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mixelation · 7 months

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oh yeah here's the second minakushi post. extreme ooc mixel moment bc it's naruto pov, ~3k words

uuuh okay so as a summary of the premise, this is an au where mizuki tells naruto about the fox earlier (he's 7-8). and then there's. alt universe stuff

****

“Naruto. Naruto.”

Naruto was dizzy and a little nauseous. There was a man yelling at him. Mad, probably, because he’d broken into the Hokage’s residence. At least this meant he’d get to talk to someone today.

The room looked… different. Smaller. The walls were a different color. The stacks of scrolls were messier. Wow, all that light from the scroll must have super messed up Naruto’s vision.

The man reached for him, and Naruto stumbled back. He didn’t know who this was; usually the guards around the Hokage’s residence wore funny white masks and armor. This guy showed his whole face, and he had on a normal Jounin uniform with a white coat over it. Naruto had never seen him around. He would have remembered him, too. There weren’t a lot of blondes in Konoha.

“Are you hurt?” the man asked. He looked… concerned, which was weird. Naruto had just broken in and opened a bunch of scrolls and set one off. He was positive he was about to get into huge trouble.

“No,” Naruto answered honestly. “Just dizzy.”

He waited patiently for the man to get properly angry and then yell. Instead, he squatted down and pulled him into a hug.

“You scared me, kid,” he said, holding Naruto tight and rubbing his back. He smelled like old books. “There’s a reason I told you never to come in here alone.”

Naruto’s body had gone all stiff. If you had asked him that morning if he wanted a hug, he probably would have said yes. But since then he’d learned some secrets, and he knew no one was ever going to offer him one. He also didn’t know this man, and he had been positive he was going to yell and threaten like what usually happened when Naruto did something bad. This seemed wrong, and it made him nervous.

The man let him go, although he put both his hands on Naruto’s shoulders. He tilted his head to the side, face still all worried.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Are you going to take me to the old man?” Naruto asked.

“Old man?”

“You know,” Naruto shrugged off the weird man’s hands. “The Hokage.”

The man stared at him in open confusion. Naruto stared back. Was this one of those ‘mind games’ ninja in comics were always doing? He watched as the man’s eyes slowly drifted over his face and then down his body, and then settled on his hand.

“Naruto,” the man said quietly, very calm in a way that told Naruto something was up. “Where did you get these clothes? And what happened to the cut on your hand?”

Well. This was a lot weirder than yelling. Naruto squinted at him.

“What?” he said.

“You cut your hand in kunai practice this morning,” the man said, voice still deadly calm. “That’s why you’re home from school.”

“Uh, no?” Naruto replied. “They don’t let me have real kunai, you know.”

The man was probably real upset now, but quiet about it the way some adults got when they were trying to hide it. Naruto knew the signs well. Sometimes adults like this were fine, but sometimes it meant they were going to burst and be the meanest of all. He shuffled back, nervous. The man’s mouth thinned and his lips went all wibbly, like he suddenly felt bad.

“Take my hand,” the man told him, voice soft but firm. “We have to go check something.”

xXx

Naruto didn’t really understand what was happening. The man was the Fourth Hokage, which was kind of cool but also impossible. He teleported Naruto into the Hokage’s office– which was the cooler thing yet– and then bossed around a bunch of ninja who did weird things with chakra to Naruto. The Fourth Hokage offered to hold his hand, which Naruto didn’t really get because none of the tests hurt, just tickled. Naruto didn’t really understand what any of them were saying, but still no one was yelling at him, and the Hokage had given him some crackers from his own desk, which was the same as Old Man Third’s desk, except for some reason it had a framed photo of Naruto and a pretty redhead lady.

Naruto stared at the photo while the Hokage listened to the weird doctor ninja. The woman had her arms around the Naruto in the photo, grinning so hard her eyes bunched up. Naruto wondered how he could be in the photo, if he’d never met this woman.

“Should I brief Kushina-san?” the medic asked.

“I…” the Fourth Hokage’s eyes flickered over to Naruto. “No, I should tell her myself. Send her a summons. You can tell her it’s urgent and it involves Naruto.”

Naruto turned his face at the sound of his name. The Fourth Hokage looked more worried than ever. The doctor ninja left.

“Naruto,” the Fourth Hokage said very gently, sitting in the chair next to him. It looked kind of funny, because he sat on the wrong side of the Hokage’s desk. “Do you know what’s happening?”

“Not really,” Naruto said, swinging his legs. He was feeling pretty confident no one was going to yell at him now, but… “Am I in trouble?”

The Fourth Hokage smiled weakly at him. “No, not in trouble. Do you… Naruto, do you know who I am?”

Naruto stared at him. “The Fourth Hokage?”

There was a knock on the door, and the Hokage was on his feet immediately. “Can you sit tight for a couple minutes?”

“Did you summon me and then lock me out?” a woman’s voice asked loudly from the other side of the door. The Fourth Hokage suddenly vanished from his seat, and Naruto heard the woman say something like, “What, door not working?”

Then Naruto couldn’t hear anything else. He licked his finger and used it to dab up cracker crumbs. He wondered where Old Man Third was, if the Fourth was back and using his office. If he left a tack in the chair, would Old Man Third sit on it, or would the Fourth?

Naruto knew where the tacks were kept. He walked around the other side of the desk and opened the drawer, but it had a bunch of calligraphy brushes instead. He tried another drawer and found pens and some spare staples and paper clips. They were all in a messy pile, not organized at all. Well, maybe the tacks would be buried under all this junk?

Naruto had taken all the office supplies out of the top drawers and scattered them on the desk when the door opened, revealing the Fourth and the pretty lady from the photo. Naruto immediately ducked down under the desk, hiding.

“Well, he acts like our kid,” the woman said. The Fourth Hokage sighed loudly. “Naruto,” the woman said, “get your butt out here.”

Naruto heard her voice move closer as she talked, even though he couldn’t hear her footsteps. That probably meant she was a ninja, which was cool. He peaked out from over the desk. She didn’t look happy, but she didn’t look mad either. She raised her eyebrows expectantly at him, like Iruka-sensei would do sometimes when Naruto was goofing off.

They let him sit in the Hokage’s chair, which was very cool. They wheeled it around to the other side of the desk because he was too short to sit and see over the desk. They sat across from him in the visitor’s chairs. They both looked…. tired, somehow.

“So I’m not in trouble?” Naruto confirmed. “You’re not going to yell or make me go clean up Hokage monument?”

“No one’s in trouble,” the woman said. Her hair was so long she had to pull it over her shoulder into her lap or it would touch the floor when she sat. And it was red-red, even prettier than Sakura-chan’s hair. “Hey, Naruto, do you know who I am?”

“Why does everyone keep asking me that?” Naruto asked, feeling frustrated. He hated tests, hated when adults made him feel stupid for not knowing things. “Why would I know who you are?”

The woman looked like he’d slapped her. The Hokage took her hand.

“Can you tell me what you did today?” he asked. “I promise you won’t get in trouble, even if it was bad.”

“Ummm,” Naruto said. A lot had happened today. “Well, I didn’t cut my hand in school and all that, you know.”

He tried to explain his day. Adults always complained he wasn’t good at explaining, but Naruto thought his stories were super good and in-depth. He talked about his awesome prank on Iruka-sensei, which involved a stink bomb he made himself, and then explained the plot of the comic that gave him the idea. The woman nodded along very seriously.

“What did your sensei do?” she prompted.

“He was going to make me clean it up,” Naruto said. “But Mizuki-sensei said I didn’t have to so I went home.”

They had to ask a bunch of questions because Naruto forgot to say that Mizuki-sensei had told him at roll call that he could go home at lunchtime if Naruto did him a special favor. Usually Iruka-sensei would lecture him and tell him to think before he opened his mouth, and a lot of other sensei would just yell at him, but these two were very nice and not frustrated.

“What favor did Mizuki-sensei want?” the woman asked, leaning forward in her seat like she was super into Naruto’s story.

“I don’t think I’m supposed to tell,” Naruto admitted. Mizuki-sensei had said it was S-class, and people would hate him even more if he blabbed it. Naruto squirmed a bit in his seat, remembering what Mizuki-sensei had told him, about why Naruto was not ever going to have friends.

The woman and the Hokage exchanged glances.

“Naruto,” the Hokage said carefully. “I’m the Hokage. You can tell me anything at all.”

Well, that made sense. He probably already knew. Wait!

“You’re the Fourth,” Naruto realized.

The Hokage raised his eyebrows, a smile crossing his face. “Yes, I am,” he agreed. “Naruto?”

So that meant… he was the one who… Naruto felt the sting of tears in his eyes.

“Hey, hey,” the woman said, suddenly kneeling in front of him. “You don’t have to tell us everything right now, you know. But we need to know what happened, to help you.”

Naruto took a gulp of air. It would be so embarrassing to cry in front of this pretty ninja lady. Okay. He didn’t have to tell her what Mizuki told him, so she wouldn’t know he was a monster and hate him.

“Let’s start with you going home,” the woman said, her hands taking either one of his and squeezing. “Did you go there right away, or did you go somewhere else first?”

Naruto had gone back to his apartment. Both of them had a lot of questions about it: where it was, if he lived with anyone, did he cook for himself, who went shopping for him, if he brushed his teeth every night and knew to clean behind his ears. Some of the questions were weird, but Naruto relaxed while he talked. This seemed like a safe conversation. Naruto’s apartment was cool, after all. It wasn’t fancy or anything, but it had all his stuff in it, and he’d gotten a tomato seed to sprout in a paper cup.

“Were you home the rest of the day?” the Hokage asked after Naruto described in-depth how he shoplifted comics, which made the woman laugh loudly, her hands squeezing his. It felt nice.

“No, I…” This is where the secret came back. “I didn’t want to steal from Old Man Hokage like Mizuki-sensei wanted. Like I will steal from stores sometimes, but that’s not someone’s house. So I went home instead of doing it. But then, um, I… um…”

Naruto had been crying in his apartment, because Mizuki-sensei had told him he was a monster and that’s why no one would ever look at him, and he’d looked at the clock and realized the window when Mizuki-sensei said the ANBU would be gone would end soon.

“Well, anyway,” Naruto stuttered out, “I decided to do the favor anyway, and I went all sneaky into the Old Man’s house.”

“Sarutobi Hiruzen?” the Fourth Hokage asked, super serious. Naruto nodded. “The favor was to steal from him?”

“Yup,” Naruto agreed. “Mizuki wanted, uh, some scroll. I don’t remember what. But he said I could have this other one. Um, I forget the name of that one too.”

“Did you…” the Hokage said slowly, “open any of the scrolls?”

“Yeah,” Naruto said. “The one he said I could use to fix, uh, my problem. And then I was here.”

The adults exchanged a very, very long look. The woman stood, letting go of his hands, and it looked like she and the Hokage were in a staring contest.

“I’ll explain it,” the Hokage eventually said. The woman sat back down. “Naruto, I’m Minato, and this is Kushina. I know this is difficult to understand, but we’re your parents.”

Naruto thought the worst he could feel was how he felt that morning when Mizuki-sensei talked to him, understanding why people were going to ignore him forever, when he felt so lonely he felt like he was being smothered. He’d fantasized about meeting his parents plenty of times, about having just one person out there to care about him, to talk to him and play with him the way he saw other kids with their parents.

Somehow, this felt worse.

“No,” he said, chest feeling tight. “No. My parents are dead. The Old Man said.”

They had to be dead. If they were alive, that meant they’d left him alone, and that was worse. Even parents couldn’t love a monster.

“The scroll you opened was an experimental jutsu to move things between worlds,” the Hokage– Minato– the man who made Naruto into a monster said. “You’re in a different world where everything is a little different, including us. Do you understand?”

Obviously Naruto didn’t understand. His breath was hitching. Kushina got up again and leaned over him, rubbing his back.

“You like comics, right?” she said. “Have you read Tonbo the Hero?”

Naruto rubbed snot from his nose. Tonbo the Hero was a ninja from a world that was just like the real one but everyone was these cool blue people. He accidentally got transported to the real world and worked as a hero ninja.

Is that what he’d done…? But instead of a cool blue person, he was just a monster whose parents didn’t even love him.

“It’s okay,” Kushina was saying. “You’re okay. We’re still your parents, and we’re going to take care of you.”

Naruto stared up at her. She was smiling at him. Some of her long hair had fallen over her shoulder and was tickling his face. Naruto’s eyes drifted back to the photo on the desk, of him smiling with her. They had the same smile, he realized.

“Where’s the other Naruto?” he asked.

The smile fell right off her face. Minato was next to her in a heartbeat, one hand on Naruto’s head and the other going around her waist.

“Remember, you are not in trouble,” he said. “This isn’t your fault. But we think you two switched places.”

xXx

They took him to their home. They walked there, even though Minato could teleport, so he’d know the way on his own. Some of the streets were exactly the same as his world, but entire neighborhoods were entirely different.

“What is this?” Naruto wondered as they walked along some old looking wall. In his world, this was a fancy mall with a bookshop he’d gotten into huge trouble with because they had a camera that caught him. He told Kushina all about it, his hand squeezing hers as hard as he could.

“Huh,” Minato said. “Of all the things I’d expect to be different, the Uchiha compound was at the bottom of my list.”

The wall was around a bunch of buildings from the very founding of Konoha, where a family called the Uchiha mostly lived. Naruto knew one Uchiha, a boy in his class named Sasuke. He didn’t know where his home was in his own world.

“Oh, we’re friends with Sasuke’s family,” Kushina said brightly. “Maybe you can still be friends with him here.”

Naruto couldn’t be friends with anyone, because he was a monster. So he covered up quickly.

“Sasuke? Blegh! He’s a show-off.”

Kushina and Minato both laughed. Minato took his other hand.

Their house was nice. It had a bunch of rooms, and Kushina had him sit on their big couch while she pulled comics off a shelf. The Naruto of this world liked them too. She spread them out on the coffee table and asked Naruto about which ones he’d read and if he’d liked them. Minato disappeared into the kitchen and made dinner.

They showed him this world’s Naruto’s bedroom. It was big, with a big window and no cracks in the paint, and the floorboards were all even. This Naruto had lots of toys and games, all messy on the floor like Minato’s desk drawers and Naruto’s things in his own apartment. Kushina pulled out a pair of pajamas for him.

“I guess you need your own toothbrush,” she muttered to herself as she ran a bath for him.

The temperature, when Naruto climbed into the water, was perfect. Naruto always made his too hot or too cold.

This Naruto’s bed was really comfortable, but Naruto couldn’t sleep. Is this how kids who weren’t monsters live? Would they kick him out if they found out? He could just not tell them. Naruto was good at keeping secrets, when he needed to. Or were they going to just switch him back with the other Naruto, even if they never found out?

He thought about the other Naruto, alone without his parents in Naruto’s apartment. That wasn’t fair. But Naruto still didn’t want to switch back.

The thoughts made his stomach queasy. He got up to get a glass of water, creeping down the hall to the stairs. From the top, he could see the kitchen light was on. When he sat still on the top step and concentrated, he could just make out the voices of Minato and Kushina below. Kushina’s carried better, because she talked louder.

“But we need our Naruto back,” she was saying. Naruto's stomach twisted again, and Minao said something he couldn’t make out. “No, that’s not acceptable.”

And then, Kushina was crying.

Naruto drank out of the tap in the bathroom instead and went to bed feeling guilty.

Monster.

#my writing #naruto fanfiction

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lemony-snickers · 6 months

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i should have kept a journal.

the thought comes unbidden, late at night, just as kakashi feels the first tendrils of sleep tugging at his concious mind, dragging him under the heavy blanket of a dream.

but then he is awake, mind spinning, sifting through memories he can't quite pull into focus.

he never expected the loss of the sharingan to have such consequence - for all the tender moments of his life, which he had taken for granted, to meld into the backdrop of a long, arduous tapestry of other moments.

before he lost obito's eye, kakashi had been able to recall with perfect clarity some of his most important memories - times when he had merely blinked the eye open for a second or two, the tomoe spinning to life, draining his chakra as the eye greedily memorized whatever scene lay before it.

he had at his disposal a perfect recorded history of his life; for better and worse.

now, kakashi would happily accept all the bitter ends and entrails if it meant he could remember rin's smile the way it truly looked. if he could recall the exact shade of kushin's hair or the cerulean of minato's eyes.

kakashi would watch every death he had ever witnessed in an endless loop if he could call forth the picture of team 7 in the land of waves, fierce and too small and his. but now he forgets which side sasuke wore his kunai pouch on, the length of sakura's hair, how many wrinkles appeared when naruto scrunched his nose in confusion.

small details. minute. insignificant.

important.

now fading. soon, gone.

kakashi knows he's lost any chance at rest and instead he crawls his way to the desk at the opposite side of his room and he uses his creaky fingers to try and scribble out the memories as they come - birthdays and festivals and quiet nights beneath the stars. he tries to remember the look on gai's face during each of their ridiculous competitions; tenzo's expression when he showed kakashi his first apartment after root.

but it's all a watered down version of what really happened. his fingers are too slow, his brain too tired and unfocused. each lost detail feels like losing. like grief.

the way he felt when he forgot his mother's eye color, when he realized he could no longer ask his father about it; could no longer remember the exact pitch of the older man's nose, how many teeth he revealed when he smiled.

kakashi should have known how tenuous a memory can be. had known the devastation of loss, of forgetting, long before he knew the power of remembrance; the true gift of the sharingan.

more than prowess in battle, the eye was powerful because it would not allow him to forget. good, bad, happy, traumatic, it was all still there, waiting to be spun to life beneath a crimson veil.

now everything is gone.

and kakashi realizes he should have kept another record because all those precious moments bled away, replaced by jutsu and regulations and quotes from icha icha as if they could ever matter more than the warmth of his first kiss, the comfort of loving arms after battle.

and it seems such a waste for the most exquisite mundanities of his life to fade into a watercolor backdrop of his world - the colors there, but all the detail lost - in favor of necessity.

because none of it matters if he can't remember the moments that made it worthwhile.

#kakashi hatake #kakashi fanfiction #tw loss #lemony scribbles #today in thoughts lem had at yoga that almost made 'em cry #kakashi is my self-insert - FACT

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laniuchiha7 · 2 years

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Moving On...?

Pink locks and green apple eyes torment his mind at all hours of the day, when all he wants is to wipe them from his memory. And yet it seems the more Sasuke tries to forget about her, the more he can’t bring himself to.

It’s been three weeks since he returned from his journey of atonement, and in that time frame Sasuke came to wish he hadn’t returned at all.

Immediately passing through the village gates Sasuke makes his way to the hospital knowing Sakura would be there. Having sensed her chakra he’s able to deduce where her office was and knocks on her window. Sakura was the first person he wanted to see, and when she lifts the glass for him to enter Sasuke is greeted with an excited smile and a joyus “Welcome back, Sasuke-kun!”

However, his elation would be short lived when a man whom Sasuke does not recognize, with floppy brown hair and dark eyes, knocks on her open door to announce his arrival while he and Sakura are catching up.

“Sakura,” he says, looking between the two of them. “Are we still on for lunch?”

“Is it that time already?” she briefly glances at the clock on the wall. “I suppose it is. Keita, this is my good friend Sasuke-kun. Sasuke-kun, this is Keita, my…um…well we’ve been going out lately,” Sakura confesses without looking Sasuke in the eyes.

Sakura is dating someone?

Part of him feels as though he should respect that she’s choosing to put her own desires first, but the other part is hurt, angry even. Did she not understand what he meant by poking her forehead back when he left? He’s finally willing to open up and return her affection, and she chooses to find comfort in someone else? Just who is this man anyway? And why did she never mention him in any of her letters??

She stands up, “Anyway, we have plans for lunch,” she tells Sasuke. “Do you want to join us? I would love it if you two could –”

“Actually,” Sasuke interrupts and stands as well. “I should let Kakashi know I’m back.”

“Oh, then I guess I’ll see you around?” she asks.

“Hn,” he grunts. Sasuke honestly just needs to get out of that room, away from her and this newcomer so he can process what’s happening, ensure he didn’t get caught in some weird genjutsu. Walking through her office door, he passes by Keita, glancing at the man who’s roughly a few inches shorter than himself. He offers a nice smile to Sasuke, but the Uchiha doesn’t return the gesture as he continues to walk past him and down the hallway.

After meeting with Kakashi and cornering Naruto later that day, Sasuke learns that Sakura and Keita have been casually seeing each other for about a month, not long after she sent her last letter, and were set up by Ino. Of course Ino would have a hand in this, granted he knows she was only being a good friend to Sakura but that fact didn’t ease his crumbling heart. If only he had returned a few weeks sooner or sent any of those damn letters which now feel heavy in his pouch.

In the beginning Sasuke tried to act as if he’s unbothered by the knowledge Sakura is dating someone who isn’t him, going to the Team 7 reunion, training with her and Naruto, but the truth of the matter is that it does bother him. Everytime he looks at her, thinks about her, it feels as though his heart is shattering. Sakura is the only one he’s ever wanted to be with, to be by his side, and now that’s not an option.

The following days Sasuke did his best to avoid Sakura, keeping their meetings and conversations short, but he can see the hurt in her eyes when he suddenly announces his departure, declines invites to hang out, and doesn’t return her greetings.

He should have known better, he thinks, than to assume she’d wait until the end of time for him to get his shit together. It’s unfair to her, truly, to waste her youth on someone like him. Sakura deserves to have a partner who will make her happy, never make her cry or hurt her like he has. He needs to stop being selfish and consider what would be best for her.

Naruto invites Sasuke to train on grounds 3 on a Saturday evening, but he’s not into it today and the dobe can tell. “I can’t handle this anymore,” Naruto tells him. “You need to talk to her.”

“And say what?” Why didn’t you wait for me? I thought you would always love me, and I’m sorry I took that for granted. “Sakura has already moved on.”

“Listen, I think it’s more complicated than that,” Naruto sighs. “You have to understand that Sakura-chan hadn’t heard from you in over two years and didn’t know when you’d be returning. None of us did, Teme. Just be honest with her, tell her how you feel.”

“I can’t,” Sasuke shakes his head. “If she would rather be with someone else, then who am I to intervene?”

“Do you love her?” The dobe questions.

He glances at the ground with lips pulled into a frown, unable to answer, but it’s obvious isn't it? Otherwise Sasuke wouldn’t be avoiding her this adamantly. He loves her, been in love with her for longer than he’s willing to admit, that’s why this hurts so much for him. And yet despite all of it, he’d still do anything for her.

“Teme!” Sasuke looks up at the blonde only for a fist to connect with his face, catching him off guard.

“What the fuck!?” The Uchiha seethes, ready to retaliate.

Naruto shakes out his hand. “Shit, you’ve got a hard face!” he quips. “I think I might’ve broken your nose. You should get Sakura-chan to fix you up, she should still be at her apartment.”

“And what about you?” Sasuke asks, wiping the blood dripping from his nostrils. “Your hand looks bruised.”

“Yeah but I got Kurama, and unless you want to wait at the hospital I suggest you pay a visit to our very own medic.” Naruto exits the training grounds with a smirk, leaving his friend behind. In his mind Sasuke knows Naruto is right, he needs to talk to Sakura and clear the air between them. His feet start moving on their own, in the direction of her apartment.

Knocking a few times he flares his chakra to let her know it’s him, and hears a bit of shuffling from the otherside. The lock clicks and the door swings open, revealing the pink haired kunoichi staring at him with disbelief. She’s wearing a red long sleeve, off the shoulder top which stops just above her belly button and tight black pants, her hair is curled at the ends and make up is kept light and looks almost natural. She looks beautiful, and he would consider saying so if his breath wasn’t caught in his throat. But then realization hits him, she’s going on a date tonight.

“Sasuke-kun! What happened?!” she pulls him, lending him down the hall.

“Was training with the dobe,” he tells her.

“Ugh, you two always have to take it too far,” Sakura sits him down on her couch with her taking a seat on the coffee table in front of him. “If you look like this, do I even want to know how Naruto is?” She places her palms on his cheeks, leaning forward to examine the damage.

“He’s fine. A little bruised, but he made it out mostly unscathed.”

“Well your nose is definitely broken. It’ll only take a few minutes for me to heal,” pressing one hand delicately on the bridge, a light green glow begins to emit. “You might feel a bit of pressure.”

She’s so close that he can smell her strawberry perfume, finding the smell almost intoxicating. His eyes gaze into the jade he’s missed so much, watching her as she fixes him up. He’s an idiot, he believes, and needs to talk to her, apologize for avoiding her and clear his conscience, then no matter what her answer is he’ll accept it.

Sakura moves her hand away once she’s finished, “There. All done,” with the other still on his cheek, and Sasuke finds himself leaning into her touch. His eyes lower to her soft looking lips, wondering how they would feel pressed against his own, and it’s not until he hears her breath hitch does he realize he’s inching closer, stopping once their noses touch. “S-Sasuke-kun?” she whispers, his heart beating loudly in his ears that he almost doesn’t hear her.

Almost like she snaps out of her daze, Sakura pulls back, a rose tinted blush visible across her face, and stands. “I need to head out,” she says. “I have a date with Keita and I’ll be late if I don’t leave soon. I’ll walk you to the door.” Stepping away, she stops when his hand wraps around her wrist.

“Can we talk, please?” Sasuke quietly asks, looking up at her.

“I’m sorry, but I really need to go. Some other time?” Sakura pulls away from him and stands by the hallways leading to the door. “It was really nice to see you again though, we should get together sometime and –”

“Why didn’t you wait for me?” he blurts out.

Head tilting slightly to the side, she seems taken aback. “What?”

“Why didn’t you wait for me to come back?” Sasuke repeats himself. He stands up and takes a few steps towards her. “I just – I thought –”

“You thought what?” her tone is sharp, borderline insulted. “That I would wait around forever?” Sakura raises her brows and scoffs. “Sasuke-kun, I know your journey was important to you and I respect your decision to travel alone, but was it so hard to respond to even one of my letters? For over two years I waited for you to walk through the village gates again. For all I knew, you could have found someone else and I would’ve never known.

“So when Ino mentioned she knew someone who was interested in me and offered to set us up, I agreed, figuring it’s about time I finally let myself move on. That I at least tried. And guess what? I like Keita; he’s nice, respectful, and treats me well.” Sakura looks up at the clock on the wall. “I seriously need to go. Maybe now that you’ve decided to stop avoiding me, we can finish this conversation later,” she turns to walk down the hall, but halts at his next words.

“I came back for you,” Sasuke interjects, needing to get the words out in the open. “I came back to be with you. I never responded to your letters because when I tried, all I could write about was how I saw you in every little thing, and it was so overwhelming I didn’t know what to do. Trust me when I say I’ve never wanted to be with anyone who isn’t you and I never will.”

From where he stands Sasuke sees Sakura bring a hand up to her face, tremors running through her body, and hears small sniffles. She’s crying, the last thing he’s ever wanted to make her do again. “Sakura, I – I’m sorry,” he says in earnest.

“You need to leave,” she tells him and this time he does without hesitation.

He should’ve never listened to Naruto, Sasuke thinks laying in his bed and staring up at the ceiling two hours after leaving Sakura’s apartment. He should’ve kept bottling his feelings because now he’s made his situation with Sakura even worse. Perhaps he should’ve never returned, let her believe he moved on so she could’ve done the same, like she was trying to do. Maybe he should leave again, he considers, since he seems to be so good at it. Even if he never stops caring for Sakura, if he leaves the village then he’ll never have to hurt her again. She would probably be glad to see him go this time.

There’s a few knocks on his door, making him groan and roll his eyes at the thought of it being Naruto. Who else could it be at this hour? The hard taps persists, forcing him to get up with the intent of telling the dobe to fuck off because he’s in no mood to entertain him. However when he gets closer to the door the chakra signature on the other side isn’t Naruto, but someone he never expected to visit him especially after what transpired earlier.

Opening the door Sasuke finds the pink haired woman standing there, puffy eyes and still wearing the outfit from before, hating himself for still thinking she looks ethereal, and causing him to wonder if she came straight here after her date ended. He opens his mouth to ask why she’s here but Sakura brushes past, the sound of her heels clack against the floor, and walks into the main room of his place.

“I don’t know who you fucking think you are to just show up at my doorstep after weeks of ignoring me, knowing I wouldn’t turn you away because you were injured, and just drop all of that on me out of no where,” she starts chastising and swivels to face him, crossing her arms. Sasuke stops a few feet away from her, wanting to apologize for everything but lets her keep going uninterrupted. “I honestly believed I could finally move on. I thought I could grow to love Keita as much as I do you,” her voice begins to waver, losing the edge from earlier.

Sasuke feels guilty knowing once again he’s made her upset, but also catches the tense she’s using. “...you thought?”

“I ended things with him tonight,” she confesses. “I didn’t think it was fair to keep seeing him when I’m still in love with you. At least he seemed understanding.” Sasuke’s eyes widen, heart swelling at the knowledge she feels the same. Yet Sakura looks the opposite, dejected that after all this time she can’t move on from him. “Pathetic aren’t I?” she says bitterly, shaking her head. “Ino is going to give me an earful when she hears about this.” Tears start rolling down her face, Sakura bites her bottom lip and glances away.

Sasuke’s body instinctively moves on its own, wrapping his arm around Sakura and pulling her into his chest, his hand rubs small circles between her shoulder blades trying to bring some comfort. “You’re not,” he whispers into the crown of her hair. “You’re anything but pathetic.”

Hearing a muffled “annoying”, he narrows his eyes and looks at her.

“What?”

Jade irises meet onyx and amethyst, Sakura repeats herself more clearly, enunciating each word. “I said, ‘you are so annoying’.” She grasps his shirt and pulls him down, their lips crashing together. Once getting over the initial shock, Sasuke closes his eyes with his hand moving down to the small of her back feeling her smooth skin against his calloused fingers, and angles his head to deepen their kiss.

And over all too soon when she pulls away, letting go of his shirt to rest her hands on shoulders. Sasuke opens his eyes and it met with her flushed cheeks, as he assumes his are too, their panting breaths intermingling together in the aftermath. Pressing his forehead against hers, Sasuke kisses Sakura one, two more times before telling himself to be patient.

“I should probably go home,” Sakura breaks their silence. “I have work in the morning.” He nods in agreement, but doesn’t want her to leave just yet. He has lost time to make up for.

“Let’s go on a trip together, just you and me,” he says.

“Huh?” she pulls back to look at him fully. “What brought this on?”

Sasuke shrugs. “You used to talk about wanting to see the world, let me show you.”

“That was when we first became genin. You remember that?” she says with astonishment, and he nods.

“I didn’t act like it, but I was always paying attention to you,” Sasuke tells her.

“I-I don’t know what to say,” she’s blushing a little harder, and he can’t help but fall a little more for her. “I’ll have to talk to Tsunade-shisho and Kakashi-sensei about getting the time off.”

“You focus on Tsunade and I can talk to Kakashi.”

“Alright then,” Sakura smiles, a genuine one reaching her eyes that he hasn’t seen since he first came back to the village. She wraps her arms around him. “I missed you, Sasuke-kun.”

“Ah,” his lips curve up. I missed you too.

#sasusaku #sasuke uchiha #sakura haruno #naruto #blank period #sssnippetaday #oneshot #fanfic #ss fanfiction

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dark-elf-writes · 1 year

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Oooo Naruto and Neji becoming very codependent because for however many loops they only had each other to rely on. And when it comes to fighting an opponent that has decades of experience on you and no intention of going easy, that trust has to be absolute.

It doesn’t help that Sasuke and Sakura would probably refuse to listen to any of Naruto’s original attempts at telling them to hurry tf up or that something is going to happen. And depending on how far back the loop goes (beginning of day? Once they step foot into the forest?) even more of his trust could fracture when the people around him do nothing to help.

I’m living for Neji and Naruto being scary in tune with each other during/after this. Fully knowing exactly what the other is going to do and when with nonverbal communication all the way.

I’m feeling the loop starts right when the enter the forest/maybe during the downtime before that so there would definitely be some begging at the gate before Naruto had to get moving. He would be so frustrated by that point. Particularly in the first few loops when he keeps getting hit by the snake and doesn’t even know about Orochimaru yet. Just “there’s a big ass snake!” “Yeah kid we know that’s kind of the point”

Naruto realizes adults are useless pretty fast.

But yes Naruto and Neji would get so codependent. And start hunting for each other from the very beginning of each loop because maybe this time I’d they’re together a even a second sooner they can do this. Team Guy is easier to herd than Team 7 (and neither of them want to watch their friends die again if they can help it) so Neji’s team are always the first ones to find them. As the loops go on they are getting more and more desperate and everyone else more concerned.

But then they get out.

They break free.

Naruto bathed in orange chakra and more fox than man at that point, finds the person responsible for holding up the loop and kills them with nothing but his own claws and it’s like he and Neji can feel the weight of it fall off their shoulders the way the both sag a little. Neji is at Naruto’s side before anyone realizes his legs are starting to give out, Byakugan still active as he looks for threats even as he clings to Naruto. Is clung to in return.

Neither of them cry yet even though they both want to.

No crying comes later when they have reached the tower and the scrolls are opened to reveal Iruka-sensei looking down on them. Telling them they did it. They made it.

Naruto bursts into tears on the spot, leaning so far into Neji that it’s a wonder neither of the have ended up on the floor already. Lee and Tenten stand guard, Lee watching Neji’s blind spot and Tenten on Naruto’s other side with her hand white-knuckled around one of her scrolls. Team 7 is a bit more confused but Sakura, hair sheered short and hands shaking as she holds her kunai does take up Neji’s other side while Sasuke takes point, arms crossed and scowling at their former teacher.

Neji tosses a head at Iruka’s feet — still wearing a sound headband — those usually unexpressive Hyuuga eyes blazing with some sort of emotion Iruka can’t place.

“Orochimaru invaded the exam.” He says like a damnation, tightening his hold around Naruto just a little more. “That man could control time.”

Iruka sees it then, the change in these kids. How close they must have come to shattering entirely. How they decided to roar in the face of death instead. The Will of Fire in each of them, burning bright and deadly.

He sees it and he knows that he failed these kids. That all of them failed these kids. Who knows how many times they failed them.

He’s not sure he wants to know. He’s not sure that after everything he’s done: the blood on his hands, the shuriken buried in his back by someone he thought he could trust, the weight of his past hatred of a child turned to guilt; that hearing these kids stories won’t break him entirely.

#the elf talks #naruto #timeloop au #screaming crying #somehow Neji is more scary with someone crying into his chest #not to mention how it’s going to go when someone tries to take naruto from him #or if someone tried to use the curse seal against Neji only to get a pissed off Naruto on them

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wherewhereare · 9 months

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@formerdetective 's View on the TIWTTFL bonus songs “Obsessed,” “Getting Warmer,” and “Splash” as a Trilogy (Part 3 of 3 parts)

1.1.1 Splash (Part 3 of a 3 part trilogy)

Credit: @formerdective. Direct extract from her blog. Everything is [sic]

So my interpretation of the song comes in the context of all the other things we know. Splash was July, then I’m pretty sure Getting Warmer was in early September, and then Make Me Like You, Misery were September 22 & 23, and Truth was October 23. Also in mid and late September, Blake and Gwen both said some pretty cool/magical things were happening in their lives during interviews.

So anyway that’s kind of where I’m coming from with this analysis. To me, the emotional vibe is the most like Getting Warmer. I recommend listening to that right before this for more of Gwen’s mental state. BTW oh my God this is so long because this song is soooo heavy. so be prepared.

Splash

I’m awakening like a rosebud flowering

So, I have no idea if Gwen meant to be this deep or if she just described what she felt like, but I was getting some like, modern art symbolism vibes so I googled rose bud flowering, and this came up:

Rose Bud Flower Meaning… The Rosebud means anticipation and the opening of the heart and spirit to treasured dreams and fulfillment of desires. Rosebuds are also a symbol of new love and an invitation to friendship, courting and romance. Rosebud flower is in harmony with the heart of chakra.

This is exactly what I think this song is about. And remember what Gwen said on Facebook, that it was a cleansing song, and she did a lot of soul searching while listening to it and when she got back from Montana (and listening to it for her whole vacation) “her life changed forever.”

I think the whole song is about how she’s really healed enough that now she’s thinking more about the excitement of Blake and a new relationship than all the anger she was feeling before. In other words, she was ready to take a chance and be with him.

Look at me, I’m turning on, busting like a neon

Just like flowering, she’s turning on… she’s ready. And busting like a neon, well, that’s just a blatant reference to her fave Blake Shelton song.

Flickering on again, lightning in the dark

Her interest in romance and any kind of sexual relationship had been gone for a long time…like longer than just the few months since her separation, I think it’s safe to assume. But now she’s starting to come back to life “flickering on again” means maybe she’s not TOTALLY there but it’s happening. Same with flowering above, actually, she’s not completely blossomed but she’s getting there.

And I love “lightning in the dark” because literally he was this burst of light in her darkest time.

You’re helping me forget/What is this?

She literally was not expecting him at all and is completely blindsided by the fact that she’s gone from being at her absolute worst, emotionally/mentally, to falling in love all of a sudden. like literally what is this?

Gonna break out my cocoon

And as a result, he’s helping her come out of her shell and become the person she wants to be instead of the ghost-like person she had been feeling like for such a long time (again longer than just her separation). And not just him, but songwriting and the voice and plenty of things, this was SO important for her. She referenced it so many times and even named her LLC this. That’s how important it was to her that she was finally coming back to life. And understandably. ugh. my baby.

I’m gonna take a risk, skinny dip

So, I can’t decide if this is an allusion to something that actually happened or they talked about, or it’s just an example of something that’s both sexy and risky. Or maybe he goes along with the water theme…that maybe is it. She’s diving in in the most vulnerable way possible (naked).

Cause I see you’re on the loose

So, it’s no secret one of my favorite things in Shefani Science is their obvious crushes on each other in season 7. They have always been drawn to each other and enamored with each other, and Gwen especially has always seemed quite taken with him.

So just imagine. This guy you’ve always had feelings for, like maybe innocent jr. high style ones, Maybe “sigh if only” ones, maybe “wow I like him so much” ones, who knows but whichever, you had feelings for this guy, and you kind of felt like he was into you too, but regardless nothing was ever gonna happen because for better or (literally) for worse, you were both unavailable. And then all of a sudden you find out this guy is not only going through exactly what you went through, so you have tons in common and are bonding even more than before, but that shared experience means he is available.

He’s not married anymore, which means if she wants to take a chance with him, she has the opportunity to do that. He’s there, he’s willing, it’s up to her to take the chance.

Gonna lasso you, gonna lasso you

And that’s what she wants to do. I love love love this cowboy reference so much, in case there was any question about who she was singing about. She’s gonna snatch him and pull him into her. Hot.

Gonna get some pleasure, together

This one is probably self-explanatory… but also in addition to being like… sexy fun times pleasure, the together is important. It’s not like Gwen is looking for someone to take her mind off things. Blake accidentally took her mind off things because he’s what she’s thinking about now. In Obsessed she refers to him as a distraction, but she’s really trying to convince herself that’s what’s up. And now she’s accepting that’s not what this is. It’s a real thing.

Must be a sign/All the energy’s pulling me right back to you

So, I’m not positive when she wrote this, but it has to have been sometime in July… my guess is the back half of July. And up until that point, they’ve been spending a bunch of time together. I personally think they’ve already made out, maybe done some heavy petting or whatever… (because of obsessed and CHTF) and now she wants more. There’s some kind of cosmic, magnetic energy that’s telling her she belongs with him, she can’t get enough of him, she wants to be with him (both literally and figuratively). It’s not just a fun distraction… the universe or at least her brain is telling her to keep up what they’re doing.

Tonight, gonna bottle you up and wear it like perfume

So now she’s ready. She wants him with her from now on. And she wants him to be close to her, like perfume is something that you absorb through your skin and then it lingers. That’s what she wants from him. She wants him to stay. And I think there’s some sexual implications as well. She wants him on her skin.

Alright, we going in, it’s what we’re supposed to do/ Tonight, open wide

Open wide could mean a bunch of different things. Open wide, like here I come or open wide like give yourself to me…like open arms. And open wide like, again…let’s go for it!

Splash, I’m diving in/Diving in, I’m diving in

So, she’s going for it. She’s not wading in, testing the waters anymore, she’s just gonna take a chance and do it. Headfirst. She’s going for it. And it doesn’t even have to be pretty. She expects the “splash”, you know? But she’s ready to move on.

I think the whole skinny dip, splash, diving…all this aquatic symbolism is important because it’s cleansing. Kind of like baptism, water has always had that feeling of rebirth. Starting fresh. And she’s ready to get going with cleansing herself of the old mess and starting fresh with something new, because that’s “what she’s supposed to do.” Literally she feels like it is not even really a choice, it’s what’s happening.

I’m re-surfacing, a brand new oxygen/Look at me, I’m letting go

And then when she dives in, she’ll come up and the air is fresher. Diving in with Blake is going to be so good for her not only because she likes him so much but also because it’s time to move on.

A rising Kundalini

So, Kundalini, in this context, is referring to a coiled energy that lies dormant at your base, beneath the root chakra (the trust chakra, FYI). Kundalini is released during a really intense event (often associated with sex but not necessary) and when it rises it travels up through all the chakras (they run along the central nervous system, basically) and when it is risen your kundalini awakens and you reach full enlightenment. It’s an incredibly spiritual experience, that sort of helps bond you with the universe. Basically, this line is super intense. She feels like Blake and her have something literally spiritual.

I’m breathing you, breathing me

This is about togetherness, I think, and it goes along with the idea of yoga/meditation/kundalini. But breathing is crucial you know? And also, basic. He’s a part of her now.

Going with the flow

Another water reference. This is natural, what’s happening between them. It’s supposed to happen and she’s rolling with it.

Damn anon I did not mean to get this intense but that’s how we do…

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agape-philo-sophia · 4 months

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➝ Your Temple, Building it and Entering it (“The Upper Room”).

First to understand what we are talking about, take your finger to the side of your head, just by the eye. You will find a small indentation there which as you know is called, The Temple.

To discuss these things we have the Bible so let’s make sure that the Bible states that the temple is not a building:1 Corinthians 3:16 Don’t you know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 2 Corinthians 6:16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? for you are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

That should clarify for us that the temple referred to in scripture is actually the human mind. Now let us see how scripture tells us to build the temple. If you want to follow along, start at 1 Kings 6In building the temple we focus on your meditation because we know the temple in question is the human mind.

Look how the Bible describes the construction which goes beautifully with your meditation.1 KING 6:7 And the house, when it was built, was built of stone made ready before it was brought there: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was being built. Your temple is built in silence. Can you see how clear this is, even though its meaning is hidden? The silence of your meditation begins to build the temple.

Don’t concern yourself if you use music etc. Silence means separation from the constant drone of thoughts coming from the carnal mind. Construction on your temple has begun, in silence. OK now we get to that special part of your temple.

1 Kings 6:8 8 The door for the middle chamber was in the right side of the house: The right side of the house references the right hemisphere of the brain. Don’t concern yourself with trying to reach the right side as opposed to the left side. The right side is used simply as a separation from the left side which is the carnal mind. When you shut down thought, you have shut down the carnal mind, left side, and opened the door to the right side of the house. As your meditation grows, the energy flows upward through the spine in what is called Kundalini. The seven chakras, or the Revelation movement of the 7 seals.

This is a twisting Serpentine motion of the energy as it rises up the spine in a DNA pattern. The Bible describes the stairs going up to the Holy Place and note they are winding stairs.1 Kings 6:8 and they went up with winding stairs into the middle chamber, Winding stairs is the serpentine motion up the spine. The middle chamber is the holy place. We rise in the serpentine motion of the electrical energy to the door on the right side and enter the middle chamber.

The holy place and into the third. But what is the third1 Kings 6:8 and out of the middle into the third. When we leave the holy place we enter the third where we wait and rest.. This is tremendously interesting. All of this activity happens in the 3rd ventricle of the brain. We enter the 3rd to wait.

Let us go to Stedmans Medical Dictionary for a description of the third ventricle. The third ventricle is a narrow verticle cleft between the two lateral ventricles. It possesses, a roof, a floor and four walls, anterior, posterior and two lateral. The roof is formed by the tela choroidea. So there is the room, where you shall wait. The room is an actual room within your brain called the third ventricle. During this time of Aquarius it takes on a special meaning when we read the words of Jesus concerning the Passover. His disciples asked him when the Passover would take place.

This was His reply.

Luke 22:10 10 And he said to them, when enter into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he enters.11 And you shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master said Where is the guest chamber, where I shall eat the Passover with my disciples? 12 And he shall show you a large upper room furnished: there make ready.

Now you know where the large upper room is.You know that you enter via the door on the right side. Now in silence, begin to build your temple, that you may ascend the winding stairs and Passover to your new existence in light.

➝ Your Temple, Building it and Entering it (“The Upper Room”). https://thegreatwork208716197.wordpress.com/2024/02/09/your-temple-building-it-and-entering-it-the-upper-room-2/

➝ Occult Anatomy in the New Testament – The Seed, Oil, Pneumogastric Nerve/Golgotha/Holy Ghost/Solar Plexus – George W. Carey, “God-Man: The Word Made Flesh” (1920). https://thegreatwork208716197.wordpress.com/2019/02/16/occult-anatomy-in-the-new-testament-the-seed-oil-pneumogastric-nerve-golgotha-holy-ghost-solar-plexus-george-w-carey-god-man-the-word-made-flesh-1920/

➝ Christmas & It’s Esoteric Significance. Santa Claus, an Esoteric interpretation. 🔑 https://thegreatwork208716197.wordpress.com/2020/11/20/christmas-its-esoteric-significance-santa-claus-an-esoteric-interpretation-2/

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electrasev5nwrites · 10 months

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Ninja Daily: Clarity 7

"K-kai!" She pulsed her chakra out to disrupt what she was seeing, despite the uncanny realism. But nothing changed except that her training partner's smug smile widened slightly.

Not a genjutsu, then. Huh.

"What the hell is that?" Aiko breathed, stopping in her tracks.

Obito made a 'herk!' sound and jerked to halt his attack, vines whipping backward. "Something you're supposed to dodge!" he said, voice oddly shrill. "You can't just stop whenever something is interesting. Lots of enemies will have techniques you haven't seen before."

Aiko made a low sound of understanding, frowning slightly. "Sorry, it shocked me. Try again?"

'Shocked' wasn't really the right word. When plant matter had rocketed out of the ground in the middle of their spar, her first thought was that Obito had turned to genjutsu.

'For a second…' Aiko cleared her face as she readjusted her stance, ready to dodge in any direction. But her mind was still stuck on what she'd seen a moment ago. Or rather, what she hadn't seen. For just a second, she had caught the wood-like material moving out of the corner of her eye and had expected to see that her opponent was a completely different man. Someone with carefully mussed brown hair, big sad eyes, and the weirdest forehead protector she'd ever seen.

'I'm sure Obito would love to know that I'm having strange visions,' Aiko thought with some amusement. She could tell him, of course, and he probably wouldn't think she was crazy. But she didn't seriously consider it.

It was either a strange hallucination, or a flash of memory. There would be no point in telling Obito if the case was that her brain was on the fritz. She much preferred the idea that it was a bit of memory from another spar, that Obito's attack had triggered a faint recollection.

Aiko was a hoarder lately. Not of physical things, but little bits and pieces of her old life. She was strangely reluctant to share what she remembered with Obito. Why should she? It wasn't like he'd opened up about the minutia of his childhood.

He probably wouldn't be that interested anyway. Remembering that she had been raised in a crowded orphanage with a skinny blonde boy and a pretty woman who wanted to be called 'Aunt Mikoto' was interesting to Aiko, but probably boring to anyone else.

(She wondered what had happened to the people she remembered. Was Mikoto really her aunt, or just a volunteer as her memory seemed to indicate? Probably a volunteer. They looked nothing alike.)

"Look, forget it." Obito shook his head, disgusted. "Let's try again when I get back." He clenched his hands, cutting off the wood jutsu altogether. "You were doing well until you got distracted by butterflies."

"It's just all the pretty colors," Aiko deadpanned. "I can't help it."

His lips pulled into a smile despite his disgruntlement. "Try to get it out of your system while I'm gone."

"What's on the schedule?" she pried, interlocking her fingers and twisting her arms above her head. Aiko rolled her neck, cracking it while she walked. Her friend winced, but didn't pause in stepping inside and holding the door open for her.

"Well, after a shower," Obito prevaricated, "I'm going to go poke around Suna."

"What's in Suna?" Aiko cocked her head curiously, blinking up at him.

He looked away before responding, eyes distant. His voice remained congenial, though. "A reasonable man."

Aiko snorted. "Well, we can't have that," she said gamely.

Obito huffed a little. "No, we can't," he admitted with a twitch of a smile. "Our business is best done when the great countries are communicating as little as possible. When you live outside the law, effective communication and cooperation between the lawkeepers is less than beneficial to your continued well-being."

"In other words, screw that guy," Aiko concluded cheerily. She flopped down on her customary chair and gave him a cheeky look. "Are you going to kill him or something?"

"Nothing so drastic," Obito scoffed. "Better someone I can predict, for now. No. As I said, he's a reasonable man. If his people are upset and there are reasons for him to be wary of what his allies tell him, he won't commit to a course of action that would help international tension simmer down. He probably thinks that the Mizukage is greedy, the Raikage is impulsively violent, and the Hokage is holding back information." He gave an easy shrug. "A reasonable man wants to believe the best and prepares for the worst. If a couple of patrols go missing here, a spy is discovered there, and he comes across unsettling information every so often, he won't be able to be the voice of reason forming that gaggle of egotistical fools into something remotely competent."

Aiko paused.

"That sounds kind of fun," she admitted. "Can I do that?"

"Maybe later." Obito gave her a sideways look, smiling slightly. "It is pretty satisfying."

She made a rude pfft sound, despite not really being that upset. Her pout had no effect, but she hadn't really expected that it would.

He heaved a sigh and turned to fully face her, clearly amused. "Just come out and say whatever it is."

"I don't know what you mean," Aiko deflected.

He looked unimpressed.

"Alright, fine," she admitted with a dismissive wave. "I may have heard about a job request that sounded interesting. But it seems more like a two-person job."

Obito hummed under his breath, sucking on his cheek thoughtfully. "And you wanted me to adventure with you?" She looked sheepish. "Well, I'm sorry that won't work out. And-" he blinked in realization. "Zetsu is preoccupied for another week or so."

Aiko nodded miserably. "Right. Someone else will snap it up if I wait that long."

He looked at her sad little face, debating internally. She would stay at the base or take a duller mission if he asked. On the other hand, what would it hurt to treat her?

He sighed. "You know, we need a longer term solution for you. Zetsu and Kakuzu are capable of working without partners and prefer not to, and there's no one else I'd trust on missions with you. But taking little jobs whenever something interesting comes up through whatever contacts you've found involves a lot of travel for generally small jobs." Judging by the resigned frustration on her face, Aiko already knew that.

Oh, hell. He rubbed at his temples, feeling a bit sorry for her. All she wanted to do was stay busy and help. Was that so wrong?

"You'll have to work with a stranger on this one," Obito warned. Her eyes immediately brightened, and she nodded hastily. "Kakuzu is not a particularly approachable man."

"That's fine!" Aiko chirruped.

"Alright." He absently pulled down his mask. "I'll contact him right now. Do what he tells you, alright? You'll have to wear the uniform, or at least the cloak, so that he recognizes you. Don't let anyone else see you in it; the cloak is distinctive but reversible. We're keeping a low profile at the moment."

"I know," she stressed, having heard this speech. "I'll wear the stupid cloak."

He held up a hand, struck by one more thought. "Where is the mission? I'll tell him to meet you there."

Aiko shrugged. "Someplace called Kiichigo Fīrudo. It sounds nice."

"Prepare to be surprised," Obito responded distractedly.

'What a dump.' Aiko braced her elbows on her knees and tried not to frown too vigorously down at the grubby little farming town that had hosted a surprisingly well-paying mission request. 'I wonder who in this town would have that kind of money.'

She had an excellent view of people going about early morning chores from her perch on an overlooking bluff face.

Kiichigo Fīrudo boasted perhaps two hundreds souls—farming families, simple folk who lived off the land. They were currently going about all sorts of wholesome things like milking cows and hoeing fields and – and that was all the farm-ish things that Aiko could recognize to list, but there were doing plenty of other things.

Aiko crinkled her nose in mild revulsion. 'It wouldn't be so bad if it didn't smell so much like goats. This whole place should probably be cited and quarantined.'

She was actually rather thankful for the oversized cloak Obito had stuffed her into before he'd let her leave. The high collar easily covered her nose, which filtered out some of the funktastic smell.

("Deidara was actually closest to your size," Obito had chatted cryptically while she grumpily held her arms out to the side. "Konan's would be less broad through the shoulder if a little longer, but she's gotten rid of all her uniform clothes, so the point is moot.")

Well, whatever. She didn't care that much about bespoke cloaks.

"I take it you are to be my partner?" a low voice ground out.

Aiko took a moment to respond, still scowling down at the villa below. She was not looking forward to getting closer.

"Yes. You must be Kakuzu. Let's get this over with, shall we?"

He responded with a grunt and started walking. Aiko's fingers hovered at her collar for a while—Obito had said that she should take it off after Kakuzu recognized her. More specifically, he'd recommended that they turn the tell-tale cloaks inside out before anyone else saw them. But he'd also ordered her to follow Kakuzu's lead, and he didn't make a motion to remove his cloak.

Besides, the inside of the cloaks were emred/em. She didn't see how that was less conspicuous than black with a couple of clouds.

'Well, I'll do what Kakuzu does,' Aiko decided. 'At least this collar keeps some of the reek at bay. I don't care much if it's right-side-out.'

It wasn't until after they had formally accepted the mission that Aiko realized that her partner was highly uncommunicative. Perhaps not going through the motions of civility with her current partner had been a mistake. Kakuzu-san seemed put-out with her.

Maybe her rudeness had hurt his feelings? He didn't look like a particularly delicate flower, but appearances were deceptive.

'I'll just be extra nice,' Aiko decided.

He apparently made no such resolution.

"You should have been capable of completing this mission without any assistance," Kakuzu criticized after a long period of silence. "If you are worthy of this organization, five shinobi should pose no threat to you."

She blinked in mild surprise. He didn't seem like a talker, but then again, it wasn't like she had much else to do for entertainment while they waited for the band of missing-nin that had apparently been extorting the little town. "All the mission request said was that it was a team mission sorting out gang-related problems," Aiko said finally. "I didn't know that it was such a small number of missing-nin."

That was true, although she'd half expected to find out their opponents were civilians and genin washouts.

Kakuzu grunted, not pleased by her answer. "You should have gathered more information before you accepted the mission. How did you expect to make a profit without knowing how much effort you would be expending? Foolish brat."

Aiko felt her hackles rise at the insult and greedy outlook.

'Don't engage. He's rude, but that's his problem, not yours,' she tried to convince herself. 'Arguing will only waste time and get me mad for no good reason. I'll get the mission done as soon as possible and we'll part ways.'

That in mind, she pressed her lips together and looked away dismissively. After a moment, she calmly managed, "I don't mind doing extra work for the reward. The mission sounded like it would be mildly entertaining and keep me out of the house."

It also counted as her good Samaritan deed for the week, she thought. She didn't share that part. Kakuzu didn't seem the type to appreciate hints of benevolence.

Aiko was actually rather proud of herself when her response came out civilly. Kakuzu grunted in what seemed to be disapproval, but he let the subject drop. It was a relief when a small caravan crested a distant hill and wound around the dirt roads that led into town.

"What's that, eight people on foot?" Aiko confirmed, squinting a bit. "There could be more in the carriage, of course, but I bet that's where the loot is."

This gang was at least ostensibly a group of travelers who offered mercenary protection for merchant's goods. It was actually a pretty good idea, Aiko thought. They'd transport others' goods from place to place as a sort of delivery company. Being on retainer theoretically made the prices much lower than transport protection that could be arranged on an individual basis with shinobi villages, and made it much easier to make multiple trips and sell a lot more merchandise. Produce, in this case.

They were almost certainly smugglers, in Aiko's opinion. That'd be what she would do, if the business was hers. Of course, she would take care to remain on their clients' good sides to skirt under the law and not all but rob them at knifepoint, but no one had ever accused most bandits of being particularly business-savvy.

She stood, giving a little stretch, and then began leisurely walking to close the distance. Aiko wanted to see them up closer. The odds that another group was using this road when the gang was expected were not good, but she'd like to be sure. It would be pretty embarrassing to accidentally murder random travelers instead of the people they'd been contracted to eliminate. They were supposed to be able to recognize their targets by kanji the hired muscle wore—lucky travels.

"That's them," her partner noted. The group was just now noticing the two cloaked shinobi, and raising a small commotion amongst themselves.

'They're deciding whether to be friendly or if we look like too much of a threat,' Aiko decided, curling her fingers around the length of wire she carried.

"Leave a survivor to question," Kakuzu ordered hoarsely. She nodded without thought. She'd already known that.

It took longer to loot the corpses for information than it did to tear them apart. Kakuzu apparently favored brutal ninjutsu. Aiko frowned at the excess, but she was a little jealous, frankly.

Obito had been working on perfecting her weapon skills, and not paid much attention to teaching her ninjutsu at all. He'd conceded that any active shinobi needed to be able to use henge, shunshin, the body-switch jutsu, and a bunshin of some sort, but those were the only combat jutsu he'd taught her.

She really shouldn't complain. Aiko couldn't learn everything at once. It did make more sense to prioritize the little things that helped in tracking and camping like the fire-spark jutsu and the really large jutsu he needed her to learn to help in bijuu extraction than it did to prioritize combat jutsu. Ninjutsu specialists were generally front-line, close-range fighters. And he didn't want her to be one.

'I could be a close-range fighter,' she thought resentfully. 'I bet I'd be good at it. I have lots of chakra.'

Aiko shoved down the internal complaint that Obito was being unfair in favor of helpfully clearing the road of corpses and debris. She glanced at the carriage—the horses attached to it were wide-eyed and distressed, but their hooves were still caught in the mud Kakuzu had made. There really wasn't any need to block the road like that.

He was busy interrogating their sole prisoner, and it wasn't like she had anything else to do…

"Hey, Kakuzu. Let the horses go. I'll take the carriage into town and report the first half of the mission is complete."

By the time she returned (with enthusiastic thanks ringing in her ears and a hefty tip in her pocket) Kakuzu had apparently gotten all he needed and disposed of the gibbering, sobbing survivor. She cast a dispassionate glance at the corpse out of curiosity. He'd apparently sliced the man up—it looked a little like the corpses she'd made with her wire.

'I thought he'd stick with ninjutsu. Then again, I suppose that would have been terribly wasteful in terms of chakra.'

Oh well. It didn't really matter.

"Aren't you going to clean that up?" Aiko asked instead.

Kakuzu stood. "No. We haven't been paid to do so." His lips twisted slightly into a sneer. "I'm sure this mess will be less offensive than the fertilizer currently in use here. Perhaps they should pay us extra for leaving them the bodies."

Aiko was torn between 'that's not very kind,' and 'that's not far off from the truth.' Instead, she cracked a smile. "I didn't know you were funny, Kakuzu." Honestly, she hadn't expected him to make a joke at all, even if it was a bit macabre. "I think I like you much better than Zetsu."

"Spare me your flattery, kunoichi." He began walking away, forcing her to hustle to keep up. "Even if you did not resemble a child, you are entirely the wrong sex to interest me."

Aghast, her jaw dropped.

He thought she was flirting with him? She didn't know if that was arrogant or just so cynical that it was sad.

"What, I can't be nice unless I want something?" Aiko snapped, offended.

All Kakuzu did was snort. "Come along."

The rest of the mission was completed in a tense, sullen silence on Aiko's part, interspersed with occasional brisk orders from Kakuzu. It took them several days to hunt down and eliminate the criminal elements of what turned out to be an actual, legitimate business.

The only time Aiko spoke up was to convince Kakuzu to let the actual owners, their family, and their staff live.

She had to resort to his language to do it, however, because she wasn't thick enough to think 'That's not very nice' would work on him. "We haven't been paid to kill businesspeople," Aiko pointed out. "In fact, allowing them to remain in business offers us future opportunity for further profit."

The woman who had founded the company nodded furiously, clutching her ten-year-old son so tightly to her chest that her fingers were white.

"Either they'll end up accidentally hiring more thugs that we'll get paid to kill without having to do the preliminary research again," Aiko listed in a stroke of inspiration, "or actually, I could replace their missing team. It'd be a long-term mission, paid very well since I can substitute for all the lower-level thugs, and you won't have to be involved at all."

It would also be easy drudgery that gave her an opportunity to get paid exorbitantly to travel and make money on the side moving contraband, but she left that part unsaid.

Kakuzu accepted that argument, but forced the business owner to sign a contract that he wrote up on the spot before he would leave.

"Sorry about him," Aiko apologized to her new employer as soon as Kakuzu's steps had faded. She didn't want his bad attitude to color her new business relationship, after all. "He's a bit of a grump."

The middle-aged brunette managed a quivery smile, still carefully placing her body between Aiko and the door she'd shooed her son through.

"Yeah…" She scratched at the back of her head, mildly uncomfortable with the continued tenseness. "Let's talk business, then? I don't do grunt work, so you'll still have to hire a couple of people to do packing and transport. What's the route like? And oh-" Aiko clapped her hands together sharply, remembering something. "I know it's not in the contract, but I don't sleep outside unless there's really no other option. What kind of accommodations are available in the various stops?"

She wouldn't intentionally intimidate this poor woman any more than Kakuzu had already done, of course. But if asking about accommodation right now netted Aiko a better deal, she wasn't too morally upright to pass that up. Now that she'd met the organization's financial manager, she was beginning to suspect that she would not be getting a wonderful budget for hotels

Aiko wouldn't need a place to stay tonight, of course. She wasn't that far from a safehouse.

'I'll just stop by and leave a note for Obito,' she thought cheerily, already expecting praise for solving the problem of finding lucrative employment that Obito didn't have to pull another member away from their own work for. 'Other than that, I could start anytime. I wonder if she (Aiko suddenly remembered she didn't even know her employer's name yet) would notice if I made a detour. Moving produce is nice and all, but I'd make a lot more money if I pick up some other merchandise.'

Life was pretty good.

"I'm afraid that I have something to say."

Even the Raikage shut his trap and turned his stare on the Ame representative, who had somehow managed to find a comparatively dark corner to lurk in, despite the meeting place being both well-lit and circular. Konan had been pointedly, painfully silent except when directly addressed on their first meeting. That had been two months prior. After a flurry of exchanged messages, international opinion has settled enough that it had been possible to arrange another meeting to hopefully settle affairs.

This can't possibly be any good.'/em Tsunade raised an eyebrow and leveled an impassive look on the younger woman.

"I would like to confirm the Hokage's report at our last session."

Wait, what?

Tsunade was still trying to figure out Konan's angle when the other woman continued speaking. "The criminal organization known as Akatsuki is still a threat to international relations. As a gesture of goodwill, I have prepared dossiers on the remaining members of the organization."

Displeased, Mei's lips twitched slightly. "There are only a small number of members available," she demurred. "Surely they do not present an urgent issue."

Konan gave a tiny smile. "On the contrary," she said smoothly. "Nagato was neither the leader nor the most powerful member of Akatsuki. The man responsible for forming the organization is one that you might remember, Mizukage-dono." Before Mei could spit fire at her for insinuating that they were social equals or that she was familiar with criminals, Konan waived a hand slightly. "He has been directing international events for longer than I have been alive."

It was a little bit of a thrill to realize that she knew where this was going.

"Uchiha Madara, the original nuke-nin, is responsible for the formation of Akatsuki."

The dropped jaws around the room were sort of hilarious. Tsunade wished a moment later that she had feigned shock when Gaara's eyes narrowed on her slightly.

Despite the clear logistical problems with what Konan had just claimed, no one seemed to dismiss the possibility. That, more than anything else, spoke to just what kind of legend Madara had. Konan hadn't been exaggerating when she described Madara as the original nuke-nin—the originator of that sin against country and kage, in a way. He may have been a Konona-nin, but he was in everyone's history texts.

'This is perfect,' Tsunade realized with a sharp bit of joy. Well, the news itself was bad, but it confirmed her suspicions and would hopefully convince her peers to come to a wiser consensus.

"What do you mean?" Gaara asked sharply, voicing what seemed to be the collective question. "How do you know that this man is Uchiha Madara? And what did you mean by your claim that he has been directing international events?"

"It clearly rankled the group to be dependent on Konan for information. That was probably why she had arranged the situation the way she had. She had probably been silently steaming since she had been summoned to that first meeting.

Satisfaction was plain in the victorious glint of Konan's amber eyes, even though she remained generally professional. And why wouldn't she be satisfied? From a position of weakness, Konan had made them all look like fools and took control of the session. "I simply refer to the time when he was unofficially the leader of Kirigakure," Konan demurred.

Mei turned red almost immediately.

"I am certain that Amegakure and Kirigakure have not been his only targets, of course, but I was never privy to Madara-san's whims. Nagato was his intermediary for Akatsuki and thusly contacted him more, but their relationship was… tense," Konan allowed delicately.

Oh, clever girl. By making Akatsuki ultimately emMadara's/em responsibility, Konan had made it that much harder for Mei, at least, to argue in favor of punishing the current regime for the last one's failures under Madara's control.

"Do you have any proof?" A bit out, not bothering to disguise his hostility.

"Little enough," Konan replied honestly. "Other than my own testimony, I have very little proof to offer. Madara-san showed his face to none and shared his identity with almost as few. I believe that the two subordinates he has left in Akatsuki are the ones most likely to have known his identity and been following his will alone." She gave the most graceful sort of shrug Tsunade had ever seen, inclining her head slightly. "I believe that Tsunade-dono may be in possession of some small corroborating information."

As all eyes turned to her, Tsunade resisted the urge to give Konan the stink eye. Little shit. "We had reason to suspect that the Akatsuki known as Tobi was an Uchiha," she admitted levelly. "Nothing concrete, of course, other than testimony based on the recollection of family scent characteristics."

"Smells like cat," Kakashi muttered half-heartedly. It was thoroughly inappropriate for a bodyguard to speak up unsolicited in this setting, but no one batted an eye.

A's face twisted into a sneer. "And I suppose you didn't share this information because you didn't want your village to look weaker than it already does," he accused.

She'd been expecting that. "It was an unconfirmed analysis that the culprit may belong to a specific family," Tsunade countered dispassionately. "There was no reason to jump to the conclusion that the Uchiha in question was a two-hundred year old man long thought to be dead. Had I brought such flimsy evidence to your attention, you would have dismissed it."

"That's very convenient," Mei said flatly.

She was cut off by a rude snort from A. "I'll say it is!" He brought both fists down on the table—apparently unconcerned with the fact that the shinobi brought as personal bodyguards jerked forward at the show of aggression. Tsunade hardly saw him leap to his feet (and she was reminded that A was possibly now the fastest man alive, and certainly not someone to underestimate). "It's obvious that you've been pulling everyone's strings!" he accused, pointing at Tsunade.

Oh, hell.

"I was made promises that you clearly have no intention of fulfilling," he continued, pacing. "The alliance of equals that you spoke so highly of seems to be a convenient fiction. And you," A snarled, rounding on the group. "Mizukage! Kazekage! You should be ashamed to act as lapdogs for Konoha."

"Excuse me?" Mei interrupted, tone dangerously cold and high. "No such relationship exists. Kirigakure is allied with Konohagakure on equal terms for mutual benefit."

"And that's why you jump when she snaps her fingers," A mocked. "Brats. You're practically suckling at her t-"

"Enough."

The Kazekage's voice was enough to halt all of them reflexively, whether it was due to shock or lifelong habit of taking orders. That was a hell of an accomplishment, actually, for a teenager with no real field command experience.

Gaara didn't revel in his minor victory. "This squabbling diminishes us all," he said levelly. Dark-rimmed eyes slowly traveled over every man and woman in the room with the weight of judgment. "Our duty is to ascertain the most reasonable, responsible, and beneficial course of action for our respective nations and to negotiate to a compromise. There is no place here for ego or insult. Amekage, please," he deferred politely, turning his face pointedly towards her. "What threat does Uchiha Madara pose, and what are his goals?"

"He wishes to collect the nine bijuu." Konan's words shocked no one. She visibly hesitated with her next words. "There was a time when Nagato-sama and I believed that Madara-san shared our vision," Konan admitted. "We desired to use the bijuu as an undefeatable weapon to force an end to human wars and violence. Now I suspect that we were tools in his acquisition. Hiding behind other regimes seems to be his modus operandi. I cannot say what he intends with the bijuu, but I do not believe it could possibly be to the benefit of the free world."

This was the first time that Tsunade had heard Nagato's moronic plan referenced since the day he had left Konoha and apparently killed himself in Ame after handing over the reins to Konan. It was just as annoying this time around.

Tsunade opened her mouth to speak-

"I'm done here," A said in disgust, pushing back his chair to leave. "Since none of you are going to come to your senses. Clearly we should be looking at Amegakure," he stressed, pointing one of his enormous sausage fingers at Konan. "If Akatsuki was really led by Uchiha Madara and headquartered there for a decade, that's where we need to begin rooting it out. We don't even know that this woman has abandoned her ties to Akatsuki," he criticized, glaring at Konan.

It wasn't a bad point. But there was also no way for outside parties to interfere in the selection of foreign leaders without setting the dangerous precedent that Mei was so wary of.

"Amegakure chose Konan-san as their representative," Mei said tightly. A muscle jumped in her neck. "As there is no indication of her continued involvement in Akatsuki and she cannot be held responsible for mere membership when the organization controlled the country without punishing every man, woman, and child therein, we must respect her authority over her domain."

A smiled. It wasn't a nice smile. "No, I see where you're coming from," he acknowledged. His body posture shifted from irritation to something confident, feet spread wide and shoulders pulled back.

That apparent agreement gave Tsunade a bad feeling about what was coming.

"I think it's the wrong stance to take and damned stupid, but I respect your consistency in applying the standard you have chosen. However." A leered rather unpleasantly at Konan. "Even if I am to concede that she cannot be internationally prosecuted for mere membership as a war crime, she has committed at least one international violation of treaty, and that must be investigated and punished. Wasn't it at your diplomatic conference, Mizukage-dono, where she attacked and participated in the kidnapping of multiple participants?"

He paused for a moment. Honestly, it was amazing that no one had brought this possibility up before. But Waterfall wasn't represented here, it was to Mei's interests if her disaster of a conference was swept under the rug, and Tsunade couldn't exactly produce Aiko to give testimony against Konan even if she thought it was worthwhile to have the blue-haired idiot thrown down from her position.

'He usually looks like such a moron,' Tsunade thought numbly. She had not expected this from the Raikage at all.

"Ah yes, it was," A answered his own question, since the room was silent. "I recall because one of my soldiers was in that party." He cracked his knuckles, giving the dumbstruck gathering a look that implied he would much rather be exacting a different kind of justice, but would milk this for all it was worth.

Konan was hard-faced and still as stone, but the pulse jumping in her neck belied her calm.

"As the first complainant, I believe that it is my right to take Konan-san here into custody. Unless, of course, the Mizukage chooses to supersede my claim. The crimes were committed in her country, after all."

Mei gritted her teeth. "Thank you for pointing that out, Raikage-dono. Yes. Konan-san, I'm afraid you will be coming with me today. You are expected to turn yourself into my custody with dignity and decorum fitting your station while you are investigated for war crimes." She stood, brushing off her dress. "Make the necessary arrangements with your representatives," Mei added tonelessly. "I will provide them an escort back to Amegakure as a good faith gesture."

'That did not go well.'

Tsunade sequestered herself in her diplomatic quarters –they were in the Land of Rice, this time around—and tried to soothe away her stress with a light novel she had picked up. Shinobi nations didn't get entertainment imports in nearly the amounts or for the low prices that the other countries did, so she'd never seen it. Unfortunately, the story about a little girl chasing rabbits failed to hold her attention. She was staring blankly at the wall when Shizune knocked on her door.

"You have a visitor, Tsunade-sama."

The professionalism in her apprentice's voice let Tsunade know that whoever it was could hear them at the moment. That was the only reason she restrained the groan that wanted to eke out and hauled her tired bones up and out to the front room.

Sabaku no Temari was curled in a chair as if she belonged there. She had also apparently managed to coerce or browbeat Hatake into fetching her tea. He was scowling and slouching slightly as he delicately filled two blue flowered teacups. Tsunade accepted hers with graceful aplomb and settled across from the younger woman as Hatake began to stalk off like an offended cat.

Tsunade kept her voice mild. "Hatake-kun, Shizune-chan. Please feel free to explore town and enjoy yourselves."

They took the platitude for the order it was and scattered. Her two companions were holding together a tentative truce based on avoidance of the elephant in the room. She had a feeling that this conversation might strain their ability to professionally pretend the other was someone else.

"Nice place you've got here," Temari said without looking up from her cup. "I think whoever assigned housing thinks that my brothers and I sleep in a pile like puppies. You have more room. Lots of space for activities."

Tsunade made a noncommittal noise, swishing around her drink. It tasted like crap. That was probably some passive-aggressive rebellion from Hatake-kun. God, she loved that kid sometimes. The Suna girl didn't seem to notice, sipping away gamely.

"I can't help but notice that you've had the same escort the last three times that I've seen you, and that they aren't your usuals," Temari prodded. "I thought you were training the Uchiha and Aiko-san for diplomatic work, what with the way they were always around."

Tsunade gave her an uncharitable look. "Say what's on your mind."

Her hard tone was enough to make the younger kunoichi fidget, pride and the fact that she was a skilled shinobi herself aside.

"I heard rumors that there were two casualties of your invasion, not one," Temari said bluntly. "Why are you hiding what happened to Aiko-san?"

'Rumors? How the hell did she hear that? It's not the most unlikely conclusion, given that almost no one would have seen Aiko alive after Pein. But I didn't realize that anyone was talking about it.'

"Aiko was in Konoha on guard duty when Akatsuki attacked, but she survived."

Sort of. Yes and no.

"That's good to hear, since she's going to be called as a witness for the investigation against Konan." Temari looked up at her, eyes hard and unamused.

'And the amnesiac will give fantastic testimony, I am certain,' Tsunade thought, pitying herself a little.

That information wasn't a shock, but she had to stall for time and obfuscate. She could not impede an international investigation, but Tsunade also couldn't give them the shinobi she didn't have.

That created a delicate conundrum.

'I can't lie. But if I imply that Aiko is on a confidential mission of undetermined length, they'll have to stall the trial. There's no way to force a foreign village to give up information about clients and private operations or compel me to cut it short. They'll have to wait. That won't work forever, of course. I need to ride Jiraiya's ass and get that girl found, yesterday.'

"I didn't say she was available," Tsunade said dryly. "You won't get any more than that from me. It's possible that she will be available for testimony."

Would the record please note that she said 'possible'? Not especially likely, but Tsunade did like to gamble long odds.

Temari gave a rude snort, dropping her cup with a clink and rubbing at her temples with both hands. "Be that way. I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page. You know that my testimony is going to be actively detrimental to Konan's case. I don't know if Aiko has any possibly mitigating information, but she's the only one who could help that rude woman." Temari shrugged. "She spent more time actually with Akatsuki members andem conscious/em than the other two, from what I understand. Yugito-san and Fuu-san will have no reason to pull their punches, especially since Yugito-san's kage is the one forcing this. He's completely right, of course," she admitted grumpily. "This trial is legal and ignoring the old lady's crimes would make a mockery of the treaties she broke.

Tsunade twitched. 'Old lady? Konan is quite a bit younger than I am.'

If Temari hadn't connected those dots, Tsunade wasn't going to be the one to enlighten her.

"But the timing is terrible," she continued for the younger blonde.

The Suna kunoichi nodded, apparently unaware that she was snarling slightly.

Those Sabaku kids were rather sinister, Tsunade thought quietly.

The family resemblance was much stronger when the otherwise pretty kunoichi exposed her teeth and growled slightly like that. Perhaps she'd soaked up the insanity that the Kazekage had shrugged off in order to better fit his nutty skull into his nice new hat. Temari's hair was certainly puffy enough to be hiding some secretive craziness.

It would probably be polite to not notice any of that. She took a sip of tea.

"I can't promise much," Temari said testily, as if concerned that Tsunade would beg her for favors. "But I think Gaara will be more than willing to suggest that we wait a little longer than strictly necessary for an international trial. There's a lot of pomp and circumstance involved, of course, and we'll have to arrange an intermediary like a Daimyo or an impartial foreign leader. So you should have time to drag Aiko out of whatever mysterious hole she's in and get her ready to save Kage Blue-Hair's wrinkly hide."

"Well." Tsunade clicked her tongue. "Thank you, I appreciate your assistance and discretion in this matter."

There was an awkward pause when Temari leaned slightly in, expecting to be trusted with more information. The Hokage blinked guilelessly.

"Right." Temari drew the word out mockingly, letting it turn just a little nasal. "I'm so glad we had this talk. I think it's just peachy keen that we can be so upfront with each other."

That actually did make Tsunade feel the tiniest bit guilty. The younger woman had come over for the explicit purpose of offering her help and expressing concern for their countries' mutual interests.

She realized she'd been manipulated even as she opened her lips to give Temari a bone. "As I informed the Raikage when he huffed and puffed his way into Konoha, Aiko is currently missing in action. I cannot give any more information than that, although I can share that we have reason to believe she is alive and well. Please do not let this information pass beyond yourself and Gaara-dono."

Temari opened her mouth slightly and then didn't breathe for a moment. Once thought had apparently re-asserted itself she pressed her lips together, raised her eyebrows, and nodded slightly. The expression wasn't especially pleasant. "I see," Temari said tightly, swallowing the words. "Thank you for this information, given in confidence. I presume that the Raikage is under the impression that you simply haven't changed her official status and that she actually died at Pein's hands?"

Tsunade carefully didn't nod, letting the younger woman take her lack of dissent as assent.

That was her hope, since Sasuke had opened his yap without her permission. If Aiko really had died (and stayed dead) in that fight, Tsunade might have tried to keep it quiet for a while. It was no secret that the other nations thought Konoha was outright lying about having exactly one fatality in their invasion. Obscuring and minimalizing combat losses to the international audience was practically tradition. No one wanted their enemies to know exactly what their resources were.

So, hopefully, the Raikage would assume Konoha was hiding that Aiko had died. They would be looking for confirmation of that story, not signs of an unprotected Uzumaki out of village walls.

Konoha needed to be the only ones looking for Aiko to have half a chance in hell of locating her. Otherwise, they'd have to sort through counterintelligence and fight competing interests looking to buy the information Konoha wanted.

It would have been nice to come home to an orderly office caught-up on paperwork and a happy populace. For the most part, things were in order. But Tsunade had barely settled into her desk the morning after she arrived back home before the corpse-pale former Root that she'd snagged for her personal guard asked for a chance to speak with her.

"Talk," Tsunade commanded wearily, wishing she'd had more than store-bought cookies for breakfast. That just wasn't enough fuel for whatever trouble he was bound to bring to her attention. And hell, she was right.

"I suspect that the tenuous balance maintained by my former organization has failed," Sai shared calmly. He sounded like he might be commenting on the weather. "ANBU had been maintaining equilibrium for quite some time since Danzo-sama's death. Likely, they were fulfilling lingering orders and scrambling for new leadership. However-"

Reflexively, Tsunade curled her hand into a fist, waiting for the next news to hit her like a blow.

"in recent weeks, Sasuke-san first noticed changes in the mission-taking statistics of upper level shinobi."

Tsunade blinked. Sasuke? She would have thought that his hands were full enough in his absence that he wouldn't be able to start compiling information on anomalies he noted until she returned.

'If nothing else, he's efficient,' she remembered, a little proud.

Sai continued pleasantly, gaze professionally focused on her eyes in a way that even Sasuke struggled to maintain at times. "Several shinobi have significantly increased the number of times they report and petition for additional work. Had this begun months prior, it might have been patriotism. It seems more likely that these are operatives who have been completing extracurricular work until recently and are maintaining a steady workload by supplementing their official missions. This means, of course-"

"That until recently they've been occupied with work that was off-the-books, yes," Tsunade agreed. She was pleased with both his insight and initiative in bringing this to her. "That's good news, as far as I can tell. I prefer to start my mornings that way."

Sai inclined his head slightly. "I would concur with your analysis that these shinobi have decided to remember that their first vow is to the Hokage," he began carefully.

Tsunade caught on with a groan nearly instantly. "But you don't think that this is all of Root, do you," she confirmed. Her shoulders slumped slightly when he nodded. "Wonderful. Does that mean that their former compatriots will still follow whatever agenda Danzo left for them, or are they wildcards now?"

Sai blinked twice, long dark lashes almost shocking in contrast against his skin. "Any who have not chosen to give you their allegiance are likely still committed to Danzo-sama's cause," he admitted with a little trepidation in his tone. "However, they may not share the same interpretation of Danzo-sama's cause, how to go about achieving it, and if they should remain aligned with any or which of his contacts. The situation has every likelihood of becoming complicated and messy."

"Do you have a recommendation?"

She was glad she prodded a moment later.

"Hai, Hokage-sama," Sai said formally. "It is my lowly opinion that now is the time to ensure that the infrastructure ROOT maintained has been destroyed, especially in regards to the underground transportation network. Eliminating those would go a long ways toward preventing collusion within the village. Once isolated, an individual operative is little threat. Additionally, it would be wise to increase patrols and security in the closest sectors to the village to prevent information dealing that is out of your control."

Most of that sounded good, but- "Is there really a possibility that any of Danzo's tunnel system survived?" Tsunade asked a little skeptically.

The question was rhetorical by the end. While the unnatural attack used by Jiraiya's former student had done terrible damage to the village and probably collapsed any tunnels, she couldn't afford not to make sure. Tsunade repressed a sigh. "How far have you gotten on that map I wanted you to make up?" she prodded wearily. That hadn't been high priority, but now…

"It is completed to the best of my memory, Hokage-sama," her ANBU murmured with a slight bow. "I feel confident in my familiarity, but it is always possible that information was withheld from me. In order to be certain, I would ask that either a skilled genjutsu user or a Sharingan wielder accompany me to ensure that no hidden areas remain to pose a risk to village security. I anticipate that it would take several days to clear out the entire structure and make certain that it is unusable."

"Several days? That's not so bad. And your request for assistance will be granted, of course." Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose, thinking. "How is your doton?"

When the boy hesitated, she waved a hand.

"No matter. This mission is going to be big enough that it makes much more sense to assemble several teams. Your logic in wanting either a Sharingan wielder or a genjutsu master is sound. Kakashi, Kurenai and—well, it'll give Itachi something to do as well," she decided on a whim. "You'll be involved due to your familiarity with the territory, of course, but I won't send down a group that doesn't have at least one expert doton user to keep the group safe in case of cave-in. Yamato meets that criteria," Tsunade mumbled, trailing off.

She was tapping the desk with her fingers and trying to visualize logical configurations when she realized Sai was still standing there at attention.

She cleared her throat a bit sheepishly. "Good work, Sai. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Please do your best to separate the map into three sections so that three teams can safely access every point labeled without more back-tracking than necessary. I'll call you in tomorrow to begin work on this project. You may go."

#vapors #uzumaki aiko #electrasev5n #ninja daily #fanfiction #naruto fanfiction #clarity

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dorn-queen-of-thorns · 2 years

Text

Is Sarada the reincarnation of Obito?

And hello again!

As some of you should recognize, that Sarada is one of my favorite characters of the new gen and it's really sad, what the writers are doing to her in the actual arc.

But if they 're planing something , which I assume, then she will become an incredibly character .

Next to the older gen: I mentioned once, that one of my beloved characters is Obito.

( He's the first one, second one is Naruto. Sorry Naruto! 😘)

I enjoyed his very dark side, his sad past and at last his incredible redemption.

So I think, that the writers are inspired of Obito's character design and rewrite him, but this time everything will end in a good way for this character to reach its target and to get its beloved lifetime partner.

Here are the points, which I see as a hint.

1. They have the same dream.

Okay, this one is easy. Both want or wanted to become the next Hokage in their generation.

2. Both have in their childhood the same characters designs.

Sarada and Obito were / are as children very kind beings.

Sarada, as an example protected little children against Kawaki, when they were in the village together for the first time.

Obito came often too late and it would explained in one case.

He came too late, because he wanted to help an old lady to escort across the street.

Also it exists two speaches, which shows, that they stand/stood up for weaker ones and friends.

Like these images are showing us:

In Sarada's case, she speaks about Kagura. In Obito's case, he spoke about Rin.

Both are also very emotional and sensitive beeings in their childhood.

Obito told sometimes, that he had something in his eyes after he cried .

3. Both are explained as weak Uchiha's in their childhood

Both wear / wore glasses. For characters with one of the mightiest Dojutsu's in their world, this is a big negativ point.

Obito was considered untalented and that he developed his first Tomoe very late in his childhood. He had to take eyedrops.

Sarada has issues with her chakra controll and looses her consciousness after overusing it.

4. Both have the same signs in their eyes in one scene or opening:

I explained these sign in my "Sarada's development part 2".

I explain now the signs in their eyes and it might be a foreshadowing for Sarada's development and really mighty boost for her power.

We know all Uchiha's are Yin chakra control users, but Obito got also the control of the Yang chakra nature, which is very rare in the Naruto verse. I assume, that it happened, because Madara healed him with Hashirama cells.

Only Naruto, Obito, Madara and the Otsuki's can / could do that.

Why do i speak of Yin and Yang chakra control?

It's the sign in their eyes.

The crescent moon is the sign for Yin.

The circle is the sun and the sign for Yang.

These signs were shown in the Kaguya sealing fights. One side was the Yin side shown as a crescent moon, the other one was the Yang side, shown as the sun.

5. Something, that might happen with Sarada in the near future:

It exists a scene, what could happen with Sarada in the end of the Code arc.

It shows , how she will be attack by Delta in opening 7.

It's the same side, which was also the injured body side of Obito. I also believe, that she might get healed with Hashirama cells, like it happened with Obito and developing a Rinnegan.

And with the newest leaks of the actual episode, we get another hint, that I could be right with my assumption:

Do you see the little scretch on her right side? I don't think, that it is a coinsedence.

Poor girl.

So for the next episode, i doubt, that Sarada will develop her 3rd Tomoe. It is shown in the opening 10, that she might skip her 3rd Tomoe into the MS like Obito did.

6. One thing, which she hasn't in common with Obito:

She isn't in love with someone, who has rejected her until now like it happened with Obito.

He had such a tragic backstory. 😢

So these are some points, which I have found out.

Please, share your opinions with me. I like to read them.

I will update my theory from time to time.

Editing after some month's:

I'm surprised. That my thoughts, that Sarada has Ootsutsuki blood has in herself by her lineage, are right. I had written this in one of my theories.

And the probability are definitiv possible. It would explain, why Sarada is safe against Aida's abbility.

Now to my new objection: I said in this theory, that Sarada is a Obito like character and I got a new clue for it:

Remember how Kakashi lost his eye?

He lost it by a cut after an attack by an opponent.

I wouldn't wonder if Sarada also lost an eye or more she will injured heavyly like it happened to Obito.

This would be a similaritiy again that the relationship between Boruto and Sarada is a silbing ship. Like Kakashi and Obito and one of them will turn to the dark side. And I wouldn't wonder, if this person is Boruto.

So I will update my theories from time.

Stay safe and see ya!

#kawasara #sarada uchiha #boruto #kawaki x sarada

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narhinafan · 1 year

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What's the appeal of Sakura anyway? She has to be one of the most unlikable characters in all of fiction I know that's a stretch to say this but she is one of the worst female characters to ever exist in general. Sakura would not have the amount of hate that she currently does if she was a minor character like TenTen. So much time is wasted on this awful character she has nothing to the world. In a world where Hinata hyuga was the main female character of the manga we would have gotten so much more history on the hyuga clan which I think would have greatly enhance the story I mean the possibilities are endless I mean people have done it for years wrote Hinata fanfiction where she was on team 7 and the story only gets better considering the Hyuga clan is such an interesting clan in general in my opinion more the Uchiha clan. There's just a lot more meat in terms of story to chew on with Hinata as the lead then there ever would be with Sakura anyway it sounds like a bias Hinata but to fan I'm really am a huge fan of the Hyuga clan and wish they would have been expanded more and I think it would have been easier with Hinata as a lead if that had happened. This is what I mean when I say that Sakura is a worthless character you lose nothing in the lore with her removal as a character there's other clans in Naruto that could have been expanded upon as well but no we had to waste all of our time on that useless bench you had nothing interesting to add to the Naruto universe Sakura is truly useless.

There is none and what little appeal she does have gets canceled out by the negatives of her character.

You are right about Hinata being on team 7 would have allowed for a much better story. First it would further develop her relationship Naruto and earlier, which can also lead to him opening up about Kurama and her accepting and encouraging him still. It is sad how the show brushes off his friends finding out about the nine tails when it would have been a big insecurity for Naruto haven been mistreated his whole life cause of it.

Since Hinata isn't a fangirl she can have a normal friendship with Sasuke and actually act like a teammate. She would encourage the whole team to train together leading to a stronger bond between them.

During missions her Byakugan and Taijutsu style would come in handy she wouldn't be left on the side lines and she would be more helpful in training with Naruto and Sasuke.

Her fighting style is also OP by nature and the Byakugan would also resolve the weakness of chidori so Hinata could learn it as well if needed. Her Lion Fist Jutsu is OP as hell, but she never gets to show that cause she gets little scenes. Hinata also has the chakra control needed to still learn medical jutsu so she could have studied under Tsunade and made everything her own like how Sasuke and Naruto made up their own fighting styles. Add that the Byakugan would be much more helpful for medical jutsu as well.

Seriously the Hyuga clan are the strongest in the village after the Uchiha massacre and if it wasn't for the MS and how they restrict their jutsu between branches I would even say they even stronger then the Uchiha in some cases when you consider the clans as a whole.

Her involvement would have allowed the Hyuga clan to be expanded on and properly show the Cage Bird Seal being removed. Hanabi and Neji would have been more involved as well.

You could even keep the team 7 love triangle by having Sasuke take an interest in Hinata.

Then the fact the Hyuga are also descendent from Kaguya it would allowed her to a power up from Hamura and the final fight better since there would be no need to force a team 7 moment like how in canon Sakura somehow got a punch on Kaguya and had the strength to knock her down.

Plus since each of them come from important clans you could introduce and focus about their clans. Would have been nice if the Uzumaki clan got shown more and Naruto learned some jutsu related to his clan.

The story would have been so much better and allowed for so much more if Hinata was on team 7. Like Sakura's plot revolves around Sasuke entirely as where with Hinata you can get the Hyuga clan expanded on and her struggles with trying to change her family.

Hinata could understand Haku in wave who could even give her a push towards her feelings for Naruto. In the Chunin Exams Orochimaru could have possibly also targeted her with the curse mark leading to Hinata needing to overcome that without going down the dark path like Sasuke did. Kabuto healed her during the exams I remembered their was talks of him kidnapping her during the invasion, but got cut out due to time. She would be an asset in the Tsunade search and Sasuke rescue arcs. Even fighting Sasori Hinata would have handled it better due to the Byakugan and gentle fist countering Puppet Masters.

Put Hinata in Sakura's place and the overall plot becomes better on all fronts. Even Sakura herself would get better as Kurenai would turn her into the next genjutsu mistress and break her obsession with Sasuke or she would end up taking the wrong path like him.

Sakura isn't useless completely but she lets you down, there are loads of points where she could have done better or more but doesn't simply cause of faults in her character. Also her character simply doesn't let plot expand or develop other things. Sakura's family was never expanded on cause she was unpopular and even if it was she doesn't have any family drama or important family her father is apparently a genin as well. Sakura doesn't have anything interesting to explore about her character her rivalry and friendship with Ino was really the only thing of interest about her character plot and that only lasted for one arc of part 1.

#anti sakura haruno #pro hinata hyuga #pro naruhina

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justsomeoneunordinary · 1 year

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Kakashi for this one? 👀

https ://at .tumblr .com /justsomeoneunordinary/send-me-a-character-and-ill-answer-these/vjolyf8nlo70

1: sexuality headcanon

that man is SO aroace, hands down. that doesn't even need an explanation, just look at him!

unless he's being railed by gai, in which case he isn't quite so ace anymore uwu

2: otp

kakagai kakagai kakagai kakagai kaKAGAI KAKAGAI-

3: brotp

in my heart, he and tenzou are brothers. he totally behaves like an older brother around him, esp when he's being a little shit lol, i just love their relationship so much

4: notp

never liked kakairu and never will. also used to be open for obikaka but i cannot see it anymore tbh. makes me sick nowadays. (but the naruto fandom def has a problem with tagging their ships properly bc i keep seeing so many notps all the time argh) honestly, i don't rlly ship kks with anyone except with gai. i find him very unshippable idk....

5: first headcanon that pops into my head

he's a biter. not the fanon hatake = wolves hc kinda biting bc i hate that hc (kishi didn't give us much but he gave us enough to conclude that hatake = farmers, not wolves or nomads ffs do ppl not at least google the names before they come up with hc's or what), but the as a child he used to bite anyone kinda thing, so his father gave him a mask and kks just never stopped wearing it. he still bites as soon as it comes off

6: favorite line from this character

i am terrible at rmbr'ing lines but when he meets team 7 and his reaction is "my first impression of you is... i hate you all" is the fucking funniest shit to me. first, he lets those 12yo kiddos wait for hours and then has the gall to tell them he hates them lmfao king shit i love him (also, what a lying liar. they're his kiddos and he loves them)

7: one way in which I relate to this character

slouch king <3 i too, can't walk or sit with my back straight. also, reading porn in public. relatable

8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character

lmao in shippuuden where he had to read a section out loud of his porn book and the line was literally just "i love you" but he practically died trying to say it, face red, sweat running down, stuttering and all that jazz acbsjfhsjfhdjfbajfb IT'S LITERALLY JUST I LOVE YOU, IT'S NOT EVEN SMTH SMUTTY FFS KKS YOU'RE A GROWN MAN!!! also the sheer amount of times he collapses bc of chakra exhaustion like pls king that's not normal, no one else pushes their chakra to the limit you fucking drama queen. i'll never forget that one time sakura sees him at ichiraku's and goes "oh, not in the hospital for once? that's new" lmfaooooo get recc'd. ALSO kks of the sharingan has copied over a thousand jutsu AND YET WE ONLY EVER SEE HIM USE CHIDORI!! BRUH WHERE ARE THOSE 1000 JUTSU, WHERE???!!! how abt you stop using that sharingan of yours that drains you so much of chakra just to copy jutsu that you then don't even intend to use, hmmmmm??? lmao he's a genuis but he's so dumb

9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?

neither? all village ninja's are basically the military of a fascist state, and all deserted ninjas are killers without actual permission to kill, so given the universe everyone is problematic. you could say bc he's one of the good guys he's the former but he's also such a loyal bootlicker (i love him but god kks the way he doesn't question the system at all even after everything that happened to him is so... acbjshdjsfh) so you could say he's problematic in that sense??? you can't rlly put any nart character into either of this category tbh

#thank you sesil 🥦♥️♥️#rabentochter #may answers

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detectivestucks · 5 months

Text

To Touch a Sinner

Pairing: Obito x F!Reader

Summary: Post war AU where Obito survives, he is made to take a journey of atonement with you as you help him feel at peace with all parts of himself.

Warnings: violence, mentions of nudity, suggestive themes, mostly fluff

Word Count: 6.8k

They did it. Team 7 actually did it. They reemerge on the battlefield with a white-haired Obito slung over Kakashi’s shoulder. “Medic! I need a medic!” he shouts. Clearly Sakura’s chakra is drained from battle so you run over to them. You are slightly confused as to why you are being asked to save this man who had just murdered so many of your friends and comrades but you do as Kakashi asks. He’s laid on the ground and you get to work mending him. His eyes open slightly as he starts to heal. He sees your blurry face above him, an angel coming to his aid, before passing out from complete and utter exhaustion.

It takes two weeks of work between you and Sakura to restore him back to his full health. During that time Sakura explains to you what happened while they were traveling between Kaguya’s various dimensions. How Obito almost died saving Kakashi and Naruto and helped her rescue Sasuke from being lost forever in an alternate dimension. You began to understand why they felt compelled to spare him. He quickly won you over with his gentle demeanor. The visible wave of relief that washed over him every time you came to his room to check on him. It was as if he waited all day for you to step into his room. He would cast his eyes down and turn away despite the small smile he wore as he thanked you over and over again for all you did in a mesmerizing deep voice. You feign modesty, “It was no trouble, really. I was just doing my job.”

Of all the shinobi under your care, he was your favorite. He shouldn’t have been. You should’ve hated him but there was a softness to him buried under a hard shell that had recently been cracked open and that softness lured you in.

Eventually the day came where he was healthy enough to go to the prison. It hurt your heart to see him escorted away but the extent of his crimes could not be ignored. He was placed in a cell close to Sasuke, blindfolded and bound in a straightjacket. With Kakashi’s permission you would go down to the prison to visit him. Sometimes you would talk to him and tell him about your day, sometimes you were allowed to bring food and they would let you feed it to him. Sakura would come with you so that she could see Sasuke at the same time. The two of you had become rather close during this year.

One afternoon you were in the hospital when Sakura came running in. “They’re being released!”

You couldn’t believe your ears. You thought for sure that both of them would spend the rest of their lives in prison. I guess that’s the upside of having Kakashi as Hokage. He had a soft spot for both Uchiha’s.

Obito and Sasuke were escorted directly to the village gate. They were to take a journey of atonement before they could be allowed back into the village. You and Sakura made a beeline to get to the gate before they left. Almost out of breath from how fast you ran.

You look over at Sakura and Sasuke together.

“Sauske, let me come with you.”

“Maybe next time Sakura.” He says with a jab to her forehead.

You look up at Obito, who was looking at the ground. “And you, Obito? Would you like some company?”

Still turning his face away, as he always did, instead of an answer, he asks, “Why do you want to come with me?”

You were taken aback. “What do you mean?”

“You don’t know me. Sakura has loved Sasuke all her life. That’s why she wants to go with him, but you, you’ve only known me for a year, most of which I’ve been in prison for. Why would you offer to leave the village to spend time with someone like me?”

“Obito…I” You thought about your answer for a moment. Why did you care for him so much? “I guess it’s cause I saved your life. I feel responsible for you. I want to support you while you find your way again.”

“But why would you do that?”

You roll your eyes annoyed by his interrogation. “It was a yes or no question, Obito. Do you want me to come or not?” Sasuke and Sakura laugh.

He smiles at your cheekiness “Are you going to be this difficult the entire time?”

“Most likely”

“Well, I guess you can come. If you really want to.” He says to the ground before looking up at you.

He couldn’t understand it. Why was he willing to let a total stranger travel with him on such a personal journey? There was just something about the energy you brought with you. It made him feel warm and hopeful. You couldn’t explain it yourself either. You just knew you were willing to drop your entire life at a moment’s notice to help him. You felt attached to him after bringing him back from the brink of death on that battlefield, invested in the kind of person he was becoming.

You turn to Sakura, “Will the hospital be okay without me?”

“Yes” she smiles, only a tiny trace of jealousy in her voice. You both nod at each other before you turn to Kakashi. “Do I have permission to leave the village with him?”

Kakashi smiles “Of course, Y/N. You may be just what he needs.”

You go home and pack while Obito waits patiently outside the village gate. He had already wished Sasuke goodbye and was sitting down in the grass, pulling at dandelions while he waited for you.

You reached the edge of town once more and found where he sat, looking down on him, admiring how cute he looked playing with the weeds. The big scary former warlord toying with dandelion fuzz. “So where are we off to?” you ask

Spoken in his signature gravely voice he replies, “I guess we will just wander from village to village. If we hear of any problems, we’ll offer to help.”

“Sounds like a plan.” You say as you hold out your hand offering to help him up. You notice that even though it made more sense for him to pull himself up with his right hand, he chose to use his left. It was a little strange but maybe it’s just that his fabricated right arm didn’t heal as well as the rest of him. You felt a twinge of guilt, thinking that your medical skills weren’t good enough.

You begin to travel through the woods surrounding the Leaf but since you don’t have a mission or a deadline, instead of jumping tree to tree, you simply stroll through the forest at a leisurely pace.

You can tell Obito’s a little apprehensive about talking to you, not wanting to talk about how he’s been spending his recent years. You ask about his childhood instead. He doesn’t seem to want to talk about that too much either.

“Does it hurt to think back to the person you used to be?”

“A little. It makes me realize how lost I became.”

“It also shows who you have the capacity to be.”

He looks at the ground. “You have a frustratingly positive outlook on things, you know that?”

You shrug with a smirk. “What, is that such a bad thing?”

“No, but it’s irritating.”

“My apologies, I’ll practice my cynical ramblings instead.” You say thick with sarcasm.

He snorts with laughter while you give him a small elbow in the side. He seems taken off guard by the physical contact.

“I’m sorry” you apologize. “I didn’t mean to offend you with my touch”

He looks down, seemingly deep in thought, before he returns the gesture with a small jab of his own. Warmth spreads through your limbs as you smile in relief.

The sun is setting on your first day and you offer to build a campfire while he finds some fish to cook. Obito comes back with the fish and lights the fire you just built with his fireball jutsu.

You sit in front of the flames, watching them dance as your supper cooks. Obito sat down on your right hand side far away from you.

“Obito, you can sit closer if you’d like.”

“No thank you.”

“I don’t bite, promise.”

“Why do you want to sit close to someone like me?”

“Well, off the top of my head, because I enjoy your company.” You say with a tiny hint of derision.

“But why?”

“Does there have to be a why?”

“There does when it doesn’t make sense.”

You stand up and sit down close to him. “Because I want to.” you say softly but firmly. “That’s why.”

In truth, you still didn’t know why. You had been thinking about it all day but there was no real answer. You just wanted to be a good friend to him. He needed you.

The two of you continue to travel around the region together. Slowly Obito starts opening up about his recent years.

It meant the world to you that he trusted you enough to talk about the shameful things he did. Sometimes you would touch his shoulder or his forearm to let him know that you weren’t scared of him. You wanted him to know you weren’t going to leave him despite how gruesome some of his deeds were. Occasionally his stories kept you up at night but when you roll over and stare at his restful sleeping face you can’t help but praise him for pulling himself back after falling so far down into the darkness.

One evening you came to camp near a lake. “Obito, not to be rude, but we both stink. I think we should take baths. Why don’t we take advantage of our campsite tonight and rinse off in the lake?”

He nodded but he seemed apprehensive about it for some reason. “I’ll go first," you say, grabbing the bar of soap out of your pack. I’ll come get you when I’m done. He seemed a little relieved but again, you were completely unsure as to why.

You went down to the lake in a spot behind some bushes so that Obito could not see you from the campfire. You lay your dirty and rather stinky clothing on the shore by the towel and bring the bar of soap into the lake with you where you lather it on your skin, focusing on your hair, face, armpits and between your legs. Letting out a sigh of relief as you feel clean for the first time in several days, you step out of the water only to realize you forgot your clean clothes. There’s no way I’m putting those back on. I’ll just wear the towel and change while Obito is bathing.

With that thought you wrap the towel around your naked body and let your wet hair drip down your back. Walking towards the campfire you see Obito’s face immediately blush while there is a small amount of panic written across it.

“Where are your clothes?”

“I forgot to bring a clean pair.” You say with a small shrug. “Here’s the soap. You’re turn”

He takes the bar, looking down, trying to be respectful of your nearly naked figure, Obito felt his blood rush at the sight of your bare clavicle and shoulders. He feels his stomach coil as he admires you out of the corner of his eye. Did you know how beautiful you were? He rushed to gather his towel and clean clothes and head down to the lake to the same spot you had just bathed.

You begin changing, putting on bottoms when you see the soap bar Obito dropped in his haste. Towel covering your chest, you trot over to where Obito is to give him the soap. He had already taken off his shirt when you called his name. He turned towards you and your eyes widened. You had seen him shirtless before when you healed him on the battlefield but adrenaline stopped you from really noticing or caring about what he looked like. Now, under the faint light of dusk you see his toned body. His bulking pecs, lean abdominals, even the outline of his obliques all resting under cream and ivory skin. Your mouth fell open a bit, drool instantly pooling from the very sight of him. His face turned extremely red when he reached out his hand to grab the bar of soap. You didn’t mean to gawk. You turn around, ashamed of your reaction, as you walk back up to the fire.

You ate supper in silence that night. Eventually getting tired of the quiet you clear your throat.

“Obito, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to stare at you like that. I apologize if I made you uncomfortable.” He continued looking down at his food. He hated the way he looked. Damaged both in body and spirit. What made it worse was that he was starting to have feelings towards you. You were his guardian angel. He wanted to impress you but there was nothing impressive about him. Or so he thought.

That night the temperature dropped lower than usual. Your wet hair was making you shiver and eventually you grew so cold it woke you up. You saw Obito snoozing away on the other side of the campfire. You hated to make him uncomfortable a second time that night but you needed his warmth. You brought your sleeping mat over to where he lay and gently rocked him awake. “Obito, I need to share your body heat. Would you please let me lay with you?”

“Huh?” he says all groggy, barely registering your words.

“My hair is still wet and I’m freezing, could I please lay with you?”

Obito’s heart skipped a few beats in his drowsy state. He nodded, lifting his blanket to let you in. You laid down next to him, serving as the smaller of two spoons. He draped his left arm over you, pulling you into him till your shivering subsided. The intimacy of the moment was everything he’d been wanting since he first laid eyes on you on the battlefield a year ago. You were beautiful, kind, and patient. Everything he was not. Yet here you were, in his arms.

Morning came and you woke to your face buried in Obito’s chest, both his arms wrapped around you, legs tangled together.

Butterflies released in your stomach as the grogginess wore off. You were supposed to be his friend. That’s what he needed right now but you gave into a moment of selfishness and pretended to be asleep just a little longer to stay enveloped in his strong embrace.

You heard him begin to stir as his deep rhythmic breathing became shallow. He pulled his head back to look down on you and you felt him give you a tight squeeze. Could it be that he also didn’t want this moment to end? Still pretending to be asleep you nestle into him deeper. He lets out a happy sigh of content. Suspicions confirmed, you greedily enjoy the morning cuddles for a few more minutes till the heat of the rising sun makes it too hot to remain in each other’s arms.

You stretch and pull away to look at him. “Thank you, Obito. I really needed that. I was so cold last night.”

He blushed heavily. “Anytime Y/N. I can’t have you freezing to death on me.”

You give a small hum in agreement.

You get up and continue your journey. You come across many types of groups over the next several weeks. Some of them are traveling entertainers, some of them are making their way to live in a new village, and many of them are merchants. If they have a broken wheel, you mend it. If they’re lost, you give directions. If they are sick or injured, you heal them. Together, the two of you are simply looking to make the world a little bit better with each interaction.

Almost two months into your journey, you come across a natural hot spring. The smell of sulfur in the air, you breathe deep, excited to feel the spring’s warmth. You ask Obito if he wants to join you for a soak.

“I-uh-I don’t know.” He stammers searching for an answer.

“Come on Obito, it looks so relaxing and my muscles are sore.” You say with a pouty face. “Don’t make me sit here alone.”

He smiles. Why are you so persuasive? “Fine, I’ll join you.” he says gruffly.

You wear only your towel to the spring and fold it neatly at the water’s edge before sinking down, submerging up to your shoulders. You sigh as the hot water hugs your sore body.

Obito tentatively approaches the spring. He gives you an uneasy look. You can tell he’s still uncomfortable about you seeing him with minimal clothing so you reassure him that you won’t look as he enters.

He leaves his towel on the side, next to yours, before stepping in. He sits down on your right side. He’s always to your right and you to his left. He drops down to his shoulders, like you, closing his eyes as he feels the relief of the heat melting his aching muscles.

“Aren’t you glad that I talked you into this?”

He opens one eye, turning his head slightly to look at you with a crooked smile. “You want credit for every idea that pops in your head?”

“Just the good ones” you say, scooting close enough to give him a light jab. He doesn’t mind when you do this anymore however both of you are currently naked and it made him nervous to have you so close to him.

You hear twigs snapping behind you. You both turn around with a start. Obito’s eyes flashed red. You grabbed a hold of his scarred ivory arm out of fright. Your fingers sinking into his bicep, body hidden behind his, momentarily forgetting you were both naked.

“It was an animal.” he says calmly, eyes returning to their usual color.

It takes you a moment to realize you’re safe and should release hold of his arm. As he turns to look at you his cheeks blush deeply. Slightly confused you look down and realize you were pressing your naked body into him when using him as a human shield. You immediately let go and sink back down into the spring. “Sorry” you say looking down at the water.

He turns back around, the way he originally was so that his left side was facing you once more.

“Obito?”

“Yeah?” He says softly, loving how you say his name.

“Why do you always stay on my right?”

He looked embarrassed. “I- I just didn’t want to scare you with my scars.”

“Your scars aren’t frightening. “ you say, turning to face him. “Actually, I rather like them.”

You see the ghost of a smile on his face when you say this.

“They make you look handsome.” You say reaching out for his hand under the water. You find it and give it a quick squeeze. When you go to take your hand back you find he’s still gripping it. You decide to let your hand relax in his hold, spreading your fingers so they intertwine with his own.

The two of you stay that way. Together in the hot spring holding hands till your skin is pruned and you finally suggest setting up camp. He watches as you get out, admiring your wet figure, doing his best not to stare as you bend down and pick up your towel before wrapping it around your chest.

You look down and blush as he gets out and wraps his towel around his waist. When you look back up again you admire how the water runs down between his muscles, a small amount of drool pooling in the corner of your mouth.

This time when he catches you peering at him, he realizes that you’re not looking at him like a freak of nature. Maybe you never had. He notes how your pupils dilate, how your breathing becomes shallow, how your cheeks flush, and how your lips part. He realized that you are attracted to him. But how? How could you enjoy his battered and misshapen body?

With a great deal of self motivation, you rip your eyes away from him to go set up camp. The two of you exchange many glances as you build the fire and heat up dinner. His mind was turning. Had you always looked at him like that? How long had you felt this way? But most confounding, why? What did he do to earn your affection?

You sat across the fire from him tonight, smiling at him as you ate. You wanted to look at his scars in proper lighting. You loved how the light from the flames licked and danced across his face. How the shadows deepened the ridges on his scars. You weren’t lying before. You found his scars erotic. They made his already exceedingly handsome face more rugged, adding character where there was already charm. You wished you could run your fingers along the lines and feel the tough skin under your light touch but you were certain he would never allow it.

After eating you laid your sleeping pads next to each other, closer than usual but still to his left, always remaining on his preferred side. He smiled and wished you good night before turning over. You gazed upon the Uchiha crest on his back, watching his shoulders rise and fall with each breath. Eyes boring into him, barely able to contain your heartbeat as you realized your feelings for him. They were always there but tonight they were undeniable. You didn’t want to be his friend any longer. You wanted to be more and furthermore you were pretty sure he felt the same.

The next morning he woke up before you. His arm had gone numb stretching out over to where you slept, his subconscious yearning to hold your hand. Looking down on your sleeping face, he pet your cheek before beginning to pack so that the two of you could head over to the nearby village once you woke.

Soon after entering the village, you came across a family who owned the local inn and were experiencing a string of robberies. Obito offered his services and decided to stay with them till he caught the thieves. Out of gratitude they offered you a room at their inn. They didn’t have many free rooms so the two of you had to share but that was okay, you had been traveling together for months, you were comfortable together. Obito went to set up his sleeping pad on the floor by the bed before you put your hand on his shoulder to stop him. “Obito, we can share. The bed is plenty big.” He nodded and moved his belongings to the mattress, next to your own before the two of you head back out into town to get to know the area. You decided to go look for a place to eat and saw a small bar that advertised barbeque and sake. You went in. Many people smiled at you both even though you were strangers in their small village.

After you finished eating, a man went up to Obito and asked if he was your husband. When he said no, the man grabbed your hand and escorted you a short distance away. You look back at Obito and watch as girls flocked over to him. You feel deeply jealous as they batted their raven eyelashes at him. Your only consolation is that no matter how many women approached him, he never took his eyes off of you. Unable to resist his gaze any longer, you apologized to the man you were with and headed back over to Obito, cutting between all the women gathered around him. Feeling satisfaction as they grumbled at you. You grab his forearm as you lean into his ear and whisper, “See? None of them are afraid of your scars either.” He gives you a wide grin accepting your point. He sure didn’t see it but clearly you weren’t the only one who liked the way he looked. The difference though, is that he didn’t care how those other girls felt about his appearance, he only cared what your thoughts were.

“Obito?”

“Yes?”

“Can we go take a walk?”

“Of course, Y/N. Anything you want.”

You pay your bill and get up to leave the establishment. Obito holds out his left elbow and you take it, allowing him to lead you around the streets of the village. You wander around for a while, stopping at the town’s center where a large tree tangles its way above the street. You ogle at the intricacy of its many branches and wonder how old it is. You hold onto him tight, not wanting to leave any room for misunderstanding. You want him to know you like him, you don’t want him to look at any other girls. He continues to glance over at you out of the corner of his eye. He smiles, finding it endlessly humorous that you would feel jealous of a couple strangers wanting to talk to him. As the two of you stare up at the tree, you feel his hand drop and wrap around your waist pulling you into him.

Timidly, you wrap your arm around his waist, hand resting on top of hashiraman cells. You hear his breath hitch as you touched him but he allowed you to keep your hand settled there. You leaned your head on his shoulder staring at the old tree as if you were attempting to count its leaves but really all you were thinking about was how warm he was and how you didn’t want this moment to end. It’s just you and him. There is no one else in this world that matters. Your heart starts rising up to your throat. You try swallowing to make it go back down, but it won’t. He gives you a small squeeze as he moves to head back to where your bed was located.

The two of you walk back to the inn arm in arm. You get ready for bed and crawl under the covers. The mattress was plush and soft, leaps and bounds more comfortable than the forest floor. You felt yourself sink as your weight shifted onto it. You sank even further as Obito added his own weight to the bed. You turned on your side to face him. Staring into his eyes while he stared back into yours. The world was still as you silently studied everything about his face. The brown of his irises with specks of red and black, the number of eyelashes along his lids, the stray black hairs peppered into his mostly white chakra-stripped mop, the peaks and valleys of his scars, you could look at him forever. You wanted to reach out and cup his cheek but you knew better.

“Obito?” He loved how you said his name when you asked him questions.

“Yes?”

“You know that I’m here for you, right? As long as you need?”

“And what if I need you for a very long time?”

“Then I will be with you for a very long time.”

“What if I need you the rest of my life?”

“Then I will be by your side for the rest of your life.”

He leans in, his forehead resting against yours. You could feel the electricity between you. Your skin burned where his head touched yours. You licked your lips, craving his, wishing he’d push them against your own. His musk filled your nostrils, overwhelming your senses as his breathing began to sync with your own.

“Obito?” you whisper

“Yes”

“I’d like to kiss you, is that okay?”

Instead of answering he grabs you by the back of your head and pulls you into him. His lips were light as a feather as he gently grazed them against yours. You lean into the kiss pushing into him harder, yearning for him to meet your level of passion. You pull your lower body into his, tangling your legs together. He inhales deeply while kissing you, breathing in your scent. You can feel his hesitation, seemingly conflicted, trying to decide how much of himself to give over to you. You grab one of his hands and squeeze it tight as your lips break apart.

“Obito, we have time. We don’t need to rush into this.”

He licked your taste off of his lips as you spoke. You kissed the tip of his nose before turning away from him. You slid over so that your backside was pressing into his chest. He wrapped his arms around you like he did that one night, two months ago, and held you till you woke the next morning.

You had never slept so well. When morning came you refused to believe you had to leave the bed where you laid in his warm embrace. He stirred around the same time as you and gave your neck a gentle kiss. It left you breathless. You wiggled your behind into him in response. He chuckled low as he pushed his morning wood into your rear. “Mmmm” you hummed as he buried his face in your neck.

You eventually find it in you to get up and get dressed. His soft eyes wander over you as you remove your sleeping clothes. He admired your round behind, your fleshy thighs, your supple breasts, your bare neck, your pouty lips, every part of you was beautiful to him. He lamented as your body disappeared underneath your tactical clothes since today you would be investigating the recent robberies.

Obito stood up to change too. When he took off his sleeping shirt, he caught you biting your lip. He gave a small laugh and you realize he caught you staring. Your cheeks flushed and you smiled walking over to him, hugging him before he had a chance to put his new shirt on. You buried your face in him, tucking your chin down, resting one of your hands on his left pec, while the other wrapped around him. He kissed the top of your head before reaching for a shirt.

“No” you say, lifting your head. “You’re not allowed to wear that.” A wide grin stretching across your face as he blushed.

“You really like the way I look?”

“More than any other man I’ve ever seen.”

“You’re precious.” He says, as he pulls away. You give a small whine of disappointment when he’s finished changing.

Together the two of you make your way to the communal dining area where breakfast was waiting. You talked to the innkeeper to learn more about the robberies. The two of you nod as he tells you the various incidents, two of which resulted in the bandit harming his guests.

Together you search around the inn, looking for potential hiding spots or alternate pathways in and out of the building. You decided to put your investigation on hold till later in the day. Maybe something would become more obvious in the moonlight.

It’s late in the day and you resume the investigation. Obito had stepped out to get food for the two of you while you continued talking to one of the ladies of the inn. Suddenly the shadows around the room began to glitter and move. You grabbed your kunai but you were unsure how to use it against a moving shadow. The dark figures started to move towards the woman you were just talking to. You look up at her and see she wore expensive jewelry around her neck. You leapt in front of her attempting to slice the shadow but it was no use. Your knife did nothing more than cut through air. You were going to need to find the jutsu caster. Your eyes search the room before settling on a man you see through the window. His outline barely in the moonlight. The rogue ninja was hiding in the inn’s courtyard. You open the window and throw a shuriken at him. One of his shadow figures jumps in front of him and takes the blow. The glittering figures seem to solidify and evaporate at will. You tell the woman to run away as you jump through the window towards the man. His shadows try to grab hold of you. Quickly you dodge one, however, the other ensnares your ankle and you fall to the ground. Shit. The man walks up to you, a kunai of his own in hand, when suddenly he screams. The hand that had just been gripping his weapon had a shuriken sticking out of the back of it.

Your eyes dart around the courtyard as you hear a body-less voice snarl, “That was very unwise of you.”

Obito, thank gods!

He steps out into the courtyard of the inn, eyes glowing red. “Attacking her was a grave mistake, you better be ready to kiss this world goodbye.”

The man sends his shadows after Obito but no matter how many he sends, they move through Obito as if he were made of smoke. Fear begins to register on his face as Obito strides towards him completely unhindered.

“What are you?” he asks with a trembling voice beginning to wonder if Obito was a ghost.

“I am Obito Uchiha, carrier of an awakened Mangekyo Sharingan. This is one of my many abilities.” He says gloating as another glittering shadow figure passes through his body.

“But-but your clan is extinct.”

“Not quite. There are two of us left, roaming this earth. You happen to be the lucky guy who ran into one and chose to attack his mate.”

His mate? You think to yourself. Does that mean what I think it does?

Obito grabs the man by the throat, lifting him high into the air and squeezing hard before dropping him on the ground. The man crumbles at Obito’s feet. He stood up on shaking legs as he attempted to run away. Using his fireball jutsu, Obito burns the man’s fleeing body to a crisp, making sure he was good and dead before taking his eyes off of him to turn to you.

You stare at him grateful for his impeccable timing. He approaches you quickly before stopping to analyze every inch of your body, making sure you’re okay despite your constant reassurance. “Obito, I’m fine. He didn’t touch me.”

When he is satisfied with your condition he holds you tight. “I’m so sorry. I’ll never leave you alone again. I promise.”

“It’s okay Obito. I don’t need you guarding me 24/7.”

“It’s not okay, Y/N. You could’ve been.. I could’ve… I can’t lose you.”

Understanding what he means you don’t protest further, you just hug him back. You notify the innkeeper that the source of the robberies has been taken care of and he, along with his guest should be safe. He invites you to stay for the rest of the week as a thank you before the two of you continue with your journey. You oblige, grateful to sleep on a soft mattress for a few more days before heading back on the road.

You see there is a festival taking place in the town square that night and decide to attend. There is plenty of food, dancing, and drinks. You try to coax Obito into dancing but he’d much rather sit back and watch others. One of the other villagers came up and grabbed your hand. She took you to dance with the crowd. Obito watched as you smiled and laughed, twirling around and swaying with the woman under the lanterns. You were magnificent. Everything about you was a ray of sun. Your swollen cheeks as you smile, the redness of your lips as they stretch across your face, the brightness of your eyes as they illuminate with joy, you have become his entire reason for being.

You stumble back to him, laughing and smiling, trying to catch your breath as you absentmindedly sit down next to him on his right.

His body became noticeably stiff. Feeling brave you put your hand on his, “It’s okay, Obito.” He looks away from you. You grab the smooth left side of his face and turn him towards you, looking him dead in the eyes, “Please don’t be ashamed. It brings me happiness to look upon your face, all parts of your face.” He swallows and nods. You smile happily before sinking your body into his right side. You feel his stiff muscles begin to relax as he decides that he is okay with the contact.

When you’ve had your fill of the festivities, you once more walk arm in arm back towards the inn and lay down in bed together. “So, I’m your mate?” you try to say casually.

He pauses, “Sorry, it just came out in the heat of the moment.”

“What if I don’t want it to be in the heat of the moment?”

“What do you mean?” he says, knowing precisely what you mean. He just wants to hear you say it.

“What if I want to be your ‘mate’ officially”

He plays with your hair, looking down on you. “Why would you want something like that?”

“Because,” you say with a smile kissing the palm of his hand. Between each sentence you lay a kiss on his arm, working your way up his neck and cheek. “You are strong. You are passionate. You are loving. You are talented. You are handsome. You are everything I could ever want in this lifetime.”

He pulls you into a hug, “Well if that is what you want, then I am yours.”

You breathe deeply, filled with happiness as you fall asleep in his arms again.

The week has passed and it is now time for the two of you to continue your expedition, looking for new people who may need help. As you left, two small children came up to Obito and gave him a flower which he immediately gave to you. Seeing how soft and gentle he was with the two little girls caused heat to flicker all through your body as you made a realization.

That night, while Obito sat there by the fire with his legs crossed in front of him, you decided to take it upon yourself to sit in his lap facing him. You wrap your arms around his neck and kiss him slow and deep. Your tongue bullies its way into his mouth to mingle with his and you make soft sweet humming noises as he entertains your kiss.

“What was that for?” he asks, lips finally separating

“That is because I love you, Obito.”

“You love me?”

“Yes, Obito. I love you.” you breathe

“I love you too Y/N”

You beam up at him, smiling as you go to hold his face in your hands. With lightning fast reflexes he catches your wrist before you can grab the right side of his face. He squeezes harder than he means to. You let out a small whimper of pain. He immediately lets go.

“I’m so sorry”

“No, I’m sorry Obito. I wasn’t thinking.”

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. When he opens them again he says, “Go ahead.”

You feel that the wind has been knocked out of you. “Are you sure?”

“Yes”

Gently, you raise your arm to his cheek brushing it with the back of your hand at first. He shudders. You lay your fingers gingerly on top of his skin before brushing your thumb back and forth, feeling the bumps along the damaged tissue. Your heart was swelling as you felt every crevice of his face. Your eyes shifting between his skin and irises, unable to believe what he was allowing you to do.

“If it’s possible, I think I may love you even more now.” You whisper.

You bring your lips to his scarred cheek and give it a light kiss. He turned to you and met your lips with his. He slowly begins undressing you by the warmth of the fire. You begin to do the same to him, passion igniting in both of your hearts. He finally felt at peace with himself, seeing how you worshiped even his darkest parts. Moaning as you lay feverish kisses along his lips, neck, and shoulders, fingers digging into his muscles. He laid you down on your back, shifting between your legs. He pulled his face away from yours, analyzing you, “Are you okay?”

“Just come here and fuck me already.” You pant, pulling him back down by his neck.

Masterlist

#obito x reader #obito uchiha #obito is daddy #obito fan fiction #uchiha obito #naruto fanfiction #vulnerable obito #obito lovestory #obito senpai #obito request

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