#Also I just have a lot more to say about the Hokage than I initially thought I did

[watermelonsloth]

naruto was the hokage but shikamaru was the one running konoha all the time, so it was like naruto wasn't really the hokage but the face. he was there to fight and play the hero but never to run anyone. he would just say “put the police at my house on watch” but nothing else (he's the ninja with the best sensory abilities in the world but the poor guy couldn't handle it).

a hokage needs to be someone outside to protect the village like the trump card. no one chooses a weak hokage no matter how good a leader he may be, he needs to have some defensive skills. that's why they even have two assistants/advisors. for naruto it was shikamaru the main one and then shizune who lived for two reigns, but shizune was removed to put her as sakura's assistant instead.

a hokage needs to be a konoha shinobi and needs to go through all ninja stages genin (beginner), chunin (team leaders above average ninja) and jonin (military large scale leaders and elite ninja). naruto left, he's good a talk-no-jutsu and he wanted to surpass the other kage and be acknowledged and he did.

shikamaru, sakura, rock lee, neji (rip), temari and hanabi, the main konoha jonin have these skills. team ebisu too but they're frauds who are very weak.

shikamaru made it to jonin which means he's cut out for military level leadership, so hundreds and thousands of people. he is made to lead others to victory, to save people if his friends help him with their combat capabilities. that is why he is an excellent advisor, he relies on others while he's the mastermind.

idk if you read boruto but having a weak hokage is the reason why konoha is doing so extremely bad right now. shikamaru is an amazing leader, the best in konoha, but he is physically weak and in real combat he is useless unless he already knows his enemy's abilities and has some good teammates to help him. he should have stayed as advisor and have the hokage be kakashi again or better sakura, who has the most powerful defensive ability in the world with katsuyu (the village will be destroyed pain level).

sasuke is a good choice. he has been a good leader of taka, he's the strongest shinobi in the world next to naruto and he's also leader material but only in battle. sasuke doesn't have the patience to talk to daimyo or do business, inaugurate a building, take pictures, etc. he fights for others but he is not cut out to lead an evacuation without jumping right into the action. he's not cut out for a chair either, neither were naruto or kakashi for that matter (kakashi always begged to leave his office). they're men of action.

he would be great if he also wasn't too haunted by his previous ideals of what hokage meant and moved forward (kishimoto's sasuke would move on) but he's also the kind of man that wouldn't do it alone unless it's with naruto or his teammates, like he does now as shadow hokage.

and while sakura is also a woman of action, she's more cut out to be hokage. not just because her two masters are hokage, but also because her training and her lifestyle are more suited for combat and office duties. she's used to working in a hospital since she finished her training with tsunade and was already vaunted as the top 3 as a teenager, to handling tsunade's paperwork while she was hokage, to being present in the office when important matters had to be discussed and giving her opinion, she founded her own mental health clinic so she knows how to handle for the public, etc.

she also made it to jonin, the only k12 with shikamaru and rock lee, which contrary to her chunin comrades who lead small teams of 4 to 5 shinobi, the three are military leaders. sakura is one of 4 (counting temari) who can lead and protect a village. they're large scale leaders and sakura was already aiding shizune handle the several injured in her camp, and when she was promoted she was already leading teams of medics she chose on her own. she's currently the head of a whole department and a hospital full of people. she's leading a mini konoha inside the walls of the hospital, inside her office but also acting on her duties herself.

also, kishimoto said of team 7 sakura would be the best instructor.

I’m gonna assume that this is a response to my post about Naruto not being a good leader and that you sent this as an ask because you wanted a response of some kind. If not, feel free to ignore this.

Here are my ramblings about the Hokage and what I think makes a good one.

Just to make my thought process easier to understand, I’m gonna do a quick rundown of what I interpret the responsibilities of the Hokage to be. (Keep in mind, I’m taking this from the Naruto manga, a little from Boruto, and nothing from the novels.) Because I’m American and this is the easiest way for me to wrap my head around how the village works, I think of the Hokage as being a mix of the shogun from when Japan had shogunates and the president. So, basically: they have full or mostly full control of the military, they (theoretically) answer to the daimyo, they don’t make or pass laws but they play a large role in enforcing them, they aren’t diplomats but they are expected to maintain relations and support major political alliances, they are public figures both to represent Konoha/the Land of Fire and to act as deterrents to war (and thus can’t be pushovers in skill or personality), they decide how dissenters are dealt with, they’re responsible for maintaining national security, they command forces during war time, they stay in the village to protect it against threat, etc. etc. etc.

TL;DR A good Hokage is someone who’s good at politics, a skilled military commander, and isn’t someone people want to fuck with.

For the most part, the Hokage fit this well.

Hashirama is a charismatic leader who was commanding the Senju clan for who knows how long before building the village, and he’s so strong that he can get away with his goofball antics. Plus, we know from his fight against Madara at the Valley of the End that he is not a pushover, knows when it’s time to get serious, and is absolutely not afraid to be ruthless.

Tobirama is Tobirama. He’s far from being a pushover, seems like a Lyndon-Johnson-esque political leader who’s willing to step on a few toes and use intimidation if he deems it necessary, has about as much experience as a shinobi as Hashirama and likely acted as a general during the warring states era, and even if he isn’t as strong as his brother, he’s still smart enough and has enough variety in his skillset that most shinobi aren’t gonna want to fight him.

Hiruzen is liked by the people of Konoha (and probably the daimyo) and is strong enough to protect the village in case of an emergency. However, it also seems like he isn’t a good leader and doesn’t bring the intimidation factor a Hokage should (at least from what we’ve seen, this could’ve been different when he was in his prime). I think he got away with lacking in those areas for three reasons: 1. Konoha had many jounin/rising shinobi who were more competent leaders than him (the three sannin, Sakumo, Minato, Fugaku, Shikaku, etc.) who could cover for his failings on the field. 2. Hiruzen was following Hashirama and Tobirama (two stronger and much more intimidating Hokage), so villages would’ve been hesitant about messing with Konoha even if Hiruzen wasn’t a walking deterrent like they were. 3. Danzo covered his weaknesses (say what you want about him, but Danzo was the head of anbu, knew how to get what he wanted, and had enough of a presence that even Tsunade didn’t want to get in his way too much).

I think I’ve made my point enough that I don’t need to get into Minato and Tsunade, so let’s get back on topic and talk about the characters you brought up.

I’ve already mentioned that I don’t think Naruto would make a good Hokage. He’s definitely strong enough that defending the village/intimidating other nations wouldn’t be a problem and with some more maturing I can see him being able to act as a political figure, but I’ve already said that he isn’t much of a leader and I doubt he’ll ever not get restless being cooped up in the village doing the day-to-day work.

When it comes to Sasuke, I think that he could be Hokage since he meets all of the requirements, but he wouldn’t be the best because of his personality. I think he could be a reasonably good public figure and handle the more tedious parts of being Hokage fine, if he thought they were important. If he thought they were necessary or would have a positive impact, he could do all of those things fine; but he probably wouldn’t bother with them at all if he didn’t see the point. There’s also a problem with what he would find important because, like Naruto, he tends to treat important matters as personal responsibilities. That’s fine if he’s off wandering the world alone or if he’s on a small team, but that doesn’t work if he’s supposed to be running an entire system’s worth of people.

Shikamaru and Sakura would make bad candidates for similar reasons. Yes, they both meet certain requirements and I can see why people think they’d work—both can be very charismatic when they need to be and they take charge when the situation calls for it or they’re personally motivated to, Shikamaru is probably the best strategist in the series, and Sakura has the strength and skills to protect the village in case of emergency—but people also tend to overestimate how much charge they actually take. Shikamaru only acts as a leader when he’s ordered to and when Asuma died; Sakura only acts as a leader when nobody else can or will. They also both tend to abandon those leadership positions as soon as someone they think is more qualified steps up to the plate. Basically, they’re both too much of pushovers to act as Hokage (hence why I think they work much better as enforcers or advisors). If either were to be Hokage, it would have to be a Hiruzen situation where they have someone right next to them to cover their blind spots.

(Also, I’m not sure why you brought up Kishimoto saying that Sakura would be the best teacher of team seven because that’s a fundamentally different career path.)

As for Kakashi, I’d actually say that he makes a damn good Hokage. He has years of experience working closely with previous Hokage and leading different teams, he has the notoriety to act as a deterrent, he has the skill to protect the village, he knows how to get (very important) people to listen to him, he knows when and how to make difficult decisions, he takes charge at a moments notice, he maintains self control and levelheadedness under pressure, he asks for second opinions and knows when he can/should rely on others, he is stubborn in his beliefs but he still knows how to compromise, and he’s incredibly smart. He knocks it out of the park in all categories, even personality. If I had to choose someone to be Hokage in Naruto’s place, it would be Kakashi. The main issue with him being Hokage is that he doesn’t want to be the Hokage.

[animeyanderelover]

May I request Kunikida, Ango (BSD), Tobirama (Naruto), Uryū, Ryuken (Bleach), and Maki (JJK) with a surgeon darling who has to work extremely long hours and has to travel a lot. So it puts a strain on the relationship. Thank you!

Tw: Yandere themes, unhealthy relationship, possessive behavior, obsession, controlling behavior

@shumidehiro @naeho @swagenemyartisan @leveyani @izanami78

Surgeon darling

Tobirama Senju

🌊​As someone who also is rather workaholic, perhaps he's being a bit of a hypocrite when he scolds you for your long hours working. Really, he is no better than you and he fully knows that yet you're obviously someone he looks out more for as you're his lover. Tobirama is most likely a bit torn apart about your position though. On the one hand he is proud of the fact that his s/o is such a diligent and hard worker, he's very proud to introduce them as his s/o to everyone else. The long hours of work aren't that big of a problem considering that he also works rather long as a Hokage so he initially forgives your even longer schedules as you do something to contribute to the village his brother has worked so hard on. The longer this continues though, the more he grows irritated about it. He is not a clingy lover but he would like to use the time both of you have together which is incredibly short due to you being even more obsessed with your work than he is. ​He isn't really worried about using his position as a Hokage to cut your work a bit shorter.

🌊​He's actually taking the time to discuss the matter with you, a privilege born out of his respect of your hard work. Obviously work is important but he won't deny that he would also like to spend the evening with you after a long day of hard work and, he's low-key a bit hurt about you prioritizing your work over him. Yes, even if your works involves saving the life of others. At least within the village he has control over you, on missions that is harder because. You're usually always needed since you're the best medic in the village. Not to say that he doesn't trust you but considering that you need to travel so often and he won't be there to remind you to consume a freaking meal every few hours, he's a tad bit concerned. So he often only lets you leave with shinobi he trusts and who he knows will remind you to take care of yourself. The constant travels are honestly a test of his endurance though because at times it really feels like he's single. If there ever should come a time where he forbids you to travel in favor of staying with him, don't protest. Is it really too much for him to ask of you to spend some time with him too? Yes, he loves your dedication for your village but never dare to prioritize it over him.

Kunikida Doppo

📓Kunikida had a lot of people dying on him during his time in the Detective Agency so he appreciates the work his darling does for all the hurt and injured people. You might not have an ability like Yosano's that assists you in healing others instantly although under somewhat terrifying conditions but you do your best and work your hardest. So he has a large amount of respect for you but that does nothing to help him and his ever-growing worries as he soon sees just how brutal your work schedule is. It's like you never stop working, whenever you come home you eat a quick meal, try to sleep with the few hours you have before heading right back to the hospital. There are days where Kunikida doesn't even see you even when you're still in Yokohama. Other times you're simply gone because you travel a lot since your service is requested. It's so jarring, he feels like he lives alone and worst is that he basically does. This isn't what he visualized when he started a relationship with you, this isn't what he's written down in his book regarding the plans for his life. He wanted domestic bliss and togetherness but what he has now is only loneliness and worries for your lack of self-care.

📓You two are having a discussion soon, Kunikida won't let those things just slide. Not only is he hating the fact that nothing is really going as he has planned it, but he's also concerned for your health. How can you expect to continue helping others if you neglect yourself after all? Honey, a break won't hurt anyone. There are other surgeons who can take over for a while. He's trying to convince you to take a few days off to rest, to look after yourself, to spend some goddamn time with him. He's initially starting very calmly as he tries to rationalize with you. Yet if you don't listen, he's going to sound genuinely upset with you at one point, might even raise his voice a tad bit as he's getting shortly a bit emotional. This means much to him after all as he spends so much time whilst you're away slowly agonizing over your health and whether or not you've collapsed somewhere as a result of the lack of sleep and proper food. Oh, he's definitely going to have a talk with your boss now to talk about this matter. Your schedule will lessen as a result of his discussion and you'll get a few free days in which Kunikida will make sure that you get everything you've deprived yourself off so far.

Sakaguchi Ango

🗃️​Ango is also someone who takes his job seriously and is a hard worker but he's quicker to show his concern for his darling and their health than Tobirama. Don't get him wrong. He values life a lot and he couldn't be prouder of you for dedicating hours of your days towards saving others. He knows how important your job is to you after all since he's normally the one who soothes you and comforts you when despite your best attempts, you lose a human during surgery. But he hates seeing you working yourself to the point where you barely get any sleep and run on coffee and sugar. What use would it be for you to work yourself to the point of exhaustion and eventually suffer from the lack of sleep and incredibly unhealthy diet? He tries to reason with you a lot because he's worried and tries to remind you that if you collapse one day because you don't take good care of you, you won't be able to treat your patients. He's at home already the one who has to literally remind you of taking a meal with all the needed nutritions and has to push you into bed to get some kind of sleep. Also, Ango is sad. Sad about the fact that both of you spend so little time with each other since he valus quality time together.

🗃️​The lack of time both of you spend together is only worsened by the fact that you have to travel so lot. He just knows that you won't look after you so at one point he uses his position to dispatch someone trustworthy from the government to accompany you on all your travels. Is it basically a babysitter for you? Yes, but Ango is worried about you. He's silently suffering for quite a long time because he tries to be respectful of your own wishes, is additionally a bit guilty about his obsession. Yet he still keeps his tabs on you even whilst you're in a different region of Japan. Better be safe than sorry after all. His lenience shouldn't be mistaken as weak-mindedness though as Ango will put his foot down rather firmly when the need ever comes. Especially when it escalates to the point where you work yourself sick will he put a cut in your work life. It can be easily arranged after all, he is well connected within the government. Then you'll find yourself on a temporary break from all the surgeries and the work and he will hear no protest from you. You've worked hard enough after all. You deserve some rest too. See it from the bright side, both of you can finally spend some time together.

Ishida Uryu

🏹​Uryu would also be the type of guy who would enjoy himself a darling who is stable in life, although not too independent to reject his love and help. Initially Uryu is also rather proud, almost a tad bit smug even, about your job and the fact that you save the life of other people. He's definitely bragging ever so slightly about you in front of his friends and he admires you quite greatly for your work and your effort. He isn't oblivious to the fact that your job requires you to work long hours but still, he doesn't expect it to be that bad. He's quickly proven otherwise though and then his initial pride and respect slowly wanes down as it is replaced by growing concern for your health and also growing annoyance as he realizes just how often you have to be gone, leaving him alone for long periods of time. Now, Uryu isn't overly clingy as he is more reserved and subtle as an individual but he values a stable relationship and the feeling of having someone waiting for you at the end of the day. Those values and dreams of his find their quick end within the relationship and he silently loathes returning back home every day without you there. It feels like both of you aren't even a pair in the first place.

🏹​He isn't afraid to talk with you about his thoughts and feelings about the matter of your job either but he constantly has to skip it because you're tired and exhausted whenever you come home. Seeing you nearly falling asleep whilst standing does nothing to decrease his worries and he slowly starts wishing that you would have another job that doesn't drain you as much. He knows that you worked hard for your current position but he's very protective. When he finally gets the chance to discuss it with you, he makes his unhappiness and his concern clear, the displeasure visible on his face. He's not asking you to quit but to take it slower and to lessen your tight schedule. He grows visible irritated if you refuse to listen, although he holds onto his composure. If talking with you fails though, he is quick to take matters into his own hands. He comes to pay a visit at whatever hospital you're working in and he is not afraid to have a serious talk with your boss. He isn't yelling or being aggressive but a master at composed intimidation and if he has to spend hours arguing with your boss to lessen your work, he very well will. He'll worry about your potential ire later.

Ishida Ryuken

◻️Honey, you can bet your kidney that he will make sure to have you working under his own guidance. So if you're not working in his hospital, he will do everything to change that. Ryuken has a very bad control streak going on and that increases especially once he sees your daily schedule. Obviously he's very focused on his work too and would probably also not be opposed to his s/o being able to work as long as he still is in control. But your work life is just too much and whilst he isn't someone who would baby his darling, seeing your lifestyle sets the alarm off in his head. The countless hours you work everyday and the constant trips you have to take elsewhere not only make it hard for him to have his eye on you all of the time but also threatens your health. He sees how exhausted and tired you are all the time and how unhealthy your diet is and it has him going maybe just a bit insane. He's approached you about this too, in shock about how you're a surgeon and doctor yet dismiss your own health so easily. Whilst it might sound selfish, especially coming from Ryuken who owns a hospital, he'd rather leave the faith of your patients uncertain to guarantee that you prioritize yourself more.

◻️He's seeking you out to ask if you'd like to transfer and work alongside with him. He's meticulously analyzed the work condition in your current job and has made it a point to suggest to you a better contract. If you reject him, you'll undeniably damage his pride a little bit but he can masterfully hide that. If he can't convince you, his next goal is your boss and then Ryuken will go all in. He's a very determined individual but differently than his son he's also a lot more colder and sharper with his choice of words, ever so slightly passive-aggressive if things take a bit too long for his taste. Yet there's also this unsettling air of confidence around him as he's sure that he'll eventually get what he wants. As soon as he has successfully added you to the staff in his own hospital, you're immediately put on break for a few weeks. In those few weeks he sees it through himself that you get a healthy 7-8 hours of sleep everyday, get some fresh air and eat some balanced meals. Keep your anger in check if you want to work as soon as possible again. Now that he is your boss, he also has control over you and can also just check on you whenever he wants as soon as he allows you to work again.

Zenin Maki

💚​Maki is for a while being openly smug about all the praise her darling gets for their hard work. She's fitting with all other characters in liking herself a darling who isn't fully dependent yet also makes sure that her s/o would never think of straying away from her side. She enjoys how all of her friends and former underclassmen admire you for your hard work and for saving lives, even though you don't fight curses. It's still save to say that Maki is a tad bit apprehensive about the hospital you work in. Curses are born from strong negative emotions and a hospital is always a place swarming with lots of negative emotions so she makes sure to visit you once or twice a week to make sure that no curses are crawling around and could potentially endanger you. All her smugness gradually fades away though when she experiences what it is like to be in a relationship with you. Frankly spoken, it feels like you two aren't even a thing. Not because you treat her coldly but because working as a surgeon is extremely time-consuming and your constant journeys elsewhere only make the feeling worse. It really gets on Maki's nerves after a while and she is not a woman to hold her thoughts back.

💚​No, she's very blunt with you the next time you're home and tells you very clearly how she feels. Whilst she knows that it isn't fully your fault, she's very assertive. She expects you to arrange things with your boss so that you have a bit more free time. She's also worried about your physical and mental condition with your long hours of work and if you try to brush it off as nothing, she'll definitely give you a sturdy scolding for being so immature. You're being ridiculous right now since you should know best what a human body requires in order to be healthy. If you refuse to listen to her or have troubles with your boss, no problem. She'll just appear randomly in the hospital you work in, very willing to have a word or two with your boss. If your body ever ends up being overwhelmed with the lack of care you give it, expect her to not even let you leave the house. She doesn't give a shit about your schedule in such a moment as she pushes you with her unmatched strength into the mattress and tells you firmly to just rest. Seriously, how hard can it be to take a day or two off? Don't expect her to allow you to go to work when your health is tattered in which case she will sturdily chide you for your reckless ignorance.

[comikadraws]

how often is hashirama demonized or made out to be a villain while having his positive qualities ignored or even omitted compared to tobirama? it seems to be that tobirama is more disliked and even demonized.

Definitely. Though I can also see why and, to a degree, agree with them.

Of course, there will always be exceptions (for example, I have a mutual who harbors a burning hatred for Hashirama), but generally speaking, Hashirama often gets treated like an angel compared to Tobirama.

Hashirama is the one who founded the village and fans usually associate him with that perfect image Hashirama made up in his mind. Peace, stability, friendship.

But Tobirama is the one who actually structured the village and fans associate him with his failings. The brutality of the shinobi system, the wars waged by Konoha, the corruption in the village's government.

Both, I find, are actually fair assessments of their characters, though very one-sided. The nuances are missing.

What I believe people like to forget is that most of the village and its political relationships were built and structured by Tobirama during Hashirama's time in office. That means Hashirama oversaw the process and agreed to Tobirama's ideas.

As I explained in a different post, and as paradoxical as it may sound, Hashirama's initial goal to protect the lives of children became second to the wellbeing of the village. The village that was established for the purpose of protecting children. As Hashirama lost sight of his original goal, children were sacrificed and ended up protecting the village and not the other way around.

Madara says that Hashirama mistook the cause for the end or put the cart before the horse, depending on the translation. Hashirama, looking back at his village's history, openly admits that these were circumstances he had considered acceptable in the grand scheme of things. A mistake, as we all know.

To make matters worse, Tobirama also gets the bigot treatment from the fandom. Or rather, the fandom has identified him as what they perceive to be a racist. I have further talked about the whole issue in this post, but long story short, Tobirama makes a good training dummy for that sort of discussion but within a fandom context - even if it distorts Kishimoto's initial vision, as I have explained in this post.

What is strangely interesting is that Hashirama seemingly agrees with Tobirama's theories (about the nature of the Uchiha Clan) yet doesn't get the same amount of hate that Tobirama does for this prejudice. I have previously explained this detail in this post. The fandom's perception seems to be influenced a lot by Tobirama's and Hashirama's respective personalities and their resulting actions rather than beliefs.

And Hashirama genuinely does have more (or at least more striking) positive traits than Tobirama. He is more likable. Meanwhile Tobirama's personality, in the databooks, is described as "bold, zealous, rational, principled", whereas Hashirama's traits are listed as "warm, considerate, carefree and easy-going". Particularly Tobirama's brutal honesty and rationality are unpopular character traits.

I also somewhat implied this above, but I also believe the fandom tends to simplify and reduce the Hokage a lot to their most striking character traits or their most striking accomplishments/failings (which are not even necessarily connected to their time as Hokage).

You can see that reflected in polls. This one was made by @/narutopolls.

Hiruzen "wins" by a ridiculous percentage because he is the Hokage whose failings we have been confronted the most with during the series. His leniency on Danzo and Orochimaru, the Third Great Shinobi War that was waged during his reign, Naruto's neglect and ostracization, the mishandled Hyuga Affair, the Uchiha Genocide, and so on and so forth.

The problem is just that we don't really know that much about the other Hokage and their respective legacies aside from Tsunade maybe. Most of the decisions we see from her are in relation to Naruto, but even then she does do things for the village like founding medical law or strengthening relations with Suna. But also, her reign was not as morally complex as other Hokages' and she had the power of hindsight on her side, thanks to Danzo already having proven his untrustworthiness during Hiruzen's reign. The decisions she made are not exactly decisions other Hokage wouldn't have made in that specific scenario (Hiruzen also tried to prevent wars if we look at the Hyuga Affair and wasn't opposed to medical law, even if he didn't act on it). But we honestly don't know what Tsunade would've done in their shoes. Still, she just so happens to be a very positive, likable character with no obvious political disasters. She had less screw-ups, sure, but also she reigned during a less morally challenging time. Is she a positive figure? Yes! Would she still be if the circumstances were harder? No idea!

In regards to Minato and Kakashi, we barely even know what they did in office. Could be anything, really, but they have likable personalities and cool fights, so they are better regarded than the others and we assume that they must have excelled as much as political leaders as they have excelled in our hearts.

Naruto we also barely know anything about. You could give him shit for not abolishing the use of child soldiers, but neither did any Hokage before him. Or you might dislike him for stopping Sasuke's revolution, but he did that before his time as Hokage. So why did Naruto get voted third worst Hokage? I'd daresay it's because people were able to watch his failings on screen and that soured his character for them.

All of this is just to prove that (with the exception of Hiruzen) people seem to base their perception of a character's competence on their affinity toward that character.

And now, apply all this to Tobirama and Hashirama. We barely have any particular failings to directly connect to Hashirama. We just know about his founding of the village, his mercy and empathy for the Uchiha, and his positive personality. But that's because we never saw him actually fulfilling his Hokage duties to begin with. Additionally, while in office, he had the support of his more rational and cunning brother to prevent political disaster. He was never given the opportunity to disappoint us.

In the case of Tobirama, he gets credited specifically for the village's (poor) planning, he openly expresses prejudice toward the Uchiha (who are fan favorites), and has an unlikable personality. In the case of Tobirama too, we never got to see him in the position of Hokage and only ever witnessed the aftermath. Unlike Hashirama, for all we know, Tobirama did not receive any particular assistance to balance out his negative personality traits. He was never given the opportunity to win us over.

This creates a sharp contrast between the two. It elevates one brother's failings and facilitates choosing a "worse" brother to turn into a scapegoat for the other. And while, yes, certain things apply to both Hashirama and Tobirama (their willingness to train and use child soldiers, or their shared belief in the Uchiha's innate predisposition to strong love and hatred), we can also say that one of them actively caused those circumstances while the other mostly just condoned or supported them. They are both responsible, just to different degrees.

The only thing I really disagree with is that many fans completely absolve Hashirama of all blame or fail to even notice his faults to begin with.

[stickywhiteash]

Spilled the beans ||Kakashi x Reader

Warnings: Alcohol

Word count: (780)

Sitting at a bar, drinking with your comrades, you slam down a cup and demand another. It was supposed to be light hearted fun, a little get together, yet you’re spilling out all of your woes to Kurenai about a particular shinobi.

A few hours prior to going out with the gang, you had initially asked Kakashi if he wanted to check out the new sushi place down the street. The flat rejection of “I’m busy” and him continuing to fly off to the hokage’s office crushed your self confidence.

Here you are, brazenly drunk at an ungodly hour with Asuma, Kurenai, Genma and Anko. How long has it been since everyone first arrived? Who knows. Guy was also supposed to join in with the gang earlier but reported he was busy as well.

At some point you were singing with the crew, the next you were about to throw hands with some man who dared touch. Anko, off to the side, is egging you on to rearrange his face. The ones holding you back is Genma and Kurenai, deciding you’ve had far too much to drink and should probably head home.

It felt like the heavens above loved to tease your poor soul. Both Guy and Kakashi pulled up to the party. They would be fashionably late if it weren’t more than 3 hours after the appointed time. Something something, Guy challenged him and didn’t know if everyone would still be here.

“See, my eternal rival! They’re still here youthful and kicking it!”

“Glad you two could make it.”

“Ah, actually I was just stopping by.”

While you could over hear what people were saying, your mind was too fogged up to process what was going on. Instead, you were still telling Anko how you one hundred percent could have taken that creep.

“He…! Would have deserved it y’know! Ya can’t just yknow! Go around touchin’ people like that.”

“Mm.”

“See? See? He woulda haddit co—“

The next thing you knew, you were hoisted up by someone piggy back style. Before you could protest, the warmth of their body and scent of vanilla calms your alcohol induced rage. A round of farewells sends you and your escort off. Smile, wave, and nuzzle into whoever is taking you home.

“Mister escort? You are taking me home right?”

“Yes”

“Okay.. How do you know where I live?”

“That’s a secret”

A gasp, “YOU’RE NOT KIDNAPPING ME ARE YOU?”

“Ah, yes. All of your friends let you be whisked away by some stranger.”

Shaking your head, you mumble in disbelief, “I can’t believe them. They’ll pay for this.”

There’s a pause. Streetlights pass over head steadily. Cool air clings on to your face as he walks.

“Mister escort? Do you have anyone you love?”

Muscles tense underneath you. Sighing, you continue talking, the words still slurring.

“Hey. Promise me you won’t tell anyone?”

“Tell anyone what?”

“Oi! gotta promise first!!”

“Sure.”

“Piiiiiinky promise!”

One arm unlatches from the man’s neck and holds out the little digit.

“Okay, okay. Promise.”

The gesture is returned, linking the the two appendages.

“Do you know… hmnn uh Kakashi Hatake? Think everyone knows him. If you don’t you’re really living under a rock mister!”

Another sigh, another huff. You bury your face into the crook of this man’s neck, covered in fabric.

“I love him.. A lot. I don’t know if he loves me back but what I do know Is that I have to be the one who has to confess first. He would rather bury his emotions six feet under and then jump off a cliff than say anything. He’s— He’s lost so much; I don’t blame him. Even if.. And even if Kakashi doesn’t return my feelings, that’s okay. All I want is to see that man happy and at peace for once in his life. He might not believe it but he deserves to love and be loved.”

“… Why do you love someone like him?”

“Are you kidding? He puts his friends and comrades first over rules, over the mission. His loyalties lies in them. I feel like that’s hard to come by these days. Who wouldn’t want someone like that in their life?”

Your escort stops in front of your door, not saying a single word. Bending down, he lets you off his back.

“You promised not to tell anybody, okay? Especially not him! If I find out you told him.. I’ll hunt you down, Mister Escort,” you threaten, not bothering to look at his face. With poor coordination you struggle to unlock the door. The only thing you wanted right now was to get inside and fall asleep. Once it unlocks and the entrance to your apartment is open, you bid the man a thank you and farewell.

After the door shuts in his face, he whispers. The words are barely audible.

“I love you too.”

[philosophicalparadox]

The term “Modern AU” for Naruto fandom needs to die. (Jk, sort of). It needs a new name, for ontologies sake.

Like. There is no consistency to the technological advancement in Naruto at all, but nonetheless, it is a demonstrable product of its initial years of development, which is the 90’s.

Throughout pt1 and Shippuden, we get a weird and nonsensical mix of Showa era (all of it, from 1886-1949) postwar period (1947-1980 thereabouts, though Wikipedia will disagree with me on that) and mid-late 90’s tech boom.

Now you could solidly argue for a “modern” interpretation of the Showa-era systems and customs, although that very much interferes with 1. the Uchiha as a clan, because they are 100% late Showa / WW2 period culturally. Hyuuga are more representative of the earlier Showa era, like 1920’s or so. SO yes you could do away with that, but frankly those clans are not themselves outside of that satirical context. (And I do actually think Kishimoto meant it to be satire, or at least his editor, who came up with most of the Uchiha premise, did). And

2. The whole Shinobi premise, which had still-living threads during that time period despite Shinobi as a profession supposedly dying in the 1850’s. (Pfffffft, Like mercenaries went anywhere during the European renaissance; they simply went from mercs to commissioned officers. Title change but not role change. Same idea.)

Furthering this, if you take them out of the dirt, so to speak, then they cease to have the in-universe function that they do. They don’t have to — you can still absolutely mock up a Mercenary-Paramilitary-Mage Caste for the “modern” world, by which is typically meant: In Japan/Our World, not the NarutoVerse.

Yes I know I’m being pedantic, but to say “modern” implies “past” and while there’s lots of that in Naruto, there’s also:

90’s Telephones (why doesn’t the Hokage have one in their office??? Landline is pretty darn secure.)

90’s Electricity

Computers (90’s era, but clunky things with limited functionality but can store data)

Floppy Disks to go with the above

Security cameras

Polaroids (again, 90’s era)

The cutting-edge-of-its-time (90’s again) radio collars

Industrial production of steel (how? We don’t know. But they can build 80’s-90’s skyscrapers, somehow.)

Steam engine (not that impressive or modern, but like, Where Are The Trains. We got 90’s steam boats in Kiri, but no locomotives? How? Why?)

Medical devices. Oh the list I could make about that. All like mid- late 90’s, at least in Konoha/Orochimaru and Co. The iron lung does not exist, replaced by stately 1999-2002 ventilators. (Kimmimaro) The concept of IV nutrition exists and is applicable, even if Kishi did an absolutely abysmal job of demonstrating that. (On Kakashi) (the reality: So. Many. Ports.) That little innovation didn’t exist until 1982, and didn’t actually work until 1996. (Because figuring out how to synthesize metabolic fats and proteins was really hard); you’ve got Ostomy tubes and bags that belong in 1995, (Kimmimaro again) and don’t even get me started on Lab equipment. Do you know how long it took to produce incubators that didn’t take up a quarter of a room? Do you have any idea what the world of cloning looked like in the 90’s? (Actually, it was a lot more advanced at that point than it is in Naruto, which is stuck in like, 1980’s with that notion).

And I could go on!

And there is just as many examples of the inverse, too, where there’s things juxtaposed to the past level. Example:

Psychiatric care. Granted we don’t see a lot of that outside of Kakashi’s little stint, but it is very 1940’s-1950’s type BS.

Similar to that, most the stuff in the Interrogation Unit. From attitudes to technology, but mostly in just the very weird, 1930-1950’s way the whole thing operates. Kishimoto did not do his research there, very obviously (Torture does not work like that), but nonetheless they give me Nazi vibes. (Well, Inaba and Ibiki do, respectively). That part might be intentional, but it still doesn’t really make sense in the bigger scope. (Why doesn’t the village know things when they are a SHINOBI VILLAGE. A postwar village no less! Make it make sense Kishi!)

Some elements of medicine. There’s a very weird divide there, between synthesized chemicals that are complex poisons, which SHOULD mean complex medicines exist, (because the only difference between medicine and poison is the dose and many toxins have medical value) and the demonstration of this, which relies upon herbalism. I suppose both those would exist in a Shinobi’s world, but there’s a bizarre element of “only the bad guys actually have good medicine” going on, which again is a very 1940-1950’s thing.

Idk, I feel like “modern” sort of fits? But not entirely. Because fundamentally the NarutoVerse is a completely separate dimension, a twisted alternate reality that is very removed from our own yet also very like it.

Gahhhhh the world building in this series is hot, messy garbage 🤣

I would love to see an AU where it’s more homogeneous, like smack-dab postwar all over the board. Or even just bring her up to the 90’s. That would be actual modern-NarutoVerse.

But using Modern to mean “Our World” has always just been a small thing to bugger me. Use what you want, because I don’t think the term is going anywhere, but if I can’t share this anywhere else I can share it here.

[narhinafan]

Hey, about NaruHina, something in Boruto just seems awfully sketchy to me. I mean, let's be absolutely real to ourselves, if our wife, were to be Hinata, I would actually make extra time to SPEED UP in getting my workload done, before coming home to her, who wouldn't? Hinata is just amazing. She is the reason, why Naruto gets out of bed, along with their kids.

But in the beginning, the entire setup in Boruto, for some reason was trying to be like, "He is overworked", as if it completely forgets that Naruto can generate clones to do work for him, and he can share the workload with Shikamaru or Kakashi. And either way, why do we go this route of "neglectful parenting" again? Shouldn't Naruto know better to not bite off more than he can chew? And the fact that he and Hinata never, ever argue (sometimes, this is necessary, and I don't mean like this toxic kind of arguing, but like, discussing things, spilling their own guts to say what bothers them, that kind of jazz, sharing the grievances), at least from what I have seen so far (I haven't looked too deeply into Boruto, and I am kind of hesitant to, for many reasons), I dunno, to me, this paints Naruto in a negative light, as if he is purposely overworking himself, as a way to cope with the reality of him having initially failed as a father, husband and leader. Self-masochism, basically.

Not only that, it comes off as if Naruto's love for Hinata was only a ruse, and as the years passed by, all of it was lost in the process, as he was working towards becoming the ideal Hokage... and I find this pretty insulting, how dare they paint this couple like that? That's just dirty. ...Or am I just being weird? Because this is the impression I got so far.

Naruto is generating and using clones its why he ends up collapsing of overwork in the Boruto movie. Plus he is usually busy cause of circumstances or busy times like the Chunin exams more then anything other then those specific times he does manage make time to come home.

From what I can tell he is overworking cause it can't be helped especially since the village had a big development boom in recent years after the war and also is no longer really hidden likely increase the workload to such a degree that there methods aren't suitable for handling. Likely doesn't help that times are relatively peaceful which would hit ninjas livelihood quite hard. Its also likely even worse since Naruto is famous worldwide which would bring a lot of new business to the village on top of having to maintain peace and as the hero of the war has the most influence so people can't ignore his points. Add that the village has increased in both size and population before the village could fit in the crater Pain made, but in Boruto not only most of the buildings are now high rising ones, but they even had to expand outside the crater and build a city behind the Hokage monument. The current village is likely equal to two-three pre war villages together maybe even more.

Naruto does seem to get help from Shikamaru, but its not enough a lot of things likely need Naruto himself to take care of for lots of reasons and I bet his clones are the only reason they managed to handle the rapid growth in recent years.

Naruto's workload as Hokage is likely several time more then what previous Hokage had to deal with its not somthing he just assign away either.

I get what you mean, but I think Hinata is aware of just how much work Naruto gets especially cause of the education she got from her clan since a young age so she has some understanding of both political and management/development of the village.

I don't like it, but it is realistic in times of peace after war its normal for a development boom to happen. The leaf village benefited it from it the most, but at the cost of Naruto being worked to the bone to handle it.

[hotmonkeelove]

Do you know why in one databook of naruto Masashi Kishimoto said that the relationshio between orochimaru and anko was intense? And in what page of one of the databook he compares a tecnique like lovers suicide? For me, anko loves him since a long time and orochimaru too but when she grew up! ♡

Here's the link to the first source pace. The pages on Anko are 122-123, where her relationship with Orochimaru is described as intense/ very deep (depending on the translation, but it means the same thing). Page 206 is where the Twin Snakes Mutual Death/ Twin Snake Sacrifice jutsu is compared to a lover's suicide. Here's my post on that, where I cite Narutopedia as my source. I don't own it personally. I can only point to the online sources/ translations.

As to why Kishimoto said that, I can only give you an educated guess. So here goes, I can't see how Anko wouldn't have been in awe of him/ crushing on him big time when she was his student. He was a Sannin, he was still the favourite to succeed the 3rd Hokage at the time, he thought she had incredible potential- short of having a kekkei genkai (the Sharingan is the only reason he gives for Sasuke having more potential than her), the fact he accuses her of being jealous of Sasuke, his intelligence and how (though he held some stuff back) he taught her everything she knows, and how, despite everything, she still copies his behaivours. I mean, if she really hates him that much, you'd think she'd quit waving her tongue around like she idolises him. Not to mention, she still keeps the photo of the two of them together on her headboard. To have someone's photo be the first and last thing you look at each day, they have to be very dear to you. I think she feels a hell of a lot of guilt for the things he did, but he'll always be the only one who means the world to her. No one can take his place.

With Orochimaru, he must have seen her as his "pet." Recall when Sakon reveals his curse mark to Sasuke, he says, "Did you think you were Lord Orochimaru's only pet?" Pawns get experimented on like easily disposable lab rats. Curse marks are reserved for his most valuable pieces. And the Heaven's curse mark is the most powerful of them, which is why he risked it on Sasuke. I would also go further with the snake summoning contract. Orochimaru has (that we know of) initiated only three others into a pact with Ryuchi Cave. Those are Kabuto, his right-hand man; Sasuke, his ideal vessel; and Mitsuki, his child, whom he hopes will be the Moon who aides the Sun in saving the world during the next great conflict. That's a pretty exclusive group, and the snakes are not especially welcoming. He must've had a lot of faith in her and viewed her as a valued apprentice, not simply a student or subordinate. Also, in their team photo, it's just the two of them. She doesn't have teammates till the Chunin exams, when they're required. Jiraiya is not shown with only Minato, but two other students we never see or hear about again. It must've been the two of them for several years and she must've been very important to him. Otherwise, why would he bother?

I get the feeling that there was a Genji/ Murasaki element there (in The Tale of Genji, Murasaki is the young girl he abducts, educating her to be his ideal woman, and eventually marrying her. She remains devoted to him, despite his faithlessness, including a marriage to another woman. She tells him she wants to be nun, but he won't let her, and she dies soon after). Then there's the story that most likely influenced Anko's character and relationship with Orochimaru, The Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya, which the Sannin are based on. Orochimaru is the master of snake magic. He is betrothed to a princess, but she becomes frightened of him as his villainous behaivour worsens. Jiraiya and Tsunade end up rescuing her.

[uzuma-take]

This probably won't get many views here or Twitter, but I'm genuinely thinking of writing my own version of Naruto.?? The relationships won't change. So Hintata will still get together with Naruto .

I have ideas based on interviews with kishimoto. Like Team Gai and Team Kurenai being sand Ninja (yes, that means the Hyuga , Inuzuka, and Aburame clan won't be leaf ninja) . Had the idead since I read Gai in particular wasn't originally planned to be a leaf ninja. That he and Lee where made on the fly for the exams.

One thing to mention is that all teams have four students. This is to include the filler students like Sora , Yakumo, and Yagura (yes, gai had a student named Yagura)

Team Gaara also has new people from the chunin filler being Shira , Sen, and Yami.

But what happened to Kankuro and Termari? Well, dear reader, that will come in due time..

Here's the major changes I have in my head so far, starting with Team 7.

Naruto

He's still an orphane born of the 4th homage minato. He's maybe a year older than Sakura and sasuke . Due to flunking the graduate exams . He was adopted by the third Hokage. In this version He's younger and much more naive than the original. (More on hiruzen later)

Sakura

She was a girl who witnessed her parents constantly fight . They both struck at each over multiple times, and eventually, she was but in foster care. Not really being taught violence wasn't the way she'd often lash out at people, including her teachers. When being put into team 7, she was scared of kakashi after some of the stories she'd read about him. She actually sometimes tries to hit Sasuke , Naruto and Sai

Sasuke

He's still the same, only real difference being that he looks more like Fugaku . He's still broady and crabby even more so with Sai.

Sai

Joined Team 7 much earlier on and is one of the reasons Sasuke left the village. Being a spy for Danzo, he worked with orochimaru closely and slowly wormed his way into Sasukes mind convincing him to accept the sound fours offer.

Kakashi

Born of a Samurai clan, that later fled to the leaf and a Inuzuka / Hyuga (haven't decided) mother from the sand . He's much the same man from the series except he's got a secret pacht with the sand due to his mum being from there.

Team Asuma

Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji are pretty much the same. I really don't see any change Nessasary .

Asuma

The brother of the third hokage it inst until after the sand attacks the leaf he fall head over hills with kurenai yuhi of the sand . At first, he has no idea she's a sand Ninja. When he initially finds out her secret he's of course, horrified . Kurenai was from the village that tried to destroy his home and ultimately took his brother from him. During the time skip they do make up and eventually start dating in secret..

Sora

Same as filler exept hes the new five tails after it recarnated, he just joins the team early on . He's constantly worried because he doesn't fit in with Ino-Shika-Cho formation. Asuma tries to help him .

Team Kurenai

This is where the divations really begin .. as Said before Major clans now live in the sand village. Hyuga , inuzuka, and Aburame. Inspired by two things . The concept of gaara owing a dog and the interview stating Gai was from another village.

Hinata .

Apart from location a lot hasn't changed. She first met Naruto in the Exams and really liked his energy and will never give in. The thing that made her mind up was the fight with Neji. The Cousin she was going to be forced to Marry eventually. Naruto does the same shouting. But this time, her motivation is based on 'why does this stranger I've maybe met one or twice cheer me on?' She actually goes on the journey with Jiriya, Naruto , Sorra, Neji, and Gaara. (Three jinjurki and three people to sort out if anything goes wrong)

Kiba

He has a strong rivalry with his Twin Gaara and says he's going to beat him at being kazakage. Gaara doesn't really care but later on indulges him and challenges him to see who gets stronger during the time skip.

Shino

Same as canon just more dessert like bugs

Yakumo

Uses paintings much like Sai, but instead of physical . They trap people in genjutsu, which are much like in her filler episodes.

Team Gai

It's pretty much the same, except Lee now has two brothers. Yagura and Shira . Both whom he likes to to one up. Gai was 16 when he had a one night stand, resulting in Lee and his brothers. He never really knew their mum. He's regretted ever since. He has a major Crush on a certain Spikey haired leaf shinobi. Whose to say that man doesn't share the same feelings .

Team Gaara

The filler characters are the same

Baki is the sensei.

Gaara is the twin of Kiba, and he's pretty much the same as canon . The biggest difference is his dog. Don't hurt, or else shukaku will come out. After the Konoha Crush, he softens quite a bit and looks very different from how Naruto met him.

Temari and Kankuro are Sand Anbu like shinobi that are the older siblings of Kiba and Gaara. They resent Hana at first for caring about their brother, whose only seen as a weapon. It's not until rasa dues do the realise that Gaara, if taught correctly, can harness his powers, so they set up a meeting with the leaf village . As long as Gaara is safe and cared for, then could he train under Jyriya. Tsunde reluctantly agrees... that's all I have so far...

part 2

[maoam]

I have this theory that kishi is actually gay, or at least attracted to men too, made naruto his self insert, and projected his whole life onto naruto, mainly his obsession with sasuke. I heard he actually openly said that most of naruto's major character traits are his own when he was younger, even the name ichiraku ramen was an actual ramen shop that was close to his school that he used to go to after school. He said he was lonely and wanted desparately to make connections, and he also wanted acknowledgment a lot. His fave food must've also been ramen. So I was thinking, of almost every one of naruto's main traits are projections, then why not his literal major trait that is not only the biggest, but also quite literally his greatest obsession, his driving force, his goal, his best friend, his other half? So I think he must've had a sasuke in his life when he was younger that he greatly admired and wanted to become closer to, but then had to end up marrying a woman. But the 2 things that make me question it is when apparently he didn't make sasuke right off the bat, and an editor had to tell him to make naruto a rival so the story can keep going, which created sasuke, otherwise it would've stopped really early on (which would mean his initial intention for the story of naruto wasn't narusasu's gay love story that he projected)? And also that since he created sasuke after someone recommended making naruto a rival, he spent too much time on his character that he ended up loving him a lot and his just made him a huge part of the story for that reason, not bc of protection. So all his projections are only the traits naruto had before sasuke was created. What do you think? I don't like speculating on real life stranger's sexualities, but I don't think it's that big of a deal to simply have a theory. So plz, if you think this is disrespectful, just ignore this ask, you don't have to answer, not don't just say "this is disrespectful" and leave it at that.

It's true that he projected a lot of his traits onto Naruto, for example ramen is his favourite food and Ichiraku ramen was a real place he went to eat often as you said. And yes he also mentioned the loneliness and need for acknowledgement. He also had his goal to become a mangaka that he decided to achieve "to show everyone he can do it" just like Naruto with wanting to become a Hokage to show the rest of the village he can do it.

Him not creating Sasuke off the bat doesn't really change anything, because at the beginning Naruto wasn't even about ninjas, neither did it have characters like Madara/Hashirama, the Sannins, the rookies, the Akatsuki etc. In the pilot chapter, you can see the loneliness and the acting up traits that Naruto still has. Kishi said when he created Sasuke, the story finally started to appear for him.

And yes I have seen people think Sasuke is based on someone he knew in real life. Kishi said some characters have traits from his schoolmates. Considering Kishi and his brother have a very normal relationship, as he does with the rest of his family, the longing and the chasing and the obsession must come from somewhere else. This is just basic common sense, Kishi clearly doesn't have that type of relationship with his brother, and if he did well... that would say some controversial things about him. But his brother never abandoned/left him, so we can scratch that thought before it even surfaces. Kishi said his brother and father very bluntly always told him if something he wrote sucks, while his mother nagged to him to remember to eat, to remember to eat vegetables too. So yes, as I said very normal family. Personally I do not think it's offensive to speculate like this, I mean people here speculate about Kishi's political views, how is gayness somehow more offensive than that? It's not like he'll ever even see some tumblr posts about himself.

[x-authorship-x]

Okay so i was thinking about the hope au and I have to say that Shisui's dynamic with Kakashi in this fic series holds a special in my heart (maybe bc they're some of my favorites lol). I adore the whole squad but there's just something about their dynamic to me. Like the respect for each other's emotional and physical boundaries, the small but profound shows of support, the quiet comfort with each other, communicating through body language, just the genuine respect/protectiveness/trust in each other!

Shisui learning some of the Hatake behaviors to the point of using them to better communicate/understand Kakashi (my favorite moments), they way they can understand each other silently or through doublespeak- having entirely different conversations than what's spoken out loud, Shisui looking up to Kakashi and for his approval but not idolizing him, Shisui feeling comfortable teasing him, Kakashi allowing physical contact bc it means a lot to Shisui and Shisui letting him be the one to initiate it most times bc he's aware of Kakashi's issues with it, Shisui pretending to not notice moments of vulnerability because it makes Kakashi uncomfortable, Kakashi silently digging up information (the tracking mission, training with Gai, etc) and Shisui being entirely aware of it, Shisui refusing to leave Anbu before Kakashi and saying it directly to the Hokage, Kakashi being protective when Tiger confronted Shisui about Parrot, Shisui telling Kakashi the truth about his father even though he was concerned about the consequences because he felt he deserved the truth, Kakashi being worried about possibly losing a pack member and Shisui making sure he knew he wasn't leaving the squad, Kakashi walking Shisui to the anbu dorms and quietly sitting in his room bc he and the others knew Shisui shouldn't be alone at that moment, etc

Also just- side note I'd love to hear more about your ideas for Hatake clan culture and how it effected Kakashi growing up and his relationships with other characters

Oh anon, is it bad to say I completely agree when it's my own fic? Who cares, I love what I did with Kakashi lmao

It's just... I see them like two legends, bruised and noble and aching and so incredibly competent it makes me a bit emotional tbh like... The bamf energy isn't "omg!!!! Power!!!!" It's "you guys... you're glowing 🥹" and I think that it's even more special that they can depend on each other- not only in a fight, but as a place of rest. Like "sit down, close your eyes, breathe... I'll hold the line." 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹

Kakashi and Shisui make me so emosh

Hatake Clan stuff is just *insert* [REGAL] [FERAL] [SAD] [GORGEOUS] [TEETH] [WHUMP] [GROWL] [SCARY] and i never get tired of Kakashi micro-expression and body-language-ing all over the place whilst Shisui (and, to a slightly lesser degree, SQ2+Gai) are like "yes yes tell me more yes i agree-" and everyone else is like 👀?? Tf

Sorry this isn't longer but it's a Friday and I'm knackered from work lol

[the-real-sasuke-uchiha]

Sorry to intrude. I know the novels aren't more canon than any random fanfiction. But I read Itachi novels and they do make reference to some attempts to dialogue made by the Uchiha. They are told from Itachi's point of view, and he only started attending the clan meetings after graduating, which was way after the segregation of the clan, when they had spent maybe a year or more living in the new compound. So it is likely that he missed some of the clan initiatives to negotiate with the village.

However, he does state that the village did not give any chance for the clan to defend themselves against the false accusations regarding the kyubi attack. He literally says they were not even permitted a word:

This clearly sounds like the fault for the failure of any hypothetical negotiations is on the village, who wanted to hear nothing from the Uchiha. And there is another example where the clan talks about submitting a written complaint to the village, again Itachi only hears this and misses the previous context and the follow up:

So, unless they just wrote the letter, left in in the Hokage's mailbox and ghosted him, which seems illogical, there are indications that the clan did try to maintain a diplomatic dialogue with the village and they were either ignored or no clear solution was achieved. Fugaku is also shown in the anime complaining about the segregation of the clan with no effect. He is just dismissed with some bullshit about having a lot of training grounds for the police force.

Diplomacy only works when you have some means to negotiate with, something to pressure or motivate your opponent into accepting your demands. The Uchiha had no political power, there was a clear power imbalance and the Uchiha were in the unfavourable position. They turn to Itachi as a last resource, both for gathering information that would help them get the upper hand, and for increasing their chances should an armed conflict take place. They do this because they are forced to, they are left with no other option. Nobody starts a revolt and risks their lives if they can resort to diplomacy.

I saw you reblogged a post requesting asks so here is my contribution. Feel free to ignore, because it is probably a difficult question.

So, the Uchiha burdened Itachi with their problems and used him against the village even though he was just a child. From your posts I see you defend this and there is no much to argue here, it is pretty obvious it is true regardless of the legitimate reasons they had to oppose the village. So, in your opinion, and based on the situation they were in, what would have been your course of action if you were in their place? In Fugaku's place, let's say. What should they have done taking into account that even leaving the village peacefully can be considered treason.

I just don't have the slightless idea and I think maybe you are the right person to come up with a good analysis of this.

Great blog, by the way. Happy to see a space to love both Sasuke and Itachi, it is so rare. Enjoy the day/night, whatever it is at your end.

Hey!

Yes, it is a difficult question because of the possibilities and AUs it can conjure. I'll try to answer it as best as I can.

The Uchiha clan was doomed from the start. From the time of Madara and Hashirama, I mean. It was always a one-sided game where Uchiha were always seen as an afterthought. As a goodwill gesture, Hashirama tried to offer Madara the Hokage seat and then deserted him. Okay, maybe there was some weight in what Tobirama said.

Hashirama was the driving force behind the truce and the village. It was his vision that he never gave up on and continued to fight for despite Madara not being in the picture. Uchiha also acknowledged his contribution. They lived in a warring era, so everyone was fed up with this perpetuatal violence and hate, Uchiha included. That makes Tobirama's next words about them bullshit. Unlike both Madara and Tobirama, Hashirama - who had also lost his siblings - tried to look at the bigger picture. The problem was that he chickened out of his promise he made to Madara in the last moment, which is a major breach of trust on both personal and diplomatic fronts. Both Madara and Hashirama were clan leaders and must have had the abilities required to carry on the responsibility of the village. Yes, the village was growing with other clans coming to live in and you needed abled leaders, Hashirama should have thought of it before rather than changing his stance after the proposing Madara the Hokage seat. They were both capable of handling the village, and one would always have the back of the other, because they had seen some of the worst alone, and endured the same things since their childhood.

Then, Hashirama backed out. And Madara attacked the village multiple times, slowly tarnishing the name of the Uchiha clan, who wanted nothing more than to live in peace.

To summarize it, the conflict in which Itachi was brutally used was bigger than him, Fugaku, and the clan itself. It was a deeply rooted prejudice that had taken hold because of the events of the past. It would be impossible to get rid of it and also convince the village that they were oppressed.

If they tried violent methods for it (coup d'état), it would be the end for the clan in more ways than one. It was never, ever the answer to the oppression, especially because lives were not at stake with this.

What else could they have done?

Diplomacy.

It was like shooting an arrow in the dark with the coup which may or may not have been successful, so why not try something else before taking the destructive path?

Obito mentions Hiruzen wanted to buy some time, but it wasn't enough. In Itachi's memories we see Hiruzen saying the same. Though from his Midnight novel we know Hiruzen didn't do much to help the cause and was secretly okay with the clan's extinction. It might not have been entirely due to hate or prejudice that Danzo had; instead it was 'I will not have to work on this issue too much, too long if the clan's dead completely since they're not backing out.'

It's a valid argument that since Hiruzen knew about the clan's displeasure with the system, he could have reached out too. It was his duty. However, as the marginalised group the clan could also have reached out, instead of, you know, throwing a 10-year-old child to do the spying for them, collect the information, and then attack the government.

The idea of the coup was shortsighted and upto no good. This is when the Uchiha did have some power in their hands.

They had their roots set deep into the Anbu as well.

The Uchiha police force had enough power to arrest anyone except for the Anbu (they could arrest any other Shinobi and civilians).

They had their connections in Anbu. Like I said before, pressurizing Hiruzen into taking an action and letting him know of their plight would have been a better idea than sending a child to spy for them. It was a matter of 'we'll see what happens' anyway. So why not first reach out to seek support and then do something about it if your demands are not met? It would most likely come to that eventually, but making a noise, letting others know, would have been better than sending Itachi into it. There might have been some dissenters who might have supported them, and helped their cause.

In Itachi's novels, which elaborate on the oppression, the clan looking for negotiation is never mentioned either. Historically, too, going against the village had resulted in the complete annihilation of a clan.

It all boils down to taking one more chance with the negotiation before taking the drastic measures.

One more thing that would make more sense than what they actually did, would have been waiting for the old geezer i.e., Hiruzen to die. If they weren't planning the coup d'état, Konoha would have no reason to kill them. Hiruzen wasn't immortal. He would have died at one point.

Koharu and Homura recommended Jiraiya instead of Danzo to be the fifth Hokage. In Kakashi's filler arc, Hiruzen kicks him out after the massacre, but manga doesn't provide any such information. When he's introduced he's already the leader of the Root.

There are countless possibilities on the outcome of Konoha Crush with Uchiha being in the picture. But let's say it does happen and Orochimaru causes enough damage and kills Hiruzen, the old man is dead, which gives way to the fifth Hokage. By this time Shisui must be grown up. There's a possibility he might have been Hiruzen's successor. If not him, and Tsunade does show up as Hiruzen's successor, the kind of person we know she is, she would be far more compassionate towards the clan.

Unlike Hiruzen she put Danzo and the other two elders in their place. She took stand for Naruto. She had immense respect for Kakashi as well. I strongly believe she would have been the perfect person to understand and help the clan. I don't view her as a one-dimensional 'loyal to Konoha' woman as her predecessors were, who wanted to protect the landmass rather than lives of the civilians.

Given her character I imagine her to be able to separate the cause of the clan's dissatisfaction towards the village and work on it. She wasn't blind in prejudices like others were.

I also imagine she'd dote on both Itachi and Sasuke. And Itachi might be her successor since in the novel he wanted to be one.

Also, thank you for the kind words. I know it's super rare to find people who love both the brothers. So it's nice to come across people who share my love for them both.

[beneathstarryskies]

Hello! May I request a oneshot (modern au or everybody lives au pls) where Obito falls in love with reader? With the whole falling out of love w/ rin angst as well pls (I like Obito so much and I am hella jealous of Rin >:( )

Word Count: 1,517

Warnings: Angst, fluff, fem!reader

A/N: I had a lot of fun with this, and I was so tempted to make it smutty but alas I practiced self control.

The village is bathed in orange light as the sun sets over Konoha. Obito sits alone on the rooftop, his eyes trained on the stone-carved face of his former sensei. His memories of being on Team Minato play in his head.

The journey to redemption had been long and difficult. Obito expected to die helping Naruto save the world, coming to fully accept his fate. Things didn’t happen that way, instead, he found himself having to face living. It was a scenario he’d not planned for at all. Kakashi had pulled every string possible to be able to give Obito a second chance.

“It’s what Rin would’ve wanted,” Kakashi had told him.

Rin.

Obito sighs as he tries to focus on his breathing in an attempt to clear his thoughts. His attention is pulled away from the air filling his lungs when he hears your feet hitting the rooftop. He turns to you slowly, his chest blossoms with warmth when his eyes fall on your shy smile.

You’ve been gone for a couple of weeks now on a mission, and Obito felt a tugging in his chest the entire time you were gone. It’d taken him a while to realize it was because he missed you. Truthfully, it was that realization which brought him here. Trying to come to terms with what it all means. Of everyone in Konoha, you were the first to truly accept his presence. You reached out to make friends with him despite his initial insistence on keeping you at arm’s length. Little by little he felt himself warming up to you, eventually coming to crave your presence when you’re away on missions or too busy with your other duties to hang around much.

“I thought I might find you here,” you say quietly. “What’s on your mind Obito?”

“Nothing really,” he shrugs. “Just trying to clear my mind a bit.”

“Hm, me too,” you hum.

Obito smiles weakly, “How did your mission go?”

You shrug, “Boring.”

You lay your head on his shoulder and let out a small sigh. A thought was bursting forth in your brain. The words linger on your tongue, but the way Obito tenses at the closeness you’ve presented causes them to stay trapped there. You bring your head back up to study the stern eyes of the past Hokage staring back at you.

“I missed you,” Obito says finally.

“You stole the words right out of my mouth,” you smile.

Obito feels his cheeks grow warm. He turns his face away from you to hide the pink dusting across his cheeks. Obito is certain by now you’ve noticed how flustered gets around you but is grateful that you don’t feel the need to point it out. There are so many things he’s grateful for where you’re concerned he lost count long ago.

You lean back on your hands, your hair falling behind your shoulders.

“Hey, maybe since I’m gonna be home for a while we should find something fun to do,” you suggest with a bright smile.

His heart pounds in his chest, “Oh yeah?”

“I could use a trip to the hot springs,” you suggest. “Or maybe we could find a carnival or something.”

“You choose,” Obito smiles.

I’d follow you anywhere, he thinks to himself as he looks at your sweet face. He wants to say it but keeps the sentiment to himself.

~

“I don’t deserve to love again,” Obito says in a hoarse whisper as he stares at Rin’s headstone.

His fingers trace over her name as light as a feather. Tears sting his eyes as he feels so consumed with guilt. He’d been willing to burn the world down for a chance to be with Rin again, but now he finds those feelings fading each day as you make a home in his heart.

Rin is always watching, he keeps telling himself. How would she feel to know he’s fallen in love with someone else? Is she watching it happen while being so helpless to stop it?

He turns these questions over in his mind until he gets the feeling he’s being watched. His hand pulls away from her gravestone to look around the grounds, finally spotting Kakashi leaning against the gate.

“I heard you were visiting the hot springs,” Kakashi says as he begins to walk toward Obito.

“We’re supposed to leave tomorrow.”

“Good,” Kakashi nods. “That’ll be good for you.”

Obito furrows his eyebrows at his friend, “Why?”

“Because you and y/n are close,” Kakashi shrugs. “Maybe this will give you a chance to bond.”

Obito’s chest feels heavy at Kakashi’s words. Was it so obvious? He shoves his hands in his pockets, pulling his eyes away from Kakashi back to Rin’s memorial.

“I think Rin would be very happy for you,” Kakashi’s voice has fallen to a soft whisper.

“Maybe,” Obito sighs.

“She would be,” Kakashi persists. “All Rin ever wanted was for you to be happy, Obito. If this makes you happy, then she would be fully supportive.”

“I don’t deserve this.”

“Love is not about deserving it.”

“What do you know about love?” Obito spits back, not even understanding why Kakashi’s words bothered him so much.

Kakashi just shrugs, as unbothered as ever. Obito groans because he knows Kakashi is right.

~

“I hope you don’t mind that I booked us just one room,” you say as Obito sets his things down. “It’s all they had on such short notice. Plus side though, we have a private onsen!”

Obito smiles, “It’s fine. We can take turns.”

You giggle, “We don’t have to do that. I trust you not to be a pervert.”

Obito’s cheeks turn bright pink. His heart pounds in his chest. Truthfully he doesn’t know if you should trust him so much. He’d never do anything to hurt you, but he’s not sure if he could stop himself from at least looking at you. Even in your usual loose-fitting clothes, he finds you absolutely gorgeous. Seeing your soft skin would be very difficult to resist.

But also, he’s scared of you seeing him. He’s still a bit insecure about the scars on his face. Your eyes never linger on the scars too much, in fact on more than one occasion you’re pressed a soft kiss to his cheek as though they weren’t even there. He’s worried this may change once you see the way they’re stretched over half his body.

You unpack your things in the room despite wanting to just strip off and jump into the hot water. Obito isn’t as neat as you. His clothes get shoved into the drawer, but he lingers awkwardly in the room once he realizes there’s no other way to get around the main purpose of this trip.

“I’m gonna get in now,” you say quickly. Obito realizes you’ve also been trying to get around it.

“Maybe you should get in first,” he suggests. “So I can’t see anything?”

“Hm, or we can just undress at the same time? That way we just won’t worry about it anymore.”

Obito swallows hard, “Are you sure?”

You laugh despite the blush on your cheeks, “We might as well. I don’t want us to spend the whole trip trying to avoid nudity. We’re at a hot spring after all.”

“I just,” Obito looks down at the floor. “You know these scars aren’t just on my face and neck.”

Your lips tighten into a frown as you step forward. Obito’s eyes slowly trail to your sad face. He’s not sure what he expected, but to feel your arms wrap around him was not it. Your lips brush against his cheek before you look up at him.

“Obito, you fool,” you say as you stare into his eyes. “I don’t care about that at all.”

Tears prick his eyes, and a knot begins forming in his throat. He opens his mouth as it becomes harder to breathe. Your eyes are so filled with adoration it’s overwhelming.

“You don’t?”

“Of course not. I was gonna wait until dinner but I guess I should just say it now,” you take a shaky breath. “Obito, I think you’re gorgeous.”

He bites back the sobs threatening to escape him, “Really?”

You lay your head on his chest to hide your flushed face, “Of course. I just didn’t know how to tell you. I-”

“I love you!” Obito blurts out as his arms tighten around you.

You look up at him with tears filling your eyes, “Obito, I love you too. I was so worried you wouldn’t feel the same way I just-”

He steals your words with a clumsy kiss. His heart feels like it’s going to burst when you eagerly kiss him back. Your hands move to tangle in his hair, and you raise on your tiptoes to deepen the kiss. Obito breathes you in, wanting your affection to wash over him and erase all his insecurity. By the time you pull away, both of you struggle to catch your breaths.

As your hands trace over his cheeks with a small smile, Obito can’t believe his luck.

[siuilaruinofthegale]

yes hello Sirius for the directors commentary >:DD

from chapter five of melodies of the war-born (always wondered why Shisui of all Uchiha (i was VVVV excited to see him bc i LOVE HIM) and just your overall thoughts while writing these goofs :D)

“Good afternoon, Sakura-san!” Shisui says, his eyes smiling just as much as his mouth. “Isn’t it a lovely day outside? Why, it’s almost as pretty as you are!”

She chokes a little and then laughs, looking away to hide the way her cheeks flush. Over the last few weeks, she’s run into him in the streets more than once, often enough to know he flirts like he breathes: constantly. It reminds her of Genma, but something about Shisui’s flirting feels a little more honest than Genma’s does. “Good afternoon, Shisui-san,” she replies after a minute. “I hope you’re well.”

“Better now that I’m with you,” he says, joining in her aimless wandering down the sidewalk. “I don’t suppose you’d care for some donburi or udon?” She opens her mouth to answer, and her stomach answers for her with a thunderous growl. Shisui laughs, and she flushes with embarrassment. “That sounds like a yes to me!”

Sakura flushes darker. “I… my rent is due tomorrow, Shisui-san, I’m afraid I shouldn’t be going anywhere for lunch.” She swallows, trying to calculate what she can spare, and offers meekly, “If you’d like, I could make —“

“Sakura-san, I’m an idiot, but I’m not a rude idiot,” Shisui chides her, voice surprisingly foreboding for someone so genial. “I asked you. That means it’s my treat.”

“But —“ she starts. Then she spies the bright specks in the corners of her eyes, the ones she knows precede the migraines she gets if she doesn’t eat soon, and she gives in. “…only if I get to treat you to something sometime.”

“It’s a deal!” he says, grinning down at her. “Got any preferences? Given how often you take Naruto-kun into Ichiraku, I didn’t think I should put ramen on the table, but…”

She wrinkles her nose at him. “No. No ramen,” she answers. “Do you like chicken katsudon? Umehara’s stand isn’t far, and her chicken’s the best.”

(this ask is a reference to This Post, and here's a link to chapter five of melodies of the war-born; I'm tagging Shisui/Sakura because it's a tangential ship in melodies that's being discussed here, but the fic itself is Kakashi/Sakura)

Gonna put this behind a cut because it's gonna be long.

Honestly, my initial plans were completely different from how it ended up turning out... which is why I rarely outline things. They never stay the same. Initially, Shisui or Genma was going to play Kenta's role, and Kenta was going to play Shisui's role. The more I read and poked around, though, I became more and more certain that would be a disservice to both Genma and Shisui. Hence Kenta's existence.

I went with Shisui for the romance because I'd already tormented Genma in an earlier chapter, and I also.... well, I liked the path forward that a ShiSaku romance laid out, as well as a lot of the parallels between Shisui and Sakura. They're both emotional, they're talented, they care more than they should, and they (at least to me) have very staunch ideals about What's Right. Shisui's a lot more loyal to Konoha-as-a-concept, and consequently the Hokage, than my melodies!Sakura is, and I thought that'd be some really interesting conflict to explore.

For this scene in particular, it's something that I had planned by the time I finished the last scene in chapter four. It's really important to me that I write main characters (which Sakura definitely is in melodies) being wrong, and mistaken, and having conflicts that aren't just Me Right You Wrong Me Good You Bad. In chapter three and four, Shisui flirts with Sakura, and she gets an impression of him as a womanizing jerk. When Kenta hits on her, and she finds out why, her impression of Shisui changes to a womanizing jerk who doesn't care about anything, because he 'lets' Kenta do this weird rivalry thing and harass women.

Then she confronts the Hokage about Itachi in chapter four, and later, Shisui thanks her for standing up for Itachi and reveals why he's so grateful for it. I'm putting that section here, for reference:

“Believe it or not, they called me a genius once.”

“They still do,” she interjects.

He smiles a little and keeps talking. “As far as those things go, I got pretty lucky. Once I got old enough to figure things out, all I had to do was be an idiot. Then — poof! No more high expectations!” Shisui swallows. She slows her steps as she figures out where he’s going. “Itachi… he doesn’t have that option. He’s from the head family. He’s going to be heir. If he tries to do what I did, they’ll just make Sasuke heir. Itachi cares about his brother too much for that.”

He glances at her, like he’s checking to see if she follows his train of thought, and she nods. “Itachi’s never had the chance to be a kid. I don’t think I ever saw him touch a toy. Fugaku-sama pushes him so hard…” Sakura stops and nods upwards, to her balcony, and he follows her up. He keeps talking, following her into her apartment. “So… that’s why I’m saying thanks. Everyone else just looks at Itachi and sees the Uchiha genius. I don’t even know if Mikoto-sama fought against Itachi being ANBU. They’re just proud.”

That changes her impression of him to 'womanizer, not necessarily a jerk, cares about family'. It puts her perception of him off-center and takes it from "this is the truth" to "this might be true", and primes her for the events of chapter five, which further change that perception.

This scene is an intersection of events and consequences that make Sakura do things she wouldn't normally do. She's short on money because of her demotion, so she's being a lot more frugal than normal. She's shopping alone because she's prideful and doesn't want Kurenai to see her being "poor", which allows Shisui to accost her alone.

She's run into Shisui enough to know he just flirts as a way of life, so she's revised her opinion of him to 'sassy, family-loving idiot'. That being said, she's also noticed he's not much for lying, and he always gives her genuine compliments. When compliments are both genuine and unexpected, it's much harder not to accept them and enjoy them.

She hasn't eaten enough for the day, so she's both hungry and embarrassed enough to accept his invitation for food, which sets her a little farther off balance -- inviting him into her home again would've set her off balance in a different way, because it'd feel more like she had the 'power' there...

Which means it wouldn't have affected her quite the same way if she'd felt like it was her bequeathing knowledge rather than sharing it, once Shisui asks for resources to help Itachi. It makes her feel more like a friend and less like an authority.

Farther on, he accosts her again, and asks questions that are both insightful and challenging -- something most people don't manage. Her perception of him changes again, and again, until she realizes near the end of the chapter that he's just as multi-faceted as her, and he seems to like her, and that they just click in a way she's not used to.

And then THEY HAVE SMOOCHIES.

[cyhyr]

Summer of Whump Day 15: Sleep Deprived

Fandom: Naruto

Rating: G

Pairing: Hatake Kakashi & Umino Iruka; Umino Iruka & Uzumaki Naruto

WC: ~3320

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Notes: AU backstory for the purposes of I Wanted To.

A/N: This is just. I don't even know guys. I started writing and then it got bigger and bigger and I couldn't stop. It's just. A Lot.

~

Kakashi has not been able to take care of his sensei’s child the way he should, the way the boy admittedly deserves; and yes, absolutely, he takes that fault personally but also doesn’t do anything about it because really… what can he provide for this child besides instability? He’s hardly in the village anymore, though Sandaime has hinted that, if Kakashi asked, he could be assigned missions closer to home. Instead, Kakashi does what he can without bothering Naruto or letting the boy realize that he even exists. He ensures the bills are paid up in six-month increments, and has the utility companies know to charge to his personal account anything he misses due to being out on mission. He provides non-perishable groceries, placed in the pantry late at night every month or so: oats, rice, dried or tinned meats, beans and legumes. He’ll bring a small selection of vegetables with him at the same time, (no more than three or four items, so they don’t rot before Naruto feels obligated to eat them) usually pilfered from Gai’s garden so he knows they’re not poisoned.

And whenever he’s in the village, he makes a stop at Naruto’s apartment at least once to check in on the wards wrapped into the walls and window frames.

This is how he learns about Umino Iruka and the interest he’s taken in the village jinchūriki.

~

The wards when he gets to Minato’s son’s apartment this time are different. Odd. Not… well, actually, they might be stronger; Kakashi glances at the walls with the sharingan and finds himself mildly impressed. Whoever placed these wards knew about the ones Kakashi put up, and modified their own to augment and strengthen Kakashi’s.

Kakashi says modified because he’s seen these styles of wards before, but never used like this. The key in the front door jingles a bit, like the person unlocking the door knows Kakashi’s in here and is giving him time to leave. Kakashi takes the out for what it is and slips out the window, closing it quietly behind him. He stays plastered against the wall beside the window for a moment, however, wanting to get a glimpse of who’s taking care of his sensei’s kid in Kakashi’s stead.

The door opens and Naruto—gods, how old is he, seven? Eight?—barrels by the figure in the doorway with a grin and shoots straight for the pantry.

“Naruto-kun, take your sandals off first. I mopped for you just earlier this week, I’m not doing it again so soon.”

One arm balancing a paper bag of fresh groceries, a leather school bag over the same shoulder; hitai-ate and vest both neat, but his sleeves and pants legs are scuffed; and his fingers carry the faint dusting of chalk that hours of holding ingrains and a quick wash won’t wipe away. A teacher.

“Iruka-sensei, I can mop later; I’m hungry now!”

“I won’t ask you twice.” The man—this Iruka-sensei—walks barefoot through the apartment and sets the grocery bag down on the kitchen table. Naruto hangs his head and goes back to the door, and once he’s out of the room, Iruka looks at the window Kakashi is peeking in, scowling initially. The scowl lessens when he sees the Konoha ANBU mask, and he nods, but makes a slight shoo gesture.

“What’re we making tonight, sensei?” Naruto bounds back into the room, barefoot as his sensei.

“I’m thinking of teaching you breakfast for dinner,” Iruka says. “Miso soup, tamagoyaki, steamed salmon; how’s that sound?”

“Sounds great!”

“And if we make enough, you’ll have enough for the morning, too,” Iruka ruffles Naruto’s hair. “Go grab out the rice and we’ll get started, okay?”

Kakashi leaves. Iruka-sensei seems to have only good intentions.

~

Iruka is a new teacher, one that (if the very quiet rumors are to be believed) didn’t initially want to be the jinchūriki’s homeroom teacher. Something changed his mind, clearly, and now he’s spending every moment outside of class with the kid.

Every. Moment.

Kakashi notices the third time he’s in the village after meeting Iruka—notices how tired the man seems. He follows the teacher from just before dawn when he wakes up and heads out to Naruto’s apartment and fixes him breakfast. Kakashi watches Iruka herd Naruto around the apartment, brushing teeth, getting changed, gods Naruto where’s your homework I told you to put it right back in your bag last night after I helped you with it. Then they’re out the door and one of them locks the deadbolt while the other activates the wards (Iruka always double-checks the wards if Naruto does them) and they walk to the Academy together.

Iruka spends the day in the Academy staunchly refusing to play favorites. If Kakashi didn’t know that the man had made Naruto eat breakfast while searching for a clean shirt for the child to wear, he’d swear Naruto was Iruka’s least favorite student—based solely on the amount of yelling.

But the two of them have lunch together, talk and hang out during recess unless Iruka shoos him away to play, and then they walk together to either Iruka’s or Naruto’s apartment after school. Sometimes they’ll go out for ramen, or to one of the training grounds to work on a technique they started in class which Naruto needs more time to fully grasp. Iruka is a patient teacher, especially one-on-one, and even though Minato-sensei’s son doesn’t perform well on the tests in school he learns the techniques after class and gains the appropriate muscle memory.

Which is admittedly much more important than the grades Naruto earns. Iruka won’t say as much, but it’s obvious that he agrees when his teaching style puts emphasis on practicals rather than paper tests. Kakashi approves.

After a day of minding twenty-five ankle-biters, an afternoon of extra training for the village jinchūriki, and an evening of making sure Naruto is fed and happy and his homework is completed to the best of his ability, Iruka then helps Naruto get ready for bed. Against the kid’s token protests, they’ll read a story together (Kakashi suspects Iruka does this because Naruto’s reading skills are lacking, but he could also very well just be doing it because he enjoys it—the man’s motives are enigma to him) and Iruka will tuck Naruto in. He stays at the apartment until he knows Naruto is asleep, tidying up here and there or even just leaning in the bedroom doorway watching the jinchūriki’s chest rise and fall.

Only when Naruto’s asleep will Iruka leave, activating the wards and locking up after himself.

It took only two times of Kakashi watching these kinds of days go by before he realized that Iruka knew he had been watched all day. As he passes the tree outside of Naruto’s building, the only one that reaches high enough to afford a glance into his apartment, Iruka looks right up into the limbs where Kakashi is crouched, waves, and continues back to his own home.

(He had been underestimating Umino Iruka’s awareness. He’s intrigued.)

(But anyway.)

Once he’s home, Iruka rushes through grading and lesson plans and adjustments. He makes lunch for himself and Naruto for tomorrow. Cleans, if he remembers; showers, if he has any energy left. Then, Umino-sensei crashes hard around one or two in the morning.

All to start over again at five-thirty the next morning.

It can’t be sustainable. Kakashi is morbidly interested in how long Iruka planned to keep up this kind of schedule.

~

It starts out with checking out during lunch. Kakashi is lounging in the trees on the Academy grounds, pretending to read but listening intently to Naruto ramble on about some new topping Ichiraku is introducing on Friday and please Iruka-sensei can we go? Then the soft click of dropped chopsticks against a bento box made Kakashi look down to the pair sitting at the base of his tree.

“Iruka-sensei? Are you—?”

“Oh, I’m. I’m alright.” Iruka laughs it off, fumbling for his chopsticks. “I was just thinking too hard there.”

“You shouldn’t do that!”

“Hu—?”

“You tell me not to think too hard all the time,” Naruto pouts. “That I’ll hurt myself.”

Iruka’s laugh crinkles his eyes and he tips his head back. “Gods, Naruto, I’m sorry—no, not—um. Listen, forget it, okay? Ramen, on Friday, right?”

“YES!”

And it was forgotten. Except, Iruka is unconsciously rubbing his fingers together beside his hip and Kakashi can see it. Something happened to force the drop—likely, he lost feeling in his hand briefly.

~

Kakashi’s out of the village as it gets worse, but he hears all about it from Shikaku and Inoichi when he gets back. They’re in the hallway outside the Hokage’s office, talking in low tones like they were discussing an attack on the village.

“What could cause such a serious mood shift?”

“Genjutsu; one of the other teachers sabotaging him; another student practicing poorly.”

“Iruka-sensei?” Kakashi asks.

Both men look at him as he approaches. He’s still in his ANBU armor, but the mask is in his locker. It’s an open secret he’s in ANBU; only his codename is high-clearance.

Shikaku nods. “Shikamaru’s complaining about the man’s temper being shorter than usual.”

“My Ino confirmed this behavior shift. We’re understandably worried, if someone if trying to use an Academy teacher to attack the kids—”

Kakashi shakes his head. “It’s not that.”

“And you would know?” Shikaku prompts.

“He’s taking care of Naruto,” Kakashi shrugs. “It’s probably catching up with him, finally.”

“What is?” Inoichi looks honestly confused.

Kakashi tilts his head and then realizes. “Ah. That’s right. You’re both married. You have a way to share the responsibilities.”

Sakumo hadn’t ever been irate with him, but Kakashi can remember him being tired. He lifts his hand and walks away. “I’ll see if I can’t have a talk with Iruka-sensei,” he says, as though he speaks with the man on a regular basis instead of just waving back from his shadowed space in the tree at night when Iruka leaves Naruto.

~

He doesn’t get a chance to talk to Iruka for weeks. When he gets back, it finally comes to a head.

Kakashi is perched outside Iruka’s apartment where he and Naruto are preparing their dinner. Naruto, still talking a mile a minute, hardly notices that Iruka is dazed at the counter, his hands going through the motions of peeling carrots and separating pieces of broccoli without being fully cognizant. He’s much paler than the last time Kakashi peeked in on them—all except for the bags under his eyes; those couldn’t get much darker if they were black.

He flinches forward as Iruka drifts to the side. Naruto catches his teacher before Kakashi can take a step, and the clang of a knife hitting the floor is more than a little startling. Together, they stick Iruka’s hand under running water from the tap, and then Naruto disappears further into the apartment and returns a few seconds later with a first aid kit.

“What was that about, Iruka-sensei?”

Iruka takes a bit to answer. “I haven’t been sleeping well,” he says. “I’m a bit tired, that’s all. Sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize,” Naruto says. He finishes caring for his sensei and then says, “How about I go get some take-out, and then we can clean up and you can go to bed?”

Iruka smiles tiredly. “We can bring the take-out to your place, okay? I’ll clean up when I come back home.”

“But—”

“It’s okay, Naruto,” Iruka puts his unbandaged hand in Naruto’s hair. “I’d rather make sure you’re fed and well-rested for school tomorrow. That’s what's important.”

“You’re important, too, sensei,” Naruto says.

Kakashi can’t help but agree.

“Let’s go get some ramen, and we can argue about this later.”

Kakashi flashes away to Ichiraku to put in their order and pay. It’s the least he can do, right?

Later that night, Iruka leaves Naruto’s apartment and like always, lifts his head to wave up at Kakashi in the tree. Only, his eyes roll back with the movement of lifting his head and his knees collapse under him and Kakashi makes it just in time to keep the sensei’s head from hitting the ground. He catches Iruka with one hand under his back and the other cupped behind his head and eases him down against his raised knee.

As soon as Iruka is horizontal, his eyes flutter back open. “Oh, ANBU-san,” he mutters. He’s dazed and foggy, but tries to stand up on his own anyway.

“Sensei, are you well?” Kakashi asks, knowing the answer but needing Iruka to admit it.

Iruka waves him away. “I’m fine, I’m fine. Just a little tired.”

It’s more than that if you’re slipping into micro-sleep, Kakashi thinks, but lets the man stubbornly stand up. He’s still holding his hands out, ready to catch him again, when after five paces Iruka tips sideways and falls again. Kakashi keeps him upright this time, arms tight around his waist and back.

Iruka stays under for a few seconds this time, and when he wakes he leans more heavily into Kakashi’s armor and groans. “What’s happening?” he murmurs.

Normally, he would stay and look after Naruto all night, but this seems more important. “Umino-sensei, I’m going to see you to the hospital now,” he says.

“But… Naruto?”

Because of course Iruka figured out that Kakashi—his ANBU persona at least—stays close to Naruto at all times. “Together, our wards are top-notch, sensei,” Kakashi says. “He’ll be okay for a night.” He slips Iruka onto his back, pulling his arms over his shoulders. Iruka’s light breath huffs past his ear as he says, “Hold on.” Then, they’re gone.

~

Iruka wakes up much later, Naruto tipped against his hospital bed, snoring. He feels so much better after however many hours of sleep he’s gotten. He wonders briefly why he’s here, and where the ANBU that brought him here is. If Naruto is here, that ANBU is likely closeby. Iruka lets out a jaw-cracking yawn and settles back down on the pillow to sleep some more.

When he wakes up the second time, it’s because he has to pee so bad oh gods. It’s night time and Naruto is gone—Iruka tries not to feel disappointed. His legs shake under him when he tries to stand to get to the restroom; whatever’s wrong with him, it’s making him weak as a newborn but he will not embarrass himself by not making it to the toilet. He pushes chakra through his legs, and, finally, blissfully, makes it.

He gets a good look at himself in the mirror as he’s washing his hands. His eyes are puffy and red, but he has some color back in his skin. His hair could use a wash and some heavy conditioning—he hadn’t had time for that in awhile. All in all, it’s not bad; but he’s still wondering why he’s here.

Iruka leaves the restroom and is halfway across the room to his bed when his chakra flares unexpectedly. He stumbles, collapses, and feels his eyes blur and begin to roll back.

Before his head can hit the tile, he’s caught and cushioned by Naruto’s ANBU. The ANBU gently picks him up, one arm under his knees and the other around his back, and it’s like Iruka weighs nothing as the ANBU stands and carries him back to bed.

“Thank-you, ANBU-san,” Iruka says, flushed. “I promise I’m not usually so weak.”

The ANBU fusses with the blanket and covers Iruka back up. He (Iruka assumes they’re a he, the voice and height lead him to believe it but he’s been wrong before) seems frustrated, in the way that ANBU show frustration: by being busy, and then by being absolutely still. He’ll make sure the water pitcher is full, and then stand silently by the window for a few seconds. Pace the width of the room from window to door and back, and then stand at the end of the bed.

“What’s going on, ANBU-san? Is Naruto—?”

“Uzumaki-kun is safe, healthy, and well-cared for,” the ANBU says, cutting him off. “You are a godsend to this village, if only to care for the uncared for.”

Iruka glowers. “Someone had to do it. He’s seven years old and living alone and has lived alone his entire life. I couldn’t—”

“I’m aware,” the ANBU holds up a hand to stop his rant. “Believe me, if I could have done more, I would have. But an ANBU is no role model, especially not me. I’m glad he’s had you. That said.” The ANBU somehow matched Iruka’s glower through the mask; he was suddenly glad for all the time spent in Sandaime’s office around the ANBU that he can pick up on these micro-aggressions for what they are.

Iruka folds his arms and waits for the ANBU to continue.

After a heavy sigh, the ANBU says, “Sleep deprivation.”

“I—what?”

“What you’re here for. You’ve been running yourself into the ground, sensei. You slept for twenty-two hours, and you’re still not fully recovered. The medics say it could take up to a week of proper sleep for you to feel normal again.”

Iruka flushes and ducks his head. “I… But, that doesn’t…”

“How much sleep have you been getting? Three, Four hours a night? And then you’re exhausting yourself all day looking after pre-genin and then Naruto.” The ANBU folds his arms. “This isn’t sustainable.”

“I know that. I just.” Iruka groans. “I don’t have time for—” He scrubs both hands across his eyes. Now that he’s actually gotten some sleep he’s really tired. “No one else takes care of him, not the way he needs it; he’s just a kid! It bothers me enough that he lives by himself—”

“Your immune system was compromised when you arrived, sensei.” The ANBU snapped, quieting Iruka’s tirade. “Who’s going to take care of Naruto the way he deserves if you’re stuck on your back with a perfectly, normally treatable form of the flu? What will happen to him if you critically injure yourself due to a micro-sleep at an inopportune time and find yourself off-roster for weeks? What then, sensei?”

The silence is heavy. Iruka picks at a stray thread in the blanket on his lap.

“I don’t know,” he answers, his voice small. “I didn’t… I wasn’t thinking that far ahead, I guess.”

The ANBU nods. “At least you’re aware now.”

There’s a long, awkward pause as Iruka wonders what else there is to say.

“You have a spare room in your apartment, yes?” the ANBU breaks the silence.

Iruka nods, slowly, not sure where this is going.

“Maybe…” the ANBU continues slowly, “maybe changes in Naruto’s living arrangements can be made. If Naruto were living with you, could you agree to a better sleep schedule—one with which you can better take care of yourself and Naruto?”

Iruka could kiss this man.

“Yes! Yes, please, I’ll—yes! I’ll take him, even if it means I have to lose him as a student, I’d take him as a foster.”

The ANBU chuckles. “I’ll speak with the Hokage. If he says no, well… There’s nothing saying that Naruto himself can’t choose where he lives, is there?” Then his micro-aggression is back, leaning over the foot of the bed with his arms wide. “My only stipulation is that you take better care of yourself. A sick guardian can’t very well keep up with any child, let alone a jinchūriki.”

Iruka nods. “Deal.” He covers a yawn with his palm and asks, “Can this taking care of myself clause start now, with me asking you to leave so I can go back to sleep?”

“I’m not leaving,” the ANBU says, standing back up straight. “If you’re to be the guardian of our jinchūriki, you’ll need to get used to the ANBU guard, sensei. But please, get some sleep.” He chuckles lightly, “I think I’ve caught you enough in the last thirty-six hours, don’t you?”

[nejibaby]

Love Language

Pairings: Neji x Y/N

A/N: First time writing a fic for Neji. In fact, this is my first time writing a fanfic involving anime characters. But I’m so whipped for Neji I couldn’t stop myself from writing this. Please let me know your thoughts about this. 💜

When you opened your eyes from your sleep, you immediately knew you were having one of those days. “Those days” meaning the days where you feel a need for skinship. It was one of those days where you were feeling extremely clingy.

Oh but the skinship you crave doesn’t necessarily have to lead to sex or anything, you just wanted physical touch. It was something you find comforting. It was, after all, your love language.

So when you peeked to the other side of the bed — your boyfriend Neji’s side — you couldn’t help but want to press yourself closer to him. But knowing that he was a light sleeper was enough reason to stop yourself from doing what you want. He just came home from a mission last night and he deserved to rest as much as he can.

You watched his profile as he took deep, even breaths — a telltale sign that he was fast asleep. You slowly and gently touched the side of his face, pausing still as you checked if he woke up at your movement. When you deemed that he was still asleep, you lightly rubbed your thumb over his cheeks, just a featherlight touch but an act where you poured your love for him.

You slowly rose up from the bed and placed a soft kiss on his forehead, exactly where his curse mark lied. Afterwards, you whispered, “I love you, Neji.”

It was the first time you’ve said those three words out loud. You felt a little but guilty for not being able to say it when he’s awake, but it’s not just something you can say out of the blue. Besides, you have to build up courage to actually be able to say it. Right now though, right now you were still a coward.

He stirred a little in his sleep. You were alarmed, afraid that you had woken him up or worse, that he had heard your confession. But his movement stopped when you ran your fingers through his hair. When you are sure he has fallen back into slumber, you slip out of the bed.

The Hokage, Tsunade, assigned a mission to you today so you had to get up early if you wanted to cook breakfast for Neji.

_____________________________

At a young age your parents taught you the importance of learning other people's love languages in order to build a good relationship with them. That’s how you found yourself observing what makes your friends happy. You wouldn’t tell them this though. You were quite sure they’d end up teasing you for worrying over trivial things.

You were sure your love language was physical touch because you often find yourself happily linking arms with Sakura or passionately fist bumping with Naruto. Not to mention you would hug them goodbye instead of waving your hands. It probably meant nothing much to them, but to you, it made you feel loved and accepted. It warmed your heart.

From observation, you learned that Naruto was happiest when people acknowledge him and his hard work so you made it a point to cheer him on and to give him words of affirmation from time to time. With Sakura, she likes to spend as much time as possible with you when you both don’t have missions to do. You were guessing she was lonely because of Sasuke leaving but it could also be because she was an only child and wasn’t really fond of her parent’s shenanigans. Either way, she was always up for quality time.

You were the closest with these two so you made it a point to act according to their love language. And just like what your parent’s said, it worked on strengthening your bond with them.

It was with them that you confided with your little crush on Neji. At first they found it weird. Because how can someone so sweet like you take a liking to someone who was a little… cold? Detached?

You chastised them immediately after hearing what they’ve said, claiming that Neji was honorable, strong, smart, good looking, and just overall dreamy.

Sakura giggled at how you zoned out with hearts on your eyes as you uttered those words and that’s when she knew you were serious.

Naruto, on the other hand, was cringing. He knew how mean and condescending Neji could be. It was painted on his face how he didn’t like Neji for you. But at least your crush wasn’t Sasuke.

When you got your bearings together, you immediately turned to Naruto and told him to keep his mouth shut. You recalled saying, “Naruto, If you ever talk about my teeny tiny crush, I’m going to leave Konoha all together, just like Sasuke did!”

You were exaggerating, of course. You wouldn’t leave Konoha just because of that, but your speech worked on Naruto. You recalled that his eyes widened in surprise and then promised that he won’t tell a soul. You doubted if he could keep a secret but eventually, you just didn’t care anymore. It was just a crush anyway, it wasn’t a big deal and it wouldn’t matter if he knew. If anything, you both weren’t really that close to begin with, so there’s no friendship that could’ve been ruined. And besides, Neji has always been the all-business type of guy, you were sure a little crush was something insignificant to him.

________________________________

When Naruto left the village to train with Master Jiraiya, you eventually became closer with the other shinobis that were more or less closer to your age. This includes Tenten, Lee, Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Shino, Hinata, and surprisingly, Neji too.

It all started when Sakura had begun training with Lady Tsunade. You’ve been assigned to a lot of missions where you were teamed up with different shinobis, but what was weird was that Neji was almost always on your team.

You just wished Lady Tsunade was assigning both of you often in one team because you were always both free at the same time or that you worked well together or that you were both very skilled and had high success rates on missions. Any rational reasoning really, as long as it’s not because Sakura had pulled some strings.

At first you were really nervous about teaming up with Neji on missions, afraid that you were going to mess up in his presence. But when the initial nerves died down, you’ve masked whatever little feelings you’ve had for him quite well. Not that it was hard. In fact, it was easy for you because you prioritize the safety of the village before anything else.

But the missions truly did make both of you closer. What started as only speaking about the missions became casual talks about your friends. Nothing much, mostly small talk, but it was enough to ignite the small flame in your heart.

_______________________

When you arrived back from your missions, despite being tired, you would always gather your friends around to hang out before another mission was handed to you.

Being a jonin meant you were assigned to more higher rank missions, but sometimes, it just meant having much, much more missions than normal. It was tiring, only having a day or two to rest unless you were injured before another mission was handed over. So somehow it became a tradition of some sorts to gather around after you’ve finished a mission. After all, only you and Neji were jonins in the group.

Unbeknownst to you, your friends viewed you as someone who glued them together. You were the reason why they were much closer than before, now that Naruto wasn’t around. So when possible, they would make it a point to meet with you, knowing how lonely it could be now that you were alone after your parents died when Orochimaru attacked Konoha.

Sakura would often give you a look when Neji was around as all of you spend time with each other catching up. He rarely joined the gathering, preferring to rest instead of socializing. But every now and then he would come too. And when he did, somehow Sakura found a way to make him walk you home. Not that he wouldn’t do it without Sakura urging him to.

Ever since that one mission where you, Neji, and Shino were ambushed, Neji became much closer to you. Maybe it was because when one of the attackers somehow managed to stab him, you came to the rescue.

You were an exceptional kunoichi, your skills were one of the most regarded in the village so you were able to bring down most of the attackers, but not before they left a huge gash on your leg. When the fight was over, you rushed to Neji to heal him using medical ninjutsu that Sakura taught you. Luckily, Shino was only left with a few scratches.

“You know medical ninjutsu?” Neji asked, surprised.

“Yeah. A little. Sakura taught me every now and then when I’m not on a mission.”

“You should heal yourself first.”

“No, I’m fine. Your wound needs more attention than mine.”

It was true, his wound looks a lot worse than yours, but in the end you managed to heal it. However, it took too much chakra from you so with whatever minimal chakra you could use, you tried healing your wound as well. But that left you tired and weak which didn’t go unnoticed by Neji’s byakugan.

You were able to walk for a mile before your body couldn’t anymore. Neji has been looking out for you after you’ve healed him just in case this happened.

“We should probably rest a while,” Neji says.

“No, no. It’s just a few more miles to Konoha. We should keep going,” you say.

Neji looks at Shino, silently asking if they should continue or not.

Shino nods ahead, “It’s much safer if we reach the village as soon as possible. Why? Because you are both not in good shape from the ambush. If we stayed here longer, we might get attacked again. If we push through going back to the village, we’ll reach it before sunset.”

Neji looks at you and then nods his head. “I will carry you.”

Before you could resist, you were already on his back and he was already jumping through branches.

You wrapped your arms around him so as not to fall. He felt warm and you felt safe. A weak smile found its way to your face, grateful that you had comrades looking out for you.

You even allowed yourself to be giddy because of the fact that Neji was there, carrying you to safety.

“I’m sorry,” you say. Your body was shutting down from exhaustion but before you lost consciousness you said, “And th-thank you, Neji.”

Sakura had been waiting by the village gates knowing you were supposed to arrive that day. She perked up upon seeing Shino but then tensed when she saw you being carried by Neji. “What happened?”

“There was an ambush when we were on the way back after the mission. I was careless. I got stabbed. Y/N and Shino fought them off. She healed me but she lost a lot of chakra in the process.” He explains in one breath.

“Let’s get her to the hospital.”

Since that day, you became so much closer with Neji. Whenever he finds you walking alone, he’d offer to walk with you. When you were both assigned on missions, you noticed he started bringing food pills for you. When you were somehow at the training grounds at the same time, he’d hand you an extra bottle of water.

You figured it was his way of thanking you. Nevertheless, the gestures made your heart flutter.

You weren’t going to let him be the only one who’s being thoughtful, so when you trained together, you’d make sure you brought an extra towel for him to use to wipe off his sweat. Sometimes you’d even bring him food, claiming you miscalculated the amount of food you cooked. You weren’t sure if he caught on with your little crush, but you sure hoped he didn’t. The smile on his face as he thanked you for these little gestures was heartwarming to say the least. And it was enough to make your week better.

________________________________

You weren’t quite sure when Neji had started to take a liking to you but you remembered a time where your friends pointed it out to you.

It was a day after Neji completed a long mission. He seeked you out so he can train with you. You immediately agreed, knowing you didn’t have anything planned that day.

When you were both finished, drained from the intense training, you handed him a towel as he gave you a bottle of water. You were both trying to catch your breath when a voice came calling out your name. You both turned to the source of the sound.

Once you saw it was, you squealed and immediately came running towards him, engulfing him in a bear hug. “Lee!” You exclaimed.

He laughs and spins you around. “How has the prettiest flower in Konoha been?”

You snort. “I think you meant the strongest kunoichi next to the Hokage.”

“That works too.” He brings you down and notices Neji watching the interaction. You both walk towards Neji and Lee says, “I see you have been training with my rival.”

“Yes. Neji helps me train when he’s around. He just came back from a mission yesterday.”

“I see. What do you say, Neji, will you indulge me in a battle?” Lee says as he throws punches and kicks in the air.

Neji’s eye twitches, “Sorry, Lee. I’m tired.”

By the time Neji replied though, Lee was already counting push-ups. It was impossible to be able to talk to him when he’s in the zone so you and Neji just let him be and walk away.

When you were both away from Lee, Neji clears his throat and asks, “Have you always been that close to Lee?”

You were confused by the sudden question. “Hm. I guess so. We’re all friends, right? But we got a lot closer recently. When you were away on a mission, Lee kept bugging everyone to train with him since you and Guy sensei were away. But well, no one really wanted to train with him because they were busy with other stuff. And since my training buddy,” you nudged his elbow, “was away, I agreed. Honestly, his timing couldn’t have been better. Kakashi sensei just taught me a new water style jutsu and I was trying to see if I can weave the signs faster. Lee was the perfect partner for the job.”

“Oh.”

You frown, what does that mean? “Is there something wrong, Neji?”

“Nothing.”

You let it go, not wanting to make him uncomfortable. Just as you were about to round the corner going to your house, you halted, “Oh, I forgot I was supposed to meet Sakura today!”

“Okay. I will walk you there.”

“Thank you, Neji,” you said as you felt your cheeks blush.

When you found Sakura, you greeted her with a hug while whispering, “I need to talk to you about something.”

She gave you a look but nodded anyway. You turned back to Neji and thanked him for training and walking with you.

He nods and tells you that he’ll be heading out then.

“What happened?” Sakura asks.

Just as you were about to answer, Tenten came running towards the both of you, “Oh, there you are!”

“Tenten, what’s up?”

“What do you say we get together and do it up a little? At Yakiniku-Q.”

You and Sakura turn to each other. She just shrugs. “Sure.”

Tenten smiled brightly and dragged you two to find Ino and Hinata.

Tenten found Ino first. She was with Choji and Shikamaru. Tenten immediately went to Ino to talk about her plan. Meanwhile, Choji scoops you up in a hug. You laugh, “Well someone’s eager to see me.”

“I haven’t seen you in a while!” He exclaims as he puts you down.

You hang your arms around Choji and Shikamaru’s shoulders, “Yeah, I’ve been training nonstop. How are you guys?”

Shikamaru whispers under his breath, “How troublesome” but you ignore him.

“We’ve been on missions here and there.”

You were supposed to respond but Choji’s attention has shifted to Tenten and Ino when he heard “Yakiniku.”

“Yakiniku?! I’m in! I’m in!”

“You guys aren’t invited.” Tenten declared.

“Huh? Why?” Choji frowns.

“Because it’s time for just us girls to hang out. Right? Let’s have a girls-only get-together!”

“Sorry, Choji. I’ll treat you next time!” You console him.

“Alright! We just have to find Hinata then.” Tenten says.

When she was able to convince Hinata to join, you all went to Yakiniku-Q together. As you entered the store, you silently asked Sakura, “Why do you think Tenten invited us here?”

“I’m not sure. But I think everyone’s a little bit down from missing Naruto.”

“I miss him…” You say wistfully. And a little bit loudly. You only noticed it when you looked up and found that Ino, Hinata, and Tenten were all looking at you. And then you turned your head, you saw that your male friends were there too, by the other table, looking at you as well.

You flushed at the sudden attention and stepped behind Sakura in an attempt to hide yourself.

Kiba was the first to break the silence, “Oi! Who do you miss, huh?” He says teasingly, moving his eyebrows up and down.

You felt yourself becoming redder and redder as you found Neji looking at you and Kiba curiously, but with a slight downturn of his mouth.

“Is it—”

You lounged at him to cover his mouth before he was able to finish his sentence. “Don’t you dare, Kiba.”

He raises his hands in surrender. You reluctantly remove your hand from his mouth. Lucky for you, he remains quiet, but he has a smirk on.

Sakura pulls you away to lead you to the girls’ table. You kept eye contact with Kiba as you mouth, I’m watching you while glaring at the man.

“Why did you even react like that when you were just talking about Naruto?” She whispered.

“Have you seen Kiba? He kept subtly looking between Neji and me. I’m pretty sure he’d tell on me right then and there so I had to stop him.”

“Why didn’t you just say it was Naruto?”

“I could have but the undertone in his voice sounded like he was implying I have feelings with the person I miss.” You explained exasperated.

Sakura just sighed.

You dropped the conversation as the girls started talking about what to order and how great the deals were. You immediately relaxed and smiled, happy to be in the presence of your friends.

You took a peek at the other table to check if Kiba had said anything, only to be met with Neji’s eyes focused on you. You stilled, not expecting him to be looking at you. You gave him a small smile and a wave, he just nodded, face devoid of any emotion and then he turned away.

You frowned.

Tenten was cooking the meat while the rest of the girls had engaged in small talk. You joined in the conversation every now and then but your mind was occupied by how weird Neji was acting.

Your friends were quick to notice it. Tenten handed you a serving of the cooked meat, “What’s bothering you?” She asked softly.

“You don’t seem yourself, Y/N…” Hinata said.

You quickly shook your head, “I’m fine.”

“Didn’t you have something you want to talk about?” Sakura pipes up.

You groan, knowing full well you weren’t going to escape this conversation. “So there’s this guy,” you pause as you took a bite off of the cooked meat Tenten gave you.

“You mean Neji?” Ino asks.

You suddenly choked on your food at the sound of his name.

The girls laughed at your reaction. “Well that’s embarrassing,” you muttered as your cheeks flushed pink. You look at Hinata, you were suddenly shy that your dilemma involved her cousin.

She nodded and offered you a smile so warm you feel your shyness dissipate. “Wa-was I that o-obvious?” You stuttered.

“Not really.” Ino chimed in. “Sakura here was the one who’s obvious. She’d always look between the two of you when he’s hanging out with the group. Not to mention the amount of times she asked Neji to walk you home. I’m pretty sure everyone in our group of friends caught on it already.”

You narrowed your eyes on Sakura and she cringed. “I’m sorry!”

You deflated and then shrugged your shoulders, “Doesn’t matter. As long as he’s not aware. Wait! He’s not aware, right?” You look at Tenten and Hinata.

“I’m not sure, I don’t think he’s ever mentioned it.” Tenten said.

You turned to Hinata in question, “He’s not really the type to share about those things.”

“Right.” You said before taking another bite on your food.

“So are you gonna tell us what happened?”

“It’s probably nothing.” You casually replied.

“Out with it.” Sakura said, her patience wearing thin as you tried to skirt around the topic.

You sighed but told them anyway. You told them what happened earlier after you finished training with Neji and then the conversation you had after you saw Lee. You even told them about the small interaction that happened at the shop while you all ate.

“I never thought he was that type.” Ino broke the silence after you told them the story.

You looked at her with curiosity. “What type?”

“The jealous type.”

Ino might as well have grown two heads with how you looked at her then. “Huh?” was all you could ever think to say.

“It’s obvious he likes you.” Tenten teased.

“If it was obvious then I would have known. I’m pretty sure we’re just good friends.” You said matter-of-factly.

Everyone groaned at what you’ve said, even Hinata. “You’re so dense,” Ino muttered.

“If he only sees you as a friend then why does he keep on stealing glances at you every now and then?” Tenten asked.

“What are you talking about?”

She discreetly pointed her finger towards Neji’s direction. You whipped your head to see and, lo and behold, there was Neji staring at you, but he was quick to turn away. You blushed and your friends giggled at the interaction.

“I’m too sober for this conversation.” You declared as your friends continued to tease you. “Alright, let’s drink!” was the last thing you said before you pushed the thoughts of Neji aside.

________________________________

You smiled at the memory. If Neji’s jealousy hadn’t been pointed out by your friends, you would have never started acting on your feelings. And you wouldn’t even be here waking up early cooking breakfast for him. You wouldn’t be the receiver of his kisses or hugs although you only got them in the confines of your house.

You were naturally affectionate, Neji knew this and he would indulge you with affection privately. In all honesty, if it was up to you, you would be holding his hand in public for the world to see, maybe even peck him on the lips from time to time, and hug him as much as possible.

However, Neji was a private person so you assumed he didn’t like public displays of affection. You respected that. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t get a little bit jealous when he sees Lee lift you up and spin you around or when he sees you and Kiba playfully pretend to fight which somehow always ends up with you on Kiba’s back or when Choji wraps you in a hug. Shikamaru and Shino aren’t as affectionate as the others but sometimes he’d find you slinging your arms over their shoulders. It bothered him sometimes. But all his worries quickly vanish at the end of the day, knowing it was he who gets to hold you at night and he who gets to see you first in the morning.

Coincidentally, you had your own worries when it comes to not being able to be affectionate with Neji in public. Sometimes your insecurities got the best of you. You would hear unreasonable voices in your head. Maybe he’s not proud of me. Maybe he only sees me as a temporary lover. Maybe I’m not good enough.

But you know this isn’t true when you find him looking at you with his loving eyes. He’d always give you the softest look that warms you more than hugs do. It was a look reserved for you only and it satiates all your thirst for affection, more than physical intimacy can.

You know he feels your love just as much from the way you’d cook him food, heal his injuries and brush his hair. Neji was an independent man, but somehow you made yourself so important that he found himself depending on you more. This wasn’t a problem for you because if it’s for Neji, you’d gladly accept such responsibilities. Always. Just for him.

[chattegeorgiana]

You keep insisting that the ending Naruto pairings are the reason Boruto's sales are nowhere near as great as Naruto's, yet how come Boruto Naruto the Movie has brought in far more income than both RTN and The last combined? The Boruto Movie has gained almost 40.000.000$ while The Last only 20.000.000$ and RTN only around 17.000.000$. The reasons boruto is not as popular as naruto was is because the plot sucks, the anime has too many garbage fillers, the artstyle in the manga sucks, the new gen characters suck, and the manga wasn't even written by Kishimoto until recently. It has nothing to do with pairings. Hell, if NS became canon, people would've hated it even more, considering how hated Sakura was, and you even admitted she is the most hated character. And you also contradict yourself. First you say she's the most hated, then you say SP missed a marketing opportunity with her... like girl make up your mind? She's the most hated character in the franchize, in a poll she was chosen as the most hated by both male and female, even Kishimoto went out of his way to say girls came at him and said how much they despised Sakura, most people don't give a shit about her, using her as marketing strategy would've done more harm than good. She's even more hated in Japan and other Asian fandoms than she is in the western fandom, and that already says a lot! You're really arrogant to assume that the "silent majority" you speak of are all NaruSaku fans. I guarantee you it isn't. In fact, most people don't even care about ships that much. NaruSakus, you along with the SNS fans, SS fans, NH fans are part of the vocal minority that has nothing better to do than bitch about ships all day long.

But did I ever say that they were THE ONLY reason they are bad? They are an integral part of it yes, but not the only one.

Just because you saw some asks of mine here on Tumblr, you just throw these things around, like this is the only place I talk about the story of Naruto and this is the only aspect I do.

Yes, here on Tumblr I might do it through the virtue of the asks I receive, but that doesn't mean it's the only space I address these matters.

I have other social media channels as well where I discuss other aspects as well. Ya know, how like Boruto is nothing more than a tweaked "cooler" wanna-be version of Naruto, with no real substance whatsoever, a story that doesn't truly leaves a message behind, a morale, with characters that are the shells of their former selves or mechanics that are skewed and "free of" any logic.

But sure, make it as if that's the only aspect I talk about if that makes you sleep well at night.

As for the reason Boruto made so much? Well, I'll tell you why: because it had NaruSasu. Because they knew they messed-up with The Last, so they did the next best thing they could to try and keep the fanbase engaged.

Focused on the biggest portion of the fanbase that gathered around both shippers and non shippers by the virtue of focusing on Sasuke and Naruto and their offsprings. You know why? Because this way they catered to two human emotions: familiarity/comfort & curiosity.

Aka familiarity via having NaruSasu and curiosity to see the new gen kids.

Which yes, had momentum and seemed to have a perfect recipe: no focus on the ships that initially brought he whole mess (Sakura and Hinata were close to non-existent in that movie), and "repaying" the fanbase that was initially pissed at the fact that people thought this was gonna be a T7 movie because of the heavy Kakashi and Ssuke advertisement when they were there to be found for onlyyy few seconds, lol.

But you see, in the test of time, Boruto failed because of the aforementioned reasons.

You say that people would've hated the ending if NS would've been canon, yet curiously enough the number of people that are even non shippers and agree to the idea that NS should've been canon has been increasing over the years. Which in a really curious way was surprising to me too as an NS fan that returned to the fandom after so long.

So you see, I am not sure exactly about that aspect there. Not to mention, since when does a story has to do what the fanbase dictates it? The story should follow its course and intended narration and that's that.

Yes, Sakura was hated, but that's not a reason to not have Naruto end-up with her because within the story mechanics we had many proofs that indicated that they should've ended together, regardless of how people felt about them.

Kishimoto didn't say girls came at him, he said girls sent him letters, which are two different things, because to his face no one truly said that, minus the editors who kept pushing Hinata forward and their bias as well.

Lol at you saying that using her as a marketing strategy would've done more harm than good when she's the only female character being marketed right now via figurines and all those other things.

So reality seems to be contradicting you a bit on that side.

Not to mention, you say that she's the most hated even in Asia and Japan? LOL, where did u even take out these lies?

The hate phenomena has always been a western fandom thing, not an Asian/Eastern fandom one.

You say that the pairings ripped with Sasuke and Naruto as well (funny how NaruSaku isn't dead even after years of being supposedly dead tho), for a character that should've been hated??

This whole hate thing was always a western fandom mirage, sadly, but in Japan and Asia she's always been loved. Like where did u even pull out that information from?

Also what I always said about a NaruSaku ending was that they could've taken a RTN route where they could've had ALL the pairings shown within a parallel universe, but sure, nice way to twist my words and make it like "I can't decide".

There are slight nuance differences which you either purposely not address or you don't know how to do the difference. The truth in this case only you know it.

But stop trying to act that high and mighty coming here on anon making it seem like ooh, I contradict myself and spread nonsense, just because you read a faction of all the ideas I discuss over my social media.

And now to address the silent majority argument. I never said silent majority are ONLY NaruSaku fans. That's what you assumed. Silent majority included NaruSaku fans yes, but also other fans who ya know, have some common sense within them and see how the story has been butchered for the sake of poorly treating a certain aspect of Naruto, which was the romantic one.

Which btw, you say that it wasn't a big deal, yet it was the no. plot included within the story, being presented as early as chapter 3, because chapter 1 and 2 revolved around Naruto wanting to become Hokage for people to acknowledge him and create bonds.

You say that the pairings aren't such a big deal in the fandom, yet guess what, SJ and SP directed a movie on that specific subject. Makes you wonder why now, doesn't it?

And it's a normal aspect to care about if you think about it for a manga that has been focused on BONDS. The romantic plot gets weaved in within the one about bonds really easily, because at the core of it it's about relationships.

And this whole world that we live it it's a relationship: between the body and the spirit, between then heaven and the earth, between friends, between relatives. EVERYTHING IN THIS WORLD HAS A RELATIONSHIP BASIS: atom interacts with atom and here we are, living, breathing beings.

But sure, come to me and paint me in this way you're trying as if talking about relationships and their quality is a bad thing.

Mhmm.

Whatever floats your boat, I guess.

You're free to have your opinion, sure.

I just happen to not agree with it.

And that's that.

Have a good day or night or whatever.