#kishimoto wanted him to look cool so bad and every scene he was in i just kept going Omg look at him hes so cuuute baby man

[atoriv-art]

baby baby boy

[orojuice]

Commentary:

I've seen lots of "in the style of" art pieces of certain manga characters in the illustrative style of other manga, but almost never a "what if this character was written by this author". So I thought I'd write up this set of short satirical fan comics with my frequent collaborator Sha-Y based on that conceit.

The One Piece comic almost didn't make the cut as the joke is really simple if relevant, but it just wouldn't leave my head until I jotted it down. I'm not sure if Law had to be a "D", but I'm just really, really surprised that the Will of D didn't originate in Wano like almost everything else of note in One Piece (Best Swords, Strongest Yonkous, Poneglyphs, etc).

I used to think that Naruto had it bad with bourgeois bloodline privileges until the final arc of Bleach. An alternate gag involved Denji saying Spanish and German words apropos of nothing apart from thinking they sounded cool.

The Naruto/Boruto one might seem hypocritical of me given that I'm a fan of Fate. However, I must point out that Notes. was one of the first stories in the Type-Moon multiverse canon. So I'm in the clear. Also, like Kishimoto, I wanted to do a retread of that pigeon scene from Bolt. That said, I admit to being delighted by Silent Hill UFO endings and even Paul Phoenix's Tekken 5 ending. Plus, I didn't mind the escalation in No More Heroes III. I just feel a little bit bad for the likes of Zabuza and Pain and everyone else in that book trying to have a sincere emotional moment when the root of the whole setting and its woes lies with E.T. eating a Devil Fruit. Anyway, back to the comic, Denji was originally going to wear a t-shirt espousing the phrase "Ska Messiah", but I ultimately decided it would make him look too young, especially since he and his hypothetical son are supposed to be the stars of it.

Demon Slayer was a wonderful book, but it didn't quite click for me until I saw Hotaru freaking out over his swords being lost or damaged, took note of what year the manga took place in, and gave a second look at the manner Muzan was dressed. A last hurrah for the samurai icon, a nation dealing with the dirty laundry of previous centuries so it can enter the open ports of the 20th without urban fantasy horror criminals worsening its upcoming bad decisions and eventual reinvention. Fittingly, Chainsaw Man has the Future Devil, which allowed for Denji to spell out the subtext of Kimetsu no Yaiba in a characteristically churlish yet everyman way. If he survives Part 2, I'm looking forward to seeing Denji fight the Y2K Devil. The Future Rules!

I'm sorry this isn't a "ten years at least" joke. But someone already did that better, so we're doing this old meme instead. The Bat Devil coming out of nowhere to wreck Power's easygoing (if roguish) existence with Meowy always stuck out to me as one of the most quietly nightmarish moments in Chainsaw Man. He just swooped in, snatched her cat while they were napping, and started making dark demands and threats. So, for a laugh, I decided to do what Isayama did with almost every aspect of Attack on Titan and Lelouch it. You thought it was one of the Four Horseman or a Primal Fear, but it was Denji who was behind everything all along!

I'm fairly certain that Horikoshi is just padding things out until he can get MHA to Chapter 400. He could surprise us all. The final (THIRD) battle with All for One could end at Part 41 or even Part 40. I understand given how Oumagadoki Zoo and Barrage panned out that he'd cling a little fiercely to his little superhero tribute that could, but the plot armor of his baddies has gotten so humongous that it can be observed from orbit at this point. If Chainsaw Man has taught the manga world anything it's that just because your main villain has power copying/stealing abilities that could allow a writer to extend a series indefinite with the convenient excuse of said villain just pulling whatever plot extending necessity the author needs out of their rear, doesn't mean that such a plot device should be abused in perpetuity or through, if I'm counting right, five characters (six if you count the one in Vigilantes). The restraint on Fujimoto; some thought Part 1 would go the typical shounen route and double in size just to deal with the big antagonist reveal. Instead, a miracle of good taste and protagonist proactiveness occurred. You love to see it. That said, there's like a sweet spot between 9-minute live-action superhero v. supervillain fights and the final act of MHA for ideal superhuman action length. Maybe we'll find it someday...I should really rewatch Mystery Men this year.

[secret-engima]

eclipsearising

This is why I think Kishimoto didn’t really think about his word building. He just went “You know what would be cool?” And then came up with something completely stupid/

Me: no no no you don’t understand THIS IS LITERALLY WHAT HE DID. THIS IS LITERALLY IT. I HAVE SEEN IT WAY TOO MANY TIMES FOR IT NOT TO BE. Examples off the top of my head being *especially* in the 4th war.

-There is- literally an entire *episode* of Naruto’s training with Killer B dedicated to Naruto learning he can’t make shadow clones in Kyuubi mode because that will *actually kill him* because of how the chakra drain works in that mode. It is literally hand waved the moment Naruto leaves the island because Kishi refuses to let *any* character other than Naruto be useful and so he needs to go to like five different places at once to fight zetsu in kyuubi mode. in universe it’s something about Kurama not trying to kill Naruto with chakra drain anymore but like- that isn’t explained until multiple episodes of Naruto casually using shadow clones and *not thinking about the consequences* and his *trainer Killer B* not stopping him or reminding him about the danger so clearly that excuse was thrown in last second to appease the plot hole.

-In the same episodes as the above, Naruto learns he can’t use RASENGAN in kyuubi mode because, in a potentially neat twist, it turns out the Rasengan works on the same principles as a biju bomb and when he tries to rasengan the kyuubi chakra converts it into a biju bomb instead. You can look at *almost any 4th war fight with naruto in it* and see him spamming rasengan. in kyuubi chakra cloak mode.

-Sasuke fighting Deidara pre 4th war. He’s literally out of chakra but somehow not only summons a boss summon, but forces it to shield him from a fatal blast. Because Cool Points™.

-The entire. fricken. 4th war. Is building up to Madara being the final boss. I am not joking. Like- I know I’m not a published author or whatever but I’ve been writing multi chapter fic for somewhere around 7-8 years and I’ve been reading gobs of stories since I had the brain power to process words. The narrative build up is there. The entire point to nerfing the 5 kage so they can’t beat Madara, to *all of the Biju* not being able to beat Madara and getting retaken into the jyuubi/making him the jyuubi jinchuuriki is one long, poorly executed difficulty spike for the final boss. There is an *entire scene* that goes for 5 plus minutes of Obito using what he thinks is his dying will to pull out a fragment of chakra from the Ichibi and Gyuuki respectively because that directly ties into the tug of war that happened however many eps back when Obito was the kyuubi Jinchuuriki. Naruto had received chakra from every biju except the Ichibi and Gyuuki and was able to use those as a connection to *pull the biju out* of the seal and free them/rescue them and thus de-power Obito, but he couldn’t do it with Ichibi and Gyuuki because he’d never gotten that piece of their chakra and couldn’t resonate with them/pull them free. And Obito, when he does his heel face turn and becomes good again, risks using what could literally be his last moments to get those two bits of chakra and give them to Naruto. That is SCREAMING final boss setup. Madara was supposed to be the big bad, Sasuke and Naruto were gonna get their act together, fight him in a big messy final fight while everyone else is stuck in Infinite Tsukuyomi, then Obito’s gift of those last two chakra resonances would let Naruto pull the biju out of Madara and depower/defeat him. It is SO OBVIOUS.

And then instead we get Kaguya at the literal last second, no fight with Madara, this guy who basically stomped all over the world goes out like a *chump* because Kishi didn’t want the money train to end and thought a literal moon goddess coming out of nowhere would be “cool”.

Those are just off the top of my head but there are literally hundreds of more incidents where if you actually *look* at what is narratively happening, the tropes being used, the build up, the prior “world-building” you can see that Kishi genuinely does not think about his timeline, his world building, any of that. He just goes with the Rule of Cool and what he thinks will be the most shocking “plot twist” at the time. It is. *So bad*.

[char-lotteral]

I agree with Kishimoto never trying to use the girls. The hate they get is not fair. I used to defend Sakura back in the days because I hoped kishi would do her justice. When shippuden started I WAS SO HAPPY because I thought this was the start of something great for Sakura and the girls but NOOOOO. Every time, Sasuke showed kishi turned her brainless. If you compare Naruto's actions and Sakura's actions to sasuke, you'd see they're completely different. What's up with that weird fake love confession scene 😭? It makes her look like she was manipulating Naru. JEEZ.

Also he literally had badass Tenten and Temari with cool useful abilities and he didn't use them ?! TF ?! Thank god for modern authors who treat their characters with respect :)

okay2 you know how i am with these longass rants so click readmore and brace yourselves

The way I see it, Sakura's character development in shippuden was always one step forward, two steps back. She gets this really badass scene (like her fight with Sasori and those cool ass medical skills) but is then regressed back into a pining girl in love every time Sauce is on screen or Kishi just throws her in the background YET AGAIN.

I love Sakura's abilities actually. Her brute strength, intelligence, vast knowledge and skill as a medic nin. But what I dislike about her character is how kishi handled her feelings for Sasuke. Naruto and Sakura's obsession with Sasuke was so???? huh??? it was so damn toxic and i never once understood why both Nardo and Sak were so obsessed with him. They were a team for one year???? I mean its great that they care about him alot but Sauce's feelings were kinda valid. His freakin clan died. Id go batshit crazy against my own village too. BUT BESIDES THAT. Both Nart and Sakura's Sasuke obsession was so annoying. 80% of shippuden was literally Keeping up with the Uchihas or Naruto yelling SASUKEH. BUT what irks me so much is the fandom's double standards with both Naruto and Sakura. "Oh Sakura shouldve gotten over her Sasuke obsession" but then turn around and call Naruto's obsession cute and gush about how he's so in love with him!!

Hot take but the only reason why sasunaru is "the most developed ship with the most chemistry" is because theyre both male characters.

I guarantee you if Naruto was a girl and SHE would be the one to have this unhealthy obsession who was chasing around Sasuke, the fandom would shit on Naruto just as much. And if Sasuke were a girl, Sauce would be sidelined like the rest of the female cast and Naruto would have another male character to have a "brotherly bond" with, because thats the only bond Kishimoto is actually good at developing. Yey for male characters having all the screentime and cool assets <333

And about that confession scene, I get her intentions. I really do. I understand that she did that in order to bring him home and that she cares about him but honey, w-why?? Why lie to him about your feelings?? Supposed he DID believe her, then what? then what kishi???? huh??? Some of her fans point the blame on Sai or whatever but I personally dont see why that scene was at all necessary. Maybe to establish Naruto's feelings for her wasnt all that serious? or his maturity? idk man. That scene was such a clusterfuck.

In the end her development in The Last and in Boruto was immaculate. She had one of the best glow ups in the old gen and ironically enough, her character wasn't butchered in Boruto. She got badass scenes she was cheated from in shippuden. I also love how she's finally getting the spotlight she deserves. Unlike the other konoha 12 :,)))

Okay onto the next female character that Kishi completely wasted. My baby. My light. 🙈 AAAHHH HINATAA.

I DONT EVEN KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN OKAY2 DEEP BREATHS.

Let me just establish this real quick. Hinata's goal was to get stronger because of Naruto, her goal was never to be with Naruto. She wanted to become someone who is worthy enough to stand beside him, someone whom he can consider as an equal, as a partner. She NEVER once said "marrying Naruto-kun is my all time goal UwU" (if youre one of those weirdos who interpret her character that way, youre immediately invalid, go take a hike)

I personally dont have anything against their crushes but to the point of making their personalities revolve around these guys every time theyre onscreen is so fucking frustrating. And with the way he writes their dialogues is so.damn.cringey. Like that one scene in the war arc with Tsunade and Madara

"I mAy bE a WomAn but I aM nOt WeAAKKKK"

BAAHAHAAHHA WHAT?? Everyone else gets coolass monologues and one liners but thats the best you can come up with Kishi?????? Hilarious.

If im being honest. Hinata's character is actually kinda well written. Not well executed. Dear God no. But with the way he set her story, her personality, her chracterization. She's honestly one of the best written female characters on the show. IMO. By Kishi's standards of writing women ofc. She's hands down one of the most complex characters. Her shy personality wasnt out of the blue, it wasnt a cutesy waifu trait. Her abusive upbringing made her that way. Her trauma turned her that way. So yeah, sue her if she looked up to Naruto as an inspiration when everyone else in her family treated her like dust. Shit on her for having Naruto's love light in her dark when her own damn father wouldnt even look her in the eye and her entire clan shunned her because she was "weak." She doesnt owe her family shit so idgaf what they do with the Hyuga clan. Neji and Hanabi aren't included btw

Im not gonna deny that her role in the show was only as the love interest but tbh for a love interest, Im glad her character wasnt so one dimensional. It just pains me SO MUCHHH how fucking wasted she is. Every time she's with Naruto, they always make her into a damsel in distress. They always feel the need to turn Naruto into the heroic prince. How cute.

LIKE THAT ONE SCENE IN THE LAST WHERE SHE'S THROWN IN THE CAGE?? WHY??? LET NARUTO AND HINA FIGHT THAT FREAKING ALIEN GOD TOGETHER. QUIT WITH THE TOXIC MASCULINITY. WE GET IT. NARUTO'S STRONG. GOOD FOR HIM. NOW LETS SEE HINATA THROW HANDS AND PUT NARUTO IN THE CAGE GODAMMIT

Hnggggg dont get me started with her role in Boruto. She's as relevant as a damn houseplant in the manga. They made her into an invisible trophy wife and "the mc's mother" and we all KNOW what happens to the shounen mc's mother once mc is in need of character development :) Quit putting her in the background. Give us that scene where she won against Hanabi DESPITE being retired for years. Give us that scene where she trains Boruto. GIVE US ANY FIGHT SCENE OF HER WHERE HER POTENTIAL ISNT WASTED WTF?¿

Now if you say that Hinata didnt have development. YOURE INVALID. She came from an abusive household, the shyest girl in her class, her insecurities got in the way of her own confidence, had difficulty of standing up for herself now became a loving mother of two, has the guts to kick her husband out of the house(with whom she couldnt even keep eye contact with when she was a kid) became the strongest hyuga, most supportive wife and mother, and has given her kids the comforting childhood she never had as a kid.

She has one of the most beautiful stories in the show and if you think her personality is only Naruto-kun and big boobs, then im sorry that you cant appreciate such a heartwarming story.

And I agree, killing her would honestly make me feel more at ease than continue to see her suffer because of godawful misogynistic writers. But at least let her die in an epic fight. Please. PLEASEE. She got nerfed so bad, i feel a physical pain every time i think about it

Okay what else. I think Ino got pretty good development. Another wasted potential in shippuden but she's doing good for herself in Boruto. I dont know what Temari is up to. They basically made her into another classic angry mom who beats up her husband for comedy trope. Haha very funny and original! Im not sure with her career, im not that invested in the anime.

Tenten??

oh G O D Tenten. The dirtiest of all. Her jokes about her screentime is so mean and i hate that its true ahsjhs. She was the only female character in OG who's goal wanted to be as strong as Tsunade but what did Kishi do to her?? Sidelined. Forgotten. Irrelevant. Like every damn female on the show :D

Konan shouldnt have died. I blame plot armor. I know in my heart that Konan wouldve kicked Obito's ass if it weren't for Kishi's boomer mindset.

Tsunade had so much hype when she was introduced but died down in the war arc. Madara wiped the floor with the kages. Holy shit. Not only that, but yipee! Naruto is there to save the day AGAIN!!!!

AND UGHHHH If the female characters were given proper treatment then maybe MAYBE all the endgame couples wouldve made fucking sense????¿¿¿

I think that ends my rant. Im not sure how the female characters in Boruto are handled. Except maybe Sarada (she's pretty well executed in the manga imo). But arguably they are sooo much better handled in Boruto than how the old gen girls were. And thats because Kishi isnt anywhere near the new gen female cast. I cant formulate a solid opinion with the other new gen female cast since im not entirely invested in the anime. Not ashamed to admit that I only watch it for the sunshine moments and for Hinata :DD

[fatesdeepdive]

Entry 6: Dicklips has a Point

Chapter 5: Mother

After a few days in Hoshido, Corrin is finally getting used to the massive emotional baggage that is her backstory. Mikoto invites Corrin to sit on the Hoshidan throne, which is infused with the magic of the First Dragons and destroys magic that alters the body or mind. Mikoto hopes that it will allow Corrin to regain her memories. Before Corrin can sit on the throne and become king of the Westeros or whatever, Mikoto’s strategist Yukimura enters. He looks like a nerd, but I suppose that’s better than being a steampunk MCR cover band dropout like Iago.

The Hoshidan siblings enter and Mikoto tells Corrin that they’re having a ceremony to quash spy rumors and formally reintroduce Corrin into the family. We’re properly introduced to Corrin’s other brother, Takumi. He’s assigned to show Corrin around town and is grumpy about it, because his defining character trait is being a dick. As Takumi and the princesses leave, Ryoma muses that he feels uneasy and predicts that something bad will happen soon.

The gang tours a Hoshidan marketplace. It’s so vibrant, and colorful, and full of life. I haven’t been talking much about this game’s music because I’m not a music guy, but I love the upbeat theme they use for this scene. It feels like something out of Okami and matches Hoshido’s idealized feudal Japan aesthetic perfectly.

Corrin points out that Shirasagi is way better than the Nohrian fort she was held prisoner in for years. Takumi rants that he doesn’t trust Corrin, saying Just don’t get too comfortable…SISTER. I know he’s supposed to come across as a dick, but he has a point. Corrin’s an enemy soldier who invaded Hoshido and killed a dozen people less than a week ago. It doesn’t matter that they share DNA, Corrin should be treated with suspicion.

Takumi also acts suspicious to Azura and says she can’t call him by his first name, which is dumb. What’s she supposed to do, call him Dicklips? Corrin points out that Dicklips is being an idiot and Dicklips tells her to shut up. And really, he is being an idiot. Either hate Corrin for growing up in Nohr, or hate Azura for having Nohrian DNA. Either nature matters, or nurture matters. You can’t have it both ways.

Then again, Azura and Corrin will totally join Nohr and try to destroy Hoshido if we chose the conquest path, so maybe Dicklips has a point.

Corrin tells Sakura that she’s friends with a girl around Sakura’s age, presumably Elise. If the coin flip had gone the other way and I was playing as boy Corrin, Sakura would have asked if Elise is Corrin’s girlfriend. And that’s ridiculous. Can you imagine, Corrin dating their teenage sister? That’s messed up. Good thing that isn’t a thing that happens in this game.

We go to the plaza for the festival. Side note, all shots of Corrin and Mikoto in the festival are positioned so that Corrin’s face is covered by something, like a man wearing an oversized hat, for instance. This is because Corrin is customizable and that means the game can’t show their face. They can show the clearly male body model, but not their face. Awakening had Robin wear a hood to get around this problem, but who needs fashion choices when you can just censor the main character’s face like it’s Austin Powers’s mojo.

While Corrin’s standing next to Mikoto, a weird ghost man wearing a hood walks to the front of the crowd and holds out his arm. Red smoke starts coming off Ganglari and an eye opens up on its hilt, because it is very clearly a cursed sword. Ganglari flies over to the man and he stabs it into the ground, creating a massive purple explosion ball. The sword explodes and Mikoto jumps in front of Corrin to shield her from the shrapnel. As she dies, Mikoto asks Corrin if she’s okay.

Fire Emblem has a lot of dead parent scenes, and I honestly think this is the best. Marcella Lentz-Pope’s scream when Mikoto dies is phenomenal. Mikoto begging Corrin to be alright and dying with a smile on her face is beautiful.

Ryoma cuts down the hooded man but his cloak just falls to the ground, leaving no body. Corrin screams, her hair glowing and her eyes white, physically holding back the pain as waves of energy burst from her body. In a moment, Corrin is gone. In her place is a dragon.

I really like Corrin’s dragon form. It looks so inhuman, more like a machine than a traditional dragon. It really gets across that Corrin has completely lost any semblance of humanity she had as she falls into this pit of despair.

The level proper starts up as an army of dark mages and mercenaries storm into the ruined plaza. Their leader is the ghostly man from before. Interestingly, he’s a swordmaster, a Hoshidan exclusive class that he shares with Ryoma. This level adds Sakura and Azura to our team and gives Corrin an absolutely monstrous boost to her stats, fitting for her rage dragon form.

Sakura

Corrin’s shy, gentle Hoshidan younger sister. She’s a Shrine Maiden (Cleric) and wields healing staves. Her personal skill lowers the damage taken by nearby allies. Her design is fine; I don’t really have any thoughts on it. She seems to be going for this “cute shy healer” personality, which isn’t bad, but Fire Emblem has done it a dozen times before.

Azura

Azura is our Dancer...I mean, Songstress. She sucks at fighting, but allows other units to attack twice, which is really helpful in battle. Her personal skill heals nearby allies at the start of their turns. Her design, despite its bright colors, does a good job conveying how calm and mysterious she is. Azura is an enigma. She clearly knows more than she lets on, but currently seems content to just follow Corrin around.

All of the mercenaries in this chapter wield special, dragon killing swords, which would be a problem, if Corrin didn’t have as much defense as the rest of the party put together. This chapter boils down to letting dragon Corrin smash everyone while Sakura, Azura, and Kaze provide support. Ryoma attempts to take on the ghost man, but is defeated. Then Corrin fucking stomps his translucent ass and saves the day.

Corrin continues rampaging and Azura begins singing LITAA. Her necklace, the one from the title screen, starts glowing. Ryoma runs in to protect Azura, but Azura blasts him away with a pillar of water, which is a thing that she can do apparently.

Dragon Corrin freaks out at the music and slashes Azura across the chest. Azura keeps singing and Corrin attempts to strangle her to death. Azura tells Corrin, Kill me if you want, but do it as yourself, which is a fantastic line that shakes Corrin out of her madness.

Corrin turns back into a human and has a flashback of Garon’s murdering Sumeragi and kidnapping her. Garon says You are my child now and grabs baby Corrin, which is so creepy its comical.

Corrin apologizes to Azura, saying she’s disgusted with herself. Ryoma explains that both royal families have dragon blood, the Nohrians from the Dusk Dragon and the Hoshidans from the Dawn Dragon. Corrin looks out over the destroyed town, a town full of innocent people destroyed by Nohr.

Ryoma points out that, because Garon gave Corrin an evil bomb sword, everything must have been his plan. Cool plan, by the way. Let’s see if I have it straight:

1: Give Corrin a bomb sword.

2: Have her commit an act of war.

3: Have Hans try to murder Corrin.

4: Hope he fails.

5: Hope the Hoshidans bring Corrin to their Queen, instead of imprisoning her for being an enemy soldier.

6: Have ghost soldiers invade Hoshido and take the sword from Corrin.

6: Cursed sword explodes, killing Mikoto and destroying her mind control barrier.

I mean, sure, there are probably simpler ways to kill Mikoto, ways that don’t involve praying that Hans fucks up and fails to kill Corrin. Garon could have, I don’t know, had the ghost soldiers kill Mikoto. Maybe their existence is tied to Ganglari, but that’s never actually stated, and the fact that they stick around and kill people after Ganglari explodes makes that questionable.

You know how, at the end of Naruto, Kishimoto had the villains reveal that they were behind every bad thing that happened in the series, and how it didn’t make sense and was dumb and convoluted? I’m getting Naruto vibes from this chapter.

Takumi blames Corrin for Mikoto’s death. And I mean, he has a point. Corrin’s the one who brought the clearly cursed sword her war criminal father gave her with her. Azura tells Takumi that it’s fine if he doesn’t trust her, but it's wrong for him to distrust Corrin, because Corrin is his blood. And that’s fucking stupid. Fire Emblem is filled with characters with evil relatives. Soren, Guinivere, Edelgard, Robin, the list goes on. Shit, there are evil blood relatives within this game.

Corrin suggests leaving and Yukimura tells her that Mikoto wouldn’t have wanted that and that Mikoyo knew she would die soon. He also mentions that there may be darker forces than Garon at work. Yukimura also points us towards a statue destroyed in the blast, a statue containing Yato, a diving golden sword that is said to be the key to peace. Yato flies up and over to Corrin.

Kaze runs in and reports a massive Nohrian force assembles at the border and the family marches off to war, with Ryoma declaring that he will not show any mercy. Corrin decides to follow Ryoma, in hopes of stopping the war. Azura tells Corrin to calm down, because getting into a fight could cause her to lose control and turn into a dragon again. Spoiler alert, this is literally the only chapter where Corrin loses control, because screw interesting characterization.

Azura gives Corrin her necklace, which turns out to be a dragonstone. Dragonstones and manaketes, people who can turn into dragons, are not new to Fire Emblem. Manaketes are normally uncomfortably young girls. Corrin is the first and currently the only manakete main lord. What’s more, Corrin is unique in their ability to wield both swords and dragonstones. It fits with the duality motif.

The necklace allows Corrin to control her dragon form, which is a bit of a disappointment. Corrin losing control and destroying stuff in this animalistic rage was really interesting characterization that is never seen after this chapter.

Azura decides to follow Corrin, because Corrin makes her feel safe. Apparently.

This chapter was really, really, good. Mikoto’s death was heartbreaking and Corrin going apeshit was some really strong character work. I forgot how absolutely terrifying Corrin’s transformation scene is. That said, this chapter hammers the final nail in the coffin for this story being morally grey. There is absolutely no reason to side with Nohr after this chapter, except for loyalty to the Nohrian royals.

At the start of the next chapter, we’ll choose our side in this war. And, not to tip my hand, but I don’t exactly think it’ll be a hard choice.

[bepu]

Naruto asks: 14, 18, 19, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29.

14) which opening is your favorite : SO MANY GOOD ONES... go!!! or haruka kanata or blue bird..... top three musical masterpieces of all songs ever made

18) favorite character : SASUKE OBVIOUSLY but aside from him MADARA, sai, neji, kiba, literally every female character (hinata not so much), kakashi, gai, yamato

19) least favorite character : wow where to start.... i will ALWAYS stand by the fact that tobirama, danzo and hiruzen were all the main enemies in the series. i will literally wheeze this on my last dying breath because it makes me so dflkg angry. no one compares to these assholes because no one else (except hiashi hyuga whom i also hate with a burning passion, hiashi die challenge) enforced the racist, classist, discriminatory society to the point of genocide without batting an eye. idgaf about any of the characters who are coded as enemies or “bad guys” because hiruzen and danzo are the root cause of all problems in ninja world and everyone else after them keeps reinforcing them by supporting konoha as it is (main example being hokage naruto, fuck you class traitor). also insert the scene where orphan child naruto asks about his dead parents and hiruzen says “asking about it won’t bring the dead back” or smth along those lines.... i also hate jiraiya more than i can explain and his death is one of the only good things kishimoto ever came up with in his stupid man brain. NEXT QUESTION

22) who would you want your partner to be in the akatsuki : i already answered this oops but i will elaborate: sasori bc relatable tired gay bitch, plus he has cool weird corpse puppets and is a big nerd with trauma. i would say itachi but i wouldn’t trust him for one second and kisame would be too nice and i can’t function around people who are too nice / unproblematic

24) weapon of choice : hmMm a sword or two smaller knives. so basically a cool blade.

25) favorite clan : uchiha!!! if i wasn’t konohaphobic i’d say hyuga but unfortunately their slave system is a bit of a turn off..... if you only look at neji’s side then definitely my favorite clan would be hyuga because of the highly skilled elite ninjas who just say catch these hands and slap you 64 times 

26) favorite uchiha : sasuke will always hold a special place in my heart so my morals would never let me answer anyone else BUT if kishi had introduced all uchihas from the start and i hadn’t had the chance to form an emotional bond only to sasuke, then madara would be an (almost) equal fave. because madara is the most relatable asshole in the series: power hungry, dramatic, prideful, arrogant but respectful and skilled. also big sexy. walks around with his tits out shouting nonsense. iconic. biggest dick in the game aside from gai

27) what animal would you summon : hmMm i seem like a sasuke kin in all of these but a snake. no doubt about it. 

29) favorite arc : am i too boring if i say chuunin exams....... if the war wasn’t 900 episodes long with 895 filler episodes i’d say that because of madara.... i don’t really care for any of the main good guys in the series so i just enjoy any episodes that shows uchihas or other teams besides team 7. 

 

[psychonarutoenthusiast-blog]

SASUSAKU ANALYSIS AND DEVELOPMENT (PART 1\?)

Sasusaku is probably one of the most discussed topics in the Naruto fanbase and I think it’s common to find posts like this one on Tumblr. My blog will mainly focus on writing stuff, but still … I’d like to give you all my opinion about this ship trying to analyze the relationship between Sasuke and Sakura from the very beginning. Lots of people tend to say that it’s abusive and underdeveloped. That’s actually one of the things that come to mind first just observing the interactions they share throughout the whole plot. But I personally think that this bond is quite more complicated than that, both in negative and in positive ways. 

This is probably going to be really long so … brace yourselves!

So … the first thing we get the chance to see when introduced to both manga and anime is this annoying little girl with pink hair who’s literally obsessed with the coolest guy around. Basic, isn’t it? Actually … Sakura’s first impression is not positive at all, mostly according to the male audience. She looks arrogant, she’s mean and cocky towards Naruto and everyone who’s not “Sasuke-kun”. But why? Is it just a personality issue? Nope, it’s actually way more complicated than that.

Sakura was indeed bullied from a very young age and she grew up being really insecure about her physical appearance and her abilities in general. Developing a bond with Ino … who was - on the opposite - really confident, intelligent and pretty … didn’t necessarily make things better, in my opinion. Hoping to overcome the inferiority complex she felt towards her and basically everyone, Sakura started to imitate her and slowly decided to leave her true self behind in hopes to become cool. It was the only thing she wanted as a kid. Being recognized as a pretty girl and talking with the popular guys may look like a pretty stupid wish, but that’s not what a naive and bullied kid would think. The only reason why Sakura chose to develop an interest towards Sasuke resided in the fact that - by getting with the coolest guy arund, the guy everyone (mostly Ino) wanted to be with and look like - would have proven to others and to herself that she was cool too, and that she deserved to be praised and desired like he was. 

“Would being mean to Naruto make me cool? Everybody treats him wrong, so that must be reasonable”, “would my long hair make me more beautiful and draw Sasuke’s attention on me? Probably!”. Such thoughts led Sakura to completely repress her true self, reducing her identity to an angry and despised ghost that used to appear quite often in the show, so that we could know what she was really thinking about: Inner Sakura. And those same thoughts justify her terrible behaviour in the first part of the anime and the manga.

When I first saw the flashback about Ino and Sakura’s friendship I was completely shocked by the way she acted towards Ino. She returned a precious gift and she basically threw away the confidence and the affection Ino had given her for a boy who acted like a total jerk. I was like “she’s a bitch, to be honest”. Ino herself looked so hurt by her words it made me hurt too. But … analyzing the scene and the panels knowing more about Sakura’s character development, I understood why she did that. Returning the ribbon meant returning the shy and insecure part of herself who needed Ino as an example and as a shield from others. Fighting for Sasuke was not meant as a real “love rivalry”. None of them really cared about his true personality. They considered him as a prize for the coolest one around. They didn’t know shit about him and this is soon proved ... in Sakura’s case.

The panels pretty much speak for themselves. How could she possibly love someone as damaged as Sasuke without knowing a thing about his past or the extreme sadness he was experiencing at such a young age? Obviously she didn’t. The only thing Sakura cared about was his handsomeness. This is one of the first canon interactions Sakura and Sasuke share (both in the anime and manga) and not a soul on the planet would think that a romance could actually blossom between them, given the assumptions.

This is what Sasuke reasonably tells her after hearing Sakura’s inappropriate words about Naruto and parents in general. And most importantly … this is what Sasuke really thinks about her during the first stages of this relationship. He barely knows her and she doesn’t possess particular abilities that could waken his interest either. She’s just an annoying little girl with a weird hair color who keeps drooling after him with no apparent reason. His expression in the panel says it all. Romances are the last things Sasuke could think about and he seriously couldn’t care less about someone who doesn’t have a clue about what suffering looks like. Sakura’s reaction to his harsh words actually surprised me a lot when I first watched the scene. I was convinced she would burst out crying, but she didn’t. She immediately started to process what Sasuke had told her about loneliness and she decided that she would try to empathise with Naruto and his situation. Being the naive fangirl she was, I really didn’t expect her to act with such maturity. This detail is actually more important than it looks like, because it tells us that the real Sakura is still there.

Shortly after that conversation, Team 7 is formed. The creation of this group is unique and the bonds each one of the members develops with the other three (Kakashi is included) are almost curative in their own way. The team brings out the best part of its components, it gives them love and it gives them a purpose. I actually don’t know how much it passes between the group’s formation and the mission in the Land of Waves, but I suppose it’s a couple of months. During these months, Sasuke … Sakura and Naruto come to learn what teamwork is about and - most importantly - they start to consider each other as friends. Spending so much time with the boy she was physically attracted to, Sakura begins to know more about him as a person. She becomes familiar to his cold behaviour and she lets her interest deepen into something a little more important than fangirling. She trusts him deeply. Sasuke - on the other hand - starts to see Sakura as a real comrade. He now finds Sakura and Naruto’s presence in his life really comforting. Thanks to Naruto’s enthusiasm and Sakura’s sweet attentions he can try to overcome the sadness that embraces him. Yet it’s still too early for things to change in Sasuke’s point of view, probably because he knows that if he opened up to these weird people he could call “friends” … he would distract himself from his true aims. 

The Land of Waves Arc is actually more important than it seems, talking about Sasusaku. Especially for Sakura! The reason is simple. During this Arc, not only we can openly see that she never overcame the inferiority complex she had, but it becomes clear as the sky (to us and to her) that what she felt towards Sasuke was not just a crush, and surely it was not all about his cool appearance. 

A lot of Sasusaku shippers insist on the fact that Sasuke saving Sakura from one of the Mist ninjas has to be considered as an important moment for the ship, but I don’t really agree on that. He would have done the same for Naruto, and he was basically just proving his abilities against an opponent he knew was way stronger than him. That’s the reason why he acted all mighty and cocky with the poor Naruto afterwards. 

THIS is the most important moment, obviously. Sasuke risks his life to protect Naruto and basically everyone thinks he’s dead. Sakura’s reaction is just priceless. I cried like I was dying myself as I read it. The speech she gives us - between tears - about the rule according to which a ninja should never express his true feelings was so beautifully written it made my heart ache. I personally find it amazing how Kishimoto succeeded in putting those deep words on the lips of such a young girl making them sound like the realest thing she could have said in that situation. This is the moment in which Sakura realizes just how much Sasuke really meant to her and how terryifing the perspective of living without him really was. She doesn’t have the maturity to interpret the deep nature of her feelings yet and to react as a consequence, so she just lets them out. She is going to let them out openly for a long time … but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Talking about Sasuke’s reaction instead … I’m forced to admit that the anime did not the best job it could have done to show us how he really felt in that moment. He really didn’t know what to say or how to act for this girl who was screaming because she wasn’t prepared to face a future without him. He probably didn’t even expect it. He didn’t think he really was that important to her. Just look at his expression in the panel. He’s almost relieved she’s there.

We then get to the Chūnin Exams Arc, which is the most important arc for both their characters’ development and their relationship’s one. It is now clear that Sasuke considers Sakura as a real friend. She’s not just a companion anymore, she’s someone he’s willing to protect. A lot of people tend to deny this, just because Sasuke doesn’ say so explicitly. Aren’t they forgetting about the fact that Sasuke rarely expresses his feelings openly? Probably.

Before they sign up for the exams, Sakura is feeling extremely insecure about her abilities, and she’s convinced she shouldn’t even take part to the test. Both Naruto and Sasuke proved to be incredible during the Land of Waves Arc. They managed to defeat Zabuza and Haku without Kakashi’s help, unleashing great powers and supporting each other just as it should happen in every team. But … what had she done? She couldn’t even prevent Sasuke from risking his life, fearing for her comrades’ state. Clearly she’s afraid to mess up during the exams and she’s worrying about the fact that she could drag both Naruto and Sasuke in her distress. As I was saying earlier, Sakura never overcame her inferiority complex. As she brings herself to the Academy, Sasuke is the only one who notices her anxiety. He describes her attitude as “weird”, whereas Naruto - who likes  her so much - doesn’t even notice. Sasuke later cheers her up - as we see in the panels - and reminds her about the qualities she’s so insecure about. He actually smiles to her, and he appreciates the fact that his words let her regain confidence in herself. If that’s not what a friend would do ...                                

[21tailsofwoe]

why do I ship NaruSaku? (aka my narusaku megapost)

[My submission for the final day of the NARUSAKU AUGUST EVENT, 2017]

This post is dedicated to all my fellow NaruSaku shippers, the ones who have gone down with this ship and yet continue to hold on to it, submerged in a sea of our perfect fanon. Enjoy this extremely long post about the pairing of Naruto and Sakura :) x

You may want to sit down with a cup of coffee/tea, find a comfortable environment, and just fill yourselves with shipper feels in order to read this.

So, why do we ship NaruSaku when it isn’t even canon?

Because it’s about a relationship that involves two individuals harbouring healthy feelings for each other, showing great respect towards each other and putting great trust in each other, facing great adversities and only coming out stronger than ever before, having developed an even stronger connection.

It’s not just the big, flashy, seemingly-romantic moments between them that draws me to them. It is, in fact, the smaller but significant interactions that makes me admire whatever Naruto and Sakura share. Throughout the manga, there have been several moments signifying the development of their bond, paving the way to the depiction of a more grounded and realistic relationship (at least, with respect to the Narutoverse and its foundation of “bonds”). 

Here’s a collection of some Naruto and Sakura moments from the manga, moments that make my shipper heart go squeee. Seeing them in a romantic light or not is up to you! I mean, NaruSaku as a BroTP is unbeatable, but this post will be more OTP-oriented. Feel free to keep these moments for yourselves ;)

The start of it all

okay maybe not the most perfect start

naruto’s (true) reason of having a crush on sakura

their support for each other in the chunin exams

some cute moments

some even cuter moments

even when they’re grown up, they’re grown up dorks

blushy blushy (while still being dorks)

“ooooh but narusaku is such a plain ship. there’s no angst!!!”

honey u sure about that

LOOK  AT HIS FACE JHFSKDGKJLHGF

The POAL is nothing but angst for Naruto.  How he chose to put aside his feelings for Sakura. If this doesn’t show you his maturity and the amount of respect he has for Sakura’s feelings, I don’t know what to tell you.

The moments preceding the POAL shows us the development of the respect Sakura has for Naruto. How she felt at first about him, and how she felt now. A beautiful contrast.

How ‘bout Sakura’s promise to Naruto?

:’)

Power CoupleTM

Here’s a panel of a Naruto in awe of his waifu

here have some more angst

Look how much she cares for him. Romantic or platonic, love is love and it’s very evident from these panels.

Also, Sakura invented the slapped-sense-into-Naruto thing before it was cool:

And whatever thing they have against Sai, it’s common:

“Sakura is so selfish!!! She used Naruto!!! She doesn’t care about him!!!”

ya lol.

“But NaruSaku in the manga is so one-sided!!”

Yamato would disagree...

Annnnnnndddd the dorks are back!

Which is then followed by the reunion with Sasuke, after which we were given one of the most beautifully tragic panels in the manga:

Not only is this one of the best Naruto-Sakura moment, but for me, this is one of the most powerful panels in the entire manga. After all these years, they finally find Sasuke only to have their hearts broken again. They’re both in a state of grieving, and Sakura, with her back towards him, tells him to stay strong even though she’s hurting herself.

Gosh, I absolutely love this scene.

Another scene similar to the above moment, after Pain’s defeat:

Sakura trying to console Naruto when she’s worried herself. Awww

Then moving on to these fan-favourite panels:

a moment ruined by non other than our beloved Sai

And then, of course, after Pain destroys the entire village. Sakura sees her home being reduced to nothing. Konoha is lost. There seems to be no hope. Sakura, in that very moment of shock and despair, calls out one name:

That’s how much she believes and trusts in Naruto. And this is then followed by Naruto’s iconic entry jdhkshj

Now, we come to my favourite NaruSaku moment in the entire series...

The Hug. 

After one of the most important events in Naruto’s life, one of the most important people in his life thanks him for what he’s done (after giving him a piece of herself for his reckless of course :P). No words needed. Just a “thank you.”

(The people staring at them though. Relatable.)

Moving on to this, the purest representation of Naruto’s feelings for Sakura, observed by a third party (who happens to be none other than Sai, of course):

He loves her, but he can’t tell her because he feels that he has no right to do so. Because he couldn’t keep the promise he made to her all those years ago.

Which prompts our beloved Sai, to take this action:

Realisation hits Sakura, and she can do nothing but cry. Because Sai’s words make her believe that she herself is causing pain to Naruto because of the promise he made.

ouch

Which then brings us to the “bad” NaruSaku moment:

Having realised what she has caused, Sakura becomes desperate. She wants to save Naruto from burdening himself with saving Sasuke all alone. Everyone decides that Sasuke has to be dealt with once and for all and she does not want Naruto to bear this burden. In a desperate attempt, she “confesses” to Naruto, hoping to free him from the promise he made. She says she doesn’t want Sasuke back even though she knows that Naruto wants to save Sasuke regardless of anything. She’s willing to put aside her own happiness for Naruto.

And Naruto, being perceptive as he is and having known Sakura for so long, doesn’t buy any of it:

He knows that Sakura doesn’t love him. He can sense the lies in her words because he knows her a little too well.

Sakura, her desperation growing again, blurts out the true reason behind what she was doing and why she came all the way to talk to him: 

Sakura had nothing but good intentions in the end, while her lies may not necessarily be called justified. She was only seeing what she wanted to see. She couldn’t see what implications it would have on both her and Naruto. 

But it was all for him, and him only. So that he could stop hurting.

Not every relationship is perfect. Two people who happen to be close to each other don’t have to be on the same page. Misunderstandings occur, things happen. This was a significant hurdle for the relationship that they shared. 

Later, we get this iconic moment:

The intensity in Naruto’s eyes. The way he holds her. The way he glares at Sasuke.

Perfection.

Oh, and how can I forget about this one?

oh wait sorry that’s a red herring. Because of course the last words of the protagonist’s mother have to be a red herring. (Pardon the salt.)

And then we get Minato’s approval too:

a herring drenched in blood

Our dorks manage to squeeze through some more dorkiness in the midst of war:

How can you not love them

Speaking of NaruSaku moments in the war...

Naruto, the very person for whom the war was being fought for, dies in battle...And guess who’s there to save him, to bring him back to life...

Sakura fucking Haruno. The girl who, literally, held Naruto’s heart in her hand, and brought him back to life.

While performing the surgery, she had one thought in mind:

His dream. She couldn’t let him die because she believed in his dream and cared for it too much to have him die on her.

Again, one of the most intense moments in the manga. 

Of course, there are a lot more moments that I have missed out (like Heaven&Earth, Vs. Gaara, the lil moments in Part 1, etc.) but I’m confident I have made my point.

One of the biggest reasons for shipping NaruSaku is its development. Their story starts off with Naruto liking Sakura, but Sakura despising Naruto and treating him like garbage. But, as the story progresses, Sakura gets to see that Naruto is not just some brat spouting nonsense about some impossible dream he absolutely cannot achieve. 

The manga suffers from a major problem of ‘telling, not showing.’ But at least with NaruSaku, we have everything. 

Nothing has to be implied. It’s just there, on the manga pages. We see them grow together, we see them go through stuff together, we see them having common goals, we see them sharing each other’s grief. We see everything. We don’t just see some few big moments. We see a lot of smaller, yet significant moments as well. There are romantic-moments, there are not-so-romantic scenes, there are scenes that highlight the impact of their relationship on each other, there are scenes which make you cherish their friendship, there are certain parallels and hints to depict symbolism, a beautiful aspect of Kishimoto’s storytelling, and there is so much more that we ourselves can interpret with what we are shown. 

Of course, we don’t have our happy ending for these two, but with all that the manga has provided us with, we already have a beautiful foundation for our fanon. 

And that is what makes me ship NaruSaku.

Happy NaruSaku Event folks! I thoroughly enjoyed these past few days! Really loved interacting with all my shipmates. May we ship NaruSaku for life and beyond!

NaruSaku trash out.

[kuriquinn]

House Upon A Rock

Summary: She sort of considers herself the last resort, the one to pull him through; it never really occurs to her that she’s the one that could fall. [SasuSakuMonth2017 - Day 4 - Prompt: “Lean On Me”]

Disclaimer: This story utilizes characters, situations and premises that are copyright Masashi Kishimoto, Shueisha, Shonen Jump and Viz Media. No infringement on their respective copyrights pertaining to episodes, novelizations, comics or short stories is intended by the author in any way, shape or form. This fan oriented story is written solely for the author’s own amusement and the entertainment of the readers. It is not for profit. Any resemblance to real organizations, institutions, products or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. All fiction, plot and Original Characters with the exception of those introduced in the books, manga, video games, novelizations and anime, are the sole creation of KuriQuinn and using them without permission is considered rude, in bad-taste and will reflect seriously on your credibility as a writer. An annoyed jonin will abandon you to the elements if you are found plagiarising.

Warning: Original Character (Manako Inuzuka) in one scene

Canon-Compliance: As close to canon as fanfiction can possibly be. With a few personal additions :P Takes place during Part I, genin-era.

Beta-Reader: My own two eyes and editing software, but I’m working on it!

一

The first time it happens is two weeks after Team 7’s mission in the Land of Waves.

A C-rank security detail (on a squash-farm of all things!) fast becomes a B-rank when the nearest competitor hires former mercenaries to sabotage their client. It’s an easy take-down, Sakura thinks at first, especially compared to what they faced with Zabuza Momochi and Haku. Between Kakashi and Sasuke, it’s the work of minutes to quash the saboteurs, and with Naruto’s blustery lecture about teamwork and respect, everything seems to go well.

But then Sasuke passes out.

Sakura only just makes it in time to keep his head from hitting the rock-littered terrain. “Sasuke!”

“What’s going on? What happened?” Naruto cries, looking around like he expects another attack.

Kakashi remains calm, however.

“It’s the strain of his Sharingan,” Kakashi explains. “While he gets used to it, Sasuke will experience certain side-effects. He’ll wake up soon.”

Under normal circumstances, they would stay the night or at least until Sasuke was awake and strong enough to walk again. But it turns out the mercenary captain has information on someone in Kakashi’s Bingo Book. He insists he’ll only speak to the Hokage, and so they have to get him to Konoha as soon as possible. With Kakashi’s hands full, Naruto is the next strongest on their team to act as his back-up; this leaves Sakura caring for the unconscious Sasuke.

Not that she minds—at first she even entertains herself with fantasies of nursing him back to health and him being forever grateful and asking her out as a reward.

But the two-hour trek back to Konoha erases any sense of romance she might imagine.

Sasuke is much heavier than Sakura, and after exerting himself against the mercenaries, he smells, too.

Not that I can talk, she thinks as she strains and sweats in desperation beneath the dead weight on her back. I’m going to need to shower for a week to get the smell of fertiliser off my skin!

But she doesn’t complain the entire way back home.

By the time Sasuke wakes up and pulls away from her, she’s too exhausted to even care if she looks sweaty and dishevelled in front of him. In fact, for the first time, she experiences a little more annoyance than hurt that he can’t even manage a proper thank you before slouching off. He shoves at Naruto when the other boy teases him for passing out.

Boys, she thinks in exasperation.

二

The next three days, Sakura’s entire body feels like one giant bruise. Every muscle and tendon throbs at her in reproach for having carried such a heavy load for so long. Ino says she looks like a bunraku puppet hobbling around. Sakura doesn’t even have the energy to retort ( “At least my face doesn’t look like a kabuki monster!” ) before limping away to run her errands for the week.

And pick up more medicinal balm.

While restocking her supply of explosive tags at the village surplus store, Manako Inuzuka takes one look at her and snorts.

“Someone hasn’t been keeping up with their training,” she singsongs, as she undoes the wrapper on a chew of bubble gum and tosses it in her mouth.

“What would you know about it?” Sakura snaps, aching muscles contributing to an already bad mood.

How dare a drop-out like the Manako comment on her training? She has been working hard, ever since the Land of Waves.

Sakura’s worst nightmare is becoming caught unawares like that again, and just sitting by while everyone else is useful. She’s since been improving her genjutsu and ninjutsu abilities. She’s gotten excellent at Kawamiri and, okay, so she hasn’t had time to work on her taijutsu yet, but she is trying!

The Inuzuka woman considers her, unruffled. “Kid, I was in your exact situation when I was your age: I had a Sharingan and an idiot on my team, too. Guess who always ended up lugging those two home at the end of the day?”

Sakura’s irritation fades, and she stares up at the woman in awe.

That’s right. Manako was around when Sasuke’s family was still alive. She actually knew other Uchiha.

“So, what’d you do?” she asks.

“Besides mark up their faces and take pictures of it while they were unconscious?” the woman remarks, earning a scowl from Sakura. “I trained for it.”

“Trained for it?”

“Is there an echo in here? That’s what I just said. And what you need to work on. Unless you want to throw out your back before you even reach thirty, you need to exercise your body. You need to plan because nine missions out of ten, you’ll end up lugging an unconscious teenaged boy back to the village.” She studies Sakura again, sharp eyes roving over her in a critical manner that she doesn’t appreciate. Manako snaps her gum in her mouth. “Then again, you’re kind of tiny. Maybe it’s just not in you.”

Sakura splutters at this, too indignant to form a reply.

“Here,” Manako continues, sliding over a package of smoke bombs.

“I don’t need smoke bombs,” Sakura tells her tightly.

“They’re not for you,” Manako sneers back. “They’re for your Sharingan idiot. Give them to him when you see him next, it saves me a delivery.”

Sakura makes a face. “But don’t you make money delivering things?”

But Manako waves a dismissive hand and heads to the back of her shop, like she doesn’t hear her. Or as if the notion of making money isn’t important to her.

Sakura’s eye twitches.

How does she even still have a business? She is so weird.

三

Weird, but right, Sakura decides a week later when it inevitably happens again; at training, this time.

Sasuke pushes himself to keep his Sharingan active longer and longer, despite Kakashi’s warnings to keep it simple. Eventually he tries a genjutsu on Naruto, succeeding in knocking the other boy out—and then keels over backwards himself a half-second later.

Again, Sakura skids into his path to keep him upright, while Kakashi kneels beside Naruto.

“At some point you kids will listen to me, right?” he asks, though she gets the sense he’s talking more to himself than to them. “You’ll have pretty short lives if you don’t start soon.” He picks up Naruto and addresses Sakura. “I’m going to take him to see the Hokage. Sharingan genjutsu can be tricky to break people out of.”

“But you have a Sharingan. Can’t you just undo it yourself?”

The visible part of Kakashi’s face twitches in an expression she can’t decipher—either caution or approval. “No. There’s another matter to deal with, and it’s easier to wrangle him there if he’s unconscious. You’ll see to Sasuke, right?” He glances at his other student and his eye crinkles in a smile beneath his mask. “Or leave him there. It would serve him right for not listening.”

Before Sakura can rush to defend Sasuke’s honour, Kakashi and Naruto disappear in a puff of smoke.

“Right…no problem,” she sighs, not hiding her dismay as she glances down at her charge.

Unconscious, he seems so relaxed, a contrast to how burdened he always seems when awake. She hates that he has to push himself so hard that he knocks himself out. Being an Uchiha always seemed so cool, and with his Sharingan, it seems like one day there won’t be anything he won’t be able to do. But she’s realising that having the kekkei genkai might not be the boon everyone thinks it is.

Naruto pushes himself too, of course, but for Sasuke, his desperation to succeed sometimes seems like it’s boiling within his very blood.

I wish I could help him, she thinks sadly as she crawls down beside him and struggles to bring him to his feet. But even if I did…there’s not much I can do…

So far, it appears like the only thing she’s capable of is sitting there while her teammates throw themselves into dangerous situations. And hoping there are still pieces left to collect at the end of the day.

Manako’s words ring in her head.

“You need to plan because nine missions out of ten, you’ll end up lugging an unconscious teenaged boy back to the village.”

The knowledge that Sasuke might end up unconscious again on her watch—not might, but will, considering how determined he is to master the Sharingan!— makes her steel herself.  She has to support her teammates; if that’s all she can do, she’ll do it with the same determination and perfectionism she always gave to her school work.

四

Decision made, Sakura takes an analytical approach and considers their weaknesses—not just her teammates, but her instructor’s, too.

They are always pushing themselves to the limit, tiring themselves out. Sasuke trains himself to the point of unconsciousness, Kakashi has ended up confined to bed on at least one occasion and Naruto—well, he doesn’t have the best judgement. The idiot shoved a kunai through his hand for dramatic effect once; that alone suggests the kind of antics she’s in for in the future…

As for her weaknesses, she’s not as strong as the others. She doesn’t have Sasuke’s clan jutsu or Kakashi’s talent or Naruto’s indefatigable spirit. The only thing she has going for (she hopes) is a bit of common sense.

There’s no point to us succeeding at missions if they all just drop dead right afterward.

She isn’t sure quite where to start, and at first goes to her parents for help and suggestions. As usual, they are a little bemused, but supportive. Mama agrees to front her allowance for the next month so she can buy some exercise videos and weights. Papa helps her come up with a training regimen, offering helpful suggestions.

Time passes, and increasingly, without fail, Sakura ends up carrying Sasuke back home. Occasionally Naruto, as well, but he has a really weird tendency to throw off injuries like they’re nothing. Sasuke’s acclimation period seems to last longer, which he isn’t happy about.

He’s not too pleased about the carrying thing, either, judging from how fast he is at scrambling away from her and putting distance between them whenever he wakes. Even though Kakashi reminds him that a good shinobi knows when to accept help, he often gives her the cold shoulder for days afterward.

As if it’s my fault he keeps getting knocked out, she thinks angrily to herself.

Kakashi at least tries to make it easier on her, making Naruto carry him or doing it himself; but every third instance or so both boys get knocked out, and it’s up to their remaining squad members to care for them.

“Naruto’s probably lighter,” Kakashi points out the day of one such an instance, as Sakura is bent over the Uchiha boy’s unconscious form. “I can take Sasuke, if you want.”

“No, I can handle it,” Sakura says firmly. “I won’t get stronger if I always take the easy option.”

She thinks her sensei is smiling beneath his mask. “That’s true.”

He doesn’t discuss the matter again, even when she occasionally stumbles on their way back home. But he slows his stride so that she can catch up, hefting Sasuke’s heavy body against her back more securely.

Sasuke remains unconscious almost the whole way back to Konoha, but once they reach the gates, Sakura pauses and stays behind. She knows he doesn’t like to be seen having someone carry him, and if he wakes before they enter the village he can walk in himself. Kakashi, of course, has no interest in preserving anyone’s dignity, and marches through the gates with Naruto basically hanging off his back.

This time when Sasuke wakes, he seems angrier at himself for passing out than Sakura. She can’t help sympathising with him at that.

He puts so much pressure on himself…

“Don’t worry, Sasuke,” she tells him, offering him a comforting smile. “I’ll always be there to catch you, okay? So just keep working hard.”

He stares at her a long moment, looking uncharacteristically stunned, before his usual frown overtakes his features.

“You won’t need to,” he tells her. “I will not be weak like this forever.”

He turns to walk away.

“But Sasuke…” she begins, automatically reaching a comforting hand out before remembering herself and pulling back. “You’re already really strong.”

He pauses, tilting his head slightly as if to acknowledge her comment, but then mutters, “Perhaps by your standards.”

When he walks away this time, shoulders hunched, she doesn’t try to stop him. Instead, she sighs, and heads towards her own home.

He’s right.

She doesn’t know how to accurately judge someone’s strength, because she isn’t strong.

But I will be, she vows.

五

Sakura meets Chōji one day to ask for advice. He may be big, but she also knows from watching him train with Ino and Shikamaru that he is strong.

“Eat,” he tells her, over lunch at the Yakiniku Q (her treat, of course). “Food gives you energy, energy gives you strength. Protein’s always good—mmm!” He stuffs his face with beef from a skewer. “And never let anyone take the last helping of anything! They’re stealing your strength if they do!”

He tries to look fierce, but the effect is ruined by the beef juices running down his cheeks.

Sakura isn’t quite sure about the last bit. She thinks if she got in the way of Sasuke or Naruto’s fights for the last bit of rice she might lose a finger. But the advice is appreciated.

She eats more and stops trying the diets in her fashion magazines. She had mostly stopped after Kakashi’s bell test, but she’s still been more conscious of people judging her eating habits than she should be. Now she goes to the library to find books on healthy eating and how to build muscle mass and which foods help.

She also tries to boost her endurance by going jogging, often with a giant knapsack filled with the heaviest books she can find. It’s nothing to Sasuke’s weight, but she decides if she can get used to that it will at least help.

And slowly, it does.

As time goes on, the fainting incidents happen less and less.

Or perhaps they happen just as often and she just stops noting it because lifting her teammates stops being an effort. Even when they both start to get taller and heavier, her body seems to get stronger alongside them.

But even better than that, Sasuke no longer seems to have an issue when he wakes up draped across Sakura’s back on the way back to village.

One evening, she even gets a gruff, “I’m fine now,” and a nod before he pulls away from her.

It’s not a traditional thank you, but she’s learning that when it comes to Sasuke, nothing ever is.

六

Then the Chunin Exam and the attack on Konoha happen.

The Forest of Death and the mark on Sasuke’s neck; his burning fever and Sakura’s very real fear that he might die.

For the first time in her life, the idea of her own death doesn’t frighten her—not compared to the thought of losing him. She thinks she could face that disgusting snake shinobi’s killing intent a million times if it means Sasuke lives.

It’s as if a switch inside her flips, and it’s not just about being there to support him after he gets hurt. She has to protect him from ever being hurt again.

And so she throws herself at the three Oto-nin even though the odds are against her. A month later she faces down the giant, monstrous sand demon that is Gaara, and does anything she can to give Sasuke enough time to get away. If she will die, she’ll do so proving to Sasuke and everyone else—and herself—that she’s the best damn support system anyone could ask for.

But everyone lives, and suddenly there’s an unspoken acknowledgement of her ability to keep pace with them. Sasuke stops leaping in front of her to take attacks meant for her. She longer gets reminders from Kakashi to be careful during missions, and Naruto learns to be wary of her fists during sparring sessions. No one says anything, but their dynamic changes.

Not necessarily for the better, she soon learns.

The encounter with Gaara and the One-Tail haunts her nightmares, but not for the terror of that day. Something happened while she was unconscious, something that caused more tension between Sasuke and Naruto.

Something she might have been able to stop, if only she hadn’t been so damned weak and passed out.

Never again, she vows.

七

It’s a few days after Lord Third’s funeral.

Despite the tragedy, the village still has to continue assigning missions, but until a new Hokage is named, the jōnin level ninja are delegating the tasks amongst themselves. This leaves Kakashi too busy to go with them on any high-ranking missions, and so Team 7 is left to deal with the routine, mundane tasks.

Of course, their team is always a magnet for trouble. What starts off as a courier job in some civilian village three hours away becomes a race against time to stop a greedy mayor from demolishing a school. Greedy mayors are never without their bodyguards, and the team quickly becomes embroiled in an all-out fight to stop the school from being destroyed.

At the end of the day, the three of them are satisfied with their work, if a little exhausted and chakra-depleted. Naruto is fine, of course, and Sasuke is pretending that he isn’t utterly exhausted so that he can keep up with Naruto. And Sakura…

Has twisted her ankle rather painfully, but she has no intention of having her teammates making a fuss over her.

Once, she might have, but she has a reputation to maintain (even if it’s not as glamourous as her teammates’). If anyone hears about the pink-haired kunoichi from Konoha having to be carried home, it might make people question her abilities again.

Sometimes being a girl and a shinobi is a pain in the ass.

She keeps her mouth shut while they relay their successful mission to the faceless jōnin in charge of missions. When Naruto excitedly suggests grabbing dinner at Ichiraku’s, she declines with a little white lie about her parents expecting her. Both Naruto and Sasuke go blank-faced at that, and Sakura feels stupid. She’s always careful not to talk about her parents near her teammates, considering they’re both orphans. The pain is obscuring her thought process.

Sasuke doesn’t even bother with a farewell, heading toward the Uchiha district. A moment later Naruto mentions in a falsely bright tone that he will see if Iruka-sensei is anywhere nearby.

“He sometimes buys me dinner if I don’t piss him off too much,” he confides in her, all smiles again. “See you tomorrow, Sakura!”

And he takes off at a run.

“Bye,” she replies, before turning in the opposite directions. Her ankle gives a sharp, throbbing pain that demands a detour to the hospital—even if that detour is out of her way.

Two streets later, however, she has to stop walking.

Try as she might to direct the last vestiges of her chakra to stave off the swelling and relieve the pain, she’s completely tapped out.

Just great, she harangues herself as she leans against a nearby wall. I should get an award for awesome judgement…shannaro…

The hospital is still several blocks away, and she doesn’t know any of the people milling around that she is comfortable asking for help. Konoha is a small village, but it doesn’t mean she’s on speaking terms with everyone in it.

Either she will have to hop all the way to the hospital and hope someone takes pity on her, or she must walk very slowly. Which could do more damage to her ankle than she’s already done.

Because this is so much less embarrassing than Naruto carrying me home, the voice in her head complains. Oh well…suck it up!

She gingerly takes a step forward, only to have her foot give out beneath her.

Sakura gasps, throwing her hands out to catch herself as she falls, bracing for an impact—

Which never comes.

Someone grabs the arms she thrust out and hauls her backward, steadying her. When she finally shakes her hair out of face, she stares up in surprise.

“Sasuke?” she asks, not entirely sure what she’s seeing is real.

What’s he doing here? We went in completely opposite directions!

“You’re hurt,” he replies, ignoring her explicit and implicit questions.

“It’s, uh, it’s nothing,” she tells him, a little uncertain at the look he’s giving her foot. He’s scowling as if he finds it personally insulting.

“How long have you been like this?” he demands.

For a moment, she flinches, a particularly horrible memory rising to the surface.

“Sakura…who…did that to you…?”

She swallows and waves it off. “It’s fine. Just a little swollen. Probably a little sprain is all—”

“Don’t lie,” Sasuke orders, taking a step closer. “If you’re hurt, you have to say so. What would have happened if you collapsed while we were on our way back? Or if we got attacked?”

“I-I–”

“Come on,” he sighs, and a bit of the tension eases from his shoulders. “You’re going to the hospital.”

“Well, yeah, that’s where I was head—ehh?!”

To her utter shock, he loops her left arm around his shoulder and neck, and then wraps his right around her back and waist.

“Put your weight on me, not on your foot,” he orders her.

Sakura smiles, a little teary eyed but not from the pain.

“And you’d better not make a big deal out of this,” he mutters.

“I won’t,” she promises shyly, because moments like this, when Sasuke shows her any modicum of tenderness, are jealously guarded close to her heart. She never even tells Ino about them.

They walk together in silence for a while.

The sensation of his arm along her back is protective, and she can’t help but feel totally and utterly safe. Being so close to him fills her with warmth, and yet she can’t suppress the shiver that runs up her spine.

“Don’t tell me your catching a cold now, too,” he complains.

“N-no, nothing like that,” she assures him.

“Good. Because if you get sick on me, it’s just me and Naruto, and I can’t promise I won’t kill him when he’s being an idiot.”

She chuckles lightly at that, but there’s an edge there; lately Sasuke’s sparring sessions with Naruto have been getting more vicious. She doesn’t like the idea of them fighting anymore, even as a joke. It seems too much like tempting fate.

“Um…Sasuke?”

“Hm.”

“Are you training with Kakashi-sensei tomorrow?”

“Maybe.”

“Oh.”

There’s a pause and she expects it to be the end of the conversation, but to her surprise he asks, “Why?”

She smiles.

“I was just hoping…if you’re not…too busy…would you spar with me?”

As close as they are to one another, bodies pressed closed, she senses him startle. She thinks she’s startled him, anyhow, considering she’s never before asked him that. To be fair, she’s never felt entirely confident asking him that.

“I know you only ever fight Naruto because you guys are on the same level,” she adds quickly, “but I want to improve too. So that means I have to train against people who are stronger. And you…you’re so strong, Sasuke, and I want to be, too.”

Sasuke is quiet for a long time and she believes he’s ignored the question. Disappointment floods her until he sighs.

“I’ll consider it,” he tells her gruffly, and her spirits instantly lift. “Ask me again when your foot is healed.”

She beams at him thankfully. “Okay.”

Sasuke mutters something under his breath—it sounds like he’s called her annoying again—and avoids looking at her the rest of the journey.

八

Of course, it never happens.

The next day, Sasuke tracks down his brother Itachi and lands himself in the hospital for several weeks. And upon waking, he is so consumed with rage and resentment that there are no more training sessions. Their team is splintering, and to Sakura’s grief and horror, the final nail shatters the day Sasuke abandons Konoha.

In the months and years that follow, Sakura worries endlessly about him.

She wonders if he has anyone to support him the way she and Naruto did, of if there’s anyone around to genuinely care when he pushes himself too far. These days she has Tsunade, and she knows that while he’s on his travels Naruto has Jiraiya. But for Sasuke…

Sakura doesn’t imagine Orochimaru to be the type that helps someone who stumbles or get hurt.

She hopes that wherever he is, Sasuke finds someone to care about him and take care of him when he’s too focussed or stubborn to do it himself. Sakura doesn’t care who that is, just as long as someone is there for him to support him or carry him back home the way she did.

Even if it’s not truly his home.

Sakura doesn’t really understand his exact reasoning for leaving, but somewhere in his motivations is the need to get stronger. And if he intends to do that, she will do the same.

One day, she and Naruto will get Sasuke back, and she’ll show him he shouldn’t have left. That if he had stayed, they could have all grown stronger together, and supported each other instead of having to carve out lonely new paths.

And she doesn’t care how dark or twisted his path becomes, she will still be willing to let him lean on her if it means bringing him home.

終わり

Comments and constructive criticism are always welcome, but if you feel like keeping me caffeinated out of the goodness of your heart, it certainly would be appreciated! I’m also starting to post original works to my patreon.

I’m only able to keep writing as I do thanks to the support of readers like you, so every bit helps!

栗

[suchacrazyotaku]

Gaara’s dream

Hey guys! Recently in college I had to present a project about Freud’s Representation of Dreams and me and my friends decided that our theme would be about the Infinite Tsukuyomi, the technic that Madara casts to put everyone in an eternal dream (or was supposed to be eternal), in Naruto Shippuden. Now, I know most people don’t really know who Freud was, but, basically, he was a smart guy (psychoanalyst) that kept analyzing his patients dreams and always ended up getting to the bottom of some crazy shit (their true desires really) that their mind decided to keep bottled up so they supposedly don’t suffer even more with their already fuked up life. So, you must be asking _ok, so what?. _The thing is, I had a lot of fun thinking about the characters’ dreams in the anime and finding a link between them and the things Freud said. And the one dream that really got my attention was Gaara’s. I’ll tell a little bit about it if you feel interested enough to continue :) (And I’m not some expert or anything, this is entertainment only, I probably am just talking shit here, ok? ok then)

First:

The dream begins with all his family gathered in his living room. His parents are alive and happy. They actually care and love him and we see how Gaara is happy that they are asking about his day at the academy, how he is important enough that even some trivial thing that happened during his day has everyone’s attention in the room (except Kankurou, he couldn’t give less fuck). You see, Freud talks about something called regression that means attributing a childhood memory into your dream, and a believe that, in these scene, Gaara’s mind is actually attributing a memory he had in real life about his uncle (at the time he was the only one who seemed to care abou the kid) asking about some trivial thing about his day, to his hole family in the dream. It could also means that his mind is transferring the affection of the memory of his uncle to every member of his family, even his father.

Second:

This is actually why I wanted to share all of this with you because it’s the most relevant thing in the dream: Naruto fucking Uzumaki. When he appears Gaara is so thrilled to see who we can assume is his best friend that we can see his face light up.

Then they go play outside and guess what? They are not in Sunagakure as we may thing when seeing them inside Gaara’s house. It’s a green field that, a don’t know about you, but to me it really seems like the place where happened their battle during the episodes of the chunin exam

And I mean, isn’t this the place where Gaara’s world turned upside down (again?) because of some stupid and stubborn blond kid, who showed him that life is not only about the suffering we go through but also about the bond we share with the ones we care and love? To Gaara I believe this place simbolizes the time when his concept of living was completely shattered and a new light began to guide him through his action; and the world happiness began to have a meaning again. And all of this was possible because of Naruto right? So in the dream they are happily paling in the field and being best friends and loving each other, yay! Naruto is a huge part of the dream and, according to the concept of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, Gaara is living his ideal life, meaning that, to him, a happy life would only be complete if Naruto was there by his side. We could say he relates happiness with Naruto (not only, but you get it). And it’s understandable, because if Naruto hadn't appeared in his life he probably would still be that hateful and bloodthirsty person.

Soooo, in conclusion, to Freud, dream’s are manifestations of our desires, therefore Gaara’s desire is being a happy person, just like Naruto showed him he could be, AND STAY BY NARUTO’S SIDE ALWAYS AND FOREVER. HE WANTS TO BE WITH NARUTO SO BAD, MY PEOPLE, THIS DREAM PROVES IT! People should talk more about this. It looks like a one-sided love (I mean, come on, Naruto and Sasuke, pl), it’s sad, BUT IT’S ACCURATE, PEOPLE. Kishimoto kept dropping clues during the entire anime that he has some gay characters BUT HE JUST DOES NOT FUKING ADMIT IT! I mean, a lot of the male characters have chemistry and a history more meaningful between them then some of the female characters and that pisses me off sometimes. You should be with someone who really loves you right? People of this earth let’s hear what our hearts truly want, pretty please!

But anyway, I think the reason I wrote all of this is just because I saw how amazing it is to actually sit and analise some show that you always saw without putting any meaning behind it, when actually it has some really cool shit to think about. I’m sorry if it didn’t really made sense or didn’t seem interesting enough to you. If it did, however, I would be really happy and a want you to feel hugged. Thanks for getting this far and, to you, I leave the true conclusion of this text:

GAARA WANTS TO BANG NARUTO!

The End

[reilink]

Naruto Tag Game

I was tagged by soaring-blossoms. Go check out this blog when you have the time. I tag everyone who sees this. Favorite

Female Character(s): Hinata Uzumaki

Male Character(s): Boruto Uzumaki 

Sensei: Might Guy

Hokage: Tobirama (He made Konoha great again)

Kage: Gaara

Village: Konoha

Akatsuki: Deidara

Jutsu: Rasengan

Chapters: The Day Naruto became hokage (HimaGOAT)

Fight Scene: Deidara Vs Sasuke, Pain Vs Naruto, Hinata vs Neji

Story Arc: Pain Arc (This should have been the final arc to Naruto)

Filler: Young Kakashi Arc

What is your…

OTP (explain why): NaruHina because it’s the only ship in the manga that feels remotely real besides ShikaTema. No destiny and forced drama bs. NOTP (be nice): Every ship that has Sasuke’s name on it. It used to be NaruSaku but who really gives a shit about this ship now except some angry women that self insert themselves into Sakura. BROTP: Naruto and Shikamaru OT3: NaruHinaGaara Crossover Ship: I don’t get the meaning of crossover ships.

Do you have any headcanons:  Boruto has a Youtube Gaming Channel with his friend Inojin. The Channel is called “BlondeNinjaBros”.

Are you happy with the ending? What would you have done differently?: It’s okay. Everyone with a brain should have seen this ending coming from a mile away. There are no surprises and that’s okay with me. But If we’re going to include Gaiden in this, then no. Fuck the ending. I’d rather drink Bleach than having to read Naruto Gaiden again. It’s like Kishi wanted to insult his readers by shitting into my eyes and brain with this piece of garbage story. How do you feel about the new generation?  Cool characters but most of the kids like Shikadai, Chou Chou and Gaara’s son aren’t as interesting as their parents.

Say something about your favorite character. Good and bad: While I love Boruto for his relatibility and grumpiness, I hate how his arc ended with him wanting to become a person like Sasuke. It doesn’t make any sense. Boruto hated the hokage title because his father occasionally couldn’t be there for his family, so why would he want to become like someone who never gave a shit actually visiting his own wife and daughter? I don’t understand. What would a child between your OTP look like?: Like Boruto and Himawari but with the byakugan. I also wouldn’t mind seeing a third child that is a boy with Hinata’s hair. Say something genuinely nice about your NoTP: Most of my Notps didn’t become canon so that’s nice. 

Say something negative about your OTP:  Kishimoto should have given more panel time to NaruHina.

Is there anyway you could be convinced to ship your NoTP?: Kill me. What would make you change your mind about the pairing? Sorry but I don’t support neglection and abuse. What makes you mad about the series? Everything Uchiha related. Uchihas are the cancer of the Naruto manga. If you could see anything happen in the series, what would it be? Show me Boruto and Himawari with the Byakugan going against an enemy. What would you say to Kishimoto if given the chance?   You’re a great guy but sometimes you have no idea what you’re doing and never let your editors make decisions for you again. It only limits you. Thanks for making NaruHina canon.

[behindheremeraldeyes]

Naruto Challenge!

I was tagged by @team7fangirl !! Thank you very much! I love doing this things!!

Name your Favorite

Female Character(s): Sakura, Sarada, Temari, Ino, Kushina, Tsunade and Mei!

Male Character(s): Sasuke, Naruto, Kakashi Hatake, Sasori, Itachi and Minato

Team: 7

Sensei: Kakashi 

Hokage: Minato

Kage: Gaara

Village: Konoha 

Akatsuki: Itachi and Sasori

Jutsu: Medical ninjutsu, Susanoo, Fireball Jutsu, Chidori, Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, Rassengan and creation Rebirth. 

Episode/Chapters: Ones that revolved around Team 7, Sakura, Sasuke. Sasuke leaving the village is probably my most favorite episode.

Fight Scene: Team 7 vs Haku and Zabuza, Naruto vs Sasuke (all the times), Sakura vs Ino, Naruto vs Neji, Sakura and Chiyo vs Sasori, Sasuke vs Itachi, Itachi and Sasuke vs Kabuto, Team 7 and Obito vs Kaguya, Madara vs 5 Kage, Naruto and Tsunade vs Kabuto

Fanfiction: @xxlovendreamsxx knows I'm crazy about her work, and also @roraewrites 's ones are simply perfect! I read a lot, so I'll keep it short to these two incredible writers!

Story Arc: War Arc

Filler: When Sakura was learning medical ninjutsu, Jiraya's story (Tsunade's dream), Yota's one...

OTP (explain why): SasuSaku - these two will be the death of me! I feel like her love for him can be interpreted in so many deep and beautiful ways, and the way she's willing to sacrifice everything just shows me how much this feeling was important for Sakura to mature. Her love was important to give him back his sanity when he returned, and it was important for him to remember how it felt to be surrounded by people who care about him, I truly believe he has always loved her and when it was all over, she was the only one he wanted and needed by his side. It's just too beautiful!

NOTP (be nice): SasuKarin - I don't like Karin at all. She's one of the most annoying character, in my opinion, and her obsession with Sasuke blinded her. People claim she saved him, but she never really tried to take him out of the darkness.

Crackship(s): Kakashix Shisui, Sakura x Sasori.

BROTP: SasuNaru, NaruSaku, SakuIno and NejiLee.

OT3: SasuNaruSaku

Crossover Ship: Hmm… That's hard... Maybe Niki x Livi?

Do you have any headcanons: One night, Sarada follows Sasuke around the house and finds him removing his contacts from his eyes XD (jus kidding... but it would be really funny.)

Are you happy with the ending? What would you have done differently? Yep! I loved the way things turned out for almost everyone, especially Sasuke and Sakura! They've built something indestructible and I really love thinking about that! I would definitely change the fact that Sasuke spent years away from home. That and the fact that they all had kids too early.

How do you feel about the new generation? The new gen is really cool! seeing Sarada smirking like that melted my heart and I just love that girl with all my heart! I also like Boruto and the others. Shikadai is a sweetie, too, and so is Inojin! I'm just not sure about this new upcoming anime... I don't like the fact that it will create background for what Ikemoto's story will become in the future.

Say something about your favorite character. Good and bad. My baby is simply a queen XD Sakura grown so much and I'm really proud of her! Maybe the only thing bad about her is.... not hitting Sasuke every now and then!! XD

What would a child between your OTP look like? How would they behave as parents? Strada is simply perfect! I couldn't have pictured anyone better than her to to exemplify both of her parents' characteristics! I think both Sasuke and Sakura are quite protective over her. Sakura probably did her best not to let her feel lonely while Sauske was out, and I'm sure he missed his girls like hell! 

Say something genuinely nice about your NoTP. Well... Karin helped SasuSaku so... Points?

Say something negative about your OTP. Sasuke can be quite the jerk sometimes, and I feel like Sakura could show him how to live without his Uchiha ass around.

Is there anyway you could be convinced to ship your NoTP? What would make you change your mind about the pairing? nope.

What makes you mad about the series? SP's stupid Sakura bashing.

If you could see anything happen in the series, what would it be? Pregnant Sakura!!! And SasuSaku Kiss!!!

What would you say to Kishimoto if given the chance? I would ask him to draw me a SasuSaku kiss. And I would also ask about his opinion regarding what SP does to his work.

WOW! That was certainly a hard one! It was really enjoyable, though XD

Now, I'll be tagging:

@roraewrites @its-naruto-universe @cornelia1992 @xenaphobiia @bridja02 @kuriquinn @finval @j-x-a And pretty much whoever wants to participate!