub.

It had been like this for just over a week and the bitter energy of Hatake Manor was beginning to seep into the very carpets, likely to stain the house forever if the acrimonious spell was not soon broken.

Lord Kakashi would never admit so, but the pulleys and bars he had previously installed into the bathrooms and the halls proved quite useful as he recovered.  Though, if the woman he shared the House with ever appeared around a corner, he was quick to let go of whichever one he might be holding at the time and instead lean against the wall as if it was what he’d been doing all the while.

This resulted, each time without fail, in a severe scolding.

“You are meant to be resting,” she chided.

And he would shrug, hiding his wince with a smirk as his ribs ached with the minuscule movement.  “I am resting.  Against the wall.”

She didn’t even bother to hide her irritation anymore, rolling her eyes as she hooked one arm around his waist and forced him back to bed.  He grumbled and complained, but complied.

While his pride could withstand the Caretaker’s indignation—if he were honest with himself, he could even admit that she looked sort of pretty when she was so very irritated with him—he was not sure it would survive the acknowledgment of his condition and the limitations it placed upon his daily life.

Bed rest was not a thing Kakashi Hatake had taken to with any amount of dignity or grace, and he had no intentions of suddenly altering his mind on the subject.  His fall had become a source of great irritation and even shame—that a rider of his caliber had managed to be bucked made his fists curl tightly when he thought of it.

The horse had been found, she told him, wandering in a pasture of the adjacent landowner.  They had been kind enough to allow a stableboy to return the horse to the Hatake Estate as soon as they found it, recognizing the seal branded into the leather saddle.

Lord Kakashi did not like to think about how many people he had never met might yet be familiar with his name and landholdings regardless.  He prized privacy and dignity about all else—that wagging tongues had most assuredly spread news of his relocation shortly following his arrival made the hairs at the back of his neck prickle indignantly.  As did the realization that the grocer’s son and the Doctor had likely also loosed gossip of his injury.

As Lord Kakashi continued to recover, the only bright spot was the letter he received one afternoon, delivered by the Caretaker along with his usual afternoon tea. The familiar sigil in the wax brightened his face with a smile his companion had never seen alight his face—something bright and youthful and filled with hope.

When he flicked his dark gaze up to meet hers, the Caretaker felt her heart warm at the recognition of his excitement, true and unabashed as it was.  It was something she had not yet regarded in him—delight and happiness.  A rare and beautiful thing, she decided, particularly in his current circumstance.

“We should prepare the house for visitors,” he said.

At least the prospect of a visitor relieved some of the tension between them as the Caretaker prepared for their mysterious guest  Because, no matter how often she tried, Lord Kakashi would not reveal his acquaintance’s identity.

“You’ll see when he gets here,” he promised.  “I would hate to spoil the surprise.”

[the-letter-horror-lover]

Continued Kushina lives fanfiction. Doesn't belong to me. Chapter 14

Itachi started crying, his normally calm exterior cracking in the face of his broken brother. "I'm s—sorry. I—I'm s—so sor—ry, S—Sasu—ke. I'll f—fix th—this," Itachi managed to choke out through tears while thinking, 'Stupid chemicals are messing me up. I should be able to control myself better than this.'

—After several months on the road, Naruto and Jiraiya—

"How am I supposed to learn about information gathering if I always wait outside, Pervy-sensei?" Naruto pestered.

"I'll make sure that you learn my super-secret information gathering techniques after you turn sixteen. For now, I'm going to pump some sources for information," Jiraiya smiled at his double entendre as he walked into another brothel. "Practice your chakra manipulations."

Naruto sighed, not understanding the joke, but getting to work on the drills he still hadn't mastered and a few that he had.

—ANBU headquarters—

"Dog, report," Kushina ordered.

"Mission: successful, Lord Fox," Kakashi replied as he set the takeout on the desk. "Also, pig, horse, and snake report that the targets have been eliminated."

"Excellent," Kushina replied. "Lunch time! And then we visit Sasuke."

—The Leaf Academy—

"Konohamaru Sarutobi, you have to put time into practice," Itachi lectured from his wheelchair. He was still recovering from his treatments. "You should be first in the class. How do you expect to be a great ninja like your grandfather if you don't practice?"

"Gramps never practiced," the boy muttered.

"You never saw him practice, but he worked incredibly hard to get where he was," Itachi explained. "If you don't practice, you will fail out of the academy."

"You can barely walk, Itachi-sensei. I bet I could beat you," Konohamaru started to yell. "How come all of the teachers here are such weaklings?"

"Genjutsu," Itachi said, mostly for the other students. Konohamaru's eyes glazed over for several minutes as Iruka got on with teaching the class throwing techniques.

—Leaf Hospital, months later—

"It would appear that the cancer has gone into remission," Tsunade explained. "You are officially off of the medically disabled list, Itachi."

Itachi maintained his calm, but was internally excited to be able to spend more time working with Tsunade to treat Sasuke's trauma. "Lady Hokage, may we discuss Sasuke now?"

"What's on your mind?" she replied.

"There is only one genjutsu that can pierce the Mangekyo Sharingan: Kotoamatsukami," Itachi explained.

"And that was the genjutsu of Shisui 'the teleporter' Uchiha. Who died years ago," Tsunade narrowed her eyes.

"Is there any other way to help Sasuke recover? He hasn't made any progress in the last eight months. His short-term memory is still shot and his long-term memory is jumbled. When Orochimaru set out to break Sasuke, he did an extremely thorough job," Itachi commented.

"Let's discuss the limits of the genjutsu. I'll clear a place to meet. Kushina and Inoichi will join us…" Tsunade trailed.

—Somewhere in the Land of Water—

"Lord Jiraiya, the Hokage requires you and your apprentice in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Immediately," the tiny slug informed the sannin. Jiraiya looked over at Naruto balancing a tiny rasengan on each finger.

'That kid is actually going to get good enough to do that exercise. Even I can't make one on each finger,' he thought as he watched. "How immediate?" Jiraiya asked the slug.

"It's about Sasuke Uchiha's treatment. The Yamanaka has catalogued most of Sasuke's memories, but they need to go through the people closest to him for verification. Naruto is the last one. Itachi and Inoichi are going to use the information to reboot Sasuke's brain. Summon Lord Fukasaku," the slug replied. Jiraiya summoned the elder toad, knowing that he could get back to the Leaf village in a few hours by reverse-summoning to Mount Myoboku first. It took a minute to summon that particular toad due to his power and status. Katsuyu implied that whatever Tsunade wanted was important enough to use that route.

"Naruto!" Jiraiya called. "Collapse your clones and pack your things. We're heading out."

Naruto dispelled his clones in small groups as he jogged over to the sannin. "Is this another hot springs trip?" he complained. "Do you HAVE to get kicked out of EVERY bath house in EVERY country?"

"We're going to Mount Myoboku, home of the toads," Jiraiya explained. "So shut up about the bath houses."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Is the next Icha Icha volume going to involve toads?"

"NO! THIS IS BUSINESS! STOP ASSUMING I'M DOING SOMETHING PERVERSE ALL THE TIME!" Jiraiya screamed.

"Calm down, Jiraiya-boy," the old toad soothed. "The kid has you pegged and you know it. Now what's this about going to Mount Myoboku?"

Jiraiya stared at Naruto for a second before turning back to Lord Fukasaku. "We are needed, urgently, back in the Leaf village. It was important enough for Katsuyu to ask us to take the route through Mount Myoboku."

Naruto finished dispelling the last group of his clones and began to pack thinking, 'If summoning is basically a time-space ninjutsu, then it is related to the Flying Thunder God technique. I should definitely pay attention.'

Naruto saw the small, elderly toad dispel and Jiraiya turned to him. "Are you ready to go?" Jiraiya asked.

Naruto nodded. He had several scrolls in his backpack that contained spare clothes, extra supplies, food, blankets, a tent, and a bunch of other camping equipment. The backpack had been mostly for show ever since he'd mastered basic storage seals. Suddenly, he and Jiraiya were no longer in the Land of Water, but at the foot of a massive mountain, surrounded by alien vegetation and a bunch of toads.

"Welcome back, Jiraiya-boy. It's been a while," an elderly female toad exclaimed. "Pa told us that you're in a hurry, but you'll have to wait a few hours until the kids get set up near the Leaf village."

Jiraiya bowed and said, "Thanks, Lady Shima."

"And this is Naruto's first trip to the mountain! I'll make us something special," she smiled, hopping home to prepare grubs and worm and bug delicacies for Naruto.

—Leaf Hospital, Sasuke's room, two weeks later—

"Did it work?" a voice asked. It was like Naruto's, but older. Sasuke blinked.

"Did what work?" Sasuke asked. His vision was completely blurred. He couldn't even make out shapes. "Why can't I see?"

"Sasuke, what do you remember?" a woman's voice asked.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked, tensing.

"She's the head of the hospital, Sasuke," Kushina's soothing voice cooed. "How do you feel?"

Sasuke thought about it for a minute. 'Kushina is here. Naruto is here. My voice is different than I remember, but so is Naruto's. I must have been unconscious for a very long time. Wait, I remember… Itachi! But he was bald. And thin. Was he sick? This is weird. I can't remember.'

"I don't know. I'm having trouble remembering things," Sasuke responded.

"He's coherent, so that's an improvement," the head doctor said.

"Sasuke," Itachi's voice froze Sasuke in place. "There is a lot that you may not remember. We were as thorough as possible, but the damage was extensive. Please, don't react until you learn everything."

"Why can't I see?" Sasuke slowly asked.

Itachi answered, "You've overused the Mangekyo Sharingan. You had it active for ten months, day and night. Your mind was broken and couldn't shut it off. It took Kushina ten months to create a seal that would shut it off for you. We couldn't even figure out what was wrong with you until then."

Sasuke slowly thought about what he could remember. He remembered Itachi standing over their parents with a bloody tanto. He remembered Kushina hugging him. He remembered playing pranks together with Naruto. He remembered fragments of a pink-haired girl and a white-haired jonin with a single sharingan.

"Don't try too hard to remember. It will take time to heal. When you're ready, Itachi and Kakashi are going to start your rehabilitation," Kushina explained. "In the meantime, you'll be living with me again."

'And when you're ready, we're going to find Danzo and take back the eyes he stole so that you can see again,' Itachi thought. 'Together.'

Chapter 15

Naruto gasped as his broken rib punctured his lung. Another Root operative had joined in the fight to hold Team Kakashi and Team Guy at bay. He looked up at the ANBU mask, the operative foolishly thinking that giving Naruto time would instill a sense of fear in the fiery blonde.

"Sage Mode." Naruto's eyes turned into golden disks with a single horizontal pupil and the telltale orange shade surrounding them.

—Two months earlier—

"I haven't taught you every single jutsu I know, but do you really need them?" Jiraiya asked. "I'm telling you that your training with me is finished."

Naruto frowned, pouting, "But Jiraiya-sensei!"

"Your mother wants to see you anyway," Jiraiya said, knowing that Naruto would straighten at the mention of Kushina. The two had been travelling together for three years. But ever since Naruto had turned sixteen, Jiraiya started taking him to train in the brothels and Naruto had found another aspect of being a ninja that he thoroughly enjoyed.

'Must not tell mom about "hentai-jutsus." Must not tell mom about "hentai-jutsus,"' Naruto repeated to himself, knowing that she would think that Jiraiya had corrupted him by exposing him to one of the three ninja vices. He certainly wasn't as sex-obsessed as Jiraiya, but he knew how to have a good time.

"You're an even bigger pervert than I am and I am the Great Super-Pervert, Jiraiya!" Jiraiya posed momentarily in front of the brothel they'd just left. Naruto energetically ran from the stupid pose and, after a few miles, they stopped discussing the brothel to discuss actual business.

"That 'super-pervert' cover has got to be the most ingenious thing ever, Jiraiya-sensei," Naruto commented, still smiling.

"It isn't a cover," Jiraiya grumbled before sarcastically adding, "You think Kushina will approve of you going that route?"

Naruto's smile turned into a laugh for a few seconds before panicked realization overcame him. "Crap!"

Jiraiya chuckled. "Yep. Looks like you're stuck getting assassins while I take all of the seduction experts. MUAHAHAHA! What were we talking about again?"

The two joked on the road back to the Village Hidden in the leaves. The last time either had been back was to help treat Sasuke and that had been two years ago. They walked into the village, which had undergone renovations in several places.

Naruto and Jiraiya waved at the gate attendants as they walked into the village. Naruto looked good. His intense training ethic left him well muscled while his good diet and genes had kicked in to put him at a noticeable five feet, nine inches tall. He maintained his blonde hair to keep it spikey, but shorter than his father's hair. His blue eyes had made him incredibly popular with women now that he looked like an adult and had the confidence to back it up. He no longer carried a backpack since he stored all of his equipment in a single storage scroll.

His outfit was different now too. Rather than the orange he sported all through the academy, he wore a dark blue jacket that had a small Uzumaki crest in orange on the shoulder along with black pants.

"I'm gonna get some ramen, Jiraiya-sensei. You have to report to the Hokage anyway, right?" Naruto asked, hoping to get some food before he had to report in.

"Yeah, sure. Get some food," Jiraiya replied. "Don't take too long though. The Fifth is going to want to assess your skills."

Naruto bounded down familiar streets straight for Ichiraku Ramen. The stand had expanded since he'd last been home so that instead of just five or six seats in front, it was a round stand with more than a dozen seats ringing it. Noodles hung from the inside waiting for their final bath before going into a bowl.

Naruto sat down and waited for a familiar female face to ask him for his order. Ayame moved over to him, obviously busy. "What can we— NARUTO?"

"Hey! Think you can swing my usual?" he winked with a big, foxy grin.

"Of course!" she exclaimed, writing quickly onto her pad and sending it over to the trio of chefs making different types of ramen. "When did you get back?" she asked.

"Just now. This was my first stop," Naruto smiled. "Gotta support the local businesses, right?" He smiled in that charming way that he knew got ladies a little worked up.

He inhaled his three bowls of ramen and paid the bill before walking toward the Hokage tower. A familiar white cat streaked past followed by three genin. Neji strolled behind the genin, pausing to say, "Hello, Naruto. Welcome back," and then strolling casually after the genin.

Naruto continued down the street, looking for any other old friends. He spotted Shikamaru with the blonde girl from the Sand village. Both had green chunin vests.

"Hey, Shikamaru!" Naruto called.

"Hey, Naruto. Finally back?" Shikamaru responded.

"Yep. Heading to the Hokage right now, actually," Naruto explained.

"Good. I hope you take my place. I don't want to go to the chunin exams," Shikamaru complained. "So troublesome…"

The blonde Sand-nin responded, "Right? If I have to listen to another bunch of genin bitch about failing, I'm going to snap."

"I just hope I can convince the Hokage to give me a field promotion instead of taking the exams. I've been on the road the last few years and didn't get a chance to take any makeups. What's up with you?" Naruto asked.

Shikamaru sighed, "I'm trying to avoid becoming a jonin. My father keeps trying to get me to take his spot with the Hokage so he can retire, but then I'd have to do his job. Being a chunin leaves me with much more free time."

"That's the life though," Naruto commented. "We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot; a pirate's life for me!" Naruto sang with a smile.

Temari frowned, saying, "We're ninjas, not pirates."

"Aw, crap! I've been doing it wrong this whole time!" Naruto joked his smile widening. 'I knew she was the serious type,' he internally cheered.

"Heh. Meet me later for a game?" Shikamaru replied, brushing aside Naruto's obvious needling of the girl.

"Sure," Naruto replied before they all heard Naruto's name shouted from the Hokage tower. "Sounds like I'm late. See ya!" he said as he ran to the tower. He jumped up to the office and in through the window out of reflex.

"There you are," Tsunade calmly said as she noticed him in the window. "Welcome home. Before we put you on active duty, I'll have to determine whether Jiraiya has done his job or he's just taught you how to be a lazy author."

"What kind of test? Skills demonstration? Sparring? Infiltration?" Naruto asked, genuinely curious.

'Anko's infiltration test was remarkable at weeding out people who couldn't hide their strength,' Tsunade thought at the mention of infiltration. "All of the above. First, I've arranged for a sparring partner to test and evaluate your battle skills tomorrow morning in the Forest of Death," Tsunade smiled.

"Sounds good. What time?" Naruto asked.

"Be at the main gate at seven," Tsunade replied.

"Got it. Do you happen to know if Kushina, Kakashi, Sakura, or Sasuke are around?" Naruto asked, hoping to cut his search time down.

"Kushina and Kakashi are with ANBU, but Kushina should be in town or soon returning. Sasuke and Itachi are probably at your place. Sakura is at the hospital," Tsunade listed.

"What's wrong with Sakura?" Naruto asked, concerned for his old teammate.

"Nothing. She works there. She teaches the academy medical course two days a week and treats patients four days a week," Tsunade answered. Between Kushina running ANBU and Tsunade's use of a shadow clone or two, she'd managed to implement several of the pet projects she'd wanted to implement since the Third Great Ninja War. "This is the first year we've required a first aid jutsu along with the other three to become genin," she beamed proudly.

"Really? Isn't that more advanced than a transformation?" Naruto asked absently, itching to go see whomever he could find.

"A little, but we've seen an increase in mission efficiency that makes up the increased failure rate at the academy," Tsunade replied.

"Neat. Tomorrow at seven?" Naruto asked, obviously not as interested in discussing policy as Tsunade was in bragging about it.

"Yes. Tomorrow at seven. Dismissed," Tsunade nodded disappointedly, sitting back down at the desk.

Naruto leapt out the window, running across rooftops to get back to his home. He jumped through the open window to see Sasuke and Itachi eating with Kushina. "Hi, everyone!" he exclaimed walking into the living room. Kushina was out of her seat in a blur, tackling Naruto in a big hug.

"You're home!" Kushina exclaimed with a wide smile. Even Itachi smiled a little at the spectacle. Sasuke turned, but kept his eyes closed. They weren't technically his eyes since his eyes were in suspended animation and the eyes he had were transplanted from a donor.

Naruto returned the hug and stood up. He looked remarkably like the pictures of Minato, but he was a built a little heavier than Minato. And the whisker marks on his cheeks, of course.

"Tell me what you've been up to," Naruto pressed the group as he sat at the table.

Kushina responded, "Well, I've been in charge of ANBU and Hinata convinced me to train her, so I've been pretty busy. Did you study the scrolls I sent you?"

"Yes. I've got a knack for sealing. I think you'll be impressed, if you have time to watch my evaluation tomorrow," Naruto smirked.

Itachi chuckled. "I'm pretty curious, but I'll wait to see tomorrow. If you've got time, Sasuke would probably like to spar, but his eyes are sealed at the hospital until we can get him new Uchiha eyes." Itachi's vision was only in the early stages of faltering, but he could still see fine with the glasses he now wore.

"I read some legends about the sharingan, now that you mention it. It said that Madara Uchiha started to go blind because of the Mangekyo Sharingan, but he transplanted his brother's eyes," Naruto started lecturing.

"Unfortunately, that isn't an option for us," Sasuke started.

"I can't donate my eyes," Itachi finished, a little sad.

"Oh," Naruto said, followed by an awkward silence. "Well, what have you been up to aside from eye transplants, Sasuke?"

"After I left the hospital, we spent several weeks relaxing here before I started training again. Itachi and Kakashi trained me in the use of the sharingan for several months before even my Mangekyo Sharingan was completely blind. After that, we tried training with a different set of eyes, but they burned outquickly. I've been training to fight blind ever since," Sasuke explained. "The hospital informed us that organ donors' eyes largely go unused, but that they would save compatible eyes in case I burn out another set."

"I take it you've been trying Earth Style, mostly?" Naruto asked, knowing from fighting blind opponents that was the easiest.

"At first," Sasuke responded cagily. "I can't use many of the lightning techniques that I know without vision, but I use fire and water ninjutsu too. My genjutsu has gotten almost as good as Itachi's though," he smiled.

"Nice! We're gonna have to spar soon. I wanna see where we are," Naruto commented. He nodded to Itachi, "I guess you've been living here too, but what have you been up to?"

"I spent most of that first year you were gone in treatment for cancer," Itachi stoically commented. "If I hadn't found Sasuke, I would be suffering from the terminal stages right now. I'm very thankful to the Fifth Hokage for taking me in and changing my outlook. I've mostly taught at the academy with Iruka because I have a seal that stops me from being fully cleared."

"Is it from Orochimaru?" Naruto interrupted, thinking back to when his mother had commented on Orochimaru's cursed seal.

"No. I can't talk about it, but it mostly stops me from being fully cleared. Kushina has suggested that I could overpower it, if I increase my chakra level enough. My own training has focused on that, but it took nearly a year to get back to the level it was at before I started treatment and every attempt I've made so far has failed, so I'm still working on it," Itachi continued. "I think that we all have an early day tomorrow, so I'm going to get some sleep. You should probably follow suit."

Although excited, the two younger boys decided that being tired for a test wouldn't be a good idea and everyone went to bed early.

—Training ground seven, 7:00 AM—

"Good to see you here on time," Tsunade nodded to Naruto. "Your worthless sensei couldn't be bothered to make it, I see."

'Jiraiya-sensei is checking in with the women in his spy network. Is she trying to piss me off?' he thought. "I'm sure he's doing something very important. Stop trying to change the subject. You want to see me fight someone, right? Let's get on with it." Naruto was itching to show off.

"Very well. Itachi, explain the test," Tsunade ordered as Itachi appeared in a swirl of leaves.

Itachi pulled out a single bell, holding it up. "Naruto, you are familiar with the bell test?" Naruto nodded in reply. "Excellent. You must retrieve this bell before noon."

"Before we start, Itachi, I don't suppose you'd mind breaking a hundred ryo bill? I was hoping to get a drink before we started and there's a vending machine just down the street," Naruto asked, licking his lips.

Itachi sighed, pulling out his wallet. "Sure. Here," he said, annoyed, as he exchanged coins for the bill. Naruto darted off to the vending machine while Itachi opened the gate into the forest. Naruto returned with a sports drink and a small box of pocky. The sports drink was already mostly finished by the time Naruto caught up to Itachi in a clearing. "Are you ready to go now?" Itachi asked patiently, the three tomoe spinning in his eyes already.

"Yeah. Let's do it!" Naruto exclaimed, wiping his chin to make sure he hadn't dribbled after he set down the drink bottle and pocky box.

Itachi looked at Naruto from the middle of the clearing, saying, "Go." Itachi dodged a couple of kunai, keeping his distance from the blonde. "You'll have to close the distance, especially if that's the best you can do."

Naruto smiled, quickly running through hand signs before pulling out a single shuriken. "Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu." Naruto threw a single shuriken that multiplied into more than one hundred. Itachi pulled out a kunai to deflect some while he dodged the others. Naruto repeated the process, back to back, several times with different projectiles. Each time, Itachi dodged and blocked the shuriken or kunai and each time the cloned projectiles would disperse, leaving only the single projectile embedded around their little battlefield.

"I guess it's time to take this to the next level, eh Itachi?" Naruto smirked, channeling lightning chakra into his nervous system. Naruto's movements became faster than body-flicker and he struck at Itachi. Itachi blocked the first strike, barely deflected the second strike, but took the third strike hard in his leg.

"Your supplemental ninjutsu techniques are excellent. Do you have any offensive ninjutsu with range or is it all taijutsu and supplemental skills?" Itachi asked, standing and rubbing his leg.

Naruto created a single shadow clone as Itachi's sharingan morphed from the three-tomoe pattern to a three-pronged, curved shuriken. "Tornado Inferno." Naruto blew a massive torrent of air while the clone blew an equally massive gout of flame that mixed with the air. Itachi's eyes widened as he forced chakra that wracked his body to form around him.

"Susano'o." A massive yellow skeleton surrounded Itachi only to be covered in tendrils of red that formed an armored warrior forming a protective shell around the Uchiha. "Mixing two B-rank jutsus to form an A-rank or possibly S-rank combo. What else have you got?" Itachi asked, adding, "Hurry up, I don't want to keep this up for any longer than necessary."

Naruto nodded, standing next to one of his lost kunai, and formed a clone before a ball of visibly spinning chakra formed in his hand. As it formed, the chakra thinned further and further, emitting a high-pitched squeal, until only the sharingan could see the width. "Wind Style: Rasenshuriken." He threw the ball of cutting death at Itachi as the clone disappeared in a puff of smoke, but the red warrior absorbed it with its shield. Itachi flinched as the jutsu exploded and then faded into the shield.

While most of the spectators had gasped at the jutsu and the explosion, Kakashi widened both eyes as the light dissipated. "Naruto just beat Itachi," he commented.

"That was impressive, but Itachi is still protected by that ultimate defense," Tsunade said.

Kakashi smiled, "And yet Naruto has the bell."

Naruto held up the bell for everyone to see and Itachi looked down to his waist to see the spot empty. "How?" Itachi asked, letting his Susano'o fade and releasing his sharingan entirely.

"Flying Thunder God." Naruto flashed around the battlefield, picking up each projectile, before flashing behind Itachi, beaming a thousand watt smile. "I marked the bill I handed you earlier. You said you couldn't keep up the pace, so I created a clone and started that jutsu. I used a time-space jutsu to get behind you and grab the bell while you were distracted by that other jutsu."

Kakashi looked at Tsunade with an expression that looked suspiciously like "I told you so" without him actually saying it. Tsunade scoffed before jumping down into the clearing. "Itachi, report."

"Yes, Lady Hokage. Overall taijutsu: A-rank. Speed: S-rank. Power: B-rank. Technique: A-rank. Overall ninjutsu: A-rank. Wind style: S-rank. Fire Style: B-rank. Lightning Style: B-rank. Water and Earth Style: unknown. Chakra Shaping: A-rank. Overall genjutsu: unknown, estimated B-rank. Chakra Control: A-rank. Chakra Level: beyond my ability to measure."

"Naruto, do you agree?" the older blonde woman asked.

"My water and Earth Styles are D-rank. I've worked on them for a long time and that's the best they're going to get. Itachi is overestimating my genjutsu ability. I can break B-ranks, but I have very little practice with even that. I have never successfully used a genjutsu. My fuinjutsu is A-rank," Naruto listed. "But I still haven't figured out how to tag a spot on the fly like the Fourth could."

"Kakashi, get down here and report," Tsunade called, followed by the scarecrow of a man jumping to Tsunade's side.

"I agree with Itachi," Kakashi said quickly with a smile.

"Asuma," Tsunade called and the bearded jonin put out his cigarette before body-flickering into a bow before the Hokage.

"I was impressed with how well he incorporated his abilities to fight. Itachi and Kakashi are rarely wrong. I agree with their assessments," the man replied, adding, "However, I'd like to see what else he can do."

"Hmm. His abilities in open combat are very well developed. I wonder how fair it would be to put him in the exams, but the exams are required," Tsunade mused. "Naruto, you're going to supplement other teams while we assess your other abilities. You'll spend one mission with each team and each mission will be a chance for you to show off your abilities to infiltrate, follow orders, work with others, and so forth. Take the rest of today off."

Naruto nodded, picking up his sports drink and handing the pocky to Itachi saying, "I heard you like these," before bounding back into the village. Once Naruto was safely away, Tsunade turned to Itachi. "Did you strain your eyes?"

"No. I wish that we could have seen more of what he learned, but I'm glad that I didn't have to keep that going for long," Itachi responded.

"Do you have anything else to say now that he's gone?" Tsunade asked the three jonin.

"Yet another reason I'm glad I'm not in Akatsuki anymore: I don't think that I could capture him without getting killed," Itachi replied. "But that was the point of Jiraiya training him."

Kakashi nodded. "That last Wind Style jutsu is an instant-kill technique. I don't know how many of those he can do in one day, but I know how many he would try."

"I don't think I have enough chakra for even one of those things," Asuma added. "That's an impressive jutsu."

Kushina body-flickered from her place in the trees into the conversation. "He wasn't lying about sealing. I gave him a lot of the Uzumaki scrolls and some had Minato's notes in the margins."

"Do you want him for ANBU?" Tsunade asked, genuinely curious.

"He should do a stint in ANBU, but not yet. Once the Akatsuki threat diminishes, we can talk about it again," the red-haired ANBU commander evaluated.

—The Desert outside of the Village Hidden in the Sand—

"You have your man in the guards, yeah?" a blonde man wearing a black coat with red clouds pestered.

"Yes," the hunched form wearing a similar cloak rumbled. "Infiltrating the village won't be a problem. Don't fail."

"You get us in. I'll kidnap the Kazekage," the child-like blonde responded.

—Inside a tent filled with books and scrolls—

"There! I've found it, Lord Orochimaru!" Kabuto shouted. Orochimaru's pale form opened the tent flap, revealing ruins behind him as he entered.

"Show me," Orochimaru ordered as he read over the grey-haired medic-nin. "Guren!" he called without waiting for a response. "Change the excavation. Search for the location of the Uzumaki clan's mask shrine."

Chapter 16

"All I need is a couple of drops," Naruto pleaded. "And then we'll never have to do another 'Capture Tora' mission ever again."

"You're not bleeding the cat," Shikamaru responded. "We aren't supposed to hurt the troublesome little fucker."

"I don't want to have to chase that monster again. I did it eight times as a genin. I got my training out of it and I appreciate that genin gain valuable experience from chasing the little monster, but what I'm saying is that WE won't have to do it EVER again," Naruto explained.

"But you want ME to hold it down for you," Shikamaru responded with a sigh. "Besides, it'll be Tora's progeny by then."

"Dammit!" Naruto cursed, knowing that he wouldn't convince his lazy friend. He quickly changed his attitude though. "Have you worked with Ebisu before? He's the jonin-sensei for my evaluation this morning."

"Nope. I mostly coordinate events like the chunin exams and when I do go out on a mission, it's usually a chunin cell," Shikamaru explained. "Your mom has been bugging me to join ANBU, but the training program is too much work. And I don't want to do assassinations."

"That reminds me, why are you up so early?" Naruto flinched away from thinking about his mom ruthlessly killing people.

"I'm going to Sand for a few weeks to discuss the next chunin exam," Shikamaru replied. "And if I'm late, then I get stuck with chores on the trip."

Naruto laughed at how his friend was motivated by laziness. "Wow. They really have you figured out, eh?"

"Yeah, yeah. Are you going to come all the way to Sand or do you have somewhere else to be?" Shikamaru pestered.

Naruto stopped, calling, "See you when you get back!" before running back to the Hokage tower. He leapt in through the window, seeing Ebisu and three genin standing in front of the Hokage desk. "So what's today's challenge?" he smiled from the window.

One of the genin boys had brown, spikey hair and an absurdly long scarf. The other boy was tall with short brown hair and glasses. The girl had orange hair up in pigtails along with a skirt and long boots. All three looked unimpressed. Ebisu stood behind the trio wearing a dark bandana and sunglasses along with his matching dark clothes.

"Naruto will be leading Team Ebisu on their mission today," Tsunade repeated. "The daimyo's wife—"

Naruto interrupted, sighing, "Lost her cat, Tora. Again."

Tsunade nodded in affirmation. "Tora is a brown cat with a red bow tied behind its ear and amber eyes," Tsunade explained. "Bring it back here as soon as you capture it. You have until sunset to complete the mission. Dismissed," she finished, waving the ninja out of her office.

Naruto walked out with Team Ebisu. Ebisu turned to his team in the hall saying stoically, "Today I will grade the team on how you work as a team. Naruto, I will report to the Hokage on your ability to lead this team."

"Alright! Everyone meet at Ichiraku Ramen and we'll discuss strategies for this mission!" Naruto smiled at the shocked genin before running outside and across rooftops.

The three genin followed suit, leaving an exasperated Ebisu behind. Naruto sat at the large, circular stand, casually waiting for the genin to catch up. The three were out of breath from sprinting across rooftops, so Naruto pulled out three stools and motioned for the three to sit.

"I hope you like ramen 'cause I already ordered you all a bowl," Naruto started. "Before we start, we should all have a good breakfast. And while we wait, let's all introduce ourselves. Give your name, your likes and dislikes, and your dreams. I'll go first. My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like…" he paused, muttering, "wow, now I know why Kakashi was quiet about it…" He looked at the confused genin continuing, "I like ramen and challenges. I dislike stuck up people and bullies. My dream is to be Hokage. And maybe bring peace to the ninja world."

The three just sat there while Ayame served up four bowls of ramen. The one with the scarf scoffed. "What's the point? You've read our personnel files."

"That's true: I'm only going to be your team leader for today, but so what? I'm gonna do my best!" Naruto smiled. "Now tell me about yourselves because none of that stuff except your name is in your personnel file."

"Tsk. Fine," the cranky boy in the scarf muttered. "My name is Konohamaru Sarutobi. I liked my grampa, but he's dead now. I like my team and upsetting the status quo. I dislike being treated like just another extension of gramps and people who kiss my ass. My dream is to prove that I'm better than even gramps," he finished sourly.

Naruto smiled, "As long as you work hard, you can do anything, Spikey. Pigtails, how about you?"

"Me?" the girl replied.

"You're the only one with pigtails," Naruto winked with a thousand-watt smile.

"My name is Moegi. I like gentlemen and I dislike perverted behavior. My dream is to enjoy life," she finished.

"Wow. You'd really hate my sensei… Glasses, you're up," Naruto said.

"My name is Udon. I like math and dislike noise. My dream is to be cool," the brown-haired boy explained.

"Great! Now eat your ramen. That cat is a pain," Naruto said as he set to eating his bowl of morning ramen. The three just stared. "Seriously. Eat. It's on me," Naruto explained when he noticed they weren't eating.

"We already ate breakfast, Uzumaki-sensei," Moegi replied.

"First mission requirement: a full stomach," Naruto held up his finger as he spoke before wolfing down his bowl. The genin trio looked on in horror before deciding that eating would be better than watching Naruto eat.

'This is the Red-hot Habanero's son? He's so undisciplined…' Ebisu thought as he watched.

Naruto finished and paid the bill while the younger ninjas finished. Naruto dug out the four radios from his pouch and checked the batteries and frequencies. "For this mission, we're going to stay in contact. These have enough range to cover almost the entire village. I'll be in the center of the village," Naruto started explaining as Konohamaru finished his bowl.

"Why won't you be helping us?" Konohamaru asked.

"I am. I'm just not doing the mission for you," Naruto replied. "You three will fan out around the village and search for Tora. Do not, I say again, DO NOT engage that cat alone. Once you locate Tora, let me know and we'll take it from there."

The three took a moment to put the radios on, attach the earpiece and microphones, and check to make sure the things worked. "Fan out. Focus on places cats enjoy, like sunlit areas and fish vendors," Naruto said over the radios as he hopped up on the rooftop of the nearest building. Ebisu appeared next to him and he cut his mic before saying, "You want to listen in? I brought an extra radio with an earpiece."

Ebisu nodded and Naruto handed him the equipment. "Report if you find anything. Otherwise, report in every fifteen minutes," Naruto radioed once Ebisu had gotten his radio set up. The three genin acknowledged the order.

—Seven hours later—

"Target spotted," Moegi's voice crackled over the radio.

Naruto smiled at Ebisu and killed his mic again. "Did you ever work with the Fourth Hokage?"

Ebisu frowned in confusion before answering, "Once or twice. Why?"

Naruto smiled at the jonin, "Grab my shoulder. Its late and this isn't cheating." Ebisu felt vertigo as Naruto teleported both of them to Udon. "I marked the radios," Naruto commented before turning to the confused genin saying, "Grab on." The three surprised Konohamaru who was on a rooftop trying to spot Naruto and Ebisu. "Grab on," Naruto instructed the young Sarutobi.

Ebisu silently ran behind a tree to vomit as soon as they appeared behind Moegi. "Moegi and Udon, prepare an ambush while Konohamaru sneaks around Tora and drives it towards the ambush. Quickly and quietly," Naruto whispered to the team. "Move out."

The three genin did as instructed and captured the cat with only a minor chase. Naruto pulled out a scroll and unsealed a kennel before the cat could struggle free.

"How did you know to bring a kennel, Naruto-sensei?" Konohamaru asked.

"The daimyo's wife spends a lot of time in the village. This mission comes up a lot," Naruto replied. "I thought I saw Team Neji on this mission a few days ago. Let's return to the Hokage and get paid, eh?"

Ebisu looked up. "We're walking!" he exclaimed, still looking a little green.

—The Village Hidden in the Sand—

The guard force lay dead except for a single man at the entrance to the Village Hidden in the Sand. He looked around at his comrades' bodies in horror before a kunai flew at him and sank into his throat. The last man gurgled helplessly as two figures in black cloaks featuring red clouds strolled through the entrance.

"I'll wait here," the hunched form rasped. "Hurry up."

"Don't worry. I'll show them my art," the blonde replied, summoning a massive clay bird.

—Uzumaki apartment, post-mission—

Naruto felt something was off as he opened the door. He wasn't sure exactly what it was until he closed the door behind him and heard noises coming from his mother's room. "Oh, goddammit," he muttered before calling, "I'm HO-OME!" as loudly as he could. The noises from his mother's room abruptly stopped.

He could hear clothes being rustled in Kushina's bedroom as he sat at the kitchen table wondering, 'Why me? If only Kushina's bedroom had a window, I could just pretend that I know nothing… *sigh* Might as well give them a hard time…'

Kushina came out of the bedroom, quickly closing the door behind her. "You're home early," she smiled. "How about we celebrate your short day?"

"Sure," Naruto replied. "But you need a shower first. You kinda smell like sex," he said scrunching up his nose.

"Naruto!" Kushina took a disappointed mother tone.

"Which would explain what I heard when I first came in," Naruto continued, making his best innocent face.

"NARUTO!" Kushina exclaimed, reddening.

"Should've put a sock on the doorknob or something," Naruto trailed, his expression now disturbed.

"NARUTO!" Kushina yelled.

"Bright side: I only heard noises. I didn't see anything, so I'm not all that scarred," Naruto went on. "Maybe, if my new daddy buys me ice cream, that'll make it all better," he said sarcastically.

Kushina turned a shade of embarrassed purple. "Okay! I get it! I'm caught! I'll put a sock on the doorknob next time."

Naruto shrugged, "It's what Jiraiya and I had worked out."

Kushina's eyes went wide, but before she could yell at him, he interrupted. "I was only half joking about the smell though. A shower isn't going to kill you, Kushina-sensei." Kushina slunk back to her bedroom, as embarrassed as she thought possible. He heard muffled voices and then the shower started. Ten minutes later, Kushina exited the bedroom with wet hair, closing the door behind her.

"Oh, no," Naruto shook his head. "He doesn't get to just leave. That ship sailed."

"Naruto," Kushina started sternly. "It isn't any of your business who I take to bed. I'm not a nun and I don't answer to you," she scolded.

Naruto thought about it for a minute. 'I really DON'T want to know. What if it's somebody I know? I'd never be able to look them in the eye ever again. But if don't know who it is, I won't be able to look anyone in the eye without thinking that it could be them. Motherfucker... Wow. That is the most oddly fitting curse for this situation. Huh.' He looked at Kushina before responding. "Now I have to know. Otherwise, I'm just going to assume it's someone really inappropriate like Kakashi or Guy."

"Oh for…" she nearly cursed before calling, "Just come out, Hiashi."

Hiashi Hyuuga opened the bedroom door with quiet grace. He silently nodded to Naruto before turning to Kushina. "Rain-check?" he quietly asked her.

Kushina nodded, saying, "I'll talk to you later." Hiashi calmly walked out the door, closing it as he left.

"Did not see THAT…" Naruto muttered.

"I think I've been sufficiently embarrassed for one day," Kushina replied, moving into the kitchen. "I'll cook something. Tell me about your day."

"Well, I was going to say that I spent the day coordinating a genin team on yet another Capture Tora mission, but in light of recent revelations, I think I'll be more honest. Ebisu and I spent most of the day on the rooftops rating the women in the village while the genin searched for the cat," Naruto explained, needling Kushina.

Kushina tut-tutted as she started cooking. "You're as bad as Jiraiya-sensei," she frowned.

"There is a fundamental truth to the world that I've learned these past few years and you've just hammered home again: people fuck. Jiraiya is a little over the top, but everyone does it," he laughed. "Besides, do you have any idea how many kunoichi tried to seduce Jiraiya versus how many assassins came after him?"

Kushina froze in place as she connected the dots. Finally, she asked, "Is that why he acts like a sex-obsessed teenager?"

"Not really. He is sex-obsessed," Naruto replied, hoping that the awkward conversation would end. "I ran into Shikamaru this morning."

"Oh?" Kushina prompted, glad for the change in subject.

"He was heading to Sand to help plan the next chunin exam," Naruto explained. "He told me you were trying to get him into ANBU."

"I've asked him once or twice," Kushina lied.

"Barring a war, he's smart to wait until he's older," Naruto replied. The sound of a key sliding into the lock put both Uzumakis on edge and paused the conversation, but it was only Itachi.

Itachi looked at the pair in the kitchen before settling into another kitchen chair. "How was today's test?" he asked Naruto.

"I took over a genin team for a 'Capture Tora' mission," Naruto rolled his eyes. "They caught the blasted thing."

"I'm happy for you. Have you had a chance to talk with Sasuke?" he asked, concerned.

"I haven't had much chance to talk to anyone. I was hoping Sasuke would be up for something tonight, but I haven't seen him," Naruto explained.

"Just be aware: he's got some idiosyncrasies," Itachi began delicately. "Orochimaru shattered him and we've done our best to help put the pieces back together, but he's not the same."

"Do you think those Akatsuki guys will come soon?" Naruto asked, trying to avoid the subject of Sasuke.

"Once word gets out that you're here, yes," Itachi confirmed. "I'm going to try again to break this seal in a few weeks, but I'd like to get a better idea of your skill with genjutsu in the meantime."

Naruto shrugged. "Sure. The Hokage said that I just have one more test tomorrow and then she'll know everything to have me back on the active roster."

"Do you know what you're doing tomorrow?" Kushina asked from the stove.

"I'll be at the hospital. Sakura's actually going to be testing me," Naruto replied with a smile.

Itachi shook his head while Kushina quietly laughed. Sakura would not have an easy day.

—Leaf Hospital, the next day—

"You don't even know the basic academy healing jutsu?" Sakura asked in shock.

"When we graduated, it wasn't a requirement!" Naruto protested. "How was I supposed to know? I've been gone for three years!"

Sakura glared at the blonde. "I'll teach it to you, but you've got to at least get some clones to read the new curriculum on healing jutsus," she admonished.

Naruto could tell that she'd kept up her physical training. The girl had toned muscles and she didn't seem to be ashamed of showing them off. Her shirt didn't quite cover the sleek abdominal muscles on her midriff. Her skirt left her toned legs in plain view as well. As always, she wore a sleeveless shirt, which exposed her sleek, toned arms.

'Still a little flat-chested though,' Naruto couldn't help thinking as he sized up his old teammate.

"Are you checking me out?" she asked angrily.

"Are you trying to shame me?" Naruto replied calmly.

"Umm…" she couldn't think of a response.

"Are you telling me that I should be ashamed of momentarily admiring your obvious physical beauty after three years away?" he pressed, knowing that she had no answer. Enjoying how flustered Sakura was becoming, he lowered his voice. "Or are you telling me that I should be more discrete about it?" he asked pointedly raising his eyebrows, the prankster in him taking over.

Sakura punched him hard enough for him to fly through the walls, but instead he turned into a cloud of smoke, leaving the wall undamaged. Sakura could hear Naruto's hysterical laughter outside the hospital.

"WHAT'S SO FUNNY, MORON?" screamed the enraged kunoichi, running out to confront the blonde.

"AHAHAHA… You… are so predictable… HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" he laughed, hunched over with tears in the corners of his eyes.

That only served to fuel Sakura's rage. She swung a hammer-fist into the laughing Naruto, but it was a shadow clone again. Sakura roared again, but Naruto simply laughed harder as he took her on a merry chase around the village, learning exactly how hard Sakura could hit as each clone dispelled.

Chapter 17

"Eagle, Dog, report," the ANBU Commander commanded expectantly.

"Fully recovered, Lady Fox," the man in the dog mask replied.

"Awaiting orders, Lady Fox," the woman in the eagle mask replied.

"Good. Report to the Hokage," the woman in the fox mask ordered. As the two disappeared, she whispered, "ANBU will miss you."

Eagle and Dog appeared in the Hokage's office in the traditional ANBU pose: on one knee with heads bowed. Tsunade looked up at the two additional ANBU in her office with a scowl. "Lady Fox didn't tell you anything, did she?"

The two shook their heads followed immediately by Tsunade shaking her head with a heavy sigh. "You're leaving ANBU for the regular shinobi forces. Kakashi, you'll be evaluating your team. Since Sasuke is on medical leave, the team will be short, but since you'll have two jonin-level shinobi, that shouldn't be a huge issue."

"Two?" Kakashi asked lazily after he removed his ANBU uniform, revealing the standard issue jonin suit and vest.

"Yes. Itachi evaluated Naruto's combat skill at jonin-level and Sakura is special jonin with medical ninjutsu. Ebisu suggested that Naruto had at least chunin-level leadership abilities. We were going to continue his evaluations, but something has come up," Tsunade explained.

Eagle had removed her ANBU uniform and replaced it with a standard blue jonin uniform as well. "Have I failed the ANBU corps, Lady Hokage?" she asked.

"No. But we need you in the normal forces. We'll reform Team Kurenai so that Kurenai can groom you to take over as a jonin and you can help Kiba and Shino get to the point where they can become jonin," Tsunade explained. "You'll be chunin for the time being, so dress accordingly. Go bring the rest of the team here. You already have a mission."

"Yes, Lady Hokage," Hinata responded, replacing the blue jonin suit with mesh armor and deep blue clothes.

"Team Kurenai is waiting at training ground ten. They've all mostly been on tracking and capture missions. They only know that you've been in ANBU for the last couple of years, so tell them whatever you want as long as it isn't classified," Tsunade explained, seemingly bored. Hinata nodded and quickly left.

Before Kakashi and Tsunade had a chance to continue their conversation, Naruto burst through the doors. "You ready to give up the hat yet, Aunty?" he beamed as he strolled next to Kakashi.

"Welcome back, Naruto," Kakashi smiled behind his mask. "How was your trip?"

"You know Jiraiya… Hookers and blackjack the whole time!" he joked with a giant thumbs up as Tsunade flinched.

'I wouldn't put it past the old goat, but I watched his match with Itachi,' she thought. "Team Kakashi, the ambassador from the Village Hidden in the Sand has requested assistance from us. There has been some sort of disaster—"

"Who else is going?" Naruto interrupted.

"I'LL GET TO THAT!" Tsunade roared. "There has been some sort of disaster and they requested medical assistance and trackers. Sakura is already gathering supplies and personnel from the hospital. Team Kurenai will be the tracking team. Kakashi will be in charge of the mission. Now, do you have any questions?"

"What happened in Sand?" Naruto asked.

"If we knew, I would have told you! Get moving!" Tsunade yelled angrily, throwing an empty sake bottle at the receding pair.

Naruto and Kakashi leapt across rooftops from the Hokage tower toward the hospital. "How soon do we need to be in Sand?" Naruto asked.

"As soon as possible," Kakashi responded. "It usually takes a day or two to get to Sand from here at top speed."

Naruto laughed, taking out one of his marked kunai. "Nah. I can get there MUCH faster. Here," he said, handing Kakashi the kunai. "Be somewhere private in thirty minutes. I'll be scouting Sand," he said with a wave before he disappeared.

'This isn't one of those special kunai that Minato-sensei had, but it's got the same formula on the blade. Interesting,' Kakashi thought as he made his way to the hospital.

—Five hundred meters outside the Village Hidden in the Sand—

'I guess it was a good idea to leave this on the road instead of inside the village. Who knows if it would have survived whatever happened,' Naruto thought standing next to one of his markers and watching the Sand-nin squads clearing bodies away from the outer walls of the desert city. He jogged, slowly and deliberately, to the nearest squad, waving his arms to get their attention.

"Who—" one of the Sand-nin started before the commander jumped down.

"Naruto! You got here fast!" the blonde woman shouted. "We barely sent the request to Leaf half an hour ago."

Naruto stopped at the fan-wielding woman's side. "Advanced scout. We're putting together a response, but I wanted to get as much information as possible. What happened?"

"Gaara was taken by some crazy terrorist with exploding clay. Most of the injuries are blasts, burns, and poison," Temari explained. "Kankuro was among the injured. I know we already owe you, but if you can help him…"

"I would have offered even if the Hokage hadn't sent me. Has Shikamaru arrived yet?" Naruto asked.

"Shika's coming?" she asked, expectantly.

'Cutesy nickname. File that away for later,' Naruto thought. "He was on his way to discuss the next chunin exam. I imagine the Kazekage would have been his first stop though, so if you haven't spotted him then he probably isn't here yet," he explained. "More important things, Temari. Which way did they go and how did they leave?"

"Ummm…" the flustered teen started before controlling herself. "They were flying on some giant clay bird and they went that way," she pointed away from the village.

"Goddamn fliers," Naruto cursed. "I'll be back with the teams soon: maybe an hour? If you can pass word along and send someone Sakura might know, it will help considerably."

"Sakura…" Temari wondered aloud. "Who is she?"

"Tsunade's apprentice, apparently. She'll be leading the medical support team. We're sending half a dozen of our best medic-nins along with a hefty supply load. Sakura is the team leader for the medics," Naruto guessed. "I'll be back with them shortly," he waved before disappearing.

'Glad I left one in the apartment,' Naruto thought as his space-time jutsu planted him in the living room. He didn't pay attention to what was actually happening on the couch as he ran out the window toward the Hokage Tower.

'Good thing we were only watching TV,' Itachi and Yugao thought as they watched Naruto suddenly appear and then speed out the window.

"This is NOT a good date, Itachi," the purple-haired woman coldly stated. "Get your own place before you ask me out again," she said, indignantly walking out of the apartment.

"Of course," Itachi calmly replied while inwardly cursing.

Naruto leapt through the window to the Hokage's office, interrupting her meeting with Team Kurenai. "Is this the tracking team?" he asked.

Tsunade sighed, thinking, 'Why can't he just use the door? People are supposed to use doors.' Tsunade turned to Naruto, saying, "Yes. This is the tracking team."

"Anyone able to track flying prey? Or able to fly, for that matter?" he asked.

"Shino or Kiba should be able to track them, but the trail will have gone cold by the time we get there," Kurenai answered.

Naruto looked like he ignored the answer, turning instead to Tsunade. "Do you have anyone who has a flying summon or something that you can spare?"

Tsunade thought for a moment, coming up with nothing, before bellowing, "Shizune! Find someone with some sort of flying summon!"

"Yes, Lady Hokage!" a shout came from beyond the door.

"Explanations, Naruto," Tsunade said, leveling a withering glare at the blonde teen.

"Went to Sand. Got a field report. Came back. Adjusting the team before we leave. Anything else?" he asked.

Kiba could no longer contain himself. "HOW THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT?" he screamed.

Naruto silently blinked at the outburst before responding. "Hiraishin," he said, expecting that to explain everything. Kurenai and Hinata gasped, while Shino remained statue-still, but Kiba looked confused.

"What does that even mean?" the animal trainer asked, exasperated.

Kurenai grabbed his shoulder and shook her head before whispering, "You'll find out later." She looked at Naruto for a reply as she trailed, "We leave for Sand…"

"Kakashi is assembling the medical team. They'll probably be staging at the hospital," he said as he pulled out a watch. "I have five minutes to get there. You have twenty to pack and meet us."

Kurenai and Hinata nodded before dragging the rest of the team out. Shizune returned with a personnel folder and a worried look.

"Well?" Tsunade asked, expectantly.

"We only have one person available who fits those criteria, but you're not going to like it…" Shizune hinted.

"If we only have one, we only have one. Spit it out, Shizune," Tsunade angrily intoned.

"His name is Sai and he used to be a member of ANBU before the dustup," Shizune explained.

"Great. One of his men. And you're sure this is the only one?" Tsunade asked hopefully.

"Sai is the only one currently available who has any flight capabilities," Shizune nodded.

"Naruto, go meet with Kakashi and tell him about the addition of Sai. Tell Kakashi that Sai is the only one available and that you said it was important to have him," Tsunade instructed, hoping Naruto knew what he was doing.

"Got it," Naruto nodded before jumping back out of the window. Naruto sped along to the hospital, mentally reviewing the hand-signs for the jutsu. 'I hate jutsus with hand-signs. They take too long and I'm never sure if I got the signs right,' he thought before arriving at the hospital.

"Kakashi said that you were coming with us to Sand," Sakura called out, catching Naruto just as he arrived.

"Yeah," he nervously replied. "I've got to talk to Kakashi real quick. Is everything going to be ready to leave in about fifteen minutes?"

Sakura looked shocked. "It'll take two days to get there! We still have to pack bags and personal stuff—"

"It's been taken care of," Naruto interrupted. "Just make sure that you have everything you need for the mission here in fifteen minutes." And with that, Naruto focused on the kunai he gave Kakashi, pouring his chakra into the Lightning Rod, also known as the Flying Thunder-God.

Kakashi was reading high up in a tree, having stabbed the kunai into a branch across from his perch. Naruto appeared before his watch could sting him with its silent alarm needle. Naruto looked around, realizing that he was in one of the large trees in front of the hospital and that the staging area was just in sight.

"Gaara was abducted by someone with a giant bird-thing so I asked the Hokage to add someone with a similar capability to the team. His name is Sai and he's the only person currently available," Naruto explained. "She was cursing about Sai being one of his men, if that means something."

Kakashi nodded. "I take it you plan to use a space-time ninjutsu to transport us to Sand?" Kakashi tried to confirm.

"Yeah, but I don't usually use the technique on this scale, so I have to review my notes on the hand-signs. Don't worry: I probably won't send us into a dark void of nothingness for all eternity," he smiled, pulling out his notebook and reviewing the hand-signs.

"Maybe I should read you the hand-signs for the jutsu as you perform it, just to be safe," Kakashi tried to suggest without letting any abject terror into his voice.

Naruto thought for a moment before responding, "That's probably a good idea. I'll study the jutsu until everyone is ready." Naruto read his little notebook in a pose eerily similar to Kakashi reading his Make-out Tactics.

In what seemed like no time at all, Sakura called out, "NARUTO! KAKASHI! WE'RE READY! GET YOUR LAZY ASSES DOWN HERE!"

Naruto and Kakashi turned to see all of the medical staff present as well as Team Kurenai and an overly pale teenager wearing a tanto and the fakest smile anyone could imagine. The two spikey-haired ninja jumped down, the silver-haired one pocketing his treasured book and the blonde-haired one still deep into his treasured book.

"Everyone, please get together in a small bunch around the supplies," Naruto instructed as he handed the dog-eared book to Kakashi. "It starts on this page. There are fourteen signs."

"What's going on? We need to pick everything up and go if we want to make it to Sand soon," Sakura asked.

Kiba leaned over as he huddled in to the supplies and said, "Time-space jutsu. Naruto is going to teleport us there."

Sakura tilted her head at Kurenai who only nodded, prodding Sakura to mutter, "Someone could have told me earlier…"

Naruto stood in front of everyone, running through the signs for the jutsu. 'It's just like a summoning. No big deal. I've got this,' Naruto thought to himself. "Okay, Kakashi. Read me the signs."

Kakashi read the signs slowly enough for Naruto to perform each one perfectly. When there was no puff of smoke or disorientation at the end, Kiba looked up and exclaimed, "Was that it?"

Kakashi turned and said, "Dry run," as if that should explain everything and the pair of spikey-haired ninja repeated the process, except for the massive summoning symbols that extended from the center of the group after Naruto slammed his hand to the ground, wrapping up and around them before the scenery suddenly changed to desert.

"Take a moment. That can be disorienting sometimes," Naruto explained as he jogged off, looking for Temari and the other Sand-nin.

"Oi! Temari! That Leaf kid is back!" one of the Sand-nin shouted as Naruto ran up the road. Temari stopped what she was doing and confirmed that Naruto was indeed jogging up the road. She looked out further from her perch on the sand-blown wall, noticing a group of ninja with large cases.

She jumped down to stop Naruto's jog saying, "Holy crap! I thought you were kidding about that hour!"

Naruto beamed a smile, responding, "Nope. I brought everyone. Get someone out here to help bring the supplies. We've got the tracking team and someone who can get us airborne, so we might be able to catch up to whoever took Gaara if we hurry."

Temari looked dumbfounded for a moment before she yelled orders at several of the genin cleaning up the area. Team Kurenai, Kakashi, and Sai quickly approached Naruto as the Sand genin began shuffling supplies under Sakura's watchful eye.

"Sai, how long will it take to get airborne?" Kakashi asked the strange, pale teen.

Sai pulled out a scroll and brush with ink, painting three birds and bringing the massive creatures to life before the assembled Leaf ninjas with a strange release of ninjutsu. "They are ready, Captain," the boy fake smiled.

"That's great Sai, but the tracking team hasn't got a lead yet. Just wait here while they do their thing," Kakashi gently explained. Sai kept his fake smile on while Shino and Kiba started searching, Kiba sniffing and Shino dispersing his insects. Temari had some of Gaara's things, which were seeped with his chakra and scent, brought out for reference.

After a few minutes, Shino spoke up. "I believe I have them," he explained from inside a light insect swarm.

"Sai, Kiba, and Shino: take the lead. Naruto and Kurenai: ride together. I'll ride with Hinata," Kakashi ordered as everyone reacted quickly.

The three ink birds were airborne and flying with Shino pointing them in the direction of the chakra trail. A giant, flying, clay bird animated by chakra wasn't exactly difficult for Shino to follow, even a few hours later.

Hinata simply looked forward, the veins near her eyes exposed showing her byakugan active. Kakashi kept on the lookout, but asked, "Are you going to tell him?"

"That when we were children, I had a massive crush on him? I think not," Hinata responded calmly.

"You should. Nobody lives forever," Kakashi advised.

"I've grown up since then. I don't stammer. I was in ANBU. I've assassinated people. I've seduced men and women for information and blackmail. I'm not the same shy little girl," Hinata coldly replied. "I'm a kunoichi."

"You still cry after you kill someone," Kakashi quietly observed. 'And sometimes after you've seduced them,' he thought, knowing that kunoichi often had harsh seduction missions that men simply couldn't perform. "You aren't as cold as you pretend."

"Shut up, Kakashi," Hinata quietly replied, desperately trying not to cry at the things Kakashi had forced her to remember. 'I wish I had my ANBU mask,' she thought, watching Naruto talk to Kurenai.

"Who is he?" Naruto asked.

"What?" Kurenai was startled.

"I keep better track of things than people think," Naruto began. "Hinata has been in ANBU for more than two years. Your team wasn't reformed to track, since all of them could probably do that without you. This is something else. Most probably, you are considering retirement. Kiba and Shino could be trained by any jonin to take the jonin exam, which only leaves Hinata. It makes sense. Both of you are kunoichi. You are probably training her to replace you in the ranks of the jonin and it seems a bit rushed, which means you plan on retiring."

Kurenai looked at the blonde, slightly flustered. "And that means that a man must be involved?" she questioned.

"Not necessarily. But you're wearing some knick-knacks that aren't entirely your style, which indicates a relationship or admirer. You flush slightly when exposed to the scent of male sweat, which indicates that you are heterosexual. My top guesses are Ebisu, Genma, and Asuma, by the way," Naruto finished.

"It's Asuma," Kurenai replied, too bewildered to keep it quiet. "How did you figure all that out?"

Naruto chuckled before responding, "A shinobi must be observant and look underneath the underneath. Also, I spent decades learning about people."

"You were only gone for three years," Kurenai casually retorted.

"Shadow clones, sustained transformations, and tampering with records got me into twelve undergraduate programs, three doctoral programs, and two research fellowships," Naruto boasted with a smile. "I insisted on some long-term infiltration practice."

Kurenai just stared at the over-educated sixteen year-old. "I'm almost afraid to ask…"

"Jiraiya didn't let me finish any of the programs though. He said I had other things to work on," he lamented before realizing that the birds had changed their flight. Naruto's demeanor went from casual to tense instantly. "It looks like we might be close; we're descending."

Chapter 18

"Deidara of the bomb," Kakashi rasped. "His explosions are earth chakra based, but be careful: he might have new tricks."

An explosion rocked the fleeing ink birds as Naruto and Kakashi stood together, facing the cloak-wearing man, kunai already strewn everywhere. "You both jumped into the belly of the beast, yeah?" the longhaired blonde smirked.

"Lightning beats earth," Naruto intoned as his hands flashed through signs.

'Naruto doesn't use hand signs for his jutsus. Those are signs for lightning jutsu. That sequence looks like my Chidori. No, that's closer to the Raikiri! But those first few weren't right,' Kakashi rapidly thought, his sharingan already exposed. 'That isn't my Lightning Cutter…'

A ball of light blue lightning chakra began to swirl in Naruto's hand. The glowing ball seemed to pulse in Naruto's hand. But Kakashi could see that the lighting chakra of his own Lightning Cutter swirled faster than the plain chakra or wind chakra of Naruto's other rasengan, creating a barely-controlled lightshow.

"Rasen-raikiri." The ball of lightning seemed to teleport from Naruto's hand before the air cracked and smelt of ozone just to the side of Deidara. Tendrils of lightning lashed out; each cracking and chirping with lightning and sparks. Several dozen yards were enveloped in the bright, barely blue light as the jutsu released its stored energy.

Deidara jumped away from the burst, but could feel the tingle of shock running through his entire body. The clay clone he'd left behind to take the brunt of the attack simply disfigured into uselessness. Deidara's hands sped through several signs of his own, but as they clasped in the last one nothing happened.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" the enraged bomb-maker shouted, landing not far away from the spikey-haired duo.

Naruto smiled. "I told you: lightning beats earth. If you don't have anything other than that clay, I suggest you surrender. It can't detonate."

'Lord Pain was right! Itachi told the Leaf EVERYTHING about us!' Deidara thought. 'Let's see how they like this new lightning clay. Heh heh heh.'

Deidara reached behind his back, into a third pouch and began molding the strange green-hued clay. "Let's see how you like this piece of art, yeah?"

Kakashi sped behind Deidara, but was only able to watch a handful of clay birds streak toward him as the lightning in the air sparked and detonated this new clay. Kakashi flew back from the force of the blast, spinning in the air, and only able to right himself, landing against one of the few trees in the area just before he would have smashed into it.

'They guessed that Itachi told us everything he knew. Of course, there will be surprises. Dammit,' Naruto thought, cursing himself. He knew that the field of lightning he'd set up to disrupt Deidara's bombs would impair the bomb-maker, but he hadn't known that Deidara now had bombs that could explode with lightning instead of earth chakra.

"Naruto! Stall him!" Kakashi shouted at his former student, vanishing into a camouflage jutsu.

Naruto lit his nerves and muscles with lightning chakra to enhance his speed and reactions before charging into the longhaired blonde. Every strike of Naruto's hit with a sickening thud and crunch, but none seemed to affect Deidara until Naruto hit the man in his chest with a mule-kick. That final crunch sounded less like bones breaking and more like glass shattering and Naruto disappeared from the man on instinct, instantly reappearing at one of the marked kunai that littered the area.

The clay clone erupted in a devastating blast of heat and shockwaves, leveling the ground for several yards. Naruto searched for either Kakashi or the mad bomber as the blast wave settled, but couldn't spot Kakashi.

"Kamui." Kakashi's sharingan showed a strange, three-pronged shape instead of the wheel with three tomoe as the bag on Deidara's back was sucked into nothingness just before a kunai sank into Deidara's back where the bag was only moments before.

'Damn it! My lightning clay is gone and the area is saturated with lightning chakra. Where is that fool Tobi?' Deidara thought, bleeding and unsteady on his feet. 'I need to get the hell outta here!'

"Where is your companion? What did you do with Gaara?" Naruto asked, waiting for confirmation.

Deidara ripped open his shirt, exposing an open mouth on his chest. "As if I'd tell you anything," he spat. 'I wanted to use this on Itachi, but I don't have any other options. My regular clay can't detonate in this static field and that bastard copy-nin took my lightning clay somehow,' he thought, pulling the stitches out of his chest.

Naruto pumped lightning chakra through his limbs again to strike at the mad bomber before the man could complete whatever ultimate jutsu he was attempting. Naruto's fist struck the man in the face with a sickening crack, lifting him off his feet, and sending him flying. Deidara limply sailed several yards before landing in a slumped pile.

Kakashi appeared in a shimmer, his jutsu cancelled. "Kakashi-sensei, I'll tie him up while you catch up to the tracking team," Naruto commanded. Kakashi nodded in response and disappeared in a swirl of leaves in the direction of the ink birds.

Naruto pulled out ninja wire and began to truss up his catch. "Hey!" one of the Sand ninja called to Naruto, interrupting him.

"Hey," Naruto turned to the group.

"We're here to back you up," the eldest of the three explained. "But I see you have everything under control here."

Naruto looked to his recently downed prey before responding, "Yeah. We got lucky."

As Naruto turned back to the new arrivals, Deidara's hands, filled with all of his remaining clay, shot from his pouches into the strange mouth on his chest. "NOW YOU'LL SEE MY ULTIMATE MASTERPIECE!" the mad bomber screamed, his body already burning out like a fuse.

Lightning chakra already coursed through Naruto's eyes, causing the world to move in slow motion. He could see the buildup of energy, not because of any special properties of his eyes, but because the man's body was visibly converting chakra and flesh into an immense and unavoidable explosion. Naruto charged his body with lightning chakra and streaked for the newly arrived Sand ninja, hoping to grab them before the blast could disintegrate them all.

The Sand-nins could only see the fuse-like body of Deidara beginning to explode before the blonde Leaf-nin tackled them and they were suddenly five hundred yards outside of their own village falling to the ground. They barely had a chance to hit the ground before a gargantuan rumble shook the ground and a massive plume several miles in the distance shone like a second sun.

Naruto activated his hiraishin to get to Kakashi, hoping that Kakashi had gotten clear of the blast. He was rewarded with a massive wave of energy blowing him off his feet when he arrived at the marked kunai. Naruto tumbled with Kakashi for several dozen yards before the two managed to right themselves in a display of acrobatic athleticism.

Both men stood braced against the wave for several long seconds before it finally died down. Naruto spoke first. "That guy was a blast," he commented flatly, slightly out of breath from using so much chakra.

Kakashi looked at Naruto. "That wasn't even remotely funny," Kakashi responded humorlessly.

Naruto just gave an amused smirk and turned in the direction of the tracking team. "It'll probably be better if you caught up to the team while I grab that stupid jonin who distracted me."

"You didn't finish tying up the bomb guy?" Kakashi asked incredulously.

Naruto sheepishly responded, "They caught my attention before I finished. I had to either accept a potential back-stab from an unknown or hope that the guy I knocked out stayed out."

Kakashi made a face behind his mask that Naruto recognized as a frown, but said, "No helping it then," as he turned toward the tracking team. "Catch up with that Sand jonin."

Naruto nodded before dusting himself off and disappearing to reach the Sand team he'd just moved to safety.

—With Kakashi—

Kakashi ran through the sparse vegetation at his top travel speed, which was damn fast. Three years of operations and training under Kushina Uzumaki had forced him into the best shape of his life. His stamina and chakra reserves were so large that he could use his Raikiri nine times in a day and using the Mangekyo Sharingan didn't put him into a two-week coma.

Kakashi ran past a spot that was covered in ink spatter, spotting the tracking team behind the cover of some of the thicker trees in the bare area. 'I don't know why more Hyuuga don't go into ANBU. Hinata was a flawless assassin. The Gentle Fist is almost untraceable,' he couldn't help thinking as he approached the tracking specialists. "Yo," he waved a two-fingered salute at the bunch.

"What the hell was that?" Kiba demanded as Akamaru barked.

Kakashi ignored him and turned to Hinata and Kurenai. "Report," he stated professionally.

Hinata looked to Kurenai, who simply stood clutching her belly. "The blast wave dispelled the ink birds. Kurenai-sensei thought she might be pregnant before the mission, but hadn't gotten tested yet, and is concerned that the effects of the blast may cause a miscarriage," Hinata quickly rattled. "No casualties and only minor injuries, but the mission is a failure. Deidara doubled back and the other trails dead-end here."

—With Naruto—

"How long have you been a jonin?" Naruto asked angrily.

"I made jonin this year," the man in the traditional Sand turban and vest smugly replied.

"And you didn't think to let me finish binding him before calling out or approaching?" he questioned the man.

"It looked like you had it under control," the man tried to defend.

"You two," he pointed at the two other ninjas. "You're staying here. You," he grabbed the jonin's arm, "are coming with me," he ground out as he activated the hiraishin to take him to Kakashi.

"Kakashi-sensei, Kurenai-sensei: what's the situation?" Naruto asked as the scenery changed from desert to scrub and the Sand-nin turned to lose his lunch again.

Kurenai looked over at the hurling jonin before responding, "No casualties, only minor injuries, but we've lost the trail. The explosion wiped the area clean, but before that, we found the end of the trail. Kiba reported the smell of a dimensional shift, which indicates a time-space jutsu user," she repeated, adding, "He never would have known that smell if it hadn't been for you, Naruto."

'He's gone then. After everything… After Jiraiya and I gave him a new seal… After all of our conversations… All of our plans…' Naruto thought.

Naruto nodded in response, taking the information in. He turned to the Sand-nin, wondering what Temari had been thinking sending a team after them. 'She must not have had a choice. It smells too much like politics to be actual support. This guy is good enough to catch us, but not smart enough to let me finish binding a prisoner,' he angrily thought, before calming himself. 'Then again, everyone makes mistakes.'

"Anyone know a light-show type jutsu?" Naruto asked redundantly as Kakashi nodded.

Kakashi smiled behind his mask, saying, "I've got plenty."

The Sand-nin was confused, but Naruto responded, "Get to where the trail ends, then send up as big a flare as you can manage every ten minutes until Sand arrives. Keep the area as clear as possible, just in case any of the Sand techs can figure anything out from residue or something."

Naruto sighed heavily, dreading what he now had to do. "I'll go report that the mission failed and Gaara is lost, presumed dead."

"Naruto, you don't have to do this. Kurenai can deliver the news," Hinata interjected, concerned.

"No. If I plan to become a leader, I'll have to deliver bad news. I owe it to Gaara to tell his family, personally. We were friends, when we met again, after the incident in the arena," Naruto resolved.

He appeared again outside of the Village Hidden in the Sand, but made the journey from the entrance gates to the council building where he knew Temari would be busily working at a walk.

Temari looked at him and read the emotions on his face. She dropped the papers she had in her hands. An older man in councilor's robes with half his face covered from the cloth draping from his turban opened the door behind Naruto. Naruto maintained eye contact with Temari before explaining, "We weren't able to catch them. Akatsuki has a time-space jutsu user. The trail went dead."

Temari looked at him still in disbelief, her fears violently intruding on her self-control. She couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. Her form hunched over the desk, barely remaining upright. "Gaara…" she barely managed to croak.

"We didn't find a body…" Naruto tried to sound hopeful, but it was clear that he wasn't.

"He's dead. Isn't he?" Temari looked up at him, the hope in her eyes slowly fading.

"We didn't find a body," Naruto responded lamely.

The councilman closed the doors, keeping his back to the young kunoichi. "I have news from the hospital," the man intoned, still facing away as he looked down. "Kankuro is going to make a full recovery, thanks to Tsunade's apprentice."

Temari looked at the two men in her now dead baby-brother's office. "I— I… What do I do?" she pleaded.

Naruto held her shoulders, looking into her eyes. He could see the sadness and despair building. "You hold together. There will be plenty of time to fall apart later. People need you. Your brother needs you. Your village needs you. Your home needs you," he finished with conviction and fire that he hoped would inspire the young woman.

"Hold together. I don't know if I can…" she responded pitifully.

She was shocked when she felt a sting on her face as Naruto slapped her. "You don't have a choice. There isn't anyone else," Naruto said harshly. "Now pick yourself up and stop making Gaara ashamed to call you 'family.'"

Temari picked herself up, wiping her eyes. She took several choked breaths before she finally steadied and looked at Naruto. "They took my baby brother, Naruto. They tried to kill us all, but they TOOK him," she emphasized. "If my brother is alive, bring him back. If he isn't, bring me their heads." She walked out, making her way to the hospital, leaving Naruto and the councilman alone.

Naruto looked at the older jonin. "You have to hold together too. I know that you've gone into administration since the last time I was here, but you can't let all of the paperwork leave you weak," Naruto vainly tried to needle.

"The last time you were here was a much happier time, Naruto," the man spoke, still facing away from Naruto.

"The last time I was here, Baki, we took Gaara to that brothel with Kankuro and Jiraiya to celebrate his confirmation as Kazekage," Naruto responded with a sad smile. "That was only six months ago."

"A happier time…" the man trailed before leaving, a stoic expression once again on his face as he left.

"You have to hold yourself together," Naruto whispered alone in the Kazekage's office.

A/N: Breaking my "one author's note only" rule just to say that Gaara dies so that I can write about Yugito Nii without compromising the story. Plus, it creates some tensions between the Leaf and the Sand that I'd like to explore more than retreading the Cloud/Leaf tensions in canon. I really like Gaara in general and would love to write something involving him when I finish this story, but I'm not going to do flashbacks. Flashbacks in literature are called "prequels." (The authors words..not mine)

Chapter 19

"BREAK THE SEAL!" Naruto growled as glowing red-orange chakra leaked from tenketsu all over his body, covering him like a cloak. A single tail began to form behind the blonde, his form already taking on feral teeth, claws, and red eyes.

Itachi stood in the center of a large array of kanji, deep underground. He wore only shorts while paint covered his bare torso in patterns and kanji that he knew he'd regret later. The seal in his mouth slowly began to wrap around him as he attempted to overpower it. He knew that he didn't have enough chakra to do it, but that was part of the plan.

A woman's voice called out, "He's almost out of chakra and the seal is barely weakened!"

'Holy shit, this going to hurt…' Itachi thought.

—10 days earlier—

"Naruto, get up!" Kushina yelled through the door to a bedroom. The apartment she'd lived in with just Naruto was long since gone, replaced with the four room apartment shared by Naruto, Sasuke, Itachi, and Kushina. She knew enough not to intrude on a teenage boy in the morning, but Naruto had been drowning in sorrow since the failed mission to Sand. "Itachi? Would you—"

"No," he interrupted. "Not after last time you asked when I walked in on Sasuke and The Perverted Pink Howler-monkey. No way. Not again," he said adamantly. "That scene haunts my dreams," he muttered with a shudder.

"Hey!" Sakura retorted from the kitchen, noticing the older Uchiha shudder.

"If you didn't want me to call you a Perverted Pink Howler-monkey, you shouldn't have let me catch you fucking my baby brother like one," Itachi coldly commented to the girl, going back to the little, orange book Kakashi had lent him.

Sasuke shrugged. His eyes had burned out again, so he was sitting on the couch with gauze around his eyes. 'I don't remember having sex with Sakura,' he thought. 'Was I asleep? Did she rape me? Or drug me? Or drug me and rape me? Is she pregnant? I'm not ready to be a father! GAH! I can't think! I want my eyes back! Why can't I remember anything without my eyes?'

Sakura could see Sasuke facing in her direction with suspicion plastered on his face. 'He's having memory problems again,' she thought. "I'm just here to check on you. I know how disoriented you get after you burn out your eyes," she explained, the pain in her voice obvious to Sasuke's heightened sense of hearing. "I'm not trying to get back together."

Sasuke ignored the forlorn girl and let his senses reach out into Naruto's room. Naruto wasn't alone, but the barely clothed kunoichi was already scampering out the window, pulling on clothes as she leapt. "He's alone. You can go in," Sasuke said, facing Kushina and wondering if he could get enough pain medication knock himself out.

Kushina slowly opened the door, keeping her eyes to one corner. She silently cursed at Naruto for not obeying the rule he'd explained to her. "You're supposed to put something on the door when you have a 'guest,'" she commented, jokingly.

"Sorry," he mumbled, pulling on shorts under the covers. "I forgot."

"It's been a week. Are you going to do something productive?" she asked.

Naruto sighed. "I guess. I don't have much choice anyway, do I? I have to go before the jonin council today one way or another."

"The Hokage can't promote certain people to jonin without a vote from the jonin council. It's one of the three things that requires a vote. Don't you want to be a jonin?" Kushina asked, closing the door behind her and looking out the open window.

'I've been moping for too long. I don't know how Tsunade did this for years. It's high time I get off my ass and get working. The world isn't going to save itself, dattebayo! Stupid tic,' he resolved. 'Let's see how much I can rile mo— Kushina-sensei…'

"Does it matter? Akatsuki doesn't care what rank I am and Itachi still can't break that stupid seal. Sasuke is has the memory of an Alzheimer's patient every time he burns out his eyes. We're all doomed anyway," he lamented with as much melodrama as he could muster, turning to sit on the bed with his head in his hands and his feet on the floor.

"Naruto Uzumaki! You stop that defeatist attitude this instant!" Kushina furiously scolded. "You've never given up before and I'll be damned if you're going to start now!"

"I know," Naruto replied with a smile. "I figured that I've been sitting here long enough anyway, but it took you long enough to try to kick me out of it." As Kushina's face started to scrunch up in annoyance, he reached under the covers. "By the way, how much do you figure Jiraiya would pay," he started as he removed his hand, "for these slightly used panties?" he asked as he held up a tiny thong.

"NARUTO!" Kushina yelled loud enough for Ino to hear it from several blocks away as she hopped across rooftops. 'Did I get him in trouble?' Ino thought. 'I feel like I forgot something important…'

—Hokage Tower, later that day—

"Congratulations, Naruto," Hinata bowed. She wasn't part of the jonin council yet mostly because her work in ANBU had never required the official rank. It wasn't as if it was difficult to become a jonin, but Naruto had special circumstances. He was closely related to several key figures within the village, so the jonin council had to vote on his ability in order to avoid the perception of favoritism on the part of the Hokage.

"Thanks Hinata!" Naruto smiled, finally feeling back to his old self.

"Naruto…" Shikamaru trailed from a shadow. "I need your help…"

"I think I might need your help too, actually. I did something pretty stupid," Naruto admitted. "Why don't we all get some lunch?"

Shikamaru turned, his face gloomy. "We can eat at my place," the normally lazy teen turned and leapt over rooftops.

'Shikamaru is travelling like a ninja. On purpose. Outside of a mission. Shit…' Naruto couldn't help thinking as he followed with Hinata in tow.

"Naruto, I wanted to ask you something," Hinata said as they followed Shikamaru, still slightly flustered. 'Stupid crush. Why can't I treat this like a normal seduction mission?' she scolded herself.

"You've heard the rumors about me and a few of the kunoichi our age, I suppose," Naruto sighed. If Itachi hadn't described, in eye-melting detail, what he'd caught Sakura doing with Sasuke, he was sure she would have been the one to admonish him for being a "pervert."

Hinata blushed slightly recalling the rumor Anko had told her. 'That woman really has no shame,' Hinata thought. 'And what she suggested he does with shadow clones…' Hinata mumbled, "I've heard rumors, but they seem a little… well… obscene."

Naruto looked a little disappointed. "Oh. I see. You don't approve," he replied.

Hinata balked. She'd actually done dirtier things than most of the rumors with the exception of Anko's. She shook her head. "No! I just wondered if any of them were true," she squeaked more than said.

[liara-shadowsong]

So I have about a thousand terrible fanfic ideas, most of which will probably never see the light of day. I have one for Naruto that visually appears to go AU between the "Search for Tsunade" and "Sasuke Recovery Mission" arcs, but once you actually get into the meat of it, actually diverged from canon during the Third War. Various spoilers for canon below!!!

Basically, the whole "Sasuke leaving the village" plotline gets derailed before it can even properly get momentum (to clarify: he never leaves because Things Happen) going because practically as soon as Tsunade becomes Hokage, maybe during a modified version of "Land of Tea Escort Mission", two nominally-civilian-ish chakra users from a family that hails from Whirlpool Country show up requesting asylum, offering to enlist as Konoha shinobi in order to earn their keep, and things just sort of go topsy turvy.

One is named Umino Akira, and she is the younger sister of Iruka-sensei's father (she's about forty). She has been desperately trying to get reunited with her nephew for years, but because she was one of the ringleaders of a mass exodus of bloodlimit clans and other people in Kiri who were in danger of execution over fifteen years before, and as such was listed as a missing-nin for years until they gave up / assumed she was dead / Mei became Mizukage, her request was repeatedly denied even though the civilian members of the clan were allowed to move to the Fire Country capital in exchange for Iruka's parents serving as Konoha shinobi. She's a medic nin, but keeping a few other secrets (most of which are highly unlikely to bite anyone in Konoha in the butt, so Tsunade says yes to letting her in when Iruka vouches for her and the other member of her party).

The other person traveling with her is her vaguely-mid-twenties adoptive son, who she found nearly dead on a battlefield during the war, took in as her apprentice after saving his life, and later adopted after it became clear that even though the brain injury he incurred healed well enough that he has little to no loss of overall function... he has a degree of retrograde amnesia and he is unlikely to remember enough of his childhood to go back to his previous life (because he doesn't even know for sure what country he's from originally). He is a seal specialist, and his name is Umino Tobi. Yes, that Tobi. Iruka's Auntie got to him before Madara in this universe. :) And then, you know, Shenanigans Happen.

Also, this world's Naruto was raised by a series of ANBU nannies, and then moved in with Iruka and Anko after graduating (yes I ship Iruka and Anko, shut up they're cute). And after the Uchiha Massacre, Sasuke was taken in by a civilian friend of his parents who runs an omurice stand near the Hokage's office (she actually served as a genin until she quit/retired at sixteen to take an apprenticeship as a cook, and she's secretly Fugaku's bastard half sister... Fugaku's parents were an arranged marriage that happened after she was already born, and Fugaku's and Kaori's mothers were close friends with no bad blood between them).

Also also, Rin survived in this universe, but she works exclusively in the hospital and doesn't take out-of-village missions any more and doesn't appear in Bingo books as a result, so everyone in Kiri thinks she's dead even though she isn't. She's still a Jinchuriki, but hardly anyone knows because Kiri doesn't want to admit they misplaced an entire Biju. She was Naruto's pediatrician because he's Sensei's kid.

And as you can probably tell, anytime what I want contradicts canon, I just go "uh huh, that's the official propaganda story, here's what's really going on". So yeah, Thinky Thoughts that probably won't get turned into a real fic, but maybe they will.

[mrs-iruka]

In Your Arms

"Oh there you are," Iruka said as he wrapped his arms around Kakashi's waist. 

Kakashi leaned back against the broad chest at his back and sighed. They stood before the memorial stone and read the lists of names carved into the huge surface. It appeared Kakashi was having a bad day, so Iruka held him tighter. 

"I miss them all so much," Kakashi whispered. 

"I know you do, but remember that they loved you so very much," Iruka said softly. 

They stood there a bit longer. The wind was icy cold suddenly. 

"Come on, let's go home,"Iruka said quietly. 

[fightaers]

to Iruka // ❛ Thank you for looking after my son. ❜ Part of Minato reestablishing himself in the world was through listening to Naruto talk about everybody who had been even slightly good to him, and Iruka ranked high up on that list. ❛ I always knew you were a good kid. ❜

iruka's sure he must've fried his brain during the recent war.

pretty sure, even though he wasn't much on the front line to speak of seeing as he's relegated more to recovery, assisting the medic nins, or employed for miscellaneous tasks like border security or transportation of vital scrolls. whatever it is, iruka knows, comparable to most of the shinobi during the fourth war, he was pretty damn lucky to have survived with nothing much but a few bruises and scraped knees. he's still convinced he must've been drugged up somewhere though, or had been put under some sort of genjutsu because there is no way he is seeing the fourth hokage, naruto's father, in front of him. sure, he'd heard rumours— but.

iruka's face heats up. though, if he were to be honest, he doesn't quite know from what exactly, based on the interaction so far, that he feels tremendously shy about. is it the very fact that the fourth had pointed out how he'd cared after naruto ? or was it the following statement to being called a kid ? a kid. had they met before when iruka was young ?

iruka remembers attending festivals, sure, sitting quite comfortably over his father's shoulder when the village celebrates its seasonal holiday and witnessing the hokage giving speeches or simply making his appearances and whatnot, but he didn't think he had ever personally been introduced to the fourth hokage as a child. no... his only affiliation with the office had genuinely started when the third took special note of him. but that was after the kyuubi attack. that was after iruka had to bury his parents into the ground. by that point, namikaze minato was among the fallen as well.

or maybe it's the guilt. which does settle quickly once his surprise over the entire thing fades. guilt, of course, because the lord fourth may have said what he said — thank you for looking after my son — though in truth, iruka didn't think he'd done half as enough. had he had more power... maybe more experience... or mizuki hadn't been in the picture, naruto wouldn't have known the meaning of loneliness at all, let alone ostracisation. iruka would've taken to the adoption paper much sooner, but he didn't. by the time he realises it, naruto's already grown. he'd become an integral figure in all of the ninja world, and iruka's guilt grows itself into becoming regret — though pride has always outshone it.

to the fourth now, iruka bows his whole body. ❛⠀it was an honour being able to teach him, fourth-sama. truly. that... that boy— ❜ the academy sensei hesitates, before he gathers his breath, and continues, finally meeting the fourth's eyes. ❛⠀naruto taught me many things as well. i wouldn't have become the man i am without him. if anything, i ... i hope you are proud of who he has become as well. i know i am. ❜

random asks, accepting.

[mosswrites]

fandoms & the characters i write

anime:

- jujutsu kaisen

- gojo, nanami, shoko, geto, iori, sukuna(original appearance), toji, todo

- will write but not for nsfw:

- itadori, maki, nobara, megumi, toge, yuta,

- attack on titan

- levi, hange, eren, mikasa, jean, connie, armin, erwin, reiner

- demon slayer

- obani, mitsuri, rengoku, giyu, sanami, gyomei, shinobu, tengen (+hinatsuru, makio, suma if wanted)

-will write but not for nsfw

- tanjiro, inosuke, zenitsu

- platonic only: nezuko

- my hero academia

- aizawa, present mic, enji todoroki, hawks, miriko, tashiro, midnight, all might

- will write but not for nsfw

- midoriya, bakugo, kirishima, denki, shoto, sero, jiro, mina, tsuyu, tenya ita, uraraka,

- naruto

- naruto, kakashi, sasuke, hinata, shikamaru, hidan, deidera, guy, itachi, ino, jiraiya, gaara, shino, choji, kankuro, iruka, kiba, yamato, temari, asuma, sai, kisame, kakuzu

- gansta

- worick, nicolas

- k - project

- mikoto, misaki, munakata, izumo, seri

- tokyo ghoul

- kaneki, uta, juuzou, nishiki

- cowboy bebop

- spike, faye, jet

tv shows:

- stranger things

- eddie munson, steve harrington, billy hargrove, robin buckley, jonathan byers, jim hopper

- the 100

- clarke, bellamy, octavia, raven, john murphy, echo, jasper, lexa, emori,

- the last of us

- joel

- the witcher

- geralt of rivia

- yennefer

games:

- resident evil

- leon kennedy, jill valentine

- the last of us

- joel, ellie

- assassins creed

- any

-legend of zelda botw & totk

-link

-sidon

if there is a character i have not listed and you would like to request, feel free to leave the request anyway, i may write them i may not depends on how many requests and or how i feel about said character

[wickedmmorg]

Naruto soundtrack youtube

NARUTO SOUNDTRACK YOUTUBE SERIES

NARUTO SOUNDTRACK YOUTUBE TV

Like all the ninja teams from every village, Team 7 is charged with completing missions requested by villagers, such as doing chores or being bodyguards. Naruto befriends two comrades, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, who are assigned with him to form a three-person team named Team 7 under an experienced sensei named Kakashi Hatake. The main story follows Naruto and his friends' personal growth. This encounter leads Naruto to realize that he is the container of the demon fox. When Iruka almost dies while protecting Naruto from Mizuki, Naruto uses a Jutsu he learned from the scroll that creates multiple clones of himself, Shadow Clone Technique, to defeat Mizuki. Years later, Naruto is tricked by the renegade ninja Mizuki into stealing a forbidden scroll, but he is stopped by his teacher, Iruka Umino. This included Naruto, who was not aware of the demon inside of him. A decree made by the Third Hokage, who replaced the Fourth Hokage after his death, forbade anyone mention the attack of the demon fox to anyone else. Konohagakure, however, regarded Naruto as if he were the demon fox itself and mistreated him throughout most of his childhood. In response, the leader of Konohagakure and its ninja military – the Fourth Hokage – sacrificed his life to seal the demon inside Naruto when he was a newborn. Twelve years before the start of the series, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox attacked the ninja village Konohagakure, slaughtering many people. Naruto Uzumaki is a young boy who has the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox sealed within him. See also: List of Naruto characters and World of Naruto

NARUTO SOUNDTRACK YOUTUBE SERIES

Reviewers from the series have praised the balance between fighting and comedy scenes, as well as the characters' personalities, but have criticized it for using standard shōnen plot elements. The English adaptation of the series has also appeared in the USA Today Booklist several times and volume 11 won the Quil Award in 2006. Serialized in Viz's Shonen Jump magazine, Naruto has become one of the company's best-selling manga series. The manga has sold over 100 million copies in Japan. The first DVD volume of Naruto: Shippuden was released by Viz in North America on September 29, 2009, and it started broadcast on Disney XD in October of the same year. The films, as well as most OVAs from the series, have also been released by Viz, with the first film premiering in cinemas. The anime series began airing in the United States and Canada in 2005, and later in the United Kingdom and Australia in 20, respectively. Viz has been publishing the series in their Shonen Jump magazine, and as well as the indidividual volumes. Viz Media has licensed the manga and anime for North American production. Other types of merchandise include light novels, video games and trading cards developed by several companies. In addition to the anime series, Studio Pierrot has developed six movies for the series and several original video animations (OVAs). The first series lasted 220 episodes, while Naruto: Shippuden, a sequel to the original series, has been airing since February 15, 2007.

NARUTO SOUNDTRACK YOUTUBE TV

It premiered across Japan on the terrestrial TV Tokyo network and the anime satellite television network Animax on October 3, 2002. The manga was later adapted into an anime, which was produced by Studio Pierrot and Aniplex. Currently, the manga is still being serialized with fifty-one tankōbon volumes released so far. The manga was first published by Shueisha in 1999 in the 43rd issue of Japan's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine. The series is based on a one-shot comic by Kishimoto that was published in the August 1997 issue of Akamaru Jump. The plot tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition and aspires to become a Hokage, the ninja in his village that is acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of all. Naruto ( NARUTO-ナルト- ?, romanized as NARUTO) is an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto.

[iruka-simp]

LIST OF ALL IRUKA EPISODES

I have compiled a list of all the episodes/movies Iruka Umino makes an appearance in. This took me hours of research to put together so please consider reblogging this/saving it for personal use if you found it helpful :) it would make me really happy to know this helped others out

iruka deserves all the appreciation in the world <3

episodes list after the cut:

All Iruka Umino Appearances

I noticed the 'Naruto: Shippuden' section had previously been inaccurate, however I revised it and it should now be fixed :)

(Note: episode title - episode number)

NARUTO

He Appears! Naruto Uzumaki - 1

My Name is Konohamaru - 2

Sasuke and Sakura: Friends or Foes? - 3

Pass or Fail: Survival Test - 4

You failed! Kakashi's Final Decision - 5

A dangerous mission! Journey To The Land of Waves - 6

A New Chapter Begins! The Chunin Exams - 20

Identify Yourself: Powerful New Rivals - 21

Genin Takedown! All Nine Rookies Face Off - 23

Special Report: Live From The Forest of Death - 26

Surviving the Cut: the Rookie Nine are Together Again - 37

Akamaru Unleashed! Who's Top Dog Now? - 44

Live or Die: Risk it All to Win it All - 56

Ultimate Defense: Zero Blind Spot - 61

Zero Hour! Konoha Crush Begins - 68

Village in distress: A new ranked mission - 69

An Unrivaled Match! Hokage Battle Royale - 71

Forbidden Secret Technique: Dead Demon Consuming Seal - 73

Astonishing Truth! Gaara's Identity Emerges - 74

Light vs. Dark: The Two Faces of Gaara - 77

Beyond The Limit of Darkness and Light - 79

The Third Hokage, Forever… - 80

Sensei and Student: The Bond of Shinobi - 100

The Three Villains From the Maximum Security Prison - 142

Tonton! I'm Counting on You - 143

A New Squad! Two People and a Dog?! - 144

A New Formation: Ino-Shika-Cho - 145

Remaining Ambition: Orochimaru's Shadow - 146

A Clash of Fate: You Can't Bring Me Down - 147

Departure - 220

NARUTO: SHIPPUDEN

Homecoming - 1

The Akatsuki Makes Its Move - 2

Mission Cleared - 6

Team Kakashi Deployed - 8

A Quietly Approaching Threat - 72

Under the Starry Sky - 74

Following the Masters Shadow - 153

Assault on the Leaf Village - 157

Power to Believe - 158

Pain vs. Kakashi - 159

Explode! Sage Mode - 163

Hero of The Hidden Leaf - 175

Rookie Instructor Iruka - 176

Iruka's Ordeal - 177

Iruka's Decision - 178

Thank You - 249

A Message From The Heart - 275

Shino vs Torune - 317

Nine-Tails - 327

Kurama - 328

Team 7 - 361

The Ones Who Will Inherit - 422

Naruto and Sasuke - 477

Naruto Uzumaki! - 479

Naruto and Hinata - 480

Gaara and Shikamaru - 482

Naruto's Wedding - 494

A Full-Powered Wedding Gift - 495

Steam and Food Pills - 496

The Kazekage's Wedding Gift - 497

The Last Mission - 498

The Outcome of The Secret Mission - 499

The Message - 500

BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS

The Mysterious Transfer Student! - 5

The Final Lesson! - 6

A New Path - 15

The Turbulent Field Trip - 25

The Quest For Souvenirs - 32

The Parent Teacher Conference! - 35

A Shinobi's Resolve - 37

Himawari's Ninja Trial Session - 154

NARUTO SD: ROCK LEE AND HIS NINJA PALS

Always Do Your Homework At The Last Minute! - 22

Friendship, Effort, and Victory! - 27

MOVIES

Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow: Naruto the Movie

Road to ninja: Naruto the Movie

The Last: Naruto the Movie

If I have forgotten anything or made a mistake, please don't hesitate to let me know! :D

I am currently rewatching these episodes to ensure this list is accurate, so I may omit or add episodes from time to time as well

[imaginativeamateur]

[Kakashi Hatake X Reader] The Bracelet

Pairing: Kakashi Hatake x fem!Reader

Note: This one has been in my Queue list for so long and I kept pushing it to later dates. But I thought I should just publish it today and not have to worry about rescheduling later :D Hope you’ll enjoy!

Konoha was having the annual Spring Festival…

You glanced around the area, once, twice, and sighed. Kurenai was long gone with Asuma to join their students at a game show. Anko was also off to somewhere else. Gai was, of course, performing enthusiastically on stage with his team. The Genma and Iruka’s bunch was occupied with their own booths, hosting different activities for the children. The only people free during the period were you and the Copy Ninja.

Actually, you two were not free. Kakashi was leaning against a tree, his focus fixed on Icha Icha. And your mind was busied with the reward offered at Shizune’s booth. It was a bracelet, similar to the one your mother gave you before she passed away, the one that you lost after the Third Shinobi War. Looking at it from afar brought old memories back to you as you smiled to assuage the agony, it was a long time ago. You sighed and looked at the Copy Ninja again before turning your attention back to Shizune. And her booth happened to be called “Couple’s Obstacle Course”.

You hesitantly approached the silver-haired and looked away several times before speaking up, “Hey, Kakashi.”

He peered up from his book, “Hey Y/N, not joining the festival?”

“Well, I’m planning to,” you stuttered, “but I need your help. Just for a while.”

“I see,” Kakashi straightened his back and put his book away, “how can I help you?”

You pointed to where Shizune was standing, and his visible eye squinted to read the booth’s name. Kakashi then turned and stared at your face. You grew redder under the intensity, and you felt you were turning into jelly. You should have waited for your friend to return instead of asking Kakashi. He would never do something like this, so embarrassing. Especially when the man happened to be your ultimate crush.

“If you don’t want to,” you nervously laughed, “it’s fine—,”

“No,” he quickly interrupted, “I have nothing to do anyway, and the booth seems interesting.”

You exhaled in relief and gave him a big grin as you walked toward the station, “Thanks, Kakashi.”

“Oh hi, Y/N and Kakashi,” Shizune beamed when it was your turn, “never thought that our Y/N would get the Copy Ninja to involve himself in anything besides Icha Icha.”

You slightly chuckled but the curve on your lips suddenly fell at Shizune’s instructions, “Since it’s a couple’s activity, you guys need to show me that you are actually a couple.”

Nice. Your brows twitched as you turned to face Kakashi. But he just shrugged it off with a casual demeanor and slipped your hand in his, “What are the activities?”

The amused smirk on Shizune’s face deepened, “Good. There are three obstacles total that will tire you both physically and mentally. You will be competing with another couple.”

You had successfully stopped yourself from turning into a puddle and concentrated on the surroundings, reminding yourself to breathe, “Who are we competing with?”

“Us!” Kurenai appeared behind the stall with Asuma beside her.

You inwardly cursed. These two’s compatibility was on a different level. And as you looked at Kakashi, you could not help but sigh. How could two people, considered dead with their love lives, win another two that were in a relationship for years? But opposed to your concerning status, Kakashi looked rather composed and reserved.

“The first round will be a push-up challenge. Two people take turns to do as many push-ups as possible,” Shizune pointed her finger at the instruction board, “in five minutes.”

Four of you nodded. She continued, “The next round is quite simple. I will ask a question, and you need to write your answer on your own board. You will get one point if your answers are similar. This is to test your compatibility.”

You sweated, the bracelet now seemed out of your reach. Shizune smiled, “And the last round is Memory Matching.”

The order was determined by flipping a coin, and Kurenai and Asuma ended up having to go first. You were totally focused on their performance while the silver-haired Ninja focused on everything except your opponents. You were so immersed in analyzing their strategies that you had long forgotten that your hand was still resting in his. But the situation at Shizune’s was not so peaceful. She somehow managed to have the Godaime come, and they were pointing at you and Kakashi, snickering with smug faces. When you realized what was happening, it was too late. You hastily pulled your hand from his, and a blush crept onto your face. What a rough start.

“It’s your turn!” You heard Shizune called. Taking a big inhale with determination, you pulled Kakashi through the crowd.

The first round was not hard since you both were in a good shape. Luckily, you beat Kurenai and Asuma by merely two push-ups, panting heavily after the timer went off. The one you utterly feared was the second round.

“The first question is, ‘How many ninkens does Kakashi usually summon?’ You have five seconds!”

You smirked, this one you knew. The answer was Eight. Passed.

“How many pairs of shoes does Y/N own?” Shizune’s voice rang. And soon after, the buzzer for getting the wrong answer played its tune.

Your body gradually tensed because you two were so close to losing. Kurenai’s team only got two out of ten wrong, and you already got two out of five incorrect. Kakashi was starting to show a hint of uneasiness, too, gritting his teeth and narrowing his eye. After a while, both your bodies slid from the chairs as Kurenai cheered from the crowd, hugging Asuma beside. You lost, but it was reasonable. In fact, you two only got five out of ten wrong, which was exceptionally better than what you expected. You took a glance at the silver-haired Ninja as he stood up and fixed his green vest, Shizune shouted, “Ready for the next round?”

You did not realize a big crowd had gathered around the booth at this time, cheering, and you gulped down your agitation. Kakashi turned and insisted, “You really want to win this game?”

This was the last round end the competition. It was currently a draw, whoever won the final round would win the reward. The bracelet. You nodded and realized what he was going to do. Kakashi lifted his headband to reveal his crimson Sharingan and both of you smirked. That was it.

With his Sharingan activated, the Copy Ninja easily matched the cards within mere seconds, earning you two the victory you desired. You eagerly approached Shizune at the table to retrieve the bracelet, but the Medic darkly smiled, pointing to the board, “Congratulations, Y/N and Kakashi. Don’t forget the final step to claim your reward.”

You ogled at the board, the phrase “With a true kiss, you will have our limited bracelet” was being registered into your mind. No, this was not initially on the board. You turned to look at Kurenai, but she instead, gave you an approving nod, “You two really suit each other.”

No way. You opened your mouth to reject the offer before leaving, but Kakashi was faster, “A kiss and Y/N will have the bracelet?”

“Of course,” Shizune stated, “be fast so I can get the next couples to join.”

His words were lightning to your ears. You turned to face him with unbelievable eyes and jolted when his face was inches away from the tip of your nose. Kakashi’s covered lips slightly brushed against yours, and you swore you could feel the soft texture underneath the fabric. The crowd broke into squeals, and Shizune screamed in excitement, with Tsunade popping in from behind. The Godaime had to rub her eyes several times to catch what was going on. Kakashi quickly stood up, took the bracelet from the table, and dragged your stiff body away from the booth.

He eventually stopped when you both reached a more secluded area. You stuttered, not able to form words as he gently lifted your hand to clasp the bracelet around your wrist. You stared at his face, then to the bracelet, “Thank you. You didn’t need to do the last step, it wasn’t on the instruct—,”

“I know,” he cut you off, and you peered at him in bewilderment. He continued, “I was aware that it was not included. Tsunade added it in later when no one was noticing.”

“Then why did—,”

He pulled you into his arms and quickly removed his mask, pressing his lips on yours. Your eyes widened at his action but soon gave in to enjoy the warmth he brought as his arms reached around your waist to force yourself closer to his chest, “You got your reward, now, I need to get mine.”

From now on, there would be another piece of memory to reminisce whenever you saw the bracelet.

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

Taglist: @dai-tsukki-desu​ @thenightfallingstar​ @iam-gaaras-loveintrest​ @animepickle7​