#Shinobi bonds

[lvoryingrid]

Whispers in the Sand

Gaara x fem!Reader

Synopsis: In Sunagakure, (Y/n) befriends Gaara, a boy feared for the beast inside him. Despite the village's scorn, their bond deepens. After Gaara is critically injured, (Y/n) stays by his side. Lady Chiyo sacrifices herself to revive him, and Gaara awakens to (Y/n)'s tearful relief and confession of love, promising a future together.

In the bustling village of Sunagakure, where the sun painted the sandstone buildings in hues of gold, whispers danced like shadows in the dusty streets. Among those murmurs, there lingered a tale that had woven its way into the very fabric of the village—a story of a boy with a beast trapped within him, a tale that had haunted the hearts of the villagers for generations.

(Y/n) had known this story since she was a mere child, her young ears catching the fragments of hushed conversations between elders and the nervous glances exchanged between parents. It was a narrative shrouded in mystery, one that sent shivers down her spine even as she sat by the hearth, listening intently.

The tale spoke of a boy, his name whispered in tones of both fear and pity, who carried within him a beast of unimaginable power. Some said it was a curse bestowed upon him by ancient spirits, while others whispered of dark rituals performed by his own kin. But regardless of its origins, the boy's burden was undeniable—a monstrous force that lay dormant within him, waiting to be unleashed.

His hair blazed like fire, a crimson beacon amidst the mundane, while his eyes, icy and enigmatic, seemed to hold secrets untold. To the villagers, he was the embodiment of fear, a specter of darkness with a name stained by rumors and whispered tales of horror. They whispered of his alleged crimes, of a mother slain by her own son's hand, painting him as a monster lurking in their midst.

Yet, to (Y/n), he was something different. She saw beyond the whispers, beyond the shroud of fear that enveloped him. To her, he was simply a boy, no different from herself, burdened by loneliness and yearning for connection. With courage as fragile as a delicate petal, she approached him one day, her heart pounding against her chest like the drumbeat of a distant storm. Her hand, small and trembling, reached out in a gesture of friendship, offering a lifeline amidst the sea of suspicion and dread.

"Hi, I'm (Y/n)," she uttered softly, her voice a beacon of warmth cutting through the chilling silence that surrounded him like a suffocating mist. In that moment, her smile, genuine and unguarded, illuminated the darkness that had cloaked him for so long, offering a glimmer of hope amidst the shadows of his haunted existence.

In a moment etched in time, he finally surrendered to a glimmer of hope, his lips curving into a smile as he reached out and clasped her hand. In that delicate exchange, a profound bond ignited, weaving their souls together in an unbreakable bond. Despite the relentless storm of disapproval raining down upon them, they stood resolute, united against the world's scorn. Their friendship blossomed, a radiant beacon of resilience amidst the darkness, defying all odds with every shared moment, every whispered secret, every heartfelt laugh.

On that fateful night, the tranquility of the village shattered into chaos as the deafening explosion tore through the air. (Y/n) felt her heart lurch with fear as the ominous sound reverberated through her bones.

The next day, when she laid eyes on him, her heart sank. He was there, but he wasn't the same. The warmth that once radiated from his presence had been extinguished, replaced by an icy, distant demeanor. It was as if a shadow had consumed him, leaving behind only a shell of the person she once knew.

Despite her desperate attempts to reach him, he remained unreachable, lost in the grip of his inner turmoil. His once vibrant eyes now held a haunting emptiness, reflecting the torment of the monster that now consumed him. And as he turned away, ignoring her presence, (Y/n) felt a surge of heartache, realizing that the person she cherished had become the very thing they had all feared.

Years had passed since Gaara of the Desert had become the embodiment of fear in the village, living up to the bleak reputation that the villagers had painted for him. His departure for Konoha to partake in the Chūnin Exams left a bitter taste lingering in the air, with his sand nearly grazing her as she timidly approached to wish him luck.

Upon his return to the village from Konoha, Gaara was scarcely recognizable. The once stoic and aloof figure had softened, radiating an unfamiliar warmth, calmness, and genuine happiness. It was a transformation that caught everyone off guard, especially (Y/n), who had known him in his previous, more hardened state.

Then, one day, he approached her, his eyes betraying a profound sense of remorse and regret. It was a stark contrast to the coldness she had grown accustomed to, and it stirred something within her—a glimmer of hope, perhaps, that there was more to Gaara than the menacing facade he had worn for so long.

"(Y/n)," he spoke, his voice trembling with emotion, each syllable heavy with regret. His words, though soft, echoed with the weight of his remorse. "I'm sorry," he whispered, the apology hanging in the air, laden with the depths of his sorrow.

Tears welled up in (Y/n)'s eyes as she looked at him, her heart overflowing with emotions. "You were always my friend, no matter what," she whispered, a smile gracing her lips as she reached out to him, her hand finding his.

Tears cascaded down (Y/n)'s cheeks like a relentless waterfall as she stood beside Gaara's motionless form, her heart gripped by a vice of anguish and fear. Every fiber of her being rebelled against the thought of losing him, of never again seeing the warmth in his emerald eyes. Their shared memories rushed back to her, not willing them to die off.

As (Y/n) stood beside Gaara's motionless form, her voice trembled with desperation as she pleaded for him to return. "Gaara, please," she whispered, her words a fragile echo in the silent void that surrounded them. Tears streamed down her cheeks, mingling with the sand beneath her feet as she clutched his hand tightly, as if trying to anchor him to the world.

"Come back to us, Gaara," she begged, her voice cracking with emotion. "You're not alone anymore. We're here for you. I'm here for you." Her heart ached with each word, every syllable a testament to the depth of her love and concern for her friend

But Gaara remained still, his form unmoving, as if trapped in a world of his own making. The weight of his inner turmoil seemed insurmountable, a barrier separating him from the world outside.

In the midst of her despair, (Y/n) felt a stirring within her soul as Naruto's voice pierced the heavy silence. His words echoed with a mixture of sadness and anger, mirroring the tumultuous emotions swirling within her own heart.

"Why is it always Gaara?" Naruto's voice rang out, resonating with a raw intensity that demanded attention. He stood beside her, his gaze fixed on Gaara's still form with a depth of emotion that sent shivers down her spine. "How could he die like this?"

As Naruto knelt beside her, his voice quivering with grief and frustration, (Y/n) felt the weight of his words pressing down on her like a heavy burden. She knew the pain he felt, the sense of injustice that threatened to consume them both.

And then, as Lady Chiyo intervened with a voice like the hollow echo of despair "Calm yourself, Uzumaki Naruto." her gaze hollow toward the young boy, (Y/n)'s attention remained fixated on Gaara's pale face, her fingers gently caressing his hair as if to coax him back to consciousness.

But Naruto's anguish erupted into a desperate cry, tearing through the air like a thunderclap. "If you, you damn Sand shinobi didn't put that monster inside Gaara, then..." His accusation hung in the air, a stark reminder of the pain and suffering inflicted upon Gaara by forces beyond his control.

As (Y/n) gently caressed Gaara's fiery red hair, her mind drifted back to a memory not so distant. It was just a while ago when he had shared with her his impending appointment as Kazekage, his eyes alight with determination and hope. "No one deserves it more," she had said, her heart swelling with pride for her friend. But now, as reality settled in, she realized that his newfound responsibilities would inevitably mean less time together.

Her sadness didn't go unnoticed by Gaara, his perceptive gaze catching the subtle shift in her demeanor. "What's wrong?" he asked, his voice soft yet laden with concern as he turned to her.

(Y/n) shook her head, a feeble attempt to mask the turmoil within her heart. "It's nothing," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper as she looked away, unable to meet his gaze.

But Gaara knew her too well to be deceived by her facade. With a gentle touch, he turned her face towards him, his eyes searching hers for answers. "Please, (Y/n)," he urged, his voice a gentle plea. "You can tell me."

For a moment, (Y/n) hesitated, her cheeks a light tint of pink as the weight of her emotions threatened to spill forth like a torrential downpour. But then, with a resigned sigh, she relented, allowing her walls to crumble in the presence of her trusted friend.

"It's just...," her voice faltered, choked with unspoken fears and regrets. "I'm happy for you, Gaara, truly. But... I can't help but feel a sense of loss knowing that we won't be able to spend as much time together."

Her words hung in the air like a fragile thread, tethering them to the reality of their changing circumstances. And as Gaara listened, a mixture of understanding and sadness flickered in his eyes.

"(Y/n)," he began, his voice gentle yet filled with unwavering resolve. "I may have new responsibilities as Kazekage, but that doesn't mean we have to change. You've always been there for me, through thick and thin, and I intend to do the same for you."

As Gaara's words washed over her with sincerity and conviction, (Y/n) felt a rush of emotions swirling within her heart. His reassurance offered her a lifeline amidst the turbulent sea of uncertainty that stretched out before them. In that fleeting moment, as their eyes locked in silent understanding, she couldn't help but feel a flutter of something more than mere friendship stirring within her soul.

For years, (Y/n) had harbored hidden feelings for Gaara, emotions too complex and profound to put into words. She had watched him from afar, admiring his strength and resilience, yet always keeping her own heart guarded, afraid to acknowledge the depth of her affection.

But now, as their hands met in a tender embrace, the walls she had meticulously built around her heart began to crumble. In the warmth of his touch, she found solace, a sense of belonging that she had long yearned for.

As they stood there, bathed in the soft glow of the setting sun, (Y/n) dared to let her guard down, to allow herself to embrace the truth of her feelings. With each beat of her heart, she felt the walls around her heart melting away, replaced by an overwhelming tide of love and longing.

And as Gaara's gaze softened, mirroring the depth of emotion reflected in her own eyes, (Y/n) knew that she was not alone in her silent confession. In the quiet intimacy of their shared moment, they spoke volumes without uttering a single word, their unspoken bond weaving them together in a tapestry of love and understanding.

As (Y/n) was shaken from her trance, she felt Lady Chiyo's presence kneeling beside her. With tear-stained cheeks, (Y/n) looked at the elder woman, her eyes silently pleading for her to intervene, to do something, anything, to save Gaara. "Please," (Y/n) murmured, her voice trembling with desperation as she reached out a hand towards Lady Chiyo.

The older woman nodded solemnly, understanding the unspoken plea in (Y/n)'s gaze. Motioning for her to move away, Lady Chiyo's hands began to glow with a gentle, healing light as she focused her chakra on Gaara's still form. Naruto, also, kneeled beside him, helping Chiyo.

Lady Chiyo's life force flowed into Gaara, her hands glowing with a soft, healing light. The old puppet master, having made the ultimate sacrifice, had given Gaara a second chance. As Gaara's eyes fluttered open, (Y/n) felt her heart swell with gratitude. "(Y/n)?" Gaara's voice was weak but filled with wonder as he looked at her.

Tears streamed down her face as she knelt beside him, her hand finding his. "I'm here, Gaara," she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion. "You're alive. You're safe."

Overwhelmed with relief, she leaned closer, pulling him gently into her arms. She could feel the faint, steady rhythm of his heartbeat, a precious reminder that he was truly back. Gaara, still weak, wrapped his arms around her, finding comfort in her embrace.

The world seemed to blur around them, the intensity of the moment creating a bubble of solace amidst the chaos. Naruto and Sakura watched silently, their own eyes filled with tears of joy and relief.

Gaara's voice, though weak, carried a newfound determination. "I... I thought I'd never see you again," he murmured, his fingers tightening around her hand.

(Y/n) pulled back slightly to look into his eyes, her heart pounding with a mix of emotions. "I couldn't bear the thought of losing you, Gaara," she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper.

Gaara's eyes softened, a flicker of understanding passing between them. "I know," he replied quietly, his gaze holding hers with a depth of emotion he had rarely shown. "Thank you, (Y/n). For everything."

She smiled through her tears, her heart overflowing with unspoken words. "We're in this together, Gaara. No matter what."

Masterlist

[aprito]

sos month 2024 day 4: if only you knew "What you said earlier — that you despise this life, wishing you weren't here... Is that true?" "If only you knew."

Thinking you have to choose between your years long planned and prepared defection and your last minute friend who kind of means everything to you now but wouldn't just up and leave with you has got to suck.

[fogaminghub]

https://www.fogaminghub.com/post/master-the-mibu-rivalry-a-complete-walkthrough-for-rise-of-the-ronin

🌟 Immerse yourself in the world of Rise of the Ronin with our latest blog post on the Mibu Rivalry mission! 🎮✨ 

From taking down Serizawa to building a bond with Isami Kondo, we’ve got all the tips and strategies you need. Level up your gameplay and enjoy the adventure! 🏯����

[zincbot]

kakashi's death still kinda fucks with me

[bimgtt]

I love what you have said above, but I hate Itachi for blindly glorifying the oppressor and having no remorse or regret for genociding the non-civilian population in the Uchiha clan, including unknowing children, housewives, elderly, farmers, and shopkeepers and manipulating Sasuke with hate and painful memories otherwise Sasuke would have never left village until he was mature enough and might have forgotten and moved on but would have gone after Itachi but with team 7 and Konoha comrades and never had learned the truth. Itachi never showed cognitive dissonance regarding his genocidal acts only showed when Sasuke was hurt and knowing from Naruto he became a terrorist and his mission failed.

I would like to ask you to forgive me in advance. I am going to use your post to make a point/hypothesis of mine regarding Sasuke's revolution and what he needed to do. Please don't delete or report me; please just let me use your post this once. Thanks in advance for allowing me.

“I will destroy and rebuild. Rebuild a new world for us! One that cannot be tainted by darkness. What I’m pushing for… is... a REVOLUTION.”

Uchiha Sasuke - Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto

[actuallysaiyan]

Hey, I notice that your request box is open, mind if I requested a family hcs with Madara, Indra and Izuna?

warnings: mentions of breeding, slight suggestive content, mentions of trauma word count: 0.8k pairings: Indra Otsutsuki x Fem!Reader, Madara Uchiha x Fem!Reader, Izuna x Fem!Reader

Indra

Indra doesn’t realize that he wants to be with you at first. You’re too soft, too sweet. But then he begins to spend more time with you.

The more time he spends with you, the more he falls in love. It takes very little time after that for him to claim you as his and to get you pregnant. He is the first in the Uchiha family to have the blessed(cursed) breeding kink.

While you’re pregnant, he is very overprotective. Stays with you almost all day and all night. He won’t let most people around you. Just the midwives and the doctors.

Once your first child is born, Indra becomes hellbent on making sure the child has a good life. He will raise them so well and be soft and gentle with them.

Seeing you with his baby just makes him even more turned on. He wants to breed you even more, but he understands he needs to give you time to recover.

You’ll be pregnant a lot when you’re with Indra. He takes good care of you and the kids. He won’t make anyone feel left out. But he will possibly favor his first born at times, and they have a very special bond.

The children love to train with him, and even if he can be harsh at times, he does what he can to show them tenderness and affection. His curse of love runs deep within each and everyone of them, even affecting you as well. All in all, Indra is a decent family man.

Madara

Madara is very protective of you. He falls for you so deeply, and he doesn’t intend on sharing you with anyone. Hashirama is the one who officiates your marriage. Then you’re blessed with becoming an Uchiha.

While on your honeymoon, Madara gets you pregnant. He’s so happy and over the moon. He will keep you safe the entire time, not allowing too much excitement nor will you have too many people bothering you.

The Uchiha family will grow immensely with him as the clan head and you as his wife. You will have many children together. He can’t help himself, he finds you so beautiful when you’re pregnant and motherly.

Your children cling to you a lot, as they are a bit afraid of their strong and gruff father. Still, he softens up quite a bit when they spend time with him. And they love their uncle Izuna and uncle Hashirama.

Madara finds himself growing a little too soft at times when his children are begging to play with them. He wants to give them the childhood he never got to experience. But that trauma can sometimes get the best of him.

They all train to become shinobi, but not because they need to fight, but because they want to be shinobi just like him. Madara is very proud of each and every one of them. He’ll give them tips to improve.

Your clan grows more and more, leaving you to have a very happy life with Madara. And the two of you are able to grow old together and just enjoy your lives with your children thriving and becoming the next generation of shinobi.

Izuna

Izuna is shy at first. After surviving the attack from Tobirama, he doesn’t even consider himself worthy of love. He spends his time boozing and whoring around. Then he meets you and his heart only beats for you.

It takes him a long time to realize that he’s allowed to fall in love. When the time comes for you two to get married, his brother is the first person he tells. Madara gives you both his blessings.

Izuna becomes insanely obsessed with breeding you. The Uchiha breeding kink hits him harder than his brother. He is a man on a mission, and you barely remember much from your honeymoon except the color of the bedsheets.

When you return home, you’re already pregnant. And as you continue going through the pregnancy, Izuna becomes insanely protective over you. He’s not letting you out of his sight. He keeps a tight hold on you.

Izuna cries the moment he gets to hold his firstborn. And this is something that continues with each child afterwards. You help the Uchiha clan grow so much, as Izuna pretty much keeps you pregnant.

He’s good with the kids. Having a family has really opened his eyes and made him see how much he’s happier to have been given a second chance at life. They all love their father so much and cling to him.

Izuna enjoys being able to grow old with you by his side and to have all these amazing kids. He knows that no matter what they decide to be when they grow up, he’ll always be there to back them up and support them.

[badgalsasuke]

My thoughts on the Naruto ending

So I had said I was gonna post about my feelings and thoughts regarding the Naruto finale that might contain a few hot takes for some people, so here it is.

THIS IS GONNA BE A LONG POST.

The Naruto ending is universally disliked, there's not doubt in that. Veteran SNS shippers don't like it because Naruto and Sasuke end up with women they don't love and aren't attracted to, and believe Naruto and Sasuke could've end up "single" with no ships confirmed; younger SNS shippers that weren't there when Naruto was still coming out believe they should've ended up together even though that could have not been plausible due to the manga industry quite conservative practices. Het!shippers on the other hand, believe the ending is bad for two different reasons: the first being that some believe that Narusaku and Sasukarin would've made more sense than SS and NH (some say just Narusaku and Sasuke should've stayed single); the second being that although they like SS and NH and the potential they believe these ships have "but wasn't explored further", Kishimoto can't write romance so he messed up both ships, making them bland and barely romantic.

Another reason why the ending is disliked for non-shipping reasons and mostly by Sasuke stans, is that even though in the couple chapters before the 700th one Naruto and Sasuke talk about changing the shinobi system, we see in Boruto that the system has not been changed at all and instead Naruto and Sasuke are reinforcing it despite all the oppression and suffering they were put through it in its name. We even see Itachi, the man who committed genocide being lauded as a hero for his actions and zero reflection on Konoha as a genocidal State. Oh and the Hyuga clan still practices slavery.

So here I come to say the following: Naruto's ending makes sense.

Now before y'all tear me to pieces let me explain myself. The first time I read the finale I thought it was stupid, one reason being that the ships make no sense no matter the angle you try to look at them and the other reason being that Sasuke was now working for the same State that murdered his clan with Naruto now as the head of that same State and making no changes to the Shinobi system (not a very good look on him, right?), so I thought for many years that the ending sucked.

Then The Last, Boruto and Sasuke Retsuden came out and all I could think was "woah this is all really shit from the butt".

But then one day when I was thinking about the manga as a whole, mostly because I was starting to realize that Kishimoto was being intentional in his writing of Naruto and Sasuke's romantic bond and it wasn't accidental like most of the fandom thinks, I just started connecting dots and trying to make sense of the whole story and seeing how the ending fitted into that. I'm someone that whenever it comes to literary analysis and criticism always tries to think about what was the author intention before I label something as bad because it wasn't my personal preference how something was written.

And that's how I realized what there was theme to the Naruto ending is. It's all about conformity.

Now, don't get me wrong the Naruto ending still has flaws, two big ones in my opinion, which I'll point out further down the post, but what I want to do is show you the forest because I feel the fandom is mostly focused on a couple of trees when it comes to the finale. I want you to see the thread of events Kishimoto created and how he was trying to keep it as in character as possible.

So first things first. If you've read Kishimoto interviews over the years then you would know what was the ending he had envisioned: chapter 698. He talks about how he wanted Naruto and Sasuke to have their final fight, make ammends and change the shinobi system together. He achieved two out those three things he intended.

In a quite controversial interview that most of the fandom likes to ignore, Kishimoto stated that he had no emotional attachement to Naruto and Hinata as a couple and it was Studio Pierrot who had pitched the whole thing about The Last movie. He also states that he decided to make NH endgame after Shippuden had started and he had also considered Narusaku as well, but then in another interview that came later he started saying he had intended to make NH canon since the very beginning. He was constantly contradicting himself in these interviews over the years. Kishimoto has also expressed his distate for SS and Sakura's character in general in different interviews.

So what I personally believe is that Kishimoto's editorial, Shueisha, made him change his statements because saying he had no plans for NH and it was Studio Pierrot idea was quite damaging to the franchise (no wonder the interview got kinda buried too, lol).

I think the biggest challenge for Kishimoto was giving the editorial, the studio and most of the fandom the het!ships they wanted without compromising as much the characters the story of his manga revolves around, Naruto and Sasuke.

So we get to ch. 699 where I believe Kishimoto is laying the ground for the finale we ended up getting.

In ch. 698 it seemed like Naruto and Sasuke had been able to resolve their issues and been able to talk about their feelings for each other. Something Sasuke repeats in ch. 699, a chapter entirely narrated by him. However right at the end of ch. 699 we get what seems to be a regression of what we had seen in the previous chapter.

It is implied that Naruto and Sasuke had an argument off-screen hence why Sasuke thought Naruto would not come to see him and bid him farewell before his atonement journey. What was the argument about is never really explained, some fans speculate Naruto was upset about Sasuke going on an atonement journey considering Naruto had pleaded for Sasuke to not be imprisoned and saw no reason for Sasuke to go on a redemption trip. I personally believe it had something to do with Naruto failing to come to terms with his feelings for Sasuke because, as we see right away, Naruto gives Sasuke back his headband and Sasuke says he'll keep it until they have their real fight which is interesting, to say the least, because didn't we just see their real fight the literal prior chapter? basically, we're being told Naruto and Sasuke haven't been able to truly talk about their feelings and put into words what their relationship really is about hence why Sasuke keeps the headband. As long as Sasuke has the headband, it will mean Naruto hasn't been able to truly accept what he feels for Sasuke. In essence, ch. 699 is Kishimoto retconning ch. 698 to give way to what comes later.

After chapter 700 came out we started getting so much content, both filler and canon, that tries to explain how we got there. Let's start with The Last, the movie that tries to explain how the heck Naruto ended up with Hinata.

The Last is sort of a hybrid, it's written for the most part by Studio Pierrot employees who had the idea in the first place and Kishimoto corrected a few things here and there and is also what for me, makes the ending flawed for one big reason: Naruto's character assassination.

Naruto is a shonen manga that's more focused and concerned on it's emotional battles and communicates it to the audience through it's physical battles rather than the powerscaling stuff Naruto dudebros would have you thinking the manga is actually about. So this means that Naruto, its main character, spends the entire manga learning about his feelings and putting them into words. That's what his story is mainly about; learning to love and to be loved.

The Last undoes this in the stupidest way possible. To give Naruto an excuse on why he always ignored Hinata they intend to make the audience believe it's because "Naruto doesn't know what love is" by writing Naruto not being able to differentiate between loving someone and liking ramen. This is absolute nuts. We know that Naruto understands what is love, what is not love and that love doesn't come out of nowhere, we see that when Sakura fake confesses to Naruto, he's able to spot right away she's not being genuine because he understands those three things. So this is the first flaw of the Naruto ending for me.

The second flaw is the dismissal of Kurama and Naruto's status as a Jinchuuriki. I find the most embarrasing thing about The Last to be that they had to put Naruto through a genjutsu so he could hallucinate "memories of Hinata being there for him but he was too dumb to notice" but it's even worse once you remember that Naruto canonically should not be able to be put through a genjutsu in the first place. Studio Pierrot had to break rules of Kishimoto's universe in order to give NH some mediocre development and to me this will always be the worst part of the finale. If you can't make a ship work within the universe rules, then why make it a thing at all?

Some people didn't like that Hinata is totally useless in the movie, but for me this is not a flaw, as it is entirely in character with who she is in the manga. Making her a mary sue out of nowhere on the other hand, would be a flaw of the story.

Now that I've talked about what I think are the flaws of the Naruto ending, let's talk about the things that work in The Last (and I believe is where Kishimoto put his input) to make the finale make sense. The first one being that Sakura is the one that pushes Naruto to be with Hinata. In the manga we see several times Sakura is insecure about Naruto and Sasuke's bond and being jealous of Naruto's spot in Sasuke's heart. Even Hinata is baffled by Sakura wanting to help her and asks her why she's doing all that because she knows they're not friends. We then see Sakura think about Sasuke (who's also conviniently excluded from the movie) and simply say "we, girls, should support each other", she wants Naruto out of the picture so she can have Sasuke for herself and she succeeded. It's also important to note that once Sakura got what she wanted she no longer pretended to be a friend of Hinata, she didn't even kept close contact with Naruto either as we see in Naruto Gaiden, Sarada and Naruto don't know each other like that at all, if Sakura was being a genuine friend to Hinata and Naruto, she would've kept her family close to Naruto's but she didn't.

One more thing that I find works about The Last is that Naruto doesn't passionately fall in love with Hinata, but instead is constantly guilt-tripped into liking her, which is more true to his character. You have a man already struggling to accept his sexuality, who also has his deceased mother's expectation of marrying a girl and on top of that is a pathological people pleaser, of course he's gonna marry the first girl that tells him she loves him. It makes sense this all happened while Sasuke was not in the village. Naruto panicked about his sexual identity and rushed to marry an "acceptable woman" in the eyes of the people whose approval he craves, as we see in the special chapter Kishimoto wrote that came out after The Last: the villagers fawning over Konoha's hero dating the Hyuga heiress.

Likewise, Sasuke not attending Naruto's wedding helps the ending not be as contrived or out of character of them. Kishimoto never wrote anything on why Sasuke skipped the wedding as far as I can recall, but in the episodes that Studio Pierrot made dedicated to Naruto's wedding we see a Sasuke completely absent and detached from the event, something Naruto dudebros use to dunk on him because that made him a terrible friend from their perspective, but as usual they're not paying attention to the full narrative Kishimoto is creating here.

Making Sasuke be happy for Naruto and attend his wedding and give him a gift and all that crap, would've made het!shippers and Naruto dudebros happy but it would be at the expense of his character and the story Kishimoto was writing. Remember, Sasuke had kept the headband all these time until he could have his real fight with Naruto, meaning he was waiting for Naruto to be honest about his feelings for him, so him not attending Naruto's wedding is a way to communicate to the audience (at least the part that's paying attention) that Sasuke is heartbroken by the news.

I believe this is why Kishimoto designed adult Sasuke the way he did and makes him dress the way he does as an adult. All black and depressing. I also believe that Sasuke will stop dressing that way the minute he and Naruto have their real fight, if they ever have it, that is.

Additionally, Kishimoto nailed making NH canon before SS would be canon. Naruto, as I stated before, is the one that struggles with his identity and feelings for Sasuke and the one that has the expectations to marry a woman so it makes sense that he would be the one to marry a woman first. SS becoming canon first wouldn't make sense because not only is Sasuke more outspoken about his contempt for Sakura, whereas Naruto remains polite and neutral to Hinata's feelings, but Sasuke also has no reason to be with Sakura if Naruto is still available, in fact, Kishimoto making Sakura be the one to chase Sasuke after Naruto's wedding because Sasuke never came back, as we see it stated in Naruto Gaiden ch. 10, is also in character for both Sasuke and Sakura, instead of writing it the other way around like SS shippers wished, y'know their whole thing about Sasuke coming back to the village for Sakura and apologizing to her because he didn't realize how much he actually loved her because he was trapped in the darkness blah blah blah (I think this is what happens in filler novel Sasuke shinden lol).

If Naruto is not available, then Sasuke is in a very emotionally vulnerable position and Sakura took advantage of that. You see the narrative Kishimoto is creating here? There's a thread to follow on why stuff happened they way it did.

Now, I mentioned before that the theme of the Naruto finale was conformity. Here's where I explain how:

The first thing is Naruto's physical appearance. Kishimoto liked to draw a young Naruto all punk and grunge. He even had already made a design of adult Naruto where Naruto looks, well, cool and HOT.

Yet, for the actual finale he gave us an ugly Naruto, but also a Naruto that looks tired and exhausted. How does this tie with the conformity theme? when Naruto was young he used to go against the rules, defy expectations people had of him, tell authorities to fuck off. Like, when he was told to give up on Sasuke when he was 12, Naruto responded "If giving up on Sasuke makes me wise, I'd rather be fool my entire life", this man was a rebel. But as an adult we see him become the head of State that continues to reproduce the status quo that had once oppressed him. Naruto turned apathetic, his appearance reflects his attitude.

And this is consistent with the narrative Kishimoto's been crafting. Just in the same way Naruto conformed to society's expectation when he married a woman he doesn't love and barely knows, he also conformed and succumbed to the shinobi world status quo. It would *make zero sense* for Naruto to revolutionize the shinobi world while married to princess slaver Hinata Hyuga, that'd be an oxymoron, completely contradictory narrative wise. Certainly, Naruto always struggled to find an ideology, to put it in some way, when it came to Konoha and its ninjas practices and had a messed up perception of its villagers (see: the whole Dark Naruto mini plot) but he still wanted to change the shinobi world WITH SASUKE by his side, once the story established they don't end up together and Sasuke isn't by his side, Naruto doesn't care anymore.

This is why I don't find strange that Kishimoto wrote Naruto oversleeping in the eve of his name day as Hokage, a day Naruto had once dreamt about when he was a child. The spark is gone.

But the spark isn't just gone for Naruto, it's also gone for Kishimoto. Naruto didn't even attend his name day because he was knocked out by Himawari. This is Kishimoto being petty. He spent 15 years writing a story where the goal was to see Naruto become Hokage and he knew how anticipated this moment was and he still went and ruined it for the fans anyway. Naruto dudebros were furious about this, but not once did they stop to wonder about the implications of this, what it said about Kishimoto's relationship with his work if it had gotten to the point he went and "fucked it up".

Naruto cared about the state of the world before he became indifferent to it. This is why when Sasuke stans complain about Naruto not actually caring about Sasuke's trauma but can never really explain why Naruto is like that as an adult. They try to pretend Naruto never cared but this is a lie, kid and teenage Naruto was compassionate to Sasuke's trauma and pain even if he didn't always managed it in the best way possible. So, I always feel like they're missing this particular piece of the puzzle: if Naruto can't be his true self then he cannot change the world and neither can Sasuke.

Because the same thing occurs to Sasuke. One blog once posted that Sasuke not caring about his child is out of character, but Sasuke not caring about Sakura's child is very much in character and I feel that sums up Kishimoto's writing of both adult Sasuke and Naruto. This passiveness you wouldn't imagine from their younger selves, takes a hold of them once they become adults and gradually "get in line" to be a part of the real world. Sasuke doesn't care about his child because he had her with a woman he doesn't even like or respect. Sasuke is stuck in time still holding onto that headband, hoping he and Naruto will one day have their real battle.

Sasuke uses the forehead poke, a gesture he always hated, on his wife and child because he, just like his brother to him, wants to distance himself from them. Sasuke now serves the same village that plotted the mass murder of his clan and family because why not? his brother is lauded as a hero for killing his entire clan after all. Sasuke too, has conformed.

I actually wonder if this is in some way linked to modern Japanese culture. Japanese culture and society are deeply conformist with everybody is always trying to fulfill roles imposed in them, always trying to achieve what is expected of them. It could also be about how adulthood sucks the passion and hopes out of the youth (Kishimoto started writing Naruto when he was 24 and finished when he was in his forties). And of course, the closeting of queer people leading miserable lives as pretenders.

If Sasuke is meant to end up with Sakura and Naruto is meant to end up with Hinata then Kishimoto cannot make them happy marriages and give them happy families, he also cannot keep Naruto and Sasuke as revolutionary outcasts that stand up against the status quo, that fanservice would be out of character and out of theme.

This is what I mean when I say the ending makes sense, once you see the finale is all about conformity the thread of events becomes understandable and more heartbreaking too. You don't have to like it, but I do think we have to understand where is Kishimoto coming from when he wrote it the way he did.

The Naruto fandom wanted black and grey from Kishimoto and that's exactly what Kishimoto gave them, black and grey.

EDIT: I've written more on how the conformity theme starts to become present in the series as far back as in Neji's death, check it out HERE

[watermelonsloth]

Miscellaneous Naruto Headcanons

Hanabi is next in line as clan head and Hinata completely cut off her family because she decided she doesn’t want anything to do with the people who wanted nothing to do with her.

Hashirama and Tobirama actually have a really complicated relationship with a lot of mutual resentment. They love each other as family and respect each other as shinobi, but still. Hashirama holds a grudge from the river incident, resents how he was the favorite child of their father, and is frustrated by how he prioritizes utilitarianism over kindness/morality a lot of the time. Tobirama resents how he grew up in his shadow, is jealous of how easily he interacts with others and gets them on his side, and commonly thinks that he makes their lives significantly harder. Do they talk about any of this? Of course not! Hashirama is deeply ashamed of these feelings and Tobirama approaches all of his emotions with an “if I don’t look at it, it doesn’t exist” mentality.

The three shinobi vices come from the sage of six paths, but Tobirama was the one who introduced the shinobi rules.

The fear of aging is incredibly common amongst shinobi. However, it’s less about dying and more about deteriorating; like a weapon rusting or dulling in a way that’s unpreventable and irreversible. Orochimaru’s fear is pretty obvious, part of the reason Sasori both values eternity so much and turned himself into a puppet is this, and Guy goes on about YOUTH!!! all the time because he’s in denial about his own fear, especially since taijutsu specialists are on a shorter clock than most due to muscle deteriorating faster than chakra.

Deidara values ephemeralism so much because he was forced to become a suicide bomber and he used this life philosophy to find value within himself even when he could be ordered to kill himself at a moments notice.

While the three shinobi vices are only taken very seriously amongst groups like the guardian shinobi twelve, it’s still baked into a lot of shinobi life. For example, you can be discharged from anbu for things like drinking, gambling, and paying for prostitutes even if it doesn’t impact your work-life. Some people, like Tsunade and Kurenai, are very against this, arguing “if I’m allowed to kill and die on a battlefield, I should be allowed to cope with that however I want!”

Kurenai is an alcoholic btw.

Tsunade got her gambling habit from Hashirama, but her drinking came from Tobirama.

Yamato is transgender.

While there isn’t much or any stigma against queer relationships, there is a lot of pressure around people having kids. This came from the warring states era when they needed those kids to become soldiers and replace their armies (also child death was very common and having more kids rose the chances of one of them surviving to adulthood).

The first thing Hashirama did as Hokage was outlaw child hunters and give the order that any child hunters encountered on missions should be dealt with with extreme prejudice.

Kekkei genkai hunting and trafficking is disturbingly common.

Sakura, Rock Lee, and TenTen come from civilian clans and started bonding over that during their sparring matches.

Ableism is pretty common within shinobi villages and especially in the Hyuga clan, so Neji went through a period of having to unlearn a lot of his biases while working with Rock Lee.

Rock Lee is considered disabled btw.

Also ableism is one of the reasons why Nagato doesn’t show his body. Because he’s also disabled (can’t walk because of paper bombs, and has severe chronic chakra exhaustion).

The noble clans (Uchiha, Hyuga, Aburame, Akimichi) were the first/founding clans of Konoha. The Senju used to be included, but because they mixed themselves into other clans to the point of dying out, they aren’t anymore.

Despite being memorialized on the shinobi uniform, the Uzumaki clan were never an official clan of Konoha.

The sharingan and mangekyou sharingan were extremely common during the warring states era, but is exceedingly rare in peace times. So much so that Uchiha’s who got it were congratulated (by people both inside and outside the clan) without others remembering that the sharingan is rarely unlocked for a good reason, making them feel even more upset/isolated.

Although people who get married usually still have wedding rings, it is so rare for shinobi to be seen wearing them (considering their job) that they’re viewed as a sign of retirement.

Ino and Karui did not get along at first because Ino takes great pride in clan tradition and Karui thought she was behind the times. They only get along now because they’re both romantics and they respectfully avoid that topic of conversation around each other.

Shino has to be very particular about his doctors to avoid them freaking out them accidentally healing the holes in his skin closed, making long missions away from Konoha all the more complicated and dangerous.

The rookie nine (-Sasuke) all really enjoy the outdoors so they set up a whole park/garden for them to hang out at. Naruto, Sakura, and Ino plant and tend to the flowers. Hinata picks and presses flowers into journals with the date they bloomed, type, and flower meaning written. Shikamaru (and sometimes Choji) likes cloud gazing. Shino and Choji like admiring (and sometimes catching) the bugs they find; Shino appreciates how he can exposition dump about all sorts of insects and Choji will actually listen. Kiba will either run around or take a nap with Akamaru depending on the day. Sakura also sometimes brings a stack of books to read/annotate in the grass.

Ino was the peer leader of their classroom during the academy.

Because Sakura was the introverted friend adopted by the extroverted leader (Ino), when they stopped being friends, Sakura functionally lost all of her friends.

Shino was right behind Sasuke in academics all throughout the academy, resulting in them having a bit of a silent rivalry. Sasuke actually knew Kiba through this because Kiba was one of the few people who acknowledged that Shino existed.

Choji taught Ino and Shikamaru how to cook as team bonding.

Shino and Hinata are pretty close friends after bonding over having to reign in Kiba during their time on team 8.

[x3luvr]

Love, Lust & Him —

Itachi x Reader

— In which the physical bond between you and Itachi only deepens the longer you're apart. —

a/n: I'm feeling nostalgic, I miss my Naruto era ;(

(Not proofread !!)

It had been so very long since the last time you laid eyes on that crimson, gem-like gaze of his. Nostalgia enveloped your insides as his charcoal locks, which were now grown out longer than you'd last remembered, framed his pale, almost sickly appearance. The man was called many names, a murderer, a threat, a prodigy. However when you stand before him now, watching his cold expression morph into a look of longing, a look of love, the constant pain of distance, many sleepless nights and wondering if he was still alive seem utterly in the past. Itachi Uchiha wasn't just any Shinobi, he was your Shinobi.

"Hi love, It's been a while." His arms wrap so perfectly around your body, almost like their sole purpose was to hold you in them.

"It's been too long Itachi." You reply in a mellow tone, taking in his warm, earthy scent that always felt like home. Most people would bolt in fear at the sight of the Uchiha, but not you, you clung onto him as though he may slip away again if you let go.

“I missed you more than I can put into words." You sighed, as he intertwined his long fingers within your hair.

"You can show me in another way you know?" A hint of tease emerged from his delicate smile. After so much time apart, all you wanted was to feel him more than just surface level, to see the most vulnerable parts of such a powerful man, a man who was seemingly soul-tied to you. Gently pushing the front strands of his hair back onto his ear, you leaned in, breath hitching slightly before meeting his soft, cushion like lips. His body leaned into yours, tracing the silhouette of your hips, with a touch so soft like he was afraid to break you.

Stepping closer towards the bed, you found yourself light headed from the way Itachi's lips grazed over your neck, trailing lower and lower before pausing just before your breasts. "Are you sure about this love?" You knew that if you wanted to stop, he would. However you couldn't help but grin at his unsuccessful attempt at hiding the neediness in his eyes.

"If not with you then who else?" You hushed beside his ear before guiding him on top of you, spreading your legs in order to wrap around his defined waist. Itachi’s breath quivered at your touch against his large, clothed bulge. As his head dropped onto the crook of your neck, you began fiddling with the helm of his shirt, capturing glimpses of his bare chest.

“I’m all yours, do with me as you please.” He almost pleaded once he was left in nothing but his boxers, and you in a pair of underwear. In response, you laced his fingers and placed them on your plush breasts, allowing him to firmly grope you. A moan slipped past your lips as he trailed sloppy kisses down your abdomen. Pealing off the last piece of clothing from your body, two of Itachi’s icy fingers inserted into your already dripping cunt. They were long, and stretched you out as he pumped your walls, observing your features when he curled them or fastened the pace.

The back of your hand strived to cover up the unholy noises which you failed to contain, when all of a sudden the sensation of the Uchiha’s tongue pulsating through your sex hazed you much, much further. “Itachi.. if you continue like this I’ll..” Your words slurred, and as if without conscious thought, your hands passed though your legs and into the dark locks of your beloved. His mouth trailed like clockwork when you felt the rush of blissful climax engulf your body.

Itachi watched as your chest rose and fell with the heavy panting that turned him on more than he’d like to admit. Once you’d reached your senses, the intense yearning for more pulsated through you. Taking the initiative, you crawled onto his lap, straddling him with your bare sex before you felt the sheer size of his cock poking beneath you. Rubbing your cunt back and forth, the soft grunts emerging for Itachi’s flushed face gave you the courage to pull down his boxers. “Are you sure it’ll fit?” You hesitated.

“We’ll make it work love.” Itachi smiled ever so sweetly, before placing you on your back and aligning himself at your entrance. As he pushed in, you gasped at how your walls filled to the brim with his length. “You’re doing so well sweetheart,” he connected his lips against yours, taking in each whimper from the kiss. Once he pulled away with beads of sweat dripping down his body, the sight of his bulge poking at your stomach left you astounded.

The shinobi groaned in pleasure as his hips developed rhythm, pulling in and out with each thrust. Your arms reached for his back, nails digging into his flesh whenever you felt him go in particularly deep. This was the sight you craved for more than anything. To feel Itachi all around you, to have every inch touched by him and him only. His lashes fluttered in your direction, revealing an expression that was filled with so much emotion, yet so little comprehension. His base slammed into you repeatedly until you let out moans of utter satisfaction.

Itachi’s pace faltered once he reached his peak, his eyelids lowered and his groans turn into jagged breaths. The Uchiha’s bare frame laid on top of yours, allowing you to enjoy the comfortable silence whilst you spent time entangled within one another for perhaps the last time. On the inside, you began appreciating how smooth his skin was, the number moles plastered across his face, and even the dusty pink shade of his lips.

For a moment, the still atmosphere was broken when Itachi cupped the side of your face, reaching for your lips once more as he spoke up in a tone laced with nothing but affection and heartache. “Thank you.. for loving me.”

[rokudaimeplease]

“Thanks to you, Iruka sensei, we have guard duty covered with enough shinobi.” “No, that was all you, Kakashi-san.” “No, I didn’t do anything. I just helped a little. It’s all thanks to the bonds Naruto forged. Naruto’s here, and that’s why everyone is here today.”

[itsvenera]

Hello! I'm in love with your work ❤️ I was wondering if you could do a scenario where Gaara's girlfriend/fiancée gets hurt on a mission protecting Kankuro?

author's note: You have the patience of a saint and I am so thankful not only for this amazing idea, but also for your continuing support! I think this became a lit bit more angsty than intended, but I still hope you enjoy! <3

There were many moments in Gaara's life when he felt dislike toward his siblings. Most of them took place in their younger years, during which he was isolated by his father and grew to see them as nothing more than strangers, who just so happened to be related to him by blood.

The turning point in their relationship was his encounter with Naruto. Building bonds at such a late stage was not an easy task - especially since he could tell both Temari and Kankuro were still somewhat scared of him - but he was just as motivated to do it, as he was to prove himself to everyone in Suna. So while it did take some time, he started to get to know his siblings more and get closer to them.

He loved his sister, he truly did. She was smart, strong, and independent and the young Kazekage couldn't be prouder of her. She was the wisest of the three, always there to listen and provide her opinion when he needed it the most. He could trust her with anything that was laying heavy on his heart or mind, and she never judged or criticized him.

The bond he shared with Kankuro, however, was completely different. Gaara considered him as his best friend and right hand, and while he did not admit it out loud, he was closer to him rather than Temari. In his head, he justified it based on the fact that they were both male and that he didn't really have that much time to build a close relationship with Temari, as soon after the war she moved to live in Konoha and live with the Nara.

Since Kankuro was the only one left in Suna, it was only natural for them to grow even closer. Despite their differing views on many topics, sometimes including what is best for the village, the red-haired shinobi trusted him with his life. This was the reason why he was always assigned as your partner when you had to do missions outside Suna - he knew that no matter what, his brother would do anything to protect you.

Or at least he thought he knew.

As he observed your bruised from in front of him, his eyes narrowed once they landed on your arm sling. Your mouth kept moving, but your explanation fell deaf on his ears - all he cared about was the fact you stood before him with a broken arm and numerous cuts and bruises.

"-so we were greatly outnumbered! So my arm was broken in two places, but luckily the nurse said it will be only 12 weeks till-"

"Where is Kankuro right now?", this was the first time he spoke since you started giving him detailed account of what went wrong on the mission and the roughness in his voice did take you by surprise.

Furrowing your brows, you tilted your head to the side, a flicker of annoyance flashing in your eyes. You specifically told your fiancé that his brother was dealing with all the paperwork downstairs, which is why you have decided to come here and attend the debriefing meeting by yourself.

"He is in the office downstairs, doing the-"

Interrupting you once again, Gaara knocked loudly on his desk, his subtle signal that he needs the attention of the guards outside. The door opened and one of them peeked his head inside, bowing slightly as a sign of respect to the village leader.

"Bring Kankuro up here", the Kazekage said, while placing his elbows on the flat surface in front of him, "Now."

The masked guard nodded his head and closed the door without another word. You stood frozen in your place, silently watching him and trying to understand what was up with him. His expression remained stoic, while his shoulders were slightly up, a sign of how tense he was. He couldn't even bring himself to look at you, as his pale eyes remained fixed on the wall behind you.

"What is this about?", your voice was laced with irritation as you rested your free hand on your waist. He briefly glanced at you, before letting out a heavy sigh and closing his eyelids.

"I don't know what you are talking about."

Faking ignorance was definitely not his strong suit and your gritted your teeth in annoyance at his behaviour. Gaara was a fairly mature man - sure, he did had his childish moments sometimes, but given that he did not had a normal childhood, you excused his odd behaviour in the rare moments it occurred. In fact, most of the time it was easy for you to understand what was wrong without him even telling you, as he has never been that good at hiding his emotions.

As you studied him now, however, you were completely lost. The mission was success and while you and Kankuro did get ambushed by eight ninjas at once, you managed to get away relatively uninjured.

Well, if you excluded your broken arm.

"Is that because of my injury?", you felt suddenly enlightened at what the problem may be and given the way his jaw clenched, you knew you hit the jackpot. Gaara has always been fiercely overprotective of you, not only because you were his fiancée, thus making you the target of many rogue ninjas, but also because you were the one person he could not afford to lose.

Before he can reply, there was a faint knock on the door, followed by your partner's low "Enter". The door opened and Kankuro stepped into the room, his lips curving into a small smile once his eyes landed on you. The moment he turned his head to his brother, his whole face fell and he cleared his throat, before bowing his head.

"Kazekage-sama", he greeted in a small voice, almost ashamed. Gaara did not return the greeting, instead moved one of his arms to motion to one of the chairs on the other side of the desk. Understanding his silent request, Kankuro slowly dragged his feet to it, buying himself time to come up with good explanation of what went wrong.

The puppet master may be a lot of things, but stupid was not one of them. The boiling rage behind his brother's eyes was easily recognisable for him, even if his younger sibling was trying to mask it behind a cold and stiff expression.

"What did I tell you before you left?", the Kazekage asked, while leaning forward. Kankuro gulped at the question, focusing his attention to his fidgeting fingers in his lap, while you moved closer to the two males, eager to finally get some clarity.

Did they make some kind of secret deal without you knowing?

"Answer!", Gaara barked, his patience running thin and both you and Kankuro jumped at the unusual loudness of his voice. The Kazekage, who was always so calm and collected, never raised his tone like this.

The painted man cleared his throat, before lifting his gaze and trying to offer a diplomatic response:

"Well, technically you said a lot of stuff..."

The red-headed shinobi scrunched his nose and his lips twisted into a scowl, obviously unhappy with the answer he was given. Sensing there is a storm brewing, you sat on the other available chair next to the puppet master, while your attention kept jumping between the two men. At this point you felt like a third wheel to their discussion, even though it was obvious that you were somehow connected to the topic.

"Is anyone going to tell me what is going on?"

They both ignored you, instead continuing to stare at each other, one with clear distaste, the other one - with shame. One long minute passed, during which you felt all three of you will suffocate because of the rising tension.

"Your future brother-in-law is incompetent and useless fool", Gaara finally broke the silence, moving his focus toward you, "is what is going on."

Without the chance to even assimilate what he just told you, your head whipped to the side once Kankuro slammed his hands on the desk, his face twisted in a mix of frustration and guilt. He glared draggers at his brother, yet the slight tremble of his bottom lip hinted that he was more afraid rather than angry.

“It’s not my fault! I have only one head, you know?! I can’t have my attention and sight at everything! She jumped behind my back and I didn’t even notice her before it was too late!”

Your lover shook his head, a disgusted scoff leaving his lips.

“Thank Kami you don’t have more than one head! You don’t even use this one, I can’t imagine what it would be if you had more”, the mockery in his tone soon left and was replaced by annoyance, “I told you to keep your eye on my fiancée and keep her safe! At. Any. Cost! And here she is, covered in bruises and injuries, with a broken arm!”

Hearing his words, your jaw fell. Now it was your turn to look at him with disgust. Did he think you were that weak and unskilled, he had to ask his brother to supervise you?

“Wait”, you closed your eyes , trying to gather all your thoughts together, “You ask him to keep his eye on me?”

The note of disbelief in your voice finally caught the attention of both males and they exchanged a look, before turning toward you. Gaara's face softened and he cleared his throat, but the moment he opened his mouth to answer, Kankuro beat him to it.

"You bet he was - "Don't let her out of your sight!"; "Don't let her fight unless absolutely necessary!"; "Make sure to escort her everywhere she goes", the puppet master recited the list of orders given to him by his brother. With each sentence, your breathing became more and more rigid, while your lover burned holes at the other man's head.

Did he take you for some kind of helpless damsel in distress that needs constant protection? Of course, as the partner of the Kazekage you knew it would be hard to separate your personal life from your work, but you always tried your best to keep things between you professional on the workplace. Learning he has been giving directions to Kankuro behind your back, when he specifically promised you that he would treat you as any other sand shinobi, did feel like a low blow.

"I can't believe you!", you scoffed, turning your attention back to Gaara, "You promised me you won't interfere in my missions!"

"It's not like that", your lover sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He was worried about you, was that a crime? The world out there was dangerous, especially since he had enemies everywhere and the fact you did not seem to appreciate this frustrated him to no end. Why can't you just understand?

"Should I leave?", Kankuro looked between you awkwardly, his hands already gripping the edge of the stool so he can lift himself. Deep down he knew that maybe he did say more than he was supposed to. So far he always kept the arrangements he had with his brother private, but as he felt almost cornered by you and him, it wall just... slipped out.

The Kazekage nodded his head, but not before mouthing "I am not done with you" to his sibling. Once the door closed and you were left alone in the room, his focus landed back on your fuming form.

"My love-"

"You promised!", you interrupted before he can butter you up and make you question the reasonableness of your anger, "Do you doubt my skills as a shinobi? Do you not trust I can handle myself?"

He winced at the tone of your voice and he briefly glanced at your arm sling, before looking back into your eyes. Taking a deep breath, he stood from his chair and walked around his desk, so he can sit at the place previously occupied by Kankuro next to you. While his hands itched to reach out to you and just take you in a hug, he held himself back, choosing to rest his palms on his knees instead.

"Love, you are one of the most skilled and powerful sand shinobi", he started, carefully choosing each word, "I know you can handle both yourself and your team! But I am worried about you - you are the fiancée of the Kazekage, the dangers are-"

You shook your head interrupting him once again mid-sentence. Pressing your tongue against your cheek, you tried to control the urge to just stand up and leave. He had shared his worries with you before and while you understood his point of view, you felt like he didn't even try to get yours.

"Do you know how embarrassing this is? No wonder everyone in the team treats me strangely", you huffed, "I am your fiancée, but I also your subordinate and you are my leader and employer. You can't just... interfere with my work like this!"

Leaning back against the chair, you buried your head in your hand and waited for the long excuse which you knew was coming. It was not the first time you have discussed this and you also suspected it won't be the last.

"You are right. I shouldn't have done that", he said after a minute of silence, "I am sorry."

Here it goes-wait! ... Did he really said he was sorry?

Lifting your head almost cautiously you eyed him with a mix of suspicion and surprise, not expecting for him to apologize. While he was often good at self-reflection, it was no secret that apologizing was not really Gaara's thing- in the rare occasions when he was wrong, he always found a way to justify his decisions and actions, because the truth is, he did always have good intentions.

"Are you really?", the question came out sharper than you intended and once you saw him flinch back, you reached for his hand, your anger disappearing almost immediately. You rubbed small circles on his skin with your thumb, while you decided to be honest with how you felt.

"Look, I am just... Other ninjas are already thinking that I do get special treatment because we are together. And when you specifically ask them to act as my protectors, even if it is just your brother, it doesn't really help my case. I can take care of myself."

Gaara's pale eyes fell down to your broken arm before lifting to your face again, one invisible brow raising. You clicked your tongue while rolling your eyes at him.

"Hey, don't give me that look! I saved my teammate as any shinobi would do!"

He looked at you for a few seconds, before finally letting out a sigh and he brought your hand to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on top. His lips lingered there for a few seconds, before he pulled away, resting his chin on your intertwined fingers.

"I hate seeing you hurt", he finally admitted, "But you are right, I just... I can't help but think the worst every time you go away. I can't lose you! I really can't!"

"And you won't!", you squeezed his hand lovingly, your voice falling down to a whisper, "But I need you to trust me. Okay?"

The corners of his mouth twitched into a small smile and he leaned forward, placing his forehead to yours. If there was one thing you both hated doing, it was fighting. You felt his arms sneaking around your shoulders, carefully pulling you closer to him so he avoids hurting you. Before you can fully relax in his embrace, however, you lifted your head, searching his eyes:

"And no more scolding for Kankuro."

His body tensed and his expression twisted in disatisdaction.

"But-"

"No", you gave him one of 'your looks' and he watched you with a blank expression for a while, before he let out a huff and slowly nodded his head.

"Fine."

Little did you know, that while there was no scolding, their "talk" did take a long, long time afterwards... and maybe Kankuro was forced to give a few secret additional promises.

cc artwork: Ankush Sharma

[doudouma]

“you have 3 WIVES and a HUSBAND?!”

what it’s like being uzui’s husband!reader with his wives!

_______________________________________________

╔══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╗

◆ greetings, my lovely lotuses! thank you so much for all 97 votes! with the winning option on my poll, uzui and his 3 wives & husband, please enjoy♡〜

there are no warnings, my dear lotus.

reader is male.❀ 〜

a/n : i had a feeling these headcanons would win the poll, especially since it seems unique〜 apologies if these may come out as short !

╚══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╝

ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻ੈ✩‧₊˚ ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻ੈ✩‧₊˚

ooo… such a beautiful relationship〜!

being tengen’s husband… such a delightful thing..

mainly because you have a loving husband AND loving wives♡

with a side of chaos due to makio and suma, never a boring day

as the second man, it’ll be a semi-unspoken rule to help tengen out with the ladies, to help balance things out.

he’s outnumbered by women, after all〜

and they would certainly help you out too! with anything as well, they wouldn’t mind.

you most likely met tengen by being a shinobi or demon slayer. especially since the wives are kunoichi.

they all wouldn’t treat you no different from how they treat each other, and they all say “i love you” in their own way♡

“my flamboyant m/n.. you returned back to me after your mission, and saved countless of lives. you’re a very strong man, im very proud of you.” (pats head)

“i appreciate the things you do for me, so i helped you out with things you needed done today. i wanted to return the favor for you, m/n.♡”

“m/n, m/n!!!! i’m so glad you’re back, why didn’t you return sooner?! do you know how worried you had me?! i was trying not to think of your grave so soon!!!”

“i said i didn’t need any help with the laundry, you know!!!! i could’ve done it myself, it was my job, not yours, m/n!!! ..but thanks.”

the wives love to do your hair, cook with you, talk about their day, and absolutely love to cuddle!♡

tengen would love gift you things with meaning, do small things for you that you forgot, making jokes and teasing you, talking about anything while you two cook for the wives, and love to cuddle too!♡

sometimes the wives forget theres only one of you, so coming home from a mission with all of them ecstatic to see you.. can be a bit overwhelming.

tengen to the rescue!

tengen would usually step in and calm them down, and the five of you would reunite once again in peace〜

he would also be very excited about being put on missions with you!

he’d protect you with his life, and would internally melt if you protected him. even while he tells you to prioritize your life over his♡

on times where you, tengen and the wives all go on missions together, it’s quite fun, and you all feel safer together than apart.

the hashiras may never hear the end of his flamboyant husband, and he’d constantly boast about you! even if you’re right next to him.. he doesn’t care.

i know for a fact rengoku will tell tengen, “you have too many spouses!” my, my rengoku

he wouldn’t mind rengokus jokes, because he knows you’re happy with him and he’s happy with you!

he absolutely adores the fact that you and the wives bond so well, the wives loves you way more than he thought they would!

of course not in a bad way. it makes him feel so happy inside, a very soft feeling of comfort.

if someone ever wronged you, you best believe you’d have four people behind you ready to fight! and since you love them, you’ll fight for them too.

you all have each others backs, no matter the circumstance of any kind, and would go unmeasurable lengths for one another.

such a true strong bond of mutual love and trust. nothing and no one will be able to separate you all♡

ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻ੈ✩‧₊˚ ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻ੈ✩‧₊˚

wow, wow…. this took way longer than i expected!! lotuses, my heavy apologies, i’ve been busy with other things. surprisingly this was a little hard to write, and brung out a side in me that i didn’t know existed of being a uzui fan… thank you for your patience, my precious flowers❀

psps… send requests〜!

[bones4thecats]

Hello, I would like to request an imagine with a reader Mitsuri Kanroji or Shinobi Kocho( Kimetsu no Yaiba) with the characters Scarabia, Leona and Malleus please

Having A Shinobu/Mitsuri! S/O

Type of Writing: Request Name: Having A Shinobu/Mitsuri! S/O Characters: Kalim Al-Asim, Jamil Viper, Leona Kingscholar, and Malleus Draconia Requester: @marinahavik

A/N: This is a mixture of both Shinobu and Mitsuri as the readers, with two having Shinobu and the other two having Mitsuri by what I think would fit best. Anyways, enjoy!

⚠️ TW: Manga/Mugen Train Spoilers! Slight swearing, mentions of death and self-doubt ⚠️

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Shinobu Kocho! Reader ; Basic Headcanons

☀️ Kalim, as we all know, is danger prone. You on the other hand, are far more trained and adept to your surroundings and the poisons that come near you

☀️ Your smile is something that Kalim also adores, but when he notices that whenever someone asks about your family, he begins to suspect that there is something behind your smile that you don't want the others, including him, seeing

☀️ When he does find out about your past and how your sister died, the housewarden of Scarabia tears up and hugs you tightly, reminding you of Tanjiro after your fellow hashira, Rengoku, passed away

☀️ He really wants to meet your estate's members, and when they come by to visit you, probably due to a mission nearby, he admires Uzui and Mitsuri the most

☀️ You give him a genuine smile as he tells Tanjiro and the rest of the Kamaboko Squad stories of his childhood and his homeland of Scaling Sands

What do you think of Shinobu Kocho! Reader?

" I love her so much! Her smile is so cute! But, the way she teases Jamil does seem to make him become slightly annoyed… I wonder why. "

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Mitsuri Kanroji! Reader ; Basic Headcanons

🐍 When Jamil first met you, he was alarmed by how loving and kind you were

🐍 Like, how in the name of the Great Sevens did you end up getting organized into a college for dark-magic users? You seem to fit Royal Sword Academy far more

🐍 It's not that he hates how happy-go-lucky you are, in fact he loves that part of you. You’re like the sun to his moon. But, the way you effortlessly show off yourself just for others to google at annoys him to no end

🐍 He's not mad at you, rather he's mad at the others. They know you are together, so why are they trying to ask you out in front of him?

🐍 Anyways, when you had first brought your family to Night Raven College, his parents and yours bonded well, sharing the familiarity of their oldest child being strong at a young age, though Jamil was more magic while yours was physically

🐍 Speaking of your strength; Jamil loves it to no end.

🐍 He knows that you suffer from the curse of self-doubt, as he does himself in some areas. So, whenever he sees you doubting yourself, he comforts you and speaks of how sweet and gorgeous you are, no matter the body type or what decorates your skin. After all, beauty is on the inside just as much as the outside

What do you think of Mitsuri Kanroji! Reader?

" She's quite a bit of everything mixed into the most beautiful person ever made. Their personality is astounding and just the way she effortlessly takes care of Kalim to help me out is great. Though, her appetite is quite difficult to keep up with. Thankfully she knows how to cook and bake just as well as I do. Speaking of which, she made these amazing mochi the other day- "

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Shinobu Kocho! Reader ; Basic Headcanons

🦁 He was initially annoyed by you

🦁 You just seemed to appear so arrogant because of your constant teasing remarks to him and others and your sly smile was not helping his views on you increase

🦁 But, whenever and however you to had got together, he always is latched to your back. At least when your not busy

🦁 Leona may not seem like he does, but he listens to every explanation on the poisons you are either working on to heal your fellow Demon Slayers or to learn about in order to heal them

🦁 As a beastman, Leona has very good hearing and a excellent sense of smell. So, whenever you come back and he smells the scent of another on you, he gets pissy. The same goes if he were to find a male ZENITSU clinging and asking for your hand in marriage

🦁 You love to tease him, and it’s so gosh darn easy to do so. When you see his form stiffen at your words, you just go on. But, if you were to see his tail swaying and smacking against the ground or any nearby surface as his ears lay flat, you back away and tell him you were joking

🦁 When you had decided to tell Leona about your sister and everything that you were planning, he was extremely upset at first. But, after a while, he grew to understand, making you swear to at least find a secondary option

🦁 He knew you weren't, but he hoped you at least tried for him

What do you think of Shinobu Kocho! Reader?

" They're alright, I suppose. Their teasing does get annoying, but I can't lie. They’re real good with a, uh, whatever the hell their blade was called - a nichirin. But, I do hope their plan works with another route, I can’t stand the though of losin 'em in that way… I hope that bastard upper two dies painfully though… fuck him. "

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Mitsuri Kanroji! Reader ; Basic Headcanons

🐉 He, much like other Night Raven College students, believed that you belonged at Royal Sword Academy because of your personality

🐉 But, seeing you lunge into gear and protect Silver, Sebek, Lilia, and himself from Leona's oncoming overblot-filled attacks made him look at you in a slightly different light

🐉 You were an amazing person by nature. Your kindness and adoration of all things you deemed cute (which was nearly everything), made Malleus gently smile at you for the first time

🐉 He normally lays his head in your lap as you mess around with his hair, normally taking the back pieces and braiding it to match your own, this action normally makes Sebek upset, but Malleus loves it

🐉 Along with that, seeing how strong you are makes him overjoyed with pride in his lover. After all, normally no pure human can take down a half-fae such as Sebek with as much ease as you had

🐉 Your appetite is something that Malleus also likes. As a fae, he has quite the stomach as well, so seeing you absolutely mash down the delicacy you call mochi makes stars form in Malleus' eyes while tinges of fear get struck in other Diasomnia members

🐉 Whenever he sees you doubting yourself, your dragon-fae lover comes behind you and hugs you while his tail wraps around your leg, lightly squeezing your calf and thigh in reassurance; you were perfect in his eyes

What do you think of Mitsuri Kanroji! Reader?

" They are by-far the most interesting human I have met in my elongated life. Their sense of character is admirable, just seeing their smile makes my once-lonely existence light up with a delightful mixture of joy and love. I just wish they would see themselves in just as much of a shining light as I do. "

[kaialone]

Guilty Gear Xrd Series Official Artworks- Short Story "The Reminiscent Gale" (English Translation)

This will be a full English translation of the short story "The Reminiscent Gale" (JPN title: 追憶の疾風)

It’s the third out of three new short stories written to be included in "Guilty Gear Xrd Series Official Artworks"- an artbook released in October 2024, containing concept art for all three main versions of Guilty Gear Xrd.

The specific author(s) of these short stories have not been revealed, but it's been indicated that they were in-house staff of Arc System Works.

--

The Reminiscent Gale

The "wall".

It's not one of the iron fences that might surround you, or some hardened gang of thugs.

But surviving in this harsh environment for sixteen years? That's one "wall" you'll find yourself facing, no matter what.

It may be called by many names, but even in the town where the boy grew up, people knew the "Wall of Sixteen".

The boy possessed extraordinary intellect, allowing him to quickly understand the reality of this. He mastered the art of living in the shadows, and cleared the wall with ease.

—

Countless shadows fell to the ground, and a mob eagerly pecked away at them like a wake of vultures.

One shadow found himself completely unable to move. There was a man, gently whispering to him, keeping both of them out of sight.

"Don't worry, I won't bite. You get it, don't you?"

"E-eek…"

"See, we just wanna get along, too. So, how about you show us some sincerity?"

"G-got it, I'm sorry, please forgive…"

Before he could finish his sentence, the larger man had passed out from fear. As the other let go of his collar, he heard someone call his name.

"Hey, Answer. How's it going over there?"

It seemed his fellow slum residents had finished their "work" early.

"Done already, Martin? Well, same here. Doubt they'll try anything else after this."

"Hmph, sure hope they learned their lesson."

"If they didn't, we'll just pay them back in kind. Anyway, we're leaving!"

Following Answer's command, everyone withdrew. Since it was a struggle just to make it through each passing day, their group always stuck together closely. As a result, their bond had grown stronger than blood.

And for Answer, the very act of protecting them was his sole purpose in this hell.

…Until he met a certain man.

—

"Alpha Blade!!"

"Gaaaargh!!"

A man who could only be described as bizarre, calling himself a ninja. Answer happened to be familiar with the concept of a "ninja". And this man, who'd appeared like a gale of wind, looked nothing like one.

"Wh- What's with this guy… Is he crazy?!"

"He's so fast… Gaargh!"

"Hey, Answer! You gotta help us!!"

"Martin! Harold! Keith! Damn it, what the hell's going on?!"

This guy just started preaching to them out of the blue, claiming he would make the world a better place. It was more than enough to set off Answer and his cohorts.

So, they decided to rough him up a bit, figuring it wouldn't take much to make him cry and beg them for forgiveness. Instead, they were now the ones falling to the ground, one after the other.

Inexplicable techniques, incomprehensible speed. Swirling echoes of angry shouts, instantly silenced by an unseen blade.

And mere moments later, only two shadows were left standing… The man who called himself a ninja, and Answer.

"…What's with that stupid-ass get-up? Don't you know who you're messin' with?"

"Hmph. You're talking a lotta smack… considering you don't even know about the most lethal of Japanese weapons—the shinobi!"

"Th- That's it, you're dead…!"

It didn't make any sense. How could the home he wished to protect, his family, just be trampled like that?

For Answer, it was like everything he'd done up until this point was being rendered null and void. He had to fight back. With nothing but that single thought in his mind, he stood up to the man before him.

—

"You're actually tougher than I thought you'd be. What's your name?"

Even as Answer was lying on the ground, the self-proclaimed ninja continued to speak to him with the exact same tone as before.

It took great effort to even move his head, but he still turned to glare at him, and a completely genuine question escaped his lips.

"…Seriously, what the hell's your problem? If it's money you want…"

"What I want is your name. Even if you grew up on the streets, you gotta at least have one of those, right?"

"…It's Answer."

"Answer, huh? That's a fine name. Hey, you should help me become president."

"…What?"

"I bet you'd make for a pretty good ninja."

What is he on about? Did I really just lose to an actual nutcase…?

It took the full capacity of his brain to even come up with a follow-up question.

"Why… president?"

"Like I said, I wanna make the world a better place. That's why I'm hard at work to get folks to vote for me, obviously."

"Vote? You're telling me you're running for office?"

"Running for what?"

Now his anger started giving way to sadness. Even the little brats around these parts knew their place better than this guy.

"You really gonna waste your time with scum like us? If you wanna make the world right, you gotta use your head a little more."

"Don't be silly! Being a ninja isn't just about your head, you gotta train your mind and body, too. And even I used to be a… Well, I guess it doesn't really matter. Tell me, are you okay with the way things are right now?

"…Am I what?"

"Like, trying so hard and just barely surviving. 'Grin and bear it', and all that. You gonna keep doing this forever?"

"…Don't you make fun of me. What do you know? Every single day I see things in this garbage dump that I wish I hadn't. They're forever seared into my mind."

All the things they'd done. Telling themselves that they had to, in order to survive. And all the faces that followed along.

Faces of his family, contorted with pain. Faces of his comrades as they breathed their last. Faces of those damn hypocrites that made him want to puke. Faces, faces, faces…

"There's nothin' good about living like this, but you gotta do it if you wanna protect people! I don't need some well-off asshole without a care in the world showin' up to spout hollow bullcrap and tell me what to do!"

After his outburst, he realized he'd completely forgotten to breathe. A sharp pain filled his lungs, and he was starting to feel dizzy. Probably from the lack of oxygen.

Having kept quiet so far, the man before him sighed deeply, and looked Answer straight in the eye as he spoke.

"I dunno what kinda things you've been dealing with up until today. But, the things you're dealing with right now? I'll carry those for you. So, become a ninja, and help me become president."

"Are you shitting me?! The hell are you gonna do, jackass?! An outsider like you got no business in this shithole!"

"I'm gonna change this shithole."

"…Huh?"

"I'm gonna talk to everyone here and tell them to vote for me. That way they'll all agree to make me president. And presto! We'll have a safe and secure country."

"…"

"Well, there's probably gonna be folks like you who aren't gonna listen. I'll still talk to those guys though, even if I gotta beat them up, too."

"…"

"Oh shoot, our country's gonna need a name then, huh? It's probably better to keep it simple, so how about 'Shinobi Kingdom'? What do you think, Answer?"

"…Hah… Hahaha…"

The corners of his mouth curled up all on their own. He could practically hear the sound of his brain cells blowing out.

This guy was the real deal. His instincts told him so.

"Y'know…"

As he sat up and regained his balance, something caught his eye.

The barrel of a gun, hidden in the shadows behind the ninja, pointed in their direction. It was Martin.

In that instant, two options flashed through Answer's mind.

The first was to just let the crazy ninja die.

And then continue living this shitty life for the rest of his days.

The second was…

"Watch out, dumbass!"

Not quite what you're supposed to say when you're saving someone.

—

"I must say, I did not expect you to actually kick everyone's butt and then talk with them."

"A ninja never lies. Good thing you trusted me, huh?"

"Indeed. Well, in hindsight."

"…By the way, Answer. Shouldn't you first practice your ninja skills instead of how to talk all stiff like that?"

"Oh, quit your bellyaching, would you? Seeing as you are quite unreliable, I have no choice but to rely on anything else available to lay the proper groundwork for us, Boss. Really, you should be on your knees and profess your gratitude towards me."

"Oh yeah, about that 'Boss' thing! I told you to call me 'Okashira'! Martin and the others get it right." (1)

"Yes. Yes, you did tell me. My humblest apologies."

"Plus, there's your look. If you were just a tad more… you know, like an actual ninja, it'd be perfect."

"Aaaarrrrgh! Will you shut up already, you moron?! Ah, shit, a call. Hello, yes, this is Answer! Yes, thank you for the other day- Oh no, we pride ourselves on dedication and sincerity…"

--

Translation Note:

(1) What happens here is that Answer refers to Chipp with the actual English word "boss". This is fairly common in Japanese pop culture for this sort of character context. Of course, Chipp being the way he is, insists on being called "okashira" instead, a Japanese word that can be translated as "boss".

It's also spelled in katakana as "オカシラ" when Chipp says it, rather than the more conventional kanji/hiragana spellings, which—long story short—is a visual indicator showing that Chipp is literally saying the word as "okashira", even if in-universe these characters are likely supposed to be speaking English to each other.

Because of this, I left the word untranslated here, as that seems to be the intent.

There's one more thing to note about this, however.

By the time of Guilty Gear Xrd itself, Answer actually does consistently refer to Chipp as "okashira". But now Chipp wants to be called "president" instead, making the "okashira" bit from this short story intentionally ironic.

This only goes for the original Japanese script though, since Chipp's "okashira" title was just translated as "boss", or sometimes "my lord" in the English localization of Xrd.

So, if you're only familiar with the English script, you don't really get the full context of this bit, which is why I wanted to explain it here.

--

[siringadev]

I was thinking about why I love Nero so much, and I realized that there is not only something so magnetic and unique about him and his design, but how the core of his whole personality is built on a deep love for Weiss, despite the fact that he is an antihero and does not very good things (first under orders from Shinra, since he is a Deepground soldier, and then out of duress, to summon Omega = to revive Weiss), but all this is out of desperation and love. I do not know any other character inside the FF7 world and beyond, who is so motivated to act out of love as Nero. Even take other iconic pairs of loving brothers (because it is brother's love that is depicted as the strongest in JP games and anime), their motivations were different, and love was secondary.

Take Itachi and Sasuke, for example.

Itachi is stated to have a very strong love for Sasuke, but what he does ultimately causes Sasuke great pain. Yes, Itachi wanted to save him, but at what cost? And his main motive was: to prevent a world war. So, at the cost of his clan's life and Sasuke's mental health, he does something terrible, and I still can't accept it as an act of love. It seems such an unhealthy, twisted form of love, illogical and scary.

And yet, I cried watching those scenes where Itachi reveals the truth, where Sasuke cries, everything is built to squeeze out tears.

Next, Madara and Izuna.

It is stated that he loved Izuna, and loved him even more than Itachi loves Sasuke. And how is this shown and proven? Well, it seems like almost nothing. Madara's main motivation is to become the strongest shinobi, to take control of the world and establish his own order, and thereby establish peace through strict control and then through magical illusions when he became disillusioned with contradictory and rebellious human nature. I understand his motivations, and he is one of the most admired character in Naruto. But what does love have to do with it? Izuna is not even present in his motivation. He simply died and caused Madara's grief, making him cruel and aggressive. And also gave him his eyes. But what besides this?

As for the others, like Lothric-Lorian from Dark souls, their connection was forced by the curse, and their motivation is simply to disobey their superiors. Their essence is nihilism and fatalism. Love is just an accompanying quality.

Not to mention Miquella, who did not show love as a personal emotion, although it seems he should embody universal love. We just can't see his love for Radahn or Godwyn or anyone to the point that we start to wonder if there was love at all? Or if there was love but it wasn't shown? So he is out of the love list.

If we talk about the love of Sephiroth, Cloud and other characters of FF7, they are so far from ultimate love that it does not even occur to me what can be said. Probably, Sephiroth wanted to love, but could not find anyone, suffering from loneliness and his own inability to build healthy relationships, and Cloud had many friends whom he valued, but never found "the one and only", whom he would love completely and unconditionally (which is why ship-wars still rage). It seems that Sephiroth could have become that one and only, considering how much Cloud idolized him, but Sephiroth ruined everything. Yes, Shinra is to blame for this, but partly it is Sephiroth's character, his selfishness and inability to put someone else's feelings above his own. Considering that Nero and Weiss grew up in much worse conditions than Sephiroth, and suffered abuse and pain from Shinra that Sephiroth did not experienced, yet somehow they were able to form the strongest bonds of love with each other and the healthiest relationships with each other (not toxic, not abusive, but built on loyalty, devotion, trust, unity and intimacy).

Sephiroth was so unlucky in love that even his own clones wanted to leave him in the DFFOO, and Weiss even laughed at this, telling Sephiroth that his puppet (Kadaj) cut his strings. And Kadaj, embodying young Sephiroth personality, longed for a family and to find someone who understood and cared for him, and he saw this in the illusionary form of Jenova. Sephiroth could have given him this care and love, but he simply used him as a tool, which hurt Kadaj. As for Weiss, he remembers Nero as the only one who understands him and cares for him, someone without whom he feels incomplete.

"Without Nero, there is no me" - this shows Weiss and Nero's relationship from Weiss' perspective. In DoC, we see their love from Nero's perspective and might have doubted about the reciprocity, but DFFOO shows that Weiss loves Nero as much as Nero loves Weiss.

Each case is unique, and each deserves its own respect and admiration. I simply analyzed one aspect, like love in a character, and came to the conclusion that Nero may be the strongest embodiment of this love at the moment.

[classygreydove]

tobirama fic recs

4 wonderful tobirama-centric fics! (most of my bookmarks w tobirama are quite popular in the fandom. but maybe one of these will be a new favorite of yours) +1 self-promo lol

Some are gen and some are ship fics, so check pairings!

And all the fire's at your fingertips by PandaFlower - COMPLETE, 10k

T, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Gen; Tobirama & Kagami, Many enemy OCs, Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Hikaku, Kagami's Mom, Tobirama hates childnappers more than anything, Canon-Typical Violence, child kidnapping with rescue

Tobirama is elbow deep in a stealth mission in Wind Country when he runs into a shinobi squad toting a stolen Uchiha child. Tobirama disapproves.

[dove's notes: very cute. if someone told me this fic was the one that popularized the hc tobirama is good with/protective of kids, i'd believe them]

2. gravity of tempered grace by SilverStudios4140 - ONGOING, 170k

NR, No Archive Warnings Apply, Gen, M/M; Hashirama & Tobirama, Tobirama/Izuna, Tobirama & Izuna, Uzumaki Mito, Senju Clan, Uzumaki ocs, Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Kagami, Uchiha Clan, Hatake ocs, Time Travel Fix-It, Warring States Period (Naruto), Shinobi Politics (Naruto), Worldbuilding, BAMF Senju Tobirama, Good Sibling Hashirama, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Senju Tobirama-centric, Uchiha Izuna-centric, Canon-Typical Violence, Shinobi Culture (Naruto), Chakra Theory (Naruto), Physics, Minor HashiMito, Slow Burn

Even at the moment of the hiraishin's conception, Tobirama knew the dangers of meddling with the very threads that make up the fabric of existence. He knew that repeated usage only made it easier to traverse between the dimensions because the user became physically more susceptible to slipping through the cracks. But knowing something is possible theoretically is very different from experiencing it for himself.

[dove's notes: founder's era worldbuilding is fun! and the tobiizu dynamics just have so much chemistry.]

3. turn in such inhumanity by simkjrs - COMPLETE, 237k

T, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Gen, Tobirama & Izuna, Hashirama & Tobirama, Senju Tobirama, Uchiha Izuna, Senju Hashirama, Uchiha Madara, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Warring States Period (Naruto), Soul Bond, Soulmates, Platonic Soulmates, Uchiha Izuna Lives, aroace tobirama, aroace izuna, queer-platonic relationship

“You believe this chakra-merging was an accident?” “It would be far more intelligent to bond with someone who is aware of and has consented to the procedure, so I can only surmise they were unable to choose the target,” says Tobirama. “Assuming the other individual is not so hare-brained as to purposefully bind themselves to an unknown stranger, targeting me was most likely unintentional.”

Unfortunately for Tobirama, Uchiha Izuna is hare-brained enough to do exactly that.

----

The story of how Uchiha Izuna's outstanding idea to perform a forbidden technique eventually leads to the resolution of a centuries-long feud, from Tobirama's point of view. Readable on its own, but it is a counterpart to Wyrvel's Let the Devil In.

[dove's notes: love love love this work/series. So much so that I made two music playlists for it. ace tobirama and queer-platonic relationships and worldbuilding and secret frienships/soulmates and identity intrigue?? just wonderful]

4. A Soft Green Glow by Sharkseye, COMPLETE, 12k

M, No Archive Warnings Apply, Gen, M/M, Tobirama & Izuna, Izuna & Madara, Tobirama/Izuna, Senju Tobirama, Uchiha Izuna, Uchiha Madara, Altered Mental States due to blood loss, Pre-Relationship, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Pre-Canon

Returning from an ambush that killed his entire team and near fatally wounded him, Izuna finds himself followed by an enemy far more dangerous than the ones he left behind. Even if he makes it back to Uchiha lands, he'll be killed long before help can arrive. That is, if the blood loss doesn't get him first.

[dove's notes: i like the characterization of tobirama and izuna, overall well-written]

+1 shameless self-promo: Red Moon, Blue Waters by classygreydove - COMPLETE, 1k

G, No Warnings Apply, Gen; Hashirama & Tobirama, Madara & Izuna, canon compliant, warring states period, pov tobirama, pov madara

Hashirama’s mouth held its beaming smile for a second longer, before dropping into a grim twist. “Did you notice—?” Tobirama inclined his head. “I did.”