#neji huyga

[softjunk01]

The Akarikage: Chapter 2 - Coalescing with Reality

CHAPTER SUMMARY: Chapter introduction of Uchiha Sasuke. Trigger Warning: mentions of violence - blood, stabbing, strangulation.

Voices. He could hear voices.

            Then, a siren.

            “They’re still inside…!”

            Running footsteps among running footsteps.

            “They can’t get out!” 

            A house on fire.

            “…why can’t they get out?!”

            Flames after flames. Panic rising.

            “Dammit! …it’s too late!” 

            The converging voices getting louder and louder.

            Labored breaths. His labored breaths.

            His knees, smaller than usual, hitting the ground. “Tōsan… Kāsan.”

            “Sasuke.” Nīsan?

            “Get out of here!” Why?

            “…Sasuke.” How did this happen?

            “Sasuke! Get up!” 

            Uchiha Sasuke was gasping for breath as his eyes snapped open. His body shot upright on his bed before he could become fully aware of his surroundings. The moonlight cascaded down his bedroom. And somebody was knocking on the door.

            “Sasuke.”

            He was a little confused. He must have fallen asleep…

            “Are you awake yet?” Ah. So Itachi woke him up. “Food’s already on the table. Let’s have dinner.”

            Another nightmare. It was starting to get difficult to distinguish reality and dreams these days.

            With a sigh, Sasuke collected his thoughts and wiped away the sheen of sweat he hadn’t realized formed on his forehead. “I’m up.”

            He spared a glance—he always spared a glance—on the row of picture frames sitting atop the bottom bookshelves, over by the window, before standing up to fix his bed. The sun was still up when he took a nap earlier. Admittedly, he was also a little disoriented with time upon waking up to a dark bedroom (“Is it nighttime? Or morning already?”).

            He approached the door and let himself out.

            Itachi was waiting for him outside. He was still wearing his police uniform. He went to work after dropping him off when the ceremony ended earlier this morning.

            “I hope you’re hungry. It’s a special occasion, so I overdid it with the dishes tonight.” He greeted Sasuke with a soft smile that made him think he wasn’t aware about the nightmare the latter was having a moment ago. But of course, Sasuke knew better than to doubt his big brother.

            Itachi was always aware; especially with his little brother’s inner feelings and the nightmares. Sasuke could always feel his presence—he was always watching over him.

            Ever since their parents died almost eight years ago, Itachi had taken both their parental roles and diligently took care of Sasuke. And Sasuke, in his own way, also looked after his older brother whom he admired so much. After all, the two of them were all that each other had now. 

            That last thought reminded—and distracted—him of someone else, someone who was supposed to join them for dinner tonight. Tch.

            Sasuke turned his head left and right, trying to feel the moron’s presence around the house. Then, he scoffed. “He’s late.”

            Itachi huffed in amusement before turning around. He headed for the staircase. “I’m sure he’ll be here soon. But we should go ahead and eat. Naruto-kun is—”

            Sasuke’s sudden sharp intake of breath cut off Itachi mid-sentence and made him halt on his tracks.

            Body rigid, Sasuke’s black irises changed into purple ones, his pupils glinting with a black swirl.

            Images flashed in his mind:

            Naruto was in a dark alley, staring up at a man in fear. 

            The man, whose face expressed nothing but contempt, held a bloody knife over his head. 

            Naruto couldn’t move—too shocked (too stupid to move away) 

            The mad man screamed in rage before dragging down the knife. 

            Jerking back to reality, Sasuke’s eyes returned to their normal black shade. He blinked a few times before pressing the heel of his palm against his forehead after a stinging pain shot through his temples and radiated around his eye sockets. He could feel his eyeballs throbbing as he screwed his eyes shut.

            Itachi’s own charcoal eyes narrowed. He waited.

            Once Sasuke recovered, he wasted no time. He clenched his jaw before speaking, “He’s in danger. Now.”

            “Where?”

            “Five blocks on the west from his apartment. An alleyway.”

            Without another word or any further elaborations, the two morphed their bodies into balls of energy (both with their color signatures—red for Itachi and bluish purple for Sasuke), then bolted out of the house and straight for Naruto’s location.

            Sasuke learned how to change his body’s form into mass energy as early as seven years old, and mastered it in less than four months. It was second nature to him now.

            They moved with inhuman speed, faster than most hengeyokai known in Konoha. They were flying far through the city for more than twenty-four hundred miles per hour. Despite this though, the two brothers still had a full grasp of their surroundings in vivid detail. To another person’s gaze, they were zooming across like a neon bullet train.

            Sasuke led the way, his older brother barely half an inch behind. The former had the image of the location in his mind, after all. He had to lead the way. He just hoped they make it in time.

            As a mangekai, Sasuke was blessed with an eye prowess that enabled him to perceive danger or impending death on people he could link with. And the phenomenon he experienced earlier, was an example of just that.

            The Uchiha, a clan of mangekai creatures, were hengeyokai who had incredible powers residing behind their eyes, each possessing a unique ability, one which Sasuke developed early into his childhood (the first time he had a visual premonition was eight years ago: the attack on his parents and their deaths, which eventually, and unfortunately, became a reality). He was barely five at the time.

            As mentioned, this particular power of Sasuke’s, involved linking himself with others in order to have premonitory access. He soon learned from their clan’s deity of flames, the one called “Tamaen” (as it is customary for every Uchiha heir to speak with Tamaen-sama to discover what visual prowess they inherited at the age of six), that this link naturally existed with his nuclear family. Furthermore, if he wanted to link his prowess with another individual, he had to send them a thread-like trace of mangekai energy through physical contact of any means—Sasuke usually did this by touching their hands.

            It would be like leaving a trace of himself to their person; his own tracking device.

            A year later, after the murder of his parents, Sasuke began linking himself to his close relatives and friends, and ensured nothing like that would happen again. Not while he was alive.

            So, he was linked to Naruto. Annoyingly, (and some might not find it a surprise) this wasn’t the first time Sasuke had a premonition of Naruto in imminent danger. The half-wit was always getting himself into heaps of trouble, which then opened doors for death to claim him.

            Dammit. We just graduated. Usuratonkachi!

            Even if this wasn’t the first time Sasuke was rushing in to save Naruto, he still fought the apprehension crawling up his chest on the way to mess with his head and stir his paranoia.  Damn you, Naruto!

            In less than twenty seconds, they finally found his friend and morphed back into their bodies. He reappeared beside Naruto.

Itachi on the other hand, was in front of them, facing the attacker, his one hand already grasping his wrist, which was a moment away from stabbing the boy, and his other hand hovering over the gun on his holster, ready to grab, point and shoot if necessary.

            “That’s enough,” said Itachi, holding him back with ease.

            Naruto barely noticed them at first, too focused on the terrifying man in front of him, until Itachi’s back had blocked his view. “Itachi-nīchan!” He turned his head. “Sasuke!”

            Sasuke wanted to keep his eyes trained on Naruto’s would-be attacker, but the stench of blood and the unmistakable fading energy of a corpse further behind stole his attention altogether. He stiffened.

            Hidden in the wall’s shadow, was a woman’s body, lying in a pool of blood, and despite the darkness, he noticed her widened, empty eyes. She was no longer seeing, though. Sasuke looked back up at the man holding a bloody knife once more and glared.

            Naruto must have caught him red-handed, and that’s why he wanted to kill him, too.

            The man looked bewildered—and still angry—at the sight of newcomers. Sasuke expected him to struggle and fight Itachi, but he was taken aback when his bloodshot eyes rolled at the back of his head and he collapsed, forcing Itachi to let go of his wrist.

            “What just happened?!” Sasuke demanded, staring down at this individual who was supposedly full of rigor and ready to murder a thirteen-year old boy.

            Naruto took a step back, still not letting his guard down. “No way! Is he… hurt or something?”

             That wasn’t it. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. That killing intent I felt earlier vanished all of a sudden. 

            Itachi was observing the scene quietly.

            Sasuke did the same. Immediately, he noticed a subtle shift in the shadows. It was easy to miss, but Sasuke managed to catch it. The blood and shadows scattered all around must be coalescing in his view enough to play tricks, because for a moment, the shadow on the other wall looked red in color. It had only been for an instant—he had blinked and the shadow was black again. And yet…

            This feeling…

            “I’m going to call for a squad from the headquarters to come and seal off this crime scene, And the paramedics,” Itachi spoke, cutting off Sasuke’s trailing thoughts. He was putting handcuffs on the man on the ground. “You two stay here. Don’t touch anything.” He stood up and pulled out the radio from his utility belt before moving away. “I’ll call for a police car to pick us up as well.”

            It’s gone. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. That glaring feeling; an ominous energy wrapped around something he couldn’t exactly pinpoint. Whatever it was, it disappeared, and posed no threat any longer.

            Sasuke finally turned to Naruto with a chiding scowl. “Why didn’t you move?  That wasn’t like you.” It was true. Even if the blonde prioritized keeping his abilities hidden, Sasuke knew he was skilled enough to dodge or run away unscathed (at least, he had hoped).

            There was a hint of blush dusting Naruto’s cheeks, enhancing his whiskered-like birthmark, before he stubbornly turned away. “Sh-shut up, dattebayo! I was going to do something, okay! But you guys suddenly showed up!” He crossed his arms, trying to look smug as if he was in control of the situation the entire time (and failing). “How’d you guys find out, anyways?” 

            This loser. Sasuke expression turned grim. “I saw.”

            This time, Naruto flinched. “You…saw? You mean…?”

            “Ah. I had a vision.”

            Naruto’s mouth fell open a little.

            There had been times when this happened in the past, yes, but it still came as a shock to both of them—to everyone. And even then, it had only occurred a handful of times. And every time it did and he somehow managed to prevent the worst case scenario, he couldn’t help but think: next time, will I make it?

            And so, he continued to scowl at his friend. “You’re so hopeless, usuratonkachi.”

            Naruto winced, but maintained his annoyance. “Yeah, yeah I get it already.” He continued to grumble, “If you’re so mad about it, you should’ve stayed home. Jeez.”

            “You should be thanking me for saving your ass again.” Sasuke sighed. “You really are going to die first.” It had been a…reoccurring dark joke amongst their friends that if anyone was going to die first, it was going to be the number one hyperactive idiot of the group.

            “Oi!” Naruto’s eyes rounded. He pointed an angry finger. “Whoever said I was dying?! Don’t say stuff like that,dattebayo! That’s really creepy coming from you! Besides, it was Itachi-nīchan who saved me, not you, bastard!”

            Sasuke crossed his arms and scoffed, condescending. “Hn.”

            “Why you—!”

            Before they could start their regular banter, two police cars and an ambulance arrived, mutely pulling up at the scene. Sasuke suspected the absence of siren was probably not to attract the neighbors and draw them near the area. Although, he doubted anyone could ignore the flashing blue and red lights they decided to turn on.

            Itachi walked over once the police men stepped out from the cars. “Please, come with me. You two,” he addressed the two younger boys, “wait for me in the car. And no mischief tonight, Naruto-kun.”

            Naruto nodded. “Got it.”

            They got in the backseat of the police car and waited.

            “I’m so screwed once the old man finds out about this,” Naruto was complaining. “Probably get another lecture. Man, I should’ve just…”

            But Sasuke was no longer hearing him. His thoughts were pulled back to the glimpse of that red shadow in the alley. Was it just a flicker of his imagination? He was starting to doubt that.

            A red shadow… Could it be a yōkai? But Itachi didn’t react any differently. And if that was the case, both he and Itachi would have picked up a scent.

            Hengeyōkai heavily relied on their physical senses. Mangekai, in particular, have visual prowess that allowed them to see beyond the physical realm. Nothing could escape their field of vision.

            If Sasuke was right, and the red shadow was a yōkai, then it was skillful enough to hide from a mangekai. That would be an incredible feat, considering there hadn’t been anyone on record who could do that. It’s impossible.

            There had to be another explanation.

            Could it be a yūrei? They could’ve poisoned and manipulated the man they just caught. Which means the murder could be their doing.

            Sasuke frowned. No. That wasn’t it, either. It was even less plausible that a yūrei of any kind could evade a mangekai.

            I must be missing something. 

            “Oi. Sasuke.” Naruto poked his shoulder, cutting off his train of thoughts. “Are you even listening to me?”

            Sasuke threw him an annoyed glance. “No. Can you just—” Then he realized something that made him pause. “Naruto.”

            “What?” The disapproving look on Naruto’s face remained unchanged.

             Before Sasuke could ask, something in his peripheral view caught his immediate attention.

            He turned to the car window and looked outside.

            Then he froze. His jaw slackened and his eyes were wide open.

            “Sasuke?”

            His hands shook. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Sasuke knew this had to be some twisted type of illusion.

            Because right across the street, stood Uchiha Fugaku—his father.

            Charcoal eyes met their identical pair ones. Sasuke found himself staring back at his father after so long.

            Tōsan. 

            “Hey, Sasuke.” Naruto, on the other hand, was getting irritated at being ignored. “Earth to asshole! Oi!”

            Tōsan broke eye contact and walked down the streets.

            “Sasuke!” Naruto whisper yelled as he watched Sasuke opening the car door to step out. “Itachi-nīchan told us to stay in the car!”

            “Then stay here.” Sasuke paid him no mind after that and followed his late father’s trail. It looked like he was turning towards an alleyway. What was going on? Why was Tōsan’s ghost appearing in front of him?

            Naruto followed him.

            They crossed the street.

            “Where are we going, anyways?” Naruto asked.

            “Be quiet.” Afraid to lose him, Sasuke hurried his pace.

            A part of him, the logical one, was telling him it was a trap. It was pleading him to go back to the police car and lock the doors. But another part of him, the five-year-old child missing his father, was hoping Tōsan was reaching out somehow to tell him something. Whichever the case, Sasuke needed to know. He needed to follow him.

            He took a right into the alley, then stopped. What the hell?

            It was a dead end. The end of the alley was nothing but a brick wall, and no sign of Tōsan.

            He was gone.

            A chill crept up Sasuke’s nape at the inkling realization that whoever that was, it wasn’t Tōsan.

            The same ominous and glaring feeling from earlier came back as a breeze swept by. It lured me here.

            “I thought I told you two to stay in the car.” Itachi appeared from behind, startling the boys. Naruto cussed.

            Sasuke didn’t realize he was holding his breath until now. His heart was beating loudly against his chest.

            What the hell just happened? 

Once the forensics team arrived at the crime scene, Itachi drove over to Konoha Police Force, so the three of them could write their official witness statements. This was the city’s police headquarters where Itachi was currently stationed at. Sasuke also planned on working here one day. Just like practically almost everyone in his clan (he hadn’t met an Uchiha who didn’t work as a law enforcer).

            When they arrived at the building, Itachi was already talking to another police officer. He was relaying his report to him while they walked inside. Sasuke and Naruto were taken to an empty room where they were given forms to fill up and sign before they went into detail of what they witnessed.

            After the police in charge collected their official statements, Sasuke was pulled out and brought into another room to be interviewed for more details. Naruto had grumbled about how repetitive everything was. Sasuke scoffed.

Earlier, after Itachi scolded them for leaving the police car and wandering off on their own, the backup police asked them about what happened prior to their arrival and what they saw. And now, they were telling it again just after putting everything on writing.

            Sasuke shook his head. He didn’t understand why the knucklehead was whining. They’ve done this a few times already. It was the same routine and the same procedure. He should be aware of this already.

            It wasn’t uncommon for any citizen in Konoha to report an incident to the nearby police station from time to time (he was pretty sure Naruto and their friend, Kiba would be reporting in regularly if they didn’t have school). Konoha wasn’t a quiet city. And it definitely wasn’t peaceful. To Sasuke, this was a normal Thursday night.

            Interview completed, Sasuke went back to the previous room where Naruto was waiting.

            “Namikaze Naruto-kun,” the police officer from earlier called out. He held the door open outside, while leaning in to find the other boy. “Please come with me.”

            Naruto stood up from his chair and followed the officer.

            Itachi was probably still talking to his superiors.

            Sasuke sighed. He hadn’t told his older brother about what happened earlier. He didn’t want to give him another reason to worry. Although, he was sure Itachi already suspected that something was amiss. He wasn’t able to hide his discomfort during the car ride.

            A few moments passed by before he felt a familiar hum coursed through his body. It was Itachi. He was close by.

            He strained his hearing to listen. He could hear telephones ringing from different rooms, the loud typing on keyboards and people busily chatting and moving about on the floor. Then, he found Itachi walking down the hallway with someone.

            “Are you reporting in?” Itachi was asking.

            “Yeah. Has Shisui-keibu arrived yet?”  It was the same police officer who greeted them at the entrance earlier.

            Their footsteps echoed into Sasuke’s ears. “No. He’s meeting with the family of the victim. I’ll be on my way to join him after I drop off my little brother and his friend. Share me your findings, and I’ll relay them over to Keibu-san.”

            So, Shisui was leading the investigation.

            Uchiha Shisui was a police inspector under the homicide division. He was also their older cousin and Itachi’s best friend. It was him who monitored Itachi’s training at the Uchiha Police Force Academy and during his field training (he managed to complete them in less than a year). A few weeks ago, Shisui gave them the good news about Itachi’s recruitment in the Force. He was assigned under Shisui’s unit.

            “Ah. Very well then.” Sasuke heard a shuffling of paper. “The victim suffered from many fatal wounds, and heavy blood loss,” the officer went on to explain. “Strike to the heart, lungs and kidneys are determined to be the cause of death. And apparently, she was also strangled.” Damn. That bastard didn’t hold back. “They’ve just started the autopsy, so it would be a while before we could get a full detailed analysis. But there’s something else,” he paused. The footsteps stopped. “Something the paramedics mentioned that was quite bothersome.”

            “And what is that?”

            “They said there were fresh burn marks on the body. Particularly, on her arms and neck where she was strangled.”

            “Burn marks… that’s certainly unusual.” Sasuke agreed with Itachi. Fresh burn marks? Where would those come from?

            “Yes. That one has me on a bind. I don’t know what to make of it. We didn’t find any other weapon, other than the kitchen knife on Hayashi-sanr.” Hayashi-san was the man they caught earlier. He was currently in the hospital after collapsing.

            “Can you describe the burn marks to me?”

            “Of course.” The officer flipped a paper. “There was a burning smell. Initially, that’s how we knew how fresh they were. I couldn’t get a proper look on the body since she was mostly covered in blood, but I did see handprints on her arms, and then around her neck. The skin looked red and they were blistering.”

            “Handprints?” Itachi repeated.

            “Yes. They were the burn marks. It’s really strange. I had the forensics collect them for fingerprint analysis, see if they match with Hayashi-san.”

            “I see. I’ll relay your report to Shisui-keibu. Good work, Keiji-san..”

            “And you as well..”

            They exchanged a few more words before Sasuke heard their footsteps going to different directions. Itachi was coming closer. And so was Naruto.

            The door opened and as anticipated, Naruto walked in.

            “How’d it go?” Sasuke asked.

            “It was fine.” Naruto put his hands behind his head. “Can we get out of here?”

            Just then, Itachi came back. “Let’s go, you two.” He ruffled Naruto’s hair. “I’m dropping you off at the house.”

It was decided that Naruto would be staying with the Uchiha brothers for a few days, just until the police were finished with the crime scene on the street of his residence. The case was new and they wanted to avoid any interaction with nosey neighbors and prevent spreading misinformation. Especially with the Haruno’s. And knowing Naruto…

            At any rate, Itachi had driven both Sasuke and Naruto to the house, so they could have dinner while Itachi would go to meet up with Shisui. Sasuke had to reheat the all the food.

            The boys were quiet for a while, focused on finishing their meals (Sasuke hadn’t even realized he was starving). He was having a tomato chahan, and Naruto was chewing on an ikayaki—his third meal on the table.

            During the drive on the way back, Sasuke had been wanting to ask Naruto to explain what happened in detail to him, but his brother being there stopped him from talking. Itachi didn’t like it when Sasuke involved himself with yōkai-related crimes. But still, Naruto might have noticed something important about the red shadow or what could have caused the burn marks on the dead body. He didn’t know why, but Sasuke had a feeling it wasn’t the last time they would be seeing that red shadow.

            Now that they were alone, Sasuke finally found a chance to talk.

            “Naruto.” He looked at the blonde boy across the table, who was still chewing.

            “Hm?”

            “Aren’t you going to tell me what happened?”

            Naruto soundly swallowed down his food before looking at him impatiently. “Didn’t you already see it? I’m trying to eat here you know.”

            “No. What I saw was what could have happened,” Sasuke clarified. “I want to know what happened before that.”

            Naruto gave him a tired look before giving in. “Fine.” Tilting his head in thought, he tried his best to describe everything that happened before Sasuke came with Itachi.

            He was riding his bike on the way to Sasuke’s house when he heard something in the alley. That was when he decided to check it out and witnessed Hayashi-san, the murderer, repeatedly stabbing the victim with a knife. Besides getting shocked and feeling incredibly disturbed and disgusted by the guy’s actions, Naruto mentioned feeling something “weird”.

            “Weird how?” Sasuke asked.

            “I don’t know. But…” Naruto looked up in contemplation. “That guy didn’t feel normal. I-I mean, the entire thing didn’t feel normal, of course!” Naruto was now frowning. He crossed his arms. “I feel like… like I missed something.”

            Sasuke sighed. Maybe it was too much after all. The entire ordeal was still too fresh and overwhelming. They could talk about it some other time.

            “Forget about it,” Sasuke told him. “Let’s just eat—”

            “Come to think of it,” Naruto continued, however. “I had the same feeling after the graduation ceremony.”

            Sasuke stayed quiet and listened.

            “When we were outside, I felt like someone was watching me from our classroom. I can’t really explain it, dattebayo, but I could feel my body warning me about it. Then I found that guy in the alley later, and—” Suddenly, Naruto stiffened. His eyes widened.

            Sasuke sat up straighter. “What is it?”

            “Just before you guys came, I was going to leave, but he caught me. He was glaring at me, and I swear… when he raised his knife, I saw red eyes from behind him. It was the same feeling as before.”

            Sasuke flinched. Red eyes? A red shadow… with red eyes. Watching. It couldn’t be a coincidence.

            “That’s why at first, I thought maybe the guy was like us,” Naruto further explained. “But he didn’t do anything when you guys came.”

            He was right. The guy collapsed instead. Itachi didn’t react any differently, either. If he had been a hengeyōkai (animal shapeshifters) like Sasuke and Itachi, or a kaminochi (people with supernatural abilities) like Naruto, Itachi would call for a TONINBU squad, and not the regular police force.

            The TONINBU is a specialized task force of Konoha’s law enforcement—an underground division strictly of hengeyōkai and kaminochi recruits. They were the ones who discretely dealt with crimes related to yōkai. The agents within the division all worked in the surface as police officers for cover.

            Wait a minute. Shisui was also an agent in the TONINBU task force. Was Nīsan the one who called for Shisui-nīsan to investigate?

            That was it. Itachi much have seen something in the alley like Sasuke had and kept quiet about it.

            Sasuke scowled. He hated it when Itachi often did this. Itachi would treat him like an innocent child. But he wasn’t. Not anymore. Not ever since that night eight years ago.

            “Sasuke?”

            Blinking away the simmering rage he felt inside, Sasuke turned his attention back to Naruto, who was now looking at him with a stupid look on his face.

            “Are you okay?” he asked. “You’ve been spacing out a lot tonight.”

            “I’m fine.” Sasuke stood up and began clearing the table. “Let’s just put these away, so we can rest.”

            Thankfully, Naruto didn’t pry any longer and helped him with the dirty dishes.

 While Naruto took his turn in the bathroom, Sasuke brought out the futon. He took out some extra blankets and pillows as well. He laid them out on his bedroom floor for Naruto to sleep on.

            After all of that, Naruto was still not finished. Sasuke could hear him brushing his teeth in there. He himself had already changed into his blue T-shirt and white shorts and was ready to turn in for the night.

            While waiting, he wandered over the windows with the photographs atop the bottom bookshelves. Personally, he didn’t like having his photos taken and putting them on display, most of them were developed by his brother and friends (Itachi was usually the one putting them on frames and displaying them in his bedroom).

He was thankful for it now, though.

            Sasuke picked up the one he looked at the most. It was the standard family picture taken a few years ago before the incident. Tōsan hadn’t been smiling in the photo, but in all the years Sasuke spent his time with him, Tōsan never smiled in pictures. Even so, Sasuke could see the happy lines around his eyes in here. He had noticed it the fifth time he looked at the picture frame.

            Tōsan and Itachi shared the same black-haired color. Sasuke’s hair was also black but with blue highlights, a trait he most likely inherited from Mikoto, their dark blue-haired mother.

            People always said that he looked more like Kāsan and that Itachi looked like Tōsan. But as Sasuke was growing up, he was starting to look more like Itachi.

            Sasuke put down the frame and picked up the next one.

            It was him and Itachi. The picture was taken after a day in the Jofuku forest years ago. He had forced his big brother to take him on his little expedition to find their granny’s missing cat. There was still dirt on Sasuke’s clothes and smudge on his left cheek and forehead. He was beaming with pride as he held the small animal in his hands with a big smile on his face, while Itachi was crouched down to his level and a hand on his shoulder, also smiling at the camera. Even then, Itachi was very meticulous and clean-looking.

            Sasuke looked at the other photographs lined up. One was of Sasuke with Naruto on their field trip back in fourth grade. Sasuke refused to take a picture but the others insisted, and so, he ended up scowling and trying to pull away when it was shot. He wasn’t able to escape because the moron had a strong lock around his neck while grinning down at him, his eyes closed.

            Sasuke didn’t really care about him at first. He was the class clown and could be very annoying without even trying. But that changed when Sasuke learned he was an orphan like him. He slowly began to understand just how lonely it must have been for Naruto. He finally realized why he was acting the way he was.

            He wanted attention. Acknowledgement.

            Sasuke still had his brother and Shisui, but Naruto didn’t have any other family other than his guardians, who were also always away. There was Konohamaru, but it looked like the kid needed Naruto more than Naruto needed him. After all, Naruto’s guardians were Konahamaru’s parents, and most of the time, they couldn’t be there for him (and his grandfather was the mayor, which was pretty much self-explanatory), so he only heavily relied on Naruto. Sasuke thought Naruto needed someone he could depend on himself.

            So, when Naruto approached him one day, he didn’t shut him out and talked to him. Somehow, they had become alike. From then on, they did everything together and acted like brothers.

            And Sasuke wouldn’t change a thing. He was content having Naruto as his best friend. Even when they were always arguing and teasing each other, Sasuke was happy to have him.

            The last frame contained of him and his friends. The picture was from a year ago on his birthday, which they celebrated out in the city.

            Sasuke smiled to himself. He might have lost his parents, but he managed to find people who could fill the spaces left in his heart.

            However, he was still determined to find out who murdered his father and mother.

            Sasuke turned at the sound of the doorknob clicking. Naruto came in, wearing a white T-shirt and green loose shorts.

            “Hey, you think maybe we could play Knight Shades for a while?” Naruto grabbed his backpack from the floor and began rummaging through it. “I’m still stuck on—”

            He was interrupted by a knock downstairs. Sasuke waited for a bit, but the person knocked again. Sasuke and Itachi didn’t have that many friends outside the compound, it was unlikely that anyone would come knocking at the door at almost ten in the evening. If it was someone from their clan, then they would have said something by now to alert their presence. Mangekai shared the same heightened hearing, and were naturally cautious people. It was customary to knock and state your name at an Uchiha household, otherwise, you would be seen as a threat.

            “That’s probably Itachi-nīchan!” Naruto exclaimed.

            “Wait.” Sasuke gripped his shoulder before he could dash. He was now suspicious. Itachi wouldn’t knock at his own house. He had a key.

            They both went downstairs and stopped at the genkan. Sasuke cautioned Naruto to be quiet. Naruto gave him a confused look in return. Another persisting knock followed.

            Sasuke raised his voice. “Who is it?”

            “Huh? Isn’t it just Nīchan?” Naruto asked in a hushed voice.

            “No.” Sasuke glared at the door. “It’s not.”

            Another knock. This time, there was a response. “Sasuke. It’s me.” It was Itachi’s voice.

            Sasuke and Naruto continued to talk in hushed voices.

            “See? It’s him, dattebayo!”

            “Be quiet!” Sasuke levelled his voice to speak with the person behind the front door. “Who are you?”

            “Why are you asking me that?” The person continued, “It’s me—your older brother, Itachi.”

            He glanced at the table top beside the shoe rack of the genkan where the telephone was and thought about dialing the police headquarters. He could check whether Itachi was there or not, but he already knew this scumbag at the front door was a fake. He stayed alert. “Then what happened to your house key? It’s not like you to forget it, and it’s not like you to lose it, either.” He wasn’t going to be fooled. “So, where is it?”

            Sasuke didn’t know who this person was, but he was sure it wasn’t Itachi. He didn’t feel like Itachi. Sasuke had his brother’s aura and energy embedded into his senses. So, immediately, he knew this person was lying. Even Sakura could lie better than this.

            What does he want? 

            There was a sigh behind the door. “I honestly don’t know how, but it is missing. I am not as flawless as you think I am, Sasuke. But I’ve been going to different places tonight, going about my duties as per Shisui’s instructions. I am also very tired. Could you please open the door now?”

            His eyes remained glued to the door. “What are you going to do if I don’t?”

            “Sasuke! This is too much! Even for you, ‘ttebayo!” Naruto finally yelled in frustration. “Hurry up and open the door already!”

            Sasuke ignored his friend’s outburst. 

            “If this door isn’t open in thirty seconds, I will break it down,” the stranger was threatening him.

            Dammit! What should he do now? 

            “Sasuke—! Oi! Where are you going?!”

            Determined, Sasuke marched over to another room in the house. It was a sacred hall dedicated to Tamaen-sama. At the end of the room, there was a glass case. Inside of it was an ancestor’s relic—a sword. It was breathed with blessed fire by Tamaen-sama underneath a full moon. They said it could cut through anything, even a soul or spirit.

           Opening the glass case, Sasuke carefully took the sword and went back to the genkan.

            “Oi! What the heck is that?!” Naruto yelled from behind him.

            “Just stay back.” Sasuke gripped the hilt of the sword with both hands. To be honest, he wasn’t sure if this was going to work. He could bolt out of the house with Naruto like he was taught to do, but he didn’t want to run. I have to do something.

            “What are you going to do, ‘ttebayo?!” Annoyingly, Naruto wasn’t done squawking like a damned parrot. “You asshole! Are you out of your mind?!”

            “Shut up and get back, usuratonkachi!”

            Naruto groaned. “This is ridiculous! It’s just Itachi!”

            “Open the door, Sasuke. I’m not fooling around.” Itachi’s tone pitched lower, darker.

            Sasuke didn’t budge.

            “For crying out loud!” In a flash, Sasuke was pushed to the side and Naruto was at the front door, turning the knob.

            “No wait, you idiot—!”

            “—Itachi-nīchan—”

            Naruto opened the door. Both of them froze on the spot.

            There was no one there.

            The wind picked up. The room felt unnaturally colder. 

            It was quiet for a full minute. Naruto’s face looked discomfited, and that worried Sasuke. “What’s wrong?” His expression stirred his own gut.

            “It’s…” Naruto closed the door and offered a hesitant smile. “Probably nothing.”

            Sasuke had loosened his grip on the sword and was now holding it in one hand to his side. He walked over and locked the door.

            The telephone rang and the two of them jumped, startled.

            Dammit. His heart was pounding again.

            They both hesitated until Naruto reached out and picked it up.

            “Wait—”

            “Moshi, moshi.”

            This guy's curiosity was worse than a cat. 

            Sasuke’s gripped on the sword tightened once more. He was anxious yet again. It couldn’t be that imposter… could it?

            “Naruto?”

            Both boys sighed in relief.

            Naruto’s face brightened. He smiled his usual happy smile. “Sakura-chan…”

            They talked over the telephone, and Sasuke noticed how easily Naruto reverted back to his laid-back, carefree self. He talked to Sakura as if nothing happened just now. Sasuke, however, felt another weight on his shoulder and his thoughts were muddled for the second time tonight.

Chapter is available here: AO3, FFN and Wattpad.

#naruto uzumaki #sasuke uchiha #sakura haruno #kiba inuzuka #shino aburame #hinata hyuga #choji akimichi #shikamaru nara #ino yamanaka #rock lee #neji huyga #tenten #konoha 12 #namikaze naruto #fanfiction #fanfic #anime #adventure #fantasy #supernatural #team 7 #team 8 #team 10 #team guy #naruto #naruto fanfiction #sasunaru bromance #sasunaru bonding #sasunaru #narusasu

[personavevo]

Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Intro (2008) | PS3/XBOX

#naruto #naruto shippuden #naruto gif #naruto shippuuden gif #naruto uzumaki #sasuke uchiha #sakura haruno #kakashi hatake #team 7 #neji hyuga #hinata huyga #rock lee #gaara #orochimaru #lord orochimaru #tsunade #jirayia #itachi uchiha #playstation #xbox #shounen #shounenedit #shounen jump #narutographics #dailyanime #anime edit #dailynaruto #naruto edit #chairie.gif #*gif

[team7-headquarter]

Really wish we had more Naruto movies or novels centered on the blank period, but not on random missions or that stuff.

I want to see Naruto learning about politics and Kakashi struggling to build a new Konoha now that most of its shadows are gone.

I want to hear about the how Ino, Shikamaru and Choji came back from the war as clan leaders and how they transitioned to their new roles while still mourning the lost of their parents.

I want to read about Tenten and Lee adjusting to the fact Neji is not there, that every other team came back with their three members but they didn't.

I want to know what the civilians did, if Hinata and Hanabi pushed for some reformations on the clan, about the kids who went home without parents and if Naruto saw them and thought of himself, if Kakashi made new laws to avoid future cases of kids ending up like Sasuke or Naruto, lonely and rejected for no good reason.

Do they have ptsd about the tsukuyomi? What about the first Kage reunion where they fight post war? How often did they have to deal with people stopping them to talk about the war, since they were heroes? When they sat to decide how the story would be told, who was there? What did they say?

I want to read about Sasuke going back to the Uchiha compound and Naruto staring at Minato's face on the Hokage mountain and reading Obito's name again on the memorial and Sakura an endless string of ghosts crossing her door on the hospital, kids and teens and adults searching a deeper medicine, something to close the wounds the war left behind. Did Sai ever paint how the world is after it almost ended? Did Yamato ever tell anyone who wished he wasn't the one taking care of Orochimaru?

I don't know, it's cool to see their kids growing up and seeing them as parents, but I want to read about the healing and the step by step, waking up to realize the war was won but your body doesn't know it, going out to the whiplash of seeing a new world developing, childhood over, innocence lost, do you dare to dream about new things just yet?

#naruto #naruto shippuden #Boruto #Konoha 11 #Konoha 12 #naruto uzumaki #Kakashi hatake #Team 9 #Ino yamanaka #Shikamaru nara #choji akimichi #Team 10 #Tenten #Rock lee #neji hyuga #Hinata hyuga #Hanabi huyga #Sasuke uchiha #sakura haruno #team 7 #yamato naruto #yamato #sai #sai naruto

[punksberry]

old sketches 🤙

#naruto #team 7 #team 8 #team 10 #team guy #team 3 #kankuro #gaara #temari #hinata huyga #kiba inuzuka #shino aburame #ino yamanaka #shikamara nara #choji akimichi #tsunade #shizune #rock lee #neji hyūga #tenten #sakura haruno #sasuke uchiha #naruto uzumaki #sai #sabaku no family

[houseonthemoon]

Some NejiTen fans (not all) are the worst . This year after posting my art for NejiHina week 2023 my art was reposted and the worst slanders were said against me. I was called terrible names, and my character, education and morals were judge all because I agreed with them LOL!!!

Happy Nejihina week everyone! Don’t let anyone shame your shipping preferences they are not worth it.

#anime #Naruto #nejihinaweek2023 #hinata huyga #neji #hinata x neji

[bunniefaery]

How did the Huyga Clan get in Konoha? Did Hashirama, Tobirama, Madara and others not know about the whole, them enslaving their own people, or did they just not care? Or did the Hyuga Clan somehow kept it a secret for years and then everyone found out during the Chunin Exams in the Neji vs Naruto fight? I just don't understand... Did they pay a handsome price to make the hokage and others in charge look the other way?

#naruto #naruto founders #neji hyuga #hyuga #konoha #hashirama senju #tobirama senju #tsunade senju #hiruzen sarutobi #madara uchiha #huyga clan #chunin exams #anti hyuga #anti konoha

[beatrizmar-world]

I just published my first Naruto fanfiction, I hope you will like and enjoy!

Also available on AOOO, https://archiveofourown.org/works/46495741 

#naruto #naruhina au #fanfic #fantasy #anime and manga #story #hinata #hinata huyga #neji #forbidden love #first publish #kishimo #mrated #naruto uzumaki #hinata hyuga #neji hyuga #naruhinalove #hokage

[feliciainasweater]

When I saw the poster from 1994 La Reine Margot, I realized that these two hadn't had a fanart for a long time. And Red. It is definitely Ten's color.

Playlist for the red mood:

Depeche Mode - Speak to me. Depeche Mode - It's no good Depeche Mode - Ghosts Again Depeche Mode - My Cosmos is Mine Depeche Mode - Walking in my shoes

Also, a remark about my fantastic attentiveness.

*showed the pic to my boyfriend*

He: Now you ship her with Hiashi Huyga?

Me: Hiasi? No, this is Neji.

He: Without the mark he's a Hiashi.

Me: ...

#naruto shippuuden #naruto #fanart #shipping #nejiten #neji x tenten #neji hyuga #tenten #team gai #digital illustration #digital drawing #photoshop #chinese hanfu #digital art #adobe photoshop #semirealism #couple

[wewanttofu-kanimeboys]

Taken Neji x Alpha!Reader

warning: Drugged Sex, Dubcon

Neji was dressed in a soft pink traditional dress with his hair pulled delicately up. His heavy makeup didn't hide the flush in his face from the heavy drinking. He was being escorted home early from his own fiancé’s welcome dinner because of how drunk he was. He had two Huyga family members escorting him home when a large clatter came from behind him, distracting the escorts.

You took the opportunity to take action, throwing Neji over your shoulder and jumping off before the Hyuga escorts could react. You moved as fast as you could to get away, quickly making it to the safe house you set up. You laid Neji down on the bed and quickly locked up. 

“y/n? W-What's going on?” Neji slurred and tried to sit up. 

“Just lay down, I had your drink drugged to make sure that you left early.” You joined him on the bed. “I took you so I can bond you before you are forced to marry something else.” 

“But my uncle has already signed the wedding contract,” Neji mumbled.  

“You're not bonded yet. I can still claim you,” you said. “I’ll deal with your uncle. I can pay him the fine for stealing an omega. There is not much more he can do.”

Neji took a moment to take in your words, then started undressing.

“Neji, we can't do it like this. You're drugged.” You tried to stop him. 

“Y/n, please don't leave time for them to find me.” Neji continued undressing. “I love you so much, and you love me. You have to bond me now,”

“It's going to hurt bonding outside of heat,” you argued. “They gave you something to start your head, didn't they? We should wait until tomorrow.”

“No, you're going to knot me tonight,” Neji said sternly as he struggled to get the dressed untied. 

“Okay, Neji,” you caved fairly quickly, knowing that the Hyugas would do whatever they could to find him and you were worried that they would find you before morning. You helped him get the rest of the dress off. “You are very pushy right now.”

“You're the one that drugged me,” Neji hummed. “Now, get this makeup off of me.”

You washed his face and took his hair out of the updo. He was soon laying on the bed, naked and bare. You couldn’t help but stare at him. “You're beautiful.”

“You're not undressed.” Neji started fumbling with your shirt but was too drugged to undo the buttons. You started undressing as Neji focused on trying to help. “Kami, you are handsome. Make me yours.”

“Okay, Neji,” You kissed him gently stroking his side. Neji kissed back wrapping his arms around your neck. You guided his legs open and started preparing him with a finger. 

“Y/N~” Neji gasped. You took your time preparing him as you continued kissing him, his slick quickly coasting your fingers. 

“Alright,” you pulled your fingers out, getting a whine from Neji. You lubed yourself up and lined yourself up. “Let me know if it hurts,”

“Just hurry up,” Neji panted. You chuckled and slowly pushed in, giving Neji time to adjust. “Kami, you’re so big,”

“Are you okay, Neji?” You stopped pushing in.

“Don't stop~,” Neji pouted. You chucked and continued moving. Once you were fully seated, you gave him a moment to get fully adjusted. “Okay, please move~,”

You started thrusting and Neji was a putty under you, his slick coating both you and him with each thrust. “I could do whatever I want with you, would you like me to ruin you~?”

“Yes~, please ruin me~!” Neji moaned. You continued thrusting hard into him picking up speed. Neji was soon a mess under you, moaning uncontrollably. He came into his chest with a scream. 

“Look at you, making a mess of yourself.” you moaned. You turned Neji onto his stomach and thrusted harder into him. Neji was boneless under you as you thrusted deep into him, your knot inflating. You bit down on his glan as your orgasm washed over you, and you pumped your seed into Neji. it took you a few minutes to come down from your orgasm high and realize that Neji was crying in your arms. “Neji? Are you okay?”

“I’m yours, I want our bond forever,” Neji cried in relief. You cradled him the best you could with your knot in him and his slick causing the bedding to stick to the two of you. 

“I’ll bond you again and again for the rest of our lives,” you promised him. Bonds weren’t permanent and needed to be re-established every few years. The two of you lay in silence, taking in each other's warmth. Once your knot deflated, you cleaned the two of you up and made sure the seals around the room were still holding. Neji had fallen asleep but you woke him up as you got back in bed with him. 

“When I finish sleeping these drugs off, we should do that again,” Neji mumbled half asleep. 

“We will definitely be doing that again.” you chuckled and pulled him close.

#alpha!reader #omegaverse #Omega!Neji #GN!Reader

[softjunk01]

The Akarikage:

Chapter 1 - Listen to the Wind

CHAPTER SUMMARY: Character introduction of Namikaze Naruto. Trigger Warning: Violence and blood

Tension rolled off from Namikaze Naruto’s shoulders once the applause filled the halls of the Jōryoku Elementary School gymnasium (the temporary auditorium for the current event) as he, his classmates, and the rest of the graduating classes, made their way outside in an orderly fashion. Homeroom teachers followed them behind.

            Finally. The end of the ceremony. And the final curtain to their elementary days.

            With every step, excitement flowed over the anxiety Naruto was holding onto for a while now, and an unexpected feeling of pride swelled within his chest, coursing its way through his system.

            But of course, he was proud; he was walking down the aisle with his friends and classmates, diplomas in hand. He was sharing this important milestone with everyone while the rest looked up at them with smiles and nods of encouragement. This was their moment; their last leg to the finish line; until the next race. Junior high, here I come, ‘ttebayo!

            The applause continued. And Naruto had never felt this way before. He didn’t feel short, or left behind, or undeserving. He didn’t feel like an outcast in desperate need to stand out. He was equal with all of his classmates. For the moment, at least.

For right now, everyone’s attention was on them. On him. Which was a first for him, really.

Recognition. It was… riveting; and almost too good to be true to last, so he soaked it all up and welcomed the foreign feeling before it was gone.

            Naruto passed by a few schoolmates, those in the lower grades who smiled and waved at him with those same bittersweet gazes he and his friends had been receiving since graduation practices began. A few parents of his friends and Itachi-nīchan—his best friend’s older brother—acknowledged him. And even Ichiraku’s shop owner, Teuchi-occhan, who had been a long-time friend, was here. Naruto grinned back at all of them—so much so, that his eyes were closing.

            In his exhilarated state, he didn’t realize he stopped in his tracks, until one of his friends, Nara Shikamaru, who was behind him, gave his shoulder a light shove. “Come on,” his voice was dragging, “you’re holding up the line.”

            With a small grunt, Naruto slanted him a look of annoyance and moved along, his mood dampening a bit. That guy had been complaining for hours, way before they received their diplomas, it was exhausting. And they were seated next to each other. The whole time (and half of their elementary years together in class).

            Outside, the air of midmorning spring greeted Naruto with a warm embrace, a last send-off to the next stage of his life. Because this was it, he knew—his childhood was coming to an end. It was as if the wind itself was quietly congratulating him, accompanied by the yellow rays of sunlight beaming down on him and everyone else. It was contagious.

            He breathed in and smiled up at the sky. Tōchan, Kāchan, I made it. 

            In his heart, Naruto believed his late parents were watching somewhere above. He could feel them, sometimes. He might not have known who they were, but he knew they loved him. And he was going to make them proud. Just wait and see.

            His body felt light, his entire being unexplainably bursting with energy, even when they just finished a four-hour graduation ceremony with boring songs and speeches.

            He looked around for his friends.

            As usual, the sight of them with their families triggered the loneliness in him. There would be a twinge in his chest every time he saw them interact with one another, happiness on their faces. He longed for people he could call home. And he wanted parents he could brag and complain about. He was used to this, though. Being left out on most things. On the upside, he made a lot of friends, which helped a lot. But still.

            When Naruto scanned the crowd once again to find more of those friends, he caught sight of someone familiar to him. He was smiling again before he called out to them. “Occhan!”

            Teuchi turned his head. His features relaxed and beamed in recognition as Naruto ran to his side. “Naruto! There you are.” He let out a small chuckle. “I was afraid you went straight home.”

            “You came!” Naruto exclaimed, still smiling. He had mentioned the graduation ceremony in passing the other day when he was eating ramen at the old man’s shop, Ichiraku’s, and now found himself wondering if the latter actually remembered that. He was even dressed for the occasion.

            “I had to,” Teuchi sighed in reflection, straightening his black coat. “I thought about it a lot last night and decided to come after all. I couldn’t miss the chance of seeing you walk up that stage to get your diploma.”

            A small blush appeared on Naruto’s cheeks from his admission. He scratched the back of his head, because how was he supposed to respond to that? It was… an affectionate gesture, as far as he was concerned, and Naruto wasn’t used to receiving that.

            “You did well up there, kid,” Teuchi told him, erasing the haze of memories. “And all your friends, too. Omedeto,” he congratulated. “You’re going to junior high school now.”

            Naruto straightened and bowed a little. “Arigatō.” He raised his head and looked up at Teuchi, asking, “But what about the shop?” He couldn’t imagine leaving it to those two apprentices of his, Matsu and Nishi. They were rookies and, well, they were a little bit clumsy, but dedicated.

            “Oh, don’t worry about that for now,” Teuchi brushed off with a hand. “I can open up later.” So, he doesn’t trust those two, after all, Naruto thought with a sweat drop. “Say,” he continued, crossing his arms in thought, “why don’t you bring your sensei later and I’ll whip you a few batches for free. How’s that sound?”

            Naruto’s ears perked up at the tempting suggestion, making him stand in attention. “Really? For free?”

            Teuchi nodded with a kind smile. “Yep. Consider it your graduation gift from me. Besides,” his expression softened, “you’re one of our most loyal customers, so you’re no stranger.”

            “That’s awesome, ‘ttebayo!” Naruto couldn’t help the little jump he made, his free hand forming an excited fist. Then, he started muttering to himself. “Maybe I can ask for extra pork and beef and a boiled egg.” He paused. “Or two.” He snickered, too enthusiastic to contain himself. “Oh boy! I can’t wait!”

            After a few more exchanged words, a teacher took their photo and they parted ways. Teuchi had a lot of acquaintances around, and he wanted to greet them before leaving.

            He was just about to run off and go to his friends and congratulate them, when something tingled on the back of his neck. Gooseflesh prickled his skin.

            Someone is watching —his instinct told him.

            This didn’t immediately register when Naruto turned around and glanced about the crowd.

            The wind changed. A cold breeze swept by, ruffling his blonde hair, parting one side of his dark blue coat and blowing against his necktie. What is this… bad feeling?

            All of the graduate students, along with their parents and guardians mingled in the open courtyard, greeting one another and sharing congratulations (almost everyone was wearing dark blue, as decided for the color code weeks ago for the graduates and the clothes they were to wear and match with—suit and tie for the boys and hakama and a jacket for the girls). Naruto spotted some of his friends—Sakura and Ino were laughing together while their parents talk; Lee was having—another—tearful moment with his father, a tight grip on his diploma; and Shikamaru (yawning) and Chōji (frowning and rubbing his rumbling stomach) were standing side by side while they waited on their parents, who were also busy conversing.

            No one stood out. Nobody was looking at Naruto.

            He lifted his gaze to the school building beyond the courtyard. Out of habit, he turned to the window of his classroom first. His back straightened and his eyebrows knitted slightly.

            Over there. 

            That unsettling feeling in his gut surfaced in full force. Somebody was in there. Naruto had no explanation for it, he just knew.

            The longer he stared up at the window, the more anxious he felt.

            Before Naruto could do anything about it, someone pounced on him from behind and grabbed his shoulder, giving him a rough shove before putting an arm around his neck. He, in turn, yelped in surprise and almost jumped out of his skin.

            “Yo!”

            Great. It was his friend, Inuzuka Kiba. “What’s with the glum face, Naruto? We just graduated. Have you forgotten to eat your ramen this morning?” he taunted. The bastard.

            Naruto scowled at the brown-haired boy. “Kiba, you jerk! You almost gave me a heart attack, ‘ttebayo!”  

            Kiba only gave him a grin that showed his white teeth and laughed. “Come on, let’s go. The auditorium’s all cleared. We can go back in now,” he said and proceeded to drag Naruto by the neck with his arm.

            “Ah, o-oi! Wait! Just hold on!” Naruto tried to get away—careful not to drop his diploma—but was only pulled forward. “Oi, Kiba!” His whine and protests were ignored and drowned out by the increase of voices chatting noisily as they re-entered the auditorium.

            He gave the school building one last glance and decided to let his curiosity go. Besides, that bad feeling dissipated the moment Kiba appeared. Must have been his imagination again or something. He had been wrong before.

 “Who is it?” asked Sakura from behind the door after Naruto rang the doorbell. He was carrying a plastic of sweet dango in his hand that he bought earlier.

            After eating at Ichiraku’s with his sensei, Umino Iruka, where they exchanged stories from their time as teacher and student (and Naruto had seven bowls of ramen), Naruto decided to buy some dango and swing by Sakura’s before he went over to Sasuke’s. The food stall around the corner of Ichiraku’s street was Sakura’s favorite because they made their sauce with the right amount of sweetness that she liked. This became a habit of his whenever he eats at Ichiruaku’s.

            There was a click before the door opened, and right there stood Haruno Sakura. She immediately grimaced and covered her nose with a hand. “Ah, Naruto. You smell like beef.”

            Naruto made a gleeful noise through his wide grin. “I just got back from Ichiraku’s. Occhan gave me ramen for free. So, how’s it going, dattebayo?”

            He was ushered in by Sakura who closed the door behind him. He took off his shoes.

            Sakura put her hands on her hips, making her appear more mature as she tried to scold him. “Don’t tell me you went overboard again and ate more than three bowls. That isn’t healthy, you know.”

            Giving her a carefree smile, Naruto discarded the idea. “Don’t worry about it.” He handed over the plastic of dango. “Here you go. I bought some on the way.”

            Sakura looked taken a back for a bit before finally accepting the sweets. He was rewarded with a smile. “Thank you, Naruto.”

            Naruto couldn’t help but blush—he always did.

            Since their first semester together on the first grade, Naruto had such a huge crush on the pinkette. He didn’t remember exactly when it happened, but one morning, he woke up and found himself completely smitten over Haruno Sakura.

            With her long pink hair and bright green eyes, even her seemingly wide forehead that others taunted her about, she looked like a deity walking among mere humans like him. She was so beautiful and cute and compassionate. Even after she learned… everything about him and the others, she didn’t get scared and run away like he expected her to. No. In fact, she would constantly remind him to be careful, just because she didn’t want him to get in trouble with his guardians.

            How could Naruto not like her?

            He once tried asking her out on a date—last year, maybe?—but she had refused. Whenever he would show her his affections, she would ignore them and tell him to buzz off. She had told him on numerous occasions that she didn’t feel that way about him and that he should give up. That time, he ignored her.

            Yes, he was relentless, but so was their friend, Rokku Rī, and Naruto wouldn’t let the athletic maniac win no matter what.

            “Seriously.” Sakura huffed. Naruto heard her footsteps following him on his way to their kitchen. He had been here plenty of times in the past that he was comfortable enough to walk around on his own. “One of these days, an ambulance is going to come get you for kidney or heart failure, so don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

            “Haaai.” He paused and looked around and noticed food ingredients scattered about on the table and countertops. “So, um… a-are you making dinner?” He hoped his question didn’t sound discouraging—even though half of his mind was whispering for him to do so—he just couldn’t help but feel bad.

            To Naruto, Sakura was already perfect. She was the prettiest and the smartest of them all!

            But he had to realize sooner or later that she wasn’t an actual deity walking among them and that she couldn’t cook to save her life.

            There was this one time when they were hanging out and others decided to bring food. Sakura being Sakura, brought her own homemade dish to the gathering and it was terrible. Immediately, they all spat out whatever it was she created. Chōji was an exception—he was, instead, vomiting his internal organs out (since as usual, the muncher overdid it and took a mouthful of that concoction).

            Sakura placed the plastic of dango on the kitchen table next to a chopping board with diced vegetables on them. “Kāchan went out to buy more potatoes and soy sauce. She just asked me to prepare the ingredients.”

            Naruto was internally relieved to hear that. Last year, the girl attempted to cook another dish and forced a select few unfortunate souls in her group of friends to try them. One of those poor souls being Naruto.

            He pushed away the unpleasant memory and sat down on one of the wooden chairs. Sakura did the same, and they began to talk about the earlier events from the graduation ceremony while they eat their sweet dango. They exchanged random stories about their childhood together, stories that brought out nostalgia and a bittersweet feeling about a phase of their lives coming to an end. Before Naruto could voice out his inner feelings about those, Sakura started to rant about Ino. Something about her taking a picture with Sasuke alone.

            Ino Yamanaka was one of their childhood friends, and Sakura’s best friend… and rival. If it wasn’t a contest at school or a recitation in class, it was often about Sasuke. Naruto wanted to snort.

            Uchiha Sasuke was his best friend…and rival. Their dual relationship depended on the situation, and right now, it was definitely the latter.

            To Naruto, Sasuke was a nuisance when it came to his affections for Sakura, since he was the very reason why she barely gave Naruto the time of day. The worst part was the jerk would disregard Sakura’s feelings and would even be rude to her at times. He wasn’t even trying and yet, he was winning. 

            “Do you want to stay for dinner?” asked Sakura after they ran out of stories and rants (for today). “We have gyoza. My mom is making a feast tonight, so I doubt the three of us can eat them all.”

            Naruto gobbled up his last dango before replying. “I can’t. Itachi-nīchan asked me to stay over their house tonight, ‘ttebayo.”

            “Ah. All right, then.” Sakura smiled. “Say hi to him for me, then. And tell Sasuke I said congratulations again.” Her last sentence came with a blush.

            Naruto inwardly groaned. Sasuke again. Itachi-nïchan was Sasuke’s older and much cooler brother. As much as Naruto wanted to spend more time with Sakura, he couldn’t bail on the Uchiha brothers. Plus, Itachi was an amazing cook.

            Not that Sakura’s mom wasn’t a great cook, he’d never ever say that—she’d kill him.

            Once Sakura threw away the empty containers, she led Naruto to the front door where Naruto had put on his shoes.

            He stepped outside, his feet getting ready to run, before looking back to say goodbye. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Sakura-chan! I still need to feed Neko-chan!” And then he dashed down the stairs.

            “Thanks again for the dango! And don’t stay out too late! It’s about to get dark!”

            “Yeah, yeah! Later!” He waved a hand behind and took off.

            He didn’t really worry that much about the sun setting; if anything happened, he could find a way to escape. But it was normal for someone like Sakura to be more cautious. It was a common knowledge that it wasn’t very safe outside when it got dark in the city of Konoha.

            Ever since he was little, Naruto would always hear from commoners and his guardians to never go outside after daylight hours. They said that when night fell, malevolent yūrei and yōkai alike would come into the city, stealing souls and assaulting any unsuspecting bystander wandering in between shadows. They were the reason for the unexplainable deaths, the mystifying occurrences, and sudden disappearances all over Konoha.

            All of it were rumors and folktales to some, of course, but Naruto wholeheartedly believed them. He was a victim of circumstance, too, after all. And he could tell that everyone believed them, too, despite their outside opinions. Even the most skeptical ones.

            The society they lived in was dangerous, but Naruto and the rest in their community learned how to adapt and live with it. Not that he was happy about their circumstances. He found them unfair.

            Naruto continued to run around the second street and was just starting to criticize the failing system and their unmotivated pursuit for justice when he tripped. Well, almost.

            Before his body could hit the ground, he made a swift move and directed his body, headfirst, upwards and off the ground. Naruto backflipped in mid-air and stayed afloat while he caught his breath.

            “Phew! That was a close one, ‘ttebayo!”

            So, he could levitate. It was what separated him from “normal” people or as others would call them, ningen. And yes, it wasn’t as flashy as the others, or as impressive. Or so they liked to believe, anyways. Naruto could do a lot with his “floating” ability. He could sneak in and out of buildings without using the stairs. He could reach things without a ladder. And he could never trip or fall. Most of all, it made for awesome scary pranks.

            “Dammit,” Naruto groaned. The sun was setting on the horizon. “I really need to get going!” He floated back down to the ground and sprinted all the way to his apartment.

The keychain made a lot of noise as Naruto struggled to find the right key. It irritatingly looked the same with his bedroom and bathroom keys. He really should label them from now on (the girls had been nagging him to do so for months now).

            Naruto felt instant relief once the key fit into the keyhole. He turned the doorknob and entered the apartment. Now all he had to do was prepare the food for Neko-chan and he was out of here.

            Kicking off his shoes, Naruto noticed two extra pairs on the floor. Huh? He hurriedly walked into the living room and almost had a heart attack when he found the mayor of Konoha sitting there. And next to him was his grandson and Naruto’s friend, Sarutobi Konohamaru.

            There was a knot of anxiety in Naruto’s stomach at the sight of them in his apartment. What are they doing here? And how did they get in?!

            Of course! The old man had his own key! He forgot about that.

            “Took you long enough, Nīchan!” Konohamaru chuckled. He had that look that said “You’re in biiig trouble!” and Naruto felt like smacking the him in the face and wipe it away. 

            Naruto had known Konohamaru since he was an infant. After all, the kid’s parents were his guardians. So Konohamaru grew up treating Naruto like an older brother. Naruto also treated him like a younger brother and taught him everything he knew. From pranks to ramen and how to talk his way out of a troublesome situation. And like how annoying little brothers could be, the brat had his own moments. Right now, was one of them. 

            “I was at Sakura-chan’s house… dattebayo.” Naruto glanced at the old man. Even if he had a spare key, Sarutobi-ojīchan wouldn’t just come inside his apartment without him around and without reason. Plus, this was the first time he dropped by. Well, Naruto himself moved in just a few months ago, but still.

            The mayor was frowning. That wasn’t good. Then he stood up, his hands behind his back. “I apologize for coming in without your permission. But I haven’t been checking in on you for a while, and Konohamaru was very persistent.” The little rascal quietly snickered beside him. “I also wanted to confirm something my associate told me.” Naruto gulped. Dammit. What had he done this time? “But we’ll get to that later. For now, I want to congratulate you on graduating. Omedeto.”

            Still frazzled, Naruto blinked and nodded. “Thanks. Uh… do you want some tea, Ojīchan?”

            The mayor cracked a smile. “Yes, that would be nice.”

Naruto placed a steaming mug of hot black tea on the table. He sat down on the floor right across the old man. Konohamaru took over his task on feeding Neko-chan, who finally came by.

            Sarutobi Hiruzen had been mayor for over thirty years now. He had done so much for the city and the entire Hī region, gaining the public’s trust overtime. It also seemed like no one wanted to replace him and it didn’t look like he would retire soon, despite his old age. He just turned sixty-nine last February and the entire city practically celebrated it with him (there were a lot of free stuff and special discount offers from numerous stores and stalls). You wouldn’t hear anyone bad-mouthing the mayor. Naruto did agree that he was kind and generous with a sincere heart.

            But still, those things didn’t stop him from being an old stick-in-the-mud.

            To Naruto, he was just a grandpa he often saw and hung out with on special occasions, who often gave gifts and unnecessary lectures.

            Tonight, he wasn’t sure which one he was getting.

            Sarutobi-ojīchan took a sip from the mug and let out a contented sigh. He put the mug back down the table once more. Well, finally. “I suppose this is a good time as any.” Taking a rectangular brown box from beside him on the couch, he pushed it towards Naruto’s direction. “Here. Consider it a gift.”

            “Thank you.” Naruto picked up the box and opened it. He blinked.

            The gift was an old-fashioned… knife? Or maybe a dagger? (It reminded Naruto of those vintage items from the antique shop at the central district.) It was dull and rusty and looked so used.

            Naruto made a face behind the opened box. What was he supposed to do with this?  At least it’s not another boring lecture.

            “It belonged to your father.”

            His expression changed. “. . . Tōchan?” He took another glance at the knife, this time with meaning. But he didn’t touch it. Not yet.

            “I believe that will keep you safe,” Sarutobi-ojīchan continued as he drank his tea.

            “Safe?” Naruto looked up at him. “From what?”

            Sarutobi-ojīchan closed his eyes for a moment before putting down his cup and standing up. He wandered over to the glass doors. “Danger and untimely death surround us all. I use the word ‘untimely’ because in most unfortunate events, it is so. Do you know, Naruto-kun? That every other day, someone from this city goes missing. Most of the time, they aren’t found alive… if they are to be found in the first place. Which isn’t always the case.”

            Naruto looked to the side, saddened by the state of their hometown. And to make it worse, this was the norm in Konoha. People either went missing or were found dead—killed even. This wasn’t news to anyone in their community. In fact, Naruto knew a few of those who disappeared. “I know. I had a classmate who’s still missing, ‘ttebayo.” They weren’t close and they’d only been classmates for two years, and still, everyone in their class had been affected by it.

            “Hm, yes. If I remember correctly, the boy’s name is Kimura Yosuke. His parents divorced a year later. And six months ago, the mother committed suicide.”

            Naruto’s eyes widened in shock. “Suicide?”

            “I’m afraid so.”

            Naruto was still in shock. Last time he heard, Yosuke’s mother was still looking for her son. She must have finally given up. Dammit.

            “Just like I told you—death and danger surround us all. They lurk around our land and hover. The shadows of evil slip out from underground and the dark crevices of building walls. Hiding in all the corners; in all the dark alleys and abandoned places. And as a result, people commit unspeakable, irrational crimes, which we are notorious for.” Sarutobi-ojīchan paused for a moment, then continued with his speech. “That’s why it would be a disastrous if others were able to identify people like us.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “Naruto-kun. Our people have always known about our existence. They’ve seen their fair share of extraordinary things they can’t explain. Some of them are not even phased by it anymore. Nevertheless, people like us, are perceived as threats to our community.”

            Naruto frowned. “But we’re not all bad. Don’t you think it’s unfair, old man?” Why would people criticize them so harshly and so quickly? There are people like him who could do no harm with their ability.

            “Are you expecting them to be open-minded? Our nature and abilities have proven to be far too dangerous. They’re certainly not going to take chances on someone who has the power to inflict harm on them. We cause more harm than good. Despite the usual supernatural encounters, people are still afraid.” The mayor looked him in the eye. “Don’t underestimate a person who is afraid.”

            Naruto looked at the knife again. What if someone saw him earlier when he floated in mid-air? How would they have reacted? He was always told to keep his otherworldly abilities hidden, but he never stopped to think about the reality of consequences if he was ever found out. Now he was able to.

            “An associate of mine saw you floating in town and pranking people earlier this week.” Sarutobi-ojīchan mentioned. “You’re masquerading a ghost samurai now, eh?”

            The mood suddenly changed, and Naruto felt his heart quickening as it always did whenever he was caught. He tried to deflect the conversation. “Y-you were spying on me, dattebayo?!” His eyebrows twitched.  So he’s giving me a lecture after all.

            Sarutobi-ojīchan could only shake his head and close his eyes. “It might already be too late for you.” He started to walk away.

            “Ehh!” Naruto panicked. Hurriedly, he got up to his feet. “What do you mean by that, ‘ttebayo? That sounds really scary coming from you!” The mayor was headed for the genkan. “Hey, hold on! Jīchan!”

            Sarutobi-ojīchan paused his steps but didn’t turn around. “Just be on your guard, Naruto-kun.”

At the genkan, Konohamaru was putting on his shoes. Neko-chan had already left. “Hey, Naruto-nīchan, don’t forget our dinner tomorrow, kore. Kāchan and Tōchan wanted me to remind you every time we see each other, because they know you’ll forget.” He giggled in taunt towards Naruto.

            Naruto gave the little brat a tiny glare, his eyebrows twitching again. “I won’t, ‘ttebayo.” He held the door open for him. Sarutobi-ojīchan was already waiting outside with his white and green suit-clad bodyguards.

            Once the door was closed, Naruto let out a sigh of relief. He went over the round table in his small living room to pick up the box that contained his late father’s knife. The longer he stared at the item, the more curious he got. He closed the lid and moved to his bedroom, so he could put it away. There was no use on thinking about it now, he would just have to save the questions for some other time.

            Upon entering his room, Naruto’s gaze landed on the clock.

            Dammit!         

            It was already late!

            Hastily, Naruto dumped the precious box of memento inside his cabinet beneath his clothes. He would put it in his hiding place tomorrow. He needed to hurry now!

            He picked out clothes from the neat pile inside the cabinet and dumped them into his backpack, went to the bathroom and grabbed his toothbrush to take with him as well.

            Itachi-nīchan must be home by now. Naruto just hoped he wasn’t finished cooking.

            He ran around the apartment, discarding cups and plates on the sink and reminding himself to wash them tomorrow. He took his backpack and wore his shoes at the genkan, then hurried outside before running back in—“Dammit! My keys!”—and going out again once he grabbed hold of the keys. After making sure the door was locked, Naruto dashed down the stairs.

            He went over to his orange bike, put on his helmet, unlocked the tiny padlock and got on.

            Naruto was practically running on the pedals as he headed out into the streets. The night breeze felt cold and crisp against his face, blowing his messy golden blonde hair and roving through his scalp. It wasn’t long before he reached the main road. There weren’t too many cars or pedestrians on the area, so it was quiet. The lamp posts were the only source of light along the way, including the headlight on Naruto’s bike. He could still see and pay enough attention on the road.

            As Naruto geared up to go faster, he tightened his grip on the handle bars when his ears picked up a noise—a deep, harsh-sounding growl. Although…

            It didn’t sound like it came from an animal.

            Grabbing the brakes, Naruto turned his front wheel the other way. The sudden motion resulted with him skidding his tires to a stop on the asphalt with his foot.

            He took off his helmet and turned up his hearing, focusing on the sound he just heard.

            The growl from earlier was now mixed with short, irritable grunts and…  mumbling curses.

            It was a man. He sounded angry. But there was more.

            Naruto stood up from his bike. He took it with him towards the sidewalk and left it leaning against the lamp post. He hung his helmet on one of the handlebars before following the man’s voice.

            Something felt off. His gut immediately reacted the moment he heard that noise.  It was twisting inside of him in all the wrong ways. Any rational person would’ve walked away. But Naruto had always been different. He couldn’t ignore this one. It just wasn’t in his nature. And unlike earlier at school, no one was around to hold him back.

            In front of him, he could see a narrow alleyway. It was dark, but he could see it clearly. There were stacks of crates and boxes along the dim path.

            The noises the man was making were accompanied by a steady rhythm of slices in the air.

            Naruto stiffened. This guy…!

            Every cell in his body was showing him signs to turn around, grab his bike and sped the hell away from there. The alleyway wasn’t inviting. The cold wind was whispering to his skin to go back.

            But again, it wasn’t in his nature. He had to see.

            With a gulp, Naruto stepped into the alleyway.

            The angry grunts and slices continued. 

            He crouched behind one of the crates, looked over, and then…

            His eyes widened. Shit! 

            There was blood. All over—that was the first thing he saw.

            The second was a woman. Sprawled on the ground, eyes wide open, and her sandy blonde tresses stained with blood. There was so much blood that her whole torso was red; he almost mistook it as the color of her blouse.

            And lastly, above the woman was the man Naruto heard earlier. He had a knife in his hand, and with apparent determination, was stabbing the poor woman across her chest and stomach over and over. Naruto couldn’t see his face since he had his back turned to him.

            He had seen a corpse before. More than once. But it wasn’t like this. He was witnessing a person committing murder firsthand for the first time. The scene was so gruesome, Naruto felt a tremor in his body. His jaw slackened and he was pretty sure he hadn’t blinked once since he walked in.

            He swallowed hard. This guy is bad news!

            Then, the mayor’s words came back to haunt him: “Death and danger surround us all.”

            He should run. No, he should call the police. Or get Itachi. Unfortunately, the shock and fear were preventing him to think smart—he usually could when it came to situations where he needed to escape or run.

            Still not taking his eyes off the scene in front of him, Naruto stood up. He took a step back. He knew he needed to be quiet, but he was having a little difficulty controlling his legs, and his heart was beating too damn loud.

            Unlike the woman. Her own heart was no longer beating. She wasn’t breathing. She was dead.

            Something wasn’t right. Naruto felt it the moment he walked over earlier. Something was seriously wrong with this guy. Something sinister and dark. He didn’t look like he wanted to stop stabbing her. He was so angry.

            Naruto took another step backwards, and to his horror, his hand accidentally brushed against one of the boxes behind.

            Crap! His head whirled around and saw a few had been knocked down.

            Shadow loomed over him and he stiffened. Instinctively, he snapped his head back.

            He stopped breathing.

            He could see his face now.

            The man was on his feet, glaring him down with his blood-covered face. His hand tightened the grip on the hilt of the bloodstained knife beside him. “Why did you let me see you, kid?”

            He should’ve listened to the wind after all.

Chapter is available here: AO3, Fanfiction and Wattpad.

#naruto uzumaki #sasuke uchiha #sakura haruno #kiba inuzuka #shino aburame #hinata hyuga #choji akimichi #shikamaru nara #ino yamanaka #rock lee #neji huyga #tenten #konoha 12 #namikaze naruto #fanfiction #fanfic #anime #adventure #fantasy #supernatural #team 7 #team 8 #team 10 #team guy #naruto #narusaku bonding #first fanfic #naruto fanfiction

[pussymagnetmadara]

Sasuke true fans, read this please and tell me when I’m wrong

Nobody deserves Sasuke, no indeed. First of all, certainly not Sakura Haruno. Sakura never understood who Sasuke was, how he felt or what his goals were. In fact, she doesn't care at all. She always perceived him as the dude she fell in love with because you know he's Sasuke the cool guy in school, even years later. She doesn't deserve him because she always fought to get him back, to get him and get his favor, so that he could realize that she helped save him. How could she claim to save him from his torment when she never understood why he was so tormented. Of course she is aware of the genocide of the Uchiha clan and that Itachi was responsible for it but she just tells herself that he should never have let himself be consumed by revenge and hatred when she never had a say in the beginning. She finally got what she wanted out of him because she forced a victim of emotional abuse to marry her and giving him a child. Someone with such psychological distress that the dude doesn't even know who he is or why he did all this anymore. His brain pauses to save what's left of his mental state, he's unresponsive to anything, he's totally on autopilot. "I will say whatever my friends and Sakura want to hear if it makes them happy, I have to fix my mistakes." But what mistakes are you talking about Sasuke Uchiha? You haven't done anything wrong. You can't have anything to apologize for when you were the victim in the first place. If Sasuke's travels had been concrete with his state of mind, it's certainly not a redemption arc I would have liked to get but a mental health recovery arc. Secondly, Naruto Uzumaki. No Naruto does not deserve Sasuke and does not deserve his friendship and interest. When I hear that Naruto and Sasuke make so much sense together whether it be friendly or romantic, I say no. I sincerely think that Sasuke gave Naruto enough chances to be a real friend but Naruto never took that chance. Chasing him back to a village that ordered his brother to slaughter their whole family was never a good idea, but I could have left that out during Shippuden, if Naruto had used his brain after the 4th great war, but he didn't. So you bring back the victim of a nation that wasted his life to the very place where all the ghosts of his past are still present. Sasuke was not yet healed, Naruto gave the final blow to Sasuke's mental health. Why did Sasuke want to leave Konoha in your opinion Naruto Uzumaki? Yes because the village still sees him as the deserter and nobody in this damn village is able to reason and try to understand his gesture but also where do you want Sasuke to go in Konoha? The Uchiha district having been totally dismantled and razed, there remains only a small piece of rope to delimit the former territorial zone that had been granted to them and it is not really reasonable to let someone with such a trauma as Sasuke return to the scene of the crime that made his life collapse. . it's like if you bring a kidnapping victim back to the dark and wet basement where they remained locked up for a long time and let them fight their trauma by themselves, you would find it stupid and inhuman, well in Sasuke's case it's the same.

Then I was expecting an arc of reparation and justice for the real victims like Neji Huyga and Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto as the newly nominated hokage, but no, still nothing. Neji still hasn't got justice and neither has Sasuke while all this time Naruto was strutting around with Sasuke whispering in his ears: "don't worry, you will always be my friend…" What friendship are you talking about Naruto? The one where you don't even give your friend the right to officially break away from Konoha? To let him heal his wounds in another way? To let him live his life as he wants? So yes, you saved him from the death penalty but condemned him to a life of slavery as a watchdog of a state that never loved him and was never there for him simply because you, you are far too good to forgive all the people who hurt you, so even Sasuke should do the same. You do not love Sasuke.

So you offer the means to make up for his so-called mistakes by working in your shadow on behalf of Konoha and doing the dirty work for you while you sign piles of papers for hours on end in your sinister office in which hangs pictures of horrible people who have done nothing interesting with their position as hokage but stir up the hatred that eventually caused the genocide of your best friend's clan. You are just proud to finally be in the place that you have so desired to get all these years because of your lack of validation from others and your parents who died in fighting too soon and from whom you suffered a good part of your youth and from whom you are retracing the same path for your son who hates you because you are not there to raise him and his little sister.

So you get Sasuke to be your watchdog, and you continue to treat your so-called best friend, your soul mate as a common pet who should be happy with his lot. You put your friend Shikamaru as your main advisor but let Sasuke put his hands in the shit for you again.

Sasuke lost the hope to smile again, you don't allow him any decision and not even on his own life, and for all this, I deeply resent you.

Thirdly, Kakashi Hatake, for our friend Kakashi, Sasuke was his favorite student but as his friend Hiruzen Sarutobi once said to him, "We are always disappointed in our favorite student when they turn against us one day." Yes Orochimaru turned against you when you never understood him and called him weird and kicked him out of Konoha for his extravagant research while it doesn't seem to me that Tobirama Senju was then banished after inventing the edo-tensei jutsu which is literally fucking necromancy, a jutsu so horrible to practice that it requires in the first place a human sacrifice in order to bring back the soul of a dead person in the world of the living, deprived of its own will and its free will. .. Kakashi once thought he was close to Sasuke because he too had gone through the loss of people close to him, but need I remind you how Kakashi Hatake got over his depression? By stifling his emotions continuously and by murdering multiple shinobi. So he explicitly asked his favorite student who was in such an emotional distress that he was on the verge of internal implosion, to shut the fuck up and continue to live his life as a ninja and that losing people is part of life… he really dared to mean that to a 12 year old. I personally blame Kakashi but I try to make up for my pain by meaning that Kakashi himself being traumatized to the core has also lost all his cognitive faculties in terms of emotion and compassion. He turned himself off and also put himself in auto-pilot.

Fourth, Itachi Uchiha and Fugaku Uchiha. Besides his mother Mikoto, Sasuke only had eyes for his older brother and their father who they thought were just great. It's true, both of them were great and strong shinobi who far exceeded the abilities of the other clan members with a few exceptions. However, Fugaku in the first place should never have exposed Sasuke to a constant competition with his older brother. Fugaku in his great wisdom and experience should never have pitted his younger son against his brother to outgrow him, as he your sons are different, with different personalities and possibly different ambitions and mentally abusing them to force them to suit you is really twisted. To have tried to make Itachi the ultimate ninja that he never had the stature to be even while being the leader of the Uchiha clan and then to have your youngest son do everything to not end up like Itachi who then proved to be your biggest disappointment but in any case, outgrow him. In the sense that he had two chances to succeed, if one of them failed, the other one would inevitably succeed. And in another sense, where Hinata wouldn't go over Naruto's decisions as a good submissive wife, Mikoto never did anything to end it all and allow her older son to destroy himself. What kind of example was Sasuke supposed to draw from that? To be a good dog who is given orders and must obey without restriction? Yeah, Fugaku's twisted advices to Itachi caused Itachi's reaction to be stuck between his clan and his will to be a good ninja of Konoha? In the end, many blame Itachi for the massacre of the Uchiha clan, but when you receive so much pressure from one side or the other you end up inexorably imposing from the inside, and you end up making bad decisions and bullshit. When your daddy, instead of preserving you, shows you what a war looks like at the age of 4, how do you think you will end up? I sincerely regret that Itachi didn't succeed in his suicide, he would have been free of all that because yes he is as traumatized as his little brother, this trauma has disrupted everything in his brain, so much so that he finds it normal to traumatize his little brother in order to harden him, as if being a good ninja had to get over the trauma and the destruction of the mind and that he got from dad BUT even if he was considered as a genius, he never thought with his fucking brain. Like dude, WHY ARE YOU SUCH A FREAKING BOOTLICKER OF A GOUVERNMENT THAT ASKED YOU TO KILL YOUR ENTIRE FUCKING OWN FAMILY? Hello wake up! Fuck you.

Finally, Sasuke never had a real good example either in his education or in other areas. How can you blame a boy for being so called cold and insensitive when he never had a good example of affection except living in trauma, servitude of others and dishonor.

Sasuke didn't have Jiraya to replace the father figure that was so lacking in him. Sasuke didn't have the S/O who understood and admired him at last, not for his looks, nor for his famous family name but for who he really is. No, he has always been lonely, enslaved, and misunderstood.

Fortunately some of us in this rotten fandom really love Sasuke and give him all the love he deserves.

I love you Sasuke Uchiha. You'll always be my king.

PS: Please excuse my multiple grammatical errors, I wrote this very quickly and English is not my first language.

#Sasuke uchiha #anti sasusaku #anti sns #anti sasunarusasu #anti naruto #anti sakura #anti kakashi #anti itachi #anti konoha #anti naruto ending #pro Sasuke uchiha

[depressedhatakekakashi]

#LGBTQ+ headcanons #Poll #Naruto Poll #I did it for Trabs character’s specificlly once #time for LGBTQ+ as a whole #Hatake Kakashi #Yamato #Uchiha Sasuke #Uzumaki Naruto #Maito Gai #Hyuga Neji #Rock Lee

[opens-up-4-nobody]

Naruto shippuden things that made me lose my mind (ep 424-season 20 ep 30):

Madara just shot a laser out of his mouth?

Madara: he can see my limbo???

Madara sailing thru the air: I'll be taking that *rips Kakashi's eye out of his skull*

Madara, casually: sasuke sure is quick *gets sliced in half by sasuke*

Kakashi, thinking abt young team 7: I misunderstood you all then, in some ways I probably still do (Kakashi, u just said it was sakura's job to pull sasuke from the darkness, that is the most fundamental misunderstanding of team 7 u could have)

*apocalyptic things happening* shikamru: I think something bad's happening over there (thanks, dumbass)

Tenzo's dream is for team 7 to accept him as their captain 😭

Sasuke getting purple snake goo spit in his face made me laugh aloud

Madara, talking abt chakra: I will get rid of this curse upon humanity (do it, king!)

This is from a filler english dub episode but: Christmas exists in naruto -> ninja Jesus confirmed

It's so unbelievable in tenten's mind that she could protect and be valuable to her friends and village that the infinite tsukuyomi put her into the Menma AU. That's fucked up.

Jesus. Karin's backstory. Pretty fucked up that she's gonna end up working for orochimaru forever.

Tsunade's infinite tsukuyomi dream: I would like to join the audience in watching the TV show Naruto

I feel like it says a lot that senju tsunade set a huyga at the center of the Akatsuki plan instead of a uchiha

Everytime they talk about neji, the more you can feel how hard they fucked up by killing him

Fuck sasuke being a cop. I hate it. But also sasuke is the type of person who would become batman. He ran around calling himself an avenger. I hate it but it doesn't feel wrong. It is funny tho that instead of joining orochimaru, sasuke's evil arc is becoming a cop.

#idk tsunades dream feels like senju propaganda #like idk what the uchiha even want. they feel like they're being outcast but like also they kinda fucking suck #obviously they didn't deserve to die but like. i 1000% believe they would absolutely abuse their power as the police #and like if ur the government do u really want to take in a bunch of violent cops with fucked up magic eyes??? not really #but idk the whole institution of Konoha is wrotten to the core. which is the fucking point. its a fucked up devil tree #that is fucking overtly in the story. theres an evil demon tree thst kills ppl and naruto lives in the village hidden in the leaves which #is corrupted from the roots up. its evil. the village is evil. its insane. wtf was i sayying? #oh yeah im only partway thu tsunades dream but im posting this now bc its too far back in my notes #ugh. fuck the uchiha. im glad they died. they were fucked up. im also glad all the senju r dead. may all the clans die forever 🙏 #everyone dies and then there will b peace in the naruto world.... thats a very madara line of thought... #thats y naruto is a better person than me. i would sands of destruction that shit #god. but in that game they also dont end the world... that world didnt seem as bad as the naruto world tho #naruto ramblings

[houseonthemoon]

Well well well 🥰 and they say we nejihina fans are crazy

#neji x hinata #nejihina #neji hyuga #hinata huyga #hyugacest

[chiefatticcreator]

Neji I heard a rumor about you not needing my permission since you are the head of the clan... I don't remember agreeing to that stipulation... Seeing as the huyga joined the Shibigami clan after the incident...

"I believe it was the reverse." Neji got defensive. "And that the Shinigami clan, yours, accepted to become part of the Hyuuga, which would put me as the head of our shared clan."

#rico hyuuga #neji hyuuga

[beatrizmar-world]

CHAPTER 4- Chaos

The sight of a defeated Naruto made Hinata’s heart shatter into a million pieces, but she knew that she needed to remain strong for his sake, “Naruto, you must know that my heart belongs to you, and only you, in this life time- or any other…Yet, if you truly love me, you’ll honour my request.”

“Ask me anything!” Naruto added.

“Go on to live a happy- and a successful life, be the emperor your people need you to be. And be happy… but, without me. Forget about me”.

____________________________________________________________

Dear Tumblrs and fanfic readers,

I apologise for making you wait so long for an update, I told myself that I wouldn't do this, but I never realised how hard it was to write when you have other things going on in life.

Nevertheless, I really do hope you will like, comment and follow the this story as I have put a lot of my heart and soul into it.

It is rated M for a reason! Please enjoy! :)

#naruto #forbidden love #kishimo #naruhina #naruhina au #fanfic #archives of our own #m rated #neji hyuga #hinata huyga #naruto x hinata #kakashi hakate #sakura haruno #sasuke uchiha #sasuke x sakura #hinata uzumaki #uzumaki naruto