#((anyone: so much as looks at kage))

[evilminji]

You know how in Naruto, Sealing is a Finicky Art?

It's like computer coding, calligraphy, and symbolism had a super-powered/reality bending baby. You gotta think in VERY ADHD twirls and swirls too be any good at it. Which is why the Uzumaki rocked it so hard. But I digress.

Is Complexe AF.

Bends Reality and is EASY to fuck up.

Wanna bet? The BEST way to learn/use it? Is to copy already functioning examples? But Oh! How do you KNOW they are functioning? Safe? Well OBVIOUSLY, your Skilled At Seals teacher looks at it first! THEN gives it too you!

Using random seals you find in the dirt is how you get splattered across three different countryside in peices, after all. Possibly take out a nearly Town or two while your at it. No One Is THAT Dumb... RIGHT?

Enter Stage Right o/~☆ Humanity, Everybody! *polite, if strained, golf clapping*

They ABSOLUTELY Are!

Especially Ninja!

Ninja who, after fuckin MURDERING A WHOLE ASS VILLAGE OF SEALING MASTERS, decided to pick through the rubble! Because THAT is gonna work out GREAT! After all... it's not like you just KILLED the fuckers who could tell you what IS and IS NOT functional!

Was that once the "hazardous advanced class' sealing failures" bin? Or was it the "super awesome candy and rainbows" stash!? You don't know. NO ONE DOES NOW. You fuckin KILLED THE PEOPLE WHO DID.

They had their own REGIONAL Sealing Script.

You know, the one they taught to THEIR STUDENTS. Not outsiders. The students you KILLED, you absolute fuck nuggets. But hey! The threat of the Super Scary Sealing Masters is no more! Good job. You've successfully burned down the library. It can't hurt you ever again.

But NOW? You have piles upon piles of GIBBERISH.

You can only VAGUELY tell the novice seals from the master's. And even then? Do you have any idea what most of them DO? Nope. And after a certain point in training? The shaky, uncertain hand writing becomes smooth enough, that it all blends together in "Seals".

Now... what is the SMART thing to do?

Curse your hubris and the atrocities your fear allowed you to commit, obviously. But BEYOND that, Don't Touch Them. But we're Ninja. So WE are all suicidal idiots. The less smart but still Reasonably Precautionary thing to do? Study the amateur Seals. Learn Sealing from other masters.

Crack the Regional Script and slowly, painstakingly, work through each seal as we sort out what is and isn't safe. What can be salvaged. What can be used and how.

A process that will likely take years if not decades.

But of course, that's not GOOD ENOUGH for certain grabby handed, power hungry, short sighted, fuck weasels! No, no. It much EASIER to just throw human life into the blender until profit pops out! Completely IGNORING, of course, that SOME of these?

Could very well be the "Too Dangerous To Ever Use/Will Destroy Us All/Take Them All With Us" type of Seals that Kage usually LOCK UP. The kind you CAN'T destroy once you've made them, because the fall out would be WORSE. And?

Even if you are a murderous, middle management, go nowhere in your life, BASTARD of a ninja? Sometimes you can look down at the massive, intricately detailed, killer off nation's before you. Something that was WRAPPED in locks upon locks upon chains upon seals. And KNOW in your selfish, survival at all costs little heart... You DO NOT want anyone to fuck with this.

You CAN NOT let anyone fuck with this.

NO ONE can be allowed to touch it.

Not for ANYTHING.

You may fear S Class Kage and Missing Nin and what all else they may do to you. But THIS? Your eyes can't even properly FOCUS on it. It's like a tunnel that's lined with poetry, stretching all the way to the Earth's core. It's perfectly flat. It moves, a gentle rotation. But is that just your eyes, tricking you?

So much ink, it swallows the scroll, and this is when it's COMPRESSED.

How many nations?

How many NATIONS must this monstrosity span, when free?

It must have taken a Master decades, if not their entire life, to complete. Possibly a family, several generations. But... but gods it is a work of MADNESS. No wonder it was sealed. It speak, you... you THINK... of Death...

Of it's KING.

Something BEYOND the Shinigami. BEYOND Death and the Purelands.

Who the FUCK would try to summon something beyond GODS? Did they think they could control it? Chain it like the bijuu? You're so cold inside. Because you KNOW. You fucking KNOW, the ambitions and arrogance of those above you.

They'll think they can.

They won't listen.

You... you have to take this and RUN. You stand no chance. But no chance is better then oblivion. Anything is better then standing by and watching it happen.

You obviously don't make it. You never expected too. But at least... at least you won't have to watch whatever THAT is... arrive... fuck...

At least you TRIED.

And? Because leaf Ninja, specifically certain teams, have the MOST Shit luck imaginable? They arrive, having crossed paths with several other teams, on the way back home (yay! Warm food and real beds!) Just in time to see a desperate looking ninja from one of the small villages get fuckin pincushioned. Drop what is VERY clearly an Uzushio Scroll of considerable size and SEVERE SSS+ DO Not EVER Touch Grade Type Markings, and then some joining from that same village go to grab it.

Notice them.

You know... the multiple LEAF NINJA. Who TOO THIS DAY, wear the UZU swirl on their uniforms as a mourning tribute to the DEAR AND PRECIOUS ALLIES they could not save. The Uzushio Allies. Those ones. The ones that were, in fact, from Uzushio.

LIKE THE SCROLL YOU ARE HOLDING.

By the WAY! How DID you get that Scroll? Doesn't seem like something our dear friends would just HAND over, now does it? You didn't happen to LOOT THEIR FUCKIN GRAVES did you? Cause we sure would be MAD about that!

:)

Real Mad.

Dude obviously panics. Because that? That is a VERY pissed off bunch of Ninja, many in the bingo book, one of whom is Very Clearly throwing off BIJUU CHAKRA. And just said "my family's" Ha ha... Oh Shit that's an Uzumaki.

So he decides to USE THE SEAL.

What does it do?

He doesn't know! But it's probably SOMETHING big and impressive, right?

Yes. :) Yes it Does.

*Crack*

The SKY cracks. Like a pane of glass, struck by a hammer. Spiderwebbing as far as the eye can see above them, all from one central point, directly above the seal. The cracks there are concentrated. A point of impact. And through the cracks... something GREEN shines.

Brighter then the daylight around it, yet darker in color then the blue of the sky. Lazily whisping out like escaping mist. Time seems slow as their eyes all whip up wards. Even with senses beyond the normal human base, it is... inconceivable. SOMETHING winds back. They can not see it.

But they can feel it.

Like changing pressure as a storm rolls in.

*Crack!*

Green overtakes the blue. The sky a Kaleidescape of shards, held together by stubbornness alone. Reflecting a calm day that seems IMPOSSIBLE in the face of what's occurring. There should be wind. Great pressure changes in the face of so much FORCE, but the trees are eerily still.. utterly silent..

Nothing dares bring attention to itself.

Some distant part of their minds try to gather the thought that... that it could be an illusion. They... they should check. But they can FEEL it. Like a weight draped gently but without mercy upon their shoulders. It did not slam. But... but they can not move. Can barely breathe. It is beyond killing intent.

It is simply...

DEATH.

*CRASH!*

At last, the sky gives way. A fist, the size of towers punching through. It... it is almost elegant. A ring, almost in the shinigami's visage, wraps itself in a howling and snarled menace, around a great shining finger. A glove protects almost delicate looking, claw tipped fingers. The fist pulls back. Shard of sky falling, Floating, suspended in their moment of destruction, a glittering frame for the gapping wound that has overtaken everything.

Death...

Death has Green Eyes.

A crown of ice and starlight, pulled straight from the coldest north, hair that drifts like the drowned. His skin is that of a corpse. His breath a coldness that seems to suck all warmth from the world. There is no rage, no great irritation, his face merely twisted in slight annoyance. Mild displeasure.

And yet it feels like their greatest sin.

It BURNS.

They are ants. Less then ants. He... He LOOMS so TALL. The Green BURNS into their eyes, into their veins, chokes their lungs. The silence stretches. Those great eyes, the eyes of a GOD, move from them. To the man with the Seal.

He dies instantly.

Shit.

They... they need to... to...

Naruto wanders over and picks up the scroll, completely ignore the Giant Sky God Of Death and how all his friends are frozen in primordial fear. He roughly shakes the dirt off the delicate old relic, then squint at it. Figures he's holding it upside-down. Flipping it, he squints harder. Tilts his head and hums.

"Oh!"

He holds his hand up, turning to look at the terrifying Deity From Beyond Comprehension.

"It's me! I'm the Uzumaki! But, uh, I didn't actually summon you? Our stuff got stolen. Which really sucks!" He looks down again, brings the paper nearly to his nose trying to make out some thing. "Uuuuuh, huh. Got it! Can you get smaller? I don't got any BBQ or anything ON me right now, but Choji's Family makes REALLY good food! We can go out to eat? Ooh ooh! Maybe RAMEN! You like Ramen, right?!"

"Yep, Definitely one of Shouta's."

Rumbles The Actual Fucking King Of Death, shaking the trees and ground under your feet. As you probably stare at your fellow Leaf Nin like WTF.

"Sure, man. Give me a second."

And suddenly? He's leaning forward. Shrinking and twisting in ways that are painful to look at. The sky is... is not healing, so much as UNcracking. Rewinding itself to a pristine state. Until only a large, floating, armored God in black and white floats above you. Glowing.

One that... that is apparently FRIENDS with the Uzumaki Clan.

Because of course he is.

Naruto's introducing his Toads. And teammates. You almost feel bad for Hatake. But like? Better you then me, buddy. THEN? Death? Decides? For some inconceivable reason. "You know what? Im'ma just turn into a human WITH NO CHAKRA NETWORK. Reeeeeally freak out the locals."

And now Leaf is INCHARGE of entertaining A GOD until he decides to leave.

Or (presumably) Else.

And!! Because life loves to kick ninjas IN THE BALLS (for their stupid, STUPID life choices, YOU FUCKERS) it just HAD to be the One God? That can SEE DEAD PEOPLE. Because it's not like ninjas have Death Related Traumas or anything!

*internal ninja screaming*

Feed the guy some BBQ! Stat! Please Akimichi! Save us!

@hdgnj @hypewinter @the-witchhunter @ailithnight @nerdpoe @mutable-manifestation

[chocoshrooms]

Fluff creepypasta headcanons?

:: FLUFF CREEPYPASTA HEADCANONS ::

• i do not own the image above •

NOTES ( i just went with adding random fluff headcanons of various creeps because i wasn’t too sure what to write exactly. hopefully this is what you wanted… but if not, feel free to request more! this took so long to get out, i’m sorry! life is a bit hectic sometimes but i still love to write when possible :) )

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:; brian will hold doors open for you, he lets you in the room before he enters himself no matter where you are. even when you are away from the manor/their homes! he also opens vehicle doors, too

:; toby and ben will remove anything from your hair that gets stuck, they’ll also adjust your hair if your hairstyle gets out of place. this gives them an excuse to gently touch you and they “look like a gentleman”

:; brian, ben, eyeless jack, dark link and toby always give their S/O a kiss goodbye no matter where they are going. you could literally be going outside to hangout on the porch and they will get a quick smooch in

:; eyeless jack, brian, kagekao, nina, and jane are probably the most comfiest to cuddle with.

jack is tall and big which gives you plenty of room to cuddle him from all angles or get comfy underneath him.

brian likes to wrap his arms around you and bring your bodies chest to chest, he’s also really warm! it takes seconds to fall asleep!

kagekao is also similar to jack but always smells so good like lavender oils, which he probably does put on himself just because he also thought it smelled good. he’ll also share some wine with you while you wind down for the night

nina is a chaotic cuddler and definitely the little spoon. she will fight over this, but it’s cute! she’s all over you, underneath or on top. though she does drool once she passes out

jane has a warm, tight embrace. she will wrap her arms around you while scratching your head/back for comfort. she also smells amazing and her chest is a great place to lay your head, sooo comfy

:; jane and nina love to do makeup! they will glam you up in heartbeat if you ask them to. if your makeup starts to get a little runny or is a bit messy they will fix it for you, too! (they’re good about making it not discreet so you’re not embarrassed). their hands always smell fruity when they get close to your face with a makeup brush, you’ll be thinking about the smell all day

:; toby, dark link, ben, and nina are huge hand holders. they are always reaching for their s/o’s hand

toby has a tight grip, he’s the one who will grab your hand every single time you’re with him. almost without a thought, he’s wrapped around his s/o!

dark link is a gentle hand holder, he likes to be smooth with it and usually runs his fingers over your shoulders and down your arms before locking his fingers in yours. he’s very proud of his s/o!

ben is a lazy hand holder, he has a really loose grip but don’t pull away from him! he gets so offended but it makes him realize he needs to hold a bit tighter

nina is a bit like toby, she’s all over her s/o (or really anyone in general). she loves to hold hands and will comment on good manicure techniques that will get your hands/nails in shape

:; eyeless jack is a nest maker, if you’re his s/o he will definitely make you the most comfiest spot to lay in, even though his s/o’s are allowed to snuggle in his bed (which is a bundle of covers and pillows he’s arranged like a nest)

:; brian, tim and jeff love to tease other creeps, but especially their s/o. height difference is something they pick at. cant reach the top cabinet? they’ll come up behind you and coo at how small you are, “poor thing can’t get a cup? guess you’ll be thirsty, haha.”

but! they can’t be mean for long. they’ll get you whatever you need and expect a kiss for the help.

:; all the creeps enjoy when their s/o sits on their lap!

eyeless jack and kage are pretty huge guys being demons and all, so they’re the most comfiest to sit on. there’s so much room to move around and honestly if you do move around a lot, they more than likely don’t even know. they give amazing head scratches, you’ll be asleep in seconds

brian, tim, jeff, and toby are a normal size for humans. they’re also very comfy themselves but are more likely to be the ones who fall asleep first! brian and tim especially love when they’re busy doing paper work and their s/o crawls into their lap, they may scold you for a bit saying they’re busy but they’re really not busy enough for your cuddles

ben and dark link are demons like jack and kage (i hc them to be lol) but they’re much smaller demons! definitely bigger than the average human but not as big as the other two. ben is cold to the touch so he’s nice to sit on when you’re hot but dark is the opposite! both place their hands on your hips or wrap their arms around you right when you sit on them

jane and nina are the squishiest seats, and the most great smelling… and more! the second you’re on their lap they’re ecstatic, reaching out to you or giving you a hug from behind. they’re ready to talk so it’s never boring!

:; brian, tim, jeff, kage, dark link and eyeless jack are rough kissers. they’re more likely to bite your lip and start a heated make out session

jane, nina, toby, and ben are soft kissers (of course this depends if you’re getting freaky) but they’re more likely to kiss you and ask how your day has been before anything else

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Bunch of random creeps! If you’d like a specific creep, please check out my profile & pick any character(s) from the list that i write for! Any request made will be out first thing! thanks so much for the requests/support so far! <3 i cant believe some of my headcanons have already gotten over 100+ hearts (or close to) ahhh :) everyone seems to like ben a bit 👀 - 🍫🍄

[cosmicjoke]

Okay, chapter 56 of Saezuru!

First, I just want to give a huge thanks to @itwearsadress for providing such a quick and amazing translation for all of us!

So, this chapter was extremely, extremely interesting.

My main impression here is that, while there's definitely been a breakthrough of sorts between Yashiro and Doumeki, there's still a great deal of fear and uncertainty in both of them. The entire first half of this chapter was Yashiro trying, in vain, to avoid Doumeki's probing questions. To me, Yashiro came across as really terrified, and I think that terror was coming from the genuine belief that Doumeki was just messing with him, basically using his new found knowledge of Yashiro's impotency as a way to be unkind. Normally, this sort of thing wouldn't bother Yashiro, at least, not consciously, but he's in love with Doumeki. Really, really deeply in love. And we see what his perception that Doumeki is being intentionally cruel is doing to him. It's Yashiro's attempt to shield himself from that kind of hurt, the hurt of loving and not being loved in return, that's making him so resistant at first. I really, truly think Yashiro doesn't know that Doumeki loves him, at this point, and I think maybe he's never, truly known it. We have to remember, Yashiro's self-image is completely warped. He's believed all his life that he's not a person worthy of love, or even capable of being loved. His experience with Kage only served to reinforce that notion in his head.

I'll get more into this in a minute. But first, I want to talk about Doumeki's internal thoughts at the beginning, and what I think it means for the end of the chapter. Doumeki says to himself that he's been concealing his emotions to keep Yashiro from running away. Basically, we finally get a definitive answer explaining why Doumeki's been so cold to Yashiro. It's not so much that Doumeki is afraid of Yashiro's rejection, or that he's angry at Yashiro for that rejection, but more so that he just doesn't want to create a situation again in which Yashiro runs from him. He's trying to keep Yashiro at his side. At the end of the chapter, when Yashiro asks him what kind of sex this is that they're having, Doumeki very deliberately says that he's "a man without principles" and that he's just doing this to have sex. He's saying there's no emotion involved. That he's not "in love" with Yashiro and wanting to have sex with him because of it, but simply that he gets physical gratification from having sex with Yashiro, and that's it. I think Doumeki is saying here what he thinks Yashiro wants him to say, or what he wants to hear, because he thinks it's what will keep Yashiro around.

Basically, it seems to me that while there's some unspoken understanding between them, I think they're both still very much pretending here. Even if Doumeki suspects or knows that Yashiro cares for him, he still thinks Yashiro wants to pretend there's no emotion involved. That that's what's required to keep Yashiro with him.

The awful thing is, this is exactly the opposite of what Yashiro actually wants.

Yashiro's almost startled look after Doumeki says this, followed by a sort of sad resignation, makes me think that he believes it. Because when they first met, Yashiro plainly stated that anyone who developed feelings for him would be turned out. I think Yashiro looks sadly resigned here because he wants Doumeki to tell him he loves him again, he wants Doumeki to tell him he cares about him, but he doesn't, and Yashiro no doubt blames himself for that. I think Yashiro is, once again, resigning himself to the idea that whatever chance he had with Doumeki, he blew. He wants the Doumeki from before, who so openly expressed his love for him, but he seems to really believe that chance has passed him by. That he's ruined it. . He WANTS Doumeki to tell him he loves him, but if he can't and won't, he'll take the next best thing, which is just having Doumeki with him. So he just accepts it. He just accepts this idea that Doumeki has no feeling for him beyond the mutual, physical pleasure they share.

Now back to the first half of the chapter and what it tells us about Yashiro's state of mind.

Yashiro looks truly mortified for a moment when Doumeki shows him the memory card and asks him if he knows what's on it, before falling back into an apathetic attitude. That one panel where we get a close up of Yashiro's eyes shows us almost a moment of panic from him, and I think that comes from the sudden realization that Doumeki must now know he's impotent with everyone but him. I think this causes panic in Yashiro, again, because he desperately doesn't want to have to face Doumeki's rejection, and so he doesn't want Doumeki to know he has feelings for him. Doumeki discovering that Yashiro can't get it up with Inami, or anyone else, is tantamount to Doumeki discovering that Yashiro has feelings for him, which leaves Yashiro vulnerable to Doumeki's rejection. So we see Yashiro go into an extremely defensive mode at this point, pretending to brush it off, acting like he doesn't care if Doumeki watches it, acting like he's not ashamed or embarrassed. Yashiro's acting unbothered, but he's clearly freaking out inside. When Doumeki presses, saying "It seems that it's quite different with me", we again get a close up of Yashiro's eyes, showing a panicked, desperate expression, before he again tries to brush it off as just that "sort of play", trying to paint it as meaningless. Again, he's trying desperately to hide his feelings for Doumeki, to keep Doumeki from discovering those feelings. I think Yashiro's attempts at evasion here need to be understood through the lens of Yashiro's fear, and his belief that Doumeki doesn't care about him anymore. He thinks if Doumeki realizes Yashiro loves him, he'll either purposefully use it to hurt him, or just hurt him through rejection. So he keeps playing it off as no big deal.

But Doumeki keeps pressing, because he knows Yashiro is putting on an act here. He asks Yashiro why it is he's so satisfied with him, and again, Yashiro looks panicked. I think the following exchange is really important to understanding what's going on here with Yashiro specifically.

He knows he's trapped now. I think he knows Doumeki realizes that he can only get it up with him because he has feelings for him. We see again a resigned defeat in Yashiro's expression when Doumeki asks him if he remembers how many times he came. The important thing here is that, after answering that he doesn't, Doumeki says he doesn't either, and again, we see Yashiro's eyes up close, looking startled and hurt, and he slips again into pretending like none of it matters. Again, he becomes defensive, saying sarcastically that Doumeki is just being "mean" now. But Yashiro's expression here is very telling. He's smiling when he says the above line, but I think he means it. I think Yashiro's feelings are genuinely hurt. He thinks Doumeki is messing with him on purpose at this point. That he's rubbing it in, maybe to get back at Yashiro for how he treated him before the time skip. I think this exchange is, once again, reinforcing for Yashrio the belief that he's ruined any chance he might have had to be with Doumeki, and turned Doumeki against him, to the point that he thinks Doumeki wants to hurt him.

Doumeki meanwhile seems to be getting frustrated with Yashiro's continued evasion. We see his hands curling into fists when he asks Yashiro from what point it was he started to feel his body had chemistry with Doumeki's. He wants Yashiro to just confess that he has feelings for him, but Yashiro won't do it. I think, from Yashiro's perspective, he thinks Doumeki is just continuing to rub it in and is enjoying this, needling Yashiro, messing with him. Doumeki isn't, but again, this is from Yashiro's perspective. So we see Yashiro, again, get defensive, lashing out by asking Doumeki about his woman. Yashiro's hurt is obvious here. He's upset that Doumeki seems to be screwing with him, using his feelings against him, and so he lets his hurt over Doumeki's involvement with his woman come out. Again, it reeks of desperation on Yashiro's part. He's trying anything and everything to protect himself from the pain Doumeki's causing him, but he's only exposing himself further by doing so.

And Doumeki again calls him out on it, observing that it's unusual for Yashiro to show an interest in his personal life. Doumeki has Yashiro trapped again, basically telling him that he knows Yashiro is lying by acting like he doesn't care. Yashiro is on the back foot during this entire exchange. And again Yashiro gets incredibly defensive, this time standing up and trying to end the conversation. He knows he's got no way out of this now, no way to pretend any longer that he doesn't care, so he tries to escape it by fleeing. But Doumeki doesn't let him.

We once more see Yashiro lash out defensively, tearing away from Doumeki and telling him what he does in his life has nothing to do with him. His hurt again shows itself when he tells Doumeki that he's got no reason to "fuck" him anymore and that he should just go do it with his woman. Again, I think this exchange is super important. Yashiro is showing once more that he genuinely still thinks Doumeki doesn't care for him. His jealousy over Doumeki's woman is his despair over losing Doumeki coming out. We see once more Yashiro's resigned expression when Doumeki tells him that just like it's not his business who Yashiro has sex with, it's not Yashiro's business either who Doumeki has sex with. Yashiro's resigned expression here tells me again that he thinks he's lost Doumeki. I think Yashiro is operating during this entire exchange with the belief that Doumeki is just there to torment him. That's backed up by Yashiro's next words, when he asks Doumeki what it is he came there to do, and then accuses him of being there just to confirm that Yashiro can't get it up with anyone else and "take pity" on him. Yashiro's expression becomes one of apathy again as he says this. It's clear he's trying to shield himself. He thinks Doumeki is trying to hurt him.

But Doumeki of course isn't trying to hurt Yashiro, he's trying to get him to admit his feelings, and he just keeps pressing, because he knows he has Yashiro trapped.

One more really important exchange happens here, I think, when Doumeki presses Yashiro about how sex doesn't feel good to him with anyone else but him. Yashiro says "So what if that's true? You... You were only doing this to satisfy my sexual urges. What benefit is there to you?"

Doumeki's expression is startled here when Yashiro says this, and then in the next panel, it becomes soft, even sad. I think Doumeki realizes in that moment that Yashiro really believes that Doumeki never had any, real feelings for him, and that he only ever wanted to have sex with him for Yashiro's benefit, not because he was genuinely attracted to or in love with him. I think Yashiro's words here break Doumeki's heart, because of how truly sad that is.

And I think that sadness in Doumeki is compounded by his own belief that he can't just tell Yashiro he loves him. He says, in response, "The body chemistry is mutual". It's the best he can do without actually saying he loves Yashiro, because he still thinks, if he says that, Yashiro will run away. He doesn't realize how much Yashiro WANTS to hear Doumeki say it. Like I said, they're both still pretending here, because they both are still operating under false beliefs about the other. Yashiro under the belief that Doumeki doesn't love him and never has, and Doumeki under the belief that Yashiro will again run away if he confesses his feelings.

And then comes the big moment that everyone keeps talking about, which is an indirect confession from Yashiro of his feelings for Doumeki, when Doumeki says in reply to Yashiro's accusation that Doumeki has said some cruel things to him, "You liked cruel things, didn't you?"

I think Yashiro's expressions here are vital to understanding this exchange too.

Again, Yashiro, for a moment before his answer, looks stricken. The thing is, Yashiro DOESN'T like cruel things. He wants Doumeki, and he wants the Doumeki of before, the one who was so kind toward him. But he can't ask for that, because he still thinks Doumeki doesn't care about him, and he can't leave himself open to the kind of pain he'll experience with the rejection of his feelings. The next panel shows Yashiro with what I would call a resigned smile on his face as he says "I do". I think this is Yashiro saying he likes cruel things still, because he thinks it's the only way he'll get Doumeki now. This new version of Doumeki that doesn't love him, but is willing to have sex with him. It is an indirect confession on Yashiro's part, but it's once again predicated on Yashiro laboring under the belief that Doumeki doesn't love him.

It's really kind of a catch-22 between them, because Doumeki doesn't think he can say he loves Yashiro without driving him away, even as it seems he knows Yashiro cares for him, and Yashiro wants Doumeki to say he loves him, but can't bring himself to ask for it because he thinks Doumeki doesn't love him.

Basically, it's still a mess between them, even as we see a kind of acceptance happen at last in this chapter.

I think people tend to forget that Saezuru is, by and large, a tragedy, and there's a definite air of tragedy to this chapter. A lot of the expressions between Yashiro and Doumeki strike me as heartbreaking, resigned, sad, fearful, etc... I think that kind of encapsulates the general feeling of this chapter. It's definite progress, but it's progress that's still greatly hampered by misunderstanding.

Another amazing and nuanced chapter from Yoneda. I'm extremely eager to see what comes with chapter 57. I'm happy we'll be getting the next chapter at the end of March!

[maoam]

What do you think of this post

https://www.tumblr.com/saski-uchis/740996293540954112/an-analysis-on-sns-and-their-fans-treatment-of?source=share

I stopped reading when op brought up "the truth about itachi?" panel as proof that Sakura can't be judged for not knowing. But okay, I will explain this in more details AGAIN.

1. The difference in how Kishi portrayed Naruto/Sakura reasoning with Sasuke

Naruto's reasoning why Sasuke shouldn't go to Orochimaru: "He will kill you." Naruto is concerned for Sasuke's well-being.

Sakura's reasoning why Sasuke shouldn't go to Orochimaru: "Revenge won't make you... ME happy." And Sasuke says "I knew it (yappari)" because he realizes Sakura is making this about herself. That's why that line is isolated with Sasuke in the background.

She specifically claims she understood what Sasuke meant yet she compares her pain to Sasuke's entire clan being massacred and taken from him, and takes her own parents for granted.

Then when it doesn't work, she starts to confess her feelings (why the hell she always looks angry when she confesses?).

And then she completely flips on her arguments. So much for "revenge won't make you happy" like she cares about Sasuke's happiness. Unlike with Naruto, whose arguments were very simple, Kishi chose to portray Sakura in this insincere and hypocritical manner. This is a writing choice.

He actually says in Japanese "I knew it (yappari), you really are annoying." Notice how Sasuke always uses "I knew it" with Sakura, it's because his first impression of her being ignorant, selfish and childish was correct. So despite him giving her chances his first impression continues to be right.

2. Naruto's reasoning stays the same

Kishi acknowledged that Naruto didn't quite get Sasuke yet at this point, but his intentions were good nonetheless. He just didn't want Sasuke to die/throw his life away.

3. Kage arc and how Kishi again portrayed Naruto and Sakura differently:

Yes, Naruto reacts like this at first.

Kishi showed that Naruto did care and did understand Sasuke's love for his clan. He also showed Naruto was completely fine with letting the massacre be exposed. He did not care about how it would make Konoha look, even when he didn't know it to be true yet. Kishi wrote this for a reason. Kakashi then stops Naruto.

Sakura, who supposedly "loves" Sasuke, heard how much Sasuke loves his clan, was aware that Itachi had been killed, yet she didn't bother to ASK Sasuke, something Naruto was planning to do, why he is now acting the way he is since Itachi had been killed. She just didn't want to feel guilty about the promise between her and Naruto (because her ego really made her believe Naruto was only chasing Sasuke for her). So she decided to kill Sasuke.

Sakura then hears all this (after her failed attempt to kill Sasuke) which means that there is more to Itachi's case than meets the eye, and that Sasuke thinks Konoha is responsible for what happened to his clan. Yet she still doesn't ask anyone what all that was about because she does not care. Her main motivation was always to get into Sasuke's pants, she never cared about Sasuke's feelings or him as a person, that's how Kishi wrote her. The fact op used this last panel to defend Sakura is baffling to me. She was specifically given an opportunity here, and she just shrugged it off.

4. Portraying Naruto and Sakura differently yet again:

Sakura is given the chance to understand Sasuke wants CHANGE and yet does she care?

Nope, she starts yapping about her feelings and how things can go back to the way they were if Sasuke just stays with her, completely discarding Sasuke's desire for change. Which mirrors the confession she made in part 1. Kishi was showing how she has not changed in ways that matter. She is still selfish, and she still doesn't listen/nor care about Sasuke's feelings. This is why Sasuke calls her annoying yet again.

But Naruto, regardless of the shitty ending, does want change. He was shown over and over again to want to change things for the better. You can't possibly use Boruto to deny this part of his character.

Guess who again discarded what Sasuke wanted and asked to come with him on his journey he wanted to take alone, just for romantic purposes? Guess who later CHASED Sasuke just to be with him, once again discarding his wants?

"Naruto forced Sasuke to come back to Konoha" no he didn't. At no point did Naruto say Sasuke needs to live in Konoha. He let Sasuke leave at the end, and didn't force himself with him because Sasuke wanted to go alone.

People who act like Sakura would be revolutionary when Kishi over and over again showed that not only does Sakura not grow as a person, she also does not care about Sasuke's feelings or change.

Same way, Kishi had Shizune tell Sai that Naruto is not chasing Sasuke only for Sakura's sake. Yet Sakura still thought it was just for her, and thought her confession would make Naruto stop chasing Sasuke, and was shocked when Naruto said the promise doesn't even matter. Sakura constantly discards the information she receives because she just does not care if it's not about her relevance or her being together with Sasuke.

"People celebrate Naruto for doing the same things they hate Sakura for" no we don't, we just read the manga and understand what Kishi was trying to tell, hope this helps.

[leportraitducadavre]

Alright, since I’ve received multiple asks about who I ship Sasuke with (or if I have a problem with specific ships), I’ll reiterate my posture regarding shipping culture:

I think it’s very poor, borderline shortsighted, to focus so incredibly much on the possibility of a character –that never specified being sexually interested in anyone, having a romantic partner. Besides the fact that Sasuke is a very traumatized man, a survivor of state-sanctioned genocide which affects his libido to the point of it being non-existent, the entirety of his characterization revolves around him seeking justice for his family. No. It’s not about his bond with Naruto, it’s not about his apparent sexual tension with Karin, nor is it about his crush (the fuck?) on Sakura. 

It’s Naruto the one whose characterization revolves around his bond with Sasuke, it’s Karin the one whose characterization revolves around her sexual desire for Sasuke, and it’s Sakura the one whose characterization revolves around her crush on Sasuke –Sasuke’s entire arc differs completely from theirs, as his entire goal, through the entire series, is about seeking justice for his family. 

What happens once Sasuke realizes he won’t be able to kill Itachi if he stays in Konoha? He leaves because he chooses his goal as an Avenger before his connection with Team 7 (yes, Itachi’s presence also reminded him of the imminent threat of having bonds that Itachi could easily destroy, but he doesn’t leave to protect T7, but to seek power to kill his brother). What happens once Sasuke kills Itachi? He learns about the truth behind the UCM, and decides to barge into the Kage Summit to kill Danzo and not return to Konoha. What happens once he kills Danzö? He still decides not to return and plans to bring the entire system down. I mean, where is his “bond with Naruto” in all this? Where is his “sexual tension” with Karin in all of this? Where is Sakura’s relevance in all of this? At no single moment does he focus on these bonds, often questioning the reason why these people are so adamant about pursuing him. Am I saying that they don’t matter at all to him? No, and you know that’s not the point of the post unless you’re looking for a reason to get upset in which case, I cannot help you. What I’m saying is that they’re not relevant to his main goal or characterization, as that power rests upon Itachi’s shoulders. Each character here mentioned has either more or less importance throughout his journey, but none of them are detrimental to his objective and none of them are important enough for him throughout the manga to deviate from his ambition (he even tried to kill each one of them when he deemed them a liability or they threatened the continuation of his mission).

Who do I ship Sasuke with? Nobody, I don’t enjoy a single pairing that is attributed to him, and I wish the fandom would realize that the entire plot revolves around the actions and consequences of a fascist regime, and not about who wanted to secretly or not so secretly fuck who, or who deserve his dick and who doesn’t. Yes, I’m being blunt, and some of you will think I’m exaggerating, but if you don’t see me talking about ships as often as you see me speaking about feminism or politics inside the Naruto manga, well, what a shocker, there’s a reason for it.

And to prevent people from putting words in my mouth, let me say this: I’m not saying you can’t enjoy a ship –go crazy if that’s what you want, do art, fanfics, and whatever rocks your boat, I won’t go after you trust me, but oh my god how come some of you would give a “potential romantic couple” so much more relevance than the actual plot?! Sasuke plainly and continuously reminds the characters and the readers what his true goal is and what he wants, and still, some of you will force a deep reading of a bubble of speech detached from his overall characterization to prove that he was smitten with x,y,z all along!

[pouletaulait]

"You are the light. I am the shadow" The dichotomy between Yashiro and Kuga

After talking about how Yashiro was living his life passively, allowing himself to be coerced by others in my post „Do you even intend to quit?“ and seeing Kuga again in Chapter 58, I thought back to the dichotomy between Yashiro and Kuga, that became apparent in the very beginning of the story. Others probably already wrote plenty about this topic in the past but because I couldn’t find any recent posts about it, I thought I’d still write about it. Also, I feel like it adds another layer to Yashiro’s emotions at this point of the story.

The instance where the dichotomy between Kuga and Yashiro is mentioned is in Chapter 1 when Yashiro watches Kageyama leaving on his bicycle and he thinks about Kuga, the very person Kageyama is returning to. Yashiro says about Kuga and himself „You are the light. I am the shadow.“

From what we learn about Kuga in „Don’t stay gold“, we know that he was in very similar situation as Yashiro was at the same age. Kuga was abused by his parents, didn’t have a place to call home, he didn’t have any prospects for his future. Yashiro tried to do to Kuga, what Misumi had done to him. He saw potential in him just like Misumi had seen in Yashiro and he assumed that Kuga would be an easy target because of his situation, so he also tried to convince Kuga to join the Yakuza by any means necessary. He tried to coerce him just like Misumi had done to him:

It’s interesting to point out here that Kuga hates Yashiro for what he’s doing to him. Yashiro on the other hand didn’t hate Misumi despite him doing the same thing to Yashiro. He even began a consensual sexual relationship with him once he was practically forced to join Misumi’s group. Just like Yashiro, who felt like he had no other option but to join the Yakuza, Kuga didn’t really see any alternative to becoming a criminal. He says as much when talking to Kageyama about Yashiro’s „offer“:

In contrast to Yashiro himself, Kuga kept fighting his destiny. He probably didn’t know exactly what he wanted from life but he knew exactly what he didn’t want for himself and he defended his right to choose his own path. He didn’t allow himself to be manipulated by anyone. This is in strong contrast to Yashiro, who saw his fate as predetermined, like he had no other choice but to accept it. Yashiro didn’t put up a fight when Misumi lured him into the Yakuza. He was reluctant but he never actually fought against it. Like I said in my other post, he didn’t care about himself anymore at that point. He wasn’t angry. Didn’t lash out. Didn’t stand up for himself. He went along with Misumi’s demands, albeit reluctantly.

We see a similar situation when it comes to Yashiro and Kuga and their feelings for Kageyama. Their relationships with Kageyama start out in the exact same way. Kageyama started touching Kuga’s scars just like he had done to Yashiro in highschool. But when Kage pushed Kuga away just like he had done to Yashiro in the past, Kuga confronted him:

Yashiro on the other hand never opened up about his feelings. When he felt rejected by Kageyama he gave up without getting angry at him for using him or saying anything about how he felt.

This is a bit off topic but despite his own feelings for Kageyama it was Yashiro who gave Kageyama a push and made him go after Kuga and acknowledge his feelings:

Am I the only one who thinks that Yashiro looks like he’s about to cry here? 😭 Yashiro, you truly deserve all the happiness in the world! 😭

So, coming back to Yashiro’s statement about Kuga being the light and himself being the shadow, I think this shows how aware Yashiro is of the parallels between Kuga and himself. He recognizes that they both started from a somewhat similar point in life but that there is something that sets Kuga apart from himself: „Kuga is the light. I am the shadow“. I think the „light“ that Yashiro saw in Kuga was the hope that he was able to retain. Despite everything Kuga went through, it seems that he never lost hope. Just like Yashiro, he was lost and didn’t know where to go or what to do but he never gave up fighting for himself. I think what gave him this strength was his hope that he could turn his life around and that he could find happiness eventually. His hope was like a spark that enlightened his way forward. The way I see it, both Kuga as well as Yashiro are very strong people who managed to keep on going despite all the adversities they had to face but in contrast to Kuga, Yashiro had long lost all hope. He gave up on everything before fate even had the chance to lift him up.

So, after learning in Chapter 58 that Kageyama and Kuga are still going strong, I felt Yashiro’s pain about his current situation even more. Kuga has everything that Yashiro wishes for: The strength to stand up for himself and make his own decisions in life as well as a stable relationship with the person he loves. Yashiro on the other hand still has Misumi hanging round his neck trying to pull him back into the Yakuza life which he wants no part of, as well as Doumeki who’s making it seem like he doesn’t have any feelings for Yashiro anymore. And unlike Kuga, who decided to become a mechanic because he felt like night work didn’t suit him, Yashiro thinks of himself as livestock, a being that has no control over his own existence. So he continues his path as Misumi’s affiliate despite his negative attitude towards it and keeps his feelings hidden from Doumeki. He still has no hope for a better future. He's still dwelling in darkness while Kuga is still shining bright like the sun.

I really hope that once Yashiro recognizes Doumeki’s real feelings, this will finally restore his hope in the future and that he will eventually find the strength to go against his predetermined destiny.

[sueske]

Sasuke's Acknowledgement

this is very rambly and not that well put together so it might not make that much sense but I just wanted to finally put this out. I was thinking a lot about naruto wanting sasuke's 'acknowledgement'... because it's set up to come in 3. in japanese there is one word that is consistently used in relation to this 'acknowledgement' that naruto wants from sasuke - it's 'mitomete'.

putting under read more because it's image heavy.

1. feelings

so in chapter 3 sakura says that she wants sasuke's acknowledgement and would do anything for it because she loves him. this makes naruto think that he finally understands what he likes about sakura (because he too wants sasuke's acknowledgement, it's even emphasised in the manga panel)... so kishimoto made sakura want sasuke's acknowledgement in the context of romantic feelings and made naruto relate to that - even if naruto himself didn't realise the romantic aspect of it at this point and just related to wanting sasuke's acknowledgement generally. but the link between acknowledgement/romance/relating was still made. and of course there's this:

of course kishimoto manages to bring up the love triangle after pein's invasion via tazuna, and by comparing and contrasting sakura's and naruto's thoughts/actions in relation to sasuke numerous times throughout the story. and after observing everything and seeing how sasuke treats naruto in comparison to her, kishimoto even made sakura say it aloud:

because who can get close to sasuke? who can exchange blows with him (and see inside his heart)? who is to sasuke what sakura wishes she could be? naruto.

2. strength

during their kid days naruto would feel happy when he'd see sasuke, but due to his own jealousy and sasuke being good at everything naruto made him a rival instead. yet still he strived for sasuke's acknowledgement of his abilities.

3. existence

the land of waves happens where sasuke gives up his life for naruto (like when iruka jumped in front of a big blow meant for naruto, when he acknowledged naruto's existence). naruto asks 'why sasuke' but sasuke doesn't give him a proper answer really even though the readers get to see sasuke's inner thoughts about it.

see what I mean about how it comes in 3? the acknowledgement between naruto and sasuke is set up with 1) romantic feelings 2) strength 3) existence.

of course as the story progresses and sns' bond deepens, sasuke says he wants to fight naruto in the chuunin exams. it's an acknowledgement of naruto's strength at that point. then itachi comes and re-opens and creates new wounds and then sasuke is annoyed about his own progress and challenges naruto to fight him again to which naruto has an uhm interesting reaction to. 

in vote1 sasuke says pain makes people strong; he acknowledges that. but at the same time says he doesn't think naruto could scratch his forehead protector (strength). sasuke thinks bonds are a weakness (thanks itachi/sarcasm) whereas naruto thinks the opposite.

and throughout vote1 naruto questions his importance to sasuke, because after all that happened between them, sasuke still wants to kill him, so what is naruto to sasuke really? but by the end of vote1 it's clear to naruto. before the reunion naruto says that sasuke acknowledged his existence more than anyone else, referencing haku in the land of waves. 

when they meet up in the reunion well. naruto says he's weak. there's too much of a gap between them. and in the kage summit arc, naruto is honest about his feelings for sasuke of jealousy etc, but at the end sasuke says he'll crush naruto. naruto even says 'no problem... since it's clear you still don't acknowledge me.' (strength).

then vote2 happens and look at this - sasuke says 'he acknowledges it' and naruto looks shocked waiting to hear what sasuke will say... (reminiscent of sasuke's own shocked expressions when naruto said what he felt for him).

then sasuke says he lost (he acknowledges naruto's strength and the idea that bonds don't make him weak, "you had a strength that I didn't"). then naruto goes grr because the fight was not about just winning or losing. sasuke then says again that he finally acknowledged naruto, out loud, something naruto's been wanting to hear, but naruto doesn't have an expression of wonder anymore.

so by vote2:

1) naruto already knows sasuke acknowledged his existence more than anyone else.

2) naruto knows sasuke acknowledged his strength (both physically and mentally)

so with those two boxes ticked what's left?

the acknowledgement that naruto related to sakura with in chapter 3. 

during sakura's confession during vote2 kakashi says that 'sakura suffers by loving sasuke' to which naruto looks a bit worried about - because then later naruto himself defined his feeling for sasuke as 'hurting' for him. and even references the promise he made to sakura about bringing sasuke back even though he already said it's not about the promise. so I think by vote2 naruto is conscious of his feelings...

sasuke then has a monologue in 699 about how he feels about naruto but it's up to interpretation whether he ever actually conveyed those to naruto. at the end sasuke says "I'll hold onto the headband until we can finally settle things between us". well what's left to settle? they had all that time if it was a simple thing like a fight to see who'd win they would've already sparred. in gaiden naruto calls sasuke 'his rival' to sarada but in the boruto movie naruto's like 'still going on with that rivalry thing?' to sasuke. so... then what's left to settle except the acknowledgement of their feelings?

[adhdnojutsu]

Identity wars & the Uchiha

I always wondered why Itachi haters hate him because he committed mass murder, but excuse Sasuke, Obito, and Madara, for doing/attempting the same. I finally managed to put my finger on why exactly this doesn't sit right with me, other than just being plain silly or using trauma or marginalisation as an excuse for just about anything. Look, I'm queer, doesn't mean I get to walk into a roomful of c*s folks and empty my clip.

Itachi weighs human life in absolute numbers. Anti-Itachi, pro-Uchiha fans weigh human life in identities.

To them, each marginalized life is worth a whole busload of non-marginalized lives. They forget that social justice is NOT revenge, ie marginalized people taking the whole cake and leaving the non-marginalized to starve, but to redistribute the cake so NO ONE goes hungry.

To them, anyone in Konoha other than the Uchiha are non-marginalized aka "the oppressor", so their lives carry not even half the weight of an Uchiha's.

Because clearly, when they defend Sasuke's planned mass murder, it's not just "Danzo and the elders", no, these people think "guilt by association" is the new social justice, so everyone "laughing" in Konoha, to use Sasuke's words from his unhinged rant, is guilty and deserving of retaliation, too. There are no "victims" or "innocents" in Konoha unless they have a ping pong bat on their shirts, it seems. Not even babies or elderly. They're all guilty of something only 3 living people are even aware of.

They don't realize they're justifying school shooters. Because yes, the boy was victimized by a handful of bullies and had every right to go after them, but what, pray tell, justifies shooting up the whole school? That's what Sasuke, Obito, and Madara are. Glorified mass shooters. They have righteous beef with an entity or handful of people, and they're happy to take everyone else down with them for sharing the enemy's zip code.

When lumping all Konoha residents/people everywhere in with "the oppressor", these people don't take into account:

-genuine ignorance of the administration's rotten tactics

-if aware, a lack of power to change anything

-repercussions of treason/desertion -rational thought, ie. not criminalizing someone for living in the only place they've ever known

-other forms of marginalisation existing within Konoha, as well as civilians and dissenters -cultural/propaganda impact, ie. drinking the kool

-aid not typically being an act of malice and thus not warranting a death sentence

-limited responsibility for elected leaders: you may not have voted for this leader, or your elected leader may not keep his promises

-various personal and societal struggles not leaving capacity to march for the marginalised; remember Konoha doesn't even pay decorated ninjas enough to have their sick children treated: Mukai Kohinata had to spy for an enemy village to pay his son's hospital bills, and Konoha sent Itachi to kill him for it

-Kage are not democratically elected, making people living under them even LESS responsible for their administration. The Kage administration is a dictatorship, making everyone living under a Kage oppressed and victims. This also adds not-so-voluntary pressure to the "voluntary" decision to serve as a ninja. Imagine saying no to a dictator with a huge standing army of brainwashed child soldiers.

-the public reaction to the genocide. If they hated Itachi that much for it, surely, they could have made good allies to the Uchiha if the latter had EVER bothered to share their concerns rather than simmer in silence!!

All they see is "Uchihas oppressed, so everyone else bad". So they don't mind that Sasuke or Madara or Obito kill a bunch of innocent and marginalized people along with "the oppressor". Collective punishment, guilt by association, all those things I thought we all agreed are ALWAYS bad, are suddenly excusable if committed in the name of justice (revenge) rather than power.

Itachi "looks bad" because he only killed oppressed people, under orders from the oppressor. Itachi haters don't even take into account that he did so in tears and hating his commander and only obeying because of the many INNOCENT lives he thought were at stake - many more than those 60 or so Uchihas. He didn't kill the clan "for the oppressor" (a government), he, from his POV, killed the clan for the people who didn't ask to live under this, or any government - after all, there is no opting out of "enabling injustice through citizenship" no matter where you go, so why fault anyone for existing where they do?

Is all of Konoha really "the oppressor" because of those 4 old people? Where could Konoha residents go in protest where they would not collaborate with some form of oppression, where is that utopia of innocence and justice? Fugaku sure wasn't gonna build it, since he would have to establish a new iron fist rule to keep people in line after *checks notes* kidnapping a leader who only ever showed them a loving face.

"Guilt by association" is not how to advocate for social justice. Not in the Narutoverse, not IRL. You just turn the aggressor-victim dynamic around, not eradicating oppression.

[writinggremlin]

Red Dead Redemption: Bound and/or gagged for the Coffee shop pals???

Helloooooo anon! Everybody give it up for the one who prompted this entire series!!! Wooooo!!!!!!

Sorry it took me so long to respond! If this is your first time hearing of this series, then you might want to check out the masterlist (linked above the CW) so that you may have all of the context.

I am answering this with part 3 because this is the main juice. This is the part that contains the main premise of this ask. Then part 4 will contain the execution, actually going through with the binding, gagging, and killing(¿).

I hope you enjoy!

(Disclaimer: There is a character mentioned in here (Damien), who is not one of my characters. He belongs to a friend of mine that I rp with. They don't have a Tumblr, but they go by ducks._.andcoffee on the platform I know them on. Their character is only used in a passing mention here, but I just thought I should give credit anyway lol.)

Masterlist

CW (above cut): (Hypothetical) Murder Mention

CW (under cut): More Murder Mentions, Suicide Mention, Self Harm Mention, Threats To Harm Others, Manipulation/Coercion, Torture Mention, Restraints, Knife, Implied Drugging Mention, Brainwashing/Mind Control

(If I missed anything, feel free to let me know!)

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Bind... Gag... Kill? (Pt. 3)

The Choice

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

"WHAT?!" Kage snapped, temper boiling over.

"You just need to assign one per person," August calmly explained, "So, for example, let's say: bind Jacky, gag Sunni, and kill Mars!"

Mars objected, "HEY!! I get that I'm annoying sometimes but COME ON!!!"

August continued her explanation as if he didn't exist, "Whoever you choose to bind will be bound into a stress position, whoever you choose to gag will be made to wear that muzzle, and whoever you choose to kill will be, well, killed!"

Sunni objected too, "What the hell-- You can't just do that to us!!"

August smiled up at her, a look Jacky thought was too innocent for somebody so shamelessly unethical, "I can, and I will!" She turned back to Kage, gesturing to the three behind her, "So who will it be? Who will you choose to get what?"

Kage seemed to contemplate it, and for a moment, Jacky grew concerned.

"I choose to kill... myself."

"Hey now, you know that's not how--"

"Well FUCK that and FUCK you!! I am NOT gonna just-- choose one of them to die, ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! What-- What happened to 'I'm not gonna hurt them', HUH?!"

Her smile seemed to stretch just a little too wide, "I'm not. I won't lay a single finger on any of them! Promise!"

It went silent for a few seconds, and Jacky almost felt like she was going to puke at the idea of what she was implying.

"What. The fuck," Kage finally said, "No, seriously, WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU, AUGUST?! YOU SICK, TWISTED-- FUCK-- NO!!! NO!!!! FUCK YOU, I'M NOT KILLING ANYONE YOU FUCKING-- NO!!!! FUCK YOU!! FUCK YOU!!!"

August stood there while he had his outburst, silently taking the screaming and the insults without taking even the slightest trace of offence. Or at least, that's what it looked like-- her demeanor and expression didn't change even the slightest bit. She merely just waited. Waited patiently for Kage to calm back down.

"Well..." She finally said, taking a step back. Then another, "You're either going to have to choose..." She turned and walked behind Jacky, whose heart started to beat frantically as August rested the knife she was holding right against her neck, "Or I'll have to choose for you."

Jacky raised her chin and tried to pull her neck away as much as the restraints would allow. She silently glared up at August, though no amount of that could hide the tremble in her body.

Sunni audibly thrashed against her restraints, "DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE, BITCH!!!"

Mars' eyes widened, and he looked over to Kage, "You're not actually going to kill any of us... right?"

Kage immediately shook his head, "No!! Fuck no!!! And none of ya are gonna die here. Because if any of you do and Damien finds out, he'll--"

"Ooo!!~" The sudden sound of August's voice made Jacky flinch. A dangerous thing to do in this situation, "So these three are under his protection too, hmm? Now that's interesting... I never would've guessed!"

"All of my friends are under my fiancé's protection, dipshit."

"Hm... That does throw a wrench in my plans though..." Jacky breathed a sigh of relief as the knife was lowered away from her neck. August stepped out in front of her and folded the blade back up, "Hm. Well, ok. Maybe not kill, but what about harm? I'll even let you pick the method! Is that better?"

Jacky caught the sight of Kage glaring daggers at August once again, as she stepped down and returned by his side. He clenched his jaw, his hands clenched the armrests on the chair, knuckles growing white.

"Well?"

The silence stretched on for a few more seconds, before he finally took a breath, his head dropping in defeat, "...Fine."

August clapped a few times, grinning excitedly, "Yay! Alright, then you may start whenever you're ready! Oh, and feel free to take your time with it. It's not like anyone is going to be going anywhere anytime soon."

Mars rolled his eyes, "Gee, I wonder why that is!"

She laughed, turning to face him, "Y'know, I really like you! Mars, right?"

He froze in place, stiffening like a statue, "Wait, how did you know my--"

"I have my methods!"

"Like torturing our friend?"

"Well, others may call it "torture", but I call it interrogation. I would never wish to inflict any more pain than what is absolutely necessary! Just the pin prick of a needle is all it takes-- if even that!" She laughed, turning back to Kage, "Isn't that right?"

He grumbled, "Shut up."

She put her hands up, "Ok, alright Mr. Grumpy Pants, I will. Sorry! I did get a little off track for a second there, didn't I?" She laughed, then cleared her throat, "Anyway, it's time for you to finally answer my question..."

She gestured to the others, "Who do you choose?"

Jacky's breathing picked up it's pace, becoming quicker and sharper, as the air grew still and quiet. She watched Kage as he silently looked over the three of them, his eyes slowly scanning across them one by one, his solemn expression weighing heavily on his features.

It was something that he had to do; there wasn't really a better option. She knew that, and she knew that he knew that too. But still, some part of her was still daring to hope that he wouldn't actually--

Tipping his head back, Kage let out a frustrated groan, "Bind... Mars."

Jacky's eyes widened as she watched August take the rope she presented earlier, and bring it to the metal plate in front of Mars, who looked utterly stunned.

"You're still young," Kage explained, raising his head back up to look at the other, "Probably still got some flexibility in ya. With any luck, it won't do too much damage; hopefully won't take ya too long to recover. And 'ey," He showed a half-smile that Jacky assumed was meant to be reassuring, "At least you'll have your mouth free so you can sass back and use all the sarcasm you'd like. That's gotta be somethin', right?"

Mars only gave a half-hearted chuckle and somber nod in response.

Kage's gaze seemed to linger for a moment, before dropping down to his lap, "I'm sorry, man..." he muttered.

Jacky couldn't help the tears that started pricking her eyes as the reality of the situation sank in. He was actually going through with this. And Mars getting bound meant that it was either going to be her or Sunni getting the worst option. Secretly, she hoped that he would choose Sunni for the muzzle, sparing her from the harm. Jacky looked over to the right, and found that Sunni was looking back.

Please just let her be safe. Please.

She'd gladly take the beating if it meant Sunni's safety. She wondered if she might've been feeling the same way; thinking the same thing. Maybe. It's possible. ...She looked back to Kage.

He was smart, she knew he was. He was great at thinking on his feet and strategizing. He was also great at making judgements about others, observing them and evaluating their behavior; picking apart every last detail about them until he knew them. Jacky knew that she wouldn't take it personally if he chose to hurt her.

But... did he know that?

Kage finally looked back up at August, "Gag... Sunni."

Jacky met Kage's eyes as August went to go place the muzzle in front of Sunni. A somber smile couldn't help but to cross her lips. Of course he would.

August turned back to Kage, "And that means..."

And that means...

"Harm..." He hesitated, drawing in a slow breath, before looking August dead in the eye, "...myself. I'm not hurting any of them. Fuck no."

A quiet breath of laughter escaped Jacky as she smiled further. Of course he would.

August got a dangerous glint in her eye, "Is that so?" She slowly stalked over to Kage, who kept his gaze level with hers. He didn't shrink back as she got closer, firmly holding his ground, a flame of determination alight in his eyes.

His voice was low and steady, "You aren't gonna make me. You can't make me." Jacky had to admit, it was a little eerie to hear him speak like that.

"I can't make you, hm?~" August crouched down behind him, getting close to his ear. She sounded unbothered, a little smug, even, and she wore a smirk to match, "You wanna bet?"

She placed a hand on his shoulder. Jacky could've sworn that just for a moment, just for the smallest fraction of a second, she saw him start to smile. But when she blinked, his expression only held confusion.

"What the hell are y--"

Snap.

His breath hitched.

"Sleep."

Jacky's eyes widened, and she helplessly watched as the determination, the spite, and even his very will seemed to drain from his face. She watched as the tension melted out of his muscles; as his eyes fluttered shut, and his head dropped forward. It was only a matter of seconds before he was completely limp in his seat, only being help up by the hand on his shoulder.

Snap.

August didn't even need to command him to wake, he just did so on his own. His head gradually rose, looking back up at-- no, through Jacky with glassy eyes and a blank expression. He looked empty... hollow...

A shiver ran down Jacky's spine.

August placed the knife from before into Kage's hand, "You've made your choice. Now follow through."

The restraints on his chair opened, and slowly, he stood.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Ahaha... Whoops!! There he goes! Whoopsies!!

Turns out that you can't beat August at her own game.

Tune in next time to witness the carnage.

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(Holy shit I hit the tag limit. Wow.)

[ipkkndlovescenes]

IPKKND/Teri Meri/12th Anniversary

❤️Dance of Souls

If you love someone enough, you can make them invincible. Your feelings for them are so strong they work as a magical shield, protecting them from all harm and pain. ~ Linda Kage ~

She stood there, defeated momentarily by the challenges of her life. It had nothing to do with this dance or this challenge; it was Shyam and his menacing ways to torture her physically and mentally. The whole world in front of her was unknown to those wounds she was hiding behind those closed eyes. But her tears left one heart wounded as always on the poolside who could never bear his soul to bring peace in her. She couldn't be defeated by anyone in this world but him, and right now, that was his challenge, far more important than anything. Her tears were drawn to his like a moth to a flame.

The music thumped into the room with a thunder of claps, and she turned to the neon lights flashing upon the one who stood there to join her in this quest. Eyes met, and he moved closer to distract her with his raging challenge...

"This is your last performance, Khushi, won't you finish it? 

A teasing smile to see the effect of his words. She gave him a sharp look as if she remembered why she was there in the first place.

“Amid the darkness, love becomes the guiding light.” – Unknown

“The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.” – Audrey Hepburn.

Arnav held on to her hand, not letting her go with determination and anger, and she responded, turning her face,

 "Teri meri,meri teri kahani...

He made her twirl into his arms, making her lean on him... .

."ek ladka aur ek ladki ki yeh kahani hai nai do lafzoon mein yeh bayan na ho paye"..

Khushi followed, and a small smile spread across his face...

Everyone opened their mouths, yet he was careless of what, why, who, etc. All he had in his mind was that if he were to fall in love, he would. And if, as a result, he would appear to be stupid, disillusioned, and of poor judgment, he will. And he would be damned if he cared what other people think. he would rather be considered all these things than not love. If he loved her and stood alone as her protector on a horse, he would ride that horse with his head held high. This was his spirit. He was unbreakable. He was Arnav Singh Raizada with a brain, and no one could defeat him in this ride...

Holding her hand, he pulled her closer, and the rest became history.

“Hold me as if I were the most fragile object a feather touch could break. Dance with me with the same animal craving, with the same desire you would make love to me.”― Tatjana Ostojic

While dancing, he relished that delicious feeling of freedom, the delirium of being with her, and his heart being born again. It’s like he's being made with new feelings, the ones he was deprived of all this time. ASR smiled when their eyes met, and she lost herself in him. Like always, he was protecting her from the world.

Not the ways he danced turned them on: She and her happiness were all he could think of as his dancing skills got the better of him. Amidst all, he lost himself in her, and every eye witnessed their love tonight.

She glanced back every time with surprise and saw the exterior of a man she knew torn and discarded, a little she knew and thought he was the prince charming she always dreamed of.

How they looked at each other and cruelly forgotten was a beautiful symbol of how much they both needed to satisfy their yearning hearts. He protected this intense, precious bond they shared that was more than desire, tenderness, adoration, and love.

“May I never tire of expressing myself

may I find contentment in listening to you

may there be no constraints on time

and may we be bound together as a single knot

you, time, and I.”

― Sanu Sharma

This time, there was nothing gentle about their kiss of hands. It's all the passion and wet kisses of curious hands flowing with their moves and hearts. Unsure what she was doing, she emulated his actions, allowing her body to tangle with his. It brought a growl from his heart that made her shiver when he threw her in the air, keeping all her weight on him, letting her hair sprawl over him. Then this kiss became hungrier and deeper, almost violent, as his hands began moving, caressing her everywhere.

He kneaded her back, urging her flush against his skin, then let his fingers slide over her arms and her sides before his hands suddenly clasped her waist. He lifted, twirled, pulled, and made her believe he was her prince charming...

ASR was this colossal mystery she wanted to take time-solving. He had danger written all over him, and there was a risk of getting burned, but she wanted to play in the fire tonight. Why? She had no idea. And neither hadn't he.

One of his hands ran up her neck and through her hair, the other supporting my waist. He kept his promise and never let her fall again. She was held up by a dizzying suspension, feeling like she could sprout wings and fly. Time stood still, and the only thing she could think about was his breath over her, his eyes bored into hers, his hands holding hers, and nothing more. She was safe and protected in his arms as always.

Hardly aware of the little mewls of need and pleasure slipping from her heart, Khushi withstood that as long as she could and then followed his hands to caress his face and pulled her head back so that he could cover her body with his. She could trust him with closed eyes.

Much to his relief, she gave in to his silent request and held onto him again and again, his breath demanding and hungry as he touched her with his lips many times tonight. All he was doing was following his heart for the woman who enticed him in his days and allured him in his nights. She was unaware of her bewitching him in myriad unknown ways.

So consumed by his desires and touches was she that Khushi was only vaguely aware of it when ASR clasped her by the waist and turned her toward him. So, when the thunder of clap suddenly broke their little private moment, she was somewhat surprised to find herself so close to him. She saw amusement flicker across his face as he took in her startled expression, as he was mending his ways, but she was dwelling in another world tonight.

Khushi's instinct was to cover herself with her saree and walk away from him. She wanted to avoid his intense gaze, but she looked back as always and remained still. The doubts, the raging uncertainties, the million questions, the pain and many sufferings he caused her...her eyes sought to find an answer in him; Arnav understood her hesitation and why she was pulling herself back. He knew he had much to redeem, and there was only one way: by apologising and seeking forgiveness. He was attritional; as he looked at her with eyes of no mask, just a tinge of genuine and sincere apology ...Tonight, he found his heartbeat again along with her.

Teri Meri Kahani...

“I’ve become your heartbeat, making you mine

Upon every kiss of passion, our souls shine” ― Munia Khan

PART 2 [ Read Here ]

[ilikedyourablogithere]

no hate

no disrespect

not trying to be an anime power scaler or anything

...

but Gaius been looking kinda sorry ever since the heel turn

like let's look at the record

look at the record

gameplay wise yeah Gaius is a pretty big deal. If this was pokemon he'd be a stable in OU tier

storywise ~~~ I dunno

like The Esper Seven are the strongest of the strong

they're this story's Kages/ Warlords of the Sea/ Captain level Shinigami or what have you

And of the 7 he is one of the 3 that have shown off their power in the story and that's where he's looking kinda iffy

In his character trailer he's struggling to solo Cube Miracle

and I get the part where he was by himself but also he was struggling against a slightly bigger miramon

like Leora can take down a giant miramon. Mateo did it too

Gaius? Hannah had to go Android 16 for him to do it

2. Bro ain't all that knowledgeable. he kinda just... knows people

and ya sure being popular is a great skill to have...But you need some more smarts my guy. You got outplayed and outsmarted by doom prepper with amnesia in a world they don't even know anything about

like you had everything on easymode but still fumbled that

3. How are top 7 strongest people in canon and have not killed anyone you have set out to kill

Raven- Okay she's also an Esper Seven so sending her to a coma is fair but also...bro you blew an entire building floor, but she still alive? come on now

Abigail / Alexa / Xuan Pin - These are not strong people. Abigail is just a neppo baby that commited stock manipulation that one time, Alexa runs the entertainment sector of a city and Xuan Pin is a strategist. None of them are built for what you are about

Abigail had to go snitch to the Esper Union to come and help her and Alexa jump Jin Yuyuo, a Shadow Pillager. That is how much they are NOT built for what you do

yet you sent lighting through their bodies and all three of them are alive to this day

The Main Character - like bro ARE you even trying. All you ever do to this man is monologue at him. Yap yap yap yap yap yap yap Gaius may in fact been trying to talk him to death

like quit posing and get it over with already

Sachiko- Like not only did you not kill her after shooting her with lighting but she revived with a second form

and one shot YOU

the absolute fraud behavior on display disgust me everytime I see it

Get it out of my face. I don't want to see it anymore

In conclusion, Gaius

Do Better

[bakugoushotwife]

Inextricable Angst Ending

a/n: here's the angst ending! meant to be read after Sasuke is healed. it's painful im sorry

fluff ending // first part

Kakashi was chosen to be the Sixth Hokage, and at the time you were thrilled. You knew Kakashi had what it takes to keep the village safe. He instills Itachi and Shisui as village heroes, which delights you. He’s able to pardon Sasuke for his crimes considering his war efforts and sacrifice to the village. 

He hates what he has to do next. Ultimately he has to do it for the sake of the five hidden villages, they’ll never feel safe with the possibility. He’s watched you and Sasuke grow closer than ever before, and he can see the love you have for one another. So the day he calls the two of you into the Hokage’s office to announce these plans, his heart breaks. All Five Kage had thought about this painstakingly, and this was the best resolution. 

“Sasuke, Y/N. Thank you for responding so quickly. I..well.” He clears his throat, wondering what exactly is the right thing to say in a situation like this one. “The five Kage convened recently, here in the Leaf. The other Kage have made me aware that they are..worried about the two of you rebuilding your clan. They fear a repeat of the earlier histories.” Kakashi explains wearily. 

Sasuke straightens his back, looking over at you quickly. “What are you saying, Kakashi?”

“I’m saying the Kage agreed to intervene to prevent you two from marriage and having children. Y/N…will be married to the Kazekage in three weeks.” He replies, clearly pained by the ordeal. He can’t even meet your eyes. 

Your world comes crashing down around you. Sasuke and you just found each other, spending every night talking and touching and being together, like you’re inextricably obligated to. Sasuke’s eyes widened. He opened his mouth to speak, feeling only those nasty flames of anger and hatred licking back up his body. 

“I–I can’t believe you would do this to me.” You whisper softly, devastated that Kakashi could settle for such an arrangement. 

“I had no choice. Either that, or they want your original sentences served for desertion and treason. Y/N…I’m sorry.” Kakashi frowns, arms folded over his chest. “Sasuke…I know that Sakura would make a lovely partner, and she cares for you very much.” 

His words cut both of you down, sucking the wind out of your lungs. All this heartache and pain that you’ve gone through, it’s not over. It would never be over. You’re forbidden to be together, just like in all those awful books. Is this really how your story ends?

Gaara is a wonderful man and you’ve always been happy to call him your friend. You’re sure he would do his best to be a good husband to you, but he wasn’t Sasuke. He could never fill that gap, no matter how hard he tried. And to think about Sasuke with Sakura…it was torture. You got up and slammed the door behind you on the way out. 

Over the course of the next few weeks, you met Sasuke when you could. Each time it felt worse and worse, because both of you knew it was closer to the last time. You hold each other a little closer, he kisses you a little rougher than intended, but he just wants to savor the way you taste and the shape of your body under his hand. He knew you would be safe, and as happy as anyone forced into a marriage can be, but every bone in his body wanted to take you and leave this village again. 

But he knew that you didn’t want that life of danger, and neither did he. He wanted to protect the Leaf, and make it up to the people who couldn’t trust him to marry the woman he loves. Maybe he could prove them wrong. But it would be too late by then. Maybe this is what you meant when you said that life doesn’t work off of deserving, but he had to disagree. This is exactly what he deserves. He’s done so much bad, how could he think he was going to get his happily ever after? You were an Uchiha Princess, you deserved to be married to a Kage and be forever safe and catered to. But he stole all the time with you he could. 

True to Kakashi’s word, three weeks from the day he told you about the occasion, you were being wed to the Kazekage. It was a grand spectacle, you think mostly to ease the nerves of the other Kage. The entire Leaf and Sand combine into one massive cathedral-esque type of building, and it’s decorated to the gods. You can smell all the food that’s been made in preparation as you stare at yourself in the mirror. You looked beautiful. This was a fact, your hair was pinned in elaborate braids and your makeup was perfect. You wore a simple but beautiful and traditional Sand style gown. You had citizens of the sand excitedly racing around your room to make sure every detail was in place, and it was magical. 

If only the groom were your preferred choice. Not that you really had one. 

Kakashi walks you out, the previously raucous crowd falling silent at the sight of you. “You do look beautiful, sweet girl.” He hums in your ear. 

“Thank you.” You return politely, not trying to make a spectacle. You can feel Sasuke’s eyes, and you find him easily. He smiles sadly at you, receiving a pat of support from Naruto. Sakura is on his other side. You smile sadly too.

The ceremony is nice, Gaara is kind and you hope you can come to love him in any way similar to Sasuke, because he deserves a good wife. He has made you comfortable since you arrived and tried to give you whatever space or comfort you’ve asked for. He held your hands now, in front of both of your villages, and swore his loyalty to you. 

“I, Gaara of the Hidden Sand, the 5th Kazekage, swear my life to yours. I will make you happy, protect you, and give you anything you ever want or need. I will love you and honor you for all our days.” 

Sasuke is visibly upset, though he tries to hide it just for you. Naruto squeezes his friend’s hand. He was upset for the both of you, having third wheeled your relationship for most of his life. 

The crowd anxiously waits for you to speak. Gaara squeezes your hands in support, and you can tell he’s trying to be the best for you. You smile softly.

“I, Y/N Uchiha, of the Hidden Leaf, the Sharingan Princess, swear my life to yours. I will make you happy, protect you, and give you anything you ever want or need. I will love you and honor you for all our days.” You repeat, allowing him to lean in for the first kiss of your marriage. 

And just like that, you were the wife of the Kazekage, Sasuke Uchiha's Princess no longer.

[x-authorship-x]

Jokes aside the idea of Shisui smartly winning a place as Fugaku's right-hand man and using Mangekyō fuckery against ROOT is so cool? Also Fugaku doesn't strike me as someone who would be a super bad Hokage- would he be the best? No. But would he be the worst? I don't think so, especially with Shisui at his side

And who knows?

Maybe with time things will get better and Konoha will accept Fugaku as their new Hokage. I know I would 🤭

- Koto-anon

It depends on how you judge success/badness/goodness specifically towards leadership in Narutoverse!

Disclaimer! This is all my opinion! I don't want to be lectured! I'll keep deleting bullshit!

I'm gonna try really hard not to start spiraling into historical analysis of power structures and perspective bias etc etc but knowing me that's what's going to happen anyway so let's just get into it 🤣

So, fandom usually looks at Hokage candidates by their raw strength which makes sense, considering all the talk of "Strongest in the Village" and looking at who we have in Canon:

Hashirama was the God of Shinobi

Tobirama was a genius with Jutsu and assumed to be a good policy maker too

Sarutobi was 'the professor' and was pretty spry against Orochimaru even as an old man

Minato was a genius sealing master and the 'fastest man alive'

Tsunade could crush mountains and perform healing miracles

Kakashi is a (you guessed it) genius and the man of a thousand Jutsu

Naruto is literally the Jinchuuriki Favourite Child of "God-God" Sage

But, honestly, discounting Tobirama... Who here is actually fit to be a leader and not just...a glorified general?

We need to understand what the Hokage actually does. Jokes about paperwork aside, how does the mantel of Kage fit within the broader sociopolitical framework, what role do their advisors and council play into the system?

So let's make some assumptions.

From examples across time and space, we know that Generals can be just as much in power as a civilian politician or the biological heir to a dynasty. I'd recommend looking at the Hokage as a hodge-podge of these:

The Hokage are all connected to each other. Hashirama-(brother)->Tobirama-(student)->sarutobi -(student's student)->Minato-(sensei's teammates/saru's other student)->Tsunade-(predecessor's student)->Kakashi-(student, sensei's son)-> Naruto

They're military leaders and the power structure of the villages are based on this Shinobi prowess

They are also in control of their civilian population (if there is a civilian council, I doubt they report to anyone but the Hokage) and they mediate with Daimyo etc.

Hashirama was the Senju Clan Head, a mantel that maybe passed to Tobirama but more likely passed to Hashirama's mysterious children.

Tobirama was, at the very least, his brother's closest advisor. That's some political practice, right there.

Sarutobi, we assume but then...maybe not!, was the pretty important to the Sarutobi. And there seems to be a fair few of them looking at that one panel of them all breathing smoke and shit (assuming that they're not just a huge pack of brothers but most are part of their own family unit)

I don't think Asuma has a dozen brothers. Maybe he does but, frankly, I'd be disappointed if they all didn't have daddy issues with the Sandaime as well.

I'm going off tangent🙃

MY POINT is that Sarutobi possibly had some experience with bureaucracy before becoming Sandaime. Maybe Tobirama punished them all with paper pushing, idk

Minato.... I don't know what to tell you but I'm tempted just to...skip... him because frankly his term of office was so short he probably hadn't even redecorated or got the smell of smoke out of the furniture yet! Regardless, being smart with seals doesn't mean he's a good judge of politics, economics, or social welfare! He gets brownie points for being a thinker, tho

(Does Konoha function as a welfare state? Surely with the injuries on a regular basis, as well as the crazy working schedules and the turn over of retiree veterans, they've got to have some impressive infrastructure- No, don't get me started-)

Tsunade. Right, listen, she's a doctor yeah but this woman really had no clan left to learn leadership for and she's been wandering the continent for a decade in a drunken stupor. I love her but there's a reason she's smashing desks and it's because she's been confronted with problems she can't pummel or resuscitate. Tsunade didn't get a medical degree (did she????) just to have to study MORE bullshit. She's frankly wasted here but better her than some of those fuck-wits.

Kakashi. 🥹 Leading the Hatake? No. ANBU? Does Captaincy really count as anything but even more field experience. Result: Why (i love you but SEND THE MAN TO THERAPY AND GO TO THE SPA)

Naruto. Well... They wouldn't let him jump from Genin to the Hokage. Is this because they know he's so uneducated and needs to go back to school or is this purely because you HAVE to climb the pecking order in order to hit the top. Both? Both is good

So there's just... A lot here. And I can speculate to fucking hell and back but there's very little actually elaborated on in Canon. What do they even do in the Hokage Tower? Is it just all mission paperwork or does Konoha function more like... Idk a principality? What is the involvement of the Daimyo?

This is where fanfiction reaaally takes the reigns and I love that for them ✨😤

So what would make a "bad" Kage?

Danzo.

Danzo is a SHIT Kage and not just because I hate him. We're looking at someone who poisoned the previous - relatively successful - leadership, worked with foreign powers to manipulate other nations as well as his own village, orchestrated and then ordered the slaughter of thousands of Konohan citizens, kidnapping and experimentation, sabotaging political rivals (whether they considered themselves rivals is a different matter all together), bolstered social conflict and international tensions, bloodline theft and forming a private army who were indoctrinated and sealed to his will-!

So if that's the "shit" end of the scale, where do the other Hokage line up?

Hashirama: congrats on building the village! However, it's really contested whether you actually met your new allies on equal standing and it's left a lot of social pressure that will explode down the line 🥺 you get points for spirit but the execution (whoops) might prove a bit wobbily

Tobirama: congrats on being the best of an....interesting bunch. You seem to have had a good head on your shoulders and, pre-founding antics aside, you've committed to the bit. Unfortunately, you have an evil student :/ oh, right, and those social issues? You're probably making them worse

Sarutobi: well. You sat there. Congrats on living so long, I guess. You taught a few loose canons big names, you signed your name on the top of the exam, you held onto peace for a good while by the skin of your teeth. Unfortunately any good you mightve done or process made has been massively underscored by allowed your live-in nuclear-weapon-child to be abused and reviled, your students have either fucked off or were chased out after performing atrocities against the population, your teammate tries to get the last student of your (brief) successor to kill you... Yeah. It's a lot. Oh, also your own son flipped you the bird for a decade to go live in the Capitol instead. Oh, yeah, and you must either live in a bubble of ignorance (ignoring that crystal ball you've got going on) or you're wilfully ignoring Danzo squirreling funds to his private army ;/ all in all? Not great signs of leadership control, you rotten motherfucker

Minato. Is it even fair to list him when he martyred himself before anything could happen? All i can say is... Yikes. Also congrats on dying so quickly that you were immortalised as the faultless golden hero of the village ☺️ all in all, Minato is just lucky to be here

Tsunade: um. She fucked off for decades, loudly proclaiming her disgust/revulsion of Konoha and how stupid anyone would have to be to become Hokage, and hasn't exactly been graceful or pleased since being strong armed into taking the job. I'm not saying I don't sympathise but at the same time... Not a good start. Idk about anyone else but if my (dictator?) leader loudly hated the job and the village and had also gone AWOL for years living it up whilst the village was kinda imploding... I would be pretty resentful. Girl Power can only fly you so high 😔✊

Kakashi: I'm sorry that they made you do this 🥹 you are smart and you've seen a lot of shit but... He might be long-suffering for his duty but, like with Tsunade, you've got to weigh up if they'd be better elsewhere. Kakashi is high on the list of Hokage we've got to work with, however. Well. If you ignore that he was hated for most of his life, first for his father and then for being a little brat, and then for being an "eye thief", and then for being a Friend Killer, and then for being a Pervert- well. His reputation abroad is much better but there's a reason most leaders have, at least loosely, a cult of personality (Narutoverse is bad for this, btw). He has similar problems to Tsunade but he wins out on loyalty.

Naruto. I'm not going here because it's Boruto territory and that's a hard pass.

So what makes a bad Hokage? The usual things, I'd imagine:

pathological power grabbing (war mongering isn't good for your own minions and it's not good for international friends)

ignoring the wants and needs of the wider population (revolutionaries 🤷)

Inconsistency (people watch their leaders extremely carefully and so do their enemies)

lack of attention (^^^)

lack of control (you're running a military dictatorship, commit to the bit)

too much control (Danzo, I'm looking at you)

selfishness (it always bites in the ass)

pure ignorance (Sarutobi, I'm looking at you)

a focus on the brute side of things instead of the subtler arts (Sarutobi isn't brute strength but, unfortunately, he's on the other end where appeasement is making things worse)

So, looking at this, what makes a good Hokage?

Someone who knows what they're doing? 🥴

Someone who wants to be there or at least has dedicated themselves to the roll in its entirety without going on a power trip or burning out in a short period? 💀

Dedication

sensitivity

an awareness of social pressure and tensions (literally read the room)

a firm hand to the law (you gotta keep the minions in line)

support for both the backbone of society (Shinobi and Clans) as well as attention to the majority and minority (civilians hold a lot of sway in the every day realities of Konoha, don't let the Jutsu fool you) and knowing when to invest so neglect doesn't bite you in the ass (or rip everything up by the roots - ROOT, lol)

You need intimidation/respect (they are mercenaries after all) abroad as well as devotion and reverence at home (good old propaganda to keep the masses contained)

looking at the various downfalls of previous Hokage, you gotta deal with threats close to you with scary efficiency.

Another disclaimer: this is a profile for a leader in Naruto. I don't want to hear shit about me promoting aggressive foreign policy or totalitarian ideology, omfg

So! Bearing all this in mind, and incorporating an awareness of canon context... Would Fugaku be a good or bad Hokage?

I think he'd be a very important and decisive one. Good? That's a little more nuanced. Let's get into it-

Fugaku has the "good" qualities:

He's Clan Head, so about as much experience as any of the others had, but then he's also Police Chief (ACAB, whoops) so we're dealing with someone with intimate knowledge of the letter of the law, navigating Konohan crime and punishment as well as legal bureaucracy, and he's already a direct authority within the village and - get this - with the civilians.

Fugaku didn't personally want the Coup but he's a leader listening to his clan and they're getting desperate (and, therefore, more explosive). He's managed to hold his own against all these influences around him. Should he have completely shut them down? Maybe, but then what if they tried to usurp him? The Uchiha Clan can't exactly afford to split into fractions

He's called Wicked Eye for a (mysterious Mangekyou) reason. The fact that his skills aren't discussed in canon only gives us even more leeway to make him a total BAMF. He could also, apparently, go head to head with Golden Boy Minato. Am I sensing a badass? I think I am

He's surrounded by trustworthy BAMFS. Hashirama had Mito and Tobirama (Madara too, not to incite commentary, lets stay focused). The others struggled with this: Tobirama's successor is a little bitch and Danzo was devil spawn, Sarutobi was trapped between Danzo and his wild-card/war criminal students, Minato's Kushina died with him and everyone else doesn't seem on the level, Kakashi's bestie is literally a major antagonist, Naruto is (BORUTO REDACTED). Fugaku, however, not only has a bamf Clan who seem pretty devoted to him as a leader (we don't see a lot of dissent) but he's got Itachi and Shisui right there. They had a problem with the Coup, not necessarily with Fugaku himself although I think (looking at their characters) interpersonal strife would be set aside in favour of the bigger picture. All in all, there's a reason why he was thought of as the 'father' of his Clan (but what if you have daddy issues 👀)

Does Fugaku also show signs of being a bad Hokage?

Well, the timing might prove deadly against him. A revolution when the wider population is so anti-Uchiha would tear Konoha in two. But... That's if you're thinking that a Coup would be... Well, what you'd imagine. But if it's performed by Uchiha, the masters of genjutsu and manipulation? Taking liberties with Fugaku's Wicked Eyes and possible OC Uchiha characters, who knows if it would be a seamless transition? (In a fic, maybe Shisui's use of Kotoamatsukami on Danzo and ROOT would be the tip of the iceberg on what happened in the Uchiha Revolution. The Sandaime deciding to united the fractions of Konoha with Fugaku as his successor....?)

Fugaku isn't power snatching and, if he was, it wouldn't be directly for himself like Danzo's is. Danzo might sugarcoat it as an ideological difference, a variation in his vision of Konoha compared to others, but it's really all about him. Fugaku feels... vindicated.

Fugaku wouldn't be unwilling, uncomfortable, under qualified, or underpowered.

Personality-wise? He'd be like Tobirama, who i think was the best previous Hokage. Would this turn Konoha into a police state? Wasn't it always that in some form, anyway?

Overall, I think Fugaku would be a good Hokage, if he was extremely careful and played his cards right (and, considering his dedication and shrewdness, there's no reason to think he wouldn't be)

[sneezemonster15]

I'd give you an analysis, but frankly from what I've seen from your own "analysis" you're not very good at reading

also if you'd be so kind to tag this as mha spoilers, or screenshot this ask and put it under a read more so i dont spoil anyone who's interested in reading mha. it'd be greatly appreciated

(also thanks for getting rid of anon, this time i will include pics !)

anyway, this is the "straight dude who is having a typical cutesy high school het romance with a girl in a taken for granted het world." you're talking about;

also i wont lie, calling mha a het world when these are real dialogue is highkey stupid:

and i know the topic at hand is s/n/s and bk/dk but lets pivot to tg/chk bc theyre more relevant to what im saying

theres a lot to say but honestly, the manga speaks for itself :)

oh and also, you're right, bk/dk has no romantic subtext - it has romantic text. no subtlety needed! :) that is, if you have read the manga - my favourite example is this:

and then shgrk then proceeds to kill bkg, who "dies" (sort of) thinking about izuku in his final moments:

and then izk loses control when he sees bkg "dead" on the ground

and these are from recent chapters! imagine the rest of the series, ey

well! that got long. i'd tackle your crappy assessment of deku's character, but then I'd be here all day!

anyways, if i were you, I'd reread mha and really really understand the text you're reading. you might end up seeing something you missed at first!

Aiyyo someone got triggered! Hehehe. Ah it was inevitable that the moment I talked about MHA and rejected shippy head canons from the show, some delusional hardcore shipper would get all up in arms. Sigh.

You think what you wrote is analysis? Hehehe.

So just some random panels and chapter covers from the manga prove Bakugou or Deku is gay? Lol. I have seen fans like you in Naruto fandom as well. But you are right, I am not as invested in MHA, because it just doesn't have the versatility and genius of Naruto and Shippuden, it is actually quite a straightforward story and I don't need to burn a lot of my braincells to 'get it'. Lol. I am not saying it's bad, but as compared to its contemporary mangas, it just isn't at par for my tastes. It's good for entertainment but it doesn't affect me like other mangas that it takes inspiration from. Some silly shipper telling me I can't read, I would tell you my credentials but nah, too much work for disproving silly ass headcanons.

Fans make comparisons between Naruto and BNHA because Horikoshi is inspired by Kishimoto, definitely some similarities are there, but it misses on the most crucial point. Naruto and Shippuden are love stories. BNHA is simply your typical shounen manga. Naruto and Shippuden use the narrative tool of subversion to tell a love story in the restrictive genre of shounen. It has multiple layers and you need presence of mind to see them. Naruto is gay and you see comphet in his character, his interest in Sakura looks superficial from the beginning and then in kage arc, it is concluded as a mere cover to run from confronting his dilemma, and closetedness. His character is consistently shown as having an internal fight, a dilemma. Sasuke is just on your face, he is clearly shown as having no interest in women, but with Naruto he is especially intimate on his own accord. Ya know, using random panels ain't gonna help, you need to establish it in the narrative. Headcanons are all nice to entertain when that's all you watch media for, shipping. But please to be showing more maturity and media comprehension when sending me an ask, I am not very sympathetic to gaslighters whose heads are filled with shippy shit and cheap self gratification. When I talk Naruto, I make comparisons with other clearly gay media, and point out the common tropes, it's a result of expansive research. Not just random panels that prove nothing. Little one, you need more than that to prove your theories. I have watched a wide range of media, including gay media, your ask is just representative of your ignorance and lack of knowledge about how storytelling and character building works. Heh. Or do you think BNHA has its own concept of homosexuality, its own private language that cannot be compared with how other media establishes homosexuality in a given universe? Yeah, solipsistic ideas like that cannot be taken seriously.

Conformity is one of the pillars Japanese society is built upon, so it's not surprising that Japanese media talks upon how anything that doesn't conform to the norms is rejected. Their media is representative of their society. Mha also touches upon that and there's no surprises there, but again, you need more than that to prove it in the course of plot building and narrative. Some random out of context panel about some character saying something about conformity proves your point? You need to SHOW it and not just tell. But where other mangas, great mangas, popular and critically well acclaimed mangas have explored this idea in detail, MHA is just touch and go. It doesn't entertain a balanced proper discourse on it. It is truly shounen in that sense. Again, I am not saying it is bad, it is just more age appropriate. Which is totally fine. Do you know how heteronormativity is established in the narrative? Like this. Show me where this happens in MHA. Lol. Sweetheart, if the writer had made any attempt to write this world as heteronormative, where gay characters face challenges, I would have seen it. But mha is just not that deep. Sorry to burst your bubble. But that's just a fact.

Seriously, you are going to give me the example of Toga? I haven't gone through the recent chapters yet. I have only watched the anime. But it is clear that, that girl is medically insane. Her idea of liking someone is to kill that person and drink their blood, for her own pleasure. She ain't a homosexual, more like hemosexual. Hahaha. Again, you gotta show me the trajectory of her character, start with the base and show me how it escalates, how does she learn better about herself, her own feelings, the world from her perspective. No character is isolated, any writer who is talented enough to write multimillion franchise knows that. Don't project your assumptions on the story and the characters, work with what you have and draw the meaning from what's given, not the other way round.

There is no doubt Izuku and Bakugou have a strong relationship, even if it is mostly rivalry. But one can see that Bakugou cares about Deku and vice versa. Before telling me how to read, perhaps you should have done it yourself. Lol, I see this type of behaviour a lot from typical silly shippy shippers. "What, did you just say my ship makes no sense? 🤬"

Read.

Do you even know what subtext or text is? Hahah. This is text and subtext. So just because Bakugou and Deku talk about their rivalry in their vulnerable moments, that the audience knows as congruent since we have already seen they have a hot and cold relationship but that they are friends nonetheless, that proves they love each other romantically? You obviously don't know how romance tropes work. The dynamic between two men who respect and admire each other is always shown with a lot of empathy in Japanese media. It is one of the founding pillars of shounen, a genre meant for teenaged boys. They are certainly closer to each other than they are with women they are interested in, but a lot of fans such as yourself misinterpret it as romantic, because headcanon goggles. No, you gotta have more than that. Where Naruto and Shippuden have it in truckloads, none of that in BNHA. Deku is heterosexual af. If he is so interested in Bakugou, how come he reacts the way he reacts to Uraraka? Where is his conflict? Where is his dilemma? His affection and romantic interest in Uraraka is genuine and sincere, not a cover to hide his more private feelings. Unlike in Naruto's case. Kishi uses clever narrative tricks and tools to tell his love story in shounen and he does it skillfully. His motives and intentions are clear as water. He uses inventive smokescreens and red herrings to escape from being too controversial and colour inside the borders of shounen, nothing like that in BNHA. To begin with, Horikoshi doesn't even delve into the sexualities of his characters, because his story is not about that. There's no context, no set up, nothing. His worldbuilding is simply conventional, by which I mean heteronormative, there's no talk about sexual orientation of characters. You see the usual shounen perviness by Mineta and Kaminari and typical straight girls going kawaai over good looking boys like Todoroki, what impression does that give? If Horikoshi wanted to establish his characters being gay, he would have set up the context mindfully and carefully, like Kishi did. Gay relationships and characters can't be shown so explicitly in shounen as that would jeopardize its distribution in the west. Reason? Censorship. That's why Kishi had to be so careful, his target audience might not get it, but the adults do. Well, unbiased adults do, at the very least. So the boys in bnha are gay just because? Because you want them to be? Storytelling and character building doesn't work like that.

Seriously everything you think works as 'analysis' isn't even valid. I honestly didn't even want to respond to this ask, given it's so surface level and ridiculously simple minded. Perhaps you are a tween or teen who thinks every time two boys or girls smile at each other or rescue each other, they are gay and in love. Lol, watch gay media. Like actually watch it and see where your arguments stand in the scheme of things. I will tell you, nowhere. Juvenile kiddy stuff. I won't entertain anymore asks like these, they are a waste of my time.

[riversimmone]

No More Goodbyes

No More Goodbyes

RiverOfTheSand

Summary:

She watched them saying goodbye for the umpteenth time, wondering how dense Gaara had to be to not notice Sakura's feelings for him. The way Tsunade saw it, she had two choices: get drunk on sakē for the rest of the day, or force Sakura into confessing her undying love to the Kazekage... decisions, decisions. *post-war*

Notes:

Cross-posted from fanfiction.net. This one-shot has been an effort and a half. It has everything I love about GaaSaku; heart, soul, reasonable doubt, elucidation and that burning need that can drive a person crazy... well, me at least. ;) Rated T. Hope you all enjoy. :)

A light breeze grazed the top slip of paper on the small pile of documents in front of her, and she frowned at it. Like an invisible hand was lifting it, the movement reminded her of something she'd seen before. Her office was getting draughty again.

"Naruto," she murmured. "Go away."

The future Rokudaime scratched his head. "What are you going on about baa-chan? I'm supposed to be–"

"It's too early for me to care about that."

"Granny, aren't you forgetting something?"

Tsunade looked up at Naruto. He was staring at her intently, the slight tilt of his head indicating his confusion and she wondered what the hell he was talking about.

"Gaara's leaving again soon," the knucklehead stated matter-of-factly. "Aren't you going to see him off, as the Hokage?"

She smiled. "No Naruto, I passed that on six months ago."

"Huh?"

"Didn't you notice?"

"Uh... no."

Tsunade sighed. "I decided to leave that up to Sakura."

"Huh?" Naruto looked pained. "Are you sure that was wise granny? You know how she feels about him."

"Yes Naruto, it's caught my attention. But Sakura isn't going to be able to move past this if she doesn't do or say anything about it. It's been six months since the end of the Fourth Great Shinobi War, and neither of them have said anything about it. I'm not sure what's going through Gaara's head, but knowing Sakura, she won't be able to keep her feelings to herself for much longer."

"I don't know baa-chan; she went through a lot to to get over Sasuke. I'm not sure she has it in her to confess her feelings like that to anyone ever again."

He wanted to believe she would, but the broken young woman who was his best friend had clammed up emotionally, and Naruto was scared for her. He told her he understood, that he would support her no matter what she did, but he was getting tired of watching her sulk over Gaara. He wasn't entirely sure what the former jinchuriki would do if Sakura confessed her undying love for him, but he knew that guy at least cared for her–she was his best friend after all. Even if he didn't like her the way she wanted him to, she needed to get this off her chest.

"We'll see Naruto, now get out of here–I still have paperwork to finalise."

"Yeah, yeah: I'll be back later, whether you like it or not."

The Hokage just scoffed, and swivelled in her chair to look out the window as Naruto left.

She stared out over Konoha, her eyes resting on the figure of her fellow Kage as he very slowly made his way toward the main gates–two ANBU trailing behind him. Sometimes, Temari or Kankuro would accompany him on one of his trips, but even they got tired of the back and forth. Tsunade often wondered about Gaara's excuses for coming here, and hoped he really did like Sakura–as much as she would miss her kouhai, she wanted her to be happy more than anything else in the world. She deserved someone who loved her as much as she loved him, no matter what village he came from.

She continued to watch Gaara, her fingers itching to just guzzle the unopened sakē hidden under the top drawer of her desk in one go. If he wasn't a Kage, she'd kick his arse for causing her adopted daughter such grief. So now she had a decision to make, and the sweet scent of the untouched elixir mere inches from her hand was telling her to make it hurt.

– No More Goodbyes –

"Step forward prisoner 727853-824442."

Sakura Haruno sighed inwardly. 'Not him again.'

Kotetsu Hagane glanced at Sakura before giving his full attention to process the prisoner. The dishevelled man wouldn't look at her, as usual, only responding to his guard enough to avoid receiving a jolt from a Raiton jutsu–all at the guard's whim. Sakura didn't want to be here anymore than this guy wanted her to; he always acted like she came here just to lord it over him that he'd lost and they'd kicked his arse in the end. But really, she'd let go of the notion that she had anything to gloat about.

It was overdue for him to do the same.

But he never would, she knew he never would.

Sakura sighed inwardly, preferring not to show him how much he still affected her. That chapter of her life was over now.

"You're hurt."

Sakura looked up, realising she'd been staring absentmindedly at the clipboard in her hands–it held the medical information for the man in front of her. She was at the prison only as a precaution, since there had been a few viral outbreaks recently–nothing catastrophic, but when acting in conjunction with prisoners who spent most of the day labouring in the hot sun and potentially cutting themselves with sharp instruments, it increased the risk of infections. And from the look of most of them, they needed all the hygiene they could get their grubby hands on.

The owner of the voice interrupting her thoughts was Izumo Kamizuki–the other guard standing to Sakura's left. His dark eyes were examining the prisoner closely, and narrowed at the sight of a gash on his arm. Said prisoner did nothing other than clench his fist imperceptibly before glancing toward the door that would elicit his freedom from his guards and medic. He didn't want their help, which wasn't surprising, but they were responsible for him all the same.

Reluctantly, Sakura tucked the chart under her arm and stepped toward the prisoner. He made no move to pull away from her and she healed his wound without physically touching him, but as usual, she was trembling inside... even after everything, he still scared her. She probably should've done that without moving from her spot–to save herself some heart palpitations–but that idea always came to her too late, also accompanied by an image of Kabuto doing something similar a long time ago, when Naruto's Kyuubi chakra had hurt her.

She hated herself for how much she still dwelled on those days.

Without a word, she returned to her position and averted her eyes from the prisoner once again... gazing unseeingly at the chart instead.

Kotetsu gave the prisoner another look over–this one a little more thorough, to make sure there were no more wounds. The man did have a habit of pretending he was alright, and had spent time isolated from the other prisoners for his stupidity–not that that seemed to have taught him anything–to ensure his infections weren't contagious.

Idiot.

Sakura watched him as he reacted to the invasion of his personal space, as stiff as ever, lamenting on how things had turned out, as she always did. If she had her way, she'd wipe her name from the list of "volunteers" and never have to come to the Konoha prison ever again. Unfortunately, Lady Tsunade had decided that all medics were obligated to sign up for this complete and utter waste of time. If these weren't war prisoners, and each and every one of them guilty of heinous crimes, it could be mistaken for charity. Sakura did not want to waste time on these people, when she could be in the hospital, helping sickly children or whatnot.

'Who am I kidding?' She thought grumpily. 'There aren't enough patients to go around over there.'

Ironically, the number of healers outweighed the need for them these days. If it wasn't for Tsunade's new missive, Sakura might very well not be able to pay her rent this week.

"Lady Sakura."

The voice to her right startled her–an ANBU carrying a message scroll... unusual here at the prison. Surely whatever it was could wait.

"Thank-you," she said softly, and the man disappeared in a cloud of smoke. She thought she recognised the chakra, but gave it no mind. Sakura opened the scroll as her companions now went through the items the angsty prisoner had brought with him–it was a weekly, routine thing, to make sure there was nothing missing. It had something to do with security, but she didn't care.

Sakura's eyes widened as she read the scroll, her stomach churning suddenly, and painfully.

'No...'

But really, she shouldn't be surprised. Again and again, she took this news to heart; Sakura ignored the suddenly curious stare of the prisoner as she struggled not to break down. The message scroll went unread by the rest of the room, so she could only imagine they worried what it said to make her pale on command. She hated herself for this, and the fact that this news hit her so hard every time. She cleared her throat, rolled the scroll back up and looked up at the curious guards, forcing a smile past her lips.

"Later," she said, grateful that her voice was firm and detached.

She didn't wait for a response, instead ambling on her way out of the prison. This wasn't the place she'd rather be of course, and since life in Konoha was so ridiculously peaceful now, even normal missions were spread a bit more thinly. She supposed she should be grateful–the fifth Hokage and her imminent successor were cleaning up the mess that was the Fourth Shinobi War so efficiently that mission casualties were non-existent right now–it was just a strange feeling, not to be needed.

Naruto had however, told her that peace was merely a step between the problems, and they must be ever vigilant to prevent the next great war, no matter how easy things seemed to be right now. He was starting to sound like Lee.

"Shit." Sakura groaned, hastening her pace now, as she realised she'd been lost in delirium for a few minutes, and according to the message scroll, it was happening now. "I'm going to be late."

She had one thing to look forward to these days, above all others–the monthly visits from the Kazekage. Gaara came to Konoha under the guise of friendship with Naruto (or whatever political things they were preparing for, since it wouldn't be long now, before the blonde took the title of the Rokudaime Hokage), and Sakura took advantage of each and every single one. She loved him, she knew it, and even Naruto had seen it as her feelings blossomed during the war. Sakura felt so desperately drawn to Gaara that she wasn't surprised when he turned out to be just like Sasuke–he didn't like her that way anymore than the Uchiha did.

She was sure Gaara only saw her as a friend.

So Sakura spent the war hiding her feelings. The only people who knew were Naruto, her shishou and Ino. But once the fighting was over, she could've killed herself with the fear and despair when he went back to his village as though there was nothing between them. She remembered the day that had made her realise that he had no interest in her as anything other than an acquaintance because she happened to be Naruto's best friend.

...Flashback...

"You going to find a nice guy and settle down Sakura?"

The older sister of the Kazekage had called her over to the apartment she was sharing with her brothers, and Sakura was beginning to suspect it was because she was  dying  to tell someone that Shikamaru had finally made their relationship official–they just needed to go public.

"Yeah," the pinkette said wistfully, forcing herself not to look at Gaara as he and Kankuro sat three feet away, playing shōgi. Kankuro had challenged Shikamaru to that game numerous times over the course of the war, determined to beat him (and failing each and every time), and was now using Gaara as a guinea pig to see where he was going wrong. Unfortunately, for the puppet master, he'd chosen an opponent who was more than capable of kicking his arse.

Meanwhile, Temari was nervously wiping her iron fan, even though it clearly didn't need cleaning. Sakura sipped her tea thoughtfully, knowing the blonde wanted a much more detailed answer from her before she spilled her own beans on the subject.

She swallowed heavily. "I don't know who it'll be with but... I will, I suppose."

"You suppose?"

"It's the accepted norm," Kankuro said wisely, his eyes glued to the shōgi board. "Everyone expects that getting married and raising some hell raisers is what everyone should be doing."

"That's for civilians," Gaara countered, also keeping his eyes on the game. "Shinobi are different."

"How so, little bro?"

"Despite the fact that we live longer naturally, through our consistent use of chakra, we actually die sooner for the most part, due to missions, wars, or whatever. Such things are deterrents to people who do not wish to burden a spouse or marital partner with the knowledge that the next mission might be their last."

"And the clans," Kankuro said. "What about them?"

Gaara reached out almost tentatively, pushing one of his pieces along the board, earning a grunt from his older brother. "Their leaders are obligated to keep their kekkei genkai, or the jutsu their clan is known for, alive through arranged marriages, and in the case of the bloodline limits, in the family. The clan members have little to no choice but to choose a suitable mate to keep the traditions going–it has nothing to do with societal views or life expectancy."

"Well I'm getting married," Kankuro said cheerfully, his eyes lifting from the shōgi board. "There are lots of girls out there, just ripe for the picking."

"I definitely won't be," Gaara murmured softly.

Hands clasping her tea cup tightly, Sakura stiffened unperceptively. She knew that Suna didn't have the marriage policy for their Kazekage in place anymore–really, it wasn't like they were a monarch, and therefore producing offspring was his civic duty–but it was surprising to hear Gaara say he had no plans to settle down. Her heart plummeted at these words, realising once and for all that she had no chance with him, but at the same time, the fact that he had no-one else in mind was a small comfort... ridiculously so.

Still, Sakura fought back the disappointment in her voice as she replied to his comment. "You don't know you never will."

"Waste of time," Gaara grunted softly, now ignoring her. Kankuro gave his brother a Cheshire grin, and took his turn... and lost the smirk when Gaara immediately retaliated. "Check-mate," the redhead said calmly, and stood immediately. He headed toward the bathroom as Kankuro gaped distastefully at the shōgi board.

"Well, it's been fun," Sakura lied, placing her tea cup down and standing up. "But I have some work to do. Congratulations on the relationship with Shikamaru, Temari. Bye."

Sakura was half-way out the door when Kankuro's booming voice cried out: "WHAT RELATIONSHIP?"

Sakura left quickly, flash-stepping toward her apartment the moment her sandals hit the roof of the hotel. She wasn't paying attention to what she was doing, just getting inside the seals as she normally did–habitual movements and muscle memory. Her mind was blank as she kicked off her shoes, stripped off her weapons (it was standard procedure to carry weapons, being a ninja), and headed straight for her bathroom.

She wasn't thinking clearly, that was it; Sakura forewent undressing and just stepped into her shower. The water was scalding hot, but she didn't care. She didn't register the tears, the sobs, or the grating sound of her fingernails scraping at the shower tiles. All she could feel was cold despite the scalding water, fear despite being in the comfort of her own home, and gut wrenching pain...

Half an hour later, Sakura wrung out her wet shirt absentmindedly, her hands still shaking. How the hell could she have let this happen to her, again? First she spent an inordinate amount of time daydreaming over Sasuke, who then became a missing-nin and tried to kill her, now she was pining after Gaara... and who knew what was going on in that head of his? She was a sucker for unrequited love, and she was sick to  death  of it.

...End Flashback...

That had been mere days after the end of the war, and less than two weeks later, Gaara had begun his monthly trips to Konoha. Her shishou had placed her on the roster to escort the Kazekage through the village, and she secretly hated her for it. Still, Gaara became more pleasant to speak with, and he never raised the issue with her that had upset her in the first place–not that he knew it had–and she started to look forward to his visits, instead of dreading being in the presence of someone who would never return her feelings. She'd just decided to take what she could get.

After all, if he had no intention of settling down, she had no-one to be jealous over...

Sakura stopped suddenly, realising she'd arrived at the main gates without noticing. Shading her eyes from the sun, she looked up and around–Gaara wasn't here yet, so she wasn't late after all. The guards on duty... their names escaped her right now ...waved to her and she returned the gesture out of habit more than anything, and etiquette.

She was stronger than the stupid girl who'd sobbed and begged Sasuke not to abandon the village, and vowed she'd cried over Gaara for the last time. But unlike with Sasuke, Gaara didn't know about her feelings, so she only had herself to blame for the lack of resolution for said feelings. She supposed, today was as good as any. It would be more humiliating to tell Gaara she was in love with him immediately before having to spend several days seeing to his needs when he wasn't in meetings with leaf officials–it wasn't like she trailed around after him.

And, despite her desire to spend more time with him, Sakura didn't want to do this again. She'd stood at the gates to Konoha, like the good little dignitary she was, and seen Gaara off every time his visit came to its inevitable end. She would smile, he was polite, and yet neither of them seemed to want to make eye contact. She had to say goodbye, and Sakura wasn't sure she had it in her to do this all over again.

No, there would be no more goodbyes after this.

– No More Goodbyes –

The cold always left him in pain. He supposed he was just used to the heat of Suna, but even the warmth of Konoha left him wanting. A cool breeze, much like the hint of winter, swept through his hotel room as Gaara absentmindedly packed. He felt lonely even when surrounded, so trips to the leaf with only ANBU as company were that and boring. He only came here to see Sakura, after all, and she didn't even know it.

Temari was the only person who knew about his infatuation. He had worked alongside her in the war, as she'd been assigned as his personal medic a few times, but it was her temper and his own stubbornness during those times that stood out the most.

Gaara sighed.

He was thinking about her a lot lately, and it was driving him insane. He had no idea how to go about changing the nature of their relationship, especially considering the only time they'd both been part of the same conversation involving romantic futures he'd ridiculed the idea of wanting someone by his side. He hadn't understood at the time, just how good it could feel, to want someone, or be wanted, outside the friend context.

But did he really get it, now? When he stopped to think about what it was he wanted from the feisty pinkette, all that came to mind was her time and attention. Sexuality and romantic situations only occurred to him after talking to others. Kankuro asked him when he was going to go ahead and finally get laid. Temari asked him when he was going to go ahead and finally ask Sakura out–or confess his love, whatever. He never answered them.

"Are you ready, Lord Kazekage?"

Gaara nodded to his ANBU guard and allowed the man to carry his bag for him. Like he needed him to. This was something he didn't think he'd ever get used to. He looked up at the Hokage Tower before turning his attention toward the main gates. Lost in his thoughts, Gaara relied on muscle memory and habit to steer him where he needed to go.

The Godaime Hokage had not allowed him to see Sakura so much this visit, so Gaara had sulked in his room a lot–though he would never let anyone, even his siblings, to see him pout over a girl. Sakura had given him his diplomatically demanded medical check-up every other time he'd come to Konoha, but this time, Tsunade was adamant about him keeping his distance. What the hell was going on? That mouse of a woman, Shizune… something, was the one who had seen to him this time, not that he'd really needed medical attention. Being a Kage meant that he should. It was both standard procedure and good politics.

But the question of what was going on was buzzing around in Gaara's head.

It wasn't like the Hokage owed him an explanation–the treaty between their nations didn't stipulate that a specific doctor had to see to him every time. And Gaara did feel a little foolish having looked forward to his physical exams when the pinkette was doing them. That other woman had cold hands.

Gaara shivered involuntarily at that thought, looking up as he realised he was close enough to the gates to see that Sakura was already waiting for him. Seeing her always brought back memories of the times he was too stupid to realise his interest in her was more than professional.

...Flashback...

It had started with him saving her life, escalated into an argument–about all the reasons why she hadn't needed saving and he was  not  stronger than her–and ended with him wishing he'd just left her to the mercy of those Zetsu clones. It wasn't like he was expecting a confession of undying love, let alone a ridiculously corny Valentine's card, but would it  kill  her to say "thank-you" in return for him not letting her get skewered?

Apparently, it would've.

That was when he finally understood what Shikamaru had been going on about for years, and why Naruto was waiting to start dating Hinata until the war was over–women were nothing but a nuisance.

But as the  Regimental Leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces, he had to at least appear like he cared if she had broken her nail beating the crap out of Naruto. Not that she verbally complained, but he caught her staring forlornly at her cuticles a number of times, as though her disappointment would magically grow them back.  And they fought over everything, argued every day, and barely spoke unless doing either–his medical check-ups notwithstanding.

The allied forces even had a bet going on who would snap and kill the other first.

It was toward the end of the war, one specific day, that had turned them around. Gaara fought and sealed his resurrected father. Sakura caught him crying in his tent. He'd sobbed on the battlefield, which was bad enough, but the quite tears were the ones that ended up on display. But instead of making some snappy retort (like he'd feared she would, though Naruto had insisted to him later that Sakura would never do such a thing, no matter how much she hated him), she'd knelt down beside him. Gaara could still remember the feeling of her breast against his cheek as she held him.

Just being there, being his friend, she'd affected him more than she would ever know. More than  he  would know either–until the war was over, he was finally back in Suna, and he quickly discovered that he actually  missed  that insufferable Kunoichi.

...End Flashback...

And so began his visits to see her, making up excuse after excuse so that even Kankuro was suspicious of his reasons. But this back and forth was tormenting him. He needed to decide on what to do about this attachment he'd developed and clear things up once and for all.

– No More Goodbyes –

"Hey, Gaara."

Gaara nodded to Sakura, as he always did, and motioned to his ANBU guards–they disappeared from sight, now waiting for him along the path out of Konoha. Sakura looked startled at this, but quickly covered it with a smile.

"I suppose this is goodbye again," she said, fiddling with her thumbs nervously.

He smiled genially at this, not sure what it was she wanted him to say. But he spoke with conviction, remembering every visit he'd ever made to Konoha, in an attempt to let her know how he felt, had ended the same way. "We always seem to be saying goodbye, don't we?"

She nodded. "Uh... Gaara?"

"Yes?"

Sakura swallowed back the bile threatening to sear her throat and clenched her fists. 'Get a grip, Sakura!'

She really needed to do this before she lost her nerve. "I've been thinking... um..." She shifted uncomfortably. "I wanted to tell you... I love you." Her eyes fell to the ground.

Great... she'd evolved her love confessions from becoming a sobbing mess to pretending her shoes were more interesting than the object of said confession. Sakura forced herself, rather painfully, to look up at Gaara. The shock was obvious... was that a good or bad thing? At least he didn't look disgusted.

"I've loved you for a long time," she heard herself saying–rambling; she couldn't stop herself. "And I completely understand if you don't feel the same way–who would, right?–it's just I can't do this anymore, the whole escorting you thing. I can't be around you anymore, not like this. So it's best if–"

She ignored the sudden intake of breath from the nearby, tactless guards as Gaara interrupted her rambling to kiss her. His lips were warm, slightly parted, and enticing as she immediately and unconsciously leant into him, returning the kiss. Gaara's hands were unobtrusive as they slid up her sides; his right hand slipped down behind her, falling to the small of her back, while his left hand ran through her hair, pulling her more tightly to him.

Sakura parted her lips, letting him in and just enjoying being held by the Kazekage as he took control. It was the most amazing feeling–she'd never kissed anyone before! Her heart was racing, but not painfully so, and the feel of his body pressed against hers only added to the tingling sensation ripping through her as she lost herself to the delirium.

She was breathless when Gaara finally pulled away, barely able to stand on her own two feet. There were no words to describe that... he'd literally stolen her breath away, and she had nothing left to use. She tried, but couldn't speak.

So Sakura just lowered her head to his chest, holding tightly to the front of his Kazekage robes. Gaara chuckled, the light reverberation no more than a purr in his chest as she inhaled his scent. Sakura looked up at him, her eyes locking with his, losing their fear as he smiled back at her.

"Promise me," she said breathily. "You won't leave me again."

"No more goodbyes," he promised.

– No More Goodbyes –

High above and on the other side of the village, she watched them saying goodbye for the umpteenth time, wondering how dense Gaara had to be to not notice Sakura's feelings for him. The way Tsunade saw it, she had two choices: get drunk on sakē for the rest of the day, or force Sakura into confessing her undying love to the Kazekage... decisions, decisions.

Hm...

Like always, she could see everything from her open window, spying on her fellow ninja, just like countless Hokage before her (though each had their own methods). She'd attempted to change the dynamic of their encounters this time around, by keeping Gaara from Sakura's side, since it was human nature to be lulled into a comfortable routine, rather than work up the nerve to break that monotony. So far, she'd seen a grumpier Gaara, more depressed Sakura, startled Naruto, and an increase in her own consumption of sakē. This gave her the hope that the Kazekage was missing the pinkette's company, and would respond more favourably to a confession from the young woman.

Hopefully.

Finally making her decision, Tsunade grabbed the sakē bottle from under her desk, keeping her eyes on the distant forms of the two lovebirds as they embraced. And then she smiled slightly before turning away from the sight. "Sakē it is."

–XXX–

[sueske]

How much do you think Sasuke cares about Sakura? It’s obvious he doesn’t love her back, called her annoying couple times, and never visited her for years, but he’s still a kind person and cares about his teammates. Maybe it’s a bit of pity?

putting under read more cuz this is a very anti-ss post in case there are people who would rather not see/read it.

I think you might be new to my blog, I've talked about it a bit before:

sasuke and team 7

sasuke’s feelings for sakura 

sasuke taking on his family's wishes as his own

In part 1 sasuke viewed sakura as a teammate who he protected and didn’t want to worry. but he was able to break his ‘teammate bond’ with her that night when he left.

in part 2 he doesn’t even view her as that. during the reunion scene sasuke told the new team 7 he was able to cut off the bonds he had with konoha. however, we know it's only the bond with naruto he had failed to break. I've talked about sasuke's on a whim before too. and then throughout shippuden sasuke explicitly states naruto's importance to him and how he still needs to cut off their bond. sasuke doesn't mention anyone else, because like he said prior, he was already able to cut off all other bonds.

I see ss shippers say ‘sasuke always acknowledged sakura first and she’s the only one he apologised too’ as a means for them to show that sasuke still had a bond with her in part 2, like during the reunion and war arc. despite the fact that after acknowledging her presence (wow #hecaressomuch. guess sasuke cares for kakashi a lot too since sasuke also spoke his name despite kakashi not even being present during the reunion) his attention shifts to naruto and then just ignores sakura for the most part. I won't even bother putting in all the manga panels where sns stare each other down cuz this post would get too long lol. revisit the reunion scene. look at the kage summit arc scene. look at the war arc. they all follow the same pattern. In the war arc sakura herself acknowledges that sasuke doesn’t care lol. I don’t know how much clearer it can get - sasuke says the only one standing between him and complete loneliness is naruto. naruto is his one and only… friend, the one person he needs to cut down. where’s sakura, where's anyone else in this equation?

also sasuke apologised to karin before joining the war arc too. he also apologised to kakashi. sakura isn't special in that regard, and sasuke was only going to take juugo (because of his natural energy) and naruto away from what was surely going to be a killing blow during the war. everyone else sasuke was willing to let die, karin and sakura and kakashi who he apologised to including. sasuke saying "oops sorry" to someone does not equate something extraordinary in relation to bonds. this is what happens when kishimoto stresses how important naruto is to sasuke vs everyone else. people take these panels and blow them out of proportion when in the grand scheme of things don't matter, as shown by sasuke again and again.

in 699 sakura got the brotherly forehead poke which symbolises distance. idc ss shippers can do all the mental gymnastics they want, but that's what the poke symbolises. it's not that sasuke re-invented the meaning behind the poke - itachi used it to keep sasuke away from him, creating distance between them (something sasuke also confronted itachi with) - and that's what sasuke ends up doing to sakura too. which is why before edo-tensei itachi died he brought his forehead to sasuke's, to finally bridge that distance! it's like the simplest things are so hard to understand for ss shippers. they take panels of sasuke when he was happy he got the poke when he was a kid to 'prove' that the poke is a good thing completely ignoring the fact that sasuke didn't know anything about anything at the time. and even as a kid sasuke expressed his displeasure at receiving the poke. and in the end, that's what sasuke does - keeps sakura at a distance. she even ended up chasing him down yikes. how is this lost on people... and then sasuke kept creating even more distance from her. for over a decade. all the while he was meeting up with his bestie too. seems to me like sasuke is using the poke just like itachi originally intended... listen, if u care about someone u take the time to communicate with them, to see them. that's just common sense lol.

in gaiden sasuke does go to help save sakura and he does take those rod things out so he doesn't want her to die lol. but beyond that? he doesn't see his 'wife' for 12 years and the first thing he says is 'why are you here?'; the famous: 'because we have you sarada' line; how miserable he looks during their first family dinner (sakura doesn't look all that happy either really). so he cares to not want her to die but beyond that? what bond do they even have? what meaningful conversations and interactions did they have? girl doesn't even know if her precious sasuke-kun wears glasses cuz they didn't see each other for over 10 years lol. probably the feelings and bond he had towards her in part 1 reformed after part 2 to the uhm interesting bond those 10 chapters that is gaiden showed us.

sakura does try and make herself pitiful around him, she tried to invoke those feelings in her confessions. I think a wife who was implied twice to never have been kissed even though she desperately wants to be kissed is quite pitiful indeed lol.