#it makes sasuke look like a total fool

[panharmonium]

this is the most scorchingly accurate burn anyone’s ever delivered

[leportraitducadavre]

Naruto re-read XXX

Chapters covered: 245 - 254 Twentyeight Volume of the manga / 1rst Volume Naruto Shippuden

Site used: https://manga4life.com/manga/Naruto (VIZ translation of the manga)

Disclaimer: This is intended as a list and simple observations of the topics that particularly interested me in the aforementioned chapters, in that sense, do not expect a linear -or totally deep- analysis.

Tumblr’s update doesn’t allow me to attach more than 10 pictures, therefore, all of them will be LINKED. Apologies.

634) A little more than two years passed, not yet the three ones Akatsuki said it needed to “clear all of its assignments” (x). It’s unclear what those assignments were as they didn’t seem to start collecting Bijuus until after Naruto returns to Konoha.

635) The look on Naruto’s face when he sees Sakura after two-plus years (x). Her stance is somewhat strange, was she flirting or fishing for compliments? Perhaps both. By her last expression, she does seem glad to see him.

636) Considering the title of “sensei” was often disputed during their time as Team 7, this statement is awkward (x). It seems that Kakashi and Sakura haven’t trained nor seen each other much during the two years either (x).

637) “Attack as though you meant to kill or you’ll never stand a chance!" (x) versus closing his eyes so he wouldn’t be spoiled about his favorite novel (x). Was he truly taking this whole thing seriously or nah? He claimed to “make more serious of an effort” (x) but he completely disregarded the seriousness when he decided spoilers were more important than combat.

638) I’ve said it countless times before, Sakura isn’t using her “raw strength” but rather the Cherry’s blossom impact; it’s a diversification of her medical ninjutsu: rather than simply enhancing her strength with chakra (as Tsunade likely does), she gathers chakra in her fists and releases it upon impact. Kakashi states it himself, “to rapidly manipulate maximum chakra and instantly concentrate it into one’s fist (...) Sakura was always adept at genjutsu… but if this display of skill is any indication… she might just end up a greater kunoichi than even Lady Fifth!” (x).

He even acknowledged her “capacity” for genjutsu (which was regular at best for what we saw) and decided that the route she chose was far better suited for her as it gave her more room to become of the likes of Tsunade. So all this time that her fandom complained about Kishimoto not giving her Genjutsu skills? It was acknowledged and the decision was explained. Furthermore, why do you want her to have Genjutsu skills when no matter what she could do with them, it was no match for the Sharingan? Her stans can’t stop shouting about how she was robbed of genjutsu when Kishimoto gave her a technique that no other member of Team 7 was even trying to attempt to give her something to excel in.

Kakashi’s appreciation of Sakura’s skills is rudimentary at best, I’ve already shown how her genjutsu skills were basic at most: She fell for Kakashi’s genjutsu on the bell test, had to wait for Sasuke’s reassurance that an illusion was in place in the chünin exams, fell for Orochimaru’s genjutsu in FoD, and was fooled by a henge twice in the same chapter and once by non-other than Naruto who pretended to be Sasuke. She had four encounters with the genjutsu technique (and two with the henge, which while not a genjutsu still relies on deceiving the enemy), and three out of the four times she fell for it, and still, some of you held Kakashi’s words as “proof of her wasted potential” when he’s the same man who couldn’t care less if she dropped out of the exam. (source)

639) Naruto’s “Kakashi is more adept at Sharingan than Sasuke…” (x) is hilarious because he’s comparing a 31-year-old man (who admits the Sharingan drains his stamina incredibly fast) with a twelve-year-old as that was the last time he saw him… Sakura admits she can’t keep up with Kakashi’s sign-weaving speed. She’s admitting to not having enough reflexes, this will come back with her fight against Sasori.

640) Kakashi states he “invented this amazing new jutsu…” I’ll wait for the resolution of this sentence but I’m guessing he’s speaking of the MS’s technique… which isn’t his (x).

641) Naruto invites Sakura out on a date… Sakura doesn’t reject the idea but the context implies she accepts because then it means Naruto has to pay for it (x).

642) Each village seems to have its version of the medical corps (x), they seem to also be able to erect a shield around the village. Sand also seems to have “puppet corps” (x) created by Sasori.

643) Deidara’s strategy is impeccable (x).

644) Inner Sakura is still alive it seems… (x). Also, why is Tsunade sending Team 7 (the jinchuuriki of the nine tails included) to Suna? Was she not informed about Akatsuki targeting jinchuurikis (she seems to be)? Was she not concerned about the possibility of its members attacking the vessel of Kurama? Why send just one team? (and later on, just two). If it was to save their numbers and avoid sacrificing members of their militia, why send their most powerful “tool” at their disposal? Why isn’t Jiraiya going with them? Makes no sense whatsoever. Just love the fact that Kishimoto didn’t know how to justify the whole decision so he just… didn’t. 

645) Deidara’s assignment was the one-tail (x), Sasori’s target is unknown, it’s inside a jinchuriki tho.

646) It takes three days for the poison to kill Kankuro (x) and it takes Team 7 + Temari two and a half days to reach Suna. Sakura, using medical ninjutsu, can extract most of the poison from Kankuro’s body (x), giving her more time to work. It’s established that Tsunade is a better expert at poisons than Chiyo (x), and she seems to have taught Sakura and Shizune different types of antidotes. There's no mention of Sakura coming up with a new type of antidote on her own, she seems to have combined three of them to save Kankuro. Edit: The translation in this last point seems to be off. She might have meant she could do three doses of the antidote with the ingredients avaiable, using one in Kankuro.

Shizune also uses Dokugiri and Shikomishindan, two forms of attack that have poison as their primary element.

647) Sakura knows about Naruto’s condition as a vessel, he wasn’t the one who told her, she secretly read Tsunade’s reports; that’s likely a crime. That way she learned about Naruto’s nature, Itachi’s existence, Sasuke’s target, and Orochimaru’s condition; nothing was confided in her, so she forced herself into the mixture (x). It was likely out of concern and to collect information to help Sasuke (x) but, strangely, such behavior goes unpunished, meanwhile, Naruto was persecuted when he sought the knowledge of the scroll during the first chapters of the manga.

648) Chiyo wasn’t interested in intervening with Gaara’s kidnapping until they told her Sasori was involved (x).

(previous post) - (next post)

[sneezemonster15]

"Sakura is so unhinged, she doesn't have a backstory yet she manages to keep up with the crazy as the rest of team seven".

That's the jist of it, the person was basically saying shes an interesting character. When she punchs naruto for no reason it doesn't make you laugh, she's never cool because she always gets her ass handed to her in fights and has to be saved, she's not interesting because her goal is a guy's d and the only backstoryshown is her ditching ino who was there for her when she got bullied. How is her being a pathetic ungrateful bullying asshole that acts like an animal in heat when her crush is around interesting? I mean it's fine if a character has negative traits or is a villan, like orochimaru, when he appears you're never disappointed cuz he's interesting and entertaining. Another example is madara.

Sakura on the other hand, has nothing in her that makes her interesting or even entertaining in the least. It's annoying when people acknowledge her Canon traits but then acts likes it's something great and entertaining and interesting or funny.

Sakura could have been an interesting character even after retaining all her toxicities if she simply owned it. Like you said, one can be a villain or an antagonist and still be interesting. Problem with her character is that she doesn't really contribute anything significant to the story, she doesn't really make a difference but acts like she is important and significant and a badass guuuurrrl power candidate when she is not any of that. She is a delusional hypocrite. Which is why she is basically just annoying.

Sensible audiences can see and feel when the character is reliable, this can be done with various narrative devices. Like for eg, when a character has made a promise to themselves to accomplish something, they are able to do it. She wasn't. She thought she had become an awesome kunoichi just after becoming a genin, lol, but she didn't and this was shown clearly in the first arc itself where she proved herself to be utterly useless and pointless in battles. Also no contribution to the narrative, just standing there fainting or cowering in her pants. She decides she would get out of Ino's shadow but still doesn't manage to win the chuunin battle against her and it only ends up in a tie. She hardly even shows any real motivation to become a better or more skillful shinobi unless it has to do with impressing Sasuke, something even Sasuke reprimands her about. In the forest of death arc, when Sauske and Naruto are unconscious, she decides she would protect them but isn't even able to set a trap right and the sound village shinobis aren't fooled by her for one second. Lol. And of course, she needs Lee and Ino and Sasuke to rescue her or fight for her. She dramatically cuts her own hair and immediately mocks Ino for her vanity when she is obviously the more vain of the two. So clearly. She asks Naruto to wait for her and that she would get strong enough to get Sasuke back but doesn't manage to do it either, in fact, does the opposite, pushes Sasuke farther away with her idiotic proclamations and stupid, ill thought confessions. She decides she would kill Sasuke in kage arc but messes up like a total loser and isn't able to do shit and again needs to be rescued by Naruto and Kakashi. She decides she would stop Naruto from going to look for Sasuke in kage arc and without putting any thought into it, fake confesses to Naruto and obviously gets rejected properly like the nincompoop she is. She gets all huffy when cloud ninjas insult Sasuke and tries to take them on but ends up on the ground face first and needs to be again rescued by Naruto. Her stans are funny when they sing about her strength, she couldn't even fight average cloud ninjas. Lol. She prepares to stab Obito's eye in the war arc but obviously almost gets skewered by Madara when Obito transports her out. She tries to attack Madara and charges at him, again without any thought or planning, just like Hinata in pein arc, and gets stabbed. She then tries to follow Naruto and Sasuke into the fray but is stopped by Kakashi who tells her to not go unless she has a plan. Which she obviously doesn't. Lol.

Like nothing she does bears any fruit. Except for her battle with Sasori where she is propped up by Chiyo who is the real fighter here, or in the war arc where she is propped up by Kakashi, she isn't able to do shit.

The audience would still give her some credit for trying if she admitted her mistakes and shortcomings and worked on them till she did something right on her own. But she just doesn't. And what she does accomplish is very very insignificant compared to the amount of visibility she gets in the manga. Plus, she is always putting herself up on a pedestal in terms of ideal shinobihood (a shinobi doesn't cry or a crying won't bring Sasuke back or revenge wouldn't do Sasuke any good, right after which, she throws all her statements away to trail behind him) or gives herself a moral high ground when it is shown again and again that she doesn't have any reason to. So the impression that it makes in the minds of the readers is that she is not only useless and pointless, but delusional, a hypocrite and just a plot device for Sasuke and Naruto's relationship to grow. She simply serves to annoy her audience, who invests in her arc or role but gets nothing out of it except for constant disappointment and irritation. No reward. No narrative payback, no satisfactory climax. And she continues to make an ass out of herself what with harassing Sasuke, confessing to him in such an embarrassing and ill-thought of manner. And she also continues to be a jerk to Naruto, the sweet, empathetic, kind and characteristically reliable MC of this story for no other reason than her own superiority complex which has no real foundation except for her own vanity and resentment towards him given he gets the attention from Sasuke she thinks she deserves.

She would have been an interesting character if Kishi had given her arc an upward movement. She realizes her mistakes and promises herself to be better but she doesn't do shit about it. That's a good way to antagonize your reader. Lol. She mocks Naruto for his orphanhood in front of another orphan right in her introduction, which is when Sasuke mocks her back and sets her straight. So she realizes that she did the wrong thing. This should ideally and narratively have culminated in her not being a jerk towards Naruto. What's the point of a realization if you continue being the same way? Same goes for when she realizes that Naruto is a jinchuuriki in Gaara retrieval arc and has been through many struggles she can't even freaking imagine, but her attitude towards Naruto still doesn't change. She keeps being a violent jerk and condescending bully to him till the end. Even though he shows much more intelligence and presence of mind than she does. He is the one who finds out the way to defeat Kakashi in the second bell test. He is the one who is the unpredictable and clever ass ninja who ends up saving the day while she just stands there and watches the show. Or gets beaten up while he has to rescue her. He is the one who wins both the fights in chuunin exams while she only draws in her first one. He is the one who fights Oro along with Sasuke while she faints (even mentioned by Shizune in Gaiden who says it's Sakura's regular habit lol). Sasuke and Naruto are the ones who fight and defeat Gaara while she is held prisoner by Gaara, unable to do shit. She is a jerk to Lee and Ino, even though both of them try to help her. She corrects her behaviour with Lee but not with Ino or Naruto because she sees them as a threat because of their interest in Sasuke. She insults Kakashi about his skills even though Kakshi himself ends up rescuing her multiple times. She insults Tsunade even though she never surpassed her or came up with her own jutsu or changed the shinobi world with her inventions like Tsunade did.

Kishi very mindfully wrote her to be reviled, otherwise he would have given her a significant arc development in terms of skills and personality. But he deliberately kept her character the same throughout by repeating the same narrative motifs throughout, till the fucking end. Her jealousy, resentment and bullying treatment of Naruto. Her bad treatment of Ino, even repeating it in Gaiden. Her annoying harassment and pestering of Sasuke. Her insensitivity towards Sasuke's predicament and beliefs. Her shallowness towards him and Naruto. Her showing other women down to feel good about herself. Her lack of skills and strategies and propensity to enter a battle without thinking only to be beaten up in return and getting rescued by the same people she mocks. This stops the audience from feeling any sympathy towards her. Her feeling so good about herself when there's nothing to show that she really deserves to. These are the recurring patterns and motifs that Kishi relentlessly repeats to show the audience that her character never improved, never evolved, never changed, never learnt better, never worked on herself in the ways that truly mattered, and never became more emotionally intelligent or sensitive. Never matured. A manga that is about coming of age for so many characters, her and Hinata surely lag miles behind, no?

Kishi had his heart set on showing these two women down, with all his narrative tricks and tools. It's not even indirect, if a little subtle in some places. But mostly and more often, it's blatant af. Her character could have been interesting with some changes here and there. One can be weak, or less than skillful, or not be the brightest, or most courageous, but can still inspire, it depends on how they are written. Inari was weak and helpless, but his arc ended up on an inspiring note. Naruto wasn't skillful to begin with but he works his ASS OFF to learn even though he had all sorts of disadvantages. Chouji wasn't the brightest or most courageous but his arc also ends up on an inspiring note, where he comes of age positively and makes a difference to the story. Everyone in this story has their own weaknesses or drawbacks but they are written to triumph over them with much effort and willpower after realizing their mistakes and doing everything to correct them. Not Sakura or Hinata. They have realizations but keep acting the same, without changing or evolving. This is what sets a very negative impression of them in the minds of the audience. Storytelling works subliminally. And Kishi does everything to affect the reader to facilitate the negative impression of these two women in the manga and the film scripts he wrote or was involved in. Consistently. With the recurring motifs and patterns.

Her stans, who insist her character is so good and amazing and positive and favoured by Kishi are full of shit. Lol. And that's just a fact. No ifs or buts. It's not a coincidence that she is hated with such passion by such a huge part of the fandom. It was all planned. By Kish Kish.

[narhinafan]

I find it funny to see old comments that Jin Kazama is like Sasuke since both are brooding characters, some even called Jin an emo when in reality, he's actually reserved. Sasuke is more emo than him. Both were betrayed but the big difference is, Jin was shot to death by Heihachi but was revived by the Devil Gene and Itachi spared Sasuke. Both disappeared but again, not the same. Jin disappeared due to the Devil Gene, which makes him a ticking timebomb when the devil appears, in order to protect those he cares about and to hide from the Mishimas. Sasuke left Konoha to gain more power to kill Itachi. Lastly, the looks. Jin's hairstyle from child to adult is clearly a combination of both parents (Jun's bangs and Kazuya's hair). His face is clearly Jun's with Kazuya's bangs. Sasuke's hairstyle changed significantly during the blank period, deviating away from the hairstyle some Naruto fans say similar to Jin's.

I find it annoying that Sakura fans compare Xiaoyu to their princess when they are not the same. They say Xiaoyu is the same since she has a crush on Jin, much like their princess with Sasuke but again, that's a very shallow reason. Xiaoyu does have a crush on Jin but from what we learned from the series, both Jin and Xiaoyu are classmates and close friends. They're close enough to refer to each other by their first names, with Jin calling her with her pet name "Xiao" and he uses "kimi" on her, while informal, is often used by people who are close. Xiaoyu just call her Jin. On the other hand, Sakura has a crush on Sasuke but he didn't care about her during their academy days and even when they are in Team 7 already. Jin, on the other hand, cares for Xiaoyu and it's shown all throughout the Tekken series.

Man, I'm really tired of seeing people compare Jin and Xiaoyu with Sasuke and Sakura without knowing them from their respective series. It's really important that you're familiar with the series when comparing characters or else you'll look like a fool.

P.S. - Xiaoyu endeared to her fans since she could fight and the reason why Heihachi took her in as a ward since she knocked out his bodyguards alone when she accidentally sneaked into his yacht prior to Tekken 3. Sakura, she got one-shotted by Omoi and the only time she could be competent in Taijutsu is when Chiyo controlled her or the target is large enough for her to smack.

I do think their designs have some similarities though I haven't played enough of Tekken to know Jin's personality. A lot of people tend to group up all brooding characters under the same archtypes.

Sakura's crush on Sasuke is an obsession with no reason to actually like him. Even during their team 7 days their relationship never went past teammates.

Agreed I've seen SasuSaku compare their ship to many others and it was total BS they just want to leech off other good ships reputation cause they know how bad SasuSaku is as a ship.

Exactly fact is Sakura is not that competent a fighter, her Taijutsu skill wise is only the bare minimal to defend herself, but even then it has to rely on CES which can't be properly utilised without proper time to concentrate and build up chakra so can't be used effectively in an actual taijutsu clash. Hence why we never see her go toe to toe with anyone in taijutsu in part 2 she lacks both the skill, but also her signature moves can't be used.

[ikesenfantasy]

Ikemen Sengoku: What-If Collection Event - Warlord Pets

(Don't mind the photo) I wrote this fanfiction for fun where the warlords turn into their animal mascots. Since there wasn’t much spotlight for their beloved pets I thought I would write about them in a What-If Collection Event for April Fool’s Day on April 1st. Since the increase of the IkeSen roster I decided to take the time to add the additional six characters. So a total of all seventeen men in the IkeSen roster.

THE HERD PART 1

It was a pleasant evening like any other evening. Tomorrow everyone from the Usugi-Takeda forces along with Kennyo, Motonari & Kicho were going to visit Azuchi. Sasuke already visited me two days ago since Kenshin wanted to visit me. I thought we would all try something that will get everyone working together…or at least trying to. I already had some ideas but Sasuke hasn’t visited me to discuss it over with him. Maybe we’ll talk tomorrow.

“Ah the moon is so beautiful this evening; it would be nice to watch it with everyone. Time for bed.”

By the next morning I was the first in the war council room. Usually everyone would be here or I would be informed to show up but no one was here until the sliding door opened. I sat up straight but instead I got pounced.

“Oof! What in the world?”

It was then I felt something wet on my face. When I lifted up whatever was on top of me and tried to see who or what it was.

A TIGER?! SHOGETSU?!

“You were supposed to be at the manor with Masamune, what in the world are you doing here!? I better return you back to the manor as soon as possible or else Hideyoshi is going to blow a blood vessel.”

But the tiger was not the only animal that was in war council a whole colossal of animals flooded into the room. I didn’t even realize there was a monkey trying to attack the tiger that I was holding.

OH NO! Please no fighting!

I decided to stand up and try to reach for the monkey that was clinging to the back side of my kimono. But then I felt a nudge almost making me fall over. The perpetrator was a deer.

“OH GREAT! NOW IEYASU’S DEER WASABI!”

Circling around my ankle was a cat meowing and purring as if the fiasco I was in the middle of didn’t exist.

What is with all these animals? Something really isn’t right. The monkey on my back let out a yelp as it let go of my back who was trying to reach for the tiger. Now the monkey was flicking his tail that was sadly bitten by a fox. When the fox let go the monkey started chasing the fox. I better stop them.

I was so distracted by the chase I tripped over the cat and planted face first on the floor. A heard a soft snort and a boop from my cheek from a pig snout. What a mess. All of the Azuchi warlord pets are running amuck. I wonder why. I then heard the pig squeal as he ran off into a different direction being chased by something.

When I realized what happened I noticed a wolf chasing the poor piggy. On the wolf’s back was a squirrel. And behind them was a bear with a bunny and a hamster on its back chasing the other animals across the room.

Just when the wolf and bear were chasing after the pig and cat they nearly knocked over a jar. The peacock that flashed its feathers blocked their direction to the beautiful jar as if protecting something precious spooking any nearby it away.

I decided to try and chase after the animals stopping them from chasing each other around the room but it only made matters worse as the wolf started to fly into the air by a wallaby. A parrot flying overhead was shaking his head as the wolf collapsed on the ground after being air born by the wallaby’s kick.

The war council was in such disarray as animals were fighting among each other until I heard a loud scream that stopped the infighting and set all the animals on alert. They looked up and saw a hawk that was swarming around a lot more higher then the parrot. The hawk seated itself where Nobunaga would sit. Soon the animals that were most likely warlords from Azuchi began to position themselves in their spots. Now if I didn’t know better these were the warlords. How would they know to position themselves like their owners would sit. The parrot then landed just inches away from the hawk.

“Finally…now that they have settled down we can finally get down to business.” The parrot spoke.

I looked at the parrot who spoke and truly it sounded like Kicho and not Fuka. It was unbelievable. There was no way.

“N-no way…Kicho? Is that you?” I can’t believe I’m speaking to Kicho the parrot. Interesting ring to it if I do say so myself.

“Yes. It seems I’m the only one who can talk. Unlike the others. I don’t know what or how this happened. From the looks of it we all woke up this way.”

[bougiebutchbitch]

https://bougiebutchbitch.tumblr.com/post/682713389348405248/you-fools-you-absolute-bozos-you-cannot

Lmao i love your art 💛. Also ngl I bet Sasuke would rlly like the mask thing. Maybe not the eye patch but he would totally be into the mask and its added mysteriousness at that age.

I WAS THINKING SOMETHING SIMILAR OMGGGG

...really genuinely invested in the idea of writing a thing where Sasuke Stays and kinda develops more of a bond with Kakashi rather than getting trained by Orochimaru. And obviously he starts wearing a mask as part of that. Of course he won't admit in a thousand years that he looks up to Kakashi, but everyone is Aware and thinks it's incredibly cute, except Kakashi, who's in the tiniest bit of horrified denial that this kid seems to think he's an example to emulate

Bonus points: Sasuke still finds out about what happened to his clan and his brother. It drives a massive wedge into his relationship with the village. He starts brooding about revenge - of course he does; he's a fifteen year old boy who's entire world was ripped out from under him, only for him to discover it was the fault of the people he trusted most. The difference is, he's still embedded in the village when this happens. And Kakashi's loyalties are even more torn, between his home and the boy he raised.

The rules or his friends? Isn't that the age-old question?

Really, it's pretty obvious what he'll pick. Especially since Itachi was his kouhai, too.

Though he makes it clear that he's never going to do anything to harm Konohan civilians... Kakashi takes Sasuke's side. They stay as part of the village, all smiles on the surface. Doing this the ANBU way, the undercover way. Kakashi's helped Konoha bring down governments of enemy nations in the past. He's not betraying his country by doing the same here (so he tells himself). He's making it better. He's helping the last survivor of a genocide, enacted by their own people, lance a wound that should never have been allowed to fester.

Konoha needs to change, in order to grow. And if the old guard aren’t willing to admit that they are part of the problem...

Meanwhile, Sasuke is burning. Hate, misery, grief... But with all his friends around him - even if they don't fully understand what's going on - it's easier to remember that there are still innocent people in Konoha. He will not become the monster that the Elders tried to paint Itachi. He will uproot those who destroyed his family. He will expose them, and reveal the true tragedy of the Uchiha. And he will bring Itachi home.

(Not realising that this is the exact opposite of Itachi's wishes...)

Anyway, Sasuke and Kakashi do what needs to be done. But they do it quietly. Working together, in secret, to bring down the Hokage system and change things from within without killing loads of innocent civilians and establishing a global dictatorship lmao.

(That's quietly, not peacefully. Sasuke is absolutely going to murder the Elders and maybe Hiruzen despite Kakashi's attempts to stop him, and almost spark another ninja war. That's gonna cause Drama between him and Kakashi, for obvious reasons (I fought in those wars as a child, Sasuke! Think about the consequences of your actions, think about how many more children would have to go through that - that's the price we're talking about, here). But eh. Sasuke will deal with that when he gets to it)

And, uh, it goes without saying that they work together with Tenzou to fucking annihilate Danzo :)

[dianapana]

SH Day 6: Marriage Agreement: ‘Til Our Contract Do Us Part

@sasuhinamonth

Hello dears, this prompt is composed of an older story that I changed a bit here and there and finished just now (it’s somewhat finished as in the ending isn’t too open, but it is open enough for me to continue if I ever wish to). I was very excited to finally use it after having it in my docs for idk maybe a year or so. It’s veeery long compared to what I usually write for these prompts but it just didn’t feel right to split it into parts anywhere.

~Love, Dia

Modern AU, OOC

Champaign

Hinata couldn’t help but sigh in relief when the waiters started walking around with trays full of Champaign glasses, it meant that the speech and toast part would come soon, that was her dad’s way of ending these events, thanking everyone for coming. Usually after the toast people drank their glasses quite fast and they all shook hands with Hiashi before leaving, considering there were about a hundred people around that would take about another hour. She made it thought the preparations for the event and the event itself which took over 7 hours, the worst parts ended, she will survive the goodbyes.

Once the trays were all empty and everyone had a glass in hand Hiashi walked to the middle of the room at what seemed to be the slowest speed possible. Everyone was watching him, nobody dared talk. For most people this wasn’t their first Hyuuga Event and they knew how things worked, and even those that attended it for the first time were smart enough to follow everyone’s lead and stay quiet.

Finally reaching his usual spot Hiashi rose his glass and started speaking. Hinata sent a small prayer to the heavens wishing the speech to be short.

“I want to start by thanking everyone for coming over tonight, especially in such a short notice” it was indeed short notice, Hyuuga events happen 2 times a year on the 20th March and 23rd September; spring and fall equinox. But Hiashi decided a month ago that a mid-June event needed to be held this year. Nobody knew why. “I hope everyone had a pleasant time today, from our oldest friends,” Hiashi said turning to the Nara and Yamanaka leaders “to our newest friends” his eyes moved to Fugaku Uchiha “and everyone in between”

Hiashi started talking about the notion of friendship and how important bonds are in ‘our world’. Hinata could tell the speech would be a long one, and with every bullshit word coming out of her father’s mouth she wanted to roll her eyes. But she couldn’t. The elders were watching her every move, Neji and Hanabi were in the same position, having eyes on them at all times. They all had to smile and nod and act like these events are their favourite place to be, no matter how big of a lie that was. She was tired, the servant woke her up at 5 in the morning to start getting ready, her father didn’t agree with the first two dresses she had put on, the putting on and taking off, took her about 2 hours in total and was extremely exhausting despite the help from the servants. The preparations for the event also took longer than usual. Her father kept telling her how important it was for her to behave. Hinata had never been the one to cause problems during such events, no matter how much she hated them, but for some reasons, it was her that was always given the longest lectures.

The windows were open at least and the night summer wind gently blew inside. The dress Hiashi approved of was a deep red long evening gown. All the skirt layers were extremely heavy and she had been standing on high heels for longer than it should be humanly possible, the corset was so tightly tied, at times she’d have issues breathing and to top it all off the dress had long lace sleeves which were sticking to her skin. It had not been a fun dress to wear in the middle of a heatwave. Her mind was still drifting in space when all of a sudden, her father stopped talking.

“I know many of you have been wondering the reason for this event and we shall let you know. Fugaku would you mind joining me?” The Uchiha leader went to the centre of the room as well. Whispers started going around the crowd, nothing like that had ever happened before. Hinata looked to Neji trying to see if he was aware of any of that, but her cousin would not make eye contact with her. Neji’s head was lowered, his fist was clenched and the hand around the glass was white-knuckled, it was a miracle the glass hadn’t shattered in a million pieced from his grip. Neji was aware of what was about to happen and he was not pleased.

“Today is the first time in over 100 years when the Hyuuga and the Uchiha families meet in peace at an event such as this. The bond between the two is alone a motif to celebrate but we must do everything in our power to keep this bond as strong as we can which is why we have decided to bind the families together thought marriage.” Hiashi’s voice boomed with pride. The crowd’s whispers grew in intensity. Hinata looked at Hanabi, both girls looking shocked and even scared. Hanabi wanted to reach out and hold her older sister’s hand. Grip it tight and pray that they both get over this event intact, but before she could make a move Hiashi started speaking again. “Hinata, my daughter would you please come here”

All eyes turned to her. Her heart beat a thousand times per second, despite her sudden fear her body moved gracefully, her mind was in utter chaos but her body knew the drill, it obeyed whatever her father told her to do. As she was passing by people, a familiar hand gripped her for a moment, trying to say so many is such a small touch. Ino, her best friend, tried to give her all the strength she had, she wanted to assure her everything will be fine, and also thought that touch she said sorry. She said goodbye. Hinata reached her father’s side and turned towards the people. She had never been in the front of the ballroom before, had never had all the eyes on her. Hiashi put his hand on her shoulder and smiled at her, the kind of smile she had never seen before. The smile she had wished to see as a child, there was pride and content in it, but it only made Hinata’s heart break further. The emotions were not directed at her as a human, he was not proud of her, his pride came from finally finding it, a way to get rid of her. He had married her off.

“Sasuke my son, come!” Fugaku’s command was just as loud and even stiffer. Hinata found Ino’s eyes in the crowd. Her friend was crying silent tears. Seeing Ino cry made Hinata oddly detached. It was a strange sensation, she almost felt like her soul had left the body and she was watching from somewhere far away all of this happening to somebody else. The Hyuuga girl moved her eyes from her friend to the man walking towards them. Her future husband.

Once the young Uchiha stood in place Hiashi raised his glass and finished the toast. “To my beautiful daughter and her fiancé,” they cheered for her. They drank for her. And yet she didn’t. The Champaign glass was still full. She was lost… not in thought, her mind was blank but she wasn’t present either.

“Look alive princess” Came a voice from her right. Sasuke took her glass and finished it in one gulp. He placed both his and her glasses on the tray of a waiter and took her hand and kissed the back of it. People gasped and whispered. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him. With her on heels, his mouth came to her ear. “Smile sunshine. This is supposed to be the happiest day of your life. Fool them all” His voice was oddly gentle and it broke something in her. She would have cried but Sasuke was right; she had a part to play. Taking a small breath in Hinata fell in character.

Hiashi told them to do the honours and say goodbye to everyone, after all that was their engagement party. Hinata looked up at the man she would spend her life with and gave him a sweet and shy smile, she even managed to make herself blush when he smiled back at him. She smiled and blushed whenever someone congratulated them or made a comment about their engagement. From time to time, she’d steal a glance at Sasuke and look at him with what she hoped came across as admiration. They made eye contact a few times, he winked at her twice. They were both playing their parts flawlessly. One could not tell that they had never met before, that they were not indeed lovers. Fugaku called Sasuke to him and Hinata was left alone to say goodbye to the guests. A few older ladies praised her for being able to catch such a handsome husband.

The next in line was Gaara. Hinata’s heart broke a little more upon seeing him. He too looked sad, which her brain turned to something else despite knowing it not to be true. Her feelings for Gaara had not gone away as she had hoped they would after finding out that he was in a secret relationship. “I am sorry Hinata” He whispered as he kissed her cheek. There was nothing either of them could do, people were waiting in line to talk to her after Gaara. Her father and fiancé were in front. Hinata smiled and thanked him just as she had everyone else. Gaara would not save her, he couldn’t and even if he could…he wouldn’t.

Ino was one of the last people to come talk to her. She had gone to the bathroom to pull herself together after crying. The blonde was stronger than that, but she had cried for Hinata because at that moment Hinata could not afford to cry. The Yamanaka girl hugged her tightly and whispered in her ear encouragements that they both knew would not help.

Everyone had left but the Uchiha family and the main Hyuuga family. Even the Hyuuga elders had seen themselves out. Habani was nowhere to be seen. Neji, her father, Sasuke, Fugaku and Sasuke’s elder brother Itachi were all talking among themselves. To the side was Mikoto, Sasuke’s mom. Hinata was still by the door; now that everyone had left, she was unsure of what to do, under normal circumstances she would be allowed to leave and go to her room, but her father hadn’t dismissed her yet. The Uchiha woman looked to her, smiled and started walking towards her.

“You look lovely dear. I’ve been keeping my eye on you the whole event but Fugaku would not allow me to come and talk to you sooner. Come dear let’s sit down and gossip while the men talk business”. The two women walked to the first table and sat down next to each other. “The event was so long; I thought your father would never make his speech. It must have been hard for you too, staying all those hours on high heels and in that dress, what were the servants thinking giving you such a heavy and warm dress to wear; do they not know it’s summer?” Mikoto went on about trivia things a moment longer. Hinata had yet to say a word, however, her future mother-in-law didn’t seem to mind her silence, for she filled it with mindless talk.

“I know it’s a difficult time for you,” The woman said and took Hinata’s hands in hers. “They were unfair to you, they should have let you know earlier.” Mikoto touched a strand of Hinata’s hair. “You have nothing to fear. We are a good family. My son will take care of you. It will take a while for you to adjust I know, but this is not the end of the world.”

Hinata opened her mouth to say something but found her throat was so dry she couldn’t say anything. After clearing her throat, she tried again. “Will I be leaving with you tonight?” the idea of leaving tonight and not being able to say goodbye to anyone was unboreable.

“No sweetheart. The Uchiha is an old family with old traditions, you will move in with Sasuke only on the night of the wedding. It is a sin to live under the same roof before that.” Hinata nodded. At least she still had some time before that.

“When is the wedding?”

It was easy to see Mikoto was an affectionate person, she moved her chair to be closer to Hinata and hugged her. Something about the woman put her at ease, her voice and hair reminded her of Hikari, her own mother, it was a strange feeling. “The wedding will be in three months. Before that we have to pick a dress, everything else has been pretty much done, you can look over everything and make the last-minute decisions. Of course you and Sasuke will spend some time together to get to know each other and-“.She was cut off by Sasuke himself when he addressed her “Mother” Mikoto squeezed her harder one more time before letting Hinata go. The woman got to her feet and kissed Sasuke’s cheek. “Goodbye Hinata, I will see you soon dear”

She and Sasuke were now alone. He took a seat in the chair Mikoto had emptied. For a moment they didn’t talk. It was all moving along too fast for Hinata to comprehend. Just under 2 hours ago, all she wanted was the event to end so she could sleep. Nothing could have prepared her for the change her life took. It almost felt like it wasn’t real; or that it was all happening to someone else. She had not made a single decision about this.

“Tomorrow I’ll come and we will have lunch together and talk more. It has been a full and exhausting day.” His voice was just as gentle as it was when he whispered to her before. “What would you prefer we eat? I will make reservations ahead of time”

“Anything will do, I don’t mind” Hinata answered. She appreciated that he didn’t want to ‘get to know each other’ then and there. She was indeed tired and needed to think about everything a little more, in order to realize that it was all indeed real. Looking up at Sasuke she had to say she was lucky; he was very good looking and so far, had shown her kindness. If what his mother said was true her destiny wasn’t as cruel as it could have been.

He got up and extended his hand for her to take, which she did. Hand in hand they walked back to where both families were still discussing. Neji would still not look at her, Itachi offered her a kind smile, Fugaku only a nod.

“I see that the two of you hit it off.” Her father said, it appeared he was really happy with the arrangements. Sasuke nodded to her dad. Hinata was certain that if Hiashi had his way she would leave with the Uchihas that very moment and never return.

“Hinata is tired, it is quite late so we should go. I will return tomorrow at noon in order to take her out for lunch Hyuuga-san.” Sasuke had not asked permission to take her out. He had simply stated that he would. That was the moment she realized her father was no longer the one to command her. Sasuke was. She wasn’t sure if what she felt was fear or excitement.

“Yes of course. Hinata you may leave” Hiashi said but Hinata didn’t move for Sasuke was still holding onto her hand.

“I will walk her to her quarter.” Hinata barely had time to bow to what would soon be her family before Sasuke started pulling her along. “In my presence you will not follow his word. My word is absolute, his is barely wind blowing by you.” Sasuke appeared to be annoyed by the fact that her father dismissed her. “If he says go but I am standing still, you too will stay unless I decide we will leave”

“Yes.” She knew how their world worked; despite them living in the 21rst century where women were seen as equals more and more every day, their world stopped evolving. The husband was the ultimate master while the woman was a possession. First, she was owned by her father, then by her husband.

They walked quite fast when leaving the ballroom, but once they were out of sight Sasuke slowed his steps. He was aware of the difficulty of walking in heels, his mother always made sure to complain about it. Her hand in his felt small and fragile, he had never been given something to take care of, sometimes that was his and his alone. He had been against the marriage at first. He wanted to wait until he was the Uchiha head later in life before taking a wife but his father insisted, he needed to marry young and have heirs because Itachi could not. His older brother had been his father’s favourite from a young age; that was until Itachi was 18 and Sasuke 13, about 10 years ago. On his 18thbirthday Itachi gave up his title as the heir in a very public way only to than later inform his father that not only does he not want to be head but he would not be fit for the role, for he could never give heirs to the clan. Itachi’s infertility came as a shock to the whole family. Sasuke was tested as well as soon as possible but thankfully the tests proved that he would be able to have children.

Fugaku had learned in the past 10 years to accept Sasuke as his heir, his relationship with his father was better now than it had ever been, but even so they were not as close as Itachi had been with him. But Fugaku put in all his efforts to try to make Sasuke the best, he taught him everything he could and allowed Sasuke to do as he pleases as long as what he did would be useful to the family. So, when he informed Sasuke he had picked a wife for him it came to no surprise that he had chosen a girl from a very important family, a family even older than the Uchihas and just as influential. The girl was known among her people as an angel and was believed to be the most beautiful Hyuuga girl to ever be, so of course, Fugaku wanted her for his own heir.

Upon seeing Hinata for the first time that night Sasuke had concluded the rumours had not been false. He had not been disappointed in the slightest. He was actually impressed. He expected two outcomes: either the girl to cry and make a fuss about the marriage or to be the ditzy kind of girl he had seen around that throws herself at him. She had been neither. For the shortest moment she had faltered and shown her true feelings, disbelief and numbness, but she pulled herself together as soon as he spoke to her. She had acted and played her part perfectly.

The pavement was old and uneven towards the main house. Almost nothing had been altered from the time the house was built, only maintained, so cracks and unevenness in the pathways happened. Hinata was trying her best to walk over them in her heels. Normally by that point in the night, she would take her heels off but she was not alone. Noticing her slowing down Sasuke stopped.

“Would you want me to carry you?” The offer was unexpected and it made Hinata quiet for a moment which Sasuke took as ‘yes’. He slightly bent and placed an arm under her knees and the other around her back. On instinct, Hinata placed both her hands on his shoulders to steady herself.

“You didn’t have to do that” Despite saying that she was thankful. Her feet were killing her.

“How high are your heels?”

“About 6 inches. Why?”

“6 inches and I’m still 6 inches taller than you.” He made a humming sound. Hinata didn’t know what he was thinking but she didn’t try to figure it out either. It was hard enough trying to figure out what she was feeling, there was no energy or time to uncover the mysteries of Sasuke’s mind. Her body was tired but her brain was even more exhausted. At this point not really caring anymore, she placed her head on his shoulder and just enjoyed the ride. Upon getting to the main house Hinata instructed him to go to the 2nd floor to the left. There was a guard outside her door that did not stop him from entering her room but actually held the door open for him. Two servants were inside waiting to help her undress and wash before going to bed. Sasuke put her on the edge of her bed.

“Thank you for bringing me here.” Hinata said. She felt a bit shy now, not really knowing how to say goodbye to him. This was the first time a man beside her dad and Neji entered her room. Not even the guards were allowed inside.

“Goodnight Hinata, I will see you tomorrow” Sasuke said, he kissed the back of her hand once more and left. Not waiting for her reply. Once again, a choice was made for her that day, but she was grateful for it this time.

The servants were gossiping about her fiancé and how gentle and beautiful he was, about how he had looked at her and how he had carried her like she was the most precious thing in the world. They guided her to her feet and to the full-length mirror to the side of her bed.

All their words were flying around her but none of them really registered; her brain was still not processing much of anything. She was still in the ballroom holding her Champaign glass praying for her dad’s speech to be short.

The servants untied her corset and Hinata took in her first deep breath in what felt like ages. They peeled off her sleeves and pulled the skirt away from her body. She was left in her underwear and heels in front of the full-length mirror. Her arms were splotchy and red from place to place from the itchy lace, her breasts and abdomen had red traces from where the corset was too tight on her. Her panties were red to match the dress, her legs were white and smooth but they were barely holding her at that point in the high heels, they were visibly shaking. Her eyes moved back up over every inch of naked skin until it reached her face. She wasn’t sure what she expected to see there, maybe something different. Some kind of evidence of the announcement from that night, but everything looked just as it did that morning.

One of the servants had just finished putting the dress away for it to be cleaned the next day, while the other filled her bathtub with hot water, salts and oils. Hinata would usually take off her heels and walk on her own to the bath but she was still looking at herself in the mirror, her eye make-up wasn’t smudged at all, her lipstick had gone after eating and drinking halfway through the event, so she excused herself to the bathroom several hours ago to take it off, her updo had lost some of its volume and a few strands had fallen around her face. She was too close to the mirror, her image being all she saw. Hinata took a few steps back and tried to picture Sasuke next to her naked body. They would make a beautiful couple even she could admit that.

Not being able to stomach the image she had in her head anymore the Hyuuga girl finally turned around and sat on the bed for a moment to take her heels off. She walked to the bathtub and took off her underwear as well and lowered herself in the hot water. Her head was resting on a soft towel; one of the servants started taking her make-up off and cleaning her face with scrubs and putting gels on her face and gently massaging everything in.

“Haruhi, could you please put some music on?” Hinata asked the servant that was not busy at the time. A moment later soft music started playing in the background. Once the facial massage was done a charcoal mask was applied to her face and finally, her hair was taken from the updo. Mina, the servant washing her poured some warm water on her head in such a way as not to get it on her mask. Her hair was shampooed twice and conditioned and rinsed and finally, put in a towel.

Haruhi came to help with washing her body, they scrubbed at her neck, collarbones, arms, hands, breasts, back and every other part of her. Her body was rinsed and washed again, more gently with moisturizing lavender soap and rinsed again. Her facemask was taken off, the water drained from the tub and she stepped out of it allowing the servants to towel her off. Mina placed a large towel over her bedsheets and Hinata laid on her back and enjoyed as both her servants massaged every part of her body with more oils, once they were done on one side she turned on to her front and they started to work again.

Her massage was almost done when Hanabi busted through her door. Hinata lazily opened her eyes, she was tired and finally relaxed, thus on the edge of falling asleep. Her sister was in her night attire, her hair still wet from her own bath most likely. Her eyes were red, she must have cried, but she looked angry at the moment. Hinata’s servants did not stop their massage despite the company of her sister.

“How can you stay there and enjoy your massage?” Hinata asked sounding astonished.

“You had enjoyed your bath time, why shouldn’t I?” Despite all of Hinata’s efforts over the years she and Hanabi weren’t as close as she wanted. Hanabi had always resented her for being older, the firstborn, the heir. When Hanabi was 3 and Hinata 7 the younger spent her days playing and reading stories and being watched by the elder women while Hinata was studying with the men. Hanabi had asked once why that was the case and an elder said “Your sister is the heir. She has to know how to be a leader, while you my dear, you will be a wife to someone” Despite that incident, things slowly started changing over the years, Hinata lost her father’s favour and Hanabi was taught leadership skills while Hinata was toughed to cook. Despite the obvious manner in which Hiashi favoured her now, Hanabi had always felt jealous of her sister, for she always believed what that old woman said to her in her childhood, she resented Hinata for she was to be the one that would not be married off. What an irony.

“Why aren’t you upset?” Hanabi’s voice was breaking and she was shaking. “Why aren’t you angry?” her fists were clenched and she looked like she wanted to start a riot. “Why aren’t you in dad’s office demanding he change his mind?”

“There’s nothing to change Hanabi.” Hinata finally got up and gestured to the servants to leave. She took the towel and put it around her body as the two bowed and left the room, left the sisters to talk among themselves. “Dad did it in such a way that it cannot be undone.” Hinata walked to her closet looking for something to wear to bed. “He didn’t tell me before so I couldn’t contest it, and now I can’t. Everyone that matters in this world knows about it. Unless I have a good reason, a very good one, there’s nothing that can stop this. In three months I will not be here anymore” Hinata finally picked a silk shorts and tanktop combo and put it on. “And you little sister.” The older one said as she walked towards her sister “You will be a Hyuuga forever, this will be the only house you know, these will be your people.” Hinata wanted to finish her sentence with ‘just as you’ve always wanted’ but stopped herself short.

Hanabi was crying again. She had prayed and wished to be the one to stay for so many years. But she had never thought about her sister leaving. She had always been bitter and held Hinata at a distance even when the older one tried to make the gap between them disappear. She had never taken the opportunity to get to know Hinata, and now she couldn’t.

“I’m sorry.” Hanabi said and hugged Hinata. They hadn’t hugged in ages. This time it was Hinata who pushed away.

“It’s over for today. I have not yet realized that this is not a dream. We will speak tomorrow. I’m going to bed now” She was a bit angry at Hanabi for only now trying to act like a sister. She had tried before that evening too, right before Hinata’s name was called, but even then it was in a moment of weakness, of fear, it wasn’t out of love or care. For most of her life Hinata tried to convince herself that she was fine with the way her and Hanabi’s relationship was, after trying for a few years to bond with her and being rejected, Hinata became content with what they had because she believed Hanabi not to be able to connect on a deeper level. She didn’t connect with Neji or Hiashi either. But seeing that she is indeed able of that connection, that she just didn’t want it before, hurt her more than Hinata would ever admit.

Hanabi left and Mina and Haruhi peeked in Hinata’s room. “Good night Himata-hime” they said in union and Hinata wished them a goodnight as well. Them calling her hime reminded her of the way Sasuke had called her Princess. ‘Smile sunshine. Fool them all’ he had said. And she did. She smiled and fooled them.

Now that her head was finally on her pillow, hair still damp, sheets cool and comforting, the room dark and quiet she allowed herself to admit a few things out loud. “I am getting married. I will be an Uchiha. Sasuke will be my husband.” The silence in the room was deafening “I am scared.” A little voice in the back of her brain whispered ‘I am excited’ but she didn’t say it out loud. With those thoughts in mind, she fell asleep.

________________________________

The next morning felt normal. She woke up, brushed her teeth, washed her face, got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast. She didn’t feel different. Upon reaching the dining room she realized for once she was the last to arrive. Hanabi was in her seat looking upset, Neji was frowning at his phone and her dad was reading something on his pad. That is what the house would look like in three months. She moved from the doorframe and all eyes turned to her. Hanabi still looked sad, Neji looked sorry and her dad was happy. Hinata walked around the table and sat in her chair.

“Good morning sunshine. How did you sleep?” Hiashi had stopped calling her sunshine when she was 4 years old and Hikari died.

“I slept very well, how about you father?”

“I did as well”

Neji was looking at Hinata almost expecting her to cry or scream. He was looking at her face trying to find proof of tears from the night before, but her face wasn’t red or puffy. She looked well-rested.

The breakfast was finally brought for them to eat and they did so in silence. Hiashi was the first to finish and instead of leaving to go do work as he would normally, he started talking.

“Sasuke will be here at noon. You should start getting ready after breakfast” Hiashi too wanted to test his daughter and see how she would address the situation. He wanted to know if he had to give her a lecture about her behaviour around the Uchiha heir.

“Yes, I know. I already thought of what I want to wear. I will change and come seek your approval as I would for an event.” Hinata said between bites. “He didn’t mention where we were going but he did say he will make reservations so I am assuming it is a dressy place despite being a lunch date”

Everyone was taken aback by her answer. Hinata had not lied, she slept very well and woke up early. She accepted her fate almost entirely, she picked what she wanted to wear and even thought about a few things she wanted to ask Sasuke. In all truthfulness, she was a bit excited but was trying to keep her expectations low, that way she would not be disappointed if this change was not for the better. The only thing she didn’t particularly like about this was not seeing Ino and Neji. They were her best friends despite Neji’s behaviour in those 2 days.

Seeing as nobody spoke anymore Hinata excused herself and went to her room to start getting ready. It was only 9 in the morning. Sasuke would only come in about 3 hours but there wasn’t much else she could do.

She didn’t even reach her closet to take out the outfit she had thought of wearing when Neji came into her room. He walked to her and bowed. “I’m sorry” he was apologizing for not telling her, for not being able to stop it, for the way he treated her.

“It’s ok Neji. Everything could have been worse.” She wasn’t lying. She heard of many girls that had married old and abusive men. Their whole life they were raped and beaten. She didn’t know Sasuke at all but from the 2 interactions she had with him, he didn’t appear like he would hit her. Mikoto too seemed nice enough. “What is one prison exchanged for another?” She wasn’t allowed to do much in the Hyuuga household anyways, read and study. She was a bit eager to see if she had a bit more freedom as an Uchiha and if not, she was already used to being a caged bird.

“I couldn’t convince uncle not to do that. The bond with the Uchihas was apparently necessary. And Fugaku requested you to marry his son. Uncle couldn’t deny a direct request like that. Plus...” Neji decided to stop there.

“Plus, dad would rather Hana be the leader.” Hinata continued what Neji wouldn’t say. “I know that Neji. I’ve known that for a while now.”

“If one of the leaders were to request to marry you as well uncle might need to reconsider” He didn’t sound sure at all.

“He wouldn’t change his mind. The relationship with the Uchihas is more important to him than any other family at the moment. In addition, nobody would risk their bond with both us and the Uchihas for my hand in marriage” Hinata absently replied while looking through her collection of necklaces while sitting at her vanity.

“If we ask Gaara maybe-“

“He wouldn’t. and I would never ask him either” Yesterday she might have jumped up at the idea of marring Gaara. But something changed and made her realize her feelings for Gaara were never really for the man, but the freedom he represented. Gaara was her friend, he was a leader and if he would have been her husband, he would have offered her the most freedom a woman can have in their world. “I would never ask your boyfriend to marry me” Hinata said this while watching Neji’s face in the mirror.

Her cousin blushed and looked alarmed. “You are mistaken Hina-“

“Stop” I know I’m not. Her eyes softened. “It took me a while to realize but I did. And I confirmed my suspicions when I told Gaara about my feelings a few months ago and he said he was in love with someone himself. I asked why he wasn’t marrying this girl and he replying that his relationship was taboo. I thought she was a married woman maybe, a commoner. But it clicked when I saw him look at you.” Neji was still not moving or breathing.

“I will not tell anyone about the two of you Neji. It is nobody’s business but yours.” She got up from the vanity and walked to him and hugged him. “For what is worth…I wish you both happiness.” She knew that their relationship would not be accepted in their world and her heart wept for both cousin and her friend. The world was cruel. “I hope you find a way to be happy and free” She wanted that for herself too. Happiness and freedom to find who she was and then be herself.

Neji hugged her back. “That means the world to me Hinata.” He sighed long and his body felt like it was deflating. “I hadn’t realized how it would feel to hear the words from someone other than him or me. How much I wanted someone to validate the way I feel” Neji took a step back and kissed her forehead. “I wish you happiness and freedom as well Hinata. I hope your life as an Uchiha to be better than your life as a Hyuuga has been.”

She hoped that as well. After another hug, Neji remained in her room and the two of them chatted while Mina and Haruhi were doing Hinata’s hair and make-up for her date. The dress Hinata had chosen was a black beach dress with daisies and sunflowers on the skirt. The skirt was cut on one leg to her mid-thigh. The upper part was like a tank top in the front but the back was almost bare, only a few strings places in a random pattern kept the front from falling. She would pair the dress with gold wedges and a gold choker and her normal hoop earrings. Her makeup was done also in soft golds and whites. Her hair was braided in the front like a crown and she asked Haruhi to braid some small daisies in as well. The rest of her hair was free and in waves from not drying it properly before bed. Neji had left right before she changed her clothes about 10 minutes ago. Being finally done she did as promised and went downstairs to get her father’s approval, it was still only 11 so if he had any complaints she would have the time to change, or so she thought. After knocking on his office door and being granted access Hinata opened the door only to find Sasuke in the room with her father.

Hiashi looked up at her and he only nodded his approval for her attire. Sasuke had on a white button up with the last 2 buttons undone and the sleeves rolled to his elbows and a short pair of black slacks.

“Come in Hinata, Sasuke came early so we had a talk while you were still getting ready” Hinashi beckoned her to enter the room but she didn’t move to which Sasuke smirked.

“Actually, I think we will be leaving now, seeing as she is ready as well. I will see you later Hiashi-san” Sasuke greeted the older man, took Hinata’s hand and closed the door of the office. Neither of them said anything as they walked to Sasuke’s car.

Hinata was starting to get nervous, not only for the date and being alone with Sasuke, but because she hadn’t been outside without her father or at least Neji. Sasuke opened the door of her and she got inside his car. He walked around and go into the driver’s seat. Before starting the car though, he kissed the back of her hand.

“You look lovely today as well.” He turned her hand around and kissed her wrist. “You were a good girl Hinata, not listening to you father.”

Her breath hitched due to the second kiss, no man touched her wrist before, let alone kiss it. During her talk with Neji they discussed Sasuke as well. Her cousin said that he is known to be cold and quite cruel. But he had been anything but that to her. He had been gentle and affectionate, something she had never experienced. Nobody in the Hyuuga household hugged her or kissed her hands.

Sasuke looked at her and smirked at her blush, he could tell this was the real deal and not a fake like the ones from last night’s goodbye charade. He finally started the car and drove down the Hyuuga driveway till he reached the first gate, one of the security men opened the gate for them and they continued down the driveway to the second and final gate, this was opened for them as well and they were finally on the road.

“I have never left without father or Neji the premises of the house.” Hinata admitted.

Sasuke looked at her for a split second from the corner of his eye. She was looking out the door with a small smile. “Not even to a friend’s house? I noticed you talking with the Yamanaka girl a lot. Were you never allowed to visit her just with a guard or two?”

“No. Neji always had to come along” Sasuke’s reply was a small hum. He hadn’t realized that the Hyuugas were that strict.

“I will assign my best guard to you once you move in with me. When I am at work; because unlike your father I am away from the house quite a lot, you will stay with him. You are free to go as you please as long as he’s with you”

‘You are free’ was what Hinata heard. She had wanted to be free for such a long time but now that I was so close to her, she wasn’t sure what she’d do with said freedom. The rest of the drive she spent trying to come up with what she would do the first chance she got.

The restaurant was in the centre of the city, where she had never been before. The amount of people walking around was mind-blowing. There were kids laughing, people talking walks and strolling around just because they could. Her whole life the thought of public space being dangerous had been drilled in her head. Other families could be around, they could hurt her. ‘People are mean and cruel’ that was Hiashi’s go-to answer when one of them wanted to go somewhere. Despite Hinata never really believing what her dad said, his words were on repeat in her head, so without really meaning to she took a step closer to Sasuke, held onto his arm with both hands and tried to hide away. Even if one does not believe the things they are told, if they are told them often enough, they become involuntary habits; she had been taught to think she was always in danger, paranoia was not easy to let go of.

When he had said they’d go eat at a restaurant she thought he meant one owned by the Hyuuga or by the Uchiha family, a restaurant from their respective part of Konoha. She knew what part of the city belonged to the Hyuugas and looked up what parts belonged to the Uchihas and this part wasn’t owned by either.

He noticed her stiffening in the car when he parked it. He noticed her fear and the way she clung to him for dear life. “What’s the matter Hinata?”

She looked up at him with big eyes, she looked like a deer caught in headlights. “Aren’t we in danger?” Her voice was low and trembling. Sasuke stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and took both of her hands in his. Hinata took a step in front and pressed her body to his, still trying to hide.

“Why would we be in danger?” he was genuinely confused.

“People are mean and cruel. This isn’t our territory. Someone could try to shoot at us.” The reply rolled off her tongue without much thought. She had heard them so many times they felt natural.

Sasuke placed one of her hands on his chest and the other on his back above the waistband of his pants. Hinata’s eyes grew even larger when she felt both guns. “This is neutral space. We’re not on anyone’s territory.” He said softly and let go of her hands but they stood in place. “And even if someone was to try to harm you, I’d kill them all” he whispered in her ear in the gentlest way possible. The threat should have scared her, but it made her feel secure. “I will protect you with everything I have. Nobody will dare touch a single hair from your head for the fear that I’ll destroy them all” Sasuke tucked a hair strand behind her ear as he continued to spill threats to any future danger. “Do you feel better now?” he finally asked.

“Yes” Hinata answered but couldn’t look at him. She felt silly and embarrassed for being worried. They were a few steps from the restaurant and had been standing in place being an inconvenience to people passing by. “Let’s go inside” she turned around and started walking to the door and Sasuke followed. He could see her flushed cheeks but allowed her to think she had hidden her discomfort from him. There were things on his mind, her fear had been real. She had been taught that if she were to ever leave her house she would die, her father hadn’t been above lying, traumatizing and manipulating her emotions to keep her in place and in control. He had always stayed home to work so he could keep an eye on all of them. Sasuke did not agree with his methods at all.

They were finally seated at a private table on the second floor. Hinata was looking at the menu with a sparkle in her eyes. “Do you know what you want to order?” Sasuke asked her. The restaurant was fancy enough to have steak and lobster but it also had hamburgers.

“I think I’ll take a chicken cheeseburger. I tried making one in secret home and it was good enough but I’m curious to see what a real one tastes like” She said with enthusiasm. “What about you? What are you ordering?”

“I think I’ll have a burger as well, the extra spicy one” Just as the two closed the menus the waiter came to take their order. Sasuke ordered for them the burgers and a big portion of fries and onion rings with a side of all of their 4 sauces, neither of them wanted soda so they decided to order a large bottle of water.

“You’ve never eaten a burger before?” Sasuke asked trying to go back to what she had said before.

“Only the one I made. Our cook usually makes food for 2 days so he has Tuesdays and Thursdays off. In those days I like cooking something that I want to try rather than just help him with whatever dad ordered he cooks…Most what dad wants is traditionally Japanese food and I like it, but I see some foods in movies and I want to try them.”

“So, you like watching movies?” He wanted to know what her hobbies and interests were in order to provide her with them so she wouldn’t get bored alone at the house when he was away.

“I watch a movie once every 2 weeks when Ino comes to visit me.”

“She only visited you two times a month?” He had believed the Yamanaka girl to be her best friend.

“Yes, that’s how many times father allowed her to come over…” Her voice so far had been light but it had a tint of sadness when she had revealed this last part.

“What about other hobbies. What do you do usually in a day?”

“Hobbies? Oh well, umm…Usually I wake up and if it’s a day where the cook is at work, I help him make breakfast, lunch and dinner. In between I had a few classes that the elders taught me about leadership. Neji and I usually have tea in the garden when he has the time…”

He was furious. Hiashi was killing her. He didn’t allow her to leave, but she couldn’t get visitors, she wasn’t allowed to do anything but exist. He wasn’t sure if he could wait three months for her to move it. Hinata was his and she was unhappy. He could tell Hinata was feeling a bit awkward because of her answer which is why he didn’t push it. The food came and they ate in silence. Hinata had loved her burger. She tried all 4 souses and really liked the sweet chilli and the honey mustard one. After the waiter took their empty plates Sasuke ordered dessert.

“Did you enjoy the food?”

“I did. The burger was much better than the one I made home…” Her smile had returned on her face. Despite the fact that he had been against the marriage before, Sasuke was eager for it now. From the moment he had laid his eyes on Hinata this feeling overcame him, the need to protect and please her. She was his and he would keep her safe and happy no matter what. Whatever she’d ask for he’d give her, if she wanted the moon, he’d find a way.

“I’m glad you liked it. Next time tell me what other foods you want to try and I’ll think of a place to go.” Hinata agreed. They talked a little more about the food when the dessert finally came. He had ordered a lava cake with vanilla ice cream, according to many people that was the best dessert the restaurant offered.

“There’s only one. Do you want to split it?” Hinata asked but Sasuke only shook his head and pushed the plate in front of her.

“I don’t particularly like sweets so you can eat it.” He watched her enjoy the cake. She had giggled after cutting into it and seeing the molten chocolate pour out. She had never eaten a lava cake, of course. His chest felt tight, like something was squeezing his heart and wouldn’t let go. He couldn’t stop thinking about how Hiashi had sheltered her from all these small pleasures of life, he wanted to hit the older man, but at the same time, he couldn’t wait to see Hinata experience everything for the first time. It was like watching a child, she had the same big and innocent eyes.

When Hinata finished the cake, the waiter took the plate and brought the check for which Sasuke paid but they didn’t get up to leave yet. “I have a few things for you” he said. And pulled from his pocket a new phone with the charger and its pair of headphones. “I already programmed my number there and Naruto’s; he will be your bodyguard. If anything happens during these months when you are still living with Hiashi call me and if by any chance I can’t pick up call him.”

Hinata was staring at the phone like it was alien technology. “You’re giving me a phone?”

“Yes. I want to be in touch. Sadly, I can’t come and eat with you every day so on the days we can’t meet I want you to call me. I’ll call you as well when I get home if it isn’t too late and we can talk, you can tell me about your day and such” Hinata nodded and took the phone from him and stared at it for a second longer. “You can add any number you want, Neji’s, Ino’s, your sister. It will be helpful to have them for when you come and live with me and feel lonely.”

“I can add other numbers…?” Hinata was once again hit with the realization that Sasuke was offering her freedom and she didn’t know how to take it. She was overwhelmed by the fact that she had a phone, let alone that she could use it to call Ino.

“Of course. It has an unlimited number of minutes and internet too. You can watch movies if you wish. Also, if you want to buy something online use the phone, I programmed it so it would automatically take money from my account and I’ll be notified.”

Hinata was trying her best to keep tears from spilling. For some reason the fact that he allowed her the freedom of a fully functional phone felt like a huge step, he was putting his trust in her. At that moment Hinata made a promise to never betray his trust. In the few hours that Sasuke was the one in charge of her, he had been more indulging and kinder than her father had been during 22 years.

“And the last thing” Sasuke said as he took a red velvet box out from his other pocket. He opened it and inside was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. The band was made of white gold and it had a big red ruby in the middle and on each side three smaller diamonds. The ring wasn’t overly huge, but it was beautiful. “I didn’t have the time to give this to you yesterday, I’m sorry” Hinata shook her head, there was nothing he should apologize for.

Sasuke held out his hand for her to place hers in so he could slip the ring onto her finger. It fitted perfectly and looked gorgeous on her finger. It felt a little strange, she had never put on rings on her left hand because it was considered bad-luck, so the feeling was foreign but she knew it would go away soon enough and the ring would turn into something that brought her peace at all times just from looking at it.

“I love it thank you” The squeezing was back and more powerful this time. She was wearing his ring. He had proof to show to the world that she was his. Sasuke was the one to get up first and Hinata followed. They walked out of the restaurant and back to the car hand in hand.

It was barely 2 in the afternoon. “I’m sorry I can’t spend more time with you today.”

“It’s ok. It was more than enough. I had a wonderful time, thank you” Hinata was still looking at the ring with a smile on. It was weird how something that yesterday felt like the end of the world, today felt like the beginning. Her heart fluttered when Sasuke opened the box and showed her the ring and it violently beat in her chest as he was putting it on her finger. Maybe marrying her off was the best thing her father could do.

They reached the Hyuuga house faster than either of them would have liked. “I’m not coming inside this time” Sasuke said as he walked her to the door. Hinata just realized that that had been her first date. She saw similar scenarios in the movies she watched with Ino. The boy walked the girl to the door after their date and he would kiss her. Would Sasuke kiss her? Did she want him to? A part of her was scared but the other part of her was screaming ‘KISS ME’. But Sasuke didn’t kiss her, at least not on the lips. Just like last night he kissed her forehead and left saying goodbye.

Hinata walked inside the house and it felt even colder and duller than normally. She wasn’t sure she could survive another three months there, not when freedom with Sasuke was that close. Hinata didn’t go to tell her father she was home, instead, she ran up the stairs to her room where Mina and Harushi were waiting for her. Her servants were a few years older than her, yet Hinata had never considered them friends because Hiashi drilled the belief that servants were to be servants since she was small, but her dad had been wrong before, so maybe he was wrong on this occasion as well.

The two girls bowed to her and Hinata stopped. She wasn’t sure how to act, a sudden image from a movie popped into her mind. When one of the girls would tell the others about her crush and they’d all jump up and down and screech. So, she took in a deep breath.

“You can raise your head” she said in her normal tone. The girls did as she asked. Taking in another breath she extended her left hand for them to see the ring. “Isn’t it beautiful?” Her energy was overflowing and she couldn’t contain it anymore. She started jumping up and down and laughing.

“Today was the best day ever. He was so lovely and just everything was amazing.” Hinata took one of Mina’s hands and one of Haruhi’s and started jumping up and down. The servants looked at one another before starting to laugh too and jumping with her.

“The ring is lovely” “And he’s so handsome” “I’m glad you had a lovely date Hinata-hime” “Did he tell you when the next one will be?” The two were talking alternatively.

“He didn’t but he gave me a phone and said he’ll call everyday he can’t see me” She showed them the phone as well. Hinata wanted to call Ino as soon as possible but she didn’t know her friend’s number. Whenever she wanted to talk to Ino she’d use Neji’s phone. Hinata started walking towards the door to the hallway, she wanted to look for Neji to get him to put his number and Ino’s in her phone.

The rest of the day went by faster than most of her days do. She talked to Ino on the phone for hours then took a bath and as she was changing in her night attire her phone rang. Sasuke had kept his promise to call her when he got home. She told him about talking to Ino and asked about his own day. Their conversation wasn’t very long but it still made Hinata smile. She fell asleep with a smile on her face and thoughts of Sasuke in her mind.

________________________

The following morning the first thing she did upon waking up was to check her left hand to make sure the ring was there and that it wasn’t all just a dream. She couldn’t help but smile upon seeing the piece of jewellery.

Sasuke’s question about hobbies bothered her a little, she had never really had the means of finding a hobby, she either didn’t have the time or didn’t know what to try besides cooking recipes she made up. But now she no longer needed to attend the leadership classes, her father informed her of that at breakfast, and she now had access to the internet, she could try learning a new skill, discover what she liked to watch or read, find out something she enjoyed doing. That was on her to-do list until she met with Sasuke the next time, get a hobby.

Ino liked gardening and making flower arrangements, Hinata liked helping her around the garden as well but doing the arrangements themselves was always difficult and not particularly enjoyable. The one thing she knew she’d like was drawing but was a bit scared. She had always doodled on her notes but had never tried to do an artwork. So that was the first thing she looked up on youtube, drawing videos. She found many and every single one was more amazing than the one before.

Hinata immersed herself in the videos and all the different ways in which one could create art.

________

Despite being in the middle of work Sasuke couldn’t help but think about Hinata and the things she said during their date a few days ago. She was basically a teenager getting her first phone. Sure, she knew a shit ton about leadership, her family and their world but she knew nothing about the outside world, technology and real human relationships. She didn’t know herself either, that part, seeing her figure out who she was as a person, what she enjoyed and what she didn’t, would be lovely to watch. But Sasuke was still confused about how Hiashi thought he could shelter his heir from everything, had Hinata been the leader she would have been lost, not because she wasn’t fit for it but because she didn’t know how to navigate her way through the outside world, she didn’t know what to do when someone wasn’t giving her orders. Her father had succeeded in turning her into someone submissive not because she was weak but because she had never been given the opportunity to be independent. Hinata had amazing skills, she knew over 5 languages and was taught how to fight, but she didn’t know many basic things.

Sasuke kept thinking of the best ways to slowly expose Hinata to more of the outside world and its customs, the Yamanaka girl wasn’t as sheltered but she wasn’t exactly well versed in ‘normality’ either. Naruto would spend a lot of time with her too but he couldn’t entrust the blond to teach her things, who knows what dumb stuff he would fill her head with. Of course, the obvious solution would be his mother, she was the sanest out of everyone he knew and she could help her prepare for the life of ‘the wife of the Uchiha leader’, but he would like to assign someone that’s around their age as well, someone Hinata could consider a friend and not feel overly anxious around.

Before he could find the perfect candidate, his cousin Shisui came to inform him his father wanted to talk to him. He forced himself to focus on work, but lingering thoughts of Hinata distracted him every now and again. He was still worried about her being in the Hyuuga household still, time seemed to be moving in slow-motion, the beginning of September appeared to be years away.

________

Her eyes were sparkling as she was telling him all about the painting tutorials she watched the past three weeks, she apologized for wasting so much money on ordering acrylic paints and brushes. When Hinata mentioned the money issue his temper almost got the best of him, Hiashi had so much money, enough to have a Rolex to ear for every day of the year, yet he couldn’t allow his daughter under 100 dollars to buy paints? Not to mention, but Hinata’s perception of money was off, she apologized for spending 12 dollars on a tube of paint without knowing that the phone she ordered it with was almost a thousand times more expensive. Hiashi only ever spent money on his daughters if it fit his needs, he dressed them well so people could see their wealth, Hinata had been nothing but a trophy.

“I’m sorry I asked for your address, but I just don’t want the order to come to the Hyuuga estate, I’m sure father would destroy everything I bought…” Hinata said, the tips of her ears red, as if she was embarrassed for having him as a father. It wasn’t her that should have been embarrassed but Hiashi.

“It was a nice surprise, seeing you order and send things over to my place already made it even more obvious to me that the wedding is going to happen soon” That wasn’t a lie. When her first order of brushes and canvases arrived Sasuke asked the servants to clear a whole room downstairs, one that had a glass wall towards their garden and turn it into a painting studio. Besides what she ordered he got more, he bought every type of paint there was, acrylic, water, oil and many others. He even talked to Sai, one of his workers that is a famous painter and asked if he would be open to giving Hinata a few hours, of course, provided she was fine with the idea as well.

“H-how do you feel about the marriage…? I can’t imagine you were pleased with it…” her face was lowered, her eyes watching as she was playing with her hands in order to distract herself from the question. She was scared he’d say he hated the idea, especially since over the past month since the announcement, her feelings slowly turned to happiness and excitement.

“I was slightly annoyed when dad first told me. But I’ve changed my mind and I cannot wait” Sasuke answered and placed one of his hands on top of hers to calm her down. “It drives me mad knowing you’re stuck in that house for another 2 months. I have to constantly fight the urge to just sneak in and kidnap you” His tone was light thus turning his words into a joke, Hinata giggled at it, but Sasuke was dead serious.

“I’m glad” Hinata admitted and grabbed his hand with both of hers and brought it to her lips and kissed his knuckles. Her feelings for Sasuke were complex, they started out as indifference when they were simply just individuals belonging to the same world, then they turned to fear and maybe a light form of hate the moment Hiashi announced she had been sold off, but after spending the slightest time with him, she felt relief, admiration and gratitude towards him. He represented a better future, one with freedom and happiness, a future away from her father. Sasuke was her saviour, but even those feelings started to change, her heart would flutter whenever his voice echoed from her phone, she’d constantly check for new texts from him, the days in between their meetings were the longest, while the time spent with him seemed to be so short. Every time he kissed her hand or her forehead she wanted to grab onto his face and bring it down to her face, she wanted to hold his hand, to hug him, but the urge she had most often and the one hardest to fight was to ask for the wedding to be held earlier. Whenever Sasuke drops her off at the Hyuuga estate she wants to ask him to marry her right that moment so she could go home with him.

She spoke to Ino about her feelings and about Sasuke, Ino told her that she was so glad the Uchiha was so nice to her, but that she should be careful, her feelings appeared out of nowhere and they developed so fast, she shouldn’t get too attached to him, shouldn’t become totally dependable of him because in their world ‘love’ was never one to last. Ino’s view on love was jaded after her parents’ divorce, Ino’s father was devastated when his wife left him and his daughter was there to pick up the pieces. Hinata was aware her friend was trying to warn her and shelter her from future heart break, but the thought of Sasuke hurting her seemed outlandish.

They ate pasta this time around, and with every bite, her eyes got bigger and bigger. “This is the best thing I have ever eaten. How can something be this delicious?” She kept praising the food throughout, whenever the waiter came to ask if they needed anything else Hinata would ask him to tell the chef that he is a genius, that his food is the most amazing thing ever. Sasuke smirked and shook his head every time.

“I can stay for longer today, is there anything else you’d like to try?” He asked her as they were walking around the pedestrian central part of Konoha. Hinata had been utterly confused with the concept of a part of the city denying car access, whenever they crossed a street, she’d still check for cars despite Sasuke assuring her that there was no way for one to get there. The central part was crowded and busy with people, Hinata stood a step behind Sasuke trying not to bump into anyone, looking over his shoulder at her to see if she heard his question Sasuke realized she had not, she was far too focused on not hitting anyone to concentrate on anything else. Reaching for her with his hand, he placed his arm around her waist and drew her close to his body. Her face instantly turned beet red and she looked up at him. He lowered his face towards her and Hinata’s brain picked up speed, he would surely kiss her, but there? In front of all those people? Wasn’t a public kiss a bit too much? However, his face passed by hers and only stopped when his lips were next to her ear “I asked if there is anywhere else you want to go. It’s too loud and you couldn’t hear me”

Due to her embarrassment and agitation, she simply pointed at a random building, which turned out to be a Starbucks. The two of them walked together, Sasuke still holding her by the waist, but upon walking into the café he let go, she was disappointed, but only for a moment, for he was simply letting go in order to hold her hand. Their fingers intertwined and the world fell into place, the smell of coffee wasn’t overpowering, actually, the café smelled more of chocolate. Sasuke stopped before reaching the end of the line.

“Take a look at the menu, being here for the first time can be overwhelming with all the options. If you want, we can buy so pastries as well” He already knew well that she enjoyed sweets very much. “What do you usually get?” Her eyes were glued to the menu reading all the ingredients for each beverage.

“I don’t think you’d like what I get. I get a large Americano with 3 espresso shots and no sugar.” Upon hearing his order Hinata scrunched her nose in a disgusted expression, she looked up at him. “So you drink just…black coffee, willingly?” he couldn’t help but laugh at her disbelieve “My dad drinks it that way too, says that putting anything else in coffee is blasphemy. I once asked for sugar and he got so mad… I hadn’t had coffee since then” Her story left a sour taste in his mouth.

“Maybe I’ll get a large Latte with 3 shots of espresso and one cube of sugar after all…” That conversation made him realize that there was nothing he’d hate more than her believing him and Hiashi had anything in common, he’d drink sweet coffee with milk from now until forever if it meant distancing himself from her father’s image. The change in his order made Hinata smile. “I decided as well, I want a vanilla and cinnamon Frappuccino with almond milk” Sasuke placed their orders and out a few fruit tarts as well. Their lunch date turned to a dinner date as well, which had been the longest period they had spent together in one day, thus making it especially hard when it was time for Sasuke to drop her off. Hinata watched from the hallways window as his car slowly disappeared behind the huge gates of their estate, watching him leave made her heart hurt. She knew Sasuke hated leaving her as well, still, she couldn’t help but feel abandoned.

“Are you back?” Hanabi asked as she exited the library, she probably had just finished one of her classes. All of Hinata’s bitterness towards her sister disappeared, now she only felt pity. Hanabi would be stuck in the house forever and she would be free, it was scary how one’s view on certain events could change so fast. Barely a few days ago Hinata thought she was the one being punished, but now realized it was her sister.

“Yes I’m back” Despite her pitying Hanabi, the two weren’t close enough to offer kind words of encouragement and support. “But I’m a bit tired so I’ll go to sleep”

“He didn’t hit you, did he?” it was barely a whisper, but it made Hinata’s blood boil. Her alliances changed the moment Sasuke treated her nicely, hearing Hanabi badmouth him made her want to scream at her sister, but she didn’t. She turned around slowly and smiled. “He didn’t. He would never. He won’t. he isn’t father, there is nothing about him similar to father” Hinata didn’t stay behind to hear Hanabi’s reply. She ran up the stairs and the moment her bedroom door was closed she called Sasuke, he picked up on the second ring.

“I miss you” The words were out of her mouth before she even realized, but she didn’t regret them. “I miss you” she repeated, to show to Sasuke, to herself that she meant them.

“I miss you too” his voice was softer than she had ever heard it, it was a shame she couldn’t see his expression. She closed her eyes and wished for the weeks to fly by.

________

Despite her newfound freedom in the form of a phone with full access to the internet, Hinata’s days seemed to move slower than ever. The time in-between her ‘dates’ with Sasuke were dragging on forever. She’d talk to Ino on the phone, watch videos, read from an ebook, listen to music, cook and barely 2 or 3 hours of the day would have passed. The highlight of her day was always her chat with Sasuke. Apart from their night calls, they kept texting throughout the day as well, but he was busy with work so his replies were few and far in between. Wasting time and dreaming of her future became her routine, each day seemed to be a carbon copy of the previous one. Not today, however, today was a special day, today she, Mikoto and Ino were going to choose her wedding dress. Hinata was practically bouncing, eager to leave the house, eager to try the dresses on, eager to see herself in white, the dress would be proof not only that the wedding was getting nearer, but also that it was indeed reality and not one of her daydreams.

She had been worried her father wouldn’t have allowed for it, but both Fugaku and Sasuke assure him that Naruto, her future bodyguard, was the best and he would be able to protect the three women for the day. Thankfully her father was just as excited about the wedding and would not go and do anything to potentially ruin his newfound friendship with the Uchiha head.

The plan was for Naruto and Mikoto to get to her house around noon, then they would drive to Ino’s and to the dress shop. After picking up the dress they’d go to eat and see the wedding venue and all the plans Mikoto arranged, to make sure Hinata liked everything and if she didn’t so they could change everything by the wedding which was 3 weeks away. Hinata woke up at 7, unable to contain her longing to be outside, she got dressed up, ate and has spent the last 4 hours pacing around the entrance hall.

When her father passed by her early in the morning he lectured her, telling her how she should behave, be respectful, yet vigilant because ‘people are mean and cruel’ because ‘the shop isn’t on out territory’, because ‘you are always in danger.

Neji also spent about half an hour with her talking about her feelings about the wedding, her impression of Sasuke. Her stories and happiness eased his mind and guilt, for he had not been able to stop the arranged marriage. He truthfully wished for her excitement to never die; he hoped the Uchiha household would be a proper environment for her growth.

The only one in the Hyuuga household that was not on board with the marriage was Hanabi. She continued making remarks about Sasuke’s renowned cruelness, hinting that Hinata would not know happiness in her marriage with him. She constantly asked whether he had any violent tendencies towards her, whether he ignored her, whether he cheated on her. Hinata always tried to not let her words get to her, Sasuke was wonderful and more than she had ever hope for, she had no reason to doubt him, so all of Hanabi’s words never had any impact but annoy her. Hinata always defended Sasuke and Hanabi would answer ‘my foolish sister’, patronizing her, making it seem as if she knew more than Hinata herself. Hinata tried to understand where Hanabi was coming from…all of her life she had hoped to be the heir and now she was. But Hinata’s happiness was yet another source of jealousy for Hanabi, she was slowly realizing that once again, she was the one who had the short end of the stick, thus all of her remarks weren’t for Hinata to believe, but for herself. She tried so hard to convince herself Hinata’s future was bleak and Hanabi had to pity her, not the other way around.

Once again, right before Mikoto and Naruto arrived Hanabi made a remark that hurt Hinata’s feelings, a remark which Hanabi too regretted instantly, her remorse could be read on her face, but her ego stopped her from apologizing. “Make sure you pick a pretty dress Hinata, that’s what you’ll be buried in when he kills you on the wedding night” she said loud and clear, for the servants around to hear, had Hiashi been there he would have punished Hanabi for trying to destroy the Hyuuga-Uchiha Union, but all Hinata did was give her a sad smile and answer with “Good luck to you too little sister” Their relationship could never be fixed, not when jealousy was the primal feeling Hanabi held for her, not when her ego stood in the way of a sincere apology, not when Hinata was resigned and no longer wished to try.

Mikoto came like a hurricane, she entered the house without knocking, she hugged Hinata and kissed both of her cheeks, she complimented her on her dress and make-up. Behind her was a blond young man that gave her a warm smile. “This is Naruto, he will be your bodyguard when you enter the family”

Naruto took a step closer but made no attempt to touch her, he simply smiled wider and bowed his head slightly. “It’s a pleasure to meet and protect you Miss Hinata” Naruto’s use of her name and not of Hyuuga felt odd, but freeing; she wanted to move past this family. She would not forget them, for they were part of her, they made her who she was at that moment, but she wanted to leave them and this variation of herself behind, she wanted to become independent and someone she chose to become.

After picking Ino up the group was ready to go to the dress shop, Mikoto had asked Ino to sit in the front seat for she wanted to talk to Hinata in the back. Hinata couldn’t help but notice her friend’s red cheeks whenever she looked Naruto’s way. Hinata couldn’t tell if the flushness was due to the fact that Naruto was a man Ino had never had contact with when she was young, thus she wasn’t used to his company, or whether her blush had a deeper meaning. In the backseat, Mikoto explained certain details about the wedding preparations, her tone was light and she talked without any formalities. Whenever Hinata answered it was an awkward mix of formal and informal language and she refrained from addressing Mikoto directly, for she didn’t know what to call her, Mrs Uchiha, or was that too formal for someone to be her mother-in-law in 3 weeks? Mikoto, but wasn’t that rude to address in such a manner to an older relative?

Upon reaching the dress shop, the designer working there assured the women that she had reserved the whole shop just for them. She was eager to help and to please any and all of Hinata’s requests. “Call me Sakura!” she said as they met “no need for formalities, after all I am here to help you find what you will be wearing on the most important day of your life”

Hinata tried on 5 dresses before finding ‘the one’. It was perfect in every way possible. The bodice was made entirely of lace that was a bit see-through, thus had white material around the chest area in a heart shape. The skirt was long and flowy but not overly heavy, it had beautiful lace details on the bottom of the skirt and a split on the left leg until above the knee. It was a stunning dress, but so were all the ones before, however, the moment Hinata tried it on, it felt different, it felt right. Seeing herself in the mirror her eyes got a bit misty and in her overflow of emotion turned around to hug Sakura who just finished buttoning the last button at her back. She told her how she felt the dress was the one and Sakura’s eyes got a bit misty too. This is what she did that job for, these moments in which a young woman found her perfect one and only dress to wear on her wedding day, she lived to see the happy tears and all the smiles.

“Stay here for a second, I’ll announce that this is it, this is the dress” She learned in the years of doing this job that whenever an instant click between woman-dress happened it should always be said to the party that came to help pick the dress as well so they would not criticize anything and break the magic spell of the moment. “Hinata found it, her perfect dress” Sakura said just moments before Hinata walked in wearing the most radiant smile ever, Ino screamed and ran to hug her and shower her in compliments, Mikoto watched from the side-line as the three young women discussed how perfect the dress was. After a short while, Hinata turned to Mikoto with bashful red cheeks “What do you think Mrs. Uchiha?”

Mikoto went to her and hugged her close as well. “The dress is perfect, it’s everything I hoped you’d find and more” she made a short pause for she felt this pressure in the back of her throat as id she too was about to cry. “and please, call me mother, I know that the wedding will only be in 3 weeks, but you already are my child Hinata dear” Mikoto’s kindness and warmth only made Hinata cry more. Naruto watched with a smile the whole event, he too liked Hinata from what he had seen of her, he was glad his friend was lucky enough for the arranged marriage to lead him to her. Even before he met Hinata he saw Sasuke’s expression when talking about her, he heard the soft tone in which he spoke about her and could tell that his friend held a deep affection for his fiancé.

After the dress picking event, Hinata asked for Sakura’s number to call her in the instance of the dress needing anything done day-of the wedding, that was the excuse anyway, in reality, she simply felt as if the moment they shared in the dressing room was special and wanted to try and keep in contact with her. Their next destination was the wedding hall, followed by other shops to get the wedding shoes, jewellery and her second wedding outfit in which she would change after their first dance. Just like the days in which she had dates with Sasuke, the time flew by and soon enough it was dark outside and time for them to return. After dropping Ino off, instead of driving back to the Hyuuga estate, Naruto took a sudden left turn which led to Hinata’s confusion, doubt and for the smallest second fear. Mikoto placed her hand on her knee and smiled at her, letting her know there was nothing to be afraid of. Despite being quite late, it wasn’t dark out yet, the summer sun refused to set.

The car stopped in front of a restaurant Hinata knew. “Are we getting dinner as well?” She was wondering why did they drop Ino off, maybe Mikot had something to discuss with her in private? Before she could come up with any other speculations, her car door opened and a familiar face greeted her with a smirk on. Her heart started beating faster the moment her eyes met Sasuke’s. She placed her hand in his and was smoothly pulled out of the car and into his arms. “Thank you, mother for dropping her off.” He said and then nodded towards Naruto expressing his thanks to him silently. Hinata was still in a daze and looking up at him as if he was a mere hallucination.

“I finished work earlier and Naruto told me you guys were still out so I asked him to bring you to me” He explained the situation to her and ushered her towards the entrance of the restaurant. It was the same restaurant in which they ate that pasta, out of all the things they tried together those were her favourite. Looking up at Sasuke Hinata kept wondering how Ino could expect her not to fall for him when he treated her this way, he had brought her more joy than she had experienced in her whole life, the memories she had of him were her favourite. He was slowly and steadily becoming the centre of her universe.

Since the moment they got seated and he reached out to hold her hand and slowly brush her wrist with his thumb, Hinata had been fighting the urge to simply utter ‘I love you’. Was it too fast? They met about 2 months ago, they went on dates about twice a week maybe three times if Sasuke’s work allowed for that, however they talked daily, her thoughts were filled with him. She wasn’t confused, these feelings might have started as gratitude for being saved, but they were romantic, she was in love with him, that much she knew. Sasuke noticed how distracted she was during their meal, she barely complimented the chef, but he decided not to pry yet, however, her silence during their walk after dinner bothered him more than he cared to admit. He loved how her eyes sparkled when she spoke about things she loved. She stopped walking and turned to face her, cupping her face in his hands, her eyes fluttered shut for a moment. She looked so lovely, and so utterly small and fragile, he would protect her with everything he had, he would help her build her strength enough to be able to protect herself, but even then, when she was capable, he’d do everything in his power to destroy anything that posed as a threat to her, whether physical, emotional or mental.

“What’s the matter Hinata? You’ve been in deep thought all night” he had been excited to hear all about her day, Naruto kept him updated every hour, but hearing the events from her would have been much more entertaining. Hinata looked into his eyes longingly, he wasn’t sure what she wanted but whatever it was he would give it to her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in.

“I have been...thinking whether I should tell you something the whole night and I cannot seem to find the right answer, what do you think I should do?” her eyes were still closed, too scared to see his reaction. Sasuke was the one confused now, why would she be struggling in such a manner? She should always tell him everything, anything no matter how trivia, he wanted to know every single thought that went on in her mind.

Sasuke took a step closer to her, their bodies were almost touching and he was still affectionately holding her face. “I think you should tell me; I think you should always tell me everything” Hinata’s heart was beating out of her chest, she was scared to look into his eyes as she said it, but she wanted to see him as she said it too. Choosing to be brave today, choosing to believe that Sasuke would catch her when she fell, Hinata opened her eyes, placed both of her hands over his on her face and smiled.

“Ok, I will tell you” Her mind was made, but she still needed a second to compose herself. “I love you”

The feeling Hinata had when putting the dress on was similar to what Sasuke experienced upon hearing those words, however, the magnitude of his feeling was much stronger, it felt as if the planets aligned, as if all the events ever in the world and its history happened as they did in order to lead to this very moment. A star exploded that lead to the creation of a galaxy, to the creation of a planet, to the creation of humanity, all for this one single moment.

He had not thought in depth about his feelings for Hinata, not because he didn’t want to admit them, but rather because it was unknown territory, but the moment she uttered the words he knew them to be true on his side as well. “I’m glad” he answered, his voice cracked so he cleared his throat. “I’m glad you decided to tell me” Hinata’s smile was stunning, she had told him and he was happy, he was moved, she could see a myriad of emotions in his eyes, all slowly falling into place. Sasuke wanted to say the words back but felt oddly fearful and uncertain, he had never experienced that level of awkwardness. “I do too” he muttered feeling defeated, he had chickened out and took a shortcut, but he will try to work harder, he will be able to express his feelings.

Hinata wasn’t mad or sad or disappointed by his answer, she could tell he was trying his best and if she were honest, it was lovely seeing him be the flustered one for a change. They were still in the same position, their faces close to each other, so Hinata once again took the initiative and raised on her tip-toes and kissed him, it was merely a peck. She knew the Uchiha traditions now and wished to follow them thus not being able to fully kiss him, however, the moment felt monumental enough for a small peck to be excused, plus nobody would ever know.

Sasuke stared at her for a moment longer, she was such a complex antithesis, she was weak yet strong, afraid yet brave, clueless yet intelligent, and everything about her made him glad for all the decisions he ever took that led him to her. He was thankful to his father which without even realizing he showed, since his and Hinata’s engagement was announced he and Fugaku have been getting along much better, everything at work went smoother and he often worked harder and faster in order to get a day off to spend with her. Hinata too helped him, their relationship was equally beneficial to both, they both took and both gave.

________

All of the final preparations for the wedding were coming along beautifully, the big event was the next day, but for Hinata even that was too long, the past three months had felt longer than her whole life before her engagement. Everything was better in the Hyuuga household, Neji and her were closer than ever, for he was finally able to be fully honest with her and she too was much happier and open. Her father mostly left her alone, apart from a small incident in which he admitted that he had spoken to her doctors to have her fertility tested almost half a year ago when he and Fugaku were first talking about the union, the test came back positive, but Hinata still felt like that was a huge invasion of her privacy and complained to Sasuke, who in turn argued with both of the older men, but the deed was long done and there wasn’t much he could do but think even lower of Hiashi and treat his father coldly for a while, until Hinata assure him that she had moved past that issue. Even Hanabi stopped her remarks after the incident on the wedding-dress day. After choosing the dress she and Mikoto went out to spend time together a few more times, she even met up separately with Ino and Sakura twice. When Hinata talked about her new friendship with Sasuke he was, in her words ‘delighted’; Sasuke had hoped for the wedding dress girl to become Hinata’s friend after she first told him about her. He had wanted her to have a friend that was well-versed into normality in order to help Hinata at times navigate society, however, he wished for that friendship to bloom naturally, sure he could have done as others would, namely bribe someone into being her friend, but that would only cause issues later, plus being close to Hinata is payment enough.

The weekend before the wedding Hinata was invited to have dinner at the Uchiha estate, she and Mikoto were already very close, however, Fugaku still scared her a little while Itachi seemed nice, but maybe a bit cold and detached, unwilling to fully interact with this world. He reminded her a little of herself when she still lived at the Hyuuga household. Being able to form that connection, after dinner she sought him out and talked to him alone, trying to relate his feelings with her own. Itachi wanted to be freed from his family much like she did, however, the ties keeping him there were much stronger, he loved all of his family but could not fully function and integrate into their world of organized crime.

After her talk to Itachi ended, Fugaku apologized for breaching her privacy and welcomed her to the family. She knew how much that meant, her father had never apologized for anything, so she could only imagine how hard it must have been for Fugaku to step over his pride and ego, she appreciated it more than she let on.

The night before the wedding Hinata had a dream, in that dream, she and Sasuke were laying together on a bed just looking at each other while holding themselves close, she felt at peace with her surroundings and Sasuke’s eyes on her made her feel seen and loved. The whole dream was peaceful, they sit in silence, then talk a little followed by kisses and laughs, which would quiet down to silence and the circle would start anew.

When her servants woke her up at 5 am, she wasn’t annoyed as she normally would have been before any other event, she had taken with her the peacefulness of her dream, she had waited so long for this day it almost felt like this was just another dream too, but the scrubbing her servants did during her bath stung, letting her know that this was reality, the happiness she felt was going to be a constant, for Sasuke will make sure to keep her smiling throughout their whole lives.

Unlike the preparations for other events in which Hinata didn’t particularly care about her looks, she was very specific this time around, she and Mikoto picked together her hairstyle too, her makeup colours and every little detail. Time seemed to dilate at times and a minute felt like an eternity, while other times it felt as if it were on fast-forward, she’d close her eyes for a second and a full hour would have passed.

By 9 am she was completely done, looking at herself in the mirror she remembered the day the engagement was announced, how picturing herself next to Sasuke felt strange, but now, picturing herself without him felt unnatural, her brain and heart finally agreed and they both knew Sasuke was her everything, he would be the one and only to ever stand by her side. While she was admiring herself in the mirror Neji walked in, telling her it was time to go to the church, the wedding was about to begin.

Nothing could ruin her perfect day, not even Hiashi holding her hand proudly as he walked her down the aisle, not even Hanabi refusing to make eye contact with her, all she could see and all that mattered was Sasuke at the end of the red rug, standing tall and handsome. Everything that had happened before in her life almost didn’t matter, this was the moment her life began. She barely heard anything the priest said, her answers were mostly done on auto-pilot, only when it was the moment for the rings to be exchanged did her eyes water, hearing Sasuke say ‘I do’ was a memory she’ll treasure forever. Their first official kiss was short, much shorter than she had hoped it would be, but even that didn’t ruin her mood, for she had walked inside a Hyuuga and left an Uchiha.

It was during their first dance that Sasuke whispered “I love you” he softly into her ear, only for her alone to hear, it had taken him a bit longer than her but he got to the point in which he could express his feeling in words too, for he had told her he loved her countless times with his actions alone. “I love you too” she replied and pulled his face to her for a kiss, not caring remotely that people were watching her. She would not be punished for causing a scene, Hiashi had no more power over her and Sasuke would never cage her or treat her like an inferior. She had the freedom to do whatever she wanted, and her first choice was to kiss her husband in front of all of those people on her wedding night.

@sasuhinamonth

[chocolate-parfait]

I adore your writing so I was wondering if I could get headcanons for some Ikesen boys (Mitsuhide, Kenshin, and Nobunaga)?

When MC first comes through the wormhole she doesn’t have her son with her and her entire stay is her stressing about it since he is only 5 years old so as soon as the wormhole opens she’s gone before they even blink. They don’t expect her to come back but she does! and with her son this time!

Thank you so much bub! I missed writing for ikesen and honestly, I’m a sucker for anything involving parenting :) Thanks for requesting!

Also I,,, I really went all out for Nobunaga huh

Mc coming back with her son - ikesen headcanons (Mitsuhide, Kenshin & Nobunaga)

words: 2.9k / tw: mentions of injuries and violent behavior / female mc

Mitsuhide

How could possibly someone as clumsy as his little mouse be a mother? Jokingly, he asks you whether it was you taking care of your son or the other way round. He teases you a bit, only enough to gain some strands of information here and there; he may find the excuse that, as the man in charge of security and secrets, that was only part of his job, when in truth he’s actually worried about you. He gathers that your child isn’t with you, and this only serves to fuel his curiosity and worry even more. Nonetheless, he doesn’t pry. You must have your own reasons and secrets, and for once, he's willing to leave you to them.

Once he notices your feelings for him, he becomes sure of the fact that, whether you had a husband or not, he definitely owned your heart no longer. He’s acting more confidently and boldly than before, adding more intensity to his innuendos and subtle flirting. Then, you tell him you’re from the future and you get closer, spending the days basking in each other’s company and usual teasing banters.

...but, oh boy, before he even knows it you’re disappearing in the thickness of the fog and coldness of the rain. If the wormhole had opened when Sasuke had predicted, then you probably would have told him about your plans. You needed more time to mentally prepare yourself, but when Mother Nature decides to open her time-traveling black holes, it's not your choice to make. Mitsuhide will be okay, probably... or at least, you hope so. ok but boy teased you too much, this is his payback

After you're gone Mitsuhide needs a couple of seconds to register what had just happened. In truth, he expected it, kinda (or at least, that’s what he wants to believe), and although it hurts, he’s not one to complain. First off, it could have never worked between you two. He’s... he’s quite the despicable guy, with tons of enemies and secrets. No one in their right mind would want to stay with him for more than 2 minutes, but he had never really cared. Until you came along. And how could he even wish to hold the first place in a mother’s heart? It went without saying that your son was your top priority, and it was fine, it was bound to be that way.

He puts on his habitual facade and moves on with his day, but don’t be fooled; he has no intention of ever forgetting you nor he's completely at peace on the inside. He feels a stinging pain buried deep underneath the arid soil of his heart. The heart wishes what the heart desires, and even when one has resigned to keep a distance from everything it longs for, the pain persists, and it's probably ten times even harsher in the melancholy of it all.

(Hideyoshi obviously catches up on his act, and almost headbutts him out of exasperation when he sees he’s not letting out even the tiniest of sighs)

The days pass by, and Mitsuhide is sure you won’t be coming back. But you do. Once more you catch him by surprise, you destroy his expectations and act outside of the box. And when you finally face him for the first time in what felt like lifetimes, your son by the hand and a wide smile on your face, he stares at you bewildered, wide eyes and an unusual expression of genuine surprise on his features.

“You... you’re really something, little mouse” It’s all he says before striding over to you and hugging you to his chest. His words may conceal them, but you can feel his true feelings in the tightness of his embrace, the thunderous pace of his heartbeat, and the barely noticeable shaking of his sigh.

Maybe he can let himself feel some happiness, after all? Surely, he will have to work extremely hard to protect it, to destroy anyone who might try to bring harm over you, but Mitsuhide is a man of many ways, and he knows how to reach his goal.

Weirdly enough, your child quickly grows fond of Mitsuhide, and it's not long before he starts calling him “Papa”. He's always staring in awe at whatever he does, even the tiniest of tricks will make him giggle excitedly with surprise. On the other hand, your lover is unsurprisingly good with kids. Probably because they're so easy to please and to fool with lies (like a certain someone). He could tell the little boy that you're the Moon princess and the courageous Mitsuhide saved you by a sea of horned monsters, and he would totally believe him without even questioning it first. Maybe it's a family trait?

He does not expect to find himself with a family out of the blue, but by the fond look of his golden orbs, you can tell he's grateful for it. Whenever he kisses you goodbye before going to work in the morning or ruffles your son's hair with playful tenderness, you know it's a silent vow, renewed each time. He's going to do everything in his power to assure your happiness. You've given him a warm place to return to, a spot in the light, love, and gratefulness; protecting it all is the least he could do to return such blessing.

Kenshin

You tell him about the wormhole, about the rain and the lightning, about why you have to go back. Kenshin may have been on his way to healing, but when he hears of your son he recesses 10 steps back. The dark part of himself he was trying so hard to chase away pushes towards him feelings of jealousy and anger (you had, after all, loved another man and bore his child; moreover this man was not by your and your son’s side for whichever reason, leaving you both alone), but the other half of his heart, which loved you so dearly, could not tolerate depriving you of your son.

He’s afraid of you leaving him forever, no matter how much you tell him you’ll definitely come back. He wants to trust you just as much as you trust him, but once more his darkness haunts him and clashes with his sober side. He could lock you up forever or he could let you go, you’d be safer and happier without him. Maybe you will actually come back, or maybe you will forget about him as soon as you step back to your time.

This whole issue causes him to isolate himself from everything and everyone. He needs time to think and come to terms with his feelings, but he’s oh so aware of the quick passing of time. Soon, he’ll have to make a decision that will impact his whole life forever, and yet he can’t really seem to find a proper solution. Not alone, at least.

Stay by his side, patiently put up with his negative thoughts, and comfort his fears away. Promise him over and over again that you will come back, that you wouldn’t forget him for anything in the world. Eventually, he’ll be able to convince himself and fully abandon himself to his trust for you.

When the fateful day comes, he does not expect you to slip away from his arms in the blink of an eye. Your warmth disappears and the cold air hits him with the full realization of what had happened. He takes a deep breath, trying to calm his pounding heart down. All he can do is wait. It might take you days, months, or even years, but he’s willing to wait.

During your absence he drowns his loneliness in sake, he fills the vacant spot in his arms with the white bunnies you used to found so adorable and occupies his time with sparring matches. Then, one day, coming back to his room from a council, he slides the door open and he’s met with two identical pairs of eyes staring at him.

One can only imagine the plethora of emotions hitting him all at once. Before you know it he’s throwing himself to you with the speed of an expert warrior. He hugs you so tightly you can barely breathe, reluctantly letting you go only to get a look at the face he had so longed to see, pressing a deep kiss on your forehead. What stops him from ravaging your lips with even stronger passion is the child’s presence. Maybe it’s better to keep some things for later, you tell him, and he accepts with the cutest of pouts gracing his delicate features.

For some time he’ll be the clingiest he has ever been, though he doesn’t forget your son, whom he now considers as his own. You two look very much alike, and knowing how much you cherish him, he quickly becomes fond of him, too. They spend a lot of time together, forming a bond pretty quickly. Kenshin teaches him all there is to know about the samurai world and the way of the sword (not that he has any intention of throwing him in a battlefield, yet. He’ll let your son accompany him to war only when, as an adult, he’ll be wholly aware of the dangers he’s going to face). Oftentimes you can see them sparring together in the practice room, a rare and soft gaze blessing your lover’s eyes.

Now that both of you are with him, he knows better than to let his fears win him once more, for thus he knows you won’t leave him again. He confesses to you his deepest feelings and thoughts on this matter during quiet, tender moments of intimacy. Maybe one night you're sharing a drink with him while gazing at the night sky from his room; there, he’ll turn his mismatched irises on yours, cup your cheek with his strong hand and tell you, with the most love-dripping tone you had ever heard come out from his mouth: “Thank you for coming back to me, my love. I swear I won’t let you face any danger as long as you two are by my side.”

Nobunaga

So his favorite fireball has a baby fireball? What a surprise, indeed. It's only a single piece of information, and yet it brings to his mind so many possibilities that he can't help but fall deep in thought. Do you have a husband, then? Did he perhaps leave you? If so, how did you manage to take care of your son? He knew life wasn’t easy for a repudiated woman, and one could see it with their own two eyes just by taking a stroll in the poorer neighborhoods of the city. (well, that was something he was trying to change)

Then, he asks himself whether the night of the fire you had been so reluctant to go with him because of your motherly duties. You could have just said so earlier, he would have taken your son to the castle, too. Quickly, you add more interesting details to your story, telling him of the wormhole, your time-travel adventure, and the future.

He half-forces you to make THE bet, the one you cannot ignore, with the added risk that if you lose, you won't be able to see your son ever again. Pretty cruel, right? In your eyes, it might seem so, but truthfully, he's going to let you go at the end of the month, independently from whether you win or lose; he just thinks it'd be spicier to not let you know this very important detail. 

What our grand lord does not expect, is to be hit by Cupid's arrow and cursed with the love of a lifetime. His feelings are so strong he has to stop himself multiple times from directly confessing to you. He blames all the flirting, the sensual touches, the longing kisses, and his affectionate gaze on the bet. You are nothing more than a physical distraction, he can’t let himself love you, and you don’t love him. This way, you'll be able to go back without regrets and doubts. He won't let you, his soulmate, suffer over such a heart-wrenching decision.

Such a prideful and haughty man lowering himself to such tricks only to keep the smile on a woman's face. Pretty ironic, isn't it? Unfortunately for him, anyone can guess the contents of the Demon King's heart, and you are no exception. If you had solemnly promised your return, he would have believed you, that is the type of man he is, but Fate acts before you can take action, and anticipates your departure to the most unexpected of times.

So in the end, you truly did leave him. His beloved fireball, vanished in the same way she had appeared, like a bolt from the blue. He's going to miss you so dearly, and his loneliness will surely take away his sleep at night, but there are still so many things for him to do. You will probably have your fair share, too, though he's sure you'll manage. If it wasn't for his obstination and pride then maybe he would have the humility to deny the same for himself. Maybe one day your path will cross his once again, but who knows, maybe by that time he will have already conquered the whole land, maybe a lethal blow will have taken his life, maybe he'll see you on his last, dying breath. Anyhow, he's going to wait. Patiently and calmly, and he promises himself that were you to return by his side, he won't be denying his love any longer.

It's almost been a year from your departure, and now the snow is slowly falling once more to cover the roofs under its soft embrace. Nobunaga is sitting on the balcony of his tenshu, looking at the city yet bustling with life even in the frigid cold. Just like Azuchi, he hasn't changed much. A couple more scars have appeared somewhere on his body, and the skin just under his eyes has gotten a little darker, but his heart is forever the same. With his thicker haori shielding his lower body from most of the cold air, he brings the red cup of warm sake to his lips, mind wandering to the same, old thoughts of you. Suddenly, his vision turns dark. A pair of warm hands are covering his vision, but before he can reach for his sword, your voice tickles his ear in a low whisper. “Guess who?”

Turning to face you, as a hand rapidly flies to cover his ear from the sudden attack, he quietly basks in the view of your smiling face before slowly erupting in a loud laugh. What an unpredictable one he has fallen for! He must be equally as foolish if he let someone sneak over to him as he was thinking about you.

He takes you in hir arms and keeps you there, where you naturally belong while pressing a kiss to the crown of your head. Your smell, your softness, your body that fit with his like a sword and its sheath. “Welcome back, fireball” With you by his side, everything will be completely different than before. No more sleepless nights or lonely sighs; now he'd have a companion by his side at all times. Sometimes even two.

Nobunaga does not exactly care about the fact that your son is, genetically, not his. Blood is only important to the fools that only view you as an heir-making machine, but he values bonds and the singular individual way more. If he had prioritized family over what was important to him, he would've been killed by his brothers years ago, but it did not happen. What I'm trying to say is that he becomes the fatherly figure your son needs, and he treats him no differently than he would with his biological son. Although yes, he would like to, one day, have another little demon (or a baby angel, depending on whose genes are stronger) running around the castle, to him, yours is already the perfect family.

Nobunaga passes down his views (he doesn't force them, it's more like when a parent explains something to his baby and the baby absorbs everything) onto your child, and makes sure he receives an education fitting for a noble of those times (an open-minded one, possibly). Since he views him as his biological son, once he grows up it will be up to him whether to help his father unifying the country and then, eventually inheriting and ruling everything one day. Growing up in those times though will probably make him accustomed to the idea of fighting even at a young age, so unless you're strictly against it, there will be high chances of him becoming a samurai and following in your lover’s footsteps.

Leaving the gruesome matters aside, Nobu and his son are one hell of a pair of troublemakers! Buy some throat syrup because Hideyoshi will be screaming his lungs out. The man lectures your husband and your own son twice the times you do, either because of their sugar consumptions, their life-threatening activities such as running in the halls, or just general shenanigans. They're quite the headaches, frankly. One of their favorite and safe (because Nobu is there) activities to do together, is going horseriding. The demon commander will sit the boy between his arms and let his horse run at full speed. By the time they come back, the wind will have made a mess of their clothes and hair, but both will have the biggest and purest of smiles on their faces.

(Additionally, for all of them: if they ever catch anyone talking shit about either you or your son, they won't hesitate to slice them up with their swords on the spot.)

[leportraitducadavre]

Naruto re-read XXVIV

Chapters covered: 236 - 244 Twentyseventh Volume of the manga

Site used: https://manga4life.com/manga/Naruto (VIZ translation of the manga)

Disclaimer: This is intended as a list and simple observations of the topics that particularly interested me in the aforementioned chapters, in that sense, do not expect a linear -or totally deep- analysis.

Tumblr’s update doesn’t allow me to attach more than 10 pictures, therefore, all of them will be LINKED. Apologies.

349) Medic-nins: “They demand a different skill-set from a warrior. To utilize the chakra, it takes light and precise hand… an enormous amount of expertise… an adaptness at practical application… patience.. besides, there’s a special something required  of anyone intending to become a first-rate medic…” (here). That special something seems to be someone to care for (x)

350) Anti-Sakura fandom (often Hinata stans), tend to shit immensely on Sakura for “burdening” Naruto with the promise of bringing Sasuke back, despite her not forcing Naruto to promise a single thing (he’s the one who promises, x), yet she -despite learning Sasuke left (x), smiles at him and refuses to allow him to apologize (x). She’s being a good friend here. She’s heartbroken (x) yet she vows to help Naruto and not be a burden to him (here); she even seeks Tsunade’s teachings for this very same reason (x). Like, you do have plenty of reasons to dislike her, but this isn’t one.

351) Once that was said… the fact that Naruto just straight out says he has no time to wait for her (x), lmao.

352) Akatsuki won’t try to take Naruto again for three to four years (x), it’s not clear where Jiraiya is taking the intel from (Itachi?), or why they are willing to wait four years (giving Naruto a chance to grow in power) to kidnap him. Likewise, Jiraiya tells Naruto Orochimaru won’t be able to take over Sasuke’s body for another three or four years (x) given how the jutsu works and how Orochimaru was practically forced to take another vessel. 

Akatsuki is shown together and they comment on the three years time-span (x), apparently, they will be hunting down every tailed beast, leaving the nine tails for last.

353) “...and Sasuke is of the same cloth as Orochimaru. Forget bringing him back. It is the tragic path of self-righteous fools.” Says the man that taught three orphans him and his kind created in the first place to make himself feel better, only to abandon them and never look back to check up on them.

354) It took three months for Sakura to revive a fish (x), Tsunade even says she might be of a talent similar to Shizune.

355) Hinata canonically faints at the sight of Naruto (x).

356) Did the Suna brothers stay in Konoha for three entire months? (x).

357) “More than ten years ago… the rule of the five principal shinobi territories was destabilized. Skirmishes arose near the borders, drawing small countries and shinobi villages into the fray. The prolonged warfare reduced the influence of the Land of Fire, even its base of military power, Konohagakure was struck by a heavy loss of life. Later on, this conflict would be known as the Third great ninja war.” (x).

358) I’m genuinely, genuinely, trying to understand what’s so great about Minato’s leadership skills that Hiruzen chose him as Hokage before Fugaku, (who listened to his kin’s wishes and followed suit). He states that the four of them will be separating as Kakashi became a Jönin and is fit to lead (x) despite the fact that he is aware that Kakashi diminishes Obito constantly and the later isn’t even willing to respect him (x, x). Everything he does about of this animosity in between them it’s ignore it and allow Rin out of all people to try to calm them both down (x). Kakashi even takes a very bad decision during their mission (x), risking his (x) and his team’s lives (x), and jeopardizing the mission they were sent to do (which was incredibly important, as Minato states) and the only thing he does is: telling Kakashi not to “follow always the rules” (x) and scolding Obito for keeping his guard down. He tells the three of them that “the most important thing is teamwork” (x) yet do you mean to tell me he had this group for such a short period of time he couldn’t even create a pleasant atmosphere between them? Even Kakashi, who only had Team 7 for a little less than a year and who practically did nothing to fix their dynamic was able to get a more functional team…

Furthermore, it was Obito who sought Minato’s advice about Kakashi (x), and not only did Minato tell him about a very personal issue of the young leader (x, x, x), but also tried to fix the whole situation by speaking with just half of the problematic duo, despite Obito never denying any request from Kakashi (as Kakashi never told him to do anything in relation to the mission).

359) Kakashi's Chidori: It was named after Minato's surname (x) and it involves chakra nature transformation, the user channels chakra to their hands and transforms it into lighting; the whole attack implies the use of the user's speed as they need to charge against the opponent. Such momentum is dangerous as makes the user move too fast to assert the opponent's counterattack. In short, it blinds the user to a specific point, creating tunnel vision (here). This specific setback is later fixed when Obito gives Kakashi his Sharingan, making him capable of predicting his opponent's movements, which is why Kakashi uses it when his Sharingan is uncovered (here).

360) According to Minato, Iwagakure invaded Kusagakure, which is next to Konohagakure, by deploying a thousand shinobi to the battlefront (Team Kakashi focuses on infiltration and sabotage, while he is the front-line combater). His feat, killing “thousands of enemies”, is false, as he arrives at the battlefield when there still are Konoha’s shinobi (x), as his comrade says, there’re FIFTY Iwa ninjas still alive, not a thousand, so most of the soldiers were already taken care of by other Konoha shinobi. Furthermore, Minato didn’t even throw the fuinjutsu kunai he needed in order to perform, making the remaining four survivors do so, so he had help even performing the task he became famous for.

361) Team Minato isn’t even surprised or nervous at being deployed in the middle of a war, by their (lack of) reaction, they’ve experienced this type of mission before (x). 

362) Obito is capable of using fire nature release at a high level when he’s twelve years old how is he considered a failure? (here) Yes, I know he is a “loser” by Uchiha standards as people of the clan are considered top tear, but you do realize no one else in K11 (but Sasuke) is able to use this type of jutsu at his age? Not even Kakashi can correctly perform Chidori yet (and he wouldn’t be able without Obito’s Sharingan either, see point 359), Kakashi even states the difficulty of such a task when he fights Sasuke the first time! (x).

363) Rin was able to perform surgery at twelve years old and transplant Obito’s eye into Kakashi’s eye socket (x).

364) Do you realize it was Obito the one crying?? Not Kakashi? Jesus fuck Kishi you genius you… (x)

(previous post) - (next post)

[okaywitheverything]

hi! can i request minato fall for naruto kindergarten teacher please? thank you 😁

Ma'am: A Possible New Mom? Minato x KindergartenTeacher!Reader

My actual first request! Hope I did it justice! Thank you honey for the request. I wrote some sort of mixed AU so I hope you don't mind.

 A/N: This took a lot of time because I have a lot of tests every month. Also i threw up a week ago and was somewhat sick. Then I lost the two drafts and was so irritated with ms word but somehow I managed to write again. So a lot of blood, sweat and tears went into this. Please shower it with love if you even read this awful Author’s note.

Positive A/N: I did like how it turned out tho, the ending is too cute and you won't know what to expect as I didn't either. I genuinely hope you have fun reading this piece.

Word count: 3K

 Your POV

 “It must be fun to play with the kids all day."

People who think that are the biggest fools on the planet in the universe.

You were picking up the various toys scattered throughout the main classroom, sorting them category wise while the kids took a nap. Most of them anyways.

A few babies had insane amount of energies that they refused to sleep whatsoever. But it wasn't as big a problem as people think it is. All kids have different strengths, a variety of ways to function and unique physiology. You knew if a kid was not tired, forcing him or her to doze off isn't healthy.

Just let the kids be.

So that explains why Naruto was alongside you helping you to collect the sponge shurikens scattered around while you put away the stuffed ninkens on the high shelf. Usually Kiba and Rock Lee would be awake as well, and this trio would play in the hall until their limbs gave out but today even they slept after tiring poor Akamaru out for weird challenges.

“Ma’am, I almost forgot! I want to show you something! Come with me!” Naruto suddenly grabbed your hand leaving his task in the midst and urging you to leave yours too. You looked at him puzzled but giggled at his enthusiasm nonetheless, sometimes kids were too darn cute. You loved the ways kids’ eyes lit up, so optimistic and happy and hopeful until the world snatched it all away. You wanted to preserve this for as long as could.

He took you to the room where the kids kept their small backpacks filled with their favourite articles that they thought were absolutely necessary to take everywhere.

No Neji, you don’t need to have three combs for the care of your luscious hair every possible instant.

Naruto generally brought a lot of snacks which you had to retain sometimes so that he would eat healthy but it became even harder to do so when all he wanted was for Sasuke to taste the tomatoey flavour ‘these’ chips had and gift Rock Lee the curry flavour. That boy had a heart of gold.

 He pulled the zipper of his orange backpack open, and took out a stuffed fox.

“Ma’am meet Kurama! I told him all about you and he wanted to meet you!” He held Kurama up while you were gently petting the plushie’s head, he was so excited to see your happiness to meet his esteemed companion.

These kids and their imaginations! You loved every ounce of it!

“Hello Mr. Kurama!” You didn’t feign excitement, you actually were. You loved kids and their creativity and wouldn’t trade it for anything.

“He’s my best friend! Don’t tell anyone else though! Others might get sad.”

You did an action of zipping your lips, “Your secret is safe with me, sweetie.”

“Look! I also drew something!” He hastily handed you Kurama and proceeded to take out his yellow sketchbook. He kept turning pages filled with rainbows of colours morphing into one another that made some sense in his cute, little head and finally reached his desired page. He pulled your dress with his little chubby hands, an action he often did when he wanted you to sit beside him. You kneeled down, his plushie settled in your lap now as you waited for him to go ahead.

He handed you his open sketchbook where there were three figures, two adults and one kid judging by the height, all wearing triangular outfits. One kid and an adult had striking yellow hair and blue eyes while the other adult wore an orange dress with a large circle in their hands. On closer inspection, you saw your own hair colour and eye colour being illustrated to the best of the toddler’s ability, as far as the crayons allowed him to portray it. You had a circle in your hands, almost the size of your drawn head with black spots in between while the child in the photo held an orange squishy ball. To save you from your confusion, Naruto came to the rescue and started explaining.

“That’s me and Dada over here. And I’m playing with Kurama! And that’s you Ma’am! Bringing me and dada cookies for being good boys like you do in class!”

Your heart melted right there and then. For some reason, your face heated up too.

“Oh my God, honey, that’s amazing!” You pecked his cheek as Naruto blushed slightly and rubbed his head, “You liked it?”

“I Loved it! What did Dada say about it?”

“He got so red like Sasuke’s tomatoes haha. But he put it on our fridge like my other drawings and he said it was the best one yet.”

Before you could reply, crying was heard from the nap room and you sighed. Looks like someone woke up.

“Yay, someone is up! We can now play!” Naruto began running but you stopped him.

“Let’s be sure to pack this all up before, Ma’am Anko will see to your friend okay?”

Minato was waiting alongside other parents, it was 10 minutes till the kindergarten was over. His mind wandered afar, thinking about his journey to this town.

Minato was very afraid when he moved to Konoha, about Naruto settling in and making friends. Of course, back in his previous town he had already got Naruto a place in the best Kindergarten there, pulling all the needed strings but his promotion caught him off guard. Being a single parent was hard enough as it is, and with the worry of adjusting to new surroundings for his growing son, he was almost going to decline the offer. Only after much conviction from his friends that he deserved this, he took the offer, albeit hesitantly.

He was happy with his new workspace and colleagues as well, and was over the moon when he one of his erudite associates had a son the same age as his own, and recommended the city’s best kindergarten where his son was set to go. He went blindly on his associate’s word, because he knew him to be a wise dad.

For the first two months, he had to work relentlessly to prove his position as the new leader in the branch, and so he had his assistant pick Naruto up while he prepared lunch at home for his precious boy, barely making it home fifteen minutes before they did. But when the company celebrated their first real accomplishment, only then did Minato feel he could take a step back and indulge with his son more as he used to do.

When he began picking him up himself, he realised what he had been missing on: small quirky tales, new words his toddler learned, new friends’ names, his favourite teacher’s cookies apparently. Minato quickly noticed, being the perceptive man he was, that Naruto could go hours and hours talking about his Ma’am. He would have thought of it as a crush, had Naruto been older.

But when he first saw you, he could relate to his son if Naruto did have a crush. He knew he was being superficial, being attracted to your appearance at first sight but he couldn’t help himself that you were almost ethereal, too gorgeous to be true. It seemed as if you were glowing when you laughed alongside the kids or held one of them on your shoulders while searching for the parents.

However, your personality was even more so captivating when he finally talked to you at the parents-teachers conference. You were such a quality teacher, he deduced when he noticed how apt you were at describing each kid individually and how dedicated to their growth you were. He loved the bond you had with Naruto, the boy couldn’t stop grinning upon meeting you on his day off.

The bell rung, breaking him out of his reverie, and he waited as the kids ran to the parents, waving goodbyes here and there, ready for their weekend. He could hear your faint shouting over the buzz, “Make sure you have taken all your belongings, kiddos! Have a good weekend!”    

He knew if you had a special place in his son’s heart, he could let you stay in his heart as well.

It was 8 PM, one hour past the Uzumaki kid’s bedtime, but the blatantly crying kid was nowhere near sleeping. A distressed Minato held him on his hip, as he searched the entire house for his favourite plushie, Kurama, without whom Naruto had never slept.

“We’ll find him, Naru. Do you remember where you last saw it?” Minato asked, pausing and sitting in the comfy sofa, looking at Naruto, hoping he’d have an answer.

Naruto’s wails quietened down, fortunately there were no tears, as he pondered and spoke, “I last showed it to Ma’am!”

Minato sighed, he grasped that Naruto would have left it at the playschool because no inch of his house was unsearched. He settled Naruto down on the couch as he deliberated calling you over a toy. He had your number for emergencies, but was this one? The real objection, the actual reluctance he had for calling was totally different though. He hated to admit it, but talking to Naruto’s daydream of a teacher always left him stuttering like a teenager. He could barely listen and respond when he met her at the kindergarten, but talking to that Goddess one on one was more terrifying and nerve-wracking than moving to a new town.

But he knew there was no way Naruto would sleep without Kurama and it was only Friday, nights to wait if he doesn’t ask you about the plushie today. He couldn’t imagine how disheveled will Naruto be without Kurama by then. He would surely award himself with wine if he managed to finish the call without fainting.

With clammy hands and a vigorously pounding heart, he dialed the number.

You were finishing up the last batch of forms and cleaning up, when you saw something abruptly put in the otherwise shipshape playroom. Before you could further inspect, your phone rang, Mr. Uzumaki flashing on top of the screen. Your heart hammered as you wondered what he could be calling about.

You were not going to lie, Mr. Uzumaki was easy on the eyes, always in class A condition with his well-tailored suits as he came to pick Naruto up. Even the married housewives ogled him not-so-subtly. He was such an excellent father, really devoted in his son’s life while simultaneously conquering the business world. An eye candy, with all the best qualities that existed, an immensely put together God’s creation. He was dream partner to have, yet somehow he was single.

Your phone’s ring broke you out of your musing, as your sweaty palms grabbed the phone and received the cal.

“Good Evening, Mr. Uzumaki.” You managed out, your neck suddenly heating up.

“Good Evening, Miss. I hope I didn’t disturb you.”

“Not at all, I was about to head home. How may I help you?”

“If you are still there at the playschool, could you please…… If you don’t mind….. I’m sorry again I called-”

“I assure you, it’s fine. You don’t need to worry about it. Although you do need to tell me the problem if you want me to help.” You giggled lightly, amused at that man stuttering.

“Thank you. Umm Naruto left his night time plushie there I suppose and he doesn’t sleep without it. Could you please, please check if it’s there?”

“Of course.” You held the phone and as you hummed and went to the Kid’s playroom you found Naruto’s sketchbook with the drawing laying on it, and the Kurama toy beside it. You swore you promised Naruto pack it earlier in the day.

“Looks like he did leave it here.”

“Can you keep the school open a bit late, I’ll come and collect it right aw-”

“Its pretty windy right now outside, and you’ll have to bring Naruto too at this hour. I’ll drop it at your home on my way back, I was planning in leaving in five anyways.” Your mouth spoke before you could process what you said, offering to go to his house? Nice going there, you desperate weirdo.

His choked out “Okay” almost surprised you as you ended the call.

This will be a nice, little detour.

About twenty minutes later, the doorbell to the Uzumaki household rang and Minato sprinted to the door, opening it immediately.

There you stood, with tousled hair from the wind, in your long red pea coat and black heels. Your cheeks lightly tinted, no doubt because of the unruly weather outside. Somehow you still looked absolutely perfect in Minato’s eyes as he traced your form, unable to initiate the conversation.

You, on the other hand, had halted completely when the door opened revealing a ripped Minato, his muscles bulging underneath his black shirt while grey sweatpants hung loosely on his hips. His biceps were so thick, you wondered how he managed to exercise on top of all the responsibilities he had.

You handed it over to Minato whose eyes widened at the piece of paper and stood there awkwardly, processing what to say.

Somehow stopping yourself from all the gawking, you cleared your throat as you dug in your black purse and took out Naruto’s best friend and his masterpiece.

“Guess he left this as well.” He gave a forced laugh, trying to make things less uncomfortable after he stood silent for two minutes.

You chuckled lightly in agreement when suddenly thunder boomed behind you, causing you to shriek and slip, only to be caught by Minato, his hands holding you around your middle tightly in a protective manner. You coughed as you stepped back again and he cleared his throat this time when suddenly it started pouring like hell’s rage on Earth.

“You should stay for a while, at least until the rain lightens.”

You were going to decline, but when you saw how bad it was raining, you knew you would have to accept. “Looks, like I’ll have to. Sorry to impose.”

“It’s no imposition at all. I’m inviting you, don’t fret.”

You stepped inside, shrugging your pea-coat off, revealing your black dress underneath. Minato reddened visibly, taking your pea-coat from you and hanging it. He cursed himself as he thought of conversation starters, wanting to say something, anything to not stand like a fool.

“Would you like wine? I have this blush flavoured bottle reading to drink.”

“I would love that, Thank you. What are you celebrating though, if I may ask?” You agreed, maybe the alcohol would calm your buzzing nerves. Besides you were a sucker for wine.

“Nothing much, a simple personal achievement of sorts.” He said with a grin as he led you inside, hopeful of where the night might lead. Maybe the liquid courage would help him finally ask you out.

Behind the wall, Naruto grinned with a pacifier in his mouth. Mission successful.

So that was that. Until next time, cookies.

[aineirisha]

What I confessed while daydreaming

Summary: Iruka and you are total goofballs together. Naruto starts to become an important part of your life. And you happen to stumble upon a certain black-haired child that might change the game for you. 

A/N: This is a Kakashi x reader fic but since it’s a character insert, I want reader to actually be involved with other characters. So this chapter is more about reader’s relationship with Iruka and Naruto and the future relatioship with Sasuke. 

W/C: 1000+/-

Outside the Academy, all the kids were walking back to their homes after what had felt like a long day. You waited for Iruka to come out, patiently, with the news of a recent history discovery. Over the past months, you found out that you two had an inclination for archeology stuff and myths and you just couldn't let it pass. Those hours you spent at the library reading about Shina, the (allegedly) lost temple where all the shinobi thing started, had paid off and your excitement needed ears other than your own.

"Y/N-san," Iruka greeted you with a smile but a little confused, "Is today Tuesday?" you shook your head. "I thought we had scheduled our lesson for tomorrow."

"We did," you chuckled, "But, guess what? I've been in the library fooling around for a while and I found something very interesting,-" you showed him the cover of the book you borrowed. Iruka's eyes lited with excitement until...

"Iruka-sensei!!!!" You heard a kid screaming, "Iruka-sensei!," Naruto was running towards you with the widest smile on his face. "I already finished my training, dattebayo," he said as he put his fists on his hips, "I'm ready for my ramen." 

Iruka sighed, "Right," he turned to see you, "I promised Naruto that if he completed his training I would take him to Ichiraku."

"Ichiraku?"

"You don't know the place?"

"No." 

Naruto looked at you shocked. "What?!! How can you not know Ichiraku?! it's the best place in the world!!! You are weird Nee-chan."

"Really Naruto? Not knowing a place makes me weird?"

"And your funny accent," Naruto nodded, "And you're Iruka's student but you seem old, but not like an adult." 

You faked an offended face.

"We've been through this!! I'm not that old," You stuck out your tongue and he did the same.

"Ok, since apparently, I am the only adult here," Iruka said, chuckling, "you two cut it," Naruto crossed his arms and pouted. "I'm sorry Y/N, maybe we can talk about it tomorrow."

"Yeah... we should really train..."

The past lessons had been a joke. You two were so immersed nerding about your hobbies, and venting about life, you never actually got to the training part. 

You both laughed. "Maybe we should," he replied.

"I could come with you if you don't mind," Naruto fixed his eyes on you analyzing you. "I'm hooked, Naruto," you explained, "Now I want to know the best place in the world." You looked back at him with a smile. He felt satisfied and proud and nodded.

"You HAVE to come," he stated.

Iruka giggled, "Very well Naruto. let's go then Y/N-san."

As you started walking, you felt behind your back a special chakra aching you everywhere, leave the academy. 

HATRED. 

It was incredibly painful. Like something frozen by despair and resentment. Your guts started burning, your fists and your jaw clenched in rage,  your eyes watered and something inside you felt dead... careless... frozen...

You turned around to see who that chakra belonged to and it perplexed you to find it was coming from a black-haired boy who couldn't be older than Naruto. You resisted the impulse to cry. To scream... to kill...

"Iruka-san, who's that kid with black hair?" 

"That's Sasuke," Naruto answered giving him a killing look, "He's my classmate and a snooty BAKA! He thinks he's better shinobi than me!"

"That's because he IS a better student than you, Naruto," Iruka said, clearly tired of that conversation.

You smirked. Is that envy what I feel in you Naruto? Or is it... admiration?

"Why?" Iruka asked you.

"Nothing, I just..." Feel he might need a hug. You sighed. Iruka looked at you. Your expression had changed. The warm smile you had a few moments ago was gone and instead there was a painful face.

"He's had it rough," he said.

"Mister handsome? Oh but he's so good at everything," Naruto said in a mocking tone, "Even Sakura-chan likes him."

"Who's Sakura-chan?"

"The prettiest and smartest girl in class."

"Looks like someone has a crush," You teased him. He pouted.

Naruto's energy was kind of a mystery to you. Not because you couldn't decipher him, but because it was very contrasting. On one hand, he was broken, truly broken. You could feel the taste of loneliness deep inside him. But on the other hand, he had a very glowing, enthusiastic energy that made you want to be close to him.

You extended your chakra and hugged him with it.  

"Sakura-chan has beautiful pink hair that smells delicious and she always knows the right answer. One day she'll realize how handsome and talented I am and she'll dump Sasuke to be with me."

Iruka stared at the kid, shocked. He knew he liked Sakura but had never spoken about it. And yet here you were, the second time you bumped into each other and the boy was already making strong confessions.

"Sounds like a catch," you smiled.

***********

The trail of Sasuke's frozen hate remained, and you couldn't stop thinking about him.

What does it take for a boy to be so fractured? What is it with this world?

You had known pain in kids before. But never hate like this. Never before had you felt that thirst for revenge. IN A CHILD.

Revenge for what?

You weren't sure if you wanted to know.  But you were concerned. There had to be something you could do...

The lump in your throat didn't go away and as soon as you had a moment alone you let yourself cry his sorrows. Tears had proved to be your allies when you needed to let go of a painful chakra. But you knew relieving yourself wouldn't be enough.

I should've stayed there a little longer to comfort him...

You looked at yourself in the mirror. Your eyes were swollen and red. You couldn't be seen like this. Not while attending to all the costumers. So you washed your face with cold water and waited.

-

"Naoki-san, can I steal some ice?"

"Sure Y/N," He looked at you, "Is everything ok?" 

The cold water hadn't been enough to get rid of the puffiness.

"Yeah, I just..." but you didn't know what to say.

"If you need anything I'm here for you," he smiled at you. You smiled back. "Maybe a joke from Megumi-chan can cheer you up."

You smirked, "That would definitely help," and went back to work. 

I am going to do something about him.

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

CH 6 CH 8

Masterlist

TAGLIST (let me know if you want to be added): 

@ren-hatake @howcanibreathewithnozaire @strawberrycakesstuff @strangerfoundmahblog @kakashishoekage @spnningtop @attsm @feelingsandemotionsnotexplored @honeypirate @temarihime @keigelsss

[gaylittleinnkeepers]

azzie watches naruto — episode 4

Omg! Near Murder

(notes: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA)

i just realised they always have the same clothes on ALL THE FUCKING TIME ahaha

i just realised naruto and sasuke have a Deep Moment in the intro ahaha they should kiss (again)

naruto and sakura’s beef is something i live for

AHAHA DONK

n e wayz OOH PRETTY GUY

LMAOOO “i hate u”

ohoho kakashi

HE IS THE DRY ASS MOTHERFUCKER PEOPLE ALWAYS WARN ME ABOUT

rAmEnNnnNnNnn

sakura is also being a simp ahaha

sasuke is an emo ong

i think he and juleka would totally get along LMAOO SOMEONE DRAW THIS

sakura is such a hothead shed be perfect for imogen omg

kakashi i-

NARUTO CALM DOWNNN

*cue the taylor swift music*

new hc naruto listens to taylor swift

EXERCISE OF LOVE I CANNOT- SAKURA-

oh i always skip breakfast this would b easy (ish)

sasuke just looks good- all the time- wtf??

how does he do the hair??

yOuRe LaTeeEeeEeEe!!!

ding dong bells haha

theyre like catbells

oH i used to have an anklet with bells on it so my mum knew where i was at all times lmao

cause id always wander and get lost

k a k a s h i

a REAL ninja!!!

HOW COME THEY CAN ALK JUMP LIKE RLLY FUCKING HIGH WTFFF

ong its iruka sensei!! and lord lesbian!!

sasuke the bush

sakura the bush

naruto the- the boy-

G O O F

MAKE OUT PARADISE???????? WHAT KINDA BOOKS DOES KAKASHI READ OMG

naruto is literally as dramatic as my brother lmao

RIP NARUTO’S ASS AHAHAHAHAHA

its not a ninjutsu its just a stick up his ass

naruto just sinking to the bottom BISH SWIMMM

oh man kakashi is GOOODDD

KAKASHI HAS NEVER HAD ANYONE PASS- HE KILLED THEM???

kUsSSAA - thats what the demons in demon slayer always say hahaha

SHADOW CLONEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

kakashi’s slight eye widen ahaha

OOFFFFFF KAKASHI GETTING BEAT

NARUTO IS SUCH A SMARTASS AHAHA

GOOD BOIIII

OH FUCK HES GONEEE

wawwwww naruto i-

OOOO KAKASHI IS ALSO A SMARTASSSSSS

OWO KAKASHIIII

yOu FoOL

the way it translates to “i say!!” like how the old british men say it ahaha

@mantabanter ALL IN ALL, awesome episode! a bit drama heavy but i love drama so im drinking this juice yk yk

i made the, self insert naruto oc, shes seven and iruka is probably aged up to like 27 or something

single dad yk yk

shes a chaos ball, pretty much me (self insert FOR A REASON)

even tho shes half my age anyway

BYE

[youcanreadit]

AT LAST- NARUTO X READER (MODERN AU)

I hope you enjoy this UwU

"Btw Naruto did you hear? The new student will be joining our school today."

Naruto simply nodded and continued to stuff ramen into his mouth. Shikamaru shrugged and went back to finish his own meal. Of course, nothing can make him happier than his ramen.

Later that day, you accidentally bumped right into him on the way to your class. He was opening his mouth about to apologize profusely but the words died down on his lips. A surge of inexplicable emotion surged within him, rendering him speechless. You were the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, apart from his mother.

But he couldn't seem to recognize you. That's when it clicked. She is the new student that Shikamaru was talking about at lunch!

While he gazed at your face like an idiot with an obvious blush on his cheeks, you muttered a quick apology and hurried off, leaving him standing there staring at you, awed.

After the day he met you, he was more cheerful and giddy than he usually was. Ever since he lost his parents, he had felt like he lost a part of himself. It was as if you pulled him out of the darkness and brought him back to his old self.

He would always arrive at school earlier- astonishing all his friends and teachers- so that he could see you more.

He was always watching you when you were not looking. He liked that farway look in your eyes, the shyness that radiated from you, the warm smile playing on your lips.

It felt like adrenaline was injected directly into his veins when you both locked eyes. Your voice, your face, your smile were all his brain would dwell on.

At first, he repeatedly tried to deny his feelings for you.

"I am not in love with her! I like Sakura! I like Sakura!!"

And then he would see you enter the class, your cheeks tinted pink and offering him a smile as you pass by. "Man I am so in love with her.."

He finally decided to take Jiraiya's help. Which was of course a bad idea.

*after hearing the whole thing* "I understand.. It's the L word Naruto"

"W-what?"

"Lust"

Seeing him struggle with his emotions, Sasuke was the one who made him realize he was in love with you.

" Hey dobe, I think Y/n likes Kiba."

"WHATTTT!!!WHO TOLD YOU?"

"But you said you love Sakura, so why are you worried?"

"NO I DON'T!!I LOVE Y/N!!" *silence* (thanks Sasuke)

He would always notice if you didn't have the usual sparkle in your eyes. Whenever that happened, he made sure to put cute little notes in your locker and notebooks. He would hide somewhere and watch you read them, and smile like an idiot seeing your face light up at the cheesy lines he had written in his messy handwriting.

As for Valentine's day, he would spend hours in the kitchen making chocolate for you. Then along with Sasuke, he would arrive at school like an hour earlier to get rid of all the piles of gifts in your locker( he sure is competitive)

"Yeah! Mine would be the best chocolate she has ever tasted!!!" Sasuke simply face palms.

Little did he know that he had accidentally added salt instead of sugar. Yikes. Cooking ain't your thing Naruto

At first he was worried that you would go after Sasuke like all the other girls. It was a pleasant surprise when he found out you weren't a fan girl.*breathes out in relief*

Just in case, he decided to warn Sasuke. " you keep your bunch of fangirls, but remember, Y/n is OFF LIMITS" "whatever dobe"

He stopped at nothing to impress you. He pushed himself to get better at studies. Over time, his grades improved.

When he didn't understand a concept he would rush to you with his books. He was glad that you weren't impatient like the others, but explained to him in simple ways you could.

A total sweetheart he is, it was impossible to hate him. But he could be annoying at times too.

Like when he doesn't see you for too long, he would be a whining, blubbering mess.

"Sakura, I want to se-"

"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD NARUTO SHUT UPPPP! I HAVE BEEN READING THE SAME SENTENCE FOR LIKE 10 MINUTES!"

"BUT I HAVEN'T SEEN HER IN TWO DAYS!!

Sasuke: *changes seat*

Not to mention that he is really protective over you. If anybody tries to hurt you, well let's say that would be the end for that person. "Fight me!!"

Naruto was known to be the loud, hyperactive, sunshine of the school. But he immediately transforms into a timid puppy when you are near him.

Like Naruto would be talking and laughing with his friends and then he turns around and sees you -

*you lean closer to his face* I need to ask you ab-Naruto?

*Naruto has stopped functioning*

It wasn't hard for his friends to figure out the reason behind his strange behaviour lately.

They teased him about how oblivious you were to his feelings and if he didn't hurry up, someone would steal you from him.

But he didn't want to rush. Some people are worth waiting for. And of course he was worried if someone like you would go for a person like him. Please tell the poor guy otherwise.

Many boys came forward seeking to be your boyfriend, but you turned them down politely. That left Naruto with a bittersweet hope. It could or couldn't be him. But he won't give up on you like that. His life motto itself was- Never give up,no matter what!

In the brief occasions that you spoke to him would be the best part of his day. The whole world would blur and he could see only you, and hear your velvet like voice.

You were the only one who laughed at his stupid jokes. Oh how much he loved that smile you gave him, he would later replay it over and over in his head.

He would imagine taking you to his favourite restaurant, Ichiraku as a date. From his stories about you, Teuchi and Ayame couldn't wait to meet you.

When you touched him casually, his whole body would light up with a warmth that only you could ignite. That made him wonder how it would feel like to run his fingers through your silky hair, kiss your soft lips and then his whole face would turn as red as a tomato.

On his weekly visits to his parent's grave, he eagerly tells them about the beautiful girl that he recently met. He would tearfully tell them about finally meeting a girl as fascinating as his mother.

As the years passed his feelings never dulled. He fell for you more, your smile, your alluring eyes, your easy going personality and everything else about you.

However, he started to worry when the graduation was getting closer. He couldn't bear to lose you.

The thought caused him such pain that he lay awake for nights, and then finally deciding that it was the right time to let you know of his feelings.

After the graduation ceremony, Sasuke held a party at his house for the new graduates. As much as Naruto enjoyed spending time with his friends, his eyes kept darting across the room from time to time, in hopes of seeing you.

When he finally spotted you amidst the chaos and the tightly packed people,his heart skipped a beat. You looked so beautiful in that blue dress you wore, the coloured lights dancing across your skin adding to the effect.

With his eyes on you, he excused himself from his group of friends and all but hurried over to you, ignoring the laughter and cheers that erupted from behind him.

After saying that he needed to speak something important with you,he dragged you through the mass of people- keeping a firm grip on your wrist to prevent you from getting lost in the crowd- to the backyard.

He finally dropped your wrist when you both reached a secluded spot near a cluster of trees. The loud music and noises from the house was now a distant, faint hum to your ears.

He took a step back and stood facing you. It was hard to believe how tall he had become over the past few years. You had to tilt your head back to look at him in the eyes.

"I am sorry I had to drag you away so abruptly." He hoped that you wouldn't notice the faint quiver in his voice. He clenched and unclenched his hands.

You laughed quietly and waved off his queries " It's alright Naruto. I was planning to get away from all that noise anyway" you grinned at him, flashing your teeth. "In fact, you helped me."

Naruto tried his best to smile back hoping you wouldn't notice anything amiss. But when your smile slowly melted away from your lips,he understood that he didn't fool you.

He was looking at you warily, like he was anticipating something bad would happened. His cheeks were flushed, and his eyes were full of worry and hope and some intense emotion that you couldn't quite pinpoint.

"What's wrong Naruto?" You asked quietly. You raised a hand as if to touch his arm, but then let it drop. "You can tell me"

He ran his trembling fingers through his spiky blond hair-which looked almost silvery in the moonlight-and nervously glanced at you with his blue eyes.

While you stared back at him in confusion, he was having a mental argument with himself.

I can do this! She is waiting for you to say something Naruto!do it!!

"I..." He faltered. He looked at the ground and then up again, at you.

Here it goes..

" Are you dating Kiba?" There was brief pause.

You looked utterly baffled "HUH??!"

Damn what the hell is wrong with me?! He awkwardly shifted his weight from one leg to the other, looking bashful " I mean- you both hang out with each other a lot.."

You laughed " He is a good friend of mine, that's all"

"So you both-"

"Nope" You sounded amused, but not at all annoyed, despite the fact that he basically dragged you away to ask you such stupid questions.

"Okay" he said with fake cheerfulness, turning his back to you. "Thanks for the information, I better get back"

You caught his sleeve, making him go still. He turned to look at you, eyes still wide and cheeks tinted red, but they slowly melted away when he saw you gazing back at him almost sadly.

"Naruto" you said his name so softly that his stomach fluttered in response " that's not what you were meaning to say. We both know that."

He blinked.

You were right. What was he doing?!

It felt as if your voice had brought him back to his senses.

He remembered Jiraiya's advice from the morning. It felt as if the old man sensed what Naruto was planning to do. Instead of giving his usual pervy tips, he had said : "Letting her know of your feelings is the way to get to her heart. If you want to know if she returns your love, tell her."

Determination and hope flared in his eyes. He took a deep breath and stepped closer until you could feel the heat radiating from him. You swallowed and felt your cheeks getting warm.

He reached out and took both your hands gingerly in his and stared intently at you.

" Y/n I love you..I always have..."

He watched your eyes widen and lips part with surprise. He continued before you could say anything.

"I know you probably consider me to be foolish and naive, but I mean it when I say that I love you more than I could love myself. I wish I could explain to you how wonderful you are, how beautiful your eyes or how your voice gives me butterflies every single time. I love who I am with you. I.." He swallowed visibly, but his gaze on you never wavered. " I don't know how to explain love..But when I see you, I imagine the two of us cooking together, fighting together..being together. And I can't imagine anything that would make me happier. I would like to do these things with you. That is'' he smiled shyly, his cheeks turning pink " if you feel the same."

Your vision blurred as you felt tears brimming your eyes. "Naruto ..."

Naruto's smile vanished quickly. Did he upset you?! Oh crap.

He immediately let go of your hands and started to panic. He raked through his brain,thinking back over the words he had just used on you, trying desperately to find where he went wrong. He had never been in a position before where he had to comfort a crying girl. Once he had borrowed Sai's book on human behavior. If only he could remember..

"Y/n I am sorry-"

He stopped abrubtly when he felt your finger on his lips, signaling him to stop. You slowly withdrew them to place your hands on either side of his cheeks, thumb tracing the whisker like markings on his cheeks lightly. His eyes widened.

"Naruto..that was beautiful.." You said wonderingly, as if you had just woken up from a dream. "No one has ever said such lovely things to me." For a long moment you stared into his eyes,those lovely blue eyes that has always reminded you of the blue waves crashing against the shore- a feeling of peace and warmth and comfort. You could feel yourself getting lost in them. Naruto was still dazed. It was as if the roles were suddenly reversed. He was staring at you open mouthed while you smiled back at him adoringly.

"You are such an idiot Naruto" you teased, but the affection in your voice took the sting out of it "my idiot"

Your fingers were still stroking his cheeks, making it difficult for him to concentrate. He swallowed "W-what?"

A giggle escaped your lips "you cannot seriously think that I didn't notice your feelings all these years" your smile spoke of mischief now "and it was not one sided. Why did you wait for so long to come to me?"

Naruto was shell shocked. His heart was pounding so loudly that he thought that it would jump out. Is this a dream?

You finally stopped laughing and gazed at his blue orbs seriously. "Naruto" you said " I have struggled to make friends all throughout my life. When my parents decided to move to Konoha I was absolutely against it. Starting a new life.." You shook your head slowly " I didn't want that. But then you came along, my personal sun. With your bright smile and cheerful personality..who always tried to cheer me up. Who was always by my side..Slowly I felt myself taking a liking to this place.. And I felt myself falling for you.."

You heard his sharp intake of breath and smiled again "Naruto, I can't find the right words to explain how much you mean to me, but I would like to spend the rest of my life with you showing them. "

He felt tears sting the back of his eyes. He wanted to laugh, cry, curse himself for having waited for so long. He was almost mad with joy. But when he looked at you, he knew that you could see the emotion plainly written on his face. Because love required no language.

His lips curled up into a smile that lit up his whole face. You had seen him smile before, plenty of times, and yet this was different from the others. This smile was the most beautiful one you had ever seen, one that spoke of love and happiness and gratitude, a gesture that was too deep to be explained in words.

The uncertainty in his eyes were long gone, replaced with hope and love. He cupped your face in his large hands so gingerly that you shivered sightly.

"It feels like a dream" he said huskily, brushing a strand of hair from your face "being here with you like this."

"Then let me prove it tlo you that it's not"

You pulled him down by the collar of his shirt until your foreheads almost touched. Leaning in, you kissed both his cheeks, his eyelids, the tip of his nose, over and over again. Your other hand was pressed on his chest allowing you to feel his rapid heartbeat.

When your gaze finally fell on his lips, resting on them for a second, made Naruto impatient. He craved for your touch,the warmth that you provided. He had waited to do this for so long, he couldn't bear to waste any second longer.

So he leaned in closer and his lips finally met yours, moving gently against your own.

Warmth and desire exploded within him, and the world slowly disappeared from around the two of you. It was slow and soft and perfectly natural, like breathing and yet so intimate.

His calloused hands were gentle as they caressed your cheeks, his warm breath mingling with yours. His hands went to the nape of your neck and drew you even closer, thus deepening the kiss. Sparks flew within you, and you wrapped your hands around his shoulder in response , to eliminate the space between the two of you as much as possible.

He loved the way your lips fit with his like puzzle pieces, moving in perfect sync with his. His lips tasted like ramen, making you smile into the kiss.

When you both finally broke apart for air, he rested his forehead against yours, his warm breath hitting your cheeks. He was breathing hard like you, but his whole face was lit with joy, a smile so beautiful playing on his lips that you couldn't help but return it.

Your slender hands went around his waist, cheek resting against his sculpted chest, and listened to his hammering heart. Physically, he had changed a lot since the first time you met him. The childish roundness was long gone from his face. You could feel the solid hard muscle as you held him,the sharpness of his cheekbones,the callousness of his hands. And yet he was still the same. The same luminous blue eyes that sparkled even in the darkness,the same exuberant personality and that infectious smile.

For a while you both stood in each other's embrace, basked in the silvery moonlight with a wide grin plastered on both your faces.

"Thank you Naruto " and in those syllables he heard everything. He closed his eyes in content and hummed in response.

This was the love he'd waited for, hoped for. And now finally, he was home.

At last.

Mom, dad are you watching?

[ohhipstaplease]

Strawberry Sugar | NaruHina

Chapter 2

chapter 1 | Read all chapters: Ao3 / FFN

That next morning, as the sun rose and let its rays unfurl across picturesque Konoha, Naruto Uzumaki, woke with a start.

“Naruto Nii-chan!!”

He felt the wind knocked out of him as his incredibly annoying, but equally as endearing, protege jumped upon him full force.

“For the love of-”

“Good morning.”

Naruto glared at Konohamaru, trying to catch his breath, “What did I tell you about using the spare key?”

“Don’t.”

“So why are you here then?”

“You said we were going to train today.”

Naruto rubbed his eyes and turned his alarm clock around to look at it, “It’s eight in the morning, Konohamaru!”

“Early bird gets the worm, and all that stupid stuff everyone else says. I want to be like you big brother Naruto! Saving the village, fighting in wars!” Konohamaru said, animatedly jumping up onto Naruto’s bed and kicking the air.

Naruto shook his head as he watched Konohamaru pace from corner to corner, excitedly chattering away. He could barely process what the now long-haired boy was saying, much less reciprocate. But still, Konohamaru expected Naruto to be 100%, even after he just woke up, “Snap out of it!” He yelled, “You’re a war hero! You can’t be sleeping the day away!”

Naruto sighed, “Can you at least let me get dressed?”

Konohamaru turned around and shook his hand out twice, “Get to it.”

Naruto rolled his eyes but smiled nonetheless. He walked over to the chair next to the small dresser that he had designated for his clothing from the previous day. He slipped on his pants, and had gotten better at it considering the circumstances.

“Are you done yet?” Konohamaru asked impatiently.

“Yeah, yeah,” Naruto said, slipping his shirt over his broad chest. He wondered how even on Saturday he found himself up at 8 AM.

As the tensions surrounding the village had finally dissipated, Naruto hoped to find himself completely free of any responsibilities for at least a while. But lo and behold, Konohamaru knew exactly when to show up. Although to be fair, he wasn’t without things to do this particular weekend. In fact, he was going to see Hinata later that afternoon about something she just had to talk about.

He hadn’t really thought about it either, you know, the fact that one of the most beautiful kunoichis in the village had called him up, nervously asked him if he was free, and emphasized the importance of their meeting. Didn’t realize that over a year ago she had professed her undying love for him. Was he oblivious? Yes. Stupid? Oh, without a doubt. But that was just the way that Naruto Uzumaki rolled.

He had always been free-spirited and tried to not think about the past. It was said and done anyway. What mattered was the here and now. And right here and now, well, his stomach was growling, so really he couldn’t manage to think about anything other than old man Teuchi’s ramen from Ichiraku.

“Alright, food first. We’re going to get some ramen, and then we’ll do a short lesson, okay? I have to meet up with someone later.”

“Who?”

“Hinata.”

“Oh,” Konohamaru said wiggling his eyebrows, “So it’s that kind of meeting.”

“What?” Naruto responded as he made his bed, “She said she just wanted to talk about something.”

“Like what she said during the war?”

Naruto blushed, “You don’t know what you’re talking about, pipsqueak.”

“Yes I do, everyone’s been talking about it.”

“About what?”

“How you both are totally in love with each other.”

“What!?”

“What? Like you two aren’t...” He brushed against Naruto’s shoulder as he whispered “boyfriend and girlfriend?”

“Eh!?” Naruto exclaimed as he stepped back, “No! We’re friends.”

“What a waste, man.” Konohamaru said, shaking his head, “Now that’s a girl that has it bad for you. But then again, ever since you came back that’s been half the world.”

“Stop talking out of your ass.”

“Oh, please, like you haven’t noticed.” Konohamaru paused.

Naruto shrugged, “Not that kind of guy. And you shouldn’t be either,” he said as he ruffled Konohamaru’s hair.

Konohamaru feigned annoyance and quickly smoothed over his ruffled tresses, “Save the lecture nii-chan. I get it. But you should too.”

“And what is it that I should be getting?”

Konohamaru shrugged, “No wonder oneesan complains about you so much.”

“What!? What did Sakura say?”

“I mean, I just heard...”

“Heard?”

“-Overheard her and Hinata talking.”

“About?”

Konohamaru lifted his brow, “Really?”

“Me?”

“Yes! You!”

“Why?” Naruto said, scratching his head.

“For the love of-” Konohamaru reached over Naruto’s head and grabbed a picture that had been snapped at the dinner that was held a few weeks ago. In it Naruto, unsurprisingly, was front and center, eyes closed in a cat-like smile, his thumb up in the air. Sakura hung around his shoulders, her small tongue out and her fingers up in a peace sign. Shikamaru cooly smirked as he held court across from him, Choji smiled bashfully as he looked up from his plate. Kiba, Ino, Shino, and Sai looked at each other as if they were in a heated debate only moments before, they hadn’t even realized a picture was being taken.

Naruto studied each one and saw nothing more than what he had first seen when he tended to glance at the photo. But then his eyes landed on Hinata, and he saw it. There was a look upon her face, a sparkle in her eye, something. He didn’t know quite what to make of it. He thought it was just a weird angle, a mistake made by Iruka when he snapped the picture. Then he realized it wasn’t, she was looking at something.

“What’s she looking at?” Naruto asked, tilting his head.

“You!”

“Me?”

Konohamaru’s fingers landed upon Hinata’s face, and he glided it from her moonstone-like eyes to the object she had been tenderly admiring, “You,” He said, without missing a beat, “She’s looking at you.”

“Yeah,” Naruto said, gripping the nape of his neck, “I guess she is.”

“Do you know why?”

“Why?”

It took everything within Konohamaru not to slam the frame into Naruto’s face. For all his merits, he couldn’t believe the person he looked up to was really that dense.

“If you really don’t know, nii-chan, then you’re going to have to spend some time thinking about it, aren’t you?”

Naruto looked at him blankly, clearly not knowing what to respond to. He had never pondered it, really. And now that the thought was implanted into his mind by Konohamaru, he wasn’t quite sure what he was going to do to remedy it.

After training with Konohamaru, Naruto swung by the apartment of his teammate and friend, Sasuke Uchiha. Since the war, the pair had an unspoken agreement that their doors would always be open for each other, and Naruto had more than taken advantage of the fact. Although Sasuke acted as if Naruto’s constant presence bothered him, Naruto knew nothing could be further from the truth.

Except perhaps on this day. On this particular day Naruto threw open the door to Sasuke’s apartment and exclaimed “Sasuke, buddy, I need to talk to you—”

“Naruto!” Sasuke exclaimed angrily as he jumped up from his couch in the front room. Beside him was a flushed Sakura, sighing and covering her eyes with a small hand.

Naruto’s eyes darted from Sasuke’s reddened lips to Sakura’s who matched his. As soon as he saw the scene before him he yelped, “Oh shit! I’m so sorry I—I didn’t know. I—How long has this been going on?”

Sasuke fixed his shirt and cooly shrugged, “None of your business, Naruto.”

“Oh, come on. Sakura! How could you not tell me, you’ve only been in love with him forever. I would think you’d have told the entire world by now.”

“Shut up, Naruto!”

“You said you wanted to talk to me?” Sasuke said as he took his seat once more, wrapping an arm around Sakura’s shoulders. The kunoichi quickly simmered down and leaned into his embrace.

Naruto nodded, sitting down in the armchair that was placed before his two teammates. “Just like, give me one second. I need to process—” He signaled the lack of space between the pair and shook his head, “whatever this is.”

“You have 5 seconds to start talking or you’re out of here,” Sasuke said firmly.

“Okay, alright. Well, you know Konohamaru’s just a kid and sometimes he has some really crazy ideas, right? Yeah, so, I told him today that I was meeting Hinata later and he just made a face and implied that we were going to fool around.”

Sakura giggled and Sasuke smirked, making Naruto a little apprehensive.

“Yeah, that’s the look he gave me,” He said, pointing at Sasuke.

“I can’t imagine why.”

“We’re just friends! Konohamaru kept going on and on that she loved me and that she confessed to me...but she didn’t! I would know if she had confessed to me, right?

“Idiot.” Sasuke said, rolling his eyes.

“Hey! I came here for advice!”

“I’m giving it to you. You’re an idiot, now think about why that may be...other than the obvious reasons.”

“You’d think having a girlfriend would’ve made him a little nicer,” Naruto said under his breath.

Sakura narrowed her eyes, “You have something to say?”

“No.”

“Well, I do.”

“What’s that?”

“You’re an idiot, Naruto!!!”

“Oh come on!”

Sasuke laughed, but Sakura continued, “You’re really going to tell us that she didn’t confess to you? Rewind to the war, idiot! She was about to die for you!”

“Sakura, you know my memory of that day is a little hazy.” He muttered pathetically.

“We all heard it, Naruto! She confessed to you!”

Naruto put his head in his hands and breathed in deeply, trying to calm himself. He kept trying to tell himself that he couldn’t possibly be that dense, but he figured if everyone is telling him the opposite maybe it was time to face facts.

“You think she still likes me?” Naruto asked quietly.

Sakura’s lips formed a soft smile, “You have no idea how much, Naruto.”

“Do you even like her?” Sasuke asked bluntly.

“I...”

“Don’t go getting her hopes up if you don’t even know what you’re feeling, Naruto,” Sakura warned.

“Yeah...I just....” He glanced at the clock on the wall in Sasuke’s kitchen and started getting up from the armchair, “I’m running late.”

“Alright, well, let us know how it goes,” Sakura said with a furrowed brow.

“And next time, knock!” Sasuke said as Naruto reached for the doorknob.

Naruto shook his head, “Yeah, yeah. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, love birds.”

Naruto closed the door behind him and began making his way towards the Hyuga compound. His stomach was buzzing, his head spinning. He had never thought of Hinata in that way.

Well, that was a lie. There was a time or two he had thought of her, particularly when he was taking a shower or lying in bed at night. He wasn’t proud to admit it, but when Hinata filled out in all the right places he was the first to notice. That didn’t mean he thought he stood a chance with her.

He recalled the photo Konohamaru showed him and realized that the glimmer he had seen etched in her eyes there, was the same adoration she had always had in regards to him. But was it fair to her to say something? He didn’t even know what he felt, he was a jumble of confusion.

Naruto sighed and continued walking down the stone path, Hinata had been vague on the phone when asking him if they could meet. It wasn’t unusual for them to hang out, but for her to call first? For her to do the asking?

He picked up the pace and started walking faster. He had to look into her eyes once more. He knew that if he saw that same look, the one that was upon her face in the picture, he still had a chance with Hinata.

[konpithepuppy]

[TRANSLATION: WiNK UP 06.2021]

7 MEN SAMURAI

Proofread by aji10647731 (Twitter)/ @janiappend

Scans not mine

Neither an English nor a Japanese native speaker

Feel free to correct me, thanks

Image!!

For this month, they chose English words that they think fit with each other, and they stick to each other those words written in sticky notes! They were asked to choose only one English word that fits them the most. The theme of the talk is 「image」.

Taiki Konno

[My Image]

A flashy guy (LOL). But, I've been told that I'm a flashy guy since I was in elementary, but I don't think being called flashy from since I was young meant anything bad. That's why I am totally okay with it. Also, I am being told that I am carrying out the traditional Johnny's style but I am happy about that. My image when 7 MEN~ performs as a band is probably "the guy who doesn't move much" (LOL). Since Yabana is the type who really moves a lot, in comparison with him, it makes me think if it's okay for me to just stay still (LOL).

[7 MEN 侍's Image]

I think our image as a band is strong, but for us personally, we like to push both band and dance with the same amount of passion. We want to sparkle as idols when we dance, and we want to show more wildness during our band performance. I think to be able to enjoy those 2 patterns is the most interesting.

Rinne Sugeta

[My Image]

I am often being told me that I leave marks on the shows I appeared in, I think that's my image. For example, I cleared the first stage in 「SASUKE」, and I got the correct answer alone and got the prize money in 「QUIZ! ONLY 1」. But for Rinne, more than being conscious of leaving the mark, Rinne just work and play hard. But, since I want to play the game seriously, so even in YouTube filmings, I don't make thing funny and seriously do my best. That's why I don't know how I look like to everyone but I think I am very competitive. (T/N: lit. "I hate losing")

[7 MEN 侍's Image]

We are not Johnny's idols-like (LOL). Both in positive and negative way, this is 7 MEN~. Isn't it a difficult spot? I think because we are in Johnny's, it is better to be idols-like, but I think having a sense of familiarity with the fans is a good thing too. Moreover, I think we can easily do the weird things that the 100% idol-like cannot do in variety shows. That's why, I want for 7 MEN~ to try things without having NG (LOL).

Reia Nakamura

[My Image]

Typically, I think I have a strong idol image, but for the fans who know me well, I think they know my dark side (LOL). It's not like I have hidden it until now,  but when we started doing YouTube videos, that dark side gradually became evident (LOL). I think it's just that I am aware of being an idol, so I turn on the switch of my idol side. When I switch to my idol side, even though something happens in my private life, it makes me to not drag it to work, so I think that makes me work easily. I'm the type of can't be myself when I stand on stage. But, when we play the band, I am relatively close to my natural self.

[7 MEN 侍's Image]

I think this one too has generally a strong impression of guys who are just fooling around (LOL). That's not wrong but I think the fans who know 7 MEN  侍 well also knows the serious side of our group. That's why, those who have only watched us in YouTube, I want them to  come watch our live too by all means!

Taiko Sasaki

[My Image]

Isn't it an idiot (LOL)? Since I do things that an idol would not normally do in YouTube. But it feels more comfortable for me to be seen that way. I have always been the type who doesn't want to pretend to be someone else. In that sense, I don't pretend to be someone else on stage, well, it's not that I am no different from my usual self. Since usually, I am really gloomy and walk while facing down (LOL). It's just that, I am not thinking of anything when I am dancing or playing the band, so the face I show during performances is also a side of me.

[7 MEN 侍's Image]

We give a feeling of Johnny's mavericks, but we personally don't think we are mavericks. We just do things that we want to do. 7 MEN~ is a group who can both dance and play a band, and since they're both fun to do, so we are not pushing ourselves too much. On the contrary, we might feel stressed if we narrow down to either just dancing or playing a band (LOL).

Katsuki Motodaka

[My Image]

A guy who always eats! Fish! I think these two are my images (LOL). Also, since those images are correct, I don't feel uncomfortable about my image. It's just that, I don't know what others think of my character because I feel like my image now is appearing in quiz shows too strong. But I really want to appeal as being a foodie. Since I am interested in food, I want to do a lot of gourmet report jobs like Ishizuka Hidehiko-san. I have a confidence that I'll be a good gourmet reporter if I study on how to do a good food report.

[7 MEN 侍's Image]

We are often told that we are mavericks. But, I, Reia, and Rinne, if anything, are traditionals. That's why, I don't think we are a maverick group. However, when you think of 7 MEN 侍 as a group, including the things that the group wants to do, you can see the group being mavericks and understand why the group is being called mavericks. It would be nice to have our own individuality among different groups. That's why, I am thinking that I want to push forward with our group's current direction.

Rei Yabana

[My Image]

Maybe my real image is different from what people perceive. Somehow I am perceived as a much better person than I really am. I think the influence of me using honorific language to the members in platforms like YouTube is big, but it's not like I use honorific language to anyone. Since Reia-kun is a senpai, so I can't just get rid of the habit of using honorific language with him from the first we met. But I don't think of using honorifics with Reia anymore. That's why, being perceived like a character who uses honorific language makes it like there's another me and it is making me uneasy (LOL). The real me is not that good, that's why I would like if people won't raise the hurdle (LOL).

[7 MEN 侍's Image]

A group who both does dance performances and band performances. That's the common ground of the 6 of us, so I can say that with all my heart. It's just that we still have not established 7 MEN's~ music. Particularly, in relation to being a band, it hasn't been long since we changed our instruments, and realistically, there are also difficult situations. That's why, to establish our identity as a band is our aim henceforth.

[dianapana]

SH Day 7- Genin Era

Rated T

Honestly I’m never confident in writing in the original Ninja Universe, my depiction of most of the characters is so OOC and that works fine with AUs but I fell like I need to be in character to write in the Ninja Universe, not sure I achieved it in this story but yes…either way, I hope you enjoy.

~Love Dia.

@sasuhinamonth

Hinata POV

When Iruka sensei first announced the teams, I was disappointed that Naruto-kun and I were on different teams, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was actually best that way. No matter how hard I try I always get flustered and distracted around him and for a ninja focus is important, especially in the middle of important and dangerous missions. And even despite being on different teams, I’m always able to find him around town and look from afar, just seeing him is enough for me. I got used to this way of thinking for a while now, thus when Kurenai mentioned that we’d go on a mission together with team 7 my anxiety levels rose higher than my excitement to see Naruto. I was already too weak and dragging my team down, father always made sure to remind me just how much of a disappointment I was, our initial track record of failed missions, or barely passed ones only added as proof to his words. I was terrified I was going to put everyone in danger, I was scared to make a fool of myself, I was filled with fear that was threatening to overflow from deep inside me.

I tried approaching Kurenai about the issue, tried to ask her to allow me to stay behind, but they needed every one in our team in order to track a run-away criminal, they needed Shinos bugs, Kiba’s nose and my eyes. Naruto’s team was in charge of fighting him if necessary and bringing him into the village. Kiba had been furious when he heard our job was to be a map basically, but I was glad we wouldn’t have to fight. However, my relief was short-lived when Kurenai mentioned that it was an A-class criminal so there was a high chance that team 7 would need our help in combat as well.

The day of the mission started pretty similarly to my usual days, I got dressed, packed bentos for everyone and left bright and early for the training ground where we were told to meet up. The whole way there I kept thinking about what I should do if Naruto was already there, what if it were just the two of us there, what would we talk about? Or would we just sit in silence? However, my worries were futile, Naruto wasn’t there, it was only Shino, I and Uchiha-san. Shino greeted me, but Uchiha-san didn’t acknowledge my existence, the three of us stayed in silence which usually I wouldn’t have minded but my thoughts were hectic and I would have liked any sort of distraction. Slowly more people joined, Kurenai, followed by Sakura and Kiba and soon there was no longer silence, Sakura was talking to Sasuke and Kiba was complaining to Kurenai-sensei. After a few minutes of being ignored Kiba let it go and came to talk to me, he was telling me about some of the new dogs his older sister rescued and Akamaru placed himself in my lap for pets, it almost felt like a normal day and for a moment I forgot all about Naruto and the joined mission, that was of course until Naruto appeared, he had been running to get here on time, you could tell he was hurrying by his slightly red cheeks, the rapid way in which he breathed and the droplets of sweat rolling down his temples.

His sunny disposition was wonderful from far away but it was maybe a bit too bright and blinding from this close. I followed him with my eyes as I were so used to do, not even registering he was walking to me until he was barely a few feet apart, his eyes focused on me with a smile.

“Mornin’ Hinata-chan” I loved how my name sounded on his lips, I blushed hard and murmured a reply, before any more talking could occur Kakashi-sensei arrived as well. Kurenai laid down a map for us and told us to gather around, I was too conscious of Naruto’s presence so I moved as far away from him as I could, I needed to focus on the explanation, my distraction could already be seen for in my attempts to distance myself from Naruto I bumped into Uchiha-san. I screeched, took a step to the side and apologized but he didn’t acknowledge me this time either. The only nod I got from him was when I gave everyone their bentos right before we split into smaller teams.

Thankfully I was able to focus on the plan and understood my part in it. I was to be in front of the team together with Kakashi-sensei and Uchiha-san, I’d use my Byakugan at the beginning until my chakra level was about half and then took small breaks if we hadn’t found the criminal by then. I was glad that Naruto wasn’t directly next to me, however, I was extremely uneasy around Kakashi and Sasuke as well, I had hoped at least Kiba would be next to me, but he was with Sakura and Kurenai to the left while Shino and Naruto were in the back.

“Ok Hinata, you can turn it on whenever you want, if you see anything unusual let us know immediately,” Kakashi said as we stepped outside Konoha grounds. The scroll with the mission information had a portrait of the man and information about his chakra type as well, which all in all helped me a lot, I knew exactly what I was looking for, thus being able to ignore all the movement around me that belonged to the team. The criminal had escaped from Suna three days ago and from their sources, he would pass through the forest outside Konoha somewhere today or tomorrow depending on his speed.

We had been running for almost 3 hours when I felt my chakra levels falter for a moment. I had never used it for such an extensive period of time, plus Kakashi and Sasuke’s speed was much higher than I was used to, all in all, I was having a tough time keeping up with them. I turned off my Byakugan when I felt my left eye hurting badly. “My chakra needs to recharge” I let them know and Kakashi nodded. We didn’t stop running, however, we slowed down significantly in order for Shino and Naruto to catch up with us, Shino too had been using his bugs and was tired, thus it was only Kiba that was still actively searching. Once my chakra felt stable enough, I turned on my Byakugan again, I could still feel discomfort in my left eye but ignored it for the time being.

Another hour passed when Akamaru barked loudly and not even a second later I spotted the criminal, he was far to the left, Kurenai’s team was maybe 45 minutes away from him, I informed Kakashi of that and we too turned to run that way, slowly increasing our speed.

“Hinata, we need you to keep your Byakugan active and let us know exactly where he is going, Shino if you can send some poisonous bugs ahead, our best plan is to knock him out without much fight needed”

The closer we got the more I felt his chakra overpowering me, the faster we ran, the faster he ran too, I wasn’t sure if he knew we were on his tracks, he had made no movement that indicated he knew. It was a split-second event, he was one, he was alone and then there were two others. before I could even open my mouth to tell everyone I felt a sharp pain at the back of my neck and the world slowly started getting blurry and black, the last thing I saw was Uchiha-san’s hand reach out to me.

Sasuke POV

The mission started about 2 hours ago but I could hear Hyuuga’s breath getting heavier and heavier with each step, I kept waiting for her to tell us she was tired, but she didn’t. Kakashi was quite far ahead of me and her but I’m sure he knew she was tired as well. Finally, an hour later she admitted to being tired, I turned for a mili-second to look at her and her left eye was closed, you could see the eye twitching underneath her lid, she had exhausted herself. We met up with the dobe and Aburame, I expected Hyuuga to lose her composure just as she had at the meeting place, but she was either too focused or too tired to give Naruto any attention. Even Naruto was uncharacteristically quiet.

The mission had been a long run thus far, that was until Hinata finally saw the suspect in the distance, we changed our path the way she guided us and kept increasing our speed. Kakashi told her to keep her Byakugan on and she made no comments. Out of everyone I was the closest to her and I could hear her getting more tired by the second, I kept mental tabs on her just in case she was going to pass out. For a split second, I heard her breath patter change, as if she was about to speak and I turned to look at her, her left eye was bleeding and from behind her came a man that hit her hard with the side of his hand on the nape of her neck, I reached out to her and barely caught her, held her against me before we hit the ground. Before checking how Kakashi and the others were faring I cupped her face and brought it up to my ear, for an agonizing long second, I couldn’t hear or feel her breath, but thankfully she was breathing, she was alive.

“Sasuke, take care of Hinata” Kakashi ordered, he had already knocked out the man that attacked us and was carrying currently carrying him on his back while writing a scroll and running at the same time. I picked Hinata up and continued running too.

“Is she ok?” Aburame asked and I nodded trying to ease his worry. I had been worried too, for a moment there I panicked, what would I have done had she died? Her left eye was still bleeding slowly, it looked as if she was constantly crying blood, I could feel my shirt getting wet with her blood, having her blood on me made me feel even more in charge of her safety.

“I found them too, I put a bug on each of them, there are three men in total” the information was welcomed “Kurenai-sensei’s team should reach them about 10 minutes before we do, I managed to inject with a small dose of poison one of them, the other two killed my bugs” Despite Hinata’s approximation beforehand, the criminal and his partners, apparently, were running too, all we could do is try to catch up to them in due time.

Holding her into my arms I felt oddly detached from the mission, for the majority of it I had been distracted, more interested in her state of being than the mission itself. Today had been one of my first interactions with her, what was it about her that caught my attention? Her blush and stutter when Naruto was concerned? Her loud scream when she bumped into me? The bento she offered me with no alternative reason? Either way, her presence distracted me and I did not appreciate that, her weight in my arms felt comfortable and even that annoyed me.

“Sasuke, you turn around with Hinata, I trust that there are no other men involved with the criminal. We can’t be sure how long the chase will take, Shino will keep trying to poison them and we hopefully will be done soon, however Hinata needs medical attention”

My detachment to the mission only furthered, I asked no questions, I gave no reply but simply turn around and run towards Konoha. Despite the extra weight and the long run thus far I wasn’t tired, I was oddly energized, my blood was boiling and I was running even faster than I have ever had. We were about 5 or 6 hours away from Konoha, but I wanted to reach it in 4 if possible. My focus returned and I heard every little leaf crunch on the ground, every little branch being moved by the wind.

When we were getting closer to Konoha, meaning maybe under an hour away Hinata moved into my arms, I stopped abruptly and looked down at her, her eye had stopped bleeding 2 hours ago thankfully, her complexion which had been white before was rosier and I could feel her sweating under her enormous jacket. I lowered myself to one knee and propped her legs onto my knee thus using that hand to undo her zipper, then without much thought I took off her jacket and threw it on the forest floor, it was covered in blood, sweat and dirt anyway, she wouldn’t miss it. I got back up and adjusted my grip on her, my hand was touching the skin of her upper arm, it was moist and hot but soft. I was about to start running again when her eyes fluttered open. The sclera of her left eye was blood-red, her right eye was also red but not quite to the same extent.

“Uchiha-san…? Where are we?” her voice was meek, but for the first time, she was looking me straight in the eye.

“We are maybe 1 hour away from Konoha”

“D-did the mission end…? where is everyone else?”

“The mission hadn’t been over when we departed form the group. Kakashi sent me to take you to the hospital. I am sure he assessed the situation and decided they could finish without us and that this was the best course of actions”

I had no expectations of how she would react, but her sudden sobs took me by surprise. Without even realizing it, I brought her body closer to mine and raised it a little. “Hold onto my neck” I ordered, Hinata looked at me with glossy eyes but obeyed nonetheless. I resumed running in that position. Was I offering her privacy to cry? Was this meant to comfort her? Even I couldn’t say.

The rest of the run went by fast, after crying for a while Hinata fell asleep, in the meantime, I started nothing things that I was grateful for. I was grateful for her short hair since the wind couldn’t blow it in my face, I was grateful for the soft skin of her arms since they felt nice onto my neck, I was grateful for her height since it made her the perfect size for me to carry, I was grateful that she was asleep and not dead.

When we reached the hospital, I placed her onto the bed in the room a nurse guided me to. She didn’t let go of my neck for a moment and whispered “it’s a-all my f-f-fault, I ruined another m-mission. I’m so s-s-sorry” her voice broke, and for some reason hearing her say that hurt me as well. I didn’t know how to comfort her, so all I did was rub circles on her back with my hand, I sat down on the bed and allowed her to keep holding onto me for a bit longer. “You did nothing wrong, thanks to you the others knew where the enemy was. We failed you because we didn’t notice the man behind” I had heard about the Hyuuga blind spot from father, but had forgotten about it until that moment. I wasn’t sure f my words or actions were of any help to her, but she didn’t cry, she was just hiding, and even that didn’t last long, for the doctor came to check on her.

I walked out of the hospital and went home to rest, in the middle of the night, hours later I heard a knock at my door, it was Kakashi-sensei. He came to let me know everything went well and to ask about Hinata. I told him what the nurse told me, a blood vessel busted in her left eye, she was knocked out and had a slight concussion, but nothing major. They were going to let her out of the hospital in the morning. After Kakashi told me some more about the mission he left for the night and I made a sudden decision.

I found myself in front of the hospital. I knew which window belonged to Hinata’s room, I had seen her through it when I left that evening. So instead of going through the door, I decided to jump onto one of the trees and then right outside her window. I tapped it lightly, not wanting to wake her if she were asleep, but thankfully she wasn’t.

“Uchiha-san?” she said as she opened the window for me to get into the room. She looked confused and embarrassed. I walked to her bed and took a seat on the side of it.

“I just wanted to let you know the mission was a success, everyone is fine.” Her eyes widened. “You didn’t ruin it, as I said before they couldn’t have done it without you” it felt odd o say that and the more the words gained meaning into my mind the more embarrassing they became. “Either way, I just thought you’d worry so I came to tell you that there’s no need for that”

I got up and wanted to leave, the room felt small and warm, but Hinata grabbed the back of my shirt. “Thank you” she mumbled the words about a dozen times, each time a little quieter and broken than before. I wanted to stay and comfort her some more, but I also didn’t want to see her crying anymore. My feelings were confusing me and so was she, so I simply replied ‘go to sleep’ before going out the window and leaving her behind into the dark hospital room.

The first week of Sh month done oof, can't believe I pulled through, especially since I didn't really plan on posting anything but day 1 so most stories (apart from day 6) I things I randomly wrote at 1 am. Thank you for reading and interacting <3