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akatsukinojutsu · 3 years

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𝐿𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝒮𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒯𝒽𝓇𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽 𝐹𝒾𝓃𝑔𝑒𝓇𝓈 - Uchiha Itachi

Your great, great grandfather Tobirama Senju never trusted the Uchiha and that trait was passed down to your grandfather. Your grandfather passed that to your father and he would be damned if you would be acquainted with one.

Just so happens that you fell in love with one, Uchiha Itachi. Although the two of you share a strong relationship but you sense him pulling away. One night sealed his fate and reputation -- you followed him there and you still do, even as Itachi has evolved to an Akatsuki member. [sorry it’s so long! originally posted on my ao3]

"You know you're my special girl, right?" your father was knelt down to meet your level and smiled as he rubbed the top of your head. "I entrust the future of the Senju name to you." he stood back up and looked down as his demeanor took on a more serious tone. He raised a finger and placed it on the tip of your nose, "No matter what you do, beware of the Uchiha, [Y/N]." Your father was the son of your grandfather, who was the son of Senju Tobirama and you were the last of the direct Tobirama bloodline. This caused your father to feel the weight of leaving the legacy of the Senju clan to you.

He raised you on his own as your mother passed away in childbirth, an emotional burden that the two of you carried. Your father kept you under his watch constantly as he did not trust the outside world and did not want you to be tainted. Your clan was known as being the "clan of a thousand skills". The wrong people could see a naïve child as being the best possible opportunity to use this power for evil. So, that is why your father kept you by his side at all times. This meant that you were not allowed to train as a shinobi like the other children of Konohagakure; he left that training up to himself. Who else to train a Senju than a Senju?

That also meant that he passed down the distrust of the rival Uchiha clan. Great grandfather Tobirama taught Uchiha mistrust to his son, who taught it to his, who then tried to teach it to you. You were headstrong however and did not believe that all Uchiha could be cunning and untrustworthy. No matter how much you argued with your father, it never got anywhere; so you learned to keep quiet on the subject. Unbeknownst to him, just the same as his great-uncle had befriended an Uchiha, you had as well.

His name was Uchiha Itachi and you met him long while exploring the village late at night. Since a young age, you often found yourself sneaking out of your house late at night to get away from your father's overbearing nature. It was a way that you could rebel against him but not hurt him in any serious way. Tonight was one of those nights that you snuck out... You walked into the woods on the outskirts of the village and ran up the tallest tree that you could find. But this time you knew that you weren't alone. Your forefinger looped through the hole at the top of the kunai in your waistband, throwing it into the trunk of the tree off to your right.

"Come out!" you yelled. But there was silence. You flashed a series of hand seals and summoned a stream of high-pressured water to spray from your mouth, "Water Release: Water Severing Wave!" -- and cut several treetops down in your path. Still no one appeared. Just as you were ready to jump to the next tree branch, a person dressed in an ANBU uniform and mask pounced from below and tackled you from the current branch. As the two of you tumbled to the forest's floor, you wrestled with the person to get the dominate position, however, they were too fast for you. With a thud you landed on a branch several yards below, the wind knocked out of you.

The person quickly regained the upper ground and lunged toward you; your foot was able to make a quick kick into their stomach which sent them flying into the adjacent to your current position. They arched their back and jumped to a standing position. With a sword in hand and with a lightening fast summoning technique, a flurry of crows flew at you. The bird swarmed you quickly, you waved your arms and hands wildly to try and shoo them away. This left you vulnerable for an attack, the ANBU opponent jumped into the air with their sword at the ready.

The Senju blood that flowed through your veins allowed your speed on your feet to be impeccable and you were able to dodge their attack as well as roll away from the flock of crows. The ninjutsu of crows had concluded which then the assailant began to barrage you with a flurry of kenjutsu attacks with their sword. Armed with only a kunai, you fended off their blows to the best of your abilities. Each slash of their sword pushed your strength to its near limits, your knees slowly bent as you started to fall into submission. With one last slash, the assailant brought you to your knees. With both hands on the hilt of the kunai and it being held above your head, you viciously held back their strength the best that you could.

The sword dug into your arm slightly, blood pooled from the slit in your skin. "Do you give up?" they asked. You considered giving up. But with one last ninjutsu attempt, you used your great grandfather's Heavenly Weeping jutsu. A water type ninjutsu that formed water into senbon shaped projectiles and shot from your mouth to stagger enemies. You dropped the kunai and the sword dug further into your arm. You strained to form the seals for the technique; however, you were successful in spitting several senbon into the person's thigh to get them to drop their guard; they recoiled in pain and released the sword.

This gave you the opportunity to jump backward with the kunai in hand and at the ready. "I'd say this is a draw." you dropped your stance and dropped to the ground with a huff. The opponent removed their mask and revealed the familiar face of the Uchiha boy, Itachi.

"I could've won, y'know?" you spoke first. Itachi winced at the pain but hummed in amusement at your statement, "Sure." He pulled out the senbon from his thigh, then stepped toward you to put out his hand to pick you up but you pushed it away. "I'll win. Sometime." Itachi hummed again. "I did once!" you sassed. "That's because I let you, [Y/N]." Your eyes narrowed in annoyance at the black haired teenager. He was two years younger than you but has excelled in his shinobi career far past yourself. Your father keeping you away from much of the village did not aid you in your advancement -- he wouldn't let you be free until you were 18 and that was just a possibility... "Whatever..." you growled as you placed your hands behind your head and walked toward the village.

"I miss seeing you outside of just sparring, Itachi." He nodded. It was not often that the two of you spent time together. It had to usually be outside of the village, in his home, or at night because you feared your father's reaction. "I've been busy," he said bluntly. "Busy? Busy doing what?" He looked over to you before turning his head away, "It's not important. Just stuff to do with the village." His response was short which usually meant he didn't want to talk about it. Your lips pressed together as you processed his response.

You knew that the leaders of the village wanted him to keep an eye on his clan and vice versa. But that is all that he would tell you. He was only 13 and had the weight of an adult on his shoulders. You admired him for his maturity and his skills. Not to mention, he was super cute. Itachi stopped a few yards from the entrance to the village. A cool breeze of wind blew and the night was now silent, no sounds of the wildlife anywhere. Itachi stared at you in silence, his thoughts were unknown to you. But he just stared. You shivered at the breeze, your hands rubbed your arms.

To your surprise, Itachi pulled you close and embraced you. He smelled of sweat and his skin was warm. Your face was pressed firmly into his chest by his right palm and you could hear his steady, loud heartbeat. His thumb caressed your hair and he rested his nose on the top of your head. He didn't say anything, so you didn't either. The two of you just stood in silence, the wind being the only sound. "I-," you tried speaking but he hushed you as he just wanted to be quiet. He let go of the back of your head but his hand moved to your chin. He placed two fingers under it and tilted your face back. You knew what was going to happen but you were so nervous that you didn't know how to react. Itachi placed a kiss on your lips. They were cool from the wind and it caused your skin on your face to tingle. It was a long kiss, both of your lips pressed against each other's for quite sometime. Before the kiss could move anywhere else, he pulled away.

"Goodnight, [Y/N]." he jumped to the top of the gates to the village and off into the darkness. It was as if you were featherlight and on cloud nine because the entire walk home felt like you were floating. You had the biggest crush on Itachi. Not only was he your first friend but he was the first person to see you as a normal kid, he didn't expect you to carry out the Hokage-Titled bloodline. So, it was only natural to develop feelings for someone like him. You admired his pacifist nature and the fact that he cared very much for those he admired. Despite sparring with you for fun, he tried to avoid fighting.

Versus your headstrong attitude that you inherited; it was like the two of you canceled each other out. Itachi's tendency to live on the outside and watching people from there really related to you. The way your father raised you caused you to develop a similar personality trait, however, you wish to be apart of more people's lives. You often listened to girls coo on how dreamy the Uchiha was and had to withhold your comments. It wasn't easy having to keep your friendship a hushed deal. But you decided it would end tonight. You were done with your father's ideals and his actions. You no longer wanted to be kept away like some sort of item only used for special occasions.

"I'm going to tell father about Itachi," you said to yourself. His kiss sealed the deal. You pushed yourself through the window of your bedroom to see your father sitting on your bed to your surprise. When you jumped from the window and landed, you bowed. "Father, I-," he raised his hand to interrupt you. "I know about the Uchiha boy, Sarutobi told me." The Third Hokage? Seriously? You damned the old man as you clenched your fist and teeth. "That's what I was going to talk about you tonight," you stomped your foot, "I'm done listening to you, father. I love Uchiha Itachi!" your face flushed red as you confessed your love. You awaited your father's reaction... But his face was absent of any... He pressed his lips tightly into a line and stood up from the bed.

"Is that so? Hmph, I should've guessed this would happen." He turned away from you and took a step toward the door, "I forbid you to see him any longer," he then left and closed the door behind him. With a flurry of hand seals, he pressed his palm against the door. "Sealing jutsu!" You heard him and rushed toward the door. No matter how hard you yanked and jiggled the doorknob, it wouldn't budge. "Shit!" you screamed as you wildly tugged wildly to try and open the door. There was no way you could undo his seal... he was far more powerful than you. With your back to the door, you slid down to the floor in a fit of tears.

You loudly cursed your father you wished for the unspeakable, 'I wish he'd just die already! I'm sick of this.' After shedding several tears, you decided to do something about it. Focusing your chakra, you remembered reading about how to break a seal. It might not work but it was worth a try. Your father sealed the entire room, windows and all; your target was the windows, least you could sneak out like usual. As you approached the rectangular sliding windows, you focused your chakra and placed your palm on the glass.

"Release!" and with a small tug, you quietly pulled the window to the right and it opened up. That was easier than you expected but it did take a bit of chakra. You pushed yourself out the window and took off into a sprint toward Itachi's home. Your father had a bad feeling and rushed to your room. He released his seal on the door and pushed it open, a gasp left his mouth. He gripped the knob tightly and when he released it, the metal had been crushed and warped from his strength.

"That damned girl!!" he yelled as he stomped to go and confront his daughter and the Uchiha. His blood boiled and he cursed the rival clan and his grandfather... if he would've just killed that damned Madara, his daughter wouldn't be running off with one of them right now... Just as he attempted to leave, a sudden pain in his chest stopped him in his tracks. He grabbed the left of his chest with his right hand and winced in pain.

"My...medicine...Tsunade..." he croaked as he staggered toward the kitchen to retrieve the medication given to him by his second cousin. However, he dropped to the floor. Dead. He had a previous condition and the stress from his only daughter going off with Itachi agitated the issue and ultimately killed him. The last of the Tobirama Senju bloodline now is you. You quickly made your way to Itachi. Your mind and heart raced with excitement and panic; you were ready to confess your love to the skilled shinobi but you were petrified of what your father will do. You were somewhat familiar with the section of town where the Uchiha resided but anytime you entered, you often got looks from the clan members...looks and whispers as to why you were there...

Despite how hard it was, you did your best to ignore them. At this time of night, the lights in their homes would glow warmly and feel inviting. But this time -- it was dark and silent. You halted as you entered the area and a chill shivered down your spine. It was so...quiet. Something was wrong. As you slowly made your way down the roads, you couldn't help but feel as if someone was keeping an eye on your from the shadows. You stopped several times to look around but nothing seemed to catch your attention. So, you continued on your way to Itachi's home but kept your guard up. You weren't just some schmuck of a kunoichi, whoever it was would have to put up with a fight if they were going to attack you. But there was several things laying on the ground up ahead. You were confused as the distance made it difficult to make out...people? You sprinted toward the bodies on the ground to try and aid them.

"They're...dead?!" you shrieked. There were large, gaping slash wounds in their bodies and the blood was fresh. "I-I," you stuttered as you now sprinted to find Itachi. You called out his name in panic, hoping, praying he was not dead. As you passed the empty homes of the clan, you could see the damage done to the building and splatters of blood in the street. You could hear the rush of footsteps running toward you and just before you could leap into the air, chains wrapped around your body and pulled you to the ground with a thud. You thrashed on the ground as you tried to break free and spouted insults at the thug who caught you.

They delivered a swift kick to your abdomen which made you cough loudly, "You talk too much," the stranger crouched down and you were able to get a good look. Their voice indicated that they were male but their identity was hidden behind an orange mask with black flame markings, his hair was long, black and spikey -- his outfit was one of dark colors of blue and black. "I-Itachi?" you stuttered out but they only replied with a chuckle. The man unsheathed his katana and raised it, you clenched your eyes shut as you were rendered practically useless as much of your chakra went to releasing your father's seal. Just as the man was ready to strike you, a hand grabbed hold of his wrist.

"No," you knew that voice. Your eyes opened and you wiggled wildly as you were shocked to see Itachi standing before you. "I-Itachi!" you exclaimed. He had splatters of blood on his outfit and his katana was in the grasp of his opposite hand to the one that was holding onto the masked assailant. His eyes were red with his sharingan and you put the pieces together rather quickly. "You, you did this?" your voice shook. Itachi released his hold on the man's wrist and returned his katana to its holder. The masked man released you from the chains and Itachi helped bring you to a stand.

"I don't understand..." you continued to iterate your concerns. But the masked man interrupted, "Itachi, she is a loose end," but Itachi turned his head and stared the man down, you could feel the stillness in the air as the tension rose between the two. "She goes free." The man did not protest and merely crossed his arms. "I won't say anything, I swear!" you pleaded. "I have no one to tell! I will take this to my grave," you continued but Itachi's hands touching both sides of your face ceased your panicking. "[Y/N], go. Now!" he pressed his forehead against yours. You could see his jaw tense as if he was holding back emotion.

"I said go!" he pulled away, dropped his hands and pushed you away. You listened reluctantly but quickly took off in a sprint back toward the village. Your running was frantic and you could barely keep yourself upright as you tripped over several bodies sprawled out in the road. You looked back only once with tears in your eyes. Was the "busy" stuff he had to do involved with this? So many questions with no answers. And no hope for answers. The unknown man turned to Itachi, "Was that really a good idea, Itachi?"

Your beloved didn't reply but simply turned around to continue with the spree of death. You couldn't tell your father what had happened but you just craved his comfort. You knew his calm voice would sooth your anguish. However, you would never hear his tranquil tone again. When you discovered his body, your world shattered. Your last interaction with him was an argument and because you disobeyed.. he was dead.

You were now left alone in this world, you no longer had your father and would no longer have Itachi... "I heard that Kakashi and Guy intercepted Uchiha Itachi!" you could hear a fellow ANBU gossip to another operative. This peaked your interest as you leaned in to catch a whiff of their chattering. "I heard they were trying to get ahold of Uzumaki Naruto but were stopped. He and his partner got away, though." the other operative added. 'If it was not that long ago, maybe I can catch up with him...' you thought to yourself. You pushed yourself up from a chair you were sat in and went toward the window of the room on the upper floor of the Hokage's building. "Where are you going, [Y/N]?" your female compatriot asked.

"I have an errand to run," with that quick reply, you leaped from the window to the city below. "Damn it, Itachi. Why now? I've been trying to find you for years and you choose a day like today?" you muttered to yourself as you leaped between buildings to head toward the forest. You had been kept under close watch from your fellow black ops as some began to suspect things from your past. Ever since that night that you witnessed what Itachi had done and your father passed, you have dedicated your life to being secretive

Being an ANBU meant that your life was already shrouded in darkness and secrecy. But it was only the curiosity of your fellow ANBU to question things from your past. You were aware of their heightened suspicions, especially after the ANBU ops discovered that you were the last to see Uchiha Itachi outside of the clan's residence the night he slaughtered them all. "Itachi, I think we have ourselves a visitor," Kisame noted. The two missing-nin jumped from tree to tree and were several miles away from Konohagakure. He was surprised by the unwelcomed guest's speed but remained calm as he needed to decide how to handle the situation. You could see two figures ahead of you and struggled to make out who they were; all you could see were two black cloaks with red clouds.

You performed the Multi-Shadow Clone jutsu and instructed them to try and flank the two. Again, since you were a descendent of Senju, your speed was more than impressive. (your great-grandfather wasn't hailed as the fastest shinobi for nothing) Several of your clones were able to flank the two and they came to a halt. "Say, should we put up a fight or what?" Kisame asked with a smile and began to remove Samehada from his back. But Itachi stopped him with a raised hand, his eyes narrowed as he studied the clones.

"Stop you two!" you called out as you approached the scene. Itachi turned his head slightly and his onyx eyes gazed at you through the slits of your ANBU mask. Your heart stopped and it was as if the world melted around you. The two of you remained silent as you stared into each other's eyes. Kisame made note of this and busted a small joke as he wondered what his partner was thinking. You removed your mask and revealed your identity to the two. "Who's this tall glass of cool water, Itachi? You seem to know each other." Kisame joked again with a grin on his face.

But Itachi remained quiet and his gaze never left you. "Uchiha Itachi! I finally found you, after a long,long time." you jumped to the branch directly in front of them. You dropped to your knee and a flurry of emotions washed over you. You trembled slightly as you tried to fight back any tears that might have been trying to break through. "[Y/N]..." he finally spoke, his voice sounded just the same as when you last heard it. He seemed to have aged some, must be 21 by now. "So... you do know each other. Interesting..." Kisame said amusingly as he witnessed the interaction. Itachi turned toward him, "Kisame, leave us. I will meet with you back at base later."

Kisame opened his mouth to protest but Itachi lowered his brows, the blue skinned man complied and took off in the direction that they were already heading in. He returned his attention to you. As you stood there like a confused child, he jumped over to you and raised his hands then placed them on the sides of your face. It reminded you of that night. His thumbs which were now painted blue and a red ring on his right ring finger. He still remained quiet as the two of you stood in the forest, just like old times.

"Just like the old days..." you whispered as your eyes studied his matured face. He hummed and stared back. You pressed your lips together before you pressed them onto his. You knew that he was caught off guard by it because he took a step back to keep steady on the branch. He hesitated for a moment, his hands in the air on either side of himself before they rested on your shoulders. You exchanged more kisses as the passion began to heat up between the two of you. Itachi pushed you back several steps until your back met the trunk. As the kissing continued, hands roamed freely over each other's bodies as you discovered your now adult forms. He was the first to pull away, his hair was a mess and his cloak was disheveled. You tried to pull him back from the collar of his cloak but he pulled away again. "[Y/N]..."

You tried several more times to pull him into more kissing but Itachi objected. "[Y/N], I need to go and so do you." as he tried to turn away, you yanked him back. "No!" you barked. "I finally have you here and you are trying to leave," your gaze dropped and tears welled in your eyes. "Take me with you." Itachi shook his head as he brushed his hair from his face, "Out of the question." You took a step toward him as you pulled out your katana from its holster on your back. You raised it up to his throat with both hands on the hilt. "I am going with you, Uchiha. No buts about it."

Itachi didn't seemed startled by your reaction and simply pushed the blade away with his pointer and middle finger tips. "You're willing to disown Konohagakure?" Your jaw tightened as you turned away, your eyes fixating on the direction of the village. "There is nothing there for me. I only joined the ANBU because I knew it was a way to utilize my skills. I think my father would've liked that" you took the ANBU mask out from a side pouch and discarded it to the side. As the mask tumbled to the forest floor, it took your allegiance to the village with it. You took a knee and submitted yourself over to Itachi.

"But he's dead and I am fully willing to come with you, Itachi," your eyes raised from the ground up to him. He looked down to you as his height shadowed over you. The Uchiha hummed and a small smile spread across his lips; he leant out his hand to you. You returned the smile and took it. Finally reunited with the Uchiha. A Senju and an Uchiha? Who would've guessed. "Will you ever explain that night to me, Itachi?" you asked, he was quiet for a moment before answering,

"Yes, in time, [Y/N]."

#naruto imagines #naruto imagine #itachi x reader #itachi uchiha x reader #reader x itachi #reader x itachi uchiha #itachi/reader #itachi uchiha/reader #reader/itachi #reader/itachi uchiha #itachi imagine #itachi uchiha imagine #itachi imagines #itachi uchiha imagines #naruto fanfiction #naruto #itachi uchiha

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missmillyashford · 3 years

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Eight Hundred Eyes Are Better Than One - Reaction

I should have done this a long time ago but I just reread this chapter and reacted to it as I went if you’re interested @anbu-legacy

Because I’ve had a grudge against canon Jiraiya for so long it’s been an interesting but slow process of adjusting to this (better) version of him where his awful traits either don’t exist or are slightly more subdued, and traits I could actually appreciate are more emphasized. And saying that, I love this image of this giant, flamboyant man being so unsubtle about his summons that he just wakes up not just Kakashi but his entire FLOOR. Nice one. This man is a spy theoretically and I love that juxtaposition. At least it makes it easy to let Ryouma know they’re leaving.

“Dodomeki?” he said quietly.

Boyfriends, Kakashi reflected, were supposed to be reassuring. “I’ll bring you an eyeball,” he promised.

“Gross.”

This reminds me of that time Kakashi found a weird creepy bug in that one cave during the kiri mission and instead of leaving it be like a normal person he decides to pick it up and bring it all the way back to the team to scare Ryouma with it. I always find it super funny when Kakashi pulls stuff like this, terrorizing his poor teammates with gross unwanted show and tell. I personally would love a gift like that, though. I am totally someone who would probably keep particularly interesting animal body parts preserved in a jar somewhere in my house because I find anatomy and physiology interesting. I once had the opportunity in one of my university classes to hold a horse’s brain and was quite enthralled. I just wanted a good look at it and was really curious what it would feel like.

“Just bring yourself home safe.”

“Always do,” Kakashi said, which was mostly true. “Captain, too.”

I’m reacting to this on a reread so hahaaaaaaa. Nice one, Kakashi. Your poor hands.

I would say I can’t believe that Kakashi actually WENT INTO THE ROOM to wake up Raidou and Genma, but this is Kakashi, so I can. He could have just knocked on the bedroom window, or just gone to the door, like a person with basic social skills and a modicum of decency. Kids these days. No respect for the general concept of privacy. Sheesh. Boundaries. I’m glad I’m not them. I will admit that I laughed though.

Raidou jerked, sat up wildly, and blurted, “What the hell?”

“Taichou,” Kakashi said, with a little wave.

Genma exhaled, tweaked the sheet so that it covered Kurenai more fully, then sat up — a much smoother operation. “Hatake,” he said tightly, visibly trying for calm.

“Lieutenant,” Kakashi said. And, for good measure: “Yuuhi. Well done.”

Asdfghgfds. This bastard. I love and hate him. DK is always so good at this sort of humour with Kakashi and it never fails to get me.

I feel bad for Genma and Raidou and Kurenai right now though because they didn’t even get to TALK properly the next day after getting together before Raidou had to leave.

Kakashi felt his spine stiffen. Reflexive, pointless defense of his parents, who had raised him on legends and myths, told in the few quiet moments between everything else.

I really love the callback to Don’t Fear the Dark. It’s really interesting when we get little glimpses at what Sakumo was like, and what his family was like before it fell apart. The defensiveness about it has my heart hurting, because it’s one of the few tiny pieces he still has of his father. Speaking of Sakumo, mythology/legends, and Don’t Fear the Dark, I remember that there were traditional masks of demons and things in their home. For a very long time I’ve been very curious to see what the Hatake estate looks like, and what other personal items from Sakumo and their life before are still there. Here’s to hoping we’ll get to see it one day?

I like how these legends have been woven into the worldbuilding too.

Usagi thumped him on the shoulder. “Better dodge, then. We’ll bring some of her scrapings back in a jar for the lab.”

Genma would probably appreciate some jar-scrapings, though.

Genma’s my type of person. I appreciate him.

I’m really enjoying getting to know a little more about the relationship dynamics of the members of team thirteen. Ginta and Usagi’s relationship is so fun.

I love Goya purely on the basis that she’s a badass archer lady with wicked aim and I feel like that’s understandable and valid.

While Raidou and Usagi bartered for shelter, and Jiraiya signed autographs for the goat herder’s starstruck daughter, Kakashi watched a handful of goat kids bounce back and forth over a fence with blithe disregard for its actual purpose.

The goats hopping over the fence makes such a great image. I adore Tarama the goat village, purely because of the goats. And the Katsuko callback.

I am weak to the characters being dumb reckless idiots experimenting with jutsu for science so I was LIVING for the thunderstorm Ginta-Kakashi shenanigans. I’ve also always loved thunderstorms so I might be extra weak to lightning users. Just casually detonating each other’s jutsu and hoping they don’t explode each other irreparably in the process. Good fun.

Actually getting so see Kakashi split lightning was so cool. We keep hearing about it in canon and legacy so to finally see it is so satisfying. I like the description of sharingan vision as “he tracked the bolt zig-zagging down as if it were made of syrup, oozing through superheated air, long, lethal fingers branching out towards them.” And I also particularly liked this line:

The lightning snapped towards him like a massive, elemental predator scenting blood.

I am very amused:

In the dizzying aftermath, Kakashi had just enough time to think ow and awesome before the next strike threatened, and they both ran like hell for the village.

Usagi’s childish glee is so great. And yeah, I feel both her reaction AND Raidou’s are pretty appropriate. But still, lol:

“When did you turn three hundred? Your rookie just did the coolest thing ever. Stop being miserable about it.”

“You want him?” Raidou said.

“Yes,” said Usagi instantly. “Hatake, you’re mine, get over here.”

“Wait, no,” Raidou said.

I’m glad Kakashi is being appreciated.

The conversation Raidou and Kakashi had about KureGenRai hook up was veeeeery interesting. I wasn’t expecting Kakashi to react so harshly. I guess it is hypocritical of Raidou to say what he said then do that, though Raidou has a point that it’s to protect rookies from senior officers. Lieutenants and Captains are different since they’re closer in rank. I’m guessing that Kakashi is kind of frustrated with how he and Ryouma have felt like they’ve had to keep their relationship secret for fear of getting in trouble, even if same rank liaisons are technically not against the rules, unwritten or otherwise. Because of Raidou’s whole boundaries thing and general testiness about that kind of thing?

I’m curious to see how keeping it a secret from Ryouma will go. How long will they even want to keep it from him, and if they do want to keep the secret how will Ryouma feel about both the relationship and Kakashi’s secret keeping once he finds out?

Another thing I’ll be curious to see is if this at all changes if Kakashi wants to keep his relationship with Ryouma secret still, and if so from who. I’d doubt it would since there are other factors but still. I am looking forward for when people find out, but at the same time I’ve been enjoying it being private. I think a temporary shared secret like this can feel kinda intimate so long as it doesn’t overstay its welcome. And we get scenes like Kakashi panicking and hiding in Ryouma’s bathroom while Ryouma clumsily lies and implies he may have hooked up with an Uchiha to evade arrest so that’s a bonus. I think being able to have their own relationship exist in isolation from judgements and comments from the outside allows them to take some pressure off their relationship, and gives them time to figure each other out and how to just be together unhindered. I can see why they’re doing this the way they are.

A mass grave. Whoever had dug it — Kusa ninja, most likely — had missed the small body on the hill.

“Poor bastards,” Usagi said quietly.

Kasumi, of all people, went back for the body.

I like this detail about Kasumi.

“Now we track,” Jiraiya said. He gave a little wave in Kakashi’s direction. “Do the nose thing.”

Some days, Kakashi didn’t feel entirely respected in his workplace.

Loooool

It took two more days to even get close to the Dodomeki. For Kakashi, it was like living in dual headspaces — the clean, sleek arrowhead mind of a predator, and the disordered tangle of everything human. Team Thirteen, with their… themness. Jiraiya — firmly, unignorably himself. The discomfort of Raidou and the unhappy friction between them. No Genma to smooth down the rough edges. No Ryouma to distract with chatter or an unexpected, brilliant idea.

I really liked this section for a couple reasons:

1) I like how when certain members of the team are absent it highlights just how important they are to the entire team. Genma the vital lynchpin and mediator; Ryouma the emotional heart, friend, and innovator. I also appreciate that it’s not just their skillsets that are addressed either. They’re valuable for things like their kindness, level-headedness, and company.

2) I love the acknowledgment of duality of Kakashi’s headspace and social interactions. The headspace required to do his job as a tracker vs. working as part of a team of antsy, ridiculous people are very different. The interactions he is going to be having with the wolfdogs that don’t even so much as speak human vs. his human coworkers are going to be very different too. Kakashi having an entirely different headspace with the dogs to the point he actually separates it from being entirely human (like referring to “humans” as if it were a group he isn’t entirely part of) reminds me of all the way back to the thread Lost in the Dark when Raidou sees Kakashi speaking to the entire pack for the first time. He realizes Kakashi’s social skills have likely been influenced by his exposure to the dogs he grew up with. It was such an interesting revelation to me. This is the part I mean if you’re curious:

What followed was one of the strangest conversations Raidou had ever witnessed. Kakashi, with his economy of speech and movement that seemed so disjointed in human interaction, slotted into place as naturally as breathing. Raidou recognized that questioning head tilt echoed back by listening dogs; the silent, watchful glances that lingered a second beyond comfortable; the predatory edge polished like a fine weapon. Here, Kakashi’s hair and mask just looked like markings, no more notable than that shepherd’s black-tipped ears, or that hound’s white-ticked coat.

It explained a lot.

I really liked seeing Raidou defend Kakashi from Kasumi’s crochety and unjustified remarks. Progress!!! I’m proud.

I’ve probably said it before and I’ll probably say it again, but I always love your dialogue. There’s so much personality and liveliness in it. The banter is so entertaining. Usagi and Ginta especially right now.

I know the mythology the Dodomeki comes from is very different, but there is something about the descriptions of her that make me think a lot of what I felt watching the Netflix the Witcher series. Which might not mean anything to you if you haven’t seen it. Similarly horrifying and deadly and gross. It’s great.

The entire fight scene had my heart pounding. It was so intense and fast-paced. So many close calls and how fast she was was so terrifying. We just saw Kakashi with his sharingan so fast he was able to split a lightning strike in half, yet she’s so fast he can’t even hope to keep up. Fuck.

Abe had to chase him nervously around, attending to whatever bits of Jiraiya’s face he could reach, until the medic finally lost his temper and ordered Jiraiya to sit.

I loved this.

I don’t have anything interesting to say about them theorizing about her sickly state, but I am very intrigued. I also love when little bits of real life actual science are incorporated in fantasy like this (ex. the mention of ketosis).

I am still very very worried for Kakashi’s hands. I suspect he won’t get out of this entirely unscathed even after treatment.

#anbu legacy

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cinlat · 3 years

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WIP Folder

Rules: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Then people can send asks with the title that most intrigues/interests them and you’ll post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it!

Thanks for the tag @dimigex

I’ll tag @tishinada @sleepswithvillains @a-muirehen

SWTOR: Blood Ch 9 The Lost Medallion Legacy of Violence (Generations of War series) AU: Cheap Shots The Art of Being Invisible (Final Chapters) Blood in the Breeze Theron Conspiracy Drabble: Verin/Keshal Beginning Cathat Cousins Drabble: Botched Vacation Drabble: Bath time Surprise Sithy Bunch Compilation Jedi Sitters (Jurr’s Crew) Ord Mantell Drabble Chemical Reaction Jedi Sitters Compilation Kaleidoscope Truth Dueling Outlanders Naruto: Anbu Chick Tongue-in-cheek

So here are the active bits of fanfiction from my docs. I’m steadily working through them. haha.

#wip folder tag #i honestly thought there would be more #this is not including the ten other original things that i started and may never finish of course

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hazusreaderinserts · 5 years

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Legacy [Naruto Reader-Insert]

You’re definitely a Yamanaka, aren’t you?

Family and Village secrets run rampant. All you wanna do is survive long enough to see Naruto become Hokage and to find out who you really are.

[Fem! Reader x Various]

Warnings: Long plot. Slow-burn. The slowest of the burn.

Crossposted on Wattpad and Quotev. Masterlist

Chapter 9 Trouble in Paradise

A/N: Gave up on formatting.

You wake up to the sensation of several somethings hitting and tickling a few parts of your face. You grunt and try to brush whatever that's hitting your face away but they just kept bouncing back to tickle you.

Then you hear someone groan beside you. It is a very familiar voice, with a particular timbre to it that you recognize. Hound? Your mind went into overdrive. What is he doing here? Where am I?

You quickly roused to consciousness and your bleary eyes finally recognized the room that you're in. There's no mistake. It's Brother's hospital room.

Hound's head lolls onto your shoulder and from your angle you could see a peek of his features underneath his mask. He definitely looks younger when he's sleeping.

Your opinion of his features have not changed since 3 years ago, you still think he's quite attractive despite half of his face and eyes are hidden by a face-cloth (mask? You didn't really know what to call it anymore). You still don't know why he hides his face.

To be honest, he still has that sort of child-like purity about him, but only while he is asleep.

You reach out with your fingers to brush his hair out from his eye but he stops you.

You jump in your seat.

"Uhh. Good morning?" You say with a hint of nervousness in your voice.

"Mm. Morning." Hound looks up at you with bleary eyes. You don't think his brain is functioning yet

He's speaking in that 'super-sexy-i-just-woke-up-drawl'. It sends small shivers down your spine and you don't really know why that elicits a reaction out of you.

Maybe you had a thing for deep voices.

"Move, your hair is tickling me." You nudge his head back to the opposite side of his chair. Hound's head rolls back and he just makes some noncommittal grunts when he realizes that it's just you. Pushing his head away. Like he is a pest or something (yes, yes he is).

You've never gotten this intimate with anyone before. Or at least been in this intimate position where you wake up to see someone else's face the first thing in the morning. Mother or Brother hasn't slept beside you ever since you were two or three.

The thought is kinda nice, waking up to someone you like but uh. Hound is much, much older than you and he'd be considered a cradle robber (also not family, not age appropriate)

You actually have looked through his files after you vowed to investigate Brother's chaperone. In one of the bingo books the Yamanaka got from a nin from Kiri, they call him Konoha's Loyal Dog ( Seems pretty fitting since his handle is Hound and he handles hounds (ninja-dogs)). You snigger softly at your own joke.

You also refuse to call him by his actual name, at least for now.

You think it's ironic. Dog summoner with a dog-like ANBU handle, who is also suitably monikered as Konoha's Loyal Dog, with capitals. Capitals! The bingo books from other Hidden Villages aren't a joke.

And he's probably going to be assigned to you as your guard dog. Hah!

You hope not. He got pulled out of ANBU to do teaching gigs as a Jounin but he hasn't passed any of his teams yet ( or so you read, in his dossier. Also yes the Yamanaka's keep dossiers on everyone. His is particularly thick.).

He half-opens his eye to give you a tired look and adjusted his body to a more comfortable position. And promptly fell back asleep. You're half laughing internally and half nervous as hell at the absurdity of the situation.

But one question, how on earth is he so comfortable with sleeping in room that has so many vulnerable spots? Then something hits you. This is his home village, he should be able to just relax. Just because he's one of the strongest ninja, doesn't mean he has to be on guard all the time.

This is something that you needed more time ponder on.

You slide out of the chair and give Brother a kiss on the forehead, whispering a soft good morning against his cold skin and ran as fast as you could to the Nara compound.

It's barely dawn so you think you can make it before he wakes up. He's an early sleeper and an early riser, but you think he just likes procrastinating on the bed with his favourite novel before sleeping and he likes the feeling of lying down in bed for a while to watch the clouds and the sky as the sun rises. ____

Shikamaru gets startled awake by a dull thud by his window. Even though he likes sleeping a lot, he's kinda a light sleeper. He's only pretending to sleep in the academy, what he's really doing with his eyes closed is thinking about random things (and Ino, sometimes).

He grabs the kunai he keeps his pillow and angled it defensively. Unfortunately, he's also quite prepared for situations ( read, paranoid).

The thought that this is a Shinobi village doesn't really cross his mind so the only thing this protects him from is you. And rogue ninja, but he trusts Konoha security. So mostly just you.

He sees you tumbling through his window in a less than graceful way. You land on your feet noiselessly and you strike a pose, like nobody is looking at you. Nobody would if Shikamaru is still asleep.

He isn't. He's wide awake.

You stare at the Nara boy with widened eyes, looking like he's just caught you staring at one of the older Uchiha boys (back when they were a thing, they are certainly not a thing anymore because you know, Itachi) with an expression of curiosity and infatuation.

In your defense, Uchiha boys are all quite handsome in a traditional way.

And Shikamaru stares back, with an equally shocked expression.

"Uhh, I thought you were asleep." You deadpan, still frozen in that silly pose you decided to strike when you rolled in.

Shikamaru lowers his kunai and gives you the stinkiest eyes he can muster with his half-asleep cognitive functions, "You're really something, you know that mouse? Why didn't you come over to talk yesterday? Choji and I had a big fucking bribe, which you don't get now by the way, laid out for you to make you talk."

"Yeah. Yeah, of course," Your voice got all choked up. "Sorry I couldn't make it, I caught a cold and had to stay in."

It feels nice when your friends worry about you and heck, Shikamaru is a worrier. The biggest worrier you know. And a complainer. You appreciate everything he says because he tells it to you straight. When he's not being the laziest person around.

What you really mean is that you got cornered into a room filled with oppressive people and they had to Intimidate you into reciting the oath under some sort of influence. Mind, body and soul. The same mantra that the Yamanaka Shinobi recite when they're learning how to transfer their soul into someone else via Shintenshin.

Was that the essence of what they wanted to do with the oath and the drink? Hokage's Balls.

Your mind, body and soul belongs to the Yamanaka now since you accepted the oath and you'd have to swear another blood oath to the village once you graduate and become genin.

You were basically trapped into something you couldn't refuse. You can't tell Shikamaru anything though, it's an oath of silence and besides, Keirai probably had someone watching you day and night.

Maybe he is watching you right now.

Shikamaru rolls his eyes and voices out his usual complaint, "Ugh how troublesome. You know I can tell when you're lying right?" Yes he totally can, but he doesn't call you out on it unless it is important. And this is important.

You 'hm'ed and give him a noncommittal shrug, plopping yourself on the foot of Shikamaru's bed. Sometimes you think that the Nara boy would prefer the futon since he has pretty traditional tastes but then again he got a really cushy mattress and it's much more thicker than the fluffiest futon.

You like the futon better. It reminds you not to get complacent and you like sleeping on hard-ish ground.

Shikamaru swings out of his covers in his cotton jammies with little clouds printed on them and sits up. You give him a pointed look and raise an eyebrow, to which he responds with red on his cheeks and an indignant half-shout, "They're my favourite okay? They're really comfy."

You didn't doubt that, but still. An amused giggle escapes from your lips before you know it and he turns bright red again.

"Hey, what did you wanna tell me?" You make yourself comfy on the bed, pulling both your legs up to cross them. The obi sits a little tight on your waist, but you didn't mind.

"Choji and I are worried about you, you idiot mouse. We know something happened all those years ago and you seemed like you were fine until recently when everything friggin' crashed and burned for you like a fireball jutsu gone wrong." He looks at you with those eyes that make you think he is begging you to wake up and see that you can rely on him.

You can. But you don't really wanna talk about how you are being watched 24/7 like you have a camera following your every move and listening to your every word.

The Nara clan has always traditionally been the head of the the Shinobi Counter Intelligence and with Shikamaru's father actually being the head, you don't want to take any chances. See, the difference between the T&I Bureau and SCI is that T&I is mostly an internal affair and SCI handles everything that is external to the village, although both of them will send teams outside to collect intelligence (SCI collects and prevents).

You remember what Shisui had said. Your chakra is different. Noticeable. Every sensor in a 100 mile radius of Konoha will be able to find you. Good for you that you're stuck in a clan specializing in sensors.

You feel really bitter about the whole thing.

"I uh, don't want to talk about it." You look at your lap with sheepish smile.

Shikamaru continues like he didn't hear you say that you don't want to talk about it. "And then Ino comes to me, crying about what you said to her and that's not very nice of you."

It's no secret between Choji and you that Shikamaru has a soft spot for Ino. Maybe a bit more than a soft spot but it's not really a secret anymore. It's been an unrequited crush for more than three years and Ino only has Sasuke Uchiha in her eyes. So uhh. An impasse. Ino doesn't know about Shikamaru's feelings.

You roll your eyes. You're still a little upset at Ino about how insensitive she's been. Just like Father. Mother practically lives at the hospital now. You know that Father has something to do with that. Isolate you, so you don't have anyone to talk to about this.

"I'll deal with her when I've calmed down. Don't you think I deserve some slack after the things that actually happened to me?" You say, plainly. You really didn't come here to be yelled at. Shikamaru will always take Ino's side. He always does.

Would it kill him to take your side sometimes?

Shikamaru sees the expression on your face and he bites back whatever he is going to say next. You look like you are about to cry.

The sun is about to rise and he's still in his cloud jammies. He throws the covers over you completely, "What a drag, you should stay in there until you apologize to Ino." Shikamaru scratches the back of his head.

"Get out. I'm going to change and I don't want you in the room when I do." Shikamaru finally says after like five minutes of continuous scratching. You're not deaf, you can hear perfectly fine under the blanket.

"Yeah. Yeah, I should go. I'll see you in class, maybe." Your voice comes out a little more choked than you'd like and you proceed to throw the covers over him entirely and focusing your chakra to bring you to the place you haven't visited in two years.

____

It's a blur of colours again and you land on your feet in a clearing near the Naka River. You've gotten used to Shisui's brand of Shunshin and you finally figure out how it actually works.

The afterimage is actually a chakra shell the shape of you. As in, you flicker forward so fast that it leaves a thin chakra shell that has your likeness and that's probably how Shisui has the illusion of moving so fast that he is able to make 'clones' of himself.

You slowly trudge towards the roundest rock in the cleaning, a ray of light filtering through the grassy canopy of trees that seem to function as a soft spotlight shining directly over it. It's the only reason why you picked that spot.

You hop up to sit on it, eyes closed to enjoy the gentle warmth that the ray of light brings.

"Hey, Shisui. It's been a while. I know I haven't visited you in a year..." You whisper under your breath and you start talking about the various things that happened to you so far. Like your initiation. And how you don't know how to bring up the Uchiha Massacre to Sasuke.

You had read that he had thrown himself into the Naka River, but his body was never found. You think it's a fitting spot to make a honorary grave for him. youtrynottothinkaboutthefactthattheydidntfindabodythereisnobodyhecouldbealivesomewherehesstillalivethereisnobody

Sasuke became really withdrawn and more broody after the incident to the point where you couldn't say he is fully sane anymore. Sometimes he trains himself so hard that he's on the verge of killing himself.

You know him well enough that every action of his leads up to a singular conclusion. And it's very disconcerting. It honestly worries you a lot. He was broken for a long period of time but that grief turned into anger. He doesn't talk about it nor does he want to.

That was his coping mechanism and you don't know if it's healthy or not (not that your own way of coping is healthy either, but you didn't want to kill yourself constantly. Wait, maybe you did).

You don't expect him to be okay really, his entire family was killed by his brother and he saw. He saw Itachi drive the sword into his mother's body. He saw the bloodthirsty expression Itachi had as he did it. And something in him changed. But mostly, you just want to talk to him about it to really understand what he's thinking about.

You tell Shisui that you really miss him. Even this little glade reminds you of him. You miss the way he smiles at you when you finally got something right. The way his eyes crinkle when you show him some inane thing that you did just because. The way he says your name when he wants to wake you up from a nap.

Yeah, those things you missed. And you couldn't see them anymore.

You're also confused by what Itachi did that night, he was loyal to the Village, loyal to Hound and loyal to the Hokage. His motives confounded you and kept you up at nights mostly. And in those late hours of the night, you see Sasuke ambling around with that look on his face. You know that face that he has when he's brooding.

You spend half your morning catching Shisui up with everything recent about your life and you end up being late to class, which Iruka-sensei doesn't find particularly amusing.

#naruto #naruto imagine #naruto reader insert #Naruto Reader-Insert #Multi-Chapter #multi chaptered #reader insert #reader-insert #x reader #anime x reader #reader x various #The dumpster fire that is my early chapters.#Help.#it gets better i promise

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myaekingheart · 5 years

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60. The House That Built Me

read the scarecrow and the bell on ao3

index | from the beginning | < previous | next >

I thought if I could touch this place or feel it This brokenness inside me might start healing. Out here it's like I'm someone else, I thought that maybe I could find myself If I could just come in I swear I'll leave. Won't take nothing but a memory From the house that built me. -The House That Built Me, Miranda Lambert

Rei watched her entire world implode from her bedroom window, fists gripping her bedsheets as she restrained tears. That house next door meant something different to her now. How could everything have gone so sour so damn fast?

It was Might Guy who told her the news. Apparently Kakashi hadn’t bothered with telling anyone else—who else was there for him to tell? Obito was dead. Rin was dead. His father was dead. Nobody else mattered. Not even Rei.

Kakashi was starting a new chapter in his life, one that certainly did not involve her. It was truly a testament to just how much further ahead of her he was. He was joining the ANBU black ops and with it, leaving everything else behind.

She needed to talk to him. She needed to figure out the whole story. Surely he must have some reservations about this. She refused to believe he would so easily depart from his childhood like this. Hell, he was technically still a child himself. Rei’s arms itched. Everything was happening too damn fast. What had become of their fleeting youth? She didn’t know, and quite frankly hadn’t the time to wonder. All she could do was try to grapple with what she had left before that little morsel disappeared forever.

Before she could stop herself, she was walking, almost running, over there. Maybe she hadn’t been too late. Maybe he was still gathering up what few belongings he had or at least cared to take with him. What was he doing with his father’s things? Would he take them, too, as keepsakes? Or leave them behind like everything else in his life? She wondered if the memory brought too much pain. She wondered if that was why he was leaving her, too. A lump rose in her throat and she fought every instinct to cry out. She knocked on the door but there was no answer. He was gone. He would never come back.

In a fit of emotion, she shrieked and kicked at the door, knocking it open with a thud. Sunlight filtered through a dreary room and she was almost too terrified to step inside. The house was empty. Everything had been removed. Her entire body went cold and hollow. This is it. I’m in hell.

At that very moment, she was convinced of only one thing: death and the afterlife were nothing like the books said. There was no grand gasp of fleeting last wishes, no crying and convulsing. In the end, when your soul departs, you don’t rise into the pearly ether or sink into volcanic ruins. Death was simply a quick and simple transaction between life and death. It could happen anywhere at any time. And when it was all said and done, there was no heaven or hell. Only this: the chilling emptiness of a former home. The absence of everyone and everything that ever made life worth living, of warmth and comfort and joy. No, instead you were left with pure emptiness and nothing more.

Rei knelt down and grazed her fingers across the wood floor, letting herself feel every bump and groove and seam. She floated toward the space where Sakumo was found dead and wondered if his ghost still resided here. Perhaps he could hear her if she spoke or feel her desperation and despair through some supernatural empathic connection. But that was ridiculous. Ghosts didn’t exist. Regardless, she still bowed her head in honor and respect for the crime scene and its victim, then hurried on her way.

She paused outside of Kakashi’s bedroom, memories of so many brief years spent there together as toddlers. She had been so young, and yet she still remembered every moment of it. The way the sunlight hit his bed at just the right angle, how organized he kept his things, how it always smelled of clean linen—her absolute favorite. It was such a space of comfort and nostalgia that the thought of finding it stripped bare haunted her. She didn’t think she was truly ready for this, but she knew if a new family were to snatch the house off the market, she would likely never get the chance to step foot inside ever again. Or at least not in the way it was now, though empty still fresh with the lingering presence of the past. She sucked in a deep breath and then pushed through the doorway, her heart pounding.

As expected, the room was empty save for a brick of something on the floor. Rei inched closer cautiously, almost fearfully, to find it was a thick leatherbound book. She picked it up cautiously and dused off the cover. The title indicated it was a series of fairytales and fables. Weird, she thought to herself. It didn’t sound like Kakashi’s reading tastes at all. Even when they were close, he always preferred to invest his time in more mature subjects. War memoirs, drama, bildungsroman. Stimulating content for the intellectual adult. Fairytales, in hindsight, seemed far below his reading level. She curled the tome into her lap and gently turned to the first page, where inside there was a small scrap of paper. Her name was written on the front.

None of this felt quite real. Rei unfolded it slowly, as if the entire world would fall apart if she handled this wrecklessly, and scanned the page. The note was brief but shook her to her very core.

Rei- Found this while cleaning out. It was from my mother. I have no use for it anymore. It should be with you instead. -Kakashi

It was now that Rei realized her hands were shaking. There were so few words, and yet so much to unpack. Rei didn’t recall ever meeting Kakashi’s mother but she couldn’t imagine how he could give away something with so much sentimental value. It seemed so heartless and cold. The implication that it was better suited for her, however, was mildly insulting. Was Kakashi insinuating that he thought of her as a child, and therefore inferior? His reaction to her making genin gave her answer enough. This wasn’t a kind gesture at all. No, this was a slap in the face from someone she had thought was a friend. Or at least once had been.

For a moment, Rei considered tossing the book onto the floor and walking out or worse, burning it in a bonfire. Unlike Kakashi, however, she was far more sentimental and couldn’t stand the thought of disappointing a woman she had never met in destroying a legacy she had left behind. This was a cruel joke on Kakashi’s part but maybe that was the exact kind of reaction he wanted. Maybe he intended for her to want to destroy it, and go through with it. Therefore, the most rebellious act would be to savour it and love it. She held the heavy book close to her chest and raced home with it, never looking back. It was the last time she would ever step foot in the Hatake household and she would just have to make peace with that. There was no going back. From this point, there was only one path, one direction.

Forward.

#kakashi hatake #rei natsuki #the scarecrow and the bell #naruto #naruto oc #fanfiction

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setaripendragon · 7 years

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Familiar Strangers - Five: Kakashi

One - Two - Three - Four - Five - Six - Seven - Eight - Nine - Ten Bonus scenes: Five-Point-Five - Seven-Point-Five The inside of Kakashi’s head is an ouchy place. You have been warned. (Also a warning that most of my knowledge of his backstory comes, as per usual for me, from wiki and fanfiction, and I never got that far in the actual anime. I hope I don’t make too many stupids ^^”)

Kakashi spent so much of his time at the memorial stone that sometimes, he found his feet taking him there when he’d meant to go somewhere else. It was routine, it was ritual, and that was comforting, even if standing there in front of the grey stone that was as close as he could get to his best friend also laid a heavy grief on his shoulders every time he stepped up to it.

He talked, when he was here. Not always out loud, because it wasn’t always private, and other shinobi came here too, but he always talked. To Obito, to Minato-sensei, sometimes to Rin, if he felt strong enough. He did not feel strong enough today.

I hope Naruto and Sakura come back from their mission alright. It’s always risky, when they go after information on Sasuke, you know. They’re bound and determined to bring him back, but he’s bound and determined not to. He’s got his sights set on Itachi, and anything that gets in his way has to go. Do you remember Itachi, Obito? You probably do, even if the clan wasn’t particularly friendly to you, there’s no way you could have missed the Clan Heir. I wish I’d seen it coming, you know, him breaking. He was on my team once or twice, in ANBU. I should have seen it. But, then, that’s just another item on my list of people I should have saved, isn’t it, Obito?

His internal monologue was interrupted by a prickling on the back of his neck. His eye snapped up to scan the treeline, looking not for anything obvious, but scanning the patterns of the leaves, the way they moved with the wind. Or, the way they didn’t, when someone too near them was trying to stay too still. There. A good way away, not approaching the clearing, but not leaving either. Someone waiting, then, for him to leave.

Kakashi could understand that. Mourning was a private affair, and for those like him, who had no body bury and no gravestone to stand private vigil over, the memorial stone was the only option. Still, he couldn’t quite bring himself to leave just yet, and the other shinobi could wait just a little while longer. Privacy or convenience, they couldn’t have both.

He looked back down to the memorial stone, finding Obito’s name with the ease of long practice and searching for the thread of his thoughts again. Itachi, he remembered, and couldn’t decide whether the surge he felt was anger or grief. Another failure, but that one was, at least, not solely his. There were at least half a dozen other people who should have noticed. Shisui, Fugaku, Mikoto. The Hokage, his other ANBU Captains.

You would have noticed, Obito. You were good at noticing people who needed help. I’m not. I’m blind to it until it’s too late, and I reach out anyway, and my hand closes on thin air. I failed Itachi, and then I failed Sasuke. I should have seen what was happening in his head. I should have known he was heading for self-destruction. But I thought he was more like me than he really was. Naruto is so like you, you know. He’s a cheerful idiot, always tripping over himself and flailing his way through ninja training on sheer stubbornness, and he cares so damn much. I don’t know where either of you found the strength to care that damn much about the whole damn world. It would kill me. It is killing m-

An ice cold warning flare of chakra flowed down his spine like liquid lightning. Kakashi jolted out of his slouch, staring at nothing as he tracked that reaction back to its source. It was a tripped ward, an alert that a perimeter had been crossed by one-not-of-our-blood. Someone – some very foolish, soon to be very dead person – was trespassing on Hatake lands.

A shunshin took Kakashi to the edge of the training ground. He leapt up into the trees, glancing back only once, when he felt a presence at the memorial stone. A figure dressed all in black was crouched before the stone, fingers running over the names. Then Kakashi was in the trees, leaving the mourner to his business. He moved as fast as he could, which was very fast indeed, letting the violation of his family home curdle like ice in his gut.

He hopped down off the branches at the edge of Hatake lands, and prowled across the property line. It was the first time he’d stepped across it in over two decades. The land still carried the faintest scents of pack, of home, and it stabbed like a kunai to the chest. But the idea of coming here and smelling other, smelling not-of-my-blood, was even more repugnant.

The house was still dark, but as Kakashi circled it, he saw that the front door was open. The paper seal that had locked it shut was carelessly torn aside, and the sliding door was just a little wonky in its frame, as if someone had flung it open carelessly and jammed it. Kakashi slipped in that way, silent as a ghost, to avoid alerting the intruder to his presence by opening another door or window. There was no movement from deeper within the house, but Kakashi spotted a trail of light – barely there, but still there – footprints in the dust, leading through the hall, into the living room, back out, and into the front room.

Kakashi felt his breath turn to ice in his lungs, even as an aching rage seared up the back of his throat. He had no desire to step into that room again, but the idea of anyone else disturbing the room his father had died in set his blood boiling. He stepped into the open doorway, keeping a careful lock on his killing intent until he was sure he wanted them to know he was there, and stopped.

Naruto looked up jerkily from the bloodstain on the floor, and met Kakashi’s eye with the sort of hollow-eyed stare Kakashi had never expected to see on the boy. He swallowed hard, and Kakashi noticed just how pale he looked, even in the sunlight streaming in through the large windows overlooking the front garden. “I’m sorry.” Naruto whispered, hoarse and shocked. “Sorry, I didn’t mean-”

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. All his rage had drained away, leaving only sick grief and a tired sort of bitterness behind. He couldn’t even scrounge up a mask of lazy indifference for Naruto. It just wasn’t there. “What are you doing in my house?”

Naruto mustered up an attempt at a smile. It fell massively short, wobbling on his lips and not getting anywhere near his eyes, which still seemed far too empty for a boy like him. “Looking for you, of course.” He said, and at least he didn’t try to sound cheerful. Kakashi didn’t think he could stand that. Not here, not when Naruto was standing over all that was left of his father’s legacy. Blood and shame, seeping into the floorboards.

“You know full well I don’t live here.” Kakashi reminded him, deadpan. If Naruto thought a flimsy excuse like that was going to fly, for something like this, he had another thing coming.

Naruto’s hand leapt to the back of his head fingers tangling through the base of his ponytail as he grimaced sheepishly. “Oh, right. Yeah.” He said, but Kakashi wasn’t listening. Naruto had a ponytail. His hair was still Minato’s shade of sunshine blonde, but it was longer, long enough to pull back into a tail that reached his shoulders. He was still wearing orange, but his coat was ankle length and decorated with black stripes at the hems and bold black swirls – Uzushio spirals – on each shoulder. He had claws on his hands and feet, but there was no hint of the kyuubi’s chakra in the air.

Feigning laziness, Kakashi propped his shoulder against the door-jamb and stuck his hands in his pockets. “Felt like a change of style, did you?” He asked casually, nodding in Naruto’s general direction.

Naruto shrugged, hands flailing a little bit for emphasis. “Yeah, sort of. I guess. I got bored.” He grinned, and even if it was slightly subdued, it was still Naruto’s grin, bright and infectious and so much like his mother. “This is more dramatic, don’t you think?” He asked, and struck a pose.

“Mm.” Kakashi agreed sceptically.

Naruto yelped, offended. “It is!”

“Right. And what, exactly, are you doing in my house?” Kakashi asked again, putting weight behind his words and letting his gaze sharpen from lazy stare to a pin-point glare.

Naruto shuffled in place, looking distinctly sheepish. “I was gonna prank you. I know-!” Naruto went on swiftly, when Kakashi narrowed his eye. “I know you don’t live here! But I thought it was like, like just an old family house that was too big, so you shut it up so you weren’t wasting funds or whatever, not-!” He glanced sideways at the bloodstain Kakashi was trying so hard not to look at, then grimaced. “I didn’t- What happened?” He asked in a whisper.

Lie, find a good lie, Kakashi thought desperately, but he came up blank. The bloodstain was large enough that there was no excusing it with an accident, but maybe a deflection. “I have no idea. Maybe some idiot genin thought they could sneak into an empty house and paid the price.” He suggested ominously.

To his surprise, Naruto didn’t take the bait. “It smells like-” He paused, then shrugged awkwardly.

Kakashi sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth. He knew how that sentence was going to end, even if Naruto didn’t have the training to apply words to what he could sense through the kyuubi. It smells like you but not you, it smells like Hatake blood. His father’s blood on the floor, and Minato-sensei’s blood standing before him, with an echo of Kushina’s drama in his every movement, and Obito’s depthless kindness in his eyes.

Too many ghosts. There were too many ghosts in this room, and Kakashi couldn’t breathe. He turned, sharp and not caring that he was showing a bit too much of everything he usually kept so well hidden. “My father committed suicide.” He tossed the words over his shoulder like he would a kunai, flung them at Naruto with the intent to wound.

He heard a choked off sound, and then the scramble of bare feet padding over dusty floors as the boy hurried to catch up with him. “What? Why?!” Naruto demanded. Kakashi almost felt guilty at the amount of pain he heard in those two words. Naruto hadn’t known the man, but he was an empathetic soul, at his core, and he’d obviously picked up on Kakashi’s decades old grief, and decided to carry it with him, because he could, because he was there.

Too many goddamned ghosts, Kakashi thought, as Obito’s eye burned under his hitai-ate.

Through the hall, out the door, into open air, and Kakashi stopped to breathe past the lump in his throat. When he thought he could manage words that didn’t bite at the world like his summons could, he tried another deflection. “So, how was your mission?”

“Weird.” Naruto stated with emphasis, coming up beside him and peering at him through squinted eyes, as if that might help him make sense of the world. Kakashi felt a stab of unkind pity for the poor boy’s naivety. Another deep breath, to help him shove those feelings down deep. They weren’t fair. Naruto had lost just as much as Kakashi had. He knew just how little sense the world could make when it wanted to be cruel, and he was still trying.

“Oh? Weird how?” Kakashi prompted, clinging to the conversation that had nothing to do with ghosts like it as a lifeline.

Naruto screwed up his face as he thought. “It was just weird. Like, like that genjutsu that makes you think your enemy is moving just a little bit after they actually do?” He offered, scratching at his head. Kakashi was fairly sure Naruto wasn’t hinting that he was under a genjutsu, but he reached out and sent a little pulse of his chakra through the air and Naruto’s system anyway. There was no tell-tale shattering of foreign chakra.

“No genjutsus here.” Kakashi told him, with a decent attempt at cavalier brightness.

Naruto nodded. “That’s what Sakura said as well.” He agreed.

Sakura. Not Sakura-chan. Kakashi took another look at Naruto, considering what the boy had said. Like a genjutsu, but not, and he’d been feeling this while he was on the mission, in enemy territory, spying on one of the Sannin. And the first thing he’d done when he’d gotten back – because he couldn’t have been back long, with the expected timeframe of the mission – was break into the Hatake clan compound. Well, no, the first thing he’d done had been to change his appearance, and then he’d broken into Kakashi’s childhood home.

Compulsion seal?

Kakashi pressed his lips together and shook that thought, examined it from all angles. He’d been seeing a lot of ghosts today, so there was every possibility he was just jumping to conclusions, seeing yet another ghost where he didn’t actually have reason, but… But if he did have reason, and he missed it, just because he didn’t want to seem paranoid, he would never forgive himself. Especially since it was Naruto, the one who carried all those other ghosts of Kakashi’s.

He needed to test the compulsion. The only action of Naruto’s that seemed dangerous, and not just a subtle cry for someone to notice that something wasn’t right, was the breaking and entering. It was plausible that Naruto had just wanted to prank him, but for him to do so only hours after returning from a mission was unlikely. And Kakashi had found him in that room, when he’d already searched the living room, and possibly the kitchen, too. Later, Kakashi would check to see what had been disturbed. He really didn’t think he was going to find pranks.

“How about we get some ramen?” Kakashi suggested. “My treat.” His wallet was going to hate him, but it was for a worthy cause.

“Yeah!” Naruto enthused, punching the air. “Come on, come on! Hurry up!”

“Maa, slow down, Naruto.” Kakashi retorted, deliberately slowing his pace to a lazy stroll. It earned him a stink-eye, to which he responded with an oblivious eye-smile. “So… why do you want to know about my father?” He asked, when he gauged that Naruto’s guard had been suitably lowered.

Naruto did the smallest of double-takes. “I… thought you didn’t want to talk about that.” He said finally, quietly, unlike himself.

Was that another clue, Naruto sneaking around a compulsion seal to tell Kakashi not to tell him what happened without going head-on against the seal? It wasn’t like Naruto to come at things sideways like that, but on the other hand, if it was the only way for him to fight the seal – it wasn’t the only way, but Kakashi prayed Naruto didn’t figure that out – Naruto would throw himself headlong into finding ways to say what he meant, even if he couldn’t say what he meant.

“I don’t.” Kakashi acknowledged. “But I am curious as to why I found you there, today of all days.”

Naruto blinked. “Today? Why is today special?”

“It’s the anniversary.” Kakashi lied. It would do no harm if Naruto was fine, but if he had a puppet master, feeding them false information couldn’t hurt.

Naruto winced and looked down. “Shit. I’m sorry. Is that where you were, before I-” He coughed and looked away, embarrassed. “At the grave, I mean, paying your respects?”

“Mm. Does it matter?” Kakashi asked lightly.

The look Naruto gave him was sceptical. “Well yeah.” He insisted. “That was shitty of me.” He paused, then offered Kakashi a tentative smile. “Maybe, after ramen, we could go back?”

“We?” Kakashi echoed.

“Yeah.” Naruto nodded, looking hopeful. “I’d like to pay my respects, too, you know.”

That was hard to believe, honestly. Kakashi turned that over in his mind. First the scene of his father’s death, then his father’s grave? Why was Naruto trying so hard to investigate all that was left of Hatake Sakumo? “Why?” Kakashi asked bluntly. “It’s not as though you could have known him. He died long before you were born.”

Naruto looked away at that, shrugging awkwardly. “He raised you, didn’t he?” He asked, though it sounded more like a deflection. Like he was avoiding a straight answer, for some reason. The main reasons to avoid giving straight answers were if you didn’t know the answer, or if you wanted to lie and didn’t want to get caught by someone who helped out at T&I on the weekends.

And Naruto can’t not know the answer, because that question was about his own motivations, Kakashi thought. So perhaps this wasn’t a compulsion seal after all, but an imitation. Someone had gotten a hook in Naruto, enough to know how he behaved for the most part, but this wasn’t Naruto. It was someone else, who needed to lie about their reasons for wanting to visit Kakashi’s father’s grave.

“Oh, well. Perhaps after ramen.” Kakashi agreed, just to close the subject. It might even make a good excuse to stop in at the flower shop and let Intelligence know something was wrong. He could probably use some backup on this one, since he’d never really been a spy. Konoha’s Copy-Nin was just a bit too high-profile for that kind of work.

That wasn’t to say he couldn’t do it. And he would. He certainly wasn’t going to let Intelligence shuffle him out of the way and tell him to leave it to them. No. Someone – or someones – unknown had used Naruto to dig into his father’s history. That was stepping on just about every last button Kakashi had, that made it personal, and Kakashi wanted a leading role in finding them, wringing the truth out of them, and then disposing of them in a highly permanent manner.

#Naruto #Team Seven #Uzumaki Naruto #Hatake Kakashi #Familiar Strangers #poor Kakashi #I just want him to be happy #she says as she tortures him some more #eheh #and poor Naruto #that was a nasty shock for him there

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