#obito splits and kakashi and sasuke are on their own after that

[atqh16]

Sasuke and Naruto start their friendship a little differently in my KakaObiRin where New Naruto AU where Obito and Rin both survive the war. After Minato and Kushinas death in the nine tails attack (Madara has someone else attack the village instead of Obito) 14 year old Rin, Obito and Kakashi become secret surrogate big siblings to Naruto. Kakashi’s chapter here, Rin’s here, Obito’s here. Chronologically this is before the chapter with Obito.

Any interactions Sasuke has had with Naruto were always nothing short of disastrous and Sasuke refused to take any blame for it. Ever since they started school Naruto insisted on being a thorn in his side from day one. The thing is, Sasuke himself wasn't very good at making friends in the first place. He was painfully introverted which made any interaction with the boys in his class awkward at best and the love-struck attention he got from the girls just made him roll his eyes constantly. Then there was Naruto, who for some reason, saw every move he made as some kind of personal affront and challenge and he showed his zealous zeal of that stance persistently and loudly.

Not that it was cause of much distraction for him when it came to his education at the academy since the curriculum was painfully amateur compared to what he’d already been taught by his father and brother. While other kids still stumbled over learning how to hold a kunai properly, Sasuke was already throwing bullseyes at the practice targets with ease. While his classmates were still struggling to learn how to throw a kick, he was already flipping them over his shoulder 3 moves in, his record being when he ended a spar with a kid from the Inuzuku clan in less than a minute. The blondes skills were admittedly better than some of their classmates. He threw the kunais with a practiced precision and while his taijutsu was messy, he had the basics down and frankly was good at reacting unpredictably. He had clearly been trained, most likely by someone which was strange because Sasuke had never seen him with any other adult. Still he was not much of a challenge for Sasuke. But what made Naruto different from the rest was how after every fight he’d aggressively make promises about beating the Uchiha in their next one. The idiot never knew when to give up and shut up. To an incredibly irritating degree.

So it wasn't surprising when one day underneath the heat of the summer sun, their sparring match for the day turned into an outright brawl when Naruto pounced on him with a loud yell and Sasuke was to surprised by it to deflect. They’d rolled on the ground in a chaotic scuffle. Technique forgotten as they were reduced to a ball off flaying limbs and violent screaming. It had taken two genin to pull them apart and by the end of it Sasuke had a split lip and Naruto was sporting what looked like a shiner that was going to purple by the end of the day. Iruka sensei's attempt at making them form the unity sign had almost devolved into another fight before he finally pulled Naruto back to the academy building, a scolding audible as they walked though Sasuke also heard mentions of ice. Sasuke was furious for the rest of the day. His mother had been concerned at the sight of him. Covered in dirt, scuffed and his already messy hair haphazardly stuck out all over the place. Sasuke grumbled and muttered under his voice and ate his dinner with an agitated gusto that made even Itachi raise a curious eyebrow. He was tight lipped over the whole debacle but that night he found himself restlessly rolling around in his futon, unable to sleep. So much so that his movements emitted an annoyed whine from Itachi's own futon a few feet besides his But by the time the moon had reached a high enough peak to spill its shine through their bedroom window, the simmering discontent that had been bubbling inside him melted away into something unfamiliar. Something that sent his skin tingling and his fingers fidgeting. Eyes wide and ears sharp to the sound of crickets from the garden and the creak and groans of their ancestral home. He found himself staring into space and after some time, everything else around him turned into white noise and the only thing he found occupied his mind was the memory of the exhilaration that had coursed through him during the fight where nothing else mattered except him and Naruto and the intensity of the moment. Not his fathers approval, not his brothers attention. Simply himself stripped to the barest essential just as who he was. Just Sasuke. So the next day he lingered by the entrance off the academy after class  ended. He waited for all the other children to vacate the building with their parents till there was no one to see him warily walk towards the large oak across the yard where he usually spotted the blonde boy and sure enough there he was. Sitting on the lone swing, sandals barely touching the ground with only the toe of them scraped against the dirt and kicking weakly at any pebbles within reach. He seemed so lost in his thoughts that Sasuke was barely a few feet away from the swing before his presence managed to snare Naruto’s awareness. “What do you want, teme?”, Naruto asked with a furrow between his eyebrows. But his tone was lackluster compared to the usual fire behind them. Sasuke stuffed his hands in his pockets in an attempt to look as nonchalant as possible. But for some reason he struggled to meet Narutos eyes. “I want a rematch” “I can’t” The answer caught Sasuke by surprise and he finally raised his eyes to properly meet Naruto's cerulean blue ones that peered below the downturn of his eyebrows “Why not?” “It’s none of your business, bastard”, Naruto spat out. Which only served to make Sasuke raise an eyebrow. “So you’re a coward as well as an idiot?”, Sasuke snapped back. “Look who you’re calling a coward, asshole!”, Naruto leaped off the swing and reached to grasp the scuff off Sasuke's raised collar. For half a second Sasuke thought that he would get what he wanted but the irritation in Narutos shoulders melted away almost as fast as it came. He let Sasuke's shirt go and stepped back to dump himself onto the swing. “Iruka Sensei said I can’t, ok! I don’t want to…..” …..disappoint him' were the words left unsaid which caught Sasuke in honest surprise. It never occurred to him that the loud boisterous prankster gave an ounce of thought to anyone’s opinion off him. Particularly an adult. A part of Sasuke seemed to realize that a curtain was being drawn back for him to view something many were not privy to see and the stiffness in his own stance softened while his frustration at Naruto's refusal melted away. He heard an echo of himself in Naruto's words. His thoughts flying to memories of how his own heart swelled whenever he managed to do something that pleased his father and the desire to do nothing that would bring about the opposite reaction. “Fine. Race me then” Naruto perked up ever so slightly at the suggestion. “Where?” “The park-“ “No” “Why?!” “It’s Friday” “So?” Naruto had the audacity to roll his eyes at him, the idiot. “So all the kids and their parents will be there” Sasuke was getting really irritated at Narutos inability to just get to the point. Maybe he noticed the way Sasuke's impatience was teetering on an edge, so with a defeated sigh he continued his explanation. “The adults don’t like me around the other kids. They always get mad if I show up. They’ll start yelling and I just don’t like it, ok” Whatever aggravation that had been itching sharp words on Sasuke's tongue stopped short. He didn’t usually hang around at the park often since he didn’t have a lot of friends to play with anyway. So he couldn’t verify what Naruto was telling him. But he’d have to be blind to say he didn’t see the contempt dripping from the adults every time they spotted the blonde in public. Sasuke never understood why but also never gave it much thought but the dejected way Naruto was drooping on the swing had guilt niggling his insides.

He didn't understand why. “Fine. Follow me” Naruto starts but Sasuke was already walking in the direction of the Uchiha compound. When he didn’t hear footsteps following his, he turned around to face the other boy who was looking at him with a look off confusion that Sasuke couldn’t help find exasperating. “Are you coming or not?” Sasukes question seemed to break Naruto out off whatever stupor he’d sunken into and for the second time he leaped off the swing and bounded after the Uchiha. Probably hoping his excitement wasn’t obvious. Sasuke led Naruto through winding alleys that became less and less familiar until they reached the forest right at the north edge of the village and while Naruto had never been in this part off the village, he knew enough to know that they had just entered the designated Uchiha compound The only thing that held back his nerves at being somewhere so unfamiliar was the fact that the path Sasuke used was completely deserted and the Uchiha obviously did it intentionally. They walked through the forest for maybe another five minutes before they reached a fairly large clearing with wooden practice dummies and targets scattered high above them in the trees. Sasuke gave Naruto a few seconds to roam his eyes around the area before he called his attention to a tree on the other side of the clearing with yellow flowers. “First one to complete 2 laps from there and back wins” Naruto gave him a mischievous grin, “Easy” Sasuke rolled his eyes but readied his stance to sprint into a run. “Ready. Set....” Naruto didn’t wait for the ‘go’, Sasukes eyes were wide as he froze for a second and stared at the blur off yellow shooting forward before he himself was ready. His shock finally a few seconds later broken by a loud cackle. “Usuratonkachi!!!”, he called out furiously before firing forward himself but it was too late. The head start gave Naruto a win by a mere few seconds. “You cheated!” “You never said we had to run at ‘go’” “You’re just scared I’ll beat you!” “As if. Fine, let’s go again. I’ll beat you fair and square!” Naruto does not in fact beat Sasuke fair and square. At least not for the next two races. But by the third they reached a tie and by the fourth Naruto finally won again. It was made clear as they laid panting and gasping for air on the hard ground that while Sasuke was much faster, Naruto had the advantage off higher stamina and could maintain his speed for much longer without slowing down. Not that either of them had enough breath to even think about such things. But stubbornness is a family trait and 10 minutes later Sasuke was already heaving himself to his feet. Albeit trying to ignore the pin-pricking of a million needles every time he moved a muscle Both of them were too exhausted but Sasuke was absolutely not ready to admit defeat. He reached his hand into the pouch on the belt around his waist to pull out a kunai. “Whoever gets 5 bullseyes first wins” He expected the loud mouth blonde to start bragging about how he was definitely better but instead he was met with silence. He turned away from the targets and towards the other boy to see him eying Sasuke's kunai as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t have any”, he mumbled under his breath, voice so low that it was barely audible. Sasuke doesn’t know why he hadn’t expected it. Most kids their age didn’t have their own kunai. Other then the fact that most adults didn’t trust 5 year olds with any, kunais costed a pretty penny and most wouldn’t spend any money on them if they could help it. It helped that the village actually did provide kunais freely for genin and chunin after they graduated or were promoted. Though a limited amount. 3 kunais a months for genin and 5 kunai every month for chunin and it was up to the individual themselves to make do with what they had. It was a finite resource. Raw metal didn’t grow on trees after all. Sasuke himself had actually received his kunais as a gift on his fifth birthday from Itachi, unbeknownst to their parents. His reasoning being that Sasuke was old enough and responsible enough to have a few so he could train on his own since he himself and Fugaku were always busy. Naruto continued to fidget restlessly in front off him until Sasuke pulled out the only one other kunai he had and held it out to him. “You can have this one” “Really?” “Just give it back to me after I win” “You mean after I win” “As if. Remember, who gets 5 bullseyes first wins and no cheating” Out off 5 shots Sasuke would get the target right in the middle at least 3 times and Naruto would hit 2 at most. “Don’t move your wrist too much” Naruto froze where he was getting ready to launch his kunai in their fourth round, “What?” For maybe the hundredth time that day, Sasuke rolled his eyes at the other boy. “Usuratonkachi, you flick your wrist too hard and it puts your aim off. That’s why you keep missing” “Don’t call me that bastard” “Stop missing the target, dobe” Naruto petulantly stuck his tongue out but dutifully turned back towards the target he was aiming for and corrected the position of his hand. It wasn’t perfect, but the advice seemed to be helpful when the kunai flew through the air and almost hit the board right on target. Naruto gave an excited cheer and whilst Sasuke crossed his arms at the 'childish' behavior, he felt something warm bloom pleasantly inside him and he suddenly found it difficult a stifle a grin. Trying to distract himself, he turned his eyes to the sky and was surprised to find that the sun had already begun to set. He jumped onto a tree branch to retrieve his kunai, “I have to get home”, he explained. His parents wouldn’t really scold him for coming home late but they’d be curious and Sasuke didn’t want to lie about where he’d been all day since he didn’t know how his parents would react if they knew who he’d spent the afternoon with. “Oh”, disappointment casted a shroud over Narutos face but he nodded in understanding, “Yeah ok…… ummmm”, he lifted his hand to scratch the back of his neck again in what Sasuke realized was a nervous gesture. “I had fun. Thanks”, Naruto said before walking back towards the path where they came from earlier. Sasuke was caught off guard by Narutos words. So much so that Naruto had almost disappeared behind the trees before Sasuke called out to him. “Did you memorize the way back here?” “I think so” “Meet me back here tomorrow then. You obviously need practice and I can’t just let you keep screwing up” “Bastard. Fine. But only cause you’ll probably sulk if I don’t come cause no one else will play with you” “Look who’s talking, idiot” Sasuke smirked in triumph when he saw the other boy scrunched up his nose and let out a disgruntled huff. “Just get ready! I’ll beat you for sure tomorrow! Believe it!” Sasuke didn’t get a chance to reply, left mouth hanging open as he stared at the disappearing form of the other boy as he sprinted hurriedly through the trees He stuffed his hands into his pockets and turned the opposite direction and made his way home. If he’s smiled the whole way thinking about about tomorrow, no one needed to know.

He slept peacefully that night.

#sasuke uchiha #naruto uzumaki #pre- #sasunaru #but not yet #my writing #mine #kakaobirin

[jesseevelann]

Some of the shitty AU's I've composed over the past year

Modern world single dad Obito au, where Obito works as a highschool teacher and struggles to win custody over the kid he and Rin had together.

Naruto and Sakura working with their adoptive father Obito in the Akatsuki behind the Hidden Leaf's back.

This ones a roller coaster - Obito returns to the Hidden Leaf after that mission, after getting help from Madara and the Zetsu, he returns to a normalish life after Madara passes. He becomes Jounin, and is even runner up for Hokage after Minato... but behind the village's back, he's working with Zetsu to complete most of the Infinite Tsukoyomi. He broke out of the manipulation years ago, but pretends go be under their thumb to complete his own plan for world peace. He helps Itachi kill their clan, and continues on with the nine tails attack and Akatsuki manipulation. He makes friends with village folk, and even helps Kakashi with team 7 as an honorary sensei. And on his missions, he slips away to the Akatsuki to keep a firm eye on what Pein and Nagato are doing. As a Jounin, he encounters the members of his organisation and is forced to fight them. As Tobi, he gets to see just how much his team has grown.

Modern setting teacher Obito au. Obito works at a big, slightly trashy highschool as a maths and history teacher, teaching his teammates in another universe, and giving detention slips to his enemies. A strict, cruel man... who works as an assassin when the school shuts.

Modern setting demon Obito au. A sacred, winged creature worth a lot of money dead or alive. Stuck in the world of mortals with no way home, he takes sanctuary anywhere he can. After being captured by a gang that called themselves the "Akatsuki", and his life threatened, he gives up hope. But the one watching over him, a thin blonde in his late teens, sets him free. Since that day, Obito has made a vow to return the favour.

Deidara, a young prince of the kingdom of Iwa, living his boring castle life. His personal servant, a much older man with glasses, being his only entertainment. Obito spends his days scrubbing floors and tidying up Deidara's room, and taking orders from the king and Deidara 24/7. Deidara never found out why such a fancy, an oddly sexy, man would be working as a servant, or why the others give Obito strange, almost terrified looks... but one fateful night, when Obito kills a bandit to save Deidara's life, all of his questions were answered

Shortly after Boruto's birth, Naruto and Hinata get a divorce. With split custody, Naruto raises Boruto on his own the best he can, with the help of his friends and family. Years after his split with Hinata, Naruto starts to notice something wrong with Boruto after he returns from Hinata's for the week. He's thinner, and ill looking. Panicked, he postpones several meetings to take Boruto to Sakura. Boruto had been starved, and even beaten. Naruto has enough, and enforces full custody of Boruto, knowing exactly why Hinata was doing it. A way to get back at him, and a continuation of the Hyuuga clan's traditions. In his moment of need, Kakashi steps up and takes care of Boruto in the day, and helps Naruto with everything he can. He moves in, and slowly falls in love. Naruto reciprocates, and Boruto gets a new mama.

Trans Sakura (mtf) and trans Sasuke (ftm) au

Obito is an ancient vampiric diety that is awakened by a snobby highschool kid, Deidara. A curse is unleashed as he is released, and Deidara has to spend his time hiding a vampire bound to his soul from his parents and friends

Sakura is an infamous murderer on the run, wanted dead or alive. Luring people in and taking there lives in a gruesome way. Slow, painful deaths, and horrible medical experiments. Sasuke, who sought her out, gets kidnapped. He begs for mercy, he only wants to join her. He wants to be with her, he wants to assist her. He wants to be hers. Reluctant, and untrusting. Sakura agrees. She takes Sasuke with her, and he only falls in love with her more watching her kill.

Trans Boruto au. Struggling to come to terms with who he is, and amongst all of the bullying for changing from a girl to a boy Boruto asks his father for help. Naruto sends him to Sakura, someone he knows will help Boruto through his transition without judgement. Sakura is transgender herself, afterall.

#obito uchiha #uchiha obito #rin nohara #nohara rin #naruto uzumaki #uzumaki naruto #sakura haruno #haruno sakura #kakashi hatake #hatake kakashi #team 7 #the akatsuki #deidara #hinata hyuuga #boruto uzumaki #uzumaki boruto #sasuke uchiha #uchiha sasuke #sakusasu #narukaka #obidei #naruhina #former but it counts #transgender #t4t #tw abuse #tw child trauma

[captnjacksparrow]

I honestly agree with a lot of your opinions, and even when I don't, I think that your arguments are always well structure and respectful to other people.

But I have some questions (and I'm sorry if you have already answer them), (also sorry for some of my English, it's not my first language)

How do you feel about narusaku?

How do you feel about people changing certain aspects about Sakura to try to improve her character?

How would you improve Sakura?

How much do you think Sakura being a good character could affect the story?

What was the moment you really started to ship SNS? And what are you favorite moments?

(Sorry if there's ro many questions)

I honestly agree with a lot of your opinions, and even when I don't, I think that your arguments are always well structure and respectful to other people.

Aww!!!! Thank you, Anon. This made my day. 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

I will start from my favourite question (The one in the last)

What was the moment you really started to ship SNS?

I never wore any shipping lens, Anon.

Literally, I started to ship SNS only after Episode 478 or Chapter 698. Before that, I always had these doubts in the back of my mind.

'Something seems to be very weird between these guys',

'Why are they behaving differently compared to other friends?',

'Why Sasuke is behaving totally different towards Naruto?',

'Why Sasuke agreed to honour Naruto's promise under the bridge, despite having no shred of affection towards his other former Team Members?',

'Why Naruto is so obsessed with Sasuke?',

'Why Sasuke felt Naruto's chakra in Konoha and bothered by it?',

'Why Sasuke is protecting Naruto like a precious treasure only to end up wanting to kill him?',

'Why Sasuke has this weird obsession that ONLY I CAN KILL NARUTO but not someone else?',

So, I had all these questions piling up one by one inside my mind as the series progressed and I can't simply jump into a conclusion because I don't know what Sasuke was thinking. I hate one-sided ship and I want reciprocation. So, I usually put all these questions on the back burner and started to focus on the story. Damn!!!, The story was equally captivating and emotionally daunting. When Sasuke finally confessed his feelings towards Naruto in Episode 478, I simply couldn't believe myself but ship them. Because, in no world, Friends would behave this way towards each other.

So, to answer your question, it's after Episode 478, I started to ship them. But if you want me to say when exactly I started to doubt their level of friendship??

It's this moment,

Now you may think, 'Yeah, you saw two boys in a close proximity and decided to ship together. It's nothing strange'.

I have to say, Close proximity was the last thing, I felt from this scene. My reason was those heart breaking scenes that happened before which led to this specific moment.

I will make it as short as possible. I'll start with this

God!! I wanted to punch Sasuke so badly when he said this with a deadpan expression. It looks like he was lying just to get power. I thought, 'Sasuke!!! What a lying piece of crap you are!! If you want to kill Naruto, Just do it. Why doing a fake confession? '.

It doesn't help as the fight progressed because Sasuke was really playing football with Naruto and when this happened,

I was shell-shocked because, the Sasuke we saw so far is no more. It even confirmed my thoughts about the fake confession. Which sane person will ram Chidori through his Close Friend's body?.

After many blows were exchanged, I simply wished for one thing. Naruto should win and Sasuke should be stopped no matter what. When the final Rasengan vs Chidori happened, I couldn't understand what was going on inside that power ball. Naruto and Sasuke look at each other with pained expression and we see the younger version of them smiling at each other.

And then finally we see a knocked out Naruto with Sasuke standing and looking at him without any expression and was about to say, 'Naruto.... I' which was interrupted by rain and when Sasuke felt a stinging pain in his arms and falls down on his knees. He coughs up blood and then this iconic scene happens.

That scene conveyed many things

Sasuke wanted to kill Naruto but couldn't.

Sasuke meant what he said. Naruto is his closest friend, it’s not a lie.

Sasuke couldn't severe his ties completely with Naruto.

Sasuke's pain of saying 'Goodbye' is greater than the stinging pain in his arms.

Sasuke deliberately, I repeat deliberately and not accidentally, came close to look at Naruto's face and experiencing something that, we, audience don't know. 

So, you see, Anon. The emotional train wreck that led to this scene made me really doubt about their depth of feelings they had towards each other for the first time. That's when I thought, 'Something seems to be very weird between these guys, what is it?'

And what are you favorite (SNS) moments?

There are two moments which shows how Sasuke is playing an emotional battle within himself. 

1. Sasuke, Susanoo, Naruto, Minato

This happens right after Sasuke said to Obito, “Not you.... The one who is going to sever the past is....me”.

In this moment, Sasuke can pretty much let Naruto to die, because nobody is trying to kill Naruto. Still, he saved him with a 3 layered protection. The best part is Sasuke acted quicker than Minato, the fastest shinobi, to protect Naruto. Surely Minato wouldn’t want to blow up near his Son, for whom he gave his life once. It’s just that Sasuke is extremely quicker at this moment. 

2. For some reason, My Sharingan deactivated on it’s own

If only, Sasuke maintained his Sharingan, he could’ve traced Naruto’s movements and deflected his upper cut and would’ve successfully landed his Chidori through him. But he just couldn’t. 

Both these scenes happens in a span of a day but Sasuke’s emotions fluctuates a lot when it comes to killing Naruto, protecting Naruto, can’t kill Naruto. 

How much do you think Sakura being a good character could affect the story?

To be Honest Anon, Storywise ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

Yes, I agree with her amazing performance in Gaara retrieval Arc where she tagged along with Granny Chiyo and almost killed Sasori.

After that ????

She did nothing in the Sasuke Reunion Arc. It was all about Naruto vs Orochimaru, Yamato’s Wood style jutsu, Sai’s betrayal towards Orochimaru. Geez!!! I liked her attitude in this arc but totally spoiled when she was standing simply like a wooden doll when Sasuke was about to stab Naruto. It was Sai who blocked Sasuke.... I was like, ‘Girl!!!! You said you will save Sasuke for Naruto when he went into 4 tails mode. What happened now??? Why are you not stopping him???’

She was just making Food Pills in the Rasen Shuriken Arc.

She was basically climbing from one tree to another in the Sasuke killing Orochimaru to Sasuke joining Akatsuki Arc. Even Naruto’s role was very minimal in that arc except he met Kabuto, Dead soul of Jiraiya, Itachi, a split second meeting with Sasuke where he got Chidori’ed and fought with Tobi. 

She was just a spectator praying for Naruto in the Pain Arc. Yeah, she did healed few people and punched some monsters. But it just doesn’t matter. Even Konohamaru killed a Pain in that arc. 

She turned into an Asshole by making a fake confession towards Naruto and decided to kill Sasuke in the Kage Summit Arc. I think, this is where Kishi decided to shit on her mercilessly by making her into someone who was going to hurt both of her team mates mentally and physically. Basically Kishi transformed a clever medical Ninja who can find an antidote in a matter of hours to an asshole who believed Naruto did everything for her and even more of an idiot by planning to kill Sasuke with just a poisoned Kunai. Isn’t she the one who told Kakashi that Sasuke was given forbidden drugs to improve his strength after their Reunion??? Can’t she put 2+2 together to know Sasuke would be immune to poisons because of his days spent with Orochimaru??? Yeah, she did impacted the story. But it was not for her development. Sakura’s foolishness made Naruto and Sasuke to meet each other again and made a promise. So, you see, she was just a tool that pushes the narrative development of other characters, not her own. Her development took a big blow in this arc.

She was non-existent in the Naruto-Killer Bee Training Arc.

She was just healing people and punched some zetsu during Powerful Edo-Tensei Shinobis vs Allied Shinobi forces Arc. I expected her to have a special fight. But Nope. Even Ino, Shikamaru and Choji fought Asuma, Kakuzu and Kinkaku, Ginkaku brothers. 

She was non-existent in the Uchiha Madara vs 5 Kages mini arc

She was non-existent in Obito vs Naruto, Kakashi, Might Guy and Killer Bee mini arc.

She was non-existent in the Sasuke & Itachi vs Kabuto mini arc.

She was non-existent in the Edo Tensei’ed Hokages and Team Sasuke arc.

She was punching some Juubi Clones in the Official War Arc which will never make a difference to the story. At the same time, her character was transformed from an Asshole who hurted her teammates to an horny biasshhhh who wants only Sasuke’s D. She summoned Katsuyu and was healing soldiers. But there were an army of Medical Ninjas too. So her absence will not affect the story in a big way. She did Lip to Lip CPR for Naruto though. Again, that would never help Naruto in a major way unless he was helped by Obito by placing Bijuu inside him. Again, Kishi didn’t make her the sole saviour here. Instead, she was used as a medium to facilitate Obito’s transformation from a bad guy to good guy. Kishi made Obito as the Saviour here. 

She was useless and was not able to destroy Obito’s rinnegan in the Reincarnation of Indra and Ashura vs Rikkudou Sennin Madara arc.

She was useless in the Kaguya arc. [Sorry, that punch won’t make any difference because Kaguya must be stupid to not use her 360 degree vision to see Sakura from behind. With Naruto and Sasuke has already become a demi god at this point, her clown show is incomparable].

She was useless in the final Naruto vs Sasuke arc.

So, you tell me Anon. Did she make any impact to the story that served as a major twist?? 

The story revolved around Naruto and Sasuke. 

Itachi, Obito, Jiraiya, Madara, Hashirama and other Hokages were the game changers of this story. Meaning, their presence or death will change the story by a huuuuggge margin.

Tsunade, Orochimaru, Team Nagato, Kabuto helped our protagonists in a BIGGGG WAAYYYY.

Akatsuki were just amazing who gave us the sense of thrill as well as fun. 

Even Sakura being good will never impact the story because she had no dedicated arc written for her.

But, if she were written as a good character, my viewing experience would have improved in a relaxing way so much so that I don’t have to press my fast forward button whenever she appears and I wouldn’t be writing this post explaining why I hate her.

How would you improve Sakura?

Simple, By writing her similar to Rin Nohara.

No obsession but a simple love towards Sasuke.

No toxicity but caring friendship towards Naruto. 

That’s all.

How do you feel about people changing certain aspects about Sakura to try to improve her character?

Well, that means they would qualify as a fanfiction writers, aren’t they??.

Also, this inherently proves that she is a piss poor character and people wants to change certain aspects of her which they find annoying. But it will 100% end up being OOC. And I’m not into reading those OOC stuffs, Anon.

I always believe in accepting what the author has given rather than trying to fix their work. Because the author writes a character deliberately to make the readers feel what he intended in the first place. Kishi could write a redemption for even someone like Orochimaru towards the very end. Like, he literally made him to help Sasuke, not as a human predator, but as a former Master and an admirer. He wrote him to help Tsunade and other Kages. So in the end, Orochimaru was not hated like he was hated in part 1. If he can write something for Orochimaru, why not for Sakura??? 

You know how I can redeem Sakura in just 3 or 4 panels?

Let me tell you.

After that fake confession, Sakura could talk to Naruto,

“I am very Sorry, Naruto. I know you will never take things in your heart. But still I shouldn’t have used Love as a tool to make you not to do something. I was an Idiot to not realize how badly you want to save Sasuke. It wasn’t just for me. But it was for Sasuke and also for you, as his friend and also for us as Team 7. So, how about we go to Ichiraku, for a nice lunch??” 

While confessing Sasuke for the second time,

“It seems you still want to go on to that dark path, isn’t it?. I am not the most powerful ninja in this world and I know I can’t trade blows with you. But still.... if you try to hurt my friend, Naruto and my master, Tsunade. I will fight with all my strength to kill you..... Even though I love you”

I am pretty sure, if Sakura confessed something along these lines, everyone would have admired her and it shows her emotional maturity as a Kunoichi who wants to do something to this world as well as a person who is ready to kill someone she loved in order to protect the people she holds dear.

In chapter 699. Before saying Goodbye to Sasuke,

“I am very Sorry, Sasuke. I never really understood what was going on inside your heart. And, I always forced myself on you because of my selfishness. I really feel bad for those things. I never really became your friend in the first place. How about we say farewell as ‘a good friends’, before your redemption journey??” (Shakes hands.... End of Scene)

How is this???

Is it pleasant to read?? Of course, Yes.

I am pretty sure it wouldn’t take more than 4 or 5 panels. Kishi could’ve easily did something like this. Am pretty sure readers would’ve been satisfied. Her fans too. Even I would’ve forgiven her mistakes.

But Kishi didn’t and I am very sure it’s deliberate. Because, this very same Kishimoto could able to write Konan, Tsunade who acts with so much maturity without whining like a little girl.

Which shows Kishi clearly hates this character and never wanted to redeem her. 

So no matter how many people improve this character, it will never be believable.

How do you feel about narusaku?

Naruto always placed Sasuke as his priority, Anon. That’s always the case. So, apart from SNS, if you want me to say whether NaruSaku had any potential?

I would say, yes, NaruSaku had potential. I will not deny it. Naruto had some liking towards Sakura compared to the absolute indifference towards Hinata.

There are some moments Sakura genuinely cried for Naruto without anyone’s influence. I liked it. Say, the scene where she cried on hearing ‘A Jinchuriki without Bijuu will die” and with Yamato she told, “I can only do little things for Naruto”.

These are all coming from her own heart. No one instilled inside her.

[[[ That’s why I will not accept her realization of ‘Annoying, huh? So, this is how Naruto must have felt too. Maybe I should be a little nicer to him next time’ as genuine in Episode 3. Because she realized only after Sasuke roasted her. I want feelings to emerge subconsciously rather than instilled by someone. ]]]

Unlike the asshole Sakura she was in part 1, Sakura started out good in Shippuden. I was surprised with her development in Gaara Retrieval Arc and was not at all annoyed by her presence. (Except when she said she will save Naruto and Sasuke from Itachi.... Grrrrr.... Biashhhhh.... Do you know Itachi’s abilities first of all??? He can crush you like a meatball with his Susanoo)

I started to feel, ‘Wooow!!! She has improved a lot. Great!!!!’.

Even though, she was useless in Rasen Shuriken Arc, She still made an effort to make food pills for Naruto. She even hugged Naruto much to his surprise, before all the villagers and especially before, ahemmm Hinata after defeating Pain.

Despite all of these moments that had happened between them, I could only see them as a pair formed of mutual tragedies rather than mutual attraction, Anon. In their case, Losing Sasuke. I wasn’t 100% sure whether Sakura moved on from Sasuke or not. Because When Sakura was looking for Sasuke with Kakashi’s Tracking dogs, she was still in love with him. So Sakura fluctuates between her obsession with Sasuke and some genuine feelings towards Naruto. 

Kage summit Arc is where everything changed and finalized. Sakura was crying like an annoying shit when she heard that Sasuke joined Akatsuki and was wanted by Raikage. This clearly shows her obsession has flared up again and ‘Poof’ all the development she had with Naruto was thrown into drain. 

On top of it, the fake confession. Grrrrrr.......

Plus, Naruto officially closed the possibilities of this ship by saying, “Sasuke, I know the Truth of Itachi from a guy named Tobi. I don’t know whether it’s true or not. But whatever you’ve been doing so far (hunting Killer Bee, ruckus in Kage summit conference, trying to kill Sakura, Kakashi).... It’s all understandable”.

If Naruto truly, wholeheartedly, deeply loved Sakura, he wouldn’t have said something like, ‘It’s understandable why you tried to kill Sakura”. He should have beaten Sasuke into a pulp. Or atleast shown some intense anger. Instead, Naruto was talking to Sasuke and making promise by saying ‘We will die together’. It’s like Sakura playing cupid for Sasuke and Naruto.

Naruto was okay with someone trying to kill Sakura whereas he was not okay with someone trying to kill Sasuke and even went to the extent of hyperventilating. This is why I feel any other ships are incomparable with SNS. 

After that Sakura started to behave rabidly towards Sasuke in the War arc which I can’t help but feel disgusting. So, anything she did for Naruto in the War Arc was overshadowed by her crazy obsession towards Sasuke. That’s why her CPR doesn’t matter, Sakura healing Naruto doesn’t matter. [Naruto has his own regenerative abilities, so whatever she does will not matter much for him]

So, NaruSaku was closed officially by Naruto and Sakura. It couldn’t sail because of the presence of Sasuke. 

At the end, I felt like Sakura used Naruto for getting her man back ready for romance rather than a killer mode Sasuke. I couldn’t feel the friendship they once had or any familiarity. 

I just hate people who don’t value friendships, anon. Sakura was not even a good friend, first of all. Yeah she had her friendly moments here and there. But, at the end of the series, she was not. A war has just ended, many people lost their lives, her supposed ‘best friend’ Ino lost her father. Why can’t she help her out emotionally? Why can’t she do some fucking good stuffs for this Shinobi world like her other teammates?? Instead, what she did was ‘let’s go and persuade Sasuke-kun to lend me some D by going along with his journey. Because I am so horny’. 

It not how you were in the beginning, It’s how you ended up being. She started this series as a worst friend and she ended up as a worst human being for me. How can I ship such a person with Naruto????

#ask #naruto analysis #anti narusaku #anti sakura #sasunaru #sasunarusasu #sns #naruto #sasuke

[snickiebear]

Hello, snickiebear! Congratulations on your 200 followers! If you have the time, would you mind writing Shisui x Sakura in a nonmass au? I’m actually curious about your take on a time travel scenario with this pairing, but I also understand that a lot of works have been written on time travel already, so it’s still awesome if you don’t do the time travel part!

Congratulations again and thanks for taking the time to read this ask! Your works are really enjoyable to read. Thank you so much for writing and for doing this 200-follower event!

hello lovely anon!!! thank YOU for reading and requesting!!!! this one was so much fun to write! you ask for time travel + nonmass + shisaku? i am helpless to deliver!! this is a bit more angsty than i wanted but are we surprised? (nope, not at all lmao) this is also now on AO3 bc i really liked it!

also, apologies that this took a bit!! lifes been a real fuckin bitch and the wall of writer's block hit me like a train AHAHAHA but i hope you like this one!!! :)))

The sky is sunny and the spring beautiful when the sky splits itself in half with a brillant, blinding flash of light.

Shisui, masked and riding the after mission high, can only stare as a body plummets from that crack, limp and silent.

It is as if the heavens have spit out what they have deemed unworthy.

Or perhaps, the heavens are dropping a gift on their doorstep.

Either way, Shisui is moving before he knows what is happening, catching that body— a woman with shaven pink hair— and holding her close, head tucked under his chin.

She’s breathing, chest rising and lowering feebly.

Shisui catches his breath as the fracture within the sky closes and only then does he notice the mask.

Porcelain and painted. A combination of a snake and fox, a wolf and slug.

His ANBU team materializes next to him, Dog-taicho’s chakra going from lazy to alert at the sight of the woman. “That’s…”

“Yeah.” Shisui says hoarsely. “She- she needs medical attention. I think.” There is a lot of blood, she’s dripping in it. But he can’t see where she’s bleeding from… or if all that blood is even hers.

“Let’s go.” Dog-taicho cuts through his thoughts, voice hard and a bit panicked. Afterall, Kakashi owes his life to this woman, they all did.

Team Ro blurred out of existence in their race to Kohona, their Savior clutched within his arms.

.

.

.

It's funny, really. When she looks back, as she so often does now, it's laughable. The fact that Haruno Sakura, the civilian born, the nobody, the weak one of Team 7 is the only one left.

Sakura was the only one left in the war against Kaguya and she had done what she has always done; what was needed.

So, Sakura was the only one left and she figured out what was left of Naruto’s seals and shot herself through time to fix everything, to save everyone. To take down Danzo, Hanzo, Madara, to save Sai, the Uchihas, Kakashi.

She was the one to heal Obito, to save Rin, to make sure that Itachi’s hands would never be stained with his family’s blood.

And now, now she sits in a T&I room and she laughs, laughs herself hoarse because she succeeded, she won. And now she is in the future, her intended destination, but it is not the same.

In this future, Haruno Sakura does not exist. She is nothing and no one.

Naruto and Sasuke are alive and well and happy. They get to live the lives they could have only dreamed about.

And Sakura. She doesn’t exist.

She laughs herself hoarse, the laughs turning into broken sobs and she drops her forehead to the table, hiccuping and clenching her hands into blood inducing fists.

Alone. As she always has been.

The door creaks open and Ibiki steps in, a folder in hand.

Sakura’s head snaps up, wiping her face as she almost sighs in relief. She loved (loves?) Ibiki, he once was one of her closest friends near the end. She knows Ibiki, trusts him. Or, at least, she had.

Sakura straightens in her chair, careful of the chakra suppressing handcuffs that really do nothing for her, just acting as a hindrance. But, she does not remove them because she is not a threat to Konoha, she never has been, never intends to be.

Ibiki sits down in front of her, eyeing her carefully and it almost feels like coming home. “You say your name is Haruno Sakura.”

“Yes.” She rasps, licking her cracked and bleeding lips. “That’s right.”

Her eyes flit to the glass window, ignoring her own reflection as she narrows her eyes at whoever is behind the wall. An unknown chakra signature, wild and worried. And— and—

Kakashi.

His cool and lazy chakra, almost like a current of electricity. She would know that chakra any where, as if it is engrained deep in her bones. And right now he’s interested, almost antsy.

Swallowing, Sakura looks back to Ibiki, who had been watching her keenly. “You already had Inoichi-san do a mind walk. You know everything I do.” Shoulders back, chin tilted, spine steeled.

The dead man that sits in front of her hums and opens a folder, “We believe you—”

“It is not a matter of believing.” Sakura snaps, eyes flashing. “You know it is a fact. He saw, he showed you, you saw. How could I ever make something like that up?”

“What we know,” Ibiki says too calmly, too pleasantly, “Is that you are severely traumatized.”

And Sakura well, she laughs again. Because. Because what else is she supposed to do? She gives and gives and gives and is given nothing back.

There are no fruits for her labor, no reward for her sacrifice.

Shoulders shaking as she cries and laughs, scrubbing at her face. “We were friends, you know.” She manages. “I made you laugh twice, once after I lost my middle finger,” Sakura holds up her hand to show him, unsure of why she is even talking. “The second when you were dying in my arms.”

Silence rings out as Sakura gathers herself, swallowing harshly. Ibiki is still looking at her, but the way is no longer cynical, no longer studying.

“Haruno—”

“Just Sakura,” She says wearily.

“Sakura-san,” He continues, “When you were brought in you had a mask on. A mask that has been seen countless times saving Konoha shinobi.”

Sakura does not dare mention the fact that she has also interfered with Suna, giving Gaara the childhood he deserves. And with Mist, cutting the head off the snake quickly enough that the caste system would never truly solidify.

So, she nods. “I am aware.”

“And you claim you are the person behind the mask on every occasion.”

Sighing, she runs a hand over what is left of her hair and makes direct eye contact with her once friend, giving a curt nod, “I am the person behind the mask.”

“One last question, Sakura-san.” Ibiki murmurs, jotting something down in his folder. Sakura forces herself not to read the familiar writing. Though, she is well equipped to read upside down. “How did you come to possess the rinnegan?”

The air drops from mildly uncomfortable to freezing and Sakura does not balk at the question. “You saw it for yourself, Ibiki. It was a gift.”

“Yes, but from who?”

Her heart aches, squeezes at the thought of Naruto, of Sasuke, phantom pains. It is as if she has lost a limb, a piece of her heart when they had turned to ash between her fingers. But Sakura does not waver as she says, “It was a parting gift from Uchiha Sasuke before he died.”

The unknown chakra behind the wall erupts into a mess of emotions while Kakashi’s is mildly surprised if not wary. There is tension between the both of them though.

Which is incredibly amusing considering it wasn’t until much, much later did Kakashi ever see anything to be wary about in her.

(It took her flicking the ground and allowing it to split open and swallow any of their pursuers to convince him that she could very well tear him in half without a second thought.

She wouldn’t though. Team 7 and its members will always be a soft and deeply bruised spot for her. A wound she could never quite heal. Sakura cannot remember a time when she has ever been bruiseless. She has come to terms with being wounded.)

Ibiki closes the folder and taps it on the steel table between them, he motions over his shoulder and the door opens swiftly, revealing Kakashi and another Uchiha with curly hair.

He’s just as she remembers him, except not. Her Kakashi had slouched, had a certain energy about him.

This one, he looks the same, has the scar, the slight slouch. But it is clear that ghosts no longer beat on his back, the world's weight no longer bends him to its will.

Pain races through her heart, echoing physically throughout her body. It hurts. It shouldn’t, seeing her old sensei, her once friend, happy. But it does.

Because while she cannot live without Team 7, it is clear Team 7 can live without her.

She straightens, eyes sharp and body tense as Ibiki stands, chair scraping harshly against the floor and then takes her hands into his, calluses and scars scraping against each other.

Sakura could only imagine what Tsunade-shishou would say if she were to see her, riddled with scars and missing fingers. She could have healed them without a second thought, but chakra had been precious then. Every single ounce had been poured into keeping her precious people safe and herself alive enough to keep fighting.

Her once friend produces a key and unlocks the handcuffs, letting them drop heavily into his awaiting hands before standing up, “Sakura-san, this is Hatake Kakashi,” Her former teacher gives her a hard once over. “And Uchiha Shisui.”

Her skin itches and crawls at Kakashi’s look, cold and unfond, nothing like how she remembers him. And of course, of course he wouldn’t be the man who she had come to adore. He is someone else in this carefully constructed future of her own doing.

The blame, as always, rests upon her weakening shoulders. Sakura is crumbling, her sanity chipping away ever so slowly. It is laughable, really. She wants to throw her head back and howl, she wants to bow and allow herself to scream.

But, if she were to begin to scream, she is not sure she would be able to stop.

So, she gives a curt nod, “Hatake-san. Uchiha-san.”

“Shisui, and therefore the Uchiha, have volunteered to bring you into their custody.” Ibiki goes on, taking a step back. Sakura stays where she is, rooted.

A chill runs up her spine and she looks to Ibiki almost pleadingly. “And you can’t simply dump me into ANBU instead?”

“Mah, Sakura-san.” Kakashi drawls and Sakura’s will cracks. (That bruise will never quite heal.) “I can promise that the Uchiha aren’t as bad as they seem.”

Shisui smiles and it is unlike any smile she has seen before.

She cannot remember the last time she had seen a smile.

“Don’t listen to the old man, Sakura-san.” Shisui says and she’s caught off guard at how friendly he sounds, deep and welcoming. Sakura swallows harshly. “We’re a bunch of assholes but no harm will come to you, we can promise that.”

Uchiha men, she thinks with distaste, will always hold a knife to her heart. And they will always know how to twist the wretched blade to get her to bend for them.

But. But perhaps Sakura could bend, bend and lay and rest. Just once. And this time she'll bend for herself. Perhaps.

She finds herself nodding, hands shaking despite the steel in her spine, her shoulders still straight. “You’re going to just let me go.”

Ibiki gives her a hard look and Sakura’s lips twitch. Ah, of course not. The Uchiha compound is just a glorified prison. Then again, it is much better than anything she thought would happen.

Then again, Saura never thought this would happen.

Too desperate, too blind with the possibility of a chance to see them again, to be whole again. She, for all her brains, all her genius, had not even stopped to think of the possibility that her future would no longer exist.

It is laughable, really.

So she laughs, she clutches her stomach and laughs because what else can she do?

Sakura has done what she has always done; what was needed. And once again, like every other time, there is nothing but black at the end of the tunnel. No light exists for her.

She is to blame for her own destruction, her own crumbling.

.

.

.

“You can come out,” Sakura’s voice calls out and Shisui grins.

He steps from the shadows, two mugs in hand as he comes to sit next to her, offering her the drink. She takes it without hesitation but swirls it before sipping from it, Shisui watches as her eyes light up just a little bit.

Hot cocoa with peanut butter. He had noticed, the last time the clan had it, that she’d snuck four mugs worth.

If Sakura was surprised he noticed, she didn’t show it. She was like that, a one way mirror, giving nothing away even as she saw everything.

“Did you want something, Shisui-san?” She twitches as he scoots a little closer, the fireflies floating around the backyard. “Or did you just want some company?”

Shisui smiles boyishly, tilting his head back to look at her, “Heard that Minato-sama called you into the Hokage’s office again.”

“You mean you heard from Genma, who told Itachi while on their date, who then told you that the Hokage summoned me for the fourth time this week.” Sakura snorts, taking a long drink from her mug. There's a little foam on her upper lip that he fights to not wipe away. “He and his wife keep trying to convince me to let them look at the seals I used.”

Shisui pauses, eyes trained on Sakura as she looks to the sky, head leaning back. Her hair has grown out a little, more fuzz on her head than anything, she looks more alive, well fed. Deep bags under her one visible eye, three nasty scars dissect her face and the rest of her body isn’t any better.

She is the most beautiful, most terrifying, most devastating thing he has ever seen.

“The seals you used…”

“To go back and hop through time like a jack rabbit to save the entire world?” She asks, a wry smile on her face. “Yes, Shisui, those seals.”

He hums, leaning back on the heels on her hands, “Why don’t you just let them look?”

“They aren’t my seals to share.” Sakura half snaps, shoulders curling in, her body strung tight. “Naru— my friend was the one to draw them out, I just figured out the last bit of it. Plus, there is no reason why they need to see those seals.” Her tone sharp, unyielding almost pleading.

Shisui stays quiet until Sakura begins to slowly relax. She gets like this sometimes, tense and defensive. As if trying to convince herself rather than him of her deeds. He knew better than to push, he knew that she had gone through more than anyone would ever go through.

The way Ibiki and Inoichi look at her with the utmost respect can verify that. The way Kakashi and Rin and Obito have gone out of their way to greet her, to help her speaks volumes.

He takes a drink from his mug, studying the stars winking above them. “Hey Sakura,”

“Yes?” She sounds oh so weary. His very soul aches.

“Thank you, for everything.” He doesn’t dare look at her, barely hearing himself over the pounding of his heart. “You don’t talk much about what happened but I know, I can tell that it was horrible. And thank you for saving us, the world.”

She had lost everything, everyone. In that future that she had protected them from Sasuke died, Itachi died, he was dead. He could only imagine what the ruins of that world looked like. He could only imagine what Sakura had to do to survive.

Sakura’s fingers are cold, freezing as they brushes the back of his hand. Shisui fights a shiver, the trail of goosebumps, the thrill. “Oh, oh Shisui.” Her voice is heartbreaking and full of nothing but steel. “I would never allow anyone to endure that. You will never have to endure that, I made sure of it. Never. No one will. I promise.”

Her hand draws back as she brings her knees to her chest, eyes far away and breathes quick. And Shisui, he doesn’t know what comes over him as he scoots even closer and carefully wraps his arm around her strong shoulders, drawing her closer.

And. And Sakura, she allows it. She moves to his side, not quite leaning but touching.

“Are you happy here?” Shisui finds himself asking after long minutes of silence. Sakura’s breath evened out and she sits with her chin on her knees.

Her eye flits to him, weighing and heavy. She looks at him and Shisui cannot help but see the age, the ancientness that has taken root. He wants to pull out the misery within her, wants to hold her tight enough that she will never fall apart without somewhere there to catch the pieces.

He wants to love her, he wants her to let him love her.

“No.” Sakura whispers, as if her unhappiness in a world that does not know her, that has done nothing for her is such an awful, wretched thing. “I miss everyone.”

Shisui cannot say anything so he does what he does best; what he wants.

He stays with her, arm resting on her shoulders and slowly, Sakura allows herself to lean into his side.

Around them, the night settles and the crickets chirp. The heavens had nothing to do with Haruno Sakura, with their Savior, coming to them. No, Sakura is the catalyst of this, of this paradise they now all reside in.

If anything, she is the heavens themselves. And it is about time someone tells her that, shows her that.

.

.

.

Sakura sees them for the first time in the five months she has landed in this new future. Itachi invited her to meet his genin team. Itachi, the man who had once been a mass murderer, is now a mednin and a jounin sensei.

Shisui joins her because of course he does, he has been the one constant throughout this entire ordeal. The Uchihas are nothing like she thought they would be. The Uchihas are everything she hoped they would.

They are loving, friendly, welcoming, and thankful. Mikoto is nothing but heaven sent sunshine and cloud soft embraces, Fukago is nothing but a deep rumbling laugh and fond looks.

No one is the same, nothing is the same.

Shisui is there though, at her side, at her back. She trusts him, gods, she trusts him. Despite her better judgement, despite everything. Sakura trusts Shisui.

So, Shisui joins her as she takes to the roofs and to training field 7. She’s finally been cleared for the mission roster and given her jounin blues. Though, Sakura has yet to decide if she even would enjoy going on missions.

Maybe with Shisui.

But she does not think she has a taste for violence anymore, for killing. Maybe she'll spend her days with Kakashi's dogs and holed up in the libraries. Maybe she'll visit Gaara or Chojuro.

She had yet to meet Tsunade, who had been hunting for her since Minato (the bastard) had let it slip that Sakura was in possession of the rinnegan and the byakugan seal. Shisui is exceptionally good at playing discractor as Sakura flees to rock in a corner until he finds her. He's good at that, holding her, letting her breathe, allowing her to find solace within his arms and his space.

They step onto the training fields and Sakura freezes mid step to watch as Sasuke, Naruto, and Sai (oh, oh Sai. Sweet Sai, oh.) attack in perfect sync.

They’re fourteen if her math is correct.

They move smooth and swift, nonverbal communication as if they had been working like this for years. It's beautiful, really.

Something ugly claws at her heart, catching on an already scabbing part to rip open a new wound. Simply another reminder that Sakura is not needed. She never was.

It's laughable, really.

Shisui’s fingers massages the sides of her neck with his fingers, the spot where her skull and neck meet. “You’re tense.”

“They have beautiful teamwork.” She chokes out.

He looks at her, long and open, “We can go home, if you want.”

Shisui’s good at that t00, the open ended question, the way of making her not feel trapped. He's too perceptive for his own good, she has yet to tell him anything except what is on record. But, but. He knows. He knows of Kakashi, of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sai. It is both a relief and a terror. “No.” She manages, curling her hands. She is Haruno Sakura. She has faced the impossible her entire life. Ghosts are nothing compared to gods.

At least, that is what she tells herself.

“I’ll be fine.” Sakura glances up at him, licking her lips. He watches the movement before his eyes flit back up hers and he offers one of her favorite smiles. The one where his dimples are visible, where she can see the small chip of his front tooth and the way his top canin is a little crooked.

Itachi calls the spar minutes later, the boys slumping onto the ground and breathing heavily. Sakura offers a small smile as Itachi nears them, waving a hand in greeting.

“Ah, Sakura-chan.” He grins, then looks to Shisui, dry amusement clear in his tone, “Shisui.”

“You’ve trained them well,” Sakura praises, watching as Naruto (oh gods, Naruto with his big blue eyes and blonde, blonde hair) pulls a limp Sasuke (a Sasuke who laughs freely, who smiles, and is loved) onto his feet, Sai huffing a chuckle from the ground.

Itachi practically beams at the praise, “They are very talented. And you would like to meet them, yes?”

Shisui’s thumb traces the bumps of her spine and Sakura is reminded that she has forged herself from the ashes of her friends, that she is borne from war and steel. She can do this. Shisui is here and she can do this. “Yes, I would love to, Itachi.”

Shisui’s hand burns through her clothes as they follow Itachi, the boys immediately catching sight and freezing at the sight of them. Sakura will never admit it out loud that she has been avoiding any and all people from her past (present? future?).

One look at Ino, whole and happy and sassy, and Sakura had almost gone insane. And then Shikamaru and Chouji, all together, all smiling. Gods, Sakura had fallen to her knees at the sight. Such grief, such loneliness—

She’s better now. She is.

“Team 7.” Itachi says, “This Haruno Sakura, and you already know Shisui.”

Silence.

Sakura shifts under the wide eyed gazes of the boys, the men she loved (loves?) with her entire being. “It is a pleasure to meet you,”

Naruto recovers first because of course he does. And he smiles at her, he smiles at her and Sakura wants to claw at her skin and cry. Shisui intertwines their hands, as if sensing that urge.

“I’m Uzumaki Naruto!” He’s fourteen and he's alive and he’s happy. He isn’t out of the village, he’s here because he has a clan, he has a family. “Is it true that you’re the Savior?”

Sasuke smacks him in the back of the head with a scowl, “Be polite, dobe.” To Sakura he offers a bow, “It is pleasure to meet you, Haruno-san. I am Uchiha Sasuke.”

Sakura’s lips twitch despite herself. Never, not once, did Sasuke ever bow to anyone. He had always been arrogant, but here? Now? It's laughable, really.

She glances to Sai and he isn’t as pale as he once was, his cheeks are full of color, his eyes brimming with life. “I am Senju Sai, Haruno-san.”

And. Sakura pauses at that. Senju Sai, huh. Perhaps she'll have to face Tsunade sooner than later. The thought added to the dread filled pool in her stomach. But. But, she could do it. Maybe.

“It is very nice to meet you all,” She croaks and then offers a very brittle smile. “And Naruto-kun,” She fights a shiver at the honorific. “That information is S class, but find me when you make jounin, hm?” And for a moment she could pretend that everything was okay and she was teasing her Naruto. Just for a moment.

Much to her amusement, all three boys pout, looking to Itachi who shrugs, “You heard Sakura, now, let’s see formation Alpha but reverse.”

The boys groan and Sakura can’t help the smile, a smile with teeth.

She can feel Shisui’s eyes on her before she even turns to look at him. Her body is shaking, Sakura realizes blankly but Shisui still holds her sweating hands, squeezing ever so slightly. “Ready to go?”

Sakura swallows, staring up at him, studying him. And oh, she is so tempted to uncover her eye, to memorize his face. “Yes. Let’s… let's go home.”

.

.

.

He wakes to warmth pressed against his chest, warm breaths against his neck. Their legs are tangled, her arm thrown over his side and brushes against the bare skin of his back. Both of them are missing their clothes, Sakura preferred being able to feel the skin on him, the brush of flesh between them.

What they have, it is something deeper than any type of physical act. No, what they have… well, Shisui can not put it to words. There are no words. There will never be words.

It is rare for Sakura to sleep soundlessly and through the entire night. Shisui kisses her forehead, above her seal, on one of the many scars of her face. She doesn’t stir except to shift ever so slightly, hugging him closer.

And if Shisui’s heart melts, no one else is there to see the absolute brilliant smile on his lips.

“Sakura,” He murmurs because if she doesn’t get up soon, she’ll miss her lunch with Ibiki (who gets very grumpy when his time with Sakura is cut short), “Sakura.”

She grumbles, limbs tensing for a moment, a single breath before melting once more. “Shisui,” Her voice is rough with sleep, the sound swirls and dances around his bones. “G’mornin’.”

Shisui laughs, a soft push of air, as Sakura leans back to peer at him, both eyes uncovered as she studies him, the look like a physical caress. “Good morning.” He whispers, kissing her forehead once again.

“What time is it?” She murmurs, eyes drooping closed.

“You’ve got about an hour before Ibiki comes knocking.” Shisui chuckles.

Sakura snorts, pulling away to stretch her arms above her head, arching her back in the way that Shisui can admire every muscle, every scar, every part of her. “Then I better get up,”

“Or, you could always stay,” Shisui cajools, to which Sakura only laughs. The sound is beautiful and full and makes his heart beat a little faster.

“The last time I canceled on Ibiki was when I had to help Itachi with his and Genma’s wedding plans, and he sent little Terror Ino after me for a week.”

Shisui cracks an even wider grin, “Well, at least you got some nice clothes out of it.”

Laughing again, Sakura leans down to kiss him, “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Go on,” Shisui shoos, making a little gesture with his hand. “Have fun, I’ll be here when you get back.”

“Promise?”

“Always.”

She cups his face, thumbing the sharp of his cheek bone before leaning forward to kiss him again, "I love you." Then. "I am glad that my suffering brought me to you, that I landed here."

"I love you." He returns, barely a whisper as he brushes hair behind her ears. His heart beats for her, cracks and aches and swells. All for her. "There will never be a time that I will not love you. There will never be a time where I do not see you and see everything you are, everything you have done."

The sky is sunny and the spring beautiful as Sakura, the very heavens themselves, mouth splits into a brilliant, blinding smile.

(Sakura has crumbled and broken, she has fallen apart over and over. She has always known how to put herself together, until she couldn’t.

But Shisui, oh Shisui, he has always been readily available with glue and tape. He will always be there to hold her together with his bare hands, ready to bleed for her, with her.

She has given and given and given. He is willing to give everything back to her tenfold.

It is the very least she deserves, the very least the world can gift her. Shisui will always be willing to give more.)

#silly things from silly friends #i hope you like it anon!!! thank u again :'') #shisaku #a shared pen

[iguanodonwildman]

Rambling, Unorganized Naruto Band AU

Minato is a former teen idol turned manager for a band composed of Rin, Obito, and Kakashi. They’re on their way to the top when Obito is injured in a stage accident that ultimately ends his music career. Rin leaves the music industry as a result and starts working in sea turtle conservation. (Obito resurfaces years later as an EDM musician with a mask under the pseudonym Tobi.)

Kakashi dicks around as a solo artist for a few years and eventually starts managing an up and coming band composed of Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto.

Sasuke’s older brother, Itachi, was a rising star. Under pressure from his manager, Danzo, he teamed up with a band called the Akatsuki to toughen up his image. The Akatsuki were a rock band with a reputation for partying hard. While Itachi does gain new fans, he falls into the world of drugs and eventually OD’s.

Sasuke is determined to avenge the Uchiha name, so he has to make it to the top. Unfortunately, his band mates aren’t as dedicated. He’s eventually lured away by producer, Orochimaru, who promises to make Sasuke famous, and goes solo. (Sasuke plays all his own instruments in the recording studio, but team taka are his touring band.)

Sasuke and Taka eventually part ways with Orochimaru to start their own indie label.

Sasuke is replaced in Team 7 by alternative musician Sai. His older brother, Tenzou, is a bit overprotective because Sai is autistic, so he sticks around to ensure his little brother isn’t taken advantage of. That, and he has a crush on Kakashi.

Unless otherwise stated: nations are record companies, Hokage are presidents/ceos, Summons are mascots, teams are bands, and Sensai are managers.

Team ebisu: Konohamaru, moegi, and udon are high school students in ebisu’s music class. Konohamaru is Naruto’s biggest fan and next door neighbor.

Sand siblings: Theyre a death core band, or some kind of metal. Gaara on lead guitar and vocals, Temari on drums, Kankuro on bass. Kankuro and Temari also do cool special effects for their music videos. Shukaku is a creature mascot they made up for their band of the same name.

Team 7. Sakura plays drums and does backing vocals. Sasuke plays bass and lead vocals. Naruto plays lead guitar and refuses to be resigned to backing vocals. Sasuke has the best voice and is the most musically gifted, but Naruto has passion. Sakura is the only person holding this mess together. Sai joins them later and becomes their main lyric writer. Kuruma is their mascot. Naruto constantly tweets picks of his pet toads. Kakashi literally has 8 dogs. Menma is an artistic persona Naruto assumed in a set of music videos.

Team 8. Kiba and Hinata both do vocals. Shino is heavily influenced by classic Linkin Park. Kiba plays drums. Hinata plays keytar. Shino plays bass. Akamaru is Kiba’s dog and the official band mascot. Kurenai does all their album artwork.

Team Gai. Tenten plays drums. She’s heavily influenced by all girl rock bands. Neji sings and plays piano. He is classically trained. Lee plays the drums and posts behind the scenes videos of everything and it’s almost always just videos of Neji doing normal things and then getting mad about being recorded. Gai is a very active manager.

Team 10. This band has RANGE to rival Fergie. Ino is the top female artist of the year. She sings and plays lead guitar. Choji plays drums. Shikamaru plays bass and gripes about practice. Asuma tells them not to do drugs - He does not practice what he preaches. I have a very vivid image in my head of Ino covering Jet’s “Are You Gonna Be My Girl?”

All four teams have toured together pretty regularly.

Team Taka. Suigetsu plays lead guitar. Juugo plays bass. Karin plays drums. Sasuke plays any other instrument needed and sings.

The Sannin. They rose to fame quickly but split soon after due to artistic differences. Orochimaru became the next mcr. Tsunade started her own record company. Jiraiya writes bad romance novels for a living.

Team Minato. Kakashi sings lead vocals and plays bass. Rin plays lead guitar and sings backing vocals. Obito plays drums. (Maybe switch Rin and obito’s instruments?)

The akasuki. Nagato is the head of their indie record label before they’re bought by madara’s company. Yahiko is nagato’s assistant. Itachi records with them but he’s not an official member of the band. They tour together a lot. Same with Tobi . Orochimaru was a guest artist on one album. Konan plays keytar and sings lead vocals. Deidara and Zetsu are roadies and head the special effects crew. Kakuzu plays drums. Hidan plays lead guitar. Sasori plays violin. Kisame plays bass guitar.

Idk how the fourth shinobi war fits into this, but I imagine there’s some kind of revolution in the music industry? Or maybe Madara advocates for vocaloids and auto tune over real musicians cause if he’s not the top artist, nobody can be! And Tobi, as a DJ and EDM artist can totally get behind that because it doesn’t affect his job security.

The founders are some sort of musical pioneers? Maybe like the Beatles? Tobirama is @k1dekismadaratemple’s swag tobirama. They eventually break up because Madara and tobirama won’t stop fighting. Hashimada also complicated things.

Kaguya is obviously some sort of musical pioneer, too. Maybe Elvis-like? Ooh! Or she invents auto tune! Or just makes it popular. Or maybe she’s a vocaloid!

Neji and Hinata’s dads were in a band together. When they broke up, Hinata’s dad got the rights to all of their music,

Idk I just needed to get this mess out of my head. Enjoy!

#naruto #naruto band au #idk what this is but do with it what you will? #team taka #team minato #team 7 #team 8 #team gai #team 10 #sand siblings #sannin #themastertactician #akatsuki #this is a mess

[crackshipper13]

Prompt 1- Time Travel

Rating: T 

Pairings: NejiHina, Past/Future Past Nar*Hina 

Based off of the Boruto Time Travel Arc, more specifically the ending episode.

----------- 

Isn’t there something you want to do? 

The Time-Traveling tool Karasuki had been asked this question by Boruto Uzumaki while taking him back to his own time, and he really didn’t have an answer. 

He was merely a tool after all, what could he possibly want to do? 

The Turtle bounced around time and space until eventually deciding he would just land where he landed, and be used as he was used. 

It was his nature after all.

Coincidentally, he landed on top of the counter top of the Uzumaki Household, it being the next day after he had returned the boy and his mentor. 

He rested there among the containers, regathering his chakra until he was picked up.

Slender hands cradled his shell as his fins flailed out with a mechanical whirring sound and soon his head poked out to the meet the surprised face of Hinata Uzumaki. 

“ Ohayo. I am Karasuki, the Noble Device. Allow me to advise you on the procedure of my operation.”

She turned him over before righting him, as if wondering which one of her children he belonged to and who gave him to them. He did have a bow on his shell after all. 

“ Confirming Procedure. My operation will be hindered if any steps are made out of order.” 

It was a very polite Turtle as the Uzumaki Housewife took out a wash cloth and walked him to the table, setting him down on it. 

“ And what is it you are meant to do?” The soft-spoken woman asked, tilting her head to it. 

“ Uzumaki Hinata-Sama.” She almost flinched at that name, “ I am a transportation device. I bring you to the time of your choosing. I must first be charged with Chakra in order to Operate. 

Once Charged, Please Configure my transfer settings.” 

“ Transfer? To wherever?” 

“ Hai.” 

“ Past or Future?”  “ Of course.” 

-----------

Hinata had considered herself a selfish person for a while now. 

Ever since Naruto turned his attention onto her, she had felt as if she had done something wrong in terms of him, especially when his attention gradually drifted away again.

Like she had captured him instead of freeing him, trapping him with her as his smile bled away to a shadow of it’s former self, even to the point he stayed in his office instead of being with her and/or their children

And she considered herself selfish for hating it and wanting it to return without letting him go. 

So, she decided to be selfless for once.

The turtle’s eyes glowed and the bow unwrapped, the shell splitting as he glowed, the orb of light expanding as she remembered her son asking about his Uncle Neji as she stepped into it. 

Neji...

There was a vortex of color, an aurora borealis as boxes of dark lined in glowing color moved upwards to wherever they ever they may go. 

She was a woman on a mission, rusty though she may be from years of peace and eventually just being a wife and mother, though you may be surprised how many times Byakugan and other techniques helped out in raising children. 

Eventually the world turned white and she fell from the sky into a camp on the edge of the battlefield. 

----------

The Fourth Ninja War was no joke, it being worse than she recollected as she glanced over the dead and the injured begging for medics as she moved through the groups of the dead and dying, eventually finding a uniform of black with a green vest and the headband that symbolized you were a part of the war, tying it around her neck as it was a familiar weight that made her heart heavy. 

It was real. 

This was real.

Karasuki had been in her hand since the fall, though she had paid no mind to him, only vaguely hearing he needed to rest as she tucked him into her weapon’s pouch when she acquired it. 

This was a one-time thing. 

If she died… It didn’t much matter as she was changing the future anyways. 

And she knew deep down it was for the better. 

“ Byakugan.” She murmured as her veins bulged, allowing her to see all around her for a vast distance, much more improved than her younger self as she quickly found where Neji and her were, Naruto just collapsing at that time as she was caught by the enormity of the Ten tails. 

Her Nightmares had the Ten Tails and Obito many a time, mocking her and Naruto about Neji’s death in the hell of sleep. 

She grit her teeth but bowed her head as she merely ran forward, stopping and using Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm to deflect attacks she knew were coming, even if it impaled and immediately killed others. 

If she was more of a hero, or maybe stronger like Naruto or Sakura she could have protected them all from that. 

She watched as her father bashed away the Ten Tail’s hand with the technique she was going to use to save Neji, Eight Trigrams Vacuum Wall Palm, or for short, Hakke Kuhekisho.

She watched as the wooden hand of the Ten Tails arched up and splintered in an attack solely made for Naruto. 

She watched as her younger self jumped in front of it, and then Neji. 

But she was a step faster than all of them, knowing everything that was going to happen, the hell that had haunted her Nightmares for years as she jumped in the way of Neji. 

“ Hakke Kuhekisho!” Her battle cry was much more of a roar now that she was older, all her rage pushing at the stakes and stopping them, flinging them away as she landed on the ground with Neji, whom turned back to stare at her. 

She had made no attempt to hide her face, and she berated herself for it as she turned away from him. 

“ Who are you?” His biting tongue lashed at her back, his glare died down as the last of his chakra to hold the Byakugan was gone- the reason why he sacrificed himself rather than deflect it as he had no chakra left to do so. 

“ No one of consequence.” She murmured, her voice lower than her younger self’s but it was clear who was still speaking as she was grabbed on the shoulder and turned around, Neji never one to dance around an issue as his eyes widened. 

“ Hinata-Sama?” His tone was shocked and, confused as they looked back to the younger version of her, whom looked to them confusedly as she helped up Naruto, whom was trying to power back up.

“ Don’t. I’m doing what I need to do to protect you. No questions. 

No Sacrificing yourself for me. Do not die for the Main Branch.” 

He seemed to be taking this so well for what it was, but so many things were happening with the dead being brought back to life and Tailed Beasts being brought back, nothing was impossible in the middle of their war as he watched her,“ I wasn’t dying for the Main Branch Hinata-Sama. I was dying for you.” 

“ Well never do that again!” Older Hinata snapped to him as tears streaked down her face, “ Promise me you will not kill yourself for me!”

“ Hinata...” He dropped the Suffix as he watched her, “ No matter how long I’ve been dead in your time, or your world, wherever you came from- You should remember I would never make such a promise.” 

--------

He looked back to her younger self as she supported Naruto, Older Hinata looking back as well. 

“ Aren't you happy with him?” He asked almost softly.

“ Why does that matter when he is not happy himself?” The Hokage’s wife answered solemnly before she looked back to the Ten Tails whom was crushed between Yamato’s Mountain Jutsu, “ It’s time to face Obito. Neji, I will not let you die as long as I have a say in it.” 

“ And neither will you.” He answered as she looked once more to Naruto, walking over to him before clasping his shoulder as him and her past self looked to her in shock. 

“ I know I am not nearly as motivating as Neji-Nii-San dying, but Naruto-kun you cannot lose this fight.” She then started moving her Chakra to her hand, feeling her nearly full cup pour into his. 

“ We must defeat Madara and Obito.” 

----------- 

“ Shall we head back to your time?” Karasuki asked once fully recharged, having snagged leaking chakra to recharge faster. 

“ Yes.” Answered the scarred Uzumaki-Hyuuga, whom looked to the ends of the war, seeing Team 7 as Sasuke and Naruto had lost their arms as Sakura scolded them and Kakashi chuckled, looking to see everyone coming to them from a distance as Hinata supported a wounded but alive Neji as she cried in happiness, “ We did what we could.” 

“ Affirmative.” The world turned white and soon she was traversing back to her time which was no longer to be her own. 

When she landed, she was in the Hyuuga Compound. 

She wondered what had happened before walking for her old room. 

Wounds that she had gained in the war knit and faded, leaving very little scarring from some wounds she had received as her past self. 

Her memory kept the past, but bled with knowledge of the future before she stopped in front of her room, hesitating before she opened the door, looking to the more open room with the bigger bed as sleeping there was Neji. 

She moved over to him and reached over, tenderly touching the unmarred flesh of his forehead as he peeked open an eye sleepily to her before grabbing her hand and giving it a kiss of affection.  

“ Good Morning Koi.”

#NejiHinaWeek2019 #NejiHina #I hope you guys enjoy this contribution #I hope to be here all week #Anti Nar*Hina

[kyogre-blue]

Naruto Shippuden: ep 471-474

471-472: 

Hagoromo appeared to exposition dump on the Hokage team by using Madara’s cast off legs, which contain chakra from the bijuu and also both his sons. Ngl I’m kinda weirded out realizing that these body parts are just lying around. Not sure why, I expected them to just dissolve into nothing after being cut off. 

Hagoromo doesn’t have any chakra left because he gave it away (to Naruto and Sasuke). Otherwise he would have some. 

Here is the start of Obito’s death and it’s so bad. AC knows how much I complained in the chat. Highlights include: 

Ghost Rin out of nowhere, for no reason. 

Kakashi: “thanks for helping me die, Rin, now the three of us can reunite in the afterlife.” Obito: “Kakashi would just get in the way, let’s spend some time alone with just the two of us, Rin.” 

Dude, she’s still fourteen. This is awkward. 

I know it’s a joke, but it’s a very misplaced one. 

It’s hard to take Naruto chiding Sasuke about teamwork seriously when here is Kakashi spouting off the same nonsense about being useless. 

Obito and Kakashi are both totally OK with dying, but... gotta... be useful...

WHY the Hokage obsession. Worse, they use the “fill the whole in his heart” phrasing, which was previously used for having people you’re close to in general. But I guess Obito can’t imagine having a family or friends or even just comrades without being The Most Useful In The Village. ????? awful

Zetsu really, really wants to drag Obito. Weirdly mad at him in particular. 

Naruto says that since Obito had a dream of being Hokage, he was definitely cool. OK, but you’re the one who dragged him a bunch for giving up on that dream!

Rin and Obito’s conversation is so bizarre. Rin is just totally ok with him committing every atrocity under the sun and then jokes “who are you going to save this time” like he regularly saved people?? I’m gonna write that fic about Rin being stonecold down for mass murder, I swear

473: 

Speaking of the afterlife. I am against it. 

Sakumo was specifically hanging out in a void with a campfire, but apparently you don’t need to do that, you can just move on into technicolor space and clouds land. 

Rin apparently knows everything and can talk to Obito before they finalize being dead as such. But I guess no one bothered talking some sense into Madara while he was dead. Or telling the dead Hokage team anything, since they didn’t know about the massacre either. 

The afterlife has the same general look as any communication via just chakra. It does have different colors, though I’m not sure how to interpret them. Rin is pink-purple. Kakashi later is teal. Obito had been grey-blue. And I think Sasuke way back when was yellow...? 

“Chakra is an energy that connects two worlds” aka the living world and the afterlife. SINCE WHEN how did this work before chakra???

After being sufficiently damaged Kaguya loses control of the Juubi, which starts splitting into the bijuu. Might be because of contact with the bijuu chakra in Naruto. 

Kakashi’s Susanoo is a vivid blue. I always forget that they come in different colors, since Sasuke and Madara are both purple. 

Kekkei Moura... 

Good Bye Miss Kaguya

Ditching her in a moon in her own dimension is better than before, I guess. 

lol @ Kakashi going “you’re a great team now” when Sasuke hasn’t once acknowledged him or Sakura this entire time. 

474: 

Madara just... got spat out. What is this spitting out fixation of Kishimoto’s

I don’t understand why Hagoromo invoked the ghosts of the other Kage. Half of them weren’t even in the war and have nothing to do with Team 7 or Kaguya. Why was this the qualification? Using the jinchuuriki would have made more sense. 

I still don’t understand how B survived all this. 

Hagoromo is going to talk to Obito in the afterlife. I really... don’t like this afterlife thing...

Everyone watching each other’s heartfelt goodbyes is intensely awkward. 

Taken without fillers and excessive flashbacks, the Kaguya battle is rather short and unimpressive. 

#now playing #watching naruto

[pain-somnia]

A Tale of Two Carps

Characters: Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Fam, mentions of KakaRin, and a little SasuSaku (they babey) Rating: K+ Disclaimer Day’s Notes: Happy Bday to our fave boy! I originally plotted this out as a backup fic for @a-year-of-naruto a seasons themed general Naruto zine. I just really wanted to write some Modern AU Uchiha family fluff, so here’s some 17 year old Obito doting on his baby cousin, 3 year old Sasuke around the time of Kodomo no Hi (Children’s Day) I hope you enjoy the fic and make sure to check out my spotlight and all of the other contributors.

A Tale of Two Carps

The classroom’s curtain fluttered when the breeze rolled through the window. The students were supposed to be using their break time to prepare for their test but the coming holiday was on their mind.

“Obito,” Kakashi pulled his manga away from his face to look at his friend properly, “not that I care, but what are you doing?”

“Shit!” Distracted, Obito pricked his finger with his needle. He sucked on his index finger and then wiped it on his pants before getting back to the blue fabric on his lap.

Ignoring Kakashi, Obito returned to his work of embroidering on the fabric on his lap. The days were closing on him and he had to finish his project before the fifth of May. School really cut into the time he could have been using. Instead he had to deal with the bombardment of exams they were being given before their holiday break.

“It’s a windsock!” Their class representative and best friend, Nohara Rin, supplied after examining the nylon material. “Are you making a koinobori?”

Obito nodded his head enthusiastically, grateful that the carp was obvious in the design. He continued stitching the pattern of the scales, glad that his first attempt was coming along so well.

“Aren’t you a little old to hang a windsock?” Kakashi asked before hiding his face behind his manga again.

“It’s not for me,” Obito rolled his eyes, “it’s for my cousin! I noticed his windsock was looking a little beat up so why not make a new one?”

“This is a lot of fabric, Obito.” Rin lifted one end of the nylon attempted to stretch it out. “And you’re hand sewing all of this? How big is it?”

“About as tall as Sasuke-kun.” Obito hummed and went back to sewing sequins to the scale pattern. He hoped the sequins would catch the sunlight and shimmer as the windsock waved with the breeze.

“Oh, the younger brother, right?” Rin pulled a seat closer to him and assisted him in attaching the sequins.

“Of course,” Obito scoffed. “Why would I make one for Itachi?”

Kakashi curled himself inward, attempting to block out the lecture Rin was giving Obito about how he favored his youngest cousin too much. Sasuke had been born when they were in their third year of middle school and even now that they were high school seniors, Obito continued to spoil his baby cousin.

“I mean, how can you say no to that face,” Obito cooed every time he got called out for it. It wasn’t as if Sasuke asked for anything, but it didn’t stop Obito from showering the toddler with affection.

Most of the students were excited for Golden Week to take a break from school. Obito was looking forward for the holiday break because he could spend as much time as possible at his Uncle Fugaku’s house which meant more time around his favorite relative.

.

.

.

“Sasuke!” Obito squatted down so that he was at eye level with Sasuke and opened his arms wide to intercept a hug that wasn’t coming.

“Why is Obito-nii here?” Sasuke pouted, gripping tightly to the straps of his backpack. “Where’s kaa-san?”

Obito hung his head in defeat. It was always the same reaction from him whenever Obito showed up.

“I even ran all the way here,” Obito muttered at the ground.

“He’s leaving without you.” Kakashi kicked his rear to get him moving. Obito yelped and rubbed his rump. Rin giggled into her hand before coughing and turning to scold Kakashi.

“Wait, what?”

Ignoring his best friends interaction, Obito spun around to find his baby cousin walking ahead with a blonde woman and her rose gold haired child.

“Wow. He even got a little girlfriend before you,” Kakashi drawled.

“Shut up!”

Obito watched as the little girl rambled enthusiastically and waved her hand around talking to both her mother and to Sasuke. Sasuke wouldn’t speak but would nod or shake his head at certain intervals. Obito’s eyes traveled down to the joined hands of Sasuke’s friend and her mother.

I should be doing that too. Obito stood up and dusted off his pants, strengthening his resolve.

“Well, we’re off to our date. Good luck with the cousin, Obito.” Rin patted him on the shoulder reassuringly. Kakashi put his hand on Obito’s shoulder and stared at him for a moment before shaking his head.

“You could be more supportive, Kakashi,” Obito grumbled. He adjusted the strap of his messenger bag for school and the strap for tote bag he used to carry his windsock materials on his shoulder and sped up to catch up to Sasuke.

“We hold hands when walking near the street, Sasuke-kun.” Obito waved his hand cheerily in front of Sasuke, urging him to grab it.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at his older cousin and then shook his head. Instead he reached for his friend’s hand and held onto it.

“Don’t be weird, Obito-nii.”

Obito hung his head in defeat again. He loved his little cousin, but gods was he a little shit.

“I’m sorry,” the little girl called out to Obito, misunderstanding the situation. “I only have two hands.

“You can ignore him, Sakura.”

One could only hope that Sasuke got better as he grew up.

.

.

.

After Obito and Sasuke split ways from Sakura and her mother who lived on a different street with more modern houses, he was finally able to take hold of Sasuke’s hand for the rest of their walk to Sasuke’s house. Obito took out his copy of the house key and unlocked the door.

“You can go now, Obito-nii.” Sasuke waved him off as he sat down at the genkan and removed his shoes.

“Oi. I’m here to babysit.”

“I’m not a baby!”

Obito sighed and slipped out of his sneakers and into the spare slippers he used whenever he visited. He could only hope that Itachi came straight home from his elementary school and helped with Sasuke. With his luck it was more likely that Itachi and Shisui would stop by the park on their way home.

“Let’s get you washed up and changed into some house clothes and I’ll make you something to eat.”

“Onigiri?” Sasuke asked hopefully, unpacking his bento box from his backpack to hand to Obito.

“Yeah, I guess that can be a snack.” Obito set the timer on the rice cooker so that the rice would be ready after Sasuke was washed up and changed into his sleepwear.

It was a struggle to get the toddler to settle down for a shower and then bath. By the time Obito was able to get Sasuke cleaned up for a bath he was completely soaked as well. He set his clothes to wash and dry in the connected laundry room and bathed as well.

“I want Roar-chan.”

“Roar-chan isn’t waterproof, Sasuke-kun.” Obito reached into the bucket of bath toys by the bath and handed Sasuke a toy tugboat.

“Where were Kaka-nii and Rin-neechan going?” Sasuke asked, dragging the toy across the surface of the water.

“Kakashi promised he would take Rin to a café last week and she’s cashing in on that today.” Obito leaned back, sinking his body further into the water.

“They were holding hands.” Sasuke dropped the toy and formed a water gun with his hand and squirt water at Obito. “I do that sometimes too.”

“Oh, yeah? With who? Sakura-chan?”

“Maybe.” Sasuke shrugged but averted his gaze. Obito laughed at the redness of his ears and Sasuke splashed water at him.

“Okay,” Obito coughed through the waves of water, “time to get out. Don’t want you to overheat.”

Obito changed into some of his uncle’s sweats and left Sasuke on his own to change into his pajamas. He insisted he was fine on his own without Obito’s help so that left Obito with making something for him to eat. He had just finished forming all of the rice balls when the front door opened.

“I’m home.”

“Itachi-niichan!”

“Hey Itachi, go wash your hands and━what the hell happened to you!?”

The eight year old stood in the gekan covered in dirt. Shisui stood right next to him, covered in even more dirt, if possible.

“Take off your shoes and socks and head straight to the bathroom,” Obito instructed them, snatching their backpacks before they could take them into the house and ruin Auntie Mikoto’s floors. “Shisui, don’t you have your own house?”

“Don’t you?”

“I’m babysitting!” Obito snapped, dusting the backpacks in the doorway.

“I’m not a baby!”

This is going to be a long afternoon, Obito groaned inwardly, picking up the discarded dirty socks and shoes.

.

.

.

Once Itachi and Shisui were soaking in the bathtub, Obito was able to sit Sasuke down to eat his onigiri. Sasuke wasn’t as quiet a kid as Itachi but when he sat down to eat he focused on the task in silence. Even with how quiet it was, Obito preferred it over his own home. He had been adopted by his great-uncle after his mother passed away during his first year in middle school but he was almost never home. Uncle Madara was far too busy with work and was only around for important holidays.

“I’m finished,” Sasuke announced setting his cup of barley tea down. He helped Obito clear the chabudai and then moved to the living room with a box of building blocks.

“Can we watch TV?” Shisui entered the living room, dressed in a pair of Itachi’s pajamas. Despite the two year gap between the two boys, Itachi’s clothing fit him well enough.

“Don’t you have homework?” Obito questioned him from where he was doing his own homework, a few feet away from where Sasuke was building a skyscraper.

“You’re never this strict with Sasuke,” Shisui complained.

“Sasuke-kun is three. He doesn’t get homework yet.”

“Yeah, I’m three.” Sasuke smiled smugly at Shisui.

“Only for two more months,” Shisui grumbled before turning to grab his backpack from the genkan. “Your cuteness will run out one day, twerp.” 

Obito got up and set down a plate of onigiri for him and Itachi when the two of them took out their workbooks.

The scratching of pencils on paper and the sound of Sasuke babbling as he played caused a tingle to run from the back of Obito’s down his neck. It was a soothing feeling, pleasant as he flipped through his math workbook.

He could do this, just this, everyday for the rest of his life.

“I’m still hungry.”

“You have two hands don’t you, Shisui?” Obito rolled his eyes but got up anyway to see what else he could scrounge up from the contents of the fridge.

“Thank you, Obito-nii!” Shisui sang out.

“Yeah, yeah.”

.

.

.

“Thank you so much Obi-kun.”

“It’s no problem, Auntie.” Obito sandwiched his cell phone between his ear and shoulder as he opened up his umbrella. “As long as Haruno-san calls the daycare it should be fine. I’ll see you when you get back from work.”

Obito ended the call and slipped the phone into the pocket of his hoodie. It was unusually cold but that’s how it got when it rained sometimes.

“What was that about?” Kakashi asked, shaking out his own umbrella. With Rin busy with library duties the two of them were left to head home on their own.

“My aunt’s friend had an emergency at the shop she owns with her husband, so she can’t pick up her daughter from daycare. I don’t mind babysitting her, she’s a cutie.”

“What’s up with you and toddlers?” Kakashi questioned as they made their way to the daycare. “First it was old people, now it’s babies?”

“Pre-schoolers are much better than the elderly. I might wanna be a daycare teacher.”

Kakashi walked with him until they reached the daycare and then he split ways, heading home in a different direction.

Oh my gods! Too cute.

Sasuke and Sakura were both wearing raincoats and boots. Sasuke’s coat was dinosaur themed and the green hood had blue spikes while Sakura’s was yellow and covered with ladybugs. She even had a matching umbrella that looked like a giant ladybug.

Little kids got all of the best stuff.

“Where’s my umbrella?” Sasuke demanded.

“Ah, shit.”

Sakura gasped at the curse and Obito slapped his hand over his mouth. Uncle Fugaku was always getting on his case for watching what he said in front of Sasuke during his impressionable years.

“I didn’t have time to pick it up, Sasuke-kun,” Obito explained quickly, hoping that the more words he said would cover his slip up. “We’re just going to have to share.”

Sasuke’s face scrunched up and he said, “No thanks,” before he opened up Sakura’s umbrella and held it up over their heads as best as he could.

“Little shit,” Obito muttered under his breath in disbelief. Just once it would be nice for Sasuke to be a little kinder to him.

He followed right behind them making sure they stayed a good distance away from the curb. They reached the road they needed to turn onto when the little kids continued walking straight ahead.

“Guys, we turn right left here.”

The two of them stopped and looked up at Obito. It was starting to get unsettling how Sasuke looked up at him impassively.

“We’re going to the conbini,” Sasuke explained as if it was obvious.

“Now why would we do that?” As far Obito knew Sasuke didn’t carry money on him because his aunt and uncle kept his allowance in a coin bank.

“You’re going to buy us ice cream.”

“Say what?” Obito looked from the firm stare Sasuke gave him to Sakura’s beaming smile. He turned back to Sasuke and reminded him that he didn’t even like ice cream.

“I like lemon-honey popsicles.”

“Your mom makes those,” Obito reminded him. “And she doesn’t like it when you eat junk food.”

“My mom also doesn’t like it when you use bad words.”

Was he really getting shaken down by two toddlers? Where the hell had he even learned about blackmail from? Obito stared long and hard at his baby cousin.

“Fine.”

“Sakura likes Häagen-Dazs.”

“I’ll hug you.”

“A fruit popsicle is fine.”

“It better be.” Obito opened the door to let them inside the convenience store. “I didn’t even know you knew how to pronounce Häagen-Dazs.”

.

.

.

Obito made sure that Sasuke and Sakura took a bath when they got to his uncle’s house and changed them both into warm pajamas. The last thing he needed was one of them getting sick on his watch.

He was sure after their snack at the conbini that their appetite was ruined and didn’t bother making anything to eat. He was sure that they wouldn’t be hungry before Itachi decided to show up.

With the two of them playing in the corner of the living room, Obito sat on the floor and leaned back against the couch. He tugged his tote bag closer to him and took out the koinobori he had been working on. It was almost finished and he could give it it’s last few touches before his aunt and uncle came home.

Sasuke was a brat, but Obito considered him his brat. He was still a child himself when Itachi was born and Itachi was odd from the start. He didn’t spend much time his younger cousin, not until Sasuke was born.

Sasuke was a difficult pregnancy for Auntie Mikoto and born prematurely. She was weak after the birth and Obito had nothing to do, not wanting to go to an empty house. When Auntie Mikoto returned home from the hospital with Sasuke, Obito made sure to visit every day after school and on weekends to help around the house.

So Sasuke was a brat and could try being a little nicer to people that weren’t his older brother or Sakura, but he was a big part of what made Obito feel at home somewhere.

“What’s that?” Sakura had shuffled over from where she and Sasuke had been playing and started gently poking at the shiny sequins on the windsock. Curious as well, Sasuke had wandered over and picked up one of the windsock and examined it.

“It’s a koinobori!” Obito spread it out on the floor to show off it’s carp shape. “I’m making it for Sasuke ‘cause his old one got damaged last year and looks a little beat.”

“But I already have a koinobori.”

“You can’t use that one, silly.” Obito ruffled Sasuke’s messy spikes. “It won’t hold up against the wind.”

“No, I have a new one. Tou-san bought it the other day. It has lightning patterns on the scales.”

“He...he did?”

Obito looked down at the finished koinobori and frowned. He was so excited about making the windsock that he hadn't considered that his uncle would replace the old one.

“You can have it anyway. Not like I need one.”

Obito sighed, resting his chin on his fist as he watched the two kids run off with his koinobori. It might not be serving its original purpose of celebrating Sasuke on Children’s Day but at least Sasuke was using it for something.

.

.

.

Uncle Madara was busy yet again even though it was Golden Week.

Obito used the days off from school to camp out at Kakashi’s place. During the day he split his time between hanging out with his Aunt Mikoto and Sasuke and helping restore the community garden. Apparently Shisui, Itachi, and Shisui’s friend Iruka had attempted to dig a tunnel system of sorts but none of the adults had caught them. Obito only knew because he found a necklace that could only have belonged to Itachi in the wreckage.

Now that it was the fifth of May, Obito had to meet up with his family at his Uncle Fugaku’s house to help his aunt make the sticky rice cakes with red bean jam and sticky sweet rice treats used to celebrate the holiday. He was sure that he would probably end up eating double portions of them again because Sasuke always gave them to him. It seemed that Sasuke was going to be one of those kids that didn’t like sweet foods.

“Huh?’

Entering the gate to their house, Obito noticed something sparkling from the corner of his eye.

“Just in time,” his Uncle Fugaku grunted. “Come help me with these.”

Uncle Fugaku held up the windsocks he had taken out to hang off of the side of the house. In his hand was one black carp, one pink carp, one red carp, and one sparkly, sequined blue carp.

“That’s the carp I made.”

“Yeah. We sent the one we bought to the daycare center.” Uncle Fugaku handed him a rope and together they knotted the kites.

They set up the pulley and yanked on the rope until the wind caught the flying carps. Just as Obito had hoped, Sasuke’s carp shimmered as it fluttered in the wind.

“Sasuke insisted we hang up this one up.” Fugaku clapped Obito on the shoulder and nodded towards the house, inviting him in. “He said that it was special. Didn’t matter that I got a carp with lightning like he asked me to.”

Sasuke was a brat, but he was a lovable one. Obito would gladly eat all of his sticky rice cakes for him. Maybe he’d make him some onigiri instead.

#uchiha family #sasusaku #day!fics

[darquedeath4444]

The Deity of Spring

Chapter TWELVE

Hatake Kakashi had been away from the base for months, and he could feel the feelings he had been trying to suppress while away coming back as he stepped past the guards at the gates and into their final fortress.

This was not the Land of Fire he had known, but the Land of Fire was, at its core, the people, and it simply felt as though the number of his neighbors had increased.

Now only if the unification and alliances had come for a reason other than an invasion by a Goddess.

He had been relatively well updated on the happenings while he had been away. Tsunade sent him regular reports, and Obito, his friend, sent him two letters for everyone the Senju wrote.

As though on cue, Obito bounded up to him. The guard who had just finished performing the security checks stepped back uncomfortably as the Uchiha skidded to a halt by his side. "Kakashi! You're back!"

Kakashi sighed. "Obito," he replied.

Obito grinned. "How was it?"

"Trying." Kakashi nodded at the guard in thanks. Behind him, the rest of his team appeared to have finished their own checks, and he could see the medics moving towards them for their own checks.

"I'll catch you later, Obito," he said. "I have more checks, and I am required to check in with Tsunade-sama."

Obito pouted. "But Kakakshi~" He whined. "You've been away for ages; don't you want to hang out?"

Kakashi rolled his eyes."I have to check in with the Hokage," he said. "It is required, and protocol."

Obito sighed. "I guess it can't be helped. I gave up on the chance to see something very interesting too, only to be treated like this."

Kakashi glanced over at his friend, curious. He huffed. "I'll find you later, okay?" he said, albeit begrudgingly, but Obito grinned.

"Okay."

Shisui watched Naruto wolf down his fifth bowl of ramen.

"This-this is amazing," Naurot said. The blond licked his lips and put down his bowl. He patted his stomach. "Like-wow."

"You've never had ramen?" He asked.

Naruto nodded. "We don't have to eat, though we do it sometimes because food tastes nice, you know? A little hard to find anything too fancy in a forest and all, but it's never bothered me much."

The blond stopped talking at a speed that made Shisui suspect he had bitten his tongue when Sakura turned towards him, napkin in hand, and wiped at his mouth. "You are getting broth everywhere," she chastised him gently.

"Heh." Naruto grinned when she pulled away. "Sorry about that."

Sakura smiled then turned towards Sasuke, who still looked asleep. "I told you you should stay in and sleep."

Sasuke mumbled something that Shisui could not catch, but Sakura sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

Naruto snickered. "He's jealous Sakura-chan spent the night with me," he explained. "Even though he had her the entire time I was away."

"She usually sleeps during the night," Sasuke muffled, this time audible enough for him to hear. "You have her most of the time."

Sakura sighed again. "We are not doing much if you are half asleep," she said, sounding amused.

"But I'm out here with you," Sasuke insisted.

"I can stay up," Sakura retorted. "You simply have to ask."

"Don't want you staying up for me."

Sakura flicked Sasuke's ear and the raven groaned in protest. He shifted so that his hair covered his face. "I do not have to sleep."

"What's going on?" Shisui asked curiously. "You don't have to share," he added hastily. "Just curious."

Naruto glanced over at Sakura, who was now whispering something into Sasuke's ear. "Sasuke and I complete each other. There's history there, though it gets so long and complicated I'd rather not go into detail. It's difficult for me to function when the sun is not up, just like it's difficult for Sasuke to function when the sun is up."

"Oh," Shisui glanced over at Sasuke, who was half-heartedly swatting away Sakura's hand from his hair. "How difficult is difficult?"

Naruto frowned thoughtfully. "Imagine you haven't slept in five days and you're lying down on a comfortable bed, but you're trying to stay awake."

Shisui winced. "Ouch."

Naruto grinned. "We can stay awake if we force ourselves," he said. "If we're well-rested and well-fed prior, we can manage an entire day or two."

Shisui hummed thoughtfully as Naruto hesitated, before ordering another bowl. Sakura frowned at him and the blond grinned sheepishly. They stared at each other for a while before Sakura smiled in exasperation. Naruto's grin widened and he recalled the order.

Shisui decided he did not have to know exactly how Naruto's stomach worked. "Can I ask..." he hesitated. "Can I ask about the Zetsu?"

Naruto and Sakura shared a look. "The Zetsu?" Naruto asked. "Or specifically the ones I beat up?"

Shisui suddenly felt sheepish, but Naruto simply grinned. He crossed his arms and dramatically puffed out his chest. "I beat them all up," he said simply. "There are a lot of them, sure, but that means I can kill many simply by lashing out in a single direction."

"Which is why you requested no one else be sent out with you."

Naruto shrugged. "I personally don't care," he said. "But I think you people do, and Sakura-chan definitely does."

Sakura slowly put her chopsticks down. Shisui noted the way the wooden utensils were placed neatly together, splitting the bowl perfectly down the middle. "Speaking of Zetsu," she murmured.

In the next second, Shisui felt a familiar signature approaching. "Oh, look! It's Tachi-chan!"

"Tachi-chan?" Naruto asked. Just before Shisui could answer, Itachi appeared at the mouth of the stall.

"Hello, Naruto-san." Itachi then dipped his head politely at Sakura, who had also turned around. "Sakura-sama."

"Hello." Sakura waved him over. "I take your leaders wish to see us?"

A smile tugged at the edge of Itachi's mouth. "Yes," he said. "Onoki-sama was spitting mad when you failed to report in after your return."

"There was nothing about Naruto reporting his return," Sakura said airily.

Naruto blinked. "No, nothing," he agreed.

Itachi appeared to lose his inner battle, and he smiled faintly. "I am aware."

Sakura eyed his cousin for a while before she smiled. She glanced down at her bowl again, then pushed it toward Sasuke. "Eat," she said. "I would like you both present when we greet the humans."

Sasuke flicked open an eye, and the onyx orb that looked around was the single most aware moment Shisui had seen since he had approached them. The raven pulled the bowl towards himself and sat up.

"Give us a moment," she told Itachi.

Itachi had only been half-serious when he had told Shisui to go see Sakura, but honestly, he was not all that surprised his cousin had gone and done just that.

As usual, walking with the Goddess garnered attention from everyone around them. Itachi was used to the looks being sent his way regardless, and he largely ignored them without so much as a bat of an eye as he led them through the base.

As far as he could tell, it did not bother the Goddess or her Guardians either.

He paused outside the main tent and nodded at the guard stationed there. "Uchiha Itachi," he announced, and seconds later Tsunade called out permission to enter.

The guard pushed aside the tent flap and Itachi stepped through. Three chairs had been set up for Sakura and her companions, but as he walked around the table to sit in his usual seat he saw the pinkette take a seat in the middle, and Naruto and Sasuke taking their positions behind her.

"Good afternoon," Sakura greeted.

"Good afternoon," Tsunade replied. "My apologies, we requested a meeting with you today to discuss the Zetsu your Guardian obliterated."

Sakura smiled. "I am aware," she said. "Go on."

Tsunade glanced over at her fellow leaders. "We have sent out a team to observe the battlefield after your Guardian's return was confirmed. We managed to extract several samples from the Zetsu and our men are running checks and the likes on them as we speak."

Sakura nodded. "Understandable," she said. "Has anything been discovered yet?"

"Not yet," Tsunade told her. "It has barely been a few hours."

Sakura nodded again. "I see." Sakura placed her elbow on the arms of the chair she was seated on and leaned back. "As you probably observed, Naruto is able to clear out entire battlefields, but that becomes increasingly difficult the further away the enemy is, for one. It should also be noted that his techniques will not tell apart friend and foe. Such fighting techniques can only be done in open areas."

"And what do you...suggest we do?" Mei asked.

"As I said, there are many things I would like to confirm," Sakura said. "The most important right now is the Otsutsuki ruins and Kaguya's seal."

Sasuke leaned down and whispered something. Itachi strained his ears but found himself unable to hear what was said. Sakura glanced up at her raven-haired companion, then nodded. "I will head out tomorrow, at dawn, towards the Otsutsuki ruins."

Her announcement was met but a burst of murmurs. "What?" Fugaku burst out. "Are you serious?'

Sakura eyed him strangely. "Why would I joke about such things?" She asked. "It is you that is being pressured by Kaguya. Zetsu continue to grow stronger. The more you engage in combat, the more they absorb knowledge gained from fighting you. Sooner or later, you will be overwhelmed."

"You said the ruins are being used to create them," A said, "If you go there, can you stop that?"

"I can," Sakura said firmly. "That will not stop the creation of Zetsu; they can be multiplied as long as there are dead bodies. Still, it will stop the constant flow of them."

A crossed his arms, frowning.

Sakura glanced between the leaders at the tables. "You can send your men with me," she said, "Just be warned that we will not slow down for you, so keep in mind to send those who can keep up."

Gaara narrowed his eyes. "Since your Guardian's rampage, the number of Zetsu in points we have been keeping a lookout on has gone down," he said. "It is still an early observation, but the pressure has visibly decreased already."

"You can afford to spare a few men to keep an eye on me," Sakura said.

Tsunade did not react to the comment. "How long do you reckon it will take you?" She asked.

"I will be traveling by air," Sakura said. "However, travel times will be limited. Ideally, I will arrive in two days."

"And you will leave tomorrow morning."

Sakura nodded. She tilted her head, then stood up without a word. "I am aware you will need time to discuss this," she said. "I will be waiting at dawn, at the gates. I will allow the accompaniment of those present by then. I will not wait for those who are late."

Sakura appeared to have decided she had said what she had come to say. Gaara watched her sweep out of the tent as swiftly as she had come. He could still remember the way she had talked to him earlier, in an almost casual manner,

Beside him, Oonoki slammed his hands down on the table. "Who does she think she is?"

"A Goddess," Mei reminded him patiently.

"We should discuss who we are sending with her," Tsunade said. "As Gaara said, numbers of Zetsu are visibly less than before. Still, we cannot let our guard down."

"A bare minimum," A said. "Any volunteers?"

There was a moment of silence. "Deidara is available," Oonoki finally said, albeit begrudgingly. "If travel is to be by air, an aerial form of transportation will be ideal."

The blond, who had been leaning back on his chair in silence the entire time, sat up and nodded.

"Hatake Kakashi returned this morning," A noted. "That man is skilled."

Tsunade nodded. "I'll have him summoned." Behind her, Shizune bowed and headed out of the tent.

"I suggest C," A said. "He is a skilled sensor and a good medic."

"C has been working with us to extract information from the Zetsu," Sasori spoke up. "He will be of use."

"Kiri suggests Utakata," Mei said. "I will have him accompany them as well."

"The decrease in Zetsu has lessened the pressure on the northern base," a woman from Iwa said. "The patrol party that returned just past noon reported that a path may be cleared to send it proper aid."

Tsunade nodded. "That was discussed earlier today," she said. Gaara nodded; plans regarding the northern base had been talked about in a Kage only meeting in the morning. "Kiri, specifically the Seven Swordsmen, will be dealing with clearing any remaining."

"The Aburame and Inuzuka will bring resources to replenish their stocks," Gaara added. He received confirming nods from the heads of both clans.

"Plans have already been relayed to them," Mei informed them.

"The path to the northern base overlaps with the traveling route to Otsutsuki ruins," Shikaku noted. "If they are to leave tomorrow, they can act as part of the accompanying party until their paths differ."

Mei glanced around at her fellow members, then nodded. "I will tell them that."

Gaara glanced down at the map again. He reached out and move one of the pins that represented Zetsu with one of his fingers. He then traced the now clear route towards the northern hideout. "The men there have been holding out for days," he said softly.

"Once a safe travel path is cleared, we will send reinforcements and replacements," Tsunade said.

"Can this be called breathing room?" Kankuro asked.

"Perhaps," Oonoki said, surprisingly softly. "Who knows how long it will last for."

A messenger arrived at their tent just before dinner. "Mei-sama summons you to the main tent."

Hoshigaki Kisame looked up from his sword. He frowned. "You who?" He muttered.

"Not me," Momochi Zabuza drawled lazily. "No thank you."

"Not me," Ringo called out.

"Not me," Kuriarare Kushimaru said.

"Not me either," Munashi Jinpachi said.

"I'm not going: Kuriarare Kushimaru said,

"I'd rather not as well..." Choujuro said.

All eyes turned to him, and Kisame realized his mistake. "I asked the question," he muttered in complaint.

"Exactly," Ringo said. "That's all you did."

"We have an agreement," Chourujo added.

"Get going blue," Kushimaru sneered, and Kisame felt his sword humming in his hand.

He sighed. "I went last time," he muttered.

Zabuza laughed. "You just suck at this," he said, and Jinpachi laughed in agreement.

"We'll save you dinner," Jinin said, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Mei-sama must be waiting."

Kisame sighed and stood up.

The God of Death walked carefully through the wrecks of the battlefield. "Her newest boy sure has made a mess," he murmured.

There was a familiar crunch behind him and he scowled over his shoulder. "I would appreciate a little more care, Haku."

His companion smiled sheepishly and he pointedly removed his foot from where it sunk into the ribcage of a corpse. "My apologies, Kimimaro."

Kimimaro glared at the ice that now latched onto the bone, then at the young male smiling innocently at him. Behind the God of Winter, there were white spots where he had walked, the grass-covered in ice and frost. Haku ignored his gaze as he stepped right up to him. "It's her, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"She went into hiding, didn't she?"

Kimimaro adjusted a piece of bone with his foot so that it was better aligned with the rest of the skeleton. "Whatever happened to no interfering?"

"She was the most adamant about it," Haku agreed. "But I believe the exact words were 'no interfering with human business'."

"Kaguya changes things."

"She is definitely not human." Haku smiled. "I hear the brothers plan to go find her."

Kimimaro scoffed. "They always have been close."

"I also hear she is currently in the heart of the human stronghold."

Kimimaro paused. "Where did you hear that?"

"A little bird told me."

Kimimaro frowned "Is that a human expression?"

Haku smiled. "It is."

Kimimaro sighed. "If she is sticking her head in, I believe it is safe to assume that this conflict will soon come knocking at our doorsteps."

"That is also a human expression." There was a certain smugness behind Haku's light smile.

"What about it?" Kimimaro narrowed his eyes.

Haku shrugged. "Nothing, really." He shuffled around, drawing a five-petaled flower onto the ground with trails of ice. "Shall we join the brothers?"

Kimimaro shook his head. "I cannot deal with their stupidity on a good day, and Kaguya certainly is not making my day good." He overlooked the battlefield. "I say we travel over to the ruins," he suggested instead. "We all know what Kauya wants, after all; Sakura is bound to head there."

Chapter THIRTEEN>

<Chapter ELEVEN

Chapter List

#SasuSaku #NaruSaku #Sakuxmulti #naruto fanfiction #deity of spring

[365daysofsasuhina]

[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day Two Hundred Sixteen: Walk a Mile ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: A Light Amongst Shadows ] [ AO3 Link ]

Sometimes she wonders what it would be like if people actually took the time to consider the circumstances of Sasuke’s experiences as a whole. Sure, there’s hardly a soul who doesn’t know about the Uchiha massacre...and ever since Itachi’s pardon, there’s little excuse in not knowing the truth behind it.

But even now - after all he did to save their world, and attempt to fix a broken system that brought about the near-genocide of his bloodline - people still think he overreacted. Still think he’s a bastard criminal that only wanted to kill and cause chaos...but that couldn’t be further from the truth!

If only people who thought it wise to badmouth him would walk a mile in his shoes...maybe then they could appreciate what he wanted to accomplish.

She sees it when they go out together. The dirty looks, the frightened glances, as though they expect him to just...explode at any moment.

...even some of their classmates still look at him like that.

He confided to her once how much it annoyed him: making him feel like little more than an explosive tag one spark of chakra away from going off. When, in reality, he was doing his damndest to just...get back to normal now that the council had been taken care of, and his clan has been given justice. Or, at least...partially.

She never saw him that way. Of course...she was also given a bit more insight than some of their peers.

...and yet…

Naruto and Kakashi - and soon after, Sakura - were made privy to the truth behind the Uchiha massacre before the fourth war. Were told of how the village itself sanctioned the elimination of an entire clan, all put upon one of their own’s shoulders...with Sasuke left alive because Itachi couldn’t bear to kill his little brother. The entire affair was twisted and cruel...and people seem to underestimate the effect it had not only on the Uchiha brothers...but the village as a whole.

And to see that so utterly disregarded by them - still doggedly determined to drag him back to the place of his clan’s decimation, without plans or offers to help him find justice - honestly made her furious when she was made to connect the dots. No wonder Sasuke had such strong distaste for his team…! Their blindness to his suffering and need for retribution...their insistence that he had to return because it was what they wanted…

And they call themselves his friends…?

Granted, Sakura (and many other girls) always viewed him in a rather...shallow light. But to do so after learning all she’d learned…? And still claim to love him, even while ignoring and downplaying his trauma, and the orchestrators behind it…?!

...no wonder he snapped at her.

Naruto, too, never said a word about exonerating Itachi, or at least bringing the rest of the council to justice. Ensuring such archaic and barbaric policies would never happen again. Sure, he and the rest of team seven jumped aboard the plan to do so, but only after it was suggested (or perhaps demanded was a better word) by someone else. If not for her...would anything had ever happened? Any charges brought forth, any power stripped, any justice done? Or would Sasuke have been left to simply swallow all he knew, all that had happened...all to spare the village any discomfort or distress?

...it made her angry.

Granted, many of these finer details were lost on her when they first met again after the war. She knew only of Itachi’s role, and the council’s: specifically Danzō. It was only later, when she and Sasuke became closer, that he revealed all of this to her.

And it took him calming her down not to march up to Naruto and Sakura both and demand what the hell they were thinking.

And Hinata is not a confrontational person. But gods...Sasuke had suffered enough! Endured enough! He didn’t need the reason he was fighting to be buried by his team...people he should have been able to trust implicitly, as Hinata trusts her team...as Ino trusts hers, and Tenten.

But that betrayal - having genocide ignored just because they wanted to drag him ‘home’...it boiled her blood.

Needless to say...she avoided the pair for a good long while after that. Partly because she didn’t want to speak to them...but mostly because she couldn’t trust herself not to confront them.

Sasuke ensured her there’d be other ways the pair would make up for their mistakes.

“For now...I don’t want anything to do with them,” he’d admitted bluntly. Something that, in the past, she’d failed to understand, and even chastised him for. But those revealing truths had yet been hidden then. “They’re both wary of me, anyway. Right now all I want is some peace and quiet...and gods know that’s not a strong point for either of them. They need to stay the hell away from me and do some thinking about what they did, and how they acted. Maybe sometime later we can reconvene, talk things out...but the wounds are still too fresh on both sides to even bother trying to reconcile.”

“...I understand. That’s very...mature of you. To just...take a step back, and let things cool. I don’t know if I could do that, standing in your shoes.”

That had earned a small flicker of amusement across his face. “I saw how pissed you got. It was endearing, in a way.”

“W...what?”

“That you were so passionate about it. Not many people bother to see things from my point of view...from my clan’s point of view.”

“Well, how could I not? I mean…” She’d gestured in a sign of frustration. “The council took generations of subtle abuse and bias against you, and your clan’s want for retribution for that...and decided that genocide was the answer? What if the Hyūga had been the clan to start to make waves? Would we have been wiped out, instead?”

“Madara was the instigator...and Tobirama’s bias only made things worse. Once Hiruzen was in charge, it had been building too much to be ignored. But what brought it to a head was Obito attacking with the Kyūbi. Suddenly we were all suspects in a huge plot against the village. But despite our insistence we had nothing to do with it - and we didn’t - their minds were already made up. We’d been Konoha’s scapegoats since the beginning...so when we finally decided to demand change? To be cleared of crimes that weren’t even ours? They’d rather just wipe us out than listen. They knew we’d be too much of a challenge to take head on. So they had one of our own strike us in the back. They used Itachi’s pacifism and split loyalty against him. He was the perfect tool to use...and Shimura knew it.”

“...and now there’s barely anything left,” she murmured, painful sorrow in her eyes. “And it would have been only you...if not for Itachi’s revival, and Shisui having been in hiding for s-so long. But now…”

“Now, it’s we three. And my niece and nephew. Only a few embers, but...I hope enough to keep the flame from dying. Not completely.” Looking contemplative for a time, he’d then admitted, “...you know...I don’t want the Uchiha to be a clan anymore.”

“W-what?!”

“I don’t mean I want us to go extinct. More like..gently fade into obscurity. I have my family. And given it’s just us three men left...our blood is going to quickly dilute. And I’m...okay with that. Maybe that’s the best ending for us. To just quietly disappear as our blood thins. No more curse of hatred, no more being used for our powers...just focus on being happy, and being at peace, rather than maintaining a bloodline that’s been so miserable for so long. Y’know?”

Wide eyes had blinked in surprise...and then softened in understanding. “...I think I do, yes. Maybe you’re right. It would be v-very difficult to keep the clan going as it is. It would take a l-lot of family planning to avoid too much inbreeding.”

“Which was a bit of a problem to begin with,” Sasuke admitted.

“It’s true, all the clans suffer from it at least partially. But I think...that’s a trend that’s starting to fade. Lines are crossing, and I think that someday...clans will be a thing of the past.” A small pause. “...admittedly...I’m not sure how I f-feel about that. My clan also has a very dark part of its history...maybe that, too, is best left to fade with time. But I also love the better parts of it. I guess...we’ll just have to see how the die cast, ne?”

“Yeah, probably. I don’t even know if I’ll have any kids. And Shisui’s not exactly looking for that sort of thing either, from what I can tell.”

“You...you don’t…?”

He’d perked a brow at her. “...guess I can’t say for sure. But as of right now...I don’t have any solid plans. I’m young. I’m still changing. And that too might change. For now...I’m just taking things one day at a time.”

“I...I see. I think...that’s a good way to be.” Still, she glanced a bit aside, just a hint of pink in her cheeks.

...one day at a time.

                                                        .oOo.

     Tiiired~      A wee bit of introspection with Hinata. At first, before she knows ALL there is to know about the massacre, she does get a bit frustrated with Sasuke's dismissal of his team. But once she learns? Oof, she gets mad. As we all should for Sasuke's sake. So many people write off his experiences, and thus his actions. But Hinata isn't about to.      But uh...yeah! That's all for tonight - thanks for reading!

#sasuhina #uchiha sasuke #hyūga hinata #a light amongst shadows [ canon verse ] #365daysofsasuhina

[keepyourpantsongohan]

Borrowed, With Interest

My dreams for the future… never really thought about it. (Ep. 4) | Kakayama Week 2019 Day 1: Soulmates | AO3 |

The first time Kakashi meets Yamato, he greets him by doubling over and vomiting just to the left of his sandals. Well, not quite the first time. Kakashi has spent a number of hours in the other man’s company. More than he can count, really. Though it’s been some years since then, his memory of it remains strong, sharingan or no. But that had been with Tenzō, ANBU of Konohagakure. Not Yamato, Captain of Team Kakashi. Not much of this occurs to Kakashi as Jiraiya is thumping his back, Tsunade is examining him, and Yamato is looking on with every sign of concern. “What have you been doing now?” Tsunade complains, jabbing him between his eyebrows. “Don’t tell me you’ve been using the sharingan while in a hospital bed. I won’t be held responsible if you can’t move for three more weeks.” “I didn’t,” Kakashi says tiredly, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. “I don’t know what it was. The room suddenly took a turn.”

Yamato, as they are calling him, gives him a small smile as he hands him a glass of water. “I didn’t realize my presence would be so upsetting to you,” he says, with a raised brow. Kakashi replies with a weak chuckle. “Maybe it was sympathy pains. My team is... energetic,” he says, sharing a knowing glance with Jiraiya. Yamato’s stance shifts from teasing to purposeful. “I’m sure I’ll learn to cope.” 

They don’t speak much more directly, as Yamato is briefed on the mission. Though Kakashi’s eyes do drift to Yamato’s at the mention of Orochimaru, the only hint of disturbance in his face is the tightening around his eyes. He doesn’t have to wait to ask. His substitute lingers by his bedside after both Tsunade and Jiraiya have left. “You haven’t gotten any better at regulating your chakra usage on missions, I see,” Yamato reproaches, sitting down on the edge of Kakashi’s bed. “You should be nice to people when you visit them in the hospital, Tenzō,” Kakashi counters, finally letting himself lay back down. “You should be in the hospital less, senpai,” is Yamato’s familiar retort. Kakashi would shrug if he were upright, but instead lets his head shift half an inch and decides it conveys the same meaning. “Is that why you have that look on your face? You’re concerned for my well-being?” “I have a headache,” Yamato says, rubbing at his temples. “Already? That doesn’t bode well.” “Not from the briefing.” Yamato’s face scrunches up. His left eye winces, as if he's trying to clear it of some irritant. “My eyes have been aching since I entered the room. Maybe it’s the antiseptic in the air.” With a sympathetic wrinkle of his nose, Kakashi says, “Or the vomit. Sorry about that, by the way.” Laughing, Yamato tells him, “It’s not the first time I’ve seen you get sick. If I thought it was because of me, I really would be offended.” After a moment, he asks, “But you’re alright, then?” “Yes,” Kakashi responds truthfully. Despite the initial shakiness, his body feels quite a bit stronger now than it had just this morning. It's a confusing juxtaposition, but he is too thankful to question it much. “With enough luck, I’ll be up and walking around by the time you get back.” “I’ll hold you to that,” Yamato tells him.

---

A week later, Kakashi dreams of Orochimaru. First, he sees the man standing over Sasuke, holding a kunai against his throat. Then it is Tenzō, or Yamato, or any of the other names Kakashi has called him over the years, being pushed underwater by pale hands. Then it’s Kakashi himself being carried by a tide, hands struggling to find purchase in the water that surrounds him. His hands finally brush something. A vine, he thinks, grasping it tightly. And he wakes. For a moment, he supposes he must still be dreaming, because there could be no other reason why his hospital room is covered in wooden tendrils, snaking around his arms and across his bed, onto the floor. There is only one mokuton user in Konoha, and he isn’t in the village right now. Kakashi tries to shake his hand free of the vines and realizes, with some alarm, that they are attached to his body. When his heartbeat hastens, the vines move and grow, which only serves to increase its pace. He shuts his eye. If this is his own jutsu, it is something he can control. If it is a genjutsu of someone else’s making, it is something he can break. Taking a deep breath, Kakashi folds his hands into the serpent seal he’s seen Tenzō perform hundreds of times, and experimentally, lets his chakra flow. The response is immediate. The vines sprout buds, and with not much prodding on Kakashi’s part, begin to bloom. The scent of jasmine fills the air. One flower creeps its way up the bed to brush against Kakashi’s neck. It’d be breathtaking if it weren’t so terrifying. Kakashi is so spellbound by the shifting plants that it barely phases him when a figure lands at his hospital window. It is only when he registers who it is that he turns sharply. Tenzō. Yamato. Yamato stares at him, one eye black, and the other vivid red. “We need to talk,” he says, and collapses.

---

Kakashi really tries not to laugh. He fails, but he would submit that it’s important that he tries. It’s Yamato’s fault, really, for the awfully amusing expression on his face. “Not a word,” Yamato grumbles, adjusting the straps of his eye-patch. “You know, if you gave up on the happuri, you could just cover it the way I cover mine.” Kakashi taps his forehead protector, where Obito’s eye, now black, is still hidden. Tsunade had advised them not to give too much away while the details of their conditions were still unknown. Yamato folds his arms stubbornly. “No.” Sighing, Kakashi nudges him. “Fine. If you won’t let me help you, then you help me. The Kyūbi’s chakra needs to be suppressed if we’re going to train Naruto as intensely as I’ve planned. I was going to ask you, but since that’s out of the question...” “I’ll still attend his training,” Yamato interjects firmly. “The jutsu to suppress bijū chakra isn’t easy. You’ll need guidance, Kakashi.” Kakashi begins to offer a reply that he’s sure will annoy his companion, but he lets his amusement be quelled by Yamato’s warning look. “Alright, Mokuton no Tenzō,” he says, extending his hands, palms up. “Teach me.” Gently, Yamato’s hands wrap around Kakashi’s, and guide him through a series of signs. “We’ll start off simple. If you try to use up too much chakra right away, you’ll just end up exhausting yourself again.” These are the hand seals he uses when he’s growing trees, Kakashi notes. He’s never tried to copy any of them for obvious reasons, but they’re burned into his memory from both battle and respite. “Use as much chakra as you would for a shadow clone,” Yamato instructs. Kakashi looks at him askance. “That much?” “Mokuton users are able to replenish their chakra quickly. In theory, that should apply to you, too.” “In theory,” Kakashi repeats, snorting. Kakashi moves to repeat the signs that he’s been shown, and Yamato’s hands hover near his, as if to intervene if necessary. When Kakashi’s hands clasp in the last motion, he feels heat in the pit of his stomach, and then the earth cracks, the beginnings of a small tree emerging beside them. While Kakashi pours chakra into it, the tree grows taller and wider, until Yamato’s fingers touch his wrist. “That’s enough for this one,” Yamato says hoarsely. Kakashi lets out a breathless laugh. “That was... different. I’ve never felt a jutsu like that before.” “I’ve never seen anyone else use mokuton before,” Yamato replies, looking thoroughly discomposed. His hand hasn’t left Kakashi’s wrist. Right. As strange as it is for him, it must be much stranger for his friend. “Are you okay?” Yamato’s face splits into an exhilarated smile, and his fingers slide over Kakashi’s. “Yes,” he says, in a tone which leaves no room for doubt. “Good,” says Kakashi, finding it difficult to look away. If he were a more foolish man, he might think the tree branches were growing longer without his doing. To break the tension, he pulls on Yamato’s eye-patch, letting it snap back into place. “Hey!” Kakashi squeezes Yamato’s fingers with his other hand, and then lets go. “Let’s keep going.”

--

Training is a new set of challenges. Though Naruto’s knowledge of jutsu is woefully incomplete enough that he doesn’t know that wood release isn’t a normal chakra nature (whether Kakashi should blame himself or Jiraiya for that, he’s not sure) Naruto is astute enough to recognize that bijū suppression is not a skill Kakashi has ever displayed, but it is one that Yamato had been using on their mission together. “There was a bit of a mix-up,” Yamato is explaining. “So Kakashi-san will be performing the Mokuton while I supervise both of you.” Naruto frowns. “But you said it was a kekkei genkai.”

“Yes,” Yamato says patiently.

“So are you from the same clan?” Yamato sighs. “No. You have to remember, I wasn’t born with this ability either. It happened through Orochimaru’s experiments. Think of this change like another experiment.” Naruto nods seriously, and Kakashi can see Yamato is relieved. But Kakashi knows Naruto well enough to anticipate the ‘hm’ and words that follow. “I still don’t get it.” Deciding it’s time to intervene, Kakashi stands up and says, “How I got these powers isn’t important. What is important is that I can use them to help you train.” At the last word, Naruto’s face lights up, and Kakashi takes that as encouragement. “The stronger you get, the closer you can get to the Akatsuki, and to Sasuke. You understand that, right?” Naruto claps his hands together. “Then what are we waiting for, y’know?” he says, grinning. “Let’s start, Kakashi-sensei!” Kakashi isn’t as at ease with mokuton as he would like. Plants seem to take to chakra eagerly, so he has a hard time gauging how to grow intentionally and carefully as Yamato does. And in the case of chakra suppression, he finds it hard to maintain a jutsu like this for hours on end, when his most powerful techniques are built for strength rather than stamina. Even with his chakra being replenished, it feels terribly unnatural. He’s not sure if having Yamato standing behind him is helping or breaking his concentration. “Steady,” Yamato murmurs, with a hand on Kakashi’s shoulder. “Stop looking at his progress and think about your own jutsu.” “It would be easier if this were my jutsu,” Kakashi reminds him, a little ruefully. Pressing his knee against Kakashi’s back so he has to correct his posture, Yamato says, “It’s yours for now. And you have to learn to use it, just as I’ll have to learn to use the sharingan.” Kakashi stiffens at that. “Right,” he says quietly. By some miracle, they manage not to incur any major disaster in the course of the day. Once, Kyūbi’s chakra surges, and Kakashi calls out a hasty, “Tenzō,” while his companion fires out rapid commands. It is an exhausting jutsu, and Kakashi almost feels guilty for asking his friend to do this when he can barely manage to do it himself. When night has fallen, and Naruto has settled himself some distance away so he can sneak off to train too early for his own sake, Kakashi turns and says, “I don’t think I’ve given you enough credit for your skill with mokuton.” Shifting onto his side in his sleeping bag, Yamato replies, “And I don’t think I’ve given you enough credit for how draining it is to have a sharingan taking your chakra every hour of the day. You bear it well.” Kakashi looks away, directing his gaze at the night sky. “I’ve had some time to get used to it.” Yamato pauses. “Does it upset you?” he asks, after a prolonged beat of silence. “That I seem to have the sharingan which was given to you as a keepsake?” “I don’t know. It’s a strange feeling. But you didn’t exactly choose to have it,” Kakashi reasons, catching his eye again. “And if there’s anyone I trust to know what this kind of gift means, it’s you.” Yamato has discarded both eye-patch and happuri for the night, so when he opens his other eye, Kakashi gets a clear view of the red iris and its three tomoe. Kakashi reaches out, and then hesitates, letting his hand fall back down onto the grass between them. Yamato tugs on Kakashi’s wrist, leading the other man’s fingers to his cheek, just beneath the sharingan. “I haven’t seen a sharingan in a few years,” Kakashi says lightly, despite the loud thumping in his chest. “Me either,” Yamato retorts glibly. Kakashi laughs, his fingertips grazing Yamato’s cheek as he does. “Is that a reprimand, or you telling me you miss me?” “Both,” says Yamato with an earnest smile. Kakashi finally pulls away, and says, “Well, I’ll be around.” Yamato closes both of his eyes. “Good.”

---

“Is it always like this?” Kakashi asks, during another break in training when Naruto is taking a well-earned nap. Kakashi’s combs his fingers through the grass, pensive. “Can you always feel the life coursing through your surroundings?”

“In Konoha, more than most,” Yamato explains, leaning against the tree at his back. “The plants aren’t quite so loud anywhere else. I suspect that’s Hashirama-sama’s influence.”

Kakashi takes this in, nodding. He glances at Naruto, checking that he is still asleep, and then admits, “It’s overwhelming.”

Yamato looks at him with a partiality that ought to make him wary, but doesn’t. “You spend your days teaching chakra control to a jinchūriki, and this is what overwhelms you?”

He shakes his head. “It’s not the same. This is more than hyper-awareness. It’s like being in a crowd at all times. I don’t know how to tune it out.” Kakashi is used to mitigating his sensory input, but this isn’t as simple as closing his eyes. Whether or not he is trying to infuse chakra, the flora seem to be making themselves known to him. Closing his eyes only makes them clearer. Yamato is right. The plants are loud.

“I find it helps to narrow your focus,” Yamato advises kindly. He plucks a single blue flower from the ground, and holds it in front of Kakashi. “It’s similar to dōjutsu. You receive a lot of information, but only so much of it is important for you to take in.”

Absorbing this, Kakashi swipes the plant from his companion, rolling its stem across the pad of his thumb. “Have you tried to use the sharingan?”

“I had a look around the field this morning.” Glancing at Kakashi archly, Yamato adds, “Are you aware that your facial anatomy is very symmetrical?”

Kakashi grins. “Are you making a pass at me in front of my student, Yamato?”

“He’s asleep,” Yamato points out.

“Even worse,” Kakashi says, twirling the flower at him like it’s a teacher’s measuring stick.

Yamato tries stoutly to knock Kakashi onto the grass as he smirks.

---

Akatsuki makes no allowances for their ever-changing lives, and so Kakashi finds himself readying to leave the village with little preparation, jutsu or otherwise. As he heads out of his door, he isn’t surprised to see Yamato waiting at his entryway with a perturbed look. Just like the plants, Yamato's chakra makes itself heard. He could sense the man standing patiently near while he packed his weapons pouch.

“You’re going to let those kids do something stupid.” Kakashi debates asking, ‘Which kids?’ But no matter who, an answer other than ‘yes’ would be a lie. “They’re going to do something stupid anyway. I’m going to offer them adult supervision.” Yamato steps towards him. He hasn’t quite learned to compensate for the issues in his depth perception yet, so he stumbles into Kakashi as he does. “Are you sure you’re doing the right thing? Asuma was your friend, I get that. But going as you are... it’s dangerous.”

“When Sasuke left the village, I didn’t chase after him. He didn’t come back.” Kakashi says sombrely. His hands, outstretched to catch Yamato from his stagger, rest on his friend’s elbows. “I won’t let the same thing happen to Team 10.”

“It isn’t the same,” Yamato replies.

“Isn’t it?” Kakashi lets out a deep breath. “Listen, I understand why you’re concerned. But this is something I have to do. If not for my sake, then for Asuma’s.”

The words seem to strike Yamato. Kakashi is not the only one worried for the scattered rookie teams. It is already clear how much Team 7 has softened him in such a short time. “They do need help. Though I'm not sure you're in the best position to offer it," he adds, perhaps purely on principle.

“If I thought I could buy more time, I would. But we have to improvise,” Kakashi says, knowing how much Yamato hates the word. "I'll be fine. I’ve survived this long, haven’t I?”

The tension in Yamato’s chest drops, but it seems to signify resignation rather than relief. “With your own jutsu. This kind of mission requires back-up.”

“We’re pretty good at sharing,” Kakashi reassures him. “And you’ve got Naruto to look after while I’m gone. I’m sure you’ll be along, if I need it.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Yamato gives him a wry glance. “Doesn’t stop me wishing I could be there to help.”

The hands slide down from Yamato’s elbows so that he can feel the pulse of mokuton in Kakashi’s palm. “You will be,” he says, meaning it.

A static shock passes between them as Yamato presses his fingers against Kakashi's. It is an unfamiliar kind of comfort that settles over him quietly before his journey, but a welcome one. Good, he thinks foolishly, lingering on the doorstep for a moment too long.

#kakayama #kakashi hatake #yamato tenzo #kakayamaweek2019 #kakayama week #surprise bitch i bet u thought u'd seen the last of my kky fic #ayesha talks anime #tenzashi #fanfiction #long post #mine

[kakashisavakening]

Chapter 1 - Across the Line

Shaking, unsure, fragile. She had to hold onto the door frame when she finally caught a glimpse of Kakashi. Or what remained of the once unabashed Jonin. He was not just mentally broken, but throughout. Sakura covered her mouth to mute the sobs wanting to escape her mouth. She gripped the frame so tightly, her fingertips turned white. The steady beeps of the machines in his room filled the air that was otherwise heavy with silence. Genma was sitting on a chair beside Kakashi's bed, eyes closed. On a table at the end of the bed, Tsunade's notes were scattered, an empty sake bottle tipped over on the right. 

Genma slowly opened his eyes and stared at Sakura with a blank expression. There were dark circles under his eyes. It was obvious that he had been by Kakashi from the beginning. 

"I thought I made myself clear." - Tsunade's voice filled the silence from behind Sakura. - "If all you do is cry, I have no use for you. Grow up or leave."

"B-but Tsunade-sama!" - Genma's eyes widened, his glance jumping from the Hokage to Sakura and then back. Sakura swallowed her tears, not once breaking her glance from her broken sensei. She wiped off whatever remained on her face and walked over to the lifeless body. Machines pumped the air into his lungs. He couldn't even properly breathe on his own. What a shame - Sakura thought - You have always been so strong, sensei. Always saved me, comforted me...  - The image of the sensei grabbing Sasuke and Naruto as they plunged towards each other with the Rasengan and the Chidori in hand flashed before Sakura's eyes. How he smiled at her after the incident was over. And even now, his face was hidden from her. That damn machine. 

"I do not need your lectures, Hokage-sama. I am here because you said I am needed. Because he needs me." - She said in a flat voice. Determination took over the shock, anger filled the cracks that the feeling of fragility had caused in her. In that moment, she didn't feel like she was helpless, or behind everybody else in team 7. She was herself. She was Sakura, the person who was needed by her sensei. Genma slowly leaned back into his chair. 

"Good." - Tsunade said, and put a new bottle of sake on the table. - "We need to discuss some things. This procedure might not work. You need to know that."

"What are the chances it will work?" - Sakura asked

"I really don't know. If I absolutely had to give you a number, I would say about 26%, not more." - She said and pulled a chair to the desk, looking at the sketches and notes once again. - "But if you agree to this, you might die if he doesn't wake up."

"He risked his life more than once for me... I guess the least I can do is do the same." - Sakura responded and reached for her sensei's hand. His skin was cold to the touch, lacking the familiar warmth she hoped she would find. - "What is my mission, Tsunade-sama? What do I have to do to get him back?"

"You will need to make him remember. Right now, he is stuck in the past. He can't see what happened in the past 20 years of his life. Going in circles, facing Orochimaru and drifting through anbu missions. He doesn't know you exist, or that he was ever a sensei. You need to find him and remind him of who he is now." - Gai was leaning against the wall of the room. He quietly listened to the Fifth as she spoke. Sakura has never seen him this quiet or worried. His eyes were also dark with sleeplessness. He hasn't looked this bad since Lee was facing the operation a couple of years ago. - "But when I send you in, I don't know what will happen to you. If you die there, or if sending you in would even mean he will hear you. It is possible that you would be just a ghost watching him fade away... the reason why I assume so is that I was like that, but since I was conducting the jutsu, I could pull myself out. I won't know when to pull you out and I can only send in one person."

"So why did you chose me for this mission?" - Sakura finally lifted her gaze from Kakashi - "What makes you think I can make him remember?"

"Because he didn't know you until very recently. His subconscious will remember you, and maybe that will pull him through... when or if he wakes up, you will drift back as well." - Tsunade took out a roll of red yarn. - "Do you accept?"

"It was never a question." - Sakura's voice never wavered, even though her inner self was still in pieces, crying on the floor. Tsunade waved at the door and they pushed in another bed. She ordered Sakura to lay down and tied the yarn on her pinky, then the other end was tied to Kakashi's. Sakura turned her head towards him. I will do my best, Kakashi-sensei. I will find you and bring you back, damnit. Don't you die on me. She said. The Fifth was doing a series of hand signs, but she didn't pay attention. Her focus was on the slowly rising and falling chest of Kakashi. How it moved so different from when he was himself. You hear me, Kakashi-sensei? Tsunade finished the hand signs, and Sakura's vision began to blur. Don't you dare, damnit. 

As her consciousness slowly drifted away, she reached her hand towards Kakashi's, interlocking their fingers. The three other people in the room quietly watched them for a moment before Tsunade stepped forward to check her vitals. Now, her life and her mind was bound to Kakashi. She won't wake up until he does. This jutsu was the fifth own invention from the Yamanaka body switching technique. It has not been fully tested, because there was nobody to test it on. 

It was all up to Sakura now. There was nothing they could do from out here.

"Tsunade-sama..." - Genma sighed - "You are pretty cruel... sacrificing your own student like that. For a mission she cannot win."

"She might.." - She wanted to sound confident, but her tone fell flaccid. It didn't even sound convincing to her, let alone the two Jonins.

"We both know you didn't chose her for the fact that Kakashi only met her in recent years." - Gai added. - "You know how he feels. Are you really going to punish him for finally caring again? After all these years.. he finally cares about someone, and on his death bed you send that person after him?"

"Call it whatever you want, but all I want is for my Copy Ninja to wake up and get better. This isn't the time when I can afford to lose such a valuable asset." - Tsunade checked Sakura's pulse. Despite her words, she was worried for her student. She loved Sakura like a daughter she never had and watching her in such a helpless felt like a tight grip on her heart. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sakura woke up not far from the memorial statue, that stood for the fallen shinobi who lost their lives during missions. Front of the statue a man stood, a cat shaped anbu mask covering his face. He might as well have been a statue for he stood so motionless as she observed him.

A mess of silver hair on top of his head, hips bit forward as he leaned a bit back as if leaning against a wall. Something about him was so familiar. Was that Kakashi? 

No, it cannot be him - she thought to herself. This boy was barely a couple years older than her, while Kakashi was at least 12 years her elder.

The boy looked up, and their eyes locked. He slowly reached for his mask and as he took it off, a face all too familiar became visible. IT WAS HIM. Well, a version of him. But those eyes weren't the ambitious, confident and caring ones she had remembered. These eyes were cold and empty. Sakura got to her feet and ran towards her sensei. She had called out to him, several times, but he didn't move a muscle. About an arm's length from the statue, she felt like she hit a wall. 

Sakura got back up on her feet, and slowly walked closer with her arms stretched out to feel how far she can go. Her fingers eventually touched what he had previously oh-so-gracefully face planted. It was like the membrane of a soap bubble. It gleamed with similar rainbow patterns as well. Sakura looked at Kakashi again, with her hand on this strange thing that separated them. For a second, he moved towards her, but then his hand stopped midair. He shook his head, put the mask back on and began to walk away.

"Kakashi sensei! Come back!"- Sakura shouted. But it was pointless. Despite the fact that Kakashi did see her, he didn't hear her. All he saw was a ghost at the memorial, with a face familiar enough to believe that it must have been a life he had snuffed out. Someone, who has lost her life because of him. Like Rin did... or like Obito. He just didn't want to know any of it. There was already more than enough guilt piled up in his chest. It took every ounce of strength he had to suppress the pain. 

Sakura gathered all the strength she could and punched the bubble-wall. She felt two of her knuckles crack. - "Please..." - She whispered. She knew that if Kakashi doesn't listen, and realise where they really are then he will die. And so will she.

After walking up and down by the wall, she came to the conclusion that this thing between them must be some kind of barrier to keep her out of Kakashi's mind... or to keep him out of hers. This was were he ended and she began. This line they couldn't.. or shouldn't cross.  Ever since the sensei was assigned to team 7, she admired him wholeheartedly. Now that she saw what the inside of his mind was like, she couldn't help but wonder how he managed to keep this all in... this world where he was all alone, in constant rain and fog. Was this really how he felt all these years? 

Sakura had always imagined that he would be a filthy pervert inside, considering all those porn - khm romance - books he read. She imagined that in his mind would be some twisted image of cute girls and something embarrassing, and that's why the sensei kept to himself so much. He never told them anything, so how was she to know that her sensei was in this depression?

She walked and walked until she reached the training grounds where he had put the team to the test for the first time. The middle column, where naruto was tied to was split in half by the barrier. A vision of the past began to play, as if it was cued. On her side, there was Naruto, struggling, trying to get out, while on the other side was a little boy she has never seen. On the ground, a small, silver haired kid sat with his legs crossed, reaching a bite of food for the one tied to the column. That is just like how it happened with us. She thought.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All he could hope was that whatever this girl would bring wouldn't be too terrible. 

She had walked up and down for a while, like a lioness in a cage, but then, with her finger tracing this anomaly she walked away. He couldn't help himself, and followed. He didn't want her to notice him, but was intrigued after he saw her punch something in the air. He saw her fist collide with something that sent ripples of light, dividing them with a vertical surface. 

The ghost had arrived at the training grounds where Minato-sensei had tested them. Where his team mates were both alive. As always, the memory began to play, and he felt his heart tearing itself to shreds. 

"What do you want from me?" - He said quietly. But the ghost just kept staring at Obito then a boy on her side. Their movements completely mirrored each other. 

One memory was in fact his. But was the other hers?

#sakura #sakura haruno #kakashi #kakashi hatake #kakasaku #fanfiction #fanfic #story #lovestory #naruto #naruto fanfic #sasuke #anbu #jonin #chunin #genin #anbu kakashi #shinobi #ninja

[lovestruckay]

WIP Game

Talk about the WIPs you’re intending to work on this year.

I was tagged by @crimsonriley and this looks like a good opportunity to taunt all my readers lot of fun!

I’m going to tag @vesperlionheart, @shyyynobi, and @beyondthemoor to join in on the fun. And, because I absolutely count WIPs as including art, I’m going to tag @yomi-gaeru, @byelawliet, and @maybe-please! <3

I have a number of WIPs (over a dozen) but there are only a few that are going to be actively worked on this coming year.

Homeward

MadaSaku, Time Travel AU, Eventually Mature

[FF - AO3]

This is my most popular fic and my main focus as a writer. It’s an AU where Sakura is thrown backwards in time during the battle between Danzo and Sasuke. The majority of the story so far is her amassing a reputation as a miracle healer and as an incredibly powerful kunoichi. I thought it would be more realistic for Sakura to have to survive and eventually thrive in the past before she came across one of the major clans (well, except for the poor Fuma clan). 

The story has already gotten to the point where she meets Madara and Izuna (in a pretty flashy way). This is my pride and joy and it’s a fic I’m very happy to write. I love writing Sakura as this incredibly powerful and indomitable woman who demands respect wherever she goes while simultaneously being this sweet, openhearted healer and friend. And I love writing Madara as being this powerful, intelligent and calculating, yet kind man who people have to work to earn a way into his heart. I always envisioned Madara as being a man who needed a indomitable woman like Sakura to make him happy. A woman who could challenge him yet encourage him at the same time. And this woman would certainly be Sakura.

Snippets

“But you have blood on you,” she pointed out, taking a step towards him and reaching forward to touch a splatter of blood on the neck of his high collared shirt.

He nearly shivered as her fingertips brushed his clothed collar bone, his sharingan flickering on of its own accord. The world around him became sharp and crisp and the sight of her reaching out to touch him embedded in his mind before his sharingan returned to inactivity in the span of a heartbeat.

“It’s not mine,” he muttered in a tone deeper than normal as he stared at her concerned expression.

...

He turned his head to face her and could feel heat rising to his cheeks as he noticed how close they were, their noses nearly touching. All he could see of her was her half lidded eyes and her dilated pupils, the black heavily encroaching on the sea green of her irises. She stared right back into his lazily spinning sharingan, her own cheeks taking a red hue.

Uchiha MC

MadaSaku, Outlaw Biker AU, Mature

[FF - AO3]

This fic was actually the beginning of me rejoining the fanfiction world. I had written a couple fics but this was the first one I actually went out and posted. It started as a oneshot but I combined it with a couple other WIPs I had and created this awesome story that I was just giddy to write. It has turned out a long longer than I had anticipated although it has been so much fun to write.

It has just begun to rapidly escalate. The story is a little more than halfway done but there is going to be a lot of incredibly intense and “holy shit” moments coming up that are going to keep everyone on their toes! The story is really at a pivotal moment right now so any snippets will give away what’s going to happen. Sorry!

Untitled ObiSaku

[FF - AO3]

ObiSaku, AU where Obito comes back to the village, non-massacre, Mature

EDIT: I posted this fic while I was doing Sakura Week 2018. It didn’t turn out as absolutely filthy as I had previously planned as another fic (a MadaSaku fic - FF, AO3) I wrote decided to take the whole choking kink. While this fic is still smut, it’s not as dirty as I had originally planned.

This fic is one purely written out of spite. Some random user on AO3 was talking poorly about one of my MadaSaku fics and asked if I was going to do an ObiSaku fic too (because that’s soooooo ridiculous). So I replied with a “you better fucking believe it” and put together an outline for this pure filth with a heaping of fluff and plot.

Some aspects of this fic: Rin will be alive but her, Obito, and Kakashi will be non-romantic best friends. How Kushina and Minato will live and how Minato be Obito’s mentor as he trains him to take over as Hokage. Kakashi will still become the sensei for Team 7 and how Team 7 will split up to train individually, Sakura and Naruto going on journey’s with Tsunade and Jiraiya respectively and Sasuke going with Shisui to train with the Military Police. There will be a lot of self hate, kink self-shame, angst, and a wide age difference.

Nesting

MadaSaku, alpha omega beta AU, founders era, Mature

This fic was entirely inspired by the “nesting” phenomenon in ABO fics. And the fact I very much wanted to write a MadaSaku ABO fic.

Sakura is the leader of the famous clan of healers, the Haruno clan. The Harunos are close allies of the Uzumaki clan, hailing from the same region, and Sakura and Mito are such close friends they consider each other sisters. It is because of Sakura’s influence that Hashirama puts fourth a peace treaty in exchange for him healing Izuna (much to Tobirama’s horror). When the village if finally founded, there is a meeting where all of the clan leaders that are allies of the Hidden Leaf join together to discuss the future. And this is where Madara and Sakura finally meet and everyone makes the catastrophic (at least for a city block) decision of trying to drag them apart.

There will of course be ABO smut with mating bites, pupping, womb sex, etc. But a huge aspect of it will be Sakura and her “nesting” behavior as she chooses a place to make her nest and have her pup. Very sweet and fluffy.

Nonsensical

[FF - AO3]

ShisuiSaku, soulmarks AU, Mature

A cute and kind of funny little one shot made because there is a drastic shortage of ShisuiSakura fics. Depending on how long it turns out being I might break it up into smaller bites. It’ll be a non massacre fic with a healthy amount of angst, some super bad first impressions, some happy endings, Sakura being a badass, Team 7 being bffs, and Hokage Itachi.

Here are a coupe snippets although they are very rough because they are part of the outline and not actual written material.

Snippets:

Shisui didn’t get his soul mark until March 28th when he was eight years old.

He had gone to bed that night with clear skin and woke up that morning with his soul mark written across his left pectoral in a flowing, feminine script. He was excited to learn that he did in fact have a soulmate but the fact that the phrase now inked across his chest was the most random, nonsensical bullshit he had ever read in his short life dampened the feeling. Was his red string connecting him to a psychopath?

He couldn’t think of any other reason as to why someone’s first words to him would be “Pants are not ripe water grass bastard”.

What in the hell does that even mean? Was it some sort of secret code? Was she going to be drunk? Was she insane?

...

Sakura has had her soul mark since she was born although she didn’t learn this until she was a young girl.

When she had asked her parents why she didn’t have one, at the tender age of five after her friend Ino had shown off hers, her parents had laughed with mirth, given her a hand mirror, and told her to find it. After a solid fifteen minutes of searching and acts of stretching that contortionists would be proud of, she located her soul mark printed in a small, professional script in the crook where her inner thigh met her hip. While part of her had been disappointed it was in a very personal place, a spot she could never show up, she had been overwhelmingly satisfied with the words on her soulmark.

I didn’t know angels had pink hair”.

Other Fics (may or may not get written)

Broken Trust

ObiSaku, Uchiha MC branch off, lots of angst

Guardians

MadaSaku fic where Impure World Reincarnation is never outlawed and instead becomes a technique for raising “Guardians” to protect the village. Izuna becomes the first guardian and leads to the formation of the village. Madara, Hashirama, Tobirama, all the hokages, Itachi, etc become Guardians and never technically die, instead being treated as well respected protectors

Fighting Dreamers

MadaSaku MMA AU, Sakura “Cherry Bomb” Haruno and Madara “Wildfire” Uchiha

The Chances

MadaSaku soulmark AU, takes place during the war

Three Rejects

NaruSakuSasu, dark fic where the trio runs away from Konoha after suffering through years of abuse and neglect. Sakura is an orphan, stolen from her clan of incredible healers following the massacre of her family. They can only trust each other and only love each other, ends in tragedy for the rest of the world but bliss for them

Wake Up

MadaSaku fic where Sakura, Madara’s wife, is in a coma in the Warring States Era and imagining her life in the future

Like the Ocean

IndraSaku fic where Indra goes on his journey to help the distant village to determine if he would become the next leader of his village and comes across a strange woman on the beach, part of an even stranger clan of healers and mystics who live on the ocean’s edge

Cosplay

I have a new wig from Shippuden Sakura that I’m very excited to try out. I even got a pair of customized boots that are pretty incredible! I even met a Sasuke cosplayer who is so incredibly sweet and is just as into cosplay and Naruto as I am! So you may or may not see me and Sasuke at Anime Matsuri in Houston, TX this year.

#wip #fanfiction #madasaku #obisaku #shisaku #shisuisaku #indrasaku #homeward #uchiha mc #my fanfiction

[anthropologicalhands]

Behind the scenes DVD Commentary :) 

The Burden of Unknowing

“When were you going to tell me about the Uchiha massacre?” she asks.

He pauses in his work, startled.

“Why would I?” The words are out of his mouth before he can even truly consider them.

It was not something he ever brought up, because he believed it to be already well-known.

An erroneous conclusion, if Sakura’s expression is anything to go by.

Her face, so carefully composed, abruptly crumples.

Something cold settles in his stomach as he realizes his mistake, and chills creep up his spine as he understands the implications. All this time, she believed that his goal was Itachi. After his brother’s death, when he hadn’t returned to Konoha and she heard that he joined Obito—

What had she thought of him?

“Shit,” he mutters to him, tossing his scroll on the bed. He goes to her, kneels down so that he can see her face, even with her head bowed.

“Sakura,” he whispers, once, twice, three times. She can push him away here; it would be within her right. But this was a mistake; he did not intend to ever be anything but honest with her—

“I assumed it was common knowledge.”

In the Land of Iron, he thought she knew. Through the haze in his head, he believed that she was punishing him for his righteous vengeance, where she would have once followed him, and it had only made him angrier.

What has he done?

“Sakura, please.”

When he reaches for her hand, he overbalances, forgetting his arm. Without delay, her hands reach out to steady him. He looks, and sees her gazing at him. Her right hand supports him still—her left hand reaches for his own, and interlaces their fingers.

There are tears rolling down her face, but she is smiling, even though it is wobbly and frail.

That gives him hope.

“Sit on the bed,” she says, her voice rough, but a playful note slipping through. “I told you to wait for the prosthetic.”

He does as she says, but does not relinquish his grasp on her hand. Nor does she seem inclined to withdraw it from him.

“When did you find out?” he asks, once settled back on the bed.

Sakura hiccups. He waits while her breath slows, while she calms herself so that she can speak again.

“Not long after you left,” she says, her voice unsteady but clear. “Kakashi-sensei and Naruto, they were talking about it in the Hokage’s office. Something about exonerating the records. I-I asked them what they were talking about. The look on their faces—”

She breaks off abruptly, and laughs. It is not her usual laugh—it is rough, has edges. Sasuke suppresses a shudder.

“They completely forgot they hadn’t told me.” Her voice is heavy with scorn. “Shikamaru knew before I did. They didn’t even have a good reason. They said they wanted to protect me.”

Sasuke is silent. He understands their desire, but not their actions.

oooooh, this takes me way back.

so, that first line is the whole point of this fic, addressing the absurd, dumbass oversight in the manga that it was never made clear what Sakura knew about the truth behind Sasuke’s actions. It’s not clear if Kakashi or Naruto ever bothered to fill her in on the Uchiha betrayal between the time they learned about it and the time they finally met up with Sasuke again in the final arc. 

This was and still is ridiculous to me! Sakura is supposed to be part of the main trio. She is supposed to be an important part of all of these parallels and part of the next gen who promises that the mistakes of the past will not be repeated. And yet the narrative repeatedly pushes her to the side until absolutely necessary and just…never lets Sakura really be part of the main action.

(I might be more vocally annoyed about this now than a couple of years ago, but this is an ongoing sticking point for me with the series)

On the other hand, one aspect that I have always liked about the SasuSaku relationship is that they do communicate clearly with each other – Sasuke has never had trouble telling Sakura exactly what he thinks or about the truth as he sees it. And Sakura has never been worried about telling him what she thinks of him. They can be harsh, but at its core they are honest with each other. So at some point, as their relationship deepens, that lack of knowledge has to come to a head, right? This fic is a way of bridging that gap in the canon between the two directly.

Sasuke is super action-driven. Once he has decided to do something, it will be done. He wouldn’t necessarily think to bring up the past unless it is affecting something directly in the present at this particular moment. So when Sakura asks him about the Uchiha massacre, he’s genuinely surprised – he can’t figure out why she’s asking - nothing they are doing, travelling around and attending to those affected by the war - directly relates to this moment, so it seems like a total non-sequitur. 

In that minute, it really hurts Sakura, because it’s not just Naruto and Kakashi who have left her out of the loop, but that even Sasuke might also think the same, and if that’s the case, she really doesn’t understand him as well as seh thought she did. 

Sasuke sees that split-second fear and freaks the flip out. Not only because that isn’t what he mean, but because he realizes that when she tried to kill him, she was acting with limited information, which he did not ever suspect and one of the events that absolutely did not help his mental state at the time. His first reaction is to clarify where he is –what he thought she did and did not know. Because they always know where they stand with each other - to have them miss each other so drastically is not something he is used to.

They get back on the same page when Sasuke reaches out to comfort her, and overbalances, because he is off his game here, out of his usual territory. Sakura sees this, and her reaching out to catch him and interlacing their fingers (an old gesture of comfort between them) is her silent way of making it clear that she believes him, if her gentle little jibe didn’t do the job.

It’s also the moment that Sakura finally opens up to Sasuke. While she is not shy about sharing her feelings, Sakura prefers to keep her troubles to herself as she works them out internally, and since Sasuke often needs space himself, he has been good about not pressing her for more information that she was ready to give. Sakura can come clean about something that has made her angry, and reawakened her feelings of being useless and not a key member of the team. Naruto has always tried to protect her, and Kakashi as well, and it makes her furious that they continued to make this decision for her, even when it was information she could have absolutely made use of. It’s as though they don’t trust her resilience, even after she has proved countless times how strong and efficient and powerful she truly is. I also assume that she is a little guilty about thinking so uncharitably about her teammates, but she’s secure enough in her own judgment that she doesn’t let herself dwell on the guilt for too long. Now that she is sure that Sasuke was not of the same opinion, she is willing to speak to him more frankly about her disappointment in still being seen as weak, because she knows for a fact that he doesn’t believe it, even subconsciously. It’s another step forward in a relationship that is still mostly platonic, still slightly awkward as they navigate the new space between them, but full of promise.

#writing meme reply #fic commentary #i remember being so annoyed that this point was never addressed in canon #so many plot points were dropped! #it was ridiculous #so i'm happy that this fic was the first one i wrote to reenter the fandom #thanks! #ellie writes fic #submission #starlightafterastorm

[raendown]

@mouseymightymarvellous I hear your cries for more same age au and I deliver, with pleasure my dear. 

Pairing: KakashiSakura Word count: 2744 Summary: Growing up together means changing together and Kakashi has always seen her from afar.

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

When We Were Young

i.

She was soft and too pink and Kakashi hated her. How was he ever meant to become a great ninja and erase the stain of his father’s name if he couldn’t even be paired with decent teammates? He’d thought since Obito and Rin were both sick his temporary team might be better, might have stronger members that would help him grow instead of hold him back like usual. This was not what he had expected.

As if the rambunctious blonde who failed to catch him in a poorly concealed trap when he arrived wasn’t enough, the idiot pink-haired girl moping off to one side was a whole different story of terrible. Upon discovering that he would be standing in for “Sasuke-kun” today she had all but folded in half with disappointment and the already incorrect grip she had on her kunai had fallen out of place even more. Kakashi sniffed in her direction, thoroughly disappointed. These two were barely ninjas and would probably never make it past genin. Was the blond one really Sensei’s son?

For the entire day of training under the strangely emotionless Sai-sensei, all that Haruno Sakura did was compare him to her precious Sasuke-kun. She spoke of the boy constantly and told Kakashi how in love she was three times in just the first hour. By the end he was ready to stab both her and the poor idiot who obviously didn’t like her back.

And why should he? There was nothing to like; there was no substance to her. Sakura’s feet stood for Sasuke, her arms lifted for Sasuke, her heart beat for Sasuke. There was not a single part of her that fought for her own sake and Kakashi couldn’t stand the weakness of it. Didn’t she realize that love would break her? He would have pitied her if he could be bothered with the emotion but it was much easier to dismiss all three of these useless people from his mind.

When Kakashi left training he left his thoughts of Sakura behind him. He went back to Obito and Rin, still just as useless but at least a kind of useless he could work with. He went back to Minato-sensei, the strongest shinobi he had ever met who he just knew would cave and teach him the hiraishin one of these days. If he didn’t then Kakashi would just have to learn how to be faster by himself.

 ii.

He was broken when she found him and even if he didn’t know it then this was only the first time that she would put him back together. She led him back to the fading light with whispers of hope, of Obito surviving, of a surgery gone well. Kakashi felt like she was pulling his head above the water and giving him air to breathe when for a minute he’d forgotten how.

Later it would shame him that he’d forgotten her so quickly in the moment, although she always insisted that she didn’t blame him. He was only twelve and the only friend he’d never even realized he had was alive, alive, alive. Obito was breathing despite odds. His arm would never be the same again and his leg had been amputated but his heart was beating steadily as Kakashi collapsed across his chest and wept like he hadn’t since his father had been alive.

Only after the storm had passed and he sat wiping at his face in embarrassment did a very tired Rin murmur quietly that it was all thanks to Sakura-chan.

“She did what I couldn’t,” his teammate told him with a hitch in her breath. “You both did. I was no help; I never am. But you brought him home and Sakura-chan brought him back to life and I just stood there like a stupid lump!”

“You’re not useless, Rin.” She looked at him like she’s never seen him before and Kakashi found that somehow more embarrassing than crying in front of her. “It was my fault the both of you were in danger in the first place. Obito was brave. And so were you. Both of you are always…really brave.”

Brave for facing the emotions that he’d never been able to face before. What he had always seen as a weakness they used as a strength and that was something he admired. Minato-sensei had been trying to teach him for years the truth about teamwork but it had taken him until now to get it. A team was not built on the back of whoever was strongest. No, a team was built on the strength of all of its members, every person bringing a skill to the table to cover the weaknesses of others and create an impenetrable unit.

He found the one he was looking for slumped over and sleeping on a bench. Sakura was only twelve years old, just the same as he was, but she had assisted with a seven hour surgery after being awoken in the middle of the night and she must have been very tired. Instead of disturbing her, Kakashi sniffed out the closest linen closet and brought her a blanket. It settled over her like the peace settling in his chest, a feeling he wasn’t familiar with. Fitting, he thought. The whole world around him looked unfamiliar now.

“Thank you.” He left his words as a whisper in her ear before disappearing down the hallway back to Obito’s room, not bothering to check over his shoulder to see bright green eyes fluttering awake.

 iii.

Obviously he heard about Tsunade. The whole village had heard about Tsunade. She was sort of hard to miss as she came marching down the streets of Konoha bellowing, “Bring me your prodigy!” as though she hadn’t abandoned the village years ago.

Kakashi didn’t find out the context for this until late that night, huddled behind the academy with Rin and Obito, trading sips from a can of red bean tea. That was when Rin told him with only the shadow of jealously in her voice that the Lady Tsunade had returned to Konoha to chase the rumors of a medical prodigy.

She was here to apprentice Haruno Sakura.

Turning this information over in his mind slowly, Kakashi contemplated what he should say to that. She deserved it, in his opinion. If not for her Obito wouldn’t be sitting beside him wearing a prosthetic leg, tired from a long day of physical therapy. On the other hand, she wasn’t who his loyalty was owed to.

“Well you’ll just have to show her that there are two prodigies in the Leaf,” he said, carefully not looking over in Rin’s direction. “Lady Tsunade better be ready to have two apprentices.”

He dodged the hug and scowled at the hair ruffling. It was as easy as ever to turn Obito’s teasing comments in to light hearted bickering, the very foundation of their friendship which continued to this day no matter how much stronger their bonds had grown. Just because he was learning what it was to have friends didn’t mean he enjoyed being the center of attention any more than he used to. What mattered was that Rin was smiling again and looked more determined than ever and he hoped Sakura was prepared for a little competition.

 iv.

She split the ground with her fist the first time he saw her in a battle and Kakashi felt his heart cracking along the fault lines, fluttering like a weak thing behind his ribs. It was hard to believe she was the same bubblegum girl he had hated on first sight and a part of him wondered if she still moved and breathed and fought for her Sasuke-kun. Joining ANBU had kept him from fighting with the regular forces – even Rin and Obito hadn’t been at his side in nearly a year now – so it was rather easy to see how he might have never seen Team 7 fight before.

It was also easy to see he’d been missing out.

Although it might have been an odd detail to latch on to, Kakashi couldn’t help but notice that she had cut her hair. The pink strands were sweat drenched and dirt stained; they clung to her face and neck in a manner that should not have been anywhere near as alluring as it was. He almost lost his footing, actually stopping to stare in awe, as he bent herself to the earth and tore it open with a roar that shook the spine inside him.

Stupidly, he mind couldn’t help repeating that old line he couldn’t remember the origin of: she’s beauty, she’s grace, she’ll punch you in the face.

Even more stupidly, for some reason he felt as though he wouldn’t mind if she punched him in the face. He shook the feeling off by turning and sliding his kunai through an enemy’s throat. It was pure coincidence that his targets had happened upon a group of fellow Konoha shinobi just before Kakashi caught up to them, darting out of the shadows and in to the fray with nary a word to those already fighting. Sakura and her companions had grown so much since that day he dismissed them all as useless.

After the dust had settled and the only people standing bore the symbol of the Leaf, Sakura turned to him with a smile streaked in blood and eyes so bright he almost shielded his own.

“Thank you for your assistance, ANBU-san,” she called. “You fight pretty good.”

He was forever thankful that his double masks neatly covered the blush rising on his cheeks as he slipped back in to the shadows without a word. The Uchiha, whom he presumed was the fabled Sasuke-kun, watched him go with a single eyebrow raised. He looked a lot like Itachi, although the same could be said of everyone in their clan.

Kakashi made sure to casually mention the encounter to Minato-sensei later when he made his report in the Hokage’s office. He watched his old teacher swell up with pride that his son’s team had made such a good impression on one of his best, asking eagerly what Kakashi thought of them. Before he could stop himself the words seemed almost to fall from his lips like a cart running out of control.

“I think she’s beautiful.”

Minato-sensei laughed until his belly must have hurt. Kakashi smacked his shoulder and left without being dismissed.

 v.

“Do you still live for someone else?”

Probably it was a weird question to ask someone when their hands were wrist deep inside your abdomen and their chakra was the only thing stopping you from bleeding out. Kakashi had never been too concerned with social norms, though.

Instead of answering Sakura gave him a desperate wild look as she screamed over her shoulder for someone to signal the Hokage. He knew what that meant. They wouldn’t be able to transport him back in time. Minato-sensei’s teleportation was their only hope of keeping him alive. Maybe that should have bothered him more but when Kakashi was twelve he had seen this girl perform a miracle and if ever there was someone who’s hands he trusted it was her.

“S-Sakura.” His voice was small and wet. How strange. “Sakura do you…still live for someone else?”

For some reason it felt important that she answer. It wasn’t as though her answer would matter, in this life or the next. There was no way for her to know that the shadows watched her sometimes as she laughed at the bar with her friends. There was no way for her to know that the flowers that sometimes showed up on her doorstep came from his hand. There was no way she knew how hard he had fallen for a girl who felt so strongly and yelled so loudly that it shook away the darkness in him until all he knew was the light she gave off so freely.

“Don’t speak, ANBU-san,” she admonished him. Her brow creased in concentration as she forced more chakra in to his belly. Kakashi barely paid attention to the arching of his spine or the way blood bubbled up between his lips.

“You…lived for him. You breathed and broke and fought for him.” Breathing was more difficult than it should have been. “You shouldn’t.” When she looked down at him he prayed she couldn’t see through the holes in his mask or the cracks in his soul. “You are…enough on your own. No one should own who you are.”

He didn’t get to see Minato-sensei arrive. Too soon his vision faded and Kakashi spared a thought for Rin and for Obito, hoping they wouldn’t take this too hard. Better friends he could never have asked for. He owed them so much but he was certain both of them knew what they meant to him. No ghosts came with him when he felt the world fade to black around him.

 vi.

“You’re stupid,” were the first words he heard upon regaining consciousness.

“I hear that a lot,” he croaked, “though never in regards to my actual intelligence. What have I done now?”

Only after he spoke did he crack his eyes open, immediately closing them again. His hospital bed – and he was obviously in a hospital bed – was set directly underneath the harsh halogen lights. A quick jerking tug sent his bed skittering to one side with a terrible squealing noise, obviously not the sound of a bed on wheels, and that answered the unspoken question of who had just called him an idiot before he was fully conscious.

“Hello Haruno-san,” he murmured, opening his eyes again now that he was out of the light’s path.

“Don’t you Haruno-san me you stalker creep.”

Despite her words she sounded more amused that anything else. That was the only thing that gave Kakashi the courage to roll his eyes to the side and take her in, knowing that if he moved his head a headache would start up. She looked as good in her medic’s uniform as she always did. Her hair, recently trimmed, was held back with a few cute little pins. On her face she wore an expression he’d seen too often on Rin, a mixture of irritation, exasperation, and fondness. He was more surprised than usual to see the fondness.

“Uhm…”

“If you wanted to ask me out you would have been better served using words instead of waiting around outside the hospital every morning.”

“You…saw that?”

“No but Rin-chan and I chat. Girls do that, you see. She’s been an absolute gold mine of interesting tidbits while you were sleeping.”

“Note to self: murder Rin.”

“Don’t you dare! We made a bet and I’m going to win; I won’t let you make me lose, you hear!”

“A bet?” Doing his best to ignore the way his head immediately began to pound, Kakashi turned to look at her in curiosity. “What kind of bet?”

Sakura waved one hand through the air casually. “Oh just a little thing. If I confront you and get a date then she has to go confront Obito and get a date out of him too.”

Kakashi stared. Swallowed. Shifted in his bed. Stared some more.

There was no porcelain mask to hide the blush this time and it was doubly embarrassing for her to see the line of red that crept overtop the small paper one some nurse had stretched over his mouth. Unless it had been her that put it on him. Had she been a part of his surgery? Had she peeked?

Putting that small panic-inducing thought aside for later, Kakashi had to clear his throat twice before he could string enough words together to respond to his long-time crush.

“Well. I’ve been telling those two to get their heads out of their asses for ages now. Who am I to turn down such an opportunity for them?” He smiled shakily when Sakura snorted.

“For them. Of course.”

“That’s me, the dutiful friend.”

“I hope you make as dutiful a date, Hatake Kakashi.” Sakura’s hand brushed his rather deliberately as she stood and made for the door. “Rumor says you have a habit of being as late for everything as Obito is. If you’re late for our first date I’ll remove your teeth for you.”

She was pink and only soft if you weren’t looking at her muscles – and Kakashi was so in love.

#rae writes #where did all this inspiration come from #i wrote this in like four ish hours #kakasaku #kakashi #sakura #fanfiction #naruto shippuden

[anerdinallherglory]

Approaching Sun (6)

Author's Note: Not as long of a wait, this round guys! But college will be starting back up for me on Monday and I will have considerably less time than I do now, so I hope this chapter will be enough to keep you guys happy for a while.

As always, let me know what you think! Loving your thoughts and opinons!

I'm using (. . . . . . . . ) to indicate both a time gap and to show shifts in p.o.v.

This fic is tightly adapted to Sasuke Shinden and Sakura Hiden. Please read the novels or refer to the summaries. I'm tired of waiting for their story, so have decided to write it myself.

Pairing: SasuSaku

Summary: After 2 years, Sasuke returns to the village where friends anxiously await him. Still troubled by the mysteries of Kaguya and his personal guilt, Sasuke is split between friends and his journey. One specific pink-haired individual has perhaps waited for him with far more dedication than anyone else. Troubled by rising casualties and international dependence on her abilities, Sakura is torn between her love for Sasuke and her duty to her village.

(Chapter 1) (Chapter 2) (Chapter 3) (Chapter 4) (Chapter 5) 

Chapter 6: "Over Tea"

Sasuke's eyebrows drew together at the kunoichi standing a few feet in front of him. Her silly red rain jacket nearly reached her knees and Sasuke couldn't help but think she looked as if she were drowning in it despite the water that was running off it. Just having thrown his jacket at him, she was trying her best to look serious, one hand on her hip and the other still clutching the remains of the bento box. If only she knew how ridiculous she looked.

It took everything in the Uchiha to check his temper. The previous night had been rough on him. Just as he feared, after all this time, the nightmares returned and Sasuke struggled to find peace in the darkness. With the dawn, had come the rain and the Uchiha had retired to the training zone nearest his campout, fighting the invisible targets in his mind to ease the tension in his body that accompanied the memories. Just as he was about to send his chidori through a tree, he had sensed her. Why he had immediately turned and headed in her direction, the Uchiha didn't know and was now regretting approaching her.

Now, as he sat with his jacket in his hands, he swallowed his retorts. After a few seconds, he rose to his feet and crossed his arms, replying to her order, "I'm not going anywhere."

"Then neither am I," Sakura said, walking over to him, situating herself in the exact spot where he had just been sitting.

Sasuke raised his hand to massage his temples and under his breath, he said, "I see you're just as annoying as you've always been."

"You haven't changed much either," she replied, glancing up to make eye contact with him. After a few seconds of shared glaring, Sakura's stern expression faded and she offered him a faint smile, to which Sasuke couldn't help but breathe out his frustration at the sight. Infuriating woman.

The thunder that shook the ground had the both of them wearing shocked expressions as a tree a few meters away from them lit up as it came into contact with the lightning that streaked down from the sky.

Without another second's hesitation, Sasuke reached his hand out and grabbed Sakura's arm, pulling her quickly away from the tree, just in case. He led her a safe distance away before releasing her arm and slipping back on his soaked cloak.

"Ok," he said, "I'll go."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

This was not a good idea, the Uchiha thought as he stared at Sakura's apartment door. She was fumbling with the lock in the rain and Sasuke frowned as the rain went from heavy to excessive in the span of two seconds.

He was making a huge mistake. It would be one thing for Sasuke to accepts someone's hospitality but it was something entirely different to accept Sakura's—the one person he was doing his best to avoid at all costs. What was he going to do now? This was the last thing that Sakura needed, for him to show up back in her life. He was doing her harm just by interacting with her.

A large click resounded and Sakura pushed firmly on the door.

"Come in," she said pleasantly, and Sasuke took one last second of indecision before sighing and stepping over the threshold.

Sakura flicked the lights on and hung her rain jacket on the rack next to her door. He jumped when her hands lightly touched his shoulders and he made to jerk away from her before realizing that she was just trying to lighten him from the load of his drenched cloak. He rolled his shoulders back, allowing it to roll off into her hands.

"Well, it's not much, but make yourself at home," she said after hanging his jacket next to hers. She gestured to the apartment around her and Sasuke couldn't help but take it all in, committing the layout to memory. He didn't know exactly what to expect, other than that it would be small, but the room before him was simple, clean, and surprisingly comforting. There was a large sofa, a yellow sitting chair in the corner, and a small bookshelf on the adjacent wall. He couldn't help but realize how warm it felt compared to the cool weather outside and the smell of cooked rice instantly made his stomach growl. He coughed in an attempt to disguise the sound.

Sakura smiled at him, leading him down the hallway to the bathroom.

"The shower is in here," she said, opening the door. "Once you are dry, then I'll fix you something to eat."

Sakura then retreated to the far room at the end of the corridor and Sasuke couldn't help but stand awkwardly in the hall as he heard her shuffling noisily in the bedroom. She returned a few minutes later, offering him a pair of large baggy pants and a blank white t-shirt, which Sasuke also noted to be his size.

"Whose-" he began, then firmly clamped his mouth before he could finish the sentence, instantly regretting what he was about to ask. He blushed furiously and turned to look away from her.

"Oh," she said, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly, obviously catching on to his train of thought. "Those were my father's clothes before I claimed them. They're big but that's all I have and they should work until I can clean yours. Is that okay?"

"Yes," he said quickly, hiding his face from her. He entered the bathroom and closed the door, letting out a heavy exasperated sigh. He glanced down at the clothes in his hands and couldn't help but feel a little relieved despite his embarrassment. He leaned his head back against the door. What the hell was he doing?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sakura pulled fresh rice from the cooker for the second time today, arranging it once again into nori wrapped balls of rice, adding fresh tomatoes on top. She fumbled gracelessly with the plate, almost spilling it onto the floor when she heard the bathroom door open. Steadying herself, she breathed deeply to calm down as she walked over to the dining table, setting down the plate and pretending like nothing had just happened.

Sasuke walked into the room, appropriately post-shower disheveled, wet hair dangling in his eyes. Sakura couldn't help but appraise how her father's clothes hung loosely on his body. She snapped her gaze away when she noticed him raising an eyebrow at her directed stare.

"Here," she gestured quickly to the plate at the table. "I hope you don't mind vegetable Gunkan-maki. I added tomatoes for you."

"It looks more appetizing when it's not on the ground," he said bluntly, coming to stand beside the table. It took Sakura a second to realize he was teasing.

"Yes. Well, you'll be glad to know I'm not usually so clumsy," she said, then froze when a smirk became present on his face.

"Are you sure about that?" he remarked, sitting down across from the food. Sakura's face turned scarlet at the realization that he must have seen her flailing just a few minutes ago.

She took a seat opposite him, helping herself to her own portion of the Gunkan-maki. This wasn't her first time making it, but she found herself questioning whether or not that it was good and if Sasuke would actually like it. He ate quickly and Sakura realized that it might have been awhile since he had last eaten anything homecooked.

With this thought, she began to ask him about all the food he ate on his journey, what he did for shelter, and if he was treated kindly. He had short positive answers to the first two questions, both to what Sakura had expected. The medical side of her questioned whether he was getting the nutrition he needed along with the rest his body demanded after using the Rinnegan. He didn't answer the third question and Sakura pretended not to notice.

He finished his first serving so Sakura jumped up to get him more. Halfway through his second serving, she noticed him purposefully slowing down.

"There's more where that came from," she said with a small giggle. "I want you to eat as much as you can before you—."

He looked up at her and Sakura held her breath. She could have tried to backtrack or make an excuse for what she was about to say, but they both knew what she meant.

"When will you be leaving?" she asked boldly after a few minutes, a sad smile marking her features as she averted her eyes from him. She might as well ask, since he wasn't denying it.

Looking back down at his food, he answered, "Soon."

And there it was. The answer she knew she didn't want to hear. It hit her like a fist to the gut and heavy silence hung over the both of them. Soon.

As if wanting to leave absolutely no doubt, Sasuke added, "Once Naruto comes back to the village, I will return to my mission."

"But—" she began, then cut herself short, redirecting her gaze away from him. There was no point to try to convince him otherwise. She had already tried this once before and Sakura was aware of what Sasuke had to do for their village. She had once helped Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, and Obito defeat Kaguya. But now, Sasuke continued to search for traces of Kaguya and investigate her race of people that the shinobi world still believed to be out there.

It was hard for her not to think selfishly in this matter. What would she do if Sasuke might never be home for good? She couldn't bear the thought of eternal loneliness without him. And what would she do if he decided he wanted nothing to do with her, when he was home?

Standing, she grabbed the now empty plates from the table and returned to the kitchen as Sasuke observed her silently.

He followed her lead and began to help her, taking the plates from her hands and proceeding to wash them in the sink. Sakura panicked at his nearness and in order to busy herself, began to boil water for hot, herbal tea. She couldn't look at him and didn't want to face him, so kept her body strategically placed so that he was at her back.

"Sasuke, I understand why you must leave. I understand why you believe that you have to be the one to carry this weight. But please, when you're home, don't treat me like a stranger." Despite how hard she tried to resist them, small tears pricked the corners of her eyes as she said this. She couldn't help but think about the past week of knowing he was here but not being able to see him. It was unfair and absolute torture. She wiped furiously at her eyes before Sasuke could see them. All she could ever do was cry.

Sakura heard Sasuke turn the faucet off and lean against the counter behind her.

"Then also understand that it is not my intention to hurt you."

She could acutely feel his presence from behind her and after a few minutes of gathering her courage, she turned to face him.

"If you think that deliberately going out of your way to avoid me, isn't hurting-"

He took a step towards her and looked down at her, suddenly interrupting her, "Is this what you want? Is this how you want to live?"

"Sasuke," she began, placing a palm on her forehead. "However long it takes, I will wai-."

Sasuke turned away from her with an impatient sigh. He walked out of the kitchen and looked out the dining room window, watching the lightning streak across the sky. He placed his hands on the window sill and leaned forward.

"What is it with you people," he breathed out angrily. "You and Naruto. Why can't you just move on with your lives and forget me?"

Sakura gawked at him, frustrated with his hurtful words. "Because we can't, you idiot! You don't think that would be easier for me? For all of us? But guess what, Sasuke, it's not going to happen."

A solid ten minutes of tense thunder-filled speechlessness surrounded them before either of them made another sound. The sudden screeching of the kettle shocked Sakura into movement and she removed the pot from the heat.

"I'm sorry," Sakura said, pouring the hot water into two cups . "I didn't bring you here to yell at you." She suddenly felt very guilty. This was not how she pictured an evening with him.

"Don't apologize," he said, still facing the window. "I'll never be able to give you what you want."

After she finished infusing the tea leaves, she placed the cups on the table and continued to stare at his back. He turned to face her and the two of them both looked down at their feet.

"How do you know what I want, Sasuke Uchiha?" She saw him silently glance up at her in the corner of her vision. He pulled his hands from his pockets, sat down at the table again, and reached out for one of the cups on its surface.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sasuke stared hard into the tea, not wanting to answer her question. Of course, he knew what she wanted. Sakura, his childhood friend who grew up alongside him as a genin, wanted him to be with her. Selfishly, Sasuke had wanted nothing more than to find happiness, too, at one point in his life. That's why he had created the bonds that he had. He had wanted to be with his friends and eventually take root in Konohagakure. However, this was a dream Sasuke had abandoned a long time ago. His purpose had changed. He had become a ninja that the shinobi world now relied on. For the sake of those around him—for those whose happiness he had to protect but could not share in—Sasuke had given up that dream. There was something bigger now that was more important than what either of them wanted.

Instead of replying, he took a full drink of the steaming tea in his hand, warm relief traveling throughout his rigid body. He suddenly realized that this was a medicinal tea as his tense muscles instantly became relaxed. He couldn't help but be surprised at the tea's effects.

"Well," Sakura stated, sitting at the table with him again. "For starters, I want you to stop dodging me when in you're in the village. Can you at least do that?" She tried to smile, diminishing some of the tension between them.

Stubborn, as always. She didn't know what she was asking. By requesting this, she was only prolonging her own heartache.

"I'll agree," he stated. "But only if you comply to something that I want."

She stopped mid-sip, lowering her cup and arching an eyebrow. The expression on her face wasn't one of curiosity or wonder. Her eyes only professed worry.

"What's that?" she asked finally.

More intently than he ever had before, he firmly held her green eyes with his, wanting the full weight of his words to hit home with her. "I want you to stop waiting for me, Sakura."

(Chapter 7)

#sasusaku #sasuke and sakura #Sasuke Uchiha #Sakura Haruno #approachingsun #naruto #naruto fanfiction #ssfanfiction