#Shino will try his best to make her feel special~

[saigethearies]

his girl best friend

kiba x fem!reader

18+ MINORS DNI

contents/warnings: reader is a lil possessive, vaginal sex, daddy kink, voyuerism(?), dash of degradation, sorry hinata stans lol she’s a lil problematic in this, allusions to unfaithfulness (not with reader’s relationship)

you were not a huge fan of hinata hyuga.

when kiba had first introduced the two of you, you had thought she seemed like a shy sweetheart. she was friendly enough and a little less intimidating to talk to than kiba’s other longtime friend, shino aburame.

the fact the guy you were seeing had a close friendship with another girl didn’t bother you, either. you weren’t an insecure person, and kiba didn’t give you any reason to start feeling that way, either. besides, hinata was finally going on dates with the man she’d had a crush on for years, naruto uzumaki.

there was no reason to dislike her.

until there was.

it started when you and kiba made it official. you had watched him type something on his phone after the two of you got back from your date.

“whatcha doing?” you had asked him, sitting down on the couch next to him.

he gave you one of his signature grins. “just telling shino and hinata the good news.”

butterflies flittered around your stomach at the fact your new boyfriend was so proud to have you that he wanted to tell his friends immediately.

he leaned in to give you a quick peck on your lips. “i’m gonna go take akamaru out real quick. you stay in here though, it’s dark out.”

“okay,” you replied. “don’t be too long!”

he left the room, and you glanced to see that he’d left his phone. message notifications displayed on the screen, and you leaned in to take a closer peek.

shino: congratulations, kiba. she seems very good for you.

that made you smile. but the text you saw next didn’t.

hinata: don’t you think it’s a little soon for the two of you to become official?

too soon? you’d known kiba since last year, and the two of you had been romantically linked for a solid month now. your relationship didn’t feel rushed at all, and who was she to judge? not everyone has to lurk on their crush for years before finally talking to them.

you chalked it up to her being jealous that her and naruto didn’t have a label yet while you and kiba did. still, her making negative remarks about your relationship that was only about two hours old left a bitter taste in your mouth.

everything seemed to go downhill from there.

she would practically ignore you whenever kiba brought you to a function. when you mentioned it to him, he said that she was just being shy as per usual. you would have taken his word for it, if it weren’t for the fact she was able to talk to you just fine before you became kiba’s girlfriend.

then there was the fact that when she wasn’t ignoring you, she was trying to best you in kiba 101.

“babe, i found out today one of my friends has an uncle who works at a jeep dealership,” you said to kiba at the kickback he had brought you to.

your boyfriend’s eyes sparkled. “no way.”

“what’s so special about that?” you heard hinata ask from across the table.

“because a wrangler is kiba’s dream car,” you replied.

hinata blinked. “no. his dream car is a camaro.”

you fought the urge to frown at her. was she seriously doing this right now? “it was a camaro, until he decided he wanted something that can off road.”

“she’s right,” kiba chimed in with a smile on his face, kissing the side of your head. “great memory, baby.”

you turned to meet his gaze and smiled back at him, the reflection in the window behind kiba giving you the perfect view of the eyeroll hinata gave your exchange.

your annoyance was finally coming to a crescendo when you started to catch her actually ogling your boyfriend.

she would practically be making fuck me eyes at kiba while standing right next to naruto, the guy who she’s supposed to be flirting with. you would feel bad for the blonde if it weren’t for the fact that he was too busy making fuck me eyes at sasuke uchiha to notice his date making fuck me eyes at her best friend.

you’d had enough.

hinata was supposed to be focusing on starting her own relationship. she’d also had plenty of opportunity to explore a possible romance with kiba, considering she’d known him for years before you even came into his life. it’s not like kiba would have rejected her, either. even though he’d never really had feelings for hinata like that (a fact shino had assured you of) she was still a pretty girl that he was close to. he probably would have been open to the idea. 

but no.

hinata decided that her friend getting into a happy relationship with another girl was the perfect time to start wanting him.

it wasn’t fair.

the worst part of all is that you didn’t want to tell kiba, who was oblivious to all of this. not because you were afraid that he wouldn’t believe you, but because you knew that he’d want to do something about it. his friends were important to him, but he wasn’t going to let anyone disrespect the boundaries of his relationship. it would impact his and hinata’s friendship in a very negative way, and you knew it would upset him.

thus, you figured you could try and resolve the problem on your own.

you were going to remind hinata hyuga of her place, and it sure as hell wasn’t in your boyfriend’s bed.

your plan fell into place on one of the trio’s game nights. kiba had hinata and shino come over every so often to play some classic board games, which was actually pretty wholesome when you ignore the whole part about hinata being after your boyfriend’s dick.

the girl in question usually got there about thirty minutes earlier than shino, probably so she could have a little window of time just her and kiba. this ended up working out for you, though.

because poor shino did not need to see what was about to happen.

all it took was an extra short pair of shorts, a bullshit excuse of you came over to find your sunglasses, and your boyfriend’s ever raging libido for your plan to kickstart.

“please, kiba, just really quick? we’ll be done before either of your friends even get here.”

he could never say no to you, not when you were being so cute and needy for him.

thus, that’s how hinata hyuga came to find you bouncing on kiba’s cock in the middle of his living room.

she stayed hidden around the corner leading to the hall, eyes blown open in shock as she watched your hips continue to slam down onto her best friend’s lap.

“fuck,” you moaned. “daddy, you feel so good.”

the brunette was canting his hips up to meet yours. “such a good little slut for me. you couldn’t wait until after my friends left, huh? wanted your daddy that bad.”

“yes!” you replied. “want you so bad.”

“it’s okay, princess, you have me.”

you hummed and leaned in for a sloppy kiss, kiba grabbing the back of your neck so he could deepen it. the sound of skin slapping against skin got louder as both of you increased the vigor in which you fucked one another.

you pulled away, a string of saliva connecting your mouth to his. you could still feel hinata’s eyes on the two of you, so it was time to go in for the kill.

“daddy,” you cooed at kiba. “tell me i’m yours.”

“you’re mine, baby. my pretty girl.”

you smiled. “m’your pretty girl?”

“mhm, my pretty girl and my favorite girl.”

you leaned into his neck so he couldn’t see the wicked smirk stretch across your face. you finally turned your head to the side, making direct eye contact with a still lingering hinata.

“i love you, daddy.”

“i love you too, princess. my one and only.”

at that you saw hinata turn on her heel and practically storm out of the house.

looks like she got the message.

[galaxychaos78]

inspired solely by the lovely @strawberrystepmom's post. got into a mushy mood and couldn't stand to keep it all in the tags. this is all fluff and alcohol mention of feelings and its just straight tooth rotting fluff.

Shikamaru was never one to drink.

His preferred vice was smoking; taking in a nicotine stick every morning, afternoon, and a few minutes before bed. He liked the ease it brought; feeling the smoke travel through his lungs, hearing the subtle click of the lighter and smelling the wisps of smoke coming from the end of the cigarette. But sometimes he indulged in an occasional drink. Only on special occasions, he told himself.

This certain occasion? Boys night.

Shikamaru chuckled as he took a sip of his alcohol, a lazy smirk on his face as he watched Naruto and Shino play Super Smash Bros, Naruto's fingers button mashing while Shino plays Pikimin with a surprising amount of skill. Shikamaru's body feels warm, like he's sitting under a tree taking a nap in the middle of summer. Choji, who's munching on popcorn, slides the bowl Shikamaru's way. Shikamaru is about to grab a handful when his phone buzzes in his pocket. He takes it out with one hand and the smirk on his face breaks out in a lovestruck, dopey eyed grin.

(Y/N): Enjoying boys night pookie?💕

Usually Shikamaru hated that word, always scrunching his face up in disgust and practically begging you to never say it again. But this time, the nickname makes him chuckle. He can imagine how you'd say it too; all exaggeratedly sweet while dragging it out just long enough to make him groan. But, as much as the word makes him want to pull his hair out, he loves watching your face when you say it. Your eyes do that crinkle thing around the edges and the laugh you make always seems to make him hate the word a bit less (not that he'd tell you that out loud. Lord knows you'd take advantage.) It's the smile that gets him though; your lips pull back and expose the white of your teeth in a way you think is unflattering, but a way Shikamaru adores.

Shikamaru: U know i h8 that wrd.

(Y/N): And I hate that you can't be bothered to text in actual complete sentences😝

(Y/N): Still love you though.😘

That makes Shikamaru laugh, and Choji can't help but glance at Shikamaru's phone before chuckling himself. "Y'know the whole reason of boys night is to hang out with the boys. Not texting your girlfriend." Choji says teasingly as he elbows Shikamaru.

"Yeah! No girlfriend stuff on boy's night!" Naruto shouts as he grabs a slice of pizza and bites into it.

"Says the man who's gone to the bathroom like 5 times in the last half hour to text Sasuke." Shino says as he takes a sip of his drink, causing Naruto to freeze mid bite. Choji and Shikamaru chuckle as Naruto yells, "Hey you don't know what I was doing in there or who I was texting!"

"Hey Shikamaru, I never asked. What does a bubbly chick like (Y/N) see in a sulky and moody guy like you?" Naruto asked as he turned towards the black haired man.

"I've also wondered that." Shino murmured as he bit into a potato chip. Shikamaru could've argued or stayed silent as he usually would, but the alcohol made his brain fuzzy and he spoke before his brain could catch up.

"I dunno man. (Y/N) is just..god I don't know what I did to deserve her." He spoke with such adoration, such overwhelming love that it stuns Naruto and Shino. There's a pause in the room and Shikamaru, realizing he was a bit vulnerable with people that weren't just Choji, had a blush creep onto his face. "I mean it's whatever man." He added quickly, trying to shrug it off.

"Woah you really like her. Like...reallyy like her." Naruto states in amazement.

"He does," Choji hums in agreement, biting into a slice of pizza himself. "You should ask him why he loves her so much." Shikamaru shoots Choji a glare and his best friend grins.

"So...why do you love (Y/N) so much? What do you see in her?" Shino asks, crossing his legs over one another. Shikamaru chuckles at that and leans his head back against Choji's couch, breathing out a sigh through his nose.

"I see everything I want to be. I see an actual light in the darkness. She's flawed, but beautiful. She's so uplifting and doesn't like people seeing her upset, so she's always smiling, even if I know she's hurting. She's competitive as hell and hates losing. She's empathetic and somehow always knows exactly what to say to cheer me up. I don't know how she knows but she does."

"She's caring and sweet and kind, but she's not afraid to stand up for what she believes in. She's loud and extroverted, and she's always making friends or conversations with people she doesn't even know. She's the woman I never would've found myself falling for, but now she's the woman I could barely live without."

There's a sniffle and Shikamaru turns his head to find Naruto and Choji with tears in their eyes. "Dude that was so sweet." Choji murmurs through his sniffles as he wiped his eyes.

"Who knew you'd be such a romantic?" Naruto whined as he wiped at his face. Shikamaru chuckled and rolled his eyes. He grabbed his phone and sent a quick text to (Y/N).

Shikamaru: Love you princess. Be home soon alright?💕💖

[luffythinker]

IM CRYING, IM GLAD YOUR OPEN TO MY SHIKANARU CAUSE EVERYBODY I TRY AND TALK TO ABOUT THIS SHIP DOESNT CARE I actually am making a story i just got to get it all together. IMA SHARE IT WITH YOU WHEN I GOT IT TOGETHER it's really just me changing some events in the story and making it where Naruto and Shikamaru end up together. My plans are to have Naruto end up with Shikamaru, I love Sai/Sakura but Ino loves Sakura and i don't understand the Ino/Sai i'm still watching the anime it's just i never finished my run so i started reading the manga back to the part im at and im at ep 145 of shippuden i think? I'm not allowing myself to finish watching it until my story is caught up to where i am. Back to what i was saying I'm thinking of making it Ino/Sakura/Sai but it's more of "This is my girlfriend Sakura and her boyfriend Sai" my reasoning for this is when Ino witnessed Sasuke pull that guys arms out the socket as a kid it traumatized her, made her scared of him and Sai apparently looks like Sasuke, they were saying he looked like Sasuke a little bit in the anime if i remember correctly. it just creeps her out. I don't think Ino really ever liked Sasuke she just liked him cause that's what was cool when she was a kid so the whole rivalry with Sakura was just built on that idea. I was rewatching some scenes and i think, ok i gotta back track a little bit. I headcanon Ino's famliy is the most chill with same-sex stuff, so like if their daughter was gay they wouldn't mind. Ino puts this thinking in Sakura's head but Sakura's not as understanding as a kid and thinking it's weird cause different households (Not saying her parents were homophobic, it's just never been brought up to her before) Ino finally realizes she's in love with Sakura after she comes to her rescue when he hair gets cut that's the whole of what i wanted to say. So from that point on Ino likes Sakura, Sakura still has her feelings for Sasuke and Naruto's crush on Sakura has gone. I noticed he still asked her on dates but ultimately before and after Sasuke leaves it really hits Naruto that Sakura holds something special to Sasuke. Tsunade even notices it when she watches him leave the room to give them a moment after she heals him, Naruto walks out the room and says he wants her to look at Lee but his body language said "Oh im not needed here" and his feelings looked a little hurt. Another thing Neji developing a crush on Shikamaru before and during the timeskip because those two are the smartest in the group meaning they must work together alot even if they weren't in the same squad, Chunin Neji and Chunin Shikamaru being paired up alot is something i look at with shining eyes. But Neji, he notices Shikamaru's crush on Naruto so backs off, this leads him to back to Lee cause i'm a huge Neji/Lee shipper as well. Now, i've been reading this fic i'll include it here (Love Is A Battlefield by MadamZenobia on AO3) my endgame ships are

Shikamaru/Naruto

Ino/Sakura/Sai

Sasuke/Suigetsu

Kiba/Shino

Lee/Neji

As for Hinata i'm not throwing her away, just changing her motifs a little i guess? She has a crush on Naruto yes, after him being away for so long she has time to work on herself and find herself more. She does like him but it isn't what's going to make her happy. It isn't because i don't like Naruto/Hinata it's cute it's alright but it doesn't make sense even if i haven't seen the movies or episodes that show it. I feel like Hinata needs to do some self reflecting. Naruto is a huge inspiration to her, she's watched him train, become who he is but those two with a family together isn't something i can see happening even if it canonly happened, when i first got into this i didn't see it coming. So in my story Hinata is happy living her best life being single, watching her friends be happy together has brought her so much peace, even watching Naruto be happy with Shikamaru. (I wanna plan a talk she has with Shikamaru about his crush on Naruto and them discussing their feelings about Naruto so Shikamaru doesn't feel like he just took Naruto from her since from his point of view it looks like she liked him first but Shikamaru's had a crush on Naruto since he meet him, Shikamaru met Naruto first. ) I also have an idea of Hinata just wanting to be a single mother in Boruto, and Naruto/Shikamaru adopting and teaching a orphan both their Jutsu's turbsdfuvbhrsu IT'LL BE SO CUTE

i'm not finished with my story im writing but i can give you my fic i'm rewriting, the original version it's Shikamaru and Naruto what a troublesome love story by ZerosWaifu (I don't have a tumblr im using my friend's account they said it's fine so don't worry )

THIS ONE IS SO LONG IM SORRY

I'm so glad you're into shikanaru as well, I have never really found someone to talk to about them!! Please do share your story when it's done, I would love to read it <3

I feel pretty neutral about Sai/Ino, not because I think they are madly in love or anything but in Boruto I like the dynamic I saw of them, plus inojin is my favorite kid so I'm biased here… But I'm also super down for a Sai/Sakura/Ino, with mostly Sakura being the bridge between them!!!

For me, Ino would be a lesbian who had to deal with a lot of compulsory heterosexuality, so she forced herself to have a crush on Sasuke when they were kids because that's just what girls are supposed to do, but after a small breakdown after a fight with sakura she talks to her parents and surprisingly it's them that tell her that she might have a crush on her and they tell her that it's okay if she feels that way and that there is nothing wrong with her.

I think it's pretty accurate that Sakura would be a little reluctant to accept that, but eventually, she does understand that she's bisexual and things become a little easier for her to figure out what she wants and who she wants to be! [Discovering non-monogamy/polyamory is a whole other can of worms so I'm not gonna get into that here unless you want me to!!]

I'M SO GLAD YOU BROUGHT UP NEJI AND SHIKAMARU. Okay I know they're not your main pairing but a few years ago I read a fic of them that to this day has a place in my brain, I will leave linked it here if you're interested

But yes, for our shikanaru endgame purpose, Neji is very perceptive so he kind of always knew he never really had a chance here, he backs off, and eventually, his feelings for someone else grow which is how we get to neji/lee!!

Also thank you for the fic rec, I'll try to give it a read soon <3 Sasuke and suigetsu is such an interesting ship, I never got into them fully but their dynamic is so fun!

I like your take on Hinata, for me, i ship her with Kiba, he was so in love with her it's crazy, I don't know if you noticed the signs but they would have so much potential, honestly a throuple with shino would work too. But I also really like your take on her talking it out with shikamaru and realizing that her feelings for Naruto lean more toward admiration than actual romantic love, would love for her to have a happy life, would also really adore seeing her become the head of the Hyuuga clan and start making the changes Naruto promised Neji he would do it (and he never actually did it)!!

I think that's all i have for today?? do hmu whenever you want cause i'm super happy to explore more about naruto <33

[imaginativeamateur]

hey... i know req are closed but i wanna req, one special req! Do not push yourself for making this! It's ok! I know you're busy

Since it's my birthday tommorow i wanna req a birthday surprise

No ships!

It's more like a birthday surprise for reader...

Since i'm not the only one who has a birthday in july 4...

I wanna req a fem and male too

This req is for everyone!

Story: reader thinks that everyone forget his/her birthday and they are sad about it, and so they go to sakyra and tell it about it... and sakura feels quite cuz... she knows whats going on... reader don't know that everyone(as in EVERYONE!) making a plan for her/his perfect birthday party!

Thank youuu

Pairing: No ships, gn!Reader

Note: Hello, love! First of all, Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday to my July lovelies <33 Wish you the best of the best of luck, health, and happiness! This was a very nice request, thank you so much! Now, let's jump right into it!

“Four-thirty,” you mumble, looking at your watch as you cross a street. Today is your birthday, yet everyone you saw in the morning did everything but bring the word ‘birthday’ up.

It saddens you that your close friends like Shikamaru, Hinata, and even your teacher, Kakashi-sensei, have no clue whatsoever. Your last hope is Sakura. Even though she might appear a hot-headed and stubborn girl in your group, Sakura still has a very kind and altruistic nature. She will definitely remember your birthday. At least you try to tell yourself so.

Soon enough, you are greeted with a gust of cold wind. When you stop at her doorstep, the pink-haired is just about to leave her house to run some errands. 

“Oh hi, Y/N!” She waves, closing the door behind her back. “I actually have t go pick up my laundry and deliver groceries to my parents’ place. Do you—”

“It’s fine,” you immediately hold up your hands and laughed, “I was just wandering around. I don’t have anything planned so, yeah. Well, I’ll see you around!”

You leave, trying your best to restrain yourself from falling into the rabbit hole of pessimism. How come no one remembers your birthday? The more you dwell on the matter, the harder it becomes for your tears not to brim. You quickly wipe your eyes and turn around, making your way back home. Maybe you will just spend this birthday by yourself then, it is not too big of a deal anyway, you are all grown up. There is no birthday in this world where one’s safety is always on the line. Birthday celebration is too trivial of—

“Happy birthday, Y/N!”

As soon as you turn on the lights in your living room, Naruto jumps from behind the couch, throwing confetti at you. Then Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji gather around, starting a whole choir of ‘Happy Birthday.’ What you do not expect to happen is Sasuke and Neji joining the mass, singing loud and clear even though they have obviously messed the rhythm up. Kiba and Shino busy themselves with a balloon show. Kakashi-sensei leans onto the doorframe, watching with his crescent-eyed smile. Once the song is finished and you are still in shock, Hinata and Sakura enter the hall with a birthday cake and dancing candles. Rock Lee, honored with the mission to get the lights, swiftly switches them off with a bright grin.

“Make a wish, Y/N,” Hinata urges you.

You shake yourself out of the trance and clasp both hands together. “I wish that from now on, my birthdays will always be blessed with my loved ones. Thank you so much for giving me a chance to meet them this life, and for them to become my family.”

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

Taglist: @dai-tsukki-desu @darling-imobsessed @animepickle7 @simping-master-69 @tirzamisu @uchiha-bride @the-tiniest-one @greenshirtimagines @adeards @chloe-secret @rory-cakes @byyalady @icedemon1314 @melovehiddlestan @sharingangirl @sakinotfound @kaimaara @ireallyhateithere2 @feitanett @bobalix @uchihaprince @6-022-10-23 @foggyperfectiondragon @professionalsimp330 @christiansdior @dramaticq

[moonandblossoms]

If you had a chance to rewrite Naruto what would you change?

I guess so many are obsessed with rewriting Naruto but since your question was genuine, I will give this a try.

I feel that Sasuke did have a lack of inner monologues. I will give him a lot of inner voices so that his actions might sound understandable. However, I would make sure that I don't ruin the complexity as well because that's what really makes him special. I really see him as a peak and a well-written character, but just a few changes like these might do.

I would want Sakura to be given more justice as the female MC. Her hate doesn't make sense but I feel it's because she isn't criticized in the right way. I would give her all the cool-healing abilities which Naruto had with his Kurama. I will make her a bit OP as well. I would want her to be understanding and caring for Naruto from the start. Not fully, but with some of her bratty aspects still left over so that she gets a space to develop.

I don't want Sakura to fall behind Naruto and Sasuke but ONLY after gaining the Byakugou, because it may ruin the rules of medical ninjutsu as well. I would want her to grow more mature and better developed. Definitely, she came a long way but some small adjustments would always do.

I wish Sakura was a healer right from the beginning of Naruto. She would know the mystic palm technique with a small genjutsu technique. She will become something more than just another Tsunade. She will just have a few techniques so she isn't a complete fodder in part 1. Add that to the achievements she managed to do as a genin, it will be great to see.

It would be better if Naruto's epilogue was extended because we had a few blanks unfilled. It would be good to see how the five Kage would respond to Sasuke being redeemed. And a meeting for five kages to set up peace and tranquility will give a lot more base to the ending.

I wanted to see more of Team Taka after the war. Also, a few moments where Team 7 is going out after the war. It will be nice to see if Naruto and Sakura visit Sasuke in the prison.

It would be good to see how Sai and Sasuke develop trust in each other.

I wanted a stronger foundation and a better prominence with screentime for Hinata and Naruto's relationship. I would want to see Hinata working for the Hyuga clan (as the heiress) in Boruto too. It will make them relatable because they both would hold some of the most important positions in the village. Housewife is not bad, that's the toughest job but Hinata is potential for something more.

I wanted some screentime and relevancy for Hinata too. I would love to give a lot of insight into the Hyuga clan history, politics, and good practices of the Hyuga lore through Hinata. It will be cool to see Hinata developing a rivalry with Neji, just like how Naruto viewed Sasuke but with less severity. It will be a good way to see Hinata and Naruto relating to each other. I would love to rewrite Last in a better way.

Hyuga needs a Byakugan upgrade. That would be cool to see.

Yamato needs a better ending. I feel sorry for him because he is watching over Orochimaru. It felt so punished for Yamato though he is the one who deserved justice.

I wanted some Gaara and Sasuke friendship too. I wanted Sasuke to bond with other characters like Neji, and Shino. They all seem to have cool yet poise-type personas. They can form a good team.

The wedding arc could have been expanded a lot more. It will be nice to see if Sakura had bought Sasuke to the wedding since he is Naruto's best friend. That would have been a nice surprise gift for Naruto. The wedding could also be used to develop SasuSaku.

SasuSaku needs some more development. I personally find them the best in Naruto, but there are a few things I am willing to see. I wanted a whole conversation for Sasuke and Sakura after the battle in the valley, to just clear the misconceptions about their relationship. I would want Sakura to explain the reasons behind why she loves Sasuke, and Sasuke would tell why he wasn't able to return his feelings during his darkness. A nice conversation would have done.

I wanted some SasuSaku novels to be animated so that they are a bit more likable, yet not ruining the uniqueness in their relationship.

I wanted to see some side characters getting development and enough attention in the powerhouse. It's still sad to see that they had to depend upon their predecessors (edo Hokages) to win the war. I would want them to be a major reason and the major powerhouse in winning the war.

I wanted to see Hebi, team 8 and team Gai having their bonds explored more. I think team 8 is a bit oddly built, hence I would further dive into them and make them more justifiable. Team Gai is built well, but I need more screentime for them. Hebi is one of my favorites too, but I wanted to see more for them.

Temari, Neji, and Rock Lee needed more development in Shippuden. I think their importance just regressed there because they were great in part 1.

It would be nice to see a Temari and Tenten rematch in the Konoha crush arc. Tenten would train harder to also get better and stronger, not only as a training partner for Neji. I wanted to see her defeating Temari to prove that she isn't garbage. That will make Temari more likable and understanding. The whole fight will develop their characters beautifully. Their friendship will be cute to see.

I don't want Tenten to sit as a shopkeeper. I would rather see her working in the Military force of Konoha or teach basic weaponry and space-time ninjutsu for academy students.

Neji would live or get an epic death arc. I'd prefer him living and marrying Tenten, maybe.

I wanted a Suigetsu and Karin romance too lol.

I wanted to explore more of the Ino-Shika-Cho love stories- ShikaTema, SaiIno, and ChoKarui. All these three relationships deserved more depth and screentime. A lot of knowledge and history behind the legendary trio will be good too.

Gaiden needs to be fixed a bit as well.

Sakura and Ino's friendship needs some fixing too. I love seeing them as friends, but it needs to be bought out more mature and powerful than it was.

Some battles in the war arc could have been good too, like:

-Suigetsu vs. Edo Mangetsu

-Juugo vs. Edo Kimimaro

-Kankuro vs. Edo Sasori

Or even a Konoha 11 vs. Edo Akatsuki (with every member defeating an Akatsuki member could be good as well).

I want Konan to be revived in the war arc. That was a huge injustice to her. Females need a bit more airtime and development with some side male characters like Choji, Kiba, Shino, etc.

If possible, I will reduce the power gaps between characters and some less dependency on Hashirama's cells.

It would be good to see Kakashi and Guy having a lot more depth and screentime in their relationship. KakaGai definitely needed love from the authors themselves lol.

Damn it was too big. I wanted to write more if I had some, but these are the major things I wanted to see happening.

Nevertheless, I love Naruto to date and I find Kishimoto as a very brilliant author, though he had some flaws in place.

[sunmoonandsandsoundtracks]

it's not christmas without you

i'm late. i had an off day, so this is technically a day behind. oh well.

there was a lot i kept thinking i needed to include in this note, but i forgot at least half of it. i'm pretty sure it wasn't all that important.

anyway, this is a special one. i normally use this generic character name for all my reader characters, and i don't include any specifics beyond that. this time, i decided to try something else. it's second person pov with one of my characters. she's still mostly undescribed with her features, but i did include one or two things that hint at her appearance. i had fun with it, but i was being extra careful to not include too much about her, and while i think everything is relevant, i still might have left a line or two that could have been cut.

i won't be surprised if this is my least liked story, but i'm pretty happy with it.

disclaimer: the plot and chii only are mine to own, so if you feel inclined to sue me, fuck off and leave me alone.

song

word count: 2978- i really need help with cutting shit down. i tried so hard, but this idea just kept hopping around, so i was just trying to make sure i didn't leave any gaps. character explanation, as limited as i tried to keep it, didn't help either. there's just a lot more to be said about a character i've had for over ten years than a generic one i made up specifically to suit a single story.

enjoy!

The Christmas music called to you from inside Naruto and Hinata’s home, and the picture from outside made you smile softly. Bright light spilled through the front windows onto glittering snow covered bushes, and you couldn’t deny that it warmed your heart quite a bit.

“It’s not a party!” Naruto had told you when you had initially been resistant to the idea of the gathering. “It’s just a few friends!” That was a lie if you ever heard one. Naruto didn’t do anything small. However, it wasn’t as big as you thought it would be. Kiba and Shino were busy with their families that evening, as were Sasuke, his wife Usagi, and their one child (and a half). Sakura was working a double shift at the hospital. It was sad that not everyone could make it, but you were relieved. Kiba and Naruto were the rowdiest of the group, and Usagi could blend with them very well, very easily when she wanted to. Taking two of those people out of the equation meant a chance at a few hours of relative peace. Some others were arriving late, so it was the best time to be there.

“Yeah!” Naruto cheered when he opened the door to see you. “I knew you’d come!”

“I told you I would,” you laughed, stepping in and removing your long overcoat. He took it, tossed it on the pile of the others, and led you to the den where about a dozen others were. “Am I the last one?”

“Nah. Kankuro is still lagging behind. He’ll be here soon.”

You nodded with a slight ache in your heart when the name caused you to remember one of the reasons that you were there. It was so you wouldn’t stay home sulking.

“Chii!” You looked over just in time to get plowed into by Ino, your older sister by adoption.

“Hi, sis,” you groaned as you tried to stay standing. “How much have you had to drink?”

“I’ve hardly had any!”

“Uh-huh,” you said, not believing her. She had an average alcohol tolerance, so you knew she needed a few cups to get so bubbly, depending on the drink. She had been in an exceptionally good mood that day, though, so maybe she hadn’t had all that much.

“I’m telling the truth!”

“Okay, okay, but I still smell schnapps on your breath, so back up, please.”

“All right,” she said and took a step back. “Think you’ll be able to stay the whole time?”

Your eyes darted to the three children of Naruto and Hinata- crawling around at his mother’s feet with some of his toys in reach- Shikamaru and Temari- in his father’s arms, looking around with mild interest- and Choji and Karui- finishing off a bottle in her father’s arms as well. “Until the babies go down, at least.”

“Right. That’s something, at least. It’s been forever since you’ve been around this many of us at once.”

“A year. Last Christmas and New Year’s was the last time.”

“Now that you mention it, I don’t think that half this many of us have gotten together since then. Naruto’s gotten handfuls of us out for dinner a few times, I think, but nothing near this.”

You nodded. “As much as we may want to, it’s pretty much impossible to get us all, now that some are parents, half of the group is married, and we all have careers.”

“Yeah, but that’s boring!”

“You say that because you’re not married or a parent, so you just have your career while your friends have their families to tend to. That’s okay. You’re a good psychiatrist, and you’ve got Kankuro whipped over those blue eyes.”

“And then there’s you, who would turn down half the invites if we did get together as often as we want to. Admit it, the extent of your socialization outside the family circle is pretty much your students and their parents and-”

She cut off, looking a little guilty.

“Gaara. Yeah, I know. Does that really count in your book? All we’ve done is text since last year, and not talking about it doesn’t change the fact that he’s not coming this year.”

“You don’t know that. Didn’t he say that he might make it on New Year’s Eve?”

“Might, but I’m not holding out a lot of hope.”

“Chii, come on. I know how you feel about him, but don’t let this ruin your holiday,” she sighed.

“It’s not just that he’s not here,” you muttered. “I… I was planning on making a move. I wasn’t going to do it over text, but I’ve been thinking about it for months.”

She gaped in astonishment. You confided almost everything in her, but this was the first time you’d spoken it aloud. It was the first time you actually said anything aloud that confirmed that you felt that way. There had been teasing the previous year when couples had paired off, leaving you and him as the spares, and the two of you looked as comfortable with each other as any of the couples did. It didn’t help when your gloves got soaked when someone’s water glass was knocked over while you all were out to dinner before seeing the lights in town. Your hands were freezing, dry, and cracking. The jacket you’d been wearing had pockets so tiny, you couldn’t fit your hands in them. He had a solution, and if you hadn’t actually known him from well before then, you would have jumped out of your skin when he gave you his left glove and told you to put it on, then taken your right hand and stuck it in his much roomier pocket along with his left hand. No, he wasn’t holding your hand.

Ino glanced back to check on you when you weren’t looking and almost had a fit. Kankuro was with her, and when he saw what she was freaking out about he was only a little calmer. If they hadn’t seen how bad your hands were, and knew that your gloves were useless, they wouldn’t have left you alone. They definitely wouldn’t have waited until the four of you had separated from the group to call you out on it.

Ino fussed over you enough- not nearly as bad as she did before you left for school- while Kankuro gave Gaara just enough trouble to consider himself a good big brother, but they both took the protectiveness up a notch, even though you had just turned twenty only a couple weeks prior to that incident, and Gaara was a month away from turning twenty-three.

“Does that mean you were actually going to drink tonight to work up the courage?” She couldn’t help teasing, eliciting a roll of your eyes.

“Very funny. I’m going to go say hi to the others and kidnap the kids,” you said, turning away from her. After making it around to everyone else, you got on the ground and played with Boruto, who recognized you after a minute or two. Conversation flew over your head until Boruto decided to lay down on the comfy blanket he was on and doze off, which was when you decided to stand up and re-join the adults.

“Hey, Chii, you haven’t performed since you graduated, right?” Naruto spoke up when the talking had ebbed.

You nodded, a sinking feeling in your gut. You’d gotten your bachelor of arts in performance with emphasis on voice and dance over six months beforehand, and since you’d returned home following graduation, all you’d been able to do with the education from your years at the University of Ame was teach those lessons, along with piano. You were good, and you knew it, but you weren’t one of the self-assured performers that could be put on the spot.

“Why don’t you sing something for us? We could use some live music!”

“Naruto, it’s not nice to ask someone so suddenly,” Hinata said, picking up their son.

“But we’re all friends, and we’ve all heard her before.”

“It was the national anthem at a school assembly in senior year. That was five years ago. Besides Ino, Shikamaru, Choji and the babies, no one else here has heard me since then,” you pointed out.

“Don’t you have to be ready to perform at a moment’s notice or something when you do musicals? What’s the word for those people?”

“Understudies or swings, and they prepare for months. They know exactly what they’re doing when they’re called on. Big difference.”

“Fine, fine, I’ll back off, but if you do it, we’ll take you out for sushi.”

You weakly glared at him as everyone laughed or at least smiled in amusement. The local sushi restaurant was a huge weakness of yours, and they were all close enough to you to know it. “What do you want me to sing?”

“Anything! It can be Jingle Bells if you jazz it up a bit.”

“Please, anything but that,” Temari groaned.

“Do that pretty one you’ve been listening to a lot,” Ino suggested. “It sounds sad, but ends with a good feeling!”

“It’s Not Christmas Without You?” You confirmed, daring her to push it.

“Yeah!”

“Oh, I like that one,” Hinata said.

You sighed, figuring you might as well vent your feelings with a song that hit the nail on the head. You found a karaoke track of it and plugged it into the stereo. Despite knowing that it would be better form to stand, you weren’t going to. You were confident in your abilities, but you weren’t about to stick out further when everyone else was sitting.

“The year’s almost over. It sure looks like December, with snow and ice on the ground,” you sang softly when you knew to come in.

You really hoped Ino was the only one there who knew that it wasn’t just a song to you. You weren’t sure, but you knew that when your emotions ran high- a too frequent occurrence- you were an open book. If you got too emotional during the song, it would be obvious that it was personal, and the others would wonder. Only Naruto would openly ask, if he didn’t decide it was better left alone, but those people had all shown that they cared about you enough to be curious. If that was it, you’d be okay, but you knew some of them might not have to think too much to reach the accurate conclusion. It would be embarrassing enough for them to know you had a general someone in mind, but Shikamaru and especially Temari… That would just be awkward for them to find out that you felt that way about her brother while you were belting out the chorus.

When you were finishing the first chorus, Boruto stirred, recognizing your voice from when you’d sung him lullabies. He reached for you, surprising you a bit. It was rare that he chose to part from his mother when he was sleepy. You weren’t even sure that you’d seen it happen before. You glanced at Hinata as you started the second verse, and she smiled. You nervously took him from her and stood, knowing he’d be happiest being rocked.

It turned out to be a blessing in a few ways. For one, your focus was on him as you carried on. For another, you couldn’t go all in on the bridge and final chorus the way it was called for when he was that close if you wanted to spare his hearing, so you had to control your emotional output along with your volume. You altered the intensity to stay as true as you could while keeping your voice just loud enough for everyone to hear you. It kept you from choking up like you feared.

“It’s Christmas, all I wanted this year, on this Christmas, was for you to be near,” you sang as you watched the infant fall back asleep before lifting your head to deliver the joyful last lines. You almost choked on them when you saw that at some point while you were distracted, Naruto had slipped away to let two more people in. “I won’t wonder if you’re thinking of me, ‘cause you’re here. My one wish has come true, it’s no longer Christmas without you…”

You were trying not to shake as your eyes met Gaara’s while he smiled warmly right at you. Swallowing everything you were feeling that you couldn’t begin to process as you were. Looking for an escape, you turned to Hinata.

“Would y-you like me to put him in his crib?” You tried begging her with your eyes. Luckily, she understood you and gave you the okay. You were in the nursery before you registered anything after that first step out. Trying to rationalize, you told yourself that it wasn’t a big deal. You just felt that way because you caved and gave that impromptu performance, which already had you anxious, but then you weren’t prepared for the sudden addition of two people, whoever they were. Finally, you admitted to yourself, it didn’t help that you had feelings for him, and you’d already made peace with the fact that he wasn’t coming.

You went straight back to Ino and asked her to get you a drink, knowing very little about alcohol. She was surprised, but complied, catching on quickly. You followed through with what you told Ino, but as soon as you saw that Shikadai and Chocho were both out, you were heading for your car. You were so glad you’d driven separately from your sister just so you’d be able to take off if you got too overwhelmed. However, when you stopped by the door to find your keys in your bag, you were cornered.

“Your voice is beautiful,” he said.

“Thank you,” you said, too softly at first, so you felt the need to repeat it after clearing your throat. “I-I guess you were able to get away from work after all.”

“I was. I would have messaged you if I had known it would be such a shock to you.”

You concentrated on rifling through your bag. “Please, I doubt you had any time to think about contacting me.”

“More time than you’d think.”

You finally sighed and stopped, feeling too frantic. “Shock or not, you didn’t owe me anything.”

“Maybe, but I’m sorry I caught you off guard like that.”

“Don’t worry about it. I was already feeling like a deer in the headlights.”

“Naruto mentioned that he bribed you to do it. Let me guess, that sushi restaurant you told me about over the summer?”

You blushed. “Am I that predictable?”

“I wouldn’t say that,” he chuckled. “I just think I’ve gotten to know you well.”

“It would seem so.”

“Would you be opposed to going with me?” His meaning flew over your head at first.

“Of course not. I’m sure Naruto would love for you to come with us when he-”

“I meant just me.”

For the first time, you willingly looked at him instead of doing it by accident, not totally confident that he was asking what you had intended to ask at one point.

“Oh, um… No, I-I wouldn’t be. I’m free whenever you’d like to go, for the most part. Just give me as much warning as you can, in case I have a lesson. I don’t have many to work around.”

He nodded. “I don’t want to keep you, if you have somewhere else you need to be.”

“I don’t… I just know more people should be here soon, and I’m kind of at my limit.” “I understand.” You noted the flash of a frown and furrowed brow, indicating that he was unhappy. “Would tomorrow evening work?”

You were pretty sure you had no prior commitments, and you were happy to deliver a positive answer.

“Yes, it would. I can come get you at six, or do you have a car you’d prefer to drive?”

“That works. Just be ready for any future teasing at my expense. It’s technically the first time I’ve ever asked anyone on a date.”

Everything came to a screeching halt as you realized it was more than you told yourself it was to spare yourself the disappointment if he meant it platonically.

“It’s technically the first time I’ve ever said yes to one,” you faintly laughed.

He smiled again, and you returned it. It was the perfect time to tell him, but you were afraid you’d stumble over yourself too much. Maybe it should wait until the next day.

Car doors shutting signaled the arrival of more people, but you found you weren’t quite as eager to go. He nodded in understanding when you looked back at him, figuring you were itching to get out of there. You had an idea that was so impulsive, you didn’t even register that you’d acted on it until it was over and you were up on the balls of your feet to reach him.

“Sorry,” you quickly said as he set you with a wide eyed gaze. “Let’s just say I’ve been waiting to do that for a year, and I guess I couldn’t wait any longer. I surprised myself too.”

Without warning, he returned the favor, giving both of you a chance to enjoy it.

“I guess I couldn’t wait any longer either,” he said when you broke apart, both of you sporting smiles.

Those smiles only lasted until there was a knock on the door, and someone cleared their throat, attracting your attention. Naruto stood there with a smile that he wore well, one that conveyed the promise of mischief.

“I’ll treat you to sushi for singing, Chii, but unless you want me to run back in there and announce that we just gained another couple, my next ramen bill is on you.”

[actuallysaiyan]

My Personal Love Story: Kiba Inuzuka

The Request: "First off, Congratulations on 1k!! I wish I was blessed with the ability to write well like you lol. Sooo, my name’s Lauren (she/her/hers) I’m African American. My love languages are quality time and words of affirmation, I’m a Scorpio queen, Im a protagonist personality type (ENFJ-A) my ideal date would be anywhere I’m not sitting the whole time, but if I had to choose a place where I would be sitting it would def be the movie theater(I’m the type of person to talk and laugh really loud during movies💀) my favorite genre of music is Afro beats, but if you’re not very familiar with it just go with pop lol(Doja cat is my favorite pop artist rn!) I’d like a love story w/ my bb kiba! And I’d like a smutty scenario plz, I’m very curvy and on the thicker side if you want to add anything like that to it, and I also get a little shy during sexy times lol. THANK YOU and congrats again!"

Your Song: Only You(And You Alone)- The Platters

Headcanons:

You and Kiba grew up together, learning how to fight together. You weren’t in his ninja team, but you were the same age as him and you became rivals. It was always playful and just to hone your skills, but as time went on, Kiba was falling in love with you. He couldn’t hide his feelings anymore.

You both were a little shy about your feelings. Most of the time, Kiba would be so timid when his feelings finally bubbled up inside of him. You weren’t kids anymore. You were adults and he was falling for you so hard. He didn’t know what to say.

So, it was actually Hinata and Shino who set you both up. They knew for so long that you and Kiba were crushing on one another, but that you were both now too timid to take it any further. Hinata made Kiba get you a gift and to ask you out, and Shino planned the whole date.

And the two of you had such a good time. It was like being a kid again, except you were falling in love with one another. It made you realize how much Kiba meant to you and how you had always been there for one another. Everything you did together made you realize that Kiba was the one for you.

Ever since that date, you’ve been inseparable. You and Kiba do everything together, and of course you were always a trio with Akamaru. Nobody could break a bond this strong. Kiba treats you so well, and Akamaru is very protective of you. You couldn’t ask for a better duo to love you.

Kiba is huge on just running around with you, training and taking long walks in the woods. He has a lot of energy and just wants to be able to spend time with you. He loves it if you want to take a walk in nature and have a picnic. Especially if you make his favorite foods.

Speaking of favorite foods, you and Kiba like to make treats in the kitchen. It’s always so much fun for the two of you to try a new recipe. And of course, you share with Akamaru when he’s allowed to have some as well. It’s a Sunday afternoon tradition for all three of you, just spending it in the kitchen and trying to cook some meals together.

Lots of naps together after running around in the woods. Kiba is the best nap buddy you will ever have. He’s warm, and he holds you in the best way possible. Akamaru acts as a huge pillow for the two of you, making nap time so special.

Kiba loves taking you out on dates. He loves to treat you like a princess. He wants you to feel like you are the only girl in the world. He spends lots of time with you and he will always compliment you on your outfits and your hair and makeup and he just absolutely loves to spoil you. He buys you the fanciest and prettiest things.

If either of you have to be away from one another because of missions, you keep in touch by sending each other letters. It makes you both feel a little more relieved and comforted. Kiba will always worry about you whenever you’re sent on a mission away from the village, but he always believes in you. He is your biggest supporter, no matter what.

Rough quickie while on a mission:

Kiba slams you against the tree, making you moan softly. He slaps a hand on your face, shushing you and making you so wet. You can see the fire in his eyes, and you know you’re going to have to be quiet. Kiba pulls your vest off and shoves your shirt up, placing it in your mouth. You become submissive as he pulls your pants off your ass.

“Good girl,” Kiba whispers in your ear as you can feel his fingers prod at your wet entrance. You want to whine and whimper, but you know you need to keep quiet.

Two of his fingers pump into you, making you squeak slightly. Kiba’s cock is aching as he feels how wet you are. You’re basically fucking yourself against his hand, begging for more. You need this release more than you realize.

“Just a little bitch in heat,” Kiba’s voice is dark and gruff, but you know he wants to please you more than anything. “How about you turn around and keep quiet while I fuck that tight little pussy of yours?” You nod enthusiastically, and Kiba just chuckles.

It takes him seconds to free his hard cock from the tight confines of his pants. He teases your pussy, dragging his cockhead between your silky folds. Every time it rubs against your clit, you whine. Kiba has removed your shirt from your mouth at this point, taking your leg and wrapping it around his waist so he can fuck you against the tree.

“Are you ready for me?” He asks, and you beg him to fuck you.

He thrusts up into you, making you cry out weakly. Kiba wastes no time by starting at a quick pace, knocking the air from you. You want to moan and tell him how good it feels, but you’re still on a mission. You need to keep quiet now. But his cock keeps brushing up against your g spot, bringing you so close to your climax.

“You feel so good,” Kiba pants as he nips at your neck. “Can’t wait to fill you up.” Those words send shivers up your spine.

He can feel how close you are, so he begins rubbing your clit. You can feel your thighs tense as he slams himself into you. A few more rough thrusts, and you are sent over the edge. You can feel yourself gush all over him as he struggles to keep quiet.

“Gonna fucking cum, baby!” Kiba grunts, biting his lip to suppress his moans. His cock throbs as it paints your insides white, making your orgasm that much more intense. Your eyes roll back into your head as your mouth hangs open slightly, drooling.

“Such a good girl to take my cock like that,”

[mojojojo2017]

Waterfall

A Naruto One-shot

Summary:

Hinata spots Naruto during his wind chakra training with the waterfall...

Rating: teen and up

Pairing: Naruto x Hinata

Tags: fluff, wholesome, one shot, short one shot, canon compliant

Story also available on AO3, FFN, and as a thread fic on Twitter!

Waterfall

Hinata walked in between the trees, headed for the practice grounds to meet Kiba and Shino. It felt like she hadn’t sparred with them in forever. It’ll be just like old times, she thought with a smile.

“Kakashi Sensei! Hey! Maybe I need more shadow clones, huh!”

“Naruto?” Hinata’s heart starting pounding at the sound of his voice. She hadn’t seen him in awhile either. She knew he was suppose to be working on a special new jutsu with Kakashi Sensei and Captain Yamato. He must be training really hard...

He was close by the sound of his voice. And she swore she also heard rushing water too, which was odd considering up ahead was suppose to be just an empty field. Curiosity got the best of her and she took a few cautious steps to hide behind a tree at the field’s edge. She told herself she wasn’t spying, not like when she was little. She was just looking out for her friend. Making sure he was alright. That’s all.

As she got closer, she found Captain Yamato sitting on the ground in front of a waterfall. He was surrounded by weird wooden pillars. It looked like Kakashi Sensei was whispering something in his ear. Captain Yamato nodded and she watched as he completed a hand sign and more water flowed down from the cliff side before him. She hadn’t noticed until then, but it looked like there was a fallen log suspended in the middle of the waterfall, and it too started expanding the length of the new waterfall.

“How’s that, Naruto? Now you’ve got nothing to gripe about,” she heard Kakashi Sensei say.

Hinata looked up at the log again. Naruto? What’s he doing up there? She could just barely make out a dozen orange-ish figures. I can’t really see... She put her hands together, “Byakugan!” She zoned in on the log again. She thought she felt her heart stop.

There were over a hundred Naruto’s up there now. A hundred shirtless Naruto’s. A hundred shirtless Naruto’s dripping with water.

Hinata could feel her face going red. She didn’t know how long she stood there watching Naruto, his muscles glistening in the backsplash from the waterfall. She suddenly shook her head and ran back through the trees. She eventually made it to her intended destination to find Kiba laying on Akamaru and Shino staring up at the clouds.

“Hey Hinata! About time you showed up. What the hell took you so long?” Kiba shouted.

“N-nothing!”

“Hmm?” Kiba made a face at her, confused by her reaction.

“She probably stumbled on Naruto training at the waterfall,” Shino said in that slow drawl of his.

“What?!” Hinata squeaked. How’d he know?!

Kiba grinned. “Oh Hinata. I know you got a crush on the guy, but still...”

“No, it wasn't like that!”

“It’s okay. I understand. I’m sure it’s hard for you women to look away from us buff men in all our glory.” He flexed his arms.

“Kiba!” Hinata shouted, embarrassed by his statement.

“Hope you aren’t including yourself in that category,” Shino quipped.

“Why you-”

Hinata watched Kiba go after Shino for his comment while she stood there trying to calm her heated face. But it was no use. The images were cemented in her brain. Naruto...

[yourdesertsunflower]

Chunin Exams: Shikamaru vs. Temari

So this will be long, so be ready for some deep diving. I’d been thinking this for quite a while so let’s go. 

One of my favorite Chunin Exams’s match has to be Shikamaru vs. Temari. This may not be much of a surprise for any of you, but maybe the reason why it is between my top 3 will surprise more than one. 

Obviously the ship factor made me like this battle even more, but it’s not even a primary or secondary reason for why I love this match. This battle stands out to me as being one of the most truthful ninja fights of the whole arc. Why? Because a ninja fight, as Kakashi would day during the Zabuza’s arc is about always plotting, to know when to do certain thing, to know when to not to do them and just hide and to work with the tools you have. 

It’s a battle were the brains out beats the brute force, where the strength is the last resource and the strategy primes as the best thing a ninja can have. It about deciphering our opponent, carrying out the best strategy and ensuring the win as much as possible and both Shikamaru and Temari excel at being this masterminds. They make the most out of their battle and, in my opinion, they both shine through as not only capable but highly advanced strategists, specially for their short age. 

That’s why when I hear people going like “No, she’s not.” when Asuma says that Temari she is bright and that she thinks like Shikamaru (she thinks ahead) or say that “Shikamaru could have easily beat Temari if he wasn’t that lazy” I just feel like crying. 

However, it’s not people’s fault after all. The direction of the match in both the anime and the manga makes Shikamaru’s strategy the wow factor. I am not saying his tactic is not genius, I would be pretty lame if I said that, nor that Shikamaru is not more intelligent than Temari (He is the most brilliant person of his generation, specially when it comes to strategy) and he deserved the recognition because the tactic he carried through was slick af. It’s one of the many reason why Shikamaru is my absolute favorite character in Naruto (I love him so much). 

However, I think that Shikamaru’s genius shouldn’t by any means diminish Temari’s wit. Because she was also delivering quite a good fight, she was a good match for Shikamaru (which ain’t easy) and (I personally think) had a pretty accurate strategy. 

So, I gave myself the job of being Temari’s Asuma and explain in full detail what I think, through my reading, was Temari’s strategy. Because my girl deserves more recognition. She is a strategist and a really good one.

1. Context

One thing I think it’s important to mention before anything is the context of the match. 

If we come to think about it, it wouldn’t be that far-fetched to say that Temari couldn’t waste that much chakra nor show new abilities in her fight against Shikamaru. Let’s remember that the Sand only participated in the Chunin Exams because of the attack, to execute the Konoha Crush. A plan for which the Sand Siblings, specially Gaara, were crucial. Even we get to see Kankuro forfeiting of his fight against Shino in order to keep his techniques a secret and wait for the time to make the move. 

However Temari didn’t had the same luck. It would be suspicious if the two of them just gave up. My reading of the situation is that actually neither of them expected to fight their respective matches as Gaara’s match against Sasuke was before theirs. Still, if someone had to fight Temari knew that would be her because, 

a. Kankuro was against Shino who had shown to be a beast, and hence, it was more likely that he would have to use higher tier attacks. 

b. Temari showed to be quite confident of her skills and Shikamaru, though he had shown to be intelligent (not to the extent of this match but intelligent nonetheless) he was the weakest of the finalist in terms of raw strength. 

So, Temari had to be the one to fight. Otherwise the plan would fall apart, and although she wasn’t sure about attacking from the start, she was extremely loyal to her village and would never do something to hurt it. However she couldn’t be imprudent, hence, she didn’t had to waste that much chakra in order not to tire herself that much and couldn’t show new wind style techniques as that would only weaken the surprise effect this might have (let��s remember she was in a stadium filled with highly capable Shinobi, Chunin and Jonin Level)

But although she couldn’t be imprudent, she also couldn’t let herself be defeated. After all, she is Temari. She had figure out a way to win despite the limitations she had which brings us to the fight itself. 

2. First Movement: Gaining Information

The first thing Temari knows is that she needs some information about the match and the rival so she starts off by trying to get an action or a least a reaction from Shikamaru, which proved to be quite draining due to his usual unmotivated behavior. 

The frontal and direct attacks of Temari at the beginning of the match serve that purpose. 

Unlike her match against Tenten, where she could just start of in complete defensiveness she quickly realized that that wouldn’t work with Shikamaru. I am pretty sure Temari is one of those fighters who don’t like to make the first move but to wait and recollect information from her adversaries (after all i  her battle against Tenten, in which she always seemed comfortable she did just that) but as she knew that couldn’t be the case as while Tenten is someone active, Shikamaru is more of reactive fighter she just attacked to get the necessary information to use with her previous knowledge (which I’ll also proceed to explain) to plan a strategy. 

She knew from Shikamaru’s fight against Kin (the sound ninja) that it was quite likely that the Shadow Posession Jutsu had: 

a. A range 

b. Short duration spam. 

c. Wasted to much chakra. 

After all, Shikamaru was always shown to be pretty cautious about how and when he used it. That’s why the jutsu doesn’t seem much of a threat at the beginning as if she could manage to identify the range of his jutsu she could just stay away from it and make him waste chakra. 

If to that we add that Shikamaru’s reaction was to hide she also gained a panorama of how the fight will be like. It’ll most likely be a long-lasting battle based more in indirect attacks and meticulously planning than in strength. 

This seemed to match quite well, which justifies Temari’s smile as Shikamaru hides. At first glance stretching out the duration of the battle and fighting long-range was just perfect for her as she could save as much chakra as possible, dodging the attacks of Shikamaru while making him waste as much chakra as possible. 

Hence, although Temari was overconfident (aspect I’ll talk about in more detail later) she had a reason to be so. She had a fairly strong plan,and everything seemed to be falling in the right place. 

2. Identifying the Range and the Sun

The first attacks of Shikamaru just seem to work on perfectly for Temari as she achieves to find out her shadow range, a jaw-dropping fifteen meters thirty-two centimetres (like she is also a mathematician in her own right). 

It’s then when Shikamaru shows her that there was one factor she hadn’t thought about before: the sun. When the shadow reaches a longer distance than it had already done she quickly deduces that as the sun sets the shadow of the wall was getting larger, hence elongating the shadow making his range bigger. 

And Temari quickly adapts to the situation working out several plans she could use. She decides the better was keeping up with the angle and the direction from which the sun is hitting the wall and the growth in his shadow in order to be able to calculate an equation that would keep him away from his shadow. 

This is good because while some may just freak out and try to use brute force to finish it, as seemingly stretching the match no longer holds any sense, Temari takes her time to think and finds a way to use her skills and knowledge in battle. This is no easy task, as we see that a lot of highly talented shinobis on paper had a tough time in practice. But she is so great that she comes up with a way that doesn’t directly throws the entire plan she had come up with to the trash. 

3. Surprise Attack 

Well I got to say this. I don’t like that Kankuro warns Temari about Shikamaru’s  home-made parachute because I easily think that she could have realized by herself. She had shown all through the battle to have great observational skills and to be quite focused so I think that Kishimoto could have easily come up with that. 

Still, I understand that Kishomoto through this fight tries to justify that Shikamaru was the one that would become a Chunin, so nerfing Temari isn’t the worst thing out of all. I don’t like it but isn’t that bad if we take into consideration the other thingd that were done in the manga. 

However is through her ability to dodge this attack we get Asuma’s and Shikamaru’s reaction and recognition of Temari’s skills. She is a really good shinobi, quick, intelligent and competent. 

Yes, Shikamaru had just gotten her in the position she wanted but what he said he truly meant it, which means a lot given his chauvinistic behavior at the begging of Naruto. She is fast learner, she is capable to dodge attacks that no regular genin could or as Shikamaru said in Naruto Ninja Storm 4 (yes, I usually hate most of the scenes in this game but this one ShikaTema scene was so sport on) that she was the first person of his age to be able dodge that many attacks from him, which leaves me to another point. 

4. Moves Ahead

It’s almost a meme that Shikamaru has a 200 IQ and that he is 200 moves ahead everyone else but what I really think that people don’t understand is that for Shikamaru each an everyone of those moves, from the first one to the the two hundred, could be the last one. When Shikamaru plans out a strategy he may use some moves that are feints but those feints may also work to end the match to less skilled rivals. Each move works as an individual move as part of a whole. That is other level, is genius. Prove of the overtly exaggerated 200 IQ, almost everyone could seem dumb beside him.

However, the complexity of the strategy he used against Temari shows us that how knew that he needed to come up with something good in order to be able to beat her. She wouldn’t fall for something straightfoward because she showed to be several steps ahead also. 

She had shown to easily decipher his jutsu’s range, she had found elements that could have served him as an advantage and she had been skillful enough to move around the field avoiding his jutsu with ease. And he knows that because 

a. He had seen it, 

b. She had told it to him, which I think was one of the biggest mistakes of Temari derived from her over-confidence.

That’s why his plan had to be slick in order to win which brings up the end of the match. 

5. Checkmate

After seeing that Shikamaru’s shadow range was almost unlimited and that her chances of measuring it were incredibly low she then decides to end it once and for all because; 

a. If she extended the match much longer it was almost inevitable that she will end up being caught by his shadow paralysis jutsu 

b. She couldn’t risk to waste a lot of chakra since, I have already mentioned, it was indispensable she was in good conditions for the Konoha Crush. 

But it’s interesting the movement she plans out in order to beat Shikamaru since it shows that she is very aware of her own tools and abilities and of the abilities of her rival. One clone will take the attention of him, falling in his shadows paralysis while she just bluntly beat him with her crushing wind style. Fairly simple, but also extremely effective. 

When Shikamaru caught her and shows her his strategy Temari quickly understands what he had done. She had underestimated both his jutsu and his mind and that added with her over-confidence in her analysis was what gave Shikamaru the necessary information to caught her. 

She is genuinely surprised as the rest of the crowd but they are even more when he gives up. 

That was just a masterful decision of Kishimoto, I got to give him that, because it not only make Shikamaru be cool af for the audience, but also for two things that are lest often touched upon: 

a. In terms of Shikamaru it showed the genius he is, the smartest person of his generation by far, capable of examining the situation and choose the best option to execute. He was running out of chakra while his rival was safe and sound. In a real life mission the best option is retreat, and that’s what he does. This is shows to Temari than he and Shikamaru are actually much more alike than she had thought. They both are rational thinkers, who measure cons and pros and are able to come up with a logical analysis but they are also pretty conscious of themselves and others. That’s what Asuma means when he says they think alike, that why they always seem to work along together despite their seemingly clashing personalities. 

b. In terms of Temari she gets the bittersweet victory. She archived what she wanted, making him run out of chakra, but not how she wanted to do so. It is deserved and undeserved at the same time which conflicts her. If the battle had continued it was more than likely she had won as she wanted to but it didn’t which let her thinking that, if he could he could have easily beat her even though he states that not to be the reason. After all he had clearly outsmarted her, and that was what was the most important for her, despite her win was deserved in my opinion (not because she was more intelligent than him, because no one really is, but because, at the end, she managed with her wit and talent to make it impossible for him to continue). She thinks that her over-confidence and her analysis which she prides of, was the thing that took her down and that it’s quite important for her character and her relationships with others. We’ll get to see how this affected her in her following appearances, when we get to see her when she goes to fight against Tayuya she carefully listens to Shikamaru’s analysis, although at the end she decides to do it her way (an nails it), her decision was derived from her listing to his words and all he got to say. 

At the end Temari will always be her wonderful confident self (that’s only another reason to love her) but after this match she shows to be more cautious when underestimating her rivals, however you shouldn’t dare underestimate her. 

Because she is a f***ing boss.   

[recentanimenews]

Aksys Reveals Paradigm Paradox and More Otome Games for the West

  Aksys Games hopped on Twitch earlier today for the All Aksys event, taking the opportunity to reveal a bunch of new titles for 2022 and beyond. Chief among them were four otome games—specifically four developed by Otomate—which are all set to make their way to Nintendo Switch in the west.

  Upcoming Otomate visual novels include Lover Pretend, Paradigm Paradox, Kimi wa Yukima ni Koinegau, and Piofiore: Episodio 1926. Check out trailers and more info for each below. 

  Lover Pretend 

    Synopsis:

Chiyuki lives alone, spending all her time studying for university and doing part-time work. She has two dreams in life: to become a scriptwriter—also a dream of her late mother—and to find her father whom she never met. From clues left behind, it seems her mother was writing a drama script before she was born. Chiyuki lands a job as an assistant to a scriptwriter for a film that the sons of the drama staff are making. She searches for information while working her new job, but in a twist of events ends up cast in the role of their love interest…? This is a pretend love role, not true love. Can Chiyuki create a script about fake lovers, while not knowing anything about falling in love herself?

  Paradigm Paradox

    Synopsis:

The year is 25XX, a world where mankind lives only in isolated colonies. The protagonist, a student at the academy, is bored with the drudgery of everyday life, a day-to-day existence untouched by gossip about "Heroes" and "Vermin," the enemy of mankind, and unnoticed by the good-looking guys at the academy. One night she slips out of the dormitory and encounters colony-invading Vermin, landing herself in danger! Four girls appear suddenly and repel the Vermin with miraculous abilities. The protagonist decides to work as a Hero, leading a busy life as both a student and champion of justice. But why is it that she has more opportunities to talk to the good-looking guys everyone is whispering about…? What is their (the girls’ / guys’) secret…? And what is the enemy’s true identity…?

  Kimi wa Yukima ni Koinegau [English title pending]

    Synopsis:

The first year of the Kyoho era. The land is ruled by the eighth shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune. Repeated incidents caused by monsters in the town of Edo upset and frighten the people so the Tokugawa shogunate establishes the “Oniwaban” to maintain public order and secured the town. Seasons passed—to year 11 of the Kyoho era. A girl in a village far from Edo has the power to see a "black thread" before every catastrophe and the panicked villagers drove her away into the snowy mountains. One day, a young man going by the name of Oniwaban appears before her. This is a story in which a girl encounters "non-humans," and learns about love.

  Piofiore: Episodio 1926

    Synopsis:

The full sequel to last year’s hit Piofiore finds Liliana immersed once again in the dangerous Mafia turf wars and intrigues that tear apart the city of Burlone.

  That's not all that made it into the showcase. Here are some other titles Aksys announced:

  RICO London (NSW, PS4, Xbox One/Fall 2021) - The door-kicking, gang-busting crime fighters are back and this time they’re in 1999 London. RICO London is a first-person shooter about making an impactful entrance, blasting the bad guys, and taking care of business.

    Olympia Soirée (NSW/September 9, 2021) - With her entire clan wiped out years ago, Olympia has been isolated for most of her life. Now she lives as the only person on Tenguu Island who can perform the ritual that restores light to a world shrouded in darkness. The heads of each Primary district—Red, Blue, and Yellow—lead a society governed by the island's rigid class structure. As Olympia travels between the districts, she discovers their wonders and their weaknesses, as well as an entire underground community of shunned individuals whom she becomes determined to help. If she can find the person destined to be her soulmate, she will finally be able to open her heart and reveal her true name, continue her bloodline, and save the world before it is destroyed.

    Undernauts: Labyrinth of Yomi (PS4, Xbox One, NSW, PC/October 28, 2021; PS5/2022) – Tokyo, 1979. When a massive, mysterious structure suddenly rises from the ground, the government sends a team to investigate. You have been selected to join an elite group of underground explorers employed by Cassandra Company. Unfortunately, you are not the only one searching these caverns. Terrifying monsters lurk in the shadows. Dangerous criminals hunt for resources. Large numbers of people are missing. The test of your survival skills begins now...

    Dairoku: Agents of Sakuratani (NSW/December 2, 2021) - Ever since she could remember, Shino Akitsu has had the ability to see what others could not: spirits, apparitions, and indescribable creatures. As an adult, this talent leads her to join a secret government agency: The Occult Action Department. Her assignment is with the Sixth Special Preventions Office, and her job is to monitor the powerful beings who travel between her world and the worlds beyond. From her office in Sakuratani, a town in a different dimension, Agent Shino meets several otherworldly individuals with vastly different personalities and abilities: a nine-tailed fox spirit, a mischievous oni, and more. Part gatekeeper, part travel guide, she does her best to get to know these entities and keep them from getting into inter-dimensional trouble.

    Pups & Purrs Animal Hospital (NSW/November 11, 2021) - Become the very best veterinarian ever! These adorable pets aren’t feeling well, so let's give them the care they need! Pups & Purrs Animal Hospital is a simulation game in which you can have a dream job taking care of cute, fluffy friends.

    Variable Barricade (NSW/February 2022) - A member of a prestigious family and heiress to a fortune, Hibari learns that her eccentric grandfather is determined to find her a husband. He arranges to house her in a luxurious villa along with four handsome, hand-picked bachelors and her private butler. As her suitors try to win her hand by any means necessary, Hibari endures endless everyday trials and temptations. Has grandfather chosen poorly, or is there more to these fellows than meets the eye? Through all of this, Hibari has two important goals: frighten off each of these marriage candidates, and absolutely refuse to fall in love.

    Blazing Strike (PS4, PS5, NSW, PC/2022) - Inspired by classic arcade fighting game series from industry greats such as Capcom and SNK, the upcoming 2D fighting game from developer RareBreed Makes Games is Blazing Strike evokes the excitement and nostalgia of 2D pixel art genre pioneers while incorporating a unique games system with modern mechanics.

    Source: Press release

    -------

Joseph Luster is the Games and Web editor at Otaku USA Magazine. You can read his comics at subhumanzoids. Follow him on Twitter @Moldilox.

By: Joseph Luster

[supertvngames]

Naruto AU - Shuji Uchiha Scenarios Part 1

Shuji Uchiha is the adoptive brother of Naruto Uzumaki. And the half-brother of Sasuke Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha from their mother’s side, and half-brother Shisui Uchiha from their father’s side. And as well as my OC.

-Pre OS-

Mikoto Uchiha adopted Naruto but has to move out of the Uchiha Distract and into the late 4th Hokage Minato and his wife Kushina’s with the newborn child. Over a while, an Uchiha man was given permission to help Mikoto. The Uchiha man is the father of Shisui Uchiha. They accidently conceive a child, the child was named Shuji. Weeks after Shuji was born, his birth father died.

While growing up, Shuji had a big brother worship towards Shisui as Sasuke towards Itachi. Shuji and Sasuke tend to argue who’s the better big brother, Shisui or Itachi. However out of all his big brothers, Shuji actually favors Naruto because Naruto took the time to listen to him and play with him. Shuji is also seem patient with Itachi than Sasuke is. Even if Shuji likes Shisui better, he looks up to Itachi. And Shuji even considers Sasuke to be most relatable.

Shuji even met Izumi, Itachi’s lover. Shuji sees Izumi as a big sister-figure, mainly due to Shuji not being as stingy as Sasuke especially when it comes to Itachi.

Shuji is practically a mama’s boy, he is always seen with his mother Mikoto. Shuji learn about not just cooking and cleaning, but learn about Mikoto’s fighting skills at a very high level. Mikoto is a role-model to Shuji.

Shuji doesn’t get along with his stepfather Fugaku. Mainly due to Fugaku not being the type to open up his feelings and being a hardass.

Shuji, in-person, witness the death of his mother Mikoto and his big sister-figure Izumi in the hands of Itachi. Naruto was staying for afterschool after a prank gone messy. Shuji and Sasuke found each other as they see Itachi, as he spares them seeing the potential of them obtaining the Mangekyou Sharingan. Both Shuji and Sasuke try to fight off Itachi yet they had no progression. Shuji had to break down the news to Naruto about Mikoto’s demise.

Shuji did his best to enter the academy, to be with his remaining siblings, so he wouldn’t be alone at the house. He was then accepted.

Shuji tries to convince Sasuke to move into his and Naruto’s house because they’re family, and they’re all that’s left for each each other. Sasuke, however, prefer to live in an apartment, to which Shuji visits to keep his half-brother company and see how he’s doing. They train from time to time.

Shuji along with Naruto have been oppressed and discriminated by the Konoha villagers. Shuji has notice that this has happened before the Uchiha massecre, however now, it’s more nasty. Shuji simply doesn’t understand why they hate him and his big brother but he definitely wish the villagers are dead.

While with Naruto, Shuji noticed a girl who has been looking from afar. The girl was Hinata Hyuga. To Shuji, she seems rather cute and nice. Shuji encourages Hinata to come and hang with him and Naruto. Shuji even noticed another girl, Hinata’s little sister Hanabi Hyuga, to which both Naruto and Shuji convinced her to stick around as well.

Shuji helps Naruto train, especially when it comes to preforming the ordinary beginner jutsus.

Shuji does make time to make food and clean, and Naruto does his share as well since the two are working together.

-Original Series-

Shuji and Sasuke may have hold resentment towards Itachi for what they did to their parents and clan. However, Shuji wants to put the revenge mission on hold. After all, there’s nothing they can do for right now. Both he and Sasuke had some disagreements. Yet they still train together.

When Shuji sees that Naruto failed the graudation exams, he purposely funk himself so they could be ninjas another time. Shuji simply doesn’t want to leave his big brother’s side, until Naruto told Iruka that Shuji failed the graudation on purpose because he knows that they need the money.

When first meeting Konohamaru Sarutobi, Shuji thought he was some sort of strange kid even for the grandson of the 3rd Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi. Shuji, like Naruto, began to befriend Konohamaru. Naruto and Shuji played with Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon. Even invite Hanabi after convincing Hiashi that she needs to stimulate her mind in order to be an effective fighter. It’s the only way to have her live her life better.

Instead of a three-man squad, it’ll be four-man squad for each team: Team 7 - Naruto, Shuji, Hinata, & Sasuke Team 8 - Kiba, Shino, Sayuri, & [A new girl character, a non-clan one] Team 10 - Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, & [A new girl character, possibly a Sarutobi] Same could be said for Team Guy/Gai, and two more teams in the same year as them. One team would have three girls and one boy, both teams have females senseis

Shuji overheard some girl’s talk about Naruto, how she is badmouthing him as an orphan. Shuji pummels Sher to the ground. Enraged that someone is making of his brother after he and Shuji lost their mother.

When seeing he’s on the same team as his brothers and the girl he loves, Shuji was rather happy that they got to stick together. Shuji can fight along side with his relatives and his love, he reassures Hinata that they can all protect each other, they all have each other’s back. Yet, Shuji couldn’t help himself to protect Hinata (and his brothers).

When visiting the Hyuga District to pick up Hinata, Naruto and Shuji get violently angry at Hiashi for badmouthing his own daughter Hinata, being stopped by Kakashi. Hearing Hiashi says that Hinata is a “failure” and that the Hyuga, Shuji remarks that if she was a failure, she’d be taking after him, a lousy good-for-nothing selfish man who is nothing more than someone who brought two girls into the world only to refuse to take responsibility as a father.

After seeing Hinata having a bad situation at her household, Shuji offers to invites Hinata to his and Naruto’s house, at least dinner so he could cook, maybe once every afternoon as a getaway and to get to know each other.

There are times in B rank missions that Shuji ends up in trouble to which Hinata comes to his aid, although, Shuji isn’t upset. Shuji is, in fact, happy to see Hinata becoming stronger and more confident.

Shuji would even help out Naruto and Sasuke from danger as well, especially if it seems over his head, yet he doesn’t want to bear losing his only family he has left.

Shuji would grow from 1 tomoe at the early of the original series, to 1-&-2 tomoe, then 2 tomoe at the middle, later 2-&-3 tomoe, and then fully mature 3 tomoe at the end of the original series.

Shuji did run into Orochimaru at a different place and time, possibly on a mission soon before the Chunin Exams arc with a mix members on Shuji’s part. However, unlike with Sasuke who woke with the power up, Shuji woke up yet he is technically dying but manage to fight on.

It was until later on, Shuji was at death’s door compare to Sasuke when receiving the Curse Mark, until something alerting happens to either of his brothers or Hinata. Shuji finally overcomes the mark’s effects on him and began to have a murderous anger.

When Shuji sees how horrible Neji went through, being enslaved with a mark that can kill you, losing a parent, all that at such a young age. All the while, Shuji holds a grudge against Neji for looking for an opportunity to kill Hinata, yet Shuji still sympathize Neji.

Shuji sees that Gaara, like his big brother Naruto, a special power (although, it’s the power of a Tailed Beast) to which his own village fears and hates him for something that can’t be helped, yet also sees that Gaara got it worse than him and Naruto especially since he has his own father trying to kill him, unable to communicate with his siblings properly. Shuji pities Gaara.

After the Invasion on Konoha by Suna and Oto, Shuji’s speech patterns became more aggressive, especially after the mark reactivates. In Japanese, at first, Shuji’s 1st person pronoun was “Boku”, then it became “Ore”, to show how aggressive Shuji became.

Shuji begins to see that things between him and Hinata aren’t going anywhere. He sees Hinata showing more visible affections towards Naruto.

Shuji and Neji are having a rocky relationship. Until later on, when Hinata becomes temporarily blind, seeing Neji took care of her and even go out to help her condition, Shuji finally fully forgives and trusts Neji, and even tells Neji what’s on his mind, which is vowing that he will find a way to free him and the Side Branch family.

When he and Sasuke heard that Itachi return, and is after his big brother Naruto, Shuji was scared and furious. By the time he and Sasuke run into Hinata, Shuji explains to her on the way that Naruto is in danger and that they need to find Naruto as quickly as possible.

Shuji have to remind Sasuke that they have to run away with Naruto and nothing more, they can’t take on Itachi since he did defeat Kakashi. By the time, they did met up with Itachi, Shuji tries to think of how to escape with Naruto, only to see Sasuke charges at Itachi with a Chidori with Shuji thinking “What a dumbass”. Shuji tries to help Sasuke out but Itachi beats the crap out of Shuji and put him in a coma as well.

By the time both Shuji and Sasuke woke up from their coma, like Sasuke, Shuji became different than he was before. Shuji became rather moody, bitter, and has guilt. The encounter with Itachi and Kisame haunts him. He, his brothers, and Hinata were in a no-way-out situation to which they all could get killed. Shuji tries to rationalize and justify his failure only to see the fact he wasn’t good enough. Shuji finally begins to see why Sasuke couldn’t put the revenge mission on hold, so Shuji then train with Sasuke more than ever.

Naruto and the others began to see Shuji is becoming more and more bitter after each mission and those missions was that they either failed or even success through dumb luck. Especially since he and Naruto seen the suffering and unfortunate events in different places. Shuji ask them how many times they are going to get beaten before they wise up and they realize that being a ninja isn’t a game. Think of Leo from TMNT 2003 Season 4, I admit he was a jerk but he has his reasons.

When Kakashi told Shuji let go of his revenge like Shuji did once before he was put into a coma. Shuji told him that he didn’t let go, he put it on hold, and that Itachi plan to take his older brother Naruto away from him. Shuji already lost his mother, his big sister figure Izumi, and eldest brother Shisui, he not planning to let Itachi go around free. Kakashi tells him that he too lost his loved ones and he only look into the past. However, unlike Sasuke, Shuji doesn’t buy it, his response is “you no longer seek retribution? You dishonor your loved ones. I will honor the memory of my fallen”.

Well, that’s it for the scenarios for Shuji Uchiha for now. I might have more plans for him, some I having a bit of a mix feeling, but I’ll discuss them another time. Until then, see ya.

[redxblueihateloveyou]

Hi! I really like your blog. Your analysis posts about ships or other things are really interesting and your gifsets are super cute! I have just finished reading your two anime recommendation posts and I was wondering if you plan to write a third one about the remaining animes you like? I would LOVE to read it.

Hi:) Thank you so much! Haha these were more like “bromance anime recommendations” lists. I’m glad you liked them romances. Here’s part 1 and part 2 :)

14. Hakkenden Touhou Hakken Ibun.

The relationship of the couple in this anime are one of the best on so many levels. They’re one of those “even the darkest part of me can’t hurt you” superior ships. They’re two of the main characters, 2 out 8 of the reincarnated warriors (who are all handsome af haha) that are meant to.. you know… save the world.

They’re both on the verge of death at the beginning and one (Shino) in order to survive agrees to live with a demonic sword inside of him which prevents him from growing old and growing per se (which is really sad for many reasons plus you’ll see him once in his 18-year old body and he’s so gorgeous), the other (Sousuke) takes half of a life from a dog, so he can tranform into it whenever he wants.

The problem is that during all of that Sousuke has split and lost his shadow aka the dark part of himself. His shadow works for the dark side, but all he really wants is Shino. The most amazing thing is that Sousuke loves Shino so much, that even his dark part would never ever hurt him. Like his shadow does some pretty terrible stuff to others like once he has made a deal with a girl so she would gave him her eyes just because Shino has said that they’re pretty lmao (I’m sory but its kinda funny), but he gets so pissed when Shino is hurt. So it’s the same as Akashi & Kuroko and Gauche & Lag: even for the darkest part of him the other one is his weakness. 

Also this is one of the animes where LITERALLY the power of gay love saves the world by the end. (p.s. sorry, Genpachi, I love you the most and I know you like Shino too, but your flirting can’t beat such deep feelings lol).

15. Assassination Classroom.

Not gonna spoil anything about plot, so I’ll say it’s about “problematic” kids trying to kill their teacher who has superpowers and that’s it. This anime is full of controversial stuff, like I really questioned things and what’s right or wrong, but one thing for sure is that no matter of what you think about the situation, you will 100% cry at the end. I personally think it’s a kinda happy ending considering all the stuff, but opinions are very different when it comes to this anime.

Now for the ship. Let’s just start with the fact that both Karma and Nagisa have ehhhh… psychological problems haha (but who doesn’t in this anime? lol). So Karma is a sadist (like for real, he likes to get creative with torturing) and I think he’s also a yandere when it comes to Nagisa. He threatens to kill those who even talk bad about Nagisa and once has almost beaten to death those who bullied him (which I didn’t mind tbh lmao). He never does anything if others ask, but when/if Nagisa says “please”, he immediately says yes (which is also funny). 

They both are in awe with each other and think the other one is absolutely incredible so it’s like a two-sided fan club. Karma is really scary, but when it comes to Nagisa he can be fluffy af. He also doesn’t care about people much, but Nagisa is his everything. Like the “I give up” moment will melt your heart, that was so cute. 

So this is one of those “you’re the only exception” ships. Bc Karma is a person who will enjoy skinning ppl alive, but when he’s with Nagisa he likes to hug, pick him up and coo about Nagisa’s height, play tag, discuss his fav movies and tickle fight. I’m like… I’m just… this is great.

16. Bungou Stray Dogs.

This one is about a detective agency where everyone has superpowers who are “enemies” with the mafia group where everyone has superpowers, but actually they’re all friends and half of the detective agency date the mafia xD (I’m sorry, but it’s the truth). Like I still don’t get why they won’t just make one organization, this is getting ridiculous.

I’m not a huge fan of the anime per se tbh, because like it has way too many characters who I can’t even feel for cause supposedly they’ve had a dramatic past, but what past nobody tells, so I like can’t empathize to someone who’s an asshole without knowing why he is that way. Plus there’re many characters in animes who have had a horrible childhood/past but are incredible people (hello to Todoroki and Levi). And some characters there for some reason are degrading instead of progressing which is the worst for me. But it’s pretty entertaining to watch if you won’t think much about stuff, powers are cool and it’s drawn beautifully (but there is one scene that was repeated 28 times 28 TIMES!, we’ve counted just for laughs, guess which xD, that’s like.. they could’ve made time for a whole new episode instead of this)

There’s one character whose progression is so incredible though that I’m happy to watch just for him. It’s Akutagawa. He’s like grown so much and I love everything about him, how he went from trying to kill Atsushi to risking his life for him and letting him use rashomon, how he’s homey with his sister and how he’s so good with feeling his powers, how Kyouka tried to kill him and he was like “I’m so glad you’re happy now”. Bitch, like that’s the character progression I’m asking for! Man, he’s just… he’s my favorite, I love seeing many sides of him. He made me so happy in s3 when I was ready to turn it off lmao

So there are two main ships in this anime. Dazai and Chuuya. They are one of those perfect combinations. But not in a usual way you think.. like characteristically. Chuuya’s full power is uncontrollable and the only one who can stop him is Dazai, cause his ability is to nullify other’s abilities, so he’s the only one who can stop Chuuya and also save him from being destroyed by his own power. So basically Chuuya trusts Dazai with his own life when they work together (which is.. I’d be scared if I was in Chuuya’s place lmao). It’s not like I’m scared that Dazai’s gonna let him die or anything, but stuff like “let’s watch a bit longer how Chuuya is going nuts cause it’s funny” doesn’t seem funny to me.

Let’s just say, I do ship them, I think they’d be perfect together if Dazai was like a fanfiction Dazai, you know. But the truth here is firstly their relationships progression is zero to none, like yeah, it’s fun to watch them bicker, but it like won’t give you any deep feelings. Plus Dazai was the most humane and emotional when he was with Oda (which I really don’t get, Oda was a dumbass tbh, like who makes a children shelter while working in MAFIA???! ofc they were fucking killed). Like Oda’s so special for him but then he treats Chuuya and Akutagawa like shit. And he had more feelings for Oda’s matchbox than for Chuuya in the last season. So my heart just won’t lie there fully, you know. Because there are no moments there that indicate like he’s the one for him.

Now to Akutagawa and Atsushi. This is a classic enemies to lovers stuff. Like they go from trying to kill each other to risking their lives for each other. They warm my heart on so many levels. So they’re both struggling to get over of their past and can’t. But then by the end they help each other to let go of their demons, they give each other what others couldn’t. Like I still can’t believe Atsushi came in like a wrecking ball and said the words Akutagawa wanted to hear for ages (his face, his face lol he was like “w-w-what?”). Atsushi himself admitted that Akutagawa is his cure in the last season. 

These two are like also hilarious bc they both think that they’re trash so their arguments are like “you’re the best”, “no, you’re the best”. Like Atsushi literally goes “Akutagawa is so strong and amazing, but he still thinks he’s weak” what a bae xD and Akutagawa thinks that he’s nowhere as good as Atsushi so it’s really funny. The relationships progression is like insane. They went from beating each other into a blood puddles to covering each other from bullets and being like “honey, don’t you dare die, I was going to kill you myself” lol

I still can’t believe Akautagawa gave Atsushi rashomon… he was wearing rashomon. I mean his ability, which is a part of him was okay with Atsushi using her. I mean.. maaaaaan fanfiction does come true! And they’re like the representation of yin and yang characteristically and even appereance-wise and I think it’s super cool. Plus the “lawnmower” is the cutest pet name I’ve ever heard lol

Anywho, this anime has like 20 bromances, so pick whichever you like.

Damn, that got long and I’ve only mentioned 3 haha, sorry. That way it’s gonna be like 50 parts xD

[penebui]

Lgbt manga pt.1

If you had to put up with my sorry ass for a few years then yes you know that I have been searching for lgbt mangas!! I put up with the pain of going through most genres that sexualize/fetishize gender identities and sexualities (like yaoi and gender bender) and reading mangas to find if they have lgbt content so you dont have to suffer the pain of trying to! Clown on this post and please face my wrath

Keep in mind that these aren’t in order of ratings!! Its just a list. I also give summaries of the plot, the things that make it lgbt, and some content warnings!! 

1. Welcome to Room #305! by Wanan 

Kim Jung Hyun moves into an apartment (room #305) with a friend of a friend, named Kim Homo! Who (you guessed it) is gay! As Jung Hyung begins to live with Kim Homo, he slowly learns to accept him for his sexuality. Once he overcomes his homophobia and completely accepts him for who he is, other lgbt characters pop in too!! They all have their struggles with their identities, and it is very realistic, but the art style helps keep all that angst at bay! As far as english translations go, we have several lesbian characters, and a trans guy. You can read the english translation on several manga sites, but if you want the link to the original since this is a webcomic, here’s the [link]! Unfortunately english updates are very slow since translation teams have other projects, and legal companies who translate take their sweet precious time. 

2. Bokura no Hentai by Fumiko Fumi

The title might seem misleading, however it can be translated as “Our Transformation”! Buckle up buttercup cause this manga will fuck you over emotionally. Three crossdressers meet up after being in a crossdressing group, with different reasons as to why they crossdress. Parou crossdresses to fall in love with a straight guy, Marika is actually a trans woman, and Yui crossdresses as his dead sister to “help” his mother with her grieving. There are some other characters who don’t fit within the gender norms! 

Now let me tell you if you are dealing with some trauma and can’t handle very sensitive topics, this manga might not be the one for you. Although it isnt just homophobia and transphobia, it also contains content of sexual harrassment, pedophilia, and suicide. However these topics are not glorified or sexualized. They are trauma of some of the characters and they must learn how to overcome from it individually. However, there is a happy ending for them!! Please let that be known! I enjoyed reading it if sobbing your heart out counts as enjoying it, because it has indeed pulled my heart strings (although I am not a trans woman, I am a trans guy and I can identify with only some of the things Marika goes through, as trans women go through different experiences than trans men and have it harder on them.) 

3. Hourou Musuko (Wandering Son) by Takako Shimura

This manga is one of the most well known mangas realistically depicting trans identity. It became popular when an anime adaptation came out! However the anime adaptation only covers the middle school part of our protagonists lives, however it encourages you to read the manga to find out what happens to them and their life! We have two protagonists. Shuichi who identifies as a girl, and Yoshino who identifies as a boy. Shuichi is the primary protagonist while Yoshino serves as a secondary protagonist. 

This manga also realistically depicts how hard it is for transfeminine people to come out and be themselves while transmasculine people seem to have it easier (dont clown on this dear fuck). We have lesbian, gay, and genderfluid characters galore! Although they do have some touchy topics like transmisogyny and transphobia in general, it is less heavier than Bokura no Hentai.  

Some people might not like the outcome of this story when it comes to Yoshino, however I am content with it because it shows that people should be able to explore their gender identity, and they are welcome to change it anytime as they see fit. Sometimes you won’t figure out your identity if you don’t explore. 

4. Shimanami Tasagore / Our Dreams at Dusk by Yuhki Kamatani

Also one of the more well known ones, the mangaka of this beautiful story is X-gender and asexual! It follows the protagonist, Tasuku is contemplating suicide as rumors circulate that he is gay at his highschool (he is). He sees a woman jumping off a building nearby and runs to her aid. Her name is Anonymous/Somebody and she sees herself is asexual but other than that she does not like labels, she invites Tasuku inside the building she just jumped off, which contains a group of exclusively lgbt characters. 

We have both trans, lesbian, and gay people. We see their struggles. We see how they overcome it. We see how even we ourselves can harm others even if we’re both lgbt. Of course there is homohpobia, transphobia, etc. however it is all handled perfectly and we get the satisfaction of these characters speaking up for either themselves or for each other. I also love Anonymous simply because she doesn’t like labels and chooses not to use them (excluding the asexual part). Not everyone whos part of the lgbt community has a label, however they are still a part of us! 

5. Fukakai na boku no subete o (Fukaboku)/ Love me for who I am by Konayama Kata

Fukaboku is a very special manga to me, as it goes in depth on gender identity and sexuality. There are two protagonists, Tetsu who is a cis guy and supposedly straight (we later find out that he is not), and Mogumo, who is both intersex and nonbinary. 

Tetsu works as a chef at Question Cafe, and everyone employed in fanlations are called girlyboys, however in the official translation they use otokonoko which is anyone crossdressing as a girl regardless of their gender. There are plenty of transwomen, gay people, etc.! Tetsu falls in love with Mogumo, so he isn’t straight, however he isn’t explicitly gay because he recognizes Mogumo as what they identify as, nonbinary. It is safe to say that he could either be pan, bi, omni, etc. however we can’t confirm since it hasn’t been explicitly stated.

We learn how transfeminine people have certain struggles, like shoes that dont fit them, breasts, and voice feminization. We also have a dose of family struggles when it comes to Mogumo in later/current chapters. 

Before you dm me, yes. Yes I know about the shit prequel. The prequel actually features a gay couple in fukaboku. I have read it. Reluctantly even if it was only 24 pages. However just because the prequel is shit does not mean we should cancel Fukaboku. There is a thing called being critical of the content you’re enjoying. If we treated it like cancel y because of x, then things like persona 4 and danganronpa would be cancelled, but lets not get into that. 

6. Kanojo ni Naritai Kimi to Boku by Umi Takase

I haven’t heard of this one as much as I have the others, so I was very much pleased when I heard about this! There are two protagonist (yes there are a lot of lgbt mangas with two protags I’ve noticed too), Hime and Akira. Hime has a crush on Akira, who identifies as a girl. However this manga is also realistic, as Akira doesn’t fully ‘pass’ as a girl herself. Hime wants to do anything she can to help Akira feel comfortable on her first day of school wearing a girl’s uniform. Because of Akira being made fun of, Hime shows up to school in Akira’s male uniform to help Akira in solidarity. 

Their teachers are fully aware of Akira’s situation, however instead of discriminating her they accept her. Their homeroom teacher helps Hime overcome her internal problem about lashing out at others who try to befriend Akira, and she slowly realizes that just because people can’t accept Akira straight away, they will slowly get used to her and come to terms with the fact that Akira is trans in their own time rather than have it being forced on them.

Hime and Akira make friends slowly and we see that even little things (like calling Akira cute and/or a girl) helps Akira, even if theyre small things we dont usually notice. Hime also struggles with her crush as she sees Akira as a girl, yet she cant accept the fact that shes attracted to girls. 

Although Akira doesnt feel the same way as Hime does, she doesnt just like her as a friend, but also not as a lover either. Its safe to say that these two have a quasiplatonic relationship with each other. 

7. Yuzu no Koto by Arai Shou

I have noticed that there are plenty of mangas with transfeminine characters as the focus, rather than transmasculine, so heres one for the transmasculines! Ichigo’s best friend Yuzu comes back to school, however he is enrolling as a boy! It is very humorous as Ichigo tries to understand and get used to her best friend’s new identity. Although it is slow as each chapter is a single page, it is hinted that Yuzu has a crush on Ichigo (or if thats just me squinting really hard). 

8. Ohana Holoholo by Torino Shino 

It is a story about two bi women who are ex-girlfriends, raising one of the women’s baby together as a little family! There is also an idol/actor who helps them out and visits them occassionally! If you want something warming and wholesome, this is the manga for you!! 

9. My Androgynous Boyfriend by Tamekou

Wako, a woman who works for a publishing company is in a relationship with an androgynous/genderless man! Her boyfriend wears dresses, makeup, and is an instagram model! It is not necessarily treated as crossdressing. It is handled pretty well, and the chemistry between Wako and her boyfriend is very strong. They both love each other so much and help each other with their hobbies and interests. This is what a loving and healthy relationship is supposed to look like!!

10. Inside Mari by Shuzo Oshimi

It is debatable if this is actually considered lgbt, considered the circumstances, however I put it on this list because it shows how mental illnesses and disorders really feel to the person whos suffering from it. Please read throughout this whole section to understand why. 

Inside Mari is about a man named Isao who stalks this young girl named Mari. He follows her back outside of a little convenience store, but when she turns back and looks at him he wakes up inside her body and doesn’t know how to cope with it. He tries to find Mari while putting on a facade and living as her. He meets a girl named Yori who instantly recognizes that Isao isn’t actually Mari from his mannerisms. This girl has had a crush on Mari, just like Isao. Isao tries to prove to Yori that he switched bodies, and when he goes to his apartment, he finds someone living as him, but it isn’t Mari.

The more we delve into this manga, the more we figure out exactly what happened to Mari and Isao. As Isao and Yori visit and retrace his steps, Isao gets flashbacks to memories of Mari. Isao soon realizes that he isn’t actually the real Isao, but a introject of Isao, and that Mari actually has DID because of childhood trauma. The ending is bittersweet, as Mari comes back but Isao unfortunately becomes dormant/disappears since I don’t think what happened was them merging. 

11.  Seibetsu  "Mona Lisa" No Kimi He by Yoshimura Tsumuji 

In the world, people can choose what gender they want to be when they’re 12. When they’re 14 their appearance corresponds to their gender. Hinase however, is 18 years old and they still haven’t chosen a gender. They prefer to be neither. However when their two best friends suddenly confess to them, their hormonal development suddenly starts to increase. 

Imagery and symbolism is very clear in this manga!! As we revolve around the color blue/cyan and the debate and interpretations of Mona Lisa’s gender. I’m very hopeful that Hinase will stay as nonbinary rather than choosing a gender, simply because both of their best friends confessed and asked them to become the opposite gender to be with them. It is very much hinted that Hinase will be in a romantic relationship with their male best friend however. I love this manga simply because the protagonist doesn’t want to identify as either male nor female. 

12. Jun And Kaoru: Pure And Fragrant by Neiki Zui

Jun and Kaoru have a special condition, by midnight they both switch genders. Because they both have this condition, they hang out with each other and help each other with clothing, etc. It should be addressed that these two do not have the “I wish to be a girl/boy” etc. The problem that they have though is their growing crush on each other. They are either genderqueer, or genderfluid, or whatever you prefer since it isn’t directly stated within the manga. They’re not cis or straight! It is a very fun and comedic love story and I wish to see further updates on it!!! 

13. Sakura-Chan to Amane-Kun by Asazuki Norito 

This story revolves around Sakura who identifies as a girl and Amane who identifies as a boy. Amane spots Sakura dressed as a girl and instantly recognizes her, however instead of belittling her he asks her out on a date, only if she goes as a girl. During school however, they have to pretend to be the gender theyre assigned with while not interacting with each other. 

Since there is a lot more but I dont want to break tumblr, I will be making a part 2 and I’ll post it tomorrow! 

[fifi-uchiha]

Born to Live (4/?)

„An ambush...” Tenten panted, still feeling dizzy and exhausted from the fight. “They were ninja from another village.” Naruto raised a brow, seemed confused about the brunette’s assumption. “What?!” Ino asked angrily and more than alarmed. “Are you all okay? Any injuries I need to heal?”

“No, no, we’re alright,” Sakura waved off with a calming smile and moved her eyes to the four bodies. Her green orbs narrowed when she eyed the blank metal of their headbands because she was aware what that meant. “Why do you think they were ninja from another village?” Naruto asked the obvious question, didn’t see how his friend would think that. “Well…,” Sakura started, looking at her best friend. “Just look at their headbands, Naruto. They’re blank.”

The pinkette pointed at the covered head of one of the dead ninjas. “Ninjas with blank headbands are known for being spies from other villages who travel to other places to gain information… or to cause trouble. Like beginning a fight or assassinate a prey. They didn’t carve any symbol on their headbands to cover their heritage so they can hide where they’re from.” The fox ninja nodded understandingly and heard how Ino slapped her forehead. “Oh fuck!” she exclaimed. “And we overkilled those motherfuckers!” “AAAH! Dammit, you’re right, dattebayo!”

“It’s alright,” Tenten appeased, trying to calm everyone down whereas Kiba nodded. “Yeah. ‘Cause we know who’s behind that sneaky shit.” “We do?” Naruto asked incredulously. “Who was it?” “What do you think? Those Konoha-bastards, who else?”, the brown haired ninja barked. “But why?”, the pinkette leader wondered and earned looks that basically screamed ‘Seriously?’’ “Uhm… because they’re bastards..?” Naruto offered her, as if it were too obvious not no notice. “I’m aware,” the pinkette deadpanned dryly. “I just mean… It’s not like them. After all, Uchiha Sasuke declared war and even set a damn DATE, shannaro! Why would they attack us? Bastards or not, Konoha doesn’t fight dirty.” Sakura really couldn’t think of a plan that Sasuke might followed, as much as she tried. “Why blank headbands though? Everyone knows that Konoha declared war, so why would he cover up an assassination mission? “ she continued. “There’s no reason for them to hide, wouldn’t you agree?” “Maybe they did it so other villagers won’t recognize them and warn us?” Tenten offered who still understood where Sakura was coming from. “I think Kiba’s right, though. Konoha-nins are known for being manipulative and sneaky fighters who like to discover their rivals weak points and disable them before a fight.” Ino nodded, made it obvious that she too shared her theory. “Totally agree. They want to destroy us from the inside.” Her blue eyes lingered on the dead bodies and Ino scoffed smugly, folding her arms before her chest. “Well, they tried, I’ll give them that.” “I guess you’re right,” the pinkette sighed, accepting of the only logical explanation. Of course Konoha would use dirty tricks to weaken Timea and demonstrate their power, of course they would try to kill the most powerful ninjas of her homeland. God, that Uchiha was one hell of a bastard, shannaro! “However, we need to make sure to keep unexpected guests outside Timea. I think we should send Rayo and his team to guard the borders.” “I’ll tell him as soon as I can,” Kiba promised, earning a thankful smile from his comrade. “Thank you, Kiba.” “Okay guys, we should go back and rest, dattebayo” A loud yawn escaped his lips and Naruto stretches his arms, making it more than obvious how tired he was. “Naruto’s right. Come on, tomorrow’s a big day- MPH!” To Sakura’s surprise, Tenten covered the Yamanaka’s mouth with her hand, choking her in the process which looked pretty hilarious to her, however, she raised her brows in astonishment because Tenten was actually a calm person in general. “Well… yeah. We should rest. All of us need to sleep, the shades under our eyes look scary to be honest,”, Kiba smiled before he and Naruto grabbed Sakura and pulled her towards the camp. And Sakura could’ve sworn that she heard Tenten calling Ino a blabbering waterwall… “But I’m hungry, shannaro!” .

.

.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Sakura was a passionate , hotheaded fighter through and through, however, there were days were she worked as a medic in Timea-gakure. During those days, she worked with Rin Sensei, Ino and other medics to help injured and ill people who were far more important than training to her. But she still didn’t understand why Naruto and Tenten forced her to spend her time in the hospital even though there weren’t any emergency that needed her special attention. Were they trying to get rid of her? “Whooo, look who I found!” The female leader turned to the sudden male voice and immediately recognized the attractive face of Leo, a good looking, brown haired playboy she knew for years. That guy wasn’t just an exceptional shinobi with impressive strength, he was also capable of handling every single surgery which required perfect precision. He was a master surgeon and saved thousands without breaking a single sweat which made him one of the most valuable members of Timea’s army. “Leo. Good to see you, I really need those chakra results of patient 233-” “I already took care of him and told him he’s free to go, pinky. I stitched him up so good, he even started his training session,”, he interrupted with a big grin on his face. “Oh wow, uhm… wow,” the pinkette stammered impressed, making her way to the next patient with Leo by her side. “I mean, that’s really impressive, Leo. You’re a real pro.” “You know what else is impressive, pinky?”, the latter asked. “That a woman like you doesn’t have good enough taste to spend a few nice hours with a man like me. I can’t be the only one who feels the sexual tension between us.” Oh for God’s sake, not again. “Hey Leo? You like your penis, right?” Hearing those calm words, Leo blinked a few times, looking totally surprised about that question. “Yeah..?” “Would you still like it If I cut it off and stuffed it down your throat?” . . .

“No-” “Yeaaah, that’s what I thought. But that’s exactly what’s going to happen should you ever call me ‘pinky’ again, champ,” she explained matter of factly. “And by the way, I’m not your type,” she waved off, looking unimpressed while she kept walking, earning a dumbfounded look from the brunette. “Sakura. Women ARE my type!” “Forget it.” “Ah, come on! One night with me and you’re world will shake.” “I already told you, I’m not gonna sleep with you,”, was her dry reply, sounding disinterested. “More important, how did you manage all those surgeries? I mean… staying up for three days must be pretty hard even for you.” Sakura tried to change the subject, however, Leo snickered lowly, giving her a devilish grin. “You wanna know what else is hard..?” “Hey! Careful, Romeo. Shut it,” Sakura warned. “Sakura, come on. I find you really hot and you know I can’t concentrate with thoughts like that. Give me one night.” “You know who else is hot? My girlfriend,” the pinkette claimed whereas Leo looked comically surprised. Wait… Did that mean..? “You’re right, Leo. I’m a lesbian. Totally gay,” she confirmed Leo’s thoughts. “And my gay, mannish, rough girlfriend Earl -yes, her name is Earl- really wouldn’t appreciate a man like you coming at me like that. She likes to get out her metal hammer and smash every guys head who approaches me. You know, after she started taking those pills and since she got that new penis and her voice started changing, she seems a little energetic. Such an attractive trait…,” Sakura raved, acting like a girl in love. Leo looked totally shocked, not knowing if his comrade was joking or not. “Now If you excuse me, I gotta go. My patient is waiting.” Before Leo could utter any words, the kunoichi turned around and kept walking, leaving the tall shinobi behind who just stared at her retreating back in astonishment. She shock was written all over his face because that was the last thing Leo could’ve ever expected. He then walked to his next patient, shaking his head disbelievingly. . .

. “Earl..?” ………………………………………………………………………………………..

“Oh my God, Sakura, you’re here. The only person next to Tenten I respect.” Yamanaka Ino was one of the most powerful kunoichis of Timea who possessed healing abilities that every ninja barely could dream of. The blonde joined the army a year ago and helped Sakura with her knowledge about medical nin-jutsu. And right now, the Yamanaka was trying to take care of Shino who suffered from a severe injury. “Goddammit, Shino! How in the world did you manage to ram that nail through your palm, shannaro?!” The nail impaled his Hand completely and to all that, it was stuck in a big piece of wood which looked really painful. “I just wanted to help building a new cottage…,” was Shino’s quite, apologetic explanation whereas Sakura nodded, noting every word down. “It’s okay, Shino. We’ll deal with that...” Fast and with perfect precision, Sakura pushed two specific areas on Shino’s palm which caused his skin to glow in a soft green right before Shino felt no pain anymore which made Ino give Sakura a proud smirk. “Seriously, forehead. Your chakra-blocking is fucking crazy.” “Heh, you’re making me blush, Ino-pig. Thanks,” Sakura replied with her cheeks indeed becoming a little redder. To be honest, the sarcastic, moody, scaring Ino wasn’t known for giving anyone compliments, moreover, the blonde kunoichi only shared her soft side with her female members if her group. And her patients of course. “Hey guys, you won’t believe what just hap- Oh my God, this is disgusting.” Kiba suddenly appeared and he seemed caught off guard after he realized how grotesque Shino’s injury looked. “What the...-” “Oh, don’t worry, it looks worse than it actually is. I just blocked his chakra and numbed his pain and due to the fortunate fact that his bones weren’t pierced in the process-” Sakura stopped when Ino and her witnessed Kiba breathing heavily, his eyes becoming a little too… heavy as dizziness was making him weaker and weaker with each second. “Oh Lord, she’s losing consciousness. Let’s show her the bloody side!” Ino smirked who just loved teasing the shinobi whenever she could which was the reason why she hold Shino’s numb, injured hand and started to wave right in front oh his face. “Well look at that, Tina, that’s his palm nailed to this bloody piece of wood. Look close, it’s bleeding like hell, it SNAPPED like a bitch! Look at it, touch it, LICK THE TIP!” Kiba’s dizziness worsened and not a second later, the poor ninja fainted and fall straight in the floor, not seeing Sakura’s pitiful smile when Ino started laughing at him. “Why are you always so mean to him?”, she jokingly demanded whereas Ino simply shrugged. “She’s gotta learn how to deal with tough situations,”, Ino answered, not showing any remorse as she grabbed her bloody glove and threw it at Kiba’s head. “Don’t you worry about her, she’ll be arlight.” . . . ………………………………………..………………………………………… “Rayo is up to something.” Naruto and Tenten were walking through the market, looking for a birthday gift for Sakura who had no idea that her team was planning to surprise her with a little party. With the war coming nearer with each passing day, the group knew that enjoying their last days in peace and freedom were valuable, not to mention that Sakura would never think about her own birthday in times like this. She was a dedicated leader and didn’t care about anything but building a beautiful village without any dangers from outside. “Rayo? What do you mean?” Tenten asked with a raised brow. “Did you two have a fight again?” “No, not this time,” Naruto grinned sheepishly, knowing that he had to be calmer and more mature. But Rayo made it really hard for him, so she shouldn’t blame him for that. “I don’t know, he’s really weird lately, dattebayo.” “He always is.” “I know. But I just… I don’t know, I’m getting more and more bitch vibes from that. I just don’t trust him, ya know?” Tenten listened to him patiently, waited until he was done and tilted her head to look at him directly. “Naruto, he’s a timea-nin, a shinobi who fought with us against horrible enemies. He’s a bastard, there’s no doubt here, but you shouldn’t think too much about him. What’s the worst he can do? Shout and scream at us?” Naruto scoffed and knew she was right. Maybe he really was reading too much into it. “Come on, tell me what else is bugging you,” she suddenly demanded, earning a surprised look. “You’ve been acting really strange this morning. Is there anything you want to tell me?” Naruto seemed a little off this morning which was uncommon for the fox ninja who’s usually in such a good mood that even a war couldn’t change it. “You dodged Sakura’s question earlier, Naruto, but I’m a little more persistent. Tell me.” “Heh. You ability to read people is getting better and better. Kinda scary,” he joked. Tenten didn’t get distracted and folded her arms before her chest, waiting for Naruto to tell her about his problem without saying much. “I’ll take it as a compliment,” she commented dryly, making him laugh. “It was.” Naruto sighed because he knew that keeping everything bottled up wasn’t actually his piece of cake. It just didn’t suit him, so he gave up and started giving her the answer that he denied his pink haired best friend. “Well, I had a few bad nights, is all”, he started and didn’t see the confusion in her face. “What do you mean? Can’t you sleep properly?” she pressed which caused Naruto to lool dejected. “No. I’m having those weird dreams… about Sakura, dattebayo..-” “Sex dreams?” Immediately, Narutos entire face flamed of shame, his cheeks were a burning red and he looked like he saw a ghost. “ARE YOU CRAZY?” he shrieked, making Tenten close her hurting ear. He definitely knew how to hollow, really. “I do NOT HAVE sex dreams of Sakura, of course! That would be disgusting, dattebayo!” Seriously, they were like brother and sister, Naruto would never dare to see Sakura like… like a woman he could desire!

Disgusting!

“Calm down, calm down, it was just a question. Jeez…,” Tenten shrugged off his screams of terror. However, it was kind of interesting to see that even Uzumaki Naruto could feel immense shame and the brunette made sure to remember that next time he would mess with her. “What kind of dreams are haunting you then?” she asked the obvious question which made Naruto look dejected again. “Well… I saw her crying,” ha started thoughtfully. “More than that, she was crying, sobbing as if someone ripped her heart out, Tenten. She didn’t say anything, I just saw her crying her eyes out, she seemed so...-” There weren’t words accurate enough to describe the sadness and the bitterness in Sakura’s eyes, not to mention the countless tears she shed. “And she looked different, dattebayo,” he added a little confused. “What do you mean ‘different’?” “Her hair was much shorter than now. It reached her shoulders and-” “She had short hair when she was 16, Naruto. Maybe-” This time, Naruto interrupted her. “No, that’s not it.” Naruto knew that Sakuta preferred to wear her hair short when she was 16 because it didn’t bother her during training sessions. Apparently, she found it more practical like that, but she let it grow again.

“This Sakura from my dream wasn’t 16. I’d say she was about 23 or 24 years old. But that’s not all,” he said, finding those dreams even more suspect when he talked about them. “Her clothes were also different. In my dreams, Sakura wore a green dress and… I don’t know, Tenten, but it looked like this Sakura came from another… village?” What really bugged him was the fact that seeing this version of Sakura kind of felt.. familiar. “Sakura never wears dresses, Tenten. And the way she cried… It broke my heart, dattebayo...” That picture, that showed Sakura who seemed so bitter, so horribly sad and broken had burnt itself into his brain, clouding his mind like a thick fog. She was sitting on the green grass, her skin far too pale, her dry lips shaking and her orbs red and wet from all those burning tears she had shed. Her sobs were so intense, so loud and broken that it made it impossible for her to say a single word. The young woman seemed alone, broken, as If someone burnt her whole world, taken everything and everyone that was important to her. But he couldn’t do anything to help her, Naruto couldn’t reach out to Sakura.

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up,” Tenten comforted him, giving him a soft pat on his back. “Sakura is stressed because of her secret leadership, not to mention that Uchiha Sasuke declared war. It’s a fact that Sakura doesn’t live like the average woman, that might be the reason why she wore a dress in your dreams”, she offered him a simple explanation. “I mean, we all are pretty worked up, Naruto. Try to relax once in a while and don’t pay too much attention to your nightmares. They’re just dreams that have nothing to do with reality.” Naruto took in a deep breath and sighed, finally accepting Tenten’s comfort and gave her a thanking smile. “Thanks, Tenten”, the Uzumaki grinned.

“No need to thank me. I really don’t like you being too serious and sad. Now come on, we have to hurry before Sakura finds out about the birthday party.” Oh. Right, that was happening right now. “Ah, shit, you’re right! Ino’s gonna behead us if we don’t make it in time!” If there was one thin Naruto and Tenten feared from the bottom of their hearts… It was Yamanaka Ino’s temper. .

.

.

……………………………………………………………………………………..

Soundless and secretly, a brown haired shinobi sneaked through the darkness over the borders in the empty land between Konoha and Timea, a land that belonged no one. However, the shinobi wasn’t running away from the upcoming war for he was about to meet one of the most powerful ninja in the word, without paying a single thought to the horrendous treasure he was about to commit. His eyes flashed angrily over the mere thought of the oh so mighty leader of Timea, which was nothing but a facade of a little, weak woman. A girl. He still couldn’t fathom the mere idea of her being the great leader. The dark haired ninja couldn’t believe that it was Haruno Sakura who made herself the leader and actually acted like one. A weak woman had it in her to betray not only her own army, but also every other village who respected Timea’s new power without giving even the slightest suspicions. Who in the world would’ve ever thought a woman without any special traits or power could create a whole army? He sure didn’t. It was a real challenge to sneak away from the others, however, the traitorous ninja didn’t care at all. No, his goal lay right behind the borders of Konoha-gakure, the village that declared war without giving at least a single reason, much less an explanation. “Behold!” Suddenly, the shinobi was surrounded, facing three ninjas who seemed alarmed and ready to fight and it didn’t take an expert to know that these men belonged to Konoha’s guards. The brown haired ninja showed no fear whatsoever nor was he scared in any way because he was here for a reason, a plan he had in mind. “I am a shinobi from Timea,” he introduced himself and he could saw their narrowing gazes. After all, they were a few days left until war which made it more than understandable that his sudden visit was not appreciated. “What do you want?”, one of the guards hissed, making him roll his eyes. God, that was so annoying. “I have to talk to your hokage,” the shinobi demanded without showing emotion. “There is something I need to tell him. You could say… interesting information.” For a moment they seemed to consider his words but suddenly, the shinobi felt a strong chakra signature. Another ninja appeared, walking towards the new visitor as he watched him with light eyes that were shining in the same color as the moon. Pearl colored eyes were watching him like a hawk, the man seemed to analyze him with obvious distrust. He wore white clothing, his blown hair was long and his skin pale. However, his light eyes were enough for him to know who he was dealing with. Definitely a Hyuuga. Hyuuga Neji. “What would a timea-nin possibly want from us?”, Neji directly asked, analyzing the stranger with narrowed eyes to make sure this wasn’t a hidden ambush. “Or are you the mysterious leader of Timea..?” “You are mistaken. I am not our leader,” the brown haired ninja immediately denied. “I came to talk to Uchiha Sasuke,” he continued, not a bit backing down. “For what reason exactly?”, Neji asked with calm distrust. “If you want to talk about the fight, then I have to disappoint you. Sasuke-sama won’t change is mind, you would just waste valuable time.” “I believe what I have to say to your hokage is of high importance,” he pressed. “There is no reason for you to distrust me for I have left my homeland.” Neji saw no lies nor regrets in his eyes but for some reason he still believed him. “What would your hokage say If I told him that the identity of Timea’s leader is no longer a well hidden secret..?” Hearing those words, Neji widened his eyes, seeming surprised for he was told that no one knew the real name of the all mighty leader of Timea, not even their own army. Could it be a trap? A foul trick to attack Konoha? No, he doubted that. Timea was far too powerful and smart to send a single ninja, that wouldn’t make any sense. That’s why Neji finally nodded, accepting the ninja’s offer. “What is your dame?” Neji demanded with controlled voice whereas the stranger gave him a little smirk. “My name is Rayo...” .

.

.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Alright… I did it. I kicked my butt and I… well… yeah, I tried, okay? I don’t feel good about this, I don’t like my english chapters but I still want to share my stories with my SasuSaku family and… yeah. I know it’s still a little boring and all but TRUST me- Things are gonna be crazy. Typos are all little presents from me to you, so please keep them ^.^ And please, don’t be too harsh, English is my third language and... Yeah. I’m still trying hehe Xoxo Fifi-Uchiha! By the way, here’s the linkt to the whole ff. And you can find the other chapters on my tumblr account, just use the ‘born to live’ tag :D

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13201822/1/Born-to-Live

[thefreckledone]

Satori (Between the Lines) - Part 14

“Torune, slow down a bit!” Sakura says, through drawn-out, breathless giggles. She tugs at his gloved hand, digging in her heels. “I can’t quite keep up with you.”

“Sorry,” Torune replies, chagrined as his pace slows. “I’m just excited.”

Sakura laughs, shaking her head. “You sure that’s it? Shino seemed a bit frustrated when we left.”

“I wanted to spend a little time alone with you,” Torune says. “Shino gets to spend most of the day with you at school. It’s my turn.”

Sakura’s expression softens as she adjusts her grip on Torune’s hand to squeeze it. “I’m not complaining. I was just teasing. It has been a long time since we last hung out alone.”

Torune turns a bright smile on her before continuing on through the forest. It’s an area of the Aburame estate that Sakura has yet to visit, but she doesn’t find that particularly surprising; their grounds are absolutely sprawling.

“Shino told me that you beat Kiba in a spar yesterday,” Torune says, pride clear in his voice. “The Inuzuka are notorious brawlers; I know that Kiba is one of the strongest contenders in your class in the spars. He’s a difficult opponent. You’ve improved.”

Sakura tickles her fingers across the palm of his hand. She’s convinced him to remove his gloves whenever they’re alone. “It’s thanks to you and Ino. I used that move you and Shibi-oji showed me and flipped Kiba over.” Sakura giggles, warmth bubbling in her gut. “I wish you could’ve seen his face.” Torune turns to her as she pulls an exaggerated look of surprise. He snorts in surprise, bringing his free hand up to his mouth as he guffaws. “It was pretty amazing.”

“I have no doubt,” Torune says, smile warm even as he ignores the slight sting he feels at the reminder that he is not a student at the Academy with Sakura. Sakura is his best friend in all the world; it’s so difficult to know that there is a huge portion of Sakura’s life that he has no part in. At least, not yet. “I’m glad that you’ve had a chance to prove yourself to your classmates.”

“It feels good,” Sakura admits, squeezing his hand. “My spar partners are definitely more wary now, but honestly, that doesn’t matter. I don’t really care what they think of me. They can think of me as a no-name civilian kid or as a threat. All that matters to me is that the people who matter think well of me.” She grins at him, the muscles in her cheeks hurting with the force of it. “You and your opinion matter to me.”

Torune’s smile quivers for a few moments before it firms once more. He never smiled this much before he met Sakura. He doesn’t quite know how she does it; with a few bright words, Sakura manages to banish the clouds of doubt. Sakura is the sun and he is helplessly and happily caught in her orbit. “Thanks.”

“Thank you,” Sakura says in turn.

A low buzzing fills her ears and she glances quizzically at Torune for a long moment, wondering if something set him off. He has a much better handle on his emotions now and his hive rarely acts up without his explicit command. But the hand beneath hers does not hum nor does his chest.  

Instead, the slow, steady buzz seems to come from up ahead.

“What’s that?” Sakura asks, starting to get excited.

“An Aburame clan secret,” Torune replies.

“Should I...close my eyes?” Sakura says, footsteps faltering for a moment.

“What? No. Of course not!” Torune giggles, shaking his head at her. “It wouldn’t be a good surprise if you weren’t able to even look at it.”

“You’re right,” Sakura says, relaxing. Excitement quickly thrums through her again, filling her. “So what is it?”

They crest a rolling slope and Torune gestures with his free hand. There are numerous large, wooden boxes placed across the open landscape, seemingly the source of the buzzing. Sakura eyes the unfamiliar boxes, cocking her head slightly. She’s never seen the like, such alien boxes standing freely.

“What are they?” Sakura asks, darting forward.

“Hives,” he replies, following along with her, pleased by her curiosity. He just knew she would like these!

Sakura draws her eyes away from the boxes--hives--and frowns at him. “Like you are? Like the Aburame? Except on the outside rather than the inside?”

Torune laughs freely, loving the way her mind works. She’s just so good at puzzling things out, turning them over and over within her head to assess it from all angles until the pieces all fit perfectly. “Yes, it is a lot like that. It’s actually where Aburame Shinko-sama got the idea originally; she observed the way certain insects--ants, bees, termites, and the like--support each other. They have this whole society, with ranks and labor divisions and cooperative childcare. When Shinko-sama saw it she set about setting up a different type of hive; one that existed within her body.”

“The Aburame have female leaders?” Sakura asks, intrigued by the idea.

It’s true of many civilian clans, the Haruno included, but she’s noticed that the shinobi clans are male-dominated aside from the Inuzuka which have always been matriarchal. Sakura doesn’t know much about the varied histories of the shinobi clans, aside from the general information disseminated to the Konoha populace. But the shinobi clans are very private of their personal history and lineage and with good reason; knowledge is power and any little scrap of it may mean a disadvantage when faced with an opponent.

The fact that Torune and his family so casually share information of their clan with her fills her with such warmth that it makes her toes tingle. She understands the value of knowledge, the weighty responsibility of it settling on her shoulders.

“Of course,” Torune replies, wrinkling his nose in slight offense. “It’s the usual thing really. My mother shared the clan duties with Shibi-oji. She would’ve been declared clan head except for she enjoyed the field far too much and received specialized missions for her rinkaichū.” His smile goes wry. “Shibi-oji says she was terrifying in the clan councils, always taking any of the arrogant clans down a peg or five as needed. He called her a spitfire.”

Sakura squeezes his hand, trying to show her silent appreciation for the precious memories that he shares with her. From the deepening of his smile as he regards her, Sakura thinks he understands.

“She sounds amazing; they both do,” Sakura replies.

Torune’s smile is shy. “My mother’s name was Nozumi.”

“Nozumi-san,” Sakura murmurs, smile unfurling slow, steady, and strong. “A beautiful name for a wonderful woman.”

Torune ducks his head, clearing his throat. “The Aburame do not care for the gender of their leader; historically I believe that the position has more often been held by a woman.” Sakura recognizes the subject change for what it is and accepts it just as easily as they make their way down the hill among the hives. He shakes his head, chuckling in amusement. “Of course the Aburame are accepting of female leaders; hives are usually led by queens.”

0“Remember to practice your forms before going to bed,” Iruka calls as the students stand and scramble away from their desks as quickly as possible. For training that may save their lives one day, these children still did not care for their lessons altogether too much. “It’s important that you hone your flexibility!”

He shakes his head to himself as most of the students are out the door before he’s even finished speaking. His job is usually a thankless one, but he enjoys it nevertheless. Iruka is glad that he is still on mission rotation though; it gives him a chance to practice the skills he so often espouses to his students.

“Iruka-sensei,” Sakura says politely, approaching him with all the manners of a clan-born child. He often forgets that Sakura is of a clan herself, regardless of it being a civilian merchant one. She receives clan training just as Sasuke, Chōji, and Hinata do; just of a different sort. “I enjoyed the lesson today. Do you know of any exercises that could be used to develop arm strength that you could share?”

Iruka’s smile widens and becomes a good deal more fond. Sakura is a good student; a sweet and enthusiastic one whose curiosity is insatiable. “I do know of a few, most involve weights of some sort. I could give a demonstration in a couple of days. There is one that you could do in the mornings and evenings outside of school that does not require weights.” Iruka comes around his desk, kneeling on the floor. “Allow me to demonstrate.”

Sakura spends the next twenty or so minutes with Iruka as he shows her how to do a push up. She manages three and a half before her arms go hot, weak, and limp. She sits up, panting as Iruka chuckles.

“They take a while to get used to, but they are an effective way of increasing your arm strength,” Iruka says, raising a hand to muffle his chuckles. “I’d suggest starting with fifteen in the morning and fifteen in the evening and working your way up from there.” When she goggles at him in disbelief, Iruka bursts into outright laughter. “I know, it seems a lot, but it takes consistent application and practice for you to see results. Considering your performance so far, I have no doubt they’ll be useful.”

“Thank you Iruka-sensei,” Sakura says, flushing beneath his praise. “That is kind of you to say.”

Iruka hums, patting Sakura’s shoulder (he knows she dislikes having her hair ruffled when she wears her bow) before heading out the door.

Sakura sits down in a chair for a few long moments, waiting for her breathing to return to normal. Those push ups took more from her than she expected, but she is glad of it. Sakura stands after she recovers and moves to her box in the back of the classroom. She rifles through it, taking out the books on code she stores there and replacing the textbooks she utilized throughout the day.

A small maroon book falls out of the box and Sakura stares down at it, puzzled. She has never seen the book before and she bends down, lifting it tentatively. Sakura glances around the empty classroom, wondering if someone placed it in her box by mistake. The box to the left of hers is Naruto’s and she’s never seen him with any books, be it a required textbook or a book read for pleasure. The box to the right of hers is Kiba’s and it is more disorganized even than Naruto’s.

Sakura frowns to herself, opening the unmarked cover of the book. The first page reads Thieves’ Cant Throughout Konoha.

Definitely not a book that Kiba or Naruto would be interested in reading.

Sakura flips through the first couple of pages; no author is given nor a publication date, but the words are typed, not handwritten. She’s seen a few books like this in Shikaku’s office; books published only for clan libraries, not mass production. The anonymity is necessary for the protection of the authors. Sakura frowns, turning to the first chapter of the book. There, tucked among the pages, is a card.

Perhaps you will find this of use in your study of ciphers.

Huh.

She brings it close to her chest, a smile curling up the corners of her lips. It is nice to know that she has someone in her corner, whoever this mysterious benefactor is.

0Sakura chews on the end of her writing utensil, brow furrowed at her journal. She is seated outdoors in a park, surrounded by books and sunshine. She’s been trying to create a cipher of her own, a hodgepodge of techniques from Konoha during the Second War, Kumo during the reign of the Third Raikage, and multiple dialects of thieves’ cant from all over Fire. Sakura doesn’t think that the cipher will be usable in the long run, but she knows it is good practice. It’s an ambitious project, she knows, but at least she is not creating the cipher from scratch.

Still, she did not realize just how difficult it would be.

She growls in frustration, flipping back to the book on thieves’ cant. Why must this all be so difficult?

“That’s some intense concentration there, kid. What did that book ever do to you?”

Sakura startles, hands automatically relaxing and smoothing along the pages of the book. She hadn’t realized that she was white-knuckling the book in her anger. The book, one left in her school box, is a precious gift and she does not wish to damage it in any way.

Sakura looks up...and up and up at the massive man looming over her. Sakura’s heart immediately begins to race in surprise, though she notes that his posture is open and disengaged, intentionally unthreatening. And yet...Sakura scrambles to her feet, uncomfortable but curious about the subtle glint in his eyes. It reminds her of the artisans who treat with her mother; this is a man who wants or expects something of her.

Now on her feet, she assesses him. Everything about him is large: his height, his muscles, his wild white hair, and even his nose. He grins down at her, white teeth shining. “That’s quite the odd array of books you have there,” he says, gesturing to the small pile around her. “Some hefty reading for a squirt like you.” He squints down at her, frowning slightly. “Shouldn’t you be in school?”

“It’s a half day,” Sakura replies flatly, not caring for the way that he calls attention to her height so dismissively.

The mountain of a man bends, grabbing up her book on Second War ciphers. Sakura bites her lip to keep from protesting, though she cannot keep from attempting to grab it from him. He glances at her, amused, before lifting it out of reach. Sakura looks around the park, to see if there are any around who would come to her aid.

There are a handful milling about the park, but all of their gazes are carefully averted.

Huh.

Sakura frowns up at the man as he pages through the book rapidly. She opens her mouth to say something, she isn’t sure what, but she pauses when she sees the expression on his face. There’s something wistful about it, a nostalgic sadness that verges on resentful bitterness. The words die in Sakura’s throat, unable to interrupt the oddly heavy moment.

Sakura casts her gaze back down to her own book, considering the dialects as she continues to stand awkwardly, waiting for...something. She actually gets caught up in the book, following a rabbit trail on a fascinating distinction between western and eastern Fire thieves’ cant in the way they address their hierarchy so she jumps when the man speaks again.

“The western thieves’ guild stole most of their cant from the languages of the nomadic tribes of Wind, who do not have much of a hierarchy in terms of the way their communities are assembled. This ended up being reflected a good deal in the guild, the hierarchy is less strict and more fluid. They adopted words for color from the common tongue to address the different leaders. The eastern guild--”

“How do you know all of this?” Sakura bursts out, unable to bridle her curiosity. She’s never heard a whisper of nomadic tribes in Wind in any of the books that she’s read and her ignorance nags at her.

The man looks surprised, shaggy eyebrows shooting up. He scratches his cheek, smile sheepish. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to go off on a tangent like that. I understand it is not all that interesting--”

“But it is!” Sakura interrupts yet again, eyes sparkling. She feels a flicker of embarrassment for her rudeness, but tamps it down quickly. The man doesn’t seem to mind her so she won’t mind it either. (Though his own manners are rather lacking.) “Why would they choose to utilize words about color? And why in the common tongue? Isn’t that too easy for enemies to decipher? What color symbolizes top rank? Being that the guild is located in Fire, I would say red would be leader, but if most of the cant came from Wind wouldn’t the color be blue?”

The man’s eyes go wide and his jaw slackens and Sakura feels her shoulders start to creep up near her ears as she realizes that she’s rambling again about things that just aren’t--

The man bursts into laughter, placing his hands on his knees as he doubles over, shoulders shaking with the force of it. “Sage Almighty! You’re a riot, kid.” Sakura flushes, eyes darting away. “Hey now, that wasn’t an insult; I’m just quite reminded of…” His smile twists, wry and distant. “Well, a reflection of some sort.”

He hands her back her book, giving her a tentative if somewhat rough pat on the head. “To answer your questions, they chose color words because they are easy to remember; most members are illiterate and it makes it easier to identify ranks with armbands. They use the common tongue for the same reason; they care little for if their enemies decipher it because the hierarchy is so fluid. As for the leading rank, well, being thieves, the color most important to them is black, for the shadows.” He glances up toward the Hokage monument. “Much like shinobi, electing shadows as their leaders.”

Sakura nods, thankful for his succinct answers and fingers itching to get ahold of more information.

“I have a handful of journals on the topic of ciphers from the Second War; I lend those to you if you like,” he says, somewhat awkwardly.

“Would you?” Sakura asks, breathless.

The man nods abruptly, watching her with an odd look. “Well, where should I be able to find you?”

“The Academy,” Sakura says. She flushes, realizing her faux pas as she offers her hand. “I’m Haruno Sakura.”

He takes it, shaking it firmly. “I’m Jiraiya. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

[thegayfromrulid]

Sorry if I bothered you, I would like to request a kirito/Asuna one shot. Asuna is on her period and kirito takes care of her. Sorry if your uncomfortable with the topic. Thank you and have a nice day/night!

You haven’t bothered me at ALL! I’m so sorry for the wait! And the topic doesn’t make me uncomfy either. More men (cough cough) should be comfortable with the topic. I had trouble with the ending, so I hope it’s decent. I wasn’t quite sure how to end the scene. Ahkdljgalrd. You have a lovely day/night as well, anon! One-shot under the cuuuuuut (can we tell I’m tired i’m so sorry ahahah). 

               Asuna curledup on the sofa, clutched a pillow to her chest, and groaned. When she’d movedin with Kazuto a few weeks ago, she thought she’d been prepared to deal witheverything that came with living with her lover. But now, she felt worried. Shehadn’t thought about how to approach such a normal thing with him. Men weren’talways the brightest when it came to having periods, though. They just didn’tget it.

               Sheheard the front door open and close. Kazuto announced his presence. She made sureto welcome him home. He made a bit of noises as he changed into his houseslippers, placed some things in the fridge, and set down whatever he was holding.Asuna glanced up when she heard him approach the couch. He frowned down at her.

               “Is everythingokay?” he asked.

               “I justdon’t feel good,” she mumbled.

               Frowningeven deeper, Kazuto came around to the front of the sofa and crouched down nextto her. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and reached over to stroke herhair. She half-closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of his fingers running alongher scalp.

               “Isthere anything I can do to help you feel better?”

               That,indeed, was the question. Obviously, she couldn’t ignore the topic. It was anatural part of life, and if they were going to be living together, she couldn’tjust avoid it. They were lovers, after all. Even if he wasn’t experiencing it,it was something he had to get used to in one way or another.

               “It’sjust that time of the month,” she said. “I’ll be fine.”

               Heraised his eyebrows.

               “So…there’snothing I can do?”

               Asunafixed him with a curious gaze. He didn’t seem weirded out. In fact, he stillseemed eager to assist her in whatever way possible. She wasn’t sure what tosay to him. He likely didn’t know anything useful—but he continued to surpriseher.

               “Evenif it’s as simple as you need me to run and get some products and chocolate, Idon’t mind,” he said. “I’ve had to run and get tampons for Sugu before. Iobviously haven’t snooped in your toiletries, but if it’s okay I can go checkthe packaging and make sure I get the right ones.”

               This informationsurprised her.

               “You…wenton tampon runs for Suguha?” she clarified.

               Henodded.

               “It’sonly fair, I had the motorcycle,” he said nonchalantly. “And our parents arebarely home even now. So, the task fell to me instead of our mom.”

               “I see,”she said.

               Kazutoleaned over and kissed her cheek.

               “But,that being said, it’s different with you,” he said. “I did it for Sugu becauseI had to.”

               Asunaraised one eyebrow and smiled.

               “So,then, you don’t feel obligated to help out?” she teased.

               Hefrowned a little.

               “Youknow what I meant!” he said. “I want to help you out because I love you. And Iwant to take care of you. So…so if there’s anything I can do to make you feelthe most comfortable right now, I want to do it.”

               Hiseyes focused on something to his left. She laughed and reached out to cup hischeek in her hand. He brought his attention back to her, his expressionsoftening. She smiled at him. What had she done to deserve such a sweetboyfriend?

               “Alright,”she said.

               Sincehe asked, she gave him a full run-down of things to know and what things made hercomfortable or not. He jotted down notes on his cellphone, taking note ofspecific details such as what kinds of pads she preferred, about how many sheneeded for a week, how long and how regular her periods tended to be, and whatkinds of snacks she tended to want but wouldn’t necessarily ask for. He evenasked questions for things she didn’t fill in—did she use heating pads? Did shelike to be touched? Did she use painkillers? Would she prefer alone time? Didanything make her sick?

               Evenwith Kazuto being as attentive as he was, she didn’t quite expect him toremember any of this outside of this week. For that week, he did everythingaccording to how he’d been instructed. And it was nice. She appreciated thetime he took to listen to her and adjust his lifestyle to accommodate for herneeds and desires.

               Butwhat really surprised her was this: when a month passed and she made no mentionof being on her period, Kazuto came home and found her on the bed texting withShino. He set a chocolate bar down on the nightstand beside her and disappearedinto the bathroom. She glanced at him as he left the room. He reentered momentslater and offered her an already warm heating pad.

               “Thankyou,” she said, trying not to betray her shock.

               “Noproblem,” he said, flashing her a smile. “Do you need a back rub?”

               She putthe phone down and gave him an inquisitive look.

               “What?”

               “Howcould you tell?” she asked.

               “Well,you lay that way when you’re sore from the cramps,” he noted. “And you weren’twearing a heating pad so I thought you might feel some relief if you put oneon. Plus, I did some reading up about it and learned some of the pain comesfrom your back and thought a back massage might feel good…what’s the face for?”

               Asunadid her best to wipe the astonishment off of her face.

               “I just…”

               Shewasn’t sure what to say, so she just shook her head.

               “You’rewonderful, Kirito-kun,” she said. “I hope you know that. And yes, please, ifyou’re offering. A back massage would feel really good.”

               Heblushed a little, but he smiled and got onto the bed to situate himself. Asunafelt him lift up her shirt and proceed to apply just enough pressure in the rightspot. She half-closed her eyes, humming happily.

               “Isthere anything specific you want for dinner?” he asked.

               Shethought about it for a moment.

               “Weshould have yakisoba!” she said.

               “Alright,when I’m done here, I’ll get right on it,” he said. “Any dessert requests whilewe’re at it? Or just a shower and then some more back rubs?”

               Turningher head to gaze up at him, she caught his eyes and felt warmth spread in herchest.

               “Definitelysomething warm and chocolate while we cuddle and watch a movie,” she said.

               Hiseyes lit up at the mention of cuddles. It was clear from that reaction alone he’dremembered she didn’t always want physical attention at this time of the month,so being permitted to cuddle her must have felt like a special treat. She hadto resist the urge to giggle. Her eyes wandered over to the clock.

               “Weshould probably start dinner soon,” she noted.

               “Ah!No, you just rest,” he told her. “I’ll take care of dinner and dessert. I’llbring you some water. Just enjoy laying down and not having to do anything,okay?”

               Kazutogave her a quick peck on the cheek and dashed off to get her water. He returnedpromptly and sat it down next to the chocolate bar. He then scurried off tomake dinner. She picked her phone back up and resumed chatting with Shino. Itdidn’t take him all too long to whip up the dinner she requested and place abatch of chocolate cookies in the oven so that they’d be ready by the timedinner was over.

               Overdinner, they chatted about their work days. Asuna’s ended up being far moreeventful and interesting than Kazuto’s, but both were able to get things done.They didn’t get further than that, since right when they finished up theirplates, the oven timer went off. Kazuto hopped up to take the cookies out ofthe oven and told Asuna to go select a movie or show to watch.

               Sheeagerly picked out one of her favorites and set everything up. By the time shewas ready, Kazuto had done a speed-run on the dishes, cleaned up the table andkitchen, and entered the living area to set a plate of warm cookies in front ofher. He handed her a glass of milk, sat down his own glass of tea on the otherside of the couch, and sat down next to her.

               “Anythingelse you need?” he asked. “I’m more than happy to get it for you.”

               Smilingbrightly, Asuna snatched up a blanket and motioned for him to lay down. He didso. She pressed herself up against him, cuddling up as close as she could, andthen grasped his arm and pulled it around her torso.

               “I needyou to do this,” she said.

               He gaveher a gentle squeeze.

               “Yourwish is my command,” he said, kissing her cheek.

               Asunasettled into his arms, content, and slipped a cookie into her mouth. He reallywas a catch. There wasn’t a girl in the world as lucky as she was, she thought.