#i draw them like how masashi kishimoto draws naruto and sasuke

[healpimp]

If you are ever in doubt wether my posts with demo and soldier interacting are boots n bombs or not i promise you it is intended to be fully and utterly homosexual

#They might not always be balls-slapping-the-taint deep in each other when i draw them #but i assure you its boots n bombs #i draw them like how masashi kishimoto draws naruto and sasuke #never not thinking abt the other when drawing them #like do i have to draw them cumming in every hole before you are convinced its gay. look at them barbara. #do you think its galpal time when i use the half-zatoichi as the sword that kills soldier. #do u think i chose the katna cus i thought it was the coolest sword. or my fav sword to use. #no. im a bottle bitch. #you think i use THE gayest sword in tf2. the one that can oneshot 2 specific classes if they also carry the sword. #just so you can assume its a best friend thing. #i use the half-zatoichi bc that shit is gayer than gay sex #like wydm they can kill each other in one shot. homosexual behavior. #theyve killed each other so many times now that they have intimate knowledge of each others bodies #they know what to aim for to kill them. how to ngle the sword just so. #cross faction icons. #the blood and gore and violence is a hyper masculine way of them baring themselves to each other without having to commit #the danger and pain and betrayal that awaits when theyre openly and unapologetically friendly and close w each other #the fact when they WERE open abt it they were punished #they had to choose between their job and their friend and without the staged betrayal #without the lies fed to them they would have chosen friend #and you know the job is important to both of them #enjoyable even #bnb CAN be loveydovey picnic at the park #but its not all it is #its the war where they tear each other apart thinking the other is in the wrong #its their fear of committing again #its their festering image of what the other did and the inability to even attempt to clear it up till its too late #and its the way they can bounce back from it #because theyre gay barbara theyre homosexual

[faustocosgrove]

naruto blogger reads another book about ninjas, more at 11

it should come as no surprize to y’all that I, someone who still reblogs naruto posts in the year 2023, picked up John Man’s Ninja: 1000 years of the shadow warrior.

and of course, as a naruto fan i was also comparing the actual history of ninjas in Japan to the naruto series. for example, the real Sarutobi Sasuke versus the characters Sasuke and Sarutobi Hiruzen, the historical Hanzo Hitori and the Hanzo and Danzo in the series. the political formation of the naruto ninja villages versus the historical pressures that made ninjas. and the more i read the more i lost what little respect i had left for the naruto series.

In the book, the author has one hilarious paragraph mentioning the naruto series. here it is:

“No account of modern ninja literature can omit Naruto, the multivolume manga series by Masashi Kishimoto. This is pure fantasy, with no pretense of any historical roots, and phenomenally successful, easily the best-selling manga of all time, with almost 60 volumes -113 million copies- sold in Japan. The anime versions (220 episodes in Japan, 209 in English) and video games and novels and card games and on and on and on have all had equivalent success.”

that’s it. it’s got nothing to do with historical ninjas and is very popular.

and on one hand i kinda wonder how much of naruto the author read, but on the other it’s pretty funny that a manga that spends 700 chapters butchering the interesting parts of the history of ninjas while trying to make random characters look cool by giving them names and other references to the historical ninjas got called “no pretense of any historical roots” to actual ninja history.

what’s even funnier is that Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles got 3 paragraphs with a plot summary pointing out where the plot was drawing from actual ninja history. Naruto didn’t get a plot summary because there’s nothing in the plot that reflects actual ninja history. The discrepancy that sticks out the most to me is the very brief history we got in Naruto of the change from there being no ninjas to there being ninjas. in naruto, the change is a magic alien man god who bestowed upon the human race his DNA (don’t argue with me about kaguya, she had two kids and one populated earth and the other the moon.)

But the real actual historical ninjas formed from when feudal lords were waging war against each other and the peasants whose land they were fucking up with their war and the samurai employed by the two lords all got together and said this nonsense has to stop. and then they worked together to stop it, usually by assasinating one of the feudal lords. let that sink in. marinade in your brain. soldiers from both sides of a war put their differences aside and worked together to kill one of their commanders because that would stop the war the fastest.

that is just so fucking cool. and kishi replaced it with an alien and his magic sperm. i hate that so much that i want to vomit. he didn’t have to do that. he could have written that chakra was a thing already that samurai used and animals! because animals use chakra in the naruto universe. so alien god daddy must also have used his sperm to bless cats and dogs and snakes and toads and slugs and fuck if i can remember all the species of animals that can also do ninjutsu off the top of my head. like he could of just had the same actual history of ninjas but do it with chakra. like let normal people be able to use chakra too but only ninjas are able to do cool shit with it because they’ve been trained by their super secret ninja village. like boom there you go. problem solved. like you don’t even have to get rid of the magic space aliens so long as the thing that gives ninjas value isn’t how much sperm they got from the magic alien god daddy.

mild tangent warning.

like years ago i remember reading an article about Harry Potter and how a parents group criticized the books for the whole magic is a thing you’re either born with or not instead of magic is a thing anyone can use so long as you study it and work hard. because one narrative encourages children to apply themselves and the other teaches that some people are naturally superior to others because of their DNA and how that sounds a lot like something hitler would have given two big ole thumbs up to.

but i digress. anyway the whole DNA superiority thing is almost interesting in one regard in naruto because literally everyone is obsessed with sasuke or the uchiha clan in general. because of the sharingan which requires magic uchiha DNA to exist. and it’s been noted by smarter naruto fans than me that naruto and sasuke are stand ins for kishi and his twin brother. so he wrote a character based on his twin brother and made him genetically superior to his own stand in. when they’re literally twins. light googling, identical twins. they have the same DNA. like what can possibly be going on in ones mind when they feel inferior to their identical twin sibling and express this inferiority complex through art that results in genetic superiority. this is the whole reason i’m still into naruto. i enjoy studying kishi. he’s a weird guy.

…this is turning into more of a naruto critique than a book review. oopsies.

anyway, this book took a really interesting turn by arguing that the Nanako Spy School that was operating in Japan during the second world war was a ninja school. and then i learned a whole bunch of things about Japanese world war two history that’s actually cool as fuck. it talks about Onoda Hiroo, the guy who lived in the jungle in the Philippines for 30 years, who was a student of the Nanako Spy School. like everything about the Nanako Spy School is just so fucking cool. the central japanese government fucked up everything they achieved, but considering japan was allied with germany we can all thank god that they did fuck up as bad as they did.

warning: whiplash inducing tone shift ahead

it’s also worth noting that i checked this book out in *checks notes* May????? and i literally finished it today. i was having such a good time reading this book that when i felt the action ramping down i put it down and just never picked it back up because i didn’t want the fun to end. turns out i had exactly 2 pages and 5 lines left to read. what i thought was more to read was the bibliography. i am such an idiot.

#naruto hell never ends #ninja: 1000 years of the shadow warrior #fausto reviews things

[the-letter-horror-lover]

Tears by Gerao-A

Anime » Naruto Rated: T, English, Adventure & Romance, Boruto U., Sarada U., Words: 23k+, Favs: 131, Follows: 97, Published: Nov 6, 2015 Updated: Apr 5, 2016

71Chapter 5

Tears

Sunny: our new Naruto fic.

Alandra: we just saw the Boruto Movie and we decided to make a fic. it happens five years after the fight against Momoshiki

Ramon: Still the Naruto series does not belong to us, it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Chapter 5

Boruto and his team continue their journey, Sarada walks with a calm but cold attitude, virtually ignoring Boruto all the way.

Boruto is practically blowing his steam, last night Sarada and him were actually talking friendly for the first time in years without a single argument and now she is acting like he does not exist.

"Hey, Sarada, will you slow down?" Boruto called. "If you walk any faster you will reach the other side of the world!"

"Whatever." Sarada replied coldly without looking at Boruto.

Boruto groaned very loud.

Sarada felt very ashamed of herself with the way she acted last night, she acted like a childish, irrelevant little girl with a dismal school crush. "I can't afford to act this way!" she thought to herself. "I am the heir of the Uchiha clan! And I am aiming to become a future Hokage! I must be strong…" Sarada could not understand if she was acting this way to Boruto because of the achievements she wants to accomplish or simply because she was embarrassed. Last night Boruto said that Sarada looks cute without her classes.

"Hey, Boruto, what's up? something bothering you?" Asuka asked when Boruto sighed heavily.

"Me? no! I just could not sleep last night."

"Oh, that's too bad, but hey, how about we take some picture together huh? this will be fun." Asuka suggested excitedly as she pulls out her cell phone.

Boruto could not help but to smile back. "Cool!"

Once again Sarada sees Boruto and Asuka getting just perfectly. She sees the two of them taking selfies together.

Seeing the relationship that is forming between Boruto and Asuka is unbearable for Sarada, every time she sees the tow of them laughing together is like a deep, dark, poisons knife being stabbed on Sarada's chest, taking the very air from her body. It is almost like everything Sarada starts to get closer to Boruto, Asuka shows up to draw the line between them. "I can't wait for this mission to be finally over so I don't have to see this girl again."

"Over here! We arrive our destination!" Sasuke called.

Everyone rushes over to Sasuke, and they see the clear sight of the ocean right in front of them.

"You mean, the last piece is in the ocean?" Mitsuki asked.

"No, it is right there." Sasuke pointed to the Light-house near the beach.

"The Light-house? That is where the last piece is?" Kanguro asked.

"Yes, twenty feet under the Light house to be exact." Sasuke responded.

"I see." Sarada exclaimed. "That light house seems abandoned but that does not stop anyone to get in. So the safest solution if to bury the last piece and keep it away."

"But what are we going to do? are we going to dig the last piece out and put it somewhere else?" Boruto asked.

"No." Sasuke responded as he starts to walk again with everyone else following him. "We will keep a close watch on the area and do some training while we are at it. At least until more aid arrive or until we defeat the enemy, which ever come first. so we will set up a base camp in the Light house to make it sound like we are simply camping there. Kankuro, set your dummies around the area to make sure we don't get any surprise attacks.

"I'm on it."

"The rest of us will get a fire going to prepare a meal."

"No problem." Boruto said with a grin. "C'mon, Asuka, Let's go see if we can get something to eat."

"Awesome!" Asuka followed Boruto all the way back to the wood, directly to the lake found a few minutes ago.

Sarada looks at the direction Boruto and Asuka are going, they seem happy together. As much as Sarada hates to admit Asuka is defiantly not like her. Asuka is more carefree and she gets along with people just fine, qualities that match Boruto very well.

Sarada's vision starts to get blurry, that is when she realizes that is about to cry. "No! I don't cry!" Sarada wipes her tears away, refusing to give in to her depression. "I am strong! I will not cry, I will not cry!"

"Sarada, is something wrong?" Sasuke asked as he approach his daughter.

"No, no, Dad. I am ok." Sarada responded without looking at her father.

"Are you crying?"

"What? No! It is just the air of the sea, it's hitting my eyes."

"I see." Sasuke knows that Sarada is lying yet he also knows that she will insist on that recline unless she is prepared to converse.

"Dad." Sarada called when her father was about to leave, without turning to him. "Do you…do you think there is something wrong with me? Am I really a bad person?"

Sasuke chuckled. "Of course not. You are unique in your own level. In fact, you must be the purest Uchiha in history since you awaken your Sharigan in a way far different from anyone in the clan." Sasuke puts his hand on Sarada's head. "And one more thing, Sarada. It is Ok to cry."

Sarada finally turns to her father. "What? but I'm a ninja!"

"Ninja's are humans. And no one is more human than you, my dear. So go ahead, let it out, don't leave it locked inside you."

Sarada could not hold her tears anymore and runs to cry on her father's chest.

In that moment Boruto returns back to find Sarada crying. He remains hidden in hope to find out what is wrong with Sarada but nothing came out. "What is wrong with Sarada?"

Dinner time came and our group is eating fish.

"Kanguro, have your dummies report any incident." Sasuke asked as he took a bite out of his fish.

"Nothing so far, we are still on the clear. Let's hope it stays that way." Kanguro responded.

"Say, Kanguro-Sensei, how did Gaara-Sama and Naruto-Sama became friends?" Asuka suddenly asked.

"Huh? Why do you want to know?"

"Well, they seem very close friends and I heard that our two villages had some issues in the past. But they become allies thanks to the friendship between Lord Kazekage and Lord Hokage. So I am curious."

"My Dad said that Gaara-sama wasn't always a nice guy." Boruto join in the conversation.

"What? that is impossible." Asuka replied in shock.

"But it is true." Kanguro assured. "Gaara wasn't always the kind man we all know today. He was very vicious in his youth but all that changed thanks to Naruto."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Sarada asked.

"You see, Gaara and Naruto are Jinjuriki, the have a Bijuu sealed in them ever since they were babies, due to that they both had a life of loneliness and pain because everyone fear them and hated them for having the Bijuus sealed inside. Gaara took it hard because he resent everyone for hating him, even our own Father hated him. Gaara became a pitiless, malicious killing machine. He killed anyone who stand in his way or who even irritated him, heck there were even times when I feared for my own life.

"My gosh…" Asuka whispered, not believing in what she is hearing.

"So, what happed to the Lord Kazekage that made him change his ways?" Mitsuki asked.

"Naruto and Gaara fought each other." Sasuke responded. "It was an intense battle, I witness it myself, I was…how should I put it…under the weather, so I could not help him. The battle was so extreme that both of them fell. but we can clearly say that Naruto was victorious because he was able to move a little. After the fight Naruto said something to Gaara, I could not hear what it was but his words reached Gaara's cold heart."

"Yes." Kanguro nodded. "Ever since their fight Gaara changed into the man he is today. I guess finding someone who has the similar depressing history really reached within Gaara. If it wasn't for Naruto Gaara would probably still be a callous, hazardous murderer. I am eternally grateful to Naruto."

Boruto scoffed, his father really knew how to change a person's heart, his mother tells him that all the time.

"Wow, That was a touching story." Asuka said. "I never thought Lord Kazekage had such a dreadful life and he was so dangerous. But I am glad he turn out into the man I admire so much."

Even Sarada was touched by the story, it made her admire Naruto even more, and inspire her to be a great Hokage.

Back at the Root's hide out Muchizu meditates and awaits for the news for his upcoming mission.

"Muchizu. It is time!" The man in the Red Mask spoke as he approaches Muchizu.

"You found the location?" Muchizu asked without opening his eyes and still remains sited.

"Yes, here is the indication of it." The man in the Red mask throws a scroll to Muchizu who grabs it with one hand. "The Last piece is located under a light-house which is indicated in that scroll, and the best part is that that traitor Sasuke and his daughter are there as well. it is a magnificent opportunity. Kill them both and avenge Danzou-sama and finally we can accomplish his dream."

"How foolish."

"What? What did you said?" The man in the Red Mask demanded.

Muchizu simply gets up to his feat, slowly. "I said that is foolish."

"Silence! What right do you think you have to insult Danzou-sama like this!?"

"I do admit, the Jutsus that the Five Kages have concealed so cautiously are extraordinary. With them you can gain an unbelievable supremacy and you want to waste them by accomplishing the dreams of a mad man?"

"I said Silence! We paid you a great deal of money! We don't care what your arguments are, we simply demand that you carry out what you were ordered to do!"

Muchizu does not reply, he simply grabs his giant sword. "You paid me, you think you have power over me? no! You fools were useful to me to attain information. You see, I have a dream of my own. I will take the Jutsus for me and me alone."

With that statement all the remaining members of the Root appear, surrounding Muchizu with all the weapons they can get. That did not scare Mushizu at all.

"You will pay for this outrage, Muchizu. Kill him!" The man in the Red Mask yelled and all the members of the Root attacked Muchizu.

One minute later all the members of the Root are on the ground, dead, butchered in ways that it is best not to describe it.

Only the Man in the Red Mask remains alive but he hasn't much time because Muchizu is straggling him with just one hand.

"I will use the Jutsus to overpower all the Kages and take control of their armies and then start a campaign to conquer the country and then the World! Call it a cliché if you want to but it is a million times better than to leave the Jutsus to a bunch of dolls who can't think for themselves." With that Muchizu breaks the neck of the man in the Red Mask, ending the Root for good.

"Garbage, all of them. Now it is time to gain what is mine by all rights!" Muchizu grabs his huge sword and walks out of the hideout, leaving this place as the last resting place of the Root.

Sarada walked down the beach, to clear her mind of all thoughts, to clear of all images of Asuka and Boruto together. She feels like she is losing Boruto and worst of all she is not doing anything to stop it. Is it because she is shy, or simply because of her pride? "I'm so pathetic…"

Sarada then looks down to the horizon, the mere image of the ocean brings memories of a movie she once saw, of two lovers kissing each other by the beach, in the sunset.

Once again she pictures images of her kissing Boruto with a huge blush on her face. "Oh Stop it! What is the matter with me? This is so dismal and preposterous!" Sarada yells to herself and blushes again. "But still… I wonder how it would feel like… to just kiss him…"

"Hey, Sarada, what are you yelling about?" Boruto asked right behind of Sarada.

"YIKES!" Sarada freaked out and jump away from Boruto.

"Hey, what's the matter with you?"

"Oh on, OH NO! Did he heard what I just said?" Sarada thought as her body trembles with embarrassment.

"Anyway, your Father told me to find you, he wants…" Boruto stop his sentence when he notices the aura emerging from Sarada.

"YOU SLIME!" Sarada roared furiously, pointing at Boruto. "How dare you spy on me?!"

"What? No! I am not spying!" Boruto cried as he backs away.

"SHANAROOOO!"

Sarada hits the ground very hard, making the sand fly up to the air.

Once the dust of sad is all clear Sarada finds Boruto on the ground, completely unconscious.

She slowly walks to him and keels down to him. "maybe I over reacted a bit."

Without realizing she slowly moves her face to Boruto, touching his face. "His face… is so soft…"

Little by little Sarada approaches her face to Boruto until finally their lips touch. Sarada immediately backs away in embarrassment. "Oh my gosh! I touch his lips with my own! I kissed him!"

Sarada tries to calm herself and then looks back at Boruto. "Well, it was just a touch… not a real kiss…"

Once again Sarada approaches her face to Boruto, after studding every structure of his face, and this time she locks her lips to Boruto's. "My…my first kiss…not what I expected…but his lips are so soft."

For a while Sarada enjoyed kissing Boruto until she heard noises. She Immediately gets up to her feet.

In that moment Sasuke appears. "Sarada, what happen? What was that explosion?"

Sarada blushes. "Oh that…hehehehe…Well, Boruto show up suddenly, so I kind of… punch him…"

Sasuke sighed in relieve, for a moment there he thought it was an enemy attack. "I see. then help me carry Boruto back to camp. It is not wise to be separated so carelessly."

"Yes, of course…" Sarada could not believe what she has just done. she kissed Boruto while he was unconscious, in a way it did not felt right because he was out cold but in the other was she received a sample of a kiss.

"Ever since this mission started everything has just got nuts!" Sarada thought to herself. "What else might happen next?!"

To be Continued…

Sunny: another chapter done.

Maliska: Read and review please.

6

Tears

Sunny: our new Naruto fic.

Alandra: we just saw the Boruto Movie and we decided to make a fic. it happens five years after the fight against Momoshiki

Ramon: Still the Naruto series does not belong to us, it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Chapter 6

"BORUTO!" Sarada roared as she chased Boruto.

"Wait, wait, Sarada!" Boruto cried and hides behind Mitsuki. "What? what did I do now?"

"You know? I am perfectly aware that we are TEAM! I am really, really AWARE of that! but that does not mean YOU have to use my toothbrush!"

"I…I just grab it by accident. it was an honnest mistake."

"MISTAKE!?"

Boruto starts to use Mitsuki as a shield. "Wait, Sarada, you are scaring Mitsuki!"

"I am scared because you are using me as a shield!" Mitsuki cried.

"Alright! Enough foolishness." Sasuke yelled as he Kanguro and Asuka. "This is serious business."

Sarada turn away, pretending to be angry. of course she is upset that Boruto used her toothbrush but she can't simply face after what she did yesterday, she kissed Boruto while he was asleep. she feels so embarrassed for doing that, and ashamed because she senses like she cheated in confessing her feelings, simply she could not hold it anymore. She cannot say if she feels good or bad about that.

"Since our enemy hasn't show up yet we decided that you kids will be doing some combat exercises." Kanguro said.

"Combat Exercises?" Boruto repeated.

"Yes." Sasuke replied. "We'll be working boosting both your strengths and endurance while we are on guard. we can't afford to get rusty. So you will be paired up and do some sparring exercises to light up our skills."

"Well, seems fine to me." Sarada spoke in a serious yet calm tone, her glare pointed at Asuka. She hopes she gets a chance to spar with her, this will be a perfect opportunity to blew away some frustration she's been enduring because of her.

"Very well, then we will start with Boruto and Asuka." Sasuke said.

"WHAT!?" Sarada yelled in her mind. "Whose side are you on, Dad?"

"Alright. I'm in!" Asuka said cheerfully.

"Well, ok, I'm game." Boruto said timidly.

"Very good, then both of you stand in front." Sasuke ordered and both Asuka and Boruto walk in front, ready to face one another. "This is only a sparing contest, no need to get serious, this is only to improve your skills, nothing more."

"Don't go easy on me, Boruto." Asuka said winking her eye.

"Yeah, no problem." Boruto replied with a thumbs up.

"Alright then, begin!" Kanguro yelled.

Asuka charged against Boruto and throws a kick which he blocked. Asuka continues with some combos of kicks and punches, Boruto manages to block each and every one of them but he backs away.

"Boruto is holding back." Mitsuki observed.

"What? how do you know that?" Sarada asked.

"Isn't it obvious? We spared with Boruto hundreds of times, we know when he fights seriously or not. and he is obviously holding back."

Those words only worsen Sarada's emotion. After a few minutes Boruto continues to block Asuka's attack without responding. Sarada simple could not stand the mere fact that Boruto is holding back to Asuka, it is simply driving her mad.

"Sarada, where are you going?" Mitsuki asked when Sarada turn to leave.

"I'm just going out for a watch." Sarada responded, leaving without giving Mitsuki the chance to say another thing.

Boruto notices her leaving. "Where is she going?" in that moment Asuke manages to hit him hard on the cheeks.

The punch was so hard that Boruto fell down heavily. "Oh man…"

"Boruto, are you alright?" Asuka asked as she walked to him.

"Yeah, I received worse than that…" Boruto exclaimed with a whine.

"You are such a ghastly pretender. hold on, I'll get my medical kit." Before Boruto could reply Asuka runs back to camp.

Sasuke sighs. "Boruto, here I thought you were my best student but look at you. you're a mess."

"HEY, Give me a break will ya?" Boruto yelled. "Asuka is well trained! The people from the Sand Village really know how to train their people."

"It's not just that. you've been holding back the entire match. I would like to know why."

Boruto blushed. "Well... hehehe…when you live with a Mother and Sister like the ones I do…you kind of…you just can't find the courage to hit a woman."

Sasuke figured that was the situation at hand. He also notice that Boruto holds down every time he spars with Sarada. Hinata really made him a softy.

Sarada is sited on the top of the bolder, trying so hard to hold her tears but she simply can resist. The relationship between Asuka and Boruto is getting worse, if this keeps up they will end up together, and Sarada will end up alone.

"Stupid, Stupid, Stupid, Stupid Boruto! He said he would be my bodyguard when I become Hokage, if that is the case why he continues to act so friendly with that girl? He said that he would protect me, then why is he doing this to me?" She yelled. she is so frustrated and just wants to release her anger on someone.

In that moment the Onka brothers appear, armed with all kinds of weapons.

"What luck! one of the ninjas left the group!" Conka said.

"And it is just an silly little girl." Fonka pointed out.

"Dealing with her will be easy." Donka said.

"Alright, girly. if you know what is good for you then you will hand over all your valuable. Or else!" Bonka threatened.

Sarada gets up to her feet and turns her head to the Onka Brothers. her eyes glowing in red and with an expression that could kill a Bijuu. "YOU….."

Ten seconds later all five Onka Brothers run for their very lives because Sarada is chasing after them with a huge bolder on her hand.

"GET BACK HERE SO I CAN SMASH YOU!" Sarada roared as she chases the Onka brothers

"Mercy! Have Mercy!" Gonka implored.

"What is wrong with Ninjas now a days?!" Bonka cried.

Five minutes later Sarada finally manages to hit the five Onka with the bolder. That manage to blew up some steam.

Sarada takes a few steps away and stops to consider her situation. She secretly loves Boruto but she's too proud to admit her feelings. Asuka is a free spirit and she does not hesitates to tell what she feels, in that aspect she is better than Sarada.

Sarada sighs. "This is really depressing…now that I think about it, Boruto also goes easy on me when we spar…so why am I freaking out like this? I am completely losing my mind here!"

Sarada lifts her fist up and hits the ground. "I am in this position because I can't confess my feelings…this is the problem for being such a shy girl…"

"Did you heard what that lunatic said?" Gonka whispered.

"She says she is shy? I wonder what she'd do if she wasn't." Conka whispered back.

After a moment of silence Sarada takes a deep breath and composes herself. "That is it! I can hold it anymore! I am not going to stand still and do nothing anymore! I am going over to Boruto and…and…and… OH C'MON! Get over it Sarada Uchiha! You are the future Hokage! Get over it! If you can't do something as easy as confessing your own feelings then how can you ever hope of becoming Hokage? Yes! That is it! This is the time when Boruto knows my feeling and no one will stop me!"

Filled with Determination Sarada runs back to camp to reveal her feelings.

"Do all teenage ninjas have all these kind of problems?" Conka asked.

"I hope not. It could be hazards for our health's." Donka responded.

"Ouch!" Boruto whined when Assuka was taking care of him.

"For a Ninja you sure are a crybaby." Asuka teased.

"hey, you hit me very hard." Boruto replied.

"I wonder if you'll cry like this when we are up against the enemy."

"Heck, no! I will beat him up so hard that he won't be able to get up on the count of ten! 'cause I'm all that good!"

"Yeah, Yeah, let's just fix you up first, big guy."

Not far from there Sarada jumps from tree to tree to return back to the camp, moving as fast as she can before her motivation fades away.

"Where is Boruto?" Sarada asked to herself as she stopped on a branch.

She jumped a few more branches until she finally spots Boruto. "Oh, There he is, he…"

In that moment the air around her become paler, the sounds of trees becomes mutes, the light of the sun becomes dark with the mere vision right in front of her. Sarada is seeing Boruto from behind with Asuka right in front of him…kissing.

"No…no…" Sarada can feel her hearth breaching into pieces, the pain she is feeling right now is far worse than the pain of being stabbed with a knife. Sarada could not even think, she could not scream, she could not even hold the tears coming out of her eyes.

Boruto is kissing Asuka, this is the real, shocking truth and Sarada cannot do anything about it. Boruto can never return Sarada's feelings because his heart belongs to another girl.

Sarada could not stand the sight of the kiss, so she runs away, hoping to find an escape to this dreadful pain she is feeling.

In reality Boruto and Asuka are not kissing. In the position that Sarada was it seemed like they were kissing but they are not, Asuka is simply taking care of Boruto's wounds.

"There we go, now try not gain more bruises." Asuka teased.

"If you promise not to hit me on the face again." Boruto teased back.

"I'll try but I won't promise anything."

Both of them laugh, unaware of the terrible bewilderment that just happen.

To be continued….

Alandra: now things are looking bad all because of a simple mix-up.

Sunny: Read and review people.

7

Tears

Sunny: our new Naruto fic.

Alandra: we just saw the Boruto Movie and we decided to make a fic. it happens five years after the fight against Momoshiki

Ramon: Still the Naruto series does not belong to us, it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Chapter 7

The time passes by and it is nearly sunset, Sasuke looks at the calm, serene view with a concern look.

It's been many hours since the last time he saw Sarada. "Where is that girl?"

"She is fine." Boruto responded to Sasuke. "She is just sited under a tree. Strange that she has been there for hours."

"I see." Sasuke replied. It took some time but Boruto has developed the Byakugan, but just recently.

"Everyone listen!" Kanguro called. without delay, Sasuke, Boruto, Mitsuki and Asuka rush over to Kanguro

"What is it?" Sasuke asked.

"The dummies I left of the west side have been destroyed, all of them! The enemy is approaching from the west." Kanguro informed.

"I see. the enemy finally decided to make his move. and our backup will only be here in one hour."

"So what do we do now?" Asuka asked.

"Kanguro and I will face the enemy, to buy some time until the backups arrive. The rest of you will stay here and guard the item."

"What!?" Boruto yelled. "You want us to guard this fake piece of paper while you risk your lives?"

"That's an order Boruto! We already explain you why it is important to protect the piece of paper. But for now, I want you to get Sarada and bring her back to camp! Understood?"

"hum…Yes, alright."

After that, Sasuke and Kanguro ran over to the east while Boruto ran to the south.

"I don't like the idea of staying here while the others are risking their lives." Asuka said. "I saw firsthand how strong the enemy is. We were decimated in less than nothing!"

"I can understand that. let's just hope the backup arrives sooner than expected." Mitsuki said.

Boruto jumps from tree to tree into the direction to where Sarads is. he Starts to wonder why she's been there for the last hours. Truth be told, in Boruto's eyes , Sarada's been acting very strange ever since this mission started, and he could tell that she is upset about something, and she is not exactly the type that clearly expresses her feelings, she got that from her father. Boruto can tell that Sarada is sad about something, but what?

Over the years he has seen many expressions from Sarada, joy, anger, excitement… but he hardly sees her sad. In fact, he hates it when she is sad because he can't find a way to whip that sadness away, mostly because she won't tell why she is upset. She keeps it all inside her. This upsets Boruto a lot, it makes him feel like she doesn't trust him at all.

Sarada feel like her hearth is shattered, the mere memory of seeing Boruto kissing Asuka is enough to drain her potency away. Sarada simply can not hold her tears, she feels so abandoned, so betrayed.

"Oy! Sarada!" Sarada could hear Boruto's voice as he approaches. Sarada quickly gets up to her feet and regains composure. No matter how angry she is at him she can't allow him to see her like this.

"Hey, Sarada!" Boruto called as he landed right next to her.

"What do you want, Boruto?" Sarada asked coldly. Releasing all her wrath in that tone.

Even Boruto was surprised with the way Sarada spoke to him. she never spoke to him like that. "Well… It seems the enemy has finally arrived… we need you back at the camp."

"I see, let's go!" She replied in the same tone and turns to leave without looking at him.

"Hey, Sarada, what is the matter with you?" Boruto asked as he walks after her.. "What's with the cold attitude?"

"It is none of your business."

"What do you mean it is none of my business? what are you upset about?"

"Why do you care!" Sarada yelled very loud. Boruto nearly lost his balance. "I am just a simple teammate to you, right? Why would you care?"

Boruto was taken by surprise, Sarada never acted this way. "Because I worry about you. I am the one who will be your protector when you become Hokage."

"I never ask you to worry about me or to be my protector! Just leave me alone!" After saying that Sarada starts to run away.

"What? Sarada, wait!" Boruto starts to run after her. He simply cannot comprehend why she is acting like this. "Wait a minute, Sarada!"

"No, you stop following me! Leave me alone!" Sarada yelled and throws a rock at Boruto.

Boruto manages to dodge the rock and continues running after Sarada. "Hey, are you nuts? you could have hit me!"

"Leave me alone!" Sarada yelled again with tears coming out of her eyes.

"Why is she acting like this? What is wrong with her?" Boruto thought as he continues to chase her.

"I can't face him right now…not like this!" Sarada thought as she continues to run.

Suddenly Sarada feels someone grabbing her right arm, it is Boruto. She then feels someone grabbing her left arm, it is another Boruto. Boruto used two shadow clones to catch her.

The two Borutos forced Sarada to turn to the real Boruto who just managed to catch up to them. "Finally you calmed down."

"Boruto…tell your clones to let me go…NOW!" Sarada roared very loud as she struggles to break free from the two Borutos.

"No! I won't let you go until you tell me what the heck is wrong with you!" Boruto replied firmly.

Sarada slowly lifts up her head to look at Boruto with her eyes full of anger but with tears coming out. Boruto was taken by surprise with this mere scene. "Sarada…you…"

"I said… Let me go!" Sarada punches the two Boruto clones, making them disappear.

Boruto did not gave in to fear with the fact that Sarada crushed his two clones, he was just concerned about her. "Sarada, will you just tell me what is wrong with you? Why are you crying?"

"I am not crying and why do you care? Why don't you just go and take care of your girlfriend?!"

"Girlfriend? What are you talking about?"

"Asuka, you creep!"

"Asuka? what are you talking about? She is not my girlfriend!"

"Don't give me that crud! I saw you two kissing!"

"Kissing?" Boruto blinked in confusion. "What are you talking about? we did not kiss."

"Don't lie to me! I saw you two kissing a few hours ago!"

"We wha…" Boruto blinked in confusion again. "What are you talking about? we did not kiss. The only thing she did was taking care of my wounds after our sparring contest."

"I SAID DON'T LIE TO ME!" Sarada is so furious that she does not even listen to reason. "You take me for a fool? I know what I saw!"

Boruto does not reply, his face is no longer confused, his face shows that marks anger. "Think what you want!" after saying that Boruto turns to leave.

"HEY! Get back here!" Sarada yelled as she run to his and grab his shoulder.

Boruto simply slaps her hand away, violently. "WHAT?! WHAT DO YOU WANT NOW!?"

In that moment Sarada's anger fades away, she was taken by surprise, never in her life has she seen Boruto so upset.

"Well? What do you want to blame me this time huh?" Boruto demanded, the hostility never leaving his voice.

Sarada did not even spoke, Boruto never acted like this, for the first time in her life she was speechless. She never saw this side of Boruto and Sarada has to admit that it is scaring her.

"What?! You have nothing to say? Are you upset? I'm the one who should be upset! We have been partners for a very long time! We know each other ever since we were kids! And I've never…NEVER lie to you! NEVER! After all the things we did, you do this to me? You want to blame me for something I didn't do?"

With every shout it seemed like Sarada was being hit by a punch or being stabbed by a knife. Sarada wanted to speak but she is too disturbed to even say a word.

Boruto took a deep breath to try and calm himself, but is too difficult, he is hurt emotionally. "You hurt me, Sarada. I thought I could trust you but it looks like I was wrong." Boruto turns to leave not giving time for Sarada to talk back. "I'm going back to camp. Do whatever you want."

This time Sarada could not stop her tears. She wanted to run after Boruto but her legs could not find the strength to do it. She wanted to call him back but the words did not pop out. She could not do anything, she could not fix anything because she ruin everything because of a simple and foolish misunderstanding.

Sarada finally landed on her knees when she could no longer find Boruto on the horizon. Her tears falling, like a waterfall. "Boruto…"

Sasuke and Kanguro arrive to the place where Kanguro's dummy was destroyed.

Sasuke looks his surroundings, holding his Katana. "Be careful, the Enemy must be nearby."

"But it is strange. I don't find any footprints on the ground and there is no signs that he used the trees to make his escape." Kanguro analyzed and then turns back to his dummy. " He was not destroyed but any kunai as well. But wait, I see tiny pieces of paper."

Sasuke grabbed one of the pieces and analyses it. "This seems… like a piece of a cart boom."

"So the enemy used a cart boom to destroy my dummy?"

"Yes, and look at that piece that it is still clued on the dummy. by the mere pressure of it I would say that it has been stuck there for a good couple of hours."

"Wait a minute, are you by any chance suggesting that this was all a diversion?"

"Yes, the enemy is trying to divide and conquer us! We must return to camp at once!"

To be continued…

Sunny: Things are really going hard on Sarada and Boruto, no?

Air Jay: I've actually enjoy that. hehehehe. A little drama builds character.

Alandra: SHUT UP AIR JAY!

8

Tears

Sunny: our new Naruto fic.

Alandra: we just saw the Boruto Movie and we decided to make a fic. it happens five years after the fight against Momoshiki

Ramon: Still the Naruto series does not belong to us, it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Chapter 8

Sarada continues to cry without any signs of stopping. She really messed this up this time. She was so upset with what she saw that completely cracked the facts, in the position she was it seemed like Boruto and Asuka were kissing but it was just a simple, stupid, confusing mistake.

The worst of all is that Sarada believed the fact she created and completely ruin her companionship with Boruto, she ruin his faith, she ruin the possibility of ever being together with him. All wrecked because of a dim blunder.

Ever since she was little she, in her own way, feels linked to Boruto since both of them had father issues. There was always a distance between them and a bridge that separated them but as she grew she felt like that distance between them became shorter, but now because of her mess that bridge has broken in half and she cannot longer cross it.

She ruin everything…

Everything…

Suddenly Sarada hears a noise from behind and immediately jumps up and clears her tears away. she turns around and sees Muchizu. "What? who are you?"

Muchizu does not respond at first, he simply smirks and lifts up his large sword.

Sarada takes a jump back and grabs the katana her father gave her.

"My name is Muchizu, you should know who I am. I am the one who attacked those lands from the other Kages to collect the pieces of the maps."

"What? You are the one who cause all this mess? You are the one who attacked all those bases?" Sarada immediately activates her Sharigan.

"I see, an Uchiha. Possibly one of the lasts. Don't take this personal, young one. I have no personal enmity towards your clan but I will achieve a great accomplishment by destroying you."

"Oh, is that so?" Sarada immediately prepares a Justsu in her right hand. She activates the Chidori. "What makes you think that the Uchihas are easy preys?

As a response Muchizu touches the blade of his sword and his skin starts to chance , it transforms into the same material as the blade.

Sarada blinks in amazement, what kind of jutsu did this man used? "W-What did you do?"

"Me? I simply fused the molecules of my body with the molecules of my sword. It increases my strength and agility, it is thanks to this jutsu that I manage to attain the pieces of the map that indicates the location of the hidden jutsus."

Sarada wonders if this man is telling the truth but then again Naruto did notify that the other villages were attacked by one man and this guy seems too secure and too comfortable to be a pretender. Even if she does not know his fighting style it would be wise to study his style, or at least create enough confusion to catch the attention of everyone. "I will never deliver the final piece to you!"

"What makes you think I need your permission, child?"

Boruto walks back to camp, frustrated, furious, emotionally wounded.

After all they've been through together for so many years he cannot believe that does not trust him. He saved Sarada in many different occasions, he got hurt for her, promised to be at her side when she becomes Hokage, in the end she spites at all that has done by showing that she holds no trust for him. That is worst than any betrayal in the known world for Boruto.

"Damn it!" Boruto kicks a rock, releasing all his frustration in it, but it did not erase the pain in his hearth.

Ever since this mission started Sarada's been acting so uncanny, Boruto hardly recognizes her. Sometimes she acts so nice and then she acts so cold. "How can things ever be the same between us after this?"

In that moment Boruto hears an explosion from behind him. He jumps to the top of one of the trees nearby and sees smoke on the horizon, coming from the same place where he left Sarada. "Sarada…"

In that moment the feelings of anguish and revolt are immediately replace with fear and concern.

"AAAAAH!" Sarada lets out a loud battle cry as she strikes Muchizu with her katana, he simply lets her attack him without responding. Every time Sarada attacks it's like she is hitting metal, an indestructible metal, not even the Chidori was strong anough to defeat him. This Jutsu of fusing his skin with the metal of his sword is far stronger than what Sarada could imagine, she only hopes that is the only think this jutsu can do.

"KATON! FIREBALL JUTSU!" Sarada fire out the huge blast of fire against Muchizu in hopes that the fire could melt him down.

The attack had no effect at Muchizu at all he simply stands in his place with a smirk on his face.

"Come now, can't you do better?" Muchizu challenged.

"Don't get cocky pal! I haven't shown you the tops of my game!"

"The same can be said about me, young one." Muchizu lifts his gigantic sword up. "This sword is made of a rare indestructible metal that is still unnamed to this day, once I fuse my skin with this metal my skin is now impossible to destroy but you would have to be a complete fool to believe that this the only attribute that this jutsu holds.

With a single swing of his sword Muchizu manage to destroy the entire area in front of him, like a tornado.

Sarada manage to escape in time but the mere impact of the attack made her crash violently against a bolder. Sarada is still incapable of moving because of the wind made because of that swing.

After a few seconds the wind finally disappears and Sarada manages to look u, what she saw was more devastating than anything she ever saw, the entire area which Muchizu swing his sword was completely devastated, there was nothing left. It was completely a surreal scene.

"You see, child. This ability also gives me a super human strength. Fighting me is like fighting a force of nature. your end is assured!" Muchizu spoke very arrogantly.

Sarada feels her legs losing her strength, this almost like that incident with Momoshiki. The massive, frightful power that could drain the very air from your lungs, Sarada is experiencing that very incident all over again.

Sarada shakes her head violently to clear her thoughts. Muchizu is trying to take Sarada off her game with this mere act, it's been five years since the occurrence with Momoshiki and she promise herself that she would never act as weak-minded as she did on that day. Besides, Sarada has big plans to become Hokage and in order to do that she must live!

Muchizu only chuckles at Sarada's efforts. "You still plan to overpower me, child?"

"I don't plan, I intent to!"

"Come along then! Show me what the very last Uchiha can accomplish!"

Sarada does not respond at first, she slowly closes her eyes and then opens them, activating her Mangekyo Sharigan, trapping Muchizu in an Genjutsu.

By the look on Muchizu's face she can tell she did it. Even so she is not at full control of the Mangekyo Sharigan yet, so she walks to Muchizu with her Katana.

As she approaches, Sarada starts to remember how she manage to activate her Mangekyo Sharigan.

Flashback

A fifth teen year old Sarada and Sasuke were training in the training ground until Sakura arrived with a backed with food. "Take a rest you two! You need to gather some strength!"

"I guess we can." Sasuke agreed as he wipes out the sweat from his forehead. "We've been training for too long and Sarada already manage to copy some of my moves."

"Yes, but I manage to perform the Chidori on my own!" Sarada reminded.

"Ok, ok. Let get something to eat." Sakura said as she takes out the food she prepared from her basket.

The Three Uchiha's were eating peacefully until Sarada bring a new topic to the conversation. "Say Dad, is it possible to evolve the Sharigan?"

Both Sarada and Sakura stop eating and turn to Sarada.

"Well… I won't lie… there is, but there is an extreme price to pay." Sasuke responded.

"What about the Mangekyo Sharigan?" Sarada asked.

"Where did you heard that?"

"From the Sixth Hokage. He said it is possible but he refused to explain how to unlock it."

Sasuke growled at his old teacher for being such a big mouth. "It is true, it is possible for you to awake the Mangekyo Sharigan but I don't believe it is a path that you should take."

"Huh? Why? I am skillful! I can perform it if I try! So Please Dad, tell me how to unlock it!"

Sasuke took a deep breath before responding. "The power of the Mangenkyo Sharigan, can be awaken when…"

"When what?"

"You can only unleash the Mangenkyo Sharigan, when you kill your closest Friend."

"What!?" The new hit Sarada like a punch. "I-I-I…. I have to …."

"I'm sorry Sarada, but that is the only way… That is why I must advise you to never try awaken the Mangnkyo Sharigan."

Sarada lands on her knees, still shocked of the huge price it must be pay to obtain such power. As a result her entire body trembles like a leaf.

Sasuke notices this and walks to his daughter. "It's ok, Sarada. Let's just pretend that this never happen and let's forget about the Mangenkyo Sharigan."

Sakura knows that Sasuke is lying, The Uchihas have always misunderstood the true derivation of the Mangenkyo, it can only be activated when the user suffers from the trauma of seeing someone dear to them die right in front of them. Sasuke is only revealing the tale that was originally elucidate to him with hopes that Sarada stays away from this path because he doesn't want her to endure much pain as he did to evolve the Sharigan.

Sarada still trembles from the shock. Killing your closest friend? The only one who come to her mind is Boruto, the mere thought of killing or seeing Boruto die is agonizing for her. She already gave up on her search to develop the Sharigan but these thought are still tormenting her. "NOOOO!"

Sarada smashes her fists to the ground, creating a huge hole as she did.

Sasuke and Sakura back away a bit and Sakura gives her husband angry glares for telling these things to Sarada. Sasuke only mouthed "Sorry…"

"Alright Sarada, it's ok, if you don't want to learn the development of the Sharigan then we won't force you. You are already talented enough as it is." Sakura said she kneel down to comfort her daughter.

"Yes mom…"Sarada sobbed and then look up to see her mother.

Sakura and Sasuke gasped when they saw Sarada's eyes, she has awaken the Mangenkyo Sharigan.

"Mom? Dad? What is it? What is wrong?"

"Sarada look." Sakura picks up a pocket mirror she always kept with her and gives it to Sarada.

Sarada notices her Sharigan has a new design. "W-What is it? WHat happen to my Sharigan."

"You did it, Sarada. You manage to awaken Mangenkyo Sharigan your own way!" Sasuke responded with much pride.

"I did? This is it?" Sarada asked in disbelieve. "Wow…It's just…wow!"

"I told you, you are very talented." Sakura said as she hugged Sarada.

Sarada manage to awake the Sharigan within her without the use of hatred and now she has awaken the Mangenkyo Sharigan the same way. Sasuke could not be more proud of his daughter. Sarada might be very well the one who will bring light to the dark past of the Uchiha's.

End of Flashback.

Sarada hasn't fully awaken the full power of the Mangenkyo Sharigan so she must finish Muchizu before it is too late.

Sarada immediately runs over against Muchizu with the Chidori to take him out.

In that moment Muchizu punches Sarada, making her crash against a tree.

Sarada stares at Muchizu in disbelieve. "Impossible… how did you break free from my Genjutsu?"

Muchizu chuckles as he walks to Sarada. "It is very simple. The Genjustsu cannot reach me because of my changed skin. My Justsu not only boosts my might but it also blocks all my senses from any Genjustsu."

"Damn it! I should have predicted this!" Sarada thought. "No wonder why this man manage to steal all the pieces of the map and defeated all the ninjas from the other villages."

In that moment Muchizu puts his foot on Sarada's leg to prevent her from escaping. "I am done playing with you, young one. I have much to do!" Mughizu lifst his sword up, preparing to slash Sarada in half.

Sarada could not do anything to prevent it. Muchizu's punch was strong enough to leave her out of action. She is done for. "I… I love you…Boruto…" She whispered to herself.

"DIE!" Muchizu screamed but he was stopped when a huge blast of air hit him. the blast was strong enough to release Sarada. "Who did this!" Muchizu demanded and notices that Sarada is gone. "What? Where is she?" He turns around to see Boruto carring Sarada in his arm.

Sarada blushed like a red tomato when she finally noticed Boruto caring her and wondering if he heard her. "B-Boruto?"

Boruto simply grins at her. "I am still angry at you but I did say that I would protect you. Right? I don't go back on my word. That is my ninja way."

Sarada blushed even more. "Ok, can you put me down now?"

"Ok, Ok. So who's the big shinny Neanderthal here?" Boruto asked as he puts Sarada down.

"This is the one who attacked the other villages in order to get all the piece of the map. In Short, he's the target!"

"I see. Then I will gladly break that thing he calls a face."

"Don't be reckless, Boruto! He is far stronger than what you can Imagine."

Boruto keeps a confident face but deep inside he is worried. This man manage to defeat Sarada despite her brutal capacity and there seems to be no weakness in him. If things goes to the worse Boruto might be forced to use the Technique his father forbidden him to use.

"Who are you, boy?" Muchizu asked.

"Me? I am Boruto! Boruto Uzumaki!" Boruto responded with a cocky attitude.

"Uzumaki? are you related to Kushina Uzumaki?"

"Huh? Yeah, she was my grandmother!"

"Really? Now that is fantastic!"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"In past days I confronted your grandmother when she was still very young! She manage to defeat me, the most humiliating defeat I've ever suffered! Ever since that day I've sworn revenge! I train myself and my body to its fullest limits for this ultimate goal! It took me long and devastating years but I manage to control this remarkable Jutsu! Sadly I was too late! by the time I finish my training your grandmother was already dead! Lucky I heard that her son was still alive and he had two children. Therefore your family will suffer for what your grandmother did to me!"

"Dang! After hearing that I can only say one thing! My Grandma rocks!"

Muchizu growled with that remark. "You can say that to her when you meet her in the afterlife!"

"I'm not in the mood to die, oldman!"

To be continued…

Sunny: Great chapter, right?

Ramon: let's see if Boruto can defeat Muchizu.

9

Tears

Sunny: our new Naruto fic.

Alandra: we just saw the Boruto Movie and we decided to make a fic. it happens five years after the fight against Momoshiki

Ramon: Still the Naruto series does not belong to us, it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Chapter 9

Boruto and Muchizu did not move from their spots, they are simply staring at each other without making a move. The only thing that Boruto did is activate his Byakugan to seek out any vital points from Muchizu, the only thing he found out is that there isn't any. That Justsu not only transformed Muchizu's skin but it also protects all his vital points, Boruto starts to understand why so many people had a huge difficulty on defeating this guy.

"Well, aren't going to attack?" Muchizu asked arrogantly. "Are you afraid? Or are you simply buying time? I warn you, if you don't start fighting then I will resume finishing off that Uchiha girl right behind you!"

Boruto twitched his eye and then created five Shadow Clones of himself. "Don't make me angry old man! It'll be bad for your health."

The five Shadow clones surrounds Muchizu and then jumped to attack him.

Muchizu simply swings his sword and with just one more he destroyed all five clones at ease. "That was foolish. You really expect to defeat me with such a mindless attack?"

"Oh c'mon. give the poor boy a chance." Boruto teased.

"You are just as irritating as your Grandmother!"

Sarada simply watches as she recuperates from her fight. Sarada knows why send those shadow clones so carelessly, he was hoping to learn any weakness from Muchizu and to learn his strength and speed. No weakness and his dynamism and velocity are extraordinary for a very old man who seems to be no less than fifty. Boruto already learn this. Sarada simply hopes that Boruto does not try that Jutsu of his, the one his father told him not to do, that one that is too dangerous for him if he tries it more than two times.

"C'mon boy! Don't make me waste my time!" Muchizu challenged. "I'm starting to lose my calm!"

Boruto simply smirked. " Ok, old geezer. You want a fight? I'll give you a fight. I'l show you a jutsu you've never seen before!"

Sarada gasped, Boruto is really going to use that Jutsu she feared about. After that incident five years ago Boruto became a different person, more dedicated and more inspiring, he even started to develop a jutsu of his own making, so to speak, but as it was mentioned that Jutsu will be dangerous for him if he uses it too many times. "Boruto, wait! Don't do it! You know that Lord Seventh warn you not to use it!"

"I know, I know. I'm gonna get a lecture from my old man, but what choice do I have? Besides I will only need to use it just one time."

Mushizu simply chuckled at that exclamation. "Really? you must be very confident to say that. Alright then, show me that Jutsu of yours!"

"Be careful of what you wish for old-timer." Boruto replied and started to concentrate.

All that Muchizu is seeing is Boruto creating a Rasegan in his right hand. "What? That is it? the Justsu your Grandfather created? How foolish! you really think that it will be enough to defeat me? I'll…."

Muchizu did not continue when he notice Boruto doing something with his left hand. "What is he doing." Muchizu gasped when he sees Boruto forming the Chidori with his left hand. "I have to admit you surprise me… you manage to perform the Rasegan and the Chidori all in once."

Boruto smirks. "Don't get so stunned over a little thing."

"What?"

"This is just the start. The Big game is starting now!" Boruto approaches his hands together and both Jutsus start to connect. the mere connection creates a blast a of wind

Even Muchizu is astounded, he never felt such power like this before. For the first time in years he feels a cold chill running down his spine.

"This is just the beginning. The next and most complicated stage is up." Sarada thought.

Both Rasegan and Chidori start to merge, becoming one. The immense energy released from that union is so huge that even the grounds starts to shatter.

"Behold! The mighty Rasegan-Chidori!" Boruto yelled as he finally end the creation of his Jutsu. The impossible has happen, Boruto created a combined jutsu of the Jutsus created by his Grandfather, the Forth Hokage and the jutsu created by the Sixth Hokage. "Ok, so I haven't come up with a proper name for this jutsu. Sue me!"

Muchizu did not reply to that taunt, he has no words to describe the accomplishment this boy made.

"Now get ready for a world of hurt!" Boruto yelled and runs towards Muchizu

"Fool! It doesn't matter what power you have you can never destroy my sword! It is made of the most invincible metal ever made by man!" Muchizu yelled and uses his giant sword as a shield. "You are done for, brat!"

"You are you calling brat?!" Boruto hits the sword with his Rasegan-Chidori. Muchizu manages to block the attack

"He block it with that sword of his?" Sarada thought. "I can't believe that he is resisting Boruto's attack."

Muchizu felt confident about holding up Boruto's attack. That is until the sword starts to crack. "WHAT!? This is impossible! This sword cannot be destroyed."

"Are you also blind? What do you think it is happening to you right now?" Boruto presses the attack against the sword until it finally breacks.

"NOOOO!" Muchizu cried as he sees his beloved sword destroyed right in front of him.

Even so Boruto does not stop, he manages to hit Muchizo on the stomach with the Rasegan-Chidori.

Muchizu was caught directly that he had no time to defend himself.

Boruto manages to throw Muchizu away, once he hit a few bolder nearby a huge explosion occurred, as brutal and violent like the first time Naruto and Sasuke collided the Rasegan and the Chidori against each other.

After that Boruto lands on one knee with a smirk on his face. "In your face, Jack!"

Sarada looks at Boruto in concern, she knows that he is acting cool but he is hurt, his right hand is trembling, it is one of the effects of using the Rasegan-Chidori.

Boruto has indeed created a powerful jutsu but still it is too dangerous to use freely. The reason why Naruto and Sasuke lost one of their arms is due to extreme crash of the Rasegan and Chidori, it is that very same effect that is damaging Boruto's arm right now. After a few careful researches Naruto warned Boruto not to use that Jutsu more than two times, if he uses that Jutsu a third time, chances are, his arm will dissolve for good. "Boruto, are you alright?"

"Of course, this was easy." Boruto replied with a smirk.

Sarada did not buy that. "I don't believe that! I saw you shaking!"

"Oh, here we go again."

"With what? Me being right?"

"No! With you not trusting me, AGAIN!"

Sarada bite her lip, Boruto is still upset because of what happen earlier. In that moment she wants to go to him and express regret for her imprudent covetousness but once again her pride prevents her to do such a thing. "I…"

In that moment Muchizu jumps out of ruble and lands right near Boruto and Sarada.

"No way man!" Boruto cried, he could not believe that Muchizu survived that assault. "How did you get up so easily after receiving my attack?"

Muchizu looks back at his foes, not with a confident look but an raging look. "You hit my sword first, remember? My sword received too much of the damage, so I received very little."

"Yeah, but at least my attack gave you my mark!" Boruto pointed at Muchizu's metal skin which has some fractures on it. "You are not invincible, old man!"

Muchizu grunted. "You are satisfied? These small, insignificant cracks make you happy? These are all insignificant! I am still here and well, and these are the only wounds you manage to inflict on me!"

"So you say I'm acting cocky?" Boruto scoffed. "Well you are acting even more for someone whose been bragging about his unbeatable skin."

This only infuriated Muchizu even more.

Sarada was more concern about the situation. Muchizu may be ready for a new round but he still received much damage to be at his full might, that is one advantage Sarada cannot let it slide. She looks back at Boruto, by the language on his body Sarada can tell that he is preparing to perform the Rasegan-Chidori again, but if Boruto uses that attack again his arm will suffer burn injuries this time. And Muchizu will be ready to fight back this time, or worse yet he probably set up a plan to take down Boruto. Sarada could not bear to let Boruto use that jutsu again, so she decided to use her secret weapon.

Muchizu slowly walks to Boruto and then starts to run.

Boruto gasped, Muchizu is not giving him the time to perform a new attack.

"This time Ill end you!" Muchizu roared as he prepared to attack Boruto.

Boruto prepares himself to jump away when he hears Sarada's battle cry.

"RASEGAN-CHIDORI!" Sarada screamed and hits Muchizu on the torso with the exact same attack that Boruto performed.

"NOOOO!" Muchizu cried, he did not expect Sarada to use the same attack as well. Then he falls back to the rumbles with the same effect as he suffer from Boruto's attack.

Boruto's jaw fell down to the ground, he never expected Sarada to perform the Rasegan-Chidori as he did. "W-w-wait…hold on, SARADA! Since…s-s-since when are you capable of doing that? Did you copy my attack just now?"

"Now just now… for quite some time." Sarada responded after she manage to get up. "Back to when you first created this attack."

"Hey, no fair!" Boruto yelled. "Don't copy my attacks, you copy cat!"

"Hey, don't tell me what to do!" Sarada yelled back.

"Yeah I do! You're stealing my moves!"

"Duh! I have Sharigan! And I working to become a Hokage someday!"

"Yeah, and am the one who promise to be your protector! Duh right back at ya! How do you expect me to be that if you risk your life by doing a jutsu like that?!"

"So it is ok for you to risk your life like this but not me?! You already have that scar on your back because of me! If you think I want you to continue to risk your life like this then forget it! I would rather give up my dream than seeing you kill yourself !"

"What!? No Way! You work too hard to become Hokage! I don't want you give up because of me!"

"Then don't get yourself killed like this!"

"Why the heck do you care?!"

"Because I do!"

"Then why are we yelling at each other!?"

"I don't know! SHANAROOOOO!"

Boruto and Sarada finally stop yelling at one another, blushing when they realized that they've been arguing like a couple.

In that moment Muchizu emerges from the grave, angrier than ever before.

"What, again? This old timer is one stubborn piece of work!" Boruto growled when Muchizu return back for another round.

Sarada's shocked. Muchizu took two hits of Rasegan-Chidori and still he gets up after a devastating blow like that? the metal he absorbed into his skin is more resistant than Sarada ever admitted. Still Muchizu's metal skin is falling apart, he won't be able to resist another blow. Even so Sarada and Boruto are in the best shape to continue fighting.

"You miserable brats! You dare to mock me by making such a childish scene!?" Muchizu growled loudly. "You will pay for this insult!"

"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it, old man?" Boruto challenged. "Your skin is practically shattered!"

As a response Muchizu grabs a piece of the blade of his sword and fuses his skin with the metal again, restoring himself back.

"Oh Crud!" Boruto murmured.

"Easy Boruto, not all is lost. He may be back to normal but this doesn't mean that he is fully recovered." Sarada exclaimed. " All we have to do is hit again and we beat him."

"That is true." Muchizu admitted. "But I survived many wars to come to a fight unprepared."

Muchizu starts to make some hand signals and eight liquid tentacles start to come out of his body and start to form arms, four on his back, two on the shoulder and two on the torso.

"Ok, now that was nasty…" Boruto said, trying to hold his lunch.

"I'm not done yet!" All hands that Muchizu created starts to change form as well, taking the form of blades. "Now, even if you two try to attack me again, I will stab you first, or cut you to pieces!"

"Oh man…" Boruto growled. "We are in the mud this time…"

Sarada nodded her head. "I agree, this time he will be ready for us on all sides."

"So we have to come up with a new plan."

"You still plan to fight me after seeing that you have no chance of overpowering me?" Muchizu asked arrogantly

"We are not in the mood to die, Oldman." Boruto replied with a grin. "So how about we do like this? We fight, we beat you and you die. How's that?"

Muchizu growled. " I don't know if it is your arrogance or your childish sense of humor speaking, but if you think I will permit myself to be crushed by an Uzumaki yet again then I must say you are profoundly out of track with reality. Allow me to awake you to the truth!"

Muchizu was about to attack when all of a sudden a rope appears and traps three of Muchizu's arms "What is this?"

"It's me you creep!" Asuka replied. we find her on a branch of a tree holding the rope she used to trap Muchizu. "This is for what you did to my team mates!"

"Asuka!" Boruto cried happily.

"You little runt! I will crush you!" Muchizu was about to cut then ropes when dozen of snakes appears and traps the remaining arms , torso and legs of Muchizu. "What?!"

"Boruto, Sarada, Take him down, now!" Mitsuki yelled as he holds Muchizu with his snakes.

"Alright!" Boruto and Sarada yelled in union as they charge against Muchizu. And like they've read each other's minds, both of them perform the Rasegan-Chidori.

"No, NOOO, NOOOOOOO!" Muchizu cried when he got hit with a double Rasegan-Chidori. This time the impact created a much powerful explosion, almost like the eruption of a volcano.

Muchizu did not resist the attack this time, it was almost like two mountain had fell on him. Muchizu is finally defeated, alive but completely broken.

Boruto and Sarada landed on their knees after using the Rasegan-Chidori twice, their right arms a complete mess. Sarada was about to fall down when Boruto grab her with his left arm and let her rest her head on his chest.

"Take it easy Sarada, rest for a moment."

Sarada opens her eyes and looks up at Boruto. "B-Boru-kun…did, did we…"

"Yeah, we beat him, for good this time." Boruto assured. Sarada simply replied with a smile and rested back on his chest.

In that moment Sasuke and Kanguro appear on the scene. They were amazed to see the near dead figure of Muchizu. "Who is this?" Sasuke asked.

#boruto fanfiction

[makeste]

an index of Horikoshi Kouhei interviews

these are organized by date, oldest to newest, and I’m including a brief bullet-point summary of each to make it easier to look up specific interviews by content.

also, please note that although I haven’t spoiler tagged this post, the interviews from roughly 2019 onwards include some spoilers, so please watch out for those if you’re anime-only or otherwise not caught up with the manga. that said, the other interviews I think are all good.

putting this below a cut to keep things tidy.

interview with Horikoshi Kouhei and Kishimoto Masashi, May 2015

(note: this is not the actual interview word-for-word, but includes the highlights)

Horikoshi talks about being a fan of Naruto when he was growing up

Horikoshi says he was inspired by the way Kishimoto shows emotion through drawing hands, and that he loves drawing hands thanks to Naruto

Horikoshi mentions that Gaara is his favorite character and that he really liked the Chuunin Exam arc

Kishimoto praises BnHA and says he knew it would be a hit when he read the second chapter

they talk a bit about the worldbuilding and the process of creating a story where 80% of the population has superpowers

they discuss Naruto and Sasuke’s rivalry and Horikoshi mentions that he found it “frustrating” and that he really liked the Valley of the End and thought it would be the end of the series. he says it was very emotional

they talk a little about the stress of writing manga and about the toll it takes on mental health

pre-anime interview, April 2016

talks about his reaction when he found out BnHA was getting an anime

talks about how the series originally came about

says that BnHA is the story of Izuku and All Might and that their story is the “vertical axis” which runs through the main story

says there is also a “horizontal axis”, which is the side characters and quirks and all of the other elements that he considers to be the “fun part” of the story which mellows out the darker aspects of the vertical axis

mentions that he really likes drawing and writing Bakugou

mentions Deku vs Kacchan 1 as one of the early highlights in the series for him

talks about Ochako being someone who has a more cheerful relationship with Deku, which balances out some of the heavier aspects of Deku and Katsuki’s relationship (again, horizontal vs vertical axis)

mentions that if he could pick any quirk he’d pick a “no need for sleep” quirk

talks about reading Dragon Ball as a child

mentions that he really likes American comic book heroes, especially Spider-Man

mentions Goku and Spider-Man as the two that come to mind when he thinks about heroes and what it means to be a hero (specifically, that Goku is the “win” aspect and that he brings reassurance to everyone, while Spider-Man is the “save” aspect who helps other people)

talks about hearing Deku and Bakugou’s voices in the anime for the first time, as well as Ochako, Iida, and All Might’s voices

another pre-anime interview with konomanga.jp, April 2016

(note: this interview is in Japanese, but Google translate does a servicable job with it)

talks more about Spider-Man, including his favorite costumes and comic artists

gives some American comic book recs

mentions that he likes Godzilla and Gamera and always goes to see those movies

talks about his Star Wars influences

talks about his favorite manga as a child -- Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Naruto

talks about becoming a manga artist, and about some of his influences

says that he likes drawing monsters, creatures, and villains, and says that he really liked drawing the panel where Tomura made his first appearance at USJ

talks a little about composition and frame movement in his work, and about the challenges of drawing a weekly manga

mentions that he knows what the story ending will be, but hasn’t yet figured out how to connect the dots to that point

interview with Horikoshi Kouhei and Umakoshi Yoshihiko in BnHA: Ultra Archive, May 2016

(note: Umakoshi is the anime character designer for BnHA. also, this interview was part of the Ultra Archive character book, so you’ll have to scroll a bit through its other contents in order to get to the interview.)

they talk about the process of creating the BnHA anime and sketching out all of the character designs. Horikoshi says the anime character model sheets look just like how he draws them

they talk about Horikoshi’s obsession with drawing hands lol. Horikoshi mentions that the way Mike Mignola (the creator of Hellboy) draws hands was a big influence

they talk a lot about art and drawing in general

Horikoshi talks about Ochako’s character design a bit

they talk about the differences between drawing manga and doing animation

Umakoshi talks about his first impressions of BnHA

Horikoshi mentions that he still has a lot of ideas for characters and quirks that he hasn’t been able to implement yet

they talk about the different character designs and which ones they find easy, difficult, and fun to draw

they talk for a fair amount of time about Iida’s character design

Umakoshi talks a bit about other anime he’s worked on

they talk about the character of All Might, and Horikoshi ominously says that All Might’s future will be “a fairly sad affair”

interview with Natalie Comics, June 2018

talks about the 4th anniversary of BnHA, and the release of BnHA: Two Heroes

talks about the Basement internship arc and mentions that it was challenging for him to write

talks about the question “what is a hero?” and how he defines heroes

mentions Mina, Sero, and Shouji as characters he would like to/plans to feature in the future, and mentions that he already has a story planned featuring Shouji

talks about the popularity of the series

talks a little about Koike-san, his first editor

talks about Two Heroes and its development and story

talks about club activities at U.A., and which clubs Deku and Katsuki would be in

talks about his mom and about some of his childhood experiences which inspired scenes in the manga

talks about why he became a mangaka

talks about what percentage of the series is completed, mentions the original planned length was about 30 volumes but that it has obviously surpassed that

mentions that he has an idea of how the last arc will be planned out

interview with Horikoshi and Eiichiro Oda, August 2018

Horikoshi talks about being a fan of One Piece and mentions he even sent artwork to Oda which was included in one of Oda’s galleries

they talk more about OP and about favorite arcs and how it’s influenced Horikoshi’s work

Oda compliments Horikoshi’s art and they talk about cover artwork and coloring (Horikoshi mentions he uses Photoshop)

Horikoshi talks a bit about BnHA Two Heroes

Horikoshi again mentions that he originally thought BnHA would be about 30 volumes (Oda says he should shoot for 50 but Horikoshi laughs and says he’s not sure he can do ten years)

they talk about how fucking long OP is and how manga stories tend to expand once the story starts taking off

Interview with Anime News Network at SDCC, August 2018

talks about his love of American comics, especially Spider-Man, and says that American comics are a lot more mainstream in Japan nowadays thanks to all the superhero movies

talks about how he got started as a manga creator

talks about being inspired by Dragon Ball, and that All Might in particular was inspired by Goku

talks a bit about the process of creating characters

talks about Bakugou’s popularity and that it took him by surprise at first

mentions that he doesn’t have the stamina for BnHA to be a long series like One Piece

interview with Cinema Today Japan, December 2019

(update: here is the link to @hanashimas​‘ translation which is more accurate)

talks about Deku and Bakugou’s characters and their attributes

mentions that at the start of the story Bakugou thinks Deku is above him, so he tries to act intimidating and superior to overtake him

(ETA: apparently this is a mistranslation; he actually says that he intended for Bakugou to be a character who was “above” Deku so to speak, who Deku would eventually surpass. he then goes on to talk about his realization that Bakugou could actually have a much more interesting character arc, which of course we have since seen play out.)

mentions that he planned to have Bakugou and Deku improve on two separate vectors as they entered U.A.

mentions Deku vs Kacchan 1 as a turning point where he had some realizations about Bakugou’s character that humanized him for him

mentions that he always knew Bakugou wouldn’t turn evil and “would never lose to the darkness”

says the scene where Katsuki takes Kirishima’s hand at Kamino was bittersweet because it showed Bakugou’s growth, but also showed the ongoing gulf between him and Deku because Deku knew that Katsuki wouldn’t take his hand

mentions that Bakugou still needs to apologize to Deku

says that Kirishima, Kaminari, and Mina are among the easiest characters for him to draw because they take the initiative and get the other characters excited and help pull the story forward

mentions that he always hears Nobu’s voice in his head now when writing Bakugou

talks about the characters being high school kids still, and that when he expanded on their families he was conscious of that -- “I wanted to show that these protagonists are still children after all”

interview in Volume R (booklet that was released along with Heroes Rising), December 2019

talks again about his manga influences and what inspired him to become a mangaka

talks about the experience of getting his first manga published

talks about what inspired him to write BnHA

has an interesting quote where he talks about the vaguely desperate feeling of “trying one last time”, which was weighing on his mind when he created BnHA, and which also played into Deku’s motivations in the first chapter

mentions All Might as being a character that he’s attached to

talks about his reactions to the anime, the overseas popularity, and the first movie

talks about his heavy involvement in the production of Heroes Rising

talks about designing and creating the bad guys for Heroes Rising

talks about the creation and character design of Hawks and mentions that the original character design was going to have a bird head lol

mentions that Hawks will have a relatively big influence on the story in the future

talks about how the ending of Heroes Rising was his original planned ending for the series

talks about Bakugou’s character development which leads up to that moment

talks about the conclusion of the series, and that all of the characters will come together in the end

interview with all of the past editors of the BnHA manga, March 2021

(note: this is another interview that’s not translated word for word, but summarized. also this interview was with just the editors, not Horikoshi himself.)

they talk about the early reception to the manga, and Horikoshi’s reactions

they talk about the individual moments early on when they realized that the series would be “amazing”

Yoritomi mentions that Horikoshi came up with the designs for most of the Billboard Top 10 pro heroes at the last minute lol

including Hawks (all Horikoshi had decided on prior was that he was going to be “cool” and would be a spy)

everyone praises Horikoshi’s character designs in general

they talk about the start of the anime and that whole process

they mention that Horikoshi cried watching both of the movies

they talk about the overseas popularity of the series

each editor lists their favorite episode of the anime

they talk about Horikoshi sacrificing his original manga ending to be used in Heroes Rising

they talk about that one ending theme song in season 4 that showed the pro heroes’ childhoods, and that Horikoshi had the anime team change Hawks’s to match the backstory he had planned

they talk about the upcoming season 5 and send final messages to the fans

interview in the MHA Drawing Smash Exhibition Pamphlet, April 2021

Horikoshi talks about the art in the exhibition and about the process of creating the artwork

he mentions that the piece with Deku rescuing a falling Ochako took the longest to draw

he says the drawing of All Might was the most fun to draw for him

that’s pretty much it, this one is very short lol

interview in Jump GIGA Spring 2021, April 2021

talks about which characters will play an important role in the final act. specifically mentions Hawks, Ochako, Shouji, Shinsou, Monoma, and Sero

“many characters’ actions will converge into a single one, so maybe the best way to say it would be ‘keep an eye on all of them!’“

says that for Hawks’s flashbacks and the Todoroki family’s past, he was influenced by Sion Sono’s works

mentions that the drawing of Deku and Ochako from the MHA Drawing Smash exhibit isn’t directly related to the main story, but that while drawing it he kept in mind how their relationship would develop if he explored it deeper

says he had the final act (or at least the chapter 306 reveal part of it) vaguely planned for a long time, but started to think about the specifics in volume 21 during the Endeavor vs High-End fight

says he’s already decided on the ending, and that “the path to it has been longer than I initially expected, but the main elements that I’ve decided before starting the series are still the same”

Q&A trivia from Vol. W World Heroes’ Mission, August 2021

(and alternate translation by aitaikimochi)

talks about All Might not having many friends among the pro heroes (but says he’s become “slightly attached” to Aizawa since he started teaching at U.A.)

describes what Bakugou, Tsuyu, and Mineta’s rooms look like

talks about Jirou and Momo’s relationship and the kind of things they like to talk about when they hang out together

says that Shouji’s face will eventually be revealed, and that he is “not sure” about Hagakure’s :’)

talks about the types of YouTube videos Shouto watches (pretty insightful answer which is equal parts sweet and sad)

says that Midnight’s classes were the most popular among the students

says U.A.’s robots once rebelled against their creators (lol wtf)

says his three favorite movies are Akira, The Ring, and Spider-Man: Far From Home. he says Akira in particular is his bible

and that’s it for now, but I will update this post with future interviews as they are posted, and if anyone has links to an interview I’ve missed please let me know.

#horikoshi kouhei #horikoshi kouhei interview #bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha reference #makeste reads bnha

[lavenderchedder]

Hiya! I’m sasuledelicatessen- well, I don’t know if you ship SNS but I want to know, if you do, what made you ship them? I want to know your version

Well, it's kind of long.

I've been following the Naruto franchise since 2007 and initially I was into the anime/manga for the action and the unique storyline that it presented, as well as the art-style (I’m a sucker for unique art-style). The concept of Naruto (the character) being the "underdog”, the introduction of ninjutsu and chakra and the integration of Japanese folklore into the story overall what made me sort of a Naruto addict, if you will.

Anyway...

I’ve always thought that the rivalry between Naruto and Sasuke were interesting at first in Part 1. When they “accidentally” kissed, at first I thought nothing of it and chalked it up to anime humor, not knowing the huge significance that scene brought (among others) years down the line in their relationship (and the progression of the storyline). Them challanging each other, the playful bickering, teasing each other, I initially chalked it up to the whole “boys will be boys” trope until watching the end episodes in the “Land of Waves” arc of Part I. The way Sasuke sacrificed himself for a boy (Naruto) he barely knew sparked something in their relationship that will change the dynamics of the relationship moving forward...

The reasons why I ship SNS has changed since 2007, although it still stands that the relationship between Naruto and Sasuke are among the strongest bonds in the entire story. Me being a crazed teenager that I was at the time, I initially shipped them because they looked ‘cute’ or ‘hot’ together. This is when I started looking into SasuNaru fanart and fanfiction around that time, because it was such a unique pairing. The Uchiha in general are some of the most beautifully drawn characters I’ve seen, thus far. No wonder it was mentioned that it was hard drawing Sasuke back then, I mean just look at him! And well, Naruto seemed to be the only person that he ever payed attention to in the manga, and actually smiled around (because it takes ALOT to get Sasuke to show any emotion). Their interactions during the Chunin arc, how Naruto showed deep concern for Sasuke during his lowest points (when Itachi attacked Sasuke, etc), how Naruto acted around Saskue sort of sparked new beginnings of a deeper bond than I realized. And it was the same with Sasuke, how he had shared his lunch with Naruto in their first meeting despite consequences, him somehow always to Naruto’s rescue.

VotE1 is what sealed the deal for me then when I noticed that the Sasuke x Naruto bond was deeper than just a friendship. The passion and heartache they had for each other, even as they were fighting was just too intense. Noone that I’ve seen in this story had that much feelings for each other than these two. And when it was over, and Sasuke had this look in his eyes when he saw Naruto unconscious on the ground, I just knew that there was love involved, even when I just looked at their relationship as ‘cute’ ship at the time. 

Watching Shippuden to its end, after years of being away from the Naruto fandom, I began to understand what Sasuke went through and how much pain and lonliness he was actually in. The UCM was no joke and it took away what was most important to Sasuke (his family) and destroyed his deep love and admiration for Itachi. At first, I didn’t understand his character, and wrote him of as ‘emo’, annoying and obssesed with his revenge because I truly thought he was ‘ungrateful’ for what he left behind in Konoha *chuckles.* And honestly, I thought Naruto’s obsession with Sasuke was no better and believed he should’ve given up on Sasuke. But then, as I began to truly understand both characters as a whole and their backgrounds, I noticed that they can’t truly live without each other. Naruto’s “I will consume all your hatred and die with you” was said with so much passion and love, it’s hard not to look at them as just “good friends,” although their interactions at this point was more volatile, I could see that Naruto’s admiration for Sasuke grew stronger. Naruto having a panic attack over Sasuke being executed, begging on his knees for forgiveness from the Raikage, Naruto constantly having thoughts of Sasuke’s well-being to the point of obsessiveness, it made me think “ Wow! Naruto must really be in love with Sasuke.” Especially when everyone else (even Sakura of all people) seemed to give up and consider Sasuke “irredeemable.” I was even surprised at some the things Naruto said in regards to Sasuke, thinking it was weird to think of a mere ‘friend’ like this. I always saw their relationship as more twisted, violent and beautiful. Some folks may say their bond was unhealthy and one-sided (on Naruto’s end), but I think in this universe, it seems that way due to the fact that Naruto and Sasuke were both fucked up, emotionally. 

During the war arc, when both are reunited, it’s like they were back to being their old selves. Them discovering that they are indeed soulmates (in the most literal sense because they are reincarnations Hagoromo’s sons) demonstrated that both Naruto and Sasuke’s bond transcends beyond friendship and even romance (although it’s fine to look at them as either one). They were like yin and yang, the sun and moon among the stars. In their final battle at VotE2, I looked at it as them getting out their repressed feelings they had for each, because they knew that they cared loved each other too much for them to ‘kill.’ It was at that point in the end of their fight Sasuke felt the most vulnerable, probably since he was child. Other than Itachi, Naruto is the only other person to truly make Sasuke at peace, and knowing that he was never truly alone, even though it seemed that the whole world was against him. Naruto never gave up on him, and knew him on a deeper level than even those that were considered close to them (Sakura, Kakashi, etc.). When Sasuke cried, it showed to me that he was most happy being with the one he loved.

When I heard that Sakura got paired with Sasuke way back, I was very disappointed, not only because it insulted Sakura’s character and eliminated most chances for her to grow as a female character, Sasuke is a type of character that was too complex to just ‘marry off.’ Naruto was more tolerable, even though he never really gave Hinata any deep thoughts other than a friend/comrade. I knew SNS wasn’t happening, no matter the obvious signs and it being the most developed relationship in the Naruto manga. And Kishimoto kept dropping hints all over the place, giving fans hope. A homosexual relationship, even implied, is something the Shonen audience isn’t ready for right now. I do believe Masashi Kishimoto intended to have at least an open ending with the manga because honestly, the so-called “canon” pairings were not well thought out and was rushed. Sasusaku is so unbelievable and poorly written, no wonder it’s not well received among alot of the fans. Sasuke’s character was pretty ruined after Gaiden, because it ruined the potentials for a beautiful relationship (SNS) for a sequel. And so much was left unresolved. It’s all...dissapointing. 

Woah! That was long. I hope that answers your question. Long story short, yes I do ship SNS to the nth degree!

#Sasuke Uchiha #Naruto Uzumaki #SasuNaruSasu #appreciate the ask

[vengerberggirl]

A Tidbit on SaiIno and Why Ino is the Winner of that “Competition”

(Disclaimer: This is purely an argumentative “essay” about why SaiIno is a good couple. Any other couple mentioned is simply utilised for comparison purpose, I have no hatred against any of them because canon is canon and I acknowledge what has been made)

Ino and Sai are perfect for each other. It’s so sad that they’re quite underrated, but the moments where they’re together are always perfect, thanks to Studio Pierrot (gotta give credits where it’s due). I’m irritated by people who insult Ino for marrying “knockoff Sasuke”, like, bruh, Ino got the BETTER end of the deal and it’s C - A - N - O - N. In Boruto manga, Ino clearly said that she couldn’t imagine having a marriage like Sakura where the husband rarely came home. It implies that Sai is a devoted husband who always comes home to Ino, this is impressive considering that Sai is the director of ANBU who’s sure to be quite busy as well, but he doesn’t make excuses not to come home unlike Sasuke. Boruto novel also stated that Sai’s only weakness is Ino, that shows how much he loves and respects her. Even when they have arguments, they make up pretty quickly and Sai even tried to reconcile with Ino by hugging her, how romantic is that? TT_TT Ino blushed so much after that, it’s so funny to see XD Sai has come a long way since his days as the emotionless killing machine of Root, and Ino still adoringly acts like a teenager-in-love upon being given affection by her husband although they have been married for years. Their relationship clearly makes them better person for each other.

If Sai is a “knockoff Sasuke” for them, then I want him too! Who doesn’t want to have a husband who loves and respects you so much that he refuses to fight with you, who comforts you when you’re worried, who always comes home to you, and with whom you can raise your children together? Sai is clearly that person and more, he always appreciates Ino and that’s a figure she needs as a life partner. (And come on, he’s not a knockoff Sasuke, the mangaka and animators even draw him differently now, so y’all can shut up about him being a knockoff Sasuke because he’s obviously not).

We all know Ino is very affectionate with people she loves, we can see it with how she protected Sakura, how she gave Sasuke sunflower (that symbolises friendship), and how she’s willing to go for a mission to save Shikamaru and Sai. Some people take this for granted, Sasuke ignored her, while Sakura broke their friendship off at one point for the sake of competing to get Sasuke although Ino didn’t actually wanted to end it -_- On the other hand, since their first meeting, Sai appreciated her (even if it was accidentally) which then later grew to genuine appreciation after being saved by her in Shikamaru Hiden episodes. Why would Ino choose someone who ignored her, such as Sasuke, when she got Sai who appreciates her the way she is? Sai wasn’t even willing to leave Ino alone to get lunch when she got hospitalized in Sasuke Hiden, it shows how he was THAT devoted to her. We also need to remember that now Ino is the Head of Yamanaka clan and the Head of Konoha Analysis Unit, as well as owner of her family business. She’s a very busy woman and it’s good that she’s got Sai as her husband who is as committed as her to take care of Inojin together.

Now let’s compare to Sasuke, whom some people often bring up when it comes to Ino’s romantic pursuit and “losing” from Sakura. IN MY VIEW, Sasuke isn’t a golden example as a husband I actually feel bad for Sakura for having to put up with that. Yes, he’s busy saving the world, but couldn’t he at least come home once a year to meet his wife and daughter, or even, communicate with them more regularly? To train his daughter so she could be prepared for the threats of the world? And, I still find it weird that he is set up to train Boruto, but like… what about his own daughter? He’s been a missing figure during those years, the least he could do is spend more time with Sarada  :( (Sorry Sarada sweetie, you deserve better, and no, this isn’t an Anti SasuSaku jab because I love their daughter anyway-- without SasuSaku, Sarada wouldn’t exist). But well, Sasuke finally tried to make it up after YEARS, and thankfully Sakura still had the patience to forgive him, thus, solidifying SasuSaku’s relationship since their relationship works for them. This, at the same time, also implies that Sasuke might not be able to have a stable marriage with anyone else other than Sakura or Naruto (No, this is not a Sasuke diss, just saying that his shinobi obligation and personality are not easy to handle). 

I don’t think Ino would put up with Sasuke’s “workaholic” tendencies, hence, that’s why Ino is better suited with Sai who actually comes home often because Ino wants a marriage which works that way. Imagine if Ino were Sasuke’s wife, they probably would have divorced now, lol. So yeah, the pairings are perfect the way they are because they suit the characters’ temperaments pretty well. SaiIno is perfect the way they are too and Ino isn’t a loser for wanting to have a marriage life that fulfils her ideals and getting together with Sai who could provide her with that than any other men. We can even say that Ino is also a winner for being able to move on and find happiness for herself in her career and family life. In real life we know that moving on to find someone who suits yourself better is a good thing, it’s the same case for Ino too.

All in all, I’m really happy for SaiIno / InoSai and I’m so glad that Masashi Kishimoto and team actually put some efforts to give Sai and Ino some moments that show their love in very obvious manner in the canon materials (yes, novels, movies, and anime episodes are canon too, so, shut up), despite them not being the MCs. SaiIno might start off as a crack pairing, but they later developed into a pairing who have significant romantic moments and they seem to be having the most physically-affectionate relationship from what has been shown (e.g. the hugging scenes in Episode 189 Shippuden and Episode 140 of Boruto). Ino got what she needed in her life with Sai, and Sai learned what he needed to have better relationships with Ino. It’s nice to see that SaiIno work together so well as a couple and I hope we can see more of them in the future.

---

On a side note: Let’s not talk about that pointless competition anymore because it’s very stupid to compete over getting a boy’s attention, Ino and Sakura have become friends again, and Ino doesn’t even care about it anymore because she already got her perfect husband figure in Sai who fits her life. Sakura and Sasuke’s marriage is intact and they’re still together as well, so, there’s really no competition to be fought over anymore. Nobody wins anything because relationship is not something you should compete for.

#pro saiino #pro inosai #pro ino yamanaka #pro ino #ino yamanaka #ino #sai #sai yamanaka #pro sai #naruto pairings #canon pairings #canon couples #shipping discourse #naruto rant

[shinobiguide]

Interview: The man behind ‘Naruto’

(Archive)

Original Link

By Charles Solomon (DEC. 17, 2008 12 AM PT)

At 34, Masashi Kishimoto is one of the most successful manga-ka, or manga artists, in the world. His long-running series about ninja-in-training Naruto Uzumaki has sold tens of millions of books around the world. Kishimoto, born in the rural prefecture of Okayama, lives in Tokyo, where he works with several assistants. Although Naruto can be insufferably cocky at times, Kishimoto seems a bit overwhelmed by the runaway success of his first major creation.

“It’s rather awkward to talk about what makes Naruto appealing to audiences, but I think his being a knucklehead gives him an appeal,” Kishimoto said in an interview conducted via e-mail with help from translator Hiromi Psaila. “Perfect heroes are cool, but no one can really empathize or identify with them. Naruto often makes blunders, and he has weaknesses. Naruto feels inferior to his peers, but he hates to be a loser. Although he doesn’t think about it too much, he knows he hates to lose, and we all know what that feels like. I think readers see themselves in Naruto, and that’s what appeals to them: They can empathize with him and his weaknesses.”

As a boy, Kishimoto was obsessed with manga and baseball. In elementary school, he became “completely addicted” to the popular boys’ series “Dragon Ball.” His interest gradually expanded to include other manga series, notably Katsuhiro Otomo’s landmark “Akira.” Kishimoto explained that he was so focused on his drawings that he did poorly in high school, ranking 30th in a class of 31.

While in art school, Kishimoto won a contest for aspiring manga artists with his story “Karakuri” (Mechanism). His next work, a manga short story about a fox spirit disguised as a human (foxes are traditional shape-shifters in Japanese folklore) named Naruto, appeared in 1997. Two years later, a new version of “Naruto” premiered as a serial in the magazine Weekly Shonen Jump and scored an immediate hit.

Although the name was the same, the new version of “Naruto” was very different from the previous story. The Hidden Leaf Village of ninjas was nearly destroyed by a nine-tailed fox demon, a creature so terrible it was seen as divine punishment. The village chieftain died, sealing that demon within the body of a newborn baby: Naruto. Because he was associated with the demon, Naruto was a lonely child, shunned by the people of the village. At the Ninja Academy, he blew off his lessons, played pranks and got into mischief.

“When Naruto was born, it was more like he somehow came out, rather than my creating him from some inspiration,” he continued. “The only image I had in mind was a character who was a naughty boy. I was a poor student, but unlike Naruto, I was the type of poor student who gave up easily and pondered things that weren’t worth pondering. I wanted Naruto to be different. He was created based on my self-image of my own childhood, but different from how I really was.”

His impish nature and spotty record make Naruto a come-from-behind kid. After graduating from the academy -- after three tries -- he begins his advanced training as a ninja. Although he remains a goof-off at heart, Naruto will lay his life on the line to protect his friends. And in extreme circumstances, he can draw on the energy of the demon imprisoned within his body. Under the supervision of his teacher, Kakashi, he goes on missions in a team with his rival Sasuke and Sakura, on whom he nurtures a crush.

Kishimoto’s strong clean lines and massed areas of black give the many action sequences a visual punch. The human figures are well-drawn and accurately proportioned, and their poses suggest believable movements. “I chose to draw the human figures as accurately as possible because I thought it would give a more realistic feel to the action scenes,” Kishimoto explains. “Exaggeration can lend action scenes more force, but I like to stick to more realistic figures: They help keep the cool in the action scenes, although they may be not as forceful as the exaggerated ones.”

Kishimoto lays out each page like a director/cinematographer, often juxtaposing a series of close-ups of a character’s changing expression with large drawings of a combat sequence. The viewer sees Naruto’s resolve stiffen before he kicks the wasabi out of his opponent.

“I watch a lot of movies, and I tend to be influenced by scenes that intrigue me, that make me want to use the same effects or technique,” Kishimoto explains. “I once adopted [actor-director] Takeshi Kitano’s technique of shooting objects from a great distance to stifle the emotion in the scene. I like the way Quentin Tarantino creates a scene using a series of close-ups or showing very cool images of a person or people walking on some ordinary street in slow motion. I wish I could achieve that kind of slow-motion effect in manga, but it’s rather difficult to draw; the only things we can play with are tones of black and white. I also like Michael Bay’s technique of shooting a scene against the background light. I’d like to try this in manga, but again it would be rather difficult.”

While still a student, Kishimoto studied the work of some of the most famous manga artists and Japanese animators. In addition to “Dragon Ball” and “Akira,” he read, re-read and copied the drawings in Hiroyuki Okiura’s sci-fi fantasy “Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade,” Koji Kiriyama’s ninja tale “Ninku” and Masamune Shirow’s groundbreaking cyberpunk tale “Ghost in the Shell,” which was adapted to the screen by Mamoru Oshii. Kishimoto feels their successes paved by the way for the international popularity of “Naruto,” which was influenced by them.

“I didn’t think much about foreign readers when I began ‘Naruto,’ but I knew that many of the artists who influenced me had already been accepted overseas,” he concluded. “All the people I was influenced by have been very successful in other countries, which may be why it was easier for my work to be accepted there. ‘Naruto’ owes a lot to those artists who won acceptance and popularity overseas.”

[wolf08]

SasuSaku Month 2017 - Day 11 (Shelter from the Rain)

Title: Weathering the Storm

READ ON FANFICTION.NET

Summary:  Mid-mission, Sasuke and Sakura are trapped in a torrential downpour. But they choose the wrong spot to hide and instead Sasuke finds himself facing a storm within. Genin SasuSaku. Genre: Adventure / Romance  Rated: T(Teen) Words: 3835 A/N: So I initially set out to write something cute and fluffy as a light break from the craziness of writing A Twist in Time… and then this happened instead. :’) I hope you enjoy!  Disclaimer: All characters belong to the great Masashi Kishimoto. 

“In here, Sasuke-kun! Come on!”

Sasuke’s head jerks up at the sound of his teammate’s voice from somewhere around the bend and follows it, his sandals sinking an inch into the mud with each sloshing step he takes. He’s as desperate as she for some refuge from the torrential downpour they have the misfortune of being stranded in.

But what led them to this predicament in the first place? Well…

Team Seven was tasked with capturing the bandits presumed to be stealing food and livestock from a poor, no-named village on the Western outskirts of Yugakure. They figured it would be a piece of cake, considering the hell the trio had been through in recent months (namely, the Chūnin Exams and the shitstorm that followed them). But while they searched Yuga’s Western forests, where the bandits had been spotted last, Sasuke detected a chilling disturbance – one that sent familiar waves of pain up his neck.

“We need to move!” Sasuke yelled, just as white spots began to cloud his vision and a pair of gentle hands helped him stand upright.

“The curse mark?” he heard Sakura whisper from somewhere beside him, but he never got around to answering her because then there was an explosion.

“What the-?” Naruto gasped, and leaping into a neighbouring tree as the ground below him crumbled to pieces. But then the tree split down the middle with a resounding crack and Naruto disappeared from view.

Sasuke was thrown backwards and it just about knocked the wind out of him. What the hell is going on? he thought while clambering to his feet and sensing Sakura do the same somewhere to his right. What kind of bandits use explosives?

Unless…

“Sasuke! Sakura! Find Naruto and get out of here!”

Kakashi sprang into view through the rubble and smoke, his Sharingan whirling to life. “Kakashi-sensei!” Sakura cried, and drawing nearer. “What about–?”

“I have a plan to hold them off! Get moving and I’ll catch up!” And then he was gone.

Sasuke and Sakura exchanged wide-eyed looks and nodded. As much as Sasuke hated being pushed out of the heat of battle, it made a whole lot more sense to listen to his sensei than to run into this fight completely blind. Also, they were already quite exhausted after two straight days of travel and that pang he felt in his neck indicated that, perhaps, they were up against tougher enemies than they bargained for.

“Let’s go!” he said, while grabbing Sakura’s arm and pulling her along with him, in the direction of the fallen tree he’d just spotted Naruto in.

But when they arrived, their teammate was no where in sight. And that was when the first of the raindrops began to fall.

“Shoot,” Sakura cursed while climbing through the debris and pushing aside fallen tree branches. “I don’t think he’s around here.”

“You’re right,” Sasuke agreed, his own Sharingan-lit eyes scanning the area for any trace of a familiar chakra presence, but to no avail. He neared his female teammate after casting an apprehensive glance towards the sky. The rain was coming down harder and thunder claps rumbled somewhere in the distance.

She straightened up and bit her lip. “Maybe he went back?” she offered, but her wide, emerald eyes held traces of disbelief.

Sasuke looked back to where he presumed their sensei was still awaiting battle, unless it had already begun. Could Naruto have returned there? Well, if he did, he’s with Kakashi now, and safer than being out on his own… But there was a nagging doubt at the back of his mind that he couldn’t quite place…

“But if he didn’t we have to find him,” Sakura continued and gesturing towards the expanse of wilderness ahead. It was clear that Sakura was skeptical about the situation too. Naruto, being the loud and flashy guy he was, was relatively unlikely to disappear from his teammates’ radars of his own free will.

Sasuke agreed and that was how their trek into the forest began.

And from there, a dreadful storm ensues, with ear-splitting thunder claps, sheets of water obscuring their vision, and howling winds that might have knocked them down if their feet weren’t lodged in the muddy ground. A shift occurred in their search, from being a hunt for a missing teammate to a scramble for temporary shelter.

“Shit,” Sasuke hisses when he climbs into the cramped, rocky alcove Sakura spotted nearby. If, for whatever reason, Naruto vanished because he’s in danger, the longer it takes to find him, the lower his odds are of being found unscathed.

Sakura seems to share the same frustrated sentiments, but unlike Sasuke, has a knack for holding her head up in desperate situations. “I’m sure he’s okay,” she says determinedly as she pushes soaked strands of her short, pink hair away from her eyes. “We can use this opportunity to strategize.”

Sasuke mops some of the perspiration off his face with the inside of his collar then turns to look at his teammate properly. She’s shivering all over, water droplets are falling from the tip of her nose, and mud is splattered up her calves. And his initial instinct is to tell her to sit tight and try to warm herself up, but lately, Sasuke has been realizing that this girl deserves more credit than he previously thought.

“What do you have in mind?” he asks and somehow, his words appear to fill her up with some determination. She sits a little taller and her face flushes.

“Well,” she says while reaching into her weapon pouch and fishing out a scroll. “Maybe the scripture we found at the site of the latest robbery is more important than we thought. Oh! It’s still dry, thank the gods!” She rolls the paper open

Sasuke stares at his teammate for a few extra seconds before he shifts closer to her and peers over her shoulder. Why was it that he had been so insistent on not listening to Sakura before? She was getting smarter and stronger and fast and wasn’t exactly the weak link she used to be.

“I only grabbed this because it had the bandits’ fingerprints on it, and at first I thought they just picked it up by accident because it doesn’t make any sense, but what if it belonged to the bandits – or, whatever they are – and these are clues to finding them?” she speculates, and Sasuke just shrugs because maybe she’s right. He glances towards the mouth of the alcove to find it somehow raining even harder than it was before.

Well, it looks like they have a few minutes to spare either way.

And so, without any protest from her teammate, Sakura proceeds to re-read the scroll. Meanwhile Sasuke, who isn’t quite as good with deciphering puzzling texts, scans the forest ahead of them with his Sharingan activated for any sign of movement or chakra flares. He stays put though, with his arm stretched behind Sakura because, even though he’d never admit it, she’s warm and sitting close to her isn’t all that unpleasant.

Not long after, Sakura gasps and Sasuke jumps.

“What?” he asks, his hand hovering over his weapon pouch. God his teammates are expressive sometimes.

She doesn’t respond, but instead, looks to the rocky ground between them and starts running her hands along the surface, like she’s searching for something she dropped. The least he can do is move aside while she crawls about, patting the slick ground.

Sasuke opens his mouth to question her peculiar behaviour, but Sakura speaks first. “I am departed in at night… shake as if I’m angry, but never will I bite… Of course!” she mumbles, seeming to forget Sasuke is there at all.

She’s solving a riddle, that much I can tell, Sasuke thinks and raising his eyebrows.

“Aha! Look at this!” she finally exclaims and motioning to roll aside a boulder near the back of the cave. Sasuke still hasn’t got a clue what she’s doing but he crawls over and helps by giving the boulder a push.

There is a trapdoor beneath it.

Sasuke freezes and gapes down at his teammate’s discovery. “The scriptures had a series of riddles about passageways into enemy hideouts,” she breathes. “There was supposed to be one hidden in the ground at these general coordinates. And I… I think this is it.” She gulps and edges her way behind Sasuke. “Should we check it out?”

He feels his pulse racing. What a strange coincidence that they would take shelter in the opening of the enemy’s hideout. But that being said, if Naruto was captured… “Maybe this will give us a lead,” he says, though it’s probably quite unwise to explore enemy territory with their teammate missing and their sensei engaged in combat. “But how about we just –”

“—look but not go inside?” Sakura finishes and catching his eye. Sasuke nods and is relieved that they seem to be on the same wavelength.

They devise a plan where Sasuke will pull open the trapdoor with his Sharingan activated and ready to blast a fireball down the hole if they are attacked, with Sakura standing above him with weapons poised.

They assume their positions and Sasuke wrenches open the door with a loud creeeak… and…

Nothing happens.

“Oh good,” Sakura sighs and dropping to her knees beside him, without lowering her kunai. It appears the trapdoor is concealing a tunnel that leads deep into the ground. Aside from the metal rings that mark the top of a ladder, it’s pitch black with no way of gauging how far down the tunnel goes.

“Well, I guess this is the passageway described by the riddle,” Sakura muses while poking her head over the edge and squinting her eyes. “I guess now we should wait until we find… are you all right?”

Sasuke pulls his eyes from the tunnel and meets Sakura’s concerned ones. Am I…? Oh. He’s clutching the curse mark at his neck again. When had his hand moved up to do that?

“Sasuke-kun?” she asks and reaching for his arm to comfort him, but that is when Sasuke sees it.

There is a hand emerged from the tunnel, gripping onto its edge – pale, with spiraling black marks snaking along it…

“Sakura! No!” Sasuke yells, but the words are barely out of his mouth when, as quick as a flash, the hand takes hold of her ankle and yanks her in.

Sakura screams and flings her arms out towards Sasuke in her panic, and he manages to catch her hand, but with the combined slickness of their skin, which hadn’t quite dried from the downpour, he can’t hold on for long.

“No!” he shouts again as Sakura is pulled out of his reach and disappears into the dark tunnel below, his stomach flipping and his heart racing. He is in utter disbelief that he literally let Sakura slip away between his fingers…

Before he knows quite what he’s doing, Sasuke is leaping down the tunnel, bounding from wall to wall using chakra to anchor his feet and arms, and supporting a small flashlight between his teeth to make sure he doesn’t jump straight into an enemy.

If something happens to her…

His heart is thudding harder than he would ever admit.

This is my fault. I shouldn’t have opened that door… I should have taken her far away from here…

The descent is unsettlingly long and Sasuke can only pray to the gods that Sakura hadn’t free-fallen any of this distance…

Sasuke touches ground and shocks rocket through his ankles. It takes a moment for him to gain his bearings. He finds himself in an underground cavern with high ceilings, tunnels branching from it, and torches lining the walls that emit an eerie, green light.

He sends another pulse of chakra to his eyes in attempt to sharpen his Sharingan’s view of his surroundings. Where is…?

He spies a body just a little further ahead, splayed out on the dark, concrete floor.

Sasuke is barreling towards it a fraction of a second later, hoping beyond hope that it isn’t Sakura and if it is, to please let her be…

But as it gets closer, it becomes apparent that it isn’t Sakura, though that didn’t calm him any because it’s Naruto.

We were right. He was kidnapped, Sasuke thinks while crouching beside his friend and checking his vitals. And much to his relief, there is a heartbeat, and, all in all, Naruto seems to be in decent shape – just knocked unconscious.

But… who did this to him?

Sasuke gets his answer a little sooner than he anticipates.

He hears Sakura’s scream echo through the cavern.

Then his body goes on autopilot.

Sasuke sprints through the cavern with Naruto hoisted on his back, towards where he just came from, past the tunnel leading into the alcove, and into a small clearing lined with gigantic, black doors that look like vaults. And in the center of the clearing are two figures – a large, burly one with grotesque marks spiraling along his body, and a petite one with her arm bent at an awkward angle. They appear to be mid-fight and are facing each other, though it’s apparent that it won’t last much longer for…

“Sakura!” Sasuke yells instinctively while dropping Naruto and racing towards the center of the clearing to meet her.

“Sas-,” she starts, her eyes flitting in his direction, and all Sasuke can process are the cuts and bruises lining her limbs and her visibly broken arm, but then Sakura’s opponent snatches her by the throat.

And it’s hard to tell it if it’s the sound of her straggled scream, Sasuke’s relatively low reserves of chakra, or the fact that Sakura’s opponent reeks of Orochimaru, but that is when it’s like his Sharingan inverse – Sasuke’s world is stained red.

With a rush of dark, vengeful energy, Sasuke finds himself in the air and firing weapons encased in balls of fire towards the enemy, and it’s enough to throw him off course and fling Sakura aside. Then, with a burst of speed that Sasuke himself can’t comprehend, he also manages to catch Sakura before she hits the ground.

“Sasuke-kun! Oh – not this again!” comes her distant, hazy gasp.

What’s wrong? he thinks while leaning down to look at the girl in his arms, but that’s when he catches sight of the black marks creeping up his arm and the raging purple chakra surrounding them.

Ah yes. This again.

Sasuke stands and examines his hand and how each mark leaves angry red smears across his skin. The sensation is burning and all-consuming and…

…intoxicating.

“You!”

The enemy is crouching in preparation to pounce, his teeth bared and beady eyes locked on Sasuke’s. And that’s when it finally occurs to Sasuke just what those marks on the man’s skin are. I’m not the only one, it seems, he thinks while cracking his knuckles and feeling a wicked smirk grace his lips.

But not for long.

He has the man pinned to the ground an instant later.

“You brat!” the man sneers while clawing at Sasuke’s arm with a heavy, taloned hand, but Sasuke is far too high on power to feel any pain. He is also too busy contemplating the best way to end his opponent’s life.

“Perhaps… slow and painful?” he thinks aloud in a voice he hardly recognizes, as he summons tiny, chirping lightening bolts to his fingers and drags them teasingly across the man’s chest. The electricity tears the fabric and skin there, and the man cries out in shock while twisting desperately against Sasuke’s restraints. “No, you don’t like that? Shall I speed things up?” And then there is a complete, throbbing Chidori in the center of Sasuke’s palm, hovering directly over the opponent’s head, ready to descend and crush his skull –

“Sasuke-kun, STOP!”

He feels a tremor in his hands and freezes.

It’s Sakura, from somewhere on his left. She’s sobbing.

“Please… Sasuke-kun… stop!”

Sensation returns to his body and he vaguely notices that his arm is bleeding and that his heart is thudding against his chest.

I’m about to kill a man.

There’s perspiration lining his brow and his body begins to tremble. But this power… It feels so exhilarating. And there is a sickeningly hopeful gleam in his opponent’s eyes now that he notices the flicker of doubt in Sasuke’s former resolve…

Sasuke closes his eyes and lets his lightning blade descend.

It pierces the cursed man’s shoulder, severing the flesh and cracking the bone, and the man screams and withers, but he doesn’t die.

Then Sasuke is dragged away from the man by small, strong hands with vice grips on his sleeves, and he surrenders to the force and stumbles into Sakura.

Her green eyes are brimming with tears, her lip is trembling, and blood trickles from a cut on her cheekbone, and Sasuke feels the curse begin to subside, dragging back to the constraint on his neck like fiery claws.

Sakura appears to release a breath as she brings her hands up to his face to wipe something off his forehead and jaw. And the friction brings him some grounding comfort, reminds him that this is him – here with her, and not… not what he was just now. Not a slave to Orochimaru’s curse mark. Not a killer.

“Let’s get out of here,” Sakura breathes, and she doesn’t have to tell him twice. 

Sasuke collapses to his hands and knees when he stumbles into the cabin, Team Seven’s base camp, trudging mud and water all over the wood floor. Naruto slumps forward against his back and Sasuke carefully manoeuvres him off and then helps Sakura carry him over to the couch.

Fortunately, they made it out of the tunnel before any other curse-riddled cronies of Orochimaru’s got to them, but then they found themselves trapped in the very storm they were striving to get away from (though it didn’t seem quite as catastrophic anymore, at least, compared to what they just experienced).

Yes, so it seems Orochimaru was involved in this mess after all, which, in retrospect, shouldn’t be so surprising because they were awfully close to the Otogakure boarder. And perhaps this explained Naruto’s capturing. Orochimaru always had quite a keen interest in Team Seven and luring them into trouble.  

“There’s a message from Kakashi-sensei,” Sakura says quietly from where she stands by the kitchen table. “Must have been sent by a dog summon. It says he’s okay and will meet us here in an hour, once he’s certain the enemy is off his trail.”

“Good,” is all Sasuke manages to get out in response, just after he deems Naruto to be in good condition. He suspects their teammate will wake anytime now. Then Sasuke approaches Sakura by the table and finds that, by the gods, she’s smiling.

“Well that was a terrible, wasn’t it? Why can’t our team get a normal C-Ranked mission?” she asks with a soft, musical chuckle.

He raises an eyebrow and folds his arms, observing his ever-puzzling teammate. She led them to this cabin, by the way. She knew how to get here all along because she left markers to trace their path (which was so by-the-book and so Sakura). But she hadn’t mentioned it sooner because following the markers entailed backtracking to where Kakashi had previously been fighting. But in their desperation to flee Orochimaru’s experimental cavern, they took the wager and luckily, Kakashi and his opponents appeared to have relocated.

“Are you all right, Sasuke-kun?” she asks and he notices her eyes shift to his neck.

He doesn’t have it in him to lie. “Better,” Sasuke says, not directly answering her question. That’s when he remembers her broken arm. “But you aren’t,” he remarks.

“I’m fine,” she lies while taking a nervous step back and motioning to conceal her awkwardly-bent arm behind her back. But she doesn’t get around to it because, despite her gasp of protest, Sasuke scoops her up and sits her on a kitchen chair. He snatches one of the moth-bitten blankets from the armchair behind him, drapes it around her shoulders, then rummages through the cupboards for first aid supplies. He knows enough of the basics to set her arm, which should tide things over until Kakashi returns or they find a proper medic.

Sakura holds out her arm when she realizes Sasuke’s intentions. “Thank you,” she mutters through chattering teeth. Sasuke’s hands are trembling slightly throughout the procedure, and he suspects not only from the cold. She whimpers softly but doesn’t cry as he sets her small limb back in place, but his gut still twists painfully.

When it’s done, Sasuke kneels in front of her and rests a hand on her knee. “I’m sorry,” he says abruptly and he’s not entirely sure what he’s saying it for – for the painful procedure, for letting her get hurt in the first place, for losing control and frightening her…

And honestly, if it weren’t for Sakura’s sharp analytical skills, they might have been goners. She found Naruto. She discovered Orochimaru’s involvement in the mysterious robberies. She led them back here, to safety.

Now, if it had been Naruto to save the day, Sasuke would have felt jealous, but with Sakura?

He felt something like pride with a bit of guilt mixed in.

“Sasuke-kun,” she says and it startles him. He realizes that both of his arms are resting on her lap, hugging her legs, and his hands are squeezing her knees. But as he motions to move away, Sakura holds his hand in place.

Sasuke freezes and meets her gaze.

“You have nothing to be sorry about,” she says and smiling that same bewildering, watery smile. “We’re safe and we’re together and soon we’ll get to the bottom of this and stop that Orochimaru guy once and for all.”

It’s a grand statement coming from a ninja of her stature and rank, but there’s something comforting in knowing that someone with this kind of optimism even exists at the time like this.

Sasuke stares at her, for a second too long maybe, to examine the strange light in her eyes and the way her wet hair clings to her face. She blinks at him and her face colours.

“Annoying,” he mumbles while leaning forward to burry his face in his arms and conceal the colour tinting his own cheeks. And he imagines Sakura pouting at him with confusion, but she doesn’t voice her thoughts. Instead, he feels the delicate fingers of her uninjured arm reach out to stoke his hair.

Sakura massages careful, gentle patterns along his temples and the base of his head, sending pleasing chills up and down his spine and despite how cold and exhausted he is, something about the sensation warms him up.

He gives her knee another squeeze and thinks about how, and not for the first time, he would never, ever let this girl slip between his fingers again.  

#ssm17 #ssm17d11 #sasusaku #sasusaku fanfiction #ss fanfiction #wolf08fic

[sasusakufestival]

Samsara

Summary: Sakura’s words die in her throat as the man’s eyes shoot open, and the coldest red irises she has ever seen meet hers. She is hit by a wave of terrifying certainty about two things right then – that she knows these eyes better than any other and that, if he wanted to, this man could stop her heart with just a look. [SasuSaku Festival 2017 – Day 7 – Prompt: “The Past”]

Disclaimer: This story utilizes characters, situations and premises that are copyright Masashi Kishimoto, Shueisha, Shonen Jump and Viz Media. No infringement on their respective copyrights pertaining to episodes, novelizations, comics or short stories is intended by the author in any way, shape or form. This fan oriented story is written solely for the author’s own amusement and the entertainment of the readers. It is not for profit. Any resemblance to real organizations, institutions, products or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. All fiction, plot and Original Characters with the exception of those introduced in the books, manga, video games, novelizations and anime, are the sole creation of KuriQuinn and using them without permission is considered rude, in bad-taste and will reflect seriously on your credibility as a writer. You will be squished by a Susanoo wielding demi god if you are found plagiarizing.

Warning:Spoilersfor pretty much everything up to NarutoGaiden.

Canon-Compliance: Takes place during the Blank Period.

Fanon-Compliance: Takes place several years before An Inch ofGold and Unplanned.

AN: Better late than never! You guys can decide for yourselves how much if this short series is something that could have happened, and how much of is my personal head canon. Also, I kind of went to town with the SasuSaku bits here, because I firmly believe that they have a loving and active married life.

As a medic, Sakura is probably more prepared for the various symptoms of pregnancy than the average woman. She has studied the theory, administered prenatal and postnatal care, and has even delivered a few babies. At first it was only under the watchful eye of her mentor, but since she and Sasuke have been travelling to more remote villages, it’s an occupational hazard.

Her first trimester is about what she expects – it’s actually easier.

Morning sickness isn’t as bad as she worried it would be – in fact it’s not so much morning sickness as random-moments-in-the-day-sickness. Even then, it’s more gentle queasiness than anything else. There are only two mornings she spends with her face buried in a nearby bush, while Sasuke holds back her hair.

There are a few of her favorite foods that she can’t even think about without feeling nauseous. Still others cause her bizarre, desperate cravings she never experienced before. (Tomatoes! She can’t get enough tomatoes!) And she has to pee a lot more often, which Sasuke is equal parts amused and irritated by depending on how much it delays their travel plans.

And good gods, she thought she was done getting pimples!

But what she wasn’t expecting were the dreams.

From her studies and conversations with other expectant mothers, she’s come to anticipate the nonsensical, the silly or even highly sexual. What she ends up experiencing within days of confirming her condition is bleak, eerie and a little depressing.

In the beginning, her dreams have a reoccurring theme.

Whenever she closes her eyes, she finds herself walking along a beach. The tide is always out, leaving a vast and barren expanse of sand and shallow pools of water. The sky is always grey and foreboding, bracketed by cliffs in the distance. The detail in this place is staggering, despite the fact she’s never spent much time on this seashore.

Or any seashore, really.

Konoha is landlocked, and even her experiences during the war didn’t give her much time to enjoy the coastline. Travelling with Sasuke, they have occasionally been to places like Kumo where beaches are more common, but never with express recreational purpose.

If there had been, she would never choose such a grey and dismal one as the one that plagues her unconscious.

Despite this, the barren shore of her dreams feels as familiar and beloved to her as the forests and valleys of Konoha. For whatever reason, she experiences a sense of utter safety during her dreamlike wanderings, which leaves her disconcerted and confused upon waking.

The pattern continues over several nights without change, until their return journey from Tsuki. That night, they have no choice but to bed down in a forest cave to avoid an incoming storm.

Since she told Sasuke of her pregnancy, he isn’t as keen on sleeping outside as much. Sakura has assured him that at this point it really doesn’t matter where they sleep, but he’s been adamant. It’s only when there is absolutely no other option that they sleep outside.

(She’s trying not to find his overprotectiveness endearing, but she’d be lying if she didn’t say she’s been waiting her entire life for this.)

In spite of their protective wards, Sasuke insists on taking the first watch – which they both know means he doesn’t actually intend to sleep that night – and Sakura is too tired to argue.

She expects this to lead to utterly dreamless sleep, and yet with almost no transition, she is back on the dream beach.

Only there is something different this time.

眠り

A dark form lingers on the sand dunes of the horizon. She can’t make out exactly what the shape is, but as she gets closer, she realises it’s a human being.

“Hey!” she calls. “Are you alright?”

She begins to run, struggling through the unstable and damp sand, automatically reaching for her medical kit – only to discover it’s not there. She doesn’t let this deter her, however, and after what seems like forever she skids to a stop in front of the person.

It’s a man, she realises, based on the dimensions of the body, and he’s badly injured.

He is face-down and judging from the lack of movement, not breathing; when she reaches out to touch clammy, swollen skin and checks his pulse, she doesn’t find one. The parts of his epidermis not covered by a waterlogged white robe are a mass of second and third degree burns, crisscrossing themselves like the angry red roots of a tree. She’s seen this before, in electrocution victims, except from what she can perceive, there are no exit or entrance wounds on his body.

As if it was just passing across the surface of his skin.

Or…or channelled through his chakra points.

A pit forms in her stomach at this, and she intends to reach out and channel her own chakra into the poor man, hoping to boost his heart and lungs back to working order.

But that doesn’t happen.

Her hands keep probing the man for signs of life, and when she concentrates, she can’t feel any of her chakra.

Nothing.

What the…?

She considers her hands in confusion, and belatedly realises that they don’t look like hers. These are paler and more delicate, with none of her scars from training.

And no telltale glow of healing energy.

No…!

The horror at being stripped of the ability to save this man hits her like a punch to the gut, but rather than dwell on it, she shoves it out of her mind. She might still have a chance to save him, even if she can’t do it the faster way!

Her body seems to be cooperating with this, at least. Firmly but gently, she turns him around, intending to start compressions to his heart –

Only to recoil in shock.

Beneath the swollen, vein-scarred skin, is Sasuke.

夢

Sakura wakes suddenly, her entire body jerking her into consciousness. Sweat drips from her forehead, and she feels as if she has been running.

“Are you alright?”

Her husband is a featureless shadow in the dark.

“You were on a beach,” she whispers without preamble, her voice shaking. “You were unconscious, and I couldn't…I wanted to heal you, but I couldn’t do it, and then I turned you around and I think you were dead, but there was no…I couldn't…”

“It was a dream,” Sasuke assures her. When her body remains stiff and agitated, though, he reaches out and cups her face in his hand, brushing his thumb across her cheekbone.

Sakura sighs, leaning into his touch, and the rigidity of her spine eases somewhat. “I know it was. It was just…very real.”

“Your senses are heightened right now,” he informs her quietly. “Your mind is likely drawing much more on sense-memory.”

“I know that,” she protests, smirking slightly at the fact Sasuke is quoting information he’s read from a pregnancy book she picked up in the last semi-inhabited village. She never saw him read it, but she remembers that exact sentence.

Not interested in baby-books my ass, you big goofball!

“And you also know that I’m fine,” Sasuke continues, and she can hear the frown in his voice. She suspects he has noticed her expression. “As are you.”

“Other than being married to a know-it-all, I’m wonderful,” she mumbles, curling up in front of him.

“Hm.”

She feels his fingers in her hair, moving back and forth in a comforting rhythm. Sleep creeps up on her, heralded by the calming sensation of fingertips brushing against her skull –

Sakura jerks back to full consciousness.

“Wait!”

He freezes. “What?”

“I have to pee,” she tells him, navigating away from him.

“Of course you do,” he sighs, letting go of her.

When she finally gets back, Sasuke has fallen asleep. She suspects he just meant to close his eyes for a second, but then he’s been going without sleep more often these days. She worries he intends to keep up the trend until they are safely back in Konoha. For this reason alone she chooses not to wake him.

The wards will be enough…

She reclaims her spot beside him, burrowing in close and shifting so that her back is fitted against his chest. In his sleep, he drapes his arm across her waist, holding her close, and Sakura smiles into the darkness.

He used to do this when they were kids, too, though back then he would rather swallow kunai than admit to it.

Sometimes on away missions, their genin squd would have to sleep outside, too. Kakashi would take first watch – like Sasuke does now, having no intention of waking any of them to take the second – and the three of them would end up huddled together like puppies. They were all usually so exhausted that no one had the energy to complain about sleeping arrangements. Sakura would end up sandwiched between the two boys to minimize any bloodshed, with Naruto muttering in his sleep on one side, while Sasuke curled protectively into himself on the other.

But sometimes, very rarely, he would end up bracketed against her, arm slung over her hips and breathing against the back of her neck.

She never slept well those nights, too shocked and too pleased to do anything but marvel at being so close to him. He’d wake before everyone else, and she’d feel him recoil as if burned, and then his warmth would be gone.

She never mentioned it in waking hours either, because she expected him to be embarrassed. He never said anything either, even though he would have known she was awake. And Kakashi would look knowing beneath his mask, but act like he hadn’t noticed any of it at all.

Now, though, she has no trouble falling back to sleep within Sasuke’s embrace, and thankfully, there are no more dreams that night. And when the first rays of sunshine peek into their shelter the next morning, instead of pretending he hasn’t spent the night wrapped around her, Sasuke hides his face in her shoulder and determinedly ignores her attempts to coax him to get up.

Until she cheats a little, ducking under their covers and using lips and tongue in her most convincing argument. The sound of his strangled cries and panted curses echoing off the damp walls of the cave are completely worth the attempted reproachful look he gives her afterward.

“We’re not supposed to be drawing attention to ourselves,” he reminds her.

“Then you should learn to be quieter,” she retorts, wiping her mouth. When he growls and snatches at her, trying to pull her down beneath him, she dances out of his way and singsongs, “Come on, we’re going to be la-a-te.”

The rest of the morning progresses in the usual fashion, with them trekking through the forest to their next destination. It’s quiet, which is the norm – she and Sasuke don’t always talk while they travel, existing in silence more out of a perfect dynamic of companionship than over need to avoid possible threats. It’s a time for reflection, or just being together.

When she was younger, the silence would have driven her crazy, but now she is more comfortable in it.

Although today, her usually peaceful thoughts are clouded by analysing that dream she had. It’s bothering at her, hanging on where most would retreat to her subconscious immediately. She supposes it’s because she was reminded of her helplessness, a state she has actively avoided since she was a teenager.

If Sasuke notices her preoccupation, he says nothing. Until she volunteers the information he won’t pry, and she doesn’t want to say something because it sounds ridiculous in her head, let alone out loud.

They just make it to the overnight ferry, which it turns out is not helpful to her queasy stomach. She spends most of the voyage heaving over the side of the boat, or curled in a foetal position in their cabin. Only as their nearing their destination does her exhaustion finally allow her to give in to sleep.

眠り

She finds herself back on the beach, kneeling in front of an unconscious Sasuke.

Only it’s not Sasuke, she realises in relief. His hair is lighter, despite being so thoroughly soaked, and much longer. And his features are more delicate, sort of like how she remembers his brother’s being, just without such defined cheekbones.

Her healer’s instincts have already prompted her hands to reach forward and check for signs of life. He isn’t breathing and she can’t detect a heartbeat. Judging from the burns and bruises, she’d say he’s suffered both electrocution and massive trauma, as if thousands of fists careened into him.

For a split second she goes to heal him before remembering that here – wherever here is – she has no such ability. Swearing, she rearranges his body so that he is supine on his back, and prepares to restart his heart manually.

At least…she thinks she’s the one decides to do that. The body she inhabits in this dream world seems to have a mind of its own.

Pressing the heel of her hand on the centre of his chest, she begins to count out loud, watching his chest with each compression. After a minute or so, she leans down to check his airway, tilting his head back and lifting his chin.

There is still no indication of breathing, and she pinches his nose closed, covering his mouth with hers and breathing in to him. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees his chest rise and feels her hopes rise. That’s good, at least, no punctures or obstructions.

But when she pulls away, he doesn’t continue on his own.

Swearing, she restarts the compressions.

“Don't…you…die…” she orders him with each downward press.

You're…not…him…but…I…won't…let… you! Sha…na…ro!

The cycle of compressions and breathing for him continues almost without end. It goes far past the point she would have stopped for anyone else, but she can’t take the chance. If this person is anything like Sasuke, he will live. He has to live.

As she pulls away from his lips once more, preparing to push down on his chest, the stranger’s body seizes and his mouth opens in a gasp.

“Oh, thank goodness!” she cries, sitting back on her thighs to give him room. “You’re alright…take it easy, just try to breath, okay? You had me scared for a –”

Sakura’s words die in her throat as the man’s eyes shoot open, and the coldest red irises she has ever seen meet hers. She is hit by a wave of terrifying certainty about two things right then – that she knows these eyes better than any other and that, if he wanted to, this man could stop her heart with just a look.

夢

She jolts awake with a cry of surprise.

“What? What’s wrong?!”

Sasuke is kneeling beside her, his hand on her arm and staring down at her with an expression of thunderous concern.

“It was you,” she gasps, thoughts colliding too quickly in her brain to make sense. Her words are coming out jumbled. “It was you, but it wasn’t you, but it was your eyes. And you were unconscious, but I saved you, I think, but it was…it was like that day, and I though you…I thought he was going to…”

“Slow down,” Sasuke instructs her. “Start from the beginning.”

She takes a deep, shuddering breath, coaching herself to remain calm, and carefully relays everything. She tells him about the strange dreams she’s been having, how they were recurring at first but now somehow seem…

“Continuous?” he supplies.

She nods, because there’s no other way to put it. “I don’t know what this means.”

Sasuke frowns.

“I want you to tell me if this happens again,” he tells her finally.

“How would that help?” she asks.

“I don’t know,” he replies. “But I would feel better knowing what you know.”

She knows her husband doesn’t like the idea of an obstacle or opponent that he can’t fight. Perhaps he thinks the more information he can get from her dreams, the more likely he’ll be to help her. She also knows that he is compulsive about these things, and will fixate over it until there is some kind of resolution – which there may not be.

She offers him a bright smile. “I’m sure it’s nothing. It’s just two dreams, I’m getting ahead of myself. Making something of nothing, the way I sometimes do. I’ll be fine.”

Sasuke frowns like he doesn’t completely believe her, but nods stiffly.

And it seems that she’s right, anyhow. The next few nights, her dreams are once again no more than fleeting impressions. She experiences imprints of faces, moments in time, but no startling interactions with the man whose Sharingan is the exact copy of her husband’s.

It seems her subconscious has backed off a little, and she’s set to shrug it off as strange pregnancy related dreams after all.

But then it starts happening again.

眠り

The man with Sasuke’s face – But different. It’s different! – is unable to move or speak, despite his horrible eyes. In fact, they fade into a dull black almost the moment she is conscious of being back in her dream, suggesting he is far to weakened to do anything.

Still, he watches her distrustfully, as if expecting her to reach out and smother him or something.

“I’m here to help you,” she tells him quietly, hating the warble in her voice. Or the fact her voice is somehow softer than it should be. “You don’t have to worry, alright? I’m here for you.”

If possible, he eyes her with more distrust.

If you think glaring at me is going to scare me off, you’ve got another thing coming to you, I’ve seen much worse.

Oddly enough, the picture that immediately comes to mind is not her husband’s chilling stare, but a stranger’s face twisted into a snarl. The face is utterly nondescript, but the ugly rage there makes her body shiver reflexively.

There’s no time to contemplate what that means, not with a patient to help.

Her eyes rove over his body, taking in the strange – but familiar! – high-collared white robe, checking symptoms and making a diagnosis in her head.

Chakra depletion and acute over exhaustion. Whatever happened to him, he completely weakened himself to the point of handicap.

She has no idea how she’s supposed to help him without her healing abilities, and with hands that don’t necessarily do as she wants. It seems this girl, whoever she is, has some rudimentary healing skills – maybe something passed down from a family member – but it’s not nearly enough to heal her mystery patient now. Glancing around the beach, she doesn’t see anything that could be used as an elixir or healing balm. She’s going to have to venture beyond the shoreline, to see if there’s a forest or field nearby.

A tiny, nagging thought at the back of her mind tells her to run away. Without her abilities, she would not be able to stand against him if her assessment of his condition is wrong. Whoever this man is, he’s dangerous.

That doesn’t matter. I’m a medic, I have to help my patient…somehow.

Doing so on the shore is going to be difficult. She briefly entertains the idea of carrying him to somewhere more safe – but as she quickly discovers, she has no strength to do so. The man is tall and under normal circumstances probably heavy – as waterlogged deadweight, he’s even worse.

Besides, carrying him anywhere might attract attention, and that could be dangerous for both of them. Wherever they are now, this place is foreign to her – possibly to him as well. She needs to think of something, and soon.

Something at the back of her mind tells her it would be very bad indeed if either of them were found here.

夢

Sakura awakens the next morning, frowning at the ceiling of their temporary quarters, mind running through the calculations needed for a woman of average strength to carefully move an injured man the size and weight of her husband.

And possibly to look into lucid dreaming techniques, because the idea of being a paralysed watcher in her own mind is getting annoying.

Once she figures it out the first problem, she lingers quietly, puzzling out where she’s seen the man’s garments before. She and Sasuke have travelled so widely, and in such short time, that they’ve seen any number of strange clothing styles. Perhaps her memories supplied it?

She’s on the verge of an answer when she notices a hand snaking under the waistband of her pants.

“Oh, you think you’re being sneaky, do you?” she challenges playfully, and then giggles when long fingers ease between her legs.

All thoughts of her subconscious patient disappear as she finds something much nicer to focus on.

眠り

More dreams follow, night after night, but by now she expects them.

Sometimes she is not by her mystery patient’s side, instead crawling through a wooded area on hand hands and knees, gathering herbs and berries in her apron. Sometimes she is at a river, filling water skins and trying – unsuccessfully – to catch fish with nothing but her hands.

Other time she is with him, leaning devotedly beside him, pressing freshwater between his lips and crushing food into manageable portions. He accepts her help – not like he has a choice not to – but the whole while, he glares at her resentfully. Sometimes, when she does something he doesn’t like, he makes a noise like a growl low in his throat.

He is still unable to speak, and so she can’t ask him for his name.

Some procedures she finds herself researching during waking hours, poring through the few medical scrolls she’s brought with her or asking local healers about their traditional remedies. It takes every inch of her concentration in her dreams to effect even the slightest chance, such as picking a certain herb or retaking his blood-pressure.

In waking hours, Sasuke remains ignorant to her nightly vigil and although she isn’t exactly hiding this from him, she’s glad for it. He would worry needlessly, and though he hides it well, he’s already anxious. So when he asks her about her dreams, she tells him nothing new has happened.

Again. It’s not really a lie, it’s just…not completely true.

But she doesn’t think he’d take kindly to know she’s so worried about a figment of her imagination, especially as the sour-faced man in her beach dreamscape has started to grow on her.

“I hope you’re not attached to your hair,” she tells her invalid one day – night? – as she finally disparages of the snarled, wet ranks splayed beside him. “It’s beginning to attract bugs. And trust me, I know from experience how hard it is to get rid of them once you have them.”

His eyes narrow slightly, but she takes his lack of growls as permission, and carefully hacks off the hair at shoulder length.

“There, not so bad if I do say myself. But then again, I’ve had a lot of practise. I’ve had to do it on my own a few times. ”

She’s referring to her fastidious tendency to keep her hair cut while they travel, but that’s not the image that comes to mind. Instead she has visions of a cool, dark room, trembling fingers and a mirror balanced in front of her while she tries to even out the layers.

This happens sometimes. Images and ideas coming to her as she works on him. She can never make sense of them and passes them off as quirks of her psyche.

Or going batty from the stillness.

Her patient’s constant quiet reminds her starkly of how Sasuke was when they were children. While she is now close enough to her husband that she finds their silences companionable, this person before her is a different story. The prolonged hush is driving her crazy, and she finds herself falling back on childhood habits of rambling.

Not just rambling, actually. The things that come out of her mouth make her head spin. They are the utterly confusing, nonsensical words that characterise dreams – things that make perfect sense to her now, but which she knows will mean nothing to her upon waking.

“I bet you must think I don’t have a life or something,” she tells once, adjusting the small brush fire she’s started beside them. The wood she chose doesn’t give off much smoke, but the heat is comforting to her – and it keeps his body heat constant. “I guess you’d be right. Where I’m from, I’m not much more than an afterthought. My father – well, he’s important, but my mother, she was a lesser wife –”

She frowns at this, because that’s not right at all, and yet the story falls from her tongue with the utter conviction of truth.

“ – that told everyone I was going to be a boy. When I wasn’t, my father wasn’t happy. He had her put to death and it’s only because the priests said he’s be cursed if he spilled his own blood that I wasn’t too.”

The story makes her stomach clench, her first-hand anger mingling with second-hand sadness. Something is using her mouth to speak for it, and she doesn’t like it.

“Everyone says I look just like my mother, and that’s why my father doesn’t care for me very much,” she goes on matter-of-factly. “My older sister, though, he loves her. I…I would love her too, I think, if she let me.” She ducks her head, feeling embarrassed about admitting to this. It feels like she never said this out loud before. “But she so busy, she doesn’t have time. Father has sent for so many tutors and instructors for her that she’s never around. See, she’s the one who is going to make an advantageous marriage one day and make our country strong again. So, she has to be accomplished. She says it’s a waste of time, because she’s so beautiful, and I think in this case she’s right. Men take one look at her and fall in love right away.”

She sighs wistfully, and the tiniest bit of jealousy seeps into her words.

“She has everything. I wish…I wish I could just have…” She trails off and shakes her head. “Never mind. It’s not important. And all of this must be boring you, right?”

She smiles gently down at her patient, and is surprised to find that he has been listening to her this whole time with an intent expression. In fact, unless she’s much mistaken, there is something else buried in the lines of his face.

It takes her a moment to realise that it’s empathy.

夢

“Have you ever dreamed about being another person?” Sakura asks, glancing up from the trashy romance novel she’s already read three times. It’s utterly failed in its job of keeping her mind off her dreams, especially given this latest development where she’s apparently made up an entire other life for herself.

She decides to give up on it.

It’s a rare moment of downtime, not spent travelling or scouring villages for information about local disturbances. Across the clearing, Sasuke is carefully oiling and cleaning his katana, mouth set and brows drawn together in concentration.

“Sasuke?”

“Hm?”

“I asked, have you ever dreamed of being someone else? I mean, from the perspective of someone that wasn’t you,” she clarifies.

“No.”

“Oh.” She pauses. “Never?”

“Most of my dreams are memories. And I am always myself,” he responds absently.

“Oh.”

She spares a brief second to reflect on the sad truth in that – with a life like Sasuke’s, she doubts his subconscious has ever been a retreat from reality – and tries to go back to her book.

But the text is blurring together, her already vague interest gone, and she puts it down.

“I’m bored. Can we go for a walk or something?”

“We walk everyday.”

“I know that, but it’s usually to get from Point A to Point B. I meant, let’s just go for a stroll. Enjoy nature. Autumn’s so pretty, and we won’t get to enjoy ourselves so much once winter comes. And we won’t have a lot of time alone, just the two of us, come spring.”

“Hm. Fine, let me finish this.”

“I was also thinking of maybe stopping in the capital after all. They’ve got a library there, and I want to look a few things up. I know you hate big towns, but it’ll only take a few days.”

“Mm-hm.”

Sakura frowns at him, trying to discern whether he’s seriously paying attention to her or not. When he continues to wipe invisible detritus from the blade of his sword, she knows none of what they’ve just discussed has penetrated whatever thoughtful funk he’s trapped himself in.

Time for a distraction, then.

With quick movements, she stands and stretches. When he doesn’t seem to notice, she goes on to unbutton the clasps of her tunic, then her bra, and pulls them both over her head.

“I think my breasts have gotten bigger since I’ve been pregnant,” she says, pitching her voice a little louder than before. “What do you think?”

He doesn’t so much as glance up. “Maybe.”

“Excuse me if I don’t trust your assessment, you’re not even looking at me.”

Sasuke lets out an annoyed sigh and finally shoots her a brief glance, and goes back to work. “Yes, you’re bigger.”

Sakura raises an eyebrow at this, mentally counting down the seconds, and is rewarded when the rag in his hand suddenly drops and he slowly looks up again, utterly bemused.

There we go.

Still, she pretends not to notice and cranes around to examine her backside as well. “I think I’m bigger down there, too. We have a measuring tape in our kit somewhere, right? I’m going to find out, since there’s nothing else to do and you're so busy.”

She turns away, reaching toward their bags.

There’s a clatter of metal on earth and the rustle of a cloak, and then an arm seizes her around the waist from behind.

“You don’t have to resort to obvious tricks to get my attention,” he murmurs quietly in her ear, and she shivers at the feel of his breath upon the skin beneath her ear.

“Apparently I do,” she teases. “Besides, my tricks didn’t ever work when we were younger. I consider this back pay.”

“So you traffic in sexual favours now?”

“Who said anything about sexual favours?” she says innocently. “I’m just finding ways to occupy myself while you’re clearly uninterest –”

“You have always been a horrible liar,” he tells her, and proceeds to help divest her of the rest of her clothing.

眠り

Her dreams return to the murky, fleeting glimpses in the next few nights, and for a long time she barely interacts with her mysterious patient. Sometimes she still dreams of scouring the woods for things to help him, but more and more often she begins to see darker, more troubling things.

Sometimes her slumber is assaulted by the downright upsetting.

On occasion, she will find herself cold, shivering convulsively in a drafty room. She is exhausted, but doesn’t sleep, eyes focussed on the moon as she waits for morning to come. Other times – and this is even more troubling – she feels the familiar impact of fists against her face, a man’s voice demanding where she wanders off to everyday. She cowers, tears and blood streaming down her face, insisting she doesn’t go anywhere, and hoping the lie isn’t detectable.

These brief glimpses always leave Sakura annoyed upon waking, the sense of helplessness like an acrid taste at the back of her mouth. If she spends those mornings doggedly running through her taijutsu forms (Sasuke refuses to spar with her since she’s been pregnant) or crushing boulders to dust, that’s no body’s business but her own.

It seems this is to be her only outlet, too, because in her dreams she is maddeningly placid.

The next time she finds herself back with her mysterious patient, she smiles through the bruises on her face and pretends like she isn’t in pain every time she moves. She knows it’s not convincing – this man is as observant as Sasuke – but given his reticence (real or enforced by his handicap), she doubts he’ll remark on it.

Which is why she nearly has a heart attack when a dry, rasping voice breaks the usual silence.

“Where did you get those bruises?”

She actually physically jolts, looking around to see if someone has been watching them. It takes an absurdly long time to realise that her mystery patient was the one to speak.

“Did you just…?” she stares down at him in awe.

He is glaring at her again, ostensibly furious; if she knows that look as well she does, she gets the sense he’s angrier at himself for speaking than over the state of her face.

“Are you able to speak?” she asks him, heart rising hopefully, thinking that perhaps now some questions can be answers.

But he simply turns his head to one side. “Tch.”

She can’t help smile at that. She definitely knows this type of behaviour well.

“I guess you used up all your strength to ask me that, huh?” she muses lightly. “Well, don’t worry about it. I’m really clumsy, always walking into things. I feel down the stairs this morning.” She chuckles nervously. “There’s a reason no one wants to teach me the shamisen. I’d probably put someone’s eye out!”

But he exudes an aura of disinterest now, and she sighs.

She should have asked for his name.

Their silent dynamic continues across montages that dance across her sleeping mind. Of her gently rubbing healing ointments into his skin, bringing him clothing to replace his maddeningly familiar robes. She continues to experience the puzzling, violence-fueled scenes as well.

Someone pulling her hair, a high, mocking laugh from a beautiful, ivory skinned woman. Older Sister, her mind supplies. Huddling on the floor, clutching her ribs as someone kicks her, displeased once more by something she has done or failed to do. Father.

She screams at herself to stand up defend herself, but her body never listens. By the time she manages to raise a hand up to block a blow, it is too late and she feels her ribs break.

Time passes, and more often she finds herself lying in a barren room, people tending to her and speaking in low whispers. She gets the sense she is recovering from something – injury, most likely – but that knowledge fails to overtake the fervent sense of restlessness she feels.

If she’s injured and bedridden, who is caring for her patient?

It feels like an eternity before she dreams of the beach again, and a stark relief hits her the day she finds herself wandering on that damp sandbar again.

Until she makes to the spot on the shore where she has been tending to her mystery invalid, only to find he is not there.

Shock and disbelief fill her, competing with guilt that her injury kept him from checking on him. What if some wild animal found its way here and dragged him off? Or worse, what if someone found him here, thought he was a foreign spy, and took him away?

Or worse.

I have to find him!

She begins making a catalogue of possible places he can be, turns around to head toward the forest where she often sought medicinal herbs, and freezes.

Black eyes glare down at her, a sinister six-pointed red star in their centre, paralysing in their intensity. Her jaw drops in shock, but before she can say anything, he reaches out and grabs her by the throat.

“Nn-gh!”

She clutches feebly at his hand, nails scrabbling uselessly against his skin as he lifts her off the ground. Her feet dangle uselessly in the air and her lungs constrict in their need for air. Confusion and dismay fill her.

“W-w-why?” she chokes out, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“I am not weak,” he tells her coldly, his voice no longer a rasp but still low enough to make her shiver. “I did not ask for you help, and I owe you nothing.”

She whimpers.

“Know that your death would mean very little to me,” he goes on, tightening his grasp on her. Those horrible eyes gleam, and she knows that she’s about to die.

Oddly enough, instead of fear, a sense of relief overtakes her. At least here and now, it will be swift, unlike the life she spends her days trying to escape from. If that’s the case, she knows she can be brave for a few moments longer.

She musters up a smile for him, unable to speak any longer, but hoping it conveys her understanding and even that she forgives him for this.

His hand tightens again and she prepares for the end.

Only to suddenly find herself in a heap on the floor, her airway miraculously free again.

Shaking off the dizziness that comes from breathing again, she looks up to see that he is now walking away from her. It takes a little longer for her to understand that she has been spared. She doesn’t know if she is more relieved or disappointed.

“W-wait…” she whispers, her vocal chords aching from nearly being crushed. “Why…what…who are you?”

He pauses, but does not turn around, and she thinks maybe he might kill her after all. But then,

“I am called Indra,” he tells her quietly, his voice barely audible over the din of distant waves.

And then a flash of blue lightning encompasses him, and he is gone.

つづく

To be continued in another prompt :)

I hope you enjoyed the story! As part of the SasuSakuFestival, please go to the ssfest page and vote, like and/or reblog, it would be majorly appreciated!

クリ

#ssfest17 #sasusaku #ssfanfiction #ssfestday7 #submission #ssfestentry

[bluewind1246]

💙Why NaruHina is the best pairing in the Naruto series💙

In commemoration to the one hour special of Naruto and Hinata’s wedding coming to us near the day of Valentines, I’m going to go into explicit detail of why Naruhina is, without a doubt, the best couple in the series.

Now, let me get this out of the way: I know some people like to say Shikatema is the best couple because it has the best development but I have to disagree with that. As a couple, it had almost no development. Like Sawyer7mage said in his recent video, regarding the naruhina weddinghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDsRUx43nQU, Shikatema had a few little hints here and there but there was nothing that was really pushing them to be a couple. Looking back on it now, Shikaino had just as much of a chance to happen. I think the main reason people feel Shikatema is the best couple is because of the two times they interacted which was when they first met and how Temari saved Shikamaru in the Sasuke retrieval arc. I'm not saying it's a bad couple. It's just not as developed as people make it out to be in the long run. The few hints that Shikatema had are nothing compared to Naruhina's moments. The times we've seen them interact is usually them just handling shinobi business. And as for Sasusaku...

Nuff said.

Now onto the Naruhina love boat!

This drawing by Masashi Kishimoto was a dead giveaway from the very start of the series about the future. So Naruhina was hinted before any of the other couples/shippings even existed. Here's a link to the Naruhina development I laid out. http://aminoapps.com/page/anime/702924/naruhina-development-part-1

#naruhina #pro naruhina #Hinata Hyuga #Naruto Uzumaki

[ahopelessroman]

7/31/2018

     More often than not, in recent weeks, I find myself jumping from onw idea to another, finding the write thing to draw, or write or do. And yet, i find no inspiration to fufill the need to develop a story I have or a drawing I want to produce. Its like an intense sense of writer’s block but instead of not find WHAT to do, I have the idea there but the actual will to carry out my creating is never there. 

     I’ve been watching a lot of Boruto and Naruto: Shippuden compilations and many thoughts and ideas run through my head. I would love to create a shinobi from the Kishimoto’s world; using his unique world and ideas to create a persona that would fit right into Naruto, Sakura’s and Sasuke’s world. Of course, I sound like a total weeb, but the point is: Masashi Kishimoto has created a story with likeable protagonists, living in a unique and adventurous world and most importantly, has longevity. People who are older than me and those who are WAY younger than I love and will love Naruto or Boruto. And all this has me thinking:  how can I create longevity within my art? I, in my heart of hearts, belive that my ideas are valid and can give me some satisfaction at some point but, the lack of true drive to create or utter creative depression has my stumped and stumbling for a small amount of vigor. From creating D&D characters to making my friends into amazing superhero’s to creating a dystopian world based on greek mythology, my mind jumps from topic o topic with no real direction, like skidding from one lillypad to another not knowing if I’ll make the next. And perviously said before, Neil Gaiman has recently become an obssession to me, having me vigorously search for interviews of him talking about American Gods and Coraline and Norse Mythology, his new book of Norse myths told in modern vernacular. I think however his two most influencial books that I’m currently chomping at the bit for is American Gods and Good Omens. American Gods is for just the sheer idea that ancients Gods like Anansi and Woden, travel with humans to new worlds and as Neil Gaiman questions, “What if they were left?” In my mind that is an ingenious concept, depicting these archaic Gods in one light all the while having to combat the new reign of gods that are being created and inspired by the technological age, how brilliant. 

     And Good Omens. For some reason, biblical mythology has always been attracted to me. Angels and Demons fighting one another for supreme rule of the cosmic scales to tip in the favor of their champions: Good and Evil. Nephilim being born from sinful interactions between the natural and supernatural and the wrath the all powerful curses upon them. And of course, the bookends of supernatural creation and destruction, in the form of the Rapture. In church were I had grown up in, when the pastor, speaking in spanish mind you, had lost the attention of a half-fluent child like I was, the Book of Revelations was a treat within the cold and slowgoing 2 hours spent on a Sunday. Stories of Horsemen riding into the desolate skies bringing paranormal plagues, wrathful wars, insatiable famine and debilitating deaths were like candy. And i looked like I was studying the bible know less. But Gaiman took that idea, and danced. The tone of Good Omens is comedic, two polar opposite characters being best friends, trying to kill the Antichrist before a world they loved could be destroyed. How amazing of a premise is that?! And that’s what I worry about. I feel the drive to talk about him but when i think fo my own ideas, I wonder how my precious thoughts and aspiriations will pale in comparison to him. How can my stories be regarded as his are and were. 

   Though, I think in the end, I think i have to just run with the obstacles in my way. To hurdle said obstacles is the life of an artist. And I’m sure that my predecessors have gone through the same; I am no different from them in that regard. I think writing this has helped that blockage, I feel the floodgate of inspiration hanging ajar, enough so that i can take hold and rip it off its hinges. 

#diary #journal #diarypost

[recentanimenews]

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Vol. 1

Over fifteen years and 72 volumes, Naruto conquered the manga-reading world. Masashi Kishimoto’s ninja tale, which made its Weekly Shonen Jump debut in 1999, has sold more than 200 million volumes in 35 countries, and spawned a cottage industry of anime adaptations, light novels, art books, video games, figurines, and stage plays. VIZ published the final English-language volume in 2015, but the series’ popularity endures; walk through any American comic-con, and you’ll find small gangs of Narutos and Sasukes roaming the floor alongside Superman, Batman, and Sailor Moon cosplayers.

Any franchise as popular as Naruto is bound to produce spin-offs. Boruto: Naruto Next Generations debuted in 2016 with Kishimoto in a supervisory role. Written by Ukyo Kodachi and Mikio Ikemoto, both of whom worked on the original series, the story picks up more than a decade after the original manga and focuses on Boruto — Naruto and Hinata’s son — Sarada — Sasuke and Sakura’s daughter — and Mitsuki — an artificial life form created by Orochimaru. The original characters, now in their thirties, are relegated to supporting roles as parents and town elders.

Like the early volumes of Naruto, Next Generations takes place during the Chunin Exam, a tournament for aspiring ninjas. Boruto reluctantly decides to participate with Sarada and Mitsuki, intent on proving that he’s smarter and stronger than his pops. That motivation stems from Boruto’s dim opinion of his dad, who appears to be prioritizing work over family — an impression that proves false, as Naruto and Sasuke realize that the Ohsutsuki clan (Kaguya’s people) have designs on the village.

While it’s clear that Next Generations is squarely aimed at hardcore fans, scriptwriter Kodachi makes a game effort to explain the basics so that newcomers can follow the story. Such expository passages are, at times, a little clumsy, but the pacing is brisk enough to smooth over the less graceful exchanges. The artwork, too, is competently executed; though Boruto and Sarada are more clones of their parents than offspring, Ikemoto draws them crisply with a minimum of screentone or fussy detail, just like Kishimoto’s original designs.

The main issue with Next Generations is that it’s unimaginative, a story that sits uncomfortably between remake and sequel. In an effort to show us that Boruto is just like his dad, for example, Kodachi portrays Boruto as impatient, brash, and… well, that’s about it. Kodachi has reproduced the most obvious aspects of Naruto’s personality without endowing Boruto with any of his own. We don’t know enough about Boruto to care about his conflict with his dad, and even if we did, dad’s devotion to his job and family makes him a more sympathetic figure than his petulant son — something Boruto acknowledges when he cheerfully refers to himself as “brat.”

The other problem with Next Generations is that the bad guys are more appealing than the good guys. To be sure, this is a frequent issue in shonen manga; villains often get the snappiest lines, coolest weapons, and best hair. Orochimaru and his “children” are more interesting than the heroes, however, not least because their odd little family is dysfunctional in the manner of a reality tv show: Dad gaslights his “sons,” serves them memory-erasing cocktails, and pits them against each other in dramatic, rock-smashing battles. The artificial life forms are genuinely pathetic figures, torn between their allegiance to their “father” and their desire for self-determination.

How the Orochimaru subplot will pan out remains to be seen, as volume one introduces yet another flamboyant villain: Kawaki. If I had to hazard a guess about who Kawaki is, I’d say he was a refugee from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure; his outrageous hairdo, tattoos, and accessories — he wears an infinity scarf, for Pete’s sake — are just a little too fabulous for the Naruto universe. I’m not sure if he’s a portent of compelling plot developments in volume two or a hint of what Kodachi and Ikemoto might have created if they’d been given more latitude in creating the Next Generations universe; either way, finding out who Kawaki is would be the only reason I’d continue reading.

The bottom line: If you’re a ride-or-die Naruto fan, Next Generations will offer just enough fresh material to affirm your love of all things Kishimoto; if not, you may find Next Generations a tedious slog.

Review copy provided by VIZ Media.

BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS, VOL. 1 • CREATED BY MASASHI KISHIMOTO, ILLUSTRATED BY MIKIO IKEMOTO, AND WRITTEN BY UKYO KODACHI • VIZ MEDIA • RATED T (FOR TEENS)

By: Katherine Dacey

#Anime #News #Manga Bookshelf