#hashirama is a poor political leader but Sakura is not

[chalabrun]

Hashirama’s political marriage to Mito was to strengthen Leaf as a new military village. I get it that the serious lovers of hashisaku pairing, who’re under the impression that this could actually work (’cause Sakura was robbed in Canon; she’s always duking robbed!), aren’t all that bright, but Hashirama tossing aside the wife he took in for political reasons for Sakura ... is one of the most idiotic things I’ve ever heard. What would Sakura offer to him compared to Mito? Nothing. And Tobirama? He was probably ... gay or completely asexual. Why would Sakura interest him? She’s completely ordinary, and she possesses no talent to invent nor any natural ability for him to study. She isn’t even remotely prodigious to even mildly interest him.

So, let me get this straight... You see fit to pick a fight with the shipper of a harmless rarepair, why, again? A ship that barely makes a blip on the Founders' side of the fandom's radar, just to bandwagon the same shit Sakura-anti's have been peddling for years? Aside from the fact that your argument is the most tired bullshit in existence, I'm going to state it over in case it's not getting through your thick skull:

The ship on places like tumblr or twitter are tagged. On Ao3, it's tagged. Instead of bitching and moaning about a ship you could easily avoid, you could block the tags and move on. It's not fucking rocket science. If you go out of your way to seek it, that's a you-issue, not that of us shippers.

Secondly, why is it the Founders' fandom only gets possessive of Hashirama when shipping him with Sakura is involved? From what I've seen, you all are happy to shit on Hashi's character for miles around, belittling him as a dumb idiot who can't function without his brother as if he wasn't the most powerful shinobi in the fucking series, who was a charismatic military leader capable of bringing even his clan's sworn and ancient enemies under the fold to unite in a revolutionary village that was his idea in the first place? But no, unless it's convenient, he's either dumb as a rock or people hamfist one-dimensional yandere tropes to make his brother or Madara look like poor little meow-meows.

And don't even get me started on how ya'll treat Hashimito, let alone Mito. 'Political marriage', where? Show me irrevocable proof that Hashimito was only a political marriage, that Hashirama didn't grow to love and cherish his wife with time. I mean, fuck's sake, this pairing was the blueprint for ships like Dantsu, Minakushi, and Naruhina, but instead your reductive take was that it was just for political gain? Or how she's the awful, bad lady who gets in the way of pairings like Hashimada (even if smart people polyship them, but I guess I'm not one of them, according to you).

Again with the headcanons. Show me complete and utter proof that a manga with heteronormative endgame ships that Tobirama was gay or asexual. (And don't bring SNS into the mix when Kishi literally based them off his relationship with his twin brother, you naughty incest shippers! /s)

Oh, but the horror of shipping him with Sakura! In a horrible, terrible ship that barely has 50 fics to its name! Won't someone think of the poor Hashimada shippers who have almost ~2k fics on Ao3? Or Tobimada that blitzes well past it when Tobisaku has barely 120? Goodness gracious, someone save them!

I mean, who can ever think of shipping the poor Senju bros with a woman who didn't even exist in their era, who is usually transplanted via Genswap or time travel AU's? In fanworks that absolutely affect canon! Wow, she's such a threat! I mean, gosh, she's just soooo useless with how she became the strongest kunoichi in the Leaf, the greatest med-nin in the world after her master's retirement, who was so gosh-darn useless as the heroine! I mean, it's not like she could mesh well with Hashirama who's stated to have healing abilities greater than Tsunade! Oh, they'd never get along. And I bet she'd never get her foot through the door with Tobirama, especially since Sakura's expertise with biomedical sciences would grate so much against his own expertise in similar fields! And the fact that they share similar values just wouldn't do! Y'know, since their shared morals and desire to protect humanity and the village just wouldn't work! Awful, just awful.

Also... why on earth do you assume Tobirama would want to boink a test subject? I don't know about you, but that sounds awfully belittling despite how high of an esteem you hold for you him, supposedly. So what if she isn't test subject-worthy? I don't know about you, but I sure as hell wouldn't want to fuck someone I'm about to cut into, but that's just me. (And for the love of gods, don't bring Tobimada into this. Saying that every Tobimada shipper sees this as the sole reason they ship it is, again, pretty damn insulting to them lmao--)

Besides that, Sakura has invented jutsu before, my dear, pea-brained friend. She created Cherry Blossom Impact, drastically expanded on chakra-enhanced strength in the novels, devised the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique, a chakra radar, among others. But, again, if you dilute your reasons for shipping a pairing based on how much jutsu they've invented, who's being shallow here, exactly? The way I see it, Tobirama would want to be with someone intelligent who is strong enough to protect the village and who shares similar values as him. Why would he care about arbitrary things like how much he could experiment on? He's not Dr. Frankenfurter, please.

And even if people ship them because they self-insert in Sakura and want to ship her because she's the heroine and some rando, Founder or otherwise, is hot, who cares? This is fucking fandom. Shipping isn't activism or a career, and sure as hell doesn't add anything to canon except enjoyment in the fanbase. It's 2022 and it's too late in Naruto's existence to care about intellectual quandaries surrounding shipping, of all things. If you do, then good lord--see a therapist. Get a different hobby outside of fandom, it sounds like you need it.

But, thanks for being an amusing waste of time. I'll be sure to reflect on this when I continue writing my Foundersaku stories, buh-bye!

#sakura haruno #haruno sakura #tobirama senju #hashirama senju #hashisaku #tobisaku #my asks #my meta #wee-woo wee-woo here comes the butthurt brigade! #way to be the clown who takes canon this seriously #wish i could be as boring as the rest of you

[thefairyletters]

Ships and their wingmen

Part 2

Read -> Part 1

Because we can't be the only one who ship them. Or those who don't.

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MinaSaku

In time-travel AU, Sakura will possibly the only one who will not ship it, if only because that will change the future. But casting that aside, Team Minato will do everything in their power to make sure the two adults soon sire a pink-haired, blue-eyed kid or blond-haired, green-eyed kid, or any combination of those colors for that matter.

Kushina will be conflicted whether to pursue Minato and fight her best friend/soul-sister (because Sakura is Kushina in pink hair) or allow Sakura get Minato and keep their relationships as it is. If she chooses latter, she will give up on Minato, simp on Hokage hat instead, and becomes the best damn Hokage Konoha has ever seen. If not, she puts up a good fight, insert-a-lot-of-angst, a heartfelt moment between Sakura and Kushina later simps on Hokage's hat, and becomes the best damn Hokage Konoha has ever seen. Either way, Kushina sooner or later supports MinaSaku, because she doesn't get Minato then only Sakura gets to have him.

Like Ino and Sakura, Inoichi and Sakura become fast friends, even if it starts with Inoichi flirting and Sakura hitting him squarely on his jaw, and the man is excessively protective of his pink-haired friend. He will probably root for KushiMina just so to protect Sakura's chastity. He will give up soon and will make sure no one gets in the way of his OTP.

If it takes place in canon, let's say somehow Minato selectively gets to be revived for extended periodof time for some reason. Or he time-travels to post-war time and finds himself thrown into a loop. Both, in which, MinaSaku is a very slow burn that even Naruto notices the strange air between his dad and his teammate, and everyone comes to conclusion exactly where Naruto had gotten his denseness from. Kakashi ships MinaSaku because it's his father-no-2 and favourite student together, as weird as it sounds. Naruto doesn't ship, at all, because that would make Sakura his step-mother. Most angst in this MinaSaku will be caused by one Naruto Uzumaki. Ino simps for this ship just because Minato is hot, is loosely Sakura's type and she, being a good friend, completely supports her best friend bedding a heartbreaker like Minato.

Tsunade ships because he is a good man.

Konoha council ships because Namikaze genes need to be retained in the village one way or another.

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HashiSaku

For starters, Tobirama doesn't ship, at all. Hashirama was already very prone to get distracted even without Sakura in the picture, but now with someone of Sakura's colors by his side, it was as if Tobirama got prematurely promoted as the head of Senju clan AND Hokage. Tobirama doesn't appreciate it at all. He subtly tries to get Sakura killed, to ship her overseas without Hashirama noticing, and convince her to marry someone who wasn't tan-skinned, longhaired and a Senju to boot. When all failed, he tries to seduce her himself as a last-ditch effort to help her move on from Hashirama. He only manages to gain a black-eye and a harsh rejection on top of it. Then, it look a while, but he figured she would be a good leader and a competent backup if Hashirama remains distracted in all his future meetings.

Mito is a proud, powerful woman, and she desires strength in things that catches her attention. So when she found Sakura, she wanted her for herself but instead found herself in competition with Hashirama of all people. Regardless to say, they hate each other.

Madara sees Sakura as the second and the last brain cell of the Senju clan, next to Tobirama. He supports HashiSaku if only so his best friend can learn a thing or two about how to use his bright but otherwise inactive brain cell. He is always ready to adopt her into his clan should Senju throw her out, courtesy of Tobirama.

Izuna likes Sakura and if she likes Hashirama, then he will support it. Easy as that.

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MitoSaku

Madara doesn't care because his best friend is married to not one but two beautiful but powerful beasts of women. Hashirama has no room for complaints.

Hashirama is a third wheel in his own marriage.

Tobirama doesn't know if he ships it or not because his brother is married to a woman who is in love with another woman and that woman insists that they all remain together for the better of future.

Izuna ships, to say at least.

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TobiSaku

Hashirama is the biggest fan of TobiSaku. He grins his annoying grin in a way that makes everyone present in the room with him blush in embarrassment. He dubbed Sakura as his sister-in-law the moment he saw his brother with her.

Madara doesn't think someone like Tobirama deserves Sakura, but thinks someone like Sakura can persuade Tobirama to chill. It's better for Senju clan in a long run, so he supports their relationship.

Mito simps hard for this ship because she wants Sakura as her sister-in-law. Half of the TobiSaku moments happened because of HashiMito's meddling.

Izuna flirts with Sakura at every chance he could, if only to rile Tobirama. He might like Sakura as a bit more than a friend, but he also finds TobiSaku relationship precious in a passive-agressive way so he doesn't mostly get in their way because they make up to about 65% of his daily entertainment quota which he doesn't wish to lose.

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MadaSaku

If there's one person who is a die-hard fan of this ship then it's one Izuna Uchiha. He enjoys teasing his older brother at every chance he gets, ruthlessly and sadistically. He enjoys the way his brother softens at the very mention of Sakura and he thinks that is the most precious thing he's seen his older brother do for anyone who's not him. Sakura gets along with Izuna so well that he often thinks she knows him better than he knows himself, and for that he cherishes Sakura as one of his family. His love for MadaSaku stretches so far that he would kill anyone who dares to get in between two of his most important people.

Tobirama ships them because he thinks Sakura will help Madara lose some of the madness inherent in Uchiha clan. It is because of Sakura that Tobirama becomes less wary of Uchihas and warms up to them.

Hashirama jumps at Madara and Sakura everytime they come for a visit, much to his wife's embarassment. Sakura is considered one of the Senju clan, and with her marrying into Uchiha clan, strengthens Senju-Uchiha alliance. Hashirama, like Izuna, is very happy to see Madara at peace and wishes the best for the couple. Like Izuna, he teases Madara mercilessly everytime Madara does something even slightly uncharacteristic of him. Sakura isn't teased often only because her becoming flustered results only in bodily harm.

Mito approves of the pair, if only because it gets her husband's attention away from Madara and his clan. She respects Sakura and knows the Uchiha clan will thrive with her as their matriarch.

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IzuSaku

Madara doesn't ship it at first because his brother is easily charmed by beautiful women and she looked a little too much like a Uzushio woman. Mito and Madara aren't in the best of the terms, regardless of the alliance. He suspected it to be trap when he saw his brother smile a little too gently, his eye softening a little too much than he was accustomed to seeing. He didn't ship IzuSaku at all because he loves his brother first and foremost. Sakura and he started off in bad terms but he soon discerns her good intentions and her honest reciprocal of feelings for Izuna, so he gives them his blessings and promises his protection.

Tobirama doesn't believe it until he sees it. He thinks she is too good for someone like Izuna, but seeing Izuna happy and content with Sakura, he comes to an understanding that this arrangement does save a lot of women from falling his prey.

Hashirama doesn't hold a particular opinion on Izuna but knows his notorious reputation and thus fears for Sakura's heart. He doesn't get in their way but tries to make sure Sakura is safe. When he is assured Izuna is courting her with intention of marriage, he gives them his blessings as well because Sakura is part of his family.

Mito doesn't understand why Sakura chose someone like Izuna given his reputation, and how Izuna really fell hard for the woman like Sakura.

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SaiSaku

Sai doesn't have lot of friends to support him, but luckily for him, Sakura has.

It is Ino who digs their relationship. Ino who helps Sai learn a thing or two about women. Ino who helps him learn new ways to impress Sakura (failed everytime). Sai and Ino became close friends the more she stayed around as his part-time trainer/babysitter everytime Sakura is away on a mission/hospital (because Sakura doesn't trust Sai alone without her for long). It is through Ino that they ultimately got together in the end.

Naruto, as if on a clock, becomes sceptical if she didn't see Sasuke in Sai, but that idea goes out of the window everytime Sai opens his pretty mouth. He supports Sai and Sakura because he could. As much as Sai pisses him off, he is still one of his good friends that he treasure, but one he would never admit to about his feelings.

Sasuke never thought his position in Team 7 would be threatened, much less by an ANBU/Root member, and he most definitely didn't think it will be that member who will ultimately date Sakura. As much as he knew the world wouldn't have stopped moving when he left, he also didn't expect new faces to join his team and take what had been promised his. Sakura punches him square on his face when he vocalises his thoughts. Regardless to say, he isn't happy with this arrangement.

Yamato is most pleased to see Sai flourishing as a person instead of a killing machine they were made into. He thinks Sakura is scary and will keep Sai on his toes, but also that she will be patient and guide him on the right path. They couldn't be more different, but he knew they understand each other like no one else.

Yamato and Naruto becomes the best men in SaiSaku wedding, and no sightings of Sasuke is observed anywhere.

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ShiSaku

Surprisingly, Shisui gets green signal from all the members of team 7. When asked, he is told many reasons ranging from – "You're the only decent Uchiha" to "You're not emotionally dead.", which ultimately means he is approved because he is everything Sakura expects in a man, and that age is hardly a reason of disapproval from them if it is not a problem for Sakura.

Naruto sometimes – particularly on days when Shisui steals their female teammate to spend time with him – think if Shisui had not brainwashed Sakura into giving in to his vile intentions, because that's exactly what his Sharingan is specialized to do, but when Sakura hears a word about this, she always punches him hard enough to make him reconsider his words. Sasuke and Kakashi are smart enough to keep their opinions about her love life to themselves.

If Itachi thought Shisui was annoying when he was not in love, he thinks Shisui is downright nuts when he is in love. Sakura is all he ever talks about, and while Itachi is pleased to see his cousin and Sakura, who's a good friend to him, so happy in love, there's a line that need not be crossed. He is thankful that both make a lovely couple together who can make Uchiha clan a happy place with their shared positivity. But. But, Shisui is also a jealous idiot and those two words never make a good combination. Itachi blesses the couple for all happiness in the world, but he is just not the person they should come to looking for relationship advice whenever one of them (always Shisui) screws up.

You'd think since Shisui is not part of the main house and having no living family of his own, there'll be no family drama surrounding him and his love life, but you're dead wrong. Once Mikoto and Fugaku hear a word about ShiSaku being canon, they call Shisui in, gives him the earful of the lifetime, demands of him to propose marriage to her, and proceed to prepare for the big wedding. Sakura accepts but that's hardly a point, because next thing Shisui knows is getting adopted into the main house. There goes his freedom.

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KibaSaku

Tsume loves Sakura. She wants to adopt Sakura. Inuzuka clan loves Sakura. KibaSaku is real, so what happens? Tsume threatens to disown Kiba unless he proposes to Sakura and make her one of the pack soon. According to Tsume, Kiba has finally chosen "the one who will make up for his lack-of-thereof brain and strength".

When the word gets out about his entanglement with Sakura, Team 8 is pleased – especially Hinata and Shino. Kurenai looks at him like she doesn't believes him. Shino repeats Tsume's sentiments on the matter. Hinata only smiles in a way that screams 'finally!'.

Team 7 is not happy that their precious teammate is getting it on with someone who smells like dog.

Kurenai who is like a mother to both Sakura and Kiba is happy to help them get started with parenting. It got too awkward to further ask Tsume who only said to "break the bed and let nature play its role". Kurenai will take turns with rest of the Team 8 and Team 7 to babysit many kids that KibaSaku will sire because they are wild. Tsume is proud though.

Tsunade blesses the couple and knows she will enjoy spoiling her many grandchildren rotten. Shizune is only happy for her sister-figure, even if she is a bit worried for the children.

Ino smirks at Sakura like a sly cat, every time they meet, all the way until her friend is happily married. Kiba is a catch, even if he smells like a dog. And they both know it.

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GaaSaku

Baki cries in joy when GaaSaku reveals their relationship public. He had thought Gaara was a lost cause when it comes to romance. His son-figure made him proud that day.

Temari threatens Sakura if she breaks "her-precious-bean's-fragile-heart", she will see through that her body gets never found in the sand. When it became clear that Sakura was serious about Gaara, Temari crushes the other woman to her chest and cries over how lucky she was to have Gaara as her husband (because there's no way her precious bean, Gaara, is undeserving of someone).

Kankuro breaks down crying, thankful that his little brother Gaara was not asexual and that he only had high expectations of himself because there was no way Sakura wasn't the best bride for Gaara. A match made in heaven, he said. It doesn't help that Kankuro and Sakura are best friends who often conspire ways to make Gaara blush prettily like he does, much to Gaara's chagrin.

Tsunade stans GaaSaku and is aware of the political advantage in their marriage to back up their relationship. Temari marrying into Konoha and Sakura into Sand, is a fair exchange.

Konoha council begs to differ.

Naruto wants to feel betrayed but doesn't because Gaara deserves the love he will get from Sakura, and he knows him and knows her. That doesn't help him from sending threatening letters, dripping on rabbit's blood, to Gaara who isn't alarmed at all and patiently writes back about his feelings concerning his female teammate. Naruto cries like a baby on their wedding because Kazehime is such a fitting title for his precious Sakura-chan.

Sasuke never sees it coming. He is betrayed, but not because Sakura moved on but because it is Gaara she moved on to. He takes personal offence to it, confronts personally about it to her in Suna and Sakura isn't impressed. If Sakura gives him a beating that leaves him in Suna hospital for a week, that's not on Sakura.

Kakashi cannot care less whom his old genin team fucks and marries but he admits he is a bit impressed that Sakura marries Gaara of all people.

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ShikaSaku

Team 10 is ecstatic when Shikamaru and Sakura makes their relationship public. Ino is on cloud nine when she hears Sakura gets to be official part of Ino-Shika-Cho. She breaks into Sakura's apartment to crush her best friend in a hug that might as well suffocate her to death but a girl gotta express her joy one way or another. She demands Shikamaru to invite Sakura for all future clan get-togethers so Sakura will feel comfortable in future.

Choji is happy for his best friend. He secretly meets with Yoshino to prepare for the big day. He exclusively invites Sakura for all Akimichi parties when he hears about her passion for cooking, even if she's bad at it. It's safe to say Sakura became part of Ino-Shika-Cho even before her marriage to Shikamaru.

When Sasuke hears about it, he corners Shikamaru and inquires about all the intentions Shikamaru has towards his teammate. He might not like Sakura like she once wished to be liked by him, but she was still part of his family that is Team 7 and he cares enough to make sure she doesn't get heart broken the way she had with him. When he gets right answers, he drops his arm against his throat, draws back his kusanagi and walks away like nothing was amiss.

When Naruto hears about it, he pokes fun at Shikamaru for his taste in women – first Temari, now his teammate. To onlookers, it would look like two friends playfully teasing each other, but if you look closely, you'd notice the red of Naruto's eyes, how the grip on Shikamaru's fingers were tad too tight and the way Shikamaru looked like he would rather be anywhere but there. After a measured shake and few more teasing jabs, Naruto returned to his goofy self.

When Kakashi hears about it and comes across him, Shikamaru doesn't let the older man get a word in. With Kakashi, it might as well be chidori to heart so Shikamaru rushed to firmly asserted his very pure, no vile, feelings for his sole female student. By the time he is finished with his monologue, Kakashi has left.

Tsunade is neutral when the news gets to her. As simple as Shikamaru was, he was also not the most committed person so she decides to test Shikamaru before she gave him her blessings.

Temari flips the table when the word reaches Suna. She immediately leaves the village to make sure Shikamaru was truly serious, this time, about her friend. Gaara follows after her because he is still pissed at the certain man for breaking his sister's heart. Kankuro passes the hat to Baki for the meantime and leaves after his siblings to beat certain someone if this is just another ugly fling for him. Also, because he isn't going to miss on a good show.

If some ink tigers pop out of nowhere and attempt on Shikamaru's life or some carnivorous plants tries to taste the meat on his nether region, he doesn't speak of the incidents to anyone, let alone Sakura. It is only after Sakura is pronounced a Nara that the attempts on his life cease.

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The part 2 y'all wanted.

I think I nearly covered all the popular pairings. There's still ShinoSaku, YamaSaku, DeiSaku, KisaSaku, KarinSaku, LeeSaku, HidaSaku and ChoSaku, AsuSaku and IndraSaku though. Maybe next time.

#Kushina for Hokage #Inoichi is male!Ino therefore flirting is crucial #Kakashi and Rin worships the ground Sakura walks on #we all know the only way MinaSaku is happening is time-travel #cant blame naruto for not shipping minasaku #you wouldnt appreciate your father being chosen over you by your first love either #ino is us #hashirama is a poor political leader but Sakura is not #Mito is bisexual babe who simps hard for women who can lift what many powerful men couldnt #i cant help but make uchiha fam love sakura #tobirama is in denial and therefore the passive agressive love between tobisaku #izuna is a worldclass womaniser but sakura loves him anyway. just because he looks like sasuke doesnt mean he is even remotely like him #sai is precious. who sai will go to when sakura is busy? ino ofc #shisui is carefree uchiha who enjoys his freedom. he was at least until uchiha main family heard about his relationship with sakura #multisaku #hashisaku #madasaku #izusaku #shisaku #minasaku #mitosaku #shikasaku #gaasaku #notice how shikamaru gets the short end of the stick and is threatened again and again by all people who is not team 10? #he may be smart but he is also sexist has comittment issues and finds relationships drag. i made him lowkey womanizer which i think he is #kibasaku #he who smells like dog but is too hot to be casted aside #saisaku #everyone loves her #sakura haruno

[phantomchick]

Naruto Fic Rec Masterpost!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

¦ part 1 ¦ part 2 ¦ part 3 ¦

#Naruto #fic rec list #fic recs #naruto fic rec list #fic rec masterpost #naruto fic recs #fanfic recs #team 7 #fic rec list masterpost #naruto fics #Uzumaki Naruto #subject to possible edits in the future #like if i wanna make a part 4 this baby's getting edited #believe it #lol #gen naruto fics

[sariasprincy]

In a Past Life - MadaSaku

In a Past Life MadaSaku

Written for @madasakuweek Rated T Random AU

It is said in ancient mythology that humans had two souls once. They were peaceful creatures, full of joy and warmth and love. But the Gods grew jealous of humans and ripped them in two, cursing them to forever wander for their other half through this life, and then the next.

Many of the Gods found their suffering to be of great amusement, but one Goddess took pity on the poor humans. She could not reverse the damage that had been done, but she granted them the only help she could offer: The Mark.

Much of the legend has been lost to time, but the old stories say that every person has an imprint, unique to them and their missing soul. It is hidden in plain sight, only to be revealed once its twin has been discovered. Only then will one know they have found their other half, their missing piece - their soulmate.

If one believed such myths...

xx

Sakura tried not to stare. She knew in this circumstance she was meant to be seen and not heard even if she was the infamous, respected kunoichi trained under the powerful Godaime, Tsunade. It was all part of the politics, all a part of keeping the peace. At least that’s what her mentor had told her under a dark sky without starlight. Sakura couldn’t say she agreed with the village elders or their motives for signing such a ridiculous treaty, but it was not her place to speak - and so she did not.

Dropping her gaze back to the scroll in her hands, Sakura scanned the document without reading it. It was simply a distraction to keep her from glaring at the occupants - or rather one specific occupant - that sat around the large circular table that had been brought into the Hokage’s office for the occasion. They spoke in calm tones but their voices held a note of strain as they discussed the particulars of the treaty agreement.

At the sound of his voice, Sakura’s gaze drew up again. He sat on the far side, almost completely facing her from where she worked on the opposite side of the room at the low-sitting couch. His eyes, the color of a black hole, bore into the Hokage as he ordered for control over his clan’s old compound.

Uchiha Madara. What a sad excuse for a Founding Father, Sakura thought.

He looked like he was ready for battle rather than peace as he sat straight-backed, dressed in the very same well-worn, crimson armor he had worn during his war against Konoha only a few months prior. Tsunade and the other medics weren’t entirely sure why he and Senju Hashirama had survived Kabuto’s Reincarnation Summoning, but after a thorough examination by Tsunade herself, she had confirmed that the two men were no longer bound by the summoning and had been left in their world with their souls intact. They were now a part of their reality.

Of course, the other nations had immediately demanded Madara’s head but after Tsunade and her grandfather, Hashirama, had reasoned the world they know wouldn’t have survived given Madara’s interference in preventing the rise of Kaguya, the other nation leaders had relented. Which is how they all found themselves in this room to begin with.

Silently Sakura observed Madara as he spoke. There was a note of authority in his voice as he discussed his needs and desires with the other members gathered. The air of madness that had surrounded him while she and her teammates faced off against him on the battlefield had faded to be replaced with an unwavering dominance that was felt by everyone in the room. It wasn’t suffocating but his power still demanded respect - even from someone like Sakura who still refused to see him as anything but a monster. She would not forget their battle so easily.

It wasn’t until Madara met her gaze that she realized she had been glaring in thought. His midnight eyes clashed against her forest green orbs but she didn’t flinch away as he silently observed her from across the room. His expression was unreadable, betraying none of his thoughts, and silently they stared as the discussion continued.

It briefly crossed her mind how similar he and Sasuke looked with their sleek, black hair and the aristocratic features passed down from their clan’s ancestors. Their eyes were similar in shape as well but while Sasuke’s usually shined with annoyance or amusement, Madara’s were calculating - guarded even. The Uchiha Founder would have been stunning - if not for the fact he was the spawn of Satan. Or perhaps Satan himself.

Narrowing her eyes a fraction more, Sakura finally returned her attention back to the scroll. She signed the bottom of it and furled it up before she set it down in her completed pile and stood silently. Without casting a glance at the conference table, she quietly exited the Hokage’s office. There was no way she could complete her work with her anger simmering just below the surface and instead she considered what appealed for lunch as she rolled the different restaurants nearby around in her head.

In her haste, she missed the pair of eyes that followed her.

xx

Cold air greeted Sakura as she entered the Hokage’s Tower. With the summer sun cast high into the sky, the cooler temperature was a relief against her overheated skin and she shifted the heavy, medical texts in her hand to swipe away the beads of sweat that had gathered along her hairline.

Behind the guard desk, Shikamaru sat with his feet propped on the tabletop and his fingers laced behind his short, spiky ponytail. He cracked an eye open at her entrance only to immediately close it again upon recognizing her. She smiled fondly at the older male and shook her head minutely but let him be as she passed the desk and continued towards the staircase that would lead her down to the vast library held beneath the building.

Her footsteps echoed softly against the concrete steps only falling silent when she reached the familiar library door. Sakura pushed the old wood open, its hinges groaning quietly with the force before she slipped inside and automatically made for the shelves reserved purely for literature on medicine and healing. It was small in comparison to the rest of the sections on military tactics and defense, but with one of the greatest healers in the world as Hokage, it was filled with far more recent and accurate information.

Silently Sakura ran her fingers across the backs of the many texts until she located the appropriate spots for the books she had borrowed. She slipped them back onto the shelf before she continued reading the titles. Tsunade had informed her some days ago that Konoha and Suna had exchanged some texts and she was interested to see if any new medical journals had been delivered in the shipment. She was still itching to get her fingers on Chiyo’s knowledge on poisons she had left behind after her death.

After pulling a few journals from the shelves, Sakura settled in as she leaned back against the tall bookshelves. For some time, she read in peace with only her textbooks to keep her company. A few more sat stacked on the table next to her, but she was in no hurry to rush through them. She was currently unneeded at the hospital until later that night and it was far too hot out for her teammates to search her out for a spar.

From elsewhere in the library, she could hear the soft shuffling and murmurs of other shinobi. It wasn’t uncommon for others to wander through the wide variety of literature but they mostly lingered in the large sections reserved for military tactics and so she paid them no mind. However, her attention was stolen from the thick pages in her hands as the hushed whispers of two distinct voices reached her ears.

“Madara, you ask too much.”

“I only ask what is deserved to me. That which is my birthright.”

“You should be gracious. The Hokage has pardoned you. That should be enough.”

Even without the use of his name, Sakura would have recognized Madara’s cool, unyielding tone. It took her a moment longer to identify the other as Hashirama’s but once she did, her interest piqued and she straightened unconsciously as she strained to hear their conversation.

“Do not speak to me about being gracious,” Madara nearly growled. “My Clan has been stigmatized ever since Konoha’s founding, no thanks to your brother.”

Hashirama paused. “I admit Tobirama made mistakes in his time as Hokage, but he only ever had good intentions.”

“He killed my brother,” Madara retorted.

“And you nearly had me commit suicide as justice. We can sit here and point fingers, but all of us made mistakes in the end while trying to find some resemblance of peace. You and I are no longer enemies here, Madara.”

“We may not be enemies but do not make the mistake of thinking we are on the same side.”

Even out of sight, Sakura could feel the displeasure rolling off the Uchiha Founder in waves. Only her well-trained ears allowed her to hear the almost silent pad of footsteps a moment before Madara stepped past the bookcase she was currently leaning against. He caught sight of her out of the corner of his eyes and stopped abruptly as he angled his head to look at her, his irritation still palpable in the air.  Knowing there was no point in pretending that she hadn’t overhear their conversation, Sakura met his eyes evenly, her expression void of any thoughts or judgments.

Neither of them spoke as they studied the other, but the awkward pause was quickly broken as Hashirama joined them. “Madara-.”

Sakura shifted her gaze to the Shodai Hokage as he halted beside Madara as he too suddenly became aware of their audience. Even with their expressions carefully masked, Sakura was only too mindful she had overheard a conversation she had no business hearing, but she refrained from apologizing. After all, she was just visiting the library.

It was a moment before Sakura nodded respectfully. “Senju-sama.”

“Haruno-san,” Hashirama greeted.

Even to her observant gaze, it was difficult to read his expression and he turned away from her to glance at Madara. “This conversation is not over.”

The Uchiha head said nothing and Hashirama nodded politely to her again before he made his exit.

Alone with Madara again, Sakura met his gaze coolly. It was so unusual to see him clothed in anything other than battle armor that she found herself taking a second-look at his shinobi pants and the long-sleeved, black shirt she could only assume held the Uchiha emblem on the back. He had rolled his sleeved up to his elbows on account of the summer heat but she wondered how he still wasn’t overheated. Perhaps his heart really was made of ice.

The thought made the corner of her mouth twitch in amusement but she quickly bit it back, still keenly aware of Madara’s observant gaze. It caused her skin to prickle uncomfortable but she refused to flinch away from this man.

“Do you tend to make a habit of masking your chakra within the village?” Madara finally asked.

“After being attacked within these walls so many times, yes I make it a habit. If you wanted somewhere to speak privately, I suggest that perhaps you do so in a private area.”

Sakura didn’t even attempt to hide the cool venom in her voice. They were both aware of her feelings towards him and she didn’t respect the older male enough to even attempt to pretend otherwise. She had hoped her openness would compel Madara to leave her in peace, but it seemed her words had the opposite effect for he inclined his head curiously. “You do not care for me very much.”

“And here I was trying so hard to hide it,” she smiled sarcastically.

“Why?”

A cynical laugh passed her lips before she shot him a look. “Would you like me to list the reasons chronologically or by most serious offense first?”

“I do not recall ever committing a crime against you personally.”

Straightening, Sakura pushed herself off the bookshelf to face Madara fully, her expression mildly incredulous. “You attacked me and my team.”

“We were at war,” he said simply.

“You were at war!”

Her sharp retort echoed off the books lining the shelves, stunning them into silence. She met his cool, unwavering stare with narrowed, emerald eyes as the pent up rage and resentment she held towards the man before her coiled like an angry snake inside her chest. Madara simply observed her, his expression unreadable.

“Hashirama is right,” Sakura eventually said, her voice quiet  in comparison to her outburst only moments before but no less hostile. “There are many shinobi inside these walls that don’t believe you should be pardoned. You should be gracious.”

With a note of finality, she snapped the heavy, medical book closed before she slid it back into its place upon the shelves and pivoted on her heels. In hindsight, Sakura should have known better than to turn her back on such a powerful shinobi, for one moment she was stalking away from him and the next she was pinned against the shelves, her shoulder blades and lower back pressing uncomfortably into the books.

Madara towered over her, all strength and dominance and danger as he used his larger frame to keep her immobilized. His sudden proximity stunned her and kept her from immediately channeling chakra into her arms and forcing distance between them as she stared wide eyed.

“You are naive to think that it was only upon my request that I returned to the village.”

His warm breath ghosted over the shell of her ear, causing a shiver to race down her spine. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she weighed his meaning, but she refused to allow herself to believe that there was another reason the Hokage had asked for the Founder’s return. He was trying to manipulate her.

“I don’t believe you,” she hissed.

“Why else would I come back?”

She had no answer and the lack of knowing stirred her anger again. “Get off me.”

Snaking her hands between them, Sakura made to shove Madara away but he quickly grabbed her hand and pinned it above her head. The moment their wrists touched, something happened. A shock went through her body, igniting the blood in her veins and setting her body on fire as powerful recollection coursed through her.

Chest-aching grief and pure, blinding love warred within her as vague but emotional memories flooded her mind. She couldn’t make out the images but in that moment, she could just as well recall her past lives and all the times Madara had courted her, all the times he had comforted her and all the times he had hurt her.

Loss struck her like a blow to the gut and would have left her doubled over if not for the fact she found her body unable to move. He had died - time and time again. Once in battle as a warrior trying to protect her and the kingdom they resided in, and then again in an assassination as he slept at night as a kind ruler of their village. In the last life, he had come to her as a patient. She had fought so hard to save his disease-ridden body but the closer they grew, the further his sickness had progressed. She had watched his last breath.

The losses were nearly unbearable. Sakura couldn’t breathe.

But the pain slowly gave way to warmth as forgotten love surged through her and warmed her from her toes to the ends of her finger tips. He had been her lover over and over again, in every life they had ever lived. He was her groom, her husband, and the father to her first child and another first child in the next life. He was kind and compassionate, and though they had both taken many faces and just as many names, it was still him.

And as quickly as they came, the memories faded until Sakura was once again standing in the library with Madara. He was just as still as her, neither of them daring to move, daring to breathe as the rush of emotion dwindled.

As a child, Sakura had heard the stories of how the Gods had torn humans in two to forever search for their other half who shared their same mark. Back then, she had daydreamed about finding the one who had followed her through every life, fantasized about what it would be like after finding her true love, but she had long forgotten those fairytales. Until now.

Sakura was suddenly hyper aware of the hand that was still clasped within Madara’s and the firmness of his chest where it pressed against hers. She could feel every silent draw of breath he made, every beat of his heart, and through the sunlit, dusty air of the library, their eyes met.

Another moment passed before Madara spoke, “We are…”

“No,” Sakura interrupted before he could finish. With the fight gone from his body, she easily slipped out of his hold and put some distance between them. She eyed him warily, his own expression mildly bewildered and a hint curious. The look put her on edge and she took another defensive step back.

“Not you,” she said slowly. “Anyone but you.”

tbc...?

#madasaku #madara #sakura #idk if I'll come back to this #maybe one day #it was just a stir of the moment thing #and I have so many other projects i'm working on #but it's always fun #to write that your soulmate is someone you actually hate #and then watching them kinda shift their opinion of them over time #my writing #madasaku weekend #in a past life #soulmates au #au