#sasuke to a little dog: sensei (respectful)

[im-still-watching-anime]

kakashi: who’s your favorite team leader?

naruto: pakkun

sakura: pakkun

sai: pakkun

sasuke: also pakkun

kakashi, through tears: you’re SO right. those are my kids. MY KIDS.

[anyon-else]

Bite the Hand That Feeds Me (Bite the Hand That Needs Me) (The Red Room pt.15) | You and Kakashi are confronted with familiar demons. (Marvel AU) – spotify playlist | read on ao3

Pairings | Kakashi Hatake x Black Widow!Reader + Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha, Naturo Uzumaki, Ino Yamanaka, Danzo Shimura, Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yūhi, Genma Shiranui, Orochimaru, and one (1) mysterious man

Warnings | ANGST, hurt/comfort, this one's pretty heavy ngl, gun violence, blood, torture (kind of? like a little but not really), dissociation, suicidal ideation (I PROMISE IT'S NOT AS BAD AS IT SOUNDS)

Word count | 10k (yeesh)

(previous chapter) | (next chapter - coming soon) | (series masterlist)

"I am a dead woman, and I don't care."

Katherine Mansfield, from Journal of Katherine Mansfield

Kakashi came to in a room that he had only been in once before.

It had been decades since he'd last seen these concrete walls. The two-way mirror in front of him was an unwelcome sight that left him with nothing to do but watch his reflection watch him back. He wondered who was doing the same on the other side.

Handcuffs kept him locked to the table, though he took note of the lack of restraints on his ankles. Standard procedure aside, most of the suspects who ended up in this room were violent enough that extra precautions were oftentimes necessary.

Not that he planned to follow their example.

They could have left him anywhere else. Any other room would've been better than this—hell, he would've taken a doghouse if it had been an option.

The last time he was here, he was being questioned for murder.

He looked up at the creak of the metal door—the decades-old hinges still sounded the same as they had when he was twelve, and it was as unwelcome as it was familiar.

His hope for any semblance of understanding from his interrogator was lost when Danzo Shimura stepped through the door. With his lips turned down in an irritated frown, Danzo looked like his usual, unenthused self. He and Kakashi watched one another for a very long moment, trapped in a silent stalemate that felt uncomfortably familiar.

What wasn't familiar was the air of dangerous satisfaction Kakashi could sense from the older man.

Danzo took a seat in the chair opposite to Kakashi's, blocking his view of his reflection. With little decorum and far more force than was necessary, he tossed something noisily onto the table between them. It slid across the hard metal and came to a stop in front of Kakashi.

Kakashi instinctively reached towards it the moment it came within arms reach. His handcuffs jerked noisily, and he scowled at them, then at the satisfied look on Danzo's face.

"I take it you know who this is," Danzo said, pointing towards where you stood in the framed picture. It was the one of you and Sakura that he kept in his room, and its only purpose had been to bring him some semblance of comfort in your absence. Kakashi closed his eyes, trying not to linger on his stupidity for having something so damning out in the open.

Still, he never thought that SHIELD would go so far as to kidnap him and his...

"Where," he began darkly, noting the slight downward twitch of Danzo's smirk when he heard the dangerous note in Kakashi's tone, "are my students?"

"Things will go a lot smoother if you just answer my questions."

Sasuke was angry. No, he was livid.

He had never really put much faith in SHIELD as an organization. After HYDRA had been exposed from within their ranks, the small seed of trust that he'd tried to cultivate in his early days as a trainee was ripped from the ground. He only trusted Kakashi-Sensei because he could tell that his mentor wasn't just another one of SHIELD's loyal dogs. He was his own man with his own sense of purpose and justice.

He had always held that same respect for Asuma, but now he was beginning to rethink his initial assessment

"Sasuke," Asuma sighed above him, "I know you're confused, but–"

"Confused?" Sasuke spit back incredulously, finally looking up and meeting Asuma's eyes. The man was thin-lipped, waiting expectantly for Sasuke's words.

If Sasuke had any say in the matter, Asuma would never get the answers he wanted.

"I'm not talking to anyone except Kakashi-Sensei," he finally grumbled, turning his head from Asuma with a finality that made the agent sigh.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised," Asuma shook his head, slumping into a chair near the door and running a hand over his face, "look, I'm not your enemy, Sasuke. I just want to understand what's going on."

More silence.

"You asked Shikamaru for help with something," he pushed, pulling a small grimace from Sasuke, "and if it had something to do with the HYDRA agent–"

"Don't call her that," Sasuke snapped.

"What should I call her, then?"

Sasuke sneered in lieu of an answer. Asuma sighed again.

The conversation was interrupted by a groan on Sasuke's left. Both glanced towards where Naruto was lying on his side, the last of the three to regain consciousness. He shifted away from the lights, lifting an arm to shield his eyes from the harsh fluorescents.

"Sasuke?" he grumbled, peeking over his arm at his friend. Sasuke glared at him, an unspoken order of silence. "Where are we?"

"SHIELD headquarters," a third voice snapped from the corner of the room. Asuma glanced at Sakura warily, "we were kidnapped by our own people."

Sasuke couldn't help but be unsettled by the rage in Sakura's voice. It reminded him how cruel HYDRA had been to her. It had shaped her into a person that, at times, felt completely foreign to him. When she was consumed by this kind of anger, she felt unreachable. Untouchable. Like anything she came into contact with would burn to ash.

It was as if the room itself held its breath when she spoke. Sasuke saw the way Asuma halted at her biting words, and he wondered fleetingly if his suspicion of HYDRA extended to Sakura. After all, she was no longer the girl he had helped train in her adolescence. Now she had the training of HYDRA's most lethal weapons.

"Sakura–"

"How did you find out?"

Sakura turned, looking at Asuma over her shoulder with a gaze that almost made Sasuke shiver. He swallowed against his drying throat.

"I can't tell you that," Asuma sighed, looking genuinely apologetic for the situation he was putting the three in. Naruto narrowed his eyes, putting the pieces of the situation together and giving Sakura a hopeless glance. Sasuke saw his desire to go to her and offer some form of comfort, but stopped him with a firm shake of his head. Sakura had turned back towards the wall, completely closed off from even Sasuke and Naruto. They couldn't see her expression, but they saw the slight tremble in her shoulders.

"Is Shikamaru alright?" Naruto asked after a pause.

"He's fine."

"What about Kakashi-Sensei?"

"He's being questioned," Asuma said, trying to keep any emotions from bleeding into the words.

Sasuke knew that this couldn't have been easy for Asuma—despite the orders he'd been given, and despite Sasuke's own anger, it was clear that Asuma believed in Kakashi's loyalty.

But he did not have the power to decide what happened to you or Kakashi. That was up to the Director.

Although, in the Director's temporary absence, he supposed those decisions would fall to Danzo. The thought concerned him as much as it infuriated him.

"Can we at least talk to him?"

"Not yet," Asuma sighed, "we need to get a grasp on the situation. And things would go a lot smoother if the parties involved were a bit more cooperative."

He looked at Sasuke pointedly, knowing that any glances in Sakura's directional would go unobserved. The boy scoffed, arms crossed almost petulantly over his chest as he turned his head away from Asuma's gaze. Naruto looked between his two friends, then at Asuma.

"Naruto," Asuma softened his tone, kneeling in front of the boy with only a hint of guilt in his expression for exploiting Naruto's mixed emotions. Clearly the weakest emotional link of the trio, he was the most likely source of any useful information, "this is a complicated situation, but the last thing I want is for anyone to get hurt. Things would go a lot smoother if you tell me what's going on. Maybe then I can help Kakashi."

Naruto looked skeptical. He glanced at Sakura, who still had her head turned away from them, then at Sasuke, who glared at him. Their determined silence sent a clear message, but Sasuke knew that Asuma saw how uneasy Naruto felt at the idea of leaving Kakashi to his own defenses.

"You have to try to save her, too," Naruto said after a long silence.

"Naruto," Sakura hissed, turning towards him incredulously at the same time that Sasuke slapped a hand over Naruto's mouth. He shook it away and glared at Sasuke, who met his gaze with the same determined ferocity.

"This might be our best option," Naruto hissed, "Kakashi-Sensei trusts him. We've known him our whole lives–"

"It doesn't matter," Sakura snapped from her place in the corner of the room, "once you've been stained by HYDRA's name, there's no undoing it. That's all you are, and nothing can change the way they look at you. It doesn't matter how you got in or why you stayed—it just matters that you did their dirty work."

"Sakura, that's not fair..." Asuma started, but the furious glare she shot in his direction silenced him.

"Fair?" she laughed. Suddenly, it was like Sasuke got a glimpse into the person who had spent four years in HYDRA's clutches, surviving off of nothing but rage and a fierce determination to survive. "No, you're right. There's nothing fair about this. She and I were in that hell together. We both killed for them. We escaped together. You're so worried about her, but there's another person just like her standing right in front of you!"

Silence followed the outburst. Asuma held Sakura's gaze, unwilling—or maybe unable—to look away.

"She was born there," Asuma said slowly, looking guilty even before the words began leaving his lips. Sasuke tensed in anticipation of his next words, glancing cautiously in Sakura's direction. Her calm expression was masking the rage that was clear in her tense form. Her fingers twitched as if they itched to wrap around Asuma's throat. Despite his own anger, he leaned forward in the event that he'd have to put himself in between the two. Asuma was strong, but Sakura was an unstoppable force now that she had the training to give weight to her rage.

"I'm not blaming her for what she's gone through," he continued cautiously. Sasuke knew he noticed the way Sakura's calm facade was beginning to split into a boundless anger he had only seen a handful of times. He wanted to beg Asuma to shut his mouth, but a part of him wanted to let Sakura do as she pleased.

Maybe she could get them out of this room. Maybe they'd find you before you were taken somewhere they could not follow.

They needed to get you back.

"But she has been a HYDRA agent her whole life," Asuma continued, pulling Sasuke from his thoughts, "she is unpredictable. And if she hurts someone, then she becomes a liability."

Sasuke glanced at Naruto, thinking back to your return. Had anyone at SHIELD known how close you'd been to shooting Naruto, no explanation of mind-control or Orochimaru's cruelty would have convinced them that you were not the enemy.

"You know nothing," Sasuke finally muttered, both to tell Asuma what they were all thinking and to stop Sakura from saying something that would only make their situation worse. "And locking her away like she's a common prisoner is nothing short of cruel–"

The door clicked open, cutting Sasuke off before he himself could lose control of his spiraling emotions. Asuma stood from where he was blocking the entrance and pulled his chair from the door's path.

"Director," Asuma gaped, "we didn't expect you back until tomorrow."

"I heard that Kakashi and his students had been brought in as suspects."

Her voice floated into the room like a clear, refreshing spring. Then she entered, looking like an angel descending to save them. Surely she would have enough common sense to fix this without letting anyone—namely you and Ino—get hurt.

"Yes ma'am. Agent Hatake is being questioned."

The Director sighed as Asuma stepped away from the entrance.

Director Tsunade Senju was Sakura's hero. Alongside Kakashi, she'd helped shape Sakura into the person she was today. Before she was taken, Tsunade regularly coached her in field medicine, requesting her help on small missions to give her as much experience as possible.

She was kind. Sasuke knew that, despite her cold exterior, she'd understand that you were a victim of Orochimaru's cruelty as much as Sakura had been.

She fixed them with a long look, both to ease their worries and warn them to stay put.

I'll fix this, it seemed to say, just be patient.

Patience was not in abundance between the three of them, but after one last longing look in Tsunade's direction, Sakura sat in between Sasuke and Naruto, and they waited.

"If you don't talk, you won't get to see your students."

Kakashi thought his jaw was going to break. He'd been clenching his teeth together for the entirety of this interrogation, and he could feel his cheeks starting to ache from the tension. Having a conversation like this would've been infuriating with anyone, but he was quickly losing patience with Danzo's condescension.

Perhaps to the detriment of any argument he could hope to make to the Director once she returned, he stayed silent.

"Hatake," Danzo sighed, tapping his fingers against the glass picture frame between them. Kakashi glared at the smudges he was leaving in lieu of looking at the infuriating expression on his face, "this isn't going to just go away like Rin did."

Danzo went quiet as the words sunk under Kakashi's skin. He felt cold—like he'd been dunked into a pool of ice water. The room suddenly felt suffocating. Danzo knew what this room meant to him. He had probably demanded that it be used for this interrogation.

"Don't talk about Rin," he said lowly, feeling the full weight of Danzo's words as the man sneered.

"You have no right to speak disrespectfully to me. You're lucky you're here and not a cell. If it were up to me, I would've–"

The grating creak of the door interrupted Danzo's threat, and both he and Kakashi paused as Genma stepped into the room. He looked bored—like this was just another interrogation—but when he met Kakashi's eyes, Kakashi saw the suspicion that he was trying to mask.

"Agent Shimura," Genma droned, "you're needed outside."

Jaw tense, Danzo hesitated for a split second before rising to his feet.

Kakashi tried to be subtle as he tested the reach of his cuffs, but they caught just shy of the edge of the frame. He sat in dejected silence as the door creaked shut.

While being in this room with Danzo was more than unpleasant, being in it alone was somehow worse. It reminded him too much of a time he thought he'd put behind him, but being back here made him feel like a child again. When he looked back at his reflection in front of him again, it was as if his face had become younger. Those youthful features were twisted with grief and anxiety. He had just been a child back then, unable to face the reality of his actions.

But he refused to let Danzo use his failure to save Rin against him. Not when all he wanted was to keep you away from HYDRA. Despite his initially selfish intention to just save Sakura and let you go, he knew that he had done the right thing in offering you a place with him and his students.

Convincing SHIELD of that was going to be more difficult.

The door didn't move again until what must've been at least an hour, and the creak of the hinges was sounding more and more like nails on a chalkboard each time it opened. He glanced towards the silhouetted figure standing in the entryway and felt relief for the first time since he regained consciousness.

Tsunade was standing in the doorway like an angel come to save him. Even the light that surrounded her shone like a glowing halo. Kakashi felt his unease begin to melt away, replaced by utter exhaustion.

Tsunade stepped further into the room, and the door shut firmly behind her. He could almost feel Danzo's eyes on him on the other side of the glass.

"I'm taking over your interrogation," she began, sliding into Danzo's chair and pushing the frame to the edge of the table with barely a glance in its direction, "Danzo has an uncharacteristically colorful vocabulary when it comes to you."

Kakashi stayed silent, treading these waters very carefully. When he was a child, he'd been volatile and reactive. It had been easy to rile him up and get him to let information slip in his anger.

It was a pattern of behavior that he had long since grown out of and had no plans of repeating.

"Well, I'm sure you've been given very little information, so I'll make this easier for you," Tsunade began, folding her hands over a stack of papers that Kakashi assumed contained Danzo's case against him. It was thicker than he would've liked, "Danzo received a tip that you were harboring two HYDRA agents and decided to release a toxin in the compound rather than risk a confrontation with potentially hostile targets."

Kakashi blinked. He wondered if Tsunade also saw the absurdity in Danzo's tactics, but her expression told him nothing. She was as stone-faced as ever, and Kakashi began to fear that he'd lost her trust in all of this too.

"The HYDRA agents," he began, "are from the Red Room."

Tsunade froze. The words were as familiar to her as they had become to Kakashi—everyone in SHIELD knew who had taken Sakura. The problem with finding her hadn't been their identity, but their location. Orochimaru's strength was in his ability to hide the Red Room from SHIELD's watchful eye. It's main base changed locations frequently enough that finding Sakura had taken years.

"They're not with HYDRA anymore," he told her carefully, lowering his voice and leaning in close enough that his words wouldn't be overheard by anyone on the other side of the glass, "they both knew Sakura while she was there. They protected her from Orochimaru. I...I don't know if she'd even be alive if it hadn't been for them."

Tsunade considered this, albeit briefly. Kakashi knew how complex the situation was—realistically, Tsunade couldn't let any personal feelings interfere in her decisions. Despite Danzo's less-than-ideal method of bringing you in, he was technically within the bounds of SHIELD's protocol.

Kakashi was the one who had complicated things. He could see that Tsunade was not just angry with him, but hurt by his lack of trust in her.

"I would've told you when I brought her in," Kakashi said lowly, "but she was an important part of making sure Sakura was safe. I couldn't risk her being taken. She was too valuable to let go."

"Sakura has been cleared for nearly a year now," Tsunade snapped, though she kept her voice at his volume. Her eyes were knowing, and he wondered just how desperate he looked to her, "you should've told me."

You would've taken her, Kakashi wanted to say, and I couldn't risk that.

"Have you seen her?" Kakashi asked instead. He knew where his priorities should've been—Tsunade was expecting answers, but he had to know where you were. Once he knew you were safe, he would give her everything she needed to know. Everything that would convince her that you weren't a threat.

Tsunade blinked at him. His stomach knotted.

"She's not here, Kakashi."

Your instincts as were sharp as knives.

They'd had no choice but to become so. Anyone who got too close didn't walk away unnoticed or unscathed. It was one of the fundamental teachings from the Red Room: surveillance of one's surroundings is crucial for survival. If you cannot identify a threat that is out of sight, your skill level will not make a difference.

So, even half-conscious and unable to open your eyes, the first thought that came clearly through your muddy thoughts was that you were not alone.

There were two other people in the room—one to your left, and one in front of you. They were veiled by shadows and obscured from your vision, but you felt their stares like guns pointed at your head. You choked on the breath that you greedily sucked into your lungs, then exhaled with a strangled sound that seemed far louder in the thick silence. Neither of the figures moved as your breathing evened, but each eye that was on you seemed to glow in the suffocating darkness. They were like predators poised to kill, and with the handcuffs keeping your arms behind the back of your chair and the rope holding your ankles still, it wasn't hard to guess who their prey was.

Familiarity was a quiet buzz in your ear, but you ignored it in favor of evaluating your chances of escape. As the fog cleared from your mind, however, you became less hopeful of your odds.

The figure to your right stood and approached you, his face slowly becoming visible as he walked towards the single light illuminating the middle of the room. He moved out of the shadows with careful, calculated steps, and you recoiled as soon as he came into view. While you barely recognized his face, you understood what the clothes he wore meant.

A black robe cloaked him almost as much as the darkness had, but it was the small red insignia on his sleeve that sent a cold chill down your spine. The bright red eyes of the skull seemed to glow in the darkness, almost matching those of the wearer.

"HYDRA," you whispered before you could keep your mouth from moving. You shut it immediately, unsure of where the word had come from, but realizing with uncomfortable clarity why it felt so significant.

HYDRA owned you. The thought was so clear that you wondered how you had ever forgotten. Suddenly, the urge to kneel at this man's feet and beg for any form of mercy made your position in the chair uncomfortable in an entirely new way. You shifted, nearly bowing your head to him when he caught your chin between long, nimble fingers.

His eyes held an intensity that sent a shock of fear through you. His fingers were cold where the met your skin, and you fought not to flinch when his hold tightened. He was looking at you like he could see into your mind and read your every thought.

"For someone under Kakashi Hatake's protection," he finally said, though his words held more curiosity than threat, "you are a laughably easy person to find."

You swallowed, but your throat had dried up the moment he'd stepped into view.

"I suppose I should apologize. Orochimaru was give far too much leeway. He should have been taken care of a long time ago."

Your breath halted at the name. Though it was still mostly a mystery to you, fear was a familiar feeling that wrapped itself around you and squeezed until you couldn't breath. The man watched you carefully, studying your reaction with clear interest.

His eyes drifted to the second figure sitting silently in front of you. His face had become more clear as your eyes adjusted to the darkness; long, dark hair framed his face, and his eyes were venomous, narrowing when they locked with yours. Though his head was downcast—partly, you assumed, because of the blood dripping down multiple cuts on his face—his expression was full of familiar malice.

For the past eight months, you'd felt as if a crushing weight was hovering just above you, held up by one thin thread. You knew what that weight contained—it was everything you'd lost. Even without it bearing down on your shoulders, you were certain that it would crush you, but you wanted to feel its weight all the same. You wanted to feel whole again—not like the ghost of someone you couldn't reach.

You laid eyes on Orochimaru, slumped in his chair and gagged by a white cloth, and the weight fell.

Memories of the experiments you'd undergone suddenly came into sharp focus, and the blurry face that had always resembled Kakashi finally became clear. Instead of grey hair, black locks came into view. They surrounded your vision as Orochimaru leaned over you in half-remembered memories, studying your eyes like they would hold the key to your submission.

His voice rang in your mind clear as day: I gave you everything. It is only right that you return my kindness. You owe me everything. This is your purpose.

It was his voice. His hands holding you down as you thrashed against bolts of lightning in your veins. His control masked as reassurances of an end to the pain. His face behind the mask that he wore to convince you that Kakashi was your enemy.

It was his rage that followed you when you escaped. His ghost that you were so desperate to protect Sakura from.

"Hm," the man hummed after observing you for a moment, "Kabuto was right. It is you that brings her memories back. That must've caused you quite the headache."

He was looking at Orochimaru now, who snarled at the man in front of him. You recognized the look—how had you ever forgotten such a terrifying face?—and the rage it contained did not seem to phase its receiver, but the force of it left you paralyzed.

Or maybe it was the memories that were still flooding your overloaded mind, each begging to be seen even when you had no more room left to look.

You didn't realize that the man had moved towards Orochimaru until you heard his voice. It was that same light, hissing cadence that made you beg for mercy each time you failed his experiments. It was the voice that raised you to submit to his will.

It was still just as terrifying as it had been when he abandoned you.

"I'm impressed," he said with a snarl, looking at you rather than the man now standing at his side. "I thought you were weak enough to be forced into submission. But look at you now: gaining the attention of the Akatsuki."

Your eyes widened, and your gaze snapped to the man who was watching the conversation with interest. He met your eyes, waiting in silence as you processed Orochimaru's words.

The Akatsuki were ghosts. You had never been told their identities, nor had you ever seen a member in the flesh.

All you knew was that they ruled HYDRA from the shadows, pulling the strings of the organization with terrifying ease.

"I've come to understand that the Red Room is in need of new leadership," the man sighed, a disappointed frown falling over his lips, "now I see that the problem is worse than I anticipated."

Orochimaru's rage filled the room like smoke. You felt as if you could choke on it—it filled your chest and left you breathless and gasping for air.

"Would you like to kill him?"

It took you far too long to realize that the question had been directed towards you. The words were as genuine as the man's gaze. He didn't say them like this was a taunt or a test of loyalty. It was an offer.

You swallowed against the panic blocking your throat. You couldn't breath. This man...you could feel his power. It filled the room, thick enough to drown you. You wanted more than anything to refuse—to make him understand that you couldn't kill Orochimaru—but you couldn't force a response from your lips.

"She won't kill me," Orochimaru sneered, saving you from the man's suffocating gaze. His eyes slid from you to Orochimaru, "she can't."

"We'll see," the man responded cooly. "Let's hope that fear was a strong enough tool to save you from your own creation."

The man reached behind you and unlocked the handcuffs around your wrists, then cut the rope from your ankles. Before you could regain feeling in your fingers, the cold, familiar steel of a gun was pressed into your hands. You looked down at it, expecting to see the HDYRA insignia etched into it. Instead, the hourglass-shape that symbolized the Red Room was cut into the grip.

This was Orochimaru's weapon. You'd watched him use it countless times. You had faced its barrel more than once.

Holding it felt wrong. The idea of using it made you nauseous.

"Well?" Orochimaru said, a cold grin on his face. "Prove me wrong, little spider."

You hated him. You hated how useless he rendered you—as if you were nothing more than a machine waiting for commands. You begged your useless limbs to lift the gun in your hands. Killing Orochimaru was something you'd dreamed of for a long time. It was an urge you'd felt more strongly than any other when he'd tried to kill you using Sakura's body.

The Akatsuki approached Orochimaru, producing a knife from within the robes that cloaked his figure. In one swift movement, he cut the ropes from his wrists and tucked the weapon away.

Orochimaru brought his hands in front of him, flexing his stiff fingers with a heavy sigh.

"You gain nothing if you kill me," he said, wasting no time before standing from his chair and pushing it to the side. He seemed utterly unconcerned by the weapon in your hand, "I'm not the one holding you hostage."

His eyes were on the Akatsuki now, as if he had forgotten all about your presence and the gun in your hand.

"You want your freedom so badly? Kill him," Orochimaru said, sliding his gaze towards you once again. He watched you with an intensity that made your stomach drop—his eyes were swimming with an emotion that you couldn't place. You could see that his desperation was turning into something closer to insanity.

"Kill him!"

You flinched against your chair, grip tight on the gun. The Akatsuki watched with thinly veiled interest, unconcerned with Orochimaru's attempts to get him killed.

"You understand, don't you?" Orochimaru said with a laugh, stepping towards you with little hesitation. You stood, pointing the gun towards him. Undeterred, he walked forward until the barrel touched his chest, "if you kill me, you'll never be free. Do you truly think the Akatsuki will let you go after everything you've done?"

You stilled.

Your life was beginning to feel like a cycle. The moment you escaped Orochimaru's suffocating clutches, he sank his fangs into you once again and dragged you back into his web. You had been trapped for a long time.

"Is that what I was with you?" you whispered. "Free?"

Orochimaru tilted his head, lips twitching with a poorly concealed smirk.

"If not for me, you'd have no home. Am I not your family?"

"No," you choked, "that's not what I asked. I asked if you gave me freedom."

Freedom was what you were taught to hate. Freedom went against everything you'd been told since birth. You were raised with a set of shackles and ordered to give the rest of the world the same treatment.

"Freedom is a lie," he hissed, amusement gone from his tone. He leaned over you, forcing you to lift your eyes to see his malicious snarl, "you've been gone for far too long. Freedom is unattainable, and therefore should not be striven for. You've wasted your time trying to escape the allegiance you owe to me."

Before you could respond, Orochimaru was reaching towards you with speed that you hadn't realized he possessed. He gripped your wrist and reached for the gun in your hand with a maddened look in his eyes and a fierce determination to bring you to your knees once again.

But you were faster. You shifted so your back was to him, but his grip on your wrist remained tight. To keep hold of you, he was forced forward, closing the distance between your back and his chest with a frustrated snarl. At the same moment that he tried to trap you with his other arm, caging you against his chest, you threw your head back against his. He released you with a groan, clutching his forehead and stumbling backwards. His eyes were alight with fury. Your hands trembled around the gun, adrenaline and fear mixing together to create a messy, confusing swirl of emotions in your gut.

Part of you wanted to beg for his mercy. Another part wanted to kill him where he stood.

He began approaching you again, seemingly too furious to speak, but you steadied yourself and lifted the gun. He stopped, disbelief making a split-second appearance on his face before it was masked with a smirk.

That twisted, sickening smirk seemed to follow you everywhere. Even now, after he'd tried so hard to erase himself from your memory and replace his cruelty with a false version of Kakashi, seeing that expression on his face felt like welcoming an old friend.

Every Widow was familiar with that smile. For many, it was the last thing they saw.

You were not righteous. You had never felt the desire to seek revenge or justice for the things Orochimaru had done. For most of your life, Orochimaru's word had been law. The Widows were unquestioning against his demands and unflinching in the face of his cruelty. Detached from the reality of your comrades dying, you had never considered their deaths as sacrifices or tragedies. You couldn't. You would've fallen apart the moment you let yourself grieve them.

"There will always be failures among you," he'd said once, "and it is my job to see that the weak are purged. You should all be honored that you are among the strong. I've chosen each of you because you have the potential for greatness. Do not disappoint me."

Perhaps it was the sudden onslaught of memories that made the voices of those he'd killed echo within your tortured thoughts. Perhaps their pleas for mercy were directed at you, transforming into demands for vengeance as each overlapped with the other.

They begged for his death. His suffering would calm them into silence. You were a vessel for their desires, and they wanted him to bleed.

"Beg me for your lives," he would order, watching with that same smirk as they got on their knees and asked for his mercy.

He never gave it to them.

"Believing that you are special," Orochimaru said lowly, "will only bring you misery. You're still the same, scared little girl that you've always been. You're barely keeping yourself upright."

He wasn't wrong. You could feel the tremors wracking your body, and you knew they were clearly visible to both him and the silent Akatsuki watching from the corner.

"Do you remember them?" you finally asked, voice hoarse and trembling, though you were beginning to have trouble distinguishing your fear from your fury. "The girls you've killed?"

He let out a sharp, cruel laugh.

"Do you?" he asked, eyes narrowed. "You're no more innocent than I am. That's why I chose you. And what do you do with my favor? You throw it away like some petulant, ungrateful child!"

"I never wanted to kill anyone."

"A sorry excuse," he spit, "that does not mean anything. I didn't give you a place as a Widow because you were skilled. Every girl I trained, alive or not, was a skilled spy and assassin. You were chosen because you were obedient. I told you to kill, and you did so without hesitation or mercy."

Hinata's face flashed in your mind, eyes wide and desperate as you sank a knife into her chest.

"Yet you still chose to follow my orders," he continued, "I was not controlling you. It was your hands that ended their lives. You may believe you're being righteous, but if your intentions were as pure as you seem to think them, you would end us both. Your hypocrisy disgusts me."

"You forced us to kill one another," you shook your head, fighting against the voice in your head insisting that he was right. "That wasn't a test of strength?"

"Strength of will," he grinned, teeth bared and shining in the dim light. "You proved your loyalty was to me rather than any so-called bonds you may have formed with the others. It's a pity I didn't see your uselessness sooner. Your work for me was certainly not worth the headache you've become."

His bravery was commendable. Or perhaps it was confidence in your inability to pull the trigger.

"Haruno was a step towards a better future," he told you, smile falling from his face, "I was close to perfecting her, and after that, I would've been able to implement the same technology for all of you. The Black Widow Program would have seen a new era of growth."

You bit your tongue, trying to contain your anger at such a casual mention of Sakura and her suffering. You felt the iron bite of blood stain your teeth and tongue and let it ground you.

A long time ago, you would've allowed yourself to become what he wanted. You would've tied yourself down at a single command from him and allowed him to control your each and every thought. All he had to do was say the word.

But you had never cared for him. Never loved him in the way that he imagined his Widows should. Even in your desperation to go back to him in those first months with Kakashi and Sakura, you hated yourself for your dependence on him. You hated him for turning you into an extension of his own will, leaving you with no room for your own thoughts or desires. You had always been angry. You had always hated him.

But your anger was a quiet thing.

It festered beneath layers of fear and unquestioning obedience. Orochimaru beat his girls down until devotion to him became second nature.

And although fear remained, your devotion had cracked beneath the weight of his cruelty a long time ago. And now you knew what kindness was. What it looked and felt like. Affirming words and gentle touches that had once been foreign broke through the haze created by Orochimaru's control. Each layer that he had built so meticulously had seemed to shatter with a single touch.

It had all broken down so easily. His fragility had never been more clear than in this moment.

"Beg."

Stillness followed the word. As the sound faded, it felt as if it took all of the air around you with it. You thought the room itself had gone still, paralyzed by the force of your command.

An invisible, suffocating weight fell onto your neck like hands, as if attempting to force the word back down your throat.

Orochimaru was silent. His face was a tempest of disbelief and rage, and his hands itched at his sides as if it was painful for him to keep them still.

"You think I won't kill you for what you've done to Sakura? To the other girls?"

You took a step towards him, gun now steady in your hand despite the slight tremble in your voice.

"To me?"

You might have lost your mind. He was certainly looking at you as if you had.

"Beg me for your life."

On your knees, he'd always ordered.

He needed to feel as powerless as the girls he'd killed.

Why does your life have value to me? he'd ask, not caring to hear the answer.

He needed to hurt like they did. Like Sakura did.

Beg me for your life, he'd said each and every time he held a Widow at his fingertips and made her grovel, and I'll consider letting you live.

"You're a fool," Orochimaru chuckled, voice low and quiet despite the fury behind his words. He looked like he'd gone mad with rage, just barely holding himself back from violence. "just like all the others."

He took another, careless step forward. Before he could take a second, you lowered the gun and fired off a single shot. It hit his leg with a muted crack, then he was on the floor, breathing through grit teeth. He fell to the opposite knee and let out a frustrated shout.

It felt like something had taken over your body. Like it wasn't your words, but the words of those who deserved justice slipping from your lips. Pure, unhindered anger surged through you like a sudden, destructive wave. You'd never felt anything like it before.

Perhaps it was Orochimaru's conviction that you were too weak to kill him that triggered it. Perhaps it was the sight of him on his knees in front of you and the sick satisfaction you felt at the sight.

Before he had a chance to react, you shoved him back with your heel. He landed on his back with another groan, and you pressed the toe of your shoe into his neck.

"Well?" you asked quietly. "Why do you think you deserve to live?"

"They're just going to kill you," he hissed lieu of an answer, meeting your eyes and choking on the final words when you pressed harder against his throat, "you...you think Hatake will be able to protect you and Haruno from them?"

The laugh he let out as he motioned vaguely in the Akatsuki's direction was nothing more than a wheeze, but it still sounded gleefully arrogant.

"I don't care anymore," you said, closing your eyes and raising your head to the ceiling, "he'll protect Sakura, and they can do whatever they want to me. It doesn't matter."

You lifted your foot from his throat and he gasped, laboriously pushing himself off of his back.

"As long as you're gone," you said, lifting the gun once again, "I can die in peace."

"Wait," he wheezed, holding up a hand as if it would do anything to block a bullet, "I can help you. I can help you gain your freedom from HYDRA."

He's getting desperate.

A smile slowly spread across your lips.

"I told you," you knelt down, pressing a thumb into the wound on his leg. He groaned, too weak from pain to move out of your reach, "to beg."

He was panting now, chasing after desperate gasps for air. Pathetic, the Widow whispered in your ear. You smiled again, lips splitting from ear to ear.

Hello, old friend.

"Please," he finally snarled, his glare deadly as he wrapped his fingers weakly around your wrist, attempting to pull your hand from his wound.

Ah, you thought, eyes lighting up as the word tumbled from his lips, so this is what power feels like?

"Again."

No longer was the room engulfed in silence. Filling it now were Orochimaru wheezing breaths, each one more labored than the last.

Then, he began to laugh.

"You..." he muttered as he pushed himself forward, settling into a crouch before meeting your eyes, "you really are a hypocrite."

Then, in a burst of strength, he leapt forward, hands grasping at your shirt and lips pulled back in a wild, furious snarl.

You fired a second time.

Finally, everything went still.

He stumbled, eyes locked onto yours and a foreign expression on his face: pure, unconcealed shock. Then he fell forward, hands still gripping your shirt. Even in death, he managed to pull you to your knees, though it didn't take much effort. The strings of ghosts holding you up and guiding you until this point were suddenly cut, and you collapsed in a heap of dread and debilitating relief.

Orochimaru landed unceremoniously next to you, arm hanging limply over your lap and his fingers loosened on shirt.

He had stopped breathing before he hit the ground.

Disgust suddenly sent a wave of nausea through you, and you shoved his arm off of your legs. He rolled onto his back, empty eyes staring at the ceiling and arm landing on the floor with a smack.

The sound sent a shudder through you. Any rational thought had left you in the wake of the chaos—you just felt empty.

You took a deep breath, choking on the inhale and sinking onto your back as you pushed it from your lungs.

"That was quite the performance."

You didn't have the energy to be startled. Your head rolled on the floor until you were looking into the Akatsuki's eyes. He had the audacity to look pleased.

"To think that one pesky little spy was enough to bring Orochimaru to his knees," he let out something akin to a chuckle, "The Red Room must've been more fragile than he was letting on. Though it's rather poetic, no?"

He knelt down next to Orochimaru's body and gingerly pulled his eyelids over his open, shocked eyes.

"Well, I suppose we can discuss it some other time," he said finally, standing and taking a step closer to you. You turned your head, forced to look straight up to keep your eyes on him, "under different circumstances."

"Where are the others?" you choked.

"They're safe," he responded cooly, "they're at SHIELD's headquarters. Well, almost all of them."

You narrowed your eyes at him, thinking back to the haze that the night before had become.

"Ino," you whispered, breath catching in your throat.

The man looked amused by your concern

"There's no need to worry about her," he shook his head, waving a hand as if waving the mere idea of her away.

"Where is she?" you asked weakly—a far cry from the demand that you meant it to be.

"As I said, she is no longer your concern, nor are you hers."

His voice had become firmer, and you were reminded who it was standing above you.

You closed your mouth.

Seemingly satisfied with the way things had gone, the Akatsuki gave one final glance at Orochimaru's body before turning in the direction of the door.

"Wait."

The man paused and glanced back at you, emotions wiped from his face. You looked at him again—studied his face and his black hair and the ring of red around his pupils.

"Sasuke..." you choked, "he has a brother."

He stared at you, expression the picture of composure, then slipped through the door.

You remained motionless on the floor for a long time, splayed out next to Orochimaru's motionless body. His blood stained the ceiling, and you flinched when a drop of it fell onto your face.

You couldn't—wouldn't—think about what you had done. If you acknowledged the blood splatter above you or the body next to you, you'd have to admit that...

That Orochimaru was dead.

What am I supposed to do now?

The thought was passing, but you felt wholly unequipped to try and answer it. You felt far away from the person who laid motionless on the ground next to the lifeless body of her creator.

And even though Orochimaru was gone, this was still a cage. HYDRA had still found you, and you were insignificant compared to the larger powers at play around you.

The Akatsuki had said it himself. You weren't important to HYDRA.

So why had you been given the power to kill Orochimaru?

Through a haze of muddled emotions, you heard boots pounding against the concrete floor outside. You tried to give your body the appropriate commands to prepare for an unexpected entry—get up, move behind the door, keep quiet and catch any intruders off guard.

But you remained motionless, completely drained of any fight you had left.

If you were going to be trapped by HYDRA again, then maybe letting them find you was the best option.

You could hear doors being opened from the end of the hall. It wouldn't take long for them to reach you, and it was clear from the gun in your hand and the body next to you what had taken place. They'd see what you had done, and they would finish the job that the Akatsuki had left incomplete.

You pushed yourself against the wall on the opposite side of the door, cloaking yourself in shadows. Orochimaru's body was illuminated by the single bulb hanging from the ceiling, and blood was pooling on the floor around his head, reflecting the light and looking impossibly bright against the concrete beneath him.

You closed your eyes, but his face remained burned into your memory like a brand of guilt.

It only took a few moments for the pounding feet to reach the door of the room you occupied. It was shoved open and hit the wall behind it with a crack. You swallowed against rising bile.

"Y/N."

Your eyes slipped open automatically at the sound of his voice.

He couldn't be real. The Akatsuki would be back for you. Catching the attention of such powerful members of HYDRA couldn't be anything less than a life-sentence spent serving them.

But...

"Kakashi?"

He was here. This wasn't some trick or a poor imitation—he was here and he was real.

You were reaching towards him before you could stop yourself, risking falling forward in your haste to feel something solid and real and alive beneath your palms. He rushed forward, kneeling in front of you and taking your face between unsteady hands. He studied you for a moment, searching your expression. His touch was warm, masking the lingering chill of the Akatsuki's fingers gripping your chin. You felt yourself relaxing, head sinking into his hold.

"You remember."

It wasn't a question, but you nodded anyways. You were still piecing together your memories, trying to sort out what was real and what had been a mere fabrication under the threat of torture, but your feelings—your real feelings—they were all there. They'd been dug up from the trenches of your mind and demanded recognition.

You felt the weight of Orochimaru's death and your tempestuous memories lift when Kakashi pulled you against his chest.

His arms were anchors. They kept you from slipping away or looking just past his shoulder at Orochimaru's body. You buried your face in his shirt, closing your eyes and breathing in the smell of the forest that lingered in the fabric.

"I found you," he whispered. You nodded, too drained to speak. He held you like you would slip through his fingers if he loosened his grip. Still, you wanted to be closer—to make sure you wouldn't fall away from him again.

"He's dead," you whispered. You looked up and watched the door with wide, burning eyes, terrified that the Akatsuki would come back through the door at any moment. You could still see the blood surrounding Orochimaru in your periphery. "I killed him."

You choked on the words, denial flooding you before you could stop it. You couldn't have...you wouldn't have killed Orochimaru. He was everything. Your master. Your father. The reason you were still alive. Without him, you–

"Stop," Kakashi whispered.

The river of doubt came to a halt, and all you saw in the clear blue was a reflection of you in Kakashi's arms.

"He's gone," Kakashi whispered. At the same moment he spoke the words into existence, he brought a hand up and cupped the side of your face, blocking his body from your line of sight. "He can't hurt anyone anymore."

The other girls. He can't hurt the other girls anymore.

He can't hurt Sakura anymore.

Your eyes drifted to Kakashi's wrist. Though it had been weeks since you'd attacked him, the ringed bruises where your hands had been hadn't fully faded yet.

You touched the marked skin as gently as possible, running the tips of your fingers over yellow and purple skin, then dipped a hand under his shirt and pressed it against his stomach. You remembered, albeit vaguely, the way you'd kicked him to the ground, heel mercilessly sinking into his stomach in your blind panic and rage. He hissed at your touch, barely loud enough for you to hear, but you froze at the sound, retracting your hand as if it had been burned.

"I'm so sorry," you croaked. You had done this to him. No explanation of brainwashing or torture could excuse that, "I hurt you-"

"Stop," he said firmly, "you thought I was going to hurt you, and you were defending yourself. Nothing that happened was your fault."

"I could've fought harder."

You'd known, even while in the deepest recesses of Orochimaru's tricks, that what you were being told wasn't true. You knew that some part of you had always been skeptical, even if it had been buried somewhere you couldn't see.

"You did what you did to save Sakura. If anyone should've fought harder, it's me. I was the one who thought she was safe, and I was wrong. I should've fought harder for you."

You shook your head, but stilled when Kakashi's head fell against your shoulder. He deflated, sinking into your arms as if all of the energy had drained from him in a single moment. His hands fell from your face and wrapped around your waist, pulling you in so close that your legs had no where to go but on either side of him. You blinked, one hand lifting to tangle in his hair and the other falling to his waist like it was the most natural thing in the world.

The hands around your waist were trembling just slightly. Kakashi's head was pressed against your neck, and you could feel his eyelashes brushing again your skin.

"Kakashi..."

"Don't leave again," he whispered, breath heating your skin. You felt his lips brush against your neck as he spoke, and your grip tightened on his waist, "please."

Your breath halted at the word, and you could feel your heart racing as you thought back to what you'd done just moments before.

Beg, you'd said. You hadn't even hesitated.

You were just like Orochimaru. Kakashi hadn't seen your cruelty towards him. Hadn't seen how bloodthirsty you were in his final moments. Would he still be saying this if he knew what you'd done?

"Breath."

Kakashi was running a hand up and down your spine, as if coaxing the air from your lungs. You did your best to do as he asked, taking in a trembling breath and closing your eyes so that you couldn't see the gruesome scene surrounding you.

"They're going to kill me, Kakashi," you whispered, panic finally finding its home back in your chest. There was no world in which the Akatsuki let you live after everything that had happened.

Kakashi sat up at your words, his hands leaving behind a captivating warmth on your back.

"Who–"

The creaking of the door cut him off, and you looked over Kakashi's shoulder and met the eyes of a woman standing in the entrance. Kakashi lifted his head at the noise, tense and preparing to jump from where he sat to confront the intruder, but to your surprise, he relaxed at the sight her. Her eyes shifted from you and Kakashi to the body on the ground, then back again.

"Tsunade," Kakashi said, voice hoarse. "Buy us a few minutes. Please."

You watched, wide eyed, as Kakashi addressed the director of SHIELD like they were old friends. The woman standing in front of you was someone you'd been taught to despise your whole life, and Kakashi was still holding onto you like she was simply a passing stranger whose opinion held no weight.

Tsunade was silent. She watched you with a calculation that almost reminded you of Orochimaru. You shivered, still doing everything in your power to block his body from your view. Finally, Tsunade sighed and stepped out of the room.

"Ten minutes," she instructed coolly. "All clear! Start searching the next corridor!"

When the door slammed shut behind her, you looked back at Kakashi with wide, panicked eyes.

"Why is SHIELD here?"

The better question was: why isn't HYDRA?

"I'll explain everything," he swallowed, "I promise. I just...I need to hear you say that you'll stay."

That was not a simple request for him to make.

"Kakashi...it's not that easy. HYDRA will still–"

"I don't care."

You looked up, shocked by the intensity of his gaze. He looked angry and determined and desperate. He looked so, so sad.

"I'll fight for you," he said lowly, framing your face between his palms once again, "you've done nothing but think of others since the moment we met. Let me return the favor."

You felt warm. Warmer than you had in so long. Like the chill in the air left by the Akatsuki had been washed away by Kakashi's presence. You wanted to hold onto it for as long as possible.

Could you really go back after everything you'd done?

"I..."

You wanted too much. It felt selfish, but you were suddenly filled with desires that you hadn't dared to fully consider with Orochimaru's threats looming over you. With his mere existence making you fear any form of attachment.

You wanted to be with Sakura. You wanted to help Kakashi train and protect his students. You wanted to be able to feel this intoxicating warmth everyday.

"Please," he said again, and this time is felt less like a curse and more like a promise, "I need you to stay."

What about SHIELD? you wanted to ask, What about HYDRA? The Akatsuki? The kids?

But instead:

"Ok."

Just this once, in this moment, you would be selfish.

But as Kakashi deflated, sinking back into your arms and letting out a shaking breath, it didn't feel like selfishness at all.

It felt like freedom.

MEMORANDUM FOR

FROM: Agent Danzo Shimura

TO: Director Tsunade Senju

SUBJECT: Operation MASQUE

MISSION REPORT

On September 22, Agent DANZO SHIMURA received a tip from [REDACTED] regarding Agent KAKASHI HATAKE's contact with active HYDRA personnel. On September 23, Agent Shimura deployed a reconnaissance team to SHIELD COMPOUND 18 for confirmation. The reconnaissance team consisted of Agent GENMA SHIRANUI, Agent ASUMA SARUTOBI, and Agent KURENAI YŪHI. Agent Shiranui reports TARGET A (Y/N Y/L/N, Alias: BLACK WIDOW) being restrained in the medical wing, likely due to hostile behavior.

On September 27, Agent Shimura organization OPERATION MASQUE to infiltrate and detain the targets and escort Agent Hatake as well as trainees SAKURA HARUNO, NATURO UZUMAKI, and SASUKE UCHIHA for questioning. At 18:00, the Recon Team began the operation. Anticipating hostile behavior, Agent Sarutobi released an incapacitating toxin into the outpost's ventilation system and waited until all suspects had been effected. Agent Sarutobi entered the building at 18:15 and observed TARGET A and TARGET B (INO YAMANAKA, Alias: BLACK WIDOW) speaking in the left wing of the compound. Both targets then began carrying all of the buildings occupants (including trainee SHIKAMARU NARA, who has been cleared of suspicion) into Agent Hatake's bedroom. Agents Sarutobi, Shiranui, and Yūhi converged on the targets' location and forced entry into the room. All occupants had been incapacitated and were prepared for transport back to SHIELD Headquarters.

At 20:00, SHIELD's transport vehicle was forcefully stopped and raided by Red Room operatives. The unidentified individuals removed Targets A and B from SHIELD's vehicle and transferred them into an unregistered black van. Agents Yūhi and Shiranui continued to SHIELD headquarters to bring Agent Hatake and his trainees to safety, while Agent Sarutobi pursued the suspects to an inactive HYDRA base.

Following Agent Sarutobi's report on the targets' location, Director TSUNADE SENJU took over the operation and successfully detained Target A in the HYDRA base (see separate report for details). No suspicious HYDRA affiliates were found within the base. As of September 28, Target B is missing.

CONCLUSION

I, Agent Danzo Shimura, recommend an indefinite suspension of Agent Kakashi Hatake from duty and the immediate detention of Y/N Y/L/N, as well as the reassignment of Sakura Haruno, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sasuke Uchiha.

END MEMORANDUM

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Author's note | thank you for reading! i promise y'all when i started this series i did not intend for the burn to be this slow. i PROMISE we're getting somewhere in that regard, and even though we're nearing the end of this series, i have so many ideas that i'm so excited about for more fics involving these characters so it will continue to burn (or just like,,,be on fire ig). i'll be taking a short break before i start writing again, but the sequel series will not take long to get going after i finish this one, so stay tuned!

i hope the amount of unanswered questions left from this part is exciting and makes you want to read more to see what's going on. if you find it takes away from the reading experience (or makes it better), please leave some thoughts! also, as always, any thoughts and feedback are more than welcome

i'd once again like to say thank you to everyone who has left me such wonderful comments and feedback. you guys are truly the reason i have continued writing this series (fun fact about me: this is the first series i've ever actually finished and have been excited about for this long). alongside the sequel series i have planned, i'd also like the write some one-shots that are more fluffy and light-hearted, so please send any requests for scenarios you want to see these characters in to my tumblr (linked below).

thank you to everyone who is still following this series. your patience astounds me. i feel like the time between each chapter has been getting longer, but i really want to be putting out quality storytelling and writing for you, and i don't have a beta so i get a bit perfectionistic about editing and stuff (even though i know it's not perfect).

anyways, that's all from me! i'll see you guys in the final chapter (although i know myself and the next chap might end up being so long-winded that i just split it into two, so we'll see). if you've read this far into the a/n you are my hero and i love you. please leave me some love if you enjoyed!

title is from "Bite the Hand" from boygenius

[generisydtoo]

Splitting up Team 7....Let's get into it

Disclaimer❗️: I'm not trying to dog on anyone who makes alternate team headcanons for fun. I have my own thoughts ofc, but as long as you're truly not hurting anyone, it's not that deep. I'm sharing my thoughts on this since I've seen this take a few times over the years, but do with it what you will!

As always, you're free to share your thoughts! Just be sure to keep it respectful :)

Tbh, it baffles me when ppl say that Sakura (bc that's usually who's removed from the team in these takes) or anyone else on Team 7 would've had better development if they were assigned to a different team. I think people fail to consider that Team 7’s close, consistent proximity and becoming teammates was one of the key reasons why they were able to get past their initial impressions of each other and form a deep bond.

This is only one example, but as far as we know, no other team went on any dangerous missions like Team 7 did to the Land of Waves. Granted, that was an outlier since that mission was supposed to be a C rank; however, it was vital to their individual growth. It shaped their perceptions of each other as teammates and of the shinobi world as a whole. If Sakura, Sasuke, and/or Naruto were placed on a different team (assuming little-to-nothing else was changed in the series), I'd deem it unlikely that they would've grown to be the shinobi they became, although not as quickly.

If you want, you can view this through the lense of recent media, particularly the YA genre. There are many reasons why they tend to be set in middle/high school (though I think that's starting to change and expand, thank goodness), one of them being the outcomes of forced, consistent proximity.

The characters are placed in an environment where they're (more often than not) forced to interact; it's not like college or other settings where you can simply leave if you don't want to be there, especially without it being fair to others in your group. While it’s ultimately up to them to choose whether or not they want to become more than acquaintances with their classmate(s), their relationship has a higher chance of forming due to being consistently around each other.

The same applies to Team 7 and honestly, the other Rookie 9 teams. They were all placed on their teams- a learning and training environment with forced, consistent proximity- for a reason. Ino-Shika-Cho being placed together since they're THEE Ino-Shika-Cho trio (if any sensei had messed that iconic trio up....bless their hearts fr), and Team 8 all being trackers.

For Team 7, it was also so they could all learn and benefit from each other in some way. Naruto could benefit from Sasuke’s proficiency in ninjutsu, Sakura's intelligence, and both of their calmer personalities(give or take with Sakura) seeing as he got the lowest marks at the academy and misbehaved a lot. Sasuke could benefit from Naruto and Sakura's social and outgoing personalities seeing as he got low scores in cooperation and teamwork.

While Sakura performed well in her academics, she slacked greatly in anything pertaining to using physical strength. She could benefit from Sasuke and Naruto's taijutsu and battle skills seeing as she got low marks in taijutsu.

I think it's also worth noting that Sakura is a balance of their personalities while having her own. While she's not always on 10 like Naruto was, she was able to be social and upbeat and like him. She wasn't emotionally cold or nonchalant like Sasuke, but she was able to match his calmer "think first, act later" demeanor. Ofc, they've all had their moments and didn't act the same way all the time. I love that Team 7 can share one brain cell at times, lol.

As I said in the preface, I'm not trying to down anyone making alternate team headcanons for fun. That being said, it's just odd to me that people claim that placing them on different teams would suddenly "fix" their characters. Becoming a team was an integral part of their characterization, with each of them serving a unique purpose in one another’s growth. (This includes Sai too, though that may be a convo for another day.)

Like the title says, this was a starting "Let's get into it" post. I have more specific thoughts on this take, but these are my initial thoughts for now :).

Sources: The academy report cards are only in the physical fanbook. You can find an online transcription of it here and photo scans here!

[narutocharacterpolls]

ROUND ONE

HAKU vs INUZUKA KIBA

Reasons for submission under the cut

Haku

cried when he died

a quote about Haku: "He was a pure spirit – as true and clean as a newly fallen snow."

he really manages to leave a long lasting impression

gender non-conforming/androgynous

he is SO memorable because he's part of the first real antagonists of the Naruto series. There's a good reason why the Wave arc is so beloved and is rarely skipped in rewrite fanfics of the series, and part of that magic is Haku

incredibly strong and intelligent

good at healing and using needles in long-ranged combat

Haku is very loyal to Zabuza

he is so dedicated that he was willing to die for Zabuza, not realizing that Zabuza saw Haku as one of his loved ones and not just a tool

was the perfect enemy for Naruto and Sasuke to face because they were kind under it all

Haku helped awaken Sasuke's sharingan and Naruto's tailed beast chakra by serving as a life-threatening challenge

ultimately too soft to kill Naruto or Sasuke and just puts Sasuke to sleep with a needle technique

Naruto realizes that Haku is not so different from him, being an orphan that clings to the one precious person that helped them not feel so alone

gave weight to what it means to be a ninja in this world to Team Seven

Kiba

just a silly little guy

has a really cool design and power set

is a feral teen boy

loves dogs so much

Akamaru is always with him and literally kept in his hoodie during the OG series. That is Dog Owner Dedication.

one of [submitters] favorites because he REALLY loves dogs and [submitter] was a big animal lover

can be a little obnoxious and boisterous, but he's a teenage boy, its actually pretty realistic of him

really strong for for his age and loves and supports his teammates. He doesn't cause problems or bickers with his team, he respects Kurenai as his sensei

happy to help Hinata with her blatant crush

in Shippuden he wears a leather jacket and that's fresh as hell

[phantomchick]

Naruto Fic Rec Masterpost!

Adoption by Defenestration; or, A Family Can Be A Fox Demon, Its Jinchuuriki, and Three Dozen Highly-Trained Assassins  by elumish Oneshot, Gen, Fluff, child neglect, Naruto gets unofficially adopted by his anbu guards and it’s incredibly cute Summary: He will not be the ANBU who let the jinchuuriki plummet to his death out a fourth story window. Let that be another ANBU’s legacy.

Being Over-Prepared is Impossible (and other mottos)  by Pleasedial123 Longfic, Gen, Team Seven, team as family, Bamf Kakashi, Bamf team 7, au, kakashi pov, Complete but part of a three part series and the third part is still ongoing, still highly recommend, what team 7 should have been, Skilled Teacher! Kakashi Summary: In one world, Kakashi awoke, felt grieved at being assigned a team he sees his own in, and he let that grief make him a lazy teacher.  He saw himself in Sasuke, Obito in Naruto, and Rin in Sakura. He woke, saw himself in them, and took a large step back, regretting accepting them as his new team.  In that world he was quite hands off - merely a watcher because it was so very painful to watch. He saw himself and all his mistakes in this new team of his. 

In this world, Kakashi awoke, saw the similarities, and instantly panicked. 

He suddenly realised what he had done, passing a team.  Kakashi was left scrambling not to repeat old mistakes and regrets. This team would not suffer the fate of his team.

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

Something in the water by maldoror_gw  Oneshot, Gen, Teen and Up for language, hilarious, Tsunade pov, fluff, mild crack, pre-shippuden post naruto,

Summary: "Sakura...what is that man reading?" Tsunade asked in a dangerous voice. Sakura's gaze twitched away from her ex-teacher to her new - and temperamental - mentor. "Erm...a book...written by a...well-respected member of the community...about...romance?" Tsunade noted with passing approval that Sakura was demonstrating both loyalty and quite a lot of imagination in defending her one-time team leader (who was now trying to edge around a pillar to get away from Tsunade's venomous glare).

backslide by blackkat Time travel, time travel fix it, mature, fluff, team seven, m/m, slow build romance, Naruto adopts himself, Uzumaki heritage, bamf Naruto, complete longfic, Summary: Naruto’s friends are gone, his lover is dying, Konoha is destroyed, and Madara’s second return has pushed the entire world to the brink. Hunted and harried, Naruto is sent back in time to upend Madara’s plan before it even starts, and sets about changing everything. Butterfly effect nothing: the world is at stake, and Naruto is hardly about to let it fall to ruin once more. Not while he’s still breathing.

Tobirama Kicks Some Sense Into Konoha by allseer15 Hurt/comfort, whump, emotional whump, time travel, fix it, time travel fix it, The ‘what if Tobirama came to the future saw an orphaned Naruto and adopted the shit out of him’ Fic, Iconique, child neglect, child abandonment, fluff, so much fluff, completed longfic, look I have a weakness for the time travel fix it trope at the best of times but this fic is good even looking at it without focusing on that! Prolonged Tobirama content, Senju lore, senju feels, Summary: The Hidden Leaf Village in Naruto's time seems to have forgotten just why the village was founded and have lost their way.  Through a mishap with a hiraishin seal, Tobirama finds himself during Naruto's time and he is having none of this nonsense. His brother may be gone, but he won't stand to have Hashirama's dream trampled so. And if he has to cause a civil war or burn the village down to the ground? Well that depends on how much resistance he meets. All Tobirama does know for certain is that no child will suffer underneath the protection of Konoha and if he has to take them in and care for them himself, then he will.

Hardest of hearts by blackkat Oneshot, Gen, look I really like blackkat’s naruto fic okay, part one of a completed three part series, all three parts are great, Fix its are the best, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix It, Orochimaru redemption story, the sheer shadenfreude of one baddie fucking over another baddie, in this case Danzo, Obito has a ‘bad guy but not that bad of a guy’ solidarity moment with Orochimaru at the start and I loved it so there’s that, featuring a low key constantly horrified at this turn of events Minato,

Summary: Orochimaru gets one more chance. Just maybe, it will be enough to save him—and the entire world as well. 

A Snake In the Grass, a Wolf At the Door by blackkat Mature, Completed ten chapter fic, Orochimaru redemption story, Orochimaru/Kakashi’s dad, you read that right, quality Sakumo content, Families of Choice, Humour, Fluff and Angst, somewhat crackish, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, baby Kakashi being a cutie Summary: Orochimaru is on the edge of breaking when someone unexpected pulls him back to solid ground. When the time comes, he returns the favour.

Nukenin by WhisperingDarkness Gen, dimension travel, team seven, team as family, Kakashi actually being a good sensei even when he’s not a sensei at all, possessive kakashi, Team Seven is his team, Kinda Fluffy, Protective Kakashi, the ‘this might as well happen’ adaptability is real, Kakashi adopts team seven and team seven adopts kakashi, even though he’s illegal, 4 chapter fic, marked as complete as author doesn’t plan to continue it, but even taking these chapters as stand alone this fic is great,

Summary:  In the sealed scroll he finds a Bingo Book – his own page marking him as an S-class nukenin with flee-on-sight orders.  “Ok. That is definitely different.”  In his head he blames Naruto – even if his number one unpredictable student had been nowhere near him on this mission. When things go this stupidly impossibly wrong it must somehow be the future Hokage’s fault.

Ear to the Wall by Vodkassassin Ongoing, it’s really really good though! great Kakashi content, Minato is very stressed and I love him, Sickfic, Hurt/Comfort, whump, PTSD’d Kakashi gets to relive his childhood but gets a little bit of a real childhood along the way, ADHD Rin, time travel fix it, look I like what I like and what I like is fix its and time travel apparently, Kakashi adopts Orochimaru before he descends into douchbaggery, Orochimaru Redemption story, everyone is alive,   Summary: The Minato-sensei beams at him, and replies, “Kakashi! I’m glad you’re awake,” and, yup, that’s Minato-sensei’s voice. Kakashi falls back down against the bed, closing his eyes. It’s too short of a way down, and he clenches hands that are too tiny and feeble and not his in dog-print sheets he hasn’t owned for decades.

How To Save The World With No One Even Realising by IncompleteSentanc (Erava) Gen, Teen and Up, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, time travel fix it, Canonically Accurate OP Team 7, SuperBadass!Sakura, SuperBadass!Sasuke, SuperBadass!Naruto, RegularBadass!Shikamaru, Canonically Violent Sasuke, Equally Violent Sakura, Saving The World One Murder At A Time, Various Jinchuuriki, Team 7 As Super Villains, Doing Super Villainy Stuff, Like Murder, And Professional Eyeball Removal, Poor Obito, Poor Minato, AKA The Worst Four Months of Minato's Life, And Everyone Else's Too, Dark Humor, Bittersweet Ending, Dark Comedy, Crack treated seriously, completed 3 chapter fic, Well worth the read, Team 7 To The End! Summary: Minato knows at the beginning of the week that it's going to be a hellish one. Mostly because it starts with the kidnapping of one of his two remaining students, only a year after they'd lost the first one. He just doesn't realise at the time that it's not going to be a hellish week - it's going to be hell for quite a bit longer than that. It all starts with Rin's kidnapping, and her subsequent rescue at the hands of a mysteriously appearing, monstrously strong, murderously violent woman. A woman with cotton candy pink hair. It only devolves from there.

Just Killing Time by Elizabeth Culmer (edenfalling) Gen, Oneshot, Short and Sweet, Classic of The Fandom, Ficlet, Team 7, Kids being Kids, Fluff, Fluff and Humour, Slice of Life, Cute Kids

Summary: After Wave Country and before the chuunin exam, Team 7 kills time while waiting for Kakashi to show up. 

there lies a trail of fire behind us by BowAndDagger Gen, Madara is extremely confused but mostly on board, Time Travel au, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bamf Naruto Uzumaki, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Except Zetsu, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Fix-It, Founders Era, clan wars era, Pre-Slash, POV Uchiha Madara, the Completed part one of an Ongoing/Incomplete series, completed 4 chapter fic, Summary: As he returns from a mission, Madara makes a strange encounter with an even stranger shinobi. Then, he’s summarily kidnapped to go on a quest to save the world by said weird shinobi. (He absolutely did not choose to follow the stranger on his own free will. He was kidnapped. He did not give chase. He did not.)

A Political Perspective by VJ Riddle  / MueraRashaye Ongoing, Possibly (Probably) Discontinued, Teen and Up, Gen, Team 7, training montage deluxe, Konoha is a murder village, Good Teacher! Kakashi, AU, slowly developing into Bamf team 7, Bamf Kakashi, slowly developing into Team as Family, lots of fun ideas, not crack, Minor Spoiler: Zabuza and Haku get x’d before their character development gets its chance to shine in this fic, Sometimes people don’t warn for that in the tags and it can be a dealbreaker in fic for me as I love those two, not a dealbreaker in the case of this fic though! Really good fic so far, kind of verging on dry in places but it always stays fun in the end with lots of interesting elements, I enjoy the character insight from the pov switching, and also how much of a headcase Kakashi is, graphic depictions of violence, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence,

Summary: Hatake Kakashi was a shinobi, and as a shinobi, the only people who could give him orders were his military superiors. The idea that a Council made up of civilians and peers was under the impression they could give him orders...displeased him. Or: He was ordered to pass Team 7. He was fine with that, until they actually passed.

Integrity by Liz_Starling Oneshot, Gen, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon Compliant, Integrity, Child Neglect, BAMF Uzumaki Naruto, Reflections on Naruto’s inner workings as a person, promises,

Summary: Naruto keeps his word. Some people are loyal to their families. Some, their orders. Naruto is loyal to the only thing he’s been able to count on; the promises he makes.

Foundation (Build It Higher, Bury It Deeper) by RayShippouUchiha Ongoing, BUT EXCELLENT, it made me cry, Naruto feels, 6 chapter fic thus far, Bamf Naruto, Bamf Tsunade, Naruto deserved better, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Mature, Team 7, Uzumaki Feels, Abandonment, Tsunade gives Naruto the personal talk he deserved instead of finding out from a chakra imprint when he was dying, so we stan, I love this fic

Summary: It’s just… he’d thought, given his fight against Neji and then his confrontation with Gaara, that someone would finally really acknowledge what he’d done.  That beyond Iruka-sensei’s crushing hug and Kakashi-sensei’s absent pat, someone would actually notice that he’d won against both of them.

That he’d beaten a genius on his own and then had battled another jinchūriki to a stand still.

So while he hadn’t really expected to be promoted too he’d still ...

¦ part 1 ¦ part 2 ¦ part 3 ¦

[animeyanderelover]

Hi dear! Can I ask for yandere headcanons for Ino, Shikamaru,Karin, Mei and Yagura?

I combined this and another request together since they’re basically the same.

Tw: Yandere themes, stalking, possessiveness, delusional thinking, manipulating, blackmailing, threatening, kidnapping, isolation, vicious behavior, violence, killing

Yandere Naruto Hc’s

Ino Yamanaka

🌼Ino would be similar to Sakura. She’s the clingy and delusional Yandere. She thinks her and her darling are perfect together and there’s no way her s/o will be able to go anywhere without her.

🌼Also the manipulative Yandere. Ino can be so charming if she wants to be and how can her darling reject her when she looks so gorgeous and asks so sweetly? Her abilities can be useful in here as well since she might use them on the darling to control them without them realizing it. But just like Sakura she’ll use the ‘Please don’t act like Sasuke’ card on her s/o to guilt trip them. To my huge surprise I can see her as the controlling Yandere. She wants her darling to rely and trust her with everything they do. She wants them to depend on her as much as possible.

🌼Ino doesn’t have the calmest and most patient character and everyone will notice her jealousy. They should better leave her darling alone before Ino snaps and starts throwing a tantrum. She’s truly scary when she’s jealous.

🌼Why killing when her jutsu is so much more effective? She can just control someone with her jutsu and make them screw up big without doing much. Since she has been taught by Tsunade she isn’t all into killing. With her mind controlling jutsu she can cause much more damage.

🌼I think given her charm she’ll be most likely able to go into a relationship with her darling. She doesn’t really like the idea of kidnapping her darling and why do that if a little bit mind controlling is all that is needed? But she would only do that if she confesses to her darling and they reject her or want to break up with her.

🌼Ino would be a really gorgeous and charming girlfriend and it might be able to work out in a more or less “normal” relationship if we put her terrible jealousy and her wish that you depend on her aside. But the moment she’s forced to use her jutsu on you is the moment it gets twisted since she’s able to control you without you even realizing that you’re being controlled. You were just about to break up with her? Suddenly it feels like you fall in love with her all over again. How could you even think about leaving her? She has you wrapped around her fingers when she does this. Don’t get the wrong idea. She wants you to love her without needing to use her powers, but a little push might help, right?

Shikamaru Nara

🦌That’s a hard one to grasp as a Yandere, but let’s see. Shikamaru is the obsessive and aware Yandere. This guy is terrifying smart and knows that his feelings can’t be seen as normal. He might even feel a bit ashamed that he feels that way. He might appear uninterested in his darling when he talks to them, but that’s a lie. He sneaks slyly questions or sentences in to get a reaction from his darling. Their language, way of speaking, movements, behavior, he’ll analyze it all carefully and attentively. This makes him a perfect manipulative one. He doesn’t really want to use that on the s/o, but sometimes he can’t help, but let the one or other sentence in to get the wanted reaction from them. He knows what he has to do and say.

🦌A stalker. This gives him the perfect opportunity to analyze his darling when they’re confronted with other situations and he also knows that if he spends too much time with his darling others might get suspicious. To be honest, stalking them is such a drag, but he has no other choice. I guess after he lost his sensei he might also become the overprotective one, realizing how fast he can lose people in this world.

🦌Shikamaru is pretty chill about his darling interacting with other people. He doesn’t have much of a problem. But he gets jealous when he notices that you show a liking to someone or the other way around, he knows it from the body language and the behavior. If he is stalking them he won’t interfere as long as no one gets too touchy. If he’s with his s/o at that time he reacts passive aggressive towards the other person.

🦌That’s too much of a drag. Shikamaru is very reasonable with the people around his s/o. He’ll rely more on manipulation and might spread some rumors about them or might humiliate them in public with his shadow possession jutsu. To bring this guy to kill someone they would have to attempt to kill his darling and hurt them. Then he’ll get flashbacks from how his sensei died and will come up with a cruel strategy how to get rid of that person.

🦌He’s as mentioned ashamed that he feels like this and will try to avoid this possibility. But if he witnesses his darling getting harmed his overprotectiveness will get the better of him. He’ll use manipulations to bring the s/o “willingly” to stay in their house, telling them that he’s just worried and that he doesn’t want to lose another person precious to him.

🦌Shikamaru is a very chill Yandere as long as he isn’t triggered enough. He tries to not show his Yandere tendencies too much and with him it might be able to have a not too messed up relationship. But don’t underestimate him. His intelligence makes him really dangerous for you and those who managed to anger him enough.

Karin Uzumaki

♦️Karin is the clingy and lovestruck one. You do remember how she acted towards Sasuke and it’s much more worse with her darling. There’s no space left to breathe and she’s absolutely the type to force her affections on her s/o. Cuddles, kisses, holding hands, whatever you can think of. Her darling is in her eyes the most beautiful and amazing person that has ever walked on this planet. Obsessive and more than just obvious with it. The type to steal your clothes and wear them.

♦️Also the overprotective Yandere. She was used and mistreated after all in her past because she’s an Uzumaki and has no intention on ever letting something like this happen to her darling. Delusional, she believes that everything is fine between the two of you and that you are in love with each other. Probably even a small masochistic because do you remember the scene in the fight with Killer B where Sasuke bit her so that he could heal and her reaction to it?

♦️Bad temper! She starts yelling and cursing as soon as someone looks at you. It’s honestly a bit embarrassing for her darling. If someone dares to make a comment about her s/o they need to hold Karin back or else she’ll smack that asshole.

♦️She does have a bad temper and curses at anyone near you, but dogs who bark don’t bite. Most of the time. Karin beats the living shit out of everyone who doesn’t treat you like the perfect being she thinks you are. As long as no one hurts or makes her darling cry that’s enough for her. But god forbid the person who sinned that badly to scratch her darling or make them cry because then Karin will lose it.

♦️It’s not kidnapping. It’s spending time with the love of her life. Karin requires a lot of time with her s/o and if they ignore her or don’t want to spend time with her she’ll see it as a sign that they want to spend time with her. She has the key to your house and will invite herself in whenever she wants too. Don’t ask her how she got it. Trying to escape won’t be from use either, she’ll just sense your chakra and will always find you.

♦️Karin is a terrible Yandere. Not because she’s mean or hurts you, but because she’s so extremely clingy. She mistakes every sign of rejection you show her for the complete opposite. Her jealousy is horrible as well and people will start to avoid you because they don’t want to get yelled at. She steals all of your things and wears them herself. In short she’s annoying.

Shisui Uchiha

🍂Shisui is the aware type of Yandere. He knows that this isn’t really love, but something darker and is ashamed of it. He is the overprotective Yandere. He feels still guilty for letting his friend die back then because he refused to help him and is on a daily base faced with dangerous situations and he swore to himself that he will protect his s/o.

🍂Shisui is also a stalker, choosing to watch from a distance. He’s very sharp in noticing smaller details, making him an obsessive one as well. This guy has also talent for the manipulative type since he can see through the emotional nature of others and is in general a very clever person.

🍂Shisui hates himself for feeling this way and wishes his darling to be happy. With the amount of patience he possesses he can stand a lot of talking and even slight flirting. He only starts feeling jealous when his s/o shows very strongly that they like someone.

🍂Shisui wouldn’t kill if it isn’t needed. Most of the time he can give persons a warning and can discuss the issue more politely with them. If someone won’t stand away from his darling despite the warning he’ll use genjutsu at first and trap them in with their greatest nightmare. He only kills as a last resort when someone exposes himself as a serious threat to his darling or is about to tell everyone about his unhealthy felling for the s/o. Then he sees himself cornered.

🍂He would really, really like to avoid this topic for preferably forever since he would never be able to look at himself properly again when he does this. But here again, if he’s cornered enough and with no other options left he’ll do it. Two possibilities where this might happen are when you’re either attacked and he couldn’t protect you or when you find out about his obsession with you and try to warn his clan and ask for help.

🍂Shisui can be a great boyfriend as long as he isn’t triggered enough. He has a lot of patience and awareness of his feelings mixed together with amazing self control. But he’s also really dangerous. He is respected by his clan and the third Hokage, he possesses strong powers and is really smart what makes a more than deadly mix for those who anger him enough and for you because you won’t be able to escape him. And don’t forget that even though he is really calm and gentle with you that this doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want. He hates punishing you, but he’ll do it if you give him no other option. He’ll use genjutsu on you if he punishes you.

Mei Terumi

🔵Mei is the lovestruck, delusional and obsessive Yandere. She adores her darling a lot and believes that they are the person she has waited for her whole life and this fuels her desire to get to know them better as often and much as possible. This makes her the clingy type as well and the both of you will often be seen doing PDA.

🔵She’s also the manipulative type. Let’s be honest, Mei is beautiful and very witty and charming and also the Mizukage. She has the looks and powers and she can make her darling almost enchanted with her if she wants too.

🔵She’s rather sensitive to the topic of her darling being with other people, but she can hold for a short while on. But she loses her cool rather fastly when someone insults her darling. Then she’ll threaten to kill that person. She misunderstands things often so there’ll be a lot of people who she threatens to kill. Not like anyone would dare to make a move on the Mizukage’s darling.

🔵No villager is dumb enough to harm the s/o so there might not even be a reason for her to kill someone. Her darling is greatly protected by the Shinobi of Kirigakure and Mei herself. If a villager however does harm the s/o there will be harsh and cruel punishments, but she won’t kill as long as the person apologizes and won’t do it again. This is special treatment for villagers. If it’s someone from outside the village then this might turn out really ugly.

🔵Mei won’t kidnap them if they don’t reject her affections or are in danger. She’s someone who likes to show her darling off to the village and who likes it when the both of you are seen together. She loves it when people talk about how happy and great you look together.

🔵Mei is the type to spoil her darling if they behave well and to be honest you should consider yourself as lucky to have her as your girlfriend. She has everything someone could ask for. However, Mei doesn’t fear to manipulate, bribe and blackmail you if she has to since she believes that you are meant to be together. I can see her as someone who would go as far as paying people to attack you so she can step in and save you so you’ll see her as a hero. She really just wants to take care of you. But I think it isn’t necessary to go that far since she already has you hooked up with her charm and wits. It is hard to not fall in love with this woman here.

Yugito Nii

🐅I didn’t see much of her, but I tried my best. She’s the aware type of Yandere. She knows that her feelings aren’t normal and will try to control them. She does have her tailed beast under control, but she can’t be careful enough. Also on the bit stricter side, not terribly, but there are some things she wishes her darling would act to her opinion accordingly on and she will scold them if they don’t act the way she wishes them to.

🐅She’s also the overprotective Yandere. Even though she is now respected by everyone she was hated when she was younger and there might be still some people who hate her and might use her darling as a bait. Also the manipulative Yandere. She’s calm and smart and will manipulate her darling if she’s forced to.

🐅As mentioned rather calm. She’ll let her darling interact with other people and can control her jealousy. But when she realizes that she reaches her limits she will come in and interrupt the interaction. She’ll never admit openly that she’s jealous since she’s a pretty proud person.

🐅It would be rather easy for her to dispose her enemies since she’s a jinchuriki, but that would break all the trust the villagers now have in her. Trust that she worked her ass off for. So she won’t kill unless it’s not a very serious situation where you’re being attacked and the enemy is dead serious about killing her s/o. She isn’t someone who misuses the power given to her unless she faces a strong enemy.

🐅She wouldn’t want to use such methods if there’s a way to avoid it. She would only does it if someone targets her darling. Yugito will most like be able to talk her darling into staying at home in such situations since she knows what she has to say.

🐅Yugito is a proud and wise woman who is sometimes a bit harsh on you, but she also knows that she shouldn’t feel that way and will try to not show her Yandere side too much. She’s also reasonable with you and would never force you to anything unless you’re in danger. And she does have a soft spot for you even though she doesn’t show it too often.

Yagura Karatachi

🐢His Yandere type depends on whether he was at that time under Tobi’s control or not. If not he’s the obsessive, calm and aware one. He knows about his wrong feelings and will try to keep them under control. He is very calm and composed, but can also be very talkative and curious when it comes to his darling and might steal here and there some things from them. I can also see him as the overprotective and clingy type. Kirigakure has this brutal ritual that everyone has to undergo in order to become a genin and became the jinchuriki of the three-tailed at a very young age. He might be able to handle all this, but he isn’t too sure about his darling and will try to stick to their side as long and often as possible.

🐢If he’s being manipulated from Tobi then he’s the obsessive, aware, possessive, manipulative and violent type. He’ll be much more forceful with his obsessive tendencies and will steal whatever he likes from his darling and uses his influence to get all the informations he wants. He still knows that his feelings are wrong, but now he doesn’t care anymore and will just take what he desires. Shamelessly blackmails and threatens his s/o to get them to stay with him and at least pretend to love him or else he’ll kill their closed ones. He’ll be more willing to hurt them both, physically and mentally if they don’t behave. Also the controlling, isolating and removal type. He wants to control his darling’s life and if they anger him he’ll not only make sure that they never see other humans again, no, he’ll also kill everyone they love so he’s their only option left.

🐢If he’s not under Tobi’s control he’ll hold on for a while, but he gets jealous rather fastly and will after some time tell the other person politely to go. If someone mentions his rather childish looks he might have a small outburst since this is a sensitive topic for him. If both of you are in private and you pay attention to something else he might even have a more childish reaction and pout for your attention. If he’s being controlled then it’s unlikely that he has reasons to be jealous since he keeps his darling somewhere locked up, but if they pay attention to something else then he’ll have a scary outburst. They should better pay attention to him if they don’t want to get punished.

🐢Yagura is the Mizukage and holds some power which he will use to ruin someone’s life if the situation calls for it, but only if someone really gave him a reason to. That doesn’t count for the manipulated Yagura. If he finds out that someone searches for his darling which is kept in a safe house that person is as good as dead. Same goes for if his darling loves someone else even if it’s just sibling-like love. His possessiveness of being the only one to own their heart shines through in here.

🐢Yagura tries to hide his Yandere side and since he’s the clingy one and is most of the time near his darling there’s no reason for him to lock them in. Only if he’s needy for their attention and love or if there might be danger he’ll keep his darling trapped in a place. If he’s being controlled then there’s no question that he’ll kidnap the s/o almost instantly after discovering his dark feelings.

🐢It’s kind of obvious that he’s all messed up after put under Tobi’s genjutsu. He’s nothing, but terrifying and will use any means necessary to ensure that you can’t escape his grip. But before that he’s a much more easier Yandere who was much more patient with his darling and far more harmless. He’s not to blame, it’s Tobi’s fault.

Utakata

▪️Utakata is the aware and overprotective Yandere. He knows that these feelings he has for his s/o are dangerous and tries to cover them most of the time up. He experienced some shocking events in the past and believes that his master has betrayed him and since he went rogue he’s constantly hunted by the hunter-nin from Kirigakure so it’s understandable that he’s very overprotective.

▪️Also the possessive and slightly harsh, yet at the same time soft and desperate Yandere. He left his village and everything he ever trusted and believed in was shattered so he grasps almost desperately onto the only thing that this world left him. You. He has problems in acknowledging his strong feelings for his darling and might sometimes be a bit mean to them because of this, but he can also become really gentle and caring if he wants to be. He doesn’t have anyone left anymore so all he really wants is at least one person who he can trust and love.

▪️He’s constantly on the run so there aren’t many chances for him to be jealous. If they do come under people he’s fine with his darling talking to other people since he knows that they won’t stay long anyways. However, if someone gets too close to his darling he does step in. He can come over as quite impolite with his way of speaking and is the type to act passive aggressive.

▪️He has already enough troubles with being hunted down so the last thing he wants to do is killing someone and dealing with all the problems. It isn’t very smart to kill someone because this might lead to the hunting-nin finding him faster and he’s also the type who wants to avoid troubles. He only kills someone if this person attacks his darling and won’t back off.

▪️He needed to kidnap his s/o in order to keep them with him. He didn’t want to do it, but he couldn’t fight his inner desire.

▪️Utakata isn’t the worst one from this list. He has patience with you and knows that he ruined your whole life when forcing you to come with him. He is angry with himself that he feels this way and will sometimes let his frustration out on you, but he apologizes later on and tries to make it up for you. But the circumstances you’re under are pretty bad. You’ll most likely never see your family again and can’t even contact them because the Hunter-nin might find out about it. It’s exhausting to wander from place to place.

Fuu

🐛Fuu is the lovestruck and clingy Yandere. She’s so in love with her darling and sees them as pure beauty. She supports whatever her darling does and believes that whatever they say is right. If someone disagrees with her darling’s opinion this girl won’t stop arguing with the person until they admit that her darling is right. She’s all over her darling and probably one of the biggest fans of PDA.

🐛Also the delusional Yandere. She’s convinced that her darling and her are perfect for each other and that no one else is better for her darling than her.

🐛She gets fastly jealous since she’s needy for her darling’s attention. She’ll clinge desperately onto her darling’s arm and will constantly tug on their sleeves or poke them until they give her attention. If someone makes her darling uncomfortable or gets too touchy with them she’ll interrupt quickly and won’t stop talking about how they shouldn’t do this and that you are already taken and and and.

🐛I honestly can’t see her as someone who would ever attempt to kill someone, she’s way too innocent and social for that. She’s more the type to embarrass the person in public.

🐛She also isn’t the type to kidnap. She’s basically glued to her darling’s side 24/7 so there’s no need to kidnap them. The closest that gets to kidnapping when she forces her darling to let her spend the night in her house for a pyjama party.

🐛Fuu is a pretty innocent bean and a very tame Yandere. You can easily manipulate her since she’s almost blinded by her love for you. Would never harm you or manipulate you. The only thing annoying in here is her constant need for attention and that she smothers you in affection.

C

🎇Does anyone even remember him? He was so briefly introduced, but for some reason popped in my head up whilst I was doing this so I decided to put him in. C is the aware and strict type of Yandere. He knows that his feelings are completely wrong and was at the beginning annoyed by this because it kept him distracted from focusing fully on his duties, but eventually he learned to accept them. It’s more than important for him that no one finds out how forced his relationship with his darling is and expects them to behave properly. This makes him the controlling one since he needs to make sure that his darling doesn’t get the chance of telling someone how he really is.

🎇Also the obsessive, possessive and manipulative type. I can imagine him as a really charming one who is talented in lying and will get his darling to dedicate most of their time with him. He has never experienced such abnormal feelings and that sparks his curiosity in why he feels this way about the s/o. What is it that makes them so special? He doesn’t know, but he’ll make sure to find out. His feelings also lead him to the point where he’ll become incredibly possessive over his darling, wanting to keep them for himself.

🎇He dislikes it when his darling spends time with other people and enjoys their presence. The only persons where he will hold back if they want to talk with his s/o are Darui, Killer B and the Raikage. But with everyone else it’ll be different. He’ll start telling his darling rumors about their family and friends. You want to see them? How funny. He overheard them talking about how annoying you are recently. Due to his manipulation you’ll start to avoid and isolate yourself from other people.

🎇He has a high position and is respected by the Raikage so he has to be smart about this. He’ll rely more on manipulation in such situations. Killing would only be used as a last resort and he has to plan carefully for this so that no trace will lead to him.

🎇Kidnapping is under his dignity. He makes it smarter. He’ll wrap his darling up in enough lies until they believe that they can’t trust anyone except him and will come willingly to him. If you should however try to escape him he’ll lock you up in a dark and empty room, not letting you see any sunlight or even the trace of a human anywhere near. Not even he will spend much time with you, only bringing you food and then leave. He keeps this up until you beg and cry for his attention and affection.

🎇If he would be a Yandere he would be a horrible one. Manipulative Yanderes are never funny to be with. He’ll have you think that you’re alone in this world and will make you paranoid around people so that you won’t leave his side. He’ll manipulate you until you’re exactly like he wants you to be. Dependent on only him.

[vesperlionheart]

Vesper’s Quarantine ‘Finished’ Reading List

If you’re stuck indoors and feeling anxious sometimes the best thing is to drown your brain in distractions until you’re able to function again. Thus, I’ve put together a list of Sakura centric stories to entertain you. There’s a lot of shameless self promo here, fair warning, but it’s my blog and my blogpost so that’s where we’re gonna start.  Some of my favorite fic are ones still being updated but this list includes only stories marked as [complete]. 

[Finished personal fic]

Obelisk: Kingdom of Man By: VesperChan 'She could swear she smelt sulfur when she exhaled. Nothing good ever came from boys who smelled like sulfur.' An ancient Egyptian curse and a world of dreams opens Sakura up to a life devoid of safety. In the darkness her nightmares bow themselves to her. In the morning they feast on her heart. AU SakuraMany Obelisk: Kingdom of Beasts By: VesperChan One Kingdom down, three to go. Carrying the scars on her heart, Sakura must brave the dreams again as this time, there are more sinister things then men waiting for her when she goes to sleep. The wolves have come to feast and her body will know their teeth. AU SakuraMany Obelisk: Kingdom of Monsters By: VesperChan More than halfway through the curse, Sakura's nightmares hold nothing back as fangs and spells seek to drag her down and bury her with the dead. Monsters have come at least to feast on what is left of her bones and devour her wounded heart. Beyond the scars and bloodshed, her soul is beginning to fade under the dim lights of another enchanted speakeasy and ruby eyes. AU SakuraMany Obelisk: Kingdom of Gods By: VesperChan Entering the final kingdom, Sakura stands atop a castle of sand to face down the gods who first orchestrated the curse and began the bloody tradition of collecting human souls in a little black obelisk. Gladiators, Egyptian gods, and blood thirsty pharaohs paint a vivid picture on the inside of her mind as she sleeps, dreams, and struggles once again. AU SakuraMany Total word count for Obelisk series: 565,292 (just over half a million words)

RED KING By: VesperChan In the wild country where it never snows but always freezes, the Red King marches his armies against the White Tsar. That is why Sakura is swept away from the lonely streets and the empty barracks into a car with a bastard prince and a promise of redemption, but if only she can face the demons that chased her in the first place and be what the king needs in his war. SakuraCentric 

Touken Revolution by Vesperchan (rated E)  Sakura, a sword smith, is nearly killed for what she really is: a sage, one who can animate weapons into warriors and give bodies to the souls she hears inside swords. Now a refugee in the land of Kiri she's building an army because it's her only hope for survival and maybe even happiness. SakuraKiri Sakura centric

Things We Lost in the Fire By: VesperChan Years later, living alone in the woods with half a dozen dogs, questionable reading material, and crippling non-attachment issues, Sakura realizes she has turned into her teacher. Agebent Sakura Sensei ShiSaku

Jealous gods by Vesperchan When a coup takes the lives of the king and the rest of the royal family, Sakura, the sole surviver, escapes to the edge of the world with Kakashi to strike a bargain with an old god. Her worship in exchange for his power. She's warned he's a dark and jealous god, but that's not enough to sway her. ItaSaku Kakasaku darkItachi AU

Lindworm & the Tam Lin Love a Changling by Vesperchan Sakura travels as a curse breaker across the land, doing what she can to put some peace back into the world. She doesn't think much of it when she breaks the curse on a lesser dragon or a fae knight, but maybe she should have. MadaSaku, HashiSaku Poly

A Confluence of Stars by Vesperchan (my WitcherAU) With the war over between two princedoms, Sakura, a sniper, returns home to celebrate Confluence with her grandmother, the local Story Keeper. She had expected it to be nothing more than just another celebration when the star rivers overlapped and the poor people partied. But, along with the rest of the world, Sakura soon realizes that Confluence did more than just give people a reason to celebrate. A wicked new world filled with monsters and magic straight from Baba's tales spills into theirs, and Sakura is forced to turn to her rifle and her stories to make sense of it. Sakuracentric 

Sugarplum by Vesperchan "They will use you up, and love you all the while, until there is nothing left of the girl you used to be." Sakura had been a chosen one, once upon a time, but that was years ago, and all the magic has left her. Still, the world calls her back and she has a new role in supporting the next girl savior many years her junior. ItaSakuSaso

Stag by Vesperchan  He was a wizard with a tower and a set of rules he should never break. Sakura was a girl with just a bit of budding magic he decides he can't ignore. Some things were made to be broken. TobiSaku 

[Finished general fic list]

Hollow Point by Sariasprincy @sariasprincy​ Arms dealing is her trade, but young and in a man's world, it takes a criminal mastermind to play with the big dogs without getting bit. TobiSaku/ItaSaku. Crime!AU. Rated M for mentions of adult themes.

Where it Happened also by @sariasprincy​e He was the new head of Cardio and her new boss, and though she thought him a little full of himself, it seemed there was more to the famed Uchiha Itachi than he led on. Not that she could claim her life was that uncomplicated as well. ItaSaku. Modern AU. Grey's Anatomy AU. Rated M for mentions of adult themes.

Nightmare in Red by @sariasprincy​ Haruno Sakura used to think the eyes were the windows to the soul, but after witnessing the horrors of the Sharingan firsthand, she's convinced they are the doors. ItaSaku. Nonmass. Rated T

Blurred Lines  by @sariasprincy​He was an international criminal. She was a federal agent. And she wanted nothing more than to arrest him - or shoot him - if only he would stop providing her leads to more desirable criminals first. MadaSaku. Rated T.

The Man in Black  A man in black haunts her hospital. But what does he want and why is it that Sakura is the only one that can see him? ItaSaku. Modern Myth AU. Death AU

The Choices We Make by @sariasprincy​He was the Head of the Uchiha Clan and she the fearless discipline of the Hokage, but how the hell was she supposed to find the strength to tell him she was pregnant? MadaSaku. Rated M for mentions of adult themes.

halcyon days by jaylene @thefreckledone​ Sakura sees dead people. Well, two dead people to be exact. Everything changes. Sakura-centric. Indra/Sakura/Ashura. 

hands like houses by @thefreckledone Sakura finds herself trapped in the past and discovers a new family along the way, however unwilling she may be. Time travel. Fix-it fic. Sakura-centric.

Borage by @thefreckledone Sakura is in search for answers. What she finds doesn't please her.

Forest Fire by Moor @kendochick-moor Mod AU. Sasu x Saku x Ita. A small spark can launch a forest fire.

Forest Fire II by Moor @kendochick-moor Sequel to "Forest Fire". University AU. Sasu X Saku X Ita. After Sasuke inexplicably broke up with her when he leaves for Oto, Sakura throws herself into her school and social life. Friends like Ino, and surprisingly Itachi, are there to help her along the way. Meanwhile another threat, in the form of unbalanced Uchiha Madara, stalks her, ever nearer.

Tipsy series by Moor @kendochick-moor Mod AU. MadaSaku. The 1-5 part  of the "5 Drunkfics" prompts.  (Rated 'M' for language & themes)

Akatsuki Sakura AU by moor  DeiSaku, ItaSaku. Konoha-verse AU. Akatsuki Sakura AU. Raised by Uchiha Madara as part of the Akatsuki, Sakura is sent to infiltrate Konoha's ranks. Things become complicated when she is promoted to a team with one of Konoha's most well-respected ANBU captains, Uchiha Itachi.

Soulmates by Moor - KakaSaku. Age-swap AU. Based on the "Soulmates" prompt from the October 2015 tumblr KakaSaku fest. Kakashi has a reputation as an enfant terrible; at least, until Sakura sensei takes him under her wing. Rated M for later chapters.

Fancy Footwork by silverfootsteps @silverfootstepswrites For Sakura, there's always been dreary days of schoolwork and unreliable people. Who knew a clumsy womanizer, an accidental pervert, a soft-hearted glutton, and an incredibly sexy virgin would light her life up like this? A friendship founded on dancing and the strange threat that tied them all together: "Fiji". AU

Equinox by silverfootsteps Sakura is half-siren, half-human, and 100% unprepared for what waits for her when she moves to a little seaside town. A place where calling someone a monster always receives the answer: "….well, duh". Monster AU. Multisaku.

Lullaby by Silverfootsteps Sakura is part-siren, part-human, and learning how to deal with a nest of lovable dorks. But nothing seems impossible in the sleepy little town of Old Pines, where magic hangs heavy in the air and a certain werewolf has learned to stop pissing everywhere. Sort of. Sequel to Equinox. Monster AU. Polysaku af.

Butterfly by silverfootsteps After winning her first and only Olympic gold, Haruno Sakura shocks the world by announcing her retirement from skating. When she returns to her little hometown of Konoha, she finds that not much has changed. The same old temples, the same old persimmon trees. Resigned to a quiet life, she settles in for what she hopes will be an uneventful retirement. Skating AU. Itasaku.

Five Kingdoms for the Dead by Evil Is A Relative Term After the Forest of Death, Sakura comes to realize that being weak is no longer an option. However, she finds that change is sometimes painful and that truth doesn't always come easy. Luckily, she'll have some help along the way.

Vertigo by Cynchick Sakura accepts the most critical and dangerous mission of her life, but the price of success may very well be her soul. When your entire world turns upside down, how do you keep from going under? DeiSaku.

An Indispensable Assistant by TayMor Professional. Intelligent. Intuitive. Haruno Sakura is the assistant every boss wants. She is smart, she is capable, and she is experienced. Operating with her own hard and fast rules, Sakura has one, very important personal rule. Never fall in love with your boss. However, being indispensable to Uchiha Itachi will put that rule under heavy duress. AU. 

The Third Chance by TayMor reviewsJust because he died didn't mean he got to stay dead. The Rikudo Sennin reincarnates Uchiha Madara as his 26 year old self and he begins his third life broken, humiliated and full of despair. But things change as Madara finds himself competing against Sasuke for the attention of Konoha's favorite medic... MadaSakuSasu Set after the final battle and during the blank period.

Rainy Days by Wynth It took her a while before Sakura was convinced that she was once again in her twelve year old body, but by that time it was too late. •Time-Travel / AU•

Consequences of Saving a Life by BelleDayNight reviewsAt the end of the war, Neji is revived by Sakura. She has saved his life, now she is responsible for it. The Hyuga clan leader covets the power that Naruto and Sakura could bring the clan with unions with Hinata and Neji. Can they survive the politics of the noble clan? Naruto trains with Sasuke and Hanabi for CPE while Sakura and Neji embark on a mission together for the Daimyo.

Take It or Leave It by kc-archive  Akatsuki & Sakura. After a moment of shock, Sakura realized that two fully grown, fully naked men were sitting squished uncomfortably together in her bathtub. (dubcon warning)

Till Death Due Us Apart  by SpeedDemon315​ Ever since he was gone, she never was the same. The world was warm and cheery while she was cold and dreary. She thought there was no hope left for her…or was there? Oneshot, character death [SasorixSakura]

Bringing Back What's Dead by SpeedDemon315  Sequel to Till Death Due Us Apart. She made a promise to herself to discover a way to revive him and have him finally see his son. What happens when your greatest enemy from the past is the only one who can grant your fondest wish? SakuraxSasori

Time Flies Like An Arrow by katlou303 Sakura traveled back in time with the intent of changing everything, but something went wrong, and now she's a four-year-old civilian having nightmares about impossible monsters and losing friends she has yet to meet.

Uneasy coexistence by DeGlace One grinning shark–man. One pink–haired medic. Ankles. Teeth. Kisame x Sakura. Yes, you read that right.

The Art of War by leafygirl  Entry for the LJ Kakasaku AU contest. Sakura gets stuck following her teacher after a bet with her friends. But his mysterious life is nothing she ever expected.

Vespertine by Cynchick  Two enemies strike a bargain to save what they both hold dear. He will reveal a truth that shakes her beliefs, drawing her into a web of lies and betrayal. She will offer the redemption for which he never hoped and show him how to be human again. ItaSaku.

Caught and Set Loose by Celtic Oak AU. On a mission, Sakura and her companions find themselves in the custody of the wildest clan of the East Province. Forced to accept their hospitality and a redheaded escort, the medic must make the best of her situation, wherever it leads her. GaaSaku. 

[secret-engima]

Snippet of Calling for Rain Chap Five

 (Who wants to see Shikamaru’s child genius brain traumatize itself? Trick question because that’s what’s going down. Nyxsuke is a flail off screen post snippet because How Do You Comfort Child Genius’s.)

....

    Iruka-sensei had been just as annoyed at all the paint spattered over the academy grounds, which temporarily put a stop to Sasuke’s wild game adaptions. But then school let out for their off month, and it was getting cold because it was November and everything was boring and troublesome without his friends at that point, so Shikamaru found himself awkwardly letting himself get roped into playing with them during the off month too. Of course, without the Academy grounds to play in, they needed a new spot. Sasuke offered the Uchiha Compound, since it had plenty of space and he didn’t care if paint got on any of the walls of the houses, and the clan forest was big and had lots of cool spots to play in.

     Shikamaru didn’t think much about saying yes, because if they broke stuff in the public playgrounds then they’d get in big trouble with all their respective parents and any other adult who happened to be invested in the situation.

     Then they actually got in to the Uchiha Compound, let in the gate by Sasuke and a bouncing Naruto, who led them into the walled off section of village with a shrug and a loud greeting respectively, and suddenly Shikamaru was thinking a whole lot about where he was and what “Uchiha Compound” entailed.

     It was so very, terribly quiet. Even with Naruto chattering in his ear about how “cool” the Uchiha forest was where they would play and how Sasuke’s food was too spicy and other inane things … it was so quiet. Naruto’s voice echoed through the streets and buildings unimpeded. There was no other noise to interrupt him. No other voices save Sasuke’s occasional comment, no clatter of carts or barking of dogs. Even the birds felt quieter here. They walked past house after house, all of them looking a little worn down from lack of care, their doors shut but their glass windows reminding Shikamaru uneasily of blank eyes.

     There was no one here but them. No one.

     No adults to yell at Naruto for making too much noise, no one to maintain the houses or sweep the porches, no one to notice a group of kids shuffling through. When Shikamaru thought of clan compounds, he thought of his home, or Chouji’s, or even Ino’s that he’d seen during the regular clan get togethers. Clean and ... not necessarily busy, but alive. He’d never realized how much noise there was in a compound until he was in one without it. There were no distant voices, to click of doors or barking of pet dogs or scent of cooked food wafting out of windows. There was no life. Even in the Nara compound there was usually something going on, or moving, or making a sound. Here … it was less like walking through a compound and more like walking through an empty painting of one.

     “S-sasuke-kun…?” Sasuke tilted his head toward Hinata, who was hunching deeper into her coat, “Y-you really … live here?”

     “Yeah?”

     She looked down at the street beneath their feet and whispered, “It’s just … s-so quiet.”

     Naruto stopped talking. Sasuke looked around with something flat and bleak in his eyes that made Shikamaru feel small and hurt just looking at it, “Yeah. It is. Kinda hard to make a place meant for two hundred and seventy five people feel lived in when it’s just me and Naruto.”

     Shikamaru stumbled over his own shoes and he couldn’t hear Sasuke shake himself out of his melancholy and comfort their group past the roaring of his ears as his mind —always too smart, always too fast for his own good— slammed a bunch of pieces together and stabbed him with it.

     The Uchiha Massacre. He’d heard about it, he’d seen how Sasuke had changed from it, he’d known about it when he agreed to come play here but he hadn’t- he hadn’t-.

     Two hundred and seventy five people. Sasuke’s people. His clan, his family. His aunts and uncles and grandparents and tiny baby cousins. All of them had lived here. All of them were dead.

     Killed right in this compound.

     Shikamaru looked around with constricted lungs and for one horrific moment he wasn’t looking at an empty Uchiha Compound, he was looking at an empty Nara Compound. He was picturing being the last Nara, the last of an entire clan living in a compound of ghosts with no around but Chouji to keep him company. All of his family, gone. His mom and dad, Aunt Aiko and Uncle Taro, his cranky grandmother Mimi and his tiny newest baby cousin Chiyo who was so very, very small-.

     “-maru? Shikamaru.” Shikamaru jolted out of his whirlpool of thoughts and the compound around him became the Uchiha Compound again. He wasn’t the last Nara, he wasn’t living that nightmare. He focused on the hand on his elbow, raised his eyes and saw Sasuke looking at him in open concern and-. And he-. It’s not a nightmare for Sasuke.

     For Sasuke it’s reality.

     “I think I’m going to be sick,” he admitted breathlessly.

[animechick2015]

My Hero Academia- My Unwanted, Long Ass Ramble That Absolutely No One Asked For......

So being at home 🏡 due to mostly COVID-19 and a crumbling economy, I decided to rewatch all of my favorite animes, from Bungou Stray Dogs, Inuyasha, Demon Slayer, Fairy Tail and finally My Hero Academia. Once again I was entranced by the bright colors, spectacular animation and lovable characters that Kōhei Horikoshi-Sensei created. But coming to the end of the recent Season 4 a revelation came to me: I just don’t like Deku as the main character 😱.

I know. I know. I must be certifiably insane not to love such a cinnamon roll, with his cute freckles, messy green hair and 1,000,000 megawatt smile. But it’s true. I have no interest with him as the main character. After this new discovery I decided to think why I didn’t like him and the reason was simple: he’s predictable or rather his story is.

From the on set we were told that he’s going to be the greatest hero ever. Every arc that he’s been in he comes out on top with a new increase usage of his power. After finishing Eri’s arc I was just like ‘huh, is it going to be more seasons of this?’ Now for those of you thinking well you just watched the anime, you should read the manga.....I read it religiously every week. It doesn’t matter where I am or what I’m doing you can bet I’ll drop everything I’m doing just to read and re-read that chapter; find myself on tumblr and read all the fan theories and musings about said chapter. So i know what’s going on in the manga and once again I just like meh he’s going to be on top anyways why should I bother getting invested 🤷🏽‍♀️

Dammit Deku don’t look at me like that 🥺.

I still love him and I am proud of how far he’s come but I just can’t find it in myself to get hyped up for him.

So who do I get hyped up for? Well I’m glad you asked ( I know you didn’t but here it is anyway hehe)

Bakugo Katsuki

The gremlin of Class 1-A. King Explosion Murder. Future Number 1 Hero (I wish). Before anyone can finish asking who my favorite character is in MHA I’ll blurt this angry boi’s name. There’s just something about that drew me in from the very first episode/chapter. Yes he was a JERK, bully and ok he was an absolute asshole to Deku but there was something that kept me thinking I want to see more of this asshole. In the beginning, I thought he was going to be another Sasuke type character: join an evil group at the first chance, battle the main character throughout and eventually find his way back to being good and I was like meh. But then the Sports Festival arc happened and I was oh, this boy’s got potential so I took off my Naruto googles and started to really looking at him. If I’m honest, the first time I saw him as a hero was during his fight with Uraraka. I got so hyped during that match that I was standing and cheering, tears in my eyes for the both of them! When the spectators started to complain about Bakugou being too rough with Uraraka I was about to throw hands with fictional characters. Then when Aizawa gave his speech about Bakugo giving his all and respecting Uraraka and I was sold.

Since then I’ve been an avid supporter of his. During the Kamino arc I was worried but also impressed that he was able to go up again members of the League of Villains and was smart enough to realize that he was holding All Might back from going all out again AFO. His fight with Deku was emotional and I was a sobbing mess. Him going through the Hero License arc with all that guilt showed me his determination to being a hero. Even though he wants to portray that he doesn’t care about anyone but himself, he shows time and time again that he cares about Kirishima, Kaminari and Sero. He’s observant with Todoroki and Endevour during the Support Courses. He pushes Deku. He has so many layers as a character that I want to know more about him. Do I think that maybe he should’ve been the main character, yes I do. But I’m ok with him being a support character as well. I can’t wait to learn more about him and to see him be the amazing hero I know he’ll be.

Uraraka Ochako

Ok this girl right here 👆that’s my sunshine girl and no one is allowed to mess with her. Got it?? Seriously, I love this girl. She radiates warmth, hugs and pure unadulterated happiness. Just something about her face just makes me happy and I just wanna squish her round cheeks. Ok ok I’ll stop.

But seriously she is such an underrated character. I know for a fact she gets a lot of unnecessary hate because one: for being Deku’s love interest (I’m not really invested in their relationship tbh but if it happens I’ll be cool with it) and two: her reason for being a hero is to make money. Funnily enough the reason why she’s most hated by fans is the reason why I love her so much. She’s a young girl from a poor family who just wants to make her parents happy and I relate to that so much it made me want to cry when I first learned of her reasoning. Out of all the characters in the MHA world I connected with her the most. In addition, what I admired about her is that yes, she does have feelings for Deku but she’s able to put them aside and follow her goals. Like damn it who wouldn’t admire that? Who can’t relate to pushing their feelings aside to accomplish their goals? I seriously love this girl. Also, I love that she doesn’t limit hereself. When she started U.A. she wanted to be a support hero because of her quirk but after her fight with Bakugo she saw the potential to be more and she took it, trained and made herself better. She really is an inspiration. I hope we get to see more of her in action and maybe even lead a fight instead of being support. I can’t wait to see her grow and blossom into a badass ass woman who kick your ass while looking like an angel sent from above.

Shigaraki Tomura

Finally, this crusty boi gets me so hyped whenever he’s on screen or in a manga chapter that it’s probably unhealthy. From the very first time I saw him at that bar with those creepy ass hands covering his body I was intrigued to say the least. Every time I see him, I’m silently (not really) begging Horikoshi-Sensei to give me more of him. There was just something about him that screams more.

Fast forward to the Villain arc (one of my favorites tbh) and we learn more about his history and what he had to endure and dammit I just wanted to hug him. It’s so easy to hate the bad guys for hurting people but do we stop to think about who hurt them? And my boy was hurt a lot.....from his family (the ones who were supposed to protect him), the heroes (whose literal JOB IS TO PROTECT PEOPLE!), AFO (don’t get me started on that creepy bastard). And then suddenly I was supporting the villain. A part of me wants Shigaraki to succeed because if he does the hero society will admit their many flaws and idk maybe get rid of the hero vs villain Society that caused problems for generations 🤷🏽‍♀️ just a thought. Honestly if Shigaraki was the main character of this story I think it would’ve been much more interesting. I would definitely like to see more of him and I really want him to shake the hero society to the core.

So there it is.... my unwanted, unnecessary (if we’re being honest here) ramble about MHA. What started as a post about not liking Deku as the MC turned into......this. I’m sorry 😭. But once again I’m not hating on Deku. I love my little broccoli boi and I’ll be supporting him until the time he does indeed become Number One (maybe I’ll get myself a pair of red sneakers to match Deku’s before that happens), but there’s so many more characters that hold my interest other than him. I wish I could’ve listed them all but frankly I’m tired and hungry and I need to take a shot of something after this week’s chapter because Oh My God!!

Anyways, if anyone made it this far down my post, thank you for reading, please don’t be mean and have a great week!

[dokuhebi]

Sakura / cont. @shikkotsunin​  

Sakura’s heart lurches into her throat when they speak, but the Sannin is right: there would come a time when she would have to face someone dear, someone who she possessed in her memory with tenderness and smiles, and there would be something ugly she’d uncover. Sakura knew better than to think that this would end in fanfare, that she would escape intact. Doing the right thing was rarely the most wanted, especially in a haven of patriotism like Konoha where people lived happily and obliviously. Because that was the social contract: in order to live in safety, people were willing to give up certain freedoms, to shutter their view of certain avenues, all in order to live in some semblance of peace.

Except, where did you draw the line? How many freedoms were relinquished until one couldn’t move? How blinkered could someone be before they were blinded and made to look at a painting of what the higher ups wanted to see? It was funny. Orochimaru had long been a tenebrous being shrouded in shadows, this fluid scapegoat that transformed according to the accuser’s accusation. That didn’t mean she saw them as innocent, but Morino’sensei had taught her that she had to look where it was gray. That in between point A and point B, she needed a winding, meandering route to take in between. “I’ll be honest with you, Orochimaru-sama, Morino-sensei mentioned something like that. Once, I was the foolish girl screaming at Sasuke to come back to the village. I didn’t know why he didn’t want to return. Then I found out.”

Ibiki had been stern with her. She’d be the face of what she was undertaking, there was no mistaking that. People would see her, and accuse her. She couldn’t afford to see things as she had for years, and even if the light in her eyes had dulled some, she’d learned. By the gods, she’d learned. Reading, and reading, and reading. Running through the lives of so many different people, taking notes and mapping bridges between them. What crimes connected to what, what mental illness possessed what symptoms. Being good and gray as he’d told her to be.

“I think, in any other circumstance, I would have been at your throat. If I didn’t know, I’d shout at you for ‘corrupting’ Sasuke. For the past deeds you were portrayed as being the sole factor in. A mad scientist who chased immortality.” Her gaze was sharp upon them, but it doesn’t possess a threat. It was a memory. Gray matter where they were stored. “But, you’re in the gray. You’ve seen the playing field at both sides, and we both know I need that insight. I can’t afford to go to people who only have ever seen the village’s good and see nothing else.”

Taking another sip of her drink–maybe too generous to be just that–she placed her ochoko down again. “To answer that, yes. He can’t overtly pledge his support–since no one knows how successful this will be–but he’s given me more than adequate clearance. Enough to garner the resources I need.” What a lie it would be if this didn’t fill her with icy fear and resolved fire all at once, like the cold of that dungeon basement where the village disgorged the rotted and badly decayed corpses at her feet.

Sakura felt her eyes widen and throat tighten at the divulging of this new information, gripping her cup so tightly she could feel it crack and splinter. “I see. I think the obvious answer to the imprisoned man is to visit him first. Leverage his anger to work in my favor.” She wasn’t the same girl. As she’d been taught by one of the most dangerous men in Konoha, she felt like a predator. Sizing up weakness, looking for holes to exploit. It was a dangerous mindset, because power could corrupt so easily. Getting drunk on the assurance of victory was so like her impulsive temper, wasn’t it?

“Figuratively speaking, if I was to accompany you on such a mission after we finish what we do, how would you plan on rooting them out? Fake terrorist cell to pander to their wiles? Information? Or do you just know them well enough to follow their scent?” Of course, there was always the possibility of utilizing Orochimaru’s own assets as bait. The information, the forbidden jutsu, the people that could be leveraged or coveted items scattered like bird seed for them to find. Endless tracts of temptations for those running and seeking power.

“Is it a bit blunt to say we probably won’t need much time spent here? We’re both too experienced for that. In fact, maybe I can contact Kakashi-sensei to have leave to proceed the next objective.”

Corrupted Sasuke? They certainly had played a part, but that boys innocence had been lost the moment his brother stuck a knife in to his mothers throat. Leaving the body before his siblings young eyes. It hadn’t taken much to give the Uchiha a little push in to darkness. To take credit for corrupting him, as odd a victory that may seem to those less keen on using manipulation as a toy, it wasn’t fit for the serpent. But her comment still gets a smile from them, the thought that she may have, if she were that same girl from years before, be waging war upon seeing them. It certainly would have been a conversation coloured differently. They prefer this shade. When they hear the crack of the cup and see the intensity rise in her green eyes, their slender hands reaches across the table. Pale fingers lightly coiling around her wrist to position her hold nearer the wooden surface, a subtle request she unhand the object in her grasp. Lest more damage is dealt. They can’t help being amused by her response however - they liked ambition that teetered in to obsession. For truly, how else could anyone fully invest in a project without placing that much in to the goal? Like a dog fixated on a rabbit, or a doctor in surgery with a patient. If one did not lose themselves intensely in their task, if they didn’t give undivided attention, the results were simply never the same. “Each one of them will require a different means to reveal their location,” they say releasing her hand, golden eyes briefly veiled by thought, evidently working out each and every target in accordance to ease, “Tachimasa has a long list of health issues, he would be unable to live anywhere regionally cold or medically underdeveloped. Keeping that in mind, I can narrow down the search and have Karin assist with seeking him out,” they begin, knowing the woman would not bother question the vipers reasons for making use of her sensory abilities. There were only so many warm and well developed villages that did not coincide with being past enemies of the Hidden Leaf. They move on to the next council member. “Hagemu has been indulging in the trade of illegal weaponry since his defection,” they say, “elusive as he is, I can easily make contact with those who work under him, and see if using Kusanagi as bait will draw him out in person. Since my affiliation with the Hidden Leaf is not public knowledge, I doubt he will be scared off assuming I have connections with his enemies. If anything, someone like me is just who he is used to getting business from.”

Then there was the final council member, someone the viper had quite respected when they were younger. Thinking the workings of her mind to be brilliant, curious with how vocally, and with unwavering confidence, she would demand better reasoning from Hiruzen during meetings.  “Lastly, there is Machiho-sama,” they say, “I know the prison she was originally placed in, but the chances she was relocated is something to consider. Either way, the movement of prisoners is tracked and recorded, the paper trail will be easy enough to get a hold of and use.” Now their gaze becomes curious, evidently about to place their first hurdle in front of Sakura, to see what she is willing to do, wanting to do and deeming necessary or risky. The outcome of this little mission is not quite in the serpents interest, but how easily won over they are when it comes to ambitious shinobi. They would be lying if they said they didn’t want to see where her mission would lead her. What would become of her ideals, goals and mind. “You could leverage her anger... or, you could wager her freedom,” they say, fangs flashed briefly in their grin. Propping an elbow on the table, their head rests lazily on their hand, their gaze catlike in a playfully predatory fashion, “she was imprisoned for treason, because she refused to allow Hiruzen to continue down his path of no return. She was much like you, absolute in her pursuit for proper justice. It wasn’t seen as heroic during my days as a child however. Her questioning of the Hokage, her effort to be more open with the public against orders... it is why she was silenced behind bars. Perhaps you would be killing two birds with one stone hm? Freeing her could be seen as another means to acquire justice, and gaining the information you seek may be an added reward.”

[keepyourpantsongohan]

Ayesha Liveblogs Naruto Shippuden S20 (Pt. 4)

Hashirama’s “:O” face at everything is so endearing

Hagoromo is now really the time for a family story there are three children and a sad old man in need

“It was a few thousand years ago” Zetsu just said it was 1,000 years ago how bad are you guys at telling time 

I wonder how Hashirama feels about Madara being his Soulmate™

“I want make sure [the Tailed Beasts] don’t fight amongst each other, and that people don’t use their powers for evil” better 2 have tried and failed I guess 

“That’s because a toad’s dream is destiny” weird flex but ok

“So then, will everything I do now be meaningless?” “Don’t waste your time worrying” Ffgkjhfgkjh damn I didn’t ask for a lecture on fatalism in my Naruto liveblog

Lmao @ this dude revealing his thievery scheme after talking to Hagoromo for 0.5 seconds what makes him think everyone will be on board with it 

“I only want you to go away as soon as possible” ah looks like Hagoromo made a friend lmao 

“If we make it too sturdy, you’ll break your bones when you try to destroy it” they actually did a really good job of making Hagoromo charming like consider me charmed I wanna hear abt ur ninja way

Hahahah I admire Futami for not bringing up the horns for the entire length of time it took them to build the bridge 

Futami: Hagoromo-sensei gave me a high-five one time and it touched my heart so I formed a cult around him

Wait if Hagoromo only gave 8 disciples chakra are the nine of them together responsible for fathering all the shinobi world what kind of Gengis Khan fuckery

Minus the Hyuga, who, for some reason are moon aliens, I guess

“Throughout this long history men appeared, one after another, with the desire to use the tailed beasts for their own evil purposes. And that turned the tailed beasts against mankind. Anyway, back to my story.” Hahahaha did Hagoromo just go “(A/N: Fuck Obito and Madara lol)”

Unbelievable you’re telling me there was someone who wanted to get with this old man with horns and three eyes who leads a cult and you won’t show me WHO where is the justice 

OH HEY FUTAMI HELPING RAISE THE KIDS I GUESS? WILD

Mmmm I love Ashura already 1000/10 endearing impulsive baby

Some filler storyboard artist who I respect beyond reason: But what if... we added.... a dog

“It might even be bigger than yours” please don’t tell me they fished Zetsu out of the river

"I didn’t realize you thought so deeply about [chakra being used as a weapon]” “Yeah, well” “But then again, what will be, will be” what kind of parenting is this Hagoromo kjhgkjhgkjhg

Indra, 10 years old: I am concerned about the ethical impact of my innovation

Hagoromo: YOLO, son ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

“I’ll be watching you” Is that the voice of......... Pubescent Zetsu 

LMAO IT IS

These kids are really emotionally unprepared for the boar considering they were following boar tracks into the woods 

ARE YOU SHITTING ME THEY EVEN USED THE SAME FILLER DOG NAME LMAO WHO IS WRITING THIS 

I CANNOT BELIEVE THEY KILLED THE DOG I’M SO MAD

Wow @ them having Indra invent chidori instead hkjhgkhg poor Kakashi

Indra awoke his sharingan over losing his dog I cannot believe this how are dogs the central plot device of multiple arcs

“Whatever is in this village belongs to everyone - that’s the law” wow along with fatalism this arc is also teaching us about the practical failings of communism 

“The law is still the law” where’s the post that says Sasuke is ethnically a cop. Because that’s this arc

Not 2 be that gal again but Indra’s voice is also nice on the ears he has inherited his grandmother’s kekkei genkai of having an attractive voice and a terrible moral compass

...............kekkei grandma 

“Looking into his eyes reminds me of my mother’s eyes” I was kind of joking about the kekkei grandma thing but fair

“At that moment I felt that I understood for the first time why heaven had blessed me with two sons” have you ever considered your eldest son is mean in part because you make comments like this 

“What will the two of you do when you are out in the world alone” wow Hagoromo is giving his kids some kind of High-Stakes Bell Test 

Hahaha I like Taizo I hope they don’t do anything to him but they probably will because he’s had so much screen time

HAHAHAHA I LOVE THIS SQUAD it’s the first ninja team and the boy is the healer!!!

Ashura: OH NO I’VE FORGOTTEN HOW TO GENJUTSU

Kanna and Taizo: WE GOT U BUDDY WE GOT BATS

I thought I was going bananas for a sec but the intro did change lol 

Poor Tenzo I think he’s been officially discarded from OPs RIP

Side note: Having a Naruto blog has made me so wary of Kakashi and Sakura standing next to each other I don’t trust the ppl on this website to be normal for a second RIP x2

“They’ll suffer, sure, but everyone dies eventually” okay calm down Taizo

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s possible or not, because I’ve decided to do it” I admire Ashura’s blind optimism lmao

Not to poke too many holes but why would the water in the well not be affected by the Divine Tree

I take my comment about healing back ludicrously all the men get to display chakra natures and the women can only display glowing yin chakra hands booooo

Omg there is a Tenzo after all in an ED at least!! This is the first time I’ve seen all three members of the Naruto’s Dad Association in one place!!! Bless up

A shot of them standing all together!!!! My heart!!!!!!!!

SASUKE AND NARUTO’S GRINS AT EACH OTHER I WEEEP

[Hagoromo as Kakashi voice]: TEAMWORK!!

I was very much expecting Indra to go crazy and kill those two guys but wow that was a scene

“Enough to make you fall in love with him and follow him all the way here” At least Ashura gets like a real wife instead of Hagoromo’s ‘ ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ she dead’

Hagoromo: Indra’s a dick because his eyes are red trust me it has nothing to do with my parenting I’m a chakra scientist

“Indra, just what is the meaning of this” it’s a temper tantrum lmao

Was it really necessary to kill both of those guys Indra one best friend death usually suffices for mangekyo my dude

Minato joining Kakashi in the club of Boyz Who Jutsu Was Plagiarized

Hagoromo really has absolutely zero hesitation to attack his son and you wonder why Indra has a complex

“THIS IS THE POWER OF OUR BOOOOOND” he said, as he punched his brother in the face with a thousand wooden hands (mood)

Indra’s Lightning Teleportation Jutsu is really doing The Most the Raikage is not nearly this dramatic about it 

Can you... just.... declare that your soul will be reincarnated? Is that how that works? 

Also. Who slept with Indra?! U made him out to be like. Very Not Okay. But he’s the forefather of the Uchiha?? WHERE ARE THESE CHILDREN COMING FROM TELL ME WHO IS BANGING THIS OUT OF CONTROL FAMILY

Hahahahaha I’M SO READY FOR THIS RIDICULOUS TEAM 7 TRYING TO UNMASK KAKASHI EPISODE BRING IT THE FUCK ON

I knew the Sukea voice would be different but omg I’m still thrown

“S-kay-a” is really not how I thought that would be pronounced wow 

“If I’m able to capture this Kakashi guy without a mask on, it’ll be the biggest scoop since the Leaf was established” a little arrogant Kakashi but okay kjhgkjhgkjhgjhg

This is such an adorable and weird bonding exercise of Kakashi teaching his kids how to break into Konoha’s archives I’M WHEEZING

I would pay money to see Kakashi explain what he was doing to all those dudes in ANBU who probably thought he was intimidating as all fuck catching him a wig with three twelve-year-olds breaking into his own file

“Who cares what I look like anyway!” THIS IS SO DUMB I LOOOOVE IT

“I think that a woman might’ve drowned right over there on the river bank” HINATA!!!!! UR TOO NICE TO BE ENLISTED INTO THIS SCHEMING HAHAHA

Oh I remember seeing reference to this scene booooo do they really have to make it weird all the time

This concept is even MORE ridiculous in the show bc it expands beyond Team 7 to all the other Konoha rookies like Kakashi how much do u enjoy teasing the children that this is how you’re spending your day

HAHAHAH Kakashi is lucky that the person who knows him best has face blindness and can’t call him out for his schemes 

Okay not to betray my own brand but ᵏᵏᵍᵃᶦ ᶜᵘᵗᵉ

They really designed a nicer apartment for Kakashi just so they could animate his silhouette in the shower STUDIO PIERROT PLEASE

Fhkjhkjfhkjhkf that last scene made me so uncomfortable I don’t really like seeing Kakashi’s mouth while he talks it’s weird

You know I spent a lot of this interlude chanting main arc main arc in my head but alas now that we have arrived I’ve remembered that the war arc climax is a mess

“If my chakra runs out, I’m done” seriously Obito.......... how are you here

Can you imagine if Naruto actually died.... what would that even mean for this series I can’t imagine 

“I already marked this space, so I can hide out in my time-space” I want to know how Obito “marks a space” is it like a jutsu or does he just have to nod at it and go “my space now”

 I would also pay money to see what Obito and Sakura talked about when they had to hang out in Kamui for a solid two minutes lmao 

“So you’re friends with sensei huh?” “Yeah it’s complicated but I think we’re cool now” “Yeah, same with us and Sasuke” “Sorry about that” “I don’t forgive you but thanks”

“You alright?” define ‘alright’ but also Obito’s never been alright a day in his life, Sakura 

Uh oh foreshadowing to the heavy gravity space where Obito d*es

Okay maybe this is the part of me that is still clings to their Part I friendship but Sasuke helping Sakura stand really brings out my inner soft bitch

 “It would’ve been helpful if we could’ve received this advice a bit earlier” Tobirama’s bitter about sitting through five episodes of filler

Tobirama: Why haven’t u been helping this whole time

Hagoromo: It all comes down to Madara’s magic pelvis—

“This man lent me his power and that’s why we were able to get here” does Sakura not know Obito’s name either khgkjhgjkgh

How many times will we watch these same two flashbacks of Obito’s life

Looks like Kakashi brought a knife to a taijutsu fight LMAO

God Rin is such a good friend to Obito and he repays her by literally defacing her grave 

“Am I powerless to do anything but sit here and watch” it’s not really your fault you can’t fly Kakashi tho u could try throwing some kunai or smth ur not a one sharingan pony

Ddkjhsdkjhd why does Obito get a line worrying about Naruto’s death but Kakashi doesn’t he’s spent the past two days trying to kill Naruto

I’m still emo abt Kakashi trying to die for Sasuke that’s his soooon

“Rin... this time, let’s spend some alone time together, just you and me” Why phrase it like that, Obito

"Why save someone useless like me” Kakashi get some therapy

“A fool full of only mistakes” it’s hard to disagree with Zetsu when they’re flashing back to every mistake Obito has ever made

Where’s the graphics set where Obito goes ‘admittedly I lost my cool here’ because that’s what that flashback was 

Update: found it

“Don’t cry, Obito, you’ll just get laughed at” this fantasy is an indication that Obito has no real comprehension of how fucked up Kakashi was by Rin’s death

Can you believe that Rin still dies in Obito’s jonin AU like....what. It’s not even like “AU of what I want” it’s like “AU where I learn how to cope with trauma” 

Also was this just an out for not designing an adult Rin bc he’s been thinking about Rin endlessly for like three episodes straight so..... what up with that

It’s still so fucking funny that Iruka’s in Obito’s jonin fantasy like when did they meet did he just absorb secondhand Iruka appreciation from Naruto 

“But, if you screw up, I won’t hesitate to step up as a candidate for Hokage myself” yesssssssss let Kakashi be the playful menace he truly aspires to be

Gjghjkhgjhg Obito’s “euuuuuuuuehhhh” when the paperwork dropped was funny

Sasuke’s face when Sakura punched Naruto was also v funny 

Honestly to be real for a second Obito imagining himself as buddies with Team 7 makes me mad u’ve done nothing but make these kids’ life TERRIBLE until today babysitting license REVOKED!!!!!!

Am I a hypocrite for enjoying AUs ft. Obito? Mayhaps!!!

“You told me that saving you was pretty much the same as saving the whole world, remember?” (Well.)

“I’d say, you did your best” You know that post that said it makes sense that Rin said this bc she’s a Scorpio. I’m still upset about it

You know... Naruto’s “the coolest guy” (“nothing but awesome”) comment about Obito is a direct parallel to “Bravest man I ever knew” in HP and that’s why, if I were to meet either adult man, I would dropkick both of them. In this essay I will—

“It’s kind of annoying seeing [Kakashi] all stiff and useless” u right Obito

Kishimoto pick up the phone I just want to talk about that rabbit bijuu design 

“A Susano’o? But whose?” DAD’S HEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRE

Kakashi with Six Paths Power REALLY feeds into my theory that Kakashi is Hagoromo’s transmigrant 

THAT’S MY TEAM READY TO SAVE THE WORLD TOGETHER!!!!!

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 KAKASHI GETS HER VULNERABLE AND THEN THE BOYS ATTACK WHILE KAKASHI GUARDS THEIR BACKS AND SAKURA FORCES HER INTO PLACE THIS IS WHOLEASS TEAMWORK

“I really love you guys” YEAH HE DOES 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Okay arc over haha right guys we’re good now RIGHT GUYS??

In part, Kakashi jumping around to save his students feels very much reminiscent of Part I’s “MY SENSEI SENSES ARE TINGLING” swoop and scoop that he and Gai loved to do

Lmao @ Kaguya spitting Madara out like he’s a bad-tasting vegetable

Coming up with an OP specifically for VOTE2 is so extra but I kind of love it the Diver parallels!!!!

Sasuke is SUCH a liar abt his attitude towards Team 7 - more specifically towards Sakura and Kakashi bc he has already granted that he cares for Naruto

Sasuke: Comrades? I don’t know her

Also Sasuke: Constantly urging Sakura and Kakashi to get to safety and actively intervening when they’re not

“Honestly at this point I don’t think anything could shock me anymore” Sakura really needs a hug and a nap

“I shall be sure to ask Obito tell me that tale in the afterworld” the real question is if Obito will still look 12 when he takes Hagoromo on the harrowing journey that is his life

Kakashi truly has endless love in his stupid ass heart Obito’s like, “Hmmm... whoops sorry 4 committing mass murder” and Kakashi’s like “Hehe, we all mess up sometimes :) See u in heaven”

Madara and Hashirama really did invent being in gay love huh

WOW I WAS NOT EXPECTING TO TEAR UP BUT KJHFKJHFKJH MY BABY BOY SAYING GOODBYE TO HIS DAD HE IS THE WORLD’S BIGGEST SWEETHEART

“You’ve now finally settled things with Madara” Tobirama has been waiting for like a hundred years for his brother to get over his ex

Hagoromo: Naruto’s your new conference room congrats kids 

Mmmmm I don’t like aaaaannnnnny of this

“You’re suggesting that I enjoy a roooOoomance” why say it like that Sasuke

I genuinely think this is the maddest that Kakashi’s ever been at Sasuke that boy is very, very grounded

“I, too, had two children at one time” OMG KAKASHI OFFICIALLY DESIGNATED TEAM 7 DAD BY HAGOROMO (ur miscounting tho Kakashi actually has four (4) children)

“I think I shall let Naruto handle this” said Hagoromo, and everyone who encountered any problem in this series ever

I’m very distracted from Sasuke’s dictatorship speech by the fact he looks so much like an alien. What is UP with his eyes they never look like this???? Why are they so far apart and narrow and angled

“Your blood will be the last that I shed” what r u just gonna keep genjutsuing ppl Sasuke? Could just keep the Tsukuyomi on then, homie

It also plays into the Hagoromo and Kakashi are related (spiritually or literally) that Hagoromo is equally as useless with advice to him lmao

Kakashi: What should I be doing, sir?

Hagoromo: Sometimes I like to pray :) 

Fjkkjgkjhgkjhk Sasuke claiming that Naruto is his only bond never ceases to amaze me like Sakura and Kakashi are RIGHT THERE ghkjhgkjhgkj u have been protecting them this whole time while they shout how much they care abt u. Just admit u have a crush on Naruto and go!!!

“I know your heart well by now. And you mine” Sasuke u unintentionally romantic dumbass

“Finally decided to kill me, huh,” said a thrilled Sasuke, taking a lesson from the Kakashi School of Very Much Needing Ninja Therapy

This entire fight is the Life or Death equivalent of this tweet:

Lmao one of these boys lost a tooth I want to know which of them has a dental implant 

Omg............... Iruka what is going ON.... u are suddenly v pale and also I think ur VA might be different could they not get the same Iruka or has he just forgotten how Iruka sounds

It was real unclear until this fight that Sasuke had any of the same powers as Nagato

“Now I can finally be alone... farewell, my one and only... friend” again... Sasuke... u can be in love with Naruto and still have other friends!!!!!!! Ask Naruto he has tons of friends he’s not in love with*

*Disclaimer: they are all in love with him

The idea that everyone Naruto’s ever cared about is spiritually trying to help him kick Sasuke’s ass is p funny

“Sakura and Kakashi are still there, they’ll figure something out” cute that you have such an assload of faith in your loved ones in ur life-flashing-before-you moment Sasuke but with what jutsu lmao

“I began to see a shadow of my own family in Squad 7″ YEAH HE DID  😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

I still can’t believe that Kishimoto really wrote that all it took for Sasuke to return to Konoha was Naruto explaining to him how love and empathy work 

Omg Sasuke laughing...... I missed your laugh you precious boy

“Release the infinite Tsukuyomi once I’m dead by transplanting my left eye into Kakashi or someone else” Fhjfhkfh it detracts a little from the significance of Sasuke offering his eye to Kakashi to add the “someone else” but I guess they gotta make the syllables match up

Why is every Uchiha’s long-term plan just to die before they have to deal with the consequences of their actions

“I’m sorry” “Sorry? For what” “For everything” “You got that right” Sasuke I think u need to treat all of ur teammates to ramen 

“It’s finally back to the way it was” Kakashi loooves his baaabies 

TENZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 

Omg they included Guren from the filler arc in this crowd hahahaha

Gaara and Naruto enveloped in that same beam of light like Kakashi and Tenzo in the Tsukuyomi kghjghkgh SP said gentle gay rights

“I’m forbidden to talk about it” Team 7 would RIOT if Sasuke was locked up in a cell like that fuck you

Hahahaha I wish I could see the scene where Kakashi and Iruka decided to ambush Naruto with study materials 

Okay this is definitely a different Iruka ahhhhh weird I don’t like it

Iruka bursting into tears whenever Naruto talks about his progress.... same

I 100% believe that the vast majority of the reason Kakashi became Hokage was to pardon Sasuke but also that prison scene still seems appalling to me STOP MAKING THINGS WORSE THAN THEY WERE SHOWN TO BE

"Maybe next time” is super funny in the context that he does take her on his next mission outside the village and comes back with one (1) whole baby

Sasuke’s introspection usually seems to amount to “Birth is a curse and existence is a prison... oh hey Naruto <3″ 

The moral of the story seems to be that the best way to show someone you love them in ninja language is by telling them you want to keep punching them for the rest of your life

[magnificentnightmaresuit-blog]

Duty above all

Was it her duty to bring some sense back into him? Could she? Sasuke has slipped through his friends' and family's fingers. He had pushed them away one by one -even her… so she wondered what she was doing there alone with him in that shadowy small room.

She would have laughed if she had the heart to.

Today was Ino's birthday. The girl was the typical bubbly blond girl who radiated with joy and happiness. No missions as ninja or hardships seemed to chip away her sunny smile or her mischievous character. Rather it has reinforced that side of hers, especially after she's seen a close friend almost die before her. That's why she was so popular among the ninja population, and even amongst civilian.

She knew how to be the pleasant meek girl, and fun hard partygoer when needed.

So, the moment Ino told Hinata's stern father that they would drink tea and discuss just among girls, Hinata almost scoffed. Ino didn't even flinch. No one would've believed Hinata had she called Ino out.

Yet there they were: the beer was moving around, the music was blaring and sweaty bodies were sliding against one another. Yeah, she was definitely not drinking tea. The thought made her smile…

Until her eyes fell on him.

He wasn't looking back.

In fact, she was totally invisible to him.

She didn't like how her heart reacted. It felt too implicated.

"Hey, you look at Sasuke-kun?"

The heavy weight that suddenly landed on her shoulder scared her. She tore her eyes from the dark haired young man to look at her left: pink soft hair met her gaze.

"Ah, Sakura-Chan… Not really" she muttered, even though the music was blaring.

Sakura had asked a simple question. She just had to give a simple little answer. Yet a lie escaped her lips as if breathing. It was so natural… it was so vicious and shameful for someone with her education. She had lied about watching him.

Hinata had been watching him the moment he entered the party and he had been ignoring her. That's the truth.

"Really? Well" Sakura said then sighed "I've tried you know? I've tried to help him but he just keeps… how can I put that…?" Sakura screamed over the music.

"Destroying his life?" Hinata said a bit louder.

Sakura laughed "that's too much. Maaan, Hyuga certainly don't know what having fun mean!"

Hinata turned to her side once again and met unfocused green eyes. On closer inspection, she realized that her companion of the night had red puffy eyes. She bit her lips, feeling guilty for being so engrossed in her own head.

"Are you alright Sakura-Chan?"

"What is the problem if Sasuke decided to have fun? I heard that ménage-à-trois was a lot of fun"

"You should put that cup aside"

"Look at you! Look at me! We're here like moping clouds of desolation, bad-mouthing his life's style while he's having fun" Sakura slurred a bit "maybe he's the one who's right."

"Sakura-Chan…"

"He used to be a moping grey cloud too; but since he learned to have some fun with his fangirls, he's cooler, right Hina-Chan?" Sakura chuckled "maybe we could get over ourselves if we tried"

"Sakura-Chan… you're babbling now"

"Whaaat? Oops. Sorry, I forgot that since you're seven, you lost that right. You'd better stay a virgin or the Hyuga won't be happyyyy"

"Sakura-Chan!"

She didn't want to hear any more of that. Sakura's words seemed to be true. Sasuke was just partying like anyone else. He was making out with two girls at the same time, but still, what had she to do with anything? She had enough 'rights' to worry about him and try to reason with him, but not enough to have any says in his choices.

The only persons that had a say was either his actual family or his girlfriend. She could be by some extend family, but it wasn't the case yet… even then, it still didn't mean anything. She was nothing to him, yet that feeling was unmistakable… It had gnawed at her guts for too many a year to create confusion, and she certainly didn't want Sakura to poke around and expose her ugly feelings.

Honor before all.

Hinata heaved Sakura and put her right arm around her neck. She dragged her outside. The drunken girl looked out of it until Hinata brought her some medicine made by the same girl.

It was as disgusting as it was efficient.

"Gah! I can't believe I made this"

"You sure did" Hinata said as she proceeded to sit beside the pinkette "is it better now?"

"Yeah, thanks… sorry for the comment. It was uncalled for"

"I-it's okay." Hinata flushed a deep red "you weren't you… if there's anything I can-"

"I love him so much… It's driving me crazy" Sakura confessed with teary eyes "I've never drunk this much"

"I know that feeling" Hinata said with a grimace "sometimes it isn't the purest of feeling"

Sakura chuckled "he told me that love doesn't justify anything… It isn't enough that I love him or that he potentially loves me… tsk"

A sob escaped the pinkette.

"Sakura-Chan…" Hinata whispered as she reached for her friend.

"No." A sob escaped her tight throat again. "It's okay. Don't pity me over a pathetic heartbreak."

"I know Sasuke-kun isn't easy to fall in love for-"

"Sasuke?"

Sakura instantly laughed so loud, over and over; as if Hinata had told her the world's best joke. Hinata was confused as the laugh kept going on and on, getting some attention from people not far from them.

The sweet and contagious laugh looked genuine until Hinata realized it never reached those crystal-green eyes. It was one of hysteria. Soon enough the dark haired young woman followed suit.

"I don't know why you're laughing… but it was contagious"

"It's just… no, never mind." Sakura smiled, then said "Sasuke is a closed chapter now. No indeed, it's a bad idea to fall for him, but now I know there're even worse love stories"

Hinata listened in silence. There was no beginning or end to the story Sakura was telling, just the middle and little to no information about facts. Maybe it was another hot boy that had an unorthodox lifestyle; maybe it was a story even more shameful than hers. There weren't enough pieces to the puzzle, but there's enough for Hinata not to question the girl further.

She didn't want to talk about her lover. Hinata would respect that.

"I'm torn you know? On one side he's completely and utterly out of limits… I shouldn't even glance his way… on the other side…"

"Your feelings… are too strong?"

"It's more than that… as ninjas we're just tools that are risking our lives every second. I accepted to sacrifice everything like my parents before me, but…" Sakura sighed "Love is the last piece of us and we've got to sacrifice even that?"

It stroked a sensitive cord inside Hinata. Why should they all get sacrificed? Weren't they sacrificing enough by going on those perilous missions? Wasn't it enough that since they are sixteen they danced with death in the name of the village?

For someone like her, this wasn't even a question. Sure, the village wasn't her first priority - her clan was. She had to and did surrender her all to their cause, their plans and their future. Her duty was to preserve her clan's honor and prosperity. Her existence was skewed around and inside that. Nothing else.

No, she wasn't like Sakura.

Hinata chuckled.

"Okay, I've humiliated myself enough. I'd better go home"

"Are you sure you're fine? I can accompany you"

"I'm fine, I'm fine."

"What about Kakashi-sensei? He might be mad at you? Ino had to come up with a lot of… excuses to get this party"

"Kakashi…" Sakura chuckled "he'd be more than happy if I got there drunk with a man at my side. So don't worry"

Hinata was too shocked by her words and the familiarity in her tone. Sakura had always been the polite girl who used suffixes with everyone expect Naruto… then Hinata remembered that she wasn't quite herself.

"I still insist on-"

"I'll go with her"

Both girls turned around to meet dark cold eyes. Hinata stiffened on instinct. She looked back at Sakura, then back again at the newcomer. Despite being aware of the growing friendship between them, Sakura was still a slightly drunken girl and he was a boy. It wasn't like it was Naruto or…

Thinking about his name, she flinched.

"Hey, I mean no harm Hinata-kun. I just wanna help"

"Yeah, but-"

"It's okay Hinata-chan. I'll go with Sai-kun-" she paused at Hinata's facial expression "it's okay Hinata-chan. He won't bite me. Besides, he think I look like a dog, so he won't kiss me either"

Sakura laughed and shrugged. Sai gave them his usual pleasant but fake smile. Hinata was confused. That the pink-haired girl was so keen on having Sai give her company surprised her –after all, the girl's best friend had been interested in him for some time. Besides, they started on rocky grounds. Yet Sakura seemed at ease.

Hinata hesitated. She was ready to call Naruto when Sakura snagged a big chunk of a nearby tree and crumbled it as if it was bread.

"If he ever tries anything, he'll end like this. So stop worrying Hina-Chan"

Sakura smiled and kissed the girl's cheek.

"We'd better start moving Sai-kun"

"Yeah, I'm coming" he said with an agreeable voice.

As he walked toward Hinata, he stopped beside her, landed her hand on her shoulder and leaned over to reach her left ear "if you don't hurry up, Sasuke might go down those girls in… fifteen minutes"

Hinata shivered "S-so what? He's a-a big boy. He… can do whatever he-"

"So that's what you tell yourself at night?"

Hinata pushed his hand away. She glared at him so hard her eyes felt on fire along her whole body. His suspicion, her anger, her fear, her reality… everything melted into one and turned her body into a shaky container waiting to explode.

This was the second time she acted so differently than a Hyuga.

Her father raised her to stay cold-blooded even in face of death.

Here she was, getting flustered over something trivial… or was it?

"What are you implying?"

"He is the brother of your fiancé. His behavior affects his clan's image and it indirectly affects your clan's." Sai said as if he had a perfect knowledge of both clans' business. Funny enough, it managed to soothe Hinata "It's your duty to watch over him in a sense too, isn't it?"

"Yes- I mean, no. No, I-"

"Go to the second floor. Once there, take the first door at your left. You can thank me later".

"Hey, I'm tired. If you wanna stay, I can go alone. Just know that she's got a fiancé who can kick your butt in no time" Sakura screamed, as she moved backward.

"What would I thank you for?"

"Don't mind Sakura…"

"Sai-Kun, what would I thank you for?" Hinata hissed, as she grabbed his forearm.

Sai sighed. "I'm helping you defend your clan's honor. Isn't that a duty of yours? Isn't that why you marry him?"

"I like Itachi-san!" Hinata quickly said with a grimace and a frown. She didn't like where their conversation's going. "I like him. I'm going to join Sasuke-kun but it's just to stop him. That's all there is."

"We all know that it's just a political marriage. Itachi was never around unlike Sasuke. It's okay if you've got feelings for the younger bro-"

"Stop it" Hinata hissed "I'm going to fetch Sasuke-kun and bring him back to the Uchiha compound. You go find Sakura-Chan"

"Of course. Our duty calls us"

"Yes, my duty calls me"

Was it to prove something to Sai?

Was it to prove it to herself?

She kept mulling over their discussion over and over. He had said such things she'd felt insulted. In which ways, she couldn't tell, but there was no way he could've insulted her any more. She cared for both brothers, and she was going to marry the big brother.

That's her duty.

Now, her duty was to preserve their clans from shame…

Her duty was to bring Sasuke back to his senses.

With iron will, she opened the doors from where escaped moans. She prepared herself for the worse, but it wasn't that bad. Both girls were already naked, their bodies betraying the excitement in which they were already basking – goosebumps and perky breasts. Along their inner thighs slid the juices of their pleasure.

The moment her eyes landed on him, his eyes shot open. His eyes were obviously clouded with pleasure, but he didn't feel ashamed of her presence. The girls kept moaning and kissing his skin while his eyes pierced through hers.

The shame of walking in on such a scene burned her skin, but the need to stop him from going any further with those girls was too strong to ignore.

"Sasuke… kun" she said loud enough to get the girls' attention.

"Oh, if it isn't the famous Hyuga" the red-head said with a sloppy smirk. "Wanna join?" she added after some seconds went by.

"What are you saying Akane! You're probably talking to our future sister-in-law"

Both girls laughed, as Sasuke didn't even flinch. Hinata thought she'd die. It took her an incredible amount of self-control and courage to utter her next words:

"We've to talk"

"Hey, can't you see that we're busy knuckle-head?"

Akane emphasized her words by waving Sasuke's dick. Hinata blushed and quickly looked away without any second thoughts. After going so far, her stubbornness was the sole anchor she had left.

She didn't bulge.

"Gosh, hey honey can't you-"

"We're done for tonight"

Sasuke's calm words heaved a huge weight from Hinata's shoulders but outraged the two horny girls. After tons and tons of complain, they still got dressed and asked promises from Sasuke. He made none, much to their disappointment.

After that intimate sight she got of Sasuke she hadn't found the courage to face him just yet. She waited, heard every lustful word and every sound of clothes sliding against one another. It seemed endless, until she got bumped into the shoulder twice and hard enough for her to move away from her previous spot.

Hinata looked at the girl with shock written all over her face. One stopped.

"You think you're better than us because you're a Hyuga? Or because you're gonna marry in the Uchiha clan? With Itachi of all people" Akane sneered "it's amusing to see such a high eminence in such a party. I'll make sure to remember it"

"Is that a threat?" Hinata asked as calmly as possible.

"Threat? Are you afraid I'll spill the beans to Neji? Or your father... or maybe your fiancé?" the red-head pretended to think over it "do I have a reason to?"

"I-I just wanted to talk to Sasuke-Kun-"

"Or have him for yourself. Have fun with him. We certainly prepared him for you" Akane said as she moved away with her green-haired friend.

If Hinata ever replied, it'd have gotten unwanted attention. Maybe it was too late. Sai, now that Akane girl and her friend… she doubted about her presence. She was scared, scared enough to come back to her senses for the time being.

Was it her duty though? To bring some sense back into him? Could she? Sasuke has slipped through his friends' and family's fingers. He had pushed them away one by one -even her… so she wondered what she was doing there alone with him in that shadowy small room.

Yet when their eyes met, she entered the room and closed the door silently behind her.

"Did you hear that?"

Sasuke didn't answer. He just shrugged.

"They threatened us"

"No, just you"

"They'll badmouth you, and me and –and our families"

"It's not like I care. At worse, I'll get nasty eyes from both sides. Nothing new"

"Well, you should care. If not about your reputation or anything, at least for-"

"Not again"

"Yes"

"Did you go through all this pain and catfight to tell me about this old broken record?"

"Sasuke, this" she made a vague large gesture "this isn't normal."

"What's normal, eh?" Sasuke sat forward with both hands crossed between his thighs "having a fiancé at seven?"

Hinata breathed hard. She had to expect it though. He's always been blunt. Apparently it was getting worse over time.

"Why are you looking at me like I insulted you?"

"Why did you bring something personal into this discussion?"

"If I'm wrong that means you're right isn't it? That means everyone from the Uchiha clan is right isn't it?"

"This marriage is for the greater good"

"You're marrying a man you don't even love." Sasuke hissed, his eyes glinting under the moon. "you can't really judge me"

The guilt and shame stabbed right through her again.

"I li-love Itachi-san"

"Answer came too late. Try again"

"I-it still has nothing to do with anything. Look, at your life! You live in excess. That shows how much you aren't doing well. You're hiding your sadness behind alcohol and women."

He glared.

She moved forward until she was a foot away.

"You need help"

That was the last drop for him. Sasuke swiftly got up, scaring her in the process. She backed away but soon realized that for every step she took back, he moved at the same pace toward her.

His glare turned her back into a small kid that had no power against an adult –it burned its way through her skin. Soon enough, her whole body felt restless.

Unable to meet his gaze, her eyes slide to his lips. When fear clawed her back even more harshly, she lowered her gaze to his torso that dimly glowed under the moonlight.

A small voice begged her to get out of the room at that moment.

She resisted the voice.

When her back hit a wall, she closed her eyes…

"I need help?"

… And felt his breath fan her face as his frustration rolled away from his body to penetrate hers.

"Let's say I need help. So what? What has my so-called coping mechanisms to do with you? I've never questioned yours after all"

"Wh-what are y-you talking about?" she asked, but never met his eyes.

"You've stalked Naruto for three years. Daydreamed and obsessed over him. I knew you fantasized about that loser who was just like you but never gave up"

Hinata's head snapped up. She finally looked into his eyes. There's nothing inside them but anger. They were endless pool of darkness and scorn. That's what she as seeing; that's what his words made her feel.

"That's what you thought of me… That I was a loser…"

She remembered Sakura's words. The girl has been right –she knew it. She even wanted to laugh at her own expense but the noise was stuck in her throat. If anything tried to escape her, it'd turn into tears.

Sasuke was the last person on this earth she could cry in front of, not after this revelation.

"That's how you saw yourself"

"What about you? You didn't answer the question"

"You never asked"

"Was I a loser to you?" Hinata hissed. She couldn't scream. Not yet. Not tonight. Maybe never.

Maybe this was the end.

Sasuke removed his hand that trapped her against the wall and moved back.

"You weren't particularly strong… you could've trained. Instead, you kept following a boy who had the hots for someone else"

"All this time you were faking to be a friend. You could at least have the decency to come clean"

"Why? It's your life. It's your choice. Now it's my turn to have my fun, yet you wanna cockblock me. In the name of what?"

"You don't even care about your father? Your mother?"

"I do care. I'm a ninja. I've decided to sacrifice my life like our great ancestors. Should I sacrifice my personal life too?" Sasuke deadpanned "I ain't the virginal goat who gets to be sacrificed"

"Come clean for on-"

Sasuke put this time both hands at either side of her head. She was fully trapped, yet she wasn't looking away. There's an edge in her gaze her whole body was aware of. She knew she shouldn't look so straight into his eyes in such a small place, in such a dark room, in such a tensed state… it felt like a challenge. Hinata knew he liked challenges.

Or maybe it was something else? A lot of maybes and what-ifs swirled into her head, as much as did her anticipation and confusion. What had she expected when she walked upon his naked self? His closest friends couldn't help. His parents couldn't, neither did Itachi that he had adored so much until he reached twelve.

Maybe he was a lost cause?

Or maybe he wasn't?

Sasuke and Sakura seemed to be right.

"I'm not you. I wouldn't have sacrificed my freedom for shit. We're in a village. It's useless and silly to marry to create an alliance that already exists."

His friends weren't against it –Sakura thought he was just a playboy who couldn't settle down; Naruto thought Sasuke was just having fun. Kakashi-sensei thought that was the way to take advantage of good looks and youth. His father had let go long ago, and his mother simply wanted him to settle. His big brother didn't care as long as Sasuke was healthy.

Those were the most important people in his life. So, Hinata felt stupid and guilty. Apparently he didn't think high of her either. Apparently, he never had.

She lowered her head again.

What a sad conclusion, she thought.

"Did the cat get your tongue or what?"

"No… I… Are you happy? Is this what you've always wanted? To have that kind of freedom?"

"We're no kids anymore. Dreams barely have the right to exist in this new reality…"

"I'm sorry to have wasted your time. I'm sure you've got better things to do" Hinata whispered.

Her eyes were already wet. Time's running out; her tears were scraping the back of her eyes, begging for their freedom. Yet, his arms weren't moving away. Yet, she didn't push them away.

If she moved one inch too much, she'd break down.

"You've always been like this… so weak. You'd never say what you think… or when you felt hurt by someone's acts or words…" Sasuke whispered, his breath caressing her right ear "look at me"

Hinata bit her lips. She was going to break down. The feeling was overwhelming… so she fought. She pushed back; hit his chest with pathetic punches. Her fits landed over, and over, and over…

Until she broke down.

Until anger rose in her chest.

"What do you want? Eh, Sasuke-kun? I know I'm weak. I'm a pathetic loser! I can only be sacrificed to be useful! I've always been like this! Now let me go!"

She fought, hit and kicked. It went on and on. He had expected her to calm down but she didn't until he got tired. So, he flushed his body to hers, grabbed her hair, intertwined his fingers into her long midnight strands and turned her face toward his.

Hinata tried again, but her hits were rendered futile as that of a child. There wasn't much she could do.

"I'm sorry"

"You say what you thought about me"

"Yeah, but that's a closed chapter of your life. There's a difference between that eleven year old naïve idiot and this seventeenth joinin getting ready to get into anbu. So, don't play the victim" Sasuke said as he stared at her mouth.

"Maybe you should take some of your advice" Hinata whispered.

Sasuke's eyes moved back to her eyes, letting go of his vice-like grip in her hair "oh yeah?"

"I know why you do this, and… your friends love you. Your family does too… I love you too. So, why do you feel this… need to go around?"

"What if I know this? What if it's just for fun and you're wrong?"

Hinata chuckled "I've been in your shoes. Excess is a coping mechanism for you"

"Would you be happy if I get a girlfriend then?"

"I'll be happy when you try and reconnect with everyone around you…"

"I get it" Sasuke muttered.

He lowered his face until his lips landed on her jaw. Her whole body trembled from that contact alone. At that moment she knew she had waited for it for far too long.

Sasuke left another open kiss under her jaw, on her neck, on the valley of her breast… and he bit her shoulder lightly. He lifted her up until she sat on the table next them. It was high enough for them to kiss properly, with their bodies so close not even a hair could come in between.

When their lower parts met, both gasped. She felt it; she felt him hard and uncompromisingly ready. He wanted her just as she wanted him. The thought was enough for her to rub against his erection until he lost his cool and control.

"Maybe I should try to reconnect with you first"

[tekka-dan]

A Concept

Naruto is happily single, as the brand new Hokage of The Leaf Village. Playfully, he flirts with Sasuke in his free time as well as frequently strolls the village and greets the people, maintaining the peace between other villages successfully. He manages to abolish the shinobi solider system as well as brought up serious matters to address the Hyguga Clan Branch System. He lives in harmony with Kurama, carrying on the Uzumaki name.

Sakura happily marries Lee and together they give birth to a daughter and a son. Shortly after, Sakura opens an emergency medicine and medical clinic. Regularly, she lets visitors tour her hospital, honoring her Haruno Clan name, establishing their gift for chakra control and genjutsu release abilities. Lee assists with the elderly and disabled in the medical clinic, where Guy Sensei is admitted for the remainder of his life, accompanied by Kakashi frequently. In Rock Lee’s free time he does yoga with the elderly, with his children assisting.

Sasuke, although enthralled and flattered by Naruto’s attempts, happily marries Karin and together they settle outside the village of Konoha, rebuilding his clans city and reclaiming the Uchiha Crest. They raise two daughters and a son together. In their home, pictures of the Uchiha Clan are framed and hanging on the walls. Sasuke no longer harbors indescribable hatred for Konoha, but he has sworn to never return. Reluctantly, Naruto and Sakura accept this. Karin often visits Konoha to have girls day out with the Kunoichi.

Kakashi spends his spare time reading in a library he purchased and refurbished in the village of Konoha, his top selling books are all the editions of Jiraiya’s Tales along with The Tale of a Gutsy Ninja. Tsnuade visits with Shizune and TonTon, becoming regular customers. Decorated in his library are photos of his father Sakumo Hatake, Rin, Obito and Minato. Naruto often stops by to pay tribute to Minato and Obito. Kakashi no longer wears his mask, he visits Guy Sensei during his down time, reading to him as a means of torture.

Kurenai raises Mirai miraculously, retiring from her days as a Sensei. Kurenai and Mirai visit the burial site of Asuma every day, where she regularly runs into Hinata. She is often visited by Kakashi, Yamato and Guy Sensei, accompanied by Rock Lee. She ages beautifully.

Shino joins a research facility in Konoha, his family aiding in the cures to various diseases that his insects specialize in extracting. He delivers his medicine to Sakura for her usage in her medical clinic. He goes on to successfully help other villages with his research, finding cures for numerous diseases and counteractive measures for illnesses using his insects. With this persistence, he goes on to teach his findings to younger clan members who partake in his development.

Kiba travels between villages, hunting and gathering wild dogs with his clan, maintaining strong bonds with his comrades in the Leaf Village. He spares with Naruto frequently, enhancing his abilities and skills exquisitely. Joining the police force, he and Akamaru become veterans quickly. Eventually, he becomes leader of his squad, with his sister being second in command.

Hinata manages to abolish the Hyguga Branch System, doing away with the main and lower families, they come together as one. Her sister marries and she attends the wedding, holding Neji’s picture in her arms. She visits Kurenai regularly and looks after Mirai. She goes on to become a role model for Mirai.

Shikamaru goes on to marry Temari. She takes over the Nara clan name, they move back to the Sand Village, where they bring one son into the world together. Temari goes on to open a school to train upcoming shinobi in wind style techniques. Shikamaru becomes the behind the scenes man of finances for her school. Their son goes on to join the school, becoming an elite and world renowned wind style user.

Gaara marries a lovely woman from the sand village and together they give birth to three daughters and adopt one son. He remains Kazekage, abolishing the shinobi system of child soldiers. He also opens an orphanage, as well as builds a massive sand box for the children and the village. Gaara pays frequent condolences to his father’s burial site and brings flowers to his mother’s burial site, accompanied by Temari and Shikamaru.

Kankuro travels between cities performing puppet shows and teaching upcoming shinobi self defense techniques, using his puppets as dummies for them. When he has the time, he pays his respect to Saosori and Lady Chiyo’s burial sites. Mom and Dad puppets are retired, they are kept in Gaara’s orphanage, where children can sit in their laps, as means of comfort.

Ino opens a flower shop in Konoha where she regularly runs into Sai, who she eventually marries and has one son with. Together they incorporate an orphanage in her flower shop where Sai teaches the children how to draw while Ino helps them plant flowers across the village. Their son happily assists them, often drawing little pets that come to life for the children to play with while in the orphanage.

TenTen opens an artillery and weapons shop in the village. As business progresses, her inventions become steadily more modern; eventually leading her to creating the first automobile. She uses her newly built transportation to tour outside villages, selling her equipment. She works direct in line for the military, however with the nation being at peace, they find more use for them in other ways. Karui joins her shop, incorporating a class to teach swordsmanship as well as teaching kids to be blacksmiths.

Choji helps the old man from Ichirakuramen retire, taking over his business, where Naruto frequently visits. He meets Karui there, falling in love with her and bears one daughter. Karui moves to Konoha, where she joins TenTen’s weapons shop, incorporating a blacksmiths addition. Their daughter helps Choji in the restaurant, where she entertains customers and serves meals.

Naruto ends peacefully with everything resolved and ship wars aren’t created because everything else has closure. We say goodbye to our beloved team 7, as we wish them a well deserved farewell and thank you for the best times of our childhood.

[guardian-of-the-thunder]

Baby Girl: Chapter 4

When the three of them got inside the Uchiha compound, Sasuke decided to lead them to the east wing because it housed the modern sets of furniture compared to the rest of the compound.

Naruto and Sakura couldn't help but be amazed at the vastness of the Uchiha manor as they passed through several rooms and wide hallways. Sakura was especially awestricken at the beauty of the Uchiha garden ever since the manor was renovated.

"How do you even maintain all these?" Naruto asked while Sasuke merely smirked inwardly.

"The Shadow Clone Jutsu is not an exclusive technique for you Naruto, even I could use it." Sasuke stated.

Ever since his friends renovated the Uchiha manor, Sasuke made it to a point to maintain everything in order. He thought that it would be his way of repaying his friends for what they did. He let out an imperceptible smile.

The moment they reached the eastern wing, Sasuke lead them further to a wide staircase and brought them to their respective rooms. After Sasuke deposited Sakura's bag in her own room, they agreed to meet at the main wing once they've settled their things.

**********

Kakashi was about to leave his apartment when he was met by two Anbus on his way out. One was wearing a dog mask, the other, a bird.

"The Lady Hokage asked for you, Kakashi." The one with the dog mask said. The silver-haired shinobi only eyed them cautiously.

"Hmm, seems like she forgot something to say." Kakashi casually commented.

"If you're good to go, then let's head out." The other Anbu member commanded.

"Then by all means, lead the way." Kakashi said.

The moment Kakashi reached the huge double doors of the Hokage's office, he was ushered inside.

"These two here said you were looking for me, Hokage-sama." The Godaime simply looked at him and waved for the two Anbu members to leave. Both of them disappeared in an instant.

"Kakashi," Tsunade called. "We have to talk about Sakura's condition."

Kakashi's visible eye narrowed at the Hokage's words.

**********

"Where's Kakashi anyway, it's almost dinner time." Naruto complained. After setting his things on the room given to him by Sasuke, he went back to the main wing of the Uchiha compound and saw Sakura and Sasuke playing Shogi.

"Late of course." Sasuke muttered. "And we just ate a while back." The raven-haired ninja additionally pointed out.

"But that was a late lunch! We had that four hours ago, and now it's almost 7 pm. I'm hungry." Naruto slumped himself on the sofa which was near Sasuke and peered over the shogi board.

"Woah, Teme, you're losing. Your ass is being handed to you by a three-year-old." Naruto mocked.

"Shut up, loser." Sasuke said. "And what do you know about this game anyway?"

"I know enough. Iruka-sensei used to teach me this game, but it was too boring." Naruto commented.

"That's because you don't understand." Sakura finally spoke as she awaited Sasuke's next move.

"How do you even know this, Sakura? You're like, three!" Naruto asked, the little girl sighed beside him.

"For all those years that we've been teammates and you still don't have a single clue." Sakura stated.

"Huh? clue? About what?" the blonde ninja asked.

"About the fact that I'm a genius." Sakura exclaimed. "You and Sasuke may be good at combat but I'm great at analysis and strategy." The three-year old calmly stated.

Naruto scratched the back of his head and thought that if people were actually hearing their conversation, a lot would be amused about the tactless attitude of the little girl.

Sasuke shifted and moved a piece in the board.

"Shit!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Good thing your parents are not around to spank you in the butt, huh, Sakura?" Naruto teased. "For a three-year old, you have such a foul mouth."

"Well, that's because I'm losing, right after I said that I'm great at analysis and strategy.'' The little girl pouted.

"You've got an excuse to just send this board flying to the lawn if you really wanted to, you know? You're three." Naruto said, giving her a great idea. When suddenly, a piece from Sakura's side moved forward, startling both the blonde-haired ninja and the silent one.

"Check mate," an all too familiar voice said. It was Kakashi.

"Yes!" Sakura cheered, she raised both her hands in the air.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a minute. Since when did you get back, Kakashi?' Naruto asked his former sensei.

Kakashi stood from behind Sakura and deposited the two huge paper bags at the nearest table he could see.

"About the time when Sasuke made his move, I was studying Sakura's board from the sidelines."

"We didn't even see you anywhere!" Naruto stated, a shocked expression plastered on his face.

"You were preoccupied with the game, and you had your guards down. I mean, who would get so tensed inside the Uchiha mansion? Right? It's understandable." Kakashi simply stated.

"Are those groceries?" It was Sakura who broke Naruto and Kakashi's conversation.

"You bought groceries?" Sasuke asked, a little surprised at the fact that his former sensei, who couldn't pay for his own meals had brought groceries.

"What's inside? What's inside?!" Naruto jumped from the sofa to the table and dug inside the two bags. "Whoa! There are lots of food in here! and…" Sasuke watched as Naruto slowly pulled something rectangular out of the bag. "…diapers?"

"Diapers?!" Sakura asked, her eyes went considerably wide the moment Naruto revealed a huge pack containing dozens of diapers. "Sensei! Why did you buy me diapers?!" Sakura asked, annoyed.

Kakashi started scratching his cheek. A worried expression started to form on his face. "These didn't really come from me, they came from the Hokage." The silver-haired ninja stated calmly.

"Lady Tsunade?! No!" Sakura said, clearly exasperated at the fact that the Godaime bought her diapers.

"Well that explains the groceries. I thought for one second, Kakashi bought these with his own money." Naruto said.

"It's probably the end of the world if that happened." Sasuke added when the three of them heard soft sniffles. They turned to look at Sakura who was trying her best to contain her whimpers. Her lips were trembling and her eyes were filled with tears which threatened to drop like waterfalls. She was silent crying and it broke the three ninja's hearts. Even Sasuke's stoic heart felt like silent crying as well when he saw Sakura, but it was Kakashi who made the first move.

"Hey, hey." Kakashi lifted Sakura in his arms and whispered to her softly as he gently cradled her from side to side. "Shh, don't cry. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." The silver-haired shinobi rubbed Sakura's back, willing her to stop crying. "You know how the Hokage is, right, Sakura?" Kakashi willed Sakura to look at him. The little ninja nodded. "She'll smother me with her big boobies if I refused the diapers." Naruto let out a controlled smirk from the background while Sasuke just face-palmed and sighed.

"But wouldn't you like that, sensei?" Sakura asked, still containing her tears.

"Of course not!" Kakashi denied. "Her boobies look heavy! They'll immediately suffocate me if that happens." Sakura softly giggled, having been able to get the picture.

"Yeah it would." She said, now already smiling.

"That's better. Now, let's get to the kitchen and Sasuke will prepare delicious meals for us, okay?" Their former Sensei turned to look at the silent ninja and Sasuke couldn't do anything but to agree.

"Fine. Just let Naruto carry the bags." He said as the four of them simultaneously walked over the kitchen.

**********

"Wow! These look neat!" Naruto exclaimed, appreciating the different sets of dishes in front of him. They have tuna immersed in tomato sauce, broiled saury and miso soup.

"I didn't know you had the ability to appreciate food other than ramen, Naruto." Sasuke said.

After reprimanding Naruto numerous times to back off the kitchen after he seriously failed at chopping the tomatoes, Sasuke was able to come up with a pretty decent dinner for all of them.

Kakashi then placed the now smiling Sakura at the chair beside Naruto where the blonde-ninja placed several stacks of pillows for Sakura to sit on. He then took the seat beside Sasuke as the latter started distributing their bowls of rice.

The four ninjas ate in silence and was about to finish when Naruto suddenly farted. He grinned.

"Unbelievable." Sasuke muttered. "You're really disgusting, Naruto." Sasuke said.

"Well, I can't help it! It's a natural bodily function." Naruto explained, when they heard another fart, now softer. The three ninja's turned to look at where the sound came from and saw a crimson-faced Sakura. Her cheeks were puffed and the rims of her eyes and eyebrows were flushed, red.

"That doesn't look good." Naruto stated the obvious.

"Sakura?" Sasuke called cautiously, his eyes wary at the girl who was silently seated beside Naruto. The pink haired ninja swiftly turned to him, her eyes brimming with tears.

"I need to poop!" She shouted.

The three ninjas immediately scrambled on their feet when Sasuke snatched Sakura and brought her to the nearest bathroom, dropped her inside and closed the door.

The three of them let out their own shaky breaths when Sakura kicked the door open. Her face still in the brightest shade of crimson and stared angrily at the three ninjas.

"I can't reach the toilet!" She cried.

"Find a stool! Go and find a fucking stool!" Sasuke commanded to the other two who scrambled to look for one. Kakashi was able to come back with a wooden stool, merely seconds after Sakura demanded it. Sasuke immediately placed it on the foot of the toilet and closed the door. Together, the three ninjas slumped to the floor as they heard shuffling inside, and eventually, silence.

Several seconds passed when Naruto stood up and started pacing back and forth. He was followed by Kakashi who was ultimately followed by Sasuke. The three of them set fast paced steps in front of the bathroom door when Sakura's voice echoed inside the bathroom.

"Stop pacing back and forth! I can't concentrate!" The little girl yelled, to which the three of them stood frozen on where they were.

"I'm actually really nervous. She might get herself flushed down the toilet." Naruto whispered.

"Shut up! She might hear you, idiot!" Sasuke muttered.

"Who's going to wash her after she's done?" Kakashi asked. The three of them looked at one another, obviously not wanting to take the responsibility.

"Hey! I heard you!" Sakura once again yelled from the bathroom. "I'm not that dumb Naruto! I won't get myself flushed down the toilet, and I can perfectly wash myself, thank you!" Sakura bellowed.

Moments later, they heard the flushing of the toilet and the rustling of water. Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi visibly relaxed. Then they heard the stool being dragged inside the bathroom and the sound of the shower valve being twisted open.

Sasuke checked the clock. Several minutes had already passed and Sakura hasn't still come out of the bathroom.

"What's taking her so long?" Naruto asked.

"She's taking a bath." Kakashi said, he was already visibly engrossed on his Icha Icha Paradise the moment he heard the shower. When suddenly, all sounds stopped from inside the bathroom and more shuffling took place. Kakashi closed his book and brought it back to its pocket. Then Sakura called.

"You can open the door now!" She said.

Naruto looked at Sasuke who was closer to the door.

"Didn't she get to open it a while back?" Naruto whispered.

"Not really, I wasn't able to close it entirely that's why she was able to kick it." Sasuke said.

"Open it then." Naruto said. Sasuke nodded.

The three ninjas tensed and shifted in their places as Sasuke reached for the door knob and opened the bathroom door. Steam slowly clouded the room when Sasuke opened it, and at the bathroom floor stood a newly bathed Sakura. She was wrapped in white towels which visibly ate her small form.

"Okay Sakura, it's time to go and change." Sasuke said, but his command went unnoticed when Sakura started running past them. She slid herself past Naruto's legs and continued running around the house. The three ninjas were left stunned. Sasuke was the first one to snap back to reality.

"What are you doing, idiot? She just escaped!" He yelled at Naruto and started going after Sakura. Naruto and Kakashi followed.

"She shocked me, Teme!" Naruto yelled back.

"We were all shocked." Kakashi said.

"You can't catch me!" Sakura shouted, octaves of giggles followed her as she left droplets of water wherever she stepped. She went on the direction of the hallways going to the western wing of the Uchiha compound. The three ninjas followed.

Sasuke suddenly smacked Naruto at the back of his head as they pursued the little devil.

"Hey! What was that for?!" The blonde haired ninja complained.

"You fed her candy, didn't you?" Sasuke accused.

"Well…hehehe." Naruto only grinned at Sasuke.

"Oh, he fed her a lot when you weren't looking." Kakashi said, confirming Sasuke's notion.

"I told you not to feed her candy, now look at what you did!" Sasuke yelled at Naruto. "Unbelievable." He muttered. "Let's just catch the little beast." He commanded.

The three of them stood silent as they reached the western wing of the compound which served as storage house for numerous stuff. Each room held valuable Uchiha collection which were assembled and gathered all throughout the years. They listened to their surroundings. It was quiet, but Sasuke noticed that all the sliding doors have been opened.

"Sakura concealed her chakra." Kakashi stated.

"What?! A three-year-old can do that?" Naruto asked, amazed.

"Well, among the three of us, Sakura was always the best at chakra control." Sasuke commented.

When suddenly, they heard a low rumble, which sounded like an object rolling on the ground. Naruto squinted his eyes, when at the end of the hallway he saw a semi-giant ball rolling towards them.

"That's…that's kind of big for a bowling ball." Naruto said, turning to Sasuke who was now visibly irritated.

"No." Sasuke whispered. "That's a jade sphere which my parents purchased from a neighboring nation!" He yelled and moved forward to stop the ball from rolling further and kept it in one of the rooms.

"Close every door you pass through!" Sasuke commanded when suddenly, Kakashi's voice boomed over them. "There she is!"

Naruto and Sasuke saw a glimpse of Sakura's towel who just turned at another hallway.

"You can't escape from me now! Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto summoned four identical clones to pursue Sakura. But she just disappeared again.

"Where are you? Where are you?!" Naruto yelled. Sakura poked her head in the hallway, her body hidden in one of the rooms.

"I'm here!" she called, giggling to herself, and continued running down the hallways.

"We have to catch her soon or she'll catch a cold." Kakashi said. He brought a scroll out from his back pocket and did a familiar hand sign. "Ninja Hound Summoning Jutsu! Bull, go after Sakura." He commanded his largest ninken. It barked, and went after Sakura.

All of them abruptly stopped and watched the scene.

"We have to talk about something important later." Kakashi whispered. Naruto and Sasuke nodded as they looked at Sakura who also stopped and faced the incoming Bull.

"We got her now." Naruto said, grinning widely. But the moment Bull reached Sakura, the huge ninken bit the back of her towel which exposed her naked butt and carried her further. Sakura squealed with delight.

Naruto's blood spiked to his head and a shower of blood erupted out of his nose. His shadow clones all poofed in the air as the true chakra owner fainted.

"Bull!" Kakashi called, speechless at what his dog did.

"Ugh. This has to stop." Sasuke exclaimed. He activated his Mangekyo Sharingan and perceived where Bull would go next. Even before the dog could reach his destination, Sasuke raced past him to which the huge ninken bumped on his pant leg and poofed in the air. Sasuke crouched down and held Sakura firmly on the shoulders.

"Bed. Now." Sasuke commanded as he lifted Sakura up, wrapping the towel more securely around her.

"Well, someone's being stingy!" Sakura teased poking Sasuke's cheek with her small finger.

"And someone's being really difficult." Sasuke stated. He went past Kakashi who had Naruto on his shoulders.

"I'll send this one to bed." He called back.

"Take your time." Kakashi said.

When Sasuke reached Sakura's room, he placed her on the edge of the bed and dug for a shirt for her to wear. Sakura pointed at a light green shirt that caught her eye and waited for Sasuke while doing her flutter kicks.

"Stay still." Sasuke ordered when he returned and helped Sakura push her head out of the neckline of her shirt. Sasuke then lifted Sakura as he let her stand on the bed, her shirt going way past her toes.

"Stay there." He commanded again. Sakura only pursed her lips but stood still while Sasuke went to another drawer where Naruto placed the diapers and brought one out.

"I'm not going to wear that!" Sakura yelled at him when she saw the thing in Sasuke's hand. Her brows were furrowed and the little ninja stared angrily at Sasuke.

"You have no choice. This is your punishment." Sasuke stated in a matter of fact voice.

"But that's harsh!" Sakura complained.

"No it's not." Sasuke simply stated. "For every time you misbehave, you will have to wear your diapers."

"You're evil." Sakura muttered under her breath. Sasuke removed the towel from under her shirt and motioned for her to hold onto his shoulders for balance.

"Now, lift your leg." Despite Sakura's protests, she still complied and pushed her foot in one leg hole and the other on the next one.

"Don't you need to put powder on my butt?" Sakura asked sheepishly. Sasuke sighed and dug for the baby powder he packed in Sakura's bag a while back.

He turned Sakura so her back was onto him, lifted her shirt up and pulled at the waist adjustment of her diaper and puffed powder on her butt.

"There, happy?" Sasuke asked. "Now, sleep." He told Sakura as he started gathering her towels.

"But I'm not sleepy yet, Sasuke." The little ninja complained. Sasuke gave her a stern look which made Sakura prop herself on the bed and covered her body with a blanket.

"That wasn't difficult was it?" Sasuke asked teasingly.

"No." Sakura answered. "What's difficult is getting to sleep." She was already lying down but she had her small arms crossed over her chest. Her own sign of defiance.

"I want a story." Sakura demanded.

"Do you really want a story?" Sasuke asked. Sakura's eyes widened with amazement as she bobbed her head up and down, ruffling the back of her hair in the process.

"Fine." Sasuke left Sakura's towels on a nearby chair and went to sit on Sakura's bed. "Now, I want you to listen carefully Sakura, and look into my eyes." He commanded.

"Okay. Will it be a scary story?" Sakura said in her small voice and kept her eyes plastered on Sasuke's face. Sasuke then looked at Sakura's eyes and immediately activated his Mangekyo Sharingan which instantaneously sent the little girl to sleep.

Sasuke sighed as Sakura's breathing became steady. He brushed a strand of hair from her cheek and slowly got up. He once again took the towels and hung them on the balcony of her bedroom. He walked out silently, leaving a small space on the door so that light would seep through. Sasuke then went downstairs to meet with his other teammates because Kakashi said that they had something important to talk about. Something important about Sakura.

 ----------

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16095212/chapters/37591655

[kuriquinn]

An Inch of Gold [10/?]

General Disclaimer

This chapter has been beta-read by: Sakura’s Unicorn

"Anyhow," Pakkun turns his attention to Kakashi. "Lady Tsunade is doing as you suggested. She sent out whatever squads were in Konoha to surround the bubble. They're keeping tabs on how fast it's growing and making sure no one else goes inside or comes out."

"Good," Kakashi says. "Since it's a gateway to another time, we don't want more people crossing over than we already have. When you go back, make sure you tell them that. I'm sure ANBU will need to be called in to ensure any of the nukanin they've been tracking in the area don't stumble in."

"What are you going to do?"

"We've immobilised the person we think is responsible—or at least someone who has been using the situation to his advantage. It's all just a matter of dealing with him."

"No offence, boss, but you look like you can barely sit up, forget dealing with a potential enemy. Time's an issue—I can summon you back home, Lady Tsunade can heal you, and there would be others around to help you out with the interrogation."

"No. We can't be sure if this person is from this time or our time," Kakashi replies. "We can't remove him until then. Even if we did, there would be no way to bring him back. Once I'm outside the bubble, you won't be able to travel back here."

"Can you reverse-summon Lady Tsunade?" Sakura suggests. "She can heal Kakashi and Sarada."

"No," Pakkun replies. "The only reason I can get here is because I'm tied to Kakashi. If I tried to bring anyone else along, we might get lost. It might be rare, but time-travel complicates things."

"So, we need to find someone in the Konoha of Sarada's time," Naruto realises.

"Lor—uh, Kakashi-sensei, you—well, future-you and my father would probably know more about how to deal with this," Sarada says, side-eying Sasuke warily as she speaks. "We only need to get a message to them and they'll be here in no time."

"I can summon a toad!" Naruto volunteers.

"Didn't you hear what we just said, idiot?" Sasuke snaps. "Your contract is tied to your time. That won't do us any good."

"And it'd probably be that tiny, gross baby toad, too," Sakura adds with a shudder. "We need someone who can summon things from this time."

"I could do it," Sarada says. "I don't have a contract with any summons, but I'm from this time. Once I get some of my strength back, I can try."

"You don't have a contract scroll," Sasuke points out.

"No, but thanks to my mother, I've always gotten along with Lady Katsuyu. So, at worst, I'd end up in Shikkotsu Forest for a bit."

"Who?" Sakura whispers to Naruto.

"Giant slug," he replies, and an expression of disgusted horror overtakes her features.

Sarada looks at her in amusement. "Lady Katsuyu could heal me and Kakashi-sensei."

"There's too high a probability that something might go wrong," Kakashi dismisses. "You're still weakened, for one. And it's not likely that a genin will be able to summon a creature as powerful as Lady Katsuyu the first time. There's no time for trial and error."

Unfortunately, he's right; as time moves differently in the places where most summoning animals come from, she might accidentally end up there for days or weeks. They need someone from this time who already.

After a beat, her eyes brighten with an idea. "Konohamaru-sensei."

"Huh?" Everyone watches her in confusion.

"Konohamaru-sensei can summon toads! I've seen him do it," she remembers.

Kakashi raises an eyebrow. “That’s interesting. The Sarutobi clan usually favour monkeys from King Enma’s court.” He frowns in thought, then shakes his head. “But that’s still complicated by the fact that we have no idea where he or the rest of your team are."

"Or if they're even alive," Sasuke reminds her.

"I don't care if you are my father, if you keep saying that, I'm going to punch you," Sarada informs him with false civility.

Naruto guffaws while Sasuke scowls at her.

Pakkun blinks, looking from Sarada to Sasuke, raising an eyebrow. "Well, that's not complicated at all."

"We're having a bit of a day," Kakashi admits.

"I'm getting that." The dog considers Sarada. "It's funny, you don't smell as much like him as I'd expect. You smell more like—"

"Time for you to go, Pakkun," Kakashi interrupts. "Keep me notified if anything major changes."

"Right, boss."

The dog disappears again, leaving Sarada and Team 7 alone in the dimness.

"So…" Sakura breaks the silence, sounding uncertain. "Underground river, right?"

It turns out that there’re more to having a plan than simply getting up and following Sasuke. Everyone’s still a little on edge, and Kakashi, although able to stand now, does so on wobbly legs. With their strongest member severely weakened, the squad can’t afford to have anyone else occupied with helping him walk.

“We could summon that big dog of yours,” Naruto points out. “The huge one.”

“Were you not just listening when we spoke about how hard it is to summon here?” Sakura demands.

“Well, we wouldn’t be sending him back and forth or asking him to take back anyone,” Naruto protests. “If we’re quick about it, maybe we can manage before summonings become too impossible!”

“No. I already suggested it,” Sarada says. “Lor—Kakashi-sensei’s too weak right now, both in terms of physical strength and chakra reserves.” 

“Well, he doesn’t have to be the one to do it. We just need his blood, don’t we?” Everyone stares at him. “What? It’s true! I saw Kabuto do it once with Orochimaru, back when me and Pervy Sage went to get Granny Tsunade.”

“That’s…not a bad idea,” Sakura says, sounding surprised and admiring at the same time.

Naruto beams the way he usually does when Sakura notices he’s done something great. He might never have a chance with her, but it’s still nice to be acknowledged by his friends. Even if the other one responds not with praise, but with a scowl.

“That wouldn’t work unless the person using his blood has excellent chakra control,” Sasuke points out. “Which means you’re out.”

“Shut up! You’re not much better than me, asshole. Remember who learned to climb trees first!”

“It wasn’t you. And how many times would you’ve become paste on the ground if I hadn’t saved your worthless hide?”

“Not so worthless! Turns out, I’ve got as impressive a family as you do!”

“I don’t care if you are the Fourth Hokage’s son, you’re still a dead-last loser!”

“Say that again! I dare you!”

“Both of you, shut up,” Sarada cuts them off, the sharpness of her tone oddly reminiscent of Sakura. “I can do it. My chakra control is on point.”

“You’ve been pushing yourself all day—and you’re still healing from a major injury,” Kakashi reminds her. Sarada’s face flickers with pain, as though she’d completely forgotten about her injury and had just been forcibly reminded of it. “The only one with the right kind of control to attempt that right now would be Sakura.”

Sakura’s eyes bulge, and she wonders if she’s heard correctly. “M-me?” Her voice comes out cracked, and she swallows. “No way! I’m not strong enough to do a summoning! I don’t have enough chakra, or—”

“You’ll be fine,” Sarada tells her, inexplicably confident.

“You don’t know that,” Sakura protests. “For all I know, you just met me today!”

Sarada looks like she wants to say something to that, but abruptly changes her mind and instead replies, “I trust Kakashi-sensei’s judgement.”

“There’s a sentence that inspires terror,” Sasuke murmurs under his breath.

“Are you sure that’s really smart?” Sakura questions.

“Maybe she was dropped on the head as a baby,” Naruto wonders.

“You all know I can hear you, right?” Kakashi points out dryly although his students ignore him.

“I’d trust him with my life,” Sarada insists. “And my parents have always respected his judgement, too.”

Naruto snorts and grins at Sasuke. “You were saying?”

Despite his earlier remark, this information doesn’t surprise Sasuke. He might not say it out loud, but he respects his teacher more than anyone else in Konoha. All the other adults look at him with pity because of what happened to his family. Beyond that, there’s always an odd air of distrust that’s been there since as far back as he can remember. As for his peers (with the recent exception of his teammates), he has no use for them.

Ever since the day he passed the team, Kakashi has spoken to Sasuke as if he were an adult. More than that, he’s taken an interest in teaching him jutsu to strengthen him. Out of all of his teachers since the massacre, Kakashi has done the most to help him get closer to his revenge.

And, of course, there’s the fact that he’s the famed Copy Ninja. It’s hard not to respect a shinobi of such ability—which is probably why Sarada’s mother feels the same.

Whoever she is.

“… he always treated me like one of his own kids, so—”

“Kakashi-sensei has kids?!” Naruto demands, cutting off Sarada.

Her face takes on the deer-in-the-headlights look everyone associates with her accidentally revealing more than she should. “I-I didn’t say that. I meant, you know, if. If he had his own kids, he’d treat me like one of them. In the future.”

“Would that even be legal?” Sasuke wonders.

“Wait a minute, is this that girlfriend you were pretending to have?” Naruto guffaws.

“Kakashi-sensei has a girlfriend?” Sakura gasps.

Kakashi chooses this moment to speak up. “Sarada, this is the thing we talked about not doing, remember?”

“Right. Shutting up now.”

Except that doesn’t stop his mind from busily racing away, trying to parse the implications of potential kids.

Kids.

Not a kid, but several. Multiple tiny versions of him and—

And whoever is unwise enough to have children with him. Because really, what kind of crazy person has the patience (or insanity) to put up with him? Forget that—who would he ever get close enough with to even consider having children? He’s not even sure he deserves kids, even if he wanted any because he’s never really wanted to have—

Now is not the time to get distracted¸ he chastises himself.

“Sarada, whatever your relationship with us is in the future, right now, we can’t afford you treating us like friends or family members. For however long this mission lasts, or at least until we get back to your team, these are your comrades and I am your commander in the field. You do whatever I tell you, without question, and don’t let your feelings get in the way.”

“Right.”

“There’s a reason that family members are not meant to be on the same squad.”

Sasuke isn’t sure if it counts, considering they haven’t become family yet. He knows if he says anything about that, though, he’ll have his teammates emoting all over him, so he decides it’s best not to point it out.

“Okay.”

“I mean it, Sarada. I’m not your friend or whatever you consider me to be. Right now, I’m your superior.”

“Yes, sir, Lord Sixth.”

Everyone stares.

Sarada realises what she just said and resists the urge to smack herself in the forehead. “Can we…pretend that’s just from the overwhelming pain in my arm?”

“Good idea,” Kakashi says tightly, a vein near his temple twitching.

“Lord Sixth?!” Naruto sputters.

“Not now, Naruto.” There’s iron in their teacher’s tone, and everyone sobers. “Our focus has to be on the mission. And if we’re going to go with your idea, we need Sakura.”

She bites her lip, uncertain.

“Uh…right,” Naruto says. With effort, he tries to get his brain to stop blaring the words ‘Kakashi’ and ‘Hokage’ at him. He shoots Sakura a tense smile. “You’re totally strong enough to do this, Sakura. I mean, even Sasuke thinks so—”

The aforementioned squad member folds his arms in front of him but doesn’t refute the statement.

“—and if you need chakra, I can lend you some of mine. I’ve got lots!”

“You don’t even know how,” Sasuke reminds him.

“So? I’ll figure it out!”

“Naruto, your chakra is…unpredictable,” Kakashi reminds him, though that’s not exactly the word he wants to use. “And your control isn’t at the level you’d need to be entirely successful. We need a perfect mix of control and power, especially given the time differential we’re working with.”

Naruto pouts, the demon fox sniggering in his head; just because they have a point doesn’t mean he has to like it.

“Sasuke, on the other hand—while your control is less refined than Sakura’s, if I talk you through the process, you should be fine.”

Sasuke bristles at being referred to as second best, but he also looks at Sakura for the first time since he returned from his walkabout. He has to remind himself that Sarada never gave him a straight answer; there’s no point in acting as if Sakura is walking around with an expiration date—one he may or may not be responsible for.

She’s alive right now which is the important thing. If Sarada ever reveals different…

Well, he’ll deal with it somehow. He doesn’t know how, but it’s all he has right now.

He considers his teammate, who fidgets a little under his scrutiny then squares her shoulders in determination. There’s a tiny wrinkle in her brow, one he’s come to associate with resolve in the face of a new challenge.

“Okay,” she finally says and Sasuke finds himself nodding as well.

Kakashi draws his scroll out and tells them to face each other before once more biting into his finger enough to draw blood. After tracing the name of the summons on the parchment, he reaches for Sakura’s hand and presses it flat against the contract. Her palm presses into the blood causing small trails that haven’t been absorbed by the paper to seep between her fingers.

“Picture who we’re calling for, and keep his image in your mind,” he informs her. “You have to keep track of several factors when summoning—the size of your target, the reason you’re calling upon them—things like that. Then adjust the amount of chakra you draw in to the blood seal.” He gestures for Sasuke to place his hand over Sakura’s. “You will provide that chakra, but Sakura will channel it through the blood and into the contract. To do that properly, I need you both completely in sync.”

There’s a brief hesitation, but then Sasuke leans forward and covers Sakura’s hand with his.

The effect is immediate.

Sakura feels the blood rush to her face and any thought of what she’s supposed to be summoning is promptly replaced by the most irrelevant thoughts.

Sasuke’s hand on mine! That’s never happened before, not really. It’s almost like we’re holding hands, only we aren’t. Oh…oh, his palms are calloused! Why didn’t I ever imagine that? And…his hand is bigger than mine, it almost completely covers—

“Sakura?” Kakashi prompts, cutting off her moment of hyperventilation with the raising of an eyebrow.

“I’m fine,” she squeaks, mentally chiding herself to focus. There’s no point in getting excited—it’s all a moot point now anyhow.

“Hey, asshole. You’d better not take advantage of this,” Naruto grumps and then curses when Sarada steps on his foot.

“Would you be quiet? They have to concentrate.”

“I’m just sayin’.”

“Naruto.” There’s warning in Kakashi’s voice.

“Jeez, sorry…”

In the meantime, Sakura takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, forcing herself to focus—on everything else but the warm hand over hers. She’s only recently trained herself to sense the chakra of others—at least to the extent that any non-sensor type can. And that’s only because it seemed like the next logical step after considering her excellent chakra control.

It’s easy to pick out Sasuke’s chakra, even if she wasn’t touching him.

It’s strong and a little astonishing, but familiar to her in the same way Naruto’s and Kakashi’s are. With Sasuke, though, she feels other things—ominous power, but a sense of protectiveness. And beyond that—a dark something is curled there, deep inside, muted. It’s almost as if it’s been walled off, and though she’s not trying to touch it, her senses reach too deep and she recoils.

Her eyes shoot open, a cold, twisted nausea hitting her at the same time that Sasuke pulls back like he’s been burned.

“Sasuke?” Kakashi prompts.

“It’s nothing,” he grunts, and Sakura clears her throat, adding, “I’m fine.”

With only minor hesitation, she puts her hand back down in the blood and waits for Sasuke to do the same.

It’s the curse-seal, she knows. That’s where that terrible sensation comes from. She knows this because it’s the same one she experienced when Orochimaru trapped her and Sasuke with his killing intent, forcing them to experience their deaths. That ugly, disgusting chakra hidden within Sasuke, crouching like some kind of gremlin, is his and doesn’t belong.

Sakura grits her teeth.

She’s even more determined now.

Maybe if they get out of here sooner, they can question the teleporter that Kakashi trapped. If they find out more about the curse seal he has, perhaps they can find out enough to help get rid of the one branding Sasuke.

Which means she needs to focus.

Sakura’s chakra control has always been based on visualisation, and so, that’s what she relies on now. She imagines her chakra as if it’s a key: an incomplete, broken key that’s not quite sculpted properly to fit the door represented by the summoning scroll. Sasuke’s chakra is there, close enough for her to reach out and draw it to her. She pulls little slivers of it to herself and shapes it into the spots which are lacking on her key. She fits it into the cracks and grooves, pressing the tumblers on the metaphysical lock.

Throughout all of this, she has to be careful. If she opens herself to it too much, Sasuke’s chakra will overwhelm her. It already feels too hot—fire and lighting searing her skin where he touches her. But if she just opens up a little, like the floodgates on a dam, that’ll be fine. It’s just a matter of being careful and keeping in mind the creature they want to bring to them and—

There!

With a final pulse of both their chakra moving in tandem, the scroll bursts with light. Sakura and Sasuke quickly move out of the way, and a puff of smoke later, the space between them is occupied.

A large, hulking bulldog dressed in ninja gear sits there, frowning.

Of course, that could just be his usual expression.

“Boss?” he directs at Kakashi.

Sakura laughs out loud in genuine pleasure.

“We did it!” she cries. She experiences a peculiar wave of exhaustion, but it’s not enough to tamp down her sense of accomplishment. They actually succeeded in summoning an animal together! It’s an advanced technique that only Naruto has managed to date. It might not be a giant toad, but Sakura can’t help but think she’s moved up a level in her ninja training.

She beams at Sasuke, who looks as if he expected nothing less. There might actually be a hint of a smile on his face (and she refuses to believe that it’s just the shadows cast by the glow stick).

Their eyes meet.

For a second, she pretends that they share the look. The one he’s given Naruto many times in the past. The one somewhere between acknowledgement and grudging respect.

It almost feels better than the memory of his hand on hers.  

“My summons are still better,” Naruto grumbles, and it’s as if he’s released a genjutsu.

Reality intrudes once more. Sasuke’s expression hardens, and he looks away. Sakura fights back a painful twinge in her heart, but does that same. Only to notice Sarada looking between her and Sasuke with an expression on her face that Sakura interprets as reproach.

Right, that’s exactly what she needs—to be judged by Sasuke’s daughter because of her overly obvious crush.

“Bull, I hate to ask,” Kakashi says, voice rising above her inner turmoil, “but we’re in a pinch…”

ナルト

Once Kakashi is draped over Bull’s impressive bulk, discussion turns to their next move.

“The place I found is this way,” Sasuke says, already turning to lead the ragtag group off into the unknown.

“Hey, hold on! Wait!” Naruto interrupts. “We have a dog now. Can’t we just smell our way out? You know, in case your way leads us to a dead-end or another monster-filled lab or something?”

Bull rolls one lazy eye at Naruto as if to protest having his importance limited to sniffer-dog. Sarada knows he won’t say anything though. Out of all of Uncle Kakashi’s summons, he’s the most reticent and doesn’t bother with sentences when a single word would do. Still, he makes his response plain by trudging off toward the tunnel Sasuke pointed out earlier.

“You smell something, Bull?” Kakashi questions.

The dog nods.

“Is it more half-dead bodies and rotting monsters?” Naruto adds. “Because we did that before and it didn’t really turn out all that fun for us.”

Bull snorts, almost in derision. “People.” He grunts. “Alive.”

“Oh, that’s a relief,” Sakura sighs.

“Blood,” Bull finishes.

“…That’s less of a relief.”

“No, wait. That’s good news,” Sarada interrupts. “Sort of. Mitsuki and Konohamaru-sensei were hurt, remember? Maybe that’s what he’s smelling! They’re alive!”

“Or it’s some unlucky hikers who fell down a hole in the forest and ended up wandering down here, lost,” Sakura points out.

“Well, we can’t be sure until we look, can we?”

“No point in arguing about it,” Kakashi cuts them both off. “If both Sasuke and Bull agree that this is the most likely path, we follow. So, stay sharp, and follow Sasuke.”

The surly teen doesn’t react beyond doing as he’s told. Everyone else follows, and soon, they’ve fallen into another defensive formation. Naruto, now over his momentary protest, wanders beside Sasuke, as if refusing to be led by his friend and rival. Sarada trails a bit behind them, keeping an eye open for possible ambushes (because, based on what she’s seen so far, she wouldn’t be surprised).

She wonders if Mama—Sakura—grabbed more than replenishment pills from the laboratory because her arm still stings like it’s filled with a million fire ants.  She wants to ask, but the pink-haired girl doesn’t seem very comfortable right now. Sarada suspects it’s a few things, not least of which is Sarada’s identity, and she has to stop herself from comforting her. Mama would welcome it, but this young Sakura would probably get defensive. Also, her body is so tense right now, Sarada suspects any sudden surprises might lead to her throwing punches. Sakura might not have super-strength at this juncture in her life, but she can still do damage.

The tunnels continue to wind, splitting into several new branches. Sarada marvels that Sasuke got so far on his own so quickly before—and even remembered the way back. The marvel is somewhat diminished, however, by the overwhelming eeriness of the channels themselves.

After hours without seeing sunlight and being forced to breathe the dank underground air, Sarada is jittery. Every shadow seems like an enemy, and every sound, the portent of attack. One moment, all she can detect are the regular echoes of their party’s footsteps, the next, it’s a distant dripping sound. Occasionally, she imagines she can hear scraping or digging. Just as she tells herself it’s only the sound of earth shifting, more noticeable to her now because they’re all underground, it changes again. She imagines breathing or panting and can’t fight down the temptation to look behind their little group to make sure nothing’s followed them.

Hers isn’t the only unease because, after several minutes, Naruto decides he’s had enough of the silence.

“It’s not fair,” he complains—his voice, unnaturally loud in the tunnel, causing everyone to jump in surprise. “Why is he gonna be the next Hokage? He doesn’t even want to be!”

Sakura mutters quietly behind Sarada. “It figures he wouldn’t be able to let it go for long…”

“And what kind of moron chooses a porn-reading, always-late, mask-wearing weirdo to be Hokage, anyway? Hey! Wait a minute!” He lowers his voice conspiratorially although it’s still loud enough to be perceived. “If Kakashi-sensei becomes Hokage, they have to put his face up on Hokage Rock, right? They can’t do that if he’s wearing that mask!” He nudges Sasuke, ignoring the savage elbowing he receives in return. “We’ll finally be able to see it.”

“No, you won’t,” Sarada points out, unable to help herself. She justifies it because it’s not exactly something that will cause time and space to collapse. “The rock sculpture has a mask, too.”

Naruto groans, shoulders slumping. “Are you kidding me?!”

“Sorry.”

“No way…that’s just…that’s not right. So no one in the entire village knows what their Hokage looks like? What if it’s some weirdo, like Orochimaru, in disguise? How can you even tell it’s Kakashi-sensei?”

“There’re people who’ve seen him. Even I’ve seen him without his—”

“What?! How?” Naruto whirls around, gaping. “How’d you manage it?”

“Well…when I was little, he used to play inai-inai-baa with me. And he showed it to all of my Academy class at our graduation exam, sort of. It wasn’t really a big thing.”

“Are you kidding?! This is a huge deal!  Tell us what’s under the mask! It’s a matter of…of village security!”

Sarada giggles because, right now, his earnest determination and utter exaggeration remind her so much of Boruto. The sound seems to startle Naruto and Sasuke because they both turn around and stare at her.

“What?” she asks.

Sasuke quickly turns around without answering her, but Naruto replies, “It’s only...I didn’t think Uchihas could laugh. It’s kind of scary.”

Sasuke clenches his fist.

“Hey!” Sarada protests, unable to stop herself from putting her hands on her hips…before remembering why that’s a terrible idea. She sucks in a pained breath.

Naruto is by her side. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“She shattered the bones in her arm, and you’re asking what’s wrong?” Sasuke mutters under his breath. “Idiot.”

“It’s called being considerate, Sasuke. You’d think you’d be able to at least fake that, seeing as how she’s your future daughter.”

Sasuke doesn’t have a response to that and returns to his sulking, slouching walk.

“Speaking of future kids,” Naruto continues, a smug note in his voice. “Do I have any? Or do I get to be a super popular ladies’ man with dozens of girlfriends, living the bachelor lifestyle?”

He pretends to flex his muscles.

“I can’t tell you that,” Sarada reminds him.

“Ah, come on! A hint?” he cajoles, he lowers his voice even further to his version of a whisper. “Come on. Kakashi-sensei isn’t even paying attention!” It’s true, when Sarada checks—it seems like he’s drifted off against the very large dog’s head. “I just wanna find out if I’m going to be super different!”

“Not really,” Sarada says, her lips twitching a bit. “You’re still the same kind-hearted person in both times. My father and you are still friends and rivals. You respect each other.”

“That doesn’t sound like me,” Naruto says while Sasuke mutters, “Like that would ever happen.”

They share a glare.

“You still do that, too.”

“I guess telling me if I get to be Hokage is pushing it, huh? Since you already let the cat out of the bag about Kakashi-sensei.”

“Just a bit.”

Naruto gives an exaggerated sigh. “Fine. I guess I’m just not meant to find out. But—” He jabs a finger at Sasuke. “If this guy’s dreams can come true, I know I can make mine come true, too! I will be Hokage after Kakashi-sensei!”

“Shout it a little louder, idiot. I bet they didn’t hear you in Suna,” Sasuke grumbles.

“And more important than that, I’m gonna be the best uncle ever and make sure you turn out normal. With a father like Sasuke, I’m amazed you’re not emotionally stunted. I mean, he hasn’t even apologised yet.”

“For what?” Sasuke demands.

“Sakura’s feelings are hurt. And it’s your fault. Again.”

Sarada turns slightly to see Sakura staring resolutely at her feet, pretending not to listen to the argument. Based on the clench of her fists and the flush of her cheeks, the reality is obviously different. She opens her mouth to tell the guys to knock it off, that this definitely isn’t the place for such a spat, but Sasuke speaks before she can.

“What the hell do you mean, again? When have I—” he cuts off his furious, hissing retort and exhales through his nose. “Even if I had anything to apologise for—which I don’t—what would be the point if it’s something I haven’t even done?”

“Yet.”

“Ye— Shut up. You have no idea what this is like.”

“Finding out secrets about your life, learning about family members you never realised you had, getting angry at people who don’t deserve the blame…” Naruto pretends to tick things off on his fingers. “Oh, of course not. I have no idea what that’s like.”

Sarada raises her eyebrows at that because sarcasm is usually her father’s weapon of choice. She’s never known her uncle use it. Of course, she’s never heard him—or eavesdropped on him—having a serious conversation with her father, either.

“It’s different,” Sasuke maintains.

“No, it’s not,” Naruto argues. “And that’s another thing! You’re making a huge deal about all this, like it’s the worst thing in the world you could find out—that you have a family. That one day, you’re going to have a kid and a wife and achieve your dreams and—”

“That’s all you see, isn’t it?” Sasuke demands, seemingly forgetting his earlier attempts to keep his voice down.

Everyone comes to a stop.

“That’s all you see! It’s all just a matter of hard work for you! A game, a competition! And you can ‘only ever go up from here,’ right? Well, that’s not how it works!”

Kakashi rouses. “Boys now isn’t the time—”

“Is that what you think?” Naruto demands, cutting off his teacher’s warning. Something flashes across his blue eyes that looks equal parts livid and hurt.

“You only ever see what’s right in front of you! You haven’t even thought to ask what the price is, have you?!” Sasuke continues. Sarada suspects she’s the only one close enough to notice his gaze flit toward Sakura and back.

So, that’s what he’s been brooding about. He’s still trying to figure out if Sakura is the person he will kill to get his Mangekyō Sharingan. Sarada is sick at the thought.

“What price? What are you talking about?” Naruto demands.

“Underneath the underneath,” Sasuke sneers. “You never learned that, no matter how much Kakashi tries to teach you. Face it, you’re not cut out for this life. It’s a life of blood and sacrifice and it’s not simply about hard work and believing in yourself. One day, you’ll learn that and, when you do, I hope I’m there to—”

WHUMP!

Sasuke reels backward, clutching his jaw. A bruising heat blossoms over the knuckles of Sarada’s left hand. She knows the only reason she landed the blow was because her father was expecting it to come from Naruto.

“You need to shut up!” she orders him. “The things you’re saying about the people who care about you—in what world do you have the right to treat people that way?”

Naruto is shocked, but still attempts to speak to her. “Sarada—”

“No!” she moves, physically putting distance between herself and the boys. “I’m tired of you taking out your anger on everyone else. Whatever’s bothering you, lashing out at the people who care about you will not fix it.”

Sasuke’s eyes narrow at her, glinting red in anger. “You understand nothing.”

“You’re right, I don’t,” she retorts, her own Sharingan rising to the surface. “All I ever wanted was to get to know you more—to find out what you were like when you were my age because you never talk about it! But you know what? I totally get it now. There’s a reason you don’t talk about when you were a kid because you’re a jerk! I can’t even figure out why my mother fell in love with you or why Naruto cares about you so much! You treat everyone like they’re stepping stones!” She jabs a finger in Naruto’s direction. “At least, he never stops being a completely genuine person! You? You are a disappointment!”

He turns to face her more fully, his stance reminiscent of someone expecting a second punch.

“You can’t say that to him!” Sakura cries and Sarada hears her stepping forward. “You don’t understand!”

“Why are you defending him?” Sarada challenges, fury turning briefly on this useless girl. She’s angry at her, too, mostly for not having become the mother she knows. “He treats you worst of all!”

“You…you can’t…He doesn’t—”

Sarada isn’t in the mood for her young, besotted mother’s attempts at defence. She continues to face Sasuke, willing him to understand she means everything she’s saying. “I don’t know what happens in the future to change it, but I hope it happens fast because you need a serious attitude adjustment! Shanna…eeeesh!”

She barely catches herself in time.

Or so she thinks.

Sasuke inhales sharply.

Naruto and Sakura have reflexively turned to Sasuke, expecting him to lash out or yell or do something. Even Kakashi has dragged himself into a more alert position, waiting to break up a fight.

No altercation arises, however. Instead, red eyes flit across Sarada’s face, searching for something. They linger on her forehead then dart beyond her for a second. It’s only for a second—a heartbeat—but it’s long enough for Sarada to notice. She knows the only thing—the only person—behind her is Sakura.

Sasuke’s eyes return to Sarada’s face, and she watches them flicker back to unfathomable black. The rest of his face smooths out into that familiar mask of blankness. Does she imagine it or have his shoulders relaxed a bit?

Before anyone can figure out what just happened, he abruptly turns on his heel and stalks down the tunnel.

Sarada is panting in still-simmering anger, although it’s quickly being replaced by confusion and a small note of panic. Sasuke continues to retreat—not fast enough for him to be stalking off, but the dismissal is clear. And given what she’s pretty sure he’s finally figured out, it makes no sense to her.

Everyone else seems wrong-footed as well, judging by the expressions on their faces. Even Kakashi looks like he’s trying to parse his student’s behaviour.

As usual, Naruto is the one to break the confusing and awkward silence. “You just punched your dad,” Naruto remarks with forced levity. “Better hope he doesn’t remember any of this, or you’re totally grounded.”

Sarada doesn’t bother telling him it’s the least of her problems.

つづく

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[mishamoonberry]

A Change in Attitude

ERASING IMPOSSIBILITY CHAPTER 17 - AO3 / FFN

This chapter doesn’t have Oro-chan-san angst just yet, haha, I think it will appear soon in later chapters.

Thank you so much for your support!

Enjoy reading!!

17 days after Team Minato’s bell test

“Ugh,” is Obito’s eloquent reply to Minato-sensei’s announcement this morning after our daily warm-ups. The boy’s shoulders are sagging, his expression conveying exactly what he thinks about Minato-sensei’s words. “Minato-sensei, why must we take that mission? Another kind of D-rank is better than this!”

“Idiot,” Kakashi rolls his eyes, crossing his arms together as he stares at Obito rather distastefully. “You can’t choose every mission by yourself, idiot. You do what you’re given.” Though judging from his grimace when Minato-sensei announced it, he’s not particularly happy about the mission either.

Obito rolls his eyes in return, his expression somehow mirroring Shikako’s usual ‘I-am-so-done-with-everything-right-now’ expression, in which it’s a clear indication that he’s spent too much time around the Nara. “Yeah,” Obito stresses out, sounding a bit sarcastic, “but they’re D-ranks. Lots of civilians order D-ranks, so there are plenty we can choose from!”

“There’s nothing wrong with catching the cat, Obitobi-kun,” I decide to butt in, chirping happily. My hands are clasped around each other behind my back, and I have to restrain a cackle when Obito sends me a totally betrayed look.

“That’s because the cat likes you, Rin-chan,” he almost whines, his arms flailing about, “the demon almost destroyed my goggles the last time around!”

“I hope it gets destroyed today,” comes Kakashi’s soft mutter from beside me, and I have to elbow him in the stomach lest he says it aloud, making him grunt in a mix of surprise and irritation. Thankfully, it seems like Obito didn’t hear what Kakashi said, and thus no more arguments happen at the moment.

“Ranran isn’t that bad,” I try to placate, watching in amusement as both of them grimace the very moment I said it. The white feline may or may not be this era’s Tora the Demon Cat, considering she is owned by the Daimyo’s young wife, as well. She really isn’t that bad. The last time Team Minato had to catch her, she was willing enough to come to my arms when I tried to crouch and offer her some catnip. I might or might not have placed a soothing genjutsu on her though. Mikoto-sensei’s teaching on Genjutsu really helps a lot in times like this.

Oh well.

What Obito and Kakashi didn’t (and still don’t) know won’t hurt them.

Though I’m pretty sure Minato-sensei knows, judging from his amused glance at my absolutely sweet smile. Seems like I can’t get anything past him. Granted, he’s a Jounin, so… No surprise there, I guess.

He’s still a sadist, though.

He knows neither Obito or Kakashi fancy the cat catching mission. One, Kakashi is a dog person. Two, Obito holds a grudge over the Goggles Scratching Post Incident. Three, while tracking it is easy enough, considering Kakashi’s skills, catching the cat is the main problem in the mission.

I bet Minato-sensei laughs his ass off when the mission ended, the last time around. He didn’t help at all, saying it was a good team exercise and we even spotted him eating dango while watching us, the asshole.

“Alright, alright,” Minato-sensei claps his hands, finally taking charge before any more arguments can happen and breaking my thoughts about the past. “No complaining. A mission is a mission. Let’s finish this quickly, okay?”

Cue groaning ensues.

I smile.

They’re so easy and fun to rile.

19 days after Team Minato’s bell test

“Eh?”

The green chakra around my hands dissipates into nothing as I falter, staring up wide eyed at Kishimoto-sensei. In the Mind Palace, Rinny lets out an equally surprised noise, less because of Kishimoto-sensei’s ability to make both of our concentrations falter, but more because of what he chose to say to the both of us. The older man doesn’t seem to notice my sudden distress as he simply smiles easily and gently like usual, his dark brown eyes meeting my own without any hesitation.

“Like I said,” Kishimoto-sensei says, “I think it’s best if you avoid Oro-tan for a little while.”

“Eh?” I said, again, probably with a dumb expression.

That’s… Really unexpected.

I… Isn’t Kishimoto-sensei good friends with Oro-chan-san? I hastily ask Rinny, who seems to be rendered speechless as much as I am.

I don’t know, Rinny answers, shaking her head, there isn’t any character named Kishimoto in the series but… Kishimoto-sensei calls him Oro-tan, and he seems to be comfortable around Orochimaru-sama, so I thought…

This is really weird, I furrow my eyebrows, and really scary. Why do you think he tells us this all of a sudden?

Um, the Inner hesitates, maybe something happened?

“Uh,” I say outwardly, agreeing with Rinny to ask Kishimoto-sensei on what kind of shit happened to make him said that, “did something happen between Oro-chan-san and you, sensei?”

If anything, Kishimoto-sensei seems to brighten. “Oh, no, no! Nothing of the sort, really,” he waves his hand, “I just heard some rumors, that’s all. You’re my cute little student, and I don’t want your reputation to be stained because of the rumors surrounding Oro-tan.”

“What…?” I breathe out, finding myself very surprised.

“Just do as I told you to, okay, Rin-chan? It’s for your own good.”

For my own good? I can’t help but repeat a bit sardonically inwardly, even though I manage to nod at him, making him smile.

Perhaps—

Perhaps if Orochimaru really is beyond saving at this point of time—when he’s too deep in his experiments, in his desire to know more, to have more—then it really will be for my own good to stay away from him.

But is he really? Beyond saving, that is. Has he really fallen that deep already?

I’ve heard rumors circulating around Orochimaru before, mostly on how creepy he looks and how inhumane his knowledge as well as his repertoire of jutsu, but it’s very weird for Kishimoto-sensei to be wary of the rumors now, because I’m sure as hell those rumors have been around for quite a good while. Especially since Orochimaru looks stone faced whenever those rumors appear—as if it’s nothing of the ordinary, as if it’s to be expected from the people around him—and how he seems to shut himself off more whenever the rumors are within our hearing range. That’s why I always make it a point to scold whoever I find to be talking shit about him. Not only it probably puts me in Orochimaru’s good books—if he even has any—it also causes the miniscule tension in his shoulders and the stony look on his face to melt down completely into something more… soft.

Some shinobi will say I’m hallucinating, but there were certain instances where Orochimaru looks relaxed and completely at peace with himself.

Those are the moments when I was always reminded how human Orochimaru could be, can be.

And would have he stopped being human, the very moment he finds no reason to? As far as I am aware, Canon Rin never had any sort of interaction with Orochimaru whatsoever, and there was never shown an entity called Kishimoto Masashi in the series ever. But Canon world barely covers anything anyway, with how much plot holes it has, and perhaps, perhaps, the equivalent of Kishimoto-sensei did exist in canon.

Kishimoto-sensei is? Was? Close to Oro-chan-san, I mull over, frowning a little bit. If, say, someone who was close to Canon Orochimaru left him behind because of some rumors, would that be the catalyst that set him off the edge?

I’m perhaps guessing things too much here, but I really cannot help but to grasp on the last bits of hope that Orochimaru is not beyond saving. Not yet. I feel like Jiraiya, at this point, or even Sarutobi Hiruzen, for still believing in the good of Orochimaru, for still hoping for a positive thing from the Snake Sannin—

If he really is beyond saving, Rinny says, cutting off my thoughts, what would you do?

I pause.

If he really is beyond saving… If he really, really, has become something similar to the villain that gave Sasuke the Cursed Seal in Canon world, there’s only one thing that I know I would do.

I would run the hell away from him.

He’s Sannin, and I’m just a Genin. I can’t capture or kill him. I’m not in the other Sannin’s or Sarutobi’s caliber. I would just get myself killed if I try to confront him (which shows how suicidal Naruto must be, to throw himself at Orochimaru in his rage and bout of irrationality).

And I… would be sad.

Disappointed, maybe. Because I still believe that Orochimaru can change, somehow. That the soft, insecure man I’ve seen in passing from time to time is there and living and that he still has some good in his heart, somewhere.

Still, there’s not much point in thinking about it now.

I still do not know Orochimaru’s current state. But the last time I’ve seen him, he’s still as normal as ever. I am going to have myself stick with my last Probably Not Reliable assessment of him: that he’s still redeemable and can be steered away from being a traitor, somehow.

I’m not going to let a rumor and a warning from someone who believes on rumors change my perception of Orochimaru. Not even if Kishimoto-sensei is my teacher whom I respect and trust.

It will simply make me more careful, of course; because there are usually small truths within rumors.

Still, whether Orochimaru is beyond saving or not, I will only know when I see him next time.

21 Days after Minato’s Bell Test

“Yahoo, Minato’s little minions!” A familiar voice calls out from the corner of the training grounds, and I perk up. My gaze instantly goes to the source of the voice, Kakashi, Obito and Minato-sensei doing the same. While Obito blinks in confusion at the newcomer, Kakashi simply stares, looking as if he’s restraining a sigh.

Minato-sensei and I, though, we’re grinning widely. The only difference is that Minato-sensei looks more lovesick and dopey than I do.

(I miss the assessing look Kakashi throws at me the very moment he sees me going all goo-goo eyes on Kushina, as well as his furrowed eyebrows when he catches an idea on what’s going on with me at that very moment).

I have to restrain a snort. Hopeless, this one. He’s so whipped, I can see it in his expression.

“Kushina-san!” I greet her, cheerful. The red haired woman approaches us with a grin, her hand already reaching forward to ruffle my hair gently. “What are you doing here?”

“I was bored,” comes Kushina’s answer, “So I thought why not visit Minato’s little minions. I see you’re still as grumpy as ever, Kakashi-kun,” she glances at Kakashi, giving him a teasing smile. Kakashi harrumphs in retaliation.

“And I haven’t met the other minion yet!” She moves toward Obito, bending down to look at him in eye level, watching in amusement when Obito yelps in surprise. “Yo, kiddo, I’m Uzumaki Kushina, Minato’s girlfriend.”

Obito’s expression clears, then, lighting up as if he has some sort of an epiphany. “Oh! I’m Uchiha Obito!” He says, “It’s nice to meet you, Uzumaki-san.”

“Eh, just call me Kushina,” the jinchuuriki waves her hand flippantly, “How about Kushina nee-chan?” She glances at me, “You can call me that too, Rin-chan”.

I brighten up. There is no way I’m gonna pass up this chance! “Kushina-nee-chan!” I exclaim happily.

“Kushina nee-chan, then,” Obito seems to like Kushina too, because he’s smiling as he says it.

Then, the rest of us stares at Kakashi.

The boy looks a bit uncomfortable, but glances away as he says, “…Kushina-san.”

Kushina exaggeratedly pouts, scooting over to poke Kakashi in the stomach. The boy jumps a little, glaring lightly when I snort.

“You’re no fun, Kakashi-kun!”

“…Whatever, Kushina-san.”

“Tch,” Kushina clicks her tongue. Though she’s obviously still in good humor, considering how she still looks happy (and very, very pretty, oh gosh) as she stands up, smacking Minato’s shoulder. “You’ve gotten yourself cute little minions here, Minato!”

“They’re my student, Kushina…” Minato says with a laugh, rubbing his shoulder.

“Students, minions, same thing,” she ignores Kakashi’s mutter of ‘it’s different’ and grins, her hands positioned on her hips, “anyway, you’re not planning anything particular for them today, right?”

Minato blinks. “Well, no, not exactly. Why?”

I have a bad feeling about this. And beside me, Kakashi seems to share the sentiment, considering how he is staring at Kushina warily, as if expecting her to suddenly pounce him or something.

“Well,” Kushina sounds super cheerful as she stares us down, a wicked gleam in her eyes. “I wanna play tag.”

The three of us are frozen, and even Minato-sensei seems to gulp. Either out of fear or arousal, I do not know, but either way, I totally understand him at this moment. Kushina looks predatory¸ and for a second I wonder who is the true sadist in the relationship: Minato or Kushina. I don’t have time to dwell on that more though, because she moves into a stance, causing us three genins to be more alert than before.

“I’m gonna be it,” she grins at us, meeting our eyes one by one, “you have five minutes to escape and try to hide. Starting from now.”

We run like our asses are on fire.

XXX

So.

Both of them are closet sadists.

Aside from the fact that Minato-sensei seems to be torn between being worried for our lives or being very turned on at the sight of his girlfriend stomping us to the ground, he still chooses to sit back and watch everything unfold, with a lop sided smile, while eating dango.

And Kushina seems to hold back when she’s catching us, but not enough.

Seriously, she uses her chains to hold Kakashi down on the ground!

Despite myself being tired as fuck and sore, I can’t help but grin and laugh and just in sheer awe.

She’s so cool. Kushina-nee is so cool.

It’s still terrifying though, and she even cackles while attacking us with her chains.

The rest of the afternoon is spent with screaming and yelling children, and a cackling Red Hot Habanero.

Author’s note:

Hello.

I want to apologize for the long wait and the short chapter. As I have mentioned in the latest announcement, I’m having problems both in real life and in writing itself. Making long chapters is beginning to be very taxing for me, whose mind tend to wander here and there most of the time.

I’ve told you this before and some of you have kindly answered my question, therefore I’ve decided to make each chapters shorter than usual. I used to produce 5k-7k words each chapter, and it’s VERY tiring for me. From now on my chapters will be 1k-2k in length, more if I get lucky, and I hope that you can still like my story despite that. Updates will perhaps be faster as well; mostlikely once every two or three weeks.