#PLEASE RESPECT KISHIMOTO

[komihoyinsblog]

Hi! I like your analyses and would like to know your thoughts about Obito and Minato relations as Sensei and student. :)

I was rereading the chapter where Obito’s dream is shown where he returns to Konoha and he is with Kakashi all the time, his fellows are shown, team 7, but there is no Minato there, only as a rock in the background in one frame. Obito in his dream was 5th hokage, and there could be a frame where Minato passes him hat, but no, no Minato, he is not there even when they are standing at the Rin’s grave.

I know that he was bitter that Minato was always late to rescue them or wasn’t there for them, he said it to swirly zetsu and then during the war said it to Minato, but I wonder if he was that much bitter that even in his dream where he returns to konoha, he still can’t imagine Minato with them.

When he was in cave, I can’t remember did he even mention Minato? Because it always was Rin and Kakashi.

Hi. Thanks so much for the great question, I'm happy to see that my posts are pleasing you!

I was recently re-reading the specific Naruto arcs (Paine's attack, Naruto's birth, Madara and Obito's meeting in the cave, the kamui battle, and Kakashi and Obito's conversation) and I too noticed what you're asking about. When I watched the anime years ago, I got the feeling that Obito and Minato(+Kushina) had a very warm and trusting relationship. Several of their interactions and conversations were shown and it really looked very cute. The common dream, the love for the girl, the desire to protect. They're even both orphans, in fact. Everything literally hints that Minato should become a close person to Obito. An adult you can trust. Like Iruka, Kakashi and Jiraiya are to Naruto.

But it's all in the details. Contrary to what Kishimoto wants to tell us (Obito is Naruto who couldn't), he paints a completely different picture in the details. I'll explain it in a moment.

As I said above, Naruto had several adults in his life that he could trust and rely on. Iruka, Jiraiya, Kakashi, yes even Tsunade and Hiruzen to some extent. Naruto was an orphan, but he was open to forging new social contacts and relationships. But Obito is the complete opposite of him in that respect. Yes, he helps the grandmothers, but is he close to any of them? Or any of the other adults? We haven't seen anything like that.

In fact, it's so surprising. Despite being an orphan, Obito has absolutely no attraction to adults. Yes, he wants to help them, but he doesn't want help from them. He's an orphan, and orphans are taught to rely only on themselves. But at the same time, they always want adults to love and help them. Because that's what society does, you know? Parents give their children affection and love, and when children who are deprived of that see something like that, they can't help but be jealous. Think of Nagato, Yahiko, Konan and Jiraiya. All three haven't been with Jiraiya that long, probably less than a year, but even after almost twenty years, they see him as a father figure. They're blunt about it. This is what happens to other orphans as well. They meet someone who becomes like a father/mother to them and remember him warmly for a long time. Minato had Jiraiya, Haku had Zabuza, and so on down the list. Even Kakashi had Minato, though that has its own nuances there too. But who did Obito have?

Obito doesn't actively seek out Minato's company. Yes, he once asked him about Kakashi's behavior and teamwork, but that's it. Obito is left to his own devices, though not really. Rather, he's split the role and responsibility he has to attribute to Minato and the other adults to Kakashi and Rin.

If you start reading the Minato team chapters carefully, you'll see how interesting their dynamic is in terms of responsibility for each other. Rin heals and shows concern for the boys, she acts as a mediator for them and as if she needs protection just about all the time. Kakashi is directly responsible for them, he's among all three kids the most powerful as a shinobi, he's kind of the brains of the trio. Obito, well... He's kind of there. He needs Kakashi's protection too, but he also protects Rin. His status on the team is really hard to describe. I'm not saying he's weak and useless, rather he doesn't have a clear role and responsibility.

Their dynamic reminds me of a family in some ways. Not in the sense that they act like mother, father and son, but the way the internal balance of the team is structured. They're clearly in lockstep with each other. You see, even when we're shown flashbacks of Kakashi's story (chapter 239 of the manga and continuing) you know which page comes first after the intro? This is basically Obito's debut in the story, by the way.

We see the way he quickly runs to the meeting place and worries about someone killing him. That's Kakashi. He's worried about what Kakashi will say. Not Minato. Not only because Kakashi's opinion is more important in Obito's eyes, but also because Kakashi acts as an adult to Obito. The one who scolds him. The one who worries about him and is always lecturing him. The one who protects him.

Yes, they argue and fight a lot. Yes, they insult each other and try to humiliate each other. But Obito still listens to Kakashi and looks up to him as an authority.

Look at him. He questions Kakashi several times to see if he really means what he says. Why do you say that? Why do you do this to me? I thought we were on the same side. Aren't we as important to you as you are to us?

Obito doesn't think of Minato here or later. The nice anon is very correct in pointing out that Obito doesn't think of Minato in the cave and doesn't see him in any way in his life. When Obito is in the cave, he only thinks about Rin and Kakashi. I'd like to point out that he thinks of them on the same level. He doesn't leave either of them out and puts them as equals in his mind. And when we see his dream where he's back in the village, all we see is that he always has Kakashi by his side. Absolutely always. He's never a step away from him. And that's a very important point, actually.

When Obito was still in the cave, he was very clear about how he sees their future team. He, Kakashi and Rin will always be together. But where was Minato here? It seemed like only one mission away from them. But in Obito's mind, he isn't. To Obito, the team is Rin and Kakashi.

I want to emphasize how Obito has different attitudes towards Kakashi and Minato. Obito blames Kakashi for letting Rin die. Obito also blames Minato for not being there for them and such a tragedy happened to their team. That said, when Obito talks about how he doesn't care if his teammates are alive or dead, he is very much lying. Because Obito was always trying to keep Kakashi alive. He didn't kill him the moment he saw his hand piercing Rin through, he didn't kill him during the attack on the village at Naruto's birth, he didn't kill him in the kamui or any other time. That said, Obito killed Minato in the first available moment. And not just killed, it was damn revenge. Obito forcibly dragged the biju out of Kushina, blanketed Naruto with explosive marks, and took Kurama to destroy the village and wreak havoc. None of this was necessary, but Obito did it nonetheless. Why?

What. About. Minato.

Because Obito blamed Minato and couldn't forgive him. Because Obito blamed the whole world, the shinobi system, the villages, and Konoha in particular for this happening to him. That said, Obito had forgiven Kakashi. Even more than that, Obito shifted all the blame from Kakashi to the world and Kiri and went to take revenge on them already. But in Obito's eyes, Minato is not Kakashi. Obito is willing to sacrifice Minato for the beautiful future he wants to build, but Obito isn't willing to sacrifice Kakashi. It would be so easy and simple to take Kakashi's other eye and get all the power of the kamui, but Obito didn't even think about it. Because Kakashi is important to Obito, too important no matter what Obito says to himself.

Kakashi and Rin mean the world to Obito. Literally. They are everything to him. His teammates, his friends, his family. Obito relies on them too much. Too focused on them. Too dependent on them. That's what ruined him.

Minato and Obito wanted to be hokage, but their dreams are based on different goals. Minato wants to help the village and protect it. But Obito wants something else. I don't think he wanted recognition from the villagers like Naruto. As I explained above, he doesn't care much about other people. And it doesn't matter if they're adults or children. Just like Obito doesn't reach out to adults, he didn't have any close friends anymore except for his teammates. Obito wanted recognition from Kakashi and Rin. He wanted them to see him as a powerful shinobi. Someone who could protect them. Someone who could take care of them. Just like they cared for him.

Extra: while Minato was always late and never around, Kakashi tried to help. I'll just leave it here:

There were still reasons why Obito was so much in love, ahem, sorry, admired by Rin and Kakashi. They're Obito's support and backbone. Not Minato. And it's sad.

That's why this page of the manga is so important in Kakashi and Obito's conversation. No amount of people would be enough to fill the void in Obito's heart. And he never intended for it to be that way. He's not Naruto.

[tothe80s]

STOP changing a story and call it DEEP whenever it please you

i just wanted to drop KISHIMOTO,S INTERVIEW 12years ago

Naruto is somehow based on his REAL LIFE AND STRUGGLES

Naruto was never about who want to fuck who

Naruto and sasuke love eachothers

platonically

WHAT PLATONIC MEAN ? "Platonically" describes a relationship that is characterized by deep affection and connection, but without any romantic or sexual desire. It is a relationship based on friendship and mutual respect, often involving intellectual and emotional intimacy. 

you care , you cry , you laugh with and for that one person and there is nothing sexual about it

ALSO Naruto explore MULTIPLE BONDS family friends brotherhood love and else , it also portray different people,s logic and choice

BASED ON WHAT THEY WERE BEEN THROUGH

just like people in real life , you are allowed to see and understand a story DIFFERENTLY but Dont Change the contest and say bullshit headcanon and ATTACK OTHERS with A DIFFERENT POV

also they are FANS WHO RESPECT THE WORK but others who

ACT LIKE THEY MADE THE STORY OR ARE BETTER THEN KISHIMOTO It,s self and call it DEEP

.... i love the Manga\Anime Naruto and i hate when they minimize THAT EMOTIONAL MASTERPIECE to a THAT SHIP IS BETTER OR WHATEVER

duh ANYWAY just read kishimoto,s POV and peace

.... ps i love all naruto characters , i just hate how people sexualise them and harass those how likes them , just to justify their pov

[sasubaeuchithot]

Yes please I need this dissertation immediately

LMAO YOURE GOOD

something that I absolutely love about Sasuke's character as a writer yet absolutely despise as a Sasuke fan who has to endure everyone not understanding Sasuke is how, narratively, we rarely ever get Sasuke's point of view in canon.

specifically in Shippuden, we almost never get his inner thoughts. now usually for fight scenes we are given inner thoughts from the characters to get narrative explanations for what is happening, and usually the character who gives these narrative insights is the character the narrative wants you to root for. kishi wants you to feel what the main characters are feeling and be surprised when they are surprised

curiously, Sasuke is almost never given these inner thoughts

from shippuden onward (and even at the end of part 1) looking through his fights, Sasuke's point of view was almost never given. we had inner thoughts from orochimaru and deidara for their fights, which is almost jarring considering at that point we as the audience are supposed to be rooting for Sasuke. kishi chooses to give the opponent's insight rather than sasuke's. in the fights against Itachi and danzo, inner thoughts are given by completely outside voices who narrate the plot, by zetsu and Karin respectively. it's as though kishimoto specifically wanted to keep Sasuke shrouded in mystery.

and this poses what i believe is the true test of Naruto's story. Sasuke becomes the ultimate final boss, where his and naruto's story conclude the narrative. it was always fated for their battle to be the final of the story, just as part 1 ended with them in VOTE. meanwhile, the entire story of Naruto is about Naruto learning empathy for his opponents, understanding that they are a product of the world that made them, and choosing to learn from them and end the cycle of pain that revenge brings by shouldering that pain himself. their battle logically concludes in the same vein. naruto's empathy for sasuke finally reaches through to him.

but yet so many viewers refused to do the same. i believe sasuke as a character is a test for the viewer to see if they actually learned the empathy that naruto as a story tries to teach. we literally watch sasuke's decent into insanity, we fully see his whole story line play out from start to finish. for so many other villains, we do not get their backstory until the crest of the resolution- and interestingly, much of those villains are hailed by the greater fandom: pain and obito specifically. so why doesn't sasuke get given the same grace?

we don't get any insight into sasuke's thought process. when nagato and obito conclude their stories, they've outwardly and blatantly expressed their pain and how they want to change the world for the better, so that no one else has to go through what they went through. meanwhile we get literally everyone and their mother's thought process regarding sasuke's story line, their thoughts and feelings about his actions, but never sasuke's own.

by almost never giving us Sasuke's internal thoughts, by telling his story through the eyes of others, the viewer is given a lot less insight into why he was doing what he was. obito says "i did these things because xyz". nagato says "i did these things because xyz". madara says "i did these things because xyz". sasuke does not. sasuke says that he wants to become hokage, and everyone memes it. no one thinks past it at all, why he wants to become hokage, what he would plan to do as hokage. he says he wants to take it forcibly. he wants to be a dictator. then what does he want to happen? the story does not answer these things. you are meant to determine the answer yourself as the viewer, by using the tools you've learned so far from all of the other antagonists we've seen.

just like in real life, we do not know the insight of the people around us. if you fail to see that Sasuke's (and the rest of the uchiha's) story was about love first and foremost, then you completely failed the entire test that Naruto as a story was giving you

[badgalsasuke]

Could you please explain to people how Sakura and Hinata, while different in personality, are both extremely selfish when it comes to what they want? Some people don’t understand that they are both fictional characters with no will other what what’s written for them, and character’s that are very much NOT girl bosses

Sorry for the delay, but sure.

People in the fandom seem to have this idea that Sakura and Hinata's writing is different from one another because they have different personalities, Sakura being loud and reckless while Hinata being quiet and insecure. That being said both show from time to time that their behaviour is centered in their desire to be acknowledged by the boy the have a crush on, Sasuke and Naruto respectively. So basically all there is to each girl is "getting the guy", that's it, there's no more to it so you can't really separate Sakura and Hinata from those ships because those ships are integral to their characters. So when their only goal is getting the boy they want they will come out as selfish.

In the case of Sakura we see it more often because she's a more important character than Hinata who doesn't quite appear as much in the manga, which I assume is the reason why most people in the fandom think selfishness is a trait of Sakura while Hinata is the "selfless princess Hyuga" lol.

How do we find selfishness in Sakura? We see it first hand when she makes fun of Naruto for being an orphan in front of Sasuke, another orphan, trying to look cool. Sasuke ends up calling out her behaviour

We also see it when Sasuke is about to leave the village and she attempts to stop him, but ends up comparing the Uchiha massacre and the loneliness this caused in Sasuke to her not having her crush by her side and how she'd be equally lonely, thus minimizing Sasuke's pain and trauma.

Another instance is when Sasuke becomes a war criminal and a bounty is put on his head and everyone gives up on him including Sakura and excepting Naruto. Not only does she gives up on Sasuke and never attempts to research about the uchiha massacre and doesn't know "the truth about Itachi" but she also feels she's the one that must execute him because it's "her duty" to save him from a life of darkness because SHE loves him.

One last example is Team 7 fighting against Madara where Sakura charges against the enemy with no plan whatsoever because she wants to be on par of Naruto and Sasuke and for the latter to notice her, what happens then is she's stabbed and has to be saved by Sasuke and Naruto, oh! and Sasuke ignores her so she did all that for nothing.

Now, how is Hinata selfish? this can be harder to pinpoint because as I previously mentioned her shy quiet personality and lack of appearancs in the manga seem to conceal it. But we see the selfishness through Neji. The Hyuga clan practices slavery and Hinata at no single point in the manga challenges this status quo (and that's why forever and always good for Neji for beating her ass up). Some of her fans try to justify this by claiming Hinata can't change the way her clan by herself, mind you she's the fucking heiress. Ignore the ugly Saori edit

ewwwww

We also have the fight against Pain that everyone told her not to engage with because she'd do more danger than good but she simply HAD to let Naruto know she had a crush on him y'know?? she obviously loses without even scratching Pain and almost dies but in the process Naruto loses control of the kyubii and we're later told it was a miracle he didn't kill anyone.

But it's still fucked up to think what would have happened to Naruto's mental health had Hinata died, wow you told the dude you loved him and he inspired you to come and fight and is the reason you're doing all this and now you're dead, can you imagine the toll this would have taken on Naruto?

Lastly we have Neji die. Kishimoto did say in an interview on FujiTV back in 2014 he used Neji's death to bring Hinata and Naruto together in that hand holding scene

so basically Neji, a far more compelling character than Hinata ever was, dies in favor of an underwhelming underdeveloped ship (then Kishimoto tried to do damage control by naming Naruto and Hinata's kids in honor of Neji). We also see Hinata's reaction (or lack of) by holding Naruto's hand thinking about how warm it is while Neji's dead body is laying right besides them.

So yeah, both characters are entirely consumed by their superficial infatuation towards Naruto and Sasuke but never attempt to get to know them. On top of that, as ninjas they never really improve their skills, like we see Hinata and her special jutsu she developed be worth shit because she still couldn't attack Pain and also Sakura get the Byakugou seal then charging against Madara and getting stabbed without scratching him.

[martialartslover7]

Weird Wednesday Headcanon: Sarada & Mirai are time travellers in my AU (+ a little venting about Boruto).

This is basically me, yelling at the top of my lungs, and I am sure I am speaking on behalf of the good 90% of the fandom, who actually cares about the story:

BORUTO. FUCKING. SUCKS!

And I gotta say, out of all the newcomers in Boruto, the only two newcomer shinobi, who didn't make me want to kill myself, were Sarada Uchiha and Mirai Sarutobi. Ironically, these two are also the same characters that barely have any screen presence (I know that Sarada is part of the main cast, but for some reason, from what I have seen so far, at least, she is somehow even less useful than her mom, in correlation to the rest of her team), or any major feats of their own...

...I seem to be noticing a pattern here. Off-topic, but, I NEED to talk about this for a second. May it be Kishimoto or Ikemoto, any living being with boobs and a vagina, will always be treated as "second rate cheerleaders" under their pens, and they unironically believe, this is all done in favor of women, while relying on harmful and outdated stereotypes. Thanks. For nothing. And then they wonder, why no one likes the way they portray females in their IP.

You'd think that, by the time Boruto rolled around, they would have actually learned their lesson, and not dare repeating what made their story receive so much criticism in the first place? But nope. I guess, because "nostalgia sells well"? So, thanks for reminding me, how useless you two jesters are.

But back to the topic at hand: Essentially, Sarada and Mirai had their own timeline completely destroyed by the Otsutsuki clan...

...at least, this is what they learned about them, because, really, the Otsutsukis by themselves, aren't really a "clan" in the normal sense, it was more like, an orchestrated science experiment, if you will. To create the perfect, most flawless shinobi, with barely any weaknesses. And guess who unleashed these monsters. I tell you:

Orochimaru.

I mean, come on, all these years of research had to amount to something, and I REFUSE to believe, he was ever truly "redeemed", to the point where he would just stroll around Konoha, like he owns the place, like an NPC. To me, he will remain the shinobi equivalent to Frieza. Nuff' said. And I will never forgive Boruto era Naruto for being so stupid and spineless to let this snake-headed waste of space stay in the village. That HAD to come back to bite him in the ass, man.

Besides, just by itself, this decision was so full of shit.

Let me get this straight:

Orochimaru committed unethical human experimentation, kidnapping, bribery, war crimes and grave desecration, all for what? Attaining eternal life? ...He returns back to Konoha.

Sasuke went rogue, because of circumstances, all enforced by Konoha themselves, and the elders, meaning, he mostly fought to survive, wanting to pay his clan, and his brother, the respect they rightfully deserved (besides, his kill count is a joke compared to Orochimaru's)? NO! KEEP HIM OUT! THE UCHIHA ARE TRASH, THEY DON'T BELONG IN KONOHA!

...Why is anyone a fan of Boruto again? Shit like this, is just disrespecting everything we were conditioned to rightfully judge, because the system clearly enjoys playing dirty. And yet for some reason, Naruto knowingly chooses to be Hokage in the exact same system, that treated him, Sasuke, Gaara, Kakashi, Anko, Hinata, and every other jinchuriki, like dirty dishwater. He always spoke the loudest about bringing peace, yet he never dares to challenge the Konoha elders... Who, not only are the biggest reason as to why 90% of all the conflicts in the story we had so far even happened in the first place, considering they endorsed what Danzo was doing the whole time, but also, by the way:

ARE STILL FUCKING ALIVE, AND PART OF THE AUTHORITY! PUT THEM IN JAIL!

...

So, yeah. Sarada, Mirai, please, rewrite the freaking timeline, and fix this shit. Get it out of my face. Naruto and Kakashi playing the bootlickers for the elders is so freaking OOC for them, especially in regards to how much they claim to be behind Sasuke, and just letting someone like Orochimaru return, willy-nilly.

...And to further shit on all the tropes, you know how Future Sarada will make her grand entrance into the story here?

...Putting Kabuto, who dares to attack the Leaf village, with an army of White Zetsu clones, laced with "Otsutsuki" proxy DNA, in another Tsukuyomi Genjutsu, while just destroying all of the White Zetsus, without even breaking a single sweat. And her Tsukuyomi is nothing like Itachi's, it's more loving, gentle, almost angelic, how she puts Kabuto "to rest", in a field of cherry blossom petals...

...before slicing him to pieces with her dad's trusted blade.

I do need to bring up though, by the time Sarada and Mirai travel back to the Blank Period to prevent the birth of the Otsutsuki plague, the two are young adults, around the same age group as the Konoha 12, basically 19 / 20.

This is how they look (a visual basis):

Sarada:

Mirai:

Added details, to make the SasuSaku fans squeal with happiness:

Future Sarada inherits her dad's sword

She unlocked the Mangekyo Sharingan, after learning the truth about why Sasuke remained absent, for the majority of her lifespan (blame the Uchiha stigma, subtly enforced by the elders for this, wiping everything under the rug, and Naruto's and Kakashi's refusal to help her father)

She bears the Byakugo Seal from her mom

She also wears Kawaki's piercings

Boruto's / Sasuke's headband is hers, and she wears it like her mom does

And for Mirai fam, to respect some of the more wholesome aspects of her characters:

Future Mirai inherits her dad's chakra blades

She wears her mother's bandages, and is a Genjutsu master, much like her

Might Guy's weights, meaning, she is insanely fast, once she takes them off

Tenten's weapon arsenal is hers to bear, too

Rock Lee taught her the 8 Gates

And in general, I will leave it up to you to fill in the blanks on how mindblowingly wholesome, but also insanely heartwrenching Sarada's and Mirai's reunion with the past versions of their family and friends, would run down.

I am sure, Future Sarada will just fall apart, seeing her mom and dad again, after they got killed by Isshin Otsutsuki, even though, she wasn't even born yet around that time, and despite this version of her past having the Uchiha clan being pardoned and acknowledged, which is why Sasuke is a permanent resident this time, it would feel strange... ...but due to how deep Sasuke's and Sakura's love runs for each other, accepting Future Sarada comes almost naturally to them.

And well, poor Mirai, seeing both herself as a baby, and her still young mother again. That's gotta be so messed up, yet oddly comforting to be in the presence of a parent, who died protecting you, down to her last breath.

But on a lighter note, if these two were to interact with the Blank Period versions of their friends and comrades, just imagine how comically awkward it would be to realize: There are quite a number of deviations from what they were used to in their time. Examples being:

Neji is alive, and is dating Tenten

Kakashi and Anko are married, and Anko ain't overweight

Ino ended up with Choji, instead of Sai (who is deceased, along with Yamato, Hiashi and Might Guy)

Karui ended up going for Kiba, instead of Choji

Sasuke is actually besties with Neji, Kiba and Shikamaru, and all four are drinking buddies

Tenten runs a full-on tech workshop (she will be the one to rebuild the time machine from scratch)

Shino is a granny chaser, dating Mei Terumi

The Konoha elders were chased out of the village

Naruto, Hinata and Rock Lee share an apartment together

On demand of Sasuke, Team Taka / Hebi are now Leaf ninja

Oh, also, because I am that petty, Sarada will warn Naruto and Hinata about their future kids being nothing short of menaces to society, especially Boruto himself. Demanding them to punish their kids more often, whenever they misbehave, especially Boruto. She knows all too well, how big of a pain in the ass he was.

But in all seriousness, she will express genuine sadness to them, as she felt like, she failed to save their son and daughter the most, especially since Momoshiki inhabited Boruto's body, leaving them with not that many options anymore. She hopes that she can be of assistance this time, and assure that their kids will be able to grow up, without any of this drama.

Basically, Sarada and Mirai go back in time, to fix the mess, that is the Boruto story. Can be understood in two different ways:

Fuck the Boruto continuity, reset it, please. Make Sarada and Mirai part of the main cast to oppose the elders and feudal lords, referring back to this thread of mine:

Taking notes from SoulCalibur 6's storyline with Cassandra, who meets an alternate version of herself from a destroyed timeline, inside Astral Chaos (SoulCalibur fam, you know, you know)

And with more material for you to sink your teeth into, without further ado, I say:

PEACE.

[nohara-rin-dot-mp3]

so you want to care about nohara rin

excellent choice really really good choice she's a fun character. despite (or perhaps because of) kishimoto's writing, there's a lot to her character that makes her very very interesting. i like her a normal amount personally.

here are the canonical character traits we know rin has from her appearances in the manga and the data books: she is a mildly talented but not prodigious mednin. she does not cry easily. she is kind, intellectual, and devoted. she collects shells. her favorite food is strawberries. her favorite word is friendship. she acts in a way that suggests she has a crush on kakashi and is generally friendly but distant with most people.

there are a couple of basic questions that we have to answer in order to create a compelling nohara rin characterization. IN-UNIVERSE okay i know that the answer to a lot of these is "bad writing" let's take a watsonian perspective here okay?

1- if she is a mednin of no outstanding talent, then how'd she manage to transplant a sharingan perfectly in the field?

2- why did she confess to kakashi when she did and in the manner that she did?

3 (most important)- why did she kill herself like that? why did she kill herself on kakashi, specifically? we know that the seal stopped her from slitting her own throat, yes, but it didn't stop her from jumping in front of someone's attack, and there were a lot of other people present (pretty much all of whom were trying to kill her!) who she could have used to kill herself. even MADARA is baffled by her decision making here. pleased, but baffled.

dubiously real questions to answer (take place in the war arc and it's either rin's ghost or obikaka hallucination doing this stuff)

4- why did she tell obikaka to kill themselves?

5- why did she tell obito that she though everything he did was cool and fine? (see: obito's afterlife as horror for my personal take on a dual-read)

these are the main questions that a complex rinterpretation needs to address. obviously, i'm biased towards the rin that i've put together over the past. oh god it's been two years. um. anyways. but addressing those questions from a rin-centric perspective can help you build a character who's really interesting!

pitfalls to avoid falling into: treating her as perfect. she is not "the mom friend" or "the braincell" or "normal." she wouldn't make anything better if she took kakashi or obito's place. the fact that kishimioto dehumanizes her by making her perfect doesn't mean that you have to as well!!!

ok under the cut i'll go a little bit more into some of the main characterization i use for rin/frameworks i like to play around with. my rinterpretation. if you will.

i like to cut rin in half. there is the canonical, symbolic non-person half of rin that exists only in memory and was never alive to begin with and the fucked-up miserable nohara rin that's a person no matter how much she insists otherwise. doing this allows me to lean into their respective identities and also make them aware of each other! which makes them worse! (see: um. this. i promise it actually makes sense in the context of my characterization.)

a couple of frameworks i use to reckon with the symbolic half of rin:

schrödinger's cat is a great way to understand why nohara rin exists as dead the entire time. basically, before the the box is opened, the cat exists in a superposition of being dead and alive at the same time. opening the box isn't what kills the cat, though. when the box is opened to show us that the cat is dead, reality is retroactively re-written and the cat ends up being dead the same time. now imagine that this is about a girl committing suicide instead of a cat and also you get to see the cat's dead body before you even know the box exists. that's nohara rin baby.

eye framework is based around the idea that closed eyes represent dishonesty and open eyes represent honesty. unfortunately, even when being honest nohara rin cannot be understood, and so we must be unable to see her eyes to understand her because you can only understand something that doesn't exist by not looking at it. elaboration here.

the important things to keep in mind about this half of rin is that she does not exist, and if she did, she would be full of nothing (as opposed to empty). also, this is the only nohara rin that anyone has ever known. also, she's a time machine.

nohara rin, the person, is defined by her two fundamental and conflicting desires which are to be known and to remain unknown. she lies so so much and is rotting from the inside out and she kills herself because she is miserable and she does it like that because she is spiteful <3. well actually it's a little more complicated than that but this is already getting long i'll just direct you over to my rinfic if you wanna see how i characterize her on a personal level.

IN CONCLUSION:

[every-kuzu]

Please I beg you to do a character analysis on Kakuzu <3 from whichever part of him you'd like

okay. i’ve got a two hour car ride and a playlist to listen to - lets take a crack at this.

i’ve talked about this a little in response to another ask, so i’ll be bringing up stuff that i have touched on before, but first and foremost - kakuzu is a very guarded character. a lot of the time, you need to pause and really observe him, peel back the layers, which is something a lot of naruto fans don’t really do - probably because kishimoto didn’t spend a lot of time on him and hidan. hell, there are some things that even i didn’t notice until i started this blog and had to pause and observe him.

so. when you ask the average naruto fan about kakuzu, what’s the first thing they would think of? money, most likely. and his love for money is a big part of his character - but is it really the biggest? he says that the only thing you can have faith in is money, which i have no doubt is his actual philosophy, but he still backs away from asuma and his bounty (which it’s clearly been shown that he wants) when pain calls them back to ame. hidan complains and tries to bargain for more time, but kakuzu shuts him up and falls back immediately. this could’ve easily been a moment where he too tells pain that they need more time, but no.

because kakuzu is loyal. one could even be so bold as to call him loyal to a fault, especially in the past and even more especially given his past. that loyalty is what allowed takigakure to betray him in the past, yet he still shows pain that very same loyalty. he even tells hidan that the mission they were given by pain is absolute - another thing that is very unexpected, given his backstory.

so what does this tell us? that kakuzu believes in akatsuki's plans, or at the very least has a lot of respect for pain. (this plan being nagato's original, not any of the three-or-four-different-plans-in-a-trenchcoat-bullshit that showed up in the war arc.) now, kakuzu is also very obviously jaded from a long life in a world like naruto's, so i'd say it's up to interpretation how much faith he actually had in akatsuki, but do you really think he'd stay if he didn't see himself getting anything out of it in the end?

and that brings me very-much-not-seamlessly to my next point: he's not as uncaring as he acts, and this is best illustrated through his relationship with hidan.

now, when you look at their relationship, the general consensus would be that they hate each other. and once you look a little deeper, it seems like hidan cares more then kakuzu. according to some sources, he only joined the akatsuki because of kakuzu, and he openly shows concern for him in the fight versus team 10 + kakashi. but what's often overlooked here is that kakuzu does the same, and that's likely because you have to look even deeper to see it.

on the surface, kakuzu seems to be at the very least annoyed with hidan at all times. he berated him and talks down to him most of the time, and hidan retaliates. they seem to be at each other’s throats most of the time. but kakuzu has a lot of faith in hidan’s abilities. the minute hidan gets his curse on asuma, kakuzu’s thoughts are about how he’s 35 million ryo richer, which shows that he truly believed that hidan had it in the bag. the same goes for the fight with team 10 + kakashi - when they get separated, kakuzu openly expresses that he believes that hidan will kill shikamaru. he also shows concern for hidan, which is best shown, again, in the fight with team 10 + kakashi. kakuzu might not show it as openly as hidan does, but he does care about him. unfortunately, since we get to see so little of them, this is the best example i’ve got and we can only speculate how this care extended to the other members of the akatsuki.

which brings me to the next thing i want to touch upon - his anger and how it’s presented to us. or rather, not presented, because it’s an informed flaw.

the kakuzu we’re told about through other characters is apparently famous for entering a murderous rage every time something annoys him, but the kakuzu we’re shown doesn’t match this. the kakuzu we see is jaded, stoic, and grumpy, but he’s never mad. the most we get is him taking a single swipe at hidan after he griped about a bounty, but that was just in the anime. we know that he’s killed four former partners in this murderous rage of his, but he never shows a sign of being even close to snapping in the manga. and yet this “anger” is what most of the fandom chooses to cling to when it comes to him, which i think is because it’s something that can be observed from how other characters talk about him and not something that you need to observe from him. still, kakuzu’s murderous rage is an informed flaw, which i think is disconnected from how he’s presented to us, especially when we dig a little deeper.

in the end, i don’t really have a conclusion to all of this. it was mostly a way for me to point things out that most people might’ve not noticed. but in the end, this is just my personal interpretation of all these little things, and i’m not trying to claim that it’s the only correct one, but i’m just saying - i believe that there is more to him under the surface.

[frostfires-blog]

My Top 15 Favourite Anime (& Donghua) Female Characters 2024

[Before I get started, I'd like to point out that making this list was quite challenging considering I have watched quite a few anime. So please don't be too offended if any of your favourites aren't included; just because they aren't here doesn't automatically mean I dislike them. Feel free to leave your constructive thoughts and own lists in the comment section since I appreciate amicable discourse. Also, I decided to use the "keep reading" feature to make it easier to scroll through the long posts on my blog, so the official list is under the cut.]

-> Honourable Mentions:

-> My Top 15:

“If you’re helping someone and expecting something in return, you’re doing business not kindness.” Shirayuki is incredibly empathetic and emotionally aware as evidenced by her drive to ensure that the people around her feel cared for and supported. Even if it involves sacrificing her time and energy, she is always eager to help others. At times this is her greatest strength—as it enables her to build strong connections with others. However, on occasion, this trait makes it difficult for her to establish boundaries and prioritise her own needs.  This struggle is something I think we can all relate to.  I greatly admire her determination, optimism, compassion and resourcefulness. Her integrity, patience and consideration for others is something I aspire to emulate in daily life. Her passion for plants is something I have in common with her.

"I won't lose to myself!" Given that she has become somewhat of a meme in the fandom, I'm sure some of you may be surprised by this, but she was one of the first female anime characters I resonated with when I was young. Although she lacks presence in the overall series, her strong-willed and independent yet easy-going and relatable personality endeared her to me. Even in stressful situations, she is renowned for her diligence, discipline, practicality, and reliability. Her character serves as a tribute to the resilience of the human spirit as well as the value of perseverance and hard work. Her fear of failure sometimes causes her to doubt herself and her capabilities which highlights the struggle we all face with balancing our concerns and our obligations. Her fighting style and character design remain one of my absolute favourites, making me annoyed that Kishimoto didn’t do more with her character. Also, nejiten is my Roman Empire.

“This is a cruel world. And yet...so beautiful....” In all honesty, I'm still miffed by the ending of Attack on Titan, which had me contemplating whether to include her on this list, but I realised that would be petty and short-sighted. Mikasa was one of the first female characters I saw who not only stood with male characters on the battlefield but also outperformed them—which made me look up to her. Mikasa's greatest attributes are her inner strength and innate sense of responsibility to defend her loved ones and fight for justice, as well as her intense loyalty and devotion, especially to Eren. Aside from her strength and fortitude, she also possesses compassion and gentleness towards those she cares for—which I admire considering many female characters in shounen anime are pressured to sacrifice these qualities to be strong and respected.

“Why didn’t I try to get to know him better?” Since Frieren is the newest character on this list, I’m sure she’ll continue to grow on me in due time. As the protagonist of a show centred around the value of life, the importance of goodbyes and the passage of time; Frieren is an incredibly complex, multi-faceted character. Her journey to understand the depth of human relationships and emotions—after losing someone she failed to realise was important to her—is an incredibly touching and insightful one. Watching her experiences serves as an important lesson: to value every moment and to take the initiative to build connections with others—which is something I often struggle with. Frieren is best recognised for her composed demeanour. She demonstrates qualities such as an affinity for independence, a keen sense of introspection and a preference for logical reasoning—all of which allow her to serve as a voice of reason for their group. Her sharp mind and unrelenting curiosity propel her to continually expand the limits of her knowledge, enabling her to innovatively tackle challenges from a unique viewpoint—making her an engaging and dynamic character to watch.

“A-xian is my little brother…When others insult him it is no small matter to me.” While often overlooked due to her immense kindness and amiable personality—her determination, selflessness and fierce protectiveness of her loved ones are admirable. Although not a major character in MDZS, her influence over its more central characters is evident. Her lack of hesitance in sacrificing her life for her martial brother, Wei Wuxian—even though he unintentionally contributed to her husband’s death—endeared me to her. Her determination to rise above her difficult upbringing and grow into a caring, mature and reliable figure is praiseworthy along with her capacity to find common ground in seemingly immutable situations. Her character design ranks among my favourites as well and complements her personality well. She taught me that despite being in a society where one is harshly rebuked or pressurised it is important to stand firm in your beliefs and desires.

“If you must cling to something in order to yield, why not pick up that which you have tossed away and hold it in your hands anew?” While initially, she doesn't appear to be very noteworthy because of her limited role in the series, the brief time she gets presents her in a positive light and her backstory is notably well-developed even among more prominent side characters. Despite her reclusiveness; her compassion, forgiveness and humility are noteworthy—especially when contrasted with the majority of other Heavenly Officials. Given that characters like Xie Lian and Hua Cheng respect her, while Jun Wu and Pei Ming are cautious of her proves that her strength and significance should not be undervalued. Her ascension story—which earned her the moniker “The Princess Who Slit Her Throat”—is a prime example of her incredible selflessness as she willingly laid down her life to protect her family and country despite being ignored and mistreated for most of her life. She remains very grounded despite her status as the God of Rain and Agriculture and is always willing to help others, even if it means defying authority. She possesses no ill will towards those she has had disagreements with and doesn't hesitate to save them.

 "Even if it's a short life, burn hot and bright and overtake the moment. That's my way of life." Kagura is best known for her quick wit, tomboyish personality and fighting spirit which often manages to steal the spotlight in the Gintama series. She is an ardent and fierce fighter who doesn't hesitate to express her opinions. Beneath her brash exterior, she is compassionate and caring, frequently using her keen intuition and empathy when interacting with others. She often takes risks, facing challenges directly which can be seen as impulsive and abrasive—however, this behaviour stems from her need for control and security amidst a chaotic world. In a sense, we all struggle to assert ourselves in difficult situations and could benefit from approaching things with a little more of Kagura's zeal. Kagura also enjoys helping others and is incredibly devoted to the people she loves. She is also not afraid to voice her opinions or act when she sees someone in need. By virtue of her strength, humour, and charm, she has not only gained popularity among fans but also established herself as an iconic figure in the shounen genre.

"If you don't hold a rose carefully, you'll get pierced by its thorns." Tsukuyo is best known for her unique fighting style, sharp wit, caustic humour, and compelling backstory which has allowed her to become a fan favourite and a key part of many serious arcs in the series. In many respects, her design and backstory serve as a parallel to that of the protagonist—Gintoki—which adds to her depth. Furthermore, her name and personality are based on Tsukuyomi no Mikoto—the moon god in Shinto and Japanese mythology—accentuating the cool aesthetic of her design. Contrasting her rough exterior, Tsukuyo is shown to have a tender side, exhibiting an innate sense of empathy and sensitivity. Although her reserved attitude often conveys an impression of aloofness and distance, this is just how she processes things and expresses concern, which is something I can identify with.  Her most admirable quality is her strong sense of duty and loyalty towards her loved ones, as well as her inclination to prioritise the needs of others over her own. Although she struggles with insecurity and anxiety—leading her to hesitate and over-analyse—she is resolute in overcoming these issues when crucial matters are at stake, which is a valuable message.

“I once believed that the road of happiness continued forever and ever into the distance. When it was destroyed, I realized for the first time that it lies upon a thin sheet of glass. And just as we were saved, there were those whose happiness that haven't yet been destroyed. So, I wanted to get stronger and protect them.” Shinobu is a multifaceted and captivating character who stands out—even amongst Demon Slayer's eclectic cast—largely due to her distinct fighting style, striking design, tragic backstory as well as her nuanced personality and motivations. Shinobu's strongest assets are her insight, and compassion, which enable her to support those in need. She usually has a relaxed smile on her face and generally exhibits a bright, amiable, and joyful demeanour. However, it soon becomes apparent that this outward disposition is a façade masking her profound anger and relentless desire for vengeance. This dichotomy in her persona is foreshadowed by her conflicting roles in the series as a healer and a poisoner. Her desire to cater to those close to her is the primary motivation for her outward façade, which is primarily modelled after the mannerisms of her deceased older sister. Considering we all conceal certain parts of ourselves to appeal to others, this aspect of her character is very impactful and relatable. She also often struggles with feelings of inadequacy stemming from her physical limitations. However, she overcomes this obstacle by employing poison to kill demons, showcasing her resourcefulness, fortitude and tenacity. Although we all feel envious of the talents of others, Shinobu's character is a reminder that we all have our strengths and should face obstacles head-on never giving up on our objectives.

“Although our thoughts are changeable and difficult to understand, the actions we take don’t change, no matter how much time passes.” As a consequence of her seclusion in the Yamei Palace and her mystical abilities, Jusetsu is quite enigmatic and detached. While she is often perceived as haughty and aloof due to her bluntness, impatience and lack of social experience; she is shown to have a tender and vulnerable side. She possesses an inherent sense of justice and doesn't disregard those in need, even if they have offended her in the past, which is incredibly admirable. Although her position as the Raven Consort demands her to live alone, she quickly finds herself surrounded by people, leading her to feel guilty considering her deceased predecessor remained isolated. Her heart begins to soften as she lets others in, but she often struggles to comprehend others, causing her to inadvertently offend them—which is something that most of us can relate to. However, she is quick to mend things once she realises her misstep and comes to learn that it's necessary to confide in those who care about you. She frequently exhibits guilt about seeing her mother die, which leads her to feel that it's preferable to be by herself than to lose anyone else. Her struggles with guilt and constant introspection not only add to her complexity as a character but also make her very relatable. To a degree, we all worry that opening our hearts to others will result in us being irrevocably hurt but constantly have to take that risk to live a fulfilling life—thus making Jusetsu’s journey an incredibly empowering and compelling one.

“I'll definitely overtake you, and it'll be my turn to worry about you.” Misaki is best described as bright, diligent, pragmatic, and disciplined. As the student council president, she is committed to improving her school's reputation, even if it involves challenging the expectations of her male teachers and peers. Before Misaki's father abandoned their family, she was noticeably more tender-hearted and compassionate, but she subsequently developed a bias against males based on her conviction that they were inconsiderate and unreliable. She possesses a rigid sense of justice and sets high standards for herself and everyone around her. Consequently, she often struggles with her emotions, particularly when it comes to maintaining her composure when her private life is disrupted. Misaki is particularly embarrassed about her part-time position at a Maid Cafe, believing it contradicts her strong, uncompromising image, and consequently takes great effort to establish a rigid boundary between her public image and her private life by keeping this job hidden from others. Misaki's best quality is that she never veers off course and gives her all in everything she does, inspiring others in the process. Misaki exemplifies the value of resilience and diligence when it comes to achieving one's goals because, despite facing countless hurdles, she remains committed to her ideals. Conversely, she is overly self-sacrificing and frequently overworks herself due to her inability to trust others. Through the course of the series, she learns to accept her femininity and fragility while remaining assertive and self-sufficient. As she navigates her growing romantic feelings for Usui, she learns the value of having faith in others, as well as the significance of respect, communication, and acceptance in relationships. This process of self-discovery moulds Misaki into a multifaceted character who is exemplary and relatable.

“If history repeats itself, and moves in a circular path, then believing that whatever force is turning it is perfect, is all we can do as we move ahead. Pushed along by forces beyond our control, waiting, for the blade to be swung." Rukia’s best attributes are her altruism, modesty, strong moral compass and sense of duty. Her journey throughout the series centres around self-acceptance and belonging. Initially, she feels worthless and out of place yet longs to be recognised and accepted. Given that she finds it difficult to reach out to others, she never expresses these desires and lives a lonely life under continual strain. After meeting Ichigo and his friends, in the World of the Living, she begins to open up but quickly backtracks after she is taken back to the Soul Society to be executed. Despite enduring tremendous hardship, she never forsakes her ideals or blames anybody else—but instead faces and overcomes everything alone. This demonstrates her immense fortitude, resolve and integrity. Her strength lies in the fact that her heart never fluctuates. Upon the moment of her execution, she does not display fear or regret but is instead grateful for having lived an ample life. However, this is the turning point, as she is saved by Ichigo and is thereafter rewarded for her resolve and steadfast convictions. She finally alleviates herself of the guilt and grief she had been carrying by allowing herself to rely on others for emotional support. She can now confidently confront and overcome her greatest challenges because she is certain of who she is. In this way, Rukia's character serves as an example that no matter what you are faced with, your efforts will be recognised so long as you remain resolute and virtuous—which is incredibly commendable and compelling.

Her enduring and incomparable bond with the series’ protagonist, Ichigo is one of my favourite aspects of her character and the series as a whole. Throughout the story, she is a continual source of both physical and emotional strength for him. In several respects, Rukia's character is a parallel to his as she understands Ichigo's feelings better than anyone else considering she has gone through similar experiences. The quote "The rain drags the Black Sun down, but the rain is dried by the White Moon" perfectly encapsulates their dynamic—with Ichigo representing the former and Rukia representing the latter. Throughout the series, the rain is a potent metaphor for Ichigo's despair, while Rukia is constantly seen guiding and consoling him—effectively drying up “the rain”.  She acts as a "ray of light" for Ichigo—despite her problems—who in turn does the same for her. Rukia's symbolism as the "White Moon" also pertains to her technique—specifically her bankai, which transforms her into a veritable ice princess. This symbolism furthers her development, influence and prominence in the series.

"Before I question the gods, there are questions I should ask myself!" Yona's remarkable development from a pampered princess to a courageous warrior is precisely why she is one of the most recognised and respected shoujo heroines of all time. This development begins after her privileged and idyllic life in Hiryuu castle is upended when her beloved cousin, Soo-won, murders her father and seizes the throne. After witnessing this traumatising event, she is forced to flee the castle and is forced to adjust to a harsh and perilous life on the run. She is momentarily overcome with fear and denial thus depending entirely on her bodyguard and childhood friend Hak for protection and care. However, after recognising that the people who were sheltering her would suffer as a result of her incapacity, she began to pull herself together. Empowered by her newfound resolve, she and Hak journey across the kingdom in search of the legendary Dragon Warriors and through these fateful encounters, they cultivate a revitalized sense of purpose and camaraderie. It is on this journey that she begins to realise that her father’s pacifistic reign came at the cost of weakening their kingdom, leading to widespread strife and corruption. Her overwhelming guilt regarding her ignorance causes her to develop a genuine sense of responsibility towards her nation's people. With the support of her allies, she travels around the kingdom to improve the lives of the common people, having abandoned the prospect of revenge. Yona's fundamental strength is shown to derive from her emotional fortitude, compassion and capacity for forgiveness. Additionally, her adaptability, willingness to learn, and strong sense of conviction are all admirable. Although she continues to grow stronger throughout the series, she has always been incredibly kind and compassionate. She is inspiring because she demonstrates that true strength comes from within. It is her immense compassion that not only motivates her to protect her nation and change the lives of those around her but also draws people like Hak and the four dragon warriors to her. Her ability to forego her desire for vengeance in favour of forgiveness is not a show of weakness but is one of strength, selflessness and maturity. She realises that her desire for revenge is outweighed by the kingdom’s need for a radical and strong ruler like Soo-won —leading her to choose to work from the shadows to uplift the common people.

“It’s not always easy to see the good in people. In some people, you might even doubt that it’s there at all. But if you can somehow, find a way to believe…sometimes that’s all it takes to help someone, to give them the strength to find the good in themselves...” “No matter how cold it is now, spring will come again...” Tohru is best described as optimistic, hard-working, patient and open-minded. She is also modest, caring, and gentle-spirited. She constantly strives to seek out the good in everyone she encounters and is always willing to assist those in need—bearing no resentment against those who have harmed her. Her benevolent and amiable disposition effortlessly attracts people to her, making them feel accepted and valued, as demonstrated through her interactions with the zodiac members of the Sohma family. In comparison to the series' vast ensemble of colourful, quirky characters, Tohru is frequently perceived as being too perfectly kind and hence bland—nonetheless, this is completely misguided. In actuality, Tohru is equally as emotionally broken and thus the Sohma family heals her heart in the same way that she heals theirs. Her character is an exemplary subversion of the typical "kind-hearted" heroine given that she faces several genuine hardships that result from her gentle and charitable nature. She is not a perfect saint, but rather a girl who prioritises the struggles of others over her own as she attempts to find her place in the world. Her greatest strengths are her immense compassion, innate empathy and sincerity. Given that she expects nothing in exchange for helping others, her generosity does not originate from a position of entitlement, which is incredibly admirable. Tohru has a strong desire to be needed by others and thus often puts the needs of others before her own. She craves validation and assurance, hoping to be acknowledged as essential and irreplaceable to those around her. In response to the terrible treatment she received from her paternal relatives, Tohru has developed the notion that she might burden those around her, so she rarely expresses her desires. Consequently, she is inclined to internalise any unpleasant emotions and feelings rather than express them externally. However, as time passes, Tohru gradually learns to be more assertive and to accept help from others. Tohru's relationship with Kyo is another facet of her personality that I find endearing. Despite having similar backstories, they have developed divergent perspectives on life. Kyo finds it hard to recognise the positive in other people, while Tohru finds it hard to perceive anything negative in them. They strike a perfect equilibrium as he teaches her that being too unselfish and not sufficiently assertive is detrimental to her well-being, while she helps him realise that there is hope in trusting others. While Kyo is not the only one who sees through Tohru's façade, he is one of the only individuals who can help her face her issues as she becomes especially transparent around Kyo, confessing all her concerns and anxieties to him. Tohru demonstrates the power of forgiveness, love and friendship and exemplifies what it means to be a good person. Her journey towards overcoming her fears and attaining true happiness through strength and determination is heartwarming and inspiring. She embodies hope and compassion in a cruel and unfair world. Her growth demonstrates that being kind is not synonymous with being powerless or meek. She demonstrates that no one is completely perfect—that kindness is a choice rather than an innate gift, therefore we are all capable of making the effort to be kind and compassionate to others.

“If I should die, I'd want to die of poison.” Maomao's story is kickstarted when she is kidnapped and sent to the Imperial Palace as a maidservant. Maomao’s extensive knowledge of poisons and medicine, along with her aptitude for unravelling mysteries ensnare her into the intricate web of political intrigue despite her attempts to remain inconspicuous. She is mature, sharp-witted, composed, and pragmatic, in large part because she grasps her expendability in the Rear Palace. Being raised in the Red-Light District has shaped her into a resilient and adaptive person with a thorough awareness of society's complexities, which she uses to traverse the Rear Palace. Consequently, she has developed a highly practical and pessimistic mindset on life, centred around avoiding trouble and adjusting to her surroundings—which has enabled her to tolerate circumstances that many would deem traumatic or distressing.  Ironically, her insatiable curiosity, along with her strong sense of justice and empathy, frequently counterbalances her self-reservation; leading her to become involved in problems that affect others. Maomao is intrigued by poisons and medicinal plants, and she often investigates their effects on her own body. This passion is her primary motivation for her actions considering the mere prospect of savouring poison or studying a rare medicinal component kindles a fervent fire within her, resulting in a riveting shift in demeanour—which is naturally perceived as astonishing and insane by many characters, particularly the series' deuteragonist, Jinshi. Maomao’s name is derived from the onomatopoeia of a cat’s meow “貓” and fittingly she is often depicted with cat ears, which act as a visual metaphor for her ardent curiosity. This feline motif, combined with her proclivity for pushing herself into risky situations and her dangerous fascination with poisons, makes her the epitome of the phrase "curiosity killed the cat". Despite her exceptional competence and charisma, Maomao is not flawless; in fact, her flaws add to her appeal. Although Maomao's distrustful and inquisitive nature makes her an excellent detective, this same quality—coupled with her distorted yet starkly reliable perception of human connections—occasionally renders her socially inept. Maomao tends to shy away from forging strong, intimate bonds or attachments with other people, causing her to be wilfully oblivious of the obvious concern or affection others have for her, regardless of whether it is in a platonic, romantic, or professional capacity. Furthermore, she is sceptical about the notion of romance, feeling that it is more likely to cause ruination than to provide happiness. This scepticism and detachment are probably traumatic responses to being brought up in the red-light district, where someone's genuine affection alone does not guarantee that they will not discard you if needed.

Another aspect of Maomao’s character that I find intriguing is her dynamic with Jinshi which develops gradually and is multi-faceted due to their opposing traits, social statuses, and backgrounds. Despite her pretence of indifference, Maomao's actions—specifically her attentiveness and concern—gradually disclose her growing interest in him. Maomao's development demonstrates her progressively becoming less closed off emotionally as she processes the intricacies of her feelings. Similarly, Jinshi had no intention of growing attached to her—as he merely wanted to capitalise on her skill set and intellect. Nevertheless, he fell for her fairly quickly, with his feelings progressing from possessive attachment to ardent, selfless love. Their partnership is defined by mutual respect, trust, and their resolve to overcome obstacles of the aristocracy together. The series’ willingness to address feminist themes within a historically misogynistic setting adds another layer of complexity to Maomao’s character; since her intellect, competence, independence and boldness defy the gender expectations of the era. Even amidst the competitiveness of the Red-light district and the complex balance of power within the imperial harem— which were settings devised to pit women against one another—Maomao continues to advocate for camaraderie between women. As we continue to witness women supporting and empowering each other; their enduring strength and tenacity is exemplified. Maomao's journey is thus an embodiment of progressiveness reflecting a refreshing standpoint on female empowerment. Maomao's exceptional charm and vibrancy are profoundly compelling, instilling an enduring sense of inspiration and empowerment.

[Congratulations and thank you if you made it all the way to the end. I fear I rambled too much…. oh well… If anyone has any suggestions on what to do next, then let me know. Otherwise, I'm just going to be working on a few asks…]

[rinisasaki]

💮ブルーバード - Blue Bird💮

Rini often uses her umbrella to float gently to safety from various heights, but one so high caused her umbrella to bend uncontrollably, unable to handle the speed and height of their great fall.

“Sasori-sama, do something!!” Rini cried in terror.

Instinctively, Sasori spun his chakra threads around her, pulling her to him, catching her in his arm. Something primal stirred within him at the sound of her voice crying out for help. He despised weakness and had always valued those who contributed to the team and did not drag others down. But this was Rini—someone he had come to respect for her use, skill, and resourcefulness.

To hear her call for help struck something deep within him, awakening his protective instincts.

The cord that shot out from his abdomen pierced a large tree, skidding them to a rough, but non-lethal stop. . . . 🌸 I had so much fun drawing this, I love how it came out too!! 🩷 Please comment, save and share 🤲 I poured my heart into this. ✨

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© Rini Sasaki belongs to me. © Sasori and Naruto the series belongs to Masashi Kishimoto

🛑 This is my artwork. Do not repost or edit without my permission. Background is not 100% mine, I found a sky BG on google and editted it pretty heavily. The composition is original but references were used from a Obanai/Mitsuri fanart for posing. 🩷 🛑 Rini is my OC. Her story, design, composition belong to me. Please do not copy her, my work or ideas without credit or permission.

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[the-real-sasuke-uchiha]

Apologies, I am not good enough at English to ask you this and keep up with the role-playing thing. But I really respect how you portray/defend Sasuke/ and agree with your assessments of the shinobi system, so I thought you would know how to best counter the argument that ...

"Sasuke stans pick and choose what character traits they like about him (and what's relevant to the canon) just as much as any other character stan. For instance, how we ignore boruto sasuke (and his negligence towards his daughter) even tho we keep telling sakura stans not be in denial of her wrong doings"

This was a IRL conversation btw and at the time I said boruto isn't canon since kishimoto didn't write the plot directly. But now I realise I dudnt really dispute the point about the picking and choosing. How would you have handled that? If you don't mind me asking.

[BTW sorry if this hard to read, I got my English friend to proof read this ask, but she says it still doesn't make sense. She doesn't understand the context tho]

Hi there! Please, don't apologise for the English. Your English is great. And if it wasn't it wouldn't matter, you do enough of an effort speaking in a language that is not your own.

I don't think you need to even dispute that person. "Sasuke stans" and every person in this fandom will fandom the way they want, I am a bit tired of the fandom police telling you how to fandom properly and what is legit or what is not. Sorry, but I will ignore and trash Boruto Sasuke all I want. First, because it is not canon, it is not even the same series. And second, because I am not contractually required to like, follow or accept every decision that editors or authors make, let alone to continue reading or paying attention to their work after I stop enjoying it. I think this is pretty obvious. So, if I decide that I like a character up to chapter 325 page 2 panel 4 and will give up or ignore it afterwards, that is totally my problem and my choice to make. If I dislike the ending and decide to celebrate a character prior to that and ignore all the crap that came after, that is what I will do. Whoever has an issue with it can go have fun somewhere else, I am not here to entertain them, I am here to entertain myself.

So, I would handle it like that. "Sorry to not live up to your expectations, but I do what I want, thank you." End of the discussion.

Again, your English is great, really, don't worry. Take care and just have fun!

[sabrinahawthorne]

A Call For Artists

As you may or may not know, I've been working hard on JUMP! Shonen Battle Roleplay, a game about fights, drama, and rivalry - a game whose prototype you can download for free Here.

I, however, am a humble author, and any game that advertises itself as an appropriate representation of shonen battle manga needs one thing above all else: great art, which as of now I cannot provide.

I, however, am a humble author, and any game that advertises itself as an appropriate representation of shonen battle manga needs one thing above all else: great art, which as of now I cannot provide.

Given that I'm a small-time designer who can't promise any revenue from the completed game, I want to make clear that I'll be paying out-of-pocket for any and all pieces commissioned, regardless of whether they end up in the final product. If you are or know an artist who might be interested in this work, please reach out to me at sabrinahawthornegames@proton.me. Below the cut is all of the nitty-gritty regarding what kind of work I'm looking for.

Here's the rundown:

Between 10-20 black & white character illustrations, in a shonen style (main style inspirations being Masashi Kishimoto, Eiichiro Oda, and Hiromu Arakawa).

Between 1-2 full-color illustrations in the same style as front & back covers for the book. These covers will be inspired by the covers of Shonen Jump! Magazine, and will include multiple characters featured in the black & white illustrations.

All artworks featured in the final product will be credited to their respective artists, under whatever name they prefer. In addition, all artists will retain the rights to the work they produce. It's your work to do with as you please, and I'll be honored to be allowed its use in my own work.

[luchicm04]

Eyes have a language of their own

Masterlist

Summary: Not every story is what it seems. Not every villain is evil. Not every hero is kind. Sometimes two eyes aren’t enough to uncover the truth, but once in a while, a simple glimpse is all that’s needed.

Pairing: Senju Tobirama & Uchiha Hikari/Nanashi

Word count: 8.4k

Overall warnings: angst, canon-typical violence, implied character death⚠️

All Naruto characters belong to Kishimoto. Uchiha Nanashi appears on the game Naruto x Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections

A/N: This is a remake of the very first fic I've ever made. Well, the first one I've ever written down that's not a drabble or an undefined idea. I changed the lore a bit to adapt it to the game, so I hope you enjoy it <3 Also, English is not my mother language so if I have many spelling mistakes, please let me know (gently please, I have a delicate self-esteem :'))

posted on ao3

Sasuke took a deep breath. After hearing about the creation of the Hidden Leaf by the First hokage himself, he began to think about his future actions. Despite his heart yelling at him to take revenge on the villagers and raze the village to the ground, his brain was starting to contemplate on waht he had just learned. Depending on what he chose to do, the future outcomes would alter his life drastically, along with the world.

He silently casted a hard gaze upon the four individuals in front of him. The previous leaders –dead, now revived into decomposed bodies- of the place he once called home. The previous hokages. All of them irradiated power and respect. He remembered how frightened he felt moments ago when they resealed a fraction of their chakra. Clearly they were all full-fledged warriors who had grown in times of war and developed themselves into shinobi gods, although in his opinion only one of them had earned that title.

Senju Hashirama, a sunny personality that could rapidly turn into a monster. He had always invisioned him as a powerful leader and a firm person due to all the glory that was thrown at him. The truth was far from what he imagined, he discovered. A kind person with big dreams and a huge heart that always seeks salvation in everyone, even his worst enemies. He reminded him of a certain blond idiot he knew all to well, but he gave more respect to the First, as he was actually able to take a stand and do his duty of finishing of his friend.

Speaking of blond and sunny, his eyes travelled all the way to the last. His official godfather and appearently father of his idiotic 'friend'. Namikaze Minato, who was said to achieve many great things despite his short ruling period. Many information about him had been kept secret because of his son, but he had defeated the nine tails and killed thousands of hidden rock soldiers, which by any means were remarkable achievements.

Next to him stood the Third, Sarutobi Hiruzen, a person who had been kind to him his entire childhood, who looked after him and helped him when his clan had been murdered in one night. Only to discover that said man had ordered the attack and the assassin, his beloved big brother, had been used by the village leaders to take down a 'potential threat'. While he could agree that his clan was taking matters too far, he still couldn't forgive him for letting his kinsmen die instead of talking some sense into them and allowing Orochimaru and Danzo to live and continue their atrocious actions. Those two he had alrealdy retaliated againt, but what was done was done.

And lastly, he observed the blue-armoured man, his fury growing back. The culprit of everything. Everyone always put the blame on the obvious villains and praised the heroes, but that man didn't deserve the title of 'hero'. He didn't even deserve being called a 'man', in his opinion. According to the story they had just described, he had told on Hashirama when meeting with Madara, severing their friendship and a possible ceasefire. He had killed Izuna, nearly destroying any chances they had of finally ending the wars, making many more people die. Ignoring Hashirama's efforts, he continued to taunt him and discriminate his poeple, to the point where he had practically drove Madara to a desperate point. And then, when ending with his enemy wasn't enough, he made life a misery for all those born into the clan of 'hatred'.

This whole war againt the revived shinobi was his fault too, he reminded himself. The edo-tensei a powerful jutsu that should have never been created, was created by his hands. Many call Orochimaru a criminal for all his experiments, and Danzo a traitor for his recently discovered actions. No matter how right they are to do, he could not begin to imagine the heinous things Senju Tobirama had carried out in order for that cursed technique to be created.

All in all, he hated him. More that any other enemy he had come to face. He hated him. He let out a long sigh. This was the result of his actions. His hatred had never felt more justified than right now. His resolve was clear. He-

A cough caugth his attention suddenly. He look at Hashirama, who had a fist in front of his moth.

"Young uchiha," he started. "I know what you must have been thinking, but I still want to tell you that this isn't the way."

He stared at him for a moment with a raised eyebrow. He had already told them his reasons for what he was doing, of course he would say anything to save-

"I've seen the way you were looking at my brother before, young one. After what has been said here, I can understand where your feelings are coming from, but I believe you are partly mistaken in your resolution."

What? "What do you mean by that?" he asked gruffly.

"Show some respect, boy," came the sharp voice of the Second.

"It's alright Tobirama, this young uchiha has every right to be angry at all of us, doesn't he?" he said back with a small smile, to which his brother huffed and looked away. "Listen, Sasuke. I can feel your hatred and thirst of vengeance inside you. And also to who they are directed to. Given the events you have gone through you aren't to blame for them, but before you make a decission, I would like to correct your innaccurate perspective."

Sasuke stared at him now with both eyebrows raised. The rest of the hokages looked at him with curious expressions, even the Second mixed with his usual scowling face. He was surprised by his words. He already was acquainted with his kindness, but he had expected him to try and change his mind, not to agree with him and tell him his perspective was... innaccurate? What did that even mean?

"And what exactly did you mean by that, Lord First?" Orochimaru asked behind him, ever so curious and respectful towards them. It was kind of strange how he always expressed his repect to them, especially to the Second, like he had ever done anything to deserve it. Birds of a feather, he supposed. Juugo and Suigetsu stood next to him, the First with his guard up in case they attemped any other attack on Sasuke, the latter still shocked by their presence, as if they hadn't been standing there and talking to them some minutes ago.

"Well, while I don't agree with all my brothers actions, I am still his big brother and I must say that your vision is lacking of a certain detail that could change you entire view of him."

His words came out in a wise and gentle tone, funnily enough considering his recent change of moods. What he did not expect was for the Second to regard his brother with cold eyes, like he had a slight clue of what he was talking about. The other two stood in silence.

"And what slight detail might that be?" he inquired impatiently. This conversation was taking to long.

The First remained silent for a moment, looking unsure and a bit nervous before he schooled his features again and responded in a serious tone, if not trying to hide how his lips turned up in the slightest. "Does the name Nanashi say anything to you?"

The reactions came in the form of curious gazes sent his way. He tried to remember any uchiha with that name from the clan archieves but he coundn't remember anyone with that name. His thinking process was interrupted when killing intent began to emanate from the Second, who regarded his brother with a blank face and murderous eyes.

"Anija, what do you think you are doing?" His voice was straining with anger he was traying to contain. The First just looked at him from the corner of his eyes for a second and sent him a smile that looked sad. Then he looked back at Sasuke and his mouth dropped down a little. "No, of course you don't. I should have assumed she would have been kept secret from everyone."

"Nanashi? Who's that? Is there even a famous person named like that?" Suigetsu whispered to himself. Orochimaru also had an intriguing expression, so whoever that was, it didn't look like he knew of, which was weird considering his obsession for his clan. The Third and Fourth looked at each other with confussion, while the First and Second looked like they were having a silent conversation. For a moment no one said anything, until his patience finally snapped.

"Well? Care to enlighten us?" he growled. Hashirama sent a silent apology to his bother and finally he spoke. "She was an Uchiha from our time. A powerful child who suffered in the most horrendous ways until her time came." He closed his mouth and regained his thoughts ignoring the furious look of the man next to him. "She was born with amazing abilities, and people treated her in a cruel and unfair way... Tobirama was actually very close to her."

"Oh please Anija, I only met her twice in my life, and we weren't even that close", he said having calmed down a little. "If anything, that suffering you say she went under was her clan's fault. Just another reason as to why that cursed clan is better now that it's gone."

Sasuke ignored that last jab as he kept his eyes on Hashirama. Eventually, he continued. "Young man, do you know the main powers of the mangekyo sharingan?" Sasuke remained confused but decided to play along so that this whole thing could be over. "Susanoo, Tsukuyomi, Amaterasu, Kamui, Kotoamatsukami, Izanagi and Izanami. What does it matter?" The First didn't react despite his rude comeback. "And do you know who their greater users where?" "Hn, why do you want to know that? You already lived with one of them."

Still no reaction. "Well, to answer your question, Nanashi was the greatest user of genjutsu that has ever lived. Unfortunately, that was also the reason of her downfall. Her story was trully one of a kind, but Tobirama will tell you more."

He directed his look to the Second, who looked seconds away from strangling his borther. "And why, pray tell Anija, would I do-" "Because -he quickly responded without giving him time to continue with a hard look- this story may help him decide what he will do, and by extension dictate the fate of the world."

With a heavy sigh, the Second stood up straighter and sent a judmental look towards Sasuke. Finally, he gave in and spoke. "From what we were able to gather, Nanashi was born in the main Uchiha compound with her mangekyo sharingan already awakened," he declared, to which everyone in that room adquired a shocked look. He waited a few seconds to make sure all of them understood the implications before continuing. "Her mangekyo ability was the Inkizami no Tsukuyomi, and it was extremily powerful. However, as a baby, she coundn't control it properly, and it resulted in her parents accidently being driven to madness by their infant daughter just weeks after her birth. The clan head at that time, Uchiha Tajima, found out and decided to adopt her as her own and train her to user her eyes for the clan."

Sasuke stood still not sure of if what he was hearing was real. There was an eighth technique? It was hard to believe, there was nothing writen on the Uchiha scrolls about this. It sounded so impossible, so fantastical. Oh, but if it was true... He could already imagine the possibilities. A child born with a mangekyo so powerful that it could destroy minds with just a small look. That girl sounded like a huge asset but... The clan hadn't any reccord about her. Why was that?

As if reading his mind, the Second continued. "This wasn't registered anywhere because of the darkness of the whole thing. A little girl trained from the moment she began to breath into a killing machine, who only had to peek at anyone to kill them mentally, but deprived of any love or affection. They even used a sealed headband to make her a emotionless slave. She was basically their ace up their sleeve. Their secret soldier who was sent to carry out the darkest missions only to be kept prisoner in a sealed cave, never to see the light other than to end a life. We were only able to gather this much information by pure luck. It's possible that not even Madara knew of her existence, with her being so young at the time of her disappearance." He released a thick breath, as if his words pained him. "Appearently, her clan feared her because of her abilities, and Tajima mistreated her a lot too, but he gained her loyalty when he proved to her he was inmune to her powers".

"Yes," Hashirama added with a somber look. "I still remember that day. It was a long time ago, when Tobirama was  a young boy and so was I. We were both in a surveillance mission with our father..."

──

He remembered that day well. All to well. He and Hashirama were barely adults, patrolling their clan's borders with their father when he had detected two strong chakra sources advancing towards them too quickly. Their father and current clan head, Senju Butsuma, stood with his guard up and ordered them to prepare.

Luck had not been on their side. Tobirama always preffered to battle at night, when he could make use of his superior sensing abilities, but at the time he was still perfecting them. Besides, even if he could sense them, the Uchihas had their damned sharingan, which allowed them to locate them in the dark. The fact that the sky was full with clouds that blocked the moonlight was of no help. 

He informed of their current predicament and right after doing so, he looked up at the sky. Not a star could be seen. They would have to relly on his sensing to return home. If they managed to survive this fight. While he was still young, he had already become a powerful asset to his clan, and a well-known warrior, but he couldn't affort to be arrogant. Those people were the first to die. Although the Uchihas, famous for their cockiness, had managed to stay in their position for centuries. If it weren't for their sharingan, the war would have ended years ago. Those cursed, bloody, red ey- Wait. Red. That brilliance... Was that-

Before he could figure out what he thought he had seen up in the firmament, their father and current clan head, Senju Butsuma, stood with his guard up and ordered them to prepare, but they weren't ready for what they saw. Uchiha Tajima, current head of the uchihas, and in his arms was a child.

A little girl with obvious uchiha traits. Black hair, black eyes and pale skin. But when he took a closer look, he realised she didn't exactly look like the other uchihas. Her hair was spiky with a blue tint and reached past her shoulder blades, instead of the typical ash black hair that most Uchihas had. She had an orange headband that secured her hair, allowing a few locks to escape. What's more, she wasn't dressed in the normal uchiha tunics. She wore a black cropped turtleneck and matching capri leggings underneath a blue coat with darker outline, brown belt with silver buckle, dark brown, fingerless gloves, and black boots. No sign of the Uchiha fan in any of her garments.

But this was strange. Why was the Uchiha leader here with a child on his arms? Who even was she? By the looks his father was sending them, it didn't look like he knew her. Then again, she was calmly seated in the man's arms, without fidgeting, which was weird for a kid her age, almost disturbing considering she was in front of her clan's most wanted enemies. Why was she so quiet? Why were her eyes so open and her pupils so small? And was nobody going to ask why was she on a battlefield?! For Kami sake, she looked barely eight years old!

"Well, well, look what we found, my dear. A small party of Senjus patrolling near our lands," Tajima spoke loudly looking at them with a sick smile on his face that sent shivers down his spine. "The one in the middle is Butsuma, their leader. The small ones are his sons. Hashirama, the brunette is the heir, and the white-haired one is Tobirama, his second son," he introduced them with a mocking face to the girl, who took them all in with an emotionless face.

"What is the meaning of this, Tajima? We are inside our borders, what business do you have here?" his father questioned severely. Tajima marely shaked his head and stood there unalarmed. He glanced to his brother who looked on guard but also confused. "Oh, us? We are here to put a stop to all the killing and destruction the wars have been causing," he innocently declared.

That made a new wave of puzzlement hit the three of them, although he could feel Hashirama perking up at the mention of stopping the wars. "Oh?" his father started. "And how do you propose to do that?" he all but scoffed. The brothers too were curious where this was taking and remained in silence. When Tajima spoke again, seemingly contemplating something, they all had to blink twice. "With your death and your kin burned down to ashes, of course".

Before anyone could say anything, Butsuma let out a loud laugh. They too were shocked, if not nervous, as the uchiha leader was not someone who made empty promises. And lately the uchihas had gained a lot of power with unknown methods. Still, he couldn't help but wonder why had that girl come along with him. He got his answers back soon.

"Nanashi-chan, my dear daughter", the senjus turned their heads sharply towards the little girl -now named Nanashi, as in that fearsome assassin the rumors spoke about? And daugher of Tajima, what- who responded by looking at her father with wide eyes. "Why don't you give Butsuma a piece of your mind on the matter?"

Suddenly, the girl turned her neck so fast he thought she could have broken it. Then her eyes changed, from small black dots to red with black tomoes, to a pattern they had never witnessed before. Her eyes were completely red with her pupils remaining small black dots, and three traingle-like patterns evenly spaced around them, making them similar to a pinwheel. She stared at her father for a few seconds before the man began to take steps back and muttering nonsense with his eyes so wide they looked as if they would pop out of his sockets. He stumbled, like he was dizzy, and fell down grabbing his head and started yelling like a mad man. Genjutsu? He and Hashirama went to him and tried to shake him out of it, but nothing seemed to work, not even his brother's healing jutsu. He still could sense the girl's -Nanashi's- gaze on his father. Had she casted genjutsu on him? But she was just a toddler!

How could she-

Movement! Behind him! What-

Sword-

Blood-

Before he could look back, Tajima suddenly appeared behind his father and thrusted his sword on his heart. Time seemed to stop. Not a sound was heard as he stared at his father's chest, once rising and falling quickly due to his harsh breathing, now covered in red with a sword sticking from his left side which kept leaking more and more blood. He remained there, still not believing what he was seeing. His father, his clan head. Was dying. Bleeding to death. He still coundn't believe it and yet, he-

A sudden yell from his brother made him come back to reality a little. Hashirama was screaming and trying to use his healing jutsu to his maximum but it wasn't working. Tobirama was looking at him with dead-like eyes because he knew the truth, though he didn't want to admit it. It was still unbelievable to him. Hashirama didn't give up, still trying to save their father somehow despite the obvious result. He desperately took Tajima's sword, who had gone back to his daughter where he had left her unguarded, and continued to try and yell and scream at their father to wake up and open his eyes.

His hand came up without him really thinking about it and soon found his brothers shoulder, who stopped moving with tears flowing from his eyes. It was painfully clear. Their father was dead. He had died a long time ago with their mother and their little brothers. And now their leader was gone too. Had been from the moment the enemy's sword had even scrachted his back. There had never been even a slight chance of saving him. A painless death. He almost laughted at the irony.

Nevertheless, laugh was heard. A wicked, empty laugh. Without turning they knew who it belonged to. The enemy leader had just finished of his greatest foes and rivals. And when he turned around, he could confirm it indeed belonged to Uchiha Tajima, who held his child in his arms again. She just regarded him with a poker face, her eyes normal again, as if she hadn't just tortured a man to madness and helped in his demise.

Then the ground started shaking. Wha- His bother's wood style! Roots started to grow around him, the trees howled sounding like angry cries who shared their master's pain. This powerful chakra was the reason why his brother was named God of Shinobi at such a young age. Hashirama was-! "Do it again!" An angry voice with a hint of a tremor sounded strongly. The child once again activated her eyes and the roots, which had already began to crawl around the Uchihas, came to a stop. Tajima let out a small exhale of air, and the girl remained with the same expression despite almost dying crushed. He, however, regained his inner fear as he turned his head to his brother and found him with a horrified look on his face, his eyes unfocused and speaking in mumbles too, just like their father before he had-

NO!!

He quickly drew out his sword and stood protectly in front of Hashirama with his eyes closed. It was clear now the girl was producing the genjutsus. Surprisingly strong for a little girl, taht not even his brother had come out of them. He was a sensor, he could fight with his eyes closed. Yes, he reasoned with a shaky sigh,it was alright. As long as he remained calm and with his senses on high alert, there was nothing to fear.

"And then there was one," he heared the taunting voice of Tajima. "The clever ones are always the last to die. I see you figured out my girl's little trick. Amazing, isn't it? Just a glance your way and your mind will be turned to mush. As long as she looks at your brother, he will never get our of that state." He heard steps, indicating the Uchiha was approaching. He took a stand with his sword. He felt him stop a few steps from him, and the girl standing there from afar. "Do you know what the best part of this is? I'm the only one who is inmune to her powers. Which means that with her by my side, there is no one strong enough do defeat me," he chuckled. "It's over, little Senju. Soon, I will kill everyone you hold dear. Your cousins, your uncles... they will all suffer the same destiny you father and brother did. You. Have. Lost."

Blinded by fury, his body launched itself into a set of angry attacks and jutsus. Fighting with his eyes closed, despite his good sensing, was always harder, but this time his eyes weren't coordinating his moves. It was his heart, his furious, raging, rabid heart. His mind was still sending possible strategies he could use to defeat him, but his inner person didn't want that. He wanted that demon to die a slow, merciless death. To suffer and erase that sickening smile from his face. So he kept striking, using his claimed speed to try and land a deadly blow. All in all, he became blind not by his closed eye lids, but by uncontrollable rage, which was the reason he didn't see when Tajima managed to sneek on him and slice his back with his katana, that he dodged with difficulty, still receiving part of the blow but not so that it took his life as intended.

With his last ounce of strength, he took out a kunai that we always kept on his chestplate just in case, and threw it at him so fast that it managed to scratch his left arm, tearing his sleeve. He had tried to use what was rest of his force on that blow, but it had failed. Now he was powerless to stop him. He opened his eyes, defeated, knowing what was coming for him, already accepting his fate but...

What he saw wasn't what he expected to see, though he couldn't express it well because of his fatigue. Tajima had dropped his sword, and instead of looking at him to kill him, he was looking at the arm he had sliced. No, not his arm. His gaze was fixed into a small seal on his forearm. 督 (Toku). Then his eyes lost their initial glee and turned scared and frightened that he had trouble believing this was the same man who had just killed his father. Even more weird, his eyes trembled even more as he looked at the forgotten girl, who had stopped looking at Hashirama and was frowning at her father. More specifically, at the seal which he now realized had the same kanji engraved on her headband.

Hashirama finally stopped speaking and fainted on the floor, and he felt he soon would too from chakra depletion. He was releived his brother could rest, and scared for what possible side effects it might have on him, but he came back from his thoughts when Tajima began to take steps back as his daughter came forward.

"N- Nanashi, my daughter... This isn't w- what it looks like, I-!" "I'm not afraid of you," her calm voice broke through his words as she advanced with an angry expression, while he kept retreating back, sweat visible on his brow. "Wait, please-" "I know what it's like to frighten other people. That's why I'm not afraid of you. I'm the only one." He kept taking steps back as he stumbled on a root and fell against a tree. The girl reached him and raised her arm. He just closed his eyes and lifted his own in defense, as pathetic as that was. He knew he was done for. That child was more powerful that all those in that field combined. He forced his eyes to remain open as he awaited the end of this battle, and felt his body hair stand in anticipation.

"Don't do this." Tajima's voice came as a scared whisper, and he witnessed as his daughter put her raised hand on his father's sealed forearm and stroke it gently. "Do what?" she inquired in an almost sweet voice. The man remained in that position for a moment before letting out a shaky breath and opened his eyes releaved. "That's my Nanashi-chan. Everything is going to be- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!"

Tobirama, even in his weakened state couldn't help but jump back as the man began to scream for his life as if a thousand knifes were gutting his insides. He watched astonished as black fire appeared on the girl's hand, which seemed to have no effect on her, and it burned and melted the man's skin, severing the right arm of her father from his body. He couldn't even believe she had the strength to do it, let alone the guts, but she didn't seem to mind as blood came down in flods from his right side. She still had an angry look on her face when she made him look into her eyes and destroyed his mind until the screaming stopped eventually and he fell down to the floor, his eyes now vacant of life and drool coming down his open mouth. That horrendous moment was chosen by his body to finally snap and he too fell down on the ground, face down. The girl appearently took this a sign, as she retreated her arm and stared at his body, and began to walk towards nowhere in particular. He had been spared, he faintly realized. She was at the edge of the field when his raspy voice came out one final time. "Where... are you gonna... go?" The girl turned back to him and regarded him with the same expression he had seen on her face before the battle began. "Nowhere," her childish voice responded as she continued walking. The last thing he heard where the sound of her heels marching away when he closed his and succumed to his wounds.

──

"... and then we didn't see her for years. After that, I becabe clan head and married Mito, the village was created, Madara... left and the rest, you all know," he finished.

The Third and Fourth were astonished as they didn't know that part of history from their predecessors. Orochimaru was impressed too, mostly because of the scientific possibilities he guessed. Suigetsu stood there with his mouth open, even the all-time serious Juugo had a surprised face. Sasuke was still in shock after hearing such a story. It still didn't sound possible for him. A child with that kind of power. But he could feel that wasn't the end of it.

"What happened to her after you last saw her? Do you know?" the Fourth asked, surprisingly enough. Sasuke reminded himself again that he was Naruto's father, so he should assume that his idiotic forgiving nature had come from his genes.

Hashirama gave him what he could call an I-smile-because-I-don't-wanna-cry look and answered. "Well, I actually never saw her again," he said rubbing his neck with a sorry smile. "Tobirama was the last to see her after we faced down the Seven Deadly Tengan." After that sentence, they all stared at him with dumbfounded looks. "What? It's not like we made up the name, they were the ones who presented themselves like that!" he said indignant when everyone regarded him with the same expressions.

"They were a group of civilans and rogue ninjas who were turned into crimminals," the Second explained for everybody's sake. "After many years, a group a mercenaries came out of nowhere and started to cause trouble to the neighboring villages, and we were sent to defeat them. I, Anija, Touka, Mito, my squad, Sasuke and many more. All of them possessed the mangekyo sharingan and represented one of the eight unique abilitys. Susanoo, Amaterasu, Kamui, Kotoamatsukami, Izanagi, Izanami and herself." That really shocked Sasuke even more. After hearing about that mysterious Nanashi, there were more like her out there? "Despite their seemingly relation to Nanashi, they were far from related to each other. They weren't even true Uchihas."

"How's that?" Suigetsu asked. He inmediatly hid behind Orochimaru as the serious look on the Second turned to him. "Because," he First interjected heavily. "She was the one who created them. With her very own doujutsu, Yachihoko. Nevertheless, in spite of the fact that they could single-handedly defeat any of us, in the end it was the seven of them against the whole village. Eventually we took them down. Most of them, anyway."

──

Tobirama rested againt a tree as he regarded silently the enemies they had kept fighting against for a whole day at the ground of their newly built castle. The place looked as if had been taken out a fairy tail. Over a desserted wasteland , big and tall towers rose before them under a dark-clouded sky, and sorrounded by red trees with blue trunks. The most noticeable detail was the moon. It shone with a bright red color with a pattern resembling a mangekyo sharingan. Not Madara's or Izuna's, but a very familiar one nonetheless.

 The Seven Deadly Tengan, as they had introduced themselves as. That name was definitely fitting. Yūbu had been an inpenetrable shield with a massive strength. Tsukai too was a source of destruction, with her unextinguishable black flames that could burn down anything. Luckily, those two relied on pure power rather than a strategy so they were the easiest to defeat. Idō and Musubi were a different story; one with intangibility and another with mind control skills respectively. With Idō, they had to decipher his technique and wait for the perfect moment to deliver the blows. Musubi had required lots of teamwork to overcome the mental control, and unfortunatelly the help of the uchihas to break it later.

Last but not least, the greatest of them all. Hiruko had the ability to regenerate from any wound, and even revive himself from the dead, which had come to intrigue him. Awashima could create powerful ilussions where she trapped you in a time loop, and made you lose sight of reality. They had been the hardest to take down. It painted him to admid it, that hundreds of shinobis had been needed to knock down that pair. As they discovered later, the answer was to make Hiruko lose his consciousness and as for Awashima, using the best genjutsu experts they had, they trapped her in her own ilussions. That's when Senju, previously Uzumaki, Mito came in.

Her help with seals had been expremely helpful during the fight, and also helping restraining them after being captured. "Aneue," he greeted her sister-in-law as she advanced towards him with his brother and Touka in tow. "Tobirama," she greeted back. "I need to ask you something. While we were fighting, I sensed a strong chakra signature radiating from the... Seven Deadly Tengan. –the name still sounded so silly, and yet they hadn't found anything more fitting- It was the same in all of them."

"Hmm. Now that you mention, I did feel something strange about them. And their behaviour was odd to say the least. It almost looked as if they were-" "Being controlled? I though so as well. What's more, judging from their title, it is obvious that one of them is still active and possibly hiding themselves. So I decided to step down for a moment during the battle to try and understand what it meant and I came to a conclussion". No surprises there, he mused. She had always been better at sensing than him because of her Uzumaki lineage. It also helped that she was capable of sensing emotions from others, something he had yet to discuss with her in order to comprehend it better. "It turns out that chakra was coming from inside the castle, which led me to believe whoever is inside is the last member that was controlling them the whole time."

That got them all thinking. Just who was so powerful as to control people as mighty as those six were. His inmediate thought was of someone from the uchiha clan, known for their visual prowers. Their enemies even had those cursed eyes, so it would make sense. But appart from Madara, now dead and buried, luckily for all of them, there were no reccords of any rogue uchiha.

"And... I think I know who it could be." Her voice made his attention turn to her one again. It seemed like she had a guess who could it be, though she looked uncomfortable for some reason. "You know I have memorized all the chakra signatures we all have faced down in time, and after comparing them, I believe the responsible for this was an enemy you faced down a long time ago." "So... Who is it?" Touka finally asked after a long, awkard silence. Mito took a deep breath and schooled herself. "Does the name Nanashi say anything to you?"

"What??" came his inmediate reply. His breath was caught in his throat. His memories came down crushing on him. Long forgotten memories that brought so much pain and still, he vividly remembered that little girl who had betrayed her father and ended his own life after taking his own father's and nearly his brother's. Nanashi. She had disappeard after their first encounter, she told him she was going... nowhere. At that time she didn't understand what she meant. An enigma he never had the chance of figuring out. And now it looks like she had taken out her anger on the world. But why? What did she want to achieve with this?

"Yes. The little girl you once told me about, who calls herself Nanashi. I had almost forgotten about her, despite the moon being an noticeable hint," she lamented, and no one there could argue with her really. The symbol engraved on the satellite was the same he had seen in her eyes all those years ago. How could they had missed such an obvious detail. "Alright, so what do we do about her? The last time we saw her, she helped us," Hashirama said, the ever forgiving soul. "Did you forget she helped in killing father and almost destroyed your mind too after that?" Tobirama reminded him harshly. "Well, we can't just do nothing. So maybe she 'helped' you a long time ago; she still can't go unpunished for all her crimes by using those six freaks over there," Touka pointed out.

Mito nodded her head. "I agree, we need to get to her and talk her out of whatever plans she has. Or else we will have to resort to violence," she declared firmly. Tobirama agreed too, and so did his brother, a bit unsure though. Then silence was implanted once again. In their heads, the issue was clear. They couldn't just go after her, of she could use them against each other. If anything, one of them shoud go inside. Alone. With a voice of steel, Tobirama voiced his opinion. "I'll do it. I'm the only one of us she has ever talked to. She might let me get close enough." His declaration brought him a series of frowns and clear denials on his realtives faces, but they still couldn't deny his logic. With only a few words shared between them, he was the one who she had most contact with. Still, nobody who erase the worry from their minds. It felt... nice, having people who worried about him. He wasn't the most animated person so he didn't have many friends outside his inner circle. As long as he had his familly by his side, his heart would beat with hidden affection. Not that he planned on telling them that.

"Before you go after Nanashi, you need to know what you're getting into," Mito's voice cut down the moment. They still had a strategy to plan out. One look at her guarded face spoke more than a thousand words. While she remained afraid for him, they couldn't just sacrifice the people's fates over his. They all understood that. "I've seen her powers before. She has the ability to give anyone she's in contact with hallucinations, as you can see," he explained, gazing at the fantasy-like background that surrounded them bathed under the red light.

"It's worse than you think. I checked her chakra line with my senses and her powers have evolved. She doesn't create hallucinations anymore, she telekinetically warps reality for as long as the moon's brightness can reach." "Please," huffed Touka nervously. "Are you trying to tell me all this is real?" He too wanted to believe that something that extraordinary wasn't real and that this was all a nightmare, but he had already faced down this situation long ago and learnt the hard reality. "Real, growing and permanent if we don't put a stop to it all. With my emotion senses I can safely predict that Nanashi is days, maybe only hours, from a massive chakra depletion. Her eyes must have been activated for a huge amount of time."

"Problem solved then?" Touka asked. "It isn't that simple. When she goes down, the energy backlash could kill everyone in range of her technique. That's a distance measured in thousands of miles," she said gravely while revealing something from her sleeve. A headband marked with a particular kanji. He remembered that symbol. It was writen on many of Mito's scrolls, which she had justified as them being part of an important project for the future she had been working on with the Sarutobi chief. 押 (Ō). Now that he knew what it did, he understood, what they wanted him to do. "Take her down before she takes everyone with her."

He didn't say anything as he turned towards the castle and started walking to its entrance, hidden behind a mantle of thorns. There was nothing to be said. He could feel their sadness irradiating in deep waves, but not out of fear for him. That had never been the problem. He knew, they all knew. "Do you understand what you're agreeing to?" he heard his brother's gentle voice, almost as if trying to persuade him from their already set objective. His only brother left, his Anija. The one who had always looked after him, protected him from any danger he had faced. It looked like time hadn't passed and they were still kids, when he had all but depended on his big brother to survive. "The only way to stop Nanashi for certain is to kill her."

He never gave back any form of response, not physically nor verbally. Instead he kept advancing to the principal door of the castle, the thorns drawing away from him with each step he took and closing back inmediatly after. When he pushed the doors open, the scenario inside the place looked even more unreal than the outside. A gorgeus garden welcomed him. Lush bushes filled with floers of all kinds and colors. Some even looked made up from a child's imagination. The ground was covered in grass, with stone tiles to walk over. There was even a sky up in the ceiling. What an intriguing jutsu. He could almost hear a soft tuned being played in the back, one that resembled those played at acts about mythical tales.

That wasn't the only sound that got his attention. When he turned back, his eyes finally met with her figure, lazily going back and forth on a swing. He couldn't help but take her new form in. Her hair had grown exponentially to her knees and had adquired way some spikes. The new hairstyle made him think she had chopped it in a messy way, possibly due to her lack of experience. Her old headband was gone, and so was her old attire. Now she wore black boots with short socks and a navy blue bodysuit resembling a nightgown, with wide sleeves and a turtle neck that didn't quite reach her knees, but remarked her age greatly, reafirming her gentle features. She had to be in the middle of her teenager stage, but she had defenitely grown into a fine woman.

Or at least, he suppossed so, because her dirty hair and the stains and cuts on her clothes only made her look like those orphaned children they had been receiving every so often in the village. That sight alone almost made him want to quit the mission. Almost.

The girl remained in place, swinging forwards and backwards like a toddler. An experience she never got to experience, he could assume. Finally after a moment, she acknowledged his presence. "Senju Tobirama," she saluted without moving her eyes from their position. Her pupils ever so small, she looked like she was looking at something only she could see. He wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. "Uchiha Hikari," he greeted back with no emotion in his voice. "I see you have made quite the research. Not even him ever called me by my birth name."

Research he did indeed. That was one of the few information he had been able to obtain at that time until he had forgotten about her. "Did you like playing with my Seven Deadly Tengan?" she asked. Like a little kid showing their work to his parents and waiting for approval. Despite her past, her infant soul had somehow remained hidden deep inside her, and began to show when she became free. Still... "I can't say that I did," he replied, the image of his comrades lying dead on a battlefield not so long ago.

"Yeah. They aren't any fun at all. I gave them their powers, and they still hardly ever play with me." A snort came out unintentionally. "Can't imagine why," he said trying to hide a little sarcasm in his voice. She didn't speak for a moment but when she did, he clenched his fists a little too tight. "When I was little, he used to make me play all kinds of games, but they weren't any fun either," she began, her voice angering slightly as clouds covered the inner sky. "They'd make me train until by bones cracked and mute my will with their sealed headband, and force me to strain my eyesight to improve it and find out how it worked. 'Nanashi, can you move that object with your mind?'" A nearby tree lifted itself from the ground and into the dark sky. "Yeah, I can move it." He continued to look at her in silence. She needed this, he knew. To get it all out. "They weren't really games, you know. They were training me. Turning me into a weapon 'for the clan', they said," she stopped swinging and gave a little kick to the earth below her. "They got their weapon; I got cheated out of my childhood. All to become another link in the world's worst chain."

That had been the reason for this whole thing. The justification of so many deaths and destruction. A childish revenge, some would call it. But Tobirama... he understood her. Possibly better than anyone he could think of. Hashirama fought to lead their people into a safe tomorrow. Sasuke sought to become a better leader for his clan, which depended on him. Mito had the responsability to represent both Konoha and Uzu, being the wife of the Shodaime. Touka was a war general. Being her parents' only heir, she had been forced on the battlefield since she was a child to defend their honor and her clan's. But him? He was the second heir of he Senju. The little brother of the God of Shinobi. The spare in case his elder brother died. No matter how powerful he became, he was basically just a plan b, a second alternative. If he were to die, the village would still have their leader and  the clan would still have their chief. Nothing would change significantly. Sure, he would be missed and a big soldier would be lost, but sooner or later he would be replaced with a new warrior from a yonger generation. Like Kagami or Saru.

All in all, he finally understood. She didn't hate him. She didn't hate the Uchiha, nor the village. She probably didn't even have the ability to hate anybody, no matter how much she wanted to. She just despised the Ninja World. It made sense. All the things she had to go under, the major reason for her continuous suffering was because of the reality they lived in. With her inmense capacities, she could have created more slaves to bring all the villages down if she felt so moved; she could literally alter the whole world with a single glimpse, as he had just learnt. But even with all that, she hadn't. 

He just stood there firmly, unsure at first. Finally, he wetted his lips a bit. "I know what that's like," he said, mirroring his own childhood memories. Depressing as they were, he still thought nothing could compare to her past and present suffering. "You do, don't you?" she asked gently, her gaze landing on him for the first time. Speaking of first times, she also gifted him with a smile that he swore carried out an aura of sadness. But that face, it was just looked so accepting, so- "You don't have to answer. I've read your mind. That's how I knew you weren't going to use Mito's headband on me."

He revealed the accesory from his pouch without hesitation and allowed it to fall from his fingertips, leaving it lying to the ground. "No, I wasn't," he affirmed. "You were going to try and talk me into fixing what I've changed... before I die." Her words came out more as a sentence. He schooled his features. "Yes." "I'm dying very soon," she said again, her eyes not giving anything away. He gathered every bit of strength he had. For both their sakes. "Yes," he let out in a steady voice. "I'm sorry." He clenched his jaw thighly.

Those words seemed to be a breaking point for her. They probably sounded foreign to her. The first person in her life to ever apologising for what she went under, even if he wasn't at fault directly. A small sniff was heard as her shoulders flinched a little, most likely trying to contain her emotions. Many had called him emotioness in his early teens, but this girl had had that lesson drilled into her hear from the moment she began to speak. Still, a sad look dawned on her face. When she lookd back at him, long tears were coming from her eyes.

"Would you stay with me? I'm scared," she whispered, almost whimpered. He walked towards the swing next to hers and sat down, holding his hands on his lap. She wiped away her tears with her wrist and both stood there in silence. Eventually, he raised his arm, offering one final form of support. She stared at his hand and raised hers too. And there they stood, gripping each others hand.

──

"-Later after that, the moon regained its color and the land adopted its natural look again... He sat with her until her time came."

[sagemoderocklee]

Hello, I hope you’re feeling well :).

I just wanted to have your opinion about Temari x Shikamaru? I love the way you write about them. I think Kishimoto would be jealous lol.

I also cannot wait for your updates, especially for “The Art of Love”. Please take care!

^///^ thank you so much anon! for the compliment and the well wishes!

all updates are currently only being done through my fundraising campaign for Palestinian families, but if you would like to see TAoL updated, that IS one of the fics that can be sponsored! The next chapter of TAoL is estimated at around 15k words for a total of $60USD in donations, which do not have to be all one person donating! I hope you'll consider donating to help families!

i absolutely LOVE ShikaTema and i love writing them into all my fics, even when they are barely there. their relationship had so much potential and then boruto ruined it.

kishimoto's problem--and thus Naruto's (and Boruto's) problem--will always be misogyny. i love all the girls (minus hinata), but no matter how bad ass or fun he makes them, they always suffer under misogyny (including Hinata), and so do their relationships--especially the romantic ones.

and this is getting extremely rambly so more under the cut

i think shikamaru and temari suffer more in boruto than in classic or Shippuden--i'd even go so far as to say that relationship suffers the most out of all the ones presented to us because the building blocks in Naruto/Shippuden never supported what Boruto delivered--but i cant speak broadly on that since i refuse to engage with boruto beyond some old silly jokes about metal looking like gaara. i do know through just hearing about it that temari gets the like the shrill, overbearing wife treatment, and obviously she went from being an active duty shinobi to being a housewife, which is so insulting.

if anything, shikamaru should be the stay at home parent. temari should continue her diplomacy work, she should not have just up and left her village for good, and she shouldn't be treated like an overbearing wife.

my preference is to always have Temari and Shikamaru split their time in Suna and Konoha. Shikamaru might ultimately end up being a stay-at-home dad but i do think he still wouldn't abandon his duties as the head of his clan. he'd have a proxy for when he's not in Konoha, but they'd still need to report to him regularly while he's in Suna, and he could always be recalled back to Konoha for big issues within the clan. i think at a certain point he does retire from being a shinobi to focus on the kids, while still being willing to be like a consultant for strategy if need be

but ultimately i think Shikamaru is just a wife guy. i think that's what was being set up for us. Shikamaru being this dumb pre-teen kid who thought girls were gross and was falling into these misogynistic ideas, only to have his world view rocked by Temari. i think she's the catalyst for his growth but not the sole reason for it. i think it was just like the women around him on a daily basis and his own just like growth as a person, but he needed someone to come in to put the first chink in the armor, so to speak. Temari was someone he didn't really know or have any notions about beyond her being a girl and what that meant to a 12 year old boy.

once she proved to defy his expectations and also challenge him, i think that's where he starts to grow.

i think temari and shikamaru's relationship has to be built on equity, respect, and understanding, which kishimoto and anyone else writing these relationships don't grasp.

one thing that should have been emphasized more, imo, is that Temari is on par with Shikamaru. i think she's a genius too, but she's not as lazy and bored by the world as he is, and i think that challenges him. i think she's interesting to him because she's his equal, and often times his better. like she pushes him. he's a lazy mf, but he's brilliant; she's brilliant AND not a lazy mf. she's driven, she's passionate, she's funny, she's playful, she's a lil mean sometimes but has a big heart...

like deadass shikamaru should WORSHIP the ground she walks on. he should be so in love with her, but he always keeps it close to the chest. he's not like tryna play it cool he's just like that. it's not like he's scared or even embarrassed, i just think he's reserved in how he shows that to he world, which works well cause i dont think temari is publicly very lovey-dovey either.

i think temari is just as in love with him--again equity and so on--but i do think she also has other priorities like her career. i think shikamaru could give a rat's ass about being a shinobi and the only thing he really cares about related to shinobi work is his teammates and his clan, but that's still all wrapped up in duty. temari is his choice. which i think is something that anyone from a clan really would be drawn to--clans are about duty, shinobi life is about duty. but loving someone outside of the clan, choosing who you marry--that's choice and that's freeing.

i think temari is freedom for shikamaru, and she needs freedom from him. he's not overbearing. he's not insecure. he's willing to do shit a lotta other guys wouldn't do--like be a stay-at-home dad. and he loves her without reservation and without expectation. i think for temari, expectation is the root of all evil.

she's the daughter of the 4th Kazekage, people expect things from her because of that. she's a shinobi--a kunoichi--a woman, so people expect certain things from her because of that.

get married. retire early. have kids. can't be too ambitious. not allowed on the council. so on and so on.

all these gendered expectations of her from the world around her, but not from Shikamaru.

like obviously he does wanna marry her and have kids, but it's not a demand. he never expects her to do anything she doesn't wanna do. and it's not like she doesnt want kids. she absolutely wants to get married and have a family, but she also wants her ambition. her career. her passion. she wants to change the world alongside Gaara, not sit idly by while the men in her life do and do and do.

shikamaru gives her that. she defied expectations because she didn't marry a man from Wind, she didn't retire, she's having kids who'll have dual loyalties which means from the council's pov her children aren't viable heirs to the Kazekage title, she retains all of her ambitions and passions and keeps fighting for the equity of women in the shinobi world.

Shikamaru is for Temari, what she is for him. he challenges her as much as she challenges him; he gives her what she needs from a partner, as much as she gives him what he needs. emotionally, mentally, and physically they both challenge the other, support the other, and understand the other.

they just make a good team. they make each other stronger and smarter and better, and they make each other happy.

anyways, this is all really rambly. not feelin that great today so i hope this rambling mess is fun to read!

thanks for the ask and for reading my fics <3

[badgalsasuke]

Kishimoto Asaichi NHK Special Interview (July 20th 2012)

SOURCE

Another video that could be considered somewhat lost media, the video still available on youtube has a horrendous voice over translation, but I was able to find the original video in Japanese (I felt so old looking at Youtube's old interface omg).

This is Kishimoto's first ever televised interview and it was for NHK program "Asaichi" (あさイチ) a weekly morning talk-show geared towards a middle-aged audience. Kishimoto was promoting the movie Road To Ninja.

Please watch the video as you read the transcription for a better understanding of the special.

INTRO (0:00 - 0:24)

さあこれが日本を代表する人気漫画家のアトリエですそしてこの方テレビ初登場 ナルトの作者岸本雅史さんですナルトの誕生秘話や創作への思いを伺っちゃいました。

So this is the studio of one of Japan's most popular manga artists, and this is his first TV appearance. It's Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto. We asked him about the story behind the creation of Naruto and his thoughts on creating it.

INTERVIEW (0:25-4:16)

ナルトを書こうと思ったきっかけは？

岸本:「NARUTO」���描こうと思ったきっかけは、最初はラーメンの話を描こうと思いまして、 ラーメンの麺とスープを絡めたなんかよくわからないラーメンの話を描こうとしたのがきっかけでそれはさすがに子どもにウケないということで主人公のナルトって名前だけ引き継いでナルトにあったものが何かと思ったときに日本のもので忍者がいいかなということで忍者を選びました。

What inspired you to start writing Naruto?

Kishimoto: The reason I decided to draw "NARUTO" was that I initially wanted to create a story about ramen. I thought of drawing a story about ramen with noodles and soup mixed together, but that didn't seem appealing to children. So, I kept the name of the protagonist, Naruto, and when I thought about what would suit Naruto, I decided that ninjas would be a good fit, so I chose ninjas.

こだわったテーマは？

岸本:「NARUTO」でこだわったところは「認める」「認められたい」みたいな気持ちを描こうというのはあってラーメンのマンガを描こうと思って認められなかったわけですよ。なので、認められたいというテーマみたいなものがボクの中にも結構あって、なかなか最初、担当編集者にマンガを認めてもらえないわけですよ。 ボクも早く認めてもらいたいというのがあって、それを主人公にも気持ちをのっけて描いていくというのがあったので「認める」ということが結構大きなボクの中では描きたい「NARUTO」にとってはこだわってるもの。

What theme did you focus on?

Kishimoto: What I was particular about in "NARUTO" was depicting feelings like "acknowledgment" and "wanting to be recognized." I thought about drawing a ramen manga, but it wasn't accepted. So, the theme of wanting to be acknowledged was quite significant for me too, and at first, my editor didn't accept the manga and I really wanted to be acknowledged quickly. So, I projected that feeling onto the protagonist, which is why the concept of "acknowledgement" is something I was particular about in "NARUTO."

意識している読者層は？

岸本: 読者層はもう子どもです。一番見てもらいたいと思って描いているのは、中学２年生の男の子たちというのがボクの中のターゲットとしてあって、ボクはもう中学２年生の男の子の前では土下座してでも見てくれと言いたくなるくらいヤツらには頭が上がらない。中学２年生の男の子たちが持っている感覚というのがボクの中の宝なので、ボク　どんどん歳とってるんで、その感覚が薄れてきちゃってるんですけど、中学２年生の男の子に、今ボク、歳とって憧れがあるから、憧れというか、そういう部分をなくしたくないという思いがあって・・・。

What is the target audience you have in mind?

Kishimoto: The readership is already children. The target I want to reach the most with my drawings is junior high school second-year boys. I feel so humbled by them that I would even want to beg them to look at my work. The sensibilities of boys in the second year of junior high school are a treasure to me, and as I'm getting older, that sensibilities are fading, but I currently have a longing for second-year junior high school boys because I'm getting older. I don't want to lose that longing or that part of me...

中学２年生のときに何かあった？

岸本: ありましたよ。マンガをはじめて描きはじめたときですよ。プロになろうってマジで決めたのは、たぶん中学２年生くらいのときで、ボクにとっては中学２年生というのはちょっと特別なので、そういうふうに、夢をもらった、夢をくれたようなオトナの人たちにマンガ家になろうって思えたそういうふうに思わせてくれた人たちをやっぱり尊敬しているので、ボクもそういう人になりたいと思っていて、今の中学２年生くらいの男の子に、それが今度逆に自分でできたらなというのがあります。

Did something happen when you were in the second year of middle school?

Kishimoto: Yes, there was. It was when I first started drawing manga. I seriously decided to become a professional when I was probably in the second year of junior high school. For me, the second year of junior high school is a bit special, and I respect the adults who gave me dreams and made me think I could become a manga artist. I want to be that kind of person too, and I hope that someday I can do the same for boys in the second year of junior high school now.

ライバルは？

岸本: ライバルはもういっぱいいます。一人にしぼれないですね。「ジャンプ」で連載されている作家さんは、みんなライバルです。 こわいのは、本当にこわいのは、才能を持っている、まだでてきていない新人ですね。それが一番こわいです。 もうボクは歳とって、どんどんズレていくので、若い子たちに負けないようにやりたいなって思っています。

Who are your rivals?

Kishimoto: I have so many rivals. I can't narrow it down to just one. All the writers serializing in Jump are my rivals. What scares me, what really scares me are the talented newcomers who haven't emerged yet. Those are the scariest. I'm getting older and I'm getting further and further out of touch, so I want to make sure I don't lose to the younger generation.

COMMENTARY (4:17-7:52)

Host 1: I think you [host 2 & Kishimoto] are probably about the same generation. Host 2: Around the same generation. Host 1: It's really inspiring listening to him talk. Host 2: It was written for middle schoolers, but I can understand why parents read it and got hooked. Host 1: I guess you just haven't forgotten how you felt at the time. Host 3: It's amazing and he speaks so honestly, and he has a very refreshing tone. I see a lot of similarities between Naruto and Akimoto-san.

Host 2: This is the ninth movie, and it's the first time Kishimoto-san fully cooperated with the film's production, and it depicts a theme that couldn't be depicted in the manga, so that's why Fumihiko highly recommends it. Host 3: If there are people who think that way, it's me. Host 2: Speaking of parent and child relationships, in the manga Naruto's parents are already dead and gone. However, in the film he's trapped in the enemy's reality illusion technique and meets his real parents. So he's transported into a parallel world.

Naruto: It's making me go crazy, what on earth is this place? dattebayo!

Host 2: Naruto realizes he's fallen into an enemy trap and tries to return to the real world.

Kushina: Welcome home.

Naruto: I'm home.

Host 2: Although he realizes that the reunion with his supposedly deceased parents is a trap, he gradually begins to feel comfortable there.

Naruto: Why are you talking so suddenly? I'm a bit busy today. Sakura: I know. Naruto: Well, I guess we'll just have to wait until that time comes, so this is just a time-killer. Sakura: So Naruto, is this world really happy for you? Naruto: Hey! Sakura! What are you talking about? *I have everything here, everything I ever wanted. I have a dad and a mom, this is what I've always wanted.*

Host 1: This brings us to the issue of the bond between parent and child.

Host 2: In fact, it is a virtual world, so it is heartbreaking even for parents to watch, wondering whether they will return to the real world or stay in their comfortable place and fall into the enemy's trap. It is truly heartbreaking, and since summer vacation starts tomorrow, I think it would be easy for parents and children to watch together.

We have already received emails from someone in their 50s, living in Chiba Prefecture "my whole family are fans of Naruto. I am drawn to the fact that the importance of courage, justice, friends, and family is portrayed so directly and persuasively".

We also received a voice message "Thank you so much for everything you've done" accompanied with an illustration. So we introduced Naruto, we think it would be the perfect movie for the summer.

The special only lasts around 8 minutes. After that, the video repeats a second time but muted.

[naruhinalife555]

.

I replied to a Narusaku fan who was claiming the typical thing, that Naruto ended up with Hinata by default, that he doesn't love her and always did, and that he currently loves Sakura, blah blah blah. Well, I won't really summarize what I answered because my answer is rather short, but this guy shows up and starts justifying Narusaku to me in a way lol. Honestly, I understand and respect Naruto and Sakura fans because it's everyone's tastes, but what's wrong is claiming things that never happened or weren't meant to be, and making them seem like they were. Every good Naruto watcher knew that Naruto and Sakura's bromance wouldn't end in love, because he didn't love her in the full sense of the word and neither did she love him. If there was any kind of love, it was completely brotherly. I'll give an example, like that of Ino and Shikamaru or Choji, who were very close but there was no romance between them. These fans seem to me to be the kind of people who ask for a pencil and assume you're in love with them, lol.

What I answered IS A LOT OF TEXT, but if anyone would like to see it, let me know.

That was today's report, thanks for your attention. 🤞🏻😔

Kishimoto totally defended about NaruHina so shut up bitches please should dead back to your grave

[bibibbon]

"Behind every successful shounen there must be the power of fujos there". Do you agree with this? After saying this, the meta writer gave many examples like : Naruto, Haikyuu, BNHA, JJK, AOT, Death Note, BSD, etc, who have many faithful shippers.

Now that I think about it, most buyers of the official merchs for those series (especially the bromance ones) must be the fujos. Even my bff who is a fujo have merch of her otps from those series above.

What do you think if someone love the non canon ships more than the story itself?

Like for my bff, the best part of BNHA & JJK are Bakudeku and Satosugu. She even wrote almost 10 fics for those 2 ships (and asked me to be her beta)....Even I started JJK and BNHA because of her! I love how passionate she is for her fav ships (sorry for my rambling)

I think for what it is, faithful shippers or shippers in general exist in every fandom even if the show may not have any canonical romance or doesn't desire for it. Examples of this can be seen with fandoms such as squid games, the digital circus, IHNMAIMS, and even mouthwashing. Shipping for better or worse is a central part of fandom.

That being said, there isn't an objective list as to what type of fan generates the most money on a media hyperfixation they have. However, from my own experiences, shippers are a huge part of fandoms, whether that be through fan art, fan fics, edits, or even analysis that they make. I think that their obvious and huge contribution to fandoms does lead to the belief that they do therefore consume a lot of said media and generate revenue for the original author, mangaka, writer, etc.

However, considering the statement you provided, I don't think that fujo shippers are the reason why a series would be so successful while they are a huge part of generating income for the author, I don't think that they are the reason why certain shonens tend to be successful. I do feel like the argument can apply to certain series like MHA and maybe even JJK but I wouldn't apply the same thing to other shonens like one peice, BSD or even AOT.

That being said a lot of this is so heavily subjective as there isn't any objective material for me to say that this is false or not but I do think that for a fandom to usually stay alive and popular it does require a strong shipping base in my opinion. I will also admit that shonen authors do sometimes pander to their audiences and really try and sell the bromance relationship they have, whether it be through official arts, official AMV's, or even little comments left by the author.

For example, Naruto and sasuke's official arts were drawn by kishimoto or the collaboration that Ken wakui had with the kid LAROI, which you can check out here

At the end of the day it's up to you how to interpret the media you consume. Fandoms are again fan spaces for people who enjoy a certain type of media and that means there will always be discourse, ship discussions and other things going on.

I think it's up to you to do what you want with the media you consume. I will say that for me personally, I am not much of a hard-core shipper but when there are ships I like they tend to have relationships that are interconnected to the story and its themes so my consumption of said media just goes into the text.

That being said fandoms are to have fun in so do what you want as long as you're being respectful and I don't think people should be shamed for liking a ship more than the media itself (however I don't think I really see eye to eye with said view but who cares about Canon in fandoms) Canon in fandoms can be dissected, critiqued, expanded on and changed by people in any shape or form and I think people should do what they please as long as they're being respectful and aren't harming anyone.