#Shinobi Don't Promise series

[stu-dyingstudent]

Sakura Haruno fic recs: ANBU

AHHHH!!!! I love ANBU fics, especially when they involve Sakura. It was such a cool concept, which was unfortunately never fully expanded upon. However, our lack of knowledge regarding the shadow corps allows for some really cool fic ideas since authors can take creative liberty on the structure and workings of the division.

In my opinion, Sakura had the most potential out of team 7 to join ANBU (at least more than Naruto). It's all about being discreet and efficient and although she wasn't strong during og, she possessed abilities that would be valuable for this. Her clever mind, chakra control, and genjutsu potential would've made her a good fit. Naruto was too flamboyant and Sasuke was too reckless and cocky, but this is just my take. However, with her new skill set from her training with Tsunade, I don't think she would be able to go down that path anymore.

Started: 2024.08.06

Last Updated: 2024.08.29

note: feel free to check out my master list which has a bunch of Sakura Haruno fic recs (all organized)!

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Masks by mads999 || ao3 || kakasaku || E || canon divergent || complete

1. Sakura's Inner is far more diabolical than anyone ever expected 2. Crows prove to be cruel mentors 3. Sakura comes to learn exactly how much she hates Kakashi (as well as how alike they are, in the most terrible of ways)

Kakashi is a hateful turd and Sakura is spiteful! I hate this ship and I'm not a big fan of Kakashi here, but boy is this fic good. One of the best character developments I've read for Sakura and she certainly becomes of force to be reconned with. The ANBU lore in Masks is absolutely phenomenal and I love the whole system that is put into place as it adds for some drama (lol). Also, can we talk about how awesome crow summons are????

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Five Kingdoms for the Dead - Evil Is A Relative Term || ffn || M || canon divergence || complete

After the Forest of Death, Sakura comes to realize that being weak is no longer an option. However, she finds that change is sometimes painful and that truth doesn't always come easy. Luckily, she'll have some help along the way.

It's been a while since I've read Five Kingdoms for the Dead, but I just remember it being absolutely great! I'll be honest, I found a lot of the mind stuff pretty confusing at times, but it was still enjoyable. Also, some great characters are utilized in this fic such as Neji, Sai, and Itachi. Makes me really wish that we saw more of Sakura and Neji working together in Naruto since I think they compliment each other quite well.

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Trials of Change - Espoiretreves || ao3 || gen || time travel AU || complete

Haruno Sakura made a promise. Looking in the eyes of her Shisou and the reanimated Hokage, she took on the most important mission of her life. Go back in time and try to prevent the 4th Shinobi War. Now, Sakura is back to her 5-year-old body, with all the knowledge and haunting memories of the future. She vows to keep her precious people safe and stop certain events from happening, without altering the timeline too much. The trials her emotions and logic put her through have her questioning her very existence, but for the sake of peace, she has to push forward. No matter what.

Trials of Change is actually apart of a time travel series and I have to say that it is probably one of the best of the genre! Now, Sakura is not in ANBU here, but she works very closely with team Ro (Kakashi's ANBU team) and it's a huge part of the story, so I'm choosing to count it anyway. I really adore all of the worldbuilding and backstories going on here in addition to the fact that there are breaks. Yes, the story keeps moving, but there are other things going on, like playdates, and not just Sakura trying to save the world. Also, if you love Shisui then definitely check this out since he has a huge role and his and Sakura's friendship is just so precious.

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bite me and see, said the fly to the spider - MirrorImage003 || ao3 || itasaku || T || non-massacre AU || ongoing

In which Sakura is not initially a part of Team 7. In which she wears her failures like armor and brandishes her fears like her most trusted weapons. In which I do what hundreds of other authors have done before me, and rewrite Sakura's story. Non-massacre AU. Canon Divergent. Slow-burn.

After Sakura's first team, consisting of the graduating class's "expendables," dies, she joins team 7 and faces backlash along her shinobi journey. Sakura doesn't join ANBU until the later chapters so fair warning that there isn't too much content in that regards (unless it updates). Nonetheless, Sakura views ANBU as vital to her career as it offers her the highest clearance she can get. Gaining her opportunities for information her civilian-born status didn't allow her privy to.

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The Sixth Shadow - thinknicht || ao3 || kakasaku || M || canon divergent - eventual time travel AU || ongoing

No one seemed to find it odd when little Haruno Sakura threw herself smack dab in front of a Chidori and Rasengan. Not even Kakashi stopped to wonder.(He really should have.)

The story of how Sakura came to be the sixth hogake despite all of the challenges thrown her way. I especially love Sakura's drive in addition to the political aspects. However, be warned that Kakashi is an absolute HATER (in the beginning), but he gets better! The Sixth Shadow is extremely long and I only just recently got to Sakura's introduction to ANBU, so I can't say too much in that regard.

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Daughter of Fire - justjstuff || ao3 || kakasaku || E || canon divergence || incomplete (maybe ongoing)

Sakura got up and didn’t bother brushing the dirt from her dress. She had a feeling she was about to get even dirtier.She looked at the memorial stone one last time, memorizing the characters without even realizing she was doing it. It would serve from that moment on as a reminder of her determination. She wouldn’t let Naruto and Sasuke join the names carved on that stone.That was her nindo.

Sakura's growth throughout Daughter of Fire is great and realistic all while pointing out aspects from the original series which were flawed and dare I say misogynistic. I struggled a bit in the beginning to justify her abilities, but overall the story is really well done and the ANBU aspects are quite intriguing.

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cut the head off the snake - itsthechocopuff || ao3 || T || time travel AU || complete

when eighteen-year-old, post-war Sakura is thrown back into her tiny, pre-Academy body, she makes a decision. she'd had a childhood once already, and this time, she's more interested in Not Dying when the inevitable shit hits the proverbial fan. so she will work harder, care less, kill more, and smile when she's done.and hey, if she ends up reviving an extinct nature transformation to attract the most corrupt, power-hungry man from her timeline, all the better for her, right?

Such a unique take on a time travel AU and Cut the Head Off the Snake executes it perfectly. Sakura decides that her first order of business is to infiltrate ROOT and that's exactly what she does. Sai, Shin, and Shisui are all great characters and team Ro is present as well. Very good!

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Flowers - Idunmy || ao3 || E || kakasaku || canon divergence || ongoing

Flowers only bloom just before they wilt When Sakura loses her fight against Ino in her Chuunin exams, she questions her ability to ever become a kunoichi, too weak to protect herself, let alone her village One wrongful promotion later and Sakura gets a second chance in the shape of a mysterious new teacher who against all odds is willing to put her faith in a young girl with potential and a willingness to fight. Or- a fix-it inspired fic where Sakura grows to be the powerhouse she was destined to become.

Flowers is a newer series (which has recent updates) and I love it! Critiques are made towards the medical ninja training, which I believe needed to be discussed and it's refreshing to see. In most ANBU fics I've read, Sakura is immediately put onto the strongest team, but here it's a bit different. She begins on a demolition squad, which not only suits her skill set quite well, but is a realistic approach to how she would be introduced to the corps. Anyway, it's one of my favorite reads at the moment and I really like where the story is going.

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names. - waterpllar || ao3 || T || gen || canon divergence || complete

There are no names or faces in ANBU. Everything is designed to be strictly formal, efficient and professional. A recently orphaned Sakura, however, learns that some regulations aren't meant to be followed, and finds a place in Team Ro after being shunned from her former teammates. (fic prompt from anon on tumblr: orphaned sakura in anbu with yamato, genma, and team ro.)

AHHHH poor Sakura. After her parents' death Sakura seeks Tsunade's help out of desperation to become useful. Under recommendation, Sakura's new goal is to make it into ANBU.

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Equinox - FM_White || ao3 || itasaku || M || anbu AU || complete

ItaSaku (Post Uchiha Massacre) AU: Climbing through the ranks of Konoha, Sakura finds herself with the invitation to join ANBU and a chance to learn from one of the most renowned and legendary ninja in the world. Despite her efforts to grow stronger however, she finds the world isn't as black and white as it looks and that some truths are easier to hide than others.

I don't remember Equinox very well, but I love most works by this author sooo. Anyway, Itachi stays in Konoha and instead it's Sasuke that goes rougue. Sakura, Naruto, and Shikamaru are newly joined ANBU members and all placed on a team with Itachi and things go from there.

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stars in our eyes as we dream of the heavens (the gods walk among us, sweet child, do not forget) - snickiebear || ao3 || kakasaku || T || age-swap AU || oneshot complete

“Kakashi-sensei,” Naruto whispered, staring at his teacher, horror plain on his face. ��You’re married?” Lazily, Kakashi looked down at his gloveless hand where his ring rested, “It would appear so.”

Sakura is born in the same generation as Kakashi and turns out as a badass ANBU married to him. This is super wholesome as it's a lot of the two of them bonding with Kakashi's genin team (Sai makes three) in an effort to help them out. It's a series so you can read more of the events taking place prior to the fic.

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Anachronistic Drift  - Elesrea  || ffn || gen || T || time travel AU || incomplete

Her plan was flawless. Save Shisui. Save the world. Time-travel, Sakura-centric AU

Sakura spends years training to be sent back in time and save the world from Sasuke. She isn't in ANBU, but rather poses as one in order to keep an anonymous status on her doings both in and out of the village.

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Sakura - lilac haze || ffn/ao3 || M || minasaku || time travel AU || complete

AU. Non-Canon. Time Travel. Please see inside for full warnings. Cross posted on Ao3. On his deathbed he was granted eternal peace and place to rest for all of time. Of course that was not appealing to him. Ever unpredictable to the end he had a counter offer. One that the Sage had to consider. In which Sakura's going to have a rough time. A really rough time.

Sakura is probably one of my all time favorite fics because the emotions are just spectacular. The story is pretty heavy on ANBU and ROOT aspects, which I always enjoy, but I wouldn't say it's a major focus. However, there is an emphasis on the unfair treatment towards kunoichi. Anyway, the characterizations and storytelling are beautifully done. Please share this author some love.

Check TWs before hand!!

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Hope y'all enjoy these recs, and please feel free to send me some if you have any!!!! I really appreciate when you do :)

[dayseternal-blog]

Heeeey I love your naruhina fic recommendations! <3 do you know some fic where it is one sided for Naruto because of bad timing, Hinata stopped loving him at some point thinking it was all a silly childhood crush but now Naruto has just realized he is madly in love with her and daydreams of her attention? Extra points if Hinata gets to REJECT him 🤌🤌🤌

omg caricloudi there is unfortunately the exact fic for you, I don't know why I didn't answer this sooner:

"April - Too late/Missed opportunities" from "Still Falling for You" by @chloelapomme - Rated T, Modern AU, One-shot. If they had said to each other what they felt for each other three years ago, everything would've been completely different today.

Also!

"Lovelorn" by @char-lotteral - Rated E, Canon-Divergent AU, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. After 3 long years of travelling the world, Naruto comes back to Konoha only to find out that Hinata Hyuga has been engaged to another.

and then in these, Hinata gives the "good friend" card to Naruto, so not an outright confession & rejection, but Naruto feels rejected all the same.

“21 Days” by @bunny-hoodlum - Rated E, Modern AU, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. Anonymous internet buddies decide to meet up IRL and give each other their first times.

“The Ramen Booth” by chloelapomme - Rated E, College AU, Multi-chapter, Ongoing. Years have passed since her unanswered confession in intermediate school, since his humiliating hazing incident in high school, since blossoming popularity drew their attentions away from each other. Yet time has only sharpened friendship into painful longing, even as their time runs out with the approach of the university fundraiser. Can 7 Minutes in Heaven at a crazy flat party be enough time to clear the air between old best friends?

Other Hinata "Moving On" Fics

“The Loving Type” by @peppercornpresses - Rated M, Canon-Divergent, Multi-chapter, Ongoing. A few years have passed since the Fourth Shinobi War, in which…Neji Survives. Naruto and Sasuke are crowned heroes. Rookie Nine steadily advances in rank. And Naruto and Hinata aren’t even remotely together…YET!

“My Favorite Night” by peppercornpress - Rated M, Canon-Divergent AU, Multi-chapter, Complete. Hinata harbors deeper feelings for Naruto after three years of being his roommate. Facing hostile relations from her old clan, another odd phenomenon with the moon, and Naruto still hopelessly pining after Sakura; Hinata makes the painful choice to end their sham of a relationship and try her luck in another hidden village. Unbeknownst to her, this move kickstarts a series of events that forces her and Naruto to confront their past, present, and future.

“In Another Life” by theGeneralissimo - Rated T, Canon-Divergent, Multi-chapter, Complete. In which Naruto listens to his mother’s advice and marries a girl like her. And lives to regret it.

“Common Side Effects” by katarinahime & “Medicated” by szajnie - Rated E for a lot of things, Crime/Modern AU, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. Naruto and Hinata, in a struggling relationship, must confront the pain inside before they can love each other.

“Why would innocent little Hinata be out dressed like that?” (One-shot) and its follow-up “On Any Given Day” (Long One-Shot) by @utsus - Rated T, Canon-Divergent. Hinata tries to move on from Naruto, right when he realizes he wants to keep her.

“A Cliche Not So Cliche Story” by @journalsofagoddess - Rated T, Modern AU, One-shot. Everyone has heard about the typical love story where the boy gets the girl and they live happily ever after. But what people tend to forget is that life isn’t always like that. Naruto and Hinata came to realize how cruel the world can be but also something akin to forgiving too. A love story that’s typical yet not so typical at all.

“Because I Love You” aka “Arranged Marriage AU Take 2″ (Same fic) by @magmawrites - Rated T, Canon-Divergent, One-shot. A canon divergent fic in which The Last never happened and Hinata Hyuga was promised to another.

“You’re the One” by AnimeloverNUMBA100 - Rated T, Canon-Divergent, Multi-chapter, Complete. After 4 desperate years, Hinata finally asked Naruto out. He decides to give her a chance, but his feelings for Sakura has never faded. Hinata is slowly losing hope as time goes on…and she soon chooses to leave him.

“Road to Redemption” by averagejane497 - Rated M for implied rape, implied smut, and character death, Canon-Divergent, Multi-chapter, Complete. Naruto’s made a lot of mistakes in his life, especially concerning the women he loves. Maybe this time he can get it right.

and I almost forgot the one I wrote:

"White Lilies" - Rated E, Canon-Divergent AU, Multi-chapter, Complete. A Hanahaki AU - She knit a red scarf for him. She never gave it to him. Days turned into months, months turned into too late. Naruto starts dating. Hinata decides to move on. A sickness takes root in the heart.

Happy angsty reading!!!

[serotonins-stuff]

Longing hearts | K.Bakugo

♡︎ Sypnosis: Bakugo was supposed to come over for movie night but instead got caught up in a dangerous villain attack. Never did you think it would be the same day as your first kiss

♡︎ Genre: fluff and angst

♡︎ Warnings: Mentions of wounds

Your blood ran cold and goosebumps littered you body, the voice of the reporter chiming in the atmosphere.

Your feet were bare, striking against the cold ground while you ran as fast as your legs would let you. Not even bothering to change out of your baggy pajamas when you heard the recent news.

"Many heroes dead in the recent villain attack, at Shinobi station" the reporters voice rang from the various billboards around the city.

Bakugo was supposed to meet with you at your house two hours ago. You knew he'd be late because he messaged you before letting you know that there was a small villain attack at Shinobi station that wouldn't take long.

Katsuki would never break the promise he made to you. He promised he'd make it back in time- vowed to binge-watch your foolish romance series while eating your favorite ice cream.

"Please be alive" you panted as the crime scene came to view. The streets were crammed with rubble from a collapsed building, and police and ambulance crowded the area. There were many civilians and news reporters also witnessing the scene before them. You weren't interested in looking that way though but decided to stand a bit far from them as you scoped the area. The person you were looking for was nowhere to be found. The ambulances and firefighters would occasionally pull someone out from the building, but it still wasn't who you were looking for.

Your heart was battering widely in your chest. Tears from your eyes blotted the road you stood on. Your hands clutched your pajamas tightly for some sense of comfort. Body bags were being drawn to the building and you just couldn't put up with the sight anymore. You just wanted to see him again and make sure he was alright, but the scene was not making your concerns any better.

You rang his phone for the 100th time that night. Cursing when it instantly went to voicemail.

You had just gotten together recently with the boy you've always wanted. Things were now official between you two so why was everything turning sour?

A small glimpse of the isolated ambulance in the corner is all it took. A glimpse of the blond hair your heart has been yearning for. Your entire body felt relieved at the sight, the weight that was gripping your heart earlier now subdued.

He was ok.

A few cuts littered his face here and there, his right arm looked broken and he had a slight limp in his step. They were escorting him to the back of an ambulance so they could take care of the small wounds in the meantime.

Relief was an understatement to what you felt right now.

You just wanted to touch him again-to feel his warm hand run down your back and his soft lips against your forehead.

Once again you were dashing towards his direction, stopping in front of the open ambulance doors, and the light lit your face generously. There he was, seated on a small stretcher outside while someone tended to his arm. Away from all the noise of the media, in his peaceful little world. He carried the typical frown on his face, although this time he looked distant.

It was almost as if he could feel your presence when he looked up immediately, his eyes making contact with your reddened ones for the first time that day. He softened at the sight of you, his shoulders suddenly relaxing and mouth slightly agape. He stood up slowly and you ran towards him. Swiftly colliding into his outstretched arms. His hands clutched your waist tightly and yours held his neck. Your foreheads were against one another and not a single word was shared as you were soaking in each other's presence.

"I-I saw the news and I thought-" you whimpered, your shoulders shuddering violently just from the thought of him getting hurt.

"Shhhh, c'mon don't cry" he clutched you into a bear hug, resting his chin on top of your head. "I wasn't gonna let some stupid villain kill me when I've got you to come back to"

"I know I was just scared" you sobbed into his chest. "And your phone wasn't -"

You felt him shift as he held your face with his palms "I'm right here now alright? " he placed your hand on his chest, to feel the soothing drum of his heart.

He missed you too. For the whole length of that battle, the only thing he was thinking about was seeing you again so he could cuddle you on the couch. Never did he think he'd be the reason for your tears.

You felt him lift your chin to face him, and before you could say anything, he connected his lips with your trembling ones. Initiating a long passionate kiss which you happily returned. Everything about this felt right, the way his hand caressed your face. The way you hugged him even tighter, pulling your bodies closer together. Not paying detail to his hero costume covered in dust or the building that was brought to the ground.

It was just you and him right now, nobody else.

Slowly you pulled away, breathless as you you couldn't keep your eyes off of his.

"Never thought I'd say this but hell-I missed you"

"You did?" you asked, a grin making it's way onto your face.

"Couldn't stop thinkin about you the whole damn day" he confessed, his words not faltering one bit, yet you knew he was blushing from the way he looked away.

"That makes both of us" you leaned to him once more. Placing one final peck on his lips before helping him back to the ambulance.

You never thought your first kiss would Katsuki would play out like this, but you aren't complaining one single bit. You couldn't ask for anything more than what you have now.

It was perfect.

The end

A/n

Thank you to everyone for the support!!

Likes, reblogs and comments are much appreciated! <333

Requests are open

[shysublimecoffee]

Don't take it so personally; it's just someone's opinion. Remember, this is a fictional story, so there's no need to get upset. I don't wanna starts fights.

I don't think sasusaku relationship means much tbh and arguing over who the superior ship whether it be between hina or sakura is like weak you know because they both equally suck why fight over what's the better plain bread. You'd be better off reading proper romance manga because Sasusaku and Naruhina ain't it.

This manga messaging at the end is kinda fucked when you think about it how many people who read the story might interpret it and take it afterwards having the MC condone genocide and just backtrack his promise to Nagato who must be spitting and rolling in his grave and having our deuteragonist be a shell of his former self and come home to a place that eviscerated and massacred and erased his own people. Many fans are just so infatuated with Itachi that his brother is held as a martyr, stating that he was just a kid with no choice, and that he sacrificed when in reality, he sacrificed others' lives and was willing to force Sasuke autonomy into submission for the village's . It's disturbing that some view this as admirable, considering it involved betraying his own blood.

Why is Sasuke labeled as the abuser, the terrorist, the madman? Consider this for a moment. Throughout the Naruto series, Sasuke's refusal to accept the fate of his people is incredibly known. He's portrayed as if he's lost his mind, yet nobody seems to care about the circumstances that led him to this point. The people who claim to care for Sasuke don't question why his people are gone; they simply continue to act as the "good shinobi" they are. It's disturbingly makes sense logically that only someone as "crazy" as Sasuke would seek justice against Danzo, as no one else would hold him accountable for the crimes against the Uchiha clan. They don't give a single flippity-fuck?

As an reader, I do admire Kishimoto for his handling of Sasuke's character and his insightful portrayal of how real-life genocides. However, I find it disappointing that despite the careful way Sasuke was connected to his people, this story took a disturbing turn in that it just ended in a sick note.

Kishimoto wrote himself into a corner with this one. If Konoha is depicted as a place built on warmongering and exploitation, then what does that say about Naruto, who has aspired to be the face of the village as Hokage from the start? If we acknowledge that the Uchiha Massacre was unjust and undeserved, then wouldn't Sasuke be justified, putting him in the moral high ground that he's the hero? In that case, wouldn't everyone supporting Konoha and the shinobi system, including our protagonist Naruto, be morally and ethically in the wrong? This would flip our perception of the cast. We've seen stories where the protagonist is the villain, but the narrative is aware of their wrongdoing. Kishimoto would have had to completely overhaul the manga to make the story work otherwise.The Curse of Hatred to me comes off an an excuse to me as a reader nothing more which is made-up bull that is propaganda to demonize the Uchiha.

I'm so surprised that like he's the one hated how many of us read revenge stories what makes Sasuke different is it because he doesn't succumb to Naruto that easily? He's so hated vocally by the fanbase as if he was the one who killed their loved ones is it a case of jealousy and resentment towards him or is it that they disagree with his views because if so that says a lot?

[luv-kakashi]

One of us is dead

chapter six - brotherhood

chapter five | chapter seven

Hues of red and gold danced over each other, as the evening sky dusked Konoha. A young boy ran through the streets, his hair glowing a golden wheat tone as he sought to find his best friend.

"Shisui! Wait up, Kami. You know me and my asthma can't keep up." Akira yelled, leaning on his knees to catch his breath after catching up with Shisui.

"What do you want?" Shisui snapped, his jaded eyes staring straight at Akira.

"Fight me and don't hold back this time." Akira pleaded as he dragged Shisui to the nearest training ground.

Both boys readied themselves: one eager to knock some sense into his disillusioned friend.

They started off sending and returning simple punches which soon unravelled into a series of kicks.

But by this point, it was obvious that Shisui had no intention of taking Akira seriously by receiving all the incoming blows, his face bruised and bloody. Akira was given no choice but to use the last weapon stored in his arsenal- The talk no jutsu.

"Why are you doing nothing, you coward?" Akira howled, becoming increasingly impatient with the deadened fight, "Cowards don't deserve to be called shinobi."

"You're right, I don't deserve to be called a shinobi." Shisui stated as he backed up onto a tree, falling to the floor. He untied his headband and held it in his hands for a brief second, before throwing it to the floor as if it were defiled, dirty and degraded. For a split second, you could see his eyes falter. They held regret, disappointment and shame. But the more he continued to open up, the harder the walls he so forcefully held up began to crumble.

"I'm a selfish coward who's cursed with this stupid Uchiha name!" Shisui screamed, "You don't understand what happened out there during the war. I killed. I killed the very comrades I swore to protect when I received that headband."

"What do you mean Shisui?"

Shisui raised his head to meet the gaze of his friend when he heard a small gasp escape his mouth.

A deep red shade danced over his pupils. But instead of the normal 3 tomoe pattern Akira was expecting, a new pattern branded his pupils: a pinwheel of 4 spiralling curves.

"Do you know why Itsuki never came back? During the war we were ambushed by kumo nin and cornered us. We were just chunin, and we didn't know how we were going to get out of there," Shisui screamed, pulling at his hair as tears streamed down his face, "Itsuki never made it. And it was all my fault! If I had only offered my hand, he didn't have to die. I could have saved him and I didn't!"

"Shisui, that wasn't your fault. You were left in an impossible position to get out of. Thank Kami someone found you, it isn't your fault."

"But it is! Our best friend is dead because of me! We promised we'd protect Konoha together, get put on the same team and now that will never happen."

"I still can't see how any of this is your fault."

"It is! He was blessed with everything, extraordinary skill far greater than the both of ours combined. He was always miles ahead of us, running in front of danger, never thinking twice to protect us. I couldn't get to him in time... I killed him. I killed our brother!" Shisui vented, "The overwhelming emotion caused my eyes to evolve into the Mangekyou Sharingan. It awakened from the regret of not being able to save Itsuki that day. Don't you see? I'm just a coward, a murderer! I don't deserve to be called a shinobi...

And look! Everyone praises me for this stupid eye! Shisui of the Sharingan! The boy who unlocked his mangekyo so soon! This cursed Uchiha name worships me for killing Itsuki!"

The red and gold hues darkened into a midnight blue as the night sky covered the corners of Konoha. The silence that followed Shisui's confession was thick enough to stifle any creature of the night.

Yet despite this suffocating feeling, it was nimbly sliced by the sound of a slap that hammered Shisui's cheek.

"You idiot! Don't you understand? There was nothing you could have done; you did everything that you could have" Akira yelled. "Are you really going to beat yourself up for what happened? We're shinobi Shisui. Do you remember what Itsuki told us when you two graduated?

'The life of a shinobi is only going to get harder from here on out. There may be a time where we are forced to make sacrifices for the greater good of the village so don't let those sacrifices be in vain. Honor the fallen shinobi!'. Don't forget the lessons he taught us Shisui!

He sacrificed himself for you to come back to the leaf, our home, and to protect it with the new visual powers you have been blessed with. You aren't a coward; you are a shinobi of the hidden leaf village." Akira said as he picked up Shisui's headband off the ground and passed it to him. He took a seat next to Shisui and stared up at the night sky adorned with glistening stars.

"It's our responsibility to protect the people and to bring peace to this world." Akira said, "The most honorable act you could do is to make sure Itsuki's name is not lost in vain. Honour him, remember him and continue to protect the Leaf."

"Thank you, Akira" Shisui muttered, tears streaming down his face.

"Well, we're brothers Shisui, never forget that." Akira said, "I don't like serious, bitch-face Shisui. I prefer the goofy version better."

"Heh, you're right. Being a bitch doesn't suit me at all." Shisui chuckled, wiping his tears.

"You managed to scare away the new girl Y/N. I think that's a first, no girl has ever been scared off by THE Shisui Uchiha."

"I was a bit rude to her. I'll apologise tomorrow." Shisui said, reaching his arm out to the night sky, "Thank you Akira. You're really smart when you actually use your head."

"Pfft, I'm always smart you cry-baby."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The Itachi Shinden novel states that Shisui unlocked his Mangekyo Sharingan after witnessing a close friend die on a mission and subsequently felt responsible for his death. I wanted to explore Shisui's feelings and how he processed his friends death, which is why he seems very out of character.

But fear not! I have been writing away and goofy, humble, cute, sexy Shisui Uchiha will return soon. (And turns out his flirt game is pretty strong too)

Loving you always,

Suri 🎀

[concernedbrownbread]

When the devil herself walked in, Hiruzen felt strangely at peace. It had been a battle well-fought, he thought, against a worthy opponent. “I believe congratulations are in order,” Hiruzen said softly, “Hokage-sama.” Her red-stained lips curved up. There had never been a grim reaper that smiled so politely. And as the shadows lengthen and the light of the dying sun cast on Uchiha Himiko, Hiruzen saw her for what she was.

Introducing my OC: Uchiha Himiko

Series: The Promise of Dawn

Okay I have no idea how to do this because this is my first OC ever, and of course it's for Naruto. Here goes nothing:

A would-be Governor is born into a world of autocracies, child soldiers and militaristic ideologies. What is a girl to do but take over? Himiko is here to burn the shinobi system to the ground, but first she needs to deal with her sexist Clan (that she loves), the discrimination against Uchiha and her existential twin brother (oh, Itachi). And of course -- Konoha itself, a place where information barely circulates and lies have been repeated to the point where they become truths.

Good thing Himiko's a pretty good liar too.

And a bit of a manipulative hypocrite.

Himiko wants to make a world where the dreams of her family and friends can come true, where children aren't forced to be weapons and her brothers can exist without having to fit a mold. She will make everyone happy -- at the cost of herself, if need be.

I mean, what else do you lose except yourself, when you become a Kage at sixteen and a Goddess as twenty? How much of you is unmade as you unmake the world itself? Who are you anyway?

This is a story of how power corrupts even those who don't chase it, how much propaganda really matters, and how peace isn't held by love alone. It's a story about how someone can navigate a fundamentally fucked up system while clinging to basic morals (spoiler: it's nearly impossible). It's the story of how violence trickles down in a society. It about losing yourself in the service of others (not in a good way).

And I guess it's about people doing their damn best in a world that wants them dead.

Featuring: your favourite Naruto characters not always being perfect, your least favourite Naruto characters sometimes having a point, Various OCs, CIVILIANS, politics (the fun kind!), politics (the traumatizing kind!) and more politics (the worldbuilding kind!), and lots of ninshu (though Himiko doesn't know it's ninshu).

No seriously, I have so many notes on Konoha's system of governance. And the Uchiha. And the Hyuuga. Oh my god the Hyuuga -- like, obviously Himiko isn't letting a slave-system slide. Also the Uzumaki. Oh and Jinchuurki politics, and border politics, and revolutions in Kiri, and poverty in Suna, and competing with Kuo, and the Daimyo being actually involved. There is so much going on!

Further featuring: Symbolisms! Themes! Motifs! Siblings! Friends! Fluffy found family feels! Angsty family feels! Author projecting so hard!

If you're interested, Chapter 1 is up!

I'll try to make a post about Himiko herself, the world and other OCs down the line, but feel free to shoot me a ask!!!

Also if you care about such things, the main pairing is Himiko x being a girlboss. Characters are all very queer (including genderqueer). There's lots of romantic relationship love in the background but focus is on the platonic <3

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[semi-imaginary-place]

naruto comments from reddit

Naruto's visual character design peaked when he learned to use eye shadow. Gaara's chunin exam design was so cool, you have the gourd strap and white fabric forming an X on top of the black clothes and red hair. Nothing else comes close to this design. I really like Neji's part 2 design, its like a more modern functional take on traditional clothing. It also symbolized how he had reconciled with his uncle, so its significant character arc wise (a character arc that Kishimoto instantly forgot about, but eh what's new). it really is crazy how Naras pop into the world as fully formed miniature adults and propagate clonally.

Neji's if definitely the most infuriating death. Kishimoto forgets about him for 500 chapters and then brings him back in one chapter just to die.

I didn't think Konan would win against Obito but I still wanted her to. She was the last one of her friend group and was just starting to lead Ame to a brighter future. She never got to see the dream she and her friends fought for.

See here's the thing: Kishimoto doesn't think things through, he just gets carried away on whatever new idea he thinks is cool.

The more you think about the Naruto series the less sense things make.The real reason theUzumaki swirl is everywhere in Konoha is likely that Kishimoto made a cool character design for Konoha shinobi and put a symbol there because it looked cool, then only later did he decide that the red swirl was the Uzumaki clan symbol.

Boruto made Naruto into a real politician. campaign promises aren't real and you don't have to keep them

shhhh Boruto isn't real. Boruto can't hurt you.

The entirety of the 700 chapters of the manga Sasuke barely noticed Sakura existed and when he did it was because he thought she was annoying and in the way. Bad writing kept Sakura from ever having a character arc and thus moving beyond her cringe middle school crush. They have 0 chemistry and no real interactions.

Sasuke thought he could gain so much power from he bond with Naruto specifically because he felt so strongly about Naruto, because that bond was so precious to him (Sasuke logic). Sasuke sees Naruto as the only one for him, the only one he considers a friend and thus the only bond worth breaking.

maybe a divorce arc would have fixed boruto

[eiennoseizon]

The picture added to the newest chapter of my story A Rapture of Affliction, set in my Shinobi Don’t Promise series.

Very heavy on the fluff this chapter.

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20840309/chapters/50413421

[lavendermage]

Characters: thoma

Genre: sagau, no gendered pronouns 

TW: fear

1.6k words

AN: The Thoma centered fic I promised! (Ignore the fact that it's in the wrong series)

AN: I hate posting on mobile

    Thoma watched you with your head down, clutching your little bag. When reached out his hand to help you, you practically jumped away from him. You held yourself like a kicked puppy, unlike how confident you were with the Arataki Gang. You wore a mask, just like Shinobu.

    “So, you go by Goldie?"

    You nodded. “Itto started, now everyone calls me that.”

"My name's Thoma. I work for the Kamisato clan, I'll help show you around. I see you've got a mask, where'd you get it?"

"Shinobi gave it to me." Your eyes crinkled as you traced the grooves of the design.

    “It's beautiful." It was, the pattern swirling around your cheeks. "Do you always wear it?”

    “Yes, unless I’m with the gang.” Several emotions swept over your face, not giving him time to decode any of them. 

    “May I ask why?”

    You laughed bitterly. “Same reason anyone wears a mask. So others can’t recognize me.”

    He backtracked quickly. “Sorry, didn’t mean to intrude.”

    “No, it’s alright. I’m just … nervous.” You tugged the edge of your kimono.

    “Is there any particular reason?”

    “I try my best to stay away from large groups of people, for safety reasons." 

    “And now you’ll be staying at the Kamisato estate.” Thoma said, thinking. “I’ll see what I can do.”

    “Thank you. You seem trustworthy.”

    Warmth flooded his body as he processed your words. Why was such a simple phrase making him feel like this? He gathered himself quickly. "I'm glad you think so."

"So, when will I start work?"

"Tomorrow. Today's for getting used to the place."

"Ok." 

There was silence for a moment before Thoma spoke. "Do you like animals?" You looked at him and he quickly clarified. "Dogs and cats, I mean."

You nodded. "Yeah, why?"

He scratched his neck nervously. "Well if you want, tomorrow we could head to town. There's a place with tons of furry animals, we could feed them."

"Do you have time?"

"No need to worry about that, I'll figure it out."

"Alright, I'll take you up on your offer." You relaxed and smiled.

You saw the Kamisato Estate up ahead. The guards caught your attention.

"Halt. Thoma, who are you with." The guard towered above you and Thoma.

"A new servant. They've been cleared by Ayato, so there's no need to worry."

"Ayato doesn't do the clearances" He glared at you and you subconsciously shuffled closer to Thoma. 

He noticed and placed himself between you and the other man. "They're a special case. If you like, you could always bring it up with Lord Ayato." You marveled at his ability to stay calm.

"Alright, alright. You're free to go." He stepped aside. You could feel his stare boring into you back as you and Thoma passed. You sighed. This felt like the sort of thing that would be a problem in the future. 

"Mora for your thoughts?"

"Just don't like soldiers. They make me nervous." You hugged your bag closer to your chest.

Thoma made a mental note to tell the butler to assign a shift away from the guards. Plus your mask…based on what you've told him you probably wouldn't have a chance to take it off if you had a roommate. Maybe he could get you a separate room, though the only free rooms in the estate were tiny-

"So where will I be staying?"

"I'm working on it right now. What's the most important to you?"

"A separate place to sleep."

"Alright. Does it matter how big it is?"

"No, I really don't care."

"Ok. There's a free room here." He led you to the servants quarters and showed you the room.

It was bare and dusty and barely had enough space to lay a futon, but it was a room all to yourself. "This'll work, thank you!"

He looked at you in surprise. "Is this really enough?" You nodded. "Alright then, I'll start cleaning then."

You shook your head. "No, you have enough work already. I'll do it. Just show me where the cleaning supplies are."

He did and you started cleaning. He came by half an hour later.

"Are you sure you don't need any help, I'm taking a break right now."

You wiped the sweat off your face with your free hand as you stopped scrubbing the floor. "Exactly, a break! Go eat, get tea, or something." You scolded. "You don't need to work all the time, you know? You do so much already."

"You think so?" He tried to keep his voice calm despite his flustered state, and it worked enough, you didn't notice.

"Of course! Everyone knows how hard working you are. Or they're stupid." This was common knowledge, right? You looked up to see Thoma blushing bright red. "Are you ok?"

He turned away and scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, I just… don't get this much praise often."

You bit back a grin. "People don't tell you that you're a miracle worker? That you hold this whole place together? That you have a cute smile?"

"Wait, what was the last one?" He turned even redder. "You're just messing with me!"

You laughed. "A little, but it's all true."

He sighed. "Are you always like this?"

"No, You're just easy to tease. Plus, you deserve to have your ego fed a little." 

You politely ignored his lack of a reply, instead continuing to clean. "Where are the extra futons?"

"Just down to the hall." He left. He probably had work to do, or maybe he had taken your advice and gotten some food. 

You wiped the floor dry and stood back to check your handiwork. The room was sparkling clean now, you noted with pride. 

"Excuse me." You moved out of the way to see someone with their arms wrapped around the futon in front of them. Thoma's head peeked out from behind the futon. "Where do you want me to put this?"

"I asked you where it was, not to bring it here!"

"Oh, sorry. Do you want me to bring it back?"

"No, you just didn't need to do it for me."

"I wanted to." He smiled boyishly.

"Thank you. Just drop it where ever"

He placed it gently and pushed it against the back wall. "Is here good?"

You nodded. "Thanks a lot."

"No problem." He pulls out a timepiece. "Break's over, see you later."

You waved. "Sorry for wasting your break."

"You didn't. I like talking with you." 

The knock at the door woke you the next morning. You stretched, feeling well rested. The futons in the Kamisato Estate were much softer than the Arataki Gang's. You pulled on your mask and opened the door to see Thoma standing outside holding a parcel.

"Here's your uniform. Did you sleep well?"

"Yep!" You smiled, your eyes crinkling above your mask. "So what will I be doing?"

"Breakfast is in thirty minutes, and you'll be shadowing me today. Then, we can see where you'd fit in best."

"Ok, I'll get dressed. Could you stay for a bit? I'm still not used to Inazuman clothing."

"Of course! Just call me in when you need help."

You closed the door and unfolded the garment. It was much more complicated than the simple outfit the gang had given you. You succeeded in pulling it on, but couldn't figure out how to tie it. "Thoma…"

"Need help? I'm coming in." He closed the door behind him before standing in front of you. "So, what can I help with?"

You showed him the issue and he started adjusting it. He circled around you, straightening the neck, crossing the collar, reaching into the fabric to tie the knots, clearly used to this sort of thing. His gaze was respectfully focused only on his work, ignoring your body. He stepped back to take a look at his work.

"You look great!" He smiled. 

"Thanks." 

"Now let's head down before we miss breakfast." He led you through a maze of halls to the kitchen. Servants who were already eating looked up from the food when you arrived. "This is the new hire, Goldie."

You waved nervously. 

"Izumi, Chiyo, can we sit here?" He gestured at the chairs next to the two girls and they nodded. 

You sat, taking a protein of fish, soup, and rice.

"You're cute!" One of the girls said. "Are you shy?" She tapped your mask.

"Maybe he's on the run, using his mask to hide from the Tenryo commission." The other giggles.

Your eyes widened in surprise.

"Chiyo stop, you're scaring him!" The first girl- Izumi- chided, swatting Chiyo's arm.

You buried your head in your bowl to hide your face. You ate quickly, trying to ignore their joking comments. The end of breakfast was called and you followed Thoma out.

"How do you like being teased?" He asked jokingly.

You just groaned in reply.

As you followed him around it quickly became clear that you were a jack of all trades. You learned everything easily, the tools always cooperative. You even learned to dress Ayaka, with her beautifully complicated kimono.

"We can put you anywhere, really." Thoma said, his hand to his chin. He suddenly grabbed his head.

"What's wrong?"

"Headache." He groaned.

"You had it this whole day, didn't you?" His little sighs throughout the day showed his pain.

"Yes." He didn't even argue. Good.

"I'll make tea." You walked off, not even giving him the opportunity to talk back. You returned moments later with a steaming cup of tea. "Drink up."

He took it, expecting something bitter, but the tea was mellow and sweet. His headache melted away, and he felt more relaxed than he had in weeks. He hummed his approval. "Where did you get the herbs for this?" 

You gestured vaguely towards the courtyard. "They're just lying around."

"If it's not too much trouble, could you make this for me tomorrow?"

"Of course! You've helped me so much, it's the least I could do to pay you back." The sun caught your hair as you smiled and you looked angelic, at least to Thoma.

[captnjacksparrow]

Do you know whether casual fans are aware of how bad chapter 700, Gaiden and Boruto is? Sometimes I feel like it's just this sns bubble that I've found myself in that's complaining because my brother told me his friends say that Boruto has gotten good. When I think of everything past 699 my heart hurts so much. I honestly want to know what Kishi was thinking. Unfortunate pairings aside, why did he make Naruto seem so miserable on the day he became Hokage? Why didn't he keep his promises? Do you think Kishi knows how bad it is? What do you think made him decide to write for Boruto?

Most of the people in the current fandom are just newbies & shippers.. They only care about Boruto without mulling over the contents in Naruto as to how it ended... Because they don't care about the Pairings in the first place... Plus, their entire focus has shifted from Naruto to Boruto which is natural. There was this dudebro argued with me about how Boruto was an Excellent character... LMAO, I trolled him relentlessly and he left the chat.

It's not even inside the Top 10 popular Anime in Japan (viewership wise) and definitely not very popular in Manga sales as well. It's only these international peeps are watching that crap and wanking for it.

Why did he make Naruto seem so miserable on the day he became Hokage?

Narrative wise, Sasuke wasn't there in the picture... He asked Sasuke to help him out with his dreams to unite all the Shinobis in Chapter 698... So, basically he wants to achieve his dream with Sasuke by his side... Just like how Hashirama wanted Madara next to him & Obito wanted Rin next to him... And yet Sasuke wasn't there on that important day. All he has was Hinata and So, the Writer cleverly made Naruto to miss the ceremony...

Why didn't he keep his promises?

Hmmm... I agree the ending left everything as open. I even criticized Naruto & Kishimoto for that. My whole gripe was that nothing was shown explicitly.... Everything was left up in the air. I am covering this topic in my other post where you might get the answer.

Do you think Kishi knows how bad it is? What do you think made him decide to write for Boruto?

Well, I guess he knows it is very bad. How could he not? He could able to magnetize the readers continuously for 15 years and even during this Pandemic many people started watching it and got brainrotten about this series... All because of the strong writing behind it. But Boruto has none of that sincerity. So, Of course he knows that very well.

I guess He is writing this series to make sure that this Boruto Saga will die out naturally without leaving an impression in people's mind. LOL. It reminds me of my friend's Elder Brother who screwed up his Manager by deliberately overlooking the error made by the People who works under him... And then all of a sudden he wrote a Resignation Letter when he realized that things were about to get worse... LOL, they ended up losing shit tonnes of Money... All because that Manager was not giving him promotion & hikes even though he worked overtime.

Proably Kishi is doing the same thing with Boruto team.

[greekbros]

What it feels to be consistently convinced to watch Boruto.

Someone I Know (SIK): hey Kiri did you see the new boruto episode holy cow it's getting better!

Me: no. I don't like watching Boruto. It's not good and it's becoming more and more like really bad normie fanfiction.

SIK: oh come on, if you let yourself like it, then you'll love it! You're just saying that because your biased.

Me: listen here limpdick, I've studied storytelling and writing along with both Europe's and America's greatest literary works, I've had collectively many creative writing classes and how to earn highmarks for both analytical and comprehension in Reading. I have wasted most of my free time analyzing what makes a good story and what consists of good writing, I have collected knowledge from a variety of media such as movies, comic books, novels, TV shows, and basic flash fictions. I have read Naruto and Naruto Shippuden since page 1 to the very last page and volume 72. I have come to the conclusion that whatever mistakes and inconsistencies have gotten through are likely because of human error and lots of consideration to canon. I have also read several other manga outside of Naruto to figure out what makes a good story. boruto on the other hand, is not a good story, it's also not a very good anime or manga. A huge portion of that series relies heavily on basic jokes, character flanderization, and what this current generation of manga readers find humorous and or cool, this current generation of fans also refused to read the previous two series for some mysterious reason that I have yet to understand. This entire series on its own has red flags and reeks of monetary profit, the existence of the series is just to milk off the popularity of the two previous series because it has actually nothing to offer, which is disappointing because there is something I can offer itself, I'm not asking for a story exactly like the previous two stories, I'm just asking for something well written. what started out as a cast of somewhat interesting characters have no ended to me in a constant irritation, characters that were promising in the beginning have now become someone interesting that I have resorted to other means of entertainment, as in going back to read the original series to see where everything went wrong, the only thing I I know that would even come close to that would be not answering some unanswered questions about the series, which ironically would have been a great we to provide world-building and realize that this is what the new series could have promised us, no instead we get 105 episodes of absolute filler and disappointment. You asking me to watch this series and open my heart to it is like watching somebody jump off a cliff expecting I will be landing on a mattress, I've seen the results, and I am going to be sorely disappointed if I do so.

SIK: the new episode doesn't boruto in it.

Me:....ok...I'll bite.

*after watching 106 where LITERALLY NOTHING HAPPENS*

SIK: wow that was a great episode! :D

Me: *after watching 19 mins a of literally going nowhere and the literal shiting on Shinobi culture as a whole* tHaT wAs ThE BIGGEST WASTE OF TIME IN MY LIFE YOU ABSOLUTE MEATSACK.

[cherryblossomshadow]

#i think i could see where kishimoto wanted to go with naruto's arc but i think he didn't pull it off as successfully as he wanted to #like if i give kishi the greatest benefit of the doubt #i could read his attempt of naruto's resolution as changing the system from within without violence or further death #because he learned that killing to achieve peace only actually creates more cycles of hatred #and his arc ending contrasts with sasuke's revolutionary solution #in which he wants to use violence to solve the shinobi system (which naruto also establishes as 'wrong') #but also he wants to bear the burden alone #the last part is where i think the emphasis was supposed to be on; in which naruto's way was to work with his friends/community #to make positive change through collective effort rather than making it an individual's responsibility #and also because isolation (even for good reasons/intentions) breaks a person down #and a future built on pain and sacrifice isn't sustainable or worth keeping #which i think makes for an okay ending. i think it misses a lot of political nuance but for a shounen series with naruto's themes it works

#but i think it starts falling apart once kishimoto establishes 1) naruto does not change the hokage system so the village /still/#depends on one-man leadership 2) in boruto he shows naruto using his clones to do work rather than relying on others #3) he shows that naruto honors itachi's last request and censors the uchiha massacre (which what the fuck!) #4) we don't see what sasuke does to further his aim in creating a better system other than just listening to naruto the hokage

#i guess i can give them slack because the boruto world /is/ peaceful until the aliens came and the nations work together but still!!!! #what the hell!!!!! i feel like naruto just promised more and never delivered #i can't excuse neji's death though so i won't bother; it's such bullshit. i feel like it just didn't adhere to the themes at all #if anything i think hiashi should've died there (tags courtesy of @pax-thuban, now non-operator)

i should be studying for my mid-term tomorrow but instead i ranted about Neji and Sasuke parallels and the Naruto ending and Naruto’s “character development” (read: lack of it) by the end of the series.

I really hate that Neji died like “yay I’m free” because, while that narrative worked for his father, whose only choice was to take the role of Sisyphus really and use that single moment to choose for himself to be a sacrifice instead of staying alive and being a pawn forever, Neji comes to conclusions about his personal scope of influence earlier than his father does. Neji is supposed to surpass his father– he’s supposed to be the one who actually frees the branch houses of the Hyuuga. For his father, freeing himself was sufficient. For Neji, not so much. The Sisyphus narrative of bending to the will of those with power as a choice to retain some agency doesn’t work here.

Someone else pointed this out a long time ago (the original post has been deleted but this is a link to my reblog of it), but Neji and Sasuke basically got the same ending. They both end up doing exactly what the unjust system they wanted to reform wanted them to do, and they’re both apparently happy that way. They didn’t actually get to change anything.

Neji’s narrative and character arc actually disgusts me:

The Hyuuga is bad and believe I deserve to die for the Main House because of my birth status, so I hate all of them and am prepared to kill Hinata if I get the chance since they expect me to die for her  -> I feel empowered, I actually can make a difference, not everyone is awful, I can trust some people, the Hyuuga is still awful but they can be changed —> I’m so glad I get to die for Hinata just like the Hyuuga wanted me to because it’s My Choice

Sasuke’s, for comparison, is: The Leaf Village is bad because they literally committed genocide against my clan to avoid having to confront that they oppress us, and if they can destroy my whole life I can destroy them —> The ninja world isn’t hopeless, it can be changed, I can make reforms, but we need a revolution —> I’m so glad my old teammates made me see that I was wrong and I get to go back to living in the same system that led to the destruction of my family

It’s literally the exact same character arc. 

People go from being hateful and resentful and not thinking there’s any hope, to being empowered and believing they can create real change, to finally giving in to the notion that there’s no need for a change after all. 

It’s the least inspiring narrative ever.

Funnily enough, it’s this exact thing that created all these problems in the ninja world in the first place. It’s always about resolving threats to an illusion of “peace” through violence or acceptance of the idea that living in a way that is unjust is better than the threat of overthrowing the system in place for peace.

And this is what makes Naruto’s character arc so deeply unsatisfying to me.

One of Naruto’s main things as a character is that, while he doesn’t believe it’s perfect, he thinks the world he’s in is ultimately good and the systems in place are good systems. From the start, he LIKES being a ninja. He wants to be recognized in those terms. His main premise with Sasuke driving his conviction to bring him back is that the Leaf Village is better than anything else out there, it’s a good place,  and that’s why he wants him to “save” him. 

But the story reveals how corrupt the Leaf Village is and how it’s caused all kinds of problems, and Naruto slowly comes to realize this. Over and over again he’s given reason to see that it’s fucked up, and meets different people who have been fucked up because of it, from his own and Gaara’s experiences as Jinchuuriki to Zabuza to Neji to Pein to Sasuke and the list goes on and on and on.  With each person he meets his vision of the world is shaped to reflect that (”When I’m Hokage, I’ll change the Hyuuga”, “If there is such a thing as peace I will find it” which directly implies that what he has now is not peace, etc.). 

The main point of all the villains is that they’re not bad, they’ve been screwed over by the ninja system that Naruto participates in, and that they’ve found their own equally destructive measures against it. Naruto is empathetic because the point of Naruto is to listen to people, to not assume you know everything based on the surface and to find non-violent (in the sense of being oppressive) solutions to your real problems.

And yet, somehow the villains take over the story and become just that– villains, and even though we have all this evidence to think the Leaf Village is fucking shit by the end of the series, it’s for some reason still the ideal. 

The new goal isn’t to change things in a way that benefits everyone, it’s to eliminate all threats to the current establishment and make everything go back to how it was before, which is… shitty and oppressive and violent and ultimately self destructive, because someone always comes up who wants to collapse it. by the end of the series Naruto has the same idealism he had at the beginning but this time, everybody agrees with him. The lesson that “you need to listen to people” is dead.

Now the lesson is that you need to make people agree with you, no matter what, even if you have to do it by force.

And the cycle continues, because that’s never going to be able to sustain itself. Naruto took 700 chapters to literally, LITERALLY, do absolutely nothing in the way of meaningful change.

Naruto feels like a betrayal because the characters start off so well-written with really good development and the messages are so good and the lessons are so meaningful. It’s honestly amazing  how the characters manage to go through so much transformation and then at the end somehow end up right back in square one.

No wonder people say they hate the entire Naruto series and not just the ending. If you end up right back where you started, which is literally what happened, then everything in between is rendered effectively worthless. 

[kurosakiami01]

the beginnings of a team

Voltron Naruto AU. Part of the life of a shinobi series.

Gen. 1110 words.

Summary: In which new jōnin sensei Allura is assigned a team of genin.

[READ ON AO3]

"I can't do this."

Coran rolls his eyes and Allura glares at him. The man smiles, a curl of his lips that makes his mustache ruffle, but Allura only glares harder.

"I. Can't."

"Yes, you can. You're ready, Allura. You took the courses—"

"That were ridiculously easy!"

"—and passed them with flying colors. You didn’t even need to take them, because you had recommendations, but you did anyway and you aced them. Not to mention that you are one of the best jōnin this village has to offer, and you're not even twenty yet!"

Allura groans, covering her heated cheeks with her hands. She knows she's blushing, but she can’t help it. The praise is too much. "I know. And that's what—look, I remember being twelve. Coran, I was a nightmare. I made my sensei's life a nightmare. I don't—what if the kids don't take me seriously? What if they get injured because they don’t take me seriously?"

Coran sighs and stops cleaning the set of fūma shuriken he has been working on for the last half an hour, and puts both hands on Allura's shoulders. The action is reassuring, the weight of them reminding her to stay in the present, to focus.

"Don't fret, my dear. You can do this. I know you do. And if those kids don't take you seriously when they meet you, then you will make them do so before your first day is over. Remember that they still have to pass your test. They aren't genin yet just because they passed the Academy test."

Allura takes a long, deep breath, holds it in for three seconds, and lets it out. She feels more centered now, more prepared.

Still, she gnaws at her lip. "It's just—you think I can?"

Her stomach is not quite settled yet, and it hasn't been since the moment the Academy files with the three genin hopefuls assigned to her reached her hands. She has read them at least a dozen times each, and she feels like she has known the kids all her life, but... They will be her first team.

Sure, she's been part of a team herself, and has taken the lead on a great number of missions since she made chūnin and then jōnin, but this is different. Now, the ones she will be guiding won't be just her teammates, her equals. They will be kids. Kids who will depend on her, kids who will trust her to teach them and keep them safe until they are strong enough to take their own path. They will be hers in a way that no other nin has ever been, and the pressure of that knowledge is a bit overwhelming, crushing but exhilarating. She wants to do her best by them, she wants to let them grow, help them grow—but she's scared that she is not qualified enough to do so.

Strong arms sneak around her and Allura doesn't fight them. She hugs Coran back, letting her muscles relax against him as he hums a soft, calming tune in her ear. She matches her breathing pattern with his, and slowly feels like she’s coming back to herself.

They embrace for a while, and then he gently eases her back, meeting her eyes and smiling so brightly that his fondness radiates from every pore.

"I'm positive. You'll be the best sensei those kids will ever have. They'll adore you, Allura."

Her smile then is wobbly but grateful, and she doesn’t let the tears fall.

At nine she arrives at the Academy and looks for the classroom she’s been assigned. She passes three different jōnins on her way, and nods when she recognizes one of them.

She’s still nervous, but not as much as she was this morning before her talk with Coran.

Once she finds the room, she stops for a moment and focuses her senses on the other side of the door. There are at least fifteen kids inside, plus their chūnin instructor. Allura takes a deep breath and centers herself, and slides the door open.

Every pair of eyes turn to her the moment she walks in, but she doesn’t let herself falter in her steps. She’s faced a lot worse than a dozen or so of green genin, and she’s not about to be intimidated by their open curiosity.

She lets her eyes wander over the class, falling over her three students in quick succession. Allura has memorized their files at this point; she would be worried if she couldn't recognize them immediately, even with the room half-full.

“She’s so pretty,” someone whispers and there is a buzz of cheerful agreement.

“Is she a jōnin sensei?” another kid asks, hopeful.

Allura smiles, preening a little on the inside, and stops beside the chūnin’s desk. She nods at him in acknowledgment before making a last survey of the room.

"Team three?" she asks.

Her new students perk up on their seats. One of the boys is looking starry-eyed at her, and she tries to fight back the laugh that threatens to come out.

"Follow me outside," she says, turning back and walking out of the room.

The three of them scramble and hurry to catch up to her, and then the four of them are outside the Academy, walking towards training ground three.

Allura doesn’t even need to look to know that they are walking behind her like ducklings, she can feel them—their chakra is completely unmasked and easy to pinpoint. Lance's is the brightest, while Katie's is fluctuating, almost as if she's trying to mask it but doesn't really know how just yet. Hunk, between his more subdued chakra presence and his barely heard footsteps, is the most difficult to locate without using her sight. They are promising, these three.

For a while, none of them dare to break the silence, simply following without question.

Allura waits.

After some minutes, the two boys start fidgeting and trading glances, and Allura can see them signing to each other from the corner of her eye.

She smiles internally, pleased. She knows from the information in their files that those two are childhood friends, and they seem to be working well together already. Katie hesitates for a moment before walking closer to them, and at that point Lance peers at her and grins, snatching her small body under his arm, pulling her closer so that they form a circle, heads together and muttering animatedly.

Allura grins. She hasn’t even presented herself yet, but she knows that these kids will pass her test.

What type of team will they become? She can’t wait to discover it.

[eiennoseizon]

This is a commission I had done for my KakaIru series: Shinobi Don’t Promise. It is my rendition of Genin Iruka Umino in Kakashi’s hand-me-downs, complete with the three-way earring communicator and the weapon’s holster Kakashi gave him for his birthday. 

It can be found in Chapter seven of Paving Pathways (Part two of the ongoing series) which was just released!

Len’s work: https://lenbarboza.tumblr.com/

Chapter Seven here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19096294/chapters/46982185

The entire series: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1327112

[eiennoseizon]

I’m killing three birds with one stone with this one-shot! Or so the saying goes.  So this falls in the universe of my ongoing KakaIru series Shinobi Don’t Promise as a bit of worldbuilding on the background relationship of Genma and Shizune. That’s right, this is how they got together! It can be read as a stand-alone story in its own right. I wrote it for either.

Also: this is for @naruto-rarepair-bingo and @genmaweek

((I know I am a few days late for the ANBU Prompt, but my beta reader has some family stuff and family comes first. Sorry, OTL))

Title: Kitsune no Tenshi

Pairing: Genma Shiranui and Shizune Kato

Rating: Teen for Shizune doing canon-typical medical-nin stuff.

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19886980