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eyeles-writing · 2 years

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Birthday Boy

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⭐︎Word Count: 1711 ⭐︎

⭐︎Pairings: None ⭐︎

⭐︎Content: Birthday party! Parent Kakashi, best friends.⭐︎

⭐︎Description: October Tenth is the birthday of Naruto Uzumaki - Konohagakure gives this twelve year old its thanks through a party for the most loved (and hated) little orphan boy in the village.

“KAKASHI-SENSEI!”

The blonde boy crashed through the doors, failing to stop at the entrance of his sensei’s home and ended up throwing himself into the couch. Kakashi, having sensed his student’s presence from a mile away and already braced himself for the impact, simply smiled and nodded to the child.

“Good morning, Naruto,” He said.

“KAKASHI-SENSEI,” Naruto cried, “DON’T YOU KNOW WHAT TODAY IS?”

Kakashi feigned ignorance, looking up to the ceiling in pretend thought as his student pushed himself off the couch to plant himself firmly in front of his teacher, who was sitting at his dining table and enjoying a breakfast full of simple oatmeal and the world's most iron-rich well water.

“I can’t seem to recall today being of any remarkable moment, Naruto,” Kakashi said, an indication of playful sarcasm in his voice. Naruto, being the child he is, pulled on the sleeve of his sensei and stomped his feet in distress.

“Cmon!” He cried, “It’s my birthday! I know you didn’t forget!”

Kakashi couldn’t stand seeing Naruto in this state of upset any longer, even though he caused it himself. He stood up and, with a painful pop in his back, lifted the boy up to swing him around in a circle in celebration.

“Of course I didn’t forget, Naruto!” Kakashi smiled as he set the boy down. “I was just messing with you. Now, how about we go out and celebrate? Ichiraku opens in a few minutes, you know.”

Naruto’s eyes lit up and Kakashi felt his heart soften. His students were as close as he’d ever get to having children of his own and he took pride in his love for the kids - seeing them in excitement like this made him all but break down in tears of parental love.

“YEAH!” Naruto yelled, pumping his fists into the air, and promptly exited the room. “I’m gonna go get ready, Kakashi-Sensei! Don’t take too long, old man!” Kakashi heard his feet patter down the hallway and dash through the open window, likely dashing across the rooftops to get back to his own home and put on whatever outfit he could find.

Kakashi smiled fondly and took out his phone, ready to send the text.

“SURPRISE!”

The voices of Naruto’s best friends, allies, teachers, and biggest supporters echoed throughout the room. Dozens of people were currently squished inside the small interior of Ichiraku Ramen as they struggled to remain quiet for Naruto’s arrival, desperate to not only relieve themselves of being so squished together, but to also see the look of surprise and excitement on the boys face as he realized just how many Konohagakure people cared for him deeply.

“Are you frickin’ kidding me?!” Naruto exclaimed with a smile on his face. “Are all of you here for ME?!”

“Of course we are, buddy!” Jiriya responded, smiling. “We couldn’t miss the big day, you know.”

“You’re our best bud, Naruto,” Choji chimed in, accompanied by his own teammates and their shared classmates, “we wouldn’t miss your birthday for the world!”

Naruto didn’t know what to do with himself - all he could do was stand in shock as his eyes darted across the room, taking a makeshift attendance to see just who was there.

His teachers - Jiraiya, Kakashi, Killer Bee, and Iruka - were all present. They were standing proudly and absolutely delighted to see their favorite student in such a state of delight.

His best friends - The Konoha Twelve, even Sakura and Sasuke were present. Gaara and his siblings had made their way to Konoha for the celebration and, in turn, were glad to greet him at Ichiraku Ramen.

His biggest supporters, those who helped him the most, were also present. Lady Tsunade and Shizune greeted him with a hug and, with a motherly tone, Lady Tsunade stated just how happy she was to have Naruto’s trouble-loving self in the village. Teuchi, the man behind the counter of Ichiraku after every mission, held a bowl of the most delicious and filling ramen he had ever made. Naruto was excited to not only receive this bowl, but to also witness the love and respect that Teuchi had for him.

The birthday cake and presents were the last to be brought out. Some people couldn’t stay for the entire duration of the party (“Land of Stone is where I’ve gots to be / A happy birthday to you from tha’ Killa’ Bee!”) and the room had since gotten more spacious. The cake was just enough for the remaining party after a few had left and was decorated to have the Uzumaki crest on the top of it, a symbol of not only Naruto's heritage, but of the love and support his parents had given from the grave.

“Your parents would be so proud of you, kid,” Jiraiya said as he cut the cake, “I know I would if I was your dad.”

“Thanks, pervy sage,” Naruto smiled.

A hand pushed itself onto the boy's head, ruffling his hair. “I’m proud to have you as my student, Naruto. You’ve shown amazing progress and I can’t wait to see what else you can do.”

Naruto looked to Kakashi, who was smiling down at the birthday boy. He giggled and gave Kakashi a quick hug, feeling the warmth within his chest.

“Happy birthday, Naruto,” Shikamaru chimed in, “this party isn’t such a drag after all.”

The candles on the cake were lit - there were twelve in total, each one representing one year of his life - and the group sang what could now be considered the most off-key and off-rhythm version of Happy Birthday to date.

Naruto was given the first slice of cake, of course, and he instantly ate the entire piece in almost one bite.

“Here’s my gift to you, Naruto!” Sakura said, sliding a box toward her teammate after the cake had been dispersed. He opened it excitedly and found a golden necklace with a pendant, a seven etched into the gold. “It’s matching necklaces for the team,” she smiled, and showcased her own necklace that she was wearing. Naruto turned to Sasuke, who sighed and pulled his own from under his shirt. He then turned to Kakashi, who was idly chatting with Might Guy in the corner, and saw the glimmer of the gold peeking out from his Jonin jacket. Naruto smiled and pulled the chain over his head, happily displaying the necklace. “Thanks, Sakura!” He smiled. “I love it!”

“Here,” Sasuke shoved a small box toward Naruto, “take it.” Naruto ignored the rudeness that was consistent with his best friend and tore open the packaging. Inside the small box was a gift certificate to Ichiraku Ramen - a value of $100 was scribbled across the certificate’s value line.

“I’ve already given the money to Teuchi,” Sasuke explained, “so you don’t even need to pay. He’ll just keep track of it.”

Naruto was bordering on tears at this point, mesmerized by the value of ramen, and could hardly utter a thank you. He threw himself at Sasuke, who was quick to scramble and try to push the boy off of him. “THANK YOU,” Naruto cried, already picturing the endless amount of ramen he was going to eat.

The rest of the day was spent receiving an absurd amount of gifts from Naruto’s extensive family - from gift cards and awesome toys to sentimental mementos, the birthday boy was receiving enough gifts to last him a lifetime.

Kakashi had walked Naruto home at the end of the day. He had yet to give the boy his own present, and Naruto was beginning to notice. He went over the list in his head and realized that the only person who didn’t get him something was his sensei, Kakashi, and he was getting increasingly concerned that the man really did forget about his birthday.

“Naruto,” Kakashi said as the pair came upon the blonde’s home, “I didn’t give you your gift yet.” A smile appeared on Naruto’s face immediately as a wave of relief washed over him. Naruto unlocked his front door and entered with Kakashi, who set down his giant bag of gifts on the table. He turned to his student and smiled under his mask.

“I wanted to save it for when we were alone. Here, hold out your hands.”

Naruto did as he was told. He extended his arms and shut his eyes, anxiously awaiting whatever Kakashi was about to give him.

A familiar weight was placed in his hands with a metal clink , and Naruto opened his eyes. A three-spiked kunai with an inscription on the handle was placed in his palms. He furrowed his brow and played with the kunai in his hand, examining it carefully. “What.. is it?” He asked.

Kakashi flipped over the kunai in Naruto’s hands and pointed at a small engraving on the base of the blade. Minato Namikaze was written, and Naruto was only more confused.

“This is your fathers kunai,” Kakashi finally explained.

Decades of memories with Minato flashed through Kakashi’s eyes, and a part of him felt saddened by the parting with his dear sensei’s kunai. He remembers the day that Minato gave him the blade, each second of that meeting ingrained in his mind forever.

“He gave it to me many years ago, back when I was just a little brat,” Kakashi chuckled, “and he gave it to me on my 15th birthday. He said it was a symbol of my promise as a shinobi.”

“Your promise as a shinobi?” Naruto muttered, eyes dancing over the blade in his hands.

Kakashi nodded. “I think it’s time for the kunai to be passed down to you, Naruto.”

Tears poked at the child’s eyes. This was one of the only mementos that he now owned from his parents - the rest were, unfortunately, lost to time.

“Thank you, Kakashi-sensei,” Naruto sniffled.

The boy set down the kunai carefully on the coffee table with his other presents. Immediately after, he pulled Kakashi into a hug, clinging onto the man's waist like it was life or death. Kakashi smiled and felt his own tears threaten to fall, desperate to release.

Kakashi looked down at the boy, whose head barely reached his chest, and fluffed his hair fondly. “Happy birthday, kiddo,” he said, “I’m so proud of you.”

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eyeles-writing · 2 years

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my favorite fish boy <333333

see the sketch on tiktok!

#my art #kisame hoshigaki #kisame #akatsuki #akatsuki fanart #kisame fanart #fanart #naruto #naruto shippuden #naruto fanart #shippuden fanart #commissions open #dtiys

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eyeles-writing · 2 years

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just a little stretch :)

trying to get into art again, decided to work on some poses/figure stuff and use itachi for it. cuz like, why not?

#itachi uchiha #naruto #shippuden #fanart #art #naruto art #itachi uchiha art #eyeles-alt #my art

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eyeles-writing · 2 years

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Otters Are An Endangered Species

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⭐︎Word Count: 3328⭐︎

⭐︎Pairings: Hatake Kakashi/ Might Guy/Umino Iruka, Nohara Rin/Uchiha Obito⭐︎

⭐︎Content: Found family, confrontations, and some domestic fluff.⭐︎

⭐︎Description: There's something up with Kakashi, Rin, Obito, Guy, and Iruka. They're a little too close for Minato's understanding, and the man is more than determined to figure out what exactly is going on.

This post is made for Team Minato Week 2022 (@teamminatoweek) and follows Day 4′s prompt of queerplatonic relationships. Thank you so much to the people behind Team Minato Week 2022 for organizing this!! I hope you all enjoy <3

Otters are an endangered species.

Sea otters, despite being community animals, spend a large part of their days alone - they forage for food alone, they plunge under the water alone, and they escape predators alone.

Shinobi, similarly, are an endangered species.

From the moment a ninja enters the academy, they are presented with nothing but the cold truth: At any given moment, you must be prepared to die for your village. In the event of a natural disaster, you need to bring children to safety and shield civilians from falling chunks of volcanic ash. During an attack on the village, you take aim and fight. You put yourself between your people and the enemy - you die for your village, or you live to be a traitor.

Sea otters gather into groups together during the evening to rest. Scientists aren’t exactly sure why this happens - is it because it’s easier to spot predators when they’re together? Do they groom each other and provide aid to one another in dire situations?

The sea otters are just lonely, perhaps.

The sea otters gather because they spend 12 hours of their day in constant vigilance, never taking their eyes off the enemy. The animal dives into the water and drags itself along the ocean floor, eyes darting across the sand in hunt of its next meal. It finds a clam, or an octopus, or a snail, and it wastes no time. The otter aims, takes its shot, and fires - whether or not that otter gets a meal is completely dependent on its ability to hunt. To kill.

When the battle ends, the shinobi often don’t have homes to return to. Sure, they have leased apartments and estates and campsites to rest at, but there is no home involved. There’s no meal cooked with love, with appreciation. They don’t come home to a warm smile and a house decorated with years of memories. Oftentimes, a shinobi enters their home to a weary smile and a “thank god, you’re alive.”

The shinobi gets lonely.

At night, the shinobi gather at Ichiraku Ramen. After a rigorous battle, another day of convulsing and meaningless brawls, the ninja gather in the one spot where they feel a community has grown. They share sad smiles together and rarely discuss their missions - not because of confidentiality, but because the last thing they want to remind themselves of is the horror that they witnessed mere hours before.

Ichiraku Ramen is one of few locations where a group of shinobi can call home. There are no shaky breaths and teary-eyed children. Packed bags don’t lay at their feet with a heartbroken soulmate at the door when a shinobi is at Ichiraku Ramen. There is no fighting, no bloodshed, and no tears.

There is, however, a home.

The warm meal is pleasant after a long mission containing only food pills and malnourishment. Surviving on the bare minimum for a week, only to come home to a giant bowl of the most delicious ramen you could imagine, is one of the few horrendous joys in a ninja’s life. There’s nothing like it.

Minato Namikaze first suspected something when he found his students, accompanied by a variety of classmates, sitting on the concrete outside of Ichiraku Ramen for the fourth night in a row.

“We’re just hanging out,” Kakashi had said, “there’s nothing weird about it.”

“Yeah, don’t go makin’ it weird, Minato-Sensei!” Obito interrupted, pointing at his teacher in a huff. His goggles, as they always did, slipped off his head during his movement and fell to the floor. They’d been well-worn over the years and no longer stretched to fit Obito’s head, a sign of the boy’s aging.

“I’m not making anything weird,” Minato laughed, “I just don’t get what’s going on with you all lately.”

“A couple friends hanging out is nothing weird,” Iruka butted in. He glanced over at Kakashi and Might Guy, who were leaning on each other against the building behind them. He used his foot to playfully tap his friends feet.

“Ah, maybe I’m just getting old, then.” Minato smiled at the children - who couldn’t even be called children anymore, having come of age and were no longer under the teachings of their former superior. Well, if Minato wasn’t Hokage, that is.

When Minato had left, the group had burst into laughter.

“Minato-Sensei is totally going to freak out once he knows!” Rin giggled, leaning into her boyfriend’s shoulder as Minato had turned the corner a few blocks down. Obito smiled and leaned into her, still finding the sensation to be hauntingly calming even after dating for three years now.

“You think so?” Guy questioned. Kakashi shrugged, and Obito nodded enthusiastically.

“Minato-Sensei freaked out when he found out that Rin and I were dating, remember?” He said.

Minato had launched into a major lecture about dating while being a shinobi - Rin interjected to remind Minato about his very relevant wife that he started dating during his Junin years. He continued on and made the two lovers promise that they would use “an appropriate amount of protection and preventative measures” during any time of intimacy. The lecture lasted a total of 47 minutes and, in summary, one of the most awkward experiences of Obito’s life.

Rin remembers the look on Minato's face after she had told him that they dated for six months before telling him. The look of betrayal, surprise, and confusion fighting for dominance on his face was nothing short of hilarious. “Let’s pray that kid of yours doesn’t inherit your aloofness!” Rin laughed, brought to tears in amusement.

Kakashi scoffed. “He only freaked out because he thought you were going to get pregnant and end up with a baby at 17.”

The group laughed, and the night continued on. They stayed there until the shop had finally closed, and then they all parted ways - Kakashi, Guy, and Iruka went to do some late-night grocery shopping together, while Obito and Rin headed back to their shared apartment space for the evening.

Two weeks later, Minato spotted his favorite youths laying in the grass together at the training grounds. He was doing his morning walk around the village and spotted the familiar strikingly-silver hair peeking up out of the grass. He instantly headed over to find Obito, Rin, Kakashi, Guy, and Iruka in the most interesting pile he’d ever seen.

Kakashi was laying in the grass with his arms behind his head with his entire lower body covered by the body of Might Guy. His body stretched across Kakashi and Iruka, who was laying parallel to the ninja. Guy’s face was buried in his right arm, while his left gently clasped Iruka’s own right hand. About two feet to Kakashi’s right laid Obito, who was laying on his spread jacket and had his left arm over his face, shielding his eyes from the incoming sunlight. Rin was at his side, taking up the majority of the jacket space, with her face buried in the side of her boyfriend. Obito was making a gentle snoring sound, while Guy made a noise that could only be described as sixteen motorcycles exploding in weird intervals. His snoring was loud, obnoxious, and somehow being slept through by all 4 of his companions.

“You lot sure look busy,” Minato said. Obito snorted awake, which disturbed Rin and caused her to groan as she shifted away from him. Kakashi simply shrugged and responded as if he was expecting his ex-teacher to show up.

“We just trained for three hours, we’re taking a nap break to regain energy.”

Minato scoffed. “Is there a reason that you all had to nap on each other?”

Guy rolled over, groaned, and gave Minato a thumbs up. “A teammate who sleeps alone is a teammate who is destined to a life of solitude and sadness! Group napping activities not only increase team bonding and motivation, but it also provides an assurance of safety in case of an oncoming threat!”

A smile formed on Minatos face, glad to see that Guy’s mood had, as always, not been dampered.

“We were just getting to sleep,” Rin complained, “I wish you didn’t interrupt us like that!”

Obito yawned and sat up. A rush of dizziness caused him to hold his head in his hands for a moment as he craved stability. “Yeah,” he said, “I was just getting to the good part in my dream!”

Kakashi scoffed faintly as he sat up to match Obito. “What, were you and Rin finally trying out that position-”

“ANYWAY,” Iruka cut in, “thank you for waking us, Lord Fourth. It was about time we got back to training, anway.”

The man hummed in confusion and parted ways with the group, grumbling to himself about how they were most certainly up to something.

Minato had spent the rest of the day digging into the lives of his former students and their associates - he looked through school records, family records, social media posts, and even their taxes to figure out what exactly those kids were up to. It was when he found a lease agreement for all five of them that he pieced it together.

“Can you just tell us already?” Kakashi asked. He quickly became tired of the game that Minato was playing - the man was determined for the kids to tell him up front, but they all knew much better than that.

Kakashi had years of training in the ANBU. He was out now, sure, but the ideals drilled into him surely never left. There was no way he was going to break.

Rin was one of the strongest ninja in the group - she had plenty of experience in interrogation and knew exactly what strategy Minato was using. She was going in the direction of being a medical ninja for the interrogative teams, it was no surprise that she was not the first to break.

Might Guy was, admittedly, a weak person. He didn’t enjoy lying to people, and he believed that friendship and teamwork was the key to winning any fight. The fight between his heart and mind, however, proved difficult the moment that he started sweating bullets after Minato confronted the group. However, Guy was also physically strong - he bit his lip during the entire discussion so he would be in far too much pain to speak, therefore destroying his ability to break.

Iruka was indifferent. He never took any active steps to hide the truth from Minato, or anyone for that matter - he lived his life the way he wanted to and, in any moment of confrontation, was usually the one to rip off the bandaid and call it good. Iruka had taken a glance at his companions, however, and saw the look of determination on their faces. He saw the blood pooling on the bottom of Guy’s lip and decided that he, too, would play the game. Iruka was not the one to break.

Obito Uchiha was a stellar ninja. After he developed his Sharingan, he learned indispensable information that trained him in becoming a better and more determined ninja. He stopped skipping class and began showing up early to his team meetings - he was motivated this time. He studied for hours to better his skills as a ninja, determined to one day become the village leader.

During those many hours of study contained no lessons on secrecy, unfortunately.

Obito broke thirty minutes into the confrontation.

Minato stared at the group and had been silent for twelve minutes at that point.

“I know that you are all hiding something from me, and I just want you to admit it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sensei.” Rin smiled innocently, an irritated twitch at her lip telling Minato that he was beginning to break her down. He smiled to himself.

His eyes turned to Obito, who was still sweating bullets. The boy hating lying and disappointing his sensei more than he wanted to keep a secret, it seemed. Minato took a step toward the ninja and leaned down to look at him at an equal level.

“Obito, if you tell me what it is, I won’t be mad.”

Kakashi had glanced to his left and saw the tears watering in Obitos eyes, desperate for a release. Quickly, Kakashi reached across Rin to push his hand over his teammates mouth.

“Obito, no-!” Kakashi cried out, but it was too late - Minato had seen Kakashi’s movement coming, and preemptively stuck his arm out to block it.

“ME AND RIN AND KAKASHI AND IRUKA AND GUY ALL GOT AN APARTMENT TOGETHER AND WE LIVE TOGETHER AND WE DIDN’T WANT TO TELL YOU BECAUSE WE THOUGHT YOU’D BE MAD-”

The group bursted into a series of groans at Obito’s confession, certainly disappointed that he broke after a mere thirty minutes.

Minato stood with his hands on his hips and smiled in satisfaction. “You admit it!” He exclaimed, and Guy instantly leapt to the floor to beg.

“Please forgive me,” Guy cried, “I didn’t want to hide the truth from you, but I-”

“I’m not mad!” Minato said, and both Guy and Obito went quiet. Rin furrowed her brow in confusion.

“You’re not…?” She asked, and Minato shrugged.

“You’re just living together! Look, I’ve grown up too, you know?” He flashed his de facto children a confident smile. “I get that you guys can’t stay kids forever. I trust you to make good decisions, okay?”

Iruka smirked. “Does this mean you’re okay with me and Guy dating Kakashi?” He asked, as if to poke the proverbial bear with a proverbial stick.

Minato’s eyes went wide, and he felt his heart drop into his stomach.

The next forty five minutes was spent in the Hokage’s office as the group struggled to stop Minato from pacing in circles around the room. He mumbled to himself before stopping to exclaim words at the group, only to then return to muttering in circles. Rin dragged him out of the pattern and had to yell at him in order to push him out of his thoughts.

“MINATO-SENSEI!” She yelled, and he stopped in his tracks. “Calm down!”

“How can I be calm?!” He asked. “Three of my students are dating and nobody bothered to tell me!”

“HEY,” Obito interjected, “I’d like to clarify that I am NOT dating Kakashi!”

“Yeah, it’s just a queerplatonic relationship.” Kakashi shrugged and watched as the look of confusion on Minato’s face only contort further.

“A- a h-wha?” He stuttered.

“A queerplatonic relationship,” Iruka repeated Kakashi’s words. “It’s when two or more people share an intimate relationship further than what most would consider friendship.”

“Like… Like leasing an apartment together?” Minato asked, puzzled. Guy nodded enthusiastically.

“EXACTLY!” He exclaimed. “Look at you, Lord Fourth! You learn something new every day, huh?”

“We’re basically all married to each other, to put simply,” Kakashi said. “In a way that isn’t romantic or sexual in nature.”

Minato contorted his face further. “Wait, so you’re getting married?”

Everyone in the room sighed.

It took another forty five minutes to explain to Minato what exactly a queerplatonic relationship was - he struggled to comprehend a level of intimacy beyond platonic and romantic, and every sentence spoken was accompanied by a series of questions from the man that lead to a rabbit-hole of discussion. Eventually, though, the group had decided that Minato had a basic enough understanding of a queerplatonic relationship to move on for the evening.

Minato had excused the five, but paused right before they were about to exit the office.

“I have just one more question for you,” he said, and each person looked back. He wore a small smile on his face and his voice was far softer than normal.

“I know it’s been years since I’ve been in charge of you all,” his eyes glanced over to his former students, who were looking at him with patient eyes, “and I want to thank you for letting me in on this. Even if it was… unintended.”

“What’s your question?” Rin asked, hands clasped and resting on her chest.

“When did this all… happen?”

The group glanced at each other. Kakashi made eye contact with Iruka and Guy, who were smiling fondly at a distant memory.

It was just after Guy had become a Jonin, Iruka remembered. He watched the two rivals argue in the distance over something trivial - likely fighting over who was in the lead for their little matches, or which one of them was going to pick the next challenge. Iruka leaned against the brick academy wall and sighed distantly, which caught the eye of Kakashi.

Kakashi glanced over at the glare in his vision - it turned out to be the headband of one of his best friends, Iruka. He beckoned the boy over and smiled at him gently, drowning out the still-arguing-Guy in the background.

“Do you guys want to go on a date with me?” Iruka blurted out, a blush creeping onto his face, and both Kakashi and Guy paused.

Minato watched as Rin and Obito glanced over at the three standing across from them in the doorway. Rin smiled fondly at the memory in her head, while Obito watched the sparkle in her eye.

A year ago, Rin and Obito had stumbled upon Kakashi laying in the grass with his two boyfriends - Iruka and Guy. What began as a midday nap turned into an evening of conversation that eventually molded into a discussion about the future.

“I dunno,” Rin sighed as she looked toward the sky, a setting sun in the distance casting a ray of purple across the clouds. “I’ve always envisioned myself living in like, a community, instead of just my husband.” Her grip on Obito’s hand tightened. “Like, with friends and family, you know?”

“That sounds like a queerplatonic relationship,” Iruka said, and Kakashi nodded. Obito hummed. A minute of silence followed as everyone let the words settle in. Queerplatonic.

“Well, aren’t we all kinda in one of those anyway?” Obito asked, puzzled.

Everyone, silently, thought about it for a moment.

“...Yeah,” Kakashi stated plainly after a few seconds of silence. “I think we are.”

“It’s true, we do everything together,” Guy agreed. Iruka nodded.

“And we were just talking about buying a farm together in the future,” Rin giggled. She looked over at Obito, who was giving her a goofy smile. She tilted her head at him, as if to say “Well? What do you think?”

“I mean, as long as I don’t lose you to that stuck-up loser, I guess I couldn’t care less what you call it!” He decided, throwing his arm around his girlfriend. Rin laughed and felt herself melt into his arm, heart fluttering in content as she realized what had just happened.

Minato felt a full-fledged grin come to his lips as he realized that all of his kids were now reliving the memory of their first realization.

“Nevermind,” He smiled, “save it for your wedding!”

Obito blushed, and Rin giggled.

“We’ll see you later then, Minato-Sensei!” She smiled, and Minato nodded.

“Goodnight everyone, get home safe, alright?”

The group slowly exited the room until only Kakashi and Minato remained. He turned to his former teacher for just a second. “Goodnight, Sensei,” he said. Minato smiled.

“Goodnight, Kakashi.”

Otters are an endangered species.

Sea otters, despite being community animals, spend a large part of their days alone - they forage for food alone, they plunge under the water alone, and they escape predators alone.

The sea otters are just lonely, perhaps.

Shinobi are a recovering species.

These ninja spend a large portion of their day either on the battlefield or in isolation - when they return from a days work of injury and hardship, though, they’re confronted with comrades. They find themselves lost in allyship and appreciation. An unbreakable bond is formed, and the ninja in question finds themselves spending more time ordering ramen at Ichiraku than dreading their next mission.

The shinobi will be okay.

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eyeles-writing · 2 years

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Open to Interpretation | read also on ao3

⭐︎Word Count: 2651⭐︎

⭐︎Pairings: Itachi Uchiha/Reader ⭐︎

⭐︎Content: First encounter! Domesticity, getting to know each other. Mild suspicion.⭐︎

⭐︎Description: A one-shot in which Reader uses sign language as their primary form of communication.

Upon meeting you for the first time, the majority of people believe that you are about to violently attack them.

This isn’t because you’re big and scary. You don’t have a resting bitch face, you don’t carry a giant weapon with you, you don’t wear a cult-like cloak symbolizing your belonging to a criminal organization. Nothing like that.

You always greet people with a smile. You wave at them, you open your arms, you allow yourself to be vulnerable. You make yourself small and you invite people to see your weakness. However, everyone still hides behind their defenses the moment you begin talking.

Why? The answer is simple. You’re an ex Fire Nation Sign Language Interpreter, and you now communicate primarily through sign.

It’s not dangerous on its own - Fire Nation Sign Language is a gorgeous language that symbolizes centuries of innovative work for the deaf and hard of hearing communities in your nation. It creates a bridge between the great divide that is language and, in its simplest form, is the basic tool for communal survival.

It does, however, look almost identical to hand signs for deadly jutsu. When you initially raise your hands to sign a greeting, the uninformed are quick to assume you’re making a threat. They don’t see you as trustworthy or kind - they only see you as a target, which leads to plenty of tricky situations. You only ever met one man who was kind enough to give you the benefit of the doubt when you first met him.

“Excuse me,” a voice appeared behind you. You turned your head and furrowed your brow as your eyes landed on a tall man that was standing a few feet away from you. You were in the middle of the forest currently, only a few miles from Konohagakure. A decision had been made earlier in the day for you to go on a walk to collect berries for a medical group right outside the city, so you entered the forest and never considered that someone would be following you.

The man stood there and watched you for a moment before he spoke again.

“I have some questions about Konohagakure,” he eyed the hidden leaf charm that dangled from the handle of your basket holding your berries. “I have a feeling you may know the answers to them.”

You slowly raised your hands while nodding, immediately sensing that the man in front of you was certainly more powerful than you could ever hope to be. He stood tall and confident, like he’d never lost a fight in his life. His piercing black eyes were locked onto you - his long hair was tied back into a low braid, but the few strands dangling in front of his eyes were quickly blown out of the way by the oncoming gust of wind. His eyes remained focused on you as you slowly signed a message, desperately hoping he would understand that it was sign.

“I can help you” you signed, and smiled at him. “Do you know FNSL?”

The man, upon seeing your signing, found himself smiling in response. “A Fire Nation Sign Language user,” he said, “I have little experience in the language, but I’ll manage.”

You felt a pull at your heart, delighted to have finally encountered a hearing individual who, at the very least, treated your sign with respect. You set your basket down on the ground before pulling up your sleeves, ready to talk to the man in front of you.

“First, I need to know your name.”

The man nodded and blinked slowly at you - it reminded you of a cat, almost, and the way that they show trust to one another. “My name is Itachi Uchiha,” he said. Your blood ran cold. You knew that name all too well.

“I-t-a-c-h-i,” You fingerspelled, then followed with the name sign that he’d been given among your community. “Your name is BIRD in my language.” You flicked your dominant hand to mimic the movement of a wing, earning a chuckle from Itachi in response.

“I know you. Itachi of the Leaf.”

“Yes, that’s me.” Itachi stepped forward and showed his separated hands to you - a sign of respect not only within the shinobi community as an assurance of peace, but also in your community as an offer of mutual respect. “I would like to ask you a few questions regarding the Village Hidden in the Leaf.”

“Your brother is doing well,” You said, a gentle smile appearing on your face. His expression noticeably softened - the average person would have never even guessed that Itachi’s face had changed at all, but you were different.

Sign language has five parameters - handshape, palm orientation, movement, location, and non-manual signals. Those non-manual signals, primarily facial expressions, are a crucial part to communicating through sign. It makes the difference between LIKE and DISLIKE, between a question and statement, and shows the emotion of the speaker. Over the years of using Fire Nation Sign Language, you’d developed a keen eye for facial expressions; even the slightest twitch of the lip would be caught by your eye, and it would always indicate something.

In this case, it was clear to you that Itachi cared for his brother. Hearing the news that he was alive, that he was doing well, was delightful to him.

“I want to ask you about a child. His name is Naruto Uzumaki.”

You grinned and chuckled to yourself upon hearing that name - Naruto was an infamous boy in the village and he also happened to be your favorite.

“What do you want with the boy?” You asked, eyeing Itachi. “He is just a child.”

Itachi shook his head. “I cannot tell you that. I just need to know where he’s at in his training.”

You shrugged, frowning. “I wouldn’t know, I’m just an interpreter. He seems promising, though.”

“So you’ve heard about him, then?” Itachi asked.

“Everyone has. He’s the Nine Tails boy. I heard he’s being trained from the best.”

Naruto was certainly one of your favorite children in the leaf - being barely a chunin, he was starting to get sent out on missions that allowed you to interact with him and his team more. Team Seven had once accompanied you on an escort to and from a city across the Fire Nation to receive some medical supplies. You often fondly recall the moment you gave Naruto a sign name.

“I believe your name is N-a-r-u-t-o, or NARUTO,” You signed. The sign began with the movement for HOKAGE - two open hands, palm facing in, at the top of your head and moving outward into a sweeping motion, as if grabbing the rim of the Hokage headpiece. When your hands reached the end of the sign, you transitioned into bringing your hands forward, reminiscent of the sign for FUTURE.

The boy, upon being crowned a name by someone from the deaf community, cheered in excitement.

“THAT’S FREAKIN' AWESOME!” He exclaimed before signing his name, giggling to himself the entire time. You showed him slowly how to sign the name, feeling your own heart warm at the sight of his dedicated eyes focused on the movement of your hands.

“Sign language is so awesome!” He beamed, “it’s like jutsu but for talking!”

“Yeah, that’s what it’s for, idiot,” Sasuke had chimed in. He had been sitting under a nearby tree and watched everything that had gone down between you and Naruto - he pretended like he wasn’t listening, but you picked up on the change in facial expressions when you told Naruto that you wanted to give him a sign name. In his voice, you could even sense the obvious jealousy.

“Would you like one, Sasuke?” You asked, and all he did was ‘humph’ in response. You giggled and thought for a moment before you decided upon a sign.

“Your name is S-a-s-u-k-e, or SASUKE.” You began with the S-sign, a closed fist with your thumb placed on the lower knuckles of your fingers, and held it up toward your right eye. You opened the fist quickly to mimic the opening of an eye; You decided on such a sign because you’d just seen his Sharingan in action after you’d run across a team of lowly rogue ninja that wanted to know what you were doing.

“Woah, Sasuke,” Sakura grinned, “You have such a cool sign!” She stared at Sasuke, who slowly copied your own hand movement and then paused to consider it. After a satisfied nod, you smiled in satisfaction and turned to Sakura.

“Would you like one?” You asked, and she immediately said yes. You watched as she rocked back and forth on her feet as she anxiously awaited your response, biting at her lip in anticipation.

“Your name is S-a-k-u-r-a, or SAKURA.” You decided to combine another two signs for Sakura - FLOWER and KIND. You began with the handshape for FLOWER, a closed hand with all five fingertips touching, and circled it around your heart in the same location and movement for KIND. Despite being your first time meeting the girl, it was clear along the mission that she was the strongest of the team; During every moment of intensity that you faced throughout your journey, she stayed calm and collected the entire time. There was not a moment where she faltered or thought of anything except your safety. The other two had their moments of brevity, yes, but nothing compared to the composure of the girl in front of you.

“You are kind and strong,” You spoke quietly, “much more than the other two. Please use your name with pride.”

Sakura gave you a warm smile and pulled you in for a hug. “I will,” she said, “thank you.”

You were pulled out of your thoughts by another question from the man in front of you, Itachi Uchiha.

“And who is the best, exactly?”

“Kakashi Hatake,” you signed. You showed him the name sign for Kakashi - it used the sign for LIGHTNING, with the dominant hand using a K-shape instead of a usual pointer finger. You used your non-dominant hand to represent a cloud, holding out just your pointer finger at your chin. Your dominant hand started at the top of the pointer finger, held in a K-shape, and moved downward in a zig-zag movement. This represented the jutsu that Kakashi Hatake was known for the most - his Lightning Blade.

“The Copy Ninja,” Itachi confirmed. You nodded. He sighed audibly before looking to his side, glancing deeper into the forest. There was nothing but miles of nature surrounding you, and you had suddenly become painfully aware of it. One of the most dangerous ninja in the world was standing right in front of you, and you were all alone with your defenses.

You sympathized with Itachi, though. Back when you were simply an interpreter and had no interest in betraying your village, you would have never thought for a moment that you would ever indulge in the thoughts of Itachi’s. Shortly after your mission with Team Seven, though, you found yourself in an unfortunate situation that cost you friends, family, and a part of yourself.

Your throat had been torn to shreds. You were locked up for days by an interrogation expert - he poked and prodded at you endlessly until you were slipping in and out of consciousness. You had screamed so loud, begged for mercy so desperately, that your vocal cords had ruptured. A heated blade had drawn itself across your arm, causing you to scream out in pain. A new pain struck immediately into your throat the second that you released any air, sending a shockwave of adrenaline through your body. You began coughing violently, blood spilling out of your mouth as you cried in pain. The interrogator stood there, a plain look on his face, before he exited the room. Later that evening, you found yourself incapable of using your voice.

Even now, you were still hardly capable of letting any sound pass through your throat. Any noise that did exit was extremely painful.

You hated the Leaf ever since. You rotted in that cell for weeks on end before they had finally come to rescue you, and only then were you informed that a member of your family had been killed in an attack. At that moment, you retired from all ninja-related duty. Your life as a field interpreter had come to an end. A flame of hatred took its place.

It’s also why you felt no remorse in feeding Itachi information. You knew that you were giving the enemy a chance at destroying the village - of course you didn’t want Naruto to be harmed, being your favorite village child, but you simply couldn’t find it within yourself to deny Itachi’s questions. You figured that if anyone asked, you would say that you were being threatened by the most dangerous ninja in the bingo book - how could you not release information?

“All I know is that they are training together. I know no detail.”

Itachi nodded and bowed toward you in thanks. “I appreciate whatever information you can give me…” He paused for a moment before locking eyes with you, a smile drawn across his face. “I apologize, but I never caught your name.”

“Y/N,” You signed, “or Y/N.” You gave him your sign name - a combination of RED and MOON. The finger movement for RED was used, which was simply flicking your first finger up and down. You used the location of the MOON sign and used your dominant hand to sign RED at your eye-level before using a swooping motion to bring it above your head. It was the sign that you were first given by your teacher when you just entered the academy, and you cherished it well.

“That’s a beautiful name,” he stated simply. You nodded. “It was given to me by my teacher.”

“I have one more question for you.”

You nodded and urged him to ask, feeling a tug at your heart upon realizing that your conversation was about to come to an end. Itachi was good company, it seemed.

“What do you know about medical ninjutsu?”

You furrowed your brow. “I was a field interpreter with medical training,” you explained, “I know enough to get by.”

Itachi’s face relaxed and a genuine smile flashed on his face. “Lovely.”

He glanced at your basket before stepping toward you and picking it up, looking down at the path ahead. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to you a bit about this organization I’m part of.”

“You want me to join the Akatsuki?” You asked. The sign for the Akatsuki was one that was controversial in your community - people couldn’t decide whether or not a group as terrible as them deserved such a precious name. A sign name was a rite of passage into the world of sign language - to be given a name is one of the highest honors in the world of the deaf community, and it was unclear whether or not the deaf community had come to a consensus on whether or not the Akatsuki deserved a sign name.

You used it anyway - it combined the signs RED and CLOUD. You used the handshape for RED and moved both hands in the same circular motion as CLOUD, bringing your hands up toward your eye level. You moved your hands to mimic the shape of a cloud, and Itachi nodded in response.

“We believe you would make a great addition.”

“So you already knew about me, then.”

Itachi hummed and glanced back into the forest. “I like to play games, that's all.”

Together, the two of you walked down the path. You stopped at a few bushes to pick berries and harvest a few plants that you saw, pondering the idea of joining the Akatsuki along the way.

“How bad could it be?” You asked yourself.

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eyeles-writing · 2 years

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Stupidity Is Not a Right

⭐︎Word Count: 2794 ⭐︎

⭐︎Pairings: Kisame Hoshigaki/Reader ⭐︎

⭐︎Content: Slice of life. First encounter! ⭐︎

⭐︎Description: Two shinobi are outside your door during the latest hours of the night, in desperate search of a place to stay. You, either out of stupidity or self-preservation, offer them your home for the night.

⭐︎ Kisame Week 2022: day 5 - “do you come here often?” “i live here” & teeth

About thirteen minutes ago, a large shinobi had bursted through your front door, a smaller one in tow. They eyed your home interior for a moment while you stared, heart racing at the appearance of two infamous killers at your doorstep. One was a shark-man hybrid with teeth sharper than a sword, and the other a silent killer known for the murder of his entire clan in a moments notice. You’d heard of the two men before, being a civilian from the Leaf caught up on current events, but you’d never expect them to show up at your door in the middle of the night.

The larger one, who was a pale blue shade somehow, locked eyes with you the moment he stepped through your door. You’d seen them through your window just moments before as they walked down the path to your home - after a brief internal panic, you froze in fear and decided that standing still in the middle of the room would be your best defense.

“Well,” The large one said, “do you work here?”

You didn’t even have time to process the weirdness of the question. You just shook your head slowly, as if to say “no, I don’t work here, and I’m incredibly fucking scared right now.”

The one behind him, who was currently staring you down intensely with no indication of emotion across his face, furrowed his brow gently at your lack of response.

“Do you come here often, then?” The man asked, flashing a grin at you. His sharp teeth glimmered in the candlelight, and a shiver was sent down your spine.

“...I live here,” you said faintly.

The large man looked back at his partner, clearly confused, then took a look around your living room for a moment.

“Kisame,” The smaller one spoke up, “I believe we’re terrorizing this innocent person for no reason. This is not an inn.”

A blush crept up to Kisame’s face, and he grinned apologetically. “I- ah, I’m sorry-!” He said, waving his hand in the air erratically, “I thought this was an inn-”

“Do you need somewhere to stay?” You asked abruptly, startling even yourself.

Kisame paused, shocked. Were you really offering them a room for the night?

“We would sincerely appreciate any hospitality you could offer us,” The smaller man spoke plainly. His voice was quiet, but it carried through to you just enough for you to understand what he was saying.

“Itachi is right,” Kisame said. “We badly need a place to stay, and we’re running out of options.”

“I… I guess I can, uh, offer you my living room for the night?”

You were still stood frozen in the middle of the room. Finally, you lifted your foot and took a few steps toward your couch, which appeared to be just large enough to fit one person. “I know it’s not much, but I also have some extra blankets for the floor…”

“It’s okay, sweetheart, sleeping on the floor is no issue.” Kisame shot you a smile, one much less malicious this time, and it was suddenly your turn to blush.

A feeling of awkwardness filled the room, as you were now left completely in the dark as to what you were meant to do now. There were two infamous killers in your living room, and you (out of stupidity or self-preservation, you’ll never know) offered your space to them. Now what?

“Um,” you spoke up, watching the two of them stand there idly as they waited for your direction, “I was going to make dinner… Did you guys… want any?”

“If you’d like assistance, I’d be glad to help,” Itachi gave you a gentle and seemingly genuine smile. “I’m an excellent cook.”

“O-Oh! I’d love that!”

Being the terrible cook that you are, you let Itachi take the reins when it came to dinner. He looked through your cabinets twice before he decided on a meal - rice with steamed vegetables and a bit of meat. It was simple enough to not take long at all while also being both decently healthy and only used the simplest ingredients in the house. You watched him while he worked, and Kisame continued chatting with you at your kitchen table while Itachi steamed the vegetables at your stove.

“So, you work in town?” He asked you initially, and you nodded.

“I’m a librarian, yes.” You swallowed the lump in your throat as your nerves slowly began to die out once it became clear that the two Akatsuki members were not intending to harm you. “I decided living a bit outside the village to grow my own produce was worth the commute, and it’s not been a problem as of yet.”

“Until now,” Kisame laughed, and you chuckled in response.

“What do… you do?” You asked hesitantly, hoping that he’d just lie to you out of politeness.

“I have a feeling that you know exactly what me and my partner do,” he said lowly, though the amount of charm in his voice did not waver once. “We do lots of things, primarily work toward our common goal of making the world a better place.”

“Through murder,” you clarified. Kisame shrugged.

“It can’t be helped.”

As you talked with the man, you began to realize just how delightful of a person he truly was. He was kind, actually, and intelligent. He answered all of the questions you asked him, which were primarily regarding his skill as a ninja - being born and raised a civilian and having little interaction with the shinobi world, you were almost completely oblivious to how the life of a ninja went. You even asked him some more personal things, and he answered gracefully.

You asked him about his living situation and he was quick to answer.

“We simply live nowhere,” he shrugged. “We go where there is work to be done. Whether that means living in hotel rooms or a cave for an evening, it is beyond our control.”

In your heart, a twinge of sadness rung. “You really have nowhere to call home?” You expressed, a frown on your face. “That’s really sad, you know.”

Kisame laughed, a boisterous noise echoing through the room. “If you think that’s sad, you ought to hear Itachi’s backstory.”

A cold shiver ran through your spine as Itachi, as if he’d been summoned, walked into the dining room with some plates in his hands. He set them in front of both you and Kisame, and then one for himself.

“There will be no sharing of my backstory tonight,” he mused, and Kisame chuckled. “Though I heard yours is quite entertaining, Kisame.”

His partner smiled. “What backstory? I just killed some teammates and stole a sword, there’s not much entertainment there.”

“You killed your teammates?” You asked, and Itachi smiled in amusement. Kisame bit into his food and nodded, his gills flexing outward with the movement of his jaw. You saw his sharp teeth bite into the meat that was mixed with the vegetables, and it reminded you just who you were talking to.

“I killed my teammates because they were filthy liars,” Kisame said. He took another bite, swallowed, then continued speaking. “They were selling out their village for personal gain, which is something I despise. I hated my village, but I hated liars more.”

“And you’re not concerned about that?” You glanced over at Itachi, who was staring down at his food and taking small bites occasionally. He hummed.

“Itachi could kick my ass if he wanted to,” Kisame laughed, “I don’t think he’s got anything to worry about.”

You took a bite of your food as you thought of his words, doing your best to think back to what little knowledge you have about Itachi and the Akatsuki. Being from the Leaf, Itachi was the only member of this organization that you were familiar at all with. You knew that his brother, Sasuke, was becoming a star ninja at the academy as of late - your brother was only a year above the boy and had told you all about his stellar skills. He’d also told you about how Sasuke went home to no family every day, left to sit alone in the Uchiha estate that had been abandoned almost a decade prior.

Kisame talked for both him and Itachi over the course of dinner, as it became very clear that Itachi was not a man who enjoyed talking to anyone. The shark-man charmed you quite easily with his fantastic stories of adventure, filling you with a deep and alluring sensation that made you want to continue asking questions. There was something about the way that he rested his chin on his palm as he talked to you, mindlessly tapping his other hand against his thigh, that had you entranced.

Itachi stood up suddenly, which broke you out of your conversation with Kisame regarding his favorite foods.

“I’ll be getting ready for bed now.” Itachi turned to you and his voice shifted into a softer tone. “Y/N, would you please show me to the bathroom?”

You stood up and smiled before heading down the hall and into the door on the left where your bathroom was. Itachi thanked you and, right as you were about to walk away, spoke in a volume so low that you could hardly catch it.

“I must warn you,” he whispered, “getting involved in Akatsuki business has proven time and again how dangerous the world can be.”

You furrowed your brow in confusion. “What do you mean?” You asked.

“I am silent, not oblivious. I see the interactions you and Kisame are having, and I am simply warning you. The world is not kind to the Akatsuki, and that is for good reason.”

A blush formed on your face as you crossed your arms in defiance. “I-I don’t know what you think you’re seeing, but you’ve got it wrong!” You glanced your eyes back to the end of the hallway, making sure that Kisame wasn’t listening, “I just think he’s funny!”

Itachi sighed audibly before turning into the bathroom. “Nonetheless, I appreciate your hospitality. Thank you.”

When you returned to the dining room, you found Kisame had taken all the plates to the kitchen and began washing them for you. You smiled at this and expressed your gratitude for what he had done, and he simply shrugged and said it was payment for a place to stay for the night.

“I hope you don’t mind sleeping on the floor,” you said. Your eyes glanced over to the floorspace in front of the couch, wondering to yourself if you had enough blankets to make the evening bearable for Kisame.

“Unless you’ve got space for me in that bed of yours, I’m afraid it’s my only option,” Kisame winked at you. You chuckled in embarrassment and ignored the obvious flirting, Itachi’s words echoing in the back of your mind.

“I’ll go bring out some blankets for you,” you smiled.

You scoured the house for every blanket you could fine, even considering removing the one on your own bed for Kisame. You piled them all on the ground and pushed some furniture aside to make room for the makeshift bed - it looked horrendous and uncomfortable, but you knew it was all you had. After all, it was either sleeping on the floor here or outside, where it would likely storm above them and destroy whatever shittily-built tent they had made. As you set up the bed, you had to remind yourself that you were currently housing two well-known killers. After spending the evening with them, it was hard to not feel compassion for the two - especially Kisame, who had somehow caught your interest.

“You did all this for me?” Kisame grinned at you playfully, his teeth reminding you once more that he was far more dangerous than you could ever realize. You nodded politely.

“I looted every closet in the house just for you, Kisame!”

After Itachi had entered the living room, Kisame took his leave to go get ready for bed. You were left alone with his partner, who took it upon himself to take a book off of your shelf in front of the fireplace and begin reading it on the couch. You noticed that he had also made himself a cup of green tea, and you wondered to yourself where he obtained the teabag from - you enjoyed tea, but green tea was the only one missing from your collection.

Kisame eventually returned from the bathroom, his attire having changed completely. Instead of the long and intimidating cloak he wore previously, he now wore a plain pair of grey sweatpants and a black tshirt. For the first time, you saw the rest of his body - his muscles were toned like no other you’d ever seen before, and the veins along his arm protruded just enough to catch your eye. A various amount of scars were also clear as day across his skin, hinting to a long history of kunai interception. All-in-all, though, Kisame was certainly very attractive.

You said your goodnights only a few minutes after Kisame returned, as you started to feel the effects of being awake so late. Your yawns became frequent enough that even Itachi had suggested you go to bed, and at that point, you were quick to listen to him. You shuffled down the hallway sleepily, said your goodnights, then promptly closed your door.

Two hours later, you awoke to a gentle knock at your door.

It was just loud enough to bring you out of your sleep, but certainly not concerning enough to fill you with any emotion besides the unfathomable rage you felt at being rudely awoken in the middle of the night for the second time.

“What?” You asked groggily as you opened the door, a hint of irritation very present in your voice.

“Sorry to wake you, sweetheart, but your floor is much harder than I thought it would be.”

Kisame’s voice penetrated your ears at a much louder volume than you liked, and you took a step back into your room. He continued talking. “Do you mind if I borrow some pillows?”

You sighed.

In your sleepy thoughts, you decided that the better course of action was to gently grab Kisames hand and drag him into the dark bedroom. You shut the door once more and then climbed into your own bed, pulling the covers aside for Kisame.

“Get in,” you mumbled, and Kisame remained standing at the door.

You glared at him, eyes barely open. “Get in before I change my mind and leave you to rot out there. I don’t have any more pillows.”

Kisame hesitantly climbed into the bed and pulled the covers over himself, careful not to disturb you in any way as he was already very aware that you were pissed off. When you rolled over and began hugging the blankets, though, he couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. You were already falling back asleep and clinging to a small stuffed animal in your arms.

“It’s so cold,” you muttered, and you scooted closer to Kisame. In the slowest movement possible, the man lifted the covers up and pulled them above you in an attempt to give you more heat. You shivered, though, and scooted closer. Your face was now almost buried in his side, and he couldn’t help but blush at the interaction. He silently thanked the heavens for the darkness. He decided it would be best if he rolled over so his back was facing you - this way, there was no chance that you would end up in a weird position.

He felt something pressing against his back and was about to turn around, but an arm snaked its away across his waist and rested loosely on his stomach. “Uh, Y/N,” he whispered, but you just hummed in response.

“Just go to sleep, Kisame, I’m too tired for this. You’re hot in many ways and I am fucking freezing, please just deal with it and shut up.”

Kisame chuckled to himself before he rolled back over, now confident in his ability after being given permission to touch you. He tapped you gently and pushed you a little as if in command to roll over, and you obliged. He then laid down fully and pulled you into his chest, now fully becoming the big spoon.

In the morning, you woke up to an empty bed. A piece of paper was sat on your nightstand, words written in horrible handwriting from your nighttime companion.

Y/N,

thank you for your hospitality.

and for your comfort.

we’ll be back in four days.

Kisame.

Four days later, you picked up some extra meat from the grocery store on your way home.

#kisame week 2022 #kisame hoshigaki #kisame hoshigaki one shot #kisame one shot #one shot #kisame x reader #kisame hoshigaki x reader #eyeles writing #eyeles-writing #akatsuki x reader #naruto x reader #naruto shippuden #naruto #fanfiction #kisame week #slice of life #established relationship

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eyeles-writing · 2 years

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Shark Infested Waters

⭐︎Word Count: 1329⭐︎

⭐︎Pairings: Kisame Hoshigaki/Reader⭐︎

⭐︎Content: Fluff, slice of life. Established relationship.⭐︎

⭐︎Description: You and Kisame have a lovely little date on the beach, bringing along a lovely little dog (who happens to be twice your size).

⭐︎ Kisame Week 2022: day 2 - dog samehada & by the sea

“NO!” You screeched, digging your feet into the sand. “STAY AWAY FROM ME!”

The man behind you trailed, a hungry and malicious look in his eyes as he watched his target desperately try to escape his grasp. He had a firm hold on your wrist, though, and absolutely no intention of letting go any time soon.

“Come on,” he taunted, voice raspy and low, “you know you can’t escape.”

You clawed at his hand that was wrapped around your wrist, still using your weight against him to make as much distance as possible. The sand was slippery, which unfortunately made it impossible to make any significant distance between you and the man holding you captive.

“I DON’T WANT TO TOUCH THE FUCKING SEAWEED, KISAME!”

A loud and boisterous laugh escaped his mouth as he let go of your wrist, which sent you stumbling back into the sand. He was holding a large piece of seaweed in his other hand and found your reaction to it very amusing. You voiced your disgust for the slimy substance, remarking how gross it was that he was holding it after he made his way back to the shore. He went back and retrieved it with one goal in mind: harass his lovely significant other with a piece of seaweed.

“It’s just a bit of grass!” He laughed, tossing it lazily toward the ocean, “it can’t hurt ya!”

“It’s grooooooss,” you whined, “and I already have to deal with Samehada’s nasty slobber!”

At the mention of his name, Samehada perked up - he was a giant Tibetan Mastiff dog that likely weighed more than you at this point. His luscious greyish-brown coat was dripping with ocean water after he’d been running along the shoreline, watching Kisame swim in the deep. He stepped into the water and swam around for a minute, but far preferred standing at the shoreline and jumping at the fish in the water that would swim up with the waves. When Kisame returned from the water, Samehada ran ahead to where you were laying on a towel and stood over your body, which not only covered the sun (and preventing any sort of summer tan that you may have been trying to get), but also doused you in an uncomfortable layer of ocean water and dog-slobber.

Samehada barked in response, as if he were defending himself against the slander.

“Aw,” Kisame laughed, leaning in to give you a side-hug, “you’ll be just fine. Samehada’s just about ready to play fetch anyway.”

Kisame shot Samehada a smile, his dangerously pointed teeth glimmering from the hot sun. The gills on his face flexed when he smiled, which you always appreciated watching.

Samehada jumped up in response, tail wagging exuberantly, and loudly barked at you. He was an incredibly smart dog and knew exactly what Kisame just said, and now he was awaiting his midday playtime.

Despite his constant slobbering and dripping fur, you couldn’t help but smile at his adorableness. You leaned down to scratch his ears and cooed at him, promising a bit of playtime while Kisame ate his lunch. Lunch was made for the both of you for your day trip to the beach (Itachi insisted on making you something while he was in the kitchen, despite your initial rejection), but your plans to eat together would soon fall apart after you realized how much Kisame enjoyed being in the water. You didn’t see him come up for almost twenty minutes at one point, to which you sent Samehada into the water to make sure your boyfriend was still alive. When the dog came back with a positive bark, you reassumed your position on the sand and continued reading your book.

Whenever Kisame was in the water, he felt incredible. The feeling of the sun on his skin and the cooling sensation of diving down into the deep ocean was like no other. There was no other place where you’d find such gorgeous sights as the fish swimming through the coral reef, weaving between coral and each other. Kisame would come across sharks as well and, though he knew that he would likely never be able to fully communicate with them, was always delighted to see that the sharks would swim in circles around him in recognition, often leading him toward prey as an attempt to “feed” Kisame and integrate him into their colony. The sharks, of course, did not know Kisame. They did not see him as another shark, or as a human, or as anything. The sharks simply knew that whatever was swimming above the coral with them was important - the fish felt a pulling urge to be with Kisame, to invite him into their lives and into their social group.

He’d come back from the water multiple times, a grin sprawled across his face, to tell you stories of the life in the water. He’d mention his shark friends multiple times and use his hands to gesture wildly into the air at the different movements his acquaintances would make. His face would light up whenever Kisame mentioned the beauty of the coral reef, and it was nothing less than alluring to see him so devoted and in love with something. Every time he returned from the water, you felt a wave of anticipation in your chest build up as you became more and more excited to not only hear the amazing stories, but to also see your boyfriend light up and look like he’s never been happier. You fell in love with him just a little bit more every time.

When you brought out the toys for Samehada, a series of deep, excited barks pierced your ears. He jumped playfully and dug his paws into the sand in excitement, growling gleefully at you as he anticipated the ball thrown across the beach. You hooked a tennis ball into a small handle (Samehada had been repeatedly disappointed in your throwing distance, so Kisame gave you a tool to help) and prepared Samehada for his playtime.

“You’re gonna get it, aren’t ya?!” You cooed in a baby-talk voice, a smile strewn across your face as you watched the dog wiggle his butt playfully. He barked in response and tapped his front paws on the sand, as if to say ‘hurry up!’

“You ready?” You asked, and he barked again. “GO!”

The ball went much farther than you anticipated it to, and it took an entire ten seconds for Samehada to run to where it had landed. You were cheering for the sweet boy during his entire sprint back, watching the ball in his mouth quickly succumb to a life of slobber. You decided not to think about it as you took the ball from Samehada and reinserted it into the handle.

“I’m heading back into the sea,” Kisame said lowly with a smile, a hand grazing across your back as he walked behind you. “Feel free to join me, Y/N.”

“What, and leave Samehada here all alone?” You teased, and Kisame laughed.

“He’s a lot smarter than you think, I believe he’ll be just fine.”

You watched Kisame return to the water and leave a heavy set of footprints in the sand. He got to the shoreline and raised his arms above his head to stretch - you, of course, stared intently as the muscles on Kisame's back flexed and contracted as he moved, feeling a sensation of appreciation build in your stomach.He took a step forward and smiled at the cool water crashing against his feet. You watched as he turned toward you one final time and gave you a delicate smile before diving into the water.

Samehada barked as you tossed the ball again, running after it without a moment of hesitation. When he caught it and brought to back to you, proudly displaying his find, you graciously scratched behind his ears and let him slobber all over you.

This was the best way to live, you decided.

#kisame week 2022 #kisame hoshigaki #kisame week #kisame x reader #kisame hoshigaki one shot #kisame one shot #kisame hoshigaki x reader #akatsuki x reader #akatsuki #one shot #fanfiction #naruto calendar #naruto one shot #naruto x reader #slice of life

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eyeles-writing · 2 years

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A Life Without You Is Not Something I Desire

⭐︎Word Count: 792⭐︎

⭐︎Pairings: Kisame Hoshigaki/Reader⭐︎

⭐︎Content: Fluff, slice of life. Established relationship.⭐︎

⭐︎Description: If a man came up to you and asked if you wanted to see what your life would have been like without the person you hold closest, would you say yes? ⭐︎

HAPPY KISAME WEEK 2022!!!

Kisame was not expecting to be confronted with a life-changing decision that night. Your head was rested gently on his chest, hand wrapped around his stomach and stroking lightly as the two of you talked in the dark. It was a bedtime ritual at this point - each night, you would turn off the lights and climb into bed. Kisame would listen while you talked about your day, and he’d chime in with whatever popped into his mind. Tonight, however, you were unusually silent. When he inquired, you asked a question that took him far too long to answer.

“What if you were given the choice to see your alternate life?” you had asked so simply, as if the question didn’t need any elaboration. He furrowed his brow, thinking for a moment, before responding.

“What do you mean?”

You hummed, thinking to yourself for a second to attempt to gather your thoughts.

“Like,” you sighed, “what if a man came up to you and asked if you wanted to see what your life would have been like without me?” You were silent for almost ten seconds before you quietly added, “would you want to see it?”

Kisame, only thinking of why you would be asking such a question, rubbed your shoulder and expressed his concern. “Why are you asking me this, sweetheart? Did someone say something to you?” The rough callus on the pads of his fingertips tickled your bare shoulder, but you didn’t bother to move. You shook your head. “Just curious,” you murmured.

Kisame thought about what his life would be like without you.

If he hadn’t seen you that night, shivering under the protection of a narrow divot in the mountain that was keeping you from being rained on, his life would undeniably be different. For starters, Kisame would not have offered his cloak to the stranger that was clearly terrified of his presence. He wouldn’t have given them a warm meal or offered a place to stay for the night, and he certainly wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of picking up some extra clothes on his way back from a mission for you after he insisted on letting you stay.

Kisame wouldn’t have watched the sand wash away into the sea in a new way. He vividly remembers the moment where you mindlessly dug a hole into the sand as you commented on the freezing water. The hole was quickly washed away as the wave crashed onto your feet. He remembers your exclamation from how cold the water was, and the way you clung onto his arm because of it.

He wouldn’t have looked in the mirror the same way without you. Before you were there, Kisame avoided his reflection. The only thing he saw in the mirror was a monster and, for the longest time, someone undeserving of love. All Kisame saw was the hideous scars and the terrifying gills attached to his face - until you one day ran your fingers over his features and whispered with fascination about how handsome he looked. You were so genuine, so kind, that Kisame no longer hated the way he looked. He didn’t avoid his gaze whenever he entered the bathroom. Instead, he smiled at the memory of you showing even the smallest admiration for him.

If Kisame had never met you, he wouldn’t be happy. He wouldn’t have someone to come home to each night after a long day of battling. He wouldn’t have someone that would patch him up and playfully scold him for getting into so much trouble. There would be nobody to wipe the blood off the door handles, nobody to kiss his wounds better. There would be nobody to turn off the lights and slip under the covers with him, nobody to shower him with the love and affection he craved so deeply.

Kisame was lost in thought until the movement on his stomach came to a stop. Your fidgeting ceased and it drew him back to reality - back to you. With a kiss on your forehead, he mumbled his response.

“Absolutely not, my dear,” he mumbled, “a life without you is not something I desire.”

You giggled lightly, very clearly feeling yourself be overtaken by the powerful force of sleep. “You’re cute,” you whispered.

“Go to sleep,” Kisame said with a smile, “or perhaps I’ll reconsider my answer.”

With a fake-gasp, you rolled over and buried your hand into the pillow. “I can’t believe my fiance hates me,” you said with a smile.

A hand snaked itself onto your waist and caressed your stomach lightly as you felt Kisame’s body shift and press into you further. He pushed his face into the crook of your neck and breathed in deeply. “How horrible,” he whispered.

#kisame hoshigaki #kisame week 2022 #kisame week #hoshigaki kisame #kisame x reader #kisame hoshigaki x reader #x reader #akatsuki x reader #naruto x reader #slice of life #one shot #naruto one shot #kisame one shot #akatsuki one shot #eyeles writing

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eyeles-writing · 2 years

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the corner of the cafe || itachi uchiha x reader

⭐︎Word Count: 3356⭐︎

⭐︎Pairings: Itachi Uchiha / Reader (though there's no romance/sex in this, just friendship)⭐︎

⭐︎Content Warnings: None! This is pure platonic fun.⭐︎

⭐︎Description: You own a nice little cafe in Konohagakure and you finally get fed up with the man who sits in the corner of your store every day without ordering a single thing. A simple interaction with him turns your world upside down.⭐︎

*a/n: i orignally posted this on my main account, but ive since moved to a new blog for my writing and im reposting it here. i am still the real eyeles, just now my writing is much easier to find! no more sifting through all 138,000 of my reblogs!

Initially, Itachi Uchiha infuriated you.

He would come into your cafe - a small Konohagakure bakery staffed by only a few of the villages best bakers and baristas - and sit for hours at a time, rarely ordering anything from your register and therefore taking up a seat that a paying customer would then fill.

You’d see him almost every shift. Sometimes, you’d turn away from your register for just a moment and then turn back to find him sitting in the same spot as always, almost as though he’d been there the entire time. It was a little game of yours to spot him coming in; it was kept privately, of course, and nobody was aware of your constant glances toward the door at 9:00 AM every morning. From the moment the doors of your cafe unlocked to the appearance of Itachi Uchiha in his usual seat in the corner, you were determined to catch him in the entrance.

Of course, your job required you to do more than just stare at the doorway for eight hours. You’d go to frost some cookies or turnovers, to run some coffee out to the lobby, or to simply take an order for a paying customer - only to glance back at Itachi’s table and find him sitting there, as poised and elegant as ever, reading a book.

He often wore the same outfit; it was an Uchiha signature look, his black jeans and plain blue shirt. Sometimes there would be a jacket added on colder days and rarely, the necklace underneath his shirt would be on display. His hair was always worn in one of two styles: neatly braided into one low braid in the back, or hair worn down gracefully drawn across his shoulders with the left side of his front strands tucked behind his ear. On the days where he appeared the most tired, though, wearing black jeans and a sweater, a pair of simply framed glasses would appear on his face. In his entirety, Itachi Uchiha was a man of patterns. He wore the same outfits, spent his days at the same cafe, and failed to order from your shop almost every day.

On a cold day in late November, you set out the coffee in its usual spot at the lobby table. You took a brisk walk back to your register, only to find the one and only Itachi Uchiha standing at the counter waiting for your return.

“Hi,” you smiled lightly at him, sighing as you pushed back your hair in annoyance, “what can I get for you?”

“I’d like a hot tea, please,” he said. His voice was melodic and delicate almost, which took you off guard. It was the first time hearing his voice, you realized, and you took the time to savor it.

“Sure, what kind of tea would you like? We have these options.” You nudged the small tea display in Itachi’s direction, yet his eyes didn’t move an inch. His unblinking stare was kept on you, though it somehow felt as if he was looking through you instead.

“The green tea, please,” Itachi stated. His hands were shoved deep in his pockets and his shoulders were held back, seemingly confident yet alarmingly cool.

You nodded and grabbed an appropriately-sized mug for him before filling it with hot water. After placing a lid on it and grabbing the packet of green tea, you returned to the counter to find a five dollar bill laid neatly out for you. You placed his drink and tea on the counter and gently slid it toward him.

“Thank you,” he said, “please keep the change.”

He had grabbed the mug and tea from the counter and turned away from you, about to walk back to his seat, but you had already called out to him.

“Wait!” You said reflexively, and you instantly regretted speaking once he had turned back around, a plain expression drawn across his face.

He didn’t respond and only waited for you to continue.

“Can I ask you a question?” You asked. You silently decided that you might as well ask him what the hell he was doing here every day not paying for anything.

He nodded.

“T-Thank you,” you stuttered, suddenly aware of your own awkwardness, “what do you do here all day, if you don’t mind me asking?”

He tilted his head slightly and his eyebrows furrowed in the smallest movement. Before he could speak, you cut in. “I’m just curious, since you’re here every day but you never get anything.”

“I don’t see how it’s any of your business,” he said. Despite the passive-aggressive words, his tone didn’t indicate anything more than pure factual expression.

“I think it is,” you said, “since this is my shop and you take up a seat without paying for anything.”

Itachi flashed you the smallest smile. Your teasing had amused him.

“If you must know,” he replied, “I read here. I enjoy the atmosphere in your shop.”

“Is that all?” You pushed.

“I also enjoy your tea.”

You scoffed, seeing the untouched mug in his hands. “You haven’t even tried it yet.”

Itachi, amused by your words once more, smiled. “I’ve had almost a hundred cups of tea here, Y/N, but perhaps you were too busy staring at the doorway to notice.”

A blush rose to your cheeks when his words echoed through your mind, clear embarrassment drawn across your face. You had never once suspected that he’d picked up on your little game.

“If you’re going to be so outwardly nosy, you should perhaps try an opponent who isn’t a highly skilled ninja.”

He brought the mug to his lips and in the blink of an eye, he had returned to his seat while you stared in disbelief, utterly confused by the words he just spoke.

Two weeks later, you finally became fed up with not understanding how Itachi was able to sneak “hundreds” of cups of tea past you every day. You were making your final dish rounds throughout the lobby when you noticed a mug on Itachi’s table, the remains of a used teabag and a few drops of water sitting at the bottom.

“Alright,” you interrupted, “you’re going to tell me how the hell I haven’t noticed you stealing tea from me at all.”

You placed your hand on the table and sat down across from him, watching him intently as he shut his book. You noticed that he didn’t even mark the page, and that somehow intimidated you more.

You watched his face as he stared at you, clearly trying to read your face and understand what was going through your mind. When he came to the conclusion that you were very clueless in the world of ninjas, he decided to pity you.

“I will tell you, but first I must clarify something. I never once ‘stole’ anything from your shop, as I’ve made a deliberate effort to make sure my money ends up in your register by the end of the night.”

You leaned back, shocked, and urged him to continue. He flashed you the same small smile that you saw during your first interaction.

“I am a shinobi, one of the best. I was trained to observe and see everything. I caught onto this little game of yours rather quickly, and I used a simple genjutsu to make you unaware of my presence when needed.” He watched as you struggled to find words, plainly battling your confusion and finding it difficult to understand what was being said.

“T-That’s not true!” You said, embarrassed at your lack of knowledge, “that kinda stuff isn’t even real, y’know!”

Itachi watched your struggle continue with an amused expression. He leaned back into his chair and crossed his arms as a surefire sign of confidence and taking pleasure in your idiocy. “People live their lives bound by what they accept as correct and true. That's how they define reality. But what does it mean to be ‘correct’ or ‘true’? They’re merely vague concepts.”

You shook your head and laughed. “I don’t know anything about that ninja stuff,” you said although it had already been made apparent, “so I guess I have no choice but to believe you.”

Itachi’s lip twitched upward for a moment, and he found himself to be pleasantly satisfied with your reaction. He had noticed your game long ago and, being the man that he is, decided to play the long-con to see how long he could go before you’d finally catch on. After over a year of nothing, though, Itachi finally decided to give in. Your reaction was satisfactory for him, enough to justify internally his conscious decision to spend the chakra casting a clone to be in the lobby of your cafe every single day.

Itachi, seeing you rub your temples in disbelief, had an idea.

He reached his arm across the table and gently brought his fingers to your chin. His skin was cool to the touch despite the warm temperature in the building, and it was a contrastive feeling. He pulled your chin up until your eyes met his, and then you saw something that could only be described as terrifying.

His eyes flashed a bright red color with black circles around the pupil, instinctively striking a disconcerting feeling into your chest. Before you had the time to even think about his seemingly magical change in appearance, you’d been dragged into an entirely new reality.

You were now standing on a beach with black sand, standing across from Itachi himself who was holding your chin in the same position. He dropped his arm slowly and watched your indolent movement. Your head turned slowly toward the water and you watched the white waves crash onto the shore, dragging black sand back with it as it fell into the ostensibly endless ocean of purely white water. There was a glare that had caught your interest, and you looked up to see a blood-red sky with a black moon hovering above, a white glow around it filling you with panic. The inherent surreality of your surroundings was already unsettling enough - finding yourself staring into a black moon with a white halo, for some reason, was what made you break out into a panic.

“W-Where am I?” You asked, pulling yourself away from Itachi in fear, “what did you do to me?!”

“You’re under my genjutsu,” he stated simply, like you didn’t need any further explanation. You shook your head at him and brought your hands to the back of your neck as you glanced around nervously, clearly distraught. “It’s a trance-like state, a world out of the reality you know.”

You were silent for a moment as you listened only to your heart beating wildly within your chest. “H-How?”

“I am Itachi Uchiha, I possess the Sharingan. To put simply, it allows me to cast a spell of sorts on you that makes you hallucinate the world around you.”

“So this isn’t real?” You asked, watching the waves crash back onto the shore. The sound calmed your nerves just enough for your voice to stop wavering in fear.

“You are safe. Not even a fraction of a second has passed in your reality within our time here.” He stepped toward you slowly and placed a gentle hand on your shoulder. “As I said before, I am a greatly skilled ninja. I am one of very few that can use the Sharingan.”

You nodded and did everything you could to ground yourself - you found what little comfort there was to be had in Itachi’s hand on your shoulder.

“Can I go back now?” You asked.

You did your best to ignore Itachi for the next week. Every time you looked at him, you were reminded of the terror you experienced when he’d put you under his genjutsu; it shattered your worldview entirely, and you spent the majority of your time at home researching the ninja world. You discovered groundbreaking information that changed your perception of the world around you - mainly how you perceived your reality. You analyzed everything in your sight when you went out, desperately looking for signs of any ninja activity in your presence. The most terrifying thought of all was being caught in someone’s genjutsu without even realizing it, you decided.

You spent more time researching the Sharingan than anything. You learned all about its ability, or at least you absorbed all the information that was public knowledge on the internet. You were sure there were dozens of secrets hidden in the Uchiha clan that related to the infamous Sharingan, ones that would likely make you faint at the thought.

There was one article that struck a sick feeling into your stomach, though. You’d been scrolling on the fourth page of google at that point and you came across an article entitled ‘The Uchiha Clan’s Secret Suicide’. It told the story of Shisui Uchiha, a member of the clan with an impressive Mangekyō Sharingan, that had committed suicide many years ago. Reading the article filled you with an initial sadness and your thoughts wandered to how Itachi had dealt with it at the time, seeing as Shisui was a member of the same clan as your cafe regular. It wasn’t until you scrolled to the bottom of the article when you read something that stuck out.

‘While the official report determines suicide as the cause of death, Uchiha clan member Itachi Uchiha has been facing accusations in light of the discovery of his unknown whereabouts on the night of Shisui Uchiha’s death.’

Your stomach turned, and you opened a new tab. Upon googling Itachi’s name, two articles popped up.

‘Itachi of the Sharingan Charged with the Murder of Shisui Uchiha’

‘Itachi of the Sharingan: The Rogue Ninja’

The rest of your evening was dedicated to reading every single piece of information on Itachi, determined to figure out exactly what this man was doing in your cafe every day. After discovering his status as an officially rogue ninja, you were extremely suspicious of his presence. It was already incredibly risky for him to be anywhere near Konohagakure, let alone spending every waking moment in your cafe lobby reading a book.

When he appeared at your counter mere days after your discoveries, you shot him a suspicious glare.

“Are you here for tea or to destroy my worldview again?” You asked, uncertain of his motive. Itachi simply stared at you for a moment before shaking his head ‘no’.

“I am here to tell you exactly why I am here.”

Before you could even think about responding with a snarky comment, he continued.

“I’m sure you’re well aware of who I am now. You’ve spent every waking moment analyzing your outlook on life, ruminating on every interaction you’ve had with the world. Haven’t you?” It was phrased as a question, but you knew that he was not asking anything. You could only nod.

Itachi leaned toward the counter, hands pressed firmly into his pockets. You avoided his piercing gaze that was practically taunting you, begging you to look into his eyes.

“I fear that leaving you in the dark will bring more problems than it's worth, so I’ll elucidate, Y/N.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out an old wallet - it was surely well worn but clearly taken care of, the smallest pieces of flaking leather sealed carefully into the fabric. He pulled out a single photograph of a young boy wearing an Uchiha outfit.

“This is Sasuke,” he stated.

“Your brother,” you whispered as you took a closer look at the photo, taking in the sight. It had clearly been in Itachi’s wallet for quite some time, as the edge of the photo that had been sticking out was worn well into the contents of the photo and the corners had been torn. The portrait itself, however, remained in pristine condition. Sasuke could have been no older than 12 in the photo, judging from the large and youthful eyes on the boy. His delicate smile was adorable.

“I was correct, then. You’ve done your research.”

A flush rose to your cheeks, but you didn’t respond.

“I stay at this cafe every day because it’s within range of the Uchiha estate,” Itachi gestured toward the door, “I can sense Sasuke’s chakra all the way to the academy. To put simply, your store is the perfect location for me to keep an eye on my little brother at all times.”

Your hands instinctively moved to your chest as you expressed your fondness for the situation - it was adorable, after all, that Itachi cared so deeply for his brother. He risked everything for Sasuke; at any given moment, Itachi was at risk of being caught in Konoha. One wrong move and the ANBU would be throwing shuriken and kunai through your walls to hit the target on Itachi’s back.

“So you’re not here because you’re plotting some evil murdery plan, then,” you said as a wave of relief washed over you. You weren’t amazing at reading people, but from what you could tell, Itachi was being completely honest.

“I’m not here at all, even.”

Itachi disappeared from your view, and then you heard a voice behind you.

“I use a clone to keep track of Sasuke on most days.”

You jumped and let out a yelp as you twisted around, finding Itachi standing behind you with a fresh mug of steaming tea in his hands.

“Y-You didn’t pay for that!” You accused, but he simply nodded toward your register. On top of the computer was a five dollar bill laid neatly. You turned back to him.

“You ninja are so annoying,” you mumbled. Itachi’s lip twitched in amusement.

“I didn’t grow up around you shinobi people,” you explained, “I barely even knew what ninjutsu was until you showed up here. I couldn’t even tell you what chakra is.”

“Chakra is, essentially, the energy flowing through your body-”

“It was rhetorical, Itachi, I know what chakra is. Kinda.”

“Oh.”

You flashed an amused smile and turned back to the counter, still avoiding his gaze. “Anyway, I never knew about any of this crap and it’s freaking me out now. I read a lot of horrible things about shinobi, I don’t even know what to believe.”

Itachi returned to the opposite side of the counter and set his mug down gently, making sure to use his pinky as a rest to muffle the sound of the ceramic hitting the hard surface. Even during such simple moments, he was a well-mannered individual.

“The shinobi world is full of atrocity, yes, but it would be foolish to believe that it’s entirely horrific. The only reason you stand here before me, waking up in your bed and not in a grave, is because of the shinobi that protected this land for centuries.”

You glared at him in a clear act of embarrassment. He was far more intelligent than you, he made that clear from the moment he began speaking, but that didn’t make it any less humiliating any time he countered your words with a statement so coherent and scholarly that you were at a loss for words.

“You wouldn’t get it,” you sighed, exasperated, “you’ve never been in a normal family without all that ninja stuff. You don’t know what it’s like for us normal folks.”

He smiled at you, just barely enough for you to catch it. “You are correct,” he said, “I could never relate to your experience. That does not mean I do not sympathize with you.”

You let out a laugh and crossed your arms. You glanced over at the entrance of your cafe and noticed the lunch rush of people headed for the door in anticipation for your food, and you groaned. “I’ve got to get back to work,” you said lowly, turning your head back to Itachi, only to find nobody there. You looked toward the back of the cafe and found him sitting at the table with his mug of tea as if he’d never even left the seat.

You huffed. “Ugh. Ninjas.”

#itachi uchiha #itachi uchiha x reader #itachi uchiha one shot #itachi one shot #naruto #naruto one shot #naruto fanfiction #akatsuki #akatsuki x reader #y/n #reader insert #x reader #eyeles writing

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eyeles-writing · 2 years

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You Never Have to Forgive Me - I Will Always Love You.

⭐︎ Word Count: 5844 ⭐︎

⭐︎ Warnings: Canon-typical violence, hurt/comfort, angst ⭐︎

⭐︎ Description: Itachi drags you along with him for a trip to Konohagakure without telling you what’s going on. When he comes back, tears streaming down his face with a clear indication of pain, you know something’s gone wrong. ⭐︎

*a/n: i originally posted this on my main blog, but ive since created a new one and decided to repost it here. im still the real eyeles i promise!!

You and Itachi arrived in Konohagakure early in the morning - you were quick to disguise yourselves as simple tourists upon entering the gate, flashing a bright smile to the guarding ninja and telling stories of your wide travels across the Land of Fire. The ninja let you into the village with a kindhearted smile and a wish of success. You and Itachi quickly made your way to the nearest inn, where you promptly set down all of your items and made a plan for the day.

When Itachi asked you to accompany him on a mission to Konoha, you were hesitant to agree. In all the years you had known the man, he had never once expressed an interest in returning to Konoha. You were only vaguely aware of what had happened in the Leaf all those years ago, but you knew enough to know that Itachi was correct to stay far away. He’d never talked about it with you despite your status as his closest friend; Itachi was stuck with his walls up at all times and very rarely expressed any emotion. He was objective, honest, and emotionless - it’s what appealed to you the most, but it concerned you when he hid his emotions from you. You never knew when he was in a bad place, and that’s what confused you the most when he asked you out of the blue if you would join him on a mission to Konoha.

As soon as you had settled into the hotel, Itachi was heading out the door. He moved silently and didn’t even bother calling your name - the man had fully intended on leaving you in the hotel room and heading out to the streets on his own. Before you had even realized he’d left the room, he was already making his way down the pavement.

Itachi walked swiftly to his destination, using the distinct muscle memory that was ingrained into his mind years ago. He took a left turn, went straight for a while, turned again at the large flower pot, then circled around the fountains to reach his destination - it was the same route he took to the academy almost every single day of school when he was a child.

The dirt was still the same reddish brown that he remembers; it kicked up the exact same way as it used to and created the same dust clouds as Itachi walked. He was entranced by the ivy that had grown across the building he’d admired since he was a child - he’d stare at it every morning as he walked past it and always expressed how much he wanted to live there when he was older. At the age of 21, though, Itachi felt an unfortunate pain in his heart when he first saw that building now overgrown with ivy and grass. It looked abandoned, even.

The sound of a bell had taken Itachi out of his thoughts. He was standing at the corner right across from the Konohagakure academy and his eyes scanned the crowd of children that were now pouring out of the building. He recognized a few kids as members of clans based on their familiar outfits, but beyond that, Itachi felt saddened by the lack of recognition in his mind. Nothing in the village had changed, it seemed, yet Itachi felt as though he’d never been there before.

A kid with bright yellow hair dashed out of the crowd, an intelligible yell escaping his mouth. He appeared happy as he ran, and Itachi watched the two kids trail behind him. A girl with gorgeous pink hair followed the blonde boy with her arms crossed in clear disappointment. Behind her, trailing even slower, was a boy that Itachi had failed to recognize entirely. He looked angry at first, but it became easy to see that he was indifferent to what the boy was yelling about. Itachi furrowed his brow in confusion at the dark-haired boy before it had finally clicked.

The child, who must have been no older than 12, was Itachi’s younger brother - and Itachi was unable to recognize him.

There was nothing about Sasuke that was different or unusual for an Uchiha member; he wore the same white shorts and blue shirt that even Itachi wore as a kid. The familiar Uchiha crest was sewn into the back of the shirt, even. It had simply been too many years since Itachi had last seen his younger brother, and the memory of Sasuke’s face and mannerisms had slowly faded. Every time Itachi failed to recall a memory of his brother, he felt the same aching pain in his heart. Yet, he stayed away.

Sasuke had not noticed Itachi, thankfully, because Itachi had taken a few steps forward in a risky attempt to get a better view of him and almost drew attention to himself. In a moment of desperation, Itachi had activated his Sharingan to solidify the memory in his mind. He had forgotten everything else about Sasuke - he was not going to forget him again, he was determined. Unfortunately, the glow of the Sharingan was far too eye-catching.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke Uchiha could have sworn that he saw the familiar red glow of the Sharingan eyes. He’d seen a tall figure in the shadow of a building across the street as he slowly trailed after Naruto and dreaded the next two hours of training. The figure was out of his mind almost as soon as he’d looked away, but the familiar glowing red he saw out of the corner of his eye was enough for his heart to drop to his stomach. He turned his head instantly to get a better view, but the figure had disappeared entirely by the time he realized what he was looking at. Sasuke muttered to himself and returned his attention back to his teammates, who were now significantly ahead of him. The thought of his older brother lingered in the back of his mind.

When Itachi returned to the hotel room, you were about to release a wave of anguish on him. You had a speech written and rehearsed for the man - it was a powerful proclamation of how you will never be disrespected like this again, how it was extremely inappropriate and immature of Itachi to invite you here and then immediately abandon you. Before you could even open your mouth, though, you stopped in your tracks once you realized Itachi was standing in front of you with tears silently streaming down his face.

“I didn’t recognize him,” he said at a whisper, voice clearly shaking.

“Who?” you asked as you walked toward Itachi, arms held out to him.

“Sasuke.”

Your expression softened instantly upon hearing that name - though you never knew much about the relationship Itachi had with Sasuke, you knew that they were family. Despite everything that happened in the Uchiha clan, it was understood that Itachi cared for Sasuke far more than you’d ever know. When Itachi spoke those words, it stirred a wave of emotion inside of you that could not stop you from pulling him into a hug.

Itachi collapsed into you and sniffled as he attempted to take a deep breath and prevent his tears from falling. It failed, though, when a sob came out of his chest unintentionally. His crying became borderline uncontrollable as he fell into your shoulder. Your arms wrapped around his body as you pulled him closer; gently, you tried to reassure him.

“You’re okay,” you whispered, doing your best to fight back your own tears, “you’re okay.”

Itachi tried to speak, but another cry came out by accident. You shushed him and pressed your hand to his back and began rubbing circles on him in an attempt to soothe him. After another minute of his cries, you carefully led him across the room to sit on the bed. He followed without any issue and sat down next to you, but didn’t dare show his face to you. When he pushed himself away from your shoulder moments later, you looked away from his face. Itachi was a man who was obsessed with his image - he’s eternally poised and always holds himself to the highest degree of decorum; being seen in a state like this is something that he’d be embarrassed of for the rest of his life, so you consciously did your best to avert your gaze.

“I thought that seeing Sasuke after all this time would reassure me, but it’s done the opposite,” his voice faltered as he sat up, still clearly distraught. “I could tell, even in that short moment, that… That I destroyed all potential for him to succeed.” He lowered his head and rested it on his palms, pressing one to his eye in an attempt to clear the oncoming headache after his tears had slowed down.

“You cannot predict the future,” you said, wrapping your arm around his shoulder, “you have no idea what Sasuke will do. I’m sure he’s amazing.”

“He would have surpassed me by now if I hadn’t done what I did,” Itachi whispered, “I destroyed his potential. I created his pain and I solidified his life of grief and isolation.”

“You were a kid,” you hugged him tighter, “you had no choice.”

Itachi shook his head. “What I did was beyond horrible.”

“Yes,” you agreed, “but that does not mean that you are horrible.”

Itachi crumbled once more, leaning further into your touch.

The tears continued falling silently until the sun had began to set. The sky had turned a gorgeous pink color and reflected beautifully on the lake in front of the inn - when you realized how late it had become, you peeled away from your sleeping partner to get dinner for the both of you. He had eventually cried himself to sleep, you assumed, and was now resting. You wrote a note for him just in case he woke up during the time you were gone. You threw on a jacket and went to the front desk to ask where the best takeout food was.

You kicked the red dirt as you walked, slowly chasing the same pebble that you’d accidentally brushed forward. It became a game to you, to see just how far you could take that single pebble. It made it only a few more kicks before you’d underestimated your strength and sent it flying off your charted path. You turned your attention toward your surroundings and found yourself peoplewatching as you walked.

There was a kid, maybe 13 at most, who was being screamed at by a girl of roughly the same age with the highest ponytail you’d ever seen. What she was saying was mostly incomprehensible to you, but it was clear that the boy did not seem to care. In fact, there was another boy right next to him feasting on a bag of chips while watching the entire ordeal.

After you’d turned the corner, your destination came into view. There was a group of kids across the street with a few ninja watching over them, the adults having their own conversations while the kids were busy trying to show off the different jutsu they’d allegedly mastered. A boy with an adorably small dog was boasting about his seemingly excellent kunai-throwing accuracy while a different boy in an alarmingly green outfit was proclaiming his dedication to being a ninja. Seeing the kids just be kids sparked a warmth in your heart, a tender feeling that everything just might be fine.

You entered the ramen shop with intentions to get a light dinner. However, when you sat down and looked at the row of people next to you, it was obvious that the proportions in this restaurant were huge. You ordered your food and stared at the posters while you waited. You’d also decided to passively eavesdrop on the group next to you.

“You’re being a total loser,” an unfamiliar voice said. From what you could tell, there were three kids and a ninja - you could only assume that they were a team.

“What?” another one playfully groaned, “I just wanna see whose quicker at eating a bowl of ramen!” The boy smacked his chopsticks on the table, signaling to the chef to make another bowl.

“Did you ask me if I’d buy you enough ramen for that, Naruto?” The ninja at the opposite end of the table asked, not even bothering to look up from the book he was reading, which had a large “18+” sticker on the back of it. It made you cringe just a little to see a man reading that in public.

The blonde boy, who you assumed was Naruto, smiled sheepishly and shook his head. “What’s a little more ramen, huh?” he asked. He then turned to the boy he was taunting previously. “What, Sasuke, you scared?”

Instantly, your head turned to the boy. The lighting in the shop wasn’t amazing, so you couldn’t exactly see his face, but you could tell just by looking at him that he was an Uchiha; the crest on the back of his shirt gave it away completely, but even just looking at his face was enough. The resemblance to Itachi was undoubtful. This was Sasuke Uchiha, and you were somehow lucky enough to run into him.

“Would you QUIT IT?!” A hand smacked Naruto’s face quickly, causing him to scream in pain. “Sakura!” Naruto whined, putting his head down on the table. Sakura huffed and returned to her ramen while Sasuke smirked in satisfaction.

Your own bowl of ramen was placed in front of you and you began to eat. You quickly discovered it was far too hot, though, so you needed to pass the time until it cooled off.

“Excuse me,” you smiled at the group next to you, “but I’m a tourist from the Land of Water and I was hoping you’d be able to tell me about Konohagakure. You’re ninja, correct?”

You didn’t intend on spending the next hour talking to the group, but you did - The team’s leader had introduced himself as Kakashi Hatake, who you’d most certainly heard of because of his use of the Sharingan eye. Though you were a more peaceful participant of the Akatsuki group, you were still knowledgeable on the organization’s biggest enemies. Kakashi was certainly one of them, mostly because of his amazing abilities as a ninja.

Naruto Uzumaki was the one to do most of the talking. It was very easy to see that he was someone who was constantly bouncing off the walls with excitement over the prospect of being a ninja. You’d learned all about his academy life within just a few minutes and, with one of the cutest smiles you’d ever seen, told you that he’d invite you personally to be in the front row of his inauguration as the next Hokage. With how dedicated he seemed, a part of you truly believed in his ability.

Sakura Haruno was next to tell you about both herself and Konoha, though she mostly told you about the different herbalist and medicinal specialists throughout the village. She told you that she wanted to become a medical ninja and wanted to do everything she could to help those in need - seeing such a bright and kind young girl filled your heart with a warmth like no other and in that moment, you felt a true hope for the future world.

“What about you?” You’d asked, turning to Sasuke Uchiha. You only started the conversation with Team Seven simply to talk to Sasuke, and yet he was the one who spoke the least. He appeared to have no interest in talking to you, though, as he only answered with a short sentence.

“I’m going to be the best ninja in the world,” he said sternly. He’d been picking slowly at his ramen that was nearing empty and when he spoke, he stabbed the noodles with precision.

“You’ve got to be pretty amazing to do that, y’know. Would you say you’re pretty good?” You inquired.

“Sasuke’s the top of his class!” Sakura chimed in, leaning over the table to look at him. She grinned at Sasuke, who appeared entirely indifferent to her presence, and she giggled.

“Really?” You smiled. Sakura nodded enthusiastically. “He’s the best! He’s totally mastered his Fireball Jutsu and he’s even mastered the Chidori!”

Though you had no idea what the Chidori was, you could sense that it was an impressive move when Kakashi nodded in confirmation. Sasuke didn’t respond to you nor Sakura’s compliments - instead, he continued picking at his food.

“Well, I’m sure you’ve got tons of people that are proud of you,” you smiled at him. In a low voice, you continued. “I know your family is proud of you, at least.”

Sasuke noticeably tensed up. “You know nothing of my family.”

You shook your head. “Not much, no, but you’re clearly a talented boy. It’s hard to miss that.”

An hour later, you returned to your hotel room with a box of ramen for Itachi. He remained laying in the same spot you’d left him, though this time he was wide awake. At first, you thought he was maybe dead because of his stillness - instead, though, he was staring at the ceiling simply because he didn’t want to get up.

“I brought you food,” you said.

He sat up slowly and pushed the hair out of his face. Itachi took the bag from you and began eating what you brought him. He didn’t say thank you, but you could see his appreciation despite the silence and averted gaze. He’d voice his thoughts many days later once the two of you returned home, but you knew it before then anyway.

“I… I saw Sasuke,” you said after a few minutes. His hand went still, pausing in the middle of lifting some noodles out of the bowl with chopsticks. He looked up at you and met your eyes for the first time that night. He looked exhausted, and it filled you with a feeling of sorrow just at the sight of his tired eyes.

“He’s amazing, Itachi,” you whispered with a smile, “he’s such a bright young boy. I talked to him and his teammates.”

Itachi nodded before returning to his food.

He cleared his throat. “Could you tell me about him?” He asked just above a whisper, voice wavering. You nodded.

“I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up,” you laughed, “and he said he wanted to be the best ninja ever. It was adorable.”

Itachi’s lip twitched at your remark, which was usually an indication of a smile for him.

“His teammate said that he mastered both the Fireball Jutsu and the Chidori.”

“The Chidori?” Itachi inquired, eyebrows furrowing, “that’s a high-level jutsu.”

You smiled and nodded. “His teacher is none other than Kakashi Hatake, Itachi. He’s the best in his class, I’m told. He’s an amazing kid.”

Itachi smiled this time. “I always knew he’d be an amazing ninja,” he whispered, “but mastering the Chidori at his age is unheard of.”

You sat down on the bed next to Itachi, leaning your shoulder against his. “He’s got some pretty awesome teammates too,” you grinned, “there’s this kid Naruto. They’re like, best friends and enemies at the same time. Couldn’t stop bickering with each other, it was adorable. He says he’s going to be Hokage some day, and I think I believe him.”

Itachi hummed in response. You continued. “Kakashi also has the Sharingan, too, which means Sasuke has someone to teach him at least a little bit, you know.”

Itachi shrugged. “He can only teach Sasuke so much.”

You nodded. “I’m sure Sasuke’s already passed him in the Sharingan by now.”

The rest of the night was spent retelling every single moment of your dinner with Sasuke. You made sure to leave out nothing - you went as far as telling Itachi exactly what his brother had ordered at the ramen shop, even. Itachi deserved to know every single second of what happened, no matter how small. When you’d finished telling him and the two of you had gone silent, you turned off the light in the room and crawled into the bed next to Itachi.

“During the mission briefing,” Itachi whispered, “I was told to eliminate everyone.”

It went without saying what mission Itachi was referring to. You reached out for his hand in the dark.

“I couldn’t hurt Sasuke,” he said, and you could tell he was crying once more. “I knew I couldn’t, so I planned to tell him the most vile things to make him hate me.” You furrowed your brow, but didn’t speak up. He continued. “Just to give him a reason to live after everything that I’d done.”

Itachi was shaking now, and you couldn’t tell if it was because of his crying or if he was having another panic attack. You squeezed his hand in reassurance.

“I couldn’t say anything to him,” Itachi whispered. “It pains me to say that I have no memory of the last conversation I had with my brother.”

“You should talk to him,” you whispered to him. Itachi stayed silent. At one point, you thought he had fallen asleep.

“I’d like that,” he responded. “I would like that.”

A whole fourteen hours later, you and Itachi found yourselves outside the academy. He wanted to talk to Sasuke but expressed to you that he was unsure where to start. Even though Itachi had a delicate and practiced mask of indifference on at all hours of the day, it was obvious that he was incredibly nervous at the prospect of meeting his younger brother. Itachi’s mask was cracking and falling off, though, as his nerves increasingly got the better of him. His hands were twitching and fidgety as you walked together through the streets and he completely ignored everything you had to say, almost as if he was lost in thought entirely. It was normal for Itachi to ignore you, but never this much - if he truly didn’t want to listen to you, he’d have gotten far away by now.

“Itachi,” you whispered, gently elbowing the man, “look.”

From where the two of you stood in the shadows of a nearby building, it was difficult to see the oncoming flood of children that were released from school at the precise time of 2o’clock. However, the striking appearance of Naruto in the crowd was enough to draw your attention. His bright yellow hair and rowdy attitude drew your eyes in, which lead you to the Sasuke and Sakura that were trailing behind him with annoyed faces.

You looked to Itachi, who appeared as indifferent as ever, and did your best to scan his face for any indication of what he was thinking. He seemed completely frozen.

“They have training after school most days,” you whispered to him, recalling your memory of the shared dinner and remembering how Naruto told you all about how hard he trains.

His bright smile was contagious. “I train pretty much every day, you know!” He beamed at you, “every single day after school!” Naruto giggled. “Well, except Mondays and Wednesdays…”

“It might be best for us to wait until after training.” Itachi nodded at your comment, but didn’t respond. You watched Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto walk down the path until they had become specks along the horizon. Then, the two of you were on your way.

“Wait,” Itachi grabbed your shoulder as you turned to walk back to the hotel. You stopped in your tracks and turned to him with a look of bewilderment.

“I want to watch them train,” he proposed, “to see if I… truly did destroy his chances.”

Together, you walked to the training grounds where Sasuke and his teammates had gone to. The walk was quiet but comfortable, though Itachi’s nerves were still present. You tried to reassure him during your walk, but it proved to be useless once it was clear that Itachi was not looking for your advice.

“There is nothing you can say that will subdue my unease,” Itachi muttered, “it’s best to leave it alone right now.”

When you finally arrived at the training grounds, Sasuke and his teammates were sitting in the grass together.

“Maaaaan!” Naruto groaned, leaning back into the grass, “Kakashi-sensei is so lame, making us wait here all day for him!”

“You’re lame, loser,” Sasuke mumbled, using a stick to mindlessly drag along the grass in boredom. Naruto huffed in response at the childish insult, but didn’t respond.

The three chattered about school for almost twenty minutes until their sensei had finally arrived to the training grounds.

“Sorry guys, a black cat crossed my path-”

“So you had to go the long way,” the three children chimed in, a sure sign that Kakasshi’s excuse was long worn out. He smiled sheepishly and shoved his book into a pocket, making sure to bookmark the page first. Despite the long wait, Sakura had a soft smile on her face and Naruto was giggling at the absurdity.

“Now then, should we get started?” Kakashi asked, which made all three students rise to their feet and await instruction.

The training session was focused on building team trust - the copy ninja had his students working together to achieve a goal, however the major handicap was Naruto needing to listen to his teammates and Sasuke needing to cooperate with Naruto. There was plenty of fighting, but they eventually reached their goal. Sasuke got to practice a few of his jutsu during the training session as well, which caused Itachi to let out a chuckle of satisfaction at the sight of his younger brother being a talented ninja.

“He’s acquired quite the set of skills,” Itachi commented under his breath, “it’s impressive.”

You smiled. “I told you,” you said, “he’s a gifted kid.” Itachi, for what seemed like the first time in his life, smiled. It was small and soft, but it was definitely there - his lip curled upward and twitched a little at the unfamiliarity of the muscle being used, but it was certainly recognizable as a smile. It filled you with a feeling of felicity.

When training was finally over, you and Itachi trailed Sasuke back to where he was living. Upon first glance, you thought Sasuke had been living in the Uchiha property alone all this time. He entered through the main gates, but instantly turned right and walked down a small path that lead to a small shed in the back of the property. As you slowly trailed the boy, you peered into the windows of the buildings surrounding and found that they were either boarded up or riddled with crime-scene tape. As you walked past a window, you were met with what appeared to be a black reflection. However, you quickly recognized it instead as a swarm of flies covering the panes. You shuddered and directed your attention elsewhere.

Itachi was noticeably tense, presumably reliving that one night all over again, and he remained completely silent as the two of you walked. Sasuke was just barely in the distance, but he was close enough to just barely be seen. The growing darkness assisted in hiding your figures from Sasuke, so you grew less concerned with staying hidden.

Once Sasuke had disappeared inside his shed, you and Itachi stepped behind a building to quietly discuss the plan you had come up with that morning.

“Okay,” you smiled at him reassuringly, “you’re just going to go up there, knock on the door, and talk to him.”

Itachi nodded, remaining quiet.

“And if he gets violent or starts acting like he’s going to do something irrational, you get out of there immediately, right?” You nudged him to make sure he was paying attention.

“Yes,” Itachi spoke, suddenly aware of how dry his mouth was.

You watched the man walk across the gravel and knock gently on the door before taking a step back. Almost thirty seconds later, the door opened and you watched the look of pure confusion on Sasuke’s face change into horror the moment Itachi opened his mouth.

“It’s you,” Sasuke spat, “I hoped that you’d be dead by now.”

Itachi was about to speak, but Sasuke was quick to cut him off.

“Nevermind that, I’ll be the one to do it then!” Sasuke yelled, dashing toward Itachi with a spark of lightning in his palm. Itachi was far too quick, though, and easily dodged the attack - Sasuke went flying past him and almost into the garden wall.

“I came here to talk,” Itachi said, watching Sasuke stumble back to his feet. “I do not wish to fight you.”

“Really?!” Sasuke spat, “you told me you only let me live so I could be the one to kill you!” He shifted positions and pulled out a kunai. “You held me at knifepoint, Itachi, and said I was too pathetic to kill!”

He dashed toward your partner again, and Itachi reached a hand out to stop Sasuke. The force of his brothers actions were enough to send Sasuke flying into Itachi’s body before he quickly jumped back.

“You’re the pathetic one, Itachi,” he raged, “you’re too much of a coward to even fight me!”

Itachi nodded. “You’re right, Sasuke.”

His breath caught in his throat upon hearing the words, but his position did not falter. “Are you really that craven?” he taunted, beckoning Itachi forward with the kunai.

“I wanted to apologize,” Itachi stated. Sasuke scoffed.

“For killing our clan?” Sasuke tightened his grip on the blade. “You’re long past forgiveness for that, brother.”

“No,” Itachi stepped forward, “for accepting the mission.”

Sasuke’s brow furrowed. “What the hell do you mean?” he asked. He held his grip.

“Our clan was planning a coup,” Itachi explained, “and intended to overthrow the Hokage. I was given direct orders to eliminate all the participants.”

Sasuke scoffed. “However,” he muttered, “I could not bring myself to eliminate you.”

“I was too pathetic to kill, right?” Sasuke narrowed his eyes. “I was too pitiful. Say it, Itachi!”

Sasuke took a few steps toward Itachi and pressed the blade to his older brother’s neck, indenting the skin just enough for it to be truly threatening. He locked eyes with his opponent. “I want to hear you say it.”

“You were too precious, Sasuke,” Itachi said, which caused Sasuke to stumble backward in surprise. “I loved you too much to hurt you, and every day I regret what I did.”

Sasuke shook his head. From where you were standing and watching everything going down, it seemed as though tears were beginning to form in his eyes. You found yourself thinking about all the years Sasuke spent alone because of Itachi, and your empathy only grew stronger for the boy.

“You told me I was pathetic,” Sasuke said, perplexed. His brother nodded slowly.

“I had to give you a reason to live after what I had done.”

Sasuke shook his head again, refusing to believe his brother. “I have spent my whole life waiting for the day that I could kill you,” he spat, “and you’re here telling me it was all for nothing?!”

“I’d be honored if you were the one to kill me,” Itachi whispered.

“Every day, my dear brother, I regret what I did. There is not a moment that goes by where I am not in an unwavering state of lament because of my actions. I left you alive because I could not bring myself to hurt you. I love you more than anything, Sasuke, and it’s the reason that I stand before you today.”

Sasuke growled, seemingly unaffected by the words Itachi just spoke. “You’re a monster,” he hissed, “you deserve to spend every second of your life in despair for what you did!”

A kunai was thrown swiftly from Sasuke, which struck the door where Itachi was standing. With a quick lean to the left, the kunai went right past him and into the wooden frame. Sasuke let out a groan of frustration.

“I hate you,” he condemned, “and I want nothing to do with you!”

“I do not need you to love me, dear Sasuke,” Itachi expressed, “I just need you to know the truth.”

Itachi revealed a scroll beneath his cloak. It was something that you’d never seen before, which caused you to wonder exactly how long Itachi had been planning this trip to see Sasuke. He set the scroll on the ground and rolled it across the pavement.

“This scroll contains the mission briefings and all the paperwork associated with it. You will see Danzo’s signature on every single one of those papers, along with exactly what I was ordered to do.”

Sasuke peered down at the scroll and, after a moment of consideration, picked it up. His hands traced the words written on the seal. Itachi produced another scroll, smaller this time.

“This scroll is a communication scroll.” Itachi rolled it across the ground. “This one is connected to another I have in my possession. Whatever you write on the scroll will appear on mine, and the same for my writing.”

Sasuke picked up the second scroll and opened it and found a large sheet of what appeared to be simple parchment. A seal was drawn across the top.

“I left you for so long because I believed you were not strong enough to understand the information contained in that scroll,” Itachi stated. “However, a dear friend of mine told me all about your talent. I’ve been told that you’re the best in your class and that you’ve mastered some impressive jutsu already, Sasuke.”

A shade of pink rose to Sasuke’s face. “So what?” He huffed.

“I am proud of you,” Itachi smiled. “You’ve turned into a fine young man, and I couldn’t be any more delighted to hear how amazing you’ve become.”

Itachi’s eyes glanced over to you, and he gave you a look before quickly signing a few hand formations and disappearing into a cloud of smoke.

“I truly wish to be your brother again, Sasuke,” Itachi had said just a second before disappearing, and Sasuke’s face formed a look of sorrow. A single tear had slid down his face after his brother had disappeared, and you waited until he went inside to move.

When you returned to the hotel, you found Itachi sitting on the bed and peering outside the window. You greeted him quietly, and he nodded his head at you in response.

“That went as well as it could have,” you stated. He nodded.

“I believe that, in due time, Sasuke will open that scroll and finally understand.”

You smiled at Itachi and sat down next to him, leaning your own head on his shoulder. “I think Sasuke is lucky to have you as a brother, minus the killing your family part.”

Itachi actually chuckled lightly at your remark despite the untoward joke.

“I can only hope that a day will come where Sasuke himself could think that, Y/N.”

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