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saintrocklee · 2 years

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title: Need prompt: I’ll fight the bad dreams off if they come to get you pairing: itachi x reader publish date: 09.08.22 non-massacre AU

“Why are you here?”

“To see you.”

dedication: to anon; who asked for this prompt like three decades ago. i love you dearly & i am so sorry. i hope the wait was worth it. warnings: none! just pure fluff & a sprinkle of angst. itachi is, in my bestie @chanfictions words, “an aloof house cat.” we love that for him.

The chill from the early morning’s air has the hair on your arms rising, but you don’t move. You’re waiting for the sun to fully come up, so you can climb back into your apartment window and sleep. Sleeping in the dark was difficult after missions; the weight of the things you’ve done seemed heavier at night.

There’s an irritating itch on your neck and you distantly think it might be some blood you missed, so maybe you’ll shower before you crawl into bed. Your latest mission plays back on a loop and you can barely hold in the cringe that comes with remembering what you did. Typically an assignment like that would require some form of comfort from your team afterwards. A quick lunch. A light training session. But they’re all out of the village and you don’t think you have the required energy to go and find anyone else to lean on.

Someone specific came to mind, but you quickly dismiss the thought. You hadn’t seen your old friend in weeks and you know clan duties on top of whatever the ANBU required of him left him out of the village for days at a time. You were busy as well, and you didn’t seek him out as much as you used to. There was a confusing swell of feelings in your chest regarding the man in question and you weren’t in the mood to try and sort them all out. So you let the divide between you two fester. Grow.

Maybe one day you’d process your feelings. Maybe you’d even speak to him about them. Not today though. Not for awhile.

You’re not sure if you’re being protective of yourself, or a coward. Probably both.

It’s crippling, the loneliness that seems to gut you in this moment. You’re not used to sitting still like this, to being stagnant. Just a rare moment, that you’re separated from your teammates and friends, with nothing pressing to attend to.

And your successful mission, replaying on a loop.

The blood, the pleas. This one will haunt you for awhile. Your brain is starting to buzz, to tune everything out, and you think you’ll get a moment of peace while the sun finishes rising.

You hear him before you sense him.

“I didn’t know you’d be back so early.”

The silk in his voice is deeper than you remembered. As always, it settles right under your lungs, and you can already feel the warmth start to spread through your chest. His arrival was completely silent, and you idly wonder how long he’d been standing behind you.

“Keeping tabs on me?” You ask dully, your eyes not once leaving the view in front of you. The sun was just about to peak above the surface and you didn’t want to miss it. You’d been waiting for awhile for it to come up.

Itachi settles himself down next to you and it takes more control than you thought for you to not immediately turn toward him. You’ve found that your last few encounters have been more heartbreaking for you than you’d anticipated, and the storm of feelings you’ve kept a lid on for years begins to swirl.

“Your mission was successful, I take it?” He evades your question easily, which typically meant that he had information he didn’t want you to know. That he was keeping something from you.

If you were less tired, you’d dig your heels in. Instead, you shrug.

It’s quiet between you two for a moment as the sun continues to rise, until Itachi breaks it with another question.

“What do you need?”

He asks it quietly, seriously, and it blooms butterflies in your chest. It’s a question that defines your friendship, a question that is only asked when the other is in visible need of help. You’ve lost count of how many times Itachi has saved you from yourself by asking. There’s a lump forming in your throat and it hits you, right then, how much you’ve missed him.

You wished it was strictly platonic.

“I can’t stop seeing them.” You whisper back, hating the way your voice cracks. You’re greeted with more silence before Itachi stands. The sun has now broken through the surface so you turn your head to finally look at him. He’s devastatingly beautiful as always, and the early morning hues only add to it. He doesn’t have his Sharigan activated, and his hair is tied back at the base of his neck like always. The soft look he’s giving you leaves you feeling a bit breathless, and you find yourself trying to memorize him in that moment.

He reaches a hand out to you and you take it, sliding your fingers along his palm before he tightens his hold and helps pull you up. You wait for him to drop your hand, but he continues to pull until you’re standing close; too close to be socially appropriate. His eyes flick to your neck, to the dried blood that’s no doubt spattered there, and they trail down slowly. You think he might be looking for more, all while his thumb starts to lightly rub the skin on top of your hand.

“You need a shower, and then we’ll have breakfast.” He states and you frown in response. Itachi, of course, notices immediately and his thumb stops it’s slow caress.

“You don’t need to stay.” Your words are still quiet, like your voice has forgotten how to be strong. Loud. The look you receive is borderline chastising.

“But I will.” He counters, and you feel your lips tug upward without your permission. He drops your hand and takes a step back, to give you room to climb down. You look at him for a moment and nod, feeling very grateful and not as lonely as you did before.

“Thank you.”

A few days go by before he comes to you again. This time you’re inside your apartment, deep cleaning your horribly disgusting kitchen. You hardly used the damn thing, yet dust seemed adamant on collecting there, and your fridge was a disaster. You’re almost done when you hear your window opening and turn with a frown, only to be met with Itachi climbing into your living room. In his ANBU uniform. Covered in what you hope is dirt.

“Itachi?” You call out, moving from the small space of your kitchen. His feet meet your carpet and he stands, only to sway slightly which sets off warning bells in your head. You move to his side immediately and steady him with your arm around his waist. He leans into you, furthering deepening your panic, and you move him to your couch. Itachi sits down harder than normal, almost like he’s collapsing into it, and tilts his head back with a soft groan. There’s blood and dirt caked to him and his uniform like a second skin, and you crouch down in front of him.

“Are you hurt?” You ask hurriedly, looking for any signs of fresh blood to signify that he was actively bleeding. You’re answered with what sounds like a negative grunt and you frown, eyes flicking upward to look at his face. He’s still got his head resting against the back of your couch, eyes closed, leaving his neck completely exposed. It’s a rare sight indeed, to see Itachi Uchiha so open like this, and his voice is slow when he speaks again.

“I overexerted myself.”

Okay. That explained why he practically stumbled into your apartment. It didn’t explain anything else.

“And you’re here and not at the hospital because ... ?”

Itachi finally moves his head up, only to look down at you with a cocked eyebrow. Like it should be obvious. Like you were the one being ridiculous.

You’d strangle him if you thought you could move fast enough. But you’re still concerned, because if Itachi came to you then that meant something was wrong.

“What do you need?” You ask, your tone dipping into something more serious. The cocky brow relaxes itself and Itachi stares at you with a tired, almost numb look. He doesn’t answer, and if you’re being truthful he never really did when you asked. But you know what he needs. He needed to stay, to not be around his clan or doctors or the Hokage or anyone else.

He needed to be left alone.

You nod once you understand.

“Okay. I was just about to heat up some dinner, but if you’re going to be here you need to shower. You smell horrible.”

You stand and can’t help but smile when you’re greeted with an amused snort. Good. Normalcy. You move back to your kitchen, missing the way Itachi’s eyes follow you and the small, tired smile on his own face.

It strikes you as odd, when you run into Itachi yet again only a couple days later. This time you find him, standing on top of your apartment building. You’d sensed him when you were walking home, and if there was one thing you knew about Itachi - he only let someone sense him when he wanted them to.

He’s giving you a choice you realize as you maneuver yourself to the roof. You could have easily gone into your apartment and ignored him, but that was silly.

You’d never do that.

His back is to you when you finally see him and you stop when you’re only a few feet away from him.

“Hey.” You call out, and he turns his head to glance at you. He raises that elegant brow expectantly and you shake your head as you continue to move forward, till you’re standing next to him.

“Hello.” He greets and you shoot him an amused look.

“Care to explain why you’re on my roof, Itachi?”

He glances around, brow furrowing, before turning his full body to face you.

“I didn’t realize you owned this building.”

His retort pulls a chuckle out of you and you watch as his mouth curls into a smirk.

“Funny. You should quit your day job, take your jokes on the road.”

Amusement sparkles in his eyes.

“Would you join me, if I did?”

You’re taken aback by his question and try not to show it on your face.

“Can’t. I’m too busy owning the building.”

Your comeback is lame and a bit breathless. Itachi hums, cocking his head ever so slightly as he considers you. You’re not sure what exactly he’s looking for or even looking at, and decide to try and question him again.

“Seriously though. Why are you here?”

“To see you.”

The bold bluntness of his statement sends you reeling. You blink dumbly and swallow at the way his face changes. Almost as if he’s relaxing. His eyes turn softer as they meet your own and the butterflies you kept carefully hidden were starting to escape and make a mess of your insides.

“We’ve seen each other a lot lately.” You murmur, hoping he answers the unspoken question. Why? Why did he want to see you? Why did he seem to be around more? Did something change?

But Itachi never did anything unless he wanted to, never answered a question he didn’t feel like answering, and his next smile shows teeth.

“Yes.” He agrees easily, much to your disappointment.

Your face falls into a deadpan and you shake your head in amusement as well as frustration.

“Come on in then, you can make yourself some tea. I’ve got laundry to fold, so don’t expect me to be very entertaining.”

Itachi hums and follows you down, that smirk still present on his face.

You’re so tired you think you might collapse before you can open your door. The keys in your hand are fairly uncomplicated but your fingers aren’t cooperating and you watch as they slip out of your hands and fall to the ground. You’d just finished another mission and had to spend what felt like hours at the hospital. One of your teammates was exposed to a toxin and they needed to do blood tests on all of you, as well as scrub you clean, before you could leave. Your hair was still wet and the borrowed clothes you had on were too big, leaving you uncomfortable and cold.

And now your keys were on the floor.

You bend to pick them up when your door creaks open. You freeze and snap your head up, only to be greeted by Itachi standing in your doorway. Inside of your apartment. His hair is pulled back but he’s missing his forehead protector and is dressed in what you can only describe as civilian clothing. Your brain and body feel like they’re lagging as you stand slowly and the noise that comes out of your mouth is confused. Itachi arches a brow and moves to the side, allowing you entry, and you walk in before turning to watch him close and lock your door behind you.

“What are you ...” Your questions trails off into nothing as he carefully takes your keys and pack from you, setting them on your kitchen counter like he did this everyday. You blink, your brain still trying to catch up with everything, and Itachi speaks - his voice like sweet honey in your ears.

“You’re exhausted.”

It’s a question that wasn’t a question. You blink again.

“Long mission.” You reply distractedly as he moves toward you, hands coming to rest on your back and elbow.

“You were due back sooner.”

You frown in response. How did he know that?

“Got held up at the hospital. Why are you here?”

Itachi hums in that annoying way of his as he presses you towards your bedroom, his thumb beginning to slowly stroke the small of your back through your thin, borrowed shirt. He hadn’t bothered to turn any of your lamps on and the setting sun shining through your blinds is the only source of light throughout your small apartment.

“To see you.”

You’d roll your eyes if you were positive they’d stay in your head.

“Did you break in?”

There’s a snort from somewhere behind you.

“You’d need adequate locks to define entering your home as breaking in.”

You snort tiredly and feel your shoulders sag when your bed comes into view. Yes, yes, yes. Perfect.

“Still.” You mutter, kicking off the sandals you loaned from the hospital into the corner. Itachi lets go of your elbow but keeps his hand on your back, thumb still stroking you through your shirt. It felt nice and grounded you enough to press him again for some kind of answer.

“Why are you here to see me?”

His movements stop and you turn your head to look at him. His gaze is focused on your bed, his head turning towards you before his eyes do. The hand on your back moves to the side of your face, and you freeze as he curls a finger through your damp hair. It sends a jolt of electricity through you, offering you clarity where you previously had non.

Itachi was in your apartment. Itachi had been waiting for you. Itachi had, once again, sought you out. You bring your own hand up to rest on his forearm.

“What do you need?”

His shoulders settle at your question, as if he’s been waiting for you to ask. His hand leaves your hair to hang limply at his side, causing your own hand to drop.

“To stay.”

You inhale slowly at his words, their meaning settling heavy on you. Your hand twitches forward, brushing his own, and you find yourself searching his eyes. They’re so dark, bottomless, and tired. You nod slowly, realizing that his request is something you both need.

“Okay.”

Your voice cracks and you swallow, taking a step back toward your bed. He follows, as if on autopilot, and soon you’re both under the comforter facing each other. It’s not as awkward as you thought it would be, and the annoying flutter of wings in your tummy is beating a ferocious rhythm inside of you. You’re physically tired, but your brain has woken itself up since arriving back home, and you consider the man in front of you carefully.

“What’s going on?” You question softly and Itachi regards you with a serious look. The darker oranges and reds coming from your window bathe him in a soft light and you can pick out each individual hair on his head, each individual lash above his eyes. He’s truly beautiful, handsome in a heartbreaking sort of way, and you almost miss his response.

“I had a dream you died.”

It takes you a full second to register what he said, and your mouth parts in surprise.

“When?”

“Several weeks ago.” He pauses, eyes unfocusing like he was remembering. “It was ... unpleasant.”

You frown and move your hand to cup his face. He lets you, even closes his eyes at the contact, and your chest swells.

“I’m sorry.” You offer quietly, brushing your thumb over his cheekbone. This dream obviously disturbed him deeply, and you wonder if that’s the reason for all the sudden visits. He hums and you’re distantly reminded of a cat purring while being pet. It makes you smile.

“It’s my apology you should be accepting. I’ve been a coward.”

Your thumb halts it’s movement and your smile fades.

“A coward?” You echo, confusion evident. Itachi opens his eyes, holding your gaze with a serious look.

“I purposefully distanced myself from you.”

The warmth in your chest halts and you feel what feels like ice start to prickle at your fingers. You had just thought he was busy, that you were both just busy, and to know he did it on purpose ...

“Why?”

You want to keep the hurt from showing but you can’t hide the way your voice wavers. Itachi doesn’t move, doesn’t turn his gaze away, and his tone turns to honey, to silk wrapped in velvet.

“Because of my feelings for you.”

Oh.

You open your mouth to ... respond? Gasp? Laugh? Yell? To do anything but freeze, which was what you were currently doing. Your brain had turned into mush, your body was collapsing in on itself, and your heart and lungs were somehow tightening but also moving at an impossible place.

Because of my feelings for you.

Itachi seems minutely amused by your reaction and turns his head to brush his lips against your fingers.

“I have dreamt of you often, these past few months. It was foolish to avoid you, to try and create distance where none was needed. It took seeing you broken and dying to realize my mistake. My hope is that you will forgive me, with time. I have tried to make it up to you, to ease back into the friendship we once had, but I find myself wanting more.”

You’re pretty sure you’ve stopped breathing. He turns his head to meet your gaze again.

“It’s becoming increasingly difficult, to be away from you.”

Okay, yes. You’ve definitely stopped breathing.

Itachi pauses, to give you time to absorb his words, before speaking again.

“If I am being too forward, you may tell me.”

You blink.

“It’s not ...” You start, frowning at the way you’ve just decided to lose all ability to think. Or talk. You pull your hand away to rest on the bed in between you and start again, fingers digging into your sheets.

“I’m ... processing.” You answer, lowering your gaze. You can’t keep looking at him if you want to be able to formulate actual words. He says nothing in response, giving you time to think, and you eventually speak again.

“I think I’ve loved you for a very long time.” You start, still unable to look at him. You feel him stiffen next to you and find yourself taking a deep breath before continuing.

“I understand, though. I’ve been avoiding you too, I think. Caring for someone in our line of work can be damning. It can end horribly, or never even begin. I think we were both cowards, in a way. I also think you’re a bit of an ass, but that’s more of a fact than an opinion.” A breathy chuckle interrupts you and you smile softly, eyes floating upwards to meet his again.

“I think that you can stay … however long you’d like.”

Itachi’s eyes flick down to your mouth and stay there as he responds.

“I’d like that.”

You smile and try to fight against the heavy weight currently making itself at home on your eyelids. Sleep was calling your name urgently and you fight back a yawn. There’s another breathy chuckle in your ear and it takes you a moment to realize Itachi had moved closer, even going so far as to loosely wrap an arm around your waist. His fingers are trailing soft patterns against your back and you press yourself into his chest, deciding that anything else can wait until tomorrow.

“Sleep.” You murmur into his collarbone with a smile, “I’ll fight the bad dreams off if they come to get you.”

Itachi hums a tired laugh and you feel something soft brush against your forehead as you drift off into an easy sleep.

#i love him your honor!!!!#itachi uchiha x you #itachi uchiha x reader #itachi uchiha fanfic #itachi x reader #itachi x you #itachi drabble #itachi fanfiction #ask prompt #anon bby this is for YOU

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butter--peanut · 2 years

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fic snippet: Kakashi’s mental health and Obito’s stalkerish way of helping (642 words, angsty, t)

On Kakashi’s latest mission with ANBU, he’d killed dozens of nin — many younger than his own nineteen years — and one of his own teammates had been killed in the process.

Obito had watched the mission grimly, hidden in Kamui, and he continued to watch as Kakashi returned to Konoha, gave his mission report to the Sandaime, and then stood by the memorial stone until midnight, motionless but for the slight sway of his exhausted body in light wind.

When the moon ran high and all law-abiding Konohans had long ago crept to blissful slumber, dress rehearsals for the main show that Obito would bring to them, Kakashi returned like a dog to a kennel to the tiny corner of the Hatake estate that he slept in. There he promptly threw up in the sink. After expelling his stomach, he turned on the tap and washed the meagre remains of his ration bars down the drain, then kept the water running and started to scrub his hands. He scrubbed far longer than needed to wash the traces of vomit away. The water turned hot and steam started to rise from the sink, and Kakashi’s hands were turning red and raw from the scrubbing and the heat. His head hung over the sink. From his left eye saltwater dripped down, unnoticeable if not for Obito’s Sharingan.

“It won’t go away,” Kakashi said to himself.

He scrubbed futilely for a minute more, then gave up. He staggered to his futon and lay down and huddled over his blanket, and there he started to sob, fist pressed into his mouth to stifle any sound, body curved around himself in a ball like he was trying to give himself comfort.

It was good to watch this. It emphasised that everything was wrong in the world and everything that Obito was doing with his life was correct. Kakashi was a pathetic hero, crying out to be offered a pathway where he wouldn’t have to hurt other people. That would never be a path he could take. He was a Shinobi, he was a weapon, he was a friend killer.

It was good to watch this, but Obito couldn’t watch any longer.

He stepped through the Kamui portal, and Kakashi wasn’t so lost to the world that he didn’t notice. With only a fraction of a second of surprise, he threw himself up to standing, left hand gripping right wrist, Sharingan meeting Sharingan.

Kakashi’s eyes glazed, caught in Obito’s genjutsu.

His hands returned to rest by his side. His breath began to even out.

Obito sent his mask back to Kamui; it was no longer necessary. He stepped forward until he was standing in front of Kakashi, who was staring into the middle distance.

Obito took Kakashi’s hands in his own and brought them up to his lips. He kissed the fingers of Kakashi’s left hand, then his right. He could feel the abraded skin from the excessive scrubbing. Kakashi’s fingers trembled in his palm.

“C’mon,” Obito encouraged. “Let’s get you to bed.”

He pulled off the covers and helped Kakashi to lie down, on his side, facing away from Obito. Then Obito lay behind him, wrapping his arms around Kakashi’s waist. Kakashi was cold, but Obito had always run warm, and after several minutes by his side Obito could feel Kakashi’s body temperature start to rise.

“It’s going to be okay,” Obito murmured against Kakashi’s ear, Kakashi’s hair tickling his nose. “This won’t last forever, I promise you. One day, your friends will come back, all of them. Your family too. Believe me, Kakashi: you’re going to be at peace again. Believe me tonight, even if you forget tomorrow.”

Slowly, the shaking stilled. The tension along Kakashi’s spine began to ease. And, eventually, Kakashi slept.

Obito stayed by his side, making sure that there were no nightmares tonight.

#bp shortfic #extended from a scene in last act ch3 #this was originally meant to be one of the trope prompts but the mood didn't fit the prompt #I have many feels about obito trying to care for kks in his own fucked up way #kkob #kakaobi #obkk #obikaka

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vulpisnocturna · 10 months

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Hello darling ☺️ I have this question imagine if there is no Uchiha massacre and Reiko was raised among her parents and brother how her life would be and if her and itachi will still be together and is their chemistry will be the same or will be something different also what about izumi I know it's a bit long but I love your writing and I couldn't help imagine but having questions if Reiko was raised in a different way lots of love 💖

Hi lovely, thank you so much <3 It's such an interesting ask, I honestly think it could make a story, but I will try to list a few changes. And there's A LOT. So bear with me as I sort through my thoughts (and fail miserably).

Itachi and Reiko would go to the Academy together. Minato, as the Hokage, would push for the minimum graduation age to be ten years old, because children younger than that should not be sent to fight (this is a Third Hokage diss account and I do not care). Itachi gets to have a childhood, and even though he is too good for the Academy, he hangs out with Shisui after school and Izumi and Reiko at the Academy.

He sees Reiko quite often, because Mikoto and Kushina are best friends. He thinks she's very loud and enthusiastic, and he would like to be friends with her, but he's too shy to ask her and she's a bit too hotheaded. He's scared she'll tease him. She wonders why he's always staring at her with a blank expression and thinks he's a know-it-all nerd who thinks she's weak or stupid. She chooses him as her rival because why not, Uchiha and Uzumaki do be like that

She'd be a lot stronger. Minato and Kushina training her means she gets to hone her techniques early in life. Despite that, she's bored at the Academy and gets distracted easily, so the theory isn't her forte. She gets scolded often for being fidgety, not listening, forgetting her homework. Itachi offers to help her, but she's too stubborn to accept. Itachi, the poor soul, is hurt :(

They graduate together at ten and get put in the same team. She thinks he's a show off and regularly challenges him to fights (he wins, because he's Uchiha mf Itachi, but she puts up a good fight)

The village doesn't treat her and Naruto very nicely behind Minato’s back, due to their jinchuriki status (Minato and Kushina managed to survive the night of the Kyuubi attack and she sealed the Kyuubi with her fuinjutsu), and Itachi sees it and feels very strongly about the unfairness of it. He tries to talk to her about it, and Reiko is very surprised he would even notice

Itachi likes how protective she is of her little brother, it reminds him of himself. Naruto and Reiko have a great relationship, they're the village clowns basically, always pranking their parents and training together.

Their teammate ends up getting killed by Obito and Itachi awakens his sharingan

Itachi and Reiko tend to have a bumpy relationship, they are best friends but they bicker quite a lot. She's very competitive, but also they can just sit and talk for hours

Itachi joins the ANBU when he's fifteen, and they see each other less and less. Izumi also joins the ANBU, and they get together. When Izumi ends up dying on a mission when they're 18, Itachi awakens the Mangekyo. He's crushed and ends up spiralling into depression. He leaves the ANBU.

Reiko gets paired with him one day on a mission, and she sees how much different he's become. She tries to stay close to him, not wanting him to be alone or fall into hatred and depression

He's grateful for her presence, but he can't get himself to get closer to someone else, he's terrified of losing anyone else

But Reiko has a way of being stubborn and she keeps checking up on him, trying to lift his mood and be there for him

She starts to have feelings for him, but she keeps them to herself, scared of being rejected or that he might distance himself and then he'd end up falling back into his depression

In the end, Itachi can't help falling for her, and although he's terrified, he knows she's strong and he vows he will protect her with his life

That's all that comes to mind at the moment, don't hesitate to drop asks! :))

#writing #archive of our own #fanfiction #naruto #my fic #uzumaki oc #itachi #creative writing #uchiha itachi #unsealed memories fic #reiko uzumaki

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electrasev5nwrites · 10 months

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Ninja Daily: Vapors 98

"Are you sure my presence is going to be much of a deterrent?" Jiraiya sighed, stretching the ankle that was crossed over his knee. Tsunade's lips thinned slightly, but she didn't say anything. He tried again, raising his voice slightly. "If I didn't know better, I would say that you were just trying to keep me within Konoha. Are you afraid I'm going to do something stupid like walk into Ame and try to talk Konan down?"

His tone was placid, but Tsunade knew it hid an element of danger. He was emotionally compromised. He knew it, she knew it- hell, Keiko probably knew it, although her poker face had become exponentially better in the course of her employment.

That didn't mean he would react well to her admitting that yes, she was at least partially motivated by fear that he would get his fool head bashed in because that was what happened when fools rushed in.

"What do you think the Tsuchikage is thinking, if he is at all?" she said instead, conjuring up more irritation than she really felt for the missive she had received pressuring and shaming Konoha. He couldn't really believe that Konoha was more liable for their traitors' behavior than anyone else was. It was unprecedented to hold a missing nin's country of origin responsible for their crimes, after they'd been disowned. But Oonoki was trying to force Konoha to pay reparations for what Orochimaru had done years after he had been branded a dissident- something about that damn base in Grass country?

Jiraiya took the bait for now and shrugged.

"Probably wants to get the first rhetorical blow in, before you accuse him of espionage. Now if you retaliate, it just looks like you're pissed that he wants you to take responsibility for what Orochimaru did in foreign countries."

She had already guessed as much. That didn't make it any less annoying.

"What a moron," Tsunade groused, fanning herself with the letter she'd been reading. "As if I'm just anxious to get into another international problem when we already have Akatsuki on our hands. He's really not that important."

Inwardly, she winced. Even when she was trying to change the topic, she couldn't help but reference the organization that was making her old teammate so broody. It wasn't as if their previous subject –Orochimaru- had ceased to be a sore spot either, but he was long past the point of being saved. Konan was too, but if she knew her teammate he was retaining the hope that if he could just talk to his old student she could be persuaded to leave Akatsuki.

Jiraiya was understandably torn up about discovering that someone he had long mourned was in fact alive and associated with a terrorist organization that had vowed to murder one of his godchildren and had assaulted the other godchild. It was the sort of awkward revelation that you couldn't quite look past, no matter how much you liked a person.

She hadn't entirely been lying when she said she hoped that his presence in the city would deter this 'Tobi' from coming back to harass Aiko. If he had really just wanted to take her with him, he would have.

No, that incident had been about something else. It was quite probably meant for someone else. Tobi had stated his intentions, terrified the teen, and batted around an entire ANBU squad to make the point that he could do as he pleased. It might be a play against Jiraiya in specific, or perhaps Aiko's captain- Kakashi had a lot of enemies. Or Tobi might just be picking a high-value target with a decent reputation to make the point that he was powerful to enhance his own reputation.

For the moment, she was acting on the hypothesis that Tobi hadn't necessarily been bluffing about returning. He might be back, if only because failing to follow through would undermine the effect of his first foray into Konoha. If that happened, it would be better to have another s-class shinobi on hand. It wasn't like Jiraiya found spending time with his goddaughter to be much of a trial. They'd shared several meals while he'd been back from what Tsunade had half-heartedly heard while busy in her own work.

"Hime, you can't keep me here forever. I'm of a lot more use in the field and you know it."

She was saved from having to come up with a response by the blur of movement that occurred when Aiko used Hiraishin to flicker into the office and then immediately ducked and rolled away, popping back up on the floor with the strangely wary expression she used when returning from foreign offices.

'I only tried to swat her the once,' Tsunade thought rather sulkily. It was just a reflex to hit ninja that suddenly appeared a few feet away.

"Tsunade-sama, the Mizukage would like aid." Her voice was unusually high, and Aiko all but ran her words together. Tsunade idly noted that one of her bangs appeared to be scorched, much more interested in the content of the girl's words. Jiraiya had perked up in obvious interest. "She called me because her rebels or dissidents or whatever took note that half her Jounin were out surrounding Ame and they're trying a coup."

"Well, there's your field work," Tsunade noted with biting irony to her old partner. She snapped her fingers—and the ANBU stepped into sight, ready for orders. "Put the village on lockdown, and make sure Shizune knows what's going on. I'm going to go take care of this personally."

It was largely her fault that so many had been deployed to Ame, after all. Or her responsibility, rather. She couldn't fail to come to her allies' aid, but nor did she have the excess of powerful teams on standby to be deployed at the moment. There was no point in risking genin teams on this. No. Three S-class shinobi were standing right in the office, and that was the kind of backup that could make a significant difference in a pinch.

"Aiko-chan, would you be a darling and take us to the Mizukage?" She straightened her haori, wiggled her feet inside her heels, and strode over to the girl even as Jiraiya held out an arm gallantly.

Aiko looked downright confused at their lack of urgency, but gamely slid her hand under her godfather's arm. That was one of the things that separated the experienced shinobi from new shinobi. Worrying wouldn't speed their feet, and they had fought in so many battles that this was just another day out. In contrast… this would probably be Aiko's first large scale battle, wouldn't it? The great nations had been hanging in tenuous peace for so long that the closest thing she'd have experienced would have been border problems. "Come on now," Tsunade added gently, placing a hand on Aiko's shoulder. "Is this enough conta-"

She cut off her own sentence, because they were suddenly a continent away and in the middle of a firefight. The Mizukage appeared to be strangling a young man with her bare hands. Her fidgety bodyguard was fending off some scar-faced swordswoman, but the older bodyguard was nowhere to be seen.

"That was fast!" Terumi called out, sounding not exactly cheerful but not stressed either. The tension in her jaw showed the lie. "I'm afraid that they haven't donned a convenient uniform, so I've just been killing the ones that attack me. That should work for you as well, since they'll know that Konoha nin are my allies."

"Sounds acceptable," Tsunade replied, peering around her surroundings with interest.

At her voice, Terumi actually jerked around to verify the identities of her backup, mouth hanging open. She dropped her prey and shook her head slightly. "Well, this I didn't ex-"

She was cut off by the imaginative shriek of "harlot!" from a new opponent and then the Mizukage was distracted by another fight.

"Nice place they have here," Jiraiya deadpanned.

It looked like hell. Blood was running in the gutters from uphill, which didn't bode well for that residential district. Most of the doors were fastened shut as if civilians were cowering inside, but some had clearly been burnt and then put out with powerful water jutsu. The destroyed building faces were better than a gutted ash pit of a city, but they weren't going to do anything for Mist's tourism.

Tsunade and Jiraiya stayed together, falling back into their old teamwork with the precision and grace of two expert musicians playing a familiar tune. The Mizukage hadn't been wrong when she said that fights would come to them as they basically steamrolled through the village with the Mizukage, clearing streets and breaking up the other fights they found. After a while, Tsunade noted that Aiko was darting ahead of the small group of powerhouses.

"Do you think she painted her kunai with nail polish, or does someone actually sell those?" Jiraiya sounded mildly pained. He was paying more attention to his goddaughter's strange antics than his own fight. After a while, it did get repetitive to smack down C and B class shinobi who really didn't stand a chance.

"Oh, dear," Mei's sissy swordsman breathed, clearly having overheard and then turned to see what Aiko was doing. He had looked just in time to see her dart through a line of the rebels that crowded the streets (the loyalists had figured out mid-battle to re-tie their hitai-ites around their arms as identification). The way that everyone she passed erupted in localized explosions, sending blood spurting out in a wave behind her, was sort of beautiful, if macabre. But…

"Did you see her do more than touch any of them?" Mei asked, caught between amusement and curiosity.

Jiraiya had already turned back to his own fight and Tsunade said nothing. She hadn't seen Aiko touch most of them—but when she did, it was literally just a touch. Tsunade wouldn't be sharing that, though. It was good to be on peaceable terms with Kiri, but that didn't mean it was a good idea to help them dissemble a technique that was unique to Konoha. At least, she assumed it was unique to Konoha. It almost had to be Hiraishin-aided at the least.

Her hands were smeared with blood and her coat spotted with it, but Tsunade felt a grim sort of satisfaction when less than an hour's work confirmed that Kiri was still Terumi's village.

She had to cringe when Aiko found her way back to them, all but soaking in blood. There were semi-clean lines across her face where she'd clearly tried to wipe her nose and mouth clean, as well as her eyes, but it was unattractive at best. "Uzumaki, I think that you're going to have to perfect whatever it is you've been doing," she commented.

Aiko just shrugged. "I was doing well, and then I stupidly tried to go back for one I'd missed and was too close to an explosion," she explained without really explaining at all.

Tsunade let it slide. "Mizukage-dono!" she called out, striding towards where she had last seen the other woman.

After all that had been settled and they finally went home, Tsunade caught Aiko's arm and then jerked away, because the cold blood felt slimy under her fingertips. Uncaring that the office they had just teleported into was already occupied by Shizune, two ANBU, and a couple of slack-jawed idiots from the downstairs offices, she rather bluntly raised her question. "Uzumaki, what was that 'touch of death' monstrosity you had going on?"

The teenager blinked twice, and tugged on her shirt sleeve with her thumb and forefingers. "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean, Hokage-sama," she said in a tone that couldn't be more innocent. The image might have been convincing if she wasn't dripping blood on Tsunade's nice carpet.

Tsunade snorted loudly. "I'm sure," she said dryly. She waved the girl off, eyes flickering over to the people waiting for her attention. She had more immediate concerns than dragging technique details out of a reticent teenager. For all she knew, Aiko might claim it as a clan technique, in which case even the Hokage didn't have a right to an explanation.

'That was more than I had planned when I got up this morning.' Feeling the Mizukage calling her through her seal had put a pit of a damper on breakfast… come to think of it, how long had Sai waited for her to come back? She winced. He'd need an apology in the morning. Aiko had been all but sopping wet when she trudged out the Hokage's office—and then politely thought better of it, transporting herself directly to her apartment. She wrung the clothes out in her bathtub and then carted them directly to the washing machine, not caring if anyone saw her in her underwear on the brief trip. She might have gone to her safehouse instead, if she had gotten around to moving clothes over already. That outfit certainly wasn't going to be re-worn tonight.

Aiko let her head rest against the tile and tried to massage shampoo as deeply into her hair as possible to force out any hint of blood from clinging to her scalp. She ended up doing that three times before she was satisfied.

It was relatively easy to tag an opponent and move away before she destroyed the seal as well as the flesh it had been stuck to. She had done something similar while fighting Mukade's puppets, but she now knew that fighting a large group of people with that technique was a bit different. For starters, it got a lot messier.

'It didn't help that I was impulsive enough to move backwards,' Aiko noted with a little bit of humor at her own expense as she dressed. She had fallen into a routine, and then stupidly failed to adjust how long she was waiting to destroy the last seal she had set to compensate for the fact that she hadn't moved far enough away to clear the blood splatter.

She glanced down at her own hands, as if expecting to see that they were still covered in blood. They were immaculate, of course.

They shouldn't be. They were always bloody. All she ever did was kill people. How was it that Tsunade had described her variation on Hiraishin- a touch of death? Wasn't that the exact same phrase Kakashi had used months ago after he'd first seen it?

Apt.

A strange emptiness ripped through her chest, leaving her bereft and mildly shaken. What kind of person was she becoming? She didn't regret killing Shou or any number of other people. If she was in the same situation, she would make the same choices. But that didn't mean she was comfortable. God help her, she loved fighting, and thought of killing as something that was just attached. A side-effect that meant she'd done well on her mission. The fact that she wasn't wracked by self-hatred for that probably said something terrible about what kind of human being she was.

Her first eleven or so years in this world hadn't been like that. Mostly, they had been dull and repetitive. But there had been some sort of comfort in the daily maintenance required to keep house and raise Naruto. This world hadn't changed, but she had.

'I'm being stupid. I'd never be happy if I just quit to become a housewife or whatever.'

Aiko flopped down face-first on the couch, letting her right arm flop off the side and curling the left into her ribs. Still. It would be nice to remind herself that she was capable of doing something that wasn't destructive.

"Auurrgghhh!" She bared her teeth and made an incredibly hideous, aggressive groan into the couch cushion.

What was she trying to prove to herself? She'd had non-destructive hobbies before, and they hadn't solved anything. Re-writing children's stories and movies hadn't made her feel any better when she had started her actual work, except as a distraction.

Was she even capable of another doing anything else at this point? Tsunade had to be completely fucking mad to have entrusted her with Fukiko.

She paused, mulling over that line of thought.

Now she was mildly curious as to whether she was capable of doing something that was purely helpful. Like… medical ninjutsu, maybe. That wouldn't be a total waste of her time, would it? She wouldn't want to get good enough that she got pulled back to the support… as if that would happen at this point, she realized sheepishly. Still. She didn't want to be a medic nin, but wouldn't it be nice to be capable of at least patching herself up?

Aiko deliberately didn't think too deeply into what she was doing when she went straight to the archives that Tsunade had finally allowed her unilateral access to and dug around in a completely different section than usual. It absolutely was not allowed for her to take the material out of the building, but she didn't care. She unrolled a scroll on low level, incredibly basic medical ninjutsu—the kind of thing that Itachi had done to encourage her cuts to heal—and read it from top to bottom.

Then she went and scrubbed the blood off the bathroom tiles, because that scroll was god-awfully dull and she needed to do something a little more mentally stimulating to wake her up to the point where she was willing to try a new jutsu on herself.

With the bleach thoroughly washed off of her flesh, she settled down on her bed with the half-rolled scroll on her lap. Aiko stared blankly at it for a while, as if it would suddenly make some sort of intuitive sense. The first step was 'convert your chakra to medical chakra'. How the hell was she supposed to do that? She knew it came naturally to some people, and if there was an easier way of accomplishing such a thing, it would have been detailed. That just meant that either she had the aptitude or she didn't. Uncertainly, she read the thing again, as if inspiration would come. When it didn't, she rested her head in her hands and tried to think.

Okay. Her first approach wasn't working. Maybe it would make more sense to try converting her chakra once she had something in mind to heal? She did work a lot better with a goal. With that in mind, she unholstered a gleaming orange kunai and brought the tip down the inside curve of her left calf to make a thin scratch. With her constitution, it would heal overnight, if she couldn't fix it. Easily, she flicked the resulting blood off and put the blade away before channeling chakra to her right hand.

How hard could this be? Benign chakra. All she needed was chakra that didn't hurt anyone. Surely she was capable of that. Sasuke had managed that, for crap's sake, and he was hardly nice nurse material. Tons of people did this. Karin had managed to teach it to classes full of pre-genin. She didn't have to be the next Tsunade. She just had to be capable of making something that didn't hurt people.

She tried touching the cut with her water-natured chakra to get an understanding of what had to change. That didn't help. She tried to channel chakra from each of her gates in succession. She tried everything that seemed half-plausible and a dozen things that didn't. The little bit of blood seeping out of the scrape almost seemed to be taunting her. It took hours for her to admit defeat.

"Fine."

Feeling tired, Aiko let the energy she had been directing to her hand fade and straightened her back, lifting her head to stare unblinkingly up at the ceiling. Fine, she couldn't do it. Experiment conducted and failure. Her limbs had never felt so heavy, but she responsibly pulled her boots back on and went to return the scroll before anyone noted it missing. Then she went to her safehouse and slept.

That had been stupid. She should stick to what she was good at.

Still, the first thing she did when she woke up was hold her palm in front of her face and try to make it glow with minty chakra.

Konan took a deep breath, and carefully extracted a bit of water out of the paper flower in her hair to ensure that it was as crisp as possible. The dampness in Ame did her ninjutsu no favors, even if it was hardly crippling. Still, she had been feeling much better. The lingering sluggishness in her hip had just suddenly been gone last week.

She ceased fidgeting when she was joined by the more punctual among Akatsuki. Hidan trailed in almost last, sullen and reticent. He had been complaining about being confined to headquarters, but wasn't bold enough to disobey Pein. Still, his whining about the need to sacrifice to his god was becoming a nuisance.

It was as if all the air went out of the room when Pein graced them with his presence. Konan examined him fondly, eyes tracing the way that his regal posture made him seem intimidating and shying away from the reminder that he was using dead flesh to walk among them. It wasn't for a mortal to question her god. He was going to bring peace, even though he had to resort to military might to do it. His methods were his own, when the prize was so incontestably wonderful.

The only shame was that his servants had not been doing an adequate job enforcing his will. They still only had one bijuu.

"Zetsu and Tobi will retrieve the jinchuuriki of the four-tails."

Konan repressed a quirk of the lips at Pein's timely words. Others seemed less pleased, but held their tongues. They were learning, then. She had half-feared that Hidan would argue that he should be sent out. But Zetsu and Tobi could travel and accomplish this task with more expediency than another team.

"Kisame, you will be maintaining the rain in Ame in my absence."

Her amusement froze. That was the first she had heard of this. She waited patiently for the order to accompany him—she usually did. But that did not happen. He administered several warnings and reminders about what had to be done in his absence, the potential danger posed by the shinobi circling Ame (most of the men present seemed to roll their eyes) and then he said that she would be in charge in his absence.

Her heartbeat quickened. Had she displeased him?

As soon as they were alone, she dared to ask. "Pein-sama?"

He gave her an indulgent look, so she felt free to press forward.

"Where is it that you go?"

"Do not fear." He turned away dismissively, his cloak floating behind him. "I will be back soon for the extraction."

"Erp!"

Karin's mouth fell open and she sat straight up, inadvertently knocking over the med kit she had been painstakingly restocking.

"It's gone!" She looked at Sasuke with wide eyes, and put a hand to her chest.

He had no idea what she was talking about.

"That chakra signature," she snapped out, exasperated. "In the rain, it's just gone."

Kakashi had been twenty feet away, having just returned from a patrol route, but suddenly he was right by Karin's side. After a few moments, Yamato and Genma exchanged tired looks and followed him over.

"But the rain is still going," Naruto offered uneasily. "I thought that as long as it was being produced, you would sense that chakra. Does it just happen to be raining?"

"No," Karin said tersely. "Well, maybe. It could be natural rain, although I doubt it. I was sensing chakra in it before because it was actively being used to track. But it would take an extraordinarily skilled user to infuse water with her chakra, turn it into rain, and then maintain the connection even as the rain fell for hundreds of miles in each direction. That's why it was so shocking that the rain has been tinted with the same chakra for days. This… has no chakra in it. A skilled user could be infusing water with their chakra and saturating the atmosphere until it rained by taking advantage of natural processes to compensate for not being… you know," Karin shrugged as if struggling for words.

"Idiotically powerful and wasteful?" Naruto offered.

His cousin nodded. "I was looking for a more technical description, but that'll work, I guess."

"Have you sensed anyone moving around?" Kakashi prodded.

Karin shook her head. "No, but I can't sense to the center of the country, where they'd be," she offered sheepishly, pushing her fingers together.

"Neither can I; so let's call it even," Kakashi muttered, ruffling his hair. He heaved a sigh and looked up. "Two hypotheses occur. One, the person who was maintaining the jutsu before is too weary to carry on, and is having a subordinate attempt to mimic the effect to keep us at bay. Or two, that person left," he finished darkly.

There was an uneasy silence while the two teams chewed that over.

After a moment, Genma was the one to react. "I suppose we should contact the other teams, captain," he pointed out, shoving his hands in his pockets. "This is the first time that the situation has changed since we've been here."

"Other than the Mist teams going home?" Naruto muttered, biting on his lower lip. No one had explained that yet, but something must have happened.

"Well, there are still plenty of Konoha, Kumo, and Suna teams," Kakashi sighed. "Sasuke, would you please summon Katsuya-sama and ask her to pass a message to Tsunade-sama? Genma, run a message to the eastern camp. I'll go to the western camp. Tenzo, you're in charge of the kids until I get back."

"Yes, sir!" Yamato acknowledged, straightening a bit.

He had been trusted with many lives, but those were usually ANBU level shinobi. Karin and Sasuke were Chuunin, and technically Naruto was still a genin. Still, the mission to make sure nothing happened in the hour or so that he was the only ANBU level shinobi around shouldn't be too difficult.

Yamato nearly reevaluated that assessment when Sasuke dismissed Katsuya and all three of the teenagers present exchanged completely innocuous, innocent looks.

He shuffled backwards, somehow uncomfortable with the situation but not able to verbalize what was wrong. There was a distinct sense of danger in the air. Yamato cast his senses out in all directions, desperately trying to pinpoint what was wrong. Was that- did light just glint ominously off of Karin's eyes? Warily, he examined the teenagers.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Cataloguing your weaknesses," Sasuke replied honestly. "I think that the three of us together could take you."

Naruto heaved a dramatic sigh, even as Yamato blanched. The blond scratched his head. "And that would leave the three of us wandering alone into enemy territory to confront Akatsuki," he mused.

From their swift coordination, it was clear that this wasn't the first time the teens had thought about this topic. Oddly, he felt a little insulted that they obviously thought he was the weak link. He was probably stronger than Genma. Just because he didn't push his weight around… well, it didn't mean anything, that was all.

"Don't worry," Karin said lightly, digging her toe into the mud. "We won't be alone, per se. We have the advantage of numbers. My summons found the other teams days ago. As soon as I get a few miles into Ame and can sense Akatsuki, I can start telling people where to go."

Naruto snickered, though Yamato was too stiff to get what was funny about that.

"It almost seems like it would be wiser for you to just give in and escort us," Karin added, blinking red eyes up at him. Her voice was almost saccharine sweet.

Yamato swallowed. His mouth was dry. Had it been dry a moment ago?

'They might be right. I don't know that I can defeat all three of them without hurting them. And if they fight me, all of us will be weakened. And if they are so determined to go into Ame, they can't afford to be vulnerable.'

"Of course, would it be more embarrassing to lose control of your charges or to defer to them?" Sasuke pretended to wonder aloud. "Either way, Kakashi is going to be very disappointed in you, Yamato." He tsked and shook his head pityingly. The unkind little smile on his face conveyed a different message.

A shiver went up Yamato's spine, and he swallowed uneasily. "You wouldn't," he tried to sound confident.

He didn't care about being embarrassed. But he would be failing in his assigned duty either way. It was more important to try to keep the ungrateful brats safe than it was to insist on keeping them in place. If he tried and failed to keep them from leaving, they would be nearly defenseless.

Identical catlike smiles crawled across all three faces in front of him. Inanely, he wondered if the Uchiha were related to the Uzumaki in some way, because there was a definite similarity there.

They would.

He took a deep breath and steeled himself. "I can't let you three go into Ame. We were posted here for a reason."

The teenagers could have at least pretended to feel a little trepidation. Sasuke gave a deep sigh and cocked a hip. "That's not the smart reaction," he said levelly, "But it's the one I can respect you for."

"We're still going to beat you up!" Naruto chirped, sliding his feet apart and taking an athletic stance.

Yamato clapped his hands together with enough force to jar the muscles in his elbows, already flooding his fingers with chakra. The green spark lit up instantly. He transformed it into raw material for his ninjutsu and sent an enormous shoot of barkless wood spiraling rapidly at Karin, who stood in between her taller peers. Sasuke leapt in front of her and back-handed the wood course.

Perfect. Yamato repressed a smile at that instant. If he had tried to send such an obviously curved branch with dozens of sprouted limbs ready to be grown around them, they would have dodged. But they didn't, and none of them were looking at the wood. They really didn't expect much out of him, did they?

The long branch hit the ground, scraping a long line in the dirt. Twenty-four branches were already swelling and bursting out in an arc that curved over the three teens. He broke his connection to it and dashed forward.

Kids were so arrogant. They were powerful, but they weren't fast enough to play with S class opponents. He had been right to stop them. Sasuke's eyes were red and wide in a way that proved he saw what was going on, although he couldn't react to it in time. Naruto at the back had no chance to push his way forward to escape the cage that was closing around his back. Sasuke's muscles tensed—he saw the trap, and he was the only one with a chance to push his way out, since he'd blocked off Karin.

Which was why Yamato met him as he leapt forward, Karin jerking into motion behind Sasuke. The older man felt a bit of grim amusement when he kicked Sasuke in the ribs, abruptly halting his forward motion and sending him tumbling back into Karin as the cage closed.

Yamato kicked off of the outside of the wooden cage and flipped backwards, landing catlike. He grinned at the cranky and trapped teens. "That cage can hold a bijuu," he pointed out. "So don't bother-"

Crack.

The grin slid off his face. "Seriously, stop." He scowled at Sasuke, whose fist was still knuckle deep in wood. "You can't-"

Crack crack.

"Or just ignore me," Yamato mumbled, locking his fingers behind his head and turning around to hide the put-out look on his face. He whirled around again at the sound of a sickening crunch. "Oh for kami's sake," he snapped, before he registered the dumb-founded look on Sasuke's face.

"Cool," Naruto breathed.

'It is pretty cool,' Yamato thought hysterically, in the instant before the coils of glowing chains leaking out of Karin's back shattered his prison like it had been constructed from paste and toothpicks. They were a minty green he had thought only belonged to medical chakra. More importantly, they were –

"Enormous," Sasuke noted, sounding genuinely impressed. Splinters fell for a good twenty feet in every direction. They'd barely settled when Karin blinked.

"Huh." She put a hand to her hip and twisted to see the point where the chains emerged from the base of her spine. "That's interesting. I just wanted to be able to break the prison." Her lips pursed contemplatively, but the expression failed to disguise the glee at just how much destruction she'd caused.

"Those are a lot better than Aiko's," Naruto pointed out, reaching to catch a bit of debris and roll it thoughtfully between his fingers.

"Not better, different," Sasuke disagreed. "Congratulations on activating your bloodline, Karin, but I wouldn't try to use them the way Aiko does. Unless you want to pulp whoever you're trying to restrain, in any case."

Yamato silently disagreed. They were a good four times thicker than Aiko's chains, and considerably longer. They were also originating from a much lower point on the user's back. Karin didn't seem to be able to maneuver them by wrapping them around her arms like Aiko did- did that make them less precise, or just different?

Either way… That meant he couldn't keep them locked up, and the only way he could keep them in place would be to physically beat them all into unconsciousness. Yamato slumped. He couldn't do that, not if they had any teamwork at all. And he already knew that Naruto and Sasuke had acceptable teamwork.

Naruto snickered. "Ne, that makes me the only one without a bloodline limit," he playfully whined while Karin played around with her new toy. Sasuke elbowed him absentmindedly before picking his way out of the debris field.

"Well, captain," Sasuke breathed sarcastically. Yamato momentarily wished for a chance to slap the smirk off his face. "What are you going to do now?"

What indeed.

Meekly, he followed the teenagers into Ame, intentionally leaving an obvious trail for Kakashi and Genma to follow. He hated his life sometimes.

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

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wind-becomes-lightning · 2 years

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Day 4 is a finished version of an old wip of mine i thought of when I watched the Kakashi anbu arc in... december? anyway here is the finished thing. it is fuun!

Uchiha Sayuri, Info, etc blahblah

Sayuri never leaves AU

Hatake Kakashi & OC

Rated G, but sad

1823 words

for @narutoocshipweek Day 4: Loss

When Kakashi came home from his mission, full of blood and eyes wide, black and empty, unable to speak and much less explain what had happened to him, Gai picked Sayuri up for help

When Kakashi came home from his mission, full of blood and eyes wide, black and empty, unable to speak and much less explain what had happened to him, Gai picked Sayuri up for help. She hurried from her teammates to him, nervous about the rumours flying around. People said that Rin had died, that Kakashi had killed her somehow. Neither Sayuri nor Gai believed in such words. It just didn’t seem like him.

Sayuri’s first look at him told her that something terrible must have happened while he was away. Kakashi walked the streets of the village in a daze, blood still all over his harness. He wasn’t going home either, enveloped in a state of permanent trance. She stopped in front of him and while he did not walk into her, he did not seem to actually see her. Eyes spaced out and foggy, looking nowhere in particular.

She touched him softly at his shoulder and watched him shiver like a still lake that ripples once you throw a stone in. His eyes met hers and he actually saw her for the first time, a dim light flashing in them told her as much. “Come,” she said, voice quiet and soothing, taking his hand in hers.

Sayuri was still a head smaller than him, who had last summer had a growth spurt and outgrown her, so pulling him in any other circumstance might have been difficult, but now Kakashi let himself get guided back to his house without any resistance. He seemed to not care where he was going.

The boy was still living in the Hatake house, all these years after his father had passed, all alone. There had been times when it had been filled with laughter and games when Obito had still been around, but this was all so long ago now. She had long since wanted to bring it up to him, the opportunity to move somewhere else, out of the forest, away from the pain, but he’d been so busy, so she had not had the chance.

Gently, Sayuri moved Kakashi through the door, the boy still looking like he was barely functioning. He watched her unbuckle his harness with quick fingers, his eyes sunken deep into their sockets. He must have cried earlier, his tears long dried up. “Sayuri”, he winced, as if he had just in this moment recognised her, too lost in whatever spiralled in his mind. She was so worried that her hands were shaking.

Of course she wanted to know what had happened, how true the rumours were, especially since Rin was not around, but she said nothing, quietly helping Kakashi out of the stained clothes. He needed a bath and possibly medicine to sleep. “You have to bathe yourself, ok?” she said, one hand of hers on his cheek. He flinched at the skin contact as if it had burned him, but a nod showed her that he had understood. “Wash it off..” he mumbled and pulled his pants down.

She watched him stagger into the bathroom half naked and waited until she could actually hear the water running. She feared to leave him alone in this state for too long, but he needed some medicine or herbs to sleep and food to eat, so she headed out as quickly as her feet could carry her.

It took her not even half an hour to return with everything she needed and by then Kakashi was still in the bathroom. She wondered if he was trying to drown himself in the bathtub and the image in front of her eyes seemed so horrific that Sayuri called for him and he finally exited. “I bought you food”, she said softly, helping him throw a shirt over his still damp back, “and sleeping herbs. I will check on you tomorrow.”

She turned to go, but Kakashi grabbed her wrist quickly and tightly. “Don’t go,” he whispered, his black eyes wide open “Please.” Then he looked to the right hand that was holding her and the expression in his eyes turned to open terror. He let go as if it gave him physical pain. Sayuri knew if she stayed here she would get the punishment from her father later. He hated when she came home late, when she missed dinner without having a mission. But she couldn’t go, not with Kakashi like this.

“Alright,” she said and tried to speak soothingly again. “Let us eat something together, ok?” She took his hand again and led him to the small table in the way too large dining room. There wasn’t much for dinner, especially since Sayuri did not know how to cook, but there were some rice balls and dango that at least could still hunger.

Kakashi sat down mechanically and he only took something to eat when she pushed it onto him. To her surprise he reached for the Dango, which he usually didn’t like eating. It seemed that he also did not care about that at this very moment. There seemed to be nothing but black fog. He stuffed the sweet treat into his mouth and for a second she thought he’d choke on it, because his mouth seemed too tired to move and chew it down, but then he swallowed. After that first dango, he didn’t touch anything else.

Of course she had expected him to not eat much, or anything at all, so Sayuri was glad that he at least took something. She pushed down an onigiri just because at home there surely wasn’t going to be a meal waiting and then she jumped up again. “You should drink the herbs to sleep”, she explained and waved with the little package she had brought.

“Why don’t you already go to bed and I will prepare it for you?” She reached her hand forward and Kakashi got up like a puppet on a string. He said nothing, just let her move him into his room. Mechanically, he took the cover of his perfectly made futon and laid himself down, eyes half lidded and staring at the ceiling.

If she had been younger, maybe Sayuri would have been excited to be in his room alone with him. To see the sparse belongings that were sorted into the shelves at the opposite wall. To notice that next to a picture of his dad and his team there was also a snapshot of Gai and her sparring with each other. It would have made her heart flutter maybe, would have made her hope.

But that was long ago, before Obito was killed. And… now Rin was gone too.

“Sayuri”, Kakashi whispered suddenly, bringing her attention back down to him. Her heart stopped for a second when she saw how much he was shaking. Sayuri reached out and took his hand. “I’m here”, she said softly. “It is okay.” This just seemed to set him off even more. Suddenly his eyes widened and thick tears ran out of the side of the sharingan. The other stayed dry.

“I’m not alright, nothing is alright” he said breath coming in so fast that he almost choked on it. “I - I don’t- I’m …” He seemed to be unable to express himself clearly. “... drowning.” Sayuri grabbed his fingers a little tighter: “You can hold on to me. I’ll anchor you.

Kakashi was breathing heavily now, something behind his eyes spinning with increasing intensity. Sayuri pressed his hand down, called for him in vain hopes to bring him back to reality, but he just turned his head away. She felt herself ripped apart at the sight of him, struggling heavily against whatever memories were torturing him.

Before she could think of something else to do, Sayuri already pulled the covers back and climbed after him onto the futon, wrapping herself around his shaking body like a protective shield. He immediately clung to her, burying his still wet hair in her neck. He was crying now and so was she, unable to take this pain from him. “Rin died,” he sobbed. “Rin died.”

So that was the truth. Sayuri just about could stop herself from whining loudly at the reality of it all. Of course, she had known, a little at least, if she was honest with herself. Rumours were exaggerated often enough, but when she had not seen Rin return from her mission, Sayuri had definitely had the suspicion that her death might be true. Gai must have known it too, maybe that was why he had called her in the first place.

“It is not your fault”, she whispered and held the boy a little tighter. He crawled himself tighter into her clothes and when he spoke his voice sounded like he was choking on his own words: “I killed her.” Sayuri closed her eyes, the pain like a knife at her heart. Still she didn’t let go of him, held him and tried to soothe him with her hand on his back. There must be some mistake, she thought. A misunderstanding.

Then the words poured out of him like a waterfall. The mission, the sanbi, Kirigakure’s secret plan, the fact that Kakashi had fought several nin alone, the chidori, Rin’s death. He ended the story by staring at the right hand he dominantly used for jutsu. “I’m a murderer. I’m a friend killer. I’m a waste of air. I-” His hand cramped. She took his hand with the one that she had had on his back and softly stroked with her thumb over it. “These are not the hands of a murderer, they are still your hands.” Kakashi gasped for air.

They remained like this for a bit longer, just crying arm in arm for their lost friend, the next lost friend in a row of lost friends. The night had long since taken over, moonshine coming in from the window and illuminating the pictures on the wall. Sayuri would get beaten once she got home, she knew that, but she could not go. Not now that Kakashi was like this. He needed someone to hold him and she wanted to be that person.

She did not get up to get the herbs she had bought and cook it into tea. Instead, Kakashi and her fell asleep wrapped up into each other, bodys pressed against each other as if they were two pieces of wood drifting in an ocean. Both slept well that night, all things considered, even when Kakashi rose during early morning hours from a nightmare, Sayuri’s hand in his calmed him down again.

For many years to come they would continue doing this, sharing a bed at nights when they couldn’t stand being alone. And though they got older and their bodies changed, they never saw it as anything else but an understanding between close friends. Maybe someday it could have been something else, but one of them died too early for them to find out.

#fanfiction things #oc: sayuri #au: sayuri never leaves #so that was fun alright very fun hihih fun fun #also you are liek whaaaaat sayuri so late in the week?#but now it will be sayuri 3 times in a row so adsjfklasdhf #anywayyy #narutoocshipweek2022 #naruto oc ship week 2022

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obkkfkr · 3 years

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Reasons why Obito "snapped" and didn't return to Konoha but rather worked towards achieving the Infinite Tsukuyomi And why he's a much deeper character than just "he did it for a girl lol";

1. Team Minato were just kids fighting in a war.

Kakashi, Obito and Rin were 12-year olds fighting against adult Jonin level shinobi during the Third War. They were only kids and even the enemies mocked them for being nothing more than cannon fodder.

2. Rin was kidnapped for intel

You may say anything goes in a war but Rin was a medical ninja of Team Minato. Their enemies didn't hesitate before using a Genjutsu on her and possibly planning torture to get anything out of her. She was just a kid.

3. Kakashi's fear of being ostracized like his father

Once Obito heard the story of Sakumo, he finally understood what Kakashi went through and where his fear of abandoning the mission to save a comrade came from. Lives meant nothing for the village high-ups, what mattered was that the mission was completed. To the point Konoha drove one of their strongest shinobi to suicide, calling it a mistake. Obito saw Kakashi wasn't a jerk, after his father's suicide Kakashi purposefully distanced himself and fought his own feelings.

4. There were high expectations of Obito from his clanmates.

The Uchiha were known for their Sharingan and Obito was constantly pressured to not only awaken his Sharingan quickly. He also had to perfect Katon Jutsu of a higher tier to earn the approval of the clan's head.

5. Minato came to their rescue too late.

Although Kakashi was appointed as the team captain during the Kannabi Bridge mission, they all still relied on Minato to come to help them. Kakashi, Rin and Obito were up against too many enemies to deal with. Minato was someone Obito looked up to, so when he didn't come to them on time, Obito was hurt, disappointed or even felt betrayed. He wanted to believe that Minato, as someone who wanted to become the Hokage, would look after his students, comrades and value their life.

6. They never went to retrieve Obito's body.

Obito spent a good half a year in the cave recovering and during this time not once did he get any info that someone from Konoha was searching for him. Sure, Zetsu might keep it a secret, but not getting any news like that hurt.

7. Madara told Obito he was naive.

This one is self-explanatory. But if Obito had any doubts by the time he met Madara, they were certainly fueled further. Obito wanted to stay optimistic but every day he was losing the reasons to hope. Agreeing with Madara later made sense.

8. Rin was kidnapped by Kiri.

Once again, the least dangerous of the Team Minato, the person who trained to heal her teammates, was taken to be used as a ticking bomb. The Sanbi was put inside of her just to sacrifice her later. No one had any regard for human life.

9. Kakashi was the one to go rescue Rin.

I'm not calling him incapable by any means. But once again, we have Kakashi, who isn't even 15 yet, leading a team and eventually going in solo to rescue his teammate. They weren't up against normal Jonin-ranked shinobi but Kiri ANBU.

10. Kiri ANBU fought two kids just trying to get home.

ANBU are professionals, trained to be killing machines. Rin and Kakashi were alone, just trying to get back to Konoha. They didn't infiltrate Kiri to steal anything. They didn't kill anyone on their way out.

It was the culmination of all of those events, that seeing Rin die was the last thing that completely crushed Obito's hope. The entire time he saw all these faults and tried to keep being positive but he had to realise it wouldn't change naturally. He had to change it by force.

It's partially the fault of the anime for focusing on Rin too much. If you compare how many times Obito thinks back to Rin in the manga, it's significantly less.

And to top it all off, let me remind you something Obito said himself but everyone just loves to overlook to keep their stupid narrative of "You let Rin die" being Obito's sole reason to do the things he did.

I'm sick and tired of people claiming Obito started a war and ruined lives because the girl he loved died. If you still think I'm wrong, then just go. Don't even bother responding. I love Obito BECAUSE he's such a deep character. He's the best villain in Naruto for me. Period.

#Obito uchiha #obito #naruto #there u fucking go #i had to post it here too #boo hoo dont come at me if u hate obito #yes it's The Thread Where Karolina Loses Her Shit Because Of Obito Haters

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scarecrow-supremacy · 3 years

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A/N: Oookieee, so I decided to start writing a new fic bc I have great ideas for a story line. Yet I can’t bring myself I writing an actual beginning. Like I’ve already written some random chapters, but I can’t do anything with them because they don’t really make much sense without the context of the rest of the fic/my ideas. Like this chapters is where the romance/actual x reader gets into actual action. Hopefully you get the gist of what the plot is, and aren’t confused as hell from this part. Sorry if it’s a bit long, it’s around 4.8k-ish words. Enjoy 💜

Hatake Kakashi wasn't one to celebrate his birthday.

He simply thought that they were foolish excuses to let loose and party. To Kakashi, birthdays were no reason to be happy and celebrate. They were just reminders of how long he had endured the pain of living. Each year marked another without the people he once held close in his heart. His father, his sensei, his teammates, and (y/n)...

The day that (y/n) gone on that horrible mission was his special day. The mission he was supposed to go on, but (y/n) filled in for because she wanted him to go celebrate with Gai and the others. So much for having the day of joy...Kakashi thought to himself mournfully.

With a great sigh, he grabbed the last of his belonging, shoving them in his mission pack. He'd promised to take his students out of a group mission for the day, but it had been mostly for selfish reasons. Kakashi had hoped that this would take his mind off of the weight in his soul, yet knowing that his efforts would be futile. The loss would never leave him, it would always follow him like a darned shadow. It would forever haunt him. There was not letting go of the horrors of his past.

Slowly, Kakashi strolled to the gates of Konoha to meet his kids, shoving his hands in his pockets as he mumbled a little tune under his breath. The dark cloudy sky and drizzling rain seemed to mirror how he felt inside.

Drip, drop. Drop, drop. Drop, drop.

Each raindrop fell upon the dirt paths of the town, dampening Kakashi's Jonin uniform. If only he'd gone on that mission, if only he hadn't let (y/n) take his place. If only so many things that happened hadn't. If only he felt whole again. He could feel the heavyweight of guilt on his shoulders, spreading pain throughout his body. Sure, Team 7 filled the void, but they could only do so much. If there is one thing I wish for, it is that these kids will grow up to be happy.

A soft smile played upon Kakashi's face as he approached the three teens. "KAKASHI-SENSEI!" His hyperactive blonde student, Uzumaki Naruto, yelled at him, "YOU'RE LATE-TTEBAYO!" He raised his fist in anger. Sakura glared at both Kakashi and Naruto, slapping the boy's back to calm him down. Off to the side stood Sasuke, his hands in his pockets as he briefly kicked the dirt and pebbles around him to form his clan's symbol. "Usuratonkachi," he grumbled at the group. To be honest, Kakashi did feel a little guilty about keeping the kids waiting for him. They were being held back just because he was wallowing in self-pity. And Kakashi felt ashamed of that; ordering his mind to push his thoughts further to the back of his mind.

Kotetsu and Izumo, guards of the gates, turned to the team and smiled in greeting. "The gate opening mechanism is broken, so we have to manually open the gates," they explained. "Heading out yet again, eh?" Kotetsu chuckled. "I thought you lot just came back from a mission. Ya leaving so soon?" Izumo asked. Naruto pumped his hand into the air, "Yeah! Dattebayo! It's only a C rank, but it'll be fun-ttebayo!"

He's a lot like you, eh Obito, Kakashi's mind wandered as he looked up at the clouded sky, a drop of rain fell upon his nose and slid down his mask. If only you, Minato-sensei, and Rin were here to see us in action. You would be proud.

But what about (y/n)? Part of Kakashi was surprised that he didn't think of her immediately. Did he still believe that she could've been alive? After the Hokage had told him that he'd lost contact with (y/n), Kakashi didn't know what to think. It had been 3,650 days since she left. 3,589 since she was supposed to come back. And 3,529 days since they fully lost contact. What were the chances she'd come back, alive or injured? Kakashi wanted to believe that she was still alive. Was that realistic?

"She's gone, Kakashi! You need to understand that!" He flashed back to when Asuma, Gai, and Kurenai had tried to slap some sense into him. Well actually, Kurenai had slapped him. "Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura gently tugged his sleeve, straining her arm up so her red umbrella would also cover his head. "Are you okay? You've been spacing out a lot lately." She whispered as she looked up at him.

"I'm fine, Rin," Kakashi weakly smiled, "It's nothing that you should worry about." Sakura flashed him a questioning look, "Rin?" Sucking the air, Kakashi's whole body tensed up, "Sorry." He looked away, turning his attention to the bickering Sasuke and Naruto. "Just a little mix-up, Sakura." He put on a fake smile, breaking up the boy's fight. "Let's go, shall we?"

"Alright! Shanaroo!"

"Dattebayo!"

Kotetsu and Izumo went to open the gates but stopped to exchange worrisome glances. "Someone just knocked from the other side of the gates. Which is weird because our list says that we shouldn't be expecting anybody." Izumo knit his eyebrows together. Kotetsu, who had been looking through a glass which allowed him to see the incomer, hastily urging Izumo to help him. "ANBU!" He had barked at his partner, "Bleeding! Dying, wounds, whatever! They need medical attention!" That had caught Kakashi's attention, he got ready to act as the guards opened up the gates, heaving on the rusted hinges. Yet he was not mentally prepared for what awaited on the other side of the grand doors.

There she stood. Uniform torn, stained and ripped up. The wakizashi sword that was strapped to her hip was blunt and scratched, the sheath dented. Skin scratched and bruised, wounds dripping with blood and gore. A long x shaped cut on the inner side of her left thigh. Gasping and choking for air, she started to wobble, blood dribbling down her limbs and stomach. The rain continued to fall, now hard and heavy; burning and searing the wounds of the lady. Yet she still managed to keep her face from wavering In an instant, Kakashi recognized who the woman was based on her cracked porcelain ANBU mask. (y/n).... "Sakura! Go alert the hospital. And you two boys, clear the way for Sakura so she can get there. Quickly!" Kakashi ordered them as he took the heavily wounded woman in his arms. Anger and fear coursed through Kakashi's veins as his heart thumped erratically. He could feel (y/n)'s body twitch in pain. "Izumo, go let Hokage-sama know that Ibara-hime has returned." Kakashi let out one last demand before zipping off to follow his kids.

"Kakashi..." (y/n) mumbled out his name, "Kakashi..." she shakily rose her hands up to gently cup his masked cheeks. "What is it?" He whispered, gently rubbing her skin through a torn patch of her ripped uniform. "Happy birthday, Hatake..." She softly breathed, her tight grip of Kakashi's chest loosened as her eyes dropped closed. Please don't die, (y/n)... I've waited all the fucking years. You aren't leaving me again. A tear formed in Kakashi's eye, flying off with the rain as he bolted towards the hospital. Stay with me a bit longer, will you?

"My sensei will be here any second with an ANBU woman in need of immediate medical attention!" Kakashi heard Sakura's voice quiver as he barged into the hospital. "I'm here, kids. Go to Gai-sensei and stay with him until I'm back." He quickly barked, flashing all of the nurses who flowed into the room a nervous look. "Please, help her. I'm begging you." He pleaded with the staff uncharacteristically. I need her to live. Need. "We do what we can, sir." One of the medic-nin nodded, putting (y/n)'s unconscious body onto the stretcher. If (y/n) lives, that would be the best birthday gift ever.

Kakashi jogged after the nurses and doctors, peering into the emergency clinic room through the window. "I'm sorry, Sir, but you won't be able to visit the lady until all the major injuries have been cleaned up and treated." A male nurse out his hand in his shoulder from behind. "But..! Okay..." Kakashi let out a sigh, "Isn't there any paperwork that needs to be filled out?"

The nurse shook his head, "The Hokage has come and is speaking to one of my colleagues about it. Don't worry about it. You won't have to take care of any of that." He tried to reassure the angsty shinobi, "The woman is part of the ANBU ranks, right? Her mask is of the uniform." Kakashi nodded his head, biting his lip inside of his mask, "Yeah...she is... but it's kinda complicated." The nurse raised his eyebrow but just shrugged. "Can I speak with the Hokage?" The Hatake requested. "Come this way," the other man sighed, leading him away.

Kakashi let out a deep and long sigh as he held (y/n)'s scraped hand in his gloved ones. He had been told by the same nurse from before that (y/n) was in a decent state to accept visitors, yet was still unconscious. He could tell that the nurse was hiding something from him, but he was too worried about (y/n) to give it a second thought. Hesitantly, he brought her hand to his masked lips, gently pressing them against the fabric. "Ya know, (y/n). After you left, I decided to give those goddamn books a try. And you're right, they are addictive. Thanks for the gift," Kakashi sadly chuckled before pausing for a moment.

"Those books, they helped me a lot. They helped me get through my days, just like you told me."

"They also helped me realize something. They helped me realize that I don't hate you. I don't want to hate, and I never should've."

"I've realized that I was such a dick to you at the beginning and that it was all my fault that our relationship became how it was. I regret it... So when you wake up again, I just want to start over again. Maybe not entirely, but just so that we can leave all the hate behind us. How does that sound?"

Kakashi stared at the sleeping (y/n), her chest heaving up and how slowly and rhythmically. It hurt him to see her like that, her skin swollen in the places of the stitches and anointed bruises. "Listen, (y/n). I'd never been able to tell this to you while you're conscious, so I might as well let it out now. I...I love you." Kakashi rightly shut his uncovered eye. "After feeling your loss, my dumbass self finally realized how much you are worth. After they pass on, you and the others were all I had left. But then you also left me, that hurt like hell." His tone started to break.

"Lord Hokage told me about the whole fake-death move, and I was relieved that you weren't gone for good. And then we lost contact, everybody assumed the mission had been finished, and your squad sacrificed your lives for it. I couldn't let the fact that you could be a dead sink in. It didn't feel right. Gai, Asuma, and Kurenai tried to get me out of another depression cycle. Kurenai even went to the lengths of quite literally slapping some sense into me." Kakashi played with a loose strand of (y/n)'s (h/c) hair.

The muscles of (y/n)'s hand twitched ever so slightly. Kakashi's drooping head snapped up; he'd almost fallen asleep in the chair. "(y/n)?" He murmured as her eyes started to flutter, "(y/n)?"

(y/n) chapped lip parted ever so slowly, taking a big breath of air, her (e/c) eyes squinting. "Hatake..?" She shakily managed to mumbled, her voice hoarse and dry. She tried to prop herself up on the bed, but Kakashi eased her back into her resting position. "Rest, (y/n), you're not ready to stress yourself yet." Kakashi to her, "I'll be back with a nurse and some water for you, alright?" (y/n) opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She simply looked down and nodded.

Moments later, Kakashi came back with the nurse and water. "Here," he carefully put the cup to her lip, gently tipping the cup, "Good." He turned to the nurse, who seemed to be scribbling something down from the little monitor to his clipboard. Kakashi's eyes followed the cord attached to it, to the long x shaped hash in (y/n)'s inner left thigh. What worried Kakashi was the anxious look on the nurse's face.

"(l/n)-san, your vitals are doing alright, but you'll have to stay here for a night or two just so that we can keep an eye on something's that may need monitoring." He curtly nodded his head, "Lord Hokage wished to speak to you. So, sir, that means you may have to leave."

Kakashi tried to reason with the other man, but (y/n) reached to weakly squeeze his thigh. "It's okay, Hatake. You can just drop by later." (y/n) tried to smile. "Fine," Kakashi grumbled, leaving the room and letting Hiruzen in.

After what seemed like an eternity, Hiruzen came back out. "How's (y/n)?" Kakashi asked him impatiently. The Hokage put his hand on Kakashi's shoulder as if trying to soothe him, "She'll be better soon. Don't worry, alright." The silver-haired shinobi let out a small grunt, "I know that she'll get better with time. But what about now?"

Kakashi knew that Hiruzen loved (y/n) almost like a daughter, he cared about her deeply. Hence the elaborate cover-ups to protect (y/n) and her squad on the unconventionally lengthy mission. The Hatake could see the sadness that had tried to be tucked away in the Sarutobi's eyes. "The main concern of the moment is the poison in the gash on her left thigh. The medic-nins have tried to extract as much of it as possible, and try to find something that will counteract the effects." The elderly man explained to him. "Did they find an antidote?" Kakashi questioned.

"That is where the problem lies," Hiruzen explained, "There is a certain medicinal herb that is used alongside a jutsu to nullify the effects, as the poison has traces of chakra. We have a few medics on hand who support the skill to perform the jutsu, but we don't have the plant. Even so, that won't be a permanent cure." Kakashi knit his eyebrows together, "How would it not be a perfect cure? Plus, since there are traces of chakra, could we possibly track down the person who created the poison and make them fess up on the cure?" He questioned.

"Great thinking, but..." Hiruzen groaned, "(y/n) said that they performed a self-destruction jutsu just after striking her. He probably thought that it would be in their best interest to take their secrets to the grave with them." Kakashi cursed under his breath, "Fuck... This is terrible."

Hiruzen nodded in agreement, "No duh."

Kakashi's head shot up, "Uh?!"

The elder man's eyes widened, "Did I use the term correctly?! I'm trying to pick up on the phrases the kids are using these days..."

Kakashi gritted his teeth, "Right idea of the meaning, I guess. But the context and timing...wasn't quite fit." Looking ever so slightly dejected, "Oh...alright." Smoothening out the wrinkles in his robe and putting in his cob pipe, "Kakashi, if you are going to stay here with (y/n), could you at least pick up some good food. The food in the hospital canteen is quite bland." Kakashi nodded his head and obliged, only to be stopped in his tracks by Hiruzen.

"Kakashi, I'd like to ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"What caused your change in actions towards (y/n) change so much?"

"What do you mean?"

"I've observed you two whilst you were in the ANBU together, and you never got along that well. And suddenly you act so attached to her, Kakashi. You don't need to answer. It's just that as your leader, I want to understand what is going on in the heads of some of my most trusted people." Hiruzen explained to Kakashi, puffing out a cloud of smoke from his cob pipe.

Kakashi frowned from behind his mask, trying to figure out how to explain his change of feelings in a professional manner. "I think that after I was given the impression that she was gone, I noticed that I cared about her. It made me realize that I was wrong to not see how much she meant in my life." He tried, his voice fading off into a whisper. Hiruzen smiled and nodded, "You really are something else, Kakashi."

Kakashi silently strolled over to Ichiraku's to grab some takeout. The paper lanterns lit the nearly empty streets of Konoha, creating a soft and soothing ambiance. The smell of the rain and moisture still clung to the air, the dirt roads had muddy dampness to them. "Yo! Kakashi, my eternal rival!" A boisterous and friendly voice greeted the said man. "Hey, Gai," Kakashi responded, he noticed his students sitting alongside each other and gave them a quick wave and smile. Naruto and Lee were arguing about who'd get Sakura. Sakura insisted that Sasuke would come around in her favor. Sasuke was quietly eating his food. And Neji and Tenten were discussing a new sword they saw in the windowsill of a weaponry shop.

"I'll take two eggplant miso soups with brown rice noodles," Kakashi leaned over the counter space between Lee and Naruto to order his meal, also effectively stopping the argument. "Thanks, Ayame," he thanked the daughter of Teuchi, owner of the quaint place. "No problem, Kakashi-san!" She chirped.

"Kakashi?" Gai raised his brushy brow, "Your kids told me about what happened this morning..." Kakashi sighed and pulled him aside so that they were at a comfortable distance, "It was (y/n)..." he told his best friend, "She's back and in the hospital because she's not in good health at the moment. I just came here to pick up a meal for her." Kakashi watched as Gai's jaw dropped, "(Y/N) IS ALIVE!" He exclaimed a touch too loud for his eternal rival's taste, "CAN I MEET HER?!" Tears of youthful joy waterfalled down the jumpsuit-clad man's cheeks. "I'll see if you can come tomorrow, alright Gai." Gai smiled broadly, "This is very...unusual. Youthful, nonetheless!" He grinned.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head and nodded, "I'm glad she's back..." he murmured barely loud enough for Gai to hear. Knowingly, Gai patted Kakashi's back. "Oh! Yeah! Happy birthday, my youthful rival!" He gently punched his comrade's shoulder. A smile formed on Kakashi's lips, "Thanks, Gai." He flashed his eccentric friend his signature close-eyed smile.

"I'll see you later."

"Bye, Kakashi! Have a good night!"

Knock knock, Kakashi rapt (y/n)'s door, "Can I come in?"

"Come in," (y/n) murmured, a small moan of pain escaping her lips, "Ouch..."

Kakashi quickly set the takeout on a little table, rushing to (y/n)'s side. He wrapped his arm tightly around her waist and helped her to the table. "I got us dinner because the food at the canteen isn't that good." He explained with a slight shrug. "Thanks, Hatake," a weak smile formed on her lips. The silvered-haired Jonin served them their meals. "Itadakimasu," they both mumbled.

Heavy tension filled the room as they ate in silence. (y/n) knew that Kakashi had his mask down, but didn't look up. "It's been a while..." Kakashi breathed, in hopes of hearing (y/n) speak, "Too long..." The kunoichi rested her forehead on her palm, "I- Yeah..." she mumbled, eyes growing classier by the second. So much for trying to start a conversation... Kakashi thought sadly as they resumed their meals without a word. The silence seemed to be killed him. Kami, it had been 10 goddamn years! 3650 days since he had gotten to talk to the woman. He missed her. Hell, he could even say that he missed all of their little spats. Hatake Kakashi missed everything about (y/n).

"I missed you..." was all Kakashi mumbled as he pushed his finished food away and pulled up his mask, "All these days, months, and years."

Hot tears slipped down (y/n)'s cheeks, forming a puddle on the table. "I-I came back be-because I didn't want-want to hurt you and the r-rest. Dying on passed down pain to the people who love you. I can't afford to c-carry the guilt of t-that." She mumbled shakily, "I promised to be back, a-and I held up the promise." Kakashi sadly smiled as he awkwardly reached under the table to gently caress (y/n)'s thigh.

"You care about others so much, but you should really take a moment to care about yourself, (y/n)." Kakashi scolded the injured kunoichi, "You had me scared for you; all those gashes and open wounds... You could've died," he knit his eyebrows together in worry. "Don't do that ever again."

(y/n)'s dull smile faltered as Kakashi spoke on, "Now you know how I felt when I saw you doing all those suicidal stunts back then on those missions. It was like you were in a hurry to die... I mean, I was too, but you did some seriously dumb shit," she giggled emptily. Kakashi sweat-dropped, "I see... I guess you are right..." (y/n) rolled her (e/c) eyes as the masked shinobi let out a drained sigh, "I'm always right, Hatake."

"Really, (l/n)? You've been through torturous pain, and you still act like a child." Kakashi groaned, "All these years..." (y/n) shot him a hard glare, "All these years and you still think you're in charge of me." He cast a confused look, "It's my duty to protect you, as a comrade." As a comrade... "I guess, but you're just annoying, Hatake," she huffed.

"I'm sorry about ruining your birthday with my arrival and stuff. I probably ruined your plans with those kids." (y/n) looked down, breaking the silence that had fallen upon them, "I could hear you guys through the gate; they seemed pumped about going out. I'm sorry, I didn't think about the flaws in my whole plan." Kakashi's head snapped up from its resting position on the table, "It's fine, they don't even know it's my birthday," he paused, "But you planned to come here? As in, today in particular. With all those injuries, (l/n), you should've just tried to take care of yourself. My birthday isn't as important as your health."

The (y/n) shook her head, "I was going to stay at a small village pretty far from here before finally coming home. I planned to just heal up there and see how things went from there. I even considered settling down there. But that just didn't feel right," (y/n) face set in a frown, "Once I realized that your birthday wasn't that far off, I decided that I couldn't stay and needed to come back. I doubted I would even live to be back. But here I am..." she said with a soft wince of pain. "It was terrible, I hated every second of it," Her (s/t) fingers made their way to the raw mark on her inner thigh, “I’d already lost so much; there was nothing for me to lose at that point.” Kakashi's face softened as he understood what she meant. (y/n) wasn't put in the mission alone, she had her team. They all must've been killed with time.

"Ouch!" (y/n) yelped as she let out a moan of pain, clenching the fabric of her hospital-issued pajama pants. “Shh..." Kakashi whispered into her ear, quickly leaning in to soothe her, "What's causing all this pain?" He asked with a frown as (y/n) bit her lip. "It's the thing in your thigh, right? Lord Hokage and the nurse told me a bit about it. But I still don't fully understand it and how it can't fully be cured."

(y/n) buried her face in her hands, "Oh..." She mumbled, "The poison can't de be removed because it's already been inside of me too long. And since it is laced with chakra, the properties of it aren't completely like normal poison." She blinked back the stinging agonizing tears in her eyes, "The herb that I need is just going to ease the effects in my body, whilst the jutsu will seal it from triggering anything that was layered in with the chakra." (y/n) explained. Kakashi could tell she was trying her hardest to keep her face straight, pushing back the pain and hurting inside. "The thing is–"

"What?" Kakashi asked the pained woman, his tone soft and soothing, "I can help if I know what's going on."

Warily, (y/n) agreed to speak on, "The place where the mission was stationed at was just underground of the nuke-nin outpost I was from. And the guy who poisonous me was one of the other kids' experiments were done on, along with me. He was a few years older than us, and his name was Hiroto Myoga. His parents were in owed debt to the rogues, they were forced into being test subjects until they died. Which left Hiroto in the nuke-nin's hands." She rubbed the temple of her head pushing away the images that sent a shiver down her spine, "Something similar had happened in the case of my parents and me. But unlike me, when the ANBU did the raid, Hiroto was snuck away just in time."

Kakashi's heart sank as he heard what she was telling him. (y/n) had never known much about her past, the damned curse seal had caused. “Since he was older than most of the other kids there, the nuke-nin's of the outpost decided that they needed to trust their information. It was all precautionary, just in case they were taken down. And that's just what happened. Hiroto was the one ordered to put memory restriction curse seals on us, the kids, before he fled to be underground, where the actual harm was being done. That meant that all this time Hiroto had been working in those old plans." (y/n) closed her eyes tightly, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

With a subtle groan, Kakashi supported (y/n) up from the chair and rested her in her cot. "Don't stress yourself, (y/n). You can just tell me later; it's getting late anyway." He told her. "It's fine, Hatake. Letting this out helps me feel better." She reassured him.

"The ANBU caught wind of suspicious activity in that area and decided to send out a squad to go check out. I overheard Danzō arguing with Lord Hokage about it, and got interested. It was really dumb, but I just wanted to go to learn more about what happened in my past. I learned, but that can with lots of twists and turns. 10 years of going undercover..." (y/n)'s (e/c) eyes met Kakashi's single uncovered black one, "It wasn't long before Hiroto became suspicious of us, slowly narrowing the group down till it was just me." (y/n) took a deep breath and continued, "After Hiroto killed himself in our final fight, my curse seal was lifted. That's how I suddenly was able to remember all of the past. All of it."

A pit formed in Kakashi's stomach as he watched (y/n) cry in silence. He wanted to help her feel better, he really did. But he was afraid that he'd make things worse; dealing with feelings just wasn't his thing. "I'm here for you, (l/n). We've been through so much together, you've helped me through it all," Kakashi tried to reassure her, "It's my turn to look after you. Please, just don't cry." He reached out his hand to brush a tear-off of her streaked cheeks.

“Are you okay with me staying here for the night?" Kakashi asked (y/n) as they sat at the bay window, looking down upon the empty moonlit streets of Konoha. The soft light cast down by the moon seemed to make everything look beautiful, serene, and at peace. "(l/n)?" He asked again, turning to look back at her. A gentle smile played on Kakashi's lips as he saw that she'd fallen asleep. (y/n) had been through so much throughout the day, she not only deserved to rest for a long time but also needed to. "Good night, (y/n)..." he carefully lifted the sleeping beauty and placed her on the cot. Sitting back at the bay seat, Kakashi took in a deep breath. "I love you."

She's finally back.

She's finally home.

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depressedhatakekakashi · 2 years

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Sometimes it amazes me the amount of restraint Kakashi had in training Team 7, like- this man is barely in his late twenties and this is the first team that he's actually trained (besides anbu) Maybe it would've been different if he got a semi- calm team like Team 8 or maybe even Ino-Shika-Cho but he got Team 7 a team that consists of a kunoichi who is infatuated with someone who was kinda an extreme jerk to her at many times and even though she was extremely clever in her own right with a great chakra control and a mean hook, was often convinced to make herself seem more dainty and 'attractive', as well as having the most normal-ish background out of all her team which kinda isolates her when it comes to trying to understand her teammates issues. And we also have a very traumatized victim and survivor of genocide, a genocide committed by his own brother no less plus with an arrogant and aloof attitude practically seething at the idea of making friends and every second is spent practically driving himself to an early grave so he can take revenge on his brother. The Nine-Tails jinchuuriki who is an unpredictable troublemaker galore and constantly pranking people to seek attention because of being very isolated and traumatized by the mitreatment, neglect and harassment by practically the entire village, Also in high risk of driving himself into an early grave because of how much he's willing to die and fight for the few people who has shown basic kindness to him and who he considers friends. Not to mention how this entire team is filled with unpacked baggage for this poor man, There are way too many things to say about his connections with Sasuke's family and Naruto is the child of his sensei who gave his life to protect his son along with his wife Kushina who would always visit Team Minato.

All in all, Kakashi loves his brats but by god i wouldn't be surprised if he hid himself in a hole at times just so he can escape them for even a few seconds XD

Honestly, I don’t think anyone else could have handled Team Seven the same. Kakashi was the one who helped all of them improve greatly. Sakura had she not improved under Kakashi’s teachings would have lost to Ino. Ino had clan techniques and a lot of traditional training under her belt plus the creative mind to come up with interesting ways to trap Sakura (using a show of cutting her hair to trap Sakura was genius)

Sakura would not have made that a tie if she hadn’t leaned a lot under Kakashi. It wasn’t just sheer stubbornness that kept her going, but training to keep up and force herself forward.

Training she might not have gotten under another Sensei.

Naruto learned that thinking on his feet was great and he could take advantage of it. He was always a hot head who ran straight into danger, but Kakashi showed him he could do that while thinking through the next steps.

Part of him winning his first match against kiba was luck (the fart) but some of it was genuine creativeness that he was promoted to use by Kakashi. Other Sensei’s might have tried to make him think more linear. Like a shinobi ‘should’. But Kakashi’s the kind of guy who uses 1000 years of death on a whim and fights best while in the what of battle coming up with plans on the go. Naruto excelled with him as a teacher and it was Kakashi promoting him to use his methods (like the shadow clones to learn faster) that helped him out a lot in the end

Sasuke and Kakashi may have never properly bonded, but Sasuke did excel because of their type similarities. No other teacher would have been able to teach him a move to cut through gaara’s sand. Sasuke isn’t a Taijutsu user who’s speed is going to be so incredible it can beat the sand like Lee, so having a move like chidori was necessary for him and Kakashi took a month to focus on Sasuke both to protect him from Orochimaru and to help him improve greatly. Not only did he learn chidori in that month, but his Taijutsu skills increased incredibly because of Kakashi’s teachings

Kakashi’s as a great teacher for all of them. A teacher all of them needed to find their strengths and realize where they needed to go to get stronger. Them going to the Sannin for training was never an insult to Kakashi in my mind. It was them saying ‘we recognize we could learn some more from them to help us and we recognize that because you helped us see where we need to improve, where we’re strong and how we can be better’

Kakashi needs a lil break from his gremlins once in a while ya, but he adores them and he works his ass off to train them well

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liam-cadmus · 3 years

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The clouds are no where to be seen against the dark blue sky, the stars and moon contrasting in a different color. Various shades ranging from light blue to dark indigo blends together under the streetlights of the compound, the Uchiha insignia stitched to their backs. A faint light glows from the main house, four faint shadows seen through the shoji doors, silent against the bustling noise of children and adults hurrying to come home. The air in the dining room is tense, no tinkling laughs from the youngest nor the fond scolding of the mother to her sons’ mischievousness. Mikoto Uchiha takes another bowl of miso soup to give her youngest, as Itachi’s chopsticks holds on to a piece of seared fish, Fugaku gulping down water. Sasuke thanks his mother for the bowl before leaning forwards, listening intently to his father’s story. “You need to avoid falling for a Uzumaki or a Nara,” Fugaku murmurs gently to his youngest, as Mikoto smiles. His big dark grey doe eyes stare at them, attention captivated and memorizing every word they spout. Silence descends on the table as he collects his bearings. He knows, that his parents married out of duty, for the clan. He was able to hear it when he passed Daisuke-oji in the clan market, making him question his parents. He later asked his parents, prompting them to explain the arranged marriage, the clan needing an appropriate wife for the clan heir, later on deciding on Mikoto. She would tell them how she missed doing missions, and his father telling stories about their battles as teens. Sasuke was angry at first, knowing that his parents didn’t marry out of love, but the more time he spent to wrap it around his head, made it easier to understand. His brother is always there to clarify it, and they would ask their parents if Itachi can’t explain. They always reassure them, that despite being in an arranged marriage, it doesn’t change the fact they both love them with their whole hearts. His parents try to be subtle in front of him, but he knows. Being an Uchiha makes it impossible to not see their longing gazes, their schooled features masking their pining, their desire to be with their true lovers. They don’t regret having them, always trying their best to shower them with love, that he appreciates. ‘I couldn’t love Fugaku at first. But I learned how, even if I like girls.’ Mikoto smiles at him, ‘Fugaku found a way to be the only exception, he became dear to my heart to the point that it would break my heart if I lose him.’ Despite being the second-born, he’s a prodigy in his own right, sharp senses and lightning fast reflexes. He can see his mother’s discreet glances when they walk through the village’s streets, always trailing after the bright red hair of his aunt Kushina. ‘I love her,’ she once murmured when she was tucking him to bed, his six-year-old brain not yet aware that she’s hinting at the hot-blooded jinchuuriki. The powerful kunoichi was able to take his mother’s heart, with her bright smiles and fierce personality, while his mother aches for hers. His father, even if he rarely accompanies him, was too obvious for him to figure out. His eyes would soften when he sees Shikaku-san, his frowns lessening and replaced with faint smiles, his cold and distant expression disappearing. ‘Clan heirs rarely get to marry another, after all, they are there to serve for the best of their clan.’ He follows his father’s gaze, seated beside him on the porch as the sun sets, ‘It’s hard to oppose the clan for your own desire. Clan heirships can be passed to the second-born, although, Itachi already took it. So promise me Sasuke, fight for whoever you fall in love with.’ He stares at his parents grim expressions in front of him, the names Shikamaru and Naruto unspoken, their gazes heavy on his shoulders. He breathes out heavily before nodding. “I’ll try not to.” he ducks his head, as Mikoto sighs at him, before deft fingers ruffle his hair. “You don’t have to force yourself not to. As long as you try.” They’re only looking out for him, Naruto being the only heir of Uzumaki and Shikamaru as the only child of the Clan Head. Mikoto claps her hands, before Itachi huffs in amusement, as they start cleaning the table. He wanders to his mother’s side, helping her with the dishes, earning him a fond laugh. Fugaku rolls his eyes before leaning on the doorway of the kitchen, watching the matriarch piles the plates on the sink as Itachi and Sasuke splashes each other with suds and water. He was 8 years old when his cousin was rescued by Tsume Inuzuka in the river barely breathing, one of his sockets empty. He was turning 9 when he arrives in their house with his parents were killed in front of his eyes, his Sharingan activating in his horror, the vision being imprinted in his mind with clarity, while his vision blurs with tears. He screams when his parents drop dead in front of him as the hooded figure runs out the window, scrambling to keep his parents alive. He cauterizes their wounds, trying to stall their death as his hands get covered in his parents’ blood. His chakra spiked hard, being sensed throughout the village as Itachi runs full-speed to the compound, Kakashi on his tail as they both sensed the abrupt spike. It was two weeks before his birthday when he is looking blankly at the white wall in front of him, dried blood flaking off his fingers as Itachi paces in front of them, his masked ANBU teammates murmuring faintly by the door. He doesn’t spare a glance when the door opens in haste as he stares intently at the sparkling marble of the floor, the memory repeatedly showing up in the forefront of his mind. His brother was unapproachable, jumbled thoughts and distracted, while he’s detached, unresponsive as Minato shakes him out of his stupor, worried blue eyes staring back at him. “Sasuke, calm down, deep breaths. Focus on my breaths.” he follows his uncle’s breathing, the exaggerated breaths and counting making it easier to follow, as Kushina wipes off the blood on his trembling hands. He leans back on the chair, trying to calm down his pounding heart, as Kushina soothes him, kissing his temple. Itachi is being held by Hound, his brother still against the arms wrapped around his shoulders. Kushina tucks his head under her chin as she rubs his back, the Uchiha in her lap feeling numb. Shikaku burst open the doors as the medical-nin walks out with a grim expression, “We tried to stabilize and resuscitate. Unfortunately, they have passed away.” Sasuke’s blood runs cold, as he chokes on a breath, staring down on his shaking hands. Itachi falters, staggering to his brother as Sasuke climbs on his lap, crying. He schools hisi features to hide his grief while he comforts his brother, burying his tear-stricken face in his Sasuke’s unruly hair. He was nine-years-old when he blows bright red flames beside Itachi on the pyre, clouded onyx eyes watching the flickering flame. He doesn’t have anymore tears to shed as clan members kneel around them, making him lean on his brother on support as they let their hands drop, standing there until the flames turns to ember. “You need to avoid falling for a Uzumaki or a Nara.” he distantly remembers as he walks alongside Itachi back to the house, ignoring their sopping wet clothes. Sasuke links his fingers under his chin, averting his eyes to the window to hide his pained eyes. His knuckles turn white as he senses two males settle beside him, staying quiet and reserved as Naruto talks loudly with Shikamaru, watching them from the corner of his eyes. He hides the twitch of his lips as Naruto plans the prank on their sensei, Shikamaru scolding the blond for even attempting the ridiculous idea. The door opens, making him glance at it tiredly, only to see Kakashi. He clenches his eyes shut, before following them out the door. You need to avoid falling for a Uzumaki or a Nara. He chuckles deprecatingly, hopefully it doesn’t resort to that. Part 2 of this AU Part 3 of this AU

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crystaltrinket · 3 years

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you put a move on me - Naruto - Uchiha Sasuke/Hyuuga Hinata - drabble series for SasuHina Month 2021

Summary: Rogue-nin Sasuke holds Hinata captive after an act of robbery goes awry.

[Rating: G-T? | Prompt: A Tribute To Your Favorite Fanart/Fic | Word Count: too many to count at this hour | Warnings: None]

Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31

Author's Note: Whew! Honestly, I had half of this done yesterday and worked on the rest today. Please forgive any mistakes. I relied on Google docs to correct my grammar.

I don't have a specific favorite SasuHina art or fic, so I just put together my favorite elements in SasuHina fic. Hope that works. This part is a little bit longer since I included 10 Omake pieces from Hinata's POV. Part 31 is wayyyy at the bottom but follows directly after Omake 29.5.

I hope you enjoy! And I hope to see you again next year ;) @sasuhinamonth

Omake Part 1.5 - 100 words

Hinata could feel herself moving. She willed her eyes to open but her body didn't obey. 'Am I dying? Is this death?'

She heard a low voice curse. Hinata tried to remember what happened before her vision went black. She remembered dressing in her finest kimono, getting into the palanquin and heading toward the country's borders to meet her new civilian husband. And then...

'Ah, yes,' she thought. 'The bandit murdered my clansmen in charge of handing me over to my new prison.' Red eyes came into her mind. Red eyes that could only belong to one clan.

'Uchiha Sasuke.'

Omake Part 7.5 - 100 words

Hinata steeled herself against her captor. She's no fool. She heard the rumors of his strength. Hinata figured the only way to deal with him was to pretend she was talking to another elder. Her clan head voice was something she perfected before she was cast away.

They rarely talked during their travels. But when he asked why she continued to follow him, she wished he kept silent. She was sure he could hear her heart beating loud in her chest.

Remembering her clan voice, she lifted her chin and answered.

Her shoulders almost slumped in relief, hearing his laughter.

Omake 10.5 - 100 words

Hinata could tell he was lying.

She can't imagine he accepted his clan's massacre so easily. To live without hearing their voice, seeing their smile, feeling their touch. Hinata's heart clenched.

She knew herself how the loss of a loved one can affect a person's psyche.

Unfortunately, O-bon festivities don't allow a grieving person the impact of acceptance.

Still, she doesn't pry and lets him rest. Her eyes wandered to him laying beside her on the hillside. Without his perpetual frown, he looked peaceful.

Hinata closed her eyes and exhaled.

She wished she could feel as peaceful as Sasuke looked.

Omake Part 12.5 - 100 words

She repeated those words to herself after Sasuke's team found out she was a missing-nin. Hinata shut her eyes, unwilling to cry. She couldn't give up her freedom now.

'I don't want to go back.'

Hinata felt a light tap on her shoulder. Sasuke was ready to go.

He said nothing to her on their journey. He didn't mention where they were headed to his teammates either.

She half expected him to desert her. The other half hoped that he wouldn't leave her.

At night, she repeated those same words to him. His eyes were understanding and she felt relief.

Omake 17.5 - 100 words

Hinata softly cursed. Of course her plan to lure the ANBU team away didn't work. Nothing ever worked in her favor.

She bit her lip, trying to figure out the best course of action to save Sasuke. Hinata grinned, seeing the telltale sway of long brown hair.

She deactivated her bloodline and made herself comfortable in her position. She waited.

Hinata was ready to confront them and rescue Sasuke at sunrise. But a commotion entirely not her own, brought them out ready to strike. Seeing her opportunity, Hinata revealed herself. Chakra blazed at her hands.

"I'll fight you for him."

Omake 22.5 - 100 words

Sasuke's breathing steadily became regular as she talked about their former village. She continued a little more even though he was already in deep sleep. Hinata glanced over her shoulder to peek at him. Carefully, she turned to fully face him.

Hinata studied him. Memorizing every line from his travels, the eyebags from lack of sleep, the face that she grew accustomed to seeing everyday.

She felt tears drip from her eyes. 'I can't believe I was so foolish.' Hinata hid her face in her hands. Her shoulders gently shook as she tried to maintain composure in Sasuke's sleeping embrace.

Omake 25.5 - 180 words

Frustration bubbled inside her. Karin and Suigetsu, sitting across from each other, continued to argue despite their shared goal. Hinata sat adjacent to them, anger simmering underneath her calm façade.

"Hinata-sama," Juugo came up behind her, carrying a tray of tea. He placed the tray beside her and took his place, sitting behind her.

"Thank you, Juugo-san," Hinata took the lone cup. "Had I known it would be like this, I would've left myself."

"Sometimes, they need a little help." His voice lowered. "If you know what I mean, Hinata-sama."

She hummed thoughtfully and sipped from her cup, testing the temperature.

"This is very good tea, Juugo-san," Hinata placed it back on the tray.

The large man bowed his head, smiling. "Thank you, Hinata-sama."

The other two continued to argue, their thumping rattling the tray.

Hinata moved swiftly, her fingers deftly touching their chakra points.

Stunned, the two bickering teammates fell on the ground.

"What gives?!" Karin yelled. Suigetsu sneered at her from his position.

Hinata calmly retrieved her tea. "Now, I have your attention. Let's talk about rescuing Sasuke."

Omake 27.5 - 100 words

Juugo's birds flew up in a tree, ending their journey.

"Tell Juugo-san, thank you," she whispered.

Hinata felt her blood coursing through her veins. Her fingertips tingled in trepidation.

They couldn't afford to risk Sasuke's strength. She knew who he was up against.

She snuck around the prison, evading the guards surrounding the perimeter. Hinata scaled the prison wall to reach the roof. She quickly found the ventilation shaft.

Taking a deep breath, she concentrated her thoughts on locating Sasuke's chakra signature.

'There!' It was weak, but it was his. Gritting her teeth, she made her way down the shaft.

Omake 29.5 - 172 words

Hinata knew Sasuke felt the same. The village was too quiet, too accepting of their vagrant ways. It seemed all too convenient a vacant house was available. With the previous owner having died alone, it was an opportune moment for them to move in with the village's blessing.

Months soon turned to a year. Sasuke's teammates came and went as they pleased, leaving Hinata with Sasuke.

She found him in the cold, practicing his kata. He moved fluidly going through the motions ingrained in his body.

She didn't want to bother him, but she knew better than to leave without notice.

"I'll be at the market," she called out. He paused mid-form to walk over to her. Seeing him in front of her, Hinata noticed his breaths were visible from the biting cold. "Is your kata keeping you warm?”

He smirked. "Aa." His eyes studied her as he tucked stray hair behind her ear. "Don't take too long."

Hinata felt her face warm up as she looked up to his face. "Aa."

Part 31 - 632 words

She went through the market, politely greeting everyone who knew her. Here, she was Hana and he was Makoto, two people not quite married but living together.

The market was a little busier during this time of year. The village was preparing for their annual snow festival. Hefting her groceries in her arms, Hinata left to return to her home.

"H-Hana-san!"

Hinata turned at the sound of her alias. A young man came up to her out of breathe. "Oh, Shigure-kun! H-How can I help you?"

The young man blushed. "I-I wanted to help you with your groceries. To carry them for you, I mean."

"That's kind of you to do, Shigure-kun," Hinata smiled. "But I'll be alright." She took a step towards the pathway to her home.

"Please, allow me," he reached for one of the bags. "I'm not surprised Makoto-ji-san isn't here to help." The young man scoffed. "He never seems to help you."

Hinata slightly turned from the boy so her groceries were out of reach. "I don't mind. Makoto-san doesn't need to help me."

"Hana-san, I -- " the young man stopped, his eyes frozen in fear.

Hinata looked at him confusedly, before feeling familiar chakra behind her.

"She said beat it, kid," Sasuke growled.

Shigure regained his composure and looked straight at Hinata. He took a deep breath and bowed. "Hana-san, I want to say that I like you and I hope to see you at the winter festival!" He straightened and turned his eyes to Sasuke. "Makoto-ji-san," he said through clenched teeth and bowed his head. "Good day to you."

Hinata looked between the two males, caught in a gridlock.

"I'm not going to repeat myself," Sasuke said menacingly. Shigure nodded again and stiffly turned on his heel to leave.

A few days later, Hinata found herself at the winter festival, admiring the fresh snow on the plum blossoms and the ice sculptures carved by the village's artisans. Beside her, Sasuke walked with a hand on the small of her back, eyes roving around for the troublesome boy.

"I don't think Shigure-kun will come around, don't you think?" Hinata giggled behind the thick sleeve of her kimono.

Sasuke grumbled. "He won't if he knows what's good for him."

Hinata grabbed a hold of his sleeve. "Come, let's enjoy the festival."

Hinata pulled him around the village, visiting artisan stalls and eating sweets to her heart's delight. Sasuke showed no interest but indulged her whims.

Hinata's teeth started to chatter as they continued with the festivities. She felt Sasuke wrap his arm around her shoulders.

"Come, maybe the weeping plum blossom tree will provide some insulation." He guided her towards the pink flowered tree covered in snow.

"Isn't it beautiful, Sasuke?" she said in awe. She gingerly touched a low hanging branch causing some snow to fall.

"Aa," he answered. "Absolutely beautiful."

Hinata turned to see him gazing intently at her. "Sasuke? Is something wrong?"

Sasuke blinked and turned his head away. He shoved his hands into his kimono sleeves.

Hinata stepped closer to him, using him as a way to shield her eyes from the passing villagers. She activated her Byakugan.

"Sasuke, I don't see anyone tracking us..." Hinata blinked away her bloodline. "I--"

Hinata's arms folded against Sasuke's chest as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I was going to wait a little while longer," he whispered in her ear. Hinata felt her heart pound at the warmth of breath on her ear.

"Wait for what?"

Sasuke gently pushed her away to place something in her hand. Hinata gasped, tears welling up in her eyes. His fingers came up to wipe them away.

"Marry me, Hinata."

Hinata looked up, seeing a small smile on Sasuke's face.

"Yes," she gently smiled, bringing his face closer to hers. "Yes."

#shmonth2021 #sasuke x hinata #sasuhinamonth2021 #sasuke uchiha/hinata hyuuga #sasuhina #drabble: you put a move on me #creator: crystaltrinket #day 31

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animeyanderelover · 3 years

Note

Can I ask for Yandere!Gaara headcanons in a Soulmate AU? I was thinking about the "you can't hurt your soulmate" AU specifically with maybe they first encountering each other during the chunin exams and then meeting again some time after Gaara became the Kazekage.

Gaara! This panda boy!

Tw: Yandere themes, possessiveness, paranoia, manipulation, bribing, kidnapping

Soulmate Hc’s

🐼You are lucky as hell that he’s your soulmate or else he would have crushed you during the chunin exams. You first met him in the forest of death and let’s say that he wasn’t the most stable, crushing your teammates instantly before sending his sand to kill you as well. You honestly thought that you would die in that moment.

🐼But then something interesting happened. It was like an invisible shield was protecting you. The sand was suddenly sent back, not being able to reach you. And Gaara was confused as well as enraged, trying his hardest to somehow get you, but whenever the sand came too close to you he just stopped as if there was a wall in front of you. You used this chance to escape as quickly as possible, not before giving the redhead a terrified look. And Gaara didn’t understand it back then, but when he finally took a closer look at you and saw your horrified face he felt a certain kind of pain in his chest. It felt like something invisible was pulling his mind and body towards you, but at that time he tried to not mind it too much.

🐼After Naruto had helped Gaara to realize that he didn’t have to live in the darkness, Gaara’s dream became it to be the Kazekage of the village and he worked his ass off to reach that goal, but you always seeped in his mind and Gaara just couldn’t forget the way you had looked at him back then. As if he had been some kind of monster. He had received this look many times before, but he couldn’t remember that he had ever felt that desperate to change someone’s mind. He wasn’t any longer this monster!

🐼He also couldn’t understand why he hadn’t been able to kill you back then. Don’t get him wrong, he was thankful for whatever had stopped him from hurting you, but he just wanted to know what it was. So he started doing some research until he found the answer in a book about soulmates.

🐼What are soulmates? Soulmates are persons who were destined to be together the moment they were born. Not every person has a soulmate. Only a very few are chosen to have a soulmate. Soulmates are said to be perfect together. Now how can you find out that you have a soulmate? There are many ways. The most common ones were the body switch, seeing everything through your soulmates eyes, being born with the same tattoo on your body, having the first sentence your soulmate will ever say to you from birth on on your skin engraved, the first sentence your soulmate will say to you will be engraved on your skin the moment they speak to you, dreaming about your soulmate or about the place where you’ll first meet them, sharing the same wounds your soulmate suffers and much more. This was all of course very interesting for him, but didn’t have him the answer to his question. That was at least until he read another common sign that you might have a soulmate. It was described as not being able to hurt your soulmate, meaning if you try to harm your soulmate it will be like an invisible force will protect them. That’s when Gaara understood what had happened back then. You were his soulmate!

🐼He had messed up! He had made you feel scared of him and he knew that you most likely wouldn’t be able to forgive him for killing your teammates. What to do now?! You were his soulmate!

🐼Gaara tried his hardest to concentrate on becoming a Kazekage first, knowing that it would maybe be easier for you to listen to him when he had proofed that he had changed.

🐼Nearly three years had passed by when he saw you finally again. By now he had also told his sibling about you and Temari was absolutely enraged by how stupid he had been, scolding him heavily.

🐼But when you walked one day into his office together with some other leaf shinobis Gaara nearly lost all his cool. He instantly felt this pull again he had felt the first time he had seen you. During the whole time you were in his office you didn’t dare to look him in his eyes, obviously still not having been able to forgot what had happened years ago. And Gaara couldn’t really blame you, but that didn’t change the fact that he was still hurt that you ignored him. He asked himself if you felt this pull he felt towards you as well. Did you know that the both of you were soulmates?

🐼When your team was about to leave he suddenly called you back, wanting to talk to you. You were very nervous, but didn’t dare to go against him since he was the Kazekage. At first an awkward silence engulfed the both of you before Gaara started apologizing to you. You told him awkwardly that it was fine, trying to leave as fast as possible before Gaara asked you the question that made you freeze in your movements. Did you know that the both of you were soulmates?

🐼You hadn’t. Of course you knew what soulmates were, but yo find out that you were the soulmate of the Kazekage himself?! That was hard to digest.

🐼Gaara got in contact with Lady Tsunade, asking her if it would be okay if you would stay a bit longer in the Sand Village. At first she was confused, but when Gaara explained the situation she agreed, knowing well how much a soulmate can suffer when not near his significant other.

🐼You were clearly awkward with Gaara and he knew that, but you were his soulmate so it was important for him that you would warm up to him. The problem was that he himself was very shy around you, not knowing what to say or how to approach you. But for what do you have older siblings? Kankuro and Temari were definitely there to help their little brother and often literally pushed him towards you. He was a stuttering mess when talking to you, blushing heavily and you actually found it kind of amusing how shy he was for someone who was the Kazekage.

🐼Gaara probably didn’t even realize when exactly his feelings started to turn more sinister, but he only knew that he wouldn’t let you leave him under any means necessary. You were his soulmate, chosen for him and him alone! At one point he started to feel jealous whenever you talked to someone else, but to his luck most of the villagers knew that you were his soulmate so they knew to stay in line. But he was also scared that someone would target you because of your special connection to him.

🐼And sadly one day his fears became true when he heard news that you had been attacked by a few people who weren’t satisfied with him being Kazekage. That’s when he killed for the first time in years, letting Shukaku getting the better of him and crushing that person with his sand coffin.

🐼After that day Gaara started to get paranoid and as soon as you were out of the hospital he made sure to lock you up in his house, wanting to keep you safe from any harm. But his worries didn’t stop there. You were a shinobi! What if you would die on a mission whilst he wasn’t there to protect you?! What if you would get hurt by something and he wouldn’t be able to safe you? That’s when he snapped. He couldn’t lose you!

🐼The fact that you were his soulmate made this situation so much easier for him to convince Tsunade into letting you stay with him permanently because keeping soulmates away from each other was just cruel. But that meant that now you were a shinobi of the Sand Village and now Gaara was able to control which missions you went on and he made sure that they weren’t too dangerous and that you were always accompanied by his siblings. But it wasn’t like he let you doing missions very often, being too paranoid that you would get hurt. To always keep a close eye on you he made sure that you were always watched by someone from the Anbu when he wasn’t there with you.

🐼Gaara really tries to keep you away from any danger and snaps whenever someone hurts you. He is honestly too blinded by his love for you to realize that even though the both of you are soulmates his feelings are wrong. If you catch on to his behavior and will try to leave him good luck with that because he has the whole village on his side. Trying to tell someone about his strange behavior won’t be from any use either because many people will just say to you that he’s just protective over his soulmate. No one will believe you. You would just make a lot of people angry with you if you refuse him because who refuses their soulmate?!

#yandere naruto #yandere naruto shippuden #yandere gaara

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sunnywritesstuff34 · 3 years

Text

Illusions

(Yayyyy. Another one. It’s been a while, sorry. just wanna preface this by saying that like... I usually don’t really give a shit about Obito, but I figured this was a natural progression of the story and I kinda wanted to try and dive into Obito’s psyche a little so. here we go. tell me what you think. @ghostjellyfishheart here’s the next chapter lol. pls mind the tw’s)

TW and CW for: MAJOR UNREALITY, seriously stay safe, Obito is kinda spiraling a lot, grieving, struggling with morality, drinking, alcohol, less then stellar coping mechanisms of all kinds, don’t do this kids, child death, ghost child, dead kid, you don’t like... see her die but Rin is very much not alive, references to suicide, implied suicide, the uchiha massacre is its own warning, murder, its bad. its just. its just bad. did I mention unreality? a lot of that, death of a family member, obito is having a hard time with feelings, probably dis@ssociation, pretentious symbolism, scratch that, definitely dis@ssociation

Obito Uchiha is upset.

And that is, frankly, ridiculous. Obito does not get upset. What does upset even mean? Is he sad? Mourning, perhaps? Or is he just worried? Either way, its borderline impossible. He shouldn’t be feeling anything. Obito doesn’t feel anything. Sure, he plays at it, when he’s Tobi. He feigns and pretends, he’s good at that. That is what he is, that is all he is. To Itachi, he is Madara. To Konan and Nagito, he is Obito. To everyone else, he is Tobi. Obito has taken on mask after mask after mask on in his life, both figuratively and literally. Sometimes he doesn't know where Obito ends and another begins. Obito does not feel anything, not for anyone that isn't Rin. Never for anyone that isn't Rin, and he left her behind a long time ago. And yet this boy, this child, has him reeling somehow. Has him… well, like before, the only word he can use is upset. He is rattled. And it has been so long, so long since he’s felt anything at all, that he doesn't know what to do. He doesn't know how to fix it. He kept seeing Sasuke in his head, kept remembering memories from years ago when he thought about the kid being gone forever. He remembered the first few years Itachi brought Sasuke to the compound, he remembered spontaneously discovering his obsession with tomatoes by accident with Kisame (who would not stop laughing. He had just never seen anybody. Put an entire tomato in their mouth. And Sasuke did it like it was the most natural thing in the world! Kisame wouldn't shut up about it for at least a week). He remembered helping the boy train with his newly forged chokuto, he remembered the grim determination towards his family and how much it reminded Obito of himself, he remembered all of it. And none of that should have mattered, because it wasn't real. None of it was real, the next world would be. The next world with Rin and Kakashi and Minato-sensei still alive, a world without… without Sasuke. Or any of the other Akatsuki. And that was what he wanted. He was sure that was what he wanted. Only in his room could he show the weakness tightly coiled in his stomach. But there was a knock on his door and it made him straighten up, instantly putting the mask that he just took off back on his face. He walked to the door and opened it, only to find the older Uchiha brother staring back at him. Obito blinked.

“Itachi-san. What are you… what are you doing here? I- uh… come in.” Obito and Itachi sat down at the small table in Obito’s room and stared at each other awkwardly. “So… how can I help you?” Obito tried to ask, unsure of whether to say it like Tobi or just let his guard down and talk like himself (whoever that was). Itachi cleared his throat.

“You are the only person in this godforsaken place that has sake that's worth a damn,” Itachi explained calmly. He looked away. “It has… been a long week.” Obito could tell the truth in that statement just from his cousin’s voice. Itachi sounded exhausted, and the perpetual mask of indifference had begun to slip when his little brother went missing. The two of them looked at each other and came to an understanding. For the next few minutes, there was no talking. Obito grabbed some glasses and poured his strongest sake out for the both of them, and they drank in silence. They only actually picked up a conversation once they were both drunk enough for the awkwardness to melt away.

“He’s likely not dead,” Obito commented bluntly. Itachi only sighed.

“If he is, I have no idea what I'd do,” Itachi grumbled casually, like it was an ordinary thing to say. “Certainly wouldn't stick around here. Probably follow in Shisui’s footsteps.” Obito only nodded, knowing better than to pry on that particular bit of insight into Itachi’s life. They were silent for a few more minutes before Obito spoke again.

“The massacre,” Obito started. “I was long gone by the time it happened. What… are you and Sasuke really the only survivors as the rumors say?” Itachi nodded, throwing back another glass. Obito thought about that bitterly, about his grandmother who wouldn't have been spared. Itachi sighed.

“Right. I've never really talked about this with anyone, and Sasuke and I don't speak about it much. You know how sharingan awakening works, yes?” Obito nodded, mind involuntarily flashing to his own experience.

“Well I made some genuine friends on my genin team. It was the first time I ever had any friends.” Obito closed his eyes and took another sip. Friends, sharingan awakening. Being crushed under a boulder with your crying teammates looming over you. Thinking, no, don't cry, it doesn't hurt. It really doesn't hurt. I can't feel anything, please don't cry. Watching a particular white haired individual (a traitor, that traitor) desperately try to save you. Losing a part of yourself, a part of yourself you didn't even know you had, and giving it to someone else. Forever living with that, knowing that your other eye is somewhere, because you can still feel it, but not knowing much else. The aching absence that grows from that. He opened his eyes again. “I watched them die, right in front of my eyes. That awakened my Sharingan, and when I went home, my father congratulated me. He congratulated me. It was a nightmare and he was proud. I don't know, that always stuck with me. But anyway,” Itachi paused to drink more sake as the room spun. “Sasuke’s eyes woke during the massacre. I didn't get there in time. He watched our parents die, managed to hide in the closet and keep quiet the whole time so they didn't find him. I got there in time to stop them from killing him, and realized his sharingan had awakened because of everything. I wasn't able to save anyone, but I was able to save him, and that's all that matters.”

“I understand,” Obito replied evenly. “I know what it's like to be too late.”

Itachi’s eyes slid over to him. “Yeah well… whatever. The Uchiha had been planning a coup for a while. Danzo, he gave me a choice. Either kill everyone myself and have Sasuke be spared to live happily in the village. Or, to let them kill everyone, Sasuke included. I didn't… I refused either option and tried to get there but I was too late. They killed everyone in one night, a bunch of Anbu who were deployed for the massacre. Like I said, Sasuke managed to hide. I knew that Danzo would be after us, so I grabbed Sasuke and we got the hell out of dodge. He didn't speak for months afterwards. Not a single word, other than screaming during his nightmares. It was probably a little selfish, but I… I missed him. There was no more ‘Itachi, look at the score I got at the academy!’ or ‘Itachi look, look I learned a new move!’ There was just… nothing. He was so vacant. If he's dead- if he’s dead after everything we’ve been through, I don't- I have no idea what I'll do. We have to find him, and we have to kill the people who took him away from us. We have to.” I know, he wanted to shout. I know, I feel the same way, but I don't know why! Itachi left not long after that, stumbled back to his room, and Obito fell asleep in his armchair. That night he had a dream, a dream of Rin. it had been years since he dreamed of her, usually they were memories and bits and pieces, but this was different. He opened his eyes in his dream to a dark plane filled with ink, darkness stretching in every direction. It was a frequent setting he found himself in, usually the dream would be about him sinking into the oily substance until he couldn't breath. But this time it was low enough to wade in, his feet touching the ground, whatever that was. In the middle of the expanse, there was a bone white skeleton of some creature he didn't recognize, and Rin. He staggered towards her, and she hugged him without a word. In dreams like this he was always covered in blood, the Obito from years past. But now he was just him, and he was maskless.

“Just what have you gotten yourself into now, Obito?” she asked, and it sounded just like her. It wasn't her, he was fairly sure of that, he was dreaming for god’s sake, but it sounded like her. It seemed like her, and that was enough. “It's okay to be worried about the kid,” she said, running fingers through his hair while he tried to calm his breathing.

“It's not real,” he managed hoarsely. “None of it. Nothing in this world is real, I shouldn't feel anything. So why… Why do I…”

“Does it matter if it's real?” she asked. “It feels real. Maybe it is, Obito.”

“Obito is dead,” he whispered. “At least the one you knew- Obito doesn't exist anymore.” Rin only shook her head, looking past him at nothing at all and smiling sadly.

“I don't believe you,” she said evenly. “You're still Obito. No matter how many names you take or how many masks you wear, I know who you are. And I think you do too.”

“It's not real,” he tried again, weakly.

“If it's not real, then why do you help Konan with the dishes? If it's not real, then why do you want to save Itachi’s brother so badly? Why do you make plans for Nagato’s dream in the supposed next world when you don't have to? Why do you stick around Deidara to make sure he doesn't get killed? Why do you help Sasori with his puppets? Why, Obito?”

“I can't be Obito,” he muttered quietly. “He’s dead. He died with you.”

“He is right here. He is sitting here with me. You're still you. You'll always be you.”

“B-But…. But Madara-”

“Madara is dead,” she said with finality, shaking her head. “Madara is a dead man now. You are the only thing that can bring him back, and you have a choice.”

“I've never had a choice.”

“You do now. Madara isn't here.”

“This is all just an illusion.” She smiled sadly.

“I'm an illusion, Obito. Your world is not.”

His dream didn't fade out from there. One second he was sitting in a dark dreamscape with his dead friend, and the next he was in the Akatsuki lair, laying in an armchair, sitting up and gasping for breath. His back hurt and his neck was aching from the weird position he dozed off in, and Obito could already feel the nausea of an inevitable hangover coming on. Still, he sat up properly, stretching his neck and running a hand through his short hair. Itachi was probably passed out in his room or throwing up already, and Obito had a hunch that he’d be feeling the same way pretty soon. He looked down at the floor and forced his eyes to focus. He didn't have time for a drunken hallucination within a drunken hallucination. But when he turned his head, he felt himself recoil and raise his hands to his face. The orange plastic from the ground winked back at him. Obito had taken his mask off. And now it was cracked.

#yeahhhh #lol anyway #was this short?#maybe #Obito knew most of those details about the massacre #obito #obito uchiha #uchiha massacre #akatsuki #kisame #Sasuke Uchiha #itachi uchiha #uchiha itachi #naruto #naruto fanfiction #naruto fanfic #naruto au #unreality tw #madara uchiha

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mrs-hatake · 4 years

Text

of love and gratitude

A/N: this was requested by my dear twitter friend alex ❤️

tw for blood, crying and mentions of death.

“You’re coming?” You asked in an excitedly incredulous tone of voice.

It’s been a very, very long time since you and your husband, Kakashi, have been on a mission together. Not since you assisted him in tracking and infiltrating Akatsuki. Ever since your husband had been officially assigned as the sixth Hokage, he had been caged in his office dealing with documents and formal stuffy meetings for months. And you can see how it affected your husband. He would often complain of how boring his job was, despite the importance of it, and how he would be glad to save a cat stuck in a tree if it meant he could leave his office.

“I am.” Kakashi replied as he contained the excitement in his voice. You could almost see his body shake with elation. “The mission is ranked as an S mission that even Anbu had a difficult time completing. I was requested to assist them on the behalf of the council. You’re joining us because of your exceptional skills with Katana and daggers.”

The silver haired Shinobi took a couple of steps forward to stand in front of you, “And because you’re my wife and I miss you.” He then leaned in and kissed your lips.

“Kakashi-sama, Y/N. It’s good to see you.” Yamato greeted, early the next morning.

Kakashi let out a groan. Not only was he woken early but he also made it on time to their rendezvous. “I liked it better when you called me senpai.” He muttered under his breath.

Sakura offered a wave, a small smile curving her lips. The pinkette had dark circles under her eyes, indicating that she had slept poorly the previous night. Her pink locks were tied into a messy bun and her clothes were wrinkled. You kind of felt sorry that she was accompanying you on your mission. The girl needed to rest and you wished you could give her that. Working at a hospital full time was no easy task, especially for someone as young as Sakura.

“It’s good to see you too, Yamato. You too Sakura-chan,” you replied warmly. It felt wonderful to be up so early for a mission instead of trying to get your husband to wake up early and shove his ass out the door to go to work. You cracked your neck and knuckles, eager to get the mission started.

“Alright, recap of the mission summary: Some Otogakure Shinobi rebels who still believe in Orochimaru’s ideology have been spying on Naruto to extract the Jinchuuriki and use it to their advantage. Our job is to apprehend the enemy and gather information on their group and if they had any allies in other villages.”

You and Yamato nodded your head at him.

The news of Orochimaru supporters was not new to any of you. Ever since the end of the Fourth Shinobi War, there had been hearsay on their reformation but no one had made any moves until just recently. Anbu had been suspecting a trader and tracked him down, only to discover that Orochimaru’s followers were active and plotting for battle. Unfortunately, the Anbu team was almost wiped out in a sudden ambush in the middle of the forest.

The journey to the outskirts of Konoha was spent in silence, save for the light ruffle of tree leaves being blown by the wind and the melodic chirps of the birds. It was quite, peaceful even. Almost giving you the false illusion that you were traveling for holiday instead of onto a difficult and long mission that could be life threatening.

You spared a glance at Kakashi and couldn’t help the small smile stretch across your lips. Although he had to wake up as early as five in the morning, Kakashi looked refreshed, as if he had a full night’s rest. Which was something quite rare since he was still haunted by the memory of his fallen teammates and father figure, Minato. However, they had lessened through the years, especially after he had met Obito during the Fourth War. It was difficult for Kakashi. He had confided in you that during the battle, he felt hope bubbling inside of him at the idea of having Obito back in his life. His mind played rosy colored images of them being the best of friends; visiting Rin and Minato’s graves, him introducing Obito to you, having Obito safe and sound and basically living a normal life. But his mind was cruel, however, as it winded its thin and boney fingers around the images and ripped them to shreds. Robbing Kakashi of that short lived serenity. The copy-cat Shinobi couldn’t sleep for weeks afterwards, constantly crying in his sleep and waking up with a start. It was a while, but eventually, Kakashi was able to move on and promised his team that he wouldn’t take life for granted. That he would live life they way they couldn’t.

Kakashi spotted you glancing at him and offered you a smile under his mask. Your heart fluttered with love. Kakashi deserved all the love and support the world had to offer him and you were grateful that he wanted to receive them from you. To reciprocate those feelings to you. He chose you to be his backbone and he allowed you into his world to help him heal, feel and to live. It was a huge responsibility, nerve wracking almost. Though, you toughened it out and faced his traumas head on. It wasn’t one sided either. Kakashi had done the exact same thing to you. He was by your side when you felt alone. He held your hands when you felt scared to return to being an active Shinobi when you almost lost your life all those years ago on an S rank mission. And Kakashi brought you joy, love and safety. Soon, your worlds merged into one and you were both at your happiest. It almost felt too good to be true.

The team has been traveling for two days with minimal amounts of sleep. It wasn't until the third morning did you stop in your journey when Yamato had stopped at a clearing, staring intensely at a speck he found, a torn piece of pale grey fabric.

“Could belong to Otogakure.” He stated once all of his teammates came to a stop and surrounded the piece of fabric. Kakashi nodded and, with lightning speed, summoned his Ninken. Before the wrinkly pub could utter his usual greeting, Kakashi held his index finger against his lips, indicating for the dog to stay quiet. Using the signals that he had trained his dogs with since he was a child - signals you’ve come to memorize by heart after dating Kakashi and being introduced to his Ninken - to debrief them on the mission you were all on. You then saw that your husband had instructed them to smell around the area, starting with the piece of fabric, and pick up any stray trail.

It took them about twenty minutes of them sniffing around before Shiba stood tall and alert. Kakashi and Pakkun both went to him and watched as the dog tilted his head this way and that, Kakashi nodding along every few seconds. When Shiba was done, Kakashi reached down, ruffled his fur and slipped a small dog biscuit into his mouth.

“The track is weak but Shiba could lead us to where the rogue Shinobi might be.” Kakashi announced quietly, “We head east from here.”

You, Yamato and Sakura all nodded your heads and followed after the light grey colored dog after Kakashi had dismissed the rest.

The track led you deep into a forest where the branches were thick and the leaves were colored a dark shade of green, your shadows moving and warping against the trees. Had you not seen the sun shining down on you in the clearing earlier, you would’ve mistaken it to have been night time rather than day.

Shiba suddenly came to a halt and rapidly sniffed the air around him. Before he could yell out his warning, six Shinobi had jumped out from the dark colored leaves and attacked.

The Shinobi were strong, Kakashi could see why so many Anbu had failed in capturing them. Through his peripheral vision, he could tell that Sakura was fighting against one of the enemies while Yamato was fighting with two, one was being flung around by the branch Yamato had summoned as he fought in close combat with the other. Kakashi tried searching for you but couldn’t find you. Just that moment, his opponent ducked and thrust his Kunai in hopes to slash Kakashi’s leg but he was too slow. Kakashi was so engrossed in trying to jump away from the Shinobi trying to slash at him every two steps, he failed to notice that his second opponent had slipped away from the fight and by the time he had, it was already too late.

It had all happened too fast. One second he just landed a strong punch, successfully breaking the Shinobi’s nose and rendering him unconscious and the next, he heard you cry out in pain. Whipping his head around, he watched with horrified wide eyes as your body slumped forward, a Kunai shoved deep into your back and dangerously close to your spine.

“Y/N!” Kakashi screamed and rushed to your side to hold you in his arms.

“K-Kakashi.” You gasped weakly as your husband tried to hold you up. Your vision blurred and it was difficult to stare at the silver haired Shinobi. A burning sensation filled your lungs with every breath you took and you struggled to keep your eyes open.

“Y/N, stay with me!” Kakashi barked, “Don’t close your eyes!”

There was a soft thud somewhere; could be closer or nearby the area. But you were too out of it to really tell. Though, you immediately felt another pair of hands grab onto your left arm and drape it across broad shoulders.

“Sakura!” A voice yelled urgently, however you don’t know why. Things were getting hazy and it was strenuous to stay focused on your surroundings. Everything became cold. Your limbs grew weak. And your head felt heavy. Everything hurt and you just wanted to sleep.

“Baby, stay awake. We’re gonna fix this, okay?” A voice that trembled with fear spoke. The words were fast and clumsy. You nodded your head in response despite your eyes closing fully.

“Oi, Y/N!”

And just as a tingling sensation grew into a strong sting on your lower back, you were pulled deep into an ocean of darkness.

White noise invaded Kakashi’s ears as he was being pushed about Konoha’s Shinobi Hospital’s ICU, overpowering the hustle around him. His hands were covered in blood, stark red against his pale shaking hands. His shoes, covered in mud that dirtied the white tiled floor. And his mask was dampened with all the tears he had shed.

Kakashi never in his life had cried in front of anyone, not even you. But when he felt your body become limp in his arms and you failed to respond to him, he had genuinely thought you had died. And Kakashi lost it. He shook with all his might, and if the Kunai shoved deep into your back hadn’t killed you, then your neck snapping from Kakashi’s abusive shakes would’ve. Yamato tried to stop him, to pry his hands away from your shoulders, but he was met with the harshest glare Kakashi had ever directed at him. It wasn’t until Sakura had slapped him after successfully stopping the blood from flowing out and closing the wound to a small gash, did Kakashi finally snap out of it. The trip back to Konoha was fast and short and you were quickly admitted into the hospital. One glance at blood covered Kakashi with tears streaming down his cheeks had sent the hospital into a frenzy.

The five nurses struggled to take you from Kakashi’s hands (he was too scared to let you go, that if he looked away then you would die) while two doctors tried to sedate Kakashi. It took two shots from Kakashi’s hands to go numb, though not enough to knock him out. He helplessly watched as the nurses laid you onto a gurney and sped through the doors for emergency surgery. That was six hours ago.

Kakashi’s vision was obstructed by a beige paper cup that was filled to the brim with black coffee. Elegant swirls of grey smoke twirled heavenwards and almost successfully tempted him into grabbing the cup and chugging the whole liquid, uncaring if it burnt his throat along the way.

“Just take it.” Sakura huffed after rolling her eyes at the way Kakashi had lowered his head in shame.

“It wasn’t your fault.” She spoke once Kakashi had taken the warm drink from her hand and into his. “You were both doing your jobs. It was just...the bastard was a coward.”

Sakura’s words did nothing to ease Kakashi’s self loathing. Y/N, his caring wife, had waited patiently for years for Kakashi to move on and live a healthier life. Stayed up all night with him to comfort him through his nightmares and his insecurities. Still, there were times when those bouts of anxiety would sneak in and mercilessly torment him.

“I spoke with the surgeon operating on her.”

That had Kakashi lifting his head.

Sakura hid the smile that was threatening to stretch across her lips, she knew him too well, “Luckily, the Kunai wasn’t shoved into deep to cause permanent damage.” She began slowly, “She will need to enroll in a rehabilitation program to help her walk again.” At the way Kakashi’s shoulders tensed, Sakura reached out and placed a hand on his right shoulder, “She’s going to be alright.”

“What’s the bad news?” Kakashi’s voice was raw. It sounded as if it was too painful for him to speak. Be it from the tears he’d shed or from the way he had screamed his wife’s name when she passed out, Sakura winced.

With a deep exhale, she replied, “She is to be dismissed from Anbu. Effective immediately.”

Dismissed.

From Anbu.

Immediately.

Kakashi’s ears rang with an annoyingly high pitched whistle. He felt dizzy and if he stood up, then he’d feel like the room was spinning.

Y/N took Anbu seriously. It wasn’t just a job for her. It was her legacy; her pride and joy. She spent most of her life in Anbu and Kakashi wondered how fate could be so cruel.

At least she didn’t die.

The voice in his head whispered.

True, had she died...Kakashi wouldn’t know what to do with himself.

He already lost so many people dear to him, losing Y/N, his best friend and the love of his life...Now that would be brutal, even fate wouldn’t be heartless to do something like that.

If only Kakashi was quick enough.

If only Kakashi was paying attention.

If only-

“She’s awake.” The head of the surgeon team interrupted his thoughts. His forehead glistened with sweat and his eyes dropped with exhaustion. But there was a small and weak smile tugging at his lips, proud of what he and his team had accomplished. “I wanted to debrief her on her surgery but she insisted that you be there, Hokage-sama.”

Weakly, Kakashi nodded his head and handed the empty paper cup to Sakura and stood up to follow the surgeon to where his wife was recovering.

“Hey, you.”

Her voice was light, playful almost. Though her skin was pale, her eyes grey and her hair matted to her forehead. However, she still greeted him sunnily, as if she hadn’t been in surgery for the past eight hours.

“H-Hi.” Kakashi replied, internally cursing at himself for stuttering and his voice breaking at the end. He knew that Y/N could tell that he had been crying. She could always tell from the way his voice broke at the end of his syllables and how nasally it sounded. He didn’t deserve her.

Y/N nodded to the empty chair beside her with great effort. Kakashi would’ve wept just then if the surgeon wasn’t waiting patiently behind him to step into the room.

“Y/N-sama,” The doctor spoke when Kakashi had taken a seat next to his wife’s bed and instantly took hold of her hand, gripping on it as if it were the life line that will rescue him from whatever darkness that was drowning him. “Do you remember what happened?”

“I do.” Her voice was scratchy and Kakashi hurriedly poured her a glass of water and handed it to her.

“Good.” The doctor wrote down on his note, “Thankfully, the surgery was a success. The Kunai wasn’t plunged too deep and thus did not damage any major nerves. However, due to the sensitivity of the surgery, two month of rehab is strongly recommended.” The doctor informed them before he hesitated. He met Kakashi’s gaze, as if asking him for permission for what he was about to say next. Seeing that Kakashi remained quiet and didn’t intervene, the doctor continued.

“As your surgeon, I have spoken to my team and the council in regards to your surgery and the post effects of it. It may have been successful, however, any strenuous activities could lead to long lasting aftermath. It was agreed that you are discharged from Anbu duty and as Shinobi. Effective immediately.”

Both the doctor and Kakashi were waiting for an outburst. For Y/N to throw a tantrum and beg the doctor for any other way for her to continue being an Anbu or be an active Shinobi. But their ears were met with nothing.

One glance at Y/N and they were both surprised to see her crying.

“Y/N!” Kakashi cried in surprise and jumped from his chair.

“I’m fine,” Y/N hiccuped as she hastily rubbed her tears away, “I’m just happy that I’m alive.” she choked. Kakashi instantly wrapped his arms around her, careful of her wounds, and laid his head atop of hers.

Sensing the need for privacy, the doctor discreetly excused himself. Though, his ears didn’t miss the choked sob coming from his Lord Hokage.

Six months later Y/N is fully recovered.

Her recovery wasn’t easy. There were a lot of frustrating moments and times where Y/N couldn’t stop crying. Having to relearn how to walk, something that was so natural to her, was laborious. She would stumble and sometimes trip on thin air and fall. She could only walk two steps at first before slowly walking five steps, then ten steps and so on and so forth until she could walk normally.

It was difficult, but just like how Y/N was with Kakashi, her husband was with her every single step of the way. Consoling her. Comforting her. And encouraging her. Kakashi was patient, endured all of her tantrums of frustration and was her shoulder to cry on.

#kakashi x reader #kakashi imagine #kakashi x you #kakashi hatake imagine #kakashi hatake x reader #kakashi hatake scenario

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